FRIDAY, MAY 31, 2013 HYDERABAD
WWW.POSTNOON.COM
32 PAGES
WEATHER: CLOUDY. CHANCE OF A THUNDERSTORM; 35°C
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Rythu bazaars struggle to stem skyrocketing veggie prices
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Under the lack of government patronage, the Rythu Bazaars, a progressive measure begun by the TDP regime, lay open for plunder. Rythu Bazaar, supposed to cushion the vegetable prices, provided no respite of late as vegetable prices continue to set records causing panic among sellers and buyers.
HYDERABAD’S FIRST COMPACT AFTERNOON NEWSPAPER
De-silting, an essential pre-monsoon exercise to save the City, has been fraught with delays, hiccups and corruption. Waste dug up and left on the roads poses a danger to the public once the rains descend.
GHMC PILES UP THE WOES ON CITIZENS
Cong keeps fingers crossed Three Congress leaders joining the TRS on the pretext of a delay in the decision on Telangana is a ruse for promoting their wards, but its adverse impact is undeniable.
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REPORT ON P6
SRINIVAS SETTY
Catch me if you can Louis Leterrier’s upcoming film Now You See Me is all set to put the focus back on jaw-dropping heists. Over the years, there have been plenty of films which have dealt with bank robberies and jewellery thefts, where the art of conning is in its most glorious form. We take a look at few such films.
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FRIDAY, MAY 31, 2013
city events
CREATING WRITING WORKSHOP
Hitting the Right Side: Creative thinking workshop by Dishaa will be held at Saptaparni, Banjara Hills on May 31 from 10.30 am to 12.30 pm.
Weather for Hyderabad
Evening
Overnight
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Afternoon
40°C
35°C
33°C
40°C
Cloudy
A mix of cloudy and clear skies.
A mix of cloud and sun.
A mix of cloud and sun.
New Delhi Mumbai Max 41 Max 35 Min 29 Min 29 Clear
Chennai Max 35 Min 28
Clear with chances of rain.
Cloudy
Bangalore Max 27 Min 20
Cloudy with chances of thunderstorms.
AROUND THE CITY: YOUR GUIDE TO THE TWIN CITIES Wet paper painting Wet paper painting workshop by Sakshi Mudaliar will be held. Where: Our Sacred Space, Secunderabad When: May 31, 10.30 am to 12 noon. Contact: 9030013344
SHOWS
Movie time Movie Your Name Is Justine will be staged as part of European Union Festival. Where: International School For Film + Media, Banjara Hills When: June 1, 11 am Reel abilities The open couple, a play by Dario Fo will be staged. Where: Lamakaan, Banjara Hills When: June 1, 7 pm
POWERPUFF GIRLS: Harley Davidson women bikers pose wearing Anti Tobacco Crusaders badge on the eve of World No Tobacco Day on May 30. Movie matter The Dark House, film by Will Koopman will be screened. Where: International School For Film + Media, Banjara Hills When: June 1, 3 pm
Movie mania Altiplano - Film By Peter Brosens, Jessica Woodworth will be screened. Where: International School For Film + Media, Banjara Hills When: June 1, 6pm
Relations and Reflections Relations and Reflections, paintings of Shambu Prasad Reddy is on display. Where: Iconart Gallery, Banjara Hills When: Till June 3. Film fest Altiplano — Film By Peter Brosens, Jessica Woodworth will be screened. Where: International School For Film + Media, Banjara Hills When: June 1, 6pm
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
Movie time Water Lillies by Celine Sciamma will be screened. Where: Alliance Franaise, Banjara Hills When: May 31, 4 pm
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
When: May 31, 6 pm to 8 pm
Food fest Afghani Pathani food festival will be held. Where: Hotel GreenPark, Begumpet When: 31st May to 9th June.
Movie premiere Film by Marian Quinn, 32 A will be screened. Where: Alliance Francaise, Banjara Hills When: May 31, 6 pm
WORKSHOPS Mind care workshop De-addiction and mind care workshop by Dr Hari and Dr Devika will be held. Where: Nalanda - The World Wisdom Centre, Banjara Hills
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
Kitchen queens Cookery workshop will be held. Where: Inorbit Mall, Madhapur When: May 31, 5 pm to 6 pm Swimming lessons A swimming workshop for ladies and children is on. Where: Novotel, Hyderabad When: Till May 31
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
DINING Singaporean food festival Enjoy the finest of Asian flavours at Singaporean food festival. Where: Oriental Kitchen, Park Hyatt When: 19:00 to 23:30 hours(weekdays), 12:00 to 15:30 hours and 19:00 to 23:30 hours (weekends)
Airport Director 27903785, 27906001 For Air India Flight Information Toll free (from any network) for IC Flights 18001801407 And for All Flights: 1800227722 Air India has revised its flight timings. For more information call (Toll free) 18001801407, 1800227722 from BSNL/MTNL 04023430334 from other lines and mobile Website; www.airindia.in TOURISM OFFICES AP Tourism, Hyd 23262152/53/54 Sec-bad 27893100 Dept of Tourism 23453110 India Tourism 23261360 AP Tourism information Centre (24x7) 23450444, 23455999 UK VISA OFFICE VFS India Pvt Ltd Building, 8-2-542/A, Sunil Chamber, Road No. 7
Beside Meridian School, Banjara Hills34. Working hours are from 8 AM to 1 PM And 2 PM to 3PM. MUSEUMS Salar Jung Museum AP State Museum Nizams Museum
24523211 232431300/7641 24521029
Readers’ views
We invite you to write to us comments, suggestions, viewpoint or just about anything to feedback@postnoon.com or #1246, Level 3, Jubilee Casa, Road No 62, Jubilee Hills, Hyderabad – 500 033 or even by way of a call on 4067 2222
FRIDAY, MAY 31, 2013
news
YESTERDAY’S QUESTION
IS DYNASTY POLITICS HARMFUL FOR THE COUNTRY? 94% 6%
YES (A) NO (B)
TODAY’S QUESTION
WILL AP CABINET EXPANSION QUELL UNREST IN THE PARTY? A)
YES
B)
NO
To vote visit www.postnoon.com
EDUCATION
SOCIAL PRESSURE
Two-faced OU draws foreign varsities OU has two faces—one of political unrest and the other of academic excellence, fortunately the second quality gaining an upper hand lately. ALEENA ALICE aleena.t@postnoon.com HYDERABAD: Its terrific image as a political caldron notwithstanding Osmania University is drawing foreign universities in droves. Nearly 35 foreign universities have come forward to enter into an academic contract with OU since the time the T agitation made its way in the campus. In the past OU has signed MoUs with 18 foreign universities and institutions as a part of its global outreach. Some of the foreign universities included The Kansas State University in the USA, University of West England in UK, Kalmyk State University in Russia, University of Fraser Valley in Canada, Mississippi State University among the others. “There are various parameters that are looked upon when
OU’s other face Nearly 17 student agitations have taken place in OU since 2011. Scores of students got hurt and arraigned. Nine suicides and dozens of clashes have taken place for one reason or another. But the predominant cause is Telangana. The TJAC has been leveraging student power to its political end.
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China toilet baby’s mother nears ‘mental collapse’ BEIJING: A mother whose newborn baby was rescued from a toilet pipe in China is in hospital after nearing "mental collapse" while the alleged father has requested a DNA test, state-run media reported on Friday. The mother of the child, who became lodged in the pipe after she gave birth on the toilet, is "on the edge of mental collapse, because she has not rested after giving birth, and is being treated in hospital" the Modern Gold Daily newspaper reported. She had "suffered a lot because of public pressure", it said, citing the baby's grandfather, adding the baby had been AROUND THE
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signing a MoU with foreign universities. Academics, strength of the college, infrastructure, publications and the quality of education is something foreign universities look at. Because OU is one of the best universities, more foreign colleges want to enter into academic ties with us. Since January six foreign universities, from the USA, Germany and Nigeria have come forward to sign MoU with us. We self check our academic competence and only then strike a deal,” said Prof. S.
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Satyanarayana Vice Chancellor of Osmania University. Exuding confidence that the integration of academic programs with foreign universities will play an important role in knowledge sharing and better job prospects, Prof Anil Krishna says, “Such tie ups will facilitate better knowledge sharing and also bring in more awareness among Indian Students. There is a huge
demand for MS in technology and with tie-ups we are stressing on quality research programs.” The reason that the signing of MoU has been in the pipeline now is because of technical problems like funding. “Generating funds for student exchange programs as a part of the partnership with foreign universities is one major concern. Once this problem is sorted, we will immediately sign the MoU with various universities that have approached us,” added Prof. Satyanarayana.
collected from hospital by its grandparents. "Now the baby is healthy and carrying on with its life and we will use all our love to protect the baby. We ask society to give our family a quiet living environment," he added. Another report, by the staterun China News Network, cited local police as saying, “Although the mother says she has found the father, we need to be sure. He is not sure if he is the father, and requested a DNA test.” The child, dubbed "Baby No. 59" was released from hospital on Wednesday, hospital staff said. Chinese babies born out of wedlock are sometimes abandoned because of social and financial pressures. The country's one-child policy can also mean heavy fines for couples who have more than one baby. AFP
CITY BRIEFS Son-Mother sent back to London by RGI staff
Man hit by a train, dies on the spot
CM to press for cabinet expansion in Delhi
BIE extends inspection fee date for colleges
CM refuses to yield to deadlines on the T issue
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he immigration staff of RGI airport sent back the son-mother who came from London without a visa. According to details, the sonmother duo reached Hyderabad from British Airways flight. During the immigration check, they could not produce the visa and said that it got misplaced at London airport. Staff sent the duo back to London.
man was hit by a train while crossing railway tracks between Umda Nagar and Budvel railway stations. He died on the spot. As per the details, the deceased K Ram, 50, resident of Yadav Basthi, Shamshabad, was unaware of a speeding train approaching him on the railway tracks. Kachiguda railway police has registered a case.
hief Minister N.Kiran Kumar Reddy, who is in Delhi today, will meet Ghulam Nabi Azad and Ahmed Patel. His meeting with the central leaders is likely to revolve around the issue of cabinet expansion in the wake of resignation of two state ministers facing CBI charges, and nomination of MLCs under Governor's quota.
he Board of Intermediate Education has extended the last date for the payment of inspection fee for starting of new private unaided junior colleges for the academic year 2013-14 to June 3. According to BIE Secretary Rama Sankar Naik, the date has been extended on the request of several managements/societies in the State.
hief Minister Kiran Kumar Reddy, who is in Delhi discussing cabinet expansion with high command said that the Congress party would not yield to deadlines on Telangana issue and appealed to party leaders to wait for the leadership's decision, in reaction to the two Congress MPs from Telangana and a senior leader to join Telangana Rashtra Samithi
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News FRIDAY, MAY 31, 2013 LAST YEAR... HERE Animal emergencies
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ast year we had reported how the City sorely lacks a 24-hour emergency clinic for animals. This came to light after a deer, which had been attacked by dogs, died due to lack of medical care. Though some vets were willing to help, their hands were tied as they needed the consent of an authorised NGO or the forest department to operate on the animal.
CRIME
Smugglers unload red sandal, escape
MAY 31, 2012
49%
of men and 11 per cent of women surveyed in 14 developing countries said they used tobacco in one form or the other, according to a survey conducted by Lancet.
There's nothing available locally. There are simply no margins for us anymore. I've been here (Rythu Bazaar) since ten years and I've never seen it get so bad.
POSTNOON NEWS feedback@postnoon.com HYDERABAD:Thieves who tried in vain to smuggle out Red sandalwood worth `15 lakh unloaded it on the field of one Jangiah of Ramanjapur village of Shamshabad on Wednesday and escaped. Forest officials and police summoned by Jangaiah found sandalwood strewn around his farm. It was surmised that when the thieves realised that
Yousef, vegetable vendor See page 8-9
The column that teaches everyone something new about the way the City functions.
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Silt piles up, causing more harm than good. De-silting, an essential pre-monsoon exercise, has been carried out across the City. However, the dug-up waste lies piled up on the roadsides, posing grave danger to the public on rainy days.
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Fair and handsome is the demand! A bride in UP walked out of her wedding in a huff when she saw that her to-be husband was dark. See how the tables have turned!
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‘Hitler’ tea kettle brews up a storm. A tea kettle that inadvertently looks like Hitler has been raking in the moolah on the internet, even as groups protest the product.
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Osmania University’s two faces. It attracts students from several foreign countries, yet locals think twice about joining due to the constant agitations.
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Indian-origin teen overcomes ‘German’ hurdle. The teen spelt knaidel, a Germanic origin word, to win the coveted US spelling bee title.
POSTNOON NEWS Postnoon News
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NUMEROLOGY
THINGS WE 5LEARNT TODAY
Garbage truck dismantled and sold!
they were approaching the Shamshabad check post panicked and dumped the loot in the fields nearest to them and left the scene. Police cautioned that sandalwood smugglers were active in Shamshabad, Shad Nagar, Mahbubnagar, Jedcharla and surrounding areas. Strict patrolling and checking by the police in recent times had frustrated their activities. The RGI police and forest officials are investigating the case.
outs going around the City with no mooring don’t even spare garbage vehicles of the GHMC! In a queer incident, a GHMC garbage van parked in Purani Haveli, was reported stolen. It later dawned on the investigating officers that the vehicle was actually dismantled and sold in the scrap market. Police arrested one driver by name Meraj and two others for the crime on Saturday. Inspector of Dabeerpura DV Ranga Reddy said the driver himself had lodged the complaint of a missing vehicle to misguide the police. Police on interrogating him realised that he was the main culprit. Further probe revealed that he and his two associates had struck on the idea in order to make easy money. Meraj is a contract driver. Bits and pieces of the vehicle have been recovered from a scrap dealer in Karkhana.
