FRIDAY, JANUARY 4, 2013 HYDERABAD
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GOD’S OWN CHILD P16&17
WEATHER: A MIX OF CLEAR AND CLOUDY SKIES; 26°C
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His music has the power to heal our souls and awaken emotions we didn’t know even existed. Despite all the accolades he has earned so far, AR Rahman, who’s going to turn 47 on January 6, remains reticent and humble about his work.
HYDERABAD’S FIRST COMPACT AFTERNOON NEWSPAPER
‘TIME TO SHUNT CRIMINALS OUT OF POLITICS’ NM Rajeshwari blazed a trail caring for lonely senior citizens. Now she rages as criminal politicians aid and abet crimes against women in the State.
REPORT ON P7 WHY SO SILENT? In spite of the policies in place and help offered to them, women abused sexually at workplace prefer to stay mum about the torture. We find out why.
P5
FLASH CONG HIGH COMMAND POSTPONES REGIONAL MEETING In a sudden development, the Congress high command has asked AP leaders to postpone the regional party meeting planned in Vijayawada next Monday even as the Centre was in the final stages of announcing a T-solution.
JENNIFER LAWRENCE: ACTING IS STUPID
Jennifer Lawrence may be the lead in the Hunger Games film franchise, but she doesn't take her job too seriously. "Not to sound rude, but [acting] is stupid," the actress told Vanity Fair magazine.
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FRIDAY, JANUARY 4, 2013
city events
PHILATELIC EXHIBITION
The Hyderabad Philatelic & Hobbies Society is celebrating its golden jubilee from January 4 at Juloori Veereshalingam Kalyana Mandapam, near Paradise Circle, Secunderabad. There will be an exhibition of stamps, coins and currency notes from 10:30am to 6:30pm.
Weather for Hyderabad
Evening
Overnight
Morning
Afternoon
26°C
19°C
25°C
32°C
Clear with cloudy periods
A mix of cloudy and clear skies.
A mix of cloud and sun.
Sunny with cloudy periods.
New Delhi Mumbai Max 16 Max 29 Min 4 Min 13 Sunny, clear skies.
Chennai Max 29 Min 24
Sunny, clear skies.
Partly sunny.
Bangalore Max 29 Min 18 Mix of sun and cloud.
AROUND THE CITY: YOUR GUIDE TO THE TWIN CITIES Where: Kalakriti Art Gallery When: January 7-11 7pm onwards Contact: (040) 6656 4466
ART I Return It is an exhibition of paintings by Sisir Sahana. Where: Kalakriti Art Gallery Road no. 10, Banjara Hills When: January 4 Contact: (040) 6656 4466
MISCELLANEOUS Transpersonal counseling “Art & Science of Self-Actualization,” a foundation course in transpersonal counselling, by clinical psychologist Sujata Potay. Where: Center for Organization Dev Madhapur When: January 19-April 27 Contact: 9849453045
Chai wallah art show This is an upcoming exhibition at Iconart gallery.There is an exhibition of paintings by Vijay Gille at the gallery on Chai wallah and other stories. The preview is on December 27 at 6.30pm. Where: Iconart Gallery, Banjara Hills When: Up to January 12 11:30am to 7pm Contact: www.iconart.in Code Red Countdown Code Red Countdown is an art collection revolving around ecology, by New York based artist Asher Jay. The theme is endangered wildlife. Where: Lalitha Kala Thoranam, Public gardens When: January 27 6pm to 9:30pm Contact: 93965 55888
DINING Gloria Jean’s coffee Gloria Jean’s, an international coffee chain, has introduced two new flavours for this season: Creamy Christmas Chocolate and Snowy Christmas Chiller. Gloria Jean’s
SPLASH: Children swim at the pool in Park Hotel. Coffees will also give all its customers a chance to win exotic holidays in India and Thailand. Where: Lifestyle, first floor, Begumpet and Unit No.G 49 A, Inorbit Mall, Madhapur When: Up to January 15 Contact: (040) 4221 9376 Longest winter fest There will be live shows, carnival parade, special entertainment shows, fun rides, evening parties and buffet in this winter fest. Where: Ramoji Film City Travels Unit 5, 2nd Floor, Balayogi Paryatak Bhavan, Greenland, Begumpet, When: Up to January 6, 9am to 6pm Contact: (040) 32577654
Commissioner & Spl Officer
Helpline GAS BOOKING IVRS NO HP 9666023456 Indane 9848824365 BSNL Complaints HMWS & SB Complaints
198 155313
POLICE CONTROL ROOM Hyderabad 27852435 Traffic Control Room 27852482 DCP Traffic 23234065, 23243499F Pollution Control Board 23887500 ELECTRICITY General Complaints Breakdown Section
Numaish Numaish is the 73rd All India Industrial Exhibition is an ongoing event in the City. Where: Exhibition Ground, Mukarramjahi Road, Nampally, When: Up to February 15, 4pm to 11pm Contact: (040) 2460 3015
155333 23431178 23431179
MUNICIPAL CORPORATION
23262266 24166666R ENC 23225267 Engineering 23220418 MCH Tankbund 23225397 Emergency MCH Circle I&II 24525842 MCH Circle III 24736912 MCH Circle IV 23326975 MCH Circle V 23326976 MCH Circle VI MCH Complaints 1100 Head Office 23225397 IVRS CUM MANUAL ENQUIRY PHONE NUMBERS (TRAIN & RESERVATION) RAILWAYS Rail Nilayam 27833169, 27824216 Railway Information 131 Reservations 135 Recorded Information 1345 Enquiry (IVRS) 1331, 1332, 1333
SRINIVAS SETTY
SHOWS Alexander Jaya Prakash Reddy is performing a 100-minute solo. He plays a retired army officer who wants to help people with their problems by starting a helpline. Where: Ravindra Bharathi, Public Gardens, Nampally, H-01, Abids, When: January 6, 7pm to 9pm Contact: (040) 2324 9045 Tribute to Rajesh Khanna There will be dance performances on Rajesh Khanna’s songs to pay tribute to the superstar. The dance will be choreographed by Mahesh L Munde, who has choreographed national and international performances. Where: Lalitha Kala Thoranam,
WATER SUPPLY Complaint Cell Sewerage Complaint Hyd. Water Supply HOSPITAL General Hospital, Sec-bad Niloufer Hospital, Red Hills NIMS, Director, Punjagutta Osmania General Hospital Railway Hospital, Lalaguda Apollo, Jubilee Hills Care Hospital, Banjara Hills Care Hospital, Nampally Care Hospital, Musheerabad Care Hospital, Sec-bad Kamineni Hospital, LB Nagar
155313 23307328 23313163
27505566 23314095 23390933 24600146 27001134 23607777 30418888 30417777 30419000 30416666 39879999
BLOOD BANKS Blood Bank,Narayanguda Chiranjeevi Blood Bank Blood Bank Mediton Goal Red Cross, Vidyanagar ADRM Blood Bank Mythri Charitable Trust NTR Memorial Trust Care Banjara Hills
Public gardens When: January 27 6pm to 9:30pm Contact: 93965 55888 Concert for a Cause Apna watan, MS Foundation & Hyderapals are presenting Sounds from England. The money collected will go to the MS school for underprivileged children. The passes are available at Goethe-Zentrum. Where: Vidyaranya High School When: January 5, 6pm onwards Contact: (040) 2335 0473
Photo competition Alliance Francaise, Hyderabad, is conducting a photo competition. The theme for the contest is Professions of the world. The winning entries will be sent to Paris. Where: http://hyderabad.afindia.org When: December 3 to January 6
Krishnakriti festival Krishnakriti Art & Culture festival 2013 is starting on January 7. The inauguration and talk on the first two days will be held at Kalakriti. The time and agenda for the rest of the dates are available with Kalakriti.
27567892 23559555 23226624 27633087 27035588 27550238 30799999 30418296 30417445
AMBULANCES Apollo 23548888, 23607777 Kamineni 24022222 Medwin 23202902, 23204616 Smile Line Dental Hospital 23747979 Red Cross 27627973 Niloufer Hospital 23314095 Gandhi 23320332 AIRLINES
New York's Quilt Fiesta Portico New York's Quilt Fiesta is at at shopper’s stop, where quilts of different designs are available Where: Shopper’s Stop stores When: Up to January 6
Airport Director 27903785, 27906001 For Air India Flight Information Toll free (from any network) for IC Flights 18001801407 And for All Flights: 1800227722 Air India has revised its flight timings. For more information call (Toll free) 18001801407, 1800227722 from BSNL/MTNL 04023430334 from other lines and mobile Website; www.airindia.in TOURISM OFFICES AP Tourism, Hyd 23262152/53/54 Sec-bad 27893100 Dept of Tourism 23453110 India Tourism 23261360 AP Tourism information Centre (24x7) 23450444, 23455999 UK VISA OFFICE VFS India Pvt Ltd Building, 8-2-542/A, Sunil Chamber, Road No. 7
Beside Meridian School, Banjara Hills34. Working hours are from 8 AM to 1 PM And 2 PM to 3PM. MUSEUMS Salar Jung Museum AP State Museum Nizams Museum
24523211 232431300/7641 24521029
Readers’ views
We invite you to write to us comments, suggestions, viewpoint or just about anything to feedback@postnoon.com or #1246, Level 3, Jubilee Casa, Road No 62, Jubilee Hills, Hyderabad – 500 033 or even by way of a call on 4067 2222
FRIDAY, JANUARY 4, 2013
City
YESTERDAY’S QUESTION
SHOULD THERE BE SPECIAL LAWS TO PROTECT RTI ACTIVISTS? 93% 7%
YES (A) NO (B)
TODAY’S QUESTION
SHOULD POLITICIANS MAKING HATE SPEECHES BE DEBARRED FROM POLITICS FOR LIFE? A)
YES
B)
NO
To vote visit www.postnoon.com
CIVIC
SYED MAZHER ALI
CRIME
3
Another teen disappears POSTNOON NEWS feedback@postnoon.com
O
VIPs annex road to Chanchalguda? It is now clear that the road in front of the jail has been closed to facilitate VIP visitors and their vehicles. In the guise of security, commuters and locals are being troubled. Mohd SUBHAN mohd.s@postnoon.com
W
hen VIPs took shelter in Chanchalguda central jail, little did commuters and locals know what was in store for them. Now, the prison authorities have closed to public thoroughfare some 300m of jail frontage on the arterial SaidabadDabeerpura Road. The closure, undertaken for security reasons, disrupts the age-old route. Jail authorities have instead opened a winding road skirting Sultan Daera graveyard and jail quarters. The prison authorities, reportedly worried about the security of VVIP prisoners (with more likely to come in), plan to build massive walls with the top electrified as is done in high-security prisons elsewhere. “The sudden closure gives us a jolt,” said Rajendra Surana, a local resident. “They could have built the walls and yet allowed the road to be
TOP GUNS IN CHANCHALGUDA JAIL n n n n n n n n n n n
YS Jagan Mohan Reddy Gali Janardhana Reddy Mopidevi Venkataramana Nimmagadda Prasad Brahmanand Reddy Srinivas Reddy Ali Khan Rajgopal Sunil Reddy Srilakshmi BP Acharya
used,” he reasoned. “When big shots like Jagan Mohan Reddy and Gali Janardhana Reddy became inmates, we were thrilled. But now we feel sorry because of the perennial police trouble,” said a woman who lives nearby. Currently, the jail road is closed during the day and opened at night,
When big shots like Jagan Mohan Reddy and Gali Janardhana Reddy became inmates, we were thrilled. But now we feel sorry because of the perennial police trouble. Chanchalguda resident but eventually, it will be closed fulltime, authorities said. “But this is not a new plan,” protested the superintendent of Chanchalguda jail, Saidaiah. “It was a three-year-old plan. We permit visitors into the jail with their vehicles. And this led to trouble to the public. Hence this decision,” he added.
ne more minor girl was allegedly kidnapped from Secunderabad four days ago and the incident came to light when her father, P Prabhakar, lodged a complaint with the Chilkalguda police station yesterday. Prabhakar stated that his daughter was kidnapped by some unknown person on the night of December 31. According to the police, Prabhakar is an employee in the railway department and he lives in Seethaphalmandi, Secunderabad. His 17-year-old daughter is an intermediate student. She had left home on the evening of December 31 for tuition classes but did not return. The next morning,
Prabhakar received a call on his mobile from a man. The caller informed him that his daughter had been kidnapped by another person and soon after, he cut the call. Further attempts to contact the caller proved futile as the phone was either switched off or not reachable. This is the third alleged kidnapping of teenage girls in the City recently. The police do not seem to have any leads so far.
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city FRIDAY, JANUARY 4, 2013
CIVIC
LAST YEAR... HERE
Mutiny in Cong ranks
Angry birds
L
ast year, we had reported how, with Sankranti around the corner, people are making a beeline for coastal Andhra for Kodi Pandalu (cock fights). Though cock fighting is illegal, gamblers get special permission to hold matches during Sankranti time. The blood sport, in which cocks fight to the death, draws huge crowds, and the stakes can go up to `10 lakh.
Senior corporators are upset with the City party leadership for appointing Diddi Rambabu as floor leader without consulting them.
JANUARY 4, 2012
NUMEROLOGY
27 lakh The number of people expected to visit Nehru Zoological Park this year. The zoo authorities are upgrading the facilities to deal with the influx of visitors.
How do people feel safe when about a third of their MPs and MLAs have criminal charges against them, with some 141 of them facing murder charges? NM Rajeshwari, activist See page 7
THINGS WE 5LEARNT TODAY The column that teaches everyone something new about the way the City functions.
1
Turning the tables, thanks to the T issue. TDP’s pro-Telangana stand has left politicians in a tizzy. Many who left the party for TRS are now reconsidering their decision. The TDP now expects a exodus from the TRS, which will benefit the party.
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Don’t depend on others, save yourself. Women must learn to defend themselves rather than waiting for others to come help them, says NM Rajeshwari, founder of Thodu Needa.
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Md NIZAMUDDIN nizamuddin.a@postnoon.com
“N
early half of us may leave the party if this a t t i t u d e towards us continues,” said a frustrated standing committee member. Even though the news that Diddi Rambabu (in pic) was given the post of floor leader by the Congress leadership was aired on Wednesday, several senior party corporators came to know about it only on Thursday. One of them was even surprised when Postnoon sought confirmation from him. Considered to be a unilateral decision of the City leadership,
the irony of the decision can be measured by the fact that even the deputy mayor, G Raj Kumar, was not consulted before announcing the decision, leave alone other senior corporators. When unhappy corporators met Raj Kumar, his reply was simple; even he was not aware of the decision taken by the party leadership. A rebellious attitude is now much visible among Congress corporators, who are not happy with the decision. They point out that Rambabu stood against the party as a rebel candidate and won in the elections as an Independent. Later, he joined the party and now suddenly, he
has been conferred the post of floor leader. “There are senior leaders who served for years, sacrificing everything. How could the leadership take such a decision?” asked a corporator. According to observers, the decision was taken to contain the influence of former floor leader Kaleru Venkatesh, who represents Golnaka ward, which is close to Diddi Rambabu’s ward, Barkatpura. Even though the Congress leadership thought of promoting a detractor of Venkatesh in the form of Rambabu, it failed to assess the consequences as several corporators are rebelling over the
party’s decision. Now, rumours are ripe that some of the corporators have already decided to jump to YSRC. Among them, reports of Banjara Hills corporator B Bharati leaving the party have left many surprised as she maintains a good rapport with Danam Nagender. A standing committee member disclosed to Postnoon that he was being pursued not only by the leadership of YSRC, but also the BJP. “If I get a good offer, then I would ponder over a decision to switch. When the bosses do not lend an ear to what you say, then you have to leave for a better future,” explained the corporator, who is from Old City.
