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Hyderabad’s first compact afternoon newspaper
DECEMBER 9, 2012 HYDERABAD
32 PAGES
`3
ON SUNDAY
SRINIVAS SETTY
SCALING THE L ADDER
OF CORRUPTION
PG 3
WHAT A
FARCE!!
REPORT ON PG 30
Empire takes control In a consistent display of lack of killer instinct, India ‘outdid’ its performance in the Second Test to lose by seven wickets to England at Eden Gardens in Kolkata. Though rattled by an initial top order collapse, English willowmen held their nerve to seal victory and a series lead of 2-1 in the four-Test series.
REPORT ON PG 31
Blackouts played spoilsport at the 10th World Junior Table Tennis Championships in the City as the organisers and players were literally left groping in the dark.
India fares badly when it comes to curbing corruption — a fact underlined by rankings of international watchdogs. We take a look on World Anti-Corruption Day.
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CITY SUNDAY, DECEMBER 9, 2012
X’MAS PREP
Chocolaty Sunday
Oxford Bookstore Hyderabad is organising a fun filled kids cookery workshop by Anuradha Vinod, education officer in AP Forest department. Kids will be taught to make chocolate mousses and sandwiches. Where: Oxford Bookstore, The Park 22 Rajbhavan Road When: December 9 10:30am onwards Contact: 9160148444
Treasure Hunt
Amar Chitra Katha is organizing a treasure hunt for kids. Where: Landmark, KMC Retail Mall, Somajiguda When: December 15 2pm onwards Contact: 96666 19873
Photo exhibition
A wildlife photography exhibition by Suheim Sheikh will be held from December 8 onwards. It was inaugurated on December 7 at 6pm. Where: Goethe Zentrum, Banjara Hills, Rd No 3 When: December 8 onwards, from 9:30am Contact: (040) 2335 0473
Tales of an idyllic world
Alliance Française, Hyderabad, is hosting an exhibition of paintings: Tales of an Idyllic World by Bala Abhiram. The exhibition is on till December 14. Where: Alliance Francaise, Banjara Hills, Rd No 3 When: Ongoing, 9am onwards Contact: (040) 2355 4485
Po10tial
A show of art works by artists like Anand Bekwan, Jinson Jospeh and Maredu Ramu. Where: Kalakrithi Art Gallery, Banjara Hills, Rd No 10 When: Ongoing, 11am onwards Contact: (040) 6656 4466
The last Christmas
The last Christmas, a large-scale production featuring live singing, dancing and acting, is the heartwarming story of Retired Gen Roy who recounts his seven favourite Christmases. Where: RNR auditorium, Banjara Hills, Rd No 12 When: December 8, 9 and 10 Contact: (040) 6515 7558
CINEMAS
Santa on a boat outside Hyderabad International Convention Centre, Novotel, in Madhapur.
Célimène & the Cardinal Alliance Française of Hyderabad and Qadir Ali Baig Theatre Foundation present Célimène and the Cardinal by Jacques Rampal. Where: Nift Auditorium, Madhapur When: December 11, 7pm onwards Contact: (040) 2355 4485
1 Night 2 Give
There is a gala dinner to raise funds for the “Girl child education” campaign. It will be launched by activist Amala Akkineni. Where: Park Hyatt Hyderabad, Road No 2, Banjara Hills When: December 12, 7pm onwards Contact: (040) 4949 1234
Art exhibition
Works of K Muralidhar will be on display, along with his invention, “eco-friendly clay.” Where: The Rainbow Art Gallery, Paryatak Bhavan, Tourism Plaza, Begumpet When: Upto December 12 Contact: 99596 31898
Photo competition
Alliance Francaise, Hyderabad, is conducting a photo competition. The theme is Professions of the
world. The winning entries will be sent to Paris. Where:hyderabad.afindia.org When: December 3-January 6
Music workshop
There is a 3-day workshop on Hindustani classical music and ghazal singing by Ustad Rajkumar Rizvi Sutradhar and Naadbrahm. Where: 3-6-145/9/1/1, Himayatnagar When: December 12-14 6:30 pm - 10pm Contact:77990 00792
S BALAKRISHNA
Contact: 98488 42471
Transpersonal session
Art & Science of Self-Actualization is a foundation course in transpersonal counselling, by clinical psychologist Sujata Potay. Life and self awareness skills will be imparted. Where: Center for Organization Development, Madhapur When: January 19-April 27 Contact: 98494 53045
Handloom exhibition
Annapurna International School of Film and Media has launched the preliminary phase National Level Story writing Competition. The story writing competition is open to both undergraduate and graduate students. Where: www.script2screen.in When: Before December 10
Pochampally Handloom Park is organizing IKAT Mela, exhibiting handloom linen, dress material and saris, among others. Where: State Gallery of fine Arts , Department of Culture, Kavuri Hills, Madhapur When: 13-16 December from 6-9:30pm Contact: 92937 73970
Public speaking
Sound of Music
Story Writing Contest
There is a four-day workshop from December 13 to December 16 at Media Junction. The workshop is on effective public speaking. Where: Media Junction, Parthani Towers, , Golconda Cross Roads, Musheerabad When: 13-16 December 6-9:30pm
This musical drama is the theatre version of the 1965 classic performed by Oakridge International School. Where: Shilpa Kala Vedika, Near Cyber Towers, HiTEC City When: December 11 7pm onwards Contact: 93965 55888
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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CITY SUNDAY, DECEMBER 9, 2012
TJAC to meet on Dec 10
Metro in top 100 project list
Bids for gas distribution
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ollowing the Centre’s proposed meeting over Telangana on December 28, the Telangana Political JAC will be meeting on December 10. The discussions will focus on the strategy to be adopted towards mounting pressure on parties. Pressure is likely to be increased on elected representatives from the region to make the message clear.
yderabad Metro Rail project has been selected as one of the top 100 strategic global infrastructure projects to be showcased at the forthcoming Global Infrastructure Leadership Forum being held in New York in Feb-March 2013. Two other Indian projects — GIFT City in Gujarat and Mumbai-Ahmedabad High Speed Rail project — are also on the list.
he Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board (PNRB) will shortly notify guidelines inviting bids for City gas distribution networks. This is to ensure the shift to gas consumption from less than 10 per cent at present to more than 25 per cent in the medium term, S Krishnana, the board chairman of PNRB, said.
Scaling the ladder of corruption Criminalisation and corruption, the twin evils, have been eating into the vitals of India for some time and successive ruling parties have made no effort to rein in this scourge. Postnoon News
feedback@postnoon.com
(Criminal) rot in parties
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PA’s rule has taken India up on the ladder of corruption. Transparency International, a world watchdog, has placed India 94th among 174 countries surveyed in 2012. India was at 72nd among 180 countries surveyed in 2007. The only consolation is that all our immediate neighbours — China, Nepal, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka — fared as badly or worse. Public corruption has deepened in India in the recent past with no meaningful steps taken to curb it. Electoral reforms remain a far cry with the political spectrum getting liberally sprinkled with criminals and the corrupt. This year, India has a score of 36 out of 100 on a scale from 0 (highly corrupt) to 100 (very clean), which is a result of an average of 10 studies, including World Bank’s Country Performance and Institutional analysis. India is ranked below Sri
INC: 36 out of 280 (13%) PRP (erstwhile): 47 out of 254 (19%) BJP: 20 out of 168 (20%) TDP: 67 out of 211 (32%) TRS: 12 out of 39 (31%) In all, 116 candidates had pending cases like murder, attempt to murder, kidnapping, robbery, extortions.
Why do parties suffer criminals?
Lanka and China, while Afghanistan, Iran, Nepal, Pakistan and Bangladesh fared much worse than India when it came to corruption in public sector undertakings. Sri Lanka, which is slowly limping back to normalcy after a three-decade civil war, is ranked at 79, while China is ranked at 80.
Denmark is placed at the top slot with a score of 90, while Finland and New Zealand follow closely. Countries that occupy the bottom ranks in the index are Myanmar, Sudan, Afghanistan, Somalia and North Korea. According to the 2012 CPI, majority of the 183 countries scores less than 50 — a clear
Academic studies conducted by various agencies bring out that: n Criminals are more eager to win and spend more than others. n Criminals also have muscle power, which is a comfort for parties. n Inability of the country to debar criminals from contesting.
indication that corruption is perceived to be rampant worldwide. SK Agarwal, co-chair of Transparency International India, hoped that the “Supreme Court will soon deliver its verdict on a PIL on debarring criminals from contesting elections”.
SOLUTIONS
Experts suggest amendment to income tax laws, which are primarily responsible for such a high rate of corruption and black money. People are compelled to hide, rather than being forthright. Another solution is capital punishment for huge scams involving public funds, like China has introduced now.
AP SCENE
Andhra Pradesh has its high share of criminalisation and corruption of politics. India Election Watch, AP, perused affidavits of 2,466 candidates out of total of 3,655 candidates of 2009 elections. Of them, 303 candidates (12 per cent) had pending criminal cases against them. (Compiled by PK Surendran)
Three ‘Musketeers’ cause for concern
Three TDP MPs skipped voting on FDI in Rajya Sabha. One found the House door closed when he reached. Another ‘missed’ a flight and the third had a ‘health check-up’. Were they plotting with the Congress? Inkeshaf Ahmed
ahmed.m@postnoon.com
T
he skipping of three Rajya Sabha MPs of Telugu Desam Party (TDP) from the debate and voting on FDI in retail sector on Friday has led to a huge controversy in political circles in the State. The MPs who stayed away from the voting are: Industrialist MP YS Chowdary (left), T Devender Goud (centre) and G Sudha Rani (right). The other two MPs of the party — N Harikrishna and CM Ramesh — not only debated on the issue but also voted against the FDI bill. Majority of the leaders of the party, as well as grassroot party workers, came down heavily on the three MPs for their actions. “How can the MPs skip
the important voting? It has given a wrong message to public that the TDP, which is fighting the policies of the ruling Congress, both at the State and the Centre, had reached a secret understanding with the Congress. This will damage the image of the party,” TDP senior leader and MLA Payyavula Keshav told Postnoon on Saturday. He demanded that the
three MPs issue an unconditional apology to the people of the State and to the party. “The mistake committed by the MPs is not forgettable at any cost. The three MPs should immediately explain to the people how it happened and seek pardon.” Many of the party leaders are not ready to buy the argument that the MPs failed to understand the importance of
the voting. “How can they say that? Congress is our arch rival and we have been fighting against its government all through. But the single act of our MPs led the entire hard work of the party go in dust. It is difficult for us to convince the people that our MPs skipped the voting out of ignorance,” Keshav said. While the newly elected MP Devender Goud said that he took
permission from the party president to skip the voting as he had an appointment for a health check-up, industrialist-turnedMP YS Chowdary said that the entrance doors of the Rajya Sabha were closed when he went to vote. MP G Sudha Rani reportedly said that she could not participate as she missed a flight to Delhi from Hyderabad. YSR Congress leader Dr MV Mysura Reddy alleged the TDP members deliberately skipped voting to support the Congress. On his part, YS Chowdary agreed that he had committed a mistake by not attending the meeting. He met party president N Chandrababu Naidu on Saturday in Adilabad district and tendered an apology. The remaining two MPs are expected to do the same on Sunday.
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CITY SUNDAY, DECEMBER 9, 2012
M ANIL KUMAR
Construction of the multi-level parking facility at Khilwat has run into trouble over discrepancies in the way the tenders and contracts were handled. Md NIZAMUDDIN
nizamuddin.a@postnoon.com
T
he much-hyped multilevel parking facility to be constructed at Khilwat opposite Chowmahalla Palace remains in limbo. With the recent notice by the Accountant General of India (AGI) to the GHMC about the discrepancies in the way the contract changed hands, some officials feel that the tender would have to be cancelled. With 4,943 sq m of land, the work was handed over to private
No PARKING ZONE companies under the PrivatePublic Partnership, under the BOT (Build Operate Transfer) mode. Pegged as part of the ‘Charminar pedestrian project’, the foundation stone for the multi-level parking facility was laid by Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy last year. It was reported that 504 cars could be parked in the building on the six floors of 14,168 sq ft each. As per the deal, the complex should have been completed within 15 months and the con-
AGI OBJECTED TO CHANGE OF COMPANY NAMES IN THE CONSORTIUM, ESPECIALLY THE LEAD, WHICH RENDERS THE CONTRACT VOID. tract would last for 32 years after completion. The tenders for the project were called in June 2006 and in August 2007, the tenders were filed. With three companies
forming a consortium, the deal was finalised with an estimation of `29.56 crore. Even right at the beginning, several questions were raised about the way the tenders were called. The protocol is that the AP Infrastructure Authority should be inviting the tenders for the projects partnered with private firms. But in this case, GHMC officials had taken the responsibility, thus undermining norms. In May 2012, the consortium
struck a new deal with the officials of the then estates wing of the GHMC, and changed the company names in the consortium. The AGI took note and objected to the change of company names in the consortium, particularly the lead one, which renders the contract void (Change of a lead company in a consortium is not allowed in a contract). In its notice to the GHMC last month, the AGI questioned the way the transition happened without conducting a feasibility study and taking into confidence the other departments concerned. The AGI has sought answers on the deadline for concessional agreement, toll rates, and the consortium’s financial and technical expertise with the GHMC. It also questioned the way the project would be taken up without taking into consideration the user charges that would be levied on the general public. To take things under control, the officials of GHMC’s estates wing wrote to the commissioner, seeking cancellation of the tenders. Now, with the AGI notice, the multi-level parking facility would be thrown into an indeterminate state for several months to come, said a GHMC official. While the officials feel that the tender would be completely cancelled, the local corporator, Mir Zulfeqar Ali, does not believe the notice would have any impact. “Yes there are hindrances for the project, but not this one. The project will be completed soon,” said the corporator.
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CITY SUNDAY, DECEMBER 9, 2012
It’s Christmas carol time!
It is said that angels sang the first carols after the birth of Christ. Since then, carol singing has become a part of Christmas. It usually starts a month before the festival. Anubha K Singh
anubha.k@postnoon.com
J
ingle bells the way! Yes, it is that time of the year when Santa Claus is busy making and purchasing gifts for kids. It is the most wonderful time of the year and the celebrations have already kicked off with Christmas carols. Carol singing starts four weeks before Christmas. A group of singers consisting of children, youngsters and elderly people call on houses in the wee hours, humming Christmas songs, announcing the birth of Christ. Some of the common carols are Heavenly Peace, Goodwill to All Men, Old Christmas Card, 12 Days of Christmas, I saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus, Chestnuts Roasting Over an Open Fire and Frosty the Snowman. Tabernacles, the oldest carol singing group in twin cities, has already started performing in the City. It is a gospel singing group that presents well-known christmas carols of the last two decades. “Carol singing starts a month before or sometimes fifteen days before Christmas for us,” says Dominic Savio, a young professional from the group. Tabernacles had recently performed at Harihara Kala Bhavan, at the Annual Christmas Concert. “Firstly, we start the month with carol singing and when
Christmas is a few days away, groups of people go around singing carols at night.” When carol singing was not so popular, there were particular sets of people who were allowed to sing the carols and they were called “Waits”. They used to sing Christmas songs and take money
from public. No one other than the Waits were allowed to sing, and those who used to were listed as beggars. With changing times and modernisation, carol singing has also changed. Now orchestra and many musical instruments accompany the songs.
