Postnoon E-Paper for 01 June 2012 by Scribble Media & Entertainment Pvt. Ltd.

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FRIDAY, JUNE 1, 2012 HYDERABAD

WANTED: A 24 X 7 ANIMAL HOSPITAL Animal-lovers in Hyderabad are hamstrung by the lack of 24x7 medical facilities for animals. REPORT ON PG 6

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BOLT SETS FASTEST TIME FOR 100M P31 THIS YEAR World record holder Usain Bolt stormed to the fastest time of the year in winning the 100m at the Diamond League meet on Thursday.

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FRIDAY, JUNE 1, 2012

Spirit of Twin Cities

IN MY HAVEN

Library summer camp

N SHIVA KUMAR

A library summer camp for parents and faculty of UG and PG students will be held from May 10 onwards. The camp will provide guidance for faculty and final year PG students for National/State lectureship and scholarship test(NET/APSET) for `3,650. Where: Hyderabad library services, Sagar View Complex When: May 10 - June 10, Contact: (040) 2322 2247, 94412 37751

The refund This play takes a dig at existing educational system. It shows how systems and practices of education followed all over the world focus more on rote learning and preparing the individual for examinations rather than imparting knowledge. Where: Lamakaan, Banjara Hills, Rd No1 When: June 2, 7.30pm onwards Contact: 96427 31329

Agnii for all Agnii Art For All is a Bangalore based non profit group. Through music, dance and theatre, they spread awareness on social issues. Their teams consists of people from all works of life. Where: Truffles Cafe, Jubilee Hills, Rd No10 When: June 2, 11am onwards Contact: (040) 2355 0105

Summer camp Annapurna International School of Film and Media will be holding a Summer Camp program in filmmaking, acting and photography. The second batch is from May 28. Where: Annapurna School, Banjara Hills When: Ongoing Contact: (040) 4914 1234

Paradigm shift Mumbai-based fusion band PARADIGM which plays a combination of Indian classical music and contemporary progressive rock will be performing live on May 3. Where: Hard Rock Cafe, Banjara Hills, Rd No When: May 31, 9pm onwards Contact: (040) 6463 6375

Water colours A painting exhibition featuring new water colour works by Sunil Lohar called Narrations, Connotations and Interpretations is on display. Where: Kalakrithi Gallery,

CINEMAS

Banjara Hills, Rd No10 When: Ongoing, 11.30am onwards Contact: (040) 6656 4466

Calligraphic works Head to Truffles Cafe for the calligraphic works of Sri Parameshwar Raju in the exhibition titled Ramayanam. Where: Truffles Cafe, Jubilee Hills, Rd No 36 When: Ongoing, 11am onwards Contact: (040) 2355 0105

Colonial Cousins live Colonial Cousins — the extremely popular duo of Hariharan and Leslie Lewis will be performing live at Shilpa Kala Vedika to support Sparsh Hospice Care Centre. Where: Shilpa Kala Vedika, Madhapur When: June 3, 6.30pm onwards

Artistic exhibits On a look out for traditional prints and crafts? Head to an exhibitional of traditional handicrafts and artistic handlooms of Gujarat which has around 10 tribal craftsmen and 10 other artisans from Gujarat participating. Where: West Marredpally community grounds, Marredpally When: Ongoing,

10am onwards

Contact: 91601 48444

Madhubani workshop

Budding entrepreneurs

The YMCA Secunderabad is hosting a madhubani painting workshop. The workshopis being fecilitated by an artist from Madhubani. Where: YMCA Secunderabad, West Marredpally When: June 18-June 29 Contact: 98490 07736, 99595 57183

A unique management and entrepreneurial workshop for students of age group 11-17, at ISB Hyderabad from June 4 to June 9. The workshop is open for children in the age group of 11-17. Where: Indian School of Business, Gachibowli When: June 4-June 9, 9am onwards Contact: 98665 61690, 9052553320

Theatre workshop Samahaara is hosting special four week summer acting workshops. The workshops will be held for a duration of four weeks in three different parts of the City. Where: Vidyaranya School, The Terrace, The Actor’s Studio When: Ongoing , Monday-Friday Contact: 83411 20303

Kid’s day out Oxford Bookstore is organising a unique fun-filled workshop ‘A Kid’s Day Out’ for the children. The fiveday workshop will host exciting activities and competitions like baby show, painting, clay moulding. Where: Oxford Bookstore, The Park, Somajiguda When: June 2-June 6, 11am onwards

Buy art Iconart Art Gallery as a part of its Buy Art initiative is hosting an exhibition featuring abstract art, sculptures and paintings. Where: Iconart Gallery, Banjara Hills, Rd No 12 When: Ongoing, 11.30am onwards Contact: 98499 68797

My thoughts A photo exhibition titled My Thoughts by Madhu Smitha is on display at Muse Art Gallery. The exhibition is on till June 6. Where: Muse Art Gallery, Lower Tank Bund When: Ongoing, 11am onwards Contact: (040) 2752 2999

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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Watch where you park, says top cop There are a many technicalities behind how the GHMC decides on marking an area as a parking spot

PARKING Osama Salman salman.o@postnoon.com

ave you ever wondered when you park your car in a busy area, how and when that particular parking space ever came about, or who has decided what stretch of the road is a no-parking zone when you want to park your vehicle? Well, according to the traffic police, the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) writes to them about an area that they feel needs parking space, and the traffic police conduct a survey. Upon finding it suitable to either make space for parking, or to install a no-parking board, the traffic police decide. This is the just the gist of it. There is a lot more technicalities that go into it. A yearly survey is conducted by the traffic police who check vehicular movement in detail. If they feel making a parking lot does not obstruct traffic, or if the vehicular movement is too high and the stretch needs to be made a ‘no-parking’ zone, then the

traffic police use their discretion accordingly. However, a mere annual survey of the City streets is not enough. Hyderabad has as many as 175 parking lots, and a staggering 700 no-parking boards across the City. The traffic police say that they need another 1,000 no-parking boards to suffice. The lack of parking space has increased irregular parking, and towing of vehicles is on the rise. This isn’t new for a city

that is rapidly growing. The SR Nagar-AmeerpetSrinagar Colony-PunjaguttaSomajiguda stretch and the SD Road-Paradise stretch are the areas where there are maximum parking offences. The traffic police say that motorists argue that on certain sections of the roads, there aren’t no-parking signs, and hence they can park their vehicle. To avoid conflict, they will now print the distance of the next parking

Yet another Aamil held City police have another worry on their hand: glibtongued sorcerers who target gullible women facing multiple problems of health and family

CRIME Mohd Subhan mohd.s@postnoon.com

“E

vil-struck” people, especially women, continue to get cheated by the Aamils (sorcerers) who abound in the Old City, police confirmed. The South Zone Police under whose jurisdiction live most of these Aamils, has been receiving many complaints. The South Zone police have arrested one more Aamil of Imambaada in Yakutpura the other day, bringing the tally to 51. The arrested Aamil, Mohd Mohsin alias Mohsin Baba, aged 55, is said to have made a flourishing business driving ‘evil spirits out’ of the credulous. His arrest was on the basis of the complaints of two women who were cheated. One of them, whose name the police withheld on the plea that she might be harassed, had fallen for the glib tongue of Mohsin who assured her that her ill-luck would be driven out for a fee of `75,000. She reportedly paid and had undergone all those exercises he asked her to do but suffered more and lost the money in the bargain.

In a similar case, another woman in the Old City approached the South Zone DCP Akun Sabbarwal and told her the story of duping. She and her family members were afflicted with various diseases for which she was recommended by some to seek Mohsin’s help. She was reassured that she would have all her problems banished, for which she paid `1.25 lakh. As usual, nothing resulted. When she demanded the money back, the Baba allegedly told her to get lost or suffer consequences. Sabbarwal’s team raided the Aamil’s house and seized various paraphernalia used for sorcery like nails, coconuts, joss sticks, lash, ash bowl, and knife. He was taken into custody and the police are on the lookout for his disciple who marketed the Baba. The associate is known around as ‘Sufi.’ He canvases for the Baba like the insurance people do. However, both these Aamils have so far no sex harassment complaints against them, said Sabharwal. The DCP, a PhD scholar, has mapped out an educative campaign to inculcate awareness among the people who fall for sorcerers. As of now, he makes those visiting victims understand that there was nothing that sorcery can achieve.

spot. According GO 423, 25 per cent of an area should be available for parking. This mostly applies to older areas of the City. After 2006, GO 86 was passed where 40 per cent of the area must be made available for parking. The upcoming areas fall in this category. However, none of these are followed. The town planning is such that there is maximum usage of space, without having any actu-

al allotment for parking. “Without giving adequate infrastructure for parking, there will be parking problems. If you can provide enough parking space, especially commercial establishments, it helps ease problems. The rules are going to get stricter as the vehicles are increasing. If shops can’t provide parking, they will be shut down. It is absolutely essential for them to do so, else they don’t have any future,” warned CV Anand, additional commissioner of police (traffic). On the other hand, denizens allege that the traffic police install no-parking boards at will, sometimes even overnight. “We watch the flow of traffic and go by feedback of it. What we do is entirely in public interest. If we allow motorists to park their vehicles anywhere, there will be an obstruction to the flow. When we fine a vehicle, we don’t benefit by even a rupee. Everything goes into the treasury. People may park their vehicles irregularly, even near noparking zones, to save five minutes. But if their vehicles are clamped or towed away, they will spend five hours retrieving their vehicles, apart from paying a fine,” pointed out Anand.

GHMC elections on June 7 Md Inkeshaf Ahmed ahmed.m@postnoon.com

HMC has geared itself up for Standing committee election scheduled to be held on June 7. A total of 19 candidates are in the fray from the Congress, MIM and TDP. While the Congress has fielded 10 corporators, the MIM fielded seven corporators. The main Opposition TDP has fielded two, with a hope that they would also win the seats. going by its strength. The officials of the corporation have set up two polling booths for the elections which will be held between

10am to 3pm. “The casting of vote for the standing committee election is a lengthy process. To avoid any inconvenience we have set up two polling stations,” GHMC secretary MSS Somaraju told Postnoon on Thursday. A total of 150 corporators will cast their vote during the election. The counting of votes will begin immediately after voting is over. The results will be declared on the same day. A total of 15 seats are up for grabs in the standing committee election. During the last two elections, the ruling combine of Congress and MIM party won all the seats.

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No right to information at NIT While the RTI Act promises accountability and easy access to information; redtapism and lack of transparency at NIT Warangal is driving applicants away

RTI Sudeshna Koka Sudeshna.k@postnoon.com

orruption and the high crime rate are the first words that ring in your head when you think about Bihar. However, unknown to most is the rapid strides the BIMARU state has made in the implementation of Right to Information (RTI) Act. Innovative reforms have made it possible for the public to file RTI applications by a phone call. On the other hand, in Andhra Pradesh, its much touted IT prowess that’s supposed to usher in an era of transparency is being used to stonewall

The students are scared to apply as all their personal information is there. The management is trying to stone wall students so that they don’t file an application

The NIT Warangal Right to Information application form that asks for personal details of the applicant

Rakesh Dubbudu, alumnus and RTI activist request for information. National Institute of Technology Warangal (NITW), regarded as one of the top institutes in India, has serious transparency issues. The implementation of RTI is plagued by redtapism and ‘firewalls’ that scare away applicants — efforts of students and RTI activists to get this rectified have gone in vain. The basic problem begins with asking personal questions

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in the application form, which is technically not required. According to the Section 61A of the Act, an applicant making a request for information is not required to give any reason for the request, or personal details except those for contact. “In the NIT application form, they have asked questions like applicant’s name, father’s name, date of birth, phone number, permanent address and email, which according the Act is not required. The students are now scared to apply as all their personal information is there in the form. The management is trying to stonewall the students from filing applications,” says Rakesh

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Dubbudu, alumnus of the college and RTI activist. Secondly, the professors of the institute double up as RTI administrators. This is a hindrance as students worry that when their personal information being disclosed, professors might hold grudges against them. Apart from this, RTI activists in the State believe that these professors are not well trained to handle the applications. There is a serious a lack of awareness about the RTI act itself. According to Section 41B of the Act, basic information about the institution like rules, regulations, instructions, manuals and records used by employees for

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discharging functions, a statement of the boards, councils, committees and the minutes of such meetings are accessible for public and this basic information should also be updated on the website. However, none of these happens here. “They are not aware and don’t know what to do. Hence I prepared a five-page document for them, even though it was not our job. Yet they have not updated anything on the website. I am an alumnus of the college and I am doing this to remove the negative air around the college. But the management does not want transparency. “Being one of the top institutions in the country, what message do they want to send across by not being transparent and carrying out various processes of administration within the four walls,” he says. It has been more than seven years since RTI has come into force. Even today RTI implementation at NIT Warangal is given the least preference. Students have formed a group to fight against this but there is no respite yet. “Since the last one year we have been fighting to implement Section 41B which includes the need to disclose important details on the website, but they pay no attention to us. We have been filing RTI applications but have not got satisfactory results. For example, we have asked for details of our mess caution deposit but they have not replied. “When I asked about what equipments we have in the mechanical and biotechnology lab they gave an answer but without intricate details. “For scholarship students, their money gets deposited in the bank. When we asked for a detailed division we didn’t get a reply,” complains Satish Reddy, a final year student.

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Weave it like Weaves! Bhavneet Singh and Sneha Mashetty feedback@postnoon.com

e a v e s Hyderabad is organising an exhibition ‘Weaves lifestyle’ from June 1 to June 3. Madhavi We caught Naidu up with Madhavi Naidu, the director of weaves, an initiative that started in the year 2006 to help the struggling weavers and give them a platform to exhibit their masterpieces. How did the idea come up? Most people know weaves from our textiles exhibition. But this time, apart from that we wanted to give them something new. So we came up with this idea of lifestyle. What all would be up in the exhibition? We will have everything from textiles and designer clothes to jewellery and herbal oils. What is so unique about your exhibition? The difference is the people who are participating in it. These designers are not just traders, they are passion driven people and their designs reflect it. I would suggest people to try is the herbal oils we have come up with. These are things you wouldn’t find anywhere else. What is the price range of the products? The prices of the Herbal oils are from `300-`400. The clothes range from `5,000`40,000. The footwear prices are `1,400 onwards. What are your future plans for the exhibition? This exhibition would be conducted across 15 cities in the country. The next one is on 15th of June 2012 in Pune. Weaves Lifestyle Venue- Imperial Gardens, Secunderabad. Date June 1 to June 3

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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

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Who’ll bomb whom is the big question Md Inkeshaf Ahmed ahmed.m@postnoon.com

ON THE

his summer, the factionridden Kurnool district is gearing itself up to witness another scorching battle. The war will be between political opponents at the famous Bambula Gadda (Place of Bombs) — Allagadda Assembly constituency, which are going for by-election on June 12.

