WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2012 HYDERABAD
WWW.POSTNOON.COM
WEATHER: A MIX OF CLOUDY AND CLEAR SKIES; 24°C
HYDERABAD’S FIRST COMPACT AFTERNOON NEWSPAPER
SPORTING
DISASTER!
In the midst of the teeming metro is a `70 crore ‘haunted’ sports complex at Gachibowli which lies unfinished and everything moveable in it, including the elevators, stolen!
REPORT ON P8&9 WOMEN ARE SMART, MEN, NOT SO MUCH Women who visit pubs to unwind have proved smarter than men when it comes to knowing when to stop drinking. Only a small number of women drivers have been caught for drunk driving this year.
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WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2012
city events
THE CHAIRS
The Chairs, a play written by Eugene Ionesco, and directed by Ram Mohan Holagundi will be performed at Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, Basheer Bagh, on December 9. It is a tragic tale about an old couple revealing life’s meaning to an invisible audience.
Weather for Hyderabad
Evening
Overnight
24°C
18°C
A mix of cloudy and clear skies
A mix of cloudy and clear skies
Morning
Afternoon
23°C
31°C
A mix of cloud and sun
Sunny with cloudy periods
New Delhi Mumbai Max 24 Max 33 Min 11 Min 26 Sunny
Cloudy
Chennai Max 30 Min 24
Bangalore Max 27 Min 18
Cloudy with chances of thunderstorm
Cloudy with chances of thunderstorms
AROUND THE CITY: YOUR GUIDE TO THE TWIN CITIES ART
SHOWS
Photo exhibition A wildlife photography exhibition by Suheim Sheikh will be held from December 8 onwards. It will be inaugurated on December 7 at 6pm. Where: Goethe Zentrum, Banjara Hills, Rd No 3 When: December 8 onwards, from 9:30am Contact: (040) 2335 0473
The last Christmas The last Christmas is a large-scale production featuring live singing, dancing and acting, is the heartwarming story of Retired Gen Roy who recounts his seven favourite Christmases. Where: RNR auditorium, Banjara Hills, Rd No 12 When: December 8, 9 and 10 Contact: (040) 6515 7558
Tales of an idyllic world Alliance Française, Hyderabad, is hosting an exhibition of paintings: Tales of an Idyllic World by Bala Abhiram. The exhibition is on till December 14. The exhibition will be inaugurated on December 6. Where: Alliance Francaise, Banjara Hills, Rd No 3 When: December 7 onwards from 9am Contact: (040) 2355 4485
Célimène and the Cardinal Alliance Française of Hyderabad & Qadir Ali Baig theatre foundation present Célimène and the Cardinal by Jacques Rampal. Where: Nift Auditorium, Madhapur When: December 11, 7pm onwards Contact: (040) 2355 4485 Entrepreneurship India A week-long programme with various events hosted by students of ICFAI Business School from December 1 to 6. Where: ICFAI Business School Punjagutta When: Ongoing, Contact: 9848529385
Po10tial A show of recent works by various artists such as Anand Bekwan, Jinson Jospeh, , Maredu Ramu, Nataraj Saraf etc is being held. Where: Kalakrithi, Banjara Hills, Rd No 10 When: Ongoing, 11am onwards Contact: (040) 6656 4466 Inertia Photography Photography exhibition on India by Lona Lohan till December 27 WORK OR PLAY? Children spotted on a road at Himayatnagar Where: Rajiv Gandhi Airport, Shamshabad When: 11am-7pm Contact: (040) 6625 0000 The Maasai Mara A wildlife photography exhibition
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
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
N SHIVA KUMAR
will be held for 3 days . Where: Goethe Zentrum, Banjara Hills, Rd No 4 When: December 8-10 from 9:30am-5:30pm Contact: (040) 2335 0443
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
Interactive session Manthan is hosting an interactive session on The Sacred and the Profane: Living and Dying with Blasphemy Laws with Babu Gogineni. Where: Saptaparni, Banjara Hills Rd No 8 When: December 6, 6.30pm onwards Contact: (040) 2335 5118
Awadhi Food Festival Awadhi, known for it's fabulous cuisine, dates back to the time of Nawabs. Where: Taj Krishna, Road No.1, Banjara Hills When: Ongoing 12pm - 11pm Contact: (040) 6666 2323
MISCELLENEOUS Story Writing Contest Annapurna International School of Film and Media (AISFM), has launched the preliminary phase of All India National Level Story writing Competition. It is open to both UG and graduate students. Where: www.script2screen.in When: Before December 10 Public speaking workshop There is a four-day workshop on effective public speaking, facilitated by D. Ramachandram, a public relations and media personality, Where: Media Junction, Parthani Towers, , Golconda Cross Roads, Musheerabad When: 13-16 December from 6-9:30pm Contact: 9848842471
DINING Khamma ghani sa The Westin Hyderabad Mindspace is hosting a Rajasthani food festival
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
from November 23 to December 7 at Hitec City. Where: Westin, Hitec City When: Ongoing, 7pm onwards Contact: (040) 6767 6838
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
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2012
City
YESTERDAY’S QUESTION
WILL T-CONG BREAK AWAY FROM THE PARTY BEFORE POLLS? 45% 55%
YES (A) NO (B)
TODAY’S QUESTION
DID INDIA DESERVE TO BE SUSPENDED FROM OLYMPICS? A)
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CRIME
CRIME
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Minor girl still missing Externing criminals a losing game
The kidnapping of a minor girl by her teacher a month ago remains unsolved, with the suspect still on the run. Mohd SUBHAN mohd.s@postnoon.com
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he case of a minor girl who was kidnapped by her teacher just got murkier. The teacher’s wife has gone into hiding with her two children, three days after lodging a missing report on her husband. It has been over a month since mathematics teacher Ratna Kumar kidnapped his student from Sultanagar Bora Banda in Sanathnagar. The police, who have so far been unsuccessful in tracing Kumar, were puzzled when his wife Maniamma lodged a complaint that her husband has been missing for over a month. When the police went to her house in
Pandu Ranga Nagar, they found it was locked and that Maniamma had fled with her children. Meanwhile, the police have got hold of Kumar’s mobile call history. “We found that Kumar
made many calls to four numbers. Two of these are switched off and the others belong to his students. Two days back, Kumar’s mobile signals were traced to a tower in Tirupati. But since he is on the move, his location keeps changing,” said Sanathnagar inspector S Srinivas Rao. Finding no leads, police had taken Kumar’s brother into custody, but were forced to release him soon after due to alleged political pressure. Some local leaders have now taken up this issue and have said before the Miyapur Court that Mahinder Reddy, sub inspector at the Sanathnagar police station, did not take proper action in the case due to the influence of some politicians.
Criminals externed by the police are finding a way back into the City. POSTNOON NEWS feedback@postnoon.com
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anning entry of a criminal to the City which the police call “Tadipar or externment” is an outmoded system that does not work anymore. The case of Imranuddin (pictured), a history-sheeter aged only 26, with nearly 20 crimes in his name, is yet another case that proves externing a criminal out of the City is no longer workable. A known rowdy of Bahadurpura police station limits, Imran alias Baloo lived at ICRIST colony in Borrampet of
Medak District. He was arrested by the Task Force, South Zone team recently after he was found foraying into the City to avenge ‘misdeeds’ of his rivals. Police, at the time of arrest, found two daggers on him.
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city WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2012 LAST YEAR... HERE Slogging on
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ast year, we had reported how ragpickers in the City were voluntarily continuing to sift through garbage at Jawahar Nagar dump, despite the lack of any protective gear. According to them, the job gives them easy money as it pays them `200 a day and they have access to satellite TV. However, many have died due to the unhygienic work and many have gone missing.
DECEMBER 5, 2011
NUMEROLOGY
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is the number of women booked for drunk driving this year. The total number of drunk driving cases registered by the traffic police in the same period was 10,277.
Partiality to women is an old allegation against cops. Lack of women police in the night could be one reason for fewer women getting caught for drunk driving. PVS Rama Krishna, DCP See page 6
THINGS WE 5LEARNT TODAY The column that teaches everyone something new about the way the City functions.
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Walk Like An Egyptian: GHMC’s new theme song. Go abroad and learn how pedestrians are treated, is what the GHMC has told its engineers. This, even though they hardly have any money in their coffers
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What’s the deal with fewer women drinking and driving? While people allege police partiality towards women, cops and pub owners say women tend to be more cautious drinkers and hire a driver when drunk.
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CIVIC
Overseas lessons in walking! While wanton violation of civic and traffic rules are main reasons for pedestrian fatalities in Hyderabad, engineers are packing their backpacks to leave for developed countries to study how they manage walkers there. SRINIVAS SETTY
MD NIZAMUDDIN nizamuddin.a@postnoon.com
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any are aghast at the suggestion of the GHMC commissioner to send engineers abroad to study how footpaths are managed. If implemented, it would cost the cash-strapped corporation over `1 crore. Another proposal to send corporators for the same purpose is pending. This would be the first time that engineers would be sent abroad for a tour to study pedestrian traffic. “The idea is so pedestrian,” fumed RK Chandel, a retired engineer. “What is there to study abroad? How men walk?” he ridiculed. He said there is no situation similar to ours anywhere else in the world. What could they study? In earlier study tours to foreign lands, only top officials used to be sent. But those excited about the proposed foreign jaunt explained that it would be a unique experience for engineers to learn from experiences of advanced countries. But they agreed that if not properly formulated, the study tour would become a holiday trip. Suresh Kumar, chief engineer, said, “Though there are no parallels, the engineers will learn something which would be helpful to Hyderabad, if not immediately.” Kumar explained this using the example of changing mobile technology, where people are now availing better features like touch screen. The announcement for the field trip was made by GHMC commissioner MT Krishna Babu at a recently held workshop which focused on pedestrian facilities. Later, the proposal will have to get the standing committee’s approval. All this may take more than two months,
A man walks on the road as the footpath is occupied with parked bikes on Jubilee Hills Road No 36
officials believe. Officials point out that the foreign trip would be carried out in two phases. In first phase, 10 superintending engineers would be flown out and after completion of their trip, executive engineers will be taken. With the recent field trips of few officials costing around `60 lakh, the total cost of the planned tour is around `1 crore. There was reportedly also a proposal for corporators going on field trips in the recent months. All this would add to the woes of the GHMC, which is looking for ways to generate more revenue. Even though the recently held workshop on nonmotorised transport system has brought a feel-good factor
If the plan to send engineers on a study tour is implemented, it will cost the cash-strapped corporation `1 crore. among the officials, detractors find this to be another gimmick for frittering away taxpayers’ money. According to some officials, there are pressing issues that have to be solved but the commissioner is more interested in diverting people’s minds. “This would be nothing but the squander of public money. Let the men at the helm solve important issues of civic ameni-
ties engulfing the corporation. The GHMC is suffering from various financial problems,” said a union leader. Right to Walk NGO’s convenor Kantimati Kannan, who has been fighting for pedestrian rights, welcomed the trip, saying that now that the commissioner has shown interest in the problem, ‘he must walk the talk’. According to her, engineers know the various aspects of how a construction is finalised, but what they need is sensitisation. “But honesty of purpose is important. If those who are going on study tour do not learn how pedestrians are treated in developed countries, then it would be a futile exercise,” she said.
‘Haunted’ sports complex a drain on resources. The incomplete tower at Gachibowli stadium has been lying empty, but the SAAP pays a `40 lakh instalment to pay off the bank loan every month.
Five of family injured in LPG cylinder blast
Two dozen cattle stolen in Bowenpally
HC stays collection of fuel surcharge
MBA graduate hangs self in Nacharam
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Excise laws put a dampener on Christmas celebrations. The City’s Anglo Indians will not be able to brew homemade wine for Christmas because of excise laws.
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Internet is the new tool to heckle leaders. Netizens are venting their anger at Congress T-ministers for their stance on the FDI issue.
NEWS BRIEFS ive members of a family, including two minor girls, were injured when the LPG cylinder in their home leaked at Sanjeevaiah Nagar and exploded late last night. All five are being treated at a hospital nearby. The condition of one of the injured, Shobha Rani, 35, is said to be critical. What caused the leak is still not known, police said.
early two dozen cattle were hijacked by a group of people at Bowenpally last night. Police said Mohd Farooq, a resident of Musheerabad, was returning home with 24 animals when a group stopped his vehicle near Mechal and took away the cattle by force after beating up Mohd. Enmity is said to be the reason behind the attack.
he AP High Court stayed the collection of FSA (Fuel Surcharge Adjustment) by power DISCOMS from consumers for the first quarter of 2010-2011. It comes as relief for domestic consumers as DISCOMS had already initiated the collection of FSA for 2010-2011. The decision comes at a time when all four DISCOMS are in a financial crisis.
adhusudhan, 28, who is reportedly an MBA graduate, has allegedly committed suicide by hanging himself at his friend’s home at Nacharam. A native of Srikakulam, he had come to the City in search of a job and was staying with friends. It is said he could not land a job and that depressed him. Nacharam police are investigating.
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city WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2012 POLITICS
NO RELIEF
T-netizens emerge and speak out
The CBI court on Wednesday extended the judicial remand of YSRC chief YS Jaganmohan Reddy till December 19.
