Postnoon E-Paper for 10 May 2012 by Scribble Media & Entertainment Pvt. Ltd.

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THURSDAY, MAY 10, 2012 HYDERABAD

WWW.POSTNOON.COM

WEATHER: A MIX OF CLEAR AND CLOUDY SKIES; 35°C

AP secretariat’s 15-year-old dream to go fully computerised has been torpedoed from within as files suit functionaries rather than machines that obey no unlawful orders.

32 PAGES

OBAMA TAKES HISTORIC LEAP Barack Obama became the first US president on Wednesday to say publicly he was in favour of same-sex marriage, in a high-stakes intervention in a pre-election debate roiling American politics. P8

LONGORIA REPORT ON PG 5

SMART SECRETARIAT,

A DISTANT DREAM

EVOLVED WITH DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES CHARACTER Eva Longoria says her experience as Gabrielle Solis has given her hope in real life. Longoria believes if she can change, anyone can change. P28

Page Two

THURSDAY, MAY 10, 2012

Spirit of Twin Cities

WHEELS OF LIFE

Library summer camp A library summer camp for parents and faculty of UG and PG students will be held from May 10 onwards. The camp will provide guidance for faculty and final year PG students for National/State lecturership and scholarship test(NET/APSET) for `3,650. Where: Hyderabad library services, Sagar View Complex When: May 10 - June 10, Contact: (040) 2322 2247, 9441237751

N SHIVA KUMAR

combination of great lebanese or Indian food with drinks. Where:Kibbeh Lounge, Begumpet When: Ongoing, 12pm onwards Contact: (040) 3043 1244

Cricket frenzy Mocha and Mocha Express is hosting IPL specials with live screening of the match and various pizzas paying ode to the IPL teams and their spirits. Where: Mocha — Banjara Hills Inorbit Mall When: Ongoing, 4pm onwards Contact: (040) 23350144

The amazing summer shuttle A summer camp for children in the age group of 1-15 and for adults in Thai flowers, stocking flowers and marble painting is being held Where: Plot-26, Gunrock Enclave, Secunderabad When: 11am-1pm, 11am-5pm Contact:9849804416, 9392105310

Painting exhibition An exhibition of paintings by Lalu Shaw is being held. Where: Shrishti Art Gallery, Jubilee Hills, Rd No 15 When: Ongoing, 11am onwards Contact: (040) 2354 0023

Theatre workshop Samahaara is hosting special four week summer acting workshops. The workshops will be held for a duration of four weeks. The workshops are being held at three different places in the City. Where: Vidyaranya School, The Terrace, The Actor’s Studio When: May 14 onwards, Monday-Friday Contact: 83411 20303

Food and cricket

European film festival

Go Splash

A European Film Festival organised by A delegation of the European Union and the embassies of the EU Member States in India from May 10 to May 20. Where: Alliance Francaise, Banjara Hills, Rd No3 When: May 10 onwards, 6pm onwards Contact: (040) 2355 4483

Zedde live Here’s a musical treat for you. Mark your calender as the upcoming band Zedde performing live at Hard rock Cafe, Banjara Hills on May 10. Entry for the event costs `250 per head. Where: Hard Rock Cafe, Banjara Hills, Rd No 1 When: May 10, 9pm onwards Contact: (040) 4476 7900

Children’s carnival SPAR along with popular cartoon fanchise presents a fun-filled childrens carnival titles Dholakpur@ SPAR. The carnival consists of plen-

CINEMAS

Great food and a great game of cricket makes for great news. Head to News Cafe to catch the IPL matches live and exclusive along with some great IPL special food. Where: News Cafe, Inorbit Mall, Madhapur When: Ongoing, 8pm onwards Contact: (040) 4010 1236

ty of games and prizes to be won. The event will be held at SPAR, Begumpet on May 12 and Banjara Hills on May 13. Where: Spar HypermarketBanjara Hills and Begumpet When: May12 and 13, 11am onwards

Yoga Camp The third part of a series of seven days yoga camp will be held by Yoga Healing Foundation in Yousufguda.The last part of the Yoga Camp will be held in Saroornagar from May 20. Where: Krishnakanth Park, Yousufguda When: May 13 onwards, 5.15 am onwards Contact: 98489 92354

Grill festival Head to the grill festival to sample various grilled delicacies. Thats not all. Along with sampling some great food you can avail a 35 per cent off as it is the anniversary of the restaurant. Where: The Grill Room,

Banjara Hills, Rd No 1 When: Ongoing Contact: (040) 6557 7722

The awakening A painting exhibition titled Buddha — The awakening will be held at Iconart gallery. The exhibition which was inaugurated on the occasion of Buddha Purnima on May 6 will be on display . Where: Iconart Gallery, Banjara Hills, Rd No12 When: May 7 onwards, 11.30 am onwards Contact: 98499 68797

Solo painting exhibition Ramakanth’s Solo Painting Exhibition which deals with loneliness of a long distance runner. Where: Hyderabad Marriott, Tank Bund When: Ongoing, 11am onwards Contact: (040) 2752 2999

Pub lunches Kibbeh Lounge, Begumpet now offers special pub lunches. It’s a

Splash lounge is the perfect leisure destination to unwind. Where: The Westin, Mindspace, Madhapur When: Monday - Friday, 5pm - 10.30pm Weekends, 8am - 10.30pm Contact: (040) 6767 6828

Mothers Day suprise Head to TGIF to give your mum an Mother’s day suprise. With every order on Mother’s day, TGIF is offering mothers a sweet suprise. Where: TGIF, Banjara Hills, Rd No 2 When: May 13 Contact: (040) 4015 1925

Etching prints A group exhibition of etching prints by various talented artists is being held. Where: Gallery Space, Banjara Hills, Rd No 12 When: Ongoing, 11am onwards Contact: (040) 6554 1836

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

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THURSDAY, MAY 10, 2012

Campaigns, hard news and spirit of Twin Cities

City toy-peddler returns home after 5 years in jail CRIME

MERE SUSPICION, NEVER SUBSTANTIATED, TOOK AWAY FIVE YEARS FROM MOHD HABEEB’S LIFE. ALL THIS WHILE HE WAS AN ‘UNDERTRIAL’

Mohd Subhan mohd.s@postnoon.com

or Mohd Habeeb, a Citybased toy peddler, it is a second birth. He joined his family yesterday after five-and-half years of imprisonment in a Rajasthan jail. Habeeb’s story began when he was picked up by the Border Security Force near Ajmer Dargah where he had gone during Urs to sell toys. A bomb blast had just taken place, and the frenzied police and BSF men, looking around for suspicious characters, hauled him in. He did not have any proof of identity. His protests that he was a Hyderabadi and it could be verified fell on deaf ears as the security forces under pressure from authority were not keen on investigating every individual case, and so he was jailed. Interestingly, it is

alleged, his simple case of suspicion turned into a hardcore case of border-crossing. How it happened, he has no idea. This made his release impossible. After three years of being cut off from home and hopelessly thrown in a Jodhpur jail, Habeed got an opportunity to talk with a government lawyer who was representing incarcerated inmates.

Habeeb pleaded with the advocate, Kapil Bora, and requested him to verify his family in Hyderabad. He gave the lawyer his wife’s phone number. Bora informed Habeeb’s wife Mehrunissa and she, who had thought her husband had met with some accident or was killed, told the lawyer that she and her relatives would rush to Jodhpur.

Mehrunissa and her relatives reached Jodhpur jail with all the documents proving his identity. It took a while before the police acted and sent two sub-inspectors and a lawyer to Hyderabad to verify Habeeb’s roots. The team reported his innocence and action followed. Finally Habeeb was produced before ACP M Kistaiah of Mirchowk on May 2 and was released. Habeeb was seen crying copiously with relief and happiness on seeing his family after five and half years. Later he went around meeting friends and relatives.

CRIME BRIEFS Wife kills herself on 25th birthday

young wife, Padmaja Keerti, 24, is alleged to have killed herself on her birthday at her home in Nizampet area yesterday due to ill treatment of her husband. It is said that her husband was demanding dowry from her. The Kukatpally police station’s sub inspector Jagga Reddy who has booked a case against the husband Madhusudan said that the man was reportedly harassing her which led to her taking the extreme step after a terrible quarrel on her birthday. The police are investigating whether it was a murder or a suicide.

Bolarum police sub inspector attacked

olarum police sub inspector Y Somi was attacked after he tried to intervene in a clash. The incident occurred when two motorcyclists near Rytu Bazar in Kukatpally got into a fight and the SI tried to intervene. He was attacked by one of the motorcyclists, Vijay Kumar Reddy. As the SI was being attacked, passersby and those around rescued him. Later the SI registered a case of manhandling and abusing a police officer against the motorcyclist.

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Campaigns, hard news and spirit of Twin Cities

Own a house? Pay up The GHMC is all set to revise property tax this year and a hike is in the offing

GHMC RID

Inkeshaf Ahmed ahmed.m@postnoon.com

esidents of Hyderabad can gear up for a hike in property tax this year. As per the rules of the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation Act (GHMC)-1955, it is mandatory to revise property tax every five years. The revision of property tax was done in 2007, that is five years back, by the civic body. Consequently, the officials of the corporation will begin the process of revising property tax from this month on. The action plan devised by the finance wing of the corporation involves various steps. For starters, the officials have decided to undertake a detailed geographical information survey (GIS) of all the properties in the City. This will include identifying the location of a building, type of construction, nature of use (residential or commercial), plinth area and age of building among others. The officials have divided the entire corporation into various zones viz territorial, property zones and sub zones for the purpose of the survey. The survey will assess the Annual Rental Value (ARV) of 20 per cent of the properties located in a particular zone. According to the officials of the corporation, the entire survey will take around four to six months.

Public hearings to be held After the completion of the survey, public hearings will be held to take the opinion of residents of the corporation over the revision of property tax. “The survey will be undertaken to revise the property tax. It will take a couple of months to complete the survey before we hold public hearings. Once the public hearings

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

198 155313

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

155333 23431178 23431179 MUNICIPAL CORPORATION: Commissioner & Spl Officer 23262266

VA N

EF E

NEWS BRIEFS Palvai urges for 3% interest to farmers

ongress RS member Palvai Govardhan Reddy has requested the Centre to protect the cotton farmers in AP by providing loans at 3 per cent interest and marketing their produce. Making a zero hour mention in the Rajya Sabha today, Reddy said that several farmer suicides are caused by debt. The introduction of BT cotton seeds in AP, has been causing financial problems for farmers.

Man’s body found in Balajinagar

he body of a man, aged between of 45 and 50 years, was found in Alwal, Balajinagar, on the outskirts of the City this morning. He was wearing blue jeans and a white shirt. The police believe he died of a sunstroke. However, the possibility of foul play is also being investigated. The body has been sent to Gandhi Hospital morgue for identification and autopsy.

Group of farmers held at Begumpet

are held, a final decision will be taken on revision of the property tax,” GHMC additional commissioner (Finance) K Shiva Parvathi told Postnoon. The survey will have a total of 2.5 lakh properties assessed for the revision purpose.

Total Properties

12.28 lakh

Hyderabad to be affected The revision of property tax is likely to have an impact on the core areas of Hyderabad city, which were part of the Municipal Corporation of Hyderabad

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

Properties to be surveyed

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

2.50 lakh LB Nagar 155313 23307328 23313163 27505566 23314095 23390933 24600146 27001134 23607777 30418888 30417777 30419000 30416666

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

(MCH). The reason for this is that the residential areas of Hyderabad did not have any property tax hike during the last revision for fear of political protests. Only commercial establishments and residential areas of 12 merged municipalities were brought under the revised tax net. As a result, the fresh revision of property tax is likely to spare the areas of erstwhile municipalities. The corporators of these areas have staged a massive protest against hike in property tax in circles like Uppal and LB Nagar following a GO from the State government.

39879999 27567892 23559555 23226624 27633087 27035588 27550238 30799999 30418296 30417445

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

group of farmers who wanted to come to the camp office and meet CM Kiran Kumar Reddy this morning were taken into custody at Begumpet. Farmers had come under the leadership of Ramakrishna to take up issues faced by farmers and to explain to the CM about the Rythu Chaitanya Yatralu. But they were denied entry and tension prevailed.

PCB orders effluent clearance at Medak

SS Prasad, member-secretary, AP Pollution Control Board, directed K Raja Rao, model industrial association president to clear effluents accumulated near Kazipalli and Gaddapotharam in Medak district. Prasad also advised the entrepreneurs to use one percent of the project cost under corporate responsibility.

