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WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 21, 2011 HYDERABAD
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Reputation in tatters, City cops look for
IMAGE REBOOT With cases of alleged rape and other abuses hanging over the police force, police commissioners Dwaraka Tirumala Rao and AK Khan are going all-out to make sure the City’s guardians are put back on the right track REPORT ON PG 6
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Suarez gets 8-match ban Liverpool are left fuming after key-player Suarez was handed a lengthy ban in racism row
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WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 21, 2011
Spirit of Twin Cities
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Christmas fervour has city enthralled Anubha Singh
PIC: SRINIVAS SETTY
anubha.s@postnoon.com
T
hough India is often and justly described as a melting pot of religions, cultures and innumerable languages, it might well be described as a land of festivals as well. And in Hyderabad festivals are a way of life. Beautifully decorated Christmas trees, Santa caps, bags brimming with goodies, colourful bells, ribbons, baubles, candies and many other such items that have started coming on shelf in markets joyfully announce the arrival of Christmas cheer in city. Mirth and merriment are in the air for Christians of the city, as they have started their annual festivities for Christmas. Twinkling Christmas trees, stickers of Santa Claus and shimmering decorations can be seen
across churches and malls in the city. The city’s oldest church St Mary’s, Secunderabad has
already begun elaborate preparations for the festive season that involve spring cleaning and decorating the grand old place of
depicting the birth of Jesus Christ. “As a Christmas tradition every year we light small oil lamps as Christmas decorations and fill our homes with red flowers. Exchanging of gifts among family members and charity to the poor people is a part of our celebration. We place clay lamps on the rooftops and walls of our homes during Christmas, just like the Hindus do while celebrating Diwali,” said Binoy Jacob. The churches, whether Catholic or Protestant, seem to have turned into instant pilgrim centres, with devotees flocking them in a steady flow for special prayers and sermons. The preChristmas celebration across the city is only a beginning of a long party season and family gatherings. It is time to welcome rich plum cakes, soft buttery cookies, gifts and happy songs.
worhsip. Many events have already been kicked off at the church. Carols and Christmas celebrations for Youth of the parish, Holy Mass followed by Carol singing, midnight mass on Christmas Eve and feast of Mary are some of the events lined up for this year’s festive season at the church. In fact, members of Young Women’s Christian Association (YWCA) began their celebrations well in advance. “We had organised games and cultural activities for our members this year. We began our celebrations before hand as we have holidays from December 22,” said a member of the association. United Christmas Committee of Hyderabad also began celebrations on Monday. Chief Minister, Nallari Kiran Kumar Reddy graced the celebrations. St Francis High School, Mahendra Hills staged a play
Around the city: Your guide to the Twin Cities
So fresh you can taste it
CHRISTMAS IN A CAN
To experience a typical seafood market, head to the Simply Fishy Food Festival. Sample food prepared by the chefs made with fresh seafood and a variety of marinades and sauces. Where: Hyderabad Marriott & Convention Centre, Tank Bund When: Ongoing, 6.30 to 11.30 pm Contact: (040) 27522567
When: Ongoing, 11am to 7pm Contact: (040) 23113709
Life in the dark Dialogue in the dark is an innovative format to experience and understand the daily life of the visually challenged. You can get a tour in complete darkness with visually impaired guides as they lead you through various situations such as crossing the road and shopping at a supermarket. Where: Inorbit Mall, Madhapur When: Ongoing, 10am to 8pm Contact: (040) 64603341/42
The Caretaker The Caretaker by Harold Pinter will be staged on 21st December as a part of the Samhaara Theattre and Rock Festival. The play deals with a man Aston, who takes in a homeless man Davies. Where: December 21, 7.30pm When: Ravindra Bharathi, Saifabad Contact: (040) 23233672
4play at 4
Christmas treat
Hard Rock Café’s Happy Hour ‘4Play at 4’ is on from Monday – Friday between 4-7pm. Where: Hard Rock Cafe, Road no 1 When: Monday-Friday, 4pm to 7pm Contact: (040) 4476 7900
It’s Christmas time, Novotel Hyderabad’s Le Café celebrates the festive season with a gingerbread house. You can view this marvel as well as pick up various exciting Christmas goodies such as Christmas Cookies and moulded chocolate that are available on site. Where: Novotel, Hi Tech City When: Ongoing, 11am to 11pm Contact: (040) 66824422
CINEMAS
When: Ongoing, 11am to 7pm Contact: (040)66564467
Synchronicity An exhibition of paintings and sculptures by Seema Kohli’s titled Synchronicity will be on at Shrishti Art Gallery. Where: Shrishti Art Gallery, Jubilee Hills Road no 15
When: Ongoing, 11am to 7pm Contact: (040) 23607151
Designer Lifestyle The Society Collection an exhibitioncum-sale Of designer wear, jewellery, home decor, gifts & lifestyle accessories is on. Where: Novotel Convention Center Kondapur When: Ongoing, 10am to 8pm Contact: (040) 66824422
Acrylic workshop The Daira Centre for Arts and culture has started Atelier for Artist project. This is a reverse glass painting workshop called Acrylic on Acrylic or Acrylic on Glass. Where: : Daira Centre for Arts, Banjara Hills
When: Ongoing, 3pm to 6pm Contact: (040) 66618628
Art& Craft
PIC: SRINIVAS SETTY
Myriad Reflections View a collection of paintings at Alankritha Art Gallery by Ramachandra B Pokale at an exhibition titled Myriad Reflections. His work depicts the youth. Through his paintings he presents women as glamorous, enticing, alluring and charming in the form of a butterfly. Where: Alankritha, Jubilee Hills
Hills
Shilparamam’s annual All India Craft’s Mela is on. Arts and crafts from all over India will be displayed and sold at the venue by Where: Shilparamam When: Ongoing
Interactive art An Interactive exhibition Via presence by B2FAYS is being presented by Alliance française Hyderabad along with Kalakriti Art gallery. Where: Kalakriti Art Gallery, Banjara
Big Cinemas, Ameerpet, 30581470; Cinemax, Banjara Hills, 44565555; Cine Planet , Kompally, 61606060; INOX, Banjara Hills, 447677770, Prasads, Tank Bund Rd, 23448888; PVR, Punjagutta, 08800900009; Talkie Town, Miyapur, 40214175; Tivoli, Secunderabad 27844973
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Campaigns, hard news and spirit of Twin Cities
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 21, 2011
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Excise lifts graft trophy, cops runner-up U Srinivas srinivas.u@postnoon.com
“T
he Excise department is cent-per cent corrupt while the police are 40 per cent,” declared D Venkateshwara Rao, general secretary of AP State Wine Dealers Association. Talking to Postnoon in an exclusive interview from a low-profile shop in Chikkadpally, Venkateshwar Rao said, it is the lopsided policy of the government which has spoiled the business. This the first time that the sellers’ representative has talked openly on the intricacies of wine business after the issue of bribe broke in the open. What is your take on the liquor scam? The ACB has raided some excise officials where they got some slips. The slips contained details of the bribes paid in Karimnagar and Visakhapatnam. They conducted several searches and lots of records were found. ACB raids were conducted in Hyderabad also Yes, Some names of local parties were found in the records. There is nothing new about it. Many politicians are directly or indirectly doing this business. Earlier, TDP leader Devendar Goud was also in this business. What about the politicians involved in this business ? Yes, I know people take the names of ministers Mukesh, Nagendar and former minister T Srinivas Yadav. But let me tell you they are not at all involved. Even I approached them several times to bail us out of some petty cases. But they did not bother to help us. Let a proper probe bring the truth out. Minister Botsa agreed his relatives are in the business. PIC: A SUDHEER REDDY
Police bandobast outside the SR Nagar Hindu Smashana Vatika
Prateek’s body comes home to rest
T
he final rites of Prateek Reddy, son of former Congress minister Komatireddy Venkat Reddy, was held at SR Nagar Hindu Smashana Vatika. Though the family initially wanted to perform his last rites in his hometown of Nalgonda, they later changed the venue to SR Nagar as Prateek was more attached to his house in the City rather than the one in his home town. Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy, deputy chief minister Damodar Rajanarasimha, Union minister for petroleum S Jaipal Reddy, TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu and others paid their last respects.
AP Wine Association leader D Venkateshwara Rao But why do liquor shops not respect the MRP? They cannot sell at Maximum Retail Price because they can’t survive. A shop worth about `15 lakh at the most is auctioned for `5 crore. How will he survive? There is no alternative but sell at higher prices. It is encouraged by the government indirectly.
What about syndicates? It is to escape from the clutches and pressures of the police and excise. A local leader is chosen, all the shops come under one umbrella and pay the uniform bribe to the police and excise officials, and some amount to the ‘godfather’. This is to avoid police and excise from making huge demands. Syndicates are for selling above the MRP and paying uniform bribes. Syndicates are formed by different shops in that area to negotiate with the officials. What will the Association do? We negotiate to keep the sellers off of petty cases like parking, night hours, small offences, wrongly booked cases. There are instances where some wine shops and biriyani joints were closed as a major portion of the earnings were going to the beat officials. Here comes our lobbying ability. What is the way out? Government must come up with a uniform policy to all the shops. No auctioning.
More shops must come up so that there is no demand for that shop or this shop. Then prices will be at MRP. Why this clamour for liquor business? When YSR was in power, land was the business, VAT and registration were the main incomes. Liquor was also there but not of this priority. Now land business is gone, so government is milking the excise. That is the real scenario. Out of `100 of this business `87 goes to the government, the remainder for the sellers. How can we pay crores and survive on just 13 per cent? Who is at fault? The government. Why such greed? Why such high targets. Shops costing lakhs sold for crores. Finally, consumers and sellers are facing hardships. Your suggestion to Government… Come up with a uniform price and policy. Increase the number of shops. Raise the margin of retailers. All shops should have a uniform price. Force to sell on MRP.
Hyper Local
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 21, 2011
Campaigns, hard news and spirit of Twin Cities
4
Fear of stampede hounds devotees AP devotees, who usually throng the Sabrimala shrine in January hoping to catch a glimpse of the famous Makara Jyothi, have this time completed their pilgrimage well in advance to avoid the risk of any untoward incidents PIC: N SHIVA KUMAR
Anubha Singh anubha.s@postnoon.com
T
elugu devotees of Lord Ayyappa formed the second largest linguistic group after Tamils. This was admitted by the Kerala government itself and it has rewarded the devotees from AP with a plot in Sabarimala for the comforts of Ayyappa devotees. It is also well known that most devotees from AP visit the Sabrimala shrine in the first half of January when the famous Makaravilakku (Makara jyoti) is seen marking the conclusion of the two-month-long pilgrimage. This year however, the trend seems to be changing with most devotees opting to visit the shrine much before the Makaravilakku can be spotted. The reason — 2011’s tragic incident where 102 devotees were crushed to death in a stampede. Devotees this year are hesitant to take a risk of this stature and would rather complete their pilgrimage well in advance. “It’s not lack of faith in Makara Jyoti,” they all agreed, “if anything,
A unique pilgrim centre
S
abarimala is the largest annual pilgrim destination in the world with an estimated 30 million devotees visiting every year. In 2008 one million devotees witnessed the Makarajyoti, according to an answer in the Kerala Assembly.
it is the lack of faith in the human administration.” For instance, the stampede was totally avoidable. The only reason it happened was because after the Makara Jyothi sighting when the devotees arrived to Pullumedu to take taxis for their return journey, some greedy cabbies hassled with devotees for more money. During the argument a driver lost control and the
vehicle ploughed into the crowds leading to a panic. “I had already finished my pilgrimage to Sabarimala in October. There are many other devotees who have done the same. The reason is fear of last season’s stampede,” said S Kamesh, a devotee.
Arrangements But devotees returning from their pilgrimage this year claim
that security arrangements are much better this time round. Several hundred policemen in plainclothes have been pressed into service. Besides, a new footpath, bridge and a slew of other measures have been taken to decongest the route. A special batch of police personnel have been deployed in Sannidhanam for security and crowd control.
Online booking
aishwarya.y@postnoon.com
M
angalhat in Nampally seems to be emerging as the treasure chest of heritage structures. Mangalhat may be a really old area where Hindus and Muslims reside in equal numbers but is still known for having communal tensions. Yet the area is blessed with a good dose of historical structures and heritage. Ask anyone in Old City or Hyderabad where Ghode Ki Khabar is and they will be ready with the address — opposite Pan
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Mandi, Mangalhat. But ask them what they know about the place and you will draw a blank. Chances are that you might get a few Smart Alec answers like a grave for a horse and even a vast majority of the people residing or having shops around it are quite clueless. It takes quite a bit of effort and asking around to actually know the history behind Ghode ki Khabar. There are a lot of untrue stories floating around about this grave with a horse statue sitting on it. But few people know that what has become a very important and famous milestone today
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Makaravilakku Day The movement of devotees will be restricted during Mandala Makaravilakku day. Devotees will be stopped at Pampa from moving to Sabarimala to reduce rush.
Vehicle Movement The vehicles coming to the temple are allowed to park at the Attukal temple ground, world market ground, Homeo college ground and at Injakal.
Tips from devotees n
n n n
Every year, Shiva Kumar used to spend a minimum of four to five hours in the queue to enter the sanctum sanctorum of the
A treasure trove of memories Aishwarya Yerra
Sabarimala temple. But this year, it took him just 20 minutes thanks to a new Q-coupon booking facility. Those who register online need not wait in the regular queue at Valiya Nadappandal.
was originally built by Osman Bin Salem more than a hundred years ago. He lost his beloved horse and in its memory buried it and built a mazaar around it and constructed a horse statue on it. Says Mehmooda Begum, one of the last living successors of Osman Bin Salem, “I have seen this khabar since I was very young and it has been there much before me. Occasionally, we see people come to pray here and visit the khabar.” Few devotees come and paint it periodically and maintain the place. Originally the horse was plain white in colour but through the 39879999 27567892 23559555 23226624 27633087 27035588 27550238 30799999 30418296 30417445
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ERITAGE WATCH
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Ghode Ki Khabar years people have painted it colourfully. The stories about the history of the place also believed by people are that the horse belonged to a saint or the horse itself was a saint. A mazaar of a horse is very rare and is hardly seen anywhere else in the country. But Hyderabad being one of the oldest cities has a rich cultural past and history to throw out interesting gems like Ghode ki Khabar.
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Opt for online booking for darshan tickets. Travel light. Travel in small groups. Trains are more comfortable than cars for travel. Coaches can be booked in advance and there are several KSRTC buses available from the station.