CAMPAIGN

TRAIL

The constituency fell vacant following the resignation of sitting MLA Shoba Nagireddy who joined YSRC. The constituency acquired the name of Bombula Gadda as political rivalry among political parties led to throwing bombs at each other for political one-upmanship between 1975 and 1995. These fights also led to loss of lifes on several occasions. Being a close relative of for-

mer chief minister YSR, it was expected of Shoba to quit her position and join the YSRC. During the 2009 general election, Shoba Nagireddy won the Allagadda seat with Chiranjeevi’s PRP ticket. She defeated her rival from Congress G Pratap Reddy with a comfortable majority. This time too, it is the battle between old rivals as the ruling Congress fielded Pratap Reddy again to wrest the seat from the same woman who beat him. Shobha’s husband Bhuma Nagireddy is a former TDP MP and her father SV Subba Reddy is a former minister and a political veteran of Kurnool district. While she is fighting this election with

BYPOLLS Postnoon News feedback@postnoon.com

hen it comes to irrational beliefs, politicians (and also film producers) take the lead, it is said. Proving true this charge, politicians keep up the tradition of kick-starting their poll campaign from the eastern part of the State — Srikakulam. Top leaders of all political parties have begun their elections and yatras from this district in the past. Former Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee president D Srinivas launched the Congress party’s 2009 general election campaign from Ichapuram in Srikakulam district. Actor-turned politician, Chiranjeevi, after launching his political party in August 2008, began his Praja Ankita Yatra from the popular Arasavelli Sun temple of the district. The star campaigner of main opposition Telugu Desam Party actor Junior NTR also began his 2009 general election campaign from Ichapuram in Srikakulam. The latest to join the bandwagon of ‘start from the east’ is none other than the arch rival of the Congress party, YS Vijayamma, working president of the YSR

Jagan out, Vijayamma now in rivals’ firing line

the sole aim of proving that the legacy left behind by YSR still enjoys mass support, the Congress is trying to woo the voters by portraying Jagan’s darker side, which led to his arrest. “Our aim is clear. It is to expose the ruling Congress party which launched the vendetta politics against YSR’s family, who is instrumental in bringing back the Congress into power for a second consecutive term. The people of the State are indebted to YSR for his welfare programmes and will vote for my party,” Shoba told Postnoon. She has already toured the constituency and is now meeting voters once again. On the other hand, the ruling Congress candidate Pratap Reddy says that the constituency did not get any benefit during YSR’s rule. “What has she done for the constituency’s development? She won the election riding on PRP’s tide,” he said. TDP has fielded E Rama Pulla Reddy for the seat. But according to analysts the main contest will be between YSRC and Congress.

Scramble for the East continues Congress party. Vijayamma, who was forced to take up the mantle of the party affairs after her son Jagan Mohan Reddy was arrested in the much talked about disproportionate assets case, began her election campaign from Narasannapeta Assembly constituency in Srikakulam today. According to supporters of YSR Congress party Vijayamma chose Srikakulam district as it is considered auspicious to begin good work from the east of the State from where the sun rises. “Srikakulam is located on the eastern part of the State. According to Vaastu, it is considered auspicious to begin any auspicious work from the eastern direction. She has done precisely this to ensure victory for her party candidates,” YSR Congress party leader D Krishna Das told Postnoon. Das is contesting from the Narasannapeta assembly constituency after quitting ruling congress party.

POLITICS Postnoon News feedback@postnoon.com

hocked at the massive turnout in the YSR leader YS Vijayamma’s campaign trail, the ruling Congress and opposition TDP, have changed their tactics. Now, the two parties have shelved Jagan for a while and have begun attacking Vijayamma, who they say is the ‘mother’ of all irregularities for which her son is now jailed. The Congress leaders are trying to corner the YSRC leaders by terming Vijayamma and her daughter’s campaign as an attempt to get back to power by shedding crocodile tears. PCC chief Botsa Satyanarayana went to the extent of saying that people have begun to doubt whether the family was responsible for YSR’s untimely death. “Jagan is the most corrupt politician in the country. And, his mother Vijayamma is striving to bring her son to power.

The way she is speaking in favour of her son and to bring him to power, we have doubts whether YSR’s family was behind his death,” Botsa said while addressing a media conference at Ramachandrapuram constituency. On the other hand, cabinet minister Kondru Murali went a step ahead and called YSR a corrupt politician. “We thought YSR was a good politician. But it is not so. He implemented our party’s welfare programmes and took credit for it. But in turn, he resorted to corruption and looted the people. While Indira Gandhi distributed kings’ land to poor people. YSR took land from poor people to benefit his son,” he said. TDP fielded its Mahila leaders to counter Vijayamma’s allegations. These leaders include mahila morcha president Shoba Hymavathi, and other leaders like Shoba Rani. “What is Rajanna Rajyam according to her. Is it Rama Rajyam? No. It is Rowdy Rajyam (Rowdy rule),” Shoba Hymavathi said.

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Chiranjeevi, Jr NTR bite the dust However, the campaigns launched by both Chiranjeevi and Junior NTR could not change the fortune of their parties during the 2009 general election does not dissuade politicians from repeating the acts. The campaign launched by the ruling Congress party during that election brought electoral victory to the Congress.

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Wanted: an animal care hospital

Change in textbooks and syllabi

ll the principals, lecturers and students of Intermediate education are informed that there is a revision of syllabi and textbooks in mathematics IA and IB, physics, chemistry, botany and zoology under Part-III for the Intermediate first year course from the 2012-13 academic year. The new textbooks for these subjects (English version) will be available by June 1. However, there is no change in the syllabi of the remaining subjects for the 2012-13 academic year. NSS

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Nihar Parulekar feedback@postnoon.com

ndia as a whole is poor in animal welfare but the fair name of Hyderabad tends to get tarnished in this sphere for utter lack of facility for animals in trauma in the middle of the night. Clinics to attend to the needs of animals and pets that meet with a sudden emergency or accident are woefully lacking in the City today. We, the voluntary organisations, that work in this area, know the traumatic experience of the pet owners who cry for divine intervention in the absence of a 24x7

clinic for pets within reach at odd hours. When we can have multiplexes and coffee shops running till late night and a few round the clock, why can’t we think about those helpless creatures and have a hospital which attends to their emergency needs? Having the best vet hospitals and highest number of professional veterinarians in Hyderabad, what’s discouraging is that there are only one or two hospitals which are open round-the-clock to rescue of such blue cases. While clinics like Blue Cross do a sterling job in taking care of the pets in trau-

ICONIC CITY Spanish mosque, Begumpet

54 DAYS TO GO

P29

yderabad, being a Nawabi city, has no dearth of beautiful mosques but the one mosque that truly stands out is the Spanish mosque that is located opposite to the old Airport at Begumpet. Also known as Masjid Iqbal Ud Daula, it was built by a Paigah Nawab, Nawab Sir Iqbal Ud Daula in the year 1906. At a first glance one can see that this mosque is different from any mosque seen anywhere else in the country. The reason is that the architecture of the mosque

Aishwarya Yerra Hyderabad as a City has a lot to offer in terms of heritage and sights. We take a look at the various places that make this City so special

has a very heavy Spanish influence. It is believed that the nawab, on his trip to Spain was very impressed by the Cathedral–Mosque of Córdoba and when he returned to Hyderabad he got a replica made. One can observe that instead of the usual minarets and domes that adorn the mosques, this mosque has spires. Another feature about this place is that the walls have inscriptions from the Quran engraved on the walls inside the mosque. This is truly an uniquely iconic place.

ma, the need for an all-time care centre is what lakhs of pet owners demand. It is also essential to have adequate number of animal ambulance to save their lives. Most often, the critically ill beasts are carried in cars or autorikshaws without life support system and that usually proves fatal before medical attention can be given. Presently two clinics work round-the-clock for pets’ emergency n Dr Dogs, Jubilee Hills. n Animal Care Clinic, Banjara Hills. (Nihar is the founder of ARPF)

YSR kin are great actors, says TDP T DP politburo member Yanamala Rama Krishnudu has said that the family members of YSR were not only criminals, but were also actors. Rama Krishnudu stated that Jagan’s mother and sister taking to the roads for public sympathy after his arrest, stands a testimony to their acting talents. He said that it was surprising that the family that should be produced in the people’s court as criminals was alleging injustice . He said that while Vijaya Sai Reddy, accused in the illegal assets case, was wearing colourful T shirts and planning ways to get votes, the Sakshi media was spreading false news that several hearts had stopped after Jagan’s arrest. He said that the reports were so amusing that people were laughing at them. He said that Jagan was Adolph Hitler, Suharto of Indonesia and Goebbels of Germany rolled into one. Jagan has outshone even these three notorious characters, he added. Yanamala said that though former revenue minister Dharmana Prasada Rao was claiming that he had signed only nine of the 26 controversial GOs and had not personally benefited, he added that no one was willing to believe the minister’s statement. NSS

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FRIDAY, JUNE 1, 2012

EDGE FOR LOWER COSTS Prudhvi Raju K

The growth of IT and ITeS industries has enabled the growth of serviced apartments. Corporate clients constitute almost 65 per of the check-ins

prudhvi.k@postnoon.com

o you want to have a homely stay at affordable price in your travel? The serviced apartments are trending in the metros cities like Bangalore and Hyderabad. These are emerging to be temporary homes for the corporates who frequently visit for their domestic offices or for a longer stays. Rising real estate costs could not bring up affordable star hotels. With huge initial investments and long gestation periods, the evolution of quality budget hotels (a room costs less than `2,000) is far less than the actual demand. However, with the serviced apartments, the owner does not need to buy and build the property from the scratch. He can skip the huge initial investment process by renting a property from landlord at a suitable location. This collaborative model creates a win-win situation for all stakeholders, said DV Ram Kumar, co-founder and CEO, Ivorysands Hospitality. The growth of IT and ITeS industries in the City enabled the growth of serviced apartments. Corporate clients taking almost 65 per of the checkins are the key drivers of the segment. Most of the serviced apartments have tie-ups with corporates and offer reasonable discounts for long stay. “We had tie-up with almost 80 corporates and at times they have permanent rooms where the occupants keep changing. With the increase in domestic travel, the companies send employees who often stay for a long period (temperorary transfers). The trend is picking up in around 45 major cities and would slowly pass to 130 economic zones,” he said. Serviced apartments have an edge over hotels mainly due to costs and family atmosphere. The serviced apartments are around 30 per cent cheaper compared to similar standards of a hotel room. The customers can have an attachment of kitchen, hall and bedroom that creates a house-like atmosphere,

said Sekhar, managing partner, Skyla Hospitality. “Even the customer has a better comfort level with the staff as they stay for long periods. You don’t need to dress up in formals to go for a breakfast as you do in star hotels. The services are flexible and customised according to the need of the customer. We offer services like couriering, ticket booking to the customer for free of cost. The corporates are also looking at quality serviced apartments for cost savings, especially after recession,” he said. There are no major brands in the segment but the

sector is slowly getting organised. As there are many City-based individual players, the foreign tourists are still hesitant to choose a serviced apartment. Major players, who are offering quality facilities of a star hotel need to position themselves as brands and exploit the opportunity of attracting foreign tourists to serviced apartments, adds Kumar. International players are also looking keenly at the growing segment. Major brands like Ascott and Oakwood have entered in to the India to grab their pie of the market, but have not forayed into the State yet. PICS: IVORYSANDS EXECUTEL

Number of serviced apartment operators in the City: 30-40 No of rooms: Around 3,500 Cost difference: 30 per cent cheaper than similar hotel

Average stay: 8 days Maximum stay: 3 months Corporates’ share: 65 per cent of the check-ins Individuals: 35 per cent of the check-ins

16,181.57 36.96

4,910.45 13.80

BSE

NSE

Business

10g= `29,300

GOLD

1kg= `54,000

SILVER

`55.93

DOLLAR

Matters of saving and spending

What futures mean for us Nupur Pavan Bang and Amulya Chirala

NUMEROLOGY $

2.6

billion

THUS SPAKE

ty and quality of wheat that will be traded at some point of time in the future. Forwards are highly customisable agreements between two parties, usually via a broker. Since there is not much regulation governing the forwards, there exists a risk of counterparty defaulting on the contract when market prices are more favourable to them. To eliminate the risk of default, there is a similar class of instruments traded on exchanges. They are known as ‘futures’. The primary difference between futures and forwards is that there is a “margin” or a safety deposit collected by the broker (or clearing house) from the trader which is adjusted daily to reflect the changes in the prices of the asset on which the contract is written (underlying). This pro-

India bans government meetings in 5-star hotels NEW DELHI: India has ordered an immediate austerity drive on Thursday banning government meetings in five-star hotels, curbing foreign travel and halting the creation of new posts to help rein in a bulging deficit. There will also be a ban on buying new vehicles, the finance ministry said in an official directive to all ministries, issued hours after figures showed that India had posted its worst economic growth in nine years. A range of measures on “fiscal prudence and economy” have come into force with immediate effect, the ministry said, but analysts cautioned that far more effort was needed to put India’s finances on a sound footing.

