Postnoon E-Paper for 19 December 2012 by Scribble Media & Entertainment Pvt. Ltd.

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 19, 2012 HYDERABAD

WWW.POSTNOON.COM

WEATHER: PARTLY CLOUDY; 21°C

HYDERABAD’S FIRST COMPACT AFTERNOON NEWSPAPER

TRANSGENDER CHEATED BY FB

FRIEND APTRANSCO FUNDS

SAVE CROPS

The government has decided to pump in `1,200 crore to bolster power supply during the Rabi season. But how much of this will be diverted for other purposes remains a moot question.

P6 CHICKS AND THEIR FLICKS

P16&17

It’s a man’s world and yet these actresses have made their mark in the film industry.

The social networking site has its pitfalls, or so learnt a 28-year-old transgender, when an online friend swindled him of `15,000 and his laptop under the pretext of getting him a job.

REPORT ON P3

32 PAGES

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 19, 2012

city events

CHAI-PAKORA RUN

To spread the word about India Bike Week being held in Goa on 2-3 February 2013, a chai-pakora run will be organised in Hyderabad on December 23 at Secunderabad Parade Ground, War Memorial on Lamba Theatre Road from 6am onwards.

Weather for Hyderabad

Evening

Overnight

Morning

Afternoon

21°C

14°C

21°C

30°C

Partly cloudy.

Mix of sun and cloud.

Mostly sunny.

New Delhi Mumbai Max 20 Max 33 Min 9 Min 23 Sunny, clear skies.

Chennai Max 31 Min 24

Bangalore Max 28 Min 15

Partly cloudy.

Sunny, clear skies.

Partly cloudy, clear at night.

AROUND THE CITY: YOUR GUIDE TO THE TWIN CITIES Shamshabad When: Upto December 31 11am to 7pm Contact: (040) 6625 0000

SHOWS Musical night A night of ghazals by singer Hariharan. Where: Chowmahalla Palace, Khilwath Road Moti Gali, Charminar When: December 23 7pm onwards Contact: 93965 55888

Delineation Haris Srinivas's art will be on display at this exhibition at Taj Deccan. Where: Taj Deccan, Road No 1 , Banjara Hills When: Ongoing, 11am to 10pm Contact: (040) 6652 3939

Christmas carols Christmas carols will be sung by Global Edge school till the end of December at The Lobby. Where: Novotel & HICC Complex, PO Bag No 1101, Cyberabad Post Ofﬁce, Near Hitech City When: December 3-31 Contact: (040) 6682 4422

Art exhibition Artist M Narayan’s work is on display. Narayan graduated from the Ken School of Art. He has participated in over 30 solo exhibitions and is known for his rural depictions. Where: Shrishti Art Gallery, Road no. 15, Jubilee Hills When: Upto January 2 Contact: (040) 2354 0023

ART

DINING

Myriad Hues Artist Dhiren Sasmal’s paintings will be on display at Alankritha Art Gallery. The exhibition is titled Myriad Hues. Where: Alankritha Art Gallery Residence Inn, Amar Co-Operative Society Plot No 72, Residence Inn Lane , Jubilee Hills When: Upto December 19 from 9am Contact: (040) 2311 3709

Christmas Eve buffet Traditional turkey buffet and unlimited beverages will be served at Deccan Pavilion. There will also be live entertainment. Where: Deccan Pavilion, Begumpet When: December 24 Contact: (040) 2340 0132

Eclectic iridescence An exhibition of Dhiren Sasmal’s art BALANCING ACT: Street circus artistes at Abids. work, based on various themes and styles of painting. Where: Residence Inn, Amar Coop Soc.,Lane Opp. Madhapur PS, Kavuri Hills When: Upto December 19, Commissioner & Spl Officer