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
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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
Hyper Local
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 21, 2011
Campaigns, hard news and spirit of Twin Cities
5
TDP bets on Cong ‘sani’ Naidu instructs cadres to highlight failures of the government and cash in on women’s support by stepping up anti-booze campaign U Srinivas Srinivas.u@postnoon.com
V
aastu change TDP chief Chandrababu Naidu made to his office on the suggestion of his relative and film star Balakrishna seems working at last, or so the leaders and cadres believe. The current power struggle in the Congress, the TRS challenge and disqualification issue is topped by the liquor scam that threatens to open a Pandora’s Box and Babu has already alerted the cadres to get ready for a great electoral war. “Sani” (Saturn) has gripped the Congress and the TDP is free from its grip is the common belief. The TDP is only praying for the quick decision on the 16 Congress MLAs who voted for no-confidence motion. The TDP office has begun sending SMSes to the cadres. Babu has advised the leaders to create awareness among the public that there was nothing left with the Congress to develop the State and
public in general and it’s time that they voted for the TDP. He wanted the TDP leaders to enthuse womenfolk against the liquor and its sales in the State. No one should purchase the liquor over and above the MRP, he directed the cadres. The sentiment of womenfolk against the liquor should be moulded for the TDP candidates, he directed. The TDP has chalked out a strategy to strengthen the party from grassroots level, and gear up for the coming local body elec-
tions apart from the byelections.The TDP is also awaiting for the Speaker’s decision on the disqualification issue. As the first step in that direction, the TDP prepared a schedule to conduct the meetings at every mandal. Babu has finished a first round of talk via video conference with cadres. Talking to Postnoon, some of the party leaders said that the cadre needs to be enthused and motivated to re-establish its contact with a cross-section of people, more particularly farmers and women. In fact, some of the cadres itself had lost touch with the party. Though committees were formed up to booth level, still the contacts have to be developed keeping in touch with them on daily basis they opined. The TDP has asked the local leaders to identify the problems, and draw up plans for protests and dharnas . This apart, it wanted the cadres to highlight the issues like price rise, crop loans, scarcity of seeds and fertilisers, and delay in release of scholarships.
OU makes third bid for UGC prize Postnoon News feedback@postnoon.com
O
smania University is competing for the University potential for excellence (UPE) status — to be awarded by the UGC for three universities. These three universities will be given a collective grant of Rs50 crore for outstanding performance in the research area. OU is already placed in the top 10 and it has to be ranked in the first three for the UPE status. UGC will also grant fellowships those involved in research leading to UPE status apart from priority in all the fields in future. OU failed twice after competing for this status when PC Reddy was the Vice-Chancellor.
Navigation was the thrust area then. During Suleman Siddiqi’s time geography was the thrust area. But both the times OU failed to impress the UGC. According to YL Srinivas, one of the professors in English, this time OU will achieve the status. Talking to Postnoon, Srinivas, opined: “Since we have experienced it for the last two times, this time it will happen.. OU is already getting 27 grants in the field of material sciences. On the whole OU gets around Rs70 crore grant. OU has about 6 lakh students and is being regarded as one of the top universities in the country. Even after having lot of disturbances through agitations, it continues to get good results.
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Campaigns, hard news and spirit of Twin Cities
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 21, 2011
Punish errant cops: AK Khan broom can’t clean a room’. We are trying our best to trace them ourselves, but we request the general public to report any such grievances or problems to the control room or to officials.”
D Sree Charan sreecharan@postnoon.com
P
PACKERS & MOVERS
CONSULTANT
olice officials are a worried lot these days. Apart from drawing flak for the rising crime rate in the twin cities, their reputation has taken a severe beating with incidents of policemen being involved in crimes. Recently, a cop was charged with raping a minor and another for abetting the crime. Ugly faces of the law enforcers’ behind such crimes are no different from those of commonplace criminals. Such events may seem sporadic but they don’t fail to rattle the City. Despite all this, officials in the top echelons of the police department are quick to promise that justice will be done. “Everyone is equal before law, and that includes the police,” said Cyberabad police commissioner Dwaraka Tirumala Rao. “Errant policemen shall not be exempted. Such officials will be dealt with stringently. Apart from registering a case and arresting the accused, we also take departmental action against him. People needn’t worry about it,” he assured. There are three types of disciplinary actions. The first type of action is initiated against those who are involved in a grave crime and it attracts major penalty proceedings. The punishment may even go up to dismissal from the department (once dismissed he won’t be considered for government jobs). The second type of disciplinary action comprises minor penalty proceedings against officials whose offences are not criminal, but are punishable. Such officials are suspended (he may be reinstated into the service, or he may join other gov-
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Hall of shame
ernment department). The punishment for the third type of offence is minimal. For insubordination and lack of punctuality, demotions, delay in promotions and assigning extra work are the norm. “There is no need for the general public to be worried about recent incidents. We are doing our best to keep a check on our system. In most
of the cases we are initiating inquiries and are arresting the accused. In fact, no other department in AP has taken disciplinary action against their officers like we have,” said Tirumala Rao. “A study conducted about the errant behaviour of our policemen reveals stress to be the main cause,” he revealed. “Some of our men are unable to cope with the extreme stress and hence indulge in such activities. Even on normal days when there are no agitation the stress levels are high. Hence we have conducted workshops on stress management.” Hyderabad City police Commissioner AK Khan is of the opinion that errant cops should be punished severely. “The police department’s very aim is to protect law and order,” he said. “We are given the responsibility of protecting lives, safeguarding values, dignity, liberty and moral rights. If a person who is given this responsibility plays commits an offence then he should be severely punished. It’s like ‘A dirty
December 16: Lakshman, 24, a constable attached to KPHB police station, was arrested for misbehaving with a woman in the Kukatpally Housing Board Colony. December 13: Gopalapuram police arrested two constables Siddhulu, 32, and G Prabhakar Reddy, 26, attached to the Tukaramgate police station. One has been charged with raping a minor, while the other has been charged for abetting the crime. December 8: ACB officials trapped SI Mallepalli Srinivasa Rao and constable Dasari Chinna Malakondaih of Chilakalaguda police station when they demanded and accepted a bribe of `8,000. September 13: E Hari Krishna, 25, a police constable with Shamirpet police station, and his friend Raju, a realtor, were arrested for sexually assaulting a housewife in an inebriated state at Indiramma Nagar in Shamirpet. October 13: Raidurgam police arrested G Venkateswara Rao, a constable at the Afzalgunj police station for extorting money from couples at isolated spots and Syed Younusuddin, a home guard at Charminar traffic police station, for extorting money. June 11: Kukatpally police constable V Srinivas, hanged himself at his residence in Pargi, one month after he shot dead a woman constable Lalitha on May 9 after she allegedly refused to marry him.
Director insists museum’s still the best
P HOUSE FOR RENT
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ostnoon reporter Osama Salman visited BM Birla Science Museum and noticed shortcomings in India’s premier science centre. However, the director of the museum Dr BG Sidharth defends it and is adamant that the science museum has over the years been maintained and is still the best. n Has the museum witnessed fewer visitors over the years? The Birla science museum is as
strong as it was earlier. In fact, on lean days, 1000 people visit us and on heavy days, the number rises to 1500 to 2000. This number speaks for itself. We are the best science museum in the country and recently visiting team from IEEE was impressed with the facilities we offer. n Some equipments are not working while others are worn out. Do you think it needs a face-lift? In any science museum in the country, 70 per cent of the equipment doesn’t work. Many people have complained that in museums of Bengaluru and Kolkata, they come back disappointed due to this. But in our museum, the ratio is reverse. 70 per cent of the equipment is working. We are in the process of repairing equipment. As far as face-lift is concerned, we don’t see the need. We are constantly introducing new exhibits. n The museum is dusty and stuffy. The lighting is poor too. We get the museum cleaned every
day. The day you visited was probably one of the few days when it wasn’t cleaned properly. We use CFL and LED lights to be ecological. n Visitors say the staff does not explain the exhibits to them. The very idea of the museum is to
self-learn. Visitors need to explore the concepts of science, ask questions and discover answers. n Is there a new wing in the pipeline? Yes, we are going to inaugurate a hitech and state of the art wing by January. It is an electronics and space simulator wing and is the best in India.
India‑View
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 21, 2011
India unveiled
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Centre nod for Lokpal, Anna fumes NEW DELHI: ^åå~=e~ò~êÉ=~åÇ íÜÉ= ÖçîÉêåãÉåí= ïÉêÉ= ëÉí= Ñçê= ~ ëÜçïÇçïå= ~ÑíÉê= íÜÉ= `~ÄáåÉí= çå qìÉëÇ~ó= Ñáå~äáëÉÇ= áíë= içâé~ä= Äáää ÄêáåÖáåÖ= íÜÉ= éêáãÉ= ãáåáëíÉê ìåÇÉê= áíë= ~ãÄáí= Äìí= äÉ~îáåÖ= çìí íïç= çíÜÉê= âÉó= ÇÉã~åÇë= çÑ= íÜÉ ~Åíáîáëíë= Ô= áåÅäìëáçå= çÑ= íÜÉ= `_f ~åÇ=íÜÉ=äçïÉê=ÄìêÉ~ìÅê~ÅóK=^=ÑìêáJ çìë= e~ò~êÉ= ÇìÄÄÉÇ= íÜÉ= ÖçîÉêåJ ãÉåí= ÇáëÜçåÉëíÒ= ~åÇ= îçïÉÇ= ~ ÜìåÖÉê=ëíêáâÉ=Ñêçã=aÉÅÉãÄÉê=OTK `~ééáåÖ= ïÉÉâë= çÑ= áåíÉåëÉ áåíÉêå~ä= ÇÉÄ~íÉ= ïáíÜáå= íÜÉ= ÖçîJ ÉêåãÉåí= ~åÇ= íÜÉ= `çåÖêÉëëI= íÜÉ `~ÄáåÉíI= ÅÜ~áêÉÇ= Äó= mêáãÉ jáåáëíÉê=j~åãçÜ~å=páåÖÜI=~éé=J êçîÉÇ= íÜÉ= _áää= ~ÑíÉê= ~å= ÜçìêJäçåÖ ãÉÉíáåÖ=áå=íÜÉ=m~êäá~ãÉåí=ÜçìëÉK qÜÉ= _áää= ÄêáåÖë= íÜÉ= éêáãÉ ãáåáëíÉê= ìåÇÉê= íÜÉ= ~åíáJÖê~Ñí çãÄìÇëã~å= ïáíÜ= êáÇÉêëI= Äìí ~ÅÅÉéíë= çåäó= çåÉ= éçáåí= Ô ~ééçáåíãÉåí= çÑ= içâ~óìâí~ë= áå ëí~íÉë= Ô= Ñêçã= íÜÉ= ëÉåëÉ= çÑ= íÜÉ ÜçìëÉ= êÉëçäìíáçå= ÅçåîÉóÉÇ= íç e~ò~êÉ= áå= ^ìÖìëí= íÜáë= óÉ~ê= Äìí âÉÉéë= çìí= ÄçíÜ= íÜÉ= `_f= ~åÇ= íÜÉ äçïÉê=ÄìêÉ~ìÅê~ÅóK e~ò~êÉI= TQI= êÉ~ÅíÉÇ= Ñìêáçìëäó íç= íÜÉ= ÖçîÉêåãÉåíÛë= ~ååçìåÅÉJ ãÉåíI= íÉêãáåÖ= íÜÉ= _áää= ïÉ~â= ~åÇ ~ääÉÖáåÖ= íÜ~í= íÜÉ= ÖçîÉêåãÉåíÛë
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India‑View
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 21, 2011
India unveiled
8
KHAKHI TERROR UNLEASHED
Left: A J&K policeman canecharges one of the teachers who were staging a protest in Srinagar on Tuesday. Right: An SI thrashes an auto-rickshaw driver in Moradabad on Tuesday
PIC: PTI
STOCKTAKING President Pratibha Patil inspects a guard of honour during the President's Fleet Review 2011 in Mumbai on Tuesday PIC: PTI
Fire in Kolkata, ice in Sonamarg Flames billow out of a slipper manufacturing unit where a major fire broke out in Kolkata on Tuesday
A ponywallah waits for customers at a slow-clad road in Sonamarg, J&K on Tuesday after a fresh snowfall PIC: PTI
Around the World
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 21, 2011
Beyond Borders
Is Zardari’s return to Pakistan just a cameo?
A file image of Pakistan's President Asif Ali Zardari in front of a picture of his late AFP wife Benazir Bhutto
WASHINGTON: President Asif Ali Zardari's return to Pakistan from Dubai could be just a ‘cameo appearance’ before his wife and former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto’s death anniversary on December 27 and after that he would be probably leave for a long convalescene in London or Dubai, a media report said. Zardari had suddenly flown out of Pakistan on December 6 to Dubai where he was admitted in a hospital. His exact health status is not known with reports ranging from a heart attack to a stroke that caused bleeding in his brain. He returned to Pakistan on Sunday night. New York Times quoted some Pakistani and Western officials last week as saying that “If Zardari returned, it could be only for a cameo appearance before December 27”, Benazir’s fourth death anniversary.
After that, Zardari would probably leave for a long - perhaps permanent - convalescence in London or Dubai, the report quoted officials as saying. Benazir Bhutto (1953-2007) was the first woman prime minister of Pakistan. She was twice the prime minister - 1988-90 and 1993-96 - but could not complete any term. She was removed in 1996 as prime minister on charges of corruption, and went into self-imposed exile to Dubai in 1998. Benazir returned to Pakistan in October 2007 after an understanding with then President Pervez Musharraf. She was granted amnesty and all corruption charges were withdrawn. She was assassinated in December 2007, after a Pakistan Peoples Party rally in Rawalpindi, just two weeks before the scheduled parliamentary elections of 2008.
1,000 dead, Philippines begins burials
‘Liars, stop the violence’ demand Egyptian women
CAGAYAN DE ORO: Philip
H
pine authorities on Tuesday began burying the dead from flash floods that have left more than 1,000 dead or missing, as President Benigno Aquino declared a national disaster. Aquino flew to Mindanao island to inspect the ports choked with drying mud, crumpled homes, and hundreds of decomposing corpses after being struck by tropical storm Washi on the weekend. Two dump trucks arrived at
Relatives of the victims of the devastating flash floods light AFP candles the public cemetery in Iligan at dusk, with soldiers unloading 38 coffins of victims who have been identified and claimed by relatives, who cried and lit candles as they witnessed the burial. On Monday as the stench of rotting bodies grew unbearable and health fears rose, local authorities had announced plans for burials in mass graves but after intense criticism they hastily arranged individual tombs. “Authorities likened the impact to Ketsana, one of the country's most devastating storms”
undreds of women have taken to the streets of Cairo to protest against military rule and the brutal treatment of female protesters by Egypt’s security services. The women rallied outside a government office complex in Tahrir Square, the scene of violent clashes earlier on Tuesday in which at least four demonstrators were shot dead by military police. Dozens of men joined the demonstration out of sympathy with the women. They acted as a protective cordon and chanted: “Egyptian women are a red line.” The protest came after soldiers made another violent attempt to evict demonstrators camped in the square, during the fifth day of bloody confrontation between the military and opponents of army rule. It also followed condemnation of the treatment of female activists in Egypt by Hillary Clinton. The US secretary of state said she was appalled by the treatment being meted out to female protesters – particularly by a photo showing a young woman, stripped to her bra and jeans, being kicked and dragged along the ground by two police officers. “This systematic degradation of Egyptian women dishonours the revolution, disgraces the state and its uniform and is not worthy of a great people,” Clinton said. She added: “Women are being
9
GLOBE AT A GLANCE KIM JONG-IL NOW IN WARM CORNER OF HELL: MCCAIN WASHINGTON: Though President Barack Obama is yet to voice American approach to new North Korean "Respected Comrade", top US lawmakers have wished his father, the late Kim Jongil, "a warm corner in hell", alongside the likes of Muammar Gaddafi, Osama bin Laden, Hitler and Stalin."The world is a better place now that Kim Jong-il is no longer in it," said US Republican Senator John McCain
FIVE DEAD IN US PLANE CRASH WASHINGTON: A 36-year-old Indianorigin man was among five people killed in a plane crash in America's New Jersey state.A single-engine plane that had taken off from New Jersey and was heading to Georgia, crashed on to a highway Tuesday, said Jim Peters, spokesman for the Federal Aviation Administration.New York investment banking firm Greenhill & Co. later confirmed the story.
