Postnoon E-Paper for May 27th 2013 by Scribble Media & Entertainment Pvt. Ltd.

MONDAY, MAY 27, 2013

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WEATHER: CLOUDY WITH SLIGHT CHANCE OF SHOWERS; 36°C

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FANCY A FLY IN YOUR BIRYANI, SIR? This year, 790 eateries were shut down for unhygienic conditions. It’s the lack of severe punitive action that leads to the hoteliers ignoring cleanliness.

HYDERABAD’S FIRST COMPACT AFTERNOON NEWSPAPER

KIRAN STUMPS RIVALS, STAYS AT HOME REPORT ON P7

There has been a race for the Home portfolio since Sabita Indra Reddy quit. The Home ministry is particularly powerful in an election year. Watching the jostling, the chief minister thought it prudent to keep it with him.

LOKAYUKTA TAKES UP POSTNOON REPORT ON TREE FELLING POSTNOON

AP Lokayukta has taken suo motu cognisance of the Postnoon report (May 26) about a large tree in public space felled by a resident on Rd No 18 Jubilee Hills without due process of law. Registrar P Dayakar Reddy registered the report as a complaint and would follow it up.

IMPACT

FLASH

WHAT DO THESE WOMEN HAVE IN COMMON?

FIND OUT... P16&17

MONDAY, MAY 27, 2013

city events

MANGO MANIA

Mango fest is on at Waterside Cafe, Taj Banjara. The fest is on till May 31 from 7.30 pm to 11.30 pm.

Weather for Hyderabad

Evening

Overnight

Morning

Afternoon

36°C

30°C

34°C

41°C

Cloudy with chances of showers.

Cloudy with showers likely.

A mix of cloud and sun

A mix of cloud and sun.

New Delhi Mumbai Max 42 Max 34 Min 31 Min 28 Clear

Chennai Max 38 Min 28

Cloudy with chances of rain.

Bangalore Max 32 Min 21

Cloudy with chances of thunderstorms.

AROUND THE CITY: YOUR GUIDE TO THE TWIN CITIES Contact: 90009-11808

SHOWS

Movie time Applause by Martin Pieter Zandvliet will be screened. Where: Alliance Francaise, Banjara Hills When: May 29, 4 pm

DINING Cannes at Taj Cannes and French Riviera inspired menu. Where: Celeste, Taj Falaknuma Palace When: Till May 28.

Film fest Film by Arto Halonen Princess will be screened. Where: Alliance Francaise, Banjara Hills When: May 29, 6 pm Carnival time Chota Bheem carnival that will feature solo dance, solo singing, fancy dress and drawing competitions will be held. Where: Inorbit Mall, Hitech City When: May 27

Relations and Reflections Paintings of Shambu Prasad Reddy will be on display. Where: Iconart Gallery, Banjara Hills

When: Till June 3

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

155333 23431178 23431179

MUNICIPAL CORPORATION

When: May 27, 7 pm to 8 pm

WORKSHOPS Photography workshop Photography workshop for kids will be held. Where: Treasure House, Banjara Hills When: May 27 to May 30 Contact: 23355118 Wet paper painting Wet paper painting workshop by Sakshi Mudaliar will be held. Where: Our Sacred Space, Secunderabad When: May 27, May 29 and May 31, 10.30 am to 12 noon. Contact: 9030013344 Dance away A zumba workshop will be held. Where: Inorbit Mall, Madhapur

Commissioner & Spl Officer

Helpline

ELECTRICITY General Complaints Breakdown Section

SPLASH BASH: Pigeons spotted taking a dip in a tub of water in the old City on Sunday. There has been no respite from the heat with mercury rising steadily in the City. M ANILKUMAR

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

Dancin' Party Dance boot camp will be held. Where: Steps Studio for Danz, Banjara Hills When: May 28, 6 pm to 9 pm Contact: 2339-6259 Women empowered A self defence workshop for women will be held. Where: Inorbit Mall, Madhapur When: May 28, 5 pm to 6 pm. Kitchen queens A cookery workshop will be held. Where: Inorbit Mall, Madhapur When: May 27, 5 pm to 6 pm

Dancin' Party Dance boot camp will be held. Where: Steps Studio for Danz, Banjara Hills When: May 28, 6 pm to 9 pm Contact: 2339-6259

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

Fit for royalty Royal thali fest is on. Where: Aish, The Park Hyderabad, Somajiguda When: Till May 31 Cold affair Flavoured iced tea on offer. Where: Seasons Bar, Taj Krishna When: Till May 31, 12 pm

Summer camp Summer camp in quilling, stocking and punch craft is held. Where: Anahata Yoga Zone, Secunderabad When: May 22 to May 28, 10 am

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

Ocean’s Eleven Eleven of the finest prawns are on offer. Where: Lacantina, Novotel. When: Till May 31, 7 pm to 11 pm

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

MONDAY, MAY 27, 2013

news

YESTERDAY’S QUESTION

IS THE COUNTRY HEADING TOWARDS MID-TERM POLLS? YES (A) NO (B)

48% 52%

TODAY’S QUESTION

WILL INDO-PAK RELATIONS IMPROVE UNDER NAWAZ SHARIF? A)

YES

To vote visit www.postnoon.com

CIVIC

GHMC’s Tughlaq-esque work Suddenly, officials are seized by the desire to remove and relay well-laid footpaths without the chief engineer’s consent. The intention is clear: To fill private pockets with public money. M ANIL KUMAR

Md NIZAMUDDIN nizamuddin.a@postnoon.com

huge sum is being wasted on relaying City footpaths to “bring about uniformity!” And the icing on this scandalous cake is that the GHMC chief engineer says he has no knowledge of all the works undertaken! Several beautiful footpaths that were laid with colourful inter-locking tiles a few years ago are being removed. Stretches extending several kilometers are being replaced with Shahabad stones. Senior officials say the commissioner has given orders to bring in uniformity in footpaths that are in bad shape. But even those that are in good condition are being removed.

CONFLICT

Shepherd kills attacking bear with axe SARAJEVO: A Bosnian shepherd who killed with an axe a bear that attacked him overnight was hospitalised and his condition was described as serious, a local TV station reported Sunday. Blazo Grkovic, who was attacked by a brown bear, a protected species in Europe, as he was guarding his flock of sheep at the foot of southern Bosnian mountain Volujak, told local BN television, “I had an axe in my AROUND THE

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hand and I managed to hit it in the neck. It fell and we fought close up." "It bit me, and I hit it until it died. I have injuries everywhere, especially in my left arm where he bit me twice or thrice," Grkovic said. Although seriously injured, Grkovic managed to call his brother who came to find him with emergency services. Police are investigating the incident. AFP

“We have given permission to the engineers to take up work where footpaths are in bad shape. They must be bringing uniformity there. I am not sure,” says Suresh Kumar, chief engineer. Expressing ignorance over the works being taken up on main roads in areas like Hyderguda, Basheerbagh, Lower Tankbund and RTC cross roads, Kumar said

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it could be part of “junction improvement”. “They directly take works from the zonal officer, as he has the drawing rights upto `10 lakh.” Postnoon found out that the entire footpath is being removed to replace a ‘curb’ that gives a

CITY BRIEFS AP police on high alert at borders

he Andhra Pradesh police have gone on high alert on the borders with Chhattisgarh and Odisha in the wake of Maoist attack on Congress leaders in Chhattisgarh. Director general of police V Dinesh Reddy said the police force was on alert in AndhraOdisha Border (AOB) area. Dinesh Reddy has, however, no knowledge of AP cadres participating in the Chattisgarh carnage.

Ambedkar Open University test on June 7

YSRC to hold march today, protest tomorrow

r. BR Ambedkar Open University will conduct its eligibility test for the second time on July 7 for admissions related to UGC programmes. Candidates wishing to apply may do so by visiting APOnline franchise centers from May 27 by paying a fee of `235. Further details can be found at www.braou.ac.in

SR Congress today put off its plan to conduct a protest rally in the City today against YS Jagan Mohan’s continued imprisonment. Terming it ‘unlawful and a political conspiracy’, the party will organise a candle march this evening and a protest in Indira Park tomorrow. Party members said the protest will be held throughout the State.

Talks to check liquor consumption

n open discussion on the existing prohibition and excise policy is being convened by Madya Niyatrana Udyama Committee on June 4 at Ravindra Bharathi. N Chandrababu Naidu, Botsa Satyanarayana, Kishan Reddy, Y Vijaylakshmi and B Raghavulu, leaders from across the State political spectrum, will participate in the programme. The discussion is being held to ﬁnd out ways to restrict liquor consumption.

curvature on the edges towards the road. But even then, Kumar is unable to explain why tiles are being replaced with the more commonly used Shahabad stone. The footpath at Lepakshi near Nizam College is one of the finest with interlocking tiles. But the contractor has arranged for old tiles to be replaced with Shahabad stone. At Liberty, the contractor

has removed the entire stretch of tiles. People at Tirumala Temple must stand over the debris for darshan. “Even God is helpless before the avaricious officials who go in for Tuglaq type works,” remarked Ramesh Raj, a devotee. “All this junk is lying over the road for more than a month. Not only do pedestrians face a problem, but no one is able to park vehicles in front of the complex,” says Rajender, parking contractor. With monsoons approaching, there is no reason for the GHMC to undertake a work that would take months to complete “Why is the corporation wasting money like this? I will be filing an RTI to find out why they have taken this up in first place,” says Kanthimathi Kannan, convenor, Right to Walk Foundation.

News MONDAY, MAY 27, 2013 LAST YEAR... HERE Double Trouble

ast year we had reported how residents of the City, faced by double problems of the excess heat and prolonged power cuts, went on a restive action against certain substations. Enraged residents attacked many power stations, barging into City ofﬁces, throwing stones and damaging equipments, thus venting their ire on electricity ofﬁces.

MAY 27, 2012

NUMEROLOGY

790

eateries in the City were shut down this year by the GHMC due to unhygienic conditions. Rajdoot hotel in Lakdikapul and Venkateshwara Lodge in Khairtabad were shut down.

At the heart of the genre is the ability of people to create and engage with their own unique world; being able to feel what you do in this world has amazing effects. Peter M, gaming legend, On a game where you play God

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

Age no bar for skydiving for this man. An 87-year-old man skydived to raise funds for his ailing 10month-old great-grandson. He said he wanted to attract attention to his plight.

CIVIC

ACCIDENT

Sanitation staff to get biometric scan The corporation will be coming up with an integrated online ‘biometric’ system to avoid data manipulation. Md NIZAMUDDIN nizamuddin.a@postnoon.com HYDERABAD: To bring in order and transparency at the ground level in sanitation, the GHMC will be coming up with the ‘biometric system’ for workforce on field. The corporation, which already has the OSRT (off-site real time) system that monitors the staff working at various parts of the City, has decided to run a pilot project for the four circles in two zones (Central and South). According to officials, the OSRT was able to focus on the ground but it was dependant on supervisors who updated the login time of a worker. Supervisors, also called Sanitary Field Assistance (SFA) report to the AMOH (assistant medical officer of gealth). “I doubt if a supervisor gets full attendance. There are instances where supervisors mark attendance even for an absentee. This is one of the reasons that the corporation will be coming

NATION

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up with integrated online system,” says a senior official. The supervisor reports to the OSRT system via mobile to update the status of each worker. But after the ‘biometric system’, even the supervisor will not be able to manipulate the attendance. The OSRT will be connected to the biometric device attached to the

Need policy for ‘killer bots’ Lethal robots are designed to kill enemies autonomously on behalf of human soldiers. A UN report calls for moratorium on these weapons and talks on issue.

Jolie’s aunt dies, silences detractors of her surgery. The actress had got a preventive double mastectomy and there was much speculation about whether she had made the right decision.

4 5

supervisors’ mobile, where it will take thumb impressions of a particular worker. “Pilot projects will be taken initially and later a full-fledged system will be in operation,” says the officer. The corporation recently was misled by officials, who drew salaries in the name of non-existent workers. Officials believe the biometric system would solve this problem too, but the corporation will have to take the work force into confidence for co-operation.

"The bus was jam-packed and we are told that more than 58 passengers were travelling in it," a senior official of rescue operations told IANS. The injured passengers told police that the bus driver was trying to overtake a truck near Pilua police station when he lost control of the vehicle and it fell into the canal. District Magistrate Lokesh M. told IANS that the condition of some of the passengers rescued from the Hazara canal continues to be critical. "Rescue operations are on as we have not been able to locate the missing passengers," he said. IANS

UN REPORT

Everest’s 60th anniversary brings joy, reﬂection. Sixty years after two men climbed the peak, mountaineers are reﬂecting on the state of Everest.

LUCKNOW: Over two dozen people are feared dead after a bus from Farukkhabad to New Delhi fell into a canal in Etah late Sunday, police said Monday. The incident took place 265 km from Lucknow. While eight bodies have been fished out of the Hazara canal and 22 passengers have been saved from the canal waters, police said they fear more than two dozen people have been washed away. AROUND THE

Will debates at TDP conference yield results? Mahanadu, the annual TDP conference held in the City, will see participation from over 15,000 party members. Debates will be held on various public issues.

Re-laying footpaths a new way to make money? The GHMC is re-laying footpaths that are in good condition on the pretext of bringing in uniformity.

Bus mishap, two dozen feared dead

NEW YORK: The UN special rapporteur on extra judicial killings has presented a report recommending a moratorium on the development and use of "lethal robots" and the establishment of a high-level panel to dis-

cuss a policy for these weapons, which are designed to kill enemies "autonomously" on behalf of human soldiers. The issue is expected to be taken up at a meeting of the United Nations Human Rights

Council at Geneva. With remotely piloted drone aircraft already in use, the report appears as fears grow that some countries may eventually introduce these so-called killer robots. Christof Heyns, the UN special rapporteur on extra judicial, summary or arbitrary executions, recommends a high-level panel with participation of experts in law, robotics, computer science, military operations and ethics. The report expresses concern that robotic weapons may evolve into "autonomous" systems that can select and engage targets without intervention by a human operator. It notes the danger of robots killing even those who are wounded or who are in the process of surrendering, adding that letting autonomous machines decide who to kill implies "a vacuum of moral responsibility.” PTI

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Scientists develop 'skin' for robots

uropean scientists have engineered artificial skins and sensor technologies to augment "sensitivity" in robots, says a study. The new capabilities, and a production system for building touch-sensitivity into different robots, will improve the way robots work in unconstrained settings, as well as their ability to communicate and cooperate with each other and with humans, reports Science Daily. IANS

News MONDAY, MAY 27, 2013

POLITICAL

Mahanadu begins in City There will be debates on various issues and election of party president during the conference. M ANIL KUMAR

INKESHAF AHMED ahmed.m@postnoon.com HYDERABAD: The annual conference of main opposition Telugu Desam Party, Mahanadu, began at Gandipet in the City this morning. The two-day conference is being held at NTR Kuteer owned by NTR Memorial Trust. The entire area in and around Gandipet was coloured yellow as the party leaders vied with each other in decorating the place with yellow flags, buntings, hoardings huge banners, and posters. The conference is being attended by over 15,000 party workers from across the State. Leaders have made elaborate arrangements for providing boarding and lodging facilities for the party workers as it is being held after the historic Vastunna Meekosam padayatra of

AGE NO BAR

Man, 87, skydives to raise funds WAYNESVILLE: An 87-yearold World War II veteran has parachuted from a plane in Ohio to support his ailing great-grandson. Clarence Turner of Fairfield made the jump Saturday with an instructor.

