Epaper 7 june 2013

FRIDAY, JUNE 7, 2013 HYDERABAD

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Jagan remand extended The CBI court premises in Nampally was tense today with police confronting YSRC workers trying to flock to the court to see their party president YS Jagan Mohan Reddy being produced in the Dalmia cement case. In this case, besides Jagan, exministers Sabita Indra Reddy and Dharmana Prasad Rao are also co-accused. The CBI filed a memo seeking judicial custody of the two ex-ministers. Court adjourned the matter till June 21. Meanwhile, the court allowed Jagan’s family members to meet him only till noon. This followed his mother Vijayamma’s protest against the police’s tough stance against kin meeting him in court.

HYDERABAD’S FIRST COMPACT AFTERNOON NEWSPAPER

ENVIRONMENTAL REPORT

SLAMS CITY THE LAST SEA GYPSY The plight of Thailand’s marginalised indigenous people highlights a country seeing a surge in foreign visitors to a record 22 million people last year.

P10&11

Hyderabad stood out for all the wrong reasons in the 2013 TERI Environmental Survey with locals saying that everything from quality of air, to drinking water and waste management have deteriorated.

And yet, show no eagerness to constrain themselves.

REPORT ON P8&9

A DAVID AGAINST SOCIETAL GOLIATH The world has two kinds of people: Those who talk and those who do, and clearly Achyuta Rao, founder of Andhra Pradesh Balala Hakkula Sangham falls into the latter category. Giving up his flourishing ad agency to dedicate his life to public service, this 55-year-old activist has made it his mission to make the world a better place for children.

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FRIDAY, JUNE 7, 2013

city events

R.A.P- RHYTHM AND POETRY SESSION

Join MCs Aishan Vali and Zeeshan Siddqui for an evening of poetry at Lamakaan, Banjara Hills.

When: June 8, 5 pm to 7 pm

Weather for Hyderabad

Evening

Overnight

Morning

Afternoon

32°C

26°C

30°C

36°C

A mix of cloudy and clear skies.

Cloudy with a chances of showers

A mix of cloud and sun

Cloudy with thunderstorms.

New Delhi Mumbai Max 40 Max 33 Min 29 Min 27 Partly cloudy

Chennai Max 35 Min 27

Bangalore Max 27 Min 20

Cloudy with chances of rain.

Cloudy with chances of thunderstorms.

Mostly cloudy

AROUND THE CITY: YOUR GUIDE TO THE TWIN CITIES be screened.

Where: International School For Film + Media, Banjara Hills

WORKSHOPS

When: June 8, 2 pm

DINING Food fest Afghani Pathani food festival will be held.

Where: Hotel GreenPark, Begumpet When: Till 9th June.

Robo camp Robo camp 2013 will be held.

Where: IIT Hyderabad, Gachibowli When: Till June 8, 10 am to 5.30 pm Home gardening Training classes in home gardening.

Where: Agri Horticulture Society, Nampally.

When: Till June 7, 11 am to 2 pm Biscuits making A workshop on business making will be held.

Where: Colorama Printers, Begumpet When: Till June 8, 10 am to 1 pm Game on Badminton workshop with Sindhu and Gopichand will be held.

Where: Pullela Gopichand

MONSOON BENEFITS: A farmer seen working on his land at Maheshwaram. Country's agriculture is bound to benefit from the timely arrival of the monsoon rains.

M ANILKUMAR Badminton Academy, Gachibowli When: June 7, 9 am to 11 am Magic workshop Magic workshop by Murali Krishna.

Where: Sultan Ul Uloon Education Society, Banjara Hills When: June 8, 9.30 am to 11.30 am

Commissioner & Spl Officer

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

198 155313

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

155333 23431178 23431179

MUNICIPAL CORPORATION

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

Where: Ushodaya Enterprises Private Limited, Moosapet When: Till June 7, 10 am to 1 pm

SHOWS Movie time Beyond, a film By Pernilla August will be screened.

Where: Goethe-Zentrum Hyderabad, Banjara Hills When: June 7, 4 pm

Presentation To Performance A children’s theatre workshop by AS Devendranath.

Where: Kaleidoscope, Gachibowli When: Till June 7, 10 am to 12 pm Nature workshop Nature and more, a camp for kids will be held.

Where: Treasure House (Family Center), Jubilee Hills When: Till June 7, 10.30 am to 11.30 am

Helpline

Ad making Ad film making workshop by Mohammad Ali Baig.

Where: NASR School for girls, Khairatabad

When: June 7 and 8, 10 am to 1 pm

Heavy metal festival Heavy metal festival Deccan Rock Edition III will be held.

Where: 10 Lounge & Night Club, Secunderabad When: June 8, 6 pm

Fountain of youth Make-up workshop will be held.

Movie fest Maja Weiss’ Installation of Love will

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

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

Father's special A grand buffet, cocktail training session and head massage will be organised during the occasion of Father's day Where: The Square, Novotel Hotel When: June 16 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, JUNE 7, 2013

news

YESTERDAY’S QUESTION

WILL CHIRU-BOTSA AXIS EMERGE TO CHECK CM’S POWER? 40% 60%

YES (A) NO (B)

TODAY’S QUESTION

CAN MODI GIVE A NEW LIFE TO BJP IN THE 2014 ELECTIONS? A)

YES

B)

NO

To vote visit www.postnoon.com

INTERVIEW

CHEATING DEVICES

A David against society’s Goliaths Activist Achyuta Rao, founder of AP Balala Hakkula Sangham, gave up his flourishing ad agency to dedicate his life to public service.

ALEENA ALICE aleena.t@postnoon.com HYDERABAD: The world has two kinds of people: Those who talk and those who do, and clearly Achyuta Rao falls into the second category.

This 55-year-old activist has made it his mission to make the world a better place for children.

His recent petition to Lokayukta has created anxiety over the fate of the annual mass ritual, fish therapy. He now takes on private schools who he accused of mulcting parents and making private profit.

What was the reason behind starting the Balala Hakkula Sangham?

When I was doing my

Five years ago, a friend’s child was infected with HSV 1 and passed away after fish therapy. A similar incident happened to a 7-year-old girl in Bhuvanagiri.

Achyuta Rao Activist

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graduation in 1984, I was a part of a student organisation which was involved in many child development activities. As a part of the functioning, if there were any issues concerning children, the organisation would gather school children and go to the secretariat to address the problem, but more than giving a representation, there was nothing much we could do. After I graduated, I decided to work for child welfare. So in 1985, I founded the organisation.

What does the NGO want to achieve?

We want children to have their rights to education. Any country can only progress if the literacy level is high. When compared to other states, AP is lagging behind in terms of literacy.

Implementation of the RTE is essential. that is the reason we are pursuing the case with the Lokayukta.

Has Balala Hakkula Sangham done any research to see what kind of education private schools have been giving by taking high fees?

We have conducted surveys and seen that 75 per cent of parents who admit their children in corporate private schools either have taken loans for their child’s education or have to sacrifice a lot of things in life to pay their child’s fees. Parents feel that if their children study in expensive

Bra ban ahead of Chinese exam BEIJING: Over nine million students packed exam halls across China for the opening day of the country’s university entrance exam on Friday — with attempts to stop cheating even leading to bans on metal bra clasps.

Students in the northeastern province of Jilin were banned from wearing clothing with metal parts and education authorities installed metal detectors in exam centres to clamp down on “wireless cheating devices”, the state-run Global Times reported.

Authorities have become increasingly concerned about the risk of examinees using devices AROUND THE

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schools, they will become great achievers. But in reality, may be their child achieved top marks, but when it comes to worldly knowledge they lag behind.

What is the child angle to your fish therapy case with the Lokayukta?

I was never against it. I’ve even helped people I knew to get passes for the fish medicine.

Five years ago, the child of a friend was infected with HSV 1 and passed away after the fish therapy. Later, a similar incident happened to a 7-year-old girl in Bhuvanagiri.

It was then that I realised how dangerous the therapy is and approached the Human Rights Commission.

But the case had to be taken up legally, so with Lokayukta.

There are numerous issues that require the support of various organizations but AP lacks in civic action. What is the reason?

The lust for money is keeping many away from coming together to work for the development of the country. Selfishness is another reason. You know all teachers in private schools yearn for appointment in government schools but when it comes to admitting their children, they go to the private schools. Can you say a greater example of social mask and chicanery?

such as smartphones — some of which have become smaller and easier to hide.

Around 9.12 million high school students were registered across China to sit the crucially important two-day exam, known as the gaokao, reports quoted the education ministry as saying.

Officials aimed to crack down on “sales of high-tech gear for cheating, and gaokao-related fraud”, the Global Times said.

Some measures to ensure students reach the annual test on time can be extreme. Pictures posted online showed an amphibious fire engine ploughing through water to deliver a boy dressed in school uniform to the exam in a remote part of Inner Mongolia.

The test has come under fierce criticism on China for putting enormous pressure on students.

AFP

CITY BRIEFS Additional seats to medical colleges

COWE trade carnival in from June 7-10

Pre-paid auto services for fish therapy event

State to prepare for emergencies

TDP meet for 2014 elections

HYDERABAD: The Medical Council of India has granted 50 additional seats to Osmania Medical College starting this academic year.

The total number of seats accommodating medical students at OMC will now be 250. An additional 50 each have been granted for Gandhi Medical college and Sri Venkateshwara Medical college in the State.

HYDERABAD: The Confederation of Women Entrepreneurs is to organise the 6th COWE Trade Carnival 2013 from June 7 to June 10 at Sri Sathya Sai Nigamagamam, Sri Nagar Colony.

The theme is ‘Gearing Women towards Social Entrepreneurship’ and will be inaugurated by Union Minister D Purandeswari.

HYDERABAD: The Hyderabad traffic police have arranged prepaid auto services for fish medicine event to be held at Exhibition grounds, Nampally, on June 8. The facility can be availed from Secunderabad Railway Station, Kachiguda Railway Station, Begumpet Railway Station, Jubilee Bus Station, and MGBS.

HYDERABAD: National Disaster management Authority (NDMA) is planning to implement Model of Emergency Management Exercises (EMEx) in Andhra Pradesh along with Bihar and Assam in coming days. The main objective is to strengthen emergency preparedness and response to meet the challenges of calamities.

HYDERABAD: In order to ensure success for TDP candidates in 2014 elections, a meeting of party observers of various Assembly and Parliamentary constituencies is being held at the NTR Trust Bhavan in Banjara Hills. Chandrababu Naidu elicited information from each constituency, from party cadres and local leaders.

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News FRIDAY, JUNE 7, 2013 LAST YEAR... HERE Monsoon may shock

R

esidents of many areas in the City are at risk due to unsafe electrical connections, though authorities claim that the necessary precautions have been taken. According to the CPDCL annual report, as many as 628 deaths took place during the year 2010-11 due to electric shocks and 128 deaths have been reported during 2011-12 for far.

JUNE 7, 2012

NUMEROLOGY

85%

of respondents in Hyderabad preferred economic development over conservation, even though they acknowledge air and water quality has deteriorated, said a TERI report.

We do not provide any government agency with direct access to our servers, and any government agency requesting customer data must get a court order.

Steve Dowling Apple spokesman

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THINGS WE LEARNT TODAY

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

1

A David against society’s Goliaths Activist Achyuta Rao, founder of AP Balala Hakkula Sangham, gave up his flourishing ad agency to dedicate his life to public service.

2

Advani not to attend BJP meet Advani will skip the meet as he is unwell. Sources said some officebearers will press for Modi as campaign committee head.

3

Fight against wastage of food Tameem discussed about food wastage, its environmental impact, and the number of children who go hungry.

4

US spying row gets even bigger National Security Agency has direct access to Internet firm servers, to track an individual’s web presence via audio, video, photographs and emails.

5

Putin, wife announce joint decision to split Russian President Vladimir Putin and his wife Lyudmila announced their divorce after three decades of marriage

LOCAL BODY POLLS

Ticket seekers hound mantris Aspirants are willing to spend any amount for a ticket to village and zilla parishad polls. Going rate is `10 lakh for sarpanch and 25 lakh for zilla parishad!

INKESHAF AHMED ahmed.m@postnoon.com HYDERABAD: If there is a heavy demand for something, there must be a strong reason, right? Why is it that there is a stampede where tickets for any election (be it local body polls, state or the Parliament one) being allotted? Of course, it is because there is a honey-pot awaiting the one who lands the post.

Ministers in the AP Cabinet, who have been battling with factionalism, court cases and what not are now besieged with ticket seekers so much that they have forgotten all their other woes.

The Secretariat, which has been deserted for a big part of this year, is witnessing a heavy rush of ticket seekers ever since

the announcement of the local body polls.

The posts that are up for grabs in the local body polls are for village sarpanch, MPTC and ZPTC posts. Most ticket seekers, approaching sitting minsters, claim they have the magic wand to ensure victory for the Congress. “They promise the sky,” remarked a senior staff of political wing in the Secretariat.

Speaking to Postnoon a Cabinet minister confirmed the rush and said that the ministers are helpless to prevent the flood of ticket seekers as they cannot afford to antagonise local leaders. “We have been inundated with requests for party tickets for the upcoming local body polls. We can’t ask them to meet us at our home for fear of hurting their ego.

After all, these are the leaders who worked hard for our victory in the Assembly polls,” he said.

SECURITY LAMENTS

The burden of the ongoing rush has put security enforces in a tight spot. They cannot alienate political groups but cannot let them through without proper papers either.

The security staff at the main entrance gate of the Secretariat is a harassed lot these days.

“The rush begins early in the morning and goes on till midnight. What do we do?” queried a weary security officer.

SCENES AT PARTY OFFICES

It is not the secretariat alone.

Party headquarters of key political parties like opposition TDP, TRS, YSRCP, MIM and BJP are

CRIME

CITY

also witnessing similar scenes.