Decorations belonging to late Kim Jong-Il are displayed at the Kumsusan Memorial Palace AFP / KCNA
RUSSIA, EUROPE PLAN JOINT MISSION TO JUPITER MOSCOW: Top officials of Russia's federal space agency Roscosmos and the European Space Agency (ESA) met in Moscow to discuss a Moon research mission and a flight to Jupiter, officials said. Roscosmos head Vladimir Popovkin and ESA director-general Jean-Jacques Dordain met in the Russian capital. Russia and Europe are considering five research projects An Egyptian woman shouts slogans during a protest in downtown Cairo's Tahrir Square to denounce the military’s AFP attacks on women beaten and humiliated in the same streets where they risked their lives for the revolution only a few short months ago.” Soldiers fired live rounds and used batons to disperse demonstrators . The four protesters killed during a dawn raid included a 19-year-old. All were shot. A 15-year-old protester, Ahmed Saad, was also said to be in a critical condition from a gunshot wound. Doctors working in makeshift field hospitals said at least 13 people had been killed and hundreds wounded since the latest unrest in Tahrir began last Friday. Protesters demanding an immediate end to army rule have gathered in the square, and in nearby streets leading to parliament and the cabinet
office. The UN secretary general, Ban Ki-moon, has called the tactics used by the Egyptian authorities ‘excessive’. During Tuesday's demonstration, female activists handed out flyers depicting a hand – emerging from a military uniform – stretching out to grope a frowning woman. The writing over the flyer read: “Liars, stop the violence.” Samea Saleh, a woman wearing the niqab (veil), said that the military was attempting to take away the Egyptian people's dignity. Referring to the images of the young woman lying halfnaked on the street – her cloak ripped in two – Saleh said such images showed nothing had improved under military rule.
IN PAK, NO INDIAN SHOWS MEANS NO VIEWERSHIP ISLAMABAD: Pakistan's official TV channel’s ratings have gone down as it cannot telecast Indian shows and news regarding Indian filmstars, admitted a top official. PTV managing director Yousuf Baig Mirza told a special committee of the Senate on Monday that PTV cannot telecast news awithout confirmation from its spokesperson and sometimes do not get permission even for news
The leaders of the ex-Soviet states, and officials take part in the CSTO AFP wide format summit.
Around the World
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 21, 2011
Beyond Borders
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Syria: Violence continues, over 47 dead
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cores of people have been killed in Syria, opposition activists say, in a second day of heavy bloodshed. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights put the death toll at 47, while the Local Co-ordination Committees said as many as 78 people were killed. Meanwhile video has emerged of a young boy, whose body was apparently torn in half by shelling in the city of Homs. In the north-west, dozens of army deserters, security forces members and civilians reportedly died in clashes. The claims have not been independently verified, as foreign media are banned from reporting in Syria. The UN says more than 5,000 people have been killed across Syria since protests against President Bashar al-Assad erupted in March. Damascus says it is fighting ‘armed terrorist gangs’, who want to destabilise the country.
Live-fire exercises The London-based Observatory said that at least 23 people were killed in clashes between army deserters and the security forces in the north-western province of Idlib on Tuesday.
A handout picture shows smoke billowing behind a missile launcher during military manoeuvres by AFP the Syrian army in an undisclosed location in Syria. It said that dozens of civilians remained besieged by an army offensive in two villages in the Jabal al-Zawiya area. The group also cited defectors as saying that 100 of their colleagues were “killed or wounded between the villages”, the AFP news agency reported. The LCC put the death toll in Idlib at 59.
Had no knowledge of phone-hacking: Piers
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iers Morgan repeatedly denied any knowledge of phone hacking at the Daily Mirror, in the face of aggressive questioning about previous statements he has given about the scale of the practice on Fleet Street. The former editor, who now has his own daily talk show in America, told the Leveson inquiry into press standards he “had no reason or knowledge to believe it was going on” during his 10-year tenure. In the first of a series of tense exchanges, the inquiry’s lead counsel, Robert Jay, pressed Morgan to provide more details about who had played him a voicemail left for Sir Paul McCartney’s former wife Heather Mills. Morgan
wrote about the incident in the Daily Mail in October 2006. Morgan refused four times, saying on each occasion that he could not risk identifying a source. Lord Justice Leveson eventually intervened to say he was prepared to call Mills in order to establish whether she had allowed Morgan to listen to her voicemails. Morgan responded: “What we know for a fact about Lady Heather Mills McCartney is that in her divorce case, Paul McCartney stated as a fact that she had recorded their conversations and given them to the media.” Giving video evidence by satellite from the US, Morgan was confronted by a slew of articles and interviews he has given, and numerous passages in his book, The Insider, in which he talked about phonehacking being prevalent on Fleet Street. The inquiry earlier heard from a former News of the World TV journalist,, who told the inquiry she resigned from the paper after being asked to get a quote from celebrity about an affair of her husband.
Both groups also reported deaths in Homs, Hama and Deraa. Video footage emerged on Tuesday, allegedly showing the body of a young boy torn in half in the ruins of two houses hit by army shelling in Homs. Meanwhile, Syria’s air and naval forces conducted live-fire manoeuvres aimed testing their readiness to repulse “any aggres-
sion against the homeland,” the official Sana news agency reported. On Monday, more than 70 soldiers were shot dead after deserting their positions in Idlib, activists said. Syrian opposition sources said the army was intensifying its campaign in Idlib ahead of the expected deployment of observers who
will monitor the Syrian government’s implementation of an Arab League peace initiative. League officials have said that the first monitors could be in the country as early as Thursday. This follows the announcement that Damascus had agreed to the observer mission on Monday. Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem said the country’s sovereignty would be protected because the Arab League had agreed to amendments to the deal, which also calls for all violence to be halted, for the withdrawal of troops from the streets, and the release of detainees. The observers would be ‘free’ in their movements and ‘under the protection of the Syrian government’, Mr Muallem added, but would not be allowed to visit sensitive military sites. The observers will have a onemonth mandate that can be extended by another month if both sides agree. The leader of the Syrian National Council, an opposition umbrella group, has dismissed the government’s decision as “just a ploy”. Activists say that if the government does withdraw the army, many areas will immediately fall out of its control.
‘Ukutya Kwasekhya’, get a taste of Mandela’s life JOHANNESBURG: Cookbooks are competing with more serious works on Nelson Mandela in South African bookshops this Christmas, after the icon’s personal chef has published a collection of her choicest dishes. Xoliswa Ndoyiya’s book, Ukutya Kwasekhaya (home cooking) Tastes from Nelson Mandela’s Kitchen gathers 62 recipes with short family anecdotes about the hero. The book offers recipes from lemon Brussels sprouts to curried mango rice salad, paella, nine kinds of soup, orange turkey, various chicken dishes, and mama’s meatballs.“Those are not all my recipes. I do have more than that!” said the 49-year-old chef, smiling. Also known as Xoli, she caught the cooking bug from her grandmother, who cooked for a white family.Xoli’s story sadly is typical of many black South Africans.Brought up in a rural township, she found a job as domestic worker first with a white family in Johannesburg, then in a Jewish old age home. Her first husband was killed
Xoliswa Ndoyiya has been cooking for Nelson Mandela AFP since 1992 in the township violence between Mandela’s African National Congress (ANC) and a rival contender for power, the Zulu Inkhata Freedom Party (IFP), in the early 1990s right before the end of apartheid. Her second husband died in a car accident. The chef’s four children were
raised in the countryside by her mother and sister, 800 kilometres (500 miles) from Johannesburg. But then Xoli met Mandela. A friend pulled a few strings and she got the job as his cook in 1992, two years before Mandela won South Africa’s first multiracial general elections and became president. Since then, Xoliswa Ndoyiya has fed not only the statesman, but also his family, ANC leaders, foreign heads of state and famous visitors like Michael Jackson. American talk-show queen Oprah Winfrey was especially fond of Xoli’s creamy potatoes, it seems. Home cooking is Xoli’s trademark, as the book’s title suggests. Under her watch, Mandela’s table turned into a culinary meltingpot, integrating traditional Xhosa cuisine, South African classics like sour milk (amasi) and Jewish dishes she learnt from her previous employers. Ukutya Kwasekhaya, co-written with food critic Anna Trapido, is one of the few cook books in South Africa that includes recipes of traditional African dishes.
Wacky World
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 21, 2011
Fun and frolic in a flat world
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A Russian city for the dead A
place called the City of the Dead actually exists in Russia’s North Ossetia, hidden in one of the five mountain ridges that cross the region. Needless to say, several myths and legends shroud the place, with locals claiming that no one has ever come back alive. The ‘city’ hardly ever gets any tourists either, although this might be due to the difficulty of just getting there.
Reaching Dargavs, the City of the Dead, entails a three-hour journey through winding, narrow roads, and several hills. The foggy mountain weather certainly doesn’t help matters. Once there, you’ll find that the city is in fact another hill covered with small white buildings. It is these very buildings that cause the place to get it’s name. The white house-like structures, countless in num-
ber, are stone crypts where locals buried their loved ones. The city itself is an ancient Ossetian cemetery. Each family of the area has a crypt, and the higher the structure, the greater the number of people buried in it. The oldest of the crypts dates back to the 16th century. The area is of little interest to anyone, barring a few archaeologists who have made some unusual discoveries here. It was
discovered for instance, that the bodies inside the crypts were buried in wooden structures that look like boats. The mystery remains as to how the boats came to be in a place with no navigable rivers. One explanation is that the departed soul had to cross a river in order to get to heaven, and hence the boat. Another interesting presence is that of a well in front of each crypt. It is said that once the
Now staring is winning C
ontests and competitions have been used for a very long time now as a marketing tool. Some of these competitions have been quite unusual. But it doesn’t get more unusual than this — a championship for paint-watchers! The paint-watching championship is being organized by Localtraders.com, an online resource for finding reliable local tradespeople in the UK. Normally, the website works by having people submit details of a job they need done, and several
tradespeople bid over the project. Now, they’ve come up with this innovative idea to attract new customers. The ‘Watching Paint Dry Championships’ is truly a test of patience, mental strength and physical endurance. The way it works is that interested participants should send in a photograph of themselves watching paint dry, along with the longest time they’ve stared at the wall of paint without looking away. They’re also asking for a short write-up about your favourite
Let’s be honest, with England’s recent performances on the football and rugby pitches most of us would prefer to watch paint dry anyway,
paint colour and why you like it. A few candidates would be shortlisted from all the entries received, who will participate in the grand final paint watching competition. The event is to be held in front of media from around the world, at a location in central England. Around half-a-dozen paint watchers would fight it out for the world title. According to Localtraders.com, the sport is quite called for at this time. “ Let’s be honest, with England’s recent performances on the football and rugby pitches most of us would prefer to watch paint dry anyway,” they say on their website. Regarding the sport itself, the organizers feel that entrants don’t require any vigorous training regime, nor do they need to be physically fit. Previous experience in paint watching is also not required. What’s more important is “mental strength, concentration and endurance.” They advise participants to get as much practice as possible. It sure does look like the championship is going to get a lot of people interested.
Pet
surprise in store
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im Wick, owner of Wickid Pets in Wolverhampton, found the exotic creature in a plastic box when he arrived at work. The 3ft–long crocodile has been taken in by the exotic animal specialist, who admits he was lucky not to lose a chunk of his arm after making the discovery. “I thought it might have been kittens or turtles because we often have animals left outside by people who don't want them any more,” Mr Wick said. “I put my hand in straight away to test the warmth of the water. I'm lucky it wasn't aggressive because it could have had my hand off.” Mr Wick recovered quickly from the surprise, and picked up the animal and took it to one of his reptile vivariums. Staff have
Girl threatens to kill Santa for gifts
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hristmas letters to Santa asking for a new bike or toy are usually endearing notes penned by wide-eyed innocent children. But Mekeeda Austin has warned Father Christmas that he will be ‘killed’ if he fails to deliver at least two of her long list of gifts – including a BlackBerry smartphone and ‘the real-life Justin Bieber’. The 13year-old goes even further and
threatens to ‘hunt down’ Old Nick’s reindeer so she can ‘cook them and serve their meat to homeless people on Xmas day’. Her mother, Tracey, from Brickhill, Bedford, found the note – which ends “Remember… two of these, or you die” – in Mekeeda’s school bag but has vowed to try to meet her daughter’s demands rather than punish her. ‘When I first found the letter, I
Ossetians buried their dead, they would drop a coin in the well. If it happened to hit a stone at the bottom, it was taken to mean that the soul had reached heaven. Some buildings are out of limits – these are the crypts of the criminals of the land. It is also said that when plagues wiped out entire families, people with no one to bury them would come to their family crypt and wait for their death.
thought it was funny. Now I think I’d better get her what she wants. The last thing I want is for her to kill Santa,” said Mrs Austin, 40. And the demanding Mekeeda added: “I don’t really believe in Santa any more but I was angry because I thought I wasn’t going to get all the presents I wanted this year. I want all of these things and I don’t see why I shouldn’t get them.”
been looking after the female caiman, which they have named Snappy the Christmas Crocodile, feeding it a diet of rats and mice. Mr Wick said he was more than happy to keep caring for his latest visitor, which is capable of growing to 8ft. "We'll have her here for a few days then if no one comes forward, she’ll probably go to somewhere like West Midland Safari Park,” he said. “She's in good health so has clearly been looked after.” Mr Wick has contacted the police to find out whether there have been any reports of missing crocodiles but to no avail. However, he has his own suspicions about what has happened. “Some people aren't given the correct facts when they buy animals like this and they find them too much to cope with.”
Playing Field
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 21, 2011
The games people play
TITBITS
Suarez gets eight-match ban L
uis Suarez has been banned for eight matches and fined £40,000 by the Football Association for racially abusing Patrice Evra. The Liverpool striker, who has the right of appeal, was sanctioned by an FA Independent Regulatory Commission. Evra told French TV he was racially abused by the Uruguayan on 10 occasions during Manchester United’s Barclays Premier League match at Anfield on October 15. The FA said in a statement: “An Independent Regulatory Commission has today found a charge of misconduct against Luis Suarez proven, and have issued a suspension for a period of eight matches as well as fining him £40,000, pending appeal.” The commission’s ruling stated, “Mr Suarez used insulting words towards Mr Evra during the match contrary to FA Rule E3(1); The insulting words used by Mr Suarez included a reference to Mr Evra’s colour within the meaning of Rule E3(2); Mr Suarez shall be warned as to his future conduct, be suspended for eight matches covering all first team competitive matches and fined the sum of £40,000; The [penalty] is suspended pending the outcome of any appeal lodged by Mr Suarez against this decision.” The FA confirmed that Suarez’s suspension will not start until the outcome of any appeal.