AWARENESS WALK
As carols became increasingly popular, new songs and new ways of singing carols emerged. One thing that has not changed since ages is the “candlelight services,” a very famous carol ritual. In this particular service, the whole church is lit
‘Invite me to all-party meet’ Postnoon News & Agencies
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“Deafness Awareness Walk” was organised by the All India Peace & Solidarity Organisation and Government N SHIVA KUMAR ENT Hospital, Koti, on Saturday.
up with candles, followed by carol singing. Carols have now been morphed into almost all genres of music from classical to hip-hop, jazz to rock and pop. So raise your voice for your favourite song and have yourself a merry Christmas!
ongress MP Lagadapati Rajagopal wanted to be invited to the proposed allparty meeting on Telangana scheduled for December 28. Rajagopal, a fierce United Andhra advocate, said any bifurcation of the State would lead to more such demands and the State’s future would in peril. At a meeting of Samaikyandhra JAC at Vijayawada yesterday, Rajagopal went hammer and tongs at the TRS, which he said was misleading the people of Telangana. According to him, 65 per cent of the people of AP wanted a strong, united Andhra Pradesh. He said the Congress assessment of the people’s sentiments in Telangana region recently revealed that masses were more eager to have economic development than statehood. He also questioned the so-called students
of JAC, which he said is consisted of a handful, and not the mainstream student fraternity. Whenever elections were held, Congress, YSR Congress and TDP would together get 270 seats, he said, adding that TRS would get only 20 seats. He said emotions had died down and there was no consensus on State bifurcation. Rajagopal said the Congress would only argue for a second States Reorganisation Commission in the all-party meeting and if this policy has to change, the decision has to be taken by the Congress Working Committee again. He also said that there would be no use of the meeting, making it clear that State bifurcation would be possible only if main parties advocated it. CM Kiran Kumar Reddy is learnt to have urged the Centre to recast the proposed date for all party meeting, as it clashed with the World Telugu meet. NSS
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WORLD SUNDAY, DECEMBER 9, 2012
Five killed in road accident JAMTARA (JHARKHAND): Five persons, including four relatives of the bride, were killed and four others injured in a road accident ahead of the marriage in Jamtara district, police said today. The accident took place near Therbona village last night when the family was going to solemnise the marriage from Nala to Kundhait, the police said.
TN fishermen injured
CPM stays undaunted after FDI defeat NEW DELHI: Undeterred by the defeat of the
RAMESWARAM: Eight Tamil Nadu
Opposition motion against FDI in retail in Parliament, CPI(M) today warned that the government would have to continue to “manage and manufacture” its majority as the Left parties move for annulment of and amendments to the related FEMA rules. “The government will be hard-pressed now to go on managing and manufacturing their own majority,” senior CPI(M) leader Sitaram Yechury said.
fishermen were injured today when they were attacked allegedly by Sri Lankan navy personnel while fishing near Talaimannar near the island nation, police said. The naval personnel opened fire in the air before attacking the fishermen. They also snapped fishing nets in five boats, police said.
BSY loyalist quits Shettar ministry
SUNSET AT SANGAM
BJP ministry in trouble as some more ministers say they are ready to quit after Sunil Valyapure resigned. HUBLI (KARNATAKA): The BJP ministry in Karnataka was in serious trouble late Saturday as one minister loyal to the party’s former leader BS Yeddyurappa said he had quit the cabinet and a few other ministers said they were ready to do so. Infrastructure Development minister Sunil Valyapure told reporters that he has faxed his resignation to Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar as he wants to attend a rally Sunday at which Yeddyurappa will formally launch his regional party. Hubli is about 370km from Bangalore. Agriculture minister Umesh Katti said in Davangere in central Karnataka, about 270km from Bangalore, that he and other ministers supporting Yeddyurappa will meet Shettar Monday to protest Saturday’s disciplinary action against two other followers of the former BJP chief minister.
Devotees take a holy dip at Sangam during sunset in Allahabad on Saturday. The Kumbh Mela, which takes place at the Sangam, is the largest gathering of people for a religious purpose in the world and millions of people gather for this auspicious occasion. AFP/SANJAY KANOJIA
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alyapure’s announcement about his resignation and Katti’s threat came hours after BJP sacked co-operation minister BJ Puttaswamy from the Shettar cabinet and suspended Lok Sabha member GS Basavaraj from the party for openly working for Yeddyurappa’s new regional outfit — Karnataka Janata Party (KJP). He said ministers backing Yeddyurappa were ready to quit if the party continued with such steps. Valyapure’s announcement about his resignation and Katti’s threat came hours after BJP sacked cooperation minister B J Puttaswamy and suspended Lok Sabha member GS Basavaraj from the party for openly work-
ing for Yeddyurappa’s new regional outfit — Karnataka Janata Party (KJP). Valyapure said he will attend the Sunday rally at Haveri, about 350km north of Bangalore, at which Yeddyurappa will take over as KJP president. Katti and two other ministers, C. M Udasi, public works, and M. P. Renukacharya, excise, however, gave no indication whether they will attend Sunday’s rally at Haveri. Udasi said in Davangere that Yeddyurappa has asked ministers and BJP legislators supporting him not to attend the rally. “Yeddyurappa has said that this government is formed by us and it should complete the term (assembly’s term expires May next). Hence the question whether I will attend (the Haveri rally) or not does not arise,” he told reporters. IANS
UP tops communal clashes list A
NEW DELHI: Uttar Pradesh has earned the dubious distinction of witnessing over 100 communal clashes this year that left 34 people dead. The towns where incidents of such violence took place are Kosi Kalan in Mathura, Faizabad, Pratapgarh, Sitapur, Ghaziabad and Bareilly. More than 450 people were also injured in these clashes which took place from January till October 31, Home Ministry officials said. There were 84 incidents of communal clashes in the state in
2011 in which 12 people lost their lives. The country witnessed 560 incidents of violence this year till October end, which claimed 89 lives, while in 2011, 580 clashes took place that left 91 people dead. UP was followed by Maharashtra where 83 incidents were reported so far this year in which 13 people were killed and 88 incidents in 2011 which claimed 15 lives. Madhya Pradesh saw 78 incidents of communal violence so far this year in which 11 people were killed and in 2011, 81 inci-
ndhra Pradesh saw 33 communal clashes in 2011 in which one died; and so far this year, 45 clashes took place in which two were killed.
dents of communal clashes were reported that left 15 dead. In Karnataka, there were 54 incidents of communal clashes in 2012 and 70 incidents in 2011 in which three and four people lost their lives respectively. Rajasthan had witnessed 42
Pick
incidents of communal clashes in 2011 leading to death of 16 people while this year the state has witnessed 30 incidents of such violence and six dead. There were 47 incidents of communal clashes in Gujarat in 2011, in which three persons lost their lives, and 50 incidents so far this year in which five were killed. Andhra Pradesh saw 33 communal clashes in 2011 in which one died and so far this year, 45 clashes took place in which two were killed. There were 30 incidents of
at the
communal clashes in Kerala in 2011, in which one died, and 46 incidents in this year in which one was killed. Bihar witnessed 26 incidents with four deaths last year and 17 incidents this year in which three persons were killed. Tamil Nadu saw 21 incidents of communal violence and two deaths in 2011 and 11 incidents with two deaths this year so far. There were 15 incidents in West Bengal in 2011 in which three persons were killed, and 22 incidents in this year, in which PTI eight persons were killed.
airport,
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WORLD SUNDAY, DECEMBER 9, 2012
Chavez picks heir
Rage over nurse’s death LONDON: The London hospital that treated Prince William’s wife Catherine has condemned the Australian radio station whose hoax call apparently led to a nurse’s suicide, calling the stunt “appalling”. Britain has reacted with horror to the death of mother-of-two Jacintha Saldanha, 46, who is believed to have taken her own life after she was duped by two Oz RJs.
Bopha back in Philippines
CARACAS: Leftist Venezuelan
MANILA: Heavy rain brought flooding
President Hugo Chavez admitted a relapse of his cancer Saturday and designated vice president Nicolas Maduro as his heir apparent in case “something happened” to him. Speaking on national television, an emotional Chavez said a return of cancer cells was detected during his most recent visit to Cuba for check-up.
fears in the north of the storm-battered Philippines as Typhoon Bopha returned Sunday, days after slamming into the south of the country and leaving almost 1,400 dead or missing. While the powerful typhoon had weakened to a tropical storm, it was still causing downpours in the north. AFP
Morsi lets go of sweeping powers after army ultimatum CAIRO: Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi backed down Saturday in a political crisis marked by weeks of street protests, after the powerful army gave an ultimatum to him and the opposition to hold talks. But the initial signs were that his concession would not satisfy an increasingly fierce opposition. The Islamist leader annulled a controversial decree issued last month that put his decisions beyond judicial review — a move denounced as a dictatorial “power grab” by the opposition, but one which Morsi had defended as necessary to protect reforms. “The constitutional decree is annulled from this moment,” Selim al-Awa, an Islamist politician and adviser to Morsi, told a news conference after a meeting between the president and other political leaders. But Awa said an equally contentious referendum on a new constitution would go ahead as planned on December 15. The president was legally bound under the constitution to maintain that date and had no choice, he said. Awa added that if the draft constitution were rejected, a new one would be drawn up by officials elected by the people, rather than ones chosen by parliament as for the current text. The draft constitution has been criticised for its potential to weaken human rights and the rights of women, and out of fear it would usher in Islamic interpretation of laws. The two issues — the decree and the referendum — were at the heart of the anti-Morsi protests that turned violent last week, with clashes on Wednesday that killed seven people and wounded hundreds. The opposition refused Morsi’s offer of
An Egyptian Republican Guard rests on his tank behind the gates of the presidential palace guarded by a row of riot police in Cairo on December 8, 2012. Egypt’s powerful military thrust itself into the political crisis dividing the nation demanding dialogue and warning it would not permit events to take a “disastrous” turn. AFP/PATRICK BAZ dialogue as long as those two decisions stood. But on Saturday the powerful military, in its first statement since the crisis began, told both sides to talk. Otherwise, it warned, Egypt would descend “into a dark tunnel with disastrous results — and that is something we will not allow.” The army said it “stands always with the great Egyptian people and insists on its unity” but it was its duty to protect state institutions. It urged a solution
based on “democratic rules.” Morsi’s concession on the decree appeared to be a gesture to open the way for the talks to happen. But it remained to be seen if the opposition would remain intransigent over the referendum. One of the groups involved in the struggle to topple Mubarak, the April 6 Youth Movement, swiftly dismissed the announcements as “a political manoeuvre aimed at duping the people”. It called for the protests to continue to
stop “the referendum on the constitution of the Muslim Brotherhood”, a reference to the party backing Morsi. On Saturday there were none of the large-scale demonstrations seen on previous nights. But the presidential palace remained ringed by tanks and troops, as it has been since the day after the deadly clashes. In Cairo’s Tahrir Square, a focal point for hardcore protesters, news of the annulled decree sparked no celebrations. “This will change nothing,” said one antiMorsi activist, Mohamed Shakir, 50. “Even if they offered us honey, it would not be enough,” agreed another, Hisham Ezzat. Ahmad Abdallah, there with his wife and two children, said he could no longer accept Morsi and nothing less than the disappearance of the Muslim Brotherhood would satisfy him. “The Brotherhood exists around the world, they have gone to other countries and split the people. Before the split, Morsi had a chance but now it’s too late,” he said. The main opposition bloc, the National Salvation Front, has said it is ready for “serious and objective dialogue” as soon as Morsi met its demands to scrap both the decree and the referendum. It had rebuffed his offer on Thursday to open talks because he failed to give way on those two points. On Saturday the Front spoke of the possibility of organising a general strike in protest.However, Islamist groups supportive of Morsi have categorically refused to consider even delaying the constitutional referendum. In recent days, the mass protests had taken to demanding that Morsi step down, in scenes reminiscent of those during the early 2011 uprising that toppled president Hosni AFP Mubarak.
Launch may be Kidnapped US doctor delayed: N Korea in Afghanistan saved
Silvio to run as Monti steps down
SEOUL: North Korea said it may delay a much-criticised long-range rocket launch originally scheduled for as early as Monday, but gave no hint of the reasons. Scientists and technicians were “now seriously examining the issue of readjusting the launching time of the satellite for some reasons”, the Korean Committee of Space Technology said. Analysts said technical problems or snow, rather than overseas political pressure, could be behind the delay in what the North calls a satellite launch. One said the country’s new leader may have been rushing the blast-off set between December 10 and 22 in an attempt to mark a key political anniversary. A long-range launch in April, also purportedly to put a satellite into orbit, failed embarrassingly.
ROME: Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti is step-
KABUL: US soldiers killed seven Taliban insurgents in a pre-dawn raid to rescue a kidnapped American doctor in eastern Afghanistan on Sunday, the NATO force in the war-torn country said. The mission was launched when intelligence showed that Dr Dilip Joseph was in “imminent danger of injury or death”, NATO’s International Security Assistance Force said in a statement. Joseph was abducted on December 5 by Taliban insurgents in the Surobi district of Kabul province. “Today’s mission exemplifies our unwavering commitment to defeating the Taliban,” said General John Allen, the commander of US and ISAF forces in Afghanistan. “I’m proud of the American and Afghan forces that planned, rehearsed and successfully conducted this operation.”
ping down, the president’s office announced, just hours after the man he replaced, Silvio Berlusconi, said he would run again for head of government. Monti “does not think it possible to continue his mandate and consequently made clear his intention to present his resignation”, said a statement from President Giorgio Napolitano’s office on Saturday. The announcement came after Monti met with Napolitano at the presidential Quirinal palace for more than an hour. Already Friday, Monti had held talks with parliamentary political leaders including Angelino Alfano of Berlusconi’s right-wing People of Freedom (PDL) party.
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COMMENT SUNDAY, DECEMBER 9, 2012
Why now, Psy?
Don’t get caught up
I
I
agree the lyrics in Psy’s Dear American are a bit inflammatory, but the thing that beats me is why must he apologise now... after eight years and 900 million youtube hits? It’s a bit of a shock he wrote such hateful lines despite living a good part of his life in the US. Why blame the poor soldier? Akshay K via email
EDITORIALS BE WARNED, MORSI: The army has spoken Better sense seems to have dawned upon Mohamed Morsi, who bowing to the warning issued by the army, has repealed the decree that gave him almost absolute powers. It appeared that the nation which had done away with one tyrant was taking on another in such a short span of time. Morsi claims that his intentions were honourable: he empowered himself only to protect the hard-earned fruits of the revolution. However, the actions with which he followed up his words did not agree at all. There had been fears since his election about the well-being of people from other communities apart from Muslims. And his assuming sweeping powers and his seemingly autocratic ways only escalated those fears, resulting in the backlash from the people, pushing Egypt to the brink of dividing it communally that had remained mostly secular during Hosni Mubarak’s times. The army’s view that failure to resolve a crisis over the drafting of the constitution would result in "disastrous consequences" that could drag the country into a "dark tunnel" is spot on. It’s a surprise that it is the army which had worried many an Egyptian about its role in rebuilding of their country took the initiative in resolving the current crisis. The need of the nation is a leader who represents everyone and listens to his people. Morsi must change his ways and use his mandate wisely. If not he knows what follows, for the army has spoken.