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He says he wanted to generate attention for the plight of 10-month-old Julian Couch, who suffers from a lung disease that could require a transplant. WLWT of Cincinnati reports that Julian is hospitalised in Columbus. A fundraiser is planned for June 2. AP

their president Nara Chandrababu Naidu. Naidu walked a record breaking 2,817 km in 208 days as part of his padyatra, which began on October 2 last year and concluded on April 27 last month. The organisers are serving 30 vari-

eties of food items for the participants of the conference to make it more memorable for them.

11 RESOLUTIONS TO BE MOVED Mahanadu will witness in-depth debates on problems being faced

by the people of the State due to the Congress government. As part of the conference, the party high command has decided to adopt 11 resolutions on various issues and problems. Some of these resolutions include corrupt cabinet ministers, shortage of power, deterioration of law and order situation, deterioration of political values, political conditions in the country and State, economic reforms, State and Central government scams and publicity stint of the State by announcing a scheme every day. The first day of the conference would see debates on seven issues while the second day will see debates on five issues. The meeting will make suggestions to address these problems and adopt resolutions on them.

ELECTION OF PRESIDENT The election of party president

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Over 15,000 party workers from across the State will attend the conference. Party leaders have made elaborate boarding arrangements for the party workers. will take place on the second day. The present president of the party, Naidu, is likely to be elected unanimously after the election. Naidu's brothers-in-law Nandamuri Balakrishna, Nandamuri Harikrishna and son Lokesh stole the show during the first day of the meeting.

PM’S TWO-NATION VISIT

PM to seek N-deal in Japan

The prime minister said he proposed to invigorate India’s relations with Japan in the political, security and energy spheres. NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh left here today on a two-nation five-day visit to Japan and Thailand aiming to give a “new meaning” to India’s ‘look east’ policy and hoping it will contribute to peace, prosperity and stability in the Asia-Pacific. Singh, who flew to Tokyo, his first halt, described Japan as a “key regional and global partner for India”. In his departure statement, Singh said he proposed to invigorate India’s relations with Japan in the political, security and energy spheres. “My visits to Japan and

Thailand will add depth and new meaning to our ‘Look East’ policy and contribute to peace, prosperity and stability in the Asia-Pacific,” he said. On a three-day visit to Tokyo, Singh will make a strong pitch for elevating strategic ties and push for a bilateral pact on civil nuclear energy cooperation. Singh will hold exhaustive talks with his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe on Wednesday on the entire

gamut of bilateral ties with special focus on giving boost to cooperation in defence, economic, energy and other areas. “There is a growing congruence in our interest and I see this relationship as an essential component of our vision for enduring stability and prosperity in Asia,” the prime minister said. Singh said in his summit with the new government of Japan led by “good friend” Abe, he will build on the momentum imparted by successive summits to the IndiaJapan Strategic and Global Partnership.

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Making ‘progress’

n the civil nuclear cooperation agreement, Singh told Japanese reporters that there are problems in Japan and there are elections to the upper house in that country which will take place later this year. “It will be my effort to use this visit to strengthen our strategic and global partnership, which also includes trying to reach an agreement with regard to civil nuclear energy cooperation,” Singh said.

NATION BRIEFS Woman's decomposed body found

Khurshid wraps up Saudi visit

Cops probe media in Odisha chit fund scam

Two brothers shot in busy marketplace

CBSE Class XII results out, girls outshine boys

THANE: A highly decomposed body of a young woman was found in a septic tank at Kalyan township in Thane, police said. The unidentiﬁed body was packed in a gunny bag and dumped in the septic tank of a toilet belonging to the Kalyan Dombivili Municipal Corporation (KDMC), and had been apparently lying there for over a week.

JEDDAH: External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid today ended his four-day visit to Saudi Arabia during which he held talks with the top leadership here on a number of issues including the controversial 'Nitaqat' law, counter-terrorism measures and energy security. He held a marathon meeting of nearly three hours.

BHUBANESWAR: Police in Odisha have begun investigations into allegations linking some mediapersons and builders with a chit fund group, an ofﬁcial said Monday. The commissionerate of police here is examining the bank accounts and other relevant documents of about 25 people, including some builders and media people.

KENDRAPARA: Two brothers, Satyabrata Samal, 29, and Debabrata Samal, 26, were shot in the leg from close range by the unidentiﬁed gunmen on motorbikes yesterday in a crowded marketplace in Pattamundai Town in Odisha's Kendrapara district, police said. Extortion is believed to be the motive behind the crime.

NEW DELHI: Over 82 per cent students today cleared the 2013 Class XII CBSE examinations, with girls once again outshining the boys and the Chennai region beating others in the overall pass percentage. In all, 9,44,721 students registered for the Class XII examination this year, which was an increase of 15.81 per cent over 2012.

News MONDAY, MAY 27, 2013

FOOD INSPECTION

Fancy a fly with your biryani? This year, the GHMC shut down 790 eateries in the City for unhygienic conditions.

ALEENA ALICE aleena.t@postnoon.com HYDERABAD: Next time you want to eat at a restaurant, think twice, because you may be paying for roasted pests laced with human hair or a fly that committed suicide in the soup! Of late, the GHMC has been receiving many complaints regarding the unhygienic conditions of restaurants and hotels in the City. What is shocking is that some reputed hotels have been falling under this category too. “I had gone to a reputed hotel in Somajiguda for dinner. To my horror, I found hair in my plate. When I reported this to the manager, they just changed the plate with no regret at all and brought in the curry again. This time I was shocked beyond words when I found a green insect in my food. Nausea hit me; I went to the wash basin and vomited,” said Harshika G, a lecturer who now swears she would

PIC FOR REPRESENTATIVE PURPOSE ONLY

never eat out again. Similar complaints are coming in, confirmed officials. Two days ago, the health and sanitation wing of the GHMC had raided four restaurants, sweet and grocery shops in Lakdikapul and Khairtabad. The GHMCH had to close down two eating establishments

because of unhygienic conditions and the danger these establishments posed to public health. Rajdoot hotel in Lakdikapul, which has been established for nearly three decades now, and three kitchens of the famous Sri Venkateshwara Lodge in Khairtabad were shut down.

THE LANCET STUDY

Rotavirus major cause of diarrhoea in children POSTNOON NEWS feedback@postnoon.com WASHINGTON: A new international study published today in The Lancet provides the clearest picture yet of the impact and most common causes of diarrhoeal diseases, the second leading killer of young children globally after pneumonia. The Global Enteric Multicenter Study (GEMS) is the largest study ever conducted on diarrhoeal diseases in developing countries, enrolling more than 20,000 children from seven sites

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JULIEN HARNEIS/WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

across Asia (including India) and Africa. With over one lakh children dying every year from diarrhoea in India, and approximately 457,000 to 884,000 hospitalisations and two million outpatient clinic visits each year, this landmark study, coordinated by the University of Maryland School of Medicine’s Center for Vaccine Development, confirmed rotavirus as the leading cause of diarrhoeal diseases among infants under 11 months across all sites. GEMS evaluated nearly 40 pathogens to map each one’s relative contribution to diarrhoeal disease. and found that approximately one in five children under the age of two suffer from moderate-to-severe diarrhoea (MSD) each year, which increased child’s risk of death 8.5-fold and could lead to stunted growth. In India, the study was conducted in Kolkata at the National Institute of Cholera and Enteric Diseases. Infants under 11 months of age at the Kolkata site showed the highest burden, with roughly 90 episodes of MSD per 100 children each year, nearly double the next highest-burden site – Kenya. Expanding access to vaccines for rotavirus could save many of lives and help avoid hundreds of thousands of hospitalisations. At the same time, it can significantly reduce the burden on the healthcare costs.

“These hotels have been famous for years in these areas. We have been receiving complaints from citizens. We issued show cause notices to these hotels. However, they failed to maintain their hygiene standards. When we went for the inspection, we found cockroaches in the refrigerators crawling on the food items. The water was not purified and some of the cans gathered moss. The kitchens were in filthy conditions, so we immediately had to get the place sealed,” said K Balaji Raju, food inspector of the central division. The GHMC, which has been conducting random checks on eateries, says that many eateries have been storing rotten meat items. “In many places, we found that meats and dairy products were spoilt. The management of these eateries have been trying to make excuses, citing the erratic power cuts this summer. It is better citizens try not to go out because 90 per cent of the

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The GHMC inspected 1,516 eateries till May this year and has issued notices to 975 eateries to rectify their services and improve their standards. eateries do not maintain basic hygiene conditions,” says Sudarshan Reddy, food inspector of the north and south zone. The GHMC has inspected 1,516 eateries from January to May this year and has issued notices to 975 eateries to rectify their services and improve their standards. In all, 790 eateries were shut down because of unfit conditions. Last year, the GHMC had raided 6,387 restaurants and eateries in the City.

News MONDAY, MAY 27, 2013

DISCOVERY

POLITICS

New cave-dwelling scorpion WASHINGTON: Two new species of cave-dwelling scorpions have been discovered in northeastern Brazil. The reddish-brown shorttailed whipscorpions inhabit cool, humid limestone caves in an otherwise arid region. Both the new species, Rowlandius ubajara and Rowlandius potiguara, were found deep within the limestone caves, which are also home to bats. Bat guano and seed deposits

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harbour springtails and other small insects which are likely to serve as prey to these arachnids, according to researcher Adalberto Santos, from the Federal University of Minas Gerais (Brazil) and colleagues. There is little indication that they have adapted exclusively to

life in darkness. Though specimens of both species lack eye spots, the authors clarify that this is a common trait in short-tailed whipscorpions, since the group does not rely heavily on visual information to survive. The researchers concluded that it may not be uncommon to find them outside caves, and only further studies will confirm the extent to which they may have adapted to become exclusive cave dwellers. PTI

CM stumps rivals, stays at ‘home’ Watching the jostling, the chief minister thought it prudent to keep the portfolio with him. POSTNOON NEWS feedback@postnoon.com

SECURITY

Crush Maoist terror: Uddhav ‘When the Pakistani army beheaded Indian soldiers, there was a national uproar, but when Maoists resort to similar actions, we chose to ignore it.’

HYDERABAD: Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy played a googly, stunning his detractors within the party by retaining the much-coveted Home portfolio. The government has issued orders bringing the Home ministry under the purview of the chief minister. AROUND THE

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NIA team to begin probe today NEW DELHI: A team of National Investigation Agency will today begin its probe into the Chhattisgarh attack on Congress leaders by Maoists which claimed 27 lives, including that of PCC chief Nand Kumar Patel. Union Home Secretary RK Singh said an official order formally handing over the case to NIA to carry out the investigation would be issued soon.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress President Sonia Gandhi console family members of Chhattisgarh Congress President Nand Kumar Patel in Raipur on Sunday. Patel died in an attack by Maoists on a Congress convoy, on Saturday in Bastar. PTI

MUMBAI: Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray Monday said there was need to "crush" the terror unleashed by "Maoist devils" in several states of India. In an editorial piece in the party's mouthpiece Saamna, Thackeray condemned the Maoist attack in Chhattisgarh that virtually left the state Congress headless and said the treatment meted out to terrorists

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like Ajmal Amir Kasab and Afzal Guru should also extend to those responsible for Saturday's strike. "They should be slapped with the same stringent laws that deal with Indian Mujahideen, Laskhar-e-Taiba,

Al Qaeda or other anti-national religious forces," Thackeray said. "State and Central governments should take the strongest possible action to crush the Maoist devils," Thackeray said. "Instead of such politicking, all concerned must united tackle the Maoist menace which has created mayhem in Maharashtra, MP, Odisha,

Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal, besides Chhattisgarh where hundreds of innocent lives of people and security forces have been lost," Thackeray said. He recalled how recently, Maoists did not allow village panchayat elections to be conducted in Chandrapur, where they publicly beheaded a village sarpanch as a warning to others. "When the Pakistani army beheaded Indian soldiers, there was a national uproar, but when Maoists resort to similar actions in our country, we chose to ignore it." PTI

Home was what many were after, after minister Sabita Indra Reddy quit. There was stiff competition for the ministry. Reports said the deputy chief minister Damodara Raja Narasimha, Panchayat Raj minister K Jana Reddy and information minister DK Aruna and some others had been longing for the post. As Kiran would have made more enemies than friends by giving the Home portfolio to any one of them, he thought it prudent to keep it with him, sources pointed out.

WORLD BRIEFS Vietnam arrests popular blogger: Report

Ecuador, Palestine open diplomatic missions

Obama consoles tornado victims

Chinese Nile relic vandal hunted down

Rajapaksa leaves for China

HANOI: A prominent Vietnamese blogger has been arrested for posting articles critical of the communist government, reports said Monday, in the latest crackdown on dissent in the authoritarian country. Truong Duy Nhat, 49, was arrested at his home in Danang city and escorted to Hanoi for questioning, the staterun Tuoi Tre newspaper said.

QUITO: Ecuador and the Palestinian Authority will open diplomatic missions in each others' territories. The agreement was reached a day earlier in a meeting between Ecuador's Foreign Minister Ricardo Patino and his Palestinian counterpart, Riyad al-Malki, who was in Quito for the inauguration of President Rafael Correa on Friday.

MOORE: President Barack Obama visited tornado-devastated Moore, Oklahoma, consoling people staggered by the loss of life and property and promising that the government will be behind them “every step of the way”. “I’m just a messenger here,” Obama said, adding that “folks are behind you” across America.

BEIJING: A Chinese tourist who defaced an ancient Egyptian monument was hunted down by Internet users who prompted his parents to apologise, state media reported on Monday. Users hunted down the perpetrator, 15-year-old Ding Jinhao, and hacked the website of his school, forcing users to click on a sign parodying Ding's grafﬁti, before entering.

COLOMBO: Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa left the country on a four-day ofﬁcial visit to China during which he is expected to sign bilateral agreements. His visit is expected to boost the emerging ties between the two countries helped by billions of dollars of aid provided by Beijing to Colombo to develop infrastructure.

News MONDAY, MAY 27, 2013

CRIME

PREVENTIVE MASTECTOMY

Rape accused found dead

His family claims that he was driven to death by relatives of the rape victim. KULKCHARLA: A home guard, held for an alleged rape, died a week after he came out on bail. His death has enraged his family as they claim he was done to death by the relatives of the woman who accused him. K Srinivas, 34, was suspended from duty after the rape charge. He was taken into custody and was facing trial. He got bail and was released last week, Pargi police sub-inspector Laxmareddy said. The case against him was lodged on March 17 this year. It is said that people caught him red-handed while he was attempting to rape a woman, who is reportedly mentally dis-

JAPAN LEAK

30 affected in nuclear lab accident

During the postmortem, police found poison in his system. They surmised that he had attempted suicide by lacing his drink with poison. AROUND THE

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turbed, in Kulkcharla village. On Friday night, Srinivas was found unconscious on the road in Kulkcharla village. People told the police that they

initially took him for a drunkard. As he remained unconscious for a long time, someone informed the police who then shifted Srinivas to the Vikarabad Government Hospital, where he died a day after. During the post-mortem, police found poison in his system. They surmised that he had attempted suicide by lacing his drink with poison. However, his wife Laxmi alleged that the relatives of the rape victim had killed him. She also alleged that the woman in question was not of unblemished character and she had courted Srinivas for money. The police are investigating the case.

