Postnoon E-Paper for 14 June 2012 by Scribble Media & Entertainment Pvt. Ltd.

Hyderabad’s first compact afternoon newspaper

THURSDAY, JUNE 14, 2012 HYDERABAD

_^kai^ ^qq^`hba Tollywood film producer Bandla Ganesh bore the brunt of an irate mob after his vehicle hit a pedestrian near Aghapally village on the City outskirts last night.

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WEATHER: A MIX OF CLOUDY AND CLEAR SKIES; 33°C

Students of Osmania Arts College, protesting the comments made by Kiran Bedi (she called Hyderabad the capital of corruption) burnt an effigy of Anna Hazare outside the college this morning. “Team Anna calling Hyderabad the capital of corruption is wrong. The politicians are corrupt, not the whole of Hyderabad and they have no right to defame Hyderabad,” said Krishank Manne, OU JAC spokesperson.

RAM CHARAN TIES THE KNOT All routes led to Himayat Sagar today where thousands of fans and scores of who’s who turned up to attend the highprofile wedding of megastarpolitician Chiranjeevi’s actor son Ram Charan Teja with Upasana Kamineni.

FLASH

SUPER MARIO ENDS DUTCH DREAMS

P31

OU REACTS TO ANNA

Germany moved to the brink of the Euro 2012 quarter-finals after two Mario Gomez strikes gave them a 2-1 win over the Netherlands.

32 PAGES

ibpq=tb=clodbq Seventy years ago, this day, the Nazis established the Auschwitz concentration camp at Birkenau. Jews and millions of other innocents were defamed, demonised and dehumanised, as a prologue to extermination at this site. We look at the horrors of the Holocaust. P16&17

Page Two

THURSDAY, JUNE 14, 2012

Spirit of Twin Cities

SOLO SAILOR N SHIVA KUMAR

Hyderabad Library services Library and librarian services offered to members and groups (institutions) at `3,650 per year (per member). It covers study, career, competition, business of research. Welcome to APSET enrolled. Where: Hyderabad library services, Sagar View Complex When: June 9 to July 8, Contact: (040) 2322 2247, 94412 37751

Buy art Iconart Art Gallery as a part of its Buy Art initiative is hosting an exhibition featuring abstract art, sculptures and paintings. Where: Iconart Gallery, Banjara Hills, Rd No 12 When: Ongoing, 11.30am onwards Contact: 98499 68797

Music and dreams This is the story of Ashley, a hip hop performer at the Rhapsody School of Dance who takes the biggest decision of her life because of a prestigious dance competition titled - Of Music And Dreams. Where: Shilpa Kala Vedika, Madhapur When: June 16, 8pm onwards Contact: (040) 2752 2999

Serenity Serenity- an exhibition of painting is being held at Kalakrithi art Gallery. The paintings are by artist Aninda Varma. The exhibition is on till June 23. Where: Kalakrithi Art Gallery, Banjara Hills, Rd No 10 When: Ongoing, 11am-7pm Contact: (040) 66564 466

DJ time Head for one of the most musical and fun filled evening. We have DJ Shikar, DJ Sam and DJ Zeesh on the opening sets and DJ Zain Sabri & DJ Veer spinning hip hop and commercial music. Where: Cuba Libre, Banjara Hills, When: June 16, 11am onwards Contact: (040) 6776 7114

Vision of blue gold Vision of blue gold, an exhibition of paintings by Pranay will be on display at Muse Art Gallery.The exhibition is on from June 9.

CINEMAS

Where: Muse Art Gallery, Lower Tank Bund When: Ongoing, 11.30am onwards Contact: (040) 2752 2999

Rd No 1 When: June 13 and June 14, 11.30am onwards Contact: (040) 6666 3939

Madhubani workshop

A musical event by Srinivas Srikanth will be held on June 16. Where: TTD Bhavan, Himayat Nagar When: June 16, 6.30pm onwards Contact: (040) 23220852

The YMCA Secunderabad is hosting a madhubani painting workshop. The workshop is being felicitated by an artist from Madhubani. A part of the fees earned will be used to train underprivileged women. Where: YMCA Secunderabad, West Marredpally When: June 18-June 29 Contact: 98490 07736, 99595 57183

Akriti elite An exhibition cum sale of top designers will be held at Taj Deccan on June 12 and June 13. The exhibition will feature designer wear, home decor and accessories. Where: Taj Deccan, Banjara Hills,

Musical evening

Sunday brunch Spend the perfect Sunday afternoon with Aquaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s special brunch. Where: Aqua, The Park, When: Every Sunday, 12pm to 4 pm Contact: (040) 2345 6789

Friends with Bird Friends with bird, a patining exhibition by artist Pallavi Wallunj is being held at Colours Art Gallery. The exhibition is on till June 23.

Where: Colours Art Gallery, Chikoti Gardens, Begumpet When: Ongoing, 10am-7pm Contact: 93470 01275

Abstract landscapes A painting exhibition by artist Bhaskar Rao B titled A leaflet and a drop will be on display at Iconart Gallery. The exhibition will be on display till June 20. Where: Iconart Gallery, Banjara Hills, Rd No 12 When: Ongoing, 11am onwards Contact: 98499 68797

Theatre workshop Samahaara is hosting special four week summer acting workshops. The workshops will be held for four weeks. Where: Vidyaranya School, The Terrace, The Actorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Studio When: Ongoing Contact: 83411 20303

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

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Campaigns, hard news and spirit of Twin Cities

Sorcerer owns 20 houses in City! Mohd Subhan mohd.s@postnoon.com

he curriculum vitae of Nagin Babi aka T Krishna Devi may not be very impressive but she does a flourishing business and despite the cops’ renewed efforts to book sorcerers, continued with her activity. She is alleged to own 20 houses in the City and has a sizeable investment in real estate. When the police warned all those doing black magic to stop it, she came out and openly conducted a ritual in defiance of the order. She sacrificed a goat. That was when the police took her in. South Zone police deputy commissioner Akun Sabharwal said following her arrest on Tuesday, a search was conducted at her residence where the police found two goats, two severed heads of goats and several beheaded hens, bones and instruments used in black magic. Inspector Faiyaz Ahmed said Nagin Babi is popular in this part of the Old City. He said that scores of people go to her home seeking treatments for varied illness-

Name: Nagin Babi Education: barely literate Age: 56 Her nomenclature: GHMC sanitation worker Real profession: Black Magic Location: Sultanshahi Metharwadi Daily earning: `20,000 es. She is doing such a roaring business that she does not care to go for her work with the GHMC sanitation wing. The inspector found she would go once a month to the municipality and sign the register to claim the salary. All other times she is ‘consultant’ to many men and women.

Her popularity is such that she even has clients abroad. She has visited UAE and KSA. In fact, she goes abroad once a month and does business with NRIs. Police said she holds two passports, one in her real name and another in the name of Tahera Begum. She is well versed with the Koran and Islamic culture and rituals. This helps her ‘business’ in the Gulf countries. Nagin has three sons — Rajesh Singh, Mukesh Singh and Teenu Singh, and all three help her in the business. Her husband T Balbeer Singh is jobless but works like an aide to his high-flying wife. She was arrested on charge of duping public with black magic but she comes out of prison and takess up the work again, inspector Faiyaz Ahmed said. Last year in June, she was arrested by the police and sent to prison after she started performing black magic in secret. She was, however, released on bail. When she was arrested, hundreds of local people gathered and staged a dharna in front of the Moghalpura police station demanding to shift her residence from the locality. They alleged that the only reason she could continue her practice was due to help from the police.

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Park makes locale sought after DEEPAK DESHPANDE

Osama Salman salman.o@postnoon.com

his park was built specifically for adults, or for people who like to spend an evening admiring the greenery while seated at the one of the 10 benches here. The Shantinagar Park on Road No 2 is a walker’s paradise. It is one of the most well maintained parks in the area. Why a park just for adults? This is because there is another park developed especially for children less than 300 metres from here. That park has swings and slides and enough space for children to move around comfortably. This park, on the other hand, targets the older residents around the area, although many a times, children can also be seen here. Nestled between the towering apartments in the high-end locality of Shantinagar in Masab Tank, this is just one of the three parks that dot the landscape. But this park, maintained by the Shantinagar Colony Welfare Association, which can be accessed from Road No 2, Shantinagar, is the one that wins accolades for being the best maintained, as well as being the most frequented one, especially by the residents. The walking track runs along the entire perimeter of the park, and many a fitness enthusiasts find it an ideal place for a morning walk. Although this park is spread over a mere 750 square yards, the park is big enough to accommodate at least 50 people at one time. Many a variety of plants and trees give the park immense greenery as well as shade for people to relax under.

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

198 155313

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

155333 23431178 23431179 MUNICIPAL CORPORATION: Commissioner & Spl Officer 23262266

Area

750 square yards (approx) Developed in 1997 Varieties of plants 16 USP Walking track

unique to the park. Many a times, we have spotted migratory birds. This speaks very highly of the park. My wife and I come here every day for a walk. I wouldn’t prefer any other park to this one,”

said S Shankaraiyah, a 67-yearold who resides in the area. As the park is well maintained, apartments around, especially the ones that overlook it, are the most in demand, as well

“This park is a sanctuary for residents like us. We come here every evening for a walk. The walking track is levelled and laid down with concrete tiles. For light walkers, including the elderly, it is great as it doesn’t hurt the knees. Yet it fulfils the need for exercise. In fact, many residents come here and perform the Surya Namaskaram in the morning,” said Praveen R, a resident of Shantinagar. “If you look around closely, there are a lot of birds here, quite

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

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

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

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

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

as being the most expensive. A 2,000 square feet apartment can fetch a rent of up to `35,000. “People often come and ask if there is an apartment that overlooks the park. They are ready to pay a premium for it. Residents around the area say that this park makes the surrounding cooler and it’s always pleasant to have a view of a park that is as spick and span as this one,” said Khaleel Pasha, a real estate agent. However, the one limiting factor is that it is only open from 6am to 7pm. Residents who want to come here post sunset will find it a problem. Nevertheless, in the time that it is open, there is a lot that the park offers. When you come here, you will find yourself lost in the serene environment.

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

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

24523211 232431300/7641 24521029

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

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Campaigns, hard news and spirit of Twin Cities

Will Vijayamma’s charm work? POLITICS P K Surendran surendran.pk@postnoon.com

round 80 per cent polling in the just-held bypolls is the highest ever recorded in the recent times. This has set off a debate on who will win in the case of heavy voter turnout. Traditional wisdom says the extra votes that come over and above the usual voting percentage benefit the ‘rebels’ or the challengers. The average vote helps the ruling party or the one that has a pan-Indian presence like the Congress party. “Every new voter is inclined to vote for a new party,” observed late K Ramachandran, a CPI leader, who had studied voter behaviour for years. Voting pattern and analysis made since, by several, also back this theory. If this is true, in the current context, a chunk of extra votes, that is 20 per cent votes, would go to the YSRC kitty. Little wonder ille-

gal bookmakers are finding few takers for other parties. Heavy betting is reported for the win of the ceiling fan. “It’s apt. In this heat, it’s the fan that brings relief,” remarked a Congressturned YSRC supporter. All pollsters are predicting a

landslide win for the YSR party for two reasons — the sudden incarceration of its leader Jagan Mohan Reddy and his mother going out in the hot sun to appeal to other mothers. A mother understands another mother. This may be one reason

Polavaram project magic lost on voters POLITICS Rahul Ramakrishna rahul.r@postnoon.com

he highly controversial Polavaram project did not deter voters from turning out in large numbers. Some 83 per cent voting shows that the CPI-ML’s efforts to dissuade voters from polling had very limited success. Only Geddapalli, Kunkala gram panchayats had responded to the CPI ML call. The protest saw over 1,500 voters boycotting the bypolls. Reports say this ST constituency saw heavy distribution of free-

bies which has become a tradition ever since the mega project came into being. All the bigwigs from the TDP, Congress and YSRC had toured through Polavaram with star-studded road shows. The general expectations over the fate of the bypolls make for an interesting case. Kiran Kumar along with Botsa Stayanarayana and Chiranjeevi had toured Polavaram, while Chandrababu Naidu, actress Roja and YS Vijayamma had campaigned here. All parties had taken it upon themselves to accuse their counterparts about Polavaram’s incomplete status. But many expect YS Vijayamma to turn up the dark horse because of her emotional appeal. “Had YSR been alive, the Polavaram project would have been completed,” is how tried to milk the voter’s sympathy. However, the point that stuck out like a sore thumb was that the project and its status (likely displacement of 1 lakh tribals) has lost its magic. Major parties have learnt to balance this controversy with material gifts distributed among tribals, the “jewellery package” that saw over 50,000 ornaments made to be delivered to the poor people of Polavaram and West and East Godavari districts being an example. The parties managed to steer clear of the project but instead victimised Jagan and traded potshots at each other during their campaigns. None of the environmental and economic concerns of the irrigation project seems to be in focus today.

for the heavy turnout of women voters in the Assembly constituencies. But the chief electoral officer Banwarlal takes credit for the heavy polling. “The record polling was due to the door-to-door distribution of voter slips by the election officials.” While speculations are rife on what would happen in the case of YSRC sweeping the polls, latest reports say the Congress has given a courtesy call to Chandrababu Naidu and sought his help to steady the rocking ruling boat in the event of the Jagan bandwagon sounding threatening sirens. However, of all the 18 Assembly constituencies where by-elections have taken place, Parkal is said to be the most keenly-watched seat where betting is taking an interesting turn. Earlier, it was the TRS or the BJP that was the favourite but after the arrest of Jagan, many are putting their money on YSRC with the hope that the sympathy wave will drive the Jagan force past the post.