Reds see red, defend Suarez L
The the statement added: “Mr Suarez has the right to appeal the decision of the Independent Regulatory Commission to an Appeal Board. An appeal must be lodged within 14 days of the date of the written reasons for the decision. The penalty is suspended until after the outcome of any appeal, or the time for appealing expires, or should Mr Suarez decide not to appeal. The reason for this is to ensure that the penalty does not take effect before any appeal.” EVENING STANDARD
iverpool have defended Luis Suarez and say they are “surprised and disappointed” he has been charged with racially abusing Patrice Evra. The striker has been banned for eight matches and fined £40,000 by the Football Association for his part in an altercation with the Manchester United defender at Anfield on October 15. Suarez has 14 days to appeal the decision and his suspension is not due to begin until the completion of any appeals process. The Reds did not officially confirm whether or not they would be appealing, but said: “Liverpool Football Club is very surprised and disappointed with the decision of the Football Association Commission to find Luis Suarez guilty of the charges against him. We look forward to the publication of the Commission’s Judgment.” Their statement continued: “We will study the detailed reasons of the Commission once they become available, but reserve our right to appeal or take any other course of action we feel appropriate with regards to this situation. “We find it extraordinary that Luis can be found guilty on the word of Patrice Evra alone when no one else on the field of play - including Evra’s own Manchester United team-mates and all the match officials - heard the alleged conversation between the two players.” ES
Fans mean with Kean
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lackburn boss Steve Kean was booed down the tunnel for possibly the last time as his Rovers side lost their relegation duel with Bolton 2-1 at Ewood Park. Mark Davies gave the visitors the perfect start with his fourth-minute opener and Nigel Reo-Coker doubled Bolton’s lead before the break. Aiyegbeni Yakubu did pull one back for Rovers in the middle of a much-improved second-half display but it was not enough. Christopher Samba got his clearance all wrong inside his own penalty area and David Ngog had enough time to recover his position deep inside the home penalty area, then cut a pass back to an unmarked Davies, who stroked a first-time effort
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beyond Paul Robinson. Stand-in skipper Gary Cahill did not catch his half-volley right from Zat Knight’s knockdown, otherwise Rovers would have been in even bigger trouble. Ivan Klasnic then started the move that ended with Bolton bagging their second, finding Nigel Reo-Coker with a deft touch. Reo-Coker then found Martin Petrov, who raced down the left wing before crossing back to the midfielder, who despite having his back to goal, had enough time to turn and drill a low shot into the bottom corner. Owen Coyle’s euphoria on the touchline contrasted sharply with the desolation of Kean, who heard more calls for his head, with the Blackburn supporters also venting their anger at the owners, Venky’s, who they blame for landing the club in the mess they were in. Rovers came so close to giving Kean something to shout about early in the first half, with Junior Hoilett pulling the ball back to Steven Nzonzi whose effort flew just over with Jussi Jaaskelainen nowhere. Cahill blocked Yakubu’s shot on the turn, then Mauro Formica and Simon Vukcevic were replaced by Ruben Rochina and David Goodwillie. ES
THURSDAY’S MATCHES Wigan Athletic vs Liverpool Manchester City vs Stoke City Everton vs Swansea City Fulham vs. Manchester United Aston Villa vs. Arsenal
Mancini won’t loan Tevez
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anchester City manager Roberto Mancini has reiterated the Blues will not allow Carlos Tevez to leave the club on loan. City officials will meet their AC Milan counterparts on Thursday in an attempt to reach a deal. Milan have already said they do not have the cash just now to buy Tevez outright, but it seems unless they do, the fiery Argentina star will not be joining the Serie A giants. “I hope we can find a good solution for us and Carlos,” said Mancini. “We want Carlos to come back and play football and the best solution for us is to sell him. We can’t let him leave on loan.” With Tevez currently still in Argentina, City’s stance runs the risk of extending the present impasse beyond the January transfer deadline. However, as Mancini outlined, there is a simple reason behind the Blues’ position. “When Manchester City buy a player, they have to pay a lot of money,” he said. “But when we want to sell them, they have to go on loan. This is not good. It is not correct for the other players.” ES
WOLVES’ ZUBAR SAVES POINT
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olves twice came from behind to rescue a precious 2-2 draw in their battle for Barclays Premier League survival against Norwich at Molineux. Former Wolves midfielder Andrew Surman broke the deadlock only for Sylvan Ebanks-Blake, who replaced the axed Kevin Doyle, to level before half-time. Canaries substitute Simeon Jackson restored his side's lead with his first touch but Ronald Zubar's first goal of the campaign rescued Wolves from a second home defeat in four days. It came as no surprise when the Canaries went ahead after 12 minutes through Surman's first Premier League goal for Norwich.
GUNNERS, CHELSEA MAY BE FORCED TO POSTPONE GAMES
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rsenal and Chelsea could both be forced to postpone Boxing Day fixtures due to the planned London Underground strike. Both clubs are concerned that supporters and employees could struggle to travel to their games, with Arsenal due to host Wolves at the Emirates Stadium and Chelsea taking on Fulham at Stamford Bridge. The clubs concerned will monitor talks between tube drivers and London Underground officials and it is understood Arsenal could rearrange their game for December 27 if the transport network in the capital is to be severely disrupted. Arsenal have sold all 60,000 tickets available for the Barclays Premier League game at the Emirates Stadium.
BLUES, GUNNERS EYE EDEN
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rsenal and Chelsea watched Lille star Eden Hazard in action against Paris Saint Germain last weekend as they consider their transfer plans for next season. Representatives from Manchester United and Liverpool were also at the Parc des Princes to check on the Belgian playmaker, who is one of the most highly-rated young players in Europe. Hazard is almost certain to leave the French club next summer, although it is unlikely he would depart before then. The goalless draw between two of France's strongest sides was the fifth time Chelsea have watched him this season, while Arsenal have also kept a close eye on the 20year-old.
Playing Field PERSIAN LILY FOR DIRECTOR GENERAL OF POLICE TROPHY Persian Lily, who has come on a lot after her good second should have a say in the Director General Of Police Trophy, the main event of the races to be held here on Thursday.
MUMBAI RACES 1st Race 1. The Ich Dien Plate - Division II (Class V; H’cap, Indian Horses, 4 Years Old And Over, Rated 1 To 26.) (About) (About) 1200 Metres. 1200 Metres. Time: Time: 2pm 2.00 P.M. Win: Lady Black Star 2. Sweaty Betty 2st Race 2. The Victory March Plate (Class IV ; H’cap, Indian Horses Rated 20 To 46.) (0 To 19 Eligible.) (About) 2400 Metres. Time: 2.30pm Win: Fortune Hunter 2. Hym Path 3st Race 3. The Ich Dien Plate - Division I (Class V; H’cap, Indian Horses, 4 Years Old And Over, Rated 1 To 26.) (About) 1200 Metres. Time: 3pm Win: Laurus Tikati 2, Nanina 4st Race 4. The Pertigalete Plate (Class V; H’cap, Indian Horses Rated 1 To 26.) (About) 2000 Metres.Time: 3.30pm Win: Money For Nothin 2. Celebrations 5st Race 5. The Columbus Plate (Class V; H’cap, Indian Horses, 5 Years Old And Over, Rated 1 To 26.) (About) 1000 Metres.Time: 4.00 P.M. Win: Young Offender 2. Arabian Star 6st Race 6. The Premier Classe Plate (Class Iv; H’cap, Indian Horses, 5 Years Old And Over, Rated 20 To 46.) (About) 1000 Metres.Time: 4.30pm Win: Always Smile 2. Macho Uno 7st Race 7. The Director General Of Police Trophy (Class Iii; H’cap, Indian Horses Rated 40 To 66.) (About) 1000 Metres.Time: 5.00 P.M. Win: Persian Lily 2. Greatness 8st Race 8. The Astana Plate (Class Iv; H’cap, Indian Horses, 5 Years Old And Over, Rated 20 To 46.) (About) 1400 Metres.Time: 5.30 P.M. Win: Solar Angel 2. Honey Bee Days Best: Always Smile Jackpot Pool Races: 4,5,6,7,8 First Treble Pool Races: 5,6,7 Second Treble Pool Races: 6,7,8 Tanala Pool Races: All Races
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 21, 2011
The games people play
COWAN NOT COWED BY ZAHEER, ISHANT
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Sharma, troubled by an ankle injury in the tourists’ opening two-day game last week, finished with 0-18 from four overs. While the match largely served as preparation for India ahead of the first Test it also provided Chairman’s XI opener Ed Cowan with his launching pad into the Australian squad after his 109 on Tuesday’s second day.
Scores India 1st innings 269 (V. Kohli 132, R. Sharma 47; J. Holland 6-70) Chairman’s XI 1st innings 215 for 7 declared overnight (E. Cowan 109; R. Ashwin 4-52) India 2nd innings
Shane says it, does it
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t’s not easy in cricket for a player to predict something and make it happen. But some do and Shane Warne did. At a televised Big Bash league Twenty20 match between the Melbourne Stars and the Brisbane Heat at the Gabba, Shane Warne, who was wearing a microphone so that he may discuss the commentators, described how he would take a wicket. As the conversation continued, Warne was asked about his
TITBITS
It’s a draw again CANBERRA: Usman Khawaja and Phillip Hughes responded to their dumping from the Australian Test squad with a century opening stand as the Chairman’s XI’s tour match against India petered out into a draw Wednesday. Khawaja (56 not out) and Hughes (42 not out) put on 100 for the first wicket chasing 145 when both captains agreed to call the match off ahead of India’s opening Test against Australia starting in Melbourne next Monday. Khawaja and Hughes were left out of a 13-man Australian squad announced on Wednesday for the MCG Test and took out their frustrations on the Indian bowlers. There were two generous declarations on the third and final day with a result made meaningless as India sought to wrap up their preparations for the Boxing Day Test. Skipper David Warner declared the Chairman’s XI first innings at the overnight total of 215 for seven, 54 runs adrift of India’s first innings 269. Virender Sehwag again fell cheaply following his 12 in the first innings with just eight in his second turn for the tourists. Sehwag only lasted eight balls before he edged paceman Peter George to first slip. It was the second time George had snared Sehwag’s prized wicket in the match. Ajinkya Rahane was the only other wicket to fall, with the batsman caught behind off Josh Lalor for a duck as India declared at 90 for two at lunch. Test opener Gautam Gambhir was left unbeaten on 42 off 98 balls with Rohit Sharma not out 38. Only 30 overs were bowled in the Chairman’s XI second innings with Test paceman Ishant Sharma granted permission to bowl on the final day despite not being included in India’s original 13-man squad.
Man of his word Shane Warne, who was wearing a microphone so that he may discuss the commentators, described how he would take a wicket at a Big Bash Twenty20 match. next delivery to the New Zealand international Brendon McCullum, and replied, “I think he might be trying to shape to sweep one after that first one … so I’ll try and slide
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one in there … fast.” And, McCullum just did as Warne said: he went down on to one knee, tried the sweep and Warne’s delivery hit his middle stump. The Brisbane Heat pace bowler Ryan Harris said afterwards, “They seem to do that, these legends of the game, calling the ball they’re going to bowl and then bowling it. I recall Glenn McGrath did the same thing here a few years ago.” AGENCIES
G. Gambhir not out 42 V. Sehwag c Cooper b George 8 A. Rahane c Ludeman b Lalor 0 R. Sharma not out 38 Extras (lb2) 2 Total (for 2 wickets declared; 30 overs) 90 Fall of wickets: 1-9 (Sehwag), 2-14 (Rahane) Bowling: George 7-3-12-1, Lalor 72-16-1, Boyce 7-0-38-0, Holland 80-21-0, Khawaja 1-0-1-0 Chairman’s XI 2nd innings U. Khawaja not out 56 P. Hughes not out 42 Extras (lb1, nb1) 2 Total (for 0 wicket; 30 overs) 100 Bowling: Khan 5-1-13-0 (1nb), Sharma 4-0-18-0, Yadav 3-0-11-0, Ashwin 10-2-28-0, Ojha 8-1-29-0 Match drawn
ustralian batsman Ed Cowan on Wednesday said he didn’t feel nervous facing their bowlers during a practice match here and is wondering how the visitors would cope if their injury-prone pacers break down at the same time. Cowan, who hit 109 against the Indians in a drawn practice match here, was drafted into the Australian squad for the opening Test starting on Monday in Melbourne. “I told a friend on the phone it was probably the least nervous I’ve been all season. It felt like a free hit for me, that’s probably the best I’ve played all season. I think from ball one, I don’t think I played a bad shot,” Cowan said. Cowan said he is thinking how the Indians would manage if Zaheer Khan and Ishant Sharma, both injuryprone, were to break down in the middle of the Test. “Zaheer is a great competitor on the world stage. I don’t know how fit Sharma is going to be but it’s a risk if both him and Zaheer are in the team and both break down -- so I’m sure they’re aware of that as well,” said Cowan.
RICKY RETAINS PLACE IN OZ BOXING DAY SQUAD
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mbattled former Australia captain Ricky Ponting managed to retain his place in the 13-member squad for the first cricket Test against India, starting in Melbourne on Monday. Speculation was rife that Ponting and senior middle-order batsman Mike Hussey are in line to be axed due to a string of poor performance over the past few months but both of them managed to retain their place in the squad that was picked on Wednesday. Interestingly, paceman Ben Hilfenhaus has been recalled on the back of his impressive show in Big Bash Twenty20 cricket and better experience vis-a-vis other rookies in the Australian bowling line-up. Shaun Marsh, having recovered from his back injury, also got a recall.
Comment
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 21, 2011
Fair, free and forthright
Editorials NEEDLESS HYPE over Gita row
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ur leaders have been breathing fire over a Russian court allowing a petition to ban the Bhagavad Gita as a tool of extremism and anti-national activity. This created an uproar in Parliament, causing two adjournments. The ministry of external affairs is talking to its Russian counterpart on what needs to be done to avoid a ban on the holy scripture. Considering our intolerance to anything we consider offensive — from lesbianism to Valentine’s Day — what gives us the right to question a Russian ban on an ‘alien’ import — no matter how sacred the Gita is to us? When our courts can admit petitions on anything from ‘indecent remarks’ to ‘offensive comments’, why expect the Russians to be different? Our leaders should uphold the tradition of tolerance and allow the issue to be sorted out through proper channels rather than engage in a verbal tirade.
Wanted!
