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PRIVATE LTD
3
‘Make technology
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6
‘Runs will flow in
India-Oz match’
7
Modi meets China’s
special envoy
8
Komban to release
in over 300 screens
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www.newstodaynet.com
NATIONAL DAILY
VOL. XXXIII NO. 107 H CHENNAI
FOUNDER EDITOR: T.R.R
H TUESDAY 24.3.2015 (EVENING) H OTHER STATIONS WEDNESDAY 25.3.2015 (MORNING) H 8 PAGES Rs. 4.00 H Regd. No., TN/CC(S) DN/223/15-17, RNI No: 33810 / 82
Killer Miller, rain, Baz
q AB, Faf power Proteas to formidable score
Auckland, Mar 24 (PTI):
David Miller blazed his way to a
18-ball 49 as South Africa set New
Zealand a daunting target of 298 runs
in 43 overs in the rain-curtailed first
semifinal of the cricket World Cup
here today.
Opting to bat, South Africa notched
up 281 for five, but the target was
revised under the Duckworth/Lewis
method after seven overs each were
deducted per side following a twohour rain interruption at Eden Park.
Beginning the chase in right earnest,
New Zealand skipper Brendon Mc-
NO RUN OF MILL STUFF
David Miller clobbered six fours
and three sixes, narrowly missing out on equalling the record
for fastest World Cup fifty (by
compatriot AB de Villiers).
Cullum went on the rampage from
ball one and carted the rival bowlers
all over the park. He hit a blazing
26-ball 58 inclusive of four sixers to
galvanise the Kiwis’ chase. His exit
coupled with the early dismissal of
Kane Williamson left the host at 116
for 2 after 15 overs with last match’s
double centurion Martin Guptill and
Ross Taylor at the helm of the chase.
Miller clobbered six fours and three
sixes, narrowly missing out on equalling
the record for fastest World Cup fifty.
Skipper AB de Villiers made an unbeaten 65 off 45 balls, while Faf du
Plessis top-scored with a 107-ball 82,
but it was Miller’s innings that gave
Constable
injured in road
accident, 1 held
NT Bureau
Chennai, Mar 24:
An Armed Reserve constable met
with an accident on Dr Radhakrishnan
Road in Mylapore here this morning.
According to police sources, Sonai
Muthu (26) from Ramanathapuram,
was heading for duty at the AIADMK
chief J Jayalalithaa’s residence at
around 7.50 am, when a SUV hit his
two-wheeler from behind.
He was rushed to Royapettah Government Hospital and later shifted to
the Rajiv Gandhi Government Hospital.
He is said to have sustained serious injuries and in an unconscious condition.
The SUV’s driver Sheikh Mohammed has been arrested and a case
has been registered by the Adyar
Traffic Investigation police.
David Miller’s blistering assault
helped South Africa’s cause in the
rain-affected semifinal.
Proteas the much-needed impetuous
towards the end. Thanks to his blitzkrieg, South Africa, who were 184 for
three at the end of 35th over, scored
65 runs in the last five overs.
Earlier, South Africa looked edgy
and found the going tough with Trent
Boult sending back both the openers,
Hashim Amla and Quinton de Kock,
with only 31 runs on the board in the
eighth over.
SECTION 66A
q SC strikes down provision in IT Act, says it’s unconstitutional
New Delhi, Mar 24 (PTI):
In a landmark judgement upholding
freedom of expression, the Supreme
Court today struck down a provision in
the cyber law which provides power to
arrest a person for posting allegedly
‘offensive’ content on websites.
Terming liberty of thought and
expression as ‘cardinal’, a bench of
justices J Chelameswar and R F Nariman said, ‘The public’s right to know
is directly affected by section 66A of
the Information Technology Act.’
Justice Nariman, who pronounced
the verdict in a packed court room,
also said that the provision ‘clearly
affects’ the fundamental right to
freedom of speech and expression
enshrined under the Constitution.
Elaborating the grounds for holding
the provision as ‘unconstitutional’, it
said terms like ‘annoying’, ‘inconvenient’ and ‘grossly offensive’, used in
the provision are vague as it is difficult
for the law enforcement agency and
the offender to know the ingredients
of the offence.
The bench also referred to two
judgements of separate UK courts
which reached different conclusions
as to whether the material in question
was offensive or grossly offensive.
‘When judicially trained minds can
reach on different conclusions’ while
TN Budget to be
tabled tomorrow
NT Bureau
Chennai, Mar 24:
The budget session of the Tamilnadu
Assembly will start here tomorrow.
Chief Minister O Panneerselvam, who also holds
the Finance portfolio, will
present the budget, probably the last full-fledged
one ahead of the scheduled
elections to the Tamilnadu
Assembly (next year).
Various crucial announcements are expected to be
made in the budget, which, according
to sources, will live up to the vision
of AIADMK general secretary J Jayalalithaa, under whose guidance the
Tamilnadu government is functioning.
The session, it is said, is expected
to be a brief one, with the discussions
on demands for grants for various
departments expected to be taken
up later.
It is said that some important
resolutions would also be
passed during the session.
It must be noted that the
State government and political
parties have opposed Karnataka’s decision to construct
check dams across river
Cauvery at Mekedatu, saying
it was violative of the final order of
the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal in 2007. They are insisting that
the Centre constitute the Cauvery
Management Board.
Crucial TN-Lanka
fishermen talks in city
NOTHING FISHY
Mediamen gathered in large numbers outside the venue where fishermen
from Tamilnadu and and Sri Lanka held talks today in Chennai.
Photo: M SRINIVASAN
NT Bureau
The talks started this morning after
Chennai, Mar 24: it was reportedly learnt that one secThe third round of bilateral talks tion of the arrested fishermen were
between fishermen of India and Sri released.
Tamilnadu Fisheries Minister K A
Lanka over the issue of fishing in Palk
Jayapal, higher officials of the State
Strait started here this morning.
On Monday, the Tamilnadu govern- government, fishermen representament said it would call off the talks tives from Tamilnadu, Puducherry
if 54 fishermen from Tamilnadu, ar- and Sri Lanka took part in the meet.
Top officials of the Central governrested recently by the Navy of the
island nation, were not released as ment and those from the island nation
were also present.
assured by the Lankan government.
I
Legal matters
n a landmark judgement upholding freedom of expression, the Supreme Court today struck down a provision
in the cyber law which provides power to arrest a person
for posting allegedly ‘offensive’ content on websites.
Terming liberty of thought and expression as ‘cardinal’, a bench of justices J Chelameswar and R F Nariman said, ‘The public’s right to know is directly affected
by section 66A of the Information Technology Act.’
Justice Nariman, who pronounced the verdict in a
packed court room, also said that the provision ‘clearly
affects’ the fundamental right to freedom of speech and
expression enshrined under the Constitution.
The bench also referred to two judgements of separate UK
courts which reached different conclusions as to whether the
material in question was offensive or grossly offensive. The
bench, however, did not strike down two other provisions sections 69A and 79 of the IT Act- and said that they can
remain enforced with certain restrictions.
Meanwhile, the the Budget session of the Tamilnadu
Assembly will start in Chennai tomorrow. Chief Minister
O Panneerselvam, who also holds the Finance portfolio,
will present the budget which comes a year ahead of
the scheduled elections to the Assembly.
The session is likely to be a stormy one with the
opposition parties likely to raise a number of issues,
including the State’s financial position, besides the
vexed Cauvery dispute with Karnataka.
According to sources, the talks were
based on a six-point agenda which
include ending attacks on and arrests
of Indian fishermen by Sri Lankan
Navy and confiscation of their equipment, discussing speedy repatriation
of arrested persons and their boats
and working out mutually acceptable
fishing boundaries and methods in
the Palk Bay.
Earlier talks had been held in
Chennai and Colombo. Fishing in
the Palk Strait has been a contentious issue with Indian fishermen
either being fired upon or arrested
by the Lankan Navy, even as the
issue has emotional overtones in
Tamilnadu.
Today’s talks were being held in the
backdrop of the controversial remarks
made by Sri Lankan Prime Minister
Ranil Wickremesinghe who had said
that ‘If someone tries to break into my
house, I can shoot. If he gets killed...
Law allows me to do that,’ drawing
sharp responses from political parties
in the State.
VOICE OF COURT
q The public’s right to know is directly affected by section 66A of
the Information Technology Act
q The provision clearly affects the
fundamental right to freedom
of speech and expression enshrined under the Constitution.
q Terms like ‘annoying’, ‘inconvenient’ and ‘grossly offensive’,
used in the provision are vague
as it is difficult for the law enforcement agency and the offender to know the ingredients
of the offence.
q What may be offensive to a
person may not be offensive to
the other.
going through the same content, then
how is it possible for law enforcement
agency and others to decide as to
what is offensive and what is grossly
offensive, the bench said, adding,
‘What may be offensive to a person
may not be offensive to the other’.
The bench also rejected the assurance given by NDA government
during the hearing that certain procedures may be laid down to ensure
that the law in question is not abused.
The government had also said that
it will not misuse the provision.
‘Governments come and go but
section 66A will remain forever,’ the
bench said, adding the present government cannot give an undertaking
about its successor that they will not
abuse the same. The bench, however, did not strike down two other
provisions- sections 69A and 79 of the
IT Act- and said that they can remain
enforced with certain restrictions.
Section 69A provides power to issue
directions to block public access of
any information through any computer resource and 79 provides for
exemption from liability of intermediary in certain cases.
The apex court pronounced its verdict on a batch of petitions challenging
constitutional validity of certain sections of the cyber law.
The first PIL on the issue was
filed in 2012 by law student Shreya
Singhal, who sought amendment in
Section 66A of the Act, after two girls
-- Shaheen Dhada and Rinu Shrinivasan-- were arrested in Palghar in
Thane district as one of them posted
a comment against the shutdown in
Mumbai following Shiv Sena leader
Bal Thackeray’s death and the other
‘liked’ it.
In the wake of numerous complaints
of harassment and arrests, the apex
court had on 16 May, 2013, come
out with an advisory that a person,
accused of posting objectionable
comments on social networking sites,
cannot be arrested without police getting permission from senior officers
like IG or DCP.
After the apex court had reserved
its judgement in the matter on February 26 this year, another controversial case hogged the limelight
for alleged misuse of section 66A,
in which a boy was arrested on
March 18 for allegedly posting on
Facebook objectionable comments
against senior Samajwadi Party
leader Azam Khan.
A petition was filed before the Supreme Court in this regard alleging
that its advisory was violated after
which the apex court had asked UP
police to explain the circumstances
leading to the arrest of the boy.
(All about the Act on page 7)
Kamal disagrees
with Rajini’s decision
q ‘Claiming compensation for a film’s loss is unjust’
M BHARAT KUMAR
Chennai, Mar 24:
With just a couple of weeks left for
his Uttama Villain to hit the screens,
actor Kamal Haasan came out and
interact with the media. Clad in
black T-shirt with a thick moustache
(Papanasam look), He started off in
his usual self addressing the packed
hall at his Alwarpet residence with
a rewind to the past. He recalled
his early days in the house and the
times he spent with his mentor K
Balachander there. Easily switching
between Tamil and English, he answered at leisure and spontaneous
to the queries thrown at him.
Lingaa row
When queried about a section of
distributors getting compensated
for their alleged loss they suffered,
Kamal Haasan, ‘It will set a bad
precedent. Cinema is art for a filmmaker, his technicians and artistes.
When someone invests money, it
becomes his business. It is unjust
for them to claim compensation’
Censor, censure
On the set of guidelines and restrictions imposed by the Censor
Board, Kamal Haasan said, ‘they
are a certification body. Unfortunately, they are assuming the role
of censorship. Their guidelines stifle
our freedom of expression.’
Troubles, travails
The man who finds himself
in the midst of controversy for
everything he does, say, ‘I am
clueless why trouble always follow me. When someone wants to
raise an issue, they think only of
me and my address’.
‘From Virumandi to Mumbai Express to Vishwaroopam, I have
seen lots of problems. Interestingly
a section wanted me to change
the title Mumbai Express, which
was inspired by the name of a train
that is running between Mumbai
and Chennai. Dare they protest to
rename the train today’.
On Marudhanayakam
When asked whether efforts are
on to revive his ambitious project
Marudhanayakam, the actor said,
‘yes. My friends are in talks in with
me. But I keep reminding them that
is a mammoth project. I have even
told them that it is a big film and an
international cinema that needs to
be made in English.
S Baskar’s role is special.’
Mentor, director
Asked whether he rued missing
the opportunity to direct KB in Uttama Villain, Kamal Haasan said,
‘Ramesh Aravind has been with
me since Virumandi days. He has
the knowledge to identify good
stories. He has done a good job
as director.’
‘In KB school, we do all works.
LOUD & CLEAR
Actor Kamal Haasan addressing media persons in Chennai today.
Photo: ARJ
Uttama Villain
Stating that Uttama Villain is
close to heart for it features his
mentor K Balachander in the cast,
Kamal Haasan, said, ‘There is an
influence of my personal life in
every film of mine. So is Uttama
Villain. It is the story of a hero with
and without mask.’