Jolie’s aunt dies of breast cancer

LOS ANGELES: Angelina Jolie’s aunt has lost her battle with breast cancer, it was reported Sunday, just weeks after the Oscar-winning actress announced that she had undergone a preventative double mastectomy. The Hollywood entertainment website E! News cited Jolie’s uncle, Ron Martin, as saying that his wife, Debbie — the younger sister of Jolie’s late AROUND THE

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mother — died early on Sunday at Palomar Hospital in Escondido, California. “Angelina has been in touch throughout the week and her brother Jamie has been with us, giving his support day by day,” Martin was quoted as saying on E!’s website. “They both loved Debbie very much and although Angie is

NOTHING FISHY HERE!

TOKYO: The number of researchers exposed to low level radiation in an accident at a nuclear laboratory in Japan last week has hit 30, officials said Monday, with human error likely exacerbating the problem. The accident occurred on Thursday as 55 people were working at a laboratory in Tokaimura, 120km northeast of Tokyo, the Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA) said. Researchers were carrying out an experiment that involved firing a proton beam at gold

not able to come right now, she has sent her love and support which was very nice.” Jolie, 37, announced earlier this month that she chose to undergo surgery to minimise the risk she might develop breast cancer due to the inheritance of a “faulty gene”. The actress’s partner and fellow screen star Brad Pitt led worldwide praise, declaring Jolie heroic, followed by her doctors, other stars and thousands of supporters, who took to social media to praise her openness. Jolie and Pitt have six children — three adopted and three biological. The actress’s mother, Marcheline Bertrand, died of ovarian cancer at the age of 56 and passed on the gene, BRCA1, that put Jolie at higher risk. Doctors estimated she had an 87 per cent risk of developing breast cancer and a 50 per cent risk of ovarian cancer, prompting her to undergo surgery. AFP

BRITISH MURDER

Soldier ‘killer’ was arrested in 2010 JAMES PHEBY feedback@postnoon.com LONDON: One of the suspects in the recent brutal murder of a soldier in Britain was arrested in Kenya three years ago and questioned over alleged links to Islamist insurgents, the Keynan government confirmed on Sunday. Michael Adebolajo was detained in 2010 but was handed over to British intelligence agents and deported because there was AROUND THE

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when the accident happened. The agency, which had initially said six were exposed to radiation, announced late Sunday that 24 more people were affected. There was no widespread radiation leak, although two researchers were exposed to up to 1.7 millisieverts of radiation, a dose roughly equivalent to a strong medical X-ray. “None of them required medical attention,” a JAEA spokesman said. Radiation leaked from the facility after workers used fans to lower levels of radioactivity in the laboratory, it said. AFP

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un inspects a supply base on the east coast under the Korean People's Army AFP PHOTO / KCNA VIA KNS (KPA) Unit 639 at an undisclosed place in North Korea.

insufficient evidence to charge him, authorities said. “He was arrested under a different name, a fake name,” government spokesman Muthui Kariuki told AFP. “We did not process him, he was handed over to the local MI5.” “There was no evidence to nail him so he was released. He was interrogated both in Mombasa and Nairobi,” the officer told AFP. The Kenyan government rejected allegations that he had been physically assaulted while being held. AFP

News MONDAY, MAY 27, 2013

INTERNATIONAL EFFORTS

SYDNEY HORROR

Syrian opposition divided amid peace bid Ahead of Monday's Paris meeting, 27 EU foreign ministers are scheduled to meet with the bloc deeply divided over whether to arm the Syrian rebels. AFP PHOTO/HO/SHAAM NEWS NETWORK

KARIM ABU MERHI feedback@postnoon.com BEIRUT: International efforts to end the unrest in Syria accelerate Monday with key talks in Paris and Brussels, amid a push for a new peace conference despite growing divisions within the Syrian opposition. US Secretary of State John Kerry will meet his Russian and French counterparts in Paris to advance an initiative for an international conference on ending Syria's conflict. However Syria's main opposition group ended a fourth day of talks in Beirut Sunday with little sign of a joint approach to the Russian-US campaign to get all sides to participate. The talks have been dubbed "Geneva 2" as they would follow a conference last June that produced a peace roadmap which failed to win support, triggering the resignation of Kofi Annan as special envoy on Syria. Ahead of Monday's Paris meeting, the 27 EU foreign ministers are scheduled to meet in Brussels with the bloc deeply divided over whether to arm the Syrian rebels. After months of bitter argument in Brussels, the issue will

Hezbollah role

N leader Ban Ki-moon said Sunday he is "deeply concerned" by Hezbollah's growing role in Syria's civil war and called for greater efforts to halt the spread of the conflict toward other countries. Ban has spoken out against the arming of all sides in the Syria conflict by outside countries and groups.

Iran rejects claims

A Syrian rebel walks in a heavily damaged street in Arbeen, Damascus.

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come to a head with the ministers to meet ahead of the expiry at midnight Friday of far-reaching EU sanctions against President Bashar al-Assad's regime including a weapons embargo. Britain and France are leading the push to have the arms embargo maintained against Assad but relaxed against the

opposition Syrian National Coalition (SNC). But British charity Oxfam has warned that allowing more weapons into Syria "could have devastating consequences" and "fan the flames of the conflict". Syria's foreign minister upped the ante Sunday, saying his government will take part in a new Geneva conference, terming it a "good opportunity for a political solution" to the civil war. The opposition's long-stand-

ran rejected French accusations of its forces assisting the Syrian regime against rebels, insisting it is for a political solution to the crisis in the country. "France is seeking to conceal its allout interference in Syria's affairs which has led to human and financial losses," foreign ministry spokesman Abbas Araqchi said. ing position is that, after more than two years of devastating conflict which has killed more than 94,000 people, it will not negotiate until Assad agrees to leave. AFP

Oz nurse admits to 11 murders SYDNEY: A man accused of deliberately lighting a deadly blaze that ripped through a Sydney nursing home in 2011 killing 11 elderly residents pleaded guilty Monday to murdering them. Roger Dean, 37, was a nurse at the facility and entered 11 guilty pleas to murder on the first day of his trial in the Supreme Court. He also admitted eight counts of causing grievous bodily harm to other mostly infirm residents of the home, some of whom suffered from dementia or were blind. AROUND THE

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Three residents perished during the inferno Dean started and eight others died later from their injuries. Reports said family members of the victims in the packed court room wiped away tears and one woman left sobbing. Others were seen weeping outside. At the time, Dean, a shift worker, was described by locals as a friendly but quiet man who kept to himself. The fire led to the New South Wales state government ordering a review of criminal screening of staff at nursing homes and an audit of buildings at all aged care facilities. Dean will be sentenced at a later date. AFP

ENVIRONMENT

24% decline in Chilka bird count Compared to 77,609 last summer, only 59,687 birds were counted in 1100 sq. km sprawling lake this year, according to counts conduced by Chilika wildlife division, official sources said. BERHAMPUR (ODISHA): Number of birds found taking shelter in Chilika, the biggest waterfowl habitat in the country, has come down during this summer as compared to last year. As many as 59,687 birds of different species were counted in 1100 sq. km sprawling lake this summer according to counts conduced by Chilika wildlife division, official sources said today. Last summer, 77,609 different birds had been counted in the lake located in Odisha, sources said. Shifting of mouth towards the outer channel resulting in

reduction in tidal water inflow has changed the salinity of the water in central and northern sector and this might have affected the dwindling of bird population in the lagoon this summer, AROUND THE

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said divisional forest officer (Chilika wildlife), B P Acharya. The weed infestation in the northern sector of the lagoon appears to be another reason for fewer numbers of birds taking

shelter in Chilika, he added. The bird species like lesser whistling duck (8050), black tailed godwit (6911) and little cormorant (6561) were found highest numbers during the status survey of the avifauna in the lake, DFO stated. The winged guests who had flown to the Chilika during the last winter, however seen to stay in lake this summer, despite the mercury hovering around 40 degrees Celsius in the lake. Last winter, about 8.77 lakh waterfowls of 180 species had flown to the lake. PTI

News MONDAY, MAY 27, 2013 UNEASY NEIGHBOURS

S Korea rejects North’s talks

INTREPID TRAVELLER

lovenian adventurer and environmentalist Matevz Lenarcic on Sunday became the first person to fly an ultra-light plane from Europe to America and over the North Pole, as he landed in Ljubljana. “I’ve had more trouble than I had expected, and that prolonged the expedition but what matters is that me and the plane have arrived safely,” the 54-year-old said. While flying over the Arctic, an important indicator of global weather changes, Lenarcic was surprised to notice that “temperatures on the actual North Pole were much higher than in surrounding areas”. He took pictures and measured levels of black carbon and light-absorbing particles over the Arctic at a height of 3,000-4,000m, an altitude rarely explored by sciAFP entists.

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SEOUL: South Korea on Monday brushed off an apparent offer by North Korea to resume nuclear disarmament talks, and chided Pyongyang for a personal attack on president Park Geun-Hye. “Actions are more important than words,” Unification ministry spokesman Kim Hyung-Seok said of the offer delivered by an envoy of North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un to Chinese President Xi Jinping. Observers saw it as an effort to appease Beijing, rather than a genuine signal of intent. AFP

ENVIRONMENT

Records, reflection mark Everest 60th anniversary

Not everything is cool as the world celebrates diamond jubilee of the conquest of Mt Everest. KYLE KNIGHT Agence France-Presse KATHMANDU: Sixty years ago this week two men became the first to stand on the roof of the world in a remarkable feat of endurance and strength of the human spirit. As the May 29 anniversary of Tenzing Norgay and Edmund Hillary’s summit of Mount Everest approaches, hundreds of people from all walks of life, and with varying motivations, are tr-

ying to follow in their footsteps. With May the ideal month to climb in the Himalayas, some 500 have already succeeded this year, including an octogenarian, the first female amputee, the first women from Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, and the first female climber to summit twice in one season. Still more will attempt an ascent while the good weather window remains open, including professional mountaineers with corporate sponsorship, those attempting to break records, acti-

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vists raising awareness and charity fundraisers. While the tourism generated by Everest is important for Nepal, Norgay’s grandson Tashi Tenzing, 49, said understanding the value of the Himalayas and protecting them for future generations was also crucial. “I think the achievement by

my grandfather and Edmund Hillary was great and historic," says Tashi, himself an Everest mountaineer, based in Kathmandu. “But I also think that the 60th anniversary is a time to reflect on the mountain and what we have done to it. As we celebrate the 60th anniversary we must learn the lessons from our experience on the mountains," he said. Despite the celebrations, the anniversary may already have been marred by accidents and an outburst of violence that erupted on the mountain earlier this year. In a reminder of the treachery of Everest, an elite Nepalese mountaineer plunged to his death in an icy crevasse. He had been rigging ropes for hundreds of hopefuls behind him —- the first time an “icefall doctor” has perished on the mountain. And then in the season’s defining moment a brawl broke out high on the mountain in late April. Two European climbers, Ueli Steck of Switzerland and Italian Simone Moro, along with a British alpine photographer, exchanged blows with a group of Sherpas, reportedly over turf rights while negotiating an ice field. Despite signing a ‘peace accord’ with the Sherpas, the trio left the mountain 48 hours later saying the incident killed their “climbing spirit".

History in stats n Everest was named in 1852 by the Great Trigonometrical Survey of India. n One hundred and one years later, two men — one from New Zealand, one a Nepalese Sherpa — reached the summit. n The expedition lasted over two months and featured more than 300 staff carrying nearly eight tonnes of equipment. n Some 3,000 people have reached the top of the 8,848metre high mountain so far.

The fight shocked and saddened the foreign mountaineering community, which is used to working in tandem with Nepalese climbers. Some blamed the outburst on growing competition and commercialism on the money-spinning mountain, while others suggested the incident reflected underlying economic tensions and jealousy caused by Sherpas working for low wages to serve the influx of rich mountaineers. Everest is no stranger to controversy, but the brawl shone a spotlight on the state of the mountain, the adventure industry that made it famous and the country whose government has come to rely on it for revenue and reputation.

News MONDAY, MAY 27, 2013

HUMAN RIGHTS

TECHNOLOGY

China’s labour camps under fire A 2009 United Nations report estimated that 1,90,000 Chinese were locked up in re-education camps. SHAUN TANDON Agence France-Presse WASHINGTON: When she refused to sign a form renouncing her faith, Wang Chunying said she was handcuffed between two bunkbeds for 16 hours, deprived of food, water and sleep as she felt her wrists bleeding. “The police would kick the beds apart to the point that my body couldn’t stretch any further,” she recalled of the time in a Chinese labor prison in late 2007. “The pain that I had to endure was beyond words. The handcuffs already touched the bone and police still kept tightening them to make them hurt more.” The accounts received new attention from an unlikely source in April, when Chinese cultural magazine Lens broke through the strict censorship and published an article on the Masanjia women’s camp, where Wang spent more than five years. The magazine described detainees being hit with electric prods on the face, hung by the arms, shackled to seats bent forward and forced to sit on “tiger stools” in which prisoners were cuffed into painful positions for hours. The article was quickly scrubbed from the Internet, but it raised speculation that Chinese opponents of such harsh detention methods may have been sending a message. “It’s remarkable that they published that in China,” said Corinna-Barbara Francis, who has researched Masanjia and other labor camps in China for Amnesty International. “I agree that it’s unlikely that an article exposing that level of human rights abuses would have been published if the magazine had not had some behind-the-scenes support.” Voices within China’s legal establishment and universities have called for changes. China’s new PM, Li Keqiang, said in March that the government may

Players can shape and mould their in-game worlds with brushes, taps or strokes of touchscreens.

Coming soon, a game that allows you to play god GLENN CHAPMAN Agence France-Presse

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present a plan by the end of the year to reform the re-education camp system. But Francis said that purported statements by officials on closing camps have quickly vanished, meaning that little is known on the extent of reform efforts. However daring, Lens magazine did not directly mention the Falungong. Masanjia, which lies in northeastern Liaoning province, is believed to have been set up to target the Falungong but also imprisons common criminals and citizens who annoyed authorities through petitions on their grievances.

Inhuman conditions Chinese cultural magazine Lens broke through the strict censorship and published an article on the Masanjia women’s camp, detainees being hit with electric prods on the face, hung by the arms, shackled to seats bent forward and forced to sit on “tiger stools” in which prisoners were cuffed into painful positions for hours.

Pick

Wang said that she and the hundreds of other practitioners at Masanjia sat each morning from 8am to 11:30am listening to antiFalungong videos and guest speakers. She would then be forced until 9pm to manufacture artificial flowers. “A lot of people would cough and get rashes from the chemicals. I couldn’t even breathe whenever I smelled them,” she said. Zhang Lianying said she and her husband were subjected to particularly harsh treatment after they discussed the Falungong’s plight with an EU official ahead of the Beijing Olympics. She said that more than a dozen policemen and inmates pinned down her husband, stripping him of clothing and abusing him with electric batons and clubs. Ma Chunmei said she was arrested in Tiananmen Square after heading to Beijing as part of the Falungong. At a camp in northeastern Jilin province, she said she was forced to work for up to 19 hours a day producing chopsticks, toothpicks and children’s books. In one session, Ma said that policemen beat her simultaneously with two electric batons and stomped on her. “I felt my heart was going to jump out. I was vomiting blood, but still I refused to sign,” she said.

at the

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SAN FRANCISCO: Videogame industry legend Peter Molyneux says the time is right for people to play God on smartphones. The former Lionhead Studio chief and Microsoft Game Studios executive has teamed with Japan-based DeNA to get his latest project — GODUS — on the array of mobile devices powered by Android or Apple software. “There is something incredible happening on these devices,” Molyneux said while hefting a smartphone in one hand. “This is where the home of gaming should really exist.”