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

198 155313

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

155333 23431178 23431179

MUNICIPAL CORPORATION

23262266 24166666R ENC 23225267 Engineering 23220418 MCH Tankbund 23225397 Emergency MCH Circle I&II 24525842 MCH Circle III 24736912 MCH Circle IV 23326975 MCH Circle V 23326976 MCH Circle VI MCH Complaints 1100 Head Office 23225397 IVRS CUM MANUAL ENQUIRY PHONE NUMBERS (TRAIN & RESERVATION) RAILWAYS Rail Nilayam 27833169, 27824216 Railway Information 131 Reservations 135 Recorded Information 1345 Enquiry (IVRS) 1331, 1332, 1333

M ANIL KUMAR

11am onwards Contact: (040) 2311 3709 Inertia Photography Photography exhibition on India by Lona Lohan till December 31. Where: Rajiv Gandhi Airport,

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

155313 23307328 23313163

27505566 23314095 23390933 24600146 27001134 23607777 30418888 30417777 30419000 30416666 39879999

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

Christmas brunch There is a Christmas Day Turkey Brunch at Marriott Hotel and Convention Center. European inspired Ginger Bread House started from December 15. Where: Okra, Hyderabad Marriott Hotel and Convention Center When: December 25, 12:30pm to 4pm

Christmas hampers Taj Krishna is giving out the Luxury Santa Hamper and Deluxe Santa Hamper, which include Remy Martin Xo, Lagavulin 16, luxury Canali tie, Rose petal jam with cane sugar, Kalmata Olives, assorted Christmas chocolate and plum cake to name a few. Where: Taj Krishna When: Ongoing Contact: (040) 6666 2323 Jewels by Queenie Queenie Singh, jewellery designer from Mumbai is having a private viewing of her signature diamond collection. Where: Kimaya store, Shangrila Plaza, Near check post, Road no 2, Banjara hills When: December 19 to 20 Photo competition Alliance Francaise, Hyderabad, is conducting a photo competition. The theme is Professions of the world. The winning entries will be sent to Paris. Where: http://hyderabad.afindia.org When: December 3 to January 6

MISCELLANEOUS Transpersonal session Art & Science of Self-Actualization is a foundation course in transpersonal

27567892 23559555 23226624 27633087 27035588 27550238 30799999 30418296 30417445

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

counselling, by clinical psychologist Sujata Potay. Life skills, self awareness skills will be imparted, among others. Where: Center for Organization Development, Madhapur When: January 19 to April 27 Contact: 98494 53045

Airport Director 27903785, 27906001 For Air India Flight Information Toll free (from any network) for IC Flights 18001801407 And for All Flights: 1800227722 Air India has revised its flight timings. For more information call (Toll free) 18001801407, 1800227722 from BSNL/MTNL 04023430334 from other lines and mobile Website; www.airindia.in TOURISM OFFICES AP Tourism, Hyd 23262152/53/54 Sec-bad 27893100 Dept of Tourism 23453110 India Tourism 23261360 AP Tourism information Centre (24x7) 23450444, 23455999 UK VISA OFFICE VFS India Pvt Ltd Building, 8-2-542/A, Sunil Chamber, Road No. 7

Beside Meridian School, Banjara Hills34. Working hours are from 8 AM to 1 PM And 2 PM to 3PM. MUSEUMS Salar Jung Museum AP State Museum Nizams Museum

24523211 232431300/7641 24521029

Readers’ views

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

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 19, 2012

City

YESTERDAY’S QUESTION

WOULD NARENDRA MODI MAKE A GOOD PRIME MINISTER? 72% 28%

YES (A) NO (B)

TODAY’S QUESTION

SHOULD RAPISTS BE GIVEN CAPITAL PUNISHMENT? A)

YES

To vote visit www.postnoon.com

CRIME

FB friend turns out cheat

Facebook too provides ample scope for cheating or getting cheated. Ask Venugopal, a 28-year-old commerce graduate, who dreamed of becoming rich and also a central government employee, and in the process got duped online.

