THURSDAY, DECEMBER 13, 2012 HYDERABAD
WWW.POSTNOON.COM
WEATHER: CLEAR WITH CLOUDY PERIODS; 24°C
HYDERABAD’S FIRST COMPACT AFTERNOON NEWSPAPER
The National Human Rights Commission has issued notices to AP and MP on corporal punishment meted out to school students.
REPORT ON P6
JAGAN
STRIKES AT CIVIC BODY
Congress Floor leader Kaleru Venkatesh, sent ripples across his party leadership on Wednesday, which might have hit like a high tide, by saying goodbye to the party and the prestigious post as floor leader of the biggest party in GHMC.
P7
TECHNICALLY P16&17 SOUND Technology never fails to excite: 2012 was a mixed bag for tech enthusiasts and here are the top stories of the year.
32 PAGES
`3
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 13, 2012
city events
BHOPAL
This play tells the story of Bhopal on the night of December 3, 1984, when the Bhopal gas tragedy occurred. It tells the story of people whose voices are seldom heard, the forces that tried to bury the truth and those who struggled to expose it. It is on December 16, at NIFT.
Weather for Hyderabad
Evening
Overnight
Morning
Afternoon
24°C
18°C
23°C
30°C
A mix of clear and cloudy skies
Clear with cloudy periods
Windy, Mix of sun and cloud
A mix of cloud and sun
New Delhi Mumbai Max 21 Max 29 Min 14 Min 20 Mostly sunny, clear skies
Chennai Max 30 Min 24
Mostly sunny, clear skies
Partly cloudy
2
Bangalore Max 27 Min 16
Partly cloudy, mostly clear at night
AROUND THE CITY: YOUR GUIDE TO THE TWIN CITIES from 6-9:30pm Contact: 98488 42471
DINING Moplah Magic Moplan cuisine, form Kerala, will be served with Arabic and Samarkandi touches. It will be served for a week at Dakshin. Where: Dakshin, Begumpet When: December 10-16 Contact: (040) 2340 0132
Public speaking workshop There is a four-day workshop on effective public speaking at Media Junction. Where: Media Junction, Parthani Towers, , Golconda Cross Roads, Musheerabad When: 13-16 December from 6-9:30pm Contact: 98488 42471
Christmas brunch There is a Christmas Day Turkey Brunch at Marriott Hotel and Convention Center. European inspired Ginger Bread House will start from December 15. Where: Okra, Hyderabad Marriott Hotel and Convention Center When: December 25, 12:30pm to 4pm
Music workshop There is a 3-day workshop on Hindustani classical music and ghazal singing by Ustad Rajkumar Rizvi Sutradhar and Naadbrahm. Those with a basic knowledge of Hindustani music can register. Where: 3-6-145/9/1/1, Himayatnagar When: December 12-14 6:30pm-10pm Contact: 77990 00792
SHOWS Ruhaniyat Ruhaniyat is a national film festival in its 12th consecutive year. It is a sufi and mystic music festival. It is known for its soulful songs. Where: Ravindara Bharathi, Saifabad When: December 16 6:30 pm onwards Theatre festival The fourth annual Samahaara Hyderabad Theatre Festival is going on in the City, where artists will perform plays from various genres. Where: Nift Auditorium, Madhapur When: December 8-16,
WARMING UP: Outside Charminar at Old City. 7:30pm onwards Contact: info@samahaara.org Christmas carols Christmas carols will be sung by Global Edge school till the end of December at The Lobby. Where: Novotel & HICC Complex, PO Bag No.1101, Cyberabad Post Office, Near Hitech City When: December 3-31 Contact: (040) 6682 4422
ART Tales of an idyllic world Alliance Française, Hyderabad, is hosting an exhibition of paintings: Tales of an Idyllic World by Bala Abhiram. Where: Alliance Francaise, Banjara Hills,
Commissioner & Spl Officer
Helpline GAS BOOKING IVRS NO HP 9666023456 Indane 9848824365 BSNL Complaints HMWS & SB Complaints
198 155313
POLICE CONTROL ROOM Hyderabad 27852435 Traffic Control Room 27852482 DCP Traffic 23234065, 23243499F Pollution Control Board 23887500 ELECTRICITY General Complaints Breakdown Section
155333 23431178 23431179
MUNICIPAL CORPORATION
23262266 24166666R ENC 23225267 Engineering 23220418 MCH Tankbund 23225397 Emergency MCH Circle I&II 24525842 MCH Circle III 24736912 MCH Circle IV 23326975 MCH Circle V 23326976 MCH Circle VI MCH Complaints 1100 Head Office 23225397 IVRS CUM MANUAL ENQUIRY PHONE NUMBERS (TRAIN & RESERVATION) RAILWAYS Rail Nilayam 27833169, 27824216 Railway Information 131 Reservations 135 Recorded Information 1345 Enquiry (IVRS) 1331, 1332, 1333
SRINIVAS SETTY
Rd No 3 When: Upto December 14 from 9am Contact: (040) 2355 4485 Eclectic iridescence An exhibition of Dhiren Shasmal’s art work, based on various themes and styles of painting. Where: Residence Inn, Amar Coop Soc.,Lane Opp. Madhapur PS, Kavuri Hills When: Upto December 19, 11am onwards Contact: (040)2311 3709
MISCELLANEOUS Treasure Hunt Amar Chitra Katha is organizing a treasure hunt for kids. Where: Landmark,
WATER SUPPLY Complaint Cell Sewerage Complaint Hyd. Water Supply HOSPITAL General Hospital, Sec-bad Niloufer Hospital, Red Hills NIMS, Director, Punjagutta Osmania General Hospital Railway Hospital, Lalaguda Apollo, Jubilee Hills Care Hospital, Banjara Hills Care Hospital, Nampally Care Hospital, Musheerabad Care Hospital, Sec-bad Kamineni Hospital, LB Nagar
155313 23307328 23313163
27505566 23314095 23390933 24600146 27001134 23607777 30418888 30417777 30419000 30416666 39879999
BLOOD BANKS Blood Bank,Narayanguda Chiranjeevi Blood Bank Blood Bank Mediton Goal Red Cross, Vidyanagar ADRM Blood Bank Mythri Charitable Trust NTR Memorial Trust Care Banjara Hills
KMC Retail Mall, Somajiguda When: December 15 2pm onwards Contact: 88855 10382 Photo competition Alliance Francaise, Hyderabad, is conducting a photo competition. The theme is Professions of the world. The winning entries will be sent to Paris. Where: http://hyderabad.afindia.org When: December 3-January 6 Handloom exhibition Pochampally Handloom Park is organizing IKAT Mela, exhibiting handloom linen, dress material and saris. Where: State Gallery of fine Arts , Department of Culture, Kavuri Hills, Madhapur When: 13-16 December
27567892 23559555 23226624 27633087 27035588 27550238 30799999 30418296 30417445
AMBULANCES Apollo 23548888, 23607777 Kamineni 24022222 Medwin 23202902, 23204616 Smile Line Dental Hospital 23747979 Red Cross 27627973 Niloufer Hospital 23314095 Gandhi 23320332 AIRLINES
Hyderabad Rockathon The Great Hyderabad Adventure Club and the Society to Save Rocks are conducting Hyderabad Rockathon 2012, to spread awareness about preserving the rockscape of the City. It is a one day event which will include rock walk, rock photography, rappelling and quiz, among other activities. Where: University of Hyderabad, Gachibowli When: December 16 7:30am to 1pm Contact: 98850 39230
Airport Director 27903785, 27906001 For Air India Flight Information Toll free (from any network) for IC Flights 18001801407 And for All Flights: 1800227722 Air India has revised its flight timings. For more information call (Toll free) 18001801407, 1800227722 from BSNL/MTNL 04023430334 from other lines and mobile Website; www.airindia.in TOURISM OFFICES AP Tourism, Hyd 23262152/53/54 Sec-bad 27893100 Dept of Tourism 23453110 India Tourism 23261360 AP Tourism information Centre (24x7) 23450444, 23455999 UK VISA OFFICE VFS India Pvt Ltd Building, 8-2-542/A, Sunil Chamber, Road No. 7
Beside Meridian School, Banjara Hills34. Working hours are from 8 AM to 1 PM And 2 PM to 3PM. MUSEUMS Salar Jung Museum AP State Museum Nizams Museum
24523211 232431300/7641 24521029
Readers’ views
We invite you to write to us comments, suggestions, viewpoint or just about anything to feedback@postnoon.com or #1246, Level 3, Jubilee Casa, Road No 62, Jubilee Hills, Hyderabad – 500 033 or even by way of a call on 4067 2222
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 13, 2012
City
YESTERDAY’S QUESTION
SHOULD THERE BE STRICTER DOWRY LAWS IN THE COUNTRY? 89% 11%
YES (A) NO (B)
TODAY’S QUESTION
COULD THE AP POWER CRISIS HAVE BEEN AVOIDED? A)
YES
To vote visit www.postnoon.com
CRIME
B)
NO
3
Wives harassed for dowry Three women have lodged complaints against their husbands and in-laws for dowry harassment.
Mohd SUBHAN mohd.s@postnoon.com
I
n a continuing saga of illtreatment of wives by their dowry-hungry in-laws, three women were thrown out of their homes in separate incidents in different parts of the City. G Sridevi, 31, wife of G Kiran, a resident of Gowlipura in the Old City was asked to leave her in-laws’ home on Tuesday. The two were married in 2010 and according to her complaint with the women police station at Begumpet, her parents had given her 20 tolas of gold and `6 lakh besides some household articles. And yet her husband and his
parents continued to harass her for more. On Tuesday night she was forcibly evicted from her husband’s home. Having no place to go, she returned to her parents in Lalaguda. Another incident was reported from Addaguta Tukaram Gate in Secunderabad. M Manohari, 22, lodged a complaint against her husband, M Karthik, and his parents. Manohari said the couple had a love marriage in 2010. Life was normal till six months ago, though their marriage was not approved by his parents. But lately, her husband and his family began demanding `5 lakh from her parents. Her parents were in no position to meet the demand. On Monday, after a
bout of quarrel, she was locked out of her home. In yet another incident of similar nature, K Malathi of Namalagundu Chilkalguda, Secunderabad, lodged a complaint with the Begumpet women police station against her husband K Srinivas and his parents for dowry harassment. Malathi’s too was a love marriage. She, however, faced regular harassment and abuse from both her husband and in-laws for dowry. She was allegedly beaten up for dowry and finally booted out of her in-laws’ home. The Begumpet Assistant Commissioner of Police, Suryanarayana, has ordered an investigation.
4
city THURSDAY, DECEMBER 13, 2012
INDUSTRY
LAST YEAR... HERE Remedy or malady?
L
ast year we had reported how NIMS, the premier medical institution posed a long list of problems for patients’ families. From forcing them to pay for parking to having only one pharmacy catering to the large crowds, the hospital visits were turning into a nightmare for some. Their policy of patients having to buy their own medicines only made matters worse.
A blow in the dark
Industries in AP, already in the ICU after suffering from debilitating power holidays, got another surprising hit on the head in the form of FSA.
DECEMBER 13, 2011
NUMEROLOGY
`50L
to `2 crore was the burden posed on the steel industry as a result of increased power tariffs and the newly introduced FSA on bills.
The City had a fair visibility factor about seven years ago but now, if one were to learn how to map the stars, then a trip to the outskirts of the City is necessary. K Raghuram See page 8
THINGS WE 5LEARNT TODAY The column that teaches everyone something new about the way the City functions.
1
Dowry demands? Turn down the alliance. The minute the groom’s family asks for dowry alarm bells should ring. After all there is never any end to demands. Moreover, why pay to get your daughter married?
2
Have more than two children? Forget political aims. The High Court recently disqualified two corporators for having more than two children. Guess this is one effective way to drive home the family planning policy.
3
PRUDHVI RAJU K prudhvi.k@postnoon.com
I
t was like the man who was hit by lightening was bitten by a snake immediately after, says a corporate honcho at the meeting at FAPCCI. The industry, currently struggling hard to survive with their 50 per cent power capacity utilisation, got another blow in the form of Fuel Surcharge Adjustment (FSA). This along with increase in electricity charges in the April this year has pushed hike in electricity charges by 100 per cent for the industry in over a month. However, the industry realised this only with recent bills of November, which included FSA for electricity consumed in April. Talking to media, Devendra Surana, president, FAPCCI said, “The FSA charges in November electricity bill constitute 30-50
per cent. It is adding another `1.32 unit, which is resulting in a burden of `50 lakh to `2 crore a month for the steel industry. Adding to this, there is a huge delay in collecting FSA. For instance, the electricity boards are collecting FSA for the month of April in November. The goods produced in April will be sold in that specific month. How can the industry, that is already struggling pay these bills?” He added, “Although the industry wants to pay this FSA, their financial condition is not supporting for any payment. Under the directive of FAPCCI, the state government has requested RBI not to consider any bank defaulters during this period as NPAs. However, this has showed a reverse effect on the industry. Rather than giving helping hand to the industry, the bankers have become conscious while providing loans to the industry to control their
NPAs. If any one who wants to set up an industry in the State approaches the bank, the bankers are asking, ‘How can you invest in the State and get returns when there is no power
FSA and increase in electricity charges has pushed hike in electricity charges by 100 per cent for the industry in over a month. supply?’ The bankers are not providing any loans and there are even cases where they did not disbursed the-sanctioned loans. Today, the steel industry is uncertain about their debt repayment of `7,500 crore, from the banks out of their total `10,000 crore investment.” On additional charges that are being added FSA, he said,
“The increase in raw material costs for producing power should be only collected in the form of FSA. However, only 20 per cent of the FSA is fuel surcharge. Under FSA, the electricity boards have added capital costs, arrears, pre-period costs that constitute the remaining 80 per cent. In addition, the industry is only consuming 30 per cent of the over all produced electricity but paying 50 per cent of the over all FSA collected. The government has put the burden of FSA on subsidy electricity given to farmers on industry and domestic consumers rather than paying it. The steel industry, which did not pay any electricity bills for the month of November, requests the government not to demand FSA in this troubled times. It wants the government to restructure the FSA with rational approach and collect it from the industry.
AP loves to earn laurels every single year. Sometimes it bags top honours when it comes to passion crimes and this time it has earned itself a notice by the NHRC for rising incidence of corporal punishment.
RTC driver attacks colleague, injures him
Burglars flee with 12 tolas of gold
Miscreants set autorickshaw on fire
JNTU examination scam, 13 held
4
A
N
A
S
The world is gaga over 1212-12, but we’re not. While world over people rushed to have their babies on this special date, the City remained practical.
5
Want to be an astronomer? Move to another City. Because Hyderabad really has no opportunities or the conditions required for the hobby.
