All eyes on Venus, as she kisses the sun Sky-gazers in the City and around the world held up their telescopes and viewing glasses on Wednesday to watch Venus slide across the sun — a rare celestial phenomenon that will not happen again for more than 100 years. The event has special significance to Australia as a previous transit in 1769 played a key part in the “discovery” of the southern continent by the British navy’s James Cook.
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Actress Gwyneth Paltrow has been forced to defend herself against allegations of racism after she used the ‘N’ word in a Twitter post while referring to a popular Jay-Z and Kanye West song.
DARK Kothapet suffers, on average, more than eight hours without power every day. Residents are forced to live their sweltering lives in the dark.
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Often children run away from home and come to Secunderabad in search of greener pastures. But they get caught in the whirlpool of child labour. P6
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WEATHER: A MIX OF CLOUDY AND CLEAR SKIES; 32°C
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WEDNESDAY, JUNE 6, 2012
Spirit of Twin Cities
HERE WE GO!
Library summer camp
M ANIL KUMAR
A library summer camp for parents and faculty of UG and PG students will be held from May 10 onwards. The camp will provide guidance for faculty and final year PG students for National/State lectureship and scholarship test(NET/APSET) for `3,650. Where: Hyderabad library services, Sagar View Complex When: May 10 - June 10, Contact: (040) 2322 2247, 94412 37751
Abstract landscapes A painting exhibition by artist Bhaskar Rao B titled A leaflet and a drop will be on display at Iconart Gallery. A preview for the exhibition will be held on June 6 at 6.30 pm. Where: Iconart Gallery, Banjara Hills, Rd No 12 When: Ongoing, 11am onwards Contact: 98499 68797
The master of arts An exhibition and sale of original lithographic prints by artists like Rabindranath Tagore, Eshwar Das Gupta, Somnat Hore, KG Subramanyam and K Laxma Goud called The Master of Arts is on. Where: Arts Heaven Art Gallery, Lakdikapul When: Ongoing, 11am onwards Contact: 99495 71031
Kuchipudi performance Kuchipudi Dance performance by 32 artists will be organised by Abhinaya Darpanna Arts Academy at Rabindra Bharati on June 6. Where: Rabindra Bharati, Saifabad When: June 6, 6pm onwards Contact: (040) 2323 1245
Graffiti workshop Love graffiti? Then this workshop is for you. learn to draw different fonts and give them a 3D effect. Also learn to use spray cans for making graffiti on walls. Where: Treasure House, Jubilee Hills, Rd No 63 When: Ongoing, 10 am onwards Contact: (040) 2355 0118
Vision of blue gold Vision of blue gold, an exhibition of paintings by Pranay will be on display at Muse Art Gallery.The exhibition is on from June 9. Where: Muse Art Gallery, Lower Tank Bund When: June 9 onwards, 6.30pm onwards
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Contact: (040) 2752 2999
Kaleidoscopic journey A solo exhibition by Suruchi depicting paintings in different types of media is on display at The Bar, Shamshabad. Where: The Bar, Shamshabad When: Ongoing, 10am onwards Contact: (040) 6650 3000
Madhubani workshop The YMCA Secunderabad is hosting a madhubani painting workshop. The workshop is being felicitated by an artist from Madhubani. Where: YMCA Secunderabad, West Marredpally When: June 18-June 29 Contact: 98490 07736, 99595 57183
Kid’s day out Oxford Bookstore is organising a unique fun-filled workshop ‘A Kid’s Day Out’ for the children. The fiveday workshop will host exciting activities and competitions like baby show, painting, clay moulding. Where: Oxford Bookstore, The Park,
Somajiguda When: June 2-June 6, 11am onwards Contact: 91601 48444
Designer exhibition D'sire Exhibition and Sale is on at Taj Krishna. 80 master designers will be showcasing designer garments, precious and semi precious jewellery, fashion and lifestyle accessories. Where: Taj Krishna, Banjara Hills, Rd No 1 When: June 6, 10am onwards Contact: (040) 6666 2323
Summer camp Annapurna International School of Film and Media will be holding a Summer Camp program in filmmaking, acting and photography. The second batch is from May 28. Where: Annapurna School, Banjara Hills When: Ongoing
Artistic exhibits On a look out for traditional prints and crafts? Head to an exhibitional of traditional handicrafts and artis-
tic handlooms of Gujarat which has around 10 tribal craftsmen and 10 other artisans from Gujarat. Where: West Marredpally community grounds, Marredpally When: Ongoing, 10am onwards Contact: (040) 4914 1234
Budding entrepreneurs A unique management and entrepreneurial workshop for students of age group 11-17, at ISB Hyderabad from June 4 to June 9. Where: Indian School of Business, Gachibowli When: June 4-June 9, 9am onwards Contact: 98665 61690
Theatre workshop Samahaara is hosting special four week summer acting workshops. The workshops will be held for a duration of four weeks in three different parts of the City. Where: Vidyaranya School, The Terrace, The Actor’s Studio When: Ongoing Contact: 83411 20303
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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Two caught selling fake gold As age limited the possibilities of adventures and escape, the gang began making the best use of their ‘soft skills’ to loot the gullible
CRIME Mohd Subhan mohd.s@postnoon.com
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here was a time when they made a ‘good living’ out of serious crime — robbery, dacoity, extortion. But things changed. Four of the gang members are now dead. Two of the remaining four members have one foot in the grave and two others who replaced the deceased are past their prime. This change made the gang worldly-wise. “We can no longer live off our might,” the eldest advised others. So they turned their attention towards ‘’soft crimes’ like cheating. On one hand, they indulged in crimes, but they would also do legitimate work like head-load workers in fruit or vegetable markets or drive an autorickshaw. However, old habits do not die. And it was in this process two of
them were held yesterday by the Task Force. The Tegala Pamula gang was once dreaded throughout the State. They were nimble-footed, ruthless and vanished after the acts of crime with ease. They have scores of crimes registered against them in different parts of the State. Sometimes they got caught but mostly they managed to escape. In the City, they have crimes registered in their name in Alwal, Kushaiguda, LB Nagar and Hayathnagar. Yesterday, Aavula Eashwaraiah (56) alias Venkatesh alias cheetah and Aamur Ravi (52) were arrested for cheating an unwary man of gold worth `40,000. The ploy was to identify pliable people. Then the work was easy, says deputy commissioner of police (Task Force) Ch Ramchander who caught them. They bought trinkets from Vijayawada that looked like genuine gold, and injected in their quarry the idea of making a quick profit. They said that they could
pretend to have some urgent work hence needed to sell their family gold at a cheaper price. At other times, they would pose as merchants who sell gold jewellery and would lay out their stock in front of the would-be victims. With a glib tongue and with a sleight of hand they would bring the customer around. They would take the genuine ornaments and give the victims higher quantity of the fake and disappear. When the Task Force arrested them, the duo is reported to have told the police their ‘sad plight’ of advancing age and difficulty in making both ends meet. Their two accomplices, Yelaiah, 45 and Prasad, 35, bolted from the scene. Eashwaraiah and Ravi were arrested with `40,000 cash and 450 grams of fake gold. They are all living in Hyderabad. Recently the duo had duped another man, a Malakpet resident, of gold worth `1.30 lakh, police said. They are now cooling their heels in Chaderghat police lockup.
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Two cops die in accident Postnoon News feedback@postnoon.com
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Kothapet: Life in the dark Rahul Ramakrishna rahul.r@postnoon.com
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he growing number of power cuts in and around Kothapet area have vexed its citizens. With more than 8 hours power cuts on an average, they are forced to find alternative means to carry on with their day-to-day activities. Some residents say power outages happen every 10 minutes. Anuradha, a housewife in Chaitanyapuri Colony says, “The power goes once in every two hours. Last night we had a oneand-a-half-hour power cut. It is impossible for my elderly parents to cook or take a bath because we never know when the power will go and it gets pitch dark. We have been forced to change our lifestyle because of the power cuts.” Another resident, D Ramesham expressed similar concerns. He says, “ This is not a new problem. We have been fac-
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ing severe power shortage since a long time and our children find it difficult to study, especially during the exams.” Nitin Kumar, a shop owner claims that the frequent power cuts have caused losses to his business. “All the refrigerated items start to melt and the goods get spoilt within two days.” The residents say that many complaints lodged with the APGENCO and the local corpo-
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POWER TO THE PEOPLE rator but these complaints have yielded no results. The corporator of the area has an explanation for the situation. V Prakash Goud of
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Kothapet area said, “The electric lines including the jumpers and the cables are old and faulty. We have asked APGENCO to commission a new set of power lines and feeders. I have personally been in touch with the DE of APGENCO and the entire project is about to be finished in a day or two.” The locals were however surprised on hearing their corporator’s explanation. Srinivas, another resident of the area says, “I have not seen any electric cable work being undertaken and even if they did what repair work do they undertake during the night?” The local sub-station authorities claimed that there were a couple of faults with the transmission lines and that work was being undertaken. In the meantime, the absence of electricity has brought many security problems such as suspicious people lurking in the colony and the absence of street lights.
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wo policemen were killed and two received injuries after the vehicle they were travelling in met with an accident during the early hours of Wednesday at Allampur village under Mannapaadu police station of Mahbubnagar district. According to circle inspector of Mannapaadu police station, M Ramamurthy, the victims were identified as armed reserve inspector Shivanagaih, 45 and one assistant sub-inspector of the armed reserve police. Both victims belongs to kurnool district. M Ramamurthy told Postnoon that the four policemen belonged to the reserve police and were a part of the convoy of Chief Minister N Kiran kumar Reddy. After they dropped the chief minister, the convoy left for Kurnool. When they reached the Allampur toll gate at around 5.30am, police constable Ramanjenylu, who was driving, lost control and the vehicle hit a lorry that was coming from the opposite direction. The injured were shifted to a hospital in Kurnool . The Mannapaadu police registered a case and the bodies have been sent for post-mortem.
Suspended SI dies Postnoon News feedback@postnoon.com
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suspended sub-inspector M Laxminarayana (52) died under suspicious circumstances on Wednesday morning under Miyapur police station limits. The victim was suspended in 2006 after he was caught red-handed by the anti-corruption bureau. Heart attack is being suspected as the cause. The police are investigating the case.
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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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Faux pas by Gulam Nabi Azad irks Congress in state POLITICS Inkeshaf Ahmed ahmed.m@postnoon.com
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he statement made by AICC AP incharge Gulam Nabi Azad that YS Jagan could have become chief minister had he continued in Congress pushed the ruling congress party leaders to a corner. The union minister made this statement during his election rallies in Tirupathi and Nellore district two days ago. The top brass of State Congress are finding difficult to defend the statement of party incharge and instead launched a scathing attack on YSR Congress leader YS Vijayamma by alleging
that she was trying to cash in on each and every issue for votes. “She (YS Vijayamma) and her daughter (Sharmila) have distorted the statement made by Azad only to get sympathy votes from people. This is nothing political opportunism,” PCC president Botsa Satyanarayan said during a press conference on Tuesday. He tried to defend his party incharge by saying that YS Jagan would have faced CBI inquiry even if he became Congress Party CM. “He could have still faced CBI enquiry after becoming CM in our party. The congress party will never tolerate and protect corrupt politicians irrespective of the status of the leader,” he said. On the other hand, realising his mistake, Gulam Nabi Azad sought to downplay the issue by
saying that the media misinterpreted his statement as he spoke in Urdu language. “I addressed these meetings in Urdu as there were a requests to speak in Urdu. The gathering understood my
ON THE
Parties in a race for Narsapur seat in bypolls CAMPAIGN
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olonial past, lush green surroundings, coconut plantations, thriving aquaculture trade at global level, salt production, lace exports and oil exploration by Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) aptly sums up the Narsapur Assembly constituency, which is going to polls on June 12. Being one of the important ports during the British Raj, Narsapur boasts of dominance of backward class communities since its inception. Of the total 1.42 lakh voters of the constituency, about 50,000 belong to backward classes. Recognising the importance mainstream political parties like Congress and Telugu Desam Party gave tickets to BC candidates to win the trust of BCs. While former minister in TDP government and popular leader from the constituency K Subbarayudu is contesting as Congress party candidate, the TDP gave its ticket to a famous doctor from this area Dr Ch Satyanarayana Rao to attract voters. On the other hand, YSR Congress
party gave a ticket to sitting MLA M Prasada Raju, who was disqualified following his vote against the State government during the no confidence motion moved by TDP. Subbarayudu represented this seat for 10 years in a row from 1994 to 2004. During the 2009 general elections, he contested on actor-turned-politician Chiranjeevi’s Praja Rajyam Party ticket and lost against the sitting MLA and YSRC candidate, Prasada Raju.
Caste to play crucial role The caste factor will play a pivotal in deciding the electoral fortunes of major political parties in this constituency. While the Congress and TDP candidates Subbarayudu and Satyanarayana Rao hail from the Kapu community, the YSRC candidate Prasada Raju belongs to Kshatriya community. He is banking upon the sympathy created after the arrest of Jagan Mohan Reddy and the legacy of former CM YS Rajasekhara Reddy. “Our party working president Vijayamma has already toured my constituency. Her tour not only rejuvenated party cadre but also instilled confidence among the voters that YSRC would carry forward the legacy of YSR and solve their problems,” Prasada Raju told Postnoon. Raju is facing stiff competition from Congress candidate Subbarayudu as he has good contacts in the town due to his decade long association with the constituency as MLA. But the YSRC leader can heave a sigh of relief as there is a chance of division of votes among the Kapu community. The main opposition TDP candidate Dr Satyanarayana Rao is expecting to cash in on his personal image as a doctor.
statement but the media misinterpreted it,” Azad said on Tuesday. He further said that YS Jagan would have gone to jail even if he was given the highest post in the Congress party,” he said. On the other hand, YSR congress leaders tried to cash in on the issue by alleging that Azad’s statement clearly exposed that Congress party leaders were behind YS Jagan’s arrest as he defied their orders. “Azad’s statement clearly shows that the Congress leaders are responsible for Jagan’s arrest. If he had continued in Congress and obeyed its leadership, he would not have gone to jail,” Congress rebel MLA Alla Nani said. Nani resigned from his MLA post and also quit the Congress following Jagan’s arrest.
