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

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2012 HYDERABAD

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WEATHER: A MIX OF CLOUDY AND CLEAR SKIES; 26°C

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HYDERABAD’S FIRST COMPACT AFTERNOON NEWSPAPER

City in shambles as world set to arrive soon

WHAT A COP-OUT! REPORT ON P8

WALKING ON A DIVINE PATH Quite rarely has a Telugu actor won as many accolades as Nagarjuna did for portraying icons. Now he’s donning the avatar of Shirdi Saibaba which has led to the consensus that he’s miles ahead of others

P21 BERDYCH SENDS FEDERER PACKING

Roger Federer saw his dream of becoming the first man in 87 years to win six US Opens destroyed by bigswinging Czech Tomas Berdych in the legend's earliest New York defeat.

P31

Shine on you crazy diamond

What started out as a fourmember tea party band that rehearsed in a dingy basement at Regent Street went on to become one of the greatest popular culture icons of the century. On Roger Waters’ birthday, we revisit Pink Floyd.

P16&17

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2012

city events

MY WIFE’S HUSBAND

Catch the play My wife’s husband being presented at Lamakaan on September 15. The play revolves around the life of two men who are married to the same woman for five years without knowing about each others existence. The play is from 7.30pm.

Weather for Hyderabad

Evening

Overnight

Morning

Afternoon

25°C

21°C

25°C

31°C

Cloudy with showers likely.

A mix of cloudy and clear

A mix of cloud and sun

New Delhi Mumbai Max 31 Max 30 Min 24 Min 25 Scattered thunderstorms

Chennai Max 34 Min 25

Scattered thunderstorms

Cloudy

Bangalore Max 28 Min 20

Cloudy with chances of thunderstorms.

AROUND THE CITY: YOUR GUIDE TO THE TWIN CITIES DINING

Sunyata An exhibition of paintings by Suniyata Khanna titled Sunyata ( the obvious identity) is being held at Alankritha Art Gallery. The painting exhibition will be on display till September 15. Where: Alankritha Art Gallery, Residency Inn Kavuri hills When: Ongoing, 11am onwards Contact: (040) 2354 0023

Punjabi food festival Head to Taj Deccan for a Punjabi Food festival. The food festival offers a variety of Punjabi delicacies such as saag and makke ki roti.Also sample a variety of festive specials. Where: Taj Deccan, Banjara Hills, Rd No 1 When: Ongoing Contact: (040) 6666 3939 Kebab and biryani fest The Jewel of Nizam at Hotel Golkonda is hosting a kebab and biryani fest. Sample various age-old recipes. The fest offers options for both vegetarians as well as for non-vegetarians. Where: Jewel of Nizam, Hotel Golkonda, Masab Tank When: Ongoing, 12.30pm onwards and 7.30pm onwards Contact: (040) 6611 0130 Mediterranean food fest Take a trip and experience a variety of Mediterranean delights such as bruschetta and seafood marinara pasta, bruschetta and antipasto at Truffles cafe. The fest is on till September 30. Where: Trufﬂes Cafe, Jubilee Hills, Rd No 10 When: Ongoing, 8am onwards Contact: (040)2355 0105

Art exhibition An art exhibition by Kandukuri Ramesh Babu titled Samanyashetram is being held. Where: Muse Art Gallery, Tank Bund Road When: Ongoing, 11am onwards Contact: (040)2752 2999

TILTING THE BALANCE: Men try to set right a goods carrier that tilted at the signal in front of the police control SRINIVAS SETTY room in Nampally on Tuesday.

SHOW Cookery workshop Oxford Bookstore, Hyderabad and Nestle India Ltd. will be organising an exciting cookery workshop on ‘Vegetarian Kebab’ for all above the age-group of 18 years on September 6, 2012 from 2pm onwards at Oxford Bookstore, The Park. Where: Oxford Bookstore, Somajiguda When: September 6, 2pm onwards Contact: 91601 48444 Shobana’s Krishna Talented and elegant danseuse and actor Shobana will perform along with her troupe. Where: Ravindra Bharathi,

Commissioner & Spl Officer

Helpline GAS BOOKING IVRS NO HP 9666023456 Indane 9848824365 BSNL Complaints HMWS & SB Complaints

198 155313

POLICE CONTROL ROOM Hyderabad 27852435 Traffic Control Room 27852482 DCP Traffic 23234065, 23243499F Pollution Control Board 23887500 ELECTRICITY General Complaints Breakdown Section

155333 23431178 23431179

MUNICIPAL CORPORATION

23262266 24166666R ENC 23225267 Engineering 23220418 MCH Tankbund 23225397 Emergency MCH Circle I&II 24525842 MCH Circle III 24736912 MCH Circle IV 23326975 MCH Circle V 23326976 MCH Circle VI MCH Complaints 1100 Head Office 23225397 IVRS CUM MANUAL ENQUIRY PHONE NUMBERS (TRAIN & RESERVATION) RAILWAYS Rail Nilayam 27833169, 27824216 Railway Information 131 Reservations 135 Recorded Information 1345 Enquiry (IVRS) 1331, 1332, 1333

Saifabad When: September 8, 7pm onwards Contact: (040) 2323 1245 Life of others A German film Leben der Anderen (The life of others ) directed by Floren Henckel Von Donnersmarck wil be shown on September 21. Where: Goethe Zentrum, Banjara Hills, Rd No 3 When: September 21, 4pm onwards Contact: (040) 2335 0443 No exit Theatre lovers head to Nift on September 8 where the play No exit is being presented. The play deals with three recently deceased people

WATER SUPPLY Complaint Cell Sewerage Complaint Hyd. Water Supply HOSPITAL General Hospital, Sec-bad Niloufer Hospital, Red Hills NIMS, Director, Punjagutta Osmania General Hospital Railway Hospital, Lalaguda Apollo, Jubilee Hills Care Hospital, Banjara Hills Care Hospital, Nampally Care Hospital, Musheerabad Care Hospital, Sec-bad Kamineni Hospital, LB Nagar

155313 23307328 23313163

27505566 23314095 23390933 24600146 27001134 23607777 30418888 30417777 30419000 30416666 39879999

BLOOD BANKS Blood Bank,Narayanguda Chiranjeevi Blood Bank Blood Bank Mediton Goal Red Cross, Vidyanagar ADRM Blood Bank Mythri Charitable Trust NTR Memorial Trust Care Banjara Hills

Garcin, Estelle and Inez who find themselves in hell. Where: Nift, Madhapur When: September 8, 7.30pm onwards Contact: (040) 2311 4537

ART

Recent and retrospective A painting exhibition titled Recent and Retrospective is being held. Where: Kalakrithi Art Gallery, Banjara Hills, Rd No 10 When: September 28 onwards Contact: (040) 6656 4466

Deep in the wood The exhibition displays woodcut art prints by 22 artists.These art works are from the woodcut workshop conducted by Earth Art Gallery. The works will be on display till September 14. Where: Earth Art Gallery, Banjara Hills, Rd No 12 When: Ongoing

27567892 23559555 23226624 27633087 27035588 27550238 30799999 30418296 30417445

AMBULANCES Apollo 23548888, 23607777 Kamineni 24022222 Medwin 23202902, 23204616 Smile Line Dental Hospital 23747979 Red Cross 27627973 Niloufer Hospital 23314095 Gandhi 23320332 AIRLINES

A relook at art Jannis—A Relook, a collection of recent water colours on Arches paper by Jehangir Jani will be held at Kala. Where: Kalakrithi Art Gallery, Banjara Hills, Rd No 10 When: September 7 onwards, 11am onwards Contact: (040) 66564 466

Airport Director 27903785, 27906001 For Air India Flight Information Toll free (from any network) for IC Flights 18001801407 And for All Flights: 1800227722 Air India has revised its flight timings. For more information call (Toll free) 18001801407, 1800227722 from BSNL/MTNL 04023430334 from other lines and mobile Website; www.airindia.in TOURISM OFFICES AP Tourism, Hyd 23262152/53/54 Sec-bad 27893100 Dept of Tourism 23453110 India Tourism 23261360 AP Tourism information Centre (24x7) 23450444, 23455999 UK VISA OFFICE VFS India Pvt Ltd Building, 8-2-542/A, Sunil Chamber, Road No. 7

Beside Meridian School, Banjara Hills34. Working hours are from 8 AM to 1 PM And 2 PM to 3PM. MUSEUMS Salar Jung Museum AP State Museum Nizams Museum

24523211 232431300/7641 24521029

Readers’ views

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

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2012

City

TODAY’S QUESTION

YESTERDAY’S QUESTION

DO YOU THINK THE CITY WILL BE READY IN TIME FOR THE COP-11?

IS THE GHMC DOING ENOUGH TO HANDLE THE RAIN SITUATION? 0% 100%

YES (A) NO (B)

YES

To vote visit www.postnoon.com

CRIME

Car, auto set ablaze in Old City

In two separate incidents, a car and an auto-rickshaw were set ablaze in Old City in the early hours of Thursday. The motives behind both the incidents are still not known. M ANIL KUMAR

Mohd SUBHAN mohd.s@postnoon.com

The police have not been able to ascertain a reason as they are unaware of anyone having a grudge against the owner.

resh cases of vehicle burning have been reported in Old City. In these incidents, a car and an autorickshaw were set ablaze by miscreants in different parts of Old City, on Thursday morning. In the first incident, an auto rickshaw (AP 11W 4627) was set ablaze by unidentified men at Habeeb Nagar, under the Santosh Nagar police station limits. The owner of the auto, Mohd Faiyaz Ahmed, 52, had parked the vehicle in front of his house at 11pm. At 4am he was awaken by the smell of smoke. To his shock, his vehicle had been set

ablaze. By the time he could douse the fire, serious damage was done. He lodged a complaint with the Santosh Nagar police. The police have begun investigations. The police have not yet been able to ascertain a reason as it is said that they are unaware of anyone having a grudge against the owner.

CRIME

New angles to minor girl murder case Police are now investigating two possible angles to the murder of the 11-year-old on Wednesday night.

POSTNOON NEWS feedback@postnoon.com

fter the death of a minor girl, M Sai Nikitha in Subhash Nagar on Wednesday, a new angle has emerged to the case. According to information received, it is said that she was murdered by unidentified persons. Her brother, M Sai Shiva Manoj received injuries and has been admitted to a private hospital. His condition is said to be critical. Inspector S Prabhakar said that the police were trying to investigate the case from different angles. The victim, 11, was a student of class III, while her brother, 9, is studying in

class I. They were found in a pool of blood on Wednesday night by some unidentified persons. They shifted Nikitha to a private hospital where she was declared brought dead while Manoj was admitted for treatment. According to information available, Nikitha’s father, M Ravi who originally belongs to Rajahmundry has been running a finance business for the past few years in Kailash Nagar. He came to the City along with his wife, 12 years ago and took a house on rent in Kailash Nagar. According to inspector S Prabhakar, one possible angle could be that M Ravi was having an extra marital affair because of which he had been having regular quarrels with his wife. On Wednesday night too they had a quarrel following which he may have attacked the children. Another angle being looked at is that some people had taken a loan from Ravi which they could not repay. The police suspect that they could be behind the incident but no reason is clear yet. The inspector mentioned that a case of suspicious death has been booked. The body of the victim has been sent to Gandhi Hospital for an autopsy.

The second incident took place at Narahari Nagar, Uppuguda, under Chatrinaka police station limits. Some unidentified people burnt a parked Maruti 800 car (AP 9E 5888). The owner of the vehicle told the police that the car was partially burnt in the incident. According to the inspector Seetaiah, the owner of the car did not want to file a complaint so a general diary entry was made. The police visited the spot and are looking into the incident from different angles. In a similar incident, an auto rickshaw was set ablaze under the Santosh Nagar police station limits, three days ago.

city THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2012 LAST YEAR... HERE Cops crack down

ast year we had reported how the Cyberabad police had raided a dance bar on the outskirts of the City and arrested 19 customers and two hotel staff for organising obscene dancing. It was learnt that some clients were realtors from Karnataka and the bar girls too had been brought in from Mumbai. The girls were paid nearly `40,000 for 15 days.

SEPTEMBER 6, 2011

NUMEROLOGY

258

cases of drunken driving were registered by the City traffic police between August 24 and August 25 alone.

I never realised the threat of driving under influence of alcohol. The counselling session has made me realise the threat I can be to other commuters. Ravi Kumar, IT professional See page 8

THINGS WE 5LEARNT TODAY The column that teaches everyone something new about the way the City functions.

Have a car? Park it indoors to keep it from getting burnt With miscreants going around setting vehicles ablaze, it is best to safeguard your automobiles by parking them inside your home.

Pay up your property tax or you may just get an SMS. The GHMC is going to send out gentle reminders to property owners who miss meeting the tax payment deadlines. They’ve got to rake in revenues after all.

Celebs might just persuade you to drive sober. Or at least the trafﬁc cops hope so. They now plan to rope in cricketing legends to advise people to avoid drunken driving. Hope this works.

Will the City really be ready ahead of the COP? With the COP-11 less than a month away, the City still doesn’t look like it’s ready to host parties from across the world.

If you don’t have a voter id yet, then this is your chance. The Election Commission is all set to dole out voter id cards to those who don’t from October 1.

GHMC

Tax alerts now on SMS While most property owners pay taxes before deadline, some need to be prodded. It is for them that the GHMC is launching an SMS service.