NEWS BRIEFS n APSRTC driver by name Ravinder was allegedly attacked at his home by another APSRTC driver, Manoj on Wednesday at Boyya basti in Madanapet of Old City. Personal enmity is said to be the reason behind the attack. Ravinder, who was severely injured in the attack, was shifted to the hospital. He is out of danger, police said.
early 12 tolas of gold and 20 tolas of silver were stolen from a house belonging to a business man on Wednesday night at Nagole village of LB Nagar Mandal. Burglars gained access in to the home after breaking the locks while the family was away. LB Nagar police have obtained some finger prints and are investigating.
n autorickshaw, parked on the roadside, was set on fire on Wednesday nigt at Gandhinagar Road in Marredpally area of Secunderabad. Police suspect that it could be the handiwork of some one who has a grudge against the vehicle owner Sandip Kumar. The Marredpally police are investigating the case.
leuths of the City Task Force team today nabbed a 13-member gang that had been allegedly involved in the examination scam of JNTU. The accused had reportedly delivered blank answer sheets to students’ homes in return for huge amounts of money. Students would then answer them and return the papers to the University.
5
city THURSDAY, DECEMBER 13, 2012
POLITICS
Kids a scope for legal battle A well-meaning law to make a political candidate ineligible for contesting if he/she has more than two kids remains a grey area. Why it is not extended to Assembly and Parliament remains a moot question. Md NIZAMUDDIN nizamuddin.a@postnoon.com
FOR REPRESENTATIVE PURPOSE ONLY
T
he High Court recently pronouncing two corproators ineligible for having more than two children has set fire to a legal provision that has been in limbo for quite some time. This has the potential to unseat many political leaders who retain their seats because their rivals had not challenge it. To make leaders role models, the GHMC Act, 2009 stipulated that a candidate should not have more than two children. Accordingly, the Court disqualified two corporators: G Vanaja (pictured), Borabanda division corporator, and Ravi Yadav, corporator of Langar House. It is presumed that following the success story of C Uday Kumar, whose contention was upheld by High Court and implemented by GHMC’s election Authority & Commissiner, M T Krishna Babu, several others may knock the doors of Courts. Ravi Yadav, who was elected to GHMC as corporator from Langar House, was disqualified for having three children.
To make leaders role models, the GHMC Act, 2009 stipulated that a candidate should not have more than two children. Within a period of a few weeks this is second time that a Court has disqualified a corporator over the issue. Earlier, a The High Court passed orders under Section – 21 B of the GHMC Act, 2009. The Act maintains that if a candidate has more than two children, he or she is ineligible to
contest elections as per the 1995 Act of civic body polls. How would the corporation solve the query of the Muslim candidates who, by virtue of their personal law, can have more than one wife, and therefore more children? Officials and Corporators across the political
spectrum are surprised at the doubt. “There is no specific clause holding special status on the basis of caste or religion,” pointed out a BJP corporator, M Vaikuntam. “Yes, two children norm is same to everyone,” said the MIM floor leader, Md Nazeeruddin.
Officials too are in agreement. “How can there be two different sets of norms in democracy ? Nowhere I came across such a notion in my decades of attachment with the corporation,” said a senior official of GHMC. While clarifying on the issue of more wives, the official said, “If it is so then the rival may first have to prove the corporator has more than one wife. It may become more tedious a legal process.” Some observers are of the opinion that even if a corporator has more than one wife, the children born to both women would be counted as his own, as all of them are heir to father’s estate. The Election Commission officials, who faced the unique problem of answering the “legal opinion” after the Court held the case in favour of Uday Kumar, do not want to comment on different set of norms for Corporators and MLAs & MPs. “We are enforcers, not the law makers,” said Jai Simha, Joint Director, Election Commission. “When the court held the order, the GHMC should have implemented it. The legal opinion on this case was unwarranted,”said the official.
STATE POLITICS
Congress law to woo SC/ST voters
After successfully making the crucial SC/ST Sub-Plan into a law, the ruling Congress government has decided to completely leverage the benefits of its success. INKESHAF AHMED ahmed.m@postnoon.com
T
he party has decided to hold a meeting in all assembly constituencies of the State to take its achievement to the people of the state. The party views the SC/ST Sub-Plan legislation as its master weapon which can which can turn the tables of rival political parties upside down and give a landslide win to the ruling congress during the next general elections. It may be emphasised here that the combined total population of the SC and STs in the State stands at about 24 per cent of total population of 8.24 crores (Census-2012). “The entire credit for successfully passing the bill in both the houses of State goes to our
party. We see it as a great achievement of the Congress party. The party will utilize this achievement to the hilt,” said Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee spokesperson K Mrityunjayam told Postnoon. “We strongly feel that the enactment of new law for the develop-
“The promotion of the sub-plan as Congress party’s success will help us in wooing back those unhappy sections.” ment of SCs and STs will help us retain their confidence forever.” The most important objective of the party for undertaking a
massive publicity campaign is to torpedo the plans of rival political parties like TDP and YSR Congess, to weaken them in the
State and decimate their vote bank. “We feel that since the inception of YSR Congress party in the
State, a major section of SC/ST communities shifted their loyalties to it from the Congress party. It was clearly seen during the recent by-elections held in the state as the YSRC emerged victorious in 15 assembly seats out of the 18 it contested,” Mrityunjayam said. “The promotion of the sub-plan as congress party’s success will help us in wooing back those unhappy sections from the two backward communities.” The assembly level meetings being held by the party will have a turnout of about 5,000 people belonging to SC and ST communities. The day long meetings will focus on creating awareness among the people of these communities about the benefits of the new law and its usage, followed by delicious feasts.
6
city THURSDAY, DECEMBER 13, 2012
CORPORAL PUNISHMENT
SUPERSTITION
NHRC notifies AP, MP
The National Human Rights Commissions has issued notices to AP and MP on corporal punishments given to school students. POSTNOON NEWS feedback@postnoon.com
N
ational Human Rights Commission on Tuesday issued notices to Madhya Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh governments in separate cases of corporal punishment and asked them to submit reports within four weeks. The issuance of notices came following NHRC taking cognisance of media reports about "brutal treatment" meted to school going boys by their teachers in the two states. In one of the cases, a nineyear-old student of Ushodaya Merit School in Kakinada (AP) suffered injuries when his teacher beat him with a cane on his left hand for not covering his books properly. Doctors pronounced the boy's hand fractured at the same spot where he had sustained a fracture three years ago. A 10-year-old student of a
No takers for 12.12.12 in Hyderabad
There were no special delivery requests in hospitals and maternity homes for Wednesday. M NAZIMUDDIN md.nazim@postnoon.com
H
NHRC has said if media reports are true, it is a serious issue of violation human rights of school students. government primary school in MP's Betul district was beaten up by his two teachers when he
failed to satisfy them that he had not broken a bucket in the school. The boy succumbed to serious injuries caused to his backbone and neck, an NHRC statement quoting media reports said. "The Commission has observed that the contents of the press reports, if true, raise the serious issue of violation of human rights of the students," it said.
MAGICIAN’S CORNER
ype generated by the Western media on the greatness of December 12, 2012 had failed to bait people of Hyderabad. Reports that maternity wards of the city hospitals will be packed with pregnant women demanding delivery on 12.12.12 proved false. A reality check by Postnoon in several leading hospitals of both corporate and government sectors proved there had been no takers for the particular date. Everywhere it was business as usual, and nothing more. Talking to the paper, Dr Jaya Chati, a senior gynaecologist practising in a city hospital said, “No parent has approached us and for delivery on 12.12.12. Enquiries with 10 maternity
hospitals in the twin cities revealed the same story. People may be interested in the exotic date but are not over eager to go in for a surgery to achieve the end. Medical staff in Apollo hospital too concurred that it had received no special request for a delivery on Wednesday. Radheshya Goswami, an astrologer in the city said manipulating a delivery will not help change the fate chart of a baby because such short cuts hardly help. It has to be natural to be of any impact. If in a natural course one is born on this date, it is fine, he said. Not one request was recorded in maternity hospitals in Mehdipatnam, Muslim maternity and Zanana hospital, Chadarghat, Nazamia General Hospital, Charminar, Modern maternity hospital, Patlaburj, Seemas Aries maternity hospital, Asif Nagar, Cradle Hospital, Basheer Bagh.
TO SUBSCRIBE, CALL US ON 80082 00713
or SMS „Postnoon‰ to 56161
5
Minister Ponnala Laxmaiah at the inauguration of Magicians Academy at the Choo Mantar 2012 International Magicians Convention being held at Ravindra Bharathi. N SHIVA KUMAR
/095 Rs.1 9/: e c i 4 r Pr Rs.5 Cove r Price: : 50% g e f n f i O l Sav Tota
POLITICS
E
T-Cong leaders sore
xpressing concern over the Union Home Minsitry inviting two representatives from each political party to the all-party meeting on Telangana issue on December 28, the Telangana Congress leaders have said the issue would not be solved if two leaders from each party participated in the meeting. Speaking to the media at the CLP office here on Wednesday, MLCs Yadava
Reddy and Bhanu Prasad said that inviting two leaders from each party indicated that Union Home Minister Susheel Kumar Shinde himself was giving a chance to leaders to express two opinions on the Telangana issue. They demanded that the Union Minister withdraw the decision. They said the T-Congress leaders will go to Delhi and urge the party high command to stick to its earlier stand. NSS
A FRESH NEW POINT OF VIEW You can also call or email us at:
040 - 4067 2222 subscription@postnoon.com
7
classifieds THURSDAY, DECEMBER 13, 2012
TRANSPORT
City travel woes unaddressed The APSRTC plans to introduce 500 new buses, but it has no means to assess people’s needs. Md NAZIMUDDIN md.nazim@postnoon.com
I
n spite of the high court giving a charitable boost to the city bus service by staying additional licensing of 20,000 auto-rikshaws, the APSRTC has no methodical way to improve the passenger comforts. The court had expressed the view that City bus service was enough to cater to the travelling public. The APSRTC, which is planning to introduce 500 new buses for the City, does not have a system of regular passenger survey to assess people’s need. The executive director, transport of Hyderabad zones, Koteshwar Rao, said in the twin cities’ limits, 3,800 buses have been plying.
ees deal with the commuters properly. The SRTC claims to do its survey by its employees at major bus stands such as Ameerpet, koti, Secunderabad, Mahdipatnam, Uppal and Charminar. But commuters are outraged..
HEALTH
CLASSIFIEDS INTERIOR
However, he said the only input it received was from the complaints of bus passengers and conductors. The RTC has no system of engaging professional experts to survey the spread of new residential areas. Nor does it have any idea if the bus employ-
“Wayward is the way they operate,” said a retired government official, Rajat Patel, who had earlier tried city buses for his travel needs, but quit after finding them unreliable and boorish. “How many passengers have time to write a complaint to SRTC? Are they trying to fool the public? There is absolutely no effort to infuse a sense of service in the drivers and conductors. The officials do not bother to find out if buses cater to the growing population in different areas.” Mohd Ismailuddin, an MCA graduate said, “I travel by bus for hunting jobs. I hardly ever get a seat. If I give a `10, note the conductor would tell me to collect the balance after reaching the destination.” K Ramesh, a student said,”I
New airport buses Finding out how private cab services have been reaping the benefits of swelling airport passengers, the APSRTC has decided to introduce 30 new luxury buses linking core city to airport. have to wait for hours to get a bus. In spite of having student pass, I have to opt for auto rickshaw often.” Commuters say the bus service could make more revenue if they had run the service sensibly. “If they have any dedication they would have found out that circular service is the best way to cater to the needs of off-centre population,” complained Binish Rao, a sales official of motor parts.
POLITICS
‘Combat dengue’ awareness programme at Madina College
M
To advertise on this page, contact: 9866074747 For Secunderabad 9290204030 For H y d e r a b a d 9866663212
For Cyberabad 9866698879
adina Degree College, in collaboration with National Service Scheme, OU, is organizing a Community Awareness Program on “Combat Dengue” on December 13 and 14 on the college premises at Himayatnagar. Head of Department of Microbiology Safia Begum has stated that Dengue fever, also known as break fever, is an infectious tropical disease caused by the dengue virus. Symptoms include fever, headache, muscle and joint pains and a characteristic skin rash that is similar to measles. In a small proportion of cases, the disease develops into the life-threatening dengue hemorrhagic fever, resulting in bleeding, low levels of blood platelets and blood plasma leakage or into dengue shock syndrome, where dangerously low blood pressure occurs. Dengue is transmitted by several species of mosquito within the genus aedes, principally A. aegypti. Treatment of acute dengue is supportive, suing either oral or intravenous rehydration for mild or moderate disease, and intravenous fluids and blood transfusion for more severe cases. KM Arifuddin, secretary, Madina Education and Welfare Society and Arifa Sultana, principal and chairman, NSS, extended support to the event. On December 13, a rally will be taken out from Madina Degree College, Himayathnagar, to Avanthinagar Slum via bylanes to avoid vehicular traffic congestions. At 10.30 am, the NSS volunteers holding placards and banners will explain the people about the importance of cleanliness and prevention of mosquito breeding. The rally will be flagged off by KM Arifuddin, Secretary Madina Group of institutions. S Rama Narayana Reddy, additional commissioner (Admn) GHMC will be the chief guest. Prof K. Ramakrishna, Program Co-ordinator, National Service Scheme, OU, will be the guest of honour. NSS
Jagan strikes at civic body The Congress floor leader Kaleru Venkatesh has quit the party, stating that he would join YSRC as the Congress has lost credibility among the public. Md NIZAMUDDIN nizamuddin.a@postnoon.com
T
he Congress floor leader Kaleru Venkatesh sent ripples across to his party leadership on Wednesday, which might have hit like a high tide, by saying goodbye to the party and the prestigious post as floor leader of biggest party in GHMC. The decision to jump the fence now follows an assurance that he would become
an MLA under Jagan’s leadership. After presenting his resignation to Danam Nagender, City president, he revealed his proximity to the YSRCP in his statement. “After the death of YS Rajasekhara Reddy, the Congress party is facing leadership vacuum and lost the credibility it had amongst the public. Since the YSRCP has the respect of people, I would be joining the party to bolster its cause,” he said. The effect of the resigna-
tion of Venkatesh, who had served the party for 15 years, can already be seen. Those in the political circles believe that at least five to 10 corporators may follow him in the coming days. The Congress strength in the Civic body is currently 53. With Kaleru leaving, it comes down to 52, but if rumours are to become reality, Congress may be reduced to the second largest party, as YSRC is reportedly trying to lure five to seven corporators.
8
city THURSDAY, DECEMBER 13, 2012
ASTRONOMY
Garish lights mar joy of night sky Amateur astronomers have a feeble presence in Hyderabad and City administration does nothing to encourage this great educational experience.