AIRLINES Airport Director 27903785, 27906001 For Air India Flight Information Toll free (from any network) for IC Flights 18001801407 And for All Flights: 1800227722 Air India has revised its flight timings. For more information call (Toll free) 18001801407, 1800227722 from BSNL/MTNL 04023430334 from other lines and mobile Website; www.airindia.in TOURISM OFFICES AP Tourism, Hyd 23262152/53/54 Sec’bad 27893100 Dept of Tourism 23453110 India Tourism 23261360 AP Tourism information Centre (24x7) 23450444, 23455999

UK Visa Office VFS India Pvt Ltd Building, 8-2-542/A, Sunil Chamber, Road No. 7 Beside Meridian School, Banjara Hills34. Working hours are from 8 AM to 1 PM And 2 PM to 3PM. MUSEUMS Salar Jung Museum AP State Museum Nizams Museum

24523211 232431300/7641 24521029

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

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THURSDAY, MAY 10, 2012

Campaigns, hard news and spirit of Twin Cities

Smart Secretariat, a distant dream It is now obvious that the 15-year-old dream of AP secretariat to go fully computerised is torpedoed from within as files suit functionaries better than machines which won’t obey unlawful orders

TECHNOLOGY U Srinivas srinivas.u@postnoon.com

harles Babbage, Father of the Computer, would have swooned in disbelief if he had heard of the marathon efforts of the AP secretariat for the past 15 years — and yet governance moves on paper files! The seat of power run on files, and files are proving dinner to mice and rats. It began with Andhra Pradesh Technologies services (APTS) and the project changed hands through several IT companies. Computers are installed, of course, and some work, especially those of CMO and finance ministry. But networking the whole of secretariat may have to wait for nobody knows how long. Most computers, one could see, are being used as a typewriter as employees are yet to pick up the skill to use the internet. And so is

the attendance of the employees. Swiping, which would give away the late comers is not allowed,

instead, signing of a register is followed. An official from the vigilance

An acid test for Chiru BYPOLLS Postnoon News feedback@postnoon.com

ill the Congress member of Rajya Sabha Chiranjeevi make or mar the prospects of the party in the bypolls is the talk across the State and especially with the Congress candidates for the bypolls. After joining the Congress, he campaigned in two by-elections but could not ensure the party’s victory. Vidyadhara Rao, former minister, now with Chiranjeevi, said that earlier in 2009 they got good percentage of votes and the same votes will now get converted for the Congress candidates. But some Congress leaders at the CLP said that Chiranjeevi as a film star was different and now after becoming a Rajya Sabha member the scenario has shifted to Delhi, so it may not add up to the candidates in the bypolls. It is learnt that Chiranjeevi as such in a meeting with the AICC leaders has promised to concentrate on five constituencies and now he is supposed to be concentrating only on Tirupathi, the seat that he has resigned from earlier. On the other hand, a close associate of Chiranjeevi told Postnoon that Vayalar Ravi, the Union minister, has suggested that the star should continue with films so that his glamour and popularity remains intact. TDP leader Varla Ramaiah said that Chiranjeevi’s charisma failed to help him and was forced to join the Congress in no

time. “How will this help the Congress party,” he questioned. He expressed doubt if Tirupathi could be retained by Chiranjeevi in the by-polls. The Congress candidates are banking on Chiranjeevi’s vote bank to add to their tally so that they could scrape through the polls. While the CM and PCC chief Botsa Satyanarayana have started campaigning, Chiranjeevi is yet to make a splash.

Votes polled by PRP in 2009 Constituency Udayagiri Rajampeta Railwaykodur Rayachoti Tirupathi Ananthapur (Urban) Rayadurgam Allagadda Yemmiganuru Ongole macherla Pattipadu Narsannapeta Payakaraopeta Ramachandrapuram Narsapuram Polavaram Parakala

Votes polled 14,512 21,499 22,102 7,220 56,309 28,261 9,670 61,555 16,638 33,247 16,368 33,868 20,114 49,105 52,558 41,235 43,483 11,743

department pointed out that the CBI while checking the footnotes of the ministers verify files, not

computers. Files become solid evidence in the court of law. Little wonder files often disappear mysteriously. It is not the Secretariat alone; the Assembly too remains paperdriven despite the desire of Speaker N Manohar to make it a paperless Assembly. All the legislators were provided with laptops at an enormous cost to the taxpayers but very few use them or know how to use them. About `2 crore for the gadgets and another `3 crore were spent for modernisation of the Assembly, but hard copy is still prevalent. Some MLAs admitted they have given them to their children or grandchildren to play with. Minister for IT Ponnala Laxmaiah is apologetic. On the computerisation and intranet facilities, the minister reminds one of the impending bypolls and says the computerisation drive will be speeded up and loopholes plugged.

City now runs out of stamp papers Md Inkeshaf Ahmed ahmed.m@postnoon.com

he City which has been suffering from shortage of fruits and vegetables since last year, is also witnessing another kind of shortage these days, a shortage of stamp papers and revenue stamps. It is the `10 denomination stamp paper that is the scarcest since last month. “When I approached the district registrar office to inquire, they were clueless and told me that the delay

in printing led to the shortage,” said K Srinivas, a stamp vendor from Qutbullapur mandal. As a result he was suffering losses. Almost every stamp vendor in the City is facing a problem. Notary Advocate from Habsiguda P Yadagiri said “I am sitting idle these days due to the non-availability of stamp papers”. Similarly, the City had witnessed a shortage of `100 stamp papers. These papers are gen-

erally used to execute agreements viz purchase of land, house and submission of affidavits, whereas revenue stamps are used for every financial transaction beyond `5,000. However, the authorities refuted claims of shortage and said that it was the vendors who were staging a shortage. “We have adequate numbers of stamp papers and revenue stamps and are ready to supply as much as the district authorities want,” said Sanjeev Reddy, additional inspector general of stamps and registration department.

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THURSDAY, MAY 10, 2012

Campaigns, hard news and spirit of Twin Cities

Time for suburbs to gain prominence Today suburbs like Karkhana and Trimulgherry are slowly becoming a talking point for Hyderabadis DEEPAK DESHPANDE

Sudeshna Koka Sudeshna.k@postnoon.com

ecunderabad Cantonment Board is the one of the largest cantonments in India spread across 40.17 sq km and has a population of about 2, 06,100. Earlier this population was spread across other areas like AS Rao, Sainikpuri, Bolarum, Marredpally, Alwal and EME. Places like Trimulgherry and Karkhana were few areas which were left untouched until the recent past. However, since the last few decades places like Trimulgherry and Karkhana have become a talking point for residents in the twin cities. Today this suburb has become an important residential area. Many colonies, townships and apartments have come up in this suburb. Just like Banjara Hills and Jubilee Hills these areas too are on a development spree and are counted in one of up market area of Secunderabad. A drive down Vikrampuri and one will be astonished with the well maintained colony with

independent houses. Most houses in Vikrampuri colony have a unique architecture and strongly reflection British colonisation. Not just Vikrampuri but Trimulgherry and Karkhana also have several independent gated communities and townships. These communities are a perfect example of a model colony. They

are well constructed with ample space for a garden and a portico. They have a self managed waste disposal system and ways to mange water problem. Water connection is a common problem in these areas. Houses here are built on a mountain terrain and hence not all houses get water connection with a good pressure. “Because of the geographic location we sometimes do not get water, we cannot pump the water hence we coordinate with the water board and call for a tanker. Apart from this we do not face any problem,” says Nithin K, IT professional. Most of the residential colonies and gated colonies are located a few kilometers away from the main road therefore they are calm and away from City’s commotion with well maintained gardens. Over the last two decades many garment factory outlets have opened in the suburb. Branded clothes can be found here at discounted prices. This is one reason why Trimulgherry and Karkhana became popular as

Because of the location we sometimes do not get water, hence we coordinate with the water board and call for a tanker. Apart from this we do not face any problem Nithin K, IT professional one-stop shopping destinations. Soon eating joints and other recreational centers started mushrooming. Today this area has more than 1,000 factory retail shops and food joints. Apart from the problems these areas are self sustained with shopping, restaurants, club houses, banks and super markets. With a limited cost of living, these areas are an ideal sign of progress and development.

Waste management is an issue

he suburb has a few problems like bad solid waste management and water logging during rainy season. Unlike the GHMC which has more than 400 vehicles to collect their garbage, the Secunderabad Cantonment Board (SCB) has only 14 vehicles on record. Out of these, only six vehicles are functioning on a regular basis. Therefore garbage collection is a consistence trouble in the area. “We collect the garbage in our colony but the SCB garbage van does not come on a regular basis to take away the garbage hence all the waste gets accumulated. I am the president of the apartment and hence I am

accountable to all the residents. Despite contacting the SCB several times, the condition of my colony remains the same,” says Preethi Surath, president of Shankar Karanth Apartments in HACP colony. Water clogging during rains is another seasonal problems that the area is facing. “When it rains there is not outlet for the water to get disposed. Because of this there are accidents and traffic conjunction. The main road comes under the National Highway hence we have no particular body to connect to and draw a solution to the problem, says Harinath Rao, retired engineer, Karkhana

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THURSDAY, MAY 10, 2012

Campaigns, hard news and spirit of Twin Cities

EDUCATION

FABRICATION

Movie aficionados in the City are in for a rare treat as the 17th European Union Film Festival is set to take Hyderabad by storm over the next few days

Love is in the air PROGRAMME SCHEDULE

HEALTH ELECTRONICS

Millennium Dental Clinic, film nagar main road, opp: cafe melange, jubilee hills, HydPh: 040-31000889

SEMINAR To Get Guidance and free solutions for all your problems connect with angels. To join this new world of meditation attend angel therapy workshop. For registration: 9393858950 www.turya.co.in

REAL ESTATE 100 Acres farm land@ Warangal Highway in Bhongir, 20 Fruit Plants & Resort Membership for more details Contact: Sri Hema 7386064709

MUNICIPAL APPROVAL

Cheat operating at secretariat

Balaji, a tea stall owner in Gandhi Bhavan, has allegedly cheated some 60 people and collected `50 lakh by assuring them that he would procure Bhoodan land at Kuntloor village at a cheaper price. But Balaji did not keep up his promises. When the victims demanded their money back, he ignored them. When Balaji’s credentials were checked, the Bhoodan Board chairman stated that he was not a member of the board.

10 May

8.00 pm

Prasads IMAX

11 May

6.00 pm

Romantics Anonymous - France, 2010; Jean-Pierre Améris, 80’ Black Brown White - Austria, 2011; Erwin Wagenhofer, 100’

11 May

8.00 pm

The Deep Blue Sea - United Kindom, 2011; Terence Davies, 98’

12 May

11.00am

Prasad PT

Aching Hearts - Denmark, 2010; Nils Malmros, 125’

12 May

3.00 pm

Prasad PT

Camino - Spain, 2008; Javier Fesser, 143’

12 May

6.00 pm

Prasad PT

Poll Diaries - Germany, 2010; Chris Kraus, 129’

13 May

11.00am

Prasad PT

You Kiss Like God - Czech Republic, 2009; Marie Polednakova, 116’

13 May

3.00 pm

Prasad PT

If You Love - Finland, 2010; Neil Hardwick, 121’

14 May

6.00 pm

Prasad PT

My Queen Karo - Belgium, 2009; Dorothée Van Den Berghe, 105’

14 May

8.00 pm

Prasad PT

Weddings and Other Disasters - Italy, 2009; Nina Di Majo, 102’

15 May

6.00 pm

Prasad PT

Beauty and the Paparazzo - Portugal, 2010; António-Pedro Vasconcelos, 106’

15 May

8.00 pm

Prasad PT

A Friend of Mine - Estonia, 2011; Mart Kivastik, 90’

16 May

6.00 pm

Tadas Blinda. The Legend Is Born - Lithuania, 2011; Donatas Ulvydas, 110’

16 May

8.00 pm

Apricot Island - Slovakia, 2011; Peter Bebjek, 102’

Hemanth Kumar

17 May

6.00 pm

Dance Marathon - Poland, 2010; Magdalena Holland - Łazarkiewicz, 97’

hemanth.k@postnoon.com

17 May

8.00 pm

Kont Dig· a’ - Malta, 2009; Mark Dingli, 92’

18 May

6.00 pm

Personal Baggage - Slovenia, 2009; Janez Lapajne, 124’

18 May

8.00 pm

Something More About Love - Bulgaria, 2010; Magdalena Ralcheva, 93’

19 May

3.00 pm

Bride Flight - Luxembourg, 2008; Ben Sombogaart, 130’

19 May

6.00 pm

Dear Alice - Sweden, 2010; Ortman Karim, 97’

19 May

8.00 pm

Touch of Spice - Greece, 2003; Tasos Boulmetis, 108’

20 May

11.00am

Chameleon - Hungary, 2008; Krisztina Goda, 105’

20 May

3.00 pm

Sonny Boy - Netherlands, 2011; Maria Peters, 131’

20 May

6.00 pm

Once - Ireland, 2007; John Carney, 80’

20 May

8.00 pm

Meekness - Romania, 2011; Catalin Apostol, 86’

ovie buffs in the City have plenty to look forward to at the 17th European Union Film Festival which is going to begin from today. The film festival began earlier this year in Delhi and in the last couple of months, travelled to Pune, Bangalore, Chennai and Goa before coming to its final destination, Hyderabad. Alliance Francaise, Goethe Zentrum and the Hyderabad Film Club are organising the film festival, named ‘Europe in Love’, which will be held from May 10 to May 20. “This is the second time that the festival is being held in Hyderabad. Last year, the theme was comedy and this year it is love. We have an extremely interesting line up of films which explore different facets of love. It’s not every day that you come across films from countries like Estonia, Malta and Slovenia,” says Monika Hirmer, programme coordinator, Goethe Zentrum. She says that the response in other cities has been fabulous so far and hopes that Hyderabad also laps it up.

Screening venues Prasads IMAX: Adjacent NTR Gardens, Near Necklace Road, NTS Marg Prasad Film Labs Preview Theatre (Prasad PT): LV Prasad Marg, Road No 2, Banjara Hills Alliance Française (AF): Aurora Colony, Road No 3, Banjara Hills Goethe-Zentrum Hyderabad (GZ): 20 Journalist’s Colony, Road No 2, Banjara Hills

Meanwhile, the film festival has already caught the attention of some movie aficionados in the City. “India is one of the biggest growth markets for Hollywood in the world. Of late, multiplexes have begun screening films which were quite successful on the film festival circuit. Chains like PVR are doing special screenings of classic films and indie films. It is a great opportunity for other foreign films to put a foot in and showcase their work and give glimpses of their culture to

Indian audiences,” says Vemana Madasu who’s quite excited about the European Film Festival. “I think this film festival opens the gates to new frontiers which give film enthusiasts and aspiring film makers a new perspective of film making rather than the commercialised view we have got accustomed to, thanks to Hollywood,” says Sravan Kumar, a movie enthusiast. Despite the presence of thousands of movie lovers in the City, there are hardly any major film festivals here.

