Postnoon E-Paper for 06 July 2012 by Scribble Media & Entertainment Pvt. Ltd.

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FRIDAY, JULY 6, 2012 2012 HYDERABAD

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We hate saying we told you so... but we did. Worried at the threat of a debilitating drought hanging over the State, agriculture minister Kanna Lakshminarayana rushed to Delhi last night to seek Central support for a contingency plan.

E T A T S UP, S E K A W NALLY FI

REPORT ON: PG 3

A MILLION BLOOMS AT DIOR Dior blanketed a mansion in fresh-cut flowers to fete its new designer Raf Simons, and his playful, modern spin on the house’s iconic silhouette on day one of the Paris haute couture show. P20&21

FLASH

SC THROWS OUT PONNALA'S PETITION, SLAPS FINE The apex court slapped a fine of `10,000 on the State IT and communications minister Ponnala Lakshmaiah for wasting its valuable time in a case related to his election as MLA.

Page Two

FRIDAY, JULY 6, 2012

Spirit of Twin Cities

JUMPIN’ JACK FLASH M ANIL KUMAR

Hyderabad Library services Library and librarian services offered to members and groups (institutions) at `3,650 per year (per member). It covers study, career, competition, business of research. Welcome to APSET enrolled. Where: Hyderabad library services, Sagar View Complex When: June 9 to July 8, Contact: (040) 2322 2247, 94412 37751

Woodcut workshop The workshop conducted by artist M Ganghadar features various artists and is on from June 30. The exhibition will be on display at Iconart Gallery till July 8. Where: Iconart Art Gallery, Banjara Hills, Rd No 12 When: Ongoing, 11.30am onwards Contact: 98499 68797

Silk expo Head to the National Silk Expo for an exclusive collection of traditional silk and cotton designer suit and sarees, dress material by craftsmen from all over India. Where: Raj Rajeshwari Gardens, Sikh Village, Secunderabad When: July 4-July 9, Contact: 93688 82225

Monsoon waterscapes

Where: Lamakaan, Banjara Hills Rd No 1 When: July 8, 7.30pm onwards Contact: 96427 31329

The exhibition based on the theme water will features artistes such as Thota Tharrani, JMS Mani, S Jayaraj, Alphonso Arul Doss and Sowmya Das Gupta Where: Muse Art Gallery, Tank Bund When: Ongoing, 11am onwards Contact: (040) 2752 2999

Being eunuch

Petals exhibition

Dragon festival

Get set for yet another shopping extravaganza. Petals exhibition will be held on July 6. The exhibition which will be held will feature various new designers. Where: Taj Banjara, Banjara Hills, Rd No 1 When: July 6, 10am onwards Contact: (040) 6666 2323

Miya-Biwi Miya-Biwi, a comedy play by Udaan Performing Arts is the tale of a couple who are in court for their divorce proceedings. What prevails is a light-hearted and hilarious episode.

CINEMAS

Being Eunuch, a play highlighting the plight and problems of eunuchs in the country will be presented by Nishumbita on July 13. Where: Ravindra Bharathi, Saifabad When: July 13, 7pm onwards Contact: (040) 2323 1245 Have an oriental experience as the Golden Dragon at Taj Banjara presents its Dragon Festival Feast from June 28 onwards. Where: Golden Dragon, Taj Krishna, Banjara Hills When: Ongoing Contact: (040) 6629 3309

Akruthi Vasthra Crafts Council of India is hosting a textile exhibition from July 4 at Kamma Sangham Hall. The exhibition features artistes from across the country. Where: Kamma Sangham Hall, Ameerpet When: July 4-July 6, 10.30am onwards

Contact: 92937 73970

A double life Qadir Ali Baig Theatre Foundation presents A Double Life: An Evening with Alyque. Catch Mohammad Ali Baig in conversation with Alyque Padamsee. Where: HICC, Hitech City When: July 15, 7pm onwards Contact: (040) 6616 3000

Theatre workshop

When: July 12, 7pm onwards Contact: (040) 2752 2999

Art-de-konj A painting exhibition depicting artist Aiyudha Pooja Kapur’s passion for horses is on display at Muse Art Gallery till July 20. Where: Muse Art Gallery, Tank Bund When: Ongoing, 11am onwards Contact: (040) 2752 2999

A production-oriented workshop designed to introduce the art of acting on stage, focusing on learning the basics of stage acting, character analysis, stage and movement,is being held. Where: Actor’s Studio, Madhapur When: Ongoing, 7pm onwards Contact: 8341120303

Visual Odyssey

Musical evening

Musical friday

Boondhon ka Paigam, a monsoon musical yearly event will be held on July 12 at Hyderabad Marriott and Convention centre. The musical event will feature Kavita Seth and Jaswinder Singh. Where: Hyderabad Marriott and convention centre, Tank Bund

Head to Aqua, Somajiguda for a musical evening. Catch the band Phoenix performing by the poolside along with some great food. Where: Aqua, The Park, Somajiguda When: July 6, 8.30pm onwards Contact: (040) 2345 6789

Visual Odyssey — an exhibition of photographs by Amita Talwar and Mahesh Iyer is being held at Kalakriti Art Gallery. Where: Kalakriti Art Gallery, Jubilee Hills, Rd No 10 When: July 27 onwards, 11am onwards Contact: (040) 6656 4466

Big Cinemas, Ameerpet: 30581470; Cinemax, Banjara Hills: 44565555; Cine Planet , Kompally: 61606060; INOX, Banjara Hills: 44767777; Prasads, Tank Bund Rd: 23448888; PVR, Punjagutta: 8800900009; Talkie Town, Miyapur: 40214175; Tivoli, Secunderabad: 27844973

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Young wife grievously hurt In yet another case of alleged dowry harassment, a 27-year-old newly-wed was attacked by her in-laws

CRIME Mohd Subhan mohd.s@postnoon.com

n a brazen, atrocious dowry case, a hapless newly-wed, Sabiya Begum, 22, was allegedly attacked and was inflicted multiple wounds by her husband and in-laws who wanted more, police said. Sabiya was married to Saif Mohiuddin, 27, a call centre employee, two months ago. The incident that shocked her family took place three days ago at Qadrichaman Kandikal gate under Falaknuma police station limits, ACP Falaknuma D Chinna Hussain said. The victim, an MBA first year student is the daughter of Mohd Siddique of Malakpet and she was

FRIDAY, JULY 6, 2012

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working at a call centre in Madhapur where she met 27-year-old Saif Mohiuddin. Each expressed mutual affection and decided to marry. They got married on May 25, this year. At the time of marriage,

WITHIN 15 DAYS OF THE MARRIAGE, IT IS ALLEGED THAT THE IN-LAWS BEGAN HARASSING SABIYA FOR MORE MONEY. THEY WANTED `25 LAKH AND REPORTEDLY BEGAN PHYSICALLY TORTURING HER her father, a financial analyst at a national commercial bank is said to have given 40 tolas of gold, `2 lakh in cash, 1kg silver and

other house hold articles. Within 15 days, it is alleged, the in-laws began harassing her for more money. They wanted `25 lakh and reportedly began physically torturing her. But her parents expressed inability to pay more at this juncture and the cruel treatment intensified ending in her getting hurt. According to the complaint, on July 3, her husband and mother in-law caught hold of her while Khwaja Mohiuddin, her father-in-law attacked her with a knife. She is battling for life in a private hospital . The girl’s family got another jolt when they learnt that the Saif is a divorcee but had kept it a secret. The in-laws claimed she tried to attack them and they attacked her in self defence. The police arrested Saif and his mother. The father is absconding.

NEWS BRIEFS Burglar held: gold, cash and mobile phone seized

Panic after blast and fire in front of Mecca Masjid

alapathar Police arrested one Mohd Quader of Ranjan Colony in Tadbund area and seized 9 tolas of gold, `34,000, and one expensive mobile phone from his possession, inspector Mohd Abdul Majeed said. Quader is said to be involved in scores of theft cases. His latest plunder was in the house of a resident of Bilalnagar under Kalapathar on April 20. Residents had been away attending a marriage function, it is said. Mohd has been arrested and remanded to judicial custody. Many cases of thefts are likely to be worked out with his arrest.

anic gripped devotees offering Shab EBaraat at the Mecca Masjid last night when a blast followed by fire occurred at a fast food centre adjacent to the mosque. Thanks to the police bandobast for the ShabE-Baraat cops immediately took charge of the situation. They summoned fire tenders and kept the area informed of the incident, thereby preventing a stampede or violence. A large gathering had collected believing the mosque was under attack. Police presence and action prevented any untoward incident, DCP South Zone Akun Sabharwal said.

Drought looms over State Inkeshaf Ahmed ahmed.m@postnoon.com

orried at the advancing drought, the agriculture minister Kanna Lakshminarayana, last night rushed to Delhi to seek the central support for a contingency plan. Now, since half the monsoon season has gone dry, the State is faced with the grievous threat of a drought. Speaking to Postnoon from Delhi, Kanna said he was meeting central ministers for a plan that involved encouraging farmers to go for alternative crops, arranging, distribution seeds, implementation of mechanisation techniques and cash relief. “The State’s contingency plan is in place. We will encourage farmers to opt for alternative crops and ensure availability of these seeds. Besides this, mechanisation techniques would also be put in place to

utilise the remaining Khariff season to a complete level,” he said. Kanna said he would meet the Union agriculture minister today. The minister said the government could wait till July 15 to initiate the plan. “The Met department has informed us that we can still wait until first half of this month for rains. If there are no rains by then we will go ahead with our contingency plan,” he said. According to Lakshminarayana, a total of six districts have received scanty rains and therefore on the verge of drought. These districts included Kurnool, Anantapur, Chittoor and Kadapa districts. All these districts are in Rayalaseema. The minister further informed the situation seems to be worse in Anantapur district as many of the farmers of these districts have already sowed ground nut.

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Empty promises shatter Dhoolpet’s dreams of life after hooch N SHIVA KUMAR

Sudeshna Koka sudeshna.k@postnoon.com

arala was widowed by her late alcoholic husband. Her sons aged 6, 8 and 11, all work at Begum Bazaar. They are unlettered. When asked why aren’t they studying she said, “I am stuck in deep poverty. If we have to survive all of us have to work, we don’t have a choice. If my sons help me with my business then for sure our financial lot will improve but I am scared of the police. Almost every household in Dhoolpet has a similar tragic story to tell. Dhoolpet is the main base from where each day thousands of litres of gudumba (hooch) is packed in sachets and taken to various liquor pockets of the City. This trade has been taking place since the last 40 years and the excise raid is part of their lives. The area has always been in the news as the excise department conducts raids once every month or once in 40 days. Sometimes they destroy the liquor or sometimes they make arrests but nothing changes here. The community promptly forgets what happened the previous night and starts afresh. “We know that what we are doing is wrong. I lost my husband due to alcohol abuse and I know the pain to live without a life partner. But what can I do?” asks Mitalibai, a community member (inset picture). To bring them out of this decrepit life the State government in December 2010 introduced a special package to help the people involved in making hooch lead a respectable life. The scheme was aimed to make them self-reliant and earn from legitimate works. But the bureaucracy has been sleeping over this promise. Another community member

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The women in Dhoolpet want to move away from the business of making gudumba. But the change has been stopped in its tracks by poverty and empty promises

and deposited the money with a hope that they would soon be able to start a new life. Much to their disappointment, the bank did not revert, so they closed their accounts and continued with their gudumba making.

The government promised me `2 lakh to set up a vegetable shop. Nothing has come yet. If they help me I will quit this trade. Until then I have to continue. Gauribai, community member

Gauribai says, “The government promised me `2 lakh to set up a vegetable shop. Nothing has come yet. If they help me start another business I will quit this trade. Until then I have to continue with it.” Government employees had come, counseled them and also given them a letter which states that they would give them `2 lakh each to start a self help group. Most of the women have kept this document safely and have been enquiring about the followup of this assistance with the Mandal revenue officer but so far nothing has materialised. “We do not know anything else apart from how to make gudumba. In our community we are not allowed to go out and

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work. If we have the permission from the elders we will definitely go out and work but it’s unfortunate that we cannot work outside. We were thrilled when the government told us it will help us set up vegetable shops, tailoring shops and such small ventures but it looks like a mirage,” says Tulsibai. Besides the government, a leading bank had also approached the community and offered them a loan to start another business. The deal was that the bank would give them an interest-free loan to buy an auto rickshaw but they would have to open an account and deposit `10,000. Most of the families in the area managed to open accounts

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“When the excise department men come they hit us and abuse us. Sometime they ask us for bribes. Sometimes they destroy all our raw materials. Who would want to live a life like this? We want a decent living but it is just not possible here,” said Lakshmibai. Contrary to the common belief that these people make spurious liquor for lucre, the truth is that they get into this business as a last resort. As all of them are women, they have limited access to wealth and little freedom to work outside. The bank and government have been merely playing with their emotions by promising them a new start but the ground reality is that not just the present generation but the next generation too has been gripped by the deadly business of making gudumba. The situation is such that gudumba has almost become their deity.