NEWS BRIEFS
Watch what you say, especially in politics. The MIM is in hot water for making ‘communal’ statements and condemning the CM over the Charminar temple issue.
Body of infant fished out Man murdered by from lake friends
APSRTC wins four national awards
APGenco opens bids for mini-hydel projects
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T
A
Even in jail, leaders cause trouble. The road in front of Chanchalguda jail, which houses many VVIPs, is shut, causing problems for locals.
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No end in sight for Congress’ troubles. By appointing the new floor leader, the Congress leadership has earned the ire of their corporators.
he body of an unidentified female infant was fished out from a lake near Dhobi Ghat Errakunta in Saidabad on Thursday. The body was in a highly decomposed state. The infant was apparently throttled to death. The body has been sent to Osmania Hospital for post-mortem, said inspector M Srinivas.
A
man, identified only as Ravinder, was allegedly murdered by his friends over a petty matter. The friends had been enjoying themselves at a New Year bash on the night of December 31 when a quarrel broke out among them. Ravinder was clubbed severely by the others. He was shifted to a hospital, where he died yesterday.
he APSRTC has received four national awards from AK Upadhyay, secretary, ministry of surface transport at New Delhi on January 3. These include National Safety Award for 2011-12, Improvement in Vehicle Productivity, Fuel Conservation Award and Fuel Conservation Award for Urban Area — Vizag region.
PGenco has started the process of inviting bids from developers to set up mini-hydel power projects for an installed capacity of 131MW using 92 water sources in Andhra Pradesh. The process will begin on January 10, when a pre-bid interactive meeting is scheduled, said officials of the power body.
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city FRIDAY, JANUARY 4, 2013
OFFICE POLITICS AMY ROSE THOMAS amyrose.t@postnoon.com
also provide for penalties against the offenders. So, if the policies for the protection of female colleagues are in place, both in private and in public including government, why do we still have a large number of women being abused at offices in the country? Besides this, a large number of cases are going unreported as most of the women abused stay mum.
“H
e ogled at me when no one was looking. I felt his eyes following me around. He would come and talk to me whenever he saw me alone and would look at me with those hungry eyes shamelessly roving all over my body. I ignored him in the beginning hoping against hope that he would stop it eventually. Then the touching began. He touched me in places where one would not want to be, which again were made to look like friendly gestures. In spite of it being my dream job, I started to dread work. I was petrified and immobilised even to open up to my colleagues. After all, he is the boss.” This was the story of Smitha* who started her work with a well-reputed MNC only to have her dreams shattered for she was deputed under a man who misused his power and preyed up on his hapless subordinates to derive carnal pleasure. There are many Smithas among us who have faced such vulgar moves from their bosses. According to a survey done by Oxfam India, ‘Sexual Harassment at Workplaces in India 2011-2012’, 17 per cent of working women in major cities in the country have been sexually abused at their workplaces. However, most of these women said the harassment wasn’t physical. Sixty-six of the 400 respondents faced a cumulative of 121 incidents of sexual harassment. The survey shows that sexual harassment is rampant in workplaces in the country. This, ironically, means that offices in the country are unsafe for women workforce. Ramesh Loganathan VP, Products & Center Head Progress Software India, says, “We have very strong global policies across countries on employee safety at workplace which includes strong policies that ensure a healthy and safe work place for women employees. At Progress Software, we ensure there is a very simple communication channel for all employees to address any grievances. These are comfortable alternate channels beyond the usual line management, skip-levels and HR channels. We believe ensuring this is one very important element in our attempt to nip any issue in the bud and don’t allow any situation to precipitate and worsen.” Rajita Singh, HR head of Broadridge Financial Solutions voices the same thoughts when asked about women’s safety at their company.
WHY SO
In spite of the policies in place and help offered to them, women abused sexually at the workplace prefer to stay mum about the torture. Postnoon finds out why.
SILENT?
“We do work on well-being of both the genders as inclusion is the key in today’s world. Policies etc serve as a deterrent, show that the organisation is putting systems in place to ensure that the intent is clear without any ambiguity. Respect for an individual is our core value and we have zero tolerance towards anything which compromises this.” Meanwhile, in government offices complaint committees, headed by women, are set up according to 1997 Vishaka verdict that will deal with the sexual harassment cases. The guidelines also said that rules prohibiting sexual harassment at the workplace should be notified, published and circulated and should
Dr Minhaj Nasirabadi, consultant psychiatrist, Apollo hospital, tries to throw some light on the behaviour of women in such situations. “In our country, girls are not expected to go out and work. She must have worked towards convincing her parents to allow her to work. And when she faces a problem at work, she is scared to confide in her parents fearing that their response will be that she stop going to office. Without the necessary support from the family, she is confused and most times she doesn’t complain about her tormentor’s behaviour. In Indian society, girls are brought up and taught to play nice unlike men who are expected to be aggressive and even rude. Thus, when she is subjected to such behaviour by her superiors, she tends to blame herself and this guilt stops her from complaining. A person who has gotten away scot free after such behaviour would know to pick the right girl who most likely will not complain to the authorities concerned. What is the way forward? “Help for such girls should come first from home. Parents should be supportive of their daughters’ decision to work so that she can rely on them when in trouble rather than suffer in silence,” he says. In Smitha’s case, she did get her justice when she mustered up enough courage and complained to the HR. She was pleasantly surprised when he was asked to leave. Let's hope the efforts of scores of young women who took to the streets will not go in vain. Let's hope there will be a quantum shift in the way we treat our women folk and let's hope, change of mind set, which is the bottom line will simply happen. (*Name changed on request)
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city FRIDAY, JANUARY 4, 2013
POLITICS
Reverse swing in Telangana
Telugu Desam Party’s pro-T stance has put Telangana Rashtra Samithi in difficulty, as many who left Desam for TRS are now yearning for a comeback. INKESHAF AHMED ahmed.m@postnoon.com
T
he politics in Telangana region seems to have taken an about turn, following the recent decision of principal opposition Telugu Desam Party (TDP) on the separate state issue. The party’s decision on backing the statehood for Telangana has not only helped it gain a certain amount of support in the region from pro-Telangana groups, but also given it an edge over its arch rival, Telan-gana Rashtra Samithi (TRS). Apart from this, the Telugu Desam has decided to fight the TRS party in its own game by launching Operation Aakarsh (attracting the TRS leaders into the TDP) programme. Operation Aakarsh was the pet programme of the KCR-led TRS party to attract many TDP leaders into its fold till now. The TRS succeeded
in attracting a large number of TDP leaders, including sitting MLAs, by encouraging defection from the TDP. As many as five TDP MLAs, like G Govardhan, Ch Ramesh, Jogu Ramanna and
P Srinivas Reddy, joined the TRS party after the 2009 general elections, protesting the attitude of party leadership on the issue of Telangana. It is now the turn of TDP to
WILDLIFE
NZP turns 50
employ the same game to weaken the pink brigade. As part of operation Aakarsh, the TDP has primarily decided to first woo back its erstwhile leaders, including sitting and former MLAs and MPs into the party, before wooing other leaders of TRS. According to highly placed sources of the party, a team of Telangana TDP leaders have been entrusted with the responsibility of bringing back these erstwhile leaders into the party fold by the leadership. “It is true that many of our old powerful leaders left the party because of the party leadership’s uncertain stand on the separate Telangana issue. Now, we have made our stand very clear by extending our support to the separate Telangana state. We will earnestly try to bring these leaders back in our fold, as it will strengthen our party,” a senior party leader and former minister said.
Another party leader and former minister E Peddi Reddy confirmed the news, albeit with a taker. “Yes, many of our ex-colleagues are now looking back. If they want to return home, the party leadership will discuss and take an appropriate decision on the issue,” he said.
UNHAPPY WITH KCR
The attitude of TRS president K Chandrasekara Rao is also reportedly causing unhappiness among the erstwhile TDP leaders. Many of these leaders, who were promised suitable posts in the TRS if they joined the party, are said to have been sidelined by the TRS boss on many issues. “Many of our old colleagues told us that they are not getting due recognition in the TRS despite their sacrifices. They are saying that they got good recognition when they were in TDP and are longing to come back,” a Telangana TDP leader said.
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The zoo is all set to celebrate its golden jubilee this year, with new animals expected to arrive soon.
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POSTNOON NEWS feedback@postnoon.com
T
his is the 50th year of Nehru Zoological Park , Hyderabad, and the zoo will be celebrating the
golden jubilee in November 2013. The director of the zoo said in a press conference that the zoo will be acquiring several more animals from other zoos within the country and from abroad to attract more visitors. The zoo will also upgrade its visitor facilities to meet the requirements of the increasing number of visitors. The number of visitors to the zoo is likely to touch the 27 lakh mark, he said. He thanked all the zoo staff for their efforts in the improvement of the zoo. A female giraffe from Malaysia, a pair of Zebra from Taiwan, two pairs of Hyena from Kanpur zoo, one pair of king cobra and one pair of whittaker boa from Bangalore zoo are expected to arrive at the park.
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classifieds FRIDAY, JANUARY 4, 2013
WOMEN SAFETY
Criminal politicians must go!
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ANUBHA K SINGH anubha.k@postnoon.com
“T
he real issue is not the rape, not even the larger context of violence against women but the terrifying lawlessness in our country, the scant respect for women and human rights, and the unquestioned brutality of the State. At the core of the rot is our criminal politics, criminal police, caste-lords and feudal social order,” asks NM Rajeshwari, founder president of Thodu Needa. Disrespect to women begins at home, she says. She should know for she has undergone the worst in wedlock before taking up the cause of the single seniors, the modern social outcaste. “We live in a country where political parties had no qualms in giving Assembly seat tickets to 260 people who faced criminal charges such as rape and other forms of violence against women? How do people feel safe when about a third of their MPs and MLAs have criminal charges against them with 141 facing murder charges? The condition of the State is no different, forget about the politicians, the DGP of the State, who is given the task of safety and security of women, blames their fashion sense for increase in rape cases. Such is the scenario of our State,” says Rajeshwari. Take a look at the State’s dealings on women issues, she says, “The current state of the women commission is headless and without a head the meetings could not be held and women issues are not tackled. I strongly believe it’s now time that women should not depend on anyone to safeguard her or provide security. Let’s not blame anyone for our safety because we live in a State which is dumb and deaf when it comes to the security of women.” “Women should now realise that
I strongly believe it’s now time that women should not depend on anyone to safeguard her. Let’s not blame anyone for our safety because we live in a State which is dumb and deaf when it comes to the security of women.
NM Rajeshwari founder Thodu Needa
NM Rajeshwari blazed a trail caring for lonely senior citizens. Now she rages as criminal politicians aid and abet crimes against women in the State.
self-dependence is the biggest defence one can put up in a hostile situation. The authorities may or may not help, but during an attack, it's only you and people around you that can protect you. The Delhi gang-rape case has brought home the reality that no one is safe," she said. And as for the government, it’s time our politicians comes up quickly with a proper structured response and to reflect upon the serious concern of safety of women in the State.
At the core of the rot is our criminal politics, criminal police and feudal social order. We live in a country where political parties had no qualms in giving Assembly seat tickets to 260 people who faced criminal charges such as rape.
NM Rajeshwari founder Thodu Needa
She feels one can change society by... n Parents should create moral confidence in girls in childhood (instead of every time sending the brother along for security). n Committee to look at NCERT syllabus from a gender perspective. Gender programmes in schools. Martial arts should be added in the school syllabus for girls. n Paraya dhan (a silly concept) about girls should be debunked. She is her own dhan, not paraya. Films have done a disservice to the society eulogising girls going to husbands’ homes. n Speedy access to justice, sensitisation of police and armed forces, lodging of FIR report in all rape cases and constant police patrolling, provide quicker justice and stringent punishment for crimes against women. n NGOs, women's groups and civil society members in a bid to provide quicker justice and stringent punishment for crimes against women.
n Slogans “Save Women” stopped and start new slogans like “Get ready protect Your self”. n Women in our society have no choice of their own because everything is dictated by her father, then her husband and then her son. This attitude should be changed. n Women should battle for value change in Indian society. There is a need for change in attitude when bringing up Indian men. They should be taught to treat women with respect and also be taught about women’s rights. The need for this basic change is rather evident now. n In Andhra Pradesh Women commission revoke and appoint judicial retired women judges or IPS officers. n It is the duty of every citizen to react to the abuse of minor girls/ girls/ women in the society.
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city FRIDAY, JANUARY 4, 2013
REPORTERS’ DIARY
Weird ways of the GHMC!
POSTNOON PHOTO TEAM
H
ere is an additional commissioner at GHMC, who is ‘dedicated’ to the cause of ‘beautifying’ the City, which began in the wake of the City hosting the world biodiversity conference in October. The official, shifted out to another portfolio, allegedly on account of ‘mismanagement of beautification’ during CoP, continues to do the job. Currently, she is engaged in adding aesthetic value to the belly of the Secunderabad flyover. Mural paintings, stonework, chiselling figures, painting, among others, are in progress (pictured). Who authorised her? How will she get funds? Silly questions! The GHMC works in mysterious ways, you know. A senior civic official commented, “What else do you expect when people are put in one place and remain rooted to the spot for 20 years?” He may have a point here, as the GHMC is one big dumping ground, probably like Jawahar Nagar. The reporter has no qualms
about beautification of the City. We must applaud it, but... (MN)
UNFAIR THIS, MIM!
Poor fellow, the BJP corporator of Langer House! Uday Kumar won a case against an MIM corporator on a rule violation regarding a corporator having more than two kids. It is more than a month now and there is no call from the civic officials for him. Nor does he know when the next general body meeting will be held. GHMC, say veterans, is preparing the ground for a contempt of court case if it does not go in appeal to a higher court. It is not clear if it succeeded in appealing against it, for civic matters are not taken up by the Apex Court, in which case the GHMC is thumbing its nose at the High Court, which has disqualified the MIM corporator and declared the runner-up the winner. BJP floor leader Bangari Prakash has been pouring over the GHMC Act Book for many weeks now to find a way out. After burning the midnight oil
for long, he came up with an idea. “As it mentioned only ‘meeting’ in the Act and not general body meeting, ‘oath’ can be taken in any meeting.” Accordingly, the BJP corporators tried to surprise everyone by entering a meeting hall where the mayor and the commissioner were conducting a review. Even though the corporators visited the meeting hall, they failed to grab attention for long. People feel that the attempt was good, but not strong enough to generate ripples. (MN)
Dr AKUN AND CV ANAND
Whatever one says about civilisation and its masked face, one thing must be said in its credit: It makes people behave differently in public. For instance, even if you are seething inside, you’d shower a few civil words commending your rival who won an election: “I bow to the popular will,” or something. Men in uniform are no different. During the recent spat between a senior officer, CV Anand, and a junior officer, Dr
Akun Sabharwal, this happened. In private, the two had different things to say, but in public, both were falling for each other. Dr Sabharwal was shifted out as DCP South as he is said to have had problems with his seniors. But people in the Old City agree that he is a just officer who would do his job well without fear or expecting favours. "Yaar, Anand saheb hi ek mera achcha dost hai," gushed the young doctor (incidentally a BDS), when he saw the reporter. “He helped me, guided me and counselled me, so how can you write that we have ego clashes?” Well well, Doc! The reporter respects your public views, but there is more to it than meets the eye, isn’t there? (MS)
RABBLE ROUSERS, BEWARE!