Except for Hollywood and regional film industries like Telugu, Tamil and Hindi, no other film industry has been able to find patrons on a regular basis in the City. No wonder films from France, Spain, Italy and even UK are restricted to such film festivals. The film festival will be inaugurated later today in Prasads Multiplex, Hyderabad by Pavel Svitil, deputy head, Delegation of the European Union. Jean-Pierre Ameris’ Romantics Anonymous is the opening movie of the film festival and on May 20, the film festival will end with a screening of a Romanian film named Meekness. The entry is free, but those interested must collect passes from either Alliance Francaise or Geothe Zentrum.

Contact n

Alliance Francaise: (+91) (40) 23554485 / 23554486 Goethe Zentrum: (+91) (40) 23350443 / 23350473 / 23350400

Focus

THURSDAY, MAY 10, 2012

Obama takes historic leap Stephen Collinson

WASHINGTON: Barack Obama became the first US president Wednesday to say publicly he was in favour of same-sex marriage, in a high-stakes intervention in a pre-election debate roiling American politics. In what supporters will hail as a historic moment in civil rights history, Obama changed his stance, after previously saying he was “evolving” on gay marriage, a fiercely divisive issue in US politics. “I’ve just concluded, for me, personally, it is important for me to go ahead and affirm that I think same-sex couples should be able to get married,” Obama said in an interview with ABC News. The president said however that a decision on whether to legalize gay marriage should be left to individual states. He also talked about how he and his wife Michelle had squared his decision with their faith. “We are both practicing Christians and obviously this position may be considered to put us at odds with the views of others,” he said. “But it’s also the Golden Rule, you know -- treat others the way you would want to be treated.” Obama, who previously backed strong protections for gay and lesbian couples but not full marriage, said his position had evolved after talking to his two daughters Malia and Sasha who had friends who had same-sex

Congratulations, Mr President, for making history today by becoming the first sitting president to explicitly support marriage for same-sex couples. Rea Carey, executive director of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force

God is the author of marriage, and we will not let a politician who is beholden to gay marriage activists for campaign financing to turn marriage into something political. Brian Brown, president of the National Organization for Marriage

parents. “It wouldn’t dawn on them that somehow their friends’ parents would be treated differently. It doesn’t make sense to them and frankly, that’s the kind of thing that prompts a change in perspective,” Obama said in the interview. Obama came under increasing political pressure on gay marriage after Vice President Joe Biden said on NBC’s Meet the Press on Sunday that he was “absolutely comfortable” with same-sex marriage. Some political analysts have warned that Obama could be entering a political minefield,

In a Gallup poll, 50 per cent of Americans said they backed gay marriage, while 48 per ent said it should not be legalised. with some key voting blocs in swing states that he hopes to court in November’s election opposing gay marriage. Religious conservatives condemned Obama for his move, which will set up an interesting bout with Republican White House hopeful Mitt Romney for the affections of independent voters on the issue.

But there are signs that broader public opinion on gay marriage is moderating, though conservative groups are redoubling efforts to thwart the pro-gay lobby, seeking constitutional bans on gay marriage. In a Gallup poll conducted between May 3 and 6, 50 percent of Americans said they backed gay marriage, while 48 percent said it should not be legalized. Gay rights supporters praised Obama for his move, which may have the potential to fire up his political base, which had been less excited about his reelection bid than it was about his first candidacy four years ago.

President Obama stuck a fork in himself today. He’s done. He’s toast. What God has defined, man may not redefine. For him, it is a day that will live in infamy. Bryan Fischer of the American Family Association

This is a major turning point in the history of civil rights. [This] is a testament to [Obama’s] convictions, and it builds on the courageous stands many have taken on behalf of equal rights for gay and lesbian Americans. Michael Bloomberg, Mayor of New York

Calculated gamble, or huge misstep? Stephen Collinson

WASHINGTON: US President Barack Obama took a calculated gamble and stepped into the political unknown Wednesday with his firm public backing for gay marriage, after a long period of personal soul searching. Obama has now abandoned the sheltered but increasingly untenable position that he was “evolving” on gay marriage, an issue that cleaves deep divisions in US politics. The risks are clear, and in fact dictated Obama’s previous stance,

Some observers, however, feel Obama could face a backlash from religious Hispanic and AfricanAmerican voters

despite fierce pressure for a more unequivocal stance from his liberal base. The sudden injection of a divisive moral question could further cloud Obama’s prospects in battleground states that he needs to win a second term in the White House in November’s election. The president has always had trouble connecting with white, blue collar, socially conservative swing voters, and Wednesday’s move will hardly help. Some observers feel Obama could face a backlash from religious Hispanic and AfricanAmerican voters, on whom he is relying for a repeat of the huge turnout in 2008 that swept him to the White House. Conservative groups immediately pledged to make Obama pay at the polls. It is just possible that Obama has pulled off a political masterstroke, and has decided to surf changing attitudes on the issue just at the right moment.

As another senior official explained, public perceptions on gay marriage were changing more quickly than almost any other political issue in America. More and more people are coming into contact with families with single sex parents — a point

Obama made in his interview when he said that he had talked about the issue with his girls, Malia and Sasha. The decision is certain to fire up Obama’s political base, and give younger supporters seen as less energised than in 2008 a jolt.

Wealthy gay and lesbian voters are also important contributors to Obama’s reelection campaign as he fires up his bid to defeat Mitt Romney. One more question about Obama’s move on Wednesday was why now? He seems to have been pushed into action by his vice-president Joe Biden, who said on NBC on Sunday that he was “absolutely comfortable” with same-sex marriage. A senior Obama official said that though Biden’s move had advanced the process, the president had already concluded that he had to come out for gay marriage before the Democratic National Convention in September. Moving now, rather than later, is politically smarter than a surprise announcement in October, said Tom Baldino, professor of politics at Wilkes University. “If I am the President’s adviser on his election — I want him to get this out sooner rather than later,” said Baldino.

16,633.60 154.02

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BSE

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10g= `28,700

GOLD

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POUND THURSDAY, MAY 10, 2012 9

Matters of saving and spending

‘Keep it small, affordable’ Prudhvi Raju K

Best selling mini-cars

prudhvi.k@postnoon.com

ndia is primarily a small car country. Today, compact cars comprise around 70 per cent of the total cars sold in India. It is one of the fastest growing segments in the country where different auto majors competing for their pie with cars like 800, Alto and WagonR from Maruti Suzuki and Santro and Eon from Hyundai and Spark from General Motors. Maruti Suzuki remains the market leader with the range of small cars catering to the middle class despite the international automobile majors entering in to small car segment making the competition intense. Alto is the highest selling compact car in the country; the much awaited Tata Nano could not take over it in the race. It sales are much ahead of other small cars. Any one of us may wonder what makes Maruti Suzuki the leader in the segment in a market with several models of cars and their variants. According to the company spokesperson, “The Alto is one of the highest selling models not only in the country, but the entire world. The key reasons for its success would be the styling, packaging and most importantly the competitive pricing. The high mileage and low cost of spare parts has made the car a winner all the way. “Some time back, the company also introduced Alto K-10. This model was powered by the K-

n n n n n

Maruti Suzuki Alto Maruti Suzuki Wagon R Hyundai Eon Tata Indica Tata Nano

Priorities to be looked at before buying a car n n n n n n

Series engine, which gave the car that extra pep and power. This model too got a good response from our customer base. Together, these two cars have made Brand Alto even strong.” Service network and fuel efficiency are one of the major factors that drives the sale of cars. “Safety standards and reliability is one of the important aspects which should not be ignored apart from quality and cost of ownership before buying a car,” said Venu Donepudi, managing director, CarZ. Companies are also looking at

diesel variants for the small cars as there is huge growth in sales in diesel cars last year. Automobile majors around the world want to have their share in the growth story of compact cars. According to the reports, though Maruti Suzuki continued to be the market leader with around 40 per cent share in the passenger vehicle segment, has lost around 10 per cent share over the years due to intense competition and with the production losses due to strikes at their plant. However, the company is target-

After sales service Maintenance costs Resale value Style and Design Fuel consumption Cost of the Product

ing 50 per cent share again with launch of new cars in different segments and by maintaining the leadership in the compact cars. The small car sales have fallen by seven per cent in 2011-2012, compared to previous fiscal. It is not because of the lack of interest among the buyers which affected the car sales but the macro economic conditions such as inflation, high interest rates and rising fuel prices. However, with the inflation and fuel prices being stabilised the industry is optimistic that it will have positive growth.

News Corp profit up 47%

China to takeover US bank

NEW

Wednesday opened its banking market to China’s biggest bank ICBC, for the first time clearing a takeover of a US bank by a Chinese state-controlled company. Just days after high-level US-China economic talks in Beijing, the Federal Reserve approved an application from

YORK:

News Corp. reported Wednesday a strong gain in quarterly profits, boosted by its Hollywood entertainment unit and cable television operations in the US, Asia and Latin America. The conglomerate controlled by magnate Rupert Murdoch said its profit in the fiscal third quarter ended March 31 was up 47 percent to $937 million, beating most analyst forecasts, as revenues rose two percent to $8.4 billion. The profit amounted to 37 cents a share, better than the Wall Street consensus of 31 cents per share. The results include a $63 million charge related to the costs of

the ongoing investigations in a phone hacking scandal in Britain linked to The News of the World, which was shut down after revelations of its activities. News Corp., which owns the Fox television networks and 20th Century Fox movie studio in addition to newspapers in Australia, Britain and the US, reported gains in most of its units excluding broadcast television, which did not air the Super Bowl this year and saw declines in the “American Idol” show. Cable operations generated $846 million in operating income, a 15 percent jump from a year ago, led by US sports channels and growth in Latin America and Asia. AFP

WASHINGTON: The US on

Industrial and Commercial Bank of China to buy a majority stake in the US subsidiary of Bank of East Asia. The transaction will make ICBC the first Chinese statecontrolled bank to acquire retail bank branches in the US. ICBC has been the most aggressive of China’s “big four” banks in expanding abroad. AFP

Spain nationalises Bankia T he Spanish state will take control of the fourth-biggest listed bank, Bankia, the government said on Wednesday, as it races to shore up the bank’s bad loan-ridden balance sheet. The state will take a 45-percent stake by converting a state-backed loan of 4.465 billion euros ($5.8 billion) into

`85.93

shares, “meaning it will take control”, the economy ministry said in a statement. Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy’s conservative government, which swept to power in December, had previously refused to countenance the use of public money to rescue the banks. AFP

NUMEROLOGY

billion

is the loan Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL) will raise from nine banks to finance procurement of goods and services from Germany for expansion of its petrochemicals projects.

THUS SPAKE “We are naturally disappointed that despite very widespread concern in India and internationally, the government has not seen fit to propose amendments to address the uncertainty caused by retrospective tax legislation,” Vodafone

RETRIAL SOUGHT Google on Wednesday confirmed that it wants a new trial on the copyright portion of a legal battle being fought with Oracle in San Francisco federal court. Jurors this week ruled that Google’s Android operating system for smartphones violated Java copyrights but deadlocked when it came to the question of whether it constituted “fair use” that made it acceptable. If Google’s use of copyrighted Java application programming interfaces (APIs) in Android was fair use, Oracle would deserve no damages from the Mountain View, California-based Internet firm under the law.

APP CENTRE Facebook on Wednesday said it is opening an App Centre for mini-programs that plug offerings such as Pinterest or Draw Something into the leading social network. The App Center will feature programs geared for Web browsers as well as those for Apple and Android smartphones or tablet computers as part of a Facebook strategy to connect with its more than 900 million members on mobile gadgets.

Indiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2018;View

THURSDAY, MAY 10, 2012

India unveiled

Airport project threatens tribes Rupesh Samant

MOPA (GOA): The proposed Greenfield airport project at Mopa has brought uncertain future for the members of the nomadic Dhangar tribes, as the state government has acquired land, where the tribes claim to have been living for generations together. The tribes, who claim that they have been living on the plateau since over a century, say they are left in a lurch, as they are not sure about getting the government compensation, which is paid for land acquisition. From the Mopa village, which is almost 30km north of the capital city of Panaji, it is an hour's ride through the rough and non-tarred roads to reach the Mopa-Sodo plateau, which is home for 12 families of this tribal community. Eighty-year-old Bhago Warak, who stays here with his family, says he was born here and has been living at the site ever since he can remember. The family has

now multiplied and there are five more houses of the Waraks here. Some more people from the same community have also joined them and shared the space without any differences. "Things were all right till 2000. But suddenly, there was a buzz of airport project planned here. Initially, we thought that we would be spared, as we live much away from the actual Mopa village," Bhago said.

There is no record with us to prove our rights. But it's truth that we have been staying here for almost a century now. Bhago

"But, we were dejected when we saw government officers coming here to demarcate the land for the airport project," he added. Raising goats is the prime vocation of the Dhangar families, whose male members travel to Pernem, a small town few kilometres away on Goa-

Maharashtra border in search of daily wage job. "The original owners of the land are Deshprabhu, Parab, Kambli and Fauzdar families. There is no record with us to prove our rights. But it's truth that we have been staying here for almost a century now," Bhago claimed.