GODUS puts a mobile Internet spin on a “God game” genre pioneered by Molyneux decades ago. Players can shape and mould their ingame worlds with brushes, taps or strokes of touchscreens. “At the heart of the genre is the ability of people to create and engage with their own unique world; being able to feel like this world is yours and that what you do in this world has amazing effects,” Molyneux said. The more players get inhabitants to believe in his or her godliness, the more pow-

GODUS also allows players to direct their wrath in the form of tornadoes, earthquakes or volcanic eruptions at the followers of rival gods in battles for dominion. Molyneux left Microsoft Studios last year and founded startup 22Cans. He revealed his latest project, which 22Cans is building and DeNA will distribute, the same week that Microsoft unveiled a new Xbox One console designed to be at the heart of home entertainment in the Internet Age. “Console games are the equivalent of making films, whereas mobile is much more like television soap operas,” he continued. “In one you design for a defined time spent sitting, while in the other you design to keep the person coming back to see what happens next.”

airport,

erful they become. GODUS also allows players to direct their wrath in the form of tornadoes, earthquakes or volcanic eruptions at the followers of rival gods in battles for dominion. “You can take some of your precious followers into these battles; that is more edge-of-the-seat stuff,” he said. Victory is rewarded with more followers or personalized gifts, such as additional powers or in-world items. When GODUS is released later this year, it will be free to play, with revenue based on in-game sales of virtual items or abilities.

News MONDAY, MAY 27, 2013

SECURITY

Gitmo future uncertain

Five years after Obama ‘fulfilled’ his campaign pledge to sign an order to close the prison, 166 inmates remain behind bars . CHANTAL VALERY Agence France-Presse WASHINGTON: President Barack Obama may have renewed his vow to close the Guantanamo prison this week, but many are skeptical he will really be able to end this controversial chapter of US history. Lawyer Omar Farah of the Center for Constitutional Rights said Obama’s latest pledge chAROUND THE

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Authorities say 103 of the inmates are on hunger strike, refusing food to protest their indefinite detention without charge or trial. anges little for Guantanamo detainees, who “have heard countless promises from candidate Obama, then President Obama.” In one of his first acts in office, Obama fulfilled his campaign pledge to sign an order to close the prison within a year. Five years and a second term election later, 166 inmates remain behind bars — even though more than half have been cleared for release.

Now, authorities say 103 of the inmates are on hunger strike, refusing food to protest their indefinite detention without charge or trial. David Remes, who represents 15 of the Yemeni detainees, said Obama’s words offer a mere “illusion” of progress. “I don’t see any tangible improvement in the situation... I don’t see why (closing the prison) is more a possibility than it was before.” During his speech on Thursday, Obama announced he would lift his moratorium on transferring Yemeni detainees home — paving the way to repatriate 56 of the Gulf state’s citizens who have been cleared for release. He called on the Pentagon to designate a site on US soil to hold military tribunals for terror suspects now at Guantanamo Bay, and said Congress must now drop efforts to thwart his closure plans. But he didn’t offer a solution for inmates deemed too dangerous for release but who cannot be tried because evidence against them was obtained through coercion and may not be admissible in court.

CONGRESS “ALREADY PUSHING BACK” “Even if he follows through on every one of his promises, that

Protesters demanding the closing of the Guantanamo detention facility and the end of the ongoing hunger strike by 103 of the inmates stand outside the White House in Washington. AFP /NICHOLAS KAMM

would mean continuing indefinite detention without trials” for some prisoners and special military tribunals on US soil, said Andrea Prasow, Guantanamo expert for Human Rights Watch. “Even if he does everything he said he would, he would still be doing things that are incredibly problematic.” Analysts also questioned the president’s references to blocking manoeuvres from lawmakers. “The president himself has signed (the restrictions) into law, when he could have vetoed them,” said Farah. And even still, “he has the latitude... to begin transferring men today,” the lawyer argued.

Virginia Sloan, president of The Constitution Project went further, warning the existing leeway could disappear. “Some members of Congress are already pushing back,” she said. Many Republican lawmakers have reiterated their objections. “Gitmo serves an important function of detaining America’s most dangerous enemy combatants,” said Senator John Cornyn of Texas. Fellow Texan Representative Michael McCaul said “the president’s desire to close Guantanamo Bay leaves the homeland vulnerable to terrorists who will be transferred back to terror safe havens.”

HEALTH

Absorbable stents find popularity MUMBAI: Heart care seems to have evolved to another level with people increasingly asking for the latest fourth generation stent that disappears over a period of time leaving no metal inside the body, say medical experts. Bringing in a relief for heart patients with severe blockages and especially those who are young, the new stent “Absorb” has seen a rising demand from the patients themselves since it’s recent launch a few months back, the experts said. Medical industry sources indicate that so far in the last few months over 2,500 bioabsorbable AROUND THE

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scaffolds have already been used in more than 2,000 patients. For patients not keen on an open-heart surgery or in cases where surgery is avoidable, angioplasty is the best option as it is minimally invasive and a patient can usually go in a single day and get back to work in a week’s time. In India, as per the industry estimates, over 300,000 stents (including traditionally used metallic stents and drug eluting stents) are implanted every year spread across government and private hospitals both, Mehta added. PTI

KERALA

Expat bizmen caught in CPI-M feud? Proximity to political bigwigs can be boon and bane; two prominent Malayalee businessmen are learning this the hard way as each faces the wrath of two powerful leaders in Kerala CPI-M. THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Two prominent Middle Eastbased businessmen who hail from Kerala appear to be caught in the factional feud of the CPI-M in Kerala. The Ernakulam unit of the CPI-M has accused MA Yusuf Ali, owner of the Emke Group, of encroaching upon the government land for his `1600crore Lulu Shopping Mall project here that opened in March. The Ernakulam district committee of CPI-M is believed to have allegiance to the party’s state secretary Pinarayi Vijayan (left), while Ali is said to be in the good books of former chief minister VS Achuthanandan (right), who is believed to be

leading the opposing faction. “All the sanctions for the shopping mall were given while the previous Left government of Ach-

uthanandan was in power,” said Kochi’s Mayor Tony Chammany. Another of Ali’s major trouble relates to the 10.59 hectare in

Kochi, on which Ali was planning to build a state-of-the-art convention centre and other facilities. The plot was allotted to the businessman through an open bid and tender process initiated by the Cochin Port Trust. It was leased out to Ali in November 2010 for a sum of `72 crore for 30 years. Following the allegation, Ali announced that he was backing out from the convention centre project, and that he would invest in another state. The other Middle East-based businessman who has been caught in the crossfire between the two CPI-M factions is Ravi Pillai, owner of plush hotels at popular tourist destinations

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Kovalam and Kollam in the state. While the CPI-M faction led by Vijayan is completely mum over the allotment of a parcel of land to Pillai near his Kovalam project, Achuthanandan has raised a red flag over the deal. Achuthanandan said the 16 hectare of prime land belonged to the government. “This is a blatant violation of the law of the land which the state government has done, and if need be I will not hesitate to take legal action against this,” he said. IANS

MONDAY, MAY 27, 2013

Business

PC MEETS ABU DHABI RULER

Finance minister P Chidambaram met Abu Dhabi crown prince Gen. Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan to discuss bilateral relations between the UAE and India. India's Ambassador to the UAE MK Lokesh also attended the meeting

REVIVAL PLAN

ECONOMIC CO-OPERATION

$4bn-plan for Palestine

Some 100,000 jobs in home construction alone could be created in the next three years, while tourism could triple. AL SHUNAH: US Secretary of State John Kerry unveiled on Sunday a plan to boost the Palestinian economy by attracting $4 billion in private investment, saying it could transform the lives of the people. As he seeks to bring Israel and the Palestinians back to the table to negotiate a peace deal, Kerry said it was also impera-

tive to create jobs and meet the hopes of young people for a better economic future. He has tasked Tony Blair, the Quartet's special envoy to the Middle East, with drawing up a plan to revitalise the West Bank through boosting industries such as tourism, construction, information technology and agriculture.

The group was putting together recommendations for the Palestinian leadership to decide on, aiming to "mobilise some $4 billion of investment". "These experts believe we will increase the Palestinian GDP by as much as 50 percent over three years," Kerry told the closing session of the World Economic Forum meeting. AFP

Merkel pledges to avert EU-China trade war BERLIN: German Chancellor Angela Merkel pledged Sunday to take steps to avoid a brewing trade war between China and the EU during a first visit by China's new premier to Germany, with both leaders calling for dialogue. Germany will push in the next six months for discussions on resolving the disputes between Brussels and Beijing over Chinese telecom products and solar panels to avoid it end-

ing in mutual tariffs, Merkel said. Both she and Premier Li Keqiang, told a joint press conference that they rejected trade protectionism which hurt both sides. Under pressure from German industry, Merkel said Germany would do its utmost to resolve the issues by pushing for talks to avoid "lapsing into a kind of dispute which finally only ends in mutual tariffs". AFP

GREEN POWER

Red tape clouds City ‘sunshine’ While there is no dearth of support measures for domestic solar power on paper, ground reality is different. PRUDHVI RAJU K prudhvi.k@postnoon.com

rowing awareness on solar and renewable sources coupled with long power cuts have given a thrust to the sales of domestic solar inverters and appliances. This has pushed the domestic solar products sales by around 30-40 per cent in last six months. On flip side, the government’s strong initiative to promote domestic solar power usage through NABARD and MNRE 30 per cent subsidy scheme did not benefit the industry to its fullest potential. “Many retailors (manufactures, dealers) are selling solar units (inverters) with out Central government subsidy due to heavy documentation and delay in repayment of subsidy procedures. They are coming forward to provide the solar units by offering discounts rather than availing and promoting the central government subsidy scheme. “For the benefit of the customer, the MNRE also dictated

various terms like giving 10year warranty on panels and 5year warranty on the products to drive the demand for quality products and to benefit the customers who avail scheme. In order to escape those regulations in offering the warranty, many manufacturers are not showing keen interest towards selling the products through subsidy scheme,” says D Venkat Rao, secretary, Quality Development Society. Explaining about the procedure in offering subsidy, he says, “First, the respective solar unit manufacturer or dealer has to be empanelled under subsidy scheme implemented through NABARD. Any solar dealer or manufacturer cannot provide the subsidy through this scheme unless it is the approved channel partner. The respective subsidies are implemented through all commercial and rural banks in India through loans. “On the customer side, he has to first check whether the solar manufacturer is a channel partner for the respective

scheme before buying the product and then he has to approach the bank to get subsidised loan. The bank not only provides 30 per cent subsidy scheme but also let the customer to pay back the loan on solar unit in simple instalments. “However, in reality, the banks are prudent in providing loans under this scheme. They are offering these subsidised loans to the customers

who have strong relation with banks. The common man is finding difficulty to avail the benefit of subsidy,” he says. “The specified rates of solar panels according to MNRE are also different from actual market rates. For instance, if the MNRE price for panel is `240 per watt, the actual market price is `70 per watt. With this difference, a manufacturer can inflate the invoice and get a higher price from the

GOLD `26,392 10g SILVER `43,425 1kg

24C

for

DOLLAR `55.65 POUND `84.16

customer and the banks. There is also chance to show the MNRE proposed price as standard price and also boast the market price as a discounted price. There is need for the government to revise these prices, which will help both the customer and the government,” he explains. “As of now, the manufacturers under this scheme are not getting the complete amount immediately from the banks. The subsidised amount is on hold for some time to authenticate the sale. This delay is one of the other reasons why manufactures are reluctant to be channel partners of this scheme,” Rao says. “In order to make the subsidy scheme successful, the banks have to pay back the entire amount to the manufacturer or dealer and get the stipulated subsidised amount refunded by MNRE at a later time. The government should also need to reduce the documentation procedures for solar unit manufactures to be empanelled in this scheme,” he adds.

BSE 6,030.90 NSE

19,867.78 63.45

47.35

MONDAY, MAY 27, 2013

Comment Be a yardstick of quality. Some people aren’t used to an environment where excellence is expected. Steve Jobs Former Apple CEO

S Korea’s facial issues CHANGING FACES Jung Ha-Won

outh Korea’s obsession with plastic surgery is moving on from standard eye and nose jobs to embrace a radical surgical procedure that requires months of often painful recovery. A stream of celebrities boast on TV shows how it gave them a “new life," while advertisements extolling its cosmetic benefits are everywhere from street billboards to subway stations, magazines and popular Internet sites. But there’s nothing really “cosmetic” about double-jaw surgery. A radical solution to congenital facial deformities or for people unable to chew properly due to excessive over or underbite, the operation involves realigning the upper and lower jaws. One result of the bone-cutting procedure is often a slimmer jawline -- and that’s what caught the attention of South Korea’s booming beauty industry. A small face with a “V-shaped” chin and jawline is considered a mark of feminine beauty in much of East Asia, along with a high-bridged nose and big eyes. Data from the International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons suggests South Korea has one of the highest per-capita rates of plastic surgery procedures in the world. There is no official data on how many double jaw surgeries are performed. One recent study estimated the annual figure at 5,000, but it did not differentiate between cosmetic and medically prescribed procedures. Some 52 percent of those who had taken the surgery suffered sensory problems such as facial numbness, the study said.

HIGH-FLYING THOUGHTS

Narendra Modi calls for ‘zero tolerance’ against Naxals. Of course, ‘zero tolerance’ policy has worked well for the pracharak chief minister in his state. What is a body count of 1,000 when you get to stay in power for ever and gets elevated to possible prime minister candidate of the party.