Mohd SUBHAN mohd.s@postnoon.com

Hari promised Venu a job in the railway department, and said the latter has to pay `30,000 to get the job.

transgender got duped of `15,000 and a laptop by a friend he met online. Venugopal and Hariprasad, both Hyderabadis, met on Facebook and became close friends. Gandhinagar police, who are now investigating the case, said both are transgenders, which was the common factor that brought them together quickly. The two have no regular jobs but Hari posed as someone close to railway authorities. The two used to meet and exchange views. Soon, Hari realised that Venu has a strong desire to become a central government employee, but didn’t know how to get such a job. Hari is said to have decided to cash in

on Venu’s dream. Recently, the former told his friend that he had managed to find a job for him in railways but that the latter had to spend a little money to get it. Venu readily agreed to pay

`30,000 to get the job. At first, he paid `15,000 to Hari. After a couple of days, Hari borrowed Venu’s laptop too to speed up the process and told Venu to get ready for the job. Thereafter, Hari

did not contact his friend for a couple of days. Eager to know the status of his job, Venu kept calling his friend’s mobile number but it was switched off. Panic-stricken, he rushed to the Secunderabad railway station only to discover that there was no employee by the name Hariprasad. A shocked Venu enquired about his job with the railway officials, who laughed at him for being such a simpleton. Venu then registered a case of cheating with the Gandhinagar police.

city WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 19, 2012

POLITICS

LAST YEAR... HERE

No action against MIM

Criminal waste

here was a special report on the criminal wastage of food in City markets, when an estimated 6,24,689 people live in 104 identiﬁed and 24 unidentiﬁed slums here. A vendor said sometimes excess vegetables are thrown even if they aren’t spoilt. A waiter at a restaurant said there is enough food to feed 50 people at the end of the day, but they still waste it.

DECEMBER 19, 2011

NUMEROLOGY

16.7%

AP’s transmission losses are ‘low’ at 16.7 per cent, as against the national average of 26 per cent. The situation in other states like Karnataka is a lot worse.

We will not leave any opportunity that helps us to strengthen ourselves, including having an electoral understanding... we have decided to expand our party. Syed Quadri, MLA See page 5

THINGS WE 5LEARNT TODAY The column that teaches everyone something new about the way the City functions.

Beware whom you befriend on Facebook. A transgender was duped by a friend he met online and lost `15,000 and his laptop. Be careful when you meet strangers online.

Keep your friends close and enemies closer! The Congress should have paid more attention to its friends. Now that the MIM has gone over to the YSRC side, the Congress is left feeling foolish.

Have a concrete plan for power crisis. While `1,200 crore allotted for purchasing power for the next three months to save the crop cycle, it is not a long-term solution.

Don’t play dirty politics for the sake of votes! The only reason Congress MLAs are not retaliating to MIM tactics is becasue they don’t want to lose the Muslim voters.

City offers new course on piblic health. If public health is your area of interest, University of Hyderabad is offering a course on the same.

Congress MLAs prevent any hard move against MIM in the fear of losing Muslim votes in the upcoming elections. M ANIL KUMAR

Md NIZAMUDDIN nizamuddin.a@postnoon.com

ven though Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy’s rhetoric termed the MIM as a “small party” which is of no great consequence, the Congress is reluctant to take strong steps against it in the GHMC because some Congress leaders are afraid of losing Muslim votes. In spite of the clear message from MIM to its former alliance partner that it would not be supporting the Congress in the next general elections, no immediate retribution is planned against the MIM. For instance, M Mukesh Goud and Danam Nagender, whose major chunk of votes come from Muslim voters in the South and the Central Zone, are said to be mortally afraid of losing Muslim votes in

case the MIM turns against the Congress. The current Congress leadership at GHMC, Deputy Mayor G Raj Kumar (pictured), is finding it difficult to press for some

action against the MIM. While the chief minister made it clear that his party is not deterred by the posture adopted by the MIM, there is no clear directive from the top either. “Till date, we have not received a clear direction from the party leadership on the kind of relations to be maintained with MIM,” said Kumar. When asked about the chief minister’s challenge to the MIM in his party meeting recently, the mayor said with a smile, “Party meetings are like that. We talk against opponents in our meetings and they talk against us. But the business goes on as usual”. With Jagan hovering over the corporation, preying on its corporators, the Congress is caught in a bind and there is no hope of preventing future Jagan raids in the Congress camp.