Hopefuls of local body polls are approaching top leaders of these respective political parties to secure a ticket. Many leaders are reportedly preparing themselves to spend huge amounts of money to secure a ticket.

According to sources, the tickets of ZPTC seats and major gram panchayats are in huge demand from the prospective contestants. While the leaders are ready to spend anywhere between `50,000 to 10 lakh for a village sarpanch seat, the demand for ZPTC seat ranges between `2 lakh and 25 lakh depending upon the status of the seat.

LESBIAN JOKE

Mother-son gang arrested over thieving The duo has been charged with dozens of thefts in different parts of the City. Scores of valuables recovered from them.

MOHD SUBHAN mohd.s@postnoon.com HYDERABAD: A mother-son duo allegedly involved in dozens of theft cases in the City has been arrested and stolen goods seized from them.

The story of G Govindamma, 40, and her 17-year-old son is a long one. It began a few years ago when Govindamma’s husband, Narsing, deserted her for another woman.

Being poor and not much educated, this resident of Narrepally of Ghatkaser Mandal in the City outskirts, found a difficult life staring at her and her son. She began doing menial work for their survival. Meanwhile, she is alleged to have developed a physical relationship with a 32-year-old youth who lived in her locality. He provided some monetary help and life was getting easier. This person then got married and consequently ceased meeting her, bringing back difficulties in their life.

In his quest for work, the boy used to visit houses of some rich and well-to-do peo-

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ple. Police learnt while interrogating the boy that it was during these visits that the idea of stealing valuables from the houses he was visiting struck him. He began with small things and graduated to breaking open parked cars to steal-

ing laptops, cameras and other valuables.

When police caught up with them, they had in their possession several laptops, car accessories, watches, cameras and the like. The arrest of the duo, said police, would help solve dozens of theft cases in Musheerabad, RTC Crossroads, Chikadpally and Secunderabad.

Philippine comic strip suspended AROUND THE

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MANILA: One of Philippines’ most influential newspapers said Thursday it had suspended a popular comic strip for a homosexual joke that angered some conservatives in the mainly Catholic country.

The Pugad Baboy (Nest of Pigs) comic strip in Inquirer also triggered heated social media debate after suggesting that nuns and students at the all girls’ St Scholastica College were lesbians.

The Philippines is Asia’s bedrock of Catholicism, with more than 80 per cent of its population subscribing to the religion.

The Pugad Baboy comic strip has been running in the Inquirer, which is normally regarded as a liberal newspaper, since 1988.

The cartoon offers stinging commentaries on life in the Philippines seen through the eyes of a community composed of obese characters.

In the controversial issue published on Tuesday, characters criticised the hypocrisy of homophobic Christians, while suggesting that all the “beautiful” students and some nuns at St Scholastica were lesbians.

AFP

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News FRIDAY, JUNE 7, 2013 NATION BRIEFS ‘Rape accused cop should be dismissed’ SHILLONG: The police officer

accused of raping two minor sisters should be dismissed from service, said Meghalaya governor RS Mooshahary. Nurul Islam, who was in charge of the Ampati police station, was arrested June 1 on charges of raping two sisters. The next day, Islam escaped from police custody from Tura, the district headquarters town of West Garo Hills.

5 killed amid heavy rains, lightning in Maharashtra AHMEDNAGAR: Heavy rains and lightning left five persons dead and one seriously injured in separate incidents in Maharashtra's Ahmednagar district, police said today. Three persons, identified as Avadhut Sukhdev Parandwal, 24, Sudershan Bajirav Awari, 23, and Balu Murugan, 29, were killed last night when their car sank in flood waters of Padali river at Wadzire village.

Eight die as bus rolls into gorge in Himachal SHIMLA: At least eight people

were killed Friday when a private bus carrying more than 35 passengers skidded off the road and fell into a 500-metre-deep gorge in Himachal Pradesh's Sirmaur district, police said. Official sources said the toll could be higher. The accident spot in Sangrah tehsil is some 130 km from Nahan. Sirmaur is one of remotest places in the state.

4 killed, 9 injured in Mumbai fire MUMBAI: Four persons were killed and nine others injured in a fire in an industrial area in suburban Mumbai, fire brigade officials said today. The blaze broke out at the IBL House in MIDC, Andheri, at around midnight killing four people and injuring nine others, they said. Several fire tenders were pressed into service which managed to control the blaze. The cause of the fire is being ascertained, they said.

MiG-21 crashes, pilot ejects safely JAIPUR: A MiG-21 aircraft of IAF today crashed in Rajasthan's Barmer district, with the pilot ejecting safely.

The plane crashed near Sodiyar village at 9 am and the pilot ejected safely, defence spokesperson SD Goswami told PTI. He said the aircraft took off from the Uttarlai Airbase in the western sector and was on a routine sortie. It crashed 40 km off Barmer, he said.

WORLD ENVIRONMENT DAY Fight against food wastage An event was organised by Human Rights Observer in association with United Nations Global Compact and United Nations Environmental Programme. Tameem M, chairman and director of United Nations Global Compact, and other delegates from Switzerland, South Africa and Russia were present at the meeting. Tameem discussed about food wastage, its environmental impact, and the number of children who go hungry. The event pushed for an “anti food wastage and food loss” campaign.

POWER STRUGGLE

Advani to skip BJP meet

Advani will not attend the meeting as he is unwell. Sources said some office-bearers will press for declaring Modi as campaign committee head.

NEW DELHI: BJP leader LK Advani will skip the meeting of party office-bearers in Goa today due to ill health.

Advani, 85, will not be attending today's meeting as he is unwell, party sources said.

He will be attending the party National Executive meet on Saturday and Sunday in Goa. Gujarat chief Narendra Modi's role in the next Lok Sabha election is expected to be the dominant theme of the BJP National Executive, amid a strong demand from some sections of the party for declaring him the campaign

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Vote for Modi?

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sked if decks have been cleared for Modi to be announced as the campaign committee chief, BJP spokesperson Rajiv Pratap Rudy said nothing has been firmed up yet. He refused to comment further.

Sources said Singh is still in consultation with the top leadership.

committee head. Ahead of the two-day conclave, Central office-bearers of the party will meet to discuss the agenda for the national executive meet.

Sources said some of the office-bearers are likely to press for declaring Modi as the campaign committee head. But, a consensus on the issue is eluding the party top brass. As a

result, the proposal may not see the light of day at the national executive meet.

"There is expectation among the cadre that BJP president Rajnath Singh will give out a clear message to the party at the Goa conclave. He has been working on it and is in consultation with BJP top brass and members of Parliamentary

GOLD `28,200 10g SILVER `44,800 1kg

24C

for

for

DOLLAR `56.77 POUND `88.55

Board prior to the conclave," BJP spokesperson Rajiv Pratap Rudy had said when asked about the issue.

Asked if decks have been cleared for Modi to be announced as the campaign committee chief, Rudy had said that nothing has been firmed up yet. He refused to comment further. Sources said Singh is still in consultation with the top leadership on the issue.

Several top leaders of the party are, however, likely to skip the national executive meet. Vice president Uma Bharti, general secretary Varun Gandhi, deputy leader of BJP in Rajya Sabha Ravi Shankar Prasad, Jaswant Singh and Shatrughan Sinha are not likely to attend, sources said.

While Bharati is unwell after her Save Ganga project, Gandhi is away in Paris with his wife to spend some time after the demise of his new born child.

Prasad is leading a delegation to Sri Lanka.

IANS

BSE 5,914.50 NSE

19,525.84 0.52

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News FRIDAY, JUNE 7, 2013

PRIVACY VIOLATION

HEALTH SCARE

US spying row gets bigger

Prince Philip in hospital for surgery

National Security Agency has direct access to Internet firm servers, to track an individual's web presence via audio, video, photographs and emails.

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LONDON: Prince Philip, the 91year-old husband of Queen Elizabeth II, will undergo "exploratory" surgery at a London hospital, where he is expected to remain for two weeks, Buckingham Palace said.

The duke was admitted to the London Clinic on Thursday after doctors carried out tests and decided he should undergo a laparotomy.

This requires a large incision to be made through the abdominal wall to look for abnormalities including tumours, explaining the lengthy recuperation period.

The duke, who turns 92 on Monday, was hospitalised twice last year due to a bladder infection that forced him to miss the last of the queen's huge diamond jubilee celebrations.

The duke has enjoyed good health for almost all of his life, but has now been hospitalised four times in 18 months.

AFP

Defensive spy chief floats terror bogey WASHINGTON: America's top spy chief James Clapper warned that leaks of secret court documents about a scheme to capture millions of phone records risked US national security and said "the unauthorized disclosure of a top secret US court document STEPHEN COLLINSON Agence France-Presse WASHINGTON: US spies are secretly tapping into servers of nine Internet giants including Apple, Facebook, Microsoft and Google in a vast anti-terror sweep targeting foreigners, explosive reports said Thursday.

Stung by 24 hours of revelations on covert programmes, top US spy James Clapper

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issued a blistering rebuttal.

The White House, meanwhile, facing a fast-escalating controversy over the scale and scope of secret surveillance programmes, denied spying on Americans but insisted it must use every tool available to keep the US homeland safe.

PARTING WAYS

Putin, wife announce joint decision to split inside the Kremlin.

Persistent rumours have swirled for years around Putin's marriage and even alleged mistresses but until now there has been a total taboo over discussing his private life in mainstream Russian media.

"It really was our joint decision.

Vladimir Vladimirovich is drowned in work, our children have grown up and MOSCOW: Russian President they are living their own lives. I am very Vladimir Putin and his wife Lyudmila grateful that he still supports me and he announced their divorce after three really cares for the children. You can say decades of marriage, in a stunning reve- it is a civilised divorce,” said Lyudmila.

Over the past years lation that ended years of Putin usually appeared at speculation about their AROUND THE official functions union.

WORLD including foreign visits The pair, who have two daughters made the announcement alone, even if the presence of the first in a joint interview with state television lady was expected according to after watching a ballet performance conventional protocol.

AFP

SYRIAN CONFLICT Troops recapture Golan crossing DAMASCUS: Syria's army have recaptured the only Golan Heights crossing on the ceasefire line with Israel, in another setback for rebels a day after they were forced

out of the strategic town of Qusayr.

Austria said it was withdrawing its troops from a UN peacekeeping force on the Golan because of the deteriorating security.

Qusayr's capture gives President Bashar alAssad the upper hand if a US-Russian plan for the first direct peace talks with his opponents materialises, analysts say. AFP

threatens potentially long-lasting and irreversible harm to our ability to identify and respond to the threats facing our nation." Clapper said that the US government was prohibited by law from "indiscriminately sifting" through the collected data and swept up by the

The Washington Post, citing a career intelligence officer, said NSA had direct access to Internet firm servers, to track an individual’s web presence.

The White House said Americans were not being spied on, but did not deny the programme existed.

Some of the biggest firms were caught up in the programme, known as PRISM, including Microsoft, Yahoo, Google,

program. "I believe it is important to address the misleading impression left by the article and to reassure the American people that the intelligence community is committed to respecting the civil liberties and privacy of all American citizens.”

AFP

Facebook, Apple, PalTalk, AOL, Skype and YouTube, reports said.

Internet giants denied opening their doors for spy agencies.

“We have never heard of PRISM,” said Apple spokesman Steve Dowling. “We do not provide any government agency with direct access to our servers, and any government agency requesting customer data must get a court order.”

AFP

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News FRIDAY, JUNE 7, 2013

REPORTERS’ DIARY

Tale of two commissioners B oth are youthful. Both are slim and prim. Both are indisputably handsome.

No cine actor could hold a candle to them. Naturally, both have hundreds of Facebook followers (many of them girls, say the knowledgeable). Both now share the City for policing and people have good faith and hope in them.

Anurag Sharma, Hyderabad police commissioner, and CV Anand, new Cyberabad commissioner, have set up a healthy competition in gaining the trust of the public. Those who have been in their shoes before know it is a tough task to be in the good books of political masters and placate the Hydra-headed public. But both of them seem to be attempting it with aplomb.

When this reporter made a popularity card, however, it came out that Anand, who worked under the direction of Sharma before, is all eager to

show his worth. And, in pleasing the public, Anand is a notch above on the report card as Sharma is more traditional in demeanour, and believes police officers are behind-the-scene directors, not actors. Let us see who wins the popularity trophy in a year’s time.

MS SRINIVAS SETTY

TORTURING TREES Look at the picture (left) taken just in front of Pacific Hospital along Road No 36 of Jubilee Hills. This lush green tree that adds to the scenery and gives out oxygen is punished in varied ways. The electricity people (almost all of them semi-literate and environment-illiterate) frequently chop its branches.

Service providers from sewage dig up its roots and damage its life, myriad cable operators bind the poor being all over its chopped branches and remaining limbs with utter insensitivity.

AROUND THE

CITY

Thus, bound, injured, suffocated and roots damaged, the tree is condemned to a slow death.

This City hosted World Biodiversity Council and our leaders waxed eloquent on how green-rich Hyderabad is. But everyday behaviour of our public departments does not evoke confidence in the public. When will we wake up to the reality that we can’t live without oxygen and water and for both, trees are crucial?

PK

AZAD HIT WITH SCUD MISSILE This reporter felt happy when at least one Congress MLC, Yadava Reddy, showed gumption to blast Union health minister

Ghulam Nabi Azad on the latter’s latest statement (read joke) on Telangana.

Reddy wants to approach the human rights commission to stop Central leaders from making outrageous statements that he says unwittingly insults the whole region. In this matter, Reddy says, Azad lifts the trophy. Reddy even wants to come out with a book on Congress leaders from Delhi Durbar who have been making statements on T that border on obscenity.

Take for instance, Vayalar Ravi’s statement that creating Telangana is not as easy as making dosa! But could it be as easy or as difficult as cooking Hyderabad dum biryani, Ravi?

