FRIDAY, MAY 24, 2013 HYDERABAD
WWW.POSTNOON.COM
Hey! Mr Tambourine Man P16&17
32 PAGES
WEATHER: A MIX OF CLOUDY AND CLEAR SKIES; 37°C
`3
Bob Dylan was always a rebel, an intellectual rebel (which is the most dangerous kind). He prodded the older generations to give the youth freedom of thought, and to stop living a dumb life. As the rabble-rouser turns 72, we take a look at his legacy of music and lyrics.
HYDERABAD’S FIRST COMPACT AFTERNOON NEWSPAPER
In a pre-dawn swoop, a Delhi police team managed to nab a bookie while he was trying to board an Emirates flight to Dubai from RGI Airport here. Identified as Mohammed Yahya, police sources bracketed him with the D company. Yahya stays in Mumbai and is believed to be an important link in the long chain of the spot-fixing racket. Delhi and Mumbai police had sent out a look-out notice for him after the debilitating betting scandal surfaced. It is said that he came to Hyderabad by car from an unspecified location and was trying to check-in when he was detained. Police said that in another 10 minutes he would have escaped as the flight was about to take off. In all, 19 people — three IPL players, four former players and 12 bookies and their assistants — have now been held in connection with the IPL spot-fixing scandal that surfaced after the arrest of Sreeshanth and two other players.
FLASH
D COMPANY BOOKIE HELD AT RGI AIRPORT
Check your gold A once-in-a-lifetime Indians rush abroad, foreigners flock here purity for free opportunity For the past week, following World Metrology Day on May 20, the legal metrology department in the City has been conducting awareness and sensitisation drives to enlighten consumers on the aspects of short weighing, among other things. Officials say customers are often short-changed, especially by sellers of high-value wares like gold and diamond.
P5
Chandini Tamilarasan is keeping her fingers crossed about her debut film, Kaalicha ran. She tells Postnoon about why it’s a oncein-a-lifetime opportunity.
P21
The word ‘agitation’ could be synonymous with Osmania University (OU), but there has been an enormous demand among foreign students for both undergraduate and post-graduate courses at the university this year. The number of students who have applied has already registered a 40 per cent increase, with 1,600 applications so far this year.
P8
2
FRIDAY, MAY 24, 2013
city events
AN ARTISTS’ WORLD
A drawing workshop is on for kids above the age of 8 at Swamy Vivekananda Institute Of Human Excellence, Lower Tank Bund Road till May 25 from 4 pm to 5 pm.
Weather for Hyderabad
Evening
Overnight
Morning
Afternoon
37°C
30°C
35°C
42°C
A mix of cloudy and clear skies.
A mix of cloudy and clear skies.
A mix of cloud and sun.
A mix of cloud and sun.
New Delhi Mumbai Max 43 Max 33 Min 33 Min 28 Clear
Chennai Max 40 Min 31
Cloudy with chances of storm
Mostly cloudy
Bangalore Max 32 Min 22
Cloudy with chances of thunderstorms.
AROUND THE CITY: YOUR GUIDE TO THE TWIN CITIES Contact: Prashanthi @ 99490-95665
ADOPTION DRIVE
Robo talk A workshop on robotics for children above the age of 9. Where: Treasure House, Jubilee Hills When: Till May 25, 10 am to 1 pm. Self defence Self defence workshop is on. Where: Inorbit Mall, Madhapur When: May 24, 5 pm to 6 pm
A pet adoption drive will be held. Where: Zoroastrian Club, SD Road, Secunderabad. When: May 26, 9 am to 5 pm Contact: 78933-32345
SHOWS It’s showtime Film by Giorgia Cecere The First Assignment will be screened as part of European Union Film Festival. Where: Prasads IMAX, Necklace Road When: May 25, 6 pm Puppet play Shadow puppet play Anandapuram will be held. Where: Lamakaan, Banjara Hills When: May 25, 7 pm
A JOYRIDE: A man riding a horse-drawn carriage was spotted at Lakdikapul on Thursday. These carriages are used in marriages during baraat celebrations. SRINIVAS SETTY Stand-up comedy A stand up comedy contest by Punchline Comics will be held. It aims at promoting the art of Stand up and seeking upcoming talent in the field. Where: Lamakaan, Banjara Hills When: May 24, 7.30 pm Contact: 78292-78278 Movie screening Roads And Oranges — Film by Aliki Danezi - Knutsen will be screened. Where: International School of Film and Media, Banjara Hills When: May 26, 2 pm Carnival time Chota Bheem carnival that will feature solo dance, solo singing, fancy dress and drawing competitions will be held. Where: Inorbit Mall, Hitech City When: May 27
Commissioner & Spl Officer
Helpline GAS BOOKING IVRS NO HP 9666023456 Indane 9848824365 BSNL Complaints HMWS & SB Complaints
198 155313
POLICE CONTROL ROOM Hyderabad 27852435 Traffic Control Room 27852482 DCP Traffic 23234065, 23243499F Pollution Control Board 23887500 ELECTRICITY General Complaints Breakdown Section
155333 23431178 23431179
MUNICIPAL CORPORATION
23262266 24166666R ENC 23225267 Engineering 23220418 MCH Tankbund 23225397 Emergency MCH Circle I&II 24525842 MCH Circle III 24736912 MCH Circle IV 23326975 MCH Circle V 23326976 MCH Circle VI MCH Complaints 1100 Head Office 23225397 IVRS CUM MANUAL ENQUIRY PHONE NUMBERS (TRAIN & RESERVATION) RAILWAYS Rail Nilayam 27833169, 27824216 Railway Information 131 Reservations 135 Recorded Information 1345 Enquiry (IVRS) 1331, 1332, 1333
Behind the scene Script writing workshop by Sheel. Where: Saptaparni, Banjara Hills When: Till May 24, 10.30 am to 12.30
DINING Street food from Malaysia The Malaysian Street Food Experience will be organised. Where: New Town Coffee House, Banjara Hills When: May 26, 7 pm
Relations and Reflections Paintings of Shambu Prasad Reddy will be on display. Where: Iconart Gallery, Banjara Hills When: Till June 3 Movie mania Lora from morning till evening will be staged.
WATER SUPPLY Complaint Cell Sewerage Complaint Hyd. Water Supply HOSPITAL General Hospital, Sec-bad Niloufer Hospital, Red Hills NIMS, Director, Punjagutta Osmania General Hospital Railway Hospital, Lalaguda Apollo, Jubilee Hills Care Hospital, Banjara Hills Care Hospital, Nampally Care Hospital, Musheerabad Care Hospital, Sec-bad Kamineni Hospital, LB Nagar
155313 23307328 23313163
27505566 23314095 23390933 24600146 27001134 23607777 30418888 30417777 30419000 30416666 39879999
BLOOD BANKS Blood Bank,Narayanguda Chiranjeevi Blood Bank Blood Bank Mediton Goal Red Cross, Vidyanagar ADRM Blood Bank Mythri Charitable Trust NTR Memorial Trust Care Banjara Hills
Where: Annapurna International School of Film + Media (AISFM), Hyderabad When: May 26, 12 noon.
WORKSHOPS Presentation To Performance AS Devendranath will be holding a children's theatre workshop. Where: Kaleidoscope, Gachibowli When: Till May 24, 10 am to 12 pm
27567892 23559555 23226624 27633087 27035588 27550238 30799999 30418296 30417445
AMBULANCES Apollo 23548888, 23607777 Kamineni 24022222 Medwin 23202902, 23204616 Smile Line Dental Hospital 23747979 Red Cross 27627973 Niloufer Hospital 23314095 Gandhi 23320332 AIRLINES
Airport Director 27903785, 27906001 For Air India Flight Information Toll free (from any network) for IC Flights 18001801407 And for All Flights: 1800227722 Air India has revised its flight timings. For more information call (Toll free) 18001801407, 1800227722 from BSNL/MTNL 04023430334 from other lines and mobile Website; www.airindia.in TOURISM OFFICES AP Tourism, Hyd 23262152/53/54 Sec-bad 27893100 Dept of Tourism 23453110 India Tourism 23261360 AP Tourism information Centre (24x7) 23450444, 23455999 UK VISA OFFICE VFS India Pvt Ltd Building, 8-2-542/A, Sunil Chamber, Road No. 7
Beside Meridian School, Banjara Hills34. Working hours are from 8 AM to 1 PM And 2 PM to 3PM. MUSEUMS Salar Jung Museum AP State Museum Nizams Museum
24523211 232431300/7641 24521029
Readers’ views
We invite you to write to us comments, suggestions, viewpoint or just about anything to feedback@postnoon.com or #1246, Level 3, Jubilee Casa, Road No 62, Jubilee Hills, Hyderabad – 500 033 or even by way of a call on 4067 2222
FRIDAY, MAY 24, 2013
news
YESTERDAY’S QUESTION
WILL UPA MAKE A HAT-TRICK BY WINNING NEXT YEAR? 28% 72%
IRS suspends Lerner for refusing to testify
AROUND THE
WORLD
She also infuriated lawmakers Wednesday when she invoked her constitutional right not to testify at a hearing on the matter, yet stressed to the House Oversight Committee that "I have not done anything wrong." She was interviewed by a Senate investigations subcommittee earlier this year, but lawmakers say she did not tell them what she knew about the wrongdoing that had been uncovered at the agency. The subcommittee's top senators, Democrat Carl Levin and Republican John McCain, wrote Werfel on Thursday to urge him to immediately suspend Lerner. "Given the serious failure by Ms. Lerner to disclose key information on topics that the subcommittee was investigating, we have lost confidence in her ability to fulfill her duties. Keeping her in the job "would erode public trust and confidence in the IRS and its professional integrity, “ they wrote. AFP
A)
YES
B)
NO
To vote visit www.postnoon.com
TARGETTING ROW
WASHINGTON: The IRS has placed the head of its tax-exempt organizations division Lois Lerner on administrative leave, according to an IRS statement on Thursday, after she refused to testify about a scandal at the tax agency. Lerner had come under intense criticism in recent days for failing to alert Congress about the Internal Revenue Service inappropriately scrutinizing conservative groups that were applying for non-profit status.
YES (A) NO (B)
TODAY’S QUESTION
IS THE COUNTRY HEADING TOWARDS ‘MID-TERM’ POLLS?
3
CRIME
UNIQUE COLLECTION
Swindler held with stolen car
Meteorite from Mars may fetch $1,60,000
A smart swindler was caught stealing a car by duping a driver cum owner while on his way from Bangalore to the Hyderabad RGI airport. MOHD SUBHAN mohd.s@postnoon.com HYDERABAD: A smart jail bird from Uttar Pradesh who’d suffered imprisonment many times in Kerala and Tamil Nadu for cheating and who continues to mulct gullible with his glib tongue was arrested by the RGI police. In his latest feat he cleverly duped a taxi cab owner cum driver Hanumath of Bangalore. RGI inspector D Durga Prasad said the suspect, Purshotham Pandey, 40, has been living in Chennai for some time now. He went to Bangalore a week ago on business and posing as a big businessman engaged an Innova car owned and driven by one Hanumanth to come to Hyderabad. He was driven to RGI airport and once there asked Hanumanth to pick up his relatives from LB Nagar. Pandey told him to go by bus as the relatives have their own car and he could come in that. The unsuspecting Hanumath went to fetch the relatives. On arrival at L B Nagar he realised with a shock the address fake. He called Pandey on mobile but it was switched off. Worried, hastened to the airport only to find his car missing and
NEW YORK: A rare chunk of a meteorite that chipped from Mars after an asteroid impact and landed in Morocco's Sahara Desert is expected to fetch at least $1,60,000 when it goes under the hammer. The Martian meteorite NWA 7397 was found in 2012 in Morocco's Sahara Desert. Scientists believe it was part of a chunk of Mars that was chipped from the planet when an asteroid impacted it, Space.com reported. At 621 gm, the sample going up for sale is the larger portion of the meteorite that landed on Earth; the rest of that rock was recently bought by a museum, AROUND THE
WORLD
AROUND THE
CITY
Pandey nowhere seen. Hanumanth approached the RGI police and lodged a complaint. The police searched for the registration number of the car but could not trace it. Pandey had changed the original number plate with a fake one and was going round in Hyderabad, trying to find another sucker. Police have while checking vehicles found the car bearing a fake AP num-
ber and detained Pandey. On interrogation Pandey admitted of stealing the car and said he had been caught and imprisoned many times in Kerala and Tamil Nadu for similar cases. He explained his modus operandi. He would pose as a smart businessman and approach the ambitious entrepreneur with a plan for a new venture. He would invest part of the money and major chunk will come from the entrepreneur. For a while the business will run and he would suddenly disappear with the money.
according to Heritage Auctions in US, which is handling the sale. Meteorites that came from Mars are incredibly rare — less than 136 kg of them in total are known to exist on Earth. They tend to fetch higher prices than other types of meteorites, which usually originate from outer space, and sometimes the Moon. The NWA 7397 meteorite is going on sale on June 2 as part of a large collection of meteorites, fossils, and insects preserved in amber. "The specimens in this sale represent some of the finest fossils, meteorites, and natural history items I have had the privilege to handle," Craig Kissick, associate director of nature and science for Heritage Auctions, said. Another meteorite found in the Sahara Desert of Morocco, classified as a chondrite meteorite, should sell for at least $15,000, experts say. PTI
CITY BRIEFS Prasad takes charge as joint commissioner
Unknown woman gets away with gold, cash
Miscreants flee with parked jeep
Candle rally for confining Jagan Reddy
Reports show increase in child deaths
S
A
M
Y
C
hiva Prasad IPS has taken charge as the joint commissioner of police law and order in Cyberabad on Thursday. He had been working as DCP Traffic Cyberabad and earlier had worked with the Task Force, Hyderabad City, Aide-de-Camp to governor and as DCP North Zone, besides being SP Alwal, Kurnool.
n unidentified woman, has allegedly got away with gold and cash from a marriage function in Begumpet yesterday. Mohd Jaleel, a businessman resident of Shyamlal building, Begumpet said a woman posing as a servant entered the function hall and escaped with gold and cash. He has given police physical identifications to locate her.
iscreants have stolen a jeep from Abdullahpur in Hayathnagar area yesterday. Owner, G Shanker Yadav, a businessman, had parked the jeep in front of his farmhouse. Later, the jeep was found stolen. He said he was sleeping and heard no noise of the vehicle engine starting up. Hayathnagar police have registered a case.
SR Congress party plans to organise a protest in Hyderabad on May 27-28 against the continued incarceration of party chief Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy, who was arrested by the CBI on May 27 last year. YSRCP leader and convener of its trade union wing, Janak Prasad, said a candle rally will be held at People's Plaza on Necklace Road.
hief Minister reacted on the reports by Nilofer Hospital which showed increase in the deaths of children in various hospitals of City. He directed principal secretary of Medical and Health Department Ajay Sawhney to immediately submit a report on the issue and asked him to take urgent steps to prevent the death of children.
4
News FRIDAY, MAY 24, 2013 LAST YEAR... HERE Kill bill with ‘star’ power
L
ast year we had reported how consumers are increasingly showing interest in energy efficient air condition systems with better star ratings. The five-star 1.5 ton split AC with usage time of eight hours a day and 252 days a year in a commercial office space can see a saving in operating costs of around `8,000, compared to one-star AC with similar usage.
