Postnoon E-paper for 14 December,2011 by Scribble Media & Entertainment Pvt. Ltd.

Going... going... gone!

t was a night of auctions in New York on Tuesday. The founding papers setting up Apple Computers sold for just under $1.6 million, 10 times the maximum amount that had been expected by Sotheby's auctioneers. In another auction extravaganza, a huge pearl once worn by European royalty and last owned by Elizabeth Taylor sold for a record $11.84 million. Suspended from a Cartier necklace, the pearl had been estimated to sell by Christie's for $2-3 million but the figure shot up in fierce bidding. Hyderabad’s first compact afternoon newspaper

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 14, 2011 HYDERABAD

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As it becomes increasingly difficult to be ‘obscene’ in the city, revellers have taken to partying on the fringes of the city. Farmhouses and resorts have become soughtafter venues for ‘parties’. But the police have cottoned on to this and are clamping down

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The Rupee tanked 52 paise to a record low of `53.75 per US dollar in early trading on Wednesday, a day after breaching the `53 per dollar-mark. Inflation in November dropped to 9.11 per cent from 9.73 per cent in October. The RBI will review the policy rates on Friday.

Page Two

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 14, 2011

Spirit of Twin Cities

New Mayor in New Year Inkeshaf Ahmed ahmed.m@postnoon.com

yderabad: Selection of the new Mayor for the City is likely to get delayed. In all probability, the bosses of the All India Majlis-eIttehaadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) will finalise the name of the first citizen only after the Parliament sessions are over. As part of the pact with the MIM, the Congress ensured that its candidate B Karthika Reddy would be the Mayor for the first two years, after which MIM’s candidate would take charge for the remaining three years. The process of transfer of reins, which was to happen soon after the resignation of Karthika Reddy, is getting delayed by another five days due to the

ongoing Parliament session. The City, hence, is not likely to have a Mayor for at least a month. The formalities involved in the process could take that much time. The first step in the process involves convening of the General Body Meeting (GBM) to approve the resignation of Karthika Reddy. The second step is the acceptance of the resignation by the GBM. After this process, the GHMC commissioner will send a request to the State government appealing it to issue an election notification. This process will take at least a week's time. Once the State government approves the notification and clears the deck for the issuance of a fresh election notification, the Hyderabad district collector will take charge as the presiding offi-

cer and issue a notification. As per this notification, the election of the Mayor will be conducted by convening anoth-

er GBM. The deputy Mayor of the corporation will also be named in this meeting. This entire process requires 8–10 working days. This means that the whole process will complete in a month's time or so. GHMC Secretary MSS Somaraju has also confirmed that in the present circumstances, it would take about a month's time to complete the Mayor election process. MIM party leader and Deputy Mayor Jaffer Hussain told Postnoon that their term would start from the day they assume charge and would last as per the agreement reached between the Congress and MIM parties. The GBM to approve the resignation of the Mayor is scheduled to be held on December 17.

Attempt to kill wife leads to man’s arrest

he Cyberabad police today (Wednesday) arrested a 45year-old man for allegedly attempting to kill his wife while she was asleep at their residence in Rajendranagar. The woman, who escaped the attack, approached the police for help. T Yadiah, a labourer from Kismatpur and the victim Sabita, 40, married for 15, have two children. "Around 1am today, Yadiah went to his home in an inebriated condition. The door was left open for him and his wife and children were asleep. He tried to smother his wife, but their elder daughter, Swetha woke up to the commotion and screamed out for help," said police Inspector S Jayaram. A case under Sections 307 and 498A of IPC is registered against Yadiah.

Around the city: Your guide to the Twin Cities

It’s ladies night!

Head for a girls night out with the music of DJ Kanna, winner of the "Best Hip Hop DJ for 2010". Where: The Park, Somajiguda When: 14th December , 8pm Contact: (040) 23456789

Parikrama live Catch popular band Parikrama performing live as a part of 100 Pipers Free Bird 2011 –Pure Music Festival. Where: N Conventon, Madhapur When: 14th December , 8pm Contact: (040) 64644141

Let’s play Floating gardens is a play in English by Samahaara Workshop production and directed by Devendranath Sankara Narayanan . Where: Lamakaan, Banjara Hills When: 14th December, 7:30pm Contact: 9642731329

So fresh you can taste it To experience a typical seafood market, head to the Simply Fishy Food Festival. Sample food prepared by the chefs made with fresh seafood and a variety of marinades and sauces. Where: Hyderabad Marriott & Convention Centre, Tank Bund When: Ongoing, 6.30 to 11.30 pm Contact: (040) 27522567

Christmas treat It's Christmas time, Novotel Hyderabad's Le Café celebrates the festive season with a gingerbread house. View this marvel as well as pick up Christmas goodies such as Christmas Cookies and moulded chocolate that are available on site.

CINEMAS

HAPPY BIRTHDAY RANA

Where: Novotel, Hi Tech City When: Ongoing, 11 am-11pm Contact: (040) 66824422

Myriad Reflections View a collection of paintings at Alankritha Art Gallery by Ramachandra B Pokale at an exhibition titled " Myriad Reflections". His work depicts the youth. Through his paintings he depicts women as glamorous, enticing, alluring and charming. Where: Alankritha, Jubilee Hills When: Ongoing, 11am-7pm Contact: (040) 23113709

Life in the dark An innovative format to experience and understand the daily life of the visually challenged. Get a tour in complete darkness with visually impaired guides as they lead you through situations such as crossing the road and shopping at a supermarket. Where: Inorbit Mall, Madhapur When: Ongoing, 10am to 8pm Contact: (040) 64603341/42

A night of ghazals and food Enjoy live ghazal’s along with authentic Indian dishes at Novotel Shamshabad’s Indian speciality restaurant Haldi. Where: Novotel, Shamshabad When: Ongoing, 8pm-11pm Contact: (040) 66250000

4play at 4 Hard Rock Café’s Happy Hour “4Play at 4” is on from Monday – Friday between 4:00-7:00pm. Where: Hard Rock Cafe, Road no 1 When: Monday-Friday, 4pm-7pm Contact: (040) 4476 7900

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

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City borders on obscenity COVER STORY

D Sree Charan sreecharan@postnoon.com

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 14, 2011

Campaigns, hard news and spirit of Twin Cities

ehind the curtain of serenity in resorts that dot the City outskirts are now hidden many a sin. Farm houses and resorts, once known as weekend retreat for the high and mighty to spend a few peaceful hours away from the hustle-bustle of the city life are gradually turning into virtual brothels and clubs for cabaret dancers. If the recent police raids are any indication, city youth and high profile businessmen are indulging in sex. Some star hotels too are in the race, as they have now become the new addressed for the bar dancers. The police have now decided to conduct special drives to curb such illegal activities for the upcoming New Year. The Cyberabad police on Tuesday arrested 11 women for obscene dancing at a birthday party that was held at a guest house in Party World Resort in Paswamma village. On November 12, the Medchal police raided a restaurant and arrested 31 customers and rescued 19 girls who were roped in to attract customers with seductive “obscene dance and act” and recovered `1.92 lakh, 49 cell phones, two cases of beer bottles and a DJ system. The Cyberabad police arrested 19 customers and two hotel staff of Green Valley on Rajiv Rahadari road on September 5 for organising obscene dancing and serving liquor without obtaining permission and rescued six

girls. The police also recovered `3.35 lakh, 32 cell phones, 19 beer bottles and a DJ system. All the incidents took place in the city outskirts and within less than three months of time. Senior police officials say that as the Hyderabad police has increased their vigil, the party animals to avoid from being caught has now shifted their base to the city outskirts. Farm houses, resorts and star hotels act as perfect cover for such activities as the police don’t pay much attention. The organisers are roping in girls from Karnataka, Mumbai, Rajasthan and Mizoram by paying them huge amounts ranging from `30,000 to `40,000 for 15 days. These organisers get their money back after organising just two events, such is the demand and the money involved in this business. The police have not got a clue about various illegal activities being organised on the outskirts and have increased their vigil. “Based on tip-offs, we used to send in a decoy and arrest the organisers and the obscene dancers. However, we got credible information that various organizers are planning to organise such events/parties for the New Year. We are now planning to conduct special drives at random places and time. The organisers are arrested for forcing the girls to attract customers with seductive ‘obscene dance and act’ and booked under Section 294 (obscene acts) of IPC,” said Cyberabad police Commissioner of Police D Tirumala Rao.

Congress in a dilemma Postnoon News

he Congress may not force the Speaker for the disqualification of the 16 MLAs as it is apprehensive of the outcome of the by-elections. Their defiance has thrown up a challenge to Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy directly. Even before Speaker Nadendla Manohar takes a decision on the disqualification of MLAs, a tussle between the CM and the PCC chief is on over the selection of candidates it is reported. Both of them want their own followers to contest. The political developments since the death of YSR have changed the dynamics of the politics in the State. Most of time the congress leaders are adapting wait and watch game. They are unable to attack the opponents and are always on the defensive. They are unable to take action on the erring

congress MLAs. They want to retain them by hook or crook otherwise they would join Jagan. After lodging a complaint with the Speaker, the Congress has to wait for the Speaker to take a decision according to the procedure and convenience. It may be recalled that former speaker Suresh Reddy, took more than a year to decide on the fate of the nine TRS MLAs who defied the TRS whip and voted for the Congress in the Council election. If the Congress insists on the action, the entire process might take considerable time as the Speaker has to ascertain the opinion of the MLAs on individual basis as he did for accepting the resignations earlier. The formal complaint made by Kondru Murali could be useful for the Congress to make some of the MLAs to take a U turn in the mean time.

Hyper Local

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 14, 2011

Conspiracy theories dog Metro Rail

Sudeshna Koka sudeshna.k@postnoon.com

he Metro Rail Project was initiated in Hyderabad with the view to give the City a modern public transport system, rivaling other metro cities. But the project has not won takers from all quarters. Quite a few residents are not happy with it and they have valid reasons to be so. For constructing the metro rail, areas from many private properties have been bought over by the government as these areas lie in the third corridor route. The rail line will be constructed in the middle of the road and many shops and properties will be either broken down or lose some area to make way for road widening. This has left many shopkeepers very angry. “There is an ulterior motive behind the construction of the metro line in the Third Corridor. There is definitely a business strategy planned when

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they chose this route. Metro Rail Project is a joint venture between the government and L&T. GHMC has marked only 20m on the municipal market which is a government property and 6ft from a big showroom. Our property has been marked off to the L&T free off cost. Their eventual plan is to destroy the existing market and construct their own malls on our land”, laments Shankar spokesperson of GAMYS (Greenlands, Ameerpet and Madhuranagar, Yousufguda and Sri Krishnagar) JAC. Starting from tomorrow the GHMC will demolish buildings in Musheerabad, Chikkadpally, and Narayanaguda for road widening. Traders from these areas have been losing sleep over these demolition plans. “We have the stay order issued by the high court which does not permit any project-related work to start here. This is nothing but contempt of court,” said M Saianna, president, Anti-Metro Rail Project JAC. The

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traders have appointed a lawyer and are in the last leg of winning the case. “We are not against the Metro Rail project, but unless the government deicides on another rail route we will lose our livelihood and homes,” says Dayanandh, resident of Sri Krishna Nagar main road houses owners association. Several years back, small and medium businessmen from the City had come to Krishna Nagar and set up homes and shops here. The new land acquisition by the Hyderabad metro rail project is affecting senior citizens the most because their only source of income is from these shops. “I have shops on the ground floor and two flats but with this road widening 16 feet of my property will be gone. My business will suffer terribly and at this age there is nothing I can do,” laments Shamshi Ali, a resident. M Vittal echoes, “after two generations of hardwork we have created a great business here, but with this demolishing our business will incur a setback. We are not against the metro, we want them to make an underground route.” However the Metro Rail Department has a complete different take on this issue. NVS Reddy, managing director of HMRL says “after a thorough technical examination we have decided on these routes in 2003. There is no scope for an underground plan. An underground route is expensive and not technically possible in our City. And most importantly, underground route requires demolishment of many plots and historical structures. Hence we have decided to go for an elevated route and this will not be change at any cost.” Hyderabad Metro Rail and GHMC officials will begin the demolition drive along the Metro Rail third Corridor early next year.

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Power cuts spell mixed fortunes Inkeshaf Ahmed Ahmed.m@postnoon.com

requent power cuts in the State for the last three months have been impacting generator and inverter manufacturers and dealers, but in diverse ways. Dealers and manufacturers of generator registered neither profit nor increase in sales, but those of inverters have benefitted. Apparently, the hike in diesel prices, and the slump in the realty sector caused by the Telangana agitation are the reasons behind the decrease of generator sales. “Earlier, farmers would use gensets, as diesel price was lower than that of state supply. But the rising price of diesel has discouraged farmers from using generators,” CVN Sudhakar, managing director of Sri Saradamba Engineers Private Limited told Postnoon. He said while the cost of producing 1 unit of electricity using diesel is `10, the cost of a unit of state supply is just `4 per unit now. Sudhakar also explained how the T-agitation has affected sales of generators. “Before the

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T-agitation realty sector in Hyderabad had been witnessing an immense boom. But, when it began, real estate sector plunged causing a dip in generator sales,” he said. Rental Business Flourishes Sales of generators may have dipped in the last three months, but the usage of generators on rents has risen. Public and private banks, hospitals, educational institutions prefer to rent generators on a monthly or yearly basis than buy them as they find it economical. “A generator of 62.5 KV capacity generally costs `5 lakh, which is too expensive for commercial establishments. When it comes to renting it monthly, they have to spend `8000 to `10,000 per month. Inverter sales jump People in the inverter business say sales have gone up by about 15 per cent over the last three months. Many from all walks of life, especially netizens and software engineers, bought inverters to counter power cuts. Venkat, owner of Verma Sales Enterprises, said the power cuts has increased sales by 20%.