‘Uttama Villain is inspired by KB
films that reflected world cinema.
From Urvasi to Nasser to Jayaram
all have done a wonderful job in it. M
From carrying lights to assisting our
director. We learnt things from him
in a hard way. I have no qualms
of not directing him in Uttama Villain for he gave me the liberty to
direct many portions in his films
in the past’.
PK, Okay?
On rumours that he is to star in
the PK remake in Tamil, he said, ‘I
have still not yet made it true, the
news that I have agreed to do PK
in Tamil’.
2 TUESDAY
24 MARCH 2015
City
Centre
Crematorium gets life
at Nesapakkam
IN THE NEWS
CHENNAI
C
Chennai Corporation is relaying roads at K K Nagar as the
surfaces are battered.
Photo: B ANAND
hennai Corporation is constructgenerate fire energy to incinerate
ing a gasifier crematorium at
the body between 800 and 1,100
Erikarai burial ground, Nesapakkam.
degrees temperature. The entire
The crematorium, to come up at a
process could be completed within
cost of Rs 64 lakh, would serve the
60 minutes to 90 minutes.
residents of Nesapakkam, K K Nagar
A trial run will be conducted and
and others.
after which the crematorium would
Corporation Assistant Engineer
be opened for public use, the official
(Zone X) Murugan said the construcsaid. The civic body is also raising
tion work which began recently,
the height of the compound wall by
would be completed in three months.
four feet to keep away encroachers.
A separate room measuring (20
Asked about the maintenance of the
ft/30 ft) will be built
and
gasifer crematorium, the official
the gasifer
said it would be given to private
would be fixed
agency on annual basis.
R
in the centre.
‘Residents initially opposed to
PILLA
SHOK
A
The bodies kept
new facility as the burial ground
in the verandah
was small. We explained them about
would be then taken inside.
its advantages and environment imThe crematorium uses wood chips
pact. Later, Corporation officials visinstead of electricity to incinerate the
ited the crematorium, charted out the
dead bodies. Compared with the conplan and are now executing it,’ said
ventional cremation methods, it is 50
Councillor (Ward 137) C Subramani.
per cent economical and eco-friendly.
Welcoming the civic body for conComing to the functioning of the
structing the gasifier crematorium,
crematorium, four-inch pieces of
the residents said it should be mainwood will be put in the hopper of the
tained properly and an office room
gasifier which, when fired with a limwith 24/7 phone facility should be
ited amount of oxygen, will produce
provided so that it can be approached
gas. The gas will be channelized to
at any time.
the cremation furnace where it will
- NT Bureau
The Erikari burial ground that is to be renovated.
The facility will be built at
a cost of Rs 64 lakh and
would serve residents of
Nesapakkam and K K Nagar
Going the eco way
Bio-toilets come up in Ramapuram
R
women in the neighbourhood had
esidents of Porur and Ramapuram say that there is overput the Corporation in a tight spot.
‘There are no public toilets here in the
flowing drainage, damaged pipelines
and foul smell enveloping localities.
neighbourhood. This leads to many
Keeping this in view, the Corpoemptying their bladder in public,’ said
ration has set up bio-toilets in the
Subramaniam, a resident of Bharathi
neighbourhood and the first being
Salai.
at Bharathi Salai in RamSubramaniam added
apuram.
that once the toilets are
It is a perennial probconstructed it needs to
lem for residents in
RUR be maintained properly.
O
P
‘The work of the Corpofew divisions though
geographically they hapration does not end with constructing
pen to be in core areas
o f
toilets alone, they should make sure
the city.
that it cleaned regularly,’ he said.
The absence of public toilets for
‘It is important for Corporation to
hold awareness programmes and
make people understand the importance of sanitation. Even if toilets are
constructed, many people choose not
to use it,’ says Madhukar, a doctor.
Officials said there are more toilets
being constructed across the neighbourhood and will be operational
soon.
‘Sanitation has been a concern for
the Corporation in its budget and
it is seriously looking at constructing more toilets in the extended
city,’ said the official.
- NT Bureau
05:30 PM Kalai Koil
TV TODAY
06:00 PM Utchakattam
06:30 PM Idhu Pudhusu
JAYA TV
07:00 PM News
04:30 PM Kollywood Gallery
07:30 PM Mohini
05:00 PM New Songs
08:00 PM Bhavani
05:30 PM Arusuvai Neram
08:30 PM Romapuri Paandiyan
06:30 PM Galatta Comedy
09:00 PM Odi Vilayadu Pappa
The new bio-toilets which have been constructed at Bharathi Salai in Ramapuram.
07:00 PM Kalyanam Mudhal Kaad
hal Varai
07:30 PM Aandaal Azhagar
08:00 PM Deivam Thandha Veedu
08:30 PM Saravanan Meenatchi
09:00 PM Mahabharatham
09:30 PM Super Singer T20
10:30 PM Office
11:00 PM Kalyanam Mudhal Kaadhal Varai
STAR SPORTS 1
03:30 PM ICC Cricket World Cup
2015 H/ls : Semi Final 1:
New Zealand vs. South
Africa
04:30 PM ICC Cricket World Cup
2015 H/ls : Quarter Final
2: Bangladesh vs. India
1: New Zealand vs. South
Africa
TEN SPORTS
02:30 PM French Ligue 1 2014/15
H/ls
03:30 PM Sports Week
04:00 PM WWE Raw
07:00 PM Motorsport Mundial
05:30 PM Cricket Legends
07:00 PM Ramayanam
06:30 PM Pasamalar
09:30 PM Madippakkam Madhavan
07:30 PM News
07:00 PM News
10:00 PM News Headlines
08:00 PM Hits
11:30 PM Mandhira Punnagai
07:30 PM Nadhaswaram
10:02 PM Kaliyugam
08:30 PM Akka
08:00 PM Deiva Magal
10:30 PM Sirippu Varudhu
RAJ TV
06:00 PM ICC Cricket World Cup
2015 H/ls : Semi Final 1:
New Zealand vs. South
Africa
09:00 PM Priyamana Thozhi
08:30 PM Vamsam
11:00 PM Telebuy
05:00 PM S K Shoppe
07:00 PM Cricket Legends
09:00 PM WWE Raw
05:30 PM Vellithira
07:30 PM ICC Cricket World Cup
2015 H/ls : Semi Final 1:
New Zealand vs. South
Africa
TEN
09:30 PM Poomagal
09:00 PM Priyamanaval
10:00 PM Kavidhaiyae Theriyuma
09:30 PM Vani Rani
10:30 PM English News
10:00 PM Sakthi
10:45 PM Tamil News
10:30 PM Azhagi
11:00 PM Thenkinnam
11:00 PM Ettu Patti Raasa
SUN TV
KALAIGNAR TV
03:00 PM Valli
04:00 PM Pudhu Paadal
03:30 PM Mounam Pesiyathe
04:30 PM Sirippu Varudhu
06:00 PM Mundhanai Mudichu
05:00 PM Endrum Super
VIJAY TV
06:00 PM Raj News
03:30 PM Deivam Thandha Veedu
06:30 PM Thirai Vaanil
04:00 PM Aandaal Azhagar
07:00 PM Sindhu Bhairavi
04:30 PM Super Singer T20
07:30 PM Mann Vasanai
05:30 PM Uravugal Thodar Kadhai
08:00 PM Karuthamma
06:00 PM En Kanavan En Thozhan
08:30 PM Alaipayuthey
09:00 PM Match Point : Semi Final
1: New Zealand vs. South
Africa
06:30 PM Puthu Kavithai
09:00 PM En Iniya Thozhiye
10:00 PM Cricket Live
10:30 PM Late Cut
11:00 PM Match Point : Semi Final
IN THEATRES
IN HOME
SONY PIX
VETHU VETTU
06:19 PM Iron Man
09:00 PM Captain America: The First
Avenger
Kamala Theatre, Udhayam Theatre, PVR Cinemas,
AGS Cinemas, INOX National, Abirami Mega Mall,
Woodlands Multiplex, Mayajaal Cinema, Sangam
Multiplex, Sri Ganga Cinema, Raj Theatre, Maharani
11:41 PM P2
HBO
06:53 PM Jack Ryan: Shadow
Recruit
Theatre
3026
11:13 PM Transporter 3
MOVIES NOW
Mayajaal, Escape Cinema, Devi Cineplex, Kamala Theatre,
PVR Cinemas, Sangam, AGS, INOX National, Hall, Rakki
07:05 PM Rush Hour 2
Multiplex, Abirami Theatres,
09:00 PM Olympus Has Fallen
11:05 PM Lake Placid 2
KALAKATTAM
STAR MOVIES
Mayajaal, Escape Cinema, Devi Cineplex, Kamala Theatre,
07:18 PM Transporter 2
PVR Cinemas, Sangam, AGS, INOX National, Abirami
09:00 PM Spider-Man 3
Theatres,
11:49 PM Jurassic Park
S
U
D
O
K
U
08:00 PM ASP World Championship
Tour 2014
CRICKET
03:00 PM Cricket Classics : India
vs. Pakistan: March `85
04:00 PM Australia Tour of South
Africa 2014 H/ls : 1st Test
06:00 PM Tri-Nation 2014
(Zim,SA,Aus) H/ls : 2nd
ODI: South Africa vs.
Australia
07:00 PM England Tour of West Indies 2014 H/ls : 2nd ODI
2
4
6
9
8
5
6
4
3
7
8
2
7
3
9
2
7
5
3
9
The object is
to insert the
numbers in
the boxes to
satisfy only
one condition:
each row,
column and
3x3 box must
contain the
digits
1 through 9
exactly once:
Easy nah?
ANSWER TO
SUDOKU 3025
(23.3.2015)
5
7
1
08:59 PM Jack the Giant Slayer
KADAVUL PAATHI
MIRUGAM PAATHI
08:30 PM Cricket Legends
07:30 PM UEFA Champions League
2014/15 : Review Show
6
2
3
8
4
6
9
2
6
3
2
1
5
7
1
4
7
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9
5
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1
1
8
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1
3
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8
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1
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4
3
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9
4
1
7
5
3
8
2
6
6
7
5
2
9
8
3
1
4
Around Town
CHENNAI
TUESDAY
24 MARCH 2015
‘Make technology
people-friendly’
q Union Minister addresses scientists at CSIR-SREC
CIPET Director General S K Nayak lighting the traditional lamp to
mark the inauguration of a seminar on ‘Health Safety Security and
Environment in Chemical Sector’ organised by the Department of
Chemicals and Petrochemicals and Federation of Indian Chambers
of Commerce and Industry at Anna University in Chennai today.
Chemplast Sanmar Limited deputy managing director Ramkumar
Shankar and Professor N Balasubramaniam are present.
City to switch off
lights 28 March
NT Bureau
Chennai, Mar 24:
WWF-India, a conservation organisation is conducting its 11th edition of
Earth Hour on 28 March, requesting
residents to switch off lights from 8.30
to 9.30 am.
Earth Hour is a global level campaign
being organised to create awareness
to save energy resources. In India, 150
cities will switch off lights on 28 March.
Addressing mediapersons here
yesterday, Ritika Bhalla from WWF
India said, ‘There are several things
that can be a part of daily life that
will conserve energy like switching
off unnecessary lights and running
household items with renewable
energy. It can done by corporates
and governments too’.
Actor Bharath, who was named
as the Chennai Ambassador for the
campaign pledged his support for the
cause. ‘My house will be dark on 28
March from 8 30 to 9 30 am and I request people to do the same so that we
can save a lot of energy together. It is
not just a favour, but the responsibility
that all of us carry on our shoulders to
save the planet.’
For details contact: Ritika Bhalla at
(+91) 85277 27444.
NT Bureau
Chennai, Mar 24:
Time has come where we have
to start re-oreinting our research
towards finding solutions for the
problems our country is facing
and which is economically viable,
said Union Minister for Science
& Technology & Earth Sciences,
Harsh Vardhan.
Addressing scientists and stakeholders at the CSIR- Structural
Engineering Research Centre
(SREC) here yesterday, he said ‘In
our country lakhs of people do not
have houses, we should start thinking out of the the box and make
sure technology is people friendly.’
Talking about Prime Minister
Narendra Modi’s ‘Make in India’
programme, he said ‘We have to
develop technology that is easily
transferable and easily available
to people,’ he said.
‘We have a glorious past to inspire us. Structures built in this
country thousands of years ago
are still testimony to the fi nest
brains we have had in the field of
structural engineering. We have
Union Minister for Science & Technology & Earth Sciences Harsh
Vardhan speaking at the CSIR-Structural Engineering Research Centre
in Chennai yesterday. CSIR director general M O Garg and CSIR-CLRI
director A B Mandal are present.
to take inspiration from the past
and look at the present day’s work
to make our future far brighter,’
he said.
The Union Minister also said that
though thousands of papers are
prepared by various research in-
TB cases on rise in
India, say experts
NT Bureau
Chennai, Mar 24:
While observing ‘World Tuberculosis
Day’ today, health experts say that
cases of TB are on the rise, especially
in India.