CIVIC
GHMC reviews hoarding safety Following the collapse of private hoardings during the showers on Wednesday, the GHMC has decided to get tough with hoarding agencies. MD NIZAMUDDIN nizamuddin.@postnoon.com HYDERABAD: The GHMC has directed all 2,684 hoardings owners and agencies to resubmit fresh structural stability certificates within seven days. In the very first rains of the season, three massive hoardings in the City collapsed endangering public safety. Following this, the Commissioner MT Krishna Babu held a review meeting with the engineer-in-chief and advertisement wing officials. The commissioner asked the officials to get details furnished by the agencies along with cross-checking certificates by independent agencies such as JNTU and Osmania University and draw conclusions regard-
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ing the stability of the hoardings. He has directed the deputy commissioners of circles 8 &9 to issue notices to Prakash Arts (for two hoardings that fell in Nizam College grounds) and Venkateswara Advertisement (1 hoarding in Himayat Nagar) agencies, asking why action should not be initiated against them by black-listing them and the structural engineers Becon Consultancy and Builders & Planners, and why a criminal case should not be booked against them, for issuing false stability certificates to the above hoardings? He further directed the engi-
neer-in-chief to get the verification of structural design and stability details of the three collapsed hoardings within five days. The Commissioner has also denied permission to shift the hoardings to another placed. If they are shifted to another
place they will be considered as un-authorised hoardings, the commissioner warned. He will be holding a review meeting on June 3 with the municipal standing counsel, to discuss court cases pertaining to the advertisement wing.
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News FRIDAY, MAY 31, 2013
YOUNG ACHIEVER
Kid beats ‘German curse’ to win US spell bee Arvind Mahankali, 13, correctly spelled knaidel, a type of dumpling, to win the coveted title. MARYLAND, US: The US-born son of immigrants from India overcame his longstanding problem with words of Germanic origin Thursday to win the 86th national spelling bee. Arvind Mahankali, 13, from New York City, correctly spelled knaidel, a type of dumpling also known as a matzah ball, to become the sixth youth of south Asian heritage to win the coveted title in as many years. He is also the first boy to
CONTROVERSY ‘Hitler’ kettle row boils over online AROUND THE
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win the Scripps National Spelling Bee since 2008. Mahankali, the eldest son of an IT consultant father and a physician mother, had placed ninth in 2010, then third in 2011 and 2012. More often than not, it was words of Germanic words that denied him the championship. “The German curse has turned into a German blessing,” he said after besting eight other finalists in a nail-biting finale to a three-day nationally
WORLD
televised competition that started with 281 contestants from eight nations. Earlier in the evening, Mahankali had aced such words as tokonoma (a recess opening in a Japanese living room) and kaumographer (someone who transfers designs onto cloth with a hot iron).
The youngster plans to save the $30,000 cash prize — plus a $2,500 US savings bond — for college, where he hopes to eventually get a doctorate degree in science. Second place went to Pranav Sivakumar, 13, from Illinois, while Sriram Hathwar, 13, from New York, came in third. Amber Born, 14, a crowdpleaser with her tension-breaking jokes, was the best among the girls in fourth place. AFP
POLITICS
Cong keeps fingers crossed Three Congress leaders joining the TRS on pretext of delay in decision on T is a ruse for promoting their wards but its adverse impact is undeniable. INKESHAF AHMED ahmed.m@postnoon.com HYDERABAD: The Akarsh programme launched by TRS is now creating a scare among the political parties in Telangana region. TRS president KCR’s announcement that more leaders would join his party during the June 2 public meeting has
On fence-sitters
F LOS ANGELES: A tea kettle which some think resembles Adolf Hitler has soared in price to over $200 on eBay, after it sold out online following protests over a billboard promoting the otherwise innocent product. Pictures went viral of the Michael Graves Bells and Whistles Stainless Steel Tea Kettle, which in the eyes of some resembles the German Nazi leader giving his infamous Sieg Heil salute. The $40 kettle on Thursday fetched prices as high as $245.90. Retailer JC Penney took to Twitter to defend the advert. “Totally unintentional — and if we had been strategising, we probably would have gone with a cute puppy or kitty kettle. :)” it tweeted. AFP
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rom ruling Congress party, MPs S Rajaiah, Komatireddy Rajagopal Reddy and MLAs A Mohan, A Praveen Reddy, Komatireddy Venkat Reddy, N Balu Naik, R Damodar Reddy and Kavita Maloth are facing tremendous pressure from their supporters to join TRS. Party president KCR also offered a bigger role for Cabinet minister K Jana Reddy if he leaves the Congress. In the TDP, MLAs L Ramana, S Devaiah, Ch Vijayaramana Rao and R Prakash Reddy were also facing similar pressure. These leaders were given an assurance by KCR that they would be fielded from the same seats if they join the TRS.
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become a cause for concern for the Congress camp. The leadership of both the ruling Congress and opposition TDP have asked their leaders to keep a tab on fence-sitters and convince them not to cross lines. What triggered the fear is the decision of three senior Congress leaders to join TRS. While the Congress leaders reacted cautiously, TDP leaders came down heavily on KCR, saying that a separate T-state would never become a reality under the leadership of the pink brigade president. Speaking to Postnoon after the announcement of Congress veterans K Keshava Rao, MPs G Vivek and Manda Jagannatham that they would join the TRS soon, convenor of Congress party MPs from AP Ponnam Prabhakar requested the party high command to immediately take a favourable decision on the formation of a separate Tstate. He described the decision of the Congress leaders as unfortunate. “We can understand the ordeal of the leaders who decided to quit the party in
expression of their protest for delaying the decision on the separate state issue. It should not have happened. At the same time, it should act as an eyeopener for our party high command to hasten its decision on the issue,” he said. Prabhakar added that he would not leave the Congress like his colleagues and would continue to fight for the formation of a separate state by remaining in the party fold. On the other hand, TDP
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senior leader from Telangana Motkupally Narasimhulu castigated KCR, alleging that he was trying to strengthen the TRS by weakening other political parties. “I want to ask KCR as to what he has achieved by wooing other party leaders into his party fold. He was the first enemy for the creation of a separate T-state. When TDP openly extended its support to the formation, he declined to join hands with us. Is it not evident that KCR does not want Telangana?” he said.
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News FRIDAY, MAY 31, 2013 LITERATURE
US sci-fi author Jack Vance dies, aged 96 AROUND THE
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LOS ANGELES: Tributes poured in today for award-winning US fantasy and science-fiction writer Jack Vance, after he died at his home in California aged 96. Game of Thrones author George RR Martin and Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen were among those praising the author, notable for the Dying Earth series set in a decaying future world. “Vance's Dying Earth ranks with Howard's Hyborian Age and JRR Tolkien's Middle Earth as one of the all-time great fantasy settings,” said Martin “He had a huge influence on me and my work, and for the past fifty-some years has ranked among my very favourite writers," he wrote. Vance died on Sunday at his home in California, according to a statement on his website. Critics described much of his output as literary pulp, but honours he won during a long career included Hugo Awards in 1963 for The Dragon Masters, in 1967 for The Last Castle and in 2010 for his memoir This is Me, Jack Vance! AFP
CIVIC
Dug out waste poses threat
De-silting, an essential pre-monsoon exercise to save the City has been fraught with delays, hiccoughs and corruption. Waste dug up and left on the roadside poses a grave danger to the public when it rains. Md NIZAMUDDIN nizamuddin.a@postnoon.com HYDERABAD: With the GHMC making it mandatory for central and south zones to shift the de-silting waste at Jawahar Nagar, mounds of waste are being hoarded at various places by contractors. With the mild rainfall, there is risk of the wastes getting back into nallahs and posing health hazards, worry some corporators. The issue was brought to the fore in the recently conducted Standing Committee meeting by
A lengthy process?
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umar points out that there is a strict monitoring mechanism at Jawahar Nagar, which weighs the waste and clears bills accordingly. It is believed that this long process is one of the reasons for hoarding of waste by contractors, who wish to clear it all at once with huge trucks.
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worried councilors. But the officials are directly blaming the contractors for the delay. According to officials, about one lakh tones of waste should be sent to Jawahar Nagar from two zones which do not have capacity for dumping. Earlier, the contractors used to quote 20 to 30 per cent less, but even after GHMC gave scope for five per cent more, they are reluctant because of the huge costs involved in taking the waste to Jawahar Nagar. “Clearing the heaps after desilting is the responsibility of the contractors. They won’t be paid if they do not dump it at Jawahar Nagar,” says Suresh Kumar, chief engineer. Kumar points out that there is a strict monitoring mechanism at Jawahar Nagar, which weighs the waste and clears bills accordingly. “If they ignore (this), they will be at a loss,” he explains. It is believed that this long process is one of the reasons for
hoarding of waste by contractors, who wish to clear it all at once with huge trucks. But they are piling up the waste not only on the borders of the nallahs, but at busy roads and residential areas as well. The moot question is: How much is the silt and how much of the building debris is deliberately dumped by building contractors in collusion with the GHMC officials? Even though commissioner, MT Krishna Babu assured the Standing Committee members, they expressed anxiety over the
delay in clearing the waste after de-silting. After the Wednesday rains, the anxiety was more obvious. Sanathnagar corporator Ayub Khan who spoke to Postnoon expressed anguish at the way the entire process has been messed up. “At first the de-silting work was delayed by several months and now heaps of waste remain for weeks. What is the use when they cannot remove it within the time frame? If a few rainfalls like this come, the entire silt will again go into the drains,”he says.
ENVIRONMENT
Trees struggle to stand in concrete jungle Environmentalists say roots are not firmly planted into the concrete and easily fall when there is high velocity wind. Experts also say hybrid trees are planted in the City without knowledge of their weaknesses. KUBRA FATIMA feedback@postnoon.com HYDERABAD: Hyderabadis woke up to a gloomy sight — many trees around the City had fallen to their death. Rains that lashed the City might have brought in the much-needed respite from heat, but at the cost of around 35 trees which were uprooted in and around the City. Major environmental organisations in the City expressed their concerns about these trees being uprooted by the rain despite having a firm concrete base. According to environments experts, the main reason behind this is that the roots are not being firmly placed into the concrete ground while planting. The concrete is not strong enough to hold the roots, resulting in the trees being uprooted. “Environment is getting
degraded due to the development of the concrete jungle in Hyderabad, leading to a weak layer of soil and ground.The GHMC must plant more trees
whose roots grow beyond the crust of the earth. This will enable the trees to stand firm in times of heavy rain,” says Shreyas of The Earth Organisation.
However, Gopal from the Centre of Environment Concerns says, “The trees which are being planted in the City are hybrids and of vast diversity, which is the reason they are unable to stay rooted firmly into the ground.” He states that experts should study the diverse nature of these hybrids, to understand the strengths and weaknesses of these trees and only then should they be planted. There was major commotion on the roads where a lot of vehicles were damaged, roads were blocked and people suffered from minor injuries. SK Reddy of the Green Universe Environmental Society believes that the GHMC and HMDA must undertake the responsibility of the soil and rock system to ensure that the trees are firmly planted. The concrete must be built
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It is an irony that the City, which prides itself to be one of the greenest cities in the country, requires only one heavy shower to lose its green cover. firmly and proper machinery must be used to plant the trees to prevent them from being uprooted during the up-coming monsoon season. It is an irony that the City, which prides itself to be one of the greenest cities in the country, requires only one heavy shower to lose its green cover.
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News FRIDAY, MAY 31, 2013
REPORTERS’ DIARY
Cries of ‘sexism’ dog home minister position SRINIVAS SETTY
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s there a norm that a portfolio held by a woman minister should invariably be held by another woman minister? The reporter knows of no such practice or rule, but witnessing the heavy jostling for the home ministry by three women ministers makes him wonder if there indeed is one. Dr J Geeta Reddy, DK Aruna and V Sunitha Lakshma Reddy are said to be keen to grab the Home portfolio vacated by Sabita Indra Reddy after she got charge-sheeted by the CBI in Jagan’s case. Women apart, male ministers too are eager to get it as the election year will see a powerful home ministry. Arguments heard in the corridors of power goes like this: This is the first time AP gave home ministry to a woman; this should set a trend and women should be given preference over men for this crucial ministry (a wit also supports the saying, ‘After all, home is a woman’s domain, not man’s’). Seeing the catfight and gate-crashing, CM N Kiran Kumar Reddy has kept Home with himself, saying that he would make more enemies than friends by bestowing this priced portfolio that rules over constabulary. Among the three ministers now eager to land the job, Sunitha Lakshmana Reddy and DK Aruna are not known to be very chummy with the boss. Who will finally get the trophy? No prize for guessing. IA
THE ‘PORN’ IN HIS SIDE
MAYOR-COMMISSIONER BHAI BHAI
There was a time when Parliamentary leaders observed decency of debate and ethicality of comments. The yesteryear greats scrupulously followed it. No longer is it true. Political leaders do not bat an eyelid making obscene comments against each other. TDP chief Chandrababu Naidu (CBN), who ruled the State for nine years, is quoted as saying that Jagan in jail is enjoying life and watching blue films. He also is said to have commented how many political ‘thieves’ are today staging dharna on the roadsides. YSRC leader Gattu Ramachandra Rao was quick to grab CBN’s words and quizzed if the films were TDP home productions. TRS chief K Chandrasekhara Rao made another one on CBN. Describing how stingy CBN is, he is alleged to have said Naidu would not give even his piss to anyone. Revanth Reddy of TRS quickly responded saying CBN will give enough to TRS if the PK party leader would come around.