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

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Realty projects face approval delays Scores of mega real estate projects are left in limbo because the HMDA’s new chief defers decision. Builders and developers are wringing their hands in anguish PICTURE FOR REPRESENTATIONAL PURPOSE ONLY

HMDA Inkeshaf Ahmed ahmed.m@postnoon.com

iles of real estate projects are piling up at the Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA) for the past two months. The new metropolitan commissioner Neerabh Kumar Prasad is said to be sending the files back at double the speed at which they come to his office, red-marked with query after query so that the files stay in perpetual transition and nothing reaches fruition. Worried developers and builders are going round and round but reaching nowhere. Officials are tight-lipped and point their finger at the commissioner’s office. But consistent prodding by Postnoon produced a response from HMDA director (planning) S Vishwanath, “The commissioner has cleared around 6-8 industrial building permissions for projects under the existing single window system. Apart from these he did not give clearance to any of the real estate project.” Vishwanath admitted that the Authority is under pressure from builders and developers who have time-bound projects which if delayed would draw heavy loss. However, nothing is being done, he said. Other officials in the HMDA dropped a hint that a veneer general fear is pervading throughout the IAS spectrum after the recent arrest of senior officers like BP Acharya and Y Sri Lakshmi. That several IAS officers are in the line of fire has aggravated the situation with the result that the officials prefer to defer decision rather than clearing them. “Since there is no penalty

Approvals are taking time According to the officials, earlier it took up to a week for a legitimate project to get approval. But nowadays it takes longer as the new metropolitan commissioner Neerabh Kumar Prasad is sending the files back at double the speed at which they come, red-marked with queries. This in turn results in the approvals getting delayed. Since building regulation is the onus of the GHMC, the over-caution the HMDA evinces in projects is unwarranted, they opined. for delaying decision they prefer the safe route,” said a senior official, hastening to add that he was not referring to the HMDA commissioner. Officials say that earlier it took a week for a legitimate projects to get approval. Since build-

ing regulation is the onus of the GHMC, not the HMDA, the overcaution the HMDA evinces in projects is unwarranted, they opined. HMDA does not have powers to take punitive action including demotion of unlawful buildings. Confederation of Real Estate Developers’ Association of India (Credia) AP president C Sekhar Reddy admitted that he was told of the standstill situation in HMDA. “I’m presently out of the City and can tell you more once I come back,” he said. Meanwhile, Prasad has not been coming to the office for three days. Enquiries with his personal staff reveals nothing more than that he is “busy with meetings.” His personal assistant Nanda said the commissioner has asked not to reveal his cell phone number to any and said, “Even HMDA officials do not have his number.” Postnoon’s efforts to contact went in vain.

Pick

Neerabh goes after illegal plots New metropolitan commissioner wants all the unlawful plots to be regularised. The cashstrapped HMDA urgently needs to look at replenishing its coffers Rahul Ramakrishna

launched in March. This was a collaborative effort between the HMDA and GHMC. After this, eaving sanctioning of new the HMDA decided to pursue reality projects and managements of over 150 engibuilders behind, the neering colleges that were illeHMDA, has begun pursuing gally constructed. Although there was reluctance to pay the illegal plots and buildings. Sensing the tepid response initial charges, a meeting conto the department’s LRS veyed with the managements and HMDA paved (layout regularisation scheme), a SO FAR 615 ILLEGAL the way for regularising illegal meeting conPLOTS AND BUILDconstructions. vened by the INGS HAVE BEEN This was done metropolitan after a mandate commissioner IDENTIFIED THROUGH was made clear to Neerab Kumar THE SURVEY the consortium Prasad decided to THROUGH WHICH that participated chase illegal plots in the meeting. rather than sancTHE DEPARTMENT The HMDA hopes tioning new HOPES TO RAISE to raise `150 crore buildings and `1,000 CRORE BY from the manageprojects. ments. So far 615 illeREGULARISATION Following this gal plots and in the ongoing buildings have survey at Keesara, been identified on the first day of its survey Choutuppal and Boingiri manthrough which the department dals notices will be served for hopes to raise a massive `1,000 the 615 illegal plots from crore by regularisation. The ini- Thursday. “After that we plan to tial survey scored 615 plots in take up surveys in the remainthe HMDA Ghatkesar zone ing mandals,” said zonal officer which accounts for a mere 25 of Ghatkesar Venkateshwarulu. This act of cracking the per cent of the zone. Other zones include Shamshabad, whip over the many irregularities is seen as a positive outMedchal and Shankarpally. The LRS was not enthusias- come of the HMDA’s efforts to tically received when it was regularise illegal layouts. rahul.r@postnoon.com

at the

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GHMC cracks its whip Md Nizamuddin

feedback@postnoon.com

Leaders elated by CM’s change With the chief minister focussing on work, holding frequent review meetings and attending office with a punctuality not seen earlier, party leaders are in a buoyant mood Congress during the byfall in the same CM to tour East elections district. As part of the Indira Baata programme, Inkeshaf Ahmed Godavari the chief minister has ahmed.m@postnoon.com decided to visit at least Chief Minister Kiran Kumar three districts every Reddy has launched a new he transformed month. In each district, programme called Indira Chief Minister Kiran Kumar Reddy will Baata to hold review meetKiran Kumar camp for three days and ings with party leaders and Reddy has now a hold review meetings with officials at the district level method to work. After officials and party leaders. to monitor the progress of dedicating his first week The CM held a meetwelfare programmes. As to pending files and ing with ministers and part of this programme, the attending office with a leaders of East Godavari CM is all set to tour the East punctuality not associaton Tuesday and held a Godavari district for three ed with him earlier, he has detailed discussion on his days, sources from his office turned his attention to his novel idea. Sources from confirmed. party matters. the chief minister’s office, The CM has, after the while confirming the June rout of his party in the hustling, had put up a different work- news of CM’s plans, told Postnoon that as ing style where he began to chair review part of the itinerary, the CM will tour the meetings regularly and attend to various district for three days (Wednesday, Thursday and Friday). development issues. In his latest move which will impact the party cadres and state administration, Party leaders elated the chief minister has decided to embark Many party leaders have welcomed the on a novel programme called Indira idea and said that this move by the CM Baata from July 11. The main objective of will help to strengthen the party from this programme is to hold review meet- the grassroots level. “It is a novel idea. It ings with party leaders and officials at the will definitely help the party in the district level to monitor the progress of coming days,” Arepall Mohan, party welfare programmes and address prob- senior leader and MLA said on lems related to implementation of the Wednesday. Another party leader and projects. During his meetings, the CM MLA Praveen Reddy felt that the CM would also pay a careful hearing to prob- should continue this programme till lems faced by second-rung leaders and the next assembly elections. “I think it grass root workers of the party. will help the CM to monitor the welfare The CM will begin his programme programmes being implemented by from Rampachodvaram Assembly con- the State government at the grass root stituency of East Godavari district. level besides boosting the confidence Incidentally, Ramachandrapuram of second grade leaders of the party,” Assembly seat won by the ruling he said.

POLITICAL

f it is not the elected members, it is the officials. The last general body meeting of the GHMC held in May had to be deferred due to lack of quorum (of corporators) while the standing committee meeting held the day before had suffered due to the absence of senior officials. The third ordinary meeting of the standing committee was conducted on Wednesday. Crucial information on illegal hoardings, pollution control in water bodies and nuisance of open nallahs remained unsolved as comprehensive reports failed to reach the meeting. The GHMC comissioner MT Krishna Babu, special commissioner Naveen Mittal were also not available. Additional commissioner Anuradha and south zonal commissioner too had excused themselves from attending the meeting. Officials have been urged to be present at the next meet-

Mayor Majid Hussain and GHMC secretary MS Somaraju ing so that all the points on agenda could be taken up and give succor to people. The meeting approved the proposal of fish markets in Kukatpally, Nacharam and Begum Bazaar at an estimated cost of `2.5 crores. From this 90 per cent of the cost will be borne by the National Fisheries Development Board. The officials have been asked to submit the proposals in this regard in consultation with public representatives. Road widening at some places and providing fences

to some of the tanks were also approved. A total of nine proposals on the agenda were approved at the meeting. A 5-member committee has been directed to inspect the industrial areas where sewage water empties into storm water drains. The committee has been asked to submit the report along with photographs by July 9. Superintendent engineer (Irrigation) has been instructed to attend the next standing committee meeting with the details of FTL of Gurram Cheruvu.

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Camel meat stirs trouble? Traders bring camels all the way from Rajasthan, to be auctioned. Many of these animals end up as food. Activists are up in arms

ACTIVISM Anubha K Singh

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he holy month of Ramzan is a fortnight away but the City is already in the grip of the festival. The food joints are getting their huge vessels cleaned for preparation of Haleem, the traditional dish of the festival. But a battle is in the offing over the use of camel meat. Camel meat also tops the food menu during Ramzan and is in great demand in the City. There are numerous shops selling camel meat in the Old City. For many families the lunch or dinner menu is incomplete without a delicacy made with camel meat. These animals are brought in from Rajasthan, especially during the month of Ramzan, and are fed well before they are butchered. However, animal rights activists are up in arms against this practice. Mahesh Agarwal, member of People For Animals (PFA), and general secretary Bhartiya Prani Mitra Sangh

Slaughtering of camels is illegal under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act and we are doing everything we can to stop it. Mahesh Agarwal, member, PFA said, “Slaughtering of camels is illegal under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act and to stop this horrendous act this year we are doing everything we can. We have already submitted petitions to various government officials to stop the slaughtering of camel. Last year GHMC booked cases against many meat shop owners but that was only during the end of the festival (which is deliberately done to save the culprits). This year we are doing our best to nab culprits before the festival kicks off.” “These animals are not

GHMC cracks down Last year the GHMC booked 12 cases against meat shop owners for selling camel meat. However, the move came only towards the end of the Ramzan month. This year animal rights activists vow to ensure that firm action is taken against perpetrators well in advance. As per the GHMC Act, traders should obtain prior permission to sell camel meat, but many do not comply. transported but are made to walk great distances under extreme climatic conditions, which affect their health. We are against the issue and have complained to the authorities several times. But it is termed as communally sensitive and brushed aside,” he fumed. Though illegal, this tradition has been in practice in the City for quite some time now. During the holy month hordes of camels are brought and slaughtered in the City. As per the GHMC laws, only listed animals for food can be slaughtered, that too, in licensed slaughter houses, not in streets.

“GHMC Act 1955 states that traders or meat shop owners have to get permission before bringing domesticated animals into the region for slaughtering. But many traders and shop owners do not comply. These traders sell different types of meat. They use the permission meant for selling other meats to sell camel meat,” said P Venkateshwar Reddy, chief veterinary officer, GHMC. “We can’t stop the sale of camel which happens in the Narsingi Agricultural Market Yard as it doesn’t fall under the GHMC limits. But we are taking help from activists and other organisations to curb the horrendous act this year. We will take help from the Ranga Reddy collectorate too to stop the sale,” he added. These camels are brought from Rajasthan and sold at an auction in Narsingi village every year ahead of Ramzan. The camel meat costs anywhere between `180 and `300 a kilo and can be found in meat shops in Doodh Bowli, Barkas, Misri Gunj, Dabeerpura, Shah Ali Banda, Hussaini Alam and Charminar areas of Old City.

housands of Indians who are affected by the DNS changer virus will be cut off from the Internet on July 9 as FBI shuts down temporary servers that are being used to assist victims of the online fraud. All users affected by the virus will be greeted by a virtual brick wall on the said date and will not be able to access any website till they remove the virus from the system. The affected computers often redirected users to legitimate looking sites to steal user information. In India more than 20,000 IP addresses have been affected by the virus; since multiple users access Internet from one IP address in India, the number of affected users is expected to be much higher. To find out if your system is affected, visit http://www.dns-ok.us/. In case your system has been affected, head to dcwg.org which offers a step by step solution to the problem.

Vijayamma trying to free her son: Rao

DP senior leader K o d e l a Sivaprasada Rao has alleged that YSR Congress honorary president Vijayamma had gone to New Delhi along with her party leaders only to secure Jagan Mohan Reddy’s release, who was arrested on graft charges. He also alleged that Vijayamma has expressed doubts about her husband Rajasekhara Reddy’s death only for electoral gain. He has questioned why she had not talked about it during her Delhi trip, if she really had any suspicions about YSR’s death. He also alleged that the YSRC was trying to get her son exonerated from the criminal charges, in the garb of farmers’ problems. NSS

17,476.04 62.63

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BSE

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Business

10g= `30,100

GOLD

1kg= `53,900

SILVER

`55.42

DOLLAR

Matters of saving and spending

`86.06

POUND FRIDAY, JULY 6, 2012 8 NUMEROLOGY

RAIN, RAIN POUR AGAIN $5.9bn

is the operating profit of Samsung for the second quarter

Money Matters

THUS SPAKE

Nupur Pavan Bang

rofessor Nicky left for her native village in the Karimnagar district last week. She needed a break from Srikanth and his questions on Derivatives. Nicky loved the smell of the countryside and secretly harboured the desire to retire and live on the farms one day. It is the rainy season and the best time of the year to visit her ancestral farms. The soil is moist and the seeds are sown, the saplings are just sprouting from the soil at this time. Nicky had heard that the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) had predicted average monsoons this year, though slightly lower than their earlier prediction. For the sake of the country, she was praying for normal monsoons. The economy is as it is showing signs of a slowdown. A weak monsoon will push it further into lower growth path. The Indian farmers are majorly dependent on the rainfall. They go to any extent to please Indra, the Rain God. In a village, they tie two frogs to a pole and get them married. They say that it brings good rainfall! On her farm, Nicky got into a conversation with Bhasker, the supervisor. Bhasker is more knowledgeable and well read than one would expect a rural farmer to be. Whenever professor visits the farm, he does not miss the opportunity to have a dialogue with her on the economy. Bhasker: Professor, we farmers are

worried about the monsoon. That is understandable. Why is everybody else worried about it? People come on the television and say that if it doesn’t rain, it’s going to be very bad for the economy. Why and how is that? Nicky: Bhasker, the contribution of agriculture constitutes about 15 per cent of our GDP. In the last quarter of the year 2011-12, our GDP growth rate was only 5.3 per cent. If the monsoons are weak, the contribution of agriculture to GDP will go down further. And other industries like electronics and fast moving consumer goods will also experience a slow down since the rural demand for their products will go down if the farmers don’t make money.