RAHUL RAMAKRISHNA rahul.r@postnoon.com
A
stronomers in the City have a tough time dealing with their hobby. The reasons behind this are many, it could be the City lights at night, the polluted City air or the very expensive machinery required for watching and mapping the stars. Following Patrick Moore’s death, Postnoon takes a look at the astronomy following in the City. While Hyderabad’s budding and amateur astronomers have many communities on the internet, the same cannot be said offline. It is almost as if they are a reclusive sect of stargazers who seem to remain aloof from the world, because it is so difficult to trace them. K Raghuram, a self taught astronomer and astrophotographer says, “Hyderabad unlike Bombay has very few astronomers. There are hardly any clubs or associations here, and even if they do exist, they exist only on the internet.” Abhishek Ranganathan, an amateur astronomer says, “After
the subject is taught rhetorically in schools the interest in astronomy is lost. People do not know that a simple binocular and a clear sky can teach us a lot about the craters on the moon. I had spotted artificial satellites moving from the West to East and this way over a period of six months, I learnt the many maps of star movements.” Raghuram says the many aspects of astronomy like star gazing and mapping the movement of the cosmic bodies is impossible in the cities. “The City had a fair visibility factor about seven years ago but now, if one were to actually devote some time and learn how to map the stars, then a short trip to the outskirts of the City like Gandipet is necessary.” The reasons are rising pollution levels and the garish City lights. Raghuram however, says astronomy need not always begin with an expensive telescope. “A good pair of binoculars and star mapping software can help one understand the paths of the stars.” He uses Sky Night, a star locating and mapping soft-
Planetarium empty of visitors
T
he last two months of the year happen to be the best times for star gazing. That said, the City’s only planetarium and science centre wears a deserted look on weekdays. According to amateur astronomers in Hyderabad, only weekends bring a decent turnout at the BM Birla Planetarium and Science Museum. “Unlike Mumbai where there are a lot of astronomy clubs and regular gatherings, Hyderabad is yet to show interest in this hobby. There are barely any clubs or associations here that meet regularly to watch the beauty of the stars and the many happenings in the cosmos,” says K Raghuram, an amateur astronomer. The director of BM Birla Science Center and astronomer BG Siddharth says that there is a huge turnout on weekends and also on some weekdays at the planetarium and the science centre. The planetarium wore a deserted look on Wednesday. Despite the optimism shown by head of the science centre, there was not a single soul around at the BM Birla Science Center. Passers-by and residents of the area say that the planetarium does not attract the same amount of visitors and tourists as it did 10 years back.
ware, a DSLR to click pictures, a 6-inch Bombay manufactured refracting telescope and Deep Sky Stacker, a photograph stacking software. Hyderabad has had a rich history with astronomy. In the heart of the City lies the now defunct Nizamia observatory which was built by the Nawab Zafar Yar Jung Bahadur. However, post independence the telescopes from these observatories were shifted to the rural areas of Ibrahimpatnam. There, the grand 46-inch refracting telescopes met a quiet burial. “We had gone to Rangapur a few years ago when we noticed that the telescope was not functioning. It is a 46-inch telescope, from the Nizam’s era. However, there are smaller telescopes which are being put to use by Osmania University research scholars,” Raghuram says. Officials at the Astronomy Department tell us that there is no funding to repair or replace the telescope.
ABOUT PATRICK MOORE
The City’s astronomy crowd was sad that the famous Patrick
Moore had passed away. Says Raghuram, “I used to watch his show on TV Sky at Night, the program he’d been doing for 50 years. He used to present the sky with its various events every month like a meteor, a comet and eclipses. His presentation and images from outer space are unlike anything we can get here in India.”
Hyderabad has had a rich history with astronomy. In the heart of the City lies the now defunct Nizamia observatory. Director of Birla Science Center and Planetarium and astronomer, BG Siddharth says, “I would call Patrick Moore a very good amateur astronomer because he was not trained in astronomy. But he had done some great work. It was a pleasure meeting him and speaking to him a long time ago, but it is sad that he has passed away.”
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 13, 2012
focus
LATITUDES AND LONGITUDES
Latitude and longitude are angles that uniquely define points on a sphere. Together, the angles comprise a coordinate scheme that can locate or identify geographic positions on the surfaces of planets such as the earth.
‘COINCIDE’NCE
9
Looking for nothing, really The Degree Confluence Project involves visiting the integer degree intersections of latitude and longitude on the Earth. Volunteers say “it’s risky, but rewarding”.
QALAAT MUZEIBLEH, IRAQ: At the end of a research trip to an oil field in east Iraq, Ruba Husari took a detour to visit a site she had wanted to see for some time. When she arrived it was barren... but still she was delighted. Less than 10 kilometres (six miles) from the Iranian border, Husari’s destination was nondescript and unremarkable — a 20 minute walk from a pothole-filled road and several kilometres (miles) from the tiny village of Qalaat Muzeibleh, with the Badra oil field barely visible in the distance. But the spot marked the exact geographic intersection of a latitude and longitude point — 33 degrees north and 46 degrees east — one of several in Iraq and around the world that adventurous travellers are looking to document as part of an Internetbased project. “It’s a fantastic way of exploring the country,” said Husari, whose day job involves running the iraqoilforum.com website. After successfully managing to locate and stand on the precise spot where the two lines intersected, she triumphantly raised a clenched fist and jokingly declared, “If they ever discover oil here, I’m claiming it!” “It’s a risky adventure, but at the same time for me,
it’s very rewarding,” she added, after taking a photo of her GPS receiver with the precise coordinates to show she was standing on the exact intersection. The visit to the “confluence point” was her sixth in Iraq in the past three years, having first been told about the Degree Confluence Project by Dubai-based friends who spent weekends camping in the Emirati desert and driving off-road vehicles, often in search of the points themselves. Due to Iraq’s chronic instability in recent years, few of the country’s confluence points have been documented. Tourism in Iraq remains in its infancy; many prospective travellers are wary of violence and poor infrastructure. And so despite the coun-
try’s historic attractions, the vast majority of Iraq’s tourists are Shiite pilgrims visiting the many shrines to key figures in Shiite Islam. Of Iraq’s 40 confluence points, just 14 have been “discovered”, many by Husari but also by others in the oil industry, and some American and British soldiers who were stationed near confluence points after the 2003 US-led invasion that ousted Saddam Hussein. The Degree Confluence Project began in 1996, the brainchild of Alex Jarrett, who visited the intersection of 43 degrees north and 72 degrees west with a friend in the American state of New Hampshire after buying a GPS receiver. It was the first of 15 such visits he made to various confluence points in the
United States. “It was a fun journey (to the first confluence point),” Jarrett, no longer active in the project. “And I came up with the ridiculous idea that we should just randomly post a website and let’s visit all these points in the world and see what happens. I had no inkling that there would be very much interest.” Since the project was founded, more than 6,000 confluence points from around the world have been documented on www.confluence.org, a volunteer-run website, but around 10,000 are still to be found, even after discounting intersection points in the oceans and near the Earth’s poles. Husari’s own efforts have taken her on a multitude of adventures in Iraq — she has rowed a tiny canoe through the southern marshes and driven through the desert of Najaf province south of Baghdad, all armed with her Garmin GPS system and an array of Google Maps printouts. She even had to abandon one attempt because those accompanying her refused to go further, warning she was straying into territory west of Baghdad where Al-Qaedalinked militants still held significant sway. Sometimes, though, while the trip can be an adventure, the destination itself yields
little in the way of photographs or novelty. “One time in Algeria, I had to cross beautiful big rolling sand dunes, I passed old antique Arab wells of water,” said Rod Maher, a 54year-old seismology expert now living in the northern Iraqi city of Arbil. “But then when I hit the confluence point, it was all flat. There was nothing around. Getting to it was fun, though, and I saw things I wouldn’t have otherwise.” According to one former American soldier who managed to visit two Iraqi confluence points, part of the appeal of making it to one is the fact that “everybody wants to be Christopher Columbus.” “Some of my relatives and friends don’t get it,” said the ex-intelligence officer. Among the most difficult conversations many confluence-hunters face are those with perplexed locals. “It’s difficult to tell them I’m trying to find a place that’s only recognisable on a map, on a piece of paper, or on my GPS,” said Husari, a British citizen of Palestinian descent. “Some of the drivers and guys I take with me think I’m just mad, to go to the middle of the desert to look for, what is to them nothing.” “Actually,” she added, “I am looking for nothing.” AFP
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 13, 2012
Business
CARNEY TO GO HOME
The incoming governor of the Bank of England, Canadian Mark Carney, who has said he plans to seek British citizenship, insisted in an interview published Wednesday that he will return to Canada once his term of office ends.
SALES
10
OIL PRICES FALL
Tiles industry remains hopeful The industry leaders foresee increase in growth with real estate industry picking up in the City. PRUDHVI RAJU K prudhvi.k@postnoon.com
Disney Bathroom concepts
T
he slump in the real estate industry in the State has affected the ancillary industries. Tiles industry, which is growing at 15 per cent in the country, has to limit itself to the growth around 5-10 per cent in the State. However, the industry leaders foresee the increase in growth with real estate industry picking up in the City. “The buyers have gained confidence in the market and they are not really bothered about political agitation and recession. There is also increase in sales of villas, which is giving push to the retail tiles sales. The decrease in availability of marble is also helping the tiles market to grow in the future. Vitrified tiles, which are replacing marble, had taken around 70 per cent of the overall flooring market. Low price with easy laying and maintenance is also pushing their market. For instance, H&R Johnson has inte-
Disney consumer products has tied-up with H&R Johnson India to launch the Disney branded ceramic tiles collection. As part of this tie up, H&R Johnson will roll out Disney bathroom concepts in the country. Branded, as Johnson Tiles’ Disney concepts will bring best Disney love stories in new and fun styles inspired by the Disney characters.
Fact file
Industry size : `17,000 crore Organised sector: `8,000 crore Unorganised sector: `9,000 crore Per capita consumption: 0.5 sq ft
grated the look and finish of Italian Marble in vitrified tiles. Providing these tiles at a much
lower price is also making the aesthetics and style affordable to the customer,” said Narsing Rao, senior general manager for AP and Karnataka, H&R Johnson Tiles. On the tiles that are imported to the country from China, he said, “Although, they are offering these products at a competitive price, there is no consistency in the availability of the product. For instance, one cannot wait for 45-60 days for the con-
tainer to arrive in the country.” Talking about the potential of the market, he said, “Around 130 crore population of the country will bring out huge opportunities for the tiles market. There is rapid urbanisation in the country. The flat culture, which is seen in the City markets, had slowly passed to Tier-2 and Tier 3 cities. The per capita consumption of the country is at 0.5 sq ft, which is much lower than developing countries like Brazil and China. The potential of the tile market is huge with significant growth in flat culture and urbanisation.”
PHOTO-SHARING SERVICES
Yahoo! makes Flickr more enticing Improvements to Flickr software tailored for iPhones and iPod touch devices included the addition of Instagram-style “filters” that let people imbue photos with artistic effects.
Y
ahoo! joined the fray over smartphone photo-sharing Wednesday by making it more enticing for iPhone users to use its Flickr service amid a rift between Twitter and the popular photo app Instagram. Improvements to Flickr software tailored for iPhones and iPod touch devices included the addition of Instagram-style “fil-
ters” that let people imbue photos with artistic effects. “We know that some of your best photo moments happen on the fly, so we’ve made it easier to get the perfect shot when inspiration hits,” said a Flickr blog post by Markus Spiering. “Once you get the shot, there’s a built-in editor to quickly correct, crop, or enhance it
with one of the new (high-resolution) filters.” Pictures taken with iPhones
or iPods can be shared at Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr and Flickr, or by email, the Yahooowned photo service said with a promise that photos will “look gorgeous no matter where they are viewed.” “We built the app with sharing in mind,” Flickr vice president Brett Wayn said at the Yahoo! blog.
for
for
for
for
NUMEROLOGY
$8.6
mn
is the fine that has been imposed on Mitsubishi UFJ, Japan’s biggest bank, for flouting US sanctions on Iran.
HISTORIC DEAL European Union finance ministers brokered a hard-fought deal Thursday to create a single bank supervisor with powers to close down lenders right across the eurozone, several officials said. The “historic” agreement came after 14 hours of talks and less than 12 hours ahead of a summit of EU leaders who ordered the marathon preparations.The “overall aim is to restore confidence in the banking sector” and compared the deal to a “Christmas present for the whole of Europe,” said the meeting’s chair, Cypriot Finance Minister Vassos Shiarly, announcing the deal to the press in the early hours of Thursday morning.
BSE 5,884.10 `54.16 5,209.05 DOLLAR`55.14 17,179.95DOLLAR NSEPOUND `86.60 `87.39 POUND BSE NSE GOLD`31,500 10g SILVER `62,600 1kg
24C
GOLD `29,500 10g SILVER `53,000 1kg
Oil prices fell in Asia on Thursday after the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) warned of an oversupply as uncertainty surrounds the outlook for the global economy, analysts said. New York’s main contract, light sweet crude for delivery in January fell 19 cents to $86.58 a barrel and Brent North Sea crude for January delivery shed 15 cents to $109.35. Crude prices were down following “preliminary warnings from the cartel that downside demand risk was increasing”, said Sanjeev Gupta, who heads the Asia-Pacific oil and gas practice at Ernst and Young. “Markets continue to be overshadowed by concerns of looming oversupply next year with limited demand growth.” The Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) — which produces more than a third of the world’s oil — said Wednesday in Vienna that it was holding its oil output ceiling at 30 million barrels per day (mbpd) due to demand uncertainties.
98.90
33.65
Since our country is a union of states, we abide by its federal character and, therefore, are bound by the consensus on the issue, ANAND SHARMA, COMMERCE MINISTER
19,330.73 24.53
ANAND SHARMA, 3.90 COMMERCE MINISTER
11
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 13, 2012
nation
LIGHTNING KILLS SEVEN
At least seven people, including a child, were killed by lightning in Odisha's coastal belt, an official said Thursday. Thunderstorms and lightning accompanied by strong winds hit parts of Jagatsinghpur and Kendrapada districts Wednesday, killing a total of four people, the official said.