It is time Congress leaders themselves berate their Delhi counterparts to observe decorum and abstain from making damaging statements because local leaders have to face the music, not courtesans from Delhi Durbar.

IA

TALK TIME

N Korea to reopen hotline with South AROUND THE

WORLD

GILES HEWITT Agence France-Presse SEOUL: North Korea said Friday it would restore a hotline with South Korea and proposed holding weekend talks in a border town, as the two rivals sought to dial down months of soaring military tensions.

The two Koreas unexpectedly reached a snap agreement Thursday on opening a dialogue, with South Korea responding to a North initiative by offering a ministerial-level meeting in

BUSINESS AS USUAL Every government office one goes to, the story goes how the department is short-staffed and positions have been lying vacant for years and so on. This, they plead, limits their productivity.

For some offices, this might even be true. But for the most part, what government offices seem to suffer from is not the lack of man-power but getting the staff to earn their salary. An official said off-the-record, “I can only ask workers in my office so much, they’re not used to anything more. One should not be too enthusiastic also.”

It seems that a government office will only see its workforce perform at a maximum of 40 per cent at any given time. Add to this their tiresome work processes which have remained the same for the past hundred years.

Technology has not been able to eliminate triplicate filing systems in these offices.

PC (Contributed by Padmini C, Inkeshaf Ahmed, Mohd Subhan & PK Surendran)

Seoul on June 12.

A spokesman for Pyongyang's Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of Korea (CPRK) welcomed the South's quick response, and suggested initial lower-level talks Sunday in the Kaesong joint industrial zone.

The North shut down Kaesong in April as the recent crisis on the divided peninsula peaked.

“Working-level contact... is necessary prior to ministerial-level talks proposed by the South, in light of the prevailing situation in which bilateral relations have stalemated for years and mistrust has reached an extreme,” the CPRK spokesman said. AFP

WORLD BRIEFS Turkey PM urges end to protests

Mexico frees 165 kidnapped migrants

PIO jailed in Singapore for selling drugs

Apple clashes with Amazon in e-book case

Berlin Wall art fetches 730,000 euros

ISTANBUL: Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan called for an immediate end to mass protests against his rule Friday, but urged supporters to "go home" after they staged a major show of strength. “I call for an immediate end to the demonstrations, which have lost their democratic credentials and turned into vandalism,” Erdogan said.

MEXICO CITY: The Mexican army has freed 165 migrants, mostly from Central America, who said they were kidnapped and held for several weeks by a criminal gang in northeastern Mexico, authorities said.

The freed migrants, including 20 minors and two pregnant women, were seized as they were trying to cross into the United States.

SINGAPORE: An Indian-origin man has been sentenced to eight years in jail and ordered to be given five strokes of the cane for selling cannabis to foreign students at an international school in Singapore.

Selvam V Katorain, 39, pleaded guilty in the district court to trafficking and consumption of drug charges in 2011, the Straits Times reported.

NEW YORK: Apple attorneys in the US antitrust case on e-books went on the offensive, attacking the credibility of government witnesses and seeking to debunk key elements of the government's case. Apple attorneys grilled a trio of witnesses from Apple rival Amazon and undertook a bruising cross-examination of a Google executive.

PARIS: A single anonymous buyer on Thursday snapped up 48 sections of the Berlin Wall bearing works by international artists for 730,000 euros at auction in Paris, auction house Pierre Berge & Associes announced.

The fragments are critiques of the divided Germany or celebrate the tearing down of the Berlin Wall starting in 1989.

News FRIDAY, JUNE 7, 2013

Degree of Negative Impact of Improper Solid Waste Management on Human Health in Hyderabad

Interplay between Environment Protection and Development in Hyderabad

Changes in Different Climatic Factors Over Time in Hyderabad

HYDERA

PADMINI C feedback@postnoon.com Awareness and Perception of Government Policies in Hyderabad

Changes in the State of the Environment in the Past Five Years in Hyderabad

P

eople in Hyderabad value economic development over conservation. Chennaites don’t believe global warming is happening. Delhi citizens trust only in private agencies for waste disposal.

Mumbaiites feel the quality of air in their city has improved. More curious revelations are in the first-of-its-kind 2013 TERI Environmental Survey, released recently.

The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) survey, conducted across six cities and over 4,000 households, focused on parameters such as overall environment, air quality, water quality, forest/green cover, climate change, and waste and waste management,

and came up with interesting results.

As with most environment-related studies, Hyderabad stood out for all the wrong reasons with locals saying that everything from quality of air, drinking water and waste management have deteriorated in the past few years. And yet, show no eagerness to constrain themselves. More, they stated that the existing policies relating to environment in the City are inadequate.

Quality of water has deteriorated most in Hyderabad. Drinking water quality and availability have improved in all cities except Hyderabad. In fact, much like respondents from Chennai and Mumbai, 60 per cent of Hyderabadis also felt an acute shortage of, and decrease in the quality of, drinking water.

In the development versus conservation debate, while people from Bangalore, Chennai and Delhi felt that environment should be treated on priority or at least given as much importance, 85 per cent of respondents from Hyderabad preferred economic development over conservation. Then why complain about the deteriorating quality of water and air? No answer.

Air quality of Hyderabad has gone down unbelievably. Pollution is palpable and hard hitting in the City. There is absolutely no check to reduce vehicular pollution, which is the main cause of concern.

Respondents from all cities felt that climate change was occurring, excepting for Chennai where “a very large number of respondents felt that climate change was not occurring”.

SRINIVAS SETTY

The TERI survey has shocking revelations.

Hyderabad’s environment has become poisonous for lack of control over air and water pollution.

BAD? Our towns and cities, particularly the largest ones, are often populated by people who have lost their linkages with nature, and are often seen to be generally opposed to any legislation or action to protect the environment. It is also a fact that often towns and cities possess disproportionately large power in influencing public opinion, resource allocation decisions, and policies. In order to generate knowledge on the perceptions that people carry in our largest cities, TERI carried out this very valuable survey of perceptions related to the environment, the results of which are very revealing.

RK Pachauri, Director-general, The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI)

8&9

News FRIDAY, JUNE 7, 2013

THE LAST SEA GYPSY

The plight of the once-nomadic hunter-gatherers highlights the growing pressures on Thailand’s marginalised indigenous people in a country seeing a surge in foreign visitors to a record 22 million people last year.

DANIEL ROOK & APILAPORN VECHAKIJ feedback@postnoon.com PHUKET: They roamed the seas off the Andaman Coast for generations, but Thailand's sea gypsies say their traditional way of life is under threat and their homes at risk from a tourism boom.

The plight of the once-nomadic hunter-gatherers highlights the growing pressures on marginalised indigenous people in a country seeing a surge in foreign visitors to a record 22 million people last year.

The creation of protected marine parks, the depletion of fish stocks and a construction frenzy are all making it increasingly hard for the kingdom's ‘Chao La’ sea people to maintain their ageold lifestyles.

Although they often spent time away at sea, Nang Miden says his ancestors have lived on the island of Phuket since long before it was transformed from a sleepy tropical backwater into one of the kingdom's top tourist destinations.

Nowadays prime beachfront on the crowded island is scarce, and Nang is threatened with eviction by a property developer who bought the land from under his feet and wants to move him to a new site further inland.

“I have lived here since this area was jungle,” the 78-year-old said, sitting outside his simple home in the Rawai village of roughly 2,000 sea gypsies, where he sells fruit and shredded coconut.

“My ancestors lived here before me. I have nowhere else to go. We have lived here for hundreds of years already.”

Many older Chao Lay cannot read or write and were unaware they could register land as their own. Ownership is also an alien culture to them, so many lack land title deeds.

In Nang's case, a local businessman obtained title deeds for the land several decades ago.

If tourism keeps on booming with more beachside resorts and hotels , the sea gypsies' way of life will disappear.

It's like killing us alive.

Narumon Arunotai Anthropologist When he failed to keep up the payments on a bank loan, the plot was seized and sold on to the current owner.

In a major blow to the community, a Phuket court in February ordered seven households to vacate their homes. They plan to appeal, and face a long legal battle.

In the meantime, their lack of official ownership means many villagers live in slum-like conditions, denied access to running water and electricity.

‘WHATEVER WE DO IS WRONG’ In the past the sea gypsies led a nomadic existence, trading fish, sea cucumbers and other bounties of the ocean for the little they needed. In recent decades they have become more sedentary,

While there is no official policy to assimilate the Chao Lay into mainstream Thai culture, at school they are taught the Thai language and history, not about their own roots or language.

and face the threat of arrest and seizure of their boats if they hunt in national parks. Scuba divers sometimes sabotage their fish traps to protect marine life.

“After the Phuket boom, our places to work have been fewer and more limited. Whatever we do is wrong. Fellow villagers are often arrested,” said Nirun Hyangpan, a 37-year-old representative of the Rawai sea gypsies.

Experts say that despite their increasing exposure to the modern world, the Chao Lay's affinity with the sea remains as strong as ever.

Some cannot sleep unless they hear the sound of the waves, and they struggle to find jobs on dry land so remain heavily reliant on fishing.

“These people need a beachfront area where they can moor their boat and forage. It's not only spiritual — it's their way of life,” said Narumon Arunotai, an anthropologist at Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok.

“Traditional fishing is impossible these days because the sea is almost depleted so if you use fish spears or small fish traps then you won't be able to get any fish,” she said.

There is a glimmer of hope for the Rawai community, as the government is analysing old aerial photographs and other evidence such as bone discoveries to establish if they arrived before the property developer.

“If it's true they lived there longer, they should have more rights to the ownership deeds,” said Prawut Wongseenin, head of the bureau of consumer protection and environmental crime at the Department of Special Investigation.

“To win their appeal, they need scientific evidence,” he said. There are an estimated 12,000 Chao Lay in Thailand, comprising three different ethnic groups — the Moken, the Moklen and the Urak Lawoi.

(clockwise from top) The daughter of a sea gypsy taking a shower on a street in Rawai, southern Thailand; a sea gypsy woman carrying a young boy out of a shack in Rawai; a sea gypsy getting out of the water.

AFP/NICOLAS ASFOURI

10&11 THE WATER BABIES The Chao Ley are also known as The Moken, and are an Austronesian ethnic group.

3,000

The estimated number of Chao Ley who still maintain a nomadic, sea-based culture.

Because of the amount of time they spend diving for food, Moken children are able to see better underwater due to accommodation of their visual focus.

Thai Moken have been permanently settled in villages located in the Surin Islands (Mu Ko Surin National Park), in Phuket Province, on the northwestern coast of Phuket Island, and on the nearby Phi Phi islands of Krabi province.

The islands where the Moken live received much media attention in 2005 during the Southeast Asia Tsunami recovery, where hundreds of thousands of lives were lost in the disaster. As they are keenly aware of the sea, the Moken in some areas knew the tsunami that struck on December 26, 2004 was coming, and managed to preserve many lives.

AROUND THE

WORLD

Their plight gained attention after a massive tsunami in the Indian Ocean in 2004 put the spotlight on afflicted coastal communities.

The Moken attracted international interest for reading the signs of the impending tsunami, fleeing to higher ground before the killer wave struck.

They are also skilled freedivers and, unlike other humans, can focus underwater without masks.

RISKING DEATH TO EARN A LIVING These days, however, even their time underwater can be dangerous. Unscrupulous businessmen

sometimes pay them to go dynamite fishing, while the air compressors and hoses they use to spend longer on the seabed leave them at risk of permanent injury or even death from decompression sickness.

Some also lack citizenship, which hinders their access to healthcare and other public services.

In 2010, the Thai cabinet passed a resolution setting out a policy to protect their way of life, but the sea gypsies say that in reality it has made little difference. With Thailand welcoming ever more tourists the Chao Lay fear for their future.

“If tourism keeps on booming with more beachside hotels, spas and resorts, the sea gypsies' way of live will continue to disappear,” Nirun said.

“It's like killing us alive.” AFP

12

News FRIDAY, JUNE 7, 2013

THE SCREENING ROOM WITH HEMANTH KUMAR

YOU’RE THE WRITER The Story So Far: Venu and Gopal claim that they know Rajinikanth personally; however, the auto driver is in no mood to believe their claims...

T

This is the continuation of a fictional story, first published on May 31, about two friends who want to meet Rajinikanth.

Based on the story so far, send us your entries about what you think how the story should end. The best entry will be published next Friday.

Priya Anand strikes gold

Earlier this week, celebrities across India expressed shock after hearing about Jiah Khan’s suicide. The incident has put the spotlight back on the pressure celebs are under in the industry.

B

eyond all the fame, glitz and glamour that’s usually associated with the film industry, celebrities end up paying a heavy price for being who they are.

The constant scrutiny by the audience and media, lack of privacy and the never-ending pressure to be on top of their game are some of the things which continue to challenge their careers. Every now and then, we come across few who cannot cope with this pressure. Jiah Khan’s death is one of the many incidents over the years which has put the spotlight on the pressure celebs go through.

As news of her death broke out, celebrities from across India expressed anguish, shock and a few even went to the extent of stating that one has to have a backup plan to keep themselves engaged. Loneliness and insecurity often drives us crazy, but the bigger question is what does one do when he or she comes across a colleague who’s going through a bad phase?

Another question is, should we care about others, given the fierce competition and rat race that everyone seems to be busy with? If only we knew answers to such questions, maybe someone could have done something to assure their colleagues that there’s always light at the end of the tunnel, before it’s too late.

Scene VI

enu hands over the `500 note to the autodriver claiming that it belongs to Rajinikanth. They stop in a lane for a while.

For a moment, the autodriver is on cloud nine and he’s now absolutely convinced that they are telling the truth.

Autodriver: I am extremely sorry for my rude behaviour. Please do me a favour and give me one chance to come along with you guys to meet him.