MAY 24, 2012
NUMEROLOGY
$2 bn
The tornado that killed 24 people and injured more than 200 others in Moore, Oklahoma, could have done more than $2 billion worth of damage, officials said.
A perpetual war — through drones or Special Forces or troop deployments —will prove self-defeating, and alter our country in troubling ways. President Barack Obama, talking about war on terror See page 7
5
THINGS WE LEARNT TODAY
The column that teaches everyone something new about the way the world functions.
1
Notable Congress leaders now join TRS. Four Congress leaders have decided to join TRS, pressurising Congress to concede to the formation of separate T-state.
2
Dispute over South China Sea continues. China continues with its aggressive step to claim some islands over the South China Sea, now triggering major military conflicts.
3
How pure is your gold? Get a free check in the City now. You can drive to Metrology department in Gandhinagar to test the purity of your gold for free. You will now know if you’re being cheated by your vendor.
4
It’s OK to be a gay youth, not a leader, at Boy Scouts. The organisation still maintains a ban on gay leaders. Though this is still a positive step towards equality, some remarked, “God will soon be ushered out of scouting.”
5
Foreign students flock to City universities. While Indian students are heading abroad for studies, overseas students look at options in OU.
CIVIC
Ego clashes spoil meeting The miserable report card of the Standing Committee may derail many civic works.
STATUS
Md NIZAMUDDIN nizamuddin.a@postnoon.com HYDERABAD: Mayor Mohd Majid Hussain and Congress Standing Committee members continue to play hide and seek with result that the committee skipped its meeting for the second consecutive day on Thursday. Hussain ducks questions on why the committee meeting, scheduled to be the last of this committee, could not be held while Congress members say they are all busy with marriages. Several subjects that are supposed to be discussed in the next council meeting slated for June 4 await approval by the outgoing Standing Committee. Since the last General Body meeting held in February, the current committee conducted only one meeting. Only three or four items have been approved, which were for
Only 20 meetings (weekly) conducted 412 resolutions passed 70 per cent not implemented AROUND THE
CITY
works to the tune of `15 lakh. Observers doubt if the June 4 meeting would ever take place. It was billed to be held on Wednesday. But this clashed with the Congress’s State meeting. Only some members turned up. Miffed, the mayor got engaged with biodiversity function and
other things till 3 pm. Hussain and commissioner MT Krishna Babu held a casual meeting in the former’s chamber where some MIM members were present. Congress members who came for the meeting waited at the deputy mayor’s chamber. As they were not invited, they left, dejected. As
RESEARCH
US BOY SCOUTS
India, US, Oz to grow climate-resilient crops The ambitious programme is part of Feed the Future, the US government's global hunger and food security initiative. WASHINGTON: India, US and Aus to develop climateresilient crops Washington: India, the United States and Australia have joined hands to develop new climate-resilient varieties of rice and wheat, two of the "big three" primary crops required to feed the world. As part of this endeavour, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is supporting a new public-private research partnership between the Australian Centre for Plant Functional Genomics (ACPFG) and India's Vibha Agrotech. This new collaboration will leverage ACPFG's unique gene technologies and considerable expertise in cereal stress tolerance and Vibha's field evaluation and rice transformation capabilities to develop new rice and wheat varieties with enhanced tolerance to drought and salinity, allowing farmers more stable production in the face of sudden drought and evolving salt water intrusion. The new lines will be eval-
a result, all Congress members failed to turn up for today’s meeting and the meeting was postponed. Deputy Mayor G Raj Kumar said all Congress members are busy with marriages. Condemning the ‘callous attitude’ of the mayor and commissioner, the TDP floor leader Singireddy Srinivas Reddy said, “These people are wasting the precious time of the officials, who would have attended to public problems in their zonal and circle offices.”
AROUND THE
WORLD
uated under representative field conditions and the most successful will be transferred into the varieties that farmers grow, USAID said. Work will initially take place in Australia and India, but the technologies will be made available to developing countries in South Asia and globally where climate stresses impact cereal yields, so that farmers can be more confident that they will have a good harvest, even as climate change creates more unpredictable
growing environments, USAID said. "We have to increase global food production by 60 per cent by 2050, even as climate change is already affecting crop yields," said Dr Julie Howard, USAID's chief scientist in the Bureau for Food Security and senior advisor to the administrator on Agricultural Research, Extension and Education. "That means we must use all the tools available to us to grow more food with less water. USAID is excited to launch this partnership and to leverage new expertise, and technologies, she said. PTI
Gay youths allowed, but not leaders AROUND THE
WORLD
WASHINGTON: The Boy Scouts of America agreed for the first time Thursday to allow openly gay youths to join the organisation, but will maintain a ban on gay adult leaders. Sixty-one percent of the estimated 1,400 delegates of the BSA's National Council at its annual meeting voted to end a ban that for decades has barred open homosexuality in the movement. The resolution will go into force on January 1. "The Boy Scouts of America will not sacrifice its mission, or the youth served by the movement, by allowing the organization to be consumed by a single, divisive and unresolved societal issue," the BSA said in a statement. AFP
5
News FRIDAY, MAY 24, 2013
CRIME
2 more held over London soldier beheading British police raided houses across London Thursday following the brutal murder of a serving soldier. AFP PHOTO / JUSTIN TALLIS
AROUND THE
WORLD
LONDON: Prime Minister David Cameron appealed for calm after 25-year-old Lee Rigby was butchered outside a London army barracks on Wednesday, while an extra 1,200 officers were deployed on the capital's streets in a bid to reassure the public. The intelligence agencies meanwhile came under scruti-
MOON MISSION Movie on spacesuit designers AROUND THE
WORLD
LOS ANGELES: A team of bra and girdle designers, who build the iconic spacesuit for Apollo space programme, are getting a movie on their life. Warner Bros has hired Richard Cordiner to script 'Spacesuit'. Based on the book by Nicholas de Monchaux, the film tells the true story of the team from Playtex who successfully built the iconic spacesuit that enabled Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin to walk on the moon, the Deadline reported. This unusual team was led by a former TV repairman, a car mechanic, and their crew seamstresses as they build the spacesuit. PTI AFP PHOTO/NASA
ny after it emerged that the two murder suspects, who were injured in police gunfire at the scene, had been known to the security services. Both men, aged 28 and 22, are believed to be Britons of Nigerian origin. One of them had frequented meetings by the now-banned Islamist group AlMuhajiroun, its UK leader Anjem Choudary told AFP. The two chief suspects are under arrest in separate hospitals. AFP
‘Jail for preacher’
B
ritain's newspapers on Friday paid tribute to the soldier and demanded that the preacher suspected of radicalising suspect Michael Adebolajo be jailed. It was revealed on Thursday that the soldier, who had served in Afghanistan, was 25-yearold Lee Rigby, known as Riggers to his colleagues.
AWARENESS DRIVE
Check gold purity for free Buy gold ornaments, drive to the Metrology department, test for purity and weight, and catch the scruff of the cheat, if you have been cheated. PADMINI C padmini.c@postnoon.com HYDERABAD: For the past week, following the World Metrology Day on May 20, the Legal Metrology Department here in the City has been conducting awareness and sensitisation drives to enlighten consumers on the aspects of short weightment, measurements, excessive charging on MRP on packaged commodities, among other things. Metrology officials say customers are often short-changed, especially by the sellers of highvalue wares like gold and diamond. But what has really been attracting people in droves is a
Have you fallen prey?
T
here are instances where 18 carat ornaments are sold off as 22 carats, says V Bhasker, addl controller, Legal Metrology. Or stone weight is also included and then charged at gold price. He said these checks help customers identify if they have fallen prey to anything like this.
AROUND THE
CITY
unique programme that has been introduced by the department — free checking of the purity of jewellery at the Legal Metrology Department's premises in Gandhinagar. Four days into the week and officials say they've already received a tremendous response and have checked more than 250 items now. Customers, including those who've just made their yearly akshaya tritiya purchases, it seems are bringing their ornaments over to be checked. "I've been purchasing jewellery from the same vendor for ten years now. And now my daughter's wedding is coming up. So I'm going to be investing a lot more. When I heard they were conducting purity checks here, I just wanted to check so I can be sure. Now, after the check, I know I can trust my vendor for sure. There should be more initiatives like this," says Namdev Rao, a financer from Kavvadiguda who shops at P Satyanarayana and Sons. Officials say that heightened public awareness has lead people like Namdev to inspect their
purchases carefully. "People now know their rights and are more careful about trusting vendors. There are instances where 18 carat ornaments are sold off as 22 carats. Or, stone weight is also included and then charged at gold price. These checks help customers identify if they have fallen victim to anything of this sort," says V Bhasker, addl controller, Legal Metrology. So what happens if they detect cases of impurity? "Unfortunately, we can't do anything about old cases. However,
GOLD `26,800 10g SILVER `43,800 1kg
24C
for
for
DOLLAR `55.68 POUND `84.08
we can register a complaint for purchases that came after April 2011 when the law was put into place," he says. The facility of free checks of gold and net commodities will go on till May 25. Meanwhile, the metrology department has also been conducting test checks at weekly markets, Rytu Bazaar, bus complexes, railway stations and shopping complexes as well as meeting with traders and consumers to educate them on the proper procedures of purchasing and selling.
BSE 5,970.30 NSE
19,673.68 0.65
3.25
6
News FRIDAY, MAY 24, 2013
SECURITY
CRIME
Snatcher arrested, 32 tolas of gold seized AROUND THE
CITY
TERROR THREAT
3 jawans killed in J&K militant attack The troops had launched an anti-insurgency operation in Buchoo village when the militants opened fire. FOR REPRESENTATION ONLY
Additional security forces have been rushed to the area and a manhunt has been launched to track down the militants, said an army spokesperson.
POSTNOON NEWS feedback@postnoon.com HYDERABAD: Chandrayangutta police have arrested a youth, Faisal Ali Jabbri, 28, who has been involved in over 20 cases of chain-snatching. Police seized 32 tolas of snatched gold ornaments from his possession. Inspector A Srinivas said the youth had gone awry after the death of his parents. After the parents’ death, he discontinued studies and got work in a factory. But he soon found snatching is a more profitable ‘vocation’. In 2008, he was involved in 12 cases of snatching and jailed. He came out on bail and continued with crime. Police believe they could solve several cases of snatching from Afzalganj and Nampally.
SRINAGAR: Three Army personnel were killed today in an encounter with militants in Tral area of south Kashmir’s Pulwama district. An Army spokesman said the troops had launched an anti-insurgency operation in Buchoo village in Tral area of Pulwama, 40 km from Srinagar, following a tip-off about presence of militants in the area.
AROUND THE
NATION
“As the troops were laying the cordon around the village, the militants hiding in the nearby forest opened firing, resulting in death of the three jawans,” the spokesman said. He said additional security
DEADLY SUPERSTITION
Swazi albinos plead for security ahead of vote Ritual killings are common of in Swaziland, and elsewhere in Africa, with witchcraft practitioners using limbs or body parts as amulets. AROUND THE
WORLD
MBABANE (SWAZILAND): Swaziland’s albinos have called on the government for protection ahead of elections expected later this year, fearing their body parts will be harvested by candidates seeking good luck. “Those in authority must make sure that our safety is guaranteed,”
People were told that when an albino dies, he would go and die far away where he or she would not be found. I think they were killed. Skhumbuzo Mndvoti Albino community leader
Skhumbuzo Mndvoti, an albino community leader living in the southern town of Nhlangano told AFP. “I can warn both adults and parents of albino children to take extra care during these election days,” Mndvoti said. In the past albinos, who lack the skin pigment melanin, as well as epileptics have been specifically targeted, prompting the police to set up registries. In 2010 the killing and mutilation of albinos, including in one instance the decapitation of two children in Nhlangano, prompted panic. Twenty-eight-year-old Sipho Dlamini said such albino killings regularly take place, but in the past were masked by rumours about albino behaviour. “People were told that when an albino dies, he would go and die far away where he or she would not be found. I think they were killed,” he said. Both men fear there may be a resurgence in attacks in the run up to elections, the date of which has not yet been set. Mndvoti blamed witchdoctors who mislead people into believing that using human body parts will help them win seats to parliament or prosper in business. AFP
forces have been rushed to the area and a manhunt has been launched to track down the militants. Further details of the operation were awaited. There were unconfirmed reports that the militants fled from the scene along with the service rifles of the slain jawans. PTI
‘Taliban influence in Afghanistan to grow’ AROUND THE
WORLD
MOSCOW: The Taliban influence in Afghanistan may grow after international coalition forces pull out, while rising radicalism in Syria could lead to the country's disintegration, Russian military intelligence agency GRU has said. GRU chief Lt Gen Igor Sergun said the situation in Afghanistan poses a “serious challenge to international stability” and that the withdrawal of the International Security Assistance Force in 2014 could increase the threat of terrorism and religious extremism. The situation could get worse if militants resume cooperation with Al Qaeda and use force to establish “a global caliphate,” he said. IANS
7
News FRIDAY, MAY 24, 2013
MOVING FORWARD
POLITICS
Obama to redefine war on terror The US president said that the country was at a crossroads, and warned that a “perpetual” US war on terror would be self-defeating.
Confident under siege
Questions Obama dodged
WASHINGTON: President Barack Obama laid out new guidelines for drone strikes Thursday and launched a fresh bid to close Guantanamo, warning that a “perpetual” US war on terror would be self-defeating. Obama told Americans their country was at a crossroads, and must move on from the counterterrorism policies deployed after the September 11 attacks to confront a new era of diverse global threats and homegrown radicals. “A perpetual war — through drones or Special Forces or troop deployments — will prove self-defeating, and alter our country in troubling ways,” he said. “We must define the nature and scope of this struggle, or else it will define us,” Obama said, warning that some post9/11 tactics like enhanced interrogation of suspects had “compromised our basic values”. But he also mounted a firm defence of his covert drone war as legal and just and the best way to confront terrorism plots against America, though
AROUND THE
WORLD
warned that undisciplined use of the tactic would invite abuses of power. Obama said he had signed a new policy directive codifying guidelines for the use of US drone strikes because “to say a military tactic is legal, or even effective, is not to say it is wise or moral in every instance”. The guidelines state that drone attacks can only be used to prevent imminent attacks and when the capture of a suspect is not feasible and if there is a “near certainty” that civilians will not be killed. But the administration still has wide discretion to use a covert strategy condemned by rights groups. Speaking at the National Defense University, Obama said that he would be “haunted” for the rest of his life by the deaths of civilians in strikes he had ordered — but had no choice when Americans were at risk.
n Guantanamo Bay timeline He did not provide a timeline for doing so — other than saying that if the camp were open 10 or 20 years from now it would be antithetical to US values. n Detention without release Obama also did not specify what he would do with Guantanamo Bay inmates who are deemed too dangerous to release — but who cannot be tried because evidence against them came from coercive interrogations and is not admissible in court. n When will the war end? Though urging the adoption of new strategies to tackle burgeoning franchises that pledge allegiance to Al-Qaeda but are not in its command structure, and homegrown radicals, he did not put an end date on the war on terror. n Opacity on drones It also remained unclear whether the White House or the Pentagon will in future confirm details about suspected drone strikes. The president also did not define the concept of an "imminent threat" to US security that he says a terror suspect must pose to be the target of a US drone strike abroad.