Gabbar Singh producer attacked Postnoon News

ngered at a pedestrian getting hit, people around attacked and injured Tollywood film producer Bandla Ganesh near Aghapally village on the City outskirts last night. The Gabbar Singh producer was driving an SUV from Nalgonda. On Sagar Road the car knocked down a pedestrian. The pedestrian, later identified as Narsooji, 48, was badly hurt. After hitting the pedestrian the car rammed into a nearby dhabha. Angry onlookers dragged out Ganesh and thrashed him. Later they handed him over to the Ibrahimpatnam police station where he established his identity. Attackers later alleged that the police had taken money from the producer and allowed him to go.

Man kills mum-in-law, surrenders Mohd Subhan mohd.s@postnoon.com

n a blood-chilling revengekilling, a footloose man smashed his mother-in-law for complaining to the police about his extra-marital relations in Vadderbasti Addagutta late last night. The violence took place around 1.30 am. A Papaiah, his wife Lakshmi alias Chandrika, and daughter Padma were sleeping outside their home when their son-in-law B Swamy came with a friend, A Yadgiri, in an inebriated condition. The duo tied Lakshmi’s hands and legs and gagged her before smashing her head with a boulder. The ensuing bedlam woke up others and the two fled the scene. Lakshmi, severely injured, was shifted to a hospital but died, said P Sudershan Reddy, inspector of Tukaram Gate police station. The prequel to the incident is like this. Swamy, since his marriage with Lakshmi’s daughter Padma 12 years ago, never worked regularly. He roamed about and the upkeep of the family became the responsibility of Papaiah and his wife. Papaiah worked as a senior supervisor in a lodge and he struggled to make ends meet. Recently, Swamy developed an affair with another woman. This created a rift between husband and wife. When Swamy refused to pay heed to his inlaws, Lakshmi and Padma went to the Tukaram Gate police and lodged a complaint against him on Tuesday. This enraged Swamy and he sought the help of his friend and rowdy sheeter Yadgiri. Both after a drinking session came home and committed the crime, the inspector explained. Later, when the headiness of the liquor had worn off the duo surrendered to the police.

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THURSDAY, JUNE 14, 2012

Campaigns, hard news and spirit of Twin Cities

Repair work adds to civic woes Begumpet road is plagued with the problem of construction and repair works. The denizens are worried that apart from the traffic and pollution, the onset of monsoons will add to the road’s already growing problems N SHIVA KUMAR

Sudeshna Koka sudeshna.k@postnoon.com

oo much of anything is bad, so is the case with development, especially, when the work is left half finished. Begumpet main road is one of the busiest and one of the most important roads that connects Secunderabad and Hyderabad. Heavy traffic congestion on the road during peak hours is not new. But the recent development work which is in progress for the last three months is. “Even otherwise, the traffic moves at a snail pace but for the last few months it’s been worse. It is dug up and even if there is no traffic one cannot ride fast as the risk of accidents is high,” fumes Aishwarya S, Deloite employee. First the electricity board dug up both sides of the road to lay wires. Post that, the road was not laid with tar but with fine gravel and mud. Later, the sewerage and water board started pre-mon-

soon work. A few weeks back new water pipe line work and new cable work has started. Currently both the sides of Begumpet road from Hyderabad Public School up to Anand Theater are in a bad condition. “The traffic police is doing a great job. They have deployed

Drains to clog City again? Anubha K Singh anubha.k@postnoon.com

he Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) has been claiming that they are prepared for the monsoons but a short trip to the core areas of the City reveals the reality. Hyderabadis are eagerly waiting for the monsoon to hit the City and bring some respite from the scorching heat but with rains comes many other problems. Every year during the monsoons, the problems are same — overflowing drainage water and waterlogging in several places, which ultimately leads to traffic snarls in the City. But the worst hit are people living adjacent to the drains or nalahs. Every year in monsoon, water starts overflowing from the nalahs and enters the nearby houses. Going around the City, one can see that drains in many areas like the one near Jubilee bus depot, Yakutpura, Golnaka and Dabeerpura are yet to be cleared by the Health and Sanitation department of GHMC. After heavy

DEEPAK DESHPANDE

downpour the roads get submerged and the open drains and manholes become invisible, turning into death traps. “Drain cleaning has been a contentious issue every year during the monsoons. Not cleaning the drains before the monsoon is not new for the municipal authorities. The drains should be cleaned one month before the monsoon approaches but unfortunately, the GHMC wakes up only two or three days before and at the end the work is half done. The citizens have to face the brunt of flooded streets,” said MD Osman, a resident of Dabeerpura. The worst is the case of Laxminarayan,“Every year when there is heavy downpour, water from these drains enters into our house and I can see my household items floating around. The water stinks so bad it takes four to five hours to clean the home,”. The situation turns worse in low lying or slum areas of the City. The residents from Yakutpura area lament that the drains are used as garbage bins and during the rainy season the debris and garbage accumulated in the drains flow with the water and come on the roads and into homes. This ultimately leads to waterlogging problems. However, the officials have their own say, “We started the cleaning and desilting of drains in the month of March. The work is going on and we are trying our best to complete the work before the monsoon arrives. Everywhere the problem is tackled and more than 300 works have been completed so far,” said Suresh Kumar, chief engineer maintenance, GHMC.

extra personnels to divert traffic, during peak hours. Many initiatives have been executed, but what’s the point? On one hand they are working on free flow of traffic and on the other hand departments dig up the road,” complains Sri Kamalam, Shiksha.com employee.

Several minor accidents take place everyday, due to the kacha road. Citizens are worried about the condition once it starts raining. “Firstly Hyderabadis do not follow traffic rules. To add to that bad road and dust. I am looking to avoid this road during monsoons,” says Sonali W, a media professional. Traffic police department too empathises with the citizens. “It’s been like this for the last three months. Slow moving traffic and accidents have become common. With the monsoons the condition will get worse,” says Sudarshan, traffic inspector, Begumpet. Corporator T Maheshwari says, “We have undertaken new projects. We have to even the road by layering it with mud and then tar to avoid the cracks on the tar roads.” When we questioned that the mud would anyway get washed away by rains he said, “Yes, that is true but we do not have another option. We have no choice but to do what we are doing now.”

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Campaigns, hard news and spirit of Twin Cities

DEEPAK DESHPANDE

CLASSIFIEDS FABRICATION

Wish you were here

AUTOMOBILES

Rajesh Ravindran rajesh.r@postnoon.com

t Cuba Libre on Wednesday one of the best bands in Goa, Tidal wave, was performing, there was a good dance floor, and enough space to contain a crowd of decent proportions. But the vital thing was missing: a good crowd. Just before the dais, there were not more than 20 people when the gig started. There were not much people on couches that fringe the pub, either. But those 20 showed genuine ‘rock’man spirit and swayed to the music. But as time wore on, those of the 20 too trickled away with a hand-

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Charan ties knot with Upasana Kamineni

ful hanging about. The dismal attendance appeared to have no effect on the Wave, for true to their name, they just kept on playing favourite numbers such as Still have not found out what I was looking for, Highway star, Coming back to life, Eye in the sky, Thriller, Beat it and Sweet Home Alabama. Luckily, whatever crowd there was, was not unresponsive. They appeared to enjoy the show. Just that it was not palpable enough. To heat things up, the band announced and played some tight dance numbers wanting to see if they could get those sitting on the couches to step onto the dance floor. But those lounging on the couches seemed happy

with how things were. Despite all this, the band comprising Xavier on the guitar, Chris on drums, Michael on keyboard and Tony on the bass were unruffled. They are musicians, and good ones too, and they were having fun. Wish you were here.

NEW BEGINNINGS

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ll routes led to Himayat Sagar today where thousands of fans and scores of who’s who in the tinsel world turned up to attend the high-profile wedding of mega starpolitician Chiranjeevi’s actor son Ram Charan Teja with Upasana Kamineni. The couple was gifted an Aston Martin Vantage by Chiranjeevi. Upasana, granddaughter of Prathap C Reddy, founder-chairman of Apollo Hospitals, and Ram Charan got engaged in December last year. According to sources, several politicians attended the wedding. A grand reception has been planned for this evening and nearly 7,000 guests are expected. The couple will meet fans at a ceremony organised for Friday. Some of the bigwigs in attendance were Amitabh Bachchan, Rajinikanth, Chief Minister Kiran Kumar Reddy, Governor ESL Narasimhan, Murli

Mohan, Chandrababu Naidu, Sridevi, Boney Kapoor, Kota Srinivas, Jr NTR and wife Lakshmi Pranati, Venkatesh, Rana, Shriya, Lakshmi Manchu, Vishnu Manchu and others. Thanks to the elaborate police bandobast, the wedding held at Upasna’s farmhouse in Moinabad had not created traffic jam.

Actor Kriti Kharbanda inaugurates the Kuber Shopping Mall near DEEPAK DESHPANDE BHEL on Wednesday

Focus

THURSDAY, JUNE 14, 2012

Golden dream divides crisis-hit Greeks Sophie Makris

n the economic wasteland that crisis-hit Greece has become for investors, the promise of gold from mines that once bankrolled Alexander the Great seems like an oasis in a desert. But the dream is by no means unanimous, even if it guarantees jobs in small towns like Aristoteles in northern Greece — named after the ancient philosopher who was born in the area — as the country grapples with a monstrous recession. Greece’s desperate need for foreign capital, coupled with the sharp rise in the price of gold in recent years, has led to a renaissance of efforts to mine the precious metal. New projects are in the works in three places: near Perama in Thrace in north-east Greece, near Kilkis in the north and in the Halkidiki peninsula, both in the northern Greek province of Macedonia. It is in Halkidiki that the process is most advanced, with the environment ministry in July 2011 awarding a licence to mine two seams of gold near Olympias to Hellas Gold, a subsidiary of Canada’s European Goldfields. The firm, acquired earlier this year by compatriot Eldorado Gold, says it plans to plough around one billion euros ($1.2 billion) into the mines of Halkidiki, which have been producing lead, zinc and silver for decades. “We have already invested around 150 million euros and we employ 650 people. Eventually

we intend to create 1,500 jobs,” Petros Stratoudakis from the firm told AFP. But not everyone is pleased. “How many jobs are going to be destroyed in agriculture and tourism because of the environmental effects?” wonders local Georgios Tsirigotis, 54, a university professor who campaigned against earlier mining projects. The water supply for the east of the Halkidiki peninsula — which has 8,000 inhabitants in the winter and up to 30,000 in summer — “passes exactly through where they want to mine,” he told AFP.

According to campaign group No Dirty Gold, a single gold ring creates on average 20 tonnes of mine waste, while cyanide and other toxic chemicals used to separate gold from rock can seep into the local water supply. Tsirigotis is a veteran of protests 10 years ago that culminated in the government cancelling a previous gold-mining licence because of what it called “an imminent danger” to the environment. As a result he thought he was dreaming when he heard that this Pandora’s Box was about to be reopened.

Each side in the dispute brandishes technical studies to support their arguments: either that the mine will be an ecological disaster, or that it will be harmless — and a boost to the economy. In particular the project’s proponents say that the gold will be extracted using a new method that negates the need to use cyanide, but detractors say the method is untested. But the stand-off has gone beyond the use of words. An umbrella group of around 100 protest groups has been stepping up actions on the ground includ-

ing occupying buildings, demonstrations and blocking roads. In March, scuffles between mine workers and demonstrators left several people injured. The project has also been dogged by allegations of corruption, with the European Union in 2011 condemning Greece for having sold the contract to European Goldfields at an inflated price and without a proper tender process. The state secretary in the economy ministry at the time is now the mayor of the town of Aristoteles where the new mines will be. AFP

Greek conservatives veer right on immigration Alain Navarro

reek conservative leader Antonis Samaras has been ramping up his anti-immigrant talk ahead of Sunday’s elections, sparking criticism from rights campaigners with his calls against “illegal invaders.” “There is a mass of immigrants, a million of them without work,” Samaras told AFP on the sidelines of a meeting of his New Democracy party this week. “We will stop this invasion,” he said. He returned to the topic at his last press conference before the vote, saying Greeks should “take back” their cities from an influx of undocumented migrants. “We need to drive the fear out of the Greeks,” he said. Samaras has promised the abolition of a law passed by the

previous Socialist government that opened the way for second-generation immigrants to be granted Greek citizenship, as well as a series of reforms to boost security. Greece has around 800,000 legally-registered immigrants —- many of whom have come from Albania — and a number of undocumented immigrants

estimated at more than 350,000, including Afghans, Bangladeshis and Pakistanis. Analysts say this is all part of an attempt by the 61-yearold former foreign minister to take votes away from the neoNazi group Golden Dawn, which grabbed nearly 7 per cent of the vote at an earlier inconclusive ballot. It may also

be a line that is increasingly forced upon him after he poached several prominent farright lawmakers to bolster his party’s ranks in a bid to beat his main rival — the resurgent radical leftist Syriza party. The most recent opinion polls put New Democracy and Syriza neck-and-neck. “From the centre-right, he has slid the party to the hard right,” said political scientist Ilias Nikolakopoulos. New Democracy has traditionally been seen as a proEuropean and pro-business party that ushered Greece into the EU’s precursor, the ECC. But after Samaras took over the leadership in 2009, the party’s policies have taken a decidedly nationalist tinge. Samaras rose to prominence nearly 20 years ago as foreign minister at the start of

Greece’s bitter diplomatic crisis with neighbouring Macedonia. He favoured adopting a strong stance against the former Yugoslav republic, which was seen in Greece to have usurped the name of one of its northern territories after declaring independence in 1991. Samaras clashed with then prime minister Constantine Mitsotakis over the issue and defected, bringing down the government. The Macedonia dispute has now receded from public awareness, to be replaced by undocumented migration, an overlooked issue that is raising tension in impoverished, crime-ridden Greek neighbourhoods. In one incident, six farright militants were arrested this week after four Egyptians were assaulted in an industrial suburb of Athens. AFP

16,864.45 16.06

5,112.20 9.85

BSE

NSE

Business

10g= `30,400

GOLD

1kg= `55,400

SILVER

`55.68

DOLLAR

Matters of saving and spending

Pursuing pirates of the Web Prudhvi Raju K prudhvi.k@postnoon.com

irating and spreading content illegally is not an easy job any more. Film industry is hiring antipiracy companies to save their content and combat against the pirates and to bring people to theatres. Any major film will have an average of 1,000 downloads in one metropolitan city in a day. Taking a ticket cost of `100, the industry is almost losing about `1 lakh in a City a day. The downloaded content is being shared with friends both online and offline resulting further losses to the industry, said Bhaskar Anand, CEO and MD, MavenClickZ Media. A new film is downloaded and viewed online from 2.5 lakh to 5 lakh times from almost 2,000 different sites. If industry can bring at least half of them for a theatre by curtailing piracy, it can add huge revenues. Broadband penetration and internet speeds have pushed the growth of online piracy even in Tier 2 cities, said Harish Ram, CEO, Copyright Labs. The online anti-piracy companies have evolved as saviours of the industry. Typically charging

`60,000- `5 lakh per month to track and curtail piracy depending on the budget of the film. “We use multiple ways to curtail piracy like uploading files with same film names on different sites. A user with 512 Kbps internet speed waits for almost four hours to download the film and eventually see nothing in the file. This will affect the whole ecosystem of downloading and user will not go for it next time,” said Bhaskar.

