Postnoon E-Paper for 07 June 2012

Hyderabad’s first compact afternoon newspaper

THURSDAY, JUNE 7, 2012 HYDERABAD

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WEATHER: CLEAR WITH CLOUDY SPELLS; 33°C

32 PAGES

`2

EE E FRSID IN P16&17

EURO 2012 WALL CHART

After State Cabinet minister K Pardhasarathi paid `4.5 lakh of his own money to ensure safe return of the Christian pilgrims stranded in Cairo, the spotlight has now turned on the travel agency, who, the pilgrims allege, duped them.

GIVING CHILDHOOD A SECOND CHANCE Children cleaning restaurant tables or delivering groceries are a common sight that most of us choose to ignore. But we can initiate change and keep them from walking a dangerous tightrope.

P6

POWER TO THE PEOPLE READY FOR MONSOON SHOCK?

ANGRY NATIVES RETURN REPORT ON PG 3

Residents of many areas in the City are at risk due to unsafe electrical connections.

Authorities claim that necessary precautions P4 have been taken.

Page Two

THURSDAY, JUNE 7, 2012

Spirit of Twin Cities

GRACE AND POISE

Library summer camp

When: Ongoing, 10am onwards Contact: (040) 4914 1234

A library summer camp for parents and faculty of UG and PG students will be held from May 10 onwards.

The camp will provide guidance for faculty and final year PG students for National/State lectureship and scholarship test(NET/APSET) for `3,650.

Where: Hyderabad library services, Sagar View Complex When: May 10 - June 10, Contact: (040) 2322 2247, 94412 37751

Madhubani workshop The YMCA Secunderabad is hosting a madhubani painting workshop.

The workshop is being felicitated by an artist from Madhubani. A part of the fees earned through the workshop will be used to train underprivileged women in madhubhani painting.

Where: YMCA Secunderabad, West Marredpally When: June 18-June 29 Contact: 98490 07736, 99595 57183

Mehraj live Catch Mehraj performing live at Hard Rock Cafe on June 9. The band is popular for it’s experimental music.

Where: Hard Rock Cafe, Banjara Hills, Rd No 1 When: June 9, 9pm onwards Contact: (040) 6463 6375

Summer camp Annapurna International School of Film and Media will be holding a Summer Camp program in filmmaking, acting and photography.

The second batch is from May 28.

Where: Annapurna School, Banjara Hills When: Ongoing

Abstract landscapes

Budding entrepreneurs

A painting exhibition by artist Bhaskar Rao B titled A leaflet and a drop will be on display at Iconart Gallery. A preview for the exhibition was held on June 6 and will be on display till June 20.

Where: Iconart Gallery, Banjara Hills, Rd No 12 When: Ongoing, 11am onwards Contact: 98499 68797

A unique management and entrepreneurial workshop for students of age group 11-17, at ISB Hyderabad from June 4 to June 9.

Where: Indian School of Business, Gachibowli When: June 4-June 9, 9am onwards Contact: 98665 61690

Theatre workshop Samahaara is hosting special four week summer acting workshops. The workshops will be held for a duration of four weeks in three different parts of the City.

Where: Vidyaranya School, The Terrace, The Actor’s Studio When: Ongoing Contact: 83411 20303

Solo show Artist Srikanth Babu will display his paintings which consists of buddhist motifs and religious themes.

Where: Beyond Coffee, Jubilee Hills, Rd No 36 When: Ongoing, 7am-11pm Contact: (040) 2354 5359

The master of arts An exhibition and sale of original lithographic prints by artists like Rabindranath Tagore, Eshwar Das Gupta, Somnat Hore, KG Subramanyam and K Laxma Goud called The Master of Arts is on.

Where: Arts Heaven Art Gallery, Lakdikapul When: Ongoing, 11am onwards Contact: 99495 71031

YVES V live YVES V will perform live at Cuba Libre. The opening acts for the event will be by DJ Mahesh and MidNight Traffic.

Where: Cuba Libre, Banjara Hills, When: June 9.

CINEMAS

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Cadent slaves A Bharatnatyam dancer performs at Rabindra Bharati

8.30pm onwards Contact: (040) 6776 7114

Graffiti workshop Love graffiti? Then this workshop is for you. learn to draw different fonts and give them a 3D effect.

Also learn to use spray cans for making graffiti on walls.

Where: Treasure House, Jubilee Hills, Rd No 63 When: Ongoing, 10 am onwards Contact: (040) 2355 0118

Vision of blue gold Vision of blue gold, an exhibition of paintings by Pranay will be on dis-

DEEPAK DESHPANDE

play at Muse Art Gallery.The exhibition is on from June 9.

Where: Muse Art Gallery, Lower Tank Bund When: June 9 onwards, 6.30pm onwards Contact: (040) 2752 2999

Artistic exhibits On a look out for traditional prints and crafts? Head to an exhibitional of traditional handicrafts and artistic handlooms of Gujarat which has around 10 tribal craftsmen and 10 other artisans from Gujarat.

Where: West Marredpally community grounds, Marredpally

Catch the Cadent Slaves performing live their unique smphonies at Inorbit mall son June 8 from 7.30pm onwards. This event is a part of the Live at Inorbit end.

Where: Inorbit mall, Madhapur When: June 8, 7.30pm onwards

Buy art Iconart Art Gallery as a part of its Buy Art initiative is hosting an exhibition featuring abstract art, sculptures and paintings.

Where: Iconart Gallery, Banjara Hills, Rd No 12 When: Ongoing, 11.30am onwards Contact: 98499 68797

Big Cinemas, Ameerpet: 30581470; Cinemax, Banjara Hills: 44565555; Cine Planet , Kompally: 61606060; INOX, Banjara Hills: 447677770; Prasads, Tank Bund Rd: 23448888; PVR, Punjagutta: 08800900009; Talkie Town, Miyapur: 40214175; Tivoli, Secunderabad: 27844973

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Minister turns pilgrims’ saviour Jaipal Reddy’s home

PROTEST

Pilgrims protest

Inkeshaf Ahmed ahmed.m@postnoon.com

T

he Christian pilgrims from Andhra Pradesh, who were duped by City-based travel agency Holy Land Tours and Travels, finally reached Hyderabad this morning from New Delhi. The officials of the State government arranged a special bogey in the Secunderabad-bound Dakshin Express free of cost to shift the pilgrims to Hyderabad.

Apart from this, the officials arranged for food for the victims, who were duped to the tune of `75,000 each by the travel agency. Earlier this week, Postnoon broke the news of these pilgrims being stranded in Cairo. Immediately after this news broke, the State government sprang into action to rescue them.

Minister lends help When the news of stranded pilgrims reached minister for intermediate and secondary

education K Pardhasarathi, he immediately directed the officials concerned to take steps to rescue the pilgrims. When the minister came to know that the pilgrims did not have any money to return to India, he did not wait for the government’s help. Acting on humanitarian ground, Pardhasarathi gave `4.5 lakh from his own pocket and arranged for tickets for the pilgrims’ return to India. Speaking on the issue from Tirupathi this

morning, Pardhasarathi said, “I was moved by the plight of the pilgrims. When they sought monetary help I immediately gave them `4.5 lakh to them and arranged tickets for their return,” he said. The minister further said that if he had waited for the government’s aid, the pilgrims could not have reached the country at the earliest. When the pilgrims reached Delhi they were offered shelter at union petroleum minister S

Meanwhile, the pilgrims staged a dharna at Gopalpuram police station after reaching Hyderabad. They demanded stringent action against the travel agency that duped them.

They also demanded that the police ensure that their money is recovered. Gopalpuram ACP PV Muralidhar Rao confirmed the news of the dharna and said that they had booked a case against the travel agency and were investigating. He also assured that they would nab the accused very soon. The pilgrims called off their dharna following the police assurance. On the other hand, minister Pardhasarathi also informed Postnoon, that he had spoken to police commissioner Anurag Sharma and directed him to take stringent action.

The pilgrims embarked upon the pilgrimage of three countries — Egypt, Jordan and Israel including Jerusalem on May 28. Most of these pilgrims belong to Kurnool, Warangal, Nalgonda, Nellore and Krishna districts.

3

CRIME BRIEFS One injured in drunken brawl in Marredpally

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28-year-old man was injured in a drunken brawl in East Marredpally on Tuesday night. According to the police, Neeraj had gone to a local wine shop to buy some alcohol when another man came in his path and pushed him in an inebriated condition. Irked by this, Neeraj got into an argument with the man. Soon four other people, the drunk man’s associates, reached the spot and they together beat up Neeraj who sustained injuries. The victim was shifted to a nearby hospital where he is currently undergoing treatment.

Meanwhile the Marredpally police has booked a case and investigations are on.

Woman robbed of gold chain worth `90,000

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50-year-old lady was robbed of her gold chain when she was travelling by an RTC bus on Wednesday night.

According to the police, Rajalaxmi, who runs a tea stall, had taken a bus to go back home on Wednesday, when four other women accosted her. They cunningly diverted her attention and relieved her of her gold mangalsutra worth `90,000.

Rajalaxmi realised that her chain was missing when she reached Shyamlal building and immediately lodged a complaint with the Begumpet police. The police are investigating the case.

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Ready for monsoon shock?

Residents of many areas in the City are at risk due to unsafe electrical connections. Authorities claim that the necessary precautions have been taken SRINIVAS SETTY

Rahul Ramakrishna rahul.r@postnoon.com

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owering the City brings with it various kinds of problems for the residents. One of the most important issues that needs to be looked into is safety. Slums in Hyderabad have forever been riddled with unsafe electrical connections whose dangers are further increased during the monsoons.

According to the CPDCL annual report, 628 deaths took place during 2010-11 due to electric shocks and 128 deaths have been reported during 2011-12.

With the onset of the monsoons, the situation is only going to get worse even as

POWER TO THE PEOPLE authorities at the APGenco claim that repair works and safety precautions of electric wiring in the monsoons have begun.

The slums of Mohammadiya Nagar in Begumpet, BS Makhtha in Somajiugda, Chintal basti in Khairtabad and other crowded parts of the City have been witnesses to incidents where electric shocks caused death or severe injury.

Shekhar, a resident at Somajiguda says, “During the rains, the drains overflow and it is difficult to walk on the roads.

We are never sure of the electric wiring as it is haphazard and dangerous. Loose ends of wires keep dangling from electric pillars and we never know which one is a live wire or not.”

Torn insulation, no space clearance between roads and

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WIRED

M

ost deaths occur in slums and crowded areas where electric poles and wires are used for domestic purposes.

Power pilferage and unlicensed repairing of the electric wires to suit the residents needs are often the prime suspects.

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Contractors working for DISCOM’s do not follow the set norms while installing power cables and poles. Sub standard conductors that often snap are a common cause for incidents of short circuits and electric shocks.

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electric poles, mismanaged circuit connections with wires dangling at odd places, these are the recipe for a perfect disaster.

This scenario is not confined to just the lanes and bylanes of slums or residential areas. The main roads in the City too sport an occasional electric pole with open transformers and free dangling cables.

More dangerous than the rest are high tension live-wires running above makeshift houses, pavements and even business establishments.

Chenna Reddy, chief of transmission at APCPDCL says, “We begin repair works and maintenance for every monsoon two months in advance.

Alternatives like underground cable laying have been taken up but that is fraught with the legal issues of clearing road space.

However, we try to fix and insulate errant live wires and reroute them when they are found passing above households or dangling in the open.”

K Suresh Kumar, chief engineer of the electrical wing says, “We have rerouted and repaired electric wires in almost every area of the City. In places where we found the need for repair work, we have covered them up and provided insulation. We are hoping that this is going to be a safe monsoon.”

However, a reality check revealed that a considerable number of electric poles in the City lack maintanence.

Areas like Nallakunta, Tilak Nagar, Barkatpura and Narayanguda were found to have electric wiring exposed dangerously.

In public spaces such as theatres, traffic junctions and bus stops, uninsulated wires, open transformers are ever present, inviting the unsuspecting citizen to their death.

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OU students blame T stir for poor show TSS Siddharth feedback@postnoon.com

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smania University announced the results for BA, B.Com and B.Sc degree examinations on Wednesday morning.

Unfortunately the figures painted a very bleak picture as only 42.87 per cent of the students who appeared for the examinations cleared the exams.

Students seem to be baffled by the results as these results affect their scope for placements. What seems to be the cause for such a debacle, is the answer everyone is trying to figure out. Why is there a decline in the pass percentage? This question applies not only for colleges as recently our City saw a decline in pass percentage when it came to the Class X SSC examinations too.

The only explanation that one can offer seems to be the Telangana agitations, which had until previously brought the whole City to a twomonth stand still.

Students complain saying that those two months were crucial because the most important part of their portion was to be covered at that point in time. But due to bandhs, they lost out.”

Manikata Chintala, a student of Badruka Degree College, agrees and justifies the above statement. “The bandhs have affected our results in a negative way. We couldn't finish the syllabus of any of the subjects. If everything was normal, I’m sure the pass percentage would have been better,” he said.

If politics and other external factors seem to venture and hamper the students lives and results, what about the placements?

Taking about the results and the placement scenario, the placement head of St Mary’s said, “40 per cent is very bad if it was a matter of one or two subjects we could have still tried to persuade the company to take the student. But with such abysmal results in the exams it will be difficult to convince a company to come to colleges itself.”