Obama also signaled a major new effort to close the Guantanamo Bay camp, which he billed as harmful to US interests, too expensive and a relic of a past age of counterterrorism tactics. AFP
Members of his own ministry — although a minority — are critical of him, telling friendly journalists that they tolerate him only because of Sonia Gandhi.
U
nder unrelenting attack on more than one count, one would expect Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to be wilting. No way! On the night he released his government's report card, nine years after he came to head the world's largest democracy, Singh was visibly cool. Nothing in his body language betrayed the slightest indication that the 80-year-old economist-turned-politician may be feeling the heat of pressure cooker politics, with a bitter Lok Sabha battle barely a year away. But once off the stage, he was full of life - smiling and shaking every hand extended to him. Today, with the Congress widely seen as a sinking ship, notwithstanding the BJP's own hiccups, smaller parties are unlikely to come flocking to the UPA. The Congress has already lost the JMM, TRS, DMK and Trinamool Congress. The BSP and SP are reluctant friends. The prime minister is not naive to not know this.
SO WHAT GIVES MANMOHAN SINGH THE CONFIDENCE? One logical reason could be the neat division of work between him and Congress president Sonia
Away from allies
O
n Wednesday night, it was a poor shadow of its former self. Besides leading lights of his own Congress, including party president Sonia Gandhi, P Chidambaram, AK Antony and Rahul Gandhi, the only notable others on the stage from among the allies were Lalu Prasad and his chum Ram Vilas Paswan, Farooq Abdullah and Sharad Pawar. This poor line-up is unlikely to take the Congress to the winning post in 2014. AROUND THE
NATION
Gandhi, who takes away the burden of managing the party. But all is not well within the Congress. Not everyone in the party is on the same wavelength as Sonia Gandhi vis-a-vis Manmohan Singh. For the nth time Wednesday, Sonia Gandhi sounded aggressive while defending the UPA. She spoke bravely. But brave words alone cannot help a party to win polls. IANS
NATION BRIEFS Two drown in sea near Rameshwaram
Hashish from India seized in Germany
Amritsar records new high at 48ºC
Life sentence awarded to man for patricide
Jailed Indian fishermen return to India
RAMESHWARAM: Two persons drowned in rough seas off Othapatti in the district today when they waded in to take a bath ignoring the warnings of their friends, police said. The duo had gone to the spot with three friends and reportedly consumed liquor. Later, they jumped into the sea, and were drowned when a giant wave immersed them.
MILAN: A parcel containing two kg of hashish reportedly sent from India has been seized in Germany. The substance was found hidden inside beach tennis rackets mailed to an address in Italy, police said. Police sniffer dogs detected the haul of socalled ‘black bombay’ hashish, estimated at 20,000 euros, during a check at Germany's Frankfurt airport.
CHANDIGARH: Amritsar Thursday recorded its highest temperature in over three decades with the mercury hitting a high of 48 degrees Celsius as severe heat wave conditions prevailed over Punjab and Haryana. The temperature in Amritsar was nine degrees Celsius above what is the average for this time of the season, Met department officials said.
MUMBAI: The Bombay High Court has upheld the life sentence awarded to a 31-year-old man from Sangli who stabbed to death his father over a property dispute. The conviction of Vitthal Mane was mainly based on the evidence of his mother and sole witness, Kalavati. Vithal denied that he killed his father and said he was falsely implicated.
KARAIKAL: Twenty-six Indian fishermen, who were arrested by the Sri Lankan Navy on April 5 while fishing off Kodiakarai coast, returned here this morning after their release, fisheries department officials said. The fishermen were lodged in a prison in the island nation after their arrest and their remand was extended four times by a Lankan court.
8
News FRIDAY, MAY 24, 2013 TRAILBLAZER
Srinivasan creates history as top US judge WASHINGTON: Chandigarhborn ‘trailblazer’ Indian-American legal luminary Srikanth ‘Sri’ Srinivasan has made history with the US Senate unanimously confirming him as the first South Asian judge on the powerful appeals court for the US capital. Srinivasan, 46, currently principal deputy solicitor general of the US, was Thursday confirmed
AROUND THE
WORLD
by the Senate by a 97 to 0 vote, as a judge on the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, often called the nation’s second-highest court. “Pleased” at the unanimous confirmation of his nominee, “the first one to this important court in seven years”, President Barack Obama said, “Sri is a trailblazer who personifies the best of America.” “Born in Chandigarh, India, and raised in Lawrence, Kansas, Sri spent nearly two decades as an extraordinary litigator before serving” in his current job, Obama noted predicting, “Now he will serve with distinction on the federal bench.” “Sri will be the first South Asian American to serve as a circuit court judge in our history,” he said as he pressed the Senate to act quickly to fill three remaining vacancies on the appeals court "as well as other vacancies across the country”. IANS
POSTNOON SPECIAL
Indians rush abroad, foreigners flock here While Indian students are flocking abroad, overseas students, especially from Afro-Asian countries, are vying to get into OU for professional courses. FILE PHOTO
ALEENA ALICE aleena.t@postnoon.com HYDERABAD: The word “agitation” could be synonymous with Osmania University (OU), but its academic excellence is what attracts foreign students. There has been an enormous demand among foreign students for both undergraduate and post-graduate courses this year. The number of students who applied has already registered a 40 per cent increase from last year and the numbers will
Subjects like arts, management studies, and professional courses seem to be favourites with foreign students as demand is always high. go up by the time the admission process is completed, say course managers at the university. So far, nearly 1,600 students have applied as compared to 2012 when the number came to 1,100. “We could keep the numbers constant. But since 2011, there has been a huge response. Last year, when compared to 2011, there was a 30 per cent increase as compared to previous years. This year, we are expecting more than 50 per cent increase,” says Prof C Venugopal Rao, director of the University Foreign Relations Office (UFRO). Though the university has been attracting students from around 78 countries, most of the students are from Afro-Asian countries like Yemen, Ethiopia,
Iran, Iraq, China and Sudan. Subjects like arts, management studies, and professional courses seem to be favourites with foreign students as the demand for these subjects are high. Every year, more than 100 students opt for civil engineering and this year, the management expects the number’s doubling, from the way they have been receiving response and feedback from foreign students. “Though we have not yet started the admissions for engineering, we are sure that around 150 (foreign) students will enrol. Because of the demand, last year we had to reject applicants for the course, since the number of available seats crossed the demand,” says the director.
AROUND THE
CITY
For undergraduate courses, there is a demand for BCA among foreign students, but not among locals. So far, 200 foreign students have registered for this course. B.Com and BBA are also courses more and more foreign students seek. For post-graduation, MSc and MA are in demand. Some 330 foreign students have opted for science stream for PG and 203 for masters in arts. So far, the university has only given the foreign students provisional admission letters and will start the final admission from June 3 and for post-graduation courses from June 17.
INTERNATIONAL HOSTEL To accommodate foreign students, the university has set up a foreign student’s hostel close to the campus. The recently inaugurated hostel is a bonus factor for the rise in number of students at the university. The two-storeyed building can accommodate 172 PG and Ph.D male students. The hostel has 16 twobedroom and 18 three-bedroom rooms. The hostel also has a huge dining area and a reading room with a television. “Depending on the demand, we will increase the area. A separate hostel for women (foreign students) is also in the pipeline,” says Prof C Venugopal Rao.
WORLD BRIEFS Islamist bombers kill 20 in Niger attacks
Schools torched in fifth night of Stockholm riots
Syria opposition in key talks on peace initiative
Ecuador satellite hits Soviet-era space junk
Cars, people in water as US bridge collapses
NIAMEY: Islamists groups have claimed responsibility for twin suicide car bombings on an army base and a French-run uranium mine in Niger in which at least 20 people died, in retaliation for the country's military involvement in neighbouring Mali. The attacks on Thursday come just four months after militants seized a gas plant in Algeria.
STOCKHOLM: At least nine cars were torched and two schools and a police station set ablaze as riots swept through Stockholm's immigrant-dominated suburbs early Friday for the fifth straight night, police and firefighters said. The riots have sparked a debate about the assimilation of immigrants in the mostly peaceful country.
ISTANBUL: Syria's main opposition group is set to hold a second day of talks Friday, mulling a new US-Russian peace initiative to end the two-year civil war while the regime vows to crush the insurgency. The National Coalition is expected to choose a new president and decide the fate of an interim rebel government.
QUITO: A tiny Ecuadoran satellite that collided in space with the remains of a Soviet rocket survived the crash, but was damaged and is not transmitting, Quito's space agency said Thursday. Ecuador's space agency EXA had warned that a space fender-bender was likely between its "Pegaso" nanosatellite and the remains of an S14 rocket.
LOS ANGELES: A bridge carrying a freeway over a river in Washington partially collapsed Thursday, sending cars and people plunging into the water below, police said. Pictures showed a large section of the bridge collapsed into the water, with traffic and crowds of people visible on the end nearest land.
9
News FRIDAY, MAY 24, 2013 DEFIANCE
‘Comfort women’ snub Japan mayor OSAKA: Two South Korean women forcibly drafted into Japanese military brothels during World War II have cancelled a meeting with a Japanese mayor who sparked outrage by calling them a wartime necessity. Outspoken Osaka mayor Toru Hashimoto and two former "comfort women" were to meet on Friday, but the elderly women reportedly changed their minds over fears of becoming political pawns in a long-running diplomatic dispute that has stoked tensions between Tokyo and Seoul. Earlier this month, the mayor said wartime prostitutes served a
POLITICS
Exodus from Congress: TRS The sudden decision of four Congress leaders to join the TRS Party is to mount pressure to concede the formation of a separate Telangana-state. AROUND THE
CITY
AROUND THE
WORLD
"necessary" role keeping battlestressed soldiers in line, setting off a volley of criticism from countries under Japan's rule in the 1930s and 1940s as well as from the US. "It is true that we used women to solve the problem of sex on the battlefield,’ said Hashimoto. "They are feeling extreme unease about Mr. Hashimoto's comments, and are saying they don't want to meet him," an Osaka City spokesman told AFP. Hashimoto later pledged to apologise to the women for his comments, while insisting Japan's soldiers were not unique in brutalising women. AFP
MD. INKESHAF AHMED ahmed.m@postnoon.com HYDERABAD: The TRS President KCR's move to dislodge the ruling Congress party lock, stock and barrel from the Telangana region seems to be
working well. In a fresh move, which could jolt the ruling Congress party, four senior Congress leaders have primarily decided to join the separate Telangana bandwagon and its progenitor, the TRS, in the first week of the next month.
These leaders included former APCC President and CWC Member K. Keshava Rao, a diehard separate state protagonist and Lok Sabha MPs S. Rajaiah, G. Vivekaanand and Manda Jagannath. Except Rao all the three MPS belong to Scheduled Caste community. According to TRS sources, the four senior Congress leaders are likely to join the party on June 2 after organizing a huge public meeting at Nizam College Grounds. “The tentative date decided for their entry is June 2. We will not leave this opportunity to welcome the senior politicians," said a senior functionary of the TRS. Currently the four Congress leaders have set up a deadline for their party high command till this month end to address the contentious Telangana issue. Reacting on the issue, a close aide of these leaders said that they were making a final attempt to mount pressure on congress party high command to concede the separate telangana state before joining the TRS Party. “ Well, these leaders have exhausted all their options and the high command would not yield to their pressure,” he said.
These leaders have no option but to struggle for the creation of separate Telangana state. TRS Party
DIVISION IN CONGRESS
The sudden decision of the four Congress leaders to join the TRS divided the party vertically. Some senior leaders of the party say that it would not serve any purpose to join the TRS "The fact is that only the Congress party can create separate Telangana state. I don't know as to why these leaders are joining the TRS despite a senior congress leader and party MLC quipped. But some others are of the view that this would make the Congress take notice.
DELIGHTS FROM DOWN UNDER
A meaty proposition
FLEME VARKEY fleme.v@postnoon.com HYDERABAD: If you want a taste of Australia’s renowned premium branded Mulwarra lamb, head to Park Hyatt. Mike Tafe, corporate chef, Mulwarra Exports, Australia, cooked up a storm featuring the oh-so-soft and succulent lamb. This Australian lamb culinary experience is part of a four-city promotion between May 18 and June 9. Australia is one of the world’s largest sheepmeat exporters. Mulwarra lamb entered the Indian market last year and is now looking to expand its territory. Michael Carter, trade commissioner of South India, Australian Trade Commission, assures us of the
AROUND THE
CITY
quality of the Mulwarra lamb. Greg Darwell, managing director of Mulwarra export pvt. ltd. adds, “The fat-to-bone ratio is more there in comparison to the meat in India. We are not looking to replace the meat used in Indian preparations but this kind of lamb would be ideal for Western cuisine.” The lamb is best paired with Penfolds, Austrailia’s iconic wine brand. It helps bring out the tenderness and succulence of the lamb pretty well. The promotional event that was held at Park Hyatt yesterday had the guests looking all satiated and content. Though initially hesitant about the product, by the end of the
It’s an epicurean delight — the lamb culinary experience at Park Hyatt in Banjara Hills.
meal, Mulwarra lamb had a fan following. Chef Mike Tate’s work with the lamb is truly aweinspiring. Lamb never tasted this good. Barbecue lamb leg, breaded lamb shoulder rack cutlets, braised lamb shank and more formed part of the items the chef had prepared and in the end, it was polished off with the help of a typical Australian dessert called Mango Pavlova. As Darwell says, “This is an exciting opportunity to have the Indian consumer try our lamb that has been so well received around the world over the last 15 years.” We would certainly recommend that you go in for a taste of this meat. Park Hyatt will now be replacing most of its meat with Mulwarra lamb on its menu.
10
News FRIDAY, MAY 24, 2013
EDUCATION
Bangladesh ‘Green Radio’ heralds a new era DHAKA: Nature lovers in Bangladesh can tune in to 89.6 FM for their daily dose of green awakening, courtesy a 45minute programme which aims at bridging the gap between environmentalists and laymen by keeping them abreast of burning topics.