Meanwhile, the Congress continues to cut a sorry figure in GHMC. Even basic information as to when the general body meeting would be held is withheld from the partner Congress. After Raj Kumar met the Mayor Mohd Majid Hussain in his cabin on Tuesday, the only assurance he got was “it would be held soon.” Even the Standing Committee members from the party, who are busy attending a workshop on “solid waste management” at Osmania University are doubtful about this week’s Standing Committee meeting. “We shall raise the issue of General Body meeting in the weekly meeting. But I am not sure when it will be held as all the corporators are busy attending the workshop,” said P Gnaneshwar Goud, member of Standing Committee.

STRIKE

Bank strike tomorrow

There is a nation-wide bank strike tomorrow to protest against the banks’ amendment bill, which the UPA government is trying to rush through. POSTNOON NEWS feedback@postnoon.com

ll the banking transactions would come to a still stand tomorrow on account of a nation-wide bank strike called by four trade unions representing All India Bank Employees’ Association, All India Bank officers’ Association, Bank Employees’ Federation of India and National Union of Bank Employees. This strike is meant to record the protest of bank employees against the banks’ amendment bill, which the UPA government is trying to rush through in the

The government has introduced a new paragraph without intimating the Standing Committee for Finance. parliament against the opposition of various political parties, associations said. Venkatachalam, general secretary, said that if this bill is passed by the parliament, central government and RBI can accord more sanctions for Foreign Direct Investments in

the banks. It was not a healthy move, they said. The government should heed to opposition views on this matter. The government has introduced a new paragraph without intimating the Standing Committee for Finance so that

speculative banking is made feasible and to permit bank for forward contract business. He said that the government has started merger of banks by forming groups under the pretext of improvement of efficiency in banks.

NEWS BRIEFS Coordination meeting held by GHMC

Key hole surgery conducted on Sharmila

T-JAC meets to prepare for all-party meet

CID probe into airport fire begins

he commissioner, GHMC, along with ACP (trafﬁc), additional commissioner (planning), held a meeting with heads of various government departments in connection with modernization of footpaths, shifting of electrical poles and other civic issues. Senior ofﬁcials from APCPDCL, HMWS&SB, BSNL, TRANSCO, APSRTC participated.

SRC campaigner YS Sharmila underwent a knee surgery at Apollo hospital on Tuesday on her right knee. The star campaigner of YSRC, who was on a walkathon to gather support for the party, had sustained the injury while getting off from a bus a recently. Sharmila require six weeks of rest to recover completely.

he steering committee of Telangana Joint Action Committee is meeting today in Hyderabad under the chairmanship of Prof Kodandaram to discuss on strategies to be adopted during the December 28 all party meeting. TRS president K Chandrasekhara Rao is taking Kodandaram along with him to the all-party meet.

he State CID has begun inquiry into the Begumpet Airport fire accident case. Several aircrafts, including the official helicopter of the State government were gutted in the fire incident. Five special teams of the CID are trying to probe into the actual cause of fire. CID will look into the possibility of sabotage too, it is learnt.

city WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 19, 2012 POLITICS

KCR’s call stirs up other parties Rao wants top leaders of each party to be present at the all-party meeting on Telangana, not the mid-level leaders. INKESHAF AHMED ahmed.m@postnoon.com