Rains head for City Postnoon News feedback@postnoon.com
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ere’s cool news for the sun-baked population of Hyderabad. The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has announced the arrival of monsoon over the Kerala coast early this morning and will hit the City in a couple of days. The Met yesterday announced that monsoons would hit the Kerala coast in the next 48 hours. However, it happened sooner than expected. Monsoon generally keeps its date with Kerala on June 1. But of late it has been playing truant. Changing climate due to atmospheric pollution and tinkering with nature have been blamed for this. “It’s been raining in Kerala for the past few days, but the parameters suggest that the monsoon has arrived today,” BP Yadav, director, IMD, told a news agency. “As of now the flow is strong and Kerala and parts of South Karnataka will continue to receive rains for the next two to three days,” D Sivananda Pai, director, National Climate Centre and lead forecaster for monsoon, said.
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Babu targets Gali in Anantapur
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DP chief N Chandrababu Naidu has targeted the former Karnataka minister Gali Janardana Reddy at his election campaign in Rayadurgam as his follower is YSR Congress candidate Kapu Ramachandra Reddy in the Rayadurgam constituency. Addressing election meetings, he said that Gali, who has bribed a judge for his bail, was capable of bribing anyone, including Gods. He had given Lord Venkateswara a jewel-studded crown worth `45 crore and Sri Kalahastiswara `45 crore. He said that even Kapu Ramachandra Reddy would join Jaganmohan Reddy and Gali Janardana Reddy in jail. He told the people that voting for YSRC was like voting for corruption. He reiterated his oft-repeated quotation that while the Congress was a party of robbers, the YSRC was a party of plunderers. Speaking to the media earlier, Naidu said that people must observe the opportunistic politics of the Congress and reminded them that AICC leader Ghulam Nabi Azad has openly said that Jagan would have been made chief minister if he remained in Congress. Stating that it was atrocious to make such a statement, he questioned Azad whether the Congress would make even corrupt people chief ministers. He said that no one would leave a party that has the State’s interest uppermost on its mind. NSS
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EDUCATION IS THE WAY B Sudeshna Koka
sudeshna.k@postnoon.com
egging for alms, picking up rags, selling pirated CDs, cleaning railway compartments or hotel washrooms, working in canteens are probably what you’ll find most underprivileged children doing at railway stations and the Secunderabad railway station is no exception. Often a passer by gives them a few rupees to them so they can buy themselves one wholesome meal at least. But that is where most of us are mistaken. What these children do is, buy whitener to sniff. Since the money they get is too less to buy them a meal, they resort to this to help kill the hunger and sleep a couple of hours.
Often children run away from home and come to Secunderabad in search of greener pastures. But they get caught in a whirlpool of child labour truth so most of the time they claim that their parents are dead so that we don’t send them home. Hence, we counsel them so we can learn the truth,” says Kantha Rao. If it is found that the child belongs to another state then his/her case is transferred there. If the child is from AP and the parents are alive the child and the parents are counseled before sending the former back home. If none of this happens then, the children are sent to shelters.
THE AP GOVERNMENT AND NGOS IN THE STATE BELIEVE THAT EDUCATION IS THE BEST WAY TO KILL THE PRACTICE OF CHILD LABOUR IN THE CITY. THEREFORE, AFTER A CHILD IS RESCUED, GREAT EMPHASIS IS LAID ON EDUCATION. Harsh as it may sound, this is the reality for several children who call the railway station their home. Especially, in a country where the incidence of child labour is extremely high. In fact, India ranks second after Africa for the highest number of child labourers. Children constitute 36 per cent of India’s population and it is a shame that a large number of children suffer from malnutrition, poverty, disease, cruel exploitation through forced child labour and all this due to lack of education. Ironically, Secunderabad is the hot spot where children from other parts of the country come for employment. “A lot of children from Bihar and Orissa come here in search of a job. They run away from home with high expectations but when they come here they are trapped by brokers and are exploited,” says M Kantha Rao, railway police superintendent. He further compares them to chicken in a poultry farms that are stuffed in one room with no breathing space. “Hundreds of children are forced to live under one roof, with no basic amenities. They are also made to work for more than 12 hours a day,” he says. The reasons for leaving home are plenty — a fight with parents, abusive parents, discord between the parents, financial problems etc. Most of these children then head to Secunderabad in search of
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The shelters
greener pastures. This is how many children end up at the railway station which has become a hot spot for child trading. Dozens of children are trafficked each day from these places. Hence, to tackle this menace the Secunderabad railway police has started a new initiative. For the last eight months they have been vigilant and have appointed groups of officers who keep an eye and resuce missing children of those
who engaged in child labour. “We have a fool proof mechanism. We catch one child and through him or her we trace the whole gang and the main broker too,” says M Gopal Rao, special branch, railway police head constable. In the last two weeks alone the Secunderabad railway police has rescued three such groups of children who were held hostage and were being exploited. Cases have also been booked against the accused. Gopal Rao recalls his last rescue operation. “We found one child and through him we located a building in Mahankali where children were kept hostage and made to clean gold with chemical solutions. These children had developed skin infections due to
the chemicalss. However, when we undertake such operations, children run away seeing us. Despite that we were able to catch 12 children last week and also booked a case against the owner.” According to police officials there are several such people in the City who employee young children. These children are then forced to work for a meagre pay at places like tanneries, shoe factories, hotels and shops in the Old City.
Once rescued Eleven police stations have appointed a Child welfare police officer (CWPO) each. Once a child is rescued, he/she is handed over to these officers who counsel the child. “Most of these children lie. They are too scared to tell us the
The rehabilitation process takes places at the various transit homes. Some are government run while others are run by NGOs in collaboration with the AP police department and child welfare wing. In some homes, the children are offered emotional support which leads to behavioural changes, after which the child is reunited with his/her family. There are separate homes for orphaned children, where these children are provided with their basic needs and facilities and are admitted to government schools. For children who have dropped out of school, there is home schooling. Here they are made to revise whatever they’d learnt earlier and are geared up to be sent to a regular school in one year’s time. The Indian Parliament enacting the Bonded Labour System (Abolition) Act in 1976, despite which the system still continues. Hence, the only solution to this problem is sending children ‘back to school’. The AP government and NGOs in the State strongly believe that education is the best option to kill the practice of child labour in the City. Therefore, after a child is rescued great emphasis is laid on rehabilitation and education.
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Faced with low turnouts the fisheries department was forced to raise the price Anubha K Singh anubha.k@postnoon.com
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he 167-year old practice of distributing fish prasadam in the State, which has seen many a success stories as well as controversies from the medical field, is going through a rough patch now. The Andhra Pradesh Fisheries Department has raised the price of murrel fingerlings to `15 this year from the earlier `10. “This year, the price has been raised due to the loss that the department is incurring every year. Last year, the department incurred a loss of `1,00,000 and this year, they don’t want to take any chance. The major cause of the loss is the high mortality rate of the fish. These fish are transported from irrigation tanks in the Telangana region. Fifty per cent of the fish die before reaching Hyderabad and the main reason for this is the scorching summer heat and other climatic conditions,” said M Basavarju, joint director, Fisheries Department. “Last year, the department sold 40,000 murrels to the Bathini group who are the organisers of the event. This year, the department is going to supply 84,000 fingerlings to the organisers,” he adds. Not just the mortality rate in the fingerlings, but also the decreasing turnout has also forced the fisheries depart-
ment to increase the price. “Thanks to the Jana Vignana Vedika (JVV ) for spreading awareness among the general public about the fish prasadam, which states that there is no scientific evidence that the prasadam cures asthma. The footfall is decreasing year after year. The decrease in turnout has forced us to increase the price. The fingerlings are supplied by the AP State Fishermen Cooperative Societies Federation Limited (AFCOF) to the fisheries department,” said Srinivas, assistant director, Fisheries Department. However the Bathini Goud brothers have their own take. “There is no decrease in the number of people coming to take the prasadam. The family has been administering this
BJP contesting in Parakala as part of T-movement: Kishan WARANGAL: State BJP
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DAYS TO GO
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president G Kishan Reddy has made it clear that his party was contesting in Parakala Assembly constituency as part of the Telangana movement. As part of his by-election campaign in Parakala constituency on Tuesday, Kishan Reddy said that the TRS has been harming the Telangana movement by taking the wrong steps. He asked the TRS leaders to answer how a separate Telangana state could be achieved if it expresses doubts on every political party. Making it clear that his party was not interested to cross swords with any party, he said that he was least bothered about the remarks made by the
TRS leaders dubbing him as a “gulli” and booth leader. He asserted that he was ready to tender his resignation if someone assured him that his resignation would fetch Telangana. Kishan Reddy said that he did not know why KCR’s family was criticising him. “BJP leaders have no habit of being ‘sold out’ and therefore the TRS has no moral right to criticise the BJP,” he added. He also made it clear that the BJP has no intention or necessity to collude with Jagan Mohan Reddy. The BJP leader alleged that the Congress and YSRC were like two faces of a coin of corruption and were indulging in illegal activities. NSS
medicine for free and it’s been 167 successful years now. If people didn’t have faith, we would have not have carried it so far. Few people objected the term ‘medicine’ and created a controversy, but nothing has dampened the faith. Not only people from India, but people from abroad also come to take this medicine,” said Bathini Harinath Goud, secretary, Bathini Mrigasira Trust. Bathini fish medicine is administered every year by the Goud family on the auspicious day of ‘Mrigasira Karti’ which falls on June 8 this year. This year, the venue has been changed from the Nampally exhibition grounds to Katedan. The 5-acre land was given to the Bathini family by the State government at Katedan in Rajendernagar
mandal of Ranga Reddy district. This year, the arrangements are made by the Ranga Reddy district collectorate. The family stuff the mouth of the fish with the herbal medicine. The fish is then put in the mouth of the individual suffering from asthma and other respiratory ailments. Vegetarians can swallow the yellow medicinal paste with bananas. However, the Bathini brothers stress on the importance of swallowing the medicine with the fish. In addition to the State government which sponsors the programme every year, this year many community organisations like the Bihar Association, the Agarwal Samaj, the Uttar Pradesh Sangh etc have come forward to provide the necessary facilities to the organisers. SRINIVAS SETTY
EYES ON YOU
Children look skywards hoping to catch a glimpse of the transit of Venus as its orbit comes directly between the earth and sun. The rare event takes place once in 105 years.
Hyper Local
Campaigns, hard news and spirit of Twin Cities
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 6, 2012
8
Where are the safety measures? The recent spate of fire accidents in the City has exposed a number of discrepancies in fire safety measures employed by commercial complex owners and lack of infrastructure
ACCIDENTS Rahul Ramakrishna rahul.r@postnoon.com
I
n addition to the soaring heat, Hyderabad has been witness to over 10 major industrial and domestic fire accidents in the last three months. With the scalding summer heat playing a major role, what goes unnoticed are the many flouted regulations in commercial buildings that eventually fall prey to disaster. At least 1,264 fire accidents have taken place in the City in the last one year. While fire prevention wing puts it down to lack of civic sense, there is not much transparency in the department’s efforts to step up fire security either. Station fire officer, Srinivas says, “Apart from rising temperatures and electrical malfunctions, people do not follow the stipulated guidelines on fire safety. For a commercial building, an NoC has to be obtained before construction
and an occupancy certificate is to be obtained later. For commercial buildings with more than 4 levels, the municipal commissioner’s or the director-general’s consent has to be obtained.” He further states, “Now people look for means to avoid all this paperwork. They do not think of it as an investment that guarantees safety. This in turn leads to substandard quality of construction, no maintenance or awareness about safety from fire. This is what public negligence results in.” However, not much light has been shed on the Fire Prevention Wing’s efforts to step up regularisation of buildings with no fire safety measures in place. Officials at the fire department came up with a nonchalant reply stating that “efforts are on, we are still in the process” when they were questioned about the number of buildings and establishments that have been blacklisted because of the absence of fire safety measures. The recent spate of fire
SRINIVAS SETTY
accidents in the City all pointed out the many flaws in the system of fire prevention. Little or no maintenance, no regular checks on fire safety and no streamlined process of fire fighting has been the reason behind many disasters. While corporate companies and establishments have embraced fire prevention as an important aspect, commercial shopping complexes and small time businesses within the City have yet to wake up to the ringing alarms. Mahesh Tiwari, a business man in Ameerpet says, “Even if we had a fire drill, the floors of this building are too cramped and unplanned to escape from. I doubt if half the commercial establishments follow the floor scale index here which is important for fire safety.” Adding to this are the jampacked, unapproachable lanes and by lanes of many of the City’s crowded market areas. If a fire were to break out in the already existing chaos, there is no rational prediction of what the outcome would be.
For City, carpooling is the way to go TREND Anubha K Singh anubha.k@postnoon.com
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arpooling is not new in Hyderabad. Although it was started with the aim of reducing pollution levels in the City, the steep rise in petrol has now made many office goers opt for it to save fuel and money. The movement have now pick up in areas like Madhapur, Hitec City, Kondapur and Gachibowli. There are many websites that provide information on carpooling in different locations of the City. These websites exclusively cater to the needs of people who are interested in carpooling. “I travel more than 17km daily from Kondapur to Old City. I need to spend nearly `7,000 to `8,000 on my fuel which came down to `2,000 to `2,500 after opting for car pooling. It makes sense to share the vehicle with people who are travelling on the same route at the same time,” said Sushobita S, analyst, Mahindra Satyam.
“I was little worried about the security part of it, but thanks to the websites like Poolmycar I am assured about the security as it has come up with a new and secure concept of corporate carpooling. “People who wish to join the carpool are not only compelled to give their company name but also their employee number during registration. The employee num-
ber is verified by the team of the website. There are separate pools for each corporate,” she add. Of late, several websites dedicated to carpooling in the City have come up. Hydcarpool.com, ridemates.org and poolmycar.in are some of the websites which offer you this facility. “The main intention of starting the website was to reduce the pollution level and save fuel
expenses. Initially many people use to hesitate for the security reasons but now the trend has picked up thanks to the rise in petrol prices,” said UdayB, from hydcarpool.com “We launched the website officially in 2010 and since then the response has been good. Initially it was only men who use to opt for the services but now many women also opting for it. But in my view it
is advisable for people to get into carpooling with known people,” he adds. In order to search and connect to a potential carpooler, you need to be registered on the website. However, this service is mostly available in the areas where MNC’s are located. “It will take some time to start the services in other areas of the City as people mostly prefer carpooling only for long distance travel. One more fact is the frequency of public transport is less in these areas. The stretch between Cyber Towers to JNTU, Cyber Towers junction to Kothaguda and Gachibowli are notorious for the auto mafia. “Due to lack of public transport, the IT professionals are forced to travel by shared and overloaded autos and taxis that ply in these areas which burns a hole in their pocket,” said Mahesh K, from ridemates.com. Whatever be the reason, carpooling seems to be the only option left for many of us to save our ever-increasing fuel expenses.