Use the forum to vent frustration against Congress T-leaders. PK SURENDRAN surendran.pk@postnoon.com
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he internet — the new open medium for commoners — is replete with expletives directed against Telangana Congress ministers and MPs who abstained from discussions in Parliament on the FDI in retail issue as a mark of protest against the Congress coldshouldering the T-issue. Netizens view these protests as a ‘drama’ meant to fool the people of Telangana. One commentator wants people to expel these leaders from their midst forever. “What was Jaipal Reddy doing all this time? It is only after he was unceremoniously shifted from the petroleum ministry (that) he started fuming and fretting about Telangana,” wrote the commentator. Audiences want to know what all these worthies have to say on the issue under discussion — FDI in multi-brand retail. Do they consider it pro-people or something calculated to hit the common kirana shop owners? Reader after reader has showered profanities at Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi for ‘mismanaging’ the country. The same commentators praise Didi (Mamata Banerjee) for being firmly on the side of the common public. They also have a world of praise for TDP chief Chandrababu Naidu, who went on record saying his party opposed FDI in multibrand retail as it would force closure of 1.5 crore kirana shops across the country. Any move that renders people bereft of their livelihood is not acceptable in an overcrowded, high-unemployment-prone country like India.
POLITICS
AP MPs driving Congress nuts In a late development, the YSRC is learnt to have decided to oppose the FDI Bill in the Lok Sabha. INKESHAF AHMED ahmed.m@postnoon.com
Fact Sheet
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Total Number of Lok Sabha MPs: 42 Supporting: 23 (Congress) Opposing: 9 Undecided as yet: 10
elangana Congress MPs from AP will play a crucial role in deciding the fate of the bill on FDI introduced by the UPA government in Parliament today. A voting has been necessitated following the main opposition party BJP’s demand on the issue. Of the total 42 MPs in the State, the ruling Congress has 31 MPs in the Lok Sabha. The
opposition parties have in all 11 MPs. Among the opposition MPs, the TDP has six, TRS and YSR Congress parties have two MPs each and the All India MIM party has one. The MIM has severed ties with the Congress and
is expected to oppose the Bill. Telangana MPs were still undecided as of Wednesday and their parleys with Congress emissaries continued at noon. Speaking to Postnoon this morning, Congress MP Ponnam Prabhakar (left) said that they would take the final decision on the issue later today. MP T Rajaiah, expressed similar views. The YSR Congress has decided to oppose the Bill. Party MP M Rajamohan Reddy did not attend the meeting.
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city WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2012
DRUNKEN DRIVING
Why few women drivers get caught Women who visit pubs during the weekend to unwind have proven smarter than men as only a negligible number of women drivers were caught for drunk driving in this year. M ANIL KUMAR
CAMPAIGN
M NAZIMUDDIN nazimuddin.a@postnoon.com
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rinking and driving is essentially a male syndrome, if statistics of those caught for drunk driving is any indication. Of the total 10,277 people booked in the outgoing year for
driving after consuming more than the legally permitted alcohol intake, only five were women. Surprisingly, the ratio of men and women visiting pubs especially on weekends happens to be in the 2:1. And, most women drive themselves, police reveal. Then what could be the rea-
son for women being so smart as not to get caught? Or are they more prudent in drinking than men? Enquiries reveal two facts. One is that women are conscious drinkers. Two there is often an abject shortage of women police who are required to check women drivers at late night. There is also an allegation
that cops on duty are often soft towards women drivers. While police officers scoff at the last suggestion — they are soft on women — the other two reasons are being backed by pub owners and police. Pub staff in the City vouchsafe women are more cautious while consuming liquor. “They
don’t go out of their range usually,” said a staff at a leading pub in Secunderabad. “Another reason is that their male partners usually drive if they come together. It’s only single women who drive themselves. So even if a woman drinks a little more than the legal limit, it is the driver who gets caught,” he added. Another pub operator in Banjara Hills agreed that women are far more cautious than men. “And in case they feel they are high and are not confident of driving home they make alternative arrangements to get home,”he said. This apart, women who are likely to consume more liquor than the permitted limit are smart enough to come with a driver so that they wouldn’t get on the wrong side of the law. “In fact, you must give to Eves that the are smart.” Talking to Postnoon PVS Rama Krishna DCP Traffic, ”partiality to women is an old allegation against male cops. It’s not true, but lack of women police in the night could be one reason for fewer women getting caught for drunk driving.” Kaneez Fatima, a leader of NISA, a research and resource centre for women, said that drinking is medically proven to be injurious to health and public drinking is a crime. She adds, It is specially true for women because they are the ultimate guardians, not only of the family but of the society.”
TRANSPORT
Auto drivers threaten stir Demand the government stop auto meter recalibration.
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elangana Auto Drivers’ Joint Action Committee (TADJAC) has demanded that the State government immediately stop the illegal procedure of auto meter recalibration, which is against Rule no 373 of the Andhra Pradesh Motor Vehicle (APMV) Act. It also said the officials of the weights and measures department have no powers either to increase or decrease auto fares as fixed by the government. It also threatened to launch agitation if the government fails to help auto drivers in obtaining tamperproof meters.
The TAD-JAC said the officials of the weights and measures department have no powers either to increase or decrease auto fares fixed by the government. Speaking to the media on Tuesday, TADJAC convener Mohd Amanullah Khan demanded that the government suspend assistant controller of weights and measures
department as he was ignoring conduct of time-test in auto meters and responsible for encouraging corruption. He also alleged that the RTA officials, manufacturers and meter repairers and dealers are collectively deceiving drivers by tampering meters. He insisted that the RTA officials do not impose charges on those 25,000 autos, which have already undergone recalibration process without time-test so far. Due to the tampering menace, the auto-drivers are facing quarrels and misunderstandings with the passengers. NSS
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classifieds WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2012 COMPUTERS
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PRESSURE TACTICS
GUEST HOUSE
Water tankers have struck work with effect from today after HMWS&SB water tankers owners joint action committee called for a bandh SRINIVAS SETTY in order to have their demands met. Tankers were seen parked by the side of the road at Banjara Hills.
LIFESTYLE Helios opens one more store in City POSTNOON NEWS feedback@postnoon.com
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POLITICS Krishna Madiga flays KCR
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Fast for Surajya movement from today
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ulti-brand watch retailer, Helios — the watch store, from Titan Industries Limited, opened its largest watch store in Hyderabad recently. The store located at Himayat Nagar offers an unmatched range of the latest designs across several international brands. International brands like Fcuk, Diesel, DKNY, Emporio Armani, Giordano, Hugo Boss, Jacob Jensen, etc.
randing TRS chief K Chandrasekhara Rao as a stooge of the Congress, MRPS president Manda Krishna Madiga questioned the former as to why he was not reacting to the illegal arrest of Vimalakka, who has been fighting for separate Telangana State. Speaking to the media here, the MRPS chief said that the TRS would eventually merge with the Congress. He also lashed out at the Congress government for foisting criminal cases against
POLITICS
Vimalakka for raising her voice for decades old issues of separate Telangana State. Krishna Madiga has announced that his MRPS would launch an agitation in the entire State against the “treacherous” Congress from December 8 to 15. He also disclosed that they would organise “Madigala Atma-Gourava Viswaroopa Mahasabha” on March 3 next. He also declared that the MRPS activists were ready to go even to jail for release of Vimalakka. NSS
he Steering Committee of the Surajya movement is launching a three-day Jana Chaitanya Nirahara Deeksha at Dharna Chowk, Indira Park, under the leadership of its convener Dr Jayaprakash Narayan. The non-partisan Surajya movement seeks institution of a strong and independent Lokayukta, enactment of a law on citizen’s charters for government services, devolution of 10 per cent the State budget on local governments and quality healthcare and education to all. Top leaders of the movement – freedom fighter Chennamaneni Rajeswara Rao, retired IAS official Kaki Madhava Rao and K Padmanabhaiah, MLC K Nageshwar, senior citizens’ movement leader Rao Chelikani, civic society leaders Ramakrishnam Raju and TL Narasimha Rao and working journalists’ national leader K Srinivasa Redy appealed to people to turn up in large numbers in support. All political parties have expressed support for the deeksha and are planning to visit the deeksha camp. An exhibition of photographs and cartoons depicting the aims of the Surajya Movement is being organised at the deeksha venue. Singers Vangapandu Prasada Rao, Nissar and Srikant will render Surajya and patriotic songs. Visitors can lend their support to the movement by signing in a Surajaya supporters’ register. NSS
city WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2012
SPORTS INFRASTRUCTURE In the midst of the teeming metro is a `70 crore ‘haunted’ sports complex at Gachibowli which lies unfinished and everything moveable in it including the elevators stolen!
A SPOOKY SPORTS STADIUM RAHUL RAMAKRISHNA rahul.r@postnoon.com
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n 2007, Hyderabad played host to the 4th World Military Games. A massive stadium and sports complex was built in Gachibowli, which is now commonly called as the Gachibowli Stadium. But there is a hidden surprise within the premises. A longwinding road from the entrance will lead one to a “tower”, a gigantic 13-floor building that was built in 2006. The speciality of this building is, only nine out of the total 13 floors have been constructed. The remaining unfinished parts and negligence give it a spooky ambience.
COST OF CONSTRUCTION AND MAINTENANCE The entire cost of the project was `70 crore. To top this, the SAAP (Sports Authority of Andhra Pradesh) had taken a loan of `48 crore from a private national bank. After six years of construction, the building has been abandoned halfway but the SAAP continues to pay a monthly instalment of `40 lakh per month to the bank. Annual maintenance charges come to over `12 lakh for the 12 employees who are apparently stationed there! When Postnoon team visited the building, the security guards in the premises had many stories to tell. “There is no water or power connection to the building. At night, we tend to keep away from it because we think it is haunted,” says Raju, the ‘incharge’. Another guard Satyanarayana says, “There is absolutely nothing in the building. I have been stationed here for four months and people have told me that
8&9 SRINIVAS SETTY
SCARES PEOPLE AWAY over the years, everything got carried away, including the elevators, the wash basins, everything.” True. The building’s four elevator shafts are empty. While the first floor and the atrium has been spared of all thieveries (possibly because there is nothing here worth vandalising or stealing), the ground floor and the cellar are nothing but whole floors with broken roofs and walls.
WHAT SAAP HAS TO SAY
Vice chairman and managing director of SAAP, TRK Rao says, “We have been trying to lease the building to hotels or hospitals. In the last three years, three tender calls have been floated but there is no response. We are now trying to restudy the building and have even considered increasing the lease period to 25 years so that something can be made out of this.” While it is apparent that a lot had been made and taken out of the `70 crore project, constructive suggestions don’t seem to favour authorities. RTI activists from ITMD have raised this issue and have suggested that the complex be used as a sports hostel for sportspersons, but authorities think otherwise. “How can the 468 room complex be turned into a housing facility for sportspersons? It has been built for a multipurpose and the design of the building cannot be converted into a living space,” says TRK Rao. The MD’s words have a little truth, because even the security personnel in the stadium do not seem to fancy the idea of living here. While the tenders and proposals keep flowing in, one must think what happened to the `70 crore and the `40 lakh monthly instalments that the State government pays for no purpose.
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2012
Business
US GIVES ARGENTINA BREAK ON DEBT PAYMENT
A New York appeals court on Tuesday rejected a motion by hedge funds to force Argentina to make a security deposit as Buenos Aires seeks to overturn an order that it repay $1.3 billion to holders of defaulted bonds.
ONTHEAIR SOLD
Google, Microsoft launch charity efforts SAN FRANCISCO: Google and Microsoft each unveiled new charitable initiatives Tuesday, in separate efforts which channel millions of dollars to innovators tackling social ills. Google launched its Global Impact Awards programme with a first round of funding allocating a total of $23 million to seven organisations “changing the world.” “Technology has dramati-
cally improved our lives, from the speed at which we get things done to how we connect with others,” Google director of giving Jacquelline Fuller said in a blog post announcing the awards. “Yet innovations in medicine, business and communications have far outpaced tech-enabled advances in the nonprofit sector.” Meanwhile, Microsoft held a Social Innovation
Summit at which it announced the winners of $3 million in “Imagine Cup” grants to students with promising projects for the global good. “The Imagine Cup Grants will help students evolve a great idea for addressing a societal issue into a realworld business,” said Dan’l Lewin, corporate vice president of Strategic and Emerging Business
Development at Microsoft. “These students have developed incredible approaches that show great potential for positive local impact.” A $100,000 grand prize Imagine Cup grant went to a team from Germany that devised a way to reduce traffic congestion and carbon emissions by letting each driver know the best route to their destination. AFP
FDI IN RETAIL
Realtors embrace FDI FDI in the retail sector can offer huge benefits to various parties, especially realtors, with the demand for mall space going up. FOR REPRESENTATIONAL PURPOSE ONLY
PRUDHVI RAJU K prudhvi.k@postnoon.com
T
he netas might be up in arms against FDI in retail sector and analysts might not tire of protesting against the move, but realtors are positive about the entry of foreign retailers in the Indian market. According to a recent report by JLL, Changing landscape of Indian retail, “The demand for retail space is likely to rise significantly with multi-brand retailers exploring opportunities to enter India. This will induce developers to launch new malls and, as store size requirements, which are significantly higher for multinational retailers. This will encourage developers to build larger malls along with sufficient mall infrastructure.” It further adds, “The government has made it mandatory for foreign multi-brand retailers to place at least 50 per cent of their total investment in back-end infrastructure, thus giving a boost to facilities such as logistics and warehousing.” However, the real estate industry is not simply ready to grab the opportunities that are
created by FDI in retail. Undoubtedly, the sector needs 100 million sq feet of space in the next 10 years. However, availability of quality mall space in the City and in the country is still a major concern. For instance, Hyderabad
saw no new mall space in the second quarter of this fiscal. According to realtors, it takes three to four years to complete a mall with the huge set of permissions and approvals from government bodies. The realtors also have to fight any legal com-
plications that may arise during the process. This will cause delays in the completion of the project. “Building a mall is a capitalintensive process. Generally, the retailers take this mall space on lease rather than buy it. The anchors (large stores) look for various deals to get the space on rent. There is a need for experience in the relevant retail field along with strong financial backing to complete a project and get it absorbed by retailers,” says Bhawar Lal Jain, executive vice president, APREDA. This will definitely keep the medium realtors away from the race, which will only benefit few major realtors, who have the requisite expertise in the space. It also benefits landowners in the peripheral areas and manual labour will also benefit from this opportunity to develop a new retail space. “This will benefit landowners with large chunks of land in peripheral areas. The realtors with agreements from foreign retailers can easily approach financial institutions for support and also can demand decent rents for providing quality space,” he added.
for
for
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Yahoo! said on Tuesday it had acquired a small startup specialising in broadcasting video chats or interviews to online audiences. Financial terms of the deal to buy OnTheAir were not disclosed but Yahoo! said the five members of the young company would join the mobile technology team. San Francisco-based OnTheAir launched in March with an application that lets people host online talk shows.