Md NIZAMUDDIN nizamuddin.a@postnoon.com

Some officials collect the property tax but don’t enter it in their records for several months, causing interest to pile up.

lthough the property tax is being collected by GHMC officials, it takes several months for the same to be recorded in books. It was to address this problem that the GHMC has come up with an SMS service to inform the tax payer immediately about the property tax. With the recent hike in property tax, the GHMC supposedly should have collected huge revenues. But according to the higher authorities, who appear a bit worried, there was laxity on the part of the bill collectors who have not recorded the details for several months. Rumour was that after collecting taxes some of the officials would enjoy the interest for a few months before finally preparing a record of the taxes collected. To avoid this delay and to ease the anxiety levels of the tax payers, the Corporation is making efforts to create a service that would provide the status of

their transaction. According to one of the officials in the property tax department, the service would be effective within the

next 15 days. “We are now creating a database of property owners from whom GHMC collects tax. Generally people pay taxes

before the deadline itself, but there are a few who need to be prodded,” says the official. According to this new service, the details of the property tax to be paid will be received through an SMS. Later, if the person has paid the tax an ‘acknowledgement’ would be received on the same mobile after payment. The acknowledgements would be sent the same evening itself, even if the e-Seva is far off from the main GHMC office. According to the official, the GHMC authorities are working frantically to help materialise this technique. “For complete implementation, the new service may take at least another two or three months,” added the official.

PROTEST

YSRC protests ‘feebie’ reversal RAHUL RAMAKRISHNA rahul.r@postnoon.com

ver a thousand people had gathered at Dharna Chowk on Thursday morning to support YSR Congress party’s honorary chief Vijayamma’s agitation against the removal of the fee reimbursement scheme. Police forces were deployed in large numbers to avoid any untoward incidents. Students and parents who had been affected by the

recent engineering counselling fiasco were present at the venue. Prasanna Kumar, who came from Vijaywada for the agitation, said, “Being from the minority community I could do my engineering for an annual fee of `30,000 rupees. Had it not been for YSR’s scheme it would have been impossible for me to complete my education. But now, the State government is only trying to fill its pockets by putting people, especially students into misery.”

M ANIL KUMAR

Although Vijayamma was not present at the venue and was slated to arrive by 11:30am, supporters and party activists had gathered in large numbers.

It has been learnt that an additional 2,000 people will be participating in a bike rally from Jubilee Hills to Dharna Chowk. Speaking to Postnoon, party leader Kotimreddy Vinayreddy said, “Fee reimbursement scheme has helped thousands of people get employed. This government is trying its level best to defame YSR by removing the reimbursement scheme.” The agitation is slated to go on for two days ie; today and tomorrow.

NEWS BRIEFS Burglar decamps with 20 tolas of gold

Newly-wed woman consumes poison, dies

GHMC union polls to be held on September 15

Chargers invite bids from prospective buyers

burglar broke into a house in Zeba Bagh, under the Asifnagar police station limits when the family was at a function. The burglar stole nearly 20 tolas of gold and cash worth `35,000 from the house. The burglar entered the house from the roof. The incident came to light when the family returned. A case has been registered.

asreen Begum, who had been married to Mohd Nayeem for 10 months, committed suicide by consuming poison at her in-laws’ house in Vattepally under the Falaknuma police station limits. She was rushed to Osmania General Hospital, where she died while undergoing treatment. The reason behind her is yet unknown.

arious unions under the GHMC will go to poll on September 15. Nearly 25 booths under the GHMC jurisdiction will be the venue. Balance, deepam, wheel, rising sun, house and star are the symbols representing the six unions contesting these polls. The polls are being held after two years. The winning union will have ofﬁces at the zonal level.

he Deccan Chronicle Holdings Limited (DCHL) today issued a tender notice inviting bids from prospective buyers for its IPL franchisee Deccan Chargers, which is currently in a ﬁnancial mess. BCCI’s working committee on Monday decided to allow DCHL to go ahead and issue tender notice in the leading national dailies.

city THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2012

GENERAL ELECTION

EC to set machinery in motion from October

POLITICS T state in 3 months if BJP voted to power, says Sushma Lashes out at the Congress for going back on its assurance on bifurcation.

Apart from updating its database, the poll panel will make special efforts to create awareness and enrol new voters. INKESHAF AHMED ahmed.m@postnoon.com

lection Commission of India is set to undertake special summary revision of electoral rolls in the State from October. The commission has made elaborate arrangements to undertake the process. As per an EC statement, a notification will be issued for draft publications of rolls on October 1. After issuance of this notification, the EC will give time for existing voters and individuals to file claims and objections regarding their entries for a period of one month viz October 1, 2012 to October 31, 2012. Apart from this, the EC will undertake a concurrent process of reading out the details of indi-

A file photo of an enthusiastic first-time voter during the last General Election.

viduals in gram sabhas and local bodies and verify the details of individual voters between October 6 and October 9. Special campaigns with booth level

agents of various political parties will be held to receive claims and objections from them on October 7, 14 and 21 respectively. On December 1, the election commission will undertake the process of disposing the claims and objections received by it. Apart from this, a simultaneous process of updating the database, merging of photographs and preparation of counter tables will begin and will conclude by December 31. Speaking to Postnoon, the officials of the EC informed that apart from rectifying the mistakes, the commission would also undertake new voter enrolment for the citizens who attain 18 years of age from October 1. They requested young citizens to come forward and enrol their names.

tating that the Congressled UPA government cannot carve out a separate Telangana, BJP leader in the Lok Sabha, Sushma Swaraj has proclaimed that her party-led NDA would form Telangana State within three months after it returns to power. Sushma Swaraj was speaking at the dharna camp where State BJP president G Kishan Reddy concluded his protest on

Wednesday. She made it clear that a separate Telangana would be possible only by the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre. She also said that Telangana would be a reality as the NDA would not waste a minute to carve out Telangana after assuming power at the Centre. She also lambasted the Congress for throwing its assurance on Telangana in the waste and cheating the people of that backward region. The BJP leader advised the leaders to tell TRS supremo K Chandrasekhara Rao not to trust the Congress again and get cheated. Stating that people of the Telangana region were voluntarily observing dharnas and bandhs, she asked the Congress to honour their sentiments. She also assured a group of party activists from the Telangana region, who were on a day-long dharna that AP would be bifurcated soon. NSS

city THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2012

TRANSPORT N SHIVA KUMAR & SRINIVAS SETTY

Eves swear by MMTS safety Despite initial misconceptions about the security on MMTS trains, women have now warmed to this mode of public transport that they say is more economical. SUDESHNA KOKA sudeshna.k@postnoon.com

he Multi Model Transport System (MMTS) was flagged off in Hyderabad a decade back. However, as many things go there were speculations about the security aspect when it came to the MMTS. For instance, would women feel safe etc. Initially, not too many women used the MMTS as it was less crowded when compared to the other modes of public transport. However, over the years the MMTS has evolved and many women have now begun relying on it on a daily basis to commute. Today in Hyderabad of the nearly 55 lakh people who use public transport, 45 per cent are women as per estimates. This implies that around 22 lakh women use the various forms of public transport — buses, MMTS trains, shared autorickshaws and metered autorickshaws. Of these more than 40,000 women passengers commute by MMTS trains across different destinations in the twin cities every day. Now, women consider the MMTS to be one of the safest modes of transportation. “It’s

fast, economical and safe too. I take the first train in the morning from Secunderabad and it’s completely safe,” said Niharika M, working professional. Every train has a minimum of four compartments dedicated to women and they are usually full during the peak hours. If by chance a man enters the ladies compartment he is shooed out in no time. “Hyderabadi men are very casual. At times they just enter the ladies compartment. They try to act smart and get into the running train so that we cannot do anything about them being in the ladies compartment. However, we don’t keep quiet

ON THE

RIGHT TRACK

and force them to get off at the next station,” said Shradha Naidu, an IT professional who travels by MMTS every day. However, when there is not much rush many men do travel in the ladies compartment without any qualms. “Sometimes in the afternoons when there is not

much rush men do occupy the ladies compartments. As long as they maintain their distance it is not really a problem,” said Anushree G, a law student. With the fairer sex making the most of the MMTS services and the demand increasing, a new train exclusively for women called ‘Mathrubhoomi’ was launched on September 28, 2008. This train runs from Falaknuma to Lingampally. What sets this train apart is that the driver, guard and ticket collector are all women. “We started this train as a special initiative. We wanted to have a special service for women

55 lakh 22 lakh 40,000 people use public transport

of these are women

and more women prefer the MMTS

hence, we started this service. It’s driven by a lady too,” said K Sambasiva Rao, CPRO, South Central Railways. Security too is not an issue, say officials, as there is constant patrolling in the trains and on the platforms. M Gopal Rao, PRO, Secunderabad railway police said, “We have a special police force that looks after the MMTS so there is police protection 24x7. It’s a very safe mode of transport for any citizen.” However, few women commuters complain that eve teasing is at its peak, especially on empty platforms. “There are a few stations that are deserted and creepy. It’s not safe for girls to travel alone after 8pm. But this is the case anywhere in the country, not just Hyderabad,” quips Megna Reddy, IT professional. The MMTS also has special coaches for the physically handicapped. They even have wheelchairs at each station. However, not too many disabled people use the MMTS, perhaps due to the poor infrastructure at stations. For instance, most stations don’t even have ramps to aid those who are disabled. Often it is vendors who use the coaches meant for handicapped.

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city THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2012

LAW AND ORDER

Celebrities, cops join hands to keep tipplers off the road The traffic police have devised a new plan to curb the drunken driving menace in the City by bringing on board noted cricketers to promote their campaign. efforts have not gone in vain. Many offenders have decided to turn over a new leaf. One such offender Ravi Kumar (name changed), an IT professional from Gachibowli said, “I never realised the threat of driving under the influence of alcohol. The session has made me realise that I could be a threat to commuters. Moreover, I have a family that wants me to come back home safely.”

RAHUL RAMAKRISHNA Rahul.r@postnoon.com

tepping up their efforts to curb drunken driving in the City, the traffic police have hit upon a new idea. Famous personalities from the City are slated to be roped in for the campaign to spread greater awareness and effectively enforce the drunken driving regulation by the traffic police. Insider reports suggest that Mohammed Azharuddin and VVS Lakshman are going to be a part of the drunken driving campaign although no formal announcement has been made by the traffic police yet. Worried at the growing number of cases, the traffic commissioner’s office has hit upon this idea to appeal to the public. The move is expected to yield greater results as the public appeal of these two figures and the prominence they enjoy in the City is great. “We want people to realise that it is for the safety and well being of their families and the drivers themselves. If a celebrity is roped in for such an effort, it

will have a better impact. Although we have not made any formal approach yet, we expect to do so soon,” says CV Anand, addl commissioner (traffic). In their drive so far, the Hyderabad Traffic Police have booked 258 cases on August 24

and August 25 relating to drunken driving. Nearly, 75 four wheelers, 121 two wheelers and 12 autos have been seized by the police. A fine of `2,000 to `3,000 rupees is collected after they attend a mandatory counselling session.

The addl commissioner said that the department will begin consulting the two cricket legends in a week’s time. So far since its inception 10 months ago, the campaign has seen a total of 8,416 cases registered against drunken drivers. But the

We want people to realise that it is for the safety and well being of their families. If a celebrity is roped in for such an effort, it will have a better impact on the people. CV Anand Addl cp (trafﬁc)

COP-11

Officials uncertain about COP-11’s success? neers who should have completed the relaying and recarpeting roads after final assessment. As they failed in their duties, several works are pending since January. “The CE is responsible for the delay in the works,”says the mayor. However, the corporators from the opposition parties putsthe onus on the shoulders of the mayor, as he was rarely interested in conducting meetings and was impatient while meetings were held.

Md NIZAMUDDIN nizamuddin.a@postnoon.com

‘C

OP-11 will be a failure’, ‘The government is not prepared for the event’. With less than a month for the prestigious international event, these are some of the pessimistic overtones that could be heard among the officials of the civic bodies, at the helm of affairs and in-charge for smooth conduct of the programme. With the rains playing spoilsport for works like recarpeting, the GHMC authorities are unable to focus on the much hyped event. The dug up roads prepared for recarpeting are left untouched for several weeks adding to the woes of the commuters. The civic body which recently took permission from the traffic department for recar-

With the COP-11 fast approaching many City roads still await repair

peting of roads during the day time is finding it difficult deliver the works. According to officials, as the rains were lashed during night time, special permission was granted by traffic police on several stretches for completing

the work during the day. But with heavy rains lashing the City during the day, officials are left unsure about what to do while the equipment is left by the side of the roads. The mayor blames the engi-

TRANSPORTATION

Questions are being raised about the accommodation and commuting facility being provided for the delegates who would come across various countries. “If any thing happens to the delegates coming from other countries, they will simply sue

the host nation,” notes an official. The traffic police has taken up the responsibility of providing vehicles for transport and it is still not clear about how many vehicles they will require during the event. Even though the figure stands at 1,500 vehicles, some of the transport companies which were called for are yet to understand the concept of the COP. “I do not think the things will be clear before September 15,” says an official responsible for handling transportation. Even though the event is happening within the Cyberabad limits, the responsibility has been completely placed on the traffic officials of Hyderabad. Lack of coordination between the officials of two areas may make things worse in the days ahead.

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2012

focus

REVENUE FOR TERROR

According to shopkeepers, militant groups who control Tirah get 2,000 rupees per kilo of hash or as much as 80,000 rupees for a 40-kilo consignment intercepted at a checkpoint. In the far-flung valley of Tirah, some of Pakistan’s most fertile land for marijuana and opium, Lashkar-e-Islam and Ansarul Islam are slogging it out for control.