A corruption-free mind Hard talk PK Surendran
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rom Sharmila would fast on Thursdays since childhood. The day the Malom massacre occurred, on November 2, 2000, was also a Thursday and Irom, then 28, was fasting. And she has continued since. Her demand is that the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, 1958, be repealed: she says the Act is the root cause of violence in NE states. The world stands in awe of such will: it has seen only a very few such as Irom Sharmila. If the government can appease Hazare, it may lend a ear to Menghoubi, the fair one.
hree decades ago Indira Gandhi brushed aside the cry against corruption as a “global phenomenon”. Right she was in its virility. But she missed the point; while corruption, born of human greed, has been around since prehistoric times, rulers mandated for the common good have to put a bulwark against the disease. And, many countries did, but India did not. Look at Denmark, New Zealand, finland, Sweden, Netherlands, and the UK which have all brought corruption in public life to a minimum. A decade later, her son, Rajiv Gandhi, who inherited the throne bemoaned only 15 paise out of every rupee meant for the anti-poverty programme reaches beneficiaries. He too missed the bus to do anything about it. I believe Indira’s casual remark on corruption as a global trend was the single most important cause fueling corruption because it gave political sanctity to the rot leading to a “grab-all” stampede among the ruling elite. The result is there for everybody to see. We now live, breath, and bathe in corruption so much so that Swiss banking officials have said that the largest depositors of illegal foreign money in Switzerland are Indians. While the exact amount of money stashed away in foreign banks is heresy, Prof. R Vaidyanathan at the Indian Institutes of Management has estimated the total at over `7,280,000 crore! Little wonder then that when the diminutive whistle-blower and Gandhian Anna Hazare took up the anti-corruption cause it struck a chord with millions. Anna stumbled upon a theme that was on everybody’s lips. But, the man who could touch millions emotionally was no Bismarck or Milton Friedman. He could rouse but not lead and
Sack Jagan MLAs
Vehicle tax justified
Better late than never. A stitch in time saves nine. Congress should take inspiration from these old sayings in disciplining the MLAs who support YSR Congress chief Jagan Mohan Reddy. These people need to be taught a lesson that they can’t ditch the party that gave them all their power and popularity. YSR or Jagan, the name doesn’t matter, it’s the party that gives them the platform to become leaders that matter. Congress shouldn’t worry about the bypoll result and should set its house in order. Temporary setbacks can be compensated but loss of credibility can’t be restored. Rama Srikanth, Ameerpet
I know the popular voice will be against the hike in lifetime tax on vehicles but something needs to be done about restricting the flood of vehicles being added to our already packed roads every day. From what I see on the city roads daily, people should be taxed for abusing the license to drive. The city administration should think of creating few zones where no motorised vehicles should be allowed. Strict implementation of traffic rules and an efficient public transport system are required to encourage people to leave their vehicles at home and thus reduce congestion on roads. After all, there can be no gain without pain JN Balaji Abids
WHY WE LOVE... Irom Sharmila
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later events proved it. The Jan Lokpal Bill which the ‘silent crusader’ and former Karnataka Lokayukta Justice Santosh Hegde helped draft was rejected by the Congress government and what followed was mass agitation, melodrama and the tragicomedy of the world’s biggest democracy getting held to ransom and delivering a promise in hours to introduce a Bill to kill the hydra-headed demon called corruption! What then followed was rule by visual media. The trouble with the visual media is that it burns on highly inflammable sentimental fuel. Once caught in its wave, those riding it refuse to touch the ground. An issue that ought to be pragmatic became a slogan and the slogan bestowed on the well-meaning but ill-informed Anna an aura that has made him speak politically. If A-Team had coolly examined the situation, it would have found the impossibility of an institution like Lokpal to police 57 lakh public servants from A to C class, and the
TALK BACK Hurry with Lokpal It has become really irritating that the central government cannot finish the work on Lokpal. How many decades should people wait before the politicians and bureaucrats who loot our hard-earned money be brought to justice? Anyone who has been to a government office to get some work done will understand the pain of the masses supporting Anna Hazare whether they understand the minute details and the implications or not. If the criminal politicians can be given the job of running the system then why not a powerful body to act as check on them. Maninder Singh Secunderabad
office of the PM and the CBI. Only an insane Indian will oppose a move to stem corruption. But a law is only as effective as its practicability. When caught in the din cool thinking suffers. Hegde brought to book a ruler of a State without resorting to a media carnival. N Vittal, former CVC, did what many dreaded to do —publish names of corrupt public servants in his website. The Supreme Court served a severe blow to criminals in politics making it mandatory for them to swear they do not have a conviction, the computerisation has with one stroke, eliminated the massive corruption in railway reservation, the voting machines have largely eliminated the “art” of booth capturing. Law-making is not a festival, nor is it a protest procession. India needs ‘Annaism’ (spirit to say no to corruption) but not Anna, for our experience tells us anything produced in a hurry will be buried.
Criminal waste of food
Fire safety issues scary
Postnoon reporter has correctly highlighted the great wrong we are doing on a daily basis. When we pass beside those massive piles of disposed vegetables, the thought of poor people does occur but stops as soon as the matter is out of sight. The massive amount of food resources thus wasted can be routed to the needy only if the initiative comes at an individual level to alert the concerned NGO. It is good that NGOs have taken up work in this area. I thank Postnoon for printing this story and thus spreading awareness among its readers about this issue. Jitin Agarwal Kukatpally
It is sad that even buildings in chief minister’s office compound don’t have fire safety clearance. Tragedy after tragedy has to take place to remind us about the dangers we are inviting on ourselves and dear ones by not following the rules that were put in place to prevent them. The violators and the officials who ignored these violations through omission or commission must be booked and made to pay compensation even if that would mean attachment of all their assets. Such dangerous recklessness should not be tolerated. Priyanka Sheas Begumpet
Business
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WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 21, 2011
Matters of saving and spending
Gold prices to drop further Prudhvi Raju K prudhvi.k@postnoon.com
HYDERABAD: The 10 gram price of 24 carat gold in Hyderabad market has fallen by Rs 2,072 in the last 20 days and touched Rs 27,880 on Tuesday. Market analysts are expecting the gold price will further decline and reach Rs 24,000 in next two to three months. “As the price of gold is dwindling, the sales in the city market have drastically come down. The local buyers are not buying, but have taken a position to wait and watch for its further fall,” said Chintala Sudhakar, manager, Secunderabad gold silver jewellers and diamond merchant association. “The gold prices will rise when stock markets fall, but today we are in a different scenario where both gold and stock markets are
HSBC sells Japan business to Credit Suisse
HONG KONG: HSBC said Wednesday it had sold its private banking business in Japan to Credit Suisse for $2.7 billion, as part of its broader restructuring to reduce costs and focus on growth. The sale is the latest in a string of transactions since HSBC announced massive costcutting measures earlier this year, including plans to save up to $3.5 billion by 2013 and to axe 30,000 jobs globally. Europe's largest bank said in a statement released in Hong Kong that it had agreed to sell its private banking business in Japan to Credit Suisse AG and Credit Suisse Securities (Japan) Ltd.
"The value of the gross assets included in the sale was approximately $2.7bn at 31 October 2011," it said. The transaction, which is subject to regulatory approvals, should be completed in the second quarter of 2012. HSBC said Japan remained an "important market" for the London-based bank, which was founded in Hong Kong and Shanghai in 1865 and has traditionally focused on Asia. "As the world’s third largest economy, with significant trade flows with the rest of the world, Japan continues to be an important market for HSBC," it said. Assets HSBC has offloaded this year include its United States credit card and retail services business, its Canadian retail brokerage, and retail banking businesses in Russia, Chile and Poland. Other global banks including Morgan Stanley and Credit Agricole SA have also announced plans to slash jobs in recent months, as the eurozone debt crisis fans fears of global recession. Chief executive Stuart Gulliver said in the earnings release that economic and political uncertainty, particularly in Europe, had hit the banking sector's performance in the quarter. AFP
Coromandel acquires Sabero Postnoon News
HYDERABAD: Coromandel International Limited, a leading manufacturer of a wide range of fertilizers, crop protection products and specialty nutrient products, has successful completed the process of acquisition of ‘Sabero Organics’, the established agrochemical manufacturer headquartered in Mumbai. During May 2011, Coromandel had signed a share purchase agreement (SPA) with the promoters of Sabero to acquire their shareholding in Sabero. Consequent to the signing of the SPA, Coromandel had made an open offer to the public shareholders of Sabero to acquire upto 31 per cent of the share capital of Sabero at Rs.160 per share. The shares held by the erstwhile promoters, aggregating to 36.75 per cent, have also been acquired. With the completion of the open offer and the acquisition of shares from the erstwhile promoters, the shareholding of Coromandel in Sabero has increased to 67.75 per cent.
falling and only dollar is getting stronger day by day. As of now, investors lost interest in gold and stocks and are only buying dollars. This is resulting in decline the gold prices,” he said. It is not yet the time for investors in gold. They can wait and buy 70 per cent of it when it reaches Rs 25,000 and the rest 30 per cent can be bought at Rs 24,000. However, he expressed a doubt that gold has never continuously dropped down by more than Rs 2,000. He said this fall is temporary. The gold will bounce back, and reach Rs 30,000 after the fall. The prices may also increase in the end of February and March due to marriage season, he observed. The sales of gold rose in the international market on Tuesday and buying gained momentum on account of
decrease in gold prices. Even though the gold price has come down in the international markets but Indian consumer is not finding the same difference due to fall in rupee value. India imports most of the gold and pays in dollars. If the dollar value had been at Rs 42 now, the gold price would have fallen to below Rs 24000. As the dollar price is 53, Indians could not see the actual gold price decline, feel analysts. Global reports and analyses suggest that the price of gold will go below US$ 1500 an ounce in the coming three months and is unlikely to retest September's all-time highs till late 2012. The forecasts came after a bleak performance of gold last week when prices fell to almost three month low of US$1,560.
Sensex climbs 320 points in opening trade MUMBAI: The BSE benchmark Sensex rallied by over 320 points in opening trade on Wednesday, led by financial stocks on the back of a fresh spell of buying by funds and retail investors influenced by a firming trend in global markets. The 30-share index, which has lost 827.41 points over the course of a five-session losing streak, recovered by 320.10 points, or 2.10 per cent, to 15,495.18 in opening trade on Wednesday amid a rally in financial, realty, metal, auto and capital goods stocks. In a similar fashion, the wide-based National Stock Exchange Nifty index gained 97.10 points, or 2.13 per cent, to 4,641.30. Brokers attributed the rise to a firming trend in Asia in the wake of a higher close in the US market yesterday after the release of upbeat economic data. Nevertheless, the trading sentiment remained cautious due to the weak domestic economic growth outlook. "Today's rebounds seems to be technical as most of the stocks were oversold in the past several sessions," said a stockbroker. In Asia, Japan's Nikkei Index rose by 1.32 per cent in morning trade today. In the US, the Dow
Jones Industrial Average closed 2.87 per cent higher in yesterday's trade. The Indian rupee strengthened by 19 paise to Rs 52.68 per US dollar in early trade on the Interbank Foreign Exchange today after the Reserve Bank of India said it will take more steps to check weakness of the rupee. Forex dealers said apart from the RBI's assurance that it has more tools to arrest the rupee's fall, a higher opening in the stock market and euro gains against the dollar also gave a boost to the rupee sentiment. The rupee had closed marginally lower by 1 paisa at Rs 52.87/88 per US dollar yesterday.
BSE – 15,419.855244.79, NSE – 4,614.25570.05, Gold 24k(10g)– `28,300, Silver (1kg)–54,002, Dollar $ – `52.76, Pound £ – `82.68
H‑Factor
Holistic view of mind, body and soul
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 21, 2011
Want to build muscle? Reduce that weight
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Shed the kilos to stay healthy
Dr Sunil Kapoor
With obesity posing so many health risks what can one do to combat it? Shaping up is a good idea. This can be done through diet modifications and the following:
David Higgins
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uilding muscle can offer many health benefits such as increased bone, muscle, tendon and ligament strength, improved joint function and stability, increased metabolism and better heart function. But muscle-building can take many different forms, and the results you want will dictate the approach you choose. To a bodybuilder, for example, increased muscle mass is essential while a power athlete such as a high jumper would think this less important or performance-damaging. The repetition ranges in your weight training routine are specific to the muscle adaptations they will trigger. For instance, one to four reps with a large resistance will stimulate power gains, four to eight reps will stimulate strength gains, eight to 12 reps will stimulate muscle building, and 12-25 reps will stimulate local muscle endurance. So what do you want to achieve from your training? It’s fair to say most of us are not body builders or high jumpers — it’s more about wanting to feel healthier
and stronger, and looking better in a T-shirt. There is growing evidence that changes in body shape and strength and tone improvements only require muscular fatigue — regardless of the load. So local muscular endurance training (using smaller dumbbells, or even only your own body weight) but with higher reps — will still allow for that growth. So try and include functional movements in your workouts — squats and lunges are great examples — but with lighter weights than usual (or even none at all). Not only are these exercises effective, but they’re more relevant in your everyday life than the clean and press or snatch you often see being (badly) performed at one rep max in the gym. And if you do head to the free weights section, remember it’s the level of muscular fatigue that counts, not the size of the weights you’re lifting — or your ability to grunt with every rep. EVENING STANDARD
Exercise: Walking everyday for 30 minutes is a good habit and a must unless there is a contraindication. If you have invested in a treadmill then you can walk whenever you feel like it. It is important to wear proper shoes that have a cushioning effect as walking on hard surface with improper footwear can cause arthritis of the knee and hip. In case you already have arthritis, walk as much as you can and then stop and proceed. Medications: New medications have been introduced that reduce fat absorption from the intestine and also suppress appetite. Most of the obese patients have large appetites and feel very hungry if they suddenly partake in little quantities of food. But these drugs have side effects in patients with high blood pressure or weak hearts or those who are prone to irregular beating of the heart. If you are overweight, then you should get evaluated for n High blood pressure n High blood sugar n Thyroid function test n High blood cholesterol These are important associated problems and need to be corrected to avoid developing a heart problem in the future. The future comes very fast if you do not take care. Finally a word of caution, it is not good to suddenly stop eating or go on a crash diet as this can lead to hypoglycemia or electrolyte changes. It is always better to gradually decrease the quantity of food that we eat and also learn to avoid high calorie and fat containing foods. In modern day parlance, a fancy term Lifestyle modification is used but essentially it is healthy eating habits and regular exercise. So go ahead and create a new you and ask the question “Mirror, Mirror on the wall, who is the slimmest and fittest of all”. If the mirror replies “You, my dear! then you have achieved it all” (The writer is a senior consultant cardiologist practicing at Care Hospital, Hyderabad)
F‑Folio
Because you are what you wear
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 21, 2011
The colour purple symbolises royalty, magic and mystery. And it’s now the favourite of fashionistas across the world. A trend which was supposed to have been forgotten in 2009 rears its head again this year. We find some celebs who rocked 2011 in purple
GOING PURPLE Penelope Cruz:
That she looks hot and ravishing in red no one can deny but that she can look equally magical in purple is what we say. In April this year Penelope was honoured with the 2,436th star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. To celebrate this occasion the actor donned a purple lace fitted dress with black heels. The dress showed off her post pregnancy curves really beautifully.