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

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Campaigns, hard news and spirit of Twin Cities

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 14, 2011

CM triumphs over adversity U Srinivas

Help for the farming community

hief Minister Kiran Kumar Reddy today said that the government is yet to recover from the damage created by recent General Strike. Addressing the first collectors meeting after coming to power, Kiran Kumar Reddy wanted the collectors to become more alert and monitor the power situation from time to time. He wanted the collectors to look into the literacy, housing and women empowerment areas. He noted that the collectors have been neglecting the farmers and urged them look into the plight of the farming community and reduce their hardships. He wanted the collectors to make surprise checks from time to time to ensure the quality of Re 1 rice doesn't drop. He felt if the collectors would have been alert microfinance issues could have been averted. He said welfare and development must go hand in hand and without the active participation of the collectors in the districts it is not possible. He spoke about Mee Seva programme aiming at transparency in the administration and bringing it to the door step of the poor people. Kiran Kumar Reddy was the epitome of confidence and perhaps gave his best speech today.

T CM turns hurdles to his advantage

iran Kumar Reddy might be the youngest chief minister of the state but he is proving his mettle by turning adversaries into advantages and forging ahead for development of the state said Revenue Minister Raguveera Reddy. He was addressing the first collectors meet of the Kiran Kumar Reddy government in the

Jubilee Hall today. He praised the chief Minister for his clean image and his strive to clean the Government from time to time. Raguveera Reddy states that out of all the collectors only 3-4 are old and the meeting has been planned under special conditions which the collectors are aware of.

Collectors are part of a system and should not operate as individuals, he says. He wanted the collectors to work in tandem with the Government and he stressed on the need for increasing literacy and birth control. He also said that the SPs would be joining the collectors in the meeting on Thursday.

hese are rough times in the state said Chief Secretary Pankaj Dwivedi, while addressing the collectors meet during his first conference as the chief Secretary, He advised collectors to lessen the burden on the farming community and stand by them during this hour of crisis. He mentioned the Mee Seva programme which aims at transparency for people below the poverty line. While some ministers were late for the meeting, Minister for Information and Public Relations, Aryan came around 10 am for the meeting. The Chief minster was on time. While collectors were expected to carry laptops, very few of them were seen carrying them.

Hyper Local

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 14, 2011

Campaigns, hard news and spirit of Twin Cities

One footstep, a giant leap for mankind Aishwarya Yerra

HYDERABAD: As children we have taken the national pledge, swearing allegiance to the country and asserting that we are proud of it. Year 2011 saw country’s harsh truths stripped bare. One can’t help but wonder if the people really feel proud about being part of the system. Honest Footsteps wants to make a difference and restore the pride Indians had for themselves and their country. Corruption is undoubtedly a deep-rooted evil, a poison that saps away the well-being of a country. It has its roots so firmly entwined in the system that it’s hard to pry it loose, said Rohit Lingineni of Honest Footsteps. Hence, Honest Footsteps has taken an old but courageous route to tackle the problem of corruption that has been plaguing India. They have decided not to indulge in the blame game, but, instead, start addressing the issue at the individual level. We want people to tackle the corruption that stems from within. By corruption we do not mean multicrore bribes but simple things such as

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online piracy, dowry, ragging and driving under influence. We want to address these basic problems and in turn make the collective impact felt, said Mujeeb Abdul Khan of Footsteps. And Footsteps members say the logical culmination to this would be to have a Zero Corruption Day (ZCD). They know It is not possible to eradicate the entire corruption in one day but having an ZCD would be slow but sure start in that direction. India is a country where the voice of the youth rings strongest. Not just by sheer number but also through their command over social media, youths power to communicate is more. And Footsteps is aiming at this generation, that has a supple mind and the energy to give India the boost to break free of corruption. Throwing its arms open to the young and the bright they want to make sure their voice is heard without raising a sound. Footsteps is looking to make ZCD a reality by adopting a padyatra. A walk that starts on December 18 at the Vivekananda Rock beach at Kanyakumari will end in Delhi. Footsteps said they have no rea-

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India‑View

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 14, 2011

India unveiled

REMEMBERING OUR FALLEN HEROES Prime Minister Manmohan Singh pays tribute to the martyrs of the 2001 Parliament attacks in New Delhi on Tuesday. PTI

Seven die after drinking illicit liquor CANNING (WB): At least seven persons died and several others were taken ill today after drinking toxic illicit liquor at Mograhat in South 24-Parganas district.

Lalu daughter engaged to SP leader son GHAZIABAD: RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav's daughter Ragini got engaged with Samajwadi Party leader Jitendra Yadav's son at a low key ceremony in New Delhi. The ceremony was attended by close family members of Lalu Yadav, including his wife and former Bihar chief minister Rabri Devi, three daughters and a son, the groom's father Jitendra Yadav, who is the SP's Uttar Pradesh secretary, said. The simple function, held in the national capital, was kept out of bounds for the media, he said. The SP leader's 26-year-old son has pursued a course in Hotel Management along with an MBA from Switzerland, while RJD chief's fourth daughter is a B Tech degree holder. PTI

The police said the seven died early this morning, hours after drinking the toxic brew at a liquor joint at Sangrampur village. They died after suffering

from severe stomach ache, vomiting and loose motion. Five others have been admitted to Diamond Harbour hospital. Angry locals smashed the liquor dens this morning. PTI

Court rejects Bangaru plea in graft case NEW DELHI: The Delhi High Court Tuesday dismissed former BJP president Bangaru Laxman's plea seeking direction to the CBI to re-arrest an approver in a graft case against him. Justice Mukta Gupta dismissed the plea to re-arrest T Satyamurthy, a co-accused who was granted pardon by the trial court after he turned an approver in the case. The former BJP president sought the re-arrest of Satyamurthy, saying that legal provisions required an approver to remain in jail till the conclusion of the trial. Laxman sought the quashing of the FIR lodged by the CBI, after he was caught on camera taking money from an undercover journalists, posing as arms dealers, for recommending to the defence ministry the purchase of their wares for the army. The video CDs of the sting operation were released on May 13, 2001 by the journalists. Laxman approached the HC challenging the CBI special court's order dismissing his plea for the arrest of Satyamurthy. Counsel for Laxman submitted that as per the law, Satyamurthy should be taken into custody as the trial against him had commenced in the corruption case and 15 witnesses had been examined. IANS

Varsity withdraws nod for Kerala ex-CM son’s PhD

erala University cancels PhD registration of Achuthanandan's son Thiruvananthapuram: The Kerala University has decided to cancel the PhD registration of VA Arun Kumar, son of former chief minister VS Achuthanandan, an official said on Tuesday. The university syndicate meeting held here on Tuesday accepted the report of its sub-committee cancelling the PhD registration of Arun Kumar. The sub-committee, which looked into the registration papers of Kumar following a direction from the Kerala High Court, found that he did not have the mandatory qualifications to apply for a PhD. Varghese Perayil, a member of the syndicate sub-committee, said Kumar did not meet the requirement for a PhD registration. "Three years back he managed to get the registration, but

following media reports that he did not meet the eligibility, the then syndicate cancelled the registration. Kumar approached the High Court which asked the present syndicate to re-examine the case," said Perayil. He added that the mandatory requirements for a PhD registration is the applicant should have either seven years teaching experience or should have cleared the national eligibility test. "We found out that he has neither of the two and we decided to cancel his PhD registration in Bioinformatics. It was a unanimous decision to cancel his registration," added Perayil. The Kerala Assembly has also appointed a nine-member committee to probe whether rules were flouted when, during the tenure of Achuthanandan as CM, Kumar was appointed as director of a staterun IT institute early this year.

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India‑View

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 14, 2011

India unveiled

Centre’s anti-graft volley to counter Anna fusillade

NEW DELHI: Pushed into a corner by an aggressive Opposition and the looming threat of Anna Hazare, the government on Tuesday cleared a slew of anti-graft Bills to tackle corruption at high places, including in the judiciary, and arrived at a “broad consensus” on the Lokpal Bill with its allies.

The Cabinet, at a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, approved the Judicial Standards and Accountability Bill, the Grievances Redressal Bill and the Whistleblowers’ Protection Bill, a slew of anti-corruption legislations expected to help blunt criticism from the

Opposition and Team Anna about the government’s resolve to fight graft. The three Bills were cleared even as Hazare has demanded that grievance redress should be part of the Lokpal Bill and the judiciary should also be brought in the ambit of the anti-graft ombudsman.

Congress faces opposition from allies NEW DELHI: Already battling Opposition attacks over the price rise and its handling of corruption scandals, the Congress-led government has been buffeted by some of its own allies on key policy decisions including foreign equity in multi-brand retail and the food security bill. While Trinamool Congress chief and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s firm opposition forced the government to suspend

its decision to allow FDI in multibrand retail, agriculture minister Sharad Pawar on Tuesday expressed apprehensions over the mounting subsidy related to the Food Security Bill, leading the Cabinet to defer a decision on the Bill. Official sources said Pawar has written to the food ministry expressing concern that the subsidy may go up to `1.2 lakh crore once the right to food in enacted. The food security bill has been in the

works for almost 18 months and there is apprehension among Congress leaders that a delay in bringing the ambitious legislation will lead to criticism about the party not being sincere in fulfulling the promises made in its election manifesto. With Banerjee opposed to opening multi-brand retail to foreign equity, Congress leaders say there is no timeline for the government reviving the decision.

The Cabinet decision came on a day when Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati refused to back the government on the Lokpal Bill in its current form. Keen on building wide political consensus on the Lokpal Bill, with the Opposition joining hands with Hazare to oppose some recommendations of the standing committee, the government also tried to bring its allies on board so the UPA presents a united approach at the all-party meeting on the Lokpal today. Manmohan Singh discussed the Lokpal issue with the UPA leaders to arrive at a “broad consensus”. “There is a broad consensus in the UPA on its approach to the Lokpal,” home minister P Chidambaram told reporters after the meeting. He was hopeful the all-party meeting would be “productive” and “would reach conclusions on the amendments to the draft Lokpal Bill and bring it before Parliament”. The Congress core too group met earlier in the day. Team Anna member Prashant Bhushan, however, termed the three bills as “mere window-dressing”. “The issue is if government is serious about bringing down corruption. Just having bills is not enough,” Bhushan said in a discussion on a news channel. “It is obviously only window dressing.” The 74-year-old Hazare also reiterated his threat to resume protests from December 27 if a strong Jan Lokpal bill was not passed in the Winter Session of Parliament. IANS

NARROW ESCAPE

IAF personnel inspect the debris of a Sukhoi-30 MKI fighter aircraft that crashed soon after taking off from Lohegaon airbase near PTI Pune on Tuesday. Both the pilots managed to bail out safely.

Maya mantri under scan for graft

LUCKNOW: UP Chief Minister Mayawati’s confidant and high profile multi-portfolio minister Naseemuddin Siddiqui is now under the Lok Ayukta’s scanner — the fifth minister in the State to be probed for corruption. “A case has been formally registered against cabinet minister Naseemuddin Siddiqui following multiple complaints against him,” Lokayukta, Justice (retd.) NK Mehrotra, said on Tuesday. “The cases include large-scale manipulation in official work, blatant nepotism and extending undue favours to his family members including illegal allotment of government land,” he said. Among the key portfolios held by Siddiqui are public works, irrigation, housing, health and industries. The minister hails from Banda, one of the most backward districts in the State.

Shanti Bhushan CD row: Court pulls up police NEW DELHI: A court here on Tuesday pulled up the Delhi Police for not recording the statements of Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav and Rajya Sabha member Amar Singh to verify the contents of a controversial CD purportedly containing their conversation with lawyer and Team Anna member Shanti Bhushan. During the conversation, Shanti Bhushan allegedly promised Mulayam Singh that a judge could be influenced for a price and suggested that his son and lawyer Prashant Bhushan would facilitate this.

Around the World

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 14, 2011

Beyond Borders

Murdoch: Did not read phone-hacking e-mail

resh questions about the extent of James Murdoch’s knowledge of the phone-hacking scandal were raised on Tuesday when it emerged he received an email that included a briefing indicating that the activity had not been confined to a single ‘rogue reporter’. News International’s executive chairman wrote to MPs to say he had not properly read the June 7 2008 mail from News of the World editor Colin Myler which forwarded an account of the case being brought against the paper by the Professional Footballers’ Association boss Gordon Taylor. The email chain appears to contradict Murdoch’s insistence that he was not briefed in detail on the case which was later settled for more than £700,000. The forwarded note from the paper’s legal manager Tom Crone warned of a ‘nightmare scenario’ because Taylor had obtained firm evidence of the hacking of one of his colleague’s phones which involved at least one other News of the World journalist. Myler’s email also contained a second warning, from another lawyer retained by the News of the World, which added that Taylor’s legal team wanted to demonstrate that phone hacking was rife throughout News International, the British parent company of the red top title.

James Murdoch admits he did not read email indicating phone hacking REUTERS Murdoch replied to the revealing email within three minutes of it being sent to him but insisted on the day the email chain was made public by the culture and media committee for the first time that he had only read the top of the email, not the email chain below. Murdoch said: “I am confident that I did not review the full email chain at the time or afterwards,” in part because Myler’s note had been sent to him at the weekend. Crone’s forwarded note places pressure on Murdoch’s account of his handling of the hacking affair because it refers to the email which became known as the “For Neville”

US drone is now Iran’s property: Minister

mail, a key piece of evidence that showed hacking extended beyond a single rogue reporter. Murdoch has always insisted he was not told about the existence of the “For Neville” email. Crone and Myler have repeatedly told MPs that they briefed Murdoch about the email in reference to the reporter who had transcribed hacked voicemails allegedly intended for the paper’s chief reporter Neville Thurlbeck. Three days after Myler sent the note that Murdoch says he did not read in full, the News Corp boss met the editor and Crone on 10 June 2008 to agree to settle the case in secret. News Corp, however, continued to maintain publicly that hacking was confined to a single rogue reporter until the end of 2010. That rogue reporter was Clive Goodman who was jailed in 2007, for his part in hacking into phones belonging to officials working for Prince William and Prince Harry. Myler and Crone have repeatedly disputed Murdoch’s account, saying the “For Neville” email was the sole reason for settling the case. The Murdoch disclosure came on the same day that Crone told the Leveson inquiry into press standards that he had always suspected phone hacking at the paper went beyond a single journalist.