NUMEROLOGY
$9.4 bn
is how much British banking giant HSBC said it is selling its entire 15.57 per cent stake in China’s Ping An Insurance Group for.
CHANGE OF GUARDS? Samsung Electronics said Wednesday that Jay Y Lee, the only son of its current chairman, had been promoted to vice-chairman, paving the way for his succession to the post. Lee is the son of Lee Kun-Hee, 70, and grandson of the late Lee Byung-Chull, who founded the giant, family-run conglomerate. As president and CEO, Lee has made an “invaluable contribution” to the growth of the firm, Samsung said in a statement. “As vice chairman, Mr Lee will build on his existing responsibilities and take a broader role in managing Samsung Electronics’ businesses,” it added.
THUS SPAKE
We’re going to address the Chevron case. It’s a private matter. But the company is trying to delegitimise this court action that it lost to our Amazon villagers. RAFAEL CORREA ECUADOR’S PRESIDENT
BSE 5,906.30 `54.56 5,209.05 DOLLAR`55.14 17,179.95DOLLAR NSEPOUND `86.60 `87.92 POUND BSE NSE GOLD`31,700 10g SILVER `63,200 1kg
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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
19,415.92 67.80
ANAND SHARMA, 17.05 COMMERCE MINISTER
11
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2012
nation
MAN COMMITS SUICIDE AFTER DAUGHTER’S DEATH
A man allegedly committed suicide after his infant daughter accidentally fell from his hands and died in Girwan area. 25-year-old Gorelal's two-monthold daughter fell from his hands and died while he was playing with her in an inebriated state last night, police said today.
PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION
PEOPLE’S SOLDIER
SC rejects Sangma plea The former Lok Sabha speaker had challenged the election of Congress leader Pranab Mukherjee as president.
Former Army chief Gen VK Singh takes part in a dharna by the Rashtriya Kisan Mazdoor at Parliament Street in New Delhi on Tuesday. PTI/ SHAHBAZ KHAN
TREATY
Indo-Bangla extradition treaty to be signed NEW DELHI: India and Bangladesh have agreed to sign an extradition treaty in January during Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde's expected visit to Dhaka. A joint statement after a meeting of Shinde with his Bangladesh counterpart MK Alamgir here said that both sides agreed that the extradition treaty, which is under consideration by both governments, may be finalised at an early date. "It was agreed that Revised Travel Agreement (RTA) as well as the extradition treaty will be finalised and signed in January 2013 during the proposed visit of Indian Home minister to Dhaka," it said. The statement said both sides noted that the action was being taken for repatriation of sentenced prisoners to either country. The two countries also agreed not to resort to firing unless fired upon or attacked by terrorists or armed criminals and expressed regret over deaths and loss of life on the border. IANS
NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court dismissed by a majority ruling, former Lok Sabha speaker PA Sangma's petition challenging the election of senior Congress leader Pranab Mukherjee as president. Chief Justice Altamas Kabir, who led the 3 to 2 majority ruling, held that Sangma's petition is not maintainable for regular hearing. The dissenting judges held that the petition deserves regular hearing with one of them noting it was alleged that Mukherjee was holding an office of profit when he filed his nomination papers. Sangma has contended that Mukherjee was holding offices of profit as chairman ISI, Kolkata and as also the leader of the Congress in Lok
Sangma has contended that Mukherjee was holding offices of profit as chairman ISI, and leader of the Congress in LS.
Sabha when he had entered the presidential race. Earlier, the Attorney General had opposed the plea of Sangma on the issue of office of profit. "An office of profit is an office which must be under the Government, which enjoys the power to appoint and remove and some salary or emoluments must be attached to the post," Vahanvati said, adding that this was not the case with the post of Chairperson of Indian Statistical Institute (ISI). "No pecuniary benefits was attached to the post of Chairman of ISI.. Moreover, the post must be such where the office-bearers can be influenced by the appointing authority," the law officer said. PTI
NEWS BRIEFS Khaps launch booze battle ROHTAK: Having strongly raised their voices for amending the Hindu Marriage Act to ban marriages within the same gotra and same village, Haryana's khap panchayats have now decided to launch a campaign to get liquor outlets shut in religious towns across the state. A decision to this effect was taken at a meeting of office-bearers of around 20 khaps in Jhajjar town, 60 km from New Delhi, a senior khap leader said here.
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Mamata promises farmers KOLKATA: West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday visited Birbhum district's Loba village, four weeks after 33 people including six villagers were injured in a mob-police clash, and assured peasants that their land would not be acquired forcibly. "You can sleep in peace. I am assuring you that nobody will take your land by force," Banerjee told the villagers. The clashes occurred on November 6 in a confrontation related to coal extraction by DVC Emta Coal Mines Ltd.
/095 Rs.1 9/: e c 4 r Pri Rs.5 Cove r Price: : 50% g e f n f i O l Sav Tota
‘Bhatt provided some documents’ NEW DELHI: Aam Aadmi party chief Arvind Kejriwal, who Tuesday made allegations against Gujarat CM Narendra Modi about favouring some corporates at the cost of state exchequer, said he had been provided documents by suspended IPS officer Sanjiv Bhatt. "Sanjiv Bhatt approached us. Gave us some documents," Kejriwal said. Bhatt's wife Shweta is a Congress candidate against Modi.
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WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2012
World ARREST
Anti-Putin activist faces new charge MOSCOW: A jailed Russian opposition activist, facing charges of conspiring to topple President Vladimir Putin, has now been accused of illegally crossing the country’s border with Ukraine to evade prosecution. The Investigative Committee, a body similar to the FBI, said Leonid Razvozzhayev, an activist with the Left Front political movement, fled Russia after the pro-Kremlin NTV channel aired on October 5 footage it said showed him meeting with an influential Georgian politician to plot the destabilisation of Russia.
SEVEN CIRCUS TIGERS POISONED IN RUSSIA The untimely demise of seven young tigers training to be stars at a Russian circus could have been due to poisoning, their trainers said. Seven young tigers died after entering training at the Moscow-based Nikulin Circus over the past six months.
CALAMITY
Philippines typhoon kills 100 Typhoon Bopha, the strongest typhoon to hit the Philippines this year has caused major destruction.
WATSON IS BACK
Militant conservationist Paul Watson, who is wanted by Interpol, has confirmed he is back onboard a Sea Shepherd vessel and ready to confront Japanese whalers. The Canadian’s whereabouts had been a mystery since July. Sea Shepherd had said the white-bearded captain would be involved in this season’s campaign against Japan’s whaling operations and he confirmed in a statement that he was back in charge.
NUMEROLOGY
Investigators said Razvozzhayev illegally purchased a train ticket to Kiev in October by using his brother’s passport. “Razvozzhayev realized that he could face a criminal charges after the documentary, and decided to evade prosecution and flee,” the investigative committee said. Investigators said Razvozzhayev illegally purchased a train ticket to Kiev in October by using his brother’s passport. The charge carries a maximum sentence of two years. Razvozzhayev made international headlines in October when he told human rights workers that “masked men” had abducted him as he was seeking UN political asylum status in Kiev. He said his abductors threatened to kill him and his two children if he did not confess to the plot and also incriminate Left Front leader Sergei Udaltsov, one of the leaders of ongoing antiPutin protests. IANS
12
$631
Residents repair their damaged homes after Typhoon Bopha made landfall in Compostela Valley in southAP/PTI eastern Philippines on Tuesday. It is one of the strongest typhoons to hit the Philippines this year.
MANILA: The death toll from a powerful typhoon that ravaged the southern Philippines rose to 97 on Wednesday, officials said, as rescuers battled to reach areas cut off in flash floods and mudslides. Typhoon Bopha barrelled across the island of Mindanao, toppling trees and blowing away homes with 210 kilometres per hour gusts on Tuesday before weakening overnight as it headed towards the South China Sea. Social welfare secretary Corazon Soliman and others described scenes of utter devastation with houses and other structures in some towns and villages ripped apart by the most powerful storm to hit the
The typhoon barrelled across Mindanao, toppling trees and homes with 210 kilometres per hour gusts. country this year. “There are very few structures standing in the town of Cateel,” she said. “We need to rush to these areas body bags, medicines, dry clothes and most importantly tents, because survivors are living out in the open after the typhoon blew away homes and rooftops,” she said. Soliman said the situation
was as dire in the southern mountain town of New Bataan, where the military said at least 44 people were killed in flash floods and mud avalanches. “The bodies are left lying on the ground in the open in New Bataan and we don’t want to risk the spread of disease,” said Soliman. Two provinces on Mindanao’s east coast accounted for 82 of the deaths, according to Interior Secretary Mar Roxas, who like Soliman flew to the south to help run the rescue and relief operations. Among the fatalities was a soldier who was part of a troop deployment sent to New Bataan in anticipation of the storm. AFP
NEWS BRIEFS NASA to send new rover to Mars in 2020
Ukraine to get $248 mn for Chernobyl project
US executes man who killed couple
World’s oldest person dies in US, at 116
CHICAGO: NASA plans to send a new rover to Mars in 2020 as it prepares for a manned mission to the Red Planet, the US space agency said on Tuesday. The announcement came a day after NASA released the results of the first soil tested by the Curiosity rover, which found traces of some of the essential compounds like water and oxygen..
KIEV: The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) will provide a 190 million euro ($248 million) grant to Ukraine to complete the new safe confinement at the Chernobyl nuclear plant. The Ukrainian government press service said it will be the last contribution to meet the 740 million Euro target.
WASHINGTON: An Oklahoma man was executed on Tuesday for murdering a couple in front of their young children, bringing to 41 the number of people put to death in the US this year, officials said. George Ochoa, 38, was pronounced dead after receiving an injection of lethal drugs. He had exhausted all his appeals before the courts.
WASHINGTON: The world’s oldest person, American Besse Cooper, died on Tuesday at the age of 116, CNN reported. She passed away in Monroe, Georgia, east of Atlanta, her son Sidney told the television network. Guinness World Records gave Cooper the distinction of being the oldest living human in January 2011.
bn
The US Senate unanimously passed the Pentagon’s 2013 budget on Tuesday, despite a political impasse over debt reduction that could see huge cuts to military spending next year.
N KOREA ROCKET READY North Korea has completed installing a long-range rocket on its launch pad, ahead of its planned launch this month in defiance of widespread international condemnation, a report said on Wednesday. All three stages of the Unha-3 rocket have been placed on the pad at the North’s Sohae satellite launch station, a South Korean government source told Yonhap. “Some workers are pulling out of the site,” the source said. Pyongyang announced on Saturday that it intends to launch the rocket between December 10 and 22. The US and its key Asian allies South Korea and Japan have condemned the move.
Many Yemenis expect the Security Council to keep a careful watch on the spoilers’ actions and to hold them accountable. Jamal Benomar UN’s envoy to Yemen
13
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2012
Technology LIFE ON THE FARM
What next for Zynga? Just hours after Zynga announced it was cutting ties with Facebook, the company’s share price fell by 13 per cent. This comes close on the heels of job cuts and closures. We map the journey of Farmville’s creator. THE KINGS OF ACQUISITION In just two years, Zynga acquired 15 different game studios and products.
2009
MyMiniLife, YoVille
2010
Newtoy, Bonfire Studios, Dextrose, Conduit Labs, Challenge Games, XPD Media, Serious Business
2011
DNA Games, Wonderland Software, JamLegend, Floodgate Entertainment, Area Code, Flock.
2012
OMGPOP, Buzz Monkey, November Software
$2.1bn
Is the amount of revenue earned by the virtual goods market in the US. Up 40% over last year.
Timeline APRIL 2007
Mark Pincus founds Zynga under the name Presidio Media; the company name changed to Zynga in July 2007. Zynga was named after an American bulldog named Zinga once owned by Mark Pincus.
JULY 2007
Zynga's first game, Texas Hold'Em Poker, now known as Zynga Poker, was released on Facebook in July 2007.
APRIL 2009
Zynga becomes the #1 Facebook app developer with 40 million monthly active users (MAU).
JUNE 2009
Zynga launched FarmVille on Facebook and by August it was the first game on Facebook to reach 10 million daily active users. On November 23, 2009, FarmVille.com went live as Zynga’s first stand-alone game.
FEBRUARY 2010
Zynga opened a studio in Los Angeles, California as well as Zynga India in Bangalore, the company’s first office outside the United States.
THE MEN BEHIND ZYNGA
MAY 2010
Facebook and Zynga entered into a five-year relationship to expand the use of Facebook Credits in Zynga's games.