CELEB PICK
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Sofia Vergara Blue was the theme of the day but Columbian actress and model Sofia altered the colour code a little when she turned up at the Smurfs premiere this year in a strapless embroidered column purple dress matched with turquoise earrings. She got especially creative with a wrist stacked full of fabulous bejewelled bracelets. She was again spotted in a strapless purple leopard print prom dress with a matching leopard print clutch at the UK premiere of Happy Feet 2.
Selena Gomez : All of 19, Selena’s knowledge on fashion seems to be giving even the best dressed women a run for their money. Out to support her boyfriend Justin Beiber at the premiere of Never Say Never at LA theatre in February this year, the singer sported a jewel-tone knee-length Reem Acra satin dress with nude heels that showed off her enviably long legs. Splashes of sparkle on her shoes, belt and jewellery keep the ensemble young, fresh and festive. We are quite sure that Justin would have been very jealous of the paparazzi who just could not get enough of Selena. Now that's what we call style-savvy.
Kylie Minogue: Brunette beauty Kylie is more often in the news for her singing than for her sense of fashion. However, we were pleased to see her make this list. She may be well on the other side of the 40s, but with her sequined purple gown she could have as well passed for a 20 something. She sent the photographers into a tizzy as she appeared in this sparkly floor-length gown at the Cosmetics Executive Women event in London last week. This Aussie bombshell is no mood to go out with the wind, her newly launched fragrance Dazzling Darling is sure to help keep her magic intact.
Natalie Portman: She was the darling of the industry this year as she bagged almost each and every award for her commendable performance in Black Swan. Natalie was the last to make her entrance on the red carpet at the Oscars this year and boy did she look splendid in this purple Rodarte gown. The actor swathed her baby bump in a regal silk chiffon gown, its V-neck brightened with Swarovski crystals. Her beaded tassel Tiffany earrings continued the amethyst theme. It's yet another win for the lady on the red carpet.
COMPILED BY FLEME VARKEY fleme.v@postnoon.com
Movies
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 21, 2011
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Hollywood’s only too happy to show you the way this holiday season. We take a look at some Christmas favourites...with a twist
4 X’Mas nutters, and 1 classic Padmini C
THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS: You don’t have to be a movie buff to know that there are all kinds of movies themed around Christmas. And they are not too different from one another either. Some holly, some heart, some happiness and you have yourself a hit. So when we say this 1993 animation film by Tim Burton is different, we mean it. Featuring Jack Skellington, king of Halloween Town, Sally the rag doll, the evil Oogie Boogie, the mischievous trick-or-treaters Lock, Shock and Barell, Nightmare before Christmas is in equal parts, intelligent, entertaining and funny. Not to mention a must-watch for you!
padmini.c@postnoon.com
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f you looked at the list we have for you, you must already be up in arms about how we could exclude the most popular classics from the list. In our defence, we plead creative liberty. But more seriously, our list is not about good old fashioned classics. Instead, we have included some off-beat takes centered on Christmas that must not be missed. Take a look.
GREMLINS: “Now I have another reason to hate Christmas” is probably the most unlikely dialogue with which to start a Christmas movie. To be sure, that’s exactly what Gremlins is — an unlikely, unpredictable and as unique as can be comedies go. The movie is a hilarious parody of popular myths about Christmas, family, boogey-men, horror movies etc. Yuletide is happening around the action and you don’t want to miss it!
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HOME ALONE: It
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IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE: We might as well
reigned at the box office for 12 consecutive weeks, grossed over $500 million and made Macaulay Culkin the biggest child star on the planet. Need we more reasons for featuring Home Alone on this list? A holiday staple, it is a beloved family comedy about an eight-year old boy Kevin (Culkin) who is left behind at home while his family goes holidaying and it is one of the most entertaining movies of all time. Antics of the bumbling burglars, Culkin’s slap-stick one-liners and the good old-fashioned Christmas beat-down makes it an adorable watch. While the sequels are also entertaining, they are not half as charming or ingenious as the original.
BAD SANTA: Okay, so this
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wouldn’t be the obvious choice of movie to pick for your Christmas playlist. But think about it. For those who have had enough of watching the classics and want to give those tear ducts a rest, this is the movie to watch. In this dark comedy, Santa Claus (Billy Bob Thornton) is a bitter, foulmouthed alcoholic who teams up with his midget friend (Tony Cox) to concoct an elaborate scam to rob a mall. His plans turn awry when somewhere along the way, the Christmas spirit captures his heart and lo and behold, it’s the season of miracles. Be warned, this is not one for the kids.
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admit it. No holiday season is ever complete without a re-run of this all-American classic. As surprising as it might seem, the movie lost money in the original run in 1946 and was largely considered a flop, because of it’s rather dark portrayal of small-town life. But for us, the appeal is fairly obvious. The movie centres around George Bailey (James Stewart) who is forced to see how the world would be like if he’d never existed. At its heart, this touching tale captures the spirit of Christmas and everything that it stands for —family, friends and the joy of life.
Most Awaited Movies of 2012
Avengers assemble!
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t’s one of the biggest and most eagerly awaited films of 2012. If you are a comic book fan or love superheroes, nothing gets bigger or better than Avengers. Marvel heroes like Iron Man, Hulk, Thor, Captain America, Black Widow and Hawk Eye team up to save the world from destruction. Directed by Joss Whedon, the film stars Robert Downey Jr, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Evans, Chris
Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Samuel L Jackson in lead roles. Hollywood has been riding on the success of superhero films and this could very well be the goldmine for Marvel Studios. The plot of the film is still under wraps, but if it’s going along the line of the original comic series then we are sure the Avengers will be fighting “the foes no single superhero can withstand.” Fasten your seatbelts for a thrilling ride filled with spectacular special effects and superpowers. The film hits the screens on May 4, 2012.
Magic Screen
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 21, 2011
The glamour behind the glitz
I haven’t become a brand yet Taniya Talukdar taniya.t@postnoon.com
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hen Band Bajaa Baraat released last year and became a hit, it announced the arrival of not only a good actor in Bollywood— Ranveer Singh, but it also gave the industry a promising young director — Maneesh Sharma. So, it was only natural for people to expect a good treat with his second film but many were disappointed with Ladies vs Ricky Bahl. Though it boasted of good writers like Devika Bhagat and Habib Faisal, it couldn’t set
the cash registers at the box office ringing. Maneesh repeated his hit pair of Anushka Sharma and Ranveer for his second venture but the surprise element was perhaps Parineeti Chopra, Priyanka Chopra’s cousin, who was part of the Yashraj Films marketing team. Talking about how he signed up Parineeti for the film, Maneesh says, “Parineeti’s casting was an exciting one. I heard that she was interested in acting and I did talk to her following which I was convinced that she should play the role of Dimple Chadda. When I told Adi about this, he thought I
Band Bajaa Baraat might have increased the expectations from director Maneesh Sharma, but his Ladies vs Ricky Bahl fails to impress was joking but I obviously wasn’t. I vouched for her talent and that’s how she became a part of the cast.” It’s interesting to note that Parineeti did get appreciated for her role. A hardcore Aditya Chopra loyalist, Maneesh is yet to venture out of the Yashraj camp and he is in no hurry to do so. Quiz him about working with other filmmakers and Maneesh is quick to say, “I don’t have any such plans. I am comfortable working with Adi and in fact, I love it. Many people have approached me since the
release of BBB, but honestly I haven’t had the time to think about them.” One hit film doesn’t make one a brand, and Maneesh is only too aware of the fact. He makes a candid confession, “I haven’t become a brand yet. One needs to have a body of work to even think of becoming one. And I have not made any conscious effort towards it, I can’t really expect any such thing if I am unable to make a connect with the audience. I don’t think on those lines and don’t want to be corrupted by such thoughts,” he says. Loosely based on the 2006 Hollywood flick, John Tucker Must Die, Ladies vs Ricky Bahl is a film which has Ranveer playing a suave con man, who targets rich ladies and vanishes with the loot. The film came to Maneesh as a bound script and Aditya was the brain behind the story though Maneesh got to choose the writers. There was pressure on Maneesh from the beginning and though unavoidable, he did not let it affect his work. This was the first time that Maneesh shot a film in Goa and it was a new experience for him and he says that as a filmmaker and he enjoyed it greatly. The director, who is currently taking a break, is also keen on making an action flick in the near future.
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Magic Screen
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 21, 2011
The glamour behind the glitz
Sonam has no qualms about using profanity
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aving started off her career as a shy and demure lass, playing girl-next-door roles, Sonam Kapoor has undergone a complete transformation for her next film Players, by going blunt and showing her middle finger. “I don’t believe in censorship so whether they like it or not, I really don’t care about it. I just want people to come and see my film. Showing a middle finger is a part of today’s lingo,” Sonam said. “I think it is part of our language...it is part of your lingo. We abuse when we have a normal conversation with our friends. I don’t believe anything should be censored. It is crazy, especial-
ly when it comes to art, films...especially when you live in India where freedom of speech and expression is our basic right,” she said. Showing a middle finger is better than what we read because what is happening around the world is worse. There are worse things that are available on the Internet, why isn’t there are any censorship of them, she asked. Initially, the Censor board had given a green signal to the act, but later on, it got it blurred. Sonam plays an outspoken, blunt hacker the in Abbas-Mustan actionthriller, a remake of Hollywood film, The Italian Job. PTI
DAM 999 songs in Oscar race
I want to take Don forward: Farhan Akhtar
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ctor-director Farhan Akhtar does not rule out a third part to the Don series. But for now, he says he wants to “explore other genres”. “I never refused to make Don 3. It’s just someone misquoted me and misconstrued my words to make a spicy headline that Don 3 is not happening’,” Farhan said at an event on Monday. His latest Don 2: The King Is Back, a sequel to his 2006 film Don: The Chase Begins, is ready to hit the screens on Friday. He is confident about the movie, but wants to wait before taking a plunge into a third part for the action film. “As a filmmaker, I would want to explore other genres too and not get restricted to one. In my interview, I had actually said that at this point of time, I am not ready to take the story forward. I don’t want to get into it as of now, but I never denied the possibility of it. I am very fascinated by Don as a character, and I would love to take it to the next level, but only when I have a good script. “So if someone had to ask me now, if I want to take the story of Don forward, yes I want,” added Farhan, who was accompanied at the event by Shah Rukh Khan, Priyanka Chopra, Kunal Kapoor and producer Ritesh Sidhwani. IANS
hree songs from Indian film DAM 999 are among 39 shortlisted numbers in contention for nominations in the Original Song category for the 84th Academy Awards. The list was announced by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences on its official website. Dakkanaga Dugu Dugu, DAM 999 theme song and Mujhe Chhod Ke are the three songs from DAM 999 that are vying for a place in the final nomination list for the category. International films Rio and The Muppets are the only other films with three songs each in the list. The Academy will screen clips featuring each song, in random order, for voting members of the music branch in Los Angeles on January 5, 2012. Following the screenings, members will determine the nominees by an averaged point system of voting. Under Academy rules, a maximum of two songs may be nominated from any one film. The final 84th Academy Awards nominations will be announced on January 24, 2012, at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater. IANS
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B-TOWN TWEETIES
@rampalarjun Just finished shoot for #love2hateu the most shocking episode that's all I can say, @realpreityzinta @chyrag OMG.
@RGVzoomin Blogging is not to be mistaken as writing..its just graffiti with punctuation..a dialogue from ’Contagion’.
@reddysameera Had a Wonderful time in hyderabad!Great fun catching up wit so many friends from The industry! & thnx to all who came thr to support us! :)
@NeilNMukesh Time to start a new chapter in life friends. Tomor morning will be a new beginning :) pray for me ! Lots of love always. Gnite.
@realprietyzinta So what are ur Christmas plans folks ??? Am more excited than a 2 year old for my precious Holidays! 2012 is a much awaited year...ye ha !
@SrBachchan T 596 -Happy Hanukkah !!! to all our Jewish brothers and sisters .. may the lights bring joy and happiness to all ..!!
@iamsrk Greatest high of film making is the nervousness theteam shares before release.Nobody else understands the pain the stakes love & letting go
@kjohar25 Just heard from Sony music that CHIKNI CHAMELI is the No 1 song across all radio stations!!! Super thrilled @KaranMalhotra21!!!
Magic Screen Hyderabad’s first afternoon newspaper
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WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 21, 2011
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The glamour behind the glitz
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 21, 2011
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Magic Screen
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 21, 2011
The glamour behind the glitz
Damon may return to Bourne franchise M att Damon has said that he expects to return to the Bourne franchise. The We Bought a Zoo star, who revealed in October that he hopes to do another Bourne movie, insisted that if the The Bourne Legacy does not perform well, it will not affect the success of any future films in the series. “I think if [Bourne Legacy] doesn’t work, we can just ignore it and pretend it didn’t happen, and that’d be fine,” Damon told Kcrw’s The Business. “But I expect that it will work and only help us if we did another one, which I’d love to do.”
Two more suits against Hangover II dropped
T
wo lawsuits against Warner Bros. involving this summer’s raunchy blockbuster The Hangover Part II have been dropped. Michael Alan Rubin, a writer who claimed in October that the film was based on his autobiographical screenplay, Mickey and Kirin, has dropped his litigation. Likewise Scott McLean, who performed stunts for Ed Helms, is no longer seek-
ing damages for an injury he suffered during a car collision on sets. According to court records, both Rubin and McLean dismissed their lawsuits voluntarily. That makes three Hangover II lawsuits that have been resolved this year, the first of which was over the Mike Tyson-style face tattoo Helms’ character sported in the film. The Hangover Part II had the fourth most profitable box office run of 2011.
Man gets 1 year term for piracy
T
he New York man who admitted touploading an unfinished copy of X-Men Origins: Wolverine to the Internet has been sentenced to one year in federal prison, the US attorney’s office said on Monday. Gilberto Sanchez, who said he bought a copy of the 2009 Hugh Jackman superhero movie on a street cor-
ner near his home in the Bronx, was sentenced by US District Judge Margaret Morrow, who described his actions as”extremely serious.” The Sanchez case received a ton of attention in 2009 because the unfinished print of the entire Wolverine film had appeared online about a month before its theatrical release.
25
Magic Screen
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 21, 2011
About stars, actors, and a bit of fun
Brittany Murphy KILLED BY TOXIC MOLD?
B
rittany Murphy's mother claims toxic mold found in her daughter's Hollywood home is to blame for both Brittany and her son-in-law's Simon Monjack's deaths. Brittany died of pneumo-
nia in 2009 and just months later her husband suffered the same fate. TMZ reports Brittany's mother Sharon Murphy claims the people who built the house are to blame for the mold that caused their illnesses. In a
new lawsuit, Sharon alleges she was misled by her lawyers and tricked into giving up her rights to sue the builders for wrongful death. According to TMZ, Murphy's mother says her lawyers convinced her to
accept a settlement offer for the construction problems in January, but they didn't explain that the settlement included a stipulation so that she would never be able to sue the builders for their alleged role in her daughter's death.