NEWS OF OUR NEIGHBOUR

Pakistan’s big bong theory

Pakistan may be conservative Muslim country, where women are confined to their homes and alcohol banned, but marijuana is a much-loved indulgence. So much so, people are forking out double if not triple the cash to feed their habit. JAMRUD, PAKISTAN: Jam Bazaar in Pakistan is cramped with guns, pistols and marijuana, living proof of a booming market in what hawkers call the best medicine or “black gold” in the world. This may be conservative Muslim country, where women are confined to their homes and alcohol banned, but marijuana is a much loved indulgence. So much so, people are forking out double if not triple the cash to feed their habit. An army offensive and infighting between Islamist militia are forcing prices and demand to an all-time high, making drug profits another unsavoury side effect of Talibanlinked violence plaguing northwest Pakistan. Narcotics also lines the coffers of local warlord Mangal Bagh, Taliban factions and the rival Ansar al-Islam group in Khyber district. “Everyone is tense, everyone is depressed and hash is the easiest available remedy. People use it to forget their worries,” said Kamal Khan, a 51-year-old English teacher, eagerly rolling a cigarette. He empties the tobacco from the paper column, warms some hash under a lit match until it becomes greasy, then rubs it between two fingers and mixes it into the tobacco, before packing it back down into the cigarette. “Everybody is a charas addict -- police, doctors, officers -- a lot of people come here,” said Khan, whose name has been changed on request, using the local slang that translates as “black gold”. “It opens the hidden corner of your mind and you explore new ideas and thoughts when

Cash crop Loose black and dark brown hash sits on glass counters in hundreds of shops, come of them air conditioned to keep the quality, as shopkeepers drink tea and smoke while trucks and lorries roar past en route to the Afghan border. It’s grown locally in Tirah, a valley cut off from the rest of the world by mountains and to a large extent, a no-go area for Pakistani government forces. Farmers say hash is worth far more what they would get for an ordinary crop. “We’ve been doing this business for decades because we have no other source of income,” Zaman Afridi, a shopkeeper from Tirah, says. Zaman said that planting wheat would earn him 20,000 rupees but he gets double for planting hash. “If the fields turn out good, then we may get more,” said the trader.

you smoke,” he added. Constantly under pressure from the Americans to move against the Al-Qaeda-linked Haqqani network, Pakistan has instead concentrated this year on local Taliban and Bagh’s Lashkar-e-Islam mafia in Khyber. Like the rest of Pakistan’s tribal belt, the district lies outside state control, where drug trafficking takes place beyond the writ of the government. The area is fiercely independent and awash with guns — or as the saying goes, “even if the stove at home is cold, the barrel of a gun must be kept warm”.

HASH “BONANZA”

Fighting has been a way of life for years, but now more than half a million Pakistanis have fled battles between the army and militants since January 20. The town of Bara, a centre for the hash trade, is under siege. In the far-flung valley of Tirah, some of Pakistan’s most fertile land for marijuana and opium, Lashkar-e-Islam and Ansarul Islam are slogging it out for control — their last hope for survival after losing ground to the army. “Bomb blasts, fighting, inflation, our society is full of worries and it is increasing demand,”

Pick

said shopkeeper Arshad Afridi. Fellow shopkeeper Rehmat Khan concurred. “Before the operations, a kilo of charas cost around 20,000 rupees ($200). Now it starts from 50,000 ($530) and goes up to 65,000 ($690),” said Khan. The boom has been a bonanza to hash merchants who stockpiled hash in goat skins in leaner years, waiting to cash in on military offensives to sell at a higher price. According to shopkeepers, militant groups who control Tirah get 2,000 rupees per kilo of hash or as much as 80,000 rupees for a 40-kilo consignment inter-

at the

cepted at a checkpoint. They say they earn 10,000 rupees per kilo and a smuggler 5,000 per kilo delivered to the neighbouring province of Punjab. None of the spokesman of both the militant groups were available for comment. At Jam Bazaar, people openly share cigarettes, even with tribal policemen extracting bribes from passenger coaches.Loose black and dark brown hash sits on glass counters in hundreds of shops, come of them air conditioned to keep the quality, as shopkeepers drink tea and smoke while trucks and lorries roar past en route to the Afghan border. AFP

airport,

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2012

Business

TOYOTA TO INVEST `900 CR IN INDIA

Toyota will be investing `900 crore in India to increase production capacity at its Bangalore facility by March next year, a top company official said today. The company will be increasing the capacity of its plant in Bangalore from 2.1 to 3.1 lakh units per annum.

INVESTMENTS

Performers will prevail Investors look at the team’s passion towards their business and their hunger to make the business idea a reality.

PRUDHVI RAJU K prudhvi.k@postnoon.com

o you want to execute your innovative business idea but do not have sufficient funds? Are you an entrepreneur looking to raise investments for the business? There are many factors that investors are looking at before betting on you. “The business is not just about an individual and his idea but also about the team and their hunger to make the idea in to reality. The investors look at the team and their passion towards that business. The see, ‘how good is the idea’, ‘Is business idea addressing the core problem?’ What kind of value addition the business will provide to the customers? Scalability of the business is other important aspect they consider while investing,” said Hari Krishna Verma, cofounder, Creya Learning. The entrepreneur’s seriousness and his homework on the subject area also count during the process. He should also be flexible and able to learn during the process, he added. There are different types and levels of investments. Seed funding is an early investment, which can also be raised from

friends and family. It is a highrisk investment that is needed to take off the business from the conceptual stage. This investment will be used till the business generates revenues by itself. “These informal investments will also bring confidence in the potential investors that come at later stage. The confidence will be stronger once they see friends started investing apart from the family. It also proves that there are people around who backs the entrepreneur’s idea apart from himself,” says Murali Bukkapatnam, president, TiE

Types of investments n Angel investors: $1-2 million. n Venture capitalists: $5-10 million n Private Equity: $10 million and

above

Hyderabad. The concept of seed funding is still not so friendly for the entrepreneurs in the country. There are very small group of people in the angel community (outside investors), who are going to invest in you to take the business forward during the conceptual stage or just with great idea. The business

should gain a small customer base before getting investments from angel investors. For instance, If a business is aiming for 1,000 customers, the angel investors are investing when the business has built up at least 5-10 customers. The venture capitalists will only come when the business has 200 customers, says Hemanth Satyanarayana, co-founder, Imaginate. The investments will also be influenced by macro economic conditions. For instance, more liquidity in the market will give to raise more investments. If an investor has `10 crore, he sees all the possible ways to invest and get that money in to different businesses. However, if he has `1 lakh, he will do all the due diligence and invest the best idea possible by filtering different businesses, Murali said. The entrepreneur should also study the market conditions before venturing in to the business. The market conditions will even dictate the success of the business. Even if the entrepreneur has a great business idea, focused team and great implementation in process, these will not the result in success of the business with improper market conditions, he added.

SMARTPHONES

Google-Microsoft take on iPhone 5 NEW YORK: Google and Microsoft have introduced new champions in the fiercely competitive smartphone arena a week ahead of what is likely to be the hotly-anticipated debut of a next-generation iPhone by Apple. Microsoft and Nokia joined Wednesday to boost their smartphone arsenal with two new Lumia handsets powered by Windows 8 software. The Nokia Lumia 820 and 920 are part of the Finnish-based company's strategy of offering

"an alternative to the faceless black and grey monoblocs that you see out there," said Nokia president and chief executive Stephen Elop at a New York launch event. "This is Lumia, the world's most innovative smartphone,"

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Elop said in unveiling the two new devices. Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer also appeared at the event, which offered no specifics on launch dates or prices in various markets. Later in the day, Motorola Mobility added three powerful

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Android smartphones to its Droid family in a separate event in New York City. The additions of RAZR M, RAZR HD, and RAZR MAXX HD to the Motorola line-up came as the first major product news from the company since it was bought by Internet giant Google a year ago in a $12.5 billion deal. The RAZR smartphones are powered by Google's Android software and synched to the US telecom network of Verizon Wireless. AFP

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QANTAS-EMIRATES DEAL

Struggling Australian carrier Qantas on Thursday announced a major global alliance with Emirates that will see its hub for European flights shift to Dubai from Singapore in a bid to stem losses. The 10-year tie-up, described as a "momentous day" in global aviation, is part of Qantas's drive to turn around its fortunes after last month posting its first annual loss since privatisation in 1995. Subject to regulatory approval, the deal goes beyond codesharing to include coordinated pricing, sales and scheduling and a benefit-sharing model, although neither airline will take equity in the other. It also means an end to Qantas's partnership with British Airways on the so-called kangaroo route to London, which has spanned nearly two decades.

NUMEROLOGY

80,000 jobs will be cut as at least 10 car factories in Europe could close in the few years, a German consulting firm said on Wednesday.

LUFTHANSA CRIPPLED German ﬂag-carrier Lufthansa said it would cancel two-thirds of its Friday ﬂights after a cabin crew union announced a 24-hour stoppage at six major airports. The Independent Flight Attendants' Organisation (UFO) announced the strike late Wednesday, a day after its members staged eight-hour walkouts at three key German airports in a dispute over pay and conditions. The strike Friday will hit Frankfurt, Berlin, Hamburg, Munich, Dusseldorf and Stuttgart, said a statement on the union's website.

THUS SPAKE

One of the issues coming in the way of reforms is that the economy seems to have taken a direction towards far too much corruption and misappropriation, ADI GODREJ, CII PRESIDENT

DOLLAR`56.01 POUND `89.06

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2012

nation

FIRE AT MADURAI HOSPITAL PUT OUT A fire broke out at air conditioner unit of a private hospital last night, police said. Some patients fainted as thick smoke engulfed the entire floor. One person suffered minor injury as he broke the window panes in a room to rescue his relative, police said. The fire was doused by fire rescue officials.

Coalgate row stalls House

MAESTROS IN CONCERT

MPs from Tamil Nadu object to visit of Mahinda Rajapaksa.

Sarod maestro Amaan Ali Khan and Ayaan Ali Khan perform during the Raag Rang music festival in New Delhi on Wednesday.

MAN-MADE DISASTER

Sivakasi fire: 6 arrested

PTI

NEW DELHI: The fracas over coal block allocations continued for the 12th day in Parliament today as BJP members vociferously demanded the resignation of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha were adjourned till noon after Opposition triggered ruckus on the issue. Members of the DMK AIADMK, CPI and Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi were in the Well raising the Sri Lanka issue. DMK members were opposing the training of Sri Lankan armed forces at an airbase in India, while AIADMK and VCK members protested the upcoming visit of Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa to MP.

In the Lok Sabha, Speaker Meira Kumar took up the Question Hour after making an obituary reference to the victims of the fire tragedy in Sivakasi. After observing silence for a while, the BJP members trooped to the Well raising slogans against the Prime Minister. As the din continued, the Speaker adjourned the House till noon. When the Rajya Sabha met for the day, it mourned the loss of lives at the Sivakasi fire . Soon after, the House the plunged into turmoil as BJP members shouted slogans demanding resignation of the PM. Chairman Hamid then adjourned the House till noon. PTI

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The death toll has increased to 39. At least 75 people have serious burn injuries. CHENNAI: Six people have been arrested for the blaze in a firecracker unit in Tamil Nadu's Sivakasi town that killed 38 people, police said Thursday. "Six people have been arrested in connection with the firecracker unit accident. The arrests include Paul Pandi who had taken the property on lease where he operated the cracker unit," a police official told IANS from Virudhunagar district, around 500 km from here where the firecracker manufacturing hub of Sivakasi lies. The death toll in one of the biggest and deadliest fire accidents at Om Shakthi Fireworks on Wednesday at Sivakasi has increased to 39. More than 75 people were injured in the powerful

explosion that tore through one of the biggest fireworks factories in TN. According to police, most of the dead and injured were bystanders hit by flying stones and other materials owing to the blasts at various sheds where the crackers were made. So powerful was the blast that more than 40 of the 48 sheds in the fireworks unit in Sivakasi were reduced to rubble in no time. The disaster occurred around 12.30pm., catching those working there as well as others unawares, police said. The flames quickly engulfed the entire Om Shakthi Fireworks factory because a huge amount of raw materials and firecrackers were being readied for the upcoming festival season. IANS

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NEWS BRIEFS Bandh in Manipur IMPHAL: Normal life was today disrupt-

ed in Manipur due to a 12-hour bandh called by the North East Students' Organisation to protest against alleged harassment of students from the north-east in other parts of the country and inﬂux of illegal migrants in the region. Ofﬁcials said markets, shops, business establishments and entertainment houses remained closed in response to the bandh, strictly imposed in Manipur by the All Manipur Students Union (AMSU), constituent of the NESO.

Man kills family, himself over black magic scare PUNE: Believing that he and his family were victims of black magic, a 30-year-old man strangled to death his wife and daughter and then set his two other children afire before killing himself early Thursday, police said. According to police, his mother-in-law said that he believed that he and his family were victims of black magic, which was responsible for the ills plaguing them.