Have the Owaisi brothers, who arrogated themselves to be the rulers of Hyderabad, bitten more than they can chew? It appears so. The brothers, who run their party MIM with an iron hand, went hammer and tongs at Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy
for being ‘unsecular’ because he asked the police to be neutral in the temple-Charminar issue. Having seen no missile coming from suave Kiran, they went further to speak against a community and landed in a legal jam. The reporter recalls an event that happened in Kerala a decade ago. Abdul Nasser Madani, a hardcore communal element, was caught for his complicity in the 1998 Coimbatore blast case, where LK Advani was to address an election meeting. Caught in various cases, such as for his shameful language used against the then PM Narasimha Rao, he was jailed for over a decade and at the end is said to have been acquitted. But he is now dumped by all the parties that had once hailed him as the ‘minority champion.’ Lesson for all: Avoid attacking other communities for vote’s sake. It is not worth the task and it will boomerang. (PK) Contributed by Mohd Nizamuddin, Mohd Subhan, and PK Surendran
FRIDAY, JANUARY 4, 2013
focus
MAVERICK LENSEMAN
Fujimoto won't even wear a helmet or a flack jacket. "They are very heavy when it comes to running and it's more fun to go to the front without anything. Besides, when they shoot it's fun and exciting."
ADRENALINE JUNKIE
J
apanese trucker Toshifumi Fujimoto is bored with his humdrum job, a daily run from Osaka to Tokyo or Nagasaki hauling tanker loads of gasoline, water or even chocolate. Yet while the stocky, bearded 45-year-old could spend his free time getting a jolt of adrenaline by bungee-jumping or shark hunting, he puts his life on the line in a most unusual way. He's become a war tourist. Fujimoto's passion has taken him from the dull routine of the highway to Syria, where as part of his latest adventure in the Middle East's hot spots he shoots photos and video while dodging bullets with zest. He was in Yemen last year during demonstrations at the US embassy and in Cairo a year earlier, during the heady days that followed the ouster of longtime president Hosni Mubarak. Later this year, he plans to hook up with the Taliban in Afghanistan. But for the moment, he is wrapping up a week's tour of the northern Syrian city of Aleppo, which for going on six months has been one of the hottest spots in a conflict that has cost more than 60,000 lives, according to UN figures. He already spent two weeks in the war-torn country at the end of 2011, taking advantage of a tourist visa, but this time he has entered the country clandestinely from Turkey. Dressed in a Japanese army fatigues and armed with two cameras and a video camera — Japanese, of course — Fujimoto heads for whatever frontline he can every morning to document the ongoing destruction of Syria's second city and one-time commercial capital. Fujimoto, who doesn't speak English, much less Arabic, has picked up a few words, such as "dangerous" and "front line." The only way to interview him was to make use of Google Translate. “I always go by myself, because no tour guide wants to go to the front. It’s very exciting, and the adrenaline rush is like no other. “It’s more dangerous in Syria to be a journalist than a tourist,” he said, describing how “each morning I walk 200 metres (yards) to reach the
Japanese trucker Toshifumi Fujimoto takes pictures of a rebel fighter behind sandbags on the green line in Aleppo's old city. AFP
Bored Japanese trucker gets kicks from Syria war tourism
‘front’, and I’m right there on the firing line with soldiers of the (rebel) Free Syria Army.” “It fascinates me, and I enjoy it,” he says, as some FSA fighters stop him in one of the Old City's streets to have their picture
taken with him. “Most people think I'm Chinese, and they greet me in Chinese,” he smiled.
SAMURAI AND KAMIKAZE
He takes his time getting his shots right, as the rebels he hangs out with shout from both sides of the street: “Run! Run! There are snipers. Run!” But he ignores them, finishes
shooting and casually walks away with photos that he will later post on his Facebook page to share with his friends. “I’m not a target for snipers because I'm a tourist, not like you journalists,” he told a reporter. “Besides, I'm not afraid if they shoot at me or that they might kill me. I'm a combination of samurai and kamikaze.” Fujimoto won't even wear a
9
helmet or a flack jacket. "They are very heavy when it comes to running and it's more fun to go to the front without anything. Besides, when they shoot it's fun and exciting." Fujimoto said his employers don't know he's in Syria. "I just told them I was going to Turkey on holiday; if I'd told them the truth, they'd tell me I'm completely crazy." But though some might doubt his sanity, no one can question his financial foresight, which is rooted in the sadness of his personal life. Fujimoto is divorced, and says "I have no family, no friends, no girl friend. I am alone in life." But he does have three daughters, whom he hasn't seen for five years, "not even on Facebook or the Internet, nothing. And that saddens me deeply," he said as he wiped
He was in Yemen last year and in Cairo a year earlier. Later this year, he plans to hook up with the Taliban in Afghanistan. away a tear. So he's bought a life insurance policy, and "I pray every day that, if something happens to me, my girls might collect the insurance money and be able to live comfortably." Fujimoto doesn't make any money off his photography, and spent $2,500 (1,894 euros) out of his own pocket for the flight to Turkey. Then there's another $25 a day that he pays a local resident, who puts him up in his house and gives him Internet access. In his week in Aleppo, he has covered all the battle fronts and though he's shared many of the images he's captured, one of them has stuck in his mind. He opened a file on his laptop to show the partly decomposed body of a seven-year-old girl in Saif al-Dawla, gunned down by a sniper, which has lain unclaimed for months. One wonders if any of his daughters could be the same age, but there was no way to pry more out of him, as he wept every time they were brought up. "I love children, but Syria is no place for them. A bomb can snuff out their lives at any moment," he said, as some FSA fighters asked him to join them in Saleheddin and he ambled off down the street toward the sound of fighting. AFP
FRIDAY, JANUARY 4, 2013
Business
INDIAN HEDGE FUND MANAGER PLEADS NOT GUILTY
An Indian-origin hedge fund portfolio manager has pleaded not guilty to charges that he participated in one of the "most lucrative" insider trading schemes totalling USD 276 million involving information about clinical trials for an Alzheimer's drug. Mathew Martoma, 38, was arraigned at Manhattan federal court yesterday.
INVESTMENTS
Role of stock markets We need the stock exchanges, to facilitate the buying and selling of stocks.
INDUSTRY
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It’s a balanced growth for beauty The industry managed to balance a 10 to 15 per cent growth in 2012. POSTNOON NEWS feedback@postnoon.com
“S
NUPUR PAVAN BANG AND PURVEE HETAMSARIA
professional help of a broker or an advisor, you should still know what you are doing. You can ask me all your doubts. Raju: What is the need of stock markets? Can’t we buy and sell shares from/to the company directly? Nicky: When a company offers its shares to the public for the first time, through the exchange, and you buy them, then you are buying directly from the compa-
T
he Udupi restaurant owner at the corner of the street where Prof Nicky lived, came and sat across the table in front of her, while she was enjoying the meal. With an eye on the cash counter, which he had handed over to his aide, he asked her if he could chat with her for a while. Prof Nicky (with a wink): Sure Raju, if you make my meal free! Raju: It’s your shop madam. Nicky: I was just joking. Tell me what do you want to talk about? Raju: My son is doing MBA. He has been telling me to invest in the stock markets instead of keeping it in an FD. I have so many doubts. If I ask him, he gets angry. He says that I think too much. He wants me to give my money to a broker, who will take care of everything. How can I put my hard-earned money in something I don’t understand? Nicky: You are right Raju. You should never put your money into something you don’t understand. While you can take the
The market where shares are traded, after getting listed, is known as the secondary market. You can sell your stocks easily in this market. ny. This is known as an Initial Public Offering (IPO) and the market is categorised as the Primary Market. Raju: Oh... so those who bought shares of Bharti Infratel recently, bought it from the company directly? Nicky: Exactly. Similarly, you can also buy directly from the
company during Follow On Public Offering (FPO). A company which is already listed on the exchange but needs more money, can raise more money by selling more shares through an FPO. You can sell your shares directly to the company, if the company comes with a buy back scheme or gets delisted from the exchange. Raju: But after buying a stock, what if I need the money back? I cannot wait till the company decides to buy back or delist. Can I sell my shares back to the company? Nicky: No, you cannot do that. You must know that a company is not liable to return the capital that it has raised by way of stock. But, you can sell it to someone else. And that’s why we need the stock exchanges, to facilitate the buying and selling of stocks, to provide liquidity. The market where shares are traded, after getting listed, is known as the secondary market. You can sell your stocks easily in this market. All you need is a demat account. Raju: A demat account? Nicky: Yes. But I need to leave now. More on it the next time I come here to eat.
tability is the key message from the beauty industry to sum up the year 2012. The overall scenario has been that the industry managed a ‘balanced growth’ – the growth was not much and neither did it fall drastically,” said Anuradha CH, director, Anoo’s. “The industry has managed to balance a 10-15 per cent growth in the year amidst the paradigm shift of how beauty is looked at. Today, beauty treatments are not just to look good but also to rejuvenate the mind, which adds the muchneeded confidence in a person,” she said. Talking about the industry, she said, “India has witnessed investments from a lot of big brands in both the services and products segments. “Consumers have benefited immensely from the availabili-
POCKET MUSIC Aircel sets pockets ringing POSTNOON NEWS feedback@postnoon.com
A
ircel launched ‘Pocket Music International’ for the young music lovers of international music. Aircel subscribers can now download and enjoy full tracks from a vast catalogue consisting of international music provided by top two global music recording giants — Sony
for
for
for
for
and Universal. The catalogue includes top international artistes like, Justin Bieber, Rihanna, Beyonce, Michael Jackson, Katy Perry, Jennifer Lopez, Pitbull, Shakira and many more. The product is available for a daily subscription fee of `5. In this package the Aircel subscriber can download up to five songs everyday, which translates to `1 per song.
BSE 5,986.55 `54.90 5,209.05 DOLLAR`55.14 17,179.95DOLLAR NSEPOUND `86.60 `88.20 POUND BSE NSE GOLD`31,100 10g SILVER `57,700 1kg
24C
GOLD `29,500 10g SILVER `53,000 1kg
ty of these products in India, which otherwise had to be imported. However, at Anoo’s, we have expanded our footprints in South India. “For the new year, Anoo’s aims at spreading across upcountry areas and will better the experiences of customers by launching a help desk for queries and information.”
98.90
33.65
Since our country is a union of states, we abide by its federal character and, therefore, are bound by the consensus on the issue, ANAND SHARMA, COMMERCE MINISTER
19,697.00 66.48
ANAND SHARMA, 22.95 COMMERCE MINISTER
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FRIDAY, JANUARY 4, 2013
nation
CRPF TROOPER HELD FOR RAPE Police in Assam's Lakhimpur district have detained a CRPF trooper for allegedly raping a physically challenged woman, police said. While the CRPF trooper Mohan Singh has been detained for the crime late Thursday, police is also on the lookout for three of his accomplices who managed to escape.
HALL OF SHAME
DAREDEVILS
Girl jumps from auto to escape rape A similar incident was reported in Bihar yesterday where a woman jumped from a train to escape her molesters.
Daredevils perform car and bike stunts during an annual fair in Mumbai on Thursday. The 10-day fair is being held in honour of the Sufi saint Makhdoom Ali Mahimi on the dusty Mahim beach. AFP/PUNIT PARANJPE
LEGAL BATTLE
Italian Marines return for trial
KOCHI: After celebrating Christmas with their families, the two Italian Marines, facing murder charges in Kerala, arrived here by special chartered plane this morning, officials said. Massimiliano Latorre and Salvatore Girone, who were allowed to go home for two weeks by the High Court, came by a special flight for Kochi at 7.50am, airport sources said. They will soon leave for
Kollam court to surrender their passports. The marines were arrested on February 19 last year for shooting to death two Indian fishermen — Ajesh Binki, 25, and Jelestine, 45, from onboard merchant vessel Enrica Lexie off Alapuzha coast, mistaking them for Somali pirates. Stringent conditions had been laid down by the court, which had asked them to return by January 10. The Kollam ses-
GREEN POWER
Police have registered an offence under sections 366 (abduction), 354 (assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty) and 323 of the IPC and have launched a search for the accused. A similar incident was reported in Bihar's Bhojpur district yesterday where a woman jumped from an express train to escape from molesters, who were identified as army jawans. PTI
NEWS BRIEFS
‘Not much being done to tap seas, oceans for energy’ PANAJI: The seas and oceans should be tapped to produce energy, scientist RK Pachauri (right) advised marine scientists, adding that not much was being done in this regard. "It is disappointing that not enough is being done (research) to produce energy from the oceans. I would like to ask you to focus on this area," Pachauri said, speaking at a function at the National Institute of Oceanography (NIO) located here. Pachauri said that there was immense potential in tap-
sions court had asked them to be present for the trial on January 15. The Italians had also executed Rs six crore bank guarantee as directed by the Kerala High Court for allowing them to leave for two weeks. Kerala Government had opposed the marines plea in the High Court by saying it was a ruse to "smuggle them out" and would "torpedo" the ongoing trial. PTI
THANE A teenaged girl jumped out of a moving autorickshaw to save herself from the clutches of three men, who allegedly tried to molest and kidnap her in Mumbra township of neighbouring Thane district, police said today. The 17-year-old girl boarded an autorickshaw on a shared basis along with two men in Mumbra yesterday morning. However, when she realised that the driver was taking the vehicle on a different route, she raised an alarm, police sub-inspector Chihvad Shetty said. But, the men sitting besides her allegedly tried to molest her in the moving vehicle and assaulted her. However, the girl managed to jump out from the moving vehicle to save herself and later went to Mumbra police station and filed a complaint against three unidentified persons, including the autorickshaw driver, Shetty said.
ping energy from wave, currents, thermal, tidal, salinity gradient and other forms, adding that "even if it is not successful, it is important that some research be done". IANS
Dal Lake gets `356 cr Delhi shivers at 2.7 degrees Celsius for beautification JAMMU: The Central government has sanctioned `356 crore for the development and beautification of Srinagar's iconic Dal Lake, said Jammu and Kashmir Deputy Chief Minister Tara Chand. Tara Chand, also the housing and urban development minister, said this at a meeting here Thursday evening. Tara Chand hoped the fund would help the lake regain its lost glory. Dal Lake is the main attraction for tourists visiting the Kashmir Valley. The lake has numerous houseboats and 'shikaras'. Over the decades, the lake has been suffering from neglect due to dumping of effluents from hotels and houseboats into its waters. PTI
NEW DELHI: The minimum temperature in the national capital dropped to 2.7 degrees Celsius Friday, the season's lowest and four notches below average. Though the morning was foggy, the day would be clear, an India Meteorological Department official said. The maximum temperature is expected to be around 13 degrees Celsius. Visibility at 8.30 am was 50 metres and humidity was 100 percent, the official said. Thursday's maximum temperature was eight notches below average at 12.7 degrees and minimum temperature was three notches below average at 4.4 degrees Celsius. IANS
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Across Stores
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FRIDAY, JANUARY 4, 2013
World Man guns down 3 in Philippines market
CHAVEZ SUFFERING FROM COMPLICATIONS
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez is suffering from complications arising from a “severe pulmonary infection” more than three weeks after undergoing cancer surgery, Information Minister Ernesto Villegas said Thursday.