According to World Health
Organization, 2.2 million
cases of TB patients are
from India. It is estimated
that about 40 per cent of
the Indian population is
infected with TB bacteria,
the vast majority of whom
have latent rather than
active TB.
TB remains one of the major
global health problems, and the situation is worsening in many parts of the
country, primarily because of the association between tuberculosis and the
epidemic of human immunodeficiency
virus (HIV) infection and AIDS and the
growing prevalence of drug resistance.
According to a release from SRL
Diagnostics, TB affects lungs in 80
per cent cases and this pulmonary
TB has non-specific clinical features
(cough with expectoration, chest pain,
haemoptysis, fever, anorexia, weight
loss, etc) so diagnosis usually requires
laboratory testing and radiology in form
of X-ray chest.
Generally, the view is that once a
patient is diagnosed by a communicable disease, they
should be isolated, this
attitude is still prevalent in the society.
But thanks to the
government initiated
DOTS programme,
for reaching out to
TB patients.
The Direct Observation
Treatment (DOTS) that has
been set up across the country
gives access to medication for people
diagnosed with TB. ‘Such patients
can be at home and there is no need
of isolation, provided they follow
strict principles with cough hygiene
and safe disposal of sputum. Unfortunately, we find people especially
elders and women get isolated once
they are diagnosed with TB. The social stigma should change,’ says Dr
Ramya, who works with TB patients.
From days
when children
used to visit
grandparents
and relatives
during summer
vacations, it
is time to keep
sharpening their
skills
an 11-day swimming camp, while
there are some taking Rs 2,000 to
Rs 3,500 for a month depending on
the discipline.
Vacation is meant for children to
relax and to spend more time with
the family, instead they are sent to
the same school for summer camps
which may not have the desired
impact, said Dheep, a counsellor.
He also said children were missing out the feeling of their roots, and
healthy interaction with their family
NT Bureau
Chennai, Mar 24:
A 22-year-old youth’s parents took
the decision of donating his organs
and saving six persons’ life after he
was declared brain dead at Government Stanley Hospital.
The deceased who worked as a
mechanic resided at Vyasarpadi. He
was declared brain dead following
intra cerebral bleed. His parents accepting the fact that the patient was
brain dead decided to donate his
body which saved six patients.
According to a doctor at the hospital, the liver was transplanted to a
patient with Hepatitis B virus induced
chronic end stage liver disease. A
29-year-old woman from Thiruporuru
with chronic renal failure received
one kidney. Both the surgeries were
performed on 23 March.
A team of doctors headed by Dr
Pitchai Balashanmugam, Dr Meenakshi, Dr Ponnambala Namasivayam
and Dr Edwin Fernando preformed
the kidney transplant successfully.
The institution has performed 677
kidney transplants out of which 90
are from brain dead individuals.
Similarly, a team led by Dr G
Manoharan, head, Department of
Surgical Gastroenterology and Dr
A R Venkateswaran, head, Department of Medical Gastroenterology
preformed the liver transplantation
successfully.
The hospital dean Dr P Karkuzhali,
said this is the 47th liver transplantation and second one done this year.
q City psychiatrists’ initiative
towards mental health
Parents fancy summer
camps to keep kids engaged
parent, said, ‘I enrolled my fiveyear-old child in arts and crafts
class. As both (husband and wife)
are employed, we cannot leave
the boy alone at home and summer
classes are a blessing.’
She is not alone as many working
parents prefer to have their children
enrolled in such programmes as the
nuclear family culture takes over in
the cities.
‘If rigorous training is imparted during summer camps then it is bad for
children. Crash courses again have
a classroom set up which spoils
the meaning of summer vacation.
Children should have their own
free space; vacation is meant to
create an opportunity for children
to explore their interests and try
things that make them happy,’ says
Varthini, a child rights activist.
Cricket camps are a favourite
among boys and with more academies springing up in recent years,
lads in every neighbourhood are
making a beeline with a kit in hand.
It is said that those organising
summer camps took advantage of
the demand and charged exorbitantly, with prices starting from Rs
1500 for a 10-day affair. Another
centre is charging Rs 2,500 for
Brain dead youth
saves six lives
Sanmathi, for a
better society
No more just
HOLIDAYS
JAYANTHI PAWAR
Chennai, Mar 24:
Summer is here, almost. It is that
time of the year when children (read
students) enjoy an extended vacations. With exams completed (for
some) or just winding down, parents
have another issue to worry about.
While some are thinking about ways
to keep their wards engaged during the course of the holidays, the
children themselves have plans to
spend the days away from studies,
exams, et al.
From the days when young children enjoyed the pleasure of visiting
their grandparents and relatives
during the summer break, it is now
time for camps of various sorts
ranging from cricket to drawing to
Abacus!
Meanwhile, institutions and organisations are bracing up, to cash
in and have come up with innovative offers.
According to some parents, these
summer camps/workshops give
them a sense of relief as they feel
the children spend time usefully and
learn new things. It is moreso for
working women, who have to juggle
work and domestic responsibilities.
V Sudha, a working woman and
stitutes there is often no breaking
news in the research. CSIR director
general M O Garg, said, ‘We must
start implementing the research for
the betterment of the society.’
CSIR-CLRI director A B Mandal
was also present.
3
members which is most needed.
Those days children were sent to
relatives’ houses and the whole
family use to take a break from their
routine life. But these days’ children
are being deprived of their childhood that includes curiosity, playfulness and innocence, he lamented.
He also said that summer camps
are good but they should be kept
short and it would be better if they
are not in the school so that children
feel relaxed.
However, it must be said most
parents are ready to shell out
money and admit their children in
such classes. ‘Kids these days are
restless, and it is difficult to manage them at home for long hours,
summer camps help to keep them
occupied. Camps like these will at
least teach them some useful things
that would add to their talent,’ said
A Ambika, mother of a 12-year-old
son.
Meanwhile, the organiser of one
such camp admitted that a child
cannot learn dancing or singing
or karate in a month’s time, but
these camps are conducted just
to develop an interest among
extra-curricular activities among
the youngsters.
SRINIDHI VASUDEVAN
Chennai, Mar 24:
Following Bollywood actor Deepika
Padukone opening up on her depression-related issues, the taboo
surrounding mental health problems
seems to have broken.
To create more awareness
on the same, an initiative called
Sanmathi(noble mind) has been
started by a group of psychiatrists in
the city.
Sanmathi, founded by psychiatrists
Lakshmi Rangarajan, Suresh Kumar
and Venkatachalam Ramachandran,
aims to focus on mental health issues
and disorders found in children and
young adults, it is learnt.
‘When you can take medicines for
diabetes, there is no need to feel embarrassed in taking medicines for a mental
disorder’, says Lakshmi.
The charitable trust is said to be
founded by the trio, in the memory
of their teacher and past president
of Indian Psychiatric Society V Ramachandran.
Sanmathi aims to conduct screening
camps at various corporation schools
to look out for problems in children.
Stressing on the need for counsellors,
Rangarajan says, ‘Certain problems
of children cannot be discussed with
parents or teachers which makes the
presence of a counsellor compulsory.
But do schools provide the students
with the same?’.
‘Early identification of mental issues in
children will save their lives. It is sad to
know that Chennai ranks number one
in suicides among children. Educating
the parents and teachers will help in
Sanmathi, founded by
psychiatrists Lakshmi
Rangarajan, Suresh
Kumar and Venkatachalam Ramachandran,
aims to focus on mental
health issues and disorders found in children
and young adults
solving behavioural or emotional problems of children’, states Suresh Kumar.
Explaining about the cause of the
problem, Rangarajan says, ‘Mental
illness is due to a chemical imbalance
in the body. This can be rectified by
taking medicines’, she said.
‘A lot of my patients refuse to take
medicines or come for counselling
sessions. Awareness on mental health
just like that of physical health has to
be improved’, she added.
Sanmathi is also said to provide
consultation and free but quality treatment for economically disadvantaged
and under-privileged persons with
psychiatric illness.
Actor Vikram will be lending his support by inaugurating Sanmati on 28
March at Sri Narada Gana Sabha, 314,
TTK Road in Alwarpet.
The guest speakers for the event will
include professor and head, Department of Psychiatry, KIMS Banglore,
Raghuraman, musician and author T
M Krishna and Coal and Oil LLC CEO
Ahmed A R Buhari.
Lakshmi Rangarajan can be reached
at 98410 16864.
Be strong in fundamentals,
engineering students told
Sri Venkateswara College of Engineering holds College Day
NT Bureau
Chennai, Mar 24:
Students should be strong in
their fundamentals than studying
in the examination point of view,
said Tractors & Farm Equipment
Ltd chief human resource offi cer
Muthukumar Thanu.
Participating at the College Day celebration of Sri Venkateswara College
of Engineering (SVCE) at Sriperumbudur yesterday, he said students in their
college days should actively involve
in various activities which would help
them to gain a holistic personality and
perform better as an engineer.
Muthukumar said, ‘Students of
SVCE are doing well in the industry and appreciated the college for
teaching them not only the engineering skills but also honing their
people skills.’ College principal R
Parthiban in his annual report said
V Yashwanth receiving Devaki Muthiah Award for the Best Outstanding
Student of the year award from Tractors & Farm Equipment Ltd
chief human resource officer Muthukumar Thanu during the College
Day celebration of Sri Venkateswara College of Engineering at
Sriperumbudur yesterday. Srinivasan Rajagopalan received best
alumnus award. College principal R Parthiban is also present.
SVCE secured 72 university ranks
placed with several of them getting
during last examination and 93 per
dual offers.
cent of students have already been
Firms like Cognizant Technol-
ogy Solutions, Infoysys, Accenture
Ltd, Royal Enfield, Ernst & Young
Ltd, Logic Info Systems and KEC
International Ltd. recruited students
year, he said.
‘Our students received a highest
salary package of Rs 12 lakh per
annum from Thorogood Ltd and
the average pay has been Rs 3.15
lakh,’ he added.
With 11 of the departments recognised as research centres, application oriented research are being
done at SVCE. The college has
signed 36 MOUs with industries
and institutes of repute so as to
share the industry expertise and to
get exposed to the practicality of
innovation-led growth of business,
the principal said.
SVCE has distributed scholarships and awards amounting over
Rs one crore to students, he said.
Blend
4 TUESDAY
24 MARCH 2015
CHENNAI
WHAT
WH
AT NEWS
NEW
NEW
EWS
S TODAY
TODA
TO
DAY
DA
Y PRINTS
PRIN
PR
INTS
IN
TS IS
IS NEWS
NEWS THAT
THA
THA
HAT
T COUNTS
COUN
CO
UNTS
UN
TS
Killing the killer
Landing problems
T
he government insists that the proposed changes in the Land
Acquisition Law of 2013 are in the interests of the farmers.
On the other hand, the Opposition is vehement that the changes
hurt the interests of the farmers. As of now, there seems to be no
meeting ground between these two hardened positions. And this was
fully confirmed when on Sunday, the Prime Minister in his monthly
address to the nation, ‘Mann Ki Baat’, accused the critics of the
proposed changes as anti-farmer and anti-development. After this
sharp attack, it is unlikely that the Opposition would come on board
to help pass the amendment bill in the second half of the budget
session beginning later next month.
Indeed, Modi accused the critics of misleading the farmers for
political gain, asserting that the government would never do
anything that hurt their interests. He insisted that the changes
being contemplated were drafted after due consultation with state
governments. If the social impact assessment clause was being
relaxed in a few cases, it was being done to reduce ‘bureaucratic
and other hurdles.’ Also, government will first use government land,
followed by wasteland. Only in case more land was needed would it
acquire arable land from farmers. ‘Landowners will get jobs, landless
workers will get jobs. Prior announcements will be made about the
jobs. Do we want our children to migrate to cities and live in the
slums of Delhi and Mumbai? If industries are set up, children of
farmers will get jobs,’ the PM told the nationwide audience. There
was no question of farmers being politically and economically
disenfranchised, as alleged by the Opposition.
Immediately, the Congress Party fielded Jairam Ramesh, Rural
Development Minister in the UPA Government credited with the
drafting of the 2013 Land Acquisition Law, to counter Modi. Ramesh
alleged that it was Modi who was misleading the farmers. Also, it
questioned the claim by the PM that acquiring one kilometre of
land on either side of the proposed freight corridor would remain in
government possession even if it were to enter into public-privatepartnerships with private parties.
Given that the British had acquired much more land all along the rail
tracks throughout the country, the Modi move to acquire but only one
kilometre on either side makes immense sense for future planning and
other exigencies. Unfortunately, those who most frivolously acquired
millions of hectares of land on sheer discretion and parcelled it out
to real estate sharks and others for extraneous considerations ought
not to shed tears for the farmers.
Needs of economic growth dictate that the acquisition of land
for development purposes ought not to be hindered by political
considerations while equity and justice demand that landowners
be adequately compensated for the loss of their land. Giving them
four times the market rate in financial compensation for their land in
addition to jobs and other benefits from the proposed projects is by
no means an unfair deal for the landowners. In short, the Congress
should drop its ill-considered opposition to the proposed changes
in the Land Bill.