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Matters of saving and spending
E-shopping on growth path Branded apparel, train- and air-ticketing online sales almost doubled in one year Prudhvi Raju K Apr2012 Apr 2011 Train Bookings (irctc) 5.56 mn 2.26 mn Airlines Bookings 1.92 mn 1.01 mn (data captured from nine websites) Resume uploads 2.05 mn 1.82 mn (data captured from four websites) Matrimonial uploads 2.74 mn 1.34 mn (data captured from 29 websites) Visits to branded apparels and footware 5.0 mn 2.54 mn (data captured from 15 e-commerce sites)
Prudhvi.k@postnoon.com
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nline shopping has becoming a mainstream and nationwide phenomenon. E-commerce does not limit itself to major metropolitan but is increasingly gaining popularity in Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities, who contribute almost 41 per cent of overall transactions, said Abhimanyu Lal, head of category management, eBay India. According to eBay India Census, rural India is contributing nine per cent of the total transactions with consumers and entrepreneurs increasingly taking to ecommerce. There are almost 1,267 rural hubs out of 3,311 total hubs in the country. The customers are also brand savvy while doing shopping over internet. They are looking at brands like Sony,
Nokia, Samsung, Apple and Reebok. Electronic gadgets continue to rule the online shopper’s wallet. They contribute to 50 per
cent of all the purchases, followed by lifestyle category with 45 per cent. Women shoppers are increasingly addicted to shop-
Google buys Quickoffice
Eurozone crisis: Heat on ECB
SAN FRANCISCO: Google on Tuesday announced that it has acquired mobile office software company Quickoffice. Launched in 1997, Quickoffice provides mobile office document software for devices running Apple’s iOS and Google’s Android operating systems, allowing users to open, view and edit Microsoft Office files with complete document data integrity. The company said its product has been downloaded on 300 million devices so far in 180 countries. AFP
coming under increasing pressure to come to the rescue once again as the eurozone debt crisis deepens, with analysts suggesting it could cut interest rates soon. The ECB’s governing council usually convenes on the first Thursday of every month for its regular policy-setting session but it is meeting in the bank’s Eurotower headquarters on Wednesday owing to a public holiday. While the majority of ECB watchers believe the bank could cut borrowing costs very soon from their current historic low of 1 per cent, most analysts believe it will not act this month, preferring to keep its options open. At the meeting, the ECB will also publish its latest quarterly staff projections on inflation and growth which could highlight the downside economic risks for the 17 countries that share the euro. AFP
Napster creators launch video service NEW YORK: The creators of the original Napster musicsharing site on Tuesday launched a new video service which allows people to chat online using their Facebook accounts. The browser-based video chat allows users to share live video without downloading any programs, by using Facebook and a webcam. AFP
ping online especially with products like jewellery, watches, fashion and fitness equipment, he said. However, the expectations of a consumer from e-commerce vary from geographic locations. Consumers from metropolitan cities are looking at convenience followed by deals and variety. But, the consumers from tier 2, tier 3 and tier 4 cities are looking at the availabity of the product along with variety.
Users across the locations are increasingly looking at safety and security before shopping online, he said. Though e-commerce in India is at a nascent stage, it is evolving rapidly and will cross the organised retail faster than expected. The recent data released by The Internet and Mobile association of India has showed segments like branded apparel, train ticketing, air ticketing almost doubled in one year. There is also significant growth in jewelry, designer labels, resume uploads, according to the data captured from few websites as part of the research. There is an exponential growth in domain of e-tailing branded apparels and footwear. The sites in the domain registered 5 million visits in the month of April this year, compared to 2.54 visits in April, 2011.
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Moody’s downgrades Austria’s 3 top banks VIENNA: Moody’s early on Wednesday cut its debt rating on Austria’s three biggest banks — Erste Bank, Raiffeisen Bank International (RBI) and Bank Austria. The move was largely due to their exposure to the financial crisis in eastern Europe. The ratings agency said in a statement that Erste Bank and RBI were strongly exposed in eastern Europe, notably in Hungary and Romania, while the downgrade of Bank Austria was justified by the precarious situation of its Italian mother-group. Erste Bank was downgraded by two notches while the others went down by one notch. Prospects for Erste and Bank Austria were “negative” while RBI was put at “stable”.
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10
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 6, 2012
India unveiled
Aamir Khan to pitch in for nutrition NEW DELHI: Actor Aamir Khan, who has been earning accolades for highlighting social issues through his TV programme, will soon be seen spreading awareness about the problem of malnutrition as part of a major publicity campaign by the government. “The Women and Child Development (WCD) ministry has planned a major information, education and communication or IEC campaign against malnutrition with the pro-bono services of film actor Aamir Khan. The campaign will be ready in a month or two,” a senior ministry official told PTI. The c a m paign involvi n g Khan, who is doing
it for free, would comprise audio, visual as well as print media and also SMSes that would spread the message through mobile phone services. Officials said the publicity campaign involving the actor was currently under production stage and it would be rolled out in three stages. “There are people in the country who are not even aware of what constitutes malnutrition, so in the first stage Aamir Khan will be seen explaining and introducing the concept,” the senior official said. “As the campaign moves ahead, in the second and third stage the actor will convey specific messages as to what the public can do to prevent and remove the problem of malnutrition,” he added. The official added that while Khan was offering his services for the campaign without any charge, the UNICEF was also providing assistance to the ministry in meeting the production related charges. The 47-year-old actor’s TV programme ‘Satyamev Jayate’ which has highlighted issues such as female infanticide, dowry and honour killings has been appreciated by the audience. PTI
TRIBAL FINENESS
Odisha's Dongria Kondh tribal women stitching their traditional shawls during the ongoing National Tribal Arts and Crafts workshop in Bhubaneswar on Tuesday.
PTI
Kashmir to urge Gojri's recognition as an official language JAMMU: The Jammu and Kashmir government has decided to recommend that Gojri — spoken by some 20 lakh tribal Gujjars and Bakkarwals in the state — be recognised as an official language by including it in the eighth schedule of the constitution. “Gojri is an important tribal language, spoken in different parts of South Asia. But Jammu and Kashmir state is considered as its epicentre,” said Kashmir minister for forests and environment Mian Altaf and a prominent Gujjar leader. He said that state government headed by Omar Abdullah is committed to develop all the
Lack of knowledge about Indian languages sometimes poses as a big barrier in communicating, Union home minister P Chidambaram said on Wednesday. Chidambaram said had he known three or four Indian languages, he would have been able to reach out to people in a better way about the performance of UPA-II.
regional languages “including Gojri on priority”, adding: “Gojri is one of the richest languages of our State in terms of modern and traditional literature.” Javaid Rahi, Secretary of Tribal Research and Cultural Foundation, a frontal organisation of Gujjars, told IANS that there are about 20 lakh Gujjars who speak Gojri in Jammu and Kashmir. Besides, nearly four lakh non-Gujjars speak Gojri, while about six lakh people who speak it as a second language. Rahi said that besides Jammu and Kashmir, Gojri is spoken in 12 other states including Himachal Pradesh, and Gujarat.
Tipu Sultan painting for sale at Osian’s NEW DELHI: An art work by famous British documentary artist Henry Singleton, The Assault and the Taking of Srirangapatnam (1800), which was originally in the collection of Lord Arthur Wellesley, the 1st Duke of Wellington, will be auctioned at Osian's Creative India series sale focusing on Goa, Cholamandal and South India. Singleton (1766-1839), who painted historical events on his canvas, was known for his interpretations of the Bible, Shakespeare's plays and contemporary historical events. Tipu Sultan (1750-1799), then ruler of the sultanate of Mysore, was also known as the Tiger of Mysore. A
dour enemy of the British, he was defeated in the Fourth AngloMysore War and killed on May 4, 1799, defending the fort of Srirangapatnam. In a statement, Osian's said the “series will show antiquities and prints on Tipu Sultan and important art works from Tanjore, Tamil Nadu and Kerala”. The auction will be held in Mumbai on June 21. A rare Tanjore Company School painting of Devotees and the Temple Car, which was part of the India Office Library Collection in London, will also be a part of the sale. The auction will be held at the Taj Mahal Palace & Tower,
Mumbai, June 21. The sale will also showcase art works of modern masters like DP Roychowdhury, FN Souza, KCS Paniker, K Ramanujam, KM Adimoolam, Reddappa Naidu, J Sultan Ali, Laxma Goud, L Munuswamy, S Dhanapal, C Douglas, S Nandagopal, among others. The June 21 sale is the last in the Creative India sales. It had begun with the art of Bengal followed by The Punjab Hills & Delhi and Bombay & Baroda. Commenting on Osain's consolidation and growth, Neville Tuli, founder and chairman of Osian's, said, “The Creative India series has been a success.” IANS
India‑View
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WEDNESDAY, JUNE 6, 2012
India unveiled
India a global power: US
NATION AT A GLANCE CBI probe into Ranvir Sena chief killing: Nitish
WASHINGTON:
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar recommended a CBI probe into the killing of Ranvir Sena supremo Bramheshwar Singh. A decision to this effect was taken during a meeting Kumar had with top state police officials and home department officials at his residence this morning. State director general of police and principal secretary of home department also attended the meet.
Ahead of next week’s India-US strategic dialogue here, Pentagon has described India as a global power, which is meeting its responsibilities, and appreciated its work to help provide continuing support in Afghanistan. “India is a global power, and they are meeting their responsibilities and we welcome that,” department of defence spokesman Captain John Kirby told reporters on Tuesday discounting reports that the US wanted India to step up its role in Afghanistan. “I think the reports have been slightly exaggerated,” he said when asked about media reports citing US officials that visiting US defence secretary Leon Panetta will encourage India to take a more active role in Afghanistan. I don’t believe the secretary asked them to impress them to do more rather than expressed how much he appreciated the work they were doing to help provide support
Kidnapped engineer rescued LUCKNOW: An engineer abducted for ransom was rescued by police following arrest of seven persons, police said. Anil Srivastava, who runs a private consultancy firm, was abducted on Monday. Police said the abductors forced Srivastava to call his family and arrange `2 crore. The engineer’s kin informed police which tracked the movement of the abductors through electronic surveillance, which revealed that Srivastava was taken to Sant Kabir Nagar, they said. Police said the abductors were arrested when they came to collect the ransom amount and Srivastava was rescued. PTI
US defence secretary Leon Panetta shakes hands with defence minister AK Antony during a ceremony in New Delhi. AFP in Afghanistan and some of the things that they have expressed interest in continuing to do in Afghanistan, but also in the region,” Kirby said. And so I think it was really more a statement of appreciation for everything they’ve done
and the hope that they’ll continue to stay involved as a leader in the region.” When pressed if the US wanted to see India deepen its involvement in the Afghanistan war, Kirby said: “The Chicago summit encouraged countries
around the world to continue to do more to invest in Afghanistan’s future, and there was broad consensus at the Chicago summit by every nation attending to do just that.” But to characterise Panetta’s visit to “India as some sort of poke in the chest to get them to do more would be to do his visit a disservice,” he said. “But we’re very appreciative of India’s efforts in the region and in Afghanistan in particular,” he added. Pentagon’s comments came a day after assistant secretary of state for South and Central Asia Robert Blake said that the US believes India has “the institutional capacity to become a world power.” Meanwhile, at the State Department, spokesman Mark Toner said: “We look forward, obviously, to next week’s very important meeting as another opportunity to engage with our Indian counterparts.” IANS
PATNA: Bowing to Opposition demands,
Close aide of JD-U legislator arrested PATNA: A special investigation team of has arrested a close aide of a ruling party legislator in connection with the June 1 killing of Ranvir Sena chief Brahmeshwar Singh ‘Mukhiya’, police said. The SIT arrested the close aide of Janata Dal-United (JDU) legislator Sunil Pandey late on Tuesday night from Jamshedpur in Jharkhand.
IT’S PLAY TIME Yog Guru Baba Ramdev meets NCP Chief Sharad Pawar at his residence in New Delhi on Tuesday. PTI
Congress downplays Ramdev-Pawar meet NEW DELHI: The Congress Tuesday downplayed yoga guru Baba Ramdev’s meeting with UPA ally and Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar over the black money issue, saying there was nothing wrong in it.”There is nothing wrong in it... Everybody is concerned about the black money issue,” Congress leader Satyavrat Chaturvedi told a news channel. A foreign tourists plays with a elephant in a pond in ‘Hathi Gaon’ on the outskirts of Jaipur PTI on Tuesday.
‘Dr Death’ appeals against his conviction MELBOURNE: Indian-origin surgeon
IAF version of Akash missile tested BALASORE (ODISHA): India today successfully test fired its indigenously developed surface-to-air ‘Akash’ missile of Air Force version from the Integrated Test Range at Chandipur near here, the fifth trial of the anti-aircraft system in the last fortnight. “The Air Force version of Akash missile was test-fired from the ITR. The trial was successful and met all the mission objectives,” a senior defence official said. The anti-aircraft missile, with a strike range of 25 km and capable of carrying warhead of 60 kg, was test fired from a
mobile launcher at launch complex-III of the ITR. The Akash weapon system, which has its Army version too,
was inducted into the armed forces in 2008. Today’s test-fire came after similar trials conducted from
the same test range on May 24, 26, 28 and June 1. On June 1, two Air force version of Akash missiles had been test fired successfully in quick succession, the official said. Defence experts have often compared Akash missile system with the American MIM-104 Patriot surface-to-air missile system. They claim that similar to the MIM-104, the Akash is capable of neutralising aerial targets such as unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), fighter jets, cruise missiles and air-to-surface missiles. PTI
Jayant Patel, who was jailed for killing three patients in Australia, appealed against his manslaughter conviction. Patel, 62, dubbed as ‘Dr Death’, was sentenced to seven years’ jail in July 2010 after a Brisbane Court found him guilty of manslaughtering three patients.