DESTROYING THE ENVIRONMENT

MAY WE ALL PERISH! HARD TALK

PK Surendran

ercury hits 45 degrees in Hyderabad... 250 die of heat wave in AP... Fight for water leads to murder... all these are headlines of Andhra Pradesh recently. I, for one, am unfazed. Let me be the next in line. What else do you expect from nature the way we are behaving? The least an urbanite should do is not to damage the remaining trees which are the water protectors and purifiers and producer of oxygen. We do all these and keep mum. Nobody asks when a tree on public space is felled. No civic official is seen when even a small pool of water is encroached and filled for building concrete structure. Hyderabad, once rich in lakes and tanks are barren today. It is universal rule that no tree is allowed to be cut at the peak of summer. Perhaps the GHMC or forest department does not know? You may argue. They know all these and much more. They know too much. The only reason is greed for money. They take bribe and wink at the dastardly doing. So it happened that the man, one retired army officer NN Capoor, was slapped with a measly `5000 fine! Well, done MRO! There are two things that prompt me to show my angst. The City electricity people send

out uncouth, uneducated labourers who know nothing about air and water. They come out armed with axe like butchers approaching the animals meant for meat. In the name of ‘pruning’ they mercilessly kill what wayside trees are left out in this burgeoning city. Watch they do it, you’d conduct harakiri. When sun is pouring out lead over earth, they kill shades that give oxygen. What a tragedy this country faces! In most of the developed cities cutting a private tree, forget public tree, is liable for imprisonment and heavy fine. Nobody dares to do it. But in India it does not matter, if you are able to bribe the most heartless bureaucracy who for a couple of hundred notes, turn their faces away. Another. Right in front of Speaker’s home and American Consulate’s residence on Road No.18 in Jubilee Hills, two axemen appear in the afternoon. They labour for two hours and down goes a grand old tree that have been providing, fruit, shade and oxygen for probably two centuries. That was the crime it did! Feeding human being is indeed a crime, and the tree did it, hence the death sentence. While for hours two men were making the murder, nobody came out from the nearby homes to ask why they are doing it. The tree was on a public property, the tree was a common wealth. Probably that is the trouble. Common wealth is nobody’s wealth in India. Another 50 yards from this

spot, another ancient tree was chopped off by a plot owner who has been building a palatial house for two years. Civil societies in Hyderabad have abdicated their responsibilities. They do not have time to educate the environmentally illiterates (who abound) the need to preserve remaining trees. Environmental awareness runs conversely to riches. The richer you are the poorer you are in environmental preserva-

tion. This city ought to have an army of nature protectors who should be armed with the powers to slap heaviest fine and charge-sheet those destroying trees. If we do not do this, our children will suffocate and die. Tailend: Someone (and I applaud him or her) pasted a handwritten notice on Capoor’s wall after his tree chopping act. It read, “Capoor is a murderer. Charge him under 302 IPC”

EDITORIALS Srinivasan shows how money power matters

f you thought our slimy political brigade was synonymous with being thick-skinned, think again. BCCI boss Srinivasan has demonstrated clearly to the country that he is willing to give the politicos a run for their money in that department. With his IPL franchise chief and sonin-law Gurunath Meiyappan caught in the betting scandal and controversies arising due to ‘conﬂict of interest’ allegations, the cement baron has dug in and refused to quit. According to him, Meiyappan is just a ‘cricket enthusiast’ who travels with the Chennai Super Kings Team. Wow... that’s a good one. One can’t help but wonder about the sheer coincidence. But what about his statement: “With regard to Gurunath, the legal process has started and he’s facing police investigation. The BCCI has decided to provisionally suspend him from all activities in cricket and particularly from all

READERS’ VIEWS

involvement in the Chennai Super Kings franchise”? Why should an ‘enthusiast’ be suspended from involvement in the CSK franchise? Does sheer enthusiasm amount to involvement in the team. And from where does a totally unconnected enthusiast get all the key inside information to place massive bets with bookies. Well, you have to give it to Srinivasan. He has ensured that he has placed enough lackeys in the organisation, who will ensure that he will not be forced out through any democratic process. The BCCI’s (read Srinivasan’s) ability to wield its ﬁnancial clout to have its way is remarkable, if not unexpected. Our cricketing ‘gods’ have been either maintaining a deafening silence on the issue or making general statements that hurt no one. After all, who wants to mess with the hand that feeds them. Hang on in there Srini buddy... this is your kingdom and no one can hurt you.

MONDAY, MAY 27, 2013

campus

CARNIVAL TIME Chota Bheem carnival featuring solo dance, solo singing, fancy dress and drawing competitions by children will be held at Inorbit Mall, Hitech City on May 27.

DOWN THE DRAIN

SUMMER FUN

Wet paper painting Wet paper painting workshop by Sakshi Mudaliar will be held on May 27, May 29, and May 31 from 10.30 to 12 noon. This technique of watercolour painting was started by Rudolf Stiener. In wet paper painting, wet paint is laid on wet paper and the colours ﬂow, blending into one another in beautiful, unexpected ways.

The most sought-after career option is in the state is losing its luster. EA ABHISHEK feedback@postnoon.com

he availability of 3.5 lakh seats in around 717 colleges for engineering puts Andhra Pradesh right at the top of the list in terms of numbers, but these figures give the state very little reason to be proud of today. If we go by the statistics released by the state government, around 40% of these seats went vacant in the previous academic year, which amounts to more than 1 lakh seats having no takers. This year the situation will only get worse, therefore to curb the extent of the damage, the state government has decided not to allow any new engineering colleges to come up and has also reduced the number of seats per existing-colleges. The unprecedented hype created around the field a few years ago made it a craze in the state, but engineering is now heading towards a steep descent as a career option. Students who are pursuing engineering now are the ones who are facing the crisis and also understand it the most. Aishwarya Sarda, a CSE student from Guru Nanak Engineering College says, “I feel it is because of the market-drop that the number of students taking up the field has reduced. The current trend is so critical that a Computer Science Engineering (CSE) graduate who was offered `30,000 is now being offered only around

`17,000. After the IT-Boom from 2006-2009, many students opted for CSE. Even students from other streams were getting placed in the IT sector.” The major issue here is that of placements, which has reduced drastically. Shantanu Katakam, a Mech. student from CMR Engineering college feels that colleges today are basking on their success in the past. He says “Colleges market themselves with figures of previous years’ placements. There are many colleges in the City where companies hardly come for recruitments and students are aware of that now.” Looking at the problem just as a lack of placements does not cover the larger picture. Adarsh Nambiar, an ECE student from Pulla Reddy Engineering College says, “What is the whole point if a Mechanical Engineer or an Electronics Engineer ends up with a job at a software compa-

ny? Today we find Mechanical and Electronics students learning coding languages like C, C++ and Java because they know that at the end they will be left with only an IT-sector job,” Priyanka Damle, a student from G Narayanamma College for Women who passed out last year, is planning to pursue an MBA now as she has not found a job in her field of interest. She cites parental pressure as the major reason why students take up the field. “After the very first year of engineering I realised it holds no future prospects for me. I asked my parents for a swap in fields, but they refused saying I would lose a year, today I feel I have lost 4 years,” she says. College managements on the other hand are generally in denial and justify the situation on the lines of the prestige associated with engineering in the country. “It is a technical field. It will

UNIVERSITY OF THE WEEK always have an upper-hand because it is skill-oriented. The value of an engineering degree will always be unmatched,” says Geetha Venu, a professor of CMRIT. Another lecturer RS Kumar from MRIT has similar views. He says “Fields like Mechanical engineering will always remain evergreen. Market fluctuations will always be there, but the core value of the field will not be affected and students will have job prospects.” While, G Viyalalaxmi who is a parent and also runs a school in Hyderabad explains why she would not choose engineering for her children “Over the years, with so many colleges coming up, the quality of education in engineering colleges has decreased. There are no future prospects or guaranteed placements,” she says. It is a complete loop of mismanagement that has led to the fall of the sector. The unregulated formation of colleges has led to a steep decrease of quality as colleges find it difficult to keep up with the requirements of good lecturers and infrastructure which in turn affects the students and results in the decrease of quality of graduates and therefore reduces the interest of companies. As admissions are now fast approaching students should keep their options open and make a wise career choice and not blindly take up engineering on the basis of its apparent past glory.

NUS

or National University of Singapore is a leading global university located in Singapore, Southeast Asia. NUS is Singapore's flagship university which offers a global approach to education and research. Founded in 1905, NUS is the oldest and largest university in the country in terms of student enrollment and curriculum offered. NUS has a semester-based modular system for conducting courses.

TRENDING...

A four-day photography workshop for kids above the age of 12 will be held from May 27 to May 30. The curriculam includes introduction to photography, analog and digital camera, various aspects to keep in mind while taking pictures with respect to composition, lighting etc, portraits and landscape photography. Mentor is Vaisshnavi, a freelance photographer in the City, holding a photography diploma from Mindscreen Film Institute. She recently did a documentary photoshoot for South Central Railways. Contact: 23355118

MONDAY, MAY 27, 2013

spotlight

BLAST FROM THE PAST

If you dig â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;80s and â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;90s music, 10 Downing Street is the place to be. The pub is hosting Vintage Night tonight.

TOO MUCH FUN 1

Getting groovy DJ Candice Redding from South Africa set the stage on fire at Movida, a new lounge bar, launched at Radisson Blu on Sunday. Spotted at the do were Nishanti, Prachee and others. 5

Cricket for a cause

Light A Life Cricket Cup (LLCC), a T-20 match by tollywood actors, was launched with much fanfare at Hotel Greenpark. Funds raised at the match will be used to support initiatives like education of girls in the rural areas and an educational institute for differently-abled kids.

1 DJ Candice 2 Akshit, Kriti 3 Nishanti 4 Kamal, Nidhi 5 Surender, Kamalesh Mehta 6 Tarun, Priya 7 Dhanveer, Priyanka 8 Bupendra, Brig Sehaney 9 Prachee

MONDAY, MAY 27, 2013

health

SWEDISH VARSITY WITH INDIAN RESEARCH TIE-UPS Families of patients needing an immediate organ transplant for their survival would soon find it easy to locate a potential donor with the Indian government coming up with an online network containing necessary details like the blood group and organs available for transplant. IANS

PORPHYRIA

DEEPASHRI VARADHARAJAN

deepashri.v@postnoon.com

orphyria is a genetic disorder of the blood. This inherited condition is rare, but those who have it usually come for treatment only during advanced stages, doctors say. Porphyria is of two types: One that affects the nervous system (acute) and the other where the symptoms are visible from reactions or changes on the skin (cutaneous). “It occurs due to defect in enzyme production. The levels of porphyrins (found in red blood cells) in the blood increases,” said Dr Radha Shah, consultant dermatologist at Apollo Hospitals, Jubilee Hills. The symptoms start in early childhood and keep progressing, she said. “There is destruction of the tissues — tips of ears,

fingers, sometimes the nose bridge collapses.” “It is detected by the increased level of porphyrins in the blood. The urine is dark” Dr Shah said. “The quality of life is very poor. There is increased sensitivity to the sun.” “By the time patients come to us, there is so much cosmetic disfigurement and it is in the advanced stage,” she said. Patients can have another set of symptoms and often go to a neurophysician or gastroenterologist, said Dr Sudhir

Kumar, senior consultant neurologist at Apollo Hospital, Hyderabad. “It is a combination of stomach pain and weakness of legs and hands,” he said. “It occurs mostly in younger people. It may remain undiagnosed (for long).” He added that in some people these symptoms can also be accompanied by psychiatric manifestations. Dr Kumar said that many medications can worsen the condition and treatment should be given with care.

The Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research lists out some courses of treatment for porphyria: Injections and drugs that help reduce porphyrin levels, intravenous sugar and fluids, pain medication, beta carotenes (that may improve skin’s tolerance to sunlight), phlebotomy (drawing some amount of blood from your veins to help reduce iron, and in turn, porphyrins) and treatment of illness or stopping of drugs that may have triggered the symptoms.

WHEN THE SUN

BURNS

Cutaneous porphyria and the ‘vampire’ link

orphyria, when it affects the skin, has time and again been called the ‘vampire disease.’ The myth came to be mainly because patients are oversensitive to sunlight. Their skin forms painful blisters and can turn red. The urine is red or brown in colour. Some patients even have increased hair growth. Since popular tales about vampires involve them shunning sunlight, it became a popular myth.

Porphyria, though a rare disorder, can reduce the quality of life and lead to cosmetic disfiguration if left untreated, doctors say.

ANEWS PP-LYBRIEFS YOURSELF

HOUSECALL

BrainHQ

Anal fistula

Train your brain with BrainHQ from Posit Science — the only brain training programme clinically proven to improve memory, speed, and attention. It’s built on the principles of “brain plasticity” — a new science that shows that the brain is always capable of improvement. Top scientists have provided inputs for this app. itunes.apple.com

An anal ﬁstula is a small channel that develops between the end of the bowel, known as the anal canal or back passage, and the skin near the anus. The anus is the opening where waste leaves the body. Some types of ﬁstula have one channel, whereas others branch out into more than one opening. The ends can appear as holes on the surface of the skin. It is painful and can cause bleeding when you go to the toilet. nhs.uk

DID YOU KNOW? Asparagus contains anticarcinogen Asparagus is high in glutathione, an important anticarcinogen. It also contains rutin, which protects small blood vessels from rupturing and may protect against radiation. Asparagus is a good source of vitamins A, C and E, B-complex vitamins, potassium and zinc. mercola.com

PIONEERS Pierre Fauchard Pierre Fauchard was a signiﬁcant French physician, credited as being the "father of modern dentistry". He is widely known for his book, Le chirurgien dentiste, where he described the basic oral anatomy, signs and symptoms of oral pathology, operative methods for removing decay and restoring teeth, periodontal disease, orthodontics, replacement of missing teeth, and tooth transplantation. en.wikipedia.org

MONDAY, MAY 27, 2013

THE PAGE DEDICATED TO WOMEN AND THE ISSUES THEY FACE ACROSS THE GLOBE

VANGUARD OF CHANGE

Ending violence and poverty

Powerpuff girls

ith a four-year, $5.9 million investment from the Dutch foreign ministry, women-led organisations are leading the charge to end violence and poverty. They are recruiting women to run for office and applying grassroots solutions to climate change, says Global Fund for Women. As of April 2013, 11,544 women had been trained as leaders by the organisation.

A sporting move

orbes has recently released its top 100 list of the world's most powerful women in 2013, and German Chancellor Angela Merkel tops the list again. Along with familiar faces like Hillary Clinton and Indra Nooyi are new faces like Lockheed Martin, CEO Tory Burch and CFO Jennifer Li. From a preliminary group of over 250 candidates from around the world, Forbes selected the 100 most influential women from seven categories or power bases: billionaires, business, lifestyle (including entertainment and fashion), media, nonprofits and NGOs, politics and technology.

audi Arabian girls will be allowed to play sport in private schools for the first time, signalling a thaw in the conservative country's laws for women, reports The Guardian. Saudi Arabia's official press agency, SPA, reported that students must adhere to "decent dress" codes and Saudi women teachers will be given priority in supervising the activities, according to the education ministry's requirements. MASSOUD HOSSAINI / AFP

I can't have conversation about equality in the art world. Because people think it's already been achieved. Tracey Emin has defied the statistics and her success misleads people into thinking women get an equal shot.

Beyond the physical challenge of climbing, these women had to overcome a mountain of obstacles to realise their dream. (about women from Saudi Arabia scaling Mount Everest) Lakshmi Puri Acting Head of UN Women.

Gemma Rolls-Bentley, curator

UNDER ATTACK

TWO STEPS BACK

Billionaire eats his words about women traders

Mississippi may prosecute women for miscarriages

illionaire hedge funder Paul Tudor Jones has apologised for controversial comments that women with children are "overwhelmed" by breastfeeding and are unable to make rational decisions on the trading floor, reports The Telegraph. In a video, Mr Jones said that having babies was a "killer" to female ambition and suggested "as soon as that baby's lips touch that girl's bosom, forget it," you had lost that woman to the world of motherhood never to return to trading.

THE WAY FORWARD FEMRITE

emrite is an indigenous Non-Governmental Organisation that promotes women writing in Uganda. Since inception, FEMRITE has nurtured award winning authors and poets. There has been a general absence of women writers in Africa and this has resulted into an omission of women's experiences from the literary and cultural heritage. The organisation aims to change this.