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nation THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2012

ENVIRONMENT

New ground for Cong-BJP battle? Parriakar’s move to sell iron ore waste is the nucleus of a new war of words between the BJP and its rivals in Goa.

ill recently it was considered mining waste — all 700 million tonnes of it. With technology now available to extract low grade ore from the waste, these mountainlike heaps have emerged as the next battleground between the BJP-led state government and the Congress-led central government. Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar has been aggressively pushing the idea of mining the dumps, which according to rough estimates are worth several billion US dollars, but the Union ministry for environment and forests has put a spanner in his works. “It came to the notice of the ministry that mining from low grade ore/rejects dumps is being carried out in the state of Goa without obtaining requisite prior environment clearance,” minister of state for environment and forests Jayanthi Natarajan told the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday. The mining dumps, along a 90-km belt stretching from northeast Goa to the southeast, have been created over the decades. They were not processed at the time because of feasibility issues. A recent boom in iron ore demand and newer technologies have made harvesting of the low grade reject ore easier, according

to the Goa government and the state’s mining industry. Jayanthi Natarajan further said in response to a question posed by Goa Congress MP Shantaram Naik that a team from the ministry would be visiting Goa to inspect whether the dumps are being mined. “The state government has stated that though they are yet to form their opinion (on dump mining), as per the legal opinions

The mining dumps have been created over the decades. They were not processed at the time because of feasibility issues. available with them, quantity of ore sold, proposed to be sold, from the existing dumps/rejection stacks/overburden does not require fresh permission/clearance from the ministry and that no environment clearance is required while removing the mineral ore dumps, whether by the state government or by the mining lessee,” said the minister, spelling out the argument put forth by Parrikar. BJP legislators, especially

those involved in the mining trade like Nilesh Cabral (Curchorem), have been vocal about mining of dumps, which was banned by the previous Congress-led coalition government of Digambar Kamat. Parrikar, who has been vocal against illegal mining in Goa, is now himself an active supporter of dump mining, claiming this would free land for agriculture. “Goa is a small state with a limited quantity of land being available for farming and tourism. With the present government focussing on farm growth, liberating the lands that are bearing mineral dumps will provide a much-needed boost to farming,” says the draft mineral policy drawn up by the mines ministry headed by the chief minister. Parrikar’s draft mining policy has been criticised by Naik. “The (draft) Mineral Policy 2012 announced by the government is deceptive and a legal fiction in the sense that most of the things mentioned in the policy can be implemented without the policy,” Naik told IANS. Greens in Goa claim that the Parrikar government has sold out on the very promises made by the BJP during the 2012 election campaign when the party rode to power. IANS

SOCIAL EVILS In-laws torture woman for having girl child, booked

28-year-old woman from Maharashtra’s Beed district, infamous for high incidence of female foeticide, has registered a case of harassment against her husband and in-laws after she was allegedly tortured for years and subsequently driven out of home for having a girl child, police said today. According to a complaint filed on September 1, by Parveen Shaikh, she was continuously harassed by her inlaws soon after her marriage to Matin Shaikh Sattar of Devdahiphal village in Dharur tehsil here in 2007. “Post marriage, everything went well for a few months. Soon after, when I was pregnant, my mother-in-law asked me to undergo a sex-determination test and also forced me to abort my child, fearing that it would be a girl. “When I did not pay heed to her demands, the mental suffering and torture began,” Shaikh, who is a BSc-B.Ed graduate, told PTI. She was not allowed to accompany her husband to Mumbai, where he works for a private company and was asked to stay back with her inlaws. “My husband would come home in every three months and would demand for money from my parents. All these

years, they have given a cumulative sum of nearly `10 lakh to my inlaws,” she alleged. In 2008, when I gave birth to a girl, the harassment increased and finally I was driven out of home on August 26 this year, said Shaikh, who is now living with her parents in Khas-bag area of Beed city. “My parents tried to drill sense into my husband and his family but when everything went in vain and they refused accept me and my daughter, I went ahead filing a complaint with Dindrud police, to seek justice for my three-year-old daughter, she said. The case has been registered against Matin Shaikh Sattar (Husband), Shaikh Sattar Shaikh Sultan (father in law), Badbi Shaikh (mother in law), Muktar Shaikh Sattar (nephew) and other family members Fasul Shaikh Ibrahim and Sayyad Ali Takhadnusar, police said. Beed, with the worst sex ratio in the state, showed a sharp decline in the number of girls (768) per 1,000 boys in 2011. PTI

TO MAM’ WITH LOVE

Schoolchildren present roses to their teacher Rachna Sharma during celebrations for ‘Teacher’s Day’ at The Shri Ram Ashram public school in Amritsar. September 5 is the birth anniversary of former president Sarvapalli Radhakrishnan, an influential scholar in comparative religion AFP and philosophy, and is celebrated as Teachers’ Day.

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2012

World

ANCIENT STAR RETAINS ODDLY YOUTHFUL GLOW Scientists using a high-powered telescope in Chile have discovered an ancient star that seems oddly impervious to aging. The star is in a globular cluster dating back to the universe's distant past, but new images from the European Southern Observatory (ESO) in Chile show that one of the stars still has a considerable amount of lithium.

SYRIAN CRISIS

FOOT IN MOUTH

Assad comes under fire

Arab foreign ministers condemned ‘the pursuit of violence, killings and ugly crimes carried out by the Syrian authorities’. DAMASCUS: Arab foreign ministers have denounced “crimes against humanity” in Syria, calling on the government to stop the violence immediately, as rebel fighters came under fire on multiple fronts. Rebels fighting to oust President Bashar al-Assad on Wednesday announced plans to reform and stem the proliferation of militias in the hope of winning support from the international community which has been reluctant to arm them. Assad himself came under renewed diplomatic fire from Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who said Syria had become a “terrorist state”, and from Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi, who told him to go. At a meeting in Cairo, Arab foreign ministers condemned “the pursuit of violence, killings and ugly crimes carried out by the Syrian authorities and their shabiha militias against Syrian

Oz Prime Minister Julia Gillard on Thursday withdrew from speaking at a Christian lobby conference after its head suggested smoking was healthier than a gay and le sbian lifestyle. Gillard was due to address the Australian Christian Lobby's meeting in October but pulled out over the "offensive" and "inappropriate" comments about homosexuality. It followed ACL chief Jim Wallace on Wednesday making the claim at a debate on same-sex marriage.

NUMEROLOGY civilians”. They also condemned “violence and killings of civilians from any side” in a veiled reference to rebels battling the regime. “The crimes and massacres being carried out are crimes against humanity,” said the

Rebels fighting to oust Basher al-Assad plan to stem the proliferation of militias in the hope to get international support.

ministers. The ministers also denounced Syrian authorities for unleashing heavy weapons against residential areas. At least 26,000 people have been killed since the uprising against the Damascus regime erupted in March 2011.

US PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS

MIRACULOUS ESCAPE

DNC: Barry fits Clinton’s Bill

Democratic Godfather gives vote of confidence ‘with all his heart’ to Barack Obama CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA: Bill Clinton told Americans Wednesday he believed “with all my heart” that President Barack Obama saved the economy, had left them better off than four years ago and should be re-elected. The two-term Democratic president, who remains highly popular nearly 12 years after leaving office, delivered a comprehensive, unequivocal and glowing endorsement of Obama’s presidency. “No president, no president — not me or any of my predecessors, no one could have fully repaired all the

religious leaders from across the international community attended an unprecedented gathering of Muslim and Jewish leaders and vowed 'zero tolerance' for religious attacks in Europe.

damage he found in just four years,” said Clinton, in a prime-time speech at the Democratic National Convention. “He has laid the foundations for a new modern successful economy of shared prosperity and if you ever need the president’s contract: You will feel it. You will feel it folks,” said Clinton. “Folks, whether the American people believe what I said or not may be the whole election, I just want you to know that I believe it,” he said, voice faltering a bit, “with all my heart I believe it.” AFP

NEWS BRIEFS Driver in China toddler death jailed: report

Chavez: No proof of Yanomami killings

S. Korea moves to restrict alcohol ads

Suspect in PQ victory fete identified

BEIJING: A driver who ran over a toddler in a hit-and-run accident that shocked China has been sentenced to three-and-a-half years in prison, a court spokeswoman told AFP on Thursday. The death of the two-year-old girl triggered a huge public outcry after surveillance camera footage of her being hit by two vehicles was posted online.

CARACAS: Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez on Wednesday became the latest senior ofﬁcial to insist there is no evidence of an alleged massacre of some 80 Yanomami indigenous people. But the human rights commission of the Organization of American States urged his government to probe further.

SEOUL: South Korea has drafted a new law aimed at restricting alcohol advertising amid mounting concerns over binge drinking and alcohol-related crimes, a government ofﬁcial said Thursday. The draft legislation prohibits TV programmes targeting teenagers from carrying any alcohol commercials, the state sources said.

QUEBEC: The suspect in the deadly shooting that occurred during Quebec premier-elect Pauline Marois' victory speech has been identiﬁed as Richard Henry Bain, a ﬁshing lodge owner. The 62-yearold had recently encountered some bureaucratic roadblocks while trying to expand his business, CTV News has learned.

A four year-old girl has been found alive in a British car under the body of her mother who was among four people killed in a mysterious shooting in the French Alps, ofﬁcials said Thursday. Three of the four victims of the shooting attack appear to have been members of a British family on holiday, said Eric Maillaud, a prosecutor in the Haute-Savoie area of eastern France. The little girl, was found at around midnight in the British-registered BMW car some eight hours after three other passengers, a man and two women, were shot dead on the spot.

"It (snooper’s charter) is not the sort of thing I'd expect from a western democracy. It is the kind of thing I would expect from the Iranians or the Chinese.” Jimmy Wales Wikipedia founder

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2012

Comment If a little dreaming is dangerous, the cure for it is not to dream less but to dream more, to dream all the time.

EAMCET COUNSELLING

y reportedly agreeing on a price with the private owners of three disputed islands in the East China Sea, Japan is unlikely to silence criticism from China, which also claims the territory. But it may have averted an even bigger diplomatic falling-out. The ongoing struggle centering on the Senkakus — a group of islets that China calls the Diaoyu — took another twist on Wednesday when Japanese media reported that the government is to buy the islands for 2.05 billion yen ($26.1 million) from the family it has leased them from since the 1970s. Citing government sources, the Yomiuri and Asahi newspapers said the deal between the state and the Kurihara family had been reached during secret negotiations on Monday. The news prompted a predictably testy response from China. "For them to nationalize the Diaoyu islands seriously violates China's sovereignty and hurts the Chinese people's feelings," Hong Lei, a foreign ministry spokesman, told reporters. "I stress again that any of their unilateral acts with the Diaoyu islands are illegal and invalid. China's determination will not change in terms of safeguarding its territory. But an alternative plan for the islands, which are surrounded by rich fishing grounds, and are located amid potentially huge gas and oil deposits, could have been far more incendiary. Japan's interest in state ownership of the Senkakus, a collection of several islands and rocks 1,250 miles from Tokyo, came in response to a purchase bid by the capital's rightwing governor, Shintaro Ishihara, aimed, in his words, at "protecting" them from Chinese interference. GLOBAL POST

THAT’S JUST PART OF THE TEST BUT... SERIOUSLY

Marcel Proust Writer

Japan 'bought' the Senkakus?

HIGH-FLYING THOUGHTS

It's a wise move on the part of the rebels in Syria to decide that something must be done to check the proliferation of miltias. Amid fears that terrorist organisations might find the revolution in Syria a fine time to grow roots, the rebels must act in a more organised and responsible way to win the backing of the world.

Ajay Hotchandani

o last week I’m going through the issue of Postnoon online. Thursday’s headlines were about students who showed up for Eamcet counselling stranded for days due to poor planning and mixups on part of the authorities. Some were left sleeping on the streets, while others slept in the car and if they were fortunate enough they had an Uncle Raju or Aunty Babita who had a house there and would allow them to stay for the night. Now what struck me as curious, besides the fact that I’m sure at least one of them had an Uncle Raju they could stay with, was that this wasn’t the first time this had happened. Despite it happening before it appears that proper measures were not put in place to prevent it from happening again. How can that happen? This is India where no corruption exists and a committee would never put their best interest first over the people. Seeing how it happened twice there is a good chance it will happen again and maybe even in another state. It is often said that experience is the best teacher. Trust

me, this is true, especially if you experience getting yelled at by your teacher in front of your classmates. Here you have hundreds of aspiring engineering students stranded for days for Eamcet counselling. If I were a member of the committee responsible for the programme, first I would beat myself for performing so poorly and letting these people down, and next I would observe how the students reacted when they were placed in this predicament. n n

Bimolecular Engineer – Pretty much useless in this scenario. Environmental Engineer – Figure out a way to keep the place clean and trash stored properly without it creating an unholy scent. Put together three rickshaws and a mauriti, hook up plumbing and make a three stall bathroom with shower. Structural Engineer – Build shelters for people. Take the chaiwala cart, some bamboo shoots, 40 pairs of slippers and some plastic bags and make accommodations for everyone, including Uncle Raju in case he decides to join you because his wife kicked him out. Transport Engineer – Tasked with creating an efficient route for food and water delivery and the movement of people pacing nervously

while they await their turn the use the bathroom. Can you imagine you waited two hours for the bathroom only to find out they ran out of water? Computer Engineer – Ensure that everyone has access to the internet, either via a public computer or a hacked WiFi signal giving them to ability to update their facebook status indicating their dissatisfaction of their current situation and commenting on some random picture of a dog riding a bicycle. Electrical Engineer – Provide lights, and power source for people to charge their mobile phone and laptops. They must also create a defibrillator incase anyone has a heart attack and needs to be

shocked back to life, because you are not taking the easy way out of sitting this exam. We will bring you back to life so you can suffer with the rest of us. Agricultural Engineer – Seeing how this will probably happen again, these guys are responsible for planting a nice garden so the students who get delayed next year have something to eat. I predict next year around this time Postnoon will be running an article about the same issue, but hopefully this time they will have pictures of happy engineers taking a shower in a maruti while updating their status about how nice the mangos taste from the garden of Engineering.

EDITORIALS Best of buddies

here are no permanent enemies or friends in politics. The latest case in study is the brimming bonhomie between US President Barack Obama and Bill Clinton. Only in movies can you see such emotion, such feeling between the former foes. Not four years ago, during the battle to decide which Democrat would run for President, Bill was there, in full flow and form, supporting his wife, Hillary, who finally had to give in to the "Yes, you can" frenzy whipped up by Obama. And it's no secret that both men dislike and are wary of each other; some of their close aides have admitted this in secret. Despite all that, both men know that both need each other. Bill knows that Obama is still Democrats' best bet and Obama understands his predecessor's clout among the people. So it's in everyone's interest that the two are best of buddies. Hence the shower of praise from Bill on Obama for saving the economy saying only the latter could have done this in four years flat.

