Epaper 28 june 2013

FRIDAY, JUNE 28, 2013 HYDERABAD

JESUS SAVES SPANISH DREAM

WEATHER: A MIX OF CLOUDY AND CLEAR SKIES; 28°C

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LOTUS TO GO IT ALONE IN AP

Jesus Navas settled a nailbiting penalty shoot-out 7-6 for Spain as they edged Italy in Fortaleza on Thursday to set up a final meeting with Brazil.

No more nightly trips for other parties to the BJP camp canvassing votes while they denounce it during the day. The BJP has realised it has gained nothing by allying with other parties. It has decided to test its mettle on its own and ‘surprise’ everybody, or so the leadership claims.

PG 32

PG 5

HYDERABAD’S FIRST COMPACT AFTERNOON NEWSPAPER N SHIVA KUMAR

‘

THE POLICE MADE ME A DON’ REPORT ON P3

Young and brimming with confidence, Farah Khan, 37, is one of the most well-known women in Old City. Alleged to be a don amongst dons, her infamy is also shrouded in mystery. In an exclusive interview with Postnoon, she blames a faulty police system and societal bias for her ‘criminal’ status.

FEAR CAPTURED

The latest movie to use the found footage style of filmmaking Europa Report releases today. The genre, which is used mostly while making horror movies, has either all or a substantial part of the movie presented as discovered film or video recordings.

Postnoon takes a look at a few other Holly wood movies that have spooked us using this genre previously.

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FRIDAY, JUNE 28, 2013

city events

FILM SCREENING

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

Where: Prasads Labs Preview Theatre, Banjara Hills.

When: June 30, 11am - 1pm Contact: Mansi Gandhi at 99084-77444

Weather for Hyderabad

Evening

Overnight

Morning

Afternoon

28°C

22°C

26°C

32°C

A mix of cloudy and clear skies. Windy.

A mix of cloudy and clear skies.

A mix of cloud and sun. Windy.

A mix of cloud and sun. Windy.

New Delhi Mumbai Max 35 Max 30 Min 29 Min 24 Sunny intervals, a t-storm.

Occasional rain and drizzle.

Chennai Max 37 Min 28

Bangalore Max 28 Min 21

Intervals of clouds and sun.

An afternoon thunderstorm likely.

AROUND THE CITY: YOUR GUIDE TO THE TWIN CITIES Where: The Square, Novotel Hyderabad Convention Centre When: Every Saturday, 7pm onwards Contact: 040 6682 4422 Twisted spirits Altitude at the Hyderabad Marriott Hotel and Convention Centre has on offer cocktails and mockatails made from locally-sourced fruits and berries.

Where: Altitude, Hyderabad Marriott Hotel and Convention Centre When: Till July 10, 5:30pm onwards Contact: +91 40 2752 2556

SHOWS Dance and drama Shobana's Krishna, dance performance by dancer and actress Shobhana will be held.

Where: Shilpa Kala Vedika, Madhapur When: June 28, 6 pm Contact: 23112704

HOLY FEAST: Preparations for Iftaar delicacies, especially Haleem, have begun in the Old City area. Ramzan starts on July 9 this year.

M ANIL KUMAR

WORKSHOPS

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

Where: Sky, Avasa, Madhapur When: June 29, 9pm onwards Play pursuits Play Aladdin Chicha will be staged.

Where: Lamakaan, Banjara Hills When: June 29, 7.30 pm to 8.30 pm Contact: 96427-31329

Little wonders A workshop on puppet making for mothers by Sphoorthi Theatre for Educational Puppetry will be held.

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

Exhibition Some of India's best weavers and designers bring exclusive traditional silk, cotton collection from all over the country.

Where: Sri Sathya Sai Nigamagamam, Srinagar Colony When: June 30, 10am to 10pm

Commissioner & Spl Officer

Helpline GAS BOOKING IVRS NO HP 9666023456 Indane 9848824365 BSNL Complaints HMWS & SB Complaints

198 155313

POLICE CONTROL ROOM Hyderabad 27852435 Traffic Control Room 27852482 DCP Traffic 23234065, 23243499F Pollution Control Board 23887500 ELECTRICITY General Complaints Breakdown Section

155333 23431178 23431179

MUNICIPAL CORPORATION

23262266 24166666R ENC 23225267 Engineering 23220418 MCH Tankbund 23225397 Emergency MCH Circle I&II 24525842 MCH Circle III 24736912 MCH Circle IV 23326975 MCH Circle V 23326976 MCH Circle VI MCH Complaints 1100 Head Office 23225397 IVRS CUM MANUAL ENQUIRY PHONE NUMBERS (TRAIN & RESERVATION) RAILWAYS Rail Nilayam 27833169, 27824216 Railway Information 131 Reservations 135 Recorded Information 1345 Enquiry (IVRS) 1331, 1332, 1333

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

Where: Just books, Jubilee Hills.

When: Every Sunday, 10 am to 12 pm Contact: 9849748117 Art attack Aakar Art academy is conducting a painting workshop for kids above the age of 4.

Where: Just Books, Jubilee Hills When: Every Friday and Saturday, Friday - 4 to 5.30pm Contact: (040) 66662323 Let’s drum together Aao Bajao, an open drun circle by Drumberries is organising its 23 session.

Where: Pebble Creek High

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

Montessori School, Dr AS Rao Nagar.

When: June 30, 5pm Contact: 9160001494 Website: www.drumberries.com

DINING Food fest Pasta food festival is on.

Where: Prego, The Westin When: Till June 30, 7 pm to 11 pm Contact: 040 6767 6828 Kakatiya food Kakatiya Food Festival is on.

Where: Bidri, Hyderabad Marriott Hotel and Convention Centre When: Till June 30, 6.30 to 11.30pm Contact: +91 40 2752 2577 Sunset BBQ Saturday Sunset BBQ is on.

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

Afghani food festival Green Park Hotel has unveiled Kabul's best kept secrets as part of their Afghani food festival.

Where: Once Upon A Time, Green Park Hotel, Greenlands, Begumpet When: Till June 30, 12-11pm

Singaporean food festival Enjoy the finest of Asian flavours at the Singaporean food festival. Chef Boon Kim from Grand Hyatt, Singapore, brings out an eclectic a la carte menu.

Where: Oriental Bar & Kitchen, Park Hyatt When: June 30, 12-11:30pm Contact: +91 40 4949 1204

Airport Director 27903785, 27906001 For Air India Flight Information Toll free (from any network) for IC Flights 18001801407 And for All Flights: 1800227722 Air India has revised its flight timings.

For more information call (Toll free) 18001801407, 1800227722 from BSNL/MTNL 04023430334 from other lines and mobile Website; www.airindia.in TOURISM OFFICES AP Tourism, Hyd 23262152/53/54 Sec-bad 27893100 Dept of Tourism 23453110 India Tourism 23261360 AP Tourism information Centre (24x7) 23450444, 23455999 UK VISA OFFICE VFS India Pvt Ltd Building, 8-2-542/A, Sunil Chamber, Road No. 7

Beside Meridian School, Banjara Hills34. Working hours are from 8 AM to 1 PM And 2 PM to 3PM. MUSEUMS Salar Jung Museum AP State Museum Nizams Museum

24523211 232431300/7641 24521029

Readers’ views

We invite you to write to us comments, suggestions, viewpoint or just about anything to feedback@postnoon.com or #1246, Level 3, Jubilee Casa, Road No 62, Jubilee Hills, Hyderabad – 500 033 or even by way of a call on 4067 2222

FRIDAY, JUNE 28, 2013

news

YESTERDAY’S QUESTION

ARE ‘FIGHTING POLITICIANS A DISGRACE TO THE STATE? 79% 21%

YES (A) NO (B)

TODAY’S QUESTION

DO YOU THINK THE CBI WILL BE TRULY INDEPENDENT? A)

YES

B)

NO

To vote visit www.postnoon.com

WOMAN ROWDY-SHEETER

CIVIC

N SHIVA KUMAR

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Illegal structures razed POSTNOON NEWS feedback@postnoon.com HYDERABAD: As per the orders of the High Court, the town planning wing of Circle No 7 has removed encroachments on the road margin, five permanent iron sheds and 50 temporary sheds today with the help of police authorities.

According to GHMC, some persons have illegally erected sheds by encroaching upon the proposed 100ft-wide road near Ziaguda Slaughterhouse. The

Five permanent sheds and 50 temporary structures were demolished today.

HC, in response to a PIL, has directed the GHMC to remove the encroachments within three weeks and also directed the commissioner and deputy commissioner of police concerned to render their assistance to the corporation authorities for removal of the encroachers.

CITY BRIEFS

Cops made me don, says Farah Khan Mohd SUBHAN mohd.s@postnoon.com

O

nce a don, always a don, seems to be the police mantra. Or else, how does Farah Khan, the City’s best known woman ‘rowdy-sheeter’, remain in the police file despite her recent track record of social work?

Farah is unmoved by the stamp, though she is sad. She loves fashionable dresses — latest T-shirts, jeans, salwarkameez. And Farah nurses political ambitions as she believes the concoction of rowdyism, social work and politics

‘They made me a don’

“P

olice made me a don.

After my husband was murdered, they took me into illegal custody. I was pregnant then. I was beaten, abused and kept locked up. I lost the child. A few officers were of understanding nature but most others behaved as if I were an adventurous and dangerous person,” says an anguished Farah Khan.

mixes well.

She had contested in the last municipal elections from Maulali. Farah claims she does not know how the police stamped her as a rowdy. But the police know how she became a rowdy in their files. It is because she has on her (dis)credit ledger four murder cases, eight attempts to murder, and 10 extortion cases. Today there is no police case against her but she says the police always look for her whenever something happens in the City. She was never convicted of any of the crimes she was arraigned for.

“Does that mean she is innocent?” asks a police officer with a meaningful wink.

“Khuda ki kasam, mein sacha insan hoom (By god, I am an honest person),” she swears.

Farah, aka Shahzadi Begum, talking with Postnoon at her friend’s home in Saidabad in Old City, says she has saved at least 40 girls from domestic violence. All free of cost.

HIGH PEDIGREE Farah belongs to a reputed family. Her father, Mir Hyderali, was a retired government official and her mother too is from a

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respectable family in Noorkhan Bazaar. Her second husband is in the US. She has three daughters, one married and the others studying in good educational institutions.

Her crime chart began to climb with the murder of her husband, Qaiser Pehalwan, in 1994. He was into criminal activities and his rival gang is said to have finished him off. But the police arraigned Farah, pleading that at the time of death, Qaiser was drunk and it was she who plied him with drinks so that killing was easier. However, she was acquitted. “I don’t know why the (police) drag me into all sorts of crime despite my family background and good work.

But police say she is not putting up her real face that has traces of crime. The police ask that if she is innocent, why does she keep company with another rowdy-sheeter, Ayub Khan. She says she has political ambitions and in politics one has to keep all happy. Besides, she reasoned, she too needs help since the police are haunting her.

Illegal stationery shops found in 3 schools

TRS MP rejects move for Rayala-Telangana

A

O

ndhra Pradesh Balala Hakkula Sangham along with MEO, Hyderabad, raided three corporate schools including Sri Chaithanya ETechno School, Narayana IIT Olympiad School and Samskruthi School and found that they were illegally running stationery stores within the premises and selling stationery at very high prices.

utrightly rejecting the reported move of a Rayala-Telangana state, TRS MP G Vivek said his party would not accept anything less than Telangana with Hyderabad and ten districts. He said they would not accept any package or R-T state. He termed these proposals as gimmicks of Congress to prevent further exodus to other parties.

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News FRIDAY, JUNE 28, 2013 LAST YEAR... HERE Turning a blind eye

L

ast year we had reported how Hyderabad had around two lakh visually challenged children. For a number that high, there are only three schools in the City catering to their needs. The State is no better. There are only eight schools across AP. Many parents are unaware of their child’s potential, and the government isn’t doing much either.

JUNE 28, 2012

NUMEROLOGY

2mn

Tibetans in China have been forced to change homes or relocate in a government-sponsored programme, says a human rights monitoring agency.

The police made me a don. After my husband was murdered, they took me into illegal custody. I was pregnant then.

I was beaten, abused and kept locked up.

Farah Khan, rowdy-sheeter See Pg 3

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THINGS WE LEARNT TODAY

The column that teaches everyone something new about the way the City functions.

1

Saffron brigade to fly solo in the State.

Realising that they were being taken advantage off in the State, the BJP has now decided to not form any alliances and go it alone in the next General Elections.

2

Flooded streets and water shortage.

While Hyderabad’s roads get flooded every year, the government makes no effort to harvest rainwater. Citizens have to put up with water shortage at other times.

3

Immigration reform comes to US. The US Senate has passed an immigration reform that will put 11 million undocumented people on a path to earning citizenship.

4

Hungry for haleem? You don’t have to wait.

Ramzan isn’t here yet, but haleem is! Shops across the City have started selling the Hyderabadi delight, much to food lovers’ joy.

5

Heartbreaker makes an appearance at Facebook.

Facebook employees went crazy when Hrithik Roshan turned up at their office.

POLITICS

Congress catches T-fever Now that the R-T plan has been thrown out of the window, other options like a development board or special package are being considered.

POSTNOON NEWS feedback@postnoon.com HYDERABAD: Hectic parleys are on in New Delhi to find a solution to the knotty Telangana issue soon. Sources disclosed that the Rayala-Telangana plan having been bunged out of the window by all, other options like a development board or special package are being considered.

On Thursday, AICC State affairs in-charge Digvijay Singh went to the residence of the Union minister S Jaipal Reddy and discussed about Telangana.

Digvijay spent nearly three hours with Jaipal and reportedly discussed the political situation in the State in general and the Telangana issue in particular, say sources.

Digvijay Singh is in touch with State leaders and also

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The biggest block to a decision is the MIM which does not support a Telangana state with Hyderabad as its capital. It prefers a city state or to be part of United Andhra Pradesh.

Opposition leaders recording their opinion on T. “It is the political fallout that is at the core of the issue,” remarked a T-Congress MP on phone from Delhi.

The Congress can ill-afford to suffer an erosion of its base in Andhra Pradesh as it is the AP

Congress that provides lifeblood to Congress at the Centre.

The biggest block to a decision is the MIM which does not support a Telangana state with Hyderabad as its capital. The party preferred either a city state or to be a part of United AP. It is

ENVIRONMENT

STABBING SPREE

Report exposes plunder of endangered fish Though exports of these threatened species took place at such a massive scale, there are no customs records.

KOLKATA: Bowing down to demands from the booming aquarium industry, India exported more than 1.5 million threatened freshwater fishes in the last seven years affecting the future of the country's aquatic diversity, says a report prepared by a group of scientists led by Kochi-based ecologist Rajeev Raghavan.