POUND FRIDAY, JUNE 1, 2012 8

is what Canadian technology services firm CGI Group Inc. will pay to buy Anglo-Dutch rival Logica, the pair announced on Thursday. The merger would create a top global player in the sector.

rof. Nicky: Srikant, think of a bread factory. They bake hundreds of kilograms of bread every day. This means that they use hundreds of kilograms of wheat every day. The price of wheat fluctuates frequently but the company cannot really change the price of a loaf of bread every time the price of wheat moves up or down. While wheat becoming less expensive may not worry the owner of the factory much, he would constantly worry about rising price of wheat. Now think of a wheat farmer. He lives in fear of wheat prices dropping when it is finally time to harvest the crop. If they had a mechanism to fix the price of wheat at a certain mutually agreeable price, both of them would be happier people because of the elimination of uncertainty. Sure, the farmer is sacrificing the potential very high profits if the price of wheat were to sky-rocket! Similarly, the bread manufacturer is sacrificing the higher profits he might make if the wheat prices were to nosedive. But they are assured of being in business. Srikant: Interesting thought. Prof. Nicky, it would indeed be very useful for both of them to enter into such an agreement. Prof. Nicky: Yes. The elimination of price risk is known as hedging. And it can be done through financial instruments known as ‘Forwards’. Forwards enable the two parties to fix the price, quanti-

`86.02

Economic growth slowed to 6.5 per cent in the 2011-12 financial year, according to the data, which pushed India’s currency to a new lifetime low of `56.50 to the dollar. “There is tremendous pressure on government’s resources, there is an urgent need for rationalisation of expenditure and optimisation of available resources with a view to improve macroeconomic environment,” the ministry said. On foreign travel, the ministry said, the size of the delegation and the duration of the visit should be kept to an “absolute minimum”. Holding of exhibitions, seminars and conferences abroad will be “strongly discouraged”. AFP

cess of adjusting the margin is called ‘marking to market’. It is the equivalent of rewriting a forward contract daily. Srikant: Hold on Professor. Why are you telling me all this? I am neither a farmer, nor a baker. Prof. Nicky: True. But you are an investor. You recently invested some money in the stock market. Srikant: Yes. But I am still not able to see the connection between my equity investments and these futures contracts. Prof. Nicky: You know how volatile the markets are now a days. With the rupee falling, the fiscal deficit increasing, Euro crisis and so on. Wouldn’t it be nice if you could hedge your risk in the stock markets too? Srikant: Ah! Now I know where you are going!

Prof. Nicky: Just like a farmer and a baker can hedge the price risks involved in their business, an investor too can hedge the risk of her portfolio of stocks being subjected to undue price movements due to external factors. Exchanges like NSE and BSE offer futures contracts on stocks and even the index. Also, Srikanth, your father owns a jewellery business. You can tell him about futures contracts which can help him hedge the price of Gold. Futures contracts on commodities are traded on exchanges like MCX and NCDEX. Srikanth: Prof. that reminds me, I’ve got to rush home. Got to take dad for a doctor’s appointment. But this is all very interesting and we’ll continue from where we are leaving, the next week...

Judge hands Google victory in Oracle copyright fight SAN FRANCISCO: A federal judge on Thursday put a stake in the heart of Oracle’s big-money lawsuit against Google by ruling that the application programming interfaces (APIs) at issue can’t be copyrighted. The decision by US District Court Judge William Alsup came a week after a trial ended with jurors clearing Google of patent and copyright abuse charges leveled by the California business software titan. Jurors ruled that Google violated copyrights owned by Oracle Corp. for the Android mobile platform but were unable to decide on a key point of whether Google’s use of the Java software was “fair use” that made it acceptable. Alsup had told the jurors to

assume, for the sake of deliberations, that APIs could be copyrighted but reserved for himself the right to make the legal decision in that regard. Oracle accused Google of infringing on Java computer programming language patents and copyrights Oracle obtained when it bought Java inventor Sun Microsystems in a $7.4 billion deal in 2009. Google denied the claims and said it believes mobile phone makers and other users of its open-source Android operating system are entitled to use the Java technology in dispute. AFP

“According to third party data, we have almost 46 per cent share in the Indian smartphone market. We are confident of increasing this to 60 percent this year,” Ranjit Yadav, India head (mobile and IT), Samsung

MARUTI SALES The country’s largest carmaker Maruti Suzuki today reported 4.99 per cent fall in total sales at 98,884 units for May. The company had sold 1,04,073 units in the same month last year, Maruti Suzuki India said. In May, MSI recorded domestic sales at 89,478 units, compared to 93,519 units in the year-ago period.

SPORTY CHOICE General Motors announced Thursday a three-year sponsorship deal with Manchester United, the world’s most popular football club, fixing Chevrolet as the team’s exclusive automotive sponsor. The move came weeks after GM said it would no longer advertise on Facebook or at the Super Bowl, the American football championship and one of the country’s most-viewed television events each year.

AMBITIONS Microsoft’s Skype Internet telephone service hopes to quadruple the number of users to get to one billion, division president Tony Bates said. Bates, who heads the unit that was acquired by Microsoft last year but operates autonomously, said growth will come from mobile users and from partnerships like the one Skype has with Facebook.

India‑View

FRIDAY, JUNE 1, 2012

India unveiled

Tough days ahead for new Army chief NEW DELHI: He surmounted blistering attacks and challenges to his elevation but Gen Bikram Singh, who Thursday assumed command of the 1.13-million-strong Indian Army has his task cut out on two fronts: restoring the image and public perception of the force and ensuring its rapid modernisation. The turbulent civilianmilitary relations over the last two years, primarily caused by the age row of previous chief VK Singh that went up to the Supreme Court to be settled, has taken a heavy toll and it will be an uphill effort for Bikram Singh to bridge the wedge. That apart, recent allegations of corruption in army purchases, in particular the bribe offer for Tatra trucks, has dented the confidence that the people of the country had in the army as a bastion of morality. How Bikram Singh changes that perception will be keenly watched. Differences of opinion between the military and the civilian leadership in a democracy like India is nothing unusual, but the way these differences are dealt with is an indicator of how matured the nation is in its governance practices. On this score, Bikram Singh would need a lot of help

No row will be brushed aside NEW DELHI: On his first day in office, Indian Army chief Gen Bikram Singh on Friday sent out a strong message regarding difficulties facing the force, including sexual misconduct allegations during deployment in the UN Congo mission, and said nothing would be brushed under the carpet. Bikram Singh told reporters after a ceremonial guard of honour on the lawns of South Block here that his key result area would be to maintain the army as a “secular, apolitical” force. Bikram Singh, who took over from Gen VK Singh, said all units of the 1.13 million force and its commanders should work towards improvement.

Management teaching in Nigeria renewed ABUJA: India and Nigeria today renewed an MoU for the establishment of a Chair of Indian Management studies at Nigeria’s premier business university. The Memorandum of Understanding was signed barely two years ago between the Indian Council for Cultural Relation (ICCR) and Lagos Business School (LBS). High Commissioner of India to Nigeria, Mahesh Sachdev represented ICCR at the event which was held on Thursday while the dean of LBS, also known as PanAfrican University, Enase Okonedo was present to sign on behalf of her institution. “Nigeria and India need to identify their core areas of strength for both countries to

leverage on,” said Sachdev, even as he emphasised the need for more co-operation between the two friendly countries. Under the MoU, an Indian academician will head a rotating Chair of Indian Management Studies at LBS which will be utilised for teaching and research in management and related subjects such as marketing, strategy and finance, with strong emphasis on Indian experience. “The overall context of IndiaNigeria ties has continued to boom following the recent economic crisis...” said Sachdev adding that partnership provides an extra dimension to India’s growing bilateral synergy with the oil rich African country. PTI

from the defence ministry mandarins and the civilian political leadership. Then, within the army itself, restoring the morale of the troops and the confidence of the soldiers in their commanders would be the key focus. Ahead of moving to Delhi, Bikram Singh, in his last meeting with officers and staff at the Kol kata-based Eastern Army Command, is quoted as having listed getting the army “back on track” as one of his primary tasks. He also talked about “setbacks” in the recent months for the army, and also promised not to “brush anything under the carpet”. The other major challenge for the new chief is to further the army’s modernisation process and push the defence ministry for fast-tracking key purchases of weapons and equipment for the force, whose hollowness in critical areas is now out in the public domain thanks to his predecessor’s letter to the prime minister on the issue finding its way to the media. Several procurements too need to be expedited. These include buying four different types of artillery guns, Pinaka multi-barrel rocket launchers, 10,000 Konkurs-M anti-tank guided missiles and 25,000 anti-tank Invar missiles. IANS

Celebration of girls’ entry in male bastion NEW DELHI: A batch of about 15 girl students, who have made history by taking admission in an institution which has for the last 300 years been a male bastion, will be felicitated by Jamia Millia Islamia vice-chancellor Najeeb Jung today (Friday). The Anglo Arabic School has made history by admitting girls for the first time in its over 300 year existence. Having started off as Madrasa Ghaziuddin around 1692, the school had remained an all-boys school thus far. The school in the capital’s Ajmeri Gate area has produced the likes of Liaqat Ali Khan, the first prime minister of Pakistan, Sir Syed Ahmad Khan, founder of Aligarh Muslim University, JN Dixit, former national security adviser and foreign secretary, among many other luminaries. In a significant move, the managing committee of the school, in a meeting held on March 26, decided to open its doors to girls. However, this decision was not considered favourably by the staff

THE ANGLO ARABIC SCHOOL HAS MADE HISTORY BY ADMITTING GIRLS FOR THE FIRST TIME IN ITS OVER 300 YEAR EXISTENCE. HAVING STARTED OFF AS MADRASA GHAZIUDDIN AROUND 1692, THE SCHOOL HAD REMAINED AN ALL-BOYS SCHOOL THUS FAR.

of the school, which is predominantly male, and it seemed at the time that this decision would not be implemented. However, a PIL filed by an M Phil student of JNU, Fatima Alvi, was considered favourably by the Delhi High Court recently and the school as also the Directorate of Education, Delhi government, and police were directed to ensure that this decision be implemented. IANS

MANPOWER TO THE RESCUE

A couple, holding their scooter, ride on a cycle-rickshaw as they head to a petrol station to refuel AFP/ NARINDER NANU their vehicle during the nationwide strike in Amritsar on Thursday.

India‑View

FRIDAY, JUNE 1, 2012

India unveiled

3 Indians feared dead in Aus blaze MELBOURNE: Three members of an Indian family are believed to have died after a fire tore through a Melbourne house today (Friday), but police said the damage was so great it would take time to confirm. Detectives said a family of four from southern India lived at the home and remains had been found. Reports said a mother and her two young boys died while the father was overseas on business. “There’s a lot of damage done to the premises but there’s also a lot of damage done to the deceased as well,” said Detective Sergeant Jeff Maher. “Sometimes you just cannot tell how many are deceased. “We’re keeping our minds open on what might have happened,” he added. Neighbours told reporters they heard hammering, followed by a scream, as flames engulfed the home in the early hours of the morning. “It’s sad taking away little ones and their mother,” said neighbour Terry Nooroa. AFP

Ranvir Sena chief shot dead in Bihar ARA: Ranvir Sena chief Brahmeshwar Singh was shot dead by unidentified gunmen in Bihar’s Bhojpur district early this (Friday) morning, police said. Singh was on a morning walk when he was accosted by gunmen who pumped several bullets into him, killing him on the spot at Katira Mohalla under Nawada police station, 71km from Patna, they said. Singh alias Mukhiya ji, who was earlier facing life imprisonment in various carnage cases, was acquitted and released from jail in April this year. Chief of Ranvir Sena, a private militia of upper caste landlords, is allegedly responsible for perpetrating several killings including Laxmanpur Bathe massacre of 61 Dalits way back in December 1996. His hand was also suspected in carnages that took place

Registration of marriages to be mandatory

JALNA: Two persons were arrested while three others including a woman were booked on charges of sexually exploiting and blackmailing a married woman here, police has said. The 27-year-old victim was allegedly raped by Narayan Haribhau Karde in Warul Budruk. Later, three of his friends, Ravi Korde, Gajanan Sitaram Ingle and Datta Baban Shelke learnt about the incident and started blackmailing the woman.

Locals helping in tiger poaching: Thackeray CHANDRAPUR: Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray said on Thursday that poaching of tigers here could not have taken place without support of local people. Thackeray, who was here to collect facts on poaching of tigers said, “It is impossible for outsiders to lay traps in forests without help from local people.”

in the districts of Jahanabad, Aurangabad and Nawada in 1990s. As the news of the killing spread, hundreds of Sena supporters gathered at the site of the killing and shouted antigovernment slogans. They also

tried to chase away policemen including the superintendent of police, who had arrived at the spot. Patrolling has been intensified in the area as tension ran high. PTI

PRIZED CREATION

PM Manmohan Singh chats with Prince Salman Bin Hamad Al-Khalifa, crown prince of Bahrain at his residence in Delhi on Thursday. AFP

13 acquitted of arson during 2002 Guj riots

NEW DELHI: Registration of marriages within 60 days of tying the knot will become mandatory in Delhi and its non compliance will invite a fine of `10,000. The provision has been made in the draft Delhi Registration of Marriages Bill 2012 which was tabled in Delhi Assembly on Thursday. The Bill is being brought with an aim to prevent child marriage, check bigamy or polygamy, enable widows to claim right on property and to ensure that deserted women get their rights like financial help and custody of children from their estranged husband. Officials said all the marriages solemnised in Delhi or marriages solemnised out of Delhi involving a person who normally resides in Delhi will come under purview of the proposed legislation. PTI

NATION AT A GLANCE Two arrested for rape, blackmail of woman

AHMEDABAD: A city sessions court today acquitted 13 youths belonging to minority community from charges of loot and setting afire 100 shops during postGodhra riots of 2002, for lack of evidence. The youths were charged for rioting, arson, unlawful assembly and loot of around 100 shops owned by Hindus in the communally sensitive Kalupur area of the city.

Huge weapon cache unearthed in Bihar

Sand artist Sudarshan Pattnaik poses with his first-prize winning work at the Copenhagen International Sand Art Championship in Copenhagen on Thursday. PTI

JAMUI: Six weapons, explosives and 904 rounds of cartridge were found from the house of an ex-service man at Malaipur in Bihar, a top police officer said. Acting on a tip-off, CRPF and local police raided the house of Shambhu Singh and seized one masket, three country-made pistols and one ‘regular’ pistol SP U Sharma said.