Lone gunman in Liège creates havoc, kills three A

TEHRAN: Iran on Tuesday dismissed a request from the US to return a spy drone that crashed in the country, saying that the aircraft was now the ‘property of the Islamic republic’ and that it would decide what to do in this regard.Iran announced on December 4 that it had downed an RQ-170 Sentinel drone of the US in the Tabas desert in the eastern region. Tehran claimed it hacked into the operating system of the unmanned aircraft causing it to crash. “The US spy drone is the property of the Islamic Republic and our country decides what to do in this regard,” Defence Minister Brigadier General Ahmad Vahidi was quoted as saying by Xinhua. US officials have denied that the aircraft was brought down by Iran. They said that the drone, used for surveillance in Afghanistan, crashed due to mechanical problems.Vahidi said the US should apologise for invading Iranian air space rather than asking for the return of the drone, the Mehr news agency reported. The defence minister’s remarks came after US President Obama announced that a formal request for the return of the drone would be made to Iran.

lone gunman has brought bloodshed and mayhem to the eastern Belgian city of Liège, killing three people in a frenzied attack during which he lobbed hand grenades and fired an assault rifle into crowds of shoppers and commuters. The man, named as 33-yearold Nordine Amrani, died after going on the rampage in Place Saint-Lambert, near the city’s bus station, court and Christmas market. Two boys aged 15 and 17 were killed on the spot, while a 75-year-old woman died of her injuries later. A two-year-old child was reported to be in a critical condition in hospital, and at least 75 people were injured. Police said it was not clear whether Amrani, who had served time in jail for offences involving guns and drugs, had killed himself or died accidentally. He had been due to appear for police questioning this afternoon. The prosecutor of Liège, Danièle Reynders, said he had brought the weapons in a rucksack from his home and walked alone to the square in the city

GLOBE AT A GLANCE MICROSOFT CO-FOUNDER UNVEILS SPACE TRAVEL PLANS WASHINGTON: A giant airplane that can in mid-flight launch a rocket carrying cargo and humans into orbit is the future of space travel, billionaire philanthropist and Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen said on Tuesday. The first test flight of the ambitious venture by Allen’s new company Stratolaunch Systems is not scheduled until 2015, but partners in the project vowed it would revolutionize orbital travel in the post-space shuttle era.

IRAN TO HOLD WAR GAMES TEHRAN: Iran will hold naval war games in the Strait of Hormuz, Xinhua reported on Tuesday. It is to test Iran’s ability to close the strait in the near future, said member of Majlis, Parviz Sorouri. The Strait of Hormuz is one of the most important passage for oil shipments from the Persian Gulf region. The Middle East supplies 70 percent of the world’s energy needs, most of which are transported through Hormuz.

Palestinian and UN flags are pictured at the Unesco Headquarters AFP

RUSSIAN JOURNALISTS FIRED FOR ANTI-PUTIN PHOTOS MOSCOW: The chief executive officer and the editor-in-chief of Russia’s Kommersant Vlast magazine have been fired for publishing photos with offensive remarks targeting Prime Minister Vladimir Putin. CEO Andrey Galiev and editor-in-chief Maxim Kovalsky were fired by the magazine’s owner, Russian tycoon Alisher Usmanov.

CHINA TELLS US TO STOP INTERFERING IN ITS AFFAIRS BEIJING: China Tuesday told the US to stop

Ambulances and police at the Place Saint-Lambert AFP centre. The attack began shortly after 12.30pm Belgian time, when Amrani is believed to have thrown three hand grenades into a bus shelter before opening fire with a revolver and a rifle. The blasts and gunfire spread chaos across the city centre as shoppers ran to safety and police urged those in the area to stay inside while explosives experts searched the area for unexploded grenades.

interfering in its internal affairs under the pretext of human rights issues. China is willing to engage in dialogues with the US on human rights issues based on issues such as equality and mutual respect, spokesperson for the foreign ministry Liu Weimin said. “But we are firmly against the US interfering in our internal affairs under the pretext of human rights issues.” he added.

The 14th king of Malaysia, Sultan Abdul Halim Mu’adzam Shah , during the kings welcoming ceremony AFP

Insight

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 14, 2011

Behind the news

Tragic hero Scott remembered CAMBRIDGE: A new exhibition to mark a century since the epic struggle of Robert Scott and his men to conquer the South Pole lays bare the suffering and desperation of the beaten explorers. Letters, diaries and photographs from the Terra Nova expedition are on show in Britain to mark the centenary of Captain Scott’s tragic journey, many for the first time. Together again, the accounts of their race to the end of the Earth tell a moving tale of hope, discovery, defeat, adversity and finally the inevitability of death. Scott’s five-man team reached the Pole on January 17, 1912 — only to find Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen had beaten them to it more than a month earlier, on December 14, 1911. Crushed, the British team began the long and hellish trudge back to their coastal base. Two men died along the way. The remaining three — Scott, Lietuenant Henry Bowers and chief scientist Edward Wilson died in their tent, trapped inside for days by a freak blizzard. “Had we lived, I should have had a tale to tell of the hardihood, endurance and courage of my companions which would have stirred the heart of every Englishman,” Scott wrote in his diary. “These rough notes and our dead bodies must tell the tale.” His final entry on March 29 was: “It seems a pity but I do not think I can write more.” Their tent was found in November 1912. An exhibition , “These rough notes: Captain Scott’s last expedition” is on till May. AFP

100 YEARS OF EXPLORATION 100 years ago on December 14 Anderson a feat considered impossible was accomplished. Roald Amundsen became the first man to reach the South Pole OSLO: One hundred years ago Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen won the race to the South Pole in a dramatic and ultimately fatal duel with British adventurer Robert Scott that captured the world’s attention. On December 14, 1911, not long before the outbreak of World War I as nationalism was on the rise in Europe, Amundsen and the four members of his team were the first to plant the Norwegian flag at the southernmost tip of the globe. His victory over the English naval officer is the

monumental tale of a pragmatic and wily Scandinavian over the courageous but obdurate gentleman. With the rest of the world already largely discovered, the two explorers each dreamed of conquering “their” pole. While the Norwegian was eyeing the North Pole, the Englishman had his eyes set on the South Pole. “I cannot say though I know it would sound much more effective that the object of my life was attained,” Amundsen later wrote.

“That would be romancing rather too bare-facedly. I had better be honest and admit straight out that I have never known any man to be placed in such a diametrically opposite position to the goal of his desires. In 1926, Amundsen made it to the North Pole . Amundsen died two years later while on a mission to rescue an Italian explorer . Scott’s body, and those of his two team members, were found in their tent, in November 1912. AFP

File image of Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen in his study in Norway in the year 1910 AFP The South Pole has a desert climate, almost never receiving any precipitation. Air humidity is near zero. However, high winds can cause the blowing of snowfall, and the accumulation of snow amounts to about 20 cm per year.

During the South Pole Winter (late March to late September) it is dark all the time Antarctica is the coldest, windiest, and driest place on earth.

It almost never gets above 0° C in Antarctica and the highest recorded temperature at the South Pole is 7° F 13.8° C.

Robert Scott Norwegian PM Jens Stoltenberg posing at the South Pole AFP / NORWEGIAN PRIME MINISTER OFFICE / HO

A file photo of December 16, 1911 with Amundsen and his companions at the South AFP Pole Antarctica has no native population or permanent residents, but there are a number of researchers and explorers who stay for extended periods.

The world’s lowest temperature of 128 degrees F was recorded at the Russia Vostok Station in Antarctica.

Visitors crowd South Pole for anniversary of conquest

orwegian Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg will join dozens of adventurers at the South Pole to mark the 100th anniversary of countryman Roald Amundsen’s groundbreaking expedition to the frozen continent. Often described as “no man’s land”, the pole will be a relative hive of activity for Wednesday’s anniversary. Stoltenberg will travel by plane to the region unlike Amundsen who made the trek on skis ,making him only the second head of government to visit the South Pole after New Zealand’s Prime Minister Helen Clark made the trip in 2007. Stoltenberg is scheduled to welcome Norwegian adventurers attempting to reach the pole on the anniversary, some of whom are retracing the route taken by the heroic explorer. British visitors are also expected to visit To pay homage to Robert Scott. AFP

Business

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 14, 2011

Matters of saving and spending

Rupee hits all-time low Postnoon News & Agencies

MUMBAI: The Indian rupee dipped 52 paise to a record low of ` 53.75 per US dollar in early trade on Wednesday, a day after breaching the ` 53 per dollarmark, on increased demand for the American currency from banks and importers and sustained foreign capital outflows amid an economic slowdown. Industry expressed fears owing to policy review by RBI, the low industrial output and declining consumer demand. Dollar gains against the euro

The Indian rupee dipped 52 paise to a record low of Rs 53.75 per US dollar in early trade on Wednesday, a day after breaching and other currency rivals overthe Rs 53 a dollar-mark seas amid the lingering euro zone debt crisis put pressure on the Indian rupee, forex dealers said. In addition, continued foreign capital outflows amid a slowdown of the domestic economy contributed to the weak rupee sentiment, they said. Furthermore, increased demand for the US currency from importers and banks led to the fall in the rupee value in early trade, the forex dealers added. The domestic currency had depreciated by 39 paise to close at ` 53.23/24 per dollar in

the previous session after witnessing an all-time low of ` 53.51 as the dollar strengthened in markets worldwide. The BSE benchmark Sensex declined by over 65 points in opening trade on Wednesday on fresh selling triggered by a weakening trend on other Asian bourses following an overnight fall on Wall Street as European debt problems continued to batter the investor sentiment. However, it recovered to pos-

itive and went up by 70 points. The 30-share BSE index, which gained 132.16 points in the previous session, declined by 65.19 points, or 0.41 per cent, to 15,937.32 in opening trade. In a similar fashion, the wide-based National Stock Exchange Nifty index shed 22.45 points, or 0.46 per cent, to 4,778.15. Oil and gas, power, PSU, metal and capital goods stocks led the fall. Brokers said fresh selling by funds in tandem with a weak

“We’ll touch `. 300-crore turnover this fiscal year” P

roposing to go public in two years, Krishna Institute of Medical Sciences (KIMS) will be touching a turnover of ` 300 crore this year and the group is expanding, CEO of the group B Bhaskara Rao tells K Prudhvi Raju of Postnoon. n What are the expansion plans of KIMS and what is the goal? KIMS group has five hospitals in Andhra Pradesh. We have one each in Secunderabad, Vijayawada, and Srikakulam. We also have hospitals in Rajahmundry and Nellore under the name of Bollineni Hospitals by the same promoters. We are going to expand in Visakhapatnam and at a huge level in Vijayawada. We are planning to start hospitals in Indore and Bhubaneswar. Our main target areas are tier-II and tier-III cities, where there is an opportunity to establish hospitals with better facilities. In the next five to 10 years, the goal is to reach 10,000 beds. n What is your turnover? How is the growth rate? The turnover of KIMS group is ` 200 crore last year. This year, we would be touching ` 300 crore. We are growing at 25 to 30 per cent every year, since we started. The growth rate will be the same in next two to three years as we are expanding. And, we propose to go public in about two years. n What is the bed strength of the hospitals? As a group, we already have 900

B Bhaskara Rao MD&CEO, KIMS

beds including those in Bollineni Hospitals and we are planning to add another 600 beds in Secunderabad. The break up is there are 300 beds in Secunderabad and 150 each in Vijayawada, Srikakulam, Rajamundry and Nellore. n You have recently launched robotic-assisted surgery. Which parts of human body can the robotic surgery be used? As a surgeon moves a joystick, robotic arms will go into the abdomen of a human-being with the light source which helps us see with 10 times higher magnifi-

cation. This enables us to divide the lesions precisely. Surgeons’ hands cannot reach certain areas like pelvic organs. Robotic arms can go there and work in 360 degree angle. They can cut nerves in micros. With the accurate precision, the complications will also come down. The bleeding is less and the patient can go home in 24 hours, and attend work in a week time. Robotic assistance can be applied to all abdomen surgeries. Except brain and bone, we an apply robotic assistance to all organs. We did sixty operations with 100 per cent success rate.

We will do heart surgeries like heart hole closure and mitral valve repair with the help of robotics in near future. n What are your research areas? We have started research six months ago on chemo sensitivity and drug resistance. We don’t know whether particular drug is treating that particular tumour or not in chemotherapy. We can find that out that with the help of chemo sensitivity which can bring down the costs and get better results in areas of cancer. We are also working on bio bank. We want to preserve the sample tissues removed during the surgery. We will study those tissues and find out the reasons for cause of the disease. We are also working on Lipoxin in Coronary Heart disease and Essential Fatty acids in Cancer. n How many employees do you have in different departments? We have around 1,600 employees out of which 150 are doctors and 150 are administrative staff, 200 technical staff, 500 nursing and 600 paramedical (class 4) staff. n What are the steps you are initiating for fire safety in KIMS? The safety norms are not meant for the sake of government rules, but they are for our own safety. We are also living in the same place and need to get protected. Safety measures are given the highest priority for that. We are complying with all the required standards.

trend on other Asian bourses following an overnight fall on Wall Street amid the persisting euro zone debt crisis was mainly responsible for the early decline on the bourses. Meanwhile, in the Asia region, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index fell by 0.68 per cent and Japan’s Nikkei Index by 0.46 per cent in early trade today. The Dow Jones Industrial Average in the US ended 0.55 per cent lower on Wednesday.

Employees share insurance burden Postnoon News

HYDERABAD: The average policy premium cost per employee has increased from ` 6,800 in 200809 to ` 9,300 in 2011. The increasing costs of medical insurance are forcing employers to make changes to the way they provide this benefit to their employees. Employees were asked to contribute to cost of company benefit schemes according to findings released by the sixth annual employee benefits study: employee engagement, conducted by Marsh India, Insurance Brokers and Risk advisors. The survey found that 92 per cent employers want to align their benefits to the market as compared to 58 per cent in 200809. Almost two-thirds of surveyed organisations have already made at least one change to their benefit plan design in the last two years by requiring employees to make a greater contribution to the company benefits scheme. Plan design changes provide immediate respite from premium increase but it is not a sustainable strategy. Understanding the underlying cost drivers and adopting appropriate measures such as employee engagement and wellness initiatives will result in greater long-term suitability, said Sanjay Kedia, CEO, Marsh India. The study also highlighted the need to improve employee communication and engagement with 62 per cent of employees describing communication by their employers as either “average” or “inadequate”.