Activists of the Dal Khalsa radical Sikh organisation hold placards during a vigil for victims of Operation Blue Star in Amritsar. PTI
Around the World Air rage granny fined for punching passenger MELBOURNE: A drunken grandmother who punched a passenger in the face on a Qantas flight to New Zealand was on Tuesday ordered to pay the cost of the aircraft having to return to Melbourne. Frances Macaskill, 58, pleaded guilty in a Melbourne court to one charge of offensive and disorderly behaviour and another of assault. She was fined Aus$3,500 (US$3,425) for the assault and given a four-month suspended jail term for the other charge. The New Zealand national, who lives in Perth and was travelling to Wellington to see her children, was also ordered to pay Qantas Aus$18,245 — the cost to the airline of having to turn the flight back to where it took off. The Melbourne Magistrates Court heard that Macaskill was heavily intoxicated and began punching seats and yelling profanities at passengers and crew on the flight on Saturday morning, Australian Associated Press reported. She then hit a male passenger in the face with a closed fist when he asked her to be quiet, causing a deep cut to his face and heavy bleeding. Macaskill was restrained by crew and handcuffed.
‘Vampire’ skeletons unearthed SOFIA: Archaeologists in Bulgaria have unearthed two skeletons from the Middle Ages pierced through the chest with iron rods to keep them from turning into vampires, the head of the history museum said. “These two skeletons stabbed with rods illustrate a practice which was common in some Bulgarian villages up until the first decade of the 20th century,” said national history museum chief Bozhidar Dimitrov after the recent find in the Black Sea town of Sozopol. According to pagan beliefs, people who were considered bad during their lifetimes might turn into vampires after death unless stabbed in the chest with an iron or wooden rod before being buried. People believed the rod would also pin them down in their graves to prevent them from leaving at midnight and terrorising the living, the historian explained. The practice was common, Dimitrov added, saying some 100 similar burials had already been found in Bulgaria.
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WEDNESDAY, JUNE 6, 2012
Beyond Borders
How the cool Estonia bucked Europe’s decision Paul Ames
TALLINN, ESTONIA: It’s the euro zone Jim, but not as we know it. Sixteen months after it joined the struggling currency bloc, Estonia is booming. The economy grew 7.6 per cent last year, five times the euro-zone average. Estonia is the only euro-zone country with a budget surplus. National debt is just 6 per cent of GDP, compared to 81 per cent in virtuous Germany, or 165 per cent in Greece. Shoppers throng Nordic design shops and cool new restaurants in Tallinn, the medieval capital, and cuttingedge tech firms complain they can’t find people to fill their job vacancies. It all seems a long way from the gloom elsewhere in Europe. Estonia’s achievement is all the more remarkable when you consider that it was one of the countries hardest hit by the global financial crisis. In 2008-2009, its economy shrank by 18 per cent. That’s a bigger contraction than Greece has suffered over the past five years. How did they bounce back? “I can answer in one word: austerity. Austerity, austerity, austerity,” says Peeter Koppel, investment strategist at the SEB Bank. After three years of painful government belt-tightening, that’s not exactly the message that Europeans further south want to hear. At a recent conference of European and North American lawmakers in Tallinn, Koppel was lambasted by French and Italian parliamentarians when he suggested Europeans had to prepare for an “inevitable” decline in living standards, wages and job security, in order for their countries to escape
from the debt crisis. While spending cuts have triggered strikes, social unrest and the toppling of governments in countries from Ireland to Greece, Estonians have endured some of the harshest austerity
A fiscal surplus, low debt and soaring growth. No, this isn’t Germany, but it is a result of German medicine for crisis-burdened countries. measures with barely a murmur. They even re-elected the politicians that imposed them. “It was very difficult, but we managed it,” explains Economy Minister Juhan Parts. “Everybody had to give a little bit. Salaries paid out of the budget were all cut, but we cut ministers’ salaries by 20 per cent and the average civil servants’ by 10 per cent,” Parts told GlobalPost. v”In normal times cutting the salaries of civil servants, of policemen etc. is extremely unpopular, but I think the people showed a good understanding that if you do not have revenues, you have to cut costs,” adds Parts, who served as prime minister from 2003-2004. As well as slashing public sector wages, the government responded to the 2008 crisis by raising the pension age, making it harder to claim health benefits and reducing
job protection — all measures that have been met with anger when proposed in Western Europe. History explains citizens’ willingness to bite the austerity bullet. Estonia broke free from Soviet rule just over 20 years ago, together with its Baltic neighbours Latvia and Lithuania — who also enjoy a robust recovery, but are outside the euro zone. For older Estonians, memories of the grim days of Soviet occupation make it easier to accept sacrifices today. Among the young, there is a widespread awareness that in a nation of just 1.3 million people, the freedom and opportunities their generation enjoy depends on unity in times of crisis. “Western Europe has not really experienced a decrease in living standards since the Second World War,” says Koppel. “Historically, austerity is inevitable, but it’s not part of the culture of Western Europe right now. This is what really differentiates us, that we were able to understand that.” It still has its share of economic problems. The average monthly take-home pay of 697 euros ($870) is among the lowest in the euro zone and unemployment at 11.7 per cent is still above the bloc’s average. The shockwaves of euro-zone collapse radiating from southern Europe could yet snuff out the recovery. The jobless rate is falling however, thanks in part to a thriving tech sector. Post-independence governments invested heavily in scientific education and information technologies, successfully attracting investment
with the e-stonia label. Estonia has also paid close attention to the fundamentals of establishing a favourable business environment: reducing and simplifying taxes, and making it easy and cheap to build companies. Its location — with access to Nordic, German and Russian markets — has also helped, along with the very low debt level Estonia inherited when it broke from the Soviet Union. Joining the euro zone on Jan 1, 2011, Estonia stable economy shone, despite the crisis in the currency bloc. Innovative young companies have been at the forefront of the Estonian revival thanks to successful startups like the web-designer Edicy, online money transfer service Transferwise and point-of-sale software developer Erply. The daddy of them all is Skype, which was developed by a quartet of Estonian software geeks with their Swedish and Danish buddies back in 2003, and was bought up by Microsoft last year for $8.5 billion. The internet phone company runs its biggest operations out of a technology park in a Tallinn suburb, where over 400 people from 30 countries work in a relaxed, light-filled office block complete with sauna, childcare and series of trendily designed cafes and chill-out lounges for the engineers to recharge their creative energies. “In Estonia we have this national trait of just getting things done,” says Tiit Paanenen, the site leader at Skype Estonia. “I’ve tried to work out why this is and I think it’s because we are small. The circles working on the same subject all know each other, so you create this sense of accountability with each other. If you screw up everybody knows about it.” GLOBALPOST
Around the World Syria shows envoys from West the door DAMASCUS: Syria’s government declared on Tuesday that the ambassadors and staff of several Western countries as well as Turkey were personae non gratae. “Some states recently informed heads of our diplomatic missions and embassy staff that they are unwelcome,” the foreign ministry said in a statement, adding Syria was now designating the ambassadors of the United States, Britain, France and Turkey, among others, as personae non gratae. The ambassadors of Canada, Italy and Spain were also named in the statement, as well as various embassy staff members from Belgium, Bulgaria and Germany. The statement concluded by saying that Syria “still believes in the importance of dialogue based on principles of equality and mutual respect” and that diplomacy is a “necessary tool” for countries to resolve disputes. “We hope that those countries which initiated this step will adopt the same principles, allowing for relations to be normalised,” it added. US State Department spokesman Mark Toner however dismissed the move against US ambassador to Syria, Robert Ford, as an “empty gesture,” saying Washington had been officially informed of it via the Polish embassy in Damascus. Ford, who is already in Washington having been recalled several months ago by the US administration, is “going to continue to make, or maintain contact with the Syrian opposition,” Toner told journalists. “He’s going to continue our efforts to support a peaceful political transition.”
13
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 6, 2012
Beyond Borders
30-nation meet in Turkey over terror
NEW YORK: Congressman Joe Walsh said he would not smile till Gujarat Chief Minister gets a US visa. Walsh was speaking at a Gujarat Day celebration in Bartlett last month. Walsh labelled Modi as someone with “quite a successful track record” of fiscal responsibility, “kind of like a Tea Party free market guy in India, which I found very appealing.”
Scott Walker survives recall election MILWAUKE: Wisconsin Republican
SYRIA, ARIHA: A handout image released by the Syrian opposition’s Shaam News Network shows Syrians inspecting destroyed Syrian Army vehicles in the town of Ariha in Idlib province on Tuesday. AFP ISTANBUL: Ministers from some 30 countries, including US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, will meet in Turkey on Thursday at an anti-terror forum overshadowed by Syria’s crisis and Iran’s nuclear threat. The meeting comes as Western powers are pushing for increased pressure on Syrian President Bashar alAssad to stop his regime’s assault against the population. Despite claiming to have agreed to mediator Kofi Annan’s peace plan for a ceasefire on April 12, violence in Syria continues and as many as 2,400 of the more than 13,500 people killed since the uprising began in March 2011 died after a UN-backed ceasefire was meant to take effect, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says. Iran’s nuclear programme is also set to top the agenda at the ministerial forum, the second of its kind, after one in New York last September.
THE MEETING COMES AS WESTERN POWERS ARE PUSHING FOR INCREASED PRESSURE ON SYRIAN PRESIDENT BASHAR ALASSAD TO STOP HIS REGIME’S ASSAULT AGAINST THE PEOPLE. Clinton will attend the first day of the two-day forum. She will also hold a joint press conference with her Turkish counterpart Ahmet Davutoglu. “A wide range of subjects are on the menu — boosting the fight against terror is obviously one ... but also other current topics such as the situation in Syria and Iran’s nuclear programme,” a Turkish diplomat told AFP. The European Union will be represented by its foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton,
who is also due to meet with Turkish diplomats. World powers believe Iran has military nuclear ambitions, while Tehran has insisted its programme is peaceful. Ankara’s so-far fruitless attempt at playing middleman between Tehran and world powers on the topic is also expected to be raised during the Istanbul meeting, Turkish and European diplomats said. Meanwhile, Turkey would also use the forum to seek “closer cooperation” against Kurdish separatists’ financial and political branches in Europe, the Turkish diplomat said. The Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), listed as a terrorist organisation by Turkey and by much of the international community, took up arms in Kurdish-majority southeastern Turkey in 1984, sparking a conflict that has claimed some 45,000 lives. AFP
Ban battles to avert Rio summit ‘tragedy’ UNITED NATIONS: UN leader Ban Ki-moon is battling to rescue a summit of more than 100 world leaders in Rio de Janeiro in two weeks which he says must guide the world away from a “tragic” end. The UN Conference on Sustainable Development is taking on the vast challenge of transforming environmental, social and economic policy to cope with a world population past seven billion, exhausting dwindling resources and straining cities to the limit. Ban and specialist groups have however accused governments of putting national interests before the common good in months of agonizing negotia-
GLOBE AT A GLANCE Congressman won’t smile till Modi gets visa
‘Climate change to cost S America $100 bn by 2050’
tions before the Rio event to mark the 20th anniversary of the Earth summit in the same city. Rich nations have been hit economic crisis and want austerity. Poor nations complain that past promises to give extra cash and new technology to battle climate change, poverty and epidemics have still not been car-
WASHINGTON: Global warming could exact a devastating toll on the economies of Latin America and the Caribbean, with costs possibly exceeding $100 billion by 2050, the Inter-American Development Bank warned Tuesday. In a new report, the organization also called for “forceful” reductions in greenhouse gases to forestall some of the worst consequences of climate change. The bank urged countries in the region to dramatically increase their efforts to prevent climate change.
ried out. With US President Barack Obama, Britain’s Prime Minister David Cameron and Germany’s Chancellor Angela Merkel staying away from the so-called Rio+20 summit, the UN secretary general is now furiously lobbying leaders to get an action plan agreed. “We have to now have a correct vision where we are heading. Whether we are heading toward mutual prosperity, common prosperity, or whether we are going toward very negative tragic consequences for humanity,” Ban said Monday in Saudi Arabia. “The negotiations have been painfully slow,” he said in a recent meeting with reporters.
Governor Scott Walker became the first governor in US history to survive a recall election on Tuesday. Unions and liberal activists forced the recall election over a law curbing collective bargaining powers for public sector workers passed soon after Walker took office in 2011.
PARIS: Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy (L) and wife Carla Bruni-Sarkozy leave a cinema. AFP/MARTIN BUREAU
Sheryl says she has benign brain tumor ASUNCION: Grammy-winning US singer-songwriter Sheryl Crow has been diagnosed with a benign brain tumor, she said in comments published Tuesday. The country-pop star, who survived breast cancer diagnosed in 2006, said doctors found the tumor in November, after she had a brain scan because she was concerned about memory loss.
Human body parts sent to Canada schools MONTREAL: Human remains sent in separate packages were found at two schools in the western Canadian city of Vancouver, police said. Investigators emphasised that they could not yet link the discoveries in Vancouver to the murder of Lin Jun, allegedly killed by Luka Rocco Magnotta, dubbed the “Canadian Psycho” who was arrested in Germany.