Published in the latest issue of international journal Biological Conservation, it says the trade in threatened species comprise 30 per cent of the total exports of at least five million aquarium fishes.

Of the 1.5 million threatened fishes, the major share was contributed by three species — Botia striata (Endangered), Carinotetra-odon travancoricus (Vulnerable) and the Red Lined Torpedo Barbs (Endangered).

Most wild-caught aquarium fish originating from India come from two biodiversity hotspots of Eastern Himalaya and Western Ghats.

With the reported aquarium fish trade exports from India were worth in excess of $1.6 million for the seven-year

also reported that differences exist between party chief Sonia Gandhi and vice-president Rahul Gandhi. The latter is uneasy about carving up the State.

The buzz is that the Congress high command would be taking a decision on T soon.

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period, the scientists warn that the collection of fish for aquarium pet trade in such large numbers is a major threat to its wild population.

Nine of the 20 threatened species that were exported during 2005–2012 show a continuing decline in their populations. The study shows range restricted species of conservation concern such as Garra hughi and Channa aurantimaculata were also exported.

Four of the 30 threatened

Man attacks 3 children in Tokyo AROUND THE

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species, including the recently described Dawkinsia rohani were encountered at retail shops in Germany and Singapore by the scientists, but were not listed in the customs records and so were most likely exported under a generic label.

Although there were no customs records showing the exports, many specimens of four threatened cyprinids confirmed to have come from India, were encountered in wholesale and retail shops in Germany and Singapore in 2010 and 2011.

PTI

TOKYO: A suspected knifeman who attacked three elementary school children in broad daylight on a Tokyo street was being held by police on Friday after a rare incidence of violence in lowcrime Japan, reports said.

The three children — two six years old and one seven years old — received cuts during the attack outside their school in the northwest of the capital around 2pm (0500 GMT), Japan's public broadcaster NHK said.

The channel said a man aged around 30 had been seen running away after the incident.

None of the victims were seriously hurt, the broadcaster said.

Japan has one of the lowest rates of violent crime in the developed world, and random attacks involving weapons of any kind are highly unusual.

FOR REPRESENTATION

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News FRIDAY, JUNE 28, 2013 NATION BRIEF Abu Salem treated for bullet injury, back in cell MUMBAI: Gangster Abu Salem, who was shot at inside Taloja Central Jail (TCJ) Thursday, returned to his cell Friday morning after being treated for a bullet injury, a police official said.

“He was admitted and treated at the MGM Hospital, Vashi last evening and kept there overnight. The accused has been transferred back to TCJ. There is no cause for any concern on his health condition," a senior police official said.

Neighbours culprits in 50% rape cases in MP BHOPAL: Madhya Pradesh has been recording an alarming number of rape cases in comparison to other states and in more than half of all such offences, the accused happened to be the neighbours of the victims.

According to the latest report of the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), on an average, nine rapes were committed every day in Madhya Pradesh in 2012.

HC upholds arrest of priest accused of abuse CHENNAI: The Madras High Court has upheld the arrest of a Catholic priest from TN, charged with abusing a minor girl in the US, facilitating his extradition to face justice there.

A division bench dismissed the petition filed by the priest's sister, seeking to quash his arrest on the ground that there was a delay in producing him in Delhi and his continued incarceration amounted to illegal detention.

‘Revive institutions destroyed in Emergency’ NEW DELHI: The judiciary, the bureaucracy and the media that were destroyed during Indira Gandhi-imposed emergency rule when civil liberties were suspended have not regained their health and need to be revived, senior journalist Kuldip Nayar has said.

“If you do not speak out, that's the day you begin to die,” he said. Nayar said the day the Emergency was imposed should never be forgotten.

Kerala politician AC Shanmugha Das dead KOZHIKODE: Veteran Kerala politician and thrice state minister AC Shanmugha Das, passed away here Wednesday night following heart failure, family sources said. The 74-yearold was a seven-time member of the state assembly from Baluserry town in Kozhikode district. He remained a legislator for 33 years. He left the Congress in 1978 and had been with the Left ever since.

HEALTH

Alzheimer’s ‘drug’ halts memory loss Tested successfully on mice, it needs to be further refined for trial on humans.

WASHINGTON: A new class of experimental drug-like small molecules is showing great promise in targeting a brain enzyme to prevent early memory loss in Alzheimer's disease, scientists claim.

Developed in the laboratory of D Martin Watterson, from Northwestern University, the molecules halted memory loss and fixed damaged communication among brain cells in a mouse model of Alzheimer's.

"This is the starting point

The novel drug-like molecule reduces the activity of an enzyme that is over-activated during Alzheimer's and is considered a contributor to brain inflammation and impaired neuron function.

for the development of a new class of drugs. It's possible someday this class of drugs could be given early on to people to arrest certain aspects of Alzheimer's," said Watterson, lead author of the study.

Changes in the brain start to occur ten to 15 years before serious memory problems become apparent in Alzheimer's.

The novel drug-like molecule, called MW108, reduces the activity of an

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enzyme that is over-activated during Alzheimer's and is considered a contributor to brain inflammation and impaired neuron function.

Strong communication between neurons in the brain is an essential process for memory formation.

PTI

POLITICS

Lotus to go it alone in AP The party has realised it has gained nothing by allying with others.

It will test its mettle alone and ‘surprise’ everybody, leadership claims.

Md INKESHAF AHMED ahmed.m@postnoon.com HYDERABAD: The BJP, which has been confined to the status of a sub-regional party after the 2009 General Elections, has decided to leverage on ongoing separate Telangana agitation and the larger-than-life image of Narendra Modi.

The State wing of the party has decided to contest the next General Elections on its own instead of forming alliances with key political parties in the AROUND THE

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State. The saffron brigade allied with the main opposition TDP in the past and helped the latter to retain powers in 1999 Assembly elections. But it has realised that privately all these parties take advantage of the right-wing votes but publicly they allot it a pariah status.

Asked if it is not too early to make a decision, the party leaders disagreed. It is a studied decision, says a senior functionary.

Reacting to the decision, veteran BJP leader and party national secretary Dr K

Lakshman said that the decision to contest the next General Elections on its own was the reflection of strong aspirations of the party cadres from top to grassroots. “It was a conscious decision taken by us. There was demand from supporters and party cadres alike to contest the elections alone. We have fulfilled these aspirations,” he said.

Party spokesperson NVVS Prabhakar expressed similar feelings and said that the party was inundated with requests to go it alone, especially keeping in view the struggle for a separate Telangana state. “The party did not take this decision on its own. We have received feelers from the people of Telangana and our party leaders from all levels. They firmly ask us to face the next elections alone instead of forming an alliance with other parties. They told us that other parties are benefitting from the alliance and not vice versa,” he said.

Prabhakar added that the party had bitter experiences when it had alliances. “We did not get any benefit from our alliance with the TDP in the past. It was them that gained from the BJP vote bank then.

But when we contested elec-

tions alone in 1998, the party received 18 per cent of votes on its own. This is the highest percentage of votes the party had got till date,” he said.

The spokesperson made it clear that the party would contest on its own in all three regions — Telangana, Andhra and Rayalaseema. “We have not only consolidated our position in Telangana but also emerged as a strong force in Andhra and Rayalaseema regions. The party is getting a lot of support as the people of these two regions

10g GOLD `25,500 10g GOLD`31,300 `39,200 1kg SILVER `58,600

24C

forfor

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DOLLAR `59.83 `54.99 POUND `88.14 POUND `91.37

wants to throw out the corrupt ruling Congress,” he said.

According to Prabhakar, the NaMo mania and his new-found role as chairman of the campaign committee would help the party in getting substantial number of votes. “The entire nation wants Modiji’s leadership. He would play a pivotal role in bringing our party lot of votes in the State,” he said. No community need to fear him for he has proved a progressive man concentrating on development, not communal politics, he added.

19,245.69 BSE 19,805.54 5,794.30 6,022.45 NSE 367.11 21.46

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News FRIDAY, JUNE 28, 2013

UTTARAKHAND

STUXNET LEAK

Weather clears, rescue gains pace

Retired US General under probe AROUND THE

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DEHRADUN: With the weather improving, the rescue operations in Uttarakhand today picked up pace, with 17 choppers being flown to evacuate people still stranded at various locations.

Mass cremation of bodies in Kedarnath, the worst-affected in flood fury, was on, as authorities were racing against time to minimise risks of epidemic outbreak.

As the sun shone bright this morning, helicopters took off to rescue an estimated 1,237 people now stuck at different places in the hill state, with the Harshil sector totally cleared of pilgrims. About 3,000 people are still reported missing, officials said.

The focus now is on Badrinath Dham area, where majority of the pilgrims are now stranded, they said.

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All major roads except the Joshimath-Badrinath, Rudraprayag-Gaurikund and Uttarkashi-Gangotri routes have been reopened, raising hopes of speedy evacuation, they said.

Army chief Gen Bikram Singh arrived this morning at

CIVIC

Lake fencing: Mayor pulls up engineers Slams the division for going ahead with fencing of lakes before their full tank levels are ascertained.

HYDERABAD: Looks like the efforts of the mayor and Standing Committee members is going futile as fencing of lakes in GHMC limits goes unabated though the engineers are yet to zero in on the Full Tank Levels (FTL ).

The issue came up in the Standing Committee meeting held on Thursday at GHMC. Mayor Md Majid Hussain expressed his displeasure over the issue, particularly with the engineers who are responsible for declaring the FTL of the lakes.

“How can fencing of the lakes be continued, as the report on the FTL of lakes is yet to be ascertained,” the mayor thundered.

TURF WAR

The selection of six out of

China ready to ‘break new ground’ AROUND THE

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About 3,000 people are still reported missing.

WASHINGTON: A former high-ranking US military officer is being probed for allegedly leaking details about a US cyberattack on Iran, a US media report said Thursday. Citing unnamed legal sources, NBC News said retired Marine General James Cartwright has been told he is under investigation for allegedly disclosing details.

Cartwright, 63, is the former vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. He retired in 2011.

Stuxnet, tailored specifically to target Iran’s uranium enrichment operation, struck Iran in 2010 and reportedly dealt a serious blow to its nuclear program.

In its report, NBC referenced a New York Times story published last year that mentioned Cartwright. The story also said the NSA had developed Stuxnet in tandem with the Israelis. AFP

POSTNOON NEWS feedback@postnoon.com

BORDER TALKS

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eight Standing Council members — lawyers who fights cases on behalf of the GHMC — was made.

However, for the remaining two candidates, Congress leaders fought among themselves. It is believed that Shankar Yadav (Congress) wanted his candidate to be named. As the issue rocked the meet-

ing, the Mayor had to intervene to pacify the leaders. The decision on the remaining two candidates has been adjourned to the next meeting.

PLANNERS UNDER SCANNER

The town planning division officials has come under scrutiny following the Vigilance report over unauthorised constructions and issuing of Occupancy Certificate(OC) to these buildings. The Vigilance had verified 650 structures in Jubilee Hills and Banjara Hills and found 37 structures to ‘unauthorised’ — all possessing OC from officials of town planning.

The mayor and Standing Committee members directed the GHMC commissioner to take action against the officials concerned.

Gauchar to review ongoing relief operations and pay tribute to the 20 soldiers killed in a chopper crash near Gaurikund on Tuesday.

An official estimate said approximately 1,237 persons are now stranded at different places across the state. Till now 1,04,687 persons have been evacuated from different places by road and air.

BEIJING: China today said it was ready to “break new ground” with India to resolve the boundary dispute as the Special Representatives of the two countries held 16th round of border talks to find a solution to the vexed issue.

“I stand ready to work with you to build on the work of our predecessors and break new ground to strive for the settlement of the China-India boundary question and to make greater progress in the China India strategic an cooperative partnership in the new period,” newly appointed Chinese Special Representative Yang Jiechi said.

India asserts that the dispute covered about 4,000 km, while China claims that it confined to about 2,000 km to the area of Arunachal Pradesh, which it refers as Southern Tibet.

PTI

PTI

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News FRIDAY, JUNE 28, 2013

ENTERTAINMENT

HUMAN RELATIONS

Kaha na pyar hai Hyderabad se

University of Fukui.

The young sensation, Hrithik Roshan entertains his fans at the Facebook office in City on Thursday.

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ARUN YELLAMATY arunyellamaty@postnoon.com HYDERABAD: The man behind the Krrish3 mask couldn’t hide himself when he was caught at Facebook India’s head office in Hyderabad yesterday.

The young cine icon of India today, Hrithik Roshan, unveiled the first look of Krrish 3 during his first ever Facebook Live Video Chat.

The Facebook employees knew that the star actor Hrithik Roshan would be coming to their office on Thursday, to promote his much awaited Krrish 3, but what happened at the office and the experience, buzz in the building is something you will never forget.

The fans and employees were in a pleasant shock when they got to see their favourite actor right in front of them. The cameras went crazy and lensmen in a frenzy. Hrithik, walked in wearing a jacket and looking stunning with close to six people protecting him.

The actor took the stage, signed a few autographs and was in awe of the response he

got, speaking to the audience, he said, “I am happy to be in Hyderabad, especially in the Facebook building, you guys are awesome and I love the work you guys do.” The programme went on, Hrithik took some time to settle down, after which he did an interview with the local host.

The Bollywood actor unveiled his much-awaited Krrish 3 motion poster on Facebook. During his first ever online chat in Hyderabad,

Krrish 3 will take Indian cinema to another level, mastering superhero genre in Bollywood. I will be seen with many more aliens and doing superheroic stunts.

Hrithik Roshan Actor

Hrithik answered, “Krrish 3 will take Indian cinema to another level, mastering superhero genre in Bollywood. I will be seen with many more aliens and doing super-heroic stunts in the film.”

In a live conversation at Facebook’s Hyderabad Office, Hrithik went on to answer both personal and professional questions thrown at him.

On being asked of several queries of the superhero movie, Hrithik answered without giving away much about the plot.

He did say that the film has lots of new elements besides the ‘alien’ factor.

On asking who decided on another sequel to the movie, Hrithik promptly replied, “You will not believe but Krrish 3 was going to be shelved. My doctor had advised me not to do this film because of my backache and my father agreed with him and wanted to delay the film by 6 months. That’s when I called in for my Krrish costume and tried it and I couldn’t fit into it. I had put on weight and my waist was 37 inches, that’s when I decided to shed kilos and get on and do the film.

The actor also revealed that his character in the film will be called Krishnan Mehra. Hrithik also stated that the idea of Krrish as a superhero was inspired from Superhero and E.T, which were incidentally the first two films he had watched during his nascent years.

Hrithik was joined by the lead actress of the film Priyanka Chopra from Mumbai via video conference. He went to praise the actress for her ability in doing stunts and also hinted humorously at her relatively poor food habits.

