WWW.POSTNOON.COM
WEATHER: CLOUDY WITH CHANCE OF SHOWERS; 28°C
With caste calculations of the party gone haywire in the bypolls, Telugu Desam leaders are introspecting where their strategy went wrong and what needs to be done to avoid extermination as giants clash for control of the State.
Hyderabad’s first compact afternoon newspaper
JUNE 17, 2012 HYDERABAD
`2
32 PAGES
ON SUNDAY
WAITING FOR DELIVERANCE DEEPAK DESHPANDE
GREECE END RUSSIAN DREAMS, HEAD INTO QUARTERS Veteran Greece captain Giorgos Karagounis halted Russia’s Euro 2012 campaign in its tracks, as the underdogs beat the Group A early pacesetters 1-0 to reach the last eight. The Czech Republic topped the group after beating Poland. PG 31
REPORT ON PG 4
THE PALACE IN THE SKY
T
aj Falaknuma Palace is the City’s pride and joy. And now, as it launches its weekend getaway specials, there is little excuse not to soak in heritage that few other urban centres can lay claim to. We walk the Nizam’s corridors and come away mesmerised. PG 16&17
2
CITY SUNDAY, JUNE 17, 2012
‘CHARM’INAR M ANIL 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
Fete de la musique Fete de la musique, a musical event is being held on the occasion of world music day. Where: Alliance Francaise, Banjara Hills When: June 21, 6pm onwards Contact: (040) 2335 0443
Sunday brunch Spend the perfect Sunday afternoon with Aqua’s special brunch. Where: Aqua, The Park, When: Every Sunday, 12pm to 4 pm Contact: (040) 2345 6789
La Mashale 'Le Mashale' a play by the Ojas S V, stagged by Manch Theatre Group will be staged on June 17 at Lamakaan. Where: Lamakaan, Banjara Hills, Rd No 1 When: June 17, 7.30pm onwards Contact: 96427 31329
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. Where: Muse Art Gallery, Lower Tank Bund When: Ongoing, 11.30am 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
No Jazz No Jazz, a funky, rocking Parisian electro-jazz five-piece dance band. The band mixes the original celebratory spirit of jazz with hypnotic rhythms and contemporary sounds. Invites for the event will be available at Alliance Francaise( Banjara Hills ) Where: Taj Deccan, Banjara Hills, Rd No 1 When: June 25, 7.30pm onwards Contact: (040) 6652 3939
Chai Pakoda It’s monsoon. How we love to sit by the window sill, with a plate of hot pakodas and some chai. Arena at
CINEMAS
earned will be used to train underprivileged women. Where: YMCA Secunderabad, West Marredpally When: June 18-June 29 Contact: 98490 07736, 99595 57183
Abstract landscapes
Taj Deccan brings that feeling to you every evening 3pm-7pm Where: Taj Deccan, Banjara Hills, Rd No 1 When: Ongoing, 3pm to7pm Contact: (040) 6666 393
Once, on that street Set in the city of Bangalore, Once, On That Street is a story of Three Lives.The play will be presented at NIFT auditorium. Where: NIFT, Madhapur When: June 17, 6.30pm onwards Contact: (040) 2311 4537
Brunch sparkles Choose from grills, pastas, Oriental, Continental or Indian and follow it up with a delicious selection of
desserts at The Arena’s brunch. Where: The Arena, Taj Deccan, Rd No 1 When: Every Sunday Contact: (040) 6652 3939
Main rahi masoom Main rahi masoom, a biographical sketch of the famous poet, Late Rahi Raza Masoom will be presented at Salarjung Museum. Where: Salarjung Museum, Afzal Gunj When: June 17, 6.30pm onwards Contact: (040) 2452 1152
Madhubani workshop The YMCA Secunderabad is hosting a madhubani painting workshop. The workshop is being felicitated by an artist from Madhubani. A part of the fees
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 on0 display till June 20. Where: Iconart Gallery, Banjara Hills, Rd No 12 When: Ongoing, 11am onwards Contact: 98499 68797
Friends with Bird Friends with bird, a patining exhibition by artist Pallavi Wallunj is being held. Where: Colours Art Gallery, Chikoti Gardens, Begumpet When: Ongoing, 10am-7pm Contact: 93470 01275
Mexican brunch La Cantina, at Novotel presents Sunday brunch, an interesting mexican spread, every Sunday. Where: La Cantina, Novotel, Madhapur When: Every Sunday, 12pm onwards Contact: (040) 6682 4422
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
3
CITY SUNDAY, JUNE 17, 2012
Haj camp on June 24
A
ndhra Pradesh Haj Committee will hold the first orientation camp for selected haj pilgrims for Haj-2012 on June 24, this month. The camp will be held at Hitech Garden Function Hall in Old Malakpet. For more details the haj pilgrims can get in touch with the Haj committee officials on 040-23298793.
TDP MLA to join YSRC?
Principal beaten for abuse
O
A
ne more MLA from TDP, K Venkateswara Rao (Nani), is rumoured to be planning to join the YSRC. Sources say he will soon meet YSRC president Jaganmohan Reddy in jail soon. Rao represents Gudivada Assembly constituency in Krishna District which N. T. Rama Rao represented earlier. Rao is a close friend of Junior NTR.
principal and a bus driver were beaten up following allegations of sexual abuse of a woman on Saturday. Local residents alleged that principal of Parijata High School Ramana Goud had been harassing Jyothi, the mother of a Class VIII 8 student in the school. SFI activists thrashed the duo a later handed them over to the police.
Man arrested for cheating best friend Postnoon News
A
Record-holder ‘manthri’ held MOHD SUBHAN
mohd.s@postnoon.com
H
e’s married thrice and was convicted 209 times. He has against him 19 non-bailable warrants. His name is Manthri Shankar; the ‘Manthri’ part in his name has come from his family. But he is proud of the appendage to his name. Stealing and cheating are the only vocation he could master, pleads Manthri Shankar whose record of crimes is as yet unbroken in Hyderabad. “I was driving an autorikshaw. It was miserable. Not enough to feed my family. “I have no educational qualifica-
HE IS INVOLVED IN 228 PROPERTY OFFENCES AND HAS BEEN CONVICTED IN209 CASES SO FAR. tion and I don’t have any technical knowledge what else should I have done if not burglary and thefts?” Shankar quizzes detective SI of Karkhana police station, G Santosh Kumar. Manthri Shankar alias Shivanna does not remember how many cases of
thefts and burglary have been recorded against him in various police stations in the City. He knows there are 19 non-bailable warrants pending against him in Karkhana, Trimulgherry, Marredpally, Osmania University, SR Nagar and Malakpet police stations. But the police have exact records of Manthri’s doings. He is involved in 228 property offences. He was remanded 22 times from various police stations and convicted in209 cases so far. He was released from jail in December 2011 and has since resumed his activity. In all, 19 warrants are pending against him. ACP Vasu Sena said Manthri is now staying in Latur of Maharashtra with his third wife by name Shailini. After the death of his first wife Madhavi he married Godaveri and a few years ago he got separated from her and married Shalini. On credible information, Karkhana Police apprehended the offender Manthri Shankar while he was going in a stolen Alto Car to pledge the stolen gold ornaments. On interrogation he confessed to have committed four property offences under the limits of Police Stations Gandhi Nagar, Bowenpally, Osmania University and Karkhana after being released on bail in December 2011, DSI G Santosh kumar said. Police team of Karkhana recovered an Alto car, one Bajaj Pulsar motorcycle and gold ornaments weighing about 17 tolas from him and the total worth of stolen property is nearly `6,75,000.
man who cheated his childhood chum of his bike has landed in prison. The story begins a year ago when Mohd Mushtaq, 30, jobless but in need of money, borrowed the bike of his ‘best friend’ Anil Kumar for an “urgent work.” Mushtaq lived in Karkhana basti. Unsuspecting Anil lent his bike and Mushtaq said he had to go to his native village and come back in three days. He never did.
What Mushtaq did was to take the help of another friend Mohd Shanavaz and mortgaged the vehicle to a man namely Sirajuddin for `15,000. Anil’s effort to get the vehicle back was rebuffed. A year passed and Anil, who works with LID as marketing executive, happened to tell the tale to Karkhana sub-inspector G Santosh Kumar recently. The surprised SI said the mortgage was illegal as the RC book belonged to Anil. He registered a case of cheating against
Mushtaq and summoned him to the station. Mushtaq knew he was cornered. He said he was running a battery making shop but suffered loss and closed it. Since, he has not been having a regular job. But further questioning revealed that he had developed drinking habit and he has a gang of ‘friends’ who ought to be kept in good humour. This all require cash. So he goes around and do this kind of short-cut tricks to pull on. The bike was seized and he was arrested.
TO SUBSCRIBE, CALL OR SMS US ON
80082 00713
hs 6 Mont `199/-
1 Year `349/-
A FRESH NEW POINT OF VIEW You can also call or email us at:
040 - 4067 2222 subscription@postnoon.com
4
CITY SUNDAY, JUNE 17, 2012
TDP waits for deliverence
With caste calculations of the party gone haywire in the bypolls, Telugu Desam leaders are introspecting where their strategy went wrong and what needs to be done to avoid extermination as giants clash for control of the State INKESHAF AHMED
ahmed.m@postnoon.com
T
he day after the election results, leaders of the TDP in NTR Bhavan were tongue-tied. They were too shocked to say anything, not because the party drew a blank in the 18 Assembly by-polls, but its loss of hold over its citadel — the Kamma community — the traditional vote bank of the party since its inception in 1982 was inconsolable. The reason for the strong support of Kamma community to the TDP had been that its founder and former chief minister NT Rama Rao hailed from the Kamma community and the current president N Chandrababu Naidu also belongs to the same community. How could it explain the party's loss in Kamma strongholds like Yemmiganur, Macherla, Prattipadu, Anantapur urban, Rayadurg and Ongole Assembly seats where the community is the deciding factor? Nobody had an answer. But the scary fact that the "Telugu bidda" party could not win even a single seat from these constituencies and was relegated to the second position stared them in the face. Finally, some leaders took courage to point out to the party supremo N Chandrababu Naidu that the Congress knee-jerk reaction jailing Jagan had upset its applecart on two-wheels. "We all had the foreboding when the news of Jagan's arrest came," pointed out a leader to Postnoon. "It was a Congress flop show." This created a sudden surge of sympathy as is usual in Indian voters," he said refusing
to go official. The TDP leaders, while acknowledging the desertion of Kamma during the bypoll, cited sympathy wave for YSR Congress Party after YS Jagan's arrest was responsible for their defeat. "The caste factor is not fully responsible for party's debacle. The strong sympathy wave in favour of YSRC led to our defeat," said TDP senior leader and party's floor leader in Lok Sabha Nama Nageswar Rao. On the other hand, party's Rajya Sabha member CM Ramesh points out another reason — a tactical error. The party
TDP LEADERS CITED SYMPATHY WAVE FOR YSR CONGRESS AFTER JAGAN'S ARREST WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR THEIR DEFEAT. should not have gone to focus on corruption. "Voters, especially from villages, don't bother about corruption and its effects, it seems. Their most important concern is the failure of government in implementing existing
welfare schemes. We tried to highlight this. But the sympathy factor took everything away from us," he said. Leaders also whisper that Naidu's reference to Jagan Mohan Reddy as a corrupt man who ought to have been in prison long ago had back-lashed. "In India, it is often the case," it was pointed out. The party now plans to go for a revamp, research of voting pattern of each Assembly constituency and come out with a strategy to counter threepronged attack on it: one from Telangana protagonists, the
other from the YSRC, and the third from the Congress. As the main opposition party, the TDP stands to lose the most if it could not come up with a remedy to recapture the trust of the community first, it is opined. The general voice in the review meetings has been that regaining the Kamma trust was the basic and build a superstructure over it to retrieve part of its glory with an effective method aimed at neutralising the combined attack of TRS, YSRC, Congress. It is admitted, however, that it's easier said than done.
Driver in dock Culpable homicide case filed for drunk driving
T
he Osmanabad police have booked a case of culpable homicide against the Kaleshwari Travels under Sec 304 IPC read with 185 MV Act, said Additional Superintendent of Osmanabad, Ravinder Singh Pardesi. The officer said the investigation sofar revealed that the driver G. Yadagiri had been driving rashly and was under the influence of alcohol. He had a drink in Zaheerabad of Medhak district. Survivors told the police that
the driver was cautioned by them but he had not heeded. Even when the bus neared the bridge the driver did not slow the bus as is required of him. Further, the bridge had no railings. Two of the 16 injured are still in critical condition. They are being treated at the Sholapur civil hospital, the SP said. Meanwhile, the state transport officials have been asked to see how many private operators run inter-state buses without permission.