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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

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

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Macherla, a tough cookie Inkeshaf Ahmed ahmed.m@postnoon.com

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he people of Tamil Nadu are considered to be the most politically sensitive lot when it comes to casting their votes. If we look at the history of Tamil Nadu politics, neither the M Karunanidhi led DMK nor the Jayalalitha led AIADMK could retain power since 1989. Every time the elections are held, the people of Tamil Nadu preferred a change of guard instead of giving a chance to the incumbent political party. This has resulted in a constant change of guards and power shifted from DMK to AIADMK and vice versa.

The people of Macherla assembly constituency in Guntur district followed a similar tradition, albeit in a different manner. Each time they voted since 1952, when the first assembly election was held, they voted for a different candidate of different political parties. No sitting MLA was given a second term by the voters of this constituency,

which is grabbing eyeballs again as Macherla is going to polls once again this month. The versatile nature of the voters of this constituency has made them popular across the State.

Being a city with a 1000 year old history, it is known as the city that triumphed over Gurajal rulers during the famous ‘Palnati Yuddham’ (battle of Palnadu) that took place between 1176AD-1182AD. This time around a similar battle is expected to be witnessed in the ballot war. The seat fell vacant following sitting MLA P Rama Krishna Reddy changing his loyalty to YSRC and led to the conduct of bypolls. Reddy is contesting on a YSRC ticket in this election. And to give a tough fight to the YSRC leader, the ruling Congress fielded P Lakshma Reddy, Rama Krishna’s uncle, who is also a former MLA. Lakshma Reddy won the seat in the 2004 assembly election.

During the 2009 general elections he paved the way for the entry of his nephew. The contest of close relatives from this seat

ON THE

A change of guard is mandatory for the people of this constituency

CAMPAIGN

TRAIL

turned the entire poll battle into exciting one. Political analysts are saying that the election in this constituency will provide a lot of entertainment for the voters.

On the other hand, the TDP fielded Ch Madhu Babu, a

GHMC expands fleet Postnoon News

CBI questions Ponnala on Jagan S

tate IT minister Ponnala Lakshmaiah today appeared before the CBI in connection with a case pertaining to alleged illegal assets involving YSR Congress president Jagan Mohan Reddy. The CBI is likely to examine him over GOs, issued during 2004-09 by the irrigation department, when he was the irrigation minister, on supply of water from river Krishna and Kagina to some cement firms, which in turn allegedly made investments in Jaganowned businesses. mqf

feedback@postnoon.com

T

roubled by the frequent breakdowns of old vehicles in the middle of the road while transporting garbage, the GHMC has decided to procure 101 new vehicles. The process of buying the new vehicle has already begun following an approval by the standing committee of the civic body.

The health and sanitation officials of the corporation invited tenders to procure these vehicles at the earliest. The new fleet consists of 24 25-tonne vehicles, 26 dumper placers, 40.6-tonne vehicles and 10 bobcats. “We have invited tenders. The main objective behind procuring these vehicles is to accommodate our growing requirements for transportation of garbage. The new vehicles will be exclusively for garbage collection, transportation and dumping processes. We are trying to complete the tendering process at the earliest to procure these vehicles,” GHMC additional commissioner (health and sanitation) L Vandan

STATISTICS 25-tonne vehiclesDumper placers6-tonne vehiclesBobcats-

24 26 40 10

Kumar told Postnoon.

Apart from this, the standing committee of the corporation gave its green signal to engage vehicles from private contractors.

As a result, the officials have decided to purchase 143 vehicles from private contractors on an outsourcing basis. These vehicles include 67 new dumper vehicles, 42 6tonne vehicles, 24 5-tonne and 10 skid steer loaders.

“The purchase of these vehicles will be adequate

Kamma community leader to improve its chances of victory.

Apart from the Kamma community vote bank the party is expecting backward classes to cast their votes for them to beat the uncle-nephew duo from the Congress and YSRC respectively.

The party believes that division of votes among its rivals will increase its prospects apart from the versatile nature of the voters.

“I think I have a fair chance of winning this seat as the voters always provide an opportunity to a new candidate,” TDP candidate Madhu Babu said. For YSRC candidate Rama Krishna Reddy, the fielding of his uncle by the ruling Congress is a worrying factor as he is likely to cut through his vote bank. However, he expresses confidence that the arrest of his leader Jagan Mohan Reddy will bring him votes. “The Congress government has launched a vendetta politics against Jagan. People of the State are keenly watching it.

They will teach a lesson to the ruling Congress during the bypoll,” he said.

to meet our present requirements,” Kumar added.

He however, refused to reveal the total expenditure being incurred by the corporation by citing that the tender process was on.

But according to preliminary estimates prepared by the corporation suggest that the corporation is spending about `8 crore for the purchase.

Presently, the civic body collects and transport about 3,800 metric tonnes of garbage every day from various areas in corporation limits. The collected garbage is dumped at Jawaharnagar dump yard located in Ranga Reddy district.

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Standing committee elections under way Postnoon News feedback@postnoon.com

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he standing committee elections of the GHMC began in a peaceful manner. But the opposition corporators have boycotted the elections.

Hyderabad mayor Mohd Majid Hussain began the poll by casting his vote. A total of 19 candidates are in the fray from Congress, MIM and TDP parties. While the ruling Congress party has officially fielded eight corporators for the election, its alliance partner the MIM fielded seven corporators for the prestigious elections, that are held every year. Two other Congress corporators, defying the party, are also contesting the elections. The main opposition TDP has fielded two of its corporators, hoping they will win. The counting of votes will begin immediately after voting is over and results will be declared.

Fear of cross voting The fear of cross voting is haunting the ruling combine of Congress and MIM as the elections are being held by secret ballot. The two parties fear that the two rebel corporators from Congress might cut into their votes by taking advantage of internal differences among corporators. On the other hand, the main opposition TDP seems to be encouraging cross voting to ensure the victory of its corporators. It is learnt that TDP floor leaders held meetings with some Congress corporators seeking their help.

During the last election, the ruling combine of Congress and MIM won one seat, while an independent corporator and associate member of Congress party D Rambabu from Barkatpura won the seat with the support of the Congress and other parties.

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6

Giving childhood a second chance Children cleaning restaurant tables or delivering groceries are a common sight that most of us choose to ignore. But we can initiate change and keep them from walking a dangerous tightrope N SHIVA KUMAR

PIC FOR REPRESENTATION PURPOSE ONLY

Sudeshna Koka sudeshna.k@postnoon.com

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ittle did Parvathi know that when she was brought from Srikakulam to Hyderabad her life would be this miserable. She was appointed as a domestic help where she was brutally exploited and was barely paid. Unable to bare the harassment, she ran away. She had no other place apart from the footpath. Faced with such hardships, she had almost given up on life, when a few students from St Joseph’s College spotted her. Taking pity at her plight, they called the 1098 child line and Parvathi was shifted to a children’s home.

Parvathi’s is not a lone case.

This is the ground reality for millions of children below the age of 16 who are forced to work. One of the worst forms of exploitation is child labour and India has the largest number of child labourers in the world. These children have to work for long hours and are often physically abused and paid much less than what they deserve.

In a day, how often do we see

a child clean a restaurant table, or see a child taking care of another child at a mall? A child serving us water or delivering vegetables from the local grocery store does not surprise us anymore. This is the present day condition of our society, where employing a child to help us with daily chores is a regular affair. This is the unseen crime taking place in cities. With growing urbanisation, domestic labour is also increasing.

According to the Child Labour Act, any child working below the age of 14 is a crime.

This however, is often ignored, especially when a child is employed domestically.

“We have statistics, but how authentic is it? When the child labour statistics is counted, they only cover the slums and forget the urban area. It’s highly impossible to tell how many children are employed at various places.

From my experience, it is the cities where the maximum exploitation of children takes

place and it’s very difficult to spot them as most of it is not visible form of child labour,” says Isidore Phillips, director, Divya Disha.

Activists in the City believe that the more educated people are, the better are the reasons to justify child labour. “We carry out rescue operations and bring children out of these homes where they are exploited. But the owner comes up with excuses, fake birth certificates, and uses influence to take the child back home. All our efforts go in vain,” complains A Venkateshwaralu, head projects, Divya Disha.

But none of these are new. We see all of this in our daily lives and have gotten immune to it.

Nobody reacts to these atrocitites, we just turn a blind eye.

However, most of us are not even aware that we can help rescue these children by calling the child line 1098. This child line is a 24 hour free emergency service for children in need of care and protection. It is a project undertaken

MOST OF US ARE NOT EVEN AWARE THAT WE CAN HELP RESCUE THESE CHILDREN, WHO ARE FORCED TO WORK,

BY CALLING THE CHILD LINE 1098. THIS CHILD LINE IS A 24-HOUR FREE EMERGENCY SERVICE FOR CHILDREN IN NEED OF CARE AND PROTECTION.

by the ministry of women and child development in partnership with the State government, NGOs, academic institutions, UNICEF and corporates. All we need to do is report the abuse when we see it.

This proactive group has 12 volunteers, who are based at the Basheerbagh police station. They work round the clock taking phone calls.

“One Saturday evening, I was at home and I suddenly found a group of six children picking up scrap. I asked them where they came from and whether they go to school. They got scared and were trying to run away. Then I changed my method and approached them with sensitivity. I called them home, gave them food. I realised that they were walking barefoot in the hot sun so I bought them footwear. Then when I asked what they did for a living, they said that they collected plastic and sold it to their head,” said Vishal Arya, an employee of Prosoft.

“I was shocked that such young children had to earn their own money. At an age when they should be studying and enjoying their childhood, they are toiling in the sun. I called 1098 and within a few hours, a rescue team came and I was told that these children would be taken care of.

If not sponsoring all these children, I did my duty of having

them rescued,” added Vishal.

The child line has been active for the last 15 years and is working as a catalyst to support child protection and helping street children get a better life. The help line is a flicker of hope for millions who are victims of the cheap labour lobbying business.

Each day as many as 200 to 250 calls are recorded, of which three to four are information calls about any child criminal activity.

Over the last one year 1,001 children were sent to transit homes where they are counseled and educated. This perhaps is the best option, considering the condition of down trodden children in our country.

Undoubtedly the society has let the children down. It took 60 years for the government to realise that education is every child’s right. We have lost 60 generations who could have studied.

But nevertheless, now it’s time we put children first. It’s time we taught these children.

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7

Fish killed, so that we can live RIGHTS Anubha K Singh anubha.k@postnoon.com

T

he fish prasadam is again in news for all the wrong reasons. Since the beginning, the authenticity of the prasadam has been questioned by the professionals in the medical field as well as the NGOs in the City.

But this time it’s not just the scientific value of the medicine, but many in the City are also opposing the use of murrel fingerlings. The fingerlings are the main ingredients of the prasadam. The Bathini Goud Brothers stuff the mouth of fish with herbal medicine and then put the fish into the mouth of an individual suffering from asthma. But not many of us know that every year in the process of transporting this fish from one place to another place only fifty per cent survive.

“Murrel fish are not rare, but that does not mean that we can misuse it. Every year, these fishes are transported from Adilabad, Khammam, Karimnagar, Mahbubnagar, Medak, Nalgonda, Nizamabad, Rangareddy, and Warangal districts. They are found in irrigation tanks in the region. The fingerlings gets habituated to the same climate and water conditions.

When they are suddenly transported to other areas, where climatic

conditions are different, they die.

Many a times, they die because of the lack of precautions taken by the fisheries department while transporting them,” said Manish Agarwal, chief executive officer, Bharatiya Prani Mitra Sangh, an NGO working for animal welfare.

To stop the cruelty, Bharatiya Prani Mitra Sangh has been providing ayurvedic asthma medication to patients in Gandhi Gyan Mandir since 27 years. The medicine provided is vegetarian and is prepared with herbs which can be consumed with medicated water.

Even the officials from the fisheries department agree that there is high mortality rate in transporting the fingerlings. “Every year, we bring these fishes in large quantities as the mortality rate is high. Murrels are very sensitive and are easily affected by the change in climate.

Transporting them from one place to another is also tough. Only 40 to 50 per cent of the fishes reach Hyderabad. The rest die before reaching the spot,” said Srinivas, assistant director of the Andhra Pradesh Fisheries Department.

Jana Vignana Vedika (JVV) which works towards making people aware of the ill-effects of the prasadam, recently conducted a round table on Friday at Sundaraiah Vignana Kendram. Many doctors of ayurveda and allopathy participated. They requested the government to pull off support from the event.

M ANIL KUMAR

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irst came online booking, then the sleek styling of the website.

Soon after, kiosks were opened at major stations for people to get a quick ticket without having to wait in queues.

Then they introduced swipeand-go smart cards. The railways has constantly been technologically upgrading itself. The latest offering is the Multi-Modal Transport System (MMTS) train schedule application (app) on the Android OS for mobiles.

Gone are the days when you needed to buy a book of the MMTS trains schedule and browse through numerous pages. With just a touch of a button, information is readily available.

Once downloaded, this free app shows you the route, timings and fare of the trains, including the details of what stations it crosses.

With an excellent user-interface, this is indeed a helpful app, especially for regular commuters.

The app has three sections; the route, the stations route map, and

the MMTS feedback section. In the route section, one can enter the boarding point and destination, seek the timings, and click ‘Find Trains’. It immediately shows the routes, the arrival and departure timing, while the fare scrolls as a ticker at the bottom screen.