On the very day Postnoon carried a cover story of ‘patchup’ between the mayor and the commissioner (May 28), both held a joint press conference on rain water harvesting pits (this report was later played up by a Telugu channel). This was the first joint press conference after several months as both the top brass of the GHMC had points of differences. Scribes wanted to check on Postnoon’s claim of the patch up and they smartly raised contentious issues that could sow the seeds of discord. But the duo were conscious of the trap and avoided each googly with a comment, “We shall discuss it at another time.” MN
HORSE RACE ON AMONG COPS Unknown to public, a tough competition now goes on among police inspectors in the City for grabbing price posts for themselves. Not all police stations are equally attractive, you should know. Some the policemen want to avoid like a plague (for instance, the RGI station which will make a police inspector’s life miserable with VIP bandobast while it yields not a paise). Similarly, few want police control rooms, special branch, etc. Senior inspectors now fume that top bosses play another game. While the PIs await meaty postings, bosses promote juniors and post them in coveted stations. Recently, an inspector who had earlier worked with commissioner Anurag Sharma met him in his chamber and sought a posting in one of the police stations. Sharma, being forthright, expressed his inability as he says the norms demand the 2005 batch get the posts and the competition is stiff. He said he can’t help. The inspector who thought better of the commissioner came out cursing under his breath. Some others are putting political pressure. But fortunately, say sources in uniform, Kiran holds the portfolio and he rarely intervenes, giving the police bosses a fairly free hand in dealing such matters. When the CM is firm, what can a minister do? MS
WATER FOLLY In Andhra Pradesh, ground water resources are depleting rapidly. In the City, Ameerpet, Begumpet, SR Nagar, Banjara Hills, Jubilee Hills, Punjagutta are only some of the areas where groundwater has withdrawn to earth’s bowl. So it is decreed that every house must have a rainwater pit. But who will check on them? Nobody knows. Since this is the scenario, what is authorities’ attitude to existing water sources for thirsty public? Look at the picture. A hand pump built near Ambedkar Nagar in Film Nagar area of Jubilee Hills was given a decent burial by road makers who left the skeleton of the pump to harm the life and limbs of motorists. SS Contributed by Inkeshaf Ahmed, Md Nizamuddin, Md Subhan, Srinivas Setty and PK Surendran
NATION BRIEFS Employee liability is on principal employer: HC
NRI hotelier gets 'Pride of India' award
Biz plan competition to connect India, Pak
SP announces candidate for Saharanpur LS seat
Dead persons enroled under MNREG
MUMBAI: The Bombay High Court has laid down a substantial point of law: The liability towards an employee engaged by a contractor or managing agent is on the principal employer. It upheld the decision of Mumbai commissioner for workmen's compensation to award monetary relief to a contractor-employed worker, who died in an accident.
LONDON: NRI hotelier Joginder Sangar has been conferred with the prestigious 'Pride of India' award for his outstanding contributions towards promoting art and culture of India in the UK. Sangar, the CEO and chairman of a group of hotels in London, was conferred with the Paward for 2012 by India International Foundation.
WASHINGTON: A cross-border business plan competition will be launched to connect entrepreneurs from India, Pakistan and facilitate investment and collaboration. To be formally launched at the British Parliament on June 3, 'Startup Dosti' provides business support and seed funding to high-potential, early stage startups in India and Pakistan.
LUCKNOW: Samajwadi Party today announced its candidate for the Saharanpur Lok Sabha seat and changed its nominees at four places. “SP supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav has announced Firoz Aftab as the party candidate for Saharanpur Lok Sabha constituency,” SP national general secretary Ram Gopal Yadav said in a statement issued here.
MADURAI: Division Bench of the Madras High Court here has directed Ramanathapuram district collector to inquire into allegations against the president and vicepresident of Idivilagai panchayat that they had enroled dead persons, government employees and outsiders under the MNREG scheme by misusing their powers.
News FRIDAY, MAY 31, 2013 It’s a nightmare for everyone this summer. With groundwater levels falling, villages, once green with bountiful crop, have been reduced to arid desertscapes. As other states too face a similar situation, options to bolster supplies have dwindled. Resulting skyrocketing prices of vegetables is eating into consumption levels, and in turn hurting the traders. A stroll through a rythu bazaar tells the sad tale. PADMINI C
padmini.c@postnoon.com
HYDERABAD: Earlier this month, Postnoon had reported on the soaring vegetable prices with a warning that things were likely to take a turn for the worse if they went on unchecked. Unfortunately, the prediction came true. Last weekend, shocked customers went back empty-handed when prices shot through the roof, with vegetables like French beans hit `110/kg, a rate that was never witnessed in the history of rythu bazaars. Officials who are now being forced to go on field visits are coming back dismayed. "In the last few years where we saw villages once green with bountiful crop, are now completely arid and dead. Ground water has dried up completely. The crop has failed. We are now looking to buy from other States
Every year the prices go up in the off season. But this time it's been worse than ever. We are approaching other States, but things are tight everywhere. Mohammad Mujaheed Official in-charge
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and sell at subsidised rates," says P Vivekananda, estate officer of the Erragadda market. While vegetables like beans are still considered a ''commercial'' vegetable and therefore not likely to affect the average customer too much, it's day to day staples like tomatoes and cauliflower that have become increasingly dear. The volume of vegetables has seen a drastic decrease as well. Rythu bazaars like Erragadda and Mehdipatnam which usually see the inflow of about 400-500 trays of tomatoes every day have seen it reduce almost 90 per cent, with the markets seeing a maximum of 40-50 trays now, setting a customer back by `40/kg. Cauliflowers on the other hand had disappeared completely from the market in the past week. Vendors at the market are facing the heat. Their overheads are increasing tremendously and the customers are walking away with fewer and fewer vegetables every day. "There's nothing available locally. We are having to get our produce from Bangalore. There are simply no margins for us anymore. I've been here since 10 years and I've never seen it get so bad. Obviously, the customers are feel it too, they're buying less and less," says Yousef, a vegetable
vendor at the Mehdipatnam Rythu bazaar. While the scarcity of water and a weak monsoon the previous season are being held accountable for the state of affairs, unique factors such as the ever decreasing amount of cultivable land and marriage season prevailing among farmers are not helping, say officials. However, there is still no intervention by the State to help matters though sources in the marketing department say
Vegetable rates Veg cost (in `) Tomato 40 Brinjal 17 Ladies finger 40 Green chillies 35 Bitter gourd 34 French beans 72 Carrot 42 Cauliflower 17 Field beans 40 Beet root 27 Capsicum 37 Potato 16 Green onion 37 Yam 22 Onion 15 Colocasia 30
A PRICE
they're working on it. State officer in-charge Mohammad Mujaheed Ahmed feels that things will get worse before they get better. "Every year the prices go up in the off season. But this time it's been worse than ever. We are approaching other States for produce, but things are tight everywhere. So these rates are likely to be like this for the next month. Things will get better from then on. But it all depends on the rains now," he says. But it's the worst-hit customers who are praying the most for the monsoons to arrive. The gap between farmers market and open market has narrowed. Kantha Rao, a shopper in Mehdipatnam market said,"I am paying thrice as much as I paid for vegetables two months ago. If the rains don't come soon, things are going to get out of hand.”
8&9 SRINIVAS SETTY
TOO HIGH TO PAY
Rythu bazaars like Erragadda and Mehdipatnam which usually see the inflow of about 400-500 trays of tomatoes every day have seen it reduce almost 90 per cent, with the markets seeing a maximum of 40-50 trays now, setting a customer back by `40/kg.
News FRIDAY, MAY 31, 2013
WORLD NO TOBACCO DAY
Nearly 50% men in tobacco’s thrall
A Lancet survey showed that 49 per cent of men and 11 per cent of women across the world use tobacco in one form or another. PK SURENDRAN feedback@postnoon.com
I
t is said by the aficionados of Lady Nicotine that the last puff is better than the first kiss! I heard this often among young gentlemen who had been practising to become devotees of the Lady. But today the world knows better. The cigarette has lost its pre-eminence as a symbol of a gentleman or a gentlewoman. The world over, a fight is on to banish this habit, which once grips never leaves.
per cent of women. Numbers were highest in Russia, where 60 per cent of men and 22 per cent of women used tobacco; China (53 per cent of men and two per cent of women); Ukraine (50 per cent of men and 11 per cent of women); and Turkey (48 per cent of men and 15 per cent of women). In some countries, smoking rates may now be even higher than they were in 2010, WHO officials say. If current trends continue, it will cause up to one billion deaths in the 21st century.”
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The Lancet report on the world’s largest survey on tobacco use says half of the male population of the world uses tobacco in one form or another. The study, conducted between 2008 and 2010, found that across 14 developing nations, 49 per cent of men and 11 per cent of women used tobacco. Most of them smoked — 41 per cent of men and five
How to quit
T
he anti-tobacco movement has spawned endless volumes of how-to books. Everyone, from laymen to surgeons, came out with five steps to quit smoking, 12 steps to quit smoking, 25 ways to quit smoking and so on. But
reports from across the globe says nothing works except your reason to quit. There are, however, two ways to make it a hit (layman’s methods). Occupy yourself with creative work or the work you love to do most so that
your mind is off a puff most of the day. And remember to drink cold, not hot drinks, like coffee, tea or soup. Calculate the sum you spend on cigarettes every month and buy good wine for that money and enjoy.
Kerala takes the lead in India
I
t was Justice K Narayana Kurup of the Kerala High Court that set a trend in no smoking in public places with his landmark judgment in the late ‘90s. He upheld the non-smokers’ rights and said the police must ensure that people do not smoke in public spaces. The ruling was ratified by Supreme Court later. Public places had a wide domain: outside your home, every space is a public place if one comes to consider it. It gives police wide powers to book those smok-
ing on the roadside. But the power of Lady Nicotine is such that those caught in her charm will hardly get out. But the smoking ban in public places had a salutary effect. Today, nobody smokes in a running bus or train or plane. Nobody smokes in a metropolitan cinema theatre or even in bars or restaurants. It is a great achievement if one considers that 50 years ago, smoking a cheroot or cigarette was considered flashy and fashionable.
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MAOIST THREAT
RR Patil’s security being reviewed MUMBAI: The Maharashtra government is reviewing security for state home minister RR Patil following an open threat issued by Maoist guerrillas, a top official said here Friday. “We have taken the threat seriously as it has been issued by the Dandakaranya Special Zonal Committee of the Communist Party of India-Maoist,” Special Inspector General of Police (Law and Order) Deven Bharati told IANS Friday morning. “We have instructed district superintendents of police in the affected regions, especially Gadchiroli, of which he (Patil) is guardian minister, to take adequate measures, and also review security for all VVIPs visiting these regions,” Bharati said. The move comes following a threat to several leaders issued by spokesperson of the Dandakaranya committee, Gudsa Usendi, in a statement following the May 25 attack on a Congress convoy in Chhattisgarh. “Today, Chhattisgarh CM Raman Singh, home minister Nankiram Kanwar, ministers Ramvichar Netam, Kedar Kashyap, Vikram Usendi, Governor Shekhar Dutt,
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Maharashtra home minister RR Patil etc.; DGP Ram Niwas, ADG Mukesh Gupta and other senior officials of the police, who are hell-bent on crushing the revolutionary movement of Dandakaranya, are in big illusion that they are unbeatable,” Usendi said. Home department sources said that in view of the tone and tenor of the statement, the government would not take any risks as far as security in Gadchiroli, the district worst-hit by Maoist menace in Maharashtra, and its surroundings, was concerned. IANS
TWIST IN THE TALE Bride dumps ‘dark' groom LUCKNOW: In a bizarre incident, a bride in Rae Bareli in UP refused to marry, saying the groom was too dark-complexioned. The incident took place in Fursatganj Thursday. The bride’s family and other villagers were shocked by the woman’s response, on seeing the man she was to marry for the first time. The ‘baraat’ had come from Naseerabad Jamalpur Harayyiya village; all was well till the bride laid eyes on the groom just before the ‘phere’. Just as the wedding was about to be solemnised, the bride threw a tantrum, saying she
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would not go ahead with the marriage as the groom was too dark to match her beauty. Her family tried to persuade her, but she walked out in a huff. Fearing strong reactions from the bridegroom’s relatives, local villagers called the police. With no resolution for the “dark” conundrum, the groom beat a hasty retreat without solemnising the marriage. IANS
WORLD BRIEFS Milosevic’s ex-intel chief acquitted by UN
Mexico hurricane leaves three dead, four missing
Japan to offer $10 billion aid to Africa
Astronomers glimpse bonus rock
Australia spy chief says new building safe
THE HAGUE: Serbia hailed a UN tribunal’s acquittal of two top figures from the regime of the late Slobodan Milosevic of war crimes during the former Yugoslavia’s 1990s conflict. Milosevic's ex-intelligence chief and his deputy were cleared of running Bosnian death squads, after the tribunal said they could not have known the units would commit such crimes.
OAXACA: Eight fishermen who had gone missing after Hurricane Barbara hit Mexico returned to shore Thursday after riding out the storm by eating shrimp on an island, but authorities were still searching for four other sailors. Three people died when the hurricane made landfall, including a 61-year-old US surfer who was slammed by the waves in Oaxaca.
TOKYO: Japan is to pledge at least $10 billion in aid to Africa for the next five years, reports said Friday, as Tokyo prepared to host a major development conference. Coupled with expected corporate investments, Japan's public and private sectors look set to pour around three trillion yen ($30 billion) into Africa by 2018.
WASHINGTON: Astronomers getting their first close-up glimpse of a giant asteroid about to whiz by Earth found a surprise bonus rock. A smaller moon asteroid is circling the larger space rock, an unusual but not unheard of space phenomenon. The larger 1.7 mile-wide rock will be the closest to Earth on Friday at 4:59 pm EDT (3.25 am IST).
SYDNEY: Australia's spy chief has declared the nation's new intelligence headquarters secure after reports Chinese hackers stole the building's top secret blueprints. Speaking for the first time since the reports aired Monday, Australian Security Intelligence Organisation director general David Irvine said security would meet "very, very high standards".
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News FRIDAY, MAY 31, 2013
ECONOMY
GDP growth 5%, slowest in a decade NEW DELHI: India announced growth figures for its full financial year on Friday showing the once-booming South Asian economy expanded by 5 per cent in 2012/13, its slowest pace in a decade. Low business confidence, slumping investment, high inflation and weak export demand from Western coun-
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tries were blamed for the bleak performance which comes ahead of national elections scheduled for next year. In the fourth quarter to the end of March, gross domestic
product grew by 4.8 per cent year-on-year, slightly higher than the previous quarter when it expanded by 4.5 per cent. Despite government efforts to talk up the economy after a burst of pro-market reforms at the end of last year, most independent analysts see continuing slack demand and few quick fixes.
The OECD earlier this week lowered its projection of India's GDP to 5.3 per cent in 2013, from 5.9 per cent earlier.
The economy grew by 6.2 percent in 2011/12. Global ratings agency Standard and Poor's warned earlier this month that India faces at least "a one-in-three" chance of losing its prized sovereign grade rating amid new threats to economic growth and reforms. AFP
SYRIAN CONFLICT
Assad talks of front with Israel Earlier, Syrian state television said the Arjun district in northern Qusayr, one of the few remaining rebel strongpoints, had been taken, leaving rebels there little chance to escape.
