LPG cap up, diesel is partially set free

Transcription

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COURTING
ROMANCE
M a R S
MUMBAI HAPPIEST
WITH LEISURE
DELHI LEAST SO
Here’s more proof that
India is, indeed, a happy
nation. The index score
for “level of happiness
with your overall leisure,
entertainment and social
life” is 754. But like all
averages, it hides as
>>P9
much it reveals.
short
stories
CABINET OKAYS
PREZ RULE
IN JHARKHAND
NEW DELHI: The Union cabi-
net decided on Thursday to
recommend President’s
Rule in Jharkhand, where
no party has staked claim to
form the government after
Arjun Munda resigned as
CM after the JMM withdrew support.
P7
Actress-VJ Sohpiya Haque
passes away in London
LONDON: Actress and popular
VJ Sophiya Haque died at a
hospital here on Thursday.
She was 41. Haque was suffering from pneumonia and
had been undergoing tests,
during which she developed
a clot in her lungs.
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WORLD
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DISINVESTMENT
MY FILM TOGETHER’
KITTY BONANZA IN ALGERIAN RAID
Inkaar
Says Sudhir Mishra about his upcoming movie,
which revolves around sexual harassment at work
,
State firms get boost
to capital base
>P11
Former al-Qaeda leader Mokhtar Belmokhtar leads
militant capture of remote Sahara gas plant
>P12
LPG cap up, diesel
is partially set free
ARABUL ISLAM
ARRESTED
AT LONG LAST
HT Correspondent
■ [email protected]
REFORMS Oil prices to go up 50p/l every month
HT Correspondent
NEW DELHI: The government, on
Thursday, allowed the public sector oil companies to raise diesel
prices by 40-50 paise per litre,
and simultaneously sought to offset the negative political fall-out
by hiking the cap on subsidised
LPG cylinders from six to nine.
A marginal reduction of 25
paise a litre in the price of petrol
was also announced. Petrol prices
had been increased by 35 paise
a litre earlier this week. The
revised diesel and petrol prices
will be effective on Friday. At
present, diesel costs R50.91 per
litre in Kolkata (see graphic).
Higher diesel prices are likely to raise food prices and fuel
inflation. Top government sources,
however, refused to call the diesel
price hike a move towards deregulation. “We’ve given some liberty to oil marketing companies
to raise diesel prices in small
doses from time to time,” oil minister M Veerappa Moily said.
The Cabinet Committee on
Political Affairs (CCPA), chaired
by Prime Minister Manmohan
Singh, which took the decisions,
considered the Vijay Kelkar
THE ENERGY DYNAMICS
R491
Loss on every
LPG cylinder
Decision:
Raise cap on
subsidised LPG
cylinders from
6 to 9 a year
Impact: Subsidy
bill will go up
by R9,300 crore
a year
R9.60
Loss per
litre of
diesel
R50.91
Price of
diesel in
Kolkata
R10.81
Price hike
for bulk
consumers
Decision: Hike diesel price by 50 paise per
litre per month
Impact: One-rupee hike to cut subsidy bill
by R9,200 crore. Three 50-paise hikes till
March 31 will fetch about R13,800 crore
Decision: Charge market prices from bulk
consumers
Impact: Subsidy bill will come down by
R12,907 crore
panel report, which had recommended a R1 per month hike
in diesel prices for 10 months
to wipe out the diesel subsidy.
The CCPA also decided to
increase diesel prices by R11 a
litre for bulk consumers (defence, Railways and state transport corporations).
The monthly increase in retail
diesel prices by about 50 paise
per litre will fetch the government about R13,800 crore a year
and will compensate the exchequer for the outgo of R9,300 crore
on account of increasing the
cap on subsidised LPG cylin-
ders to nine a year.
Then, charging market rates
from bulk consumers will bring
down the government’s subsidy
outgo on diesel by R12,907 crore.
“I’m not factoring in (the price
rise) at this moment. I’m proceeding on the basis that the
subsidy bill remains the same
(as earlier),” Union finance minister P Chidambaram said.
While economists and the
stock markets welcomed the
decision, such political as the
BJP, the Left parties, the Akali
Dal and the TMC, among others, criticised the move.
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today
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hindustantimes com
S U R V E Y
FRIDAY, JANUARY 18, 2013
■ R 2.50 ■ Vol. XIII No 16 ■ 20 pages, including 4 pages of HT City
Kolkata / METRO
AIR INDIA (AI) has grounded its six
Boeing-787 Dreamliner planes after
a directive by US Federal Aviation
Administration to stop operations of
all such planes. The grounding of the
Dreamliner is a setback for AI, since
the aircraft is central to the carrier’s
turnaround plans.
>>PAGE 9
HOTTEST IN INDIA
GOA 36°C
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FORECAST: Morning for. Later, mainly
clear sky. Marginal increase in day and
night temperatures. Maximum relative
humidity was 98% and minimum 47%.
■
Governor MK Narayanan with industries minister Partha Chatterjee at the summit.
SAMIR MONDAL
Governor has some advice
to woo industry to Bengal
HT Correspondent
KOLKATA: Governor MK Narayanan flagged the controversial
land question as a major problem area of industrialising West
Bengal, advocating a joint effort
by the state government and
entrepreneurs to find a solution. This is in sharp contrast
to the policy of the Mamata
Banerjee regime, whic has consistently opposed any role of
the state while acquiring farmland for industry.
“Often, there’s a problem
relating to the availability of
suitable land for industry. Hence, a joint effort by state government and entrepreneurs to
get suitable land is called for,”
Narayanan remarked while
delivering the concluding
address of the three-day investor summit, Bengal Leads 2013, in Haldia.
The governor’s stand is sig-
( )
There is a problem
relating to availability of
land for industry. The
government and industry
must work together
M K N A R AYA N A N
Governor
nificant on two counts. One,
he chose the Haldia investor
meet to emphasise his differences with the state government. Speaking from the same
platform less than 48 hours ago,
the chief minister, herself, glossed
over the land issue, claiming
that there was no problem getting land in Bengal.
Two, his comment comes within a week of his now-famous jibe
that a culture of goondaism was
prevailing in the state, as evidenced by the January 8 Bhangar
clash between the Trinamool
Congress and the CPI(M).
A string of projects, both in
the public and private sector,
have been stalled in Bengal
because of the no-acquisition
policy of the state government.
“Despite being a forerunner in
various aspects, such as overall economic growth, education
and governance, what the state
is pathetically lacking in is new
investments,” Narayanan remarked during his speech.
A career policeman, Narayanan said that, although it was
an accepted fact that the priority of the government was
governance, and not business,
the state government should
still play a major role in attracting private investments.
Significantly, the governor
did not stop at the land question, but apparently took a jibe
at the chief minister, too. “We
have to overcome self pessimism
to achieve growth,” he said.
CONTINUED ON P5
KOLKATA: Eleven days after the
assault on the CPI(M)’s Abdur
Rezzak Mollah, former Trinamool Congress MLA from Bhangar, Arabul Islam, was eventually arrested on Thursday and
slapped with non-bailable sections of the Indian Penal Code
(IPC) and Arms Act. Sources
said the move, which had the
sanction of the chief minister
herself, came after pressure from
various quarters, including
Governor MK Narayanan.
Arabul was arrested on Thursday from Mathpukur, off the EM
Bypass, under Kolkata Leather
Complex police station. He was
produced in Baruipur court and
remanded in police custody until
January 21. He had earlier been
released from a Rajarhat nursing home on January 12, after
being admitted on January 8.
The ex-MLA was booked under bailable sections of the IPC
for his January 6 assault on Mollah
— a CPI(M) MLA and former
land and land reforms minister.
He was also booked under nonbailable sections of the Arms Act
for firing on CPI(M) supporters
who were en route to a protest
rally in Kolkata on January 8.
CONTINUED ON P5
■
Arabul Islam after his arrest
on Thursday.
HT PHOTO
Modi’s move to Delhi
nears as RSS relents
INEVITABLE? It’s now only a question of how soon & in what role
Shekhar Iyer
NEW DELHI: Narendra Modi’s move
to New Delhi is beginning to look
inevitable, with the BJP’s ideological patrons set to abandon their
opposition to projecting a leader
ahead of the 2014 General Elections.
It is now a question of how soon,
and in what role, with some in the
party wanting him to take charge
of the campaign committee, while
the man, himself, may be keener
on staying put in Gandhinagar
until the BJP removes the roadblocks to naming him prime ministerial candidate.
The Gujarat chief minister won
a third term in his state less than
a month ago, but a slogan popular among his supporters captured
the growing mood in the party:
“CM for 2012 and PM for 2014”.
Now, sources in the Rashtriya
Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS), the
BJP’s Right-wing parent, say that
the Sangh bigwigs who were ini-
C E A S E F I R E
■
Modi: Aiming high
tially opposed to Modi, will listen
to the clamour for him from BJP
workers and let him move ahead.
“There’s a green light from the
RSS for Modi,” an RSS insider
said. “The Sangh... will leave the
matter of projecting Modi and its
timing for the party to decide.”
For a start, Modi could be nominated to the BJP Parliamentary
Board and, eventually, be roped
in to head the party’s central elec-
UN D E R
tion campaign and strategy panel,
BJP sources said. This could happen once the election of the next
BJP chief is completed and a new
team takes charge, possibly by
early-February.
But the big question is whether
Modi will take the plunge without a guaranteed run at the top
job. “Modi is known not to make
half-baked moves. He goes for
the kill only if his role is clear
and the objectives of involving
him are clearly understood by
all concerned,” a BJP functionary
close to Modi said.
Modi is understood to be studying the “evolving situation” closely and sources said he had conveyed to senior BJP leaders that
he needed six months to take
care of Gujarat affairs.In the
event of his projection, Modi will
also contest the Lok Sabha polls
to send a strong message.
The Congress will debate on
the impact of promotion for Modi
at its Jaipur conclave from Friday.
ST R E S S
Delhi unenthused by Khar’s
offer to talk with Khurshid
Jayanth Jacob
NEW DELHI: India is unenthused
by Pakistan foreign minister
Hina Rabbani Khar’s offer of
ministerial-level talks, which
came a day after she accused
New Delhi of warmongering.
Although New Delhi sees
Islamabad’s instructions to its
troops to respect the ceasefire
as a “positive” development, it
is in favour of the Directors-General of Military Operations sorting out the tensions along the
Line of Control (LoC).
“Direct talks between counterparts don’t just come in a jiffy;
you sort of work up to them gradually or work towards some-
thing,” foreign minister Salman
Khurshid said on Thursday about
Khar’s offer to talk to him.
“We, for instance, when we
come in contact at our level, that
becomes a base for the contact
between heads of government to
come together. So there’s lot of
work you need to do,” he added.
“I think it’s not just one statement or one response that works.
You have to take up the whole
structure with you,” said Khurshid, who, along with defence
counterpart AK Antony, briefed
the cabinet about the situation
along the LoC.
The defence ministry, too, is
for a wait-and-watch approach
— to see if Pakistan’s “change
of mind” is reflected at the ground
level over a period of time.
Islamabad has been calling
for a UN probe into the ceasefire violations and soldiers’
killings, something which is unacceptable to New Delhi.
In a late night statement on
Wednesday, Khar said, “Instead
of issuing belligerent statements
by the military and political leaders from across the border and
ratcheting up tension, it’s advisable for the two countries to discuss all concerns related to the
LoC, with a view to reinforcing
respect for the ceasefire — maybe
at the level of the foreign ministers to sort out things.”
A day earlier, Khar had accused India of “blowing things
out of proportion”.
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HINDUSTAN TIMES, KOLKATA
FRIDAY, J ANUARY 18, 2013
02 |
(
ht16to20
)
quotemartial
The world outside India is so different. We can learn so much
from their education system, social set-up and outlook towards
life in general. UDISHA AGARWAL, student
( POWEROFYOUTH )
weekendplanner
FROM THE MOUTH OF AN IIM GRAD
Mayank Jain, author of Stop Me If You
Can! An IIM Grad’s Tryst With Sales,
will be present at Starmark, South City
Mall, to interact with readers today at
6.30 pm. Boria Majumdar will also be
present at the interactive session. The
author, a mimicry artist, is presently
associated with the world of sales.
■
German students Gazi Korkmaz and Fabian Seibold (standing second and third respectively from left) and LSA students Udisha Agarwal (sitting, second from left) and Vallari Aggarwal (sitting, second from right),
PHOTO: SATYABRATA DAS
at the farewell organised at LSA for the team of students visiting Kolkata from Aalen, Germany.
LEARNING BEYOND BORDERS
EXCHANGE PROGRAMMES Students who have visited foreign countries on exchange
programmes say they have learnt things about life in unknown lands that books didn’t tell them
Sanchari Chatterjee
T
ill December last year, 18-year old
German high-school student Gazi
Korkmaz had not travelled outside
his country. His first encounter
with an alien culture took place in
Kolkata when he arrived as part
of a student exchange programme organised
by Lakshmipat Singhania Academy (LSA).
What caught Korkmaz’s immediate attention
was the slow-paced lifestyle, traffic woes and
of course, pollution.
Opening up to other cultures had always
been a characteristic feature of youth across
the world. They have always lapped up opportunities that seek to educate them while
they can still have fun. Student exchange
programmes give them this opportunity.
“My students learnt a lot during this twoweek visit. It would not have been possible
for me to teach these through theoretical
lessons,” Benjamin Manz, Korkmaz’s teacher
at Kaufmaennische Schule Aalen in Aalen,
Germany, said.
Last year, 11 LSA students visited Germany
for a month. As part of the exchange programme 11 students from the German school
came to Kolkata. At both ends, students had
stayed with their host families.
TECHNOLOGY TIP FOR
THIS WEEK
HOW TO MAKE
YOUR OLD PC A
SPRINTER
If your old desktop computer has
slowed down abysmally, is there
a way to make it work faster?
Other than junking it and buy a
new one, that is. There are two
options: replace the hard disk
with either a 7,200 RPM or even
a 10,000 RPM drive or with a
Solid State Disk (SSD) drive. The
other option is to buy a product
called SanDisk Ready Cache.
This is what you do:
Your PC will need to have a free
SATA connector. Take the help
of a geek friend or your computer
vendor to ascertain this.
1
Purchase a ReadyCache
2
Drive that comes as a 32GB
SSD hard disk, and install it
inside your computer and
connect it to the free SATA
connector
Boot up and install the application that comes with Ready
Cache. It will reboot your computer about three times to get
the application ready.
3
SanDisk claims that your computer boots up four times faster,
and application will run up to 12
times faster.
The device costs about R3,700.
The great part about it is that
there is no need to format, backup or reinstall software on your
computer. It just works as an
additional drive and improves
speed. There is a downside: it
requires Windows 7 to work.
WRITE TO US
■
Tell us about all the issues that bother
you. We can be reached at
[email protected]
“The students
get to know the
heritage, cultural
values and family ties when they
live with their
h o s t fa m i l i e s
during exchange
programmes,”
LSA principal
Meena Kak, said.
For Avilasha
Ghosh, final year
sociology stu- ■ Avilasha Ghosh
dent, St Xavier’s
College, the recent trip to Minnesota, USA,
has opened up a whole new array of options
for her future studies.
“After the one month trip to St Benedict’s and
St John’s University in Minnesota, I have made
up my mind to pursue my masters degree in
the US. I liked their teaching method, which is
more of a discussion and not the routine lecture
that we have got used to,” Ghosh said.
Having chosen environmental anthropology as her major subject, Ghosh was given
permission to freely attend any class going on
at the college during his stay on the campus.
She attended classes on several other subjects
apart from her own.
“I did not face the usual restrictions relat-
ing to waking
up on a certain
time, going to
college, returning home etc.
while living with
the host family.
I felt very much
at home and
comfortable in
an alien land. It
impressed me a
lot,” she said.
Udisha
■ Arkya Mukherji
Agarwal, a class
11 student of LSA, visited Germany as part of
the exchange programme last year. “I was like a
frog in a well before this trip! The world outside
India is so different. We can learn so much
from their education system, social set-up and
outlook towards life in general,” Agarwal said.
Fabian Seibold, a class 12 student from
Germany, said he was quite surprised to see
three generations living in the same house - an
experience he had while staying with the host
family in Kolkata. “The family I was living with
had all the uncles, aunts, cousins and grandparents staying together. I had never seen so
many members of a family living together. In
my family its just my parents and myself. It was
great fun to be part of a Kolkata family with
so many of us engaged in activities, games and
engagements all day,” Seibold said.
Vallari Aggarwal, a Class 11 student at
LSA who too went for the German exchange
programme, was surprised by the hospitality
she received. “In India, families have servants
to help them with daily chores. Yet at times
we are tired of our guests. But in the German
family I was living with the mother was never
tired of me, even though she was working all
day without any assistance.”
While many consider staying away from
home a challenge these youngsters say their
experience was completely different. “When
Leni Scriegel, my exchange partner visited
us, my grandmother used to get up early
every morning to peel fruits for her as she
only had fruits for breakfast. Neither of us
ever felt homesick,” Aggarwal said.
Like Ghosh, Arkya Mukherji (23), who has
completed B.Tech this year and is pursuing
an advanced diploma in Japanese language
at International Institute of Language and
Culture (IILC), visited Japan last year. He
was invited by the Japanese government to
visit the country after he won the Japanese
language quiz contest in Eastern India.
“When I went to Japan, I was convinced to
take up the advanced diploma program and
enhance my career opportunities in the IT
sector,” Mukherji said.
QUIZ TIME FOR SCIENCE WIZARDS
If you are a student of Class 8, 9 or 10,
you can participate in the regional
round of Texas Instruments Science
and Technology Quiz 2013 on January
19, to be held at GD Birla Sabhaghar.
The winning team will compete for the
national title in Bangalore on February
9. To participate, log on to tiif.org.
FINDING THE MOST VERSATILE ONE
Watch engineering and management
students beat it out at the regional finale
of Maruti Suzuki Colours of Youth 2012
contest at IIM, Joka. It will be followed
by a quiz contest. Actor Isha Koppikar
will be one of the judges. Time: 11 am-5
pm. Be there with your ID card.
Sign o’the times?
techqueries
VIRTUALLY YOURS Need to email a signed document?
t?
You can input your signature on your device
gadgetcorner
Gagandeep Singh Sapra
I
n these times of tablets and smartphones and your being constantly
on the move, putting your signature on a document is tedious and
likely to involve: a. filling it up on the
computer; b. getting a printout; c.
signing it; d. scanning it; e. attaching
the file to an email and dashing it off.
Is there a less cumbersome alternative? Well, there is e-signing, or electronic signing.
This week, we look at three applications that allow you to sign a document
on your tablet, smartphone or your PC.
Suppose it is a contract. You can send
the document to another person, who
adds his/her signature as well, and
you have an electronic copy with the
signatures of both the parties — and
all for free.
Sign Now
[Android, iOS and Web Browser]
Create a free account, and upload the
document that needs to be signed —
preferably a PDF file. If you are working on a tablet, you can use Sign Now
to open a document from your cloud
(Internet) storage as well.
Once the document is opened,
click at the place where the signature
is needed, and you are given three
options: ‘Insert Signature’, ‘Insert Text’
or ‘Insert Today’s Date’. Select the first
option, and you get a screen where you
can sign or upload a virtual signature
using the software app’s features. This
is now stored as your signature, which
you can use on the document.
Once signing is done, you can
n sa
ssave
ve
and download the new file.
Save it with a
name that will
remind you that
it is the signed
copy (eg: Signed
Agreement.pdf). Iff
you need anotherr
person to sign the
he
document, you need
ed
to have the profesfessional version of Sign
Now (that costs $9 or
R495 a month): you
u can
insert “sign here” fields
on the document that
hat can
be emailed to the second
party.
The free version
on allows
you to sign up to five documents a month, and comes
with unlimited storage.
orage. You
need to store the signature on all your
devices; documents get synchronised
across devices, not the signature. On
the PC you can also create a signature by typing your name,
or scanning a signature.
Sign Easy
[Android and
MAY NOT BE LEGALLY BINDING
■
Screenshots of
the three applications. Sign
Now is on the
extreme right.
iOS
iOS]
This is from an Indian
not have a Web
company. They do no
version, which means the application
needs to be downloaded and installed.
On the iOS it can sign you in through
your Facebook account — though that
did not work for us.
The application comes with what
they call a Basic Account, in which you
can sign three documents. Beyond
this, you need to either buy an
annual subscription (R1,100) or a
pay-as-you-go subscription (R110
per five documents).
Sign Easy lets you create a signature and initials, or upload a file with
THE VERDICT
Overall, Echo Sign, not being
available on the Android platform
was a bit of a let-down. However,
considering that the application
also works via mobile browsers,
and even has a BlackBerry app,
it qualifies as the top electronic
signing application out there.
These digital signatures may not
be applicable on legal documents.
They hold good for mutual
agreements between companies/
individuals done in good faith. On
print, a document with digital
signatures appear like photocopies of documents that were
signed physically. Do check with a
lawyer on legal validity issues.
a virtual signature. The app opens the
page you select as a document. You can
‘Insert Signature’, initials, date, text or
even an image. The downside is that
we had crashes when signing at times.
Adobe Echo Sign
[iOS, BlackBerry, Windows Mobile and
Web Browser]
This the richest and the most secure
signing application of all. You first need
to create a user name and password
using a browser. You can subsequently
use the app that suits your Windows,
iOS or Blackberry device.
Here is how it works: you send a
document, and choose if the other party
signs first or you or specific you are just
coordinating a signature. The document can be signed by up to six people,
and you can do five documents a month
in the free plan. You can also passwordprotect documents, and make sure only
people identified via their Web identity,
such as email, Facebook and Linked-In
accounts can sign the document.
The free version also gives you an
audit trail and a support to build PDF
forms, and a document certification.
Paid versions start at $14.95 (R825)
per user per month, and allow several
more features to be used.
I have some old classic audio tapes of
the ’80s that I would like to convert to
digital audio to store in CD, DVD, pen
drive etc. Is there any gadget that can
directly convert the format from tape
to computer? If such a gadget is
unavailable, could you please advice
me of any place in Mumbai North
where this sort of conversion is done
at a moderate rate?
- Vishnu
There are a couple of ways of doing
this. One is by using a portable stereo
system from Philips called the CD
Sound Machine, which can directly
convert the content of your cassettes
into digital format and save into a
USB storage device. It can also rip
audio content from CD to USB, and
record from radio channels. it comes
with a remote control and is priced
at roughly R5,199.
An alternative is,
if you still have a cassette player, you can
hook that up to your
computer using a 3.5
mm to 3.5mm cable
(also called EP cable),
using the earphone
out jack on the player
and the microphone
in socket on the computer. You could
then use a recording programme on
the PC to store these as MP3s.
We cannot help you with a service
provider in your area, though there
is no harm in checking with local
photo studios. They typically offer
VHS to DVD conversion, and some
may even offer this service.
I want to buy a cheap handheld device
of 7” screen or a basic notepad that
would help me read MSWord, pdf,
PowerPoint Excel files. It need not be
a phone at all, though it would help if
it plays MP3. Please advise.
- Somasekhar D
For just reading MS office files and
playing MP3 files, the 7” Android
tablets work nicely, and the Ubislate
Aakash 2 tablet starting at R3,499
(which is amongst the cheapest) fits
the bill. You can download the free
app “Documents To Go” if you wish
to read only. For editing, you would
have to buy the pro version of the app.
(Gagandeep Sapra is a technology
entrepreneur, who calls himself
The Big Geek)
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FR I DAY, J ANU ARY 18 , 2 013
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quotemartial
I do not know if there will be peace in Bhangar. It all depends
on my supporters
ARABUL ISLAM Trinamool Congress, South 24-Parganas leader
)
htmetro
Neglect charge on US foster Didi to knock on PM’s
home housing Bengali child door for financial relief
PROTEST Intellectuals and activists raise issue of denial of religious & cultural rights of baby Indrasish
HT Correspondent
KOLKATA: Raising allegations of
injury and neglect of 16-monthold Indrasish Saha in the care of
the New Jersey Division of Child
Protection and Permanency,
bodies of academicians, social
activists, retired justices from
all over the country petitioned
US ambassador in India, Nancy
Powell, demanding immediate
repatriation of the child to India.
They have alleged the US body
has robbed the baby’s religious
and cultural rights.
On September 7, 2012 US
authorities took away the baby
from its parents Debashis and
Pamela Saha, alleging negligence after the baby was injured
at home. The matter is being
heard in a US court since.
The letter signed by AP Shah,
former Chief Justice of Delhi
high court, Mukul Mudgal, former Chief Justice of Punjab and
BRIEF HISTORY
In November 2012, 14-month
old Indrasish was wounded in
the lower lip in what the
foster carers claim was an
accident
■On December 31, 2012,
Indrasish had to be hospitalised in emergency care for
extreme dehydration while in
charge of his foster care
■ During Durga Puja in October
2012, US authorities told the
boy’s parents to switch on TV
channels showing puja as a
substitute for participation in
the rituals
■
Haryana high court and Brinda
Karat, former Rajya Sabha MP
highlighted instances of neglect
that led to injury and sickness
in foster care. It also highlighted
how the child is being denied
his cultural and religious rights
in the US.
“I have heard that people
from all over the country have
petitioned. I am grateful to them.
My grandson is not well in foster
care. He is being neglected and
is injured. Moreover, the child is
traumatised for being kept away
from his near and dear ones,”
paternal grandfather Nirmal
Saha told HT over phone from
Balurghat in South Dinajpur.
Relatives and activists told HT
the family would lose the right of
getting back Indrasish if he stayed
in foster care for more than 12
months. The child has already
spent nearly five months in foster
care. (He was born in India.)
In November 2012, the boy
was wounded his lower lip in
what the foster carer authorities claim was an accident. “On
December 31, 2012, Indrasish
had to be hospitalised in emergency care for extreme dehydration while in charge of his foster
carer..,” read a part of the letter
High Court seeks report
on banning of gutkha
Deepak Prahladka
KOLKATA: Calcutta High Court on
Thursday appointed the state
pollution control board advocate
as amicus curie (friend of court)
for assistance in dealing with a
public interest litigation (PIL)
petition, seeking ban on selling
of gutkha.
Chief Justice Arun Mishra
and Justice Joymalya Bagchi
asked advocate Nayan Bihani
to study the issue and suggest
measures on February 2.
State advocate Tapan
Mukherjee told the court that
a huge number of people chew
gutkha; therefore, it was not
possible for the state to provide
a huge number of police personnel to prevent it. Moreover, the
state also earns a huge amount
of revenue by way of tax from
the sale of gutkha.
Rejecting this, the judges said
that the life of the people was
more important than revenue.
T h e j u d ge s , h o w e v e r,
directed the state to file a
report as to what steps it has
taken to stop consumption
of gutkha in public places.
A social action group named
Doctor for You filed the PIL
through advocate Rashid Alam
alleging that the consumption of
gutkha is not only injurious to
health but also creates a mess
in public places.
The medical experts opined
that consumption of gutkha
is the leading cause of oral
cancer across the country.
Gutkha also contain many nonfood grade agents and chemicals
that can cause a variety of medi-
CHIEF JUSTICE ARUN
MISHRA AND JUSTICE
JOYMALYA BAGCHI
ASKED ADVOCATE NAYAN
BIHANI TO STUDY THE
ISSUE AND SUGGEST
MEASURES ON FEB 2
cal conditions, from heart attack
to infertility.
National Institute of Health
and Family Welfare, Delhi, had
also filed a report in Supreme
Court, which compiles information from studies done all
around the world on the harmful effects of gutkha consumption, not only refers to the many
different kinds of cancers, but
also lists seven non-cancerous
diseases that can be caused by
gutkha consumption.
The report, which was filed
by a committee of experts, said
that hypertension and cardiovascular diseases, nervous
system disorders, liver and
kidney diseases, reproductive
health dysfunctions, oro-dental
problems, metabolic disorders
including diabetes and obesity,
and psychological disorders
including addiction could be
caused by excessive consumption of gutkha.
Areca nut or supari, which
is an ingredient in gutkha as
well as pan masala, is considered to be the main culprit.
The report also stated that
two studies each have found
areca nut use associated with
significantly increased risk of
development of liver cirrhosis,
chronic kidney disease and urinary stone disease.
signed by representatives from
14 organisations, apart from
noted professors and women
activists.
The letter also alleged that
though a cyst was detected in
Indrasish’s brain, the foster carers merely limited his medical
examinations to that covered by
the insurance as in foster care
norms. The baby’s relatives and
parents want to bring him back
to India for medical and provide
proper medical facilities.
“They have not taken the
baby for a diversity of specialist assessments or obtained
expert second-opinions, as his
biological parents or other family would have had Indrasish not
been confiscated by US authorities,” the letter added.
Citing denial of religious and
cultural rights of the baby the
letter highlighted during the
Durga Puja in October (2012),
the foster care authorities
refused Indrasish permission
to participate in festivities.
“…New Jersey authorities told
Indrasish’s parents to refer TV
channels showing Puja observances as a substitute for Indrasish
participating in the prayers and
rituals...,” the letter said.
“Indrasish has been in the
custody of his foster carers
for more than four months.
The US authorities took
him away on September
7, 2012,” said Nirmal Saha.
Indrasish, along with his parents, Debasish and Pamela
Saha, went to the US temporarily for his father to complete
an assignment in IBM. After
around three weeks, the child
was rushed to hospital with
injuries, which his parents
claim, were brought about by
an accidental fall. But the US
authorities took custody of the
one-year-old in the hospital
itself and allowed the parents
to meet him only for four hours
in a week.
HT Correspondent
Four months after
quitting UPA II and after her
controversy of mimicking him,
Mamata Banerjee would knock
on the door of Prime Minister
Manmohan Singh to bail her
out of the state’s financial mess.
She also plans to initiate a ‘Jantar-Mantar style’
agitation in Delhi, this time
alleging step-motherly
attitude towards Bengal.
She is scheduled to meet industrialists in Mumbai in February
and thereafter would meet the
Prime Minister. Already time
has been sought from the PMO.
In recent meetings in Bengal,
even at Bengal Leads II, industrial
summit in Haldia on Tuesday she
stressed on the state’s financial
mess and how the Centre is not
responding to her call. “We are
in a financial mess due to Left
Front’s misrule for 34 years. We
earn R21,000 crore but the Centre
KOLKATA:
through RBI takes away R26,000
crore as interest. How will I feed
the people of Bengal? We wanted
moratorium on the interest for
three years. But the Centre is
not responding. I will personally
meet the Prime Minister soon,”
Mamata was heard saying
in rallies.
She also said that she has quit
the Union Cabinet against antipeople policies of UPA II, but
now for the people of Bengal she
would demand the moratorium.
Party sources said that she is
planning for an industrial meet
in Mumbai in February where it
is likely the she will meet Tata’s
new head Cyrus Mistry in a bid
to sort out the Singur mess and
seek fresh investment.
After that she plans to meet
the Prime Minister in Delhi and
press for her demands to sort of
the financial mess of the state.
“If the Prime Minister does not
listen to us, we will launch an
agitation in Delhi. We may also
sit on a dharna in Jantar Mantar.
We are ready to go for any form
of agitation to get the dues of the
people of Bengal,” said a senior
Lok Sabha MP.
Interestingly Mamata herself
led a rally in Jantar Mantar in
October against the anti-people
policies of the UPA government.
Sources in the government said
the chief minister is increasingly
finding herself helpless to sort
out the huge debt situation.
Moreover the government
is shelling out crores of rupees
in promotional activities like
‘Vivek Utsav’, various fairs, doling out honorarium to Imams,
giving out money to thousands
of clubs in the state.
“The little money we have is
being spent on various no-plan
expenditures. Which is also
creating further stress on the
exchequer. We need some relief
from the Centre or else things
will get worse and we may not
even pay employees on time,”
said an officer of the finance
department.
APOLLO HOSPITALS INITIATING
WEEKLONG ROBOTIC SURGERY
In order to generate
awareness of robotic surgery
in treating divergent cancers,
Apollo Hospitals is starting a
weeklong plan.
The programme will commence on February 3 and
will continue till February 6.
Apart from conducting workshops, Dr Krishendu S Tiwari,
professor and director of
research, the gynaecologic and
oncology group from University
of California, will also perform a
few onco-robotic surgeries with
trained physicians of the hospitals
during the awareness programme.
“ We h a v e
taken this
initiative with
the purpose
of establishing robotic
surgery as the
unsurpassed
and most definite method of
treating cancer. We are
confident that
KOLKATA:
the infrastructure of robotic surgery of our hospital has the potential to provide clinical outcomes of
global standards,” Dr Rupali Basu,
CEO, Apollo Gleneagles Hospitals,
Kolkata said.
According to oncologists, the
precision of treatment of cancer
through robotic surgery provides higher patient comfort and
safety and also reduces patients’
stay at hospital.
This surgery method has
already gained success in urooncology, gastro-oncology,
gynae-oncology, head and neckoncology.
HTC
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FR I DAY, J A N UA RY 1 8 , 2 0 1 3
FIRST EVER FEST
FOR KOLKATA’S
DIFFERENTLY
NEW STRATEGY Tube officials appeal to Kahaani star to feature in anti-suicide film
ABLED CITIZENS
Metro’s SOS to Vidya
HT Correspondent
A DELHI PROBLEM ALSO
to seek help from Vidya Balan
in order to curb suicides on the
tube. Metro rail officials have
approached Kahaani director
Sujoy Ghosh, to rope in the
Bollywood actress to feature
in a short film about preventing
suicides in the Metro. Frequent
suicides are a bane in the tube
with well over 100 suicides.
Metro officials are trying to
persuade the actress to act in the
short film, as her film Kahaani
was a massive hit last year. “We
approached Sujoy Ghosh for this
project, we hope it’s a success,”
Protyush Ghosh, deputy general manager of Kolkata metro.
Portions of the movie were shot
in Kalighat station.
The shooting of the 20-minute short film named, “Calling
Helpline” has already been started in which the Bollywood actress
will flash an optimistic message at
the end of the film asking people
not to commit suicide.
“This film is an attempt to dis-
■
Vidya Balan’s 2012 film Kahaani even had a crucial sequence shot in the Kalighat Metro station.
courage people from attempting
suicide and prevent others from
doing so. It will depict why such
thoughts come to a person’s
mind. We hope we can save
someone’s life” Ghosh said, who
also acted in the film.