Mark Pincus Founder and CEO Currently: CEO Andrew Trader co-founder and EVP Currently: Entrepreneur-inresidence at Maveron
DECEMBER 2010
Zynga announced it acquired the Texas-based mobile game developer Newtoy, developers of Words with Friends and Chess with Friends. Also in December CityVille surpassed FarmVille as Zynga’s most popular game with over 61 million monthly active users.
Michael Luxton co-founder Currently: CTO Eric Schiermeyer co-founder Currently: VP of market development Justin Waldron co-founder and lead engineer Currently: VP
MAY 2011
The company launched its most complicated game to date — Empires and Allies.
Steve Schoettler co-founder Currently: VP
JULY 2011
Zynga filed with the SEC to raise up to $1 billion in an initial public offering. At the time, the company had 2,000 employees. Zynga began trading on NASDAQ on December 16, 2011.
JUNE, 2012
Zynga announced the Zynga With Friends network. The goal is to connect players of various Zynga game titles across multiple platforms including Facebook, iOS, Android, Windows Phone, and Zynga.com.
Leader of the App
I
n a list of the most-used Facebook apps, Zynga has four in the top 5. CityVille, FarmVille and Texas HoldEm Poker are the top three with Empires and Allies in fifth. The only non-Zynga app is BandPage by RootMusic.
HELLO INDIA Apple has finally launched their iTunes store in India and users here can now download more than apps from within the iTunes application. The store has a decent collection of hindi movies and songs, and the prices are reasonable enough. The company though will face tough competition from Flipkart which offers music at a cheaper rate and without a DRM that too. On the movies side though the prices on iTunes are very good as they even let you rent a movie. The only catch being, you need to watch the movie within 48 hours of renting. So if you have a fast enough internet connection iTunes is the place to head to.
TUMBLR TUMBLES
A bunch of hackers found a loophole in the reblog feature of Tumblr, a very popular blogging-service, and used it to deface hundreds of tumblr powered blogs. According to the hackers, they had alerted the company weeks in advance and they decided to take such a drastic measure because of the company’s inaction. The bug spread to all blogs of tumblr users when they visited an infected website. The company is currently cleaning up but it needs to be seen if they will be more alert when someone highlights bugs such as this in the future.
HOW THE MIGHTY FELL Nokia is planning to sell its central headquarters building in Espoo, Finland for roughly $220 million. The company will continue to operate within the premises as previously, but it'll be on the basis of a new long-term lease, rather than as the outright owner. Nokia has been struggling since iPhone and Android powered devices became the most popular smartphones. Nokia currently makes smartphone powered by Windows Phone 8 and their Lumia line sales is slowly picking up, but if it doesn’t happen fast enough the company might face bankruptcy. The 170 million euro paid for Nokia's offices by Exilion is lower than earlier estimates.
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2012
Comment Have you ever noticed that anybody driving slower than you is an idiot, and anyone going faster than you is a maniac?
PALESTINIAN STATEHOOD
THE HUMAN CONDITION Dean Williams
W
hy is it that the ‘plight’ of the Indian couple in Oslo has made it to the front pages and TV screens across the country, yet the plight of children in India who are regularly subjected to horrific abuse rarely does? The couple in question are alleged to have abused their son, and in Norway, that’s a pretty serious offence. That they are distraught is not in question, they certainly are. The question in this column is whether the argument being raised that this case is about a difference between Indian ‘culture’ and Norwegian ‘culture’. It’s not. Is it in our ‘culture’ to threaten those who cannot defend themselves? Seeing as we exploit our women and children and abuse our animals, it’s easy to think it is. It’s not. India does not have a single culture. We are the great imbibers of all things Oriental, local and Occidental. We are the melting pot that bubbles vigorously. Our ‘culture’ should be the epitome of tolerance and grace, yet we tomtom it in the worst possible scenarios. Indian’s abroad have a tendency to ghettoise themselves: Look at Karama and Gudaibiya in the Middle East, Feltham and Hounslow in London. Their lives are insular and closeted. If you live in another country then you live by their rules and abide their ‘culture’. We should act in a foreign country as a foreigner would be expected to act in ours. Their laws are YOUR laws, there is no grey area here. I hope that the case is closed soon and the family can get on with their lives. But let’s not fool ourselves, if this happened on our doorstep we wouldn’t have given a hoot.
14
ISRAEL vs PALESTINE: THERE WILL BE BLOOD FUSILLADE
George Carlinl Comedian
Oslo happens every day
HIGH-FLYING THOUGHTS The British newspapers are already lining up to joust over who will be the first to get a picture of the Duchess of Cambridge sporting her baby bump. All HFT can say is Hey! Hacks! Leave that kid alone! Not that anyone will listen. Pity the future King.
Arun Koshy Philip
D
isproportionate response has always been the cornerstone of Israeli policy towards Palestine and this time too it has been no different. The decision of the Jewish state to allow massive levels of settlements (considered illegal by friend and foe alike) on Palestinian land has only added fuel to the fire. The knee-jerk reaction to Palestine gaining observer status at UN (just nine opposing votes shows where the world opinion stands), the hawks in Israeli government had to prove that any line other than the Israeli line will bring about only suffering for Palestinians and their cause. The settlements will further corral Palestinians into a smaller piece of land, which is being continually encroached by Israel on every possible pretext, forcing into their lives an artificial scarcity for resources and related suffering. The icing on the Israeli policy cake is further financial and material restrictions that will cripple Palestine administration. As hundreds of millions of
dollars in legitimate taxes and aid is denied to the Palestine government, it is only natural that the current human catastrophe in the occupied territories will worsen. This will weaken the government’s ability to govern and, more importantly, rein in the activities of militant groups that target Israeli territory with crude rockets. The recent cross-border military operations by Israel in Gaza clearly demonstrates that the Jewish state has no qualms in killing civilians, though its propaganda machinery goes to great lengths to say how it ‘minimises collateral damage’. In a report by an international news agency, a Gaza resident recalls how he got a warning call from the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) at 3am that the building was about to be bombed in five minutes and the family had to evacuate immediately. He and his family were lucky enough to make it out alive before Israeli jets reduced the building to rubble — not everyone was that lucky. Say an average family has five to seven members, including children and elderly, how many can get out of a multistorey building if roused at the dead of the night and given a five-minute window? So even as its operations are guaranteed to massacre innocent civilians, Israelis can hide behind their
lip-service to ‘adequate warning’ — and have their US-led backers endorsing the slaughter. However, the Western champions of ‘peace and stability in the region’ have no difficulty in ignoring Israel’s possession of nuclear weapons and its continuing occupation of other countries’ territories — if only one were to forget that it is actually an occupied Palestine that is today’s Israel. Israeli policies are also ensuring that the oppression and injustice faced by the Palestinians are increasing by the day, and in turn transforming into a rallying point for terrorist organisations. Recruitment videos of jihadi groups showing mothers wailing over bloodied, limp bodies
of little children killed in Israeli raids have been quite effective in serving their purpose. When the financial and military might of Israel and its halfa-dozen backers are able to subvert the functioning of an international body like the United Nations and reduce it to a scarecrow, it is only natural that any action that will hurt Israel and its citizens will find takers and supporters. Palestinians are being killed slowly and painfully by Israel’s sheer brutality and equally effective stranglehold of blockades. The blood and tears of Palestinians will ensure that Israel will never sleep in peace till it mends its ways. The author works for Postnoon.
EDITORIALS The IOA deserves everything it gets
N
ews that the IOC has suspended India from the Olympics has created quite the stir. But why shouldn’t they? The fact that corruption is rife in the IOA is knowledge so common it verges on being relegated to the world of all things trite. OK, so maybe the IOC is not above reproach either, but in typical Indian fashion we have chosen to be angry with the foreigner rather than take stock of the situation at home (read Human Condition for more on that). Are we upset that we won’t win any more silver and bronze medals and cease to be the perennial embarrassment? Why not applaud the IOC for its decision, and hope that its harshness will clean up house in the IOA. But what really rankles one may presume is the fact that no fat cat IOA official is allowed to attend all those fancy IOC meeting’s at the taxpayer’s expense. The horror! Maybe they should just sit at home and try to sort out why such a populous country can’t do better at the Games, rather than line their pockets at the expense of hard-working sportspeople.
READERS’ VIEWS
Sachin’s ticking clock
A
s the Third Test gets underw ay between England and India in Kolkata today the spotlight will focus on Sachin Tendulkar’s performance with the bat. As Ricky Ponting walked off into the sunset in Perth, there were murmurs that Sachin should take a leaf out of Punter’s book and do the same, or risk the ignominy of becoming a once-great player who has outstayed his welcome at the crease. The irony is that if Sachin plays well, there’s more chance of this being his last series.
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
15
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2012
Cinema
ANNIE AWARDS Disney had to be all smiles with 27 nominations across four feature films in play. And it was Brave and Wreck-It Ralph from that stable that led the pack with 10 nominations each. Not far behind was Hotel Transylvania and ParaNorman with eight nods apiece.
BACK TO THE LUCKY CHARM
Back in 'action'
MOVIE OF THE WEEK
One of the highest paid stars in Bollywood today, Akshay Kumar will be returning as a khiladi in his upcoming venture Khiladi 786. The movie will be his eighth in the Khiladi series. NIDHI BHUSHAN nidhi.b@postnoon.com
Significance of #786
T
he Arabic letters of the opening phrase of the Qur'an sum to the numerical value 786 in the system of Abjad numerals. Not all Muslims place emphasis on this numerological analysis; however, some — mostly in India (muslim areas), Pakistan, Bangladesh and Myanmar — use 786 as a substitute for the phrase bism illāh ir-raḥmān irraḥīm ("in the name of Allah, the compassionate, the merciful"). The number was also supposed to be Amitabh Bachchan's good luck charm in the film Deewar. Amitabh Bachchan believed that the number was an auspicious one as the film Deewar (1975) was his first big hit. His belief was reiterated with the movie Coolie in 1983, in which #786 was his badge number. He believed that he survived the almost-fatal injury during the shooting of Coolie thanks to this good luck charm.
T
agged as one of the most bankable actors of the Hindi film industry, Akshay Kumar is finally returning in his khiladi avatar this year. Khiladi 786, slated to release this Friday, will be the superstar's comeback as a khiladi after 12 long years. Born in Amritsar, Punjab, Kumar made his khiladi debut with his second release in 1992 — Khiladi. The first movie in the series, Khiladi was directed by duo Abbas-Mustan. Kumar, who played the titular role in the movie, garnered praise for his portrayal of a smug college goer who lands his friends and himself into a whole lot of trouble because of a prank. The movie was a big commercial success and kicked off 'Khiladi' Kumar's successful Bollywood career. Songs like Wada Raha Sanam and Khudko Kya Samajhti Hai from the movie went onto become chart busters. His next in the khiladi series was the 1994 release Main Khiladi Tu Anadi co-starring Saif Ali Khan and Shilpa Shetty. Akshay Kumar, whose real name is Rajiv Hari Om Bhatia, played the role of a young angry cop, known for his merciless ways of dealing with criminals. The movie established Akki as the second angry young man of Bollywood. He also bagged immense popularity because of Churake Dil Mera Goriya Chali. Akshay Kumar had then become the new heartthrob of Indian cinema. An action hero, he was obsessed over for his masculinity and raw appeal. A real khiladi, Kumar was also known for performing his own stunts in films. Being a martial arts expert, he did it with ease and style. In 1995, Akshay Kumar starred in the third film in the khiladi series – Sabse Bada Khiladi. Cast opposite Mamta Kulkarni, Mohnish Behl, Gulshan Grover and Sadashiv Amrapurkar, Akshay Kumar bagged yet another box-office success with the release of this film. With chartbusters like Bholi
Bhali Ladki and Bharo Maang Meri Bharo, the movie became the seventh highest grosser of that year. As luck was on their side, Akki and his directors banked on the khiladiness in the title of an Akshay Kumar starrer to create ripples at the box office. Just
like that, the action hero starred in yet another film with the khiladi title, his fourth such, Khiladiyon Ka Khiladi in 1996. He was cast opposite Raveena Tandon and Rekha in the movie which was gripped by controversy regarding a sleazy number featuring Rekha and Akshay
Kumar — In the Night, No Control. Unfortunately, Akki’s khiladi luck faded away with Khiladiyon Ka Khiladi. He starred opposite Juhi Chawla in his fifth khiladi venture called Mr and Mrs Khiladi in 1997. The film — comedy genre — bombed at the box office. The film also marked the start of the action star’s streak of bad luck with the khiladi series. The sixth and the seventh movies in the khiladi series — International Khiladi (1999) and Khiladi 420 (2000) — also bombed at the box office, forcing Akshay Kumar to steer clear of the khiladiness in his movies for a while. The closest he got to khiladi after 2000 was in the year 2008 when he hosted the first season of Fear factor: Khatron ke Khiladi. He went on to host two more seasons — season 2 and season 4 in 2009 and 2011 respectively. Now, after 12 long years, the khiladi is back in action. But, will Khiladi 786 break the streak of bad luck in Akki’s khiladi ventures or will it prove to be another disappointment? Let’s wait and find out.
Hotel Transylvania Dracula operates a high-end resort away from the human world — for monsters. On one special weekend, Dracula has invited some of the world's most famous monsters — Frankenstein and his wife, the Mummy, the Invisible Man, a family of werewolves, and more — to celebrate his daughter Mavis' 118th birthday. He maybe the most feared count but goes into overprotective mode when a boy discovers the resort and falls for Mavis.
DID YOU KNOW...
Film
The Rise of the Guardians is the The last DreamWorks Animation film to be distributed by Paramount. This is an animated film which tells of story of the events that occurred when the evil spirit Pitch launches an assault on Earth. The Immortal Guardians teamed up to protect the innocence of children all around the world.