BSE – 16,076.64574.13, NSE – 4,822.20521.60, Gold 24k(10g)– `29,100, Silver (1kg)–56,700, Dollar $ – `53.56, Pound £ – `82.94

Playing Field

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 14, 2011

The games people play

‘Frankly, I have no clue’ Frank Lampard voiced his frustration over Chelsea coach Andre VillasBoas not telling him why he has been dropped to the bench

he England midfielder scored a late penalty in the 2-1 win over Premier League leaders Manchester City last night after coming on as a 73rd-minute substitute at Stamford Bridge. It was the second big match in a row that Lampard has not been in the first XI, having also sat out the vital Champions League win over Valencia last week. The 33-year-old, who is Chelsea’s joint top scorer this term on eight goals, insists he is committed as ever to the club but is mystified why he is now out of favour. He said, “I want to play, simple as that. Being 33 or not, I’m as fit as I’ve ever been. I’ve been in a good run of form and now I’ve not been playing. I haven’t spoken [to Villas-Boas] so I don’t know [why], simple as that. “I want to play. If I didn’t, there wouldn’t be any point turning up, so maybe there’s a bit of frustration because of that. “I’m always at my best when I’m playing regularly. I know I’ve got a lot to give. I just want to be on the pitch and let the football do the talking.” Despite Lampard’s com-

ments, Juan Mata insists the thrilling win over City, who were unbeaten in the League this term, proves all the players are behind Villas-Boas and that Chelsea can challenge for silverware this season. The coach has been under intense pressure in recent weeks with speculation

that his job was on the line and that his methods had split the dressing room. Chelsea have now won three League games in a row to climb to third in the table, seven points behind City, and Mata insists the revival proves the squad are fighting for the former Porto coach.

Fletcher to take a long break

anchester United and Scotland midfielder Darren Fletcher is to take “an extended break from football” owing to a chronic inflammatory bowel condition, his club have announced. United have revealed that Fletcher, who has been sidelined at various points in recent times with what was reported to be a virus, has been suffering with

the condition for some time. The 27-year-old has now been advised to take a complete break from the game. The club said in a statement: “On behalf of Darren Fletcher, Manchester United wishes to announce that he is taking an extended break from football for health reasons.” Fletcher made only one start

for United last term after March 1 and was an unused substitute for the 3-1 Champions League final defeat to Barcelona. He has made 10 appearances in all competitions for United during the current campaign, with the last coming on November 22. The statement from United continued: “Over the past year he has had several absence periods which we have attributed to a viral illness. Darren has, in fact, been suffering from ulcerative colitis (a chronic inflammatory bowel condition) for some time preceding this. Whilst he was able to maintain remission of symptoms for a considerable period this has proved more difficult recently and Darren’s continued desire to play and his loyalty to both his club and country has probably compromised the chances of optimising his own health and fitness.” ES

The Spain midfielder said, “The team have shown in the worst moments that we’re united behind the manager. Now that we’re in a run of results where things are more positive, everything is easier, but we have shown that we are together with the manager and the technical staff, like a family. “It was a very important win against the League leaders and it gives us a lot of confidence. Can we win the title? We have to keep trying. We have not won anything just by beating these teams but we have to keep fighting to win games because we are still in with a chance of a lot of trophies.” City took the lead through Mario Balotelli’s goal after just two minutes although Raul Meireles equalised before the break. Mata added, “To turn around the game against the League leaders and a team who had not lost a game before this season gives us a lot of belief.” Ashley Cole, who was accused by City boss Roberto Mancini of sparking a spat in the tunnel after the final whistle, feels City can now be caught. EVENING STANDARD

Redknapp warned over Foy comments

arry Redknapp has been warned over his future conduct following his post-match comments about the performance of referee Chris Foy during Tottenham’s defeat at Stoke. The Spurs boss said he felt like Foy “was quite enjoying not giving us anything” during the 2-1 defeat on Sunday. The Football Association looked at the comments but decided against taking disciplinary reaction and instead have written to Redknapp. He is reported to have said after the game: “He’ll look at it on TV, when his wife is making him a bacon sandwich and think, ‘Oh **** me, what have I done there?’” ES

Stay strong, coach Mancini tells City M

anchester City manager Roberto Mancini has urged his players to “stay strong” following their first Premier League defeat of the season. After enjoying such a sensational start to the campaign, City are finally experiencing a significant wobble. Dumped out of the Champions League by Napoli, the Blues were on the wrong end of a comeback win by Chelsea at Stamford Bridge despite getting off to the perfect start thanks to Mario Balotelli. However, Mancini was defiant, saying, “At this moment, we should be very strong.” Strange as it may have appeared a couple of weeks ago, City might have been knocked off top spot by Manchester

United when they walk out to face in-form Arsenal at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday. That in itself would bring added pressure to Mancini and his men, who remain odds-on favourites to clinch their first championship since 1968. ES

Playing Field

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 14, 2011

The games people play

Cricket Australia backs down on Man of the Match D

oug Bracewell’s snubbing as Man of the Match in Hobart has forced Cricket Australia to back down on its controversial viewer-voting system, ESPNcricinfo.com has reported. The decision on who should be the Man of the Match will revert to an expert panel after David Warner was given the award for his century at Bellerive Oval, despite Bracewell’s match-winning fourth-day spell. Cricket Australia used the New Zealand series to trial a system in which the public could vote for the official Man of the Match using a mobile phone application. James Pattinson’s win in Brisbane was not contentious, but the overwhelming support for Warner — he polled 58% in Hobart to Bracewell’s 27% — left the New Zealanders rightly affronted. “We were always running a bit of a trial for these two Tests with those Man of the Match awards but we will definitely revert back to an expert’s choice for that decision about man of the match,” Sutherland said on a radio show. However, he was keen to see the continuation of the viewer’s choice application, which he

Win was good, but batsmen can improve, says Wright

called “ahead of its time”, in other ways. Bracewell finished with match figures of 9 for 60 and clearly altered the course of the match on the fourth day, when he collected three wickets in nine balls to demolish Australia’s middle order and set New Zealand on the path to their first Test win in Australia in 26 years. The New Zealand assistant coach, Trent Woodhill, said the decision was obviously wrong. “It’s embarrassing. David Warner had a fantastic innings,”

Khan can do it: Froch

arl Froch has urged fellow Englishman Amir Khan to forget about fighting Floyd Mayweather Jr and “go back to the drawing board” following his shock defeat at the weekend. Khan has publicly pursued a clash with pound-for-pound great Mayweather only to lose his WBA and IBF light-welterweight titles to Lamont

Peterson on Saturday. He has blamed the loss on poor refereeing and questionable judging but WBC super-middleweight champion Froch believes his compatriot should look closer to home. Froch said, “I thought the right man won, if I’m totally honest. It was a shame for Khan, I thought he fought well but he got his tactics wrong towards the end of the fight. He was moving too much at times and I think he ran out of gas a little bit and when he held his feet, he held them for too long.” He added, “But Khan is young, he’s fit and strong, and mentally determined. I think he’s got the rematch so he’ll get another chance to put that right.” ES

Woodhill said. “But, Bracewell was the player of that match. If it wasn’t for him we wouldn’t have won the match. To me that’s who the player of the match should be.” It was not surprising that the public-voting system was controversial — there was always the risk that Australian fans would vote overwhelmingly for Australian players. The traditional method of selecting the Man of the Match, via expert opinion, will resume for the upcoming Test series against India.

hile New Zealand basks in the glory of a first test match win over Australia in more than 18 years, national cricket coach John Wright put the victory in perspective and again told his top order batsmen they must put more runs on the board. The Black Caps beat Australia by seven runs in the second test at Bellerive Oval in Hobart on Monday to record their first win over their closest neighbours since 1993, and first across the Tasman since 1985. New Zealand will look to build on the victory when they host Zimbabwe early next year before South Africa, the world’s third ranked test side, arrive for a series in February and March. Wright, a former New Zealand opening batsman, said his batters would have to improve. “We won a test match without scoring 300 runs in any innings, which usually isn’t enough,” said Wright, who had urged his batsmen to raise their game after a nine-wicket loss in the first test in

Brisbane. “The expectation in the top six is that you have to get runs. I’m fairly confident we have got the best players, but we just didn’t handle the conditions particularly well. “In the end if you’re not getting runs then your position becomes part of speculation. You can’t not score runs and expect to make the team.” Neither side scored more than 240 in an innings in the Hobart match with only Australian opener David Warner (123 not out) and New Zealand’s Ross Taylor and Dean Brownlie passing 50. Of particular concern for Wright is the poor form of Jesse Ryder, who was shunted up and down the order and scored just 58 runs at 14.50 in the Australia tests. Opener Martin Guptill, who scored 44 runs at 11.00, fared little better. None of the top-five batsmen averaged more than 20 in the series. REUTERS

Mahi mulls sports academy BHOPAL: Indian cricket captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni has written to the Madhya Pradesh government expressing his desire to establish a sports academy and

school in the state to promote talent, a state official said. According to a TV channel, Dhoni wrote to the Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan stating

that he wishes to groom the state’s talent with complete dedication and commitment not only in the field of the cricket, but in other sports, too. He requested Chouhan to make the suitable sites available for establishment of these institutions. “Many youths wish to bring laurels to the state and the country as well. And our efforts would make their dreams come true,” Dhoni wrote. “Several youths and sports persons of the country wish to represent the country in different fields. However, they could not deliver the goods due to non availability of proper infrastructure and training facilities,” he said in his letter, the official said.

Wacky World

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 14, 2011

Fun and frolic in a flat world

Classical painting with a spicy twist!

incinnati-based photographer, Kelly McCollam recreates classic paintings, particularly Vincent Van Gogh’s, using salts, spices and food colouring. You could say Kelly McCollam is literally spicing things up in the art world, with her original interpretations of Van Gogh’s masterpieces. While most people use pinches of seasoning to make their cooking tolerable, the skilled photographer uses handfuls to create artworks. Her favourite materials include salt, food colouring and various spices, from cloves and onion chips to mustard and lemon powder. After carefully spreading the spices on a board and arranging them to best replicate Van Gogh’s works, she

A bulldog is the latest YouTube sensation!

n amazing video shows what appears to be a dog wearing a shirt, with human arms and hands, devouring a packet of Dairylea Dunkers. With nearly 2 million views in just over a fortnight, Bizzle the biscuit-eating bulldog is the latest Youtube sensation mesmerising viewers the world over. Devised and filmed by a couple from Northampton, the hilarious film shows that, with a bit of ingenuity, and the right friends to hand, anyone can make a viral video clip.

‘I had seen some similar videos on YouTube and thought I would give it a go with Bizzle,’ said Mr Jenkins, a worker at the Great Oakley Brewery. ‘He has got such a huge appetite I thought eating would be the best way of getting him to perform for the camera.’ On a roll, Mr Jenkins grabbed the first thing in his fridge that came to hand and positioned himself under the table, with Bizzle above and Miss Medri filming on her mobile phone. The video shows Bizzle, a two-year-old mongrel enthusiastically feeding himself the savoury snack with a pair of human arms. he added: ‘When I saw the video, it was fantastic and I am really pleased so many people have viewed it.’ Animal videos are a perennial love of internet users and attract viewers, with Bizzle's just the latest to go viral.

Chinese chef builds jeep with just $628

u Zhibo, a chef from Zigong City, China’s Sichuan Province, spent three years and just 4,000 Yuan ($628) building his own knockoff Jeep. His efforts have made him somewhat of an internet celebrity, in China. As he was busy running his own restaurant, Qu Zhibo took three years to complete work on his 2-meters-long, 1.5-metershigh Jeep, but he used just $628 to do it. The car, which many Chinese netizens called a “knockoff Hummer” was actually inspired by an American military vehicle, and

even though right now it pretty much looks like a pile of junk on wheels, a bit of camouflage paint

photographs them and simply wipes them off. It’s kind of painful, considering the effort and patience that must go into something like this, but Kelly is a photographer, and that’s what she’s really all about. The grainy and flaky textures of the artworks really improves the quality and effectiveness of her photos, which become masterpieces in their own right.

Any takers for a ` 5 million shirt? T he Royals of ancient times wore clothes that were studded with precious stones and metals. Now you can too, if you are ready to pay an arm and a leg, that is. Or just five million rupees. This pricey shirt was created by an Indian designer, Amitabh Chandel. A descendant of a royal family himself, he says he wanted to create a shirt suitable for today’s royalty. What makes the shirt so expensive is the fine silk it’s made of, and the diamond buttons, set in gold. The shirt is in fact part of an entire collection, the price range starting at around 50,000 Rupees ($950). He says that modern royal men, as well as commoners are welcome to place orders for the shirts. Mr. Chandel says claims these shirts are a perfect blend of the practical and the royal. Since traditional royal attire cannot be worn every day, these

could go a long way. A military fan, Qu admits he worked days and nights handcrafting and designing the parts for his unique vehicle, and admit at one point he became obsessed with it. Except for the engine, steering wheel, tires and gas tank, the ambitious chef made all the parts himself, which explains the low price tag. While it doesn’t really compare with modern automobiles on the market today, in terms of design, comfort and performance, it drives the same way, the only big difference being you have to start it somewhere at the back, before jumping in the driver’s seat, as it’s powered by a motorcycle engine. The homemade jeep reaches a top speed of 30 km/h, and even though it’s not road legal, Qu Zhibo and his friends drive it around his restaurant.

shirts allow a sense of richness to pervade regular clothing. Mr. Chandel hasn’t received any orders for his shirt yet, but he is optimistic. A few orders have come in for the less expensive shirts, however.

This is the first time he is making a sale in public. The delivery of the shirts is free within 200 miles of the purchase. However, customers would need to pay the shipping charges for far off places.

BUILDING THE X’MAS SPIRIT A Christmas tree made of 600,000 Lego bricks has been put up in St Pancreas Station in London. It’s ten metres high and took two months to build. Even the decorations are made out of Lego. The company says it’s the tallest tree ever made with its bricks. There are no details yet of what will happen to them come January 6 when the tree is dismantled, but maybe there will be another one next year.