Plan of low-cost health for all is non-starter ROHTAK (HARYANA): Lowcost health for all at the doorstep! The Haryana dream seems to be over before it began. Having failed to get polyclinics across the state operational even after setting up the buildings, the Haryana Urban Development Authority (HUDA) has proposed that the structures be auctioned to the private sector. The state governments’s

plans to set up scores of polyclinics across the state was a virtual non-starter with the health department unable to install either the required infrastructure or get the requisite manpower. The result: the move to have health institutions at the doorstep has come a cropper. In 2009, the state government planned to set up the polyclinics to provide medical facili-

ties free of cost to residents of various HUDA colonies and sectors and adjoining areas across Haryana. By 2011, the buildings were completed, but there was little action after that, with health authorities not taking possession. And now, HUDA officials have sent a proposal to their headquarters at Panchkula, near Chandigarh, to auction the

buildings to the private sector. The auction proposal originates from Rohtak, home district of Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda. His son, Deepinder Singh Hooda, represents the Rohtak parliamentary seat in the Lok Sabha. Chander Prakash, HUDA administrator at Rohtak, told IANS, “The auction is likely to be held through an open bid.

Singer Daler Mehndi comes out of a court after appearing in an illegal immigration case in Patiala on Thursday. PTI

Around the World

Ecuador’s baby drama One baby, two moms equals controversy

1`QUITO: Ecuador’s constitution extols “families of diverse types,” but this conservative, Catholic society is struggling to figure out how children raised by parents of the same sex fit that lofty ideal. A British lesbian couple have sparked controversy at a time when attitudes about same-sex couples are changing in other countries, including nearby Argentina, the first Latin American country to legalize gay marriage. Ecuadorians have been closely following the case of Nicola Rothon and Helen Bicknell, each of whom is claiming the right to call herself the mother of their newborn. After their daughter Satya Amani was born in December of last year, the longtime couple tried to register their joint maternity with local authorities, but were denied. The women, both 34, then filed a claim alleging discrimination and demanding that state prosecutors protect their constitutional rights, but were turned down. “The constitution protects us, but there is a loophole and that needs to be fixed. It will not be easy,” Rothon told reporters recently. “It’s always the case that when you’re the first ones, you’ve got to fight to change the laws,” added Bicknell who, with her partner, makes a living teaching English and raising organic produce on the outskirts of Quito. Rothon said she worries that if she were to die, the government might keep her daughter, since her partner has no biological tie to the infant. “If something happens to me,

FRIDAY, JUNE 1, 2012

Beyond Borders

does she go to an orphanage?” she said. The women were considering taking the case to the InterAmerican Commission on Human Rights (IACHR), an arm of the Organization of American States (OAS). They met met 16 years ago in Kenya, where they worked as volunteers. They entered into a civil union in Britain in 2010 and tied the knot at a ceremony in Ecuador the following year. Their baby was conceived with semen donated by a mutual friend, but although parenthood was entered into as a joint endeavor only Rothon, who carried the child to term, is seen as the child’s parent. The case has sparked controversy in Ecuador, an avowedly secular country with an 80 per cent Catholic population. The Catholic Church here has kept a low profile in the dispute, but is emphatic in embracing only heterosexual marriage. “There is only one mother,” said Antonio Arregui, president of the conference of bishops. The view of most Ecuadorians, he said, is that “a normal family is father, mother and children.” Isabel Salazar, 42, a member of a group that rejects gay marriage and abortion, disputes Bicknell and Rothon’s claims to parenthood. “We respect gays and lesbians, but they are a marginal group,” she told AFP.t She added that child raising is a task that required the “complementarity of a male and female parent.” But the couple also has supporters, including Sarahi Maldonado, 20, who is an activist with a group defending the rights of Ecuador’s “sexual minorities,” including gays and lesbians. Maldonado said the state promotes homophobia and archaic ideas about family. “It is outrageous to believe that you can’t have a family in which no man is present,” she said. “In daily life we see so many cases of men who do not acknowledge paternity, and nobody talks about the impact of abortions or broken families,” she said, decrying what she said was a “clear double standard.” Bicknell said she agreed with the conventional view here that two parents are better than one, but rejected the idea that the couple has to be of two sexes. AFP

North Korea’s answer to K-Pop

hey say imitation is the highest form of flattery. Tell that to North Korea. North Korea recently debuted an all-female musical group meant to raise morale among the troops. The Koreanlanguage Chosun Ibo called them “Goddesses,” and put them on par with South Korea’s enormously successful K-Pop band, Girls’ Generation. K-Pop, or Korean pop music, has become enormously successful the world over, with a huge American debut at Madison Square Garden at the end of last year. Important to note are some key differences between the Goddesses and Girls’ Generation, however. Both groups may have performed for their respective militaries, but only one dons short shorts and stilettos. Also, as Chosun Ibo points

out (English translation by ChinaSmack’s bizarro cousin KoreaBang), where South Korea has a “group,” North Korea sports a whole “troupe” — more specifically and not that surprisingly dubbed, “The People’s Army Troupe.” The troupe is broken down

into subsets, the “regular troupe” and the “special troupe,” for work domestically and overseas respectively. The ‘regular troupe’ only possess costumes, while on the other hand the ‘special troupe’, which is equipped with outstanding beauty queens.

OLD PEOPLE SMELL I

t’s been unkindly referred to as ‘’nursing home smell’’ or ‘’old people smell.’’ The Japanese even have a name for it, “kareishu,” according to Science Now. However, a new study has revealed that while old people have a distinctly different odor to the young and middle-aged, it’s rated as a better smell by other humans in a blind sniff test. Further, the study by American and Swedish scientists from the University of Pennsylvania and the Monell Chemical Senses Center suggested, humans — although not

known for their acute sense of smell — can more accurately detect the scent of older people, regardless of race, creed, or diet, than those aged under 75. Researchers collected odor samples from “donors” in three groups — young (20-30), middle aged (45-55), and old (75-95) — using underarm pads that the participants slept in for five nights. Odors were rated on a scale ranging from ‘’extremely unpleasant’’ to ‘’extremely pleasant’’ — with results reportedly clearly showing that the old-age group of odors were rated as less

intense and less unpleasant when compared with the younger and middle-aged samples. ‘This was surprising given the popular conception of old age odor as disagreeable,’’ Dr Lundstrom said. ‘’However, it is possible that other sources of odor, such as skin and breath, may have different qualities.’’ Lundstrom said that people who found the elderly smell unpleasant might be setting it in an unattractive context, like a dreary nursing home or a stuffy parlour. GLOBALPOST

SOMETHING FISHY

A child poses beside a Spot-Eye Cichlid fish at the Beijing Aquarium. The aquarium is the largest in China and shaped like a huge conch shell. State media named it a “Beijing civilized Tourist Scenic Spot” and it houses more than 1,000 marine species and freshwater fish. AFP/ MARK RALSTON

Around the World US Catholic child abuse trial wraps up PHILADELPHIA: Jurors in a landmark Catholic Church sex abuse case heard closing arguments Thursday in the trial of Monsignor William Lynn, the highest-ranked US church official to be charged with covering up child molestation. Those arguments capped more than 10 weeks of dramatic testimony in the case against Lynn, whose job it was to investigate reports of abuse in the archdiocese from 1992 to 2004. Starkly conflicting portraits of the senior priest emerged at trial. Lynn’s lawyer described him as a low level functionary who struggled within a rigid church hierarchy to act against abuse by documenting it and compiling records that prosecutors used to build their case. Prosecutors allege that in failing to remove abusive priests from positions where they had contact with minors, Lynn endangered children. Victims, advocates and prosecutors packed the courtroom, along with relatives of Lynn and a co-defendant. “He is recording his own commission of crime,” said Assistant District Attorney Patrick Blessington, speaking for the prosecution. Lynn, 61, is not charged with molesting children, but with covering up crimes of priests who did. He faces between 10 and 21 years in prison if found guilty of child endangerment and conspiracy to endanger children, according to the prosecutor’s office. AFP

US: Action in Syria needs UN backing

S Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said Thursday that any military action in Syria would need backing from the United Nations, but called recent violence “intolerable.” Asked if he could foresee a scenario in which the US

would back military intervention even without UN authorisation, Panetta said, “No, I cannot envision that.” Panetta said his duty as Pentagon chief was “to make sure that when we deploy our men and women in uniform and put them at risk, that we not only know what the mis-

sion is but we have the kind of support that we need in order to accomplish that mission.” Panetta’s comments came a day after the US ambassador to the UN, Susan Rice, warned of possible US military intervention if Russia refuses to drop its opposition to tough sanctions against Damascus. After Panetta’s briefing with reporters, his press secretary, George Little, said comments by the Pentagon chief and the UN ambassador were not “mutually exclusive.” “He said very clearly that we’re preserving all of our options. He’s not taking any option off the table or suggesting that’s administration policy,” Little said. President Obama’s administration has expressed growing frustration with Russia over its opposition to sanctions against Assad. AFP

Syria armed group says holding Lebanon Shiites

Implement ceasefire: China, Arab countries

BEIRUT: A previously unknown armed group calling itself the “Syrian Revolutionaries — Aleppo Province” said on Thursday that it is holding a group of Lebanese Shiite pilgrims who went missing last week. “The kidnapped Lebanese are being looked after by us and are in good health,” the group said in a statement received by Al-Jazeera. “Negotiations for their release are possible as soon as (Hezbollah leader) Nasrallah apologises.”

TUNISIA: China and Arab nations Thursday

Telugu girl wins the Spelling Bee

MARYLAND: A 14-year-old daughter of immigrants from India clinched the 85th Scripps National Spelling Bee on Thursday by correctly spelling an obscure French word for ambush, snare or trap. “G-U-E-T-A-P-E-N-S,” said Snighda Nandipati, an eighthgrade student from San Diego,

FRIDAY, JUNE 1, 2012

Beyond Borders

to become the fifth American youngster of south Asian origin to win the venerable competition in as many consecutive years. “I knew it. I’d seen it before,” Nandipati, the daughter of a software engineer, confided afterwards as she collected the spelling bee’s coveted gold cup and $30,000 that she plans to put aside for university. Some 278 youngsters took part in this year’s National Spelling Bee, out of more than 11 million who competed in events at some level in the US. Nandipati, an avid reader who aspires to become a psychiatrist or neurosurgeon, gets $30,000 in cash, a trophy, a $2,500 savings bond and a $5,000 scholarship among other prizes. AGENCIES

jointly urged Syria’s warring parties to fully implement a tattered UN and Arab League ceasefire plan. The plan for ending bloodshed in Syria includes a ceasefire that has been violated. “China and the Arab countries call on the Syrian parties to fully apply UN-Arab League envoy Kofi Annan’s ceasefire plan,” the countries said in a statement.

John Edwards confesses ‘sins’ after US mistrial GREENSBORO: The judge declared a mistrial, but former presidential candidate John Edwards declared himself a sinner Thursday and said he was solely responsible for the lies that brought down his stellar political career. Edwards was found not guilty of one count of using campaign donations to hide his pregnant mistress as he sought the Democratic presidential nomination in 2008. A

mistrial was declared on the five remaining counts. The disgraced politician saw his career collapse after he fathered a child with Rielle Hunter in 2007 then lied about their affair to his cancer-stricken wife, Elizabeth, and the public. Outside court in Greensboro, North Carolina, a relieved Edwards, who was John Kerry’s vice presidential running mate in 2004, said he only had himself to blame for his fall but insisted he had done nothing criminal. The former North Carolina senator had faced up to 30 years in prison and $1.5 million in fines if convicted of intentionally using nearly $1 million from two wealthy donors to hide his affair for political reasons. AFP

GLOBE AT A GLANCE Romney wins Nancy Reagan’s endorsement WASHINGTON: Nancy Reagan, the 90-year-old widow of president Ronald Reagan announced Thursday that she was endorsing Mitt Romney in this year’s contest. Romney has already earned enough delegates to win the nomination to face Obama in the November 6 presidential election but does not officially become nominee until the party convention in Tampa, Florida in August.

Bill Clinton predicts strong Obama victory WASHINGTON: Former US president Bill Clinton said Thursday he thought that fellow Democrat Barack Obama would be easily re-elected to the White House. Obama faces presumptive Republican nominee Mitt Romney, who surged ahead of him in Florida, in the November 6 election.

Angela Merkel feeds penguins in the Oceaneum during the “Council of the Baltic Sea States” leader summit in Stralsund, Germany. AFP

Chavez gifts house to Twitter follower MEXICO CITY: Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has gifted a house to a 19year-old woman who became his three millionth follower on Twitter. A delegation led by a member of the ruling party visited Natalia Valdivieso to inform her that she will have a new house soon. Chavez’s two millionth Twitter follower received a computer from the president in 2011.

US man kills roommate, eats heart, brain WASHINGTON: A US college student has told police he killed his roommate, cut up the body and ate part of the victim’s brain and his whole heart, US media reports said Thursday. Alexander Kinyua of Baltimore, Maryland, was arrested on Tuesday after police searched his house following the discovery by his brother of the victim’s head and hands.