After the launch, it was time for Hrithik to entertain the fans at Facebook office, the actor invited people on to the stage and danced with them, a young employee was asked to join him and both got to dance for the ‘Kaho na pyar hai’ and few other songs. After which the fans stood alongside him and clicked pictures.

In Japan, the old and young strike a bond A boarding program has been launched to prevent both elderly residents and university students feeling isolated.

TOKYO: The practice of young people becoming lodgers in the homes of elderly people is undergoing a revival in Japan amid the rapid ageing of the nation’s population.

Sachio Yamamoto, 83, accepted Shusuke Kondo, a 19-year-old sophomore at the University of Fukui, as a boarder in his house in the city of Fukui in January.

The two initially ate separate-

“I feel encouraged,” says Yamamoto, who had lived by himself and felt lonely since his wife passed away.

“I feel merry and peaceful now.” ly but now often eat meals cooked by Yamamoto together.

“I feel encouraged,” says Yamamoto, who had lived by himself and felt lonely since his wife passed away. “I feel merry and peaceful now. “A native of Osaka Prefecture, Kondo, who lived alone in an apartment before moving to Yamamoto’s house, also enjoys spending time with him.

“I feel comfortable,” he says.

Yamamoto is the first landlord to accept a lodger under a boarding program jointly launched by the state-run university and the Fukui prefectural government to prevent both elderly residents and university students feeling isolated.

The university and government worked out the program because a large number of elderly citizens live alone in big houses in the prefecture, situated in the nation’s central region of Chubu, and often need help in shovelling snow in wintertime.

Landlords who do not need

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nursing care are eligible for the program. While landlords and boarders work out curfews and other terms of living together in advance, rents are basically up to 20,000 yen per month.

But unlike in the past, the program is not primarily aimed at rental income for landlords but at “loose mutual support” between elderly and young people, says Yoshinobu Kikuchi, an associate professor at the university.

Nevertheless, the program brings considerable economic benefits to aged landlords.

Many elderly people are worried about living off pensions only and become “mentally stable” when they have an additional source of income, says Kazuyo Sonohara, representative of Tokyo-based nonprofit organization Heartwarming House that arranges the sharing of homes by people of different generations.

A public-private program is under way in France to encourage elderly and young people to live together because a large number of elderly people living on their own died as a result of an unprecedented heat wave in 2003, says Tomoo Matsuda, a senior researcher at the Mitsubishi Research Institute.

The program is designed to cut living expenses for young people in proportion to the time they spend together with elderly people.

If, for example, a student eats suppers prepared by an elderly landlord together for six days a week, he or she does not have to pay rent.

PTI/KYODO

8

News FRIDAY, JUNE 28, 2013

A STEP FORWARD

Immigration reform passed The US Senate’s decision would put 11 million undocumented people on the path to citizenship.

WASHINGTON: In a vote hailed by US President Barack Obama, the Senate on Thursday passed comprehensive immigration reform that would put 11 million undocumented people on a path to earning citizenship.

Chants of “Yes we did!” erupted from the public galleries after senators voted 68-32 to approve the landmark legislation, which pours unprecedented resources into border security, revamps legal immigration and requires a 13-year wait before those without papers can apply to become US citizens.

Fourteen Republicans joined a unanimous Democratic side in what Senate majority leader Harry Reid deemed a historic vote.

“We’ve taken giant steps forward towards solving our immigration problem today,” an elated Senator Chuck Schumer, one of the four Democrats who crafted the bill with four Republicans

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in the so-called ‘Gang of 8’, said.

The measure now faces a rocky road in the Republican-led House of Representatives, but Schumer and Republican Gang of 8 Senator John McCain made a direct appeal to their colleagues on the other side of the US

FATE OF WHISTLEBLOWER

‘No wheeling and dealing over Snowden’ DAKAR: US President Barack Obama insisted Thursday he would not let the fate of fugitive intelligence leaker Edward Snowden ruin ties with Russia and China, but Washington warned Ecuador not to give him asylum.

Snowden is wanted by the US authorities for leaking sensational details of vast US surveillance programmes.

The Kremlin says he has been in the transit zone of Moscow's Sheremetyevo airport since he arrived on a flight from Hong Kong on Sunday.

But there has not been a single sighting of him at the airport and his travel plans remain a mystery after he failed to board a

Capitol: Work with us to achieve the most important immigration reform in a quarter century.

“To our friends in the House, we ask for your consideration, and we stand ready to negotiate with you,” McCain said.

“We may have different

views on different aspects of this issue but we should all of us here have the same goal, and that is to take 11 million people out of the shadows, secure our borders, and make sure this is a nation of opportunity and freedom.”

Obama welcomed the Senate vote and urged the House to follow suit.

“Today, with a strong bipartisan vote, the US Senate delivered for the American people, bringing us a critical step closer to fixing our broken immigration system once and for all,” he said.

But the president warned the bill’s supporters to “keep a watchful eye” on efforts to scupper reform, saying “now is the time when opponents will try their hardest to pull this biparti-

san effort apart.”

The bill's authors spent months crafting the 1,000-pluspage document, which pours $46 billion into border security and other efforts, including electronic employment verification and a modernised entry-exit system.

It requires immigrants to pass background checks, pay fees, fines and back taxes, learn English, gain employment, and as Reid said, “stay out of trouble”.

Obama hopes to sign immigration reform into law this year, but several House Republicans have said the bill will be dead in the water without significant changes, particularly on border security.

Opponents have said the bill is too costly, or argue that loopholes will prevent authorities from gaining full operational control of the border before the citizenship process begins.

AFP

REVISITING HISTORY

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flight to Havana on Monday.

Ecuador, seen as his most likely eventual destination, on Thursday denied claims by WikiLeaks that it had given Snowden a “safe passage” document.

And in Quito, Ecuador’s President Rafael Correa told reporters that the government had not yet considered his case.

Obama nevertheless made it clear there were limits to what the US would do to catch Snowden. “I am not going to be scrambling jets to get a 29-yearold hacker," he said Thursday. AFP

US President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama look out from the Door of No Return while touring the House of Slaves at Goree Island off the coast of Dakar. Obama and family toured the museum where African slaves were held before being shipped off the continent as slaves.

AFP /SAUL LOEB

CITY BRIEFS Communists kill one in Philippines ambush

Deaths in China Xinjiang riot raised to 35: Xinhua

Oz PM says opposition risks Indonesia ties

Chinese crackdown on 'illegal' news websites

Cafe attacks in Iraq kill 11

MANILA: Communist insurgents ambushed police trainees in the Philippines Friday, killing one and wounding nine others in the latest of a series of attacks on unarmed targets, officials said. Nearly 100 trainees, including 70 women, were jogging in Tadian when guerrillas from the New People's Army opened fire on them, officials said.

BEIJING: The death toll in one of the worst riots in China's restive Xinjiang area has been raised to 35 from 27, state media said Friday, amid reports of tightened security ahead of a sensitive anniversary. The western desert region — home to the Uighur ethnic minority — last saw such clashes on July 5, 2009, in riots that left hundreds dead.

SYDNEY: Australia's new prime minister Kevin Rudd said Friday the conservative opposition's proposal to turn back asylum-seeker boats risked inciting conflict with Indonesia, signalling the policy will be a key issue in September elections.

Rudd said he would call Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono about security issues.

BEIJING: Chinese authorities have shut down 31 news websites for operating without permits, conducting interviews in the name of news organisations and editing false information for blackmail and extortion, Xinhua news agency reported.

These websites include Ren Min Nei Can Wang, a website that specialised in publishing false information.

BAGHDAD: Bombs targeting cafes in Baghdad and a restive city north of the capital have killed 11 people, officials said on Friday, the latest violence to sparked concern of a revival of all-out sectarian war.

The blasts struck a cafe in a mostly Sunni neighbourhood of Baghdad and one in Baquba and come as Iraq grapples with a political deadlock.

9

News FRIDAY, JUNE 28, 2013

REPORTERS’ DIARY SRINIVAS SETTY

Don’t I have a family, man?

HYDERABAD: Even for a towering leader like N Chandrababu Naidu, personal life seems to have taken precedence over public life. The man, who spent 35 long years in politics, was recently in the US for a period of eight days to attend the graduation ceremony of his daughter-in-law at a prestigious university along with his family members when the Uttarakhand tragedy struck. He returned to the State

on June 23. By the time his party had done the feat of ‘rescuing’ some trapped pilgrims.

On return, his cliques arranged a media meeting where Naidu went hammer and tongs at the Congress and Kiran government for their failure to rescue the hapless Telugu pilgrims. He was beating his chest and boasting of his

time when suddenly one scribe asked a question. “Babu Garu, when you heard of the tragedy, why did you not cut short your visit and return immediately?”

Naidu was speechless for a moment but he appeared aggrieved. “I am a politician, but I too have my familial responsibilities, don’t I? This visit was scheduled long ago and I simply could not abandon everything and rush back only because I am in politics.”

This made many wonder if he has put his personal duties above public responsibilities. IA

RAINWATER HARVESTING? NEVER HEARD OF IT!

Or that’s what the picture taken by our chief lens-man at LB Nagar seems to be saying.

Voluminous flow of wasted rainwater speaks volumes

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A woman corporator recently laboured to portray herself as a role model for women. Turns out that she is a shadow of her husband and she won the seat thanks to reservation for women. about GHMC’s criminal neglect of this crucial area as everyone knows a drop of water is more precious than the rarest ruby.

The GHMC website ignores such a concept. The corporation’s claim that it would reimburse 50 per cent of the cost of the pits being built by residential welfare associations has gone down with the drainage water. There are no shortages of schemes and some money is always sunk without purpose.

When will we learn or, will we ever learn?

SS

A ROLE MODEL INDEED!

At an event organised by an NGO on National Girl Child Day, a woman corporator was invited as a guest of honour to take the dais and speak a few words on the topic. She was glad to oblige. Only, she waxed

eloquently for an hour about her childhood, an early marriage, her struggle to defeat misogyny, redefine gender roles and finally her victory.

She laboured to portray herself as a role model as she is in a position of power and as an inspiration to other women. It would have been commendable too, if it was true. Turns out that she is a shadow of her husband and she won the seat thanks to 33 per cent reservation for women. In the driving seat is her husband. All questions, answers and decisions about the zone are handled by him while she stands by.

PC

BAATH BOTTLE KI

Bacchus’ bottle can do wonders, you know. Or ask the lower ranks in uniform. It is widely whispered in the corridors of police stations how soand-so constable got shifted to a place of his choice or how soand-so got spiked and posted to a barren spot like the control room.

It is said that the new chief of special branch, M Malla Reddy, is being misguided by the mid-level officers and recommends transfer of constables without knowing what is behind the recommendation — a choice brand. The erstwhile chiefs, Naveen Chand or MM Bhagat, knew better. If you, as an inspector, don’t like a constable, it is easy to teach him a lesson. A posting to RGI police station or control room will see

that he never sees a ‘Gandhi’ in his whole period of posting.

There are ‘juicy’ spots too where ‘Gandhi’ rains.

MS

RACE FOR MAYORALTY

With more than six months left for the mayor’s term, Congress corporators have already begun training for the race.

After a corporator’s ‘paid article’ appeared in a leading Telugu daily, many prominent faces are feeling insecure.

It is believed that even floor leader Diddi Rambabu, former mayor Banda Karthika Reddy and a couple of others are already reaching over to the party satrap. Meanwhile, the current mayor’s focus for the last few months in office is on the lines of the adage, ‘make hay while the sun shines’. MN

VAT ON MY BABY!

Overheard at a departmental store’s counter where a vexed customer was cursing the government for putting VAT on everything from lime to lingerie. As the counter clerk was putting 5 per cent VAT on his purchase, that put a hole in his wallet, he was heard shouting, “At this rate this damned government will slap a VAT on my baby as it is also a Valued Added Tax!” You said it, one tends to agree.

PK (Contributed by Srinivas Setty, Padmini C, Inkeshaf Ahmed, Mohd Subhan, Md Nizamuddin and PK Surendran)

10

News FRIDAY, JUNE 28, 2013

SMART CITIZEN

Wireless revolution reaches Brazil's sprawling favelas

MARIANA MUNIZ Agence France-Presse RIO DE JANEIRO: Brazilian tour guide Thiago Firmino notices that the two cable cars servicing the working-class neighbourhood of Dona Marta, on a steep hillside overlooking Rio, are out of order.

He quickly snaps a photo with his smartphone and sends a complaint via Twitter to the governor of Rio de Janeiro state.

Firmino, 32, always has his smartphone at the ready. In fact, he has two — with different service providers. If he needs to connect with clients, he can. If there is a pothole or broken street light, he complains instantly.

His phones, he says, give him great freedom.

With mass protests sweeping Brazil over public services, corruption and the elevated cost of the 2014 World Cup, mobile phones have become indispensable tools. And that connectivity is finally reaching into some of the most forgotten corners of Rio — the city's sprawling favelas.

"It was like a small revolution was taking place little by little," says Firmino, who has a blog for his tour guide business, and accounts on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. In his free time, he works as a disc jockey.

Fifteen years ago, the favelas did not even have fixed-line telephones, and today wireless access has allowed the rest of Brazil to get to know the favelas, and vice-versa.

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With mass protests sweeping Brazil over public services, corruption and the elevated cost of the 2014 World Cup, mobile phones have become indispensable tools.

"We exchange text messages, use smartphone apps to send short messages, and we coordinate for protests," said Firmino, who says he always goes to the demonstrations with his phones fully charged to take photos and tweet them.

Dona Marta, a pocket of poverty in the wealthy southern part of Rio that sees major tourist traffic, was one of the first of the city's shanty towns to be "pacified" by police and taken over from drug gangs in 2008.

In 2011, it also became the first favela to have free wi-fi

access.

As of late January, the National Telecommunications Agency (ANATEL) says there were 262.2 million mobile phones operational in Brazil — a country of 194 million and the world's seventh largest economy.

On average, 30 phones are sold in the country every minute, according to consulting firm LCA. But the infrastructure can be spotty. In Dona Marta, residents sometimes gather at night in a neighborhood plaza where the signal is strongest.

"Everyone comes to the plaza to use Facebook," said 21-yearold Daiana Santos.

As of March, some 73 million Brazilians had Facebook accounts, six times more than in February 2012, according to company officials in Brazil.

"This new class of consumer wants to have access to this type of technology, and the favela resident already has the necessary access to credit to make these purchases," said Luis Anavitarte, vice president of polling in emerging markets for Gartner Consulting.

SMARTPHONE OVERKILL

Ultra-wired S Korea battles addiction JUNG HA-WON Agence France-Presse SEOUL: Kim Nam-Hee pulls no punches as she warns a classroom of wide-eyed South Korean 10-year-olds that they stand on the edge of an addiction that will turn them all into "mindless slaves".