Brave New World

“U

AVs (pilotless aircraft) are used in crop dusting, bushfire monitoring, tracking algal blooms or crop growth and infrastructure inspection as well as defence roles,” says Richard Moore, researcher at the Vision Centre and the Queensland Brain Institute. “Some of these tasks require the aircraft to fly close to the ground and amongst obstacles, so it is crucial that the aircraft knows its heading direction and roll and pitch angles accurately,” adds Moore, according to a Queensland

institute statement. But all of them suffer from problems such as noise-induced drift, and can be adversely affected by the motions of the aircraft or materials in the environment surrounding the sensors, he explains. “This means that UAVs can’t perform significant manoeuvres without losing their sense of direction for a while,” Moore points out. Accordingly, researchers have designed a vision-based system that provides aircraft with the same advantage that insects have — a fixed image of the sky and the horizon. “If you watch a flying insect, you will see that their heads are upright when they

Mars may have basic life P

atches of Mars sub-surface could contain water and sustain a rudimentary form of life, such as Martian microbes, reveals a study. “Our models tell us that if there is water present in the Martian sub-surface, then it could be habitable,” said doctoral student Eriita Jones from the Planetary Science Institute of the Australian National University. “We know that there is a hot, deep biosphere on Earth that extends to around five kilometres. If there is a hot deep bio-

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 14, 2011

From the world of science & research

sphere on Mars, our modelling shows that it could extend to around 30 kilometres,” study coauthor Charley Lineweaver added. The same scientists had modelled the earth earlier and identified water that was inhabited and water that was not, the Astrobiology Journal reported. Researchers applied the same technique to Mars and found that a large fraction of the Martian sub-surface could be harbouring habitable water, according to a university statement. IANS

HISTORIC EDGE

A rock (different views shown) from which sharp flakes were pounded off around 106,000 years ago in southern Arabia demonstrates an ancient East African tool-making method

turn their bodies,” Moore says. “Keeping their heads still allows them to have a stabilised image of the horizon and the sky, which is crucial in determining their heading.” “With the new system, we only have to tell the aircraft that it’s in the upright position when it starts flying. It will then use that as a starting point to work out which is sky and which is ground, and train itself to recognise the differences. “The ability to estimate the precise roll and pitch angles and the heading direction instantaneously is crucial for UAVs, as small errors can lead to misalignments and crashes,” he adds. IANS

Insects to guide drones fly precisely A new visual system will tweak pilotless aircraft’s ability to navigate even more accurately by imitating how insects do it

Does social networking promote alcohol use? S

ocial networking may be promoting alcohol use among young people in so subtle a manner that users are not even aware of it. “It (social networking) is being employed to organise events, communicate with people while out drinking, and enabling participants to share photos of their socialising and drinking online,” said Antonia Lyons, associate professor in psychology at Massey University who led the study. Lyons said the research has also revealed that just as some people saw excessive alcohol use as a way of excusing behaviour, some social networking users were expressing similar attitudes about their Facebook pages, according to a university statement. Researchers talked with groups of people aged between 18 and 25 years about different aspects of their online behaviour, drinking experiences and exposure to celebrities drinking via pop culture websites.

Lyons said that while the respondents believed the links between social networking and alcohol promotion were pleasurable, fun and exciting, they were not aware of how closely aligned the marketing of alcohol had become with their online usage. “For example, many participants see themselves as ‘savvy’ online in respect to alcohol promotion and yet they spend time on alcohol brand sites, ‘friend’

them on Facebook, and engage in online interactions (such as playing alcohol-centred games or posting photos).” Drinkify is a website that matches a person’s musical tastes to particular drinks. A new iPhone cover has been designed to double as a bottle opener and it comes with a free app that counts how many bottles have been opened, and plays selected music each time it is used, Lyon said. IANS

H‑Factor

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 14, 2011

Holistic view of mind, body and soul

Intestine crucial to function of immune cells, study shows

Carrying excess fat is not good

Dr Sunil Kapoor

TORONTO, CANADA: Researchers at the University of Toronto have found an explanation for how the intestinal tract influences a key component of the immune system to prevent infection, offering a potential clue to the cause of autoimmune disorders like rheumatoid arthritis and multiple sclerosis. “The findings shed light on the complex balance between beneficial and harmful bacteria in the gut,” said Prof Jennifer Gommerman, an Associate Professor in the Department of Immunology at U of T, whose findings were published online by the scientific journal, Nature. “There has been a long-standing mystery of how certain cells can differentiate between and attack harmful bacteria in the intestine without damaging beneficial bacteria and other necessary cells. Our research is working to solve it.” The researchers found that some B cells — a type of white blood cell that produces antibodies — acquire functions that allow them to neutralise pathogens only while spending time in the gut. Moreover, this subset of B cells is critical to health. “When we got rid of that B-cell function, the host was unable to clear a gut pathogen and there were other negative outcomes, so it appears to be

very important for the cells to adopt this function in the gut,” said Prof. Gommerman, whose lab conducted the research in mice. Textbook immunology — based mostly on research done in the spleen, lymph nodes or other sterile sites distant from gut microbes — has suggested that B cells develop a specific immune function and rigidly maintain that identity. Over the last few years, however, some labs have shown the microberich environment of the gut can induce flexibility in immune cell identity. Prof. Gommerman and her colleagues, including trainees from her lab doctors Jörg Fritz, Olga Rojas and Doug McCarthy, found that as B cells differentiate into plasma cells in the gut, they adopt characteristics of innate immune cells — despite their traditional association with the adaptive immune s y s t e m . Specifically, they begin to look and act like inflammatory cells called monocytes, while maintaining their ability to produce a key antibody called Immunoglobulin A. “What intrigued us was that this theme — B cells

Understanding the nature of the relationship between antimicrobial molecules and healthy cells could improve understanding of inflammatory mechanisms behaving like monocytes—had been seen before in fish and in vitro. But now we have a living example in a mammalian system, where this kind of bipotentiality is realised,” said Prof. Gommerman. This B-cell plasticity provides a potential explanation how cells dedicated to controlling pathogens can respond to a large burden of harmful bacteria without damaging beneficial bacteria and other cells essential for proper function of the intestine. It also may explain how scientists had failed to appreciate the multifunctionality of some B cells.

“There are classical markers immunologists use to identify B cells — receptors that are displayed on their surface —and most of them are absent from plasma cells,” said Prof. Gommerman. “So in some cases, what people thought was a monocyte could have been a plasma cell because it had changed its surface identity, although monocytes play an important role in innate immunity as well.” This transformational ability, the researchers also found, is dependent on bacteria called commensal microflora that digests food and provides nutrients. That relationship highlights the importance of the gut in fighting infection, and begs the question of whether plasma cells trained in the gut to secrete specific antimicrobial molecules can play a role in other infectious disease scenarios, such as food-borne listeria infection. It also opens a line of investigation into whether a systemic relationship exists between those anti-microbial molecules and healthy cells in sites remote from the intestine. Understanding the nature of that relationship could improve understanding of inflammatory mechanisms in autoimmune disorders such as lupus, rheumatoid arthritis and multiple sclerosis.

Why is it that there is so much emphasis on staying fit? If you look at yourself in the mirror and think that you are looking fat, this is the time to start working in the direction of a slimmer self. Obesity is a disease, resulting in high blood pressure, diabetes mellitus, venous edema, insulin resistance due to more fat, increased atherosclerosis resulting in more heart attacks and brain strokes, hypoventilation resulting in less oxygen in the blood and a host of related problems. The incidence of obesity is on the rise in India, with sedentary lifestyles, mostly deskwork, availability of fast food and continuos supply of junk eatables and beverages, which are high on calories and fats. In fact MacDonald’s and Pizza Huts in the USA have contributed in making the US population look extremely prosperous and added to their body fat. Over the last 20 years, during my annual academic sojourn to the USA, I have noticed an increasing population of obese people there. It is difficult to find a slim American unless he is a fitness enthusiast or has fallen on bad times. On the contrary, the Paris population is slim in a majority because being the fashion capital of the world, it is ingrained in the minds of people there that SLIM is LIFE and BEAUTY and OBESE is UGLY and DISEASE. Obese Parisians are so ashamed of themselves that they do not venture out on the streets unless they have shed their fat. Here’s what we can do to shape up: Diet: At the top of the list is eat less. Eat to live; do not eat a full stomach, end your meal when you are 75% full. It is better to start with some raw vegetable salad. This will give you vitamins, very little calories and importantly will feel filling so that you consume lesser calories and fats. Exercise: Walking everyday for 30 minutes is good unless there is a contraindication. It is better to buy a treadmill, as we may not have to time to dress up and go for a walk. Do wear proper walking shoes, as it helps prevent arthritis. (The concluding part of this column will appear next week. The writer is a senior consultant cardiologist practising at Care Hospital, Hyderabad)

F‑Folio

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 14, 2011

Because you are what you wear

Pregnant charm

Old is gold Variety is the spice

hoever said pregnancy takes away fashion didn’t really have a fashion sense. Time and again our celebrities have proven that it’s only a myth and you can be at your fashionable best at all times. Lara Dutta, who is glowing in her pregnancy, seems to be only too happy to give us another lesson in fashion. This mommy-to-be was recently seen at one of the dos in an animal print short dress that she teamed up with a black clutch and kitten heels. The pregnancy glow only added to her sex quotient.

hough she had worn this look quite a while back, we can’t really let Sushmita Sen’s look in the long flowing kaftan gown go without a mention. A fashionista in her own right, Sushmita always does more than justice to whatever she adorns, whether it is a sari, an anarkali, a formal suit or a gown. She ends up looking ethereal when she wants too. The animal print chiffon gown that Sushmita had worn in one of the events still continues to demand attention.

eyonce is perhaps the most versatile of all celebs when it comes to the animal print trend, for she has tried it in her wardrobe like no other. Whether it is lingerie, a kaftan, shoes or even a scarf, she wears them all and does it in style. She has the looks and the oomph to carry it all and might we say that we are mighty impressed. But of all the animal print looks that she has worn, the leopard print kaftan stood out the most.

CELEB PICK

Animal instinct on the prowl

The animal print trend is not just a passing fad as perceived earlier, there is much more to this trend than what meets the eye Taniya Talukdar taniya.t@postnoon.com

rom jackets to hats, to tops, to dresses, to pants and to even swimwear, the animal print can be seen everywhere! And they are available in a variety of designs because it is in fact a very popular trend, which many a celeb swears by. If Beyonce loves her leopard print kaftan then Nicole Richie loves her animal print shoes and Jennifer Lopez feels the same about her animal print dress. It’s not only the Hollywood celebrities who are dressing up in animal prints, but the ones back home too, have a great penchant for them. While many assumed it to be a fad that will eventually give way to other trends, 2011 did see the return of animal prints in a big way. And going by the looks, we can only say that the trend is here to stay.

Light foot

he might be in the news for all the wrong reasons but hats off to her for she manages to surprise us once in a while with her fashion sense. Lilo knows she is quirky and plays it well too. Her leopard print flat pumps only enhance that, and we must say that we are quite impressed, for she is able to carry the look without much effort.

Bag it

rom Elizabeth Hurley to Elle Macpherson, to Halle Berry, to Hillary Duff, they have all carried the animal print bag and have made quite a fashion statement. It gets difficult for us to make a choice in this case as to who rocked it better because the animal print bags come in various sizes and shapes and these leading ladies carried them off pretty well. But what we also want to add here is that the bags are for the less-experimental ones too.

So this season, make have at least one animal print item in your wardrobe; be it a pair of trousers, lingerie, footwear or a scarf. If you are not the experimental sorts, then an accessory in animal print should do — don’t be scared to try!

Movies

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 14, 2011

Kung Fu Panda 2

Twilight: Breaking Dawn (Part I)

f there’s one sequel on this list we are glad to see, it’s the return of the Dragon Warrior. While this edition suffers a little in terms of plot and freshness, the visual effects are on par, if not it surpasses, the original and are simply to die for. All in all, a thumbsup for Po.

espite having proven to be mediocre movies at best, the craze of the Twilight saga doesn’t seem to have ebbed. If anything, it seems to intensify with each edition. Less than three weeks since it’s release, it’s sitting on a cool 250 million. No prizes for guessing how popular the finale will be.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Part II)

Transformers Dark of the Moon

en years after the first movie, the eighth and final installment in the Harry Potter series opened to hysteric audiences across the world. This rousing finale is not only the highest grossing movie of 2011 but also the highest grossing movie of the entire franchise, having surpassed the 1-billion mark by a long shot. A fitting end to a magical series, we say.

Fast Five

f you ask the Box-office, it will be sure to tell you it loved Dark of the Moon. Us? Not so much. Yeah, sure the 3D and special effects are great, and the Autobots and Decepticons are back in action but we do wish they powered down for a bit.

oving away from its previous editions, the Fast Five follows Dominic, Brian and Mia as they plan a $100M heist. That the fifth installment of the Fast and Furious series is the fifth-highest grossing movie of the year, tells its own story.

Going with the golden formula With a record of 27 prequels, sequels, remakes or spin-offs, 2011 has been a year in which Hollywood has solely relied on past glories to fill its coffers. Take a look

Padmini C padmini.c@postnoon.com

t’s often said that there can never be too much of a good thing. Hollywood seems to have taken the

adage quite seriously. Movie-makers and production houses have rehatched tried and tested hits of the past decade to offer audiences, more and more of their favourites.

X Men: First Class

The Hangover Part II

hat Marvel heroes make for great movies is no news. A prequel to the X-men series, First Class tells the story of how Charles and Erik, once best friends, became the Prof X and Magneto as we know them today. As they say, mutant and proud!

hat Hangover is a brilliant movie, we have no doubt. But it’s follow up...well, not so much. We are not saying it’s not funny, we are just saying it’s not anything like the original.

Some have worked, while others have bombed. Today, we take a look at some of the biggest names from popular franchises that have returned to the big screen this year.

Sequels that bombed n n n n n

Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwreck Final Destination 5 Johnny English Reborn Diary of a Wimpy Kid 2: Rodrick Rules Happy Feet 2

Mission Impossible, Ghost Protocol

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides

hose who watched Dead Man’s Chest and swore that they would never get enough of Captain Jack Sparrow are now on the verge of saying ‘enough’. Without Keira Knightley or Orlando Bloom; an ounce of originality or moderation, On Stranger Tides without the power of its predecessors would have sank without a trace.

o, technically it hasn’t even released yet. But we already know it’s going straight to the top. Ethan Hunt is back on another mission, which is ‘impossible.’ Will he be a fourth time lucky? We’ll have to wait and watch.