Venu: How can we trust you? You abused us and even refused to believe that Rajini is our family friend.

Autodriver: I know. I know. I am extremely sorry for all that. I promise to do everything I can to make the rest of your stay in Chennai as comfortable as possible.

(A gust of wind blows and it takes away the note along with it) Venu Oh no! Catch that note. We’ll never be able to meet Rajinikanth if we don’t have that in our hands. Gopal...please do something! We’ll be completely broke if we lose that note.

Written by Kiran Kumar (The writer is a Chennai-based photographer )

V

The dark side of glamour...

Scene V

he auto-driver begins to grow suspicious about Venu and Gopal’s claims about knowing Rajinikanth personally, but he’s in a fix.

What if they were right? That thought kept bugging him throughout the journey and as a result, he decided to give them a chance.

Autodriver: So what’s he like in real life?

Venu: Who? Autodriver: Rajini da! Who else will I ask you about?

Gopal: (Warns Venu to not goof up) Venu was just kidding with you. Rajini is just like what we have all heard about him. Simple and down to earth.

Autodriver: Everyone knows that. Isn’t it? Tell me something more interesting.

Venu: He once gave me a `500 note with his autograph on it.

Autodriver: Wow! Are you serious? Do you have it now? Can I see it?

Venu: Of course. But you have to return it to us.

It’s the only proof we have got that would let us bypass the security and meet him directly.

Autodriver: Almost sounds like one of his films.

Remember Arunachalam where he has a Rudraksh dangling down his neck?

Gopal: (smirks and speaks to himself) Poor guy.

He fell for that prank. Little does he know that Rajini doesn’t know us at all.

NEWSMAKER

PRESSURES OF STARDOM

RUMOUR HAS IT ...

WEEKEND WATCH

A relationship gone sour?

F

ew days ago, Twitter and Facebook exploded with angry comments from Pawan Kalyan’s fans soon after an interview of Puri Jagannadh went viral. The duo had earlier worked together for Cameraman Ganga Tho Rambabu and the interview was published soon after the release of Puri Jagannadh’s latest film Iddarammayilatho. Soon, the makers of the film got into damage-control mode and termed the interview as completely baseless and false.

Neither Pawan Kalyan nor Puri Jagannadh have spoken about the issue after the interview was published and it’s a million dollar question about the status of their relationship in the pre-

I

t looks like Priya Anand has struck gold, especially in Tamil. Her recent film Ethir Neechal has turned out to be a huge hit and now she’s being flooded with offers from several top production houses in Tamil cinema. First on the list is Kiruthiga Udhayanidhi’s Vanakkam Chennai, in which Priya Anand is paired with Shiva.

Recently, she signed two more films including Aishwarya Dhanush’s Vai Raja Vai and Anand Shankar’s Arima Nambi, which have Gautham Karthik and Vikram Prabhu respectively as lead actors. On the other hand, she’ll soon be seen in Mrighdeep Singh Lamba’s Fukrey, which has become one of the most talkedabout Hindi films in recent times. No wonder, the actress is on cloud nine and all the more eager to make a big splash.

sent scenario. Last year, Cameraman Ganga Tho Rambabu was released amidst much fanfare; however, the final result couldn’t match up to the hype of the film prior to its release. Now, Puri Jagannadh has announced that he’s going to direct three films in Telugu and three remakes of his own films in Hindi. With so many films in hand, it seems highly unlikely that these two will work together in near future, unless a miracle occurs.

Follow Hemanth on Twitter @crhemanth or email: hemanth.k@postnoon.com

Not in a mood to go to a theatre this weekend? Here’s a brief list of films you can watch at home.

1

The Skin I Live In This 2011 Spanish film starring Antonio Banderas and Elena Anaya is about a plastic surgeon who makes a woman undergo several experiments to perfect his new creation.

2

Waiting for Superman Directed by Davis Guggenheim, this 2010 documentary film analyses the failures of American public education system by following the lives of several students who try to get into a secondary school.

3

The Others Directed by Alejandro Amenábar, this 2001 psychological horror film has Nicole Kidman trying to protect her children in a mansion.

FRIDAY, JUNE 7, 2013

Comment In view of the fact that God limited the intelligence of man, it seems unfair that He did not also limit his stupidity.

PRIVATE LIVES OF PUBLIC FIGURES

SARA HUSSEIN Agence France-Presse

A

new highway touted as a way to ease Beirut’s notorious traffic has angered residents and activists who say it will destroy rare old houses that survived Lebanon’s 15-year civil war.

The Fouad Boutros highway overpass is a long-stalled project, dating back to before the 1975-1990 civil war, and intended to route unnecessary traffic away from some of the city’s most congested areas.

For now, the only part of the route completed is a single bridge, which was finished before the war began and has remained as a lone reminder of the old plans.

The Council for Development and Reconstruction, a government organisation intended to help rebuild post-war Lebanon, says the road will significantly improve traffic in the city.

But it would run through some of Beirut’s best-preserved old neighbourhoods, home to traditional houses that have disappeared elsewhere in the city due to neglect and development.

The road “will puncture the continuous street facade... destroy two beautiful buildings and run a few inches away from a palace,” says a study commissioned by an NGO, Save Beirut Heritage.

“The perspective of the street will be blocked and disfigured by the huge concrete mass of the overpass: a visual nightmare.”

The group argues that the project is the product of an outdated school of urban planning, pointing out an alternative way to alleviate traffic would be to upgrade Beirut’s virtually non-existent public transportation system.

13

PUTIN BREAKS KREMLIN TABOO WITH BREAK-UP ANNA SMOLCHENKO Agence France-Presse

Konrad Adenauer German statesman

Highway plan sparks fear for Beirut heritage

HIGH-FLYING THOUGHTS Some people age gracefully, some don’t. Like a child who has been scolded, LK Advani has decided to pull out of the BJP conclave after party bosses publicly rubbished his ‘hints’ that Modi is not the party’s poster boy. Iron Man, huh?

P

resident Vladimir Putin’s carefully stage-managed announcement that he and his wife of 30 years were divorcing came as a true shock in Russia.

That his marriage to Lyudmila, a quiet ex-stewardess with an inherent dislike of publicity, may have long been dead has for years been the subject of gossip among the elites and ordinary Russians.

But the Kremlin’s move to officially announce Putin’s divorce smashed a long-standing taboo on the private lives of the country’s leaders.

With the exception of the prominent late wife of last Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, Raisa, the spouses of Soviet leaders were expected to blend into the background.

The dramas of the Kremlin leaders’ private lives were expected to be kept away from the public eye. The happy marriage of leader of the Bolshevik Revolution Vladimir Lenin to his comrade Nadezhda Krupskaya was an undisputed fact in Soviet Russia.

Few Soviets knew of Lenin’s romantic liaison with a married woman, Inessa Armand. The privacy of the Russian tsars was

also fiercely protected before the 1917 October revolution.

Tsar Nicholas II was portrayed as a devoted husband and father, even though his affair with ballerina Mathilda Kshesinskaya before his marriage to Alexandra was well-known.

Putin, too, had sought to protect his privacy for many years.

The Russian strongman, who has dominated Russia for the past 13 years, famously told reporters to “keep their snotty noses” out of his private business.

Rumours swirled for years that Putin was allegedly in a relationship with Olympic gymnastics champion Alina Kabayeva and some reports suggested the two could even have a child together.

But after the Moskovsky Korrespondent reported in 2008 that Putin was secretly engaged to Kabayeva, its owner Alexander Lebedev retracted the story and shut down the newspaper.

Putin’s private life has essentially become a top state secret.

Over the past years Putin usually appeared at official functions including foreign visits alone, even if the presence of the first lady was expected.

Loyal Russian reporters accompanying Putin on his trips abroad preferred not to raise the issue.

“Now it is clear why the president’s spouse has not

recently played the role of the first lady. Everyone would have discussed the coldness with which they treat each other, and this would have hurt the image of the newly-elected leader of the nation,” wrote liberal news website Slon.ru For ordinary Russians, the announcement late Thursday just confirmed what they had known for a long time.

“This marriage has long existed only on paper, that I am 200 percent sure,” said financial analyst Anastasia Yelisyonkova.

“When a head of state appears at official functions alone it does mean something.”

Many analysts in Russia had doubted that the announcement of Putin’s divorce could ever be

made in Russia.

What prompted Thursday’s disclosure, which came after anti-Putin protests over the last 18 months and increased scrutiny of the Kremlin on the Internet, remains unclear.

If he ties the knot with a young woman it may not go down well with many conservative voters, while if Putin remains single he may even boost his sagging approval ratings.

“Many people will think: ‘He is just like us. His private life did not turn out well. He is human,” said Kryshtanovskaya, until recently a member of the ruling United Russia party.

“Of course, I have seen that this man is unhappy in his marriage. He’s got sad eyes.”

EDITORIALS When warnings fail, regulations follow

E

xtent of liberalisation is infinite. No matter where it lands us, we want to be allowed to have our way. We are happy if we are allowed to enjoy complete freedom in whatever we do. Staying away from the wrong or from addictions must be left to the individual; after all, we as thinking animals can make the correct decisions, can’t we? But that line of thinking goes well with only a few of us. Especially when dealing with nicotine addiction, not many are lucky not to be drawn into it, and lesser have the willpower to get out of it once hooked. It then becomes necessary for outside intervention. Printing elaborate text and graphical warnings on wrappers of tobacco products has proved ineffective, necessitating an enforcement of it on the consumer with an outright ban. Sale of gutka, panmasala and any food product containing tobacco or nicotine as ingredients is banned in Salem district of Tamil Nadu from today. Justified. Given that some addictions, when allowed to grow unchecked, suck into its vortex even others around the perpetrator.

READERS’ VIEWS

An evil practice that still lingers

I

ncrease in the advocacy of human rights, children’s rights in this case, and educating the masses of ill-effects of early marriage has resulted in the tradition of child marriage to decrease. Or so we thought. Till it dawns on us that a whopping 50 per cent of marriages conducted in Andhra Pradesh are of persons below the legally permitted age of 18 years for girls and 21 for boys.

Marginally lower at 47 per cent, is the allIndia figure. Way to go, my countrymen, before we can call ourselves progressive!

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

Editor: Dean Williams

FRIDAY, JUNE 7, 2013

Living spaces FACTS ABOUT KOMPALLY SCHOOLS

DRS International School Siva Sivani Public School Kennedy International School COLLEGES

Malla Reddy Engineering College St. Peter’s Engineering College Siva Sivani Management College

Unexplored Kompally holds promise for all

Decent amount of green cover and comparitively cleaner air and water makes Kompally a major attraction for buyers and developers. Good roads and proximity to industry hubs are added advantages.

PRUDHVI RAJU K prudhvi.k@postnoon.com

P

roperty buyers are keen to move towards the suburbs of the City for the greenery and lesser pollution, and to live in large and open spaces they offer. As long as the roads are wide and there is less traffic to their place

of work, residents do not mind travelling those extra kilometres to live in their dream house.

Real estate developers are also coming up with world-class gated community projects mostly in the outskirts of the City due to the availability of large spaces.

Kompally is one such suburb located near Secunderabad,

which is attracting both the developer and the buyer thus driving the real estate market here. “This is one of the best residential zones in the City because of abundant greenery, water, clean and fresh air,” said an early settler of the area.

Earlier a village, many residents in the City set up large farmhouses in this area for its

Infrastructure ROAD

Connected to NH 7 Outer Ring Road (5 min) Secunderabad (30 min) RAIL

Gundlapochampally MMTS Secunderabad 15 km

Swimming pool in Aparna Kanopy Tulip, Kompally

picturesque beauty. Even now, many hold large spaces, which support plentiful greenery.

There also is a reserved forest in the area that is under the control of government, adding to the greenery.

“Not just that, the locality also houses pharmacy majors like Aurobindo, Dr Reddy’s and Gland Pharma in close proximity. Most of these companies have their R&D centres in this area while their manufacturing units are either in the outskirts or in other districts. The water is clean and non-contaminated and the air is fresh due to the greenery around,” said Srinivas Diwakarla, deputy manager, Sales, Aparna Constructions, when asked for the secret to the real estate demand here.

In terms of costs, real estate values in the area are low compared to south-west Hyderabad areas like Gachibowli, Kondapur and Jubilee Hills.

“These days, people are not averse to buying property a few kilometres away from business hubs. They are willing to buy property in secondary pockets like Chandanagar and Miyapur due to the lower cost. For instance, the price of real estate property in Chandanagar sells at half the price of similar property in Madhapur. Such a trend

AIR

ARK HOMES

APARNA KANOPY TULIP

Shamshabad Airport (49 km) ENTERTAINMENT

Dhola Ri Dhani Cine Planet Runway 9

n 12 towers in 14 acres (Out of which six have been constructed) n Size: 930-1,495 sft n Street furniture, signages and road lighting. n G+2 level, 12,000 sft AC clubhouse, community hall, cafeteria n Crèche, gym, aerobics centre, spa and indoor games. n Car parking n Swimming pool n Basketball and lawn tennis courts n Children’s play area n Sewage treatment plant n Water softening plant n Manjeera water n Base Price: `2,299 per sft

n Beside MMTS Railway Station, Bolarum n 560 flats, 9 towers in 7.5 acres n Area: 1,075 sft to 1,510 sft n 100 per cent vaasthu n Car parking n Swimming pool n Jogging track n Landscaping n Children’s play areas n 24-hour security at main gate n Yoga and meditation hall n Libraryl n Air-conditioned gymnasium n Supermarket n Base Price: `1,949 per sft

YOUR WEEKLY GUIDE TO HYDERABAD REAL ESTATE SRINIVAS SETTY

14&15

Reforms should back regulatory Bill SANJAY DUTT

feedback@postnoon.com

T Park view at Aparna Kanopy Tulip, Kompally

is noticeable across the City where people are inclined to buy decent property if it comes with amenities in the suburb rather than opting for costlier ones in that one gets in business hubs,” he added.