READERS’ VIEWS

What a spoiler!

here could not have been a worse spoiler than the early exit of Roger Federer from the US Open. Fans were expecting a mouth-watering match between him and Andy Murray. Both had clashed at the Wimbledon: Roger won. At the London Olympics, it was them again: that became Murray’s golden moment. Murray, who had been the perennial underperformer, now is widely said to be one of the best, under the tutelage of Ivan Lendl. It would have been the best of now vs the best.

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2012

tELEVISION

JILLIAN BACK ON THE BIGGEST LOSER

Jillian Michaels is returning to The Biggest Loser after a two-year absence, and the show’s fourteenth season will also feature young teens for the first time ever. Kids ages 13-17 are getting the chance to shed pounds — though they won’t be competing for the titular prize.

IT’S SHOWTIME

The Emmy race begins

Emmy nominations Best Drama Series n Mad Men n Breaking Bad n Homeland n Downton Abbey n Game of Thrones n Boardwalk Empire Best Lead Actress - Drama Series: n Claire Danes, Homeland n Elisabeth Moss, Mad Men n Julianna Margulies, The Good Wife n Elizabeth McGovern, Downton Abbey n Glenn Close, Damages n Kathy Bates, Harry's Law Best Lead Actor - Drama Series: n Steve Buscemi, Boardwalk Empire n Michael C. Hall, Dexter n Bryan Cranston, Breaking Bad n Hugh Bonneville, Downton Abbey n Jon Hamm, Mad Men n Damian Lewis, Homeland Best Comedy Series n Curb Your Enthusiasm n Girls n 30 Rock n Veep n Modern Family n The Big Bang Theory Best Lead Actress - Comedy Series: n Zooey Deschanel, New Girl n Lena Dunham, Girls n Edie Falco, Nurse Jackie n Amy Poehler, Parks and Recreation n Tina Fey, 30 Rock n Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Veep n Melissa McCarthy, Mike & Molly Best Lead Actor - Comedy Series: n Larry David, Curb Your Enthusiasm n Jon Cryer, Two and a Half Men n Louis C.K., Louie n Jim Parsons, The Big Bang Theory n Don Cheadle, House of Lies n Alec Baldwin, 30 Rock

CLASSIC TV The race for television world’s most famous statue is on. With less than three weeks to go before the Emmys, we bring you our predictions and the likely winners who might hit gold this Emmy.

MODERN FAMILY — BEST COMEDY SERIES

Modern Family, the two-time reigning Best Comedy Series, is still our favourite. The Big Bang Theory, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Veep and 30 Rock are other contenders for the award. In total, Modern Family earned 14 nominations, including best comedy series and best supporting actress nominations for Julie Bowen and Sofia Vergara, and supporting actor nominations for Ed O’Neill, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Ty Burrell and Eric Stonestreet.

MAD MEN — BEST DRAMA SERIES

The race for Best Drama Series is truly the biggest drama looming over the Emmys: Can Mad Men set a new record by winning for a fifth time? Mad Men has never lost a competition and might win this time too. The series that has the potential to bring Mad Men’s dream run to a stop is Downton Abbey. Other contenders are Boardwalk Empire, Breaking Bad, Game of Thrones and Golden Globe winner Homeland.

CLAIRE DANES — BEST LEAD ACTRESS (DRAMA)

All in the Family This is an iconic American sitcom that was originally broadcast on the CBS television network from January 12, 1971, to April 8, 1979. Despite being considerably softer in its approach than its BBC predecessor, the show broke ground in its depiction of issues previously considered unsuitable for U.S. network television comedy, such as racism, homosexuality, women's liberation, rape, miscarriage, abortion, breast cancer, the Vietnam War, menopause, and impotence.

DID YOU KNOW

BBC

is planning an "all-star" version of Strictly Come Dancing, pitting finalists such as Kara Tointon, Mark Ramprakash and Jill Halfpenny against each other for the title of super-dooper champion of the Strictly world.

QUOTABLE QUOTES

Juliana Margulies who had won an Emmy after several attempts last year will be defending her crown. However, Homeland actress Claire Danes is likely to run away with the crown this time around. Other contenders are Elisabeth Moss, Mad Men, Elizabeth McGovern, Downton Abbey, Glenn Close, Damages and Kathy Bates, Harry's Law. Claire Danes scooped the Individual Achievement in Drama Award for Homeland at the Television Critics Association Awards last month. And we expect her to do the same at Emmys too.

BRYAN CRANSTON — BEST LEAD ACTOR (DRAMA)

The tight battle for the Best Lead Actor — Drama Series is what everyone is looking forward to. Buscemi won a Golden Globe for his Boardwalk performance, so he's still a threat to take home the award. Damian Lewis (Homeland) and Hugh Bonneville (Downton Abbey) both have made waves for their respective shows. However, we pick prior three-time winner Bryan Cranston who has returned to the battle again with an exceptional performance in Breaking Bad.

JIM PARSONS — BEST LEAD ACTOR (COMEDY)

Jim Parsons, reigning two-time champ, is known to be this decade's Kelsey Grammer and is likely to win this year too. The ineligibility of Matt LeBlanc (Episodes) as no new episodes aired this season works in his favour. However, Jon Cryer can turn to be a dark house here. He's a nomination staple and former winner on the supporting side, so his move up to leading-man territory could result in a win.

AMY POEHLER — BEST LEAD ACTRESS (COMEDY)

This race is competitive as hell. So competitive that the voters nominated an extra lady. Amy Poehler (Parks And Recreation) is our favourite among the contenders. Her knack for physical comedy works perfectly in tandem with the show’s snappy dialogue. Melissa McCarthy (Mike & Molly), last year's surprise winner and Zooey Deschanel of New Girl are other front-runners.

Your kids don't need to know who you were before you had them. They need to know who you wish you were, and they need to try to live up to that person. They're going to fall short, but better they fall short of the fake you than the real you.

Claire Dunphy,

Finally, I would point out, your living is in Lord Grantham's gift. Your living is on Lord Grantham's land and the very ﬂowers in your church are from Lord Grantham's garden. I hope it's not vulgar in me to suggest that you ﬁnd some way to overcome your scruples.

Violet Crawley,

Modern Family Downton Abbey

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2012

spotlight

BOLLYWOOD MAGIC

Dance to the latest desi tunes with DJ Piyush behind the console as he spins the latest filmy, dhinchak music at Kismet, Somajiguda.

FUN & FROLIC

INSPIRING LIVES

Ladies of FICCI Ladies Organisation were in full attendance at Park where Padmashree awardee Priya Paul gave a talk on Leadership by Differentiation.

A high-

spirited do

1 Mourya, shakuntala, Priya Paul 2 Sumila, Radhika 3 Mourya, Shakuntala

The launch of Xtreme Sports Bar, Karkhana was a rollicking affair. Revelers were seen swarming to the pub, letting their hair down while the inhouse DJ kept them entertained. 1

4 Geetha, Neetu Bagga 5 Pallavi 6 Varthika, Reena 7 Sami Alma Khan, Anjum Babukhan 8 Swathi, Lavanya 9 Aancha 10 Darshini 11 Namitha Kanodia 12 Sirirsha 13 Manjula 14 Mansi Mallik

1 Bishnu 2 Ritu 3 Anitha 4 Monya 5 Anitha, Saurav 6 Varsha, Prajwal 7 Sanjana 8 Kavitha

A DAY TO REMEMBER

Actor Brahmanandam was felicitated during the occasion of Teacherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Day at Satya Sai Nigamam on Wednesday.

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2012

health

EXPOSURE TO CHEMICAL MAY CAUSE HEART DISEASE Exposure to perfluoro-octanoic acid (PFOA), a man-made chemical used in the manufacture of lubricants, polishes, paper and textile coatings and food packaging, may be linked with heart disease and peripheral arterial disease (PAD), says a study.

SKIN INFECTIONS

Symptoms for Psoriasis n n n n n n

Red patches of skin covered with silvery scales Small scaling spots Dry, cracked skin that may bleed Itching, burning or soreness Thickened, pitted or ridged nails Swollen and stiff joints Source: www.mayoclinic.com

Don’t fret over this Skin ailments bring along with it depression for the patient and concern for people around them. Psoriasis, say doctors need not be feared as it is not harmful and not infectious. ayurvedic medicines. This may cause the localised problem to become a generalised problem,” says Dr Sunitha.

ANISHAA KUMAR

anishaa.k@postnoon.com

TREATMENT

ave you noticed sudden scaly patches on your skin? This could be because of psoriasis. Psoriasis is a non-contagious skin ailment. Dr Sunitha Sekhar Reddy, dermatologist, ADI clinics explains, “Psoriasis is a genetic skin disorder. It is also partially an auto-immune disorder. Psoriasis can be both mild or it can involve all the organs and can start at any age. It is seen as scaly patches (like peels) on the skin and can occur anywhere such as the scalp, elbows, knees, palms and soles. Basically it occurs in the friction areas of the body. For some people it can spread to the entire body.” Psoriasis can be of different types depending upon its appearance.

CAUSES The exact cause of psoriasis is still unknown although it is believed to be a combination of genetics and certain environmental triggers. “As psoriasis is an auto-immune disorder it can be triggered by problems such as stress and diabetes. Psoriasis may spread to the entire bodies due to triggering factors such as the intake of steroids and

ANEWS PP-LYBRIEFS YOURSELF

HOUSECALL

Superfoods HD

Goitre

Do you know your gojis from your gooseberries? This app teaches you about a range of superfoods and how to integrate them in your diet. It gives you the health information on each superfood, along with images so you can spot them when shopping in the supermarket and over 200 recipe ideas too.

Goitre, also called a bronchocele, is a swelling in the neck due to an enlarged thyroid gland. A person with goitre can have normal levels of thyroid hormone (euthyroidism), excessive levels (hyperthyroidism) or levels that are too low (hypothyroidism). If the thyroid gland grows larger than normal the patient has goitre. Goitres are painless; however, if the gland gets very large the patient may have problems swallowing.

DID YOU KNOW? Hair can carry up to 3.5 ounces One human hair can support 3.5 ounces. That’s about the weight of two full size candy bars, and with hundreds of thousands of hairs on the human head, makes the tale of Rapunzel much more plausible.

The treatment for psoriasis depends upon the type and the extent of the problem. Dr Sunitha says, “The treatment of psoriasis is a vast area. If the problem is small and localised than usually topical creams are advised. If it is large then either PUVA treatment or oral medicines may be advised.” PUVA treatment is the acronym for a treatment which includes psoralen and UVA. This can be provided for various skin ailments. In this treatment, psoralen is applied to the skin and then it is exposed to UV rays. “It is a recurring problem but in many cases can be maintained. There is no curative treatment available,”she says. Psoriasis is very common. It is seen in all age groups but is most common in the middle-aged group. Apart from external problems it may also cause other concern. Dr Sunitha says, “When it comes to large areas, the problems that people mainly may face are depression due to cosmetic reasons. People around them may fear that it is contagious. But this is not true it does not spread and is not harmful.” Talking about prevention, Dr Sunitha says that Psoriasis cannot be prevented. Some studies have stated that deficiency of fatty acids may cause psoriasis. But these are sideline therapies . Doctors may suggest diets rich in omega fatty acids. But it usually is a combination of various therapies.

PIONEERS Ignaz Philipp Ignaz Philipp Semmelweis was a Hungarian physician now known as an early pioneer of antiseptic procedures. Described as the "saviour of mothers", Semmelweis discovered that the incidence of puerperal fever could be drastically cut by the use of hand disinfection in obstetrical clinics. Puerperal fever was common in mid-19th-century hospitals and often fatal, with mortality at 10 per cent to 35 per cent.

health THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2012

DEMENTIA

RESEARCH

Label your fear to get over it

According to researchers, latest findings conclude that the desktop lowers the risk of dementia in the aged by a maximum of 40 per cent

COMPUTERS

lower dementia risk

SYDNEY: Computers do have their plus points, despite all the bad press — the desktop, for instance, lowers the risk of dementia in the aged by a maximum of 40 per cent, suggest latest findings. “As the world’s population ages, the number of people experiencing cognitive decline and dementia will increase to 50 million by 2025,” said study coauthor Osvaldo Almeida, professor at the University of Western Australia (UWA). Almeida with colleagues undertook an eight-year study of more than 5,000 men aged from 65 to 85 years. “But if our findings are correct, the increase in the number

of cases of dementia over the next 40 years may not be as dramatic as is currently expected,” added Almeida, also research director at the UWA-affiliate Centre for Health and Ageing, the journal Public Library of Science ONE reports. Some of dementia’s early symptoms are forgetting names and appointments, losing things, difficulty performing familiar tasks such as driving, managing personal finances, mood swings with anger or rage, paranoia and suspiciousness. Almeida said previous studies showed that cognitivelystimulating activities decreased the risk of dementia but there

was little evidence on the likely effect of computer use over many years, according to an UWA statement. “So it got us thinking, with personal computer ownership on the increase, could it make a difference? We found that it did, and that there was a significant benefit,” he said. Researchers found that the risk of dementia was about 3040 per cent lower among older computer users than non-users and that their findings could not be attributed to age, education, social isolation, depression, overall health or cognitive impairment. They found that computer users were younger than non-

users, had completed at least high school, had a more active social network and were less likely to show evidence of depression or poor physical health. Older people should therefore be encouraged to embrace computer technology as long as they understand the dangers of prolonged physical inactivity and the many advantages of a balanced and healthy lifestyle, the researchers suggested. The study was part of Australia’s longest-running longitudinal study of men’s health and ageing. It has been following a group of more than 19,000 men since 1996. IANS