5
FOCUS SUNDAY, JUNE 17, 2012
US: No deportation for young immigrants Obama administration will stop deporting undocumented immigrants in the new election-year
T
he Obama administration will stop deporting and begin granting work permits to younger undocumented immigrants who came to the US as children and have no criminal history, the Associated Press reported today. The policy change will affect as many as 800,000 immigrants who faced deportation. According to the AP, the initiative will bypass Congress and will partially achieve the goals of the DREAM Act. Speaking in the Rose Garden this afternoon, Obama explained the policy further: “Let’s be clear; this is not amnesty, this is not immunity, this is not a path to citizenship,” he said. “If there’s a young person who’s grown up here and wants to contribute to society... that’s the right thing to do.” The DREAM Act, which stands for Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors, was introduced nearly 10 years ago and has undergone several changes in hopes that the bill would pass Congress. In the new initiative, which was to be announced by Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano today, “certain young people who were brought to the United States as young children, do not present a risk to national security or public safety, and meet several key criteria will be considered for relief from removal from the country or from entering into removal proceedings. Those who demonstrate that they meet the criteria will be eligible to receive deferred action for a period of two years, subject to renewal, and will be eligible to apply for work authorization.” The policy is effective immediately. According to the New York Times, the new policy will stop deportations, but will not offer citizenship. It is being undertaken by executive order, and therefore does not require legislation. Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney weighed in on the policy
“Let’s be clear; this is not amnesty, this is not immunity, this is not a path to citizenship,” he said. “If there’s a young person who’s grown up here and wants to contribute to society... that’s the right thing to do.” from New Hampshire according to Politico, saying in a statement: “I believe the status of young people who come here through no fault of their own is an important matter on a long term basis so they know what
their future will be in this country. I think the action that the president took today makes it more difficult to reach that longterm solution because an executive order is, of course, just a short term matter. It could be reversed by some president.” A December poll by the Pew Hispanic Center showed that 59 percent of Latinos disapproved of the president’s handling of deportations. As of September 2011, the Obama administration had deported about 1.06 million undocumented immigrants. In his full eight years in office, George W. Bush deported 1.57 million undocumented immigrants. On Thursday, the Washington Times reported on a secret draft policy that would allow agents of US Customs and Border Protection to catch and release low-priority undocumented immigrants rather than bring them in for processing and prosecution.
6
NATION SUNDAY, JUNE 17, 2012
6 injured in train collision
SC to examine doc’s plea
3 CRPF men injured in hit
MUMBAI: At least six passengers
NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court has
NEW DELHI: Three CRPF personnel
were injured, three seriously, when two suburban trains collided here overnight, triggering a mini riot, officials said on Sunday. The ChurchgateBorivli and the Virar-Churchgate trains collided near one of the platforms of Andheri railway station. The incident disrupted rail services, stranding hundreds of commuters.
agreed to examine a petition alleging large-scale manipulation, hacking and tampering of the online counselling for All India Post Graduate Medical Entrance courses. According to the petitioner, a number of top rankers were shocked to find they have been alloted seats in diploma courses, which are inferior choices for their ranks.
were injured today in a grenade attack by militants on their picket in Sopore town, police said. Unidentified militants hurled a grenade at the CRPF picket, resulting in injuries to three jawans, they said. The injured jawans have been admitted to a hospital while security forces have launched an operation to track down the militants.
Bengal politics dominates prez poll
W
ith a son of the soil from Bengal likely to become the country’s next president and his country-cousin politician trying to nix his chances, the race to Raisina Hill has majorly shifted to West Bengal. Union finance minister and the Centre’s trouble-shooter Pranab Mukherjee bagged the UPA’s nomination for the presidential poll as state Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s manipulative and bizarre efforts to push him out of the race came a cropper. Banerjee, who has a liking for walking on untrodden paths, took the unprecedented step of nominating an in-office prime minister, Manmohan Singh, for the president’s post and tried to put a major roadblock before Mukherjee. Banerjee, whose Trinamool Congress is the second-largest constituent in the UPA, rushed to New Delhi at Congress chief and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi’s invitation on Wednesday for confabulations on the coalition’s choice for the top post. However, soon after meeting Gandhi, Banerjee hopped over to SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav’s house, and dropped a bombshell in a joint media meet with him. The duo named Manmohan Singh along with former president APJ Abdul Kalam and expelled CPI-M leader and former Lok Sabha speaker Somnath Chatterjee as their candidates for the post.
However, Banerjee’s efforts to form a political axis with Yadav to put pressure on the Congress to desist from nominating her bete noire Mukherjee backfired.
Her hostile stance steeled the Congress, which rejected the duo’s candidates, and opened back channel talks with the SP, which backs the UPA government from outside.
Once the SP agreed to do a U-turn, the UPA nominated Mukherjee. Once the SP lost no time in extending him support, BSP chief Mayawati followed suit, and Banerjee — completely outwitted - was left isolated and sulking. Banerjee’s move to turn her back on the Congress candidate and resurrect Abdul Kalam from retirement surprised and offended many. The state Congress alleged she hurt Bengali sentiments by rejecting Mukherjee who has been the crisis manager and the major propelling force of the two successive UPA governments. No other leader from Bengal has played such pivotal role for so long a period in the Centre government since independence, Mukherjee’s acolytes in Bengal point out and his detractors do not disagree. It appears that Banerjee’s decision to name Somnath Chatterjee — another son of the soil —- as one of three presidential choices was a calculated move to repel any criticism that she stood in the way of a fellow Bengali. The state Congress has gone all out to attack the Trinamool chief, while the Congress legislators wrote to Sonia Gandhi for permission to walk out of the state ministry. However, not to be cowed by the turn of events, Banerjee, on her return to the city, said: “The game is not over yet. It is still on.” IANS
Sister knew Pranab was destined for prez post KOLKATA: Pranab Mukherjee, who seems set to become the 13th president of India, once wished to be reborn even as a horse in the president’s elite cavalry regiment, but was told he would become president in his own life time, his nephew revealed. It was around 1969-70. The young Mukherjee, then a first time Rajya Sabha MP, was allotted a flat on South Avenue close to Rashtrapati Bhavan, the 340room British-era presidential mansion. The red boundary wall of Rashtrapati Bhavan and the stable where the horses were kept and attended to were visible from the flat’s balcony. Once during an idle chat there, Mukherjee told his elder sister Annapurna Banerjee: “See how much these horses are pampered. How well fed they look. I want to be reborn as a horse in the president’s cavalry”. Annapurna’s son and Mukherjee’s nephew Tarun Banerjee, who recounted the incident to IANS, said: “My mother replied ‘Why do you wish to be reborn as a horse? Mark my words, you will become president of India one day and that too in this life’”. “We are very happy for two reasons. One my maternal uncle is set to become president and second, my mother’s forecast has come true,” added Banerjee. Mukherjee was Friday named the United Progressive Alliance’s (UPA) candidate for president and was set to win IANS with majority support.
‘Nayak’ Parrikar gives jitters to many KOLKATA: A fan of Bollywood film Nayak, Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar Friday almost played out a scene from the 2001 hit movie. Parrikar, during an interaction with reporters at his residence a few days ahead of completing 100 days in power, was asked why the landline telephone of the Panaji police station was not working. The CM took out his cell-
phone and asked the journalist to punch out the police station’s phone number. As the call went through, Parrikar waited till someone picked up the phone. “This is Parrikar speaking. Just hold the line,” Parrikar said, passing the mobile to the embarrassed journalist. Parrikar’s ‘quick fix’ solutions may hark back to a scene in Nayak, where actor Anil Kapoor, playing a state’s CM for
a day, uses his telephone to monitor and suspend corrupt officials. But after nearly 100 days in power, technocrat Parrikar appears to be the only thing standing between himself and his BJP-led coalition government. “It is like the case of the blind man and the elephant, but with a difference. You touch this government’s tail, there’s Parrikar. Barring him, the gov-
ernment and other ministers are virtually non-existent,” a senior BJP leader, who did not want to be named, commented. Eleven other ministers of Parrikar’s 12-member cabinet, are virtually absent from the media’s radar, making Parrikar the only visible target for bouquets and brickbats. Asked if he regretted setting deadlines for achieving governance objectives, Parrikar said:
“I set targets because it helps me to work towards goals.” During the run-up to the March assembly elections, he promised a string of time-bound goals — some populist, some necessary — like a bridge in six years, a Lokayukta in 100 days, clearance of garbage from roads in 100 days and reduction of petrol prices by `11 within days of coming to power. IANS
7
WORLD SUNDAY, JUNE 17, 2012
CLASSIFIEDS FABRICATION
ASTROLOGY These Days Making The Most & More is Essential. Doing Right at First is a Must. Quick Progress is The Need Now, Right !! Know your hidden SWOT in Your DOB thru Numerology for Destiny Betterment - Wealth, Health & Relationship Solutions. Feeling Lucky, Contact The eminent Name Change & Luck Consultant : Appaaji @ Tara Numerology On 95734 11255
REAL ESTATE HEALTH
SUVARNA BHUVI DEVELOPERS ”SUVARNA CITY”IV@shamshabad beside DLF Township on Bangalore Highway.Fully Developed 200&400sqyds plots are available Contact: 9849482826 GACHIBOWLI, KOKAPET SEZ TO 12kms from ICFAI, IBS CAMPUS BESIDE MOKILA VILLAGE HMDA PLOTS FOR SALE 70% BANK LOAN, CLOSE TO VILLAS, INDUS SCHOOL MMTS CT: 9989354333
MUNICIPAL APPROVAL
Westcity Developers HMDA/HUDA Approved Residential Plots with LICHFL Loan Available with all developments@ Maheshwaram very near to Bangalore Highway and International Airport Shamshabad Con: 9246546841 / 9390362925
AUTOMOBILES
AUTHORIZED DEALERS FOR MUSIC SYSTEMS (HEAD UNITS, SPEAKERS, AMPLIFIERS, SUB-WOOFERS) CENTRAL LOCKING
AUTOMOTIVE
CUSTOM SEAT COVERS (ART LEATHER PVC-PU COATED)
J.M.J ST.GEORGE Cars we purchase all brands of used cars at your door step with best price on the spot . contact Sunny George :9502208169
CRASH GUARDS, BULL BARS, FOOT STEPS, REAR GUARDS
SUN CONTROL FILM
MATTING, AUXILIARY LIGHTS, HORNS,CAR INTERIOR CLEANERS, etc
WHIZZ CAR ACCESSORIES S.No. IVA, 3A, Bharani Complex, Minister Road, Secunderabad - 500 003 Ph. 040 - 66326969, Cell: 9246206969
Earthquake hits Manila
UN op in Syria suspended
MANILA: A 6.1-magnitude earth-
DAMASCUS: The UN has suspend-
quake struck off the west coast of the main Philippine island of Luzon Sunday, US seismologists said, but there were no reports of casualties and no tsunami alert was issued. The US Geological Survey said the quake hit at a depth of 35 kilometres, 182 km northwest of the capital Manila.
ed its monitoring mission in Syria, citing escalating violence, according to the Guardian. Major-General Robert Mood, the chief of the observer mission, said that none of the 300 monitors would go on patrols or leave their locations. The standdown order comes after Monitors were prevented from inspection.
Wildfire near Athens as Greece goes to poll
Will the Greecian dream end in flames? ATHENS: Greeks angered by austerity take to the polls on Sunday for an election that could decide their future in the euro amid unprecedented external pressure not to vote for a radical leftist firebrand. German Chancellor Angela Merkel said it was “extremely important” for Greeks to elect lawmakers who would respect the terms of a controversial bailout deal, which Syriza leader Alexis Tsipras has promised will be “history” on Monday. Eurogroup chief Jean-Claude Juncker also warned on the eve of the vote that choosing Syriza could have “unpredictable” consequences for the eurozone as international markets watched the momentous vote with bated breath. Polls open at 0400 GMT and close at 1600 GMT, with exit polls also due out then and the first indicative results expected at around 1900 GMT in the second election in six weeks after a vote on May 6 failed to produce a government. Germany’s Bild newspaper added to tensions ahead of the vote with an open letter telling Greeks their ATMs only had euros because “we put them there.” “If the parties who want to be through with austerity and reforms win the election and contravene every agreement, we will stop paying,” it said. Tsipras, a 37-year-old former student activist from a working-class Athens district, is running neck-and-neck in the polls with Harvard-educated Antonis Samaras, the 61-year-old head of the conservative New Democracy party. “It’s true we want to blow up a system that isn’t working but I’m afraid Tsipras might turn out just as incapable as the others and that the situation
might continue to get worse,” said Dora Fotopoulou, a 48-year-old psychologist. Tsipras argues that the mood in Europe is shifting against austerity and that the European Union and International Monetary Fund will not want to risk a Greek euro exit that would send shockwaves through the global economy. At his final campaign rally, he accused Samaras of defending “Merkel’s Europe of the past”. “We guarantee the Europe of the future,” he said. Samaras wants a more moderate renegotiation of the bailout deal and warns that a vote for Tsipras could bring back the drachma currency. Polls show an overwhelming majority of Greeks want to keep the euro.
Firefighters battle blaze ATHENS: Hundreds of firefighters battled a rural wildfire near Athens as the recession-hit nation held a general election Sunday that will determine its economic future. Some 260 firefighters backed by 115 engines and three aircraft fought to contain the wildfire that broke out on several fronts on Saturday, gutting summer homes and injuring three firefighters. Greece was expecting water bomber reinforcements from Italy.
France heads to poll as left wing hopes go up
Campus shooting suspect arrested
PARIS: France heads to the polls on Sunday for a vote expected to cement the country’s swing to the left by giving President Francois Hollande a clear parliamentary majority to push his agenda. Opinion polls released before the end of campaigning at midnight Friday showed Hollande’s Socialists and their parliamentary allies on track to take control of France’s lower house National Assembly. Hollande, who defeated rightwinger Nicolas Sarkozy in May’s presidential election, has urged voters to give him a majority as he seeks to steer France through Europe’s debt crisis, rising unemployment and a faltering economy. The French vote risks being overshadowed however by elections in Greece that could determine its future in the eurozone.
MONTREAL: US border officials have arrested a Canadian man suspected of fatally shooting three people, police said Saturday. Canadian authorities launched a manhunt for Travis Brandon Baumgartner Friday following the killings at the University of Alberta in the city of Edmonton that left a fourth person wounded. The 21-year-old was detained while trying to cross into the United States at a border crossing in Lyndon, in the northwestern US state of Washington, Edmonton police superintendent Bob Hassel said. “We’re grateful to the border officials at Lynden, Washington, for their excellent work in arresting a man we believe was armed and extremely dangerous,” Hassel said.