OPEC in key meet VIENNA: The OPEC meet here on Thursday to consider changing their oil output ceiling amid divisions over how they should respond to plunging crude prices and uncertainties over global energy demand. The 12-nation Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries will decide whether to change their output target of 30 million barrels per day (mbpd), which is flouted by several members including kingpin Saudi Arabia. Most significantly, Saudi Arabia has ramped up its own oil production since the last OPEC meeting in December, when

members had decided to hold their actual collective output ceiling at 30 mbpd. In the first quarter, Saudi output jumped 250,000 barrels per day to 9.9 mbpd from a year earlier, according to OPEC estimates, as the kingdom sought to boost the global economy and offset the impact of looming sanctions on key producer Iran. As a result of this, and recovering production in Iraq and Libya, the International Energy Agency estimates that total OPEC production stood at 31.87 mbpd in May — easily overshooting the official target. AFP

IDBI Bank helps drought-hit villages

he IDBI Bank has extended relief in the form of financial assistance of `10.22 lakh to four drought affected villages in Maharashtra, which are allotted to the bank under financial inclusion. The relief is in the form of providing drinking water and fodder for animals for a period of one

month in the four villages to overcome the shortage. The IDBI Bank has already started extending assistance for fodder for animals in Warkute and Jhashi villages in Satara district. The bank is also supplying drinking water through tankers to the Phadtari village in Solapur district.

Though many major sites like Piratebay were blocked by court orders, users can easily access these sites with numerous proxy servers. Few file sharing sites have started previewing of the file before downloading, letting the user identify what he is downloading. However, 10 Mbps internet speeds are making user not to wait for more than 15 minutes to download a film of 1 GB size. The anonymous are also

making their agitations intense for the rights of internet freedom. Some of the anti-piracy companies fear of anonymous attacks and uses encryption and multi level security for their database. “As of now, we can significantly reduce the illegal film downloads and online views by tracking and getting the Internet Protocol (IP) addresses of file sharing sites and the users who are sharing the content through peer to peer networks. We keep on updating our data about the IP addresses of these file sharing sites, where the films are uploaded and try to block them. The old laws are making us difficult to attain complete eradication of piracy,” he said. However, things are getting better to curtail the piracy. The anti-piracy company does not need to file the papers and wait for the orders of the court to act against the website. John Doe order is an order given by a court before release of the film to act against probable offenders. With these orders, the internet service providers (ISPs) are acting promptly against the websites and the proxy servers to curtail the piracy. We will apply for these orders for every film that we monitor in the near future, said Harish Ram.

Twitter widens window to tweet links SAN FRANCISCO: Twitter added Wednesday to the array of online content people could preview in messages without having to click on links included in tweets. People who access the oneto-many text messaging service online at twitter.com or mobile.twitter.com were provided more opportunities to “expand tweets” with looks at pictures, videos, news article headlines or other content. “You’ve probably expanded tweets before to play videos from YouTube or see photos from Instagram,” Twitter product team director Michael Sippey said in a blog post. “Now, a diverse and growing group of new partners like the The Wall Street Journal, MSNBC’s Breaking News, and TIME also deliver rich content inside tweets containing a link to those websites.” Expanded links to articles

`86.39

POUND THURSDAY, JUNE 14, 2012 9 NUMEROLOGY

$25

million

has been awarded in damages to an ArcelorMittal employee, who for years endured racial harassment at his workplace.

THUS SPAKE “In a pattern now all too familiar, European politicians are still well behind the curve, having failed to take advantage of the months of relative calm,” Wayne Swan, Australian Treasurer

SKYPE AD-DITION Skype on Wednesday began showing callers on-screen ads while they use the globally popular free Internet telephone service. What Skype euphemistically referred to as “Conversation Ads” appear in calling windows of users who don’t pay for subscriptions or have credits in accounts at the service. “We’re excited to introduce Conversation Ads as an opportunity for marketers to reach our hundreds of millions of connected users,” Sandhya. The silent conversation ads are available to marketers where ever Skype is available and will be shown during free Skype-to-Skype calls.

RIGHT MOVE

posted in participating publications such as Der Spiegel or the San Francisco Chronicle will show headlines and story introductions, and sometimes the Twitter accounts of the writers or publishers. Previews will also be available for links to video from Twitter partners such as Lifetime television network and French video-sharing website Dailymotion, according to Sippey. AFP

A Shell subsidiary that makes biodiesel in Brazil has dropped controversial plans to buy sugar cane grown on land taken from indigenous people, Survival International said Wednesday. The company, Raizen, was set up in 2010 by Shell and Brazil’s biofuels giant Cosan to make biofuel from sugar cane — an endeavor that had been criticized by indigenous groups who say their ancestral lands have been tainted. Raizen has now signed an agreement with the National Indian Foundation (FUNAI) promising to stop buying sugar cane grown on Guarani territory.

India‑View

THURSDAY, JUNE 14, 2012

India unveiled

Voice of God shall be heard no more

hazal maestro Mehdi Hassan first mesmerised connoisseurs with his rendition of “Gulon main rang bhare”, step one of a long five-decade musical journey that ended on June 13. The death of the artist, who gave voice to ghazals such as “Patta patta boota boota” and “Abke bicchde khwaabon mein mile”, brings the curtains down on an era of lyricism, melody and poetry in light Hindustani classical music. Born in undivided India in 1927, the ghazal singer, who passed away in a Karachi hospital Wednesday after a prolonged illness, was instrumental in opening up the evocative world of Urdu poetry. He popularised the poetry form as a musical genre for millions of Pakistani and Indian homes in the process. The soft-spoken man was the uncrowned king of music for Pakistan’s movie industry and further raised the profile of the ghazal, once considered passe among elite exponents of Hindustani classical music. According to an estimate by his son Arif, Hassan gave voice to more than 20,000 songs and, apart from Urdu, also sang in

Bengali, Punjabi and Pashto. Some of his famous ghazal renditions include “Zindagi mein sabhi pyar kiya kartein hain” (written by Qateel Shifai); “Dekh tu dil ki jaan se uthta hai” (by Mir); “Shola tha jal bujha hoon”; “Yeh mojeza bhi mohabbat dikhaye mujhe” (by Qateen Shifai); “Abke bicchde khwaabon mein mile” (Ahmad Faraz); “Baat karni mujhe mushkil” (Bahadur Shah Zafar); Uzr aane mein bhi hai (Daagh Dehlvi) Born to a family of Kalawant musicians in Luna village, now in the Indian state of Rajasthan, Hassan was musically baptised by father Ustad Azeem Khan and uncle Ustad Ismail Khan,

who were Dhrupad musicians. The family migrated to Pakistan after partition and sank into penury. Eking out a living was difficult. Young Mehdi began to work in a bicycle shop and later became an automechanic. In his book “Mehdi Hasan: The Man & his Music”, Pakistani author Asif Noorani has highlighted this phase of Hassan’s life and written that his humility stood tall against the fame and greatness he had achieved later. “He had earned his living by repairing automobiles during his younger days. During his years of stardom, his harmonium broke and he started repairing it himself, wittingly replying to the people surrounding him that this was a piece of cake compared to the number of engines that he had repaired in the past,” Noorani wrote. His magic was not confined to Pakistan, he was equally popular in India. In fact, he was one of the first Pakistani ghazal singers who charmed Indian audiences. His fan following had impressive names: Lata Mangeshkar once described his voice as the “Voice of God” and former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee was a great fan, too. IANS

GRACE PERSONIFIED

Actress Shobana performs at the Tagore Literature Award ceremony in Kochi on Tuesday.

PTI

Himachal park awaits Unesco tag SHIMLA: The Great Himalayan National Park in Himachal Pradesh, one of the richest biodiversity sites in the western Himalayas, has come closer to getting global recognition. A team of international evaluators will soon visit the park in

Kullu district, about 250 km from here, for the purpose. “A team of IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) evaluators will visit the park from Oct 3 to 12 to survey the park’s biodiversity,” park director Ajay

Srivastav told IANS. This will be the first visit of IUCN experts to the park since it was short-listed for Unesco’s World Heritage status in 2009, he said. A communication in this regard had been received from IUCN’s World Heritage Panel. According to IUCN guidelines, experts evaluate the nominated property on the ground and discuss the nomination with the relevant national and local authorities, local communities, NGOs and other stake-holders. With magnificent glaciers, lofty mountains and gurgling streams, the Great Himalayan National Park, notified in the year 1999, is spread over an area of 754 sq km. Park officials said the IUCN panel would review the recommendations of the field evaluators in December. According to protocol, IUCN presents the results and recommendations of its evaluation process at its annual session in June/July.

The panel makes the final decision on whether or not to inscribe the nominated property on the world heritage list. Starting at an altitude of 1,700 metres, the highest peak within the park approaches 5,800 metres. Srivastav said most of the mammals found in the park — from subtropical to alpine — are

endemic to the area and protected under Schedule I of the Indian Wildlife Protection Act. The famous mammals in the park are leopard, Himalayan black bear, brown bear, rhesus macaque and various herbivores such as goral, small antelope, and the Himalayan tahr, a wild goat that lives on the steepest cliffs. The park is also home to a large number of small mammals. They include the giant Indian flying squirrel, a nocturnal animal that roosts in tree hollows, the Indian pika, also known as mouse hare, the porcupine, the royle’s mountain vole and the Himalayan palm civet. The Kaziranga National Park and the Manas Wildlife Sanctuary in Assam, the Keoladeo National Park in Rajasthan, the Nanda Devi and Valley of Flowers National Parks in Uttarakhand and the Sundarbans National Park in West Bengal are other areas in India that are already on Unesco’s world heritage list. IANS

India‑View

THURSDAY, JUNE 14, 2012

India unveiled

Sonia meets aides, DMK over Prez poll

BABA BONHOMIE

NEW DELHI: With key allies

Yoga Guru Baba Ramdev and Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik greet each other at a meeting in Bhubaneswar on Wednesday.

PTI

rejecting her choice for President, Congress president Sonia Gandhi today was huddled in meetings with senior leaders and allies to zero in on a consensus candidate. Pranab Mukherjee, who was named as the first choice by Gandhi in her meeting with Trinamool chief Mamata Banerjee, drove to 10, Janpath and was with her for about 30 minutes. Senior Congress leaders AK Antony and P Chidambaram also met Sonia Gandhi, besides DMK leader T R Baalu. The parleys came a day after Banerjee and Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav rejected Gandhi's choice of Mukherjee as also of Vice President Hamid Ansari and instead suggested the names of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, former president APJ Abdul Kalam and former Lok

Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee. Mukherjee did not speak to the media and left with his customary folded-hand greeting. The other Congress leaders were also tightlipped. Baalu, who emerged last out of the meeting with Gandhi said Sonia Gandhi will be announcing the name of the UPA Presidential candidate anytime later this week. "Keeping in view political stature and seniority in public life, my leader Karunanidhi was consulted by Madam last month through Antony. My leader had suggested a name. The name has been communicated by Antony to Madam. Madam at any point of time, will be announcing the decision," Baalu told reporters. He said the name of the person cannot be divulged as of now and parried further questions. PTI

Headley tops US-India talks WASHINGTON: India today sought further access to LeT operative David Headley and his accomplice Tahawwur Rana currently in US jail, with external affairs minister SM Krishna asking Washington to help bring to justice the perpetrators of the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks. “India’s interest in further access to Headley and Rana, in accordance with our legal procedures, for the investigations into the Mumbai terror attack of November 2008, was raised,” Krishna told reporters at a joint news conference with secretary of state Hillary Clinton after the Strategic Dialogue which was cochaired by them. In response to a question on Pakistani-American Headley (51) and Pakistani-Canadian Rana (50), Clinton said the two countries are sharing information related to terrorism and other related issues. “With respect to information-sharing it is our policy and practice to share information, and we do that. I’m not going to go into details because we think our co-operation on intelligence-sharing, on homeland security issues, on counter-terrorism has gotten to a new level,” she said. “It is very important to both of our countries. But it’s also important that, you know, we support the work that is done by our professionals and our experts in protecting both of our countries, and I think we are satisfied that that is occurring,”