Bhasker: Oh... so the impact is much deeper than what I though. Nicky: That’s not just it. It’s in fact much more than that. Food inflation would also go up if the monsoon is weak. Lower yield will result in lower supply and hence higher prices. A few necessary food articles might need to be imported as well, driving up the demand for dollars, causing the rupee to weaken further. As it is in the last year, rupee has depreciated close to 25 per cent. Bhasker: Hmmm...no wonder everyone in India so eagerly tracks the monsoon! Nicky: Yes. It has a huge impact on the key economic figures like fiscal deficit, growth rate and inflation. Bhasker: You just explained about

growth rate and inflation to me. But what about fiscal deficit? Nicky: The government has budgeted `43,580 crore as fuel subsidy for the year 2012-13. In the event of monsoon being weak, the generation of hydro-electric power will go down and the use of diesel to pump water into the fields will increase. Both of these will result in an increase in the import of fuel, causing the fuel subsidies to go up. This in turn will increase the fiscal deficit. Bhasker: Professor I must run and tell my grandmother to tie two more frogs to the pole and get them married! The author is a senior researcher at Centre for Investment, ISB

UK MPs vote for House probe of rate row LONDON: British lawmakers voted on Thursday to hold a parliamentary investigation instead of a full judicial inquiry into a bank rate-rigging scandal which has notably tainted Barclays. Prime Minister David Cameron’s call for a parliamentary probe was approved after several hours of angry debate in the House of Commons, while the opposition Labour party’s call for a judge-led investigation was rejected. Politicians from all parties will now hold an investigation into the banking industry but critics have voiced concerns that this will not be as wide-ranging as a judicial probe could have been. The probe comes amid a scandal over the fixing of inter-

Bob Diamond

bank lending rates which has claimed the jobs of three top Barclays executives including former chief executive Bob Diamond this week. Barclays was fined £290 million by British and US regulators last week for attempted rigging of the rates, in a potentially explosive case that might implicate other banks and trigger criminal prosecutions. Finance minister George Osborne said a judicial inquiry would take too long to complete and accused Labour of trying to “put off the moment” of investigating the scandal. He claims that the party — which was in government during the 2008 financial crisis which is at the heart of the allegations — could be implicated.

Labour finance spokesman Ed Balls accused Cameron and Osborne of “a very grave error of judgment” in pushing a parliamentary investigation but said his party would cooperate with the inquiry. It is not clear when the work of the investigation will get under way. Earlier Thursday it emerged that the Bank of England’s deputy governor Paul Tucker, who has been drawn into the Barclays affair, will separately appear before the Treasury Select Committee next Monday. The committee also confirmed that Barclays chairman Marcus Agius, who resigned this week over the row, will testify on Tuesday. AFP

“We have put in place a monetary policy with the European Central Bank. Monetary policy should have a correspondence with a common fiscal policy. That is the reason why we have need of a parliament, a government and something corresponding to a finance minister,” Wolfgang Schaeuble, German finance minister

SPENDING CUT The Italian government agreed overnight Thursday on a series of measures to slash public spending by 26 billion euros over three years, including major payroll cuts. “The economies in this measure will be 4.5 billion euros in 2012, 10.5 billion in 2013 and 11 billion in 2014,” said PM Minister Mario Monti. Much of the savings will be found in the health and public administration budgets, said Monti. Deputy economy minister Vittorio Grilli said the planned measures would lead to a 20 percent reduction in the number of public sector managers and a 10 percent cut in the ranks of ordinary public sector workers.

WARNING A deal reached last month by EU leaders will reduce short-term risks for the regional economy but at a higher cost for wealthier members, ratings agency Moody’s estimated Thursday. On June 29, EU leaders reached an agreement to enable two European rescue funds — the European Financial Stability Facility and the European Stability Mechanism — to assist flailing economies.

India‑View

FRIDAY, JULY 6, 2012

India unveiled

Child labour is officially illegal in India but millions of boys and girls have no choice but to earn a living to support themselves or help their families. Many move to the cities from rural areas, seeking an escape from grinding poverty or abusive homes.

STREET C H I L D BANK ON REN FUTURE

Rupam Jain Nair

NEW DELHI: Ram Singh, 17,

earns just one dollar from the 100 cups of tea he makes every day outside Delhi railway station, but each evening, after packing up, he goes to the bank and deposits nearly half of it. Singh holds an account at a special bank, run for — and mostly by — Indian street children, that keeps what little money they have safe and seeks to instill the idea that savings, however meagre, are important. Just one among millions of street children who rely on menial jobs for survival, Singh is determined to make his work pay some sort of future dividend. “I’m smart, but that alone isn’t enough to start a business. I save money everyday, hoping to start something of my own. Someday soon,” he said as he served glasses of tea in sweltering heat at a stall near the teeming train station. The Children’s Development Khazana (treasure chest) opened its first office in New Delhi 2001 and has since spread across the country and overseas with 300 affiliated branches in India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka and Kyrgyzstan. Delhi

counts 12 branches with around 1,000 child clients aged between nine and 17. The brightly painted metal cubicles which serve as teller counters are located in shelters that provide children with free meals and sleeping mats, as well as school classes. The branches are run almost entirely by and for the children, with account holders electing two volunteer managers from the group every six months. “Children who make money by begging or selling drugs are not allowed to open an account. This bank is only for children who believe in hard work,” said Karan, a 14-year-old “manager”. During the day, Karan earns a pittance washing up at wedding banquets or other events. In the evening, he sits at his desk to collect money from his friends, update their pass books and close the bank. “Some account holders want to withdraw their money. I ask them why and give it to them if other children approve. Everyone earns five per cent interest on their savings.”

Two street children check out an image on a promotional banner announcing a motorcycle show near India Gate in New Delhi on June 30, 2012. Three of the top 10 extreme motorcyclists in the world pulled tricks with their motorcycles for a crowd in a street show. AFP

I have saved `4,000. I will buy a shirt and a watch for my father and send it to him to seek his apology. He might forgive me and ask me to be with him at home. Samir

An adult staff member is always present to collect the takings at the end of each day,

depositing the cash in a nationalised bank to earn the interest component. Sharon Jacob, who works for the rights group Butterflies that set up the bank, said it aimed to give the children a genuine stake in their own future. “They work in shops as hawkers or porters but they never had a safe place to keep their money. They were always cheated of it or somebody also stole their money,” Jacob said. “So this is a place where they could keep their money safely and they are also taught life skills, how to manage their finances. They are taught budgeting, they are taught democratic participation,” Jacob said. Child labour is officially illegal in India but millions of boys and girls have no choice but to earn a living to support themselves or

help their families. Many move to the cities from rural areas, seeking an escape from grinding poverty or abusive homes. “I ran away from home at the age of 11 after my father beat me for stealing a kitchen appliance,” said Samir who works in a sweatshop. “For days I slept on a railway platform. I was beaten by the police and even harassed by the drug peddlers. I wanted to go back home but was ashamed of myself.” Now 14, Samir lives in the children’s shelter and holds an account in the bank. “I have saved `4,000 in the last seven months. It’s a good feeling to have some money. I will buy a shirt and a watch for my father and send it to him to seek his apology. He might forgive me and ask me to be with him at home. ^cm

Kosher Pushkar welcomes Israelis S ignboards and menus in Hebrew, shopkeepers greeting visitors with “shalom” and familiar food like humus, wraps and soup with dumplings. It’s a mini Israel out here with hotels and other businesses tailoring their offerings to suit tourists from the ‘promised land’. Even in the scorching summer heat, hundreds of tourists from Israel are holidaying in Pushkar. And Israeli tourists are flocking to soak in the experience. Moving around, the unsuspecting visitor could be forgiven for wondering just where they were with hoardings and signboards in

Hebrew splashed at many places. There is even a Chabad House, a community centre for the Jewish community run by missionaries. Food familiar to Israeli visitors is easier to find than traditional Indian food. Where else will you see a menu featuring jachnoon, the traditional bread with tomatoes and eggs! Moussakas, cinammon cakes and even the humble vegetable cutlet are found in plenty, with menus printed in both English and Hebrew. Local residents, including some priests who perform rituals at the ghats of the Pushkar lake, and shopkeepers have started speaking flu-

ent Hebrew. And some are taking classes to learn the language. Some hotel owners even accept shekels, the Israeli currency. It all makes business sense. Israelis, many of them young men and women holidaying after their compulsory army training, counted as the highest. “Israeli tourist arrivals increased up to 64 percent in the last three years and about 13,500 Israelis visited Pushkar last year,” said a police official. The numbers have encouraged hotel owners to make that extra effort to ensure that the visitors feel at home. “They are good payers and love to enjoy the place. They

know how to enjoy holidays,” said Ravi Ranawat, owner of the Om Shiva resort. “I called a special cook from New Delhi and paid him triple rate so that he could make baked dishes and special sauces for the Israelis guests,” Ranawat said. The Israelis are not complaining. “I love this place and would like to come on every vacation here,” said Nehoraie. Daniel, another Israeli, said: “It’s very hot here but I enjoy being in Pushkar and am really happy to be here.” The fact that there is a Chabad House adds to the feeling of familiarity, say some. f^kp

India‑View

FRIDAY, JULY 6, 2012

India unveiled

SC quashes Maya assets case

NATION AT A GLANCE Honour killing: Woman dies after being beaten

NEW DELHI: In a major relief to BSP supremo Mayawati, the Supreme Court today quashed a nine-year-long disproportionate assets case against her and pulled up the CBI for initiating the probe against her without specific directions from the court. The apex court said that the method adopted by the CBI was “unwarranted” and the agency proceeded against her without properly understanding its orders passed in the Taj Corridor scam. A bench headed by Justice P Sathasivam clarified that the Supreme Court order pertained to initiating probe against state government officials in the scam and there was no such direction to lodge another FIR exclusively

BAHRAICH (UP): Brutally beaten up by family members after being found with her lover, a married woman succumbed to injuries at a hospital here. Rubia Bano, 28, and her lover Suddu Verma, 26, were beaten up by the woman’s family members in Risiya area on July 4, police said. While Verma died on the spot, Bano, who was seriously injured, died yesterday, they said. A case had been registered.

against Mayawati for allegedly amassing assets disproportionate to her known sources of income. The apex court said there is no finding in the CBI’s status

report of September 2008 that Mayawati had allegedly amassed disproportionate assets during the period 1995-2003. “There is no material report of disproportionate assets case

against the petitioner (Mayawati) in the Taj Corridor scam,” the bench said while referring to the probe agency’s status report. The court further said that its order of 2002 was specifically pertaining to Taj Corridor case and there was no direction for lodging an FIR against Mayawati as was done by the CBI. While reading out the operative part of its judgment, the bench observed there was “no such direction to lodge another FIR under Prevention of Corruption Act exclusively against Mayawati”. “The CBI proceeded without properly understanding our orders”, the bench said, adding, “Method adopted by the CBI is unwarranted. PTI

NEW DELHI: Mauritius today said it has exchanged information related to over 170 cases with India over three years, and the two countries have made progress on the double taxation avoidance treaty since 2006. Some of the information exchanged was outside the DTAA, Mauritius foreign minister Arvin Boolell said.

LAYING SIEGE

Cong MLA files FIR against Nath GUWAHATI: A Congress legislator in Assam today filed an FIR against party MLA Rumi Nath alleging that she along with her second husband had illegally entered his residence and beat up visitors suspecting them to be involved in the attack on the couple last week. Police said the FIR was filed after Congress MLA Kamalakhya Purkayastha from North Karimganj constituency faxed the complaint to the Dispur police station today. Purkayastha alleged that Nath, her second husband Jacky Jakir and two of her escorts forcibly entered his official quarter at Dispur Capital Complex late last night and beat up at least four of his visitors and a caretaker. Purkayastha, who was not present in the quarter during the incident, further charged that Nath attacked his visitors doubting that they were “involved in the attack on Nath and her husband” in a Karimganj hotel last week. PTI

Muslims pray on the occasion of Shab-e-Barat in Lucknow on Thursday evening. PTI

CBI finds fraud in Jharkhand state exams RANCHI: The CBI has filed five cases of irregularities in appointments of state administrative officials, lecturers and doctors, an official said on Friday. “The FIR has been lodged against former JPSC chairman Dileep Prasad, its members, and 19 administrative officials selected through second JPSC examination in 2006-2007," a CBI source said.

Security personnel taking positions near a house where Lashkar-e-Taiba militants were holed up, during an encounter at Bangus valley in Kupwara district on Thursday. Two militants were killed in the wee hours of Friday. PTI

Teen plots with beau to kill mum NASHIK: A 16-year-old girl allegedly killed her widowed mother with the help of her boyfriend and dumped the body in Kasara ghat, around 70 km from here, police here said. The girl called her 19year-old boyfriend at home in Shankar Nagar locality of the city on July 2 evening and the boy allegedly stabbed the girl’s mother, Gurwinder Kaur Birdi, 40, with a knife in her abdomen and later strangled her to death, Badrakali police station inspector C A Baravkar said.

Have exchanged info in 170 cases: Mauritius

The duo took the body in the family car of the girl and dumped it at Kasara ghat, police said. Later, the girl herself went to Badrakali police station to file a missing complaint and also informed her uncle (mother’s brother) that her mother was missing. In the meantime, the Kasara police of Thane district found a body of the woman at Kasara ghat bearing abdominal wounds and strangulation marks on the neck. They coordinated with the

THE GIRL HERSELF WENT TO POLICE STATION TO FILE A MISSING COMPLAINT AND ALSO INFORMED HER UNCLE THAT HER MOTHER WAS MISSING. SHE SAID THAT SHE WOULD HAVE FREQUENT FIGHTS WITH HER MOTHER AS THE LATTER WAS OPPOSED TO HER FRIENDSHIP WITH THE BOY

Badrakali police station in Nashik after getting information that a missing person complaint was filed there. Police then questioned the girl during which she confessed that she conspired with her boyfriend to kill her mother. The girl said that she would have frequent fights with her mother as the latter was opposed to her friendship with the boy, police said. Meanwhile, both the accused are under police detention and would be produced before court. PTI

Former cop sentenced to 7 years RI for rape BIJNOR (UP): A former constable has been sentenced to seven years rigorous imprisonment by a local court here for raping a woman four years ago. The court also imposed a fine of `6,000 on the constable Chhatar Pal yesterday for raping the woman in Puranpur village on June 19, 2008. Villagers had caught Pal while he was trying to flee from the spot.