Venus (top L) is silhouetted as it crosses in front of the Sun as seen from Islamabad on Wednesday. AFP/AAMIR QURESHI
Comment
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 6, 2012
Fair, free and forthright
Talk back More help required Though the Environment day is not a great hit with the common man, it is a big thing for techies. Good to see want to do their bit towards protection of the environment. In this endeavour, they come out with many innovative ideas. It is heart warming to see that no matter what they do throughout the year, these guys pull it big on such important days. I believe they can take it a step ahead. They could take up the task of educating people on these topics and that would indeed help the others to be aware and actively take part in these activities. Suman Babu Humayun Nagar
Autowalas a menace It is sad to see such an incident happen in our city. These ‘autowalas’ in the city have exceeded all limits. They have always harassed and been arrogant with people other users of public roads and also with the very people who hire them, but thrashing a uniformed personnel is totally not acceptable. The auto mafia is building up in the city and nothing is being done about it. Hope the authorities take this up seriously and do something to curb this problem. Sneha Choudhry Ameerpet
Equal education must Apropos your article on child education, I totally agree with your viewpoint. It is high time that we do something to help our children. What is disheartening to see is that there are children who go to international schools and get the best of everything, but there are some who do not even get a proper meal a day. Despite a million policies of the government, this problem has been haunting our country. Some serious efforts need to be made by us in this regard, and help the poor children. Ramnath Swamy Punjagutta
Govt schools are good Why is it that we don’t understand that government-run schools are good too is something I don’t understand. Nazia Basith Mehdipatnam
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. Editor: Dean Williams
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Didi reigns supreme with little mamata Fusillade Arun Koshy Philip
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t’s been more than a year since Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee ended the three-decade-old rule of CPM and occupied the chief minister’s chair at Writers’ Building. The firebrand leader rode the crest of anti-incumbency wave, powered by her ‘ma, mati, manush’ campaign: the communist government’s heavy-handed land acquisition made her victory easier. If one were to judge the CM by the state of affairs during her rule, Didi, as she is popularly known, presents a disturbing picture. Trinamool numbers are crucial to the survival of the Union government, and Mamata has never missed an opportunity to assert herself — though it might not be exactly in the interest of the nation. She threw spanner in the works on crucial policies like FDI in retail and National Counter-terrorism Centre and even managed to derail an important river water treaty with Bangladesh. While her populist stance may win her applause from the masses, the damage that is being done will be hard to undo. Like any leader who is dependent solely on personality cult, Mamata has shown extreme paranoia when it comes to facing criticism. Her conspiracy theories are ludicrous and at times would make one doubt the mental stability of the chief minister. For all her rhetoric about the empty state coffers and the ultimatum to the Centre to provide a bailout package, the chief minister ordered all government structures to be painted light blue — it doesn’t take rocket science to understand the colossal waste of money. Fires, rapes, baby deaths, train accidents and failures of governance are attributed to CPM-sponsored conspiracies ‘to tarnish the paribortan (change)’ she has ushered in. So far she has not suspected aliens, thank goodness! The much-hyped ‘surprise visits’ to check public amenities and open criticism of offi-
Editorials
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cials concerned has not changed much for the people. When cornered over failures of the government, especially on law and order, she goes into a denial mode and lashes out at critics. When the story of a mother-of-two who was raped near a night club was highlighted by the media, the CM dismissed it off as another conspiracy — her minister went a step further to question the moral fabric of the victim. Later, a diligent IPS officer who cracked the case and arrested the suspects, and therefore proving the chief minister wrong, was shunted out to an insignificant administrative post. In a reminder of Emergency-era censorship, a professor was arrested for circulating a cartoon lampooning Mamata and Trinamool leaders. And, in a literal blacking out of criticism, the CM has ordered removal of English dailies from state libraries. Even schools have not been spared. The history text books will be dropping sections
about Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels to ‘correct the imbalance’. A basic understanding of history would have told the firebrand CM that she is not the first one to try this route (and fail). The ally has now become a burden for the UPA government. She forced senior party leader Dinesh Trivedi to quit as railway minister because he defied her diktat and used common sense to hike passenger fares. Every time she forces the Centre to backtrack on a key policy, it is the credibility of the government that goes for a toss. After yesterday’s civic poll victory, the Trinamool has made it clear that it doesn’t need the junior partner’s support anymore — more bad news for the already humiliated and marginalised state Congress. West Bengal definitely needs change, and for this the chief minister must rise above her self-obsession and put the state’s interest first.
DIPLOMACY HAS FAILED IN SYRIA, it’s time for boots on the ground
yria has declared 17 envoys from the US and countries in Europe personae non gratae, in a reciprocal measure to the ouster of its diplomats over the Houla massacre in which 108 civilians — including 49 children — were killed on May 25 and 26. Had it not been for the protection of Russia and China from UN sanctions or military intervention, it’s doubtful if Syria would resort to such measures, further alienating itself from the world and possibilities of resolving the crisis peacefully. There’s nothing surprising in the stand taken by Russia and China, for these nations too are run by oligarchies in one form or another and it’s a given that they would oppose any attempt to bring democracy in countries run by despots. It’s utterly sad that despite the findings of UN investigators that the Houla massacre was perpetrated by the Syrian regime-run militia, Shabiha, the world is dilly-dallying on acting against a tyrant who is hell-bent on clinging to power at the price of the lives of his people.
The writer works for Postnoon.
WHY WE LOVE... WI Cricket Board
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hris Gayle has been selected to the West Indies squad for the ODI series against England. Finally, it has dawned upon the WI board what fools they were making of themselves by ignoring perhaps the world’s most destructive batsman over petty differences. Well, for some wisdom comes late but it’s better late than never.
Cinema Paradiso Marty: The ‘black’ zebra with white stripes. Alex says he has 29 white stripes and 30 black stripes and Marty is undoubtedly the funniest of the lot. This zebra is Alex’s best friend. Though he leads a comfortable life in the zoo, he dreams of galloping across the wilderness of Africa with others of his kind. This character is voiced by American comedian, actor and director Chris Rock.
Pretty funtastic
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 6, 2012
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Gloria: She is one fun hippo to have around. The only one who has some semblance of reason in this gang of four. This hippopotamus usually has a very passive reaction to the things happening around her. She tries to kick some sense into Marty’s head to leave his dream about going to the wild. But like every girl, she too dreams of having the ideal boyfriend. This lovable character is voiced by Jada Pinkett Smith.
Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted will hit Alex: Melman: A hypochondriac, this He dreams of steaks at night the screens world-over giraffe consumes more and believes he is king. A king of a this weekend. Every medicines than food for his meals. different kind — he is the star attraction Oddly enough all these 'symptoms' he and ‘king’ of the New York Zoo. Though he part of this complains about are just a figment of his was brought up in the jungle, this predator successful imagination. One symptom he complains is never showed any keen interest in hunting, but of the brown spots on his neck. In all the was rather more of a performer, which is why he animation movies he has this undying urge to tell hogs the limelight at the zoo. This peace loving Gloria, the hippo, that he has had a secret lion has only one rival — Nana, who is a wizfranchise had the crush on her since he was a baby giraffe. ened old woman out to set the bad ‘kitty’ audience in splits. Apparently, she called him cute once and straight. Alex is voiced by Ben Stiller. In since then he has been smitten. This Madagascar 2 the younger version of Before they begin extremely scared giraffe is voiced Alex was played by Stiller’s son. their journey to Europe, by David Schwimmer. let’s take a look at our favourite characters from this film Siddharth TSS feedback@postnoon.com
King Julien the XIII: Anything that is not about him, does not interest him. This self-proclaimed lord of the lemurs rules over a great colony of lemurs. He really “likes to move it, move it” as he loves throwing parties, especially if they involve giving him gifts. This conceited ring-tailed lemur believes he is the absolute leader. He fashions himself with a new crown for every party he every throws. His only motive in life is to never let any other animal climb the food chain. This narcissistic royal animal is played by the versatile Sacha Baron Cohen.
Skipper:
He is the leader of the band of four penguins who have a secret agenda of escaping the confines of the zoo to the Antarctica. But ironically they are penguins who eventually hate the Antarctica. He also challenges the age-old fact that penguins can't fly by flying the plane which helps the gang escape from Madagascar in the previous film. ‘Just smile and wave boys’ is his advice for his friends when they are at the zoo. This unflappable penguin is voiced by
H‑Factor
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 6, 2012
Holistic view of mind, body and soul
Wider letter spacing helps dyslexics read: study
Before you say ‘au revoir’
WASHINGTON: European
It’s that time of the year yet again when students make a beeline to gain admission into universities abroad. Vaccination against bacterial meningitis is one of the essential requirements as you set out to fulfil your foreign dream Anishaa Kumar anishaa.k@postnoon.com
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iya was thrilled. She had got accepted for a master’s course in the college of her choice. In a few months she would be off to USA to fulfil her dreams. As she started to get her checklist ready for things that would be required she came across a guideline, “All students must get themselves vaccinated against meningitis. They must carry along a proof of the same with them on the day of their arrival in the USA.” This statement surprised Riya. Meningitis? What’s that? And why should I get a vaccination done and where? Every year thousands of Indians travel abroad to pursue their higher education. If you are one of those many students travelling in the next few months, you might be aware of such a requirement.
What is meningitis? Meningitis refers to the inflammation of the protective membranes covering the brain and
spinal cord. Meningococcal disease is caused by the bacterium Neisseria meningitidis. It is said that about 10 per cent of people have this type of bacteria in the back of their nose and throat. It is when the Neisseria meningitidis bacteria attacks the body that is causes certain illnesses, which are known as meningococcal diseases. According to Dr Sudhir Kumar, consultant neurologist, Apollo Hospital, “Meningitis is an ailment of the central nervous system. It is an infection of the covering of brain known as the meninges. It is commonly known as brain fever. In a normally healthy person, meningitis can occur due to three reasons — Bacteria, TB and viral infection. Bacterial meningitis can occur in different ages and may be due to different bacteria such as Ecoli. In school going children and early adolescents, pneumococcal meningitis may occur. The bacterium is also the main cause of pneumonia. In case of someone suffering from ailments such as AIDS, meningitis due to other causes like fungal infections may occur.”
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Effects of meningitis
Vaccination
An epidemic is rare especially when early treatment is provided to the person suffering from the ailment. Dr Sudhir says, “Early treatment not only helps cure the ailment but also provides protection against any deficits that it may cause such as learning disabilities, brain damage etc.”
According to the American College Health Association, “all first-year students living in residence halls should receive the meningococcal vaccine. The ACHA recommendations further state that other college students under 25 years of age may choose to receive meningococcal vaccination to reduce their risk for the disease.” According to Dr Sudhir says,”Vaccinations are available for both bacterial meningitis and TB but not for that caused by viral infections. Usually at birth we are administered BCG which provides protection against brain TB. Generally vaccination against pneumococcal meningitis require a single dose. These vaccinations are proven to be safe, although a person who has been vaccinated may suffer from mild fever. But usually there is no major problem.” A booster shot can be taken at any time but there should be an 8-week-interval between the doses. When it comes to the City, the Institute of Preventive Medicine in Narayanguda is authorised to provide vaccinations.
Meningitis and college The stress on getting vaccinated against the meningitis bacteria is even more when you are living in a dormitory or a crowded area. For this reasons many universities abroad are now stressing on the importance of the students being vaccinated against this virus. The virus tends to spread through the exchange of respiratory and throat secretions. They can spread through sneezing, touch, air, sharing handkerchiefs etc. Unhealthy lifestyles, smoking and sleeping conditions may also contribute. According to statistics, those who live in dormitories are more at a risk to contract the disease than the other students.
researchers said Monday that offering reading materials with wider spacing between the letters can help dyslexic children read faster and better. In a sample of dyslexic children age eight to 14, extra-wide letter spacing doubled accuracy and increased reading speed by more than 20 per cent, according to the study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Scientists believe the approach worked because people with dyslexia are more affected than normal readers by a phenomenon known as “crowding,” which makes a letter harder to identify when it is close to other letters. “Our findings offer a practical way to ameliorate dyslexics’ reading achievement without any training,” said the study led by Marco Zorzi of the department of general psychology at Italy’s University of Padova. Researchers studied 54 Italian and 40 French dyslexic children, giving them a text made up of 24 short sentences to read in either standard or expanded letter spacing. In the standard text, the words were printed in Times-Roman font with a 14 point print size. In the expanded text, the space between letter was increased by 2.5 points, so the “space between i and l in the Italian word il (the) was 2.7 pt in normal text vs. 5.2 pt in spaced text,” said the study. The space between lines of text was also increased to show a proportional amount of white space on the page. The children were given either French or Italian texts according to their native language, and the regular and extraspace sessions were scheduled two weeks apart to minimize the effect that memorisation might have on reading speed. Not only did dyslexic children read faster, but the greatest benefits were observed in children who had the most problem identifying letters. Children without reading challenges showed no increase in reading speed when given materials in which letters were more widely spaced, suggesting that the benefit was unique to children with dyslexia. “Practitioners only know too well that getting dyslexic children to read more is a key component in achieving long-lasting improvements in reading skills,” said the study. “Extra large letter spacing, which could even be optimised adaptively on an individual basis, can certainly contribute to achieving this goal.” Dyslexia is a developmental disorder that is linked to a problem in the part of the brain that interprets language, and can run in families. Extra tutoring and an intense focus on reading are the most frequently advocated treatments. The disorder, which has no cure, is estimated to affect about 15 percent of Americans. Co-authors on the study came from Aix-Marseille University and France’s Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique. AFP
H‑Factor
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 6, 2012
Holistic view of mind, body and soul
Ultra-marathons
A biosensor to detect drugs!
may cause heart damage, study says Amy Silverstein
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esearchers have found that extreme endurance exercise can permanently change the heart — and not for the better. The review of studies, published in the new Mayo Clinic Proceedings, found that extreme exercise can lead to scarring of the heart and enlarged ventricles, Scientific American reported. “What this paper points out is that a lot of people do not understand that the lion’s share of health benefits accrue
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at a relatively modest level,” the study’s lead author, Dr. James H. O’Keefe of Saint Luke’s Hospital of Kansas City, told Medical Daily. “Extreme exercise is not really conducive to great cardiovascular health.” O’Keefe told the Kansas City Star that marathons are safe to try once, but not a good model for how you should regularly exercise. The potential dangers of extreme exercise were highlighted in March by the sudden death of 58-yearold ultra-marathon runner Micah True. An ultra-marathon is
defined as any run that is longer than the standard marathon amount of 26 miles, according to Ultra Running Resource. The longest certified ultra-marathon in the world is The Ultimate Ultra, a 1,300 mile race. This research comes a month after a Copenhagen City Heart Study which found that jogging might deliver the best results. According to the study, people who jog as little as one hour per week at a “slow or average” pace actually had the best life expectancies. GLOBAL POST
HOUSECALL
APP-LY YOURSELF
Astigmatism
Instant Heart Rate
stigmatism is a type of refractive error of the eye. Refractive errors cause blurred vision and are the most common reason why a person goes to see an eye professional. We are able to see things because the front of the eye is able to bend (refract) light and point it to the back of the eye or the retina as it is known. Changes in the length of the eye, or the shape of either the lens or the cornea make it more difficult for the eyes to focus the light. If these light rays are not clearly focused then the images can be blurry. With astigmatism, the cornea is abnormally curved, causing vision to be out of focus. The cause of astigmatism is yet unknown.