US understands India dependence on Iran oil: Krishna

US determined to keep ties growing, says Hillary

WASHINGTON: Iran has

WASHINGTON: Secretary of

been an important source of fulfilling India’s oil requirements and United States “fully understands” it, External Affairs Minister SM Krishna said here two days after his American counterpart issued waiver to India from Iranian Sanctions Act. “They (US) fully understand India’s position that we are looking for our energy support from wherever we have been getting our crude oil supplies. Iran has been one of the important sources of fulfilling India’s oil requirements,” Krishna told reporters at a news conference yesterday. PTI

State Hillary Clinton has said that the US is determined to keep its partnership with India going and growing, underlining that its effectiveness will hinge on the ability of the two countries to convert common interests into common action. “The effectiveness of this partnership will hinge on our ability together to convert common interests into common action,” Clinton wrote in an oped in ethnic Indian-American newspaper India Abroad and Rediff.com. “It’s not enough to talk about cooperating on civilian nuclear energy, our people must see results.” PTI

Clinton said. Later at a separate news conference, Krishna said terrorism has been one of the main subjects of his discussions with India. “She understands India’s concerns and how India has become a victim over a period of time of terrorist attacks coming across from Pakistan,” Krishna said, adding that the United States fully understands India’s position. Headley has pleaded guilty to 12 terrorism charges, including his involvement in the November 2008 terrorist attacks in Mumbai that claimed 166 lives. Last year, Rana was also convicted of providing material support to the terrorist organisation Lashkar-e-Tayyiba. However, he was acquitted of conspiring to provide material support to the conspiracies to bomb public places in Mumbai. The issue of Headley and Rana has not only been taken up by Krishna with Clinton during his talks, Union Home Secretary R K Singh specifically took up the issue with his American counterparts during the talks here. Foreign Secretary Ranjan Mathai said at this point of time India is seeking further access to Rana and Headley. “We are looking for access right now. It is an ongoing process. Discussions are still going on. Question of extradition would come after that,” he said. PTI

NATION AT A GLANCE 24, including 8 kids, dead in Gujarat mishap AHMEDABAD: Twenty-four people, including eight children, were today killed while 15 others injured when their truck overturned on the Sanand-Viramgam Highway in the district. The mishap took place in early morning hours near Charodi village when the vehicle laden with salt skidded off the road which was slippery due to overnight rains, police said.

Four killed as car runs into parked tractor SITAPUR (UP): Four persons were killed and two others injured when a car rammed into stationary tractor trolley in Taalgaon area, police said today. While Saeed, 25, and Irshad, 27, were killed on the spot in the mishap that took place last night, Mobeen, 35 and Naeem, 40, died while being taken to a district hospital.

Actors Priyanka Chopra (L), actor Shahid Kapoor (C), and director Kunal Kohli (R) at a promotional event. PTI

After serving 5 years, man cleared in rape case MUMBAI: The Bombay High Court has acquitted a 32-year-old man in a 1999 rape case observing that a woman caught in the act of consensual sex outside her wedlock might resort to levelling allegations of rape to protect her character. Yogesh Shinde was cleared of the charges after he served five-year rigorous imprisonment for raping his neighbour’s wife.

Army Chief to visit J&K on Friday JAMMU:Army chief Gen Bikram Singh will be in Jammu and Kashmir on Friday to review the overall security situation, his first visit to any state after assuming office May 31. Gen. Singh would visit the Northern Command headquarters at Udhampur before flying to Srinagar. On Saturday, the army chief would be visiting forward posts in the valley.

Turtles, protected under the Wildlife Protection Act, seized from a train on the outskirts of Siliguri on Wednesday. AFP

Around the World

HK firms fight daddy time

HONG

KONG: Hong Kong employers are fighting hard against a government plan to make paternity leave mandatory in the Asian finance centre, saying such benefits have all but bankrupted Europe. Federation of Hong Kong Industries deputy chairman Stanley Lau warned that statutory paternity leave requirements would raise labour costs and place an unnecessary burden on employers. Lau serves as the federation’s pointman for employer issues and is a member of the labour department’s advisory board examining

arental leave in Hong Kong currently stands at 10 weeks for all working mothers and a meagre five days for male civil servants. It is a proposal to extend the five-day paid leave to all working fathers that has the employers up in arms.

paternity leave policies. “To do some exercise including swimming or jogging is good practice, but if our government is going to say that jogging must be done by everybody, then I would be against it.” European countries that have statutory paternity leave have experienced budgetary difficulties and rising debts, he said. “Some of the countries in Europe, they are going to be broke or are almost broke,” Lau said, adding that parental leave was partly to blame. Confederation of Trade Unions General-Secretary Lee Cheuk-yan said Hong Kong’s powerful business lobby had a long history of opposing any labour reform, such as the minimum wage which was introduced last year. Lee said the benefits of a happier workforce would outweigh any rise in labour costs associated with paternity leave, which at any rate would be minimal as only two

THURSDAY, JUNE 14, 2012

Beyond Borders

per cent of the workforce would be affected. Hong Kong University economics professor James Vere said patnernity leave would have no significant impact on Hong Kong’s economy and could not be blamed for Europe’s troubles, which were “due to many, many, many factors”. A 2008 report by the Washington-based Center for Economic and Policy Research found that of 21 high-income nations the United States had the “least generous” parental leave policies. Countries with what the authors called the best practices — involving combinations of generous paid and unpaid leave for both parents — included Finland, France, Greece, Norway, Spain, and Sweden. Of those, Greece has since plunged into a sovereign debt crisis, Spain was forced to accept a 100 billion euro bailout to save its banks, and France’s economy has almost stalled. On the other hand, Europe’s economic powerhouse Germany has one of the most generous periods for paid parental leave in the world, at 47 weeks. Analysts said the father’s role in the development of a new family during the period following a child’s birth was often overlooked in Hong Kong, a southern Chinese city of seven million people. “Traditionally, we only look at this as something between mother and the child,” Hong Kong University Family Institute director Wai Yung Lee said, adding however that attitudes were changing. “Men would like a chance to bond with the new baby as much as their wives do.” In the absence of any statutory parental leave allowances, most working fathers in Hong Kong are forced to cobble together holidays and sick-leave if they want to spend time with their newborns. AFP

Tweeting for trouble I

magine if the United States had a national Twitter handle, one which represented the country to the outside world. Would you trust it in the hands of ordinary Americans? That was exactly the social experiment launched by Sweden six months ago, when it decided to turn over the handle to everyday Swedes for a week at a time. However, the current curator of the @Sweden Twitter feed, 27-year-old Sonja Abrahamsson, had rather unfortunate timing, as The Atlantic noted, when she decided to make Hitler jokes and ask uncomfortable questions about Jews during her week-long tenure. Slate noted that The Times article had raised the Sweden account’s profile, attracting around 5,000 new followers in the two days since it was featured. When contacted those behind the Twitter strategy, they declined to comment on specific tweets but seemed inclined to letting Abrahamsson continue. “It’s very important for us to let everyone take a unique viewpoint,” Tommy Sollen, Social Media Manager told. GLOBALPOST

Birds have flings too

ere’s another one for the “myth of monogamy” file. For a long time, ornithologists believed that most birds were monogamous. According to this article in Acorn, ornithologist David Lack estimates that at least 90 percent of nest-raised birds come from monogamous pairs. Monogamous birds such as eagles and geese were long regarded as the epitome of fidelity and social monogamy, remaining together until one dies. According to Acorn, Canadian geese are among the most faithful birds, mating for as long as 20 years. But based on new DNA testing of several bird species, it turns out that even monoga-

mous birds are not as loyal as previously thought. They, too, tend to have flings on the side. A study about the sex lives of birds, conducted by a Czech scientist and reported by Ceska Pozice, claims that more than 70 per cent of bird species are prone to casual sex with another partner out of the stable couple. In addition, 70 percent of chicks in the broods of some species can be attributed to a different partner. So there you have it. Birds aren’t exactly shining examples of monogamy. But don’t despair. There are always prairie voles. Scientists haven’t been able to disprove their supposed monogamy. GLOBALPOST

BACK BENDING WORK

A man looks at a work of art of Ron Mueck called “Woman with sticks” on June 12, 2012 during the preview day of the Art 43 Basel fair and exhibition which will take place from June 11 to June 17, 2011 in Basel. AFP/ SEBASTIEN BOZON

Around the World

THURSDAY, JUNE 14, 2012

Beyond Borders

US, Russia at loggerheads over Syria arms supply AFP/HO/SANA

DAMASCUS:

Washington and Moscow traded accusations on Wednesday over arming the rivals in the Syrian conflict, as Damascus said it had “cleansed terrorists” from AlHaffe, a Sunni enclave feared to be the target of a new massacre. On the ground, meanwhile, at least 50 people were killed as troops and rebels clashed across the country, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. Due to what Moscow said was a mistake in translation, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov appeared at first to accuse the United States of supplying weapons to rebels who are battling the regime of President Bashar al-Assad. US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said on Tuesday she had information that Russia was sending attack helicopters to Syria, “which will escalate the conflict quite dramatically.” But Lavrov told a news conference during a brief visit to Iran that Russia was supplying “anti-air defence systems” to Damascus in a deal that “in no way violates international laws.” “That contrasts with what the United States is doing with

Syrian General Fahid al-Freij and interior minister Mohammed al-Shaar visit a wounded man in a hospital in Lataki.

Amnesty accuses Syria of war crimes

Syria has started ‘descent into hell’

LONDON: Syria is committing

VATICAN CITY: Syria, where a 15-month conflict is spiralling to new heights, has started its descent into hell, the Vatican’s ambassador to Syria said. Nuncio Mario Zenari would not be drawn on whether Syria was in the midst of a “civil war”, but he said “the impression prevails (that for) the people a descent into hell has started”.

crimes against humanity as part of state policy to exact revenge against communities suspected of supporting rebels, Amnesty International said in a report. Amnesty called for an international response after claiming it had fresh evidence that victims, had been dragged from their homes and executed.

the opposition, which is providving arms to the Syrian opposition which are being used against the Syrian government,” he said, in remarks translated from Russian into Farsi by an official interpreter. Other media, including Iran’s official IRNA news agency, published the same accusation, in what appeared to be the first time Moscow had directly pointed the finger at Washington. But in Moscow, the foreign ministry said Lavrov’s statement was mistranslated and that the minister had only said Washington was supplying arms “in the region.” The White House, meanwhile, denied arming Syria’s opposition. “We do not and have not supplied weapons to the Syrian opposition,” White House spokesman Jay Carney said. Russian news agencies offered a different version of Lavrov’s comments. “We do not supply — neither to Syria nor anywhere else — things used to fight peaceful civilians, unlike the United States, which regularly supplies such special equipment to this region,” Lavrov was quoted as saying. AFP

GLOBE AT A GLANCE Putin reminds Polish PM of host responsibility MOSCOW: Russian President Vladimir Putin reminded Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk of Poland’s responsibility as a country co-hosting the Euro 2012 for the security of football fans, Putin’s spokesman said. The conversation of both leaders followed after 180 people were arrested over clashes involving Polish and Russian football fans in Warsaw ahead of the Euro 2012 match between the two nations.

US drone kills three militants in Pakistan MIRANSHAH: A US drone attack killed at least three militants today in Pakistan’s northwestern tribal region, known as a hotbed of Taliban and AlQaeda militants. The drone fired two missiles on a building in the central market of Miranshah, the main town in North Waziristan near the Afghan border.

Japanese Crown Prince Naruhito (R) and Crown Princess Michiko (L) during the funeral of the late Prince Tomohito in Toshimagaoka in Tokyo. AFP

British PM set for tough day at press inquiry LONDON: Prime Minister David

Edwards case dropped WASHINGTON: The US Justice Department said it would drop its prosecution of former presidential hopeful John Edwards for using $1 million in campaign funds to support his pregnant mistress. The federal campaign corruption case came to an end less than two weeks after a North Carolina jury deadlocked on five campaign finance fraud charges, leading the judge to declare a mistrial, and acquitted the onetime Democratic star on another. During the six-week trial, jurors heard prosecutors and defense attorneys alike lay bare the extramarital affair with videographer Rielle Hunter that the Democratic presidential candidate embarked on during his second bid for the White House. The lawyer turned politician saw his stellar career collapse after he fathered a child in 2007 with Hunter, whom he hired to assist his presidential campaign, and then lied about their affair to his wife Elizabeth. AFP

SA Miss Gay murdered JOHANNESBURG: A young gay man from South Africa’s remote Northern Cape province was brutally killed and nearly beheaded, activists said today, describing the murder as a “homophobic hate crime.” Thapelo Makutle, 24, recently won the Miss Gay pageant in the small town of Kuruman, and was a volunteer with a gay and lesbian rights group that worked in rural communities. He was reportedly killed early on Saturday following an argument over his sexuality with two unidentified men. The men followed Makutle back to his rented room in Kuruman, broke down the door and attacked him, according to Shaine Griqua, director of the group LEGBO Northern Cape. Police have yet to confirm the motive of the attack, and haven’t made any arrests in connection with the murder. Makutle’s body was “severely mutilated,” LEGBO

said in a statement. “His throat was so badly slit, and it was near decapitation.” “Unconfirmed reports from witnesses state that Thapelo’s genitalia was severed and inserted into his mouth,” the statement said, adding: “There are no signs that this was an attempted burglary, rather [it] is evident that [he] was killed because of his sexual orientation.” Makutle, who went by the

nicknames ThaBling and Queen Bling and self-identified as gay and transgender, was a “well-mannered and principled human being,” Griqua said. “It’s so sad. I can’t describe the pain that we are feeling right now,” Griqua said. “We have lost a young, talented, gay man who was open about who he was.” Makutle’s funeral will be held on Saturday in Kuruman. Griqua said hate crimes are increasingly common in the Northern Cape, and police are poorly trained to deal with incidents of violence against gays and lesbians. “These people [the police] are not reliable. They don’t even know what a hate crime is. If you ask them if it was related to his sexuality they will say ‘no’ because they don’t understand the context,” Griqua said. Cosatu, South Africa's main trade union federation, called on the provincial government to organize an urgent summit on hate crimes. GLOBALPOST

Cameron faces an uncomfortable appearance before Britain’s press-ethics inquiry today, with the spotlight set be shone on his links to Rupert Murdoch’s media empire. Cameron’s testimony is scheduled to take up a full six-and-a-half-hour day of the televised inquiry at London’s Royal Courts of Justice.