WASHINGTON: Can describing your feelings when you are particularly stressed make you less anxious? A new study suggests it may very well be so. The study by the University of California-Los Angeles suggests that labelling your emotions at the moment you are confronting what you fear can indeed reducing anxiety. The psychologists asked 88 people with a fear of spiders to approach a large, live tarantula in an open container outdoors. They were told to walk closer and closer to the spider and eventually touch it, if they could, the journal Psychological Science reports. The subjects were then divided into groups and sat in front of another tarantula in a container in an indoor setting. In the first group, the subjects were asked to describe the emotions they were experiencing and to label their reactions to the tarantula — saying, for example, “I’m anxious and frightened by the ugly, terrifying spider”. “Here, there was no attempt to change their experience, participants just stated what they were experiencing,” said Michelle Craske, professor of psychology at UCLA and senior study author. In a second group, the subjects used neutral terms that did not convey their fear and were aimed at making the experience seem less threatening. They might say, “That little spider can’t hurt me; I’m not afraid.” In a third group, the subjects said something irrelevant , and in a fourth group, the subjects did not say anything -- they were simply exposed to it. All the participants were retested in the outdoor setting one week later and were again asked to get closer and closer to the tarantula and touch it. The researchers found that the first group did far better. These people were able to get closer to the tarantula and their hands were sweating significantly less than the other groups. IANS

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2012

Entertainment

WALKING ON A DIVINE PATH Nagarjuna talks about Shirdi Sai’s teachings, lessons he learnt and how the film changed him HEMANTH KUMAR hemanth.k@postnoon.com

uite rarely has a Telugu actor won as many accolades as Nagarjuna did for portraying roles of composers like Annamayya and Sri Ramadasu. Now he’s donning the avatar of Shirdi Saibaba which has led to the consensus that he’s miles ahead of others when it comes to portraying such roles. Directed by K Raghavendra Rao, the film narrates key incidents from the life of Shirdi Saibaba. Ask Nagarjuna why he signed the film, he reveals, “The film is more about Saibaba’s philosophy which is called Sai Thatvam. He didn’t bother about caste or religion and I could relate to it quite well because it’s the same thing which my father had taught me. It’s amazing when you think about what all Shirdi Saibaba had done and taught his disciples 100 years ago when communalism was an integral part of our society.” His excitement about the film is palpable and he confesses that after listening to experiences from several devotees of Saibaba, he began to understand the impact which he had on people. So did he have any

references to help him prepare for the role? “The important aspect to note is that I am not playing a God in the film because Saibaba was in fact a satguru. A lot of people told me stories from Shri Sai Satcharitra and narrated their own personal experiences which had a deep impact on me. I didn’t watch previous films made on Shirdi Sai because I wanted to make it my own interpretation. It was an easy film to act in,” Nagarjuna says. He confesses that he’s more at ease with himself these days. “Acting in this film has certainly changed the way I think. The way I look at life has changed. It doesn’t seem that complicated anymore,” he reveals. He’s teaming up with K Raghavendra Rao, who had earlier directed Annamayya and Sri Ramadasu, after six years. The two share a great bond which in turn reflects in the films they make. “I think he just got better. His energy and enthusiasm amazes me. Raghavendra Rao and Mahesh Reddy, the film’s producer, are ardent devotees of Saibaba. As a result, intense research has gone into making into this film.” Nagarjuna recently turned 53, but his new look certainly defies his age. It’s almost as if he’s made it all the more diffi-

cult for the directors of his upcoming films to find suitable characters for him. “I don’t know how long I’ll keep doing lead roles, but I want to make each of my films memorable. I’d like to follow the footsteps of Amitabh Bachchan and do more character roles later on. As far as my new look is concerned, I wanted a drastic change after I finished shooting for Shirdi Sai. One day, I was sitting with my hair stylists Sachin and Padmini Raja from Mane’a Salon and we were trying to figure out what I could do to change my look and finally they suggested I spike my hair.” The USP of Shirdi Sai, Nagarjuna says, lies in the message the film tries to convey. “Saibaba’s teachings are relevant even today. For instance, there are different meanings as to why he begs every day. By taking two coins from people, he says he’s taking away two bad qualities from them. I never knew all this. Then there’s another story of nine coins, which symbolises nine steps that the disciples have to follow to reach the guru. To become a better person, maybe all you need to do is forego two bad qualities. Ego is one among them,” Nagarjuna signs off. And we nod in agreement.

MAATTRRAAN GETS A NEW TITLE

The Telugu version of Suriya, Kajal starrer Maattrraan has been titled as Brothers. KV Anand is directing the film and Bellamkonda Suresh is producing it. The film is set to release on October 12.

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2012

fashion

MARGARET THATCHER DRESSES ON SALE

SEVEN suits worn by Britain's first female Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher before she took up office will go on sale for up to 1,500 pounds.

Fall shoes One of the most exciting things come winter is the idea to dress up and add layers stylishly. From snugly hats, to stylish boots. We look at the footwear trends that are worth taking note of for this winter season. ANKLE BOOTS

nkle boots are easy to wear option in winters. They could be worn by different body shapes and paired with various dress options. This season, the ankle boots are to be found in the classic beige and black leather and also in the deep shades of maroon, indigo, peacock blue. At Balmain, the ankle boots were its luxe best made in velvet with rich gold embroidery. At Fendi the models wore easy to slip into ankle boots, which were the equivalent of high heels with a better grip of the feet. Ankle boots or booties can be worn with trousers, long skirts, and dresses. Avoid wearing cropped leggings, shorts, or garment that deduct height from your frame and add bulk to the legs. Since the ankle boots come in numerous texture, style and heel options, this style continues to be part of the winter wardrobe basics.

HIDDEN HEEL

T BOLD HEELS

he elegant heels that are usually the statement pieces in your wardrobe are plenty available in new designs for the upcoming winters. Called the ‘evening heels’ these are sandals that are not too big on comfort. If you can forego the comfort, these seasons’ heels will definitely be lust worthy to your senses. At Diane Von Furstenberg the footwear matched the dressing sensibility of the label – bold, feminine and pretty. Christian Dior reminiscent the classic dressing and gave a variety of elegant black closed high heel sandals. At Chanel the most exotic looking sandals made way with jeweled heels in glass crystals and signature fabrics like tweed, satin and leather on the top part of the shoe. Louis Vuitton where Marc Jacobs painted an imagery of women who travel in first class trains with porters carrying their handbags and hat bags behind them. This woman need not worry about wearing ‘sensible’ shoes and go for the most luxurious wardrobe for the feet. The Louis Vuitton pumps are extremely high, exotic skins covering the toes and with massive crystals embellishing the straps.

he heel need not always be prominently displayed in a stiletto form. The clever winter designs give us option to seem taller without giving out the exact inches of the heels. French designer Isabel Marant designed the sneakers with a hidden heel that gave a lift to the wearer and made those calves look super toned. Pierre Hardy has given a similar range of sneakers this season. At Alexander McQueen the opposite is applied where instead of hiding the heel, the heel is missing and left a void in its place. The shoe has a platform support under the toes and empty space under the heel. The arch of the foot is quite evident and is a winning option for the risk takers. At Givenchy, the high boots had outer leather covering the silhouette of the shoe like a curtain disclosing the height of the heel.

22&23

NEW FACE OF FOREVER 21

American high street chain Forever 21 announced that Texan it-girl Ashley Smith will model the brand's new collection. Ashley Smith is known for her unconventional smile and sexy silhouette.

to fall for The writer

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

SURABHI CHAUHAN

feedback@postnoon.com

HIGH BOOTS

or the fashion savvy, no winter wardrobe is truly complete without a pair of season fresh high boots. At Gucci, the boots were inspired by the equestrian styles in flat form and heels. These are the classic styles that can be worn with trousers tucked in, whether sitting on the horse or not. At New York based Altuzarra show, models wore thigh high leather boots in exotic leather skins. Over the knees boots sometimes give an illusion of pair of well-fitted trousers and could be worn under short dresses replacing the tights or multiple layers of clothes. This is however a very tricky style to wear, as long shapely legs are usually the size these styles fit onto easily. But the knee-high boots are a convenient option and protective of the harsh winters, for all body types.

MIDI HEEL –

ah the comfort of wearing a low heel! Was not lately accepted by the fashion trend cycles. But this winter many fashion houses not only made a collection of low heels but also made the models walk in them for their winter runway collection. At Valentino the models wore pretty dresses with low heels that made the look a winning combination of style and comfort. While the skyscraper heels have a place of their own in a woman’s wardrobe, the midi heels have found a loving space in the wardrobe of woman on the go. The practical yet beautiful appeal of the shoe is the reason why America’s first lady Michelle Obama is often seen wearing them. Shoe designer Christian Louboutin known for making heels that add sex appeal to any feet also went the midi heel route by offering designs in the height he is not recognized for.

FLATS

ne of the key trends this season is womenswear inspired by menswear. The same follows on footwear where design houses like Armani, and Tod’s gave us menswear style options of brogues, loafers, laced flat shoes in women’s sizes. These literally look like styles borrowed from the men’s wardrobes and could be worn with other pieces from their wardrobes like shorts, shirts, and dapper tailored jackets. If you fear the complete dedication to the opposite sex, the flat footwear look equally fashion forward when worn with a breezy dress or skirt. A fairly new style in the footwear trends is the ‘flatform’, which is a hybrid of platform shoes and flats. There is an additional height given to the shoes but without the arch of the heels. The entire foot is elevated from toe to heel in this style. At Italian house of Marni, the flatform is dainty and sweet in earthy tones of leather and fabric.

Entertainment THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2012

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2012

Chai Time

THOUGHT OF THE DAY

You are all Buddahs. There is nothing that you need to achieve. Just open your eyes.

KAKURO

Gautama Siddhartha

QUICK CROSSWORD

SUDOKU 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.

ACROSS

PREVIOUS PUZZLE ANSWER

SCRIBBLING PAD

1 Six-Day War hero Moshe 6 Bit of shut-eye 9 Love very much 14 Lagoon formation 15 ‘Now ___ seen everything!’ 16 Missouri, Arkansas or Ohio, eg 17 Slacker’s motto 19 At pique’s peak? 20 ‘Bad call!’ 21 ‘Dead Poets Society’ director 22 Many a delivery 23 Watson of the Harry Potter movies 25 Budweiser horse 30 Boxer’s measurement 32 ‘60s-’70s space missions 33 Classic Aretha Franklin song 37 Tidbit for 60-Across 38 Memorable fast-food ad question 42 ‘Just as I suspected!’ 43 Annulled, as a legal order 44 Prim and proper 47 Authoritative proclamation 51 Shirley MacLaine film title word 55 Olden days 56 Was a consumer? 57 Adult tadpole 59 Armchair quarterback’s room, perhaps 60 What 25-Across is 63 Some mystery stories 65 ‘For Sale by ___’ 66 Successor to the Pan-American Union 67 ___ Hawkins Day 68 No rest for them 69 Number of hits that ruins a perfect game 70 Adult wannabes

DOWN

1 ‘Mork & Mindy’ co-star Pam 2 Feeling comfy 3 One cello virtuoso

4 Vestry vestment 5 Sweet’___ (sugar substitute) 6 ‘Nothing,’ in legal phrases 7 Animation legend Tex 8 ‘As ___ your instructions’ 9 Light musical piece 10 Dress with a tight bodice 11 Eggs, to a biologist 12 Abbr after some generals’ names 13 Byron’s ‘before’ 18 Gumshoe, for short 22 Group of seven 24 A bit of land 26 Russian country home 27 Healing houseplant 28 Where to find a couple of heels 29 Suffix for ‘fast’ or ‘slow’ 31 Feminine pronoun 34 Like some reprimands or thunderstorms 35 Creation of King David 36 ‘And that sort of thing’ (Abbr) 38 Question not asked in this puzzle’s theme words 39 ‘Cool ___ Luke’ 40 Akeelah’s spelling contest 41 ‘Electric Avenue’ singer Grant 42 21, for many new drinkers 45 ‘Coming up next’ ad 46 Greasy spoon, eg 48 Potassium ___ (photography compound ) 49 Hardly a brainiac 50 Grammar topics 52 ___ Hunt (Tom Cruise’s ‘Mission: Impossible’ role) 53 ‘Hang ‘Em High’ prop 54 Abraham Lincoln’s boy 58 ‘Bunnies’ under the bed 60 Question not asked in this puzzle’s theme words 61 Be shy, poker pot-wise 62 Virus innards, briefly 63 Charm with flowers and candy 64 ‘Fat chance, laddie!’

Chai Time THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2012 Thiruvaikumar

STAR POWER for 7-9-2012

As per Hindu panchang thiruvaikumar@yahoo.co.in, 040-27177230 / 9177596118

ARIES

TAURUS

GEMINI

CANCER

LEO

VIRGO

LIBRA

SCORPIO

SAGITTARIUS

CAPRICORN

AQUARIUS

PISCES

Though financial inflow possible from various channels, expenses beyond expectation will upset you. Some have a bright chance to go abroad. Politicians will be entrusted with more responsibilities. Women will get admiration from in-laws.

Misunderstandings with brother will disappear. Huge success awaits you in new efforts. Influx of relatives will keep all family members cheerful. Eye infection likely; take care. Younger brother in search of job will be favoured with a good one.

Expenses will increase because of daughter, which will upset you. Business done with partners will flourish. Separated couple are likely to come together again and understand each other well to lead a happy life. Fortune through father likely.

QUICK CROSSWORD FRED BASSET

Litigations in ancestral property will be resolved. Some are forced to leave their native place and settle in a new place due to transfer or deputation. Enemies will become inactive. Court verdict will go in favour. Unexpected fortune likely.