The film has been conceptualised by a young city based
A grand reception
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HT Correspondent
■
[email protected]
KOLKATA: ‘We want the immedi-
ate arrest of Rezzak Mollah and
Sattar Mollah’ read the slogans
by Trinamool Congress supporters that assembled at the
Baruipur ACJM Court after
news of Arabul Islam’s arrest.
Hundreds of supporters held a
rally on court premises demanding the duo be arrest and bail for
Islam, who they say was falsely
implicated.
On the other hand, Sujan
Chakraborty of CPI(M) said
Sattar and Rezzak were falsely
implicated and that the allegations were fabricated.
As news of Trinamool leader and former Bhangar MLA
Arabul Islam’s arrest spread,
Trinamool supporters were
quick to demand that action
be taken against Rezzak and
Sattar who free despite having
several cases pending against
them, including of murder.
Sattar who was released
on bail by the high court after
being convicted by a lower
court. Trinamool are planning
to throw him back in jail for
charges of misuse of bail.
the film will be telecast on the
Incoda televisions at the Metro
platforms. Metro authorities are
also considering participating
in various short film festivals if
this one gets a good response.
Since its inception, there
have been 254 cases of suicide
attempts in Kolkata Metro.
CPM gives minority matters
a major boost ahead of polls
■
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amateur director Srijon Gupta.
“I wrote a story on Metro suicides. The officials liked the
story and asked me to proceed
further,” Gupta said.
“I don’t know if Vidya Balan
will say yes, our fingers are
crossed,” he added.
Once the shooting is over,
HT Correspondent
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A series of suicide attempts
over the last few months
have sent Delhi Metro Rail
Corporation officials in panic
mode
■ BS Gujjar, additional DCP
(Railways), said an average
of 4-5 suicide attempts take
place in Metro stations per
year. This year 4-5 incidents
took place in 2 months
■ In several Asian and
European countries, screen
doors have been installed at
platforms to stop people
from jumping on the tracks
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officer, installing screen
doors at platforms is very
expensive. The Delhi Metro,
already severely debt ridden,
can’t bear the cost at a time
when it is expanding its
network by 120 km
■ Installing screen doors may
also trigger problems such as
software snags in the
system, the official said
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HT Correspondent
KOLKATA: Metro Railway is going
[email protected]
KOLKATA: With one eye on minority votes in the forthcoming
panchayat elections in Bengal,
the CPI(M) is set to highlight
minority issues in the state in
a big way.
The matter was discussed
in detail at the party’s two-day
central committee meeting that
started on Thursday.
According to one central
committee member, the matter has gained significance after
a number of minority religious
leaders alleged that chief minister Mamata Banerjee had made
false claims about the achievements of her government in the
field of minority development.
“We also want to highlight
the same thing, that in reality
the state government has not
done anything constructive for
the welfare of the community
as a whole. Rather, the initiatives pertaining to the minority community that were initi-
ated by the previous Left Front
regime have made no progress
in the current regime. We will
highlight these. And the way we
will highlight it was discussed
in detail today and will be discussed on the concluding day of
the central committee meeting
tomorrow,” the central committee member said.
On Wednesday, the chief
Phurphura Darbara Dharif,
Twaha Siddique alleged that
the chief minister was making
false claims of having achieved
90% of the promises made in the
area of minority development.
Besides the minority issue,
other matters that were up for
discussion on the first day of
the central committee meeting included the ongoing IndiaPakistan tension and the diesel
price hike.
Briefing the media on
Thursday afternoon, CPI(M)
politburo member Sitaram
Yechury said that while the
party would conduct agitations
against the diesel price hike,
they also want to rope other
parties into the agitation.
“We want to parties to join
the agitation. But the decision
ultimately rests with them.
But our experience says that
those who opposed FDI in retail
and joined the agitation with
us, finally voted with the government on this issue in the
Parliament,” Yechury said.
Commenting on the IndiaPakistan tension on the line of
control, Techury said that the
governments on their side of
the LOC displayed a degree
of maturity to maintain good
neighbourly relations.
“However, such relations cannot be at the expense of India in
the particular instance. This is
simply not acceptable,” he said.
Asked whether the Pakistani
government was serious on the
issue, Yechury said that only
time could tell. “If they are not
serious, India should be prepared for any eventuality. We
should never lower our guard,”
Yechury said.
Karat meets Rezzak in hospital
HT Correspondent
■
[email protected]
KOLKATA: To highlight the need
to nurture their talent and to
encourage and inspire them to
enhance their talent, a unique
‘inclusive cultural festival’ for
the differently-abled will be held
for the first time in the city on
January 24.
Almost 200 differently-abled
artists from the city, its adjoining areas and Bangladesh along
with renowned musicians, painters and poets will partake in
the festival titled ‘Epar Bangla
Opar Bangla Samaneye Sankritik
Utsav’.
“The differently-abled are
almost invisible in our society.
Through this festival we want
bring them to the mainstream.
We want the deaf, dumb and
blind to feel they are equal to the
other artists they will perform
with,” commissioner of disability, government of West Bengal,
said on Thursday.
The festival at Mohorkunja,
o p p o s i t e Na n d a n , b e i n g
organised by National institute of Professionals (NIP)
in association with the West
Bengal department of social
welfare, hopes to send the
message that the differentlyabled have capabilities that
can be tapped to help them go
a long way and to boost their
confidence.
It will include an art camp
where the works of painters with
disabilities will be showcased
along with renowned painters
like Prakash Karmarkar and
Subrata Gangopadhyay among
others.
Also performing at the festival are poets and singers like
Srikanta Acharya, Srabani Sen
and Kalyan Sen Barat.
Calling it a unique experience for not only the differently-abled but for all artists, NIP
secretary Debajyoti Roy said,
“We are all disabled in some
field or the other. And this
festival will provide the platform for all artists, disabled
or otherwise to show their
expertise in painting, singing,
dancing, recitation and other
fields.”
“It’s a great opportunity
for the differently-abled, who
are otherwise restricted to
participating in events especially organised for them, to
learn from well-known artists,” Roy said.
DHAPA WATER
PLANT TO BE
READY BY AUGUST
HT Correspondent
After former
West Bengal chief minister
Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee and
party state secretary Biman
Bose CPI(M) all-India general
secretary Prakash Karat paid
a visit to injured CPI(M) state
committee member in West
Bengal Abdur Rezzak Mollah
in hospital on Thursday.
Karat is on a two-day visit to
Kolkata to attend the central
committee meeting of the party.
Incidentally, Mollah, who had
been a cause for discomfort for
the party hierarchy because
of his frequent anti-party public statements, came into the
limelight as he was hospitalised
following an attack allegedly by
Trinamool activists led by former party MLA from Bhangar
Arabul Islam.
Accompanied by the party’s
South 24-Parganas district
secretary, Sujan Chakrabarty,
Karat reached the hospital
at around 1.30 pm and spent
around 10 minutes there interacting with Mollah, who conversed with Karat from the
hospital bed.
“I met him and asked him
to stay in hospital as long as
required. Though the main
K O L K ATA :
■
Prakash Karat spent part of his two-day trip to Kolkata meeting Rezzak Mollah in hospital.
( )
Arabul’s arrest
shouldn’t be eyewash.
We are keeping an eye
on developments
P R A K A S H K A R AT
All India General Secretary
CPI(M)
accused, Arabul Islam, has
been arrested after two weeks
of the incident having taken
place, we demand all those
involved to be immediately
nabbed. Also the arrest of
Islam should not merely turn
out to be eyewash. We are
keeping a close watch on the
developments,” Karat said
after emerging from the hospital after meeting Mollah.
Mollah caught the ire of the
party leaders after his comments “Hele dhorte pare na, keute
dhorte geche (They can’t catch
an innocuous snake, yet made
a grab at a cobra)” directed at
Bhattacharya indicating his failure to control the Singur and
Nandigram issues.
“Otai to nater guru (He is
the man behind the turmoil),”
HT PHOTO
Mollah shot holding the then
state commerce and industries
minister, Nirupam Sen, responsible for the party’s defeat due
to his failed industrial policy.
Mollah’s Haj visit created
another controversy within
CPI(M), which is ideologically
indifferent to religious activities
or patronage.
Bhattacharjee visited Mollah
in hospital on January 11, 2013
five days after he was attacked.
Karat’s visit is believed to
aimed at forging a bigger unity
within the party where even
rebel leaders are not outcasts.
K O L K ATA : M a y o r S o v a n
Chatterjee has assured distribution of treated surface water all
along the Eastern Metropolitan
Bypass by August this year.
“We are looking to make the
Dhapa Water Treatment Plant
operational by August. It would
cater to the growing urban population on both sides of the EM
Bypass,” Chatterjee said.
Following the announcement
the mayor and senior KMC
bosses made a joint inspection
visit to Bagbazar Mayer ghat
where a jetty is being set up to
collect untreated water from
River Hooghly.
“The most challenging part
of the project has been successfully overcome. Around 30-40%
of the work on the intake jetty
at Mayer Ghat is complete. We
target to complete the project by
August,” Bibhas Maity, directorgeneral (water supply) told HT.
The water treatment plant
will generate 30 million gallons
of surface water daily and would
channel the water through distribution pipelines to thousands of
commercial and domestic establishments along EM Bypass.
XLRI launches global MBA
HT Correspondent
■
[email protected]
KOLKATA: XLRI, one of the
premier B-Schools in India,
has announced the launch
of the first-ever Global MBA
Programme in partnership
with Weatherhead School of
Management of Case Western
University, Cleveland, US
and School of Economics
and Management of Tongji
University, Shanghai, China.
This is a first-of its-kind initiative to create a truly global
management programme jointly
collaborated by three leading
institutes of three countries. The
new full-time two-year residential
global MBA programme will commence from August 2013.
Each of the partner schools
will now begin the process of
admitting its quota of 20 students from its home country.
Each B-School will admit 20
students from its country, thus
resulting in a class-size comprising 60 students in total.
Each management school will
have its own criteria of selecting
students; XLRI would select
students based on XAT’s performance, Weatherhead School of
Management of Case Western
University on GMAT and School
of Economics and Management
of Tongji University on its own
criteria. Graduates from a
recognised university with relevant experience are eligible.
The programme will be
held in four parts with three
being taught in Shanghai,
China; Jamshedpur, India and
Cleveland, US respectively, by
faculty of all three B Schools.
Printed
and
Sixty-odd students of three
nationalities undergoing this
global management programme would commence the
1st term at Tongji University
(Shanghai), the 2nd term at
XLRI (Jamshedpur, India), and
the 3rd term at Case Western
(Cleveland, US). For the 4th
term, each nationality group
will go back to its home school
to complete local graduation
requirements.
In the three common terms,
there will be a total of 18 courses spread over six themes. In
addition to in-class coursework,
students will be involved in company projects during each of
the first three terms. Students
will work on these projects in
mixed-nationality teams. The
programme fees will be around
R25 lakh for two years.
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FRIDAY, J AN UARY 1 8 , 2 013
GTA member threatens to
quit, launch Gorkhaland stir
TROUBLE GJM leader Satish Pokhrel said he is ready to mobilise an armed struggle
Amitava Banerjee
Darjeeling is back
on the boil. A Gorkhaland
Territorial Administration
(GTA) member has threatened
to quit and launch an armed
agitation for statehood.
A day after the GJM central
committee announced the resurrection of the Gorkhaland
agitation, the GJM RellingKaijaley unit met with activists of the youth and women’s
front, under the leadership of
Satish Pokhrel, the Gorkhaland
Territorial Administration
(GTA) member of the RellingKaijaley constituency.
The meeting concluded on
the note that they are ready to
DARJEELING:
GOVERNOR HAS
SOME ADVICE TO
WOO INDUSTRY
■
A poster announcing the fresh
agitation for Gorkhaland to be
launched from January 20.
SUMAN BARAILY
take up arms for the creation
of Gorkhaland.
“I am ready to resign from
the GTA. Our main aim is
Gorkhaland. The Government
gave us GTA but now is in the
process of creating Telangana.
Our demand is older than
Telangana. Our unit has 100
youth ready to go to any extent
for Gorkhaland. We are ready to
take up arms also,” said Pokhrel
talking to HT.
The unit will be meeting
GJM Supremo Bimal Gurung in
Darjeeling on Friday. “Whatever
step we take will be in consultation with Bimal Gurung.
We want him to lead us,”
added Pokhrel.
Meanwhile, the GJM
Darjeeling sub-division committee is busy readying the stage
for the formal announcement of
the agitation slated for January
20 in Darjeeling town. “We will
start with a rally from the
Darjeeling railway station to the
Chowk Bazar. The rally will culminate in a public meeting from
where the future political programme for Gorkhaland will be
announced,” said Dawa Lama,
President, GJM Darjeeling subdivision committee.
Lama stated that already
3,000 posters have been printed
in English and Nepali with the
message that the Government
of India must create Gorkhaland
along with Telangana. These
posters will be put up in the
GTA area along with Terai and
the Dooars.
“The Government of India
should realise that this region
sharing four international bor-
ders (Nepal, Bhutan, China and
Bangladesh) is a highly sensitive
area. Any unrest in this region
could lead to peace and stability of the entire nation being
disturbed,” warned Lama.
Meanwhile, the West Bengal
government has adopted a
guarded approach to this political devolopment.
Steering clear of GJM’s
threat to renew the Gorkhaland
agitation, Gautam Deb, North
Bengal Development Minister,
talking to HT, said,“The process
of peace and development has
begun in the Hills through the
GTA. The state government has
ensured a steady flow of funds
for infrastructure development,
repair of roads, health sector
and development of the Hills.”
Threatened by Trinamool workers,
veteran thespian cancels Feb show
(CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1)
HT Correspondent
At the inaugural session
of Bengal Leads, instead of
highlighting the competitive
advantages of her state, the
chief minister singled out all
the major problems of Bengal
in an effort that caused many
eyebrows to be raised. From the
first sentence of her Tuesday
speech the CM began highlighting her problems -- mountain of
debt, poor revenue generation,
huge interest payout leaving
no resources for development
activities, poor infrastructure
compared to other states, disruptive politics by the opposition and a media campaign to
malign her government -- and
dwelt on each of them in detail
to investors.
The governor also seemed to
make a subtle reference to the
exit of port logistics firm ABG
from Haldia too. “Industrial
relations need attention to
allay the fears among a section
of the industrialists,” he said.
There were allegations that the
Mumbai-based firm was thrown
out of Haldia as it jeopardized
the business interests of a family
of Trinamool MPs. Its executives based in Haldia were also
allegedly abducted and forced
out of the port town.
Earlier, industry minister
Partha Chatterjee reiterated
that land would not be a problem for willing investors. “We
deliberately selected Haldia as
the venue for Bengal Leads sice
the scope of industrial growth is
increasing there,” he said.
I want to call it
(show)off as I don’t
want my already
disturbed troupe
members to exert
themselves anymore
at the moment
( )
Veteran theatre artist Benu Chattopadhyay, who
was threatened and forced to
apologise to Trinamool workers
in Dinhata following the enactment of a socio-political play
on January 14, has decided to
cancel a scheduled show of the
play in early February in the city.
Trinamool workers objected to the use of the words
‘Maa, Maati’ in the play which
they interpreted as ‘Maa,
Maati, Manush’, according to
Chattopadhyay.
“Members of my theatre
group are going through severe
mental setback after the incident on Monday. They are not
in the right frame of mind to
give an intense performance
like Setu Bandhan. Thus I have
called off the show next month,”
said Chattaopadhyay.
The 71-year-old thespian said
he never uttered ‘Maa, Maati,
Manush’ in his enactment as
alleged by Trinamool workers
and policemen who accompanied them at Dinhata.
He said, “My dialogues only
had the words ‘Maa, Maati’ in
several instances and most
of the characters used them
symbolically. I will not change
or alter any of my dialogues in
future shows.”
Setu Bandhan, a play that
was written 60 years ago by
veteran theatre artist Ajitesh
Bandopadhyay, was altered
at places by Chattopadhyay
KOLKATA:
B E N U C H AT T O PA D H YAY
Thespian
■
Known faces from stage and Tollywood took out a protest rally
ASHOK NATH DEY/HT PHOTO
against the government on Thursday.
to fit today’s times and was
enacted for the first time by his
troupe on January 14 and faced
dire consequences.
He said, “The very first show
of the play was received with
severe protests and objections
by some people. I also know
that if I do perform the scheduled show next month, it will
be received by a packed house
following this controversy. But
I would still want to call it off
as I do not want my already
disturbed troupe members to
exert themselves anymore at
the moment.”
Noted theatre personalities
took out a rally from College
Square to Rani Rashmoni
Avenue on Thursday condemning the harassment
meted out to Chattopadhyay.
The likes of Chandan Sen,
Badshah Maitra and Ashok
Mukherjee participated in the
silent rally demanding freedom
of expression and against the
“deteriorating law and order”
situation in the state.
“Police and hooligans are
working in tandem to throttle
democracy. It is astonishing how
policemen in uniform turned
up at 11 in the night and threatened women members of the
group. The government should
ensure freedom of expression,”
said Sen.
“After Bimal Chakraborty
(actor), it is Benu-da. There is
an atmosphere of fear in the
state,” said Maitra. On October
2, Chakraborty was assaulted by
some fishermen in a market, and
was also threatened with dire
consequences as he protested
against the illegal actions of
some fish-sellers.
state
❘
05
CLASH OVER
COLLEGE UNION
POLLS LEAVES
8 INJURED
Fair price protest:
Med shops to shut
down on Monday
HT Correspondent
HT Correspondent
NO HOLDING BACK
Most chemist shops
across Bengal will remain closed
on Monday in protest against
the government’s decision to
launch 35 fair price medicine
shops (FPMS) in different
state-run medical colleges
and hospitals.
The health department headed by the chief minister, Mamata
Banerjee, has already opened
six FPMSs in six hospitals.
Indoor and outdoor patients
of the concerned hospitals will
get generic medicines at less
than 50 % rates than in the open
market following the prescriptions of the doctors of the hospitals where these shops have
come up.
According to Tushar
Chakraborty, general secretary
of the ruling Trinamool-backed
Bengal Chemists and Druggists
Association (BCDA), 25,000
retailers registered under the
parental organisation will lead
three different rallies from
Howrah, Sealdah and the
Theatre Road-Mallickbazar
crossing towards a meeting
at Rani Rashmoni Avenue on
Monday afternoon.
“We want a reformed implementation of the fair price shops
and we are not against it, as we
also want to serve the people in
a better way. We had written
10 letters to the chief minister
since July, but there has been
no reply. We also do not want to
disrupt the emergency medicine
service. Thus we will keep some
key shops open at various locations,” said Chakraborty.
Chakraborty revealed that
the fair price shops operative in
six government institutes of the
state have a discrepancy in the
prices of the medicines they sell.
He said, “The same medicine is
being sold at different prices in
Barasat, Kolkata or the other
medical colleges.”
He also said that if the medicine industry is properly looked
after in the state, the general
retailers themselves can provide
medicines at a cheaper rate than
fair price shops.
He said, “If one prescribes
an anti-allergic medicine with
KOLKATA:
Jangipur College
campus turned into a battleground on Thursday after
student activists aligned to
the Congress-backed Chatra
Parishad (CP) and CPI(M)’s
Students’ Federation of India
(SFI) clashed over filing nomination forms for the ensuing
student union polls.
According to local sources,
supporters of the rival students’
affiliates were at each other’s
throats after gathering on campus to collect nomination forms
for the students’ union elections.
Some policemen were also taken
injured after they rushed to the
scene to enforce order.
Sources said that the students’ union polls are scheduled
for January 30 and Thursday
had been set as the final date for
the candidates to collect nomination forms. It was alleged that
as the SFI candidates arrived
to collect their nomination
forms they ran into resistance
from a section of CP boys. The
rival activists fell into a bitter
exchange and were at each other’s throats shortly after. The
scuffle left at least six activists of
either of the two outfits injured.
A source said that the CP
boys had been the first to arrive
on campus to collect their nomination forms. However, as the
SFI nominees looked in to collect theirs, a pack of CP-backed
goons stonewalled them and
picked up a brawl.
While four SFI boys were
taken injured, two from the CP
camp were also among the casualties. Bricks rained as a police
contingent moved in to enforce
order, leaving two cops hurt.
“Goons backed by CP were
bent on not allowing our candidates from collecting their nomination forms. It was planned
assault on our boys. Four of our
supporters were injured and
moved to a hospital,” Mustafizur
Rahman, SFI district secretary
in Murshidabad, told HT.
However, local Congress leader trashed the charges, saying
the SFI escalated matters and
set their goons on the CP boys.
BEHRAMPORE:
Most chemist shops across
Bengal will remain closed on
Monday to protest the
government’s decision to
launch 35 fair price medicine
shops at different state-run
medical colleges and
hospitals
■ The health department under
the chief minister has already
opened six such fair price
outlets at six state-run
facilities
■ 25,000 retailers under the
Trinamool Congress-backed
Bengal Chemists and
Druggists Association will
lead three different rallies
from Howrah, Sealdah and
Theatre Road-Mullickbazar
crossing for a meeting
on Monday
■
its generic name as cetirizine,
one strip of 10 tabs it is priced
at R28 in the retail shops, but the
fair price shops are giving it at
R14. We suggest the government
should work on the PPP model
shops in the state and sell the
142 generic medicines they have
with them.
With that model, we could sell
cetirizine at R2 a strip, much is
less than the FPS price. Thus,
we want a revision of the law
and capital investment in the
industry, so that we provide
our customers with medicines
at further lesser rates and also
look at the interests of our
retailers.”
When BCDA is fighting it out
against the government, a faction of the parent organisation
is instead supporting the government by keeping the shops
of their 2,500 retailers open on
Monday.
The Pharmaceutical Traders’
Welfare Association of Bengal
(PTAB) with its 2,500 members wrote to the chief minister against the protest rally
on Monday.
PTAB member Joydeep
Sarkar said, “BCDA is doing it
just to serve its vested interests.
I don’t know how they can withdraw such an emergency life
support service system.”
REZZAK ASSUALT:
ARABUL ISLAM
ARRESTED AT
LONG LAST
(CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1)
Interestingly, after the
series of violent episodes
between January 6 and 8,
the Trinamool leadership
held rallies at Bhangar to
show its support for Arabul’s
actions. Later, Governor MK
Narayanan drew attention
to the “weaknesses in police
response”, saying, “I think a
city like Kolkata and a state
like Bengal can’t accept this.
And, I think, action should,
and will, be taken.”
“Arabul Islam was arrested and produced in court.
There are two cases against
him and others, including the
attack on Rezzak Mollah, in
Kantatolla area, and another
attack on a group of people
in Bamunghata. The court
granted his police custody
until January 21,” a senior officer of the South 24-Parganas
police said.
Arabul has been charged
with more than a dozen sections under three Acts. These
include sections 307, 323, 325,
327, 427, 507, 147, 148 and 149 of
the IPC, sections 25 and 27 of
the Arms Act, and Section 9(3)
of the Indian Explosives Act.
A visibly happy CPI(M) leadership welcomed the arrest.
“We’re keeping a watch on
the developments and hope
that this isn’t an eyewash.
Apart from Arabul Islam,
the others, too, should be
arrested,” CPI(M) general
secretary Prakash Karat said.
But Sujan Chakraborty,
CPI(M) district secretary,
South 24-Parganas, sounded
a note of caution, saying, “This
arrest may also be a ploy to
arrest such CPI(M) leaders as
Abdul Sattar, who have false
FIRs lodged against them by
the Trinamool Congress.”
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06
❘
state
❘
FR IDAY, JA NUA RY 18, 2013
Minister alleges
food scam
in tea gardens
Pramod Giri
■
[email protected]
SILIGURI: An ongoing food scam
in the tea gardens of North
Bengal has left the state coffers poorer by more than R270
crores over the last nine years,
it has emerged.
Blowing the lid off the scam
on Thursday, state food and civil
supplies minister Jyotipriya
Mullick said there was an urgent
need of a massive overhaul in
the existing food distribution
system in the tea garden areas,
as there had been rampant violation of government norms
over the last nine years, resulting in huge losses to the state
exchequer.
The state government is in
the process of considering a
wave of remedial measures to
arrest the scam, the minister
said. It has been alleged that the
beneficiaries from the scam
include a section of political
leaders, tea garden owners and
government officials.
The minister, who had lately
been touring parts of North
Bengal to oversee the process
of paddy procurement, said the
food scam continues to dog a
section of closed tea gardens in
the region. He said the Left
Front government had put out
hugely inflated figures with
regard to the number of workers
and non-workers in the closed
New PG entrance test may
drive away the best of brains
tea gardens. The exaggerated
figures have resulted in the state
government providing rice at
R2 per kg to as many as 73,500
fictitious beneficiaries in the
closed tea gardens. The estimated loss of the government
on account of the scam has been
a staggering R2.5 crore per
month, the minister told mediapersons on Thursday.
Citing instances of four tea
gardens—Kanchan View and
Ringtong gardens in Darjeeling
Hills—Dalmore and Dekhlapara
gardens in the Dooars—Mullick
said, “While the existing number of workers and non-workers
in closed tea gardens is 17,500,
the state government has been
providing subsidised rice at R2
per kg to 91,000 workers (as per
the erroneous, inflated data) in
closed tea gardens.” He claimed
the figure was inflated in a bid
to bring in more beneficiaries
under the subsidised food scam
meant for workers of closed tea
gardens.
He said the anomalies with
regard to the number of workers
and non-workers in closed tea
gardens and the total number
of beneficiaries of government’s
heavily subsidised food scheme
has been on since 2004.
“While in closed tea gardens
the government provides rice
to workers at R2 per kg, in other
gardens rice is provided at R9
per kg,” the minister said.
HURDLE Even students from Visva-Bharati may miss the chance to seek admission in state colleges
HT Correspondent
■
[email protected]
Starting June 2013,
the Common Entrance Test
(CET) for admission to post
graduate courses in colleges
and universities in Bengal will
make it harder for students
from outside Bengal to choose
the state as their preferred
higher education destination.
Even students from Visva
Bharati may miss the chance to
seek admission in other colleges and universities in Bengal
for postgraduate studies.
The final draft of the CET
prepared by the West Bengal
State Council of Higher
Education (WBSCHE), put in
the public domain on Monday,
has become cause of worry for
many students, teachers and
guardians. The special committee constituted for the purpose,
said, in its report, “Student from
only the State-aided Universities
in West Bengal, with Honours/
KOLKATA:
DACOITS
DISGUISED AS
GUARDS ROB
NADIA SHOP
Major in a subject, will be eligible to appear for CET as a
feeder subject correspondent
to a PG course.”
This means that students
who haven’t completed their
graduation from the 14 Stateaided Universities in Bengal will
not be eligible to take the test
and will, therefore, not have the
option of taking admission in
any post graduate programme
offered by any of these universities or their affiliated colleges.
The idea has not gone down well
with neither the students not
the Universities.
Jadavpur University, for
example, feels that such a rider
would go against the university’s
aim to attract brilliant students
from across the country. “Agreed
that we are a state-aided university located in Bengal, but we are
among the top five universities
in the country and, hence, students from all over the country
and even foreign students take
admission here. Such measures
HT Correspondent
■
[email protected]
NADIA: In a rare style of robbery,
9 dacoits disguised as night
guards emptied out a jewellery shop in front of the police
early on Thursday. However,
in an attempt to rob another
shop, they stretched their luck
would definitely hamper our goal
to become one of the best universities in the country and
would force us to remain a
regional player,” said a highly
placed JU official, on the condition of anonymity. “This measure
would deprive the University
from attracting talented students from across the country,”
he added.
Since Visva Bharati
University is a Central university, its student would also lose
out on the opportunity to pursue
a Masters degree in State-aided
universities in Bengal.
“This is the final draft and we
will not introduce any major
changed after this. The document
will remain in the public domain
for feedback from all the stakeholders. Admission to all Master
degree courses in the State-aided
Universities in Bengal will be
mandatory from this year,” said
professor Abhijit Chakrabarty,
vice chairman, WBSCHE.
Explaining why the council
retained the rider disallowing
students from universities other
than those belonging to the Stateaided universities in Bengal to
take CET, Chakrabarti said, “This
regulation cannot be changed for
now, because it was brought keeping in mind that State-aided colleges and universities in Bengal
offer Honours and Major course,
which is not the case with other
states. If we allow everyone to
take the CET there may be a lot
of litigation.”
This year the CET is to be
held within June 15. A team of
experts will be formed for framing the syllabus and questions
and was spotted by the police.
However, the cops failed to nab
the gang.
There were 4 night guards
deployed at market number
2. The robbers tied 2 of the
guards and beat up the third.
The fourth guard ran away.
The gang then targeted the
jewellery shop at Radheshyam
Dhali, Kalyani Market number
2. They smashed the shutter
and robbed the gold and silver
ornaments from the shop.
Sources said that another
night guard came across the
tied guards around 3 am and
informed the police. However,
when the police appeared, the
dacoits pretended to be night
guards. One even blew a whistle, which misled the police.
A day earlier, a gang broke
into the house of human rights
activist Binayak Sen. A burglary also took place at the Life
Insurance Corporation’s office.
Angry traders blocked the road
for 2 hours, protesting against
the crime wave.
HEADACHE
Students who have not completed their graduation from
14-state aided varsities in
state will not be eligible to
take the test
■ The final draft of the CET is
worrying students, teachers
and parents
■ Jadavpur University feels
that such a rider would go
against the university’s aim
to attract brilliant students
from across the country
■ This year the CET is to be
held within June 15
■ Vice-chairman of the
WBSCHE is adamant that
there will be no major changes
in the draft
■
Such measures
would hamper our
goal to become on of
the best univerisites in
the country and would
force us to remain a
regional player
( )
JU OFFICIAL
Explaining the university’s
opposition to CET
in each feeder subject. Besides
statutory reservations, all seats
will remain open to all the students who clear CET.
Since the marks awarding
procedure varies widely from
university to university, to
minimize discrepancies the
CET committee has suggested
that the final score be calculated by taking into consideration a candidates performance
in CET, his or her performance
in the university examinations
and their performance in the
oral or written examination
conducted by the concerned
department of the admitting
University.
While preparing the merit list
for admission to the post graduate courses, the three considerations should be at least 50% of
the marks obtained in CET, at
least 40% of the marks obtained
in University examination and
at most 10% of the marks
obtained in oral or written
Examination conducted.
New party to join Chamling fight
HT Correspondent
■
[email protected]
SILIGURI: Opposition parties are
flexing their muscles against the
18-year uninterrupted rule of the
Sikkim Democratic Front (SDF)
led by chief minister Pawan
Chamling.
Opposition parties in Sikkim
are eagerly waiting for the next
move of P S Goley, the rebel SDF
MLA, in challenging
Chamling’s might.
Looked upon as a formidable
opposition leader in Sikkim,
Goley has been criticising the
SDF government and the chief
minister from within the party.
For tactical reasons, neither the
ruling SDF has expelled him nor
he has left the party.
Goley, a four-time MLA, started criticising the SDF government and Chamling immediately after he won the assembly
election on a SDF ticket in 2009.
Since then Goley, Chamling’s
former crisis manager, has been
touring Sikkim to consolidate
his support base while raising
his voice against the state government.
Finally, the Goley group has
announced that the muchawaited new party would be
formed by January 18. Bhojraj
Rai a former SDF MLA and a
close aide of G oley told
Hindustan Times that the new
party would be formed by
January 18.
Goley’s criticism of Chamling
and his rising popularity particularly among the Sikkimese
youths and the results of
November 3 panchayat elections have already created
ruckus in the ruling SDF camp.
That in the rural polls,
unprecedented number of independent candidates backed by
Goley contested against the
SDF candidates has been construed by Goley camp as the
beginning of people’s rebellion.
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The region bordering Kalahandi and Rayagada districts
is progressively coming under Maoist influence...
JAIRAM RAMESH, Union rural development minister, during his visit to Odisha
Jharkhand under
President’s rule
POLLS AGAIN? Governor keeps assembly in suspended animation
HT Correspondent
NEW DELHI: The Union government on Thursday
made a recommendation for imposition of Central
rule in Jharkhand to President Pranab Mukherjee,
nine days after chief minister Arjun Munda
(from the BJP) put in his papers following the
withdrawal of support by Sibu Soren’s Jharkhand
Mukti Morcha (JMM), his alliance partner.
The Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs
(CCPA), chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan
Singh, met on Thursday morning to take a call
on the report of Jharkhand governor Syed Ahmed.
He had recently recommended imposition of
President’s rule while keeping the 82-member
state assembly in suspended animation.
Even as JMM decided to pull out of the coalition government, throwing Jharkhand into yet
another round of political instability, the Congress,
with 13 MLAs, decided not to throw its hat into
the ring. Top sources of the party claimed that
the Congress leadership wanted to avoid an
alliance with JMM as it had a ‘tainted’ image.
This would be the third spell of President’s
rule in Jharkhand since its formation in 2000.
The BJP, meanwhile, demanded early elections in the state. “We are in favour of fresh elections in Jharkhand. The government should
declare elections first,” party spokesperson
Prakash Javadekar said.
As the assembly remains in suspended animation, it provides an opportunity to different
parties like the BJP, JMM and the Congress to
stitch up new alliances to form a government.
But political observers feel that chances of
such an alliance is remote as no big party will
like to immediately tie up with Soren. JMM,
however, had earlier been part of the government at the Centre during the first UPA regime.
In Jharkhand assembly, BJP and JMM have
18 MLAs each. While Congress, the principal
opposition party, has 13 members, Jharkhand
Vikas Morcha (Prajatantrik) and RJD has 11 and
5 MLAs each, respectively. Jharkhand Party
(Ekka), Jai Bharat Samta Party, CPI-ML (Liberation), Marxist Coordination Party and Jharkhand Janadhikar Manch have one member each.
■
Arjun Munda with Governor Syed Sibtey.
HT FILE PHOTO
BJP
Parties decry Centre’s move
B Vijay Murty
RANCHI: With the Union cabinet recommending President’s rule in Jharkhand,
the stage is set for a major
face-off between the nation’s
two biggest political parties, the BJP and Congress.
Minutes after the announcement was made by
the Centre, Jharkhand’s
BJP leaders upped their
ante against the governor,
Syed Ahmad, accusing him
of working as a ‘Congress
agent’. “The decision is a
major setback for democracy and development of
the state,” outgoing chief
minister Arjun Munda
said before leaving for New
Delhi to brief senior party
leaders about the situation in the state. His party
colleague and former
deputy chief minister Raghuvar Das alleged that the
Centre had once again
misused Article 356 of the
Constitution and the governor, who happens to be
an extended arm of the
President of India, is dancing to the Congress’s tune.