BEIRUT: Syrian President Bashar al-Assad threatened Israel with renewed fighting in the Golan Heights and said Russia was committed to supplying him with advanced missiles, in an interview broadcast on Thursday. Washington warned that any
‘Lebanon should stay out of Syria conflict’ Lebanon should stay out of the Syria conflict and Hezbollah's involvement is "not helping matters", Lebanese PM Tamman Salam told French daily Le Figaro. The Lebanon-based Shiite movement Hezbollah has sent its fighters to help Syrian troops. "Lebanon has all the more need to keep its distance from what is going on in Syria given that the situation there is so heated," he told the paper. "We must at all price preserve national unity. "And obviously, Hezbollah's military involvement is not helping.”
such weapon deliveries from Moscow would only prolong the conflict between government forces and Assad's foes in Syria. "There is clear popular pressure to open a new front of resistance in the Golan," Assad told Al-Manar television of his close ally, the Lebanon-based Shiite movement Hezbollah fighting alongside his forces. "There are several factors, including repeated Israeli aggression," he said, referring to reported Israeli air strikes on Syria. "We have informed all the parties who have contacted us that we will respond to any Israeli aggression next time." There was no immediate comment on Assad's remarks from Israel.
3 Westerners killed A monitoring group meanwhile reported that Syrian troops had killed three Westerners, including a US woman and a British man, both Muslims, near the border with Turkey on Wednesday. "They were shot dead during an ambush in the Idlib region and the army found them with maps of military positions," said Rami Abdel Rahman, director of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. They had apparently been taking photos of military positions on the road between Harim, near the border with Turkey, and the town of Idlib further south, he added.
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Syria bluffing on S-300 delivery: Russian papers
WORLD
Earlier, Syrian state television said the Arjun district in northern Qusayr, one of the few remaining rebel strongpoints, had been taken, leaving rebels there little chance to escape. Assad appeared to imply in the interview that Russia had already delivered some of the promised ground-to-air S-300 missile systems. Moscow has yet to confirm if it has already sent S-300s to Syria, but it announced this week that it intends to honour its contract. Russian deputy foreign minister Sergei Ryabkov has said the missiles are a "stabilising factor" that could deter foreign intervention. Israeli energy and water minister Silvan Shalom indicated that the Jewish state would only act to prevent the missiles being used against it. Israel has already launched several air raids inside Syria this year, targeting convoys transporting weapons to Hezbollah. The United Nations meanwhile said a preparatory meeting for a proposed international conference on the Syrian conflict would take place in Geneva next Wednesday, attended by Russian, US and UN officials.
Pick
MOSCOW: Russia may not deliver S-300 air defence missile systems to the Syrian regime this year, two Russian newspapers reported Friday, rejecting claims the weapons had already arrived in the country. The Vedomosti daily cited a Russian defence industry source as saying it was unclear if the weapons would be delivered to Syria this year while the Kommersant daily quoted its source as saying that delivery was only planned in the second quarter of 2014. But both sources quoted by Kommersant and Vedomosti said that no delivery of the missiles had taken place yet. The contract was agreed in 2010 and according to Vedomosti is worth $1 billion. Kommersant added that after delivery in 2014, a minimum of another six months would be needed for the training of personnel and tests before the systems were fully operational. AFP
AFP
at the
airport,
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News FRIDAY, MAY 31, 2013
THE SCREENING ROOM WITH HEMANTH KUMAR
YOU’RE THE WRITER The Story So Far: Venu and Gopal reach Chennai to meet their favourite movie star Rajinikanth and invite him to their village. That leads them to...
A
Scene III
s soon as the auto driver realises that Venu and Gopal want to invite Rajinikanth to their village, he loses his cool. The only thought in his mind is that the two friends are very naive and foolish to an extent. He decides to teach them a lesson. Auto driver: Who do you think you are? President of India? How in god’s name did you believe that Rajinikanth will come to your village? Venu: Yeah. Why not? Almost everyone in our village has a photo of them standing next to Rajinikanth. He does meet a lot of his fans. Doesn’t he? Auto driver: (Bursts out laughing) You believed all those pictures? How dumb are you guys? Gopal: What are you talking about? Of course, those pictures were true. In fact, one of my uncles even has a handwritten note from Rajinikanth. Auto driver: You mean a letter? When did Thalaivar write this letter, if I may ask? Gopal: I believe the year was 1980. My uncle still has that letter, you know. Auto driver: Hey moron. No one gives a &$#@ about a letter which someone wrote 30 years ago. This is 2013. Do you know what it takes to meet him now? Venu: No, we don’t. But we are certain that he wouldn’t say no to us. He knows us. Auto driver: Eh? Are you serious?
V
The downside of 3D mania...
This is the continuation of a fictional story, first published on May 24, about two friends who want to meet Rajinikanth. Based on the story so far, send us your entries about what you think would happen in the next two scenes. The best entry will be published next Friday.
Ritesh Batra wows Cannes
Telugu film audience is going to get a taste of 3D movies in June; however, this is a moment where one has to question the need to make 3D films in Telugu, rather than celebrating it.
L
ast week, when I saw the first look of an upcoming Telugu film, the first thing that struck my mind wasn’t whether it’s visually appealing or not, but a dilemma over what’s the point of using 3D technology to make a regular mass entertainer in Telugu. Apart from a handful of 3D films like Avatar and How To Train Your Dragon, most 3D films in Hollywood have come under severe criticism for needlessly adding the third dimension. So why do they still do it? Economics dictates so. The price ticket for a 3D film in US, China, UK, France, Japan and Russia is significantly higher than a normal 2D film. Indian market works on a significantly different manner and more so Andhra Pradesh, where the ticket prices are relatively low. Moreover, not many screens in AP are equipped with good projectors to project a film in 3D, which brings us back to the question — Is it necessary to make a 3D film in Telugu? It probably makes more sense to make fantasy or animated films in 3D, but it’s downright silly to make a comedy or a mass entertainer in 3D. While it’s a matter of pride that Telugu filmmakers have made films in 3D, only time will tell if it works or not.
Scene IV
enu and Gopal are running out of time. They have already wasted half a day and in the meantime, their argument with the auto driver is resulting in more waste of time. Both of them begin to get restless. Auto driver: What do you mean he knows you? Are you trying to fool me? Gopal: Calm down. Why don’t you take us to him and you can see for yourself. Venu: Yes. Please do as Gopal says. We are running out of time. Auto driver: Alright. Here’s the deal, if you get a chance to meet him, I am coming with you guys. However, if I realise that you were trying to fool me, then you better run as fast as you can. Gopal: That doesn’t sound right. If we get a chance to meet him, then you better get ready to face Thalaivar’s wrath for being so rude to us. Auto driver: We will see about that. Get in now. Venu: (Whispers) You liar! I hope you have a plan in mind. We are going to get screwed. Written by Mahesh (The writer is a Hyderabad-based software engineer and an aspiring writer.)
NEWSMAKER
A FRESH START
WEEKEND WATCH
RUMOUR HAS IT ... Facebook is the new battleground F or the past few months, a new trend seems to be evolving in Telugu film industry. Several celebrities have given the right to run their ‘official page’ on Facebook to a Hyderabad-based company. So far, so good, but here’s the catch. Apparently, this company, in an attempt to show numbers, has been merging hundreds of fan pages into the official page. The worst part about the whole process
is that some of the fans of the celebrities, who have spent several years trying to reach out to more people on the internet and share, discuss everything related
to the stars, have got a raw deal. Not only have they been kept out of the decision-making process, but also, the stars themselves have
D
ebutant filmmaker Ritesh Batra became the talk of the town last week when his film, The Lunchbox (Dabba), won the Grand Rail d'Or award post its screening in Critics’ Week section at Cannes Film Festival. It was the first Indian film to win an award at Cannes in almost fourteen years. Soon after its screening, Sony Classics bought the US screening rights of the film, a first in almost a decade. Ritesh Batra is a graduate of New York University's Tisch School of the Arts film programme. In 2009, he was selected for the Sundance Writers and Directors labs for his feature script The Story of Ram. Variety magazine termed the film as one of the awesome finds this year and has given rave reviews. So far, Batra is without a doubt a director to watch out for.
no clue what’s happening behind the scenes. Meanwhile, the company, which has been handling these pages, is raking in a lot of moolah by creating a monopoly of sorts on the internet. A little bird tells us that fans of a top actor were so angry when their page was ‘merged’ with the official page that they went and complained to the actor himself. Last heard, he completely lost his cool with the company.
Follow Hemanth on Twitter @crhemanth or email: hemanth.k@postnoon.com
Not in a mood to go to a theatre this weekend? Here’s a brief list of films you can watch at home.
1
Goodbye, Lenin! (2003) Directed by Wolfgang Becker, the film is set in East Berlin in 1990, where a young man must do everything he can to make his mother believe that she’s still living in East Germany. A heart-warming film of the highest order.
2
Autumn Sonata (1978) Ingmar Bergman’s Autumn Sonata revolves around a famous pianist, who visits her daughter after several years. It’s a poignant take on how fragile relationships are.
3
Srivariki Premalekha (1984) Directed by Jandhyala, the film, starring Naresh and Poornima, is about one man’s attempt to find the identity of the girl who writes love letters to him.
FRIDAY, MAY 31, 2013
Comment We will retaliate for any Israeli aggression. There is popular pressure to open the Golan front to resistance. Bashar al-Assad President of Syria
Exhibition in Rome honours Archimedes
T
he great inventor of antiquity, Archimedes, is the star of an unprecedented exhibition opening in Rome which includes modern applications of some of his best known discoveries. "We owe him some revolutionary inventions," Umberto Broccoli, head of cultural heritage in the Italian capital, said at a press presentation of the show. "He was a precursor to Isaac Newton and Einstein — an inventive genius par excellence." "Archimedes: Art and Science of Invention" at the Capitoline Museums opens today (Friday) and runs until January 12. "There has never been an exhibition on Archimedes," said Paolo Galluzzi, head of the Galileo museum in Florence, one of the organisers along with the museum of the history of science in Florence and the Max-Planck Institute in Berlin. "After Rome, the exhibition will definitely go to Germany and why not to China, Japan and some countries of the Arab world," said Jurgen Renn, director of the Max-Planck Institute, emphasising the global resonance of the inventor's discoveries. "He is the example of the synthesis of apparent complexity of initial needs and the amazing simplicity of the solutions," he said. Archimedes was a brilliant physicist, who invented the screw pump that is still used to irrigate farmland and drag ships into dry dock today. He was also the inventor of the water clock and the theory of levers used to lift heavy weights. But his most famous discovery, which is also shown in the exhibition, was the method to calculate mass based on the displacement of water. AFP
HIGH-FLYING THOUGHTS
Nasa's Curiosity rover has confirmed what everyone has long suspected — that astronauts on a Mars mission would get a big dose of damaging radiation. Scientists say a human travelling to and from Mars could well be exposed to a radiation dose that breached current safety limits.
ENVIRONMENTAL MOVEMENT COMES UNSTUCK
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THREE GORGES LEADS CHINA'S DAM GROWTH
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decade after China began filling the world's largest dam — The Three Gorges — concerns about the project's environmental and human cost endure even as the country prepares a huge hydropower expansion. More than 1.2 million people were displaced as the waters in the monumental dam, which started accumulating 10 years ago on Saturday, submerged scores of towns and communities, and thousands of poorly compensated migrants remain mired in poverty. But China's growing thirst for energy means that the Three Gorges — which generates as much electricity as a dozen commercial nuclear reactors — is a model for 50 large dams to be built in the country, according to its current five-year plan. Those barrages will crank out more than the current hydropower capacity of the US, putting China — already the world's largest hydropower consumer — on the way to providing 15 per cent of its energy from renewable sources by 2020. China's state-run media has praised the Three Gorges dam for generating over 88.2 terawatt hours (TWh) of electricity last year — more than France's entire yearly renewable energy output. The barrier's huge reservoir has also been hailed for lessen-
ing floods which have for millennia plagued the mighty Yangtze river as it cuts through central China, claiming thousands of lives as recently as 1998. As flood waters upstream from the dam reached a peak last year, television images showed thundering torrents of water spraying from the structure — as it held the bulk of the deluge in its huge reservoir. But the dam has also been blamed for amplifying changes in weather patterns which in 2011 produced the Yangtze's largest drought in half a century. As dam officials sacrificed energy generation to release water to combat the drought, China's cabinet, made a rare admission that the Three Gorges faced "urgent problems", including the relocation of migrants and ecological damage. One migrant whose home was submerged by the dam said he refused to accept government compensation money, claiming it was too low and that land assigned to migrants had been sold by local officials to build a shopping mall. The much-touted powers of the dam to boost shipping on the Yangtze — turning it into a superhighway for large tankers which would for the first time be able to reach the inland megacity of Chongqing — have proved limited. Ships can wait for up to a
week before being allowed to pass through the dam's choked locks, which can in itself take seven hours, shifting freight to newly built roads and railways nearby, reports say. Fish stocks in the Yangtze have declined rapidly since the dam was built and fecal substances that can cause death have been detected in the reservoir, scientists have found — while mountains of trash have accumulated in the water. But despite the problems, the Three Gorges will be joined by a wave of new hydropower projects over the next decade. The Xiluodu dam, the largest in the world in terms of the amount of water that it can release at any given time, is scheduled to begin producing
electricity in June. China's environment ministry approved the Shuangjingkou dam in a Tibetan area of southwestern Sichuan province earlier this month, the world's tallest at 314 metres high. The rapid expansion in hydropower has prompted fears among China's neighbours, with India's Prime Minister Manmohan Singh raising concerns in March over Beijing's plans to construct three dams across the Brahmaputra river, which rises in Tibet and runs for hundreds of kilometres through the region. The ambitious plans have left some in China's growing environmental movement feeling powerless.