Rise of the Planet of the Apes

kay, so this caught us by surprise. It came at a time when we had quite forgotten the original. But Andy Merkis and the super stylish special effects makes for a worthwhile watch! If you can brave the cameo by Frieda Pinto, that is.

Magic Screen

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 14, 2011

The glamour behind the glitz

New kids on the block Jo Hum Chahein introduces two new actors Sunny Gill and Simran Mundi this Friday and the excitement in their voices can be felt when they talk to us Shiba Minai shiba.m@postnoon.com

ollywood is forever welcoming new actors into its fold. On December 16 it welcomes the model duo Simran Kaur Mundi and Sunny Gill. While Simran was Miss India in 2008, Sunny has been an international supermodel. Like every other model trying their luck in tinsel town, was it a pre-planned decision for them as well? Sunny promptly replies, “I have always wanted to act. I was fascinated how one person can enact a million characters and live all of them in one life. I believe there are only two ways of making it into Bollywood — either as a star or as a model. Modelling does help in making contacts and it gives you a better scope of getting into movies.” Such an honest cookie. However, Simran’s approach was more relaxed. “Acting was never on my mind. I was in London when I was summoned for the role. I returned two weeks later and was almost sure I would not get it, but since I had nothing to lose I called up the makers of the film and luckily it was still available. Though I had to audition thrice, I finally got the role.” The duo then give us a sneak peek into the film. Sunny refers to it as an aspirational journey of the youth of today. It’s about impatience and immediacy he says. “By youth I don’t mean a particular age group, I mean everyone who is young at heart. It can even be a 70-year-old who wishes for a lottery and promises to do xyz once he wins the

money.” To which Simran adds, “It’s an interesting romanticcomedy. The movie has a message without being arty. It’s fun that everyone will relate to.” She continues, “I play the character of Neha Kapoor, a girl who is level-headed and sorted and does not believe in frivolous relationships. She meets Rohan Bhatia played by Sunny, and he is everything she would never want in a man.” Her explanation is interrupted by Sunny who says, “Oh, this is her version of my character. I

am a man who loves women!” He laughs and continues, “Just like in real life, I love being around women and so does my character! Also, in the film, I am a gogetter and I don’t follow the rules.” “This movie is a beautiful journey of how the two characters meet and eventually how love blossoms between the two, adds Simran. Every debutant has their share of jitters. Did they face the same emotions? “I always thought acting was probably

about looking good and giving a shot or two. But it’s much more than that. It requires an immense amount of hard work, focus and dedication,” explains Simran, going on to add, “We had so many great experiences during the shoot. One of the funniest involved Sunny and swimming.” She is in splits while trying to narrate the incident, but manages to say, “Sunny tried to act heroic and dived hard into the pool. What he didn’t realise is that his shorts had come off and while he swam, the camera cap-

tured his scandalous swim. When he came out of the pool, he actually suggested we take the shot!” By now she bursts into an uncontrollable fit of laughter. Sunny too, joins in and adds, “That is an exaggerated version. I had never been to a movie set before. The first day I was taken aback by the enormity of the whole movie making procedure.” Like all of us, surely the two must idolise someone in the industry, to which Sunny says, “I have always looked up to my father. But when it came to movies, I remember when I was young someone told me that Sunny Deol was the son of Dharmendra, and I just could not believe him. From my childhood I developed a taste for movies and eventually fell in love with the actors. So I don’t think it’s fair to say I idolise one person.” “I don’t think I will want to emulate anyone, but I definitely would want people to receive me the way they received Madhuri Dixit,” opines Simran. Getting to the nitty-gritty, we inquire about their love lives. There is a grin on Simran’s face. “Life on the personal front looks set as of now.” Has she found Mr Right then? She replies, “I may have found him. Let’s see what happens.” Sunny however, is still on the lookout. “I always believe in living in the moment and like my dad says, live life to the fullest. I enjoy meeting a lot of people, but I don’t think I have found the special one as the bells have not rung for me yet,” he says.

Magic Screen

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 14, 2011

The glamour behind the glitz

I’ve let myself go, says John Abraham

y his own admission, John Abraham is a changed man. He is talking more, dancing more and is certainly more visible than ever before. With a slate of films lined up in the New Year, Bollywood’s quintessential handsome hunk hopes to find ‘inspired living’. “I think I have let myself go. I have opened up and let my hair down gradually. So the change is evident, both in my personal as well as professional life,” John says. The 38-year-old who split from his girlfriend of eight years, actress Bipasha Basu, was quite reticent earlier. But thanks to movie promotions, which required him to be in the limelight as well as meet and greet fans and mediapersons, John has come out of his shell. This year has been significant for John as he had three releases — 7 Khoon Maaf, Force and Desi Boyz. If 7 Khoon Maaf won critical appreciation, the other two fared well at the box office. In fact, Force is being considered as one of John’s biggest releases so far in his eight-year-old acting career, which kickstarted with Jism. “I am happy. This is the best phase of my career so far. But you never know how long this will last. With my present slate of films, I can look forward to ups and downs, but I would like to believe that I have a safe set of projects in my kitty,” said John. His visibility on screen and off screen will bump up next year thanks to his long line-up of films — I, Me Aur Main, Housefull 2, Race 2 and Shootout At Wadala. IANS

I’m most certainly not gay, says Jackie

ollywood actor Jackie Shroff dismisses reports that he gave an interview to a Pakistani website about his sexual preference and clarifies that he is not gay. “Can you believe it? Bas ab yehi baqi reh gaya tha. Logon ko kaam-dhanda nahin hai. Bas, yehi sab… For the record, I’ve never spoken to any journalist on this subject and certainly made no such declaration. Main pagal hoon kya,” he said. “In any case, what’s the big deal about sexual preference? If one is gay, one is gay. If I was, I’d have no qualms in accepting it. But the fact is, I am most certainly not. And I’m surprised at the audacity of the journalist who cooked up this imaginary scandal,” added the 54-year-old. IANS

RGV announces film on 26/11 terror attack

hen Ram Gopal Varma visited the Taj Mahal Palace and Tower Hotel soon after the 26/11 terror attacks, it was speculated he would make a film on the incident. The news is confirmed now. Varma has tentatively titled his film 26/11, and he aims to capture the ‘behind-the-scenes’ aspects of the terror attack as well as the heroism of the officers. “Everyone more or less has seen or heard of what happened during that time (26/11). But my attempt now would be not only to capture the physical aspect but also behind-the-scenes aspects of what exactly happened from the time Kasab and rest of the team landed on Amar Singh Solanki’s trawler in the high seas, till Kasab’s heroic capture by the late Tukaram Ombale at Girgaum Chowpatty,” Varma said in a press statement. “This will be intercut with what the various gallant police officers did in their attempt to get the situation under control,” he added. IANS

B-TOWN TWEETIES

@rampalarjun Just finished, shooting with @juniorbachchan one of the most genuine sensitive and endearing moments on #love2hateu a complete gentleman. Ty AB.

@NeilNMukesh My grandparents love story was the best They ran away and got married in a Temple:) They ran to a temple got married and came. Back home to take aashirvaad :D

@Imarshadwarsi In Delhi waking up to bright n sunny but cold morning n listening to christmas carols, it's a perfect Christmas feeling.

@bipsluvurself Happy Birthday @RanaDaggubati .Wish you Success, Happiness, Love & Luck always!

@FarOutAkhtar Welcome back Vardhaan "@bomanirani: Confession: Extremely excited about the release of Don2. Normally I am chup!!!!"

@SrBachchan T 589 - 'It is a mark of many famous people that they cannot part with their brightest hour : what worked once, must always work ' ~LH

@Iamsrk Bags packed...plane ready...my Bihari accent was also being worked upon. Feel awful couldn't make it...but insha Allah will go there soon.

@kjohar25 K3G completes a decade today....the illustrious cast and brilliant crew made my biggest celluloid dream possible!!!

Magic Screen

D I S P L A YA

D S RATE ` 150 sq. cm

For Further Details Please Contact Abhinay 9989399972 Nandlal 9951467988 Ravi Chander 8106039919

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 14, 2011

Magic Screen

The glamour behind the glitz

Ke$ha takes on a Bob Dylan song

e$ha raised eyebrows when it was revealed her cover of Bob Dylan’s classic Don’t Think Twice, It’s Alright would be included on the massive 76-song compilation, Chimes of Freedom: The Songs of Bob Dylan, coming out on Jan 24. She is joined by such artists as Adele, My Morning Jacket and Miley Cyrus on the set, which benefits Amnesty International.

Tyra Banks splits from boyfriend

upermodel and TV host Tyra Banks has ended her four-year relationship with banker John Utendahl. The 38-year-old, who was dating Utendahl since 2007, is on a ‘spiritual trip’ in Bali to get over her break-up. “Tyra (Banks) has gone away

with a female friend and has been island-hopping, visiting Bali and taking a spiritual retreat,” femalefirst.co.uk quoted Banks as saying. However, after the separation, the banker was reportedly spotted with a Russian model at New York night spot Catch. IANS

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 14, 2011

Magic Screen

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 14, 2011

The glamour behind the glitz

WINONA RYDER Charlie Sheen lets out personal number TO PLAY A T KILLER’S WIFE IN THE ICEMAN

inona Ryder has just committed to star with Michael Shannon and Chris Evans in The Iceman, the Ariel Vromen-directed drama based on the Anthony Bruno book about Richard Kuklinski, a family man who secretly carried out contract killings for the mob. Millennium Films/Nu Image is financing the film. Shannon is playing Kuklinski, aka The Iceman, and Evans is playing his mentor, Robert Pronge. Ryder, most recently seen in Black Swan and The Dilemma, will play Kuklinski’s wife, Deborah, who did not know that he was a contract killer. Ryder recently wrapped the indie series The Stare opposite James Franco.

urns out, Ashton Kutcher and Charlie Sheen have more in common than we thought. As it happens, Sheen neglected to do that over the weekend and once again turned himself into a cautionary celebrity tale. While attempting to send a private direct message to Justin Beiber, the TV star accidentally tweeted out his personal phone number to each and every one of his 5.5 million followers. Do we even need to say anything

more? The gaffe happened last Thursday, when Sheen tweeted out his phone number, along with a note. “310-954-7277 Call me, bro. C,” in a message reportedly meant for the Beibs. The tweet has wisely since been removed (and his number disconnected and changed), but not before receiving 1,800 text messages and countless more actual phone calls all in a matter of minutes.

MAKING OF PARADISE LOST SHELVED

radley Cooper really wants to make Paradise Lost. Attached to play Lucifer since May with Alex Proyas in the director’s chair, Cooper actually went as far as to drop out of the remake of The Crow because the two projects were scheduled to be in production at the exact same time. Now it looks like he may have jumped the gun with

that decision, as the project has hit a major roadblock. According to Deadline, Legendary Pictures has brought Paradise Lost to a screeching halt and has postponed production indefinitely. The stop is being likened to what happened to The Lone Ranger earlier this fall, when Disney decided to freeze the movie due to budget concerns.

Magic Screen

niversal Pictures has acquired 80 per cent of distribution rights — including in the US — to the large-scale dramatic thriller that Luc Besson will direct with Angelina Jolie in the starring role. The untitled film would be Jolie’s next as an actress, and it would come before she teams with director Ridley Scott on a historical epic about Gertrude Bell that The Constant Gardener scribe Jeffrey Caine is currently rewriting. Jolie is also moving quickly on Maleficent, the Linda Woolvertonscripted revisionist take on the Sleeping Beauty tale for Walt Disney Pictures, and she is getting closer to playing medical examiner Kay Scarpetta in the Fox 2000 drama based on the Patricia Cornwell novel series. Jolie also is getting ready for the release In The Land Of Blood And Honey, her feature directorial and screenwriting debut, which is being released by Film District in the heat of the Oscar race.

Scorsese gets American Riviera Award

artin Scorsese is not in love with awards campaigning. But accepting awards — that's a relatively painless part of the road to the Oscars. Thus he is going to attend the 27th Santa Barbara Film International Festival tribute to him on January 30 to receive the American Riviera Award. While last year Leonardo DiCaprio presented the Master Award to director Christopher Nolan, this marks the first time the fest has given the Riviera award, to a director.

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 14, 2011

The glamour behind the glitz

Luc BessonAngelina Jolie

tie up with Universal

New banners for The Amazing Spider-Man

trio of new banners for The Amazing Spider-Man have emerged online, and they’re taking a very different tack to the new teaser poster released at the weekend. Designed to promote the film to the international market, the new artwork is loud, colourful and extremely reminiscent of the Sam Raimi films. In fact, if you didn’t know the back story behind the project, you’d prob-

ably assume this was a continuation of that series. They certainly represent a change of pace when compared to the mean and moody image being used in the domestic market. That said, the suit still looks pretty good, and that bobbled exterior is sure getting some attention. Directed by Marc Webb, the film will be released in 3D, and arrives in cinemas on 4 July 2012.