Dr Raman Singh
@drramansingh
TB patients must get
proper medication and take
balanced diet for a strong
immune system and quick
recovery.
Advice is the only commodity
on the market where the supply
always exceeds the demand.:)
Anupam Kher
@AnupamPkher
Largest asteroid impact
zone discovered
MELBOURNE:
The crater from the impact millions
Scientists have discovered a 400 of years ago has long disappeared.
km-wide impact zone from a huge But researchers found the twin scars
meteorite in central Australia which of the impacts - the largest impact
zone ever found on Earth - hidden
is the largest asteroid imdeep in the Earth’s crust.
pact zone ever found on
Earth.
Glikson from the ANU School
of Archaeology and AnthroA team led by Dr Andrew
Glikson from the Australian HEALTH pology, said the impact
zone was discovered
National University (ANU)
during drilling as part
found the 400 kilometre-wide imof ge- othermal research, in
pact zone from a huge meteorite
that broke in two, moments before an area near the borders of South
it slammed into the Earth in central Australia, Queensland and the
Northern Territory.
Australia.
Today
VOICE MAIL
W
TB claims 1.5 million lives a year
orld Tuberculosis Day is
marked every year on 24
March, highlighting one of the
world’s top health challenges. With
nine million new cases and 1.5 million deaths each year, tuberculosis
is an ongoing epidemic.
For World TB Day 2015, the
United Nations, the Stop TB Partnership and the World Health
Organization are calling on all
governments and health organisations to mobilise political and social
commitment for further progress
towards eliminating the disease
as a public health burden.
The theme this year is ‘Reach
the 3 Million: Reach, Treat, Cure
Everyone’ - aimed at securing care
for the three million who fail to be
treated every year.
ADDRESS YOUR LETTERS TO :
The Editor, News Today, 85, Mount Road, Guindy, Chennai - 600 032.
or e-mail to : [email protected] / [email protected]
The date commemorates the
day in 1882 when Dr Robert
Koch, the German physician
and pioneering microbiologist, announced
to the University of
Berlin’s Institute of
Hygiene that he
had discovered
the cause of tuberculosis. His
discovery marked
a turning point in the
Factsheet
TB is caused by a bacterium
called Mycobacterium tuberculosis.
Over 95 per cent of tuberculosis deaths occur
in low-and-middle-income
countries.
It is among the top three
causes of death for women
aged 15 to 44.
There were an estimated 500,000 cases and 74,000 deaths among
children in 2012.
Tuberculosis is one of the diseases that kills most people with HIV
and this deadly combination is increasing in Europe.
The death rate for tuberculosis dropped by 45 per cent between
1990 and 2013.
An estimated 37 million lives were saved through diagnosis and
treatment between 2000 and 2013.
About one-third of the world’s population has latent TB, which
means people have been infected by TB bacteria but are not
(yet) ill with the disease and cannot transmit the disease.
When a person develops active tuberculosis, the symptoms
(cough, fever, night sweats, weight loss) may be mild for many
months. This can lead to delays in seeking care, and results in
transmission of the bacteria to others.
In 2013, the largest number of new TB cases occurred in the South
East Asia and Western Pacific Regions, accounting for 56 per
cent of new cases globally.
story of the virulent human infectious disease.
Modern problem
Yet over a century on, the
disease continues to be a
public health problem,
with the highest rates in
Sub-Saharan Africa. A
report by the European
Centre for Disease Prevention and Control and
WHO found that 1,000
people a day throughout
Europe develop the disease and
although the continent has experienced an annual 6 per cent
decline, Europe will not be TB-free
until the next century.
There has been a sustained decline in cases over the last decade
but rates of multi-drug resistant
tuberculosis, MDR-TB, remain at
very high levels.
WHO regional director for Europe, Zsuzsanna Jakab, said only
50 per cent of an estimated 75,000
multi-drug resistant TB patients
were found in 2013 and just half
were successfully cured.
‘Multi-drug resistant TB is still
ravaging the European region,
making it the most affected area
of the entire world,’ he said.
India to make
available of new drug
NEW DELHI:
Three years ago, 12 cases of the
lethal, almost impossible-to-treat
strain of extremely drug resistant
Tuberculosis were identified in
Mumbai in which
six patients died
within months of
the diagnosis. Tuberculosis which
was a disease curable in the 90’s,
has mutated into
this lethal strain in a span of just
15 years.
A multi drug resistant TB patient
requires around 2 years of treatment, 14,000 pills and daily injections for 7 months. ‘The very fact
that this kind of TB exists, means
that we have all failed as a community at a public health level. While
DOTS is being a great success, it
turns its back on multi drug resistance,’ TB Specialist Hinduja Hospital, Mumbai Dr Zarir Udwadia said.
Though in a positive news, doctors
in Mumbai have been successful in
President
speaks
‘All stakeholders should
rededicate their efforts for
achievement of goal of Zero
TB deaths in our country. It
is unfortunate that in India
even today one person dies
every two minutes due to
TB. There is urgent need
to build public awareness
about the curability and
prevention of TB. Research
and development in the
treatment regime for TB
has to be up-scaled,’ the
President Pranab Mukherjee tweeted.
curing one patient with the new
drug - bedaquiline, developed
after 40 years of research.
However, for the 61,000 MDR
TB patients in India, the new TB
drug has not yet been approved
for sale by the government.
WHO, what, how
GENEVA:
As countries mark World TB
Day today, the World Health
Organization (WHO) is rolling out
a new strategy to end the global
tuberculosis epidemic, calling for
worldwide support to wipe out the
disease over the next 20 years.
Two previous strategies have
cleared the way for this latest
and most ambitious plan. WHO
is convinced its current strategy,
called End TB, has a good chance of working
because of the success of the DOT TB treatment and the Stop TB strategies that were rolled
out earlier this century.
Tremendous progress has been made in the
fight against TB in recent years. Between 2000
and 2013, an estimated 37 million lives have
been saved through TB diagnosis and treatment. But the World Health Organization says
much more needs to be done to combat this
deadly disease.
Director of the WHO Global TB Program Mario
Software
to engage
auto-steering
Tesla is preparing a software update
that will bring powerful auto-steering
functionality to its Model S fleet. CEO
Elon Musk revealed that Tesla will
ship a software update ‘in about three
months’ that will turn on auto-steering, or ‘autopilot’ as Musk often refers
to it. ‘We can basically go between
San Francisco and Seattle without
the driver doing anything,’ Musk said
of the autonomous system that Tesla
Focus on health
Sir,
The global landscape has changed drastically. Around the world, people
are living longer and healthier lives. More children than ever are attending
primary school. Maternal mortality has nearly halved over the last two decades. However, billions of people still live on meager income and poverty
eradication remains the greatest global challenge facing the world today.
Investments in the right health solutions can lead to a sustainable future
with measurable impact. It allows children to develop mentally and physically, which will pay off within a generation. We need to eliminate barriers
to health so that people can focus on what is important to them - learning,
providing for their family, building a home and a future, and realising their
true potential.
James, By email
The theme this year is ‘Reach the 3
Million: Reach, Treat, Cure Everyone’
- aimed at securing care for the three
million who fail to be treated every year
has developed. For now, you’ll only
be able to engage auto-steering on
highways. We got a preview of the
autopilot functionality during our initial
test drive in the P85D, which you can
watch below.
‘It is technically capable of going
from parking lot to parking lot,’ said
Musk. ‘But we won’t be enabling that
for users with this hardware suite,
because we don’t think it’s likely to
be safe in suburban neighborhoods,’
he said, noting that such streets often
lack posted speed limit signs and
pose obstacles like children playing
in the street.
Tuberculosis is a contagious,
airborne disease. It is the second
leading cause of death from a
single infectious agent, after HIV.
More than 95 percent of cases
and deaths are in developing
countries.
Tuberculosis is curable and
preventable, and WHO is counting on this fact to push forward
its ambitious new strategy, which
calls for a 95 percent reduction in
TB deaths and a 90 percent reduction in cases
of TB by 2035.
A key milestone to be reached in the next five
years is the elimination of catastrophic costs for
TB patients and their families. Tuberculosis can
bankrupt families due to the direct medical costs
and the loss of income linked to the six-month
period of treatment.
WHO says medical costs and loss of income
can be offset through the establishment of
various financial protection schemes, including
universal health coverage.
TB is curable and preventable,
and WHO is counting on
this fact to push forward its
ambitious new strategy, which
calls for a 95 per cent reduction
in deaths and a 90 per cent
reduction in cases by 2035
Raviglione said the End TB strategy represents
a historic opportunity to wipe out an epidemic
that has been the cause of death, illness and
suffering for millennia.
‘Let us remember that TB affected nine million
people in 2013, killed 1.5 million people, including 360,000 people living with HIV and also half
a million multi-drug resistant TB cases emerged
in the same year, causing, of course, alarm and
concern everywhere in the world as these are
difficult cases to manage and have a very high
case fatality rate,’ said Raviglione.
Senator Ted Cruz
announces US Prez bid
Vows to ‘stand for liberty’
Texas Republican Sen. Ted Cruz,
ticking off a litany of President
Obama policies he opposes, promised to return to a government by
Constitution and ‘stand for liberty’
as he officially announced his 2016
presidential bid.
Cruz, speaking to an energetic
crowd of students at Liberty University in Lynchburg, Va., drew from
his background to address his faith
and what he sees for the future of
the country.
As the first major presidential candidate to officially declare, he told
the crowd to ‘imagine a president
that finally, finally, finally secures
the borders’ and drew applause
when he promised to ‘stand up and
defeat radical Islamic terrorism’.
Cruz continued his pledge by
telling the crowd to ‘imagine a
president who says I will honor
the Constitution and under no circumstances will Iran be allowed to
acquire a nuclear weapon’.
Ted Cruz
He also urged the crowd to imagine a simple flat tax. He added,
‘imagine abolishing the IRS’.
NEWS MAKER
of the day
Cruz spoke on the fifth anniversary of Obama’s health care law
-- legislation that prompted Cruz to
stand for more than 21 hours in the
Senate to denounce it in a marathon speech that delighted his Tea
Party constituency and other foes
of the law. Cheers rose in the hall
when Cruz reminded the crowd
Monday that Liberty University
filed a suit against the law right
after its enactment. ‘It’s time to
get in there,’ Cruz told Fox News’
Sean Hannity ‘and it’s time to start
making the case that we’ve got to
change what we’re doing.
I think there is an urgency to what
we’re facing in politics that’s unlike
anything you or I have ever seen
before. I think it’s now or never. I
don’t think we’ve reached the point
of no return yet, but we are close.’
‘We [Republicans] have to win in
November 2016,’ Cruz added later
in the program. ‘We cannot have
four or eight more years of going
down this road.’
Cruz, a divisive figure in his own
party, is not expected to be the
sole GOP contender for long.
Enterprise
CHENNAI
NITI Aayog’s
1st meet
postponed?
New Delhi, Mar 24 (PTI):
The first meeting of NITI Aayog’s
sub-group on Centrally Sponsored
Schemes, scheduled for 27 March,
is likely to be pushed to next month
as some Chief Ministers have expressed inability to attend it.
The meeting of the sub-group,
comprising 11 chief ministers was
called to deliberate on further rationalisation of the CSS to make them
more effective.
The meeting is being postponed
as several Chief Ministers have
indicated it would not be possible
for them to attend it in view of the
ongoing Budget sessions of their
Assemblies.
‘Some chief ministers have shown
their inability to attend the meeting
in view of ongoing budget session
(in their assemblies) like Uttar
Pradesh and Telangana. I will speak
to them tonight on this. If need
be, we will change the date of the
meeting’, Madhya Pradesh Chief
Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, the
convener of the panel, said.
TN artisans get
Snapdeal shot
NT Bureau
Chennai, Mar 24:
Snapdeal.com has signed a MoU
with the Tamilnadu Handicrafts
Development Corporation, a government of Tamilnadu enterprise,
for online promotion and selling of
traditional handicrafts from the State.
According to a press release, as a
part of this partnership, Snapdeal will
create a dedicated store exclusively
selling handicrafts from Tamilnadu
under the brand name of ‘Poompuhar’.
Through this store, Snapdeal will
equip the artisans with online cataloguing and help them refine their
product offerings through its data
analytics tools. The PoompuharSnapdeal store set to be launched in
Amsterdam eyes tourists
New Delhi, Mar 24 (PTI):
The capital city of the Netherlands is looking at a double-digit growth in
the numbers of Indian tourists visiting the city in 2015 as it hardsells itself
as a preferred tourist destination.
‘We expect a double-digit growth in the number of Indians visiting Amsterdam this year’, Amsterdam Marketing CEO Frans van der Avert said.
Amsterdam Marketing is responsible for promoting the region.
The Indian tourists are attracted to the museums and architecture of
Amsterdam. They are also attracted to canals, flowers and wind mills the
city offers, he added.
