Epaper 25 june 2013

TUESDAY, JUNE 25, 2013 HYDERABAD

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WEATHER: CLOUDY WITH A FEW SHOWERS; 23°C

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FLASH LOKAYUKTA NOTICE SC DISMISSES PIL TO CONG MLA PG 4 Bikshapathy Yadav charged AGAINST RANBAXY with annexing around 120 sq yards of playground belonging to the Government School, Chandanagar.

The Supreme Court has dismissed a PIL filed against Ranbaxy for allegedly manufacturing and selling substandard drugs in India. The petitioner has failed to bring in evidence against Ranbaxy, ruled the apex court, while dismissing the petition.

HYDERABAD’S FIRST COMPACT AFTERNOON NEWSPAPER

N SHIVA KUMAR

Buoyed by a series of welfare measures, CM Kiran Kumar Reddy wants local body polls immediately while his Cabinet colleagues advise postponement.

KIRAN WANTS POLLS, MINISTERS DON’T REPORT ON P3

ANUSHKA SHETTY

ASKED TO SHED WEIGHT FOR RUDRAMADEVI PG 21

ATROCIOUS TRUTH! Political chicanery is at its ‘best’.

A government girls’ school in Amberpet has remained a ‘cattleshed’ for many years. Each year, hope is revived on its resurrection but it soon gets dashed.

Postnoon revisits this school for any sign of improvement. Absolutely nothing. But MLA Kishan Reddy says the land is under dispute and a new site is being located to shift the school to.

PG 10

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TUESDAY, JUNE 25, 2013

city events

CELEBRITY DJ

Celebrity DJ Nikhil Chinapa will set the dance floor on fire at Sky, Avasa.

Where: Sky, Avasa, Madhapur When: June 29, 9pm

Weather for Hyderabad

Evening

Overnight

Morning

Afternoon

25°C

21°C

25°C

30°C

A mix of cloudy and clear skies.

A mix of cloudy and clear skies.

A mix of cloud and sun. Windy.

A mix of cloud and sun.

New Delhi Mumbai Max 37 Max 30 Min 26 Min 26 Cloudy

Chennai Max 37 Min 28

Cloudy with chances of thunderstorms.

Cloudy

Bangalore Max 27 Min 20

Cloudy with chances of thunderstorms.

AROUND THE CITY: YOUR GUIDE TO THE TWIN CITIES Art attack Aakar Art academy is conducting a painting workshop for kids above the age of 4.

Where: Just Books, Jubilee Hills When: Every Friday and Saturday from June 28, Friday - 4 to 5.30 pm Contact: (040) 66662323 Techie’s delight DSIR-FMC workshop on technology and patent acquisition will be held.

Where: National Institute for Micre, Small and Medium Enterprises, Yousufguda When: June 28, 10 am Contact: Sourabh Gargav, at 93473-45392

SHOWS Film screening The Green Bandits, a Sleepyhead Production, is a movie that will be screened in the City.

Where: Prasads Labs Preview Theatre, Banjara Hills When: June 30, 11am - 1pm Contact: Mansi Gandhi at 9908477444

IT’S RAINING MISERY: Heavy rains in the City last night clogged the Malakpet Junction area. Commuters found it SRINIVAS SETTY hard to drive through the knee-high water.

When: On till June 25, 11 am Contact: 2355-4485 / 86

Movie matter Movie The Tree of Life will be screened.

Where: Sarathi Studio, Ameerpet When: June 26, 6.30 pm Contact: 93910-20243

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

WORKSHOPS Little wonders A workshop on puppet making for mothers by Sphoorthi Theatre for

Commissioner & Spl Officer

Helpline

155333 23431178 23431179

MUNICIPAL CORPORATION

DINING Food fest Pasta food festival is on.

Where: Prego, The Westin When: Till June 30, 7 pm to 11 pm Contact: 040 6767 6828

Kitchen queens A cooking workshop for mothers.

Where: Andhra Mahila Sabha Arts & Science College for Women, Vidyanagar When: Till June 26, 10 am to 4 pm Contact: 80086-34949

Movie time German movie Young Goethe In Love will be screened.

Where: Goethe-Zentrum Hyderabad, Banjara Hills When: June 27, 6 pm Contact: 2335-0443 Through their Eyes Through their Eyes, a photo exhibition by children of Sphoorti foundation is on.

Where: Alliance Francaise, Banjara Hills

Educational Puppetry will be held.

Where: Lamakaan, Banjara Hills When: June 29, 10.30 am to 1.30 pm Contact: Padmini Rangarajan, at 98660-81172

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

Word club A fun workshop for kids above the age of 8 will be organised.

Where: Just books, Jubilee Hills.

When: Every Sunday, 10 am to 12 pm Contact: 9849748117

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

Kakatiya food Kakatiya Food Festival is on.

Where: Bidri, Marriott When: Till June 30, 6.30 pm to 11.30 pm Contact: +91 40 2752 2577 Foodie’s haven Vegetarian and non-vegetarian cooking class will be held.

Where: Colorama Printers, Begumpet When: Till June 27, 10 am to 1 pm Contact: 80086-24949

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

Sunset BBQ Saturday Sunset BBQ is on.

Where: The Square, Novotel Hyderabad Convention Centre When: Every Saturday, 7pm onwards Contact: 040 6682 4422

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

TUESDAY, JUNE 25, 2013

news

YESTERDAY’S QUESTION 88% 12%

TODAY’S QUESTION

YES (A)

HAS THE AP GOVERNMENT FALTERED IN RESCUING TELUGU PILGRIMS FROM UTTARAKHAND?

NO (B)

A)

SHOULD THE FLOODS BE DECLARED A NATIONAL DISASTER?

YES

B)

NO

To vote visit www.postnoon.com

POLITICS

TAX MATTERS

3

CM, mantris differ over polls Buoyed with a series of welfare measures, CM Kiran Kumar Reddy wants grassroots elections immediately while his Cabinet colleagues advise postponement.

IRS halts political screening WASHINGTON: The politically beleaguered US tax agency has said it had suspended screening criteria that led to the targeting of conservative groups seeking tax-exempt status.

Acting Internal Revenue Service Commissioner Danny Werfel yesterday issued a report outlining new measures the agency will undertake to fix problems uncovered last month by a US Treasury watchdog.

Among the measures is the suspension of any “be-on-thelookout” or BOLO lists to screen applicants for non-profit status, which allows groups to avoid paying taxes on donations and to AROUND THE

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raise funds anonymously.

According to an explosive US Treasury Inspector General report released mid-May, IRS singled out certain conservative groups in assessing their requests for tax-exempt status, prolonging the application process.

“It is critical that the IRS takes steps to ensure accountability, address the problems uncovered in recent weeks and improve the operations of the IRS to continue to carry out our critical mission," Werfel said in a statement.

“We have made a number of changes already, more are in the works.”

AFP

Md INKESHAF AHMED ahmed.m@postnoon.com HYDERABAD: A curious situation has arisen in the State’s ruling Congress. The chief minister wants to take up batting for panchayat polls without delay but a majority of his Cabinet colleagues are unwilling to carry the ball.

The rift between the captain and the team members is so sharp that some of the ministers mutter in private that if the party did not fare well in the local body elections, Kiran will have to bear the responsibility.

The chief minister’s camp argues that the situation is not bad for the party. They hope to ride piggyback on several welfare measures the government launched recently to success.

Some of the appealing schemes such as Bangaru Talli Girl Child Empowerment and Promotion Scheme, Amma Hastham, Pachcha Toranam and SC and ST Sub Plan schemes are powerful to push the Congress to win, they argue.

Rise in cooking gas charges and indiscriminate indirect taxes and registration charges have overburdened people of the State. Moreover, the threat of rival Kadapa MP YS Jaganmohan Reddy-led YSR Congress (YSRC) still looms large in the Andhra and Rayalaseema regions owing to the emotion quotient of former YSR in the two regions of the State. According to a highly placed party source, a majority of the Cabinet minister raised this during their meetings with the CM and asked him to postpone the elections till the party

Disowns responsibility

C

abinet ministers are a worried lot. They have come up with an idea of putting the blame on the CM if the party fared disastrously in the local body polls.

According to these ministers, the shifting of the responsibility on the shoulders of the CM would help them come out clean in the aftermath of the party’s defeat in ensuing polls. “When the CM is not listening to us, we will not take any responsibility if the party failed to perform well in the polls. We do not want to become scapegoats for the decision of someone else," a Cabinet minister from YS Jagan’s native Kadapa district told Postnoon.

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gained a good image among the people of the State.

But the CM reportedly rejected the suggestion of his Cabinet colleagues and said that he would go ahead with the local body polls.

“We have asked him to postpone the elections for some more time. But he is no mood to postpone the elections at any cost. The CM strongly believes that the scores of welfare programmes launched by him in recent times will help the Congress party win a majority number of village panchayats in the State,” a senior Congress leader and State Cabinet minister told Postnoon on Monday.

The CM believes that the scores of welfare programmes launched by him will help Congress win a majority number of village panchayats.

State Cabinet minister On local body polls It may be emphasised here that the CM had launched scores of welfare programmes, most of them being vote-catching schemes, in recent times.

Some of these schemes include Bangaru Talli Girl Child Empowerment and Promotion

Scheme, Amma Hastham, Pachcha Toranam and SC and ST Sub Plan schemes. Another Cabinet minister felt that the decision of the CM would help rival YSRC and TDP to gain in the elections resulting in the defeat of the Congress party.

“The party has already lost its ground owing to many antipeople initiatives and continuous political uncertainty over division of the State. The people of the State are waiting for an opportunity to teach our party a lesson. The decision of the CM would only help rival YSRC, TRS and TDP in the local body polls and leave the Congress nowhere to be seen after the polls,” he said.

Congress ministers, in short, are unwilling to take the gamble now.

CITY BRIEFS Wife of 8 years burnt alive for dowry

Man kills self by head-butting wall

Chennai youth arrested at City airport

Naidu slams AP govt for pilgrim rescue efforts

Schools shut due to bandh call

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33-year-old woman, Neerja, was allegedly torched alive by her husband Shekhar for failing to bring in more dowry, police said. The woman who lived in Bharath Nagar in Charlapally was admitted to Gandhi hospital with severe burns and she died on Monday. They couple was married eight years ago and had no issues. Shekhar is in custody.

enkatesh, 28, a resident of Jeedimetla, has reportedly committed suicide by banging himself against a wall. He was shifted to hospital where he died. Said to be an alcoholic, he had beaten up his mother who complained to the police. As police asked him to present himself at the station he is said to have gone into a frenzy and killed himself.

youth from Chennai has been arrested by Customs officials of the RGI airport in the early hours today when his baggage was detected to possess some suspicious black metal pieces, and mobile memory cards worth `17 lakh. Mohd Abdul Haleem was returning from Dubai by an Emirates flight and headed to Chennai.

DP president N Chandrababu Naidu castigated the AP government for its failure to come to the rescue of the trapped Telugu pilgrims in Uttaranchal. Lauding the efforts of Gujarat government for its exemplary way of rescuing pilgrims, Naidu said Kiran government and Centre had not taken steps to help the hapless pilgrims from AP.

ity schools remained closed today in response to a bandh call by All India Student’s Federation (AISF) to protest the failure of the government in regulating fee structure in private schools and consequently the government’s failure in implementing the RTE Act. This is the third education bandh since the academic year began on June 12.

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News TUESDAY, JUNE 25, 2013 LAST YEAR... HERE Chirru’s bigger plans

I

t is not his outburst against the Congress for not ‘integrating’ his party PRP with the Congress that gives the idea to political observers. It is state3ment that the Congress won two seats where the PRP was strong and his stance that the party was rudderless in the State that sends out strong signals.

JUNE 25, 2013

CIVIC

Cong MLA gets notice Serilingampally MLA Bikshapathy Yadav is served with a notice by the Lokayukta for annexing around 120sq yards of a playground of a school.

NUMEROLOGY

$25bn

is proposed for public transport following massive nationwide street protests over the country's inadequate mass transit system, by Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff.

I want to pay my tributes to the soldiers who laid down their lives while fighting terrorists. Terrorists will not succeed in their designs.

Manmohan Singh Prime Minister of India

THINGS WE 5LEARNT TODAY The column that teaches everyone something new about the way the world functions.

1

CM, mantris differ over polls Buoyed with a series of welfare measures, CM Kiran Kumar Reddy wants grassroots elections immediately while his Cabinet colleagues advise postponement.

2

Hypnosis comes to aid of trauma victims Firemen have been trained in basic medical hypnosis which they can use to soothe people in an accident.

3

Confined in crates

Pet stores in the City, even in upmarket areas like Jubilee Hills, continue to cram dogs and cats in tiny cages.

4

Lewinsky negligee, letters to go under hammer The items are going under the hammer by celebrity auction house Nate D Sanders, in an online auction.

5

GHMC’s 11th hour training!

Commissioner says demolition of dilapidated buildings will be taken up immediately in view of the heavy monsoon.

PK SURENDRAN surendran.pk@postnoon.com HYDERABAD: The government school in Shantinagar, Chandanagar of RR district is a lowly building where around 150 children from the nearby Vaderavada (stone breakers’ colony) study. If this school does not exist, most children of this poor community will never learn three Rs in their life.

Alongside the school lies a small playground measuring 120sq yards, the only provision for the children to amuse themselves. Recently, at the alleged instance of the Serinlingampally MLA M Bikshapathi Yadav (C in pic), the playground was grabbed and a structure was put up hastily

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for the expressed purpose of setting up an office for the Shantinagar Mahila Samakhya.

Under the guise of benefiting women, the only playground this school had was thus lost. The headmaster of the school vehemently objected to the grab and he petitioned to the collector, Tahsildar and government but nobody took any action. The headmaster apart, the local residents and slum dwellers complained to education authorities, collector and corporation but all proved in vain.

More shocking to the poor parents of the schoolchildren was

Under the guise of benefiting women, the only playground this school had is lost. The headmaster of the school vehemently objected to the grab and he petitioned to the collector, Tahsildar and government but nobody took any action. The headmaster complained to education authorities in vain. the action of the deputy collector and Tahsildar of Serilingampally who admitted in his report to the collector that the land indeed belonged to the school, “An extent of 110Sq yards attached land is within the premises of the Primary School, Chandanagar. The same is being asked for allotment of Mahila Samakya and the Mahila Samakya in a high-handed act forcibly constructed a wall stating that the land belongs to them. The School head master resisted the construction. The CEO, Zilla Parishad has also instructed to remove the encroachment made by the Mahila Samakya”.