Villagers remove the debris of houses destroyed after a cloudburst in Uttarkashi on Thursday. PTI

Around the World

FRIDAY, JULY 6, 2012

Beyond Borders

Map used to name America found BERLIN: Librarians in southern Germany have found a lost copy of one of the first maps to use the name “America.” They believe it is a smaller version of the famous 1507 map drawn by German cartographer Martin Waldseemüller, sometimes refered to as “America’s birth certificate.” The A4-sized copy resurfaced in Munich University Library, where two members of staff came across it by chance in a 19thcentury Viennese book on geometry. It had probably been bound there by librarians who didn’t realize its significance, the library’s head of ancient books, Sven Kuttner, said in a press release. “There hasn’t been a find of this dimension since World War Two,” Deutsche Welle quoted him as saying. Around 100 copies of Waldseemüller’s map are thought to have been printed, according to the library, of which only four

NOBLE ROYAL

Frog named after Prince Charles LONDON: Legend has it that only a kiss from a princess can transform a frog into a prince, but a rare Ecuadorian amphibian has taken on a noble title thanks to conservation scientists. Amphibian Ark, a group which works for the survival of endangered frogs, newts and salamanders, decided to name a new species of stream frog Hyloscirtus princecharlesi, in recognition of British heir Prince Charles’ conservation efforts. “It is endangered and needs to be protected in the wild. Its rainforest habitat is under threat due to the impact of farming,” said a spokesman for the conserva-

tion group. “It’s fairly unusual to name a new species after someone but this is seen as something special in honour of the Prince,” he added. Charles said he was “very touched” by the gesture, and vowed to redouble his efforts to help defend the world’s rainforests. He was presented with a glass replica of the brown and orange frog by Luis Coloma, the Ecuadorian scientist who discovered the amphibian four years ago. “That’s wonderful, I will treasure that,” he said of the gift. “I shall battle even harder now.” AFP

were known to survive — until now. There are some minor differences between this and other versions, which leads Kuttner to conclude that it was probably printed some time after the first edition in 1507. Researchers aren’t sure where the copy was made, or how it ended up where it did. According to the United States Library of Congress, which houses the original and one of the surviving copies, Waldseemüller’s map was the first to portray the New World as a separate continent, and the first to name it America, in recognition of the explorer Amerigo Vespucci. Germany officially gave the original to the US in 2007. The newly found copy will remain in Munich University Library, but can be viewed online from today — in honor of American Independence Day, the library said. GLOBAL POST

Spain’s Queen Sofia (R) greets a family inside a village store during a visit to a housing project in Zamboanga City in the southern island of Mindanao on Friday. Sofia arrived in the Philippines on Monday for a five-day visit to review development projects funded by the Spanish government. AFP

Pak official loses cool over pill in stool ISLAMABAD: A Pakistani federal minister complained to authorities about the quality of medicines and drug regulations when she noticed “a pill she had ingested came out intact in her stool”, according to a media report today. “For this to happen, right under her (the minister’s) nose, was unacceptable since drug regulation comes under her own ministry,” The Express Tribune quoted its sources as saying. The

daily did not identify the minister. After the minister sent her complaint, the chairman of quality control, Abdul Rashid, sent drug inspectors to pick up samples of the medicine from Karachi and Islamabad. The tablet is “light brown and film coated, and marked with ‘Adalat 30’ on one side,” according to a copy of a test report accessed by The Express Tribune. The pill is made by a German company, Bayer Healthcare AG,

and is prescribed for high blood pressure and angina. It reached the Central Drug Laboratory in Karachi on June 6. However, the then federal government analyst, Obaid Ali, was “appalled by the situation and the fuss being created” as the minister had missed an important fact: the pill is manufactured in a way that allows its active ingredient, Nifedipine, released from a laser hole in its shell which is expelled intact.

Around the World US lawmaker under fire for jibe at amputee rival WASHINGTON: A non-partisan US veterans group stepped up calls for a Republican congressman to resign on Thursday after he openly berated his double-amputee political rival for talking up her Iraq War injuries. Representative Joe Walsh of Illinois enraged veterans with comments about Tammy Duckworth, a decorated US Army pilot who in 2004 lost both her legs and nearly died when the Blackhawk helicopter she was co-piloting was hit by a rocket-propelled grenade fired by Iraqi insurgents. On Sunday Walsh told a town hall meeting that he was “running against a woman who — I mean, my God, that’s all she talks about,” he said, claiming his Democratic opponent played on her injuries to score political points in public. “Our true heroes, the men and women who served us, that’s the last thing in the world they talk about,” he added. Walsh, who reportedly has not served in the military, repeated his criticism on Wednesday. “She is a hero, and that demands our respect, but it doesn’t demand our vote,” he told CNN. “All she does, guys, is talk about her service.” The series of comments led VoteVets.org, a political action committee which supports veterans issues, to demand Walsh step down. “He needs to just resign and stop embarrassing his constituents,” VoteVets chairman Jon Soltz, himself an Iraq War veteran, said on MSNBC on Thursday. AFP

FRIDAY, JULY 6, 2012

Beyond Borders

Dictators get jail for stealing babies BUENOS AIRES: Two former Argentine dictators were handed heavy prison sentences Thursday for overseeing the systematic kidnapping of babies from leftist activists killed during the 1976-1983 dictatorship. Jorge Videla, 86, was sentenced to 50 years in prison and Reynaldo Bignone, 84, was given a 15-year jail term, presiding judge Maria Roqueta said as she read the ruling before a packed courtroom in Buenos Aires. Hundreds of people — relatives of the victims, children reunited with their families and activists — cheered the ruling, which they watched on a giant television screen set up outside the courthouse. Many were in tears. Several other former military officers were handed sentences of up to 40 years for their roles in a “systematic plan” to kidnap the babies of activists, in a trial that started in February 2011. Two of 11 defendants were acquitted. The rights group Grandmothers of the Plaza de Mayo has fought in court since 1996, demanding restitution for the stolen children. It says 500 children were kidnapped and then raised by families close to the regime as their own. The group’s president Estela de Carlotto, who was in the courtroom, hailed the verdict, saying it “confirmed that

LOS ANGELES: Days after a foie gras ban came into force in California, a Los Angeles restaurant group and others have filed a lawsuit seeking to overturn the bill outlawing the controversial gastronomic delicacy. Restaurants serving the gourmet item — made from force-feeding ducks or geese — can be fined up to $1,000.

A woman wipes her tears as she watching on a giant screen outside the court the reading of the sentences. AFP there was a systematic plan to steal babies.” Videla was in power from 1976 to 1981, while Bignone ruled from 1982 to 1983. Human rights activists say around 30,000 Argentines “disappeared” during the military regime’s so-called “dirty war” against leftists. In the 35 abductions detailed during the trial, most of the mothers were held at ESMA — Argentina’s notorious Naval Mechanics School, a torture center located in the heart of Buenos Aires. The maternity ward was on the second floor, where there was a hallway leading to the torture rooms that the executioners cruelly dubbed “The Avenue of Happiness.” The inmates gave birth

GENEVA: The UN Human

while shackled and hooded and very few were ever allowed even to see the faces of their babies, according to survivor testimony. In most cases, the baby was given to a soldier or the friend of a soldier, while the mother was later thrown from a military plane into the sea, naked and still alive. Argentina’s amnesty laws of the late 1980s were annulled after the election of former president Nestor Kirchner (2003-2007), who died in October 2010. That annulment allowed the nation’s judiciary to reopen a number of cases. To date, all people prosecuted for the kidnappings have been found guilty. AFP

Florida teen’s shooter granted $1 million bail MIAMI:

co-sponsors, 30 of whom are members of the HRC, Donahoe added. The United States was among the text’s co-sponsors. “This resolution is a welcome

ROME: Italian art experts have reportedly discovered around 100 drawings and a number of paintings by the Renaissance master Caravaggio in a find that could be worth over $860 million. Maurizio Bernardelli Curuz and Adriana Conconi Fedrigolli found the works among a collection held at Milan’s Sforza Castle by pupils of painter Simone Peterzano with whom Caravaggio studied from the age of 11.

Lawsuit challenges foie gras ban

UNHRC backs freedom of Net Rights Council in Geneva passed its first resolution on Internet freedom on Thursday with a call for all states to support individuals’ rights online as much as offline. Despite opposition on the issue from nations including China, Russia and India, states promoting the resolution hailed the support of dozens of countries ahead of its adoption. “This outcome is momentous for the Human Rights Council,” US ambassador Eileen Chamberlain Donahoe told reporters. “It’s the first UN resolution that confirms that human rights in the Internet realm must be protected with the same commitment as in the real world.” The text had the support of 85

GLOBE AT A GLANCE New art works by Caravaggio uncovered

addition in the fight for the promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms online,” said US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. AFP

George Zimmerman, the neighbourhood watch volunteer facing a murder charge over the high-profile shooting of an unarmed Florida black teen, was granted new bail on Thursday set at $1 million. Zimmerman, accused of second degree murder for shooting dead 17-year-old Trayvon Martin in February, must post 10 percent of the bail amount, $100,000, but also show $900,000 in assets as collateral in case he flees. Zimmerman was freed after posting $150,000 bail in April, but that was revoked after he and his wife were found to have lied about funds they had raised.

US President Barack Obama delivers remarks during a campaign “grassroots event” at James Day Park Ohio. AFP

Romney rakes in $100 mn in June: Report WASHINGTON: Republican White House hopeful Mitt Romney raised more than $100 million last month, Washingtonbased publication Politico said Thursday, putting fundraising pressure squarely on President Barack Obama. The figure is a record for the 2012 campaign. Romney’s haul is startling given that the funds were raised a full five months out from the poll.

Lonesome George to get Ecuador heritage tag QUITO: Ecuador said it would honor Lonesome George, a giant tortoise that was the last of his kind and died in the Galapagos last month, by listing him as part of the nation’s cultural heritage. George, the only remaining Pinta Island giant tortoise and a celebrated symbol of conservation efforts in the Galapagos Islands, died in June.

Members of the Venezuelan Army take part in a parade during the anniversary of the declaration of independence in Caracas. AFP

Comment

FRIDAY, JULY 6, 2012

Fair, free and forthright

Another ‘axis of evil’ rises in Africa?

Battling corruption from the top down!

Tristan McConnell feedback@postnoon.com

The top US commander for Africa has warned that Al Qaeda affiliates are seeking to strengthen ties across the continent. General Carter Ham, commander of the US Africa Command, described Nigeria's Boko Haram, Somalia's Al Shabaab and the Saharan Al Qaeda in the Islamic Magreb as "dangerous and worrisome" and added that there were signs the groups are trying to coordinate their activities. Al Shabaab, an Islamist insurgent group battling the Somali government and its African Union defenders, formally declared its allegiance to Al Qaeda earlier this year. AQIM hijacked a Tuareg rebellion in northern Mali carving out a fiefdom that Ham described "a safe haven" for the group. Ham said the links between Boko Haram and AQIM are of greatest concern. "Most notably I would say that the linkages between AQIM and Boko Haram are probably the most worrisome in terms of the indications we have that they are likely sharing funds, training and explosive materials that can be quite dangerous," he said. The two groups operate in close proximity to each other in West Africa while Al Shabaab is on the other side of the continent. On the same day that Ham made his comments the head of the MI5, gave a rare speech in which he raised similar concerns. "Al Qaeda affiliates in Yemen, Somalia and the Sahel have become more dangerous as Al Qaeda in Pakistan has declined and we see increasing levels of cooperation between Al Qaeda groups in various parts of the world," said Jonathan Evans. All this talk from West of an Al Qaeda network spreading across Africa has been seen by some as self-serving and has been greeted with some skepticism partly thanks to the lack of evidence. "Some of the connections between Al Qaeda and Africanbased jihadist groups have been known before. But there has been a question mark over whether there is a direct, operational link, as Gen Ham says," opined BBC's Mark Doyle. GLOBALPOST

Anonymous Alien

everal months ago, I wrote an article here about battling corruption from the bottom up. I talked about forcing rickshaws in Hyderabad to run their meters, newspapers to admit when “news” articles are actually just advertisements and universities to stop charging under-the-table fees. There are obviously a thousand other places to hit as well — cops and government bureaucrats taking bribes come quickly to mind. But the reality is, corruption is set and sustained from the top, and if you want to break its back, that’s where you have to focus most of your efforts. And, of late, India is making progress in this area, right here locally, in Hyderabad, with more and more corrupt officials falling, and nationally, with probes like the 2G scandal. But is it enough? And is there another model India could follow, to speed up the process? Well, it turns out, there is. Back in 2002, another developing country, with corruption at least as systemic as India’s, decided to attack corruption at the highest levels of society with relentlessness previously unseen. That country was Indonesia, which that year passed a law that enabled the creation of the Komisi Pemberantasan Korupsi (KPK), also known as the Indonesian Corruption Eradication Commission. The KPK was formed “after special consideration on the extraordinary nature of corruption in Indonesia, which has become systemic and widespread, and has violated the human rights of the Indonesian people.” Does that sound anything like India? The commission was granted powers to investigate ANY government officials and issues of significant public concern. Since it started operating in late 2003, according to the New York Times in 2009, “the commission has investigated, prosecuted and achieved a 100 per cent conviction rate in 86 cases of bribery and graft related to government procurements and budgets.”