RS president K Chandrasekhara Rao’s demand to others parties to send their presidents for the all-party meet, not the minions, has caught them off guard. He wants the mainstream parties — the Congress, the TDP and the YSR Congress — to send their party presidents if they are serious about resolving the Telangana issue. But his call was not well received. The main opposition TDP came

down heavily on the TRS chief, questioning his credentials for dictating terms. “Who is KCR to tell us what to do? KCR is overestimating himself,” said a peeved Telangana TDP Forum convenor E Dayakar Rao. Rao also criticised the attitude of Telangana Joint Action Committee (T-JAC) on the issue and warned it not to meddle in his party’s affairs. On the other hand, the BJP, a proTelangana party, announced that it may depute its president for the meeting. In fact, the president, G Kishan Reddy, is already billed to attend. The Congress and the YSRC are yet to react to KCR’s call. Leaders of both the parties went into a huddle on the issue following the statement of KCR but both are keeping their counsel as yet. The T Congress leaders, the worst-hit of the T-tangle, will request the high command to depute the PCC president for the meeting. The Seemandhra leaders are coming up with demands to send two leaders from both Telangana and Andhra regions. Going a step further, senior Congress leader JC Diwakar Reddy wants the party to send two Rayalaseema leaders. He revealed that he wrote to the PCC president, requesting him to send only Rayalaseema leaders. The YSR Congress has said that it would take a call on the issue in the next couple of days.

ANALYSIS

Anadi Kiran, Khiladi Owaisi Failure of Congress intelligence has led to the MIM-Congress rift as the former was orchestrating its plans, overt and covert, for a year. PK SURENDRAN surendran.pk@postnoon.com

iran Kumar Reddy may have been an ace batsman in his university days but he is not in form now. If so, he would not have failed to see where his once-close buddy Asaduddin Owaisi was going. Owaisi had stated his party’s intention to grow across the State a year ago (incidentally, he spelt it out in an interview with Postnoon in October 2011). The party, he said, was raring to spread its wings and soar. The MIM has been working in Muslim-dominant areas to carve out a greater fiefdom for it in the 2014 elections. MIM has its eyes on the Jubilee Hills, Rajendranagar, Karimnagar, Nizamabad, Hindupur, Anantapur, Kadapa, Kurnool, Mahbubnagar and Nandyal Assembly seats, while YSRC wants similar reciprocation from the MIM for City limits. For this, it had to divorce Congress, which it did in style, by postal talaaq! Now, Congress is an old hag while young

Jagan is his jigri dost. Not knowing this, the chief minister played into Owaisi’s hands, granting him, like Santa, all that was asked for. When the cow stopped yielding milk, the MIM decided to march it off to the butcher. It was, again, Kiran’s fault to trust a political entity entirely. Here is why. The idea, say sources, of coming together of MIM-YSRC, was first germinated during the meeting of Owaisi with YSRC chief Jagan Mohan Reddy in Chanchalguda jail in connection with getting Jagan party’s support for Pranab Mukherjee in the presidential elections. Owaisi

was the emissary. Jagan is reported to have wondered at the gall of the Congress in seeking his vote while keeping him in jail, and voiced his thoughts as to why real friends should come together for mutual benefit. Accordingly, the plan was formed. The MIM would piggy back on YSRC in Rayalaseema and part of Seemandhra, where they have specious playgrounds, while the MIM that rules the City would accommodate it in the City seats. Even when the plan was being chalked out, the intelligence of the Congress was having a pleasant siesta. It failed to alert

Kiran. Only when the YSRC pulled the rug out from under the Congress’s feet in GHMC did the Congress realise what was happening. But it is a bit late in the day. The YSRC already has a plan to rope in at least 12 corporators of Congress and TDP so that it has the court ready for the 2014 tournament. “The Owaisis have benefited the most,” regretted a Congress leader, “and yet it stabbed us in the back when the election approaches.” The MIM is no longer apologetic. The party’s senior leader and Charminar MLA Syed Ahmed Pasha Quadri said that there is a strong need for the MIM to expand its base to secure the rights of minority community. “We will win as many Assembly seats as possible in minority-dominated areas and strengthen ourselves. We will not leave any opportunity that helps us to strengthen ourselves, including having an electoral understanding. It is as part of that plan that we have decided to expand our party,” Quadri noted.