On the initiatives Amsterdam Marketing is taking, Avert said: ‘It is through
the publicity initiatives we are taking and through the people in the travel
business here. It is also through increasing the contacts with people’.
Samsung targets phone lovers
New Delhi, Mar 24 (PTI):
Samsung on Monday launched its flagship Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6
Edge smartphones in India, within three weeks of the global launch, as
the Korean electronics giant looks to compete with rival Apple’s iPhone6.
The company said it will also manufacture the sixth edition of the flagship
devices at its Noida facility in the first half of the year.
‘India is among the select 20 countries for the first phase of launch of
Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge. The Indian R&D team has made a valuable
contribution in making these smartphones. .. We also plan to begin manufacturing these devices in India in the first half of this year’, Samsung India
VP marketing (mobile and IT) Asim Warsi said.
He added that India-manufactured devices will be primarily targeted at
the domestic consumption.
Warsi said the pre-booking for the devices is open from today and would
be up for sale from 10 April.
The Galaxy S6 will be offered in three storage options -- 32 GB (Rs
49,900), 64 GB (Rs 55,900) and 128 GB (Rs 61,900).
The Poompuhar-Snapdeal store set to be
launched in March 2015 will let customers
shop for a wide range of signature products
like brass products, stone and wood carvings
and sandalwood products
March 2015 will let customers shop
for a wide range of signature products
like brass products, stone and wood
carvings and sandalwood products.
These elaborate handicrafts will
showcase the history of Tamil culture
that has been carried over generations and speak of the State’s traditions, the release said.
Ranging from unique brass products or stone and wood carvings or
US visas: Boost for
desi IT workers
Washington, Mar 24 (PTI):
US President Barack Obama has
announced an easing of the process to obtain L-1B work visas for
corporate executives, a move that
could end the large scale
harassment of IT professionals from India and make
it easier for Indian companies to bring employees here.
Such a move, Obama argued
would attract larger foreign direct
investment to the US. ‘I’m pleased to
announce a new action I’m also taking
to make it easier for global companies
who are present here today to launch
and invest in the US. My administration is going to reform the L-1B visa
NT Bureau
Chennai, Mar 24:
An extraordinary general meeting of
the shareholders of Indian Bank was
held in the city Monday.
A press statement here said, preferential issue and allotment of 1.54
crore equity shares of face value of
Rs. 10 each at an issue price of Rs.
181.31 (including premium of Rs.
171.31) per share aggregating upto
Rs 280 crore to government of India
on preferential basis have been approved.
The issue is pursuant to the decision
of government to infuse capital funds
to the tune of Rs 280 crore in the bank
by way of preferential allotment of
equity in favour of the government.
Consequently, the holding of government will increase to 39.43 crore
equity shares, representing 82.10
per cent of the bank’s paid-up capital
against the present level of 81.51
per cent.
Post this preferential issue, the
bank’s CRAR under Basel III and
CET I would be 13.32 per cent and
10.82 per cent (computed as on 31
December. 2014) against 13.06 per
cent and 10.56 per cent, respectively.
The government has now infused
capital funds as a reward to the bank
for its efficiency to enable it to further
strengthen its position.
category, which allows corporations
to temporarily move workers from
a foreign office to a US office in a
faster, simpler way. And this could
benefit hundreds of thousands of
non-immigrant workers and
their employers, that in
turn, will benefit our entire economy and spur
additional investment’,
Obama said in his address
to the SelectUSA Summit. A large
number of Indian companies are participating in the SelectUSA Summit
aimed at increasing US exports and
attracting more foreign investment
into the US.
sell their products to a nationwide
audience through a sustainable business model’.
Commenting on the development,
Tamilnadu Handicrafts Development
Corporation Ltd, Chairman & MD,
Santhosh Babu said, ‘Tamilnadu
has a rich culture of handicrafts that
are popular throughout the country.
Today it has become a world-known
destination for visitors in search of
some of the finest handicrafts in India,
such as celestial figures in bronze,
brass lamps, rosewood carvings,
sandalwood carvings and more.
Poompuhar is happy to partner with
Snapdeal.com to offer our artisans an
opportunity to showcase their work to
a larger customer base and promote
exquisite handcrafted art forms’.
SBI & Ola to ‘drive’
entrepreneurship
NT Bureau
Chennai, Mar 24:
‘The per capita car ownership in
India is just three per cent, compared
to countries like USA, where it is
around 30 per cent. This Ola Pragathi
programme with State Bank of India
(SBI) will enable drivers to buy a car
and turn them into entrepreneurs,
with an attractive repayment option’,
said Ola marketing communications
director Anand Subramanian.
Speaking to the media here yesterday, Anand said, ‘SBI has entered
into a tie-up with Ola Cabs, for financing the new vehicles purchased by
driver entrepreneurs, identified and
recommended by Ola Cabs. The
EMI concept is better suited for the
salaried individuals, but not for those
based on daily revenue. Hence we,
along with SBI, have come up with
this concept of daily instalment’.
‘Repayment becomes easy and
almost invisible, as a portion of the
entrepreneur’s daily revenue is transferred to the bank’, said Anand.
Speaking about the vision of Ola, he
stated, ‘Our mission is to improve the
mobility across India, as transport appears to be a big issue. We are hoping
to employ 100,000 drivers through
Ola Pragathi program, in the next
two years, and around 15,000 driv-
Only 20% Indians have
internet access: Study
These include Indonesia, where
only 24 per cent of the population has
access to the internet, India (20 per
cent), Bangladesh (11 per cent) and
Pakistan (eight per cent).
Combined, these countries account
for approximately a quarter of the
world’s population.
The study found that Internet usage
is more common among
young people, the welleducated and those who
have the ability to read or
speak English.
Overall, a median of 64 per
cent said the internet is a good influence on education, with at least half
also seeing it as a good influence on
personal relationships (53 per cent)
and the economy (52 per cent).
People are more mixed on the internet’s effect on politics, with similar
proportions saying that the influence
is good (36 per cent) as say it is bad
(30 per cent).
The people in emerging and devel-
sandalwood products, these varied
crafts are expected to add elegance
and splendor to consumers’ taste and
lifestyle all over the world.
Talking about this association,
Snapdeal.com’s vice president (market development) Vishal Chadha,
said, ‘This partnership is our endeavour to empower local artisans
of Tamilnadu by providing a more
integrated platform to promote and
oping nations are more convinced
that the internet is having a negative
effect on morality.
A median of 42 per cent said it is a
bad influence on morality, while only
29 per cent see the internet as a good
influence.
Socialising is the most preferred
type of digital activity for
internet users in emerging
and developing nations.
Many also use cyberspace for getting information about politics, health
care and government
services.
Less common are commercial and
career activities, such as searching or
applying for a job, making or receiving payments, buying products and
taking online classes.
The Pew Research Center survey
was conducted among 36,619 people
in 32 emerging and developing countries from 17 March to 5 June, 2014.
StanChart’s
capital plans
New Delhi, Mar 24 (PTI):
Amidst reports of Stanchart shifting
its headquarter to Asia, the UK-based
bank is having its two-day global
board meeting here starting on Monday, reflecting increased importance
of India in its global framework. As
India is the third largest profit centre
of the StanChart, the board may also
consider separating Indian operations into a subsidiary as the banking
sector regulator RBI is encouraging
global lenders to set up subsidiary.
In 2011, India emerged as the largest profit centre for the bank. The
other two largest profit centres are
China and Hong Kong.
This would be probably the last
board meeting of its global CEO Peter
Sands before demitting office in June.
‘No Nokia-like
closures again’
Ola marketing communications director Anand Subramanian and
SBI Chief General Manager Prakash Rao along with other senior
SBI officials, at an event to announce the Ola-SBI tie-up in Chennai
Monday.
ers have already been benefited
through it’.
SBI Chief General Manager Prakash Rao, said, ‘This is good initiative, primarily for the customers,
and secondly to the driver-owners,
as this provides them opportunity
to own their car, and encourage
entrepreneurship’. He said that the
interest rate will be only around 13
per cent, and the down-payment
will be around 10 to 15 per cent
of the on road cost of the vehicle,
without collateral or third party
guarantee.
‘We have planned for a 24 to 48
hour sanction process for this program, and SBI will certainly help its
best to promote entrepreneurship’,
expressed Prakash Rao.
General managers for network
one and network two of SBI, G
Rita and Deepak Kumar, were also
present during the event.
Ind-Ra optimistic
on dairy sector
Mumbai, Mar 24 (PTI):
India Ratings and Research (IndRa) has maintained a positive outlook
for the dairy sector for the next financial year as the industry is witnessing
strong growth both in demand and
prices. ‘We expect the dairy sector’s
market size to increase 15.6 per cent
year-on-year in FY16. Milk production
is forecast to grow at 4.6 per cent
y-o-y in FY16. The agency expects
the dairy sector to remain one of the
focus areas of the government to
improve the economic well-being of
rural population’, Ind-Ra said.
Therefore, the government programmes and policies aimed at supporting the industry are expected not
Regd. Office : “Bharat Kumar Bhawan”, 617, Anna Salai, Chennai - 600 006.
AUDITED FINANCIAL RESULTS FOR THE THREE MONTHS ENDED 31ST DECEMBER 2014 OF M/s. CASTLE TRADERS LIMITED
(Rs. in Lakhs)
Sl.
No.
1
2
3
PUBLIC NOTICE
The property jointly belongs to
N.Masilamani, W/o.M.Sulochna
30/6, TSV Kovil Street, 1st Floor,
Mylapore, Chennai – 600 004. As
decided to sell the property, certain
documents are lacking so if you desire
to oppose you should reach me not
later 15 days of this advertisements.
M.Sirnivasan,
Door No:17/8,
Flat No:43,Vinoth Villa,
New Boag Road,T.Nagar,
Chennai-600 017
9841118312
only to continue, but also be strengthened, the rating agency said.
It expects the government to continue to support the dairy sector,
especially cooperative sector, in
the form of capex and technological improvements. The Indian dairy
industry grew steadily to 138 million
tonnes in FY14, according to data
from Department of Animal Husbandry, Ministry of Agriculture.
‘Operation Flood’ and other initiatives by the State and Central
government to improve the livestock
productivity and increase the availability of quality fodder helped India
to become the world’s largest milk
producer, it said.
New Delhi, Mar 24 (PTI):
The government is working to
ensure there is no repeat of Nokialike plant closure and is trying to get
justice for workers of the Finnish
company’s India unit, Commerce and
Industry Minister Nirmala Sitharaman
said on Monday.
‘Of course, with the Prime Minister
himself commenting on Nokia, I am
sure something will happen and such
incidents such as Nokia is something
on which we are working very hard
not to have a repeat’, she said.
She said that the government was
very concerned on the matter as it has
affected a great deal of employment
and ‘equally it gave a message about
Indian industry not working in an environment where corporate decisions
are being taken on merits’.
‘It was more on the question of how
the Indian taxation policy, the duty
structure have all adversely affected
setting up of industry. I am very concerned and on that the government
looked into details’, she added.
When asked whether the factory
can be revived, the minister said that
the government would look at all the
options.
‘All options to see how best we can
take a constructive and a positive
step so that the workers of Nokia get
justice and the very idea that the factory which gave so much of employment and could have given an export
value had to come to this end but we
certainly do not want our policies to
have this impact’, Sitharaman said.
On 3 March in Parliament, Prime
Minister Narendra Modi has indicated
that the Tamilnadu-based Nokia
plant, which was shut down a few
months ago, is likely to start functioning again. ‘Your concern is right.
25,000 people were rendered jobless
there’, Modi had said in Rajya Sabha.
‘Let me assure you. We have started
efforts in this direction (to restart the
unit). The result of this effort will be
that in the coming days, Nokia plant
should start functioning again and
people will get employment’, Modi
has said.
CASTLE TRADERS LIMITED
NAME CHANGE
I, HARI SHANKAR KUMAR,
Son of C.Sasi Kumar, born
on 06 May 1993 at Vasco-daGama, District of South Goa,
Goa State, residing at Room
No.8017, Maruthaam Hostel,
Near MIT Grounds, MIT Annexe,
Chrompet, Chennai-600044,
shall henceforth be known as
SUNIL ANANTHA KUMAR.
SUNIL ANANTHA KUMAR
5
Indian Bank
holds crucial
meet
e-tail major signs MoU with State govt enterprise
TARGET INDIA
NT Bureau
Chennai, Mar 24:
Only 20 per cent in India have access to the internet at least occasionally while a mere 14 per cent own a
smartphone, a new study conducted
across 32 emerging and developing
nations has found.
The study by The Pew Research
Center also found that 65 per cent
of internet users in India said they
use social networking sites such as
Facebook or Twitter while 55 per cent
have used the internet to look for or
apply for a job.
Across the 32 nations surveyed, a
median of 44 per cent use the internet
at least occasionally, either through
smartphones or other devices.
Access rates vary considerably
across the emerging and developing
nations surveyed. Toward the bottom
in terms of access rates are some
of the world’s most heavily populated nations in South and Southeast
Asia.