On receipt of the report of the deputy collector, RR collector Vani Prasad, however, chose to remain silent.

It was Thakur Rajkumar Singh, convenor, Human Rights Cell (HRCPC), who mustered courage to make it a public issue.

As his action evoked only threats, he approached the Lokayukta with the case details. Lokayukta Judge Subhasan Reddy has now issued notices to the MLA and the district collector why proceedings should not be taken up against them. The notice is returnable by July 31.

“We had filed an online complaint with the GHMC, Comp No 2013-03-W021382 on 18-03-2013 informing them the latest illegal construction of the room in the government school playground.

The GHMC had disposed the issue stating that, “The matter has been enquired and at the concerned site an MRO permitting construction of Mahila Bhavan in the government school premises as per the request of the Hon’ble MLA and local corporator”.

It is said that the corporator of the area, too, is under the thumb of the MLA and has hence fallen in line. Frustrated at the brazen land grab, Raj Kumar said, “If only the children had votes, the MLA would not have dared to grab their only means of stretching their limb.”

FUTURE TENSE

Oz harpoons Japan’s whaling Canberra will argue before the International Court of Justice that Japan is exploiting a loophole in the law and continues to hunt whales for ‘scientific research’.

JAN HENNOP Agence France-Presse THE HAGUE: Australia will take its fight to stop Japan hunting whales in the Antarctic to the UN’s top court on Wednesday, in what activists say is a make or break case for the giant marine mammals’ future.

Canberra will argue before the International Court of Justice that Japan is exploiting a loophole by continuing to hunt whales as scientific research in spite of a 1986 International Whaling Commission (IWC) ban on commercial whaling.

Australia wants ICJ judges to order Tokyo to stop its JARPA II research programme and

“revoke any authorisations, permits or licences” to hunt whales in the Southern Ocean.

While Norway and Iceland have commercial whaling programmes, Japan insists its programme is purely scientific, although making no secret that AROUND THE

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the resulting meat ends up on plates back home.

The whaling research is to prove that commercial whaling is viable, and the proceeds from sales of the meat partly pay for the programme.

In its application, Australia

accuses Japan of breaching its obligation “to observe in good faith the zero catch limit in relation to the killing of whales”.

Japan killed around 6,500 Antarctic minke whales between 1987 and 2005, after the moratorium came into effect, compared with only 840 whales for research purposes in the 31 years prior to the moratorium, court papers said.

A further 2,500 minke whales were killed between 2005 and 2009 under the JARPA II programme.

Minke whales are not endangered, but JARPA II also allows for the killing of endangered mammals including humpback and fin whales. AFP

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News TUESDAY, JUNE 25, 2013

CALM DOWN

Hypnosis comes to aid of trauma victims Firemen have been trained in basic medical hypnosis which they can use to soothe people in an accident.

ARNAUD BOUVIER Agence France-Presse HAGUENAU: “Look me straight in the eye. Your mind is emptying, your body is relaxing,” says the fireman, using the calming words of hypnosis to help a trauma victim — a technique being pioneered by fire crews in the eastern French region of Alsace.

At the Haguenau fire station, 120 firemen have been trained in basic medical hypnosis which they can use to soothe someone trapped under rubble or in a car following an accident, or even a person suffering an asthma attack.

The idea is that hypnotherapy can complement traditional first aid assistance.

"These are verbal, gesticular

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and respiratory techniques that aim to ease pain and anxiety, but that obviously don't replace traditional first aid," explains Cecile Colas-Nguyen, a nurse and member of the fire brigade.

While firefighters arriving on

the scene of an accident get to work tending to the injured or cutting a victim free, staff trained in hypnosis establish a personal link with the person and divert their attention from the trauma.

Typically the firefighters speak in a calm and measured voice and are careful to avoid any negative words. Instead of focusing on the person's pain, the emphasis is on their wellbeing.

ANIMAL RIGHTS

RELATIONSHIP

Confined in crates Pet stores in the City, even in upmarket areas like Jubilee Hills, continue to cram dogs and cats in tiny cages.

ARUN YELLAMATY and AMY ROSE THOMAS feedback@postnoon.com HYDERABAD: Imagine having to spend days together in a cage too small to move in.

This is the plight a puppy goes through as it waits for its turn to be sold, at times three or four others giving it company in

The dogs at Galaxy Pet Store, Jubilee Hills

Haguenau station manager David Ernenwein says he is "convinced" that the method is useful. "We have all noticed that when we hold someone's hand, things go better, even if we did not label it as 'hypnosis'. The first thing that we can do to help people is to calm them down, and this technique has given us the tools to be able to do that, to help people suffer less," he says.

an already cramped cage.

Unfortunately, this is a common sight at pet stores.

It is all the more atrocious to treat big dogs like St Bernards and Great Danes in a similar way since puppies of these breeds can be unusually bigger and moreover they are unsuitable for Indian climate. In extreme cases, this treatment can also lead to death of these puppies.

One of our readers, Diya Banerjee, sent us a picture that she had taken from one of the pet stores in Jubilee Hills, Galaxy Pet Store, that had two almost fully grown St Bernard puppies in small cages.

Following the complaint, we went to the pet store to find the St Bernard puppies sold but a four-month-old Beagle in their place being crammed inside a crate. The store keeper informed us that the St Bernards were sold for `25,000 each on the same day.

“There are many pet stores in the Old City that keep puppies and kittens cooped up in small cages. However, in the case of Galaxy Pet store, it is

more disheartening since it is located in an affluent area like Jubilee Hills and owners are aware of the norms and regulations one has to follow. For many, breeding dogs is a lucrative business wherein they mint money and these regulations are not paid heed to. Many a time, I get customers who bring in puppies that are less than three weeks old but are told they are two months of age. And in most of the cases, they are not even vaccinated. I have also had cases of puppies bought at high prices being admitted with parvo and distemper. These are diseases

that can be easily contracted when they are puppies and it is essential to get them checked before buying them,” Dr Lakshmi S of Animal Care Clinic says.

As for Galaxy Pet store, a formal complaint has been filed against the owner and a written warning has been issued.

“As soon as we got the complaint, People for Animals inspector Joshi and GHMC veterinarian Dr Sajid paid them a visit and inspected the conditions the puppies are kept in.

The owner has agreed to comply by the rules henceforth. We will be doing regular inspections at the store from here on,” People for Animals secretary Vasanthi Vadi says.

In order to put a stop to this practice and get pet owners to fall in line, it is essential for people’s support so that they can inform officials concerned about the practice. People for Animals is planning to go around pet stores in the City, checking on the conditions in which these animals are kept and warn pet owners of the consequences of illegal practices.

People for Animals is planning to go around pet stores in the City, checking on the conditions in which these animals are kept and warn pet owners.

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Dog-owner bond similar to kid-parent WASHINGTON: Scientists at the University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna investigated the bond between dogs and their owners and found that the relationship turns out to be highly similar to the deep connection between young kids and their parents.

Domestic dogs have been associated with humans for about 15,000 years. In many cases the owner assumes the role of the dog's main social partner.

One aspect of the bond between humans and dogs is the so-called "secure base effect".

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This effect is also found in parentchild bonding: human infants use their caregivers as a secure base when it comes to interacting with the environment.

Lisa Horn from the Vetmeduni's Messerli Research Institute, said: “One of the things that really surprised us is, that adult dogs behave towards their caregivers like human children do. It will be really interesting to try to find out how this behaviour evolved in the dogs with direct comparisons.”

PTI

NATION BRIEFS Teen’s death sparks protests

US Vice President Biden to visit India

Nutrition centres to be set up in Attappdy

Panel to check hiring at Odisha Tata Steel plant

Daily wage earner kills wife, commits suicide

LUCKNOW: A teenager was killed after being hit by a car, triggering angry protests by locals who torched the vehicle in Ashiyana area, police said here today. Vinit Singh (16) was hit by the red-beacon fitted car while he was going to his uncle's house last night, they said. The driver was nabbed by the locals, who torched the vehicle.

WASHINGTON: US Vice President Joe Biden will visit India and Singapore in July to underscore the importance of relations with the two nations, the White House said.

In India, Biden will discuss a full range of bilateral, regional and global issues, “with a focus on advancing the prosperity, security and shared values of our two countries”.

NEW DELHI: Against the backdrop of 40 child deaths in Attappdy tribal block in Kerala due to malnutrition, the Centre today announced setting up of nutrition centres on the pattern of facilities in AP. Rural development minister Jairam Ramesh said the nutrition centres would ensure adequate nutrition is provided, particularly to pregnant women.

NEW DELHI: A committee of the Odisha Assembly would soon inspect Tata Steel's Kalinga Nagar plant to probe allegations that the company has not provided employment to the stipulated number of local people.The government had directed industries operating in the state to provide 70 per cent of jobs to the local people.

SALEM: Suspecting his wife's fidelity, a daily wage earner killed her and then allegedly committed suicide at Veeranam, police said.

They said the couple quarreled over the issue last night after which he slit her throat. When he realised that she had died, he hanged himself.

They leave behind three daughters, aged nine, six and four years.

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News TUESDAY, JUNE 25, 2013

UNSTABLE STATE

Terrorists won’t succeed: PM Life came to a literal standstill in the state capital as authorities imposed several security-related restrictions for the two-day visit by Manmohan Singh and Sonia Gandhi.

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SRINAGAR: A day after the militant strike in Srinagar left eight soldiers dead, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today said the entire country is standing united against terrorists and they will not succeed in their designs. “I want to pay my tributes to the soldiers who laid down their lives while fighting the terrorists," Singh said in his speech after inaugurating 850 MW Rattle power project here along with UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi.

The Prime Minister said the entire country is standing united against the terrorists. “The terrorists will not succeed in their designs."

Security is a pre-requisite for development, the Prime Minister said as he paid tributes to the soldiers killed in militant strike yes-

terday, asserting such attacks would not deter efforts to bring normalcy in the state.

“Our analysis is that the security situation in Jammu and Kashmir has shown considerable improvement. The terroristrelated violence in 2012 had shown a sharp decline and was the lowest in last two decades," the Prime Minister said.

However, Singh said there was a need to keep a constant vigil to prevent attacks like the one that took place yesterday at Hyderpora.

As Manmohan and Sonia began their two-day visit to the state Tuesday, official restrictions and a shutdown call from separatists marred normal life in Srinagar.

Authorities imposed restrictions in old city areas of Srinagar and many uptown areas Tuesday, without making any official announcements about the restrictions.

Pedestrian and vehicular

Protect ecology: Sonia

A soldier takes position at the scene of a deadly attack by militants on the outskirts of Srinagar on Monday. Eight soldiers were killed.

AFP

movement was disallowed in the old city while similar restrictions were in force at some other areas as well. Shops, other businesses, educational institutions were shut and public transport remained suspended.

A shutdown called by the separatist leaders coincides with the prime minister’s visit. PTI/IANS

SECURITY LAPSE

Overstaying Chinese pulls off vanishing act A Chinese student flies in, later get lost, reappear with fake documents, and disappears. It’s no fairytale, it all happened right here in Hyderabad.

MOHD SUBHAN mohd.s@postnoon.com HYDERABAD: All those official bravado of ‘tight security’ notwithstanding, a Chinese came in on a six month visa, stayed on for two and a half years and submitted fake documents for exit visa, and yet, the FERRO officials and police let him slink in silence.

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Foreigners’ regional registration office officials are aghast at the police set up in City where they don’t keep a tab on those coming into the city under any guise.

Begumpet police have no clue about his whereabouts.

By all indications, the Chinese national, Zhang Ziki, 25, would have gone on living forever in the City, had he not decided to return to his native country. He brazenly produced fake documents of a former student of Nizam College.

Now, the Begumpet police have registered a cheating case against the Chinese national. Zhang came on a student visa in June 2010 and rented out a room in Secunderabad and started studying in a college situated in Basheerbagh. He had not bothered to renew his visa after its period of six months.

Zhang probably found to his amusement that the security is so lax in India that he could produce any shady document and get away with it. Foreigners’ regional registration office (FERRO) officials are aghast at the police set up in City where they don’t keep a tab on those coming into the city under any guise. “It is disgusting,” said an official.

Begumpet police have no clue about the whereabouts of the disappeared Chinese. The episode ridicules the City police claims of maintaining high security.

KISHTWAR: Against the backdrop of the Uttarakhand disaster, UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi today stressed that the ecology and biodiversity should be protected while carrying out development projects.

“I believe that the ecology and biodiversity should be protected," Gandhi said while laying the foundation stone of 850-MW Rattle power project in this remote district of Jammu and Kashmir.

PTI

Rail link to Kashmir Valley to be launched tomorrow NEW DELHI: Kashmir’s dream of an all-weather surface link will turn into a reality tomorrow when Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi inaugurate the rail link

between Banihal to Qazigund in the Valley.

Singh and Gandhi will jointly flag off the first train at around 11.50am on the 18-km-long section.

PTI

7

News TUESDAY, JUNE 25, 2013

SPOILS OF A SCANDAL

Lewinsky negligee, letters to go under hammer The items are going under the hammer by celebrity auction house Nate D Sanders, in an online auction.

LOS ANGELES: A black negligee formerly belonging to Monica Lewinsky is among items once owned by the infamous White House intern to be auctioned in Los Angeles this week. Other items include a signed letter from Bill Clinton addressed to Lewinsky’s lover and a letter from Lewinsky including the line “am I good at lying through my teeth or what."

The 32 items were examined as potential evidence by prose-

In a letter to Bleiler, Lewinsky wrote: “I thought (an enclosed ring) might fit a manly man like you (am I good at lying through my teeth or what...you a ‘manly man’ - ha-ha)!" cutor Kenneth Starr’s ahead of Clinton’s impeachment, one of the controversial presidential

team 1998 most scan-

dals of the 20th century.

The signed type-written Clinton letter, on White House stationery, was addressed to

Lewinsky’s lover Andy Bleiler at her request, wishing him a happy birthday in February 1996. In a letter to Bleiler, Lewinsky wrote: “I thought (an enclosed ring) might fit a manly man like you (am I good at lying through my teeth or what...you a ‘manly man’ - haha)!"

Various items of clothing are also for sale. They were given by Lewinsky from her personal wardrobe to Bleiler’s wife Kate, and include the

SPY GAMES The US pressured Russia to expel fugitive US intelligence leaker Edward Snowden and warned China it had harmed efforts to rebuild trust.

Ecuador’s Foreign Minister Ricardo Patino addresses a press conference in Hanoi on June 24, 2013. The Ecuadorean diplomat said his country was “analysing” a request for asylum by fugitive US AFP/HOANG DINH NAM. intelligence leaker Edward Snowden.