You can also bookmark your frequented route for easy accessibility

to the schedule.

In the stations route-map section, one can have a look at the three major routes. The third section gives you an opportunity to give a feedback directly to the MMTS authorities and receive any relevant information they may update.

For Rita Choudhry, who works in

an IT company in Hitec City this app is a great aid. “Instead of physically going to the station I can open the app from my phone and get all the information I need. This is a great boon for passengers like me,” she said.

Echoes Binoy J, a pharma sales executive, who uses the app to get the required MMTS information, “This is a amazing tool. You save time at the station and this app has all the information you need. It makes travelling in MMTS trains easy and smooth. The officials at the station aren’t always helpful. When you have this app, you don’t need them.”

“Perhaps the APSRTC should come up with an app of their own.

That will really help lakhs of customers,” suggests Rita.

THURSDAY, JUNE 7, 2012

The City in pictures

A D T U L O

AS

CL

Captured!

With reports of the monsoon reaching Kerala, all eyes in the City scan the skies in anticipation. With a harsh summer scorching the land and squeezing out every ounce of energy, the City can’t wait for the cooling showers.

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Matters of saving and spending

Data tariff wars to push growth Prudhvi Raju K prudhvi.k@postnoon.com

T

he intense price wars in the data tariff among the telcos are not only making the customers happy but also many segments of the industry which depend on mobile data.

The price war started off with Airtel by slashing the data prices up to 70 per cent 20 days ago, forced the other players like Idea, Vodafone, Reliance, and very recently Aircel to cut their 3G data tariffs.

However, Aircel went further ahead started offering unlimited data plans such as offering 1GB of 3G data at `198. The customer also does not need to worry about the huge bills with data usage as the bill caps at the package price further decreasing data speeds to 124 kbps.

Reduction of data plan tariffs and increase in data speeds not only help mobile industry to

increase volumes but will also enable the growth of segments like mobile gaming, mobile commerce and mobile health.

Added to this, the 3G phones are also becoming affordable to the middle class with ever decreasing prices.

The reduction of costs in data plans will further increase the usage of gaming services.

India is a price sensitive market; any technology could not take off simply by itself without making it affordable to the consumers.

Samsung vows US launch of Galaxy despite Apple suit SEOUL: South Korea’s Samsung Electronics vowed on Thursday to press ahead with the US launch of its newest smartphone this month, despite a fresh lawsuit filed by rival Apple seeking to block the cuttingedge model.

Apple has asked a court for the Northern District of California in San Jose to ban sales of the Galaxy S III on grounds of patent infringement, Samsung said. The two technology giants are battling for supremacy in the lucrative smartphone and

tablet market. They have launched dozens of legal actions alleging patent infringements against each other in 10 countries worldwide.

Two days of courtdirected peace talks between the chiefs of the two firms ended in San Francisco last month with no sign of a truce.

The Galaxy S III has so far been launched in 28 countries, mainly in Europe and the Middle East. It was being launched in China on Thursday, and will be available in 145 nations

by July.

AFP

Earlier 3G technologies were not so successful because of the expensive data plans. However, the new price cuts by operators will push the gaming market, said L Maruti Sanker, managing director, 7Seas Entertainment.

The speeds are also a concern while downloading applications.

Today, mobile games applications have huge file size as there are lot of features giving a customer thorough enjoyment.

The bigger file size with slow speeds causing a delay in download with 3G networks. However with effective 3G penetration and launch of 4G with unlimited plans at an effective price will spur the growth of gaming not only in mobile phones but also in tablets. This will enable the growth of gaming industry by volumes and will also create a winwin situation for content developers, content distributors and service providers, he said.

The mobile health industry is also set to grow with increase

in speeds and decrease in price tariff.

With the launch of 4G, there is a real possibility the doctor can virtually talk to the patient in real time. Patient can also upload his medical documents by clicking a photograph from his smart phone without the need of scanner in almost real time. The mobile health clinic will be a cheaper option to the customers in the ever increasing travel and medical expenses.

The 3G and 4G data speeds in cities along with 2G in towns and village will definitely increase the mobile health services penetration in the country, said Jayadeep Reedy S, MD and CEO, ehealthaccess.com.

The speeds will also enable the growth of e-commerce industry to grow in the country like in China. The mobile commerce is exponentially growing with the usage of smart phones and almost grown 200 fold in China in one year, he said.

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‘Pacific Alliance’ comes into existence CERRO PARANAL: Chile, Peru, Colombia and Mexico signed an accord Wednesday creating the Pacific Alliance to more deeply integrate their economies, and develop new trade links with the Asia-Pacific region.

“From the heights of Paranal, in the most arid desert in the world and under the clearest of skies, we have signed a pact officially giving birth to the Pacific Alliance,” Chilean President Sebastian Pinera said.

The creation of the Latin American bloc — with a total of 215 million consumers and a combined gross domestic product of more than $2 trillion — was proposed last year in Lima.

“In very little time, we have succeeded in moving forward rapidly,” said host Pinera, explaining that it would bring about a “deep integration” that will go “far beyond free trade and reach out to the Asia-Pacific region.”

AFP

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10

THURSDAY, JUNE 7, 2012

India unveiled

Asia-Pacific tops GHG emissions: UN

NEW DELHI: The Asia-Pacific area is the fastest growing source of greenhouse gas emissions globally and the region will contribute to around 40 per cent of global carbon emissions by 2015, according to a UN report released on Wednesday.

The fifth edition of the Global Environmental Outlook (GEO-5), launched ahead of the Rio+20 UN Summit on sustainable development, has assessed 90 of the most important environmental goals and found that significant progress had been made only in the case of four objectives.

The assessment was coordinated by the United Nations

Environment Programme (UNEP).

According to the report, rapid economic growth over the past 20 years, particularly in the larger economies in the Asia-Pacific region, has been accompanied by increasing emissions of greenhouse gases and degradation of natural capital.

“A business as usual scenario suggests that the region will contribute around 40 percent of global CO2 emissions by 2015,” the report says.

It also states that the world continued to speed down an unsustainable path despite over 500 internationally agreed goals and objectives for sustainable

management of the environment and improving human well being.

The goals include eliminating production and use of substances that deplete the ozone layer, removal of lead from fuel, increasing access to improved water supplies and boosting research to reduce pollution of the marine environment.

Some progress was shown in 40 goals, including in the expansion of protected areas such as National Parks, and in efforts to reduce deforestation. However, little or no progress was detected for 24 goals, including those of climate change, drought and desertification.

The report cautions that if humanity does not urgently change its ways, several critical thresholds may be exceeded, beyond which abrupt and generally irreversible changes to the lifesupport functions of the planet could occur.

“If current trends continue, if current patterns of production and consumption of natural resources prevail and cannot be reversed, then governments will preside over unprecedented levels of damage and degradation,” said UN Under-Secretary General and UNEP Executive Director, Achim Steiner.

IANS

A PICTURE IN CONTRAST

A homeless father and child take a nap as members of the Indian Pilots’ Guild participate in a silent protest march on the 30th day of their strike in Mumbai on Wednesday. The Indian government has said it will hire replacements after talks failed to make any headway late last month. AFP/ Indranil Mukherjee

Peacock threatened by drought, starvation in Maharashtra reserve

40 turtles seized in Odisha

BEED

Forest personnel have seized 40 live freshwater turtles near forest areas of Lunimathia village under Mahakalpada forest range in Odisha’s Kendrapara district.

The seizure was made while the reptiles, which were accorded protected status, were being smuggled out yesterday.

A similar seizure had taken place from Mahakalpada area three months back with the smuggler being arrested then by the forest officials.

The seizure has brought under sharp focus the commercial trade of these endangered animals. The number of freshwater turtle is sharply dwindling as these delicate species are being caught live and smuggled out mostly to major urban places of the state and Kolkata.

Freshwater turtles are accorded protected status and are bracketed as schedule-1 aquatic species under Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.

PTI

(MAHARASHTRA):

India’s national bird, the peacock, is under severe threat from nature’s vagaries at one of the largest peacock national parks in the country at Naigaon here.

The threat is not from its natural predators or humans, but from the extreme heat wave conditions in the Marathwada region, around 400 km east of Mumbai, that virtually suffocate and even kill the magnificent bird.

According to local conservationists, nearly 13 adult peafowl have reportedly perished this summer mainly because of starvation and water shortages in the Naigaon Peacock Sanctuary (NPS).

“A few years, or maybe a decade, ago, there were an estimated 10,000 peafowl flourishing here with sufficient food and water. However, in recent years, their numbers have sharply dwindled,” Mayur Mitra Mandal (MMM) president Shahid Syed

told IANS. MMM is engaged in providing voluntary services by taking drums of water to the park to help quench the thirst of peafowls, but it is restrained by lack of resources, Syed said.

However, a former Range

Forest Officer S.A. Bade dismissed the claims made by Syed and said that in May, just one peacock was found dead.

“Yes, there were a large number of peafowl here a few years ago, but the figure of 10,000 may be a bit exaggerated. Today, there

are nearly 3,500 peafowl in the sanctuary,” said Bade, who spent three years at NPS. Though admitting the dwindling numbers, Bade said this could be more due to migration to other greener pastures rather than deaths due to shortage of food and water or poaching.

Syed said that after conferring national park status on the Naigaon Peacock Sanctuary (NPS) in 1994, there was little or no follow-up action in the form of sanctioning funds for its development and upkeep.

This year, the summer has been particularly harsh on the peafowl with instances of birds gasping for water and being found in semi-conscious state.

The weak and dehydrated birds become easy prey for hyenas, wild cats, foxes and even humans who throng the 30-sq km NPS, spread across the Balaghat hills here, he said.

IANS

KENDRAPARA

(ODISHA):

India‑View

11

THURSDAY, JUNE 7, 2012

India unveiled

SC rejects Nupur Talwar’s petition NEW

DELHI:

The Supreme Court on Thursday rejected dentist Nupur Talwar’s petition seeking review of the earlier order that she and her husband Rajesh be tried for the murder of their daughter Aarushi and their domestic help Hemraj.

It also turned down the plea for further investigation in the case.

While Nupur Talwar is at the Dasna jail in Ghaziabad, her husband is out on bail.

An apex court bench of Justices AK Patnaik and JS Khehar said she could move a fresh petition contesting the Allahabad HC verdict

that had rejected her bail plea.

Aarushi, 14, was found murdered at her parents’ Noida residence May 16, 2008. The body of Hemraj was found the next day on the terrace of the house.

A CBI court has charged the Talwars under sections 302/34 (murder with common intention) and 201 (destruction of evidence with common intention) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). In addition to these, the court charged Rajesh Talwar under section 203 (giving false information respecting an offence committed) of IPC.

NATURE’S FURY

NEW DELHI: A fire broke out in two rooms of the finance ministry office at North Block here early Thursday. While no casualties have been reported, office records were lost in the blaze, officials said. Six fire-tenders were rushed to the spot and the fire was put out. According to the fire department, other than office records, computers and furniture were gutted in the fire.

CBI raids naval war room leaks accused NEW DELHI: The CBI today carried out searches at the premises of Naval war room leak case accused Abhishek Verma after registering a fresh case against him.

The agency teams carried out searches at 10 locations in Delhi and Gurgaon. They claimed that teams have collected some crucial information and documents.

People rush to safety after a storm over the Arabian Sea comes ashore at PTI Kannamaly in Kochi on Wednesday.

India ups SCO sales pitch BEIJING: India on Thursday pitched for a “larger and more constructive role” in the sixnation Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) as a full member and underlined that the grouping is “a promising alternative regional platform” to help stabilise Afghanistan.

“As we have emphasised at various SCO fora, India would be happy to play a larger, wider and more constructive role in the SCO as a full member, as and when the organisation finalises the expansion modalities,” external affairs minister SM Krishna said at the 12th SCO summit at the Great Hall of People here.

“We welcome the general trajectory of the SCO towards expansion and redefinition of its role. We feel a wider and more representative SCO will be able to deal more effectively with the common challenges of security and development in our region,” he said.

Underlining India’s proactive participation in multifarious SCO activities as an observer, Krishna said: “India, on its part, has been participating constructively at all SCO meetings open to the Observers.”

“By doing so, we have shown our strong willingness to be meaningfully associated with this grouping.”

Krishna stressed that India is already engaged with the SCO member states in areas such as information technology, management and entrepreneurship development.

“We will be happy to share with SCO countries our unique

NATION AT A GLANCE Fire in finance ministry office, no casualties

Chinese President Hu Jintao shakes hands with external affairs minister SM Krishna at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in Beijing on Thursday. AFP

I

ndia, along with Iran, Pakistan and Mongolia, currently enjoy the status of observer at the SCO. The SCO comprises Russia and China, the two regional giants and permanent members of the UN Security Council, and the energy-rich Central Asian states, including Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan.

experience in specific areas of economic endeavour, such as banking,capital markets, micro-finance, small and medi-

um enterprises.”

Given elaborate procedures and rigorous criteria, India’s admission into the SCO could take up to two years after the SCO members unanimously decide to open the doors for new members. India is now eyeing 2014 as the target for getting inside the SCO tent.

Alluding to India’s cooperation with Regional AntiTerrorism Structure (RATS), the SCO’s premier counter-terror body, Krishna also called for greater regional cooperation in

combating terrorism, a core focus of the SCO. “India is a long-standing victim of terrorism emanating from our region and believes that there is need for stronger resolve and firmer efforts in tackling this scourge,” he said.