EDITORIAL Sex and work should never combine
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ast week, Bangladeshi girls rescued from City brothels exposed the organised cross-border gangs trafficking women into the City through Kolkata. Six girls rescued by the City police reached Delhi with the assistance of voluntary organisations and were repatriated to Bangladesh after prolonged legal procedures. Two of the women were pregnant, yet tortured in their confinement in brothels in Banjara Hills and Jubilee Hills and were lucky to get to their homes in Dhaka after the rigour. Gangs work in collusion to smuggle in girls by infiltrating the porous border along Bangladesh. From Kolkata, the nearest city, they are taken to Bhiwandi in Mumbai, to Pune, Hyderabad and other cities by train. In Hyderabad, they are handed over to local
READERS’ VIEWS
organisers. The emotional and physical scars of these young women are indicated in their unwanted and late pregnancies and pain they endure. Their ordeal began when they landed in Hyderabad in 2012 on the promise of Dubai jobs. When they wanted to return home, the official lingo, appearance before magistrates and police and process of travel papers with central ministries made it virtually impossible for them. Some of them got booked under the Foreigner's Act, rendering them illegal immigrants. Sex workers need to be considered as victims in such cases in keeping with the National Human Rights Commission guidelines and 165 GO of the State home department. This would ease their miseries and help book the actual culprits.
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
AFP
FRIDAY, MAY 31, 2013
Living spaces FACTS ABOUT CHINTAL SCHOOLS
DAV Public School Indu Talent School Sri Chaitanya e-Techno School COLLEGES
Sri Chaitanya Junior College Vikas Junior College Narayana Hrudayalaya Medical college JNTU
Infrastructure ROAD
Affordable Chintal a boon for industry staff
The strengths of this area are great connectivity to the City and proximity to retail shops. Affordable property values and less commuting time to the nearby industrial units give it an edge over other localities.
PRUDHVI RAJU K Prudhvi.k@postnoon.com
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ny growth in residential property sales is driven by employment and industries in that area. Quthubullapur, a prominent industrial zone of the City, has pushed the growth of residential zones in nearby localities. With this industrial growth, many areas like Chintal, Balanagar and Gajularamaram in this mandal have become crowded and busy localities. The place, which was
once known for manufacturing and pharmacy industries, is now turning into residential colonies. “There are not many large empty spaces, especially to develop gated communities in Chintal. However, one can find vacant lands beyond Gandimaisamma Chowrasta (after the Jeedimetla industrial area) and in the Gajularamaram stretch,” said PV Ravindra Kumar, CEO of Vasathi Housing. The strengths of this area are great connectivity to the
City and proximity to retail shops. Affordable property values and less commuting time to the nearby industrial units give it an edge over other localities. “The real-estate property values in this locality are inexpensive and also have great connectivity. For instance, if you take Chintal, It is around eight kilometres from Kukatpally and seven kilometres from Balanagar. Unlike, the evolving residential areas in IT zones, a resident from here does not need to commute long hours for entertainment or for
shopping. Every locality has ample number of retail shops and schools that serve the needs of the locals. They can also enjoy movies in nearby film theatres rather than travel long distances to multiplexes,” he explains. “Kukatpally and Quthbullapur mandals have similar facilities but their connectivity have brought difference to these areas. Real estate growth in Kukatpally is majorly driven by its proximity to IT industry whereas the in adjacent Quthbullapur, real estate is
Connected to Balanagar ‘X’ Road (10 min) Sanathnagar (15 min) JNTU (20 min) Kukatpally (15 min) Jeedimetla Industrial Zone (10 min) RAIL
Secunderabad 15 km AIR
Shamshabad Airport (44 km) SHOPPING
Metro (Kukatpally) DMart
MODI BUILDERS’ SPLENDOUR n 480 apartments over an area of about 4.5 acres n Venture has two variants — 3BHK 1,748 and 1,933 sft n About 12 km from Hitec City/Cyber Towers and about 5 km from Kukatpally n Landscaped gardens/playgrounds n Clubhouse 38,000 sft n Swimming pool with jacuzzi n Completely residential and approved by HUDA. n Vaasthu compliant. n Project approved by leading banks and institutions. n Basic price: `2,200-2,300 per sft
STARLITE PAVILION n Fernville Gated Community n 3 proposed apartment blocks in 7 acres n Flat size: 1,107-1,688 sft n Underground network for drainage, water supply, n Full-fledged clubhouse with swimming pool and gymnasium n Children's play area n Landscaped green areas n Direct Manjeera drinking water supply to every kitchen n Solar water heating system n Standby diesel generator for common areas and amenities n Basic price: `2,400 per sft
YOUR WEEKLY GUIDE TO HYDERABAD REAL ESTATE
14&15
Mixed use creates a win-win situation SHUBHRANSHU PANI
feedback@postnoon.com
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driven by demand of employees working in industries nearby,” he says. Explaining about the buyers, he says, “Unlike Kukatpally, most of the buyers here are blue-collar workers. Most of them are in senior level positions and earn decent incomes. Added to this, some of their children living here work in the US and in developed countries. They want to buy flats and settle in the area where they spent a majority of their life.” Though many manufacturing and pharmacy industries have shifted from this place, there effect is still felt in these zones. In a few areas like Jagadgirigutta, which has a high concentration of industries, there has been pollution of underground water. “It is important to test the water before using it for any purpose. We checked the quality of the
Amenities Hospitals BBR Multi Speciality Hospital Sandhya Hospital Usha Mullapudi Cardiac Centre Offices HMT Machine Tools Mahindra Satyam Tech Center water, found it safe for domestic usage and only then went ahead with the . If you take the whole Quthbuallapur mandal into account, the underground water levels are low and there is water scarcity in many places. A steep growth of highrise buildings and apartments in small areas have lowered the underground water levels and brought scarcity in summers,” he added. Although, places in the
VASATHI NAVYA n 190 well-configured 2 BHK apartments (942 sft, 1,047 sft and 1,186 sq ft units) n 100 per cent Vaasthu compliant n Gated community with 24/7 security n Gymnasium, indoor play area, yoga room, library, children’s play area, outdoor shuttle court n Polyclinic, pharmacy, bank, ATM, supermarket, kindergarten, n Restaurant and party hall n Driveways with well-designed footpaths and street lighting n Water softening plant n Manjeera water supply n Centralised sewage treatment n Basic price: `2,350 per sft
locality are well connected by City buses and autos, there is no MMTS or Metro connectivity. One has to go either to Kukatpally (upcoming metro) or Secunderabad to travel by train. Property values in the area ranges anywhere between `1,500-2,500 based on the type of the property and the amenities it offers. The property values are around `2,350sft in gated community. The surge in property values in this locality reflects the City’s real estate growth. There has been an appreciation in the property values in last two months. According to developers, the property value will continue to grow in the future and one can expect at least a 10 per cent growth every year. This is a place that one should not ignore if one wants to own a house close to their workplace.
he concept of mixed use development with retail, entertainment, shopping and accommodation all under one roof helps diversify the tenant mix in the total construction, and also de-risks the developer's investment. It also allows the developers to fully utilise the FSI and location. Such developments leverage on the location and provide multiple solutions under one canopy. Mixed use developments have evolved to increase the viability of the projects and to utilise the location advantage. Residential market and office market is witnessing buoyant growth and is considered as more risk-free development. A new concept that is also evolving, particularly due to FSI norms, is serviced apartments as
developments have been used to form the social fabric and have done well. Mixed use developments create a captive catchment for retailers and other components. The model is fairly successful in both metro and tier I cities. In fact, in light of the changing retail dynamics, the response for such projects in tier II cities has also been encouraging. Advantages of mixed use developments to retailers n They add captive footfalls n Food and impulse item sales increase n In some cases, mixed use
Developers are tapping the potential of combining residential and commercial spaces under one roof so that their is reduced risk and more returns on investment.
FOR REPRESENTATIONAL PURPOSE
an offering within mixed use developments. Malls have good reason to give space to hotels or office complexes these days: n It increases the viability of project and also de-risks it n It helps utilise available FSI optimally n It makes the total use more diverse — in some cases mixed use is the best use for real estate development n Floor plate sizes have also in some cases forced developers to utilise the space for other purposes, since retail historically does not work on more than three floors Success rate of mixed use development malls Internationally, mixed use
developments can also help decrease the base rental and increase revenue for developers who operate on a revenueshare model, which also increases feasibility for retailers n They generate a wholesome social fabric and create destination developments
RETAILERS PLEASE NOTE…
If the customer flow is not properly designed and enough parking space is not available, a mixed use project can result in a bad experience for customers, with obvious negative repercussions on the entire development. The author is the managing director (retail services), Jones Lang LaSalle India
FRIDAY, MAY 31, 2013
spotlight
DESI BEATS RULE
With DJ Piyush belting out the latest Hindi chartbusters, you are sure to have a blast. Head to Kismet and ring in your weekend.
JAZZING IT UP
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Too much fun Party peeps turned up in droves at 10 Downing Street on Thursday night. They were seen grooving to the music and having a great time.
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A RIDE TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE
1 Sruti,
Sony
2 Meghanath, Anita
4 Shrishti, Shipra
6 Ajay, Rinky
3 Kamna Jethmalani
5 Khushboo
7 Sonal, Ali
A MEDLEY OF SONGS
Tharanga Digital Networks announced the ďŹ rst-ever, 24-hour non-stop Hindi Antakshari on its online platform tharangamedia.com. The program started on Thursday at 8 pm.
SMALL WONDERS Kids' Expo 2013 was launched with much fanfare at HITEX grounds. Director SS Rajamouli was present at the do. The expo will go on till June 2.
Apollo Cancer Hospitals organised a Harley Davidson bike rally to raise awareness about the hazards of tobacco usage on the eve of World No Tobacco Day. Badminton player Jwala Gutta was present at the event.
FRIDAY, MAY 31, 2013
health
‘BAN TOBACCO ADVERTISING TO REDUCE CONSUMPTION’ Banning tobacco advertising and sponsorship is one of the most cost-effective ways to reduce tobacco consumption, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO). It is estimated that nearly 1.3 million people die of tobacco-related illnesses every year in Southeast Asia. IANS
WORLD NO TOBACCO DAY
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GOING UP IN SMOKE
Ban tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship is the theme of this year’s World No Tobacco Day, which is today. We talk to two doctors from Malla Reddy Narayana Multispecialty Hospital, in the City to know more about the need to stop the consumption of tobacco.
FLEME VARKEY
fleme.v@postnoon.com
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moking is the leading cause of death, which is a scary thought in itself. But it also means that smokers get quoted more expensive life insurance. So in case you want to see your insurance premiums come down a bit, it’s better to say no to tobacco and nicotine. The World Health Survey (WHS) conducted by the WHO as part of an anti-tobacco campaign released last year found that 35.3 per cent of men and 7.6 per cent of women smoke in India. The WHO has started a global effort to reduce cancer deaths worldwide — aiming to prevent eight million cancer deaths by 2015 — and a primary focus of that initiative is to lower tobacco use in developing countries. The survey also observed that the aggressive and hard-hitting antitobacco advertisements and pack warnings, especially those that include pictures, have reduced the number of young
smokers and increased the number of smokers who quit in many countries. But doctors say the battle is not yet won. Dr Prasanna Reddy, consultant pulmonologist and chest physician at Narayana Multispecialty Hospital, says, “Over the past two years, we have got a lot of cases with elderly people being detected with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and lung cancer (most come when they are in the final stages of cancer). In a month there are 90100 cases of
COPD and eight-10 cases of lung cancer.” With the socio-economic pattern changing in the country at such a rapid pace, more teenagers are coming to hospitals after having developed asthma, bronchi-
NEWS BRIEFS GRADUAL KILLER
tis, wheezing and cough due to chronic smoking. Then there are cases of those who are affected by passive smoking or second-hand smoke. Women and children come in this category. If children are exposed to tobacco smoke right from their growing up years, then they have the tendency to develop asthma, earinfection, pneumonia and related issues. “It has been observed that women from the rural areas who smoke sutta are highly susceptible to COPD. With women in cities, it is sort of becoming a fashion statement. Little do they realise that they are at a higher risk of contracting heart diseases because of this ill-gotten habit. In cases of pregnant women, both stress and smoke/tobacco are strict nonos; it can end up jeopardising their babies’ lives,” adds Dr Prasanna. “Smoking tobacco affects not only the lungs but also leads to a lot of coronary diseases,” adds Dr Prakash Ajmera, consultant interventional cardiologist at the same hospital. “Now we have patients, even less than 30 years, coming with mild heart attacks and other heart-related diseases. Almost 90 per cent are chronic smokers. The nicotine is the culprit — it causes thrombus formation in the arteries, leading to heart attack,” he explains. A cigarette contains 10 to
EPIC PROPORTIONS
As nicotine builds up, it can lead to weakened immune function, fatigue, decreased healing time, and long-term diseases like cancer. 15 mg nicotine and delivers on average one mg nicotine to the smoker. Nicotine is also available from smokeless tobacco (snuff, chewing tobacco), pipe and cigar tobacco, waterpipe tobacco, and a variety of smoking cessation medications. Nicotine adversely affects every major system in the human body. As it builds up from regular use, it can lead to weakened immune function, fatigue, decreased healing time, and long-term diseases, including cancer. In fact, nicotine prevents the body from properly disposing of damaged cells, thereby allowing cancer cells to develop. “Nicotine prohibits proper blood circulation and is the number one cause of erectile dysfunction (impotence) for men under 40. Nicotine also increases the
KEEPING TABS
risk of infertility and miscarriage. And if babies are exposed to nicotine in the uterus do make it to birth, they tend to have low birth rates, be born prematurely, and have increased risk of lung problems; some are even born with holes in the heart. People should stop buying these risks for themselves,” advises Dr Prakash. In recent times, many smokers have decided to turn to e-cigarettes and it’s no surprise there are many benefits. After all, the reason that they were primarily invented was to offer smokers an alternative and the chance to smoke without the harmful risks that tobacco brings. Even some doctors recommend it, but as Dr Prasanna says, it is a good method to avoid addiction but then that becomes another addiction. Quitting smoking is the ultimate advice any doctor has for their patients. As Dr Prakash says, “Before even getting into replacements for addiction, the individual has to have that will power to quit. E-cigarettes, nicotine patches and gums are just a way to get there.”
QUIT SMOKING
In the future
The targets
Tracking the smoke
The call for help
Since there is a lag of several years between when people start using tobacco and when their health suffers, the epidemic of tobacco-related disease and death has just begun. Tobacco caused 100 million deaths in the 20th century. If current trends continue, it may cause about one billion deaths in the 21st century. Unchecked, tobacco-related deaths will increase to more than eight million per year by 2030.