Editorials

The keys to this commission’s success are that it has been well-funded, is independent and has broad investigative and prosecutorial powers. Nobody in Indonesia is out of its reach. Has it been flawless? No. Like any empowered body, corruption eventually seeped in, and several of its personnel have come under investigation in the last few years, causing some to call for the eradication of the Eradication Commission. But that would be a mistake. The commission’s record is extraordinary, and these marks against it do not negate those successes. Would this work in India? Could it work? There are problems. Who would appoint the members of the commission? Obviously, if corrupt officials are in charge of appointing members of the commission, it would be less likely to take down corrupt officials. Also, with India’s backlogged and prob-

lematic courts, how could such a commission successfully prosecute cases? These are both good reasons to not start such a commission. But there are so many more good reasons to start such a commission. Corruption corrodes the very fabric of society, eating into communal trust, profitability and even international respectability. A commission like the one used in Indonesia could be a powerful tool to reverse this degradation in India. Winston Churchill once said that democracy is the worst form of government, except for all the rest. I believe a properly empowered Corruption Eradication Commission in India is the worst way of fighting corruption, except for all the rest. Let the fight begin. A foreigner’s observations on living, working, surviving and thriving in India

THE AGE OF I MAY BE ENDING, and we should be happy about it

s Apple is buffeted across the globe by a slew of lawsuits, its stranglehold on the global technology market is loosening. Players like Samsung, Motorola and resurgent Nokia seem to have realised that Apple can be taken down. No longer is it the colossus that straddles the information and technological superhighway, the master of all it surveys. In the post-Steve Jobs era Apple has been unable to rebuild its totem, even though it continues to promise new technology that will swiftly make all others passé. In the smartphone market, the company is taking a beating, and while the ‘Apple Corp’ may deny that the company could have passed its zenith, the writing’s on the wall. This, however, is not a reason to bemoan the demise of a giant, but rather to celebrate the rise of erstwhile Davids who are delivering products far superior to the ones they used to… and that’s thanks to Apple. Business is almost always about crests and troughs (something Apple will attest to) and Apple’s current dip should herald a new age of innovation.

WHY WE LOVE Andy Murray

few hours after you read this, Andy Murray may well be out of Wimbledon 2012, but that doesn’t take away from the fact that Murray is one of the most underrated tennis players around today. His grit and sheer determination often go unheralded, but they shouldn’t. Ivan Lendl saw it, it’s time we did too.

Rhythm Nation

FRIDAY, JULY 6, 2012

MUSIC TO YOUR EARS For those who like to have their music on the go and cannot do without their daily dose of chartbusters, we list some of the best musical apps around SoundHound

ext time you're at a pub and you hear a song, don't waste time trying to figure out the artist, as SoundHound will do it for you. All you need to do is record a small bit of the song and wait for the app to work its magic. It can also come up with the name of the song by just listening to someone humming the tune. Once you identify the song and the artist, the app will display the latest updates made by the band on social media sites and also a few videos of the artist from YouTube, all for free. Available for iOS, Android, Windows Phone 7 and Symbian. NT Balanarayan feedback@postnoon.com

Saavn Saavn is great app for discovering new Bollywood and Tollywood music and also for streaming Indian movie songs in general. It also packs an online radio for those who don't want to pick a particular track to listen to. It also lets you create custom playlists and custom stations. It has a great catalogue of songs and works great even on low-speed scenarios. It's closest rival is Dhingana, which has almost all the features of Saavn and lets you comment on songs and playlists using Facebook connect within the app. In Saavn and Dhingana, users will not be able to save songs locally. Available for Android, iOS, Symbian Series 40 and online.

Songify

Hungama MyPlay

Last.fm

Remember those guys who came up with 'auto tune the news' on YouTube? Well this app is by the same bunch. It lets you speak anything you want and the app will convert it into a song, or rather force fit it into a tune. You can select the tune you want from an array of chartbusters. A few of the songs are free but you'll need to pay for extra tunes. Available for Android and iOS.

This is ideal for downloads. They offer two plans, a monthly rental plan which gives you access to their entire library for a small fee and a secondary plan by which you can purchase a track for keeps. The issue with the initial plan is that it comes with a DRM and the file will cease to work after a month if the user does not resubscribe. All said, the service is one of the best in India as of now since Amazon and Apple's music store does not work here. Available for iOS, Android, Symbian and online.

This is great to find out about upcoming concerts near you and also suggests music based on your taste. The app goes through your playlists and suggests artists who have a style similar to those you listen to. It also has a built in social network through which you can see what your friends are listening to and connect with people who like the same songs as you do. Available for Windows, Android, iOS.

iTUNES Top 10

1.Call Me Maybe Carly Rae Jepsen 2.Wide Awake Katy Perry

3.Good Time Owl City & Carly Rae Jepsen 4.Whistle Flo Rida 5.Titanium (feat. Sia) David Guetta & Sia 6.Somebody That I Used to Know (feat. Kimbra) Gotye 7.Lights Ellie Goulding 8.Where Have You Been Rihanna 9.Scream Usher 10. Everybody Talks Neon Trees

Billboard Top 10

Bollywood Top 10

4.Oceania The Smashing Pumpkins 5. Rock Of Ages Soundtrack Newsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Rock of Agesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;: Tom Cruise Cal... 6. Looking 4 Myself Usher 1. Believe Justin Bieber 2.Welcome To The Fishbowl Kenny Chesney 3.The Idler Wheel Is Wiser Tha... Fiona Apple

7.21 Adele 8. Up All Night One Direction 9. Tailgates & Tanlines Luke Bryan 10. Clockwork Angels Rush

1. Keh ke Lunga Gangs of Wasseypur 2. Tum hi ho bandhu

Cocktail 3. O Womaniya Live Gangs of Wasseypur 4. Yaarian Cocktail 5. Mukhtasar Teri meri Kahaani 6. Luttna Cocktail 7.Hunter Gangs of Wasseypur 8. Jugni Cocktail 9. Humse Pyaar kar le tu Teri Meri Kahaani 10. Dua Shanghai

H‑Factor

FRIDAY, JULY 6, 2012

Holistic view of mind, body and soul

Spots you don’t want Clear skin is everybody’s dream. While a concealer can take care of those spots on a temporary basis, options are available for a more permanent solution Anishaa Kumar anishaa.k@postnoon.com

ur skin gets its colour from a pigment known as melanin which is produced in the Melanocyte cells in the skin. Excess and absence of this pigment results in various physical attributes. While excess is known as hyper pigmentation, an absence is known as hypo pigmentation.

Causes According to Dr Radha Shah, consultant dermatologist, Apollo Hospital, Jubilee Hills, “The causes for hyper pigmentation could include tanning, diseases like acne, irritation with substances, use of perfumes, injuries and birth marks. While tanning is normal, sunburn may result

in pigmentation. When it comes to hypo pigmentation the causes could include fungal infections, dry skin patches, trauma (especially burns), eczema, psoriasis and birth marks.” According to Dr BS Chandrashekhar, chief dermatologist, Cutis Clinic, Bangalore, “Hyper pigmentation is characterised by brown spots turning black.” The different types of hyper pigmentation include sun tan, melisma, injury, solar meiosis etc. Freckles and sunspots are also types of hyper pigmentation. Dr Chandrashekhar says, “In certain cases freckles may be genetic but this is rarely seen among Indians.” According to Dr Chandrashekar, “Vitiligo, pityriasis alba and albinism are types of hypo pigmentation. While Vitiligo is more common in children, pityriasis alba is a form of mild

eczema and albinism is a genetic problem in which the skin becomes photosensitive.”

Treatment Talking about hyper pigmentation, Dr Chandrashekhar says, “Patients with hyper pigmentation are asked to avoid sunlight and are advised to use sunscreens and sun protection. It is important that the patient should apply the cream from 9am to 4pm as this is the time when the UV rays are the highest. One should reapply every two hours. A common misconception is that sunscreen should be applied only when you are outside.” A SPF15-SPF30 sunscreen is sufficient. While buying a sunscreen one should buy a sunscreen that protects against both UV (causes pigmentation) and UVB (causes sun burns). Apart from this, certain

creams with bleaching agents help. Dr Radha adds, “Apart from bleaches and creams topical steroids may be advised. If nothing works then the patient may be advised chemical peels or laser. In case of hypo pigmentation topical steroids or certains psoralens along with UV rays (known as PUVA therapy) may be advised to help bring the colour back. If these fail than skin grafting is advised.” On the reference to pigmentation being the sign of skin cancer, Dr Chandrashekhar says, “This is more common in US and Australia as they have more sun exposure. In our country it is rare but if one feels that the spot has increased or there is itching or burning, you should visit a doctor.” Dr Radha agrees, “Although rare, it may be a sign of an underlying problem”

Older bees can help find ways to treat dementia WASHINGTON: Surprisingly, older honey bees can reverse brain aging or dementia when they take on nest responsibilities handled by much younger bees, according to scientists from a US university. Researchers at the Arizona State University say these findings could open the way to treating age-related dementia, even though current research focuses on potential new drug treatments. A team of researchers from Arizona and the Norwegian University of Life Sciences, led by Gro Amdam from Arizona School of Life Sciences, showed that tricking older, foraging bees into doing social tasks inside the nest causes changes in the molecular structure of their brains. “We knew from previous research that when bees stay in the nest and take care of larvae - the bee babies - they remain mentally competent for as long as we observe them,” said Amdam, an associate professor, the journal Experimental Gerontology reports. “However, after a period of nursing, bees fly out gathering food and begin aging very quickly. After just two weeks, foraging bees have worn wings, hairless bodies, and more importantly, lose brain function basically measured as the ability to learn new things,” he said, according to an Arizona statement. “We wanted to find out if there was plasticity in this aging pattern so we asked the question. What would happen if we asked the foraging bees to take care of larval babies again?” Amdam asked. Amdam’s international team not only saw a recovery in the bees ability to learn, they discovered a change in proteins in the bees’ brains. When comparing the brains of the bees that improved relative to those that did not, two proteins noticeably changed. They found Prx6, a protein also found in humans that can help protect against dementia, including diseases such as Alzheimer’s, and they discovered a second and documented ‘chaperone’ protein that protects other proteins from being damaged when brain or other tissues are exposed to cell-level stress. IANS

H‑Factor

FRIDAY, JULY 6, 2012

Holistic view of mind, body and soul

Parents with more kids less likely to catch cold

Learnt the hard way Gym Diaries Sudeshna Koka

WASHINGTON: If you are a parent, then you are 52 per cent less likely to develop a cold than non-parents, says a latest research. “We have had a long-term interest in how various social relationships influence health outcomes,” said Sheldon Cohen, professor of psychology at Carnegie College of Humanities and Social Sciences, who led the study with Rodlescia S Sneed. “Parenthood was especially interesting to us because it has been proposed that it can have

PARENTS WITH ONE OR TWO CHILDREN WERE 48 PER CENT LESS LIKELY TO GET SICK WHILE PARENTS WITH THREE OR MORE CHILDREN WERE 61 PER CENT LESS LIKELY TO DEVELOP A COLD

both positive and negative effects on health,” Cohen was quoted as saying in the journal Psychosomatic Medicine. “For example, being a parent can be stressful but at the same time can be fulfilling, facilitate the development of a social network and provide purpose in life,” said Cohen, according to a university statement. Cohen, Sneed, Ronald B. Turner from the University of Virginia and William J. Doyle, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, exposed 795 healthy adults aged between 18

and 55 years to the common cold virus. Parents with one or two children were 48 per cent less likely to get sick while parents with three or more children were 61 per cent less likely to develop a cold. Both parents with children living at home and away from home showed a decreased risk of catching a cold. And, while parents older than age 24 were protected from the cold virus, parenthood did not influence whether those aged 18-24 years became ill. IANS

Bacteria more effective than paste LONDON: Brushing teeth with an enzyme extracted from a bacteria found in seaweed could be more effective than toothpaste in the fight against tooth decay, a British study has found. Scientists from Newcastle University used an enzyme isolated from marine bacterium Bacillus licheniformis, which they were originally researching for its use in cleaning ship hulls, the Daily Mail reported. The scientists say the enzyme can “cut through” plaque on teeth and clean hardto-reach areas. Nicholas Jakubovics of the university’s School of Dental

Sciences said better products offering more effective dental treatment can be made using the enzyme. “This enzyme can cut through the plaque or layer of bacteria and we want to harness this power into a paste, mouthwash or denture cleaning solution,” Jakubovics said. “Plaque on your teeth is made up of bacteria which join together to colonise an area in a bid to push out any potential competitors. Traditional toothpastes work by scrubbing off the plaque containing the bacteria, but that’s not always effective,” he said. IANS

y teacher would always tell me that the basic problem with most youngsters today is that they are always extremely enthusiastic when they start something new. But then that enthusiasm soon fizzles out. I think that is exactly what is happening with me and my gym work outs. I started gymming with great gusto, but as time passed by, I realise that I’ve lost all that passion and zeal to lose weight. Result — I find myself skipping gym more and more often. Usually, I don’t realise the folly of my ways till it’s too late. But this time, I did. After a month of dilly-dallying about going to gym, I realised that it was really not working in my favour. I would go to the gym for a couple of days, skip for a couple of days then go back for a couple of days. The cycle just continued. But then what also happened was this — every time I went to the gym and worked out, I would have crazy body pains the next day. When I bunked, the pains would die down, only to return when I hit the gym again. I realised, that this wouldn’t happen if I was regular with my workouts. But last week I realised that this HAD to stop at any cost. Well, you see, I always learn things the hard way. After mentally preparing myself not to bunk gym, I went regularly to gym. And then came my ouch moment because we started off my workout with leg exercises. Trust me, working out your lower body is terribly hard. When I work out other body parts, the pain is not as bad. The first night after I resumed my workouts, the pain was terrible that I found myself waking up at night because my leg hurt so bad. Despite the pain, I went back to the gym the next day and was secretly hoping my trainer would make me work out my upper body. But he made me do lower body exercises again, much to my dismay. In fact, the whole week we did nothing but lower body exercises. This was perhaps one of the most difficult workout sessions. But then guess I had to learn things the hard way. On the upside, since I kept at it, the pains are not so bad now. I suppose the trick is to not take a break and to let your body get used to the workout. (The writer is determined to fight the flab. Readers can inspire her at sudeshna.k@postnoon.com)

F‑Folio Dior blanketed a mansion in fresh-cut flowers to fete its new designer Raf Simons, and his playful, modern spin on the house’s iconic silhouette on day one of the Paris haute couture show

A MILLION

BLOOMS AT DIOR

FRIDAY, JULY 6, 2012

20&21

AFP/FRANCOIS GUILLOT

he fashion galaxy had been bubbling with excitement to see the avant-gardist Belgian’s debut at Dior, more than a year after its flamboyant frontman John Galliano was sacked in disgrace over a drunken, racist outburst. Sharon Stone, Marion Cotillard and Isabelle Huppert were among the A-listers there for the show, set in five opulent rooms bedecked wall to ceiling with a thick canopy of flowers —a million buds in total— each in a different hue. Workers toiled through the night to affix the white orchids, red roses, blue delphiniums, yellow goldenrods, and for the Christian Dior room pink roses and garden flowers in a nod to the house founder’s passion for flowers. For the clothes too, Simons said he looked to the 1950s roots of the house, when the couturier was at its helm, taking the “architecture” of his classic silhouettes

and reworking them for a modern woman. Dior’s “bar suit” — a pencil skirt and jacket with a nipped waist and a flare at the hips, called a basque — was suggested in slender black pantsuits, in bustiers, on coast and bare-shoulder dresses with structured, flared skirts.