8
COMMENT SUNDAY, JUNE 17, 2012
Bypoll: Waste of money
Suu Kyi’s Nobel speech
W
A
hat have the people achieved from the bypolls? Jagan Mohan Reddy riding on the wave of sympathy got to prove his clout. It’s a matter of shame that our laws allow such practices. People who create the need for bypolls like how Jagan did should bear the cost. Sabreena Shah Sainikpuri
EDITORIALS TO BE OR NOT TO BE? Greeks decide today It is reported that a wild fire broke out near Athens as Greece goes to polls today, something that will have weight on the wellbeing of the whole world. Is that a sign of the doom to come? The chief contenders, left-wing Syriza and right-wing New Democracy, are yet to decide either to go with the tight bailout on offer or reject it and increase social spending. To reject it would mean Greece gets the boot from the Euro zone as its leaders have warned. The Greeks are understandably unhappy with the conditions that come with the bail out: steep spending cuts on everything from health to education and infrastructure, as well as tax hikes and reduction of salaries and pensions. The existing cuts have helped Greece remain in the Eurozone, but led to unemployment spiraling to above 22 per cent and tens of thousands of businesses shutting down. If the victors of this election (it seems no single party is going to get majority to form government) decide to reject the deal, it will break the backbone of the Eurozone and weaken the global economy further. So, to be or not to be, that is the question.
WHY WE LOVE... Pranab Mukherjee Eight years ago when the United Progressive Alliance was looking for the right man to be prime minister, Pranab Mukherjee’s name was top on the list. But then Soniaji’s choice was Manmohan Singh. Despite all that, the Congress knows all too well that Pranab is the man they may turn to when it faces a crisis. Called the perennial number two in the Congress, this time it appears Pranab shall become the first citizen of the country. His time has come, after all.
t long last, after 21 years, Aung San Suu Kyi is to deliver her Nobel prize speech. The price she paid for standing up for her country cannot be estimated, for what she lost is irretrievable time. I hope her efforts bear fruit and are not in vain and Myanmar becomes a democracy. Ramkrishna Yousufguda
EDITORIALS Readers’ views We invite you to write to us comments, suggestions, viewpoint or just about anything to feedback@postnoon.com or #1246, Level 3, Jubilee Casa, Road No 62, Jubilee Hills, Hyderabad – 500 033 or even by way of a call on 040-4067 2222.
A decision that lacks logic
I
t’s unfair to Mahesh Bhupathi if he has been paired with Leander Paes for London Games despite the former’s reluctance. We do not know the exact reason for their split, but if the two do not want to play together, there’s no point in sending them to the Olympics citing their former success. Madhushalini Banjara Hills
Mapping that’ll ensure the fittest survive
From the hip
SYED SHOAIB
A
research paper published last week by the University of Washington says that a DNA mapping could be done by testing the blood sample from the mother and saliva from the father. Through this technique it is possible to evaluate for over 3,500 different genetic abnormalities in an 18week foetus. This could be rewarding for parents, if the mother carries a foetus with genetic mutations, to make a decision on termination of the pregnancy at a safer period, within the first trimester. Some genes will raise the odds that a child has the potential to get conditions like diabetes or some types of cancer in later years. This is, no doubt, an enormous advancement in medical technology, as bringing up a child with genetic disorders or mental retardation is hugely chal-
lenging for parents as well as for the child. If this procedure becomes a routine part of prenatal testing how to manage the information and what use is made of it by the parents is what has to be controlled. A parent can use the information that the child would develop serious diseases in later years, to explore options of therapy and care. Also, there are many conditions that are a result of certain lifestyles. Lifestyle choices also could be planned as a result of such information. Until last week, DNA scrutiny was done by pricking with a needle in the mother’s womb, which carried a risk of miscarriage. This was a restraining factor for mothers from nonrisk groups. But the arrival of non-invasive prenatal diagnosis, a medical marvel, throws up quite a few other concerns. The low-cost and no-risk procedure may interest many more women to go for a blood test to diagnose a wider range of conditions. How does one ensure a termination of pregnancy, if resorted to after one such test, is for
medical reasons alone? Knowing our bias against the girl child, there is a high possibility that the procedure may be used for gender selective termination of pregnancy. A relatively simple blood test, as early as in the 9th week into pregnancy, could determine the gender of the child with 95 per cent accuracy, which may perhaps make termination of pregnancies that much easier. The already skewed gender (im)balance will worsen. The colour of the skin, height, colour of hair, intelligence level, artistic acumen... the list is endless, for parents to decide if the child is ‘suitable’ to see the world. It may not be long before we queue up in front of the genetic laboratories with our ‘technical specifications’ of the babies. This is not a science fiction; this will be the reality in the near future. Scientists are taking baby steps in this direction; and the day is not far off when aborting a foetus for its ‘imperfections’ will become the norm. Who has the right to make judgement about the physical characteristics and mental attributes of
the unborn and decide the fate of the foetus? More and more Aldous Huxley’s visualisation of a Brave New World stares starkly in our face. Is that what we want? Any technological advancement will have its pros and cons. Genetic engineering is not inherently evil. We cannot undermine vast benefits, primarily in medicine, it offers. But there is a risk of genetic selection being used in an unscrupulous way. The technology may take another three years to be ready for use and a few more years may follow before it becomes cost affordable. This breather will give us the chance to put in place regulations of its use for the advantage it can accrue and prevent its misuse. Strict regulations as in the case of sex-determination tests in India, which is criminalised since 1994 should be laid. Stringent guidelines should be formulated and followed in licensing a lab that uses this new diagnostic tool for testing foetal abnormalities. It should be restricted only to evaluate medical complications.
9
BUSINESS SUNDAY, JUNE 17, 2012
‘EU risks Lehmans moment’ LONDON: Outgoing World Bank
Biz chiefs in green pledge
India to boost Cuba ties
RIO DE JANEIRO: Some 39 chief
president Robert Zoellick warned that Europe was facing a “Lehmans moment” and the collapse of the euro currency could trigger a global crisis, in an interview out Sunday. Zoellick will warn the G20 summit that Europe risks sparking a financial meltdown that would have desperate consequences for developing countries, he said.
HAVANA: India wants to strengthen
executives of banks, investment funds and insurance firms on Saturday pledged at a Rio+20 business forum to integrate the Earth’s natural capital into loans and investments. Natural capital comprises Earth’s natural assets (soil, air, water, flora and fauna) and the ecosystem services flowing from them.
economic ties with Cuba, external affairs minister SM Krishna said Saturday on a trip to the Communistrun Caribbean island. Bilateral trade totaled $54 million in 2010, according to the latest official figures. The two countries also cooperate in the areas of biotechnology, information technology, education and sports.
Dilemma over drachma T
he glorious voyage through the 2,500year history of the drachma that the director of the numismatic museum in Athens organises for school groups ends with a warning: fight to keep the euro. “I tell these children who have only known the euro that they have to do everything to keep it," George Kakavas said, as he led a tour. He said he had a personal passion for the drachma — a “magnificent” currency once used in an empire stretching from Egypt to India under Alexander the Great. “When I was in London studying archaeology I remember I had drachmas in my pocket and I couldn’t go far," Kakavas told AFP in an interview. And he admitted that with the recent round of austerity cuts that have hit Greece’s cultural heritage “the drachma museum is short of euros." The museum charts the history of the drachma from antiquity to when it was reintroduced in the 19th century following Greek independence to when it was finally phased out in 2001 in favour of the euro, a currency that an overwhelming majority of Greeks want to hold on to whatever the result of Sunday’s election. The prospect of a Greek exit is an extreme but real one, and the global economic community has not excluded the possibility if the radical left wins power and tears up a widelyhated bailout agreement for Greece as promised. At the market in Monasteraki at the foot of the Acropolis, Fanny Persitsa tries to make some money selling off old drachmas after the Bank of Greece ended all exchanges of the old currency with euros in March. “We can’t find money any more. Banks no longer lend. Friends and family are as broke as we are so we are selling everything we can," the mother of two, who lost her job as a personal trainer in a gym during the crisis, told AFP. “If we didn’t have two children, I would have left Greece just like all the young people want to do," she said, adding: “Life was cheaper before (the euro) but if we go back it will be worse. We would be stuck in this country." AFP
A night before the election day, Greek Presidental Evzoni guards perform a change of the guard in in front of the Greek parliament in central Athens on Saturday. As Greece heads for a momentous electoral battle that could decide whether it stays in the eurozone, party leaders are scrambling to reassure angry voters they can bank on the single currency. AFP / ANDREAS SOLARO
Facts and figures EUROZONE ENTRY: Greece joined the eurozone in 2001. After government borrowing rates soared, it secured in 2010 a bailout of 110 billion euros ). A second package was agreed earlier this year involving 130 billion euros in loans plus a 107-billion-euro private sector debt write-off. PUBLIC DEBT: Greece has the highest debt-to-output ratio in the 17-nation eurozone, exceeding the limit of 60 per cent of GDP. Total debt came to 144.9 per cent in 2010 and jumped to an estimated 161.7 per cent in 2011. The debt is forecast to fall to 145.5 per cent in 2012 and to 120.5 percent by 2020.
PUBLIC DEFICIT: Greece’s annual public deficit was 10.6 per cent in 2010. Government officials put it at 9.6 per cent of GDP in 2011. The latest European Commission forecast is for it to fall to 7 per cent in 2012 before taking into account debt-reduction measures. The government estimated in a draft law last month that its deficit would amount to 6.7 per cent this year. GROWTH: GDP was 227.3 billion euros in 2010 (Eurostat). That year the economy shrank by 4.5 per cent and was estimated to have contracted by more than 5.5 per cent in 2011. A contraction of 2.8 per cent is expected in 2012. Growth of 0.7 per cent is forecast
in 2013. The EU estimates that the economy will have contracted by 15 per cent since the beginning of the debt crisis.
data put the number of unemployed in the first quarter at 22.6 per cent of the workforce.
ACTIVITY: The Greek economy accounts for less than 3 per cent of total eurozone output. The unofficial economy is believed to account for a third of all Greek activity. Tourism and shipping dominate.
POPULATION: 10.78 million, down from 11.28 million in 2009, according to the latest official figures in May, as migrants leave owing to the economic downturn and birth rates remain low.
INFLATION: 4.7 percent in 2010, 2.8 percent in 2011 and 0.6 percent in 2012 (2012 budget). Official data put 12month inflation at 1.4 percent in May, a decline from the April reading of 1.9 percent. UNEMPLOYMENT: Official
POLITICAL INSTITUTIONS: Parliamentary democracy with 300 deputies elected for four years, forming a government led currently by interim PM Panagiotis Pikrammenos. The president is Carolos Papoulias, elected by parliament in 2010 for five years, whose office is largely ceremonial.
10
INTERVIEW SUNDAY, JUNE 17, 2012
Drawn to the wild
Giving up a cushy nine-to-five job so she could explore her passion for exploring the wild, 29-year-old Ramya Ravi tells us how there’s a method to her madness Sana Mirza
sana.m@postnoon.com
Tell us a little bit about yourself I’m of fauji family, meaning that I never donned the uniform but learnt to handle change and risks in the same stride without losing a major part of my chutzpah. So while we got transferred from place to place it always gave me the opportunity to explore new places and meet new people. My dad was a typical army man, which meant more places to see, people to meet and just generally more exposure setting the tone for “a sky is the limit” kind of life.
What about your professional background? I have a bachelors in Biotechnology, Biochemistry and Chemistry, a PG Diploma in Bioinformatics and finally an MBA in Finance. After that, I worked for three years as a Project Manager at a pharmaceutical company, an experience I cherish to this day.
So what made you decide to study Environmental Economics? With each passing day during my last one year at work, I couldn’t ignore the nagging questions at the back of my head “I love this but could there be more?” So I decided to leave my cushy job and began volunteering at various organisations, working on tribal conservation, learning about crocodiles and snakes and began to understand the importance of Economics in the context of conservation; basically graduating from just living to living with a purpose. That came with Environmental Economics which I believe brought method to my madness.
How do you plan to use your work to necessitate change? Ecological infrastructures around us are collapsing and our growing numbers show no signs of slowing down. I hope to be a part of a movement that can usher in a change, at both the ground level and higher up. That it needs to be done cannot be emphasised enough.
How has your experience been on the field? So far, it’s been nothing but rewarding. Each experience had a unique offering in terms of knowledge. At Croc Bank I learnt not to dismiss any animal as an unimportant part of the ecosystem and that it’s not all about the tiger. Working with the Irula Tribe down south made me see how important are traditional ways to the forest people, where herbal medicines are of great importance in maintaining the knowledge of the flora and fauna of the local area.
What’s keeping you busy at the moment?
SRINIVAS SETTY
Looking for quick tuitions in advanced statistics and Green Accounting!! (laughs) On a serious note, I am currently working on a framework for developmental economics and environmental economics whilst collaborating with scientists, for a few projects up North and a few here in Hyderabad. I am looking to form an NGO that takes up not just ‘Conservation in Wildlife and Environment’ but conservation of traditional knowledge and culture, buildings, etc.
What about your job do you enjoy the most? That I’m working for things that are bigger than me, than all of us. And that’s humbling in so many ways. When I’m on the field, I feel privileged. When your eyes feast upon the greens of Sinharaja rainforest, when you see the superb tail action of the blue whale, when you see olive ridleys in the wild, when you see a leopard carelessly lounging on a rock and the elephant waddling through a forest, when the open blue sky is filled with migrating flamingoes and the ground on which you stand is teeming with micro life, you feel nothing but protective of it.
You use photographs to aid your work. Is photography another passion of yours? I love the wild and for me, seeing wasn’t enough anymore. So while photography was incidental my passion for it now isn’t. Not everyone would love detailed excel sheets on why one should modify their attitude towards something, in such cases photography can bridge that gap. After that, I began to make photo-essays, photostories and multimedia projects on subjects that I thought needed highlighting and presented them at as many forums as possible, reached out to people through workshops, etc and this, if not anything else, produces a good knee-jerk reaction.