Goa government has fast paced the Greenfield airport project, which is expected to take shape by 2015. The airport, once completed, is expected to accommodate wide-bodied aircrafts. It would be the second airport in the coastal state. For ages, the Dhangar families have battled against all odds. Namisha, a housewife, says they travel three kilometres to reach a spring to fetch fresh water. There is no electricity either in the hamlet. "Children have to travel three kilometers to reach to the nearest road where they are picked up by a school bus. Every day they travel two hours to reach the bus stand," Namisha explained. Local legislator, Rajendra Arlekar, who is also the Speaker of the Assembly, has assured that those who are affected due to the airport project, would be given compensation. "Even if they have no document to prove their right of land, government will compensate them," he assured. PTI

Hits and misses Indian students once NEW DELHI: Jharkhand Chief

Minister Arjun Munda's chopper accident on Wednesday has put the spotlight back on aerial crashes in India, where helicopters are frequently used to ferry VIPs. Several leaders were killed while others, like Munda, had narrow escapes. n Arunachal Pradesh chief minister Khandu was killed on April 30, 2011, when a helicopter carrying him and four other people from Tawang to Itanagar crashed in a forest. n YS Rajasekhara Reddy, the AP chief minister, died when his Bell 430 helicopter crashed in a forest while flying to a village in Chitoor on Sep 3, 2009. n Haryana ministers OP Jindal, also a noted industrialist, and Surendra Singh were killed when the chopper carrying them went down near Saharanpur in Uttar Pradesh on March 31, 2005. n Then Lok Sabha speaker and Telugu Desam Party leader GMC Balayogi died in a chopper Bell 206 crash on March 3, 2002 in West Godavari of AP. n Dera Natung, the Arunachal Pradesh education minister, and five others were killed when their Pawan Hans craft crashed near Tawang because of poor visibility in May 2001. n Madhavrao Scindia, a royal scion from Madhya Pradesh and a former Congress cabinet minister, was killed in a plane crash on Sep 30, 2001 on his way to Kanpur. n Then Punjab governor

again head for Australia Paritosh Parasher

Surendra Nath and 12 others, including nine of his family, were killed when a state government plane crashed in a mountainous region of Himachal Pradesh, minutes after taking off on July 9, 1994.

The lucky ones n Senior

Congress leader Ahmed Patel and union ministers Prithviraj Chauhan and Kumari Selja had a miraculous escape in 2004 when the rear portion of their chopper broke on landing at a helipad in Khanvel in south Gujarat. n Former Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh also survived one such chopper accident when the chopper hit electrical wires soon after taking off. The cables snapped and the chopper crash-landed from a relatively low height. n Then BJP president Rajnath Singh and senior leader Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi had a miraculous escape in 2008 when they were travelling to Rampur. The chopper landed close to a pile of dry grass that caught fire. The pilot immediately took off and landed at a safe place. IANS

MELBOURNE: Indian students are once again heading to Australia, along with a rise in international students, with the perceived threat of physical violence having receded to a large extent. Violence against Indians in Australia has been a sensitive issue, especially after several racially motivated attacks on international students a few years back had strained relations between the two nations. Indian students, according to an Australian Immigration Department report, top the list of visas granted in Australia. Overall, 284,152 international students were granted visas in

uring 2009, the media of Australia, mostly in Melbourne, and India publicised reports of crimes and robberies against Indians in Australia that were described as racially motivated crimes. A subsequent Indian government investigation concluded that 23 incidents involved "racial overtones". There were 120,913 Indian students enrolled to undertake an Australian qualification in 2009 and India was the second top-source country for Australiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s international education industry. Rallies were organised in Melbourne and Sydney, and intense media coverage of the perceived hate crimes commenced in India, which were critical of Australia.

the first three quarters of the Australian financial year ending March 31. This figure represents an increase of 4.5 per cent compared with the same period in 2010-11. Over 23,000 Indian students were granted visa this year. The Australian Immigration Department assessment of Indian applications seem to have improved significantly from the same period last year as there has been a whopping 82.8 per cent increase in Indian students getting the all important nod. While 2,319 Indian students were granted visa in India in the three quarters ending March 2011, the number has ballooned to 4,238 this year. IANS

Goans want to sing all night long PANAJI: Musicians and music aficionados in Goa have hit an excited note over the state government's decision to lobby for special tourism zones (STZ) to allow enthusiasts to party till the wee hours. According to Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar, his office was lobbying with PM Manmohan Singh to create these STZs

in non-populated areas where central sound pollution norms, which ban loud music beyond 10.30pm, could be bypassed. "I think it is a good move. Goa has been losing tourists because it does not have much to offer in terms of parties," Ajit Pai, resident DJ at one of Goa's night club Mambos, told IANS.

India‑View

THURSDAY, MAY 10, 2012

India unveiled

AI pilots defiant, but seek talks with govt NEW DELHI: Over 20 Air India flights were cancelled today from Delhi and Mumbai as the agitation by the protesting pilots entered the third day. Despite the Delhi High Court declaring their stir as illegal, the pilots remained defiant and said the agitation would continue till their demands were met. “Three international departures from Mumbai and 8 from Delhi have been cancelled due to non-availability of pilots”, an Air India official said. Around 12 international arrivals at Delhi airport were also cancelled, according to the website of Delhi airport. Passengers were inconvenienced as airline officials were unable to accommodate them in others flights or give any concrete information on when their flights will take off. From Delhi flights to Frankfurt, Shanghai, Toronto, New Jersey, Chicago and Seoul were cancelled while Air India flights to New York, Riyadh and Shanghai were not operating

’84 riots: Cong challenges US jurisdiction NEW YORK: The Congress has challenged the jurisdiction of a US court to hear a case filed against it by a Sikh advocacy group for its alleged role in the November 1984 anti-Sikh riots. During oral arguments in the US federal court here on Wednesday, Judge Robert Sweet noted that the Congress had only challenged the court’s jurisdiction to hear the case and not filed any defence on the merits of the allegations against it. Sikhs for Justice had filed a complaint against the Congress in March 2011 under Alien Tort Claims Act and Torture Victim Protection Act. According to SFJ, attorneys for the Congress argued that service of summons on the Congress through Hague Convention is flawed as the party’s headquarters in New Delhi did not receive the summons and copy of the complaint. Congress lawyers also argued that it cannot be sued as a per a recent appellate court decision. IANS

NATION AT A GLANCE SC asks Centre to probe former CJI Balakrishnan NEW DELHI: Supreme Court asks competent authority of Centre to look into allegation of misconduct against former CJI KG Balakrishnan. However, the court refused to direct Centre for presidential reference against Balakrishnan saying it needs to be decided by the president on advice of council of ministers.

Vectra directors Swati, Bhaskarudu resign NEW DELHI: Two directors of Global Vectra Helicorp Ltd (GVHL), under the Vectra Group which is being probed by the CBI in connection with the sourcing of Tatra trucks to the Indian armed forces, have resigned. In a filing to the BSE, the company said that RSSLN Bhaskarudu has resigned as director with effect from May 1 while the resignation of Swati Rishi was effective from May 4. GVHL is part of Ravi Rishi-led Vectra Group. Ravi Rishi and the Vectra Group are under the CBI.

Tejinder withdraws plea from Supreme Court from Mumbai. Taking a strong view of the agitation, the Air India management had yesterday sacked 26 more pilots. With this the number of sacked pilots has reached 36. Meanwhile, under pressure from various quarters, the dere-

cognised Indian Pilots Guild (IPG) on Thursday appealed to civil aviation minister Ajit Singh to open channels of negotiation and accused the Air India management of backtracking on its commitments. "The ministry has failed to

respond to the offer for talks. IPG is willing to meet with officials of management/ministry at any place at any time in order to resolve the impasse," the IPG said in a late night statement, appealing to Ajit Singh "to open a channel of negotiations". PTI

US backs visas to qualified Indians WASHINGTON: As India announced plans to take the issue of “discriminatory” increase in US visa fees to the World Trade Organisation (WTO), Washington assured it continued to fully support the admission of qualified Indians. The US and India “did have a good and thorough discussion” on the visa issues in the context of Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s recent visit to India, State department spokesperson Victoria Nuland told reporters Wednesday. As Clinton said it publicly

“Indians are the greatest beneficiaries in the world of both our L-1 visa programme and our H-1B visa programme,” she said when asked about India’s reported move. “We understand that the demand is even greater. We are working through those issues. But we continue to fully support the admission of qualified Indians under these programmes,” Nuland said. Under its Emergency Border Security Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2010, US sharply hiked the fee for H-1B

and L-1 visas used by Indian and American companies to bring qualified professionals from abroad and for intracompany transfers respectively. Indian Minister of State for Commerce and Industry Jyotiraditya M. Scindia told parliament Wednesday that New Delhi “proposes to seek consultations with the US under the Dispute Settlement Understanding of the WTO.” Asked if the visa fees hike issue was discussed during the Clinton visit, Nuland said: “No.”

NEW DELHI: Lt Gen (retd) Tejinder Singh on Thursday withdrew his petition in the Supreme Court seeking a probe into the alleged bugging of top defence ministry officials at the behest of army chief Gen VK Singh. The apex court bench headed by P Sathasivam permitted the withdrawal of the petition after Tejinder Singh's counsel sought the liberty to move an appropriate forum to take up his allegation.

Bir Khalsa Gatka Group shows its Guinness World Record medals for breaking 59 coconuts on the forehead with a baseball bat. PTI

2 held with haul of fake voter identity cards BIHARSHARIF (BIHAR): Two per-

Gandhi memorial facing erosion KENDRAPARA (ODISHA): A structure built to commemorate Mahatma Gandhi’s onenight stay at a village here in the early 30s is facing a threat from the advancing Govari river. The residents of Barimula village had built a memorial to mark Gandhiji’s overnight stay at a house on January 30, 1934 after he held a padayatra and a public meeting there. The residents of the village had for a long time been pleading with the administra-

tion to check the erosion, but nothing was done till the local chapter of the human rights commission took up the matter with the state Irrigation

Department. The collector of Kendrapara, Pradipta Kishore Pattnaik, said, “The rights panel has sought a compliance report with regard to the safety of the structure and the administration has asked the Water Resources Department to draw up a plan to stop the erosion.” Bhabani Shankar Ojha, a Zilla Parishad member, said that not just the memorial, but the village itself was being threatened by the Govari. PTI

sons were today arrested with a haul of fake voter identity cards, seals and scanned signatures of officials from different places in Nalanda district, police said. Acting on an information, police raided a house at Khandakpur and arrested one Brijesh Kumar with five fake voter identity cards, superintendent of police Nishant Tiwari said.

Retired judge held for torturing son’s wife CUTTACK: A retired magistrate and three others, including his wife and son were arrested today for torturing his pregnant daughter-in-law and throwing her into a river with her hands and legs tied. They were arrested following a statement of the woman.

Around the World

THURSDAY, MAY 10, 2012

Beyond Borders

DOUBLE FACED

An ArcelorMittal steel worker in Florange, France wears a Guy Fawkes mask while demonstrating in front of ArcelorMittal Headquarters during an Annual General Meeting of shareholders.

SUPER ‘COOL’ BRA TOKYO: A bra with built-in ice packs, a wind chime and a sprig of mint that was unveiled in Japan on Wednesday is promising to keep women cool this summer. In a nearly-naked publicity stunt, underwear firm Triumph Japan had models parading around showing off its "Super Cool Bra", featuring what appears to be a pair of small fish tanks encompassing the breasts. These cups are filled with a gel that remains soft and supple even when frozen, giving the wearer "a cool sensation against her skin", the company said in a statement. A traditional Japanese wind chime — and a mint leaf — dangle between the cups giving an impression of cooling "by way of its refreshing fragrance and sound". The company, which has a long tradition of novelty launches that are never made available for public sale, said it conceived of the bra in response to a need to save energy during the hot summer. With no working nuclear

So what if you are a PM? Qatar's prime minister denied apartment by co-op

ew York real estate really is a pain, just ask the prime minister of Qatar who was denied sale of two apartments at 907 Fifth Avenue. According to The New York Daily News, Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim bin Jabr Al Thani placed a $31.5 million dollar bid on an apartment previously owned by recluse New York heiress Huguette Marcelle Clark. Clark died last year at the age of 104 with a $400 million fortune. The Daily Mail reported that Clark had not lived in the two apartments for decades, but kept a doll collection worth $3 million in one. Clark also owned two more apartments in the city. NBC reported, Hamad was selected by the Clark estate after the apartments went up for auction. Hamad offered $31.5 million for Clark's two apartments on the 8th

floor. While he did offer a half a million more than the asking price, Hamad was not the highest bidder. However Hamad's purchase was cut short after the co-op board changed its mind and decided to decline him an interview. A person close to the co-op board told NBC the reason the board refused to interview Hamad was because he wanted to join the two 8th floor apartments into one. NBC also noted, "Besides the security issues, the board was concerned about the disruption of construction, as well as the long-term imbalance of having a single owner with so large a share of the building." The New York Post reported their source claims Hamad was rejected because he has too many children. Hamad has two wives and 15 children.

reactors amid heightened public mistrust over atomic power in post-Fukushima Japan, the country has once again begun its

"Cool Biz" campaign, urging people to dress down for work and avoid the need to crank up the aircon. AFP

Picky means celibacy Church says Australia is suffering a man drought, warns women not to be too picky

ow do you know if he's "the one?" Check to make sure that he has a pulse and isn't already married to someone else. In other words, don't be too picky, at least according to the Catholic Church in Australia. "Are women getting too choosy? I'd say yes," Father Tony Kerin from the Archdiocese of Melbourne told the Herald Sun of Australia. "I think many are setting aside their aspirations for later, but by the time they get around to it, they've missed their chance." Kerin's comments came in light of research by demographer Bernard Salt. According to Salt, there are 1.3 million women and 1.343 million men between the ages of 25 to 34 living in Australia, the Herald Sun reported. But of those 1.3 million men, only 86,000 are actually "marriage material," because the other men are already married, gay or in a serious relationship, according to Salt's calculations. Salt himself, however, seems a little picky: he also excluded men who are single parents and men who earn less than $60,000 a year. Concerns about a "man drought" in Australia are not new. BBC News reported in 2008 that there were 100,000 more females than males living in Australia, and the gender imbalance was especially bad in Australia's coastal cities. The imbalance was caused by thousands of Australian men in their 20s and 30s leaving the country to travel or to find work, according to the BBC.