POLLS
CBI No relief for Mulayam, Akhilesh in assets case NEW DELHI: In a setback to Samajwadi Party leader Mulayam Singh Yadav and UP CM Akhilesh Yadav, the SC Thursday declined to recall its earlier order of directing a CBI probe into the allegation of their assets disproportionate to their known sources of income. An apex court bench of Chief Justice Altmas Kabir and Justice HL Dattu, while pronouncing their judgement on Mulayam Singh's plea seeking review of the court's 2007 verdict directing CBI to carry out preliminary inquiry into the allegations of their possessing disproportionate assets, said that investigating agency will act independently without taking any instructions from government. Pronouncing the judgement, Chief Justice Kabir said that the investigating agency will not submit its report of its investigations to the central government. IANS
LEADERS PAY HOMAGE
Voting begins for first phase of Gujarat polls AHMEDABAD: Voting on 87 constituencies for the first phase of Gujarat Assembly elections began today amidst tight security where Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi is seeking a fourth term. The constituencies where polling started include 48 in seven districts of Saurashtra, 35 seats in five districts of south Gujarat and four seats in Ahmedabad district. A total of 846 candidates are in fray. For this phase, BJP has fielded candidates on all 87 seats going to the poll, whereas Congress is contesting on 84 and Gujarat Parivartan Party (GPP) on 83 seats. The EC has made robust security arrangements to ensure that voting is carried out peacefully by deploying security forces in the areas going to polls in first
phase. Out of total 1,81,77,953 voters, there are 95,75,278 males, 86,02,557 females and 118 other voters who are likely to use their franchise. EC has set up 21,261 polling stations and will use the same number of electronic voting machines (EVMs) in the first phase elec-
GRAMMY
NUCLEAR PROJECT
Racked by protests, KNPP put-off to New Year CHENNAI: Controversyembroiled Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project will once again miss the target as the time frame of commissioning of the first unit has now been revised to the new year. Commercial operation of the 1,000 MW first unit, where 99.65 per cent of the physical progress has been completed, is expected to take place in January next, Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) said. Minister of State in the PMO V Narayanasamy, who has been monitoring the progress of the Indo-Russian project, hit by protests over safety concerns,had informed Lok Sabha last week that Unit-I was likely to be commissioned by this month end.
tions. Forty-eight seats in Surendranagar, Rajkot, Jamnagar, Porbandar, Jamnagar, Amreli and Bhavngar are considered very crucial as political observers are watching very keenly on how former CM and Keshubhai Patel factor plays. PTI
Similarly, commercial operation of the second unit has been fixed for August next year. "Preparatory works are on. Each and every step of ours is being monitored by the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board. We are doing our best to commission it soon," sources in the Plant said. M Pushparayan, a leader of the People's Movement Against Nuclear Energy, spearheading the stir, said though it has been said the commissioning would take place some time this month "now, we heard that they have given a date on Jan 15". After resorting to a series of protests including "sea siege" of the plant, PMANE now wants a national debate on the Centre's programme. PTI
Pick
Ravi Shankar gets Lifetime Achievement Grammy
WASHINGTON: Indian music legend Pandit Ravi Shankar has been named a Lifetime Achievement Grammy Award recipient, a day after his death at 92 in a US hospital. The sitar maestro will be honoured along with six other artists at an invitation-only ceremony in Los Angeles Feb 9, just one day before the 55th annual Grammy Awards are to be telecast live from the Staples Centre in Los Angeles. Ravi Shankar last week was named as one of the Grammy nominees for Best World Music Album. It is a category in which his daughter, sitar virtuoso Anoushka, 31, is also nominated, marking what appears to be the first time that a father and daughter's albums will be competing for the same honour at the Grammys. IANS
at the
Parliamentarians led by Rajya Sabha Chairman Hamid Ansari, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar today paid homage to martyrs on the 11th anniversary of the attack on Parliament. UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi, BJP leader LK Advani, Leaders of Opposition in the Lok Sabha an the Rajya Sabha, Sushma Swaraj and Arun Jaitley respectively and other members attended a solemn ceremony held in the premises of Parliament.
NUMEROLOGY
40
Indian fishermen returned home after they were released by the Sri Lankan Navy.
SHIV SENA BENDS
Under pressure from the government, Shiv Sena today indicated its willingness to shift Bal Thackeray's memorial to the margins of Shivaji Park in the city. "Shiv Sainiks will with their own hands shift the 'samadhi sthal' a little," Sena executive president Uddhav Thackeray said in a statement in party mouthpiece 'Saamna', of which he is the new editor. "The stance of Shiv Sena on the 'samadhi sthal' has always been that of restraint. A permanent 'samadhi sthal' will come up at the 'Shiv Teerth' by shifting the present samadhi sthal a little," Uddhav said.
airport,
-
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 13, 2012
World
MEDIA LAWS MUST APPLY TO TWEETS: LEVESON Senior judge Brian Leveson, the man who led the inquiry into Britain's phone-hacking scandal, has warned that bloggers and tweeters should be subject to the same laws as traditional media outlets to prevent a decline in standards of journalism.
SYRIAN CRISIS
12
SINGAPORE IN UPROAR
Syria ‘scuds’ rebel forces There was no word of any casualties caused by the Soviet-era weapons, famously fired into Israel by Iraq's Saddam Hussein during the first Gulf War. DAMASCUS: The Syrian regime has fired Scud missiles at rebel forces trying to oust Bashar al-Assad, a US official said Wednesday, after Arab and Western states recognised the opposition bloc as the sole representative there. "Scuds landed within Syria," the official told AFP on condition of anonymity. Earlier Wednesday an AFP journalist in northwestern Syria reported hearing several fierce explosions daily from up to 15 kilometers (10 miles) away. State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said "we're seeing missiles employed now" but she refused to divulge intelligence on what type of missile.
The unguided, shortrange ballistic Scud missiles, depending on the type employed, have a range of 200 kilometres or more. But the US official speaking later said he could confirm a New York Times story that the regime was unleashing Scuds. There was no word of any casualties caused by the Sovietera weapons, famously fired into Israel by Iraq's Saddam Hussein during the first Gulf War. The unguided, short-range ballistic Scud missiles, depend-
ing on the type employed, have a range of 200 kilometres or more. Putting further pressure on the Assad regime on Wednesday, Arab and Western states recognised the opposition National Coalition as the sole representative of Syrians. The declaration, issued at a "Friends of Syria" meeting in Morocco, coincided with battlefield gains by jihadists fighting Assad's forces and a rapidly deteriorating refugee situation as winter sets in. "Today, full recognition is given to the National Coalition as the sole representative of the Syrian people," Moroccan Foreign Minister Saad Eddine El Othmani told a news conference after the meeting his govern-
ment hosted in Marrakesh. The talks on the 21-monthold conflict brought together representatives from 114 countries, including about 60 ministers, the Syrian opposition and international organisations. They came just a day after US President Barack Obama endorsed the National Coalition, following a similar move by the European Union. The Friends of Syria again called on Assad to stand down, and stressed that his regime would not escape punishment for violations of international law. A statement also warned Damascus against using chemical weapons, saying this "would draw a serious response from the international community".
KOREAN CONUNDRUM
BACK TO THE U.S., FINALLY
N Korea's rocket is in orbit: S Korea
Anti-virus software pioneer John McAfee(left) was back on American soil Wednesday after being expelled from Guatemala, escaping immediate deportation to Belize for questioning over his neighbor's murder. Customs officials did not immediately respond to calls from AFP regarding McAfee's legal status and what would happen to him now, after he touched down at Miami International Airport just before 7:00 pm local time (0000 GMT). (Right) McAfee´s Belizian girlfriend, Samantha Vanegas, waits for his arrival at the Aurora international airport in Guatemala City earlier on December 12. AFP
SEOUL: The satellite launched by North Korea's long-range rocket is in operational orbit, South Korea's defence ministry said Thursday, confirming the apparent success of Pyongyang's stated space mission. The satellite sent into space by the North's Unha-3 rocket on Wednesday, is "orbiting normally", ministry spokesman Kim Min-Seok told reporters. "It is not yet known what kind of mission the satellite is conducting. It usually takes two weeks to evaluate whether a satellite is successful.”
NEWS BRIEFS China marks Nanjing massacre
Last S Korea polls give Park the edge
Ex-Thai PM to be charged with murder
UN atomic team in Iran for nuclear talks
NANJING, CHINA, : Air raid sirens sounded in the Chinese city of Nanjing Thursday as it marked the 75th anniversary of the mass killing and rape committed there by Japanese soldiers. The two countries have extensive trade and business links, but the weight of history still weighs heavily on their relationship.
SEOUL: The last polls allowed before next week's South Korean presidential election all showed a lead for conservative favourite Park Geun-Hye over her liberal rival, but by varying margins. The four surveys published Thursday, but based on data gathered before North Korea's provocative launch of a long-range rocket on Wednesday.
BANGKOK, Thailand's former premier Abhisit Vejjajiva is set to be charged with murder on Thursday over the death of a civilian during a military crackdown on anti-government "Red Shirt" rallies two years ago. Abhisit, along with his thendeputy Suthep Thaugsuban, will be formally charged at Department of Special Investigation (DSI).
TEHRAN,: A team from the UN atomic watchdog led by chief inspector Herman Nackaerts arrived early Thursday for talks with nuclear officials on Iran's controversial nuclear programme, ISNA news agency reported. The International Atomic Energy Agency says the aim of the talks is to sign an agreement on a "structured approach".
AFP
Singapore opposition parties urged Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong Thursday to call a by-election after the parliamentary Speaker abruptly resigned due to an extramarital affair. The calls came less than 24 hours after Michael Palmer, 44, publicly confessed to "a serious error of judgment and announced his resignation from his parliamentary seat and membership of the ruling People's Action Party (PAP).
NUMEROLOGY
$60.4
bn
is the amount the White House has asked the Congress to approve for aid the post-Sandy rebuild effort. The amount required would be around $82 billion.
PRANK CALL PROBE ON Australia's media watchdog on Thursday opened an investigation into a prank call to the hospital treating Prince William's pregnant wife Catherine ahead of autopsy results on the nurse who died. The hoax sparked global condemnation with the nurse who fielded the call, Jacintha Saldanha, apparently committing suicide. The result of her post-mortem was due to be released later Thursday with British police unable to confirm media reports that she hanged herself in the nurses' accommodation near King Edward VII's Hospital.
Hong Kong has become a city of protest. The whole world used to say it was South Korea. It is now Hong Kong. Jackie Chan The actor’s comments that protest in his native city should be restricted have sparked a controversy.
13
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 13, 2012
Technology BOYS TOYS HP Envy X2
H
P's take on the Atom-powered laptop/tablet craze is an 11-inch slate with a detachable keyboard dock. It's not the form factor that's impressive, though: specs include NFC, Beats Audio and a 400-nit IPS display. There's also pen support, so users can interact with the device via the touchscreen, keyboard or stylus. Beginning November 14th, you'll be able to purchase this lightweight, aluminum-built hybrid for $850 — hardly chump change, but you get a lot for those buckaroos.
Key specs: 11-inch (1,366 x 768) display, Clover Trail processor, 64GB of built-in storage, 0.33 inches thick, 1.5 pounds / 1.6-pound dock. Price: $850
THE TECH
HAMPER Sony Alpha A99
S
ony's new full-frame flagship is topof-the-line in every way, except when it comes to price. A $2,800 sticker undercuts Canon's $3,500 5D Mark III and Nikon's $3,000 D800, and the camera's compact footprint and lighter weight make it feel more akin to the two less-capable models you'll find below. This more comfortable design is compliments of Sony's Translucent Mirror technology, which also enables faster autofocus. While it's still not cheap, we feel that a fullframe sensor is the key component that should make you consider a full-size DSLR — for most consumers, the mirrorless models will suffice. Key specs: Full-frame 24-MP sensor, 25,600 top ISO, 10 fps stills, 1080/60p video with uncompressed output. Price: $2,798
Lytro Camera
W
hen it first arrived on the scene, we were quite impressed by the Lytro camera's after-shot refocusing and intuitive UI. Now, the handsome kit has added manual ISO and shutter controls to pilot the f/2.0 8x optical zoom lens alongside a host of accessories for keeping the unit safe in your backpack. You'll be able to snap 350 holiday photos with the 8GB model and 750 images of that ski trip with the 16GB model, and the entire lot plays nice with Windows, too. Key specs: Post-shot focus, manual ISO / shutter controls, 8GB or 16GB of storage, f/2.0 8x optical zoom lens, simple UI. Price: $399
Alienware X51
T
he Alienware X51 is just a touch larger than your average gaming console, but it's considerably more powerful. After all, it packs NVIDIA's GTX 660 graphics chip and an Intel Core i7 processor with 1TB of HDD memory. The X51 can be easily connected to a living room TV for use as a media center and Steam Big Picture Mode game box. Kitting it out all the way comes with a hefty price, of course. Key specs: Core i7-3770 processor with 16GB of RAM, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 660 graphics with 1.5GB of dedicated RAM, weighs 12.1 pounds. Price: $1,200
Forget about Tablets for a minute. If you want to give a tech gift that will be both loved and coveted then look no further than these products.
Amazon Kindle Fire HD
L
ast year's Kindle Fire felt more like an OEM-ed content delivery device than a solid 7-inch tablet. This year, however, the mega eretailer went for broke, offering up a focus on hardware design that its previous model lacked. As the name implies, you've got a new HD IPS display. Amazon has also improved WiFi performance, and sound quality is stronger thanks to a pair of speakers on the rear. All that plus a great content selection from Amazon adds up to a great $199 tablet. Key specs: 7-inch (1,280 x 800) IPS display, 16/32GB of storage, micro-USB and microHDMI ports, rated for about 11 hours of battery life. Price: $199
Beats by Dr Dre Pill
D
r Dre thinks it's time for a new prescription when it comes to enhancing your mobile audio needs in a diminutive speaker. With a quartet of 1-inch drivers, this medicationinspired mini-rig offers sound that's miles ahead of other portable Bluetooth speakers at its price point, supporting the likes of Apt-X and AAC codecs. The rechargeable lithium ion battery will let you bump out the jams for around seven hours, while tap-to-pair NFC makes connecting to your smartphone a cinch. Key specs: Tiny size, four 1-inch drivers, NFC, on-board microphone, Apt-X and AAC support, Bluetooth 2.1, 3.5mm input and output jacks, micro-USB charging and probably some sort of street cred. Price: $200
SUNNY LEONE FACTOR Google has released this year’s Zeitgeist for India — a list of most searched terms, people, movies etc — and Sunny Leone has topped the list of most searched person by Indians. Rajesh Khanna, Poonam Pandey, Alia Bhatt and Nirmal Baba are the other Indians who made it to the top 5 searched list. Among general search terms IBPS and Gate Exams topped the list, followed by Sunny Leone, Ek Tha Tiger and Rowdy Rathore. Salman Khan’s Ek Tha Tiger and Akshay Kumar’s Rowdy Rathore were also the most searched movies of 2012 followed by films like Jannat 2, Housefull 2 and Raaz 3.
HOLY TWEET Pope Benedict XVI’s posted his first tweet yesterday in the presence of a Twitter employee. He tapped the screen of a tablet to send a predrafted message in eight languages. His tweet was his own words according to the Vatican, but someone else typed it for him. In the first few hours, the tweet picked up more than 38,000 retweets and was tagged as a favourite by nearly 13,000. Benedict XVI's @pontifex account stayed busy, with four additional tweets addressing two questions about faith.
Coming soon? More and more Apple TV rumours are pouring in on a daily basis. According to Wall Street Journal, the company has been testing out TV designs for years now along with companies such as Sharp and Foxconn. Steve Jobs’s biography touches upon this issue and he points out that the product has been delayed mainly because of cable service providers. According to a recent customer survey 65 per cent of the participants said that they were ready to pay 20 per cent more than normal HDTVs for Apple’s product. Now with new rumours flying around, it’s time for all Apple enthusiasts to start saving up.
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 13, 2012
Comment Be not afraid of greatness: some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them. William Shakespeare Playwright
Rocket boost for young Kim PARK CHAN-KYONG feedback@postnoon.com
O
rth Korea's rocket launch is a timely boost for its young leader, securing his year-old grip on power and laying to rest the humiliation of a much-hyped but failed launch eight months ago, analysts say. While Wednesday's launch is likely to deepen the international isolation of a country already in dire economic straits, its real and symbolic value can only strengthen Kim Jong-Un's hand. The timing was especially significant, both domestically and overseas where the launch poses a particular challenge for concerned neighbours China, Japan and South Korea -- all in a period of political transition. At home it lent crucial validity to Kim's place in the country's dynastic succession, coming days before the first anniversary of the death of his father, Kim Jong-Il and in the centennial birth year of his grandfather and the communist North's founder, Kim Il-Sung. "The launch means the fulfilment of Kim Jong-Il's last wish," said Yoo Ho-Yeol, a political science professor at Korea University in Seoul. "As such, it helps cement Jong-Un's grip on power and strengthens his authority over the North's military elites, securing their loyalty and a sense of solidarity under his leadership," Yoo said. Kim, who is not yet 30, has proved he is willing to follow his father's example in flouting UN resolutions and ignoring the advice and concerns of his only major allies in Beijing. "If anything, they carried out this test knowing what they were going to get in terms of criticism and condemnation and potentially an increase of sanctions," said an expert.