“The governor met all
party leaders to seek their
opinions. A majority had
desired fresh polls. Still,
he bypassed all rules and
acted on the Congress’s
advice,” Das said.
The Congress and the
Jharkhand Mukti Morcha
(JMM) have strongly disagreed with the BJP’s allegation, declaring that the
governor had no option
but to recommend President’s rule in the state in
view of the fractured mandate and failure of parties
to stitch up a new formation to form a government.
“The Centre followed
what the governor wrote,”
former Jharkhand Congress president and legislator, Sarfaraz Ahamd, said,
adding, “At present, no
party or alliance has the
numbers.”
htregion
DEATH PENALTY
FOR RAPIST, BUT
ANOTHER CHILD
RAPED IN ODISHA
Priya Ranjan Sahu
A court in
Odisha’s Sambalpur district on
Thursday handed down death
penalty to a man for raping and
murdering a three-year-old girl,
even as police, during the day,
arrested a 19-year-old youth
for raping a three-year-old girl
in Balangir district, also in western Odisha.
The verdict in the Sambalpur
case came three months after
the child was raped and murdered by the accused, Khidu
Munda (30). It is the second
pronouncement of capital
punishment in three months
in the district in similar cases.
Additional district and sessions judge (fast track) Ashok
Kumar Panda delivered the
verdict in a packed court room
in Sambalpur town, 320 km
west of Bhubaneswar.
The court had found Munda
guilty on January 11 but reserved pronouncement of sentence. Munda kidnapped the child
on October 4. Her decomposed
body was found four days later.
In the Balangir incident, the
teenager accused, who was
known to the victim’s family,
committed the crime on Tuesday night after luring her to a
secluded place. People found
the child bleeding profusely
and rushed her to a hospital
and informed her father who
lodged a police complaint. The
girl later named the youth.
BHUBANESWAR:
■
An anti-Posco demonstration, led by school children, in Jagatsinghpur on Thursday.
ARABINDA MAHAPATRA
Children’s shield ‘taints’ anti-Posco stir
United News of India
BHUBANESWAR: The Jagatsingh-
pur district administration of
Odisha is considering initiating action against those persons who are using children as
a human shield in the ongoing
agitation against the establishment of Posco steel plant
project in Paradip.
Jagatsinghpur district collector Satya Ranjan Mallik said
that he had sought reports from
the district’s inspector of schools,
labour officer and other officers
concerned at the earliest. He
said that action would be taken
after he received the report.
The collector was here to
attend a meeting called by chief
minister Naveen Patnaik on
nutrious food for children.
The collector said that according to reports received, children below the age of 10 were
asked to sit on dharna to oppose
the setting up of the proposed
steel plant by Posco, the South
Korea steel giant. The use of
children in the anti-Posco stir
violated the Child Protection
Act, officials said.
Hundreds of school children
from Dhinkia and Gobindpur
villages — areas falling under
the proposed steel plant site —
sat on the dharna, skipping their
classes, along with members of
the Posco Pratirodh Sangram
Samiti (PPSS). It started on
Monday. The project is the
largest single foreign direct
investment in the country.
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Tata Steel MD wants stability
JAMSHEDPUR: Tata Steel’s managing director,
HM Nerurkar, on Thursday described the
prevailing political situation in Jharkhand as
“unfortunate”. “The state has been witnessing unstable government for last two-three
years. It is not good for the growth of the state
as policies of the government were not being
repeated,” he said after addressing the members of the Singhbhum Chamber of Commerce
and Industry (SCCI) here.
PTI
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FR I DAY, J A N UA RY 1 8 , 2 0 1 3
WORD OF THE DAY
THINK IT OVER
comment
GENERATION D
Some actions are even baser
than the people who
commit them
The generation that has
grown up with and is completely
at home with digital devices
M AC H A D O D E A S S I S
Very little to In private republics
cheer about
India is inching closer to China in growth.
This is because the latter is slowing down
T
he World Bank estimates
India’s growth rate will inch
up towards that of China by
2015. This may sound like news to cheer about till you
read the fine print that says this is because China’s
economy is slowing and not due to any Herculean feat
by India’s policymakers. China’s growth rate over the past 40 years
has been unrivalled in human history, and it was bound to taper off
as the economy grew to become the biggest after the US. Despite
this, China’s growth will remain higher than what the World Bank
estimates India can achieve in the medium term. The fastest we
have grown is a five-year spell of close to 9%, well short of the 10%
plus China was clocking over most of the previous decade as it
overtook France, Britain, Germany and Japan. It can now afford a
sedate trot at 8%, which on current indications appears to be the
outer limit of India’s potential to grow.
Slice China’s growth and the contrast gets starker. Its manufacturing-driven economy has piled up foreign exchange reserves
in excess of $3 trillion, half again as much as India’s current GDP.
And this mountain will keep growing as its trade surplus endures,
despite Beijing — like New Delhi — having to scour the globe for
energy. India, on the other hand, is grappling with mounting fiscal
and trade deficits. More importantly, its recent high growth has
been jobless, a big chunk of its population trapped in agriculture as
factory employment simply did not keep pace. This strains government finances as poverty reduction is driven by handouts rather
than new employment avenues. The advantages of outsourcing are
self-limiting and no country has broken into the ranks of developed
nations without an industrial revolution.
The alternative development paths chosen by Beijing and
New Delhi have a bearing on the physical and social infrastructure
of the two Asian neighbours. China has most of its ports, highways
and power plants in place to sustain a steady state of growth. It is
touch-and-go for an India beset by shortages in its electricity grid
and transport networks. Life is indeed better across the Wall with
gains in poverty reduction, health and education that India can only
fantasise about. It is 33 notches above India in the World Bank’s latest human development index. This is a yawning gap given the populations of both countries. The message is clear: social engineering
can’t hope to match economic growth in improving the lives of the
people. Although their political compulsions differ, China has provided India with a template for development that holds key lessons.
ourtake
Kicked out of the ring
Indian boxers have been banned due to the mess in
the boxing federation. And so the list grows by the day
T
he joy proved to be shortlived. The triumph of our sportspersons in the Olympics has been negated by the dismal state of
affairs in India’s sports officialdom. As always, factionalism
and politics have brought Indian sport to its knees. The Indian
Olympic Association (IOA) is riddled by factions as are national
sports federations. The promotion and nurturing of talent seems to
the last thing on the minds of those who control various sports
bodies. Administrators in the name of promoting sport only want
to cling on to power.
Now thanks to these shenanigans, Indian boxers have been
knocked out of international events because the Indian Amateur
Boxing Federation, which had been suspended last year by the
International Amateur Boxing Federation for possible manipulations in elections, hasn’t cleaned up its act. This is unfair to the
sportspersons who have done India proud in the ring. And rather
than help them achieve greater glory, they have been made victims
of squabbles within the organisation. No date has been announced
for re-elections so far. The IOA has been suspended by the
International Olympic Committee for violating its charter. This
should have been a period in which Indian sportspersons should
have been honing their skills in the international arena instead of
becoming outcasts. Sinecures in sports bodies are given as grace
and favour, rarely on the basis of ability. Key members of sports
organisations should be former sportspersons and there should be
minimal involvement of politicians. Some bodies have been presided over by the same people for decades with no new ideas or inputs
in a highly competitive arena.
The creditable showing by our sportspersons in the Olympics should have served to encourage new talent. But, given this
appalling state of affairs, it would seem a risky proposition to invest
the time and energy that go into competitive sports. Whether it’s
archery or tennis, we just don’t seem to be able to get it right. In all
this, it is the athletes who are facing a serious challenge to their
careers. We complain long and loud about how badly we fare compared to countries which are far smaller and have fewer resources
than us. But when it comes to streamlining the management of
sports in the country, no one seems to want to take up the task. The
sports ministry cannot stand by and allow things to go on this way.
Or else the race is over before it has begun.
VOX POP
[email protected]
Middle-class India is quick
to rage after every new outrage.
But this is done mostly within
the comfort of the mob
A
s I write this, I learn — in the space of three hours
— that a seven-year-old was raped by her uncle
in a north Karnataka village; that a 16-year-old
gang-raped in a south Orissa town is in critical
condition; that a Class 8 student was raped at
knifepoint by her neighbour in east Delhi; that a
14-year-old was raped by her uncle in Kochi, Kerala; that a
16-year-old girl in a Madhya Pradesh village is pregnant after
being raped by her brother; that a 13-year-old in Hyderabad,
Andhra Pradesh, was raped — six times — by her father’s
friend; that a married woman was gang-raped on a Punjab bus.
What’s that? Don’t I have any ‘positive news’? Ah, yes, that
frothy brand of feel-good storytelling so beloved of media
managers and aspirational India.
Well, the only thing that makes me feel somewhat good
right now is this: A Chhattisgarh college student, raped in
school, has decided to fight instead of forget. The female
hostel superintendent, who allowed male friends to attack
the girl, is under arrest.
If most of these atrocities — possibly all of them — sound
unfamiliar, that’s because middle-class outrage has moved
on. Only a week ago, television news bulletins, newspapers
and social media were fulminating against India’s frightful,
regressive attitude to women.
So revealing of India’s great, silent sickness of misogyny was
that episode, it might still have
some effects that transcend
the news cycle. India’s latest
rage — over the beheading
of a soldier by Pakistanis —
will not. The army chief may
consider “retaliation”, but he
knows better than to listen
to bellicose television news
SAMAR HALARNKAR
anchors and give in to middleclass India’s thirst for revenge.
Both countries know a possible nuclear Armageddon precludes
anything other than brinkmanship.
Although the anger against Pakistan and its belligerent,
untrustworthy army will simmer, the rage has already started
to settle. We will go back to our lives, as we did after the rage
against black money, the killing of paramilitary troopers by
Maoists, corruption and rape.
Middle-class India now leads this life of knee-jerk rage
because we hide, ignore or would rather not discuss our real
infirmities, our true maladies. We get emotional about our
soldiers, but we do not want our sons and daughters to join
the army, which is now short of nearly 13,000 officers. We vent
our fury against the Maoists and human-rights activists only
when an ambush is deadly enough to make it to television news.
It doesn’t bother us that 398 troopers have committed suicide
since 2009; about 50 more than were killed in firefights over
the same period. We are still distressed and angry about the
Delhi gang rape, but we do not like to acknowledge that our
fathers, uncles, brothers and friends commit almost all the
67 rapes reported in India every day.
We like to rage, and we do it from the comfort of the mob.
Some of India’s biggest problems — our tottering economy,
Maha Bharat
Bring Owaisi to book so that no
one else makes the same mistake
■
Rajdeep Sardesai in We must speak up
now (Beyond The Bite, January 11)
rightly states that the best way to deal
with political rabble-rousers like
Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul Muslimeen (MIM)
MLA Akbaruddin Owaisi is to call
their bluff. Other than Owaisi’s supporters, no one has defended his style
of politics, which is clearly past its sellby date. Those who believe that Owaisi
should be let off since no action was
taken against the VHP’s Praveen
Togadia for his hate speech are only
encouraging communal hatred. The
fact that the State failed to bring
Togadia to book emphasises the need
to punish Owaisi so that no one else
makes the same mistake in future.
Driven by volatile emotions: A protest in Delhi, December 2012
fading agriculture, dying farmers, exploited workers, bonded
labour and other modern-day slaveries, malnourished children,
water scarcities and environmental ruin — do not excite the
mob. In these excitable days, it is not easy to remember what is
important. The media, I confess, do not help. A recent content
analysis of 287 Hindi and English newspapers, done by Vipul
Mudgal of the Centre for the Study of Developing Societies,
revealed that only 2.08% of all stories dealt with issues that
concern the 840 million Indians in rural areas.
Indians are an emotional people. I do not claim to be an exception. I, too, felt enraged when I heard how Lance Naik Hemraj
Singh was killed. Emotion is no bad thing. It is an outlet for
rage. Ideally, neither emotions nor mobs should dictate national
agendas. The danger is when politicians, unable to respond to
middle-class India’s anger, start to cave in to the mob. Hang
every rapist, kill the Pakistanis, the mob screams, and those
in power respond. “If we don’t get Hemraj’s head, we’ll get 10
of theirs,” BJP leader Sushma Swaraj blusters, after meeting
the slain soldier’s family. Retaliation must be an option, but
senseless sloganeering, and debasing your own values isn’t.
What should you and I in the middle class do to escape the
call of the mob? Be better informed, be involved wherever
and whenever possible, listen to those who speak wisely and
without rage. Do your bit to help those you can — and don’t
move on from the things that distress you.
Of course, you can retreat from India’s realities and escape
to your own country. You can stop following ‘depressing news’.
You can pump up the volume on your car stereo, inch forward
when the old woman scratches at your window, spend your
days between carpeted office and air-conditioned home, isolated in your private republic — emerging only to rage, rant
and join the mob. This is not to say the mob has no impact.
When two college students in the town of Palghar, south of
Mumbai, were arrested over a Facebook comment, national
rage sprung them from a hard place. These are exceptions.
Newspaper websites offer clues to the issues that usually excite the vast majority of the middle class. The daily
‘most-widely read’ story list invariably comprises fluff from
Bollywood, television soap operas and the cricket world. The
mob changes its interests only when national frenzy is evident.
As I write this, the most-widely read stories on the websites
of India’s two most popular English newspapers are: ‘Sachin
Tendulkar wanted Ranji semis shifted to Mumbai,’ and ‘Bigg
Boss 6 grand finale: Urvashi Dholakia is the winner.’ Until
galvanised by the next outrage, the middle-class mob will live
in this mind-numbing stasis, in its private republic.
Samar Halarnkar is a Bangalore-based journalist
Mohd K Roomi, Delhi
II
Sardesai’s article is timely but it seems
that he hasn’t been able to understand
the gravity of Owaisi’s crime. In fact,
Sardesai doesn’t state anything new.
His article is merely a roundup of various news channel debates on Owaisi
and Togadia.
Giriwar Nandan, via email
The PM must mean what he says
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s
recent warning to Pakistan was a
result of public pressure and not sincere concern for the nation (PM rules
out business as usual as India turns up
heat on Pak, January 16). The UPA has
done business with Pakistan while
admonishing it many times in the past.
So it’s tough to say whether the PM
really means what he says. Perhaps the
PM could learn a few lessons from
Indian Army chief Bikram Singh, who,
in a bold statement, told the Pakistani
army to mend its ways or expect retaliation from India soon.
Pawan Sharma, Delhi
We at Hindustan Times would like to know more
about what you want from your paper. So write to
us at Hindustan Times, 7th Floor, 50 Chowringhee
Road, Kolkata 700071, Phone: 91-033-22827316 or
mail us at [email protected]
The views expressed by the author are personal
Not quite a welcome guest
West. All he needs from the US, he said,
was strategic advice, money and better
weapons. This was the time when the US
administration was looking for ways to
end the Afghan war. And Gen Kayani was
desperate to convince the Americans that
they should let him ‘manage’ Afghanistan
in order to make sure that he can win any
proxy-war with India in Afghanistan so
that Pakistan is not flanked by India from
the East and West.
No one knows how much of that proposal
was accepted by the US. But it seems
that both sides got what they wanted.
Washington has found a way to pull out of
Afghanistan by announcing that the Afghan
forces are capable of providing security.
And Gen Kayani has been able to improve
his relations with the US before Senator
John Kerry takes over as the new Secretary
of State, and also sees his dream of controlling both Pakistan and Afghanistan coming
true, at least in the short run.
But he is also aware that the regional
powers such as India, Iran and Russia and
the Central Asian republics are bound to
oppose any major Pakistani involvement
in Afghanistan.
Pakistan wants to convince the US that it must contain India’s influence in Kabul in exchange for help in Afghanistan
After that the US wants Pakistan to focus
on its border with Afghanistan, move more
troops from the LoC to that border and
prevent Taliban infiltration to create a
stable Afghanistan. So the responsibility
of containing terrorism against the West
would largely be in the hands of the general
who is known for his shrewdness, foresightedness and anti-Indian stance. And
if there is tension at the LoC, Gen Kayani
can use that to extract more military aid
from the US.
It’s no coincidence that the latest
Pakistani provocation comes within a
month after Afghanistan President Hamid
Karzai signed a strategic agreement under
which India will train Afghan army officers,
a move Gen Kayani has been opposing for
long. According to a US official, Pakistan
was furious that the Americans did not
halt the agreement.
So the strategy to convince the
Americans to contain India’s growing
influence in Afghanistan is not new. In
fact, Gen Kayani presented a 14-page proposal to the US three years ago and it
began with a question: why is Washington
Ravi M Khanna
N
o matter who triggered the recent
tension between India and Pakistan,
New Delhi should consider last week’s
defiance of Islamabad as the first signal of
how the relations are going to be after the
US withdraws next year from Afghanistan,
leaving Pakistan with a major role in stabilising that country. During the Afghan
crisis, Pakistan developed a strategy to
use any tension with India as leverage in its
relations with the US. So whenever the US
urged it to move its troops from the Line of
Control (LoC) in Kashmir to its border with
Afghanistan to stop the militant infiltration
into that country, Islamabad cited tensions
with India as a reason for not fulfilling the
US’s demand and demanded more military
aid as a pre-condition.
The last time Pakistan army chief AP
Kayani used this strategy, he got millions
of dollars worth of weapons, including night
patrol vehicles and night vision glasses.
The general may need to use that strategy
again in the near-future, before or after the
next year’s Nato pullout from Afghanistan.
getting its men killed by the Taliban in
Afghanistan when the dirty work can
be done by Pakistan? Pakistan, he said,
can also make sure that Afghan soil is
not used to hatch terror plots against the
No freedom from fear
G Ananthapadmanabhan
T
he article by Lalith Weeratunga,
Permanent Secretary to the Sri
Lankan President, titled Don’t let
them down (January 6) is a reflection of
the Sri Lankan government’s efforts to
deny and refuse to be held accountable for
war crimes in the past and ongoing human
rights violations.
There is no dispute that the Liberation
Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) committed atrocities in the course of Sri Lanka’s
armed conflict. But there is substantial
evidence that the Lankan forces did so
as well. Thousands of alleged victims of
enforced disappearance and abduction by
both Sri Lankan government forces and the
LTTE remain unaccounted for.
Under international law, Sri Lanka has
an obligation to carry out prompt and
impartial investigations into all allegations of human rights violations. But it has
repeatedly failed to do so. For example, the
recommendations made by the Lessons
Learnt and Reconciliation Commission
(LLRC) have not been fully followed. The
government has so far agreed to limited
implementation of only 92 of the 285 recommendations of the LLRC. The Mahinda
GEN AP KAYANI (ABOVE) HAS
BEEN ABLE TO IMPROVE HIS
RELATIONS WITH THE US BEFORE
SENATOR JOHN KERRY TAKES
OVER AS THE NEW SECRETARY
OF STATE
In Sri Lanka, those responsible for human rights violations have got off scot-free
■
Strong-arm tactics: Sri Lankan President
Mahinda Rajapaksa, January 2012
Rajapaksa government has left it to the
very security agencies associated with
many of the human rights violations to
investigate themselves. As a result, the
horrific crimes remain un-investigated and
un-punished, while arbitrary detention and
torture persist.
The lack of an independent and impartial
investigation into these crimes sends out
the message that in States like Sri Lanka
crimes committed in the name of countering terrorism are being ignored.
Weeratunga speaks of “the Herculean
task now afoot to repair the lives and
dreams of millions who suffered the most
egregious ravages”, including in the course
of armed conflict. He is right about the need
to restore the lives of the survivors. But his
government’s commitment is highly questionable. Many Tamils and other ordinary
Sri Lankans have repeatedly told us that
they cannot demand justice for human
rights violations or otherwise peacefully
exercise their right to freedom of expression and association without fear of government reprisal.
Weeratunga’s claims that the Sri Lankan
military has withdrawn from civilian life in
Sri Lanka are simply not true. In Jaffna, in
November 2012, soldiers entered a women’s
hostel on the Jaffna University campus to
prevent the commemoration of Heroes
Day — a day originally set aside by the
Printed
Ravi M Khanna has covered South Asia for
the Voice of America as its South Asia
bureau chief and also as the South Asia
desk editor in Washington from 1986 to 2011
LTTE to commemorate fallen cadres.
They threatened and assaulted students
who were lighting lamps. When students
said that this was a violation of their right
to freedom of expression, their peaceful
protest was violently suppressed, and
student leaders from the university were
removed from Jaffna and detained without
charge in a rehabilitation camp. The army
also reportedly stopped Jaffna residents
from lighting lamps to celebrate Karthigai
Deepam, which fell on the same day.
Thousands of displaced civilians have
still not been able to return home because
their villages remain occupied by the military. When the writer speaks of ordinary
Sri Lankans, who is he is talking about? The
ordinary Sri Lankans who have spoken to
Amnesty International say that they want
their government to uphold their human
rights. Their government needs to act
swiftly to bring the perpetrators of war
crimes and other human rights violations
to justice, make genuine efforts at reconciliation and put an end to the culture of
impunity in the country. It is only then that
all of Sri Lanka can move forward, together.
G Ananthapadmanabhan is Executive
Director, Amnesty International India
and
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F R I DAY, J A N U A RY 1 8 , 2 0 1 3
| 09
HAPPINESS
SURVEY 2013
S U R V E Y
B Y
M a R S
MUMBAI HAPPIEST WITH
LEISURE, DELHI LEAST SO
On each of these parameters,
Delhiites gave themselves a “happiness
under strain” rating.
As in almost every other aspect of
this survey, the smaller state capitals
score over the metros. Residents of
Lucknow, Jaipur, Indore, Patna and
Ahmedabad are the happiest with their
leisure activities, both in relative and
absolute terms. Residents of each of
these cities say quite unambiguously
that they are “happy” on this count.
Arnab Mitra
H
ere’s more proof that India is,
indeed, a happy nation. The
index score for “level of happiness with your overall leisure,
entertainment and social life” is 754.
But like all averages, it hides as much
it reveals.
The first Hindustan Times-MaRS
Happiness Survey, the most exhaustive
and definitive such study ever undertaken in India, shows that Delhi residents rank last on the happiness scale
when it comes to leisure. Their opinion: their happiness on this score is
“under strain”.
Among metro residents, Mumbaikars are, perhaps a little surprisingly,
the happiest with their leisure time and
social life. Mumbai’s index score (787)
on this parameter means the residents
of the Maximum City are “somewhat
happy”, but significantly, it is only marginally short of an unequivoTOMORROW
cal “happy rating”.
You and your
Interestingly, respondents
in three age categories (26-35
stresses
years, 36-45 years and 46-60
years) rate themselves as “somewhat
happy” and give themselves almost the
same index score on this count. The
young (18-25 years) are, relatively, the
happiest with their social life and senior citizens the least so.
For the purpose of this survey, we
interviewed respondents on “level of
happiness with quality of leisure time
and activities for self”, “level of happiness with quality of time spent with
family” and “level of happiness with
quality of time spent with friends” and
arrived at the index score by calculating a weighted average of these scores.
Despite significant differences of opinion between cities, it is interesting to
note that there is a near unanimity of
views across age groups. This reinforces
the findings that despite the obvious
problems, a vast majority of Indians are
actually quite happy with their lot.
RESIDENTS OF LUCKNOW,
JAIPUR, INDORE, PATNA AND
AHMEDABAD ARE THE
HAPPIEST BOTH IN RELATIVE
AND ABSOLUTE TERMS
JASJEET PLAHA/ HT PHOTO
METHODOLOGY
Hindustan Times commissioned
market research agency MaRS to
conduct this survey among 5,400
people in 16 state capitals and major
cities in India. The sampling methodology ensured an equal mix of males
and females and the respondents
were representative of the selected
cities. All respondents were chosen
from SEC A and SEC B households.
The answers were collated and the
happiness index calculated using a
statistically valid method.
What the numbers mean
900+ Extremely happy
800-899 Happy
700-799 Somewhat happy
600-699 Happiness under strain
599 or below Unhappy
Happiness with the quality of
leisure time for self
TOWN
SCORE RANK
time spent with family
TOWN
SCORE RANK
time spent with friends
TOWN
SCORE RANK
Happiness with your overall
leisure and social life
TOWN
SCORE RANK
Jaipur
Lucknow
Patna
Indore
Bangalore
Mumbai
Ahmedabad
Chandigarh
Pune
OVERALL INDEX*
Kochi
Guwahati
Hyderabad
Chennai
Kolkata
Delhi
Ranchi
Patna
Lucknow
Jaipur
Indore
Ahmedabad
Chandigarh
Mumbai
Bangalore
Pune
OVERALL INDEX
Ranchi
Guwahati
Kochi
Hyderabad
Chennai
Kolkata
Delhi
Jaipur
848
Lucknow
846
Indore
810
Patna
807
Bangalore
788
Mumbai
776
Chandigarh
757
Ahmedabad
749
Pune
748
OVERALL INDEX 735
Hyderabad
724
Kochi
707
Guwahati
675
Chennai
671
Ranchi
658
Kolkata
648
Delhi
600
Lucknow
Jaipur
Indore
Patna
Ahmedabad
Mumbai
Bangalore
Chandigarh
OVERALL INDEX
Pune
Hyderabad
Kochi
Guwahati
Chennai
Kolkata
Ranchi
Delhi
796
784
768
759
735
720
706
703
702
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
699
692
683
682
676
644
609
581
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
842
840
805
802
790
788
776
773
760
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
753
746
744
733
730
689
666
619
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
856
839
822
819
804
787
776
773
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
754
752
743
739
718
697
670
666
664
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
*Weighted average score of individual cities
quotemartial
(
INDIA ASKS US
TO EXTRADITE
KHALISTANI
Shishir Gupta
India has formally
asked US Justice Department
for the extradition of Babbar
Khalsa International (BKI) terrorist Balwinder Singh Possi.
A formal request was made by
the Ministry of External Affairs
earlier this month.
Possi is wanted for the twin
blasts at Jalandhar’s inter-state
roadways bus stand in 2006.
Government sources told
HT that Punjab Police is also
planning to file for the extradition of another BKI terrorist
Gurnam Singh, alias Neka,
from the US. Neka is wanted
for the two blasts which were
carried out on April 24 and 28,
2006, in which three persons
were killed. Punjab police is also
investigating the involvement
of a third BKI terrorist Gursharan Singh Cheema in the blasts.
Both the accused fled to the US
in 2006 shortly after the blasts.
The extradition plea for the
three terrorists featured in the
official meeting between Indian
and US delegations on Mutual
Legal Assistance Treaty today.
However, 26/11 accused David
Headley and his accomplice
Tahawwur Rana are not going
to be extradited to India. While
US national Headley has struck
a deal with FBI that bars his
extradition, Rana is a Pakistan
national who has been acquitted of his involvement in the 26/11
conspiracy by a US court.
NEW DELHI:
I have been fighting corruption and goondaism throughout without
bothering about my life and will continue to do so till my last breath.
ANNA HAZARE
) htnation
Delhi gang rape case in fast-track, trial opens Jan 21 Supreme Court rules even public
NEW DELHI: A month after the bru-
tal gang rape of a young woman
in a moving bus in Delhi and
impassioned demands from
across India for quick action
against the criminals, the case
was transferred on Thursday to
a fast-track court, which will start
hearings on January 21.
The proceedings against five
accused will be conducted by
additional sessions judge Yogesh
Khanna, who heads the fast-track
court at Saket court complex.
The case of the sixth accused,
a minor, is being heard by Juvenile Justice Board. The fast-track
court is expected to hold daily
hearings. Defence lawyers said
they had received soft copies of
the chargesheet and related doc-
uments. They said the prosecution’s plea to bring the five men
in handcuffs was rejected. The
case was committed to the judge
by metropolitan magistrate Namrita Aggarwal who conducted
proceedings in-camera. HTC
AI grounds Dreamliner
over safety concerns
HT Correspondent
Air India (AI) has
grounded its six Boeing-787
Dreamliner planes after a directive by US aviation regulator—
the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) — to stop operations of all such planes.
The grounding of the Dreamliner is a setback for AI as the
aircraft is central to its turnaround plans. Regulators across
the world followed the lead of the
FAA in ordering an indefinite halt
to all Dreamliner operations.
After a battery fire incident in
Japan on a Dreamliner on Wednesday, the FAA that sets the
benchmark for aviation standards
issued an emergency airworthiness directive to address the
problem requiring all “operators
to temporarily cease operations.
Before further flight, operators
of US-registered Boeing 787 aircraft must demonstrate to the
FAA that the batteries are safe.”
“The in-flight Japanese battery incident followed an earlier
787 battery incident that
NEW DELHI:
WHAT NEXT?
■ Air India to seek compensation from Boeing for
Dreamliner grounding
■ Matter was discussed in
the AI board meeting on
Thursday
■AI’s turnaround plan could
be severly hit if the grounding prolonged
■ Pilots trained on
Dreamliner to sit idle till the
aircraft is back
occurred on the ground in Boston
on January 7, 2013. The battery
failures resulted in release of flammable electrolytes, heat damage,
and smoke on two Model 787 airplanes. These conditions, if not
corrected, could result in damage to critical systems and structures, and the potential for fire
in the electrical compartment,”
the FAA said.
Following the FAA statement,
the Directorate General of Civil
Aviation (DGCA) directed AI to
ground its Dreamliners.
“We will track the FAA probe
■ AI
is the only Indian
airline that operates the
Dreamliner.
■ It has six of them in its
fleet. The airliner is supposed
to get seven more in 2013,
five in 2014, six in 2015 and
three in 2016
■ Plans to deploy the aircraft
on international routes like
Bali, Istanbul, Sydney,
Melbourne and Singapore
into the Dreamliner. We can't say
when we will allow it to fly again,
it depends on when Boeing gives
us satisfaction over safety concerns,” a DGCA official said.
“I’m sure this (grounding) will
entitle AI to some reimbursement,” aviation minister Ajit
Singh said, adding the airline
would have to “wait until we get
some clarity on the issue”.
FAA said it will work with the
manufacturer and carriers to
develop a corrective action plan
to allow the US 787 fleet to
resume operations as quickly and
safely as possible. It gave no details on when that might happen.
“When the FAA issues an airworthiness directive, it alerts the
international aviation community to the action so other civil aviation authorities can take parallel action to cover the fleets operating in their own countries,” the
FAA said. “We will not fly the Dreamliner until the FAA and our
own DGCA give clearance," civil
aviation minister Ajit Singh said.
Boeing said in a statement it
was confident the 787 was safe
and it stood by the plane's integrity. “Boeing is committed to supporting the FAA and finding
answers as quickly as possible.
The company is working around
the clock with its customers and
various regulatory and probe
bodies. We will make available
the resources of The Boeing
Company to assist,” chief executive Jim McNerney said.
“All flights scheduled to be
operated with the B-787 aircraft
will be operated with other aircraft and passengers booked on
these flights will be accommodated on other flights,” AI said.
can press anti-defection charges
Satya Prakash
RANCHI: The Supreme Court on
Thursday ruled that “any interested person” can invoke antidefection law to seek disqualification of a legislator for switching political loyalty. Until now,
only a legislator could initiate
such a move.
The ruling came on a petition
filed by Odisha Assembly
Speaker challenging a verdict
of the state high court which
said even a non-legislator can
initiate disqualification proceedings against a legislator for
deserting the party on whose
ticket s/he was elected and joining another political party.
Odisha NCP president Utkal
Keshari Parida had approached
the speaker seeking disqualifi-
The very object of
introduction of the Tenth
Schedule to the Constitution
would be meaningless
AN SC BENCH
cation of all four MLAs of his
party in Odisha — Amar Prasad
Satpathy, Ramachandra Hansdah, Prashant Nanda and Nabin
Nanda — after they joined the
BJD on June 5, 2012.
The high court rejected the
speaker’s contention that
Parida’s plea was not maintainable as he was not an MLA.
A three-judge bench headed
by Chief Justice of India Altmas
Kabir read down a provision of
the Odisha Assembly Rules,
1987, according to which only a
legislator could put in motion
disqualification proceedings
under the anti-defection law.
“…otherwise, the very object
of the introduction of the Tenth
Schedule to the Constitution
would be rendered meaningless,” the bench, also comprising justice J Chelameswar and
justice Vikramajit Sen, said dismissing the speaker’s appeal.
“The provisions of Sub-rules
(1) and (2) of Rule 6 of the 1987
Rules have, therefore, to be read
down to make it clear that not
only a Member of the House,
but any person interested,
would also be entitled to bring
to the notice of the Speaker the
fact that a Member of the House
had incurred disqualification
under the Tenth Schedule to the
Constitution of India,” the bench
said, adding thereafter the
speaker can decide the issue.
Appoint special officer for juvenile
cases in every police station: SC
HT Correspondent
NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court
on Thursday directed the appointment of a special officer in
every police station across the
country to deal with minors
who end up in custody because
of their involvement in crimes.
A bench headed by Chief
Justice of India Altamas Kabir
also directed that the police
must register FIRs and conduct
probes in every case of a missing child and ordered the constitution of a unit comprising
specially trained police officers
in each district of the country
to handle such cases involving
juveniles.
The bench said that such officers would be in plain clothes
and work in coordination with
the respective states’ Child
Welfare Committees.
Printed
and
The court’s order came on a
PIL (public interest litigation)
filed by an NGO, Bachpan Bachao Andolan, alleging that more
than 1.7 lakh children have gone
missing in the country between
January 2008-2010.
The apex court had, on March 16 last year, issued a notice
to the Centre, states and Union
Territories directing them to
file their responses on the issue
of missing children.
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F R I DAY, J A N U A RY 1 8 , 2 0 1 3
UPA likely to push food
bill in budget session
AT LONG LAST House panel approves bill, food minister opposes further delay
Official’s arrest blows lid
off MoEF clearance scam
TELANGANA:
ANDHRA GOVT
TOLD TO BRACE
FOR PROTESTS
Chetan Chauhan and
Rajesh Ahuja
■
CBI recovers R1 cr from Khatri’s houses
[email protected]
HT Correspondent
Zia Haq
■
GET A LOAD OF THIS!