Where do you see yourself in the next couple of years? My next couple of years will involve extensive field work in the area of developmental economics and subsequently some policy work in the area of environmental economics and developmental too, up North. Of course each geographical area will have its own inherent challenges, and these can be addressed only if we spend time on the field and figure out the best way forward. So, for the next few years...I’m literally ‘out there’ (Smiles).
Do you have a message for our readers? Conservation can begin in the backyard and something as simple as a shoebox and more plants can address several critical issues. The ‘Winged Urbaners’ project aims to address that in a small way.
11
GOLDEN YEARS SUNDAY, JUNE 17, 2012
They call me Coach
Even at 80, there’s no stopping Sampath Kumar, whose name is synonymous with basketball in the State RAJESH RAVINDRAN
rajesh.r@postnoon.com
T
here is a sense of awe and veneration that fills everyone at the Secunderabad YMCA basketball court when GM Sampath Kumar descends on it. He is 80, but he is supremely sprightly for his age, both in mind and body. There is the nagging knee, a consequence of Chikungunya, yet when he is on the court, he is the man. Players, junior and senior, are all ears when he offers tips and advice. How else could it be when the name of the man talking to them is synonymous with basketball in AP? If you want to know what Sampath Kumar means to basketball in the district, state and country, check this out: he is the chairman, technical commission, Basketball Federation of India; general secretary of the AP Basketball Association; and general secretary, Hyderabad District Association. “You cannot imagine the Nationals without Sampath anna,” said Eugene George, coach of the AP state basketball team. Sampath Kumar started playing ball at the Wesley High School. After that he started playing at the YMCA Secunderabad. There is an interesting story about this. The team on the court were one player short when the coach Williams noticed Sampath Kumar sitting on a nearby wall. He enquired about him and learned that he was a very good player. Williams beckoned the youngster and asked him to join. Sampath Kumar replied that he had no membership and hence could not play. Williams immediately went to the office and paid the then membership fee of `4 for Sampath Kumar and got him to play. This was more than 60 years ago. For Sampath Kumar, the beautiful game is not football, but basketball. It never tires him; he forgets the ravages of age and tiredness when he talks about it; he looks you in the eye when he does and there is a twinkle you will not miss. Perhaps it is this energy that
young hoopsters love about the man. He cannot stand for long and give lessons because of his bad knee. But to the extent it allows him he goes about the court and encourages, advises and corrects them. “A teacher should not just teach: he should demonstrate what he teaches,” says Sampath Kumar gravely. “His approach to the game is so different,” says state player Moses. “On the court he would be very strict. But off it, he is like a grandpa. He used to call me ‘lazy fellow’ for being slow on the court. But I never felt hurt; I only tried to better myself.” There’s a long list of players, state-level, national, international, who owe it all to Sampath Kumar for their skill and success. “Sarabjit Singh, Surender Kumar, Surjan Singh
and Gurdayal Singh… these are all my wards,” said Sampath Kumar with pride. Sarabjit Singh is the first basketball player to get the Arjuna Award. When asked about Indian basketball, Sampath Kumar says, “When I was in the national team, once an American came down to coach us. One day we gathered around him and asked him about our progress. He said, ‘I wish I had got some pills back from the States that would make champions out of players.’ He was subtly saying that there is no substitute to hard work and constant practice.” According to Sampath Kumar, the complete basketball player should have good height, good legs, should be an excellent man-to-man marker and most importantly, he should be a fighter to the core. “You may be the best skilled among your teammates, you may be the tallest, you may be the fastest, but if you are no fighter, then all’s in vain,” he says and adds, “you must be a fighter; you must fight it out till the end; you must never give up.” Now we know his secret.
12
ART AND CULTURE SUNDAY, JUNE 17, 2012
Turkey refuses loans
T
urkey is set on a collision course with many of the world’s leading museums, by refusing exhibition loans because of antiquities claims. European museums that are being targeted include the Louvre, Berlin’s Pergamon museum, the British Museum, and the Victoria and Albert Museum. Claims are being lodged also in many museums in the US.
Christie’s summer auction
Time for restoration
C
R
hristie’s have launched masterpieces, an exciting public exhibition. Currently being led by John Constable’s epic and celebrated landscape The Lock (estimate: £20 million to £25 million). Masterpieces will present over 50 works by many of the most celebrated artists in the last 500 years of art history.
estoration and conservation work on the Pórtico de la Gloria of the cathedral at Santiago de Compostela is expected to begin in early 2013, now that the first comprehensive scientific investigation of the late Romanesque portico, funded by the non-profit Fundación Barrié, has ended. A competition for the work will be launched this autumn.
A revival of nature Icon art gallery is currently host to a a series of paintings that were 17 years in the making. Artist Bhaskararao Botcha tells us about his intriguing journey Sana Mirza sana.m@postnoon.com
W
hen you immerse yourself in the deepest of your passions,then neither time nor the number of years spent struggling to carve a niche for yourself hold any meaning. Bhaskararao says it took him 17 years to put up a solo show. “My journey behind this exhibition is indeed 17 years long! I wanted to do justice to what I had seen around me while I was growing up,” he explains, adding, “I grew up in the small town of Salur which was surrounded by hills and connected by rivers. The landscape around me was nothing less than a dream and it served as a major source of inspiration for me to follow my heart to becoming an artist.” He belongs to a family of artists and started painting at the age of 11. “Painting brings me immense joy and I spend at least four hours painting almost every day, either in the wee
“I grew up in the small town of Salur which was surrounded by hills and connected by rivers. The landscape around me was nothing less than a dream and it served as a major source of inspiration for me to follow my heart and become an artist.”
Impulsive and intuitional Lyco art identifies the meaning of art with its life-serving purpose
C
oncerning itself with cultural transformation and the human condition, Lyco art seeks to expand the boundaries of aesthetics. Paul Hartal is a Canadian painter and poet, born in Szeged, Hungary. He has created the term “Lyrical Conceptualism” to characterise his style in both painting
and poetry, and has created a manifesto to describe his thesis. Lyco Art creates a conscious bridge between the impulsive, intuitional, and planned elements of the creative process, thereby moving along the whole continuum of formative energies. This creative process represents the interaction of emotion and
intellect, wherein the passion of logic and the logic of passion are inexorably interwoven through the voyage of aesthetic consciousness. In applying theory to practice in design and painting, Lycoism finds its expression in coded colours and forms. Accordingly, warm hues and
hours of the morning where the chirping of birds provide sound to my thought or after I get back from work,” he says. Bhaskararao who is a Master in Fine Arts from the University of Hyderabad supports his love of the art by with a full time job as that of Head of Department, B.Sc Animation Design at the Loyola Academy, Degree and Post-graduation College. “Teaching is my passion and that is why I decided to make a shift from the corporate sector to the teaching field. This way I get to do two things that I love the most; igniting young minds and painting,” he says. He was a recipient of the Junior Fellowship from the HRD Ministry of Tourism and Culture and is also an artist in residence at the Icon Art Gallery in Hyderabad. “The Fellowship from the HRD helped me gain the recognition that a young and upcoming artist would need. It gave me confidence to move forward and work further. At present, the Artist residency programme and curator Avani Rao
are both supporting me with my work and providing me with platforms to showcase my work at,” he says, smiling. His exhibition titled ‘A Leaf and a Droplet’, is on at the Icon Art Gallery. His paintings are awash with colours, while the structures of the terrains are visions of strength. While the brilliant blues remind one of water and rains, the yellows the passing of day. Bhaskararao’s strokes create the magic, that is nature. “One of the main reasons in using a theme such as this was because I felt that the contemporary world was facing a lot of problems related to global warming and pollution. Through my paintings, I plan to send out a message that we need to save our environment and we need to act on it now,” he says.
ART FOR DUMMIES
amorphous shapes might correspond to emotion and the irrational, while cold colours and geometric forms might express the rational and the logical. In addition, since science and technology impact so much of modern lifestyle during the electronic age, Lycoism views the relationship of art, science, and technology as a pivotal concern. Lycoism refuses to polarize science and art; instead, it seeks to unify aesthetics and ethics in works which involve the use of science and technology by the artist in the creation of beauty.
T
he visionary landscapes are on display till June 20 at the Icon Art Gallery from 11.30 am to 7pm.
13
ENVIRONMENT SUNDAY, JUNE 17, 2012
ITC, BIA get awards
Scared grasshoppers binge
Humans, sharks similiar?
ITCs Bhadrachalam unit and Bangalore International Airport on Friday won the golden and silver plaque, respectively, at the CII’s GreenCo Summit, 2012 for their green initiatives. The CII has initiated GreenCo rating with the intention of pushing the green agenda in the country. A CII Environment Directory and GreenCo reference material were released during the event.
Grasshoppers, stressed by the fear of spider attacks, could harm our ecosystem dearly by consuming a greater quantity of carbohydrate-rich plants, similar to what humans under stress do — eat more sweets, according to researchers. This type of reaction will, in turn, cause chemical changes in the grasshopper and in its excretions, affecting the ecosystem shows a study.
Humans evolved from a prehistoric shark that populated the seas more than 300 million years ago, according to scientists. A re-analysis of a braincase thats over 290 years old shows the ancient fish called Acanthodes bronni was the original father of all jawed vertebrates on Earth including humans and tens of thousands of other living vertebrates.
THE TIME IS NOW
Officials at the Rio +20 Summit admit they face a battle to seal the deal on a global charter to protect environment and eradicate poverty ahead of the UN summit
T
he cornerstone document of the June 20-22 Rio+20 summit aims at setting a path for nurturing the planet’s natural bounty and promoting green growth. But after five months of wrangling, talks on a draft entered their final scheduled day on Friday with agreement on only 28 percent of the 81-page text, officials said. Responsibility for steering the haggle was expected to be handed on Saturday to Brazil, the conference host, said Nikhil Seth of the UN’s Division for Sustainable Development. “It’s everyone’s hope that by (June) 19 at the latest, everything will be wrapped up,” he said. “There is a sense of optimism, but in every room there is a sense also that the enemy now is time.” Brazilian delegation chief Luiz Alberto Figueiredo, confirming the target date, said “we have no intention to hand undecided issues to heads of state.” Ahead of next week’s UN summit, hundreds of corporate leaders launched a four-day forum here Friday to discuss how the private sector could help advance sustainable development goals. In opening remarks, Georg Kell, executive director of the UN Global Compact, underscored the key role of “innovation and collaboration” in the process. The Global Compact, a UN initiative to encourage businesses worldwide to adopt sustainable and socially responsible
policies, has 7,000 corporate participants in 135 countries. Forum organizers said private-public partnerships and more than 100 corporate commitments would be announced and recommendations would be submitted to Rio+20 summit leaders next week. The Conference on Sustainable Development is the 20-year followup to the Earth
Summit, when UN members made historic agreements to combat climate change, wildlife loss and desertification. An expected turnout of 116 heads of state or government will cap a week-long gathering of as many as 50,000 activists, business executives and policymakers. Progress on the so-called outcome document has been mired by discord, often pitching
developing economies against rich ones. “There are lively discussions still going on,” the US special envoy for climate change, Todd Stern, said in a conference call with journalists. “There’s still a lot to be wrestled with.” Problems include a set of sustainable development goals to succeed the UN’s Millennium Development Goals, due to
BUSINESS CHIEFS TALK SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT IN RIO
H
undreds of business leaders huddled on the sidelines of the Rio+20 conference to seek common ground on sustainable policies to protect the environment and spur economic growth. Opening the Corporate Sustainability Forum, UN Global Compact executive director Georg Kell underscored the key role of “innovation and collaboration” in the process. The Global Compact, a UN initiative to encourage
businesses worldwide to adopt sustainable and socially responsible policies, has 7,000 corporate participants in 135 countries. About 1,000 corporate leaders from around the world are attending the fourday forum, including Maria das Gracas Silva Foster, chief executive of Petrobras, and another 1,000 labor activists, investors and government officials. Kell stressed the need to harness “the power of corpo-
rate creativity and responsible capital” to foster women’s emancipation, poverty eradication, social investment, renewable energy and sustainable food production, as well as to generate water resources. Compact officials noted that upcoming infrastructure needs in the “green” sectors of economically key areas such as energy, agriculture and water are conservatively calculated in the hundreds of billions of dollars a year.
expire in 2015, to encourage the green economy and mustering funds to promote sustainable development. Poorer countries are calling for $30 billion a year. But another area of friction is over how or whether to reaffirm the “Rio Principles” set down in the 1992 summit, which say countries have “common but differentiated responsibilities.” The phrase is designed to ensure that poor countries do not have to shoulder the same burden as rich countries in fixing Earth’s environmental problems. But Stern was scathing, saying the phrase belonged to an era when China and other countries that today are emerging giant economies were far poorer and less able to contribute. The summit is taking place against a backdrop of ever-worsening news on the environment, while financial crises in rich economies have slashed the political will for concessions. The “People’s Summit” will feature several different demonstrations, including a main march expected to draw 50,000 people on June 20. GLOBAL POST
14
FOOD SUNDAY, JUNE 17, 2012
More Burger Kings in China
B
urger King Worldwide Holdings Inc. has announced that it plans to open 1,000 restaurants in China over the next five to seven years, Reuters reported. Currently, there are 63 Burger King outlets there. Reuters also reported that Burger King said the deal represents the largest multi-unit development agreement in company history.