TRENDING...
After helming critically acclaimed movies like The King's Speech and Les Miserables, filmmaker Tom Hooper is interested in directing a James Bond picture. The English director says serving behind the lens for a big franchise like 007 will be an honor for him, reported Aceshowbiz.
A sequel to Hollywood classic Casablanca is said to be in plans for Warner Bros. The original 1942 movie starred Ingrid Bergman and Humphrey Bogart. A current rumour indicates that Warner Bros are working on the next stage in the tale, with a working title of either Return to Casablanca or As Time Goes By.
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2012
spotlight
GROOVY NIGHT
Gather your friends, put on your dancing shoes and head to Spoil where DJ Daman will be belting out the latest chartbusters.
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GLAMMING UP THE FIELD
Cricket to the rescue
Celebrating success 3
The press meet of Crescent Cricket Cup 2012 turned out to be a star-studded event with actors like Sunil Shetty, Kamna Jethmalani and Madhurima in attendance at Marriott. The money raised will be donated to NGOs that help women in rural areas. 1
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Cast and director of RanaNayanthara starrer Krishnam Vande Jagadgurum, which is making moolah in the box office since its release, celebrated the success of their film at Filmnagar Cultural Center on Tuesday. 4
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1 Nayanthara 2 Rana 3 Radhakrishna Jagarlamudi 4 Krishnamuthy
M ANILKUMAR
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1 Kamna Jethmalani 2 Tammareddy Bharadwaja 3 Sanjana 4 Madhurima 5 Sreekanth, Tarun 6 Nani 7 Sunil Shetty
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KHILADI IN THE CITY
Hit pair Akshay Kumar and Asin were spotted in the city for the press meet of their upcoming movie Khiladi 786 which is releasing this Friday.
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2012
health STAY WARM
RANJANI RAJENDRA
ranjani.r@postnoon.com
I
t’s that time of the year when most people look forward to snuggling up on the couch with a steaming cup of beverage. As the temperature dips and the days get shorter there’s nothing better than pulling out all stops to stay warm and toasty this winter. But does this really mean getting a room heater installed and other such fancy mechanics? Not really. Especially, in a City like ours where it never gets all that cold, but there is a definite nip in the air. You know how those bike rides can get chilly and leave you wishing you’d stayed indoors? What you could do instead of holing up indoors is wear something that’s warm and yet fashionable before you
IRON HOLDS KEY TO IMMUNITY Researchers have figured out why iron plays a key role in metabolism and infections, pitting bugs and animals against one another, resolving a 40-year-old debate and opening way to more potent antibiotics.The collaborative research is led by Phillip Klebba at Kansas State University.
Kill the chill Winter’s here and it’s time to bring out those woollies. What you can also do is concoct some delicious recipes to keep you warm company this winter.
WINTER CARE step out. So go on and bring out a colourful scarf or an uber cool jacket to keep you toasty even as you zip past City streets. Doctors in the City too agree that it pays to keep your neck covered, especially if you have a cold. Especially, since most of the body heat is lost from the head and neck, it helps to keep them covered. Wearing thick socks can also help keep your feet nice and warm. Try and wear a couple of thin layers of clothing instead of wearing one thick layer. Not only will it not make you look bulky it will also keep you a lot warmer, since warm air gets trapped between layers. This is also the same reason why you’ll probably be warmer under two light comforters than under one
thick blanket. It also helps to keep doors and windows closed in the evening as it keeps out the draught. Nothing however, beats warm comfort food during the dreary winter months. You
ANEWS PP-LYBRIEFS YOURSELF
could for instance load up on ginger and greens as they all do wonders when it comes to beating the chills. Not to forget, steaming cups of soups that feel so wonderful on a chilly winter evening. They are great appetis-
HOUSECALL
ers and also help effectively warm you up. Steaming cups of tea and coffee also work very well. And for chocolate lovers there is always that deliciously creamy cup of hot chocolate topped with marshmallows (see
DID YOU KNOW?
19
Hot Chocolate Ingredients n 2 tbsps + 2 tsps unsweetened cocoa powder n 2 tbsps white sugar n 1/2 pinch salt n 2 tbsps + 2 tsps boiling water n 1-3/4 cups milk n 1/4 tsp vanilla extract n 1/4 cup cream Method Combine the cocoa, sugar and pinch of salt in a saucepan. Blend in the boiling water. Bring this mixture to an easy boil while you stir. Simmer and stir for about two minutes. Watch that it doesn't scorch. Stir in the milk and heat until very hot, but do not boil. Remove from heat and add vanilla. Divide between 2 mugs. Add the cream to the mugs of cocoa to cool it to drinking temperature. You can also top this with marshmallows.
box for recipe) that is the ultimate winter warmer. And if brewing these beverages seems tiresome, you could always settle for a cup of hot green tea or simply sip on some hot water. It works wonders.
PIONEERS
mTBI pocket guide
Vulvodynia
You can’t tickle yourself
Baruch Samuel Blumberg
mTBI Pocket Guide, for iPhone, iPad, and Android devices, is a resource for people suffering from mild traumatic brain injury, a condition that may cause communication and thinking problems. The app was created by the National Center for Telehealth and Technology.
Vulvodynia, also known as vestibulodynia, is chronic discomfort or pain that's felt in the vulva and the area inside the vulva and the entrance to the vagina and urethra. The most common symptoms are burning, stinging, irritation, aching or rawness of the genital area. The pain may be constant or it may only occur intermittently — when the vulva is touched, for example. The pain may also be felt around the urethra.
It is not possible to tickle yourself. Even the most ticklish among us do not have the ability to tickle themselves. The reason behind this is that your brain predicts the tickle from information it already has, like how your fingers are moving and does not respond in the same way as it would if someone else was doing it.
Baruch Samuel Blumberg was an American doctor and co-recipient of the 1976 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for work on kuru, the first human prion disease demonstrated to be infectious, and the President of the American Philosophical Society from He received the Nobel Prize for discoveries concerning new mechanisms for the origin and dissemination of infectious diseases.
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health WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2012
RESEARCH
Doctor-patient trust beats pain, stress
According to a recent study, a doctor-patient relationship built on trust and empathy has much more going on than merely putting patients at ease. WASHINGTON: A doctorpatient relationship built on trust and empathy has much more going on than merely putting patients at ease — it helps the brain beat pain and stress. Recent studies have shown that doctors who listen carefully have happier patients with better health outcomes, but the underlying mechanism was unknown, said Issidoros Sarinopoulos, professor of radiology at Michigan State University. "This is the first study that has looked at the patient-centered relationship from a neurobiological point of view," said Sarinopoulos, study co-author, the journal Patient Education and Counseling reports. "It’s important for doctors and others who advocate this type of relationship with the patient to show that there is a biological basis," Sarinopoulos was quoted as saying in a Michigan statement. The study involved randomly assigning patients to one of the two types of interview with a doctor before undergoing an MRI scan. In the patient-centred approach, doctors addressed any concerns participants had about the procedure and asked open-ended questions allowing them to talk freely about their jobs. The other patients were asked only specific questions about clinical information such as their medical history and what drugs they were taking. As expected, those who had the patient-focused interview reported greater satisfaction and
confidence in their doctor in a post-interview questionnaire. The participants then were placed in the MRI scanner and given a series of mild electric shocks, similar to the discomfort of having an IV needle inserted, while looking at a photo of a doctor who they were told was supervising the procedure. The scans measured activity in the anterior insula — the part of the brain that makes people aware of pain — in anticipation of the shocks and when they actually occurred. The brain scans revealed
In the patient-centred approach, doctors addressed any concerns participants had about the procedure. those who had the patient-centred interview showed less activity in the anterior insula when they were looking at a photo of the interviewing doctor than when the doctor in the photo was unknown.
Those participants also selfreported less pain when the photos showed the known doctor."We need to do more research to understand this mechanism," he said. "But this is a good first step that puts some scientific weight behind the case for empathising with patients, getting to know them and building trust." The study was part of a effort at Michigan, led by Robert Smith, professor of medicine, to establish standards for patientcentered health care and measure its effectiveness. IANS
STUDY
Smiley sensor detects metabolic problems TORONTO: A new study now has devised a device that can help detect numerous problems. Canadian researchers have developed a sensor shaped like a smiley face which could help doctors detect metabolic problems in patients by attaching it to their skins. "We wanted a design that could conceal the electrodes," says Vinci Hung, doctoral candidate in physical and environmental Sciences at University of Toronto Scarborough, who helped create the new sensor. "We also wanted to showcase the variety of designs that can be accomplished with this fabrication technique," adds Hung. The new tattoo-based solidcontact ion-selective electrode (ISE) is made using standard screen printing techniques and commercially available transfer tattoo paper, the same kind of paper that usually carries tattoos of Spiderman or Disney princesses. In the case of the sensor, the "eyes" function as the working and reference electrodes, and the "ears" are contacts for a measurement device to connect to, according to a Toronto statement. Hung contributed to the work while in the lab of Joseph Wang, professor at the University of California - San Diego. "It was a wonderful opportunity," Hung said. She worked directly with Wang, who is wellknown for his innovations in the field of nanoengineering and is a pioneer in biosensor technology. By using different sensing materials, the tattoos can also be modified to detect other components of sweat, such as sodium, potassium or magnesium, all of which are of potential interest to researchers in medicine and cosmetology. IANS
BEHAVIOUR
Mother’s values tied to baby’s health
WASHINGTON: The value an expectant mother places on her family can tell how healthy a baby is going to be three years later. These findings from University of Southern California (USC) suggest that one’s culture is a resource that can provide tangible physical health benefits.
"We know that social support has profound health implications. Yet in this case, this is more a story of beliefs than of actual family support," said Cleopatra Abdou, assistant professor at USC Davis School of Gerontology, the journal Social Science & Medicine reports. Abdou studied 4,633 socio-
economically disadvantaged women, gauging their "familism" or, more specifically, their beliefs about familial roles and responsibilities, using a questionnaire. Familism was determined by responses to statements such as, "single moms can do just as well as married parents," or "it is better for children if
their parents are married." Abdou then tracked the health of their children and found that for every one point increase in familism, there was a 71 gram increase in birth weight independent of a whole host of other factors-including the gender of the infant or whether the mother was married. IANS
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WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2012
Entertainment JUGGLING BETWEEN MUSIC AND MOVIES
CINE BYTES
Making a music album in India is tough SHRUTI HAASAN
I
ndependent music artists are a rarity in India these days. Unlike the boom in 90s which gave rise to several artists like Alisha Chinoy, Lucky Ali among many others, there are hardly any indie pop artists who are making waves today. Shruti Haasan has been juggling between composing music and acting in films for quite a long time now. Ask her if she’s going to come up with her own music album, she replies, “It’s hard to work on a music album, unless you are funding the whole thing yourself. In India, the indie music industry is not as affluent as it should be. I have also worked on the other side of the fence as a music composer and that’s really like the Godzilla of Indian music industry. Back in the 90s, when the indie music scene was booming, music videos like Made in India, O Sanam were better than film songs. But with film music becoming so huge, it all went kaput for indie pop artists. The reason why Jenifer Lopez and Beyonce are so popular is because they have spent a lot of money and time to market their work and themselves. Moreover, someone has spent a lot of money in producing their work. Ironically, we don’t even have such producers in India. That’s definitely something that needs to change.” Of late, she has been collaborating with other artists in the country and trying to compose singles. “I have done one single already and will be doing another one soon. It’s very difficult to do a music album in between film shootings because composing a music album is a big commitment and it requires a lot of energy, time and focus. A single is realistic which is what I’ll be doing,” Haasan asserts. Currently, she’s shooting for her upcoming Hindi film D-Day, which stars Arjun Rampal in the lead role.
Mirchi pushed to Feb 8?
P
rabhas, Anushka, Richa starrer Mirchi has pulled out of Sankranthi race, if the latest buzz is to be believed. The film is now likely to release on February 8. Koratala Siva has directed the film and it has been jointly produced by Vamshi and Pramod. Devi Sri Prasad has composed the music.
Naan Ee goes to CIFF
S
S Rajamouli’s Naan Ee, the Tamil version of Eega, is going to be screened at the Chennai International Film Festival to be held in Chennai from December 13-20. The film is going to compete against 11 other Tamil films including critically acclaimed films like Pizza and Neerparavi.
Yamudiki Mogudu to release on Dec 21
A
llari Naresh’s upcoming sociofantasy film Yamudiki Mogudu is going to hit the screens on December 21. Richa Panai is playing Allari Naresh’s love interest and Sayaji Shinde will be seen as Lord Yama whereas Ramya Krishna is playing the role of Yama’s wife. E Satti Babu has directed the film and Koti has composed the music. The film will clash with Ravi Teja starrer Sarocharu at the box office.