[email protected]
■ 5 kg of rice, wheat or
millets at R3, R2 and R1
■ R1.12 lakh crore is
annual cost to govt
■ 75% rural, 50% urban
Indians will be entitled
NEW DELHI: The flagship National
Food Security Bill, which
has been years in the making,
is likely to be placed before
Parliament in the forthcoming
budget session, with a parliamentary panel approving it on
Thursday and food minister
KV Thomas opposing any further delay.
The bill, which stems from a
Congress poll promise, is the
second of two large entitlementbased welfare legislations of the
UPA government. The previous
one, a popular rural pay-forwork scheme, helped propel the
Congress-led coalition to a second term, analysts say.
A senior official said the food
ministry has flagged off its readiness for the draft law's inclusion in the budget session. It still
needs a fresh Cabinet approval,
a formality.
The bill provides for fixed
G U L B E RG
■
The bill provides for fixed monthly food handouts to 67% of the
HT FILE PHOTO
population, about 800 million people.
monthly food handouts to 67%
of the population — or about
800 million people — while in
250 poorest districts of the country, 90% of the people will be
covered.
When signed into law, the
food bill will provide each member of an entitled household 5
kg of rice, wheat or millets at
R3, R2 and R1 a kilo every month,
way below the market price.
The bill will cost R1.12 lakh
crore annually to implement.
So, the government will have to
increase its spending on food
aid by more than a third, going
by the current financial year's
projected food subsidy bill of
R92,493 crore.
A small price to pay,
according to economist Jean
Drèze, considering that India is
home to the world's largest
proportion of hunger-stricken
children.
As is required under lawmaking, the Parliament's standing committee on food, a crossparty panel, vetted the bill and
cleared it, paving the way for its
adoption by Parliament.
R I OTS
SC restrains order on SIT report
HT Correspondent
■
[email protected]
NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court
on Thursday restrained a trial
court from pronouncing its final
order on the closure report of
the Special Investigation Team
(SIT) in the 2002 Gulberg
Housing Society riots case of
Ahmedabad.
A bench of Justice DK Jain,
P Sathasivam and Aftab Alam
stated: "The final order on the
closure report would not be pronounced."
The court's order came on
the plea of Zakia Jafri, slain
Congress leader Ehsan Jafri's
widow, seeking copies of essential documents to enable her to
file a protest petition against the
SIT's closure report in the riot
( )
The final order on the
closure report (into the
2002 Gulberg Housing
Society riots case) would
not be pronounced.
SC BENCH
case, which had allegations
being made against Gujarat
chief minister Narendra Modi
too. It also issued a notice to the
Gujarat government, seeking its
response to Zakia's plea.
An Ahmedabad trial court,
on November 27, accepted the
SIT closure report filed on
March 13, 2012 in the case after
refusing to give Zakia more
time to file a protest petition
against it.
She wants to file the petition
because the closure report gives
a clean chit to the Gujarat chief
minister.
She appealed to Supreme
Court against the trial court's
order, which rejected her plea
that sought copies of documents
relating to the investigation in
the case — including a report
filed by AK Malhotra, one of the
SIT members. According to
Zakia, the documents were part
of the report filed by SIT before
the trial court.
In a development related to
the post-Godhra riots of 2002,
senior advocate Harish Salve
proposed moving an application
to "relocate" key witnesses of
B R A I N S T O R M I N G
A T
the massacre, and continue providing them with security cover.
Salve has been assisting the
court in the matter.
The senior counsel mooted
the idea to relocate crucial witnesses after the court was told
that the police commissioner
had suggested withdrawal of the
security cover provided to the
witnesses, considering that the
trial into the cases concerned
had ended.
The bench also expressed
surprise that Justice GT
Nanavati Commission, set up
by the Gujarat government to
inquire into the riots, has summoned the SIT members and is
asking for its report, despite the
apex court making it clear that
the probe panel's report should
be placed only before it.
J A I P U R
Congress meet to chart
roadmap for 2014 polls
RAHUL STEPS IN
TO SOOTHE
FRAYED TEMPERS
Aurangzeb Naqshbandi
■
HT Correspondent
[email protected]
JAIPUR: A day before the much-
JAIPUR: Over the next three days,
the Congress party will reassess
its position on critical issues facing the country and chalk out its
response to the changing political and economic circumstances.
However, coming in the backdrop of the heightened tension
with Pakistan along the Line of
Control and the brutal gang rape
of a student in Delhi, the focus
of the two-day ‘chintan shivir’
from Friday — followed by a
day-long AICC session on
Sunday – will essentially be to
formulate strategies for the 2014
Lok Sabha elections.
Congress president Sonia
Gandhi will set the agenda for
the discussions, which will mainly revolve around critical issues
of political alliance, price rise,
economic reforms (including the
cut on subsidies) and the new
phenomenon of social media and
flash mob protests.
The other key issues at the
conclave, which will be conducted nine years after a similar camp at Shimla in 2003,
include the demand for smaller
states
(particularly
Telangana) and how to aggressively counter charges of corruption posed by the opposition.
Gandhi has formed five
groups to discuss emerging political as well as socio-economic
challenges, India and the world,
organisational strength and
empowerment of women. About
350 invitees – one third of them
from the Youth Congress – will
be closeted for two days to discuss these five subjects.
■
Labourers carry a hoarding of Rahul Gandhi at Birla Auditorium,
venue of the Congress Chintan Shivir, in Jaipur on Thursday, UNI
Apparently sulking over his
exit from the cabinet, former
external affairs minister SM
Krishna has opted out of the
group on India’s foreign relations – citing prior engagements
in Vietnam. He would be
replaced by commerce minister Anand Sharma.
Senior general secretary
Janardan Dwivedi on Wednesday
clarified that papers on the five
subjects should not be treated
as party views, but mere suggestions. However, the consensus on the issues would form part
of the draft Jaipur Declaration,
which would be adopted by the
AICC meeting attended by more
than 1,000 delegates.
Apart from the Congress
president, Prime Minister
Manmohan Singh and general
secretary Rahul Gandhi will
address the AICC session on
Sunday. They are also expected to participate in group discussions for a brief period.
Though Rahul’s imprints on
the Jaipur conclave are visible,
the 42-year-old Gandhi scion
still has not shown any inclination towards formally assuming
the number two position in the
party. But with his appointment
in November last year as head
of the six-member coordination
committee for 2014 polls, Rahul
has formally been put in charge
of the party’s campaign for the
next Lok Sabha elections.
Ahmed Patel, Janardan
Dwivedi, Digvijaya Singh,
Madhusudan Mistry and Jairam
Ramesh are its other members.
While the absence of
President Pranab Mukherjee is
going to be widely felt at the
meet, Antony is expected to fulfill his role.
Govt will moderate tax rates: PC
Press Trust of India
CHIDAMBARAM SAID
THE GOVERNMENT IS
COMMITTED TO A
STABLE TAX REGIME
AND MODERATE TAXES
NEW DELHI:Union finance minister P Chidambaram on Thursday said the government is committed to moderate tax rates
and is working towards modernising administration to minimise transaction cost and maximise taxpayer convenience.
Tax administration, he said,
is faced with new challenges that
include allocation of taxing rights
and sharing of taxable income
between countries from crossborder deals, besides increasing tax revenues and providing
quality service to tax payers.
Chidambaram was addressing the heads of the Revenue
Department of BRICS nations
— Brazil, Russia, India, China
and South Africa. India holds
the chair of the grouping.
“India has been modernising
its tax administration in a way
that will minimise transaction
costs and maximise taxpayer
convenience, without compromising the deterrence factor,”
he said. Chidambaram, who is
to unveil the Union Budget for
2013-14 on February 28, said the
government is committed to a
stable tax regime, moderate tax
rates, non-adversarial tax administration and a fair mechanism
for dispute resolution.
awaited brainstorming session
of the Congress starts here on
Friday, party general secretary
Rahul Gandhi stepped in to
maintain the delicate balance
between the representation of
the party’s senior and junior delegates at the event.
Gandhi, according to sources,
asked Youth Congress president
Rajiv Satav to prune the list of
handpicked youth delegates by
almost a fourth. The youth
brigade for the session comprised Youth Congress and
NSUI representatives. Initially,
around 160 such delegates were
supposed to come. But now only
125 young faces will be seen at
the meet, which will decide on
the future road map of the party.
Gandhi’s move came after
several senior leaders expressed
unhappiness over the manner
in which even Congress secretaries and UPA’s ministers of
state were denied invitation to
accommodate Youth Congress
and NSUI members.
Meanwhile, the brain-storming session is likely to have an
additional session on science
and technology and education
during its two-day meet at
Jaipur. This addition, taking the
total number of sessions to six,
was done at the behest of
Gandhi, who favours special
focus on these areas.
While many Congress leaders have already arrived in
Jaipur, a morning flight from
Delhi to Jaipur has been almost
entirely booked by the party for
Union ministers.
ANOTHER HONOUR
KILLING IN UP
[email protected]
■
NEW DELHI: Fearing street
protests in Andhra Pradesh
irrespective of which way the
decision on Telangana goes,
home secretary RK Singh on
Thursday directed the Andhra
Pradesh government to review
preparedness to handle the consequent law and order issues.
Singh also promised to send
in additional central forces, if
required, to handle the situation once the state makes a firm
assessment of the situation.
The meeting comes in the
backdrop of political groups on
both sides — those in favour of
carving out Telangana and
those against — threatening to
hit the streets in case their viewpoints are not accepted.
Home minister Sushil Kumar
Shinde had last month promised that the Centre will take a
call on the demand for
Telangana by this month-end,
prompting political groups in
favour of a united Andhra to up
the ante too. On Thursday, 68
elected representatives, including 17 state ministers, passed a
resolution advising the Centre
to maintain status quo. “There
would be massive unrest if the
demand is conceded,” said
school education minister S
Sailajanath.
MEERUT: A
man was shot dead
and his wife injured on Tuesday
when her family members allegedly fired on them because they
did not approve of the relationship. The wife, critically wounded, was admitted to Meerut
Medical College. Her two brothers and three cousins have been
named in a complaint filed by
the family of the dead man,
Shamsher. The accused are absconding. The couple was returning home when attacked. HTC
NEW DELHI: The Central
Bureau of Investigation
(CBI) on Thursday found
R1 crore in cash from
Khatri’s homes in Gurgaon
and Rohtak. The raids
came a day after he was
arrested on charges of
accepting a bribe of R7
lakh from alleged middlemen of an Orissa based
company for placing a
limestone project for consideration of ministry’s
expert appraisal committee. In all, Khatri owns
four properties in posh
locations in Haryana, and
has been active in cutting
‘deals’ for clearances for
the last 3-4 years, say CBI
investigators.
Meanwhile, a CBI court
or Forest Advisory Committee
without making a consideration in cash or kind,” a person,
who had been a senior official
in the ministry, said, adding
that placing a project before
the committee is at the discretion of ministry officials.
Corruption does not end
there. Once the committee
submits its recommendation,
getting the clearance letter
from the ministry is also not
easy. “One has to appease guys
there to know what is hap-
in Delhi remanded Khatri
and alleged middleman
Chinmaya Shri Chandan to
CBI custody till January 21.
The investigative agency
had sought custody of the
two saying their interrogation was required “to
recover incriminating documents and to unfold the
wider conspiracy and also
to find out their nexus with
other officials in the
Ministry of Environment
and Forests”. The CBI has
alleged that Chariot Group
wanted clearance for its
Raiboga Mines at Birmitrapur in Sundargarh,
Odisha. The company had
allegedly hired SS
Environics Pvt Ltd to get
the clearance, it said. HTC
pening to the file,” said a senior functionary with a mining
company.
The ministry deals primarily with four types of approvals — environment, forest,
coastal and clean development
mechanism (CDM).
Since his appointment in
the ministry in 2005, Khatri
had spent most of his tenure
in project approvals ranging
from dams to river cleaning
projects to clean development
mechanism.
Fresh violence in Lucknow’s
old city; RAF, PAC deployed
COMPETITIVE
BANKING FOR
CASH SCHEME
HT Correspondent
Saubhadra Chatterji
■
[email protected]
■
LUCKNOW: Two people were
injured in fresh violence in the
old city area on Thursday, a day
after one person was shot dead
and 10 were injured in sectarian clashes.
Thursday witnessed brickbatting and firing between two
groups of different sects when
the body of the deceased was
being taken out for a pre-burial ritual in a procession in
Hussainabad locality.
Later, while proceeding for
the burial, people staged a
protest in the old city for around
two hours. Mobs indulged in
arson and violence. A madrasa
teacher and a vegetable vendor
were injured in the violence.
Tension in the area eased by
late afternoon after the burial
of the person who died in indiscriminate firing in Wazirganj
locality.
The Uttar Pradesh government announced R5 lakh ex gratia for the kin of the deceased,
R1 lakh each for the critically
[email protected]
With almost R5,000
crore in its kitty to spend on
banking agents, the UPA government plans to unleash competition among the banks to
ensure the ambitious Direct
Benefits Transfer (DBT) scheme’s success. As a lack of banking facilities — coupled with low
enrollment of Aadhaar — emerged as a major stumbling
block, the government is considering the option of allowing any
individual to take up the job of
a banking correspondent (BC).
The plan to allow multiple
BCs to operate in one area was
accepted after rural development minister Jairam Ramesh
wrote to PM Manmohan Singh.
Ramesh said that the hurdles in
smooth DBT rollout can be
eased “with appointment of multiple BCs in an open, inter-operable, competitive framework.”
Meanwhile, it was proposed
that withdrawal of subsidies be
done only through biometric
authentication of beneficiaries.
NEW DELHI:
■
A man injured in sectarian clashes in Lucknow.
injured and R50,000 each for
those with minor injuries.
The police have arrested six
persons for the violence after
lodging four separate FIRs.
Raids are on to nab others
involved in the violence.
Administration officials and
the police said the situation was
tense, but under control. Rapid
Action Force (RAF) and PAC
personnel were deployed in sensitive areas of the old city.
PTI PHOTO
“At least 24 persons, including former BSP MP Dawood
Ahmad, local corporator Mohd
Naeem and his brother, Sajid,
have been named in the FIRs
registered in connection with
Wednesday’s firing,” said
Lucknow senior superintendent
of police RK Chaturvedi.
On Wednesday, the violence
had broken out in Wazirganj
area after a religious congregation (majlis) was attacked.
D O G ’ S D AY O U T !
Mongrel scampers off with R4 lakh, town in pursuit
Avinash Kumar
■
[email protected]
GOPALGANJ (BIHAR): Gopalganj
spent the whole of
Thursday hunting for a dog.
The pariah mongrel had
proved remarkably mercenary — running off with a
polythene packet containing R4 lakh in cash.
The man he robbed –
greengrocer Nakched Mian
– would perhaps have preferred being bitten.
Neither could he press
charges, nor properly
explain the presence of
such a huge amount of cash
at his home. The police told
him a criminal charge was
out of the question. And to
add insult to injury, his
complaint drew huge guffaws everywhere.
Nakched’s story? The
money was meant for a
plot of land he was planning to buy. His son, who
lives abroad, had given him
R3 lakh, the rest he raised
on his own. “The polybag
was on
Illustration: JAYANTO
my bed. As I went to wash
my hands at the hand
pump, I saw a dog run
away with it,” he said.
Following a long search,
the police managed to
recover R1.4 lakh. The rest
is still missing.
Understandably, the whole
town has turned bounty
hunter. Grapevine has it
that every dog is under
strict watch, humans are
dogging their steps everywhere.
htclassifieds
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Matrimonial
MONDAY
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TUESDAY
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WEDNESDAY
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THURSDAY
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SATURDAY
Property
Cal-Cuisine, Tours & Travels
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BUSINESS
EVERYDAY
S Raju
NEW DELHI: Arrest of a multimillionaire Deputy Director of
Ministry of Environment and
Forests Neeraj Kumar Khatri
seems to have blown the lid
off a high level scam involving
clearances in the environment
ministry.
The Central Bureau of
Investigation (CBI) is now
investigating the possibility of
involvement of other senior
officials of the ministry in the
scam.
Environment minister
Jaynathi Natarajan, however,
described his arrest as an
“aberration” and assured of
strong action against him or
anyone else found involved in
corrupt practices. “The projects are examined by a committee of independent experts
in a transparent manner and
there are adequate checks and
balances,” she told HT.
Environment secretary V
Rajagopalan had sought a
report from the bureau to initiate action against Khatri and
others involved in the alleged
corruption practice.
However, old hands in the
ministry admit to corruption
in the clearance process in the
ministry.
“It is not easy to get a project listed for consideration of
the Expert Appraisal Committee
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htbusiness
Mobile is quickly becoming the new normal, and we are
leading this new way consumers shop and pay.
J O H N D O N A H O E , CEO, eBay. He predicted that PayPal and eBay’s marketplaces
division, where most of eBay’s shopping activity occurs, will each process more
than $20 billion in mobile transactions this year.
SENSEX
19,964.0
+146.4
short
stories
DEREGULATING
DIESEL: SENSEX
GAINS 146 POINTS
NEW DELHI: The benchmark
Sensex ended with a gain of
146 points at 19,964 on Thursday on fund-based buying
mainly in oil stocks such as
Reliance Industries Ltd and
Oil and Natural Gas Corp
after the government virtually deregulated diesel prices
to prune its subsidy bill. The
Nifty rose by 37.4 points, or
0.6%, at 6,039.
HTC
Citigroup profit hit by more
than $2 bn in charges
NEW YORK: Citigroup posted
$2.3 billion of charges for layoffs and lawsuits in its
fourth-quarter results
announced on Thursday,
though the company still
posted $1.2 billion in profits
against $956 million a year
ago as trading revenues
rebounded.
REUTERS
ArcelorMittal, CSN in race
for Thyssen Americas
FRANKFURT: ArcelorMittal and
Brazil’s Cia Siderúrgica
Nacional SA have emerged
as leading bidders for ThyssenKrupp AG’s steel mills in
the US and Brazil, a source
said on Thursday. While
Arcelor has bid $1.5 billion
for the Albama plant, CSN is
offering $3.8 billion for that
plant and majority stake in
Brazilian mill.
REUTERS
SpiceJet gets
showcause notice
MUMBAI: Low-cost airline
SpiceJet has been sent a
showcause notice for alleged
violation of provisions of the
Companies Act. “We did
send a showcause notice to
SpiceJet for violating the
Companies Act. The notice
was sent on December 26,”
an official at the Registrar of
Companies said.
PTI
SEBI nails 7 people, 1 firm
in StockGuru fraud
NEW DELHI: The Securities
and Exchange Board of
India (SEBI) has barred
seven persons and one firm
from the market for ten
years for their involvement
in the R1,500-crore “StockGuru” fraud. The fraudsters
had promised 18% dividend,
although the real assured
dividend was 0.12%.
PTI
Airtel launches free FB
access for prepaid users
KOLKATA: Bharti Airtel, a
leading global telecommunication company on
Thursday announced that
its prepaid mobile customers can enjoy free
access to the mobile application of social networking seite-Facebook. As
part of the limited period
offer, prepaid Airtel
mobile customers can
access the Facebook
mobile application free of
charge for upto 500MB of
monthly data usage till
February 15. However
external link will be
charged according to prevailing rates. Airtel prepaid mobile customers can
now download the FB
application through
www.d.facebook.com/insta
ll and get started.
HTC
‘Users line up for new
BlackBerry 10 platform’
TORONTO: BlackBerry maker
Research in Motion is helping customers prepare to
switch to its soon-to-belaunched BlackBerry 10
smartphones that it hopes
will help it reclaim market
share from rivals like Apple
Inc. RIM was “very
enthused by the engagement and response of our
customer base” to a program aimed at persuading
them to adopt the
BlackBerry 10 devices,
Bryan Lee, senior enterprise accounts director, said
on Wednesday.
REUTERS
Essar Ports Q3 net doubles
at R90.42 cr
MUMBAI: Essar Ports’ consolidated net profit more
than doubled to R90.42
crore in the third quarter
of the current fiscal from
R44.98 crore during the
same period last year on
higher income. Income
from operations grew to
R365.97 crore, from
R271.98 crore during last
PTI
fiscal year.
ONGC
314.5
+11.1
RIL
889.7
+29.3
AIRTEL
354.0
+11.5
TATA MOTORS
328.6
+8.6
WIPRO
431.1
+11.1
NIKKEI 225
10,609.6
+9.2
HANG SENG
23,339.8
-17.2
KOSPI
1,974.3
-3.2
C O R P O R A T E
SHANGHAI
2,284.9
-24.6
RUPEE/£
87.0
+0.8
BRENT CRUDE
109.8
$/Bbl
+0.1
LME COPPER
7958.5 $/Tn
12.5
S C O R E B O A R D
Divestment HCL Tech joins IT party with 69% net rise
kitty to aid
R965 cr
state firms
AND THE TREND CONTINUES...
HT Correspondent
NEW DELHI: India’s fourth-largest
software services provider HCL
Technologies on Thursday
joined IT industry peers Infosys
and Tata Consultancy Services
in beating street expectations
with a solid October-December
profit jump that sent its shares
up by 4.3% at R703 on the
Bombay Stock Exchange. That
was accompanied by a leadership change, with Anant Gupta
being named the new CEO.
The company said current
president Anant Gupta immediately takes over as new chief
executive officer replacing industry veteran Vineet Nayar, who
would continue to hold the title
of vice-chairman. HCL
Technologies announced a 68.5%
year-on-year rise in second quarter net profit at R965 crore
CABINET NOD Move to bolster capital
base of PSU banks, insurance companies
budget
2013-14
BOOSTER DOSE
R
R17,000 cr
Amount the government
plans to infuse into public
sector banks in 2013-14
■ The proceeds from
divestment will be used
for subscribing to rights
issues of public sector
banks and insurance firms,
preferential allotment and
recapitalisation of banks
HT Correspondent
NEW DELHI: The Cabinet on
Thursday approved a move to
use part of the money raised by
selling stakes in state-owned
companies to bolster the capital base of public sector banks
and insurance companies.
The government plans to
infuse close to R17,000 crore in
state-owned banks in 2013-14 .
The government will infuse
more capital to ensure that their
capital reserves do not remain
uncomfortably close to the minimum stipulated levels over a
long period of time.
The capital support is aimed
at strengthening the tier I or
equity capital of banks.
According to regulatory requirements, banks are required to
maintain a minimum of 8% tierI capital, which broadly refers
to shareholder equity.
The Cabinet changes pertain
to the terms of use of disinvestment funds parked with the
National Investment Fund
(NIF), which was set up in 2005,
primarily to finance social sector schemes from money raised
■ The capital infusion aims
to strengthen the tier 1 or
equity capital of banks
R6,274
cr
Revenues during the quarter, up 19.6% from R5,245 cr
in the year-ago period
Revenue from infrastructure and financial services
grew 10% during the quarter against a year ago
■
against R573 crore a year ago.
This was well above a Thomson
Reuters analyst poll that expected R826 crore. The company follows a July-June fiscal year.
Revenue from IT services in
infrastructure and financial sector, which grew by 10% during
the quarter, boosted profits.
■
Vineet Nayar (left) and
Anant Gupta: new roles
■ An increase in work being
moved offshore helped HCL
grow operating margins
faster than Tata Consultancy
Services and Infosys.
“Our quarterly results demonstrate increasing momentum…
our net margin has improved for
five straight quarters to reach
15.4%… This has been a quarter
of great impetus, which has placed
HCL in a position of advantage
for leveraging market dynamics,”
said Vineet Nayar, vice-chairman.
HT Correspondent
maintained by banks.
by divesting equity in government-owned firms.
Under the new norms that
will come into effect from 201314, the money will be used for
subscribing to rights issues of
public sector banks and insurance companies, preferential
allotment of such companies
and recapitalisation of banks.
“Fund managers presently
managing the NIF will stand discharged of their responsibility from
the date the funds and the interest income are transferred to the
fund,” an official statement said.
R E BU I L D I N GT I M E
Adidas moves its
China head to lead
India business
HT Correspondent
NEW DELHI:
■
HCL Tech’s net profit during
the Oct-Dec quarter
VINEET NAYAR has
stepped as the chief executive officer of the company, passing the baton to
Anant Gupta. Gupta, who
was appointed as the chief
operating officer in July
last year, was since being
groomed to formally take
over executive functions
at the company.
“Vineet Nayar will continue as vice chairman
and joint managing director of the company till
July 2013 and as vice
chairman thereafter,” said
Shiv Nadar, chairman and
chief strategy officer, HCL
Technologies.
HTC/NEW DELHI
Low demand drags Hero Moto profit down 20%
Minimum tier 1
8%
capital required to be
German sport goods
major Adidas Group on Thursday
announced a leadership change
in India, roping in its chief operating officer from China, Erick
Haskell, to head the company’s
operations in the country.
The change in guard is part
of its efforts to bury the ghosts
of the R870-crore accounting
fraud that came to light last year
at its arm Reebok India.
Haskell takes over from Claus
Heckerott, who led the restructuring efforts at Reebok India after
the company registered a case
alleging fraud by former managing director Subhinder Singh
Prem and chief operating officer
Vishnu Bhagat. Both Prem and
Bhagat have denied the charges.
In his new role as managing
director of Adidas Group India,
Haskell sounded keen to move
on from the accounting fraud
and said the scandal has had no
impact on the company’s brand
image in India. “The investigations (on the scandal) are
Nayyar makes way
for new CEO Gupta
Haskell: no impact of the
scandal on Indian operations
on…and we are co-operating
with the authorities,” he said.
“During the past year, we
focussed on setting up Reebok
India for a fresh start in 2013, while
continuing to build on the strength
and success of the Adidas brand.
Erick’s proven track record in
China make him an ideal candidate to lead the group’s business
in India,” said Roland Auschel,
chief sales officer, multi channel
markets, Adidas Group.
The group is also firming up a
new business agreement with
franchisees based on wholesale
sales deals. “Around two-thirds
of Reebok franchisees have decided to stay on with us,” said Haskell.
director and chief executive officer, Hero MotoCorp.
“There are early signs of a
recovery though. Our despatches were consistently over five
lakh every month of this quarter. We hope the industry will
revert to higher growth rates in
near future. Whenever that happens, we will be geared-up to
meet the upsurge in demand,”
he added.
The company’s sales volume
during the quarter went down
by 1% to 15,73,135 units against
15,89,286 units in the corresponding quarter of the last fiscal.
The company’s share prices
fell by 0.9% to close at R1,819 on
the Bombay Stock Exchange on
Thursday.
LME NICKEL
17470.00 $/Tn
+70.0
GOVT CUTS CDMA
SPECTRUM BASE
PRICE BY 50%
TO LURE BIDDERS
HT Correspondent
NEW DELHI: The Cabinet on
Thursday approved a 50% reduction in the reserve price of
CDMA spectrum. The new
reserve price will be R9,100 crore
for 5 MHz of spectrum that is
required for operating services
throughout the country.
“The Cabinet has approved
50% reduction in CDMA spectrum prices, which was fixed earlier at R18,200 crore,” said communications minister Kapil Sibal.
The next round of auction will
take place in March. CDMA
technology is considered to be
more efficient than GSM. A company needs only 2.5 MHz of spectrum to launch operations. This
means that for start-up spectrum,
a company will have to shell out
R4,500 crore.
Among existing operators,
only Sistema Shyam Teleservices
Ltd (SSTL) provides CDMA
services under the MTS brand.
If SSTL accepts the new price,
then over 16 million subscribers
would not be affected.
“The decision by the Cabinet
to reduce the CDMA reserve
price by 50% clearly reflects the
growing realisation that demand
for 800 MHz is very limited,” said
an SSTL spokesperson. “The
decision is a step in the right
direction. However, as per ground
realities one would have expected much greater reduction.” The
government will also auction
spectrum in the 900-MHz band,
supposed to be the premium
spectrum, in three metros.
Airwaves in the 1,800-MHz band
will be offered in four circles.
NEW DELHI: India’s largest twowheeler manufacturer Hero
MotoCorp on Thursday reported a 20.4% year-on-year decline
in net profit at R488 crore for
the third quarter ended
December 31 against R613 crore
a year ago due to sluggish
demand for motorcycles and
scooters and high costs.
Though its turnover grew by
almost 2.5% to R6,188 crore
against R6,036 crore in the same
quarter of the previous fiscal,
operating margin during the
quarter fell to 12.6% from 15.6%
in the year-ago period.
Arch rival Bajaj Auto had
reported a higher operating
margin of 20.1% on Wednesday.
Bajaj was able to grow its profits by 3% during the quarter.
“The last two quarters have
NOKIA TO SLASH
JOBS, TRANSFER
STAFF TO HCL, TCS
Rio CEO leaves IMF releases
on $14 bn charge fresh $4.3bn aid
Agencies
Reuters
HELSINKI/NEW DELHI: Finnish mobile
phone maker Nokia on Thursday
said it would cut over 1,000 information technology jobs as part
of its restructuring plan.
The company said 820
employees will be transferred to
HCL Technologies and Tata
Consultancy Services while 300
jobs will be eliminated.
The financial details were,
however, not disclosed.
“Nokia outlined a range of
planned changes today to streamline its IT organisation. Nokia
believes these changes will raise
operational efficiency and reduce
operating costs, creating an IT
organisation appropriate for
Nokia's current size and scope,”
the company said in a statement.
The latest cuts are part of plans
announced last June to cut 10,000
jobs gobally.
“The majority of those affected are in Finland. We are now
beginning consultations with
employee representatives where
applicable, until those have concluded it would be inappropriate to comment in further detail,”
a Nokia spokesperson said.
LONDON: Rio Tinto sacked chief
REUTERS &PTI
■
SLOWING DOWN? A worker cleans a bike at a Hero MotoCorp
showroom in Mumbai on Thursday
REUTERS
executive Tom Albanese on
Thursday and revealed a $14 billion writedown in connection
with his two most significant
acquisitions, Mozambican coal
and the Alcan aluminum group.
A mining heavyweight who
joined Rio two decades ago,
Albanese will be replaced by iron
ore boss Sam Walsh. Doug
Ritchie, who led the acquisition
and integration of the
Mozambican coal assets, was
also shown the door.
Alaska-trained Albanese had
until now survived the consequences of his disastrous $38
billion acquisition of Alcan in
2007, a bruising top-of-the-market deal when Rio was under
pressure from rivals to bulk up
or be acquired.
The deal turned bad as markets crumbled and aluminum
prices slumped. Rio has since
seen years of losses in aluminum
and taken billions in impairments — it had already taken
an $8.9 billion charge on those
struggling assets a year ago.
Walsh was welcomed by
investors and analysts as a safe
been challenging for the Indian
auto industry on account of the
delayed monsoons, rising fuel
prices and subdued sentiments,”
said Pawan Munjal, managing
pair of hands, but many questioned whether the veteran would
be a long-term solution for the
group, and raised concerns over
management of a group that also
announced the departure of its
CFO last July.
“It’s another black mark in
terms of (Albanese’s) M&A
record and I suppose, given
the magnitude of this writedown
... I’m not surprised that he’s
stepping down with this, nor am
I surprised that Doug Ritchie
is,” analyst Jeff Largey at
Macquarie said.
Rio had planned to shrink the
aluminum division by hiving off
most of its Australian and New
Zealand assets, but industry
sources say it has not been
mobbed by buyers.
Albanese then spearheaded
a deal to buy Mozambiquefocused coal miner Riversdale
in 2011, fighting off rival bids
from steelmakers. There, however, Rio has come up against
infrastructure problems more
challenging than anticipated.
News of Albanese’s departure
and the writedown, more than
twice its 2011 profit, took the
market by surprise, knocking
Rio shares down 2.5% to 3,372
pence in early London trading.
for Greece bailout
Agence France-Presse
After lengthy
delays, the International
Monetary Fund unblocked part
of its aid to Greece on
Wednesday, offering a brief
respite to the recession-mired
country grappling with austerity measures.
The amount released — €3.2
billion ($4.3 billion) — might
seem a mere footnote to the
€172 billion international bailout
for Greece last March, the second rescue effort after a 2010
aid program foundered. But
the installment carries symbolic weight: it closes a chapter on the Greek debt crisis
which had put the IMF and
its European partners at odds.
“Following a political crisis
that delayed implementation
of the economic program,
understandings were reached
with the government on a fully
recalibrated economic program
to be supported under the EFF
arrangement,” the IMF said .
“Greece’s fiscal effort has
been impressive by any meas-
WASHINGTON:
■
Lagarde: A lot to be done
ure,” IMF managing director
Christine Lagarde said in a
statement.
The deep deficit slashing the
country has been forced to
undertake from the beginning
of the program will help get
Athens back to the spending
levels prior to the crisis, she
said. But, she warned, “much
more remains to be done to
achieve the critical mass of
reforms needed to boost productivity and lower prices.”
“Looking ahead, Greece
needs to radically overhaul its
tax administration to bolster
tax collections, fight tax evasion, and shrink the public sector, in particular through targeted redundancies.”
THE COMING TIDE
20 KM Honda plans to launch four
Stand by for China graduate boom BUILDING
OF ROADS A DAY two-wheelers each year in India
Keith Bradsher
SANYA, CHINA: Zhang
Xiaoping’s mother dropped
out of school after sixth
grade. Her father, one of 10
children, never attended.
But Zhang, 20, is part of a
new generation of Chinese
taking advantage of a
national effort to produce
college graduates in numbers the world has never
seen before.
Her ambition: to work
some day for a Chinese
automaker and provide the
cultural insights and
English fluency the company needs to supply the next
generation of fuel-efficient
taxis that New York City
plans to choose in 2021. “It
is my dream,” she said.
China has tens of millions
of Zhangs — bright young
people whose aspirations
and sheer numbers could
■
Between classes, at Sanya
University
NYT
become potent economic
competition for the West in
decades to come.
China is making a $250
billion-a-year investment
in what economists call
human capital, educating
tens of millions of young
people as they move from
farms to cities. It wants to
move up the development
curve by fostering a much
more broadly educated
public, one that more
closely resembles the multifaceted labour forces of
the US and Europe.
It is too early to know
how well the effort will pay
off. But to the extent that
China succeeds, it could
have profound implications
in a globalised economy in
which college graduates all
over the world compete for
similar work.
The higher education
boom in China puts pressure on job opportunities
for college graduates
worldwide, especially as
global corporations are
eager to tap this talent
pool.
“If they went to China for
brawn, now they are going
to China for brains,” said
Denis F Simon, one of the
best-known management
consultants specialising in
Chinese business.
NYT
DIFFICULT: NHAI
NEW DELHI: Building 20 km of
highways a day — UPA II government’s ambitious target —
is not sustainable due to reasons like delays in environment
clearance and issues of land
acquisition, highways authority NHAI said on Thursday.