Coca-Cola goes to Myanmar
Vitamins and supplements
T
R
he Coca-Cola Co. has announced that it will start selling its drinks in Myanmar as soon as the US government allows companies to invest there.The world’s largest beverage company hasn’t sold its products in Myanmar in more than 60 years.Myanmar is one of three countries where Coca-Cola doesn't do business. The other two are Cuba and North Korea.
esearchers at Aarhus University Hospital in Denmark found that elderly people who received vitamin D with calcium supplements were nearly 10 per cent less likely to die within three years than those who were given placebo pills.This was the largest study ever done on vitamin D and mortality. The findings were based on data taken from eight clinical trials. DEEPAK DESHPANDE
Simple yet elegant, the newest addition to a host of fine-dining restaurants in the city is Saffron Soul at the Marigold Hotel, serving the best of international cuisine
The world on a plate SANA MIRZA
sana.m@postnoon.com
I
t’s not uncommon knowledge that the Nizams were the pioneers of soulful, rich food prepared with the blend of the most exotic of spices. Stories of how only the richest of spices from the kitchens of Arabia began to find their way into our dishes have resonated off durbari kitchen walls and have been documented well enough for future generations. An important spice that was used was saffron which is said to have been so popular that it travelled from Persian markets into the kitchens of the world. At Saffron Soul, the ambience is simple with nothing too fancy to spoil the look. Twisted wooden chandeliers (may have been inspired by ballerina figurines)
suspended with thick wires, prance about above you as you take your time, reading the menu. The ambience doesn’t really set the tone for a more private, romantic meal but each table has been separated with walls holding plants. Not only does it gives you a feel of the outdoors but adds much colour to the ambience without really overpowering it. Specialising in world cuisine, this restaurant has a lot to offer. From the rustic diners of Mexico, oceans away to the cobbled street cafes of Italy and the Indian durbari kitchens, every dish seems to tell a story. Though, we were only served the best of what Saffron Soul had to offer. The first on the list was haleem sandwich. Yes, now you can have the seasonal delicacy stuffed between a humongous Sheermal bread, topped with crispy, fried onions which was set alongside a bowl of thinly cut, fried potato sticks. Though the haleem sandwich
Buffet (lunch only) MEAL FOR TWO:
`1,200 +taxes ADDRESS:
Hotel Marigold, Greenlands, Begumpet CONTACT:
040-6736 3636
brands itself as the USP of the restaurant, I wasn’t too convinced. I, for one, would like nothing coming in between me and my haleem, not even freshly baked sheermal bread. Well, I guess that’s just me but you should definitely give this innovative sandwich a try. Next, the chef decided to give us a taste of Italy and served us with a freshly baked pesto polo pizza. A thin crust of bread rolled out and topped with chunks of grilled chicken on a bed of creamy pesto sauce and topped with the best mozzarella cheese. Crispy and thin, the pizza is worth a second helping. The portions served at Saffron Soul are definitely worth sharing and each of these dishes can either be had as starters or for main course. That really is the best part because the choice is left to you of what you want to make a meal of. We decided to try more Indian so we ordered the chapli kebab, which
is a patty made with minced beef, and is one of the more popular barbecue meals in Pakistan and Afghanistan. Keeping religious sentiments in mind, the kebab was well-substituted with minced mutton. Next in line was the chicken korma, which is a Mughlai dish made up of pieces of chicken, yoghurt and ground spices with a very creamy gravy. A very popular dish of North India, it was served with, hotout-of-the-oven, butter naan. And last but not the least, a bowl of sufiyani biryani which was an aromatic blend of saffron with long grains of Basmati rice over a bed of succulent chicken pieces. For the dessert we were served with a moist slice of tiramisu which wasn’t too sweet on the taste buds which is why we wiped our plates clean. Overall, the Indian cuisine is what you should look forward to most at Saffron Soul, the rest are to be selectively chosen.
15
FOOD SUNDAY, JUNE 17, 2012 DEEPAK DESHPANDE
Mirchi ka salan Noor’s Kitchen NOOR JAFRI This famous Hyderabadi curry is made with bhajji mirchi and served with biryani Ingredients
The Lotus position Living upto the high expectations, and true to its promise of serving ‘Royal Indian Cuisine’, the food served at Lotus Palace is truly fantastic Food ‘n’ i, Lotus Palace 4th Floor, Above Ratnadeep Supermarket, Hitech City, Hyderabad. MEAL FOR TWO: `750 exclusive of taxes CONTACT: 40101040, 9949002292 TIME: Noon- 11pm, Monday to Friday lunch buffet and a la carte throughout the week ADDRESS:
OSAMA SALMAN
salman.o@postnoon.com
T
he pink colour of the lotus fills the main dining hall along with table runners and long cosy cushions. The walls are adorned with pictures of forts and palaces from around the country. Even the ceiling has lotus motifs designed into them. Before you can come out of this reverie, the aroma of delicious food wafts in and literally pulls you in. We are talking about the Lotus Palace restaurant at Hitech City. As I walked in, I almost immediately knew that this isn’t an ordinary Indian restaurant. Living upto the high expectations, and true to its tagline ‘Royal Indian Cuisine’, the food served at Lotus Palace is truly fantastic. "There are two things that
are unique to Lotus Palace,” informs Ashish Sharma, general manager, operations. “First is that apart from offering corporate discounts, we also offer other special discounts and second is our customised service and our interaction with our diners. All this makes Lotus Palace a great place to dine in.” A lavish buffet spread awaited us, we started our meal with roasted chicken and bell pepper salad. For starters, we chose apollo fish, paneer shashlik, and crispy veg pepper. From here, we moved on to the main course that included machi mazedar and aloo ghosht korma, accompanied with hot butter naan. Needless to say, the Hyderabadi in me made me
order the chicken biryani as well. Finally, we ended our meal with gulab jamun and ice cream. We were told that the restaurant has speciality chefs flown in from Delhi and halwais (sweet makers) from Rajasthan to stay as authentic to the taste as possible. Of course, many restaurants claim to do the same. But as soon as you bite into the food here, there are two things that can (or will) happen—one, you will immediately be reminded of food in North India, or you will know how food there tastes like. I for one, having been to Delhi, can swear that the food here tastes even better, and perhaps just as authentic. “Our specialty is Mughlai cuisine. Where we differ is
that we can customise any dish to the diners liking. For example, if you order rogan josh, it is made only with mutton. But here, we can substitute that with any protein or vegetable with the same spices. You can have mushroom rogan josh if you like. No other restaurant does the same. Our signature dishes are murg lajawaab, draksh ki shammi, bharwan tamatar makhni, apart from a host of other dishes,” said Chef Amar Thapa, head chef at Lotus Palace. Everything we tasted was remarkable especially machi mazedaar, and I was left gasping for more. The quality of the food was as if it came straight out of a king’s kitchen. The food is complemented by diwan-style seating, although not all tables have that. The interiors are rich, yet not overpowering. Liquor is served and there is even a lunch buffet with endless variety of dishes from Monday to Friday. So if you ever want to have a power-lunch during breaks, this is the place to be.
Feel like royalty at low-cost Riyan DEEPAK DESHPANDE
Syed Shoaib shoaib.s@postnoon.com
Arbaab Riyan Hotel Tolichowki ‘X’ Roads, 7 Tombs Road. FEAST FOR TWO: `300 MUST-HAVES: Sheek kebab, Biryani CONTACT: 99088 32122 TIME: 5am to 11pm ADDRESS:
A
s was customary among his gang of friends, Rahul wanted to give them a princely treat on his birthday. But there was a catch — his birthday fell on May 30. The problem was not with the month, it was with the date. Though he had a heart, money he did not. He had heard that a new restaurant, Arbaab Riyan, had come up in the Towlichowki ‘X’ roads area that fell between Mehedipatnam and
Gachibowli. On enquiring with the owner of the place, Abdul Khuddus, he was promised Talawa gosht, Sheek kebab and Chicken tikka for starters, and a main
course of Chicken chatpata, Butter chicken and Dum ka gosht with romali and tandoor rotis, followed by their famous biryanis. All this at `175 per head and served in
an air-conditioned hall. He took the chance and his gang to the place, and never regretted it. Each item was very well marinated before being either tossed, tandoored or grilled. Picking the best was the worst part, for neither he nor his friends could zero in on one. Like most Hyderabadis, his gang had a sweet tooth; a meal is incomplete without a sweet dish for dessert. They did not have to look beyond the Kaddu ki kheer and Qubani ka meetha, and walked out feeling like kings.
1. Fresh thick green chillies- 200 gms 2. Medium sized onion (sliced & fried) - 1 3. Coconut powder - 1 table spoon 4. Sesame seeds (Til) - 1 table spoon 5. Coriander seeds - 1 teaspoon 6. Jeera - 1 teaspoon 7. Ginger-garlic paste - 2 teaspoons 8. Chilli powder (optional) - 1/2 teaspoon 9. Turmeric (Haldi) powder - 1/4 teaspoon 10. Salt to taste. 11. Curry leaves - a few 12. Tamarind pulp - two table spoons 13. Oil - 4 table spoons.
Procedure 1. Heat oil in a wok , add jeera, let it
2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.
splutter, slit the green chillies and remove the seeds and fry the chillies in the same oil along with curry leaves Remove the above and keep it aside. Make the paste of all the ingredients, after dry roasting them. Add ginger-garlic paste, chilli, haldi powder and fried crushed onions. In the same oil used for frying the chillies, fry this masala, for sometime Pour in the tamarind with water, adding salt to taste and a pinch of sugar. After boiling in the same masala, add the fried chillies, simmer it till the gravy is thick and oil floats to the top.
Chef’s Note n
High in calorie, but will be a very hot dish. The same curry can be substituted with brinjal in the same masala called as the famous dish bhagare baigan, which is also served with biryani.
Contact n Noor’s Kitchen n Mobile: 91-9441282318 n Residence: 91-40-23356947
And now like us on :
https://www.facebook.com/ Noorkitchen
18
HISTORY SUNDAY, JUNE 17, 2012
June 17
1994: OJ Simpson is arrested after his flight from justice.
June 17
June 21
June 18
1948 - The United Nations Commission on Human Rights adopted its International Declaration of Human Rights.
June 19
1978 - Garfield was in newspapers around the US for the first time.
1885- The Statue of Liberty arrived in New York City aboard the French ship Isere.
1948: Lord Mountbatten resigns as governorgeneral of India.
June 21
1939 - Lou Gehrig quit baseball due to illness.
June 22
1986: Hand of God helps out Maradona. He scored this goal in the 1986 Fifa football World Cup against Germany.
June 19
1953 -Julius and Ethel Rosenberg were tried and executed for espionage.
June 20
1975: Steven Spielberg's Jaws released
June 23
1985 - Bomb destroys Air India Boeing 747 in air near Ireland, 329 die.
19
SPOTLIGHT SUNDAY, JUNE 17, 2012
N SHIVA KUMAR
Power play
Out on beat street These youngsters were spotted ringing in the weekend at the Jazz Lounge event in Rain on Saturday.
1
2
3
Shraddha Das at the launch of a helpline for batteries introduced by SK Traders and Exide.
Talking point DEEPAK DESHPANDE
1. Roshini & a friend 2. Shimona & Sirisha 3. Anjum 4. Iesha 5. Aiesha
4
5
Actress Smriti at the N Convention where a conversation was held between Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev and Jaya Prakash Narayan. DEEPAK DESHPANDE
DEEPAK DESHPANDE
Femme fusion: Hydourite 2012 is celebrating the spirit of Hyderabad and as part of it an all-women music concert was held at Nift on Saturday.
Vaibhav & Padmaja
20
CINEMA SUNDAY, JUNE 17, 2012
T-TOWN TWEETIES @ramsayz
@snehaullalheart
@devakatta
@purijagan
Happy Fathers day 2 my Dad - The worst critic who loves everything that I do! Lol..
Happy fathers day to my pappa and all the papas out there..
'Extremely loud and incredibly close' is one of the most beautifully crafted films, riveting
DCM FIrst look 5 sec Promo http://t.co/g0YWk93B http://t.co/6NK0WjI5
@shriyasmiling
@shrutihaasan
@actor_Nikhil
@richyricha
It's Hyderabad again today. Gong for Maa tv awards. Performing tonight again. God bless me. Fab act choreographed by prem rakshit
Insomnia is my blessing and my curse I'm awake writing more music can't wait till I have the courage to write a film :)
Loving the weather... At last we can step out of the AC and not sweat :-) enjoy ur weekend evryone :-)
Hi all! So happy that Mayakkam Enna is nominated in 8 categories at the South Indian International Awards http://t.co/hl4ybWk
Nayanthara is on a signing spree Nagarjuna’s Love Story is ready to roll
N N
ayanthara has been signing films like there’s no tomorrow. Soon after her comeback, she bagged lead roles opposite leading stars like Nagarjuna, Gopichand and Rana in Telugu and in Tamil. She recently signed Vishnuvardhan’s upcoming film starring Ajith, Arya and Taapsee. The latest buzz is that she has signed yet another big Tamil film starring Arya in the lead role. The duo was last seen in Rajesh’s Boss Engira Bhaskaran, which went on to become a huge hit. The film was later dubbed in Telugu as Nene Ambani.
Atlee, a former assistant of Shankar, is going to direct the film and Fox Star Studios is producing it. The film is being touted as a romantic comedy. Meanwhile, there were rumours that Nayanthara might join the cast of Mani Ratnam’s upcoming film Kadal; however, sources close to the film have clarified that Nayanthara was never approached. Her plate seems to be already full with plenty of meaty roles and this could be the beginning of a golden era in her acting career.
agarjuna’s upcoming film tentatively titled Love Story is all set to roll from June 21 onwards in Hyderabad. Dasarath is going to direct this film in which Nagarjuna is playing the role of an NRI who comes to India for the first time. Nayanthara will be seen as Nagarjuna’s love interest; however, Dasarath had stated earlier that the film is going to be a mature love story. D Sivaprasad Reddy is producing the film under the Kamakshi Kala Movies banner. We hear that the film will mostly be shot in New York, Zurich and Hyderabad. Thaman is going to compose the music and Anil Bhandari is the cinematographer.