The grim presentation by the social campaigner follows a survey with the loaded title: "Who's your real family?" It asked the students to compare the hours they spend on their smartphones with the time they spend interacting with relatives.

South Korea's pride in its high-tech prowess, from ultrafast broadband speeds to Samsung's cutting-edge smartphones, is now tinged by anxiety

A woman was arrested last year after giving birth in the toilet of an Internet cafe, where she had been playing for days, and abandoning the new-born.

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over digital addiction — with even pre-school children showing symptoms of IT obsession.

The country has long promoted Internet technology as a key

driver of growth, and the capital Seoul is often referred to as the "most wired" city on the planet.

About 70 per cent of South Korea's 50 million people have

smartphones — the highest penetration rate in the world, according to the market research firm eMarket.

But the country's fixation with everything digital has par-

ents worried about its impact on young — sometimes very young — children. The concern is shared around the world in other advanced economies, but the South Korean government has gone furthest in its response.

"We felt an urgent need to make a sweeping effort to tackle the growing danger of online addiction... especially given the popularity of smart devices," the science ministry said when it announced a policy package on June 13.

The initiative, organised in conjunction with the health and education ministries, requires schools to teach special classes on Internet addiction and organise holiday "boot camps" to wean students off their dependency.

11

News FRIDAY, JUNE 28, 2013

FIGHTING TO BE FIT

HUMAN RIGHTS

HRW: 2mn Tibetans rehoused, relocated

Traffic cops in Thailand battle the bulge Poor diets and long hours in a sedentary job on the city’s gridlocked streets have left the Thai capital’s traffic police prone to piling on the pounds.

APILAPORN VECHAKIJ Agence France-Presse

Sergeant major Nitas Saisaard joins colleagues in an exercise program at hospital in Bangkok.

Bellies wobbling and chubby limbs swinging, dozens of sweaty traffic cops exercise to the rhythm of Thai pop songs as part of a scheme to reduce the number of overweight police in Bangkok.

BANGKOK: Bellies wobbling and chubby limbs swinging, dozens of sweaty traffic cops exercise to the rhythm of Thai pop songs as part of a scheme to reduce the number of overweight police in Bangkok.

Poor diets and long hours in a sedentary job on the city’s gridlocked streets have left the Thai capital’s traffic police prone to piling on the pounds.

But their health — and the public image presented by potbellied officers — has become

AFP/PORNCHAI KITTIWONGSAKUL

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such a worry that police bosses have laid on free fat-busting classes, enlisting nearly 60 volunteers for a two-month ‘Fit and Firm’ programme.

After barely a fortnight on the course, Senior SergeantMajor Nitas Saisaard says he now weighs a still hefty 138 kilograms (304 pounds) but has shed six kilos and reduced his waistline by three inches.

“When I work, it is definitely difficult... when I am directing the traffic — in the centre of roads, between cars — I sometimes get hit, brushed by wing

mirrors,” the 48-year-old explains, sweat rolling down his forehead after a class.

But twice-weekly sessions — including yoga and aerobics — are so far working for Nitas, along with a new diet of fruit and soups that banishes his favourite fried street food and bowls of white rice.

“I gained weight because I eat a lot at late night... we (traffic police) have uncertain schedules,” says Nitas, who has joined similar schemes before but never quite managed to win his personal battle of the bulge.

Bangkok’s Metropolitan Police Bureau wants cops with waistbands over 36 inches to consider doing the course, enticing them to lose over 10 kilos with prizes of nearly $160 for the best performers.

“Senior policemen saw that our officers are too chubby... too fat, so they decided they should lose weight”, said Lieutenant Colonel Sujit Suksamai, who is also taking part in the course.

“When police are too fat, they can’t work quickly. Reducing the fat makes them stronger, healthier and faster.”

Police chiefs have frequently tried to encourage their colleagues to tackle their expanding paunches by running regular fitness classes including a ‘Fat Fighters’ course earlier this year.

Slimming down is also an issue of public confidence in the police, says health expert Kawita Kruenjit who leads some of the exercise and health sessions at a Bangkok private hospital.

“When the general public see fat police they wonder ‘how are they going to run after the bad guys?’” she added.

In their defence, police say the stress of 15-hour shifts guid-

Pick

ing traffic in one of the world’s most congested cities, where they receive little love from motorists who routinely stew in hour-long traffic jams, makes the job incompatible with a healthy lifestyle.

But it is the traffic police’s proclivity for the cheap, fatty treats dished out by Bangkok’s ubiquitous street stalls that are doing the most damage, according to Doungrut Wattanakitkraileart, who researches the health of police officers at Bangkok’s Mahidol University.

More than half of 265 traffic police she surveyed in 2011 in one Bangkok district suffered high cholesterol.

“Food on sale near police stations is unhealthy, it is oily and salty — coconut milk curries and fattening dishes... officers can just walk to the front of their police stations and buy their food”, she said, adding low wages deter many from a healthier diet.

Fit and Firm is changing habits and some attitudes, even among those who are only marginally on the wrong side of scales.

at the

BEIJING: More than two million Tibetans in China have been forced to change homes or relocate in a government-sponsored programme that is damaging their traditional culture and rural lifestyle, a human rights monitoring group said.

“The scale and speed at which the Tibetan rural population is being remodelled by mass rehousing and relocation policies are unprecedented in the post-Mao era,” Sophie Richardson, China director for Human Rights Watch, said in a release accompanying the report.

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Chinese government blasted the report, saying the HRW had earlier also tried to ‘tarnish’ the country.

“Tibetans have no say in the design of policies that are radically altering their way of life, and — in an already highly repressive context — no ways to challenge them,” she added.

Citing Chinese official figures, the report, entitled “’They Say We Should Be Grateful’: Mass Rehousing and Relocation in Tibetan Areas of China”, said that two million people “were moved into new houses or rebuilt their own houses between 2006 and 2012”.

The number of people affected accounted for “more than two-thirds of the entire population” of the Tibetan Autonomous Region, it said.

Additionally, “hundreds of thousands of nomadic herders” in Tibetan regions outside the TAR, such as in Qinghai province were “relocated or resettled”, said the report.

AFP

airport,

-

12

News FRIDAY, JUNE 28, 2013

BON APPÉTIT

Haleem makes early entry

M ANIL KUMAR

Popular demand for the delicacy has seen several stalls coming up in the City. Haleem-lovers can have their pick though Ramzan is 13 days away.

ARUN YELLAMATY arunyellamaty@postnoon.com HYDERABAD: Haleem is synonymous with the month of Ramzan. Now, with this much longed for delicacy being dished out ahead of the holy month, the restaurants, Irani cafe’s and the road side stalls, welcomed the favourite dish of Ramzan, much before the festival itself. Many places are using the advantage of the dish and started the sale of Haleem to

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make some extra bucks.

Talking about Haleem being out so early, Ali, owner of Sarvi said, “We stared serving Haleem this week, the reason being the popular demand. People kept on asking us every day as to when the dish was being sold. So after giving it a lot of thoughts, we decided to go ahead with the dish. The price we put up is

Rs.100 and many have been coming and enjoying the dish. We are able to sell Haleem every day.”

A line of stalls have been put up in King Koti; close to 10 stalls were serving the popular dish and many were seen at these places.

City Haleem lovers were seen making full use of the introduction of Haleem 13 days before Ramzan started.

Daniel Gaddam, a student, said, “I am a big fan of Haleem like any other waiting for the days of Ramzan. When I heard few restaurants started to sell, I rushed to Sarvi. The weather

Though foodies are making the best of the early arrival of haleem stalls, many afficionados are of the opinion that it will have to be Ramzan before the real taste of the dish can be savoured. also helping me enjoy the dish, but Haleem during Ramzan is the Best!.”

Rauf Khan, an owner of the

stall at King Koti said, “We wanted to make extra money before Ramzan, as when it starts, there will be many who will start selling, so before they open and start selling many of us will make some extra money.” He adds, “People have been coming daily in large numbers and are enjoying Haleem.”

However many still feel, the best Haleem is found during Ramzan itself, Rohit Jessikar, “I like eating Haleem, but didn't enjoy the places which started serving early. I ate once, but will wait for Ramzan to eat the real Haleem.”

BAD PET OWNERS

Victims of whims

Owning a pure-bred foreign dog breed is a matter of pride to many, but when owners find they can’t handle them, their pets suffer for no fault of theirs.

AMY ROSE THOMAS amyrose.t@postnoon.com HYDERABAD: While foreign breeds are very much in demand in the City and people shell out as much as `1 lakh for a "pure" bred puppy, these animals more or less end up on street. Fifty per cent of the calls that Blue Cross gets each day are from frustrated pet owners who wants to get rid of their pets.

“We spend a lot of time counselling pet owners who call in for information on where to leave their pets. We try to talk to these owners into keeping their pets.

Some do, some don’t. And the abandoned dogs end up being run over or attacked by other street dogs,” Blue Cross founder Amala Akkineni says.

If not abandoned, these dogs are left tied outside owners' gates

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When people buy these dogs, they do not expect them to grow so big and eat so much. After these dogs grow, they regret their decision and leave them tied up.

Amala Akkineni Blue Cross founder

the whole day. At times, neighbours take pity after seeing these animals being treated badly that they complain.

“We get around 20 to 30 complaints about pet abuse and most of the times, these are fancy breeds. These families are counselled and they usually fall in line fearing arrest. We keep a tab on them afterwards and make sure that these animals are not ill treated,” Vasanthi Vadi, People for Animals Secretary, says.

Moreover, fancy breeds like St Bernards are not suitable for Indian climate. These dogs which are from the Italian and Swiss Alps, need more care; tying them outside in the hot sun can be fatal.

“When people buy these dogs, they do not expect them to grow as big as a donkey and eat so much. After these dogs grow,

St Bernards are from the Swiss and Italian Alps. Tying them up in the hot sun could be fatal for them.

they regret their decision and leave them tied up. St Bernards can get very ferocious if not given attention and can turn vicious. This is when these owners decide to abandon these

dogs,” Amala says.

Dogs are not status symbols to flaunt and show off. If you are looking to buy a puppy, stick to Indian breeds which are easy to maintain.

FRIDAY, JUNE 28, 2013

Comment A sound mind in a sound body is a short but full description of a happy state in this world.

SYRIA CONFLICT

JULIA ZAPPEI Agence France-Presse

M

yanmar migrant Yaza Min came to Malaysia several years ago seeking a better life but instead has hidden for more than three weeks in a temple, fearing for his safety as MuslimBuddhist violence back home spilled over.

Secretarian bloodshed between majority Buddhists and minority Muslims erupted in Myanmar a year ago, leaving about 200 people dead, up to 140,000 homeless, and raising fears of wider instability in the region as refugees flee the country.

Recent incidents in nearby Malaysia and Indonesia are feeding those concerns.

At least four Myanmar Buddhists were killed in Malaysia in suspected revenge killings by Muslims that began on May 30 in an area on the outskirts of the capital Kuala Lumpur where many Myanmar migrants have settled.

In one attack, Yaza Min, a Buddhist, was hit with a steel pipe when he and several fellow workers at a vast vegetable market were targeted in a sudden assault by eight men also armed with machetes.

“I will go back (to Myanmar).

I’m very afraid,” he said, cowering in a Buddhist temple where he and dozens of others have sought refuge.

In April, eight Buddhist fishermen from Myanmar were beaten to death in an Indonesian detention centre by Rohingyas — a Muslim group that claims heavy persecution in Myanmar — over two alleged rapes blamed on Buddhists.

13

JORDANIANS WARY OF US MILITARY OPERATION THE INSIDE STORY

John Locke English philosopher

Are Malaysia clashes Myanmar spillover?

HIGH-FLYING THOUGHTS Here we have an endangered species — an ‘honest’ politician. Gopinath Munde’s ‘confession’ of spending `8 crore for Lok Sabha poll has failed to surprise anyone. That would happen only if all politicos were to emulate him and reveal the actual figure.

Ahmad Khatib

J

ordanians are suspicious about US weapons and troops being deployed to the kingdom, even if Washington seeks to help its ally protect itself from a possible spill over of Syrian violence, experts say.

Worried about the security of Jordan, which is already struggling to cope with around 550,000 refugees from its wartorn northern neighbour, the United States has kept F-16 warplanes and Patriot missiles in the country since a joint military exercise ended on June 20.

A US defence official has told AFP that Washington has expanded its military presence in the country to 1,000 troops.

“Jordanians do not feel comfortable about the presence of US troops, weapons and equipment in the kingdom,” analyst Oraib Rintawi, who runs the AlQuds Centre for Political Studies, told AFP. “For Jordanians, the US military presence is linked to plots and conspiracies against their neighbours, which would impact the country itself.”

Rintawi said Jordan is a key US regional ally that is still stable and secure.

“For the Americans, protecting that stability is key and at the core of their strategy in the Middle East.

“But public opinion here does not welcome the Americans, even if they say they want to protect the country.”

US Secretary of State John Kerry was in Amman on Friday on another errand — to meet Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas, as he sought to revive stalled Middle East peace talks.

Jordan has repeatedly said it does not seek to interfere in Syria’s affairs.

Last week, Prime Minister Abdullah Nsur denied a Los Angeles Times report that the Central Intelligence Agency and US special forces have been training Syrian rebels at a new American desert base in southwest Jordan.

“There is no training in our country whatsoever of Syrian opposition forces... the only Syrians we are dealing with in our country are refugees,” he told journalists.

MP Khalil Atiyeh, deputy house speaker, says lawmakers reject the presence of foreign forces.

“As deputies representing Jordanian people, we do not accept US or any other foreign troops in Jordan. Jordanians do not think there are threats from Syria.”

“But we understand the

nature and requirements of USJordanian relations and that Washington wants to protect its interests in the region as well as its allies.”

Jordan, a major beneficiary of US military and economic aid, could act as a conduit for military support Washington has said it will give rebels battling Syrian President Bashar alAssad’s forces.

Amman also shares Western concerns that Muslim extremists could establish a foothold in Syria.

“Jordanian people do not want to see American troops here because they fear the Syrian regime could retaliate,” political writer and columnist Labib Kamhawi told AFP. “The US weapons and

troops have been deployed to Jordan as a precautionary measure, but this could be seen by Syria as an act of aggression, which makes people here worried.”

King Abdullah II vowed this month to defend Jordan from the war in Syria, saying “we are capable at any time to take the necessary measures to protect our country and people’s interests”.

The opposition Islamists said the US military deployment “is not in Jordan’s interest”.

“We reject the presence of US invaders and I think other Jordanians are worried and agree with us,” said Zaki Bani Rsheid, deputy leader of Jordan’s Muslim Brotherhood, the main political party.

EDITORIALS Holistic development is the crying need of the hour

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evelopment that includes infrastructure and financial growth needs a leg up.