UNITED STATES
Fresh start, but fiscal battles loom Larger battles are looming, particularly over borrowing, an extension of the government’s 2013 budget.
MANILA: A gunman shot dead three people and wounded several others when he opened fire in a crowded Philippine market on Friday, then was shot dead at the scene, police said. The shooter began firing a pistol at the market in Kawit town, about 40 kilometres (25 miles) south of Manila, said district police chief Jaime Rollon. “He suddenly went berserk. He was just shooting at anyone, bystanders, market vendors. The first one wounded was one of his in-laws,” Rollon told AFP. Rollon said three people had been confirmed killed and at least two others wounded. Police were checking hospitals for other casualties, he added. Rollon identified the suspect as a local resident named Ronald Pae, but said his motive was not yet known. He said Pae was also shot dead at the market, however it was not yet clear who fired that shot. Friday’s shooting comes amid a debate over the country’s lawless gun culture, which was sparked by the death of a seven-year-old girl who was shot in the head by celebratory gunfire on New Year’s Eve. AFP
WASHINGTON: With nearly 100 new members, the US Congress convened Thursday fresh from the year-end “fiscal cliff” fiasco, as lawmakers cast a wary eye towards the tough budget battles ahead. Twelve freshman senators and 82 newly-elected lawmakers in the House of Representatives took the oath of office, eager to make the 113th Congress more productive than the 112th, whose two years were marred by mind-numbing partisan gridlock and record public disapproval. President Barack Obama’s Democrats enjoyed modest gains in both chambers, but the balance of power remains divided on Capitol Hill: Democrats control the Senate,
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US SLAMS SCHMIDT
The United States on Thursday criticized a planned visit to North Korea by Google chairman Eric Schmidt, calling it ill-timed in the wake of Pyongyang’s widely condemned rocket launch last month. Schmidt — whose company has an unofficial motto of “Don’t Be Evil” — is planning to visit the isolated nation with former New Mexico governor Bill Richardson, a veteran troubleshooter on North Korea. Richardson has been to North Korea a number of times in the past 20 years and has been involved in negotiating the release of US citizens detained in the country.
NUMEROLOGY
6,602
political detentions were recorded in Cuba in 2012, a 60 percent surge from a year earlier, a rights watchdog said on Thursday.
President Barack Obama’s Democrats enjoyed modest gains in both chambers, but the balance of power remains divided.
US Representative John Boehner, Republican of Ohio, holds up his gavel after being re-elected as Speaker of the House as he kisses US Representative Nancy Pelosi, Democrat of California and returning Minority Leader, during the opening session of the 113th US House of Representatives at the US Capitol in Washington, DC. AFP/ SAUL LOEB
while Republicans hold sway in the House, where John Boehner kept his job as speaker. There was little expectation that he would lose the leadership role, but Republican infighting over backing a fiscal cliff deal that hikes taxes on the wealthy triggered speculation about Boehner’s hold on the gavel.
Larger budget battles are on the horizon, particularly over US borrowing, an extension of the government’s 2013 budget, and the now-looming spending reductions set to hit the Pentagon and most domestic programs. Obama resumed his Hawaii vacation hours after Congress approved the fiscal cliff deal
9 DEAD IN SYRIA BLAST
late on New Year’s Day, and signed it into law Wednesday by auto pen. But Biden was on hand to swear in the new senators, including five women, bringing to a record 20 the number of female senators, as well as Tim Scott, the first black Republican in the Senate since 1979. AFP
NEWS BRIEFS N Ireland rioters throw petrol bombs at police
Saudi jets bolster US drone hits in Yemen
Sudan, South Sudan presidents meet today
Japan sends envoy to S Korea to mend fences
LONDON: Eight police officers were injured in Belfast on Thursday after being pelted with petrol bombs in the latest violence sparked by the city council’s decision not to fly the British flag all year round. Police said one officer needed hospital treatment as around 100 loyalist protesters attacked police.
LONDON: Saudi Arabia has provided fighter jets to assist the US with its drone strikes against AlQaeda targets in Yemen, the London Times reported on Friday. US drones are backing Yemeni forces combating militants. The group’s Yemen branch is considered by Washington to be the most active and deadliest franchise of the jihadist network.
ADDIS ABABA: Rival leaders of Sudan and South Sudan are due to meet Friday in the Ethiopian capital to push for progress on stalled economic, oil and security deals. The meeting comes despite accusations from Juba on Thursday that Khartoum had launched aerial and ground attacks inside South Sudan.
TOKYO: Japan’s new PM Shinzo Abe on Friday sent a special envoy to Seoul, the foreign ministry said, in an early attempt to mend fences over a territorial dispute. Veteran lawmaker and former finance minister Fukushiro Nukaga for the South Korean capital bearing Abe’s message to president-elect Park Geun-Hye.
At least nine people were killed when a car bomb exploded in the Syrian capital, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Friday amid reports of furious combat raging around a major airport and a military airbase in the north of the country. Many people were seriously wounded in the car-bomb attack in a northern Damascus neighbourhood, and the death toll may climb, the group’s director Rami Abdel Rahmane told AFP.
She’s (Hillary) resting at home. Some of the senior staff who spoke to her say that she’s sounding terrific, upbeat, raring to go.” Victoria Nuland State Department spokeswoman
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FRIDAY, JANUARY 4, 2013
Technology MOBILE WARS
CRAZIER THE BETTER A seemingly crazy idea from the Keck Institute for Space Studies in California may in fact be just crazy enough to work. The Keck institute imagines a long-distance craft rocketed into space using existing technology. The probe would propel itself slowly to a small target asteroid over several years, using exotic engine tech like solar ion drives. When it got there, it would study the rock, snag it in a bag-like trap and then slowly shunt back toward the Moon, where it would drop it in orbit. This is all so that future private asteroid mining companies could study an asteroid up close without the complexity of zooming far out to the asteroid belt.
UBUNTU PHONE OS
Canonical demoed the mobile version of Ubuntu, which is built around the existing Android kernel and drivers. It doesn't use a Java Virtual Machine and so claims to be able to use "the full power of the phone." It supports both ARM and x86 processors and the OS will be compatible enough to let Android phone makers run it on their devices with minimal adaptation. The company has promised to release Ubuntu ROMs for popular Android devices this year and they will be launching full-fledged devices running them in 2014. It is a complete gesture-based interface and does not have even a single button to get any task done.
TIZEN
THAT'S UNEXPECTED!
MOBILE OS WARS HEAT UP
Android and Apple devices are dominating the mobile market right now with Microsoft and RIM playing catch up. However, that hasn’t deterred others from coming up with new mobile operating systems. Here are three OSs that you’ll see launching in the market within the next couple of years.
Tizen was born from the ashes of Meego and is the result of a collaboration between Samsung and Intel. This Linux-based operating system shares much of its features with Meego, which was built by Intel and Nokia. Meego project was abandoned after Nokia decided to go with Windows OS for their smartphones. Samsung will be releasing Tizen-based device later this year. Tizen provides a flexible environment for application developers, based on jQuery and jQuery Mobile. The software development kit (SDK) allows developers to use HTML5 and related web technologies to write applications that run across multiple device segments.
FIREFOX OS
Initially dubbed Boot to Gecko, this operating system will also be available for the public later this year. Almost all the applications and programmes will be developed in web languages and mark ups, making it easier for developers to get started. Unlike other OSes it’ll also let HTML code to interact and integrate with the device hardware. It is in beta right now and is compatible with devices including — Otoro, PandaBoard, Emulator (ARM and x86), Desktop, Nexus S, Nexus S 4G, Samsung Galaxy S II, and Galaxy Nexus. This project is also completely open source and uses Gaia user interface developed by Mozilla.
What happens when an outspoken executive from the world’s largest Internet search company visits the world’s most restrictive Internet economy? We’ll soon find out! The AP reports that Google executive chairman Eric Schmidt is scheduled to travel to North Korea as early as this month on a “private trip” led by former New Mexico governor Bill Richardson. The gloriously candid Mr Schmidt has taken on more of a policy role since stepping down as CEO in 2011, focusing on the company’s external relationships.
Patch ahead Microsoft today said it will release seven security updates next week — including one rated critical for Windows 8 and Windows RT — to patch 12 vulnerabilities in Windows, Office, SharePoint Server and the company's website design software. At the same time, Microsoft warned customers that hackers are using digital certificates obtained from a Turkish certificate authority (CA). In response, Microsoft has removed the purloined certificates from Windows' list of trusted certificates, and urged users to verify that they have applied a June 2012 update that automates the de-certification process.
FRIDAY, JANUARY 4, 2013
Comment Courage and perseverance have a magical talisman, before which difficulties disappear and obstacles vanish into air.
SEXUAL VIOLENCE
THE HUMAN CONDITION Dean Williams
F
inally, a sportsman with cajones. When AC Milan’s Kevin-Prince Boateng decided, during a friendly against Pro Patria, that he had enough of the racist abuse being hurled at him by a section of Patria’s fans, he took action. No, it wasn’t violent although he did kick the ball in their direction. Boateng obviously saturated by the puerile abuse thrown at him walked off the field midway through the first half, followed by his Milan teammates. Take a moment to let the gravity of this protest sink in. The corrupt dimwits at Fifa and to a lesser extent, Uefa, have allowed racism to rear its ugly head far too many times in football. Their hopelessly erratic fines (Serbia were fined less for racially abusing England’s under-21 players, than Bendtner was for lowering the waistband of his shorts to show a sponsors logo on the elastic of his underpants) and basic mollycoddling of oligarchs and sporting tyrants has allowed racism to continue unabated. The Balkans, Russia, and Italy comprise the notorious triad of abuse, and although Italy has made concerted efforts to stamp out racism (with mixed results) Russia and Serbia have failed miserably. Russia and Serbia should be kicked out of both Fifa and the Uefa until they can get their act together. It’s time the sport’s governing body used Boateng as a role model. If a club or country’s fans err they should be banned from matches, plus the club/country should be relegated immediately. People come before sport, always. It’s high time Fifa realised that.
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SAVING INDIA FROM HERSELF
ANONYMOUS ALIEN
John Quincy Adams Former US president
The day Jerome walked
HIGH-FLYING THOUGHTS
Sangh Parivar bosses say rapes happen in India, which is corrupted by Western cultural influences, and not in Bharat comprising villages following pristine desi culture. Yo saffron boys, are you guys in a verbal diarrhoea match with khaps, mullahs and politicians.
I
n response to the rape and murder of a woman (not a daughter, or a wife, or a mother – a WOMAN) on a bus in Delhi two weeks ago, the Indian government has launched a commission to explore new laws it could enact to change the systemic abuse and rape of women in India. The commission better act fast, and it better act dramatically, because trends in India are likely to make this exploitation far worse in the coming decades.
WHAT TRENDS?
The first is the male-female ratio, which may hit 124 male births for every 100 female births in the next 10-15 years. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that tens of millions of men with no chance at female companionship will increase the odds of rape and abuse of women. The second is a declining female work force. From the year 2000 to 2010, women went from 39 per cent of the Indian work force to 30 per cent. Again, no need to consult rocket scientists on this one — women who don’t work have fewer options to avoid being with abusive
men, to leave abusive men and to get decent reproductive health care. Are there laws that could help? I think there are. They would take monumental will from the government to implement and enforce, but here are some on my wish list: n Nobody can serve in the government if they have sexual abuse or rape convictions against them. Period. Right now, convicted rapists are sitting in parliament. Hard to imagine these folks are ever going to get serious about women’s rights. Those that are facing charges (but are yet to be convicted) should face a full vote of the legal body in which they serve, and require 75 per cent support to not be suspended from office. n Put Affirmative Action programs in place, in which, over the next two decades, women positions at all levels of government, in all government sectors, slowly increase to 50 per cent. n Set-up special fast-track courts, and fund them adequately, that are specifically for cases of rape, sexual abuse, sexual harassment and sexual discrimination. n Require that all police units have ‘sex crime’ units that are staffed by females with special training in sensitivity and processing of rape and sexual
misconduct-type cases. n Put a carrot and stick law in place to reward families that see their daughters through Class X (say, a `25,000 cash payment), and that punishes those that withdraw their families from school (with, say, a `5,000 fine) n Mandate sensitivity training for all police academies in the area of sexual misconduct, abuse and rape. n Outlaw, with serious fines and jail time, the use by police officers, judges and prosecutors the use of “justifying” rape based on the victim’s dress, location, language, or anything else. The law should be clear: if a woman says no, it means no, and her behavior
up to the moment until she says no is irrelevant in determining a case of abuse or rape. n And finally, put in place minimum mandatory sentences for rape and sexual abuse. Let’s say, to start, 10 years in jail for convicted rapists, and 15 years in jail for convicted pedophiles. If you like any of these rules, you can actually suggest them to the commission that is evaluating new laws and policies to protect women, by emailing Justice Verma, the head of the commission, at justice.verma@nic.in You can reach The Anonymous Alien at AnonymousAlieninIndia@ gmail.com
EDITORIALS It’s payback time for Owaisis Fun in store for Stalin
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t’s about time the Owaisi brothers of Hyderabad are made to pay for their reckless ways. The way they capture Muslim votes has crossed all sense of decency and societal values. Akbaruddin Owaisi is not just a party man, he should remember, but a floor leader in the Assembly. Sorry, he forgot his stature and went into talks berating another community in such venomous talks. But one wonders all this hangama against a political leader would be of any avail in a country where justice is not only porous but windy and slow. When Mulayam Singhs and Laloos are roaming free what could one do of Owaisi is a question in a layman’s mind. All kinds of vituperative public talks denigrating a religion should face sudden arrest without a choice for bail for they know what they are talking about.
READERS’ VIEWS
K
aruna’s thinly-veiled remarks about his successor comes as a clear indicator of who is going to call the shots in the party. While the ‘absentee’ Union fertilisers minister Azhagiri may wield some serious organisational support, he doesn’t have the finesse to be the leader and the face of a state — a fact underlined by the thuggery of his followers when he is criticised. However, Stalin will not have a cakewalk as the strongman sibling is not known for the virtue of letting go. It was not long ago when Azhagiri’s supporters attacked the office of a daily for publishing an opinion poll which said Stalin was the preferred heir to the DMK throne — three employees were killed. The heat is rising...