For cocktail time, Simons paired bare-back dresses of fluid silk crepe, in fuchsia or the house’s trademark red, with black or navy cigarette pants. A band of electric blue silk was draped bustier-like over the breasts, joined at the back with a panel of coloured embroidery, worn over black wool pants. And for chillier nights Dior’s woman could step into midnight blue dresses made entirely of mink and astrakhan fur. From blacks and deep blues, the palette swept up via tie-dye motifs and intricate floral embroidery, to the palest pinks and blues, like on a showstopping series of ball gowns fully embroidered with downy feathers. Judging by the crush of people pressing to congratulate him after the show— including top designers Marc Jacobs, Alber Elbaz or the veteran Pierre Cardin — Simons did not disappoint. “There was all of Dior’s fragility, and Raf’s modernity,” summed up Lanvin’s star designer Alber Elbaz. “I thought it was sublime, very inspired,” Cotillard said afterwards. “We are very lucky to have this very intellectual designer,” said Stone, who like Cotillard is one of the faces of the luxury brand. The Dior show was a major highlight of the three days of haute couture shows running until Wednesday, with Chanel and Givenchy to on Tuesday and JeanPaul Gaultier on Wednesday. AFP

Spotlight 2

PARTY ROCKERS

DEEPAK DESHPANDE

Models display the latest collection of designer saris at CMR Secunderabad. CMR is offering heavy discounts for the Ashadam season.

The beauty of time

The enthusiasm of these youngsters had to be seen to be believed as they danced and partied the night away at Bottles & Chimney on Thursday night. 1 Poonam 2 Teja

4 Akansha 5 Roshini

3 Kritika

6 Indu

Go ahead and splurge

DEEPAK DESHPANDE

FRIDAY, JULY 6, 2012

DEEPAK DESHPANDE

7 Anuja 8 Netu

Rado’s brand ambassador Lisa Ray inaugurated Rado’s second store in the city in Jubilee Hills on Thursday.

On song

Girls enjoy Karaoke Night with KJ Anand on Thursday at 10D.

To beautiful melodies

SRINIVAS SETTY

The audio release of Andarila Nenu Preminchanu was held at the Film Chambers, Film Nagar on Thursday. The film stars Krishna Tej, Nivan and Bindhu.

What’s the question? SRINIVAS SETTY

Commentator Harsha Bhogle acts as quizmaster at the Monsoon Quiz that was held at Eat Street, Necklace Road on Thursday.

Hair care guaranteed

SRINIVAS SETTY

Lions Club member Prabaker and corporator Kotha Rama Rao launched the Heads up Salon at AS Rao Nagar recently.

Magic Screen

FRIDAY, JULY 6, 2012

Magic Screen

FRIDAY, JULY 6, 2012

The glamour behind the glitz

Manisha’s spiritual birthday

A SALMAN STAYING AWAY FROM HOLLYWOOD?

e was voted the seventhbest-looking man in the world and the best looking man in India by US’s People magazine in 2004 — but Salman Khan has maintained his distance from Hollywood, and says he has his reasons. The Bollywood star unleashed his funny side when asked about the reason at an event organised by Indo-American Chamber Of Commerce (IACC) on Wednesday. “All my friends who have gone to America, they don’t

even want to come back for a holiday, wonder why. I am an actor, those guys were the ‘sensible’ ones, educated — engineers, doctors, scientists. These guys went there and made a lot of money, respect,” he said. “Me, I am giving Brad Pitt, Tom Cruise, all these guys a chance. Otherwise...poor guys,” the 46-year-old said in a humourous way. Salman also targeted Hollywood films. “Amazing movies, they make anything look good. Like for example the names I took,

Brad Pitt, Tom Cruise. We just go on emotions and heart. We overdo anything, I mean guys like us also look really bad,” said Salman. He wrapped up the response with his arch-rival, superstar Shah Rukh Khan’s famous dialogue from My Name Is Khan: “I mean my name is actually Khan and I actually am not a terrorist.” Besides Salman, actress Nargis Fakhri was also present at the event. IANS

We can’t compete with Hollywood for stunts

ilmmaker Rakesh Roshan promises to offer the best stunts and action in his superhero flick Krrish 3, but admits they can’t compete with Hollywood’s technologically hi-fi sequences and burgeoning budgets. However, he says he

retained the drama and emotions that Bollywood is known for in the movie. “In terms of stunt spectacle and action, we have gone way beyond the other Krissh films. But we can’t compete with Hollywood. One of their action scenes is

equal to my entire budget. We can’t afford the bigness of the Hollywood superhero films,” said the 62year-old. But that hasn’t deterred him from giving his best shot. “Given our monetary restrictions, we’ve done whatever we could do with the action scenes. But our forte is the drama. So, we have based all the action in emotions.” “Plain and simple, they have the money. We don’t. We have to depend on our content, the story and emotions. We’ll try to get the audience involved in the emotions and then get them sucked into the stunts," added the filmmaker. IANS

ctress Manisha Koirala, who will turn 42 on August16, plans to take a break from her work so that she can have a spiritual birthday in Rishikesh. “After finishing work going to Rishikesh in Himalayas for yog shivir (camp), did not know my exotic plan for birthday would be so...every year new theme, it keeps getting better, without my planning...," Manisha tweeted. The actress, who last appeared in National Award winning film I AM, will be seen in Ram Gopal Verma’s BHHOOoo.!, a sequel to 2003 release hit horror film Bhoot. IANS

Magic Screen

FRIDAY, JULY 6, 2012

The glamour behind the glitz

ALLU ARJUN PINS HOPES ON JULAAYI

llu Arjun has pinned all his hopes on Trivikram Srinivas’ upcoming film Julaayi. The film is set for release on July 13 and we hear that Trivikram Srinivas is leaving no stone unturned to promote the film. Recently, Allu Arjun shot for a promotional song in Old City along with Devi Sri Prasad. Talking to the media, Allu Arjun said, “This is the first time that I have shot for a promotional song for my film. It was Trivikram Srinivas and DSP’s idea. When they shared the idea to make this song, I was more than happy to oblige. There are no item numbers in the film;however, I must confess that I danced like an item boy for a mass song in the film. DSP has composed music for the fourth time in my career and I am glad that we have yet another winner.” The film is about an aimless youngster who becomes quite responsible in the end.“You’ll see Allu Arjun in a new light in the film and there’s a good comedian in him. We have tried to drive home the point that making easy money is not the right thing to do,” Trivikram Srinivas said. Ileana is playing the lead role in the film.

Kochadaiyaan’s audio launch in Tokyo?

ajinikanth’s upcoming film Kochadaiyaan is expected to hit the screens end of the year but already the makers have grand plans for it. Directed by Soundarya Rajinikanth, the film has Rajinikanth, Deepika Padukone, Sarathkumar, Aadhi and Shobana in lead roles. The film’s principal shooting has already been wrapped up and most part of the film was shot in London, Thiruvananthapuram and HK. The latest buzz is that the film’s audio launch will be held in Tokyo and the film will premiere in LA, London and in India later this year. Ever since K S Ravikumar’s Muthu released, Rajini’s fan following in Japan has grown manifold. Almost all his films in the past 15 years have been released in Japan or dubbed in Japanese.

T-TOWN TWEETIES

@pnavdeep26 The man can pull off any look wid utmost ease n manages to look hot no matter whattt! *nag* a true star... #admirer.

@tashu_02 Checked with my Dir — @ijar96 n now the entire schedule is set... so shall start rolling soon in #Hyderabad... looking forward for it :-)

@me_sushanth I mentioned the word Eega on phone n my 3 yr old niece starts singing “Eega Eega Eega”! Wow! All the best @ssrajamouli sir. @Samanthaprabhu2.

@actressanjjanaa Putting in my sweat n blood for my 1st ever magnum budget heroine oriented film mahanadhi day4@2ndschedule.

@richyricha I can never fall asleep when I have an early flight the next day! Then I end up looking like a zombie… ok goodnight!

Eega mania begins

@shrutihaasan

Why do the rains make happy sad nostalgic all at once? My playlist is truly schizo this season lol.

S Rajamouli’s Eega is expected to take a flying start all over AP and Tamil Nadu. In AP alone, the film is going to release in 1,200 theatres and thanks to the prerelease buzz it has created, almost all the tickets are booked for the weekend in most centres. In Tamil Nadu, PVP Cinemas is planning to release the film in over 200 theatres. We hear that the distributors in TN have already paid `7 crore as advance. Prasad V Potluri, who bought the Tamil rights for `5 crore, has already made profits from the sale of theatrical and satellite rights. What’s caught everyone by surprise is the extent of buzz which the film has generated despite the absence of a big star. A lot is riding on SS Rajamouli’s brand. The film is also being released in a big way in Kerala, Karnataka and rest of India. The big question remains whether the film can reach the sky high expectations.

@RanaDaggubati What a coincidence met Shekar Kamulla this morning in the studio at the edit and our film is on TV!! #Leader.

@LakshmiManchu Really enjoying the songs of #devuducheysinamanushulu. 2, 3, 4 and 5 are my favs. All the best to the team.

Chai Time

KAKURO

How to Play Kakuro Kakuro is a popular game similar to sudoku in some ways. But is also suitably different. The key question: ‘How do you play Kakuro?’, well here are the rules of kakuro. The answer: The kakuro grid, unlike in sudoku, can be of any size. It has rows and columns, and dark cells like in a crossword. And, just like in a crossword, some of the dark cells will contain numbers. Some cells will contain two numbers. However, in a crossword the numbers reference clues. In a kakuro, the numbers are all you get! They denote the total of the digits in the row or column referenced by the number. Within each collection of cells — called a run — any of the numbers 1 to 9 may be used but, like sudoku, each number may only be used once. Let’s have an example to explain this concept more clearly: In the image above, which shows a section of a kakuro puzzle, you will see the numbers ‘26’ and ‘14’ in the top row. Look at the 14. This means that the total of the three cells underneath must sum to 14. Therefore 9, 4, 1 could be the answer, or perhaps 7, 4, 3 and so on... So, how do you work out the actual combination? Well, this is done through elimination and cross-referencing. For instance, as you work out the answers for other kakuro clues, this will naturally limit the valid combinations, and hence the answer for this particular run. Note the second cell in row two — it contains two numbers, 30 and 11. The 30 refers to the vertical run underneath the number 30 and the 11 refers to the two cells to the right, horizontally, of the number 11.

SCRIBBLING PAD

FRIDAY, JULY 6, 2012

Take a shot at the brain game while sipping your cuppa

QUICK CROSSWORD ACROSS 1 ‘Bet you can't,’ eg 5 Baby bed 11 AKC outcast 14 ‘Firebird’ composer Stravinsky 15 More smarmy 16 ‘... ___ nation under God ...’ 17 Situations that could erupt into sudden violence 19 Juice drink brand 20 China and Japan, eg 21 Lover of beauty 23 Before, to Shakespeare 24 Offshore hazard 26 Dry, as a desert 27 Renovated the kitchen, eg 29 Case for a plumber 32 ‘ ___ Only Just Begun’ 33 Oohs and ___ 35 Again from square one 37 ‘Waking ___ Devine’ (1998 comedy) 38 Right away 41 Weary traveller's stopover 43 Actionable offense 44 Period for historians 45 Aussie buddy 47 ‘Dead Poets Society’ director 49 Corner office, company car and others 53 Chicken, to a chicken hawk 54 Bubbly drink with caffeine 56 Be down with something 57 Amount owed 61 Preliminary sketch 63 In-house computer linkup, briefly 64 Kind of artist 66 Satisfied a craving 67 Protester's sign word 68 Remain edible 69 ‘On your mark, get ___, go!’ 70 Churchill's predecessor 71 Circular current

DOWN 1 Hold opposing views 2 Blazing 3 Emulated a lion 4 Scottish tongue 5 Patch of woods 6 Burned and looted 7 Muhammad of the ring 8 Eat a formal meal 9 ‘Shall we dance?’ reply 10 Start for ‘while’ 11 Making sense 12 Promoting harmony 13 Went back, as a hairline 18 Construction worker's protection 22 ‘Hee ___’ 25 Almost hysterical 28 Actor Holm 30 ___ and outs 31 Wimbledon champion Sampras 34 Downfall that some

dread 36 Road to conflict 38 Worldwide computer connection 39 Angry feeling 40 ‘No’ to Rob Roy 41 Certain Chevrolets or antelopes 42 Give a running commentary 46 Hand-___ coordination 48 First-year player 50 Didn't just drizzle 51 Crowned, in checkers 52 Ready to turn in 55 ‘Filthy’

SUDOKU

money 58 Blue tinged with green 59 Litter weakling 60 Put through a sieve 62 Placid, for one 65 ___ Poly (West Coast school) PREVIOUS PUZZLE ANSWER

THOUGHT OF THE DAY Books are the quietest and most constant of friends; they are the most accessible and wisest of counsellors, and the most patient of teachers. – Charles W Eliot

Chai Time STAR POWER

FRIDAY, JULY 6, 2012

Your tomorrow today̶Star Power and Tarot THIRUVAIKUMAR

As per Hindu panchang

FOR 7-7-2012

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

TAURUS

GEMINI

Hurdles in your path of growth will disappear. Financial position will be strong. Daughter's marriage will be settled with a good match. Son will get an opportunity to go abroad.