Investment in agriculture, for instance, to administer best practices to optimally use land is so very important. Building of roads to link villages to marketing centres, and construction of warehouses and storage facilities would make the supply chain — from ‘farm to fork’ — robust and even out price volatility and fetch greater dividend to farm and labour. Instead, what are we doing? We are benumbing the poor into a life of mere survival with some doles here and there — snuffing out the enterprise in them. This is not going to take us far. Subsidies have a very short life of use.

There is an overall control system, which will eventually collapse if put under too much strain. And, we are nearly there. This, because we have been only looking at the near term. Good governance should look at the long road ahead. Only when the smaller details have been addressed can things improve at the macro level.

READERS’ VIEWS

Freedom of expression indeed

O

ur Constitution provides the right to freedom with the view of guaranteeing individual rights that were considered vital by the framers of the constitution. The right to freedom guarantees the Freedom of speech and expression. This freedom should be exercised responsibly. With it transpiring that the 15K figure in the Narendra Modi rescue act was taken from a BJP spokesman, its authenticity is being doubted, belittling the complete report, resulting in a needless controversy.

We invite you to write to us comments, suggestions, viewpoint or just about anything to feedback@postnoon.com or #1246, Level 3, Jubilee Casa, Road No 62, Jubilee Hills, Hyderabad – 500 033 or even by way of a call on 4067 2222.

Editor: Dean Williams

FRIDAY, JUNE 28, 2013

Living spaces Techie crowd makes Nanakramguda attractive FACTS ABOUT

NANKRAMGUDA SCHOOLS

Chirec Public School, Oakridge International School, Delhi Public School, Florida International School, Phoenix Greens International School COLLEGES

There aren’t many areas that can boast of having withstood the real estate slump of 2007–12. Nanakramguda, on the other hand, has grown from strength to strength, making it hot property in the IT hub of Hyderabad.

PRUDHVI RAJU K prudhvi.k@postnoon.com

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ant to live in an emerging place of the City, which is close to the financial district and surrounded by top-notch IT companies?

Nanakramguda , adjacent to

Gachibowli, is one such place that has emerged as a major residential hub for HNIs and senior IT employees of the City. A minimal distance to some of the prominent IT companies like Deloitte, Virtusa, Hitachi and SEZ likes Wipro and Waverock have given it an edge over other

prominent localities of Hyderabad. These IT establishments have pushed the retail and hospitality sector across its neighbourhood.

“Undoubtedly, the locality got impetus due to these IT majors. Ample amount of land, less pollution, abundant

National Institue of Tourism and Hospitality Management, Indian School of Business, University of Hyderabad

Infrastructure ROADS

ORR (5min), Gachibowli (10min), Jubilee Hills Check Post (25min) RAIL

greenery developed by builders in gated communities, and accessibility to world-class schools are reasons for the quick growth of the residential sector here,” said Uma, marketing executive at Theme Ambience constructions.

Due to these IT majors, properties also command decent rents from tenants here.

“Properties are seldom left vacant due to the consistent demand from tenants,” a local resident revealed.

It is one of those areas that stood the pressures even during the real estate slump. Prominent builders like Jayabheri and Trendset have developed gated communities in this area to cater to residential needs. Apart from Inorbit, upcoming Lanco mega mall, south India’s largest shopping mall in the vicinity holds promise of entertainment and shopping needs of these residents.

“Underground water levels are moderate. There is no scarcity for the needs of the locals.

Various lakes in the area including Khajaguda, Kokapeta, Osman Sagar and Manikonda Cheruvu help maintain decent underground water levels.

Manjeera (Muncipal water) is also available to the locality,” explains marketing manager of a

MMTS at Hafizpet, Hi-tec City AIR

Shamshabad Airport (34km) ENTERTAINMENT

Inorbit Mall, Mega Mall (upcoming)

LANCO HILLS n 14 Towers on 21 acres of land n Size: 3-BHK, 2,068–2,795sft n Possession: December 2014 n 3-level security, CCTV cameras n Automatic sprinkler system in basement, lobby and flats n Access card entry/exit from building n Panic button connected to security n Helipads, Jacuzzi, swimming pool n Courts for squash, racquet ball, volleyball, basketball, tennis and table tennis n Gym and meditation hall n Yoga centre, aerobic centre n Jogging track n Wellness store and organic store n Base Price: `4,000 per sft

THEME AMBIENCE, GOLF VIEW n 5 towers on 4 acres of land n 2- & 3-BHK flats n 1,130 to 2,050 sq ft n Abundant groundwater resource n Two cars parks per flat n A recreation club house with, swimming pools, gymnasium, banquet area and facilities for indoor games and outdoor games, meditation centre. n Jogging track around the apartments. n Library facility n Provisional store n Ready to occupy n Base Price: `3,690 per sft

YOUR WEEKLY GUIDE TO HYDERABAD REAL ESTATE SRINIVAS SETTY

14&15

Need to streamline approval process he Central government Cabinet approved the Real Estate (Regulation & Development) Bill on June 5, 2013. The aim of the bill is to create a Real Estate Regulatory Authority and an Appellate Tribunal that will act as a watchdog for the housing sector, primarily towards protecting consumer interests while creating an alternative redress mechanism for any dispute that may arise. The bill demands greater disclosure from the developer community and a higher level of project accountability to remove the information asymmetries from the housing market.

Like in the US, where local city laws hold primacy over county and national laws in matters relating to real estate, land and urban planning, including housing, is a state subject in India. In a quasi-federal state like India,

nism together lead to a vibrant industry with greater emphasis on protecting consumer interests.

With a literally exploding housing demand, there was a definite need to bring in greater disclosure norms. Developers would need to provide the status of all approvals as well as sanctioned plans to buyers and will not be able to sell their project without obtaining the required approvals.

The bill has also sought to ensure that the buyer’s payment is utilised for the development of the particular project by necessitating the creation of an escrow account where the customer advances paid will be used only for that project’s completion. This limit has been revised from 70 per cent earlier to 70 per cent or less as decided by the respective states. The bill also seeks to make the developer responsible for adhering to timelines and specifications committed to for project completion.

However, there is a need to analyse if certain inherent challenges facing the housing sector have been given a miss in this

states act as independent, autonomous agents in respect of subjects are under their purview.

While the US does not have a single-window regulator, this bill seeks to remove this obstacle by letting the states set up their respective Regulatory Authority.

Another major positive step is the compulsory registration of real estate agents, which is likely to provide another level of protection to buyers while also preventing concerns regarding money laundering by the non-organised broker community. A major bill provision is the standardisation of area measurement, with carpet area to be the measure when this bill is enacted.

Effective legislation, judicial activism and regulatory mecha-

draft. At first glance, the government is yet to streamline the approval process, which significantly slows down the project launch date and adds to the cost burden of the developer.

There is no clarity on which law will have precedence in the case of a dispute between the Central government and state policies. The idea of fostering greater transparency may come at the cost of housing projects becoming more expensive if the approval process adds to the holding cost of the developer. That the regulator will be effective and that this is a positive step is not debatable. However, the extent of effectiveness and the implementation at the state level are possible hindrances going forward.

KARAN KHETAN

feedback@postnoon.com

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prominent real estate firm.

“Connectivity is an added advantage to prospective buyers. The area is well connected to ORR, APPA Junction, ISB, Kokapet and Shankarpalli. Any resident can reach the airport in about half an hour through ORR. The Ring road also helps them connect to national highways to commute to various other cities like Vijayawada,” he says.

Nanakramguda is also close to prominent schools like ISB, DPS, Chirag, Engineering Staff College of India, National Institute of Tourism and Hospitality Management and Kendriya Vidyalaya. Ista and West In are two star hotels nearby.

Numerous advantages and high-quality infrastructure have pushed up the property values.

Property sells between Rs3,000 and Rs5,000 depending on the quality of construction, locality and amenities.

Places of worship n Pochama Temple n Anjaneya Swami Temple n Durga Devi Temple n Nanakramguda Mosque n Jame Masjid-E-Amjedi n Mallikarjuna Swamy Temple (Manikonda)

HNIs and high-income IT employees can afford the high cost of property here. However, the middle-income people look towards Miyapur, Chandanagar and Lingampally for places to buy or rent. According to realtors, high demand and ample amount of land leave further scope for residential development in and around this area.

JAYABHERI ORANGE COUNTY n No common wall, each apartment has ventilation on four sides. n Project is planned taking vaasthu into consideration. n Openness in abundance. n 100% generator backup (including air-conditioners with automatic changeover switches). n Cooking gas supplied through pipelines with individual metering facility. n Municipal water along with bore water to each and every flat. n Intercom facility: Interconnectivity between security, apartments, services & clubhouse. n Price: Around `4,500 per sft

FRIDAY, JUNE 28, 2013

spotlight

BOLLYWOOD MANIA

Groove to the latest Bollywood chartbusters at Firangi Paani tonight. DJ Shafi is sure to keep one entertained with hits like Balam Pichkari and Badtameez Dil.

STILETTO SET 1

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Fun gathering Get-together hosted by Anu Kishore at her place was a rollicking affair. Guests were seen having a blast at the party.

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PARTY PEOPLE City revelers converged at Kismet for a night of fun.

PYTs were spotted walking in sporting shorts of different hues. Seen were Chitra, Sheena and others.

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1 Aksha

4 Harshid, Nidhi

7 Pari

2 Chitra

5 Anu

8 Sharmila

10 Sheena 11 Roja

3 Priyanka, Vidushi

6 Harita

9 Nitya

12 Pari

FRIDAY, JUNE 28, 2013

health

KERALA HOSPITALS START PHASING OUT MERCURY EQUIPMENT Four hospitals in Kerala have begun phasing out mercury-based equipment as part of an initiative to reduce potential health and environmental risks of the toxic metal.

CLEAR THE FACTS

1

Myth: All kidney diseases are incurable.

Fact: With early diagnosis and treatment, many kidney diseases can be cured. Even chronic kidney disease can be managed and slowed down is detected and treated early.

2

Myth: All kidney patients should drink a lot of water.

Fact: Reduced urine output is a common feature of many kidney diseases. So water restriction is necessary to maintain water balance.

However, patients suffering from kidney stones and urinary tract infections are advised to drink a lot of water.

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Myth: If I can pass urine, there is no problem with my kidneys.

Fact: Damaged kidneys will continue to make urine even if they can’t filter blood properly. Even patients on dialysis sometimes have no trouble passing urine. The only way to check kidney function is to get blood and urine testing.

Clarifying

doubts The kidneys work hard to filter dangerous substances from the blood and ensure that homeostatic balance is maintained. However, few are aware of the functioning of the kidneys. Postnoon filters the myths for the truth.

4

Myth: There’s nothing you can do about getting kidney disease.

Fact: Chances of developing kidney disease depend on genetic and lifestyle factors. People with high blood pressure or heart disease are more prone to kidney disease.

Diabetics are also at high risk for kidney disease. Maintaining your blood sugar levels and getting treatment for high blood pressure can help avoid kidney disease.

ANEWS PP-LYBRIEFS YOURSELF Md & r This app gives quick and thorough access to medical knowledge and terminology. It provides definitions and web references for reading and research.It features, health & biomedical sciences are covered comprehensively, provides definition and pronunciation and it includes number of standards used by the community.

5

POSTNOON NEWS feedback@postnoon.com

Myth: Kidney disease is difficult to manage and treat.

Fact: If caught early, kidney disease can be treated with medication, proper diet and moderate disease. Chronic kidney disease patients can slow the progression of their disease with these methods.

However, in the end stage, dialysis or a kidney transplant would be necessary.

HOUSECALL Crohn’s Disease Crohn’s disease (also spelled Crohn disease) is a chronic inflammatory disease of the intestines. It primarily causes ulcerations (breaks in the lining) of the small and large intestines, but can affect the digestive system anywhere from the mouth to the anus. It is named after the physician who described the disease in 1932. It also is called granulomatous enteritis or colitis, regional enteritis, ileitis, or terminal ileitis.

6

Myth: Eating certain foods will cause kidney stones.

Fact: Doctors don’t believe that eating certain foods will cause kidney stones if you’re not already susceptible. Those at a high risk for kidney stones are advised not to eat too much protein. Doctors may also ask such patients to avoid oxalaterich foods such as chocolate, coffee and dairy products.

DID YOU KNOW? Thinking of stress can make you ill Researchers have found just thinking about being stressed can make individuals fall seriously ill and even increase the chance of suffering a heart attack. It was found, while following more than 7,000 civil servants over a period of up to 18 years, how the increased perception of stress almost doubled the risk of suffering a heart attack.

PIONEERS Emil Adolf von Behring Emil Adolf von Behring was a German physiologist who received the 1901 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, the first one awarded.Behring was the discoverer of diphtheria antitoxin in 1890 and attained a great reputation by that means and by his contributions to the study of immunity. He won the first Nobel Prize in Physiology for the development of serum therapies against diphtheria.

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FRIDAY, JUNE 28, 2013

Technology BRAINY ATTIRE

New fashion statement

MICROSOFT CUTS BACK Microsoft is no longer requiring developers to pay a fee to patch Xbox 360 and Xbox Live Arcade games, after dropping their earlier policy that placed a hefty sum on game updates, Eurogamer reports. According the report, which was corroborated by an OXM report, this also extends to XBLA titles that have failed to pass certification. Prior to this change in policy, Microsoft required XBLA developers to pay a fee to resubmit titles that failed certification; now, developers are required only to pay a single submission fee with no charges for re-submissions. Developers may be charged for "excessive" resubmissions, however.

ANDROID CONSOLE?

Wearable computers are a smart fashion trend GLENN CHAPMAN feedback@postnoon.com

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he notion of being fashionably smart is getting a makeover as Internetlinked computers get woven into formerly brainless attire such as glasses, bracelets and shoes.

A wearable computing trend is at the heart of the ‘quantified self’ movement in which people track anything from how many calories they burn to how well they sleep or their moods at any given moment.

“We are heading for the wearable computing era,” Gartner analyst Van Baker told AFP. “People are going to be walking around with personal area networks on their bodies and have multiple devices that talk to each other and the Web.” Understandably, the trend has found traction in fitness with devices such as the Jawbone UP, Nike’s FuelBand, and Fitbit keeping tabs on whether people are leading active, healthy lifestyles.

The devices use sensors to detect micro movements and then feed information to smartphones or tablets, where applications tap into processing power to analyse data and provide feedback to users.

San Francisco-based Jaw-

bone jumped into wearable computing years ago, building electronic brains into stylish wireless earpieces and speakers for smartphones.

Jawbone recently added muscle to its lineup of fitness lifestyle devices with a deal to buy BodyMedia. BodyMedia makes armbands used to track caloric burn of fat-shedding competitors on US reality television show The Biggest Loser.

“There’s an enormous appetite for personal data and selfdiscovery among consumers that will only continue to grow,” said Jawbone chief executive and founder Hosain Rahman.