The infrastructure in this area is better compared to other newer locations in the City.

“The roads are wide and well connected to areas Like Secunderabad and Miyapur.

Kompally is also very close to the outer ring road and is adjacent to NH7.

Gundlapochampaly, which is near Kompally, also has an MMTS station, from where trains ply as frequently as every 45 minutes to Secunderabad.

Also, an ongoing development of the railway line is likely to increase this frequency,” he said.

A property appeals to a buyer only when it attracts tenants and its value appreciates

Attractions Industries Bio-Tech Park Jeedimetla Industrial Estate Medchal Town Mahindra Satyam Hospitals Ram Hospital Narayana Hridayala Balaji Multispeciality Hospital Usha Mullapudi Cardiac Hospital Harsha Hospital

over time. “The demand of this zone is driven by pharmacy majors that are close by, followed by many seed research companies. The founders of small and medium enterprises in Medchal and traders in Secunderabad are also choosing this area for Kompally is not too far from these areas,” he explained.

Stressing on the buyers, he

said, “There are many seed research companies in this area, which are propelling the realty growth. Like we have IT in the south-west Hyderabad, biotechnology is evolving in this area. Scientists who work in these companies are paid at par with IT employees. Most of these people are migrants and want to buy or rent property in a gated community. Natives of Karimnagar and Nizamabad also prefer this locality since visits to their families during weekends is easier from here.”

Most properties are single tower apartments developed by organised players. The locality also prides itself of projects by Aparna, Koncept Ambience and ARK Builders. The base price is around `2,300 per square foot for a flat in a gated community here. According to realtors, one may expect this price to appreciate between 10 and 15 per cent every year.

APARNA KANOPY LOTUS n 91 villas in 10. 5 acres (Part of the 72 acres of Gated Community) n Plot size: 200 syds n Villa sizes: East-facing: 2,010 sft, West-facing: 2005 sft n Model villa available n Snooker/Billiard tables n Basketball practice court n Health and fitness centre n Spa with separate massage rooms for ladies and gents. n Sauna and jacuzzi n Air-conditioned crèche n Walking and jogging pathways n 24-hour security surveillance n Price: `70 lakh upwards

he approval of the Cabinet on the Real Estate Regulatory Bill is a watershed development for the real estate sector and a welcome move from the government. This Bill envisages bringing forth a higher level of transparency and accountability from the developer community, which for long has been either self-regulated or working on best-practices principles. This Bill will help institutionalise the sector, giving it the necessary fillip to move to a new phase of growth and development. Hopefully, this would also be a positive step in the direction of providing ‘Industry’ status to the sector — another long-awaited demand of stakeholders involved in real estate.

Apart from protecting enduser/home buyers’ interests and

bringing in credibility to the developer community, we also see this working positively in terms of attracting investments from domestic and international funds that have harboured scepticism towards investing in Indian real estate largely on account of lack of regulation. With the safety features now proposed in the Bill, the RBI’s negative perception of lending to housing projects as being risky will also be dispelled and developers will find it easier to access formal funding thereby not having to rely on sales to fund construction of their projects. The Bill will essentially change the way in which funding of housing development has been approached for a very long time, as it will require developers to

invest their own capital and launch only those projects that are well funded and have a timebound construction plan in place.

This is a quantum shift that may take time to settle in as a process.

In the short to medium term, after the Bill is enforced, we may see a noticeable slowdown in launches of new projects, as getting necessary permissions in place is a long and tedious process, which may delay the entire process of launching a project, unless the government follows up with much-needed administrative reforms that speed up the entire process. Hence, the Bill

The RBI’s negative perception of lending to housing projects as being risky will be dispelled and developers will find it easier to access formal funding.

may create an upward pressure on prices as there will also be some cost implications as developers wait to launch their projects with due approvals in place.

In all, the Bill is a welcome move taken by the government of India to boost the morale of the sector and bring in the right kind of momentum in the future as provisions such as setting up of project-specific escrow accounts, establishment of a regulatory authority, mandatory registration of projects, developers and brokers, and public disclosure of project details, etc put our housing sector on par with many other developed and developing countries.

The author is executive managing director (South Asia), Cushman & Wakefield.

18

FRIDAY, JUNE 7, 2013

spotlight

NIGHT OF FUN

With DJ Candice behind the console, you are bound to have a blast at Cuba Libre tonight.

A COLOURFUL AFFAIR

1

That ’60s show

2

Launch of Retro Night at Movida on Thursday was a gala do. Party peeps made beeline to the pub and let their hair down. Spotted enjoying themselves were Amba, Silvia, Shobha and others.

Fashion fad

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

Desire exhibition featuring international designers was launched at Taj Krishna.

Actress Priyanka Rao was present at the do.

3

4

6

5

7

8

9

1 Silvia

4 Vasundara

6 Jasmine

8 Shobha

2 Amba

5 Shobha,

7 Sangeeta,

9 Shilpa,

3 Neha

RAY OF HOPE

1 Bina Mehta

3 Lavanya

5 Lakshmi

7 Nikita

2 Bhavna

4 Swetha, Mamta

6 Tamanna

8 Sravanthi,

Sangeeta 9 Akansha

Anil

Mili

Chetan

Mrs India International 2013 Amita Motwani addressed breast cancer support group Asha at Kims Ushalakshmi Centre For Breast Diseases on Thursday.

FRIDAY, JUNE 7, 2013

health

ROPE OF HAIR REMOVED FROM TEEN'S STOMACH A 1.5-metre long rope of hair was removed by doctors from a 14-year-old girl's stomach, hospital authorities in Faridabad said. It had been in the girl's stomach for about four years. Sukanya was suffering from Rapunzel Syndrome, a condition in which the patient pluck off their own hair and swallow it. IANS

UNDERSTANDING THE BRAIN: PART V

19

Do we use just 10% of brain?

1 MYTH: Schizophrenia is a progressive disease.

FACT IS: A paper published by UK and Canada researchers in PubMed, schizophreniabulletin.oxfordjournals.org and several other medical journals online, analyses this. The findings are as follows: While MRI studies show decrease in brain tissue volume of patients, these can be attributed to the medication given for schizophrenia.

Also, they found that cognitive functioning does not deteriorate with time.

It also concludes that the fact that some people show deterioration can be attributed to lack of accesses to medication, not adhering to treatment, etc.

How many of these myths about your brain’s health, functioning and the diseases that affect it did you believe in?

POSTNOON NEWS feedback@postnoon.com

ANEWS PP-LYBRIEFS YOURSELF

MYTH: You get new brain wrinkles every time you learn something FACT IS: We don't start out with wrinkly brains: A fetus has a very smooth little brain in the beginning.

As it grows, its neurons also grow and migrate to various parts of the brain, creating the sulci or ridges and gyri, or crevices. After 40 weeks, its brain is as wrinkled as an adults, smaller, of course. Therefore, we don't develop new wrinkles as we learn. The wrinkles we're born with are the wrinkles we have forever. When you learn something new, you don’t get wrinkles in your brain. The brain is convoluted, and new neuron connections are made as we learn things.

5

2 MYTH: Meningitis gets cured on its own.

FACT IS: Meningitis, if left untreated, can lead to brain stroke or even death.

Viral meningitis is more common but bacterial meningitis is more serious.

Meningitis is cause by the inflammation of the protective membranes covering the brain and spinal cord. It can be life-threatening. The condition can also be caused by certain drugs or as a result of physical injuries and accidents. There are preventive vaccinations for certain types of meningitis.

But it is important to immediately contact your doctor to know the underlying cause and start treatment.

4

3 MYTH: Brain damage is permanent.

FACT IS: It depends on the type of damage and the area of the brain in which it is caused. The brain can recover from minor injuries. For instance, the brain can recover from a minor concussion over a period of time, provided no injury occurs repeatedly durning the healing period.

HOUSECALL

DID YOU KNOW?

MYTH: You use only 10 per cent of your brain.

FACT IS: This is a popular myth we’ve heard since childhood—we’re told that only those extremely intelligent people with a very high IQ use more than 10 per cent of their brains. But in reality, every part of the brain has certain functions. The cerebrum has four lobes — the frontal lobe, the parietal lobe, the temporal lobe, and occipital lobe — each concerned with different functions such as reading, hearing, seeing, thinking, reasoning, etc. The corpus callosum acts as a bridge for communication between the left and right sides of the brain. Throughout the day, as you interact with people, think, see, read, hear, eat—the brain is involved in all of this.

PIONEERS

Couch-to-5K

Acromegaly

Onion is an allergy killer

Girolamo Fracastoro

Get off the couch with the official Couch-to-5K training app. Spend just 20 to 30 minutes, three times a week, for nine weeks, and you’ll be ready to finish your first 5K (3.1mile) race. You can choose from 5 different motivating virtual coaches and hearaudio cues to guide you through each workout. i tunes.apple.com

Acromegaly is a condition in which the body produces too much growth hormone, leading to excess growth of body tissues over time. It is usually caused by a benign (non-cancerous) brain tumour, called an adenoma. Acromegaly typically causes joint aches, large hands and feet, deepening of the voice due to enlarged sinuses and vocal cords, excessive height (if it occurs before puberty), among other things. nhs.uk

Onions are an excellent antioxidant, and they contain anti-allergy, antiviral and antihistamine properties.

Onions aid in cellular repair. They are a rich source of quercetin, a potent antioxidant. To obtain the maximum nutritional benefits, onions should be eaten raw or lightly steamed. mercola.com

Girolamo Fracastoro was an Italian physician, poet, and scholar in mathematics, geography and astronomy.

Fracastoro subscribed to the philosophy of atomism, and rejected appeals to hidden causes in scientific investigation. In 1546 he proposed that epidemic diseases are caused by transferable tiny particles or "spores" that could transmit infection by direct or indirect contact or even without contact. en.wikipedia.org

20

FRIDAY, JUNE 7, 2013

Technology ‘PET’TY GIZMO

Your dog’s a Whistle away KEY MOVE BY GOOGLE

Popular gesture-based Android keyboard apps Swype and SwiftKey now have a competitor in the form of Google's homemade Google Keyboard app, which arrived on the Play Store today. The free app, which had previously been the stock keyboard on the company's Nexus smartphones and tablets, is now available to all Android devices carrying Ice Cream Sandwich or Jelly Bean. Google's solution relies on using swiping between letters to form words rather than tapping a single key at a time.

The app also brings automatic error correction, next word prediction and, for those for those who would rather not use their fingers at all, there's voice typing using the phone's microphone.

EASIER WIKI EDITS

GLENN CHAPMAN feedback@postnoon.com SAN FRANCISCO: The wearable computing craze went to the dogs with a startup, Whistle, introducing a smart pendant that tracks physical activity levels and sleep patterns in canines.

“Whistle was inspired by my love of dogs,” co-founder and chief executive Ben Jacobs told AFP as his pooch, Duke, darted about a dog park near the company’s office in San Francisco.

“We’re introducing a window into their lives; creating a way for owners and veterinarians to take a preventative approach to our pets’ health.”

Whistle devices attached to dog collars or harnesses use movement-sensing accelerometers to track activity and even how well a pet is sleeping, then relay the information wirelessly to smartphones or Wi-Fi hotspots.

An online database built in collaboration with researchers and veterinary groups allows individual dog activity patterns to be scrutinized for hints that something may be amiss.

“You see this desire to take good care or our pets, but no

information,” Jacobs said, noting that dogs typically hide discomfort in an eagerness to please humans who have their devotion.

“We talked to veterinarians and found out there is no way to get that information other than to build the hardware.”

Whistle Activity Monitors may be ordered online at whistle.com for $100 and deals are in the works to make them available in major US pet store chains. Orders were to ship by September.

Data collected by the devices is fed to a free application tailored for Apple mobile devices.

A version of the app will be released for Android-powered gadgets later this year, according to Jacobs.

The software compares dog activity data to norms based on

factors such as breed, age, and weight, and also watches for deviations from patterns established for individual pets.

“A dog’s number one indicator of health is their activity relative to their baseline,” Jacobs said. “You can alert dog owners to changes in behavior much earlier, and getting vet treatment early can save lives and money.”

A version of the Whistle application designed in collaboration with veterinarians is designed to provide detailed activity information for evaluating pets.

Meanwhile, the pet owner version of the application lets them know things like how often a dog may have been walked while left in the care of children or if the canine romps about each day when mail is

delivered at home.

About $60 billion is spent annually on pets in the United States, with a third of that going to medical care, according to market figures cited by Whistle.

There are approximately 80 million dogs in the United States.

One of the Whistle cofounders is a cat lover, making it likely an activity monitor will eventually be tailored for felines, according to Jacobs.

“I think the human quantified-self movement and the wearable computing movement will converge into one megadevice for the millennium, probably our phones,” Jacobs said.

“These guys will never have phones, so that requires a separate set of products.”

Whistle on Wednesday that it is getting $6 million in funding from investors including DCM Ventures.

“There are more dogs than children in the United States,” said DCM general partner Jason Krikorian, a co-founder of Sling Media and new member of the Whistle board of directors.

“Bringing a suite of smart products to the space is an extraordinary opportunity.”

AFP

Wikimedia Foundation is finally on the cusp of rolling out its visual ‘WYSIWYG‘ editor for all Wikipedia users. Back in December, Wikimedia explained why, after all these years, Wikipedia still relies on Wikitext, a markup code that precludes many people from actively contributing to the online encyclopedia. However, the organisation has been working on a WYSIWYG editor for several years, and it said it has been the “most challenging software project the Wikimedia Foundation has ever worked on.”

BLACKOUT PROTEST Singaporean bloggers blacked out their homepages Thursday to protest new licensing rules for news websites they say will muzzle freedom of expression.