Aung San Suu Kyi speaks next to Klaus Schwab, founder, World Economic Forum at the 21st World Economic Forum in Bangkok. AFP

Comment

FRIDAY, JUNE 1, 2012

Fair, free and forthright

Talk back Pull up errant drivers I was hoping that something like this comes up in the paper. I commute by buses daily and have been through all the problems mentioned in the article. These drivers are indeed very arrogant. Sometimes they skip a stop and when we ask them to stop, they just slow down and ask us to get down from the running bus. This is so very dangerous, especially for senior people. This is the height of being careless, that too when accidental falls from buses are reporter so often. Hope the authorities make a note of this and solve this problem or many commuters will be in trouble. Shanti Nalluri By email

Be good to animals The death of the deer was a very sad thing that happened. It’s surprising how selfish and careless we are when it comes to nature. There is at least one doctor or a hospital in every lane for us, human beings, but not even a single helpline for animal emergencies. And we are all the time harping about conservation of nature and environment. This is one matter Hyderabad has lagged behind for a long time and some action needs to be taken. Because animals are as important as we are on this planet and we should protect them at all costs. Raveena Sanjay Sabzimandi

Curb hockey slide It’s disheartening to see the quality of our national game, hockey going down. There is no importance given to it either from the authorities or the people. It is like the neglected son of the house. Shah Rukh Khan through his movie Chak de India asked people to play hockey, but in real life he is jumping around with KKR and their cup. Had he invested in a hockey league, things would have been different and we would have seen a big change in the sport. Some serious steps have to be taken to save the game and restore to it glory that it once enjoyed. Vikram Singh Sainikpuri

Bus lane will help Agreed that our roads are not broad enough, but dedicating a lane for busses has become a necessity. Considering that it is a public transport system that assists a large number of people, it will be worth the exercise. When we consider the area taken up by a bus on the road to the number of people it carries, it must be given priority. Shakir Ali Dawood Punjagutta

A fine line between truth and advertising The Anonymous Alien

y company is constantly promoting itself here in India. We place ads in newspapers, on radio, on TV…all over the place. We also use a public relations firm to get us meetings with newspaper reporters whenever we have something ‘big’ going on, and hope that they will write positive stories about us. All well and good, right? Not quite. Everything in news-print land is not what it appears to be. Some of the newspapers charge us to have them run ‘news’ stories about us. The charge can be a required ‘gift’ to the reporter, a free lunch or flat-out cash. Again, no issues, right? And again, not quite. These same newspapers then run the story — the story we paid to have run — without printing, clearly and for all to see, that the ‘news’ story is actually paid advertising. Get it? The story is run side by side with other news stories, but is actually a paid ad. And this of course means that the reader of the newspaper has no idea which stories are ‘news’, and which are advertisements. Now if you think that’s not a big issue, think again. Imagine a big news story on page one about a new cream that makes you lose fat. Reported as news, everyone and their mother would buy it. Printed as an ad, collective, learned scepticism kicks in, which isn’t to say nobody would buy it, but it’s no longer perceived as fact — it’s correctly perceived as a sales attempt. But it can get a whole lot worse. What’s to stop a politician from paying to run a ‘news’ story that falsely accuses his opponent of reprehensible behaviour; as a political ad, people inherently take such a story with a grain of salt. Perceived as a news story, people are far more likely to assume it’s true. Take it one step further. If news can be bought, what’s to stop commodity traders

Editorials

WHAT’S TO STOP COMMODITY TRADERS FROM RUNNING ‘NEWS’ STORIES THAT THERE’S A SHORTAGE IN SOME COMMODITY, THUS MANIPULATING MARKET PRICES AND ILLEGALLY MAKING MILLIONS? WHO’S TO SAY A TERRORIST GROUP COULDN’T RUN A FAKE NEWS STORY TO STIR UP POLITICAL TROUBLE, AND ACTUALLY CAUSE A DEATH IN SOME RIOT CAUSED BY THEIR STORY?

from running ‘news’ stories that there’s a shortage in some commodity, thus manipulating market prices and illegally making millions? Who’s to say a terrorist group couldn’t run a fake news story to stir up political trouble, and actually cause a death in some riot

NYC IS LOOKING TO BAN SUPER-SIZED sugary drinks... good on them

ew York Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s proposed ban on super-sized sugary drinks is a welcome move in a country that is increasingly hamstrung by an obesity epidemic. That Bloomberg has been willing to take on the powerful fast food lobby is a sign that the health of the world’s children is becoming a priority. Youngsters bombarded by targeted advertising by fast food chains run grave health risks, and while many big companies have promised to make their meals more nutritious and less fatty, there is little tangible evidence that they are doing so. India should take a leaf out of New York’s book and look to follow suit before we too are gripped by the epidemic. There are already worrying signs that Indian children are falling prey to unhealthy diets which will result in long-term health issues. Ironically, this is a fallout of an improved economy. We must act voluntarily now, or have our hand forced over the next decade.

caused by their story? A free press is a cornerstone of any successful democracy. It shines light on corrupt companies and politicians and cops and thus helps the democracy move towards being a freer and fairer society. When that same press is inherently flawed — positioning ads as news and news as ads — it has the opposite effect. I propose that this practice be outlawed. The law should mandate that paid stories be clearly labelled as advertisements. Now I realise that some will argue that regulating the news industry is counter to the very idea of a free press. I don’t buy it. I’m a huge believer in, say, free speech but still think it should be illegal to yell “fire” in a movie theatre when there is no fire. Oh, and just for the record? I didn’t pay anyone to run this story in this paper. Or did I? A foreigner’s observations on living, working, surviving and thriving in India.

WHY WE LOVE... Spelling

ourteen-year-old Snighda Nandipat, who won the 85th Scripps National Spelling Bee in Maryland, USA should be a beacon of hope for the US and the world. Spelling is being relegated to the lost art-forms as children veer toward Web lingo in their goal to achieve an ignorant brevity unheard of in the pre-social media era. It’s time parents and teachers did a better job making sure future generations don’t forget how to do it.

Rhythm Nation

FRIDAY, JUNE 1, 2012

Faustina E Johnson feedback@postnoon.com

ngry droplets of sweat drip down her face onto the vibrating snare. She barely notices as her hands move in accelerated rhythm across the Pearl kit. Her face lifts in concentration, the audience is in uproar. This is Adina Kumar, drummer, at her musical best. She is part of a ridiculously small group of professional female musicians in India. Where is our Joan Jett, our Madonna, our Patti Smith? Let’s do a headcount. Shruti Haasan, Aditi Singh Sharma of Groove Adda, Shibani Kashyap of Sojourne and Kavita Seth of Karwaan. And, Anushka Manchanda, Jayashree Singh, Shilpa Rao and Sona Mohapatra. And then there was the short lived Viva, an all girls band, Dmajor, and...Wait. That's the lot. Just a handful of successful female musicians in India. Why is the industry so hostile to women? (unless you're a veena-wielding classical Donna, of course) Why is this typical to our country? Any declaration of intent to join a band would only waste hours arguing with the folks. “What would the neighbours say?”. “You'll ward off the suitors,”are general concerns. What concerns me is the general attitude Indians display towards a girl in a band. The outfit is somehow construed as suggestive, the behaviour vulgar, the performance mediocre. The only kind

WOMEN

WHO ROCK Why can’t music be about music? Why is the Indian industry so hostile to women? We find out of encouragement they are likely to receive would be from sexstarved admirers (translate to stalkers), devoted family and bedazzled friends. Moreover, a woman who stays

out late without a male escort is inevitably seen as promiscuous. The husbands have numerous issues about their wives traipsing off to tour with men, the fathers are ready to overlook their daughters' talent if display would mean late nights at “bars”. Why can't music be about the music? This attitude seems to come largely from stereotypical ideas about the music in the West that have been chiselled into the Indian psyche by a dramatic media. Flora Sigsimondi's The Runaways, while attempting realism, only stuck in our minds for the wrong reasons — a garter clad Dakota Fanning, the hazy kiss between Dakota and Kristen which had us straining to catch the action. Parents are terrified of sending their girl on a one way ticket into the sinful land of sex

Rachel Ankita

and drugs. The only 'safe' genre today is Gospel. The male-dominated industry does not allow female performers to be taken seriously. The pressure can be psychologically

crippling. “Since I am the sole female member of the band, I am often forced to play only what the rest ask me to,” Adina says. “Initially, I faced negativity from a lot of male musicians, who kept reminding me how difficult it would be for me to get in, being a woman,” Rachel Ankita, lead singer of Stratus, tells us. “Now that I'm here, I hear a lot of 'she only got this far because she's a girl' around me.” Isn't that comically ironic? “The number of men and women buying guitars and drums is almost equal,” says Venkatesh T, shop assistant at Khords. Clearly, there is no dearth of interest. The gap only exists when it comes to execution. Every human fears rejection. The number of successful women in the industry would make budding female musicians rethink their options. “I had to show my parents that I could support myself doing what I love best, before they accepted me as a musician,” Rachel recalls. There is also the question of skill. How good are they really? Hyderabad is saturated with cover bands cashing in on the artists' popularity. Another girl who sings Rihanna would hardly be a worthwhile addition. Despite all this, there seems to be hope. The population is warming up to the idea of women playing Western genres. “My music is a cry to the women of the country,” says Adina. “I want it to inspire action.” Change is on the horizon, what will the new dawn bring us?

Adina Kumar

iTUNES Top 10 Know – Gotye 4. Starships – Nicki Minaj 5. Back In Time – Pitbull 6. Boyfriend

1. Call Me Maybe – Carly Rae Jepsen 2. Payphone – (feat. Wiz Khalifa) Maroon 5 3. Somebody That I Used to

Bollywood Top 10

Billboard Top 10

– Justin Bieber 7. We Are Young – Fun 8. Wild Ones – (feat. Sia) Flo Rida 9. Where Have You Been – Rihanna 10. Scream – Usher

1. Trespassing – Adam Lambert 2. 21 – Adele 3.Blown Away

– Carrie Underwood 4.Rize Of The Fenix – Tenacious D 5.Little Broken Hearts – Norah Jones 6.NOW 42 – Various Artists 7.Bloom – Beach House 8.Glee: The Music: Season Thre... – Soundtrack 9.Tuskegee – Lionel Richie 10.Up All Night – One Direction

1.Pani Da Rang – Vicky Donor 2.Mukhtasar

– Teri Meri Kahaani 3.Humse Pyaar Karle Tu – Teri Meri Kahaani 4.Dhadang Dhang – Rowdy Rathore 5.Aa Re Pritam Pyaare – Rowdy Rathore 6.Tera Deedar Hua – Jannat 2 7.Tu Hi Mera – Jannat 2 8.Pungi – Agent Vinod 9.Anarkali Disco Chali – Housefull 10.Pareshaan – Ishaqzaade

H‑Factor

FRIDAY, JUNE 1, 2012

Holistic view of mind, body and soul

PAIN IN THE TUMMY Appendicitis is one of the most common causes of emergency abdominal surgeries in India. A little awareness can save you the pain Ranjani Rajendra ranjani.r@postnoon.com

t’s just another day at work for you and you’re racing against time to meet your deadlines, when you suddenly become aware of a sharp shooting pain in your abdomen. It hits you out of the blue and can almost be crippling. You retrace your thoughts to everything you may have eaten to check if your stomach is simply acting up due to over eating or it’s contaminated food that is The culprit. But even as you jog

your memory, you realise that your food had nothing to do with this sudden shooting spasms in your stomach muscles. As the day progresses, the pain just gets worse, making it harder for you to concentrate on your work. It’s leaving you nauseous. You check with your doctor and a few tests later realise that it is an inflamed appendix that is the culprit. In fact, appendicitis is so common that it accounts for the largest numbers of emergency abdominal surgeries in the country, says Dr Sundeep Lakhtakia, consultant gastroenterologist at Asian Institute of

Gastroenterology.

What it is The appendix is a small pouch attached to the large intestine and when this gets inflamed it is called appendicitis. “This usually occurs when the appendix gets blocked by faeces, a foreign object, or rarely, a tumour,” says Dr Lakhtakia. Theories also abound that a viral infection could also result in an appendicitis.

Symptoms “Symptoms usually present in the form of a shooting pain in the stomach (around the belly button area), a reduced appetite, fever, nau-

sea, chills, diarrhoea etc. It is however, harder to diagnose the condition in young children, elderly and women of childbearing age. As the pain increases it will move to the lower right side of the abdomen,” Dr Lakhtakia. Treatment “The treatment for appendicitis is appendectomy or removal of the appendix. Since it is a vestigial organ it’s removal does not affect the patient. In case it is not treated on time, then it could either rupture, which creates complications or there could pus formation around the appendix which once again makes it riskier,” explains Dr Lakhtakia.

Unhygienic practices lead to poor performance NEW DELHI: Children with poor hygiene practices are more likely to suffer in terms of academic performance, a study by the Indian Medical Academy said here Wednesday. Conducted among 500 parents and 540 doctors, the participants were divided into two groups — those who scored above 80 per cent marks with over 80 per cent attendance (group A) and those who scored below 80 per cent with less than 80 per cent attendance (group B). “In group B, only 43 per cent students studied more than three hours in contrast to group A, where 63 per cent of whom studied over three hours a day. It was found that in group A, 37 per cent students ate healthy food, 88 per cent bathed daily, and 67 per cent washed their hands regularly,” the study said. “In contrast, only 18 per cent in group B ate healthy, 53 per cent bathed daily and 37 per cent practised hand washing regularly. This clearly showed that most children who did well academically had a healthy diet and had sense of good personal hygiene,” the study added. The online study was conducted across Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata. “Majority of children are not properly taught healthy sanitary and personal hygiene habits like washing hands regularly and bathing daily. These children suffer more in terms of academic performance,” said Sanjeev Bagai, senior paediatrician and member, Indian Medical Academy. “Infections lead to absenteeism, and the learning process suffers as a result. Infections also lead to malabsorption of nutrients causing malnutrition, which in turn results in growth and cognitive impairments,” added Bagai. The study also revealed that of the group B students who had an attendance of less than 80 per cent, over 60 per cent reported sickness as the main reason for absence from school. Interestingly, the study revealed that in group A, only 28 per cent ate in the school canteen for three days a week, unlike group B students where 64 per cent ate in the school canteen. IANS

H‑Factor

FRIDAY, JUNE 1, 2012

Holistic view of mind, body and soul

THE SECRET TO LIVING over 100 is optimism, genetic background

My life, my weight, my problem

A new study on aging studied participants over 95 of Ashkenazi Jewish descent

Gym Diaries Sudeshna Koka

ant to know the secret to living over 100? Researchers have long said “it’s in their genes.” But a new study from researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine and Ferkauf Graduate School of Psychology of Yeshiva University have found that having a positive outlook on life may also play a big role. The findings, published online in the journal Aging, come from Einstein’s Longevity Genes Project, which studied over 500 Ashkenazi Jews over the age of 95 and 700 of their offspring. CBS News reported according to the researchers, approximately 53,000 Americans are over 100 years old, which is about 0.2 per cent of the population. The study found being outgoing, enjoying laughter and staying engaged in activities was important for a long and healthy life. “We really were not sure what got them to their advanced age,” co-author Dr Nir Barzilai told US News and World Report’s HealthDay. “Was it their personality, or something more in their genetics?”

“Our findings that these centenarians share such positive personality traits suggest that they may be associated with longevity,” he added.

CBS News also noted that Barzilai and his team found people over 100 are more than twice as likely to have a certain variant of a gene called CETP.