Describing Afghanistan as the “most important security challenge” Krishna underscored that the SCO “provides a promising alternative regional platform to discuss the rapidly changing Afghan situation”.

“The economic development projects of the SCO can be a meaningful additional effort for Afghanistan’s reconstruction.”

The SCO’s future role in Afghanistan got an added boost with Afghanistan upgraded as an observer at the SCO summit.

India has pledged over $2 billion for reconstruction and developmental activities. “This is a reflection of our commitment to the prosperity of the Afghan people. We will be unwavering in our support to this cause,” he said.

The explosive mix of Islamist militant networks and narcotics trade in the region that directly impinges on the stability of Afghanistan is a major factor driving India’s desire to seek an upgrade in the SCO. Given the geographical contiguity of all SCO states with Afghanistan and their collective efforts to counter terrorism, the SCO could be an effective regional platform to stabilise Afghanistan in the run-up to the withdrawal of the US-led international coalition troops from that country.

IANS

Delhi police team nabs ‘wanted’ Maoist NEW DELHI: A 27-year-old suspected Maoist, wanted in several cases of murder and attack on police teams, was arrested in the capital, police said today. Shiv Kumar alias Shiva, who hails from Ranchi, was apprehended by Delhi Police’s Crime Branch from the city yesterday and a 9 mm pistol was recovered from him, a senior police official said.

Indian re-elected to UN sea body UNITED NATIONS: In a keenly contested election, India’s candidate S Rajan has been re-elected to the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf (CLCS) for a five-year term from 2012-17. With eight candidates in the fray for five seats in the Asia-Pacific group, Rajan was elected Wednesday in the first round obtaining 112 of the 161 valid votes cast.

Aus ministers to meet over coal mine stand-off MELBOURNE: The Queensland and Australian federal governments are all set to hold a crisis meeting today in Sydney to discuss the dispute over GVK Group’s $6.36-billion Alpha Coal mine project.

Queensland’s Deputy Premier Jeff Seeney and environment minister is expected to meet with federal environment minister Tony Burke today.

The tussle broke out after Burke halted the approval process for the joint venture, saying Queensland had failed to properly assess environmental risks.

The Queensland government insists it has carried out rigorous environmental assessments, and the federal government is holding up the project for political reasons.

PTI

Around the World

12

THURSDAY, JUNE 7, 2012

Beyond Borders

IN GRR...AVE DANGER

3 Hannibal Lecters arrested in Brazil Three Brazilians have been charged with murdering three women and eating their flesh as part of a cult in which they sought to purify their souls and control population growth, police said.

Bayu, a 28-day-old baby Sumatran tiger roars during feeding, at the Screet Zoo in Malang, on June 6, 2012. The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) estimates there are only 200 Sumatran tiger left in the wild, due to human encroachment and destruction of their natural habitat, such as the mass conversion of forests into palm oil plantations.

AFP/AMAN ROCHMAN

BRASILIA: Authorities on Tuesday brought the charges against the three — a married couple and a woman — accusing them of murdering three women between the ages of 17 and 31 between 2008 and 2012 in the northeast Pernambuco state.

“The accused admitted to consuming the flesh of their victims,” police spokesman Paulo Berenguer told reporters, adding that investigators were looking into whether they were involved in the deaths of four other people.

He added that the three suspects — who each face a maximum sentence of 30 years in jail — claimed to be part of a cult called “El Cartel” and said they had killed in order to rein in population growth. “Their modus operandi was to select victims with impure lives and approach them with offers of employment before killing them,” Berenguer said.

Mexico adopts 9 jumbo orphans PUEBLA, MEXICO: Nine young African elephants, orphaned when their parents were shot dead by hunters in

Namibia, have arrived in Mexico, where they will take up residence at a wildlife reserve.

The elephants “had been

sentenced to death, either by hunting or hunger and thirst, because young elephants depend on their parents or adults in the herd,” Frank Camacho, director of Africam Safari, said Tuesday.

Camacho said his group — which maintains a nature reserve in central Mexico with some 300 species — was contacted by the owner of a reserve in Namibia who said he did not have space to raise the animals.

The rescue operation was an “adventure,” Camacho said, with the animals transported aboard a specially equipped cargo plane, with stops in Brazil, Chile and Mexico City.

The elephants are currently in quarantine to help them adapt to their new surroundings, he said.

The wildlife refuge will provide shelter for the animals that meets international standards as well as access to bodies of water where they can wallow, Camacho said.

He added that visitors to the park next summer might see the elephants making their way across the reserve that is home to some 2,500 animals.

AFP

Police identified the accused as Jorge da Silveira and Isabel Pires, a married couple in their early 50s, and 25-year-old Bruna da Silva. The three were arrested in April when police found a 50-

page manuscript entitled “Revelations of a Schizophrenic,” written by da Silveira, which described acts of cannibalism with drawings and explanations.

AFP

Sex ring run by former beauty queen busted HANOI: Vietnamese police have busted a high-end sex ring and arrested four people, including a former beauty queen, for pimping models, singers and actresses to wealthy clients, state media said Wednesday.

Police discovered the alleged ring after raiding a

SOME OF THE WOMEN INVOLVED WERE PAID UP TO $8,000 PER DAY TO BE SENT ABROAD TO SERVICE WEALTHY CLIENTS. hotel in southern Ho Chi Minh City over the weekend and finding two women — who have confessed to working for the ring — with two clients, said Thanh Nien newspaper.

The women told police they worked for beauty queen Vo Thi My Xuan, 29, and could earn up to $4,000 for each appointment, the report said, adding the ring

included around 20 models, singers, actresses and students.

Xuan, who won a local beauty pageant in the southern Mekong delta in 2009, is believed to be one of the main figures behind the sex ring, the report said.

Some of the women involved were paid up to $8,000 per day to be sent abroad to service wealthy clients, it added.

Xuan and three other people accused of being pimps are being held in police custody pending further investigation while the women detained at the hotel have been released.

AFP

Around the World

13

THURSDAY, JUNE 7, 2012

Beyond Borders

100 more massacred in new bloodbath in Syria DAMASCUS: Forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar alAssad “massacred” about 100 people including women and children, the opposition said, as the US demanded a full transfer of power in the country.

The call by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton set the stage for a renewed diplomatic stand-off over Syria, after Russia and China said they were strongly against intervention and regime change.

If reports of the killings in the central province of Hama prove accurate they will rank among the worst atrocities in Syria’s 15month uprising against Assad’s embattled regime.

“We have 100 deaths in the village of Al-Kubeir, among them 20 women and 20 children,"

IF REPORTS OF THE KILLINGS IN HAMA PROVE ACCURATE THEY WILL RANK AMONG THE WORST ATROCITIES IN SYRIA’S 15-MONTH UPRISING AGAINST ASSAD’S REGIME.

Mohammed Sermini, spokesman for the exiled opposition Syrian National Council, told AFP.

He accused the regime of being behind the “massacre”.

Other sources also reported

a mass killing had taken place in the same area, including the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which tentatively put the number of dead at 87.

The Syrian government on Thursday denied responsibility, saying in a televised statement: “What a few media have reported on what happened in AlKubeir, in the Hama region, is completely false.”

“A terrorist group committed a heinous crime in the Hama region which claimed nine victims," the statement said. But the Britain-based Observatory said in a statement that pro-regime shabiha militia armed with guns and knives carried out the “new massacre” at a farm after shelling by regular troops.

PARIS: France will on Sunday hold the first round of voting for its lower house of parliament, the National Assembly, following Socialist Francois Hollande’s presidential election win last month.

More than 6,500 candidates will be competing to fill the 577 seats in the Assembly, which sits in a classical column-fronted building facing the River Seine in central Paris.

Miami cops warn of homeless ‘man-eaters’ MIAMI: Miami area police on Wednesday issued a warning about violent homeless men after one who was arrested threatened to eat two officers. Brandon De Leon was held after he entered a restaurant yelling obscenities. While being taken away, he yelled at the cops, “I am going to eat you,” growling like an animal.

NEW HOPE

Epidemic fears of drug-resistant TB loom over China WASHINGTON: China faces a “serious epidemic” of drug-resistant tuberculosis according to the first-ever nationwide estimate of the size of the problem there, said a US-published study on Wednesday.

“In 2007, one third of the patients with new cases of tuberculosis and one half of the patients with previously treated tuberculosis had drug-resistant disease,” said the study in the New England Journal of Medicine.

Even more, the prevalence of multi-drug resistant (MDR) TB in new cases (5.7 percent) was nearly twice the global average, said the study. Using World Health Organization figures as a basis for comparison, “China has the highest annual number of cases of MDR tuberculosis in the world — a quarter of the cases worldwide,” it added. “China has a serious epidemic of drug-resistant tuberculosis.” The data came from a survey of more than 4,600 Chinese people who were recently diagnosed or treated for TB. Patients for the study were treated at local TB clinics, not hospitals, and the survey was conducted by the National Tuberculosis Reference Laboratory (NTRL) of the Chinese Centers for Disease Control. According to an accompanying editorial by Johns Hopkins University infectious disease specialist Richard Chaisson, the growth of drugresistant TB presents an “enormous challenge."

GLOBE AT A GLANCE Voting for Lower House in France starts Sunday

Attorney Gloria Allred (C) at a news conference with Yovonka Bryant (R), girlfriend of Rudy Eugene, who was shot dead in May by cops after he refused to stop chewing a destitute’s face.

47 mafiasi held, millions of euros seized NAPLES: Italian police Wednesday arrested 47 mafia suspects and seized millions of euros worth of assets in a major operation in the southern city of Naples.

The suspects face charges of extortion and possessing illegal weapons. The assets seized include property, furniture and vehicles belonging to the Naples mafia and the Mallardo crime family.

Family members of Nepalese man Govinda Prasad Mainali, his wife Radma Mainali (C), daughter Mithila Mainali (R) and Alisha Mainali (L) with their supporters in front of the Tokyo High Court in Tokyo on Thursday. A Tokyo court on June 7 granted a new trial to a Nepalese man serving a life sentence for a high-profile 1997 murder, a court spokeswoman said.

Manning’s lawyers have partial victory FORT MEADE, MARYLAND:

Bradbury: Master of dystopia dies

Lawyers for WikiLeaks suspect Bradley Manning scored a partial victory Wednesday when a judge ruled his defense team should be given access to government documents on the scandal.

Manning, 24, is accused of leaking hundreds of thousands of military logs from Iraq and Afghanistan.

LOS ANGELES: Tributes poured in on Wednesday for science fiction writer Ray Bradbury, author of dystopian post-war classics including “Fahrenheit 451,” who died aged 91. President Barack Obama led praise for Bradbury, seen as one of the genre’s greatest authors, who died Tuesday in Los Angeles after an unspecified “lengthy illness” according to his publisher HarperCollins.

“His gift for storytelling res-

Riders onboard a NY Water Taxi get a close-up view of the US space shuttle Enterprise as it is towed up the Hudson River to the Intrepid AFP Sea, Air and Space Museum.

AFP

Fahrenheit 451

F

ahrenheit 451 is a 1953 dystopian novel that presents a future American society where books are outlawed. The novel primarily focuses on the historical role of book burning. in suppressing dissenting ideas.

Bradbury has stated the novel is not about censorship, but how television destroys interest in reading.

haped our culture and expanded our world,” said Obama.

“But Ray also understood that our imaginations could be used as a tool for better understanding, a vehicle for change, and an expression of our most cherished values."

Director Steven Spielberg added: “He was my muse for the better part of my sci-fi career. He lives on through his legion of fans. In the world of science fiction, fantasy and imagination he is immortal."

Comment

THURSDAY, JUNE 7, 2012

Fair, free and forthright

14

Just five more minutes... please!

Talk back E-shopping on the rise Good to see that we are opening up to e shopping. Unlike before, we are more open to go and shop online. People have understood that shopping online is a faster and easier way. Of course, there are risks involved, but I don’t mind that as long as it is an easy way to do things.

Ramkrishna Ameerpet

But... Seriously Ajay Hotchandani

It’s just unbelievable!

Even if the power is off for an hour at my place, life becomes miserable. I can’t believe that people in Kothapet have lived for such a long time in the dark. It’s sad on the part of the government that there are areas which do not lose power even for a minute, especially the posh ones, the not-so-fortunate ones suffer.

The government has to do something to help them, as everyone is not rich enough to afford a UPS or an Inverter.

Sumitra Naidu Hyderabad

Teenage tantrums Every parent go bonkers when it comes to understanding their teenaged children. As explained in the article, Dealing with teenage tantrums, they may not understand their kids, but they should keep in mind that their kids are not kids anymore, but teenagers, a phase of life during which temper issues, unusual crankiness, sudden mood swings are common. It can take a toll on the parents at times but they should realise that even they have been through the same phase. The best thing a parent could do is to give them some breathing space while assuring them at the same time that they are there for them.

Varun Kumar Jubilee Hills

What a killjoy I can’t tell you how disappointed I am with the mango season this year. Me being an ‘Aam Aadmi’ who loves mangoes I definitely wait for this season, but sadly this Aam season had nothing much to give — the delay in the arrival of the mangoes and the bitterness it got along with it was heartbreaking. To add to the misery, the season ended even before I could relish it. It might sound like I’m exaggerating but for a mango lover it’s an understatement.