“As our country has become the most vulnerable nation to climate change, we thought of making a dedicated programme on the environment to generate awareness among the people about issues like natural disasters and pollution and motivate them to make a greener earth,”
AROUND THE
WORLD
Nusrat Islam Khan, project officer of 89.6 FM’s Green Radioproject, told IANS. Targeted at the youth, the initiative relates environmental
stories sans the jargon from 7.15am to 8am every day through its programmes Green Hour, which is research based, and Green News, a daily update on the environment. Broadcast from Dhaka, the programme is relayed by the other seven 89.6 FM stations to ensure country-
wide coverage. Dealing with a gamut of topics like climate finance, climate justice, climate refugees, the media’s role in environment protection and instances of natural and man-made disasters, Green Radio taps experts for global insights. IANS
TERRITORIAL DISPUTE VCECIL MORELLA Agence France-Presse MANILA: A handful of marines living on a World War II-era ship that is grounded on a remote, tiny reef is the Philippines’ last line of defence against China’s efforts to control most of the South China Sea. The soldiers are stationed on Second Thomas Shoal in the Spratly Islands aboard a former US tank-landing vessel that was deliberately abandoned there to serve as a base, according to their former commander, Juancho Sabban. “Their lives are very hard... but they are marines. They are used to that kind of thing,” said the retired general, former head of military forces in the western Philippines. “There is no ground, they live on a grounded ship. They depend only on supplies that are delivered to them on logistics runs.” The shoal of the troops guarding it were thrust into the global spotlight after the Philippines said a Chinese warship was “illegally and provocatively” circling the area. It was one of the latest aggressive steps by China to assert its claim over the South China Sea that has rattled the Philippines, with others including the Chinese occupation of another Filipino-claimed shoal. China says it has sovereign rights over nearly all of the South China Sea, even waters far away from its main landmass and approaching the coasts of Southeast Asian countries. The Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan also claim parts of the sea, and the area has for decades been regarded as a potential trigger for major military conflict in the region. Dozens of Vietnamese soldiers died in losing battles in 1974 and 1988 with Chinese forces for control of islands in the sea, which are believed to sit atop reserves of oil and gas worth billions of dollars. The Spratlys archipelago, which has hundreds of islands, reefs and atolls, is one of the most hotly contested areas of the sea. All claimants, except Brunei, station troops on various-sized islands and atolls in the Spratlys to back their claims. The Philippines occupies nine of the Spratlys, including Thitu island, the second-largest in the area.
China, the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan claim parts of the South China Sea, and the area is regarded as a potential trigger for major military conflict.
(Left) BRP Sierra Madre, stranded on Second Thomas Shoal in the Spratly Islands. (Right) Chinese-built structures on Mischief Reef, near Second Thomas Shoal — within internationally recognised exclusive economic zone of Philippines. AFP
Grounded ship is Philippines’ last line of defence
AROUND THE
WORLD
Second Thomas Shoal is a tiny group of islets and reefs about 200 kilometres (120 miles) northwest of the Philippine island of Palawan. Resupply ships take between 36 and 40 hours to reach it depending on the weather. Eugenio Bito-onon, mayor of the region described the shoal as an eight-kilometre-long, oblong-shaped coral reef that barely rises above the water. “It sinks at high tide,” Bitoonon told AFP. He said each of the Philippine-held islands were manned by “at most” a dozen marines or navy personnel, though the exact number of troops remained unconfirmed. Galvez said the grounded vessel produced its own electricity generated from its fuel-powered engine, giving the shoal garrison access to indoor entertainment. Satellite phones keep them in contact with their families during duty hours, between three and six months. The nearest manned rock is Mischief Reef, about 40 kilometres away, but the neighbours are not considered friendly. Mischief Reef is claimed by the Philippines as it is within the country’s internationally recognised exclusive economic zone. But in 1995 Chinese forces moved onto the then-unoccupied reef, building fortifications that China initially described as harmless fishermen’s shelters. Chinese forces have been stationed there ever since. After the Philippines lodged a formal protest about the Chinese warship and the fishing vessels, China responded by insisting again it owned the area and that all other parties were there illegally. “China has indisputable sovereignty over the Nansha islands and their adjacent waters. Patrols by Chinese official ships in the waters are justified,” foreign ministry spokesman Hong Lei said in Beijing, referring to the Spratlys by its Chinese name. Ian Storey, a senior fellow at the Singaporebased Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, said the presence of the warship showed China was prepared to use its growing military power to protect its far-roaming fishing vessel. AFP
11
News FRIDAY, MAY 24, 2013
REPORTERS’ DIARY
Thick-skinned town planners
logic of asking for a ban of `500 and `1,000 notes as they contribute to corruption. It is true that higher denomination notes make it easier for the bribe giver but if people are corrupt they will not mind taking eve `5 note, will they? Many party cadres, when quizzed about this, appeared flummoxed like anyone else. But it is said the Desham leader will make it a big issue and promise working for the ban of the big notes in the party manifesto. Bravo! Only Naidu can perform this way. PK
JUBILEE HILLS SHOW
Talking of thick skinned civic officials, one could take a look at the picture above. Here the building contractors of the rich and the mighty make insulting gestures at law and the GHMC. It seems to say, “Right to walk? Forsooth! Building rules? My Right Foot!” PK
WHO’S THIS FOOTLOOSE AT CCS?
I
t is said once you are wet it doesn’t matter what dress you are in. Likewise, once you are a convict and served a prison term, you lose fear of law. Similar is the case with corruption. If you want to research on this, go to the GHMC’s town planning department where the first qualification AROUND demanded is of a thick skin, say the staff themselves. Once someone worked with this wing, he develops immunity to any kind of allegations, cognoscenti say. Suspension is the maximum punishment you get if you are caught taking moolah. And suspension with 50 per cent pension is a delightful vacation. So what the hell! According an official, an employee was suspended not once but four times
and each time he was reinstated. Of course, transfer is the only recourse open to the official to shift a particularly rotten mango. But here again, many circumvent transfer orders with the ‘right’ connections and interventions. There was a time when the corrupt feared the media to THE some extent. But now, “Even the most adverse reports by media make little impact on them.” MN
CITY
GHMC, PRACTICE WHAT YOU PREACH So the GHMC preaches about how cleanliness is next to godliness and has all sorts of clean and green quotes in every other corner of its office and parks. But if
you walk into the head office, you’ll wonder what stops the staff from practicing what they preach. The entire office is permeated with the stench of urine and there is no escape from it since even the lifts are situated right next to the toilets in the building. So now you know. If the GHMC office is in such a condition, what can you expect from the civic body for the public spaces? AA
BRAVO, NAIDU
TDP leader Chandrababu Naidu is a visionary. Few will doubt this considering what he did to give Hyderabad a modern face, and many of his welfare schemes are now implemented (of course, renamed after Rajiv Gandhi or Indira Gandhi). But many could not understand his
For some time now, staff in the powerful central crime station are being cowed down by a sada home guard who is said to be close to a senior IPS officer. CCS staff whisper that he is the eyes and ears of the officer and therefore gets a free run. Recently, when three ruffians who posed as policemen and looted people were arrested, they dropped the name of this home guard, saying he has connections and is part of many ‘games.’ What the ‘games’ are is the topic of discussion in CCS. It is said that the man has the officer in his palm, which means only one thing: He shares some terrible secret of the officer. How else would a small constabulary get so powerful as to make officers shiver? MS Contributed by Md Nizamuddin, Srinivas Setty, Aleena Alice, Mohd Subhan and PK Surendran. Pic by Srinivas Setty
Waste not flowers A flower is most beautiful when it is in the garden, like a deer or a lamb seen in its natural habitat. If this wisdom is known to the mayor and the GHMC, they would not have wasted several hundred lovely flowers at the function declaring the GHMC’s plan to open 14 biodiversity parks on Biodiversity Day (pictured left). It is not just a waste of flowers, but of money too. What use are dead flowers to anyone? They are thrown into the garbage can. Does it make any sense, mayor? SS
PICK YOUR
@
Across Stores
ities Twin C
12
News FRIDAY, MAY 24, 2013
THE SCREENING ROOM WITH HEMANTH KUMAR
YOU’RE THE WRITER Venu and Gopal had only one aim in their lives — to meet Rajini kanth, India’s biggest superstar, and invite him for an event in their village. So they went a long way...
T
Scene I
he blistering heat of Chennai was too much to bear for Venu. It’s the first time he has come to Chennai and his best friend Gopal is equally clueless. The moment they get down from the train, they realise the magnitude of the daunting task that lay ahead of them. Venu: How are we ever going to survive in a city like this? We have promised everyone in the village that we’ll return in three days, but it still seems impossible. Will we ever accomplish what we came here for? Gopal: You worry too much, my friend. Haven’t you read all those stories about Thalaivar’s kindness? He’s a messiah of the poor and the moment we meet him, I bet that he’ll immediately agree to come to our village. Venu: I guess he would. But I don’t know if we will be able to meet him in such a short span of time. We don’t even know how to approach him. Gopal: Everyone knows where he lives. Let’s try our luck there and see if we can manage to meet him today. Venu: Are you serious? You think they’ll let us meet him so easily? Gopal: You never know. We might just get lucky. Venu: I hope you are right...I hope you are right. (shakes his head)
V
FINDING LOST TREASURES... After years of negligence, AP Film Chamber of Commerce has launched a campaign to promote Telugu cinema’s glorious legacy.
Scene II
enu approaches an auto-driver right outside the railway station and asks him if he would come to Poes Garden; however, he makes the mistake of not bargaining the price. Venu: Gopal, lets go! Gopal: Did you bargain? Venu: No, but the auto-driver said that the place is not too far. Auto driver: First time in Chennai? Where do you want to go in Poes Garden? Venu: To Thalaivar’s house. We want to meet him. Auto driver: Oh...I see. The auto driver understands that he can easily con the two young boys, but he takes pity on them because he shares a similar story. Auto driver: Can I say something? You remind me of someone who came to Chennai for the first time to meet Thalaivar almost ten years ago. Gopal: Oh! Did he manage to meet him? Is it easy to meet Thalaivar? Auto driver: Let me put it this way, you have to be extremely lucky. You can’t unless God is on your side. Venu: That doesn’t sound quite encouraging. We just want to invite him for an event in our village. Auto driver: <slams brakes> WTF! Get out. Now! This is a fictional story of Venu and Gopal’s journey to meet Rajinikanth. Based on the first two scenes in this short story, now it is your turn to stir your imagination and continue the narrative. Send us your entries about what you think would happen in the next two scenes. The best entry will be published next Friday. You can mail me at hemanth.k@postnoon.com.
NEWSMAKER
REVIVING THE PAST
I
n a first-of-its-kind initiative in recent years, the Andhra Pradesh Film Chamber of Commerce has launched an initiative to find lost treasures of Telugu cinema. Speaking to the media, AP Film Chamber’s president, Tammareddy Bharadwaj, said, “Telugu film industry’s contribution to Indian cinema is immense, but not many people know about our achievements. Raghupathi Venkaiah Naidu was one of the pioneers of Indian cinema and he began making short films and established movie theatres over 100 years ago. Unfortunately, we don’t have any prints left of Bhishma Pratigya, the first Telugu film and there are several films which are almost untraceable. I urge everyone to help us to promote Telugu cinema’s legacy.” All the four film industries in South are planning to organise a huge event in Chennai in late June to celebrate 100 years of Indian cinema and AP Film Chamber is planning to hold an exhibition and a series of seminars in Hyderabad to highlight Telugu cinema’s contribution. “Telugu cinema will celebrate its 100 years anniversary soon and by that time, we want to collect enough material to showcase to the world,” Bharadwaj said. (If you have any information or memorabilia related to old Telugu films, please mail info@apfilmchamber.com)
RUMOUR HAS IT ...
to be the producer of the film. A section of media even quoted that Raj & DK had met Mahesh Babu six months ago and proposed this project. Currently, Mahesh Babu is busy with the shooting
S
hruti Haasan stunned everyone last week with her transformation from girl next door to uber chic actress, thanks to the cover shoot for Maxim magazine. If that wasn’t good enough, the first look of her upcoming Hindi film D-Day definitely set tongues wagging. In the film, she plays the role of a prostitute based in Karachi and we hear that it’s a crucial role in the film. So far, Shruti Haasan has never played a glamorous role in Telugu and most people were completely caught offguard. Three of her upcoming Telugu films — Balupu, Yevadu and Ramayya Vastavayya — have her exploring a different side of her persona and with two big films in Hindi, she has definitely made a bold statement. The timing of her transformation couldn’t have been more perfect
WEEKEND WATCH
Bollywood calling Mahesh Babu? B ollywood is abuzz with rumours that Mahesh Babu will be acting in a Hindi film which will be directed by Raj & DK. The duo had earlier made films like 99, Shor in the City and their recent film Go Goa Gone got a lukewarm response at box-office despite a good pre-release buzz. Before these rumours broke out, there was another rumour that Raj & DK will be directing a Telugu film with Mahesh Babu in lead role and Ashwini Dutt was touted
There’s a lot more to her..
of his upcoming film in Sukumar’s direction and after this, he has Srinu Vaitla’s Aagadu, a film each with Krish, Puri Jagannadh and Vamshi Paidipally. From the way things are going on for him in Telugu, it looks highly unlikely that Mahesh Babu will allot dates for a Hindi film for the next two years. In the past, even Mahesh Babu had stated that he has way too many commitments in Telugu to think about his debut in Bollywood.
Follow Hemanth on Twitter @crhemanth or email: hemanth.k@postnoon.com
Not in a mood to go to a theatre this weekend? Here’s a brief list of films you can watch at home.
1
The Consequences of Love Directed by Paolo Sorrentino, this 2004 Italian film narrates the story of a lonely businessman who spends all his time in a Swiss hotel and how his life turns topsy-turvy after he falls in love with a waitress.
2
Musa This epic 2001 South Korean film is set in 1375 AD and narrates the story of a Korean peace delegation as they try to get back to Korea through the deserts of northern China. It’s one of the most expensive Korean films ever made.
3
Chennai-28 Directed by Venkat Prabhu, this Tamil film is a tale of love, friendship and street cricket. A laugh riot all the way.
FRIDAY, MAY 24, 2013
Comment The fear of death follows from the fear of life. A man who lives fully is prepared to die at any time. Mark Twain Writer
Call for policy review after Sweden riots
R
ioting in Stockholm’s suburbs has highlighted Sweden’s failure to integrate swathes of its immigrant population, but in this small, consensus-driven country, there was little agreement on how to solve the problem. Four nights of unrest in Stockholm’s low-income suburbs have trained the spotlight on the assimilation of immigrants, who make up about 15 per cent of the population and who are much more likely to be unemployed despite numerous government programmes. Due to its generous refugee laws, Sweden has in the past welcomed hundreds of thousands of asylum seekers from Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria, Somalia and the Balkans, among others. Many congregate in areas already inhabited by other immigrants, where school results are poorer and joblessness is higher, leaving many immigrant youths with a sense of disillusionment and hopelessness about the future. The Swedish government has earned praise for the handling of its economy, even as Europe was engulfed by the financial and debt crises. But the Scandinavian state is no longer the cradle-to-grave welfare state it once was: Most cities have an acute housing shortage, homelessness is on the rise and youth unemployment is among the highest in Europe. Swedish authorities have also been neglecting the troubled neighbourhoods, noted experts. Unless the immigrants are better integrated into the society, the situation could get even worse, they point out. AFP
HIGH-FLYING THOUGHTS Finally the Gandhi scion seems to be manning up for the projected leadership — by declaring that he is no softie like his mother. One request boyo... take up a ministerial job at the Centre, even that of an MoS, and walk your talk for the nation to see.