That variant helps control cholesterol and fight dementia and could be the key to new future research in the area. GLOBAL POST

Thin now? Stigma of being ‘fat’ continues Women who used to be fat still face anti-fat prejudice, a study has found Amy Silverstein

etting thin isn’t enough to overcome anti-fat prejudice. Formerly obese women continue to face stigma even after they lose the weight, a new study has found. In the study, young people read stories describing women who had either lost 70 pounds or who had remained “weight stable.” The researchers found that thin women who had remained “weight stable” received higher ratings than women who

used to be fat. “Currently thin women were viewed differently depending on their weight history,” the study’s lead author said in a statement. “Those who had been obese in the past were perceived as less attractive than those who had always been thin, despite having identical height and weight.” The researchers think that obesity stigma persists because of the misconception that obesity is an easily controllable condition,. While controllable factors such as limiting calories and exercising

regularly are important, researchers say a number of uncontrollable factors may also contribute to rising obesity rates. For example, consumption of certain processed foods may cause people to gain weight more easily, research has found. In addition, genetics, environmental obesogens, and urban planning that discourages residents from walking or biking may also contribute to weight gain. GLOBAL POST

y boss always says “It’s all about perception,” and indeed it is. All of a sudden after I started writing my gym diary the whole world has started to consider me as fat. All these days I was normal but now it looks like some chronic disease has struck me. Most annoying are peers. One comes and tells me, “Koka, why go gymming look at her she just runs. You do the same and you’ll be fit. Now eat this ice cream,” (Really?). Looks like sudden realisation has dawned on the world and everyone around thinks it’s their duty to pep me up. Come on, I hit the gym just to unwind after a crazy day at work and to be fit. Just by gymming for three months (well technically only one and a half, considering I bunk so often) I will not become a super model. And that’s not my aim. What I fail to understand is why everyone expects results in just one month. My cousin tells me, “You should try on that old red top. I am sure it will fit.” How? I have just lost 3 kgs, and that’s not enough to fit in old clothes. Television is more of a bane than a boon. My aunt, who otherwise never talks to me tells me, “Wow! You are glowing. You should continue. I saw the sauna belt add on TV, you should try that. Even the herbal tea is amazing. I’ve lost oodles of weight drinking.” In fact, my weight has become such a huge topic these days that on days I get late at work, instead of asking me when I’ll go home, colleagues remark, “Oh no gym today.” I think it would’ve been better off to keep my gymming a secret — at least from people who’ve never been to the gym ever. (The writer is determined to fight the flab. Readers can inspire her at sudeshna.k@postnoon.com)

F‑Folio

Because you are what you wear

MODELS Though modelling has a still a long way there are a few faces creating quite a stir Dayana Erappa

ayana’s girl-next-door look is what makes her stand out from the other crop of models. The Bangalore-based model walked for Wills India Fashion Week in Delhi earlier this year followed by Lakme Fashion Week in Mumbai. Two designers were even overseen arguing over who would get Dayana to walk for their show. A model so young and raw is bound to take the limelight over time. Her transformation as a seasoned model will be interesting to note, if she sticks around in the industry. Leading designer Rohit Bal definitely gave more than just his stamp of approval when he made her close his Lakme Fashion Week finale show rubbing shoulders with a number of very select veteran models like Sheetal Mallar and Carol Gracias!

Alyssah Ali

lyssah Ali is from Canada and is the perfect mix of Indian and Spanish origins. Her dusky skin and long dark hair makes her a good candidate to rule as a beauty model as well. An idea French fashion house Chanel seemed to agree with. Ali was the sole model for a particular beauty product for the last two seasons. Though we might not see her work for the Indian fashion week runways, she is definitely doing her bit in popularising the golden brown Indian skin tone in the global fashion scene.

Ninja Singh

his young model started her modelling career by entering the Ford Model ‘Supermodel of the world’ 2011 contest while she was still studying dentistry. The 5’11 lanky model proved her calibre when she represented India in the Ford model contest and won the worldwide title. Still very young, this model is surely the one to look out for. Ninja’s personality also happens to match her unique first name, as she puts up a fearless front and speaks frankly.

FRIDAY, JUNE 1, 2012

20&21

çÑ=íÜÉ=ãçãÉåí to be regarded as a popular career choice in India, with every photo they are clicked in. We list a few

odelling in India is an emerging concept. Not that the svelte figure men and women walking on the runway for designer shows didn’t exist 10 years ago. It existed but was not as popular. And even if it was, it was a stepping-stone to enter the grand daddy of entertainment— Bollywood. Things are fast changing now. Being a good model today means representing an unusual ethnic look whilst fitting the body shape requirements of a global runway model. A good fashion model may not even appeal to the Bollywood audience as it would to the fashion industry. Besides being a pretty face, a model is to speak and emote her personality in still photography, without reading lines from a script. After the recent success of south Indian model Lakshmi Menon at some of the best fashion houses in Paris, Milan and New York, modelling is proving to be a well paid, respected, fulfilling career for the young. Though still a long way to be regarded as a popular career choice in India, there are a few faces creating quite a stir with every photo they are clicked in. Here is a list of some new faces that are being talked about as the future models of the country, without having to dance opposite Shah Rukh or Salman Khan in a film.

Preeti Dhata

reeti has a distinct look about herself, which is not in the mainstream. Her dusky skin, piercing eyes, cool demure and androgynous style attracted the Indian designers. She stars in a stellar number of designer campaigns this year — from veteran designer Ritu Kumar to young designer Arjun Saluja. Besides having a great body (she was recognised by Vogue India for having the best back in the industry), her mysterious look in front of the camera is the best prop that any photographer needs while shooting a campaign.

Surabhi Chauhan feedback@postnoon.com

The writer

Ashika Pratt

er first landmark moment in fashion was when Vogue India gave her a solo cover and heralded her as ‘India’s next supermodel’. Her rise to that eventual title would be

interesting to note. A supermodel is a model that is more than a runway or ad campaign model. Supermodels command a serious presence and are well known personalities outside the fashion world. Ashika’s career has already been an inter-

estingly varied one –working for online retail giant ASOS, starring in an international ad campaign for Benetton and even walking for Chanel show in Paris. Ashika was raised in New Zealand but is recognised as an Indian model because of her evident Indian ethnicity.

is a fashion blogger (www.lovestruckcow.blogspot.com) who attempts to bridge the gap between creator and consumer. As a fashion writer, she hopes to promote Indian fashion among Indians and on a global level too.

Spotlight

FRIDAY, JUNE 1, 2012

Shilpakala Vedika recently played host to Tollywood stars as they participated in the audio launch of Shekar Rajaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s film Uu Kodathara Ulikki Padathara.

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Magic Screen

SS Rajamouli defends Prabhu

rabhu Deva has been facing criticism from a section of film buffs that he didn't credit Rajamouli for coming up with the signature step in Chinta ta Chita song in Rowdy Rathore. The film starring Akshay Kumar and Sonakshi Sinha is the official remake of SS Rajamouli's Vikramarkudu. When the news about Prabhu Deva reached Rajamouli's ears, he was quick enough to defend the choreographer-turned-director. "Vikramarkudu rights were officially aquired by the Hindi producer long back. jinthatha mannerism was neither invented by me nor Kannan It is Practiced by students of certain colleges in TN. kannan told me about it and I thought it wud make a nice mannerism for raviteja. So Prabhu Master needn't give credit to anyone. but being a gentlemen he called me to invite to the party and said I was the reason for rowdy rathore. And I said it is his talent and track record that made RR possible. He is such a gem of person, that any -ve comment on him makes me sad. I didn't see rowdy rathore and I don't know how it shaped up. I was refering to the project in whole (sic)," SS Rajamouli posted on Twitter.

Saiyami Kher

is upbeat about Rey

FRIDAY, JUNE 1, 2012

The glamour behind the glitz

aiyami Kher, who'll soon be seen in YVS Chowdhary's Rey, is quite upbeat about her debut. "I am very excited since it's my first film. YVS Chowdhary is a pleasure to work with and he has helped me a lot to get rid of all my inhibitions while facing the camera. He's extremely patient with me and lets me take my time to get the dialogues right," Saiyami Kher says. Ask her about how she's coping up with the language, she reveals, "I studied history back in college. So, I guess I am quite good when it comes to mugging up my lines. Once you remember the dialogues, it becomes quite easy for us on the sets." She had been shooting in Hyderabad for the last one month and she'll soon join the crew in the US to shoot a major portion of the film. Directed by YVS Chowdhary, the film stars Sai Dharam Tej, Saiyami Kher and Shraddha Das in lead roles.

odsI=i~Ö~Ç~é~íá=

drop the bomb Y

S Jagan's name has been dragged into yet another controversy. Congress member Lagadapati Rajgopal alleged that YS Jagan had threatened RGV to delete several scenes from Rakta Charita-2 which reportedly featured him. Confirming the news, RGV told the media, "Yes, I was asked to delete a lot of scenes from Rakta Charitra-2 and this news was conveyed to me by a close associate of Jagan." The film was based on the rivalry between Paritala Ravi and Maddalacheruvu Suri and how the latter plots to kill Paritala Ravi. What has caught everyone's attention is why Lagadapati Rajgopal and RGV decided to talk about this incident almost a year-and-a-half after the film's release.

T-TOWN TWEETIES

@Actor_Siddharth It has been a very comforting last few days. Friends make a house feel like home... grateful doesn’t start to explain how I feel!

@ramsayz “Ppl who aim for “No 1” r d ones who wry abt what Others r doing... Ppl who aim 2 b The ONLY 1 wry abt what they r doing!” #RAndoMthoughts

@shraddhadas43 Finally in Hyderabad! After being in a village in kerala for so long,its so gud 2 b back in d city! Dying to have subway n frozen yoghurt!

@taapsee Chashmebaddoor releases on 31st Aug. Hopefully no further changes in d release date.Been really patient to c myself talkin in Hindi on screen.

@actressanjjanaa So happy get to spend an extra day 2day @home wid family,travelling pushed to 2row morn for shooting coz of d band 2day.

@sundeepkishan Loved the #UKUP trailers.. Manoj has outdone himself yet again... wish dir raja, deeksha AND our very own @LakshmiManchu all the very best :)

@RanaDaggubati Wrapped at 5:30AM not because we wanted to but because the Sun was up. A superb work night for sure!! #KVJ

@themohanbabu Long time ago my brother late NTR came home for dinner. Today the living legend Sri ANR came for Dinner and to bless Ari and Vivi.

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

FRIDAY, JUNE 1, 2012

Take a shot at the brain game while sipping your cuppa

QUICK CROSSWORD ACROSS 1 Act the informant 5 Wanting everything just so 9 Shoulder wrap 14 Helm position 15 Astor or Jane Grey 16 sVertigo’ actress Kim 17 With 60-Across, Mongolian capitol 18 Out yonder 19 Papas of ‘Zorba the Greek’ 20 Electrician's log? 23 Smoldering coal 24 Flooring wood 25 Mai ___ (tropical drink) 27 Marina del ___, Calif 28 Manning of the gridiron 31 Play boisterously 34 Combine smoothly 36 Airport screening equipment 37 Things to read with your ears? 40 Chinese or Japanese, eg 42 Disorderly outburst 43 Marriage motivation, at times 46 Chinese dynasty name 47 Family girl, familiarly 50 Stitcher's edge 51 Divining or dowsing instrument 53 Inclined, in London 55 A place only Buzz Lightyear could go? 60 See 17-Across 61 Where the iris is 62 Styptic-pencil ingredient 63 Nonreactive, chemically 64 Shortening 65 Spelling of ‘Beverly Hills, 90210’ 66 Meanies 67 Hazzard County deputy 68 It soars over the coast DOWN 1 China cabinet item 2 Light up, to a poet 3 A stone's throw away 4 Musical category 5 Word with ‘medical’ or

‘action’ 6 It's blown up near the water 7 Boise's state 8 Innumerable 9 Agitated condition 10 Picador's adversary 11 Secondary meaning 12 Sailor's cord 13 Just manage (with ‘out’) 21 Soon, old-style 22 Snow travel facilitator 26 Word with an erroneous apostrophe, sometimes 29 Albania's monetary unit 30 ___ and outs (particulars) 32 Language from which ‘safari’ comes 33 Smurf elder 34 Vehicle on a trailer, perhaps 35 Play-___ (kids' art

medium) 37 Carbon dioxide measurer 38 When brats want something? 39 Digit 40 Louisville Slugger material 41 ‘Whole’ thing 44 Grecian art object 45 Little bump 47 Certain service man or woman 48 Following the proper order 49 Do some thwarting 52 Chest erfield's

SUDOKU

cousin 54 Growing out 56 Knight time 57 Dinner crumbs 58 Fiddling Roman 59 Passing crazes 60 Personal story, for short PREVIOUS PUZZLE ANSWER

THOUGHT OF THE DAY The nice thing about being a celebrity is that if you bore people they think it’s their fault. – Henry Kissinger

Chai Time STAR POWER

FRIDAY, JUNE 1, 2012

Your tomorrow today̶Star Power and Tarot THIRUVAIKUMAR

As per Hindu panchang

FOR 2-6-2012

thiruvaikumar@yahoo.co.in 040-27177230 / 9177596118

TAURUS

GEMINI

A strong financial position likely. Dif ‑ ference with spouse and partners in businessmen will start vanishing. A happy atmosphere is likely both at home and office. You act efficiently.

Mixed results likely. Though work will start with a good note, there will be a delay in completing them successfully. You tend to lose your cool at times; donʼt. Avoid irritation while working.

You will feel cheerful as all work under‑ taken will take place smoothly. Busines‑ smen will also have a smooth run and proﬁts are likely to improve. Those abr‑ oad will have good time and enjoy live.

CANCER

LEO

VIRGO

Work pending since long will happen now and cheer you. Unexpected ﬁnan‑ cial fortune likely. Marriage talks will end favourably for blood relatives. Close friends will help in time of need.

You and your family members will look cheerful as all good things are to hap‑ pen. Many of you will be fortunate enough to purchase or construct an own house. Misunderstanding will go.

Luck and favours that have stayed away from you for long will now be on your side. All you touch will turn into gold. But you need to put in effo‑ rts sincerely and in a planned way.

LIBRA

SCORPIO

SAGITTARIUS

Expenses likely with regard to children. Also, keep a watch on teenage children as there are chances of them falling in love, which might bring trouble. Litiga‑ tion in property matters possible.

Happy events to take place at home and couples will be affectionate towards each other. Those with chronic disease like sugar etc, need to take good care. Politicians might face stiff opposition.

Good effects are likely to reduce but do not panic. Elderly persons above the age of forty need to take care of their health by undergoing necessary tests. Businessmen might need ﬁnances.