“There is no point in rushing up with projects where we
do not have environment clearance, we do not have land acqusition... We must deal with these
projects in a way the private
equity gets interested,” National
Highways Authority of India
(NHAI) chairman RP Singh
told reporters.
He said raising equity was
a major concern for awarding road projects of 10,000 kms
a year, including 7,000 km of
national highways. It requires
R90,000 crore investment, of
which one-third (R30,000 crore)
should be private equity. PTI
HT Correspondent
NEW DELHI: Japanese two-wheeler major Honda Motorcycles
and Scooters India (HMSI) on
Thursday said it will launch
at least four products every
year in India as it looks to get
the better of ex-partner Hero
MotoCorp and become the
largest player in the market.
The company has also set up
its first integrated R&D centre at Manesar, which will specifically develop two-wheelers for
the country.
Within two years of its separation from the Munjals, Honda
has made short work of TVS
and Bajaj overtaking them in
quick succession to become the
second largest two-wheeler manufacturer in India. “Our plan is
to launch four products every
year from this R&D centre,” said
Keita Mura–matsu, president
■ HMSI has set up its first integrated R&D centre at Manesar,
which will specifically develop two-wheelers for India.
and CEO, HMSI. “As India
becomes a global innovation hub
for Honda, customers can look
forward to new products faster.”
The new R&D centre along
with HMSI technical centre currently has a strength of 200 engineers and developers. It will
develop and launch both
refreshed versions and new modPrinted
and
els of motorcycles and scooters from the centre. Honda is
also setting up a third manufacturing facility in Karnataka,
which will hire 2,000 people. To
be operational from the first
quarter of next fiscal year, the
facility takes Honda’s overall production capacity to 4,000,000
two-wheelers per annum.
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F R I DAY, J A N U A RY 1 8 , 2 0 1 3
12 |
quotemartial
htworld (
CHERYL COLE, pop star
T U R M O I L
photooftheday
)
didyouknow?
It doesn’t matter what the gesture is... jewellery, a card
or candles. It’s the thought that I find to be romantic.
I N
Rising temperatures are causing flowers to bloom at
their earliest dates in decades at two historic sites in the
United States, according to a new research.
PTI
P A K I S T A N
Govt strikes deal with Qadri
COMPROMISE Cleric decides to call off sit-in after negotiators from the PPP and its allies meet him
quicktakes
HTC & Agencies
■
[email protected]
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s fiery cler-
■
A dog is blessed by a priest at the Church of San Anton in
Madrid on Thursday. Dogs, cats, rabbits and even turtles
trooped into churches across Spain in search of blessing on
Saint Anthony’s Day, the patron saint of animals.
AFP PHOTO
INDIAN BAGS ALZHEIMER’S DRUG DISCOVERY AWARD
LONDON: London-based Indian researcher Mahaveer Golechha has been
selected for a prestigious award for his work on a drug to cure
Alzheimer's. The 27-year-old will be travelling to San Francisco to
receive the Alzheimer's Drug Discovery Foundation's 'Young
Investigator Scholarship Award' at the 7th Annual Drug Discovery for
Neurodegeneration Conference next month. “I feel proud that I have
proved world class research in medicine can be done in India," he said.
US’ electrocution
WASHINGTON: An American who
murdered two fellow inmates
while serving a life sentence
was put to death by electric
chair, a first such execution
since 2010, authorities said.
Robert Gleason, a 42-year-old
former tatoo artist, was
declared dead at 9:08 pm local
time, said Larry Traylor, a
spokesman for the Department
of Corrections in Virginia.
China for dialogue
with Japan
BEIJING: A high-level Chinese official has called for talks with Japan
over a disputed island chain, in an
apparent attempt by Beijing to
cool tensions that have seen both
sides scramble jet fighters to the
area in recent days. Jia Qinglin, the
head of China’s top political advisory body, made the gesture at a
meeting in Beijing with former
Japanese PM Yukio Hatoyama, the
official China Daily newspaper
reported Thursday.
NRI kills dad
WASHINGTON: In a ghastly act,
a 28-year-old Indian-American
has killed his father in a
North Carolina city, following
a dispute between them.
Jiten Ashwin Patel, 28, is
charged with first-degree
murder of his father Ashwin
Patel, 62, and is being held
without bond at the Gaston
County Jail, police said. The
incident happened in the
Mount Holly city, a suburb of
Raleigh.
China’s ‘gay’ ruling
BEIJING: A recent court ruling
which allows women who have
unwittingly married gay men to
seek an ‘annulment' of their
marrige, has stirred up a debate
about gay rights in China which
is home to at least 10 million
such women. The First
Intermediate People's Court of
Beijing called for a legislation to
allow those who discover their
spouses are homosexual to file
for an annulment as an alternative to divorce.
Benghazi attack
TRIPOLI: Libyan officials say the
head of the FBI is in Tripoli for
talks on the investigation into
last year's killing of the US
ambassador and three other
Americans in Benghazi. The
officials say FBI director Robert
Mueller arrived Thursday and is
to meet with senior Libyan officials, including the PM, justice
minister and intelligence chief.
ic Tahirul Qadri on Thursday
announced that an agreement
has been struck with the government to end his four-day
protests that had increased
pressure on the country’s fragile coalition government.
After five hours of talks with
a 10-member team of federal
ministers and leaders of parties
in the Pakistan People’s Partyled government, Qadri told his
supporters that the two sides
had finalised an “Islamabad
Long March Declaration”.
Qadri said the document
would be read out at the site of
the protest on Jinnah Avenue,
the main boulevard of
Islamabad, after it was signed
by PM Raja Pervez Ashraf.
Qadri’s supporters began celebrating and shouting slogans
after he had spoken. The talks
were held inside Qadri’s bulletproof container. Footage on television showed Qadri and the
government leaders, visible
through the large windows of
the container, engaged in hectic consultations.
Thousands of supporters continued to occupy Islamabad’s
main boulevard in front of parliament house despite the punishing weather which included
lashing rains in the afternoon.
The government’s negotiating
team had asked for two extensions in the deadlines issued by
the cleric.
Supporters of Qadri said that
they would continue their sit-in
till their demands are met. Qadri
has asked for a postponement
of elections, a change in the chief
election commisioner, due vetting process for contestants to
■
A Tahirul Qadri supporter holds a placard at a protest rally in Islamabad on Thursday.
the forthcoming elections and
announcement of a caretaker
government set-up.
Information minister Qamar
Zaman Kaira, who is part of the
negotiating team, had said that
many of the demands made by
Qadri could not be entertained
but the negotiations were being
conducted because he was using
his supporters to pressure the
government.
There are many women and
children amongst the supporters camped in the open air
Blue Area of Islamabad. The
government says that it fears
for their safety. But at the same
time, the supporters of Qadri
say that they will not move
until there is an outcome to
their protest.
It is expected that the temperature in Islamabad will drop
to 4°C on Thursday night.
■
[email protected]
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Prime
Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf
gained a reprieve Thursday as
the Supreme Court adjourned
a case alleging corruption by
him till January 23 after the
chief of the country’s anti-graft
agency said he lacked evidence
to make arrests.
Appearing before a threejudge bench led by Chief Justice
Iftikhar Chaudhry, National
Accountability Bureau chairman Fasih Bokhari said investigators had not yet uncovered
1
2
3
4
5
[email protected]
ALGIERS: Algeria raided a remote
Sahara gas plant on Thursday
in an attempt to free dozens of
foreign hostages held by militants with ties to Mali’s rebel
Islamists, UK and Japanese
diplomats said.
The militants claimed strafing by Algerian helicopters killed
35 hostages and 15 kidnappers.
Islamists with the Masked
Brigade, who have been speaking through a Mauritanian
news outlet, said the Algerians
opened fire as the militants
tried to leave the vast energy
complex with their hostages a
day after seizing the installation deep in the desert.
The militant spokesman said
the leader of the kidnappers,
Abou El Baraa, was among
The Premier of Pakistan
Raja Pervez Ashraf is a senior leader of the
Pakistan People's Party and became the
premier on June 22, 2012
During his tenure as power minister, there
was a chronic shortage of electricity
generation throughout Pakistan
He was criticised for
promising the power crisis
would be over “by 2088"
He oversaw expensive
"rental power" projects &
was called "Raja Rental"
He has been accused of
receiving kickbacks in
the power projects.
AFP PHOTO
SC admits blasphemy plea
against Sherry Rehman
ISLAMABAD: The Supreme
Court on Thursday admitted a businessman’s petition
seeking action against
Sherry Rehman, Pakistan’s
ambassador to the US, for
allegedly committing blasphemy over two years ago.
The petition filed by Fahim
Akhtar Gill, a trader from
Multan in Punjab province,
was heard by a two-judge
bench. The judges directed
the Multan city police chief
to take action. In November
2010, Rehman had submitted a bill to the parliament
secretariat, seeking an end
to the death penalty under
the blasphemy law, which
has been alleged to be an
instance of blasphemy. PTI
enough evidence to arrest
Ashraf or any other suspects
linked to alleged corruption in
rental power projects.
The bench directed Bokhari
to submit the complete record
of investigations into the power
projects and adjourned the matter till January 23.
Earlier in the day, the bench
was irked when Bokhari said
the evidence gathered so far was
weak and unlikely to lead to convictions.
He also said an investigation report submitted to the
apex court in the past was
inaccurate.
Conrad Bain
DIFF’RENT
STROKES’ STAR
CONRAD BAIN
DIES AT 89
Reuters
■
[email protected]
LOS ANGELES: Actor Conrad Bain,
best known for his role on the
1970s and ‘80s television comedy Diff ’rent Strokes as a
wealthy, white New Yorker, who
adopts two young black boys
from Harlem, has died at age
89, his daughter said.
Bain, who starred opposite
the young Gary Coleman on the
NBC sitcom as his adoptive father,
Philip Drummond, died of natural causes at a comfort-care
facility in Livermore, California,
east of San Francisco, on Monday.
He was three weeks shy of his
90th birthday, according to his
daughter, Jennifer.
In 1978, Bain landed his own
sitcom,Diff ’rent Strokes, in
which he played Drummond,
a rich, widowed industrialist
who takes in the two young
sons of his housekeeper after
she dies, creating a racially
mixed family in an era when
depictions of such households
were rare on TV.
Following a recurring role
on the daytime vampire drama
Dark Shadows as an innkeeper, Bain broke into prime-timecomedy with a supporting role
on Norman Lear’s All in the
Family spin-off Maude.
‘35 hostages dead in Algerian raid’ EU’s military backing
■
RAJA PERVEZ ASHRAF
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan interior
minister Rehman Malik has
compared firebrand cleric
Tahirul Qadri to the Pope
while ridiculing him for
wearing a similar headgear,
earning the wrath of the
country’s Christians who
demanded an apology from
him for his “provocative”
remarks. “The Pope has a
larger hat, Tahirul-Qadri’s
hat is smaller. Please ask
him why he’s acting like a
semi-Pope,” Malik told
reporters earlier this week.
On another occasion, Malik
said Tahirul Qadri’s clothes
made him look like a
“Jewish padre.”
PTI
Pak SC adjourns case
against PM Ashraf
Associated Press
inthenews
■
MALIK ANGERS PAK
CHRISTIANS WITH
‘SEMI-POPE’ REMARK
■
Former al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) emir Mokhtar
Belmokhtar speaks at an undisclosed location. Islamists held 41
foreigners hostage after an attack on a gas field in Algeria. AFP FILE
those killed. He said the militants would blow up the remaining hostages if the Algeria army
approached.
The Algerian government did
not immediately comment on
the situation, but both Japanese
and British authorities confirmed that they had been told
by the Algerians there was an
ongoing operation to free the
hostages. The Associated Press
was not able to independently
confirm the casualties.
The information came from
the Nouakchott Information
Agency, which has often carried reports from al Qaedalinked extremist groups in
North Africa.
The number of remaining
hostages is unclear. The militants
originally said they had seized 41
foreigners, including Americans,
Britons, French, Japanese,
Romanians, Malaysians, Irish
and Norwegians, among others.
An Algerian security official
had said, however, that around
20 foreign hostages had escaped
earlier Thursday.
It was not possible to reconcile the conflicting reports from
the complex, which is jointly
operated by BP, Norway’s Statoil
and the Algerian Sonatrach
company.
for France over Mali
■
[email protected]
BRUSSELS: Some of France’s EU
partners are considering
whether to offer troops to back
up its military campaign in Mali
against Islamist insurgents,
French foreign minister Laurent
Fabius said Thursday.
After emergency EU talks on
Mali, Fabius said all had
“expressed their solidarity with
Mali and support for France’s
action” and some were mulling
“an offer of troops,” although
“we won’t force anyone.”
“There are limits to security
and defence policy, even if that
is to be regretted,” he added.
Thus far, several of France’s
EU partners including Britain
FRANCE’S PARTNERS
HAVE SAID THEY WILL
PROVIDE LOGISTIC AID,
STOPPING SHORT OF
SENDING TROOPS
and Germany, have said they will
provide logistic or other types of
assistance, stopping short however of sending combat troops.
EU foreign policy chief
Catherine Ashton, asked at a
separate press conference what
help might be forthcoming,
replied that “many countries
said they were very willing to
help and to support France in
every way, and they did not rule
in or rule out any aspect of that.”
life,theuniverse&everything
Grammar nazis prowl
the streets of Beijing
Sutirtho Patranobis
■
[email protected]
BEIJING: The name of the
shop on Beijing’s glittering
Wangfujing Street was
amusingly quaint: “Smoke
Famous Name Wine”. In
Chinese — and what the
owners would have surely
wanted it to mean — the
name was “Brand Name
Tobacco and Liquor”; a
priceless example of meaning — not entirely though —
lost in translation and the
source of many a chuckle.
Well, that chuckle and the
very loosely, and literally
translated name of the shop
is likely to be wiped out
soon. More than 40 men and
women, expertly trained in
English, are now roaming
the streets of Beijing to correct wrong English on signage across the sprawling
city of 20 million people.
The programme
rather ambitiously titled
‘Beijing Speaks Foreign
Languages’ (BFSL) has
been launched by the
Beijing municipal government. Beside the strict
40 English teachers, it
has another 1,000 volunteers walking around the
road, picking holes and
more in English spellings
on shop signage.
The new programme has
coincided with the launch of
the Beijing municipal government’s new English and
multilingual websites on
Thursday.
State media reported
that at least 40 stores
around Wangfujing Street
were found to have problematic English in their
signs and labels.
“The way they translated
the signs was so literal, so
word by word, they can
hardly be understood by foreign travelers,” BSFL wrote
on its website.
Wangfujing is the Capita’s
newest area to have its
“Chinglish” tidied up, after
Dongcheng urban management officers helped foreign
affairs officers to inform
store owners of their errors
in translation Tuesday.
JAYANTO
ARE YOU HEADING TOWARDS SPLITSVILLE?
Watch out for these symptoms and check if all is okay
between you and your partner
When a spouse begins to act
differently than his normal pattern of behaviour
■ Spending less and less time
together
■ Feeling depressed most of the
time
■ Not looking forward to going
home
■ Time together becomes more
serious and your partner acts
very bossy
■ Emotional or physical infidelity
■ Your partner start spending
more money on 'frivolous' things
■ Increased periods of silence
between you and your spouse
■
Less and less sexual desire
Often talking about 'I' not 'We'
is the last definitive sign that all
is not well in the relationship.
■
■
Photo: Thinkstock, Source: ANI
BLACK HOLES
GROWING FASTER
‘SHELL-SHOCKED’
CRABS CAN FEEL PAIN
MELBOURNE: Astronomers have
discovered that super-massive black holes — located at
the centres of galaxies — are
growing faster than thought.
For years, scientists had
believed that super-massive
black holes increased their
mass in step with the growth
of their host galaxy.
However, new observations
by Swinburne University of
Technology have revealed a
different behaviour. “Black
holes have been growing
faster than we thought,”
Professor Alister Graham
from Swinburne’s Technology’s Centre said. ANI
LONDON:
Next time you are
plunging live crabs into a
simmering pot, think again!
Scientists have proven that
crabs and other crustaceans
do feel pain, and are
able to recall an unpleasant
experience and take action
to avoid it happening
again.
The latest study by
Professor Bob Elwood and
Barry Magee from Queen’s
School of Biological Sciences
looked at the reactions of
common shore crabs to small
electrical shocks, and their
behaviour after experiencing
ANI
those shocks.
WOMEN WANT MEN
TO POP QUESTION
don’t know how I’m gonna
feel. I reserve the right to not
know right now. I don’t judge
anybody who does it,” she told
the media.
ANI
WASHINGTON: Both women and
men tend to hold traditional
views when it comes to marriage proposals, says a study.
For the study by UC Santa
Cruz researchers, young
adults were asked about their
personal preferences for marriage traditions.
Both men and women said
they would want the man in a
relationship to propose marriage. A majority of women
said they would want to take
husband’s last name.
In fact, not one of 136 men
surveyed believed “I would
definitely want my partner to
propose” and not a single
woman said she “would want
to propose.”
ANI
AUSTRALIAN EXPLORER
FINDS GOLD NUGGET
■
Jennifer Lopez
JLO DENIES HAVING
PLASTIC SURGERY
NEW YORK: Jennifer Lopez has
said she’s never had plastic
surgery or anti-wrinkle Botox
treatments.
However, the 43-year-old
actress admitted that she
won’t rule it out in the future,
People magazine reported. “I
MEN AND THE MAKEUP
MELBOURNE: In a finding of a
lifetime, an amateur explorer
in Australia has unearthed a
gold nugget weighing an
astonishing 5.5 kg worth
$315,000.
The unidentified man,
using a handheld metal detector, found the nugget on
Wednesday, lying 60 cm
underground near Ballarat.
The value of the nugget
has been estimated at more
than $315,000), the Herald
Sun reported.
PTI
More than 1,800 men aged 18 and over were
surveyed by designer secret sales website
www.HushHush.com. And here are the findings:
One in ten British men admits to using makeup
Most say that they would like to keep their penchant to
be pretty a secret
■
■
men admit they did
52% so
'regularly'
admitted that they
21% wore makeup 'every
64% used lip gloss
49% used eyeliner
day'
71% used concealor
More than a third of the
men taking part also said
they used fake tanning
products
also used mascara
31% and bronzer
32% said that they preferred
to go to spray-tanning
salons while 14% said they
regularly used tanning beds.
Photo: Thinkstock; Source: ANI
Printed
and
know
how
HOW HUMAN
BRAIN ADAPTS
TO INJURY
Asian News International
WASHINGTON: American scientists
have for the first time used a
new combination of neural imaging methods to discover exactly how the human brain adapts
to injury.
The research, carried out at
Carnegie Mellon University’s
Center for Cognitive Brain
Imaging, shows that when injury
causes one area of the brain to
lose function, secondary brain
areas activate to fill in the gap.
“The human brain has a
remarkable ability to adapt to
many types of trauma, such as
traumatic brain injury, making
it possible for people to continue functioning after key brain
areas have been damaged,” said
Marcel Just, D O Hebb professor of psychology at CMU.
“It is clear how the brain can
naturally rebound from injuries
and gives us indications of how
individuals can train their brains
to be prepared for easier recovery. The secret is to develop
alternative thinking styles, the
way a switch-hitter develops
alternative batting styles.”
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F R I DAY, J A N U A RY 1 8 , 2 0 1 3
(
| 13
quotemartial
Your hockey players really make us proud. And you (Nobbs)are grooming the next generation stars. Current stars are inspiring future players
SACHIN TENDULKAR, on Indian hockey team and coach Michael Nobbs
)
htsport
A I TAVS P L AY E R S
‘Rebels’ lob the The shocking slide and the
ball into Sports missing mark of a mentor
Minister’s court NOT IMPRESSIVE Fletcher has not been able to provide the direction India are desperately seeking
N Ananthanarayanan
HOW FLETCHER STACKS UP
HT Correspondent
NEW DELHI: Sensing little give
from the national tennis federation, the 11 protesting players
have now written to the sports
minister, Jitendra Singh, to
intervene on their behalf.
To recall, the players have
declined to play for India unless
the federation is willing to evolve
into a more professional body
with increased transparency.
They have pointed out to the
minister that they failed to understand why the All India Tennis
Association (AITA) wanted to
select a team by January 11 when
the deadline is 10 days prior to
the February 1-3 tie.
Their immediate concern is as
to why India is fielding a thirdstring team when they are willing to play in the wake of the federation’s climbdown to concede
their major demands dealing with
parity in treatment to Davis Cup
squad members and a team of
six players to ensure adequate
exposure for the next rung.
Word from the ministry suggests that while it is not given to
interfering in the selection
processes of various federations,
this is a question of whether India
is fielding its best challenge
against a visiting side on home
soil or not. The ministry has also
begun the process of crosschecking as to just who is to
blame for the present impasse.
The ministry is also wary as
to why there are consistent
problems cropping up with the
tennis federation and why there
■
Somdev is the most vocal of
the tennis rebels.
are so many controversies with
players.
In a related development, the
Tamil Nadu Tennis Association
has written a strong mail to the
parent body, AITA, raising queries
as to how the selection process
unfolded. It has specifically asked
about why its player Ramkumar
Ramanathan has not been selected. Ramkumar, at 789, is far higher ranked than Arjun Kadhe, one
of the reserves, at 1107.
Questions have also been
raised on the legitimacy of the
selection process since AITA
CEO, Hironmoy Chatterjee, was
present at the meeting without
there being any such provision
in the body’s constitution.
When HT spoke to the selectors, past and present, most
admitted that the meeting is
largely farcical as they are given
directions as to just who to
choose. Two major meetings —
for the London Olympics and the
latest Davis Cup selections —
were impacted by directions from
the executive committee.
ranchisnippets
ANTI-PAK PROTESTS: COMMENTATORS
AKRAM, RAMEEZ KEPT ON HOLD
The political turmoil in India-Pakistan
relations, which forced the Pakistan
players to be sent home from the
Hockey India League and has left that
country’s participation in the Women’s
Cricket World Cup in doubt, is also
threatening to make an impact in the
ongoing India-England ODI series.
Former Pakistan stalwarts, Wasim
Akram and Rameez Raja, part of the
ESPN’s commentary team, have been
■ Wasim Akram
asked to stay back in New Delhi as the
situation is being assessed, the production head of the
match said on Thursday. They will travel to Ranchi only if
that would not cause any upheaval in the series.
SOUGHT OUT
Rahul Dravid was the first to
seek him out during the West
Indies tour, engaging in a long
conversation on batting. And
he was outstanding in the subsequent England tour. Since
then, it has been downhill for
a man who has kept away
from the media despite the
demand for his sacking.
Critics feel he has
failed to reach out to players and
point out that players have not
been able to stop making the
same mistakes again and again.
Sachin Tendulkar has kept getting bowled, Sehwag has struggled, Raina has not been able to
overcome his weakness against
the short ball, Gambhir has lost
confidence and is uncertain outside off-stump. Even Virat Kohli
■
While most of India’s foreign coaches left their mark
on the team, Fletcher’s tenure is in danger of ending
up without anything to write home about
RANCHI: It is just as well that India
are making a mark as a sharp
fielding unit despite repeated failings in the two key areas – batting and bowling. On Thursday,
as the squad members began
their first training session in the
new Jharkhand State Cricket
Association stadium, coach
Duncan Fletcher held centrestage during an elaborate fielding drill.
He supervised sprints
that involved covering
short distances to pick and
throw with markers
placed at various points.
The players then went
into a more strenuous
relay race from one end
of the field to another. The
spring in the step was apparent after winning the second
ODI to square the series
with the next game to be
played in skipper MS Dhoni's
home ground on Saturday.
The former Zimbabwe allrounder arrived in India having
built a reputation as a game
changer with England, which led
to their sensational Ashes victory at home in 2005 and began
the transformation of the team.
While that process has been
astutely carried forward by his
younger Zimbabwe compatriot,
Andy Flower, the same has not
happened with Fletcher after he
succeeded the hugely popular
Gary Kirsten, who took India
to the World Cup win but didn’t stay on to oversee the
team’s transformation.
JOHN WRIGHT
GREG CHAPPELL
The former Kiwi skipper took
over as the first
foreign coach in
September 2000
and teamed up
skipper Sourav
Ganguly to give
new direction in
the middle of the
match-fixing crisis. He first
called for the players to show
passion wearing national
colours. In 2001, his decision
to promote Laxman to No 3
sparked a remarkable revival
to a win over Australia.
The Aussie batting great had
given tips to
Ganguly that
helped him score
an important century on 2003-04
tour Down Under.
He was seen as
destabilising the
team but he fully backed
many talented youngsters
such as Irfan Pathan and
Suresh Raina, who sealed his
place as an excellent ODI finisher. Dhoni grew into formidable force during his time.
DUNCAN FLETCHER
GARY KIRSTEN
Came on board for the
West Indies tour after
the World Cup. His first
slip was not pushing
skipper Dhoni to chase
down a gettable fourth
innings total in the final
Test in Dominica, that
ended in a draw. He was
forced to defend that as
well. Has been a silent
spectator through defeats in
England, Australia and in the
home Test series against
England as many players
struggle with their skills.
Unlike Chappell, the former
South Africa
opener stayed
behind the
scenes while
stamping his
authority in the
dressing room.
Helped Tendulkar
re-discover the spark in his
game, goaded Zaheer Khan
to some of his finest efforts.
Teaming up with mental conditioning coach Paddy Upton,
he built the team that won
the World Cup at home.
FUTURE PROSPECTS
An argument is being built to go back to an Indian coach that
he will be able to communicate better with younger players
who need hand holding. But one strong argument for a foreign coach has been that he will not get into any politics
and will be more professional.
■
Skipper MS Dhoni (right)
makes a point to coach
Duncan Fletcher in Ranchi on
Thursday.
NUMBER GAME
12 Tests India 8 One-dayers 28 years after
have lost under India lost out
his guidance in of the 10
last 16 months played against
England, the
Tests India team Fletcher
have won in the coached
before India.
same period
SUBHENDU GHOSH / HINDUSTAN TIMES
7
has not been able to overcome
his recent problems.
REDEEMING FEATURE
Although the cricket board has
not indicated much, Fletcher’s
time with India appears numbered even if India produce a
good showing in the current
series as well as the home Test
series against Australia starting late in February. The question no longer seems to be
whether he will be able to
redeem himself.
Former coach and selector
Anshuman Gaekwad feels
Fletcher has failed to communicate with the India players by
overcoming the challenge of the
language and cultural barriers.
“Whether it is the bowler or batsman, the same mistake is being
made again and again. He should
have sorted them out by now.”
But he said it may be unfair
to blindly criticise Fletcher. “It
is all very nice to say Fletcher
is useless. But we also don’t
know fully what is happening
which India lost
to England at
home
23 ODIs
India lost out
of 40 played
inside, whether he is being
allowed to do what he should be
doing,” he told HT.
“In the end, it is important
that players have confidence in
the coach. His main contribution has only been in planning.
Now, it is up to the BCCI to think
of Indian cricket’s future and
see whether he will be helpful.”
Agarkar, Tare hit hundreds, Mahela for end to ‘negative’ fielding laws
STARS RILE AGAINST NEGATIVE RULES
seize momentum for Mumbai
Sri Lankan skipper
Mahela Jayawardene called on
Thursday for an end to experimental fielding restrictions in
one-day cricket, saying they discourage risk-taking.
On the eve of the third ODI
against Australia, the veteran
batsman said the new laws
allowing a maximum of four
fielders outside the circle from
the 11th over to the 40th encouraged negative play.
"The spinners are being taken
away from the game, to be honest," he said. "Most of the spinners are being very negative now.
"They are bowling overs
ADITYA
aiming for fewer runs
TARE
rather than trying to take
wickets and use their variety," Jayawardene said in
off 324
balls
Brisbane. "Unless you are
a top spinner and use a lot of
Khurram Habib
BRISBANE:
There’s something
about Mumbai’s cricket that
makes them invincible. Thirtynine Ranji titles, 32 more than
the next best, Delhi, give them
pride that borders on arrogance.
It was apparent when skipper
Ajit Agarkar was asked about
the favourites’ tag on the eve of
this game. “That’s the way it is,”
he said.
AJIT
At six down for 199 on AGARKAR
Day One on a sluggish track,
the game was tilted towards
Services. But Mumbai have
off 237
balls
been through worse. In a
2006-07 season match against
strong Baroda, they were five
down for zero but went on to win
that game.
So when Agarkar and wicketkeeper Aditya Tare ground out
centuries and stitched 181 runs
together in rain-curtailed
Thursday’s 65 overs, without losing concentration, it was déjà vu
in a way. The manner was boring against a pedestrian attack
that relied mainly on discipline
— Tare reached his 50 off 198
balls and the two put on 100 in
250 balls. But the slow wicket at
the Palam grounds and situation Tare’s 827 so far this season, none
demanded such watchful trudge. can match his versatility and comThanks to the vigil, which was mitment. When Wasim Jaffer
interrupted in the morning by was unavailable for the first few
bad light and showers, Mumbai, games, Tare opened the innings
at 380/6, seem like outbatting with reasonable returns. Then
Services out of the game.
he batted lower down, and now
This was Agarkar’s fourth first- in a crucial game like this, he may
class ton in 109 games, which have given Mumbai a push to
includes a Test century at Lord’s. their 40th title.
While he worked around for runs
to go with his 12 boundaries, Tare NO CROWD AT PALAM
relied mainly on fours, hitting 16 After the crowd went berserk
in his 108*. In fact, he got there on the first day — Sachin
with a four off a cut through slip Tendulkar had to be escorted
and gully. His second fifty came via the backdoor of the dressing room, the hosts sanitised the
at a quicker rate.
While there are a few others venue and denied entry to pubwho have got more runs than lic on the second day.
NEW DELHI:
113*
short
stories
108*
■ Ajit Agarkar
(left) and Aditya
Tare guided
Mumbai to safety
on Thursday.
VIPIN KUMAR / HT
■ Mumbai 1st inn
W Jaffer c Sarabjit b Nishan 15
K Pawar lbw b Yadav
3
H Shah c Sarabjit b Yadav 0
S Tendulkar c Verma b Sinha 56
A Nayar c Yadav b Nazar 70
A Tare batting
108
A Chavan b Nazar
0
A Agarkar batting
113
■ Extras (b6, lb4, w1, nb4) 15
■ Total (6 wkts; 143 ovrs) 380
■ FoW: 1-19, 2-19, 3-23, 4-104,
5-169, 6-169
■ Bowling: Suraj Yadav 24-949-2, Nishan Singh 31-6-76-1,
Shadab Nazar 39-11-104-2,
Avishek Sinha 29-8-75-1,
Yashpal Singh 5-0-23-0.
According to one of the new rules
introduced by the ICC, five fielders
are now supposed to be inside the
30-yard circle.
“The spinners are
being taken away
from the game, to be
honest,"
Jayawardene said.
“Most of the spinners
are being very negative now. They are bowling overs
aiming for fewer runs rather than
trying to take wickets and use
their variety.”
variety, you can survive while
the rest will struggle and be negative in their approach."
The International Cricket
Council is testing the restrictions over the next 12 months,
as well as trialling a provision
for two new white balls at either
Jackson scores ton,
Saurashtra post 477
RAJKOT: Sheldon Jackson scored
SCOREBOARD
India Captain MS Dhoni
was the first to question
the need for the latest
rule changes for the
one-day game. On
Thursday, Sri Lankan
veteran Mahela
Jayawardene voiced his
reservations – claiming
that the laws allowing a
maximum of four fielders outside the circle
from the 11th over to
the 40th encouraged
negative play.
a sparkling century to enable
Saurashtra post 477 in their first
innings against Punjab on second day of the Ranji Trophy
semi-final match here on
Thursday.
In reply to Saurashtra, Punjab
made a steady start to reach 41
for no loss at stumps with
Jiwanjot Singh unbeaten on 11
and Ravi Inder Singh on 30.
Earlier, resuming at an
overnight score of 274 for five,
Saurashtra added another 203
runs before getting all out.
Wednesday’s unbeaten pair
of Jackson and Kamlesh
Makwana, resuming on 70 and
13, respectively, got their team
BRIEF SCORES
Saurashtra 477 in 155 overs
(S Jackson 107, J Shah 87, K
Makwana 85, V Joshi 55*,
Ladda 3/109, S Kaul 3/119).
Punjab 41/0 in 17 overs (Ravi
Inder Singh batting 30,
Jiwanjot Singh batting 11).
off to a good start on Thursday.
Their sixth wicket stand yielded 106 runs before Siddharth
Kaul removed Jackson for a 172ball 107, studded with 16 boundaries and a six. This was Jackson's
third century of the season.
Punjab openers, Ravi and
Jiwanjot, managed to survive
the day. While Jiwanjot got a life
when a bat and pad catch was
put down by Jackson at silly
point off Makwana.
Other rules introduced recently
TWO NEW BALLS
While the introduction of two new
balls would do the faster men a
whole lot of good, it could potentially downsize the role of spinners and compel them to master
the art of bowling with a relatively
new ball.
TWO BOUNCERS AN OVER
This rule has further benefited the
fast bowlers, for no longer can a
batsman charge down the track
after one bouncer till the over is
out of the way.
end and two bouncers per over.
Jayawardene, who has played
388 ODIs, said spinners were
far more likely to bowl quicker
and flatter rather than tossing
the ball up to try to get a wicket because of the lack of extra
fielders in the deep.
Sri Lanka, who won by eight
wickets on Sunday in Adelaide,
will give wicketkeeper-batsman
Dinesh Chandimal a late fitness
test before the day-night game
at the Gabba. Sri Lanka and
Australia are all square 1-1 in
the five-match series.
Brian Lara: optimistic
TWENTY20 BOOM
NO THREAT TO
TESTS, SAYS LARA
DHAKA: The growing popularity of Twenty20 internationals will not harm Test
cricket because the two
formats of the game can
thrive together, former
West Indies captain Brian
Lara said on Thursday. "I
believe now with T20
cricket a lot more people
are watching the game.
Test cricket is still important, so are ODIs but T20
should be there too
because of the crowd factor," Lara added.
'Tired players should skip
IPL not national team'
MELBOURNE: Slamming
Cricket Australia's rotation
policy for players, former
national selector Jamie Cox
said those who are worried
about fatigue should consider skipping the cash-rich
IPL in April-May. "The
crux of the issue is that
blokes get six weeks off a
year under the (players'
association) MoU and some
of them choose to use that
time to play T20 cricket."