WASHINGTON: The White House pressured Russia to expel fugitive US intelligence leaker Edward Snowden and warned China it had harmed efforts to rebuild trust by allowing him to leave Hong Kong.

As intrigue in the case mounted, Snowden vanished in

WORLD

floor-length negligee, a green silk blouse and some jackets and pants. The items, offered for sale by Bleiler’s former wife, now called Kate Nason, are going under the hammer by celebrity auction house Nate D Sanders, in an online auction which ends on Thursday, June 27.

AFP

MAHARASHTRA

Expel Snowden, Russia told

STEPHEN COLLINSON Agence France-Presse

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Moscow, not taking a flight to Cuba on which he was booked — possibly on a journey scheduled to end up in Ecuador.

He was said by Russian officials to have spent Sunday night in a “capsule hotel” at

Moscow’s Sheremetyevo airport awaiting his onward connection.

Russia’s Interfax news agency, known for its strong security contacts, confirmed that he was not on the Havana flight and quoted an informed source as saying he was likely already out of the country.

Snowden had arrived in Moscow on Sunday from Hong Kong, from where he leaked to the media details of secret cyber-espionage programs by both US and British intelligence agencies.

And Snowden made another revelation sure to irk the US government.

He told the South China Morning Post in a story that appeared Tuesday that he joined the NSA contractor Booz Allen Hamilton, from which he stole secrets on the surveillance programs, specially to gain access to information on such activities and spill it to the press.

“My position with Booz Allen Hamilton granted me access

More beans

S

nowden told the South China Morning Post in a story that appeared Tuesday that he joined the NSA contractor Booz Allen Hamilton, from which he stole secrets on the surveillance programs, specially to gain access to information on such activities and spill it to the press.

to lists of machines all over the world the NSA hacked," he told the Post. “That is why I accepted that position about three months ago." The interview was conducted June 12.

President Barack Obama said Washington was using every legal channel to apprehend Snowden.

White House spokesman Jay Carney said Washington assumed that Snowden was still in Moscow. He lashed out at Beijing for letting him go, despite US extradition requests.

Farmers to fly to Europe for agro lessons MUMBAI: To educate farmers on best agricultural practices that will help them increase yield, the Maharashtra government is organising a ten-day study tour to Europe for 300 farmers this financial year.

“We started this initiative last financial year in which about 540 farmers have participated. This year we are planning to send up to 300 farmers under this programme taking the total to 791.

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of 45 each, are accompanied by two senior officers from Agriculture Department and University, who will help guide them in local language," agriculture minister Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil said. Under this initiative, 50 per cent of the tour cost is funded by the state government and the rest by the farmer, he said. “This initiative is becoming popular as we are receiving more and more applications.”

PTI

NEWS BRIEFS Qatar emir abdicates in favour of son

Taliban attack Afghan Prez palace, CIA office

S Korea official websites hacked

Fears grow for Mandela, in critical condition

US SC sends back affirmative action case

DOHA: Qatar emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani abdicated in favour of his 33-year-old son, Sheikh Tamim, on Tuesday, in a first for the Arab world. “I address you today to announce that I am handing the rule over to Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani," the 61-yearold emir said in a televised speech.

KABUL: Taliban militants targeted the presidential palace and national CIA office in central Kabul on Tuesday morning, with gunfire and explosions erupting at one of the gates of the complex in the Afghan capital. Blasts and gunshots shook the city for an hour after the first explosions at about 6.30 am. All the militants have been killed.

SEOUL: South Korea issued a cyber attack alert Tuesday after hackers penetrated a number of official websites, including the Blue House, on the anniversary of the Korean War. “The government can confirm a cyber attack by unidentified hackers that shut down several sites including the Blue House," the science ministry said.

JOHANNESBURG: Nelson Mandela spent a second night in critical condition in hospital with his family members, compatriots and well-wishers worldwide fearing that the anti-apartheid icon is about to lose his final struggle. On Monday South African President Jacob Zuma said that “former president Mandela remains in a critical condition”.

WASHINGTON: The US Supreme Court elected not to rule on the constitutionality of using race and ethnicity in university admissions on Monday, instructing a lower court to look at the question again. Its decision left unchanged the principle of “affirmative action," an enduring legacy of the 1960s civil rights movement.

8

News TUESDAY, JUNE 25, 2013

BHUTAN

All is not well in ‘kingdom of happiness’ RACHEL O’BRIEN Agence France-Presse THIMPHU: It is known as “the last Shangri-La” — a remote Himalayan nation, rich in natural beauty and Buddhist culture, where national happiness is prioritised over economic growth.

But urban youngsters in the kingdom of Bhutan are quick to challenge its rosy reputation.

“We can see the people are not happy," said Jigme Wangchuk, a social worker and recovered drug addict in the capital Thimphu, where he works at a drop-in centre for young substance abusers.

“We are facing so many challenges, where many people are suffering," the 24-year-old told AFP. Drinking, especially homebrewed rice wine, has long been part of Bhutanese culture, but alcohol liver disease has become one of the top killers at Thimphu’s main hospital, a National Statistics Bureau report said last year.

Increasing drug abuse by young people, especially of pharmaceuticals, has also become a major concern as modernisation takes hold in what was one of the world’s most isolated countries for cen-

What is GNH?

G

ross National Happiness is designed to protect the environment and culture, promote good governance and pursue sustainable socio-economic development. The Gross National Happiness Commission, Bhutan’s planning body, screens all new policy to ensure it complies with the guiding GNH principles, while a complex index has been devised to try and measure people’s well-being.

turies.

The kingdom only allowed foreign tourists in 1974, television in 1999 and democracy in 2008.

It still has an otherworldly feel to outsiders: the national dress is worn to work and school, monasteries and prayer wheels dot the breathtaking landscape and old fortresses serve as government offices.

But the traditional social fabric is starting to show the strain. “The crime rate is increasing over the years, with breaking into people’s houses and muggings that were virtually unknown 10 years ago," said Damber K. Nirola, one of two psychiatrists in the country of fewer than 7,50,000 people.

“The biggest problem that

The curse of the cup

D

rinking, especially home-brewed rice wine, has long been part of Bhutanese culture, but alcohol liver disease has become one of the top killers at Thimphu’s main hospital, a National Statistics Bureau report said last year.

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we are now challenged with, and I think will increase over time, is unemployment, and along with that comes drugs and alcohol."

Such problems may seem surprising in a nation whose

trademark is “Gross National Happiness” — a term that began as an off-the-cuff remark by the former king in the 1970s and has since become a fullyfledged development model.

Unlike other countries’ focus on gross domestic product, Bhutan’s “GNH” is designed to protect the environment and culture, promote good governance and pursue sustainable socio-economic development. This alternative vision of balancing spiritual and material wealth has won global attention and praise, drawing a stream of academics and well-being gurus to happiness conferences in Bhutan.

But some Thimphu residents are sceptical of how GNH has evolved, mentioning jokey alternatives such as

“government needs help” and “gross national harassment".

The Gross National Happiness Commission, Bhutan’s planning body, screens all new policy to ensure it complies with the guiding GNH principles, while a complex index has been devised to try and measure people’s well-being.

There are doubts about its implementation.

“Looking at the problems in the country, I don’t think GNH is there," said Jamyang Tsheltrim, a 21-year-old student, in one of Thimphu’s popular snooker halls. As with many others, one of Tsheltrim’s chief concerns is the lack of desirable employment for young people in Bhutan, where the median age is 26 and more and more people are trying to join the workforce.

Officially, Bhutan’s youth unemployment statistics decreased from 12.9 percent in 2009 to 7.3 percent in 2012, although the figures have been questioned. Prized white-collar jobs for educated Bhutanese are limited by an under-developed private sector, while manual work in the booming construction industry is largely left to Indian labourers from across the border.

Bhutanese school teenagers practise before a cultural event to celebrate the birth date of Bhutan’s fourth king in Thimphu on June 2, 2013. AFP/ROBERTO SCHMIDT

9

News TUESDAY, JUNE 25, 2013 ASTRONOMY

Planet-hunter space probe to retire PARIS: The CoRot spacecraft built to eavesdrop on the music of the stars and detect distant Earthlike planets, will be retired after a successful mission double as long as envisioned, French space agency CNES said Monday.

Launched in December 2006, CoRot’s on-board instrument stopped communicating with Earth last November after the satellite braved six years of intense bombardment with highenergy, deep-space particles, it said in a statement.

“Engineering teams at CNES and the French scientific research centre CNRS have been unable to recover the instrument.”

CoRot found the first-ever candidate Earth-like world orbiting a star similar to our Sun, and another three just in its first year of operation.

CREDITS: CNES/ILL D DUCROS

PRAJAVANI

GHMC’s 11th hour training!

Commissioner says demolition of dilapidated buildings will be taken up immediately in view of the heavy monsoon.

Md NIZAMUDDIN nizamuddin.a@postnoon.com HYDERABAD: Monsoon is here, and the GHMC will now send staff of fire and disaster management to CISF for a five-day training, says GHMC commissioner MT Krishna Babu at the weekly Prajavani programme.

The corporation has bought five air-tech machines and engaged more labour force to save people in peripheral areas in case of flash floods or such emergencies, he said.

Babu said the GHMC will be taking up demolition of the structures marked as dilapidated immediately after the town planning team completes its ongoing survey.

“We shall be taking action based on the nature of the dilapidation the structure met. Some which have structural stability will have to be repaired, while others need complete demolition,” he said.

PENALTY FOR ROAD CUTTING

Referring to the death of a worker in the manhole tragedy in LB Nagar, the commissioner has

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assured people that the GHMC would ensure that workers wear proper protective gear when they take up risky works. He warned that a police case will be booked against the contractors if they fail to equip the workers.

“We shall be buying proper protective gear, similar to those used by the waterworks department,” he noted.

Answering a question about the ‘road-cutting’ across the City by other departments and private cable operators, he claimed that the telecom compa-

Answering a question about the ‘road-cutting’ across the City by other departments and private cable operators, he claimed that the telecom companies have stopped road cutting in the ‘core City’.

nies have stopped road cutting in the ‘core City’. The only organisation resorting to this was APCPDCL (Andhra Pradesh Central Power Distribution Company Limited), which was taking all precautions and the responsibility of restoration is with them.

“Heavy penalties will be levied, if any organisation was found responsible for road cutting and for their failure in restoration,” he warned.

About the Venkataramana Colony Park issue, which has become an eyesore, he said it will be sorted out on Wednesday after both the parties (the corporator and colony association members) sit with the additional commissioner (planning). Based on the observation by the AC who will be visiting the site and the genuineness of the claims, the corporation will “sort out the issue”.

OLD IS GOLD

Saving Saint Hilarion

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Its goal was to look for planets made of rock rather than gas — the first requirement along with liquid water and a moderate temperature for life as we know it.

The mission of CoRot was extended twice — first in 2009 and then again last year.

The satellite was able to acquire ultra-precise measurements, to a factor of one tenthousandth, of the brightness of stars, said the CNES. “And the resulting harvest of unprecedented results is still far from over, since science teams are still poring over its data.”

Hundreds of so-called exoplanets have been detected by space probes to date, most of them uninhabitable gas giants.

CoRot’s contribution was 32 confirmed planets and 100 more awaiting verification.

The satellite will be placed into a lower orbit before being switched off, burning up on reentry into Earth’s atmosphere.

AFP

A haven of peace in the sea of concrete that is the Gaza Strip, the crumbling remains of the Holy Land's oldest monastery are in danger of disappearing.

PHILIPPE AGRET Agence France-Presse TEL UMM AL-AMR: A haven of peace in the sea of concrete that is the Gaza Strip, the crumbling remains of the Holy Land's oldest monastery are in danger of disappearing for lack

of funds to preserve them.

Saint Hilarion, which is located at a site called Tel Umm al-Amr, draws its name from the fourth century hermit who came from southern Gaza and is considered to be the father of Palestinian monasticism.

Its life close to the

Mediterranean shore spanned more than four centuries — from the late Roman Empire to the Umayyad period. Abandoned after an earthquake in the seventh century, it was uncovered by local archaeologists in 1999.

But today, "it's a complete mess — archaeologically, scientifically and on a human level," laments Rene Elter, a researcher at the Ecole Biblique, a French academic institution in Jerusalem, who is responsible for trying preserve the site.

"We have to save Saint Hilarion," Elter told AFP. "The situation is critical and we risk losing the site. It is imperative that something is done quickly; otherwise it will be lost, lost forever." Just over a year ago, the Palestinians submitted Saint Hilarion to be included on the World Heritage List of

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UNESCO, the UN cultural organisation.

The World Monuments Fund, a New York-based group dedicated to preserving the world's architectural heritage, last year put it on its Watch list.

This is includes sites around the globe at risk from the forces of nature as well as social, political, and economic change.

But there isn't enough money to do the job. Elter believes the cost of saving the site, located near the Nusseirat refugee camp in central Gaza, would be a mere $2 million (1.5 million euros) over three years, with an immediate investment of $200,000 needed before next winter's rains arrive.

10

News TUESDAY, JUNE 25, 2013

EDUCATION

A government girls’ school in Amberpet has remained a ‘cattleshed’ for many years. Each year, hope is revived but it soon gets dashed. Postnoon revisits this school for any sign of improvement. Absolutely nothing. MLA Kishan Reddy says the land is under dispute and a new site is being located to shift the school to.

ATROCIOUS TRUTH!

PICS: N SHIVA KUMAR

ALEENA ALICE aleena.t@postnoon.com HYDERABAD: Anyone passing by this government girls’ high school in Amberpet would take it to be an abandoned shed. But it is the sole beacon for over 144 girl students to earn a high school education.

The government girls’ high school in Amberpet has been in shambles for many years now. Last academic year, when Postnoon contacted the authorities about the basic infrastructure missing in the school, the authorities said action would be taken. It proved a lip service. Residents around say it is sadder when one thinks of Chief Minister Kiran Kumar Reddy’s special drive for girl child’s education.

The school has five classrooms from Class VI to Class X, each separated by a thin wall. Since the past five years, the asbestos sheets on the roof have worn out and now it is risky sitting under it as the remnants of the roof may crash when high velocity winds blow. “More horrible is the prospect that anything can bite you,” says

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Ambala, a student. “The classrooms have become a nesting place for snakes and all other kind of insects. Once a while you will see newborn puppies around.”

With no proper roof, the students in the school have to bear the heat in the summer and the wind and rains in the rainy season.

The condition of the school is worse in the rainy season, as the school gets flooded and students get drenched.