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A new study says that excessive endurance exercise, such as ultra-marathons, may cause permanent heart damage
he Instant Heart Rate app is probably one of the best apps to have on your phone. Available for both android and iPhonemarket, this app even won the Best Health & Fitness app on mobile premier awards in 2011. With this app you can see every heart beat on the monitor just like on the machines in the hospitals. So you can measure your heart rate instantly. The app uses your phone’s camera to detect the pulse on your fingertip, the same technique used by medical pulse oximeters. All you have to do is place your fingertip on the phone’s camera and in a few seconds your heart rate will appear on the screen. It even gives you an EKG like graph!
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SYDNEY: Scientists have developed a new generation of biosensors that can spot microscopic traces of contaminants in less than an hour. Known as a biochemiresistor, it meets a long-standing challenge to create a sensor that is not only super-sensitive to the presence of chemical compounds, but responds quickly. It has countless potential uses for detecting drugs, toxins and pesticides for biomedical or environmental analysis, the journal Angewandte Chemie reported. “Enrofloxacin is an antibiotic used in the agricultural industry that can be transferred to the food chain,” noted study coauthor Justin Gooding, chemistry professor at the University of New South Wales. “Our biochemiresistor was able to detect enrofloxacin in neat milk in 40 minutes, at level as low as one nanogram in a litre of milk. To put that number in perspective, a nanogram is a billionth of a gram and is the mass of a single cell. “While that is impressive enough, the sensor is a general concept that can be widely applied across many different fields,” Gooding added, according to a university statement. A biosensor is a portable analytical device that uses biological molecules to detect selectively just one compound within a mix of many others. Small biosensors are already in daily use testing the safety of drinking water, for checking diabetic blood-sugar levels and for pregnancy tests.
DID YOU KNOW? Fish is good for your sanity
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unk food makes people insane! The increase in mental disorders in the last several years could be attributed to the increase in the consumption of an unhealthy diet. Foods with omega-3 fatty acid (mainly vegetables and fish) help keep the brain healthy. People eat 1/3 less vegetables and 2/3 less fish than they did 50 years ago. It has also been proven that individuals at extremely high risk of developing psychosis appear less likely to develop psychotic disorders following a 12-week course of fish oil capsules containing long-chain omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids. So if you want to keep insanity at bay, we suggest you starting loading up on that fresh produce and fish.
Spotlight 1
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 6, 2012 2
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FABULOUS FASHION
Green Hero
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The ladies had a great time shopping at the Desire Exhibition presented by Anita Aggarwal. The sale will be on till today, 8 pm, at Taj Krishna. Eighty designers are showcasing their garments, accessories and jewellery. 6. Sravanthi 7. Sneha 8. Paridhi 9. Richi 10. Faith
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He’s an actor with a green heart. On Tuesday actor Rana Daggubati planted a sapling in front of The Park. This is part of TheS Park’s tree plantation drive wherein close to 100 trees will be planted.
FILM MAGIC
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DEEPAK DESHPANDE
1. Mamatha 2. Shilpa 3. Amrita 4. Manisha Kapoor 5. Aliya
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Actors Deeksha Seth was spotted at the 59th Idea Filmfare Awards press conference held at The Park.
Magic Screen
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 6, 2012
The glamour behind the glitz
David Billa’s release pushed to June 22
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he release date of Ajith, Parvathy Omanakuttan and Bruna Abdullah starrer David Billa has been pushed to June 22. Earlier, the makers were planning to release the film on June 15; however, the team is said to have asked for more time for wrapping up the post production of the film. Directed by Chakri Tholeti, the film is a prequel to Billa and it traces the origin and rise of an international don named Billa. Originally made in Tamil as Billa 2 – The Beginning, Shoba Rani had bought the rights for the Telugu version. Yuvan Shankar Raja has composed the music. Last year, Ajith, Trisha starrer Gambler did quite well at the box office and the buzz surrounding David Billa is quite positive. It remains to be seen if Ajith can consolidate his position at the box office like Suriya and Karthi did with this film.
Rowdy Rathore’s reviews surprise Rajamouli
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he record opening of Akshay Kumar, Sonakshi Sinha starrer Rowdy Rathore has ensured that the film will be the latest entrant to the `100 crore club in Bollywood. The film is a remake of S S Rajamouli’s blockbuster film Vikramarkudu. Despite collecting more than `48 crore (net) in the first three days of its release, the film was panned by critics for being illogical and too long. However, Prabhu Deva, the director of RR, is undeterred by the reviews and thanked Rajamouli for making a film which had all the essential items required for a mass film. Meanwhile, Rajamouli was quite surprised that Rowdy Rathore was panned by critics and his comments on Twitter led to a huge debate on whether reviews truly reflect a film’s box office potential. “Even vikramarkudu drew a lot of flak from reviewers. I’ve seen many occasions where superhits got average reviews. but this contrast of BB getting a turkey is a point to ponder..(sic),” SS Rajamouli posted on Twitter. The success of Rowdy Rathore has ensured that all eyes will be on Ajay Devgn’s upcoming film Son of Sardar, which is a remake of Rajamouli’s Maryada Ramanna. Analysts believe that if Son of Sardar too goes on to become a blockbuster, Rajamouli’s brand will soar even higher.
Richa in Ravi Teja’s Saar Osthara? R
icha Gangopadhyay, who hasn’t signed any Telugu film in the recent few months, might soon join the cast of Ravi Teja’s Saar Osthara, if all goes well. Last year, Ravi Teja and Richa had teamed up for Mirapakay, which was a big hit at the box office. After Trisha and Amala Paul walked out of Saar Osthara citing lack of dates, Kajal stepped in to replace Trisha. The latest buzz is that Parasuram, the director of the film, is in talks with Richa to play the other lead role in the film. She hasn’t officially signed the film yet, but sources say that she has been finalised for the role. Ashwini Dutt is producing the film. Thaman is scoring the music and Vijay K Chakravarthy is the cinematographer. Shooting for this film will begin later this month in Ooty.
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T-TOWN TWEETIES
@Actor_Siddharth When the heart is happy doing absolutely nothing, and the mind is in no hurry to protest, the body is truly grateful... — a lazy boy axiom.
@tashu_02 I met a guy from #Kanpur today... He came to c my shoot... n waited for 2hrs to get a pic wid me, nly coz he came to kno dat evn I am frm thr !
@LakshmiManchu Staying grounded is the key. Such overwhelming response to the audio and the trailer. Right around the corner y’all. Keep the love coming.
@Taapsee After a long nonstop stay away from home m heading bak to Delhi! Just can’t wait to meet my frnds n family. Been long dis time. Thrilled!!
@Ramsayz Had 2 Smoke for a shot today... after 5YEARS! The last time was also for a film... character demands! #HATE Smoking! Say NO 2 Smoking!
@actressanjjanaa Now ready to sleep,was a fab day @ shoot. 4 more days in Udupi, then traveling to Bangkok for Yamaho Yama!
@RanaDaggubati Great start to the day met the man who named me Arjun Prasad, (Shekar Kamulla) this morning. Man is full of positive energies!!
@RGVzoomin Just one advise to all my advisors... if people listened to advises, let alone my films even 2nd world war wouldn’t have happened!
Magic Screen
The glamour behind the glitz
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 6, 2012
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B-TOWN TWEETIES
@SrBachchan T 765 — Novak Djokovic wins a marathon battle on clay court at Rolland Gaross against French hope JoWilfried Tsonga... what a game !!
Working with new directors
@AnupamPkher Thank you so much @divyadutta25 for taking a Master Class at our school @actorprepares. Students loved it.:)
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ver since he has ventured into filmmaking, producer Ritesh Sidhwani has launched new directors like Reema Kagti and Abhinay Deo. He says working with fresh talent is a learning experience. “Working with new talent is always beneficial as one gets to learn a lot from them,” Sidhwani said. “They have an eye to learn new things. We give them complete freedom in whichever way they want to execute their idea. We give them a platform and just see what value they can add to the film. Right talent with good team always works,” he added. Sidhwani ventured into the movie business along with his friend Farhan Akhtar with Dil Chahta Hai. IANS
@sonusood18 Morning tweeples, had a gr8 shoot for the opening of JHALAK DIKH LA JA... Performed on 'AA ANTE'... everyone couldn't stop dancing on the song.
@MadhuriDixit1 So I heard a lot of Kathak, a mhongla, free dancing and then whatever Hrithik does. Quite a mix... very cool!
@RahulBose1 Uniformed kids going to school signal parental love, a sense of order and a belief in a better future. if only life was as elemental as that.
Challenging to make Prabhu do something new: Remo
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earing up for his ambitious dance-centric movie Any Body Can Dance (ABCD), noted choreographer-turneddirector Remo D’Souza has said it was a challenge to make Prabhu Deva do something new in the movie. “To make him (Prabhu Deva) do something new was a challenge. Prabhu ji is a big director and Ganesh (Acharya) ji has also directed a film. I thought it would be tough to direct them but it was not because they know what a director wants. They are legends in their fields,” Remo said at the wrap party of ABCD last night. UTV Motion Pictures’ ABCD-Any Body Can Dance is India’s first high-octane dance film in 3D. Remo made his directorial debut in Bollywood last year with comedy flick F.A.L.T.U. PTI
@bomanirani
RITEISH SUGGESTED HAIR MAKEOVER FOR GENELIA
T
here’s a special reason behind actress Genelia D’Souza’s latest short hairdo. It was her husband, actor Riteish Deshmukh’s idea, and Genelia was all for it because she feels he has a great sense of style. “Riteish has a great sense of style, for sure. Actually, it was Riteish’s idea and he had for long asked me why I don’t try going short,” the 24-year-old said at an event on Monday. The makeover is something she couldn’t have experimented with while filming a movie. “Normally, due to continuity issues, you don’t get the opportunity to try a different style. I thought there is a break after marriage so let me do something that’s different and new,” added Genelia, who married Riteish in February. IANS
1st rains in Mumbai. Bikers please be careful. On my way to the airport, and seen 3 falls already. Road like a giant banana peel!
@NeilNMukesh This is the first film I’m doing without a single days break. Both @sonalchauhan7 and I have been shooting non-stop and will continue to do so.
@iamsrk Woke up in a frenzy of lethargy. Wish from here on the day passes even more lazily. Want to work out in a meditative telekinesis mode.
Magic Screen
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 6, 2012
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Magic Screen
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 6, 2012
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Magic Screen
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watch the singer’s husband perform with West during their Watch The Throne tour stop in Paris, France on Friday, and she was overjoyed to be invited up onstage during a special remix of their single N**gas in Paris -
which they performed a whopping 11 times in a row. She later posted a photo of herself dancing alongside the rappers on Twitter with the caption, “Ni**as in paris for real.” The comment prompted
some fans to attack Paltrow for using the racial slur, which sparked debate on numerous blogs — but the actress has brushed off the controversy and called for critics to calm down. Responding to the online uproar on Sunday, she wrote, “Hold up. It’s
25
the title of the song!” Paltrow and Beyonce weren’t the only celebrity fans at the Paris gig the Crazy In Love hitmaker’s former Destiny’s Child bandmate Kelly Rowland joined the pair, while Justin Bieber was also in the audience.
defe Paltr nds ow hers elf
ctress Gwyneth Paltrow has been forced to defend herself against allegations of racism after she used the ‘N’ word in a Twitter.com post while referring to a popular Jay-Z and Kanye West song. The Shakespeare In Love star accompanied her best pal Beyonce to
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 6, 2012
The glamour behind the glitz
OLSEN TWINS TOAST OF FASHION AWARDS Brad Pitt producing Marilyn Monroe biopic
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rad Pitt has stepped in to help director Andrew Dominik get his longdelayed Marilyn Monroe movie off the ground as the project’s producer. Naomi Watts was attached to play the iconic bombshell in Dominik’s biopic Blonde, which stalled before shooting was scheduled to begin in January 2011. However, Pitt is now set to give new life to the Monroe film by signing up to produce the movie through his Plan B production company, although he has yet to decide whether he will take on a role. He tells 24 Frames, “We’re going to get this one done.” Pitt previously worked with Dominik on The Assassination of Jesse James and upcoming gangster thriller Killing Them Softly.
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ary-Kate and Ashley Olsen sealed their style credentials as they picked up a top honour at the Council of Fashion Designers of America Awards on Monday. The former child stars-turned-fashion moguls saw off competition from Marc Jacobs to be named Womenswear Designer of the Year for their collection The Row. Designer Zac Posen, who mentored Ashley while she was in college, took to Twitter.com to praise the actresses, writing, “Congratulations to all the Cfda winners & nominees. So proud of my old intern Ashley Olsen!! Well deserved.” Pirates of the Caribbean hunk Johnny Depp was also celebrated at the New York City event —he became the first male to be named a Fashion Icon by the Cfda for his “personal and eclectic sense of style”. The actor was not present to pick up his trophy, which was accepted by Cry-Baby director John Waters on Depp’s behalf.
Nick Jonas honoured at Broadway Beacon Awards
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ick Jonas and Christie Brinkley cemented their status as stage stars after picking up the top honours at New York’s Broadway Beacon Awards on Monday. Teen idol Jonas was recognised for his recent stint in How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, in which he played the lead role of J Pierrepont Finch before the show closed last month.Brinkley was the lady of the hour — the former supermodel was honoured for her portrayal of Roxie Hart in hit musical Chicago.