NEEDS OF INDUSTRIES A Classified Display Feature

To advertise on this page, contact:

9866074747

city WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 19, 2012

POWER

Fund for APTransco saves crops But how much of this will be diverted for other purposes remains a moot question. Pilferage is another factor. M ANIL KUMAR

RAHUL RAMAKRISHNA rahul.r@postnoon.com

he State government’s decision to pump in `1,200 crore to the APTransco for purchasing power for the next three months has made the farming community happy as it will save Rabi crops in the State. While this ad hoc measure saves the crop, the health of the APTransco is deteriorating. The demand-supply estimates released for the next three months swings wildly. The daily energy deficit for the next three months is 21, 40 and 79 MU (million units) respectively for January, February and March 2013. While that may be the case, how much of this borrowed power will actually be used solely for the agricultural sector? Does APTransco or the APCPDCL have methods and infrastructure to keep in check power pilferage that happens on a massive

scale throughout the State is the question. Transmission loss, most of which is a euphemism for pilferage, continues, though the company says it is better off compared to neighbouring states. APTransco leaders play it down. Chenna Reddy, director of transmission, APTransco said, “APTransco has been awarded

‘India Power Award’ for maintaining the lowest transmission losses in the country. Although the month of October had recorded a slight increase in transmission loss at 4.59 per cent, the previous months, September and August, had recorded 3.56 and 3.58 per cent respectively. This shows that power pilferage and

COMMUNITY

Books on the go Donate your old books to help educate rural children in the State.

ANUBHA K SINGH anubha.k@postnoon.com

ave books, magazines or novels you no longer need or want? Donate them to educate rural children. Through a unique initiative named “Mobile Library”, the Vandemataram Foundation is attempting to improve reading habits of children. As a part of it, they have student volunteers running mobile libraries in rural schools and colleges. “Most of us were lucky to have access to good novels, literature and competitive exam books in the school library or at home, but most of the children in this country aren’t. At least, that’s the case with children in rural areas. The mobile library programme is

aimed at holistic development of poor students studying in schools and colleges,” said Y Madhava Reddy, secretary, Vandemataram Foundation. The best part of the initiative is that students from other schools have been appointed to run the mobile libraries. The children are told to come one hour before and after school timings to use the library. “We believe this will lead to enhanced reading habits, which, in turn, will result in an improvement in their academic performance and also expand their horizons,” said Reddy. On weekdays, students are permitted to read books of their choice from the mobile library and on weekends, the foundation members organise educational programmes and competitions. Earlier, foundation members used to buy books but now they have appealed to book lovers in the City to donate old books for the library. Books can be in Telugu, Hindi and English. “There are many unfortunate people who do not have the money to buy books. But I think this way, all people and all children will get a chance to rise up in life. The best part about this initiative is that it is not being executed by grown-ups, but by children. It’s a thing to be proud of,” said Reddy. People can drop books off at the Hyderabad book fair on at People’s Plaza till December 25 and at the Vivekananda State office at Chikkadpally. The organisation also offers to pick up books from your house.

transmission losses are being kept to a minimum.” However, officials refused to comment about the infrastructure and measures taken to curb power pilferage. When asked how power consumption is measured between supplier and consumer, especially in the agricultural sector, a senior official said,

“Through energy meters, we record the supply and demand met with a common given value of transmission loss, because the greater the distance the more transmission loss will occur. To counter this, we are looking at shortening the network lines and installing feeders, basically decentralising power supply to reduce distance between the main feeder and the actual consumer.” AP’s transmission losses are ‘low’ at 16.7 per cent, as against the national average of 26 per cent. The situation in other states like Karnataka is a lot worse. The Karnataka Electricity Regulatory Commission had directed all ESCOMs (electricity supply commissions) to reduce transmission losses to 18.71 per cent from 19.56 per cent. Tamil Nadu’s transmission losses stand at 18 per cent of the total installed capacity of 10,364 MW, while Kerala had recorded transmission losses of 19.59 per cent for the year 2012-2013.