Hooper denies interest in
Bangladesh coach role
SYDNEY: Former West Indies
captain Carl Hooper has
claimed he is not interested in taking up the vacant
Bangladesh coaching job,
adding he is upset by farfetched reports linking him
as the replacement for
Richard Pybus. Australian
pace great Craig McDermott and 41-Test New
Zealand opener Mark
Greatbatch are reportedly
frontrunners for the job.
Bhutan cricket wins ICC
development award
THIMPHU: In a quiet way, tiny
Bhutan appears to be making giant strides in cricket.
The Bhutan Cricket
Council Board (BCCB) won
the 'Best Women’s Cricket
Initiative’ award during the
ICC development programme annual awards
2012 held for Asian region.
todayontv
CRICKET
RANJI TROPHY
■ 9.20am, Saurashtra v Punjab,
semifinal Day 3, live on ESPN.
BANGLADESH PREMIER LEAGUE
■ 5.30pm, Barisal Burners v Sylhet
Royals, live on ESPN.
AUSTRALIA V SRI LANKA
■ 8.50am, 3rd ODI , live on Star
Cricket & SC HD.
TENNIS
AUSTRALIA OPEN
■ 5.30am (Saturday), 3rd Rd (Men
and Women), live on Star Sports and
ESPN HD
HOCKEY
HOCKEY INDIA LEAGUE
■ 8.00pm, Ranchi Rhinos v Mumbai
Magicians, live on Star Sports and
Star Cricket.
BADMINTON
MALAYSIA OPEN
■ 2.30pm, Quarterfinals, live on Neo
Prime.
BASKETBALL
NBA 2012-13 SEASON
■ 9am, LA Lakers vs Miami Heat, live
on Sony Six
Saina rises to second in rankings
SAINA’S RANKING PROGRESSION
Olympic bronzemedallist Saina Nehwal climbed
to a career-best second in the
latest Badminton World
Federation (BWF) rankings
released on Thursday.
Saina gained a rung to be a
second with 80091.7444 points
behind top-placed Olympic
champion Li Xuerui of China
who has 94626.7153 points.
The 22-year-old also produced
a dominant performance to
cruise into the quarterfinals of
the Malaysia Open Super Series
with a straight-game victory over
Hong Kong's Pui Yin Yip.
She didn’t break much sweat
as she brushed aside her opponent 21-12 21-9 in a lop-sided
match that lasted only half an
hour. Saina, who had reached
Saina (in pic) moved to No 2 in the
rankings on Wednesday her highest
yet
She had previously held this ranking
in 2010
She has made steady progress since
early 2012 climbing up the ladder
after being ranked 5th
She had been No 3 since last October
NEW DELHI:
her career best world no 2 in
December 2010 for the first
time, was lagging behind initially
but she rode on her 12 smash
winners to tame Pui Yin Yip,
who played well at the nets.
KASHYAP GAINS A
RANK, BUT EXITS
In the men’s list, Olympic quarter-finalist Parupalli Kashyap also
headed northwards as he reached
Printed
and
a career-high 10th. Kashyap, who
was 11th in the previous rankings,
has 51986.6900 points and is the
only Indian in the top-25.
However, he went down fighting to sixth-seed Jan O
Jorgensen of Denmark 17-21 1421 in the second round of the
men’s singles event.
Among other prominent
players, P V Sindhu rose a rung
to 16th with 43116.8667 points.
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stories
ALEKSANDROV
AMONG LEADERS
Top seed
Grandmaster Aleksandrov
Aleksej of Belarus shared
the lead with 4.0 points
after the fourth round in
the Chennai Super Kings
fifth International
Grandmaster chess tournament. In the upsets of
the day, national U-11 and
13 champion R Vaishali
beat GM Ziaur Rahman,
while B Kumaran overcame International
Master K Rathnakaran.
CHENNAI:
Rashid keeps hopes alive
of Asian Tour card
HUA HIN: India’s Rashid
Khan, Pelle Edberg and
Kunal Bhasin are among
those who kept their
Asian Tour cards bid alive
in the 2nd round of the
Qualifying School, first
stage, section B.
Nadal brings forward
comeback to Chile event
SANTIAGO: Rafael Nadal, out
of action since the middle
of last season because of
injury, will now make his
return at next month’s
ATP claycourt event in
Vina del Mar, Chile, a week
earlier than expected, he
revealed on Thursday.
Table tennis federation
amends constitution
NEW DELHI: Following the
sports ministry’s directive
to all NSFs to fall in line
with the Sports Code, the
Table Tennis Federation of
India (TTFI) has amended
its constitution by incorporating the provisions with
regard to age and tenure.
In a special general body
meeting convened on
Wednesday, the Federation
passed a unanimous resolution to adopt the same.
19 injured as fans clash
with cops in basketball tie
BELGRADE: Nineteen people,
most of them policemen,
were injured and 26 others
were detained as basketball fans clashed with
police during an Eurocup
match between Red Star
Belgrade and Galatasaray
here, the interior ministry
said Thursday.
F R I DAY, J A N U A RY 1 8 , 2 0 1 3
Serena, Federer playing it cool
Reuters
■
[email protected]
MELBOURNE: Roger
Federer and
Serena Williams showed there
was plenty of life left in their relatively old legs by easing into
the third round of the Australian
Open on a day when sweltering
heat tested the stamina of thirtysomething and teenager alike.
Sunscreen and icepacks were
the order of the day on
Thursday as temperatures hit
40°C in the late afternoon but
31-year-old Federer was coolness personified in the early
evening as he dismissed Nikolay
Davydenko 6-3, 6-4, 6-4.
Third seed Williams, also 31,
kept her time on court to a minimum as she swept aside
Garbine Muguruza 6-2, 6-0
before Andy Murray, her counterpart in the men’s draw, clinically despatched Portugal’s
Joao Sousa 6-2, 6-2, 6-4.
Not everybody got off so lightly, however, and Blaz Kavcic
slugged it out for four hours and
52 minutes on court three
against James Duckworth in
ferocious heat in the middle of
the day before winning 3-6, 6-3,
6-4, 6-7, 10-8.
“Total physical collapse after
the match,” the Slovenian tweeted lightheartedly along with a
picture of him receiving medical treatment in the locker
room. “Feeling quite happy
though, just don’t know, because
of my win or morphine.”
Women’s defending champion and world no.1 Victoria
Azarenka, 23, proceeded easily
enough in the relative cool of the
morning with a 6-1, 6-0 thrashing of Greek Eleni Daniilidou.
Any hopes the Belarussian
had that Williams, against whom
she has a 1-11 record, might be
hampered by the ankle she
injured on Tuesday were quickly dashed in the next match on
Rod Laver Arena, however.
FAT LIP
The American, odds-on favourite
to dethrone Azarenka and capture a 16th grand slam title next
week, gave herself a fat lip with
her own racket during the first
set but was barely troubled otherwise. “I didn’t feel anything
today,” Williams, who later
played doubles, said of the ankle
injury. “Usually I feel injuries
after the match, but so far, so
good. I felt much better than I
ever dreamed of expecting to
feel. I’m on the up and up. It can
only get better from here.”
Federer, chasing an 18th
major title here, will next face
20-year-old Bernard Tomic and
the Swiss, who needed a fraction under two hours to beat
Davydenko, was quick to warn
the Australian that he was probably fitter than 10 years ago.
“I’m much more experienced
today. I know what I can expect
from myself in terms of my level
of play early on,” the
second seed said. “I’m
much stronger today
physically clearly so I
can always rely on that
as well, extend the rallies, so don’t have to be
worried about that.”
Seventh seed JoWilfried Tsonga overcame Japan’s Go Soeda
6-3, 7-6, 6-3 and was joined in
the third round by fellow
Frenchman Richard Gasquet,
who beat Colombian Alejandro
Falla 6-3, 6-2, 6-2.
Gael Monfils also progressed
but only after double-faulting
on four successive match points
before finally clinching a 7-6, 46, 0-6, 6-1, 8-6 victory over Lu
Yen-Hsun of Taiwan.
“It was a bit crazy,” the flamboyant Frenchman said. “It was
like, ‘I need to hit an ace because
I know it’s going to be a doublefault for sure’. It was weird.”
Veteran Kimiko Date-Krumm,
the women’s world no.100, is fast
becoming a cult hero at
Melbourne Park and she continued her fairytale run with a
6-2, 7-5 win over Israel’s Shahar
Peer. “It’s not easy, not easy,” the
42-year-old Japanese said. “I
need a new body.”
Former world no.1 Caroline
Wozniacki was also feeling her
age after her encounter with
Croatian Donna Vekic, which
she won 6-1, 6-4. “I’ve been out
here for a few years now and I
feel like a veteran, particularly
when I’m playing against a 16year-old,” she said. “I’m seriously starting to feel old and I’m
22! I got asked a few months ago
if I was going to retire.”
SERENA BEAT GARBINE MUGURUZA
PLAYING ON FRIDAY
■
REUTERS
ALWAYS ABOUT FUN
Long before Usain Bolt's stressbusting antics at the start of a
race, the charismatic, little man
lit up the track with a smile that
beamed across millions of
screens around the world. What
followed were efforts that set 27
world records over two decades.
Yet running was always about
'having fun'.
Gebrselassie credits his success to an extent to the Kenyans,
who have been worthy challengers on several occasions. "We
need each other; every time they
took the world record from me,
I wanted to take it back. There
would have been fewer records
by Haile Gebrselassie if it wasn't for the Kenyans. It's like what
Pakistan means to you guys, can
you imagine playing cricket without them?" he laughs.
With little to prove at 39 and
with a younger crop of
HT PHOTO
Mumbai Marathon is lucky for me,
says first edition winner Ramaala
MUMBAI: Happiness can come
in many forms and can strike
you before you know it.
Hendrick Ramaala was
your typical law student,
studying to earn a degree
and find that dream job.
Then the South African discovered something that
changed his life when he was
just out of his teens — running. Out went the gown, in
came the vest. And there has
been no looking back ever
since. "I bumped into running you know, you can say I
got into running by sheer
fluke," he quipped.
The winner of the inaugural Mumbai Marathon in
2004 is back in town after a
decade and has fond memories of the triumph. "It was a
last minute decision to participate then as I received
the invitation late. I was into
half marathons then, and
there was no pressure on me.
I remember enjoying the run
and at the 35km mark, I
looked around and said,
'Wow, I'm still in the lead'. It
was the easiest win of my life,
after which, I switched to full
Ethiopians hogging the limelight, Gebrselassie admits it’s
time to slow down. "They
(younger athletes) are flying
these days. All I want to do is
UPSET
STAR WATCH
ROGER FEDERER
ANDY MURRAY
The Swiss ace powered away to
staright 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 win over
Russia’s Nikolay Davydenko.
The third seeded Brit proved too
strong for Joao Sousa of Portugal in
his 6-2, 6-2, 6-4 win.
[email protected]
CHANDIGARH: The Indian Boxing
Haile Gebrselassie at a media interaction in Mumbai.
marathons. It sparked a winning run for me in the years
after that. And of course, I
earned some money. This is a
very lucky marathon for me,"
said the South African.
The 41-year-old is the oldest in the men's field and
doesn't consider retirement
as an option. "When you run
after waking in the morning
and run before sleeping at
night, life's good. Running is
a way of life for me and while
I'm at it, I'm also looking to
groom the next generation,"
he said. While sports such as
cricket and rugby have
robbed his country of a number of athletes, he wants to
reignite the spark that was
inspired by the inter-mine
runners of the late 80s.
For now, it's all about the
race on Sunday. "At 31, I
believed I could run and
wanted to win. Today, I'm
happy to be a part of it and
appreciate it more. Of
course, I'll give my roommate (and last year's winner)
Laban Moiben a run for his
money for sure," he said.
HTC, MUMBAI
grow my business, run different races around the world and
still give it my best," he says.
And of course, have fun on
the run.
Serena
Williams of
the US celebrates her
win against
Garbine
Muguruza of
Spain on
Thursday.
Federation (IBF) has been dealt
a big blow with the International
Amateur Boxing Federation
(AIBA) saying it would not allow
Indian boxers to participate in
international events if the IBF
doesn’t hold elections and
amend its constitution soon.
However, IBF is hopeful of
finding a solution.
According to AIBA, the suspension it slapped on the federation has been extended to
the players and coaches as well.
AIBA had slapped a ban on the
IBF in December for not amending its constitution as per AIBA’s
statute and also for ‘manipulating’ its elections. “Given the
lack of progress made to resolve
the situation in India, AIBA has
been left with no choice but to
extend its suspension to all box-
( )
Given the lack of
effort to resolve the
issue, AIBA has been
left with no choice but
to extend its suspension
AIBA OFFICIAL
ers and coaches until such time
as this complicated situation has
been resolved,” AIBA’s PR and
communication
director,
Sebastien Gillot, told PTI.
It has been learnt that after
banning the IBF, AIBA was dealing with the sports ministry
directly to allow boxers and
coaches to participate in international events. But the IOC felt
this was against the Olympic
Charter and would compromise
the autonomy of the national
sports federation. AIBA wrote to
the ministry that they wouldn't
communicate with them.
VICTORIA AZARENKA
LUCIE SAFAROVA
The top seed from Belarus proved
too strong for Greece’s Eleni
Daniilidou as she won 6-1, 6-0.
Lucie Safarova, the 17th seed
from Czech Republic, lost 5-7, 57 to Serbia’s Bojana Jovanovski.
SMASHERS
SCORE THEIR
FIRST POINTS
Leander Paes (right) and
Radek Stepanek stumbled at
the first hurdle. AFP FILE PHOTO
sustain and eventually lost both
the set and the match.
However, the Australian Open
campaign is not yet over for
Paes as he will be playing the
mixed doubles with Russian
partner Elena Vesnina.
They will be facing Pakistan’s
Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi and
Sofia Arvidsson of Sweden in
the first round.
MEN’S 2ND RD
2-R Federer (SUI) bt N
Davydenko (RUS) 6-3, 6-4, 64; 3-A Murray (GBR) J Sousa
(POR) 6-2, 6-2, 6-4; 6-J M del
Potro (ARG) bt B Becker
(GER) 6-2, 6-4, 6-2; 7-J-W
Tsonga (FRA) bt Go Soeda
(JAP) 6-3, 7-6 (1), 6-3; 9-R
Gasquet (FRA) bt A Falla
(COL) 6-3, 6-2, 6-2; 12-M Cilic
(CRO) bt R Ram (US) 7-5, 6-2,
6-4; 13-M Raonic (CAN) bt L
Rosol (CZR) 7-6 (2), 6-2, 6-3;
14-G Simon (FRA) bt J Levine,
(CAN) 2-6, 6-3, 7-6 (4), 6-2.
WOMEN’S 2ND RD
1-Victoria Azarenka (BEL) bt
E Daniilidou (GRE) 6-1, 6-0; 3S Williams (US) bt G
Muguruza (ESP) 6-2, 6-0; 8-P
Kvitova (CZR) v L Robson
(GBR) 2-6, 6-3, 11-9; 10-C
Wozniacki (DEN) bt D Vekic
(CRO) 6-1, 6-4; 14-M Kirilenko
(RUS) bt P Shuai (CHN) 7-5, 62; 16-R Vinci (ITA) bt A
Amanmuradova (UZB) 6-3, 62; B Jovanovski (SER) bt 17-L
Safarova (CZR)7-5, 7-5; 20-Y
Wickmayer (BEL) bt J
Cepelova (SLO) 7-6 (8), 7-5; E
Vesnina (RUS) bt 21-V
Lepchenko (US) 6-4, 6-2.
El Sharara lifts feature
THE MINSTREL
turfnews
■DELHI RACING
Jan. 17: El Sharara, a 5-1 shot from
K.Ali Khan's yard, scored an easy
Victory in the 1,400m Bolrace.com
Trophy, the feature event at the races,
here, on Thursday. Ranjeet Singh
partnered the winner.
Results with inter-state dividends
1. Bol Sports Bulletin Plate, Div-I
1,100m: (4-6-3) Graceful Bay (M.
Qureshi) 1, Serious Attitude 2, Green
Ribbon 3. Won by: 1/2, 1/2; (1-9.84).
Win Rs 37; Place: 16, 29, 21; Quinella:
210; Shp: 112; Tanala: 2,290. Winner
trained by H. Ali Khan.
orts Bulletin Plate, Div-II
2. Bol Spo
1,100m: (4-3-1) Fascinating Memory
(C.S. Jodha) 1, Gold Mine 2, Dancing
Babe 3. Won by: 5-3/4, 3/4; (1-8.61).
Win Rs 46; Place: 19, 19, 10; Quinella:
101; Shp: 49; Tanala: 357. Winner
trained by Richpal Singh.
3. Best Of Luck Plate 1,600m: (2-5-3)
Supreme Victory (S.A. Shah) 1, No
Worry 2, Bay Of Thunder 3. Won by: 1-
HT Correspondent
■
■
IMPORTANT RESULTS
5-Angelique Kerber (GER) v
Madison Keys (USA)
6-Na Li (CHN) v 27-Sorana
Cirstea (ROU)
25-Venus Williams (US) v 2Maria Sharapova (RUS)
Heather Watson (GBR) v 4Agnieszka Radwanska (POL)
1-Novak Djokovic (SRB) v 31Radek Stepanek (CZE).
4-David Ferrer (ESP) v 28Marcos Baghdatis (CYP)
Kevin Anderson (RSA) v 22Fernando Verdasco (ESP)
26-Jurgen Melzer (AUT) v 5Tomas Berdych (CZE)
DAVID GRAY /
■
■
[email protected]
Veteran Leander
Paes and his Czech partner
Radek Stepanek were stunningly
knocked out of the Australian
Open after going down in straight
sets in their opening-round
match of the men’s doubles event
here on Thursday.
The second-seeded IndoCzech pair lost 3-6, 5-7 to South
African Kevin Anderson and
Israeli Jonathan Erlich in 89 minutes. The South African-Israeli
combo not only relied on the serve
to outplay Paes and Stepanek,
but also managed to convert four
out of seven breakpoints they got.
In contrast, the Indo-Czech
duo was just not up to the mark,
either while returning the serve
or converting their breakpoints.
After losing the opening set
miserably, Paes and Stepanek
though put up a better show in
the second, but they failed to
Shail Desai
MUMBAI: Haile Gebrselassie
looked a tad disappointed when
a video refused to roll at a media
gathering on Thursday. For on
it, were two races he holds close
to his heart.
The first was the 10,000m
event from the Sydney Olympics
in 2000, where he pipped Kenyan
Paul Tergat by 900th of a second to take gold; the second, a
world record effort at the Berlin
Marathon in 2008. If you had to
ask the Ethiopian, which one was
more dear, it doesn't take long.
"In my country, they only
understand marathons. When
I went back with my Olympic
gold, my countrymen asked me,
'Did you win a marathon?'.
That's what the distance means
to me - the competition is
against the distance, not an athlete," he smiled.
After landing in the city, the
first thing that amazed the international event ambassador of the
Standard Chartered Mumbai
Marathon was the number of
runners at the early hour.
"Running is lovely. I cannot
imagine a day without running,
and I do not say this because I'm
an athlete. I've been well trained
mentally to run a business,
thanks to the running," he said.
"When you need to wash your
head, you run and when you
sweat, it helps clear the head."
■
MELBOURNE:
HTC/Agencies
[email protected]
6-2, 6-0
IBF hopeful of an
amicable solution
For ‘King Haile’, glory
lies in the distance
■
Paes crashes out
of men’s doubles
AGEING STRONGLY Veteran stars zip
past rivals despite oppressive Oz heat
[email protected]
PUNE: All the rules of tennis are
designed to ensure a winner.
The Maharashtra Tennis
League, however, is breaking
new ground, at least in India.
The Accurate Aces finished
with their second tie of the tournament on Thursday as their
opponents Sharp Smashers
notched up their first points.
Recently named in the Davis
Cup squad, VM Ranjeet and
Ashwin Vijayragavan, won their
respective singles matches to pull
it back for the Smashers, who had
lost the first rubber in women's
singles. Ranjeet upset Vishnu
Vardhan 7-4 to start the turnaround while Vijayragavan defeated PC Vignesh by identical score.
In the other tie, the Dazzling
Deuces swept aside Baseline
Bombers 31-18.
1/2, 3; (1-43.3). Win Rs 17; Place: 12,
71, 15; Quinella: 401; Shp: 130; Tanala:
1,664. Winner trained by A.Khan.
4. Leading Tipster Plate 1,400m: (7-2-1) Attitude (Pawan Sharma) 1, Jazba
2, Bharamastra 3. Not run: Master
Faderer (4). Won by: 1/2, 1-1/4; (129.53). Win Rs 26; Place: 11, 34, 12;
Quinella: 166; Shp: 111; Tanala: 1,346.
Winner trained by Magan Singh.
5. Bolrace.com Trophy 1,400m: (1-4-6)
El Sharara (Ranjeet Singh) 1, Ashwa
Parinda 2, Simply Dashing 3. Won by:
2-3/4, 3-1/4; (1-27.69). Win Rs 58;
Place: 33, 149, 14; Quinella: 784; Shp:
341; Tanala: 12,763. Winner trained by
K.Ali Khan.
6. Hotline Plate 1,000m: (2-1-8)
Kitwaking (Mohd Asif) 1, Captain
Confident 2, Chepetzuha 3. Won by: 11/4, 1/2; (1-2.5). Win Rs 64; Place: 22,
14, 35; Quinella: 101; Shp: 50; Tanala:
1,782. Winner trained by Ajay Sharma.
Jackpot: Rs 9,943; (C) Rs 317.
Treble: (i) Rs 128; (ii) Rs 586.
Zultanite tipped
■ BANGALORE RACING
Jan 17: Trainer Irfan Ghatala's
Zultanite is expected to lift the
1,400m F.K.Irani Memorial Trophy, the
main event at the races, here, on
Friday. Suraj Narredu partners the
five-year-old horse, by Midtown out of
Copper Bracelet.
Selections
s: 2.15pm: Cherish 1. O My
Darling 2. Red Bud 3. 2.45pm: Shades
Of Scarlet 1. Bernicia 2. Rusty 3.
3.15pm: Evraz 1. Man Of Vision 2.
Triumphant 3. 3.45pm: Lucky Sam 1.
Superior Edge 2. A Game To
Remember 3. 4.15pm: Zultanite 1.
Mitraya 2. Inquisition 3. 4.45pm: The
Scientist 1. Summers Breeze 2.
Towers Of Hanoi 3. 5.15pm: Diamonite
1. Sumitomo 2. Simpleton 3. 5..45pm:
Wind And Flight 1. Ballantoy 2.
Resurgent 3. Day's Best: Wind And
Flight Double: Zultanite & The
Scientist.
H O C K E Y R O UN D - U P
Mumbai face Ranchi
Agencies
■
[email protected]
From shifting base to
losing their tournament-opener, nothing has gone in their
favour so far but Mumbai
Magicians would look to bring
their campaign back on track
when they clash with hosts
Ranchi Rhinos in a Hockey India
League match, on Friday.
Having lost the opener 1-2
against to Delhi Waveriders,
Magicians have now travelled to
Ranchi, leaving them with very
less time to prepare for Friday’s
game. The Ranchi will be full of
confidence after handing Punjab
Warriors their second successive defeat in an away game.
Magicians were dominated in
the first three quarters of the
match by Waveriders and the
team think tank would like to
see them to be a bit more aggressive at the start. They made a
match out of it in the final quarter, and, perhaps, there is some
clue as to how Magicians would
like to play in the future games.
They almost sealed a draw
on Wednesday, before Sandeep
Singh's penalty stroke in the last
minute hit the cross-bar.
Such a loss can take a lot out
of a team psychologically and
RANCHI:
INTERVIEW
ROELANT OLTMANS
No magic potion for
instant success
Navneet Singh
■
■
Sandeep Singh will look to
strike form against Ranchi.
THURSDAY’S HIL RESULT
Punjab Warriors 1 UP Wizards 2
J Dwyer 40
J Hertzberger 17
J Stockmann 58-OG
Magicians and Singh in particular, would need to forget
Wednesday’s show as soon as
possible.
WIZARDS WIN
JALANDHAR: Punjab Warriors’
wait for a victory was extended to three games when the
hosts succumbed to a 2-1 loss
against Uttar Pradesh Wizards
at the Surjit Singh Stadium.
An error from Warrior’s goalkeeper Jaap Stockmann’s own
goal sealed the issue.
[email protected]
Hockey legend Roelant
Oltmans of the Netherlands
takes little time to clear the
misconception that big names
can change India’s profile
overnight. The former Dutch
coach, currently working with
the Dutch Olympic Committee
as its performance manager
for elite sports, has been
appointed by Hockey India
(HI) as its high performance manager. He spoke to
HT from Jalandhar, about
his plans. Excerpts:
What are your focus areas?
The emphasis will be on
India’s strengths. At the
same time, the weak areas
will not be overlooked.
Apart from the national
teams, I will also oversee the
under-21 team.
When do you plan to start?
Printed
and
What’s the duration of your
contract?
Not immediately, as I am currently busy with the Hockey
India League (with the Uttar
Pradesh franchise). After that
I will be involved with the
world hockey league. It will
take at least three-four months
for me to work with HI. My
contract is for four years.
How long will it take India to
perform consistently?
There is no magic potion for
immediate success. If all goes
according to plan, it will take
between four-eight years for
India to be consistent. It takes
a minimum of four years to
adapt to a new system.
Any plans for grassroots?
All leading nations have a system to feed the national teams.
I am not aware of a grassroots
system in India. I will take
stock and try and work on the
opportunities.
distributed
by
NewspaperDirect
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AND
PROTECTED
BY
APPLICABLE
LAW
F R I DAY, J A N U A RY 1 8 , 2 0 1 3
|
Rory, Woods struggle
SEASON OPENER Rose and Donaldson take lead as Rory goes three-over
Agence France Presse
JEEV MAKES A
STRONG START
ABU DHABI: Justin Rose grabbed
a share of the first round lead
in the Abu Dhabi Golf
Championship on Thursday on
a day when both Rory McIlroy
and Tiger Woods struggled to
get their seasons into gear.
Rose, whose last visit to the
Gulf in December for the World
Tour Championship in Dubai
saw him close with a 62, took
off where he left off as he went
out in four under 32 en route
to a five-under 67.
That put him alongside
Welshman Jamie Donaldson,
with rising Dane Thorbjorn
Olesen and Spain’s Pablo
Larrazabal third equal a further stroke back.
On 69 were a quintet comprising George Coetzee of South
Africa, China’s Liang WenChong, Englishman David
Howell, Henrik Stenson of
Sweden and Michael Campbell
of New Zealand.
Woods had four birdies offset by as many bogeys for a level
par 72, while McIlroy’s first competitive outing with his new
Nike clubs ended in frustration
as he struggled to a 75 that
included two double bogeys.
Fifth-ranked Rose said that
his bogey-free 67 in tough conditions on a tough course had
been a “perfect start to the season” but that he would not read
too much into the eight-stroke
gap that separates him from
McIlroy and the five strokes
lead he has over Woods.
“It’s the first round of the
year. There are a lot of factors
involved, certainly a lot of factors for Rory involved this week,”
he said. “That’s not his normal
preparation with what he has
had to obviously encounter the
last couple of weeks, I’m sure.
“Tiger shot level and that’s
well within the golf tournament.
So for me there’s really no surprises there.”
Donaldson had a solid start
from the 10th but moved swiftly up the leaderboard with three
birdies in five holes from the
first. “I hit two ropey wedge
shots on the second and third
and I made two birdies from
them. So that was a turning
ABU DHABI: Jeev
Milkha Singh
began his campaign at the Abu
Dhabi HSBC Championship
on a strong note, carding a twounder 70 to be placed 10th.
Jeev had birdies on first, second, sixth and eighth. He
bogeyed the fourth and then
bogeyed the 12th and 17th to
be just one under, before he
birdied the closing hole.
Of the other two Indians,
SSP Chowrasia, shot one-over
73 to be tied 53rd, while
Gaganjeet Bhullar was twoover 74 and tied 71st.
RASHIKA WINS
Kolkata: Rashika Chauhan (244)
emerged winner in gross and
Renuka Phillip (254) was runner-up after the end of the final
round of the Visa Power Tolly
Club Ladies Golf Championship.
Harjyoti Bindra (259) was third.
Lucky Swaine (211) won on nett
score and Kiran Sharma (217)
was second.
■
Tiger Woods (right) walks with Rory McIlroy during the first round of the Abu Dhabi Golf
Championship at the Abu Dhabi Golf Club on Thursday.
point for the day and kept the
momentum going,” he said.
Playing together and with
three-time former Abu Dhabi
winner Martin Kaymer completing the grouping, McIlroy
and Woods were the day’s big
draw.
Europe’s choice of Paul
McGinley as captain for the
defence of the trophy at
Gleneagles, Scotland in 2014
had dominated most of the buildup to a tournament which has
become a platform for the top
players to open their seasons.
But the focus in perfect, early
morning conditions switched
to McIlroy and Woods, who now
find themselves as stablemates
of sportswear giant Nike following the Northern Irishman’s
mega-money deal announced
here on Monday.
How he would fare with his
new clubs was one of the talking points of the day and by the
end of it he at least knew he
still had some hard work to do
to get the hang of them. “Yeah,
a bit of rust for sure,” he said
by way of explanation. “Not
playing any competitive golf
for eight weeks. I guess when
you’re going out with new stuff,
you’re always going to be a little bit anxious about hitting it
close like you’ve done on the
range and today that wasn’t
quite the case. Hopefully I can
do that tomorrow.
“I was really happy with the
way the ball is in the wind. Really
happy with the irons, the wedge
play. I wasn’t very comfortable
off the tee, but just because I
didn’t feel like I was swinging
it that well.”
KARIM SAHIB/AFP
Woods started well enough,
but he started to struggle with
a badly topped drive at the first
(his 10th) that barely reached
the fairway 180 yards away.
He bogeyed that hole and
another poor drive on the next
brought another bogey. He
birdied the eighth but threeputted the last to fall back to
level par.
“My game plan (on the first)
was to hit 3-iron or 5-wood on
that hole, especially with this
wind,” he said.
“And then I changed the
gameplan and wasn’t committed to the shot. I paid the price
making bogey.”
Defending champion Robert
Rock slumped to a 76, while
Ernie Els, playing alongside
Rock and Rose, had a 71, the
same as Kaymer.
Other winners: Division 2: Gross winner:
Poorvi Ajmera 289, 1st runner-up: Juyi
Ham 290, 2nd runner-up: Chandana Dutt
295; Net winner: Juyi Ham 212, 1st runnerup: Walza Mathew: 217.
sport | 15
Md Sporting demand to
be taken back in I-League
HT Correspondent
kickback
KOLKATA: Taking a cue from East
Bengal’s call for solidarity towards
Mohammedan Sporting after
the All India Football Federation
(AIFF) had revoked Mohun
Bagan’s ban, the Kolkata club
made an appeal to the apex body
on Thursday to consider their
history and tradition and bring
them back in the I-League fold.
“We have nothing to say about
the decision of the AIFF executive committee as we are never
against the good of any Kolkata
club,” said Mohammedan
Sporting president Sultan
Ahmed.
“Mohammedan Sporting also
have a lot of heritage and a huge
support base. Indian football is
incomplete without East Bengal,
Mohun Bagan and Mohammedan
Sporting.”
Ahmed said the club would
start garnering support for their
demand after January 26 with
a signature campaign and gathering at the statue of Gostho Pal.
“We didn’t know that they (AIFF)
could give importance to heritage. They have opened the door
for us. And we are not asking
for anything new. Two clubs were
taken directly into top division
of the National Football League
in 1997-98 as well,” said Ahmed.
Ahmed also appealed to
Mohun Bagan to support them
and called for a joint delega-
■
Okolie Odafa’s absence could
hurt Mohun Bagan’s chances.
tion of the three clubs to meet
AIFF on this issue. He sought
the support of the other ILeague clubs as well. Mohun
Bagan general secretary Anjan
Mitra later said he would add
his voice in Mohammedan
Sporting’s support.
CHURCHILL LETTER
Churchill Brothers shot off a
letter to AIFF president Praful
Patel protesting the decision
to revoke Mohun Bagan’s twoyear suspension, and termed
it a violation of the “process
of natural justice and fair play”.
Churchill Brothers president
Churchill Alemao raised nine
points in the three-page letter.
Alemao said “rescheduling
Mohun Bagan’s matches will
only provide additional advantage to Mohun Bagan, when
actually they should be penalised.
“The team will use the priod
of inactivity as a bonus, as the
rest has provided opportunity
to the players to increase fitness. Mohun Bagan had four
players in the injured list who
would now be available...”
Alemao termed the decision
“shocking”.
“The executive committee
has not ascribed any rule or
provision in arriving at the
shocking decision on January
15, thus violating the process
of natural justice and fair play,”
he said.
BAGAN LEAVE TODAY
An 18-member team sans captain Okolie Odafa, who has been
suspended for two matches for
misconduct during the
December 9 derby, will leave
for Goa on Friday. Australian
striker Tolgay Ozbey will mark
a return from an injury lay off
in this match.
CALCUTTA DERBY
The Calcutta Football League’s
derby has been scheduled on
February 23, according to the
new fixtures released by the
Indian Football Association.
The full fixtures will be released
in a few days.
ABU DHABI SCORES
First round: 67 - Jamie Donaldsen
(WAL), Justin Rose (ENG); 68 Thorbjorn Olesen (DEN), Pablo
Larrazabal (ESP); 69 - Liang WenChong (CHN), George Coetzee
(RSA), Henrik Stenson (SWE),
Michael Campbell (NZL), David
Howell (ENG); 70 - Joost Luiten
(NED), Gonzalo Fdez-Castano (ESP),
Thongchai Jaidee (THA), Danny
Willett (ENG), Jeev Milka Singh
(IND), Soren Kjeldsen (DEN); 71 Richard Green (ENG), Jason Dufner
(USA), Branden Grace (RSA), Martin
Kaymer (GER), Lee Slattery (ENG),
Andy Sullivan (ENG), Johan Edfors
(SWE), Simon Wakefield (ENG),
Chris Paisley (ENG), Ricardo Santos
(POR), Anders Hansen (DEN), Ernie
Els (RSA), Paul Casey (ENG), Gareth
Maybin (NIR), Garth Mulroy (RSA),
Joel Sjoholm (SWE)
C I T YS P O RT
VIKASH FACES
TOP SEED NITIN
HT Correspondent
KOLKATA: Local players Nitin Kumar
Sinha and Vikash Singh will clash
in the boys’ U-14 final of the
Sunfeast Dream Cream Super
Series Tennis Tournament at
South Club. Top seed Nitin defeated Sumit Pal Singh 6-3, 6-3 and
fourth seed Vikash upset second
seed Parikshit Somani 6-2, 6-0.