An Afghan volunteer blows a bubble gum balloon as she prepares ballons for "We Believe In Ballons", an art project promoting peace in Kabul. After a day of explosions and gunfire, residents of Kabul woke up to be greeted by a public art project in which volunteers handed out 10,000 neon-pink "peace" balloons.

Pill is ‘masculinising’ women: Polanski The filmmaker says that feminism and advances in contraception have blurred the distinctions between the sexes.

scar-winning director Roman Polanski on Saturday blamed birth control pills for “masculinising” women, as he premiered what he called a satire on sexism. Polanski unveiled Venus in Fur starring his wife Emmanuelle Seigner, which was the last movie in competition to be screened at the Cannes Film Festival. Asked by a reporter how his views of women had changed over time, the filmmaker said he thought feminism and advances in contraception had blurred the distinctions between the sexes. "I think that now offering flowers to a lady becomes inde-

ANNE-CHRISTINE POUJOULAT / AFP

cent, that's how I feel about it," he said. “I think to level the genders — it's purely idiotic. I think it's a result... of progress in medicine. I think that the Pill has changed greatly the woman of our times, 'masculinising' her — how would you say it?" he said, looking to his

cast for a prompt. He added: "I think that it chases away the romance from our lives and that's a great pity." Polanski's latest film captures the friction between a theatre director and an actress which plays out as a battle of the sexes. "It's the aspect of the sexism and the satire on sexism which was very seductive in this film. There's this macho element in his character which is really coming to pieces and that was quite enjoyable," Polanski. "Whatever people think and know about me, the ones that do know about me know that I am not this way," he said with a smile for Seigner. AFP

grand jury in Lamar County, Mississippi, indicted Nina Buckhalter, who used methamphetamine during her pregnancy and gave birth to a stillborn, for manslaughter two months later, claiming that she killed the baby by "culpable negligence." Her attorneys challenged the case, arguing that if Buckhalter can be prosecuted for homicide for using meth during her pregnancy, a pregnant woman could be prosecuted for all kinds of behaviours that may or may not lead to the termination of her foetus.

ON THE FRONTLINES HELEN GURLEY BROWN

he editor-in-chief of Cosmopolitan was an outspoken advocate of women's sexual freedom and sought to provide them with role-models and a guide in her magazine. She claimed that women could have it all, "love, sex, and money". Due to her advocacy, glamorous, fashion-focused women were sometimes called "Cosmo Girls".

MONDAY, MAY 27, 2013

Entertainment CINE BYTES

Ram Charan’s next film to be launched soon

am Charan’s upcoming film in Koratala Siva’s direction is going to be launched on May 31. Bandla Ganesh is producing the film and buzz is that Catherine Tresa has been roped in to play the lead role opposite Ram Charan. The film’s regular shooting is expected to begin in June. More details will be revealed soon.

Band Baaja Baarat’s remake goes on floors

he principal shooting of the Band Baaja Baarat’s Tamil remake officially began last week in Chennai. Nani is playing the lead role and it’s his biggest project in Tamil. Gokul is directing the film and it marks the foray of Yash Raj Films into Tamil film industry. The lead actress is yet to be finalised.

Kalyan Ram starrer Om set to release in June

ON CLOUD NINE

A NEW BEGINNING

Shraddha Das is all set to make her debut in Bengali film industry and she’s more excited than ever about what lies ahead of her. HEMANTH KUMAR hemanth.k@postnoon.com

hraddha Das is perhaps in the most exciting phase of her career, so far. Last year, she had signed a three-film deal in Hindi with a leading production house in Bollywood, apart from venturing into Kannada and Malayalam cinema. Her next Telugu film Rey is finally set to release in couple of months and now, we hear that she’s all set to make her debut in Bengali film industry. “It’s too early to talk about my Bengali film, but I am really excited about this project. All I can say is, it’s a dream debut for me,” she says. Despite her Bengali connection, Shraddha Das reveals that she never thought about acting in Bengali cinema. So what triggered the change? “It’s been a really long time since I visited Kolkata and I didn’t think much about acting in Bengali cinema, since I had plenty of work in Telugu. Last year, I had come to Siliguri for a CCL match between Telugu Warriors and Bengal Tigers and the response from the crowd every time they saw their favourite actor was phenomenal. I think that’s when it all started,” she recalls. Interestingly, this film was supposed to be made in Hindi and Bengali, but the makers decided to shoot the Bengali version first. “I think it all just fell into place for me. Maybe I was

alyan Ram, Kriti Kharbanda and Nikesha Patel starrer Om is gearing up for release in June. Sunil Reddy has directed the film and Kalyan Ram has produced it. Talking about the film, Kalyan Ram said, “I dedicated two and a half years of my life to this project and I wanted to prove even we can make a good film in 3D.”

I feel at home in Kolkata since I know the language. More than me, my parents are thrilled that I’m finally doing a Bengali film. Shraddha Das Actress

destined to be in the film. My father and his friends are absolutely thrilled that I am doing a Bengali film. In fact, the initial response was so good that my mother is even planning to buy a house in Kolkata,” she laughs. Shraddha joined the film’s sets in Kolkata earlier this month and it’s turning out to be quite a memorable journey. “I feel at home in Kolkata since I know the language. Besides, I have been visiting quite a few places in Kolkata including the Kalighat temple, Birla Planetarium and St. Paul’s Cathedral and I have been eating so many Bengali delicacies every day that I have to work out doubly hard,” she quips. Two of her upcoming Hindi films – Lucky Kabootar and Chai Shai Biscuits are expected to release later this year and she’ll be seen as a Mexican popstar in YVS Chowdhary’s Rey. “It’s the most glamorous and difficult role I have had to play in my career in Telugu. I am going to dub for myself, which is a first for me. We all have worked quite hard on Rey and I hope people appreciate our efforts. Right now, I couldn’t be happier about how things are shaping up for me,” she signs off.

Entertainment MONDAY, MAY 27, 2013

LAUNCH VEHICLE

CINE BYTES

Katrina’s sister makes screen debut opposite

KUNAL NAYYAR S low and steady seems to be the course of Bollywood actress Katrina Kaif's younger sister Isabel's career. She has been signed to play the second lead opposite British Indian actor Kunal Nayyar in French director Jean-Francois Pouliot's Dr. Cabbie. The film, co-produced by Salman Khan, features Vinay Virmani, who played one of

the title roles in Bejoy Nambiar's undervalued David. Salman wanted to cast Isabel opposite Vinay, but by the time the decision was taken to cast her, it was too late, says a source. The G.I. Joe actress Adriane Palicki had already been signed opposite Vinay. So Isabel stepped in to co-star with the film's second lead Kunal Nayyar, who has worked in the hit British series The Big Bang Theory," said the source. Sources from Canada, where the film is being shot, say co-producer Salman is taking a keen interest in the project and in Isabel's role. Isabel will make her fullfledged Bollywood debut in 2014 in a film that may be jointly co-produced by Salman and Katrina. Speaking from Canada, the film's leading man Vinay said: "Isabel has joined our project. She's a really sweet girl, very easy-going and fun to work with." IANS

I'm not a super mom: Farah Khan

mother of three, choreographer-turned-ﬁlmmaker Farah Khan, who is all set to step into a judge's shoes for the new season of dance reality show Dance Indian Dance - Supermoms says she stands nowhere in comparison to the show's contestants. Farah is a mother of ﬁve-year-old triplets. "When I see these ladies, I don't think I have any right to call myself a super mom,” she says. IANS

India is 'regressive, depressing'

ndia is "regressive for women" and a "depressing" place to be, says Bollywood actress Mallika Sherawat, explaining why she divides her time between India and the US. "So when I enjoy the social freedom in America and go back to India, which is so regressive for women, it's depressing. As an independent woman, it's really depressing." IANS

Nerve-wracking to work with dad: Mahaakshay

ctor Mahaakshay Chakraborty, who has shared screen space with his father, veteran actor Mithun Chakraborty in his forthcoming film Enemmy, says it was a "nerve-wracking" experience for him. Directed by Ashu Trikha, Enemmy is a cop action drama, which features Mithun and actor Suneil Shetty in lead roles, while Mahaakshay plays a CID officer in the film. IANS

Entertainment MONDAY, MAY 27, 2013

Entertainment MONDAY, MAY 27, 2013 CINE BYTES

STRAIGHT FROM THE HEART

NICOLE KIDMAN: Heartbroken Rihanna is partying hard

inger Rihanna is reportedly partying way too hard in order to get over breakup pain and it is making her friends worried. Rihanna, 25, is said to be heartbroken post her alleged split with Chris Brown because of model Karrueche Tran, reports telegraph.co.uk. "Pals have told Rihanna not to get upset about Chris and Karrueche. It's understandable that she'd want to escape her feelings but she's taking it way too far," the source said. IANS

Robert cannot get over Kristen's affair

ollywood actor Robert Pattinson cannot get over ex-girlfriend Kristen Stewart's affair with director Rupert Sanders. "Rob broke up with Kristen because he never got over the fact that she cheated," contactmusic.com quoted a source as saying. "He is never going to forget. Rob gets in his own head and thinks the worst. He broods a lot," the source said. IANS

Cameron Diaz looking for new man?

ameron Diaz is following veteran actress Jane Fonda's advice these days, and brushing up her intellectual abilities to ﬁnd a Mr Right for herself. "Cameron's tired of playing the airhead blonde and wants to take the next step in her life. Jane's encouraging her to read up on politics and be more of an activist in the next year. She's convinced Cameron will help attract her a seriously rich husband," femaleﬁrst.co.uk quoted a source as saying. IANS

I’ll judge on the purity of the filmmaking C

annes juror Nicole Kidman said she would judge the winner of the Film Festival based on the “purity of the motivations behind the filmmaking,” as the festival closed with plenty of buzz around a threehour teenaged lesbian love story. In an interview with a festival official on Saturday, hours before she and fellow jurors Steven Spielberg, Ang Lee, Lynne Ramsay and others were to begin deliberations, Kidman said: “I’m such a lover of film. I’m quite broad in what I consider to be good because I know what it takes to make a film and I know the motivations — when they’re pure I can tell. I'll be judging on the purity of the motivations behind the filmmaking.” She added: “I’m trying to go in very blank, so I’m impartial. I’m just glad I can give back to the festival in this way.”

MONDAY, MAY 27, 2013

Chai Time

THOUGHT OF THE DAY

It is a paradoxical but profoundly true and important principle of life that the most likely way to reach a goal is to be aiming not at that goal itself but at some more ambitious goal beyond it. Arnold Toynbee

KAKURO

QUICK CROSSWORD

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 Electric-car brand 6 ‘Little Women’ little woman 10 ‘No Ordinary Love’ band 14 Follow, as a suggestion 15 Eye layer containing the iris 16 Dodgers great Hershiser 17 Made to obey 20 Have a light repast 21 Temporary pause 22 Lean and lovely 23 ‘His Family’ author Ernest 25 Otherwise 26 Beg and plead 28 Cupid’s sport 32 Didn’t just suggest 34 Distinctive atmosphere 35 Road surfacing stuff 38 Murder mystery setting 42 ‘Faux’ follower 43 Low-lying region 44 Brought under control 45 Disfigures 48 The Untouchables’ leader 49 Early Genesis victim 51 Desert refuge 53 Los ___, NM 55 Light-blue ghost in Pac-Man 56 Possesses 59 Part of a magician’s routine, often 62 Not odd 63 Mortar rounds 64 Wispy white clouds 65 Unlikely candidate for prom king 66 ‘Hee Haw’ character 67 Haughty look

DOWN

1 Certain computer keys 2 Beige shade 3 Work cessation

4 Costello of comedy 5 ___-Saxon 6 Estate-door answerer 7 Apt anagram for ‘vile’ 8 Caesar’s X 9 They may be thrown into the ring 10 One way to be responsible 11 Botanical appendages 12 Al ___ (cooked, yet firm) 13 Gen Robert ___ 18 Dance for a luau 19 Ham it up 24 Yoked pair 26 Horn of a crescent moon 27 Dangerous marine creature 29 Provide food for 30 ‘Say what?’ 31 Preposition in poetry 33 Process a roll of film 35 Beach house arrangement, perhaps 36 ‘Rag Mop’ brothers 37 Pete Rose’s team, for most of his career 39 Blockhead 40 Eb’s wife? 41 Rajah’s mate 45 Supply’s partner 46 Screen legend Marilyn 47 Pseudonym of HH Munro 49 ‘It’s ___!’ (cry from Dr Frankenstein) 50 More degrading 52 Lip ___ (mouths the words) 53 Yemeni gulf 54 Fight verbally 55 Poetic foot 57 Cornfield measure 58 ___-crazy (restless) 60 Tall Australian bird 61 Rummy-player’s word

Chai Time MONDAY, MAY 27, 2013 Thiruvaikumar

STAR POWER for 28-5-2013

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

ARIES

TAURUS

GEMINI

CANCER

LEO

VIRGO

LIBRA

SCORPIO

SAGITTARIUS

CAPRICORN

AQUARIUS

PISCES

Bright chance for some to buy a vehicle. Comforts set to improve. Purchase of household items and furniture will make your spouse cheerful. Children might face loss of memory; take necessary steps. Respect your spouse’s suggestions.

STRIP TEASE AGNES

Be careful while expressing opinions as you might be dragged into controversies. Expenses might increase due to breakdown of your vehicle. Maintain calm when major issues crop up. With hard work you overcome roadblocks.

Employees get recognition for sincere and hard work. Students need to concentrate on studies. They must not deviate from their goal. Petty issues with spouse are possible; try to be cordial and adjust so that peace will remain in the family.

Indirect enemies try to harm you; be careful. You take bold and perfect decisions, which yield desired results and bring you accolades. You get expected help from your friends and relatives and succeed without fail in all work undertaken.

Financial position will improve. Businessmen march towards growth and prosperity. You fulfill wishes of spouse and children and make them happy. The mind will be occupied with religious thoughts and you help those who are in dire need.

Money comes from all the expected sources. Avoid entrusting important work to others as you will be successful if those chores are handled by you alone. Avoid emotional outburst. A financial deficit situation is unlikely.

Be careful in your talk as you might be misunderstood. Official journeys bring expected results. You face issues created by relatives and critics wisely and resolve them letting you relax. You will be happy and humourous.

Long-standing family issues get resolved favourably. A joy trip with family members is not ruled out. Happy events, which will keep all family members cheerful, to take place at home. Businessmen will flourish well and profits gradually look up.

Children make you happy and proud. All work will end successfully without much trouble or opposition. Powerful VIPs will extend help to you voluntarily, which will see you sail through hard times. Your skills receive appreciation from all.

TAROT READ

Sumaa Tekur

tarotreadhyd@gmail. com

ARIES:

GEMINI:

Three of Pentacles – Your mind is feeling fresh, having interacted with the right kind of intellectual people and having gathered new ideas.

LEO:

The Fool – Be open to new possibilities. New opportunities open up in areas unfamiliar to you. Try these out without dismissing them completely at the very start.

LIBRA:

PEARLS BEFORE SWINE

The Wheel of Fortune – Conceptual ideas are the beginning to giving your plans more concrete shape. Work out the blueprints and go ahead with belief.

SAGITTARIUS:

Temperance – There are unconventional ways to sell your ideas to skeptics. Use different channels of communication and take ideas from the internet, too.