Ancient Tibetan scripture found in Lhasa LHASA: Cultural specialists in China’s Tibet region have found over 100 pages of Tibetan scripture dating back to the 13th century, according to authorities. According to Tashi Gyatso, an official with Lhasa’s cultural bureau, the document, whose content covers traditional Tibetan medicine and religion, was found last week at a monastery in Nyemo county on the outskirts of Lhasa.

Members of the “Yo soy 132” (I Am #132) movement participate in a protest against Televisa TV station in Mexico City. AFP

Comment

THURSDAY, JUNE 14, 2012

Fair, free and forthright

Talk back Keep going, girl! Apropos My life, my weight, my problem (insert date here). Isn’t it funny how everyone thinks they’ve got the best advice for you? You seem like an intelligent woman, I’m sure you know exactly what you’re doing and haven’t been duped into those weight loss “secrets” like your aunt has. Speaking of which, I just wanted to point out for your readers that not only do sauna belts/suits/etc NOT work for weight loss… but neither do regular Scandinavian style OR infrared saunas. Traditional Scandinavian saunas have a myriad of benefits, but unfortunately weight loss isn’t one of them. Trust me we’ve been in the sauna business for nearly three decades, if weight loss was one of the perks we’d be shouting it from the rooftops! Trying to lose weight in a sauna is dangerous, and I just wanted to make sure your readers didn’t fall into the same trap so many others have. Good luck with your “gymming”! Stacy Via email

Ram Sene, a big no-no We definitely need no Ram Sene in Goa. I don’t know what’s the matter with these people. It’s a free country and no one’s bothering them, so why should they bother the rest — whose only fault is they are not narrow-minded and shallow as these ruffians? It’s amazing these men are still allowed to function. And a very important thing Ram Sene forgets is that they are allowed to exist by virtue of the same rule that every citizen has: right to freedom of expression. They may propagate what they wish among the masses, but please don’t force your trash upon us. We let you be, you let us be. Ram Babu Mahendra Hills

Jagan is to blame Truth by serum is unconstitutional, agreed. But no is blame but Jagan Mohan Reddy for bringing this upon himself. There is indeed something fishy in his amassing to prodigious wealth in such a short span of time. Though this missile comes from TD, allegedly he has a treasure trove of `16.96 lakh crore in the form of lands and mines. Shamshiv Reddy Ameerpet

Sporty pages I must admit your coverage of the Olympics and Euro is excellent. There is always something new, some trivia to be known and learned from those pages. These are the two pages I look forward to when I get my copy. Good show, guys! Ray Fernandes Jubilee Hills

NO PANTS RUSSIAN ROULETTE! But... seriously Ajay Hotchandani

’ve been often asked, “How do you come up with this?” – of course, they are referring to the odd comical thoughts that I sometime put on paper. The standard response is, “ohhh I don’t know, it just happens.” This is true, I have no idea when or where I developed the ability to look at something and view it in a different manner, often times trying to see the humour in it. Its borderline disturbing when you find yourself in the middle of an autopsy and a funny idea comes to mind. Believe me, there isn’t much that can lighten the mood in an autopsy, but I somehow managed to do it without even realizing I did. As some of you are aware there is an app for smartphones called “Whatsapp”. It’s the basic instant messaging service that allows individual and group chat, and it allows you to send audio-visual files. Our family currently has a group on in it and on a daily basis we would send about 50 messages. My sister often sends us pictures of her son (the one I wrote about, the pineapple one). Honestly, he is the only cute one that we don’t get tired of seeing pictures of everyday. So recently she sent one of her husband and son (see enclosed picture). My mom then fires back a message asking what happened to his pants (the baby not the husband). To which my oddly functioning brain replied that they are playing a game. On the spot I manage to create a new game. And you, the loyal readers of Postnoon; the beautiful people of Hyderabad; the people with the best hair in the world will be the first to read and test out my new game. The game is called NO PANTS RUSSIAN ROULETTE! For those of you who are not familiar with the game Russian Roulette, basically it’s an insane game that I don’t recommend anyone try, not even Russians. The game consists of placing one bullet in a revolver, spinning the chamber and then pulling the trigger while it’s aimed at your head. If you are lucky, there will be no bullet when you pull the trigger. It’s very similar to what Gabbar

Editorials

Singh did in Sholay, minus the awesomely wicked laugh he has. The first thing you will need is a baby who still uses diapers. No, you are not allowed to use an adult in diapers. Next, make sure the baby has not peed in the past hour or two. Then you gather everyone around who wants to play. Everyone who is in must put $10US/$550INR in the pot. Then you time it, everyone has to carry the baby for 2 minutes while they aren’t wearing any pants or diapers (again, the baby isn’t wearing pants not you). You can carry the baby on your back, in your arms, in the cradling position, however you see fit as long as it’s safe and you are in the

path if the kid passes pee pee. If you are the lucky/unlucky one to be holding kid at the time you win the money in the pot, but only if you don’t move the kid away. If you move the kid away so you don’t get wet then you lose and are forced to have your eyebrows shaven off. Now there is a Bonus! If the baby happens to pee and poop on you, everyone has to pay you an extra $10US/$550INR. For the record, I would have won already, as once I delivered a baby who came out and pissed on me. He didn’t even wait for me to cut the cord, which I think is like a SUPER SUPER BONUS AWARD for that one.

COALITION POLITICS LEAVES presidential election murky

lection of the 13th president of India is becoming hotter by the day. It no longer looks like the first citizen of the country is going to be decided on merits alone. This is perhaps the darkest side to a government that has to keep its alliances in good humour. Even if the numbers of the partners are small, they hold sway over the very survival of the ruling party. This predicament does not allow it to function freely or fairly. And this in turn, does no good in zeroing in on who will sit in the highest office of the land. The first choice of the Congress was Pranab Mukherjee, which its allies Trinamool Congress and Samajwadi Party indirectly rejected and proposed the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s name. The other names that feature on their list are that of former president APJ Abdul Kalam and former Lok Sabha speaker Somnath Chatterjee. The fact is that each party is pursuing its own agenda in pushing a particular candidate which will close ways for a person of true merit.

WHY WE LOVE Mehdi Hassan

or the thousands of ghazals with which, in his golden voice, he gave vent to our every finer feeling which we mere mortals could not express; for the music that transcends realms and unites us and our brothers across the border; and letting us have a listen of the “Voice of God”, which for Lataji was his.

Telly Tales

Small screen, big idea

Faustina Johnson

NOT O JUST CHILD’S PLAY

feedback@postnoon.com

With the age bar in entertainment getting lower every day, is reality TV going too far?

ne hot Tuesday afternoon saw me on the couch switching channels on TV. As someone who loves to cook, I was drawn to a show which seemed to feature midgets clanking about in specially designed kitchens, in the process of making a bewildering mix of gourmet delicacies. Fifteen minutes of mouth watering and I found out that the show was called Junior Masterchef Australia, and the midgets were children between the ages of 9-12. Pierre Khoury, a 12-year-old, presented his perfectly rendered herb crusted lamb cutlets to the judges, and couldn’t take it anymore. Children on reality TV are almost commonplace today. These shows provide a respite from the melodrama and conniving inlaws that have taken over entertainment TV. There is something refreshing in being pleasantly surprised by a 10-yearold’s vocal skill. “These shows equally encourage children from all backgrounds. They also provide huge financial support,” says Priyanka Bangari, who occasionally watches talent shows. For a skilled little girl from an obscure village, a talent hunt is the ticket out of poverty and illiteracy. Additionally, the winner of shows like Paadutha Theeyaga is assured a good entry into the music industry. Oh yes, there should be more of these around. Then there’s the other kind. I’m baffled by the almost perverse pleasure people seem to take in watching children reduced to wearing scraps of illdesigned cloth, slaving it off while attempting a Shakira on so-called dance

THURSDAY, JUNE 14, 2012

shows. With the age bar in entertainment stooping getting every day, I cannot help but wonder if the public is yet to learn where to draw the line. You want to see your kid on TV producing technique driven gastronomical delights? Fine. Would obscene dance shows fall under the same category, now? Or one in which children are made to parade in swimsuits to win a beauty pageant? How about Pati, Patni aur Woh on NDTV Imagine in which potential celebrity couples had to learn the ideal way of handling children using borrowed infants? hat could `1 lakh mean to a tenyear-old? Is it what the child wants or is it what the parents want? At such a tender age, decision making is definitely not one of their strengths. Rejection is not something they have not yet learned to handle.

Morality is just one part of the story. Are eight-year-olds truly ready for a career? Specifically one which takes competition to a different level? “That was not your best. You need to live up to expectations,” may seem like constructive criticism to a 20-year -old participant. How will an eight year old read into it? Didn’t they like me? But I worked so hard! My mother will be so angry with me! With the pressure mounting like mercury the child could be scarred for life by a bad experience on set. And then there’s the money. What could `1 lakh mean to a ten-year-old? Is it what the child wants or is it what the parents want? At such a tender age, decision making is definitely not one of their strengths. Children are also emotionally just developing. Rejection is not something they have not yet

learned to handle. “Personally, I think they encourage creativity. I would let my child participate in such a programme if it was a talent show which did not compromise her academics. However, I wouldn’t let her continue if the pressure becomes too high,” says Deepa Menon, a parent. However, it seems psychological well being is not the only thing affected. “It damages not only mental health, but also has physical repercussions. Of late, I’ve come across many girls developing fibroids when they’re as young as eleven,” says Veeraja Rao, a clinical psychologist. Occurrence of fibroids, a kind of uterine tumours, has a direct correlation with hypertension. “All TV channels should set a benchmark for what is acceptable,” Veeraja says. “If a child displays vulgarity in her dance moves, her score should be cut down accordingly.” The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) recently drew up some guidelines concerning the issue. According to them, a child can only participate in one TV show at a time and not work for more than one shift every day, with a break every hour. Children now cannot shoot on weekdays, but preferably on holidays or during vacation so that they do not miss school. And it’s now mandatory for one of the parents or a guardian to be present with participant all the time during the shoot. As of now, the rules seem to have made little difference. “Ultimately, it is everyone’s responsibility. We cannot point to the media or parents alone, because it the general public that views these shows,” points out Veeraja.

H‑Factor

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Holistic view of mind, body and soul

A bitter pill to swallow While the introduction of Sildenafil (popularly associated with the brand name Viagra), has created a sexual revolution, it still has not been able to cross social taboos Anishaa Kumar anishaa.k@postnoon.com

ex is no longer taboo. People discuss sex, condoms and ‘sexual drive’ more openly these days. With a number of options available for sildenafil, which has now become synonymous with the brand Viagra, more and more people are reaching out for it. We take a look at how it has changed physical intimacy for people over the age of 45.

What is Sildenafil? Sildenafil Citrate is used to treat cases of erectile dysfunction among men and in some cases also helps treat pulmonary artery hypertension. It helps relax the muscles and thus helps increase the blood circulation. As it alters the blood pressure (increase or decrease),precaution and medical advice is recommended if you are suffering from heart disease, coronary artery disease, liver and kidney disease. Some of the side effects include vision loss, irregular heart beat, swelling in the legs etc. Sildenifil apart from its medical use is known to be popular in helping improve a person’s libido and sexual performance. According to Dr F Rai, sexologist, “Sildenafil is actually a medicine but nowadays people consider it to be something that can be used for recreational purposes. People tend to think it is safe but they should know that it has certain side effects and needs to be taken with precautions. It can usually be taken only after a prescription by a urologist as there are strong chances of overdose.” Talking about acceptance in the older generation, Dr Rai says, “There is acceptance in

the older males. They are open to using Sildenafil and its variants. Sex is no longer taboo in our society so they do discuss along with their family physician. I have seen patients come and enquire about the drug, ask about its benefits and use. If it is prescribed they are open to taking it. The main reason is there is more awareness.” Talking about the availability of Sildenafil, Dr Rai says, “It is available easily over the counter under different brand names, although it should not be sold over the counter. In all other countries it is a prescription drug, which is the way it should be so as to avoid overdose.”

Woman and Sildenafil Although these pills are usually associated with men, women too can be prescribed Sildenafil. According to Divya T Sudarshan, gynaecologist and obstetrician at Happy Women Clinic, “Although it is not commonly prescribed to a woman, it can be effective in the required cases as it helps increase the blood flow to the pubic area.” When it comes to taking the pill the precautions need to be taken. Dr Divya says, “Like for men, women too need to follow the same precautions such as avoid taking it if they have a cardiac problem etc.” Dr Divya mentions that of

the 80 per cent of women above the age of 40 only 20 per cent are aware of the availability of such a medicine. “FSAD (Female sexual Arousal disorder) is a reality. Women tend to approach a gynaecologist thinking their low sexual drive is because of some kind of infection,” she says. But how often do we come across a woman who is ready to talk about the same. Dr Divya says, “Women are open to talking about the problem, but when we tell them that there is a medicine available they refuse to take them as they believe it will not work. Perhaps it has got something to do with the general belief that once a woman is married and has children, a sexual relation is not needed. Secondly the men (husbands) are older and may not be interested in them in the same way. Women after crossing a certain age tend to have made peace with the fact that this sexual excitement was a thing of the past. Another possible reason could be physical disfiguration that comes with age and pregnancies.” Dr Divya believes that men definitely are more open than women about taking such a medication. The situation is different abroad, there women are more open to such a possibility, it can be seen in many cases such as the larger number of requests that come from woman abroad for vaginal tightening or vaginoplasty as it is better known. While people in India are slowly opening up to taking aphrodisiacs to improve their sex drive, it will take a long time before there is complete acceptance among both men and women.