Sneha Reddy Secunderabad

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

Editor: Dean Williams

O

ften times you wake up in the morning to one of the most annoying noises you have ever heard and every morning you hear it, over and over and over. No I am not talking about the sound of your spouse, in-laws or children.

If I had to name the top ten things that dark evil forces of the underworld have created on that list would be one thing that we can’t live without unless we want to get fired. I am, of course, referring to the evil nature of the Alarm Clock — SNOOZE button. I think it is a really cruel to wake us up only to give us the option to fall asleep again only to wake us up again just when we get comfortable and fall asleep again.

With the advent of better technology, now we can set multiple alarms on the same device. Myself, for example, I have 3 alarms set on my phone to wake me up in the morning, and the sad part is, sometimes I’m still late for work.

The first alarm goes off and I wake up tossing and turning, happy that I’ve made it to see another day, but that happiness is short lived when I realise I have to go to work. Now this is the dangerous part. I know that in a couple of minutes my alarm will go off and I’ll be woken up again (assuming I fell asleep).

And like a pain in my pants, that wretched sound goes off (the sound is not from my pants). This time I’m not caught off guard, however, I am starting to get annoyed. But I silence it like I silence my nephew when he is making too much noise. The final alarm goes off. This time I have no choice, or at least it would seem like it. I silence it and do the worse thing possible. I’m sure quite a few of you can relate to me on this one. I manage to convince myself that I can stay in bed for five more minutes, not fall asleep and get out of bed without any coercion or force.

I have had some really close calls, where I turn over and notice it’s 7.59am! Believe me, that is one of the fastest ways to get me out of bed (well that and some other things I can’t write about here). I don’t know how I do it, but

Editorials

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IF I HAD TO NAME THE TOP TEN THINGS THAT DARK EVIL FORCES OF THE UNDERWORLD HAVE CREATED, ON THAT LIST WOULD BE ONE THING THAT WE CAN’T LIVE WITHOUT UNLESS WE WANT TO GET FIRED. I AM, OF COURSE, REFERRING TO THE EVIL NATURE OF THE ALARM CLOCK — SNOOZE BUTTON.

I am very persuasive when it comes to persuading myself, and I should know better when I’m lying, especially when I’m lying to myself!

So what do we do to combat this evil?

Some attempts have been made to make waking up more pleasurable. ipod has a docking station that allows you to play music and wake up to the sound of your favorite Bollywood songs; Jan pehchan ho by Rafi or

Ek taraf uska ghar by Pankaj Udhas. Then there was the innovative idea where an alarm clock was placed in a ball that rolls around and you have to get out of bed, find it and then turn it off. What they didn’t take into account was the amounts of people that took the ball and threw it, inadvertently breaking something like a window.

But all of those ideas pale in comparison to my genius alarm clock idea. Here it is.

When the alarm on the phone goes off you are required to do a series of tasks that will take at least 30 seconds. These tasks could include solving a puzzle, doing a Sudoku or even just sending five text messages. Whatever it is, you have to do it or else… .. your phone will automatically call any number in your contact list and there will be a ‘fail safe’ mechanism that prevents you from hanging up, which means they have to answer and hang up. You will be able to programme it to call long distance or your boss.

If all else fails, hire someone to come in and slap you... that will get you going!

DELAY IN METRO RAIL PROJECT will bleed exchequer dry

t seems that the price we have to pay and the time we have to wait for Hyderabad’s Metro Rail project to materialise is unfathomable. Envisaged with an original outlay of `6,200 crore in 2006, the cost incurred by the delays has already touched `20,000 crore and is increasing every day at a whopping rate of `5 crore. And this is just the tip of the iceberg.

Calculate the man hours lost due to slowed down traffic movement and forced detours, and the losses are humongous. Proper planning is key to the success of any project. Proper planning should then be complimented by correct implementation. The metro project fails on both accounts. Decision making at the initial stages and bureaucratic hurdles have already taken a sever toll on the crucial project. The density of traffic has grown immensely over the last few years adding to the woes. Time lost is proving to be the biggest bane in the project. While we want foreign investments by the dozen, we forget that providing basic infrastructure is the first step towards it.

WHY WE LOVE...

Dystopia

D

ystopian novels are a grim read. They show us a world where everything is censored, controlled and regimented. Our world is not come to that yet, though, as some dystopian novels predict, there are signs some countries have: for instance, China. With dystopia, fiction is never far from the truth.

Telly Tales

Small screen, big idea

THURSDAY, JUNE 7, 2012

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THE BIG BREAK LA Complex, the brand new TV series which follows the lives of aspiring actors in Hollywood, is slowly climbing up the charts. In this context, we decided to talk to some of the budding actors and actresses in Telugu film industry to get a gist of how tough it is to get that first big break in the industry Hemanth Kumar hemanth.k@postnoon.com

F

ive years ago when Sudheer Varma graduated from college in Vizag, he dreamt of becoming an actor. After struggling a lot to convince his parents, he finally moved to Hyderabad. “I didn’t want to depend on them completely, so I took up a job apart from meeting people in the industry and auditioning for roles in films,” Sudheer, a budding actor says.

In the past two and a half years, he has been to over 25 auditions in pursuit of his first big break. “I played lead roles in a couple of films. One of them never released and the other was stalled midway. You never know what will happen even if you get a good role,” Sudheer says.

He’s not the only one who has had to face rejection several times before finding that one chance which will get him noticed. “I have been to ten auditions so far. The biggest fear even if you get selected for a role is, whether the film will be released or not. When it does, another important factor which plays on your mind is whether you’ll be accepted by people or not,” Girish Goda, an aspiring actor says.

The fire to prove themselves in the industry is visible in their eyes, but the endless waiting to get that phone call from a big production house is taking a toll on them.”You need a lot of persever-

ance and a good circle of friends who’ll always encourage you to follow your heart. A lot of people end up doing unimaginable things out of desperation.

It does get quite scary if you can’t keep your mind sane,” Girish says.

Recently, when director Teja called for an audition for Neeku Naaku, more than 40,000 people turned up, out of which only seven were selected for the lead role. The competition for even the smallest of roles in films is huge and given the fact that you can’t expect a stable career in films unless you are a bankable star, we wonder what’s the driving force which keeps them going.

“A lot of people want to become actors because it’s a great way to live different lives and experience a lot of things which aren’t possible in real life,” Sudheer says adding, “I don’t think I am good at anything else. Even if I take up some other job, I know that my heart will still be here. So why waste precious time on other things?”

For Girish, acting is more of a personal journey.”I am not

Girish Goda and Sudheer Varma that flamboyant in real life. Acting gives me a chance to be a different person. It’s exciting,” he says.

Gazal Somaaiah recently graduated and completed her acting course at Anupam Kher’s Actor Prepares in Mumbai.

When she was offered a minor role in Manchu Manoj, Balakrishna starrer Uu Kodathara Ulikki Padathara, she took it up without any hesitation.

Couldn’t she wait a little longer to get a bigger role?”I got the offer right after completing my acting course and we never know when

Gazal Somaaiah

things might click. Work is work after all.

It’s not really about playing a lead or a supporting role. For me, it’s more important to do my job well and hope to get noticed. If you are really good, even a two minute role will catch all the attention,” Gazal says.

Rumours about what happens in the film industry are plenty and the casting couch is one such aspect which has been a matter of concern for a lot of aspiring actresses. Of late, even actors are facing this issue.

“I believe it’s a personal choice. No one is a kid here and they know what they are getting into. If they dream of making it big through short cuts then to each his own. Personally, I believe that people treat you the way you want to get treated,” she replies.

Making short films is in vogue and several aspiring writers, directors and actors are even willing to drop out of schools and colleges to pursue their ambitions. “A lot of students who haven’t completed their degree approach me for advice on finding a breakthrough in film industry. All I can say is completing your higher studies is extremely important because it’ll give you an option to fall back on if your dreams of making it big in film industry go bust. You have to sacrifice a lot if you are dreaming of becoming an actor,” Sudheer says.

The journey to stardom is a arduous task. The question is are you willing to pay the price to follow your dreams?

H‑Factor

THURSDAY, JUNE 7, 2012

Holistic view of mind, body and soul

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Power-packed meals Most professionals these days lead hectic lives and are often so hard-pressed for time that they even forget to eat. But this lack of timely food can lead to a drop in metabolic rate and hypoglycaemia Ranjani Rajendra ranjani.r@postnoon.com

H

ow often have you, in your race to meet deadlines skipped lunch or in a bid to reach office on time ignored breakfast? Now try and recall what this skipping of meals resulted in. You invariably would’ve ended up snacking on junk food and eating more than you normally do. Result — piling on unwanted calories, lack of nutrition and an uncomfortable feeling.

While we understand the fast-paced lives most people lead, meal times are still important. So we checked with Dr Latha Sashi, nutritionist, on what could be the ideal meal time table one could stick to. Do remember though, that calorie intakes and metabolic rates differ for each individual. This time table is for those with no other health issues.

Breakfast (between 7 am and 8 am): No matter how rushed you are, make it a point to grab a quick breakfast before you head out. A bowl of whole grain cereals like wheat flakes, oats or a blend of cereals works best. This can be had with some skimmed milk. It will leave you feeling satiated and full for some time, cutting down on your junk food intake. You could also have some egg whites or for the vegetarians 30 gms of cottage cheese does the trick.

Mid-day snack (three hours after breakfast): You could try carrying a fruit with you to snack on when you begin to feel peckish between breakfast and lunch time. It could be any fruit of your choice, but if you are calorie conscious then avoid bananas, chikoo and mango.

You could supplement this with a cup of yoghurt, buttermilk or soya milk. This snack should sufficiently satiate you until meal time.

Lunch (between 1pm and 2pm): If you’re in a hurry and don’t have time for lunch then a quick brown bread sandwich or chapathi rolls with a dry curry stuffing could work. At least, it will keep you from starving and you could always have a proper meal later when you’re free. A bowl of fruits or a salad with yoghurt could help too.

Sometimes munching on some dry fruits (5-6 almonds, 2-3 dates/figs, or 1/4th cup

peanuts) can also keep you going.

Evening snack (three hours after lunch): You’re bound to feel peckish a couple of hours after lunch. But

instead of reaching out for those deep fried samosas or bhajjiyas, you might want to snack on

some boiled corn or gram, eat a fruit, puffed rice, popcorn etc.

You could also eat some bhelpuri. This will keep you from feeling famished by dinner time. Multigrain biscuits and granola bars can be an occasional indulgence, though not entirely ideal.

Dinner (between 8pm and 9pm): Although dinner should ideally be light, after a hectic day you might want to eat something substantial. So a couple or rotis (wheat or jowar), a bowl of rice, some veggies and dal work.

If you don’t want to make rotis, rice with plenty of vegetables and dal works too. The key here is all about the quantities you consume. So you can also indulge yourself with some mangoes and bananas as long as they are within limits.

Pills foolproof protection, almost

Dr Divya T Sudarshan

I have a 2-year-old child and I want to put off having another baby for some time and am on the pill. Do we still need to use a condom?

It is wonderful to know you are on the pill and comfortable with it.

Actually oral contraceptive pills or OCPs have the best statistics for preventing pregnancy (provided you use them correctly) they are 99 per cent safe, which is so much better than the condom, with a failure rate of 5-30 per cent, and copper Ts with a 2 per cent failure rate.

The OCP is to hormonally trick your body into believing it’s pregnant, by raising the hormones just that much higher than normal. As in pregnancy, the ovaries do not ovulate, it also thickens the cervical mucus and delays sperm movement.

So if you maintain the hormonal level with regular medication you are almost totally safe. Yes, OCPs take a little getting used to, there may be transient bloating, heaviness, breast tenderness and nausea. But most of these symptoms are easily managed.

The good thing about OCPs is that your cycle will be predictable.

Women who are on OCPs can usually safely take it for up to five years, provided they go yearly for a check up and have no hypertension or abnormal liver function. Smoking while using pills is never a good idea.

If there is a family history of thromboembolism, clots or are using any other medication, tell the doctor.

As for security against pregnancy, it is almost foolproof. But sometimes when a patient forgets a pill we do advise the partner uses a condom. In women who are using OCPs and have multiple partners it is better to ask the man to use a condom as this will protect against STDs. Since you are comfortable with the pill you can use it if you don’t forget to take it. So carry on happily on the pill till you want the next baby.

And don’t forget to stop the pill at least 2-3 months before you plan a pregnancy.

(The writer is a gynaecologist and obstetrician practising at Happy Women Clinic. You can write in to her at happywomenclinic@gmail.com)

H‑Factor

THURSDAY, JUNE 7, 2012

Holistic view of mind, body and soul

Anxious girls’ brains work harder WASHINGTON: Scientists have figured out why the brains of anxious girls work harder than those of boys, a discovery that could spur the identification and treatment of anxiety disorders.

The finding stems from an experiment in which college students performed a relatively simple task while their brain activity was measured by an electrode cap. Only girls who identified themselves as particularly anxious recorded high brain activity when they made mistakes.

Jason Moser from the Michigan State University, said the findings may ultimately help mental health professionals determine which girls may be prone to anxiety problems such as obsessive compulsive disorder or generalised anxiety disorder, the International Journal of Psychophysiology reports.