Confusion likely in taking certain important decisions. Avoid acting in haste and making emotional decisions. Couple look cordial. Businessmen see flourishing times and plan further investments to expand. Employees are given more work.

Bright chance for some to go abroad. Those divorced are likely to marry again but this time their choice will be perfect and they will lead a happy life. Your approach will do the magic of bringing success to you in all work undertaken.

Unexpected good news through spouse likely. Businessmen will achieve their goals and maintain modesty. Some have bright chances to buy a house or land. Politicians will be given additional responsibilities. Promotion on the cards for some.

Your shrewdness will get you success in all new efforts. Those without a job will be favoured with a good opportunity. You will fulfill your commitments without fail. Women will complete their work with determination. Businessmen will relax.

Big unexpected expenses due to brothers likely, which may upset you. Official journey likely, which is inevitable and will bring desired result. Your talk and good approach will get you desired results. House construction will resume and complete.

TAROT READ

Sumaa Tekur

tarotreadhyd@gmail.com

ARIES:

GEMINI:

Knight of Swords – Someone is irritating you by saying and doing things you do not like. It is not this person’s fault. You just have to learn to deal with it.

LEO:

Four of Swords – There are some giant ideas and project work in the pipeline. This is an amazing time for change and looking at new opportunities.

LIBRA:

STONE SOUP

Seven of Pentacles – This is a good time to sort out the different areas of your life and re-prioritise your needs. Think of what’s urgent versus what’s important.

SAGITTARIUS:

Eight of Pentacles – You’re tired and need to rest. You may be facing some sort of difficulty right now. Meditate, exercise regularly to think clearly.

TAURUS:

Queen of Pentacles – Do not get into the trap of judging someone quickly, based on their actions in the past. You do not know what this person has gone through.

CANCER:

Page of Swords – Be kind to everyone you meet. Every person is fighting a different kind of battle and you do not know about it. A smile can make things better.

VIRGO:

Ace of Pentacles – You’ll be involved in some guessing game because you will not get any clear answers as to what exactly is happening. Keep guessing.

SCORPIO:

Knight of Pentacles – You may come across as a strict officer, who is rigid and does not change things no matter what. You can learn a few things from this person.

CAPRICORN:

Six of Pentacles – You are surrounded by some good-natured and helpful people. This network will help you through any doubts and ups and downs.

SOLUTIONS

PISCES:

Judgement – You have to deal with an inner conflict and debate about a personal philosophy, which may need a re-look in the current circumstances.

NUMBER GAME

needs to be taken. You have been shunted around and thrown in a position that you do not particularly like. Leave if you cannot handle it.

SCRABBLE

AQUARIUS: A decision

INK PEN

Marriage will be finalised for those it was getting delayed. Refund from govt will make you rich. Avoid unwanted discussion in the family and be cordial with all. Employees work hard as they may face the ire of superiors.

for 7-9-2012

Three of Swords – Read some interesting newspaper and magazine articles and do what’s needed to stay updated on the latest trends and happenings.

FOR BETTER OR FOR WORSE

Official journey will be undertaken, which will be beneficial. Avoid standing guarantee for anyone and do not even extend financial help. Good news from a distance likely. Spouse will feel happy as you respect her suggestion and implement it.

SUDUKO

Good news from abroad on the cards. Professionals like doctors and lawyers will have a good time. Musicians will get plenty of opportunities. You will start house construction as per your taste which will progresss well without obstacles.

Boggle TOYOTA NISSAN MAZDA HONDA Vol: 2, No 51 RNI No: APENG/2011/39337 Published for the proprietors, Scribble Media and Entertainment Pvt Ltd, by V Harshavardhan Reddy, at #1246, Level 3, Jubilee Casa, Road No 62, Jubilee Hills, Hyderabad – 500033 and printed by him at Jagati Publications Ltd, Plot No D-75&E-52, APIE Industrial Estate, Balanagar, Ranga Reddy Dist, Hyderabad – 500037, Editor: Dean Williams – Responsible for selection of news under the PRB Act All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission of the publisher is prohibited. For feedback, please write to: feedback@postnoon.com and for subscription, please call 040-4067 2222, Fax: 040-4067 2211

Entertainment THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2012

IN HINDSIGHT

CINE BYTES

leana D'Cruz refused to work in Wanted, the Hindi version of Telugu hit Pokiri and thus lost the opportunity to romance Salman Khan on the big screen. Now she hopes to get another chance to team up with the Bollywood star. "Yes, I was approached for the remake of 'Pokiri' in Tamil and Hindi. I did 'Pokiri' in Telugu, which did a huge business. I didn't take the offer of 'Pokiri' in Hindi, which was titled 'Wanted', as I felt I was not prepared enough to enter Bollywood," the actress, who is now debuting in Bollywood with Barfi! she told IANS. "It was not that I didn't want to do the film, it's just that I didn't want to do it half-heartedly. I missed an opportunity to work with Salman in 'Wanted'. But no regret as I feel 'Barfi!' is the perfect launch for me. But I am really happy that 'Wanted' did well. I would love to work with Salman Khan in the near future," she added.

Emraan effortless actor, says Bipasha

aaz 3 is Bipasha Basu's second ﬁlm with Emraan Hashmi and she seems to be impressed with his acting skills. Highlighting her co-star's emoting qualities in front of the camera, she told IANS that "Emraan is an amazing actor to work with. He is effortless and one of the most convincing actor I have ever worked with." IANS

IANS

Sunny Leone house hunting

ctress Sunny Leone, who made her Bollywood debut with Pooja Bhatt's Jism 2, is back in Mumbai from the US and is now looking for a house here."Hi everyone. I'm so happy to be here in Mumbai! Meeting all morning and the house shopping!!" Sunny tweeted. The Indo-Canadian star rose to fame with her stint in the reality show Bigg Boss 5.

KJo thanks teacher Aditya Chopra

I missed an

opportunity to work with SALMAN: ILEANA

or Karan Johar, Aditya Chopra is his first film teacher and on the occasion of Teacher's Day Wednesday, he took to the social networking site Twitter to thank his mentor."Aditya Chopra was my film teacher... he made me realise my passion for the movies!!! He is the reason I am here today... thank you Adi!!!" Karan tweeted. IANS

sports

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2012

POLO

SSC HPRC win Berar Cup

In a thriller of a match, SSC HPRC defeated RC HPRC by seven goals to six-and-a-half to clinch the Prince of Berar Polo Cup at the Bison Polo Grounds on Wednesday. RAJESH RAVINDRAN rajesh.r@postnoon.com HYDERABAD: One can’t expect a better finish to the final of the Prince of Berar Polo Cup Tournament. With seconds remaining in the final chukker, the captain of SSC HPRC, Dhruvpal Godara, making a solo foray with the ball into the opposition side, only to lose it some yards from the goal mouth, chasing it again, getting possession of it and scoring the clincher to pip RC HPRC 7-6½…it sounds a bit filmy. That’s not all. It was brothers pitted against each other in the final: RC HPRC was led by Manupal Godara, the other half that makes the famed four-goaler duo known on the polo circuit as the Godara brothers. Last year RC HPRC had a clean sweep of the Hyderabad Polo season, and the Godara brothers played side by side for it. This year HPRC fielded two teams and the Godara brothers ended up captains of each. It would not be an overstatement to say that Dhruvpal was a

man on fire: all the seven goals of his team were scored by him. Of course, he was well supported by his team, but if it were not for the last goal, the result would have been different, for the RC HPRC had a ½ handicap at the start. In the first chukker, it was RC HPRC that started solidly. Rohit

Reddy, who missed a chance to score in the penultimate match, made no mistake this time. He opened the account for his team two minutes into the game. A little more than a minute later Mitesh Mehta, too, hit the mark. RC HPRC led 2 ½ -0. Dhruvpal, who had scored

five goals in the previous match, with a brilliant goal signaled the start of his scoring spree. Older brother Manupal replied a minute later, retaining the lead for RC HPRC. In the second chukker, Mitesh Mehta scored twice. It looked as though it would be

Princess Ezra was the chief guest at SRINIVAS SETTY the event.

SSC HPRC and RC HPRC players in action during the final of the Prince of Berar Polo Cup held at the Bison Polo SRINIVAS SETTY Grounds in Secundrabad on Wednesday.

TRACK WORK

SNIPPETS

Kohinoor Wish, Super Duper, Tintinnabulation impress HYDERABAD: Kohinoor Wish, Tintinnabulation, Super Duper, Pedalo, Vijays Best and Always Bullish were impressive when the horses were excercised here on Thursday the 6th of September morning: Sand Track 800 Metres: Nasheeta (Imran Khan) 1-3, 600/47 Easy. Super Duper (P.Venkat) 55, 600/41 Pleased. Dastaan (Sreekant) 1-3, 600/47 Moved freely. White Wind (rb) Blue Diamond (Nitin Singh) 57.5, 600/43 Former finished 3 lengths in front. Vijay Kiran (P.Venkat) 56.5, 600/41 Moved attractively. Golden Rule (Kuldeep Singh) 59, 600/43.5 Unextended. Rohinis Tar (P.Venkat) 56, 600/43 Retains form. Rio Grande (rb) Garibaldi (Kuldeep Singh) 58, 600/43.5 They finished together. Sporting Star (Dileep) 1-1, 60/46 Easy. Iceland (K.Alam) 58.5, 600/44 Easy. Shades Of Victory (rb) Superb (Nitin Singh) 56.5, 600/43 Former finished 2 lengths in front. Craven Cottage (rb)58, 600/44 Urged.

hard for SSC to make up. There were no let up in SSC HPRC's efforts to catch up and Dhruvpal scored again and this time, too, Manupal gave it back a little later. Towards the end of the second chukker, tables turned: Dhruvpal did a repeat of his feat from the previous match in the following chukkers. He shot five consecutive goals, and stole the show and the cup for SSC HPRC.

Vendetta (Ravinder Singh) 56, 600/42 Moved on the bit. Heart N Soul (rb) 1-1.5, 600/47 Easy. Pranavi (Deep Shanker) Over Shadow (Sreekant) 1-1, 600/47 They moved freely. Sand Track 1000 Metres: Winning Tactics (rb) 1-13, 800/59, 600/44 Moved well. Hamilton (app) Custodian (Dileep) 1-12, 800/56, 600/43 Former finished 2 lengths in front. Kohinoor King (P.Venkat) 111, 800/55, 600/41 Moved attractively. Surya Lakshmi (Ravinder Singh) 1-12.5, 800/56.5, 600/42.5 Moved on the bit. Victorous Sally (rb) Confidential (rb) 1-14.5, 800/57, 600/42 A fit pair. Ceremonious (Sreekant) 1-18, 800/13, 600/48 Easy. Komo Komo Komo (rb) 1-13.5, 800/57.5, 600/42 Moved well. Dauntless (rb) 1-18, 800/1-3, 600/47 Easy. Art Ace (rb) Excluisve (Kuldeep Singh) 1-12.5, 800/56, 600/42.5 Former finished a length in front. Sand Track 1200 Metres: Vijayshaurya (Ravinder Singh) 1-29,

1000/1-12, 800/57.5, 600/43 Moved freely. Vijay Best (Ravinder Singh) 126, 1000/1-9.5, 800/53, 600/40 Caught the eye. Always Bullish (Sreekant) 1-28.5, 1000/1-12.5, 800/57, 600/43.5 Pleased. Pedalo (Ravinder Singh) 1-23.5, 1000/1-8.5, 800/54, 600/40.5 Impressed. Tintinnabulation (Ravinder Singh) 127, 1000/1-9.5, 800/53, 600/39.5 A good display. Snow Bird (Dileep) Handsome Hunk (app) 1-28.5, 1000/1-12, 800/56, 600/42 Former finished in front. Kuchipudi (rb) 127, 1000/1-10.5, 800/55.5, 600/41 Speedy. Ashwa Shakti (app) 1-26, 1000/1-12, 800/59, 600/46.5 Unextended. Vijays Champ (Laxman) 1-27, 1000/1-11, 800/56.5, 600/43.5 Maintains form. Ashoka Chakra (Ravinder Singh) Crown Crystal (Imran Khan) 1-28, 1000/113, 800/55, 600/42 Former finished in front. Sand Track 1600 Metres: Kohinoor Wish (rb) 1-56.5, 1400/140, 1200/1-24, 1000/1-9, 800/54.5, 600/41 Impressed.

League Cricket A 2 & 3 Division Two Days Charminar CC 266 (Md Muzzamil Ahmed 42,Ravi Chandra 39,Anwar 36,Banu Prakash Naik 35,K Sainadh 3 for 93,K Nagaraju Yadav 4 for 38) vs Goud XI 64 for 3 Sayi Satya 180 (Rakesh Kumar 51,Shiva Prasad 42,BA Amir 6 for 43) vs Ours 84 for 1 (Abdul Rehman 46 batting)

Moin-ud-Dowlah Cup from Sep 6

he all India Coromandel King Moin-ud-Dowlah Gold Cup invitational cricket tournament is all set to be conducted by the Hyderabad Cricket Association (HCA) from September 6 to 16. Eight teams would be participating in the tournament this year. The matches will be played for three days on a knock-out basis. The finals will be held from September 14-16. The teams: Hyderabad, HCA Presidents’ XI, Delhi and District Cricket Association, Service Sports Control Board, Tamil Nadu Cricket Association, Karnataka State Cricket Association, Kerala Cricket Association, Goa Cricket Association. The following are the details of the first round matches: HCA Vs. Kerala at RGICS, Uppal, HCA Presidents’ XI Vs. Karnataka at Gymkhana, Goa Vs. D.D.C.A at NFC, Tamil Nadu Vs. S.S.C.B AT AOC.

sports

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2012

PARALYMPIC GAMES

ITALIAN GP PREVIEW

World set for ‘Battle of the Blade Runners’ The favourite for the title currently held by South Africa’s Oscar Pistorius is Britain’s Jonnie Peacock. PHIL HAZLEWOOD LONDON: The eight fastest amputee sprinters line up on Thursday for the showpiece T44 100m final at the London Paralympics, amid predictions that all finallists could run under 11sec for the first time. The favourite for the title currently held by South Africa’s Oscar Pistorius (right) is Britain’s Jonnie Peacock, who earlier this year lowered the single below-the-knee leg amputee world record to 10.85sec. The 19-year-old fired a warning shot to his rivals on Thursday night, winning his heat and equalling the Paralympic record set eight years ago 11.08sec — then warned that he would run faster. “It was a bad (head) wind, a big wind: 1.6m/sec. I’ll be a bit quicker in the final,” he told reporters at a cold and blustery Olympic Stadium in London.