CAPRICORN

AQUARIUS

PISCES

There will be a good ﬁnancial improve‑ ment. Also, good effects will keep you happy. Tensions in the family will dis‑ appear and happy atmosphere will pre‑ vail. Hurdles for businessmen will fall.

Your anger, emotional reaction and irri‑ tation will disappear without a trace. However, your mind will wander here and there... even bad intentions. But never allow such traits to control you.

Your ﬁnancial problems will disappear along with the bitter experiences. Hur‑ dles you faced recently will be resolv‑ ed with ease. Businessmen will be happy as their problems disappear.

SUMAA TEKUR

FOR 2-6-2012

tarotreadhyd@gmail.com

ARIES

TAURUS

GEMINI

The World – There is likely to be some de‑ lay in your plans. Yo‑ u should make more time and leave a buffer so unplanned delays will not affect your schedule.

Three of Wands – In‑ flation and high cos‑ ts of living are mak‑ ing a dent on your budget. Youʼre not happy with inflow/ outflow ratio as sav‑ ings plans are awry.

The Star – You may get the feeling that you are subordinate to someone although you are of the same position. This could make you feel restle‑ ss and imagine stuff.

CANCER

LEO

VIRGO

Nine of Pentacles – Stand up for what you believe in and people will take you more seriously. If you are unsure and still want a say in everything, it wonʼt work.

Queen of Wands – By treating some‑ thing as a symbolic action or a religious ritual, without being involved in the actions, you make it more tiresome.

King of Swords – You cannot tolerate the idea of accepting evil without protesting it. This attitude, howev‑ er, may get you into trouble with seniors and leaders in society.

LIBRA

SCORPIO

SAGITTARIUS

Eight of Pentacles – You will have the freedom to question the morality of someoneʼs actions today. But do so in a way that you do not hurt their sentiments.

The Emperor – Learn to express your spiri‑ tuality without deme‑ aning someone elseʼs beliefs. Your words may come across as too harsh and not in tune with reality.

Knight of Wands – Re‑ concile with what you have instead of think‑ ing all the time about what all could have been. Donʼt have very high expectations. You get what you deserve.

CAPRICORN

AQUARIUS

PISCES

Four of Swords – Your thoughts and ideas will be starkly differ‑ ent from reality. You need to realign your expectations by get‑ ting real and ﬁnding out what is authentic.

The High Priestess – You play a signiﬁcant role in solving an issue at the work place. You were not expected to intervene but your presence itself would have a good effect.

Ten of Cups – Faith and spirituality play an important role in life, whether you are willing to accept it or not. Keep an open mind and donʼt shut out an idea entirely.

For Better or for Worse Stone soup

SOLUTIONS

Boggle JUNE JULY APRILE MARCH JANUARY

Number game

Suduko

Scrabble

Ink pen

COMICS

Fred Basset

ARIES

TAROT READ

Vol: 1, No 320 RNI No: APENG/2011/39337 Published for the proprietors, Scribble Media and Entertainment Pvt Ltd, by V Harshavardhan Reddy, at #1246, Level 3, Jubilee Casa, Road No 62, Jubilee Hills, Hyderabad – 500033 and printed by him at Jagati Publications Ltd, Plot No D-75&E-52, APIE Industrial Estate, Balanagar, Ranga Reddy Dist, Hyderabad – 500037, Editor: Dean Williams – Responsible for selection of news under the PRB Act All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission of the publisher is prohibited. For feedback, please write to: feedback@postnoon.com and for subscription, please call 040-4067 2222, Fax: 040-4067 2211

FRIDAY, JUNE 1, 2012

The glamour behind the glitz

Bengali actors gaining more foothold in Bollywood

Magic Screen

ollywood has always opened its gates for budding talent and there seems to be a sudden demand for Bengali actors in Hindi cinema post the box-office success of Vidya Balan-starrer Kahaani and Paoli Dam’s Hate Story. As Kahaani director Sujoy Ghosh plans to bring Vidya Balan back as Bidya Bagchi in a sequel, Kolkata and the Bengali stars are set to become more important. “Writing begins. I have no idea how Balan is going to pull this off. But mine is not to question how, mine is but to write right now. I’m told, just now, that Kahaani completes 75 days today. Good day to start writing for the Balan. She will be back,” Ghosh posted on his Twitter page recently. Apart from Kahaani, Vikram Bhatt’s much-talked about film Hate Story marked the debut of Paoli Dam, another Bengali actress in Bollywood. She created ripples with her bold avatar and bare-back scenes in the Vivek Agnihotri directed movie. “It is every actor’s dream to work in Bollywood but for me it just happened. I had a fantastic welcome in Bollywood. It is a brand in itself. I want to do more films here. If I get good and interesting projects in Bengali then I would definitely do. The Hindi film industry has been accommodating. I had a fantastic experience,” Paoli said. Bengali superstar Prosenjit Chatterjee, who left Bollywood after the failure of Aandhiyaan and Meet Mere Man Ke, is returning to Hindi cinema after two decades with Dibakar Banerjee’s political thriller Shanghai. PTI

B-TOWN TWEETIES

@ActorMadhavan I’m so very touched and humbled by the way you tweeple hav looked 4ward 2 and celebrated this special day of mine. God bless n LOVE 2 U All.

@priyankachopra There r things known and there r things unknown and in between r the doors: Morrison

@NeilNMukesh Highlight of the day was me shooting in an electronic store and not picking up one single gadget. Grrrrr! @NamanNMukesh was so shocked haha.

@GulPanag So HE said he’d got me a gift .I was hoping it was a bag or something. Turned out to be flight yoke for the Xplane. Sigh

@AnupamPkher “Public opinion sets bounds to every government, and is the real sovereign in every free one.”:) — James Madison

@realpreityzinta Must confess I am extremely impressed with the new Sofitel Hotel in BKC in Mumbai ! Beautiful hotel with great food and even better service!

@bipsluvurself

Adaptation of 24 keeping me busy

s his US TV show 24 is getting an Indian adaptation, actor Anil Kapoor says he is busy with the team in putting together infrastructure and logistics for the show. Anil, who made a cameo appearance in the original series as the head of a fictitious Islamic nation, said he is

involved in every bit of the show’s production. “I am totally involved with the team which is putting together 24. Right from its planning to its pre-production, I have totally immersed myself into it. In any case I am a producer’s son; being involved comes naturally to me. “Even in my earlier years

when I was acting for my home productions like ‘Mr India, Haamara Dil Aapke Paas Hai, Loafer or Judaai, I was always in the know-how of what was happening on the ground. I haven’t let go off that trait,” Anil said. PTI

Finished with d shoot of my 2 fitness dvds! Very excited n happy!Nw need 2 start rehearsing fr a show in colombo on d 3rd June n IFFA 2012!

@sonamakapoor I’m so over being misinterpreted... How can some select media take a compliment made to someone and make it into a controversy...

54 DAYS TO GO FRIDAY, JUNE 1, 2012

Stars line up at Prefontaine EUGENE: A star-studded men’s 110-meter hurdles lineup and US sprint stars Justin Gatlin and Allyson Felix (Right) top a deep talent pool set to compete at the 38th Prefontaine Classic track meet on Saturday. The Diamond League gathering will be staged at the site where the US Olympic Track and Field Trials are set to begin on June 22, with a host of top global stars coming to test the best of the Americans at Hayward Field. Athens 2004 Olympic champion Liu Xiang of China sparks a 110 hurdles showdown with reigning world outdoor champion Jason Richardson, reigning world indoor champion Aries Merritt and American record holder David Oliver. World record-holder and reigning Olympic champion Dayron Robles of Cuba was to have competed but the Cuban track federation said that he would not compete “after a recent analysis of preparations for the Olympic Games." Gatlin, the 2004 Olympic 100m champion who served a four-year doping ban and began a comeback in 2010, captured the world indoor 60m crown last March and won the Diamond League 100m opener at Doha in 9.87 seconds. It was the 30-year-old American’s fastest outdoor opener since he began pro sprinting at age 19. Gatlin will be tested in the 100 by Walter Dix, the world outdoor 100 and 200 runner-up, and Jamaicans Nesta Carter and Nick Ashmeade. Dix and fellow American Wallace Spearmon, who owns

SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA: South Korean Park Ta-

US SPRINT STARS JUSTIN GATLIN AND ALLYSON FELIX ARE SET TO COMPETE AT THE 38TH PREFONTAINE CLASSIC TRACK MEET ON SATURDAY. THE DIAMOND LEAGUE GATHERING WILL BE STAGED AT THE SITE WHERE THE US OLYMPIC TRACK AND FIELD TRIALS ARE TO BEGIN ON JUNE 22

Hooker encouraged by 6th place finish SYDNEY: Australia’s Olympic champion Steve Hooker said he was encouraged by finishing sixth in his latest pole vault competition at the Rome Diamond League meet, reports said on Friday. In his second international competition since returning from a bout of the runway “yips” that forced him out of the Australian domestic season, Hooker Thursday cleared 5.42 metres, 58 centimetres short of his personal outdoor best. Frenchman Renaud Lavillenie demonstrated how far Hooker needs to progress before next month’s London Olympics, clearing 5.82m. “I’ve come here and I’ve

Taehwan, Boyle win in pool

done some good training. The body is feeling good and I’m working with the physio over here,” Hooker said. “I had a really good warm-up. Everything went according to plan up until 5.60m where I had that stop on the first attempt, which probably cost me." Hooker said he would be working on further improvement for his next competition in Munich on June 5. Hooker won the Olympic gold medal in Beijing in 2008, the 2009 world title, the 2006 and 2010 Commonwealth Games gold medals and the 2010 world indoor championships.

the second fastest time in the world this year, will be favored in the 200. Reigning Diamond League 100m and 200m champion Carmelita Jeter will join threetime world outdoor champion Felix in the women’s 200. Reigning Olympic champion and season leader LaShawn Merritt and 2004 Olympic champion Jeremy Wariner will be joined in a 400-meter battle by reigning world champion Kirani James, an 18-year-old from Grenada. Two-time Olympic 400m hur-

dles champion Angelo Taylor and Oscar Pistorius, the “Blade Runner” from South Africa trying to secure a berth at the London Olympics, will also be in the 400. World 400m indoor champion Sanya Richards-Ross will face reigning world outdoor champion Amantle Montsho of Botswana and 2012 world-leader Novlene Williams-Mills of Jamaica in the women’s 400. Reigning world champion Christian Taylor and reigning world indoor champion Will Claye will be tested by Britain’s Phillip Idowu in the triple jump.

ehwan won the men’s 800meter freestyle and New Zealand’s Lauren Boyle captured the 1,500 freestyle on Thursday’s first day of the Santa Clara Invitational swim meet. Park set a meet record in taking the 800 in 7 mins 52.07 secs, breaking the old mark of 7:52.18 set last year by Canada’s Ryan Cochrane, who settled for second behind the Asian standout this year in 7:57.19. Australian Ryan Napoleon was third in 7:59.10 with American Michael Klueh fourth in 8:01.23. Boyle took the 1,500 in 16:21.73 with American Emily Brunemann 1.63 seconds back in second. Venezuela’s Andreina Pinto was third in 16:24.16 with China’s Zhao Min fourth in 16:56.02. The meet, which continues through Sunday, is the last in the US Grand Prix series, which serves as a tuneup for the upcoming US Olympic trials and for others as training ahead of July’s London Olympics.

Greene pulls out of Rome

ROME: World champion Dai Greene has pulled out of Thursday night’s Diamond League meeting here after falling ill. The 400m hurdles champion announced the news on the Twitter social networking site. “So disappointed to say this but I’m no longer racing tonight. Woke up not well. Been in bed all day as feel so bad. Gutted,” he wrote. “My apologies to the meet organisers and people expecting to see me race. Such a horrible decision to make but have to be sensible. Hoping to recover quick to get back to training for the Olympics. Just want to be home.” Greene was expected to race against American Bershawn Jackson, with whom he has recently been involved in a media spat. Greene allegedly claimed the Americans were over-rated, although he says his comment was taken out of context, while Jackson mocked Greene’s winning time at last year’s World Championships in Daegu.

FRIDAY, JUNE 1, 2012

BEAUTY

ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT CROATIA Best EURO performance: Quarter-final in 2008 Coach: Slaven Bilić Leading scorer: all-time – Davor Šuker (45); current – Eduardo da Silva (22)

THE BEST

Most appearances: all-time – Dario Šimić (100); current – Josip Šimunić (94) Association formed: 1912 Nickname: The Fiery Ones; The Chequered Ones

CROATIA’S FIXTURES

EURO STATS

Sunday 10 June: Ireland v Croatia, 20.45CET, Poznań Thursday 14 June: Italy v Croatia, 18.00CET, Poznań Monday 18 June: Croatia vs Spain, 20.45CET, Gdańsk

MATCHES PLAYED Overall: P63 W39 D14 L10 F112 A47 Final tournament: P11 W5 D3 L3 F14 A13 Qualifying: P52 W34 D11 L7 F98 A34

Croats like a tough road Croatia may have been drawn in a tough group at the UEFA EURO 2012, but that is often just the way they like it, according to captain Darijo Srna and striker Ivica Olić ZAGREB: For Croatia, victory against

POSTNOON PREDICTION

the Republic of Ireland in their opening Euro 2012 fixture in Poznan on 10 June would be the ideal springboard for a group campaign that features subsequent daunting assignments against Italy and Spain. But even without a winning start, Darijo Srna believes Croatia have the potential to make a major impact in Group C as he reflects on their ability to do things “the hard way”. “Spain, Italy and Ireland is a very strong group but Croatia have always been capable of winning big games against the favourites,” Srna told UEFA.com. “We can choose between an easy way of qualifying, or a harder way of doing it – the easy way being to win the first game against Ireland, take three points, and then try to get those additional points in the other two matches. “There is a hard way as well, which means not taking those three points against Ireland, and then going into two ‘winner takes all’ matches,” added the Croatia captain. “We are used to the hard way, since we qualified for this EURO via the play-offs. We have proved it again, that when it counts we are always there and that we can play the best football when it’s needed the most.” Croatia showed at Euro 2008 that Croatia may lack the pedigree that Italy and Spain have, but they possess an experienced and talented squad. With a win against one of the top teams, they could surge ahead.

they are not ruffled by more fancied opponents, beating Germany 2-1 through goals from Srna and Ivica Olić. The latter was also a scorer in June 2002 when the Balkan nation upset Italy with a 2-1 success in a group game at the FIFA World Cup in Japan. Reflecting on their capacity to surprise, Olić said: “I think we get very motivated when we play against teams like Germany or Italy, probably because they are so close to our country, maybe because we all watch their national championships, because they are so strong, and also because lots of our players play in Germany or Italy. All that together probably motivates us so much." The FC Bayern München forward also believes that “the way they play simply fits with our football”.