TAURUS:

Two of Cups – There is a notion that you don’t like sharing, even in marriage. But that is not true. Certain events show that you can be a good partner.

CANCER:

Four of Wands – Careful when you consume fast foods and ready-to-eat foods like instant noodles and frozen samosas. Convenient, but fresh food has its charm.

VIRGO:

Six of Swords – Overseas contacts are important for success in your field. Network in the right way, using the right channels and it should benefit you.

SCORPIO:

Knight of Wands – There are no free lunches in this world. If someone is being close to you and acting friendly, you need to think what this person wants.

CAPRICORN:

Three of Swords – You need to stay united with family members in times of trouble to show that you care and that you can be a family person.

PREVIOUS SOLUTIONS

PISCES:

Page of Swords – Solutions to life’s problems cannot be found mechanically. You cannot find a formula to crack it because there are emotions involved.

NUMBER GAME

Wands – You need to make notes at important meetings so that everything is recorded well and also because there will be no confusion later.

SCRABBLE

AQUARIUS: Seven of

POOCH CAFE

Self-employed persons will prosper. Businessmen have a good growth and profits are likely to soar. You are determined to complete all undertaken assignments better than others. Debt problems might gain an upper hand; be careful.

for 28-5-2013

Two of Wands – You need to feel free to spend time by yourself every day and do what you like. You have to wrestle through the day’s tasks to get this free time.

NON SEQUITUR

You get excited over your son’s career opportunity. You look cheerful and active. Frequent journeys likely to be undertaken. You complete all work without giving up, even in the face of hurdles. Students do well and get a good name.

SUDUKO

You will spend good time with children and fulfill their wishes. Those trying for a new job will get good news very soon. Financial situation is good as multiple income likely. Family is cheerful. Construction plans will get favourable response.

Boggle BETA ALPHA DELTA THETA GAMMA Vol: 2, No 311 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

CLASSIC HOLLYWOOD MONDAY, MAY 27, 2013

IN A GALAXY FAR, FAR AWAY

A Cultural Phenomenon

PICK OF THE WEEK

LIKE NO OTHER

22, 1976, in Tunisia. The entire shoot was a joke and very few people believed in the project and Lucas himself was horrified when he saw the first cut. When the film was re-edited, he showed the film to his friends Brian De Palma, John Milius, and Steven Spielberg, whose feedback wasn’t quite encouraging. To his surprise, the studio executives at Fox loved the film, but no one anticipated what a big success it was going to become at the box-office. Star Wars was originally supposed to release in late 1976, but the delay in shooting forced Fox studio to postpone it to summer 1977. Meanwhile, Lucas appointed Charles Lippincott as the marketing director for Star Wars. In 1976, when Mego Corporation, the largest toy

On May 25, 1977, people in US thronged theatres like there was no tomorrow, thanks to George Lucas’ Star Wars. It was an adventure of a lifetime and one for the ages. We take a look at the run-up to this iconic film’s release, which laid the framework for promoting and marketing a big budget film in Hollywood. HEMANTH KUMAR hemanth.k@postnoon.com

n May 25, 1977, George Lucas gave moviegoers in the US an experience which they’ll cherish throughout their lives. Star Wars was no less than a cinematic event of its era and a cultural phenomenon, which only a few films in the history of cinema can boast of. It has been more than 36 years since the original film released and till date, every minute aspect of the film is hotly debated, so much that even George Lucas had to explain some of the changes he had been contemplating to make in the sequels. The phenomenal success of the Star Wars franchise has spawned millions of fans across the world and so well versed are they with the Star Wars universe that you better think twice before you try to pick an argument with them. Ironically, the film’s production was riddled with far too many challenges than one can imagine and George Lucas was so overwhelmed with the work that he almost had a heart attack. In 1973, when George Lucas shot to fame with the success of American Graffiti, Alan Ladd, Jr., the head of Twentieth Century Fox, was so

The limited release of Star Wars led to a near stampede and people thronged to watch a movie without a clue about what was in store for them. impressed with the film that he was determined that Fox should produce Lucas’ next film. For the next two years, Lucas worked on several drafts of a space opera and he kept on making several changes before finalising the script of what

would become Star Wars, which was later renamed as Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope in the 80s. In 1975, George Lucas founded his own visual effects studio, Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) and the principal shooting began on March

manufacturer back in the 70s, was approached to produce Star Wars action figures, it rejected the offer and finally Kenner Products obtained the deal. From 1977 to 1985, Kenner sold over 300 million action figures and there were times when it couldn’t meet the unprecedented demand. For a film of this magnitude, surprisingly, it released in only 32 theatres on the first day and later expanded to 43 in its opening weekend, because not many exhibitors had high hopes. Besides, there was Billy Friedkin’s Sorcerer which was expected to be a big hit. The limited release of Star Wars led to a near stampede in few theatres and people thronged to watch a spectacle without a clue about what was in store for them. And then the opening scroll rolled...”A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away...”

A Woman Under the Influence (1974) Directed by John Cassavetes, the ﬁlm focuses on a woman whose unusual behaviour forces her husband to commit her to psychiatric treatment and its aftermath on their family. The ﬁlm, starring Gena Rowlands and Peter Falk, is regarded as one of the best movies of the 70s and Gena Rowlands was nominated for an Oscar for Best Actress for her outstanding performance.

In Hollywood, the woods are full of people that learned to write but evidently can't read. If they could read their stuff, they'd stop writing. Will Rogers Actor

DID YOU KNOW? Acclaimed film critic Roger Ebert also wrote a bunch of screenplays in the 70s out of which Beyond The Valley of Dolls was the most popular film. Although it wasn’t received well upon its release in 1970, it’s not regarded as a cult classic. Apart from this film, Ebert also wrote scripts for Beneath the Valley of the UltraVixens which released in 1979

Norma Shearer, one of the most popular actresses in the 1920s and 30s, was instrumental in launching the career of another popular actress. One day, while staying at a ski lodge, she noticed a photo of the receptionist's daughter and recommended her to MGM — that girl, was Janet Leigh, who went on to act in Psycho.

sports

MONDAY, MAY 27, 2013

GIRO D’ITALIA

Nibali secures Giro title, Cav wins finale JUSTIN DAVIS Agence France-Presse BRESCIA, ITALY: Italian Vincenzo Nibali secured his maiden Giro d’Italia title on Sunday as Britain’s Mark Cavendish took his fifth stage win on the 21st and final leg into Brescia. Nibali, of the Astana team, finished the weather-hit 96th edition with a 4min 43sec lead on Colombian Rigoberto Uran of Team Sky with Australian Cadel Evans of BMC finishing third at 5:52. After negotiating the final

stage successfully, an emotional Nibali said: “I’ve achieved one of my lifetime dreams. I can’t believe it. It’s unbelievable." It was Nibali’s first victory on the three-week Italian race, in which he finished third in 2010 and runner-up in 2011. Last year, he finished third overall on the Tour de France, won by Britain’s Bradley Wiggins. Nibali succeeds Canadian Ryder Hesjedal as winner of the race’s ‘maglia rosa’ (pink jersey) after the Garmin rider, followed by an ailing Wiggins, dropped out before the final week due to

‘Giro triumph won’t change Tour plans’ Vincenzo Nibali’s maiden victory in the Giro d’Italia has confirmed his status as one of the world’s top stage racers, but the Italian said it won’t tempt him to line up at July’s Tour de France. The Astana team leader, 28, secured his first ever victory in the three-week epic when he won Sunday’s final stage into Brescia.

NBA

Heat come out firing INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA: The NBA champions Miami Heat bounced back with a vengeance on Sunday, racing to an early lead and rolling to a 114-96 victory over Indiana in game three of the Eastern Conference finals. Miami, stung by a game-two defeat on their home floor on Friday, struck back to take a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven series. The winner will advance to the NBA finals to take on either San Antonio or Memphis for the league crown. NBA Most Valuable Player LeBron James led the Heat with 22 points. He scored 18 in the

LeBron James of the Miami Heat dunks in the Indiana Pacers in Game Three of the Eastern Conference Finals on Sunday at Bankers Life. AFP

first half as Miami, connecting on 63 percent of their shots from the floor, jumped into a 70-56 lead at the break.

All five Miami starters scored in double figures. Dwyane Wade added 18 with eight assists. AFP

INDIANAPOLIS MOTOR SPEEDWAY

ITPL LAUNCH

IPTL is player and TV friendly: Bhupathi

NEW DELHI: Indian tennis star Mahesh Bhupathi, who has launched his ambitious International Premier Tennis League (IPTL) with the backing of a galaxy of top stars, says his event would be TV, spectator and players friendly because of its unique model. Superstars such as Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray, Serena Williams, Rafael Nadal and legends Andre Aggasi and Pete Sampras have promised to feature in the league, which is expected to begin in December 2014, prior to the Australian

Tony Kanaan of Brazil driver of the #11 KV Racing Technology Dallara Chevrolet celebrates after winning the IZOD IndyCar Series.

Open. Modelled on the highly successful Indian Premier League cricket event, the IPTL, a Bhupathi-owned Globosport property, will feature the world’s best players representing franchises throughout Asia. PTI

NASCAR AUTO RACE

Brazil’s Tony Kanaan wins Indy 500

INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA: Brazil’s Tony Kanaan, frustrated after leading eight Indianapolis 500s without a victory, finally won the oval classic on Sunday with tension-packed restart pass with three laps remaining. Kanaan overtook US leader Ryan Hunter-Reay on the restart and a crash by defending champion Dario Franchitti moments later handed Kanaan a longsought triumph over 200 laps at the 2.5-mile (four-kilometer) Indianapolis Motor Speedway oval. “I can’t believe it. I’m speechless," Kanaan said. “I got a little bit of luck today." Kanaan ensured his likeness will be molded onto the champions’ trophy in his 12th Indy start.

illness. The 28-year-old Nibali is the first Sicilian to win the race and is the first Italian winner since Michele Scarponi, who was handed the 2011 title following Spaniard Alberto Contador’s disqualification for doping offences. Nibali took possession of the pink jersey after the stage eight time trial won by Britain’s Alex Dowsett and despite a strong challenge from Evans he took a massive step towards overall victory with his victory in Thursday’s 18th stage, a 20.6 km uphill time trial.

“We were known for not winning. Now we’re known for winning," Kanaan said. “This is it. I made it. Finally, I’m going to put my ugly face on that trophy." On the lap 198 restart after a crash by US racer Graham Rahal, Kanaan went low around Hunter-Reay and took the lead in the first turn while Colombian rookie Carlos Munoz, in his first IndyCar race, went high and took second. Seconds later, Franchitti hit the wall to bring out yellow flags for the final time as the race cruised to the finish under slowspeed caution laps. “I couldn’t believe it," Kanaan said. “The last lap was the longest lap of my life. I wanted the pace car to hurry up." AFP

The aerial Fox Sports camera in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series CocaCola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

Fans hurt as TV cable breaks at race CONCORD, NORTH CAROLINA: Ten fans were hurt and at least two cars damaged when a television camera cable broke and fell across the track at the NASCAR CocaCola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Sunday, officials said. Charlotte Motor Speedway released a statement saying the fans were injured when the

cable, a nylon rope used as a guide in an overhead camera system, fell during the 121st lap of the 400-lap race in the popular stock car brand’s elite Sprint Cup series. Officials of the circuit said seven of those hurt were treated on site and released, and three others were taken to hospital for observation. AFP

sports

MONDAY, MAY 27, 2013

FRENCH OPEN

Maria, Nadal title defences underway Rafael Nadal and Maria Sharapova begin their Roland Garros title defences on Monday. DAVE JAMES Agence France-Presse

Results (x denotes seed)

PARIS: Rafael Nadal and Maria Sharapova (above) begin their Roland Garros title defences on Monday while Jo-Wilfried Tsonga carries the burden of trying to end France’s 30-year wait for a home champion. Nadal, the seven-time champion and with a Paris record of 52 wins against just one loss, starts against Germany’s Daniel Brands, the world number 60, who has lost all four first round matches he has contested at Roland Garros. Nadal is playing his first Grand Slam tournament since a shock second round defeat at Wimbledon last year sent him home to Manacor to rest his suspect left knee. His seven-month absence meant he missed the Olympics as well as the US and Australian Opens. But he has been the most successful player since his return in February, winning six titles from eight finals.

Men’s singles 1st round João Sousa (POR) bt Go Soeda (JPN) 6-1, 6-3, 6-2 Blaz Kavcic (SLO) bt James Duckworth (AUS) 6-2, 6-2, 6-2 Milos Raonic (CAN x14) bt Xavier Malisse (BEL) 6-2, 6-1, 46, 6-4 Kevin Anderson (RSA x23) bt Illya Marchenko (UKR) 6-3, 75, 6-4 Roberto Bautista (ESP) bt Gilles Muller (LUX) 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 Gilles Simon (FRA x15) bt Lleyton Hewitt (AUS) 3-6, 1-6, 64, 6-1, 7-5 Sam Querrey (USA x18) bt Lukás Lacko (SVK) 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 Roger Federer (SUI x2) bt Pablo Carreño (ESP) 6-2, 6-2, 6-3 Women’s singles 1st round Petra Cetkovská (CZE) bt Olga Puchkova (RUS) 6-0, 6-2 Sara Errani (ITA x5) bt Arantxa Rus (NED) 6-1, 6-2 Ana Ivanovic (SRB x14) bt Petra Martic (CRO) 6-1, 3-6, 6-3 Serena Williams (USA x1) bt Anna Tatishvili (GEO) 6-0, 6-1 Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (RUS x19) bt Andrea Hlavácková (CZE) 4-6, 7-6 (7/5), 6-4 Yulia Putintseva (KAZ) bt Ayumi Morita (JPN) 6-2, 6-3 Caroline Garcia (FRA) bt Yulia Beygelzimer (UKR) 6-3, 6-4 Mallory Burdette (USA) bt Donna Vekic (CRO) 6-3, 6-4

Despite that formidable record coming into Paris, the 26-year-old Nadal was desperate to cool the hype over an unprecedented eighth French Open title. “The Grand Slams are not the only tournaments on the tour,” said the Spanish third seed. When I go on court playing in a Grand Slam or playing in a Masters 1000 or playing in a 500 or 250, my feeling is try my best and try to play with the same passion in every tournament.” Sharapova, seeded two behind Serena Williams, starts against Taiwan’s Hsieh SuWei while 2011 champion Li Na, the sixth seeded Chinese star, opens proceedings on Court Philippe Chatrier against Spain’s Anabel Medina Garrigues. Russian star Sharapova opened her claycourt season with a title win in Stuttgart, but was then easily beaten by Williams in Madrid before pulling out of the Rome quarter-finals with an illness. She currently stands 2-13 against Williams.

CROWNE PLAZA INVITATIONAL

Venus vows to fight on despite loss

PARIS: Seven-time Grand Slam champion Venus Williams (above) insisted on Monday that retirement is not on her agenda despite suffering her earliest French Open exit in 12 years. The 32-year-old American slumped to a 7-6 (7/5), 6-7 (4/7), 6-4 loss to Poland’s Urszula Radwanska, 10 years her junior, in the first round on Sunday, her worst result since losing Barbara Schett at the same stage in 2001. Troubled by a back injury in recent weeks, the 30th-seeded American had mounted a stirring comeback in the second set tiebreak, clawing her way from 0/4 down to reel off seven points in succession.