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Entertainment WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2012
BOLLYWOOD IN WASHINGTON
CINE BYTES
Preeti trying out knew films
M
ohabbatein girl Preeti Jhangiani, who was last seen in the 2011 film Sahi Dhandhe Galat Bande, currently has as many as five films ready for release. “Two of my films are ready for release — Ye Hai Mumbai and Kaash Tum Hote. I have done a Bengali, Punjabi and a Kannada film as well. They are all ready for release now,” the 32year-old said on Monday. IANS
Five Bollywood stars feature at
MADAME TUSSAUDS WASHINGTON
I
ncredibly life-like wax figures of five Hindi cinema legends, including megastar Amitabh Bachchan and superstar Shah Rukh Khan, will be on display at Madame Tussauds Washington DC through the end of the year as part of a travelling Bollywood exhibit at the famed wax museum. Two colourfully dressed dancers in turquoise and shiny gold sequined outfits swayed and swung in synchronous rhythm as they performed a fusion of traditional and modern Indian dances at the launch of the new exhibit on Tuesday. The exhibit features Amitabh, regarded as one of the most influential actors in the history of Indian cinema, Shah Rukh, one of Bollywood’s most renowned actors and often referred to as ‘King Khan’, and Aishwarya Rai, one of the leading contemporary actresses of Indian cinema who was featured in the blockbuster action thriller Dhoom 2. Also featured are Hrithik Roshan, acclaimed actor and recipient of numerous best actor awards, and Kareena Kapoor, who is noted for her performances across a range of film genres — from romantic dramas and comedies to independent films and major Bollywood productions. IANS
Farah happy with response to ‘Fevicol se’
F
arah Khan, who has choreographed Kareena Kapoor in the item number Fevicol se for Dabangg 2, is thrilled with the response to the song. “I am very happy. I do very few songs in a year and I normally choose. Last time I heard the songs of Dabangg and chose Munni badnaam, but this time Arbaaz had already picked ‘Fevicol se’ for me,” she said. IANS
Rani prefers to be choosy
R
ani Mukherji, who plays a distressed wife and a mother dealing with her son’s death in her latest release Talaash, says she likes to challenge herself as an actor and be choosy. “I have to be choosy. If I don’t challenge myself as an actor to play a particular part I myself will get bored. Three-four years ago, I chose to sit back and do films that would not bore me. If I get bored then how can I expect from the audience to not get bored,” she says.
Entertainment WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2012
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Entertainment WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2012
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Entertainment WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2012
BRUNI GOES BACK TO SQUARE ONE
CINE BYTES
Rob Schneider sued by investors
N
Carla Bruni keen to make music again
S
inger Carla Bruni is keen to revive her music career, now that she has stepped down as France’s first lady. Bruni’s husband Nicolas Sarkozy lost the presidential election to Francois Hollande in May, and the couple vacated the country’s Elysee Palace official residence. Now Bruni, who previously dated singers Mick Jagger and Eric Clapton, is looking forward to moving away from politics and making music again, reports contactmusic.com. “The adventure (of being in the Elysee) was beautiful but today I want to go back to being a citizen like anyone else,” Bruni told France’s Vogue magazine. “I need to get back in touch with the artistic universe that is so familiar to me, without the words or notes of the music being deformed by a political prism that overwhelms everything else,” she added. IANS
o doubt, plenty of people have probably demanded their money back over a Rob Schneider film — but this is an extreme case. The former Saturday Night Live star and his brother are being sued by Napa County, Calif. residents George and Nancy Gamble, who claimed they were bilked out of $1.5 million that was supposed to be invested in a movie.
Cher’s new album due in March 2013
C
her’s next studio album, her first since 2001’s Living Proof, is due to be out in late March 2013. The release date was confirmed at Billboard’s 2012 Women in Music event. Cher’s forthcoming album is among a full slate of early 2013 album releases, including those from Josh Groban, Michael Buble, Goo Goo Dolls and Avenged Sevenfold.
Zero Dark Thirty wins top critics awards
Z
ero Dark Thirty won Best Picture from the New York Film Critics Circle. The 78th annual editions of these awards, which were announced Monday after a five-hour meeting of the circle, mark the start of the year-end kudos calvacade. Prizes will be presented at a ceremony on Jan 7. Zero Dark Thirty helmer Kathryn Bigelow claimed her second Best Director award from the Circle, three years after winning for The Hurt Locker, which also won the Best Picture prize.
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2012
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
Play & Win voucher from VENKEY’S VEG Restaurant, Nampally
SUDOKU
PREVIOUS PUZZLE ANSWER
26
Play & Win voucher from VENKEY’S VEG Restaurant, Nampally
1 Bridge-crossing fees 6 Curved path 9 Painter Chagall and playwright Connelly 14 Chipmunk of cartoons 15 ___ constrictor (snake) 16 Tennis great Chris 17 Infamous first name among hoteliers 18 Part of many southwestern place names 19 Satisfy, as a debt 20 Submission with a submission 23 Slender figure? 24 ___ mode (served with ice cream) 25 Some political refugees 27 Succeeds in bribing 32 Coin drop 33 Toothpullers' grp 34 Ersatz intellectual 36 Luxury craft 39 Silent assents 41 Cartoon hunter Fudd 43 Art colony near Santa Fe 44 Makes an effort 46 Odom of the NBA 48 Uracil is one of its basic components 49 Table scraps
51 Bowl-shaped strainer 53 Some are ‘of the heart’ 56 ‘Med’ or ‘law’ lead-in 57 Right-angle shape 58 Be entirely satisfactory 64 Of kings and queens 66 Promissory note, of a sort 67 Sac between a bone and tendon 68 Papas of ‘Zorba the Greek’ 69 ‘___ we now our gay apparel’ 70 Sacro___ (anatomical region) 71 Brings in, as a salary 72 ___ out a living 73 Take a nibble of
DOWN
1 Powder that goes to the bottom? 2 Fake butter 3 City in Ukraine 4 Straight and narrow 5 Get really tangled 6 Adequately skilled 7 Underground plant part 8 Social stratum 9 How we roll along? 10 St crosser, in NYC
11 School evaluation 12 Construction site hoist 13 Eyelid woes 21 Memory failure, eg 22 ‘Yummy’ pair 26 Barnyard butter 27 Word avoided by optimists 28 It'll stink up the place 29 Classic toy wagon 30 Opposite of keep a secret 31 Poisonous shrub 35 Aspiring musician's handout 37 Make keener 38 Peter I was one 40 Repeated Doris Day lyric 42 Kramden or Nader 45 Stops, as a yawn 47 Cheesy Welsh dish 50 ___ Lanka 52 Group of distant galaxies 53 Home on high 54 ___ and fauna 55 One way to get to second base 59 Stop-listen link 60 Whistle a happy one 61 Pupil's colorful place 62 Law sch exam 63 Dainty fabric 65 Cape ___, Mass
Chai Time WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2012 Thiruvaikumar
STAR POWER for 6-12-2012
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As per Hindu panchang thiruvaikumar@yahoo. co. in, 040-27177230 / 9177596118
ARIES
TAURUS
GEMINI
CANCER
LEO
VIRGO
LIBRA
SCORPIO
SAGITTARIUS
CAPRICORN
AQUARIUS
PISCES
Ups and downs likely but don’t worry as soon the situation will become stable. Those planning to change their residence will get a suitable choice. Competition in the business will reduce. Employees will have travel a lot through unexpected journey.
STRIP TEASE AGNES
Women need to be careful as there are chances of misunderstanding with mother. Businessmen might face difficulty in getting new agency business. Employees will be overburdened. Artists will get chance to go abroad and earn well.
Expenses will increase and hence a proper planning is necessary to monitor and prioritise needs. Extreme caution needs to be exercised. Businessmen will see good and profitable changes. Children will do well and make you happy.
Delay in court issue will change and things will move fast. Sharing issues of ancestral property will go smoothly. Strained friendship will resume. Govt officials will be added to your friendship circle. Your interest in yoga and meditation will increase.
Children's adamancy might upset you but at the same time you will feel happy to speak about their achievements. Also, you might plan to purchase new asset in their name. Problems in the ancestral property will disappear.
Written-off dues to you can get collected with sincere efforts. Children will do well and make you happy. Minor misunderstanding likely within family members but will soon get resolved. Spouse will be co-operative and supportive.
Maternal relatives will be helpful while there are chances of difference through paternal relatives. Enemies will be under control. Avoid unwanted arguments with women and spouse. Health needs to be taken care of. Artists will achieve goals.
You will think wisely and take bold and proper decisions, which will yield expected results. Loan applied for purchase or construction of house will get sanctioned. Tiredness and tension likely but do not worry as it is only temporary.
Held-up work will resume now and get completed faster, which will cheer you. Professionals and businessmen will be cheerful as they have a good time; whatever they touch will be successful. Politicians will be in limelight and gain fame.
TAROT READ
Sumaa Tekur
tarotreadhyd@gmail. com
ARIES:
GEMINI:
Queen of Wands – Finances are in control and you feel more confident about doing something different and giving your desires a chance, for a change.
LEO:
Seven of Cups – You’re after material possessions and you’re on the way to acquiring all you want. This is a great time to balance the material and the spiritual.
LIBRA:
PEARLS BEFORE SWINE
Death – Time for change in your daily schedule. You’ll be doing different things and you’ll be doing things differently. Technology may have something to do with it.
SAGITTARIUS:
Six of Cups – You’re in the mood to look back at the days gone by. You get nostalgic; you also want the simplicity of yesterday to make a presence in your today.
TAURUS:
The Devil – Resist the temptation to take on more work than you can just because you want to look popular with your peers and seniors in the office.
CANCER:
Ace of Wands – You find unusual and off-beat solutions to difficult problems. It’s intuitive managing of obstacles and it works wonders for the moment.
VIRGO:
Page of Cups – You’re like a young, smitten lover who is seeing only what he wants to see. Allow time for this feeling of novelty to settle.
SCORPIO:
Six of Swords – Messages from overseas contacts will trigger new ideas in you. You may even take a trip across the seas. Time to consolidate your plans.
CAPRICORN:
The Chariot – You’re eyeing a new car in the market to better fit your current requirement. Travel is indicated. It might be a spiritual trip to connect with yourself.
PREVIOUS SOLUTIONS
PISCES:
Three of Pentacles – You need to prepare yourself better for what’s coming your way. A course to upgrade your skill – whether managerial or technical – is needed.
NUMBER GAME
cles – Avoid conflict and confrontation at all costs. Let things go. Don’t hold on to insignificant issues that will not have bearing on your future.
SCRABBLE
AQUARIUS: Five of Penta-
POOCH CAFE
Those upset due to delay in finalisation of their marriage can feel happy, as marriage will be finalised and will take place soon. Ego clashes and misunderstanding between couples will disappear. A major debt issue will get cleared.
for 6-12-2012
Knight of Cups – You’re raring to go – with ideas and outlook and an attitude to match. You also feel intuitive. Make use of this special time.
NON SEQUITUR
You get happy to receive assets through your father. You will participate with interest celebrations at your friends' place. Planned work will be successful. Renovation of your house will be taken up and an annexe will be built.
SUDUKO
You will achieve targeted goals in all your work, which will cheer you. Those with a plot will complete construction of their house with all comforts as per their choice. Those planning to go abroad need to approach genuine agents.
Boggle LUTE GUITAR VIOLIN MANDOLIN Vol: 2, No 139 RNI No: APENG/2011/39337 Published for the proprietors, Scribble Media and Entertainment Pvt Ltd, by V Harshavardhan Reddy, at #1246, Level 3, Jubilee Casa, Road No 62, Jubilee Hills, Hyderabad – 500033 and printed by him at Jagati Publications Ltd, Plot No D-75&E-52, APIE Industrial Estate, Balanagar, Ranga Reddy Dist, Hyderabad – 500037, Editor: Dean Williams – Responsible for selection of news under the PRB Act All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission of the publisher is prohibited. For feedback, please write to: feedback@postnoon. com and for subscription, please call 040-4067 2222, Fax: 040-4067 2211
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Entertainment WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2012
MORE THAN JUST HOPE
TAYLOR SWIFT
honoured by
the KENNEDY family in NYC
CINE BYTES
Bully up on Oscar list
T
he Weinstein Company's Bully and David France's AIDSactivism documentary How to Survive a plague are among the films shortlisted as possible nominees in the Documentary Feature category at the 85th Academy Awards. The 15 films on the list, which were culled from 126 films originally qualified for the category, will be whittled down to five final contenders by the Documentary Branch.
The new Harry Osborn
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t's not every day you get a humanitarian award from your ex-boyfriend's dad. Taylor Swift, gleaming in a gold Oscar de la Renta dress, was presented with the Ripple of Hope Award from the Robert F Kennedy Center for Justice & Human Rights at a gala Monday night in New York City. While Taylor's ex, 18year-old Conor Kennedy, was not in attendance, his father, the foundation's namesake, was there along with a number of other members of the Kennedy dynasty, including RFK Jr.'s sister Rory Kennedy and Ted Kennedy Jr. Alec Baldwin and wife Hilaria, Melanie Griffith and Antonio Sabato Jr. and RFK Jr.'s current flame, Cheryl Hines, were among the guests. The Ripple of Hope Award goes to leaders in activism, business and entertainment who demonstrate a commitment to social change. In addition to being honoured, Taylor also provided entertainment, singing Starlight, a song on her Red album about family matriarch Ethel Kennedy.
he Amazing Spider-Man 2 has its Harry Osborn. Director Marc Webb, announced via Twitter that he has chosen Dane DeHaan — best known as the powermad teenager in Chronicle — as the son of Green Goblin, Harry Osborn. The 24-year-old DeHaan, who also co-starred on HBO’s In Treatment, and had small roles in Lincoln and Lawless, had been rumoured to be the front-runner for the role.