PUNJAB COP MURDER: Same old story A high ranking police official has been suspended and another dismissed and the CM said "nobody will be allowed to take law in his own hands”, but what becomes of the poor family that lost their breadwinner?
am glad pugilists in the city are not distrubed by the administrative fiasco brought on by the IOA. Though it’s disturbing that the fates of several boxers border near uncertainty, the thing is to keep training for the tournaments coming up and hope that this nonsense is cleared up. Vikas Mehta via email
EDITORIALS 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 040-4067 2222.
What a waste!
D
espite several reports about wasting of the taxpayers’ money, authorities seem to have not leanrned their lesson. What sense is there in the monthly loan repayment of `48cr after building such a useless building as the Gachibowli Sports complex? Suresh Krishna via email
IOA BAN AN EYE OPENER From the hip
SYED SHOAIB
T
he International Olympic Committee (IOC) on Tuesday suspended the Indian Olympic Association “due to its failure to comply with the Olympic Charter and its statutes and failure to inform the IOC in a timely manner” as stated by the IOC director of communications in a press conference in Lausanne. The Indian government received the news with dismay and sportspersons with mixed reactions. Some feel that this could be the opportunity to clean the Augean stables, while some understand that the IOA ban from the Olympic movement means: n No funding from IOC, n No officials from India will be invited by IOC to any event such as Paralympics and Olympics, n Indian athletes will not be allowed to compete under India’s flag; but will be permitted to participate under the IOC flag, and n Similar sanctions may be imposed by the Commonwealth Games Federation as well as the Olympic Council of Asia. So what exactly is it that has hit us like a googly. The Olympic Charter states that “any person or organisation belonging in any capacity whatsoever to the Olympic movement is bound by the provisions of the Olympic Charter and shall abide by the decisions of the IOC”. Article 27.6 of the Olympic Charter insists that National Olympic Committees be autonomous and not be influenced by political, legal, religious, economic and other pressures so that they can comply with the Olympic Charter. Now this is where the crux of the matter lies. To increase transparency and accountabili-
ty in the working of sports bodies ie the National Sports Federations, a National Sports Development Code of India 2011 was framed that is a culmination of various government directives issued from time to time since 2001. This code covers the Indian Olympic Association too. The honourable Delhi High Court held that the government guidelines governing NSFs are valid, binding and enforceable and the tenure clause that was brought in as a result of a PIL and the general views of the public and parliamentarians on capping the unregulated tenure of the office bearers is not in violation of the Olympics Charter. The aim of the Sports Code as it is popularly known was mainly to ensure a free and fair election process in the NSFs and bring in procedural uniformity to eliminate conflict of interests. On perusal of the Sports Code, an honest effort has been made to streamline the functioning of
sports bodies. The code declares that it is a legal binding on the National Olympic Committee ie the Indian Olympic Association and the National Sports Federations, if they wish to regulate sports in India or using India’s name within or outside the country, besides availing financial or tax benefits. Also, there is no clause that is contrary to the clauses in the Olympic Charter. In fact, it reinforces the Olympic Charter. While the infighting between two groups led by Abhay Singh Chauthala and Randhir Singh for the presidential post in the IOA has led to a tarnished image of the entire poll process, the Olympic Charter prohibits government interference in Olympic association elections. The IOC sees the event of elections being conducted by the IOA on the directions of the Delhi High Court, as per the norms laid down in the Sports Code as a violation of the Charter of the IOA.
There have been instances when the option of barring certain countries from the Olympic Games for not adhering to the principles in the Olympic Charter was considered but ultimately a dialogue before taking stringent steps was thought to be the better alternative. Arbitration clauses of the Charter recommend issuing a warning before applying any measure or sanction. This has not happened in India’s case. The reasons may well be that the infighting in the IOA has led to a situation wherein no dialogue has been initiated with the IOC to explain the clauses in the Sports Code. Now that a standoff has occurred it will become necessary for the IOC and the government to sit across the table and sort out the matter. It will also be wise to reassure the IOC that the Sports Code is in no way diluting Olympism but rather reinforcing those very ideals and ethical principles.
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BUSINESS SUNDAY, DECEMBER 9, 2012
UBI to infuse `1,000 crore
U
nion Bank of India expects fund infusion of about `1,000 crore as part of recapitalisation plan of the government. Last fiscal, the stateowned bank got capital support of `280 crore. With the infusion, Tier I capital of the bank will go up — it was 8.17 per cent as on September 2012. The infusion will help it to enhance lending to productive sectors.
Wal-Mart spent `125 crore
FIIs pump in $21 bn
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O
lobal retail giant Wal-Mart — waiting for years to open its supermarkets in India has been lobbying with the US lawmakers since 2008 to facilitate its entry into the highly lucrative Indian market. As per the lobbying disclosure reports filed with the US Senate, the company has spent close to $ 25million since 2008 on its various lobbying activities.
verseas investors have made net investments of $1.2 billion in the Indian equity market during the first week of the month, taking the total for 2012 so far to a whopping $21 billion. During December 3-7, Foreign Institutional Investors were gross buyers of shares worth `20,314 crore and sellers of equities worth ` 14,167 crore.
Ghosts of colonial past? sprawling red-brick secretariat built by the East India Company more than 200 years ago for trading in opium, cloth, tea and indigo. “Indians trusted the British and we know what happened. We were slaves,” she said. “Again, we are inviting the British and other countries to rule us.” Akshaya Deb, a historian at the University of Calcutta, said that “British brutality in India cannot be forgotten. They came in as traders and ended up ruling India.” Defending the policy of economic liberalisation, the left-leaning government said the country cannot be subservient to what it called the “East India Company complex”. “We talk about East India Company but we forget Indian firms like Tata are buying out international companies and
A protest against the Centre’s decision to allow Foreign Direct investment (FDI) in the retail AFP/SAJJAD HUSSAIN market during a rally in New Delhi.
Rupam Jain Nair
feedback@postnoon.com
NEW DELHI: India’s bitter colonial past hangs heavily over the government’s renewed drive to open the inward-looking economy to foreign investment, even 65 years after independence, analysts say. Despite a dramatic economic transformation in the past two decades, the emerging market giant’s 200 years under British domination still evoke painful memories. “The evils of British colonisation
THE MARKET-OPENING PUSH COMES AS INDIA FACES A
SHARPLY SLOWING ECONOMY, A GAPING FISCAL DEFICIT AND HIGH INFLATION, WHICH HAS STOKED PRESSURE ON AN ADMINISTRATION ALREADY UNDER FIRE FOR CORRUPTION. are etched in our minds and Indians fear foreign companies have the power and strategies to recolonise India,” said Mridula Mukherjee, a history professor at Jawaharlal Nehru University. Those worries came to the fore last week as lawmakers debated a government move to let in foreign supermarkets — a key plank of its economic reform agenda and aimed at drawing in more investment from overseas. Opponents fear that allowing the entry of retail giants such as US-based Walmart will force India’s millions of small shopkeepers out of business.
The Congress party-led government of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh won the vote to permit the entry of big retailers even as opposition parties accused it of wishing to revive the rule of foreign traders. “Vote against the entry of foreign retail giants — think of your duty to your country,” Sharad Yadav, head of the socialist Janata Dal (United), implored lawmakers in Lok Sabha. “America and other countries will never want India to develop — it only loves the market here. Don’t let another East India Company enter the country,” he said. Yadav was referring to Britain’s former East India Company, dubbed the world’s first multinational, which held sway over vast parts of India and set up trading posts to ship cargoes of textiles, indigo, sugar and spices. The East India Company was disbanded after the bloody 1857 uprising known in India as the country’s First War of Independence. The revolt which was savagely repressed made way for the British Raj — direct rule by the British government. The anti-foreign tone was the same in the Rajya Sabha. “The East India Company entered through Kolkata (formerly Calcutta) and ruled,” said Naresh Agarwal of the regional socialist Samajwadi Party. “This time, they are coming through New Delhi.” The feisty chief minister of West Bengal, Mamata Banerjee, has been among the most strident opponents of allowing foreign traders access to India’s vast consumer market, calling it a “historical economic blunder”. Banerjee’s office is in Kolkata’s
are going global,” Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises Minister Praful Patel told parliament. “Let’s not get emotional,” Patel said. “There is no way the East India Company story will be repeated here. Foreign companies need new markets — even we need them.” The market-opening push comes as India faces a sharply slowing economy, a gaping fiscal deficit and high inflation, which has stoked pressure on an administration already under fire for corruption. JNU’s Mukherjee said Indians need to overcome their political and economic insecurity. “Why are we getting nervous about foreign giants entering the markets? India is not mortgaging its future and history will not repeat itself,” she said. AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
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10
INTERVIEW SUNDAY, DECEMBER 9, 2012
Neil Sanghavi is living a dream these days. He’s part of a flourishing event management industry in India and he’s optimistic that things are only going to get better for the industry in future. In conversation with Postnoon, he talks about the success of his event management company Oxygen Entertainment & Media Solutions and what it takes to be a successful event manager.
Going global HEMANTH KUMAR
hemanth.k@postnoon.com Q. You are the director of one of the leading event management companies in the country. How did your tryst with this industry begin? I graduated with a diploma in Advertising from HR College of Commerce and Economics and later, I went to Mudra Institute of Communications, Ahmedabad where I did my specialisation in Event management and public relations. Few years later, I joined World Wide Media where I started overseeing events. I had a good rapport with the CEO and COO of my company and one fine day I decided to quit and start up on my own. My partner Sajjad Meherally and I started Oxygen Entertainment back in 2008 and we had great support from our previous employers. In the past few years, we have executed larger scale events like Filmfare Awards, Sulafest among many others.
Q. Till mid 2000s, event management was yet to take off in a big way. How difficult was it for you in the initial days? We had a contract with Filmfare Awards and right in the beginning of our launch, we executed events for
Femina and YouTube. The toughest part was surviving during the recession in 2009. We had to sit idle for a long time since no one was willing to spend money on events. But the event management industry has recovered now and it’s booming.
Q. You are working in the same zone like big event management companies like Wizcraft, DNA Networks and Percept. Where does Oxygen Entertainment fit into the bigger picture? In terms of the size of the company we may be smaller than others, but we are on par or even better in terms of the scale of events. Of late, there are new event management companies springing up at every nook and corner, but the difference lies in conceptualisation and execution of the event. It’s a lot of hard work.
Q. If you were to point out that one factor which sets you apart from the rest in this industry, what would that be? We are always present at each and every event we organise. When a big organisation
holds such events, there’s no personal touch but we believe in being there completely. It doesn’t matter if we are given a budget of `5 lakh or `5 crore, we treat all our clients with utmost respect.
Q. The premiere of Jab Tak Hai Jaan was one of the biggest events which you had executed in recent times. What was the most difficult part of the whole process? After all, it was an ode to Yash Chopra’s legacy. Time was a big challenge for us. It was Aditya
Chopra’s brainchild and it was supposed to be a gift to his father. However, after Yash Chopra’s sudden demise, we weren’t sure if the project was still on. After the mourning ceremony, Aditya Chopra was adamant that we should go ahead with the premiere. We had just nine days to set up the entire event and I am proud to say that my team has done a fabulous job. Aditya Chopra is a perfectionist and to match his expectations, we had to work really hard.
Q. What does it take to become a successful event manager? You have to forget that you have a personal life! (laughs). Jokes apart, you have to be always on your toes, be punctual and respect everyone. But the most important part is that you have to get it right every single time. That’s when clients keep coming back to you.
Q. By 2015, the event management sector is pegged to be a `5,000 crore industry. Are you betting big on people’s interest to spend more money on events in future? Yes, of course. Today, people are looking for event managers for even small events. India has come to a global platform. A lot more international artists are coming here and vice versa. As long as you can deliver quality work, you’ll be in the game for a long time, despite competition. Sajjad Meherally, Neil Sanghavi
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WELLNESS SUNDAY, DECEMBER 9, 2012
BACK TO THE FUTURE
A strangely enticing blend of futuristic and traditional, Aura at The Park is a spa that’s designed to seduce your senses.
PADMINI C
padmini.c@postnoon.com
A
s I walked into the conch shaped corridor of Aura, it became immediately obvious that this was unlike any other spa I’d ever been to. Keeping in tune with the rest of the hotel, The Park’s spa has a distinctly futuristic feel about it. With white interiors bathed in hues of blue, sparkling cushions throwing off light from the rows of wroughtiron lamps, abstract sculptures adoring its asymmetric walls, its decor borders on the surreal. I’m expecting Martians to come marching around the corners any moment now. So it’s with utter surprise that I discover the philosophy behind the spa, which is centered on the tenets of ancient healing methods, natural therapy, and pancha-mahabuta (harnessing the power of the five elements of nature). And, the design of Aura, I’m later informed, comes from the organic shapes of diamonds mined here in the Golconda region. In fact, all the treatments offered here are inspired by the royals, particularly the Nizami culture, of overwhelming opulence and heady decadence. As I consider my options for the day, I decide to ignore the Nizams for a day and go with the Mughals instead. The Great
Mughal session seems just about right, I tell them. They inform me in the kindest terms possible that I should consider something else. Why? I ask. They explain. A day-long session involving springwater-filled jacuzzis, diamond dust body polish, chocolate wraps, caviar facials, fourcourse meals, chilled glasses of Dom Perignon and what not, The Great Mughal is indulgence at its seductive best. And not in the pay scale of working class heroines.
What: Where:
Aura Spa The Park, Somajiguda Price: Gemstone Massage: `4,000 Wraps & Massages: `1,500 & `2,500 onwards + taxes So I reconsider. The hot gemstone Shiatsu massage, advise my new friends at the Spa. The idea of a hot soothing massage on the cold, cloudy day
is irresistible. The moment the hot stone touches my skin, I finally believe my therapist Sri when she tells me that crystals have been used throughout history for their healing and therapeutic properties as they can move, absorb, focus, direct and diffuse energy within the body. The Aventurine, for instance, is said to enhance relaxation, regeneration and recovery, curing ailments like insomnia. The Carnelian helps in lifting up the emotions and gives
courage to face everyday problems. The white and yellow jade is calming. The golden obsidian helps with shocks, fear, blocks and trauma, and so forth. In the next sixty minutes, using an assortment of stones, Sri systematically breaks down the tension in my stiff muscles and takes away the pain in my shoulders and I feel much calmer and renewed. Even without the aid of healing crystals, Sri works magic. She is thorough, gentle but relentless in the pursuit of a stress-free body and I know I’ve never been in better hands. I wonder if the effects will last after a day at work, but for now, it’s enough. And I have no doubt I will be coming back for more. Each of the seven therapy rooms is equipped with a shower but unless you sign up for a wrap or prefer otherwise, you will usually be redirected to their vast communal wet area, for steam and shower and jacuzzi services. But the thing Aura prides itself most, Dr Kalathil Harish, director of the spa, tells me, is that their wraps and in fact all signature products available at Aura are organic, freshly prepared in-house and devoid of all chemicals. At the end of my session, even the strange juxtaposition of the spa’s ambience and its services begins to make sense. After all, no matter how fast we move into the future, it’s still from the practices of the past that we derive inner peace.
12
ART AND CULTURE SUNDAY, DECEMBER 9, 2012
Oscar Niemeyer dies
Raphael drawing sells for $47.8 million
M
odernist architect Oscar Niemeyer has died just short of his 105th birthday. Born on December 15, 1907, in Rio de Janeiro, he achieved international acclaim when commissioned in 1956 to design monumental buildings in Brazil’s new capital, Brasilia. Lauded for being a “sculptor of monuments”, Niemeyer was praised for being one of the best architects of his generation.