Chai Time
KAKURO
How to play Kakuro Kakuro is a popular game similar to sudoku in some ways. But is also suitably different. The key question: ‘How do you play kakuro?’, well here are the rules of kakuro. The answer: The kakuro grid, unlike in sudoku, can be of any size. It has rows and columns, and dark cells like in a crossword. And, just like in a crossword, some of the dark cells will contain numbers. Some cells will contain two numbers. However, in a crossword the numbers reference clues. In a kakuro, the numbers are all you get! They denote the total of the digits in the row or column referenced by the number. Within each collection of cells — called a run — any of the numbers 1 to 9 may be used but, like sudoku, each number may only be used once. Let’s have an example to explain this concept more clearly: In the image above, which shows a section of a kakuro puzzle, you will see the numbers ‘26’ and ‘14’ in the top row. Look at the 14. This means that the total of the three cells underneath must sum to 14. Therefore 9, 4, 1 could be the answer, or perhaps 7, 4, 3 and so on... So, how do you work out the actual combination? Well, this is done through elimination and cross-referencing. For instance, as you work out the answers for other kakuro clues, this will naturally limit the valid combinations, and hence the answer for this particular run. Note the second cell in row two — it contains two numbers, 30 and 11. The 30 refers to the vertical run underneath the number 30 and the 11 refers to the two cells to the right, horizontally, of the number 11.
SCRIBBLING PAD
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 6, 2012
Take a shot at the brain game while sipping your cuppa
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QUICK CROSSWORD ACROSS 1 Financial adviser, for short 4 Go off course 7 False front 13 It might be fine 14 Gets an A 16 Semi-evergreen ornamental shrub 17 Sodom escapee 18 Kind of crime 20 Make impatient 22 It's collected on a turnpike 23 Gabriel of ‘Miller's Crossing’ 24 Forensic science tool 25 Personal quirk 26 Abbr on a toothpaste box 28 ‘Chill out!’ 31 Argument 34 Like the north wind or Northern Lights 38 Body part susceptible to frostbite 39 Concealed advantage 42 In accordance with 43 Highly skilled people 44 Scallion relative 45 Esteem 47 Poetic work 49 St Louis-to-Cleveland dir 50 Square dance sweetie 53 Ennead minus one 57 ‘It ___ what you think!’ 59 Planting season 61 Like some expenses 63 Shipping unit 64 Type of roast 65 First lady on Mt Olympus 66 Was a consumer 67 Number on either side of a + 68 Christmas Eve drink 69 Center of center court DOWN 1 Moses sent him into Canaan to spy 2 Absentee ballot 3 Essence from rose petals
4 Yelled obnoxiously 5 Symptom for a dentist 6 Strange 7 Confront 8 Blood classification syst. 9 A Boston cager 10 Recipient 11 Classic phone feature 12 ‘Fatha’ Hines of jazz 15 ‘The Man’ of St. Louis 19 ‘H’ on a frat sweater 21 An egregious error 25 Report a playground infraction 27 ‘Humble’ dwelling 28 Deep-voiced opera singer 29 Valentine word 30 ‘The ___ shall inherit ...’ 31 Snack of Spain 32 Clinched, as a victory
33 Soured, as grapes 35 Signal for a fastball 36 Agent, for short 37 NY time zone 40 Skin fruit 41 Yet to be installed, as a politician 46 Speak hypnotically 48 Army identification 50 Large US publisher? 51 Bridge or foot feature 52 Compare (to) 54 Business bigwig 55 Act the drama queen 56 Believe it
SUDOKU
either way 57 Raccoon River locale 58 Took legal action 59 Burned rubber 60 Fiddling Roman 62 Aquatic appendage
PREVIOUS PUZZLE ANSWER
THOUGHT OF THE DAY Approach the game with no preset agendas and you'll probably come away surprised at your overall efforts. – Phil Jackson
Chai Time STAR POWER
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 6, 2012
Your tomorrow today̶Star Power and Tarot THIRUVAIKUMAR
As per Hindu panchang
FOR 7-6-2012
thiruvaikumar@yahoo.co.in 040-27177230 / 9177596118
TAURUS
GEMINI
You will take certain important and bold decisions. Benefits possible through friends. Chances of some good turning point through your friends or relatives staying abroad.
Avoid anger and emotional outbursts. Adjust with spouse to keep the situation happy. Chances of urinary tract infec‑ tion and sleeplessness. Take good care of health. Careful with your expressions.
Travel and expenses will increase due to children. Depression and unwanted tension likely. You will undertake a long‑pending pilgrimage. Avoid stand‑ ing guarantee for anyone.
CANCER
LEO
VIRGO
Expected ancestral property will be yo‑ urs. Foreign trip will materialise now. Good news through spouse on the car‑ ds. With your nice talk you attract oth‑ ers. Children will get studies of choice.
Journey will be beneficial and make you cheerful. Politicians of high cadre will extend their help. Chances of get‑ ting a powerful position. Unexpected blame likely, be alert and avoid this.
You will buy sophisticated audio and video gadgets. Happy events like mar‑ riage or grahapravesam will bring cheer to family members. You will settle a major portion of your debts.
LIBRA
SCORPIO
SAGITTARIUS
You will sell an old plot for expected pr‑ ice and buy a new one.You will gain im‑ portance in the midst of in‑laws. VIP friends may sever their friendship with you. You struggle to manage expenses.
You will become clear about your ideas with the help of advise from experienced and educated wellwish‑ ers. Couples will be cordial. Spouse's health may be a cause for concern.
You will become active after getting out of your laziness. An amicable solution to the vexed ancestral prop‑ erty issue will be reached. You will make plans to renovate your house.
CAPRICORN
AQUARIUS
PISCES
Travel and expenses are set to increase which will upset you. Avoid blaming sp‑ ouse for petty issues. Happy and peace‑ ful atmosphere at home. Politicians are advised not boast about their prestige.
Blood relatives will help and make you happy. Court verdict will go in your favour. Expenses will increase due to which savings will not be possible. Mother's health needs attention.
You will come to know about the stre‑ ngth and weakness of your close frien‑ ds and relatives and treat them accor‑ dingly. Spouse will be encouraging. Enemies will become inactive.
SUMAA TEKUR
FOR 7-6-2012
tarotreadhyd@gmail.com
ARIES
TAURUS
GEMINI
King of Cups – Be careful of an attack from someone yo‑ uʼre not particularly fond of. He/she may try to beat you at your own game. Do your homework.
Knight of Swords – You need to improve your listening skills. There is much to achieve in interper‑ sonal relationships. Listening is the first step toward this.
Page of Pentacles – A job vacancy interests you and you get all excited about giving it a go, especially since youʼre in the mood for change. Go ahead!
CANCER
LEO
VIRGO
The Lovers – If youʼre in search of the per‑ fect lover, you should stop because such a thing does not exist. Learn to make com‑ promises and grow with each other.
Eight of Cups – You may be in the habit of pointing fingers at someone about an issue which you ide‑ ally should not be interfering in. Hold your horses.
Eight of Wands – Exciting times on th‑ e work front. You g‑ et hold of the projec‑ ts youʼre most inter‑ ested in, and get to show your talent in a new area of work.
LIBRA
SCORPIO
SAGITTARIUS
Ace of Wands – A conspiracy theory is intriguing you, and youʼre going all out to get to the bottom of it and find out what itʼs all about. Good luck!
Nine of Pentacles – Join a social networ‑ king site or a club of like‑minded people to improve your social life. You may be at a risk of feeling lonely even in a crowd.
Nine of Wands – En‑ sure transparency an‑ d honesty in all your dealings. Some people may not think the same as you and you need to give room for all kinds of opinions.
CAPRICORN
AQUARIUS
PISCES
Queen of Wands – Yo‑ u have the inclination toward self‑employ‑ ment. It interests you deeply and youʼre in the mood to give it a shot. Think practically before you move.
Ten of Pentacles – When life hands you lemons, what are you going to do with them? You will be in such a position soon and need to decide either way.
King of Swords – Yo‑ uʼre in a privileged position and you rea‑ lise that. Youʼve met some wonderful peo‑ ple in your life and they come to your rescue when in need.
For Better or for Worse Stone soup
SOLUTIONS
Boggle POP RAP ROCK BLUES COUNTRY
Number game
Suduko
Scrabble
Ink pen
COMICS
Fred Basset
ARIES
TAROT READ
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Vol: 1, No. 325 RNI No: APENG/2011/39337 Published for the proprietors, Scribble Media and Entertainment Pvt Ltd, by V Harshavardhan Reddy, at #1246, Level 3, Jubilee Casa, Road No. 62, Jubilee Hills, Hyderabad–500033 and printed by him at Jagati Publications Ltd, Plot No D-75&E-52, APIE Industrial Estate, Balanagar, Ranga Reddy Dist, Hyderabad–500037, Editor: Dean Williams – Responsible for selection of news under the PRB Act All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission of the publisher is prohibited. For feedback, please write to: feedback@postnoon.com and for subscription, please call 040-40672222, Fax: 040-40672211
2012 LONDON OLYMPICS
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DID YOU KNOW...? n The best shuttlecocks are said to be made from the feathers of the left wing of a goose. n China has won a total of 30 Olympic Badminton medals since 1992. Denmark is the most successful European country.
LEGENDS OF THE SPORT Alan Budikusuma (born March 29, 1968) was among the leading badminton players in the world from the late ‘80s and mid-’90s, picking up numerous titles in singles competition including an Olympic gold medal. He triumphed at Barcelona 1992 after overcoming countryman Ardy Wiranata in the final. His Olympic success was part of a unique double with his then fiancee, Susi Susanti.
Zhang Ning (born May 19,1975) is a badminton player from China. She won the Olympic gold medal twice for women's singles in 2004 and 2008. She has played badminton on the world scene since the mid1990s and has been particularly successful since 2002. She is the only player of either sex to win consecutive Olympic singles gold medals.
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THE SHUTTLERS
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DAYS TO GO
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WEDNESDAY, JUNE 6, 2012
n A public art display featuring the world’s largest shuttlecocks, which are 18 feet tall, can be found at the Kansas City Museum, USA.
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TALLY 2008
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China Indonesia Korea
3 1 1
2 1 1
3 1 1
MEDAL EVENTS August 3 Mixed Doubles August 4 Women's Singles, Women's Doubles August 5 Men's Singles, Men's Doubles
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INDIA’S HOPE
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Field of play The Singles court is 13.4m by 5.18m; the Doubles court is 13.4m long and 6.1m wide. The court is divided in half by a 1.55m high net (1.524m high in the centre).
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BADMINTON: During the 19th century, British military officers in the Indian town of Poona added a net to the ancient game of battledore (bat) and shuttlecock, and named this new game after the town. The sport was brought back home by the officers, and was played at the Duke of Beaufort’s Gloucestershire residence in 1873. The residence was called Badminton House, whi-ch is how this sport got the name.
Saina Nehwal Saina Nehwal is a Khel Ratna player currently ranked 5th in the world. She is the first Indian woman to reach the singles quarterfinals at the Olympics and the first Indian to win the World Junior Badminton Championships. She made history in 2009, becoming the first Indian to win a Super Series tournament, by clinching the Indonesia Open. Saina won her second career Super Series title by winning the Singapore Open title in 2010. She completed a hat-trick in the same year winning the Indonesian Open in June.
qeb=sbkrb
A
lthough synonymous with live music, Wembley Arena in north-west London is also one of the capital’s most iconic sporting venues. In recent years, it has hosted snooker, darts, hockey and wrestling events. It is London’s second
THE LINGO Drive: a fast, low, near-horizontal shot over the net. Forecourt: the front section of each half of the court, between the net and the short service line. Lift: a shot played from beneath the height of the net, normally played high to the back of the court Smash: a hard overhead shot, hit directly down into the opposition’s court.
Badminton at Games One of the most dynamic Olympic sports, Badminton made its full Olympic debut at Barcelona 1992. Asian
countries now dominate: China, Indonesia and South Korea have won 23 of the 24 gold medals awarded since the sport’s first appearance at the Games.
The basics Players hit a shuttlecock over the net into their opponents’ half. The aim is to score points by playing the shuttlecock so that it cannot be returned over the net within the boundary lines. Matches are played over the best of three games. Each game is won by the first player or doubles pair to reach 21 points by a margin of two clear points. However, if the score reaches 29-29 the winner of the next point wins the game.
Competition format There are five medal events:
men’s singles, women’s singles, men’s doubles, women’s doubles and mixed doubles. The competitors are divided into groups and each player or doubles pair plays everyone else in their group. The 16 group winners in the singles and eight best pairs in the doubles qualify for the knockout stage of the competition, which will eventually decide the winners of the medals.
Officials An umpire is in charge of the match, ensuring that the rules of the game are observed and calling out the score after each point. He/she is assisted by line judges, who keep an eye on whether the shuttlecock lands in our out of the court.
THE WEMBLEY ARENA largest indoor arena after North Greenwich Arena. Wembley Arena was built for the 1934 British Empire Games (now known as the Commonwealth Games) and originally housed a swimming pool. The pool was last used for the
London 1948 Olympic Games. Along with the renovation of the adjacent
Wembley Stadium, Wembley Arena recently underwent refurbishment. Comparatively little needs to be done to prepare the venue for hosting Badminton and Rhythmic Gymnastics during the London 2012 Olympic Games.
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 6, 2012
29
DAYS TO GO
PEARSON ON RIGHT TRACK Luke Phillips
OSLO:
Sally Pearson (right, #1) had a season to remember last year, winning all but one of her 11 races, producing seven of the quickest 11 performances and claiming world gold in the fourth fastest time ever run. The 25-year-old Australian 100m hurdler was rewarded with the IAAF accolade of female athlete of the year, which carries with it a cheque for $100,000. Early this season, Pearson replicated her blistering form that saw her win gold in Daegu, South Korea, in 12.28sec over the shorter 60m hurdles at the world indoors in Istanbul in March. After a 10-day break following her Turkish exploits, Pearson was back in training for the "summer" season, but the Oslo Diamond League meet on Thursday will be her first in Europe. "I'm still in a daze but ready to go!" beamed Pearson after spending 29 hours on planes to get to the Norwegian capital. "But of course I want to do the best I can on Thursday. I will have a small warm-up training session to get a bit more comfortable with the venue and I'll see how that goes." The Australian clocked a 12.49sec time in March on home soil, and she said she'd be happy to match
that come Thursday. "It's hard to really set the goals. I don't know the track and weather conditions here but based on my training experiences I'd go for a 12.4 time." She admitted that the long-standing 100m hurdles record of 12.21sec, set by Bulgarian Yordanka Donkova way back in 1998, was in her crosshairs. "It's definitively time to beat it," Pearson acknowledged. She added that her IAAF accolade, which meant she became the first athlete from Oceania to be honoured as such since the awards were introduced in 1988, had been a huge boost. "The athlete of the year
The athlete of the year award was a big motivation for me. It's a huge honor for me to stand alongside the likes of Usain Bolt. Sally Pearson, Olympic hurdler award was a big motivation for me. You don't get many opportunities like that and it's a huge honor for me to stand alongside the likes of Usain Bolt. "It's a dream come true
and that motivates me a lot." With Australian teammate Steve Hooker battling to regain the form that saw him win golds at the Beijing Olympics and 2009 Berlin world championships, Pearson has emerged as her country's main medal hope at the London Games. Her main rival will likely be American reigning Olympic champion Dawn Harper, who recently won in Rome but will not be in Oslo, which will unusually feature heats and a final. "It's going to be a smashing field in Oslo. So many of the girls are running because it provides a chance to run heats and then a final. It will be really exciting," Pearson said.