Pawan Kalyan, Tamannaah’s film goes on floors
T
he much hyped Pawan Kalyan, Tamannaah starrer Cameraman Ganga Tho Rambabu finally went on floors on June 15 in Hyderabad. Puri Jagannadh, who’s directing the film, is teaming up with Pawan Kalyan after 12 years and both of them are reportedly quite excited about their new film. Expectations with this film are sky high after the phenomenal success of Pawan Kalyan’s recent film Gabbar Singh. Soon after the principal shooting began, Puri Jagannadh posted on twitter, “Gabbar ki Faujiyo..Today CGR started. PK is in full mood. Darling Prakash raj is playing daVillian role.. Get ready for oct 18 th. (sic).” Pawan Kalyan is playing the role of a journalist and the buzz is that the film is a satire on politics and media. DVV Danayya is producing the film.
21
CINEMA SUNDAY, JUNE 17, 2012
B-TOWN TWEETIES @NeilNMukesh
@AnupamPkher
@sonamakapoor
@realpreityzinta
A mistake is not intentional. But to repeat that mistake is not only intentional but stupidity.
My weekly column. Please read and react.:) "Attitude matters most": "http://t.co/lZY0l4oq
My dad is my hero.. Happy fathers day to the coolest and best father in the whole wide world! http://lockerz.com/s/217734041
Back from recording a fab song 4 Ishkq In Paris :-)) I know the world knows it but Music Directors Sajid Wajid are powerhouses of TALENT
@kjohar25
@MallikaLA
@SrBachchan
@RGVzoomin
Fathers can be confrontational but have always been inspirational....happy fathers day to all!!!
Breathtaking view frm Soho House to share with ma lovely tweeple:) XO http://pic.twitter.com/hAeYj WXE
'There are only 2 countries in the entire world that do not sell CocaCola, North Korea and Cuba.'... hmm .. why am I not surprised !!
No man ever understands a woman unless he understands every word that she is not saying
A sequel to
ROWDY RATHORE? Maybe
Akshay Kumar starrer Rowdy Rathore has garnered over `100 crore at the box office, sparking a buzz that plans of a sequel may soon be under way. And the film’s co-producer, UTV Motion Pictures’ CEO Siddharth Roy Kapoor doesn’t rule out the possibility either. “You know, there are a lot of interesting thoughts about what we should be doing —sequel, prequel, etc. But I think it’s important for Sanjay (Bhansali), Prabhu Deva and us to really sit down and discuss on what we do and obviously along with Akshay take a call on what’s next,” the 37-year-old said on Friday night at the success bash of the film. Asked to react on filmmaker Vidhu Vinod Chopra’s recent comment about rubbish films making `100 crore, Kapoor said: “I really don’t have any comment.” However, the film’s lead actor Akshay Kumar had something to say to it. “I feel that whatever he wanted to say, he said. But I have watched Ferrari Ki Sawaari and I liked that,” he said. Rowdy Rathore co-producer Sanjay Leela Bhansali was also nonchalant. “He (Chopra) is my mentor. If he said something, I am happy,” he said. Directed by Prabhu Deva, Rowdy Rathore, a remake of the 2006 Telugu hit Vikramarkudu starring Ravi Teja. It marked Akshay’s comeback to action after seven years. IANS
Triple bonanza for Rani in Aiyyaa
A
You know, there are a lot of interesting thoughts about what we should be doing — sequel, prequel, etc. But I think it’s important for Sanjay (Bhansali), Prabhu Deva and us to really sit down and discuss on what we do and obviously along with Akshay take a call on what’s next. Siddharth Roy Kapoor, CEO, UTV Motion Pictures
ctress Rani Mukerji is set to take item numbers to the next level, as she has not one, but three such songs for her in Anurag Kashyap’s Aiyya. “The film is a mixture of reality and dream and Rani will be seen doing three item songs in her dream in the film,” Sachin Kundalkar, who directs Aiyya said. Co-produced by Anurag Kashyap and Viacom 18, the
movie is said to be about a woman who finds a man desirable because he smells good. Rani plays a Marathi girl and is paired opposite southern star Prithvi Raj. The director says it is a fresh pairing. “I don’t know for how many years I was trying to work with her (Rani). Luckily this script excited her. As far as the lead actor was concerned, one of my friends suggested Prithvi’s name,” Kundalkar said.
“Prithvi is an amazing actor and both are looking very fresh in the film,” he said. Kundalkar also says the Bengali beauty had to undergo language training to perfect the character of a Marathi girl. “Rani is very hardworking. She had gone through a language training programme before starting the film. She was a complete Marathi girl on the IANS sets,” he said.
22
CINEMA SUNDAY, JUNE 17, 2012
No regrets over A acting career
shley Greene has admitted that she has no regrets over her Hollywood career. The 25-year-old actress said that she has experienced both highs and lows since finding fame as Alice Cullen in the Twilight franchise.She told People: “I don’t [have regrets]. Things have happened that have been unfortunate
Will Smith is not too keen on sequels
W
ill Smith isn’t so sure about starring in I Am Legend 2. A sequel to Francis Lawrence’s 2007 blockbuster I Am Legend has long been rumored. In fact, as recently as February there have been reports that WB is developing I Am Legend 2 with the intention for original star Will Smith to reprise his role (somewhat difficult based on the demise of his character at the end of the first movie). Whether they fashion it as a prequel or something else, Smith may be having second thoughts. Appearing on BBC Radio’s The Chris Moyles Show, Smith admitted a script is being worked on, but said, “If it’s great, I’m into it” but in reality “Probably not.”Smith continued, “I don’t want to be the sequel guy. I figure I’ve got about six or seven more years where I can run and jump a little bit and then I’m going butt and gut for the rest of my career. Butt and gut.” Smith also maybe realising the low profit margins for Men in Black 3 (the film may never get into the black despite over $500 million worldwide) make returning to the well a risky endeavor for his career. He’ll next appear in M. Night Shyamalan’s original Sci-Fi thriller After Earth.
at times, but I feel like it’s really how you take that experience and learn from it and grow from it. “Everyone has ups and downs. I try not to regret.” Greene shared that she focuses on her job and tries “to ignore a lot of things”. She starred in the new ABC pilot Americana, but the show was not picked up by the network.
CINEMA SUNDAY, JUNE 17, 2012
23
CINEMA SUNDAY, JUNE 17, 2012
24
25
CINEMA SUNDAY, JUNE 17, 2012
Thai officials miffed with Lady Gaga
Sons of Anarchy dirties up Ashley Tisdale
F
ormer Disney favourite Ashley Tisdale has signed on to dirty up her image with a two-episode arc on FX's Sons of Anarchy. According to Deadline.com, the High School Musical and Hellcats star will play a high-priced escort named Emma Jean on the show's upcoming fifth season. Sensing concern from fans, Sons of Anarchy creator Kurt Sutter tweeted, "oh ye of little faith. don't hate the pretty white girls. i'll promise i'll f*** 'em up." Tisdale recently landed the lead in the next Scary Movie film. We're more interested to see how the Sons of Anarchy thing plays out.
T
hailand's Culture Ministry is criticising Lady Gaga over what it says was her inappropriate use of a Thai flag during a Bangkok concert last month. Lady Gaga wore a traditional Thai headdress and a bikini and sat on a motorcycle with a Thai flag tied to it.The ministry says the act was "not appropriate and hurt the feelings of the Thai people."The ministry's Permanent Secretary Somchai Seanglai says his agency gave police a summary of public complaints it received. Somchai says that is protocol but the ministry does not intend to seek legal action against the American pop diva. Her Asian tour has been wildly popular but also raised objections. An Indonesian show was canceled after Muslim hard-liners denounced it.
Jackman's son wishes dad wasn't famous
H
ugh Jackman's son is not comfortable with his actor's fame. The X-Men actor admits that 12-year-old Oscar feels uncomfortable when his famous father gets stopped on the street. "My son is 12 and he just wants me to be dad. He doesn't want me to be famous. He doesn't like when people come up to me on the street. He would much prefer if nobody knew who I was," Jackman told a magazine. However, Jackman reveals Oscar occasionally uses his dad's stardom to his advantage, reports femalefirst.co.uk. "Although, I've seen him in social situations when he didn't think I was listening, and he once said to a girl, 'Well, my dad is Wolverine.' So when it came to try to talk to this girl, apparently it came in handy!"
26
CHAI TIME SUNDAY, JUNE 17, 2012
SUNDAY CROSSWORD
ACROSS
1 Golf stroke 6 Buster 11 Not retiring 16 Gentle reminder 21 State-run game 22 Just right 23 Nintendo forerunner 24 Belching flames 25 Insurance center 26 Best strategy (2 wds.) 27 Pork purchases 28 Engine 29 Comrade 30 Narrow down 32 Serious offender 34 — Beta Kappa 36 Mai — (rum drink) 37 “Orinoco Flow” singer 39 Matisse ‘s lid 41 Ousts from the galleys 43 Not finished 45 Leaves a mark on 47 Change colors 49 Hagar ‘s comics wife 51 Valor 54 Legionnaires ‘ hats 55 Place to keep money 56 Long, dismal cry 60 Home turnover 61 “A Delicate Balance” author 62 Touch up 64 Your, old-style 65 Flared skirt (hyph.) 66 Spry 67 Granted 68 Down the road 70 Dressy accessory 71 Fuel gas 73 Not our 74 Rigorous 75 Pantyhose shade 77 Brood 78 Second thought 79 Concert extenders 80 Elegant fur 82 Catches a wave 83 Port-au-Prince ‘s land 84 Kaffeeklatsch goody 87 Bluff 88 Funny person 89 Lamebrain 93 Soft sweater 94 Enjoys, as benefits 95 Did this to a piecrust, perhaps 97 “Love, Reign — Me” 98 Practical 99 Suit pieces 100 Very reluctant 101 Leveled 103 Kept in shape 104 Misgiving 106 Cherchez la —! 107 Hold fast 108 Type of collar 110 Distant past 111 Floats to the top 112 Screen 113 Public sentiment 115 Witches ‘ band 116 Mr. Spock ‘s father 117 Ravel composition 120 Vacuum tube 122 Bar mixer 124 Fix a manuscript 128 52, for Caesar
129 Compilation 131 Fort —, Florida 133 Ethical 135 Hydrocarbon suffix 136 Bespectacled musician — John 138 Get soft 140 Asian capital 142 Filmdom ‘s Anouk — 144 Kind of jacket 145 Mountain top 146 Chosen few 147 Disdain 148 Lees 149 Comes to a standstill 150 Grandma ‘s corset 151 Irritable DOWN 1 Downgrade 2 Amazon, e.g. 3 Tiber locale 4 Highest degree 5 Fall guy 6 Smoked herrings 7 Clock-watchers 8 “The Wreck of the Mary —” 9 Aykroyd or Rather 10 Norwegian monarch 11 Low places
12 “Becket” actor 13 Queeg ‘s ship 14 Comic-strip prince 15 Say “yeth” 16 Identifying 17 ET ‘s ship 18 Likewise 19 Creak 20 Creepy 31 Humble 33 Rabbitt or Murphy 35 Rusted-out shells 38 Nile city 40 High-pitched 42 Grooming aid 44 Bad hair — 46 “People” person 48 D ‘Artagnan prop 50 Oklahoma town 51 Jabber 52 Heirloom 53 Basket willow 54 “Dave” lead Kevin — 55 Make obscure 57 Web-toed mammal 58 A question of location 59 Old harps 61 Wide open 62 Walks unsteadily 63 Put in office 66 Coral formation
67 Straw 69 Work around 72 Brown pigment 73 Bailiwicks, slangily 74 Slyly malicious 76 Customary 78 Wisecracks 79 Sagan ‘s “pale blue dot” 81 Farewell, to Pierre 82 Candidate roster 83 — cuisine 84 Blue cartoon 85 Kind of eclipse 86 Lorelei ‘s river 87 Refrain from 88 Chowder morsels 90 Exuded moisture 91 Steel plow inventor 92 Decree 94 Thundered 95 Make trouble 96 Took the car 99 Execs 100 — -majeste 102 Take — —! 105 Synthetic fabric 106 Half a sawbuck 107 About, datewise 109 Tarzan ‘s nanny 111 Gophers and gerbils
112 Milk sources 114 Seventh planet from the sun 115 Most demure 116 Stuck-up 117 Mix 118 Crude carrier 119 Not stiff 121 Strong-arm 123 “— vincit amor”
125 Socrates ‘ people 126 Dormant 127 Minuscule 130 Bend gracefully 132 Ewes and mares 134 Trailing 137 Website suffix 139 Keogh relative 141 Elev. 143 Swelling reducer PREVIOUS PUZZLE ANSWER
27
CHAI TIME SUNDAY, JUNE 17, 2012
STAR POWER Date 18-6-2012
As per Hindu panchang
THIRUVAIKUMAR
thiruvaikumar@yahoo.co.in 040-27177230 / 9949870449
TAURUS
GEMINI
You will have apprehensions in mind and will be afraid to take any major decisions.Politicians will be in limelight. Women will get full support from their parents.
Women will not be in a position to take major decisions. Businessmen if wanted to start any new venture, are advised to know the depth before entering into it.
Indirect blames and humiliation likely. Politicians are advised not to criticise anyone. Women will get a good opportunity to continue their higher studies.
CANCER
LEO
VIRGO
Your talks will be mature enough and attarct others. Litigations existed in buying or selling any property will disappear. Politicians are advised to avoid spending for boasting themselves.
Women will be determined to get the works completed as per their plan. Businessmen with their innovative methods, sell off all the non moving stocks.
Be careful while expressing your opinions as there are chances that you might be misunderstood and get humiliated. Politicians will be favoured by the high command.
LIBRA
SCORPIO
SAGITTARIUS
Avoid unwanted arguments and petty quarrels with anyone. Politicians are advised not to pass on the blame to others. Women who are in love will achieve success.
Persons of other region will help you. Old problems might resurface; deal them with cool and determination. Politicians will take a lead role in public meetings and addressing social issues.