The school has no proper toilet facilities. Ironically, though it gets municipal water, there is no water storage facility in the school. The teachers and students have been struggling to keep their dignity in miserable surroundings while leaders and the government pay little attention.

Despite all the odds, the school has been achieving 90 per cent pass rate in the Class X examinations. One cannot help but wonder that in spite of having sufficient number of students and teachers and also having a good academic rate, what is

stopping the government from providing basic facilities to the school?

“Every year, the number of students enrolling has been coming down drastically. In 2011, we had more than 300 students, in 2012, the number came down by 100 and this year, there are 144 students.

Because of the structure of the school, parents are unwilling to send their daughters here. The students and teachers find it very difficult to study and work in such conditions. We have raised several complaints and representations to the authorities concerned but all of it has gone in vain,” says headmistress Satyavathi.

It is said that nearly `4 lakh has been sanctioned for a concrete structure, but so far nothing has progressed. When contacted, area MLA Kishan Reddy said, “This particular school has been in controversy for quite some time now, as the school land is facing litigation and currently there is a case for the same at the court. We have identified another (plot of) land suitable for the construction of the school, and very soon this school will be shifted to a new concrete building.”

11

News TUESDAY, JUNE 25, 2013

HEALTH

People breastfed as infants have an edge PARIS: People breastfed as infants have a 24 percent better chance than their formula-fed counterparts of climbing the social ladder, said a study Tuesday.

Conversely, being fed mothers’ milk as a baby also reduced one’s chances of social demotion later in life by as much as

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20 percent, said the findings published in the journal Archives of Disease in Childhood.

“Our study adds to evidence on the health benefits of breast feeding by showing that there may be lifelong social benefits," wrote the British research team. The researchers looked at data on 17,419 people born in Britain in 1958 and another 16,771 born in 1970 —

ROAD SAFETY

Death traps aplenty on ORR

The death of a businessman travelling in his BMW on the Outer Ring Road once again raises safety concerns.

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ARUN DANIEL YELLAMATY Arunyellamaty@postnoon.com HYDERABAD: The death of a Chennai businessman travelling in his BMW on the Outer Ring Road once again raises questions about the safety issues.

Police say some of the accidents occur due to the negligence of the people, apart from the lack

of preventive measures. Addl, DCP, Traffic, Cyberabad, Pulinder Reddy, said, “Some accidents are caused by the people themselves, but there are also concerns that must be addressed by authorities; the HMDA have to come with preventive measures.”

The officer said there need to be more and proper diversion and turn boards all across the ORR stretch. “It is important to that

Pick

these are placed some metres before turn, so that people are aware of what lies ahead,” Pulinder Reddy said.

Also, there are several stretches covered by sand and oil. “Any vehicle moving at 150km is in serious danger when it is on such stretches. There should be some system to clean up such areas,” the officer said. Several accidents have also been reported where speeding cars have run into lorries parked on the side.

Pulinder Reddy says there should be recovery vans for abandoned vehicles on the ORR, and a ‘help desk’ for people who lose their way.

When contacted, the HMDA officials said they had display boards on the ORR, but only a few recovery vans. Chief general manager N Surya Prakash Reddy, said, “It is also the responsibility of the citizens to ensure they are safe on the stretch; drivers should also not park anywhere they want.”

Police said they are working on installing speed guns and initiating more checks against drunken driving.

at the

comparing their social class at the age of 10 or 11 to that aged 33/34, and whether or not they had been breastfed. Social class was categorised on a four-point scale ranging from unskilled or semi-skilled to professional or managerial.

AFP

TRENDS

Book cafe culture takes root in India NEW DELHI: If a lot can happen over a cup of coffee, a lot more can happen now with the book cafe culture gaining popularity across the country.

The concept of sipping a hot cup of coffee and reading your favourite author couldn’t have got any better.

Time was when serious book readers scoffed at the idea of mixing one pleasure with the other. So, when Full Circle book store and Turtle cafe began operations in 1999 in the national capital, people were welcoming but sceptical. No one thought a cafe with a book shop will last very long - but it prospered.

Then, Cha Bar, Oxford Bookstore’s first book cafe, opened in Kolkata in 2000.

The concept soon became a rage across the country.

Today, Cha Bar has 30 outlets in major cities and towns in India.

Now, many cafe owners are incorporating a book section or library into their outlets to reap benefits.

While all these places have innovative ideas like book reading sessions, book launches, art events and weekend workshops to expand, this growing culture has its detractors.

“Today it seems to be the in thing to be spotted at a book cafe. There is a trend of pseudo intellectuals brewing up who enter these spaces for gossips and chats," said

airport,

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Nandini Gupta, 23, a literature student.

“One can only go to such places either early in the morning or in the afternoon.

Go there in the evening and you will see too many people.

Who will read in such an atmosphere?

Perhaps a library is the best place to read quietly. These are just fads that will pass gradually," she added.

Software developer Vipul Mehra disagreed.

“It is a different experience altogether. One gets to browse through books and at the same time munch on snacks and sip some coffee.

The combination is just great," said Mehra.

IANS

-

12

News TUESDAY, JUNE 25, 2013

LEGAL BETTING

Gambling with bows and arrows A centuries-old tradition is kept alive in Shillong where dozens of men meet to play with bows and arrows, place bets and gamble.

SHILLONG: Every weekday afternoon in the picturesque Shillong, dozens of men meet to play with bows and arrows, place bets and gamble, keeping a centuries-old tradition alive.

The origins of the game, known simply as Siat Khnam or Shoot Arrow and played by men belonging to northeast India’s

Khasi tribe, are unclear. Today, participants choose a two-digit number and place a bet on that number.

The sum of their haul, if they win, depends on the amount they pay to participate in the game.

Everyone draws their bows and arrows and begins shooting.

Arrows fly through the air, as each archer tries to strike the target,

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located about 50 metres (150 feet) from them. Only the arrows that stick to the target are counted, not the ones that fall off. The arrows are counted and the last two digits of

the number make up the winning bet, so if 285 arrows hit the target then whoever chose 85 wins.

If no one gets lucky, the money is added to the pool for the next game. The game hit a rough patch during the 1950s and 1960s when local governments outlawed the practice. But officials eventually overturned the ban since the game was deemed much too popular and an important source of income for the archers involved.

After it was legalised in October 1982, allowing bookies to buy licences to gamble, its popularity returned. The game is played twice a day, every afterMen examine shot arrows during an archery session at a club in the north-eastern city of Shillong.

AFP/ ROBERTO SCHMIDT

Participants choose a two-digit number and place a bet on it. The sum of their win depends on the amount they pay to participate in the game. noon except on Sundays and public holidays. India boasts a strong record of sporting success in archery and the country’s Hindu epics are packed with tales of princes famed for their prowess with a bow and and arrow.

In this remote corner of the country however, although some archers play in tournaments organised by local clubs, most simply turn up for a good time, part of a sizeable herd devoted to carrying on an old tradition. AFP

STUDY REPORT

Traditional fairy tales still popular among kids Cinderella, which their parents grew up reading, is still the favourite character of girls and Jack the favourite character of boys reveals a sudy.

LONDON: Children today are still reading the same traditional fairy tales, such as Cinderella, that their parents grew up reading, a new UK study has found.

Seven in 10 parents said they tell fairy stories to their children, believing the tales develop reading skills as well as being fun for kids.

Half of the parents said it was a daily routine, according to the online survey of 1,001 parents.

Cinderella was their daughters’ favourite character, according to 44 per cent, followed by Goldilocks, Puss in Boots, Little Red Riding Hood and Cinderella’s fairy godmother, the Daily Express’ reported.

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Jack won 24 per cent of the votes for boys, followed by Puss in Boots, the Gingerbread Men, the Three Bears from Goldilocks and the Big Bad Wolf from The Three Little Pigs.

“Some parents and carers feel fairy tales are not relevant any more, forgetting that these magical stories help children to solve problems and make sense of the world,” said Justine Hodgkinson, head of Booktrust’s early years sector, which commissioned the survey.

TUESDAY, JUNE 25, 2013

Business

AD-FREE BING SEARCH FOR SCHOOLS Microsoft said it would offer an advertising-free version of its Bing search engine for schools, which also includes extra privacy and filtering of adult content.

Amazon India starting fashion vertical BALANARAYAN NT balanarayan.nt@postnoon.com

A

mazon recently started their services in India with books and movies.

Yesterday the company expanded their offerings to electronics too. Now it looks like the company has plans to expand into fashion vertical as well.

According to a job listing posted on their LinkedIn page they are currently looking for a manager (for Bangalore) who will “play a critical leadership

role in the launch of e-commerce operations for fashion and other product categories in India.”

This will be a threat to established eCommerce outlets such as Myntra and Jabong who have become the top players in the field over the years.

“You will work closely with retail category, creative, and operations leadership in defining the Imaging strategy for the India marketplace. You will also drive relentless process improvements in studios

Instead of selling products themselves, Amazon is only creating a storefront for other retailers because of FDI regulations. and processes, and push the boundaries of innovation in visual representations of products for maximizing the cus-

tomer online shopping experience,” the listing reads.

Instead of selling products themselves, Amazon is only creating a storefront for other retailers in India because of issues with FDI regulations.

The strategy is very similar to that followed by Flipkart in India, which too has a fashion vertical. The eCommerce sector is up for a whitewash as these bigger players go head to head and VCs are slowly pulling out support for newer eCommerce companies.

AGRICULTURE

Tap rain for irrigation

PRUDHVI RAJU K prudhvi.k@postnoon.com HYDERABAD: Financial analysts consider the monsoon and agriculture output as the most important aspects for the GDP growth of the country. However, with global warming, there are disturbances in the natural cycle of seasons and rains. In this scenario, the farming community of the country, who mostly depend on vagaries of monsoon, faces a tough time for their water needs.

Agriculture experts believe that there is need to build sustainable and long term methods, which can utilise rainfall for the irrigation needs.

“More food for drop of water is the concept that is evolving in the recent times. The government is also promoting plasticulture to harness available natural resources such as water and sunlight in improving the productivity and quality of the produce. Various watershed missions along with subsidies to farmers to make their own ponds are also in process.

“However, there is so much that it can do for better utilisation of this rainwater.

Preserving the effect of mon-

soons for longer time is the key for the growth of agriculture in the country. For instance, Mumbai was flooded with distilled sweet water (rain water) and there is no proper ground work to conserve this water for using it afterwards or to recharge the underground water levels. India has plenty of rainfall in some region or other but this water drains down into the sea through rivers. Rains should

not be considered as a problem but as solution for growing water needs of agriculture and public. The government is not constructing any small reservoirs in recent times for better utilisation of rain water,” says S Jafar Naqwvi, president, iFlora.

When asked about FDI and its effect on the farming community, he says, “There are lot of middlemen making their living by being part of the food supply

GOLD `26,900 10g SILVER `40,700 1kg for

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DOLLAR `59.74 POUND `92.21

APPLE SHARES SLUMP

NEW YORK: Apple shares fell briefly below $400 Monday after an analyst said the iconic gadget maker is to slash production of its iPhones.

Shares fell as low as $398, before closing at $402.34, a drop of 2.7 per cent.

Apple has been on a downward trend since last September when shares topped $700. A research note from the brokerage firm Jefferies said Apple is likely to cut production plans for the iPhone to between 25 and 30 million in the third quarter, down from between 40 to 45 million. It went on to predict that Apple would also trim production in the fourth quarter to between 50 and 55 million from 60 to 65 million.

NUMEROLOGY

chain. For instance, if a farmer sell his produce at `6/kg, after serving the intermediary and retail costs the same produce may cost `10/kg. These foreign retailers get enough margins to buy at higher price from the farmer and still sell at profitable margins to the customer at a lower market price. Initially, the farmer and customer gets benefit from these retailers. But, there are concerns about the sustainability of these benefits.

These retailers, with strong financial muscle, not only wipe off the intermediaries but may also dictate price to the farmer and customer eventually.”.

“The government is proactive in inviting the FDI but create a lot of impediments for the local agriculture and industrial growth. One needs huge number of permissions to do anything even in the land that belongs to him. For instance, the agriculture land cannot be used for residential purpose without the government permission.

First, we need to grow indigenous industry and sectors to create level playing field and then open the markets for FDI to bring out a healthy competition,” he adds.

24C

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$800

mn

is the estimated valuation of Snapchat application for sharing self-destructing smartphone photos and messages.

‘BURMA TO REVIEW DEALS’ UNITED NATIONS: The Myanmar government plans to renegotiate billions of dollars of natural resource deals as it imposes tougher environmental standards and clamps down on corruption, a leading US think tank said Monday. The country’s military and Chinese firms could be most affected by the move as the government pursues a radical reform agenda, turning away from decades of junta rule, according to the Asia Society. Myanmar has huge reserves of resources ranging from petroleum to tin, timber and precious gems.

THUS SPAKE “I don’t think anyone can break the Fed...but I do believe that big money can organise itself somewhat like feral hogs.

If they detect a weakness or a bad scent, they’ll go after it.”

RICHARD FISHER, CHIEF, DALLAS FEDERAL RESERVE

BSE 18,516.93 5,579.40 NSE 23.96

10.60

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TUESDAY, JUNE 25, 2013

Comment Nothing is permanent in this wicked world — not even our troubles.

Charlie Chaplin Actor and filmmaker

CROATIA

Adriatic home to ties, Dalmatians and top skiers THE INSIDE STORY Lajla Veselica

‘Dear Italy, I have left, but would return if...’

AMELIE HERENSTEIN Agence France-Presse

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s thousands of Italians leave the country to look for work elsewhere, one young journalist’s blog claims to offer “a megaphone for this generation,” a voice to all those who profess to be ready to return “if...”.

From disenchanted rants to nostalgic laments, feedback from young film directors, researchers and doctors in New York, France and Germany are published by Antonio Siragusa on his blog “iotornose.it” (“I’ll come back, if...”).“They have an interesting point of view on Italy, which is not heard enough. They can propose changes inspired by the countries where they are living better lives,” the 28-year-old blogger from Caserte, near Naples in southern Italy, told AFP. “The situation is dramatic. As a precarious worker, I feel it personally,” said Siragusa, who began the blog after his brother, cousins and friends began to emigrate, and does not rule out packing his cases too “if nothing changes”.

The stories on his blog speak of a country stuck in a two-year recession, where anti-crisis austerity programmes have squeezed ordinary Italians hard, but they also denounce a deepseated culture of nepotism and corruption.

“I would like to return to Italy because the quality of life is better... but here I get a salary I could never dream of back home and my work is appreciated,” said Michela Pascucci, 27, who works for PriceWater houseCoopers in Brussels.