We invite you to write to us comments, suggestions, viewpoint or just about anything to feedback@postnoon.com or #1246, Level 3, Jubilee Casa, Road No 62, Jubilee Hills, Hyderabad – 500 033 or even by way of a call on 4067 2222. Editor: Dean Williams
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FRIDAY, JANUARY 4, 2013
Music
LIST OF MOST-FORGED CELEBRITY SIGNATURES
Elvis Presley and The Beatles top the list of most-forged celebrity signatures in 2012, with less than half of their autographs for sale certified as genuine, memorabilia authenticators. The King and The Fab Four British rockers, who topped the list two years ago, joined notable figures such as former US president John F Kennedy and late pop star Michael Jackson on the list of most-forged celebrity signatures.
CHANGING SOCIETY FOR THE BETTER
Message in a song
MUSICIAN OF THE WEEK
Hyderabad-based musician Ashwin Palaparthi who composed Ab aur nahi, ab aur nahi as a message to Victim X talks about the song. ANUBHA K SINGH anubha.k@postnoon.com
I
n the wake of the Delhi bus rape and the consequent death of the victim, Hyderabad-based Ashwin Palaparthi, an entrepreneur turned musician composed the song Ab aur nahi, ab aur nahi. “This song is not to promote myself or gain publicity. It’s my reaction to the Delhi rape incident and as a musician I feel this is the best way to show my support to this cause. I strongly believe that if pen is a gun, music and pen
together is a missile,” he says. The song is a collective work of many people. While Ashwin has composed the music, Saba Yunus penned the lyrics, Ramya Behara sung the composition and Laxman Lal and Nagaraju developed the video for the song. “This is the only song that I have composed in the shortest period of time. It was composed, tuned, recorded in studio and uploaded on YouTube in six hours. It’s not a song related to the government or India’s reaction on the crime but it’s more like a imaginary
iTUNES Top 10 songs 1 I KNEW YOU WERE 6 BEAUTY AND A BEAT TROUBLE Justin Bieber Taylor Swift 7 DON'T STOP THE PARTY 2 LOCKED OUT OF HEAVEN Pitbull Bruno Mars 8 DIAMONDS 3 GANGNAM STYLE Rihanna 9 I CRY PSY Flo Rida
4 HO HEY 10 DON'T YOU WORRY The Lumineers CHILD 5 HOME Swedish House Mafia Phillip Phillips
song. It is a message to Victim X,” he says. They composed the song while the victim was in Singapore and were in the hope that she will return home. Ashwin says that he was in shock when the victim
The song was composed while the victim was in Singapore in the hope that she will return home.
Top 10 albums 1 RED BABY Taylor Swift Rod Stewart
2 TROUBLE MAN 7 THE WORLD FROM THE T.I. SIDE OF THE MOON 3 UNORTHODOX JUKEBOX Phillip Phillips Bruno Mars 8 BABEL 4 TAKE ME HOME Mumford & Sons One Direction 9. 12-12-12 5 CHRISTMAS Various Artists Michael Buble 10. NOW 44 6 MERRY CHRISTMAS, Various Artists
passed away. “I haven’t composed this song to request the government to take a stand. I wish that more people will listen to this song, get influenced and their mindsets will change. I believe that every human being are good on the inside. Even a rapist might repent for the crime that he committed. So I firmly believe that my song will bring about changes,” he says. The song has been a hit on the Youtube since the time it was uploaded. “So far there are nearly 6,200 views on my song and I hope in the coming days more people will view this song,” he says. Ashwin worked with a software testing industry previously before he turned to music. He was the vice president of Applabs but to make his career in music he left the organisation. “Due to hectic office work I was not able to concentrate on music which is my passion. Now I dedicate all my time to composing songs. My dream is to crack the Bollywood code and become a music director,” he says. His earlier compositions include Nuvvo Kala and Plz… Vinaddu. He is of the opinion that people in the state do not listen to anything apart from Tollywood movie songs. So, his next project will be in Hindi. He will be soon launching Hindi songs under the label of Ash Music Factory. Ashwin is also launching a web application that acts as a "Box Office of trends in social networks" for the Indian film music directors by the name Musistics.
Bollywood Top 10 1. JEE LE ZARA
Student of the Year
7. MATRU KI BIJLEE KA 2. HOOKAH BAR MANDOLA Talaash
Khiladi 786 Matru ki Bijlee ka Mandola Dabangg 2 8. THE DISCO SONG 4.BALMA Student of the Year
3.FEVICOL SE
Khiladi 786
5 DAGABAAZ RE Dabangg 2
6. ISHQ WALA LOVE
9. LONELY
Khiladi 786
10. VELE Student of the Year
The Leaf Label Jherek Bischoff plays in bands — he's a member of Parenthetical Girls and a bassist for Amanda Palmer — and produces music; he also writes film soundtracks and scores for dance pieces. On Composed, his debut album, he wears all these hats at once, creating a collection of lavishly orchestrated pop songs that throb with expressionistic drama, by turns romantic, playful and faintly sinister. Occasionally, Bischoff succumbs to syrupy, symphonic cliche; even so, its ambition and singularity are intoxicating.
DID YOU KNOW...
Julianne
Hough says that she was abused as a child. 'I was 10 years old looking like I was 28, being a very sensual dancer. I was a tormented little kid who had to put on this sexy facade because that was my job and my life,' she said. 'But my heart was the same, and I was this innocent little girl.' The 24-year-old star moved to England at age 10 to study ballroom dance before making it big in America.
TRENDING...
With 2012 over, Rita Ora is ready to start her next chapter here in the states. 2013 will mark the year that Ora will finally drop her U.S. debut album. And she kind of can't wait, especially since she's enlisted one, or perhaps a few, of her Roc Nation pals to join her for all the party.
Taylor Swift had the perfect date to ring in 2013 with when she was in Times Square on Monday night. Swift spent New Year's Eve with her pal and rumoured beau, One Direction singer Harry Styles. And, they weren't shy about their feelings for each other.
FRIDAY, JANUARY 4, 2013
spotlight
A NIGHT OF FUN
DJ Huzef will be spinning soothing music at Enigmaa - The Lougue. So, gang up with your buddies and head to the pub.
S.BALAKRISHNA
COLOUR IT UP 1
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FASHIONISTAS ALL Ladies were seen sifting through the collection of sarees, lehengas and salwars launched by 'Nargis' at Good Earth, Banjara Hills on Thursday. The display is on till January 5. 4
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1 Anwar and Indrani 2 3
4 5 8
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Ali Khan Dilip Rane, Iqbal Patni Renuka Chowdary, Naghat, Kavitha Reddy Nargis Abedi Amulya, Sudha
6 Jaya, Swati,
Raunakyar Khan 7 Dr Nazia with a
friend 8 Sherry Zaveri 9 Deepa 10 Manjula Narsa 11 Majida, 12 Nida Abedi 10
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ON A SHOPPING SPREE
Trends Fashion & Lifestyle Exhibition was launched with much fanfare. The exhibition is scheduled to be held at Sri Raja Rajeswari Gardens, Secunderabad from January 8 to 10.
ART OF THE MATTER
Singer Baba Sehgal was the chief guest at inauguration of the works of artist Sudhakanth Vadla at Rainbow Art Gallery on Thursday.
FRIDAY, JANUARY 4, 2013
health
SC PAVES WAY FOR SMALLER ADS AT TOBACCO SHOPS The Supreme Court Thursday suspended the Bombay High Court's seven-year-old interim orders and paved the way for restricting the scale of advertisement of tobacco products at retail outlets. The apex court bench of Justice GS Singhvi and Justice Gyan Sudha Misra suspended the operation of the HC order on a petition by NGO Health for Million.
STROKE
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Reading signs of stroke Dystextia is the new term that has been coined to refer to the garbled and illegible text message people send hours before a possible stroke or neurological disorder. DEEPASHRI V
deepashri.v@postnoon.com
T
he case of a Boston based man, who received this text message from his pregnant wife — “Every where thinging days nighing” and “Some is where!”— has been extensively covered in the international media. The man, suspecting something’s wrong with his wife, who was expecting their baby, rushed her to the hospital. Doctors said she was hav-
ing a stroke. She fully recovered from it only because she was taken there on time. Dysphasia is a medical term referring to lapse of communication. So we can consider dystextia an offset of that, given that most people communicate digitally these days. “It depends on which part of the brain is affected,” said Dr Alok Ranjan, senior consultant neurosurgeon at Apollo Hospital. There are different parts of the brain that deal with communication, understanding, reading, etcetera. For most people, communication
is a function of the left side of the brain. “Any disease that affects the temporal (deals with comprehension) or frontal (deals with expression) parts of the brain can cause this. The most common is stroke,” said Dr Sudhir Kumar, senior consultant neurologist at Apollo hospital. He said when we ask something and the answer is not appropriate or the written word doesn’t make any sense, these could be signs. “There are three types. Neologism is coining or using terms that do not exist in the dictionary. Second is total lack of gram-
Fact file n
n
n
Any disease that affects that part of the brain dealing with communication and understanding can lead to illegible message and words. The symptoms of stroke develop within hours and need to be detected immediately. If a patient is taken to the doctor on time, the effects of stroke can be reversed.
mar in those who know how to write properly. (Third is) rhyming words problem; they may say ‘gleen’ for ‘green’.”
IMPORTANT SUSPECT
blood clots in the brain, has to be done within the first four and a half hours from the onset of symptom for it to succeed. “The whole thing can be reversed if the patient is taken to the hospital on time. It is very important to suspect (a stroke). You may be wrong, but at least you have given the patient a chance,” Dr Ranjan said. Doctors say while this is partly a disease, it is also partly caused by our lifestyle. “Hypertension and diabetes are the main culprits, apart from abnormal cholesterol and lipids,” Dr Ranjan said.
A stroke can either be caused due to bleeding in the brain or due to the lack of blood supply in the brain. The latter is called thrombic stroke. Dr Ranjan said the lapse in communication, which could be a sign of stroke, is not something that develops over weeks or months. It develops within hours. And the patient has to be rushed to the hospital immediately, where the “golden six hours” of treatment will be given and many of the “lost functions can come back.” Dr Kumar said thrombolysis, a treatment for
ANEWS PP-LYBRIEFS YOURSELF
HOUSECALL
Nike Training Club
Marburg fever
Nike has recently updated its star training app that offers targeted, custombuilt workouts in easy-tofollow step-by-step images. It contains more than 60 workouts which you can watch or listen to for guidance. Plus this version contains five new workout routines from professionals including Rhianna’s personal trainer.
Marburg virus is a hemorrhagic fever virus first noticed and described during small epidemics in the German cities Marburg and Frankfurt in the 1960s. Workers were accidentally exposed to tissues of infected grivets at the city's former main industrial plant, the Behringwerke. Marburg virus (MARV) causes severe disease in humans and nonhuman primates in the form of viral hemorrhagic fever.
DID YOU KNOW? Flying doesn’t make your feet swell Airplanes have nothing to do with your feet swelling on long journeys. What causes the swelling is the fact that you don’t move around. If you were to sit in one place in your lounge for a similar length of time, your feet would also swell up.
PIONEERS Scott White Scott White is credited with developing self-healing materials. Self-healing materials are a class of smart materials that have the structurally incorporated ability to repair damage caused by mechanical usage over time. The inspiration comes from biological systems, which have the ability to heal after being wounded. Initiation of cracks has been shown to change thermal, electrical, and acoustical properties.
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health FRIDAY, JANUARY 4, 2013
STUDY
PREGNANCY
Antidepressants don't increase pregnancy risks But the slightly higher rates were attributed to the severity of the underlying psychiatric disease — usually depression — rather than its treatment. WASHINGTON: The use of antidepressants during pregnancy is not linked to a higher overall risk of stillbirth and death in newborns, a study said Tuesday, confounding a long-held opposing view of such drugs. The Swedish study of more than 1.6 million births in five Nordic countries included nearly 30,000 women who had filled in a prescription for an SSRI (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor) during pregnancy. The researchers found that
neonatal deaths. The study "suggests that SSRI use during pregnancy was not associated with increased risks of stillbirth, neonatal death, or postneonatal death," said authors of the research led by Olof Stephansson of the Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm. "However, decisions regarding use of SSRIs during pregnancy must take into account other perinatal outcomes and the risks associated with maternal mental illness," they said.
But a US-based expert expressed concern at the findings, to be published in Wednesday's edition of The Journal of the American Medical Association. "This study looked at information on dispensed drugs, not ingested drugs, and these numbers are often quite different," Adam Urato, assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Tufts University School of Medicine, told WebMD medical news. "I don't find the study
results particularly reassuring," he said. The women included in the study were from Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden. The data covered different periods from 1996 through 2007. Researchers obtained information on the use of antidepressants from prescription registries, while patient and medical birth registries provided the data for maternal characteristics, pregnancy and neonatal outcomes. AFP
The study "suggests that SSRI use during pregnancy was not associated with risks of stillbirth, neonatal death, or postneonatal death. the 1.79 per cent of mothers exposed to an SSRI had higher rates of stillbirth (4.62 versus 3.69 per 1,000) and postneonatal death (1.38 versus 0.96 per 1,000) than those who did not. But the slightly higher rates were attributed to the severity of the underlying psychiatric disease — usually depression — rather than its treatment. Cigarette smoking and the mother's advanced age were also linked to higher deaths. Mothers exposed to an SSRI and those who were not had a similar rate of neonatal death (2.54 versus 2.21 per 1,000). Among the total surveyed group there were 1,633,877 single births, 6,054 stillbirths, 3,609 neonatal deaths and 1,578 post-
Babies start learning language in the womb LONDON: Babies begin learning language in the womb from the mother, say scientists who found that infants can discriminate between vowel sounds even before they are born. Previously, it was believed that newborns begin to discriminate between language sounds within their first months of life. In a new study, scientists discovered that babies have the capacity to learn and remember elementary sounds of their language from their mother during the last 10 weeks of pregnancy, the Daily Mail reported. Babies only hours old are able to differentiate between sounds from their native language and a foreign language, scientists found. The study indicates that babies begin absorbing language while still in the womb, earlier than previously thought. "We have known for over 30 years that we begin learning prenatally about voices by listening to the sound of our mother talking," said Christine Moon, a professor of psychology at Pacific Lutheran University. Forty girls and boys, about 30-hours-old, were studied in Tacoma and Stockholm, Sweden. The babies heard either Swedish or English vowels and they could control how many times they heard the vowels by sucking on a dummy connected to a computer. “We thought infants were 'born learning' but now we know they learn even earlier. They are not phonetically naive at birth,” Patricia Kuhl, co-author and codirector of the Institute for Learning & Brain Sciences at the University of Washington, added. "We want to know what magic they put to work in early childhood that adults cannot. We can't waste that early curiosity," Kuhl said. PTI
RESEARCH
How itching is different than pain
WASHINGTON: Researchers have uncovered a specific set of nerve cells that signal itch but not pain, a finding that may settle a decades-long debate about how the two sensations are different. The study, if confirmed in humans, will help in developing treatments for chronic itch,
including itch caused by lifesaving medications. At the heart of the discovery is a type of sensory nerve cell whose endings receive information from the skin and relay it to other nerves in the spinal cord, which then coordinates a response to the stimulus. Published in Nature
Neuroscience, the study suggests that even when the itchspecific nerve cells receive stimuli that are normally paininducing, the message they send isn't "That hurts!" but rather "That itches!" Pain and itch are both important sensations that help organisms survive. And pain
is arguably more important because it tells us to withdraw the pained body part in order to prevent tissue damage. The scientific controversy over pain and itch centers around a group of nerve cells known to respond electrically to painful stimuli such as molecules of capsaicin. PTI
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FRIDAY, JANUARY 4, 2013
Entertainment MORE FOR THE YEAR
CINE BYTES
NTR’s
next film goes on floors
T
he principal shooting of NTR’s next film in Harish Shankar’s direction began today in Hyderabad. Dil Raju is producing the film. Samantha is playing the lead role in this romantic and action entertainer and this is her second film with NTR. The two had previously worked together in Brindavanam which was a big hit at the box office in 2010. According to reliable sources, NTR will be seen as a college student in this untitled film and Harish Shankar has revealed that it’s going to be a complete entertainer. 2012 was an exceptional year for Harish Shankar, thanks to the tremendous success of Gabbar Singh and he was named among the top three directors of the year in almost every poll. Since it’s the first time he’s teaming up with NTR, the director is going full throttle to prove his mettle once again. Vidyu Raman, who was recently seen in Yeto Vellipoyindhi Manasu, is going to play an important role in this film. Samantha is expected to join the film’s set shortly as she’s currently in Malaysia to shoot for a song for Jabardasth. Chota K Naidu is the cinematographer and SS Thaman is scoring the music.