PLAYER TO WATCH

This young man has a trick or two up his sleeve

newcomer to the Croatia set-up during Euro 2012 qualification, Ivan Perišić demanded a call-up with an outstanding 2010/11 season for Club Brugge KV, from which he earned the dual distinction of being Belgium’s top goalscorer and player of the year. That success prompted a transfer to Borussia Dortmund, with whom he has won the German double in 2011/12. The 23-year-old struggled to hold down a starting XI spot, but still however managed to

CROATIA GROUP C At a glance Croatia – surprise World Cup semi-finalists in 1998 – have struggled in the past in the opposing role of favourites. Back in 2002 their victory against Italy was sandwiched by defeats by Mexico and Ecuador. At UEFA EURO 2008, meanwhile, they followed up winning their section by falling to Turkey in the quarter-finals. Yet to write-off the only team named FIFA’s “Best Mover of the Year” in 1994 and 1998 twice would be foolish.

chip in five goals in 22 appearances as Die Borussen went back-to-back. Playing predominately as an attacking midfielder, a stunning last gasp equaliser in the UEFA Champions League at home to Arsenal in front of 80,000 was a one of the highlights of a successful breakthrough season for the youngster. The probability is that he will come off the bench in most games, but when he does, expect him to cause opposition defences major problems with his vision and goal-scoring ability.

Playing Field

FRIDAY, JUNE 1, 2012

The games people play

Bolt sets fastest time for 100m this year

ROMA: World record holder Usain Bolt stormed to the fastest time of the year in winning the 100m at the Diamond League meeting here on Thursday. Olympic champion Bolt ran

9.76sec, beating the time he set earlier this month in Kingston by six hundredths of a second. Compatriot and former world record holder Asafa Powell was second with 9.91sec while French

European champion Christophe Lemaitre came an impressive third in a high quality field in 10.04sec. World bronze medallist Kim Collins of St Kitts & Nevis was

Big 3 off the boil as Stallings surges DUBLIN: One bad hole for Tiger Woods and Luke Donald and two by Rory McIlroy left the stars well off the pace of leader Scott Stallings after Thursday’s opening round of the $6.2 million US PGA Memorial. Stallings birdied three of the last four holes to stand on sixunder par 66 after 18 holes, one stroke ahead of fellow Americans Spencer Levin and Erik Compton and three clear of the rest of the star-studded field. At the Muirfield Village layout designed by Jack Nicklaus, Woods shared 11th on 70 with a group that included Australian Adam Scott and three-time major winner Ernie Els.

“It certainly could have been a lot lower, but I’m pleased with the way I hit the golf ball,” Woods said. “I didn’t do anything great and I didn’t do anything poorly. It was just a solid round.” World No. 1 Donald of England and McIlroy, of Northern Ireland were another stroke adrift in a group on 71. “It wasn’t the start I wanted to get off to, being 4-over through three holes,” McIlroy said. “But I hung in there well and proud of myself for the way I just fought back. To finish the round under par was a really good effort.” Stallings answered a bogey at the second with birdies at the par-3 fourth and par-5 fifth plus an

eagle at the par-5 seventh. After a birdie at the par-5 11th and a bogey at the par-3 12th, Stallings birdied the par-5 15th, par-3 16th and par-4 18th to surge to the top of the leaderboard. “I was happy to get a good round under par,” Stallings said. “I haven’t had a round under par since Saturday at Augusta. It has been a long time. Been really struggling with my game. It has been interesting to say the least. I’ll go out tomorrow and try to do the same. We’ve got a long way to go.” That fact eases the worries for Woods whose victory in March at Bay Hill snapped a 17-month win drought.

fourth in 10.05sec. The win, and more importantly the time, made up for Bolt’s sluggish performance in Ostrava last week where he ran his slowest time in three years, 10.04sec. Although he said Tuesday he wasn’t bothered by that run, it clearly had got to him. Asked if he was happy to have put that run behind him, Bolt was categoric. “Yes, it’s a slight relief, I knew i could do it,” he told BBC3. “I’ve not been sleeping very well since I arrived in Europe so I made sure I’ve been going to bed earlier. “I’m feeling good now, I’m coming back. “People expect me to do well, I expect it of myself also. I came here tonight not to prove to the world anything but to show I’ve still got it.” Bolt did not have the best start but Lemaitre inside him in lane three was the slowest out of the blocks. As the race picked up into its middle part Bolt and Powell were starting to ease clear but the fastest man of all time’s long legs saw him stride out in front and there was no doubt who the winner would be.

Beibut up for Ornelas challenge LAS VEGAS: Kazakhstan’s Beibut Shumenov defends his World Boxing Association light heavyweight title on Saturday at Las Vegas against Mexico’s Enrique Ornelas. It will be the fourth title defense for Shumenov, who took the crown in 2010 with a split-decision victory over Spanish southpaw Gabriel Campillo in a rematch of a 2009 fight that ended with Campillo a majority-decision winner. Shumenov, 28, is 12-1 with eight knockouts and coming off a ninth-round stoppage of American Danny Santiago last July in his most recent bout. “I’m looking forward to defending my world title belt,” Shumenov said. “My goal has always been and remains to fight the best and unify the world light heavyweight title.” Ornelas, 31, improved to 33-7 with 21 knockouts by winning three times last year. Shumenov had hoped to face Canada’s Jean Pascal or Britain’s unbeaten Nathan Cleverly, both each of those fighters wanted a homenation edge, according to Shumenov promoter Don Chargin, while Shumenov sought to fight in his homeland or Las Vegas.

Playing Field

FRIDAY, JUNE 1, 2012

The games people play

US hopes dashed as Isner crashes out Men

Women

2nd rd

Fabio Fognini (ITA) bt Viktor Troicki (SRB x28) 6-2, 3-6, 4-6, 6-3, 8-6 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (FRA x5) bt CedrikMarcel Stebe (GER) 6-2, 4-6, 6-2, 6-1 David Goffin (BEL) bt Arnaud Clement (FRA) 3-6, 7-6 (7/2), 0-6, 6-2, 6-1 David Ferrer (ESP x6) bt Benoît Paire (FRA) 6-3, 6-3, 6-2 Mikhail Youzhny (RUS x27) bt Robin Haase (NED) 6-3, 7-6 (7/5), 6-4 Paul-Henri Mathieu (FRA) bt John Isner (USA x10) 6-7 (2/7), 6-4, 6-4, 3-6, 18-16 Tommy Haas (GER) bt Sergiy Stakhovsky (UKR) 6-2, 6-3, 6-2 Santiago Giraldo (COL) bt Bernard Tomic (AUS x25) 6-4, 6-1, 6-3 Andy Murray (GBR x4) bt Jarkko Nieminen (FIN) 1-6, 6-4, 6-1, 6-2 Janko Tipsarevic (SRB x8) bt Jérémy Chardy (FRA) 7-6 (7/4), 6-1, 7-5 Julien Benneteau (FRA x29) bt Dmitry Tursunov (RUS) 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 Leonardo Mayer (ARG) bt Philipp Kohlschreiber (GER x24) 7-6 (7/5), 7-6 (7/4), 7-5 Nicolas Almagro (ESP x12) bt Marcos Baghdatis (CYP) 6-4, 6-3, 7-5 Juan Monaco (ARG x13) bt Lukas Rosol (CZE) 7-6 (7/4), 6-0, 7-6 (7/5) Milos Raonic (CAN x19) bt Jesse Levine (USA) 6-4, 7-5, 6-2 Eduardo Schwank (ARG) bt Florian Mayer (GER x32) 2-6, 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 (7/4) Rafael Nadal (ESP x2) bt Denis Istomin (UZB) 6-2, 6-2, 6-0 Suspended due to darkness Marcel Granollers (ESP x20) level with Malek Jaziri (TUN) 7-6 (7/1), 3-6, 6-1, 3-6

Angelique Kerber (GER x10) bt Olga Govortsova (BLR) 6-3, 6-2 Li Na (CHN x7) bt Stéphanie Foretz (FRA) 6-0, 6-2 Christina McHale (USA) bt Lauren Davis (USA) 6-1, 6-3 Yaroslava Shvedova (KAZ) bt Sofia Arvidsson (SWE) 6-1, 6-0 Carla Suárez (ESP) bt Sesil Karatantcheva (KAZ) 4-6, 6-4, 6-1 Francesca Schiavone (ITA x14) bt Tsvetana Pironkova (BUL) 2-6, 6-3, 6-1 Varvara Lepchenko (USA) bt Jelena Jankovic (SRB x19) 7-6 (7/4), 4-6, 6-4 Nina Bratchikova (RUS) bt Claire Feuerstein (FRA) 3-6, 6-3, 7-5 Petra Kvitova (CZE x4) bt Urszula Radwanska (POL) 6-1, 6-3 Arantxa Rus (NED) bt Virginie Razzano (FRA) 6-3, 7-6 (7/3) Julia Görges (GER x25) bt Heather Watson (GBR) 6-3, 6-4 Kaia Kanepi (EST x23) bt Irina Begu (ROM) 6-4, 6-1 Caroline Wozniacki (DEN x9) bt Jarmila Gajdosova (AUS) 6-1, 6-4 Klara Zakopalova (CZE) bt Maria Kirilenko (RUS x16) 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (RUS x22) bt Melinda Czink (HUN) 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 Peng Shuai (CHN x28) bt Lourdes Domínguez (ESP) 6-4, 6-3 Postponed until Friday Maria Sharapova (RUS x2) v Ayumi Morita (JPN)

Allan Kelly

PARIS: US hopes at the French Open were extinguished on Thursday as marathon man John Isner was once again involved in an epic duel, the fourth longest in Grand Slam history, which this time he lost. Isner found himself as the last American standing out of eight starters after qualifier Jesse Levine had earlier gone down 6-4, 7-5, 6-2 to Milos Raonic of Canada. But after what turned out to be, at five hours 41 minutes, the

second longest match in French Open history and the fourth longest in Grand Slam history, Isner lost 6-7 (2/7), 6-4, 6-4, 3-6, 18-16 to French wildcard PaulHenri Mathieu. Mathieu finally entered the third round by converting his seventh match point, Isner hitting a forehand wide. The American hit 41 aces, but had 98 unforced errors. Ironically it was against another Frenchman, Nicolas Mahut, that Isner played the longest match in history at

Wimbledon in 2010 when he took 11 hours and five minutes, spread over three days, to win 6-4, 3-6, 6-7 (7/9), 7-6 (7/3), 70-68. At no point, Isner insisted did his mind travel back nearly two years ago to the match with Mahut which has gone down in the annals of sporting history as one of the greatest athletic contests of all time. “No, I mean, it’s more disappointing on how I lost it,” he said. “Just not, I don’t know, for whatever, six hours, really not doing what I should be doing.”

Stoner hasn’t lost the passion to win France shine over Serbia REIMS: France got their Euro preparations back on track with a convincing 2-0 victory over Serbia here on Thursday. Les Bleus had toiled to beat the 131st-ranked Icelanders 32 on Sunday, with defensive frailties exposed as they fell 2-0 behind before coming back to win the game. France coach Laurent Blanc insisted that the first friendly ahead of the European Championship in Poland and Ukraine would be about rebuilding fitness and redis-

BARCELONA: Casey Stoner may be retiring at the end of the season but the Australian’s appetite to lift a third world title is if anything greater than it has ever been. Stoner goes into Sunday’s latest leg of the season, the Catalunya Grand Prix, bidding to repeat his wins at the Montmelo circuit in 2007 and 2011 -coincedentally, the years he went on to be crowned motorcycling world champion. “Catalunya is one of my favourite races and it was the first major grand prix circuit I tested on,” explained Stoner. “Ever since that moment I fell in love with the track, the big fast sweeping corners; there’s a lot of control in the middle of the turn trying to get grip for the exit. We know the Honda works well here and we had a good race here last year. I just hope this weekend will be dry.” He goes into this fifth race of the season placed second in the rider’s standings on 82 points, eight behind Jorge Lorenzo, who lines up on the back of his win at Le Mans last time out, where Stoner took third behind runner-

covering rhythm after a short break at the end of the season. And the second friendly in Reims showed signs that lessons had been learned. Two goals from Franck Ribery and Florent Malouda in the opening quarter of an hour were enough to see off a largely outclassed Serbian outfit not bound for the Euros. But Blanc’s happy evening was marred by what seemed like a nasty injury to Rennes’ Yann M’Vila, linked with an offseason move to Arsenal.

Germany struggle to beat Israel Ryland James

up Valentino Rossi. “I am going to continue to give 100 percent of my capabilities and even more in the remaining races,” Stoner said. Aside from Lorenzo, one of Stoner’s main rivals on Sunday will be his Honda team-mate and local hope Dani Pedrosa, who missed last year’s race due to injury. “Montmelo is a difficult circuit for the bikes and the tyres

but it’s always a great race,” Pedrosa told a press conference here on Thursday. Pedrosa is currently third in the overall standings, 25 points below Lorenzo. Lorenzo, like Pedrosa, feels at home in Barcelona, having set up base in the Catalan city. “It’s my home race. I’m from Mallorca, but have lived in Barcelona for a long time,” he said.

LEIPZIG: Germany laboured to a 2-0 friendly win over minnows Israel on Thursday to pick up their first victory in three games and boost flagging confidence ahead of their Euro 2012 campaign. Having suffered a shock 53 defeat to Switzerland in Basel, the Germans managed to avoid their third straight defeat of the year, having also lost to France in February, in their final Euro 2012

warm-up match. A first-half goal from Mario Gomez put the hosts ahead before Andre Schuerrle came off the bench to double the lead eight minutes from time with a superb long-range strike. But there was little else to cheer German fans on a damp night in Leipzig and captain Philipp Lahm succinctly summed up his team’s performance, “we have a sensational squad, we only need to show it”.