Did Franco’s grade get a professor fired? A
disgruntled New York University professor just blew a big hole in James Franco's reputation as the actor who made picking up a master's degree (or three) in his spare time look easy. José Angel Santana is now suing NYU, claiming he got fired after he gave the school's resident Oscar nominee a D in his Directing the Actor II class for his poor attendance record. A rep for the school calls the claim"ridiculous," but, obvious-
Will Craig sign up for more Bond films? H
ow good is Daniel Craig in Skyfall? So good that producer Michael G. Wilson reportedly wants Craig to play James Bond for another five films, bringing him to a grand total of eight. (Even if the lackluster Quantum of Solace makes it seem as if he’s only done one so far, rather than two.) That would make Craig the longest-running Bond — if they can get him to sign. The People, via MI6, reports that during an interview that gave a pretty featureless update on the shoot for Skyfall, “Daniel’s been a terrific Bond, a superb actor and a terrific man,” the producer said. “Filming has gone very well so far and I’d love Daniel to surpass Roger’s record and do eight pictures. Daniel’s been an absolute pleasure to be around because he takes the role so seriously. There’s really no one more passionate about making these films work than him – he’s a filmmaker’s dream. It isn’t at all difficult to imagine why a producer might want Craig to sign on for the long haul — he’s capable, multi-faceted, and popular. The question is: does Daniel Craig want to do even one more Bond picture, much less five?
ly, we're a little more interested in finding out just how many classes Franco supposedly skipped...According to Santana's lawsuit, filed on Friday in the New York Supreme Court, the 127 Hours star showed up for two of the course's 14 sessions and had 12 unexcused absences. Santana's suit actually doesn't lay the entire blame for his firing on his treatment of Franco, but his attorney tells E! News it was "the proverbial straw that broke the camel's back."
26
Magic Screen
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 21, 2011
The glamour behind the glitz
27
Journey from reality TV to
TOLLYWOOD Roochika Babbar is all set to make her Tollywood debut with Parents. We find out more about this Delhi-based actress who began her career as a reality TV star
Hemanth Kumar hemanth.k@postnoon.com
R
oochika Babbar's journey to Telugu cinema was a matter of pure luck or as she says, “happened out of the blue.” A Delhi-based television actress, she graduated from YMCA with a PG in Interior Designing and she also has a degree in English from Delhi University. Before venturing into films, she had participated in several reality shows like Zee Cinestars ki Khoj, Bollywood club for ZOOM TV and has been part of Doordarshan's special programme for UNICEF. “I was also a Miss India finalist and Face of Punjab in 2007,” Roochika adds. Reality shows are the new rage on television and they did provide her a good platform. However, there was a catch.“Reality shows are usually scripted. Everyone knows what's going to happen in that episode. At the end of the day, contestants end up being puppets in the hands of the production house and the judges,” she reveals. It didn't take too long for her to jump into the bandwagon of actresses who move on from television to feature films. “Acting in films is any day better than being in a reality show. Here, you have more freedom to showcase your talent,” she explains. She'll soon be seen in Aanand Ravi's upcoming film titled Parents which has Happy Days star Vamsee Chaganti in the lead. It's her first film as a lead actress and there's an interesting story behind how she bagged the role. “Someone found me on the Internet which took me by
surprise. Then I got in touch with Vamsee and Aanand. I gave my audition through a webcam sitting in my room in Delhi,” she recalls laughingly. Parents is a road film and it tells the story of an orphan who goes in search of his parents. Most part of the film was shot in Hyderabad, Araku,Vizag,
Chennai, Goa and Mumbai. Ask her about the experience of shooting on the road for the film and she reveals, “Vamsee didn't want to drive and so I can't remember how many kilometers I drove it on my own.” Her character's name is Sahasra and Roochika says, “Sahasra is an interesting character. As the film progresses, she becomes more mature and she feels the pain of the hero who is searching for his parents.” The toughest part of the shoot, she says, was trying to cope with the language. “Aanand Ravi was patient enough to understand my problem with the language. Every evening, an assistant director would sit with me to help me with the lines,” she says. Another time, she surprised the film crew by shooting a risky shot inches away from a valley. “Shamdat, the cinematographer of the
film, wanted to can a shot with the lead pair sitting on a grill just inches away from edge of a cliff near Araku. Vamsee had vertigo and when I went ahead to shoot the scene, I had no idea about the risk I was taking. Aanand and Shamdat made sure that the shot was taken without any delay. Even my mother, who accompanied me on the sets, was concerned,” Roochika recalls. “I am looking forward to acting in more films. In fact, I am a huge fan of Salman Khan and I would love to meet him someday,” she says. Now, that's another long journey which sounds interesting.
Magic Screen
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 21, 2011
The glamour behind the glitz
Nagarjuna heads to Varanasi
T
wo days before the release of Rajanna, Nagarjuna flew to Varanasi to shoot few scenes for his next film Damarukam. The film was being shot in Annapurna Studios, in Hyderabad for the past few days and with this shoot in Varanasi, Nagarjuna will wrap up shooting his part in the film. Srinivasa Reddy is directing the film and the film has Nagarjuna and
Anushka in lead roles. Venkat is producing the film on RR Movie makers banner. Couple of days ago, a special preview of Rajanna was held in Hyderabad and the initial buzz is quite positive. “I am extremely confident about the success of the film,” Nagarjuna said after watching the film. Paid previews of Rajanna are going to be held later today in Prasads Multiplex and Cinemax in Hyderabad and word is that all the proceedings from these previews will be donated to Blue Cross.
28
T-TOWN TWEETIES
@PriyaWajAnand Looking forward to going to my village for a couple of days..Excited to see my great grandmother be able to walk again after a hip injury :)
@sneha_ullal Happy birthday to my friend/Super Star Tammu (Tamanna Bhatia).Party time tomorrow baby.
@LakshmiManchu #TheDirtyPicture, what a movie. Loveeed the writing. Congrats @swatishetty.. I bow down to Vidya balan. What an amazing actress. .
@Actor_Siddharth Had the honour of meeting Academy Award winner Resul Pookutty...a meeting I'm going to remember for a long time...what a talent! Excited!!:)
@Amala_ams
Venky, Jagapathi Babu
Hello tweeple , my twitter network gone for a toss due to change of network :( will catch you all once I am back ... Have fun loves.
team up for a new film
J
agapthi Babu is going to team up with Venkatesh for a new film to be directed by Meher Ramesh. In the past, Jagapathi Babu had been part of films like Hanuman Junction and Lakshyam where he had played important roles and soon, he’ll be seen in AL Vijay’s bilingual film titled Thandavam which also has Vikram, Anushka and Amy Jackson in lead roles. This will be the first time that Jagapathi Babu and Venkatesh are going to be seen together in a film. After making Shakti earlier this year, this untitled film is being seen as a crucial project for Meher Ramesh. Kona Venkat and Gopimohan have penned the script for the film which might go on floors early next year.
@ramsayz Thank u all for wishing my mom on her b'day today...Really sweet of u'll to remember..Extremely touched :)
Sonu Sood joins cast of UKUP
S
onu Sood has joined the cast of Manchu Manoj’s upcoming film Uu Kodathara Ullikki Padathara. Post the success of Arundhati, Sonu has been one of the most sought after actors for negative roles in Telugu cinema. In the recent times, he was seen in some high profile films like EK Niranjan, Dabangg, Kandireega, Dookudu and now he has been signed up for an important role in Uu Kodathara Ullikki Padathara. Sekhar Raja is directing the film which is set in 19th Century. Balakrishna is playing an important role in the film and Deeksha Seth is the lead actress. Lakshmi Manchu is producing the film.
@shriyasmiling Colgate event today in Hyderabad. Its about Oral Hygiene awareness amongst kids!Do you Brush your Teeth twice a day?
@richyricha Going bk to bombay after god knws how long. Really need to rest and recuperate. Not a single brk frm shooting & promotions 4 past 2 months!
Chai Time 1400 Naadi Aadajanme 1430 Pavitra 1500 Movie 1800 Sri Shanidevuni Mahimalu 1830 Vasantha Kokila 1900 Chinnari Pelli Kuturu 1930 Anna Chellelu 2000 Pellipandiri 2030 Edureetha 2100 Challenge-3 2200 CID 2300 Vasantha Kokila 2330 Alajadi 0700 Silver Screen 0730 Just For Fun 0800 Ayurvedam 0830 Chaganti Nava Vidha Bhakti 0900 Bhale Chancele
1400 Kannavaari Kalalu 1430 Maavichiguru 1500 Jeevitha Chakram 1530 Movie 1800 Jai Shri Krishna 1830 Shraavani Subramaniam 1900 Mandhara 1930 Auto Bharthi 2000 No. 23, Mahalakshmi Nivasam 2030 Mogali Rekulu 2100 Aparanji 2130 Devatha 2200 Mamathala Kovela 2230 Sree Mathi Sree 2300 Gemini Vaarthalu 0800 Gemini Talkies 0830 Movie 1130 Aha Emi Ruchi 1200 Comedy Kick 1230 Maa Inti Aada Paduchu 1300 Chittemmaa 1330 Gorintaku
1400 [V] Behind The Sins 1430 [V] D3 Dil Dosti Dance 1500 [V] Humse Hai Life 1530 [V] Trailers 1600 [V] Zabardast Hits 1800 [V] Fresh Songs 1830 [V] Humse Hai Life 1900 [V] D3 Dil Dosti Dance 1930 [V] Humse Hai Life 2000 [V] Dare 2 Date 2100 [V] Deadly Dus 2130 [V] Trailers 2200 Gladrags Megamodel Manhunt 2011 2230 [V] Behind The Sins 2300 [V] Humse Hai Life 2330 [V] D3 Dil Dosti Dance 0700 [V] Trailers 0730 [V] Zabardast Hits 0800 [V] Mind Blasting Mornings 1100 [V] Fresh Songs 1200 [V] D3 Dil Dosti Dance
‘[V] Humse Hai Life’ at 1930 Hrs on CHANNEL [V]
1300 News Now at 1 1330 News Now 1800 6 PM 1830 Live Report 1900 Primetime 1930 The Game 2000 News Now at 8 2030 Live Report 2100 The Newshour 2200 The Newshour - Plus 2230 E Now 2300 News Now at 11 0800 The Morning News 0900 News Now 1200 Live Report 1230 News Now
‘The Game’ at 1930 Hrs only on TIMES NOW
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 21, 2011
Telly sitcoms, news and movie listings
1400 Abhishekam 1430 Aadade Aadharam 1500 Antahpuram 1530 Aakasa Ganga 1600 Prema Mandiram 1630 Jagadeeswari 1700 Wow 1800 Devimahathyam 1830 Puttadi Bomma 1900 Kumkuma Rekha 1930 Manasu Mamata 2000 Chandra Mukhi 2030 Bharyamani 2100 Etv News 2130 Adhire Adurs 2245 Movie 0800 Jeevana Jyothi 0830 Tollywood Time 0900 Movie 1130 Abhiruchi 1230 Star Mahila
1400 Ardhangi 1430 Movie 1800 Veera Naari Jhansi Laxmi Bhai 1830 Kalavari Kodallu 1900 Chinna Kodalu 1930 Pasupukunkuma 2000 Muddu Bidda 2030 Radha Kalyanam 2100 Kanyadanam 2130 Sa Re Ga Ma Pa - Little Champs 2230 Shree 2300 Bindas 0800 Gopuram 0830 Bhakti Samacharam 0900 Sri Raghavendra Vybhavam 0930 Ayurveda Jeevana Vignanam 1000 Zee 70 Mm A.C 1200 Mee Inti Vanta
‘Business Tonight’ at 2100 Hrs only on ET NOW 1400 The F And O Show 1430 Closing Trades 1530 Tomorrow's Trades 1600 Business Day 1730 Markets Tomorrow 1800 Rush Hour 1830 Starting Up 1900 Global Business Report 1930 Business Express 2000 Business First 2030 Markets Tomorrow 2100 Business Tonight 2200 Top 10 At 10 2230 Brand Equity 2300 Investor's Guide 0900 First Trades 1000 Hot Stocks 1100 Buy Now Sell Now - The Stock Game 1130 Buy Now Sell Now 1200 Market Sense 1300 Business Day 1330 Markets Now
‘Swords’ at 2200 Hrs on DISCOVERY CHANNEL 1400 Into Alaska With Jeff Corwin 1500 A Haunting 1600 Dual Survival 1700 I Was Bitten 1800 Killing For A Living 1900 Swamp Brothers 1930 Destroyed In Seconds 2000 Killer Outbreaks 2100 Man Vs. Wild 2200 Swords - Life On The Line 2300 My Shocking Story 0800 Ladakh - Desert In The Skies 0900 Factory Made
1415 Csi - Crime Scene Investigation 1510 Wipeout 1605 Chef Academy 1700 Estate Of Panic 1800 Criss Angel Mindfreak 1900 India's Minute To Win It 2000 Sports Crash 2100 Minute To Win It 2200 Wipeout 2300 Criss Angel Mindfreak 0700 Infomercial/30 Min 0905 Sky Teleshopping 0930 Whacked Out Sports 0955 Infomercial/5 Min 1000 Whacked Out Sports 1025 Infomercial/5 Min 1030 India's Minute To Win It 1130 Sports Crash 1225 Estate Of Panic 1320 Minute To Win It
‘Wipeout’ at 2100 Hrs on AXN
‘Sawaare Sabke Sapne – Preeto’ at 2030 Hrs on IMAGINE 1400 Haar Jeet 1500 Nach Le Ve With Saroj Khan 1600 Haar Jeet 1700 Dharampatni 1800 Beendh Banuga Ghodi Chadhunga 1830 Sawaare Sabke Sapne – Preeto 1900 Nach Le Ve With Saroj Khan 2000 Dwarkadheesh - Bhagwan Shri Krishn 2030 Sawaare Sabke Sapne – Preeto 2100 Beendh Banuga Ghodi Chadhunga 2130 Dharampatni 2200 Baba Aisa Varr Dhoondo 2230 Haar Jeet
1400 Hamari Saas Leela 1430 Hawan 1500 Veer Shivaji 1530 Uttaran 1600 Phulwa 1630 Parichay - Nayee Zindagi Kay Sapno Ka 1700 Sasural Simar Ka 1730 Veer Shivaji 1800 Uttaran 1830 Balika Vadhu 1900 Hawan 1930 Sasural Simar Ka 2000 Balika Vadhu 2030 Veer Shivaji 2100 Phulwa 2130 Parichay - Nayee Zindagi Kay Sapno Ka 2200 Uttaran 2230 Bigg Boss 2330 Balika Vadhu
‘Balika Vadhu’ at 2000 Hrs on COLORS
‘M K K P B’ at 2200 Hrs on ZEE TV 1400 Hitler Didi 1430 Mrs. Kaushik Ki Paanch Bahuein 1500 Bhagonwali 1530 Yahan Main Ghar Ghar Kheli 1600 Pavitra Rishta 1730 Ram Milaayi Jodi 1800 Hitler Didi 1830 Mrs. Kaushik Ki Paanch Bahuein 1900 Afsar Bitiya 1930 Choti Bahu 2000 Hitler Didi 2030 Yahan Main Ghar Ghar Kheli 2100 Pavitra Rishta 2130 Ram Milaayi Jodi 2200 Mrs. Kaushik Ki Paanch Bahuein 2230 Bhagonwali 2300 Pavitra Rishta
1400 Saas Bina Sasuraal 1430 Bade Achhe Lagte Hai 1500 Kuch Toh Log Kahenge 1600 CID 1800 Saas Bina Sasuraal 1830 Bade Achhe Lagte Hai 1900 Crime Patrol - Dastak 2000 Kuch Toh Log Kahenge 2045 Dekha Ek Khwaab 2130 Parvarrish - Kuchh Khatti Kuchh Meethi 2200 Saas Bina Sasuraal 2230 Bade Achhe Lagte Hai 2300 Kuch Toh Log Kahenge 0700 Telebrands 0730 Sky Star Advertising 0900 Adaalat 1000 Crime Patrol - 1 1200 Kuch Toh Log Kahenge 1245 Dekha Ek Khwaab 1330 Parvarrish - Kuchh Khatti Kuchh Meethi
‘Saas Bina Sasuraal’ at 2200 Hrs on SONY
29
‘E H M M B H’ at 2030 Hrs on STAR PLUS 1400 Sapnon Se Bharey Naina 1500 Navya 1530 Diya Aur Bati Hum 1600 Ek Hazaaron Mein Meri Behnaa Hai 1630 Sasuraal Genda Phool 1700 Saath Nibhaana Saathiya 1730 Iss Pyaar Ko Kya Naam Doon 1830 Ruk Jaana Nahi 1900 Saath Nibhaana Saathiya 1930 Sasuraal Genda Phool 2000 Iss Pyaar Ko Kya Naam Doon 2030 Ek Hazaaron Mein Meri Behnaa Hai 2100 Diya Aur Bati Hum 2130 Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai 2200 Navya 2230 Mann Ki Awaaz… Pratigya 2300 Maryaada ... Lekin Kab Tak?