And the Australian Bureau of Statistics says that between 1990 and 2001, the "crude marriage rate" declined from 6.9 to 5.3 marriages per 1,000 population. GLOBALPOST

Around the World

THURSDAY, MAY 10, 2012

Beyond Borders

Wreckage of missing Sukhoi found, 50 presumed dead CIDAHU: Indonesian rescuers on Thursday spotted the wreckage of a missing Russian Sukhoi Superjet that disappeared in mountainous terrain during a demonstration flight with about 50 people aboard. Russia’s first post-Soviet civilian jet vanished from radar screens south of Indonesia’s sprawling capital Jakarta on Wednesday, 50 minutes into what was meant to be a short flight to show off its capabilities to prospective buyers. Initial efforts to locate the jet proved fruitless and after the search resumed at first light on Thursday, the crew of an Indonesian Super Puma military helicopter saw the wreckage in the vicinity of a dormant volcano. “The Sukhoi has been found just now,” said Ketut Parwa, search and rescue agency chief for Jakarta, who was coordinating operations. “There is debris spotted by the helicopter, (we have) confirmed it is from the Sukhoi,” he said. National search and rescue chief Daryatmo, who goes by one name, said the helicopter’s pilot had spotted wreckage including the Sukhoi logo on the ground. “We spotted the fragments at the coordinates where we lost

In Greece, Left remains unsuccessful ATHENS: Greece’s Socialist leader Evangelos Venizelos faced the thankless task of forming a viable government on Thursday, a day after a bid by a radical left-wing anti-austerity party ended in failure. Mainstream Greek parties, including Venizelos’ own, are showing signs of wanting to renegotiate the terms of an international bailout. But creditors have warned a loan to be paid on Thursday could be the last if Athens reneges on its reform commitments, raising questions over its future in the eurozone. Alexis Tsipras, leader of the Syriza party, now the second largest in the Greek parliament after the conservative New Democracy group, admitted defeat late on Wednesday in his attempt to form a government. Both the Communists and the Democratic Left had declined to join him in a coalition. AFP

Debris of plane crash from a Russian Sukhoi Superjet 100 is seen on the slope of Salak Mountain Western Java province. contact with the plane,” he told a news conference. Ali Umri Lubis, spokesman for the search helicopter’s military airbase, said the plane was spotted in the Cijeruk area, near the dormant volcano Mount Salak, close to the city of Bogor in West Java. Cijeruk is in a mountainous area 6,500 feet above sea level,80 kilometres southeast of Jakarta. Indonesian officials have said the Sukhoi descended to about 6,000 feet shortly before it

vanished. All aboard were Indonesian aviation and airline representatives, except for eight Russians — four of them crew and four of them Sukhoi employees — plus an American and one Frenchman, officials said. The Superjet 100, a new passenger aircraft, is crucial to Russia’s hopes of becoming a major player in the modern aviation market, and a major accident would be the first disaster to involve the type.

Juanda, a 41-year-old villager, said he was feeding his chickens on Wednesday when he heard a roar overhead. “I looked up and saw a huge white plane moving unsteadily just slightly below the mountain summit. It was still way above the trees but veering left and right, and then it disappeared,” he told AFP by telephone from Tenjolaya district, near Mount Salak. By midnight on Wednesday, hundreds of rescuers had set up three posts around Mount Salak as they prepared to resume their mission at dawn on Thursday. Ahmad Rifai, who arrived at the Cidahu rescue base seeking news of his sister, a 30-year-old stewardess who had stood in for a colleague who was supposed to have been on board, broke down as he contemplated her fate. There were also scenes of grief at the airport in Jakarta on Wednesday, with relatives of passengers sitting on luggage carousels weeping uncontrollably, waiting for information. Reports of the number on board varied, with rescue officials saying the plane was carrying 46 people and the company responsible for inviting the passengers, saying 50 were on board. AFP

Blood still flows in Syria DARAA: A roadside bomb wounded six troops escorting UN observers in Syria on Wednesday, prompting UN chief Ban Ki-moon to say that such attacks imperil the future of the hardwon monitoring mission. He told both the Syrian government and opposition that there was only a “brief window” to avoid civil war. Mission chief Major General Robert Mood was in the convoy but escaped unharmed along with 11 other observers and his spokesman, Neeraj Singh, an AFP photographer travelling with them reported. The bomb, apparently planted underground, exploded after the passage of four vehicles carrying the UN team, hitting the troops travelling behind them, the photographer added. The blast hit as the convoy entered the city of Daraa, south of Damascus, cradle of a 14month uprising against President Bashar al-Assad’s regime. Thousands of people have been killed in the ensuing crackdown. “This was a graphic example of what the Syrian people are

Blast hits UN observer convoy in Syria

GLOBE AT A GLANCE Putin to skip G8 summit in US next week WASHINGTON: Russia’s President Vladimir Putin will skip the G8 summit and talks with President Barack Obama next week, the White House said, raising new questions about Moscow-Washington ties. Putin had been expected at the summit and to hold talks with the US leader in a first test of whether the reset policy between the Kremlin and the White House will survive his return to the presidency.

Eighteen decapitated in Mexico revenge attack GUADALAJARA: Police found the dismembered, decapitated bodies of 18 people in two abandoned vehicles in western Mexico in an apparent revenge killing between powerful drug gangs. Police initially counted 12 bodies dumped in the car on a road between Guadalajara and the lakeside city of Chapala.

Thousands of Satmar Hasidim celebrate the Jewish holiday of Lag Baomer as a bonfire burns on Wednesday in New York. AFP

Asia Society’s Indian born CEO to step down NEW YORK: Global non-profit organisation Asia Society’s India-born head Vishakha Desai, who has advised President Barack Obama on India related issues, is stepping down as President and CEO after 22 years at the city-based leading cultural and educational body. Desai would leave her post on September 1 and join the citybased Guggenheim Foundation.

Australian police thrown out of Vanuatu SYDNEY: A dozen Australian federal

Syrian soldiers are wounded following a bomb attack which targeted their convoy as they escorted UN peace observers. suffering on a daily basis and underlines the imperative for all forms of violence to stop,” Mood said in a statement. Members of his team were checking on the condition of the wounded soldiers, the Norwegian general added, wishing them an early recovery. In New York, Ban warned that such bombings cast doubt on the future of the mission set up to monitor a truce brokered by UN-Arab League envoy Kofi Annan that officially started on Ap-

ril 12 but has not been heeded. The attack was “a testament to the difficulty and the danger” of the UN mission, the UN chief told the UN General Assembly. It highlighted an “alarming upsurge” of roadside bombs, alongside government attacks and was “a blunt reminder of the risks of violence escalating even further”, he added. If the violence did not stop, Ban said he feared “a full-scale civil war with catastrophic effects within Syria and across the region.” AFP

police officers were expelled from the Pacific nation of Vanuatu Thursday in a diplomatic row over the arrest of the prime minister’s private secretary. Australia’s foreign office said it was “disappointed and concerned” at what it called “retaliation” for the detention of Clarence Marae at Sydney airport on April 27.

A man and his daughter present flowers to a veteran during celebrations held at Kiev’s World War II open air museum. AFP

Comment

THURSDAY, MAY 10, 2012

Fair, free and forthright

Your future is in my vision

Talk back Wide roads are must How can a handful of property owners hold the city to ransom? The chaotic condition of the traffic is only getting worse by the day making commuting in the city a living hell. It is clear that unless drastic steps are taken, the situation is only going to heap more miseries on road users. It is because of this that corrective measures were decided by the town planners. While that process itself took a long time, it is unfortunate that noncomplying by property owners in these areas is causing more delay. The state must deal with the situation with an iron hand. Sharat Babu Madhapur

Save Secunderabad It takes a little learning from past experiences and a little foresight to ensure that Secunderabad does not go the Hyderabad way in terms of unorganised growth. Till recently we were priding of the balanced growth of Secunderabad, but it seems like an evil eye has been cast on its pristine beauty. As rightly pointed out degeneration of Marredpally is an indication of what is in store for the rest of the city in the near future. If authorities don’t soon wake up to it, we shall have another of the many unmanageable cities of the country. Jane Karkada Sainikpuri

Subsides cripple Arun is right about the subsidy on Haj. While it is binding that every Muslim undergoes this pilgrimage in a lifetime, the affordability factor has also been addressed by Islam. It is mandatory only on one who can afford it. The government has eased it when travel graduated from ship to an aeroplane and since it was a more expensive affair, the assistance then may have been justified. But over a period of time, and since cost of living has by and large improved, people should be able to plan their lives better and make the trip on their own. Mohammed Arshadulla Khan Shantinagar

Poetic justice Does man consider cheating his prerogative? Why then has this Internet Romeo filed a case against his wife he had deserted? What doesn’t come through though in your report is if he was chatting under a fake identity. Either ways, he got what he deserved. Nalini L Ameerpet

But... Seriously Ajay Hotchandani

Here’s the horoscope for the other folks. (It’s a joke people, don’t take it personally.)

Libra If you are looking for some professional advice, it would help to stop looking in comic books or Stardust magazine. You appreciate others who are rich and may surround yourself with them so they can pay for your bar tab. Do not work as a suicide counsellor as you have a horrible sense of how to work with and guide others in making decisions. You become more insightful and philosophical the drunker you get; however, no one can understand you. Try a new fish recipe this evening. A former lover may come back into your life through some strange quirk of fate or to ask for their ipod back.

Scorpio There are many rewarding days coming around the corner, but none for you, as someone else will reap the rewards of your hard work, probably someone from Vietnam. You are not very practical when it comes to dealing with others, especially co-workers, and that is why they screwed you over. You feel cheated when the object of your desire doesn't know you exist, but then again your parents forgot you at the grocery stores several times. A struggle with one of your internal organs will lead you down a path of self-destruction and the alleys of a clinic run by a doctor named Chucho.

Sagittarius You're feeling more inclined to give someone close another chance after they made a big mistake, just like your father gave your mother another chance after the birth control failed and you were born. You often daydream about being a lesbian crime fighter. Karma will repay you for being an idiot, I could tell you how, but you’re an idiot and won’t get it! Remind yourself that all dreams can come true so it would be in your best interest to stop having dreams about you, SpongeBob and bottle of oil. Please pay better attention to your hygiene.

Editorials

Capricorn Neither creative nor smart, you won’t amount to much in life. When it comes to matters of the heart, your only criterion should be them agreeing to marry you. There isn’t a future of travel for you as you are lazy and getting up and going to the kitchen is about the only place you are willing to go. You are a very indecisive person and should be the last person to be allowed to order when at a restaurant. While you normally like to have all of your romantic relationships be extremely nurturing and comforting, you may find that this is not always possible to achieve over the Internet.

Aquarius Time is running out and you are not getting any younger. The things you have been putting off for many years have finally caught

OBAMA’S BOLD CALL ON GAY RIGHTS will face acid test in presidential elections

S President Barack Obama has made an enormous political statement by declaring open support for gay marriage. The move would pit him against the religious hardliners in the Republican camp and give ammo to the Tea Party hawks. The president's declaration comes in the wake of a North Carolina vote which made gay marriages or civil unions illegal under the state's constitution. The Obama administration has so far encouraged gay rights, a prominent one was scrapping the Pentagon's decades-old 'don't ask don't tell policy' for military personnel. When more countries are legalising gay marriages, there has been a hardening in the posture of the centre-right groups in the United States against it. Likes of Sarah Palin would tear into Obama — remember the former Alaska governor's tirade of 'death panels'. In the wake of rising right-wing opposition to gay rights, Obama has taken a very brave political gamble to choose justice and fair-play over populism. Let's hope that the desire for change that brought the charismatic leader to power four years ago continues.

up with you. When making decisions regarding matters of the heart, it is best to consult a cardiologist because your friend who is a doctor is an idiot! Your mischievous nature will result in either you getting arrested or pregnant. Finances are not your strong point; you pay too much for your mobile phone plan.

Pisces You should not be trusted with phone numbers. Your obsession with your underwear can cost you dearly. Try not to get too caught up in your hobbies; your parents don’t need to explain to your relatives why you got arrested again! Travel plans include trips to exotic destinations where you are very likely to get bitten by a stray animal. Very suspicious by nature, you often believe the cleaning lady steals from your room.

WHY WE LOVE... Vidal Sassoon

egendary British hairstylist, Vidal Sassoon, died on Wednesday, aged 84. Sasson will always be remembered as a pioneer in the intricate field of hairstyling. It was his ‘bob’ cut for women in the 1950s that brought him the spotlight, but more than that it gave women a style that was all their own. The ‘bob’ has since adorned many avatars, but Sassoon was its creator, and his name is enmeshed in its brilliance.

Telly Tales

Small screen, big idea

THURSDAY, MAY 10, 2012

“There is no such thing as a psychic” Indira Atluri indira.a@postnoon.com

The plot Patrick Jane is in chase of the elusive ‘Red John’, who is responsible for killing his wife and his daughter. And he is volunteering as a consultant with the California Bureau of Investigation to help Senior

Agent Teresa Lisbon, in charge of the ‘Red John’ case to propel himself in the direction of Red John, while helping her and her team solve many cases. Nobody knows as yet who ‘Red John’ is, but then, each and every episode What Where When

The Mentalist Zee Café May 14

is imprinted with Jane’s aptitude at solving bloody murders and curious cases, putting ‘Red John’ somewhere in the reservoir of the audiences’ memory. But not for Patrick Jane.

The team Teresa Lisbon is the boss of the team and this petite, keen-eyed lady means business most of the time – at least when it doesn’t

have anything to do with Patrick Jane. She is direct, rarely makes a joke, and more often than not, takes flak from her boss for Mr. Jane, but at the end of the day, her team adores her. Whether Patrick and she share romantic feelings for each other – we are yet to see! Actually, let’s put it this way – we would like to see that. Kendall Cho is the perfect subordinate for Lisbon. Cho’s piercing expression is to watch out for, as is his proactive approach to Lisbon’s challenging tasks. He is the man who is always in – the man you can count on. Wayne Rigsby and Grace Van Pelt are the two other agents of the team that make the otherwise ‘straight and serious’ drama, a wholesome prospect to watch. With them around, there is romance in the air and a sort of sexual undercurrent that you want to see more of. Rigsby’s one line to Van Pelt says it all - ‘Screw the rules. Screw CBI. I need you’.