A Forrester Research survey conducted early this year found that six percent of US adults wore a gadget to track performance in a sport, while five percent used a gadget like UP or Fitbit to track daily activity or how well they sleep.

Worldwide shipments of wearable computing devices could climb as high as 30 million units this year, according to Forrester.

Interest goes beyond fitness to desire for things like a gadget that recommends films based on wearers’ moods and one that replaces keys when it comes to unlocking cars or homes, the survey indicated.

“It is just amazing,” said engineering professor Asim Sma-

ilagic, director of a wearable computer lab at Carnegie Mellon University in Pennsylvania.

“We will see an exciting future ahead.” Smailagic began working on wearable computing at

A wearable computing helps people track anything from how many calories they burn to how well they sleep or their moods at any given moment. the university about 25 years ago, with projects including head worn displays that serve up technical information when needed during aircraft maintenance.

‘WEARABLE COMPUTING HAS TO BE UNOBTRUSIVE’

Sophisticated and inexpensive sensors for tracking movement, sound, GPS locations and more combined with “killer apps” in powerful smartphones have set the stage for wearable computing to be commonplace, according to the professor.

“Contextually aware computers will be hot topics for at least the next decade,” Smailagic said. “They can help you when you need help, even to look smarter.

“Everybody likes to have the kind of help contextual computing can provide.”

Contextual computing goes beyond recognising where someone is to factoring in other information such as whether it’s lunchtime or if someone has shown a preference for a nearby restaurant.

“When you combine wearable computing with sensors and machine learning algorithms then you get context, the computer knows your state and is able to help out clearly in the situation,” Smailagic said.

He is confident Google Glass will be a hit despite privacy worries expressed about the yet-tobe-released Internet-linked eyewear with camera capabilities.

Google Glass connects to the Internet using Wi-Fi hot spots or, more typically, by being wirelessly tethered to mobile phones. Pictures or video are shared through the Google Plus social network.

“Wearable computing has to be unobtrusive, fit as a natural extension of your body, and not get in the way,” Smailagic said.

“Google Glass is on the right path to solve these problems.”

The invention has been a hit with American tennis player Bethanie Mattek-Sands, who has been testing the special glasses as a training aid at this year’s Wimbledon.

Google is developing a videogame console and wristwatch powered by its Android operating system, according to people familiar with the matter, as the Internet company seeks to spread the software beyond smartphones and tablets.

With the game machine and digital watch, Google is hoping to combat similar devices that Apple may release in the future, according to the people. Google is also preparing to release a second version of an Android-powered mediastreaming device, called Nexus Q, that was unveiled last year but not sold to the public.

Facebook chat rooms Facebook has built a new feature codenamed “Host Chat” that lets people set up chat rooms their friends can join without an invitation, a source familiar with the feature tells us. I’ve contacted Facebook and it confirms it has begun testing this feature in the wild. Reminiscent of the old AOL chat rooms, it could get Facebook users to meet friends of friends and spend more time on the site.

Facebook verified that it’s testing the feature, but wouldn’t comment on details beyond saying “we do test things from time to time with a small percentage of users.”

FRIDAY, JUNE 28, 2013

Entertainment CINE BYTES

HER PRIORTIES

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WORK IS MY ONLY LIFE NOW:

Nara Rohit signs a new film

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ara Rohit has signed yet another new project which will be directed by newcomer Prashanth Mandava. Subrah Aiyappa is playing the lead role opposite Nara Rohit and this will be her debut movie in Telugu. The film was formally launched in Hyderabad and regular shooting will commence soon. Sai Karthik will score the music.

GV Prakash, Saindhavi tie the knot

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opular music director GV Prakash got married to Saindhavi yesterday in Chennai. The two have known each other right from their school days and they had got engaged a few months ago. Saindhavi is a singer and she has sung several songs in Tamil.

Priya Anand poses for PETA

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riya Anand, who is an ardent supporter of PETA, has urged people to not cage birds or buy them as pets. “I Enjoy My Freedom.. As Do You! Please Don't Cage Birds (sic),” she posted on Twitter, as a part of PETA's new campaign to discourage this rampant practice. Currently, Priya Anand is shooting for two of her upcoming Tamil films.

SHRUTI HAASAN Shruti Haasan talks about her latest film Balupu, coping up with work and why she doesn't take anything too seriously.

HEMANTH KUMAR hemanth.k@postnoon.com

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f there is one thing which you can be certain of finding, while indulging in a conversation with Shruti Haasan, is verve. Of late, it’s all the more obvious.

Surprisingly, she shrugs off all the attention she has been getting these days, including her new found fame of being one of the most glamorous heroines in Telugu and says, “My focus is completely on my work right now and I’m the kind of person who goes home after completing the shoot. Quite frankly, I don’t brood over what people have to say about me. I have never taken compliments or criticism too seriously.”

Starting from today, she has four films lined up for release over the span of next four weeks in Telugu and Hindi and we wonder if she has reached a stage where she has to say ‘enough is enough’ considering the amount of work she has been doing over the past few days. “Not at all. I don’t think I’ll reach that stage anytime soon. My work is my only life now,” she quips. In Balupu, she’s playing herself for the first time and coincidentally, her character in the film is also named as Shruti. “It’s my first all out comedy role. She’s a carefree, free-spirited person.

She lives along with her uncle (Brahmanandam) and they have a great chemistry,” she reveals. So does it all come naturally to her? How does one keep a serious face while acting with actors like Ravi Teja and

Brahmanandam goofing around all the time? “I am quite goofy off-screen and it was fun playing myself on screen. Of course, it was a lot more fun acting with both of them and I really hope that I have managed to match up to their comic timing.

Balupu is a full length masala film and we even shot a song in Portugal,” she says. And dancing? “I love dancing and this film gave me ample scope to show off what I can do. It was great working with a choreographer like Raju Sundaram.”

After Balupu, she’ll soon be seen in Prabhudeva’s Ramaiya Vastavaiya, Nikhil Advani’s D Day and Vamshi Paidipally’s Yevadu, which are all slated to release in July, apart from Allu Arjun starrer Race Gurram and NTR starrer Ramayya Vastavayya.

It’s almost as if she was destined to be part of such big projects within a short span of time. Isn’t it? “I have never planned to work with such big banners. Before signing a film, I try to understand my character and what I can bring to the table. A big banner definitely helps in giving the film a big push, but ultimately, when it comes to films, it’s always a good idea that touches hearts. A lot of that credit goes to the directors as well,” she replies.

With Yevadu and Race Gurram, a section of media has already dubbed her as a hot favourite of Mega family. “Really?” she smiles, saying, “I’m quite fond of all the people I work with be it Harish Shankar, Ram Charan, Allu Arjun or NTR. Beyond that, I don’t really think much.”

FRIDAY, JUNE 28, 2013

NIDHI BHUSHAN nidhi.b@postnoon.com

fashion

CONGRATULATIONS PROFESSOR MARGARET HOWELL MARGARET HOWELL has been awarded an honorary professorship by the University of Creative Arts. The designer received the accolade during a ceremony at the Royal Festival Hall, alongside the UCA's 1,922 graduating students and UCA chancellor Zandra Rhodes.

Beauty T

Pretty in pink

Price:

`79,500

`65,000

This dull pink lehenga made with chanderi fabric weighs only two kgs. Its simple zardosi, sequins and embroidery work makes it wearable for any wedding function.

Price:

he country’s foremost fashion designer, it was 69-year-old Ritu Kumar who introduced the ‘boutique’ culture in India under the brand name ‘Ritu’. She was recently awarded the Padma Shri Award 2013 for her exceptional and distinguished service in the field of fashion, textile and craftsmanship.

Though the designer is known for her fascination for colours red, maroon and pink, she hasn’t shied away from stepping out of her comfort zone with royal blues, bottle greens and shades of yellow.

It’s a great time to invest in the label, especially for to-be brides, as the wedding season is only a few months away.

Who would let go of an opportunity to buy a gorgeous Ritu Kumar lehenga at half the price? I know I wouldn't.

and

Contrast to die for

This georgette ensemble weighs approximately five kgs, with its dupatta accounting for at least one. While the skirt of the lehnga is designed with delicate zardosi work and sequins, the dupatta is beautifully crafted using self-print georgette and a brocade border.

Price:

Heavy duty

`39,950

Price:

`1,05,000

This bridal lehenga comprises a satin-crepe skirt with a velvet blouse to add to the sheen of the ensemble.

With intricate zardosi work and a soft-net dupatta, the one and a half kg lehenga is worth its price.

Magic of blue This peacock blue and green bandhini, self-print lehnga oozes style with its sequins and zardosi work. It weighs a little more than two kgs.

Two-piece saree Fabric: Half satin crepe and half Banarasi chiffon Price:

`55,900

HOW MUCH IS ELIZABETH TAYLOR’S WEDDING DRESS WORTH? ELIZABETH TAYLOR's wedding dress has been sold for over double its expected asking price. The star's first bridal gown — worn when she married Hilton hotel heir Conrad Hilton in 1950 — was bought at a Christie's auction recently for £121,875 by an unnamed institution.

the Bride!

22&23

When it comes to dressing up an Indian bride, no one does it better than Ritu Kumar. A go-to label for Bollywood divas like Sushmita Sen, Diya Mirza, Priyanka Chopra, Aishwarya Rai and most recently Kareena Kapoor, Ritu Kumar's ethnic ensembles are perfect for the traditional Indian bride look. This week, Postnoon gives you a few highlights from the designer's latest collection.

Go bright The mustard crushed lehenga that weighs only one and a half kgs is a perfect ensemble for those attending a loved one’s wedding. While the skirt and blouse are kept simple, the designer has used season colours orange, yellow and rust in the bandhini dupatta which also comprises gota border and gota patchwork.

Lady in black: Fabric: Chanderi Price:

`59,500

Price:

`49,990

Price:

`28,990 Celebrity choice Mustard magic Made with chanderi fabric, the sleeveless salwar kameez oozes style. Paired with a soft-net dupatta with a sequined border, the set is worth every penny.

Fuchsia Pink and orange combo Fabric: Satin crepe Price:

`29,500

Shop at: Ritu Kumar, Milestone 476, Road no 10, Banjara Hills

Priyanka Chopra is a fan.

The Bollywood actress wore this set to a puja recently. Made with georgette fabric and paired with a crepe chudidar and bottle-green, soft-net dupatta, the salwar kameez boasts antique work too.

Price:

`27,500

Entertainment FRIDAY, JUNE 28, 2013

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Entertainment FRIDAY, JUNE 28, 2013

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FRIDAY, JUNE 28, 2013

Chai Time

THOUGHT OF THE DAY

Reading, after a certain age, diverts the mind too much from its creative pursuits. Any man who reads too much and uses his own brain too little falls into lazy habits of thinking.

Albert Einstein

KAKURO

QUICK CROSSWORD

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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 ‘Slow’ primate 6 Killed, in the Bible 10 Smurf leader 14 Acid in proteins 15 Smaller than compact 16 Agendum 17 Nighttime covers 19 The stuff of legends 20 Years since birth 21 Take the testimony of 22 Stone arrangement a la Stonehenge 24 Much less nice 26 Well-___ (prosperous) 27 Show some curiosity 28 Something the dog ate, in a noted excuse 32 Feeling of uncertainty 35 Music genre 36 Grafting shoot 37 TV role for Jason Lee 38 Bio class letters 39 Poker pot input 40 A lot of possessions?

42 Wood-shaping tool (Var) 43 Not on the level 44 Choppy, in music 46 ‘Jack and the Beanstalk’ exclamation 47 Cad 48 Blimp, eg 52 ‘What is on second’ speaker 55 Piece of cake 56 Opposite of WSW 57 Yank’s ally, often 58 Kitchen driers 61 Choice that avoids choosing 62 Skunk’s funk 63 Exhibition of cowboy skills 64 Baaing belles 65 You may find a judge in it 66 They’ll question you

DOWN

1 Jacob’s father-in-law 2 Final Greek letter 3 Carnival thrills 4 ___ and outs (particulars) 5 Maker of false but clever arguments 6 Dirty political attack 7 Person not telling it like it is 8 Ultimate point 9 Solomon’s forte 10 They touch your hair at night 11 Basic unit for the elements 12 French father 13 Word between grace and eating 18 Stink big-time 23 Lyric poems 25 They’re placed under plates 26 November birthstone 28 1953 John Wayne flick 29 Sound from Wilbur or Babe 30 Learning method 31 Was familiar with 32 Barely passing grades 33 Brewer’s kiln 34 Major in astronomy?

35 Art institute in Brooklyn 41 Tartan wearer 43 Where metals are detected 45 Name on a spine 46 Formal decree 48 ‘Giant’ of pro wrestling 49 Takes seriously 50 Arm of the sea 51 Tijuana tender 52 Clerical title, in Caen 53 Furrowed item 54 Chomp down on 55 Hoity-toity type 59 ‘Without further ___’ 60 ‘Begone’ beginning

Chai Time FRIDAY, JUNE 28, 2013 Thiruvaikumar

STAR POWER for 29-6-2013

27

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

ARIES

TAURUS

GEMINI

CANCER

LEO

VIRGO

LIBRA

SCORPIO

SAGITTARIUS

CAPRICORN

AQUARIUS

PISCES

Women must be careful as a stranger could trouble them.

Businessmen look active as new customers join their list. You get support of family members. Act wisely and get out of the problem created by your enemies.

Employees must work hard.

STRIP TEASE AGNES

Strained relationship will blossom again and continue with better understanding. Businessmen earn income directly proportional to their efforts. Employees rejoice as their demands are considered favourably by the management.

Women must drive away apprehensions and stop worrying.

Employees are not favoured by the management. Businessmen face limited growth. They need to postpone plans for expansion. Be careful when you are travelling.

Employees rejoice as atmosphere at workplace is favourable. Exercise extra caution while undertaking financial transactions. Businessmen likely to sign new contracts that extend their horizon to the international market.

Employees need to work in a way that gets them the favour of superiors. Frequent good and bad events that take place at home upset women. Be careful while driving. Businessmen change partners, and these will co-operate well.

Businessmen face reduction in profit margins. Children put you in an embarrassing situation but you need to deal with the situation patiently. Friends might seek help; co-operating with them will help you in the long run.

Change of residence likely for some. Friendship with VIPs will be helpful in completing critical chores. Avoid standing guarantee for anyone.

Businessmen advised to make full use of opportunities that will knock on their door soon.

You undertake frequent travel.

Unexpected transfer is on the cards for employees, who shift themselves to the transferred destination. Businessmen have a normal trend and business is steady as miracles are not likely to happen.

Financially, a comfortable situation is likely. Court verdict goes in your favour. Tension in the family ends and peaceful atmosphere prevails. Children concentrate well in studies and make you proud with their achievements.