Other semi-final results: Girls’ U-14: Mihika
Yadav (1) bt R. Sai Avantika 3/6, 7/6(4), 6/2;
Snehal Mane (3) bt Sruta Kirti Gunuganti (2)
6/4, 6/7(5), 6/3.
KUMARTULI WIN
Himangshu Satyawan scored an
unbeaten 152 and Sudipta Joy
Sinha scored 102 to help Kumartuli
Institute notch up a six-wicket
victory over Bhowanipore in their
CAB senior division league match
on Thursday.
Summarised scores: Bhowanipore 275/9 in 62
ovs v Kumartuli Institute 276/4 in 67.4 ovs
(Sudipta Joy Sinha 102, Himangshu Satyawan
152*). Kumartuli Institute won by 6 wkts.
Suburban 329 in 82.3 ovs v George Telegraph
332/3 in 75.5 ovs (Bedant Mishra 107, Mirza
Md. Abbas 138*). George Telegraph won by 7
wkts. Sporting Union 430/6 in 85 ovs v
Paikpara Sporting 237 in 56.4 ovs (Stalin
Ghosh 64, Pinku Bag 56, Sougata Dutta 5/48,
Sk. Noor Islam 3/36). Sporting Union won by
193 runs. Bhukailash 158 in 48.1 ovs v Monohar
Pukur Milan Samity 159/6 in 40.3 ovs (Sachin
Yadav 79, Rakesh Mishra 3/67) v Monohar
Pukur Milan Samity won by 4 wkts. Shambazar
424/8 in 85 ovs v Police AC 311 in 63.1 ovs
(Avijit Ganguly 103, Veer Pratap Singh 4/62,
Tuhin Banerjee 3/86). Shambazar won by 113
runs.. Calcutta Customs Club 270 in 69 ovs v
YMCA (College) 266 in 84.5 ovs (Pradeep
Malik 61, Sujit Kumar Yadav 4/113, Taha Ali
3/47). Calcutta Customs Club won by 4 runs.
Rajasthan Club 351/8 in 85 ovs v Ballygunge
United 315 in 80.2 ovs (Amitava Roy 100,
Sanjib Barik 53, Arjun Kumar 4/77, Pritam
Chakraborty 3/65). Rajasthan won by 36 runs.
Mohun Bagan 411/4 in 74 ovs (Debabrata Das
120*) v Dalhousie Athletic Club 285 in 64 ovs
(Manash Lohar 64, Sakeeb Rahaman 59, Alok
Pratap Singh 3/34). Mohun Bagan won by 126
runs. Taltala Ekata Sangha 388 in 83.4 ovs v
Eastern Railway 275 in 60.3 ovs (Kinkar Roy
58, Nikhil Singh 50, Anurag Tiwari 3/63,
Harihar Sarkar 4/66). Taltala Ekata Sangha
won by 113 runs. Young Bengal 286 in 74.2 ovs
v Netaji Subhas Institute 287/4 in 71.2 ovs
(Anup Samadder 104, Sourav Shukla 87*,
Manabendra Yadav 50, Bablu Goswami 3/138).
Netaji Subhas Institute won by 6 wkts. Wari AC
290 in 82 ovs v Aikya Sammilani 157 in 49.5
ovs (Ambar Roy 5/42). Wari AC won by 133
runs. Calcutta Port Trust 279 in 82.1 ovs v
Tapan Memorial 125 in 44.4 ovs (Bajrul
Rahman 50, Angshuman Pandey 4/27,
Debeshwar Mishra 3/35). Calcutta Port Trust
won by 154 runs.
■
Nitin Kumar Sinha in action at
SATYABRATA DAS/HT
South Club.
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16 |
world |
F R I DAY, J A N U A RY 1 8 , 2 0 1 3
FAC U P
Rooney helps
United progress
Saints dent Blues’ title hopes
PREMIER LEAGUE Chelsea throw away 2-0 lead, allow Southampton to share honours at home
SUAREZ ADMITS
DIVING AGAINST
STOKE CITY
■
[email protected]
LONDON: Wayne Rooney marked
his first Manchester United
appearance since December 23
with the only goal of the game
as they beat West Ham 1-0 in a
FA Cup third round replay at
Old Trafford on Wednesday.
The victory saw Premier
League leaders United, record
11-times FA Cup winners, into a
fourth-round tie at home to fellow top-flight side Fulham.
Rooney opened the scoring in
the ninth minute after recalled
Anderson produced a superb,
defence-splitting pass and Javier
Hernandez bore down on goal
before unselfishly squaring the
ball to the England striker, who
was never going to miss from a
few yards out. The forward
could have put the result in this
all-Premier League clash
beyond doubt in the second half
but Rooney blasted over the top
from the penalty spot after
Jordan Spence handled a cross
from Ryan Giggs.
FERGUSON WARY
Alex Ferguson called on his
Manchester United side to
improve their penalty-taking
after Wayne Rooney missed
their fifth spot-kick of the season on Wednesday.
United did advance in the FA
Cup third round replay against
Premier League rivals West
Ham at Old Trafford thanks to
Rooney’s goal. But the England
striker wasted a chance to put
the result beyond doubt when
he blazed over a penalty 12 minutes from time. That was
Rooney’s second penalty miss
of the season, with Robin van
Persie, Javier Hernandez and
Nani also proving fallible from
12 yards out this term. Ferguson
wants to see United enjoy better penalty returns.
“It’s not ‘one of those things’.
We have to improve,” said
United manager Ferguson.
“There’s talk of the boy (Rickie)
■
Wayne Rooney missed a
penalty but his goal earlier
saw United through.
PHIL NOBLE / REUTERS
RESULTS
FA CUP THIRD ROUND
Man Utd 1
West Ham 0
Rooney 9
Arsenal 1
Swansea 0
Wilshere 86
KING’S CUP QUARTERS
Barcelona 2
Malaga 2
Messi 29
Puyol 30
Iturra 26
Camacho 90
ITALIAN CUP QUARTERS
Fiorentina 0
AS Roma 1
(Destro 97) aet
Lambert at Southampton, he’s
scored 33 out of 33. That’s what
penalty-kick taking is all about.
There’s been several great
penalty takers over the years,
(Matt) le Tissier (the retired
Southampton star) got 47 out
of 48. There’s a player in
Scotland who played for
Rangers who got 57 in a row.
“Your penalty kicks are to take
advantage of whether it’s a handball or a foul and score a goal.”
ARSENAL WIN
Earlier, Arsenal left it late before
seeing off Swansea 1-0 in a third
round replay with England midfielder Jack Wilshere scoring
four minutes before full-time
with a powerful shot. “It was a
great set-up from Olivier
Giroud,” said Wilshere.
takeabreak
BECKS EMBRACES
ENGLISH LOOK
David Beckham, who spent
the last five years living
overseas with his family,
seems to have fully
embraced the English gentleman look as he continues
to settle back into life in
Blighty. Stepping out in
London on Tuesday, the 37year-old footie ace looked
every inch the dapper dude
as he ran errands in his
Bentley, the Daily Mail
reported. Swapping his Los
Angeles uniform of sunglasses and shorts for a
decidedly warmer dress, the
former LA Galaxy football
player cut an effortlessly
cool figure in his grey baker
LONDON: Chelsea’s hopes of winning the Premier League title
this season were left hanging by
a thread after they squandered
a 2-0 lead in a 2-2 draw at home
to strugglers Southampton on
Wednesday.
The result, which came on
the same day former Barcelona
boss Pep Guardiola confirmed
he was turning down the
European champions’ overtures
to manage German giants
Bayern Munich, left Chelsea still
in third place but 13 points
behind leaders Manchester
United with just 16 league games
remaining.
Chelsea appeared on course
for victory when Demba Ba and
Eden Hazard put them ahead
before half-time.
But the visitors rallied after
the break through substitute
Rickie Lambert’s 10th goal of
the season and an outstanding
equaliser from Jason Puncheon.
Chelsea left the field to boos
from their own fans and this
result will have done nothing for
the wafer-thin popularity of
interim manager Rafael Benitez.
Chelsea dominated possession early on but they struggled
to create the kind of chances
that might lift the crowd.
A Ba cross caused confusion
in the visitors’ penalty area, ricocheting off Luke Shaw and
Maya Yoshida before bouncing
away to safety but otherwise
Saints keeper Artur Boruc was
BARCELONA
HELD BY 10-MAN
MALAGA
■
[email protected]
MADRID: Holders Barcelona’s hopes
of retaining the Spanish Cup hang
in the balance after being held 22 at home by 10-man Malaga in
their Spanish Cup quarterfinal
first leg clash on Wednesday.
Barcelona – who hold an 11point lead in the league race over
Atletico Madrid with 18 wins
from 19 matches – looked to be
in the driving seat after coming
from a goal down to lead 2-1 after
half-an-hour thanks to two goals
in as many minutes by Lionel
Messi and veteran talismanic
defender Carles Puyol.
However, Ignacio Camacho
tucked the ball away neatly with
a minute remaining to nail the
equaliser.
ROMA IN SEMIS
MILAN: AS Roma striker Mattia
boy cap. The former
England captain teamed his
stylish headgear with an
immaculately tailored wool
coat.
Destro scored in the first period of extra time to secure a 1-0
win away to Fiorentina and a
place in the Italian Cup semifinals. Roma now join Inter
Milan, Juventus and Lazio in
the last four. In the final minute
both sides spurned chances to
secure a late winner before the
onset of extra time.
■
[email protected]
MONTEVIDEO: Liverpool star Luis
■
Southampton’s Jason Puncheon (right) vies with Chelsea midfielders Oscar (left) and Eden Hazard at Stamford Bridge.
largely untroubled before conceding in the 25th minute.
Frank Lampard started the
move that led to the goal, forcing his way to the by-line with
a determined run before laying
the ball back to Cesar
Azpilicueta.
The right-back crossed
towards Oscar whose deflected
header looped up towards Ba
and the Senegal striker finished
well with an acrobatic volley for
his third goal in three starts.
Southampton though offered
signs they might equalise when
Jay Rodriguez — preferred
ahead of leading scorer Lambert
— teed up midfielder Steve
Davis who screwed his shot
wide.
And that miss appeared costly when Hazard claimed
Chelsea’s second goal with a left-
GLYN KIRK / AFP
foot shot from the edge of the
penalty area after Ramires’s
powerful effort had rebounded
back off the crossbar.
But Southampton, inspired
by the introduction of Lambert,
fought their way back into game
shortly after the restart.
Armstrong stripped of Olympic bronze
Associated Press
‘LET VIEWERS
JUDGE ME’
LONDON: The
IOC has stripped
Lance Armstrong of his bronze
medal from the Sydney
Olympics because of his involvement in doping.
Two officials said the IOC sent
a letter to Armstrong on
Wednesday night asking him to
return the medal. The move
came after the International
Olympic Committee was notified by cycling's governing body
that Armstrong had not appealed
the decision to disqualify him.
The IOC executive board discussed revoking the medal last
month, but delayed a decision
until cycling body UCI formally notified Armstrong he had
been stripped of his seven Tour
de France titles and all results
since 1998. He then had 21 days
to appeal.
Now that the deadline has
expired, the IOC decided to take
the medal away. The letter to
Armstrong was also sent to the
U.S. Olympic Committee.
The move was confirmed to
the AP on the same day that
Armstrong's admission of using
performance-enhancing drugs,
after years of denials, is to be
broadcast in an interview with
Oprah Winfrey.
The timing of the IOC move,
however, was not related to the
Asian News International
WELLINGTON: Lance
■
Cyclist Lance Armstrong, during his interview with Oprah Winfrey
REUTERS
in Austin.
TV interview.
OLYMPIC SHAME
Two months after winning his
second Tour de France title in
2000, Armstrong took bronze
in Sydney in the road time trial
behind winner and US Postal
Service teammate Vyacheslav
Ekimov of Russia and Jan
Ullrich of Germany.
The IOC opened a disciplinary case in November after a
US Anti-Doping Agency report
detai-led widespread doping by
Arms-trong and his teammates.
The report called it the most
sophisticated doping program
in sports. The IOC will not reallocate Armstrong's bronze
medal, just as the UCI decided
not to declare any winners for
the Tour titles once held by the
American. Spanish rider
Abraham Olano Manzano, who
finished fourth in Sydney, will
not be upgraded and the bronze
medal placing will be left vacant
in Olympic records.
In August, the IOC stripped
Tyler Hamilton, a former
Armstrong teammate, of his
time-trial gold medal from the
2004 Athens Olympics after he
admitted to doping. In that case,
Ekimov was upgraded to gold.
The IOC is also investigating
Levi Leipheimer, a former
Armstrong teammate who won
the time-trial bronze at the 2008
Beijing Games. The American
confessed to doping as part of his
testimony against Armstrong in
the USADA case.
Armstrong
says viewers can judge for themselves how candid he was in his
interview with Oprah Winfrey.
“I left it all on the table with her
and when it airs the people can
decide,” he said in a text to AP
on Wednesday.
Armstrong responded to a
report in the New York Daily
News, citing an unidentified
source, that he was not contrite
when he acknowledged during
Monday's taping with Winfrey
that he used performanceenhancing drugs.
He’s also held conversations
with US anti-doping officials,
touching off speculation that
the team leader who demanded loyalty from others soon may
face some very tough choices
himself: Whether to cooperate
and name those who aided, knew
about or helped cover up a
sophisticated doping ring that
Armstrong ran on his tour-winning US Postal Service squads.
“I have no idea what the future
holds other than me holding my
kids," he said.
Suarez has admitted diving in
an English Premier League
match against Stoke in October
in an attempt to win a penalty
but also complained that foreign players were treated differently.
Suarez hit the headlines for a
theatrical fall in the 0-0 draw at
Anfield when he was challenged
by Stoke defender Marc Wilson
in an unsuccessful attempt to
win a second-half penalty.
Fifa vice-president Jim Boyce
was moved to describe Suarez’s
tumble as “cheating”, adding
that the tendency for players to
easily fall to the ground was a
“cancer” in the game.
Suarez has been accused several times of diving and the
October incident left Liverpool
manager Brendan Rodgers
scrambling to the Uruguay
international’s defence, blasting
what he termed the “vilification”
of one of his star players.
“I was criticised for trying to
win a penalty by falling in a
match against Stoke,” Suarez
told Fox Sports Argentina. “It’s
true I fell because we were drawing against Stoke at home and
we needed to do something.”
“But afterwards, the coaches of Stoke, Everton, all of them,
came forward. I came to realise
that the name of Suarez was a
(newspaper) seller.”
ANOTHER
CONTROVERSY
Suarez hit the headlines again
earlier this month when he handled the ball prior to scoring
Liverpool’s winning goal in their
2-1 victory at non-league
Mansfield Town in the FA Cup.
“The other day, a ball hit my
hand without me meaning it to,”
he said. “I kissed my wrist and
everyone started rounding on
me,” he said.
Suarez maintained that foreign players were treated differently in the Premier League
from locals.
“It’s difficult,” he said. “It’s
what Carlitos (Tevez) said, it’s
what Kun (Sergio Aguero) said:
foreigners, and especially the
South Americans, are treated
differently than local players.”
Suarez added that his run in
with Manchester United
defender Patrice Evra, which
saw the Uruguayan hit with a
48,000-euro (around R 34.94
lakh) fine and an eight-match
ban, was long forgotten.
Printed and Published by M. Venkatesh for and on behalf of HT Media Limited at Texmaco Ltd., B.T.Road, Panihati, 24 Parganas (North), Pin - 700058, West Bengal
Editor-in-Chief : Sanjoy Narayan, Resident Editor : Rajiv Bagchi, Kolkata Office : 50 Chowringhee Road, 7th Floor, Kolkata-700 071 (Board Nos. (033) 66056600/22827315/7316/7411/7824) Registered Office 18-20 Kasturba Gandhi Marg, New Delhi 110 001 R.N.I. No. WBENG/2001/03760
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stoppress
PHOTO: YOGEN SHAH
SUNNY LEONE VISITS
SIDDHIVINAYAK
She is a fan of Bipasha
Adult film star Sunny Leone
performed a special aarti at the
Siddhivinayak temple in Mumbai
on Tuesday morning. She visited
the famous temple with producer
Ekta Kapoor to mark the beginning of Ragini MMS 2’s first
shooting schedule. “We are
shooting Ragini MMS 2 today and
I hope you all watch it,” Leone
told mediapersons there.
HTC
P4
KAI PO CHE TO BE SHOWN AT BERLIN FEST
Upcoming film Kai Po Che (poster above), which is based on Chetan
Bhagat’s novel The 3 Mistakes of My Life, will have a world
premiere at the 63rd Berlin International Film Festival beginning
next month. “Kai Po Che selected to premiere at the Berlin international film festival. Yea baby!!,” tweeted film’s director Abhishek
IANS
Kapoor. The film will be screened on February 7.
KO L K ATA , F R I DAY, JA N UA RY 1 8 , 2 0 1 3 , 4 PA G ES w w w. h i n d u s t a n t i m e s . c o m
PHOTOS: YOGEN SHAH
‘I WANT PARENTS TO WATCH THIS FILM WITH
THEIR CHILDREN’
Says filmmaker Sudhir Mishra about his upcoming film, Inkaar,
which revolves around sexual harassment at workplace
Anil Kapoor
heads to
Toronto film
festival
Shalvi Mangaokar
ost Slumdog
Millionaire (2008) and
its haul at the
Academy Awards, Anil
Kapoor has become a known
face in the West. The actor,
owing to his global image,
has now been invited for a
special segment, In
Conversation, at the Toronto
International Film Festival
(TIFF).
A source close to the actor
reveals, “Being invited for
this event, which is hosted
by Noah Cowan of TIFF Bell
Lightbox, is a huge honour
for Anil. It’s reserved only
for people with a considerable body of work behind
them, and those who have
global recognition. Anil is
well known and that’s one
reason why he has been
invited. He’s thrilled.”
At the event, which will be
a 60-minute chat with the
actor, his films will be discussed at length. The source
says, “In India, Anil has won
a lot of accolades. And in a
short period of time, he has
done quite a bit in Hollywood
too. So, at TIFF, they will
show clips of his career
highlights. They will discuss
his upcoming projects and
finally, there will be a 20minute interactive session
with the audience.”
However, to attend this
event, which takes place on
January 21, Anil will have to
take time out of his current
Race 2 promotions (the
movie releases on January
25). The source says, “He
will be rushing there just for
this and will be back in time
for the film’s release.”
When contacted, Anil,
who is currently in Dubai,
confirms the news saying,
“Yes, I have been invited by
TIFF and will be attending
the event.”
P
e is known for
making films
on serious subjects and every
time his film is
up for release,
expectations soar. And it
goes without saying that
filmmaker Sudhir Mishra
lives up to the expectations on most occasions.
At least his last few films
have generated healthy
response.
However, Mishra prefers
staying grounded. He isn’t
among the ones who
believe in resting on their
past laurels. “I am a filmmaker and making films is
my profession. It’s up to
the audience to judge if I
have done a good job but I
always acknowledge compliments,” says Mishra.
His last few films have
been on social issues and
his efforts have paid off.
This time Mishra has once
again chosen a bold subject, that of sexual harassment at workplace, and
has made Inkaar, which
releases today. But that is
what he is known for. “I
love watching human
beings and the society. It’s
a bold subject and I felt
this story should be told.
Sexual harassment happens at workplaces and it’s
a serious problem,” he
says.
The film is set in the
advertising world and
Mishra says that it was a
conscious decision. “It’s
not that employees from
the media industry are
only subject to sexual
harassment. It could have
been any profession even
at government offices. But
setting the film in the
media world helped me.
Men and women in media
work at a closer proximity… they travel a lot and
the work culture is more
informal, where chances of
sexual harassment are
higher. But it could have
been set anywhere,”
he says.
Does his film have
resemblance with Demi
Moore-Michael Douglas
starrer, Disclosure (1994)?
The film too had a similar
story of sexual harassment
at workplace by a former
H
lover-turned-boss. Mishra
straightforwardly denies
any such speculation. “No,
there isn’t any similarity at
all and if one has watched
the promos of my film,
they will understand how
different it’s going to be.
It’s not sleaze or sexual
harassment. Inkaar is
about how a relationship
goes sour and how it ends
up with sexual harassment,” he says.
That said Mishra is
happy to have got the perfect casting for his film. He
has worked with
Chitrangada Singh and
feels that she has managed
to pull off her character
perfectly. Arjun Rampal
too was his first choice.
“He was always my first
choice because his persona
fits that of a person working in an advertising
agency. He has the perfect
voice and looks like an ad
guy, who can win over his
clients and easily strike a
deal with them. And his
looks are charismatic. I
feel this is Arjun’s best
performance till date,” he
says.
That the word sex is
uttered 262 times in his
film doesn’t perturb
Mishra. He is happy with
the way the film has
shaped up and wants
everyone to watch it. “I
don’t know if it has been
used 262 times but, yes, it
has been used a lot and I
don’t see anything wrong
in it. If it’s a film on sexual
harassment the word sex
is bound to be used more.
There are harsher words
used on the television
shows these days,” he says.
But won’t that become
difficult for him selling the
satellite rights of his film,
given the problem Dirty
Picture faced before its television premiere? “I don’t
think it will be difficult. We
have edited it properly and
I don’t think people at the
Censor Board will object
to it. They are also a
mature lot today and we
will try and make them
understand if any such
issues arise. In fact, I want
parents to watch this film
with their children
because this film is not
sleazy but deals with an
issue that anyone can be a
victim of,” he signs off.
Filmmaker Anurag Kashyap had permission to shoot outside Big B’s house, but couldn’t
Shoot outside Big B’s house stalled
ilmmaker Anurag
Kashyap may have
sought permission to
shoot on the road close to
actor Amitabh Bachchan’s
house Pratiksha on Monday,
but the shoot was stalled by
BMC (Brihanmumbai
Municipal Corporation) as
they felt the unit was
violating their norms.
Kashyap was shooting a
20-minute short film which
will be a part of Bombay
Talkies, along with three
other short films.
Bombay Talkies is a film on
the completion of 100 years
of cinema. The scene being
shot was that of a group fans
standing with Big B’s
posters, celebrating his stardom. According to reports,
the shoot was stalled
F
because the unit had permission to shoot only on the
road which adjoins the park,
but the officials of BMC
found that the unit had
occupied the park and also
littered it. On Monday, Big B
had tweeted, ‘A shoot with
Anurag Kashyap, and an
evening spent in creative
discussion .. exhilarating !!
Need more such ... starved
for it !!’
HTC
Pak actor Meera marches for peace
Actor to lead peach march in Delhi next month,
demands “five-year visas” for Pak celebs
Kavita Awaasthi
akistani actor Meera
is disturbed by the
tension currently
brewing between India and
the neighbouring country.
She feels that the visa application process for citizens
of both the countries —
especially for artistes —
should be made much easier
than what it is right now.
And to make sure she is
heard, the actor plans to
voice her opinion with a
peace march next month.
“Talent should not be
curbed. People, who have
proved themselves globally
should not be scrutinised,”
says Meera, adding, “There
should be separate rules for
visa applications for creative
artistes and even cricketers.
And to take this suggestion
forward, I will lead a peace
march in Delhi on February
15. I hope the Indian govern-
P
A still from Inkaar
IT’S A BOLD SUBJECT
AND I FELT THIS STORY
SHOULD BE TOLD.
SEXUAL HARASSMENT
HAPPENS AT
WORKPLACES AND IT’S A
SERIOUS PROBLEM.
Sudhir Mishra
ment understands our
request. We want the freedom to work in India.”
Meera plans on organising a similar march in
Mumbai as well. However,
currently, she is busy gathering support for the Delhi
event. “I am a presidential
award-winning actor. It is
the most prestigious award
in the country (Pakistan),
yet when I come to India, I
have to pass various levels
of security checks,” says
Meera, further adding that
“legends from Pakistan
and some select people
who visit India often
should be granted non-resident visas for a minimum of
five years”. “The whole
process of getting the visa
renewed is very difficult.
Why must artistes have to
suffer because of that?”
asks the actor.
She also plans to lead two
other peach marches in
Islamabad and Lahore.
Meera in Mumbai
PHOTOS: MANOJ KUMAR, YOGEN SHAH
Big celeb queue-up at Kumbh
The Kumbh Mela this year is about celeb visitors and gadget-totting sadhus
route 2 the KUMBH
MELA,Allahabad. With my
parents,thanks 2 dearest
Gopi(Hinduja) uncle,who
made my moms dream possible… Long but fruitful day,”
Shilpa tweeted. Also spotted
was comedian Rajpal Yadav,
performing a puja on the
ghats of the Ganges.
Reports also suggest that
actors Amitabh Bachchan
and Akshay Kumar, along with
his wife Twinkle Khanna, will
Namya Sinha
he Kumbh Mela in
Allahabad may well be
the holiest destination for
sadhus and religious devotees,
but this year, celebrities from
India and across the globe are
landing up at the event like
they’ve never done before.
Actor Shilpa Shetty was the
first among the Bollywood
brigade to visit Kumbh. “En
T
also be visiting the Kumbh
Mela. And it’s not just
Bollywood that’s queuing
up. Reports suggest that
apart from spiritual leader
Dalai Lama, Hollywood
actors Richard Gere and
Catherine Zeta Jones may be
joining in, too. Zeta Jones was
quoted saying in an interview,
“I really want to visit India
again specifically during the
Kumbh Mela pilgrimage and
I’m told it is a sight to behold
for the eyes and soul.”
Meanwhile, actor
Ranvir Shorey has urged pilgrims to be environment-conscious: “It would be a good
idea to ask everyone at the
Kumbh Mela to return the
favour and clean up the
Ganges,” he tweeted. It’s
not just celebs who are jazzing
up Kumbh — gadget-totting
sadhus are only adding
more style to the traditional
gathering.
BOLLYWOOD’S KUMBH MELA DIALOGUES
PHOTOS: AP
Ritujaay Ghosh
Yeh bahut dukh bhari kahani hai bhaiya. Ek bar Kumbh ka
mela laga hua tha. Main aur mera judwa bhai Sohan, main
Mohan, wo baye tha main daye tha. Beech mein mera
baap tha...” -Johny Lever in Soldier (1998)
■ Aaj se theek bees saal pehle hum Kumbh ke mele mein
bichhad gaye
Bollywood’s most common Kumbh dialogue
■
(Far left) Akshay Kumar with wife Twinkle Khanna; (top) actor
Rajpal Yadav at the Kumbh Mela; His Holiness the Dalai Lama
Printed
and
distributed
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NewspaperDirect
COPYRIGHT
AND
PROTECTED
BY
APPLICABLE
LAW
KOLKATA, FRIDAY, JANUARY 18, 2013
02 leisure
OPRAH WINFREY AND
LANCE ARMSTRONG: A
WORLDWIDE EXCLUSIVE
HBO
0915 World Trade
Center
1145 The Twilight
Saga: Eclipse
1405 The Scorpion
King 3: Battle For
Redemption
1605 The Island
1840 Ocean’s
Thirteen
2100 Tropic Thunder
2305 Kung Fu Panda
2
0055 Beginners
Oprah Winfrey speaks exclusively
with Lance Armstrong in his first
no-holds-barred interview.
DISCOVERY CHANNEL 9 pm
AMERICAN IDOL
Watch as Randy Jackson, Mariah
Carey, Nicki Minaj and Keith
Urban set out on an musical journey in search of America’s new
idol.
BIG CBS LOVE 9 pm
PIX
1000 StreetDance
3D
1055 Redline
1150 2012
1440 So Close
1635 Basic Instinct
INDIAN RENDEZVOUS
Watch actor Konkana Sen Sharma
explore Kolkata’s unique China
Town, plus its medicine stores and
authentic food.
TLC 9.30 pm
1850 Beverly Hills
Cop
2100 The Pink
Panther 2
2305 Mission
Impossible 2
STAR MOVIES
1047 Fantastic Four
1303 City Hunter
1447 Johnny English
1654 Kung Fu Hustle
1905 Drive Angry
2100 Cliffhanger
2328 Pirates of the
Caribbean: The
Curse of The Black
Pearl
1050 Don No.1
1345 Hulchul
1715 Suhaag
Table No 21: Big Cinemas (1.40
Broken City: Cinemax (9.30
am, 4.45 pm, 9.45 pm); Fame
South City (9 am, 1.30 pm, 6 pm,
10.30 pm); Inox city Centre (10 am,
3 pm, 10.15 pm); PVR (10 am, 5.20
pm, 7.35 pm); Broadway (11.20
am, 5.30 pm, 10.45 pm)
Les Miserables: Fame South
City (11.10 am, 4.40 pm, 9.50 pm);
Inox Forum (9.10 am, 2.20 pm,
8.05 pm); PVR (8.45 pm)
The Last Stand: Cinemax
(12.15 pm, 8 pm); Fame Hiland
Park (9.25 am, 12.10 pm, 4.45 pm,
10.30 pm); Fame South City (9 am,
11.15 am, 3.45 pm, 8.15 pm); Inox
Swabhumi (10 am, 3 pm, 10.20
pm); Inox Rajarhat (9.15 am, 2.10
pm, 10.10 pm); Inox City Centre (9
am, 5.15 pm, 11.15 pm); PVR (10.45
am, 6.25 pm); Broadway (9.20 am,
11.30 am, 4.05 pm, 8.45 pm)
Life of Pi 3D: Cinemax (12
pm); Fame Hiland Park (9.05 am,
5.10 pm); Fame South City (9.05
am, 2.25 pm, 7.55 pm); Inox
Swabhumi (12.15 pm, 7.40 pm);
Inox Rajarhat (11.30 am); Inoa City
Centre (12.15 pm); Broadway (9
pm, 6.20 pm)
HINDI
Inkaar: Big Cinemas (10.30 am,
1.15 pm, 4.15 pm, 9.45 pm);
Cinemax (10 am, 12.30 pm, 3 pm,
5.30 pm, 8 pm, 10.30 pm); Hind
Fame (9.10 am, 11.50 am, 2.30 pm,
5.10 pm, 7.50 pm, 10.30 pm);
Fame Hiland Park (9.25 am, 12 pm,
2.35 pm, 5.10 pm, 7.45 pm, 10.20
pm); Fame South City (9.40 am,
10.30 am, 12.20 pm, 3 pm, 5.35
pm, 8.10 pm, 9.45 pm, 10.45 pm);
Inox Forum (9.05 am, 11.40 am,
2.20 pm, 5 pm, 6 pm, 7.40 pm,
10.20 pm, 11.30 pm); Inox
Swabhumi (10.10 am, 1 am, 12.50
pm, 3.30 pm, 6.10 pm, 7.25 pm,
8.50 pm, 10 pm); Inox Rajarhat (9
am, 10 am, 11.40 am, 2.20 pm, 5
pm, 7.40 pm, 9.30 pm, 10.20 pm);
Inox City Centre (9 am, 11.40 am,
2.20 pm, 5 pm, 7.40 pm, 8.35 pm,
10.20 pm); PVR (10 am, 12.35 pm,
3.10 pm, 5.45 pm, 8.30 pm); Broadway (10.15 am, 12.45 am, 3.15
pm, 5.45 pm, 8.15 pm, 10.45 pm)
Mumbai Mirror: Cinemax
(9.30 am, 2.30 pm, 10.15 pm);
Hind Fame (10 pm); Fame Hiland
Park (11.40 am); Fame South City
(11.40 am, 6.45 pm); Inox Forum
(12.15 pm); Inox Swabhumi (4 pm,
9.31 pm); Inox Rajarhat (12 pm);
Inox City Centre (12.20 pm);
Broadway (1.35 pm, 8.15 pm, 11
pm)
Bandook: Hind Fame (1.25 pm);
Fame Hiland Park (9.30 pm); Fame
South City (10.30 pm); Inox
Swabhumi (1.15 pm); PVR (1.05
pm)
Matru Ki Bijlee Ka
Mandola: Big Cinemas (10.50
am, 9.30 pm); Cinemax (9.45 am,
12.45 pm, 3.45 pm, 6.45 pm, 9.45
pm); Hind Fame (10.25 am, 7 pm);
Fame Hiland Park (9.20 am, 4.20
htcitysudoku
1145 Nagina
1430 Hum Aapke Dil
Mein Rehte Hain
1750 Duplicate
2100 Singham
ZEE CINEMA
1100 Divyashakti
1430 Kyon Ki... It’s
Fate
1800 Veeraana
2100 Nayak
B4U MOVIES
1600 Samay: When
the Time Strikes
1900 Laughter
Station
1930 Fashion
ZEE STUDIO
1230 Guthy Renker
1300 Animal
Kingdom
1500 Duplicity
1740 Shanghai Noon
2020 Sleepless in
Seattle
2230 Redbelt
UTV MOVIES
1200 Maa
1500 Jaal - The Trap
1800 Mere Badle Ki
Aag
2130 Naya
Kurukshetra
1300 Film: Mon
Maane Na
1930
Swayangsiddha
2000 Sholoana
2030 Shotin Kata
2100 Binni Dhaner
Khoi
2130 Ashar Alo
2200 Sadhak
Bamakhepa
2100 Aamar Shahar
2130 Playback
2230 Tara Club
ZEE BANGLA
1830 Agnipariksha
1900 Raashi
1930 Keya Patar
Nouko
2000 Shapat
1830 Radhuni
2030 Garmagaram
2320 Chalo Jai
● 1520: King Christian II of
Denmark and Norway defeated the
Swedes at Lake Åsunden.
● 1535: Spanish conquistador
Francisco Pizarro founded Lima, the
capital of Peru.
pm); Cinemax (2.30 pm); Inox
Forum (11.55 am)
● 1670: Henry Morgan captured
Panama.
Dabangg 2: Fame South
● 1701: Frederick I crowned
himself the King of Prussia in
Königsberg.