Interstitial cystitis is often misdiagnosed

Dr Divya Sudarshan

My friend has recently been diagnosed with interstitial cystitis. What is it? Interstitial cystitis/painful bladder syndrome (IC/PBS) is a condition that results in recurring discomfort or pain in the bladder and the surrounding pelvic region. It is a painful condition due to inflammation of the tissues of the bladder wall. The cause is unknown. The condition is usually diagnosed by ruling out other conditions (such as sexually transmitted disease, bladder cancer and bladder infections). The term IC/PBS includes all cases of urinary pain that can’t be attributed to other causes, such as infection or urinary stones. IC is frequently misdiagnosed as a urinary tract infection and patients often go years without a correct diagnosis. The condition generally occurs around age 30 to 40, although it has been reported in younger people as well. Women are 10 times more likely to have IC than men. People may experience mild discomfort, pressure, tenderness, or intense pain in the bladder and pelvic area. Symptoms may include an urgent need to urinate, a frequent need to urinate, or a combination of these symptoms. Pain may change in intensity as the bladder fills with urine or as it empties. Women’s symptoms often get worse during menstruation. They may sometimes experience pain during vaginal intercourse. The bladder wall may be irritated and become scarred or stiff. Pinpoint bleeding often appears on the bladder wall. Hunner’s ulcers; patches of broken skin found on the bladder wall. All these diagnoses can only be made by cystoscopy (where they insert a small scope into the bladder to see what is causing the problem). (The column will conclude next week. The writer is a gynaecologist and obstetrician practising at Happy Women Clinic. You can write in to her at happywomenclinic@gmail.com)

H‑Factor

THURSDAY, JUNE 14, 2012

Holistic view of mind, body and soul

eÉ~îó=ìëÉ=çÑ=ãçÄáäÉI PC affects sleep, mental health STOCKHOLM: Youth who heavily use mobile phones and computers run a greater risk of sleep disturbances, stress and affecting their mental health. “Public health advice should, therefore, include information on the healthy use of this technology,” says researcher Sara Thomee from the Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg in Sweden. Doctoral student Sara Thomee and her research colleagues have conducted four different studies looking at how the use of computers and mobile phones affects the mental health of young adults. These studies, which included questionnaires for 4,100 people aged 20-24 and interviews with 32 young heavy ICT (information and communication technologies) users, reveal that intensive use of mobile phones and computers can be linked to stress, sleep disorders and depressive symptoms, according to a Gothenburg statement. “We looked at the effects both quantitatively and qualitatively and followed up the volunteers a year on,” says Thomee, who will present the results in her upcoming thesis. “The conclusion is that intensive use of ICT can have an impact on mental health among young adults,” says Thomee. The studies reveal, for example, that heavy mobile use is linked to an increase in sleeping problems in men and an

FREQUENTLY USING A COMPUTER WITHOUT BREAKS ALSO INCREASES THE RISK OF STRESS, SLEEPING PROBLEMS AND DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS IN WOMEN, WHEREAS MEN WHO USE COMPUTERS INTENSIVELY ARE MORE LIKELY TO DEVELOP SLEEPING PROBLEMS

increase in depressive symptoms in both men and women. “Those who find the constant accessibility via mobile phones to be stressful are most likely to report mental symptoms,” says Thomee. Frequently using a computer without breaks also increases the risk of stress, sleeping problems and depressive symptoms in women, whereas men who

use computers intensively are more likely to develop sleeping problems. “Regularly using a computer late at night is associated not only with sleep disorders but also with stress and depressive symptoms in both men and women,” says Thomee. A combination of both heavy computer use and heavy

mobile use makes the association even stronger. One conclusion is that public health advice to young people should include information on how to use ICT in a healthy way. “This means taking breaks, taking time to recover after intensive use, and putting limits on your availability,” Thomee says. IANS

Brush your teeth to avoid cancer! LONDON: Poor oral hygiene seems to elevate the risk of death from cancer, because too much of dental plaque has been linked to premature cancer death by Swedish researchers. An observational study examined 1,390 people between 1985 and 2009. At the beginning, participants were quizzed on factors likely to increase their cancer risk and their mouth hygiene was also assessed. After 24 years, 58 patients had died, 35 as a result of cancer. Those who died had a significantly higher amount of dental plaque than survivors, researchers discovered, the journal BMJ Open online reports. The dental plaque index in those who had died was higher than those who had survived. Dental plaque is made up of a film of bacteria, which the teeth, including the gaps between the teeth and gums, according to the Telegraph. Those who died scored between 0.84 to 0.91 on the index — indicating that the gum area of the teeth had been covered with plaque - and the survivors had consistently lower scores of 0.66 to 0.67 — indicating only partial plaque coverage. The average age of death was 61 for the women and 60 for the men. The women would have been expected to live around 13 years longer, and the men an additional 8.5 years, so their deaths could be considered premature, say the authors. The authors write: “Based on the present findings, the high bacterial load on tooth surfaces and in gingival (gums) pockets over a prolonged time may indeed play a role in carcinogenesis.” “Our study hypothesis was confirmed by the finding that poor (mouth) hygiene, as reflected in the amount of dental plaque, was associated with increased cancer mortality,” they write. “Further studies are required to determine whether there is any causal element in the observed association,” they concluded. IANS

F‑Folio

A very colourful Sao Paulo Fashion Week, one of the top catwalk shows in Latin America started on June 11 with some 30 Brazilian labels showcasing their summer collections with the focus on sustainable design

lexandre Herchcovitch, Animale and Tufi Duek were the first to unveil their latest creations at the Biennal pavilion in the city’s Ibirapuera Park. Ronaldo Fraga, Agua de Coco, Ellus, Joao Pimenta, Forum and Juliana Jabour are among the others due to take center stage over the course of the week. Prospective buyers came from Great Britain, Dubai, Spain and the United States, but Borges said that sales were mainly focused on the domestic market. The theme for this year’s summer collections is: “We transform: Stories worth telling” – putting the emphasis on tradition and local design. Under a scheme led by architect Marcelo Rosenbaum, professional designers worked with communities in Brazil’s poor areas to develop “sustainable” projects that will be displayed during the event. Sao Paulo Fashion Week is held twice a year, in January for the winter collections and in June for the summer collections.

THURSDAY, JUNE 14, 2012

20&21

Spotlight 1

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1. Ram & Karthik 2. Bini & Prasant 3. Akshay, Dillep & Saikiran 4. Shitesh & Nisha 5. Srinivas & Saketh 6. Sowjanya, Rajni, Swathi, Deepika, Pranitha & Vasu 7. Jaychand, Gneshwari, Dayanand, Kranthi, Keshvas

REVIVE YOUR SPIRITS

If you are low on energy and are looking for a cool and refreshing place to boost your spirits then head to Food ‘n’ i. Dine at Food ‘n’ i and see the change. 6

Magic Screen

THURSDAY, JUNE 14, 2012

Magic Screen

The glamour behind the glitz

THURSDAY, JUNE 14, 2012

Magic Screen

THURSDAY, JUNE 14, 2012

The glamour behind the glitz

Karthi, Anushka’s film titled Bad Boy

Autonagar Surya nears completion

T-TOWN TWEETIES

@tashu_02 A very good morning....all set for the day... shall be leaving in sometime for the location... Looking forward for a good day at the shoot!

@ramsayz Wishing my dear buddy Charan all d happiness in d world... super happy for him!

arthi,Anushka starrer Alex Pandian is being dubbed in Telugu as Bad Boy. Most part of the film’s shooting has already been completed and we hear that Karthi will be seen in a complete mass-oriented role after a long time. Recently, a risky stunt sequence, worth `2 crore, was shot in Karthi and Anushka near Mysore. One of the scenes required the lead actors to jump out of a running train and much to the surprise of the crew, Karthi and Anushka performed the feat without any duplicates. Suraj is directing the film and Gnanavel Raja is producing it. Devi Sri Prasad is composing the music. Bad Boy is gearing up for an October release. Meanwhile, Karthi’s eagerly awaited film Shakuni is going to release on June 22. With back to back hits like Yugaaniki Okkadu, Aawara and Naa Peru Shiva, Karthi’s popularity has soared quite high even in Andhra Pradesh in the past couple of years. It remains to be seen if Shakuni and Bad Boy can cement his place as a crowdpuller in AP.

he principal shooting of Naga Chaitanya, Samantha starrer Autonagar Surya is nearing completion. Directed by Deva Katta, the film, set in the backdrop of the automobile industry, is said to be a gritty tale of how one man fights against the system.“AUTONAGAR SURYA update: shot for 85 days so far and with another 15-18 days the shoot will be complete. Producer plans for October release. (sic),” Deva Katta posted on Twitter. Ajay is playing an important role in the film. K Atchi Reddy is producing the film and Anup Rubens is composing the music.

@shrutihaasan I went all these days without dropping my I pad and now I did it :( I hate chiffon skirts... Officially.

@RGVzoomin If God creatd bacteria nd virus 2 jst irritate nd damage us shouldn’t v tke a vaccine against God rather than bacterial nd viral infections?

@Sundeepkishan If one day we all r allowed to put our troubles on a table and exchange those. After a few moments, everyone would silently take their own and leave.

@LakshmiManchu Succumbed to a steroid shot. Migraine at its peak. Anithya. Breatheee.

RAJENDRA PRASAD’S

Onamalu ready for release

ajendra Prasad has been part of a handful of crucially acclaimed films in the recent few years, apart from playing important roles in big budget films. In 2004, he acted in Chandra Siddhartha’s Aa Naluguru and few years later, he played the lead role in Eshwar Reddy’s Mee Shreyobhilashi. After a brief gap, during which he played supporting roles in Bava, Nippu and Lovely, he’ll soon be seen as a teacher in Kranthi Madhav’s upcoming film Onamalu. It’s being touted as a first of its kind story in recent years and Kranthi Madhav is confident that the film will touch the right chords of the audience and remind them of their own childhood. Kalyani is playing an important role in Onamalu. Koti has scored the music. The film is expected to hit the screens next week.

@Actor_Siddharth Shooting for Peter England with the very gifted Tarun Khiwal... his flash is bent on ruining my new eyes :( solution — more eye drops! I hope...

@snehaullalheart All u want is just outside your comfort zone... change yourself or change the game.

Chai Time

KAKURO

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

SCRIBBLING PAD

THURSDAY, JUNE 14, 2012

Take a shot at the brain game while sipping your cuppa

QUICK CROSSWORD ACROSS 1 Mickey and Mighty 5 Garnish unit 10 A flat, thick piece 14 Scandinavian capital 15 Desire desperately 16 Became tattered 17 Revenuer's quarry 19 "All ___ being equal ..." 20 Bird related to the cassowary 21 Boot out of office 22 Flooring wood 24 "Deliverance" actor Beatty 25 "Kiss my grits" lady of TV 26 "Last Judgment" chapel 28 Covert get-together 30 Civil Rights org. 32 Links statistic 33 Pod plant 35 Snow runner 36 7-Up alternative 37 Like an unflipped fried egg 40 Did a blacksmith's job 42 Kickoff gadget 43 Holiday's yesterday 44 Common Market monogram 45 Clues 47 Some swords have two 51 Some arm muscles 53 "To thine ___ self ..." 55 "The Murders in the ___ Morgue" 56 Buoyant wood 57 Baroque chamber instrument 58 Bygone Turkish title 59 "Ali ___ and the Forty Thieves" 60 Overly romantic 63 Citrus fruit variety 64 Distinct musical sounds 65 Silver State tourist destination 66 Make a judgement 67 Earliest stage 68 "Brady Bunch" name

DOWN 1 Brief period of time 2 Chemical "twin" 3 Overcast 4 A billion years, in astronomy 5 Bar mitzvah site (Var.) 6 Attica or Leavenworth 7 Angry monologue 8 "Now ___ seen everything!" 9 Disinfectant 10 Cleaned, as a driveway 11 Sweet sucker 12 Ammo depot 13 Apiary occupant 18 Start to melt 23 Adder relative 26 "The Chronicles of Clovis" writer 27 Time of importance 29 Eyed tuber

31 Balance sheet listing 34 Restaurant order 36 Gave a stage signal 37 Friendly and pleasant 38 Urgent cravings 39 In a balanced manner 40 "On your mark, get ___, go!" 41 Non-woody vegetation 45 " ___ dead, Jim." 46 Evening gettogether 48 Showing more age, in a way 49 "Desire Under the Elms" playwright O'Neill

SUDOKU

50 Seasoned sailor 52 Forty-niner's stake 54 Best's opposite 57 Airport shuttles 59 Begin blooming 61 About 907 kilos 62 Physics unit PREVIOUS PUZZLE ANSWER

THOUGHT OF THE DAY The lunatic, the lover, and the poet, are of imagination all compact. William Shakespeare

Chai Time STAR POWER

THURSDAY, JUNE 14, 2012

Your tomorrow today̶Star Power and Tarot THIRUVAIKUMAR

As per Hindu panchang

FOR 15-6-2012

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

TAURUS

GEMINI

You will be successful in the chal‑ lenges undertaken. Also, you will gain upper hand in the debates you partici‑ pate. You will gain importance in the midst of VIP friends.