TAROT READ

Sumaa Tekur

tarotreadhyd@gmail. com

ARIES:

GEMINI:

The Hermit – Health needs attention. You may need to take some vitamins for skin and hair. Be open to experimenting with new hair care techniques.

LEO:

The Lovers – You’re in that phase of life when you’re discovering new things about yourself and your partner. You’re surprised how you feel about certain things.

LIBRA:

PEARLS BEFORE SWINE

Ten of Pentacles – There should be a limit to how much you tolerate. You’re being too nice and people are taking advantage. So be careful and it’s okay to say no.

SAGITTARIUS:

Page of Wands – Lay low and do not do anything to draw undue attention. This is a tricky time when Mercury is retrograde. Let the next few weeks pass.

TAURUS:

Five of Cups – You must learn to sugar-coat what you tell people. They are likely to find your words too harsh. Be a little sensitive to others’ feelings.

CANCER:

Two of Swords – You’re getting into a big gamble. Be careful and review your choices carefully before you choose one or the other. Look at the big picture.

VIRGO:

Nine of Swords – Be careful of minor injuries like paper cuts or bruises that may put you in a bad mood, quite unnecessarily. It is very avoidable.

SCORPIO:

Seven of Wands – It may be a better idea to split with someone if the partnership is not giving you the desired results. Do not hesitate to put the cards on the table.

CAPRICORN:

Three of Swords – The jury’s out and you realise you could have done a better job. People are watching your every move and you’re in the spotlight.

PREVIOUS SOLUTIONS

PISCES:

Temperance – When you consider sharing important information with someone outside the group, think of how that person will use that information.

NUMBER GAME

nds – While it might seem like fun to have someone as a puppet in your hands, it is not a pleasant thing in the long term. Your credibility is at stake.

SCRABBLE

AQUARIUS: Knight of Wa-

POOCH CAFE

Good news is on the cards from distant relatives. Influx of relatives or close friends cheers the family members. You manage the minor hurdles in the way of your work very well and complete them successfully.

for 29-6-2013

The Tower – You have to run that extra mile to make a difference. You seem to have steadied your financial position now. But you need to do more.

NON SEQUITUR

Businessmen have a rise in business volume and profits.

Help from the expected sources lets you relax. The selfemployed are likely to do well and be buoyant. Artists are likely to get promising opportunities. Health looks alright.

SUDUKO

Artistes likely to get good opportunities. A long-pending task gets completed successfully making you cheerful. A likely unexpected financial opportunity makes you financially comfortable. Pay hike for employees on the cards.

Boggle BEAR DEER GOAT MULE PUMA MOLE LION Vol: 2, No 343 RNI No: APENG/2011/39337 Published for the proprietors, Scribble Media and Entertainment Pvt Ltd, by V Harshavardhan Reddy, at #1246, Level 3, Jubilee Casa, Road No 62, Jubilee Hills, Hyderabad – 500033 and printed by him at Jagati Publications Ltd, Plot No D-75&E-52, APIE Industrial Estate, Balanagar, Ranga Reddy Dist, Hyderabad – 500037, Editor: Dean Williams – Responsible for selection of news under the PRB Act All rights reserved.

Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission of the publisher is prohibited. For feedback, please write to: feedback@postnoon. com and for subscription, please call 040-4067 2222, Fax: 040-4067 2211

28

Entertainment FRIDAY, JUNE 28, 2013

THE EVIL ACT

CINE BYTES

Z A I D N O CAMER

joins Annie as cruel orphanage matron Miss Hannigan

ameron Diaz is following up her caustic turn in Bad Teacher with an even nastier role.

The What to Expect When You’re Expecting star has signed on to play cruel orphanage matron Miss Hannigan in Sony’s forthcoming update of the Broadway musical Annie, according to Deadline. Sandra Bullock was previously in negotiations for the role but pulled out before a deal was made.

Quvenzhane Wallis is already on board to portray the iconic title character in the film, while Jamie Foxx is starring as Daddy Warbucks. Easy A helmer Will Gluck will direct for producers Will Smith and Jay-Z. Diaz has a number of upcoming films on her slate, including Michael Hoffman’s long-delayed Gambit opposite Colin Firth as well as Ridley Scott’s star-studded The Counselor with Brad Pitt and Michael Fassbender. A sequel to Bad Teacher (also the inspiration behind a forthcoming CBS sitcom starring Ari Graynor) is currently in development, though Diaz is not yet formally attached to star.

Annie is slated for release on Christmas Day 2014.

C

Mary-Kate Olsen styles kids for Ladys & Gents

W

hile there are plenty of grown women who would kill to have fashion designer MaryKate Olsen style them, the petite star has decided to lend her fashionable services to a surprising demographic: kids!

That’s right the 27-year-old teamed up with children’s style blog Ladys & Gents to put together absolutely adorable outfits for the teeniest of fashionistas.

Channing gushes over Everly’s birth

C

hanning Tatum wasn’t one of those dads who had to wait outside the delivery room while his wife, Jenna Dewan-Tatum, was giving birth to their first daughter, Everly. Would we expect anything less from Magic Mike? “I was there for the whole thing,” he says.

“That was the most amazing thing I have ever experienced in my life,” he says.

Watson realised her star status after college

A

ctress Emma Watson says she never really realised her popularity and stardom until she went to study in the US. The actress enrolled at the Brown University in Rhode Island, Massachusetts, in 2009 to study English literature.

“It sounds stupid, or completely unbelievable, but that was when I really realised that I was famous,” the 23-year-old told Teen Vogue, reports femalefirst.co.uk. IANS

sports

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FRIDAY, JUNE 28, 2013

US SWIMMING CHAMPIONSHIPS AND WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP TRIALS

Rachel halts Missy’s streak

FORMULA ONE

It took a record-breaking effort by Rachel Bootsma to halt Missy Franklin’s win streak at the US swimming championships and World Championship trials.

PETE CAVA Agence France-Presse INDIANAPOLIS: It took a record-breaking effort by Rachel Bootsma Thursday night to halt Missy Franklin’s win streak at the US swimming championships and World Championship trials.

Bootsma finished ahead of Franklin in the women’s 50meter backstroke at the Indiana University Natatorium on the third night of the meet, which serves as the trials for the World Championships in Barcelona, July 28-August 4. Event winners automatically qualify for the US team. Bootsma’s time of 27.68 bettered the American record of 27.80 by Hayley McGregory in 2008.

Franklin, the winner of four

AT&T NATIONAL

Castro passes Tiger’s test

BETHESDA: Tiger Woods wanted his PGA event to play like a tough US Openstyle test and the world number one got his wish in Thursday’s opening round of the National at Congressional Country Club.

Thick rough and narrow fairways on the 7,569-yard layout where Rory McIlroy won the 2011 US Open kept players scrambling, although American Roberto Castro solved it for a fiveunder par 66 to seize a twostroke lead after 18 holes.

“The golf course is all you can handle,” Castro said. “It’s long. The rough is brutal. There’s not a lot of birdies out there. You’re just plodding along. The golf course hasn’t changed much in two years.”

Woods, absent while recovering from a left elbow sprain, serves as host for the $6.5 million event, which is run by his charity foundation. He used the US Open as a course setup guide, easing up only on green speed and hole locations.

“I would like it to be one of the more difficult PGA Tour events, there’s no doubt,” Woods said.

Missy Franklin (R) congratulates Rachel Bootsma after Bootsma set a new American record on her way to winning the women’s 50m backstroke finals on day 3 of the 2013 USA Swimming Phillips 66 National Championships and World Trials on Thursday.

AFP/LECKA

Olympic gold medals last year in London, took second in 27.98.

Over the first two days of com-

petition, Franklin had won titles in the 100 freestyle, 200 freestyle and 200 backstroke.

“Missy’s a great competitor and obviously, she was right there with me,” said Bootsma, who picked up an Olympic gold medal in 2012 as part of the US 4x100 free relay team. “I knew it would be a close race, but I did what I knew I needed to do.”

Bootsma, this year’s collegiate 100 backstroke champion, swims for the University of California, where Franklin will enroll this fall. The two are expected to meet again Friday in the 100 back final.

In the women’s 100-meter butterfly, Olympic champ Dana Vollmer posted the year’s third fastest time, blazing past Clair Donahue for the win in 57.53.

Donahue’s time was 58.32.

Vollmer picked up four gold medals last year in London (100 fly, all three relays).

US WOMEN’S OPEN

Kim grabs lead

SOUTHAMPTON: South Korea’s Kim Ha-Neul snatched the first-round lead in the US Women’s Open from number one-ranked compatriot Park In-Bee Thursday with a flawless six-under par 66.

Kim had six birdies and no bogeys on the par-72 Sebonack Golf Club course to edge ahead of Park, who held the clubhouse lead for most of the day on five-under 67.

“This is my first time in the US Open and I didn’t think that I was going to do it like this,” said Kim, a seventime winner on the Korean LPGA Tour. Park, whose five titles in 2013 include major triumphs at the Kraft Nabisco Championship and the LPGA Championship, had six birdies and one bogey for sole possession of second place.

“I played very good

today,” Park said. “I hit the ball very good, didn’t miss many fairways or greens.

“I was able to take some pins today where the USGA was a little generous on us today.”

The US Golf Association — not known for generosity in the set-up of its Open championships — moved up the tees in anticipation of inclement weather, and Park took full advantage.

AFP

Ha-Neul Kim from South Korea watches her tee shot on the third hole during the first round of the 2013 U.S. Women’s Open at Sebonack Golf Club onThursday.

AFP/GREGORY SHAMUS

LEAGUE CRICKET Shashank, five others slam tons A-1 three day Day 3 Group A R Dayanand 328 all out in 112 overs (P Shashank Nag 115, Pradeep 47, SM Shoaib 3/50, Amol Shinde 3/94) drew with Andhra Bank 164/1 in 36 overs(Abhinav Kumar 102 n.o., Ronald Rodrigues 38) Ensconse 280 all out in 84.4overs and 205/4 in 34.1 overs (J Mallikarjun 52, Tanmay

Agarwal 102 n.o., Md Azmath Khan 31 n.o., Pratyush Reddy 3/65) drew with Falaknuma 154/9 decl in 60 overs (Abhishek Ashok 34, D Ashrith 49, Mehdi Hasan 4/31) SCRSA vs Evergreen at SCRSA (Day 3 called off without a ball being bowled) Group B MP Colts vs AOC at AOC (Day 3 called off

Webber says age a factor in quitting TIM COLLINGS Agence France-Presse SILVERSTONE: Mark Webber conceded on Thursday afternoon that the march of time combined with impending rule changes in Formula One for next season had been major factors in his decision to quit and switch to sportscar racing with Porsche.

The Australian Red Bull driver, who will be 37 in August, said no single reason had persuaded him to quit, but a mixture of factors. He said: “There’s lot of reasons that come into the pot when any sportsman or woman comes to that time in their career when they want to call it a day. That’s another small ingredient.

“There’s going to be big, big changes in the sport next year.

“So let’s see how the category is next year in Formula One. I’ll be interested to watch every now and then and watch these guys do their stuff.” Webber denied that the fact that Porsche were first to announce his 2014 plans, rather than Red Bull, was in any way a dig at his current team.

He added, that “it was about Porsche and Mark Webber today” and made clear that he had made his decision without being influenced by anything other than his own goals and ambitions.

He said he had been in touch with Red Bull owner Dietrich Mateschitz over his future for a number of months. Talking on the eve of opening practice for the British Grand Prix, he said: “I’ve helped the team today... They know they’ve got to make some decisions in the future.”

without a ball being bowled) EMCC 350 all out in 109.2 overs (Sai Anurag 53, Surya Teja 83, Akshit 31, Shakeer 2/64, Faiz Ahmed 3/60) drew with India Cements 252/6 in 63.2 overs (Chaitanya 113, Sandilya 30, Ravi Teja 2/39).

Hyderabad Bottling 281 all out in 86.4 overs(Prithvi Reddy 114, TP Anirudh 36, K Sabarish 2/79, Roshan Raghuram 5/102, Shiv Shankar 3/44) drew with BDL 169/4 in 57 overs(Vishal Jude Phillips 39, K Sumanth 35 n.o.).

sports

30

FRIDAY, JUNE 28, 2013

WIMBLEDON

Djoker avoids giant-killing Novak Djokovic avoided becoming the latest star to crash out of Wimbledon as he recovered from a slow start to defeat American qualifier Bobby Reynolds.

STEVEN GRIFFITHS Agence France-Presse LONDON: Novak Djokovic avoided becoming the latest star player to crash out of Wimbledon as the world number one recovered from a slow start to defeat American qualifier Bobby Reynolds 7-6 (7/2), 63, 6-1 in the second round on Thursday.

While several of Djokovic’s title rivals have fallen foul of the shock defeats and injury withdrawals that have rocked Wimbledon over the last four days, the 26-year-old has progressed serenely to the last 32 and is yet to drop a set.

Both Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal suffered stunning losses at the hands of unheralded opponents in the other half of the draw, leaving Djokovic as the only former Wimbledon champion left.

And a defeat for Djokovic in

Serbia’s Novak Djokovic stretches for a return against US player Bobby Reynolds during their second round men’s singles match of the Wimbledon Championships on Thursday.

AFP/BEN STANSALL

his first meeting with Reynolds, the world number 156, would have been just as shocking.

But, although the Serb never

hit peak form, he did enough to see off his obdurate opponent with 41 winners and 12 aces in one hour and 56 minutes.

Djokovic will play French 28th seed Jeremy Chardy or German qualifier Jan-Lennard Struff for a place in the last 16.

“It’s a bit strange that so many top players lost in one or two days,” Djokovic said.

“All the lower-ranked players have an extra motivation to perform their best; they have nothing to lose.

“I need to be extra-careful and with the roof closed it was a bit different, I needed some time to adjust to the conditions.

“My game is there. I just need to try to capitalise on my opportunities. Today I was very poor on the break points. I’m glad I’m through.”

Reynolds’ exit was one of the least surprising results in an otherwise shock-filled week, but it did carry historic significance as there will be no American men in the Wimbledon third round for the first time in 101 years.

US men slump to 100-yr low LONDON: The United States suffered their worst men’s singles performance at Wimbledon for over a century when they were left without a player in the third round for the first time since 1912.

World number one Novak Djokovic delivered the fatal blow by beating the last American man standing, world number 156 Bobby Reynolds (right), 7-6 (7/2), 6-3, 6-1 in the second round.

In all, 11 American men started out in the main draw on Monday but their only two seeded players -- John Isner and Sam Querrey were out by Wednesday.

Isner, the 18th seed, retired with an injury from his second round match against France’s

Adrian Mannarino.

Querrey, the 21st seed, lost a five-setter in the first round to Australia’s Bernard Tomic.

By Thursday, only James

Blake, Denis Kudla and Reynolds were left.