HIGH-FLYING THOUGHTS

Politicians who are using rescue efforts as a pre-election gimmick need to stop costly chopper visits and party baiting, not only since it is shameful, but also because it is adversely affecting the relief work.

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almatians, the ultimate menswear accessory, and a clutch of sporting greats are just some of the national successes that Croatia will bring to the EU when it joins the bloc on July 1.

“At all events, people who deny the influence of Europe’s ‘smaller nations’ should remember that the Croats have the rest of us by the throat,” wrote Norman Davies in his book Europe: A History.

Dalmatians, with their distinctive brown or black spots and elegant bodies, have won global fame thanks to 101 Dalmatians.

The British historian was referring to a tie or cravat — worn every day by millions of men worldwide — whose Croatian origin reaches far into the past and is linked to love and devotion.

“For centuries girls were tying scarves around their darlings’ necks, namely when they

were leaving for wars, as a token of love and fidelity, they were ‘tying’ or obliging them,” explains Marijan Busic, founder of the Academia Cravatica, a non-governmental organisation.

Revealingly, the word “croata” can be found in many languages as the root of words meaning tie or cravat: the historical reason comes from the tight neck scarves worn by Croatians in the French army during the Thirty Years War in the 17th century.

The humble tie was soon accepted as a fashion accessory by the powerful French court, including King Louis XIV himself, and later spread to Britain and throughout the world.

The Academia promotes the tie as part of Croatia’s cultural heritage, and in 2003, broke a Guinness World Record by wrapping an ancient Roman amphitheatre in the northern port city of Pula with the world’s longest tie — an 800metre (2,640-foot) specimen.

While the origins of the tie may prove a surprise to the rest of Europe, the country has one “export” that is known and loved.

Of Croatia’s seven native dog breeds, Dalmatians, with their distinctive brown or black spots and elegant bodies, have won global fame thanks to Walt Disney’s cartoon 101 Dalmatians, first released in 1961.

Originating from the coastal

AFP/ ELVIS BARUKCIC

region of Dalmatia on the Adriatic, these friendly dogs were first depicted in a number of paintings and church chronicles dating from between the 16th and 18th centuries, before becoming sought-after domestic pets hundreds of years later.

Nowadays, though, it seems both foreigners living in Croatia and sport aficionados abroad think of athletes as the country’s best-known brand.

“I find it amazing how much quality in the world of competitive sport Croatia brings. They (athletes) are a fantastic advert and an indication and example of the potential of this country,” 47-year-old Russell Owens, a British businessman and Croatia

resident, told AFP. Tennis legend Goran Ivanisevic and high jump champion Blanka Vlasichas have made names for themselves internationally, taking their first sporting steps in a country whose 4.2 million population is fond of sport but where there is still a serious lack of financial support for athletes.

Alpine ski champions, sister and brother Janica and Ivica Kostelic, have also found stardom — even if their homeland has practically no ski resorts.

Croatia’s football squad are ranked fourth on FIFA’s world list, while its national handball team scooped the world champions title in 2003 and Olympic gold in 1996 and 2004.

EDITORIALS MBA-MCA: GOING, GOING… CRIMINAL CHARITY

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ecreasing job opportunities in the field of management, poor quality of academics and mushrooming of post graduate and engineering colleges has led to the decline in the number of Master of Business Administration and Master of Computer Applications students in Andhra Pradesh. Basic management skill like soft and communication skills is the need of the hour. It is ironical that when the job industry is short of skilled labour, thousands of MBA graduates are unable to make it to even the interview level. This is also the case with MCA students as IT firms prefer BTech students. While students in other states have been procuring an online MBA and getting work experience alongside in a firm, their AP counterparts have to waste two to three years in a college in vain. Engineering colleges offering MBA is rampant in districts like Vijayawada and has changed the future of management studies not just in the district but in the State also. With lack of adequate faculty, the education department needs to study how these innumerable offerings have become time-pass courses.

READERS’ VIEWS

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risoners have a heart. Inmates of Tihar jail on Monday contributed `10 lakh for the aid of the Uttarakhand flood victims. The most generous donors were inmates of Jail No 2, who are serving life sentences, and pooled `3.5 lakh earned through various projects in the jail. The rich amongst us, who watch the flood episode with voyeuristic pleasure on television, need to learn a lesson or two in charity from these hardcore criminals.

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

TUESDAY, JUNE 25, 2013

workplace

GOOGLERS REJOICE In a 2013 study, by The Economic Times and The Great Place To Work Institute, covering 550 companies spanning 22 industries, surveying 98,998 employees it was Google which once again took the top honour of being the best workplace in India.

BE PREPARED

Your F reason for quitting

FLEME VARKEY fleme.v@postnoon.com

It’s no secret you left your last job and so are applying for a new one. But when the interviewer asks you the reason for quitting your previous job then reasons become insufficient. We tell you how to tackle this tricky question.

Some sample answers that might help n

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I found myself bored with the work and am looking for more challenges. I am an excellent employee and I didn’t want my unhappiness to have any impact on the job I was doing for my employer.

There isn’t room for growth with my current employer and I’m ready to move on to a new challenge.

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I’m relocating to this area due to family circumstances and left my previous position in order to make the move.

To be honest, I wasn’t considering a move, but, I saw this job posting and was intrigued by the position and the company. It sounds like an exciting opportunity and an ideal match for my qualifications.

or many, this question can be the make or break point in an interview. It’s a very sensitive topic and much be approached with caution especially if you have bad memories associated with the previous company. The answer is not a favourite of many interviewees.

Whether you left your previous employer for a better opportunity, or your boss was too tough to handle or you were bullied into resigning, you have to have an answer.

It’s a ploy of the interviewers to know more about the candidate, and judge their ability to handle tough situations.

If you are still working then the question will be why do you want to leave your current position? The answers will vary accordingly. Neha Akansha Mehta, HR at a talent sourcing company in Gurgaon, tells us what interviewers are looking for when they ask this question. “There are quite a few things an interviewer is hoping to gather from the answer to such questions. Firstly, whether it was for a good reason or bad or the candidate just left on a whim or was unable to adjust. Your

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HERE’S THE DOPE

reasons for leaving a position can say a lot about you. Did the candidate leave for positive reasons or because you felt slighted or unappreciated?

Also were there any performance or integrity issues?”

Kanika Singhal, a software engineer, recently interviewed for a job. Needless to say, why she wanted to leave her job was one of the questions she faced. “I knew I would be asked this and therefore I was prepared for it. I answered that I was looking for better career opportunities and higher role and responsibilities.

And I proceeded to explain what my position required me to do. The interviewers did not have any further questions. I got the job as well.”

Neha adds, “Also they look at the motivation behind your move. It’s a bad thing to say you moved for money. It might indicate that you might move from the new place also if someone gives you more money. It makes one look very shallow. Never criticise your former company. If you do then recover your stand by saying that maybe it’s not all too bad. ‘I know that my former company is trying it’s best but now am looking for a company that will be better suited for me.’ This also shows that you’re not all negative.”

Teaching pains NIDHI BHUSHAN nidhi.b@postnoon.com

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am a 58-year-old kindergarten teacher. I’ve been working at the same school for the past 14 years. I am quite comfortable working at the school as I need to clock in only three to four hours a day.

Moreover, we have summer, winter and public holidays. For my requirements, that is basically to pass time and have a social life, this job suits me best.

Even then, bad days get to me some times. My class comprises toddlers. A few of them wear diapers to class as their parents expect school teachers to provide potty training too. There have been instances where children in my class have soiled their clothes and even though we have maids in school to help, it is a bit disgusting to witness.

According to me, the biggest problem is parents as most of them don’t have the time or patience to sit with their children or listen to us. Most are from double income families and they overcompensate for the little time they spend with their children by spoiling them silly. So, while I am able to discipline the child a little during school days, I have to start from scratch after they return to school from holidays. One of my students Manya used to bite other students. I had, with great difficulty, corrected that. I had even told her parents to keep that in check over the holidays, but they didn’t bother.

When she returned, Manya was back to square one – biting other students.

Doing the same thing over and over again is a pain, especially when money is hardly an incentive in this line of work. For example, my current salary is `5,500 and I’ve been working for more than a decade now. Though I didn’t take up the job for the money, many others do. They find it impossible to meet their expenses with such low packages.

Another downside about my job is the fact that the school authorities blindly side with parents — admissions are their only revenue source. They don’t waste a minute before reprimanding a teacher after a parent complains. There is no scope for the teacher’s side of the story. It’s imperative to listen to both sides of the argument before passing a judgement.

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TUESDAY, JUNE 25, 2013

spotlight GLITZ AND GLAM

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Where style begins

S BALAKRISHNA

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An outlet of US-based apparel brand Nautica was opened at GVK One yesterday. Fashion-crazy youngsters — men and women — flocked to the glam-filled event. Here’s a sneak peek.

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1 Sheetal 2 Sumana 3 Geetika 4 Aditya, Shraya 5 Vishnu, Brinda 6 Ashwin, Trishna 7 Shruthi 8 Preethi 9 Neelima 10 Tamanna, Manoj 11 Akanksha

Waterscapes 2013 kicks off

Artist Padamshree Anjolie Ela Menon yesterday inaugurated ‘Waterscapes 2013’ at the Hyderabad Marriott Hotel and Convention Centre. The exhibition this year showcases paintings and photos aimed to create awareness about the deteriorating quality of water bodies. The exhibition features works by NS Manohar, JMS Mani, S Jayaraj, Kalyan Varma and Arati Rao among others.

TUESDAY, JUNE 25, 2013

health

ALZHEIMER’S RESEARCHER GETS AWARD

Miia Kivipelto, professor of clinical geriatric epidemiology at Karolinska Institutet (KI), has been named the winner of the 2013 Skandia Lennart Levi Prize. She will receive the prize for her research on dementia and Alzheimer's disease.

UNDERSTANDING YOUR KIDNEYS: PART 2

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Diseases of the kidneys 1

Acute Kidney Injury

Though humans can survive with just one kidney, the vital organ often can’t take the toll.

Diabetes and high blood pressure are leading causes of kidney diseases.

What is it?

Earlier called Acute Renal Failure, it causes rapid loss of kidney function. AKI can be caused by disease, crush injury, antibiotics and many others. It is diagnosed by drop in urine output, followed by rising levels of urea and creatinine in the blood.

Symptoms n Fatigue n Loss of appetite n Nausea and vomiting n Heartbeat irregularities n Peripheral oedema n Pulmonary oedema

Symptoms n Mass in the abdomen n Blood in urine n Loss of appetite n Weight loss n Persistent pain in abdomen Treatment Treatment for kidney cancer depends on the type and stage of the disease. Usually treatment doesn’t involve chemotherapy and radiotherapy, as kidney cancers often do not respond to these treatments. Surgery and immunotherapy are options.

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Treatment Up to 98 per cent of small stones (less than 5 mm in diameter) may pass spontaneously through urination within four weeks of the onset of symptoms. For larger stones, expulsion therapy and extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy is required. Rare cases require surgery.

Kidney cancer

What is it?

Kidney cancer includes renal cell carcinoma (cancer that forms in the lining of very small tubes in the kidney that filter the blood and remove waste products) and urothelial cell carcinoma (UCC) of the renal pelvis. RCC is responsible for approximately 80 per cent of primary renal cancers, and UCC accounts the majority of the remainder (20 per cent).

What is it?

A kidney stone is a solid concretion or crystal aggregation formed in the kidneys from dietary minerals in the urine.

Kidney stones typically leave the body by passage in the urine stream, and many stones are formed and passed without causing symptoms. If stones grow to sufficient size, they can cause obstruction of the ureter.

Symptoms n Excruciating pain from flank to groin n Urinary urgency n Nausea, vomiting n Sweating

Treatment Because it can be caused by several factors, the treatment depends on identification and treatment of the cause. Management of the condition includes avoiding nephrotoxins like ibuprofen.

Depending on the cause, some patients may never fully recover renal function, and will either require dialysis, kidney transplant or will enter end-stage renal failure.

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Kidney Stones

Kidney Infections

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Chronic Kidney Disease

What is it?

Chronic renal disease is the progressive loss in renal function over a prolonged period of time.

The most common causes are diabetes mellitus, hypertension, and glomerulonephritis, accounting for 75 per cent of all chronic sufferers. Early identification of patients with kidney disease is recommended.

Symptoms No specific symptoms except an increase in serum creatinine and protein in the urine. As kidney

function decreases, a number of symptoms can be seen. n Increased blood pressure n High risk of cardiovascular disease n Uremia n Metabolic acidosis Treatment There is no cure for chronic kidney disease, only management.

Identification at an early stage is key. Depending on what stage the disease is at, treatment options vary. Lifestyle changes and taking medication to control blood pressure are recommended. At a point of kidney failure, dialysis or a kidney transplant will be required.

What is it?

When urinary tract infections spread upwards to the kidneys, pyelonephritis, or kidney infections, is caused. It is a potentially dangerous infection, as it can spread to the blood quickly. The causes for pyelonephritis are the same as those that cause UTIs; however, pyelonephritis is more common where there are conditions that cause reduced urine flow.

Symptoms n Discomfort while urinating n Back or flank pain n Fever n Blood in the urine n Frequent urge to urinate Treatment Hospitalisation isn’t usually needed in case of pyelonephritis. An antibiotic course of seven days usually does the trick. Chronic (long-lasting) pyelonephritis is a rare condition, usually caused by birth defects in the kidney.

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TUESDAY, JUNE 25, 2013

Technology CYBER SECURITY

The safety issue 'Password fatigue' haunts Internet masses

ROBERT MACPHERSON feedback@postnoon.com

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ooking for a safe password? You can give HQbgbiZVu9AWcqoSZ mChwgtMYTrM7HE3O bVWGepMeOsJf4iHMyNXMT1 BrySA4d7 a try. Good luck memorizing it. Sixty-three random alpha-numeric characters — in this case, generated by an online password generator — are as good as it gets when it comes to securing your virtual life.

But as millions of Internet users have learned the hard way, no password is safe when hackers can, and do, pilfer them en masse from banks, email services, retailers or social media websites that fail to fully protect their servers. And besides, with technology growing by leaps and bounds, why does the username-and-password formula — a relic of computing's Jurassic era — remain the norm?

"The incredibly short answer is, it's cheap," said Per Thorsheim, a Norwegian online security expert and organiser of PasswordsCon, the world's only conference dedicated to passwords, taking place in Las Vegas in July.

"If you want anything else -if you want some kind of twofactor authentication that involves using a software-based token, a hardware-based token or biometric authentication -you need something extra," he told AFP. "And that will cost you extra money."