TUESDAY
24 MARCH 2015
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
Particulars
Income from Operations
Other Income
Total Expenditure
a) Increase / Decrease in stock in trade
b) Consumption of raw-material
c) Staff Cost
d) Other Expenditure
i) Rent
ii) Lisiting Expenses
iii) Lost on Sale of Shares (ST)
iv) Filling Fees
v) Audit Fees
vi) Result Publication
vii) others
Total Expenditure
Interest
Depreciation
Profit (+) / Loss (-) before tax
Provision for Taxation
Net Profit (6-7)
Paid-up equity share Capital
Reserve including revaluation reserves
(as per Balance Sheet of previous
accounting year to be given in Column(5)
Basic and diluted EPS for period for the
year to date and for previous year (not to
be annualized)
Non Promoters Shareholding
i) No.of Shares
ii) % of Shareholding
For Three
Months
Ended
31.12.2014
For the
Corresponding
three months Ended
31.12.2013
For the
period
Ended
31.12.2014
For the
period
Ended
31.12.2013
For the Previous
Accounting
Year Ended
31.03.2014
Nil
Nil
Nil
Nil
Nil
Nil
Nil
Nil
Nil
11.16
Nil
Nil
Nil
Nil
Nil
Nil
Nil
Nil
Nil
Nil
Nil
Nil
Nil
Nil
Nil
Nil
Nil
Nil
0.06
Nil
0.06
0.10
0.22
Nil
Nil
-0.22
Nil
Nil
24.50
Nil
Nil
Nil
Nil
Nil
0.08
0.04
0.12
Nil
Nil
-0.12
Nil
Nil
24.50
Nil
0.07
Nil
0.06
Nil
0.23
0.12
0.48
Nil
Nil
-0.48
Nil
Nil
24.50
Nil
0.07
9.01
0.03
Nil
0.25
0.10
9.46
Nil
Nil
-9.46
Nil
Nil
24.50
1.18
0.07
Nil
0.09
0.06
Nil
9.56
10.96
0.01
0.01
0.18
0.03
0.15
24.50
31.64
31.49
31.64
31.49
31.64
75,000
30.61%
75,000
30.61%
75,000
30.61%
75,000
30.61%
75,000
30.61%
0.06
NOTES:
Read
Every evening
1.
2.
3.
The above results were taken on record at the meeting of the Board of Directors on 09.01.2015
As the company is operating in only one segment, furnishing of segment-wise results is not applicable.
There are no investor grievances pending redressal for the period under review.
For CASTLE TRADERS LIMITED
Sd/Place : Chennai
V. RAJAMANICKAM
Date : 09/01/2015
DIRECTOR
6 TUESDAY
24 MARCH 2015
Sports
CHENNAI
‘Runs will flow in India-Oz match’
Coach Lehmann urges local fans to come out in full force
Darren Lehmann
I never give up,
says Srikanth
New Delhi, Mar 24 (PTI):
On a roll since his China Open triumph, ace shuttler Kidambi Srikanth
attributed his success and meteoric
rise in world rankings to a ‘never give
up till the end’ attitude and said he
is ready to work harder to achieve the
unprecedented World No. 1 status.
Srikanth, who clinched the Swiss
Grand Prix Gold earlier this month, rose
to World No. 4 on the back of some sizzling performances, including winning
the China Open crown last year beating
two-time Olympic champion Lin Dan.
On the eve of the $275,000 India
Open Super Series, Srikanth said: ‘I
don’t think I am better at wriggling out of
tricky situations, it is just that I don’t give
up till the last. I don’t want to leave the
match, don’t want to give easy points.
Don’t want to lose the confidence. I
want to win it from any situation. I think
I have been lucky to do it more often.’
The 22-year-old from Guntur is
starting as the second seed and will
open his campaign against Thailand’s
Tanongsak Saensomboonsuk, ranked
world No. 19 on Wednesday at the Siri
Fort Sports Complex.
Sydney, Mar 24:
Australia coach Darren Lehmann
believes the Sydney Cricket Ground
pitch will produce a high-scoring
World Cup semi-final against India
on Thursday.
‘I think the Sydney pitch will be
very similar to the one we used in
the game against Sri Lanka more
than a fortnight ago when almost 700
runs were scored, so I think this will
be another high-scoring affair,’ Lehmann wrote in a column on Cricket
Australia’s website (cricket.com.au)
on Tuesday.
Australia won the 8 March pool
game against Sri Lanka convincingly,
setting a mammoth 376 for 9 for their
opponents to chase before bowling
them out in a 64-run victory.
Sri Lanka returned to the venue for
the quarter-final against South Africa
a week ago and were trounced by
nine wickets after their batsmen were
skittled for 133.
there will be a very loud and proud
Indian turn-out at Thursday’s game
so I urge you all to bring your flags,
wave them hard and often and
provide some really visible and vocal home town support. ‘Now it’s
a matter of who plays well on the
day. India are really starting
to gain some confidence
on the back of some good
performances since the
tournament began, and
that fact that we know them
inside out -- just as they do
us -- adds an extra element
to what already looms as an
enthralling contest.’
Meanwhile, Australian all-rounder
James Faulkner insisted that spin
will not play as big a role as is being
predicted in the semifinal.
While the quarter-final match between South Africa and Sri Lanka
saw leg-spinner Imran Tahir and
off-spinner JP Duminy share seven
Sydney, Mar 24 (AFP):
Waqar Younis warned today
Waqar Younis
that cricket could die out in
Pakistan if rival teams continue
to boycott the country where international tours have not taken
place since 2009.
There has been no international
cricket in Pakistan since the
militant attacks on the Sri Lankan
team in Lahore in March 2009
which killed eight people and
injured seven visiting players.
'The biggest hurt is that we are
not able to stage international
aged to bring minnows Kenya for a
matches,' Pakistan head coach
short one-day series last year and
Waqar told AFP.
'I fear the game might die out as are negotiating with Zimbabwe for a
we lack talent at junior level and it's visit in May this year.
Waqar believes Pakistan's quartertough to indulge kids in cricket. It's
a very important aspect, we have to final exit from the World Cup at the
bring international cricket back and hands of Australia showed there is
the government has to help in this a lot of hard work to be done on the
country's cricket set-up and infraregard.'
The Pakistan Cricket Board man- structure.
about the ranking calculations neither I am thinking about it too much.
For me it is more about playing my
game. I have said in the past as
well that rankings don’t matter to
me much. The top priority is to
win the tournament.’
Saina should not have great
difficulty in reaching the final
where she is drawn to meet
second seed and reigning world
champion Carolina Marin of
Spain. The fourth-ranked
Spaniard too is in the race
for the numero one spot.
Saina beat Carolina to win the Syed
Modi GP Gold before losing to her
in the All England final. And another
fierce battle between the two is on
the cards.
City
Sports
NT Bureau
Chennai, Mar 24:
N Sriram Balaji, seeded second,
started his campaign in the MCC-S R
Subramaniam Memorial ITF Futures
tennis tournament at MCC courts
here yesterday with a 6-3, 6-3 win
over Matias Castro of Argentina in
the first round.
Sriram's compatriot and sixth-seed
Karunuday Singh overcame Chandril
Sood 7-6(3), 6-3 to enter the last 16.
Results (First round): Singles:
Sriram Balaji bt Matias Castro (Arg)
6-3, 6-3; Sasi Kumar Mukund bt
Akash Wagh 6-3, 6-2; Karunuday
Singh bt Chandril Sood 7-6(3), 6-3;
'If we want to save Pakistan cricket we have to lift
our domestic game because
there was a big difference
in standards at the World
Cup. We were well behind
other teams.
'We can't delay it, we
need power-hitters
like there are in other teams and players who can score
300-plus runs,' said
Waqar, whose team
only crossed the 300mark just once in seven
games at the World Cup -- against
the amateurs of the United Arab
Emirates.
'Cricket is changing fast and we
have to keep pace with that, if not
we will be left far behind.'
Waqar stressed Pakistan needed
good batsmen.
'Bowling has never been our prob-
Maria Sharapova
ally a question in my family or in my
team whether I wanted to change
citizenships,' the Russian told CNBC
in an interview to be screened on
Wednesday.
Sharapova, who won the Wimbledon title aged 17, still gives her all
for Russia in the Fed Cup and was
a torch bearer at the Sochi Winter
Olympics a year ago.
She said her Russian heritage
moulded her instincts.
'It is about the family environment, it
is about the rich culture,' the 27-yearold said.
'Just life experiences that I look
back to and I know that for so many
years I was shaped into the individual
lem,' said Waqar, himself a great fast
bowler. 'I think we should feel proud
of our bowling at the World Cup.
'But it's the batting where we have
been struggling for a long time now
and after Misbah-ul-Haq and
Younis Khan -- whenever
he quits -- we will have
a big vacuum.
'It is a matter of
putting things in order.
It's not only about winning the World Cup but
also improving our ranking by lifting our standards.'
Waqar said strict rules on
bowling actions badly affected Pakistan's build-up for the World Cup.
'Just before the World Cup, the International Cricket Council launched
a crackdown and because of that we
lost Saeed Ajmal and Mohammad
Hafeez,' said Waqar of his two key
spinners who were suspended due
to illegal actions.
Australian summer.
‘I am not at all surprised that they
are doing well. Every time, we have
come up against them it has been
a very good game of cricket and
it has gone right down to the wire.
If you go back on the ODI series
in India (2013), a lot of runs were
scored and there were a lot of great
chases, he said. ‘Likewise when we
have played them here, we have
scored 300 and they have been there
and thereabouts while chasing it,’
Faulkner showed a lot of respect for
his opposition.
However, Faulkner said he is unaware as to what brought about this
sudden change.
‘I don’t know. I haven’t been there
with them or training with them, so I
don’t know how to answer that one.’
According to Faulkner, one factor
that has worked to India’s advantage
in the World Cup is the amount of
time they have spent in this country.
Ex-tennis star Hewitt
guilty of rape
Johannesburg, Mar 24 (AFP):
Australian-born former tennis Grand
Slam champion Bob Hewitt was found
guilty Monday in South Africa of raping and assaulting young girls whom
he was coaching in the early 1980s.
Hewitt, 75, had pleaded not guilty to
the two charges of rape and one of
indecent assault, which were brought
against him by three women in 2013.
Judge Bert Bam at the South Gauteng High Court outside Johannesburg described the evidence against
Hewitt, best known as a doubles star,
as ‘overwhelming’, the SAPA news
agency reported.
During the trial, his victims said that
Hewitt assaulted them during private
tennis lessons when they were young
girls.
‘Time did not erase the crimes. A
guilty person should not go unpunished. The scales of justice tip against
the accused,’ Bam said.
One woman testified that Hewitt
had told her ‘rape is enjoyable’ as he
assaulted her.
Another victim told the court he had
touched her inappropriately 34 years
ago and forced her to perform a sex
act on him when she was 12 and 13.
Sriram, Karunuday
book last 16 berths
Elwin Antony bt Lakshit Sood 6-4,
7-5; Sidharth Rawat bt Fahad Mohammed 6-3, 6-0.
Doubles: Sriram Balaji & V
M Ranjeet bt Loic Perret (Sui)
& R Suraj Prabodh 6-1, 6-2;
Kunal Anand & Ronit Singh
Bisht bt Thomas Brechemier
& Yannick Thivant (Fra) 7-5,
7-6(4); Anvit Bendre & Akash
Wagh bt Mohit Mayur &
Kaza Vinayak Sharma 6-2, 6 - 4 ;
Christopher Marquis & Karunuday
Singh bt A Shanmugam Vakati &
Udayakumar Reddy 6-1, 6-4; Sagar
Ahuja & Jatin Dahiya bt AntoineMichelAlexeev & Jessy Kalambay
Won't turn back on Russia: Sharapova
London, Mar 24:
Maria Sharapova's life-changing
move from Siberia to Florida as a
seven-year-old propelled her on a
path to fame and fortune but she says
she would never turn her back on her
mother country.
It is sometimes easy to forget that
five-times grand slam champion
Sharapova, the world's highest-paid
female athlete, is actually Russian
until you witness her conduct a postmatch press conference in her native
tongue.
With $32 million in prize money
alone, a string of lucrative endorsements, her own candy business and
even a famous boyfriend she is the
living embodiment of the American
dream.
Yet, Sharapova baulks at the idea
that she would want to trade her Russian passport for an American one, as
former Czech Martina Navratilova did
early in her glittering career.
'I would have if I wanted to (change
citizenships) but it's never been actu-
wickets among themselves, Faulkner
feels that Australia won’t be troubled
by the lack of spin options during
the clash.
‘I think they (R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja) are world-class spinners
and they have done their
job for a long time now.
But if you see the wicket in
South Africa’s match against Sri
Lanka, it didn’t spin and it
was quite easy to get hold
of,’ Faulkner said during a
media interaction.
‘We will go in with a different
team and we are playing in
Australia. We will play our best XI. It
depends on the wicket and what is
produced on game-day,’ he added.