HIGH-FLYING THOUGHTS
It seems Hugo Chavez has chosen his heir wisely. As people get more interested in Venezuelan vice-president Nicolás Maduro, reports emerge that he is capable of continuing with a very important aspect of Chavismo: incendiary rhetoric.
CHRISTMAS IS HERE
14
LETTER TO SANTA BUT... SERIOUSLY
Ajay Hotchandani
H
ey Fat Man: I know you prefer to be called Santa, but I thought “Hey Fat Man” had a nice ring to it. So it’s that time of year where everyone writes to you asking for something really materialistic like a new iPhone, blow up doll or knife set that have blades that never get dull, even after you cut wood and leather shoes with them. Before we get to what I’m going to ask for I wanted to clarify some issues. It has been brought to my attention that in the laws governing the North Pole there is a law that governs behavior. I believe it is called the “Naughty or Nice Law” – this is not to be confused with the “Sweet and Sour Law” governing the food in Shezuan Province, China. It is stated that you know whether someone has been naughty or nice. First, I would like to call into question what qualifies you to pass such judgment? Next, what standard is being used to determine if someone is naughty or nice? Is it based on one particular event or on a cumulative assessment of one’s overall behavior? Are there varying degrees of “naughty” and “nice”? Is there a Court of Appeal if one wishes to challenge your verdict? The next issue I would like to bring up is the incident that took
place October 13, 2012. The records will show that, yes, I was present at the time the incident occurred, however, in no way shape or form was I responsible for what occurred. There is no concrete evidence to prove that I was responsible for what happened, nor are there any witnesses who can testify to me committing the ‘naughty’ behavior. I believe it is essential that I address this issue before it is used against me, thereby reducing the value of the gift or size of toy I receive this year. We will proceed from this point forward under the premise that you have done your job and have come to the rightful conclusion that I have been “Nice” and have thereby been cleared to receive the gift of my choosing. Yes, yes we should be thankful for what we have and not be picky in what we get. Ok I don’t buy that nonsense. I spent most of my year being nice rather than naughty, so Mr. Fat Man you better pay up or else I will be filing a law suit in Small Claims North Pole Court. I would really hate for us to go that route, however, just like the Tooth Fairy, if you don’t meet your end of the deal then I’ll have to use any legal channels to claim what is rightfully mine. Before I forget, I think you should pay close attention to what I am asking for or else, and I can’t emphasize this enough, I will take you to court. I need new socks. Six pairs of ankle high white cotton socks should do it. Thanks, Ajay.
EDITORIALS Nail this scam
T
he brazen way in which a gang of several men helped students of JNTU to cheat the examination is no ordinary crime. Task Force arrested 13 people for the crime today. It’s a crime against education and the entire fraternity of students who honestly prepare for the examinations. The fraud involved the gang providing blank answer sheets to the students and taking them back and depositing with the university after answers are perfectly recorded. It is clear that this cruel scam would not be possible without the involvement of University authorities. This prestigious institution of the State is thus sought to be defamed by a gang of unscrupulous people and they ought to be punished exemplarily. The entire examination wing of the University ought to be fired for making available answer sheets in blank. If police show laxity and politicians try to save the guilty, we would be doing a crime against the young generation which is unpardonable.
READERS’ VIEWS
Good job, Karzai
W
hat more proof do we need that Afghanistan is plagued by corruption? The BBC reported that a senior judge in Afghanistan has been secretly recorded demanding money and marriage from a young woman seeking his help in her divorce case. He first demanded money and then offered her marriage, both of which she refused. Then he tried to lure her with promises that he would “cover her with gold from head to toe”. Now the judge has turned tables saying that he offered her marriage in jest and the whole episode is the work of his foes. The record has been submitted to the Supreme Court, but nothing has been done yet against the judge. Keep up the good work, President Karzai.
We invite you to write to us comments, suggestions, viewpoint or just about anything to feedback@postnoon.com or #1246, Level 3, Jubilee Casa, Road No 62, Jubilee Hills, Hyderabad – 500 033 or even by way of a call on 4067 2222. Editor: Dean Williams
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 13, 2012
tELEVISION YEAR IN REVIEW
HOMELAND (SEASON 2)
H
omeland took off with such momentum that it browbeat Mad Men into submission by sweeping the Emmy's. The show throws light on the extent of the post 9/11 paranoia in the US, its Islamophobia and more. By the time Season 1 ended, the expectations from the show had skyrocketed. But if the ratings are anything to go by, the latest season didn't let its loyalists down. The brilliant cast, razor sharp dialogue, rocketing suspense, continues and even if it's plot line is shaky, it's still one of the most entertaining shows you'll see this year.
ARROW ADDS TEEN WOLF ALUM COLTON HAYNES Erstwhile Teen Wolf star Colton Haynes has landed a recurring role on Arrow. The actor, who in early October hinted at his departure from the MTV hit, joins the CW drama as Roy Harper, a “handsome, street-savvy” teen who falls for Oliver’s little sister.
15
CLASSIC TELEVISION
Best shows of
2012 It was an enticing mix of old favourites and new trailblazers that made for pleasurable watching this year.
Cagney & Lacey
ARROW
I
s there ever such a thing as too many superheroes. Latest on the bandwagon is billionaire Oliver Queen, who after a shipwreck is marooned on a deserted island for five years. Oliver is rescued but he returns a changed man, with deadly skills up his sleeve which enable him to masquerade as a playboy by day and a vigilante by night. In a dark and gritty retelling of the famed superhero Green Arrow, he returns to take down his families enemies while also restoring order to Star City.
Cagney & Lacey is an American television series that originally aired on the CBS television network for seven seasons from 1981 to 1988. A police procedural, the show stars Tyne Daly and Sharon Gless as New York City police detectives who led very different lives: Christine Cagney (Gless) was a single, career-minded woman, while Mary Beth Lacey (Daly) was a married working mother. The show pioneered on-screen presentation of independent, working women.
DID YOU KNOW...
Sophie Turner
who plays the character of Sansa in the series Game of Thrones adopted the dog Lady after it is executed in the show. Series author George R.R. Martin reported the same on his blog.
TRENDING...
GAME OF THRONES (SEASON 2)
VEGAS
N
o one ever thought George R. R Martin’s epic A Song of Ice and Fire could be faithfully replicated on the big screen. But little did they know legends like Tim Van Allen and Alik Sakharovnot lend their excellence to make it an unparalleled mini-series. The mythical, fantasy land of Westeros comes alive in their hands, replete with violence, sex, blood and gore of a magnitude that was hitherto inconceivable on tv. And the second season of the epic fantasy loses none of its magic with brilliant acting, epic sets, breath-taking twists and turns and mammoth budgets.
O
NEWSROOM
A
aron Sorkin’s brand new drama Newsroom, which is being aired on HBO, is about a news division which is trying to pull itself out of the quagmire of ratings and advertising to restore the honour which news channels once had. The promising show delves deep into the behind-the-scenes drama at a news channel. The fictitious newsroom will have you at the edge of your seat, and addicted to the adrenalin rush, the chase of the elusive break and everything which makes the newsroom such a great place to be.
ne of the only new shoes to create any ripples this year, Vegas is a highly entertaining show that has to be on your must watch list. The only thing we love perhaps as much as procedurals are period dramas. And who can protest to the sight of Dennis Quaid in cowboy heels, with a rifle or two to spare in this western. Set in 1960s Vegas, the series follows a former rancher turned sheriff Ralph Lamb (Quaid) who takes on powerful Chicago mobster Vincent Savino (Michael Chilkis) to restore order to Sin City.
Lifetime is reportedly looking at adapting a modern-day version of Pride and Prejudice for the small screen, to be produced by Jennifer Love Hewitt. Hewitt and Lifetime are joining forces for Darcy's Town, which will take place in a small Virginia town in the present day. The script is being penned by Charmed writerproducer Sheryl J. Anderson.
Downton Abbey star Rob JamesCollier has revealed that he is keen to land a role on US television. The English actor told that he wants to emulate the success of Homeland star Damian Lewis. Downton star Jessica Brown Findlay departed the hit period drama and has since been linked to a leading role in action movie sequel Captain America.
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 13, 2012
spotlight
ONE NITE STAND
One Nite Stand is a band popular for their unique high-energy “DanceRock” music. Catch them performing live at Hard Rock Cafe today at 9pm.
S BALAKRISHNA
TIME TO PARTY
1
18
2
S BALAKRISHNA
WACKY WEDNESDAYS It’s mid-week and the party loving crowd is out to enjoy themselves. With three more days to go for the weekend, burning out the stress and fatigue of work, these youngsters let their hair down at Kismet on Wednesday night. 4
3
5
MAKING THE RIGHT MIX
Ace badminton player Jwala Gutta spent her Wednesday afternoon getting into the festive spirit. She was spotted at a Christmas celebration and cake mixing event at the Apollo Hospitals, Jubilee Hills.
1 Mickey with a friend
2 Sartag & Sofia
3 Poornima 4 Priyanka & Neha
5 Rinku & Krishna 6 Sofia 7 Shwetha, Leena 8 Monika
6
7
8
A soulful evening S BALAKRISHNA
As part of the 100 piper fire bird musical festival, a performance by Ustad Roshan Khan was held at Firdaus at Taj Krishna on Wednesday. 1
2
1 Vinay, Vipa Veer 2 Naina, Aziz 3 Rani Kumar, Vijaya
3
TAKING ON PARIS:
Neeru’s is going to be ending their year on a high note. Wednesday marked a new phase in the ethnic fashion trends across the country. Neeru’s presented its signature store Neeru’s Emporio, a luxurious 30,000 sq.ft. of wedding bliss. Located in Jubilee Hills, it’s touted to be India’s answer to Paris’ Champs-Elysees.
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 13, 2012
health
TEA LOWERS ODDS OF OVARIAN CANCER? Drinking tea seems to lower odds of ovarian cancer, Australian research involving 1,000 women says. Dada Su from Curtin University co-authored the study in China, involving 500 patients of ovarian carcinoma and the other half being unaffected, who completed a questionnaire about tea consumption.
DERMATOLOGY
19
Preventing pressure sores DEEPASHRI V
deepashri.v@postnoon.com
W
hen my grandmother was bedridden, we had to employ a nurse just to prevent bed sores, by changing her position frequently and keeping her clean. Almost all of us know what bed sores are. Many of us would have faced this problem at home, with old people or those who are bed ridden for long periods of time. Bed sores are formed when the bone presses against the skin or tissues for a prolonged time, most commonly on the hips, back, shoulder blades, elbows, base of the spine, knees, ankles, heels, and even between fingers and toes. The different stages of bed sores, as described by badbedsores.com, are as follows: In the initial stages, the skin temperature and colour changes (becomes reddish or bluish). There could be pain and itching. It rapidly progresses to stage
two, where there is loss of skin. It then damages the tissues, forming a deep, blackish crater on the skin. And in the final stages, the tissues, muscles, bones and connecting structures like tendons and ligaments are damaged, making it extremely difficult to treat. Dr Shahina Shafeeq, a consultant dermatologist at Max Skin Clinic, tells us how to avoid bed sores while taking care of bed ridden patients at home. “The position of the patient has to be changed every two hours; you need to keep shifting. Areas
The first thing that comes to mind when we have to take care of a bed ridden patient is, “how do we prevent bed sores?”
where the pressure is more, especially lower back, you need to keep it well cushioned. Urine and faeces should be cleaned immediately and the area should be kept dry.” Once it sets in, treatment depends on how severe the sores are. “We grade it from mild to severe. If it’s mild, it just requires cleaning and dressing. If it is very deep, we have to go for grafting to treat it,” Dr Shafeeq said. Bed sores are most common in the elderly, comatose or patients with Alzheimer’s, said
Dr Radha Shah, skin specialist at Apollo Hospital, Jubilee Hills. “There are air and water beds available to help prevent bed sores. Application of powder will prevent infection due to moisture on the skin.” She said antibiotics, antiinflammatory and agents that help healing can be used to treat bed sores. She said looking for early signs, like redness of skin, and treating it early are important, rather than going for treatment at a later stage. Patients need to be turned and cleaned regularly.
Fact file n n n n n
Bed sores are also called pressure sores or pressure ulcers. Keep changing the position of the bed ridden patients every 2 hours. Areas like the lower back, where the pressure is high, need to be kept cushiony. Maintain proper hygiene and consume protein rich food, doctors say. Once it sets in, consult a dermatologist. Treatment will depend on severity of the sore.
ANEWS PP-LYBRIEFS YOURSELF
HOUSECALL
Custom Hypnosis Lite
Listeriosis
Custom Hypnosis is the first application where you retain complete control over your own hypnosis session. It’s perfect for short sessions at the office, long sessions at home, or a session at bedtime. You can also choose from three different background music selections to help ease the mood.
Listeriosis is an infection that can occur when a person eats food that has been contaminated with bacteria called Listeria monocytogenes (L monocytogenes). The bacterium is found in wild animals, domesticated animals, and in soil and water. They make many animals sick, leading to miscarriage and stillbirth in domestic animals. Vegetable, meet, raw milk and other food may get contaminated.
DID YOU KNOW? Pregnant women dream of frogs! The three things pregnant women dream most of during their first trimester are frogs, worms and potted plants. Pregnancy hormones can cause mood swings, cravings and many other unexpected changes. Oddly enough, hormones can often affect the types of dreams women have.
PIONEERS Yik San Kwoh Dr Yik San Kwoh is the inventor of robot/software interface program used in the first robot-aided surgery. This was developed to overcome the limitations of minimally-invasive surgery and to enhance the capabilities of surgeons performing open surgery. Instead of directly moving the instruments, the surgeon uses either a direct telemanipulator or does it through computer control.
20
health THURSDAY, DECEMBER 13, 2012
BREAKTHROUGH
US docs defeat leukaemia with modified HIV Best of all, the doctors say, the boosted immune shield continues “to remain in the patient’s body to protect against a recurrence of the cancer.”
NEW YORK: US doctors say they have saved a seven-yearold girl who was close to dying from leukemia with a pioneering use of an unlikely ally: a modified form of the HIV virus. After fighting her disease with chemotherapy for almost two years and suffering two relapses, the young girl “faced grim prospects,” doctors at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia said. So in February this year, they agreed to take her on in an experimental program that fought fire with fire. Helped by a genetically altered HIV virus — stripped of its devastating properties that cause AIDS — doctors turned the girl’s own immune cells into a superior force able to rout the “aggressive” leukemia. The treatment of Emily Whitehead was one of the very first of its kind and cannot yet be considered “a magic bullet,” the
Doctor’s corner Dr Divya T Sudarshan
Diet is a four letter word Many of my friends keep telling me to lose weight. I have tried many techniques but nothing seems to help. Please advise. (contd from last week)
FUNDAS TO LOSE WEIGHT
n Never think of dieting and exercise as punishment. The only negative should be on the weighing scale. n Never tell anyone you are on a diet. It’s a personal milestone. So keep it that way. n Never refuse food at gatherings. Take stuff on your plate and nibble what you want. n Never start a diet with a friend. Support groups can distress you on an empty stomach. n Never overdo anything.