You will approach with a different way and complete the works that are held up for long. Relatives will come in search of you. Financial situation though look satisfactory.

Your new ideas will take shape and get implemented successfully. VIPs will extend you their good sup‑ port and help at the time of your need.

CANCER

LEO

VIRGO

You will not be depending on anyone's help and achieve everything you want‑ ed. Written off dues will be received to your surprise. Court cases dragged on for will end in your favour.

Your administrative capacity will increase. Those trying for a job will be favoured with one. Some have bright chance to buy a house or plot with their own saved money.

All your expected wishes get fulﬁlled. Happy events to come in a line at home. Construction held up in the middle will resume with the sanction of bank loan.

LIBRA

SCORPIO

SAGITTARIUS

Your knowledge will help you in exe‑ cuting the challenges. Financial posi‑ tion will be satisfactory. Friendship with VIPs likely. You will construct an annex in your house additionally.

You will get completed even very hard works that others felt as impossible to complete. You will steadily march ahead towards your goals. Marriage talks will be completed favourably.

You will be more interested to improve your skills and general knowl‑ edge. You will be practising yoga and meditation with good involvement. You will act with shrewdness.

CAPRICORN

AQUARIUS

PISCES

You will be successful in all the works undertaken. Chances of getting friend‑ ship of ruling party political VIPs. You will clear a major debt for which you were paying a higher interest.

Your speed will increase in executing the works. You will plan to renovate your house for good comforts. You will manage the deﬁcit ﬁnancial situa‑ tion very well.

All your new efforts will materialise as per expectations and yield desired results too. Your attraction will help to get your works done without much difﬁculty. Health will be ﬁne.

ARIES

SUMAA TEKUR

FOR 15-6-2012

tarotreadhyd@gmail.com

TAURUS

The High Priestess – Being part of a com‑ mittee does not only mean that you need to attend meetings. Be an active member and bring about changes.

Nine of Cups – If you allow the opin‑ ions of others to affect your present situation, there will be no end to the problems that you are likely to face.

GEMINI

King of Pentacles – This is the right time to launch into a cre‑ ative project. Writers, artists, authors, musicians, etc., have it good. Your work becomes proﬁtable.

CANCER

LEO

VIRGO

Queen of Cups – After having scratched the surface, you realize that there is more to the prob‑ lems you are current‑ ly facing. Donʼt be emotional.

Ten of Cups – You may lack the ﬂexibil‑ ity and practicality to deal with the cur‑ rent circumstances that put you in a rather emotional mode.

Knight of Cups – You have to rush through jobs in order to ﬁnish tasks on time. Meeting deadlines are impor‑ tant to maintain your credibility.

LIBRA

SCORPIO

SAGITTARIUS

The World – A senior is very angry with you for some reason and will not think twice before making known his/her opin‑ ion.

Five of Wands – Tune in to the latest news and stay updat‑ ed about whatʼs hap‑ pening around the world and also whatʼs happening in your area of work.

Six of Cups – Your emotions are running dry and you need time to manage the various compart‑ ments of your life. Give yourself the sup‑ port by being kind.

CAPRICORN

AQUARIUS

PISCES

Five of Cups – Singles are likely to come across an inter‑ esting marriage alliance. It will be an unconventional offer but an interesting one. Donʼt ignore it.

Four of Cups – Donʼt be so bogged down with the day to day jobs that you donʼt even enjoy a cup of tea. Spend a few minutes every day doing what you like.

Knight of Pentacles – The last few months have almost been like an expedition. But you are doing well. Life is a teacher and you have proven to be a good student.

For Better or for Worse Stone soup

SOLUTIONS

Boggle KIRK SULU SPOCK UHURA CHEKOV

Number game

Suduko

Scrabble

Ink pen

COMICS

Fred Basset

ARIES

TAROT READ

Vol: 1, No. 333 RNI No: APENG/2011/39337 Published for the proprietors, Scribble Media and Entertainment Pvt Ltd, by V Harshavardhan Reddy, at #1246, Level 3, Jubilee Casa, Road No. 62, Jubilee Hills, Hyderabad–500033 and printed by him at Jagati Publications Ltd, Plot No D-75&E-52, APIE Industrial Estate, Balanagar, Ranga Reddy Dist, Hyderabad–500037, Editor: Dean Williams – Responsible for selection of news under the PRB Act All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission of the publisher is prohibited. For feedback, please write to: feedback@postnoon.com and for subscription, please call 040-40672222, Fax: 040-40672211

2012 LONDON OLYMPICS

60 59 58 57 56

THURSDAY, JUNE 14, 2012

DAYS TO GO

DID YOU KNOW...? n Equestrian is the only Olympic sport in which men and women compete against each other on equal terms. n Canada’s Ian Millar won silver in the Team Jumping at the Beijing 2008 Games. The 61-year-old athlete was the oldest medallist at the Beijing 2008 Games.

LEGENDS OF THE SPORT Reiner Klimke’s (born January 14, 1936) six gold and two bronze Dressage medals over six different Games make him the most decorated rider in Olympic history. At the 1964 and 1968 Olympic Games, riding Dux, he helped the West German team to win and retain Team gold. Four years later in Montreal, he again won Team gold, this time riding Mehmed.

Hans Günter Winkler (born July 24, 1926) is the only jumper to ever win five Olympic gold medals and one of only four athletes to compete and win medals at six Games. In an international career spanning 34 years, his famous achievements came on Halla, the only horse ever ridden to three gold medals. He triumphed in the 1956 in both Individual and Team Jumping events.

ACROSS THE FENCE

54 53 52 51 50 49 48

n A total of 200 athletes will compete for six gold medals in the sport of Equestrian during the 2012 Games. n Women first participated in Olympic Eventing at the Helsinki 1952 Games. n At the Olympic Games horses must be at least eight-years-old for Dressage and Eventing, and nineyears-old for Jumping.

47 46 EQUESTRIAN:

45 44 43 42

n The cross-country course in Eventing is between 5,700 and 6,840m long.

41 40 39

TALLY 2008

37 35 34 33 32 31

GERMANY 3 USA 1 CANADA 1

1 1 1

1 1 0

MEDAL EVENTS July 31 July 31 August 6 August 7 August 8 August 9

History of Equestrian Equestrian events were first held at the 1900 Paris Olympic Games, although it did not include any of the disciplines seen today. There were 4 different equestrian events. The polo competition consisted of 4 teams made up of players from Britain, France, Mexico, Spain, and the United States. Grand Prix Jumping,

38 36

The Equestrian competition at London 2012 is made up of three disciplines: Dressage, Eventing and Jumping. Each discipline requires different skills from the riders and horses competing.

Individual Eventing Team Eventing Team Jumping Team Dressage Individual Jumping Individual Dressage

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reenwich Park is London’s oldest Royal Park, dating back to 1433, and is part of the Greenwich World Heritage site and home to the Prime Meridian Line. Covering 74 hectares (183 acres) and located just 20 minutes from cen-

DISCIPLINES Dressage: In Dressage competitions, the horse and rider perform a series of movements known as a Dressage test. Eventing: The Eventing competition takes places over four days which includes Dressage, crosscountry and jumping. Jumping: The competition is a tense, exciting test of skill, speed and power. Riders are timed on the course as they jump over obstacles. which was similar to today’s show jumping event, for which 45 competitors entered, though only 37 competed.

The first and second place was taken by riders from Belgium while a French rider, Louis de Champsavin, on his mount Terpsichore, got the third place. The High Jump competition resulted in a tie between French rider Dominique Gardere on Canela and Italian Gian Giorgio Trissino on Oreste, with both of their horses clearing 1.85 meters, and the bronze was given to Constant van Langendonck of Belgium, whose mount, Extra Dry, cleared 1.70 meters. However, Constant van Langendonck and Extra Dry were able to clinch the gold in the Long Jump competition, clearing a distance of 6.10 meters. Trissino and Oreste won the silver, clearing 5.70 meters, and M. de

Bellegarde of France won the bronze with the 5.30 meter jump by his mount Tolla.

Equestrian at Games Dressage had changed dramatically since the 1912 Olympics. The dressage horse no longer has to jump, but the test on the flat has become increasingly difficult, emphasizing the piaffe and the passage. Today’s horses are specifically bred for dressage and have movement far more extravagant when compared to the horses of the early 20th century. Only individual medals were awarded at the 1912, 1920, and 1924 Games, with team medals awarded at all Olympics following that point.

GREENWICH PARK tral London, the park offers sweeping views across the River Thames to St Paul’s Cathedral and beyond. A temporary course has been designed for the cross-country element of the Eventing competition, while a temporary main

arena is also being built in front of the Queen’s House within the grounds of the

National Maritime Museum. Work began on the temporary main arena in April 2012. The arena features an innovative purpose-made platform made from plywood, aluminium and steel which is held above ground by over 2,000 pillars.

THURSDAY, JUNE 14, 2012

DAYS TO GO

SCHLECK TARGETS GAMES LUXEMBOURG: Andy Schleck on Wednesday described his withdrawal from this year’s Tour de France due to injuries suffered in last week’s Criterium du Dauphine race as “the biggest disappointment” of his career. The 27-year-old has been ruled out after being diagnosed with a fractured pelvis and has now set his sights on competing at the London Olympics next month, as long as he is back to full fitness in time. “Yesterday, I tried going riding for an hour in the rain but I realised straight away that it would be impossible,” the 2010 Tour winner said at a press conference here. “When I abandoned the Dauphine (on Saturday), I was in pain, but that was even worse. After that I knew that I could not go to the Tour. “It is the biggest disappointment of my career. I would rather have finished last on the Tour than not be able to participate at all. I will need to be back to 100 percent before I can start riding again. I hope to be at the Olympics,” Schleck continued, adding that he also hopes to take part in the Tour of Spain, the Road Race World Championships and the Tour of Lombardy. He would have been a leading yellow jersey contender for the 98th edition of the Tour, which will begin in Liege, Belgium on June 30 and end in Paris on July 22.

London ‘12: Ready on time and under expected budget LONDON: The Lond-

The RadioShack climbing specialist, who has finished runner-up three times on the world’s premier cycling event, had recently been crowned the 2010 champion following the disqualification of Spain’s Alberto Contador for doping offences. Schleck’s joy at finally securing the yellow jersey was, however, tempered by the injuries he suffered in a crash last Thursday at the Criterium, an eight-day race which is a major tune-up for the Tour. During a 53 km time trial a strong gust of wind literally picked Schleck and his bike up off the ground and dumped him at the side of the road. Schleck continued, but complained of leg and

It is the biggest disappointment of my career. I would rather have finished last on the Tour than not be able to participate at all. Andy Schleck, Champion Cyclist back pain and despite beginning Saturday’s sixth and penultimate stage he pulled out after 63 km. “He couldn’t pedal anymore,” RadioShack sporting director Alain Gallopin told

the race’s official website. “Since he crashed during the time trial, the whole right side of his body was hurting.” Schleck returned to Luxembourg on Saturday and underwent scans at the beginning of the week which revealed the extent of his injuries. It will be the first time Schleck misses the race since he made his debut in 2008 with CSC. However it will be seen by many as the nadir to a season which has been one of his worst to date. Schleck, 27, abandoned a number of top stage races, such as Paris-Nice, the Tour of Catalunya and the Dauphine, that would have been key to building his form for the Tour, and he has complained of ill health. AFP

Aaron all set for Olympic ‘fight-off’ LONDON: World number one Aaron Cook one is prepared for a fight-off with British rival Lutalo Muhammad if that’s his only way of qualifying for the 2012 Olympic Games. European champion Cook was controversially overlooked by GB Taekwondo, with Muhammad dropping down a weight class to compete at the Games. At the third time of asking, the British Olympic Association (BOA) ratified world number 59 Muhammad’s nomination.

Cook’s lawyers Harbottle and Lewis will send a “letter before action” to the BOA, outlining their legal case. That letter will include new evidence the GB Taekwondo selection process was flawed, according to Cook’s agent Jamie Cunningham. If there is no progress from the BOA or the World Taekwondo Federation (WTF), who are undertaking their own review of the process, by the start of next week then Cook will take a legal challenge to either the Court of Arbitration for Sport or London’s High Court. AFP

on 2012 Olympics and Paralympics are on track to be delivered under their £9.3 billion budget, with £476 million left in contingency funds, the British government said on Wednesday. A budget of £9.298 billion was set in 2007 for the construction and delivery of the Games — almost four times higher than the original cost estimates presented at the time of London’s bid in 2005. Culture, Media and Sport Minister Jeremy Hunt, said it was “fantastic news” that, with 44 days to go to the Games, uncommitted funds remain available. “Britain has proved that not only can we put on a great show for the world to watch like we did with the Jubilee but that we can also deliver big construction projects on time and on budget,” he said, referring to the four-day celebrations for Queen Elizabeth II’s Diamond Jubilee. The project, involving more than 46,000 workers, has seen the transformation of a contaminated former industrial site into a 2.5 square kilometre site containing six new sporting venues.

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

Hindes gets nod for Great Britain sprint team LONDON: Germanborn rider Philip Hindes will represent Britain at the Olympics after being given the nod for the men’s three-man sprint team on Wednesday. Britain are the defending champions in the three-man, three-lap power event but have hesitated over naming the rider for the crucial ‘man one’ position. Having tested a number of candidates, Britain used Hindes, 19, in the start position at the world track championships.