MOVIES OF THE DAY AND OTHER HIGHLIGHTS
1335 Superman Returns 1640 The Invasion 1840 Romeo Must Die 2100 Tekken 2249 Bloodsport 0810 Good Morning, Miami 0840 Friends 0910 New Adventures Of Old Christine 0940 Nikita 1030 Contact 1320 Tekken
Afsar Bitiya
1450 Kull The Conqueror 1655 The Last Airbender 1910 Enid 2100 Tomorrow Never Dies 2335 Semi - Pro 0645 Robin Hood - Prince Of Thieves 0945 Tomorrow Never Dies 1215 Enid
1400 Scrubs 1430 Better With You 1500 Khloe And Lamar 1600 Body Of Proof 1700 Scrubs 1730 Better With You 1800 E News 1900 The Tonight Show With Jay Leno 2000 Scrubs 2030 America's Funniest Home Videos 2100 Khloe And Lamar 2200 Body Of Proof 2300 Scrubs 2330 Better With You 0800 Khloe And Lamar 0900 Body Of Proof 1000 Scrubs 1030 Just For Laughs 1100 Khloe And Lamar 1200 Body Of Proof 1330 America's Funniest Home Videos
‘Scrubs’ at 2300 Hrs on ZEE CAFE
Storyline - On returning home, Krishna finds out that her cousin Pinky has also cleared prelims exam. Krishna shares her worry of arranging money for question bank by evening with her sisters. ‘Afsar Bitiya’ at 1900 Hrs on ZEE TV
‘Two And A Half Men’ at 2000 Hrs on STAR WORLD 1400 Masterchef USA 1500 The Dewarists 1600 The Big Bang Theory 1630 The Simpsons 1700 The Shield 1800 Masterchef USA 1900 Love2 Hate U 2000 Two And A Half Men 2030 The Simpsons 2100 Masterchef USA 2200 The Shield 2300 The Big Bang Theory 2330 Home Improvement 0700 The Big Bang Theory 0730 Home Improvement 0800 Two And A Half Men 0830 The Simpsons 0900 Masterchef USA 1000 The Shield 1100 Love2 Hate U 1200 Terra Nova 1300 The Big Bang Theory 1330 Friends
Dekha Ek Khwaab Storyline - Aakash will be seen lost in Monia’s thoughts. Akash is finding it extremely difficult to let go off Monia's thoughts. While Chikki will try & comfort him by striking a conversation. ‘Dekha Ek Khwaab‘ at 2045 Hrs on SONY
1400 Taarak Mehta Ka Oolta Chashma 1430 Chidiya Ghar 1500 R.K. Laxman Ki Duniya 1530 Lapataganj 1600 FIR 1630 Sajan Re Jhoot Mat Bolo 1700 Taarak Mehta Ka Oolta Chashma 1830 R.K. Laxman Ki Duniya 1900 Chidiya Ghar 1930 Don't Worry Chachu !!! 2000 Chintu Chinky Aur Ek Badi Si Love Story 2030 Taarak Mehta Ka Oolta Chashma 2100 Chidiya Ghar 2130 R.K. Laxman Ki Duniya 2200 Lapataganj 2230 FIR 2300 Taarak Mehta Ka Oolta Chashma 2330 Sajan Re Jhoot Mat Bolo 0900 Don't Worry Chachu !!! 0930 Sajan Re Jhoot Mat Bolo 1000 Taarak Mehta Ka Oolta Chashma
‘Lapataganj’ at 2200 Hrs on SAB
‘Hulchul’ at 1400 Hrs on ZOOM 1400 Movie - Hulchul 1730 Star Bonanza 1800 Letz Go! 1900 Planet Bollywood News 1930 Link'D 2000 Zabar 10 2030 My Playlist 2130 Link'D 2200 B - Tonite 2230 Style Strip 2300 Bollywood Bonanza 0700 Fresh Mornings 0800 Red Carpet 0805 20 - 20 Songs 0825 Fresh Mornings 1000 20 - 20 Songs 1021 Fresh Mornings 1100 Zoom Box 1200 Garma Garam 1300 Planet Bollywood News 1330 Zabar 10
‘Tomorrow Never Dies’ at 2100 Hrs HBO
1430 Mummy Autopsy 1530 Through The Wormhole With Morgan Freeman 1630 Science Of The Movies 1730 Massive Machines 1800 Massive Speed 1830 Best Of Discovery Science 1930 Connections 3 2030 Megascience 2130 Food Detectives 2200 Sci Fi Science 2230 The Greatest Ever 2330 The New Inventors 0700 How It's Made 0730 Connections 3 0830 Eco- Tech 0930 Industrial Revelations Best Of British Engineering 1030 Megascience 1130 Food Detectives 1200 Deconstructed 1330 100 Greatest Discoveries
‘Deconstructed’ at 2200 Hrs on DISCOVERY SCIENCE
‘Survivor’ at 2100 Hrs on BIG CBS PRIME 1430 Jerry Springer 1530 Aspire 1600 Survivor 1700 Bellator 1800 Galileo Extreme 1900 The Defenders 2000 Entertainment Tonight 2030 Galileo Extreme 2100 Survivor 2200 Jerry Springer 2300 The Defenders 0700 Aspire 0730 Big Wheels 0800 Galileo Extreme 0900 CSI - New York 1000 Bellator 1100 Jerry Springer 1200 Aspire 1230 Entertainment Tonight 1300 Galileo Extreme 1330 The Defenders
Chai Time
KAKURO
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.
SCRIBBLING PAD
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 21, 2011
Take a shot at the brain game while sipping your cuppa
30
QUICK CROSSWORD ACROSS 1 Hinged fastener 5 Gig gear 9 Raft wood 14 Piercing tools 15 Gather by cutting 16 Abrasive cloth 17 Romances 18 Indian tourist city 19 Rubber byproduct? 20 Part of an active lifestyle, for some 23 Suffix for "velvet" 24 Eruption coverage? 25 Mattel fella 26 Abbr. on a cough syrup bottle 29 Scornful smile 31 Turns from ice to water 33 Something groundbreaking? 34 Copying the style of 36 Bucolic setting 37 Magician Jillette 38 Part of an active lifestyle, for some 42 Like creme brulee 43 Nervous movement 44 Word with "waste" and "want" 45 Dug in, so to speak 46 Does a little housekeeping 48 Arles' river 52 Sleuth, in slang 53 Stable particle? 54 Pkg. delivery company 56 He was Opie and Richie 57 Part of an active lifestyle, for some 61 Runny-nose condition 63 Lake Nasser supplier 64 Be loud, as an engine 65 Put an end to 66 Where the iris is 67 Tiny aquatic plant 68 Madison Ave. workers 69 Some resort prohibitions 70 Crawl (with)
DOWN 1 Parts of ship bows 2 Rousted out of bed 3 Ferris Bueller's girlfriend 4 Whispered message lead-in, perhaps 5 Saudi nationals 6 Large unit of resistance 7 "Legal" opener 8 Low-key firework 9 Gets started 10 Last word of the Bible 11 Stretch out 12 ___ Lanka 13 Sailor's "sure" 21 Before sunup 22 Hold for questioning 27 It's on the record? 28 It's full of oink or ink 30 A pop 32 Take, as a nonrequired course
35 Honest-to-goodness 37 ___ helmet (safari wear) 38 Cause for fishing-hole excitement 39 It's usually scooped up 40 "Attention!" 41 Anatomical backs 42 Cat's prey 46 Stone arrangement a la Stonehenge 47 Lease prohibition, often 49 National's local rival 50 Period of immaturity 51 Memory trace 55 Judges hear
SUDOKU
them 58 English river to the Trent 59 ___ Gauche (Paris' Left Bank) 60 "Oh, phooey!" 61 Nipper's real master 62 ". . . a man Bojangles and ___ dance for you . . ." PREVIOUS PUZZLE ANSWER
THOUGHT OF THE DAY Our greatest pretenses are built up not to hide the evil and the ugly in us, but our emptiness. The hardest thing to hide is something that is not there. – Eric Hoffer
Chai Time STAR POWER
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 21, 2011
Your tomorrow today̶Star Power and Tarot THIRUVAIKUMAR
Date 22-12-2011
ARIES
thiruvaikumar@yahoo.co.in 040-27177230 / 9177596118
March 20 – April 18 Think twice before taking any vital decisions. Some will purchase new assets. Employees will see a favourable trend at workplace. Expected transfer will materialise.
TAURUS
April 19 – May 19 Missed opportunities will come back. Employees will work hard and earn recognition. Superiors will support you. Businessmen advised to stay away from unwanted issues.
GEMINI
CANCER
LEO
VIRGO
June 21 – July 21
July 22 – August 21
May 20 – June 20
Officials will extend their help. You will send your children abroad or to other states for higher studies. Avoid being rigid with rela‑ tives. Employees will get housing or vehicle loan sanctioned. Finances will improve.
Businessmen will fulfill their commitments. They will market new products. Transactions will take place smoothly. Children will be co‑operative. Artists may be disappointed over missed chances.
Those who are suffering from chronic disease will see an improvement and recover to a great extent. Employees will get more responsibilities. Be cordial with superiors.
LIBRA
SCORPIO
October 23 – November 20
SAGITTARIUS November 21 – Dec 20
Businessmen will see growth. Investments will reap rich dividends. Spend time with family. Employees need to be extra cautious in their work. Don't entrust your work to colleague.
You will collect the old dues. Employees will be favoured with promotion. Their unwanted apprehensions will disappear. Businessmen will see good profits. Reduce credit deals. Women will buy jewels.
Avoid doubting others. Religious thoughts will occupy your mind. Employees will fulfill their needs by co‑ operating with superiors . Businessmen will get expected profits.
CAPRICORN
AQUARIUS
PISCES
January 20 – February 18 Friendsʼ and relativesʼ visit will bring cheer to the family. Employees will receive their promotion combined with pay hike. Businessmen will expand their business.
ARIES
TAURUS
GEMINI
Eight of Cups – Tho‑ ugh you have every‑ thing you need to be happy, youʼre still missing something. This missing link may be causing you to feel incomplete.
Knight of Swords – Check and double check if youʼve got all your tracks cov‑ ered. You may have missed something. Check payments, filled‑out forms, etc.
– Nine of Pentacles – If youʼve left a hobby you really liked, itʼs a good time to get back to it. It may be playing an instru‑ ment or cooking or writing.
CANCER
LEO
VIRGO
Two of Pentacles – Humour is the best way to manage many of lifeʼs problems. Have you lost yours to the daily grind called life? Stop, have some fun, smile a little.
Seven of Swords – Beware of over‑ spending. You may be right in thinking that you hardly do anything for your‑ self. But moderation is key.
Nine of Swords – Marriage needs attention. You and your partner should take a holiday and spend time with each other. Rediscover the passion.
LIBRA
SCORPIO
SAGITTARIUS
– Knight of Pentacles – Planning is key today. Keep some buffer time between appointments and account for delays and disappointments. A tough, testing day.
– Knight of Wands – Stay away from that bag of deep‑fried chips. You will do well to take better care of your health. Resist the temptation to binge.
The Devil – Those around you may be showering you with compliments and giv‑ ing you lots of pats on the back. Donʼt confuse that with genuine care.
CAPRICORN
AQUARIUS
PISCES
Queen of Cups – Prepare yourself for some changes in the coming year. Changes to your work routine and relationship sta‑ tus will be demanding of your time.
The High Priestess – You have the fear of being replaced – in your job or in your personal life as a parent or as a lover. The fear is genuine.
– Justice – Job hunters will eventual‑ ly get what theyʼre looking for although it might take its own time. Like they say, if itʼs not all good, itʼs not yet the end.
February 19 – March 19
Businessmen will increase their business via fresh investments. Employees will get their expectations fulfilled. Expected remuneration will materialise. Students will shine in studies and sports.
For Better or for Worse Stone soup
SOLUTIONS
Boggle UTAH OHIO IDAHO MAINE TEXAS ARIZONA
Number game
Suduko
Scrabble
Ink pen
COMICS
Fred Basset
Dec 21 – January 19 Businessmen will be successful. Be cor‑ dial with business partners. Employees will discharge their duties satisfactorily. Workload will be increase but income also will increase gradually.
SUMAA TEKUR
tarotreadhyd@gmail.com
August 22 – September21
Relief from the mental tensions. Strained relationship will resume. Income will increase. Employees are advised to focus in discharging their duties. Business will improve. Politicians need to be careful.
September 22 – October 22
TAROT READ
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Vol: 1, No. 158 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 040-40672222, Fax: 040-40672211
Spotlight
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 21, 2011
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PICS: SRINIVAS SETTY
Poonam
SHAKE A LEG Sindhu and Shruti
Tuesday night saw the City’s PYTs let their hair down at a popular watering hole over food and music.
Anjali and Michael
ALL SMILES Actor Shriya Saran interacts with kids at a government school in Musheerabad as part of the Adopt a School programme launched by India Dental Association and Colgate Palmolive India Limited
STYLE ESSENTIALS Schwarzkopf Professional unveiled its Essential Looks 2011 at the Lucas Salon and Academy in Jubilee Hills on Tuesday
Passionate Foundation and Hyderabad Marriott Hotel and Convention Centre revealed the revamped Government Primary School in Bowenpally that had been adopted by them last year. Aparna Reddy and Speaker Nadendla Manohar graced the occasion
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Road No. 36, Jubilee Hills, Hyderabad
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