The tobacco epidemic is one of the biggest public health threats the world has ever faced. It kills nearly six million people a year of whom more than five million are from direct tobacco use and more than 6,00,000 are nonsmokers exposed to second-hand smoke. Approximately one person dies every six seconds due to tobacco.
Nearly 80 per cent of the world's one billion smokers live in low and middleincome countries. Good monitoring tracks the extent and character of the tobacco epidemic and indicates how best to tailor policies. Only 59 countries, representing under half of the world's population, monitor tobacco use by repeating nationally representative youth and adult surveys at least once every five years.
Among smokers who are aware of the dangers of tobacco, most want to quit. National comprehensive healthcare services supporting cessation are available in only 19 countries, representing 14 per cent of the world's population. It is not there in 28 per cent of low-income countries and seven per cent of middle-income countries.
FRIDAY, MAY 31, 2013
Technology DATA MARKET
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Where does it come from? Big Data is everywhere, from energy and healthcare to the airline industry. Thanks to emerging technologies such as Hadoop, companies are buying in to Big Data and putting all that data to use.
Growth drivers
XAAS REVENUE PROFESSIONAL SERVICES APPLICATION SOFTWARE NOSQL DATABASE SOFTWARE SQL DATABASE SOFTWARE HADOOP AND INFRASTRUCTURE SOFTWARE
Big Data market breakdown
HTC GOES CLEAN It was rumored, and now it's here: on stage at D, Sundar Pichai just revealed a new version of the HTC One that runs an untouched, stock version of Google's Android operating system. It will be available from the US Google Play store starting June 26 for $599. The unlocked device will run on both AT&T and T-Mobile in the United States with support for high-speed LTE data on both networks. This "Nexus user experience" version will contain 32GB of built-in storage. Much like the special edition Samsung Galaxy S4 unveiled during I/O, Google will be directly handling future software updates.
WALL STREET GOES SOCIAL Increasing adoption of Big Data by traditional enterprises
Maturation of Big Data software
Organisations are discovering the power of big data and are leveraging their previously unwieldy data for insight and innovation. Here's a small peak into the world of big data.
Big spenders on big data Google alone spent over $3 billion on infrastructure in 2012. Facebook has also invested more than $1 billion in the infrastructure that powers its social network
"Everything we do is a big data problem" Jay Parikh VP of Engineering, Facebook
The CIA has made a $600 million deal with Amazon web services to build a private cloud infrastructure to help manage its big data demands. "Our mission is to collect everything and hang onto it forever" Ira Hunt CTO, CIA
Increasingly sophisticated professional services
Continued investment in Big Data hardware by web giants
BIGGER THAN EVER Big data investment sectors Pharmaceuticals Pharmaceutical companies like Bristol Myers Squibb are using Big Data to support drug development.
Financial services Firms like JPMC, Morgan Stanley and BoA are using Bog Data to conduct fraud analysis and risk profiling.
Industrial Internet The next big area of growth combines the internet of things with analytics to create a living network of intelligent machines and systems.
News Corporation, the parent company of the Wall Street Journal, is poised to launch a new social network. Described in The Times of London as a “platform for ‘likeminded people’ to meet online and share ideas,” the network that will launch in a few months is not exactly the next LinkedIn. “It really is more of a forum to talk about finance,” explained Colleen Schwartz, director of corporate communications at Dow Jones, although members will create their WSJ profiles using their real names.
LET’S TALK ABOUT #ADS Facebook waited until after its public offering to go after the digital ad dollars tied up in display retargeting with last summer’s launch of Facebook Exchange (FBX). Twitter, reportedly planning an IPO for early next year, looks to follow suit -- but perhaps in a different order. The micro-blogging platform is planning to erect an exchange similar to FBX that would let brands retarget people who visit their sites with ads on Twitter, according to people with knowledge of the matter. Twitter did not respond to requests for comment. It's unclear how far along Twitter is in building the exchange, though Facebook managed to create FBX from scratch in a month.
FRIDAY, MAY 31, 2013
Entertainment CINE BYTES
Sahasam set to release on June 14
C
handrasekhar Yeleti's upcoming action adventure film Sahasam is all set to hit the screens on June 14. Gopichand and Taapsee are playing the lead roles whereas Shakti Kapoor will be seen as a terrorist. BVSN Prasad is producing the film. The audio of Sahasam will be launched on June 2. Sri has scored the music.
No more fresh auditions
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S Rajamouli's upcoming film Baahubali has became the target of miscreants. Apparently, someone claiming to be from Arka Media Works has been sending e-mails to auditions. “These emails are fraud. We have not invited anyone for auditions this month,” Shobu, the film's producer, clarified.
Nithin teams up with Karunakaran
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fter the success of Gunde Jaari Gallanthayindhe, Nithin seems to be all the more keen on doing romantic films. Now, he has signed a film which will be directed by Karunakaran. Sreshth Movies banner will produce the film. More details about the film will be revealed soon. Currently, Nithin is busy shooting for Prem Sai's Courier Boy Kalyan.
HAPPILY BUSY
I AM PROUD OF MY BODY
From a girl next door to a diva, Shruti Haasan's transformation has caught a lot of people off-guard. HEMANTH KUMAR hemanth.k@postnoon.com
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ver since Shruti Haasan posed for Maxim Magazine, we couldn’t help but wonder if it’s part of her strategy to venture into more glamorous roles in both Hindi and Telugu. So far, all her roles in Telugu and Tamil films have been that of a girl next door and in Gabbar Singh, her biggest hit so far, she was seen sporting half saris since she was playing a village belle’s role. Just days after her photoshoot for the magazine made headlines, she shocked her fans, especially in the South, when the first look of Nikhil Advani’s D-Day was unveiled. She’s playing the role of a Karachi-based prostitute in the film and now, it’s her look in Gopichand Malineni’s Balupu that has set tongues wagging. Is it a conscious attempt to veer towards more glamorous roles? “Not really. I think it’s more of a natural progression for me. I didn’t do the photoshoot for Maxim magazine on purpose and it was more of a fun thing. Moreover, I don’t think I am trying to break away from an onscreen image. I don’t think I had any, right from the beginning. I’m still doing a film like D-Day and Prabhu Deva’s Ramaiya Vastavaiya, apart from the more glamorous roles in some of my upcoming Telugu films,” she avers. She’s quite happy with the response she had got for the photoshoot and reveals that majority of it has been quite positive. “Some people who haven’t seen me in such a bold look were indeed surprised. I am extremely proud of my body and one day, I’ll have kids. I’m aware of my sensuality and more importantly, I’m not ashamed of being who I am,” she says, putting things into perspective. In Balupu, her first Telugu
film since Gabbar Singh, she’s playing the role of a confident young woman and that sort of reflects in her new look. “I have been working closely with my stylist Chaitanya for the past few years and he understands what works for me and what not. For Balupu, the idea was that my costumes and styling should reflect my characterisation in the film. My character is full of spunk and comedy and she’s always high on energy and uber confident. All of that reflects in the new look that has been designed,” she says and adds, “I am doing four films back to back, so it’s important for me to change my look drastically from film to film. I take care that my look is true to the character I’m playing in the film, be it a Gabbar
Singh or Balupu.” So what does it take to emulate her look in real life? “I would never give such an advice. Honestly, I have never looked at someone and craved to emulate their look, just because it looks good on them. Everyone has their own identity and it’s important to understand what works best for you,” she replies. Currently, she’s juggling between the sets of Balupu, Yevadu and Ramayya Vastavayya. and she’ll soon begin shooting for Race Gurram. “There’s no time to breathe, but I couldn’t be happier that I am so busy,” she quips.
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FRIDAY, MAY 31, 2013
fashion
TILDA CHANNELS HER SCOTTISH ROOTS
TILDA SWINTON comes from an Anglo-Scots family and with her otherworldly look and porcelain skin she is the perfect casting for Karl's Scottish collection, which was inspired by Mary Queen of Scots. In the campaign she goes back to her Scottish roots, modelling tartan and Highland overcoats in front of medieval tapestries and oil paintings.
Everyone wants to look good on their wedding. All eyes are after all set only on the wedding couple, so none of them can afford to go wrong anywhere. As a result, their clothes and accessories are paid special attention to. This even includes the wedding shoes of the groom. Kapil Mahtani,CEO,Tresmode gives us some tips on shopping for wedding shoes, so that your feet don’t let you down.
SHOES T & he bridegroom’s attire is extremely the colours of the formal shoes must go with important as well and that your wedding attire. Two kinds of formal includes all his accessories, shoes, shoes are generally found in the Indian mardress, rings, make-up, turbans and ket, one with shoelaces and the other one is gifts. A number of rituals are the slip-on type. Boots are also popular involved with the groom’s shoes. Stealing among Indian grooms and can be worn with the groom’s shoes by the sisters of the bride smart formal wedding suits. Though the is one such custom where the bride’s sisters desired colour for the boots of Indian grooms demand money from the groom for return- are in general black, several other colours such as brown, bottle green ing his shoes. Now the type of and dark maroon shades are shoes worn by the groom depends on his outfits. If you are FOR THE BRIDEGROOM also favoured by many men. Nowadays choosing a suit, a formal shoe will look good. On the other hand if you many Indian grooms prefer wear a traditional Indian suit then your high heel shoes in order to add more style to their shoes should also have a traditional touch. In case of princely outfits, like sherwanis, attires. Whatever may be achkans, Jodhpuri suits or kurta-pajamas, a your choice for shoes, Punjabi jutti, mojri or kolhapuri chappal will always get the one work the best. They are handcrafted and that you will be embellished with colourful beads, gems and most comfortable with. Zari work. With suits or tuxedos, formal shoes are preferred. You can get formal groom shoes in different colours that include black, brown, olive green and many other colours. But
CHRISTIE HOSTS OLD QUEENS AND NEW
IN THE age of Middleton mania, there’s no shortage of mythology (or obsession) surrounding what it means to be a queen. On June 4, Christie’s will unveil a new exhibition, A Queen Within: Adorned Archetypes, Fashion, and Chess, which examines the principal monarch from a freshly cerebral perspective.
STILETTOS
BALLET SHOES
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omen love stilettos. They make you look slim and tall and add a certain oomph factor to your overall look. A good pair of stilettos can convert any drab dress into something absolutely stunning. Wearing stilettos for prolonged periods is not really recommended. That is why you must consider wearing it for your reception. Pair your stilettos with a gorgeous lehenga. Buy your stilettos before you get your lehenga in order to get its length sorted out.
crystals, or just including crystals or sparkle is flying off the shelves! There are a lot of options available today which are formal enough to go with your outfit and yet wearable even post wedding events. One very important factor to consider while purchasing your wedding shoes is to check the 'comfort' level of the shoes. Remember you have to wear them for quite a few hours which may involve standing for long periods and even dancing through the night. You don't want to feel pain and ruin your day with a pair of shoes that don't fit well. So choose the size carefully. Also don't go for extremely high heels as they will surely lead to sore feet in a short time. Wedges are also good option if comfort is a priority for you.
FOR THE BRIDE
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hoes are a very important aspect of the wedding attire of a bride. However, brides often keep it as the last thing to shop for on their to-do list. Only once the outfit is finalised, do shoes come into the picture. They have to be colour coordinated and chosen according to the overall look of the outfit. A lot of times, brides end up overdoing their final look when they try and match a heavy outfit with an equally embellished pair of shoes. Indian wedding outfits are in themselves quite ornamental. Many a times what is needed is a simple yet elegant pair of shoes to help lift the outfit instead of making the look overwhelming. All said and done, in India, we do love our colours and the biggest bridal shoe trend right now is sparkly shoes! Anything covered in glitter,
D-DAY KITTEN HEELS
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itten heels are usually about 1.5 inches to 2 inches in height with a slight curve towards the end. They may not have a high sex appeal like stilettos, but they have a lady-like charm and are far more comfortable. Kitten heels should be worn for your actual wedding ceremony since ‘sexy’ is not the message you would like to send out during your marriage. Kitten heels are easy to slip in and out and you can walk comfortably in them.
SNEAKERS
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neakers and wedding don’t really go hand in hand, but you will soon realise that they are going to become a quintessential part of your wedding. From visiting boutiques to running a last minute errand, sneakers are going to become your closest friends. Wear a pair of comfy sneakers and give your feet a chance to relax. Wear it while running errands and team it up with fitted jeans and tops.
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ltra feminine and comfortable are the two words which best describe ballet shoes. Their soft cushioning and cute designs make them apt for casual wear, but you can always buy fancier ones which are adorned with sequins, satin and artificial diamonds. Ballets are best suited for your sangeet and mehendi ceremony. Ballets will ensure that you can dance till late in the night with your friends, without getting a single blister.