Beneﬁts likely through relatives and close friends. You will get the expected ﬁnancial help. Be alert; as there is a ch‑ ance that your relatives will blame you. Businessmen should study the market.

Employees will work hard but no reco‑ gnition likely at work place which mi‑ ght upset them. Peaceful situation will prevail at home. Comforts set to incre‑ ase. Health problem likely; take care.

CANCER

LEO

VIRGO

Income will increase. Long‑time wishes will get fulﬁlled. Children will make you happy and proud. You will be giv‑ en importance in functions you attend. Proﬁts will jump for businessmen.

Govt work will end favourably and quic‑ kly too. Some have chances to buy valu‑ able objects and immovable assets. Tra‑ vel and vehicle maintenance will incre‑ ase. Increase in proﬁts for businessmen.

Money inﬂow will increase consider‑ ably. You will come out clear from the blame on you. Avoid taking imp‑ ortant decisions for the time being. Spouse will be co‑operative all times.

LIBRA

SCORPIO

SAGITTARIUS

Health problem likely, hence good care is needed to be taken. Negligence might aggravate the problem. Avoid taking medicines on your own. Always keep a distance with new friends.

You need to control anger and emo‑ tional outbursts, else the situation will go out of your control. You will act diplomatically to solve problems. Expected money will come to you.

You will face tension and are unable to complete work as expected. House and vehicle maintenance are likely to go up. You struggle hard to achieve goals. Real‑estate deals will yield gains.

CAPRICORN

AQUARIUS

PISCES

Money ﬂow will be abundant. Some are forced to change their house or place. Newlyweds will get their offspring soon. Govt work will end at a fast pace. Those planning to go abroad will get the visas.

Chances of misunderstanding with blo‑ od relatives and health problem likely; take good care. You will get help and support of good hearted persons. Mat‑ ernal relatives will also help you.

You will think differently and innova‑ tively to complete work successfully. Persons opposed to you will become inactive. You will gain an upper hand at home. Unexpected fortune likely.

SUMAA TEKUR

FOR 7-7-2012

tarotreadhyd@gmail.com

ARIES

TAURUS

GEMINI

Page of Pentacles – Be consistent in ever‑ ything that you do. You may have doubts in terms of what you want to do and when and how. Have faith in your own ideas.

Queen of Pentacles – The future is already here. There is no point over‑planning to the last detail. You have to sometimes go with the ﬂow and do whatʼs needed.

Eight of Swords – If youʼre riding a two‑ wheeler, wear a hel‑ met. Donʼt break the rules. The cop may ﬁne you. Follow the law, no matter how difﬁcult it may seem.

CANCER

LEO

VIRGO

The World – A per‑ fect holiday can be a trekking trip to the hillslopes. You can discover a new you by being close to nature. Explore diffe‑ rent parts of nature.

Four of Swords – There are always two, or more, sides to a story. Donʼt be content by listening to just one side of a story and making your judgment.

Nine of Cups – You get nostalgic and like to revel in the beauty of all things ancient. You think of the past as a sweet memory you cannot have enough of.

LIBRA

SCORPIO

SAGITTARIUS

Ten of Cups – Create a beautiful setting w‑ ithin your house wi‑ th candles, music an‑ d perfume. You need to pamper yourself sometimes and do things for yourself.

Four of Pentacles – You are holding on to a bygone era and expect the younger generation to under‑ stand your values an‑ d emotions towards a thing of the past.

Ace of Pentacles – There is a rival who is attacking you in ways you donʼt yet know. Be on your gu‑ ard at all times and do whatʼs needed to protect yourself.

CAPRICORN

AQUARIUS

PISCES

The Sun – You are going to be very busy and this is a good kind of busy. You feel important and, in fact, do important work. This is a good thing for your conﬁdence.

Judgement – This is celebration time. All your ideas and plans are falling in place and your doubts are slowly erased. You have the confidence to make new plans.

For Better or for Worse Stone soup

The Star – You are tempted to stick to tradition despite your instinct asking you to try a new approach. You will feel obligated to go down a new road.

SOLUTIONS

Boggle RAP POP ROCK GOSPEL COUNTRY

Number game

Suduko

Scrabble

Ink pen

COMICS

Fred Basset

ARIES

TAROT READ

Vol: 1, No 354 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

2012 LONDON OLYMPICS

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DID YOU KNOW...? n Tyson Gay also has a time of 9.68 s set on 29 June 2008 during the 2008 U.S. Olympic Track & Field Trials at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon; the tail wind speed was 4.1 m/s, more than double the IAAF legal limit.

LEGENDS OF THE SPORT

53 n The 200 metres is an event subject to the Wind assistance rules. Races run with an aiding wind measured over 2.0 metres per second are not acceptable for record purposes. n Carl Lewis ran a time of 9.78 seconds at the 1988 US Olympic trials in Indianapolis, but it was wind aided (the tail wind speed was 5.2 m/s).

100M, 200M:

At the London Games, the 100m is run along the home straight of the athletics track while for the 200m, there is a staggered start so athletes start on a bend. In bothe the events, athletes start in the set position – kneeling down with their feet in the starting blocks.

Competition format 200m

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46 45 44 43 42 41 40 39

n Ben Johnson ran 9.79 at Seoul in 1988, but he was disqualified after he tested positive for stanozolol. He later admitted to drug use between 1981 and 1988, and his time of 9.83 at Rome in 1987 was rescinded. Carl Lewis’s 9.92 in the Seoul race was therefore recognized as the world record, and his two prior runs of 9.93 were seen as having equalled the previous world record.

TALLY 2008

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Fanny Blankers-Koen (born April 26, 1918) One of the finest all-round athletes, Fanny Blankers-Koen remains the only woman to win four Athletics golds at a single Games. In a career that lasted 20 years, Blankers-Koen won multiple European titles and set 20 world records, but her finest was at the 1948 Games where she won the 100m, the 80m Hurdles, the 200m, and the 4 x 100m Relay.

Carl Lewis (born July 1, 1961) One of only four Olympians to win nine gold medals, Carl Lewis was among the greatest Olympic idols of the 20th century. His first taste of Games glory came at Los Angeles 1984, where he claimed a famous quadruple gold medal haul. Two more golds and a silver followed at Seoul 1988, before he claim a further two golds at Barcelona 1992.

ON YOUR MARKS...

DAYS TO GO

FRIDAY, JULY 6, 2012

USA RUSSIA JAMAICA

7 6 6

9 5 3

7 7 2

The medals are for all the athletic events at the 2008 Games

MEDAL EVENTS August 4 August 5 August 8 August 9

Women’s 100m Men’s 100m Women’s 200m Men’s 200m

The 200m competition starts with heats. The number of heats and the number of athletes progressing to the next round depends on the number of athletes competing. In each heat the fastest athletes go through, as well as a set number of the fastest losers across all the heats. The following rounds run on the same format, until eight athletes are through to compete in the final. The draw to determine which heat athletes run in is decided by their initial seedings for the first round, and then their performances after that. This ensures that the highest seeded athletes are not drawn in the same heat. In the first round, an athlete’s lane allocation is by lot, and in subsequent rounds it is dependent on their performance.

qeb=sbkrb

he Olympic Stadium will host the spectacular Opening and Closing Ceremonies, as well as some of the most iconic Games events. The Stadium is at the heart of the Olympic Park on an ‘island’ site, surrounded by waterways on thr-

Competition format 100m The 100m competition starts with a preliminary round, which is limited to those athletes who have not as yet achieved the qualifying standards. The qualification procedure from this round is determined by the final number of entrants. The competition then continues with heats. The number of heats and the number of athletes progressing to the next round depends on the number of athletes competing. In each heat the fastest athletes go through, as well as a set number of the

fastest losers across all the heats. The following rounds run on the same format, until eight athletes are through to compete in the final. The draw to determine which heat athletes run in is decided by their initial seedings for the first round, and then their performances after that. This ensures that the highest seeded athletes are not in the same heat. In the first round, an athlete’s lane allocation is by lots, and in subsequent rounds it is on their performance. The highest-seeded athletes are drawn in the centre lanes.

THE LINGO False start if the athlete moves within 0.10 seconds after the gun has fired the athlete has false started. This figure is based on tests that show the human brain cannot hear and process the information from the start sound in under 0.10 seconds. This rule is only applied at highlevel meets where fully automated force or motion sensor devices are built into the starting blocks.

THE OLYMPIC STADIUM ee sides. Spectators will reach the venue via five bridges that link the site to the surrounding area. The innovative flexible design means its 80,000 capacity can be reduced after the Games. It has a permanent lower tier with a capacity of 25,000, and a

temporary steel and concrete upper tier, which holds a further 55,000 spec-

tators, that can be dismantled after the Games. The temporary upper tier means that amenities such as catering and toilets normally found inside sports stadia have been located in temporary facilities around the outside of the Stadium.

FRIDAY, JULY 6, 2012

29 1

DAYS TO GO

GAMES: PAST AND PRESENT LONDON: 1908, 1948, 2012: London is the first city to host a third Olympic Games, but the modest Games of the last century were worlds away from today’s glossy extravaganzas. “The situations are so different that you really can’t compare them,” Anthony Bijkerk, secretary general of the International Society of Olympic Historians said. Just 2008 athletes, including only 37 women, took part in the first Olympics held in London, staggered over the months from April to October 1908. “The 1908 games were the first well-organised and truly international Games of modern times,” said Bijkerk. This was no mean feat, given that Britain took on the Games with just two years’ notice. Original hosts Italy had pulled out in 1906 in order to rebuild the city of Naples, following a massive eruption of Mount Vesuvius. US athlete Ray Ewry stole the show in 1908, leaping to golds in the standing high jump and standing long jump despite having been crippled with polio as a child. His two specialities have since disappeared from the Olympic schedule, along with motorboat racing, the tug of war, and cycle polo. But some things haven’t changed since 1908. That year’s marathon was 42.195 kilometres (26 miles and 385 yards), so that

Britain to get £13billion Olympic boost: Cameron

2 3

LONDON: The 2012

it could begin west of London at King Edward VII’s Windsor Castle and end in front of his royal box in the stadium. The marathon remains this length today. Team GB won more than half of the gold medals — 56, to the United States’ 23 — which, some suggest, may have had something to do with the fact that all the judges were British. Forty years later, a bomb-wrecked London played host again, despite the fact that its citizens — and its economy — were still reeling from World War II. “Europe had just come out of this enormous catastrophic war and all the countries were very hardup," Cathy Ross of the Museum of London told AFP.

The situations are so different that you really can’t compare them [the past Games and the present 2012 Olympics]. Anthony Bijkerk, Secretary General, ISOH “But at the same time, I think there was an appetite to do something that brought the nations together. So London stepped in.” The Austerity Games, as they were quickly nick-

named, took place in a battered capital on a shoestring budget. Athletes slept in military barracks and school dormitories, and had to provide their own equipment. Nevertheless, the size of the teams had doubled since 1908, with 4,104 athletes from 59 nations taking part, including 390 women. But there were several glaring absences: Germany and Japan, as “aggressors” in World War II, were not invited, the Soviet Union declined to send any athletes, and China was busy forming the People’s Republic. In 2012, more than 10,000 athletes from 205 countries will take part and the £9.3 billion ($14.5 billion dollars, 11.6 billion euros) budget is 1,000 times that in 1948. AFP

Olympics could give a £13 billion stimulus to the British economy over the next four years, Prime Minister David Cameron said on Thursday. Outlining his vision for turning the event “into gold for Britain," the premier said the country was set to host an “outstanding Games” and that he expected their full cost to be recouped over time. “It’s what I’ll be devoting my energy to. Making sure that we turn these Games into gold for Britain," he said. “Our inspiration for this should be the Festival of Britain in 1951, which was a showcase of national enterprise and innovation. Now, as then, we need to drum up business for Britain — sell Britain to the world on the back of British success." The government will use the Games, which run from July 27 to August 12, as an opportunity to host a raft of business summits and a global investment conference. “I am confident that we can derive over £13 billion benefit to the UK economy over the next four years as a result of hosting the Games," he said.

5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 v

Lee uncertain about regaining form KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian badminton hero Lee Chong Wei on Friday said he has not fully recovered from an ankle injury and is unsure of whether he will be in top form for his last chance to win Olympic gold. The world number two, who has been receiving stem cell treatment on torn ankle ligaments sustained at the Thomas Cup in China in May, lost the top ranking to arch-rival Lin Dan of China last month after missing two tournaments.