ANR National Award for 2012 goes to...
V
eteran filmmaker Shyam Benegal will be conferred with ANR National Award for the year 2012. ANR and T Subbarami Reddy made this announcement a couple of days ago and we hear that Shyam Benegal will be given the award in a grand ceremony which will be held on January 27. Hema Malini received the award last year.
I want to play a warrior princess: Amala Paul
M
y dream role is to play a warrior princess in a heroine centric film,” Amala Paul revealed when asked what she is looking forward to in 2013. She’s currently juggling between the sets of Jenda Pai Kapiraju, Iddharammayilatho in Telugu and an untitled AL Vijay’s Tamil film in which she’s paired opposite Vijay.
Vishwaroopam gets U/A
K
amal Haasan’s upcoming film Vishwaroopam has been censored and it has got a U/A certificate. The censor board has recommended few cuts owing to the sensitive content in the film and they have asked Kamal Haasan to tone down the violence in some of the scenes. Tha actor has written and directed the film and it also stars Pooja Kumar, Andrea Jeremiah and Rahul Bose in lead roles.
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Entertainment FRIDAY, JANUARY 4, 2013
HARD AT WORK
CINE BYTES
Alia Bhatt TRYING TO GET INTO CHARACTER
A
ctress Alia Bhatt, who plays a Tamilian girl in 2 States, is not just trying to pick the accent but is also learning the typical household culture of a Tamil home. She is going out of her way to fit the bill as a Tamil Iyengar girl for the movie, based on Chetan Bagat’s novel 2 States: The Story of My Marriage. The story is about a Punjabi boy who falls in love with a Tamil girl, and the ensuing cultural clashes between them and their families. A source close to Alia, the daughter of filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt, reveals, “She is learning the Tamil culture and tradition. She has also hired a special Tamilian teacher who will help her to adapt the south Indian culture.” Alia, who made her debut with Karan Johar’s Student Of The Year in 2012, was also spotted in many south Indian localities to get a grip on her character. In 2 States, she will feature opposite Ishaqzaade actor Arjun Kapoor. They even got together for a photoshoot recently, where Alia wore some typical south Indian saris — a contrast to her modern avatar in Student Of The Year. 2 States is directed Abhishek Verman and co-produced by Karan Johar and Sajid Nadiadwala.
Patekar slams lifetime achievement awards
B
ollywood actor Nana Patekar slammed the concept of ‘Lifetime Achievement Awards’, saying that people making beneficial contributions to the society merit such honours and that he would never accept one. “Anybody and everybody gets up and forms any organisation and institutes a Lifetime Achievement Award and they also accept it,” he said without naming anyone. PTI
Ram Kapoor to host a reality show
P
opular TV actor Ram Kapoor is looking forward to an exciting experience as the host of new reality show Welcome: Baazi Mehmaan Naawazi Ki, the Indian version of British reality show Come Dine With Me. “I am extremely excited to host ‘Welcome...’. It is a never seen before kind of a reality show and I am glad to be a part of it. I hope the audience enjoys this experience,” Ram said. IANS
Akshay begins New Year with Thupakki remake
A
fter a successful 2012, actor Akshay Kumar enters 2013 by shooting for the Hindi remake of Tamil action thriller Thuppakki. "Started shooting my first film in the New Year, the Hindi remake of 'Thuppakki'! Would love to get your good wishes today," Akshay tweeted on Thursday. For the Hindi remake, Akshay once again teams up with Sonakshi Sinha with whom he worked in Joker.
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Entertainment FRIDAY, JANUARY 4, 2013
FRANK TALKER
KE$HA OPENS UP ON SEXUALITY AND BULLYING M
aybe we’re just easily surprised. Maybe we’re just nostalgic for the days of Sassy. Whatever it is, we were more than delighted to read Ke$ha talk openly with Seventeen about being attracted to both men and women, and to see the magazine print her comments like they’re no big deal. “I don’t love just men. I love people,” the musician revealed. “It’s not about a gender. It’s just about the spirit that exudes from that other person you’re with.” Ke$ha also has some delightful things to say against bullying (“I’m all about standing up to gay/lesbian/transgender bullying, but it’s also about my little brother. He’s 13 and he gets made fun of because he has a stutter. I just have zero tolerance for people making fun of others.) and sweet, sweet vengeance. “Even after I got through my awkward phase, got my braces off, and figured out how to dress my body, people in the music business were like, ‘You’re never going to make it,’” Ke$ha admits, “I see them now and I’m like, ‘Ha!’ That’s one of the reasons I named my record Warrior. You can be a victim and let that eat your soul, or you can say, ‘You’re going on my list and I’m going to prove you wrong!’”
I don’t love just men. I love people. It’s not about a gender. It’s just about the spirit that exudes from that other person you’re with. Ke$ha Singer
CINE BYTES Shakira turning to The Voice
C
ristina Aguilera and Cee Lo Green have parted ways (for now) with The Voice, and filling those chairs when the show returns for Season 4 in March are Usher and a very pregnant Shakira. "Hasn't been easy, but I have a lot of energy. I can go long hours," Shakira told Access Hollywood on the sets of the show at the end of 2012.
Joseph Gordon for The Guardians?
T
he derby to land the lead role of Peter Quill in Guardians Of The Galaxy has gotten even more interesting. Marvel Studios has added Joseph Gordon-Levitt to the list of actors they are considering for its next major franchise launch. Deadline reported that Marvel had made test deals with Joel Edgerton, Jack Huston, Jim Sturgess, Lee Pace and Eddie Redmayne from Les Miserables.
Skyfall cracks Producers Guild Awards list
T
he Producers Guild of America has announced its nominations for best productions of the year, in what maybe an indicator for how the Academy Awards may go. The guild selected 10 films. The one surprise: Skyfall. No 007 film has ever cracked the Best Picture list, but this nomination could change on January 10.
Entertainment FRIDAY, JANUARY 4, 2013
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Entertainment FRIDAY, JANUARY 4, 2013
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FRIDAY, JANUARY 4, 2013
Chai Time
Play & Win
Please send in your filled-in entries to Postnoon, #1246, Level 3, Jubilee Casa, Road No 62, Jubilee Hills, Hyderabad – 500033. The winners will be announced on this page in Sunday’s edition.
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 refer-
QUICK CROSSWORD enced 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.
Play & Win
voucher from VENKEY’S VEG Restaurant, Nampally
ACROSS
SCRIBBLING PAD
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SUDOKU
PREVIOUS PUZZLE ANSWER
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Play & Win voucher from VENKEY’S VEG Restaurant, Nampally
1 Shade of blond 4 Soda-fountain orders 9 Concert venue 14 ‘Ah, I see!’ 15 More or less 16 Birdcage bar 17 Howard of ‘Happy Days’ 18 Some deep-sea explorers 20 Allowable weights 22 Bay ___ (San Francisco's locale) 23 At all 26 Jack of rhyme and his wife 30 Related to cows 32 Feverish malady 34 One of the Gabors 36 Signed off 38 Trucker's vehicle 39 They're on top of things 41 Injures with a horn 43 Black, in old poems 44 Opera house box 45 Sheer fabric 47 Set the price at 48 Enters the Land of Nod 51 Took place as a result 53 Biceps band 55 Sang in the Alps 58 ‘Layla’ singer Clapton
60 Baghdadi, eg 61 Performers of folk songs 67 Mother Teresa, notably 68 Further from recovery 69 Success and acclaim 70 Search for buried treasure 71 French clerics 72 They're sometimes written in Roman numerals 73 Watch covertly DOWN 1 Vital supply line 2 Cut off, as wool 3 He don't care, according to one Internet meme 4 Gigantic 5 Start of a kindergarten song 6 Slugger Gehrig 7 Marching band staple 8 Milky Way ingredients? 9 Place that's really buzzing? 10 ___ up (accelerate) 11 Palindromic ‘before’ 12 Business machine co 13 Sighed sounds 19 Labor or Justice, eg (Abbr)
21 Duet number? 24 Perform a ditty 25 ___ a high note (finish well) 27 Anagram for ‘peas’ 28 South Dakota attraction 29 Sports heavyweights 31 Like a graveyard at midnight 33 Succumb to quicksand 34 Right-angle shapes 35 Orchestra instrument 37 Doherty of The Mamas & The Papas 40 Give the impression of being 42 Like average grades 46 Buff buffs 49 Annapolis newbies 50 Doris Day lyric repeated after ‘Que’ 52 Bard's ‘always’ 54 ___ over (curbed hunger pangs) 56 Fit with gear 57 Faded or dirty 59 ___-Cola 61 Defunct airline 62 Knock off, as a bank 63 Scepter's partner 64 Function 65 Final (Abbr) 66 ‘Norma ___’ (Sally Field film)
Chai Time FRIDAY, JANUARY 4, 2013 Thiruvaikumar
STAR POWER for 5-1-2013
27
As per Hindu panchang thiruvaikumar@yahoo. co. in, 040-27177230 / 9177596118
ARIES
TAURUS
GEMINI
CANCER
LEO
VIRGO
LIBRA
SCORPIO
SAGITTARIUS
CAPRICORN
AQUARIUS
PISCES
Adopt the slow-and-steady policy. Businessmen to avoid major investments for the time being. Those handling cash at office, need to be doubly sure about their activities Get vehicles repaired in time to avoid doubled expenses.
STRIP TEASE AGNES
Spouse's health needs attention. Businessmen advised not to make enemies by own actions. Keep secrets unshared, which can ensure your growth. Govt officials advised not to be too aggressive. Good news to arrive from distant relatives.
Your harsh words that hurt relatives and friends need to be avoided. At workplace too, you have to be flexible rather than being controversial. Avoid neglecting advises of wellwishers. Health of parents needs attention; please take care.
Some are likely to go abroad, which might be their maiden trip. Your family will be happy as separated relatives rejoin; close relatives will come visiting. Importance of govt officials to increase. Avoid out-of-way activities to keep away trouble.
Newlyweds can expect an offspring soon. Marriage talk in progress will end favourably for some. Avoid a third person’s interference in home affairs. Breaks in the business deals will be blown over and deals will take place successfully.
Businessmen need to work hard to prosper. Pay due respect to advise of elders, which will yield good results. As financial situation looks sound, try to perform happy functions at home which will cheer all. Govt officials should maintain secrecy.
Businessmen will see a favourable trend and profits are set to increase. Couples will be cordial. Avoid misunderstanding blood relatives. Increase savings by avoiding extravagance and wasteful expenditure. Avoid toxic products.
Broken friendship and strained relationship will resume. Happy events to take place without hurdles. Your willpower, courage and assertiveness will bring success to you in all undertaken work. Govt officials will get elevation and more responsibilities.
Children will get expected career opening and opportunities in higher studies. New efforts will yield favourable results. While using credit card be careful, chances of getting cheated. Export-import deals will bring good profits.
TAROT READ
Sumaa Tekur
tarotreadhyd@gmail. com
ARIES:
GEMINI:
Three of Cups – Celebration time! What you’ve worked towards is paying off handsomely. Performance reviews show great results and you’re on for a promotion.
LEO:
Four of Swords – There is stability in the familiar and in the daily routine. You are enjoying this time, and do not want to make any changes to your situation.
LIBRA:
PEARLS BEFORE SWINE
The Fool – You’re in the mood to do the new today. Jump in! Try out a new restaurant with different cuisine or a new dressing style you wanted to experiment with.
SAGITTARIUS:
Five of Wands – Avoid conflict and confrontation at all costs – even if you feel the need to explain yourself. Move away from any situations that cause friction.
TAURUS:
Seven of Pentacles – Upgrade your skills and try something new. You need to open up new avenues on the work front or you are likely to get stuck in a rut.
CANCER:
Page of Swords – You have a big task ahead of you. There will be several obstacles and you need to figure out a way to overcome those.
VIRGO:
The Chariot – Travel is on the cards. You will meet new and interesting people while travelling. The change of place will inspire you to creative ideas.
SCORPIO:
Six of Pentacles – Take advice from a senior or someone with experience at the work place. You need to direct your energy in the right way.
CAPRICORN:
Knight of Swords – You’re charging ahead with new ideas, and this is coming from the intellect, and from your emotions. Good day to try some painting.
PREVIOUS SOLUTIONS
PISCES:
Ten of Pentacles – Your focus is on stabilising your finances. The other areas of your life support this intent. This is a good time to invest in real estate.
NUMBER GAME
cles – You like to be left alone with your hobbies and interests. You’re not interested in socialising yet. Make sure to explain this to friends.
SCRABBLE
AQUARIUS: Nine of Penta-
POOCH CAFE
Children will receive expected favourable news. Avoid rift between relatives to maintain peace at home. Likely chance to buy vehicle or plot for some. Some will go abroad for higher studies. Govt officials have a bright chance for elevation.
for 5-1-2013
Four of Cups – Job offers will come your way. You have a choice but need to think things through carefully before you make a commitment.
NON SEQUITUR
Businessmen will do well. Foreign deals will fetch multiple gains. The whole family will be very happy. Govt officials to avoid shortcut activities as this is the right time to climb the fame ladder. Avoid night journey; be careful while on trips.
SUDUKO
Decisions taken by consulting family members will yield favourable results. Children will bring you good news and their growth will keep you happy. Sluggish situation in business will change and pick up. Govt officials will achieve success.