Some 134 participants, including individual bloggers and community-based blogs, replaced their homepages with black screens featuring the words "#FreeMyInternet", as well as the time and venue of a rally to be held Saturday. The 24-hour blackout was to last until midnight. The protest comes after surprise regulations came into force on June 1 requiring news websites — including one operated by USbased Yahoo! — to obtain licences from the city-state's official media regulator.

21

FRIDAY, JUNE 7, 2013

Entertainment IT’S ALL ABOUT TIMING

CINE BYTES

SUDHEER BABU BETS BIG ON

M

ore than a year after making his debut as an actor in SMS, Sudheer Babu is eagerly awaiting the release of his upcoming film Prema Katha Chitram. Directed by J Prabhakar Reddy, the film’s story and dialogues have been written by Maruthi, who had earlier made films like Ee Rojullo and Bus Stop.

“My first film showcased my skill in dance and action sequences; however, Prema Katha Chitram will completely focus on my acting,” Sudheer Babu said.

The film reportedly revolves around four characters and most part of the film has been shot in a farmhouse. “The film begins with two people who try to commit suicide, but don’t at the last moment and then they slowly fall in love with each other. It has an interesting screenplay and I was quite surprised by how well Maruthi and his team had planned it. We shot the scenes in a sequential order, which is quite unusual for a Telugu film,” he added.

The film also stars Nandita, who had made her debut in Teja’s Neeku Naaku last year and Sudheer Babu is all praises for his co-star.

Sudheer Babu reveals that his voice modulation in Prema Katha Chitram is completely different from SMS and credits Superstar Krishna and Mahesh Babu for the transformation he has undergone over the past few years. “I take their advice very seriously. In fact, when Mahesh Babu saw SMS, he advised me to work on my voice. In a way, I’m trying to follow Mahesh Babu’s strategy when it comes to choosing my films. I don’t want to wait for a dream role and it makes more sense for me to pick up a film which impresses me the most at that point of time. Prema Katha Chitram is one such project,” he signs off.

Singam to release on June 28

S

uriya, Anushka and Hansika starrer Singam is expected to hit the screens on June 28. The film is a sequel to Yamudu, which released back in 2010. Directed

by Hari, the film is a high-voltage action entertainer and Suriya is confident that the film will be a huge success. Devi Sri Prasad has scored the music and the film has been shot in South Africa.

Nikhil gears up for his next film

N

ikhil is gearing up to shoot for his upcoming film which will be directed

by Chandoo Mondeti and Venkat Srinivas is producing it. The film is going to be officially launched on June 10 in Hyderabad and the principal shooting will begin soon. Sekhar Chandra is scoring the music and Swati is the lead actress.

Shruti Haasan wraps up shooting for Balupu hruti Haasan has finally S wrapped up shooting her part in Gopichand Malineni’s

Balupu. Ravi Teja is the lead actor and Anjali is the other actress in this mass entertainer. Prasad V Potluri has produced the film. Shruti is expected to join the sets of Ramayya Vastavayya today.

FRIDAY, JUNE 7, 2013

fashion

BROWNS REFOCUSES: THE MAYFAIR MOVE BROWNS has brought all of its South Molton Street stores — Browns, Browns Focus and Browns Menswear — under one roof due to customer demand. The new space — which occupies numbers 23 to 27 on the Mayfair street — has softly opened, ahead of its official launch date in July.

Too hot to

NIDHI BHUSHAN nidhi.b@postnoon.com

handle

Casual yet sexy Palazzo pants are in and are certainly here to stay. Comfy yet trendy, these pants compliment all body types — slightly plump and the stick thins.

`49

9

In style

`5

Floral scarves are the way to go this summer. With their casual and trendy feel, they can dress up most of the summer looks.

`399

99

`1,2

`1,799

`1,399

`499

`399

`899

`1,199

`39

9

`1,899

9

`49

99

`1,399

Magic of white 99

`1,9

The best part about a white lacy top is that you can brighten it with anything. A printed scarf and bright-coloured pants is one of the better options.

Trendy casuals Usually people pair bright colours with the not-so bright ones, here we’ve taken two neon colours to create the perfect casual look.

Give it a try!

22&23

KATE MOSS’ PRANK CALL KATE MOSS fell prey to a prank phone call from friend Nick Grimshaw, which was broadcast live on BBC Radio One. The DJ was playing his regular morning game Call or Delete with guest Keith Lemon - which involves selecting a number from their phonebook and either dialling it live on air, or deleting it.

Red hot

99

`1,6

`1,799

Sexy stripes

`1,499

Stripes are an evergreen element of fashion. Whether horizontal or vertical, stripes are in and you must wear them if you want those heads to turn.

`499

Formal flair You can spruce up your office look with trendy peasant tops like this one. It’s comfortable, great looking and within one’s budget.

`1,499

`1,099

99

`1,7

`899

`1,399

`399

Red, the colour of any season, can brighten up things that are otherwise boring. Red lipstick and red stilettoes will complete the look shown below.

M ANILKUMAR

If you want to make heads turn with your fashion quotient, sporting flowy fabrics and bright colours is the way to do it.

Whether it’s peasant tops or loose-fitting dresses, this summer is all about going semi casual, in style. After browsing a few apparel stores in town, we narrowed down AND for that perfect summer look. Here are a few ensembles that may be too hot to handle. A second look is our guarantee, so go for it!

Party time

`1,899

`499

`1,799

`1,399

A loose yet trendy top with fitting jeggings will make you stand out at any party. Sport this look at the expense of being stared at throughout the event!

`1,999

Angel look

Floral prints are ideal for a refreshing and trendy look. The advantage of prints is that they can be paired with something bright and simple to complete the look.

`1,799

Teasy tunic When in doubt, wear a tunic.

Tunics are never out of fashion and are comfortable for all. Paired with tight jeans or jeggings, they go a long way in making an impression.

Setting the trend `1,399

A plain top, stripes or not, can be accessorised beautifully with a big belt. Try this look this summer, it’s worth the effort.

STORE: SHOPPERS STOP AT INORBIT, SHOPPERSTOP, LIFESTYLE

Floral mix

`1,799

`1,599

White or cream-coloured tops are ideal to beat the heat, especially if you want to sport that clean and refreshing look.

Entertainment FRIDAY, JUNE 7, 2013

24

Entertainment FRIDAY, JUNE 7, 2013

25

FRIDAY, JUNE 7, 2013

Chai Time

THOUGHT OF THE DAY

Show me a man who is a good loser and I'll show you a man who is playing golf with his boss.

Jim Murray

KAKURO

QUICK CROSSWORD

26

SUDOKU How to play kakuro Kakuro is a popular game similar to sudoku in some ways. But is also suitably different. The key question: ‘How do you play kakuro?’, well here are the rules of kakuro. The answer: The kakuro grid, unlike in sudoku, can be of any size. It has rows and columns, and dark cells like in a crossword. And, just like in a crossword, some of the dark cells will contain numbers. Some cells will contain two numbers.

However, in a crossword the numbers reference clues. In a kakuro, the numbers are all you get! They denote the total of the digits in the row or column referenced by the number.

Within each collection of cells — called a run — any of the numbers 1 to 9 may be used but, like sudoku, each number may only be used once.

Let’s have an example to explain this concept more clearly: In the image above, which shows a section of a kakuro puzzle, you will see the numbers ‘26’ and ‘14’ in the top row. Look at the 14. This means that the total of the three cells underneath must sum to 14. Therefore 9, 4, 1 could be the answer, or perhaps 7, 4, 3 and so on...

So, how do you work out the actual combination? Well, this is done through elimination and cross-referencing. For instance, as you work out the answers for other kakuro clues, this will naturally limit the valid combinations, and hence the answer for this particular run.

Note the second cell in row two — it contains two numbers, 30 and 11. The 30 refers to the vertical run underneath the number 30 and the 11 refers to the two cells to the right, horizontally, of the number 11.

ACROSS

PREVIOUS PUZZLE ANSWER

SCRIBBLING PAD

1 Top-notch, slangily 6 Certain woodwinds 11 Mystery-solution reactions 14 Danica Patrick, for one 15 Native-born Israeli 16 Campaign for office 17 Really attractive 19 Postgrad deg 20 Defibrillator user's cry 21 Twain adventurer 23 South American empire of yore 26 Climber's handhold 28 Word with ‘patrol ‘ or ‘leave’ 29 Hiker's sock-clinger 30 Rage relative 32 Baby newts 33 Words with a ring to them?

34 More than hard-of-hearing 38 Hopelessness 40 One job for a stylist 43 Separate from society 45 Jaywalker's nemesis 46 They catch robbers 48 Corn amount 49 Night before a big game 50 Condos, eg 52 Zealand resident 55 Took a gun out of its holster 56 Plaything with a fulcrum 58 Tough question 60 Persistent personal quirk 61 Some flooring 66 Poetic lines of homage 67 Small natural hill 68 Santa in California?

69 Certain parents 70 Eyelid swellings 71 Ballyhooed

DOWN

1 Historic introduction?

2 Writer Bradbury 3 It makes a drink clink 4 Place of pilgrimage 5 Test that's all talk 6 ‘Sesame Street’ curmudgeon 7 Persian Gulf sheikdom 8 Part of a geisha's garb 9 Seagoing birds 10 Tales of heroism 11 Sergeant, for one 12 '60s veep Humphrey 13 Animal traps 18 Pulp fiction gumshoe 22 Bread grain 23 Footnote abbr 24 Ready to skinny-dip 25 Horizontal beams 27 ‘Ninotchka’ name 31 Massage a manuscript 34 Mattress problem 35 Inexpensive swing, perhaps 36 Nymph of Greek myth 37 Opposite of WSW 39 Royal pains 41 Central church area 42 Got bigger 44 Compete hand-to-hand 46 Habitual practice 47 Big name in flatware 51 Burlap bags 53 Yuletide strains 54 Attendance fig, often 55 How deadpan humour is delivered 57 Hanker after 59 Carve on crystal 62 Clark or Rogers 63 PC perch, perhaps 64 ‘Before’ to poets of old 65 Not even on cloud one

Chai Time FRIDAY, JUNE 7, 2013 Thiruvaikumar

STAR POWER for 8-6-2013

27

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

ARIES

TAURUS

GEMINI

CANCER

LEO

VIRGO

LIBRA

SCORPIO

SAGITTARIUS

CAPRICORN

AQUARIUS

PISCES

Close friends and blood relatives will help you on their own in the time of need. You are likely to take bold decisions, which will be appreciated by all as desired results are likely. Your influence is set to increase and as all work gets completed.

STRIP TEASE AGNES

Be careful and act with patience to avoid unwanted trouble.

Employees face tension at workplace. Enemies get inactive and you will gain an upper hand. Do not force decisions on your children. Politicians charm the high command.

Solve family issues without involving any third person. Unmarried women advised to stay away from romantic activities.

Money is likely to come from the expected sources. Employees, entrusted with challenging tasks, prove their skills.

Some purchase/ construct their house. Children do well in studies and make you proud and happy. Delayed marriage talk will resume and progress well.

Employees will march forward by discharging their duties well and get rewarded suitably.

Keep a vigil on your children’s activities as there are chances that they might take a wrong route. Politicians advised to stay away from unwanted discussions and taking controversial stands. They might be warned by the high command.

Your long-pending wishes get fulfilled. Women advised to stay away from those who interact with them with a bad intention. Family looks cheerful as plenty of happy events take place. Businessmen sign new and promising contracts.

Misunderstanding with maternal relatives likely to upset you.

Mother’s health will be a cause for concern; take good care.

Real estate deals might not go as expected. Politicians sort out certain major issues within the party and earn trust.

Misunderstanding with relatives ends. Mother’s health problem gets over and she will be completely alright. Those trying for new job will get a promising career opportunity. Some are fortunate to go abroad for higher studies or for a job.

Be careful while driving. You stand apart from others and this effort will be successful.

Businessmen flourish well and earn good profits, even exceeding expectations. Some have a bright chance to buy a house or land as per their choice.

TAROT READ

Sumaa Tekur

tarotreadhyd@gmail. com

ARIES:

GEMINI:

Five of Pentacles – A car purchase is in the offing. You may come across a really good deal even if you were not looking to buy a car.

LEO:

The Empress – Health needs attention. Go for a run every day. Start with a slow jog and then increase the time and also the speed of running.

LIBRA:

PEARLS BEFORE SWINE

The Emperor – Some form of loss is indicated. You feel sad and want to share the pain with someone more closely associated with the loss.

SAGITTARIUS:

Two of Swords – If you don’t like someone, it does not give you the right to be mean. Check your behaviour and see if you’re being unfair.

TAURUS:

Seven of Pentacles – Your work is a hit with the bosses and they love you because you’re also so easy to get along with.

Maintain the relationships.

CANCER:

Ace of Cups – You are dealing with a sea of negative emotions. You are not feeling good about how someone treated you.

There is little you can do about it.

VIRGO:

Ten of Swords – You catch someone crying and it makes you uncomfortable because you are unsure what you should do to console this person. Talk.

SCORPIO:

The High Priest – You feel physically weak and want to take a break. It may be a good idea to take the day off and rest.

Heavy mental work is also work.

CAPRICORN:

The Lovers – There are some situations that will make you uncomfortable simply because it is not in the area of your expertise. Be open to the new.

PREVIOUS SOLUTIONS

PISCES:

Knight of Pentacles – You are mad at someone for the way he/she treated you. Retreat from the situation and look at the big picture. You won’t be so mad.

NUMBER GAME

Someone has lied to you about something very dear to you and this is making you livid. Best is to confront this person if you want to clear the air.

SCRABBLE

AQUARIUS: Justice –

POOCH CAFE

Politicians advised not to blame the opposition without evidence. Employees advised not to take liberty with superiors as there might be setbacks.