Back in the beginning, it was all so easy. The very first computers were not only room-sized mainframes, but also standalone devices. They didn't connect to each other, so passwords were needed only by a handful of operators who likely knew each other anyway.

Then along came the Internet, binding a burgeoning number of computers, smartphones and tablets into a globegirdling web that required some virtual means for strangers to identify each other.

Passwords have thus proliferated so much that it's a daily struggle for users to cope with dozens of them — and not just

SAMSUNG SAYS NO

Samsung has denied a report that says it is shutting down its PC business and provided the following statement, “The rumor that Samsung is withdrawing from the PC desktop business is groundless. Samsung will continue to offer diverse PC products according to consumer and market needs.” Samsung is reportedly shuttering its desktop PC business amid declining demand, a Korea Times report says. The report cites a Samsung official as saying that the company will divert its resources to “popular” connected and portable devices, boosting research teams and technology development units for tablets and all-in-one laptops.

MORE CHANGES IN IOS

on one personal computer, but across several devices. There's even a name for the syndrome: password fatigue.

"People never took passwords very seriously, and then we had a number of really big password breaches," said Marian Merritt, Internet security advocate for software provider Norton.

In a 24-nation survey last year, Norton found that 40 percent of users don't bother with complex passwords or fail to change their passwords on a regular basis. Rival security app firm McAfee says its research indicates that more than 60 percent of users regularly visit five to 20 websites that require passwords, and that a like-sized proportion preferred easy-to-use passwords.

Carl Windsor, director of product management at California-based network secu-

In a 24-nation survey, Norton found that 40 percent of users don't bother with complex passwords or fail to change their passwords regularly.

rity firm Fortinet, said he once ran John the Ripper, a free program to crack passwords, through an employer's Unix system with its consent.

Within seconds, Windsor had one-third of its passwords.

Within minutes, he had another third. "I also won a bet by finding the 'super secure' password of a colleague in less than five minutes," he told AFP by email.

BIOMETRICS ARE COMING

Google is toying with the idea of users tapping their devices with personalized coded finger rings or inserting unique ID cards called Yubikeys into the USB ports of their computers.

The FIDO Alliance, a consortium that includes PayPal, is pushing an open-source system in which, for instance, websites would ask smartphone users to identify themselves by placing their fingertips on their touchscreens.

"These (biometric) technologies are coming to a place where they are highly mature, cost effective and in a position to roll out into the consumer market today," FIDO's vice president Ramesh Kesanupalli told AFP. Kesanupalli said FIDO technology could be available as early as this year, bettering IBM

fellow David Nahamoo's prediction in 2011 that biometrics would replace passwords within five years. For now, many Internet services are embracing two-factor authentication, that challenges users with a bonus security question — like "What is your dog's name?" — or emits a one-use-only numeric code via SMS messaging.

Online password managers with names like Lastpass, KeePass, 1Password, Dashlane and Apple's just-announced iCloud Keychain have also been popping up like mushrooms.

They pledge to securely stash an individual's entire password collection, accessible via one master password. Some experts, however, consider the idea a Band-Aid solution pending the definitive password replacement.

Until then, security experts widely agree on two core principles: make your passwords as long as possible, mixing up words with some numbers and symbols, and never ever use the same password for more than one website. Beyond that, just cross your fingers and pray that the website you're using is doing all it can at its end to protect the mental keys to your virtual world.

AFP

In iOS 7, screenshot behaviour has been altered and active touches are no longer cancelled when the user takes a screenshot. This minor change has a number of implications for several apps that rely on screenshots to notify users of unwanted behaviour, such as Snapchat and Facebook Poke.

When a user opens a Snapchat photo in the app, a finger is required on the screen to hold the photo open while viewing the picture.

AOE COMES TO IPHONE Microsoft is bringing its games to iOS and Android, beginning with Age of Empires sometime in 2013, reports Japan’s Nikkei business daily. The ports are coming courtesy of mobile developer KLab, which is licensing the games from Microsoft for global distribution. Nikkei calls it a possible indication of a turning point in the gaming market, speculating that the move could even affect the mobile strategies of competitors Sony and Nintendo.

However, Age of Empires won't be the first time Microsoft has brought one of its games to the iPhone. That honor belongs to Kinectimals, which came out back in 2011. Microsoft hasn’t abandoned the platform either, releasing Twisted Pixel’s Ms. ’Splosion Man just three months ago.

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TUESDAY, JUNE 25, 2013

Entertainment WEIGHTY PROBLEMS?

CINE BYTES

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outhern actress Anushka Shetty, who is busy shooting for upcoming Telugu period-drama Rudramadevi, is expected to shed as much as 15 kg for her role in the film.

“She (Anushka) has been advised to shed at least 10 to 15 kg for the film. In the next two months, she will undergo a strict weight regime to perfect the look for the film,” a source from the film’s unit said.

Anushka, however, will not lose too much of weight.

“She has another period flick lined up.

It is important that the weight loss is under control. To ensure that she stays in shape, she will spend more time on yoga than on physical workout,” the source added.

Rudramadevi is being directed and produced by Gunasekhar, and Anushka will essay the role of Rani Rudramadevi of Kakatiya dynasty.

The film features an ensemble cast of Rana Daggubati, Aditi Chengappa, Vikramjeet Virk, Nathalia Kaur, Hamsa Nandhini, Prakash Raj, Baba Sehegal, Krishnam Raju, Ahuti Prasad, Jayaprakash Reddy and Adithya Menon.

Illayaraja will compose the music for the film, which will have cinematography by Ajay Vincent.

Meanwhile, Anushka will soon start working on Telugu period-drama Baahubali with filmmaker SS Rajamouli. IANS

Vijay serves biriyani on his birthday

V

ijay celebrated his 39th birthday in style by hosting a biriyani lunch for the unit of Jilla and his fans. This time the actor’s fan clubs did all the social and philanthropic works that is associated with a superstar birthday.

But its the biriyani that stole the show.

Siddharth woos the Chennai media

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iddharth is breaking new grounds. For the first time in his career, he held a press meet in Chennai. The meet was following the success of UTV’s Sundar C directed Theeya Velai Seiyyanum Kumaru (TVSK). It was obvious that that the actor wanted his ‘unfriendly and hostile’ image to change.

Raja Rani teaser a hit

ANUSHKA SH ET T Y ASKED TO SHED WEIGHT FOR RUDRAMADEVI

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he teaser of Arya-Nayanthara starrer Raja Rani has already created a flutter on social networking sites. The movie which is directed by Atlee, is said to be a feel-good, romantic musical comedy. The film also stars Jai, Santhanam, Sathyaraj and Sathyan.

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Entertainment TUESDAY, JUNE 25, 2013 CINE BYTES

Mental in 3D? Still to take a call: Sohail Khan

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rapevine was abuzz with news that Salman Khan-starrer Mental will be made in 3D. But if director Sohail Khan is to be believed, the reports appear premature and misguided.

“We are shooting the film in 2D. Some technicians in our crew have suggested that we do some 3D portions. First, let me complete my film in the normal format. Then I’ll take a call,” said Sohail.

IANS

Emraan hasn’t seen Ghanchakkar

E

mraan Hashmi is yet to see Ghanchakkar but he has organised a show for his close associates. The film stars Emraan Hashmi and Vidya Balan. As for the screening, he is expected to watch the final cut for the first time in a day or two. Well, it may be just turn out that despite being the film’s lead, he is the last to watch the film. IANS

Priyanka happy about her song Exotic

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riyanka Chopra is happy about her second single Exotic from her album In My City. The song leaked online but the actor is not complaining. “Okay! So my new single ‘Exotic’ has been leaked! I should be angry, but I’m actually quite relieved and happy to share it with you all,” tweeted the 30year-old. “And as always, let me know what you guys think,” added the actress.

IANS

TIME FOR A BREAK?

R E E V f l e s N m RAhas no time for hi A

ppreciating co-actor Sonakshi Sinha’s managerial skills, Ranveer Singh says he hardly has time for himself.

“It is very off balance right now. It is completely skewed one way. I don’t have much of a personal life. You promote one day...you shoot all night. There really isn’t any time right now for personal life,” Ranveer said while promoting his forthcoming movie Lootera.

“I think it’s all right because we are in our late twenties...we need to consolidate a career that’s just taken off,” said Ranveer.

The actor, who has been seen in films like Band Baaja Baaraat and Ladies Vs Ricky Bahl, next stars in Lootera, directed by Vikramaditya Motwane, opposite Sonakshi. The film is scheduled for release July 5. The heart-throb praised Sonakshi for committing to multiple projects a year and said he learns the art of dealing with work pressure from her.

“We work double shifts, something I am very new

I think it’s all right because we are in our late twenties...we need to consolidate a career that’s just taken off.

Ranveer Singh Actor to, which Sonakshi does all the time. She is such a busy actor. She has five releases a year...she makes so many movies a year.

One of the busiest actors in the business. I learnt from her how to tackle the load of your professional life,” said the 27-year-old.

“I try and take out some time for friends and family to rejuvenate and recharge myself so that I can tackle work afresh but yes the sole priority in my life right now is my career,” added Ranveer.

IANS

Entertainment TUESDAY, JUNE 25, 2013

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Entertainment TUESDAY, JUNE 25, 2013

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Entertainment TUESDAY, JUNE 25, 2013 CINE BYTES

Jim Carrey won’t support Kick-Ass 2

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erhaps having just gotten around to watching the KickAss 2 trailer, Jim Carrey tweeted some reservations on Sunday evening. “I did Kickass a month b4 Sandy Hook and now in all good conscience I cannot support that level of violence,” he wrote. “I meant to say my apologies to others involve with the film. I am not ashamed of it but recent events have caused a change in my heart.”

Will too expensive for Independence Day 2

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ith the first of two Independence Day sequels set for July 3, 2015, it’s time to get real about the man who made the first movie a hit. “Will Smith cannot come back because he’s too expensive, but he’d also be too much of a marquee name,” says director Roland Emmerich.

Ah, yes, that thing where having one of the world’s biggest movie stars is a detriment to your film.

Brad Pitt’s World War Z may come back to life for sequel

B

rad Pitt might have just landed himself a franchise. After a very successful box office opening for the zombie flick World War Z, Paramount has decided to turn to developing a sequel, studio vice-chairman Rob Moore tells The Hollywood Reporter.

With a $111.8 million worldwide debut, the option is reportedly back on the table.

PAIR EM’ UP

KATY‘s PERRY friends want her to date

Pattinson K

aty Perry’s friends want her to date actor Robert Pattinson, who recently broke up with actress Kristen Stewart, because they think he would be a great guy for her.

Though her friends hope she chooses Pattinson, Perry had earlier confessed that she is still “madly in love” with exboyfriend John Mayer. “My vote is for Rob. John is a bad boy and sadly Katy prefers that. She always falls for guys with an edge. With that edge comes drama and Mayer is the king of drama,” Ok!magazine quoted Perry’s friend as saying.

However, her close friends believe she will give Mayer another chance because as she is physically attracted to him.

The source added: “John is a physical guy and Katy says it has been the best time of her life.” IANS

TUESDAY, JUNE 25, 2013

Chai Time

THOUGHT OF THE DAY

Few are agreeable in conversation, because each thinks more of what he intends to say than of what others are saying, and listens no more when he himself has a chance to speak.

Francois de La Rochefoucauld

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 Web site?

6 Wears out one's welcome 11 Highly reliable evidence 14 Sitcom starring Valerie Harper 15 A profane state 16 Brutally harsh 17 Big seller for Chris Rock 19 Where a doc pays his or her dues 20 Agriculturally viable 21 Wabbit hunter of toons 23 Real crybabies 26 On the train 27 Words of warning 28 Bus stations 30 Like Pollyanna's outlook 31 Broadcast 32 Old-style PC monitor 35 Superlative finish 36 Agatha Christie's genre 38 Yon maiden fair 39 Get the point of 40 Some bridge players 41 Inlet at the shore 42 Area of Venice 44 Allowing seepage 46 Tooth next to a premolar 48 They may be grand 49 Hot and sticky 50 Severely injured, in a way 52 ‘Who wants ice cream?’ response 53 Colossal lack of success 58 Fleur-de-___ (Quebec symbol) 59 Catch up with again, as in sports 60 Make lean, in a way 61 Addams Family relation 62 What sultana grapes lack 63 Something from the oven

DOWN

1 Circumference section

2 Despite the fact that, briefly 3 Piper's son of verse 4 ‘If everything goes our way ...’

5 Core groups of trained personnel 6 Pierces 7 Above average in height 8 Monastery resident 9 Who Uncle Sam wants, per the posters 10 Unknown person 11 Place to be theatrical 12 Title giver 13 Judgment payout 18 Easily maneuvered, at sea 22 Unit in realty 23 Anesthetizes an entire audience 24 Got up 25 Farthest from the east 26 Simon Says player, at times 28 ‘Same here!’

29 ‘___ Tu’ (1973 Spanish-language hit song) 31 Abbr in some office titles 33 Musical melange 34 Hank of hair 36 Follows a stream's path 37 Bill and Hillary's alma mater 41 New mother, at times 43 Trilogy finale 44 A fine cotton 45 Big name in flatware 46 Three-to-five-alarm dish 47 Embezzler's worry 48 Marching-band flutes 50 Critter in house dust 51 What red indicates in litmus tests 54 Baseball Hall of Famer ___ Wee Reese 55 Area 51 craft 56 Ewe wooer 57 Airport posting (Abbr)

Chai Time TUESDAY, JUNE 25, 2013 Thiruvaikumar

STAR POWER for 26-6-2013

27

As per Hindu panchang thiruvaikumar@yahoo. co. in, 040-27177230 / 9177596118

ARIES

TAURUS

GEMINI

CANCER

LEO

VIRGO

LIBRA

SCORPIO

SAGITTARIUS

CAPRICORN

AQUARIUS

PISCES

Increased word and travel likely for employees. Businessmen face the competition and win.

Artists have a good time. Ups and downs are likely to remain but do not worry as the situation will soon become stable.

STRIP TEASE AGNES

Expense for vehicle maintenance likely to go up. Drifting legal issues depress you.

Employees feel happy as promotion or pay hike expected by them gets implemented.

Take important decisions only after proper analysis.

You look cheerful as tension, worries end. Employees have a favourable trend at workplace; their promotion and pay hike will be approved by the management. Efforts to change residence gets delayed. Friends in powerful positions help you.

Children understand and cooperate with you. Avoid hasty decisions in purchase of land or house. Some have a bright chance to go abroad. New efforts of businessmen yield better results. Transfer on the cards for employees.