A
drawing by the Italian Renaissance artist Raphael has sold for $47.8 million at an auction. The work, titled “Head of a Young Apostle,” was featured in a Sotheby’s auction in London on Wednesday. The chalk drawing, dating from the early 16th century, is believed to have been an early study for Raphael’s masterpiece “Transfiguration,” which is located at The Vatican. Following an intense 17 minute battle between four bidders — both in the auction room and on the phones — the hammer came down on the winning bid which was cast on the telephone.
Self-portrait of brother?
T
he Van Gogh Museum said Tuesday its experts now believe one of Vincent van Gogh’s paintings previously thought to be a selfportrait actually depicts his brother, Theo. If true, it would be the only known painting of Theo, although Vincent made several sketches of his brother, who supported him financially and was his lifelong confidant and friend.
‘Streets are magical’
Iruvan Karunakaran who is exhibiting his art at Beyond Coffee till December 16 talks about his life and his muses. AMY ROSE THOMAS
amyrose.t@postnoon.com
H
e finds his muses on the streets, at times it is the boy riding a bicycle and at other times it is a woman going to the temple. Iruvan Karunakaran who is exhibiting his works at Beyond Coffee, says that he is inspired by characters in his daily life. “I feel that the characters we see in our daily life have a silent magic. This inspiration gets funneled down to the canvas and that is the kind of paintings I do. To me the streets are magical. People on the streets are always busy; some of them running late to get to their destination, while others are others are busy buying from the vendors on the roadside. It might be the man pulling the cart or the dog sleeping, despite the commotion, the con-
Village tales
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he solo exhibition of Bala Abhiram, son of renowned artist Bairu Raghuram, is being held at Alliance Francaise in Banjara Hills. Abhiram says, “I choose the subject of the village, its environment, lives of the rural folk, the sources of livelihood, and the socioeconomic spheres. I paint everything I see in nature: men and women relaxing, gossiping in the rural area. I am inspired by rural life and study works of European, American and Indian artists.” n Where: Alliance Francaise, Road No 3, Banjara Hills n When: December 6-14, 9am-6pm
tinuous movement on the streets makes it feel as if it is alive,” he says about his muses. Having born and brought up in the temple city of Madurai, he says sculptures and paintings from childhood, helped him in his work. “The city in itself was my primary inspiration. During my formative years, I used to follow works of many artists from the city. Later I was inspired by Australian watercolour artist Joseph Zbucvic who is known for his street paintings,” he says. He did his Bachelor of fine Arts from Government College of Arts & Crafts in Kumbakonam, Tamil Nadu but says that most of the training came from his life experiences. “I think a person would need basic training from an art school but after that one recognises his true self through life experiences. Most of the times, those who go to an art college do not necessarily become an artist in the later stages. Among the 150 students who had attended college with me, only three or four of them have pursued art seri-
Recognition worked in a very different way at a time before the invasion of the Internet and it was after an artist passed away that his work was recognised. ously,” he says. Artists gain recognition after their prime. But he says that this fact doesn’t bother him much
since he is not chasing fame. “I am not chasing fame but I would definitely be happy when I get recognised and remembered for my work. Recognition worked in a very different way at a time before the invasion of the Internet and it was after an artist passed away that his work was recognised. However, in my opinion that is not the case anymore. Moreover, I believe that each artist has a unique style and it is not right to compare one with the other. So each of us have a space for ourselves,” he says. He calls himself a full-time artist who takes out time for other roles like son, husband and father. “I enjoy painting and I would like to do it in the future too but I haven’t set a target for myself. I will keep painting till I enjoy doing it,” he says. He feels that the market for art works is on the rise with the emerging Indian economy. “Many are looking at art as a form of investment which was not the case before. This shows that the art scene in the country looking up,” he says.
Breaking the mould
K
Muralidhar, a Hyderabadbased artist is exhibiting his works at Rainbow Art Gallery in Begumpet. Muralidhar is known for experimenting with special clay, creating works in 3D clay art. The special clay can be used on any surface, enabling creating of art out of waste even. Muralidhar aspires to teach and encourage anyone interested in using the medium. He also holds clay art classes at his institute. n Where: Rainbow Art Gallery, Tourism Plaza, Begumpet n When: December 8-12, 11am7pm
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ENVIRONMENT SUNDAY, DECEMBER 9, 2012
Clay deposits on red planet
Sequoias grow faster with age
'Black Swan' Storms
The Opportunity Rover has made its way to a spot on the Red Planet that may have been capable of supporting life long ago. The team is currenlty studying clay deposits on the rim of the Red Planet’s Endeavour Crater. The clay implies that the area was exposed to relatively neutral — as opposed to harshly acidic or basic — water long ago, researchers said.
Aging giant sequoia trees are growing faster than ever, with some of the oldest and tallest trees producing more wood, on average, in old age than they did when they were younger. A 2,000-year-old giant sequoia is just cranking out wood, said Steve Sillett, a professor at Humboldt State University in California who has conducted recent research on the big trees.
A "black swan" cyclone may sound like the latest comic book hero, but this "extreme of the extremes" is the result of climate models that suggest global warming will make future hurricanes more intense.The rare monster tropical cyclones could inundate coastal areas with storm surges greater than 15 feet (4.6 meters), and could even surpass 30 feet (9 m) in some regions of the world.
ENDANGERED LIVING The roar of chainsaws has replaced birdsong, the once-lush jungle scorched to a barren grey. The equivalent of six football pitches of forest is lost every minute in Indonesia. Loic Vennin and Olivia Rondonuwu feedback@postnoon.com
T
he disappearance of the trees has pushed thousands of animals — from the birds they harbour and sustain to orangutans, gibbons and black panthers — out of their natural homes and habitats. They have been replaced by plantations that are too nutrientpoor to support such wildlife, instead dedicated solely to producing fruit that is pulped to make oil used globally in products ranging from food to fuel. A palm oil tree can yield useable fruit in three years and continue doing so for the next 25 years. But such wealth creation has meant environmental destruction. “We don’t see too many orangutans any more,” said a worker with a weather-beaten face, taking a break in the shade of a hut built on a path gouged out of the forest floor. Experts believe there are about 50,000 to 60,000 orangutans left in the wild, 80 per cent of them in Indonesia’s Borneo and the rest in Malaysia. Exact data on their
decline is hard to come by, say primatologists. “What we see now is a contest between orangutans and palm oil for a home,” said Sri Suci Utami Atmoko from National University in Jakarta. “You can judge that the population is depleting from the loss of orangutan habitats.” Gibbons, often recognisable by the rings of white fur that frame their faces, are among the hardest-hit species. “There are 1,00,000 gibbons in Borneo. But in 15-20 years, there will be more viable populations,” said Aurelien Brule, a French national based in Borneo for 15 years who runs an animal sanctuary. Gibbons rescued from the destruction of their forest homes cannot be returned alone into new wild habitats. “Other pairs protecting their own territory would kill them,” said Brule, adding that rampant deforestation has wiped out sites suitable for single animals. There is also a human cost, with the permits for plantations resulting in the eviction of indigenous people. Abdon Nababan, the secretary-general of AMAN, an Indonesian indige-
nous peoples alliance, said there is no exact data but recorded cases of land conflict are in the hundreds, with thousands of people possibly affected. “Palm oil has brought fortune to Indonesia, but it has been gained with blood,” said Jakarta-based forest campaigner for Greenpeace, Wirendro Sumargo.
THE
COST OF GROWTH
Indonesia, the world’s biggest palm oil producer, has exponentially increased the land dedicated to the commodity from 274,000 hectares (680,000 acres) in the 1980s to 7.32 million hectares in 2009, government documents show. The industry has helped push Indonesia’s
GDP growth rate above 6.0 per cent every year since 2005, but at the cost of huge tracts of rainforest. An area roughly the size of Denmark was lost between 2000 and 2010 across Indonesia and its neighbour Malaysia, according to a study published last year in the Global Change Biology journal. Despite some backlash around the world, including an unsuccessful attempt in France to push an amendment to quadruple tax on palm oil to discourage consumption — the destruction is unlikely to stop any time soon. Indonesia, which together with Malaysia holds 85 per cent of the market, aims to increase production by more than 60 per cent by 2020. To appease environmental concerns, it last year imposed a moratorium on new permits in primary forests and peatlands. But critics say it is a cosmetic move, with plantations overlapping sensitive environments. One example can be found in the Tripa Peat Swamp Forest, in the northwest of Aceh province, home to endangered species such as Sumatran rhinos and tigers. In this area, “we have evi-
dence that five palm oil firms are doing illegal practices”, said Deddy Ratih, forest campaigner for WALHI/Friends of the Earth Indonesia. Derom Bangun, the chairman of umbrella organisation Indonesian Palm Oil Board, doesn’t deny the issue but says improvements are being made. “The government has seen (the violations) and has taken steps to fix it. Ultimately we want the palm oil industry to work according to the rules,” he added. In an effort to improve their image, some palm oil firms have joined the roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO), a forum consisted namely of green groups and growers. The WWF, one of the founders of RSPO, admitted that there is still a conservation shortfall. “Generally land allocation for plantations still overlaps with primary forests and peatlands, including in areas that are the habitat of key species,” said Irwan Gunawan, WWF deputy director of market transformation in Indonesia. “We are encouraging the government to pay attention to this,” he added. AFP
14
FOOD SUNDAY, DECEMBER 9, 2012
Pineapples with a twist
Train food to turn costly
Street food festival
I
f you like pina coladas and the development of new varieties of fruit via hybridisation, you’re going to love the AusFestival pineapple, which was bred by researchers in Australia’s Department of Agriculture and tastes like coconut.They hope to start planting the pineapples for commercial sale, and for blending into pina coladas, within the next two years, reports Huff Post.
T
A
he price of the food served on trains will finally see an upward revision after a gap of almost a decade as Railway Minister Pawan Bansal is learnt to have given an in-principle approval to the move to be effected next year. For the sake of better quality, the railways has been aiming to increase the rates of the food items served on trains reports a national newspaper.
ditya Hometel is organising a ‘Street Food Festival’ on December 7-19 at Flavours Restaurant. The specially designed food festival offers an array of mouthwatering Indian street dishes. The street food festival promises to provide everyone an opportunity to enjoy the taste and feel of Indian street food. The festival is a lunch and dinner buffet.
The Soup Song
On a cold winter day, there’s nothing like a soup to keep you warm and toasty. Here are some hearty, nutritious and easy-to-make selections from your favourite chefs. CHICKEN NOODLE SOUP Martha Stewart advises, “In addition to broad egg noodles, you can make this heavenly soup with angel-hair pasta broken into short lengths or shapes, such as alphabet pasta, or add cooked grains like rice.”
INGREDIENTS n
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METHOD Place stock in a stockpot over medium-high heat, and bring just to a simmer. Add carrots, and simmer until tender, about six minutes. Meanwhile, bring a large saucepan of salted water to a boil. Cook noodles until just tender, about six minutes. Drain noodles, and add them to the pot of stock, along with shredded chicken meat. Season with salt and pepper. Heat until very hot. When ready to serve, stir in dill and parsley
3 quarts homemade chicken stock, or canned low-sodium chicken broth, skimmed of fat 3 carrots, cut into 1/8-inchthick rounds Salt and freshly ground black pepper 8 ounces medium egg noodles Cooked chicken meat, shredded 1/4 cup chopped fresh dill, or 1 tablespoon dried dill 1/4 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley
SOURCE: WWW.MARTHASTEWART.COM
FRENCH ONION SOUP
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With croutons on top, you can dig right in to this French onion soup!
n
INGREDIENTS n n n n n n
6 medium onions, thinly sliced 4 tbsp butter 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped 2 fresh bay leaves 2 tbsp fresh thyme, finely chopped Salt and pepper
n n
n
METHOD Heat a soup pot over medium heat. Melt butter. Add onions, garlic, bay leaves, thyme, salt and pepper and caramelise, stirring frequently, for 30 minutes. Deglaze the pan with wine, then let it reduce for 1 minute while stirring. Add the stock and Worcestershire sauce and simmer for 15 minutes more. Toast the bread slices for 15 minutes in an oven at 250˚F. Switch the broiler on. Top the bread with cheese and broil for 2-3 minutes to melt the cheese. Ladle the soup into bowls. Set four croutons into each bowl and serve. SOURCE: WWW.RACHELRAY.COM
CORN CHOWDER
n
One of Jamie Oliver’s ultimate comfort foods, he says about corn chowder, “I love it and it’s much easier than you think to make. You can adapt chowders and add all sorts of things from crab meat to smoked fish — the idea is really to be as hearty as possible.”
n n
n n n
n
n n n
n n
n n n
1 (chopped) celery stalk 1 (finely chopped) medium onion 1½ tablespoons butter ½ teaspoon dried thyme 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour 3 cups 1% milk 1 medium potato, peeled and cut into little cubes 3 scallions 2 cups frozen (or fresh) corn ¼ cup chopped fresh chives and/or parsley (optional)
1 tablespoon cornstarch 4 ounces angel-hair pasta 1 1/2 pounds large shrimp, peeled, deveined, and tails removed 1/4 cup lime juice Coarse salt 4 scallions, thinly sliced
METHOD
INGREDIENTS n
1 cup dry white wine 4 cups beef stock 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce 1 baguette, sliced into 16 rounds about 1-inch thick 1/2 pound Gruyère cheese
METHOD Heat the butter in a medium saucepan over a medium heat. Add the celery, onion, and thyme. Stir until vegetables start to brown. Sprinkle the flour over the veggies and stir for a few minutes. Pour in the milk, add the potato and bring to a boil, stirring the whole time. Cook until the potatoes are tender, but not mushy – this will take around 10 minutes. Chop the celery leaves, trim the ends off the scallions and slice them thinly. Stir in the corn, scallions and celery leaves. Bring the soup back to the boil, then serve. SOURCE: WWW.JAMIEOLIVER.COM
COCONUT SHRIMP SOUP Bursting with flavour and nutrients, this healthy soup makes for a thoroughly hearty meal.
INGREDIENTS n n n n n
n
1 tablespoon vegetable oil 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger 2 cloves garlic, minced 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon red-pepper flakes 1 pound (6 to 8 medium) carrots, peeled, halved lengthwise, and thinly sliced 1 can (13.5 ounces) coconut milk
Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-low heat. Add ginger, garlic, and pepper flakes; cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add carrots, coconut milk, and three cups water. In a bowl, mix cornstarch and 2 tbsp water until smooth; add to pot. Bring to a boil. Break pasta in half; add to pot. Return to a boil, reduce heat to medium, and simmer until pasta is al dente and carrots are tender, 3 to 4 minutes. Add shrimp; stir for 1 minute. Remove pot from heat, and stir in lime juice; season with salt. Garnish with scallions. WWW.MARTHASTEWART.COM
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FOOD SUNDAY, DECEMBER 9, 2012 S BALAKRISHNA
Mekong at Marigold that serves delicious Asian food in zen surroundings makes for a delightful treat.