RUSSIA
13
Stalin police criticism sparks anti-Semitism row
A
n explosive comparison made by a liberal Russian politician between Stalin’s agents and Hitler’s secret police has provoked a storm of abusive criticism in Russia that has been tinged by anti-Semitism. The controversy erupted when anti-Kremlin liberal politician Leonid Gozman, who is himself Jewish, criticised a television series aired on the May 9 World War II victory day about Stalin’s counter-intelligence police Smersh. Gozman said the series inappropriately painted murderers as heroes and compared the organisation to the most feared security organisations in the Third Reich. “Smersh didn’t have pretty uniforms, but that was probably their only difference from SS squads,” Gozman wrote on his Facebook page. “The word Smersh should stand among the words like ‘SS,’ ‘NKVD’ (Soviet secret police) and ‘Gestapo,’ evoking horror and disgust, rather than be used as a title in patriotic action films.” Many historians would agree about the extent of the terror wreaked by the Smersh during and after World War II but the remarks caused an outcry in a country still unwilling to come to terms with the crimes of the Stalin era. Smersh, created by Soviet
dictator Joseph Stalin in 1943, is an acronym short for “smert shpionam” which means “death to spies.” Its officers operated during the Soviet Union’s war against Nazi Germany, and were involved in arrests, deportations, and executions of not only German spies but people deemed anti-Soviet, including entire Chechen and Ingush ethnicities. While Russia’s modern security services celebrated Smersh and a lavish ceremony marked 70 years since its creation last month, some accounts of veterans of the front have painted a less rosy picture of officers who stayed away from the fighting and instead read soldiers’ correspondence. Gozman, who is involved in the Russian opposition movement, became the subject of an extraordinary attack by the proKremlin Komsomolskaya Pravda newspaper which was even more controversial than his original remarks. In an extraordinarily inflammatory article, its columnist Ulyana Skoibeda wrote it was “regrettable that the Nazis didn’t make lampshades out of the parents of our liberals.” She also blamed Russia’s liberals for smearing the memory of Soviet war efforts. The remark was later deleted from the article online, but the publication came under a storm of criticism, even from some officials.
Deputy Moscow mayor Leonid Pechatnikov on Tuesday told a Komsomolskaya Pravda reporter: “The Germans had time to make a lampshade out of the skin of my grandmother, and I was disappointed to find this lampshade in your newspaper.” According to some witness accounts, Nazi guards made lampshades out of the skin of Holocaust victims. While this remains controversial, it has become in Russia a potent symbol of the horror of the death camps. Russian PM Dmitry Medvedev this week further compounded the controversy by according an interview over his one year in office to Komsomolskaya Pravda in the midst of the scandal.
“The Prime Minister showed us which side he’s taken,” commented Sergei Dorenko, the editor in chief of RSN radio, usually nationalist and pro-Kremlin. Skoibeda, who has been accused of penning anti-Semitic articles before, wrote later that she was sorry, and the paper’s editor-in-chief said she has “received a severe reprimand.” However the paper continued to attack liberals. “What is hidden behind the wish of some commentators to revisit the results of the great (WWII) victory?” the paper said Wednesday. Many liberal bloggers and media criticised the newspaper, and the spokesman of Russia’s Federation of Jewish Communities Borukh Gorin has called for a boycott. AFP
EDITORIALS BJP must bring out its report card What we can learn from the US
T
he national Opposition, the BJP, has never had it so bad. The ‘party with a difference’ has fallen from heights as the executive committee meeting of the party the other day proved. It was clear that the senior leaders like LK Advani, Sushma Swaraj are green with envy at the sudden rise of Narendra Modi. While parliamentary ambitions of a politician are not to be called into question, people have a right to know of the opposition party’s report card. Now since the UPA has come out with its report card (though a thoroughly vetted one) the main opposition must also come out with one. The reason for not coming out with one is probably that its failures far exceed successes. In fact it is to be doubted if it has barely got through with minimum marks as the party has not fulfilled its basic dharma of a ‘virodh paksh.’ It is a sad commentary of the only major right wing party of India.
READERS’ VIEWS
H
e might be the most powerful man on the planet, but that doesn’t stop someone from protesting at his speech venue. The security personnel merely took away an anti-war protestor from the venue where US President Barack Obama was delivering his speech. Now compare that to what our City cops do in the proximity of VIPs, or even their star children. It was not long ago when Union minister Chiranjeevi’s bodyguards who acted like goons for his filmstar son and thrashed two techies in public view. There is no dearth of similar incidents across the country. It’s time we learned some tolerance.
We invite you to write to us comments, suggestions, viewpoint or just about anything to feedback@postnoon.com or #1246, Level 3, Jubilee Casa, Road No 62, Jubilee Hills, Hyderabad – 500 033 or even by way of a call on 4067 2222. Editor: Dean Williams
FRIDAY, MAY 24, 2013
Living spaces
ORR NEIGHBOURHOOD DRAWS GREENERY LOVERS
FACTS ABOUT APPA JUNCTION SCHOOLS
Srinidhi International School Glendale Academy Swamy Narayana Gurukul Raus School COLLEGES
Bandlaguda (adjacent to Chevella Road) and APPA junction are evolving as hotspots for development due to large space availability. The abundant green cover is an added advantage. PRUDHVI RAJU K prudhvi.k@postnoon.com
Shadan College of Medical & Engineering Vidya Jyothi Engineering College Bhaskara Medical College
R
eal estate is flourishing along the Outer Ring Road with buyers preferring to own a house in the outskirts. Developers are looking for large spaces around
these areas to develop gated community projects with worldclass amenities. Bandlaguda (adjacent to Chevella Road) and APPA junction are evolving as hotspots for the development due to large space availability. With the flats priced at less than `3,000 per sft
and at the distance of 13-15km to Hitec City, the place is attracting buyers. “It is at a distance of 13km from Assembly and centre of City and around 10 km from Mehidipatnam. It is also almost at equal distance from Hitec City and Gachibowli Stadium
(13-16km). The location is well connected with the City through the 200feet-wide radial road that goes to the ORR. Buses and auto rickshaws are available to these localities till late night. According to recent media reports, the State government has plans to revive Kokapet
The area isn’t plagued by water scarcity that has a stranglehold on the rest of the City due to its proximity to lakes Osman Sagar and Himayat Sagar.
Infrastructure ROAD
SEZ. Many global and national companies taking office space in that SEZ will push the demand and values around this area,” said PV Ravindra Kumar, CEO of Vasathi Housing. “Due to natural green cover, the air quality here is better than many other areas in the City. Due to GO 111, one cannot expect further real estate development beyond the Outer Ring Road in this stretch. This will retain natural greenery and keep the traffic levels low,” Kumar said. Falling groundwater levels
Connected to Jubilee Hills (30-35 min) Connected to Mehdipatnam (20-30 min) Connected to Gachibowli (25-30 min) Connected to Hitec City (30 min) RAIL
Railway station — Nampally AIR
Shamshabad Airport (22 km) ENTERTAINMENT AND SHOPPING
Residents have to visit Mehdipatnam and Lakdikapul
PBEL CITY
VASATHI ANANDI n Seven towers plus amenities block n Comprises 483 Studio/1/2/2+Study/3 BHK apartments n Ranging from 262 sft to 1,355 sft n Aesthetically designed and spacious n Vastu compliant n IGBC Gold Pre-certification n Gymnasium n Swimming pool for adults, children n Yoga room, library, party hall, TT and outdoor shuttle court, kids' play area, cricket practice net n Manjeera water supply n Shuttle service for comfortable travel at nominal charge n Basic price: `2,550 per sft.
n 25-acre township with 13 towers (proposed) n Built-up area: 1,077-1,972 sft n Gymnasium, swimming pool n Sport facilities n Departmental store n HDFC ATM n Creche-cum-playschool n Pinks & Blooms Unisex salon n Medplus pharmacy, library n 100% power back-up n Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) and water treatment plant n Fire safety with automated fire sprinklers n Basic Price: `3,250 per sft
YOUR WEEKLY GUIDE TO HYDERABAD REAL ESTATE SRINIVAS SETTY
Consultant’s role crucial to contract KALISETTI NAIDU
feedback@postnoon.com
is one of the most common concerns in the City. However, lakes like Osman Sagar and Himayat Sagar are keeping water levels in these areas stable. “Buyers in this area do not need to worry about water problems. For instance, we have not purchased a single tanker during the construction of Anandi and found water at a depth of 200-300feet by sinking a borewell,” he said.
“In terms of value, there is an appreciation in property values over time. The values grew from `5,500 syd to `15,000 syd in last six years. For instance, our flats are priced at around `2,800 per sft with all the amenities. The prices are reasonably low considering its proximity to many retail and commercial areas of the City. In the western part of the City, one should go beyond Patancheru to find a
house with all these facilities in a gated community at this price. In the past, growth did not reach our expectations due to real estate downturn. “However, this is changing. In terms of buyers, around 50 per cent are from the IT sector and there are also considerable number of North Indians who are buying flats and settling in this area,” he explained. Although the locality has decent roads, the water pipelines in this areas do not reach interior pockets. “The government has to lay proper infrastructure according to growth in population. This is a definite challenge for developers who construct single tower apartments. However, the gated communities can provide drinking water by installing proper RO purification facilities as they deal with large volumes,” he added.
GIRIDHARI VILLA ONYX n 44 Villas with 2,300-3,300 sft n Plot size : 178-278 syds n Swimming pool n Play area, power backup n Security n Intercom n Rainwater harvesting n Wifi, broadband internet n Library n Gymnasium n Bank/ATM n Indoor games n Stand-by power for 8 points for each unit and all common services n The entire property is secured with a compound wall n Basic price: `3,700 per sft
14&15
HYDERABAD: Many landlords may think a consultant is an extra burden in terms of costs for renting out a property. However, this is not true. A consultant is an intermediary who not only helps the landlord in getting a good client, but also makes sure the arrangement between landlord and tenant is successful. He stands by the landlord (developer) and executes his requirements profitably and creates a successful deal for both parties. He also holds responsibility if things go wrong at a later stage. By excluding a consultant, the whole process can go haywire. There are many cases where the developer has got into trouble by not knowing many clauses that need to be included in the agreement.
For instance, if a clause about service tax is ignored in the agreement and if government imposes the service tax on the rent, who will pay that? The landlord says that as this tax is on rent, the tenant has to bear it. Whereas the tenant is reluctant to pay something that he did not agree upon. A consultant acts as a bridge in such situations. He makes the agreement and real estate transaction based on 24 important points like property tax, service tax and so on. Most of the landlords also do not think on calculation of investments and ROI while making an agreement. A consultant is the competent authority who can tell you about the costs to satisfy requirements
of tenants. He negotiates with both parties and balances deals. Most of the times, developers get carried away with brands. For instance, if a tenant asks for a plug and play space, he may agree upon that without exactly knowing the costs involved in each of the works like carpentry, cabling, furniture, furnishing and electricity. He may also agree upon a draft agreement in such a way that it takes two years for him to recover those costs for developing those facilities. If the agreement has twoyear locking period and the ten-
A consultant is the competent authority who can tell you about the costs to satisfy requirements of the tenant. He negotiates with both parties and balances deals.
ant leaves after that period, the landlord may end up in loss. In such cases, the locking period should be more, which guarantees a definite return for tenant for few more years for the investments he puts in. With his expertise in the field, a consultant drafts an agreement in such a way that neither of the parties stand to lose from it. A tenant is the one who gives the business for the consultant and the landlord is the one who pays for his services. In terms of fees, he charges the value of one month rent from a landlord and creates a win-win situations for both the parties. The writer is the director (Retail) for Yards and Feet Property consultants
18
FRIDAY, MAY 24, 2013
spotlight
FRIDAY FRENZY
Tease is the place to be on a Friday night. So, head to the pub and enjoy the night.
CELEBRATION TIME 1
2
3
4
5
6
1 Suman, Ratan
Fun unplugged
2 Indu, Vinod 3 Maya Patel 4 Jayesh, Divya 5 Harish, Isha 6 Neelesh, Soni 7 Nishanth, Vinita
Dinesh and Neeta Patel's third wedding anniversary party held at Kismet on Thursday night was a rollicking affair. Spotted were Vibha, Harish and others. 7
8
9
10
SHADES OF BLUE
Members of the Pink Gurls made a beeline to Over the Moon where make-up artist Shilpa Jain gave them tips on how to wear blue eye make-up.
8 Aparna, Soni 9 Dinesh and Neeta 10 Vibha, Anand 11 Rakhi, Sanjay
11
FRIDAY, MAY 24, 2013
health
AIDS PROGRAMME GETS `2,550 CRORE
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs Thursday approved a proposal for the implementation of National AIDS Control Support Project (NACSP) under the National AIDS Control Programme (NACP) at an outlay of `2,550 crore, an official statement said. IANS
RESEARCH
19
Largest genetic sequencing study of human disease LONDON: Researchers have completed the largest sequencing study of human disease to date, investigating the genetic basis of six autoimmune diseases, including diabetes. The exact cause of these diseases — autoimmune thyroid disease, celiac disease, Crohn’s disease, psoriasis, multiple sclerosis and type 1 diabetes — is unknown, but is believed to be a complex combination of genetic and environmental factors. In each disease only a proportion of the heritability is explained by the identified genetic variants. The techniques used to date, have generally identified common variants of weak effect. In this study, using highthroughput sequencing techniques, scientists sought to identify new variants, including rare and potentially high risk ones, in 25 previously identified risk genes in a sample of nearly 42,000 individuals. It has been suggested - in the ‘rare-variant synthetic genomewide association hypothesis’ that a small number of rare variants in risk genes are likely to be a major cause of the heritability of these conditions. However, the study published in the journal Nature, suggests that the genetic risk of these diseases more likely involves a complex combination of hundreds of weak-effect variants which are each common in the population.
ANEWS PP-LYBRIEFS YOURSELF
Researchers estimate that rare variants in these risk genes account for only around three per cent of the heritability of these conditions that can be explained by common variants. “These results suggests that risk for these autoimmune diseases is not due to a few high-risk genetic variations but seems rather due to a random selection from many common genetic variants which each have a weak effect," David van Heel, lead author of the study, said. “For each disease there are probably hundreds such variants and the genetic risk is likely to come from inheriting a large number of these variants from both parents. If this is the case then it may never be possible to accurately predict an individual’s genetic risk of these c o m m o n autoimmune diseases. “However, the results do provide important information about the biological basis of these conditions and the pathways involved, which could lead to the identification new drug targets,” said van Heel.
In this study, using high-throughput sequencing techniques, scientists sought to identify new variants, including rare and potentially high risk ones, in 25 previously identified risk genes in a sample of nearly 42,000 individuals.
PTI
HOUSECALL
DID YOU KNOW?
PIONEERS
Heart Fitness
Cavernomas
Tomato is rich in vit C
Christiaan Eijkman
Measure your heart rate with the built-in camera and monitor your physical fitness using our patented technology. Developed in the laboratory of Centre Hospitalier Universitaire in France, this method has been tested and validated against FDAapproved instruments in clinical conditions. itunes.apple.com
Cavernomas are clusters of abnormal blood vessels mainly found in the brain and spinal cord. A typical cavernoma looks a bit like a blackberry. It is filled with blood that flows slowly through vessels that are like 'caverns'. Cavernomas vary in size from a few millimetres to several centimetres across. Cavernomas are estimated to occur in about one person in 600 without causing any symptoms. nhs.uk
Tomatoes are an excellent source of vitamin C (the vitamin C is most concentrated in the jelly-like substance that surrounds the seeds). They also contain vitamin A and B-complex vitamins, potassium and phosphorus. A tomato grown in a hothouse has half the vitamin C content as a vineripened tomato. mercola.com
Christiaan Eijkman was a Dutch physician and professor of physiology whose demonstration that beriberi is caused by poor diet led to the discovery of vitamins. Together with Sir Frederick Hopkins, he received the Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine. Eijkman had been sent to Indonesia to study Beriberi, a disease of the peripheral nerves, but his discovery of the cause was accidental. en.wikipedia.org
20
FRIDAY, MAY 24, 2013
Technology AMBITIOUS PLANS
AMAZON GOES GLOBAL
Online retail giant is expanding its sales to over 170 countries.