Never get angry which will spoil all your works.Try to be cool and get the works done carefully and with a perfection. Politicians are advised to keep away from the group politics.
CAPRICORN
AQUARIUS
PISCES
Politicians will discuss with senior leaders and organise party activities which will earn them a good name. Women who are in search of new job will get a favourable news.
Minor accidents and inferiority complex likely. Politicians might face disssidence within the party and also inter party clashes. Women will fulfil the wishes of their parents.
You will come to understand who are loyal to you and who are not. Real estate deals will be profitable. Politicians need to concentrate in the welfare of the constituency.
TAURUS
GEMINI
The Magician – Manage your accounts on your own and don’t leave it to anyone else. You need to be responsible for your own finances.
Two of Swords – Your opinion may be objected to by those who are insecure. But your ideas will also be seconded by many.
The Hermit – You have to work hard in order to re-fit into a new environment. It may not bea new job but an old job that requires new skills.
CANCER
LEO
VIRGO
Five of Swords – Health needs attention. There is someone who is forcing you to do something which you’re not too comfortable doing. Take your time.
Seven of Pentacles – This is a new beginning. You are at the start of a brand new phase of life, where you will gain new experiences and learn new lessons.
LIBRA
SCORPIO
SAGITTARIUS
Judgment – There is a chance for you to get close to your dad or a father figure who will teach you many valuable lessons. Take them seriously.
Death – Your ownership of something will be questioned. This will lead to confusion unless you are firm about your position. Expect lots of changes.
The Tower – You will be celebrating a milestone and this will lead to new beginnings. Times have changed; so have expectations from you.
CAPRICORN
AQUARIUS
PISCES
The Moon – The relationship with the mother is highlighted. You may be in position to question her actions or methods. Try not to be too intrusive.
Strength – There is an invisible force backing you up. Therefore, even when you slip up a few times, it goes unnoticed or you go unpunished.
Three of Wands – Voice your opinion at a public forum so you can share and network with like-minded people. These days, it is easy to do that.
For Better or for Worse Stone soup
Ace of Cups – Dependence on another person, financially or emotionally, has drained you out. You want a change.
Teaching the tribe
A
Ink pen
COMICS
SUMAA TEKUR
tarotreadhyd@gmail.com
ARIES
Fred Basset
ARIES
TAROT READ Date 18-6-2012
missionary who had spent years showing a tribe of natives how to farm and build things to be selfsufficient gets the word that he is to return home. He realizes that the one thing he never taught the natives was how to speak English, so he takes the chief and starts walking in the forest. He points to a tree and says to the chief, "This is a tree." The chief looks at the tree and grunts, "Tree." The padre is really getting enthusiastic about the chief’s
progress when he hears rustling in the bushes. As he peeks over the top, he sees a couple in the midst of heavy... activity. The padre, flustered, responds, "Riding a bike." The chief looks at the couple briefly, pulls out his blow gun and kills them. The padre goes ballistic and yells at the chief that he has spent years teaching the tribe how to be civilized and kind to each other, so how could he just kill these people in cold blood that way? The chief replied, "My bike."
Vol: 1, No 336 RNI No: APENG/2011/39337 Published for the proprietors, Scribble Media and Entertainment Pvt Ltd, by V Harshavardhan Reddy, at #1246, Level 3, Jubilee Casa, Road No 62, Jubilee Hills, Hyderabad – 500033 and printed by him at Jagati Publications Ltd, Plot No D-75&E-52, APIE Industrial Estate, Balanagar, Ranga Reddy Dist, Hyderabad – 500037, Editor: Dean Williams – Responsible for selection of news under the PRB Act All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission of the publisher is prohibited. For feedback, please write to: feedback@postnoon.com and for subscription, please call 040-4067 2222, Fax: 040-4067 2211
2012 LONDON OLYMPICS
60 59 58 57 56 55
SUNDAY, JUNE 17, 2012
28
DAYS TO GO
DID YOU KNOW...? n Soviet gymnast Larisa Latynina has 18 Olympic medals, the most ever won by a single athlete in any sport. n Shun Fujimoto competed with a broken kneecap in order to help Japan win gold in the Team competition at the Montreal 1976 Games. n A perfect 10 is no longer the top score in Gymnastics. Open-ended scoring was introduced in 2006.
54 53
LEGENDS OF THE SPORT Alina Kabaeva (born May 12, 1983) is one of the most decorated rhythmic gymnasts in the history of the discipline, winning numerous World and European Championships in addition to two Olympic medals. She debuted on the Olympic stage at the Sydney 2000 Games but, despite being one of the competition favourites, had to settle for a bronze medal in the Individual All-Around event.
Nikolai Andrianov (born October 14, 1952) Before Michael Phelps’ heroics in 2008, Soviet gymnast Nikolai Andrianov tasted Olympic success more times than any other male athlete in history. The only man to win three medals in the Vault and Floor events, Andrianov’s debut saw him take al full set of medals in 1972 claiming gold in Floor, silver in Team and bronze in Vault.
BALANCING ACT
52 51 50 49 48 47 46 45 44 43
n The word gymnastics comes from the Greek for naked – early gymnasts used to perform without any clothes. n A total of 324 gymnasts will compete in the three disciplines in the Olympic sport of Gymnastics – Artistic, Rhythmic and Trampoline. n Rhythmic Gymnastics has its origins in a wide variety of disciplines, including classical ballet. n Three ironing boards and irons will be used during the Rhythmic Gymnastics competition. n A total of 324 gymnasts will compete in the three disciplines in the Olympic sport of Gymnastics – Artistic, Rhythmic and Trampoline.
TALLY 2008
42 41 40 39 38 37
CHINA 9 USA 2 ROMANIA 1
36 35
August 6 August 7
33 32 31
4 2 1
MEDAL EVENTS July 30 July 31 August 1 August 2 August 5
34
1 6 0
August 11 August 12
Men’s Team Women’s Team Men’s Individual AA Women’s Individual AA Men’s Floor Exercise Men’s Pommel Horse Women’s Vault Men’s Vault Men’s Rings Women’s Uneven Bars Men’s Parallel Bars Men’s Horizontal Bar Women’s Floor Exercise Women’s Beam Individual All-Around Group All-Around
GYMNASTICS: The grace, strength and skill of Olympic gymnasts have been astonishing audiences since the Games in Ancient Greece, where Gymnastics was regarded as the perfect symmetry between mind and body. The best known of the three Gymnastics disciplines, Artistic Gymnastics is always among the most popular competitions at the Games.
FIELD
OF PLAY
Gymnasts compete on a floor measuring 13 metres x 13 metres.
GYMNASTICS
AT
GAMES
Between the appearance of Gymnastics at the Athens
THE VENUE
L
ocated on the Greenwich peninsula on the banks of the River Thames, the North Greenwich Arena has hosted many large-scale sports and entertainment events over the past decade. During the Games, it will host Artistic and Tram-
THE LINGO All-around competitions that feature a variety of different elements Balance Beam: a single beam, 5m long and 10cm wide, used exclusively in women’s competition Clubs: gymnasts work with two bottle-shaped clubs of equal length Vault: the vault is 120cm long and 95cm wide, and is set at a height of 135cm or 125cm 1896 Games and the 1920s, the event evolved into what we recognise as modern Gymnastics. The men’s individual apparatus and Team
competitions first appeared in 1924 Games; a women’s Team event was introduced in 1928, with women’s individual apparatus competitions added in 1952.
THE
BASICS
Along with events to find the best teams and the best allaround performers, gymnasts battle for gold on individual apparatus. Scores are given by a panel of judges, taking into account the degree of difficulty and the quality of the execution. Strength, flexibility and balance are keys to success in this breathtaking and hugely competitive sport.
COMPETITION
FORMAT
The Individual competition features two phases: the qual-
ification round and the final. Each athlete performs with each apparatus in the qualification round, and the top 10 athletes advance to the final for one more routine with each apparatus. In the Group event, the five gymnasts perform with five balls for the first routine. Then, in the second routine, they perform using three ribbons and two hoops. The scores for these routines are added together.
OFFICIALS
The jury for Artistic has nine judges, who look at difficulty and execution while for Rhythmic three juries, each with four judges, calculate the score. This is made up of difficulty, artistry and execution. Marks are deducted for penalties in both the forms.
NORTH GREENWICH ARENA poline Gymnastics, as well as some matches in the Basketball and Wheelchair Basketball competitions. Originally built for the Millennium celebrations, the Arena has been transformed into a world renowned entertainment destination featuring a
20,000-seater, multi-use arena, an 11-screen cinema, bars, restaurants and
more. It opened to the public in June 2007. Works to transform North Greenwich Arena into a 2012 venue will include the installation of temporary items such as tents, cabins, signage, services and equipment in and around the venue.
SUNDAY, JUNE 17, 2012
29
DAYS TO GO
LEMAITRE ON SONG ANGERS, FRANCE: Christophe Lemaitre retained his French national 100m title with a wind-assisted 9.94sec victory on Saturday to rediscover his form in perfect time for the European Championships and Olympic Games. With the wind recorded at +2.6 m/s, the 22-year-old Lemaitre, seen as Europe’s biggest hope to break Jamaican and US sprinting hegemony, beat home Jimmy Vicaut, who clocked 10.05sec, with Emmanuel Biron taking third (10.10). “I’m happy,” Lemaitre said. “I came in well under 10 seconds. But the wind was too strong, it’s a shame. “But 9.94sec is a good time, even if I felt a little heavy over the first part of the race.” Lemaitre, who set a French national record of 9.92sec last year, will defend his two golds (100m, 4x100m) in the June 27-July 1 European champs at Helsinki, before going on to the July 27-August 12 London Games aiming for the podium. The Frenchman finished fourth in the 100m final at the World Championships in Daegu last summer, but came home with a bronze from the 200m. “I wasn’t at 100 percent in the first part of the race. Afterwards, once I’d got going, it was good,” he said.
IOC to probe 2012 Olympics tickets sale scandal LONDON: The Interna-
But Lemaitre added that his run-out was better than his most recent Diamond League outing last month when he finished third (10.04) behind Jamaican duo Usain Bolt and Asafa Powell. “It’s a little better than Rome already. I have to work now,” he said. “If there hadn’t been any wind, it would put me right back up (among the top sprinters in the world). “But saying that, I’m still very pleased with the time. It gives me confidence. It proves that it’s finally possible to go under 10sec on a regular basis. Now I need to
I’m happy I came in well under 10 seconds. But the wind was too strong, it’s a shame. But 9.94sec is a good time, even if I felt a little heavy. Christophe Lemaitre, French Sprinter do it in more stable conditions.” Lemaitre denied he had had any doubts in himself after struggling to find the form that catapaulted him to Europe’s top sprinter last
season. I haven’t had too many doubts because I knew that in Rome, with a better start, it was possible to have run under 10sec,” he said. “I didn’t doubt to not be able to do it, but it was the fact of actually doing what I thought I could. This puts me back on track and proves that in the European champs, I can’t target anything else than retaining my titles and that at the Olympics I can do something good. “In the form I’m in, it means I can also go quick in the 200m here on Sunday. Under 20sec? Why not? But I’m saying 20.10sec.”
Blake wins in Olympic trials tuneup EDMONTON, CANADA: Reigning 100-metre world champion Yohan Blake of Jamaica won the 100m crown at the Donovan Bailey Invitational on Saturday in 10.05 seconds. With no wind recorded, Blake produced a solid performance in Canada only a week after winning a Diamond League 100m race in New York in 9.90 seconds, serving notice he will be a contender at the Jamaican Olympic trials. Blake defeated
American Trell Kimmons by .06 of a second with Jamaican Lerone Clarke third in 10.13 and Norway’s Jaysuma Saidy Ndure fourth in 10.15. Blake will be tested by reigning Olympic 100 and 200 champion and world record-holder Usain Bolt as well as Asafa Powell and a host of other Jamaican sprint stars in his homeland’s Olympic trials at the end of the month, all of them fighting for berths at the London Olympics 2012 athletics events which is to be held during the months of July and August.
tional Olympic Committee (IOC) was investigating allegations that some national Olympic officials were breaking strict rules on selling tickets for the London Games, following a report in The Sunday Times newspaper. The IOC pledged to take the “strongest sanctions” possible if members of national Olympic committees (NOCs) and authorised ticket resellers (ATRs) were found to have broken the rules. The Sunday Times claimed that NOCs and ATRs had been caught selling thousands of top tickets to the Games on the black market for up to 10 times their face value. The broadsheet said it had found “widespread corruption” reaching across 54 countries. “After claims that several NOCs and ATRs were reportedly willing to break the rules by offering to buy or sell tickets outside their territory, sell tickets at inflated prices, or sell tickets to unauthorised resellers, the IOC has ordered an immediate inquiry and referred the allegations to its independent Ethics CommisAFP sion,” said an IOC statement.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21
Injury casts Olympic cloud for De Zordo BERLIN: World javelin champion Matthias de Zordo has withdrawn from the German athletics championships because of a painful left arm, casting a shadow over his participation in next month’s London Olympics. The 24-year-old De Zordo will have a final chance to book his berth to the British capital at the June 26-July 1 European Championships in Helsinki.
22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30
SUNDAY, JUNE 17, 2012
BEAUTY
&
Rooney returns as England face Ukraine test
Croatia are facing a possible stiff penalty after UEFA said on Saturday it was taking action over racist chanting against Italy’s Mario Balotelli, with tough sanctions already meted out to deal with crowd trouble. Croatia has already been in the dock at Euro 2012. On Friday UEFA fined the federation $31,400 after fans lit flares and let off smoke bombs.