Hyderabadi Dum Biryani
Rice cooked with raw mutton, under slow cooking with sealed cover. Noor’s Kitchen NOOR JAFRI
Serene Sundays JYOTSNA NAMBIAR jyotsna.n@postnoon.com
W
ater and wood — these are the elements that dominate in Mekong, Hotel Marigold’s pan-Asian restaurant that specialises in cuisines that spring up on the banks of the Mekong river. The deep mahogany of the wooden cage lampshades and tables are offset beautifully by the pale blue tiles on the wall. The translucent white shades give a glimpse of the bamboo grove outside. Peace reigns within. We turned up to sample their recently inaugurated Sunday brunch. There was a sense of serenity and ceremony as the courses made their way to our table. Fragrant jasmine tea was served in jade green cups, setting the mood for the meal. We start with vegetable tempura sushi and a salmon tempura ura maki, both served without wasabi. The salmon sushi was good, but even the non-vegetarians agreed that the vegetable tempura sushi, with its crunchy interior, was the winner. Assorted mushroom tepanyaki, Thai corn cake and a raw papaya salad were served as starters, followed by Kung pao prawns and chicken yaki tori. The Thai corn cake was a disappointment. The mushroom tepanyaki was good, but because of the varieties of mushrooms used, some seemed bland while the others were flavoursome. The Kung pao prawns — succulent and perfectly spiced — was the highlight of the starters menu. The chicken yaki tori was tasty, but predictable. Khow suey chicken soup
Where: Mekong, Hotel Marigold, Begumpet When: Every Sunday from 11am to 4pm How much: `1,150 with unlimited beer/ice tea/ wine, inclusive of all taxes `700 for children
was next on the menu, and the servers brought the soup to the table in a beautiful ceramic bowl. Rich, creamy and delicately flavoured, the soups were a hit, but it is difficult to finish a large bowlful of the almost curry-like soup. For the main course, we tried the seasonal vegetable noo-
dles and the vegetable basil fried rice, accompanied by chilli bean eggplant and schezwan chicken. Instead of being steaming hot, the noodles were served cold, which was a refreshing change. The chilli bean eggplant, which had crunchy cubes of eggplant coated with spices, was an unusual take on a usually boring vegetable. The schezwan chicken was delicious, and unlike most restaurants that serve it, not in the least oily. We ended the meal with a trio of desserts — sticky rice pudding, fried date pancake and rose petal ice cream. Not being a fan of rice puddings, I was not very impressed by it, but the dessert was a lot less sweet and tastier than the ones I am usually subjected to. The rose petal ice cream was delicious. The delicate, crisp pastry of the date pancake was a good contrast to the soft, stickiness of the date paste. All in all, a good ending to a good meal. The chef explained that Asian food was best served fresh and hot, which is why the restaurant opted for a set menu instead of a buffet. Having the set menu also allows you to relax at your seat with a cold glass of wine, which, to me, is the whole point of a lazy Sunday brunch. Head to Mekong for Asian comfort food served up in zen surroundings.
Ingredients 1. Basmati rice - 500 gms. 2. Mutton - 750 gms. 3. Thinly sliced onion - 2 medium sized. 4. Ginger-garlic paste - 3 tbsp 5. Curd - 200 gms. 6. Red chilli powder - 2 tsp 7. Green chilli paste - 2 tsp 8. Raw papaya paste - 2 tbsp 9. Garam - masala powder - 3 tsp 10. Garam masala - 1 tbsp 11. Milk - 100 ml 12.. Ghee / Refined oil - 100 ml 13. Green chillies - 8 to 10 14. Mint leaves - 2 bunches 15. Coriander leaves - 2 bunches 16. Lemon juice - 2 tsp 17. Kevda water - 1/2 a tsp 18. Saffron - 2 pinches 19. Foil or dough for sealing the vessel
Procedure 1. Wash and soak basmati rice, for half an hour. Marinate the mutton with raw papaya, ginger-garlic and green chilli paste, chilli powder, salt and one or two table spoons of oil. Leave it aside for sometime. 2. Add the curd, melted ghee half of garam-masala powder chopped coriander and mint leaves, slit green chillies and lemon juice. Keep aside. 3. Boil the water for rice with garam-masala and salt. Spread the marinated mutton and then add the par-boil rice. Add the mixture of ghee,saffron and milk and garam-masala powder on the top of rice. 4. Sprinkle mint and coriander and sliced fried onions. Seal the handi with dough or foil and put on a high-flame to cook till the steam is formed. 5. Simmer it down when the steam is formed for another 10 to 20 minutes. 6. Switch off the gas, and only after another 10-15 minutes.
CHEF’S NOTE:
n It’s a rich nawabi style dish
which requires slow dum cooking method. n The dish is served by mixing portion by portion, along with accompaniment of mirchi ka salan, baigare baigan or raita. nHigh in calories.
Contact Us @ Noor Kitchen, Banjara Hills. Mobile - 9441282318 Residence - 23356947 Like Us @ -http://www.facebook.com/Noorkitchen
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HISTORY SUNDAY, DECEMBER 9, 2012
Dec 16
Dec 10
1971: Two weeks after the Indian invasion of East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) in support of the independence movement there, 90,000 Pakistani troops surrender to the Indian forces.
1901: The first Nobel Prizes are awarded in Stockholm, Sweden in the fields of physics, chemistry, medicine, literature and peace. Emil von Behring, who developed an antitoxin to treat diphtheria and Wilhelm Conrad Rontgen, who discovered Xrays, are among the first winners.
Dec 16
Dec 11
1773: In Boston Harbor, a group of Massachusetts colonists board three British tea ships and dump 342 chests of tea into the harbour. This was to protest the Tea Act, which granted the East India Company a virtual monopoly on the American tea trade.
1936: Edward VIII becomes the first English monarch to voluntarily abdicate the throne. He did so in order to marry American divorcee Wallis Warfield Simpson, after the Church of England condemned his decision to do so.
Dec 15
Dec 11
2008: US financier Bernard Madoff is arrested at his New York City apartment for masterminding a $65 billion Ponzi scheme, one of the biggest investment frauds in Wall Street history.
Dec 12
1901: Italian radio pioneer Guglielmo Marconi sends the first radio transmission across the Atlantic Ocean, disproving detractors who told him that the curvature of the earth would limit transmission to 200 miles or less.
Dec 12
1913: Two years after it was stolen from the Louvre Museum, Leonardo da Vinci’s painting Mona Lisa is recovered in an Italian waiter’s hotel room in Florence.
2003: After spending nine months on the run, former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein is captured by US soldiers, in a six-by-eight foot hole nine miles outside his home town of Tikrit.
Dec 13
1961: In Tel Aviv, Israel, Adolf Eichmann, the Nazi SS officer who organised Adolf Hitler’s “final solution of the Jewish question”, is condemned to death by an Israeli war crimes tribunal.
1911: Norwegian Roald Amundsen becomes the first explorer to reach the South Pole, beating his British rival, Robert Falcon Scott. He and four others reached the Pole and returned safely to base.
Dec 14
19
SPOTLIGHT SUNDAY, DECEMBER 9, 2012
Bringing smiles
1
2
Aditya Park & Hometel organised Minute To Win contest for underprivileged children on Saturday. Blanket and snacks were distributed to the kids after the programme.
Arty matter Works of artist K Muralidhar are exhibited at Rainbow Art Gallery, Begumpet. Art lovers were in attendance at the gallery on Saturday when the exhibition opening took place.
A GLITZY
On the shelves Community library chain JustBooks opened up its fifth branch at Jubilee Hills. JustBooks promises to cater to the reading requirements of toddlers, teens and bookworms.
EVENING
The audio launch of Sharvanand-Priya Anand starrer Ko Antey Koti was a gala affair with Ram Charan, Navdeep, Sekhar Kammula and Deva Katta turning up for the do. The event was organised at Hitex on Saturday night. 3
4
1 Shiva Balaji, Sekhar Kammula 2 Ram Charan, Sharvanand 3 Priya Anand 4 Sundeep
Kishan
5 Srihari 6 Navdeep 7 Manoj
Manchu
Medicine talks Tennis player Sania Mirza and Executive Director, Apollo Hospitals Sangita Reddy were present at the 13th anniversary celebrations of Laryngectomeee Society on Saturday at Apollo Hospitals, Jubilee Hills.
5
6
7
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CINEMA SUNDAY, DECEMBER 9, 2012
Pawan Kalyan goes to Spain
P
awan Kalyan is currently touring across Spain to scout for locations for his upcoming film in Trivikram Srinivas’ dire ction. He’s reportedly in Barcelona, Spain where Trivikram Srinivas and mu sic director Devi Sri Prasad have joined him for the music sitting s of the film. In the past, Paw an Kalyan had used few Spanish dialogues in Tee n Maar, but this untitled film will be the first time that he’ll be shooting in Spain. Samantha is his co-star and the film is said to be a family entertainer based on human values. BVSN Prasad is producing the film. Pawan Kalyan is expected to return to Hyderabad during the last week of December and the film will go on floors in early 2013. More details about the film will be announced soon.
NO S LIP LOCK IN YVM?
amantha has been in news for the past few days and it’s not just about her future line-up of films. Recently, when a new set of pictures of her upcoming film Yeto Vellipoyidhi Manasu were released, everyone went gung-ho about a lip lock between Nani and Samantha. The film’s Tamil version Neethane En Ponvasantham starring Jiiva and Samantha was censored and it has been given a U certificate. Samantha came forth to clarify that there will not be a lip lock in the film. “'U' certificate... No cuts... So happy... So can the rumours pls stop.. No kissing scenes.. Lol.. Thanku (sic),” she tweeted. Gautham Menon has directed the film and after Eega, this is the second time Nani and Samantha will be seen together. Ilayaraja has composed the music and MS Prabhu is the cinematographer. The film is slated for release on December 14.
A
Amala Paul is flying high
mala Paul has had a hectic year so far and she has been shuttling between Hyderabad, Chennai and Mumbai for the past two months. No wonder, the actress is eagerly looking forward to spending time with her friends and family. She’s currently in Hyderabad to shoot the climax portion of Ram Charan’s upcoming film Naayak and after she wraps up all her current commitments, she’s planning to take
a break and head to Thailand to spend Christmas and New Year’s eve there. “The Mynaa in me is literally flying when its the year end... Mum-Hyd-ChennaiMumbai-Hyd-bangkok :-D...with my X'mas & new year n Thailand ♥♥♥ (sic),” she posted on Twitter. Next year, she’ll be flying to New Zealand to join the team of Iddarammayilatho in which she’s paired up with Allu Arjun. Puri Jagannadh is going to direct the film.
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CINEMA SUNDAY, DECEMBER 9, 2012
Karisma Kapoor turns radio jockey
A
ctress Karisma Kapoor is set to don a new role — she is set to become a radio jockey (RJ). The 38-year-old will turn into an RJ for a special segment on 92.7 BIG FM’s show BIG Memsaab, from December 24 to March 24. The actress will be seen imparting fashion tips on her segment, which is called BIG on Style. It is aimed at women, who want to get a makeover and look like a diva. Karisma, a fashionista herself, is excited. “I will share some of my
personal tips along with trends that I have observed and share them with my listeners,” Karisma said in a statement. “I am confident that my fans will continue to support me as I undertake this new journey and will enjoy the show even further,” she added. On the big screen, Karisma was last seen in Dangerous Ishhq. IANS
‘EK LADKI KO...’ originally for Madz AKSHAY
to lose weight for Thuppakki
B
ollywood star Akshay Kumar, with his lean look and super fit physique, would need to lose more weight for his role as an army captain in AR Murugadoss’s remake of his Tamil hit Thuppakki. Akshay has been asked to lose seven kilos. The movie’s shooting begins December 20, since the Christmas week is considered lucky by Murugadoss. “He released his Ghajini in December. Since then, Murugadoss has been excessively attached to the Christmas season. He was keen on starting the remake of Thuppakki in the Christmas week, and Akshay was happy to oblige. The only problem is, he has two weeks to lose at least five kgs, and some more later to play an army captain at least 12 years junior to Akshay’s biological age,” said a source close to Murugadoss. Akshay will also sport an army officer’s hairdo and look. IANS
A
lmost two decades after penning the evergreen Ek ladki ko dekha..., writer-lyricist Javed Akhtar has revealed the melodious hit song was originally penned with Madhuri Dixit in mind. “No one knows that the song Ek ladki ko dekha toh, which became so popular... I wrote it keeping Madhuri in mind. When I was asked to write the song, she was doing the film, but later she left it and Manisha Koirala came in,” Akhtar told a gathering on Friday. Akhtar spoke at the Agenda Aaj Tak, held in the capital. Madhuri was the guest speaker at a session during the event, where Pakistani actor-singer Ali Zafar and singer Shafqat Amanat Ali Khan was present too. Besotted by Madhuri’s beauty, Ali put his talent to good use and sang Ek ladki ko dekha toh.... Of course, Madhuri, dressed to kill in black, was flattered of course, but it is this moment that enthused Akhtar into sharing the interesting anecdote. The song, from the film 1942: A Love Story, was picturised on Manisha and Anil Kapoor. Shafqat Amanat Ali Khan, known for numbers like Mitwa, Mora saiyan and Phir le aaya dil, sang Tumse milke aisa lagaa tumse milke for Madhuri. IANS
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CINEMA SUNDAY, DECEMBER 9, 2012
‘RACE 2
HAS BEEN A GREAT EXPERIENCE’
D
eepika Padukone says the actionpacked Race 2 says shooting for it has been a great experience.
“It has been great. Race 2 has been a wonderful journey for me. I am very proud of it. The movie is an action thriller, but it also has a lot of glamour. The first film of the franchise did well too,” Deepika said. The actress says the movie is important to her, and she will readily devote adequate time to its promotions. “Race 2 is very important to me, and even its promotion is very important as well,” she said. Deepika says she shares a good camaraderie with her Race 2 co-actors — Saif Ali Khan and John Abraham. “Saif and I have worked before so that comfort level comes. The same is true for John too,” she said. About her beauty secrets, the actress says she often uses natural tricks to make her skin look beautiful. “I believe that less is more. So a healthy diet, drinking lots of water and adequate sleep really helps. All these things reflect positively on your skin,” she IANS said.
NEVER FORGET YOUR PAST,
SAYS BIG B S
H
e hails from the small town of Allahabad, but has made it big like no other. Megastar Amitabh Bachchan, known worldwide for his acting prowess, believes it always helps to stay close to one’s roots. The 70-year-old feels it is important that everyone remembers the beginning of their career as it helps them to face tough times. “Beginnings of our lives are easily forgotten. It’s your circumstances and condi-
tions that keep one grounded with reality,” Big B wrote on his blog. The actor says he went through a lot of struggle during his over four decadeold Bollywood career. “The humble days of yore, of hardships and how they were overcome, tests and trials, embarrassing rejections… all go on to play an important role your life. It is good to remember where we began from,” he added. IANS
uperstar Aamir Khan dreams of bringing the epic tale of Mahabharata on the big screen, but says he lacks courage to do it. “My dream is to make Mahabharata and I don’t know if I will be able to fulfil this dream or not. It is a very difficult dream and a scary dream, because every time I think about it I feel I won’t be able to do it. I am unable to gather the courage,” Aamir said. “It is such a huge responsibility. I don’t know if I will be able to fulfil it or not. This subject has been in my heart from a long time,” he added. Asked what character he would want to play from the epic story, the 47-year-old said: “My favourite character is Karna. But I feel I won’t be able to do that role. I don’t suit the character. I think I would suit the role of Krishna.” Meanwhile, the actor is riding high on the boxoffice success of his suspense thriller Talaash.