Adjust with colleagues and be cordial even though they might misbehave with you.

for 8-6-2013

Five of Swords – There are good and bad days. You’re going through some phase and you cannot avoid some of the negative experiences you may come across.

NON SEQUITUR

Housing loan gets approved and construction starts soon.

Enemies become inactive and you gain an upper hand. A court verdict will go in your favour. Your in-laws will extend their support at the time of need. Take care of your health.

SUDUKO

Politicians advised to be conser vative and not spend extravagantly. Minor misunderstanding with spouse likely; avoid this. Harsh talk due to which you have been facing various troubles will change now and you will become approachable.

Boggle TRIANGLE OCTAGON HEXAGON PENTAGON RECTANGLE Vol: 2, No 322 RNI No: APENG/2011/39337 Published for the proprietors, Scribble Media and Entertainment Pvt Ltd, by V Harshavardhan Reddy, at #1246, Level 3, Jubilee Casa, Road No 62, Jubilee Hills, Hyderabad – 500033 and printed by him at Jagati Publications Ltd, Plot No D-75&E-52, APIE Industrial Estate, Balanagar, Ranga Reddy Dist, Hyderabad – 500037, Editor: Dean Williams – Responsible for selection of news under the PRB Act All rights reserved.

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

28

Entertainment FRIDAY, JUNE 7, 2013 CINE BYTES

Disney sued for harassment

A

first assistant film editor on The Muppets has filed a wrongful termination suit against Disney, alleging harassment against the Mouse House and editor James Thomas. The suit, filed on Monday in Los Angeles Superior Court, claims that Cecilia Hyoun “was subjected to differential treatment because of her gender, race and age.” Court docs describe Hyoun as “an Asian woman over age 40.”

Carey Mulligan eyes to play Hillary Clinton

C

arey Mulligan has emerged as the frontrunner to play Hillary Rodham Clinton in Rodham, Temple Hill and The Arlook Group’s biopic of the former first lady, New York senator and secretary of state. The Great Gatsby actress is the producers' top choice to play Clinton during the formative years of her career.

PLAYING IT SAFE

JENNIFER

to star in and produce

The Rules of Inheritance J ennifer Lawrence likes to find a groove and stick with it.

After making Silver Linings Playbook with David O Russell, she joined Russell's American Hustle and a second, more distantly forthcoming Russell film called The Ends of the Earth.

Now Lawrence is set to reteam with her Serena director Susanne Bier for The Rules of Inheritance, with a script by Abi Morgan (The Iron Lady, Shame).

According to Deadline, the movie's based on a 2012 memoir by Claire Bidwell Smith, “an only child who, over a sevenyear period as a young adult, loses both her parents to cancer. While struggling to cope, she propels herself into many romances, adventures and travels in an inspirational, emotionally charged and surprisingly humorous journey that celebrates life, the people we love and lose and the discoveries we make along the way.” And what does the actual Smith think of J-Law playing her?

“It's so surreal that I can't think straight” and “um, I can't believe this is happening.”

If the buzz is to be believed, Jennifer Lawrence will be also producing the movie. Producing alongside Lawrence will be Bruce Cohen, who worked with Lawrence on Silver Linings Playbook.

John Travolta surprises fans at wedding

A

ctor John Travolta made a couple's wedding day extra special by landing up at their nuptials after meeting them the night before at a bar. The wedding was held in Georgia last week, and Travolta turned up unexpectedly only to wish them luck, reports contactmusic.com.

The Grease star was in the state to renew his pilot's license when he bumped into the couple.

The book is about an only child who, over a seven-year period as a young adult, loses both her parents to cancer. While struggling to cope, she propels herself into many romances, adventures and travels in an inspirational, emotionally charged and surprisingly humorous journey that celebrates life.

— Claire Bidwell Smith Author

sports

29

FRIDAY, JUNE 7, 2013

US OPEN JIM SLATER Agence France-Presse ARDMORE: World number one Tiger Woods tries to end a fiveyear major title drought in next week’s 113th US Open at Merion, where a mix of formidable long and short holes will test golf’s best.

Woods has won four titles this season, pulling him four wins shy of matching Sam Snead’s all-time record of 82 PGA titles.

But he has not taken a major since the 2008 US Open at Torrey Pines, where he won a playoff on a broken leg.

A major sex scandal, repeated leg injuries and a swing change to ease the pressure on his 37year-old body followed and at

times Woods has found the form that brought him 14 major titles - second only to the 18 won by Jack Nicklaus.

“My game is coming around, and to have won seven times the last couple years is something I’m proud of,” Woods said.

“What I’ve done from last year and this year, being healthy, it’s certainly pretty positive.”

Woods has won at Torrey Pines, Doral, Bay Hill and the Players Championship this year and shared fourth at the Masters for the third time in the past four years, but crashed to a share of 65th at last week’s Memorial.

“I didn’t putt very well,” Woods said. “I thought the greens didn’t look that fast, but they were putting fast. I could never get the speed of them.”

McIlroy searches for answers ARDMORE: Rory McIlroy has shown grit, worked on his putting and given himself chances to win. Now he hopes to put everything together and win his second US Open in three years.

McIlroy goes into next week’s US Open at Merion trying to find consistency after a season that

has tested his determination and perseverance. “It has been a little bit of a frustrating year,” McIlroy said. “It seems like every time that Ive got a bit of momentum, I take two steps forward and then take one step back. But I’m getting there. It’s very close.”

AFP

Tiger leads world’s best to tricky Merion Woods tries to end a fiveyear major title drought in next week’s US Open where a mix of long and short holes will test golf’s best.

NBA

Spurs rally to beat Heat GREG HEAKES Agence France-Presse MIAMI: The well-rested San Antonio Spurs stole home court advantage from the Miami Heat Thursday with the help of a clutch shot from Tony Parker in the waning seconds of game one of the NBA finals.

Parker, who finished with a game-high 21 points, ran the clock down before nailing an off-balance jump shot with just

5.2 seconds left in regulation as the Spurs beat the mistakeprone Heat 92-88 to take a 1-0 lead in the NBA finals.

Parker held onto the ball for all of the 24 second clock as he bobbed and weaved his way through the Miami defenders before throwing up a desperate jump shot from 16 feet that rattled in to cap the scoring in front of a crowd of 19,775 at the American Airlines arena.

“It felt forever, too,” Parker

Tiago Splitter #22 of the San Antonio Spurs goes up for the layup against the Miami Heat during to Game One of the 2013 NBA Finals on Thursday at American Airlines Arena in Miami, Florida.

AFP/NBAE/NATHANIEL S. BUTLER

said. “It was a crazy play. I thought I lost the ball three or four times.

“It didn’t work out like I wanted it to. At the end I was just trying to get a shot up. I was happy it went in.”

Parker seemed to slip past every Heat player at one point in the series but when it came time to shoot he was defended

by LeBron James. But the Frenchman still got the shot off just before the 24-second shooting clock expired.

“Tony did everything wrong and did everything right in the same possession,” said James.

“He stumbled two or three times, he fell over and when he fell over I was like OK, I am going to have to tie this ball up.

“He got up and went under my arm. I got a great contest ... it barely got off. That was the longest 24 seconds that I’ve been part of.”

James can’t be faulted for his defence on Parker’s clutch shot but the Heat did make their share of blunders down the stretch and finished with eight turnovers on the night.

Miami appeared to be heading to a game one victory at home, leading 72-69 at the end of the third.

AFP

BRIEFS

Chad defends title

MONTREAL: Chad Dawson returns to his comfort zone Saturday when he puts his World Boxing Council light heavyweight title on the line against knockout artist Adonis Stevenson.

Dawson’s last foray in the ring saw him stopped in the 10th round by Andre Ward on September 8, in a fight for Ward’s super middleweight world titles.

Dawson was pummeled by Ward, who knocked him down in the third and fourth round before his final barrage ended it in the 10th. Dawson fell to 31-2 with 17 wins inside the distance.

Now, however, Dawson is back up at light heavyweight, where he feels he ought to be.

“I’m back at my natural weight,” he told ESPN. “In the Ward fight, it took a lot out of me and I got to see how physically strong I was at 175 (pounds) as opposed to being at 168

(pounds).

“It was kind of a blessing in disguise to show me I shouldn’t have taken the fight at that weight, but I did. It was my error and Andre Ward took advantage of it. Now I’m back at light heavyweight and I’m looking forward to continuing to be the best in the world.” Dawson brings a record of 31-2 with 17 knockouts to the bout.

In April of last year he claimed the WBC light-heavyweight crown with a 12-round majority decision over 47-yearold veteran Bernard Hopkins.

Canada’s Stevenson, meanwhile, is moving up in weight to take on Dawson.

He boasts a record of 20-1 with 17 knockouts. He avenged his only defeat -- a 2010 loss to Darnell Boone, with a sixthround knockout of Boone in March.

AFP

TN DEFEAT AP

NEW DELHI: The Andhra Pradesh girls team lost to Tamil Nadu in the AITA Inter State Nationals under-14 which was held at R.K.Khanna Tennis Stadium here on Thursday.

Meanwhile, AP boys are set to take on Tamil Nadu in their semifinal clash today.

Results: Girls AP lost to Tamil Nadu 0-3 S Ravina Reddy lost to Ramya Natarajan 0-4, 0-4, Sivanuja Peddada lost to Sai Avantika 0-4, 0-4, S Ravina Reddy/Sivanuja Peddada lost to Ramya Natarajan/Vasavi GS 3-5, 1-4.

FRIDAY, JUNE 7, 2013

India see off Steyn-less SA

CARDIFF: Shikhar Dhawan smashed 114 off 94 balls as India overcame valiant South Africa by 26 runs in the opening match of the Champions Trophy in Cardiff on Thursday.

The left-hander led a batting feast by the Indians, who piled up 331-7 against a depleted attack that took the field without premier fast bowler Dale Steyn due to a side strain.

South Africa made a brave chase of the daunting target and replied with 305 following a defiant century stand between skipper AB de Villiers and pinch-hitter Robin Peterson for the third wicket. De Villiers hit 70 off 71 balls, his sixth half-century in the last eight one-dayers and the fourth in succession. Peterson made a career-best 68.

Ryan McLaren gave India a fright towards the end with an unbeaten 71 off 61 balls, adding 48 for the last wicket with Morne Morkel, but the effort was not enough to snatch a dramatic win.

Dhawan put on 127 for the first wicket with Rohit Sharma (65) and 83 off 77 balls for the second with Virat Kohli (31) as overcast conditions at the toss made way for bright sunshine.

India slipped from 210-1 to 260-5, but an unbeaten 47 from 29 balls by Ravindra Jadeja steered the World Cup champions past the 300-run mark.

Jadeja also starred in the field as he took the wickets of JP Duminy and Lonwabo Tsotsobe,

ran out Peterson and caught de Villiers at mid-wicket.

“I think we were at least 25 runs short after losing so many wickets later in the innings,” said Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni. “But the boys fielded with plenty of aggression.

De Villiers said he was not unduly disappointed by the

defeat. “We got ourselves into a great position to win the game with the bat,” he said. “I am proud of the way we fought back through the day. We were above the run rate, but lost wickets at the wrong times.”

South Africa lost both openers, Colin Ingram and Hashim Amla, by the fourth over, before

de Villiers and Peterson swung the match around by adding 124 for the third wicket.

The duo kept the scoreboard moving with smart running between the wickets and punished the loose ball to stay ahead of the required run-rate.

It needed quick reflexes from Jadeja to break the stand in the

25th over when he dived at midwicket to stop the ball and catch Peterson short of his ground.

Left-handed Peterson, whose best score in 68 previous onedayers was 44, hit six boundaries. South Africa, who were 182-3 at one stage, lost three wickets in the space of six runs to put India on top again.

AFP

Score Board

India’s Suresh Raina (C) celebrates catching a shot from South Africa’s Francois du Plessis during the 2013 ICC Champions Trophy cricket match between India and South Africa at the Cardiff Wales Stadium in Cardiff, south Wales, on June 6, 2013.

AFP/PAUL ELLIS

India R. Sharma c Peterson b McLaren 65 Dhawan c sub (Phangiso) b Duminy 114 V. Kohli c Amla b Tsotsobe 31 Karthik c de Villiers b McLaren 14 M. Dhoni c du Plessis b Tsotsobe 27 S. Raina c Duminy b McLaren 9 R. Jadeja not out 47 R. Ashwin run out 10 B. Kumar not out 0 Extras: (lb4, w8, nb2) 14 Total (for 7 wickets, 50 overs) 331 Bowling: Morkel 6.5-0-27-0 (nb1), Tsotsobe 10-0-83-2 (w2), Kleinveldt 10-0-81-0 (nb1, w1), McLaren 10-070-3 (w3), Peterson 3.1-0-24-0, Duminy 10-0-42-1 (w2) South Africa H. Amla c Dhoni b Yadav 22 C. Ingram c Raina b Kumar 6 R. Peterson run out 68 AB de Villiers c Jadeja b Yadav 70 JP Duminy lbw b Jadeja 14 F. Du Plessis c Raina b I. Sharma 30 D. Miller run out 0 R. McLaren not out 71 R. Kleinveldt c Dhoni b I. Sharma 4 L. Tsotsobe b Jadeja 3 M. Morkel b Kumar 8 Extras: (lb1, w7, nb1) 9 Total (all out, 50 overs) 305 Bowling: Kumar 7-0-49-2 (nb1), Yadav 10-0-75-2 (w2), I. Sharma 8-066-2 (w2), Ashwin 10-0-47-0 (w2), Jadeja 9-1-31-2, Raina 6-0-36-0 (w1)

Proteas seek redemption after loss KULDIP LAL Agence France-Presse

South Africa’s Ryan McLaren is bowled out during the 2013 ICC Champions Trophy match against India at the Cardiff Wales Stadium in Cardiff, south Wales, Thursday.