Germans to show Danes who’s boss Germany vs Denmark 12.15am (Monday) Neo Prime
Ryland James
GDANSK, POLAND: After two wins already at Euro 2012, a confident Germany are aiming to beat Denmark on Sunday in Lviv to finish top of Group B and set up a quarter-final near their base here in Gdansk. Having twice flown to the Ukraine for their respective wins against Portugal and the Netherlands, Germany return to Lviv aiming to beat the Danes and book their place in the Gdansk quarter-final on Friday against the Group A runner-up. The Germans still need a point to qualify with the Group B runner-up facing a last eight clash in Warsaw on Thursday against the winner of Group A. With three goals at Euro 2012, including two against the Netherlands and the winning
D
enmark coach Morten Olsen insists his side need just a little luck and lots of hard work to beat Germany in Sunday’s Euro 2012 clash to book their place in the quarter-finals. The Germans needing a point to finish as Group B winners having beaten Portugal and the Netherlands. After defeat to Portugal following their shock win over the Netherlands, Olsen’s team can still make the knock-out phase and a draw would be enough if Portugal lose to the Netherlands in Kharkiv.
30
Croatia facing heavy penalty over racist chanting
Roy Hodgson is looking forward to unleashing the full force of Wayne Rooney for the first time in his England managerial career on Tuesday as the talismanic striker returns against Ukraine. Rooney has yet to start for England under Hodgson, appearing only as a substitute in a 1-0 friendly victory over Belgium and missing the opening two games of Euro 2012.
Beating Germans is not impossible, insists Olsen
THE BEST
header against Portugal, Bayern Munich striker Mario Gomez has finally converted his impressive club form to German colours. “The good thing with Mario is that he needs almost zero chances and still scores,” said Germany midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger, who dscribed Gomez’s goals as a “precious commodity” for the Germans. Following their shock win over the Netherlands and 3-2 defeat to Portugal, victory against Germany should put Denmark in the quarter-finals, but a draw would be enough if the Netherlands beat Portugal in the other group match in Kharkiv. But Schweinsteiger and Germany have other ideas. “We can approach the final game against Denmark with a lot of self-confidence — every victory gives you an extra push,” said the 27-year-old. “We definitely want to win that game against Denmark.” Germany coach Joachim Loew said his side have their destiny in their own hands after two wins in the “Group of Death. I think we’ve opened the door to the quarter-finals. It’s now in our hands to make everything clear on Sunday,” he said. Germany will be without suspended right-back Jerome Boateng.
Coach urges all-out attack Tom Williams
KHARKIV, UKRAINE: Netherlands coach Bert van Marwijk (in pic) admits his side have no option but to attack if they are to secure the two-goal win over Portugal on Sunday that they need to reach the Euro 2012 last eight. Consecutive losses to Denmark and Germany have left the 2010 World Cup finalists in a desperate position in Group D, and they also need Germany to beat the Danes in Lviv to stand any chance of mak-
Portugal vs N’lands 12.15am (Monday) Neo Prime ing the last eight. Against such a backdrop, the Dutch press have speculated that van Marwijk could be set to introduce both Klaas-Jan Huntelaar and Rafael van der Vaart to his starting XI to give his team a greater cutting edge. The 60-year-old van Marwijk gave little away during a brief, occasionally terse press conference at Kharkiv’s Metalist Stadium on Saturday, but he did concede that the time for caution and calculation had passed. “If you play in a finals tournament, sometimes you only need a draw in
Bento rails at Ronaldo critics
P
ortugal coach Paulo Bento turned his ire on critics of misfiring captain Cristiano Ronaldo on Saturday, the day before his side’s crucial final Euro 2012 Group D match with the Netherlands. Portugal staked a claim for a quarter-final place with a 3-2 win over Denmark on Wednesday. AFP
your last game to go through,” he said. “But here we have to go for it. In the hope that Germany win, we know from the start that after 90 minutes we will need to have won by a two-goal margin.
SUNDAY, JUNE 17, 2012
31
By Giorgos! Greece dumps Russia out of Euro 2012
Jonathan Fowler
WARSAW: Veteran Greece captain Giorgos Karagounis halted Russia’s Euro 2012 campaign in its tracks here on Saturday, as the underdogs unexpectedly beat the Group A early pacesetters 1-0 to reach the last eight instead. Seconds before the end of stoppage time in the first half, the 35-year-old midfielder latch-
ed onto a throw-in that Russian defender Sergei Ignashevich failed to deal with. Dodging between the Russian rearguard, he fired a powerful low cross shot past goalkeeper Vyacheslav Malafeev. The 4,000 Greek fans in Warsaw’s stadium, who up to then had largely been outsung by 20,000 Russians, went wild as Karagounis hit home to put his side through on the head to head
rule — both sides ending on four points behind group winners the Czech Republic. Greece, who drew 1-1 with tournament co-hosts Poland in their first match and then lost 21 to the Czechs, looked the hungrier side from the start and refused to play a walk on part in Russia’s expected drive to the quarter-finals. Russia, meanwhile, had thrashed the Czech Republic 4-1 in their own opening match and then drawn 1-1 in a hard-fought match with Poland where they lost their lead. Karagounis, who was in Greece’s Euro 2004 winning squad, and his team-mates, had gone into the Russia game gung-ho, knowing that only a win would keep them in the tournament. They had also said they aimed to bring some cheer to their crisis-ravaged homeland. Six minutes in, Karagounis fired a corner to Kostas Katsouranis, and Dimitris Salpingidis bundled goalwards, only for Malafeev to save. Salpingidis had been Greece’s hero of the night when, after coming on as a half-time substitute, he equalised against
Russia’s Advocaat regrets Greek reverse
R
ussia coach Dick Advocaat lamented his side’s failure to break down resilient Greece in Saturday’s surprise Euro 2012 loss which cost his side a place in the quarter-finals. Veteran captain Giorgos Karagounis scored the only goal for the Greeks, champions in 2004, and Advocaat was left stunned as his side, who so impressively beat the Czech Republic in their first match, went from early Group A pace-setters to slumping
Poland for his side, earlier reduced to 10 men. Three minutes later, Russian captain Andrey Arshavin crossed to rising star Alan Dzagoev but he was beaten by Greek goalkeeper Michalis Sifakis — brought in to replace Kostas Chalkias, injured in their defeat by the Czechs. Dzagoev tried again a minute later, but fired over the bar,
Hosts weep after Czech-mate Barnaby Chesterman
WROCLAW, POLAND: Cohosts Poland crashed out of the European Championship as they lost 1-0 to the Czech Republic at the Municipal Stadium here on Saturday with their opponents winning Group A. Petr Jiracek scored the only goal of the game 18 minutes from time as the Czechs joined Greece — the 2004 champions — in the quarter-finals. Few would have predicted such an outcome before the group games began and even fewer who saw the first halves here and in Warsaw. Poland were totally dominant in the opening period but seemed to have left it all on the pitch in that first 45 minutes and they were second best after the restart. But it was a mistake that cost them as Rafal Murawski
tried to drive forward from midfield and lost the ball with little cover behind him. It means Poland have never reached the knock-out stages of the Euros while the Czech Republic did so for the third time in five editions.
Given the hosts’ absolute need to win it was no surprise they set a manic tempo from the off and the first half hour must have made uncomfortable viewing for the visiting Czech fans. Twice in the opening min-
utes the home fans let out a brief cheer but Dariusz Dudka’s overhead bicycle kick and Ludovic Obraniak’s free-kick both hit the side-netting rather than the back one. The Czechs did have one sniff themselves but Vaclav Pilar swiped at thin air from 12 yards from Theodor Gebre Selassie’s cross. A horribly misplaced pass from Jaroslav Plasil was intercepted by Polish captain Jakub Blaszczykowski and he slipped in Borussia Dortmund teammate Robert Lewandowski, but he sliced his shot well wide. Such was Poland’s dominance that even their defence started getting in on the act and Sebastian Boenisch shot wide when well placed before sending Czech goalkeeper Petr Cech scurrying across his goal to scramble the ball behind from a AFP long-range volley.
out of the tournament “We played quite well — the other team just defended," said Advocaat. “In the second half, against a team like Greece, with all due respect, it was hard to play against them. But it’s not that we didn’t play well. “With the staff we worked very hard to have a good team. We were undefeated for 16 games but we didn’t win today. That’s football. All compliments to Greece. before Aleksandr Kerzhakov shot wide. Russia continued to show their strength as the half progressed, underlining the Greeks’ vulnerability to counter-attacks. But while not ironclad, Greece’s defence remained solid at the end. Five minutes from half-time, Yuri Zhirkov took a superb short corner, only to AFP shoot over the bar.
Euro 2012 Standings Group A Czech Greece Russia Poland
P 3 3 3 3
W 2 1 1 0
D 0 1 1 2
L 1 1 1 1
F 4 3 5 2
A 5 3 3 3
Pt 6 4 4 2
(Czech Rep and Greece qualify for quarter-finals)
TOP GOAL SCORERS 3 goals: Dzagoev (RUS, in pic), Gomez (GER), Mandzukic (CRO)
2 goals: Bendtner (DEN), Fabregas (ESP), Pilar (CZE), Shevchenko (UKR), Torres (ESP)
32
SPORTS SUNDAY, JUNE 17, 2012
Jim, Graeme lead at US Allan Kelly
SAN FRANCISCO: Former winners Graeme McDowell and Jim Furyk will take a two-stroke joint lead into the final round at the US Open after emerging from a packed leader-board in Saturday’s third round. Ulsterman McDowell emerged from the shadows to win his first major at nearby Pebble Beach two years ago and the California coast was good to him again as he came in with a battling two-under 68. Furyk, who won his first, and to date only major title, at the 2003 US Open at Olympia Fields near Chicago, had a level-par 70. At one-under 209, they were the only men to duck under par on a pulsating day of quality golf, played on an unforgiving, but fair Olympic Club layout. McDowell said that he had felt nervous and uncer-
tain of himself early this morning before heading out to the course, but all had fallen into place once his round got underway. “I was happy that I got myself emotionally
Don’t count me out, says Woods
T
iger Woods headed straight for the practice putting green at San Francisco’s Olympic Club late on Saturday after his hopes of ending a four-year winless drought in the majors took a knock. The former world No 1 struggled to a five over 75 that leaves him five strokes behind joint leaders Jim Furyk and Graeme McDowell, and with 11 other players sandwiched in between.
India A in sticky situation GROS ISLET (ST LUCIA): India A batsmen struggled yet again and managed to score 230 after being put in by West Indies A in the decisive third and final cricket Test here at the Beausejour Cricket Stadium. In reply, West Indies A were 34 without loss, with Kieran Powell unbeaten on 16 and out-of-favour senior team batsman Kraigg Brathwaite on 13. The visitors were rescued by their lower-order all-rounder Jalaj Saxena’s breezy 61after being reduced to 179 for seven soon after tea. The poor form of toporder batsmen continued. Opener Ajinkya Rahane (32), skipper Cheteshwar Pujara (33)and Manoj Tiwari (32) got their eye in but failed to build big innings. Out-of-favour West Indies leg-spinner Devendra Bishoo, who has struggled in the series with just one wicket from the
two earlier ‘Tests’, regained his form with three wickets Saturday, reports Caribbean Media Corporation (CMC). Medium-pacer Jonathan Carter, who also picked up three wickets, did much of the early damage. India once again got off to a disastrous start, losing opener Abhinav Mukund (10), caught in the slips by Carter off feared fast left-arm fast bowler Delorn Johnson and Rohit Sharma (12) bowled shouldering arms to Carter. Rahane and Pujara added 46 for the third wicket, before the former fell just before lunch, caught behind off left-arms pinner Veerasammy Permaul who got the ball to spin and bounce. India A problems compounded as Pujara got run out and slipped to 116 for five in the post-lunch session before a sequence of small partnerships saw them past the 200-run mark. AFP
Cilic, Nalbandian in Queen’s final Steve Griffiths
LONDON: Former Wimbledon runner-up David Nalbandian will face Croatia’s Marin Cilic in the final at Queen’s Club after defeating Grigor Dimitrov 6-4, 6-4 in the semi-finals on Saturday. Nalbandian reached the Wimbledon
final in 2002 before losing to Australia’s Lleyton Hewitt and 10 years later he is back in the final of a grass-court event for the first time since that memorable run at the All England Club. Seeded 10th, he drew on his vast experience to subdue rising star Dimitrov and complete a remarkable run of three wins in 48 hours. After rain caused a fixture pile-up on Friday, Nalbandian showed impressive durability to come from a set down to win against Edouard Roger-Vasselin and then Xavier Malisse. Despite such a gruelling schedule, Nalbandian showed no signs of tiredness against Dimitrov and his reward is a first appearance in the Queen’s final and his first ATP Tour final since Auckland in January 2011.”I’m very happy. I’ve played this tournament quite a few times and I never reached the final, so I’m happy to be on court tomorrow AFP (Sunday),” Nalbandian said.
in the right place. Probably for the first time this week actually enjoyed the round of golf. It was quite nice out there,” he said. Furyk said that he had been guilty of a few bad swings, but that the breaks had gone his way and he had kept his cool and focus. “I made some physical errors today and made poor swings at times, which you’re going to do. I did a good job thinking my way around the golf course and keeping the ball in positions I could play from. When I missed spots I missed the right spots where I could get the ball up and down.” Two strokes back of the leading pair after a 68 for 211 came Swede Fredrik Jacobson, while England’s Lee Westwood (67), two-time former champion Ernie Els of South Africa (68), big-hitting Belgian Nicolas Colsaerts (71) and US qualifier Blake Adams (70) were at two over.
Roberts killed in crash ROME: Gareth Roberts, a
co-driver taking part in the Targo Florio rally, was killed on Saturday when his car went and crashed on a bend. The 24-year-old Welshman was competing in this fifth leg of the International Rally Challenge with Irish teammate Craig Breen. Italian news agency ANSA reported that their Peugeot 207 crashed into a security barrier, hitting Roberts in the passenger seat and emergency services were unable to save him. Breen escaped unscathed, while no spectators were involved. AFP