Entertainment FRIDAY, MAY 31, 2013
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Entertainment FRIDAY, MAY 31, 2013
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FRIDAY, MAY 31, 2013
Chai Time
THOUGHT OF THE DAY
Exercise alone provides psychological and physical benefits. However, if you also adopt a strategy that engages your mind while you exercise, you can get a whole host of psychological benefits fairly quickly. James Rippe
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 Un-co-operative contraction 5 Commonplace 10 ‘Mamma Mia!’ inspiration 14 Word after ‘rest’ or ‘staging’ 15 ‘A miss is as good as ___’ 16 Air Force One passenger (Abbr) 17 Received, as a visitor 18 City nicknamed ‘The Heart of Georgia’ 19 Neeson of ‘Taken’ 20 ‘Podge’ attachment 22 15th state to join the Union 24 Abhor 27 City on the Ural 28 Old screen siren West 30 Racetrack fence 31 Maxima maker 34 Shelter for the future? 35 Vegging-out spot 36 Victorious Gettysburg commander 37 Return to health 39 From then till now 42 Winter blanket? 43 Sanskrit's language group 45 Capitol cap 47 Website address part 48 Condiment 50 Annoying faucet sound 51 Husbands, or a wife 52 Bindlestiff 53 All together 55 Without paraphrasing 58 Ill-tempered woman 61 On the protected side 62 Colliers' entryways 65 Case for tweezers, buttons and such 66 Kill or greatly amuse 67 Exceptionally smart people 68 Gas station adjunct, sometimes
69 Insignificant amounts 70 Like some new employees and beavers 71 Cupid, to Greeks
DOWN
1 Load requiring separation 2 Two-tone dunker 3 Equipment for a sewer 4 Brando's film dance 5 ‘... like THAT!’ 6 Doctors' org 7 Spending very little money 8 Common lotion ingredient 9 ‘Woman’ singer John 10 High marks 11 Having physical presence, as a business 12 Bird's-eye view? 13 ‘As God ___ witness’ 21 Hearing things? 23 Barber's quick job 25 New Mexico tourist town 26 Sound system of yesteryear 28 Ape 29 Pro basketball venue 32 End of the riddle whose answer is ‘When it's ajar.’ 33 Red-spotted creatures 38 Breaks the rules 40 Spike to shuck 41 Give off, as light 44 Where the conga originated 46 Narrative writing 49 Thick soup made with cream 54 Common denominator 55 Like the universe 56 ‘___ Enchanted’ (2004 movie) 57 It's formed in your head 59 Dollar counterpart 60 Smart, funny folks 63 Businessman's ‘noose’ 64 Knight's honorific
Chai Time FRIDAY, MAY 31, 2013 Thiruvaikumar
STAR POWER for 1-6-2013
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As per Hindu panchang thiruvaikumar@yahoo. co. in, 040-27177230 / 9177596118
ARIES
TAURUS
GEMINI
CANCER
LEO
VIRGO
LIBRA
SCORPIO
SAGITTARIUS
CAPRICORN
AQUARIUS
PISCES
Good news to arrive from distant relatives. Promotion but with transfer on cards for employees; they are advised to accept it. Avoid unwanted arguments and petty clashes with friends and relatives. Adjust with family members at home.
STRIP TEASE AGNES
A peaceful atmosphere is likely to prevail at home. Employees advised not to entrust important responsibilities handed over to them to others as their name will get spoiled by inept handling. Enemies might be active; be extra cautious.
Keep expenses under control. Businessmen likely to see steady growth. They must involve themselves directly while signing new contracts rather than entrusting them to top management personnel. Be careful with new friends.
Influx of close relatives and friends will make all in the family happy. You have to change your attitude and be flexible so that all work gets completed successfully. Transfer and additional responsibility on cards for the employees.
Employees need to work with self-confidence and focus to complete all works in time for it will earn them a name and recognition of the management. Laziness and anger need to be avoided as it will spoil your career prospects.
Businessmen will attain greater heights in their respective fields. You need to give due respect to elders of the family and implement their suggestion, which will only be beneficial to you. Employees cheer up as problems get resolved.
Financially, a satisfactory position is likely. While planning to purchase land or house, be sure to study documents thoroughly, only then proceed. Children will make you proud. Unwanted blame likely; careful while expressing opinions.
Assistance expected from bank is likely to be sanctioned. Good growth is assured for businessmen as efforts start yielding favourable result now. Held-up work will resume and get completed successfully without any further resistances.
Your approach needs drastic changes so that you achieve set goals. Employees who are offered chances to go abroad need to accept them without a second thought. There is a bright future. Hurdles in the way of good events will end.
TAROT READ
Sumaa Tekur
tarotreadhyd@gmail. com
ARIES:
GEMINI:
Nine of Swords Nightmares, restless sleep and anxiety are all taking a toll on you. You feel scared and unsure of what’s to come. Talk to someone about it.
LEO:
The Empress – There are no rules on how you should lead your life. Yet, you get a strong feeling that going to a self-help book or consultant will help. Suit yourself.
LIBRA:
PEARLS BEFORE SWINE
Ten of Wands – You feel burdened by your own expectations. You have set very high standards for yourself and it hurts you that it’s difficult to meet them.
SAGITTARIUS:
Five of Cups – There is some loss indicated. It may be that you held someone in very high esteem and they have let you down by exposing their chinks.
TAURUS:
Nine of Pentacles – Don’t ignore aches and pains, even if they don’t come in the way of your daily work. Consult a doctor. You never know what it might be.
CANCER:
Ace of Pentacles – There are times when you feel disconnected with the work that you do – simply because you are looking at it purely from the monetary angle.
VIRGO:
Three of Cups – All hard work is paying off. You may just have to wait a little longer to get what you deserve. Enjoy this time and celebrate your work and life.
SCORPIO:
The Moon – Mood swings are likely today. You feel strangely upbeat one minute and low the second minute. Stay with it and don’t do anything important.
CAPRICORN:
Judgment – The time has come for all your work to be recognized. You will be given your due very shortly. A complete Uturn on a decision is highly likely.
PREVIOUS SOLUTIONS
PISCES:
Knight of Pentacles – Money’s on your mind. You want to focus on making more money. While this may give you a goal, it may not make you happy.
NUMBER GAME
– You are in conflict with your inner self. You feel deeply about a principle and yet you cannot let go of your ego. Something’s got to give.
SCRABBLE
AQUARIUS: Five of Swords
POOCH CAFE
Spouse’s health will be a cause for concern; take care. Avoid friends who praise in front but abuse when you are not around. Avoid a third person’s help to mediate between you and your spouse who will spoil the relationship further.
for 1-6-2013
Eight of Swords – Your intellectual capabilities are heightened and you feel as though you are thinking fast and people are finding it difficult to keep pace.
NON SEQUITUR
Cheerful situation at home is most likely. You need to adopt the slow-and-steady approach so that work gets complete without any difficulty. Hurdles in the way of performing happy events at home will end. Marriage of child will be performed.
SUDUKO
Women likely to get unexpected financial fortune. Ego clashes with spouse will end. Happy events to take place at home in a line. Avoid wasteful expenditure and extravagance so that there won’t be any need to take further financial help.
Boggle MOLE MULE MINK MOOSE MONKEY MONGOOSE Vol: 2, No 315 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
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Entertainment FRIDAY, MAY 31, 2013
LOOKING FOR INSPIRATION
CINE BYTES
Inside Katy and Robert Pattinson's friendship
R
obert Pattinson has found a good friend in Katy Perry. "Nothing is going on between Rob and Katy," a source tells E! News. "They are just super good friends. There is nothing romantic in it." The source goes on to explain that, "Rob and Katy are just very similar people and she adores him, as a friend, and she just wants to be there for him as a mate."
Courteney and David finalise divorce
T
hey may be the best of exes but legally, anyway, it's all over for Courteney Cox and David Arquette. A final judgment for their divorce was entered Tuesday in Los Angeles Superior Court, records show, officially ending their more than decade-long marriage.
Emma Watson talks Bling Ring research: Watching Pretty Wild
Will Smith takes a back seat for his son
W
“Gave me anxiety” D
oing research for a role can be tough. The sweet and innocent Emma Watson had to step out of her comfort zone for her role in Sofia Coppola's Bling Ring, where she plays a character inspired by reality star Alexis Neiers, so she decided to do her research: Watch Neiers in her reality show, Pretty Wild. But it wasn't the best of times for Watson. During an interview with Rookie magazine, the actress was asked, "Have
you heard from her [Neiers] about the film or anything?" Watson responded, "No, I haven't. To be fair to Alexis, [my character] is like three steps removed from who she might be in real life. A lot of the material in the movie was based on an article, which was based on a reality show, which we all know isn't real life. I wasn't trying to impersonate her — she just inspired the character. I watched Pretty Wild so many times to try and get her into my brain, though. It gave me anxi-
ety. How do you watch it?" Those shows have a way of sucking you in, Emma. Although the star was never approached by Neiers, the new mom definitely gave her two cents on the flick via Twitter. "@AmyKinLA it's trashy and inaccurate," Neiers, who spent 30 days in jail for her role inburglarizing Orlando Bloom's house back in 2009, tweeted to Los Angeles Times reporter Amy Kaufman.
ill Smith has been one of the biggest movie stars on the planet for two decades, but this weekend he'll take a back seat for one of the first times in his career — to his own son. After Earth is Smith's first nonsequel since Seven Pounds, but the actor actually conceived the story as a potential franchise that would spawn its own sequels.
sports
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FRIDAY, MAY 31, 2013
INTERNATIONAL FRIENDLIES
Brazil-England clash back on A court overruled a Brazilian judge's order canceling Sunday's friendly game between Brazil and England in Rio's Maracana stadium, saying safety concerns at the recently renovated facility were unfounded. RIO DE JANEIRO: A court Thursday overruled a Brazilian judge's order canceling Sunday's friendly game between Brazil and England in Rio's Maracana stadium, saying safety concerns at the recently renovated facility were unfounded. The O Estado de Sao Paulo daily on Thursday quoted court sources as saying the Rio judge who earlier cancelled the match had acted on a request from state prosecutors. They had said that there was no evidence Maracana meet "the minimum necessary conditions to host games or events". But the authorities in Rio appealed that ruling before a duty judge.
They argued that because of a "bureaucratic mistake" the safety report had not been delivered to the relevant official. They judge duly overturned
The O Estado de Sao Paulo daily quoted sources as saying the judge who earlier cancelled the match, acted on a request from state prosecutors. the earlier ruling, clearing the way for the game to go ahead. An estimated 74,000 people are expected to watch Sunday's game, the second test for the sta-
dium inaugurated on April 27 after a multi-million-dollar 30month renovation. The friendly is to serve as preparation for the
Brazilian national squad ahead of the Confederations Cup in the country from June 15 to 30. The Maracana stadium will
NBA
James lifts Heat over Pacers MIAMI: LeBron James scored 16 of his 30 points in a pivotal third quarter on Thursday to lead the Miami Heat to a 90-79 victory over Indiana and to within one win of returning to the NBA finals. The reigning NBA champion Heat took a 3-2 lead over the Pacers in the best-of-seven Eastern Conference finals. The winner of the series will face Western Conference champion San Antonio on June 6. Trailing 44-40 at halftime, the Heat out-scored Indiana 30-13 in a third quarter that may prove to be the difference in what has been a close, physical and sometimes testy series. Fittingly it was
LeBron James #6 of the Miami Heat grabs a rebound against the Indiana Pacers in Game Five of the Eastern Conference Finals on Thursday at American Airlines Arena in Miami, Florida. AFP/NBAE/NATHANIEL S. BUTLER
James, who recently collected the fourth regular-season Most Valuable Player award of his career, leading the charge. He single-handedly out-scored the Pacers by three points and also handed out four assists of his six assists and grabbed four of his eight rebounds. "That's LeBron showing his greatness, and making it look easy," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. "His engine in that third quarter was just incredible. He was tireless. He was making plays on both ends of the court, rebounding, covering so much ground defensively and making virtually every play for us offensively. AFP
IOC RULING
Pakistan, Ecuador threatened with ban SAINT-PETERSBURG: Pakistan and Ecuador have been threatened with suspension from the Olympic family due to political interference in their national Olympic Committees. Neither country has been suspended but the International Olympic Committee (IOC) released a statement on Thursday saying they wanted to see changes in both countries to avoid an eventual suspension.
"The EB (Executive Board) noted with great concern that the situation of the Olympic movement in Pakistan has deteriorated due to the creation of a parallel body to the NOC (National Olympic Committee) by a group of federations supported by the government authorities, in particular the Pakistan Sports Board," said the statement. "If this parallel body continues to disrupt the operations of
the legitimate POA (Pakistan Olympic Association), in particular by organizing new elections outside the POA and by preventing the POA from exercising its activities as foreseen by the Olympic charter, Pakistan will be suspended from the Olympic movement with all consequences this implies." Ecuador has also come under the microscope due to planned elections in the sports organisa-
tions that make up the national Olympic committee. The IOC is trying to safeguard the elections to ensure they are not manipulated by Government officials. The IOC previously suspended India last December for Government interference while the situation in Sierra Leone, where the country's sports minister suspended the local Olympic Committee, is under surveillance. AFP
host four Confederations Cup matches as well as seven World Cup games next year, including the finals of both tournaments. In 2016, it will host the opening ceremony of the Summer Olympics. England are already in Brazil having flown on a private jet straight after Wednesday night's friendly draw in Ireland. Since 2007, the Rio state government has invested an estimated $430 million in the Maracana renovations, which ultimately will comprise a multi-purpose arena featuring bars, restaurants and shops. However, the redevelopment has met with controversy in some quarters, with protesters taking aim at the plan to privatize the venue. AFP
BRIEFS AP team surge ahead NEW DELHI: The Andhra Pradesh boys and girls teams were victoious when they defeated Gujarat and Haryana respectively in their teams semifinals match during the U-12 AITA Inter State Nationals which was held at RK Khanna Tennis Stadium, here on Thursday. Results Boys: AP bt Gujarat 2-0 Teertha Shashank bt Dev Javia 6-1, 6-3; B Rithvik Choudary bt Kevin Patel 61, 6-1. Girls: AP bt Haryana 2-1 Prathyusha Rachapudi bt Shreya Gulia 7-5, 6-1; S Rachana Reddy lost to Chetna Kumari 2-6, 1-6; Amineni Shivani/Prathyusha Rachapudi bt Chetna Kumari/Shreya Gulia 7-6 (5), 6-4.
Nelson gets 2004 medal WASHINGTON: American shot putter Adam Nelson was officially awarded the 2004 Athens Olympic gold medal on Thursday following the doping disqualification of Ukraine's Yuriy Bilonoh. The International Olympic Committee and IAAF, the global governing body for athletics, approved the change, which finally rewards Nelson for his achievement on August 18, 2004. AFP
sports
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FRIDAY, MAY 31, 2013
MEMORIAL TOURNAMENT
McIlroy misery goes on es his rthern Ireland watch Rory McIlroy of No le during the ho th 15 5 r pa the second shot on at morial Tournament first round of the Me y. da urs Th on b lf Clu Muirfield Village Go AFP/ANDY LYONS
INDY CAR DUBLIN, OHIO: Rory McIlroy continued to wrestle with his game on Thursday, battling to a six-over par 78 in the first round of the US PGA Tour’s Memorial tournament. A week after he missed the cut at the European PGA Championship at Wentworth the two-time major champion acknowledged his game “just isn’t all there at the minute. But I’m working hard and I’m trying to figure things out and hopefully they’ll come around soon,” McIlroy said. McIlroy’s day opened encouragingly enough, with a birdie at the par-four 10th at Muirfield Village. He four-putted from 58 feet for a double-bogey at the par-three 12th, and bogeyed the next, adding two more
bogeys before making the turn. A birdie at the par-five fifth was sandwiched between bogeys at the second, third and seventh. He missed seven greens and needed 33 putts. Meanwhile, South Africa’s Charl Schwartzel piled up 10 birdies in a seven-under par 65 to seize the first-round lead. Schwartzel bounced back from a double-bogey at his penultimate hole to birdie his last, taking a one-stroke lead over American Scott Piercy. World number one Woods played in the afternoon when birdies were harder to come by. He had five birdies and four bogeys in a oneunder 71, but ended his day on a down note with a bogey that left him tied for 27th.