IANS
AAMIR KHAN KEEN ON BRINGING EPIC TALE TO BIG SCREEN
CINEMA SUNDAY, DECEMBER 9, 2012
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CINEMA SUNDAY, DECEMBER 9, 2012
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CINEMA SUNDAY, DECEMBER 9, 2012
Fired X Factor Judge Cheryl Cole sues producers
C
heryl Cole never appeared on Season 2 of the American version of The X Factor, but she’s suing the show’s producers for the salary she claims she’s owed. The British host, who was let go from the Fox singing competition early around the time of its American debut, filed suit against
Blue Orbit Productions Friday for more than $2.3 million, Deadline reports. The breach of contract suit says that Cole, a judge on the British version of the reality series who was replaced by Nicole Scherzinger before the Season 1 premiere, had a pay-or-play contract for two seasons — meaning that she’d be compen-
sated even if the show released her from the contract. She received $1.8 million for the first season and now is seeking her $2 million fee for the second season, plus additional damages to cover items like housing, wardrobe and living allowances. Cole’s complaint was filed in Los Angeles Superior Court.
I don't know how to make relationships last: Swift
T
aylor Swift's love life is well documented — in her songs and in the press — but the singer says she still has a lot to learn about romance. Asked what she doesn't know about relationships, the singer, who has recently been linked to One Direction heartthrob Harry Styles, tells British Cosmopolitan, “How to make them last.” “I've never had a really long relationship, so I have no idea what that's like,” says Swift. “Wish me luck for the future!”
Gisele Bundchen and Tom Brady welcome second child
G
isele Bundchen and Tom Brady are the new parents of a baby girl, Vivian Lake, People.com reports. Vivian is the couple's second child together. Bundchen and Brady welcomed son Benjamin in December 2009. Brady also has a 5-year-old son, John, from his previous relationship with Bridget Moynahan. The supermodel, 32, and the New England Patriots quarterback, 35, wed in February 2009.
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CHAI TIME SUNDAY, DECEMBER 9, 2012
SUNDAY CROSSWORD
ACROSS
Winners!
Play & Win voucher from VENKEY’S VEG Restaurant, Nampally
107 Pester 108 Invigorating 109 Informal speech 111 High standard 113 Powerful engine 115 Fleece 119 Pupil’s protector 121 Globe substitute 123 Lift 125 Baton Rouge sch 126 Swiss city 127 Asian capital 129 Regular routine 131 Subatomic particles 133 — circle or ear 134 Realtor, eg 135 Backspace on a PC 136 Slalom runs 137 Flat broke 138 Overbearing
139 Truck stop 140 Abrasive material DOWN 1 Very quick 2 Wax theatrical 3 Napped leather 4 PST minus 3 5 Hardy’s dairymaid 6 Slanted type 7 ‘Key Largo’ star 8 Nobody’s fool 9 911 staffer 10 ‘Da’ opposite 11 Comprehends 12 Personify 13 Lowed 14 Coffee brewer 15 Fishing gear 16 Pulp business
Play & Win
Please send in your filled-in entries to Postnoon, #1246, Level 3, Jubilee Casa, Road No 62, Jubilee Hills, Hyderabad – 500033. The winners will be announced on this page in Sunday’s edition.
FOLOWING ARE THE
17 Fjords 18 Should have said 19 No-goodnik 20 ‘— Buttermilk Sky’ 31 Curved moldings 33 First-stringers (hyph) 35 Piano-key wood 37 Tea variety 39 Signal the coming of 41 Investment returns 44 Cheese coatings 46 Diamond or Armstrong 48 Vex 49 Malt-shop freebie 50 Hawaii’s — Loa 51 Southwestern stewpots 52 Wanted-poster word 53 Skylark maker 54 ‘Egads!’ 55 On the lookout 56 Topsy-turvy 58 Move furtively 59 Bright 60 Most congenial 62 Tree nymph 63 Rugged cliffs 64 Reviews harshly 67 Measured off
VOUCHER LUCKY WINNERS FOR THIS WEEK:
68 Hoops great — Baylor 69 Itinerary 71 Scholarly articles 73 Blazes 74 Trojan War cause
76 Hiss 77 Regions 78 Mead’s island 79 Eva or Zsa Zsa 80 Pass along 81 Toughen up 82 It might be whistled 83 Chafed places 85 As is proper 86 Desist 87 Fast rodents 89 1931 Dracula portrayer 90 Nest-building insect 91 Sagan and Jung 94 Backpacker’s gear 95 Jungle crushers 97 Scallions’ kin 99 Cattle country 100 Sluggish marsupial 101 Melanges 103 007 in ‘Goldfinger’ 104 Fact 105 Judge 106 Put on guard 107 Jackson Hole backdrop 108 Brown and simmer 109 Public spat 110 Ben, of ‘Bonanza’ 112 ‘Great’ dogs 114 Cosmopolitan 116 Similar 117 Emmy-winning Ed 118 Untidy 120 Whaler of fiction 122 Lose leaves 124 ‘En garde’ weapon 126 Storage container 128 Way back when 130 Jackie’s second 132 Tenet
PREVIOUS PUZZLE ANSWER
1 Fix the clock 6 ‘Ghosts’ writer 11 Thigh bone 16 In-between state 21 Elicit a chuckle 22 — Lee Jones 23 Love in a gondola 24 Ryan or Tatum 25 Dryden and Donne 26 Form of quartz 27 Steak-lover’s delight (hyph) 28 Forest clearing 29 — be an honour! 30 Cheap heat 32 Skiing mecca 34 Fable 36 Intense 38 Saddle strap 40 Winter quaff 42 Very small 43 Vertical 45 Ill-wisher 47 Removes wrinkles 49 Appalachian range 52 Districts 53 Life form 54 Tasty tuber 57 Hawk’s grippers 58 Miner’s stake 59 Tarnish 60 Nefertiti’s river 61 Like legal pads 62 Bore 63 Scold 64 Gas mains 65 Literary miscellany 66 Lavish meal 68 Idle and Clapton 69 Track competitors 70 Yellow jacket 72 Pro votes 73 Side 74 Best policy? 75 Musicians’ org 77 Hairless comic-strip character 78 ‘If I Ran the Zoo’ author 79 Hung on to 82 Day or Roberts 83 Food preserver 84 RPM meter 88 Epic by Virgil 89 Flax product 90 Domestic-science class (2 wds) 92 Edible seed 93 Say without thinking 94 Prom rentals 95 Atomic no 5 96 Rite place 98 Bireme movers 99 ‘Final answer?’ asker 100 China neighbor 101 Familiar threat (2 wds) 102 Grain crop 103 River transport 104 Speckled horses 105 Focused (2 wds) 106 Customary practices
1. E Ravi 2. Menaka G 3. Bhattacharjee 4. Nitya N 5. Annapurna
27
CHAI TIME SUNDAY, DECEMBER 9, 2012
STAR POWER Date 10-12-2012
As per Hindu panchang
THIRUVAIKUMAR
thiruvaikumar@yahoo. co. in 040-27177230 / 9949870449
TAURUS
GEMINI
New efforts and travel undertaken officially will be successful. Real-estate deals prove gainful. Software professionals likely to achieve fortune opportunities. Financial position looks good.
Govt officials likely to get transferred. Businessmen might not get co-operation of partners. Misunderstanding with blood relatives likely. Delay likely in new projects for businessmen.
Financial position does not look favourable. Working women likely to get transferred. Avoid speculative deals. Some are forced to sell ancestral property due to financial difficulties.
CANCER
LEO
VIRGO
Good turning point likely in court issue. Businessmen need to be careful with partners as they dominate. Pregnant women need to be careful while travelling. Purchase of house possible.
Businessmen might face competition and dull trend. Worries about children’s behaviour might upset you. Realestate matters might not be profitable. Take care of valuables during travel.
You will handle opposition well and achieve success in all new efforts. Turning points likely, which will keep you cheerful. Marriage talks succeed. Transfer and promotion likely for govt servants.
LIBRA
SCORPIO
SAGITTARIUS
Self-confidence and courage will increase with which all work will get completed successfully. Employees advised not to confront with superiors to avoid a major embarrassment.
Support from wellwishers and friends likely. Financial situation will be very comfortable. Govt officials might get transfer and promotion but gains might not be on the expected lines.
Change of residence is unavoidable for some. Chances of misunderstanding with father likely. You will face enemies with self-confidence and succeed. Working women will try to change job.
CAPRICORN
AQUARIUS
PISCES
Delayed good events will be performed successfully now. Children improve in their career efforts. Financial situation looks satisfactory. Support of experienced persons and VIPs likely.
Transfer on the cards for some govt employees. Realtors will see a boom trend. Businessmen might face labour problems. Working women need to be extra cautious at workplace.
Health problem likely; take extra care. Skin-related ailments likely. Businessmen face hurdles in signing new agreements and a revolt from staff. An unexpected transfer will upset govt officials.
SUMAA TEKUR
tarotreadhyd@gmail. com
ARIES
TAURUS
GEMINI
Two of Cups – Partnerships are in focus. Romance does well and you bond well with your partner. You discover a new level of understanding and connect.
The Hanged Man – You’re drawn to all things spiritual. You want to disconnect from the world for a while. Take time off but not at the cost of promises.
Justice – You get what you have been asking for. Maybe not exactly, but you get the best for you. Life has a way of evening out desires and needs.
CANCER
LEO
VIRGO
The High Priestess – You’re intuitive and able to make smart choices though you may not quite know where you got those ideas from. Creativity is high.
Four of Wands – This is a good time when everything goes to plan. Don’t let monotony get to you. Work on improving your plans to make the most of it.
The Fool – You’re caught in a relatively new situation which you don’t know much about. The adventurous and curious person in you will take over.
LIBRA
SCORPIO
SAGITTARIUS
Seven of Pentacles – The focus is on utilising your expertise to get the desired results at work. You may be in the mode of experimenting to see what really works.
Nine of Swords – You’re anxious about something. Take time off to relax and remove yourself from stressful situations because you’re not performing to potential.
Judgment – A promotion in the offing. You’re being offered a prestigious project because of your ability to deliver. Your bosses are happy with your work.
CAPRICORN
AQUARIUS
PISCES
The Wheel of Fortune – Bad times make way for good times. You feel excellent about the progress you make. Get used to the ebb and flow that is life.
Ten of Swords – Things may not have worked out as per plan. But look ahead and plan better for a stable future. Grief and disappointment are on the cards.
Eight of Pentacles – You need to upgrade skills. There’s only this far you can go with the knowledge and expertise you possess. Reinvent yourself and plan.
NON SEQUITUR PEARLS BEFORE SWINE POOCH CAFE
STRIP TEASE
AGNES
ARIES
TAROT READ Date 10-12-2012
The phone call Several men are in the locker room of a private club after exercising. Suddenly a cell phone on one of the benches rings. A man picks it up and the following conversation ensues: “Hello?” “Honey, It’s me.” “Sugar!” “Are you at the club?” “Yes.” “Great! I’m at the mall 2 blocks from where you are. I saw a beautiful mink coat. It is absolutely gorgeous! Can I buy it?” “What’s the price?” “Only $1,500.” “Well, okay, go ahead and get
it, if you like it that much.” “Ahhh, and I also stopped by the Mercedes dealership and saw the 2002 models. I saw one I really liked. I spoke with the salesman and he gave me a really good price ... and since we need to exchange the BMW that we bought last year...” “What price did he quote you?” “Only $60,000!” “Okay, buy it.” “Okay, sweetie. Thanks! I’ll see you later!! I love you!!!” “Bye.” The man hangs up, closes the phone’s flap and asks aloud, “Does anyone know whose phone this is?”
Vol: 2, No 143 RNI No: APENG/2011/39337 Published for the proprietors, Scribble Media and Entertainment Pvt Ltd, by V Harshavardhan Reddy, at #1246, Level 3, Jubilee Casa, Road No 62, Jubilee Hills, Hyderabad – 500033 and printed by him at Jagati Publications Ltd, Plot No D-75&E-52, APIE Industrial Estate, Balanagar, Ranga Reddy Dist, Hyderabad – 500037, Editor: Dean Williams – Responsible for selection of news under the PRB Act All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission of the publisher is prohibited. For feedback, please write to: feedback@postnoon. com and for subscription, please call 040-4067 2222, Fax: 040-4067 2211
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ENTERTAINMENT SUNDAY, DECEMBER 9, 2012
J Howard Marshall & Anna Nicole Smith
Jim Clark & Kristy Hinze
On June 27, 1994, Smith, 26, and Marshall, 89, married in Houston. This resulted in a great deal of gossip about her marrying him for his money. Though she reportedly never lived with him, Smith maintained that she loved her husband, and age did not matter to her. Thirteen months after his marriage to Smith, Marshall died at age 90 on August 4, 1995, in Houston. Smith died in 2007.
In October 2008, she became engaged to James H Clark, founder of Silicon Graphics and Netscape. They married on March 22, 2009. Clark is 36 years Hinze's senior, the marriage attracted a lot of criticism. She reportedly bought a home in Australia online while taking a break from filming Adam Rifkin's Without Charlie in LA. She gave birth to their first child, a daughter named Dylan Vivienne, in September 2011 in New York.
Peter Brant & Stephanie Seymour Shortly after her break up with Guns N’ Roses frontman Axl Rose, Stephanie Seymour began dating billionaire Peter Brant (21 years her senior), who was married and the father of five children. Seymour and Brant married in July 1995 in Paris, France. In March 2009, Seymour filed for divorce from Brant after almost 14 years of marriage. The couple reconciled and got back together in 2010.
Who ya callin’ old? With news that Rolling Stones’ Ronnie Wood, 65, is all set to marry his 34-year-old fiancée next year we take a look at all those women who seem to have a thing for older men...much, much, older men. Donald Trump & Melania Knauss Knauss met Donald Trump (24 years her senior) in the late 1990s. Knauss's relationship with Trump grew as she launched her modelling career, and also became involved with the social set of New York. Trump and Knauss were engaged in 2004, and married on January 22, 2005. On March 20, 2006, Knauss-Trump gave birth to a boy, whom the couple named Barron William Trump. It was Trump's fifth child.
Rod Stewart & Penny Lancaster
Sylvester Stallone & Jennifer Flavin
In 1999 Lancaster had the chance to meet singer Rod Stewart (27 years her senior) who offered to let her take photos of him whilst on tour. When the pair began going out it caused a large tabloid interest as Stewart had recently separated from his wife and mother of two of his children Rachel Hunter. Lancaster and Stewart married on Saturday, June 16, 2007 at La Cervara near Portofino, Italy.
In 1988, Flavin met Sylvester Stallone in California at a Beverly Hills restaurant. They were married nine years later on May 17, 1997 in a civil ceremony at The Dorchester Hotel in London, England, followed by a chapel ceremony at Blenheim Palace in Oxford. She and Stallone currently reside in the Los Angeles neighbousrhood of Beverly Crest. Together, they have three daughters.