He said the Olympics, which start on July 27, will be his last and he hopes to regain the number one ranking by winning a gold medal — the first for him and his country. Asked whether he is confident he will be back, he said: “I’m not sure.... Now I can’ say I have 100 percent recovered. I still have three weeks. I only concentrate on my game." Lee said he was about 80 percent fit. He said he has been training six to seven hours a day and is still undergoing rehabilitation for his injury. AFP

Des withdraws from Australian hockey side SYDNEY: Star striker Des Abbott has withdrawn from the men’s team for this month’s Olympics hockey event with a knee injury, Hockey Australia said on Friday. Abbott will be replaced by Russell Ford. “Des is a walk-up start, if his game is uncompromised, he is one of the world’s most brilliant players, but the progressive knee injury has interfered in his game," Ric Charlesworth commented. AFP

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Playing Field

FRIDAY, JULY 6, 2012

The games people play

FIFA nod for tech aid ZURICH: Football’s world governing body FIFA has agreed to allow the introduction of goalline technology (GLT) at a meeting of the sport’s executives here on Thursday. The technology will be used at the Club World Cup in Tokyo in December, the Confederation Cup in 2013 and also the World Cup in 2014. The decision by the International Football Association Board (IFAB) — custodians of the game’s laws — followed a vote at the Zurich headquarters of FIFA, the international association of football federations. It means footballing authorites around the world can introduce the technology into their competitions, using either the Hawk-Eye or GoalRef systems that have been undergoing tests. The English Premier League, the world’s richest football league, welcomed IFAB’s decision. “The Premier League has been a long-term advocate of goal line technology,” the EPL said in a statement. “We will engage in discussions with both Hawk-Eye and GoalRef in the near future with a view to introducing goal-line technology as soon as is practically possible.” The development comes after FIFA president Sepp Blatter lent his weight to calls for the technology to be introduced after Ukraine was denied an apparent goal against England in the recent

Five officials at matches allowed A pproval was given on Thursday to the five-referee method of officiating matches after a meeting of the International Football Association Board (IFAB). The referee and two linesmen will be aided by two further officials posted behind each team’s goalline to keep an eye on action in and around the critical penalty box area should tournament organisers want it, IFAB announced. FIFA has been trialling the “Additional Assistant Referee” system since 2008 and it was in use

Euro 2012 championships, losing 1-0. “After last night’s match (GLT) is no longer an alternative, but a necessity,” Blatter Tweeted. Replays showed that Marko

during the recently-finished Euro 2012 as well as the Champions League. IFAB comprises the Football Associations of England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales, with FIFA representing its other members. It is the sole body allowed to determine the laws of the game. The English FA and their Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland counterparts each has a single vote, while FIFA — world football’s governing body — has four. Any law change needs at least six of the eight votes.

Devic’s shot in the 62nd minute had crossed the goal line before being cleared by England defender John Terry. FA general secretary Alex Horne told a news conference in

Zurich it was “a hugely important day” for football. He said: “We believe that it is a great day for football. From an English perspective today is a hugely important day, it is a cause we have had on our agenda for a number of years. “This is about having the right technology helping the referee in a relatively rare occurrence — the scoring of a goal.” Fans have called for years for the football world to embrace technology which would eliminate human error, citing its use in other sports including tennis and cricket. But opponents to GLT included UEFA president Michel Platini, who said he preferred the system of five match officials, implemented for the first time at the Ukrainian championships and also agreed on by IFAB at Zurich. Prior to the IFAB vote on GLT, even Platini stated that he expected it to get the go-ahead. Individual associations may yet decide whether to use the technology in their competitions. That means UEFA could still decide not to implement the system. GoalRef utilises magnetic fields to determine whether a ball has crossed the line while the Hawk-Eye system is based on the use of cameras. The two goal-line technology systems both made it through to the final stages of FIFA’s testing process in March this year. AFP

Beckham suspended for one game NEW YORK: Former England midfielder David Beckham was suspended for one game and fined an undisclosed amount by Major League Soccer on Thursday for his actions in and after a loss last weekend. Los Angeles Galaxy star Beckham was banned by the MLS disciplinary committee for Sunday’s match at Chicago for confrontational and provocative behavoir during and just after a 43 loss at San Jose on June 30. “The committee considered his conduct unacceptable and detrimental to the league’s public image,” MLS said in a statement. In last weekend’s match against the Earthquakes, the former Man United and Real Madrid star had a notable outburst. In the match, Beckham drew a yellow card after kicking the ball toward an injured player. AFP

Muslim women permitted to play with hijab on Michel Haj

DUBAI: The decision by world footballing authorities to overturn a ban on women soccer players wearing the Islamic headscarf was welcomed by several Arab states Thursday. The International Football Association Board (IFAB), custodians of the rules of football, overturned its 2007 ban on the Islamic headscarf, or hijab, which it had argued was unsafe and increased the risk of neck injuries. New designs are secured with Velcro that experts have said eliminate the risk of serious injury. Critics said the ban promoted

inequality at the highest level of the world’s most popular game. “This decision, impatiently awaited, makes us very happy,” said Sheikha Naima al-Sabah, the president of the women’s sporting committee for Kuwait’s football federation. “It brings justice to female players. Its positive impact will be direct on Kuwaiti women’s enthusiasm to play football,” Sabah added. The Kuwaiti women’s football team, like those of the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Bahrain, plays in various international competitions. Oman does not field a

women’s team, neither does Saudi Arabia, the most conservative of six monarchies in the Arabian Peninsula.

Boon to women’s football in the Gulf FIFA’s decision is “going to promote women’s sport in Arab and Islamic countries, which have topnotch soccer players who are unable to compete because of the veil ban”, said Adel Marzouq, coach of the women’s football team from Bahrain. “This wise decision will encourage footballers to play their chosen sport without embarrassment,” he added.

Wimbledon 2012

FRIDAY, JULY 6, 2012

Serena expects a fight in final Steve Griffiths

LONDON:

Serena Williams insists she will have to deliver the performance of a lifetime to win her fifth Wimbledon title against Agnieszka Radwanska in Saturday’s final. Williams is widely expected to overpower Radwanska in her seventh Wimbledon final after the American served up a masterclass during a 6-3, 7-6 (8/6) semi-final victory over world number two Victoria Azarenka on Thursday. Azarenka is the reigning Australian Open champion and one of the more powerful strokemakers on the women’s tour, but even the Belarusian could do nothing to avoid being battered into submission as Serena hammered down a record 24 aces. Serena served more aces in one set against Azarenka than Radwanska has managed in the entire tournament. That formidable weapon combined with her wealth of experience — this is Serena’s 18th Grand Slam final but the first for Radwanska — make it easy to see why the sixth seed is heavily favoured to clinch her 14th major title. But Serena, the first 30-yearold to reach the Wimbledon final since Steffi Graf in 1999, has too much respect for Polish third seed Radwanska to be drawn into the hype that has her already crowned champion. “Radwanska has been playing well. She’s been consistent this

Paths to women’s singles final

Ace blitz puts Serena in man’s world

Radwanska (POL x3) 1st rd: bt Magdalena Rybarikova (SVK) 6-3, 6-3 2nd rd: bt Elena Vesnina (RUS) 6-2, 6-1 3rd rd: bt Heather Watson (GBR) 6-0, 6-2 4th rd: bt Camila Giorgi (ITA) 6-2, 6-3 QF: bt Maria Kirilenko (RUS x17) 5-7, 6-4, 7-5 SF: bt Angelique Kerber (GER x8) 6-3, 6-4 Williams (USA x6) 1st rd: bt Barbora Zahlavova Strycova (CZE) 6-2, 6-4 2nd rd: bt Melinda Czink (HUN) 6-1, 6-4 3rd rd: bt Zheng Jie (CHN x25) 6-7 (5/7), 6-2, 9-7 4th rd: bt Yaroslava Shvedova (KAZ) 6-1, 2-6, 7-5 QF: bt Petra Kvitova (CZE x4) 6-3, 7-5 SF: bt Victoria Azarenka (BLR x2) 6-3, 7-6 (8/6)

Serena Williams reached a seventh Wimbledon final on Thursday, taking her aces total to 85, an intimidating statistic which also makes her the second most powerful server in the men’s tournament. The 30-year-old American buried Victoria Azarenka under a firestorm of 24 aces in her 6-3, 7-6 (8/6) semi-final win, a record for a women’s match at Wimbledon, beating the 23 she hit in the third round against Zheng Jie. The four-time champion has now piled up 85 aces for the tournament, 51 more than closest rival Sabine Lisicki. It’s a total which even puts her second on the men’s list where only Germany’s Philipp Kohlschreiber hit more aces with 98. Williams has fired down one more than American men’s 10th seed Mardy Fish who finished his campaign on 84. “Actually during the match I thought I didn’t serve well. I thought, Gosh, I got to get more first serves in. I had absolutely no idea about the record,” said Williams. “It really didn’t feel like I hit 24 aces at all. I honestly felt like I hit maybe 10.” DAVE JAMES year, more consistent than I have,” Serena said. “That tells me I really need to go out there and be ready to hit a lot of shots and be ready to play hard. “She has great hands and she does everything so well. If I come

out flat, I won’t win.” Serena has hit a total of 85 aces in the tournament which would put her into second place on the men’s list where only Germany’s Philipp Kohlschreiber has notched more with 98. But Radwanska, who

beat Germany’s Angelique Kerber 6-3, 6-4 to become the first Polish Grand Slam finalist for 73 years, is a superb counter-puncher capable of extending rallies long enough to force crucial errors. With that in mind, Serena believes just relying

on her serve would be too onedimensional against an opponent as cunning as Radwanska. “I think if I try to do too much overpowering I can be led to a lot of errors, so I don’t know about that,” she said.

Laver declares Federer greatest of all time LONDON: Australian legend Rod Laver on Thursday proclaimed Roger Federer as the greatest player of all time, but with Rafael Nadal not far behind. “Roger Federer certainly is my claim to be the best of all time if there is such a thing,” said the 73year-old Australian. “Roger’s got all the shots, his anticipation is unbelievable, his timing off the groundstrokes with his shots, his single-handed backhand is one of the best there is. “But at the same time, I look at Rafael Nadal and what he’s done to win seven French Open titles and Wimbledon. Being able to play

with somewhat of a suspect knee, his way of motoring around the court and tracking shots down is quite uncanny. “They’re very close. Are they great champions and do they have equal abilities? I’d say ‘yes’, they’re pretty much equal.” Meanwhile, four-time Wimbledon champion Laver, the last man to complete a calendar Grand Slam in 1969, has told Andy Murray that he must be more aggressive if he wants to end Britain’s 76-year wait for a male Grand Slam champion. “He plays a safe game a little bit too long,” Laver told the BBC. That allows an opponent to be

more aggressive, rather than putting pressure on an opponent.” Murray will face France’s JoWilfried Tsonga on Friday bidding to become Britain’s first male finalist at Wimbledon since Bunny Austin in 1938. “Murray gets in a position where he’s maybe up a break or in a position to win a game, and he just plays it back,” added the great Australian. “That’s when you put your foot down and make sure you win that point so you get either two breaks or you get a break back. “”That’s the one thing I think maybe he’s missing, being able to say ‘I’ve got to win this point’.” AFP

Playing Field

FRIDAY, JULY 6, 2012

The games people play

Hamilton hopes upgrades will up performance SILVERSTONE: Lewis Hamilton is hoping that the latest upgrades to his McLaren car and significantly cooler conditions will boost his hopes of delivering a home win to enhance his title challenge in Sunday’s British Grand Prix. The 27-year-old Englishman, who crashed out of third place at last month’s sizzling European Grand Prix in Valencia, slipped from leading the drivers’ title race to third and is now 23 points adrift of Fernando Alonso of Ferrari. He said: “It wasn’t an ideal way to end that weekend, but we have got some upgrades on the

way and we are going to need them now because the other teams have obviously made some big steps forward. “The Red Bulls and the Ferrari are very fast and it is going to be a big fight at Silverstone, but I think we can be competitive.” Hamilton will be seeking his second ‘home’ win at Silverstone having won there in 2008 on the way to the drivers’ championship and he cherishes that memory as one of the best of his career. He said: “To me, winning at Silverstone is right up there with winning at Monaco. Standing on the top step of the podium in 2008 was among the sweetest

moments of my career and I would love to taste that again. “ There is nothing like racing in front of your own fans and they really do make a big difference — you can feel the support

out on the track and it is amazing to give back something at Silverstone.” Hamilton added that he felt McLaren's flop in Spain was partly due to the fact that their car

Tiger struggles at Greenbrier WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS: Vijay Singh, seeking his first PGA title in nearly four years, fired a seven-under par 63 on Thursday to grab the Greenbrier Classic lead while Tiger Woods struggled. Three-time major champion Singh, who has not won since the 2008 Deutsche Bank Championship, birdied his final four holes to stand atop the leaderboard, one stroke ahead of Americans Jeff Maggert, Jonathan Byrd and Martin Flores. Singh, who turns 50 next February, shocked even himself with his round. “I don’t know where that came from,” Singh said. “I have been

playing pretty good golf for a while but just never got any scoring going.” South Africa’s Garth Mulroy, Argentina’s Andres Romero and Americans Webb Simpson and J.B. Holmes shared fifth on 65 after the opening round of the $6.1 million event. A week after becoming the first player to win three tour events this season, Woods stumbled to a 71 to stand eight strokes off the pace, complaining that he could not find his touch on the greens. “I was a little bit off my game,” Woods said. “I missed every single putt high. I never hit one. I missed on the high side.” AFP

Ali to receive Liberty Medal PENNSYLVANIA: Boxing icon Muhammad Ali will receive the 2012 Liberty Medal from the National Constitution Center, presented annually by the group to honour a champion of freedom. The 70-year-old former heavyweight champion was stripped of his title and kept from boxing at the height of his career because he refused to join the US Army and fight in the Vietnam War in 1967. The US Supreme Court reversed the decision in 1971, ruling his refusal stemmed from religious beliefs, and Ali reclaimed his crown before retiring from the ring in 1981. Ali, who won Olympic boxing gold in 1960 at Rome, will receive the award September 13 at a cer-

emony on Independence Mall in Philadelphia. “Ali embodies the spirit of the Liberty Medal by embracing the ideals of the Constitution — freedom, selfgovernance, equality, and empowerment — and helping to spread them across the globe,” said former US President Bill Clinton, chairman of the centre. Since his boxing career

ended, Ali has worked for civil rights and cross-cultural understanding, having undertaken goodwill and humanitarian missions to such nations as Lebanon, Cuba, Afghanistan, Iran, South Africa, Iraq and North Korea. “For more than half a century, Ali has been committed to fighting for peace, justice and civil rights for all in the spirit of this award,” Philadelphia mayor Michael Nutter said. The medal, first awarded in 1989, has been given to such figures as Clinton, rock singer Bono, former South African president Nelson Mandela, former US president Jimmy Carter, movie director Stephen Spielberg and former British prime minister Tony Blair. AFP

does not perform as effectively on slower circuits — and forecast that he will be stronger this weekend, especially if cooler temperatures helped them with tyre management. AFP