Why it’s a must-watch We are confident that those who did see ‘The Mentalist’s earlier seasons are waiting for the day ‘The Mentalist’ begins to feature again on television. But for those

Patrick Jane is ‘The Mentalist’ who believes it’s all in the details, and not some random psychic prowess. He uses his wit, grit and of course, his indelible charm to solve mysteries with histories. And he is all set to return to Indian television

who never did, this is not the most often typified police and criminal chase story. Each episode is a gripping tale – a tragedy that needs Patrick Jane’s intervention. And Jane is just an observer – a meticulous man with many ideas on crime-solving. He is the complete opposite of the oft-displayed brawny mad cop – a thinker, and yes, not to forget, an absolute charmer.

DAWSON’S CREEK

Where are they now?

atie Holmes as Josephine Potter: Now she’s best known for being Tom Cruise’s wife and of course a starlet (Batman Begins). The first step though began with Dawson’s Creek. In Dawson’s Creek, she played Josephine “Joey” Potter, a fiercely independent tomboy determined to get what she sets out to do. The love interest of many, she is the girl all boys want to be with and who all girls want to be.

COMING D OF AGE

awson’s Creek first featured in the year 1998, and quickly became one of the most watch series on television. Set in a small town in Massachusetts and Boston, the story revolves around the lives of a group of teenage friends through their growing years. Some of the characters in the series have since, become famous in their own right.

ames Van Der Beek as Dawson Wade Leery – Dawson is the lead character, an introspective dreamer and Joey’s best friend. His relationship with Joey is uncomplicated in the beginning, but soon begins to assume new dimensions as they grow up into adults. After movies like Rules of Engagement, Varsity Blues and Texas Rangers, Van Der Beek is back on TV with a new series titled Don't Trust the B***** in Apartment 23.

oshua Jackson as Pacey Witter – Pacey is the guy with an unhappy childhood and low selfesteem. What he lacks on in academics, he makes up with his wit and ability to socialize with people. Joey is his one true love. He’s currently filming for the series Fringe and is all set to act in two yet-to-bereleased films.

H‑Factor

THURSDAY, MAY 10, 2012

Holistic view of mind, body and soul

Lack of folic acid and Vitamin B during pregnancy could lead to improper formation of the spine and nervous systems in babies

Bridging the gap

AMH tests can determine ovarian reserve

Dr Divya T Sudarshan

tologist at Little Stars Hospital.

Ranjani Rajendra

Causes

ranjani.r@postnoon.com

It is believed that certain nutritional deficiencies during pregnancy can lead to this condition. “Often gynaecologists and nutritionists stress on the need to consume adequate vitamin B complex and folic acid during pregnancy as this plays a major role in the development of the baby. In fact, spina bifida is a preventable condition, if

ow often have we derisively called somebody spineless, just because they didn’t have the guts to go through with something? But have we ever stopped to think just how important the backbone is? It provides our bodies that much needed stability and support and even provides the nerves originating at the brain the channel to travel through before branching out to other body parts. But what about the children who are born with a defect in their spines and often have to deal with a lifetime of weakness or paralysis? Spina Bifida is one such genetic ailment that continues to affect children. “Every unborn baby’s spine is open and gradually closes with both the ends fusing together. But in spina bifida the neural tube is improperly formed. Spina bifida translates to split spine,” says Dr Satish Ghanta, neona-

For patients with myelomeningocele, the prognosis is pretty bad. Depending on the extent of the condition, the condition could also be fatal Dr Satish Ghanta, neonatologist, Little Stars

proper dietary care is taken during pregnancy,” says Dr N Somasekhar Reddy, consultant orthopaedic surgeon at Apollo Hospital.

Types of Spina Bifida There are three types of spina bifida that can affect babies n Spina bifida occulta: This is the mildest form of the condition and can barely be detected, unless it is specifically tested for. is the mildest form of spina bifida. Most children with this condition have little or no health problems. n Meningocele: This condition involves the meninges (the tissue that covers and protects the brain and the spinal cord). Due to the gap in the spine, the meninges can spill out of the gap between the vertebrae and form a protruding sac. n Myelomeningocele: This is the most severe form of the condition and it occurs when both the meninges and the spinal cord spill out of the gap. Sometimes the brain cells can also spill out as this connects to the brain. There could be a swelling and can lead to complications as well.

Symptoms Dr Satish explains that the symptoms in each of the three types of spina bifidas vary according to the extent of the condition and how many nerves are actually spilling out of the gap. “Other symptoms include weakness in the legs, poor bladder control, inability to control stools, lack of sensation in the limbs or paralysis of the lower limbs,” he says.

Treatment “Children with spina bifida occulta seldom require any treatment. Babies with meningocele usually have a surgery soon after birth,” says Dr Somasekhar. Usually this surgery involves pushing back the spilling tissue and closing the gap and these patients will have no other problems once the surgery has been performed. Dr Satish explains, “But with patients with myelomeningocele, the prognosis is bad. Depending on the extent of the condition, the condition could also be fatal.” Usually these patients require surgery within a day or two of birth.

I have a 6 year old daughter, and want another child. My periods are regular, so why is my doctor asking us to do so many tests? I presume from your question that you did not get pregnant after your daughter. I am also confident that you have tried to get pregnant and nothing happened, therefore the doctor. The definition of infertility is the inability to conceive, for a period of one year, without any contraceptive use while having regular intercourse. Now considering your daughter is six, I think you may have been trying for a year or so. Coming to the second part of your question, I am glad that your periods are regular. But it still will not tell us if you are ovulating every month. It is known that even women with PCOD and anovulatory cycles may have monthly periods. So your doctor may have asked for some very routine tests like complete blood picture to check for iron, infections, allergies, your sugars, thyroid profile, prolactin, an ultrasound scan and a follicular study. Sometimes if she clinically feels that you may have a bit of difficulty, or from your history, she will ask for an HSG (to check for blocked tubes) and an anti mullerian hormone test also, to check your ovarian reserve (that is how many healthy eggs you have, to increase the chances of your conceiving). Also remember, 40-50 per cent of infertility could be due to the male partner, so the investigations would be incomplete without your husband's test for sugar, anaemia, urine and thyroid. A semen test has excellent predictive value. Patients dislike doing repeated tests, but the human body is not the Taj Mahal. It is constantly evolving so when one faces any problem it is important to investigate again. Always carry your old reports. They are documentary evidence of your past health. (The writer is a gynaecologist and obstetrician practising at Happy Women Clinic. You can write in to her at happywomenclinic@gmail.com)

H‑Factor

THURSDAY, MAY 10, 2012

Holistic view of mind, body and soul

‘Psychopath’s brain structure is different’ Scientists at King’s College, London scanned the brains of numerous killers and rapists and found evidence that their brains have different structures than regular people.

Long drives to work may be bad for your health

Sarah Wolfe

Alexander Besant

sychopaths may have an abnormal brain structure concluded scientists in a new study. Researchers at King’s College, London scanned the brains of numerous killers and rapists and found evidence that their brains have different structures than regular people. The scientists said that psychopaths even had different structures than those criminals with others types of known behavioural disorders. “Using MRI scans we found that psychopaths had structural brain abnormalities in key areas of their ‘social brains’ compared to those who just had ASPD,” said Nigel Blackwood from the Institute of Psychiatry at King’s College and lead author of the study,

reported Medical XPress. “This adds to behavioural and developmental evidence that psychopathy is an important subgroup of ASPD with a different neurobiological basis and different treatment needs.” Psychopathy is a mental disorder in which an individual shows amoral and antisocial behaviour, including an inability to love, feel empathy and learn from experience. The study looked at the brains of 44 violent male offenders, as well as 22 healthy non-offenders, using magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI). The crimes they committed included rape, murder and serious assault. According to Reuters, researchers found that 17 of the men met the criteria for psychopathy while 27 did not. The study found that those diagnosed with psychopathy had less grey matter in the areas of the brain important for understanding other peoples’ emotions, said Reuters.

These areas are also critical for moral behaviour. The new research may have implications for both the treatment of those with the problem and for the justice system for adjudicating matters in which the person has been diagnosed a ‘psychopath.’ The study was published in the journal Archives of General Psychiatry. GLOBAL POST

ick of your long commute? It may actually be making you sick, a new study suggests. According to Washington University researchers, people with long drives to the office particularly more than 10 miles are more likely to have high blood pressure, an oversized waistline and other health problems that increase your risk for chronic diseases, ABC News reported. “It could just be a function of having less discretionary time to be physically active,” lead study author Christine Hoehner told ABC News. “Or it could be related to people burning fewer calories because they’re sitting longer.” Researchers at the university in St Louis studied nearly 4,300 drivers in three car-centric Texas cities for the study published Tuesday in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine. They estimated the distance of each participant’s daily commute, and also collected data on health measures such as exercise, body mass index, waist size, cholesterol and BP, Time magazine reported. Fifty one per cent of people in the study traveled 10 miles or less to work each way, and 18 per cent travelled more than 20 miles. The average commute was 12 miles. Hoehner suggested the long commutes and more time spent behind the wheel reduce how time much people exercise. “For folks that live far from work they need to find ways for physical activity,” she said. “Driving to work has become a part of American life. There is no reason why walks during work breaks can’t become a part of American life too.” GLOBAL POST

F‑Folio

Because you are what you wear

qÜÉ

lëÅ~êë

NYC’s Met Ball is among the biggest events on the fashion calendar.

very year the Metropolitan Museum of Art (The Met) in New York City organises the Met Ball to celebrate the annual opening of its fashion exhibit at the Costume Institute – gallery space at the basement area of the museum. Today, the museum hosts two separate shows in the galleries using costumes from its archives centered on a theme or a specific designer. To commemorate the spring show, the Met along with Vogue magazines hosts a gala where the designers walk the red carpet with their muses who usually happen to be models or celebrities dressed in their creations to view the exhibit and dinner. This event is called the ‘Oscars of Fashion’ because of the high fashion quotient on its red carpet and also because it is a highly exclusive event where Vogue magazine editor-in-chief Anna Wintour oversees the guest list herself. In the past the Costume Institute hosted exhibitions on ‘Rock Style’ in 1999 where the style of musicians like Madonna, The Beatles and David

Karolina Kurkova wearing Rachel Zoe

Bowie were highlighted. In 2005 the ‘Chanel exhibit’ showcasing the work of designer Coco Chanel was displayed. In 2008, the ‘Superheroes: fashion and fantasy’ exhibit suggested the metaphorical vision of superheroes as fashion icons. Last year the theme was ‘Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty’ where the late designer’s iconic work was displayed and even worn by some leading ladies like Sarah Jessica Parker. This year the exhibit is homage to designers Schiaparelli and Prada. Titled ‘Impossible Conversations’ the display explores the prominent affinities between Elsa Schiaparelli and Miuccia Prada, two Italian designers from different time periods. As per the information on the Met website, the exhibition features orchestrated conversations between these iconic women to suggest new readings of their most innovative work. Iconic ensembles will be presented with videos of simulated conversations between Schiaparelli and Prada directed by film director

Lana Del Rey wearing Joseph Altuzarra Rihanna wearing Alexander Wang

Dakota Fanning wearing Louis Vuitton

THURSDAY, MAY 10, 2012

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20&21

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Here’s presenting this year’s display Impossible Conversations Surabhi Chauhan feedback@postnoon.com

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

Baz Luhrmann, focusing on how both women explore similar themes in their work through very different approaches. The exhibition showcases approximately 90 designs and 30 accessories by Schiaparelli (1890–1973) from the late 1920s to the early 1950s and by Prada from the late 1980s to the present. Drawn from The Costume Institute’s collection and the Prada Archive, as well as other institutions and private collections, signature objects by both designers are arranged in seven themed galleries: “Waist Up/Waist Down,” “Ugly Chic,” “Hard Chic,” “Naïf Chic,” “The Classical Body,” “The Exotic Body,” and “The Surreal Body.” Schiaparelli, who worked in Paris from the 1920s until her house closed in 1954, was closely associated with the Surrealist movement and created such iconic

pieces as the “Tear” dress, the “Shoe” hat, and the “Bug” necklace. Prada, who holds a degree in political science, took over her family’s Milan-based business in 1978, and focuses on fashion that reflects the eclectic nature of Postmodernism. The grand ball was held on May 7, 2012 where celebrities like supermodel Gisele Bundchen, American football star Tom Brady, designer Marc Jacobs, actress Cate Blanchet, singer Alicia Keys amongst many others attended the event. Below are a select few images from the red carpet which should make you nod in agreement of the Met Ball being called the fashion’s Oscars. The ‘Shiaparelli and Prada –Impossible Conversations’ exhibit is on view from May 10 to August 19, 2012 at the Met Museum in New York for public.

Ginnifer Goodwin wearing Monique Lhuillier Camilla Belle wearing Ralph Lauren Chloe Sevigny wearing Prada

Beyonce wearing Givenchy

Spotlight

THURSDAY, MAY 10, 2012

Favoured pitstop With an interesting spread of Indian cuisine, Food n i has become a favourite restaurant for one and all

Mrunal & Sumit

Rahul

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Soujanya & Bindu

Sirisha & Pragathi

Chidambaram & Prakash

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Magic Screen

THURSDAY, MAY 10, 2012

Magic Screen

THURSDAY, MAY 10, 2012

The glamour behind the glitz

B-TOWN TWEETIES

Sunny Leone’s

@bipsluvurself

look in the new condom ad

Happy happy Birthday @baitalikeeghosh !Miss you!Coming bck soon n we will celebrate ur bday:) Love u!