Boggle SOLE SMELT SHARK SALMON SNAPPER Vol: 2, No 169 RNI No: APENG/2011/39337 Published for the proprietors, Scribble Media and Entertainment Pvt Ltd, by V Harshavardhan Reddy, at #1246, Level 3, Jubilee Casa, Road No 62, Jubilee Hills, Hyderabad – 500033 and printed by him at Jagati Publications Ltd, Plot No D-75&E-52, APIE Industrial Estate, Balanagar, Ranga Reddy Dist, Hyderabad – 500037, Editor: Dean Williams – Responsible for selection of news under the PRB Act All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission of the publisher is prohibited. For feedback, please write to: feedback@postnoon. com and for subscription, please call 040-4067 2222, Fax: 040-4067 2211
28
Entertainment FRIDAY, JANUARY 4, 2013 CINE BYTES Pink sued by former producers
P
ink's learning the truth about the music biz. The pop rocker is on the receiving end of a lawsuit filed by two former producers who allege she failed to pay them royalties from her debut album, Can't Take Me Home. The complaint accused the 33-year-old Pink of reneging on a promise to pony up 50 per cent producer royalty payments to Specialists Entertainment and Thunderstone Productions.
K
rysten Ritter, whose name has been bandied about as a possibility to play the Anastasia Steele in Fifty Shades ..., has only added fuel to the fire by retweeting a fan's tweet that stemmed from a Cinemablend report that the 31-year-old actress was gunning for the role. "Thanks! i would be down.”
A DIFFERENT TAKE
JENNIFER LAWRENCE: Acting is stupid J ennifer Lawrence may be an Oscar nominee and the lead in the wildly popular Hunger Games film franchise, but she doesn't take her job too seriously. "Not to sound rude, but [acting] is stupid," the actress told Vanity Fair magazine's February issue. "Everybody's like, 'How can you remain with a level head?' And I'm like, 'Why would I ever get cocky?' I'm not saving anybody's life. There are doctors who save lives and firemen who run into burning buildings.
Brand fires back in crash case
Krysten Ritter stars in latest casting rumour
I'm making movies. It's stupid." Despite being on the A-list, this 22-year-old actress is just like us when it comes to meeting her idols. She confessed to VF, "Once I'm obsessed with somebody, I'm terrified of them instantly. I'm not scared of them— I'm scared of me and how I will react. Like, for instance, one time someone was introducing me to Bill Maher, and I saw Meryl Streep walk into the room, and I just stared at Meryl Streep. I just creepily stared at her."
R
ussell Brand has fired back at a negligence lawsuit filed against him by a man who claims Brand hit him with his car. Brand contends that any run-in was the result of the plaintiff's own negligence—and if he got hurt, it was the "direct, proximate and sole result" of his own "physical bodily condition and constitutional composition."
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29
FRIDAY, JANUARY 4, 2013
LOYALTY DILEMMA
McIlroy may skip ‘16 Olympics
LONDON: World number one Rory McIlroy (right) admitted on Thursday that he may sit out the 2016 Olympics to avoid a storm over the sensitivities of playing for either Britain or Ireland. The 23-year-old McIlroy, who is from Holywood in Northern Ireland, would be eligible for selection by either Great Britain or Ireland at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro when golf makes its Games debut.
But he told the BBC that he may skip the tournament as he does not want to offend either country. “I just think being from where we’re from, we’re placed in a very difficult position,” said McIlroy, the reigning USPGA champion. “I feel Northern Irish and obviously being from Northern Ireland you have a connection to Ireland and a connection to the UK.
“If I could and there was a Northern Irish team I’d play for Northern Ireland. “Play for one side or the other — or not play at all because I may upset too many people. Those are my three options I’m considering very carefully.” McIlroy’s tennis star girlfriend, Caroline Wozniacki, appears in the documentary, “Rory: Being Number One”, and says that McIlroy’s success
NBA
has not gone to his head. “People watch him play and win all these tournaments, but he hasn’t changed a bit,” said Wozniacki. She added: “It’s good that we both have our own separate careers. “We know how the other is feeling and the drive to always want to improve at sport, but at the same time one of us isn’t sitting at home waiting for the other.”
TRAGIC END
Knicks halt Spurs NEW YORK: The New York Knicks snapped San Antonio’s seven game winning streak on Thursday with a 100-83 victory behind a big fourth quarter and 23 points from C Anthony. JR Smith (left) scored 15 of his 20 points in the second half and the Knicks outscored San Antonio 44-31 during the last 17 minutes at Madison Square Garden. Steve Novak nailed five of seven shots from threepoint range while Tyson Chandler finished with 10 points and 14 rebounds as the Knicks avoided their first threegame losing streak of the season. Gary Neal paced San Antonio with 12 points, with
Tony Parker and Tim Duncan each finished with 11 points for the Spurs, who had their sevengame win streak halted. The Spurs lost forward Stephen Jackson after he injured his right ankle, stumbling into a waitress who was kneeling at courtside taking orders from fans late in the first quarter. Jackson had to leave the game immediately and did not return. Clinging to a 56-52 edge with five minutes left in the third quarter, the Knicks stepped it up at the end of the period before dominating the fourth. The Knicks shot 44 per cent from three point range for the night and made four-of-seven from beyond the arc en route to a 22-19 lead after the first quarter.
Mountain biker killed in accident JOHANNESBURG: Champion mountain biker Burry Stander died on Thursday after being run over by a minibus in a road accident, representatives said on Thursday. In a statement on his Facebook page sponsors said Stander had been hit while training on the KwaZulu-Natal coast. “We are truly saddened to have to confirm that Burry Stander has passed away,” the statement read. Twenty-five-year-old Stander was UCI Mountain Bike World Cup under-23 men’s cross-country 2009 world champion and had finished fifth at the
London Olympics. Bicycling SA described him as a “true mountain biking legend.” AFP
HYDERABAD TRACK WORK
Hard Kingdom shows fine form Hard Kingdom, Aegis, Castle Town, Lovely Angel, Twinklingofaneye and Don Valentino pleased when horses were exercised this morning (Friday) at Malakpet in the City. Sand track 800 metres Grigori (N Rawal) 59, 600/44 Easy. Galiant (Imran Khan) 59, 600/44 Moved on the bit. Perfect (rb) 59, 600/44 Un-extended. Montego Bay (Sai Kumar) Foudre Rouge (rb) 57.5, 600/42.5 They finished together. Lovely Angel (rb) Dream Deal (rb) 57, 600/43 They moved together. Hard Kingdom (K Alam) 54, 600/40.5 Pleased. Twinklingofaneye (Chary) 57, 600/44 Moved well. Ice Lolly (Kuldeep Singh) 58, 600/44 Unextended. Commanche Gold (Sai Kumar) Fortunate (N Rawal) 59, 600/42.5 They finished together. Chetak (app) Sabareen Princess (M Mark) 1-2, 600/46 They moved
together. Skylight Express (Chary) So Super (Imran Khan) 56, 600/40 Former easily finshed 4 lengths in front. Exclusive (Kuldeep Singh) Sea runner (rb) 55.5, 600/41.5 Former finished in front. Amber Flame (K.Alam) 57, 600/43 Moved well. Days of Thunder (N Rawal) 58, 600/42 Moved on the bit. Don Valentino (Imran Khan) 54.5, 600/41 Pleased. Ponte Verdi (rb) Riverdale (Kuldeep Singh) 1-2, 600/45 They finished together. Deccan Queen (N Rawal) Smart Striker (Sai Kumar) 57, 600/43 Former finished 2 lengths in front. So Be It (app) 55.5, 600/42.5 Has come to hand. Our Mascot (Imran Khan) 57, 600/43.5 Easy. Elegant Approach (Sai
Kumar) 1-1, 600/46 Moved freely. Strides Of Glory (N Rawal ) 58, 600/43 Moved freely. Hidden Power (rb) 57, 600/42 Speedy. True Friend (M Mark) 59, 600/43 Urged. Sand track 1000 metres Aegis (Joshi) 1-11, 800/55, 600/40 Pleased. Castle Town (Joshi) 1-10, 800/54, 600/41 Impressed. Asta La Vista Babe (app) 1-17, 800/1-0, 600/44 Easy. Bound For Glory (Joshi) 1-16, 800/1-0, 600/43 Easy. Enrapture (Kiran Naidu) 1-12.5, 800/57, 600/43 Moved well. Dark Avanger (Imran Khan) 1-14, 800/57, 600/43 Un-extended. Manipulator (Anil) Over Look (Deep Shanker) 1-16, 800/1-0,
600/44 They moved together. Desert Bloom (Tograllu) 1-11.5, 800/56, 600/42 Moved well. Sand track 1200 metres Thirteen Black (Kiran Naidu) 1-35, 1000/1-19, 800/1-[3, 600/48 Easy. Monsoon outer race grass 800 metres Splendid Knock (rb) Lips Locking (Nitin Singh) 55.5, 600/40.5 Former finished in front. Monsoon outer race grass 1000 metres Homely Helo (Harinder Singh) Skander (Deep Shanker) Ranjha (rb) 1-13, 800/58, 600/44 They moved freely. Khalis Gold (M Mark) Mr Khoashteep (app) 1-8.5, 800/53, 600/40 They finished
together. Flower Drum (app) Macintoch (M.Mark) 1-15, 800/57.5, 600/41.5 They finished together. Gate practice 1000 metres: Monsoon (outer race grass) Dazzling Prince (M Mark) Sanjaa (app) Great Guns (J Vikas) 1-4, 800/50, 600/37 They jumped out well. Dartos The Muscle (rb) Energetic Lass (Nitin Singh) Maharadhi (M Mark) Marquise (Ravinder Singh) Sun Strikes (Kuldeep Singh) 1-3, 800/49, 600/38 They jumped out well and finished in the above order. Ciel Blu (Kiran Naidu) Kohinoor King (Ajit Kumar) Sheikhs Emperor (app) 1-5, 800/51, 600/38 They jumped out well.
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FRIDAY, JANUARY 4, 2013
HOPMAN CUP
BRISBANE INTERNATIONAL
Spain reach title round
Murray sees off local hero Millman
A tournament-ending knee injury to American John Isner on Thursday handed Spain a berth in this weekend's final of the Hopman Cup.
SCOTT COGHLAN Agence France-Presse
unlucky for everybody, but we are in the final and hopefully it is going to be a good day for us." Spain will face Serbian top seeds Novak Djokovic and Ana Ivanovic or Australian surprise packets Bernard Tomic and Ashleigh Barty in the final, with the former expected to earn their place in the play-off by beating winless Germany on Friday. The host nation stayed in contention for the final by beating Italy in Thursday's evening tie. Isner looked troubled by his right knee in both his singles matches for the United States this week, losing in straight sets to South Africa's Kevin Anderson and France's Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. Speaking after his withdrawal, he said he expected to be fit for the Australian Open, starting on Monday week in Melbourne, despite being unsure of the exact nature of the injury. "I've always been a fast healer when I have had real injuries pop up here and there so I'm confident I'm going to be fine for the Australian Open," he said.
PERTH, AUSTRALIA: A tournament-ending knee injury to American John Isner (right) on Thursday handed Spain a berth in this weekend's final of the Hopman Cup. The US pairing of Isner and Venus Williams were set to face Spain's Fernando Verdasco and Anabel Medina Garrigues on Thursday, with the winner to progress to Saturday's final. However, Isner withdrew from the tournament on Thursday morning citing a right knee problem, handing Spain a 3-0 victory and passage into the final for the sixth time. Spain have won the mixed teams title three times, most recently in 2010, when Tommy Robredo and Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez lifted the title against Great Britain's Laura Robson and Andy Murray. "We are happy, of course, to be in the final," Verdasco said. "It was going to be a difficult tie today, but when John didn't play, it is
BRISBANE, AUSTRALIA: US Open champion Andy Murray won a surprisingly tough secondround clash against Australian qualifier John Millman to move into the quarter-finals of the Brisbane International on Thursday. Murray appeared headed for a straightforward win when he raced through the first set in just 30 minutes, only for an inspired Millman to fight back and deservedly claim the second. But the world number three regrouped and took control at 2-2 in the decider to ease away and win 6-1, 5-7, 6-3 in just over two hours. Millman, 23, is a Brisbane local who spent most of 2012 on the Challenger and Futures circuits, entering the Brisbane International ranked 199 in the world. His match against Murray was only his fifth on the main ATP tour. However, he never looked overawed against the world number three and played some spectacular tennis to give Murray a huge scare. AFP
RADWANSKA, WICKMAYER IN AUCKLAND FINAL
CHINA'S LI THROUGH TO SHENZHEN SEMIS
BOPANNA BACKS PLAYERS IN ROW
AUCKLAND: Agnieszka Radwanska and Yanina Wickmayer used contrasting styles to overcome blustery conditions and battle their way into the final of the ASB Classic women's tournament on Friday. Radwanska, the top seed, relied on precision placement to survive two tie breaks before beating Jamie Hampton 7-6 (7/4), 7-6 (7/3), while third seed Wickmayer utilised power play to down Mona Barthel 6-4, 1-6, 76 (7/3). Polish Radwanska had a scare in the the first set, dropping her serve in the 11th game, but stayed alive when Hampton double-faulted on set point. From that let-off she took the tie break and raced to a 4-0 lead in the second set before the unseeded Hampton threw caution to the wind in a desperate attempt to stay in the match. The American stormed back to level at 4-4. But in the tie-break showdown it was the poise of Radwanska that spoke.
BEIJING: China’s Li Na set up an all-Chinese semifinal in the Shenzhen Open on Thursday with a straight-sets victory over Serbian Bojana Jovanovski, while French player Marion Bartoli crashed out. Li, the 2011 French Open singles winner and ranked seventh in the world, defeated Jovanovski 6-3, 6-3 in a match lasting just over one hour and 25 minutes. Her Chinese counterpart Peng Shuai beat German Annika Beck 2-6, 7-5, 6-2, setting up the semi-final match against Li. Thursday's surprise was the defeat of world-ranked number 11 Marion Bartoli of France at the hands of 28th-ranked Czech Klara Zakopalova. Zakopalova beat second-seed Bartoli 6-3, 6-2, and will meet Monica Niculescu in the semi-finals after the Romanian beat Yi-Miao Zhou of China 6-4, 6-2. The Shenzhen Open is being played for the first time as tennis expands in China on the back of Li's huge popularity. AFP
CHENNAI: Rohan Bopanna threw his weight behind the players in their face off with the tennis association, saying their demands were justified as they want a system in place. He said the players led by Somdev Devvarman, who shot off a letter to AITA seeking a better distribution of the Davis Cup prize money, a change in the support staff and involvement in the choice of venues for ties, were yet to hear anything from the association. The AITA and the players currently have a 5050 share of the prize money sent by the world governing body from revenues earned from the tournament. "I think when somebody makes some points it is important. Nobody writes an email without importance attached to it," Bopanna said. This came after a controversy broke out in over reports that top players may boycott next month's Davis Cup tie against South Korea if a slew of demands were not met. PTI
QATAR OPEN
Davydenko storms into semi-finals
DOHA: Nikolay Davydenko stormed into the Qatar Open semi-finals on Thursday with an express train performance which gave him a chance of earning a first final for 20 months. The former world number three from Russia's 6-1, 6-1 win over Simone Bolelli, the world number 83 from Italy, was the quickest of the tournament and maintained his hopes of regaining the Qatar Open title he so spectacularly won three years ago. Davydenko did that by becoming one of only two players at that time who had beaten Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer in the same tournament, and he might have gone on to other glories had he not broken his wrist only two months later.