SOPHIE ESTIENNE feedback@postnoon.com NEW YORK: Online retail titan Amazon announced that it is expanding sales of its Kindle tablet computers to “over 170 countries and territories around the world,” and its Appstore in nearly 200 countries. The move steps up the offensive of Amazon against rivals like Apple and Google in the market for tablets and content sold for the devices. “Kindle Fire HD is the number one best-selling item in the world for Amazon since its launch, and we’re thrilled to make it available to even more customers around the globe today,” said Dave Limp, vice president at Amazon Kindle. “Not only does Kindle Fire feature advanced hardware, it’s also a service. When combined with our content ecosystem,
great email and browsing and top-rated customer service, we hope people around the world will agree that Kindle Fire HD is the best tablet for an incredible price.” Amazon said Kindle Fire, which starts in the US market at $159, will start shipping to the additional countries by June 13. Up to now, it had been sold outside the US only in Britain, Germany, France, Italy, Spain and Japan. The company said its Amazon Appstore “is now available to millions of customers in nearly 200 countries,” offering games, books, and other content. Amazon sells apps for Kindle, but also for PCs and other Android phones and devices. “We think our customers will love the app selection we have to offer and also find features such as Free App of the Day and personalised recommendations very helpful as they
discover and explore new apps and games,” said Amazon’s Mike George. “By further expanding the distribution of apps to millions of customers around the world, we are continuing to make it easy for customers to enjoy their Amazon apps on Kindle Fire and any Android device.” The Appstore was launched in 2011 and prior to Thursday was only in Britain, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, China, Japan and the United States. Amazon is competing with the likes of Apple and Google in the market for tablets and also online content and apps. Some reports say Amazon is developing its own smartphone as well. The Seattle-based firm has not released sales figures but research firm IDC said Amazon is the fourth leading seller of tablets despite limited distribution, with 1.8 million units sold in the first quarter. Amazon is likely using Kindle to globally expand its power as an online retailer, according to Silicon Valley analyst Rob Enderle. “They are selling digital storefronts,” Enderle said of putting Kindle tablets into the hands of people around the world. “The Kindle is a window into Amazon,” he continued. “It is about much more than eBooks, music and movies; once you are there, Amazon wants to sell you televisions, refrigerators, stereos and more.” Even when sold at a loss, Kindle tablets power a profitable “ecosystem” for Amazon with sales of digital media boasting attractive margins , Morgan Stanley said in a note to investors. “Amazon could lose money
START WITH THIS MOUSE Microsoft has just announced two mice — the Sculpt Mobile Mouse and Sculpt Comfort Mouse — and believe it or not, this marks the first time Redmond has made a pointing device with a hotkey for the Windows 8 Start screen. In addition to bringing up the Start Menu, you can use it to return to the desktop, all without having to hit the keyboard. While the Mobile Mouse has just the Start key and a scroll wheel, the bigger Comfort Mouse takes things a step further: The button there doubles as a capacitive surface you can swipe to toggle through open programmes in Windows 8.
REMINDS ME OF SOMETHING Note-taking app Evernote is releasing updates to its Mac and iOS clients to introduce a major new feature: Native reminders. Reminders are a good addition to the popular app that focuses on remembering everything through a unified and polished interface. You won’t find the complexity of OmniFocus or the feature set of Due in Evernote’s reminders. You’re not looking at a GTD app inside Evernote; reminders are simply a way to associate a reminder with a note.
Google under scanner
on every Kindle they sold and it would still be a great deal for Amazon,” Enderle said. A challenge for Amazon will be getting retailers around the world to embrace peddling Kindle tablets, according to the analyst. “Amazon still has to sell Kindles in places where they are not big,” Enderle said. “If I am a retailer in South America, do I really want to sell someone a doorway into Amazon?” AFP
Google is facing a new antitrust probe by the US Federal Trade Commission into whether the company is using its leadership in the online display-advertising market to illegally curb competition, people familiar with the matter said. The fresh inquiry, which follows the FTC’s decision to close a review of Google’s search business in January without taking action, is in the preliminary stages and may not expand into a larger probe, said the people, who asked not to be named. FTC investigators are examining whether Google is misusing its position in US display ads — a $17.7 billion industry that includes the sale of banner ads.
FRIDAY, MAY 24, 2013
Entertainment CINE BYTES
TOO GOOD TO LET GO
A once in a lifetime
OPPORTUNITY
Allu Arjun set to fly to Norway
A
llu Arjun is all set to fly to Norway in June for a major schedule of his upcoming film Race Gurram. Surender Reddy is directing the film and the first schedule has already been wrapped up. Shruti Haasan is playing the lead role opposite Allu Arjun in this action entertainer. Vakkantham Vamsi has written the script.
AMAT’s audio launch on May 30
T
he audio launch of Mohana Krishna Indraganti’s Anthaka Mundhu...Aa Tharuvatha has been pushed to May 30. Sumanth Ashwin and Eesha have played the lead roles in this film. KL Damodhar Prasad is the producer. Kalyani Koduri has scored the music and the film is likely to release in June.
Lakshmi Menon pairs up with Siddharth
L
akshmi Menon, who was last seen in Prabhu Solomon’s Kumki, has been roped in to play the lead role opposite Siddharth. Karthik Subbaraj is going to direct the film and it’s said to be a comedy thriller. The principal shooting is expected to begin in June. The bilingual film will be produced by Kathiresan under the banner of Five Star Films.
HEMANTH KUMAR hemanth.k@postnoon.com
C
handini Tamilarasan, unlike most other actresses testing waters in newer film industries, is taking a big gamble and that she would choose a film like Kaalicharan to make her debut in Telugu is surprising, to say the least. Ask her what convinced her to take up the role in Kaalicharan, she says, with a hint of pride, “It was the script. Acting in a film like Kaalicharan is a once in a lifetime opportunity and such characters are a rarity. I can do a commercial film at any point of my career, but Kaalicharan was too good to let go. There’s a beautiful love story in the film and I play the role of a girl who’s very strong-headed and knows what she wants in life.” The film is set in the 80s and naturally, the romance between the lead pair is different from what we see in films these days. “There’s a lot of romance and intimacy, but there’s no touching. We had to emote a lot through our eyes. I’ll never forget the experience of shooting the song, Kurise Kurise, in the outskirts of Hyderabad. I am not used to the climate of Hyderabad and we had to shoot this song, with rain effect, for seven days
because director Praveen Sri is such a perfectionist. It’s one of the most memorable moments of the entire shooting,” she reveals. Born and brought up in Chennai, she first came into limelight when she took part in the Miss Chennai contest few years ago. “I got plenty of offers to act in films and in the end, I chose to make my debut in K Bhagyaraj’s direction. I’m not a trained actor, but working in a Bhagyaraj film teaches you a lot of things about acting and cinema in general,” she says. Unfortunately, the film didn’t do well at the box office and her other film Padithurai is yet to release. “I don’t think any actress has faced as many challenges as I have, but I have no regrets. I know that nothing happens easily in this industry. The most important thing for me is to be a part of good films,” she signs off.
21 Chandini Tamilarasan is keeping her fingers crossed about her debut film, Kaalicharan. She tells Postnoon about why it’s a once in a lifetime opportunity.
FRIDAY, MAY 24, 2013
fashion
ARMANI TURNOVER GOES OVER 2 BN EUROS
ITALIAN FASHION group Giorgio Armani's sales revenue rose over 2.0 billion euros ($2.6 billion) last year â&#x20AC;&#x201D; a 16 per cent increase from 2011 and including an 11-per cent jump in crisis-hit Europe. "The excellent results show the group's capacity to assert its position as a leader in the sector and a global reference point," Armani was quoted as saying.
CRUISE
FASHIONS IN
MONACO
With the Mediterranean Sea the picturesque backdrop, Dior showcased its 2014 collection recently. It was a wet, cold and generally miserable outside the white stage, but Raf Simons' designs provided the shimmering summery lift for the evening.
RICHEMONT FASHION CHIEF QUITS
SWISS LUXURY goods giant Richemont said Tuesday a top executive had resigned, amid expectations the group that owns Cartier, Piaget and Montblanc will sell off under-performing brands. Marty Wikstrom, who had headed the fashion and accessories division since 2009, would step down "with immediate effect".
I
t seems the glittering star power of Cannes migrated up the coast to Monaco for front-row seats at Dior's colourful, sexy cruise fashion show. Among those on hand were Oscar-winner and Dior spokeswoman Marion Cotillard, actresses Ruth Wilson and Jessica Biel, and Prince Albert of Monaco, along with his fashionable wife, Princess Charlene. There were sheer lace cover-ups, brightly coloured dresses, and jackets and coats made of wool. In press materials provided at the show, Simons explained his inspiration to prominently feature lace in the collection. "I never worked with lace before," he said. "It was about transforming the meaning of the material; not romantic, not historical, not old, to something light, playful, colourful and modern — with energy."Many of the pieces had an effervescent feel, like the metallic blended with sheer lace and a strip of a coral floral print in one dress; a wool jacket and pants were made vibrant with bright red colour.But there were other outfits that had a more traditional look, like a flowing spaghetti-strap red dress that hit mid-calf at the front but draped near the floor in the back, and the one-piece bathing suits that harkened back to old-style Hollywood glamour — particularly a brilliant blue piece with ruching in the back. AGENCIES
22&23
A plethora of designers from across the country were competing for this dream position. However, only the most promising among them could make it and become the winners of NTC’s Young Designer Hunt.
Grooming young designers
T
he Grand Finale of the National Textile Corporation was held at the Ocean Pearl Retreat, Delhi, recently. The young finalists competed with great zeal and zest. In an atmosphere charged with the spirit of competition, they delivered their finest performances in the personal interview and on the spot assignment across five categories viz. apparel, accessories, home décor, furniture, handicrafts and heritage. These were personally evaluated by India’s ace fashion designer Raghavendra Rathore and his team, who also reviewed the portfolios of the finalists. “The final performance of contestants was so good, and so full of promise, it was tough selecting the winners,” said Rathore. He and his team scrutinised each work, and interviewed the finalists before declaring the winners in each category. The designer also observed that, “Youngsters in our country are hardworking and dedicated towards their work. They just need accurate motivation so that their talent can be channelised
and they are all set to amaze the fashion world.” All the winners of NTC Young Designer Hunt have the privilege of being personally trained by Rathore, besides a contractual employment for a year with NTC’s Brand India. Congratulating the winners, Zohra Chatterji, secretary, ministry of textiles, Government of India, said, “The creativity of Indian minds is well recognised the world over. We need to encourage and give wider exposure and opportunities to our budding young fashion designers in the growing domestic and international market. I congratulate the winners of this competition and wish them a bright future in creative design. I also look forward to many more useful initiatives by the NTC for the growth of the Textile Industry especially in the area of marketing and brand promotion in the days to come”. The primary aim of the Hunt was to attract promising talents hidden in every nook and corner of this country, identify and bring them to the limelight by providing them with the best training.
Entertainment FRIDAY, MAY 24, 2013
24
Entertainment FRIDAY, MAY 24, 2013
25
FRIDAY, MAY 24, 2013
Chai Time
THOUGHT OF THE DAY
Our character... is an omen of our destiny, and the more integrity we have and keep, the simpler and nobler that destiny is likely to be. George Santayana
KAKURO
QUICK CROSSWORD
26
SUDOKU How to play kakuro Kakuro is a popular game similar to sudoku in some ways. But is also suitably different. The key question: ‘How do you play kakuro?’, well here are the rules of kakuro. The answer: The kakuro grid, unlike in sudoku, can be of any size. It has rows and columns, and dark cells like in a crossword. And, just like in a crossword, some of the dark cells will contain numbers. Some cells will contain two numbers. However, in a crossword the numbers reference clues. In a kakuro, the numbers are all you get! They denote the total of the digits in the row or column referenced by the number. Within each collection of cells — called a run — any of the numbers 1 to 9 may be used but, like sudoku, each number may only be used once. Let’s have an example to explain this concept more clearly: In the image above, which shows a section of a kakuro puzzle, you will see the numbers ‘26’ and ‘14’ in the top row. Look at the 14. This means that the total of the three cells underneath must sum to 14. Therefore 9, 4, 1 could be the answer, or perhaps 7, 4, 3 and so on... So, how do you work out the actual combination? Well, this is done through elimination and cross-referencing. For instance, as you work out the answers for other kakuro clues, this will naturally limit the valid combinations, and hence the answer for this particular run. Note the second cell in row two — it contains two numbers, 30 and 11. The 30 refers to the vertical run underneath the number 30 and the 11 refers to the two cells to the right, horizontally, of the number 11.
ACROSS
PREVIOUS PUZZLE ANSWER
SCRIBBLING PAD
1 Email filter target 5 Decidedly un-Texan 10 Powerful emotion 14 Bishop Desmond 15 ‘The Sons of ___ Elder’ 16 Line-___ veto 17 Old-style ‘Bummer!’ 18 Crave (with ‘for’) 19 Soothing salve 20 Contradict 22 With irregularity and unevenness 24 Couple with 16 arms? 27 Singer Amos 28 Fill-up filler 30 Steep, rugged cliff 31 Cab type 34 Goddess of abundance and fertility 35 ‘What ___ God wrought?’ 36 Princess’ adornment 37 Bumbling dudes 39 Stop pushing so hard 42 Way into a mine 43 Cappuccino topper 45 Tiler’s measurement 47 Animal doctor 48 Pour through a sieve 50 Cop after dealers 51 Oft-pale beverage 52 Wedding cake doll 53 Dough component 55 Like the son in a parable of Jesus 58 Indian lute 61 The stuff of legends 62 ‘___ you ashamed?’ 65 Roy’s partner on the range 66 Takes into a count? 67 Homebound student, often 68 ‘Good heavens!’
69 Put through the paces 70 Overdo it onstage 71 Nevada’s second-largest city
DOWN
1 Attack with a dagger 2 Act the crybaby 3 Like a stumped puzzle solver? 4 ‘___ to my ears’ 5 Word with ‘high’ or ‘light’ 6 West of old Hollywood 7 Abutting at 90 degrees 8 A euro forerunner 9 Kentucky Derby victory margin 10 Poet’s name for Ireland 11 Smaller and weaker, perhaps 12 Break the news 13 Television award 21 Carve into glass 23 Blame bearer 25 Kind of testimony 26 Fancy chopped liver 28 Blunders 29 In pieces 32 Built-out window 33 Photo finish? 38 Least wild and frivolous 40 River through Russia 41 South American nation 44 Sound system of yesteryear 46 Book of apostolic deeds 49 Make invalid 54 Kind of down 55 Surveyor’s map 56 Hopped a freight 57 Calla lily, eg 59 ‘Chattahoochee’ singer Jackson 60 Bring on the decorator 63 Tightrope walker’s protection 64 Concert souvenir
Chai Time FRIDAY, MAY 24, 2013 Thiruvaikumar
STAR POWER for 25-5-2013
27
As per Hindu panchang thiruvaikumar@yahoo. co. in, 040-27177230 / 9177596118
ARIES
TAURUS
GEMINI
CANCER
LEO
VIRGO
LIBRA
SCORPIO
SAGITTARIUS
CAPRICORN
AQUARIUS
PISCES
Children march forward in their studies and score well. Hardship faced by businessmen will be over and they get onto the path of prosperity. You become active by driving away the laziness in you. Trouble creators will now become silent.