@realpreityzinta

fter going topless for a magazine cover, Jism 2 girl Sunny Leone tweeted a picture of her first ad in India – that of a condom brand. “Check out my Manforce ad first look”, she said. The shoot was held in Thailand in April and Sunny had been tweeting about it for a while. “Shooting all day today and tommorrow in Thailand for Manforce Condom Commercial..Looks amazing and will soon be out worldwide,” she had said. After seeing her picture in a transparent green sari on the FHM India cover, we think her condom commercial pic is a bit bland. But only after we have seen the video of the ad can we truly pass judgement. Sunny, who was a Bigg Boss 5 contestant, will be seen in Mahesh Bhatt’s film Jism 2 and Ekta Kapoor’s sequel to her hit thriller film, Ragini MMS. We think her latest photographs are a good publicity stunt for her movie debut. But the question is, does a hit pornstar need any more publicity?

Just heard da 1st Song of Ishkq In Paris :-) Thank U Salman ! Thanx Sajid Wajid !So excited ! Shoot Begins & I’m puttin on my dancing shoes!

@SrBachchan T 738 — Nostalgia at shoot .. coming out of egg (easter egg in AAA) and Abhishek dancing with me... in AAA he had come to set in a pram !!

@shreyaghoshal The universe always has it's own way of keeping u just an inch away from what you want to have. The tease is worth living the lifetime.

Can Ranbir Kapoor be a math genius?

arfi! director Anurag Basu is already planning his second film with Ranbir Kapoor. Yes, it’s a biopic, but it’s got nothing to do with legendary singer Kishore Kumar. The latest buzz in the industry is that Anurag is planning to make a film on math genius Anand Kumar. Before you ask, ‘Who is Anand Kumar?’, let us refresh your memory. Anand is the math expert who devised a programme called Super 30 to educate economically backward students in Bihar free of cost. The 38-year-old has been doing this quietly for several years now. He first gained Bollywood recognition when Prakash Jha based Amitabh Bachchan’s character in Aarakshan on him. Now Anand has impressed Anurag. Rumour mongers state that the director has been making regular trips to Patna and has gathered enough information to make a film on the genius. When Anurag mentioned this to his Barfi! hero, Ranbir immediately expressed his interest in the project. This seems to be a win-win situation all around. Anand will get recognition, Anurag is more than glad to have a talented and commercially viable actor to play the lead role. And Ranbir too, as he has found more success in doing offbeat roles than he has in chocolate boy roles.

@GulPanag Each day is like a sine curve. (Or cos) Highs & lows. In retrospect the highs max out at 1 and the lows bottom out at -1. Thank fully

Rajini feels awkward romancing Deepika

@NeilNMukesh This is an insane story. In todays day and age one week after it had gone missing. I found my laptop !! :D

lder heroes romancing young nubile nymphets is the norm in south film industries. When Rajinikanth romanced Aishwarya Rai Bachchan in Endhiran, it didn’t raise any eyebrows down south. Nor was there even a flutter when it was announced that the 26-yearold Deepika Padukone has been signed opposite the 62year-old actor for Kochadaiyaan. However, the buzz is that Rajini isn’t

@shahidkapoor

very comfortable with this arrangement and expressed his reservations to his daughter, and director of the movie Soundarya.We heard that Rajini felt the beginnings of discomfort when he had to shoot a romantic song with Deepika. The song has been composed by AR Rahman and Saroj Khan has choreographed it. Naturally, it had some sizzling steaming moments.

Thank u all for all the wishes :) 9 v eventful years... Feels like I started yesterday... I am what I am cause of the boundless

@kjohar25 All of us at dharma productions are truly very excited to have ROHIT SHETTY on board with us! Really looking forward to this film!

Chai Time

KAKURO

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

SCRIBBLING PAD

THURSDAY, MAY 10, 2012

Take a shot at the brain game while sipping your cuppa

QUICK CROSSWORD ACROSS 1 Sine qua ___ 4 Loaded cargo 9 Follow the law 14 Chapter of history 15 Apart from any others 16 Up-and-___ (promising rookie) 17 Surveillance camera? 20 Twice-heard sound 21 ‘Addicted to Love’ singer Palmer 22 Races with gates 26 Place to take a nap 27 Highest card in a royal flush 30 Lowest card in a royal flush 31 Bog fuel 33 Physics particle with no strong force 35 Seat for two or more 37 Creep like lava 38 What a running back does on a screen pass? 42 Rich supply of ore 43 Little bump 44 Like Letterman's pet tricks 47 Amusement park thrill 48 Easy target 51 California's Marina ___ Rey 52 Prefix meaning ‘new’ 54 Core 56 Herb-flavored tea 59 Small bottle 60 Grover vs Godzilla? 65 Hearing-related 66 Step inside 67 Org in many spy movies 68 Limerick feature 69 Crunchy fast food 70 Swiss accompaniment DOWN 1 Having the most currency? 2 All-knowing one 3 Lane of ‘The Producers’

4 ‘Well ___-di-dah ...’ 5 ‘___ Baba and the Forty Thieves’ 6 Funny Knotts 7 Certain Caltech grad 8 Disband troops (Abbr) 9 Consent under pressure 10 Nobel physicist Niels 11 Copycat 12 Lion's home 13 Before, long ago 18 Rank of KFC's Sanders 19 Cain's brother 23 Twelve-member cartel 24 ‘Amphetamine’ lead-in 25 Beelzebub 28 Really comfy 29 Direction from Okla City to Tulsa 32 Male operatic voice 34 Skin opening

35 Big first for a baby 36 Murphy of Hollywood 38 This shelter is for the birds 39 Commandments taboo 40 Cattle chews 41 Brewpub fare 42 A hallucinogen 45 Shoe pad 46 College head 48 Squeal 49 Gum-yielding tree 50 ‘The Taking of ___ One Two Three’ 53 Commencement 55 One of the Gabors

SUDOKU

57 Muslim holy man 58 Sicilian rumbler 60 Road crew supply 61 ‘Beg pardon?’ 62 ‘And more’ abbr 63 Rock's ___ Speedwagon 64 Post-wedding title PREVIOUS PUZZLE ANSWER

THOUGHT OF THE DAY The cure for boredom is curiosity. There is no cure for curiosity. – Ellen Parr

Chai Time STAR POWER

THURSDAY, MAY 10, 2012

Your tomorrow today̶Star Power and Tarot THIRUVAIKUMAR

As per Hindu panchang

FOR 11-5-2012

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

TAURUS

GEMINI

Financial position will improve for the best. Govt ofﬁcials are likely to get a transfer as per their desire. Married ones get ready to welcome an offspring. Happy events to take place at home.

Travel will increase and you have to struggle hard to get things done. Health of children will be a cause for concern; take enough care. New efforts are to be postponed for the time being.

Sudden journey likely. Some of you will be forced to sell your ancestral property. Mother's health needs to be taken care of. Avoid speculative deals. You will take bold decisions.

CANCER

LEO

VIRGO

Financial position will be comfortable. You will look cheerful and act with boldness. Professionals like CAs and lawyers will have a good time. Journey undertaken will be beneﬁcial.

You have to adopt a slow‑and‑steady policy, as your swift action and courage will take a beating. Financial crisis also will add to the list. Postpone new effor‑ ts. Software pros might face downslide.

Friends, well wishers and elders will support you. Employees might not get co‑operation from superiors. Misun‑ derstanding with blood relatives likely. Speculation might bring little gain.

LIBRA

SCORPIO

SAGITTARIUS

Avoid acting in a hurry on any issue. Also, be careful while expressing your opinion. Realtors will see a boom peri‑ od. Partners of businessmen will try to increase their individual comforts.

Businessmen will see a jump in proﬁts. Working women need to be careful. Success is certain in your new and innovative efforts. Take care of spou‑ se's health. Happy events to take place.

Businessmen will face tough competi‑ tion and also a downtrend. Staff work‑ ing under you might create trouble. Financial situation will upset you. Life away from family for some.

CAPRICORN

AQUARIUS

PISCES

You will be courageous enough to meet any type of situation and come out suc‑ cessful. Held up happy events will now resume and be successful. Children will work hard to achieve a good name.

Do all work with caution or else get‑ ting blamed is likely. You have to man‑ age indirect opposition tactfully. Busi‑ nessmen are advised not to believe partners completely and be watchful.

You will look most courageous and cheerful. Good turning point likely in court matters. Women will be upset as their expectation are only partly ful‑ ﬁlled. Employees can expect transfers.

SUMAA TEKUR

FOR 11-5-2012

tarotreadhyd@gmail.com

ARIES

TAURUS

GEMINI

Six of Swords – You may be called upon to take an important business trip over‑ seas. Make sure all documents are in place and you have everything in order.

Three of Cups – Time to celebrate a work well done. Thi‑ nk positive and send out positive vibes to your team members (whether you like them or not.)

Nine of Swords – Dreams are telling you what really is on your time. People forget 50% of their dreams on waking up. Try to remember what you dreamt of.

CANCER

LEO

VIRGO

Three of Swords – A heartbreak in a rela‑ tionship is inevitable. When two people are incompatible, nothing much can be done to revive the relationship. Move on.

Ace of Swords – You may be stubborn ab‑ out something and refuse to see the bigger picture. Donʼt be harsh on yourself. Take time to distan‑ ce from the problem.

Page of Pentacles – Youʼre seemingly in a rush to make mon‑ ey quickly. You need to re‑prioritise goals. If money, indeed, is your goal go about it in an organised way.

LIBRA

SCORPIO

SAGITTARIUS

Seven of Wands – There is some secre‑ cy involved at the work place. A col‑ league who claims to be close to you may be spreading rumo‑ urs about you.

Knight of Cups – There are emotional people and there are emotional people. Everyone you meet is ﬁghting some battle. Be sensitive to the needs of others.

Eight of Wands – This is the card of good luck. It will work only if hard work and per‑ severance are also part of your routine. Be positive to attract the luck.

CAPRICORN

AQUARIUS

PISCES

Queen of Swords – You like to be alone and donʼt want to be told how to lead life. In a relationship this can cause lots of pro‑ blems. Try to include a person in your life.

Three of Wands – The wait is over and you are well on your way to something you always wanted. It could be a piece of real estate or some‑ oneʼs friendship.

Strength – Your inner strength and never‑say‑die atti‑ tude is taking you through this rough phase. You will come out successful and more knowledgeable.

For Better or for Worse Stone soup

SOLUTIONS

Boggle TROUT SHARK PERCH SMELT SNOOK

Number game

Suduko

Scrabble

Ink pen

COMICS

Fred Basset

ARIES

TAROT READ

Vol: 1, No 298 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

Magic Screen

THURSDAY, MAY 10, 2012

The glamour behind the glitz

Carey, Cannon working on cartoon

ariah Carey and her husband Nick Cannon are putting together a cartoon for their two-yearold twins Monroe and Moroccan."Yeah, we actually got some stuff in development that we're working on, some animated stuff that her and I are putting together. So you'll definitely see her in that space too," femalefirst.com quoted Cannon as saying."Oh yeah, it's just something that we both enjoy, and even more so than that, we're both kids at heart. So we love those types of stories and fantasy/fairytale type of stuff," he said. IANS

Longoria evolved with 'Desperate Housewives' character

Olga Tanon studying reality show P

uerto Rican singer Olga Tanon is studying an offer by a US television network to do a reality show in her home, she told EFE Tuesday."We're still considering (the offer)," said Tanon, who this week will offer a concert in New York.The proposal for the reality show arose after a survey conducted in the US determined that the public is interested in learning about the life of the performer of songs such as "Es mentiroso", "Bandolero" and "Todo lo que

sube baja".The singer, known as the Woman of Fire, says she is still surprised by the result of the survey and refuses to identify the network that is behind the project.She emphasised that she wants to protect her children Gabriela, Indiana Noa and Ian Nair from situations that could harm them and she has asked the network to fulfil certain conditions."If they are ready to make a reality show, not as Olga Tanon is seen onstage, but how I get up, put in a bun with a ribbon take care of my kids, make them breakfast and take them to school, fine," she said. IANS

va Longoria says her experience as Gabrielle Solis in Desperate Housewives has given her hope in real life. Longoria, who has been working in the show for the past eight years, believes if she can change, anyone can change. “Gabby has taught me that everybody evolves. She started off as a selfish bratty woman, self-centred, didn't want kids, and was a horrible wife. Now she has evolved into this loving mother, domestic, supportive wife,” showbizspy.com quoted Longoria as saying. “I never would’ve thought that is where the journey would've gone. It really shows that you just don’t know where life is going to take you," added the actress who has featured in all the eight seasons of the show. The final episode of Desperate Housewives will air May 30. IANS

THURSDAY, MAY 10, 2012

METRE

6 501

Chris Gayle (RCB)

37 4S 1375

Ajinkya Rahane (RR)

HIGHEST SCORE

103*

Ajinkya Rahane (RR), Kevin Pietersen (RCB)

BEST BOWLER

5-16

Ravindra Jadeja (CSK)

DD look to claim top spot If we had taken Gayle's wicket the result of the match could have been different. We are a way better side than this We're not disappointed. It was a good toss to win for RCB.

G Aparna Sai feedback@postnoon.com

revor Penney, the fielding coach of the Deccan Chargers, would certainly be a worried man what with the Bulls putting up such a dismal performance on the field. While there may not be too many complaints about their batting and bowling performances, it is not unknown that their sloppy fielding and innumerable dropped catches has seen them gift away matches. The Bulls take on Delhi Daredevils in Hyderabad today. Delhi are in complete contrast to the Bulls as they have been a side which has performed exceptionally well this season . Having lost the top slot to the Knights from Kolkata, Delhi would want to win this match and once again claim the number one position. While the Daredevils would enter the match with a lot of confidence, the Chargers, who have no chance of making it to the next round, would play for pride.