TIPS TO STAY ON A DIET
1 2 hospital said. But in Emily’s case, it apparently worked completely. First, millions of the girl’s natural immune system cells were removed. Then the modified HIV virus was used to carry in a new gene that would boost the immune cells and help them spot, then attack cancer cells that had previously been able to sneak in “under the radar,” the hospital said on its website. Finally the rebooted immune cells were sent back in to do their work. “The researchers have created a guided missile that locks in on and kills B cells, thereby attacking B-cell leukemia,” the hospital said. Pediatric oncologist Stephan Grupp, who cared for the girl, explained Tuesday that there was never any danger of AIDS during the process. “The way we get the new gene into the T cells (immune
cells) is by using a virus. This virus was developed from the HIV virus, however all of the parts of the HIV virus that can cause disease are removed,” he said in an email. “It is impossible to catch HIV or any other infection. What’s left is the property of the HIV virus that allows it to put new genes into cells.” During the treatment, Emily became very ill and went into the intensive care unit, underlining how risky the procedure can be. However, drugs that partly block the immune reaction were administered, without interfering with the anti-leukemia action, and she recovered, the hospital said. The result was “complete” and best of all, the doctors say, the boosted immune shield continues “to remain in the patient’s body to protect against a recurrence of the cancer.” “She has no leukemia in her
body for any test that we can do — even the most sensitive tests,” Grupp told ABC television. “We need to see that the remission goes on for a couple of years before we think about whether she is cured or not. It is too soon to say.” Grupp said on the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia website that cell therapies might eventually replace the more costly, painful bone marrow transplant treatment, a standard last-ditch defense against cancer. “I’ve been meeting with families to discuss bone marrow transplant for 20 years,” he said. “In almost every meeting, I say that bone marrow transplant is very hard and that if we had an alternative for children at that point in treatment, I would be delighted to put myself out of business. And for the first time, we’re seeing how that might actually happen.” AFP
Buy yourself a nice dress just a bit smaller than your present size, and get ready to fit it. Empty your cupboards, take out all the easy to snack on stuff, and load up on things you can make instead. Think of the stuff you can eat, not what you can’t. Be careful about night time snacks, they don’t digest easily. Enjoy your favourite foods, in moderation. Never get very hungry, try and keep snacking. So five small meals is better than three big ones. Spice your foods. It will improve the taste, and make you eat less (and drink more water too)! Be physically active all through the day. Even 10 steps to climb is good. Eat when you are hungry, eat as much as you need to. Diet is a four letter word; we need to think of it as smart eating. And we need to find comfort in hobbies, friends, family, and work — not food! The writer is a gynaecologist and obstetrician at Happy Women Clinic. You can write in to her at happywomenclinic@gmail.com or call her on 9959729444/ 9581952485.
3 4 5 6 7
8 9
21
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 13, 2012
Entertainment CINE BYTES
Joyalukkas ropes in Allu Arjun
A
llu Arjun has been roped in as the new brand ambassador of a popular jewellery brand Joyalukkas. So far, Sneha and Madhavan had been endorsing the brand. An ad featuring Allu Arjun will be shot soon. In the past, Allu Arjun had endorsed 7 UP and Colgate.
Balupu’s next schedule in Vizag
T
he second schedule of Ravi Teja’s upcoming film Balupu is going to be held in Vizag from December 15 onwards. Shruti Haasan is playing the lead role opposite Ravi Teja and Anjali is playing the second lead. Gopichand Malineni is directing the film
Rajamouli praises Krish
R
ajamouli is all praises for Krish after the latter narrated him the story of his upcoming film Shivam starring Mahesh Babu.
CELEBRATION TIME
SVSC is like a breath of fresh air
Venkatesh, who’s celebrating his birthday today, is extremely excited about his forthcoming film Seethamma Vaakitlo Sirimalle Chettu and says that it’ll be a fresh experience for the audience. In a conversation with Postnoon, he talks more about his films, his plans to do more multistarrers and life beyond films. HEMANTH KUMAR hemanth.k@postnoon.com
V
enkatesh, who turns 53 today, is totally at ease with his life. The philosophical tone in his revelations about life remains intact, but what does come as a pleasant surprise is his future plans in cinema. “I have to admit that at some point actors like me have to look for a graceful exit. We can’t go on doing larger than life roles which is why I am open to do more character oriented roles and multistarrers. In fact, I have told several directors and writers to write different characters for me and I would love to team up with younger actors,” Venkatesh says. No wonder, he’s extremely excited about his forthcoming film Seethamma Vaakitlo Sirimalle Chettu in which he’ll be sharing the screen space with Mahesh Babu, Samantha, Anjali, Prakash Raj and Jayasudha. He’s all praises for director Srikanth Addala and producer Dil Raju who have been working on the project for more than a year. “Srikanth told me the script almost two years ago. It’s a big burden for him as well, but he’s handled everything very well. He’s pure from the inside,” he adds. With such a big star cast and the tag of being the first multistarrer in years, there are a lot of expectations on the film. But, is it going to be any different from the family entertainers we have seen in the past? “It’s essentially a story of two brothers and ten minutes into the story, you’ll feel the difference. It’s a character
oriented film and the emotions are quite real. Seethamma Vaakitlo Sirimalle Chettu will be like a whiff of fresh air for the audience. Everyone will identify with the emotions which the family shares,” he reveals. He admits that he got along with Mahesh Babu like house on fire and says, “Mahesh is an intense actor and very serious when it comes to work. He knows what he wants and he has improved tremendously over the years. Even he is playing a character like this after a long time. The good thing is that neither of us carried any baggage when we decided to act in the film. We shouldn’t be looking at our image when it comes to such good projects.” After Seethamma Vaakitlo Sirimalle Chettu, Venkatesh’s next film is Meher Ramesh’s Shadow which is an action entertainer. “Meher is doing his best to present me in a new avatar. Shadow is a clean revenge drama with lots of high voltage action scenes; however, they are choreographed in a different way so that everyone can enjoy them. Everytime I think of stop doing such roles, someone comes along and convinces me to give one more shot and then it’s all back to square one,” he quips. We agree and that brings the topic back to the choices he has been making in the recent few years. Is it conscious decision to do a select few projects these days? “All said and done, I have a life beyond films as well. I have my
family, friends and I keep travelling a lot. Few days ago, I had gone to Madikeri in Karnataka and keep visiting Ramana Maharshi’s ashram in Thiruvannamalai. I feel it’s really important to introspect and come to terms with reality of our lives,” he signs off.
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 13, 2012
fashion
VICTORIA’S SECRET ANGEL ADVISES AGAINST MODELLING VICTORIA'S SECRET Angel Cameron Russell doesn't recommend following her chosen career path. The 25-yearold has advised aspiring models to choose a vocation that's not "out of your control".
ASOS RHINESTONE SPIKE DOORKNOCKER EARRINGS
ASOS CROSS GEM STUD EARRINGS
Earrings An easy way to get some sparkle in your wardrobe is with a pair of diamond or glass earrings. Hoops, dangling chandeliers, studs, all work well depending on your face shape. Go for the coloured stones instead of prissy diamond studs. Not-too-expensive options from high street labels like ASOS, Forever 21, Zara, make way for fun accessories to wear with a formal dress or even torn jeans and sweat shirt. Let your face take center stage with hair pulled back into a ponytail or chignon and sparkling baubles on the ear lobes.
DIOR VIII BLACK AUTO DIAMOND SNOW-SET BEZEL
SWAROVSKI NATHALIE EARRINGS
DIOR VIII 33 MM AUTOMATIC WHITE DIAMOND SNOW SET BEZE
Timepieces A jewelry timepiece is a long-term investment in your wardrobe and definitely shines apart in one’s look. A sparkly wristwatch can be worn with any party outfit and will definitely elevate the style quotient. It is also a great gift item for girl friends as one size usually fits all and a good wristwatch is designed to appeal for a number of years as opposed to a seasonal fashion cycle. For example the Dior VIII Black Ceramic and Diamond Snow Set Bezel is a watch-making classic of timeless Parisian elegance.
22&23
WUNDERKIND CELEBRATES ANNIVERSARY WITH ARCHIVE COLLECTION LUXURY German label Wunderkind is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year by launching a capsule archive collection based on the brand's most celebrated pieces.which will open at the The Old Sorting Office on August 3.
One cannot deny that December is the party month of the year. Take some spare change of your savings and buy yourself a sparkling piece of jewelry to shine in this festive season. Here are some items that may catch your fancy.
Rings Besides the romantic connotations of a diamond ring, this festive season go buy yourself a sparkling band just to match your festive mood. A glass or diamond ring is a great addition to a somber or decadent outfit. If diamonds are not your choice of the stone, then there are enough great options in glass, Swarovski in colours bright and brilliant to make your hand stand bright like a Christmas tree. Wear a single big bauble or stack thin bands in gold, red, silver, green, blue depending on your fashion mood.
RIVER ISLAND VINTAGE STYLE COCKTAIL RING
PARTY
SWAROVSKI NIRVANA
Sparklers 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. As a fashion writer, she hopes to promote Indian fashion among Indians and on a global level too.
Body jewellery
Hair accessories
A fashion centric choice to go for the season would be body jewellery that was made popular through many runway shows. In Paris, Manish Arora displayed a ornamental look and at the Chanel show, Karl Lagerfeld dedicated an entire collection to India titling it ‘ParisBombay’. Maximalist style of jewellery in traditional form and in body art form of hand bracelets, arm bracelets, maangtikka and chest brace were displayed at these shows.
A subtle way to get in the party mode is wearing studded hair clips and hair bands. Ever since the hair accessories trend has been spotted on the runway and silver screen, there are numerous options available in the market. The ethereal look with a golden wreath on the forehead is a festive look for the daring. A smaller clip in Swarovski and stones adds a hidden detail to an easy wavy hair chignon.
HAIR CLIP BY JENNIFER BEHR
Entertainment THURSDAY, DECEMBER 13, 2012
24
Entertainment THURSDAY, DECEMBER 13, 2012
25
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 13, 2012
Chai Time
Play & Win
Please send in your filled-in entries to Postnoon, #1246, Level 3, Jubilee Casa, Road No 62, Jubilee Hills, Hyderabad – 500033. The winners will be announced on this page in Sunday’s edition.
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 refer-
QUICK CROSSWORD enced 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.
Play & Win
voucher from VENKEY’S VEG Restaurant, Nampally
ACROSS
SCRIBBLING PAD
Play & Win voucher from VENKEY’S VEG Restaurant, Nampally
SUDOKU
PREVIOUS PUZZLE ANSWER
26
Play & Win voucher from VENKEY’S VEG Restaurant, Nampally
1 One ___ customer 4 It may have reservations 9 Lower in rank 14 Wish never happened 15 Sharpened, as a knife 16 Memorable Charlton Heston role 17 Scrambled fare 18 Abated, as a tide 19 Opposite of liability 20 Too much, then too little 23 Do some cartooning 24 Kind of magnetism 27 ‘Good!’ in Genoa 28 Sewing room outburst? 31 ‘... ___ to leap tall buildings ...’ 32 Sculptor Jean 35 Lavish affection (on) 37 Adolescent boy 38 Sentry’s question 41 Monopolist’s portion 43 Black and white snack since 1912 44 It has a stash of cash 45 Musical chairs goal 47 Accelerator particles 49 Did impressions of 53 Feeling of compassion
55 Descended from the same language 58 Choice for one whose back is against the wall 61 Romantic hopeful 63 Israel’s main port 64 Part of a New Year’s Eve countdown 65 Atop 66 Shaped into a sphere 67 Affront, in slang 68 Religious ceremonies 69 People who log into workstations 70 What thespians do
DOWN 1 Easy house to put up 2 ‘Desire Under the Elms’ playwright O’Neill 3 Put back on, as weight 4 Eighth Greek letter 5 Many an Asimov character 6 Like some pedigreed dogs 7 Chili con carne ingredient 8 Icelandic poetry collection 9 At full speed, at sea 10 Sarajevo locale 11 Put together, as a model
12 The Who’s ‘I Can ___ For Miles’ 13 Winter hrs in Buffalo 21 Not spread carefully 22 Meditative word 25 Words before ‘carte’ 26 Was a front-runner 29 Supplementary feature 30 A pal of Pooh 33 Diamond ___ (country music group) 34 ‘___ the thought!’ 36 Little amphibian 38 Police officer, slangily 39 ‘The One’ played by Keanu 40 A Middle Easterner 41 Cleopatra’s slayer 42 Place for a shepherd 46 Shoplift 48 Copier of a manuscript 50 Asian shrine 51 Cuisine choice 52 Abhor 54 Brutish baddies 56 Job seeker’s success 57 Sword lilies, for short 59 ‘___ shalt not steal’ 60 Two in a row? 61 Type of paint or party 62 Cummerbund for a geisha
Chai Time THURSDAY, DECEMBER 13, 2012 Thiruvaikumar
STAR POWER for 14-12-2012
27
As per Hindu panchang thiruvaikumar@yahoo. co. in, 040-27177230 / 9177596118
ARIES
TAURUS
GEMINI
CANCER
LEO
VIRGO
LIBRA
SCORPIO
SAGITTARIUS
CAPRICORN
AQUARIUS
PISCES
Though indirect opposition likely, good effects will be more and bad effects less. Businessmen will see an improvement, especially, individual businessmen will flourish well. Women will ensure the family stays away from tensions.
STRIP TEASE AGNES
You meet old friends after a long time and enjoy being in their company. Also, you will get a chance to meet close relatives after a long gap in a marriage or gettogether celebration. Businessmen will be successful in their new plans.
Newlyweds will be blessed with an offspring. A happy atmosphere will prevail in the family. Some will buy a new vehicle by exchanging an old one. Those in the business of readymade garments, textiles and FMCG products will see a boom time.
Sudden journey likely. Some of you will be forced to sell ancestral property. Mother's health needs to be taken care of. Avoid entering speculative deals. You will take bold decisions, which will yield desired results. Misunderstanding with partners likely.
Drive away your imagination of treating office work as huge, while they are small if properly planned and attend to. Official trips will be successful and bring you cheer. You will get a good opportunity to expose showcase your skills.
Comforts are likely to improve. Considerable improvement likely in financial situation. Family will remain in a peaceful atmosphere. You will have to spend more for fulfilling the wishes of children. Minor misunderstanding likely between couples.
Your mind will become clear and hence take decisions easily without hesitation. Comforts will increase and also necessary steps will be taken to improve income. Newlyweds will be happy to hear news of their offspring’s arrival.
Reduce anger or else you will not be able to do any work you have undertaken. Deficit financial situation likely added with increased expenses. Avoid giving guarantee to anyone. You will have to struggle hard to complete commitments.
Avoid getting emotional under any circumstance. Never be negligent in govt-related issues. Chances of misunderstanding with mother; be careful and avoid such a situation. Tension and work burden likely to upset you.
TAROT READ
Sumaa Tekur
tarotreadhyd@gmail. com
ARIES:
GEMINI:
Page of Swords – You’re feeling adventurous and are in the mood to try out something new. Share this time with loved ones. You’ll enjoy the time even more.