Long-pending wishes get fulfilled. Employees face the ire of superiors and get increased responsibilities. Completing duties successfully will get them recognition. You undertake a jolly trip with your family members.

News of your daughter’s pregnancy brings cheer. Employees face increase burden and travel; they get good sops too.

Businessmen land new customers and increase volume of business. All thoughts take shape and get implemented.

Women need to exercise patience. You fulfill long-pending wishes of your children and make them happy. Sister’s marriage gets performed. Important decision regarding ancestral property taken by you will bring the desired result.

Minor disappointments likely; be cautious. Pregnant women need to be careful. Expenses increase due to blood relatives upsetting you. Debt issues get under control. You purchase household gadgets, which makes your spouse happy.

Favourable time of businessmen sees profits jump. Their staff will co-operate and remain loyal to them. Employees are cheerful as their long-pending demands get fulfilled by the management and expected transfer gets approved.

TAROT READ

Sumaa Tekur

tarotreadhyd@gmail. com

ARIES:

GEMINI:

Six of Cups – Time to brush aside old fights and issues with friends and move on. It’s not necessary to extend the olive branch if you don’t want to but clear the air.

LEO:

Queen of Swords – This is a good time to do something on your own. You will have the resources and energy to start a consultancy. It’s a fortunate time.

LIBRA:

PEARLS BEFORE SWINE

King of Cups – Yield to temptation only if you know how to handle the after-effects. You’re likely to come across situations where decisions determine how others feel.

SAGITTARIUS:

Ten of Cups – This is a day for rest and relaxation.

Spend a lot of time with yourself and do things you enjoy. There will always be time to catch up on work.

TAURUS:

Nine of Cups – Your concentration is high and your wishes are about to come true. Take a good look at your options and know what you’re getting into.

CANCER:

Five of Swords – You have a tendency to repeat the same things and, in doing so, you may be blowing it out of proportion and making it bigger than it is.

VIRGO:

Eight of Swords – This is an odd time when you feel nothing is going to plan. Mercury is retrograde and get frustrated because of the communication breakdown.

SCORPIO:

Four of Pentacles – Don’t get on the offensive with someone you need to do a job. With your harsh words and behaviour, you may be putting off this person.

CAPRICORN:

Nine of Cups – It might be a good idea to stay away from the limelight and let someone else take credit. Being the focus of attention is not good for you.

PREVIOUS SOLUTIONS

PISCES:

The World – Someone is not telling you directly what you need to know. He/she is only giving you clues and expects you to figure out on your own the real story.

NUMBER GAME

Swords – You are the backbone of your family. They may or may not talk about it openly or even accept it but this is the truth. You should be proud.

SCRABBLE

AQUARIUS: Four of

POOCH CAFE

Politicians gain upper hand and increased influence. Newlyweds get ready to welcome an offspring soon. Mother’s health may be a cause for concern; take care. Employees need to be cordial with colleagues to avoid future problems.

for 26-6-2013

Ten of Cups – You will attend a show that will open up your mind to all kinds of new possibilities. You will see life differently and want to experience more.

NON SEQUITUR

Income through maternal relatives likely. Expenses of children increase. Those staying abroad likely to visit their native.

Litigations in ancestral property will get over. Travel, tension and expenses are likely but only for a short period.

SUDUKO

Expenses and travel are likely to increase. Newlyweds cheer as their offspring arrives soon.

Good news regarding son’s job cheers you. Long-pending wishes become reality now.

Drastic changes and upward swing in your status is certain.

Boggle LABEL LOYAL LOCAL LEGAL LAWFUL Vol: 2, No 340 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 TUESDAY, JUNE 25, 2013

SHARING TIPS

CINE BYTES

KYLIE MINOGUE giving Cara Delevingne career advice

Not sure about returning to The Voice: Will.i.am

R

apper Will.i.am has said that he is not sure about returning for a third series of The Voice. The talent judge, who has high hopes for his team in tonight’s live final, said that he has not made up his mind about his future on the show, reported Digital Spy. PTI

S

upermodel Cara Develvingne has reportedly been getting career advice from Australian pop star Kylie Minogue after the pair hit it off in New York last month. The 45-year-old singer is reportedly taking the young model under her wing, and started by advising her against a career in Hollywood, reported People magazine.

“Kylie’s taken Cara’s career into her own hands and talked her out of becoming an actress. She knows doing both means spreading yourself thin. Kylie has made it her mission to take Cara under her wing and make sure she doesn’t get herself into the trouble may models have go themselves in,” a source said.

PTI

Drugs and alcohol preserved me: Samuel

W

hen his family found him slumped with a wrap of cocaine, he knew he had taken himself dangerously close to the edge, and actor Samuel L Jackson says he is where he is today because of years of drugs and alcohol. “I think they’ve preserved me in a strange sort of way. All your experiences culminate in making you the person that you are,” he said. PTI

Amy Adams’ girl obsessed with ‘Superman’

A

ctress Amy Adams’ daughter was obsessed with Henry Cavill’s Superman costume when she met him on the set of ‘an of Steel. Three-year-old Aviana loved visiting her mother on the set of Man of Steel, in which Adams plays his love interest Lois Lane, and was fascinated with Cavill’s superhero outfit, reported OK! magazine.

PTI

sports

29

TUESDAY, JUNE 25, 2013

JK TYRE RACING ROUND-I WINNERS

In the fast lane

A racing event which took place a few days ago saw the rise of two little champs. Postnoon caught up with them and learnt about their F1 dreams.

ARUN DANIEL YELLAMATY arunyellamaty@postnoon.com

T

he 10th JK Tyre-FMSCI National Rotax Max Karting Championship 2013 took off a few days ago in Hyderabad. After the first race we caught up with winners of two different categories, who say racing for Formula One is their goal in life.

“I always enjoyed every sport, I played tennis, football, cricket, but I chose racing as something I wanted to professionally,” said, Junior Max category, winner of 1st Race, Kush Maini of Dark Don Racing.

Kush was told he was disqualified after finishing the race, but later was announced as the winner, talking about the incident, he said, “The team had worked hard and I put in my

LOCAL SPORT

Eight players selected for chess tourney HYDERBAD: The Hyderabad District Chess Association organised the under-19 Hyderabad District Selection Chess Tourney on Sunday at Lal Bahudur Stadium, here.

The eight selected players (four boys and four girls) will be participating in the state level under-19 chess tournament at Thanuku (West Godavari) on July 2.

Selected players: Girls: Swetha Sree, D Chetana, Sabbi Sri Rohita, T Vigna Shree Boys: D Lakshmi Krishna Bhushan, Naga Shashank D, P Susheel Reddy, V Raghav Srivathsav

best efforts and was told I was disqualified, I was very upset, but later the officials declared that I was the winner, I was happy.”

When it comes to school, Kush is popular with friends and teachers, but says he wants to be treated equally, “I don’t want to be treated specially, I want my friends and people around me to be normally with me. I have sleepovers with my friends and also like to hangout in school, I go to the Indus International School, in Bangalore.

The 12-year-old is also the winner of Europe, World Series karting

champion in the Mini Category and he says his favourite racer is Kimi Raikkonen and that he dreams of racing for F1.

We also spoke to the winner of the Micro Max category, and defending champion Pradyumn V Danigund of Meco Racing who says that karting happened by chance after which he started enjoying it and decided to be a kart racer.

“I liked bike racing and one day next to the bike racing track there was a karting track, so after taking permission from my dad I went for a lap, I never looked back, I just Kush Maini

decided then I wanted to do kart racing. That’s my dream now.” He adds, “Winning the first round of this tournament means a lot to me, I want to win this year too. I have been practicing hard.” Asked how he manages school and karting, he said, “I am a topper in school, so never had a problem with doing both, I have and can manage both. I took my trophy of the recent race to school and showed it to my principal and friends.” Eleven-year-old, Pradyumn is a big fan of F Alonso, and wants to race like him for F1.

For both the racers their families support has been the key, in an expensive sport like kart races, many families have to sacrifice quite a lot of things to ensure that their child continues and races for Formula One someday.

Pradyumn. V .Danigund

SWIMMING

Ryan Lochte back in pool PETE CAVA Agence France-Presse INDIANAPOLIS: Johnny Weissmuller came back from the 1924 Olympics in Paris with a chest full of medals, put on a loin cloth and starred alongside Maureen O’Sullivan in a string of Tarzan movies.

In 1932, Buster Crabbe parleyed Olympic swimming success at the Los Angeles Games into a lengthy film career, battling intergalactic evil-doers in the Flash Gordon and Buck Rogers serials.

Ryan Lochte came home from last year’s London Olympics with a five-medal haul — to go with his two from

Athens in 2004 — and four from Beijing in 2008. He wound up with a reality television show.

“Yeah, I guess times change,” the personable Lochte said

Monday on the eve of the US swimming championships, which run Tuesday through Saturday in Indianapolis.

The eight-episode series,

What Would Ryan Lochte Do?, aired during April and May on E!. In it, Lochte didn’t swing on vines or match wits with Ming the Merciless. Instead, he worked on creating a fashion line, searched for true love and prepared for the 2016 Games in Rio de Janeiro.

“It was fun. It was a good experience,” said Lochte, who said the show enabled him get closer to his family who appeared in the episodes.

“Because of training and everything, I was seeing them maybe once, twice, every three, four months,” he said. “But with this show, I saw them once every week. It brought me and my family closer together.”

AFP

SPORTS BRIEFS Doping inquiry would call on Verbruggen

Heat celebrate NBA title with raucous fans

Pippen questioned in assault probe

PARIS: British Cycling president Brian Cookson said he would expect honorary IOC member Hein Verbruggen to testify in any future inquiry to be held into the sport’s murky doping past. “No one is above and beyond any involvement in that process,” said Cookson, who is bidding to replace Irishman Pat McQuaid as president of the UCI. Cookson set out his six-step manifesto in Paris on Monday. It’s main tenets include rebuilding trust in the UCI, in the wake of the highlydamaging Lance Armstrong doping affair, handing cycling’s anti-doping programme to an independent body and restructuring elite road cycling both for men and women. AFP

MIAMI: Music boomed, confetti rained down and strobe lights beamed through billowing smoke as Miami’s NBA team celebrated their second-consecutive championship with a parade through the downtown on Monday.

Players, coaches and personnel rode on buses and trucks through the streets, including along Biscayne Boulevard to the American Airlines arena for a rally.

“It’s a grind to be able to win a championship,” superstar LeBron James told the crowd. “When you do it with some great teammates ... it doesn’t seem so bad. The main thing is championships, and that’s all that matters.”

AFP

MALIBU: US authorities said Monday that they had questioned National Basketball Association hall-of-famer Scottie Pippen in connection with an alleged assault outside a Malibu restaurant. Pippen, who won six NBA titles with Chicago and two Olympic gold medals with Team USA, was allegedly involved in a fight outside Nobu restaurant at about 6:30 pm Sunday, the Los Angeles county sheriff’s department said.

One man, who was not named, was knocked unconscious in the fight and taken to hospital with a head injury. A spokesman for the sheriff’s office, Steve Whitmore, confirmed that Pippen was interviewed and later released.

AFP

30

sports TUESDAY, JUNE 25, 2013

WIMBLEDON

Nadal humbled at Wimbledon DAVE JAMES Agence France-Presse

LONDON: Rafael Nadal (right) suffered Wimbledon humiliation at the hands of Belgian world number 135 Steve Darcis on Monday, a shock first round defeat which cleared the title paths of Andy Murray and Roger Federer.

Journeyman Darcis clinched a 7-6 (7/4), 7-6 (10/8), 6-4 win to condemn the fifthseed Spanish superstar to a first ever loss in the opening round of a major.

It also came just two weeks after 12-time Grand Slam title winner Nadal, the

Shock exits LONDON: Rafael Nadal’s stunning first round loss at Wimbledon to world nunber 135 Steve Darcis on Monday was the latest of many shock results at the Wimbledon.

Three of the best exits: 1999: Jelena Dokic v Martina Hingis - Top seed and world number one Martina Hingis was destroyed by 16-yearold qualifier Dokic, who was ranked 129 in the world at the time. Dokic took 54 minutes to beat Hingis, 6-2, 6-0, in the first round.

2002: Seven-time champion Pete Sampras was stunned 63, 6-2, 4-6, 3-6, 6-4 by George Bastl, the world number 145 from Switzerland on the old Court two, the infamous Graveyard of the Cham pions. Sampras never played the tournament again.

2003: Ivo Karlovic v Lleytin Hewitt - Karlovic, a 6ft 10in Croatian, ranked 203 in the world, defeated defending champion and top seed Hewitt 1-6, 7-6, 6-3, 6-4. The Australian became the first defending men’s champion in the Open era to lose in the first round.

AFP

2008 and 2010 Wimbledon champion, had celebrated a record eighth French Open crown.

The sensational result was the first time since Gustavo Kuerten in 1997 that a French Open champion had lost in the opening round at Wimbledon.

The defeat followed Nadal’s second round shocker at the hands of Lukas Rosol of the Czech Republic at last year’s Wimbledon.

But he refused to blame his constant struggles with his knees for defeat.

“It’s not the right day (to discuss my knees). I tried my

best in every moment, but it was not possible this afternoon,” said Nadal.

“On grass, it’s difficult to adapt when you don’t have a chance to play on the surface before Wimbledon.

“Darcis deserved to win today.”

Darcis, 29, and nicknamed ‘Shark’, had come into Wimbledon with just two wins under his belt on the tour all year.

“Nobody was expecting my win today,” said Darcis, who has now matched his best performance at the All England Club having reached the second round in 2009.

Nadal had won 43 of his 45 matches and seven titles since his return to the tour in February after a seven-month injury lay-off to rest his notoriously suspect knees. But he was flatfooted and half-hearted as Darcis fired 13 aces and 53 winners past the hapless Spaniard. Darcis will next face Poland’s Lukasz Kubot.

Second seeded Murray made history as the world number two cruised into the second round with a 6-4, 6-3, 6-2 victory over Germany’s Benjamin Becker.

DJOKOVIC, SERENA aim to avoid Rafa’s fate

STEVEN GRIFFITHS Agence France-Presse LONDON: Novak Djokovic (in pic) and Serena Williams will hope to avoid the same fate as Rafael Nadal on Tuesday as Wimbledon comes to terms with one of the most stunning upsets in All England Club history.

Nadal, a two-time Wimbledon champion, arrived in southwest London tipped for another title after winning a record eighth French Open crown earlier this month.