City (4.05 pm); PVR (4.05 pm,
9.50 pm)
Life Of Pi: PVR (12.15 pm)
BENGALI
Shunyo Awnko: Big Cinemas
(3.50 pm); Hind Fame (4.10 pm);
Fame Hiland Park (2.25 pm, 7.45
pm); Fame South city (2.20 pm,
7.40 pm); Inox Forum (5.25 pm);
Inox Swabhumi (1.40 pm, 6.45
pm); Inox Rajarhat (3.45 pm, 7.35
pm); Inox City Centre (1.40 pm,
7.30 pm); PVR (3.45 pm);
Broadway (3.45 pm)
Deewana: Big Cinemas (6.30
pm); Cinemax (5 pm); Fame Hiland
Park (7.15 pm); Inox Rajarhat
(12.40 pm, 4.30 pm); Inox City
Centre (4.25 pm); PVR (1.05 pm,
6.35 pm)
● 1778: James Cook was the first
known European to discover the
Hawaiian Islands, which he named
the ‘Sandwich Islands’.
● 1788: The first elements of the
First Fleet carrying 736 convicted
from England to Australia arrived at
Botany Bay.
● 1866: Wesley College,
Melbourne was established.
● 1871: Wilhelm I of Germany
was proclaimed the first German
Emperor in the Hall of Mirrors of the
Palace of Versailles ( France ) towards the end of the Franco-Prussian
War. The empire was known as the
Second Reich to Germans.
● 1911: Eugene B Ely landed on
the deck of the USS Pennsylvania
stationed in San Francisco harbour,
this was the first time that an aircraft
landed on a ship.
● 1936: Rudyard Kipling (18651936), famous English writer and
author, died in Burwash, England at
70. He was a young journalist in
British India and was honoured with
the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1907
for Kim.
1400 Film: Songsar
Songram
2000 Maa
2030 Tapur Tupur
11.00
12.00
EK THA
RUSTY-II, 21.00
12.30
13.00
GURUCGOBINDC
SINGH’SC
BIRTHDAYC
CELEBRATION-C
LIVECFROMCPATNAC
SAHEBC
BIRTHC
ANNIVERSARYCOFC
SWAMIC
VIVEKANAND
KAHICDERCNACHOC
JAYECCC
SHAMA
BINCBITIYACSWARGC
ADHOORA
14.55
20.00
20.15
20.30
21.00
21.30
Akar Prakar
Under The Sky, exhibition of works by Patrick Rimoux, until Feb 5,
2 pm-7 pm, except Sundays
AURCEKCKAHANI
KABHICTOCMILKEC
SABCBOLO
KIRAN
NEWS
SAMACHAR
EKCTHACRUSTY-II
EKCKIRANC
ROSHNICKI:
FRIDAY
HOUSEFULL:
HINDICFEATUREC
FILMC“PAAN
SINGH TOMAR”
htcitycrossword
673
Emami Chisel Art
Serigraphs of Jehangir Sabavala
and Jogen Choudhury, until Jan
31 (except Sundays & Jan 26), 11
am-7 pm
Ganges Art Gallery
Art Bazar 2013, until Jan 22, 11
am-7 pm (closed on Sundays)
Academy of Fine Arts
Bengali plays for children, Aojo
Honourable directed by Chandan
Sen & Khas Dakhal by Rasaraj
Amritlal Basu, Jan 20, 10 am
Vivekananda Yoga
Anusandhana Samsthana
Foundation Course in Yoga
Science for Wellness, Feb 1-28,
6.15 am-8.30 am & 5-7.30 pm
STUDIO 21
Performance art evening by
Béatrice Didier, today, 5.30 pm
Vani Bharti School, Rishra
Friendly Cricket Match, organised
by Hooghly Chapter of EIRC of
ICSI, Jan 20, 10 am
ACROSS
Bojhena Sey Bojhena: Fame
Hiland Park (2.05 pm); Inox Rajarhat (2.45 pm); PVR (2.40 pm)
DOWN
● 1985: Spy ring was cracked
and top Government officials and
businessmen held.
Chemould Art Gallery
Solo art exhibition by Subhendu
Das, until Jan 20, 2 pm-7 pm
Bauria
Workshop on Capoeira and
Brazilian music and dance, with
Rafael Ceccon, Jan 21-25, 10 am
● 1977: Morarji Desai and other
opposition leaders were released
from jail and Lok Sabha was dissolved by the president during the
emergency period.
● 1980: Assam agitation turned
violent and army was called in.
Harrington Street Arts Centre
FAITH- solo Show by Manu
Parekh in Benaras 1980-2012,
Until Feb 9, 12 pm-7 pm
ICCR
■ Hunger, exhibition by Somnath
Hore, until Jan 19, 11 am-7 pm
■ Annual Art Exhibition 2013,
works of 25 artists on display,
Jan 24-30, 12 pm-8 pm
● 1950: India was declared a
secular republic. Prime Minister
Jawaharlal Nehru was determined to
abolish casteism and industrialise
the nation. Constitution made Hindi
official national language, English to
continue for 15 years, 14 major state
languages were also recognised.
Maach Mishti N More: Fame
Hiland Park (11.35 am, 6.55 pm);
Fame South City (2.10 pm, 5.05
pm); Inox Swabhumi (5.10 pm);
Inox Rajarhat (5.25 pm); Inox City
Centre (11.10 am, 6 pm); Broadway
(6.15 pm)
YMCA, Chowringhee
Incredible India Quiz, a genereal
quiz about India, Jan 20, 4 pm
14 Revoke (a law) (6)
16 Single-celled animal (6)
17 (Of weather) very cold (6)
19 Informal language (5)
21 Verdi opera (4)
Starmark, South City Mall
Interactive session with Mayank
Jain, author of Stop Me If You
Can, today, 6.30 pm
SOLUTION CROSSWORD
672
Academy of Fine Arts
Bengali play, Amaar Priyo Rabindranath, directed by Swatilekha
Sengupta, Jan 23, 7 pm
The Restaurant on the First
Floor
Adult Kitchen, cookery Workshop
for adults, Jan 20, 4 pm-6 pm
2 Fill again (6)
3 Asian part of Turkey (8)
4 Forces’ canteen (5)
6 Large continent (4)
7 Forever (6)
8 Sugary fluid (6)
13 Indian prince (8)
Jekhaney Bhooter Bhoy:
Rudyard Kipling
14.00
14.30
Birla Academy
The 46th Annual Exhibition 2013,
until Feb 3, 3 pm-8 pm (closed
on Jan 23 & 26, & Mondays)
MISCELLANEOUS
1 Confer holy orders on (6)
5 Palestinian area (4)
9 Accidental escape (7)
10 Neckwear (6)
11 Comic imitator (8)
12 Very nearly (6)
15 Petrol seller (6)
18 Camille —, French painter (8)
20 Give (money) to a good
cause (6)
22 Unyielding (7)
23 Fine horse breed (4)
24 Brief look (6)
Fame Hiland Park (2.20 pm);
Fame South City (12.15 pm, 7.45
pm); Inox Rajarhat (7.55 pm); Inox
City Centre (7.30 pm); Broadway
(1.45 pm)
JALSHA
MOVIES
0805 Abasheshe
1030 Khela
1230 Chalo Paltai
1510 Tara
1745 Sonar Sansar
2100 Baazi
2350 Sei To Aabar
Kache Eley
RUPASHI
BANGLA
STAR JALSHA
09.00
● 1938: The last batch of the
political prisioners sailed back to the
mainland from the Cellular Jail.
2100 Aanchal
2130 Sonsar Sukhe
Hoy Romonir Gune
2200 Care Kori Na
2030 Sati
2100 Saat Pake
Bandha
2130 Dance Bangla
Dance
DD NATIONAL
TIONAL
DDCNA
● 1486: King Henry VII of
England married Elizabeth of York,
daughter of Edward IV.
Galerie Le Mere
Annual exhibition 2013, painting
& drawings by eminent artists,
until Jan 30, 4 pm-8 pm
AKASH
BANGLA
Binni Dhaner Khoi at 9 pm, ETV Bangla
TARA MUZIK
ART
1900 Matribhoomi
1930 Sonay
Shohaga
2000 Uttoron
2100 Nodi Dik
Hara
2130 Babusona
ETV BANGLA
this day in history
pm, 10.20 pm); Fame South City
(9.20 am, 1.05 pm, 5 pm, 10.25
pm); Inox Forum (9 am, 3 pm, 8.40
pm, 11.10 pm); Inox Swabhumi
(10.15 am, 4.25 pm); Inox Rajarhat
(9.05 am, 6.30 pm, 10.20 pm);
Inox City Centre (9.15 am, 3 pm,
9.40 pm); PVR (10.15 am, 9.35
pm); Broadway (9.15 am, 12 pm,
2.45 pm, 7.45 pm, 10.30 pm)
ENGLISH
STAR GOLD
1100 Laughter
Station
1200 Waaris
1500 Laughter
Station
SET MAX
movies in town
Shunyo
Awnko
2100 Amar Akbar
Anthony
what’s on
bengaliflavour
moviesontv
mustwatchonTV
Jawaharlal Nehru
htcitymathdoku
Get your event listed in this
section by mailing us complete details (pictures, date
and venue details) to
[email protected]
SOLUTION SUDOKU
SCRAMBLE - 764
Solve the four anagrams and move one letter to each square to form four ordinary words
HADES
*
BSTUY
AENNRB
CEKLUB
*
*
*
Now arrange the letters marked with an asterisk (*) to form the answer to the riddle or to fill
in the missing words as indicated
If corn oil's made from corn, what is ___
oil made from? (4)
Solution: Words: Heads/shade, busty, banner, buckle.
Answer: If corn oil's made from corn, what is baby oil made from?
Fill in all the squares
in the grid so that
each row, column
and each of the 9X9
squares contains all
the digits from 1 to 9.
dailyhoroscope
Dr Prem
Kr. Sharma
Astrologer &
Vastu Expert
You share your birthday with
MINISSHA LAMBA
She is known for her roles in
films such as Bheja Fry 2,
Honeymoon Travels Pvt Ltd and
Bachna Ae Haseeno.
DIFFICULTY LEVEL
Place numbers into the puzzle cells in such
a way that each row and column contains
each of the digits from 1 up to the size of
the puzzle (5). Like a Sudoku puzzle, no
number is repeated in any row or column.
Each bold-outlined group of cells contains a
hint consisting of a number and one of the
mathematical symbols + x - /. The number
is the result of applying the mathematical
operation represented by the symbol to the
digits contained within the domain. The
solution to each puzzle is arrived at
logically and is unique.
calvinandhobbes
BILL WATTERSON
ARIES
TAURUS
GEMINI
CANCER
LEO
(MAR 21 - APR 20)
(APR 21 - MAY 20)
(MAY 21 - JUN 21)
(JUNE 22 - JULY 22)
(JULY 23 - AUG 23)
You may call the shots at work
and get a chance to implement
your ideas. Luck finally smiles on you on the
monetary front. A lucrative deal can bring
you into a lot of money. Your efforts are likely
to get paid off in the from praise on the
academic front. Achievements of a family
youngster may become a source of
happiness. Take steps to keep someone’s
interest alive in you!
Lucky No: 9 Lucky Colour: Maroon
Gaining lost ground on the
academic front assumes
importance, if you don’t want to lag behind.
Meeting of the minds is essential to make a
relationship work. Remember this, before you
say, “I do”. You can be invited to accompany
someone interesting on a journey. A property
issue troubling you for long will be settled in
your favour. You will manage to motivate
subordinates to deliver a project before time
at work. Lucky No: 1 Lucky Colour: Maroon
You may gain an edge at work by
putting in extra efforts. Someone
stealing the affections of the one you like
may make you see red, but there is no need
to be too possessive, as he or she may not be
too much into you! Distractions on the
academic front may not allow you to maintain
focus. Work undertaken at home may require
strict supervision. House owners wanting to
rent out their premises may find suitable tenants. Lucky No: 3 Lucky Colour: Magenta
LIBRA
SCORPIO
SAGITTARIUS
(SEPT 24 - OCT 23)
(OCT 24 - NOV 22)
(NOV 23 - DEC 21)
If you are on the wrong path,
sooner or later you are likely to
realise your folly, but by then it might be too
late. Making a business venture profitable
will require more than hard work, so get
networking fast. Tips of a family elder will
help you in keeping domestic tensions at bay.
Diplomacy will be the key to keep complications out of your life. You will enjoy the company of someone of opposite gender. Lucky
No: 22 Lucky Colour: Dark Turquoise
Judge things for yourself regarding an employee, as you are likely
to be misguided. Be more transparent in your
dealings, especially in man management
situations. A tight financial situation can
make you desperate, so keep the option of
loan open. Office politics are best not
indulged in as you can become its victim.
Paucity of time may get you panicky on the
academic front in completing an assignment.
Lucky No: 18 Lucky Colour: Chocolate
You are likely to gain the
confidence of someone influential
by your dedication. Don’t let opportunities
slip by on the professional front. If you are
earning well, there is no harm in helping out
those in need. Don’t let minor setbacks discourage you from achieving what you have
set out for on the academic front. Despite
casting your net wide on the romantic front,
you may not catch anything worth your while!
Lucky No: 6 Lucky Colour: Crimson
Getting along with someone you
don’t see eye to eye may prove
difficult, but you may have to lump it for the
time being. Receiving a long pending
payment is likely to keep you financially
healthy. There is a likelihood of making good
contacts on the professional front that
promise to prove indispensable at a later
date. Get-togethers and parties may keep
you happily occupied on the family front.
Lucky No: 22 Lucky Colour: Dark Turquoise
SOLUTION MATHODOKU
VIRGO
(AUG 24 - SEPT 23)
Someone may try to take undue
advantage of you, so don’t be
gullible and fall for his or her guiles.
Happiness in the domestic sphere will only
come with a changed mind set. You may find
it difficult to call a spade a spade, even at the
cost of the truth. But, doing so can be your
key to getting respect and adulation. You are
likely to improve your showing on the
academic front. Health remains satisfactory.
Lucky No: 8 Lucky Colour: Parrot Green
You are likely to do something
special for your partner, but may
be hard pressed for ideas. Take cue from
someone who is close to him or her.
Organising a function or a party can be on
the top of your mind today. A social gathering may find you taking the centre stage. The
day bestows total bliss for the newlyweds or
those in love. A travel bonanza is in store for
those who love to see new places.
Lucky No: 18 Lucky Colour: Rose
CAPRICORN
AQUARIUS
PISCES
(DEC 22 - JAN 21)
(JAN 22 - FEB 19)
(FEB 20 - MAR 20)
Meeting new people and expanding your friends’ circle is indicated. Travel to an exotic place may be on your
mind. This is the right time to plan it out. On
the business front, netting some more clients
promises better returns. Raising capital for a
new venture will prove a cakewalk. Proper
budgeting will help maintain quality of life.
Your desire to mingle and not remain single
may make you frequent the usual haunts.
Lucky No: 1 Lucky Colour: Light Yellow
Don’t be needlessly harsh
with someone who is all for you.
Sometimes going out of the way for people is
likely to earn you immense goodwill. Family
will be supportive, but will require
reciprocation in return. Financially, you stand
on a solid wicket and are not likely to face
any worries in the immediate future. A
travelling companion will prove most
entertaining and make the distance look small.
Lucky No: 9 Lucky Colour: Rose
Printed
and
Professionally there will be no
stopping you as you are on the
road to success. Your competence is likely to
make you indispensable at work. Family life
will prove immensely fulfilling. Young couples
may plan a short vacation. Try a new diet or
health foods as you may, but keeping
yourself active will do your health a whale of
a good. Those indulging in speculation stand
to lose money. Lucky No: 22;
Lucky Colour: Dark Slate Grey
distributed
by
NewspaperDirect
COPYRIGHT
AND
PROTECTED
BY
APPLICABLE
LAW
variety 03
PHOTOS: SAMIR JANA
PHOTOS: PRATEEK CHOUDHURY
Parijat Sen
hef Harpal Singh Sokhi, who
hosts Turban Tadka on Food
Food channel, launched the
restaurant The Funjabi Tadka,
on Southern Avenue, on Wednesday.
The chef says, “My love for food has
inspired me to cook distinctive dishes,
which are different yet simple. People
should be able to relate to my food and
easily make them at home.” The eatery
offers a lip-smacking spread comprising innovative delicacies, which are
inspired from the chef’s childhood.
Sokhi’s favourite, nimbu wala butter
chicken, is a blend of traditional butter
chicken with lemon grass. “People like
experimenting with food nowadays and
I love coming up with new recipes with
a twist,” says Sokhi. The non- vegetarian menu offers exotic dishes like chicken khurcha dal tarka, mutton stew
khichdi, makhmali malai tikki and
patiala shahi murg.
Beetroot amley diya tikkiyan, achari
sabziyon ka korma, rajma rasmisa,
bharwan bhindi do pyaza are a few
dishes that are available on the vegetarian menu. The magic continues into the
dessert menu as well, offering mouthwatering dishes like malai pista kulfi
with rabdi falooda, paan rasmalai
beeda and mirchaan wala halwa. The
pickle served with the food is homemade and is flown down from north
India.
The menu is done on wooden tablets
and every section has outrageously
hilarious names like Lassi Jaisi Koi
Nahi, Ganne Ka Kamaal Fultoo
Dhamaal and others.
The entrance has a yellow signboard,
which you just cannot miss. On entering, a multi-coloured truck painted on a
wall meets your eyes with framed cartoons lining the staircase. The ceiling is
done with ropes and wooden frames,
which are inverted khatiyas.
From Hindi proverbs displayed in the
form of pictograms to gola-makers and
funky tablemats, The Funjabi Tadka is
the place where food meets fun. The
earthy décor is largely inspired from
the rustic Punjabi dhabas and local art.
“The interior has an old log-house look
and is dominated by colours like red
and brown. The place is adequately
lighted yet is not too flashy,” says
Satyaki Mukherjee, director, Snowball
Conclave Pvt. Ltd. The restaurant
accommodates 70 heads.
“I expect people to come here not
just for the scrumptious food but also
for the ambience it provides,” says
Sokhi.
Meal for two: R 800 (plus tax);
Timings: noon to 11.30 pm;
Address: 19-A, Meghnad Saha Sarani;
Tel: 30811667
C
A place where food
meets fun
Chocolatey delights
Manali Ghosh
hen we hear the
name Chocolate
Room, we think of
Charlie and the Chocolate
Factory, the Oompa
Loompas and everything
made of chocolate. But The
Chocolate Room at 42A,
Shakespeare Sarani, has a
lot more to offer. The
Australian café chain
believes in creating a new
chocolate culture in India.
The 35-seater air-conditioned café has
around 400 different
items on its menu.
The atmosphere is
warm and cozy. Apart
from cakes, ice
creams, pastries,
waffles and mocktails, one will also
get a variety of food
choices ranging
from salads, wraps,
paninis, pizzas,
nachos, pastas, fon-
W
dues, different kinds of
bread baskets and hot
chocolate. All the items
are egg-less though they
also take orders to make
separate items with eggs
in it. The outlet also specialises in personalised
orders and cake printings.
The Chocolate Room is
open to party bookings.
The outlet also has home
delivery facilities. “People
have the idea that this
place is all about chocolates. Albeit chocolate in
the main product but we
also have a lot to offer
besides that. It is more
than just a coffee shop.
People love the fondues,
nachos, salads and paninis.
They sell like hot cakes,”
says Neelam Agarwal, proprietor.
There are also attractive
gift hampers, chocolate
bouquets, assorted chocolates and special merchandise for special occasions.
Meal for two:
R 350-500
(plus tax);
Timings:
8am- midnight;
Address:
Express
Tower, 42A,
Shakespeare
Sarani; Tel:
22890129,
9830244214
WEEKEND Original recipes, distinct tastes
WATCH
W H AT W
WHHEENN W H E R E
Roxy: As part of Wasted
Friday, drink unlimited beer and
tequila on offer. This week, do
not miss the mixes churned by
the DJs. Throw on your wicked
party avatar and groove in style
as they spoil you with the best
in commercial dance music.
Timing: 8 pm onwards,
today; Entry: Club rules
apply; Tel: 40049000
Aqua: Extend the happiness
on weekends with delicious
wines at an affordable price.
Spoil yourself with endless
pour of choice of four new
world wines--antares chardonnay, torreoria blanco, antares
cabernet sauvignon and torrearia tinto at R 1500. Timing: 7 pm onwards on Fridays
and Saturdays; Entry: Club
rules apply; Tel: 40049000
Underground: Listen to
retro, lounge and commercial
music played by DJs Vikrant,
Varun, Felix and Chris.
Timing: 8 pm onwards on
Saturday; Entry: Club rules
apply; Tel: 40018000
Virgose: Myanmar’s singers
Mc Chon and Chan who
specialises in retro, country,
jazz, blue take the stage. Enjoy
the pub fare comprising several
delicacies and enjoy lip smacking tapas with premium spirits.
Timing: 8 pm onwards on
Sunday; Entry: Free; Tel:
40018000
Nostradamus: Groove to
electrifying music by DJ Ritze
and DJ Cas. Click yourself on a
cosmorickshaw and enjoy
phuchkas as the parrot predicts your future. Timing:
7.30 pm onwards on Saturday;
Entry: Unlimited beverages
at R 799 for girls and unlimited
beverage package at R 1499
for men; Tel:39884422
Maaya and Splash:
Celebrate the weekend with
friends and dear ones. Gorge
on delicious platters on offer
and dance to the music played
by the resident DJ. Timing:
7 pm onwards on Saturday;
Entry: Club rules apply;
Tel: 66266666
QUICK BITES
Palak Soy
INGREDIENTS
3 cups of spinach leaves
1/2 cup soy leaves (dill leaves)
1 1/2 tbsp canola oil
■ 2 tbsp canola oil
■ 2 tbsp onion chopped
■ 1 tbsp garlic chopped
■ 2 tsp green chillies chopped
■ 1/2 tsp salt
■ 1 tsp turmeric
■2 tsp black pepper powder
■ 2 tsp coriander powder
■
■
■
DIRECTIONS: Boil water and add
washed spinach leaves. Leave in
water for 15 seconds, them
remove and immediately place it in
chilled water. Remove and drain
the excess water. Chop spinach
and soy leaves and keep aside.
Heat oil and add onion, garlic,
green chillies and sauté until
transparent. Add chopped spinach
and sauté for 5 minutes. Add salt,
turmeric, black pepper and
coriander powder. Sauté for
another minute. Toss the soy
leaves and remove immediately. It
is ready to serve.
KUNAL KAPUR,
EXECUTIVE SOUS CHEF,
THE LEELA KEMPINSKI
Manali Ghosh
olkatans are known to
be food lovers and
biryani finds a special
place in their hearts. Be it
Awadhi or kacchi, biryani
has always been a favourite.
Keeping in mind Kolkata’s
undying love for biryani,
Dawat-e-Shiraz, at Tulip
Inn is holding a festival,
Wah! Biryani.
The origin of biryani goes
back to the time of the
Mughal emperors. Though
Hyderabad, Lucknow and
Delhi are known to be hubs,
Kolkata has also emerged as
a popular biryani destination.
The festival offers five varieties of biryani — moti,
Hyderabadi, kacchi,
Murshidabadi and mahi kofta
biryani. Chef Keshav Samul
has prepared the dishes
keeping in mind the different
K
tastes and their original
recipes. Every dish is special
in terms of preparation,
ingredients, flavour and presentation. While Hyderabadi
biryani has an abundance of
dalchini, ginger, mint and
brown onions, its Awadhi
counterpart is less spicy, and
has a hint of elaichi, javitri
and cloves.
Murshidabadi biryani has
chicken, chef’s special spices
and is cooked in the nawabi
style, whereas kacchi biryani
consists of mutton and raw
rice, cooked on dum.
A new recipe has also been
included on the menu.
Usually the meat used in
most varieties of biryani is
mutton, chicken and lamb.
However, the mahi kofta
biryani has been prepared
keeping in mind palate of
Bengalis who love their fish.
“Bengalis often wonder if fish
could be included in the
Sugar substitutes
Dr Anjali Mukerjee
Raw honey
I am advised to give up sugar as
I am overweight and diabetic.
But I crave for sweet things.
What are the healthy
alternatives to sugar?
Sugar has become an inseparable part of our diet. But
it is important to know
that eating too much of
it is harmful to health.
Nowadays, many people
are switching over to
sugar substitutes. They are
food additives that duplicate
the effect of sugar in taste,
usually with less food energy. Some sugar substitutes
are natural while some are
artificial. Artificial sweeteners provide intense sweetness without calories.
Natural sweeteners, though
they provide calories, are
denser in nutrients than
sugar and are low in
glucose.
Commonly used sugar
alternatives
Whenever you crave for a
sweet treat, opt for any of
the following options:
Stevia
It is a natural sweetener
which is almost 300 times
sweeter than sugar, and therefore required in smaller quantities. When consumed, it
doesn’t lead to a rise in blood
sugar or cause an insulin
spike. This makes it an excellent alternative to sugar.
biryani recipe. That’s how we
came up with idea. We have
steamed fish balls and basmati rice, cooked with rich
spices on dum. We are using
Kolkata bekti,” says Samul.
The moti biryani gets its
name from the minced meatballs served in rice.
“We stick to the original
recipes and maintain a high
standard. This is probably
why people keep coming back for more”
says Samul.
The festival is
on till January
31.
Meal for two:
R 700-800
(including tax);
Timings: 12:30
pm to 4 pm and
7 pm to 11:30 pm;
Address: 56 Park
Street; Tel- 033
66064206
Sugar alcohols
Sugar alcohols are low-calorie
sweeteners. They are also
known as polyols, and are
used as sweeteners and bulking agents. In spite of their
name, they neither contain
sugar nor alcohol, and are
found naturally in many fruits
and vegetables. The calories in
sugar alcohols are almost half
as compared to sugar. Since
sugar alcohols are slowly converted into glucose, they
require very little insulin to be
metabolised. Hence, there is
no sudden increase in the
insulin levels.
Home-made food usually
don’t contain sugar alcohols
but many of the processed
foods do. Xylitol, a type of
sugar alcohol, is found in
sugarless chewing gums.
Another type, erythritol, is
mostly used in baked goods
and confectioneries. And the
sugar alcohol, isomalt, is mainly used in soft candies, chocolates, jams and ice creams.
and glucose. It contains
vitamins like B1, B2, B3, B6
and most of the minerals.
Robust flavours
Agave nectar
It is produced from native
Mexican plant blends. The
main sugars present in agave
are fructose and glucose, fructose being in higher amounts
than glucose. Therefore, it
does not affect the blood sugar
level.
Maple syrup
It is a natural sweetener and is
a healthier option than
processed table sugar. It
contains nutrients like
calcium, potassium, zinc and
manganese. Maple syrup can
also be used to sweeten
drinks, in desserts and as a
topping for pancakes.
Dr Anjali Mukerjee is
a nutritionist and the founder
of Health Total, a nutrition
counselling centre
Raw honey
Raw honey is unheated,
unpasteurised,
unprocessed honey. It
acts as an antibacterial,
antiviral and antifungal agent. The basic sugars
present in honey are fructose
Isomalt is used
in chocolates
Mumbai-based Copper Chimney recently launched its new
outlet at City Center 1. It serves cuisines from the north-west
frontier provinces and north India.
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AND
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04 show time
Emma obsessed
with perfection
NUMBER
GAME
FRIDAY
R7.02 CRORE
SATURDAY
R7.40 CRORE
SUNDAY
R8 CRORE
H
Imran Khan
and Anushka
Sharma in
Matru Ki Bijlee
Ka Mandola
Slow start to the new year
Katrina
Kaif
Vishal Bhardwaj’s latest film pleases critics but fails to rake in
the moolah at the box office
Shalvi Mangaokar
■
[email protected]
atru Ki Bijlee Ka
Mandola
(MKBKM),
which was touted as the year’s first big
release, couldn’t make a
mark at the box office.
There were high hopes
riding on the film due to
various reasons, including
the fact that it’s a Vishal
Bhardwaj film and features
veteran actors Pankaj
Kapur and Shabana Azmi.
The music was also in the
M
news for its freshness and
the slick promos that made
the movie look promising.
Even though critics gave
it a good rating, the movie’s
box-office collection has
been dismal. Trade analyst
Komal Nahta says,
“MKBKM is lengthy and
boring. It entertains only in
parts. That’s probably why
it didn’t make a mark at the
box office.”
Trade analyst Vinod
Mirani adds, “It is a bad
film. There’s no romance in
the so-called love story.”
The movie, which stars
BOX OFFICE
REPORT
Imran Khan and Anushka
Sharma in the lead, and
was made on a budget of
R33 cr, has managed to rake
in only R22.42 cr so far.
Film exhibitor and
distributor Akshaye Rathi
says, “All of Vishal
Bhardwaj’s films till date
seem to have had the same
‘Tom held auditions
to get a wife’
Penelope Cruz
return to her studies at
Brown University. She feels
studying keeps her grounded in the middle of her
Hollywood lifestyle. “I think
having time to step away
and study really helps. It
helps to give me perspective on things. To be
around people who are living their lives in different
ways, who have different
aspirations. It is a strange
thing that I do and I can
feel quite unnerving. It’s
good to remember that it’s
a bit mad.” She adds,
“Happiness for me is about
finding satisfaction in the
work that I do. It’s to do
with having healthy
relationships with the people I care about,” says the
Harry Potter actor. IANS
ollywood actor
Emma Watson
(right), who has
inherited her
hardworking nature from
her lawyer parents, says
she is obsessed with being
perfect and can be very
hard on herself. “My parents have very strong work
ethics and have instilled
that in me, a love and
respect for what you do
and taking pride in it. And
then this is sort of irritating
at times. I have Obsessivecompulsive disorder
(OCD),” contactmusic.com
quoted Watson as saying. “I
am my own worst critic. I
always want to do better. I
am always striving towards
the next thing,” said the 22year-old, who is due to
Scarlett Johansson
Katrina is
Bipasha’s fan
Actor loves Basu’s idea
of dance-inspired
exercises to lose
weight; follows the
same method herself
core audience — the critics.
Although they have always
been received well, it’s also
important for these films to
bring positive returns to
their investors. This can
only happen if they appeal
to a wider audience.”
He adds, “While the
weekend numbers have
been fine, thanks to the
popularity of Imran Khan
and Anushka Sharma and
the film’s wide release, the
film nosedived at the box
office on Monday. It will fail
to give the investors a
reason to smile.”
Shalvi Mangaokar
■
[email protected]
veryone knows of actor
Bipasha Basu’s love for
fitness. The actor, who
recently released a fitness
DVD in which she teaches
dance exercises to lose weight,
now seems to have found a fan
in actor Katrina Kaif.
Apparently, Katrina too
uses the same method,
and is quite in awe of
E
Bipasha’s idea.
A source says, “When
Katrina found out about the
DVD, she was thrilled.
Every time she’s stressed, she
puts on loud music at home
and starts dancing. She feels it
helps her calm down. In fact,
even when she needs to tone
up or lose weight, she chooses
to do it by dancing, as she
thinks it helps burn calories
better.”
Ask Katrina about this and
she says, “When you are fit and
in control of your body, you feel
better and look great. Your
body functions better using
dance as a medium to burn
calories. It is a great idea by
Bipasha and something a lot of
people should do. I like it
because I do the same.”
Bipasha
Basu
PHOTOS: REUTERS
FREEZE
FRAME
Actor Charlize
Theron and her
mother Gerda
Jacoba Aletta
(L), and actors
Jack Nicholson
and Adam Sandler
watch the
Oklahoma City
Thunder play the
Los Angeles
Lakers during
their NBA
basketball game
in Los Angeles
Pam dating reality show partner?
Jessica Alba
he Church of
Scientology has vehemently denied claims
made in a new book that
Hollywood actor Tom Cruise
(right) auditioned a host of
Hollywood beauties including
actors Scarlett Johansson,
Jessica Alba, Lindsay Lohan
and Kate Bosworth to be his
wife before settling on Katie
Holmes. Allegedly disappointed by his split from
Oscar-winning actor
Penelope Cruz in 2004 after
she failed to embrace
Scientology, Cruise allowed
senior members of the
church to summon the unwitting stars to read for a nonexistent part in the Mission:
Impossible series.
According to Going Clear:
Scientology, Hollywood and
the Prison Belief — the 50year-old star initiated the
unusual casting couch-style
marriage interviews after a
complaint to his sister at a
Scientology church opening
in Madrid that no one had
been able to find him a new
girlfriend, the Daily Mail
reported. Cruise also allegedly made the same complaint
to Scientology leader and his
best friend David Miscavige
after his three-year relationship with Cruz ended.
Lawyers for Cruise have
vehemently insisted that no
such conversations ever
occurred while he was in
Spain. However, the tell-all
book, penned by Pulitzer
Prize-winning author
Lawrence Wright, alleges
that Scientologist matchmakers arranged for “auditions” at the organisation’s
Celebrity Center in LA and
invited young female actors.
Lindsay Lohan
Kate Bosworth
Katie Holmes
T
ollywood actor and
reality show star
Pamela Anderson (left)
has moved beyond her toyboy
lover Jesus Villa, and is now
reportedly dating her
‘Dancing on Ice’ partner Matt
Evers. Anderson, 45, began
secretly dating Evers last
month, but the pair was eliminated from the show last week
and she flew back to the US.
They are set to go public with
their romance in March when
Anderson returns to the UK
for the final of the reality show.
According to a source, the
couple had “instant chemistry,” saying that Evers is
H
moping around like a
love-sick puppy while
Anderson keeps reassuring
him how much she feels
for him. They cannot wait to
see each other again, the
Mirror reported. The source
said that no one had imagined
that the couple would get
together but after spending
some time in each other’s
company away from the rink,
things started to progress.
Evers stayed with Anderson
at her house in Malibu shortly
before Christmas and also
went out for dinner in Los
Angeles, the source said.
Mariah Carey
ends spat with
Nicki Minaj
ANI
ariah Carey (top),
who had a fight
with Nicki Minaj
(above) in last season’s
American Idol, made up
with the singer by watching her sex tape. The
new judges on the hit Fox
show were forced to
address their backstage
clash during the 2013
Winter TCA tour in
California on January 8.
When the ladies were
asked by the reporters
about how they patched
up, Minaj jokingly said
that she put on her sex
tape and then both of
ANI
them watched it.
M
ANI
Pam with Jesus Villa in happier times (L) and Matt Evers (R)
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LPG cap up, diesel is partially set free

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