“This may help predict the development of anxiety issues for girls,” said Moser, assistant professor of psychology. “It’s one more piece of the puzzle to figure out why women have more anxiety disorders,” he said.

The study is the first to measure the correlation between worrying and error-related brain responses in the sexes using a scientifically viable sample.

Participants were asked to identify the middle letter in a series of five-letter groups on a computer screen. Sometimes the middle letter was the same as the other four while sometimes it was different. They also filled out questionnaires about how much they worry.

Although the worrisome female subjects performed about the same as the males on simple portions, their brains worked harder. As the test became more difficult, the anxious females performed worse, suggesting worrying got in the way of completing the task.

“Anxious girls brains have to work harder to perform tasks because they have distracting thoughts,” Moser said. “As a result their brains are being burned out by thinking so much, which might set them up for difficulties in school. We already know that anxious kids have a harder time in subjects such as math,” Moser added.

IANS

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EXERCISE DOES NOT LIFT DEPRESSION: STUDY LONDON: Regular exercise does not appear to be effective in reducing symptoms of depression, a new study has claimed, contradicting the current clinical guidance which recommends physical activities to help those suffering from the mental illness.

The research, published in the British Medical Journal, found that adding a physical activity intervention to usual care did not reduce symptoms of depression more than usual care alone.

To carry out the study, a team from Bristol University and Exeter University, recruited 361 patients aged 18 to 69 years who had recently been diagnosed with depression.

The participants were then split into two groups to receive either the physical activity intervention in addition to usual care, or usual care on its own.

Both the groups were followed up for 12 months to assess any change in their symptoms. But, it was found that adding exercise failed to alleviate symptoms of depression more than usual care alone, the Daily Telegraph reported.

The study, which is the first large-scale trial to assess the effects of exercise on depression, contrasts with clinical guidance that recommends exercise to help those suffering from the mental illness.

Previously most of the evidence for the positive effect of physical activity in treating depression has come from studies of small, non-clinical samples using interventions that would not be practicable in an NHS setting.

“Numerous studies have reported the positive effects of physical activity for people suffering with depression but our intervention was not an effective strategy for reducing symptoms,” said researcher Melanie Chalder of the University of Bristol’s School of Social and Community Medicine.

“However, it is important to note that increased physical activity is beneficial for people with other conditions such as obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular disease and, of course, these conditions can affect people with depression.”

Co-researcher Dr John Campbell from University of Exeter added, “Many suffering from depression would prefer not to have to take traditional anti-depressant medication preferring instead to consider alternative forms of therapy.

“Exercise and activity appeared to offer promise as one such treatment, but this carefully designed research study has shown that exercise does not appear to be effective in treating depression.”

PTI

F‑Folio

Because you are what you wear

An Other awards:

One of the biggest awards functions are the annual CFDA/Council of Fashion Design America fashion

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Accessory Designer of the Year: Reed Krakoff Swarovski Awards for Accessory Design: Tabitha Simmons International Award: Rei Kawakubo– Commes des Garcons Media Award: Scott Schuman & Garance Doré Founders Award: Andrew Rosen Fashion Icon Award: Johnny Depp, actor

T

he CFDA membership consists of more than 400 leading fashion designers.

Membership is by invitation only, and is open to Americans designing in the United States or abroad or international designers whose businesses are based primarily in the United States.

Compiled by Surabhi Chauhan

Womenswear Designer of the Year: Ashley & Mary Kate Olsen–The Row

T

he Row was established in 2006 by Ashley Olsen and MaryKate Olsen. Since its launch, the brand has expanded to include a range of ready-to-wear, eyewear, and handbags. The Row reflects a sense of relaxed and timeless elegance, focusing on fine fabrics and the perfect fit. In 2009, The Council of Fashion Designers of America named both Ashley and Mary-Kate as its members. Part of The Row’s mission is to support high- end fashion manufacturing in the US.

Geoffrey Beene Lifetime Achievement Award: Tommy Hilfiger

F

or over 25 years, Tommy Hilfiger has brought classic, cool, American apparel to consumers around the world.

Under Hilfiger’s guidance, vision and leadership as Principal Designer, The Tommy Hilfiger Group has become one of very few globally recognised designer brands offering a wide range of American-inspired apparel and accessories. Hilfiger’s career in

fashion began as a high school student in 1969 when he opened a small chain of stores called People’s Place with just $150. He was a self-taught designer and his goal was to bring fashion from New York City and London to upstate New York. In 1979 he moved to New York City to pursue a career as a full-time fashion designer. In New York, Hilfiger caught the eye of Mohan Murjani, a businessman who was looking to launch a line of men’s clothing and believed that Hilfiger’s entrepreneurial background gave him the unique ability to approach

men’s fashion in a new way.

With Murjani’s support, Hilfiger introduced his first signature collection in 1985 by modernizing button-down shirts chinos, and other time-honoured classics. The relaxed, youthful attitude of his first designs has remained a distinctive hallmark throughout all of Hilfiger’s subsequent collections.

THURSDAY, JUNE 7, 2012

20&21

awards. The annual event recognises the pioneering contributions made to American fashion by individuals from all areas of the industry and related arts, with awards being given for design excellence in womenswear, menswear and accessories as well as extraordinary accomplishments in journalism, creative vision and lifetime achievement.

Here is the list of 2012 winners announced at the ceremony held on 4 July 2012 in NYC

. . o t s award goe Swarovski Awards for Womenswear: Joseph Altuzarra

J

oseph Altuzarra was born and raised in Paris and attended college in Philadelphia, then headed to New York. After stints at Marc Jacobs, Proenza Schouler, Altuzarra returned to Paris, to Givenchy, where he worked on the ready-to wear collections with a particular emphasis on tailoring.

ALTUZARRA, based out of New York, provides practical and contemporary clothing for the modern professional woman.

Menswear Designer of the Year: Billy Reid

Swarovski Awards for Menswear: Phillip Lim

B

illy Reid’s modern approach to classic American and dandyism is at the heart of his collections. His Southern roots paired with a downtown New York sensibility, is the USP of the brand. Emphasising on craftsmanship, expert tailoring and the use of unconventional fabrics, Reid’s collections reflect a personal authenticity. Billy Reid is also sold in top tier speciality and department stores internationally. The company also operates an e-commerce shop that offers the full range of his collections.

SOURCE: WWW.CFDA.COM

P

hillip Lim was born in Thailand, in 1973 to Chinese immigrants who fled to Southern California to escape Cambodia’s civil war. His mother found work as a seamstress and his father became a professional poker player. While his mother has clearly had an early influence on his ethos, Lim didn’t fantasise of being a designer. Lim studied finance for three years at California State University of Long Beach, where it became evident that Lim was sitting in the wrong classroom and he found himself switching to a degree in home economics. Phillip Lim debuted his eponymous brand, 3.1 Phillip Lim, in the fall of 2005. Bucking the ostentatious runway trends of the time, his line of youthfully elegant wardrobe classics with a twist, was an instant sensation and adored by critics, fashion editors and customers alike.

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THURSDAY, JUNE 7, 2012

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The glamour behind the glitz

THURSDAY, JUNE 7, 2012

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Magic Screen

The glamour behind the glitz

THURSDAY, JUNE 7, 2012

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Magic Screen

THURSDAY, JUNE 7, 2012

The glamour behind the glitz

Ram hates smoking

T-TOWN TWEETIES

R

am has been one of the few heroes in Tollywood who has stayed away from glorifying smoking on screen.

However, he had to comply with Bommarillu Bhaskar’s request to smoke for a scene in his upcoming film. For the past one week, the actor had been shooting in Guntur for the film and he had to shoot for this scene a couple of days ago.

“Had 2 Smoke for a shot today..after 5YEARS! The last time was also for a film..character demands! #HATE Smoking! Say NO 2 Smoking! (sic)” Ram posted on Twitter. His upcoming film Endhukante Premanta is all set to hit the screens tomorrow and Ram has pinned a lot of hopes on this film. Directed by A Karunakaran, the film also stars Tamannaah in a lead role.

Touted to be a sensitive love story with a twist, the film has a clear run at the box office for at least two weeks as no other big film is expected to release until the last week of June.

@actor_Nikhil At Poorna’s Tiffin centre Yusufguda... Place packed with ppl enjoying yummy delicious ghee idlis and onion dosa... this must b heaven

@actressanjjanaa

Samantha in talks for Karthi’s next?

S amantha has reportedly been approached for Karthi’s upcoming Tamil film titled Biryani. Venkat Prabhu is going to direct the film and Gnanavel Raja is producing it. Incidentally, none of Samantha’s films in Tamil did well at the box office;however, her astronomical rise to stardom in Telugu film industry has made her a hot property in the Tamil film industry as well. She’s also acting in Gautham Menon’s Neethane En Ponvasantham, Mani Ratnam’s Kadal and has almost been finalised for Vikram, Shankar’s upcoming film. However, it remains to be seen if she can adjust her dates for this film since it’s going to roll in August.

Meanwhile, Karthi has emerged as a big star in Tamil over the past couple of years and most of his films, which were dubbed in Telugu, did phenomenally well in AP as well. Biryani has already generated quite a lot of buzz in the Tamil film industry since Karthi is riding high on success wave and Venkat Prabhu scored a smash hit last year with Ajith’s Mankatha.

Jagapathi Babu is all smiles

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I’m learning that it’s not easy to be a hero of the film!! My role in mahanadhi will be as intense as Anushka in Arundhathi!!Just praying!

@prakashraaj As a child I was told “don’t forget but remember to go ahead” when I’m old enough to remember I’m told “hey!

Learn to forget n move ahead”

@shraddhadas43 I still thank Hyderabad for everything I have today! Lots of love! N yea I’m not gonna stop! Hate me or love me!

Hate is stronger than love rite!

@LakshmiManchu Upsi’s and Charan’s wedding celebrations start this weekend. So looking forward to seeing all my friends. Been too long.

J

agapathi Babu hasn’t had a big hit to his credit in Telugu for a long time, but he’s on a roll these days. He’s playing the role of a cop in AL Vijay’s upcoming bilingual film Thandavam and the makers of the film are extremely happy with his commitment. “Jagapathi Babu is a great asset to the film & making all the difference. Vikram sir & JB combination is fantastic & they are setto delight (sic),” Dhananjayan Govind, Head of UTV South posted on Twitter. UTV is producing this bilingual film which also stars Vikram, Anushka and Amy Jackson.

Meanwhile, Jagapathi Babu is all set to make his debut in the Kannada film industry. He has agreed to play a special role in Sudeep’s upcoming film titled Bachchan. He’ll be seen as a Central Crime Branch officer in the film and we hear that he’ll begin shooting for the film from June 20 onwards. In Telugu, he has agreed to play the lead role in Krishnaswamy Shrikanth Iyengar’s debut film titled April Fool. The film, which also stars Bhumika, is going to be a sociofantasy with absurd comedy.

@tashu_02 How random can I get... jumped in the pool after pack up n dat too with make-up on....swam alone in a starry night for an hour... wohoo

@Snehaullalheart Watching the news...85 deaths in 4 days coz of the heat... stay cool stay indoor... be smart. It can happen to anyone.

@RGVzoomin It’s more difficult to command than to obey... that’s becos the man who commands will also bear the burden of the men who obey him.

Chai Time

KAKURO

How to Play Kakuro Kakuro is a popular game similar to sudoku in some ways. But is also suitably different. The key question: “How do you play Kakuro?”, well here are the rules of kakuro. The answer: The kakuro grid, unlike in sudoku, can be of any size. It has rows and columns, and dark cells like in a crossword. And, just like in a crossword, some of the dark cells will contain numbers. Some cells will contain two numbers.

However, in a crossword the numbers reference clues. In a kakuro, the numbers are all you get! They denote the total of the digits in the row or column referenced by the number.

Within each collection of cells - called a run - any of the numbers 1 to 9 may be used but, like sudoku, each number may only be used once.

Let’s have an example to explain this concept more clearly: In the image above, which shows a section of a kakuro puzzle, you will see the numbers ‘26’ and ‘14’ in the top row. Look at the 14. This means that the total of the three cells underneath must sum to 14.

Therefore 9, 4, 1 could be the answer, or perhaps 7, 4, 3 and so on...

So, how do you work out the actual combination? Well, this is done through elimination and cross-referencing. For instance, as you work out the answers for other kakuro clues, this will naturally limit the valid combinations, and hence the answer for this particular run.

Note the second cell in row two - it contains two numbers, 30 and 11. The 30 refers to the vertical run underneath the number 30 and the 11 refers to the two cells to the right, horizontally, of the number 11.