But the Spaniard was sent packing on the opening day as unheralded Belgian Steve Darcis shocked the 12-time Grand Slam champion with a sensational 7-6 (7/4), 7-6 (10/8), 6-4 victory on Court One. Darcis is ranked 135 in the world and had won just two ATP Tour matches this year, making it the most humiliating defeat of Nadal’s career.

Feisty Hewitt stuns Wawrinka

LONDON: Lleyton Hewitt stormed into the second round of Wimbledon in impressive fashion, knocking out 11th seed Stanislas Wawrinka in straight sets on Monday.

The Australian 2002 Wimbledon champion, who has been dogged by injuries in recent years, was roared on

by Aussie fans as he beat his Swiss opponent 6-4, 7-5 6-3 on Court One in two hours and 12 minutes.

It took him five match points to do it as Wawrinka clung on but the world number 70 sank to his knees when he

sealed victory, then jumped up in delight and punched the air after shaking hands with his opponent.

Australian supporters hugged the former world number one and patted him on the back as he made his way off court.

“Unbelievable feeling. I knew it was a tough draw,” said the 2001 US Open champion.

“I’ve lost the last couple of tight matches to Stan. He’s a quality player.

“I knew I had to come out here and play well — and I played really well. AFP

The loss, which followed Nadal’s second round shocker at the hands of Lukas Rosol of the Czech Republic at last year’s Wimbledon, brought to an end his 22-match winning streak in 2013.

“That is sport, sometimes you play well and you have the chance to win, sometimes you play worse and you lose,” Nadal said.

With the reverberations from Nadal’s departure still being felt across Wimbledon, all eyes will be on Djokovic and Serena, both current world number ones, when they make their tournament bows.

The duo will hope to follow the examples of Roger Federer, Andy Murray and Maria Sharapova, who all cruised to straight sets victories on Centre Court on Monday.

Nadal clings onto All England Club dream LONDON: Rafael Nadal may have been hobbled by the suspect staying power of his knees, but the Spaniard insists that despite back-toback Wimbledon flops, he can still lift a third All England Club title.

Nadal suffered his first ever opening round loss at a Grand Slam when Belgian world number 135 Steve Darcis inflicted a humiliating 7-6 (7/4), 7-6 (10/8), 6-4 defeat on Monday.

The shock came 12 months after Nadal had been sent packing in the second round by Lukas Rosol, equally as unheralded as Darcis who had lost 12 of his previous 18 Grand Slam first round appearances before Monday’s upset.

No one, except possibly Nadal himself, saw it coming. Nadal was fresh from a record-setting eighth French Open title and had racked up 43 wins in 45 matches and seven titles in nine finals since returning to the tour in February after seven months on the sidelines. AFP

Lu hopes for Murray victory repeat LONDON: Taiwan’s Lu Yen-Hsun hopes to draw inspiration from his 2008 Olympics victory over Andy Murray when he clashes with the world number two for a place in the Wimbledon third round on Wednesday. Lu, the world number 75, has no fear of the big stage.

As well as defeating Murray in Beijing, the 29-year-old also stunned three-time Wimbledon runner-up Andy Roddick at the All England Club in 2010. But he admits that Murray, the US Open and 2012 Olympic champion, is a better, wiser player than the man he

beat in China.

“It’ll be very tough for me. He has just won Queen’s, and also he’s number two in the world,” said Lu, who made the second round by defeating another Briton, wildcard James Ward, in four sets on Monday. “Fortunately, I had a good result a few years ago. But I will just try my best to bring my best performance against him. We’ll see how it goes.

“If you’re asking me right now do I expect to beat him, I say not. But for me, I just try to do my best and I can challenge him.”

AFP

31

sports TUESDAY, JUNE 25, 2013

ASHES

Oz new coach eyes glory

Darren Lehmann insisted it was still possible for Australia to win the Ashes despite the upheaval that led to his appointment as the new head coach of the national side.

JULIAN GUYER Agence France-Presse BRISTOL: Darren Lehmann insisted it was still possible for Australia to win the Ashes despite the upheaval that led to his appointment as the new head coach of the national side.

Lehmann was brought in after South African Mickey Arthur, the first non-Australian to coach the team, was sensationally sacked 16 days before the first Test in Nottingham after several high-profile on and offfield embarrassments for the team.

These included ‘homework gate’, where four players were dropped from the team during Australia’s 4-0 Test series loss in India this year and, more recently, the suspension of opening batsman David Warner until the first Ashes Test for a Birmingham bar-room attack on England’s Joe Root following the Aussies’ loss to their old foes in the Champions Trophy.

Even prior to these incidents many pundits made England,

Australian cricket captain Michael Clarke (L) and newly-appointed coach Darren Lehmann hold a press conference in Bristol on Monday. Lehmann was hailed as the “obvious choice” after replacing the sacked Mickey Arthur as Australia head coach.

AFP/GEOFF CADDICK

bidding for a third straight Test series win over Australia, favourites for the Ashes.

But despite everything that has happened in recent weeks, Lehmann -- who took charge with immediate effect ahead of the tour match against Somerset -- was in bullish mood when

asked if Australia could still regain the Ashes.

“Yes definitely, It is a challenge for all the playing group and everyone involved with Cricket Australia.

“We are going to play an aggressive brand of cricket that entertains people and fans and

gets the job done on and off the field.

“I am excited by the challenge.”

Lehmann said he was keen to join forces with Australia captain and star batsman Michael Clarke, currently sidelined by a back injury.

“I am looking forward to working with Michael closely,” said Lehmann.

Earlier CA chief executive James Sutherland praised Lehmann, appointed on a twoyear deal, as the “obvious choice to replace Mickey”.

“As a cricketer and a coach he has an outstanding record,” said Sutherland. “His performances recently as coach of Queensland and the Brisbane Heat have seen him win titles in all three formats of the game.”

Meanwhile former England captain Michael Vaughan, who played alongside Lehmann at Yorkshire, tweeted: “For the 1st time in Months I am worried about Australia... If Darren Lehmann is the coach he will get them right.”

A wake-up call for Australia SYDNEY: The firing of Mickey Arthur was hailed as the wakeup call Australia so badly needed to fight for the Ashes against England. Darren Lehmann was appointed the new coach of the Australia team ahead of the first Test in Nottingham following a series of embarrassing on and off-field incidents “This should bring a sharp focus to the players who enter this series as rank outsiders,” said The Daily Telegraph’s chief cricket writer Malcolm Conn.

“The sacking of Mickey Arthur as coach is the wake-up call Australia desperately need a fortnight from the Ashes.”

Arthur himself was treated well by the Australian media with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation noting he “took it on the chin” and the Telegraph calling him a good coach.

“His failing was that he was too nice a bloke,” the Sydney daily said. “This is the fault of the players. They are either not good enough, not working hard enough or both.”

CHAMPIONS TROPHY

SPOT FIXING

PCB chief wants Aamer ban reduced

5 Indians in team of tourney

LAHORE: Pakistan’s interim cricket chief said Monday he would ask the sport’s governing body to reduce a fiveyear ban against promising fast bowler Mohammad Aamer for spot fixing.

Aamer, regarded as hot property in international cricket for his pace and guile, was banned with team-mates Salman Butt and Mohammad Asif in February 2011 by the International Cricket Council (ICC).

The trio were exposed in a sting operation by now defunct British tabloid News of the World, which saw them promising to bowl deliberate noballs in return for money in the 2010 Lord’s Test against England.

All three and their agent Mazhar Majeed were also jailed in 2011.

Najam Sethi, appointed interim chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Sunday, said he would ask the ICC to reduce Aamer’s ban at its annual meeting in London starting on Tuesday.

“Aamer is our talented cricketer and I will request the ICC that (as) he has spent two and a half years of his ban, was also jailed, so for God’s sake reduce his ban,” Sethi told a press conference.

AFP

LONDON: Winners India provided five players in the Champions Trophy team of the tournament announced by the ICC on Monday.

World Cup holders India added another title to their collection when they beat hosts England by five runs in a thrilling final at Edgbaston on Sunday.

India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni was named as skipper of an all-star team that also included compatriots Shikhar Dhawan, Virat Kohli, Ravindra Jadeja and Bhuvneshwar Kumar.

England’s Jonathan Trott and James Anderson were included along with Pakistan’s Misbah-ul-Haq, Kumar Sangakkara from Sri Lanka, South Africa’s Ryan McLaren and New Zealand’s Mitchell McClenaghan. Joe Root of England was the 12th man.

Dhoni was named as skipper after he led his side to victory in the final, thus becoming the first captain in the history of the game to lift all three major ICC trophies -- the 2007 World Twenty20 2007, 2011 World Cup and 2013 Champions Trophy.

While not at his best with the bat, Dhoni led India well in the field and his clever deployment of spin was reflected in the wicket-keeper’s four tournament stumpings.

The team of the tournament was selected by a panel that included former

India’s Shikhar Dhawan (L), Mahendra Sing Dhoni (C) and Ravindra Jadeja pose for pictures with the ICC Champions Trophy in Birmingham on Monday.

AFP/PAUL ELLIS

India fast bowler turned match referee Javagal Srinath as well as leading Pakistani umpire Aleem Dar. CT team of the tournament: Shikhar Dhawan (IND) 363 runs, Jonathan Trott (ENG) 229 runs, Kumar Sangakkara (SRI) 222 runs, Virat Kohli (IND) 176 runs, Misbah-ul-Haq (PAK) 173 runs

MS Dhoni (IND, capt/wkt) 27 runs, 5 catches, 4 stumpings, Ravindra Jadeja (IND) 80 runs and 12 wickets, Ryan McLaren (RSA) 83 runs and 8 wickets, Bhuvneshwar Kumar (IND) 6 wickets, James Anderson (ENG 11 wickets), Mitchell McClenaghan (NZL) 11 wickets.

Twelfth Man: Joe Root (ENG) 173 runs

TUESDAY, JUNE 25, 2013

sports

BRAZILIAN RAFFAEL JOINS GLADBACH

Brazilian midfielder Raffael has returned to the Bundesliga after signing a four-year contract with Borussia Moenchengladbach from the Ukrainian side Dynamo Kiev, his new club confirmed on Monday. "Gladbach fought hard to get me, I could feel their trust in me," said the 28-year-old midfielder.

CONFEDERATIONS CUP PREVIEW

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Brazil beware of Uruguay Hosts Brazil may have waltzed through their group to reach the semifinals of the Confederations Cup but they are only too aware of the party spoiling abilities of rivals Uruguay.

CHRIS WRIGHT Agence France-Presse BELO HORIZONTE: Brazil may have waltzed through their group to reach the semi-finals of the Confederations Cup but they are only too aware of the party pooping abilities of Wednesday’s rivals Uruguay.

It was the Uruguayans who delivered Brazilian football its arguably greatest ever blow in winning the 1950 final in Rio’s famed Maracana stadium, the revamped version of which will host the final where either world champions Spain or Italy await.

That ‘Maracanazo’ loss sent shockwaves around Brazil and they only made up for the reverse eight years later when, with a teenaged Pele in the team, they finally lifted the trophy for the first time in Sweden.

More recently, Uruguay have also shown they can mix it with their more powerful neighbours, the nation of barely 3.5 million lifting the 2011 Copa America in Argentina, where Brazil lost in the quarter-finals to Paraguay.

Brazil goalkeeper Julio Cesar on Monday warned the host nation they must beware if they are not to suffer an ambush in Belo Horizonte, a venue which earned its own place in World Cup folklore in the 1950 event by hosting a United States win over England.

Uruguay have shown some

(L-R) Brazilian players Hernanes, Hulk, Luis Gustavo, Daniel Alves, Dante and David Luiz jog during a training session in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais State, on Monday during the Confederations Cup. AFP/NELSON ALMEIDA

mediocre recent form in World Cup qualifying but the 2011 South American champions have found som form with wins in Brazil over Nigeria and thrashing minnows Tahiti.

Moreover, Julio Cesar points out that in Edinson Cavani, Diego Forlan - match winner against Nigeria with a record

34th goal for the Celeste - and Luis Suarez the Uruguayans have no shortage of firepower.

“They are very strong in attack and can decide a game on their own,” the shot-stopper said.

The trio are set to return after being rested for the 8-0 whipping of Tahiti.

“I know them all well and we shall have to beware. The tiniest thing can decide a match,” added Cesar, who faces the prospect of playing second tier English football next season after being relegated with Queens Park Rangers.

Brazil, starting to come to the boil under 2002 World Cup han-

dler Luiz Felipe Scolari, saw off Japan, Mexico and Italy but Uruguay had to regroup after losing their first match against world champions Spain, who will face Italy in the other semifinal.

“Nobody is favourite. They will be confident as they won the Copa America in 2011,” said Julio Cesar.

The four semi-finalists have won 12 World Cups between them - a record five for Brazil, four for Italy, two for the Uruguayans and one for Spain.

Uruguay last beat the Selecao in 2001 - ironically it was Luiz Felipe Scolari’s first match in charge, but Big Phil would months later lift the World Cup to land a Pentacampeao or fifth title. Since then the record book reads four wins for the auriverde and two draws.

Brazil were booed off here after a friendly draw against Chile in the run-up to the Confederations event, but midfielder and local boy Bernard says this is totally different.

“That was a friendly and we were just putting the group together. But now we have a solid platform with three straight wins under our belts.”

Belo Horizonte, Brazil’s third-largest city and the capital of the state of Minas Gerais, has seen two bouts of the social unrest which has swept Brazil in the past fortnight.

TIME FOR CHANGE

Ancelotti, Isco arrivals imminent: Perez MADRID: Real Madrid president Florentino Perez has indicated that the arrivals of Carlo Ancelotti as the club’s new coach and Malaga midfielder Isco (in pic) as Real’s first major signing of the close season could be confirmed within the next few days.

The Spanish giants have been searching for a new boss since it was announced five weeks ago that Jose Mourinho would be leaving the club and although Ancelotti has always been Perez’s first choice to take over, the Italian’s move now seems set to be

The Spanish giants have been searching for a new boss since it was announced five weeks ago that Jose Mourinho would be leaving the club. completed with his current club Paris Saint-Germain expected to announce former French national team manager Laurent Blanc as his successor.

“As of today he is not signed.

It could be tomorrow (Tuesday) that PSG announce the agreement that would let him sign for Madrid. We hope that everything goes well. My coach is Ancelotti,” Perez told Spanish newspaper 20 Minutos in an interview released on Monday night. “It depends on PSG arriving at an agreement with Ancelotti and announcing their new coach, Blanc,” the 66-year-old added whilst also refusing to rule out the possibility that an official announcement could be made on Wednesday.

AFP