Magic Screen

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 14, 2011

The glamour behind the glitz

Amala Paul joins the long list of actresses from Kerala who have made their debut in Telugu Cinema. The doeeyed beauty from the backwaters of Cochin gets candid about how life changed after Mynaa

GOD’S OWN CHILD

Hemanth Kumar hemanth.k@postnoon.com

mala Paul, the 20-something actor from Cochin, has emerged as one of the most promising actresses in the South. There’s something seductive about her eyes that distracts a lot of people and she puts them to good use in almost all of her films. She loves having animated conversations punctuated with laughter which can totally take anyone by surprise. We ask her if she would ever act in a silent film. “I would love to. Then, I can express a lot more through my eyes,” she breaks into laughter, once again. She’s completely aware of what people like most about her. “I have lost track of the number of people who told me that I resemble Deepika Padukone and Priyanka Chopra. The funny part is I don’t bear any resemblance to them, but people still think I do,” she smiles. Born and brought up in Cochin, Amala Paul is the first from her family to enter the film industry. “My parents were con-

cerned in the beginning but they have been quite supportive about what I wanted to do,” she says. After several inconsequential roles, her life changed after Prabhu Solomon’s Mynaa released late last year. The film was dubbed in Telugu as Prema Khaidi and it opened to good reviews all over Andhra Pradesh. “I consider my look in Prema Khaidi as my best,” Amala says which takes us off-guard. Did she really refer to her pimplefaced look with absolutely no make-up? “Yes,” she insists and adds, “I didn’t even know that I had expressive eyes till Solomon told me. It was a great learning experience and I learnt what look and camera angle suits me. On the first day of the film’s shooting, I couldn’t believe the look which Solomon gave me. But he was my mentor and I had great confidence in him. After a point of time, I really liked the innocent and raw look which I had throughout the film.” You don’t really expect to hear all that from a 20-year-old who got her first big break earlier this

year in AL Vijay’s Nanna. We ask her what has made her so confident in such a short span of time? “I think it’s because I had learnt a lot while shooting for Prema Khaidi. I had to work really hard to prove myself and whatever I am today is because of my talent and hard work. I think I can survive in the industry for a long time if I believe in myself, my characters and my directors,” she beams another smile. Point noted. She may have been in the news for a lot of wrong reasons, but you can’t deny that she has indeed made people sit up and take notice. She’s currently acting in Balaji Mohan’s Love Failure starring Siddharth in a lead role, which was shot in Hyderabad recently. “Siddharth is the most energetic hero I have worked with so far. I still remember watching his debut film Boys and it took me a moment to believe that I am acting with

him. He’s very focused on the sets and thanks to him, I am trying to learn Telugu,” she says. So where does she see herself in the near future? “I want to try different roles and want to be remembered as a good actress like my idols Sridevi, Madhuri Dixit and Soundarya. I think I have become quite mature in the past few months and now my friends are confused why I behave like a middle-aged woman,” she says. We hope her friend’s are lying for it is hard to imagine someone having a serious conversation with this doeeyed livewire.

Vikram’s

Magic Screen

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 14, 2011

The glamour behind the glitz

Veedinthe to release on Dec 30

ikram, Deeksha Seth starrer Veedinthe is going to be the last film to hit the screens this year. Earlier this year, Vikram played the lead role in AL Vijay’s Nanna,

T-TOWN TWEETIES

@LakshmiManchu Touch down India. My beautiful Hyderabad. Off to work from the airport. Blessed feeling. Lots of updates. Stay tuned.

which was critically acclaimed and now in Veedinthe, Vikram is going to flex his muscles and amp up his style quotient. Directed by Suseenthiran, the film marks the foray of Prasad V Potluri’s PVP Cinemas into film production. Yuvan Shankar Raja has composed the music of this film which is touted to be a mass entertainer. Vikram will reportedly be seen in 17 different avatars in the film which is another feather in his cap. Saloni, Reema Sen and Shriya Saran have played cameos in Veedinthe. The film is all set to hit the screens on December 30.

@sneha_ullal Off to Hyd tomorrow..launching RS brothers on 15th..goodnight everyone..see u there

@PriyaWajAnand Happy Birthday to my Adorable 78 year old Ammama... The birthday girl is celebrating tomorrow with her 4 children! Love U 'Stitch' Muuuuaah

@ramsayz

Rana’s Krishnum Vande Jagadgurum launched

ana’s fourth Telugu film, Krishnum Vande Jagadgurum, was launched earlier today in Ramanaidu Studios. Critically acclaimed director Krish, of Gamyam and Vedam fame, is going to direct the film. A little bird tell us that Rana is playing a theatre artist in the film which is an action revenge drama. M M Keeravani is going to compose the music. Although there

were reports in the past that Anushka has been chosen as the film’s lead actress, Krish is reportedly still searching for a tall heroine, who’s at least 5’ 8’ or above, for this film to match Rana’s height. This isn’t the first time directors have faced some difficulty in choosing the right heroine for Rana. In the past, Selvaraghavan’s period film with Rana was delayed for a long time because he couldn’t find a heroine who could match Rana’s height.

Lakshmi Manchu’s next film titled Gundello Godaari

akshmi Manchu is on a roll these days. After making her debut as a producer with Jhummandhi Naadam in 2010, she made her onscreen debut in Anaganaga O Dheerudu. After playing supporting roles in RGV’s Dongala Muta and Department, she’s all set to star in her home production titled Gundello Godaari. She’s pairing up with Aadi Pinishetty in the film which will be directed by Kumar. For the past few months, Lakshmi Manchu has been juggling between her responsibilities as a producer of Manchu Manoj starrer Uu Kodathara Ulikki Padathaara and Gundello Godaari. Ilayaraaja is going to compose the music of this film which will go on floors shortly.

Hollywood in order 2 get a huge opening createdSuperMAN,SpiderMAN,BatMA N n IronMAN..but in India we just have SalMAN!

@shrutihaasan Had a fab day of shoot for Gabbar Singh,such a lovely lively energetic cast and crew :) #lovemyjob

@pnavdeep26 Heres wishing our dear victory Venkatesh a very happy birthday :) last we met was when we shared our luv for high speeds at the Delhi f 1 :)

@RanaDaggubati Sorry for being off the radar, been in Araku shooting for "Naa Ishtam". Out of cell phone/internet reach. Back now in Hyderabad.

@Alwayscharan My team RC polo won the Pataudi cup in Delhi.I dedicate this cup to the Nawab of Pataudi (tiger). My love to Saif Ali Khan and his family.

Chai Time 1400 Naadi Aadajanme 1430 Pavitra 1500 Movie 1800 Sri Shanidevuni Mahimalu 1830 Vasantha Kokila 1900 Chinnari Pelli Kuturu 1930 Anna Chellelu 2000 Pellipandiri 2030 Edureetha 2100 Challenge-3 2200 CID 2300 Vasantha Kokila 2330 Alajadi 0700 Silver Screen 0730 Just For Fun 0800 Ayurvedam 0830 Chaganti Nava Vidha Bhakti 0900 Bhale Chancele

1400 Kannavaari Kalalu 1430 Maavichiguru 1500 Jeevitha Chakram 1530 Movie 1800 Jai Shri Krishna 1830 Shraavani Subramaniam 1900 Mandhara 1930 Auto Bharthi 2000 No. 23, Mahalakshmi Nivasam 2030 Mogali Rekulu 2100 Aparanji 2130 Devatha 2200 Mamathala Kovela 2230 Sree Mathi Sree 2300 Gemini Vaarthalu 0800 Gemini Talkies 0830 Movie 1130 Aha Emi Ruchi 1200 Comedy Kick 1230 Maa Inti Aada Paduchu 1300 Chittemmaa 1330 Gorintaku

1400 [V] Behind The Sins 1430 [V] D3 Dil Dosti Dance 1500 [V] Humse Hai Life 1530 [V] Trailers 1600 [V] Zabardast Hits 1800 [V] Fresh Songs 1830 [V] Humse Hai Life 1900 [V] D3 Dil Dosti Dance 1930 [V] Humse Hai Life 2000 [V] Dare 2 Date 2100 [V] Deadly Dus 2130 [V] Trailers 2200 Gladrags Megamodel Manhunt 2011 2230 [V] Behind The Sins 2300 [V] Humse Hai Life 2330 [V] D3 Dil Dosti Dance 0700 [V] Trailers 0730 [V] Zabardast Hits 0800 [V] Mind Blasting Mornings 1100 [V] Fresh Songs 1200 [V] D3 Dil Dosti Dance

‘[V] Humse Hai Life’ at 1930 Hrs on CHANNEL [V]

1300 News Now at 1 1330 News Now 1800 6 PM 1830 Live Report 1900 Primetime 1930 The Game 2000 News Now at 8 2030 Live Report 2100 The Newshour 2200 The Newshour - Plus 2230 E Now 2300 News Now at 11 0800 The Morning News 0900 News Now 1200 Live Report 1230 News Now

‘The Game’ at 1930 Hrs only on TIMES NOW

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 14, 2011

Telly sitcoms, news and movie listings

1400 Abhishekam 1430 Aadade Aadharam 1500 Antahpuram 1530 Aakasa Ganga 1600 Prema Mandiram 1630 Jagadeeswari 1700 Wow 1800 Devimahathyam 1830 Puttadi Bomma 1900 Kumkuma Rekha 1930 Manasu Mamata 2000 Chandra Mukhi 2030 Bharyamani 2100 Etv News 2130 Adhire Adurs 2245 Movie 0800 Jeevana Jyothi 0830 Tollywood Time 0900 Movie 1130 Abhiruchi 1230 Star Mahila

1400 Ardhangi 1430 Movie 1800 Veera Naari Jhansi Laxmi Bhai 1830 Kalavari Kodallu 1900 Chinna Kodalu 1930 Pasupukunkuma 2000 Muddu Bidda 2030 Radha Kalyanam 2100 Kanyadanam 2130 Sa Re Ga Ma Pa - Little Champs 2230 Shree 2300 Bindas 0800 Gopuram 0830 Bhakti Samacharam 0900 Sri Raghavendra Vybhavam 0930 Ayurveda Jeevana Vignanam 1000 Zee 70 Mm A.C 1200 Mee Inti Vanta

‘Business Tonight’ at 2100 Hrs only on ET NOW 1400 The F And O Show 1430 Closing Trades 1530 Tomorrow's Trades 1600 Business Day 1730 Markets Tomorrow 1800 Rush Hour 1830 Starting Up 1900 Global Business Report 1930 Business Express 2000 Business First 2030 Markets Tomorrow 2100 Business Tonight 2200 Top 10 At 10 2230 Brand Equity 2300 Investor's Guide 0900 First Trades 1000 Hot Stocks 1100 Buy Now Sell Now - The Stock Game 1130 Buy Now Sell Now 1200 Market Sense 1300 Business Day 1330 Markets Now

‘Man Vs. Wild’ at 2100 Hrs on DISCOVERY CHANNEL 1400 Man Vs. Wild 1500 A Haunting 1600 Dual Survival 1700 Surviving Disaster 1800 Killing For A Living 1900 Swamp Brothers 1930 Destroyed In Seconds 2000 Killer Outbreaks 2100 Man Vs. Wild 2200 I Shouldn't Be Alive 2300 My Shocking Story 0800 Pig Bomb 0900 Factory Made 0930 Destroyed In Seconds 1000 Bermuda Triangle Exposed

1415 Csi - Crime Scene Investigation 1510 Wipeout 1605 Chef Academy 1700 Top Chef Masters 1800 Breaking The Magician's Code 1900 India's Minute To Win It 2000 Guinness World Records Smashed 2100 Minute To Win It 2200 Wipeout 2300 Breaking The Magician's Code 0905 Sky Teleshopping 0930 Whacked Out Sports 1030 Top Chef Masters 1130 Guinness World Records Smashed

‘India's Minute To Win It’ at 2100 Hrs on AXN

‘Haar Jeet’ at 2230 Hrs on IMAGINE 1400 Haar Jeet 1500 Nach Le Ve With Saroj Khan 1600 Haar Jeet 1700 Sawaare Sabke Sapne – Preeto 1800 Beendh Banuga Ghodi Chadhunga 1830 Sawaare Sabke Sapne – Preeto 1900 Nach Le Ve With Saroj Khan 2000 Dwarkadheesh - Bhagwan Shri Krishn 2030 Sawaare Sabke Sapne – Preeto 2100 Beendh Banuga Ghodi Chadhunga 2130 Dharampatni 2200 Baba Aisa Varr Dhoondo 2230 Haar Jeet

1400 Hamari Saas Leela 1430 Hawan 1500 Veer Shivaji 1530 Uttaran 1600 Phulwa 1630 Parichay - Nayee Zindagi Kay Sapno Ka 1700 Sasural Simar Ka 1730 Veer Shivaji 1800 Uttaran 1830 Balika Vadhu 1900 Hawan 1930 Sasural Simar Ka 2000 Balika Vadhu 2030 Veer Shivaji 2100 Phulwa 2130 Parichay - Nayee Zindagi Kay Sapno Ka 2200 Uttaran 2230 Bigg Boss 2330 Balika Vadhu

‘Sasural Simar Ka’ at 1930 Hrs on COLORS

‘Choti Bahu 2’ at 1930 Hrs on ZEE TV 1400 Hitler Didi 1430 Mrs. Kaushik Ki Paanch Bahuein 1500 Bhagonwali 1530 Yahaaan Main Ghar Ghar Kheli 1600 Pavitra Rishta 1630 Star Ya Rockstar 1800 Ram Milaye Jodi 1830 Mrs. Kaushik Ki Paanch Bahuein 1900 Ek Nayi Choti Si Zindagi 1930 Choti Bahu 2 2000 Hitler Didi 2030 Yahaaan Main Ghar Ghar Kheli 2100 Pavitra Rishta 2130 Ram Milaye Jodi 2200 Mrs. Kaushik Ki Paanch Bahuein 2230 Bhagonwali 2300 Pavitra Rishta

1400 Saas Bina Sasuraal 1430 Bade Achhe Lagte Hai 1500 Kuch Toh Log Kahenge 1600 CID 1800 Saas Bina Sasuraal 1830 Bade Achhe Lagte Hai 1900 Crime Patrol - Dastak 2000 Kuch Toh Log Kahenge 2045 Dekha Ek Khwaab 2130 Parvarrish - Kuchh Khatti Kuchh Meethi 2200 Saas Bina Sasuraal 2230 Bade Achhe Lagte Hai 2300 Kuch Toh Log Kahenge 0700 Telebrands 0730 Sky Star Advertising 0900 Adaalat 1000 Crime Patrol - 1 1200 Kuch Toh Log Kahenge 1245 Dekha Ek Khwaab 1330 Parvarrish - Kuchh Khatti Kuchh Meethi

‘Bade Achhe Lagte Hai’ at 2230 Hrs on SONY

‘Diya Aur Bati Hum’ at 2100 Hrs on STAR PLUS 1400 Sapnon Se Bharey Naina 1500 Navya 1530 Diya Aur Bati Hum 1600 Ek Hazaaron Mein Meri Behnaa Hai 1630 Sasuraal Genda Phool 1700 Saath Nibhaana Saathiya 1730 Iss Pyaar Ko Kya Naam Doon 1800 Mann Ki Awaaz… Pratigya 1900 Saath Nibhaana Saathiya 1930 Sasuraal Genda Phool 2000 Iss Pyaar Ko Kya Naam Doon 2030 Ek Hazaaron Mein Meri Behnaa Hai 2100 Diya Aur Bati Hum 2130 Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai 2200 Navya 2230 Mann Ki Awaaz… Pratigya 2300 Maryaada ... Lekin Kab Tak?