Faulkner, who is a regular in the
Indian Premier League, ‘is not surprised’ with the turnaround of the
Indian team, which has now won
seven straight games in the World
Cup after a winless streak throughout
Waqar fears 'death'
of Pakistan cricket
Saina not worried
about No.1 ranking
New Delhi, Mar 24 (PTI):
Saina Nehwal, yet to recover from a
shoulder pain, says she is not thinking of the world number one ranking
despite having a good
chance
of achieving the feat
at
the India Open Super Series badminton tournament
beginning here today.
The world no.2 and tournament
top speed Saina can scale the
ranking peak by reaching the final
of the $275,000 event.
‘It is important to do well in India
Open. It is a big tournament. It
won’t be easy as many good players are coming. I will try my best to
win,’ Saina told PTI yesterday.Asked
about the prospect of becoming world
no.1, Saina said: ‘I don’t know much
The SCG has traditionally offered
something for spinners, but paceman Josh Hazlewood said the pitch
served up for Australia’s match
against Sri Lanka had offered little
variation either way.
Australia will hope for a green
tinge on the SCG wicket to give their
pacemen as much help as possible
against India’s formidable batting
lineup.
India have drawn big crowds of
blue-clad fans at every venue and
can expect prominent support at the
SCG. Lehmann called on local fans
to come out in force and be in full
voice to ensure Australia’s players
felt the support. ‘Hopefully the SCG
is packed with gold as all the Australian venues have been throughout
our campaign, and we get a huge
lift by seeing so many fans getting
behind us.
‘But from what I’ve seen at other
games in this World Cup, I suspect
I was from those experiences.
'And not necessarily simply the
country, but the people, the mentality and the toughness and that never
giving up attitude.'
World number two Sharapova will
not have to venture too far from her
adopted home at the Miami Open
which starts this week.
Should the tournament go according to rankings she will play nemesis
Serena Williams in the final.
She beat the American in the 2004
Wimbledon final and again a few
months later but lost the next 16,
most recently in this year's Australian
Open final.
But Sharapova said their rivalry still
burned strong.
'She's at the peak of her career. I
am now number two in the world,' she
said. 'I feel like we're still driven and
hungry to be the best tennis players.
'I don't think anyone in the tennis
world believed that, in 10 years' time,
we would still be rivals. I think it's an
incredible story.'
(Sui) 6-4, 3-6(6); P Vignesh &
Poonacha Kaliyanda bt Sasi Kumar
Mukund & Manish Sureshkumar
6-2, 6-3; Vijay Sundar Prashanth
& Jeevan Nedunchezhiyan bt
Ivan Gakhov & Mikhail Korovin
(Rus) 6-4, 3-6(6).
John Memorial Volleyball
The 42nd P John Memorial AllIndia volleyball tournament organised by
Nellai Friends Volleyball Club
and Dr Sivanthi Club gets underway
at Mayor Radhakrishnan Stadium,
Egmore, today.The Dr Sivanthi
Gold Cup (for men winner) was by
R Sekar, Director Genreal of Police
(Vigilance), TANGEDCO and Panimalar Trophy was unveiled by W
I Davaram, president, Tamilnadu
State Olympic Association in the
presence of S N Jayamurugan,
chairman and managing director,
SNJ Group. Among the participating teams are: Men: Rajasthan,
Karnataka, Western Railway, SRM
University, Income Tax, ICF, Indian
Bank, TN Police; Women: Southern
Railway (Chennai), Kerala Police,
Western Railway, South Central
Railway and Karnataka.In addition
to the trophies, a total cash prize of
Rs five lakh will also be awarded for
the winning teams.
Nadal to return
to Queen’s Club
London, Mar 24:
Rafael Nadal says he will play at
this year’s Queen’s Club, ending his
three-year absence at the grass-court
tournament.
Nadal, who lifted the trophy in 2008,
has gone on to reach the Wimbledon
final following every appearance
at the event that
is traditionally seen
a s
a warm-up
to
the SW19
championships.
‘I always loved
playing at The
Queen’s Club and
I am very happy
that I will be back
this year,’ Nadal
said.
Rafael Nadal
‘It was a great
experience for me
to lift the trophy in
2008 because it is such an important
and traditional tournament. To win
Wimbledon a few weeks later was
like a dream.’
The 28-year-old Nadal will be joined
by the defending champion Grigor
Dimitrov, US Open winner Marin Cilic,
2014
Australian Open
victor
Stan Wawrinka
and World No.4
Andy Murray in this
year’s draw.
‘Coming helps with
the adjustment from clay
to grass because the grass
courts at Queen’s
are so good,’ Nadal
added.
Mixed Bag
CHENNAI
BBC documentary:
SC seeks reply
from advocates
New Delhi, Mar 24 (PTI):
The Supreme Court today sought
response from two advocates, representing the 16 December gangrape
convicts, against whom a women
lawyers body has sought action for
allegedly making derogatory remarks
against women in a BBC documentary on the case.
‘We have heard the argument,
pleadings and grievances urged in
the petition. The matter requires consideration in view of the factual and
legal submissions,’ a bench comprising justices V Gopala Gowda and C
Nagappan said.
The bench issued notices to the
two advocates, M L Sharma and A
P Singh, and sought their response
in two weeks. The Supreme Court
Women Lawyers Association, in its
petition, had sought restriction on the
entry of the two advocates in the apex
court premises, alleging that their
remarks in the controversial BBC
documentary were ‘inhumane, scandalous, unjustifiable, biased, outrageous, ill-minded’ and are a ‘direct
affront to and in violation of the dignity
of women’, especially those practicing in the Supreme court.
The Supreme Court Bar Association
(SCBA) supported the plea of women
laywers association. Senior advocate
Vibha Datta Makhija, appearing the
women’s association, submitted that
the Supreme Court has to lead from
the front and show zero tolerance for
such views.
‘We need an environment where
we are fearless,’ she said and added
that the two advocates need to be
sensitised.
Storm over
Section 66A
q The Act had led to several
controversies over the years
CHINMAYI, KARTI & MORE
l Two young girls from Palghar, Shaheen Dhada and Renu Srinivasan, were
arrested when one of them posted a question on her Facebook page questioning why the city was shut down for Shiv Sena leader Bal Thackeray’s
funeral. One of them commented that the shutdown was out of fear, not
respect. The second girl, her friend, was arrested for liking the post.
l
A man was arrested in Puducherry for tweeting that Karti
Chidambaram, son of then Union Minister P Chidambaram was
‘corrupt’. A Puducherry businessman Ravi Srinivasan was arrested for allegedly posting ‘offensive’ messages on Twitter about
Congress leader Chidambaram’s son Karti.
l
Chennai City Police arrested an associate professor at the National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) and
detained another person, working in the Tirupur Collectorate, for
harassing singer Chinmayi Sripada on Twitter.
NT Bureau
Chennai, Mar 24:
Section 66A had been in the eye of a storm for the past few years.
There were contentions that it affected public’s right to know is directly
and that the Section affected the right to freedom of speech and expression enshrined under the Constitution of India. Let us take a look about
the controversial Section 66A.
WHAT IT SAID?
‘Any person who sends, by means of a computer resource or
a communication device, (a) any information that is grossly offensive or has menacing character; or (b) any information which
he knows to be false, but for the purpose of causing annoyance,
inconvenience, danger, obstruction, insult, injury, criminal intimidation, enmity, hatred or ill will, persistently by making use
of such computer resource or a communication device, (c) any
electronic mail or electronic mail message for the purpose of causing annoyance or inconvenience or to deceive or to mislead the
addressee or recipient about the origin of such messages, shall
be punishable with imprisonment for a term which may extend
to three years and with fine.’
TUESDAY
24 MARCH 2015
BALL IN
THE COURT
A bench of justices J Chelameswar
and R F Nariman had on 26 February
reserved its judgement after Government concluded its arguments
contending that section 66A of the
Information Technology Act cannot
be ‘quashed’ merely because of the
possibility of its ‘abuse’.
Dealing with the word ‘grossly offensive’, the bench referred to the
judgement and cited, ‘what is grossly
offensive to you, may not be grossly
offensive to me and it is a vague
term.’ ‘Highly trained judicial minds
(judges of the UK courts) came to
different conclusions by using the
same test applied to judge as to
what is grossly offensive and what
is offensive,’ the court added.
FIRST VOICE
The first PIL on the issue was filed in 2012 by law student Shreya Singhal, who sought amendment in Section
66A of the Act, after two girls -- Shaheen Dhada and Rinu Shrinivasan -- were arrested in Palghar in Thane district
as one of them posted a comment against the shutdown in Mumbai following Shiv Sena leader Bal Thackeray’s
death and the other ‘liked’ it.
Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad
We respect communication
of ideas on social media, not
in favour of curtailing honest
criticism, dissent on social
media
Jayashankar ?@jaypanicker
Shutting down 66 A of IT
act is good but the same
court doesn’t allow anyone
to speak agst it-funny!
Mahesh Dutt ?@m__dutt,
Thank you Supreme Court
of India for striking down
section 66 A.
Sanjay Jha (@JhaSanjay)
Delighted that #Sec66A has
been scrapped by Supreme
Court; it had an implicit threat
of criminal intimidation. Free
speech reigns supreme.
Modi meets China’s
special envoy
q Officials review boundary issue, progress made so far
Eucalyptus trees in the reserve forest at Nanmangalam were cut
yesterday.
Furore over axing of
trees at Nanmangalam
LAASYA SHEKHAR
Chennai, Mar 24:
In a rather unexpected move, Forest
officials axed around 95 Eucalyptus
trees in Nanmangalam Reserve
forest on Velachery Main Road in
Selaiyur.
Sources said that Forest officials
took the move as the trees were preventing construction of an office building in the premises. The move has not
only upset a section of naturalists but
also many who were disturbed by the
recent tree cutting move at Madras
Christian College, Tambaram.
‘By performing such acts of deforestation, officials are doing a great
harm to the environment,’ said Balaji,
a college student.
Eminent environmentalists have a
different story to tell. ‘Eucalyptus is
not a native species and it is also
said that affects ground water supply,’
said Arun Krishnamoorthy of Environmentalist Foundation of India (EFI).
‘It is one of the important cash crops
and its usage is confined to pulpwood
and paper. But there is a chance that
the act would cause a great harm to
environment.
‘The surge in the temperature indicates the reduction in the green cover
due to cutting of trees. Only when the
officials replant the trees of Indian
origin would they compensate the
loss,’ Arun opined.
Gopu Kumar, forest range officer,
Tamilnadu Biodiversity and Greening Project, said the department
was keen on planting native species
which would do more good to the
environment.
New Delhi, Mar 24:
Chinese State Councillor and Special Representative on India-China
boundary talks, Yang Jiechi, today
met Prime Minister Narendra Modi
before leaving for Beijing.
Yang and the Prime Minister shook
hands and exchanged pleasantries,
before discussing matters of mutual
interest.
The Chinese State Councillor had
on Monday met National Security
Advisor Ajit Doval, who was appointed the special representative
for the talks.
Doval and Foreign Secretary S
Jaishankar, a former Indian envoy
to China, were among the Indian
officials who held talks with the
Chinese delegation at Hyderabad
House here to resolve the dispute
regarding the around 4,000-km
boundary.
The two sides exchanged views on
the boundary issue and reviewed
the progress made so far.
It was the first such meeting after
the National Democratic Alliance
came to power last May with Narendra Modi as the prime minister. Doval
was appointed special representative
Yang has held
the previous round
of talks on the long
running boundary
question with then
NSA Shivshankar
Menon.
China and India
share a 2,000-kmlong border that
has never been
Yang Jiechi
Narendra Modi
formally delineated. The two
for the boundary talks in November.
countries began discussing border
The border talks took place almost
issues in the 1980s.
five months after the visit of Chinese
Chinese President Xi Jinping and
President Xi Jinping to India. The visit
Modi have met with each other three
was overshadowed by transgression
times since last year.
of Chinese troops in Chumar area of
With a combined population of 2.5
Ladakh region and was later resolved.
The government informed Parlia- billion, China, the world’s second
largest economy, and India are
ment last month that there have been
increasingly playing an important
no ‘incursions’ by China into Indian
territory but transgression due to dif- and influential role in the global
ferent border perceptions.
economy.
It said there was no commonly delineNew Delhi and Beijing have set a
ated LAC (Line of Actual Control) be- target to reach $100 billion in bilattween India and China and there were
eral trade by 2015 although India’s
areas along the border where India and
trade deficit with China reached a
China have differing perception of LAC. record $ 31.4 billion in 2013, new
Yang’s visit also comes ahead of
trade figures released by China last
Modi’s visit to China, planned for May. year revealed.
Vaughan tips Rahane
to be among the best
Sydney, Mar 24 (PTI):
Former England captain Michael
Vaughan says that Ajinkya Rahane
has the best technique among Indians and the youngster will be one of
the premier willow wielders in world
cricket in the next four to five years.
‘Indian team has a wonderful array
of batsmen, who have been there
and done that. They have got couple
of good young players and I like
Rahane. I think, he is the best technician among Indian players. He plays
quicks and spin as well as anybody
in the world,’ Vaughan said during
an interaction organised by the ICC,
here today.