NICE ONE

Weekley wins at Colonial FORT WORTH, TEXAS: Boo Weekley won the US PGA Tour’s $6.4 million Crowne Plaza Invitational on Sunday, firing a final-round 66 to claim his third career title, and his first since 2008. Weekley, whose career has been hindered by injury since he won back-to-back titles at the RBC Heritage in 2007 and 2008, had six birdies in his second straight 66 at Colonial Country Club for a 14-under par total of 266.

Scores

He finished one stroke in front of overnight leader Matt Kuchar, with 2012 champion Zach Johnson alone in third a further stroke back. AFP

HARD NUT Umpire reveals UAE ‘fixing’ LONDON: Former umpire John Holder (right) alleged Sunday he was offered £10,000 ($15,139) to help sway the course of a one-day international in the United Arab Emirates. Holder, who stood in 11 Tests, said the approach related to a match between Sri Lanka

and Pakistan in Sharjah. “They said if I can somehow lull the Sri Lanka batsmen into putting on a partnership of 85 they would give me £10,000 in cash,” the 68year-old Holder told BBC. “I said, ‘You’ve got the wrong person’.” AFP

266 — Boo Weekley 67-67-66-66 267 — Matt Kuchar 65-65-69-68 268 — Zach Johnson 69-65-68-66 269 — Scott Stallings 69-65-69-66, John Rollins 63-71-67-68, Matt Every 65-69-66-69 270 — Josh Teater 65-67-71-67, Jordan Spieth 65-67-71-67, Tim Clark (RSA) 67-69-65-69, Chris Stroud 6766-67-70 271 — John Huh 66-68-72-65, Chez Reavie 70-64-70-67, Jonas Blixt (SWE) 67-68-67-69 272 — Franklin Corpening 68-70-7262, Ryan Palmer 62-72-71-67, Bud Cauley 67-69-66-70.

World karate champion Syeda Falak of the City being felicitated at FAPSI Red Hills on Sunday.

NEW ZEALAND IN ENGLAND

Swann strikes before Cook piles on agony JULIAN GUYER Agence France-Presse LEEDS, UK: Graeme Swann (right) took four wickets as England established a commanding position on the third day of the second Test against New Zealand at Headingley on Sunday. At the close, England were

116 for one in their second innings — a lead of 296 runs — after Swann starred in New Zealand’s second straight batting collapse. England captain Alastair Cook, who opted against enforcing the follow-on, was 88 not out and Jonathan Trott 11 not out. Fast bowler Steven Finn took the first three New Zealand wickets.

IPL 6

BATTLE OF THE TITANS

METER

6 S 674

Chris Gayle (RCB),

51 4S 2051

Michael Hussey (CSK)

HIGHEST SCORE

MONDAY, MAY 27, 2013

175*

Chris Gayle (RCB)

BEST BOWLER

5-16

James Faulkner (RR)

Master Blaster bids IPL adieu For the World Cup I had to wait for 21 years and this (the IPL) for six years. So, It’s never too late. This is my last IPL. It’s the perfect way to end it. Sachin Tendulkar announcing retirement Michael Hussey (CSK) 733 runs

Dwayne Bravo (CSK) 32 wickets

Rayudu dedicates win to Tendulkar

escribing Sachin Tendulkar as the backbone of Mumbai Indians, batsman Ambati Rayudu dedicated the team’s maiden IPL triumph to the senior batsman who has announced his retirement from the event. “I think he is the one who is the backbone of the team,” Rayudu said of the right-hander, who played just 14 matches this season after being laid low by a hand injury. The 40-year-old Tendulkar announced his retirement last night after Mumbai beat Chennai Super Kings by 23 runs at the Eden Gardens to capture their maiden IPL trophy. Rayudu said the triumph was a result of four seasons of hard work. “This is extraordinary! Four years of hard work. We have come so close before and were really very hungry for it. This is beyond words,” Rayudu told IPLT20.com. “I think the unbeaten run at home set the tone for the Playoffs,” he added. The MI batsman was also left amazed by the enthusiastic crowd that turned up at the Eden. “It is unbelievable how a packed Eden Gardens witnessed us. It is a dream. There is nothing better than this,” he said. PTI

KOLKATA: Senior Indian batsman Sachin Tendulkar, who called it quits from the IPL after Mumbai Indians lifted the title here, said it was the perfect time to retire from the Twenty20 event as he has to “face the reality” after turning 40. “I think this is the right time to stop playing IPL. I am 40. I have to face the reality. I had decided that this would be my last season. And now the ending is perfect,” Tendulkar said after Mumbai beat Chennai Super Kings by 23 runs at the Eden Gardens last night to lift their maiden IPL trophy. Tendulkar, who played 78 IPL matches accumulating 2334 runs at an average of 34.83, had to stay out of the final after failing to recover from a left hand injury that he picked up a fortnight ago in a match against Sunrisers Hyderabad. The veteran, who scored one century and 13 half-centuries during his overall IPL stint, played just 14 matches this season making 287 runs at an average of 22.07 with 54 being his highest. “For the World Cup I had to wait for 21 years and this (the IPL) for six years. So, It’s never too late. This is my last IPL. It’s the perfect way to end it,” a jovial Tendulkar said after his team’s triumph. “I have got to be realistic here. I’ve enjoyed my six seasons with MI. It’s been fantastic journey. This season was superb.

We thought our third season was the best but this one is the icing on the cake,” he added. The affable right-hander, however, did not specify whether he would compete for Mumbai in the Champions League

SCORECARD

Twenty20 which is scheduled for October. “I can’t wait to hold this trophy. I waited for six years. I can never thank the fans enough. A big thank you to all the supporters who enjoyed cricket. PTI

Mumbai Indians are IPL champs

MUMBAI INDIANS VS CHENNAI SUPER KINGS Mumbai Indians innings (20 overs maximum) DR Smith lbw b Sharma 4 AP Tarec Samson b Morkel 0 KD Karthik b Morris 21 RG Sharma c & b Morkel 2 AT Rayudu b Bravo 37 KA Pollard* not out 60 HarbhajanSingh cHussey bBravo 14 R Dhawan runout (Sharma/Morris) 3 MG Johnson c Dhoni b Bravo 1 SL Malinga c Dhoni b Bravo 0 PP Ojha* not out 1 Extras (lb 2, w 3) 5 Total (9 wickets; 20.0 overs) 148 Bowling O M R W Econ MM Sharma 4 0 26 1 6.50 JA Morkel 3 0 12 2 4.00 CH Morris 4 0 25 1 6.25 R Ashwin 3 0 22 0 7.33 RA Jadeja 2 0 19 0 9.50 DJ Bravo 4 0 42 4 10.50

Chennai Super Kings (target: 149 runs from 20 overs) MEK Hussey b Malinga 1 M Vijay c Sharma b Johnson 18 SK Raina c Smith b Malinga 0 S Badrinath c Karthik b Johnson 0 DJ Bravo c Johnson b Dhawan 15 RA Jadeja c Pollard b Harbhajan 0 MS Dhoni not out 63 JA Morkel b Ojha 10 Morris c †Karthik b Harbhajan Singh 0 R Ashwin c sub (AR Patel) b Pollard 9 MM Sharma not out 0 Extras (lb 2, w 7) 9 Total (9 wickets; 20 overs) 125 Bowling O M R W Econ SL Malinga 4 0 22 2 5.50 MG Johnson 4 0 19 2 4.75 PP Ojha 4 0 28 1 7.00 R Dhawan 1 0 6 1 6.00 Harbhajan 3 0 14 2 4.66 KA Pollard 4 0 34 1 8.50

Mumbai Indians won by 23 runs

KOLKATA: Mumbai Indians finally annexed their maiden Pepsi Indian Premier Legue title upstaging a jittery Chennai Super Kings by 23 runs in the final here today to bring the curtains down to a tarnished sixth season of the cash-rich league. Mired in spot-fixing controversy after the arrest of owner N Srinivasan’s son-in-law Gurunath Meiyappan, Chennai Super Kings found the 149-run target, usually an easy ask by their standard, a little too much as they finished on 125 for nine on a difficult track. Kieron Pollard (60 no and 1/34, 1 catch) was the man-ofthe-match for his all-round effort. Skipper Mahendra Singh

Dhoni now lost back-to-back IPL finals despite being the lone man standing in the end with an unbeaten 63. As soon as the last delivery was bowled by Pollard, senior pros Sachin Tendulkar, Ricky Ponting along with Team Mentor Anil Kumble rushed to the ground. Just like 2011 World Cup final, Tendulkar did a lap of honour with the teammates like Harbhajan carrying him on their shoulders. Lasith Malinga (2/22) and Mitchell Johnson (2/19) set the tone before Harbhajan Singh (2/14) joined in the act as it was a rare batting disaster for the IPL heavyweights who featured in four straight, five overall, finals. PTI

MONDAY, MAY 27, 2013

sports UP FOR SALE

CLEVERLEY TO MISS IRELAND, BRAZIL FRIENDLIES Manchester United midfielder Tom Cleverley will miss England’s forthcoming friendlies against the Republic of Ireland and Brazil after suffering a calf injury. Cleverley sustained the problem playing for United in their 5-5 draw at West Bromwich Albion on the final day of the Premier League.

GERMAN CUP FINAL PREVIEW

GREAT BUY

Bayern’s success raises pressure on Guardiola Bayern Munich’s German Head Coach Jupp Heynckes (L) celebrates during the celebration banquet in London. AFP

Heynckes open to Real offer: agent MADRID: The agent of Bayern Munich’s Champions League winning coach Jupp Heynckes has said the German would accept the chance to return to Real Madrid should he be offered the chance. Heynckes lifted Europan football’s biggest prize for the second time on Saturday night as Bayern beat Borussia Dortmund 2-1 at Wembley, having already won the Champions League during his one year in charge of Real in 1997-98. He has previously said he is retiring from the sport following the German Cup final against VfB Stuttgart and the 68-year-old will be replaced at Bayern by Pep Guardiola next season, but his representative Enrique Reyes now claims he is not yet ready to retire. “Jupp would be delighted and is wishing to return to Real Madrid," Reyes told a radio station. “If Florentino (Perez) phones us, we would accept the offer for sure. Right now, he is only retiring from the Bundesliga. He who has to accept is not Heynckes, but Florentino Perez." AFP

RYLAND JAMES Agence France-Presse LONDON: European champions Bayern Munich plan to win Saturday’s German Cup final to see coach Jupp Heynckes off with a historic treble, but it will only increase the pressure on new arrival Pep Guardiola (right). The 42-year-old exBarcelona boss takes office as Bayern trainer on June 26 as Heynckes ends his two-year tenure as Munich coach after Saturday’s German Cup final in Berlin against VfB Stuttgart. Bayern’s 2-1 win over Borussia Dortmund in Saturday’s Wembley final gave the Bavarians their first Champions League crown since 2001 having lost last season’s finale in Munich. The hurt of defeat to Chelsea on penalties at their own Allianz Arena stadium drove Bayern to win this season’s Bundesliga in emphatic style. Having broken or equalled 25 league records, Bayern will become the first German team to win the treble if they add the German Cup to the European and league titles. Potential victory at Berlin’s Olympic Stadium — Bayern’s 45th of the season — is seen by the players as a fitting finale for Heynckes before stepping down, most likely into retirement. “We want to keep going to the end of the season and win the cup as well for the boss," said Bayern midfielder Thomas Mueller. “He has had an incredible

Neymar did not join Barça for money: Vilanova

Heynckes did a great job last season managing egos of Bayern’s stars and one of Guardiola’s challenges is how to accommodate the talent at his disposal in an already congested midfield. career and this would be the perfect way to end it." Heynckes has said Guardiola can lead Bayern to “embark on an era in European football", but after the club dropped just 11 Bundesliga points all season, the Spaniard will be expected to continue in the same vein. He has some tough choices to make deciding who to leave out of his first-choice side. Part of Bayern’s success has been driven by the fierce competition for places and the arrivals of Dortmund’s

Germany star Mario Goetze, and possibly Robert Lewandowski, will not ease the tension. “My successor will, of course, be able to take over a perfectly functioning team," said Heynckes, who won his second Champions League title after winning with Real Madrid in 1998. “As far as I know, Mario Goetze will be joining Bayern Munich and I don’t think Lewandowski will be hanging about too much either, and then, of course, you’ve got two top attackers as well." Heynckes did a great job last season managing the egos of Bayern’s stars and one of Guardiola’s challenges is how to accommodate the talent at his disposal in an already congested midfield. Bayern’s Wembley hero Arjen Robben, who scored the 89th-minute winner, only returned to Heynckes’ firstchoice side after Toni Kroos’ knee injury at the start of April.

FOOTBALL BRIEFS Sociedad held by Madrid Lennon eyes more glory in six-goal thriller after Celtic double

Lazio oust Roma to lift Italian Cup

Ibrahimovic’s future unclear

MADRID: Real Sociedad’s hopes of qualifying for the Champions League for the ﬁrst time in a decade were dealt a blow as they could only manage a 3-3 draw at home to Real Madrid on Sunday night. Gonzalo Higuain and Jose Maria Callejon had given Jose Mourinho’s men a 2-0 lead in his penultimate match before a ﬁghtback from Sociedad.

ROME: Lazio beat bitter city rivals Roma 1-0 to win the Italian Cup on Sunday and qualify for next season’s Europa League. In the first ever cup final between the Roman neighbours - which saw 2,000 police deployed - there was more riding on the outcome than simple silverware. Both clubs had finished outside the European places in Serie A.

PARIS: Paris Saint-Germain striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic said Sunday that he doesn’t know if he will stay with the French Ligue 1 champions next season if coach Carlo Ancelotti leaves at the end of the current campaign. “When they ask me what my future will be if Carlo leaves, I know nothing, it’s not (an) easy (situation)," Ibrahimovic said.

GLASGOW: Celtic manager Neil Lennon set his sights on more silverware next season after his side sealed their first domestic double since 2007 with a 3-0 defeat of Hibernian in the Scottish Cup final at Hampden Park. Gary Hooper grabbed a first half brace and Joe Ledley’s late strike sealed a 36th Scottish Cup triumph for Celtic.

MADRID: Barcelona manager Tito Vilanova has expressed his delight at the club’s capture of Brazilian international Neymar (above). The Catalan club confirmed on Sunday that the 21-year-old will join them on a five-year contract in a deal that is expected to cost the Spanish champions around 50 million euros ($65m, £43m) and Vilanova hailed the player for not choosing the option to earn more money at other clubs. “We have to congratulate the secretarial team for the signing of Neymar," he said at a press conference after Barca’s 2-0 defeat of Espanyol on Sunday night. “He is a significant signing and we have been very aware of him for a long time because we knew he could receive better offers from others. “I also congratulate Neymar for choosing a sporting project and not an economic one. I have confidence that he is going to do well in Europe and he is going to help us be better." And Vilanova also dismissed claims that Neymar is more of a flashy player, more capable of eye-catching flicks and tricks than delivering effectively for the team. AFP

I also congratulate Neymar for choosing a sporting project and not an economic one. I have confidence that he is going to do well in Europe and he is going to help us. Tito Vilanova Barcelona manager