STRIP TEASE AGNES
Tension and worries will get over. Businessmen will see a flourishing time. Competition will be met wisely reducing it considerably. Peaceful atmosphere will prevail at home. Comforts likely to improve substantially leading to a luxurious life.
Couples look more affectionate towards each other. Those suffering from a chronic disease will be all right now to a greater extent making them happy. Financial inflow will be very good, which will put you in a comfortable position.
Major debts will get cleared, which will let you relax. Enemies become inactive giving you an upper hand. You might have to spend more towards performing good events at home. A strong financial position likely as expected money will come.
Court verdict will go in favour. Avoid anger and maintain a polite approach with all to achieve your goals. Keep a watch on children’s activities as they could take a wrong route. Misunderstanding with relatives and friends will disappear.
You fulfill wishes of your spouse and children making them happy. Businessmen feel cheerful and active as they are able to keep their competitors at bay. Health looks fine. Plan to purchase a land or house might get delayed.
Couples will be more cordial. Businessmen have a profitable situation but hard efforts and working with a focus is a must. You will undertake all work with a crystal-clear mind and determination. Wrong decisions will not repeat anymore.
Businessmen will be successful in new efforts. Persons who were criticising you all along will keep quiet now and try to follow your footsteps as there is a good turning point puts you in the limelight. Minor worries and laziness might upset you.
Misunderstanding with maternal relatives will be over. Delay in purchase of house or land will be over and the deal will materialise now. Employees get relief from troubles they faced with burdensome responsibilities.
TAROT READ
Sumaa Tekur
tarotreadhyd@gmail. com
ARIES:
GEMINI:
Nine of Swords – There is hope on the horizon and not all is lost. There is need to think positive and you must make every effort to stay away from all things negative.
LEO:
Ace of Wands – There will always be limitations and you ought to find ways to work around these. You are very good at it, also. Make a to-do list and be organised.
LIBRA:
PEARLS BEFORE SWINE
Nine of Pentacles – You have a brush with authority. Unless you deal with your own ego issues properly, you are unlikely to manage it all well enough.
SAGITTARIUS:
The Hierophant – You are bored of being a cookie cutter, manufactured product in the world of work. Use different tools to enhance your creativity.
TAURUS:
Ten of Pentacles – You get flashes of inspiration and are in the mood to do something totally new and creative. It could be painting or creating something.
CANCER:
Eight of Wands – You are in the mood to stay indoors and do less. You may be physically in one place but your mind is active. You want change in your life.
VIRGO:
King of Swords – You have some remarkably lucky time coming up. If you have recently undergone some losses, you are about to recover those.
SCORPIO:
Ten of Pentacles – Singles are likely to get a marriage proposal. No matter what your opinion towards marriage, you might actually find this interesting.
CAPRICORN:
The Emperor – Spend some quality time with the elderly members of your family. You will be in the mood to take them out and pamper them.
PREVIOUS SOLUTIONS
PISCES:
Seven of Swords – Don’t fall into a trap set up by someone else. You are likely to be dragged into a conflict, which you have no inclination to be part of.
NUMBER GAME
– Your focus is on preserving cultural heritage. You take steps to make this a reality. You can contribute by opening a website.
SCRABBLE
AQUARIUS: Ten of Swords
POOCH CAFE
Employees get support from colleagues. Realtors have a gainful time and earn good margins. Financial position will improve and become stronger than before. Tension and hurdles for businessmen will reduce and things will look up.
for 25-5-2013
The Empress – Your needs are met adequately and you have no extra requirements at this point of time. This is a great feeling of positivity. Enjoy it.
NON SEQUITUR
Purchase of new household items is most likely. You will fulfill the wishes of your children at any cost and keep them cheerful. Debt problems will be under control. Give priority to important and essential works without neglecting them.
SUDUKO
Financial position will improve. Confusion likely to disappear. Social status and influence is set to improve. Your bold and timely decisions will yield desired results and earn a good name for you. Friendship with VIPs likely to yield benefits.
Boggle TIN GOLD ZINC COPPER SILVER Vol: 2, No 308 RNI No: APENG/2011/39337 Published for the proprietors, Scribble Media and Entertainment Pvt Ltd, by V Harshavardhan Reddy, at #1246, Level 3, Jubilee Casa, Road No 62, Jubilee Hills, Hyderabad – 500033 and printed by him at Jagati Publications Ltd, Plot No D-75&E-52, APIE Industrial Estate, Balanagar, Ranga Reddy Dist, Hyderabad – 500037, Editor: Dean Williams – Responsible for selection of news under the PRB Act All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission of the publisher is prohibited. For feedback, please write to: feedback@postnoon. com and for subscription, please call 040-4067 2222, Fax: 040-4067 2211
28
Entertainment FRIDAY, MAY 24, 2013 CINE BYTES
MAKING THE RIGHT NOISES
Amanda Seyfried in talks to join Noah Baumbach film
Amanda Seyfried may have started out playing teenage bombshells, but she’s defied the trap of typecasting and translated those beginnings into an interesting and diverse career including the high-profile Les Miserables and the upcoming porn-star biopic Lovelace. Now, she’s in talk to join director Noah Baumbach’s (Frances Ha) next project While We’re Young, alongside Ben Stiller, Naomi Watts (The Impossible), and Adam Driver (Girls). Seyfried would play Driver’s partner in the film, about an older couple who befriends a younger, more free-spirited duo.
Little Miss Sunshine musical in the offing
D
espite earlier indications that the developing show was aiming for Broadway, the musical version of Little Miss Sunshine will make its New York debut as the opener of the 35th anniversary season of top-tier Off Broadway company Second Stage Theatre. Written and directed by James Lapine with music and lyrics by William Finn, the show is based on the 2006 Sundance breakout feature.
Johnny and Amber enjoy date night
W
ho says that three's company? Johnny Depp and Amber Heard went out for a romantic dinner at Los Angeles eatery Ago. The notoriously private couple were joined by none other than Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards. Heard looked stunning in a summery white and beige outfit and paired the look with a bold red lip.
Morgan Freeman caught sleeping during interview
M
organ Freeman has given a million-dollar explanation regarding the gradual closing of his eyelids during an early-morning interview yesterday. "I wasn't actually sleeping," the Oscar winner said in a statement obtained by E! News after millions of people viewed his televised nap online. "I'm a beta tester for Google Eyelids. I was merely updating my Facebook page."
sports
29
FRIDAY, MAY 24, 2013
NBA
LeBron in All-NBA squad
NEW YORK: LeBron James (left), who won his fourth NBA Most Valuable Player Award in five seasons this year, was the only unanimous choice on the All-NBA First Team all-star squad announced by the league on Thursday. The Miami Heat superstar was joined on the lineup chosen by a media panel by NBA scoring leader Kevin Durant of Oklahoma City, Chris Paul of
and passing off 7.3 assists a game. James also had career-best accuracy rates of 56.5 percent from the field and 40.6 percent from 3-point range and at age 28 became the youngest player to reach 20,000 career points. The All-NBA Third Team included Miami’s Dwyane Wade, Houston’s James Harden, Indiana’s Paul George, Golden State’s David Lee and Lakers center Dwight Howard. AFP
the Los Angeles Clippers, Tim Duncan of Aan Antonio and Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers. It was the 11th first-team nod for Bryant, matching the record set by Utah Jazz Hall of Fame forward Karl Malone. James powered the Heat to a league-best 66-16 record and was the only player to lead his team in scoring, rebounds and assists — pouring in 26.8 points, grabbing 8.0 rebounds
GIRO D’ITALIA
Nibali tightens his grip
JUSTIN DAVIS Agence France-Presse POLSA, ITALY: Italian Vincenzo Nibali took a giant step towards his maiden Giro d’Italia triumph by smashing his rivals on his way to winning a rain-soaked 18th stage uphill time trial from Mori to Polsa on Thursday. Australian Cadel Evans began the day only 1min 26sec behind the Italian, but the 2011 Tour de France champion flattered to deceive on his way to a 25th place at 2:36 behind. Ahead of two key mountain stages in the Dolomites, which may have to be altered depending on the severity of the weather expected at high altitude, Nibali now leads Evans by 4:02. Colombian Rigoberto Uran is third overall at 4:12 with former pink jersey winner Michele Scarponi, who is aiming for a podium finish, fourth at 5:14. It was Nibali’s first stage win of this year’s race, and third overall, and should be enough to see him become the first Italian to win the Giro since Scarponi was handed the 2011 title after Alberto Contador of Spain was disqualified for doping.
TENNIS TEAM U-12 interstate championship The following players have been selected to represent the State under captain and coach Drc Kiron in the All India Tennis Association’s Inter State Nationals U-12 Championship to be played from Monday at Delhi. Girls U-12 — S Rachana Reddy, Rachapudi Prathyusha and Shivani Amineni Boys U-12 — B Rithvik Choudary, Menga Rohit and M Shashank Theertha
“I have a significant advantage now and that will allow me to control the coming two stages in more tranquil fashion,” said Nibali, who rides for the Astana team. Nibali, the 2010 Tour of Spain winner and runner-up on the 2011 Giro d’Italia, came to this year’s race extra determined having been pushed into third place by Bradley Wiggins at last year’s Tour de France. However despite being well
suited to the rolling, uphill test, few expected the Italian to dominate as he did. Nibali said after Wednesday’s stage to Vicenza that Evans had been “pedalling well”. On Thursday the Italian said: “I thought he would be better today. “But he’s been hidden in the peloton in recent days so we didn’t know what to expect from Evans.”
Two women kiss Italian cyclist Vincenzo Nibali of Astana team as he celebrates winning the 206km 18th climbing time trial stage on Thursday. AFP
When Evans passed the intermediate time check after 9.5 km he was already languishing beyond the 20th provisional place. Nibali had started three minutes behind Evans but caught sight of the Australian at the finish. “He was my reference point, so when I heard I was closing the gap to him it pushed me to go that bit harder.” Evans, too, thought he would be better. “Today wasn’t what I was looking for or what I was even expecting,” said the Australian. “But when you’re halfway into a time trial it’s not like I can find an extra minute. It’s not through lack of trying that I lose a minute or two minutes.” Samuel Sanchez set the early pace from among the big names in a time of 45:27 — when the course was still fairly dry. He took the provisional lead with a time that was 22secs faster than Italian Damiano Caruso but, despite heavy rain hitting the course later on, Sanchez was unceremoniously pushed into second place when Nibali posted a time that was 58secs faster.
INDY 500 Leaders seek victory lane INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA: With only one former champion among the 15 fastest qualifiers in the front five rows, Sunday’s Indianapolis 500 figures to produce a first-time winner and a hungry host of contenders. American Ed Carpenter, IndyCar’s only owner-drver and the stepson of IndyCar series founder Tony George, was the unlikely pole winner last weekend followed by 21-year-old rookie Carlos Munoz and American Marco Andretti. “It’s funny,” Carpenter said. “Even after winning the pole, I was thinking about (race) setups and what we needed to do. We achieved one goal but the bigger prize is next.” The race features only four former winners, with Scotland’s Dario Franchitti trying to be the first back-to-back winner since Brazil’s Helio Castroneves in 2002. Franchitti, who starts 17th, won the Indy 500 in 2007 and 2010 as well as last year. AFP
SUPER-MIDDLEWEIGHT Gloves off as Froch raises bout stakes LONDON: There had been a refreshing absence of vitriolic exchanges between Carl Froch and Mikkel Kessler until this week, when Froch declared he is prepared to “kill” his supermiddleweight rival in the ring on Saturday. Unusually in modern-day boxing, there had been no trash talk or insults thrown by Englishman Froch or his Danish opponent ahead of their world title unification fight. That did not stop 18,000 tickets being sold in just three hours for the rematch at the O2 Arena in London. AFP
OLYMPICS
Reforms can save ‘magical’ wrestling PIRATE IRWIN Agence France-Presse PARIS: The widespread reforms introduced to the historic sport of wrestling gives it a very strong chance of regaining its place in the Olympics, the newly-elected president of the International Federation of Associated Wrestling Styles (FILA), Nenad Lalovic, told AFP. The 55-year-old Serb has
been the driving force behind the changes both to the rules and the statute since replacing Raphael Martinetti who resigned following the surprise decision in February by the Executive Board of the International Olympic Committee to drop the sport from the 2020 Games. A keen yachtsman, he told AFP in an exclusive interview conducted by telephone from FILA headquarters in Lausanne,
Switzerland, that wrestling had resurfaced after a terrible period. “When you sink it is only when you hit the bottom that you can rise again,” said Lalovic. “We (wrestling) have proved that. We are now super positive after taking a terrible blow.” Wrestling will face the first hurdle at regaining their spot next Wednesday.