To a query as to why he thinks
Rahane to be special, Vaughan
elaborately discussed the Mumbai
batsman’s watertight technique.
‘It’s very simple. It’s his alignment
at the crease. He doesn’t get that
left-foot too far across and that’s why
he has got great balance when he is
on the backfoot. He has not only got
options of playing both cut shots and
pull-shots but also has the option of
going down the ground for straight hits.
‘When you have those options as
a batsman, you make it difficult for
opposition to set fields as you can’t
set fields for shots down the ground.
I think he showed in England last year,
he can allow the ball to come to him.
‘I think in the next four or five years,
we will be talking a lot about Rahane.
More than what we have heard even
up till now as he is a wonderful player,’
the veteran of 82 Tests was effusive
in his praise.
There are times one needs
to know the recipe for
success and Vaughan
feels that Mahendra
Singh Dhoni certainly knows a thing or
two about winning
the World Cup.
‘There is something
about MS Dhoni and
World Cups. What he
did after the tri-series is Michael Vaughan
remarkable. There was a change of
team and also change of mentality. I
have always said that in semi-finals,
the team that plays well in the first
15 overs -- be it with the ball or bat is
the team that gets ahead and wins
that game.
Ajinkya Rahane
CRIME BEAT
No headway in
Aruna murder
case
NT Bureau
Chennai, Mar 24
More than a week after 21-year-old
Aruna, a resident of Choolai was
found dead at an apartment at Secretariat Colony here, the city police
is still on the lookout for the alleged
killer Dinesh.
According to police, Dinesh (25),
has been on the run since Aruna
was found dead. Police said, his
picture has been sent to the neighbouring States with phone numbers
of investigating officers to pass on
any information.
Earlier, special teams were sent to
different districts and to his relatives’
houses as part of the search.
However, it was found Dinesh had
not visited any of them or contacted
his family members in the city.
It may be noted that on 10 March,
the body of Aruna was found
wrapped in sheets, pillows and
mattresses and dumped in Dinesh’s
car parked outside his apartment on
Baraka Road.
It was reported that Dinesh, her
boyfriend for three years is suspected to have murdered her and fled.
Iron rod falls on
passengers at
Egmore Station
Two passengers were injured
after an iron rod fell on them at
Egmore station early this morning.
According to police sources, Raj
Bahadur (23) and Babloo (21) were
waiting for Howrah Mail at 1 am to
travel to Jharkhand, when
an iron rod is said to have fallen
on them, thereby causing injuries.
The two were reportedly sleeping
on the platform when the incident
occurred.
They were rushed to Rajiv Gandhi Government Hospital and are
reportedly recovering.
Gold stolen at
Thiruvanmiyur
A man has lodged a complaint with
the police that gold has gone missing from his house in Thiruvanmiyur.
According to police sources, Saravanan said 13 sovereigns of gold
were missing from the bureau of
his house.
A case has been registered.
V K Singh should
quit: Tewari
New Delhi, Mar 24 (PTI):
Congress leader Manish Tewari
today targeted Union Minister V K
Singh, asking him to quit instead
of expressing his disgust after he
represented the government at the
Pakistan national day reception here.
Tewari said in the past, Ministers
had refused to attend Pakistan
events.
‘If Mr#duty#Disgust is so disgusted
with double standards of his govt
on Pak he should quit? Other Ministers in past refused to attend PAK
EVENTS!’ Tewari tweeted.
Fastest Indian
attack ever: Lee
Sydney, Mar 24 (PTI):
Former Australia fast
bowler Brett Lee today
termed the current Indian
pace attack as the ‘fastest
ever’ to have emerged
from the cricket-crazy
nation, with Mohammed
Shami being the ‘most
impressive’ among the trio
in the World Cup.
The three-pronged pace
attack comprising Umesh
Yadav and Mohit Sharma,
besides Shami, has so far
accounted for 42 out of the
70 wickets for India in the
ongoing mega event.
Asked if the trio of Shami,
Yadav and Mohit Sharma
are the fastest ever bowling unit to have represented India, Lee said, ‘I
think it will definitely be up
there, yes. When they are
on song and bowling fast,
then they are definitely up
there as I mentioned. They
are in the 145kmph barrier.
‘If they land in the right
spot, then they have a
really good chance to get
wickets and win.’
The fastest bowler during
his time in international
7
Mohammed Shami
cricket, the 38-year-old
was all praise for Shami,
with whom he had spent
a couple seasons in IPL
playing for the Kolkata
Knight Riders.
‘Mohammad Shami has
got the most number of
wickets in the tournament
and he is right up there. He
has been really impressive.
I have actually played a fair
bit of cricket with Shami
over the last couple of
years and he is a wonderful guy. He comes in hard.
Govt to allot
coal mines
to PSUs
New Delhi, Mar 24 (PTI):
After two rounds of auctioning of coal blocks for private
companies, the government
will today allot mines to central and state PSUs.
‘Allotment of coal blocks to
state entities to take place
today,’ Coal Secretary Anil
Swarup tweeted.
The Coal Ministry had earlier received 107 applications
from public sector undertakings (PSUs) like NTPC Ltd,
Steel Authority of India Ltd
(SAIL), Damodar Valley
Corp (DVC) and Neyveli Lignite Corp (NLC) for allocation
of 43 coal blocks. The Palma
II mine in Chhattisgarh got
nine applications, the highest for a single block.
NAME CHANGE
I, A.IRUDAYARAJ,
residing at Old No. 19,
New No.29/6, South
Raja Street, Alandur,
Chennai-600 016, shall
henceforth be known as
IRUTHAYARAJ.A.
A.IRUDAYARAJ
8TUESDAY
24 MARCH 2015
, CHENNAI
Licensed to post without prepayment under WPP. No. TN / PMG / (CCR) / WPP-470 / 15-17
Finch thinks
he’s close to
a ‘big one’
‘Sea of blue’
Down Under
SYDNEY:
Australia’s plea for a gold
rush of hometown support for
Thursday’s cricket World Cup
semi-final is set to be washed
away by a tsunami of patriotic
Indians, who are out to turn
the Sydney Cricket Ground
(SCG) into a sea of blue.
The organisers are privately expecting a staggering 70 percent of a
sold out crowd at the SCG
to be made up of fanatical Indian supporters, reports news.co.au on
Monday. Australian players like
Michael Clarke and
David Warner sensed
the prospect of an ambush
early and have issued impassioned calls to arms for
fans to create a gold out on
Thursday. But co-founder
of the Swami Army (the
largest organised group of
supporters of the
Indian cricket
t e a m ,
aimed
a t
helping cricket fans worldwide watch the Indian team
play) Kartik Ayyalasomayajula said India versus Australia is the biggest clash
and fans in Sydney will
gather in numbers to get
the sub-continent feeling
back. ‘India versus Australia in a World Cup
semi-final, it doesn’t
get much bigger than
that. This country
won’t have seen this
level of support or atmosphere for cricket
games,’ Kartik said.
‘You have to go
to the sub-
continent
countries to get
that kind of feel, so
we are effectively bringing that atmosphere to
Sydney. It’s going to
be a spectacle,’ he
added.
Virat Kohli
SYDNEY:
Opener Aaron
Finch knows he’s
the one AustralAaron Finch
ian batsman
struggling for runs
ahead of Thursday’s World Cup
semi-final against
India but, ever
confident, thinks a
big innings is just
around the corner.
F i n c h
o p e n e d
his campaign with
a pugnacious 135
against
E n g l a n d
but has
struggled
since,
contribu t i n g
just 54
runs in
his last
five innings as co-hosts Australia charged
into the last four of the tournament.
Former skipper Ricky Ponting said
this week Finch’s technical flaws were
exposed when he was struggling for
runs and the 28-year-old has been
working with former Test all-rounder
Andrew McDonald in addition to the
Australian coaching team. ‘It’s nothing
that I’m overly concerned about, it’s just
going back to look at the basics of my
technique, something that I fall back on
when I’m not getting a whole lot of runs,’
he told reporters on Tuesday. ‘Whenever you don’t get runs, it starts to build
up,’ he added. ‘Whatever happens on
Thursday will happen, I’m not one who
over-analyses it too much.
‘When you look down the batting
list, everyone’s been playing perfectly
and I’m probably the only one who’s
missed out in the last couple of games.
‘I’m confident going into this game,
I’ve got no reason not to be. I’m hitting
the ball nicely and I’m looking for big
runs.’ The aggressive righthander is
almost certain to retain his place in the
side despite his paucity of runs, barring
a shock move for Shane Watson back
up the order to open with David Warner.
Given that Watson has just shaken
off his own run of poor form batting
at number six, however, that looks
highly unlikely and the Australia team
should be unchanged -- give or take
the inclusion of specialist spinner
Xavier Doherty.
Although Finch does not want to
over-analyse his form, he has clearly
given plenty of thought to how a turnaround in fortunes might come about
on Thursday.
‘You try and hit a couple at the start
of the innings to get a roll on,’ he said.
‘(But) when you’re not hitting them
that well, you get down the other end
and hand it over to Davy (Warner) to
take some of the strike.
TOMMORROW REST DAY
NEXT SEMIFINAL 26TH MARCH
Stuart Clark
Advantage India,
says Clark
SYDNEY:
Former Australia pacer Stuart Clark feels the
advantage India have going into Thursday’s semifinal is that they have ‘world class’ off-spinner
Ravichandran Ashwin in their ranks with the
Michael Clarke-led side lacking a quality spinner.
‘I think one place where India has advantage
over Australia in this game is presence of Ravi
Ashwin in their side. He is a world-class bowler
and Australia, particularly don’t have a world-class
spinner. Conversely, Australia will have guys who
could be a bit quicker than their Indian counterparts,’ Clark, who played 24 Tests and 39 ODIs
for Australia told PTI during an interaction at the
SCG, here on Monday.
The 39-year-old, who had a dream Test
debut for the Baggy Greens against South
Africa, back in 2006, feels that in hindsight it
might seem that Australia could have picked
a specialist spinner.
Valiyavan
gets U
Jai starrer Valiyavan is all complete and has been censored. The
movie has been given a clean U
certificate. The film, directed by
Engeyum Eppothum Saravanan,
has music scored by D Imman.
The film also stars Andrea Jeremiah as the female lead. The film
has been produced by SK Studios.
The audio was out recently.
Azhagam Perumal, Bala of Pannaiyarum Padminiyum fame are
also in the cast. The movie has
editing by Subarak, cinematography by Dinesh Krishnan.
According to Saravanan, ‘This
is an action film with a beautiful
love track. I enjoyed working
with dedicated artistes like Jai
and Andrea’
The movie is releasing 27 March.
— NT Bureau
Audio of
Jothika’s film
29 March
T
he audio album of actress Jyothika’s comeback
film, 36 Vayadhinile will be
released on 29 March, said
sources close to the film.
Also, the soundtrack list of the
movie will be out on 23 March.
The movie is scheduled to hit
the screens sometime in April,
but the official date will be announced later.
36 Vayadhinile is the Tamil
remake of the Malayalam
Karthi, Lakshmi Menon in Komban
Komban to
release in over
300 screens
B
uzz is that Karthi starrer
Komban is all complete
and would be censored today
for a mega release on 2 April.
Sources also add that Komban will be released by producers Studio Green in over 350
screens across Tamilnadu.
Komban directed by Muthiah
has Lakshmi Menon playing
his heroine, while the cast in-
blockbuster, How Old Are You
starring Manju Warrier. Jyothika will be reprising the role
of Manju while actor Rahman
will play her husband - a role
which was done by Kunchacko
Boban in the original. The remake, which has music scored
by Santhosh Narayanan, is
directed by Rosshan Andrrews, who helmed the original
as well.
— NT Bureau
Jyothika in 36 Vayadhinile
STAY COOL
cludes Rajkiran, Kovai Sarala
and Thambi Ramiah. Music is
by G V Prakash. The movie
speaks about father-in-law
and a young man’s bonding.
There is earthy and rural touch
to the film.
Says the director, who made
Kuttipuli, before, ‘Komban is
special and audience will love it’.
— NT Bureau
Yuvan’s loss is Aadhi’s gain
Andrea Jeremiah,
Jai in Valiyavan
Hip Hop Thamizha fame Aadhi
has made a name for himself coming up with catchy tunes for the
recent Vishal starrer Aambalai,
directed by Sundar C.
Much recently, there were
reports in a section of media that Yuvan Shankar
Raja will be composing
music for Jayam starrer
Thani Oruvan. But director Jayam Raja has announced that Hip Hop
Thamizha Aadhi will be
working in his movie. The
film’s leads Jayam Ravi and
Nayanthara will be shooting
two songs abroad, and the team
is likely to shoot these songs
Aadhi
next month.
— NT Bureau
There are multiple ways to keep ourselves cool this summer. Consuming products of nature is one among
them. A scene at Pallavaram market, where cucumber and grapes have arrived in large quantities.
Photo: C SANTHOSH
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