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SPORTS SUNDAY, DECEMBER 9, 2012
Corvette For Feature Hyderabad: RH Sequeria trained Corvette ran 4th in race No 24, she has improved well and is fancied in The Jockey Purtu Singh Parmar Memorial Cup, the feature event of Monday afternoon races here at Malakpet. 1st Race: The Crack Regiment Plate (Div-I) (about) 1100 Metres,Cat-III. A handicap for horses, 3 year olds and upward, rated upto 25. 12-40 P.M. 1 Bacardi Time 61 (Prasaad R) RB Shinde 8 2 Sprint Saloni 61 (Netto) A Imran Khan 9 3 Sushen 61 (Hassan) J Vikas 2 4 Niha 60.5 (KV Srinivas)G Sai Vamshi 7 5 Classic Crown 59.5 (Kassam) S.Nayak 3 6 The Parliament 57.5 (Silvester) Laxmikant 6 7 Cannon Aim 57 (Prasad R) N.Rawal 10 8 Star Sensation 56.5 (Prasad R) B Shanker 5 9 Amber Rose 54.5 (S,suddin) M F alikhan 4 10 Hard Hit 53.5 (Srinagesh) NitinSingh 7 Selections: 1 Sprint Saloni 2 Sushen 3 Nihal 2nd Race:The anmol Ratan Plate (about) 1200 Metres,CatIII.A handicap for horses, 3 year olds and upward, rated upto 50. 1-10 P.M. 1 Exclusive 60 (D’Silva) Christopher 4 2 Inner Strength 59.5 (S Abbas)A ImranKhan10 3 Mr.Glorious 59.5 (Hassan) J Vikas 5 4 Pakat Pakat Pakat58.5(Srinagesh) AM Togrolu 11 5 Transition 57 (Satheesh) KAnil 9 6 Montego Bay 54 (Prasad R) N Rawal 7 7 Empire Rose 53.5 (S,suddin) Withdrawn 0 8 Desert Radiance 53 (S’narayan) Khurshad Alam 8 9 Symbol Of Beauty 53 (A Sharma) C Henrique 6 10 Baba’s Gift 51 (Kassam) Ravinder Singh 3 11 Classic Wish 51 (N.Rao) PSai Kumar 1 12 Red Magic 49.4 (H’ibulla) AK Pawar 2 Selections:1 Inner Strength 2 Red Magic 3 Excluisve 3rd Race:The OwnVision Plate (about) 1000 Metres,Cat-II. Terms for Maiden horses, 2y ear olds only. 1-40 P.M. 1 Fair And Sqaure 55 (Satheesh) K Anil 6 2 Greek Star 55 (N Rao) G Sai Vamshi 1 3 Amicable Advisory 53.5 (Fayaz) MF Alikhan 2 4 Kohinoor Punch 53.5 (Vatsalya) Ajit Kumar 4 5 Pink Band 53.5 (Satheesh) Deep Shanker 3 6 Rock Heights 53.5 (Prasad R) N.Rawal 5 Selections:1Amicable Advisory 2 Fair And Square 3 Kohinoor Punch 4th Race:The Crack Regiment Plate (Div-II) (about) 1100 Metres,Cat-III. A handicap for horses, 3 year olds and upward, rated upto
25. 2-10 P.M. 1 Lady Of Grace 61 (Prasad R) MF Alikhan 5 2 Sugar Deal 61 (Hassan) AM Togrolu 8 3 Young Power 61 (Laxman S) Harinder Singh 1 4 Saint Luis 60 (Kassam) Ravinder Singh 2 5 Smart Striker 59 (Prasad R) N Rawal 3 6 Deccan Queen 57.5 (Prasad R) P Sai Kumar 9 7 Inspiring Tunes 56.5 (Silvester) G Sai Vamshi 4 8 Prayer Call 56 (KV Srinivas) A Ramana 6 9 Bold Brigade 55.5 (Kassam) Ch K Chary 7 10 White Wind 49 (Srinagesh) NitinSingh 10 Selections: 1 Young Power 2 Lady Of Grace 3 Deccan Queen 5th Race:The Haridwar Plate (Div-I) (about)1200 Metres,Cat-II. A handicap for horses, 5 year olds and upward, rated upto 75. 2-40 P.M. 1 Alberton Star 62 (Prasad R) PS Chouhan 11 2 Jewel In The Crown 62 (N Rao) B Dileep 5 3 Kohinoor Victory 59.5 (Vatsalya) Ajit Kumar 10 4 Kings Cruise 57 (Netto) A Imran Khan 7 5 Metaforce 54.5 (S Abbas) KiranNaidu 8 6 Young Sapper 54 (Srinivas R) DK Ashish 9 7 Kohinoor King 52 (Vatsalya) Ravinder Singh 6 8 Brianna 51 (A Sharma) Laxmikant 4 9 One One One 50.5 (N Rao) AK Pawar 2 10 Rich And Famous 50 (Satheesh) NitinSingh 1 11 Flowers Of Music 49 (KV Sinivas) G Sai Vamshi 3 Selections:1.Alberton Star 2 Metaforce 3 Jewel In The Crown 6th Race:The Jockey Purtu Singh Parmar Memrial Cup (about) 1400Metres,Cat-II. Terms for horses 3 year olds and upward. 3-15 P.M. 1 Yakshagana 62 (A Sharma) Ravinder Singh 1 2 Corvette 60.5 (Sequereia) DK Ashish 5 3 Castle Town 60 (Deshmukh) PS Chouhan 2 4 Front Line 60 (LaxmanS) Deep Shanker 3 5 Lumier Blanche 60 (LaxmanS) PA Culhane 6 6 Aegis 58.5 (Deshmukh) AM Toggrolu 9 7 The Leader 57.5 (S Abbas) A Imran Khjan 4 8 Rosemead 56 (D’Silva) AK Pawar 8 9 Ruffiano 54.5 (Sequeria) M Mark 7 Selections:1 Corvette 2 Castle Town 3 Lumier Blanche 7th Race:The Satavahana Cup (about) 1400 Metres,Cat-III. A handicap for horses, 3 yea rolds and upward, rated upto 50. 3-45 P.M. 1 Dark Avanger 61.5 (S Abbas) A Imran Khan 4
2 HiddenPower 59.5 (N Rao) Withdrawn 0 3 Dakshayani 56 (A Sharma) C Henrique 6 4 Rocking Racer 54.5 (LaxmanS) PA Culhane 5 5 Bold Reason 52 (Prasad R) N Rawal 7 6 Pantita 52 (Hassan) MF Alikhan 1 7 Joel 51.5 (Laxman S) Harinder Singh 2 8 Perfect 49.5 (D’Silva) AK Pawar 3 Selections: 1 Dark Avanger 2 Perfect 3 Rocking Racer 8th Race:the Haridwar Plate (Div-II) (about) 1200 Metres,Cat-II. A handicap for horses, 5 year olds and upward, rated ujpto 75. 4-15 P.M. 1 Arabian Dancer 62 (Prasad R) PS Chjouhan 2 2 Splendid Act 62 (Hassan) J Vikas 5 3 DreamDeal 59 (S’narayan) Khurshad Alam 7 4 Fine Racer 56.5 (Prasad R) P Sai Kumar 9 5 Ziglar 53.5 (Vatsalya) Ajit Kumar 1 6 Winning Strides 53 (Sequeria) M Mark 10 7 Rose Queen 51.5 (Laxman S) `C Henrqiue 6 8 Chayanandan 50.5 (Srinagesh) Nitin Singh 4 9 Ashleen State 50 (Deshmukh) Laxmikant 3 10 Divin Ganges 49 (KV Srinivas) Harinder Sinjgh 8 Selections: 1 Arabian Dancer 2 Splendid Act 3 Dream Deal 9th Race:The Zurbaran Plate (about) 1800 Metres,Cat-III. A handicap for horses, 3 year olds and upward rated upto 50. 4-50 P.M. 1 Great WEarrior 62 (LaxmanS) P S Chouhan 6 2 Green Bay 61.5 (D’Silva) S Nayak 7 3 Bharatanatyam 60.5 (A Sharma) C Henrique 1 4 Custodian 59 (Satheesh) K Anil 5 5 Vijays Winner 59 (Deshmukh) AMTogrolu 4 6 Fashionista 55 (KVSrinivas) A Ramana 8 7 Jaz Elle 52.5 (Z Shaikh) Deep Shanker 9 8 Shadow In The Mist 51 (S,suddin) Ravinder Singh 3 9 Anagalekha 49 (A Sharma) Laxmikant 2 Selections:1 Great Warrior 2 Green Bay 3 Vijays Winner Days Best:Arabian Dancer Jackpot Race Nos:5,6,7,8, and 9 1st treble Race Nos:1,2 and 3 2nd Trebel Race Nos:4,5 and 6 3rd Treble Race Nos:7,8 and 9 Tanala pool will operateon all races where there are five or more startes. No False Rails.
Eight players Mumbai stand strong against Hyd share lead
HCCL, Ivy in finals
HYDERABAD: Eight
of the Zonah LaserMaxx Cup lived up to the expectations. In the first game, Zonah developers were chasing a modest total of 123 but Ivy Comptech bowled really well as Zonah fell short by 2 runs. In the Second game Aaqib and Swapnil were standout performers for IBM's SARM but in the end Sagar's 5 wicket haul and Qutub's 60 gave HCCL the edge.
players Avikshith, B.S Jaitheerdh, B.Srinath, Harshithkrishha, Rishiteja, Shankar Bharadwaj, Rishab and Siddarth were in the lead with 3 points out of 3 rounds in Juniors category of 79th Brilliant trophy held at the Brilliant Grammar High School, Dilsukhnagar on Saturday. In open category, 10 players Amithpal Singh, Raja Rithwik, P. Ramakrishna, Govindlal Sharma, P. Kranthi, D. Suresh, Sriram, Chetan Sharma, Venkata Kishore, Pratyush Srivastava were leading
with 3 points after 3 rounds. Selected Results (Round 3): Juniors category: Tarun gopal (2) lost to Avikshith (3), B.S Jaitheerdh (3) bt Ramakrishna Reddy (2), Varun gopal (2) lost to B. Srinath (3), Ramana MNV (2) lost to Harshith Krishna (3), Rishiteja (3) bt Ganesh Anrayan (2). Open Category: Amithpal Singh (3) bt M. Satyanarayana (2), M.Y Raju (2) lost to Raja Rithwik (3), Naresh Naik (2) lost to P. Ramakrishna (3), V. Varun (2) lost to Govindlal Sharma (3), Karthik Kumar Pradeep (2) lost to P. Kranthi (3).
Cooch Behar Trophy U-19 Elite Group-A Hyderabad vs Mumbai (Day 1) Mumbai 304/2 (Amog Bhatkal 60, Akhil Herwadkar 172 n.o., Shreyas Iyer 24, Vikranth Auti 29 n.o., Vamshi Vardhan Reddy 1/46, Ahmed Askari 1/39).
A4- 11 Division one-day Hyderabad Patriots 100 (Farhan Ahmed 6/37, Mohd Sami 3/15) lost to Green Turf 101/2(Mohd Muzammil 40, Farhan Ahmed 35 n.o.). HCA Academy 270 for no loss (Mohd Taha Shaik 114, MSR Charan 140) bt Reliance 131 (Sanketh 37, Samith 4/44, Yash Kapadia 3/38).
U-14 tourney from Wednesday HYDERABAD; The Brother John of God HCA under-14 Tourney is set to kick start from December 12. The draws have been displayed on the notice board at the Gymkhana Grounds. The teams should collect the draws and ID cards from the HCA office on December 10 between 11am and 6pm.
Before collecting the respective ID cards, the schools will have to produce a declaration from the principal of the school, duly certifying the identity and age proof of the participating players. Schools which do not submit this declaration, will not be permitted to participate in the tournament, accorsing to a HCA press release.
HYDERABAD: The Semi Finals
Selected scores Ivy Comptech bt Zonah Developers by 2 runs - Hasan Azam 17/6, Atif Hyder 43, Prashant C 40. HCCL bt IBM's SARM by 8 runs Sagar Rayaprolu 23/5, Qutub Alam Khan 60, Aaqib 6/3.
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SPORTS SUNDAY, DECEMBER 9, 2012
Blackout at play
Players of participating countries the world over diligently went about their task in perfect conditions in the stadium... till the lights went out. Syed Shoaib
shoaib.s@postnoon.com
HYDERABAD: The 10th World Junior Table Tennis Championships got underway today at the Gachibowli Indoor Stadium in the City. Players of participating countries the world over diligently went about their task in perfect conditions in the stadium. The only sounds one could hear in the big stadium were the ping-pongs of eight balls bouncing off the tables placed on the now-famous blue floor – the same that was used in the London Olympics Games – and approval claps from teammates. The colourful empty chairs in the stadium – probably a sign of extreme security measures for the international event – did not distract them in any way. All this projected India in very good light, hosting as it was, an important international tournament, till the limitations of an inexperienced organiser showed up in the very first rounds of the championships... the lights went off, pitching the stadium in complete darkness. While the players of many countries may have enjoyed a first-
Belarus’ B Katshryna is seen in action against Wales’ P Ancharad on the first day of the World Junior Table Tennis Championships being held at the Gachibowli indoor stadium. SRINIVAS SETTY time thrill, it certainly proved an embarrassment to the organisers and the host country. Fifty seconds of bewilderment – in total darkness – and half an hour of stoppage waiting it out under emergency lamps is not the idea of any sportsperson vying for international achievement. Loss of playing rhythm apart, a player who goes to all lengths to warm up
India seek change after suspensions NEW DELHI: The administration of Olympic sports in India could face a major overhaul after world bodies and the government cracked down on the power games played by self-seeking politicians. In a week of dramatic developments, India was suspended from the Olympic movement, the boxing federation was thrown out of world meets and the government withdrew recognition from the archery association. Until the suspensions are lifted, Indian athletes will be barred from the Olympics, and the boxers and archers excluded from world meets. But many see the current mess as an opportunity to clean up the system. “Indian sports DETOX begins,” tweeted rifle shooter Abhinav Bindra, India’s only individual Olympic gold medallist who won the 10m event at the 2008 Beijing Games. Tennis star Mahesh Bhupathi told the espnstar.com website that it was a “culmination of dirty
politics”. But the doubles specialist added the suspensions would be a blessing in disguise for Indian sports “as long as someone in a position to make a difference takes the lead and starts cleaning up the mess one by one”. Politicians and officials, who regarded national sports federations as their personal fiefdoms, suddenly found themselves cornered — but typically remained unrepentant. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) suspended India’s membership on Tuesday for unethical practices during a controversial election process in the Indian Olympic Association (IOA). The IOA still went ahead with the polls a day later, despite the IOC insisting they were unauthorised and illegal, and even elected tainted official Lalit Bhanot as its secretary-general unopposed. Bhanot is on bail after serving 11 months in jail last year on corruption charges during the Commonwealth PTI Games in New Delhi.
the body for the onslaught in the field can’t afford to let the body cool down in between a game. Some players were seen jogging or jumping in their place to ensure their bodies coped with the unscheduled, unexpected and unwanted break. Much to the relief of everyone play resumed... only to be interrupted again as the power did an encore to the dot: 50 sec-
onds of pitch darkness and making players wait under emergency lamps. Twenty-nine participating countries and many more following the championships on TV are not getting a very good picture of our Mahaan Bharath. About three hundred table tennis players are wondering if their skill is enough to land them international laurels.