Harbhajan Singh MI Captain

Chris Gayle (RCB) 515 runs

M Morkel (DD), L Malinga (MI) 20 wickets

Wankhede pitch under scanner T

he pitch at the Wankhede Stadium for the current IPL edition came under the scanner again when Mumbai Indians’ Dinesh Karthik compared the conditions to a Test match after they slumped to a nine-wicket defeat against Royal Challengers Bangalore. "There was a lot in it initially. The ball was seaming around a lot. It was a little damp. It was a bit like a Test match. It was a question of survival in the first 4-5 overs," said Karthik. Before Karthik, Harbhajan Singh and Rohit Sharma had also questioned the tracks prepared here. Rohit had even gone to the extent of comparing the track prepared for an earlier game to the bouncy Perth wicket in Australia. PTI

P KKR 12 DD 11 MI 12 RCB 12 RR 12 KXIP 12 CSK 12 PWI 13 DC 12

W 8 8 7 6 6 6 5 4 2

DC VS DD AT 4 PM ON SET MAX the pacer. Meanwhile, the Daredevils do not have much to worry about. Though they would not take the Chargers lightly, yet it won't surprise anyone if they rest a few key players. The absence of Kevin Pietersen should hardly worry them too. Ajit Agarkar, who has been in and out of the side, could again see himself figuring among the playing 11 while Virender Sehwag would look to score as many runs as possible and reclaim the orange cap. While it seems that Delhi is most likely to sail through in this match, there is a possibility of the Bulls getting back to their raging ways.

SCORECARD MUMBAI INDIANS VS ROYAL CHALLENGERS BANGALORE Mumbai Indians innings JEC Franklin c Khan b Vinay Kumar SR Tendulkar c & b Patel RG Sharma lbw b Vinay Kumar KD Karthik c Kohli b Muralitharan AT Rayudu C Muralitharan b Patel DR Smith c Vinay b Muralitharan KA Pollard not out Harbhajan Singh not out Extras (lb 5, w 2) Total (6 wickets; 20 overs) Bowling O M R W IZ Khan 4 0 16 0 R Vinay Kumar 4 0 34 2 HV Patel 4 0 24 2 Syed Mohammad 4 0 38 0 Muralitharan 4 0 24 2

1 24 0 44 22 2 21 20 7 141 Econ 4.00 8.50 6.00 9.50 6.00

Royal Challengers Bangalore innings (target: 142 runs from 20 overs) TM Dilshan lbw b Ojha

CH Gayle not out

V Kohli not out

Extras (lb 2, w 2, nb 1)

Total (1 wicket; 18 overs)

142

Bowling

W Econ

SL Malinga

RP Singh

7.00

KA Pollard

11.00

Harbhajan

4.50

PP Ojha

12.50

RG Sharma

16.00

RR vs MI at 8pm on Set Max

5.00

Royal Challengers Bangalore won by 9 wickets

Royals to clash with defending champs

L N/T PT NRR 3 1 17 0.600 3 0 16 0.880 5 0 14 -0.198 5 1 13 -0.223 6 0 12 0.265 6 0 12 -0.309 6 1 11 0.013 9 0 8 -0.238 9 1 5 -0.621

P-played; W-win; L-lost; N/T-no result/tie;NRR-net run rate; PT-points

No matter what combination they chose, the Bulls have unfortunately fallen short of the required adrenal on that particular day (but for their matches against the Pune Warriors, the only team they managed to defeat this season). Dale Steyn, who sat out in the last match, is most likely to make a comeback to the side with a high possibility of Daniel Harris making way for

RCB’s Virat Kohli (L) celebrates with Vinay Kumar (C) after taking the wicket of MI’s Rohit Sharma during their IPL match on Wednesday. AFP/INDRANIL MUKHERJEE

ajasthan Royals are set to take on the defending champions, Chennai Super Kings, today in Jaipur. Both the sides have had a mixed bag of fortunes this season. While the Super Kings were expected to be in superb form like they were in the previous two seasons, they failed to win many matches and proved otherwise. The Royals, on the other hand, began the season with a comfortable win over Kings XI Punjab. The Rahul Dravid led side, seemed to be threatening for a certain duration but soon they lost their way and this saw a drop in their standings.

But currently the side, seems to be back on track — winning their past few matches which has seen them being placed fifth on the points table. Chennai, on the other hand are staggering at the seventh position. Most of their players have failed to fire on numerous situations. Million dollar baby — Ravindra Jadeja — has been a major disappointment while skipper MS Dhoni seems to have lost his touch. While it is a must win match for both the teams, the side which manages to hold their nerves during trying times, is the one which would sail to safety. AS

76 DAYS TO GO

THURSDAY, MAY 10, 2012

THE OLYMPIC PHILOSOPHER Seventy-year-old Jacques Rogge, at the helm of the IOC since 2001contemplates life after 12 years as head of sport’s most powerful governing body Pirate Irwin

PARIS: Jacques Rogge has plenty to do when he retires as President of the International Olympic Committee in just over a year’s time — and he says he will do so proud of the legacy he leaves behind. The 70-year-old Belgian, at the helm since he was elected to replace Juan Antonio Samaranch in 2001, said there was much to be pleased about as he contemplates life after 12 years as head of sport’s most powerful governing body. His successor will be elected in Buenos Aires in September next year. “Normally with regards to legacy you only speak about that when people die,” he told AFP in an interview this week at IOC headquarters in Lausanne, Switzerland. “I didn’t take the mandate up to leave a legacy and historians can write about that in 20 years time if they so wish. However... I took up the baton of Samaranch and I believe I will leave behind some notable successes. “The quality of the Olympic Games under my presidency have been very well organised, the Youth Olympic Games (his brainchild) has been a very great success. “I have fought against doping and illegal betting and I will leave with the financial revenue in a very strong state. “This (money) is not a good

thing necessarily and not the essence of what we are about but without money you cannot cook!” Rogge, an orthopaedic surgeon by profession, said that his sporting background — he was an Olympic yachtsman and played rugby for Belgium — had given him some important lessons in how to address his responsiblities as head of the IOC. “I am blessed by a very diversified upbringing,” said Rogge, who was also a ringside boxing doctor and was once told in no uncertain terms by his wife that she would not do his laundry when he came back from bouts spattered in blood. “I competed in an individual

sport — sailing — and the collective sport, with rather less success, of rugby. So, hopefully I took the best out of both the individual and collective sports. “Definitely one thing you take out of both is that if you are not a superman at sports — and I was definitely not superman — then it teaches you humility, because you lose more often than you win.” Rogge retired from sailing aged 34, turning his attention to the political side of sports, joining first his national Olympic committee and then accepting Samaranch’s invitation to become an IOC member in 1991. He said he had enjoyed many aspects of the job.

“A great bonus is to be in contact with different members of society,” he explained. “You meet with the media, you meet with corporate businessmen for sponsorship reasons then there is the TV world and the scientific world for the battle against doping and the health of the athletes. “But for me to this day the nicest moment is being in the stadia and with the athletes in the athletes’ village.” Rogge said his most difficult moment as an athlete came when he decided after great personal turmoil to continue to compete at the 1972 Munich Games after Palestinian terror group Black September killed 11 Israeli coaches and athletes. He said he has clear plans for what he will do once he steps down. “Well, it is clear you have much more time before you,” he said with a smile. “I will practise more sport, on the bike or the treadmill with appropriate weight training which does not give me injuries! “I will continue to do some sailing and while I am a very bad golf player I would still like to persist and play. “I will read the enormous pile of books (he especially likes ones on philosophy) and I am a great lover of art so there are many museums to visit and more time to do it. Other than that I will drive my two grandchildren to the sports club!”

Qatar taster for thrills to come Luke Phillips

DOHA: The outdoor athletics season gets under way proper on Friday when the Qatar Sports Club hosts the first leg of the prestigious 14-meet Diamond League, with all eyes on this summer’s Olympic Games in London. Jamaican sprint star Usain Bolt will be absent, however, having preferred to make his season debut on home soil last weekend and European bow in Ostrava, Czech Republic, later this month. But a topquality field has neverthe-

less been assembled for the kick-off of the global circuit before the London Olympics. World 800m champion

Rudisha’s nutty dreams of Bolt DOHA: Kenyan 800m star David Rudisha chuckled at the fantastical thought of running the final leg of the men’s 4x400m relay at the London Games against Usain Bolt. He has admitted he could run in the relay should the squad advance in the British capital this summer.

David Rudisha (left) of Kenya was in no doubt about what the season had in store. “This year is an Olympic year and that is my main focus, my priority,” Rudisha said. “Doha is the first stepping stone towards that goal.” “Comments echoed by many of the athletes gathered in Doha where daytime temperatures are currently topping 40 degrees Celsius and organisers are hoping to attract more people into the stadium than last year’s distinctly average attendance.”

Paralympics debut for North Korea SEOUL: North Korea will make its debut in the Paralympics, which will be held following the 2012 Olympics in London, a pro-Pyongyang newspaper said Wednesday. Chosun Sinbo, a Japan-based paper which reflects Pyongyang’s thinking, said the North was stepping up preparations for the Paralympics which will take place from August 29 to September 9, two weeks after the Olympics close. Athletes and coaches left for Beijing to take part in joint training with Chinese counterparts until early next month. The North will have athletes with disabilities representing the country in various sports including table tennis, swimming and athletics, it said. North Korea joined the International Paralympics Committee in March, said an official of South Korea’s Korea Sports Association for the Disabled. The North said in January it would compete in at least seven events in the main Olympics.

Williamson set for sixth Games LONDON: Alison Williamson is set to compete in a national record-equalling sixth Olympic Games after her place in Britain’s archery team for London 2012 was confirmed Wednesday. The 40-year-old, who won a bronze medal at the 2004 Games in Athens, missed out on an automatic spot at the final selection shoot at Lilleshall in central England, last month. But she has since been handed the last discretionary spot and her place in the team was made public Wednesday at Lord’s, which will take a break from its usual role as the ‘home of cricket’ to stage the Olympic archery tournament from July 27 to August 3. “I’m so thrilled and proud to have made it to my sixth Olympics,” Williamson said. “It makes all the sacrifices, and all the hard work, over many years, worthwhile. “Now I can start to look forward to the enormous honour of representing my country.” Williamson is the third Briton after Tessa Sanderson, the javelin gold medallist in 1984 in Los Angeles, and fencer Bill Hoskyns to be selected for six Olympics.

Playing Field

THURSDAY, MAY 10, 2012

The games people play

WILLOW WARRIOR

PETER THANGARAJ MEMORIAL

A player in action during the under-16 13th Boston Cup cricket tournament match between CCOB (City College Old Boys) and Super Cats. The match ended in a draw with both the teams scoring 74 SRINIVAS SHETTY runs. Shafeq top scored for CCOB with 26 while Super Cats’ Faroddin made 22.

Players in action during the match between S.S. Murshad Academy and Barkas Sporting Federation. The match was interrupted by the players and supporters of both teams at the 67th minu. Hence the match could not be continued and both the teams were disqualified from the tournament on disciplinary grounds.

Shambhavi, Rashmitha in final M ANIL KUMAR

Rajesh Ravindran rajesh.r@postnoon.com

hambhavi Dikshit reached the under-16 final of the Sinnet Super Series beating Srutha Keerthi 6-4, 6-3 on Thursday. She will play Rashmitha Reddy in the final. Rashmitha Reddy prevailed over Kanishka Chawla 6-7, (7-1), 6-3, 7-5 to make it to the final. Shambhavi, who made it to the semifinal beating Saranya Nagpal 6-0, 7-6, was her cool, composed self while playing the semifinal though after the match she said she was tensed before the clash. “I was tensed, I had lost to her the last time I played her and that was playing on my mind. But after I took lead the tension ebbed and my form started improving.” At times, Shambhavi’s game was sublime, especially, her drop shots which were drop dead gorgeous. Whenever it seemed the match was slipping from her hands, she surged forward and came on top. Tempers flew in the second semifinal. Players grunted, mumbled and the match was marred by arguments by both the players over points. Every time Rashmitha scored, she was seen pumping her fist and crying out, “Ale!” You guessed it right: she is aRafa fan. When Kanishka scored she spat,”Point! Point! Point!” In the under-12 section, Rachana Reddy defeated R. Prathyusha 6-1, 0-6, 6-3 to reach the final. She will face Shajiha Syeda Begum, who outplayed P. Shivanuja 6-1,6-3.

Shambhavi Dikshit

Rashmitha Reddy

Playing Field

THURSDAY, MAY 10, 2012

The games people play

Atletico are kings of Europa BUCHAREST: A double by Colombian striker Radamel Falcao inspired Atletico Madrid to a 3-0 win over fellow Spaniards Athletic Bilbao here on Wednesday and their second Europa League trophy in three seasons.

FERRARI SEEKING A SPANISH COMEBACK Tim Collins

BARCELONA: Two-time world champion Fernando Alonso is aiming to lead a Ferrari fight-back to boost their title bid at his home Spanish Grand Prix this weekend. After an early-season struggle to keep pace with the leading teams during the opening four races, the 30year-old Spaniard has admitted Sunday’s opening round of the ‘European’ season could be critical to the season ahead. Ferrari have worked on a revamp of their car and Alonso said an improvement is needed for him to stay in the hunt for the championship. “We will be counting on making a step forward, but we won’t know until Saturday if we have — and if so, how big a step it is. Clearly, having limited the damage in the first four races this year, we must turn things around.”

UK braces for boxing schism LONDON: British boxing stands on the brink of a damaging civil war after the Board of Control's decision to ban any licence-holder involved in the unsanctioned heavyweight grudge match between David Haye and Dereck Chisora scheduled for Upton Park on 14 July. As neither fighter has a board licence, the promoter Frank Warren drafted in the Luxembourg Boxing Federation to supervise the show, and the conflict has now reached another level. The implications are wideranging because the term licenceholder refers to everyone from promoters, boxers and trainers through to officials, including referees, judges and timekeepers.

Falcao, who also became the first player to win successive Europa League/UEFA Cups with different sides having scored the winning goal for Porto last term, scored a brilliant first-half double to take his tally for

this season’s competition to 12. Brazilian attacking midfielder Diego added a third late in the second-half to give Argentinian coach Diego Simeone a trophy just months after he took over the hotseat.