sports
30
FRIDAY, MAY 24, 2013
EUROPEAN PGA CHAMPIONSHIP
BAHAMAS CLASSIC
James in lead at Wentworth South Africa's James Kingston posted a six-under par 66 to lead the first round of the European PGA Championship on a day of frustration for Rory McIlroy. WENTWORTH, UNITED KINGDOM: South Africa's James Kingston (right) posted a six-under par 66 to lead the first round of the European PGA Championship on Thursday on a day of frustration for Rory McIlroy. McIlroy shot a two-over par 74, the same score as Graeme McDowell, whilst fellow Ryder Cup player Luke Donald, who has won the Wentworth event for the last two years, ended sixover and is in danger of missing the cut. Paul Lawrie was a shot worse off and Ian Poulter collapsed to a four-over 76 on a day when the threat of lightning brought a 90-minute halt to the action. But Sergio Garcia finally did his talking on the course after the racism row and war of
IRELAND VS PAK
O'Brien gives Ireland thrilling tie DUBLIN: Pakistan could manage only a tie in the first ODI against Ireland at a bitterly cold Clontarf on Thursday after Kevin O'Brien hit the last ball of the match for four. Set a Duckworth-Lewis target of 276 to win in 47 overs, Ireland needed 15 off the last over by Saeed Ajmal but O'Brien hit the fourth ball for six to set up the thrilling finale. He could not manage a repeat off the last ball to win the game for the leading Associate country but the boundary brought about the 28th tie in ODI history. O'Brien finished 84 not out from just 47 balls, with 11 fours and two sixes, and followed on from Paul Stirling rampaging opening when he hit a 102-ball century to set up Ireland's victory charge. Ireland had famously beaten Pakistan at the 2007 World Cup but they were never favourites to win this one. Pakistan always appeared to hold the upper hand, getting wickets at vital times, but they will look back at the chance O'Brien gave to Mohammad Irfan, when on 19, as the one that got away and ultimately cost them victory. AFP
words with Tiger Woods that marred the build-up to the European Tour's flagship event. The Spaniard holed a 25-foot putt for an eagle on the par-5 18th and signed for a level par round of 72 whilst Lee Westwood was two shots better
off after coming home in 35, two-under. Garcia was given a huge cheer on the first tee and a spell of three birdies in four holes on the front nine saw him move up the leaderboard before three bogeys hampered his progress
before his final flourish. Finland's Mikko Ilonen shot a five-under par 67, a stroke better than Spain's Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano, who was level with Scott Henry from Scotland, whilst Italy's Matteo Manassero was round in 69 along with Thomas Bjorn and George Coetzee from South Africa Austrian Martin Wiegele was four-under par, after three birdies on succession after the turn, with five holes left when play was suspended for the day due to darkness. Kingston, 47, lost his card last season but after a consistent start to the season in South Africa showed some of the form that made him a two-time winner on the European Tour as he strung together four birdies in his final seven holes. AFP
CROWNE PLAZA INVITATIONAL
Ryan sizzles at Plaza FORT WORTH: Ryan Palmer (in pic) fired a bogey-free eight-under par 62 on Thursday to take a one-stroke lead over fellow American John Rollins after the first round of the US PGA Crowne Plaza Invitational. Palmer, a member at the host Colonial Country Club, used his knowledge to full advantage in the opening 18 holes of the $6.4 million event to edge Rollins for the lead. "This golf course, I know to hit it," Palmer said. "I hit driver all day. I was able to attack it and it paid off." Canada's Graham DeLaet and David Hearn and Americans Morgan Hoffmann and John Peterson shared third on 64. After starting on the 10th tee, Palmer charged to the
top with a run of four birdies in a row from the par-4 14th through par-4 17th, then began his second nine with a birdie at the first hole. Palmer closed strong with birdies on three of the last four holes. "That was a lot of fun," Palmer said. "I just got into my round halfway through. My front
nine I just hit some good shots close. I had a lot of six and seven footers for birdie." Palmer finished fifth at Phoenix and shared fifth earlier this month at the Players Championship despite the death of a friend in an auto accident earlier that week in San Antonio, Texas. Palmer seeks his fourth PGA title, his first since the 2010 Sony Open in Hawaii. His other tour triumphs came in 2004 at Disney World and 2008 at the now-defunct Ginn sur Mer Classic. Rollins opened with back-to-back birdies and added another at the par-4 sixth. He began the back side with two birdies as well before taking his lone bogey at the par-4 12th. AFP
LPGA plans 12-hole rounds
Flood waters sit on the 18th hole after flooding cancelled the first round of the Pure Silk-Bahamas LPGA Classic at the Ocean Course Golf Club on Thursday in Paradise Island, Bahamas. AFP/SAM GREENWOOD
NASSAU, BAHAMAS: A waterlogged course has forced officials at the inaugural Bahamas LPGA Classic to shorten Friday's opening round to 12 holes with hope of finishing 36 holes by Sunday. Workers continued Thursday to try to remove water from drenching rainstorms that has flooded parts of the ninth, 15th, 16th, 17th and 18th holes, while organizers plotted a new course route past the Ocean Club's unplayable holes. Needing a minimum of 36 holes to have an official event, officials hope to complete a minimum of 12 holes on Saturday and 12 on Sunday with a reassessment of playable holes after each day's play. As a result, there will be no cut this week but the low 70 and level will earn official prize money provided 36 holes are completed. "When you have a situation like this, you bring everyone together that you trust and you make the decision," LPGA commissioner Michael Whan said. "It's fair if someone doesn't like the decision we made, but I think this outcome is a lot better than any other alternative. Everybody who plays the next three days will play the same course." AFP
ASIAN TENNIS
Two years on Li still stands alone
PARIS: Li Na's (right) momentous French Open title win of 2011 was expected to open the floodgates for Asian players in world tennis. Two years on, little has changed with sixthranked Li being the only Asian player currently ranked inside the woman's global top 30. Compatriot Peng Shuai is 34th, Taiwan's Hsieh Su-Wei is 42nd and Ayumi Morita of
Japan is one step further back. India's Sania Mirza is now more focussed on her doubles play, while Tamarine Tanasugarn is in the twilight of her career. Li apart, none from Asia is expected to progress far in the draw on the claycourts at Roland Garros and that will come as a blow to the head of WTA Stacey Allaster, who has identified Asia as the bright future of tennis. AFP
IPL 6
METER
Yes, it's frustrating. I've got a five or six starts, three fifties but did not carry on by getting out to careless shots. But I've this on back of my mind. Dwayne Smith MI player
Michael Hussey (CSK) 732 runs Dwayne Bravo (CSK) 28 wickets
It's not about Bollywood: Ranbir
D
31
BATTLE OF THE TITANS
escribing the IPL match fixing scandal as shameful, actor Ranbir Kapoor (in pic) on Thursday said that the issue was not about Bollywood despite actor Vindoo Randhawa's arrest in the case. "It's not about Bollywood, it's about a human being," Kapoor told reporters here when asked about Bollywood's relationship with the scandal. "It's very shameful that something like this has happened, and because of two or three mischievous people the entire platform of IPL is spoiled," said the actor. In the city to promote his film 'Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani', Kapoor said the IPL was an entertaining platform. "The entire world loves it, and there are many players who are passionately and seriously playing the sport. Because of such culprits and mischief makers, their names are also tainted," he said. PTI
6 S 658
Chris Gayle (RCB),
51 4S 1988
Michael Hussey (CSK)
81
HIGHEST SCORE
FRIDAY, MAY 24, 2013
175*
Chris Gayle (RCB)
BEST BOWLER
5-16
James Faulkner (RR)
Men in blue set to clash
G APARNA SAI aparna.s@postnoon.com
QUALIFIER 2 MI VS RR AT 8PM ON SET MAX
M
umbai Indians take on a gutsy Rajasthan Royals today, in their last chance to make it to the final of this season’s IPL. In their previous encounter, they lost to Chennai Super Kings, who were the first team to qualify. Mike Hussey and Suresh Raina tormented the Mumbai bowlers having scored 86 and 82 runs respectively and helping their team reach a formidable 192. Mumbai Indians failed to get near that total and perished for a 144. MI would hope to improve their performance, in their bid to make it to the final, when they meet the Royals tonight. Mumbai, on paper, are a well balanced team and on a good day at office, can prove to be a difficult side to control, for the opponents. Skipper Rohit Sharma has the ability to single handedly change the course of a match, while players like Dwayne
Smith, Kieorn Pollard, Dinesh Karthik and Pragyan Ohja add to the strength of the team. However, the Royals, who have had a tough time since the spot-fixing scandal broke out, would be a difficult hurdle to cross. Rajasthan Royals’ would hope to continue their momen-
tum from their previous match when they defeated Sunrisers Hyderabad in the Eliminator. The Royals who had restricted the Hyderabad side to 132, at one point of time looked like they were struggling to reach the target but Brad Hodge hammered a 29 ball 54 to help his
side sail to safety. The Royals would undoubtedly be banking on Hodge, but they also have a whole set of players in Rahul Dravid, Ajinkya Rahane, Shane Watson, Sturat Binny and James Faulkner, on whom they can depend.
‘India should legalise betting’ LONDON: India should legalise betting to stamp out corruption in cricket, says former England captain Geoffrey Boycott (right) who feels the menace of fixing, which has currently dented the IPL's reputation, emerges more frequently in the Asian countries. "The way to stop it altogether, except for the odd one -- but we're getting too many at the minute -- is this business of making betting legal in India. It's illegal, so people do it," Boycott told 'ESPN Cricinfo'. "When beer was illegal in America during prohibition, you had all this illegal drinking and all these mafia-type people and so forth involved. And so you'll get the worst type of society involved in betting, from the bookies and that sort of people, when you have something that people want to do but it's illegal," he explained. But Boycott said it would take a lot out of the Indian government to decriminalise betting given that it doesn't "like change". "Many people have suggested to the Indian government that making betting legal at cricket, like it's legal in horseracing and so on, would stamp most of it [corruption] out," he
said. "But you know what it's like. Trying to explain to the Indian government, they think you are telling them something, they don't like it and they don't like to change," he added.
Indian cricket has been left shaken to the core by the ongoing IPL spot-fixing scandal, which has led to the arrest of three cricketers, including India Test pacer S Sreesanth, and sev-
eral bookies with underworld connections. The former batsman and noted commentator felt that the problem seems to creep up more frequently in the Asian region than any other part of the cricketing landscape. "We don't seem to get it in other countries. It seems to be around in Asia. And that's not me being against Indians, Pakistanis, Bangladeshis. You know me, I love that part of the world. They are very kind and good to me, particularly the Indian and Pakistani people, where I've been a lot," he said. "But I'm telling you the truth, it seems to surface in Asia. And once you've got all this money floating around in a huge game with millions and millions involved, you're going to get problems. It's going to resurface again," he added. The Englishman, however, conceded that it would be impossible to completely root out corruption from the game. "...Irrespective of how many safeguards or preventive measures you introduce, human nature being what it is, there'll always be the off person that tries to beat the system, tries to do something illegal, that's always going to happen.” PTI
FRIDAY, MAY 24, 2013
sports
FERDINAND EXTENDS MAN UNITED CONTRACT Rio Ferdinand has signed a one-year contract extension with Man United, the Premier League champions announced on Thursday. The 34-year-old centre-back announced his retirement from international football last week and says he is eager to start work with new manager David Moyes.
CHAMPIONS LEAGUE FINAL PREVIEW
32
LA LIGA
The rise of Bundesliga Saturday’s all-German final between Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund showcases the top of the German football league system. Earlier CL winners 2011-12 Chelsea (ENG) 2010-11 Barcelona (ESP) 2009-10 Inter Milan (ITA) 2008-09 Barcelona (ESP) 2007-08 Man United (ENG) 2006-07 AC Milan (ITA) 2005-06 Barcelona (ESP) 2004-05 Liverpool (ENG) 2003-04 Porto (POR) 2002-03 AC Milan (ITA) 2001-02 Real Madrid (ESP) 2000-01 Bayern Munich (GER) 1999-00 Real Madrid (ESP) 1998-99 Man United (ENG) 1997-98 Real Madrid (ESP) 1996-97 Dortmund (GER) 1995-96 Juventus (ITA) 1994-95 Ajax (NED) 1993-94 AC Milan (ITA) 1992-93 Marseille (FRA) CL/European Cup final wins Real Madrid (ESP) – 9 AC Milan (ITA) – 7 Liverpool (ENG) – 5 Bayern Munich (GER), Barcelona (ESP), Ajax (NED) – 4 Inter Milan (ITA), Man Utd (ENG) – 3 Benfica (POR), Juventus (ITA), Nott Forest (ENG), Porto (POR) – 2 Celtic (SCO), Hamburg (GER), Steaua Bucharest (ROM), Mareille (FRA), Chelsea (ENG), Feyenoord (NED), Aston Villa (ENG), PSV Eindhoven (NED), Red Star Belgrade (SRB), Borussia Dortmund (GER) – 1
RYLAND JAMES Agence France-Presse LONDON: Germany’s Bundesliga will be on show to the world in Saturday’s Champions League final when Bayern Munich take on Borussia Dortmund in the first allGerman European cup finale. Wembley is set to be bathed in black, red and gold for the day and football fans will have a chance to see why the crowds are turning to the German league in their droves. With an average of 44,293, the Bundesliga has the highest attendance figures in the world with the cheapest season ticket standing on the terraces costing 120 euros (155 dollars) at Bayern’s Allianz Arena, while Dortmund charge 187 euros (241 dollars) at the Westfalenstadion. In contrast, last season’s prices in the English Premier League (EPL) saw the cheapest season ticket at Arsenal set fans back 985 pounds (1,488 dollars), while it cost 255 pounds (298
Sociedad out to bounce back against Madrid KIERAN CANNING Agence France-Presse
Fan scarves of German first division Bundesliga football club Bayern Munich being unrolled ahead of the big event, in Munich, Germany.
euros, 385 dollars) to watch relegated Wigan Athletic. The Bundesliga is now broadcast in 150 countries, but still falls behind the EPL in terms of global popularity, although in terms of value-formoney in the stadiums, the German league goes from strength to strength. Bayern
AFP
Munich president Uli Hoeness has said the attitude of clubs towards their fans is the key difference between the leagues in England and Germany. “We could charge more than £102. Let’s say we charged £300. We’d get £2m more in income but what’s £2m to us?,” said the Bayern boss.
MEASURES AGAINST RACISM
UEFA approves 10-game racism ban FRANÇOIS BONTOUX Agence France-Presse LONDON: European football’s governing body UEFA on Thursday formally ratified plans to impose 10-game European suspensions on players and officials found guilty of racism. Racist behaviour by supporters will initially be pun-
ished with a partial stadium closure, with a full stadium closure for a second offence. The new measures were approved at the organisation’s executive committee meeting in London, but
UEFA general secretary Gianni Infantino said individual member associations could still opt to introduce their own antiracism sanctions, after England’s Football
Association announced plans for minimum five-game bans. “An association should adopt the same or similar measures. UEFA has always acted in a way to try to convince people rather than impose,” he told a press conference. “I don’t think you measure the way of fighting against racism in one simple measure and sanction.
FOOTBALL BRIEFS 4-goal comeback lifts Man City over Chelsea
Wolfsburg stun holders Lyon
Lennon gets Scottish Cup final reprieve
Hungary charges 45 in match-fixing probe
ST LOUIS, MISSOURI: Micah Richards scored in the 90th minute to complete a stunning comeback from a three-goal deficit and give Manchester City a 4-3 victory over Chelsea in an exhibition thriller Thursday. The English Premier League sides attracted 48,263 to the home of baseball’s St Louis Cardinals.
LONDON: German club Wolfsburg ended Lyon’s two-year reign as women’s Champions League holders with a shock 1-0 win over the French side in Thursday’s final at Stamford Bridge. Lyon had won 35 of their 36 matches in all competitions this season, securing a seventh consecutive French league title in the process.
LONDON: Celtic manager Neil Lennon was given a suspended one-game touchline ban by the Scottish Football Association (SFA) on Thursday, meaning he is free to sit in the dug-out for his side’s clash with Hibernian in Sunday’s Scottish Cup final at Hampden Park. An SFA disciplinary panel found Lennon guilty.
BUDAPEST: Hungarian prosecutors on Thursday charged 45 people as part of probe into alleged match-fixing during games in Hungary, Italy, Finland and two international fixtures, investigators said. “Among those charged are former players, players still in activity, referees, owners, managers and coaches,” a statement said.
MADRID: Real Sociedad will have to recover quickly from the news that their coach Philippe Montanier (above) will leave to join Rennes at the end of the season as they face Real Madrid in a crucial match in their quest to claim the fourth and final Champions League place from La Liga. Montanier has decided to bring his time in San Sebastian to an end after two seasons despite the guarantee of European football next season, with his side currently ahead of Valencia thanks to a better head-to-head record with just two games to go. However, striker Imanol Agirretxe believes they are capable of putting the Frenchman’s decision to the back of their minds and concentrating on Sunday’s game. “The dressing room is calm, we are in a very important moment. The coach is conscious of just how important it is and he has asked us to be calm,” he said on Thursday. “It will be the last game at Anoeta this season. We are playing for a lot and, moreover, against Real Madrid so I think the excitement for this game is above any personal situation we have as a manager or a player,” he added.
The dressing room is calm, we are in a very important moment. The coach is conscious of just how important it is and he has asked us to be calm. Imanol Agirretxe Real Sociedad striker