Berdych, Cilic make Chennai Open quarters CHENNAI, INDIA: Tomas Berdych of the Czech Republic and number three Marin Cilic of Croatia entered the quarter-finals of the ATP Chennai Open with contrasting wins on Thursday. The 15th worldranked
Cilic shrugged off a hesitant start in his first match of the season to defeat Sergiy Stakhovsky of Ukraine 4-6, 62, 6-3 in an hour and 45 minutes. World number six Berdych, who like Cilic was given a first-round bye, opened his campaign with a 63, 6-1 demolition of Indian wildcard Somdev Devvarman at the Nungambakkam tennis stadium. Cilic, began the match with a string of unforced errors from the baseline that allowed Stakhovsky to wrap up the first set in 39 minutes.
Bhupathi, partner lose
CHENNAI: The top seeded pair of Mahesh Bhupathi and Canadian Daniel Nestor were ousted from the Chennai Open ATP Tennis tournament after suffering a defeat at the hands of the unseeded Russian-American pair of Raveen Klaasen and Nicholas Monroe in the doubles quarterfinal here. BhupathiNestor, the favourites, suffered a shock defeat, losing 4-6, 5-7 to Klaasen-Monroe in 75 minutes.
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FRIDAY, JANUARY 4, 2013
SRI LANKA’S TOUR OF AUSTRALIA
David, Phil fall short of tons David Warner and Phil Hughes missed out on centuries after scoring 85 and 87 respectively before Mike Hussey came out to bat in his farewell Test. SYDNEY: David Warner and Phil Hughes missed out on centuries before veteran Mike Hussey came out to bat in his farewell Test for Australia in the third Test against Sri Lanka in Sydney on Friday. Free-scoring Warner was furious after falling short of his fourth Test hundred when he charged finger spinner Tillakaratne Dilshan and was well caught over his shoulder by Dhammika Prasad, back-pedalling at long-on, for 85. Hughes followed Warner back to the pavilion seven overs later when he was caught behind attempting to cut left-arm spinner Rangana Herath for 87. Hussey was given a guard of honour to the crease by the Sri Lankan players amid a huge roar from the SCG crowd in his 79th
Australia’s David Warner plays a shot on day two of the third Test against Sri Lanka at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Friday. AFP/GREG WOOD
and final Test after announcing his retirement from international cricket. At tea, Australia were 241 for three in reply to Sri Lanka’s 294 with Hussey on 18 and Michael Clarke on 42. The aggressive Warner’s 85 came off just 84 balls in 150 minutes and he looked in full command of the Sri Lankan attack before his rush of blood. Warner, who was involved in the run out of his opening partner Ed Cowan in the eighth over, put on 130 runs for the second wicket with Hughes in just 122 minutes. Hughes also looked on course for his fourth century in before he went for the cut shot once too often. The diminutive left-hander, who faced 143 balls, played at Herath away from his body and edged to wicketkeeper Dinesh
PAKISTAN IN INDIA
India lose ODI series
KOLKATA: An insipid India slumped to yet another series defeat with a pathetic display as arch-rivals Pakistan spanked the hosts by 85 runs in the second ODI to take an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series here on Thursday. Riding on Nasir Jamshed’s second consecutive ton, Pakistan posted 250 and then shot out India for a paltry 165 to record a convincing victory with two overs to spare at the Eden Gardens. It was yet another woeful dis-
Brief scores Pakistan 250 in 48.3 overs (Nasir Jamshed 106, Mohammad Hafeez 76, Ishant Sharma 3/33, Ravindra Jadeja 3/41) bt India 165 in 48 overs (MS Dhoni 54 n.o., Saeed Ajmal 3/20).
Pakistan players celebrate after winning the ODI series against India on Thursday. BCCI
play by the famed Indian batting line-up, which has been struggling for sometime now and has been largely responsible for the team’s forgettable results in recent times. The huge defeat to the archrivals will now raise questions on the future of some of India’s under-performing batting stars,
who have let the team down more often than not. Jamshed notched up his third ODI century, all three coming against India, but Pakistan suffered a dramatic collapse after being at a healthy 141 for no loss at the mid-way stage. Mohammed Hafeez was the other contributor with a rollicking 76 off 74 balls. PTI
scoreboard
Sri Lanka 1st Innings 294 Australia 1st Innings D. Warner c Prasad b Dilshan 85 E. Cowan run out (Pradeep) 4 Hughes c Chandimal b Herath 87 M. Clarke not out 42 M. Hussey not out 18 Extras (w5) 5 Total (3 wkts; 55 overs) 241 Fall of wickets: 1-36, 2-166, 3-195 Bowling: Lakmal 13-2-51-0, Pradeep 9-0-53-0, Prasad 7-042-0, Mathews 2-0-11-0, Dilshan 10-1-36-1, Herath 14-1-48-1
Chandimal. Already two down in the three-Test series, Sri Lanka’s only early encouragement came when Cowan ran himself out inside the opening half hour after being very much the junior partner as Warner tucked into the tourists’ bowling. The opening pair had cruised along before Cowan was needlessly run out for four in the sixth over. AFP
NEW ZEALAND VS SOUTH AFRICA
Kiwis fight back
CAPE TOWN: Brendon McCullum and Dean Brownlie hit half-centuries as New Zealand fought back on the second day of the first Test against South Africa at Newlands on Thursday. New Zealand were 169 for four in their second innings at the close, still 133 short of avoiding an innings defeat. McCullum made 51 and Brownlie was undefeated on 69. They were still likely to lose the match but it was a much better showing by the tourists after a calamitous first day during which they were bowled out for 45 and then leaked runs at almost four an over. New Zealand’s bowlers and fielders gave an improved performance, restricting South Africa to 97 runs and claiming five wickets in 31.2 overs before the home side declared at 347 for eight, a lead of 302. “Compared to yesterday, it
Brief Scores New Zealand 45 and 169/4 (B. McCullum 51, D. Brownlie not out 69, B. Watling not out 10, Kallis 2/19) vs South Africa, (overnight 252/3) 347/8 decl. (A. Petersen 106,H. Amla 66, J. Kallis 60, A. de Villiers 67, Boult 3/78, Martin 3/63).
was immense,” said Chris Martin. “The way we turned up with the ball was much better. We were more consistent and we dried up the runs which brought the five wickets. That set the tone for the way our batters went out and put up a much sterner fight.” Martin said harsh words had not been necessary for the players after the first day debacle. “They were quite reasoned, quite straightforward — the best way to deal with it was shown by the way they applied themselves today.” AFP
BRIEFS PCB silent over Miandad’s visit
KARACHI: The PCB is maintaining a silence over the issue of Javed Miandad going to New Delhi to watch the third and final One-day International between India and Pakistan. The news of Miandad being granted a visa by the authorities has generated a lot of controversy in India with a number of politicians questioning the decision as Miandad’s family has ties with Dawood Ibrahim, India’s most wanted terrorist. There had been reports before a series in 2005 that any requests for a visa by the batting great could be turned down by the Indian government. “We have been told to avoid any comments on this issue. Even Javed has been told not speak to the media on the sensitive subject,” a source in the PCB said.
McGrath inducted into ICC Hall of Fame
SYDNEY: Australian pace legend Glenn McGrath was today inducted into the International Cricket Council’s Hall of Fame, making him its 68th male member. McGrath was formally inducted during the lunch interval of the ongoing third Test between Australia and Sri Lanka here. McGrath joins fellow 2012-13 inductees West Indian Brian Lara and England’s Enid Bakewell in being recognised by the ICC and the living members of the Hall of Fame. While Lara and Bakewell were inducted in September at the ICC Awards, McGrath was inducted at his home ground of the SCG by ICC President Alan Isaac, along with Cricket Australia chairman Wally Edwards in front of a large and appreciative crowd.
Pakistan celebrate series win
KARACHI: The people of Pakistan today celebrated a rare ODI series win over India by coming out on the streets to dance and cheer for their team as former players described the performance of the national side as one of the most clinical in recent times. “Pakistan today [on Thursday] completely outclassed India in every department of the game. And I would give full marks to young players like Nasir Jamshed, Junaid Khan and Mohammad Irfan who performed with such a big heart in front of a full house at the Eden Gardens, which is not easy even for a seasoned campaigner,” former captain Rashid Latif said.
FRIDAY, JANUARY 4, 2013
sports
MILAN STAR PATO AGREES CORINTHIANS MOVE AC Milan’s Brazil international striker Alexandre Pato agreed a four-year deal with world club champions Corinthians on Thursday, the Brazilian side confirmed on their website. “In the coming days, Pato, who will wear the number seven shirt,” revealed a club statement.
LA LIGA PREVIEW
Cancer-battling Vilanova set for Barça return
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SERIE A PREVIEW
Juve aim to tighten grip with win
The Spaniard will be back at the helm just two weeks after a surgery for cancer, to guide the La Liga leaders to victory over bitter rivals Espanyol. TIM HANLON Agencie France-Presse MADRID: Barcelona expect to have coach Tito Vilanova back at the helm following cancer surgery as they return to league action after the winter break with a local derby against Espanyol. Although news that Vilanova had a recurrence of a tumour on a saliva gland sent shockwaves around the Catalan club, the impact has been limited by the stoppage over Christmas. After a successful operation he has missed just one game, an away victory against Valladolid where his assistant Jordi Roura took charge and Barcelona extended their record start to
Top10 La Liga teams Barcelona 17 16 1 0 57 19 49 A’co Madrid 17 13 1 3 37 17 40 Real Madrid 17 10 3 4 41 17 33 Malaga 17 9 4 4 28 12 31 Real Betis 17 9 1 7 26 28 28 Levante 17 8 3 6 21 24 27 R’l Sociedad 17 7 4 6 24 20 25 R’o Vallecano 17 8 1 8 22 32 25 Valencia 17 7 3 7 23 26 24 Getafe 17 7 3 7 21 25 24 (played, won, drawn, lost, goals for, goals against, points)
the campaign to 16 wins from 17 games in La Liga. Vilanova returned to the training ground this week where fullback Eric Abidal (above), who has had his own battle with cancer, is
also on the comeback trail. “Tito and Abidal are both examples of fighting spirit. They are examples to follow for all that they have been through and yet at the same time they have always been there to help the
club and their teammates,” said keeper Victor Valdes. “They give us a big boost and the energy to keep going season after season and to continue the success. We all hope that they are well and happy. “We now have a derby game and they are always important at home or away but for those of us who are from here we are used to facing Espanyol. On a professional level it is a big match and we will give them full respect. “There is still a long way to go in the title race as we haven’t even finished the first half of the season although we do have a good lead. It is a very competitive league and there are a lot of points at stake.”
RENEWED RACISM
Boateng, AC Milan storm off pitch
Milan's Kevin-Prince leads team off pitch in protest of racist chanting by spectators. ROME: AC Milan striker Kevin-Prince Boateng stormed off the pitch after racist chants from a group of fans on Thursday, forcing a friendly away game against fourth-tier club Pro Patria to be suspended. “Shame that these things still happen,” the 25-year-old German-born Ghanaian player said on his Twitter account after the match was stopped in the 26th minute when he led his team off the pitch.
home fans against the racists. The referee had already suspended the game twice before Boateng’s outburst for repeated insults against the striker and fellow black teammates Sulley Muntari, M’Baye Niang and Urby Emanuelson. “Pulling out was the right choice with something like this,” said Milan coach Massimiliano Allegri. “We have to stop it with these uncouth acts,” he added. AFP
Sports daily Gazzetta dello Sport said it was the first time in Italy that a football game had been suspended because of racist chants. Boateng (right) picked up the ball, kicked it towards the stands and walked off the pitch in Pro Patria’s home town of Busto Arsizio near Milan. His teammates walked off after him despite Pro Patria players begging them to stay and whistles from most of the
BRIEFS Chelsea aim to bounce back after QPR defeat
West Ham await United as FA Cup begins
Rotation key to United’s success, says Giggs
Lampard braced for Chelsea exit: Agent
SOUTHAMPTON, UK: Rafael Benitez admits Chelsea’s FA Cup third round tie at Southampton has taken on added significance in the wake of their shock Premier League defeat to QPR. Benitez conceded they require a miraculous run to win the Premier League. Chelsea’s European ambitions now lie in the Europa League.
LONDON: Having established a seven-point lead in the Premier League over the festive period, Manchester United turn their thoughts to the FA Cup on Saturday when they visit West Ham United in the third round. Cup-winners a record 11 times, United have not lifted English football’s oldest trophy since 2004.
LONDON: Ryan Giggs insists Alex Ferguson is having no problems keeping his large squad happy ahead of the FA Cup third round clash at West Ham on Saturday. Ferguson has rotated his players through the Christmas period, with David de Gea, Patrice Evra, Jonny Evans and M Carrick the only players to play their four league matches.
LONDON: Frank Lampard will definitely leave Chelsea at the end of the season, the England international’s agent confirmed Thursday, but he will not be tempted to see out his career in China. The 34-yearold Lampard is into the final months of his contract with the European champions and a new deal has yet to be agreed.
JUSTIN DAVIS Agencie France-Presse MILAN, ITALY: Champions Juventus welcome Sampdoria on Sunday looking to tighten their Serie A lead while Italian league officials reel from the latest racist incidents to mar the country’s stadiums. Juventus went into the winter break with an eightpoint cushion on Lazio after pre-Christmas title rivals Inter Milan were unexpectedly held at home by Genoa, with Fiorentina cementing third place with a 3-0 away win away to Palermo. With Inter now fourth, nine points off the pace, and fellow title challengers Napoli a masTop10 Serie A teams Juventus 18 14 2 2 39 11 44 Lazio 18 11 3 4 26 18 36 Fiorentina 18 10 5 3 36 19 35 Inter Milan 18 11 2 5 30 19 35 Napoli 18 11 3 4 33 17 34 Roma 18 10 2 6 42 29 32 AC Milan 18 8 3 7 34 26 27 Parma 18 7 5 6 25 24 26 Catania 18 7 4 7 26 27 25 Udinese 18 5 9 4 26 26 24 (played, won, drawn, lost, goals for, goals against, points)
sive 10 points adrift in fifth, the Old Lady of Turin has some room to breathe. While their reported search for an out-and-out striker continues, Juventus have moved to provide cover for recently injured defender Giorgio Chiellini by signing Atalanta’s Federico Peluso (above). Peluso has only been handed a loan deal until the end of the season with an option to remain in Turin, but Juve’s prestige in Italian football is such that Rome-born Peluso declared: “It’s a dream come true.” The winter break, for some, however, will not be remembered for goodwill.