Ranji round-up At Vadodara: Odisha 181 (Govind Podder 82, Bhargav Bhatt 6/73) vs Baroda 34/1. n At Bhubaneswar: MP 212/5 (Rameez Khan 82 n.o., Krishnakant Upadhya 2/36) vs Railways. n At Pune: Haryana 257(Jayant Yadav 63, Anupam Sanklecha 3/38, Shrikant Mundhe 3/61) vs Maharashtra. n At Bangalore: Karnataka 192 (Stuart Binny 61, Parvinder Awana 5/81) vs Delhi 44/2. n At Ahmedabad: Rajasthan 182/5 (Rakesh Dhurv 3/47) vs Gujarat. n At Agartala: Tripura 106 (Ajay Yadav 6/38) vs Jharkhand 95/3. n At Guwahati: Assam 213/4 (P Das 90) vs HP. n At Rajkot: Saurashtra 209 (Ravindra Jadeja 70, Iresh Saxena 5/17) vs Bengal 7/0. n At Mumbai: Punjab 288/4 (Ravi Inder Singh 76, Mandeep Singh 102 n.o., Ajit Agarkar (2/54), Dhawal Kulkarni (2 for 61) vs Mumbai. n At Porvorim: Services: 284/4 (Soumik Chaterjee 103, Yashpal Singh batting 92; Saurabh Bandekar 2/74) vs Goa. n At Nagpur: UP 248/4 (Dagar 116, Kaif 85; Sandeep 3/56) vs Vidarbha. n
Marquez knocks out Pacquiao Greg Heakes
LAS VEGAS: A bloodied Juan Manuel Marquez knocked out Manny Pacquiao with a right hand with one second left in the sixth round to win their welterweight fight Saturday at the MGM Grand Garden Arena. The 39-year-old Marquez sent Pacquiao face first to the canvas, giving him his first victory over the Filipino star in the fourth fight of their epic rivalry. Marquez ended the fight with a overhand right that hit Pacquiao flush, sending Pacquiao down hard. Pacquiao landed under the ropes and lay there for a couple of minutes before getting up and returning to his corner. The shocking ending stunned the crowd of 16,348 as Marquez had held his own in their first three fights but failed he to get a victory and had never knocked down Pacquiao until Saturday night. There was no title on the line but plenty of pride as four division champ Marquez showed he was willing to go toe-to-toe with Pacquiao even after getting knocked down
Manny Pacquiao is knocked down in the third round while taking on Juan Manuel Marquez during their welterweight bout at the MGM Grand Garden Arena on Saturday in Las Vegas, Nevada. Al Bello/Getty Images/AFP in the fifth round of this fight. He knocked Pacquiao down for the first time in 39 rounds between them in the third round with a right hook over the top. But Pacquiao kept coming and Marquez appeared to be heading to his third defeat to Pacquiao after he was bloodied
and knocked down in the fifth. Pacquiao came out attacking from the opening bell throwing lefts over the top of Marquez’s gloves. Pacquiao was the aggressor early, landing a solid left halfway through the second that jolted AFP Marquez.
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SPORTS SUNDAY, DECEMBER 9, 2012
England demolish India
With another resounding victory, England kept themselves on course for their first series win on Indian soil in 28 years since David Gower-led team won a series 2-1 in the 1984-85 series. Tapan Mohanta
scoreboard India: 316 and 247 England 1st Innings 523 England2nd Innings: Cook* st †Dhoni b Ashwin 1 NRD Compton not out 9 IJL Trott lbw b Ojha 3 Pietersen c †Dhoni b Ashwin 0 IR Bell not out 28 Extras 0 Total(3 wickets ) 41 Fall of wickets: 1-4 , 2-7, 3-8 Bowling O M R W R Ashwin 6.1 1 31 2 PP Ojha 6 3 10 1
KOLKATA: A listless India succumbed to their second successive humiliating defeat on home soil has England overcame a few hiccups to clinch the third cricket Test with an emphatic sevenwicket victory and take an unassailable 2-1 lead in the four match series here today. Needing 41 runs to win the match after dismissing India for 247 in the second innings, the visitors lost three quick wickets to add a tinge of excitement to an otherwise lop-sided contest before cruising home with more than two sessions to spare. Captain Alastair Cook (1), Jonathan Trott (3) and Kevin Pietersen (0) were out cheaply but Ian Bell (28 not out) held his nerve to take the team to the victory target at the Eden Gardens.
THE HOSTS ONCE AGAIN SEEMED CLUELESS IN THEIR OWN DEN WITH NEITHER BATTING NOR BOWLING CLICKING, RAISING QUESTIONS ON WHETHER SOME PLAYERS NEED TO BE CHANGED. Bell took a single off R Ashwin to bring about England’s moment of triumph, triggering of scenes of celebrations in the dressing room as the players hugged each other and took a round of the stadium. With another resounding victory, England kept themselves on course for their first series win on Indian soil in 28 years since David Gower-led team won a series 2-1 in the 1984-85 series. Though the Indian bowlers took three wickets in the second innings, they looked completely ineffective in the first innings unlike the English bowlers who exploited the conditions far better. After the humiliating 10wicket defeat in Mumbai, the hosts once again seemed clueless in their own den with neither batting nor bowling clicking, raising questions on whether some players need to be changed. The two teams will now travel to Nagpur for the fourth and final cricket Test beginning December 13. England just need a draw to record a historic series triumph while India have no option but to win to level the series and save the blushes of a seires defeat in their own den. Ravichandran Ashwin shone with the bat with a gritty 91 not out in India’s second innings before the off-spinner dented England’s 41-run chase, knock-
ing off the wickets of Cook and Pietersen. But before it went from bad to worse, Ian Bell (28) and Nick Compton (nine) steered the team to a seven-wicket victory to hand India back to back Test defeats at their own backyard, for the first time in 12 years. It was India’s first loss at the Eden Gardens in more than a decade as the last time thay had lost at the historic venue to Pakistan in the Asian Test Championship on February 16, 1999. India had last lost two Tests on the trot at home to South Africa in 2000 when Tendulkar-
led the country to back to back defeats in Mumbai and Bangalore. In 2004, Rahul Dravid-led India drew against Australia in a match interrupted by rains in Chennai in between two Test defeats in Bangalore and Nagpur. In that series, India had won the last Test in Mumbai to go down 1-2, the last time India had lost a series at their own backyard. The back to back losses will come as a humiliation for India who had revenge on their mind for their four successive Test losses in England during JulyAugust last year.
Resuming at 239 for nine, India were bundle out for 247 to set England a target of 41. Pragyan Ojha (3) was bowled by Finn in the fourth ball he faced as Ashwin remained stranded at the other end for an unbeaten 91 from 157 balls and laced with 15 boundaries. Ashwin began the proceedings watchfully before driving and pulling Finn for back to back boundaries, that brought up his 50-run partnership for the last wicket with Ojha. But that were the only runs that came off today as in the next over Ojha perished to Anderson’s fury with the pacer’s fourth ball clipping the India last-man’s bail to see their innings fold for 247. Ashwin’s three-hour-twominute stay at the crease delayed the inevitable for England as India yesterday avoided the humiliation of an innings defeat at their own backyard. In-line for a hattrick, Ashwin began the proceedings for India and the off-spinner took the prized scalp of in-form English skipper Cook in his very fifth ball. Cook tried to step out but only to be miss the line with Dhoni doing the needful as England were four for 1 after five balls, chasing the paltry 41. Adding some twist to the tale, Ojha trapped Trott (3) in front of the middlestump, while a pumped-up Ashwin dismissed Pietersen for a duck in the next over to reduce England to eight for three. Earlier, India tried to shake off the blues unwinding with a football match after overnight batsman Pragyan Ojha did some net practice. Skipper Dhoni meanwhile was seen busy discussing with the selection committee chairman Sandeep Patil and south Zone selector Roger Binny to decide on the squad for the fourth and final Test. From the English perspective, they will now seek to conquer the final frontier after defeating Australia in the 2009 Ashes at home before choking them Down Under two winters PTI ago (in 2010-11).
Dhoni blames batsmen for loss Kolkata: Embarrassed and dejected after being outplayed for the second successive time by England, Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni today held his batsmen responsible for the debacle, saying that they failed to convert starts into substantial innings. England won by seven wickets in the third Test here today to take an unassailable 2-1 lead in the four-match series, which India were expected to dominated given their formidable home record. But the home team has completely fallen apart in the last two Tests and is currently looking down the barrel ahead of the series-decider in Nagpur starting December 13. “We need to give bowlers a few more runs. We haven’t scored consistently over 300. On this wicket we should have scored 450 or above. The batsmen who got starts didn’t make it matter,” a livid Dhoni said at post-match presentation ceremony. “In the second innings, it was like a landslide we couldn’t stop,” he added referring to the collapse that saw the team fold up for 247, leaving England with a victory target of just 41 runs. Dhoni, however, tried to put up a brave face by stating that the team would make a strong comeback in the fourth Test in Nagpur. “We have everything to play for in Nagpur. Everybody needs to pull up their socks. Of course the better team won here. They bowled in the right areas they fielded well... They played well but we need to retaliate,” he said. In contrast, his opposite number and man of the match Alastair Cook had a huge grin on his face after being the hero of England’s win with a first innings personal score of 190. PTI
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SPORTS SUNDAY, DECEMBER 9, 2012
Torres strikes a double
Torres who had not scored in the league since October 6, found the net twice against FC Nordsjaelland and was in an unforgiving mood once again. Tom Williams
Results on Saturday Arsenal 2 (Arteta 26-pen, 64pen) West Brom 0 Aston Villa 0 Stoke 0 Southampton 1 (Puncheon 61) Reading 0 Sunderland 1 (Johnson 66) Chelsea 3 (Torres 11, 45-pen, Mata 49) Swansea 3 (Michu 51, 90, De Guzman 59) Norwich 4 (Whittaker 16, Bassong 40, Holt 44, Snodgrass 77) Wigan 2 (McCarthy 19, 74) QPR 2 (Nelsen 26, Cisse 71)
LONDON: Fernando Torres (pic) claimed a brace as Chelsea ended a run of seven Premier League games without victory by prevailing 3-1 at Sunderland on Saturday in their last game before the Club World Cup. The Spaniard had not scored in the league since October 6 but he found the net twice in the mid-week thrashing of FC Nordsjaelland in the Champions League and was in unforgiving mood once again at the Stadium of Light. He opened his account in the 11th minute, guiding Eden Hazard’s cross into the top-left corner with a fine volley to end a 770-minute goal drought in the league. Torres had been overlooked for penalty-taking duties in the 6-1 win against Nordsjaelland, but he notched his second goal from the spot on the stroke of half-time after Sebastian Larsson slid in on Ramires. Juan Mata made it 3-0 early in the second half, side-footing home after a Torres shot came back off the crossbar, before a fine effort from Adam Johnson gave Sunderland a consolation. “It was a long time not to score in the Premier League, but I have scored a few this week, and I was very happy to see the team winning,” Torres told BBC Radio 5 Live. “We are playing a bit different now. We do not pass the ball as much as we did in the final third and we play a bit more direct. We are attacking more and creating more.” It was a first win in four league games for interim manager Rafael Benitez and saw Chelsea close to within four points of second-place Manchester City, who trail leaders Manchester United by three
Today’s fixtures Everton v Tottenham (1330GMT) Man City v Man Utd (1330GMT) West Ham v Liverpool (1600GMT)
Chelsea back in the groove says Benitez Simon Walton
SUNDERLAND, UK: Chelsea interim manager Rafael Benitez claims his side’s confidence couldn’t be any higher as they turn their attention to the Club World Cup in Japan this week. The Blues crashed out of the Champions League on Wednesday and travelled to Sunderland’s Stadium of Light on Saturday on the back of their worst domestic run for 18 years. However, a comprehensive 3-1 win over the Black Cats made it nine goals in the space of four days after Wednesday’s 6-1 rout of
Danish side Nordsjaelland and provided a timely morale boost ahead of the trip to Yokohama. Chelsea take on either South Korean side Ulsan Hyundai or Mexican outfit Monterrey in their opening Club World Cup fixture on Thursday and Benitez believes it could be a successful trip given his side’s upbeat mood. “I was pleased with the way we played in the Champions League game, with passion and desire right to the end, and this was another good performance,” Benitez said.
Arrest for ‘racist gesture’ LONDON: A Swansea City supporter has been arrested on suspicion of racially abusing Norwich City defender Sebastien Bassong (pic) during Saturday’s Premier League game between the sides, the Welsh club announced. Bassong scored the second goal in a 4-3 win for Norwich at the Liberty Stadium but the incident is alleged to have occurred after Robert Snodgrass claimed the visitors’ fourth goal in the 77th minute. The Cameroon international indicated to referee Howard Webb that he had been the victim of a racist gesture as he celebrated Snodgrass’ goal with his team-
mates. Webb subsequently relayed Bassong’s complaint to the fourth official and a male fan was then arrested. “There was an incident after Norwich’s fourth goal. Sebastien Bassong made the referee aware there was a racist gesture towards him from a Swansea City fan,” said a Swansea spokesperson. “Within 10 minutes of the report, the stewards had got hold of the TV footage, replayed it, identified the alleged person in question and within that period, he was arrested for a racially aggravated public order offence. “The matter is with the police, but from the club’s point of view, we abhor
racism and we have worked hard over the years to make this a family club. We will look into it and a further statement will follow in due course.” Early reports suggested the arrested fan made a monkey gesture towards Bassong. Norwich manager Chris Hughton expressed sadness at the thought that his side’s first away win of the campaign might be overshadowed by the incident. “I was made aware at the end of the game there was a gesture made towards Sebastien and I have to say, credit to a very good football club in Swansea City,” he said. “They have identified it and the matter is now with the right authorities and they are
points ahead of Sunday’s derby. Arsenal also returned to winning ways after three games without victory, beating West Bromwich Albion 2-0 at the Emirates Stadium through a pair of Mikel Arteta penalties to climb to sixth. Both penalties carried an air of controversy. Prior to Arteta’s 26th-minute opener, Steven Reid was penalised for a foul on Santi Cazorla despite failing to make any contact with the Spanish midfielder, who collapsed theatrically. Arteta’s second arrived in the 64th minute and although there was no doubt about Chris Brunt’s foul on Alex OxladeChamberlain, West Brom felt the England winger had committed an offence of his own in the build-up. “I spoke to Cazorla and he said that he (Reid) tapped him,” said Arsenal coach Arsene Wenger. “Overall, we played well, created chances, and kept a clean sheet. There was no room for dropping any points and I feel it is a positive day.”
Ozil scores twice Dermot Ledwith
MADRID: Mesut Ozil (pic) grabbed two goals as Real Madrid twice came from behind to defeat Valladolid 3-2 on Saturday to close to within eight points of Barcelona at the top of La Liga. The German international’s brace included an exquisitely-curled, left-footed winner from a free-kick to keep Madrid on the tails of Barca and second-placed Atletico Madrid. Former Manchester United striker Manucho twice gave Valladolid first-half leads that Karim Benzema and Ozil cancelled out. Barcelona go to Real Betis on Sunday while Atletico, now only two points ahead of their city neighbours, entertain Deportivo La Coruna. Afterwards Jose Mourinho sent out his assistant Aitor Karanka to face the press and he was full of praise for the match winner.
US women beat China DETROIT, MICHIGAN: Carli Lloyd and Sydney Leroux each scored second half goals to lift the United States women’s footballers to a 2-0 victory over China on Saturday. With the win in the physical match, before a crowd of about 17,371, the Americans remained unbeaten on their postOlympic tour. The US women claimed gold at the London Games in August with a 2-1 triumph over Japan in the Olympic final. Lloyd opened the scoring in the 50th minute, collecting a pass from Tobin Heath near the edge of the penalty area, cutting left and beating Chinese keeper Zhang Yue at the near post. Leroux added the insurance goal in the 84th minute.