LPGA CHAMPIONSHIP
US OPEN Back injury forces Goosen pull out
Park ponders run to top
A R D M O R E , PENNSYLVANIA: Two-time US Open champion Retief Goosen of South Africa withdrew from the 113th US Open on Thursday because of a back injury, the US Golf Association announced. It was the same injury that prompted the 44-year-old “Goose” to withdraw from the Players Championship and Wells Fargo Championship earlier this month. Goosen’s pullout means there will be one more spot available for qualifiers on Monday at 11 sectional tournament sites around the United States. AFP
GALLOWAY, NEW JERSEY: South Korea’s Park In-Bee (in pic) returns to the event where she began her march to world number one at this week’s $1.5 million ShopRite Classic, the last tuneup for next week’s LPGA Championship. Park’s lone LPGA title when she arrived at the 54-hole event last year had come at the 2008 US Women’s Open. She had gone a year without managing a top-10 finish but found her putting form at the layout near Atlantic City, New Jersey. “Last year at this point, I had never finished Top-10 in the last year and I already have
three wins this year,” Park said. “After this week (in 2012) I started putting really good, the ball-striking got better. I think that putting has been really a big key to my success in the last
year after this point.” Park settled for a share of 18th at last year’s ShopRite but shared ninth at the 2012 LPGA Championship and began to turn around her season, winning last July in France and last October in Malaysia. This year, Park has captured the LPGA Thailand in February, last month’s North Texas LPGA Shootout and the year’s first major crown at the Kraft Nabisco Championship on April 7; she leads in the LPGA Player of the Year race. With the next major championship only a week away, Park is hoping to bounce back from a rain-soaked struggle in the Bahamas, where only 36 holes were completed. AFP
Briscoe replaces Hildebran I N D I A N A P O L I S , INDIANA: Australian Ryan Briscoe (in pic) will drive in two IndyCar races this weekend at Detroit after US racer J.R. Hildebrand was dropped by Panther Racing, the team announced on Thursday. The IndyCar team called Hildebrand’s departure four days after a last-place crash out on the fourth lap of the Indianapolis 500 a “mutual agreement” for termination of a deal that was scheduled to run through the end of the season. Panther did not name a driver for later races but IndyCar has six events in six weeks after the Detroit double-header Saturday and Sunday and likely will look at Briscoe for a longer-term stay in the Chevrolet-powered car. “He’s a championship-caliber driver who’s proven he can win races on any type of track in the IndyCar series,” team managing partner John Barnes said. “We have no doubt he can jump right into our program.” Briscoe, who was 12th last Sunday at the Ganassi Racing in a one-race deal, has won seven races in nine IndyCar seasons, most recently last year at Sonoma on a road course, and was last year’s Indy 500 pole sitter. AFP
PREFONTAINE CLASSIC DIAMOND LEAGUE
James, Merritt to renew 400m rivalry
EUGENE, OREGON: Olympic champion Kirani James (right) will try to build on his sizzling Shanghai performance when he leads a talent-loaded 400m field Saturday at the Prefontaine Classic Diamond League athletics meeting. James, who became Grenada’s first Olympic medallist in any sport when he won the 400m gold in London last year, clocked the best time in the world this year of 44.02sec at the IAAF Diamond League stop in Shanghai on May 18.
Rudisha pulls out EUGENE, OREGON: Olympic 800m champion and world record-holder David Rudisha pulled out of this weekend’s Prefontaine Classic Diamond League athletics meeting Thursday with a knee injury, organizers said. An MRI scan performed on Wednesday in Eugene, Oregon revealed the injury, which Rudisha’s manager James Templeton told organizers was to the Kenyan athlete’s right knee. AFP
In Shanghai, he got the better of 2008 Olympic gold medallist LaShawn Merritt, leaving the American out for revenge on home soil. Merritt didn’t contend in London, where he was injured in the heats. He’ll get a chance to test himself against the top five finishers from London: James, silver medallist Luguelin Santos of Dominican Republic, bronze medallist Lalonde Gordon of Trinidad and Tobago, veteran Chris Brown of the Bahamas and Belgium’s Kevin Borlee. AFP
sports
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FRIDAY, MAY 31, 2013
FIXING SAGA
Shirke mulling resignation Slamming N Srinivasan for not calling a meeting of the Board to discuss Gurunath Meiyappan’s arrest, Ajay Shirke said that he is mulling quitting from his post. NEW DELHI: Slamming BCCI President N Srinivasan for not calling a meeting of the Board to discuss his son-in-law Gurunath Meiyappan’s (in pic) arrest on betting charges, Board Treasurer Ajay Shirke on Thursday said that he is mulling quitting from his post on the issue, according to a report. Shirke, who yesterday called for Srinivasan’s resignation on moral grounds, said he will wait and see for a few days before taking a decision. “If Board continues to ignore what I consider is primary responsibility, I will find it difficult for myself to be associated with it. I will wait and see. A few days, maybe within a week, I will make up my mind. If there’s going to be more and more room for fingers to be pointed, I will have to take a call ... I cannot let my personal reputation and credibility be tarnished. That for me stands above everything else,” Shirke said.
“I am not satisfied. Normally whenever there’s a crisis - small, major, any kind of crisis - we call for a (working committee) meeting. On every such occasion, the president calls for a meeting, and the issue is discussed in great detail by every member of
the working committee. That has been the prevalent way,” Shirke said. “Even when players were arrested, there was an emergent meeting. Then we had a follow-up meeting in Chennai. Then the president came before
BRIEFS
Mumbai Board plan to overhaul constitution MUMBAI: Mumbai Cricket Association has started the process of overhauling its constitution to remove cambiguities and introduce correct procedures to face new challenges, its president Ravi Savant said today. “Barring some bits and pieces changes made in it a few years ago, we have not done any major alterations to our constitution for several years. Some of the procedures have not been properly defined in the constitution and we want to remove ambi-
guities,” Savant told PTI. One of the changes contemplated was about the residential status of those seeking to get elected to its managing committee, and Savant defended it saying while one can have many residences he or she can be called a permanent resident of only one of those places. “We can have own many residences for business or other reasons but will be residing on a permanent basis in only one of these.” PTI
Ashraf hiring top lawyers KARACHI: The suspended Pakistan Cricket Board Chairman Zaka Ashraf is hiring top lawyers of the country to defend him in the Islamabad High Court which has stopped him from working in his present capacity. Sources close to the suspended PCB chief said two well-known lawyers, Hafeez Pirzada and Imtiaz Siddiqui, a former Lahore High Court judge were being considered to defend Ashraf in the case. The High Court had barred Ashraf from working as PCB chief on a
petition filed by a former coach of the Army cricket team which challenges his election and the election process held under the new constitution. Normally, the PCB’s legal advisor Tafazzul Rizvi looks after all legal matters of the Board and defends the Board. But, the source said since Rizvi is part of the PCB’s legal team and his participation might be questioned as Ashraf will not be the incumbent PCB chief during the next hearing on June 13. PTI
the media and explained all the measures that had been taken. There hasn’t been anything on this (Gurunath arrest) issue,” he was quoted as saying by ESPNcricinfo. “If the president calls for a meeting and puts his views across and hears out other units - you don’t necessarily need to change your position - it would follow the proper procedure. Otherwise, the media trial will go on and on.” Shirke re-iterated that he would have resigned had he been in Srinivasan’s place. “If I was Srinivasan and my son-inlaw was arrested, I would have stepped aside till the internal probe was over. I have made my stance very clear on it,” he said. Despite mounting pressure from within the BCCI and from outside Srinivasan has dug into his heels and remained defiant, insisting that he had done no wrong and hence would not resign. PTI
Gill calls for Srinivasan to step down
NEW DELHI:) Former Sports Minister M S Gill on Thursday joined the chorus of demand for the resignation of N Srinivasan, saying “he should step down immediately in the best interest of the country”. “When I was made the minister I came out in open and said that there was a clear case of conflict of interest. One person cannot be the Board president as well as a team owner,” he said. “I am of the view that the BCCI president should quit in the best interest of the country,” Gill told ‘Zee News’. The call for Srinivasan’s resignation became louder in the wake of the arrest of his son-inlaw Gurunath Meiyappan on charges of betting in IPL. Pressure from within the BCCI mounted against Srinivasan’s continuance with heavyweights Rajeev Shukla and Arun Jaitley coming out in the open even as former BCCI chief Sharad Pawar joined in. PTI
FRIDAY, MAY 31, 2013
sports
GAYLE URGES ICC TO FOLLOW IPL PUBLICITY EXAMPLE West Indies star Chris Gayle believes the International Cricket Council have something to learn from the Indian Premier League (IPL) when it comes to publicising events such as the Champions Trophy.
FRENCH OPEN
Don’t believe the hype, Djokovic warns Dimitrov
Grigor Dimitrov has a precocious career which is expected to be meteoric, but Novak Djokovic has warned him to be wary of the pitfalls. DAVE JAMES Agence France-Presse PARIS: Grigor Dimitrov has the superstar girlfriend in Maria Sharapova, and a precocious career which is expected to be meteoric, but Novak Djokovic has warned him to be wary of the pitfalls. World number one Djokovic and 22-year-old Dimitrov meet in a mouth-watering French Open clash on Saturday, just weeks after the Bulgarian stunned the Serb in Madrid. The stakes are a lot higher this time round with Djokovic chasing a first French Open title to become only the eighth man to complete a career Grand Slam. Dimitrov, meanwhile, who has spent his formative years shaking off comparisons to Roger Federer, will be playing in the last-32 of a major for the first time. “He’s still young and he has definitely potential to be one of the top players, but it’s a very long way for him,” said Djokovic. “A few tournaments don’t change much.”
Bulgaria’s Grigor Dimitrov celebrates his victory over France’s Lucas Pouille at the end of their French Tennis Open second round match at the AFP/KENZO TRIBOUILLARD Roland Garros stadium in Paris, on Thursday.
Dimitrov has been longtouted as a Grand Slam title winner in the making, but his progress was stunted by the huge expectations on him. A former Wimbledon and US Open junior champion, he broke into the top 100 in January 2011. But it wasn’t until almost
two years later that he made the top 50. Now working with Swedish coach Mikael Tillstrom, Dimitrov has worked on his physical fitness and reached his first final at Brisbane in January where he lost to Andy Murray. He is one of a host of names
— along with the likes of Milos Raonic and Jerzy Jancowicz — mentioned as the natural heirs to the likes of Djokovic, Federer, Murray and Rafael Nadal who he pushed to three sets in the Monte Carlo quarter-finals. “It’s much more competitive and more difficult for the younger players to make a breakthrough than six, seven, eight years ago when I was coming up,” added Djokovic. “So the game evolves like everything in life, and it just gets harder and harder. “I remember when I was coming up on the tour I didn’t see as much professionalism from some lower-ranked players in terms of daily routines, what they eat and drink and how many hours they sleep, recover, this and that.” Dimitrov, who is seeded 26 at the French Open, has reached the third round untroubled. His first round opponent, Alejandro Falla, retired after the first set with an injury before he breezed past Lucas Pouille, the world number 324 in his second round clash.
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All set for star-studded Friday PARIS: Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova, with 47 Grand Slam titles between them, star at the French Open on Friday as the tournament plays catch-up after Thursday’s rain deluge. Defending men’s champion Nadal, seeking a record eighth Roland Garros title, only got to warm-up for his second round clash against Slovakia’s Martin Klizan before the match was held over for a day.
Federer, Nadal, Serena and Sharapova, with 47 GS titles between them, star on Friday as the tournament plays catch-up after Thursday’s deluge. Sharapova, the women’s title holder, was 6-4, 4-2 up against Canadian teenager Eugenie Bouchard when rain brought a halt to their clash, which means she too has to return for a second successive day. Federer, the 2009 champion in Paris, plays his third round match against France’s Julien Benneteau, having enjoyed a trouble-free first two rounds, beating two qualifiers for the loss of just 11 games. AFP
China’s Li goes down in the Sands Chinese star Li went down 5-7, 6-3, 6-2 to brash American Bethanie Mattek-Sands in what was the 31-year-old’s earliest defeat at the tournament in seven appearances. As Mattek-Sands, the world number 67, looked forward to a third round matchup with Argentine qualifier Paula Ormaechea, Li was left surveying the wreckage of a second successive Roland Garros failure. Twelve months ago, she went out in the last 16 to Kazakhstan’s Yaroslava Shvedova, who herself was beaten by Ormaechea on Thursday. “I know for sure I lost
USA’s Bethanie Mattek-Sands celebrates after winning against China’s Li Na during the second round on Thursday. AFP/THOMAS COEX
Girl from Neenah who drove Li Gaga
PARIS: She’s the girl from Neenah, who sports garish leopard print dresses, knee-high football socks and cowboy hats on court while slapping thick, black paint beneath her eyes. Brash American Bethanie Mattek-Sands is the self-styled Lady Gaga of tennis and on Thursday, she sent Li Na completely loco.
Well, it’s funny. The chair umpire asked me the other day asked if I was missing my make-up. My fashion kind of goes with my moods. I do spur of the moment things and I might not do spur of the moment things. - Bethanie Mattek-Sands on her colourful on-court clothing and make-up which normally involves dark paint beneath the eyes.
seven games in a row. It was tough conditions, back to the court three times,” said Li . Mattek-Sands had lost to Li in the semi-finals on clay in Stuttgart, but admitted Thursday’s win was one of her most satisfying. “I knew Li wasn’t going to give it to me. She’s consistent and good in these situations,” said the American. Seven-time champion Rafael Nadal, who is hoping to become the first man to win the same major eight times, had only started warming up against Slovakia’s Martin Klizan before rain meant his match was called off for the day. AFP