SCRIBBLING PAD

THURSDAY, JUNE 7, 2012

Take a shot at the brain game while sipping your cuppa

26

QUICK CROSSWORD ACROSS 1 Provide with a headpiece 6 Gp. with a Brussels HQ 10 Litter creatures 14 Type of acid 15 "Prince ___" (Borodin opera) 16 Bogus butter 17 Rosalind Russell comedy 19 Offed, in the Biblical sense 20 Doomed individual 21 Scale's range 23 "___ a Wonderful Life" 25 Feel inappropriately 28 Bright-eyed and bushytailed 29 Use chicanery on 31 Barely shining 32 Transports with no wheels 33 Easter Island attraction 36 Olive and linseed products 38 Lack of hygiene 43 ___ gin fizz 44 Trade sans money 46 Whitney's partner in aviation 50 Next-door neighbor on "The Simpsons" 52 "Chariots of Fire" highlight 53 Too coincidental 54 Miscue 57 Attachment for "skeptic" or "cynic" 58 Steep slope 60 Winning, for the moment 62 Untrustworthy one 63 Chanteuse 68 "Giant" author's first name 69 ___-fly pie 70 Old fable writer 71 Unenviable grades 72 Having a hard time choosing 73 Easy victim DOWN 1 Lamb's sound 2 Aussie coat of arms bird

3 Airplane measurement 4 Dividing word 5 Auctioneer's next-to-last word 6 Genesis hunter 7 Bygone Turkish dignitary 8 Thumb or Sawyer 9 Cookie that often appears in crosswords 10 Kind of clerk or card 11 Unfilled part of a wine container 12 Ticked off 13 They need seed money 18 All eternity, poetically 22 Big name in business planes 23 Bartender's requests 24 "Swan Lake" getup 26 Settler 27 Oscar winner Jannings 30 "And more" 34 Heavy overcoat

35 Anguillid 37 Ad-___ (improvise) 39 Unsurpassable rating 40 Act proverbially human 41 Least wild and frivolous 42 Abbreviated moments 45 Sleep phenomenon, for short 46 Like canned tomatoes 47 Have a place to call home 48 Mysterious 49 Sparkling toppers 51 Fire-breathing fairytale beast 55 Fun house cries 56 Put another hole in the cask

SUDOKU

59 "Hey you, c'mere!"

61 It equals L x W 64 "I get it now!"

65 Snow-rain-heat-gloom connector 66 Urgent call at sea 67 Peek through a keyhole PREVIOUS PUZZLE ANSWER

THOUGHT OF THE DAY The end of wisdom is to dream high enough to lose the dream in the seeking of it.

– William Faulkner

Chai Time STAR POWER

THURSDAY, JUNE 7, 2012

Your tomorrow today̶Star Power and Tarot THIRUVAIKUMAR

As per Hindu panchang

FOR 8-6-2012

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

TAURUS

GEMINI

All your new and innovative efforts will yield good results.Money flow will increase which result in a satisfactory financial position. Wasteful expenses and tension likely.

Your self confidence and will power will be so much that you will be deter‑ mined to complete any works that are undertaken by you. Steady flow of income likely.

Even very hard works will get com‑ pleted easily without putting much efforts. You will construct some additional portion in your house.

CANCER

LEO

VIRGO

Financially a strong position likely.

Spouse's long pending wishes will get fulfilled. Childless couple will hear a good news about their offspring soon.

Sudden journey likely.

Your approach will be too wise to get things done with perfection and suc‑ cessfully. Applied home loan will get sanctioned with which the held up construction work will continue.

Your stock is set to pile up. Written of old dues get collected to your sur‑ prise. Happy events to take place at home. But be careful, avoid believing any new friends and get cheated.

LIBRA

SCORPIO

SAGITTARIUS

New thoughts will occupy your mind and implementation of the same will yield favourable results. You will feel cheerful and relaxed due to the influx of friends and relatives.

Your administartive capacity will increase. Unexpected inflow of money likely. Efforts regarding marriage of son or daughter will end favourably.

You will find apt solution to the vexed and long pending problems. Plan to renovate your house will be initiated.

Govt. works will end favourably and without any delay.

CAPRICORN

AQUARIUS

PISCES

Planned works will get completed suc‑ cessfully. Dues to you will comeback without putting much efforts. You will encourage your children as per their wishes and support them well.

You will face the challenges and achieve success without fail. Spouse will be very much co‑operative and affectionate. You will pay advance to purchase a house or land.

You will take very important and bold decisions which will yield desired results. Children's memory will increase. Avoid getting into arguments with relatives.

SUMAA TEKUR

FOR 8-6-2012

tarotreadhyd@gmail.com

ARIES

TAURUS

GEMINI

Page of Wands – Youʼre in the mon‑ soon mood, and are ready for the rains to sweep you away to a world of imagi‑ nation and creativity.

Eight of Pentacles – Join a club or week‑ end activity group to learn a new skill and to make new friends.

Choose a hobby you enjoy and know you will stick for long.

Nine of Swords – Thereʼs an undercur‑ rent and a narrative that your conscious mind has been ignor‑ ing for long. It could be a crush you have on someone.

CANCER

LEO

VIRGO

The Emperor – By creating borders between people and making rules, you kill creativity and put the brakes on the possi‑ bilities that are other‑ wise yours to explore.

Ace of Swords – Donʼt abandon an idea despite obsta‑ cles. These are only testing your deter‑ mination to make your idea work.

Knight of Wands – Youʼre in a creative phase. Whatʼs more, you have the youth‑ ful energy to see your ideas through.

Donʼt freeze your ideas yet.

LIBRA

SCORPIO

SAGITTARIUS

Seven of Wands – You may be tempted to seek help from a fortune teller. It will only give you some direction in life. But the ultimate deci‑ sions must be yours.

Four of Swords – Your area of exper‑ tise is too narrow. If you have time, branch out and pick up new skills so that you always stay in demand.

King of Wands – Writers, artists, and photographers will have a good time ahead. Your plans will come together and you will be able to execute them well.

CAPRICORN

AQUARIUS

PISCES

For Better or for Worse Stone soup

The High Priestess – Expect a letter from overseas which will not just surprise you but also open up new possibilities, in terms of career and also personal relationships.

King of Pentacles – Look for a more sta‑ ble situation. There is no use hopping about, or one thought to another cutting down pro‑ ductivity.

Ten of Cups – Time to mend fences and act practically. Offer the olive branch and make a promise to them and yourself, that you will not repeat your mistakes.

SOLUTIONS

Boggle SEA BAY GULF POND CANAL OCEAN

Number game

Suduko

Scrabble

Ink pen

COMICS

Fred Basset

ARIES

TAROT READ

27

Vol: 1, No. 326 RNI No: APENG/2011/39337 Published for the proprietors, Scribble Media and Entertainment Pvt Ltd, by V Harshavardhan Reddy, at #1246, Level 3, Jubilee Casa, Road No. 62, Jubilee Hills, Hyderabad–500033 and printed by him at Jagati Publications Ltd, Plot No D-75&E-52, APIE Industrial Estate, Balanagar, Ranga Reddy Dist, Hyderabad–500037, Editor: Dean Williams – Responsible for selection of news under the PRB Act All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission of the publisher is prohibited. For feedback, please write to: feedback@postnoon.com and for subscription, please call 040-40672222, Fax: 040-40672211

2012 LONDON OLYMPICS

60 59 58 57 56

THURSDAY, JUNE 7, 2012

28

DAYS TO GO

DID YOU KNOW...? n There was an exhibition Basketball tournament at the St Louis 1904 Games, but only a few American club teams competed. n At the Berlin 1936 Games the first official Olympic Basketball tournament was held outdoors on courts made of sand that turned to mud in the rain.

LEGENDS OF THE SPORT Michael Jordan (born February 17, 1963) Michael Jordan’s remarkable achievements make him one of the greatest basketball players of all time, and during his long and illustrious career he also starred on the Olympic scene. Jordan represented the USA at the Los Angeles 1984 Games, shortly before he turned professional. He led the team to gold, averaging 17.1 points per game.

Teresa Edwards (born July 19, 1964) The most decorated Olympic Basketball player ever, Teresa Edwards holds the record as both the youngest and the oldest Olympic gold medallist in women’s Basketball. In an Olympic career spanning five Games, she won a medal at each one of them. Her journey began in 1984, aged 20 and ended in 2000 when she was aged 36.

55

IT’S DUNKIN’ TIME

54 53 52 51

n 600 basketballs will be used during the London 2012 Basketball competition.

50 49

TALLY 2008

48 47 46 45 44 43

USA AUS SPAIN

2 0 0

0 1 1

0 0 0

MEDAL EVENTS August 11 Women’s Basketball August 12 Men’s Basketball

42 41

TRIVIA

40 38 37 35 34 33 32 31

Field of play The basketball court measures 28m long and 15m wide. The baskets at either end are 3.05m above the ground. The court is divided into two halves, with a freethrow line 5.8m inside either end, and the three-point line a 6.75m radius from each basket.

39

36

BASKETBALL: From humble beginnings in North America, Basketball has grown into one of the most popular team sports in the world. It’s a truly global game: the National Basketball Association (NBA) in the UK, the world’s leading professional league, features players from more than 30 countries.

THE LINGO Assist a pass that leads directly to a basket scored by a teammate Downtown is the area outside the three-point line Dunk a one or two-handed slam directly into the net Shot clock a timer measuring the length of time since the last shot

Basketball at Games Men’s Basketball first appeared on the Olympic programme at the Berlin 1936 Games, with the

women’s event introduced at Montreal 1976. Professional players first competed at the Barcelona 1992 Games, when the famous US ‘Dream Team’ won gold in the men’s event.

The basics In Basketball points are scored by shooting the ball into your opponents’ net (or basket).

The ball is moved up the court either by dribbling (bouncing) or passing to another team member. A player may not take more than two steps with the ball without dribbling the ball. Once in possession of the ball, a team has only 24 seconds to make an attempt on goal or they lose possession.

Games last for 40 minutes, split into four 10-minute quarters.

Competition format At London 2012, both the men’s and women’s Basketball competitions will begin with a preliminary stage. The 12 teams will be divided into two groups of six and each team will play every other in their group.

Teams receive two points for a win, and one for a loss (although they receive no points for losing by forfeiting the game).

Officials A referee oversees each game, assisted by two umpires. There are also table officials and statisticians who record all the action. A game commissioner also sits with the table officials next to the court.

Basketball ‘basket’ The basket is a steel rim 18 inches diameter with an attached net affixed to a backboard that measures 6 feet by 3.5 feet and one basket is at each end of the court. The white outlined box on the backboard is 18 inches high and 2 feet wide.

At almost all levels of competition, the top of the rim is exactly 10 feet above the court and 4 feet inside the baseline. While variation is possible in the dimensions of the court and backboard, it is important for the basket to be of the correct height – a rim that is off by just a few inches can have an adverse effect on shooting.

qeb=sbkrb

T

he new Basketball Arena is one of the largest temporary venues ever built for a Games.

The arena will be one of the most heavily-used venues within the Olympic Park, with competition events taking place almost

THE BASKETBALL ARENA every day. The venue’s frame is made up of 1,000 tonnes of steel and is covered in 20,000 square metres of a recyclable white PVC fabric that will form the canvas for spectacular lighting displays during the Games.

The venue is just as

visually impressive from the inside, with its black and orange seats repre-

senting the colours of a basketball. Initial works started on the Basketball Arena in October 2009, and construction was completed on time and within budget in June 2011 – making it one of the quickest Olympic Park venues to be constructed.

THURSDAY, JUNE 7, 2012

29

DAYS TO GO

COOK’S DREAMS STUTTER LONDON: European taekwondo champion Aaron Cook’s (right) dream of competing at the 2012 Olympics was put on hold again Wednesday after a reconvened panel stuck by an original decision not to select him for London.

Last week, in one of the major controversies concerning the host nation, the British Olympic Association refused to ratify the nomination of Lutalo Muhammad, who would have to drop down a weight division, ahead of Cook in the under80kgs category.

The BOA requested another selection panel meeting, with an independent observer present, but, having held such a meeting Wednesday, GB Taekwondo refused to change their original decision.

And that meant Cook, who won a second successive European title last month, had missed out on selection for this Olympics for the third time.

Muhammad’s place has still to be ratified by the BOA and that will not happen until there has been a review of the selection panel’s procedures, which is expected to be undertaken in the next 24 hours.

“GB Taekwondo can confirm that following a reconvened selection panel meeting this morning, a nomination has been made to the British Olympic Association (BOA) for the outstanding

Aaron is ranked number one in the world because he is the best taekwondo athlete in the world. These are all facts, not opinion.

Jamie Cunningham, Cook’s agent

male -80kg position,” a statement issued by the governing body said Wednesday.

“We now await the decision of the BOA as to the formal ratification of that nomination.”

BOA officials have no power to impose a nomination but can, as has already happened in this case, reject one from a constituent sport.

In an unsettling development, Muhammad has received hate mail -- some-

thing deplored by Cook’s agent, Jamie Cunningham, in a statement issued before GB Taekwondo confirmed his client’s ongoing exclusion from the Olympic team.

Cunningham insisted both fighters were “victims” of GB Taekwondo’s selection policy, saying: “Aaron is disappointed to hear that Lutalo Muhammad has received hate mail. No real fan of Aaron Cook would send such mail.

“Like Aaron, Lutalo is also a victim.

“We have only ever discussed facts. Lutalo’s record as a taekwondo athlete in the Olympic category of -80kg does not compare to Aaron’s.

“Lutalo has never won an international event in the Olympic weight category of 80kg. There was not one athlete in Lutalo’s -87kg victory at the European Championships who will be at the Olympic Games.”

Cunningham added: “Aaron won the European and Olympic Test Event in the -80kg Olympic weight category.

“Aaron is ranked number one in the world and Olympic rankings because he is the best taekwondo athlete at his weight class in the world. These are all facts, not opinion.” Cook, 21, believes his decision to drop out of GB Taekwondo’s elite training programme and go it alone has counted against him.