Baldwin inks deal with NBC
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lec Baldwin is staying in business with NBC. Following a similar agreement with his 30 Rock co-star Tina Fey, Universal Television has signed the actorproducer to a two-year overall deal. A Universal Television rep confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter that Baldwin will develop and produce television projects, including potential starring vehicles, for the studio.
sports
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2012
ZONAH LASERMAXX CUP
HCCL beat R&I
HYDERABAD: It was and exciting Quarterfinal round filled with unexpected results as the top seed teams from both the groups lost their games. Selected Scores: Zonah beat HSBC-GLT by 15 runs - Shane(MoM) 46(49) & 3.4 overs 18/4, Brajesh Singh 4 overs 22/3 HCCL beat R&I by 7 wickets Umair Ahmed(MoM) 69(62), Yaqub Maqsusi 4 overs 24/3, Vishal Kumar 30(22) Ivy Comptech beat Deccan Stallions by 10 runs - Harsh Pensi(MoM) 24(24) & 4 overs 34/3 IBM's SARM beat Pete Transformers by 8 wickets Phani(MoM) 3 overs 1 mdn 15/6, Aaqib 38(33)*
UK CHAMPIONSHIP
BOLD MOVES
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Carter leads way into last eight
Players of the Hyderabad senior men’s roller hockey team pose with their medals after winning the finals of the 24th state championship in Vishakapatnam. Hyderabad won the Bronze medal in the Junior boys category while they claimed the silver in the senior men’s inline event. Hyderabad also clinched the runner’s-up trophy in the overall championship.
PAKISTAN’S TOUR OF INDIA
PCB team inspects Chepauk
CHENNAI: The four-member inspection team of PCB led by their GM (Media Affairs) Nadeem Sarwar on Tuesday inspected the security arrangements and facilities for the Pakistan's first ODI match against India to be held at Chepauk Stadium on December 30. The four-member team met the officials of the Tamil Nadu Cricket
Association (TNCA) as well as the senior police officials who had briefed them about the facilities as well as the security arrangements which would be there for the match. The inspection was a closed-door one and hence neither the PCB officials nor the TNCA officials were available for any comments about this meeting for the security arrangements. PTI
LONDON: Ali Carter overcame giant-killer Mark Joyce 6-2 on Tuesday to become the first man to qualify for the UK Championship quarter-finals. Joyce, the world number 50, had pulled off a huge upset in York on Sunday when he came from 5-2 down to beat title favourite Judd Trump. Carter, a two-time World Championship finalist, was 4-0 ahead at the interval after breaks of 46, 58 and 73, and held off a brief rally from his opponent to take his place in the last eight. "It was a dream start for me but we saw what happened with Mark and Judd in the first round," said Carter. "I wasn't going to let that happen to me today. I didn't play great but I'm in the quarter-finals and maybe there's a bit left in there." Carter will face either Stuart Bingham or Stephen Maguire for a place in the semi-finals. He was joined in the last eight by Welshman Matthew Stevens, who overcame Hong Kong's Marco Fu 6-4 in a sapping encounter. "It wasn't the best match in the world. I'll have to play a lot better than that if I'm to go any further," said Stevens, the UK champion in 2003. "It's hard to enjoy a match when you're making breaks of eight and playing safe all the time. AFP
HYDERABAD TRACK WORK
Vijays Jet, Lumier Blanche excel
HYDERABAD: Vijay Jet, Lumier Blanche ,Great Warrior, Rocking Racer, Sheer Genius, Vijay Kiran and Ruffiano Impressed when the horses excercised here this morning. Sand Track 800 Metres: Odalis (Ravinder Singh) 55.5, 600/42 Maintains form. Toli Toli Toli (M.Mark) 55.5, 600/41 Pleased. Bold Brigade (Chary) Saint Luis (app) 1-0, 600/45 They moved together. Komo Komo Komo (rb) 58, 600/44 Easy. Kohinoor Vikrant (Ajit Kumar) 56, 600/42.5 Moved well. Original Gladiator (K.Alam) 1-3, 600/47.5 Easy. Commanding Heights (N.Rawal) Arabian Dancer (Sai Kumar) 57, 600/43 Former finished in front. 2y.Staminoizd (Ramana) Fashionista (rb) 1-2, 600/46 They moved together. 2y.Palm Springs (rb) 2y.Magical Punch (Christopher) 57.5, 600/44 They finished together. Major Luck (K.Alam) 58, 600/44 Easy. Nano Storm (Ajit Kumar) 56.5, 600/43 Moved well. Sweety Girl (M.Mark) 56.5, 600/41.5 Pleased. 2y.Cold Smile (Anil) 2y.Ice Barrier (Dileep) 1-2, 600/46.5 They moved freely. Splendid Knock (app) 58.5,
600/44 Moved freely Ruffiano (rb) 56, 600/41.5 Moved well. Green Gift (app) Striking Gold (rb) 1-1.5, 600/45 They moved together. Our Mascot (Imran Khan) 1-2, 600/45 Easy. 2y.Fair And Square (Dileep) 1-3, 600/47 Easy. Sand Track 1000 Metres: Sheer Genius (rb) 1-9, 800/53, 600/40 Caught the eye. Vijay Kiran (M.Mark) 1-11, 800/54, 600/41 Pleased. Kansas City Mac (Ajit Kumar) 1-11.5, 800/56, 600/41 Moved well. 2y.Decathlon (Ravinder Singh) 1-14, 800/58, 600/43 Moved very easy. Sand Track 1200 Metres: Sheikhs Emperor (Ajit Kuamr) 125.5, 1000/1-11.5, 800/56.5, 600/43 Pleased. The Leader (rb) Ashok Chakra (Kiran Naidu) 131.5, 1000/1-14, 800/56.5, 600/41.5 They moved well. Monsoon Inner Race Grass 800 Metres: Romantic Champ (Ravinder Singh) 53.5, 600/40 slightly pushed. Rosemead (Pawar) 57.5, 600/43 Easy. 2y.Globe Trotter (S.Nayak) 2y.Graceland (Kuldeep Singh) 55, 600/42 They moved together. 2y. Riverdale
(Christopher) 2y.True Haven (Kuldeep Singh) 55, 600/42 Former finished a length in front. Mr.Khoasteep (app) 51.5, 600/38 Retains form. Monsoon Inner Race Grass 1000 Metres: 2y.Princely Heir/Equal Right (Ait Kumar) Kohinoor King (app) 113.5, 800/55.5, 600/41 Former finished in front. Front Line (Deep Shanker) Elzaam (Harinder Singh) 1-4, 800/52, 600/39 They moved well. 2y.Whats Up (rb) 2y.Natalia (Deep Shanker) 1-8, 800/52, 600/39 Former finished a length in front. 2y.Gospel Of Bernabas (rb) 2y.Amazing Weapon (app) 1-12, 800/56, 600/42 Former finished 2 lengths in front. 2y.Kohinoor Punch (Ajuit Kumar) 1-7, 800/50.5, 600/37 Moved well. Monsaoon Inner Race Grass 1200 Metres: Lumier Blanche (Harinder Singh) Rocking Racer (Deep Shanker) 1-16, 1000/1-3, 800/50, 600/37 They moved well and finished together. Imaan (Deep Shanker) Vijays Victory (Harinder Singh) 1-29, 1000/1-13, 800/57, 600/42 Former finished in front.
Marquise (Ravinder Singh) 2y.Amicable Advisory (app) 122, 1000/1-3.5, 800/50.5, 600/37.5 Former finished 2 lengths in front. Jaz Elle (app) 1-19, 1000/1-5, 800/51, 600/39 Moved well. Monsoon Inner Race Grass 1600 Metres: Vijays Jet (Harinder Singh) Great Warrior (Deep Shanker) 150,1400/1-34, 1200/1-19, 1000/1-5, 800/51, 600/38 An impressive display. Gate Practice 1200 Metres: Star Experience (Ravinder Singh) 2y.Think Twice (Dileep) Ground Crew (Deep Shanker) 2y.Advisor (Anil) 1-26.5, 1000/1-11.5, 800/58, 600/44.5 They jumped out well and moved freely. Sun Strikes (Togrolu) 2y.Santa Monica (Christopher) 2y.Sherman Oaks (S.Nayak) 2y.Fenway Court (Kuldeep Singh) 1-19, 1000/1-5, 800/53, 600/41.5 Last two were missed the jump. Always Bullish ((Imran Khan) Kings Cruise (Chary) Ic Mountain (Anil) Princess Jaanu (app) Sugar Deal (M.Mark) 1-17, 1000/1-2.5, 800/51.5, 600/39.5 They jumped out well and Always Bullish impressed. Seno
Rita (app) 2y.Tricks Of Gold (Ajit Kumar) Star Wish (Ravinder Singh) 1-21, 1000/1-7, 800/55, 600/43 Star Wish stopped gallop near 600 metres. Dakshayani (app) Symbol Of Beauty (Nitin Singh) 1-17.5, 1000/1-3, 800/50, 600/37.5 They took a good jump and finished together. 2y.Golconda King (N.Rawal) Bold Attack (Sai Kumar) Ashleen State (app) 2y.Vijays Triumph (Joshi) 1-17.5, 1000/1-3, 800/53, 600/41 Vijays Triumph missed the jump. Sprint Saloni (Chary) 2y.Star Wings (Sai Vamshi) 2y.Just Once (Pawar) 2y.Par Excellence (S.Nayak) 2y.Half Moon Bay (Kuldeep Singh) 1-21, 1000/1-7, 800/53, 600/39.5They jumped out well and finished in the same order. 2y.Ben Hur (Imran Khan) Royal Craft (Alikhan) Arriviste (Christopher) 1-20, 1000/1-4.5, 800/51.5, 600/38.5 They jumped out well and Ben Hur finished well in front. 2y.Ray Of Hope (Harinder Singh) Joel (App) 2y.Vijays Splendour (Deep Shanker) 1-20, 1000/1-5, 800/52, 600/39 They jumped out well and finished in that order.
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WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2012
INDIA SHAMED
IOC slaps IOA with suspension
India has had its rights suspended by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) because of its stance of electing tainted officials, it was announced after an IOC meeting. LAUSANNE: India has had its rights suspended by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) because of its stance of electing tainted officials it was announced after a meeting of the IOC Executive Board here on Tuesday. Suspension of their IOC rights means India will not receive IOC funding and its officials would be banned from attending Olympic meetings and events. India’s athletes would also be barred from competing in the Olympics under the national flag, although the IOC could allow some to take part under the Olympic flag. The suspension comes amid an ongoing row between the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) and the IOC over the election procedure for top posts in the national organisation due to be held on Wednesday. A New Delhi court directed the faction-ridden IOA to hold the vote according to the government’s sports code but the IOC wanted it to abide by the Olympic charter that favours autonomy and prompted its action on Tuesday.
“The Executive Board decided to suspend the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) due to its failure to comply to the Olympic charter and its statute, fail to inform the IOC in a timely manner, and as a protective measure to government interference
Suspension wrong and onesided, says India NEW DELHI: India’s sports officials on Tuesday slammed the International Olympic Committee’s decision to suspend the country’s membership, saying it was “wrong and one-sided”. The IOC’s Executive Board, which met at the governing body’s headquarters in Lausanne, Switzerland on Tuesday, suspended India for flouting the Olympic charter in its election process. “I have not heard anything officially, but am told that India has been suspended by the IOC,” Indian Olympic Association’s president-elect Abhey Singh Chautala told AFP.
in the election process,” said IOC Director of Communications Mark Adams. “The IOA is no longer entitled to exercise any activity or rights including financial support... until the suspension is lifted. The EB confirms that IOA is not entitled to hold any election until all pending issues are resolved.” Things came to a head after it was revealed that Lalit Bhanot, who is out on bail after spending 11 months in custody last year on corruption charges linked to the 2010 Commonwealth Games in New Delhi, was expected to be elected unopposed to the post of secretarygeneral. The new IOA president was expected to be Abhey Singh Chautala, who has close links to Suresh Kalmadi, who is also on bail over corruption IOC director of relations with national charges linked to the Olympic committees Pere Miro gestures Commonwealth during a press conference on Tuesday after Games. AFP India was suspended from the IOC. AFP
THAILAND GOLF CHAMPIONSHIP
AUSTRALIA OPEN PREVIEW
Rose, Scott to face off Westwood hopes to recapture form
Rose and Scott are the top drawcards at the $1.3m tourney.
ROBERT SMITH Agence France-Presse SYDNEY: England’s Justin Rose (in pic) and Adam Scott of Australia will face off in a mouthwatering pairing in the opening two rounds of the Australia Open, teeing off at The Lakes in Sydney on Thursday. Rose and Scott are the top drawcards at the Aus$1.25 million ($1.3 million) tournament but the spotlight will also be on Chinese teen sensation Guan Tianlang -- the youngest player ever to qualify for the US
Masters. World number four Rose, who finished second behind top-ranked Rory McIlroy at last month’s World Tour Championship in Dubai, will play the opening 36 holes alongside Scott, seventh in the rankings. Scott beat Ian Poulter by four shots at Melbourne’s Kingston Heath last month to win the Australian Masters for the first time, saying it made up “in a small way” for his capitulation at this year’s British Open, when he blew a four-shot lead over the last four holes at Royal Lytham.
AIDAN JONES Agence France-Presse
BANGKOK: Defending champion Lee Westwood returns to the Thailand Golf Championship on Thursday hoping to recapture his imperious form of last year in a field studded with Major-winners. The world number six stormed to a seven-shot win at the inaugural event sparked by an opening round of 12-underpar 60 — narrowly missing out on a magical 59, which has never been shot on the Asian Tour. Westwood has described it as
“one of the best rounds I’ve ever played” and will be determined to retain his title and finish his season with a second win in Asia this year, and third overall. But the Englishman, the topranked player at the event after the late withdrawal of Louis Oosthuizen with illness, will be braced for intense competition from a strong field at the Amata Spring course near Bangkok. Bubba Watson, Charl Schwartzel, Sergio Garcia, Hunter Mahan, Darren Clarke and Ryo Ishikawa lead the charge while the local challenge will be spearheaded by Thongchai Jaidee.