AFP

CARDIFF: South Africa face a tough task to put their Champions Trophy campaign back on track after being laid low by injuries and a demoralising defeat to India.

The Proteas hopes of winning the tournament slipped when they crashed by 26 runs against Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s world champions in a highscoring opener in Cardiff on Thursday.

AB de Villiers men must now defeat Pakistan in Birmingham on Monday to keep their hopes alive of taking one of the two semi-final spots from group B, which also features the West Indies.

Victory will depend largely on how quickly their two strike fast bowlers, the fearsome Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel, recover from injuries.

Steyn did not play against India due to a side strain suffered during a warmup match against Pakistan earlier this

week, while Morkel limped of with a leg injury while bowling his seventh over on Thursday.

Neither of the key bowlers is a certain starter against Pakistan, who already enjoy a psychological edge following their six-wicket win over the Proteas in the warm-up game.

South African manager Mohammed Moosajee said Morkel had sustained a left quadricep muscle strain and will undergo an MRI scan to determine how serious the injury was.

“It appears to be a grade one strain and he will be going for an MRI scan which will give us a better understanding of the diagnosis and a prognosis,” Moosajee said.

“These strains can be tricky in fast bowlers and the healing time in most cases is five to seven days, but if you come back too soon it can cause further disruption and set you back by 10-14 days.”

India took advantage of their

absence to rattle up 331-7 after being sent in to bat, with left-hander Shikhar Dhawan smashing 114 off 94 balls after an opening stand of 127 with Rohit Sharma (65).

India slipped from 210-1 to 260-5, but an unbeaten 47 from 29 balls by Ravindra Jadeja steered the World Cup champions past the 300-run mark.

The South Africans made a brave chase of the daunting target and replied with 305 following a defiant century stand between skipper AB de Villiers and pinch-hitter Robin Peterson for the third wicket.

De Villiers hit 70 off 71 balls, his sixth half-century in the last eight onedayers and the fourth in succession.

Peterson made a career-best 68.

Ryan McLaren gave India a fright towards the end with an unbeaten 71 off 61 balls, adding 48 for the last wicket with the hobbling Morkel, but the effort was not enough to snatch a dramatic win.

30&31

CHAMPIONS TROPHY 2013

Ashley Giles wants to see England ‘A’ game against Oz JULIAN GUYER Agence France-Presse NOTTINGHAM: England oneday coach Ashley Giles wants to see the side produce their “A game” in their Champions Trophy opener at Edgbaston on Saturday.

Tournament hosts England were below their best for much of their recent 2-1 one-day series defeat by New Zealand, although they did at least avoid a whitewash with a 34-run win over the Black Caps in Nottingham on Wednesday.

England’s bowling attack wasn’t helped in the first two matches by being without seamers Stuart Broad (knee) and Steven Finn (shin), both of whom returned to action without any obvious ill-effects on Wednesday.

But a batting line-up without Kevin Pietersen, who will miss the Champions Trophy as he continues a recovery from a knee injury that England hope will heal by the time they begin the defence of the Ashes next month, lacked dash for much of the series.

And but for Jos Buttler’s breathtaking 47 not out off just 16 balls on Wednesday, England might have suffered yet another

defeat.

“I’m certainly buoyed from this match (at Trent Bridge), because it was much better,” said former England left-arm spinner Giles, an Ashes winner in 2005.

“It was still not anywhere near a perfect performance. It’s disappointing to have lost a series, and we’ve let ourselves down in certain departments.

“There are some big posi-

Australia ponder over Clarke’s fitness

LONDON: Australia could decide as soon as later Thursday whether captain Michael Clarke is fit to face England in their Champions Trophy opener at Edgbaston on Saturday.

Clarke is doubtful for the match, the first Anglo-Australian clash of an Ashes season, after aggravating a longstanding back problem upon arriving in the United Kingdom.

Clarke left Australia’s training camp for specialist treatment in London on Wednesday and Australia physiotherapist Alex Kountouris said Clarke was “in a race against time” to be fit for Saturday.

And if he doesn’t play this weekend defending champions Australia, bidding for a third straight Champions Trophy crown, may decide it is not worth risking Clarke in the oneday tournament ahead of next month’s first Test against England in Nottingham.

“We’re hoping to make a decision on him reasonably quickly,” Kountoris told Cricket Australia’s website on Thursday. “He’s been in London since yesterday to do the treatment that he usually gets. We are trying to maximise the time he has got over there so sometime tonight or tomorrow we’ll make that decision (whether he plays against England).”

AFP

tives, but we’ve certainly not played our ‘A’ game yet. “Maybe we’re saving that.”

Buttler produced an array of astonishing shots on Wednesday, with the Somerset starlet seemingly uninhibited despite not even taking guard until the 47th over. Giles, who will be on familiar territory on Saturday, having both played and coached Edgbaston-based county

Warwickshire, believes Buttler is capable of more than mere ‘cameo’ innings.

“I think he can do it over a longer period,” Giles said. “I think what Jos needed was to do it once in 50-over cricket. It doesn’t mean he’s going to do it all the time - but in Twenty20 cricket, once he crossed that hurdle, he looked a different player.

“I’m hoping that will happen again.” But the fact that Buttler came to the crease after Ravi Bopara and Eoin Morgan had performed something of a rebuilding job, left Giles thinking it might be best just to leave him at number seven rather than move him up the order.

“I think the batting order, playing an extra batter in Ravi, might have given him a bit more confidence — it takes a little bit of pressure off him and gives him a bit more freedom,” Giles explained. “It doesn’t necessarily mean that’s the way we’re going to go. But Jos has shown in Twenty20 cricket he is built for coming in for five overs.

“Cooky (Alastair Cook) and I sat and the balcony and said ‘30 off 10 balls would be nice’. He (Buttler) exceeded all our expectations, so I’m really chuffed for him.”

AFP

Crowe to cut cricket ties after cancer scare WELLINGTON: New Zealand batting great Martin Crowe on Friday said the cancer he was diagnosed with last year was under control and he was cutting all ties with cricket to reduce his stress levels.

Crowe said he believed worrying about cricket, particularly the axing of his protege Ross Taylor as New Zealand captain late last year, exacerbated his lymphatic cancer, leading to a large tumour in his stomach.

After five months of chemotherapy, the 50-yearold said doctors had told him his cancer had shrunk to safe levels, although there was always the possibility of a relapse.

“All through my left side the lymph nodes have gone back to their normal size,” Crowe told RadioSport.

“The big tumour I grew over the Taylor affair from nothing over 20 days, which was four by three centimetres (1.6 by 1.2 inches), has reduced down to one and a half centimetres (0.6 inches).”

AFP

‘No peacocks’ NZ fancy chances NOTTINGHAM: New Zealand coach Mike Hesson has said his side may not be” the sort of guys who wander around like peacocks” but “are in with a chance” of winning the Champions Trophy.

The Black Caps, who play Sri Lanka in their tournament opener at Cardiff on Sunday, go into the competition featuring the world’s top eight 50-over sides on the back of a 2-1 oneday international (ODI) series win over hosts England.

“I think the ability to play three ODIs against a hugely competitive side, full houses, some real intensity, is great preparation for us,” Hesson said Thursday.

“We are confident. We are not the sort of guys who wander around like peacocks and get too excited but we are playing good cricket and we are in with a chance.”

New Zealand, however, have lost their last six completed ODIs against Sri Lanka and with just he top two teams from each of the two groups of

I think the ability to play three ODIs against a hugely competitive side, full houses, some real intensity, is great preparation for us [New Zealand].

Mike Hesson New Zealand coach

four going through to the semi-finals, Hesson knows his side can ill-afford a slip-up on Sunday.

“It’s as close to a knockout competition as you can get. We are certainly not thinking two weeks ahead. We are thinking about Sri Lanka in Cardiff. If we do that well, then we give ourselves another opportunity against (Group A rivals) Australia at Edgbaston and then a chance to have another crack at England.

Hesson added: “They’ve made four of the last (six) ICC finals, so they are a pretty good side to start with.

They’ve got aggressive batsmen at the top of the order, experience in the middle with (Kumar) Sangakkara and (Mahela) Jayawardene, so they are a good unit.

“Their spin bowling takes wickets and they’ve got the (Lasith) Malinga factor,” said Hesson in a reference to the unorthodox, ‘slingshot’ seamer.

“When he gets it right, he’s pretty tough. You know you’ve got to play extremely well to beat them.”

AFP

FRIDAY, JUNE 7, 2013

sports

WOODS BACK ON TOP OF SPORTS EARNINGS LIST

Tiger Woods, whose four wins this season have seen him return to the top of golf’s world rankings, is also back on top of Forbes’ list of highest-paid sports figures. An article posted on the magazine’s website this week gives the rundown of the 2013 list, which will appear in the June 24 issue.

FRENCH OPEN

History or heartbreak World number one Novak Djokovic and seven-time Roland Garros champ Rafael Nadal go head-to-head for the 35th time, confronting either history or heartbreak.

DAVE JAMES Agence France-Presse PARIS: World number one Novak Djokovic and seventime Roland Garros champion Rafael Nadal (in pic) go headto-head for the 35th time on Friday, confronting either history or heartbreak.

Djokovic needs a French Open title to become only the eighth man to capture all four majors while a first victory on the Paris red clay would also put the Australian Open champion halfway to a calendar Grand Slam.

That feat has not been achieved since Rod Laver did it for the second time in 1969.

Nadal, meanwhile, is two matches away from becoming the first man to win the s a m e Grand Slam title

eight times.

The pair’s statistics in 2013 make formidable reading.

Nadal has won 41 matches and lost just two since his return to the tour in February from a seven-month injury lay-off. Novak Djokovic has 33 wins against j u s t f o u r defeats.

There are colossal statistics coating every side of this semi-final -- Nadal has won 57 times out of 58 in his French Open career while Djokovic will be appearing in a 12th successive Grand Slam semifinal.

Nadal leads their career rivalry 19-15, has a 12-3 edge on clay and has won all four of the pair’s meetings in Paris, including the final in 2012.

But Djokovic beat the Spaniard on clay in Monte Carlo in April ending Nadal’s eightyear dominance in the principality.

“I played him in Monte Carlo, on clay. I played a fantastic match, and I know what it takes to win against him.

That’s what I’m going for. I’m going to win. That’s the mindset,” insisted Novak Djokovic.

Nadal is desperate to play down the hype despite his sensational return to the tour which has seen him win six titles in eight finals.

“I didn’t have ambition to win Roland Garros; I didn’t have ambition to win Monte Carlo; I didn’t have ambition to win Indian Wells,” s a i d Rafael Nadal. “ M y

only ambition is feel myself competitive another time, feel myself happy to play tennis another time, and try to play with no limitations. So that was my only ambition four months ago, three months ago.”

Friday’s encounter will also take Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic into joint first place on the list of all-time rivalries -- Jimmy Connors and John McEnroe met 35 times as did Connors and Ivan Lendl.

Friday’s other semi-final sees Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, who put out Roger Federer in the quarter-finals, face David Ferrer as the Frenchman continues his campaign to become his country’s first home champion since Yannick Noah in 1983.

“Everybody’s expecting a lot from me since the beginning of this tournament -- not only this tournament, but every day. So I’m used to it,” said Tsonga, the 28-year-old sixth seed.

Ferrer, the fourth seed, made the semi-finals last year but has yet to make the breakthrough to a major final.

Whoever wins that tie will have their work cut out in Sunday’s final.

Djokovic has a 10-5 career winning edge over both Tsonga and Ferrer while Nadal leads Ferrer 19-4 and Tsonga, 8-3.

32

COURTING TROUBLE

Krotiouk gets life ban for match fixing PARIS: Russian player Sergei Krotiouk was on Thursday banned from tennis for life for match-fixing, the third man in the last two years to receive the sanction.

Krotiouk, 34, and ranked at a lowly 789 in the world having risen to a career-high 486 in 2009, was also fined $60,000 after being found guilty of 41 violations, the Tennis Integrity Unit (TIU) revealed.

“The violations for which he has been disciplined occurred during 2012 and 2013,” said TIU statement.

“The life ban applies with immediate effect and means that Mr Krotiouk is not eligible to participate in any tournament or competition organised or sanctioned by the governing bodies of professional tennis from the date of this statement.”

Krotiouk spent all of his career playing on the second and third tier Challenger and Futures circuits and last year appeared in tournaments in Russia, India as well as Kazakhstan.

His biggest pay cheque was just $860 for reaching the secound round of a Challenger event in Penza, Russia, in July.

Life bans in the last two years have also been handed out to Serbia’s David Savic, a former world number 363, and Austria’s Daniel Koellerer, who once rose to 55 in the world and reached the third round of the US Open in 2009.

AFP

PAY-BACK TIME FOR SERENA ALLAN KELLY Agence France-Presse PARI: Serena Williams (right) will be out to end 11 years of frustration on Saturday when she takes on defending champion Maria Sharapova in a French Open final featuring the top seeds for the first time in 18 years.

The American’s first, and to date only title win at Roland Garros, came in 2002 when she defeated sister Venus in a final she says she remembers nothing about.

Since then Williams has

etched her name in the history books of tennis, taking her haul of Grand Slam singles titles to 15, just three shy of Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova, who are tied for fourth on the all-time list.

Five Australian Open titles, five at Wimbledon and four at the US Open, yet the French Open title count has remained stubbornly stuck at one.

On top of that, the Roland Garros claycourts and the French public have seldom been kind to the American, preferring the easy charm of Kim Clijsters, the

pure talent of Justine Henin and the glamour of Sharapova to her perceived brash American character and style of play.

Much of that appears to have changed this year with Williams gaining warm applause for speaking French in her postmatch, on-court interviews and going on about how much she loves Europe and France in particular.

On the face of it, Sharapova, has every reason to be worried over the outcome of Saturday’s showdown.

AFP