LEO:
Five of Wands – This is a day of contradictions. Not everything is as straight as it appears. Don’t get into conflict situations with anyone. Keep a low profile.
LIBRA:
PEARLS BEFORE SWINE
Five of Pentacles – This card stands for misery and some form of loss. Keep a positive outlook and don’t give up on your own beliefs. Yet, stay practical.
SAGITTARIUS:
Seven of Cups – Material possessions are your focus. You want to secure yourself, financially, and are actively working towards it. All goals will be achieved.
TAURUS:
The Lovers – Decision time! Where do you want to take this relationship? You can’t be a fence-sitter forever. Make a decision and leave the rest to fate.
CANCER:
Ten of Cups – Family time today. Your family needs attention and you’re discovering joys of spending time with loved ones. Pause all other activities for today.
VIRGO:
Four of Cups – A job offer makes it difficult for you to decide between the familiar and jumping into the unknown. Weigh pros and cons carefully.
SCORPIO:
Six of Pentacles – Finances are in focus. You need to manage your money better. Help is at hand. You need to ask for it and you’ll get the right advice.
CAPRICORN:
Seven of Wands – Secrecy is indicated. At work, colleagues may be keeping from you some crucial information. Just don’t take anything at face value.
PREVIOUS SOLUTIONS
PISCES:
Two of Wands – It feels as though time is going very slowly. This is a waiting time period for you and you’re not used to it. Keep busy and wait it out.
NUMBER GAME
You’re tempted to go down the notso-desirable road despite warnings by those around you. Don’t yield to temptation. Take care of your reputation.
SCRABBLE
AQUARIUS: The Devil –
POOCH CAFE
Expenses must be kept under control. Politicians will be respected in the midst of friends and relatives. Women will be determined to complete all work they undertake. Businessmen will earn profits according to their expectations.
for 14-12-2012
The Magician – Your instincts are guiding you in the right direction. Learn to trust your gut feel and go with it no matter how off-key it may sound.
NON SEQUITUR
Your straightforwardness will get you a good name and all work get completed as per expectations. Businessmen need to be careful, as some of the staff might cheat them by leaking business secrets. Find them and show them the door.
SUDUKO
Good effects to take place, which will please you. Employees will get proper recognition. Those in debt will get a right way to clear them. Businessmen will get good support from their staff. Artists will see a very brisk time ahead.
Boggle JUG JAR BOTTLE BARREL THERMOS Vol: 2, No 147 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
28
Entertainment THURSDAY, DECEMBER 13, 2012
A NEW HONOUR
JENNIFER LAWRENCE named AskMen’s Most Desirable Woman of 2013
J
ennifer Lawrence is catching fire! The 22year-old actress just topped AskMen.com’s Top 99 Most Desirable Women of 2013 list. This is the latest in a string of honors for Jennifer; In addition to claiming AskMen’s top spot, she’s getting awards show buzz for her role in The Silver Linings Playbook and was named the face of Miss Dior. Jennifer jumped up from 46 spots to take the No. 1 from Sofia Vergara, who dropped to No. 12. Actress Mila Kunis took the No. 2 spot, followed by model Kate Upton and pop star Rihanna. The biggest drop belonged to Kim Kardashian, who went from No. 8 to No. 98 in 2013, almost falling off the list entirely. Surprisingly, perennial placers Jessica Alba, Gisele Bundchen, Jennifer Lopez and Megan Fox all failed to make the cut this year (AskMen’s ranking are derived from editor’s picks and reader votes). Readers definitely found power sexy. First Lady Michelle Obama debuted at No. 33 and Yahoo! CEO Marissa Mayer came in at No. 53.
CINE BYTES
Shia Labeouf sets Broadway debut in Orphans
S
hia Labeouf has been on an unpredictable career streak lately, but joining the cast of upcoming Broadway play Orphans sounds like one of his smarter moves. He’ll co-star with Alec Baldwin in Lyle Kessler’s 1983 drama about two troubled brothers who kidnap a rich older man (Baldwin).
Denise Richards caring for Charlie Sheen’s twins
B
rooke Mueller may be in rehab again, but her twin boys with Charlie Sheen are safe and sound. Sources confirm that Bob and Max are currently staying with Sheen’s ex-wife Denise Richards. Mueller reached out to Richards for help while Sheen is tied up working on his FX series, Anger Management.
Spice Girls reunite for premiere... all but one
T
he Spice Girls united in London on Wednesday evening for the world premiere of the musical based on their songs, Viva Forever. Four of the five — all but Victoria Beckham— took to the red carpet early at London’s Piccadilly Theatre and were clearly having a good time together, laughing and hugging, and posing for fans to take pictures.
sports
29
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 13, 2012
10TH JUNIOR WORLD TT CHAMPIONSHIPS
LEAGUE CRICKET
China boys and girls rule the roost SYED SHOAIB shoaib.s@postnoon.com HYDERABAD: Coming up with a fine display of power table tennis, both the boys and girls teams of China won the team championships in a ruthless show in the 10th Junior World Table Tennis Championships at the Gachibowli Indoor Stadium in the City on Wednesday. While the girls, who came into the tournament as third seeds steamrolled the top seeded Japan team 3-0, the boys
came up with a powerful performance that got them a 3-1 victory over their Japanese counterparts. Fan Zhendong (China) beat Yoshida Masaki (Japan) 11-7, 11-5 11-7; Lin Gaoyuan (China) beat Muramatsu Yuto (Japan) 11-3, 11-9, 11-4; Xu Chenhao (China) beat Sadai Asuka (Japan) 11-6, 11-13, 11-6, 11-7. The confidence in the Chinese players made a vast difference in the sport in which self-belief makes a huge impact, since the reflexes play an important role in the proceed-
ings. Without any exception the players of China grew in confidence as the games proceeded, enabling to play freely and aggressively. The Japan players paid the price for being too defensive giving their opponents more chances to dominate the games. The tournament moves onto the other championships from Thursday, which will decide the gold, silver and bronze medallists in the individual, doubles and mixed doubles categories.
HCCL wins Zonah LaserMaxx Cup HYDERABAD: It was a fitting final for an exciting tournament; Ivy Comptech batted first and scored 172 runs led by Deepak Verma who scored 96 runs off just 49 balls. In their chase, HCCL started a little slow and needed 100 runs to win in 10 overs;
RANJI TROPHY
Qutub Alam Khan scored 61 off just 38 balls with a six, Zulfi Mirza hit a four towards square leg and Mir Umair Ahmed hammered a huge six over mid wicket, followed by two fours and another six to finish the game with two balls to spare.
COL CK NAYUDU TROPHY Hyderabad ‘A’ draw with Andhra ‘A’ in
Hyderabad Ranji team against Bengal
Grover Sudhanshu of India plays Lim Jonghoon of Korea in the boys singles category of the 10th World Junior Table Tennis Championships in the Gachibowli Indoor Stadium in the City on Thursday. SRINIVAS SETTY
HYDERABAD: The following players have been selected to represent Hyderabad to play Bengal in the forthcoming Ranji Trophy match to be played at Kolkata from December 15. Team: P Akshath Reddy (captain), B Sandeep (vice-captain), Parth Jhala ,GH Vihari, Ahmed Quadri, K Sumanth, Ashish Reddy, Mehdi Hasan, PM Sarvesh Kumar, Ahwar Ahmed Khan, Habeeb Ahmed, Vishal Sharma, Akash Bhandari, Paramveer Singh, Ravi Kiran Coach: Sunil Joshi Fielding Coach: Noel I David
Day 4 Andhra 262 and 224 for 5 (DB Prasanth 128no, M Prajith 58, Akash Bhandari 2 for 73) Hyderabad 228 Match ends in a draw. A Division Two Days League Championship Ccob 383 (Shaik Mohd 140, Siddique Afsar 124, SM Murtuza 30, Surjan 5 for 89) bt Osmania 167 (Ram Prasad 40, Ganesh 45, Syed Muzammil 5 for 72, Syed Shaker Ahmed 3 for 39)
HYDERABAD TRACK WORK Vijays Champ, Vijays Pride look to be in rousing form Vijays Champ, Vijays Pride, Elenor, Nasheeta, Vijays Best, Fastest Finger and Kohinoor Wish caught the eye when horses were exercised at the Malakpet racecourse in the City this morning. Sand track 800 metres Elenor (Imran Khan) 56.5, 600/42 Pleased. Our Mascot (Imran Khan) 56, 600/42 Moved well. Kohinoor Vikrant (Ajit Kumar) 58, 600/44 Easy. Grigori (rb) 1-3, 600/48 Easy. Vijaysjyoti (Togrolu) 59.5, 600/45 Easy. All The Fun (Anil) 59, 600/45 Moved freely. 2y. Kohinoor Thunder (Ajit Kumar) 58.5, 600/43 Un-extended. 2y. Palm Springs (Christopher) Bloody Mary (Kuldeep Singh) 1-2.5, 600/47.5 They moved
freely and finished together Fighting Fit (Kuldeep Singh) Lake King (AK Pawar) 57.5, 600/42 Former finished a length in front. 2y. Cold Smile (Anil) 55.5, 600/42 Pleased. Ice Lolly (Christopher) 2y. Coral Springs (S Nayak) 57, 600/40 They moved well and finished together. Robust (Togrolu) 57.5, 600/43.5 Moved well. Golden Jewel (app) 56.5, 600/42 Urged. 2y. Ice Barrier (Anil) 57.5, 600/43 Moved on the bit. Win And Enjoy (Joshi) 1-2, 600/47 Easy. Palace Affairs (Ajit Kumar)
56, 600/42 Slightly pushed. 2y. Over Look (Anil) 58, 600/44 Pushed. 2y. Golden Art (Ajit Kumar) 1-1.5, 600/46 Easy. Vijay Kiran (Ali Khan) 58, 600/44 Moved freely. Daniella (rb) 2y. Power Drive (Imran Khan) 1-1, 600/46 They were easy. Sand track 1000 metres Nano Desire (C Henrique) 1-13, 800/57, 600/43 Moved well. Vijays Pride (Joshi) 1-11, 800/55, 600/41.5 Impressed. Nasheeta (Imran Khan) 1-11.5, 800/56.5, 600/44 Moved well.
Specialist (Ravinder Singh) 1-13, 800/57, 600/43.5 Moved on the bit. Street Magic (app) 1-12, 800/55, 600/42 Pleased. Vijays Best (Togrolu) 1-10, 800/55, 600/42 Caught the eye. Rajkumari (Imran Khan) 1-13, 800/56, 600/42 Speedy. Handsome Hunk (Deep Shanker) 2y. Think Twice (Anil) 1-18, 800/1-1, 600/46 They moved freely. Sand track 1200 metres 2y. Fastezst Finger (Joshi) Play The Music (app) 1-30, 1000/110.5, 800/55, 600/42 Former
impressed while finishing level. Kohinoor Wish (Ravinder Singh) 1-26, 1000/1-10, 800/55, 600/42 Impressed. Aerosmith (N.Rawal) 1-28, 1000/1-13, 800/57, 600/43.5 moved on the bit. Sand track 1400 metres Vijays Champ (Ravinder Singh) 1-41.5, 1200/1-24.5, 1000/19.5, 800/55.5, 600/41 In rousing form. Dauntless (rb) Lioness Heart (Imran Khan) 147, 1200/1-30.5, 1000/1-13, 800/57.5, 600/43.5 They finished together.
sports
30
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 13, 2012
2013 SEASON
Big three to fab four
Murray joined Djokovic, Federer and Nadal as a Grand Slam title winner in ‘12 as the big 3 became the fab 4. DAVE JAMES Agence France-Presse PARIS: Andy Murray joined Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer and the injury-cursed Rafael Nadal as a Grand Slam title winner in 2012 as the big three became the fab four. But with the 2013 season beginning just over two weeks’ time, the lingering uncertainty over the future of Nadal once again was dominating the build-up to the new campaign.
Nadal is due to return to action at a three-day event from Dec 27, but he has already warned against high expectations. Nadal clinched a record seventh French Open title in June defeating Djokovic 6-4, 6-3, 2-6, 7-5. It shattered Djokovic’s bid to emulate Don Budge and Rod Laver by holding all the Grand Slams at once. Victory in Paris was Nadal’s 11th Grand Slam title, but a shock second round Wimbledon loss to Czech Lukas Rosol brought a premature end to the Spaniard’s season as another battle against a knee injury meant he mis-
sed the Olympics and the US Open. Nadal is due to return to action at a three-day exhibition event in Abu Dhabi from December 27, but he has already warned against high expectations. “I don’t expect to return and win the Australian Open,” he said. “I want to be 100 percent fit in time for the Monte Carlo Masters and the runup to the French Open.” Nadal and Djokovic, who was to end 2012 as world number one and be named player of the year, had already set the scene for an enthralling season in a gripping Australian Open final. Defending champion Djokovic prevailed in an epic five-set contest which clocked in at 5hr 53min — the longest title match in Grand Slam history. Djokovic fought back from losing the first set to take a 2-1 lead, but he was then taken to a gripping fifth set by resurgent Nadal before winning 5-7, 6-4, 6-2, 6-7 (5/7), 7-5 for his third consecutive major title. Although Djokovic missed out in Paris, the Serb still featured in three of the season’s four major finals. His disappointment at his five-set loss to Murray at the US Open would eventually be eased by capturing the year-ending ATP World Tour Finals title in London.
DOPING TROUBLE
Thorpe ‘happy’ at Armstrong’s downfall DOHA: Swimming champion Ian Thorpe said on Wednesday he was “happy” at Lance Armstrong’s downfall and congratulated the doping authorities that exposed the seven-time Tour de France winner as a drug cheat. “I was happy. It shows that no matter who you are and whatever you do, you can fall,” Thorpe said on the closing day of the Doha Goals sporting forum. The Australian legend paid
tribute to the US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) and its president Travis Tygart who was at the heart of revealing Armstrong’s systematic doping that helped him become the biggest name in the sport. Armstrong was stripped of his seven Tour de France titles and banned from the sport for life in October after the USADA produced evidence of widespread doping by him and his former team-mates. AFP
SPORTS BRIEFS London sets bar high for 2020 bid trio
Watson on top for Ryder Cup job
PARIS: The three candidates stan-
NEW YORK: Eight time major
ding to win the right to host the ‘20 Games, acknowledge that they have a tough task to emulate the Games hosted successfully by London this year. Delegations from the Istanbul, Madrid and Tokyo bids were all in London and the appraisal of IOC President Jacques Rogge at the closing ceremony will still be ringing in their ears.
champion Tom Watson appears to be the frontrunner to be named the United States Ryder Cup captain on Thursday for the 2014 edition in Gleneagles, Scotland. The PGA of America could be poised to pick the former captain and five-time British Open winner as their next skipper, Golf Digest reported on its website.
The path of tennis greats (from top-left, clockwise) Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal would be carefully monitored in the 2013 season.