Injured Robles out of Diamond Meet N E W YORK: Cuba's Dayron Robles (left), the reigning Olympic champion and world record-holder in the 110meter hurdles, will not compete in the Diamond League athletics meet on Saturday, organisers announced. But three-time world champion Tyson Gay will make his return from a long layoff after hip surgery in the meet in what will be his only tuneup for the US Olympic trials later this month at Eugene, Oregon. Three weeks ago, 25-
year-old Caribbean star Robles was named as an entrant to face reigning world champion Jason Richardson and fellow American David Oliver, a bronze medalist in the event at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Organisers said Robles, who also skipped a meet last weekend in Eugene, has a slight injury. Also joining the meet will be Ethiopia's Meseret Defar, the 2004 Olympic and 2007 world 5,000m champion, and Brazil's Fabiana Murer, the reigning world women's pole vault champion.
Mary Fernandez, Jay Berger named US coaches NEW YORK: US Fed Cup captain Mary Joe Fernandez (below) and US Tennis Association Men's Player Development chief Jay Berger were named Tuesday as coaches for the US women's and men's tennis teams for the London Olympics. Fernandez won Olympic gold in women's doubles with Gigi Fernandez at the 1992 and 1996 Olympics and she guided the Americans to the Fed Cup final in two of her first three years as captain. "I'm honored and thrilled to be selected as the Olympic coach," Fernandez said. "Some of my fondest tennis memories are from the Olympics and the incomparable thrill of winning a gold medal. I would like nothing more than to share in that Olympic experience with our team this summer." All US team nominations will be based upon next Monday's ATP and WTA rankings. The US team will include up to six men and six women, with up to four of each in singles and up to two in doubles and mixed doubles.
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Robertson retires from badminton LONDON: Britain's Nathan Robertson, a former Olympic silver medallist, announced his retirement from badminton on Tuesday. The 35-year-old, who won the mixed doubles silver medal with Gail Emms in Athens eight years ago, decided to hang up his racquet after his failure to qualify for the London Olympics later this year. Robertson revealed his retirement on Twitter: "So I can now officially say. I AM RETIRED...�
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WEDNESDAY, JUNE 6, 2012
BEAUTY
Sylvie van der Vaart, Rafa van der Vaart, HOLLAND
Alexandra Loizou, Georgios Samaras, GREECE Of all the teams in all the countries, Alexandra Loizou somehow found herself smitten with Georgios Samaras of Greece. There needs no telling that Greece is going through the worst of times. And Samaras has said he intends to give his countrymen something that will take their minds off slump of slumps: a Euro victory.
She's married to one of the most talented star in the Premier League, and is one of the hottest properties in TV and modelling. But Sylvie van der Vaart will never take her amazing life for granted: she and Rafa have been through the worst of times after she was diagnosed with breast cancer. Now she is hale and hearty.
THE BEST
These days the most beautiful game isnot beautiful anymore without WAGs. Here’s part-I of the list of women behind the men in Euro 2012 that starts June 8.
HOT PROPERTY
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Julie Zangerberg, Nicklaus Bendtner, DENMARK
Julie Zangenberg is a television actress and TV host from Denmark. She started at age of 14 in the role of Ida Johansen in Catch That Girl. Bendtner starting dating her 11 months after his split from former fiancée and baby mama Baroness Caroline LuelBrockdorff.
Sandra Dziwiszek, Wojciech Szczesny, POLAND
Yulia Arshavin, Andre Arshavin, RUSSIA Yulia, who is now 26 years old, used to be a radio presenter in Russia when she met her amor in the summer of 2003 when he was playing for Zenit Saint Petersburg. Though the couple are not married they refer to each other as husband and wife. They have two children.
&
Irina Shayk, Cristiano Ronaldo, PORTUGAL Cristiano Ronaldo was infamous at one time for his attempts to floor women with his famous wink. But now Cristiano has put behind those days after he met Irina Shayk. The Real Madrid striker claims that now he can't take notice of any other women. It seems true, for the couple are going to be wedded in the near future.
Radka Kocurova, Tomas Rosicky, CZECH REPUBLIC Radka is an A-list celebrity in her home country and a former Miss Czech Republic so she is certainly a looker. Radka almost broke up with Tomas after it emerged that he and some other teammates partied with hookers after their loss to Germany in Euro qualifiers. Lucky for Tomas, she forgave him.
Sandra Dziwiszek says she is always tensed before Wojciech Szczesny’s matches whether it is for Arsenal or Poland. The 18-yearold says, “I can’t be at every match but, if I can, I’m in front of the TV and keeping my fingers crossed — it doesn’t matter if it’s Arsenal or Poland.” Now her country being the hosts of Euro there is no doubt she will add colour to the stands every time Szczesny takes the field.
Sara Brandner, Bastian Schweinsteiger, GERMANY Tall, blonde and German in every sense, Sarah Brandner is the girlfriend of Bayern Munich and Germany midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger. Brandner was featured in the 2010 Sports Illustrated Body Painting Issue, along with Abbey Clancy, Bethany Dempsey, and Melissa Satta. She has also done notable work for German magazine Bild, and GQ Germany.
Playing Field
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 6, 2012
The games people play
Hodgson pins Euro hopes on Joe Hart Rob Woollard
KRAKOW, POLAND: England manager Roy Hodgson believes Joe Hart could hold the key to his team’s Euro 2012 chances as the Manchester City goalkeeper looks to extend his proud unbeaten international record. Hart has never been on the losing side for England in a competitive game, an eight-match run that began after he emerged as the Three Lions’ No 1 goalkeeper in the aftermath of the 2010 World Cup. Two years ago, Hart was a frustrated tourist in South Africa, failing to earn a minute of game time during England’s ill-fated campaign despite many insiders revealing he had been the form goalkeeper in training. Since then, however, the 25year-old has established himself as one of the best goalkeepers in world football, a formidable
THE 25-YEAR-OLD HAS ESTABLISHED HIMSELF AS ONE OF THE BEST GOALKEEPERS IN WORLD FOOTBALL, A FORMIDABLE GUARDIAN POISED TO CARRY ON THE TRADITIONS OF GORDON BANKS. guardian poised to carry on the traditions of Gordon Banks and Peter Shilton. Hodgson believes Hart’s emergence augurs well for his injury-hit team as they prepare to open their Group D campaign against France in Donetsk on June 11. “If you look at the top England teams of the past and the teams that have done extremely well in the past, we have often had a goalkeeper that people have suggested is one of the best goalkeepers in Europe or in the case of Gordon Banks.
SPORT SNIPPETS Wright retires after loss Ronald ‘Winky’ Wright, a former undisputed light-middleweight world boxing champion, announced his retirement on Tuesday after a 22-year pro career that concluded with three losses in a row. “Part of being a boxer is knowing when to call it quits,” Wright said. “It’s time for me.” The 40-year-old southpaw finished 51-6 with one draw and 25 knockouts after losing his final bout last Saturday, dropping a unanimous 10-round decision to Peter Quillin.
Boxing
“
GDYNIA, POLAND: Ireland striker Jonathan Walters will need luck to get into Giovanni Trapattoni’s starting lineup, but he knows just how fortunate he is to be a part of the country’s Euro 2012 adventure. Compared to many of the players at the championship, the 28-year-old has taken an unorthodox route to Poland and Ukraine. The Stoke City forward started his career in the youth and reserve teams of Blackburn Rovers, but never made an appearance for the first team. His undoubted ability saw him earn a move to Bolton, where he made four Premier League appearances, but he again failed to produce consis-
tently and slipped out of the top flight. This began a winding road through the lower levels of English football, stopping at Hull City, Crewe, Barnsley and
Wrexham along the way. Just five years ago, he was at the bottom of the league pyramid, playing for League Two side Chester, before he was snapped up by Ipswich
Town where he eventually became captain and earned a £2.75m move to Stoke City. Now an established Premier League striker, and a regular in an Ireland squad replete with attacking options, the English-born star - who qualifies to play for Ireland through his Irish mother - is at the top of his profession. But having had to fight his way up the ladder, he knows things could be so different. “We’re in such a privileged position and as a player who’s been down the leagues a few years ago you would not have dreamt that it would happen,” he said after Ireland’s first training camp in Poland on Tuesday. “We’re privileged to be where we are and you have to enjoy it and not take anything for granted. AFP
It’s up to Tottenham whether they want to extend that contract or not. If they don’t extend it and I go into my last year, it’s not an easy one. Harry Redknapp while urging Hotspur
Celtics close in on finals Boston moved to within one victory of the NBA Finals as they beat Miami 94-90 on Tuesday, with Kevin Garnett scoring 26 points and grabbing 11 rebounds. The Celtics took a 32 lead in the the best-of-seven Eastern Conference final and will advance with a home win in game six on Thursday. “Just because we’re going to Boston doesn’t mean they are going to give it to us,” Celtics coach Doc Rivers said.
NBA
Irish Walters basking in glory Ciaran O’Raghallaigh
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NQ= is the number of years Casey Martin was forced to ride a cart because of a rare circulatory disorder in his right leg, and has now qualified for next week’s US Open at The Olympic Club, where he played in the major event in 1998.
Coach child sex trial on Jury selection began on Tuesday in the case of Jerry Sandusky, the former Pennsylvania State University assistant American football coach accused of molesting 10 boys over a 15year span. Sandusky, 68, will face a jury selected from the State College area. Paterno, who headed one of the most lucrative and successful US college football teams, was fired in November for failing to go beyond his legal minimums in informing the authorities when told that Sandusky had been seen molesting a boy in a team shower.
Football
Playing Field
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 6, 2012
The games people play
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Djokovic to battle Federer again Allan Kelly
PARIS: Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic will go head to head for the 26th time in the French Open semi-finals on Friday and both agreed the outcome lay in the lap of the gods. At one stage in Tuesday’s quarter-finals at Roland Garros it looked like both were on their way out. Federer was two sets to love down against Juan Martin del Potro and at the same time, Djokovic was being run ragged by Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. But, in keeping with their superstar status, both men found a way back, winning in five sets in each case. Federer leads their head-toheads 14-11, but the recent outcomes between the two favours the Serb, the top seed here who is bidding to become only the third
man to hold all four Grand Slam titles at the same time, 43 years after Rod Laver achieved the fabulous feat for the second time. Djokovic lost in four sets to
Federer in last year’s French Open semi-finals, but that was his only defeat in their last six encounters, which notably included an epic five sets win in the semi-finals of
Benzema scores brace as France beat Estonia LE
MANS,
FRANCE:
France thanked a brace from Real Madrid’s Karim Benzema on Monday as they thumped Estonia 4-0 in an impressive Euro 2012 tune-up to give Group D rivals England food for thought. Bayern Munich’s Franck Ribery set the ball rolling in the northern town of Le Mans with the opener on 24 minutes before Benzema made it 2-0 eight minutes before the break as the French found their form. Benzema added another just two minutes after the restart before Paris Saint Germain forward Jeremy Menez made it four
in stoppage time. On the negative side for Laurent Blanc’s men a central defensive partnership of Philippe Mexes of AC Milan and Valencia’s Adil Rami had a few nervous moments but that failed to take the gloss off a morale-boosting win and, as a former stopper himself, Blanc should be capable of passing on some tips to his backline. The coach said he was satisfied overall. “It’s three wins in three and so we can be satisfied. In some areas less so but overall it was a good evening,” said Blanc, ho noted even so that “sometimes we put ourselves in difficulty” at the back.
He forecast that against England “it will be more difficult, a more rigorous test and we will have to play it in simpler fashion.” Newcastle’s Yohan Cabaye was a driving force in midfield while Ribery bagged his third goal in as many outings after Benzema neatly set him up before bagging his own 14th and 15th goals for his country - the first a fine curling individual effort and the second laid on by Ribery. Menez bundled in his late goal after coming on as substitute for Benzema along with Olivier Giroud, who replaced Florent Malouda. France have now gone 21 games unbeaten and the memories of a disastrous 2010 World Cup are finally beginning to fade away. They meet England next Monday as they open up their programme before further pool meetings with co-hosts Ukraine and Sweden and Blanc says they are showing signs of forming a dangerous unit. On Benzema and Ribery’s linking up well together on Tuesday’s evidence he told reporters: “Ribery and Benzema have enormous potential and they have shown that with their clubs,” he said. AFP
the US Open in New York last September. Djokovic, after saving four match points against Tsonga in a quarter-final thriller, said he knew what to expect. “I don’t want to talk too much about Roger. We all know his quality and can always expect him to perform his best at this stage of the tournament,” he said. “He came back from two sets down today. We both played tough matches in the last two rounds. Now we’re going to have two days off and expect an exciting semi-final. “I think for me it’s crucial to be very focused and aggressive from the first moment, because that’s something that you can always expect Roger to have, you know, that control over the opponent from the start. Federer, bidding for a record 17th Grand Slam title here,
I don’t want to talk too much about Roger. We all know his quality and can always expect him to perform his best at this. Novak Djokovic on Roger Federer sounded equally even-minded after his victory over Del Potro, which saw the Swiss star struggle for two sets before the tall Argentinian wilted physically. “I know that I have to reach a level of 10 to play against him. So that’s all I can say,” he said.