MOVIES OF THE DAY AND OTHER HIGHLIGHTS

1315 Ocean's Eleven 1530 10,000 Bc 1735 Jason X 1920 Jason Goes To Hell - The Final Friday 2100 Iron Man 2330 The Phantom 0855 Friends 0925 New Adventures Of Old Christine 0955 The Long Kiss Goodnight 1210 Iron Man

1520 Turistas 1705 Wild Child 1910 Spiders 2100 Get Him To The Greek 2320 Sherlock Holmes 0800 Platoon Leader 1005 Mortal Kombat Annihilation 1210 Sherlock Holmes

1400 $H*! My Dad Says 1430 Better With You 1500 The Real Housewives Of New Jersey 1600 Body Of Proof 1700 $H*! My Dad Says 1730 Better With You 1800 E News 1900 The Tonight Show With Jay Leno 2000 $H*! My Dad Says 2030 America's Funniest Home Videos 2100 The Real Housewives Of New Jersey 2200 Body Of Proof 2300 $H*! My Dad Says 2330 Better With You 0900 Body Of Proof 1000 $H*! My Dad Says 1030 Just For Laughs 1100 The Real Housewives Of New Jersey 1200 Body Of Proof

‘The Real Housewives Of New Jersey’ at 2100 Hrs on ZEE CAFE

Parvarrish

Phulwa

Storyline - Sweety realizes her mistake and convinces Ginny to join the band again. But she is disheartened when she finds out that her daughter has been replaced by another girl in the band.

Storyline - Bade Thakur expresses Joy to Abhay about the money he got back. Phulwa goes to meet Baabu and tells him that soon she will get the real picture of Thakur in front of Abhay.

‘Parvarrish… Kuchh Khatti Kuchh Meethi’ at 2130 Hrs on SONY

‘Phulwa‘ at 2100 Hrs on COLORS

‘The Sheild’ at 2200 Hrs on STAR WORLD 1400 Masterchef USA 1500 The Dewarists 1600 The Big Bang Theory 1630 The Simpsons 1700 The Sheild 1800 Masterchef USA 1900 Love2 Hate U 2000 Two And A Half Men 2030 The Simpsons 2100 Masterchef USA 2200 The Sheild 2300 The Big Bang Theory 2330 Home Improvement 0700 Masterchef USA 0800 Las Vegas 0900 Masterchef USA 1000 The Sheild 1100 Love2 Hate U 1200 Extreme Trail 1300 The Big Bang Theory 1330 Friends

1400 Taarak Mehta Ka Oolta Chashma 1430 Chidiya Ghar 1500 R.K. Laxman Ki Duniya 1530 Lapataganj 1600 FIR 1630 Sajan Re Jhoot Mat Bolo 1700 Taarak Mehta Ka Oolta Chashma 1830 R.K. Laxman Ki Duniya 1900 Chidiya Ghar 1930 Don't Worry Chachu !!! 2000 Chintu Chinky Aur Ek Badi Si Love Story 2030 Taarak Mehta Ka Oolta Chashma 2100 Chidiya Ghar 2130 R.K. Laxman Ki Duniya 2200 Lapataganj 2230 FIR 2300 Taarak Mehta Ka Oolta Chashma 2330 Sajan Re Jhoot Mat Bolo 0900 Don't Worry Chachu !!! 0930 Sajan Re Jhoot Mat Bolo 1000 Taarak Mehta Ka Oolta Chashma

‘Chidiya Ghar’ at 2100 Hrs on SAB

‘Life In A Metro’ at 1400 Hrs on ZOOM 1400 Movie - Life In A Metro 1730 Star Bonanza 1800 Letz Go! 1900 Planet Bollywood News 1930 Link'D 2000 Zabar 10 2030 My Playlist 2130 Link'D 2200 B - Tonite 2230 Style Strip 2300 Bollywood Bonanza 0700 Fresh Mornings 0800 Red Carpet 0805 20 - 20 Songs 0825 Fresh Mornings 1000 20 - 20 Songs 1021 Fresh Mornings 1100 Zoom Box 1200 Garma Garam 1300 Planet Bollywood News 1330 Zabar 10

‘Get Him To The Greek’ at 2100 Hrs HBO

1430 Mummy Autopsy 1530 Through The Wormhole With Morgan Freeman 1630 Science Of The Movies 1730 Massive Machines 1800 Massive Speed 1830 Best Of Discovery Science 1930 Connections 3 2030 Megascience 2130 Food Detectives 2200 Deconstructed 2230 The Greatest Ever 2330 The New Inventors 0700 How It's Made 0730 Connections 3 0830 Mummy Autopsy 0930 Industrial Revelations Best Of British Engineering 1030 Megascience 1130 Food Detectives 1200 Deconstructed 1330 100 Greatest Discoveries

‘Deconstructed’ at 2200 Hrs on DISCOVERY SCIENCE

‘CSI - New York’ at 2300 Hrs on BIG CBS PRIME 1430 Jerry Springer 1530 Aspire 1600 Survivor 1700 Bellator 1800 Galileo Extreme 1900 The Defenders 2000 Entertainment Tonight 2030 Galileo Extreme 2100 The Defenders 2200 Jerry Springer 2300 CSI - New York 0700 Aspire 0730 Big Wheels 0800 Galileo Extreme 0900 CSI - New York 1000 Bellator 1100 Jerry Springer 1200 Aspire 1230 Entertainment Tonight 1300 Galileo Extreme 1330 The Defenders

Chai Time

KAKURO

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

SCRIBBLING PAD

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 14, 2011

Take a shot at the brain game while sipping your cuppa

QUICK CROSSWORD ACROSS 1 G or F, on sheet music 5 Grocers stock them 9 Bashful companion? 14 Overhead light 15 Skin lotion plant 16 Antipasto ingredient, often 17 A couple of words from Caesar 18 Memorization by repetition 19 Fringe areas 20 What you're certain to find at the lake? 23 Finger count 24 Winter outerwear 25 Take from the crate 30 ___ choy (Chinese cabbage) 31 Oberon's wife in "A Midsummer Night's Dream" 32 Moonshine maker 35 Translucent gem 37 Annoys with constant complaints 38 Beggar's request at the lake? 41 Country star Jackson 42 Invisible emanation 43 Natural rope fiber 44 Last days of long weekends 46 Bygone Ford 47 Villainous visages 48 Christiania, today 50 A Greek letter 53 Boots to wear at the lake? 56 Like yester- day's news 60 Saroyan's "My Name is ___" 61 Egyptian symbol of life 62 Nut that gets squirreled away? 63 "Two Mules for Sister ___" (Clint Eastwood film) 64 Wight, for one 65 Bookkeeping entry 66 Concordes, e.g. 67 Look lustfully DOWN

1 Where medals hang 2 Machine for shaping wood 3 "Circle of Life" rocker John 4 Number of Gospels 5 "Duke Bluebeard's Castle" composer Bela 6 Hawaii, the ___ State 7 Catch phrase? 8 Witnessed 9 "Alice ___ Live Here Anymore" 10 Ancient 11 Pork source 12 Mother of all matriarchs 13 Thumbs-up vote 21 Parisian school 22 Cunning 26 Forthright 27 "Under a Glass Bell" author Nin 28 "The Sweetheart of ___

Chi" 29 Flip-chart stand 30 One with light locks 31 The O'Hara home 32 Confidence games 33 Condor's weapon 34 Lacking sense 35 Musical work 36 Golfing standard 39 "Well done, if I do ___ myself" 40 Furrier John Jacob 45 Intensely devoted 46 Camels' cousins 48 Gumbo veggies 49 Quick on the uptake 50 Walking on eggshells

SUDOKU

51 Spot for a spat 52 Theater employee 54 Mama ___ Elliot 55 Follow, as a suspect 56 Inflate, as expenses 57 Best pitcher on the staff 58 Weep loudly 59 ___ Lanka PREVIOUS PUZZLE ANSWER

THOUGHT OF THE DAY I am always doing things I can't do, that's how I get to do them. – Pablo Picasso

Chai Time STAR POWER

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 14, 2011

Your tomorrow today̶Star Power and Tarot THIRUVAIKUMAR

Date 15-12-2011

ARIES

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

March 20 – April 18 Employees will complete work. Income exceeds your expectation. Businessmen will get relief from disputes with part‑ ners. Debt will be under control. Fresh, tiny investment may be contemplated.

TAURUS

April 19 – May 19 Property cases will be resolved. Financial position will look up gradual‑ ly. Employees will complete work. Colleagues will help. Businessmen will adopt new techniques.

GEMINI

CANCER

LEO

VIRGO

June 21 – July 21

July 22 – August 21

May 20 – June 20

Savings will grow. Some will either change their residence or buy a house. Businessmen will have a smooth sailing. A sound ﬁnancial position is certain. Old writ‑ ten off dues will be recovered.

Businessmen will get government sops. Business deals will bring proﬁts. Maintain cordial relationship with partners. Employees will get rewarded for their hard work. Politicians will get good posts

Employees will complete work within the stipulated time. Promotion is in the offing. Smooth financial flow is also seen. Businessmen might face some hurdles in transactions. Medical expenses will fall.

LIBRA

SCORPIO

October 23 – November 20

SAGITTARIUS November 21 – Dec 20

Politicians will get recognition for their welfare schemes. Enemies will become silent. False cases will be withdrawn. Businessmen will see profits. Postpone investment and expansion plans.

Apprehensions will disappear and you will be appreciated by all. Employees likely to get promotion. Businessmen will collect the old dues. Farmersʼ produce will get sold for a good price.

Journeys may not bring desired results. Employees will get appreciation from superiors. Pay hike you get will match your expectations. Politicians will get vital posts in the party.

CAPRICORN

AQUARIUS

PISCES

January 20 – February 18 Avoid increasing the business by giv‑ ing more credits. Expenses must be kept under control. Politicians may face obstacles in their growth path, created by enemies.

ARIES

TAURUS

GEMINI

Queen of Wands – Youʼve created an atmosphere of com‑ fort and are on the right path to what exactly you need at this point in time. Avoid mental tension.

Three of Pentacles – Upgrade your skills and learn something new. This is the only way you can move ahead in your career and not get stuck in any one job.

Death – This does not mean physical death. It means a change in perception, which is so deep that it alters your very way of living life and thinking.

CANCER

LEO

VIRGO

Queen of Swords – You may be feeling lo‑ nely and yearn for so‑ me good company. But being the intellectual type, youʼre too choosy about who you want to spend time with.

King of Swords – Youʼre very cut and dried and this might work best in the ofﬁce space where people may be trying to take advantage of you. It wonʼt work at home.

LIBRA

SCORPIO

SAGITTARIUS

The Tower – Big changes are on the way. It may be relat‑ ed to the job and may even bring about changes in your living situation. Keen an open mind.

The Sun – Youʼre bright and cheerful and this happy dis‑ position wins you many friends. People even come to you for advice because you seem so practical.

Ten of Pentacles – Finances are in focus. Theyʼre doing ex‑ tremely well and you need to ﬁgure out ways to protect what you earn. Consult a good tax man.

CAPRICORN

AQUARIUS

PISCES

February 19 – March 19

Employees will complete their work in time and get rewarded. Court verdicts will go in your favour. Businessmen will have smooth transactions. Politicians will get a good support for their plans.

King of Wands – This is a perfect meeting point of your creative and intellectual urges. Both are getting an equal share of your time and attention.

For Better or for Worse Stone soup

Three of Wands – Creativity is at its peak. You ﬁnd solutions to seemingly nonnego‑ tiable problems at work, and your seniors are mighty impressed. Donʼt over‑promise.

Judgment – You will eventually get what is due to you. You may not need to do much to get it. Just go with the ﬂow of life and it will come your way.

Five of Pentacles – There is some sort of misery or disappoint‑ ment indicated. Things may not be going to plan. You need to stick it out through this rough patch.

SOLUTIONS

Boggle TAP MAMBO TANGO TWIST WALTZ

Number game

Suduko

Scrabble

Ink pen

COMICS

Fred Basset

Dec 21 – January 19 Superiors might give trouble, keep patience and work with a determination. Business done with partners will scale new heights provided they are in good harmony.

SUMAA TEKUR

tarotreadhyd@gmail.com

August 22 – September21

Businessmen will manage competition well. Adopt an amicable approach with partners. Trouble faced by employees will disappear. Superiors and colleagues will be very co‑ operative. Politicians will get pulm posts.

September 22 – October 22

TAROT READ

Vol: 1, No. 151 RNI No: APENG/2011/39337 Published for the proprietors, Scribble Media and Entertainment Pvt Ltd, by V Harshavardhan Reddy, at #1246, Level 3, Jubilee Casa, Road No. 62, Jubilee Hills, Hyderabad–500033 and printed by him at Jagati Publications Ltd, Plot No D-75&E-52, APIE Industrial Estate, Balanagar, Ranga Reddy Dist, Hyderabad–500037, Editor: Dean Williams – Responsible for selection of news under the PRB Act All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission of the publisher is prohibited. For feedback, please write to: feedback@postnoon.com and for subscription, please call 040-40672222, Fax: 040-40672211

Spotlight

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 14, 2011

PIC: N SHIVA KUMAR

PARTY RAP Designer Abhiram organised a party for rapper Baba Sehgal and his friend at his residence on Tuesday.

Actor Sayali Bhagat with Suleman Hirani, MD Darpan Furnishing Showroom, at the launch of Soft Home Deals at the store on Tilak Road on Tuesday.

PICS: SRINIVAS SETTY

Movie talk over food Actor Sayali Bhagat was spotted at Isda Thai on Tuesday promoting her upcoming movie Ghost. The actor relished a couple of Thai dishes as well.

The Art of Gifting Handicrafts, Designer Jewellery & Gifting solutions like never before!

Priyanka

Sanjay Sonu and Ruchita

Go ethnic this season Models display new wedding collections for 2012 at the Neeru’s store in King Koti. This year the store celebrates 40 years of serving the city.

Welcome to India’s finest online store for Designer Jewellery, Home Decor & more! Road No. 36, Jubilee Hills, Hyderabad