It was a challenge too far as Blake fell to Tomic and Kudla was put out by Ivan Dodig of Croatia. So it’s been almost 10 years and now 39 Grand Slams since the United States was able to salute a men’s trophy winner at the majors.

Pete Sampras was the last American man to win Wimbledon when he captured his seventh title in 2000.

Andy Roddick, the last US man to lift a major at the 2003 US Open, suffered three heartbreaking Wimbledon final losses to Roger Federer in 2004, 2005 and 2009.

Since then, the only American man to trouble the All England Club engravers

was Isner whose name now adorns a plaque on Court 18 to recognise his winning role in the world’s longest tennis match in 2010.

It’s all a far cry from the glory years of Sampras and Andre Agassi, the 1992 champion, three-time winner John McEnroe (1981, 1983 and 1984) and double champion Jimmy Connors (1974 and 1982).

Isner has still to get beyond the second round at Wimbledon despite having the killer-serve which should, in theory, ease his path through the draw.

“I was the highest seeded player on a surface that I’m tough to beat on, given how well I can serve and how much I can hold serve,” said Isner.

Llodra under fire as he retires, then reappears ROBIN MILLARD Agence France-Presse LONDON: France’s Michael Llodra pulled out of the Wimbledon singles on Thursday citing a hamstring injury -- but then went straight out to play in the men’s doubles, sparking questions as to whether he was trying hard enough.

Playing on Court 14, Llodra lost the first set of his second round singles match 7-5 to Italian 23rd seed Andreas Seppi, then pulled out due to what he said was a hamstring tear. So, many people were surprised when three hours later he turned up on Court 6 for a match with his doubles partner Nicolas Mahut.

To add a further twist, their opponents Jan Hajek and Jaroslav Levinsky of the Czech Republic pulled out at 5-4 down in the first set. Llodra has a track record of pulling out during singles matches, having previously done it on 31 occasions. By comparison, 17-time Grand Slam champion Roger Federer has never done so. Llodra could not see what all the fuss was about.

“In singles it’s too difficult and dangerous for my hamstrings. I prefer not to take any risks to play doubles. Doubles is easier.

You play half court.”

“I knew before the match is was going to be difficult. After losing the first set, I knew trying to win in four, five sets could be difficult for me and for my hamstring. So I prefer to stop and try to play doubles 100 percent.

BRIEFS Murray takes spotlight after US misery LONDON: Andy Murray takes centre stage

on Friday at a star-stripped Wimbledon reeling from the shock exits of its A-list stars. Murray, the second seed and looking to become Britain’s first men’s champion since 1936, faces Spanish veteran Tommy Robredo on Centre Court hoping to seal a place in the last 16. The world number two is in the bottom half of the men’s draw which has seen seven-time champion Roger Federer, reigning French Open champion Rafael Nadal, dangerous sixth seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga

and 10th seed Marin Cilic all depart.

As a result, 15th seeded Nicolas Almagro is Murray’s closest rival in ranking terms, but the Spaniard has never got beyond the third round at the All England Club.

Murray’s opponent Robredo has also never managed to reach the second week.

“Everybody was so obsessed with how the draw was before the tournament started. Now everybody wants to change their views on it because a few guys have lost,” Murray said.

Date-Krumm happy being oldest swinger in town LONDON: Kimiko Date-Krumm cannot believe she has made the third round of Wimbledon at the age of 42 and is relishing the prospect of facing defending champion Serena Williams in a showpiece match on Saturday.

Date-Krumm, the oldest woman to reach the Wimbledon last 32 in the Open Era, has made it to the third round at the All England Club for the first time since her run to the semi-finals in 1996. Williams, the world number one, is full of admiration for her evergreen Japanese oppo-

nent and the feeling is mutual. “She’s so strong.

It’s very, very difficult to beat her,” said the world number 84. Despite their combined decades on the tour -- Williams is 31 -- the two have never played each other, though Date-Krumm has crossed racquets with her older sister Venus.

“I played with Venus two years ago here, and this year in Miami. But, of course, there is a big difference between Venus and Serena. She (Serena) has more power and she has more, of course, speed. She has confidence.

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FRIDAY, JUNE 28, 2013

NEW ZEALAND IN ENGLAND

KP’s comeback washed out as New Zealand take series

Pietersen’s return to England duty saw him fail to take any part in a washed-out T20 match.

LONDON: Kevin Pietersen’s return to England duty saw him fail to take any part in a washedout Twenty20 match at The Oval on Thursday that gave New Zealand a 1-0 series win.

Only two balls had been bowled, with England two for one, when rain stopped play after Michael Lumb was caught at second slip by New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum off left-arm quick Mitchell McClenaghan.

Rain prevented all further attempts at a re-start, with officials seeing plans for a six-oversper-side match starting at 9.03pm local time (2003GMT) thwarted by a fresh downpour.

The no-result, in what was the final match of their tour, gave New Zealand the two-match series 1-0 after their five-run win at The Oval on Tuesday and followed their 2-1 one-day series success.

However, England took the preceding Test series 2-0.

England made two changes from the side that lost the first of this two-match series by five runs at The Oval on Tuesday.

The no-result, in what was the final match of their tour, gave New Zealand the twomatch series 1-0 after their five-run win on Tuesday.

England’s Kevin Pietersen (R) talks with New Zealand’s Captain Brendon McCullum (L) as rain stopped play during their second T20 match at The Oval cricket ground in London on Thursday.

AFP/IAN KINGTON

Pietersen was included in an England side for the first time following a knee injury that forced his early exit from the tour of New Zealand in March.

The former England captain

ASHES

Watson relishes his opening role

LONDON: Shane Watson (in pic) is fired up by the prospect of opening for Australia in the upcoming Ashes series in England, the all-rounder said on Thursday.

Australia’s squad contains several openers but new coach Darren Lehmann has said he wants Watson at the top of the order.

Watson did his best to play himself into some sort of form with a rapid 90, off just 94 balls and including 20 fours, on the second day of Australia’s tour match against Somerset at Taunton on Thursday as the visitors closed on 266 for four in reply to the west country county’s 320. After a rainshortened day, Watson spoke of his delight at the vote of confidence he’d received from former Australia batsman Lehmann, brought in after South African Mickey Arthur

was sidelined from all cricket until making a superb unbeaten 177 for Surrey in a County Championship match last weekend.

But he took no active part

Thursday and will now turn his attention to England’s Ashes four-day warm-up match against Essex at Chelmsford starting on Sunday.

England begin the defence of

the Ashes against Australia with the first Test at Trent Bridge on July 10.

South Africa-born Pietersen, 33 on Thursday, replaced standin captain Eoin Morgan, who led England on Tuesday in the absence of the rested Stuart Broad, after the former Ireland international was ruled out with a right hand injury.

Kent off-spinner James Tredwell captained England for the first time but had still to lead the side in the field after losing the toss.

Left-arm spinner Danny Briggs, a key member of English domestic Twenty20 champions Hampshire’s side, replaced seamer Chris Woakes, whose one over on Tuesday cost 19 runs.

TIME TO REJOICE

CT win boost after IPL scandal: Dravid MUMBAI: Rahul Dravid (right) on Thursday hailed the Mahendra Singh Dhoni-led team’s triumph in the Champions Trophy and said this was a much-needed shot in the arm for Indian cricket in the aftermath of the IPL spotfixing scandal.

“I think we needed a good positive story. We needed some cheer in our cricket. We needed some happiness in our cricket.

There is no doubt about that.

I think it’s great that we had lot of positive stories to write about in these two or three weeks,” Dravid said.

“As an Indian fan, it was a heartening tournament to watch for me personally, just to see how well the team played but also from a point of view that it was a great story for Indian cricket at a

time like this,” Dravid told reporters at a Gillette event here.

The Indian team enjoyed an unbeaten run at the event and capped its brilliant performance by lifting the trophy for the first time outright by beating hosts England by five runs in a truncated final at Birmingham last Sunday. The team had departed to England in the wake of a spotfixing and betting scandal in IPL that resulted in the arrest of three players from Rajasthan Royals, as well as CSK team principal and son-in-law of BCCI President N Srinivasan.

PTI

ICC disappointed at FICA’s approach was sensationally sacked just 16 days before the first Ashes Test at Trent Bridge on July 10.

“It’s nice to get that confirmation and it’s a hugely exciting challenge for me,” said Watson.

AFP

LONDON: The ICC has expressed “anger and disappointment” at Federation of International Cricketers’ Associations (FICA) Executive Chairman Paul Marsh’s allegations that no action had been taken for “six weeks” by the ICC on the

issue of vote of player representatives. The ICC stated that senior executives and leading board members of cricket’s governing body had met Ian Smith on Tuesday in London where it was mutually agreed that “major progress” had been

made to resolve and perceived deficiencies in the ICC Cricket Committee election system.

“At the end of the meeting, we were close to reaching an outcome that was acceptable to the players and their representatives,” ICC said.

AFP

FRIDAY, JUNE 28, 2013

sports

SPAIN WON’T SLEEPWALK INTO FINAL: DEL BOSQUE

Spain coach Vicente del Bosque said fatigue would be no excuse for failure in the Confederations Cup final against Brazil after his side edged a gruelling semifinal with Italy on penalties in Fortaleza. Thursday’s game, played amid stifling humidity, saw Spain prevail 7-6 in a shoot-out.

CONFEDERATIONS CUP

Jesus comes to Spain’s rescue

Jesus Navas settled a thrilling penalty shoot-out 7-6 for Spain as they beat Italy in the semis.

TOM WILLIAMS Agence France-Presse FORTALEZA: Jesus Navas settled a nail-biting penalty shootout 7-6 for Spain as the world and European champions edged Italy on a sultry evening in Fortaleza on Thursday to set up a Confederations Cup final meeting with Brazil.

After the semi-final finished goalless following extra time, Leonardo Bonucci proved the fall guy for the Italians, blazing the 13th kick of the shoot-out over the bar before Manchester City new boy Navas calmly tucked his penalty home.

Spain will now seek to complete their set of senior interna-

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‘Italy should learn from opponents’

Spanish Players celebrate after midfielder Jesus Navas (2-L, bottom) scored his penalty in the shoot-out in their Confederations Cup semifinal match on Thursday.

AFP/JUAN BARRETO

tional titles, having also won Olympic gold in Barcelona in 1992, but hosts Brazil were spared a 120-minute semi-final and will have had 24 extra hours to recover. “It was a very difficult match for us and we’ll have to think about what we have to do in the next three days to recover,” said coach Vicente del Bosque.

“We will definitely stand up to Brazil in the Maracana and I hope the players will feel as happy as kids about playing there.” Italy were left to curse their luck after initially shackling Spain in the first half, and coach Cesare Prandelli must now galvanise minds and bodies for Sunday’s meeting with Uruguay in the third-place play-off.

He nonetheless drew solace from the way his side matched Spain, having seen Italy crushed 4-0 when the sides last met in last year’s one-sided Euro 2012 final in Kiev. “The lads played a great match, from the first minute to the last, and we created plenty of situations that could have won us the game,” Prandelli said.

“But once it goes to penalties, anything can happen,” he added.

“Spain are currently ahead of us because they’ve been following the same ideology for years, whereas we’re still forging our own path.”

Chastened by the memory of the Euro 2012 final, Prandelli reverted to the formula he had successfully used in the 1-1 draw

between the sides earlier in that tournament. Italy lined up with a three-man defence and no fewer than six midfielders at Estadio Castelao, Claudio Marchisio and Antonio Candreva providing support for lone striker Alberto Gilardino.

As a result, Spain’s intricate passing exchanges foundered far from the Italian goal, and Prandelli’s men were bold in their exploitation of the space behind the Spanish defence.

Right wing-back Christian Maggio was particularly prominent, heading over from a corner and then drawing a fine save from Iker Casillas with a header after Andrea Pirlo picked him out with a raking 60-yard pass.

FORTALEZA: Italy coach Cesare Prandelli urged his players to follow the example of Confederations Cup semifinal opponents Spain after the Azzurri lost an agonising penalty shoot-out 7-6 in Fortaleza.

Centre-back Leonardo Bonucci had the misfortune to blink first in the shootout, hoisting his shot high over the bar at Estadio Castelao and providing Jesus Navas with an opportunity to send Spain into a final against hosts Brazil.

It was nonetheless a vastly improved performance

by Italy, a year on from their crushing 4-0 loss to Spain when the teams last met in the final of the 2012 European Championship. Confounding pre-match expectations, Italy dominated the first half, as Prandelli’s decision to deploy a compact 34-2-1 system denied Spain’s midfielders space in the centre of the pitch.

The two wing-backs both played significant roles as well. Marauding right wing-back Christian Maggio went close on three occasions in the first half, while Emanuele Giaccherini hit the post in extra time.

Julio Cesar ready for conquest MAURICIO ARBILLA Agence France-Presse RIO DE JANEIRO: After being one of the main fall guys for a disappointing 2010 World Cup, goalkeeper Julio Cesar is back in Brazil’s good books for playing a major part in the Selecao’s march to the Confederations Cup final.

The oldest player in a squad comparatively lacking experience as coach Luiz Felipe Scolari builds a team to lift the World Cup next year on home soil, Cesar came to this event hot after suffering the indignity of relegation from the English Premier league with Queen’s Park Ra-

ngers. That fate was not quite the way the veteran shot-stopper from Duque de Caxias had expected to prepare for his end-of-season World Cup dress rehearsal, But he has risen to hero status after his penalty save in Wednesday’s semi-final win over Uruguay provided the springboard for a gutsy, if slightly fortuitous, victory at the Mineirao stadium in Belo Horizonte.

His stop from Diego Forlan’s spotkick drew praise even in the immediate aftermath of what was a crushing blow for Uruguay coach Oscar Tabarez, who swallowed his frustration to note that Cesar “has again

shown what a great keeper he is”. Julio Cesar’s career has had its ups and downs ever since he made his debut for Flamengo 16 seasons ago. An under-17 world champion in 1997 who made his full debut for Brazil in 2004, winning the Copa America — with a penalty shootout save against Argentina.

And though he generally played second fiddle to Dida, he swiftly came to the attention of Inter Milan, who initially farmed him out to Chievo on loan.

But he was back within months to oust Francesco Toldo as first choice at San Siro and after helping his country win the 2009

Confederations Cup, his club career hit the ultimate high with Inter’s victory in the Champions League in 2010. Yet weeks later he was deemed to be at fault for a Wesley Sneijder goal in a World Cup quarter-final loss to Holland and after Mano Menezes replaced Dunga at the helm he lost his place.

His exile ended earlier this year after Scolari replaced Menezes and he has reestablished himself as number one. Of his save against Uruguay, Julio Cesar, closing in steadily on the 100 caps mark, said he had simply done his homework and that he knew Forlan would fire his penalty to his left.