RETIREMENT PLANS
Clijsters bids farewell with win ANTWERP, BELGIUM: Former world number one Kim Clijsters celebrated the end of her sparkling tennis career with a victory in an exhibition match against American rival Venus Williams on Wednesday. The Belgian, who won 41 career singles titles, played her last official match at the US Open in August, but was keen to play for one last time in front of her home support. With a crowd of 13,000 looking on, the 29-year-old beat Williams 6-3, 6-3. “I had no regrets at stopping my career on August 29 at the US Open, and I still don’t have any. Sorry to stop you,” said Clijsters. “There’s not just tennis in my life. I like cooking, gardening, reading, decorating the house, putting up the Christmas tree and running.” Clijsters retired for the first time in 2007 to give birth to daughter with no plans to return, feeling she accomplished her Grand Slam dream with a 2005 US Open title. But she returned in 2009 and with only two tune-up events captured the US Open title - becoming the first mother to win a Grand Slam title since 1980, defended the crown in 2010 and added a 2011 Australian Open title just for good measure.
FINA WORLD SHORTCOURSE CHAMPIONSHIPS
Lochte strikes double
Lochte bagged two golds on the first day of the world shortcourse championships to add to the five medals he won in London.
Ryan Lochte of USA competes in the Men’s 100m Butterfly semi-finals during the 11th FINA Short Course World Championships at the Sinan Erdem Dome on Wednesday in Istanbul. AFP/MIRA
ISTANBUL: US swim star Ryan Lochte (above) bagged two golds on the opening day of the world shortcourse championships on Wednesday to add to the five medals he won in the London Olympics in the summer. He first led from start to finish to win the men’s 200m freestyle before he teamed up with Anthony Ervin, James Feigen
and Matthew Grevers to win the 4x100m freestyle relay. Lochte was pushed hard by Germany’s Paul Biedermann in the 200m freestyle, but he clocked 1min 41.92sec to claim his 15th career world short course championships gold medal. The second gold was secured in a much tougher contest and needed anchor leg
swimmer Grevers to chase down and overtake Russia’s Artem Lobuzov and then hold off the late charge of Italy’s Filippo Magnini to secure Lochte’s 16th gold medal in the championships history. Those two golds saw the US team sit atop the medals standings at the end of day one, with the USA women adding a third gold by winning the final race of the day, the 4x200m freestyle relay. Megan Romano, Chelsea Chenault, Shannon Vreeland and Allison Schmitt were pushed all the way by Russia, but Schmitt’s greater strength over the final 200m brought them home in front. Elsewhere it was a good day for eastern European women. Hungary’s Katinka Hosszu set a competition record of 2:02.20 when she won gold in the 200m buttefly also became the first Hungarian woman to win a medal in championship history.
sports
31
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 13, 2012
ENGLAND’S TOUR OF INDIA
India in command
NAGPUR: England were 61 for two at lunch on the first day of the Fourth and final Test against India. Having won the toss, the tourstists elected to bat but their decision seemed to backfire as they lost two quick wickets for a paltry 16 runs. Trailing 2-1 in the four-match series, India pushed the Englishmen on the defencive from the very first ball. With Zaheer Khan being sacked after puting up a poor dis-
play with the ball adn Umesh Yadav yet to recover from a back injury, the pressure was on Ishant Sharma, who also happens to the only regular pacer currently in the team. The lanky bowler bowled a tight line and lenght which saw him claim the two wickets which fell in the morning session. His first victim was Nick Compon who was dismissed for three. The batsman stayed in his crease and poked at a short of a length ball that rose and was on
SRI LANKA’S TOUR OF AUSTRALIA
its way down as it passed Compton. It took the outside edge and India’s Mahendra Singh Dhoni had to stoop to take the catch. England lost their first wicket with the score reading three for one. The next to go was England skipper, Alastair Cook. While it was claimed that the ball would have missed the stumps, Sharma was lucky to have gotten away with that, as the danger man, who had dented India’s hopes on numerous instances earlier, was trapped leg before.
SCOREBOARD ENGLAND 1ST INNINGS AN Cook lbw b Sharma
1
Compton c †Dhoni b Sharma
3
IJL Trott not out
28
KP Pietersen not out
28
Extras
(lb 1)
Total
(2 wickets)
1 61
Fall of wickets: 1-3, 2-16 Bowling
O M
R W
I Sharma
8 3
9
PP Ojha
10 4 14 0
RA Jadeja
8 4 19 0
PP Chawla
5 1 14 0
R Ashwin
2 1
4
2
0
THE ‘TAYLOR’ EFFECT
Dimuth to open innings Captaincy row rages ROBERT SMITH Agence France-Presse HOBART, AUSTRALIA: Rookie Dimuth Karunaratne was picked to open the Sri Lankan batting with Tillakaratne Dilshan in the first Test against Australia in Hobart on Friday. The 24-year-old will be making only his second Test appearance on an expected lively Bellerive Oval wicket in the first of three Tests. Nuwan Kulasekara, Shaminda Eranga and Chanaka Welegedara lead the pace attack supported by left-arm spinner Rangana Herath and the swing bowling of Angelo Mathews in a team announced Thursday. Former Australian fast bowler Rodney Hogg has rubbished the Sri Lankan quicks as the “worst ever” to come to Australia, with Kulasekara, Eranga and Welegedara only having 38 Tests and 99 wickets between them. Mahela Jayawardene said injuries and retirements had forced Sri Lanka to overhaul their new-ball attack, but he was confident his pace brigade
Jayawardene to give up captaincy
Mahela Jayawardena leaps during a training session on Thursday ahead of the match against Australia.
could do the job against the third-ranked Australians. “Teams have to start somewhere. I think we’ve lost some fast bowlers in the past and some with injuries and this is an attack that is probably different,” Jayawardene said. “We don’t probably have the pace that you (Australia) think
HOBART, AUSTRALIA: Mahela Jayawardene said on Thursday he will give up the captaincy after Sri Lanka’s current Test and one-day tour of Australia, with Angelo Mathews seen as his likely replacement. The 35-year-old said it was time for a younger leader and nominated Mathews, his vice-captain, as ideal to assume the role. Jayawardene’s second stint as captain began in January, when he was called in to replace Tillakaratne Dilshan and he committed to a 12-month tenure, which expires at the end of the current tour. “I took over the captaincy for 12 months and that ends after this series,” said Jayawardene. AFP
is required to win Test matches in Australia, but we’ve got guys who will bowl good line and length and create opportunities and if we keep to that I think we stand a good chance. “We’ll see. We’ve got three Test matches to play and once we finish that I’ll have a chat with Rodney Hogg.”
WELLINGTON: New Zealand cricket chiefs issued a public apology to axed captain Ross Taylor Wednesday, as a weakened Black Caps side prepared to depart for South Africa without the in-form batsman. Taylor opted to sit out the tour against the Proteas after being replaced by Brendon McCullum last Friday, leaving a gaping hole in the New Zealand batting line-up as the side faces the world’s top-ranked Test team. The axing also exposed deep divisions within New Zealand cricketing circles and provoked a backlash against administrators over Taylor’s treatment. NZC chairman Chris Moller acknowledged the issue could have been handled better, but stood by the decision to appoint McCullum and said there would be no sackings. “The board has reviewed all aspects of the captaincy issue and wishes to publicly place on record its apologies to Ross Taylor and his family for the manner in which events have unfolded,” Moller said. The drama is a distraction any team poised to confront the
Crowe torches blazer over captain sacking WELLINGTON: Batting great Martin Crowe has burned his New Zealand Cricket (NZC) blazer in protest at Ross Taylor’s sacking as the team captain, reports said on Thursday. Crowe, widely hailed as New Zealand’s best ever batsman, has been fiercely critical of last week’s decision to drop Taylor in favour of Brendon McCullum in an effort to reinvigorate the misfiring Black Caps. The New Zealand Herald reported that Crowe torched his prized blazer last Friday, when news of Taylor’s demotion was made public. It said he tweeted “Burnt NZ cricket blazer Dec 7, 2012. RIP”, adding that both the tweet and the account it was sent from had since been deleted.
Proteas at home could do without, let alone one ranked eighth in the world and already without Dan Vettori and Jesse Ryder. “What’s unfolding at the moment is very disappointing,” McCullum, a close associate of coach Mike Hesson, told reporters this week after denying he had any role in Taylor’s downfall.
CRICKET BRIEFS Clarke curbs Aussie complacency against Sri Lanka HOBART: Skipper Michael Clarke has vowed there will be no complacency in the Test series with Sri Lanka, insisting Australia will improve on their recent performances against South Africa. The Australians had the better of the opening two Tests against the world number one Proteas only to be crushed by 309 runs in the series decider in Perth last week. Sri Lanka are ranked sixth in the world, have not won in 10 Tests in Australia over 25 years and are rated outsiders to upset Clarke’s team in the
three-Test series, beginning in Hobart on Friday. Former Australian quick Rodney Hogg has rubbished the Sri Lankan attack as the “worst ever” to come to Australia, with Nuwan Kulasekara, Shaminda Eranga and Chanaka Welegedara only having 38 Tests and 99 wickets between them. Clarke said the third-ranked Australia were focused only on beating Sri Lanka in the first Test since 168-Test great Ricky Ponting’s retirement. “The opposition is irrelevant to how you judge yourself as players,” he said.
One-dayers will soon become ‘obsolete’: Adam Gilchrist SYDNEY: Australian cricket great Adam Gilchrist believes the one-day format is on an irreversible slide and will be “history” in three years, a report said on Thursday. The trailblazing wicketkeeper-batsman fears the 50-over game, which has been losing its appeal in Australia since the ascent of Twenty20 cricket, will likely not last beyond the 2015 World Cup in Australia and New Zealand. “I reckon about three years, as I see it, and it will be pretty much gone,” Gilchrist, who made his name in
Australia’s one-day team before a brilliant 96-match Test career, told radio station Triple M. “There is a World Cup in 2015 — I believe TV deals are all locked away to get to that, and those commitments will be fulfilled. But after that I think it will be history. I suspect that one-day cricket may be obsolete in about three years’ time,” he added. “I suspect that after that the appetite for it might diminish, and all the TV programmers and the administrators will be focusing on the two other forms (T20 and Test cricket).
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 13, 2012
sports
DESTRO ANKLE BLOW FOR ROMA’S SERIE A MATCH Roma forward Mattia Destro has suffered a knock to his ankle that makes him a doubt for Saturday’s Serie A match against Chievo, the capital club indicated. After scoring in the 3-0 Italian Cup win over Atalanta on Tuesday, Destro injured his left ankle and limped off.
SPANISH CUP
LEAGUE CUP
Messi hits brace, Bielsa in trouble
Hines sends Swansea into semis
There is a growing voice saying that Lionel Messi be declared the athlete of the year across all disciplines. MADRID: Lionel Messi (heading in pic) extended his record for goals scored in a year on Wednesday as the Argentinian maestro scored both Barcelona’s goals in their 2-0 win away at Cordoba in their Spanish Cup Last 16 first leg clash. The 25-year-old three-time Ballon D’Or winner struck in the 11th minute, after being set up by David Villa, and then in the 74th when he ran onto an Alexis Sanchez pass to score to give the holders a handy advantage to take back to the Camp Nou for the second leg in January. The brace took him to 88 for the year, three more than German legend Mueller, although earlier on Wednesday Brazilian side Flamengo suddenly piped up to claim that Zico should be the holder with 89 goals in 1979. Barcelona’s bitter rivals Real Madrid slipped to a 2-1 defeat away at La Liga strugglers Celta Vigo, though, Cristiano Ronaldo’s goal four minutes from time gives them a precious away
32
Flamengo query Messi’s goal-scoring record
LONDON: A late own goal by Seb Hines (above) saw Swansea City overcome Championship side Middlesbrough 1-0 to book their place in the League Cup semi-finals on Wednesday. A dour match in south Wales seemed destined for extra time until Boro centre-back Hines put the ball through his own goal as he tried to defend a Swansea corner in the 81st minute. Swansea join Aston Villa and fourth-tier Bradford City in the draw for the last four, with Chelsea due to visit Leeds United in the remaining quarter-final tie on December 19. Arsenal’s elimination by Bradford has opened up the competition even further.
RIO DE JANEIRO: Brazilian club Flamengo are contending that their former player Zico held the record for goal scoring in a calendar year, despite Barcelona’s Lionel Messi being credited with the accolade last week. Zico, who starred in the World Cup in 1978, 1982 and 1986 without lifting the trophy, scored 89 goals in the 1979 season, according to Flamengo. The midfielder scored 81 goals for the Rio-based club, seven with Brazil and one in a friendly, Lance newspaper reported. goal. Real’s evening had got off to a bad start when French international striker Karim Benzema had to go off in the 31st minute with what looked like a twisted ankle. AFP
UMPIRING QUESTIONED
ARSENAL AGONY
Storm clouds gather after loss TOM WILLIAMS Agence France-Presse LONDON: Arsenal’s League Cup loss to fourth-tier Bradford City was one of the lowest moments of Arsene Wenger’s (left) tenure and leaves the club scrapping to avoid an eighth straight season without a trophy. In the aftermath of
Tuesday’s penalty shoot-out loss at a wintry Valley Parade, Wenger was typically bullish, congratulating Bradford on their achievement and insisting he could not fault his players. That the upset occurred in the League Cup, and not the prestigious FA Cup, took some of the edge off of Arsenal’s disappointment, but the British press were unanimously
scathing in their verdict. “Humiliating” was the adjective universally applied to the result on the back pages, while The Times claimed Wenger was “walking on thin ice” after the latest setback in what has already been an extremely trying season. Wenger’s decision to field a strong line-up only increased the embarrassment.
BRIEFS AC Milan tie up China deal
Milan to offload youngsters in January
Juve book quarter-final with Milan or Reggina
Argentina’s Neumann signs new Adelaide deal
MILAN: AC Milan have announced a “commercial partnership” with Chinese top flight club Guangzhou Evergrande, the Serie A giants announced Wednesday. No details were released by the Rossoneri, whose CEO Adriano Galliani concluded the deal by a handshake with Guangzhou president Liu Jong Zhuo.
MILAN: Milan coach Massimiliano Allegri has indicated the club could offload some of its lesser-used younger players over the next few weeks so that they can gain muchneeded first-team experience elsewhere. A day before the Rossoneri host Reggina in an Italian Cup last 16 tie, Allegri said it was time Milan’s 32-man squad was trimmed.
MILAN: A Sebastian Giovinco goal in the 56th minute gave Juventus a 1-0 win over Cagliari on Wednesday and set the Serie A champions up with a potential Italian Cup quarter-final clash against AC Milan. Juve’s win came at what was Antonio Conte’s return to the touchline after he recently completed a four-month ban.
SYDNEY: Popular Argentine forward Jeronimo Neumann has signed a two-year extension with ALeague side Adelaide United, the club said on Thursday. Neumann, one of two Argentines, along with Marcelo Carrusca, signed by the Reds this season, has become a crowd favourite since his arrival in Australia.
Stoke cry foul over action by referees STOKE, UK: Stoke manager Tony Pulis (above) has complained to referees’ chief Mike Riley over what he regards as the different treatment his team receives by officials compared to their Premier League rivals. Pulis suggests too many referees approach Stoke games with preconceived ideas. He backs up his argument by pointing to the Potters’ position at the foot of the EPL fair play table with 32 yellow and three red cards this season. He claims Villa defender Ciaran Clark’s unpunished challenge on Stoke midfielder Glenn Whelan at the weekend should have resulted in a red card.