South Africa’s Pistorius was second-fastest after running a season’s best 11.18sec, with compatriot Arnu Fourie third quickest (11.29sec) followed by the United States’ Richard Browne (11.33sec) and team-

mate Blake Leeper (11.34sec). Jerome Singleton, silver medallist in Beijing, was slowest of the automatic qualifiers with 11.46sec. The two fastest loser spots went to Alan Oliveira of Brazil (11.56sec) and China’s Lui

Zhiming, whose 11.84sec was a new Asian record. Oliveira, 20, pulled off a shock victory over defending champion Pistorius in the 200m on Sunday but has played down his chances in the straight sprint, as has Pistorius.

PIETERSEN SAGA

‘We need to talk about Kevin’ Pietersen has been in England exile since being dropped following the second Test against his native South Africa in Leeds last month. JULIAN GUYER NOTTINGHAM: England captain Alastair Cook (right) has said the international future of Kevin Pietersen needs to be “resolved” in the next few weeks. Pietersen has been in England exile since being dropped following the second Test against his native South Africa in Leeds last month. Officials, already frustrated by rows over his desire to play less one-day cricket, were furious when it was revealed he’d

sent “provocative” texts to South African players — some allegedly critical of then captain Andrew Strauss. That meant the 32-year-old missed the final Test against the Proteas at Lord’s and the subsequent one-day series, which ended in a 2-2 draw with one no-result after the tourists’ seven-wicket win at Trent Bridge on Wednesday. Pietersen will also miss England’s defence of their World Twenty20 title in Sri

Lanka later this month, despite being man of the tournament when they won the 2010 edition in the Caribbean. Strauss announced his retirement last week, although he insisted his decision to quit wasn’t prompted by the latest row involving Pietersen, his predecessor as England skipper. Cook, already leading the one-day side, was named as the new Test captain. He now has a role in deciding Pietersen’s immediate international future.

Revived McLaren eyes Monza McLaren are coming off the back of two successive victories in Hungary and Belgium TIM COLLINGS MONZA: After two successive wins for Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button, the revived McLaren team will arrive in Monza confident they can brush aside internal tensions and continue their much-improved form in Sunday’s Italian Grand Prix. Both 2008 champion Hamilton and his 2009 successor and fellow-Briton Button enjoyed dominant weekends, taking pole position and then winning in supreme style at the Hungarian and Belgian races. Their combination of speed and all-round competitive performance left their rivals chasing shadows and should, according to technical director Paddy Lowe, continue on the highspeed classic circuit in the former royal park half an hour north of Milan. “Jenson’s set up in Belgium was not far off what we could run at Monza, so it is encouraging that the package worked so well — and a lot of the elements that we used there will carry over,” he said. “We were quick in Belgium and also in Hungary, which is a very specific circuit. We have seen such a lot of variability this year, so it makes us really think that we have strong underlying pace that we can translate in the next eight races.” Lowe’s optimism supported that of team chief Martin Whitmarsh who claimed that by becoming the first outfit this year to win successive races, McLaren have demonstrated that both of their drivers could yet mount a bid for the title. “Jenson certainly has performed well in the last few races, exceptionally well in Belgium,” said Whitmarsh. “There is no reason why he can’t be on a massive roll and score lots of points and lots of victories in the remainder of this season. “Likewise Lewis can as well. Our job is to give them the best possible car.”

sports

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2012

US OPEN

Berdych sends Federer packing The 17-time Grand Slam title winner was beaten 7-6 (7/1), 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 by sixth-seeded Berdych.

DAVE JAMES NEW YORK: Roger Federer saw his dream of becoming the first man in 87 years to win six US Opens destroyed by big-swinging Czech Tomas Berdych (above) Wednesday in the Swiss legend’s earliest New York defeat in nine years. The 17-time Grand Slam title winner, bidding to reach his 33rd Grand Slam semi-final and ninth in a row at the US Open, was

beaten 7-6 (7/1), 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 by sixth-seeded Berdych. “It couldn’t be better,” Berdych said. “There’s no better moment so far than this one.” It was Federer’s worst defeat at the tournament since losing to David Nalbandian in the fourth round in 2003. Berdych, who went into the quarter-final with a 4-11 record against the world number one, will now face British third seed

Andy Murray for a place in Sunday’s title match. “I’ll just try to bring something from today and try to add something a little more for my next match,” Berdych said. The 26-year-old Czech has reached the last four in New York for the first time while Saturday will be his first Grand Slam semi-final since he reached the Wimbledon final in 2010. That was the tournament where he also defeated Federer in the quarter-finals. In an extraordinary reversal of fortune, Wednesday’s clash was Berdych’s first appearance in a night match on the main stadium. Wimbledon champion Federer, by contrast, went into the tie with a perfect 21 wins in his night-time outings. There was no sign of the drama to come when Federer, who hadn’t played since Saturday as a result of Mardy Fish’s decision to withdraw from their fourth-round clash, broke to lead in the first game.

Sharapova, Serena advance Sharapova faces a Friday showdown against World No. 1 Azarenka who beat Sharapova 6-3, 6-0 in last January’s Australian Open final. JIM SLATER NEW YORK: Maria Sharapova (right) advanced to a grudgematch US Open semi-final against top seed Victoria Azarenka while Serena Williams booked a last-four berth for the fourth time in five years in overwhelming fashion. Russian third seed Sharapova reached the semi-finals for the first time since her 2006 US Open title run by rallying to defeat French 11th seed Marion Bartoli 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 in a match that began on Tuesday but was halted by

rain. Sharapova, who improved to 12-0 in three-set matches this year, faces a Friday showdown

against World No. 1 Azarenka who beat Sharapova 6-3, 6-0 in last January’s Australian Open final. “Tough challenge,” Sharapova said. “She beat me in Australia quite easily and I would love to get my revenge at a Grand Slam.” US fourth seed Serena Williams, a 14-time Grand Slam champion seeking her fourth crown on the Flushing Meadows hardcourts, routed Serbian 12th seed Ana Ivanovic in a commanding performance.

Hello Andy, goodbye Andy Roddick bids tearful farewell as Murray beats Cilic to set date with Berdych.

DAVE JAMES NEW YORK: Tearful Andy Roddick (above) said goodbye to the US Open, New York and his career on Wednesday in an emotional Flushing Meadows fourthround defeat to Argentina’s Juan Martin Del Potro. The 30-year-old, the last American man to win a Grand Slam event when he claimed the US Open in 2003, had already said this would be the last tournament of a 12-year career which yielded 32 titles and $20 million in prize money.

It also brought him the world number one spot as well as three heartbreaking Wimbledon runner-up finishes, before his prospects of a permanent place at the top table were swept away by Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic. “I’ve loved every minute of it — for the first time in my career I’m not sure what to say,” said Roddick, who was in tears — as was model wife Brooklyn — as he addressed the crowd after his 6-7 (7/1), 7-6 (7/4), 6-2, 6-4 loss. “I appreciate your support along the way. I know I certainly haven’t made it easy for you at times.” Seventh-seeded Del Potro, the champion in 2009, booked a Thursday quarterfinal date with defending champion Novak Djokovic. British third seed Andy Murray (left) reached a second successive US Open semi-final after Croatia’s Marin Cilic squandered a set and 5-1 lead to lose their quarter-final 3-6, 7-6 (7/4), 62, 6-0. Murray won 15 of the last 18 games and goes on to face Czech sixth seed Tomas Berdych for a place in Sunday’s final.

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2012

sports

SOUTH AFRICA BEAT ENGLAND TO DRAW ODI SERIES

South Africa won the fifth and final ODI against England by seven wickets to end the series all square at 2-2. South Africa, set 183 for victory, collapsed to 14 for three before an unbroken stand of 172 between man-ofthe-series Hashim Amla (97*) and AB de Villiers (75*) saw them home.

ROAD TO BRAZIL 2014

England take on Molodva Hodgson’s side start on the road to Brazil with a trip to face the unheralded Moldovans and are widely expected to cruise to victory. CHISINAU: England manager Roy Hodgson has warned his players not to underestimate minnows Moldova in Friday’s opening World Cup qualifier. Hodgson’s side start on the road to Brazil with a trip to face the unheralded Moldovans in Chisinau’s Zimbru Stadium and are widely expected to cruise to victory. Moldova’s last match ended in a 0-0 draw with Albania so it is hardly surprising England are heavy favourites, but Hodgson believes it is potentially fatal to take any team for granted at international level, especially when his own preparations for the Group H fixture have been disrupted by a string of injuries. Hodgson will be without Wayne Rooney, Andy Carroll, Ashley Cole and Adam Johnson and he has been quick to hammer home the message that his squad must guard against complacency. “I know that outside of our little group who are preparing for the game, there will be a lot of thought that Moldova are not very special, not very strong, but we certainly don’t go into the game with that thought at

France hopes to unite Since replacing Blanc, Deschamps has had to deal with gaping wounds. HELSINKI: After two months largely spent swatting away questions concerning player behaviour, new France coach Didier Deschamps confronts his first competitive game as coach when Les Bleus face Finland. France have been drawn in Group I Spain; France; Belarus; Georgia; Finland five-team Group I in the 2014 World Cup qualifiers along with Spain, Georgia, Belarus and the Finns and, with only one automatic qualification place available for Brazil, Deschamps has enough to worry about.

Group H England; Montenegro; Ukraine; Poland; Moldova; San Marino

England defender Gary Cahill speaks during a press conference near Watford in Hertfordshire north of London. AFP/CARL COURT

all,” Hodgson said. “We go into the game knowing they had a draw and a nar-

row defeat against Holland in the last qualifying campaign. “If we are not aware of the

fact that this is a major hurdle of the 10 hurdles we have to jump over then we would be very, very foolish. “And, certainly, my message to the players is that I don’t care if they are called Moldova. As far as I’m concerned, they could be called Brazil and we have to produce a performance to win us the game. “And if it turns out that perhaps they are not that good after all then I will be very happy.” While Hodgson would probably settle for any kind of win as he looks to put England on track for the 2014 World Cup, he could do with delivering an eye-catching performance as well. Hodgson enjoyed something of a honeymoon period in Poland and Ukraine, avoiding criticism even though England played most of their four matches with an ultra-negative approach that led to some tedious encounters.

Germany head to the islands to prove point With Joachim Loew’s contract due to expire after Brazil 2014, this could be his last chance for a major title. RYLAND JAMES BERLIN: Germany will look to put their Euro 2012 disappointment behind them when they start their World Cup qualifying campaign against minnows the Faroe Islands in Hanover on Friday. Joachim Loew’s side had their dreams of winning the European Championship title dashed when they lost to Italy in the semi-final in Warsaw and, with the coach’s contract due to expire after Brazil 2014, this could be his last chance for a major title. Ranked 154th in the world according to FIFA’s rankings --

Group C Germany; Sweden; Republic of Ireland; Austria; Faroe Islands; Kazakhstan

Oliver Bierhoff, team manager of the German national football team, addresses a press conference.

Germany are second -- the Faroe Islands are bidding for a monumental upset while the Germans want a dominant start to take control of Group C. Loew’s side face Austria in Vienna next Tuesday in their second qualifier and, with Sweden and the Republic of Ireland to come next month, Loew wants to see proof of his side’s hunger for success.

Dark horses face Bulgaria challenge Italy stunned observers by making it to the final of Euro 2012. JUSTIN DAVIS ROME: Italy coach Cesare Prandelli insists his side’s “great” campaign at Euro 2012 will count for nothing as the Azzurri take a first step towards the 2014 World Cup in Bulgaria on Friday. Italy were expected by many to struggle at this summer’s European Championship following the huge fall-out from the Calcioscommesse match-fixing affair. But despite that burden, and their poor form going into the tournament co-hosted by Poland and Ukraine, Italy stunned observers by making it to the final where they ultimately fell to a superior Spain side. Prandelli was appointed shortly after Italy’s group-stage Group B Italy; Denmark; Czech Republic; Bulgaria; Armenia; Malta exit from the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, which came four years after their triumph at the 2006 edition in Germany. And having been drawn in Group B with Bulgaria, Denmark, Malta, Armenia and the Czech Republic, his intentions are crystal clear. “We are Italy and although I respect all the other teams in our group we will obviously be aiming for first place,” he said after the World Cup draw. Barely five weeks after a crushing 4-0 defeat to Spain and only two weeks into a season which has deprived him of at least two key players in Mario Balotelli and Antonio Cassano, Prandelli is less bullish. “We are not at the European Championship, where I saw flashes of quality in the side: in three days we get back to business against Bulgaria,” he said. While AC Milan striker Giampaolo Pazzini has been included in the squad following a hat-trick last weekend against Bologna, Inter marksman Cassano has been left on the sidelines.