SPORTS BRIEFS McIlroy named US PGA Tour Player of Year
Warne comeback talk sets media abuzz
Grace looks to win inaugural title
PONTE VEDRA BEACH: Rory McIlroy, whose four US
SYDNEY: Australian legend Shane Warne Wednesday
JOHANNESBURG: Four-time European title winner Branden Grace is the favourite to win the inaugural Nelson Mandela Championship when the first event in the 2013 European Tour season tees off Thursday in Durban. The 24-year-old South African, who ended sixth at the World Tour Championship in Dubai two weeks ago, is an ambassador for the event named after the country’s first black president, a Nobel Peace laureate and struggle icon. “It’s the first time that he has done something like this, putting his name to a golf tournament,” said Grace. “What he has done for South Africa is amazing. He has turned things round and everyone looks up to him.” AFP
PGA Tour victories in 2012 included a major title at the PGA Championship, was named the US tour’s Player of the Year on Tuesday. US tour members vote on the award, which made the him the youngest player to be named Player of the Year since then 21-year-old Tiger Woods in 1997. McIlroy authored a strong finish to the season, including his eight-shot PGA Championship triumph at Kiawah Island. He won the US PGA Tour money title, along with the European Tour’s money crown, and won the Vardon Trophy awarded by the PGA of America and the US PGA Tour. AFP
played down comments that he could make a dramatic return for next year’s Ashes series against England after telling newspapers he was ready to play if asked. The 43-year-old leg-spinner quit Test cricket in 2007 but captained the Indian Premier League side Rajasthan Royals for four years, winning the inaugural tournament in 2008. Now preparing for another season in Australia’s Big Bash League with the Melbourne Stars, he told News Limited newspapers that he had “absolutely no doubt” he could bowl successfully at Test level again. AFP
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WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2012
ENGLAND’S TOUR OF INDIA
India make steady start
A steady start was slightly undone by the loss of a couple of quick wickets as India reached 90 for two in their first innings at lunch on the first day. KOLKATA: A steady start was slightly undone by the loss of a couple of quick wickets as India reached 90 for two in their first innings at lunch on the first day of the third cricket Test against England here today. After the first session, Gambhir was unbeaten on 50 and giving him company was the
under-fire Sachin Tendulkar (1). Electing to bat, India raced to 47 in the 11th over with Virender Sehwag (23) and Gambhir giving a fine start to the home side on a flat wicket. But Sehwag’s innings was cut short when Gambhir ran the former out with a poor call. There was little help for the bowlers from the pitch as the ball
stayed on driving height. It was no surprise that Cook introduced spin in the eighth over of the innings when leftarm tweaker Monty Panesar replaced Steven Finn, who conceded 16 runs from his threeover first spell. The tall Finn made a comeback in the side after recovering
from a thigh injury that had forced him out of the first two Tests. England made one more change with Ian Bell replacing Jonny Bairstow. Panesar was easily picked up by Gambhir in the first over. In Panesar’s next over, Gambhir came down the track to loft him over mid-on. PTI
scoreboard
India 1st Innings G Gambhir not out Sehwag run out (Finn/†Prior) CA Pujara b Panesar SR Tendulkar not out Extras Total (1 wicket) Fall of wickets: 1-47 Bowling O M R W JM Anderson 8 2 25 0 ST Finn 7 1 26 0 MS Panesar 11 4 32 1 GP Swann 3 0 7 0
49 23 16 1 0 88
AUSTRALIA VS SOUTH AFRICA
Test: The real format of cricket TWELFTH MAN
Babu Kalyanpur
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fantastic Test series between Australia and South Africa once again underscored that Test matches are the real thing. Though South Africa claimed the series with a thumping 309run victory in the third Test at Perth, it did not reflect the true picture. The positive attitude of both captains, Michael Clarke and Graeme Smith, ensured a hardfought, suspenseful and stirring series. There was everything for the spectators to admire – heroic fightbacks, searing pace and movement and superb strokeplay with boundaries galore. South Africa fully deserved to maintain their No 1 spot. But it was not until Perth that they could confirm that. If Australia had won, they they could have dethroned the champions. But a sudden change of tactics by Smith changed the whole complexion of the match. The usually sedate South Africans adopted a carefree approach in the second innings and blazed their way to victory,
at times maintaining a run-rate of over six per over. This approach was audacious. Hashim Amla led the way with a magnificent century with Smith and later A B de Villiers kept up the tempo. Dale Steyn also found his form and Australia were swept away in the final innings of the series. But make no mistake, Australia are beginning to be a major force once again. Clarke must take credit for this. His batting is at its peak and at times he just toys with the bowling. And big hundreds are flowing from his bat. This form has rubbed off on his captaincy too. He is not afraid to gamble in pursuit of
RANJI TROPHY
Gujarat claim three points against Hyderabad
VALSAD: Thanks to their huge first-innings lead, Gujarat today secured three points from their Group A Ranji Trophy match against Hyderabad on Tuesday. The visitors, who were 124 for two in their second innings, got one point. The outcome was a forgone conclusion once Hyderabad were bundled out
for 375 in their first innings in reply to Gujarat’s 566 at the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Stadium. During the final day’s play, Akshath Reddy scored 53 while Bavanaka Sandeep made 56, both unbeaten knocks. Brief scores: Gujarat 566 drew with Hyderabad 375 & 124/2 (Akshath Reddy 53 n.o., B Sandeep 56 n.o.).
victory. Australia dominated in the first two Tests. They could not force victory in either of them. South Africa must take credit for that. Test debutant Faf du Plessis saved the second Test with a truly great performance. With four wickets down cheaply, South Africa stonewalled their way to a draw. An injured Jacques Kallis also played his part, batting lower down the order with an hamstring injury. The out of form de Villiers also played an uncharacteristic knock. This innings probably helped de Villiers’ confidence and he was back to his usual self at Perth. It was brilliant to see him
BRIEF SCORES
At New Delhi: Kerala 314 & 193/3 decl. (Abhishek Hegde 107) drew with Services: 335 & 85 for no loss. At Nagpur: TN 449/8 decl. drew with Vidarbha 566/8 (Faiz Fazal 143, Shrikant Wagh 83). At Rajkot: Saurashtra 576/9 decl. drew with Railways 335 (Shivakant Shukla 82, Kamlesh Makvana 6/102). At Mumbai: Mumbai 297 & 294/5
reverse sweeping three boundaries to get to a century. Smith played well right through the series but his partner Alviro Peterson got a few scores but did not capitalise. Kallis scored heavily once again. But the batting hero was undoubtedly Amla. He showed two sides of his character. In the first Test, he fought hard to get a century. He battled despite near misses. Perth was different. At times, he was scoring at seven per over with such ease that it took everyone by surprise. Amla is probably the No 1 Test batsman along with Clarke. The usually erratic Morne Morkel was a big success. He bowled fast, mixed the short ones smartly with the length ball, and finished as the top wicket taker. Dale Steyn was off colour in the first two Tests. But he came good at a vital time in the third encounter. Vernon Philander was not at his best until Perth. He found his line and rhythm there. Imran Tahir disappointed but Robin Peterson made a good comeback. Smith’s success as a captain reflected his determination to keep South Africa at the top, Ricky Ponting was denied a fairytale ending to is career
decl drew with Bengal 201 & 198/7 (Abhishek Nayar 6/13). At Rohtak: Haryana 307 & 209 (Amit Mishra 74, Sumit Narwal 5/35, Vikas Mishra 4/64) bt Delhi 224 & 209 (Mithun Manhas 73, Amit Mishra 4/50). At Nadaun: Tripura: 441 & 177 (Vikramjeet Malik 5/36) bt HP 260 & 189 (Paras Dogra 105 n.o.). At Sambalpur: Maharashtra 315 &
which was sad. Ultimately the poor form did not leave him. Still the ovation Ponting got showed how much the world and opponents repected him. Australia will need a No 3 batsman soon. With Shane Watson’s return being uninspiring, there is a good chance that Phil Hughes or Usman Khawaja will return to the fold. With Clarke unwilling to promote himself and Michael Hussey doing well at No 6, there may be a temptation to keep Watson at three. With Hussey back at his best, half of Australia’s worries is over. The inconsistency of David Warner has to be accepted as a strokemaker like him will always mix success with failure. Australia’s bowlers came through splendidly. The real threat, James Pattinson. got injured half way through the series and this proved a big blow. Peter Siddle showed all his fighting qualities and bowled himself to the ground in the second Test. Nathan Lyon got caned at Perth but took crucial wickets otherwise. With Australia now becoming a force to reckon with, the world cricket order may change. Cricket needs a strong Australia to make the game more exciting.
333/5 (Harshad Khadiwale 92, Sangram Dilip Atitkar 88; Lagnajit Samal 4/68) drew with Odisha 441 (Niranjan Behera 103, Biplab Samantray 107). At Mohali: Rajasthan 222 & 196 lost to Punjab 215 & 206/1 (Jiwanjot Singh not out 110). At Guwahati: J&K 323 & 318/5 decl. bt Assam 165 & 241 (Tarjinder Singh 105).
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2012
sports
BACK PROBLEM FOR AUSSIE CAPTAIN CLARKE
Australian captain Michael Clarke is suffering from a sore back and has been ordered to miss the opening round of the Big Bash League so he can recover for the first Test against Sri Lanka next week. Clarke has long been troubled by lower back problems and the issue flared again.
CHAMPIONS LEAGUE
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Ajax crumble under Real thunder
Goals from Cristiano Ronaldo, Kaka and a Jose Callejon double in the Santiago Bernabeu sealed the Spanish champions’ victory, but top spot in the group went to Borussia Dortmund who beat Manchester City 1-0.
DERMOT LEDWITH Agence France-Presse MADRID: Real Madrid made light work of Ajax with an emphatic 4-1 win on Tuesday, but still had to settle for second place in Champions League Group D. Goals from Cristiano Ronaldo, Kaka and a Jose Callejon double in the Santiago Bernabeu sealed the Spanish champions’ victory, but top spot in the group went to Borussia Dortmund who beat Manchester City 1-0. Derk Boerrigter got the consolation for the Dutch who gave a good account of themselves and their reward is a place in the Europa League after finishing third ahead of Manchester City, who came a miserable last. Afterwards Madrid coach Jose Mourinho was full of praise for the performance of exTottenham player Luka Modric, who gave two wonderful assists for his side’s first goals of the evening. “Modric has already per-
Real Madrid’s Brazilian midfielder Kaka celebrates after scoring during the UEFA Champions League Group D football match Real Madrid vs Ajax Amsterdam at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium in Madrid on Tuesday. AFP/JAVIER SORIANO
CITY’S WOES
formed well for us in a number of games, he is a great player who can play at the highest level, nobody can deny he is going to be an important signing for the future of this club,” he said. Ajax coach Ronald de Boer was not as enthused with his side’s performance but looked forward to playing the Europa League. “I’m disappointed, Madrid have some fantastic players but we had eight or so playing below their normal level, I told them at half-time and they improved,” he said. “Overall we can be proud to come third in this group and we have a good chance in the next competition, we can reach the final.” Mourinho had earlier taken advantage of having already qualified to rest a number of first team players, mixing youth with experience, a tactic for which he has recently come under fire in the Spanish press for rarely doing. Reserve goalkeeper Adan started and a Champions League debut was handed to full-back Nacho Fernandez.
GUNNERS’ EMBARRASSMENT
Mancini left disappointed Wenger hopes for DAVID HEIN Agence France-Presse DORTMUND, GERMANY: Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini was disappointed as the English champions failed to even qualify for the Europa League after their 1-0 loss against Borussia Dortmund in their final Champions League group match on Tuesday. City’s abject display against a second string Dortmund side who topped the group while the English champions finished bottom - saw them become the first English side to finish a Champions League group stage with just three points and without a victory. “Getting into the Europa League was our target tonight,” said Mancini, who in his two previous seasons has guided City to first the FA Cup and then last term the Premier League title.
“We wanted to win but to win we needed to score. We are not in the Europa League and for this we should be disappointed. “We were in a tough group but if you make mistakes in
early games as we did you will not qualify.” City keeper Joe Hart, who was probably the team’s best player on the night, said it was the same old story for his team, and he doesn’t know the answer to the problem. “There was a hunger to win tonight, and if that meant Europa League than great,” said Hart, who made a series of great saves to keep the scoreline respectable. “But we have got bigger issues than that. We were up against a weakened team and we had to win. “We should be fighting to go through to the last 16 on the last day and we have only got ourselves to blame that we are not.” With their European season over, City will now focus entirely on defending their Premier League crown with the huge Manchester derby against leaders United next up on Sunday.
draw after flop show ATHENS: Arsene Wenger challenged his Arsenal flops to prove they are good enough to rescue a season teetering on the brink of disaster after the Gunners’ latest embarrassment. Wenger’s side crashed to a 21 defeat at Olympiakos on Tuesday that ended their hopes of pipping Schalke to first place in Champions League Group B and condemned them to a daunting draw in the last 16. Arsenal would have taken pole position with a victory in Athens as eventualy group winners Schalke were held to a 1-1 draw by Montpellier. But they wasted that lifeline in typically careless fashion as Olympiakos scored twice in eight minutes in the second half through Giannis Maniatis and then Kostas Mitroglou to overturn Tomas Rosicky’s first half opener.
Wenger’s side crashed to a 2-1 defeat at Olympiakos that ended their hopes of pipping Schalke to first place in CL Group B. It was another blow for Wenger, who is coming under increasing pressure from the club’s fans following Arsenal’s worst start to a Premier League season in his 16-year reign. The Gunners, currently 10th in the league after Saturday’s 2-0 home defeat, have now won just two of their last nine matches in all competitions and Wenger concedes they need to bounce back against West Bromwich Albion on Saturday to ease the sense of crisis engulfing the club.