Flame makes rare trip to Ireland Andrew Bushe

Olympic torch bearers Ronald Delany (L) and Bridget Taylor (R) “torch kiss” to hand over the flame on the steps of the government buildings in Dublin. The Olympic flame lit up the Republic of Ireland on June 6 on its only visit outside Britain en route to the 2012 London Games.

AFP/PETER MUHLY

DUBLIN: The Olympic flame lit up the Republic of Ireland on Wednesday on its only visit outside Britain en route to the 2012 London Games, in a symbolic gesture of reconciliation between the two states.

Wayne McCullough, from Belfast, passed the flame across the border to his fellow 1992 Olympic boxing medallist Michael Carruth, in a light-hearted ceremony in which McCullough kissed his Dubliner friend on the

head.

“It speaks very eloquently for the power of sport to transcend cultural, political and faith-based boundaries,” London Games chief Sebastian Coe told BBC television.

Irish Sports Minister Michael Ring, who watched with Coe and a crowd of onlookers as McCullough lit Carruth’s torch, said the event marked “a truly historic day for Ireland”.

“Today we bring the Olympic spirit into the heart of our capital city, in front of a global audience,” he said.

2008 Beijing gold medallists to row on in London LONDON: Five of the six British rowers who won Olympic gold in Beijing four years ago were included in a strong-looking squad for the London Games, it was announced Wednesday.

Reigning Olympic champions Andrew Triggs Hodge, Pete Reed and Tom James were joined in a powerful men’s four by reigning world champion Alex Gregory (below), with Steve Williams having retired after the last Olympics.

In Beijing, Britain were the leading rowing nation, a position they maintained at last year’s World Championships in the Slovenian town of Bled. GB Rowing performance director David Tanner believes Britain will need six medals if they are to remain top of the pile on home water.

Although the women’s team have had success in the minor medals in the past, they have never won an Olympic gold. Three-time silver medallist Katherine Grainger and Anna Watkins, the reigning world double scull champions, represent Britain’s best chance.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21

IOC emphasises zero tolerance doping policy OSLO: The IOC has recently been rebuffed by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) over its stance on doping cheats.

CAS cleared 400m runner LaShawn Merritt and sprinter Dwain Chambers to run in next month’s London Games.

“We’re having some difficulties with the CAS,” admitted Norwegian Gerhard Heiberg, an IOC executive board member.

“But we are coming back and we want zero tolerance for doping, corruption and illegal betting.”

22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30

THURSDAY, JUNE 7, 2012

BEAUTY Charlene Suric, Gael Clichy France Charlene Suric, the better half of France’s Gael Clichy, runs a communications company. The sad news is this pretty woman won’t be coming to the Euros. “I’ll be in the South of France with family, nervously watching on TV,” she said in an interview. Well, she might come if France makes it to the quarters or semis. Let’s hope they do.

&

THE BEST

30

Here’s the part-II of our list of women behind the men in Euro 2012 that starts this Friday.

MORE HOT PROPERTY Kristen Pazik, Andriy Shevchenko, Ukraine Kristen Pazik, the daughter of a former professional baseball player, is an American model of Polish descent.

Kristen is married to Andriy Shevchenko.

Lorena Bernal, Mikel Arteta, SPAIN Few Wags can match the accomplishments of Mikel Arteta’s missus, Lorena Bernal. She was Miss Spain in 1999, she is a well-known face on the Spanish media, television and a top model.

And she talks fluent Spanish and English and speaks tolerable French and Italian. Now how many do you know that match Lorena?

Melanie Slade, Theo Walcott, ENGLAND Little need be told about the chemistry between a pair that has dated since they were 15 and are both 22 years old now and engaged. Mel Slade, England footballer Theo Walcott’s ladylove, has been crowned England’s top WAG. In a poll of 20,000 men, 52 per cent voted the 23-year-old blonde as the WAG they would most like to date.

Mirela Fori, Darijo Srna, Croatia Mirela Fori is the wife of Darijo Srna.

He met her through their mutual friends, footballer Boško Balaban and his wife Iva. They dated for a long time before they got married. They have a twoyear-old daughter.

Alena Šeredová, Gianluigi Buffon, ITALY Czech model Alena Šeredová is married to Italy’s handsome goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon.

The legendry Pele considers Buffon one of 125 living footballers. Adding to Alena’s glamour quotient is the fact that she has been featured on the covers of several magazines including Penthouse Europe, Playboy Europe and Spy.

Oksana Wilhelmsson, Christian Wilhelmsson, Sweden Oksana Wilhelmsson is married to Swedish football player Christian Wilhelmsson.

Though she is

a Swedish citizen, she has Russian roots: She has been on the model circuit and a reality TV contestant. In 2005 on the Swedish version of Paradise Hotel, she landed in a heated argument with fellow contestant Olinda Borggren before being voted off the show in her first week.

Claudine Palmer, Robbie Keane, Ireland Irish international Robbie Keane is married to Claudine Palmer a former Miss Ireland contestant. With a double degree in economics and finance, Claudine could be a handful in finance matters, though all the accounting she would be expected to do is maintain her shopping bills. They tied the knot after six years of courtship.

Playing Field

THURSDAY, JUNE 7, 2012

The games people play

Germans should dine on humble pie, says Neuer Ryland James

GDANSK, POLAND: Goalkeeper Manuel Neuer has insisted Germany dine on humble pie before opening their Euro 2012 campaign on Saturday while team manager Oliver Bierhoff has warned of pride before the fall.

Germany begin their Euro 2012 quest against Portugal in Lviv, Ukraine, on Saturday with one in four Germans believing they will be crowned European champions for the fourth time.

According to a survey by Germany's Allensbach Institute, 24 percent of Germans polled believe their team will win the final on July 1 in Kiev with the European championships being hosted

by Poland and Ukraine.

A further 39 percent believe their team will reach at least the semi-finals and just one percent of those surveyed believe Germany will come home after the pool matches, even though they face Holland, Portugal and Denmark in Group B. After losing to Spain in the final of Euro 2008 and having finished third at both the 2010 and 2006 World Cups, expectations are understandably high amongst the German public.

31

SPORT SNIPPETS Philander wins top S A award Cricket Vernon Philander was named

South African cricketer of the year on Wednesday following a sensational entry into Test cricket during the 2011-12 season. Philander, 26, took 51 wickets in seven Tests at an average of 14.15. He took five or more wickets in an innings on six occasions and twice claimed 10 wickets in a match. The Cape Cobras bowler was mainly responsible for bowling out Australia for 47 in his debut Test in Cape Town last year.

“

That kind of record builds your confidence a little bit but it's a new series and different conditions. You have to perform again from the start.

Misbah-ul-Haq on Pak's recent record against SL

Frazar, Rory hope to find form Golf Defending champ Harrison Frazar

Friendly wins over Brazil and Holland last August and November respectively only escalated the situation, while defeats this year to France and Switzerland only mildly dampened enthusiasm.

But with defending champions and World Cup holders Spain arriving as

clear favourites, Neuer is preaching the virtues of humility.

"Of course, we want to win the title, that goes without saying," said the 26year-old Bayern Munich star.

"But in the beginning we should eat humble pie, as the saying goes, I just hope we have a positive start.

Beating us made Spain great: Chiellini Barnaby Chesterman

KRAKOW, POLAND: Centre-back Giorgio Chiellini believes Spain's route to greatness began with victory against Italy at the European Championship four years ago.

Until then, the word Spain could barely be written in a footballing context without the prefix: perennial underachievers.

Successive groups of talented players had failed to deliver on the international stage as footballing disappointment became a national dish in the Iberian country.

But that all changed when Spain finally delivered on their promise and landed the European Championship crown in a 1-0 win over Germany.

Since then they have been undoubtedly the best side on the planet, claiming the World Cup in South Africa two years later and rising to number one in the world.

They are the favourites again here

but ahead of their opening match against the Italians, Chiellini says it was that quarter-final victory in Vienna, on penalties, against the then world champions Italy that shaped Spain's destiny.

This time around, four years on, Italy will be the clear underdogs when the two sides meet in their Group C opener in Gdansk on Sunday.

"We know we're playing a team that has made history in the last four years," said the Juventus defender.

"It was against us four years ago in Austria that they started to really believe they could be great.

"We must be aware that we can play our game and that it will also be difficult for them against us."

Spain are not just the best team but in the likes of Xavi, Andres Iniesta and David Silva they have some of the best players in Europe. But Chiellini is covinced that the Azzurri can prevail through teamwork. "One player is not enough to stop a player like Iniesta, Silva or Xavi," he said.

and world No 2 Rory McIlroy will both be hoping to find their form at this week's St Jude Classic, the final tune up for the second major of the year. Reigning US Open champ McIlroy is playing the $5.6 million St Jude for just the second time after deciding a couple of weeks ago that he would head to Memphis in order to get some extra playing time ahead of next week's US Open.

QTR

are the number of runs scored by South African player AB de Villiers with an average of 158.33 with a strike rate of 116.13 in his first season as South Africa’s limited overs captain. This effort of his saw him being named as the South African one-day international cricketer of the year.

Thunder thrash Spurs, in final NBA The Oklahoma City Thunder won

their fourth straight game over a seven-day period on Wednesday to reach the NBA finals with a 107-99 victory over the San Antonio Spurs. Kevin Durant finished with 34 points and 14 rebounds and Russell Westbrook added 25 points as the Thunder rallied from a 15-point halftime deficit to stun the Spurs and capture the Western Conference title. For much of the contest it appeared the series was headed to a game seven with San Antonio looking poised and controlling the play.

Playing Field

THURSDAY, JUNE 7, 2012

The games people play

32

Alonso believes Montreal will be acid test for Ferrari Gordon Howard

MONTREAL: Champion-

Ferrer eager to set records right Allan Kelly

PARIS: David Ferrer says he is ready to face the toughest challenge in world tennis — going up against Rafael Nadal on the claycourts of Roland Garros at the French Open.

The player they call “The Bulldozer” because of his relentless and attritional style has played 19 times against his fellow Spaniard and he has lost 15 of them.

Oddly for two such claycourt stalwarts, only once previously have they met at Roland Garros and that was in 2005 when Nadal made his debut in Paris and won comfortably 7-5, 6-2, 6-0 before going on to win his first Grand Slam title.

In fact the only time that Ferrer, who at 30 is

ONLY ONCE PREVIOUSLY HAVE THEY MET AT ROLAND GARROS AND THAT WAS IN 2005 WHEN NADAL MADE HIS DEBUT IN PARIS AND WON COMFORTABLY BEFORE GOING ON TO WIN HIS FIRST GRAND SLAM TITLE. four years older than Nadal, has beat him on clay was in their very first meeting in Stuttgart in 2004 and even that took three tough sets to get the job done.

The hard facts make grim reading for the hopes of Ferrer ahead of Friday’s semi-final.

Nadal’s straight sets vic-

tory over another Spaniard, Nicolas Almagro, in the quarter-finals brought up his 50th win at Roland Garros against just the one defeat — to Swede Robin Soderling in the 2009 fourth round.

On top of that, Nadal has added motivation this year as a win on Sunday would make him the first man to win seven French Open titles, snapping a tie with Swedish legend Bjorn Borg.

It would also be his 11th Grand Slam title, putting him level with Borg and Rod Laver.

Ferrer, through to his first semi-final here, insists that defeat for him is not inevitable.

“Yes, Rafa is always difficult to play. Even more so on clay,” he said.

AFP

Murray focuses nice and hard on Wimbledon Dave James

PARIS: Andy Murray hasn’t ruled out skipping his traditional Wimbledon warm-up duties if it helps him capture a first Grand Slam title and give Britain’s demanding media the slip.

World number four Murray saw his latest hopes of becoming Britain’s first Grand Slam men’s singles champion since Fred Perry in 1936 crushed by David Ferrer in the French Open quarter-finals on Wednesday.

Defeat ended the 25-yearold’s run of five consecutive

semi-final appearances at the majors, leaving him to fend off fresh questions over his ability to win Wimbledon, the next Grand Slam stop.

For the last four years, Murray has played the Queen’s Club tournament, often seen as a mandatory feeding station for Wimbledon in the short fourweek grasscourt season.

But that may change this summer for Murray, who is still battling a niggling back injury.

“I’ll do what’s best for my preparation for Wimbledon, back or not,” he said.

ship leader Fernando Alonso believes this weekend’s Canadian Grand Prix will reveal Ferrari’s potential to sustain their fight for world championship glory.

The Italian team struggled during winter testing and were a long way off the pace at the season-opening race in Montreal.

In spite of this and in conjunction with this season’s memorable start to the season — in which six different drivers have won the opening six races — double-champion Alonso picked up a win in Malaysia and podiums in Spain and Monaco.

The Spaniard now holds a three-point lead over Red Bull drivers Sebastian Vettel and Australian Mark Webber.

The 30-year-old admitted the

Montreal track will be Ferrari’s biggest test since the start of the season, but believes they have done enough to stay competitive.

“I think we have improved the car in these areas since the beginning of the season and Canada will be a good test in this respect,” he said.

“Hopefully this weekend we will see a competitive Ferrari and that will be very important for us, not just for this race but also for the rest of the season.

“It’s hard to say in advance, as this season has been so unpredictable with ups and downs for everyone over the course of six races. However, I don’t see any reason why Ferrari should not be competitive in Canada, fighting for the top places come the end of the race.”

Despite leading the title race, Alonso believes Ferrari still have a lot of catching up to do.

AFP