22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30

THURSDAY, JUNE 14, 2012

BEAUTY

Poland vows to get tough with football 'idiots'

THE BEST

Russia on notice for Euro 2016 over hooligans

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk on Wednesday vowed to get tough with fans that marred a high-profile Euro 2012 match between the national side and Russia, calling them "idiots" who would feel the full force of the law. Over 180 supporters were detained after police were forced to use water cannon and tear gas to disperse violent fans on Tuesday.

Russia's Euro 2016 campaign could be over before it even begins, after UEFA threatened to deduct six points from the country's qualifying campaign in the event of further serious crowd trouble involving its fans. It issued the warning with a $150,000 fine, came after Russian fans lit and threw fireworks during the side's 4-1 win over the Czech Republic last Friday.

Spain weigh options Prandelli asks team to Spain vs Ireland 12.15am (Friday) Neo Prime

Ryland James

GDANSK, POLAND: Having played a 4-3-3 formation against Italy with Barcelona midfielder Cesc Fabregas up front, Spanish coach Vicente Del Bosque (in pic) must decide whether to give striker Fernando Torres another chance after he impressed from the bench against Italy. “I am not happy about everything that happened against Italy — there are things we must improve,” said del Bosque. “But I am not unhappy with the options we have, we had four options — the three everyone

was aware of (strikers Alvaro Negredo, Fernando Torres or Fernando Llorente) and then that of Cesc. Del Bosque said if it came to it he would do without a classic centre forward again. “The only thing that interests us is what is in the interest of the team. The opinions of others surely have interests distinct from our own.” With Barcelona hitman and record scorer David Villa injured, it was Fabregas who scored the winner against Italy, but Spain noticeably raised their game when Torres came on for the final 17 minutes. There are chinks in the Spanish armour for Ireland to exploit as the centre-backs Gerard Pique and Sergio Ramos looked out of sorts on occasion with experienced icon Carles Puyol missing Euro 2012 through injury. But the Irish can ill afford to concede after only three minutes, as they did against Croatia, with Spain eager for goals to ignite their campaign. Spanish midfielder Sergi Busquets has said the world champions must show some patience with Trapatonni expected to set out a defensive strategy. “If the Irish choose to stay bunched in front of their goal then the key for us will be patience,” said Busquets. “But clearly we are not going to change our style one little bit,” he added.

crack Croat defence Barnaby Chesterman

POZNAN, POLAND: Getting behind the Croatian defence is the key for Italy coach Cesare Prandelli in Thursday’s crucial European Championships Group C clash. Croatia lead the group following their 3-1 win over Ireland in their first match and can qualify directly for the quarter-finals with another victory. Italy held world champions Spain to a draw on Sunday but know that anything other than a win would mean their destiny being taken out of their hands ahead of the final group match against Giovanni Trapattoni’s Irish side. Prandelli has spoken all week of the importance of getting in behind other teams’ defences and it was the reason he hauled off Mario Balotelli against Spain to replace him with Antonio Di Natale. The Udinese striker then opened the scoring and Prandelli would later praise him as the best Italian player at getting behind the back four. Prandelli had said he wanted more of that from Balotelli and having not got it he opted to bring on Di Natale. The coach has steadfastly refused to reveal whether he will keep faith with the temperamental Manchester City forward or give Di Natale the nod

against Croatia, but whoever plays, there is only one thing on his mind. “Right now we believe that we need to try to get in behind the backline more,” said the coach. As for what to expect from Slaven Bilic’s team, Prandelli says he has more than done his homework. “They’re organised and they always try to stretch the game. We’re well aware of their abilities, we’ve been following them for a while. “They have managed to change which is a sign of quality and hard work. They play with incredible intensity, they’re very difficult to beat and they’re physical.” Prandelli admitted the motivation to play against reigning champions Spain took care of itself but said he is still

Italy vs Croatia 9.30pm (Thursday) Neo Prime not worried about getting his players up for this game. “We’re calm, we’ve seen what worked (against Spain) and what didn’t and tried things out on the pitch,” he said. “With the determination to play you don’t need to motivate the players every five minutes, if we’re prepared then we’re also psychological ready to play.” The main debate may be who will play up front alongside Antonio Cassano but that is to forget that the AC Milan forward is not yet fully match fit and unable to last an entire game.

THURSDAY, JUNE 14, 2012

Gomez double strike has Dutch on the run KHARKIV, UKRAINE: Germany moved to the brink of the Euro 2012 quarter-finals on Wednesday after two predatory Mario Gomez strikes gave the three-times champions a 2-1 win over old rivals the Netherlands in their Group B match. The Germans, having started off by beating Portugal, made it two wins in two as they consolidated their status as group leaders while the Dutch are reeling and almost out having already lost to Denmark. Gomez gave the Germans the lead after 24 minutes with a fine goal to add to his winner against Portugal. The Bayern Munich forward spun brilliantly onto a finely-weighted through ball from clubmate Bastian Schweinsteiger and fired low past Maarten Stekelenburg in the Dutch goal. And 13 minutes later he delivered a crushing blow to the Dutch with a rising drive after another Schweinsteiger assist. Robin van Persie crashed home a drive on the turn for the Dutch as they shrugged off a poor first-half performance but they were unable to conjure anything more even as the Germans began to tire. Germany now need only a point in their final group match against the Danes to guarantee their passage as group winners while the previously favoured

Dutch, champions in 1988, must beat Portugal to have any hope of advancing.

Loew’s joy of six

Coach: Dutch lacked defensive courage KHARKIV, UKRAINE: The Netherlands’ coach Bert van Marwijk accused his defence of not showing enough courage as the Oranje lost 2-1 to Germany and slumped to their second straight defeat at Euro 2012. First-half goals by striker Mario Gomez put the Germans in control before Holland forward Robin van Persie pulled a consolation back for the Dutch with 15 minutes left in the Group B clash. Holland’s back-four of Ajax’s Gregory van der Wiel, Everton’s John Heitinga, Malaga’s Joris

Mathijsen and Eindhoven’s Jetro Willems failed to cope with Gomez’s presence as the Bayern Munich star now has three goals. Having suffered a shock 1-0 defeat to Denmark last Saturday, Van Marwijk’s World Cup finalists now have to beat Portugal in Kharkiv on Sunday, while hoping Germany beat Denmark. Boosting his attack at halftime by introducing midfielder Rafael van der Vaart and Schalke striker Klaas-Jan Huntelaar, Van Marwijk said it was his defenders who had let him down.

Varela strike saves Rolando blushes LVIV, UKRAINE: Portugal beat Denmark 3-2 in a thrilling Euro 2012 clash, with a last-gasp winner to resurrect their hopes of reaching the competition’s knock-out stages on Wednesday. Substitute Silvestre Varela (in pic) blasted home three minutes from time to give the beaten Euro 2004 finalists the points after they had let a 2-0 lead slip to a battling Danish side. Real Madrid defender Pepe opened the Selecao’s account with a header from a corner at

Stephan Andersen’s right-hand near-post, while Helder Postiga made it two with a deft flick on the opposite side. Nicklas Bendtner got Morten Olsen’s Danes back on terms and the Scandinavians looked set for a hard-fought point after a series of glaring misses by Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo. The win puts Portugal level on three points with Denmark. Joachim Loew’s Mannschaft go in to the match in Kharkiv, Ukraine, on a high after beating

Portugal while the Oranje, who suffered a shock 1-0 reverse to Denmark, face an uphill battle. Dutch captain Mark van Bommel said all the players were aware of the importance of the crunch tie — and their final group match against Portugal — if they hope to progress in the event. “We have to win (the remaining two games). We have no other choice,” he said before the match, although the Portugal result now means they don’t have to do that to progress. AFP

Germany coach Joachim Loew said he was delighted to have six points after two games from the so-called “Group of Death” at Euro 2012 as Mario Gomez scored twice in the 2-1 win over the Netherlands. Having opened their campaign with a 1-0 win over Portugal on Saturday, Gomez scored both Germany’s first-half goals before the Netherlands’ star Robin van Persie pulled one back for the Dutch at Kharkiv’s Metalist Stadium on Wednesday. The win put the Germans top of Group B, ahead of Portugal, who earlier beat Denmark 3-2, with the Netherlands last in the table after their second defeat following last Saturday’s shock loss to Denmark. Now just a point against the Danes on Sunday in Lviv will put the Germans in the quarter-finals. “We have six points from the so-called Group of Death, which is very good and we have opened the door to the quarter-finals,” said Loew. He wants to finish group winners to set up a quarter-final against Group A runner-up in Gdansk, where the Germans have their Euro base in Poland. AFP

Gomis quizzed over rape blame LYON: Lyon’s French international striker Bafetimbi Gomis was on Wednesday being questioned by police investigating an alleged rape, a source close to the case said. Gomis has denied all the accusations as well as insisting that he had not spent the night in custody. But a source said that Gomis was being questioned on Wednesday. Gomis, who has six France caps to his name, was not included in Laurent Blanc's squad for Euro 2012.

Euro 2012 Standings Group B P Germany 2 Portugal 2 Denmark 2 Ne’lands 2

W 2 1 1 0

D 0 0 0 0

L 0 1 1 2

F 3 3 3 1

A 1 3 3 3

Pt 6 3 3 0

(played, won, drawn, lost, for, against, points)

TOP GOAL SCORERS 3 goals: Dzagoev (RUS, in pic), Gomez (GER),

2 goals: Mandzukic (CRO), Pilar (CZE), Shevchenko (UKR), Bendtner (DEN)

Messi irks Ronaldo even at Euro 2012 LVIV, UKRAINE: Cristiano Ronaldo could do with a goal — and without mention of Lionel Messi at Euro 2012. The 27-year-old Portuguese has yet to score in the tournament and a succession of missed chances in the thrilling 3-2 win over Denmark ended with Danish fans chanting ‘Messi! Messi!’. It was the last thing the Real Madrid player needed to hear the name of the three-time world player of the year being chanted after the Argentinean left Ronaldo trailing in second place in the La Liga scoring charts last season.

Playing Field

THURSDAY, JUNE 14, 2012

The games people play

REDKNAPP SACKED! LONDON: Harry Redknapp was sacked as manager of Tottenham Hotspur on Thursday after nearly four years in charge of the Premier League club. “This is not a decision the board and I have taken lightly,” said Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy. “Harry arrived at the club at a time when his experience and approach was exactly what was needed. “This decision in no way detracts from the excellent work Harry has done during his time with the club and I should like to thank him for his achievements and contribution.” Spurs were bottom of the Premier League table when Redknapp arrived at White Hart Lane from Portsmouth in 2008 and Levy added: “Harry will always be welcome at the Lane.” Redknapp, in a statement issued by Tottenham,

said: “I have thoroughly enjoyed my time at Spurs and am proud of my achievements. I have had a fantastic four years with the club, at times the football has been breathtaking. I am sad to be leaving but wish to thank the players, staff and fans for their terrific support during my time there.” The 65-year-old Englishma-

n was known to be pushing Levy for an extension to his contract, which was due to expire at the end of next season, saying the uncertainty surrounding his position was destabilising the squad. It has been claimed that Levy was only willing to offer Redknapp a rolling 12month contract whereas Redknapp favoured a longer deal. Redknapp, whose status as the media and fans’ favourite to become the next manager of England was ignored by the Football Association (FA) when they chose Roy Hodgson instead, did achieve Levy’s goal of a top four Premier League finish last season. But while that would normally have been good enough for Champions League football next season it wasn’t this time because London rivals Chelsea won this term’s edition and thereby qualified as European champions.

No panic for beaten Murray LONDON: Andy Murray is adamant the shock end of his reign as Queen’s champion won’t damage his chances of winning Wimbledon. Murray had won the pre-Wimbledon warm-up event at Queen’s Club twice in the last three years and he arrived in we-st London hoping for another extended run on the grass courts. But the Scot, who received a first round bye as the top seed, produced an error-strewn display that allowed Nicolas Mahut to complete a 6-3, 6-7 (4/7), 7-6 (7/1) secound round victory on Wednesday. Mahut, who was the runner-up at Queen’s in 2007, is a solid grass-court performer and his confidence is sky high.

IBAYS Suzuki Cup Group A:n SQ Consulting 84 (Shirish Sharma 24, Gopal Raju 13/3, Arvind Bazaz 19/2) lost to HSBC GLT 86 (Vikram Kuntamukkala 38, Ajit 23). n R&I 175 (Abishek Anand 45, Kapil Makhija 41) bt Prime KI 121 all out (Praveen Kumar Diddi 47, Faisal Tumbi 9/2.) n Pegasystems 73 all out (Raj Aditya 27, Mohit Agarwal 5/3) lost to Qualcomm 75 (Vignesh Nagaa 43) Group B n Convergys 199/5 (Jahar 75, Naresh 49, Vijay Pratap 23/2) bt DWP 77 all out (Satish Rodda 25, Sumanyu B 15/5) n Yashoda 99 all out (Upender Reddy 31, Imtiaz 20/5) lost to AS Blazers 103/2 (Ashfaq 35, Imad Farooqi 33*). n HCCL 191/3 (Habeeb Ali 117*, Hasan 34/1) bt Zonah 144/7 (Muneer 38, Raaed 29, Atif 26, Yaqub Maqsusi 18/3).

Armstrong faces fresh doping charge WASHINGTON: Seven-time Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong confirmed on Wednesday he is facing new doping allegations brought by the US Anti-Doping Agency that could result in the stripping of his titles. Armstrong — who has vehemently denied using performanceenhancing drugs during his career — angrily said the new “baseless” charges stem from “discredited” allegations from the past. “I have been notified that USADA... intends to again dredge up discredited allegations dating back more than 16 years to prevent me from competing as a triathlete and try and strip me of the seven Tour de France victories I earned,” Armstrong said. AFP