TO SUBSCRIBE, CALL US ON 80082 00713

or SMS „Postnoon‰ to 56161

/095 Rs.1 9/: e c i 4 r Pr Rs.5 Cove r Price: : 50% g e f n f i O l Sav Tota

A FRESH NEW POINT OF VIEW You can also call or email us at:

040 - 4067 2222 subscription@postnoon.com

classifieds WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 19, 2012

COMMUNAL CLASHES

Tapping in on the health bug The University of Hyderabad has introduced a new course on public health which gives students a chance to tap in on the lucrative sector. ANUBHA K SINGH anubha.k@postnoon.com

grammes to ensure a healthy workforce and reduce workrelated injuries. “As more and more companies see the importance of

ealth is undoubtedly wealth which leads to overall happiness. Maintaining public health is an important aspect of any society, but is always viewed as a mammoth task. The University of Hyderabad has introduced a course to meet this vital need. If you have a social conscience, then Masters in Public Health (MPH) is the course for you. MPH is the most widely recognised degree in public health and the University of Hyderabad, in collaboration with the Indian Institute of Public Health, is the first varsity in the City to introduce this course. Graduates from a science background, nurses and doctors are qualified for this course and can apply for it in the 2013-14 academic year. Explaining about the two-year course, University of Hyderabad vice-chancellor Ramakrishna Ramaswamy said,

Of late, companies have realised the advantages of hiring health professionals to ensure a healthy workforce.

“The course is not in response to the industry, but is based on the current market needs. As of now, we only have 40 seats for the first year and there are no campus placements, but I am certain that

all the students will be selected either in the government public sector or by private firms.” Ramaswamy says that the demand for public health management is increasing by the day

PROTEST

BALANCING ACT

TRV call to boycott World Telugu meet

elangana Rachayithala Vedika (TRV) has announced that it would boycott the three-day ‘World Telugu Conference, scheduled to be held at Tirupati from December 27 to 29. It also announced that it would organise demonstrations and public meetings, in association with pro-Telangana political parties and people organisations in the City during the Mahasabha. Speaking to the media here, Allam Narayana, Telangana Journalists’ Forum president and Editor of Namasthe Telangana has charged the Seemandhra-dominated State government with organising the Telugu Mahasabha for reasons and to gag the voice of the people of the Telangana region. He also took serious exception to the

proceedings at Telugu Sabhas making fun of Telangana culture and traditions. He also charged that the Maha Sabha was intended to hurt the sentiments of Telangana people. Allam Narayana said that the Telangana Journalists’ Forum has appealed to Telangana Nagara Samithi founder and MLA Dr Nagam Janardhan Reddy, BJP, CPI, New democracy, JACs of Teachers, Advocates, Lecturers, Students and proTelangana organisations like Jana Sahithi, Virasam, Arasam to boycott the Telugu Maha Sabha and participate in the demonstrations in large numbers. Telangana Rachayithala Vedika president Gouri Shanker has pointed out that the World Telugu Maha Sabha was being organised on the symbol of Telugu Talli, but

in both the local and international markets. In the recent years, many companies have realised the advantages of hiring health professionals and engaging employees in wellness pro-

promoting a healthy nation, I expect that the public health job market will grow," he adds. Meanwhile, the vice-chancellor confirmed that certificates have been given to the first batch of BSc nursing students and many of them have applied for the MPH course too. The University has also brought forward its exam month from June to February so that placement interviews can take place on time, while ensuring there is no clash of exams.

there was no mention of Telangana Talli anywhere. He said that the Telugu Maha Sabha was being organised only to divert Telangana movement and to bury the supreme sacrifices of Telangana students for separate State. He lamented that Telangana arts, culture and traditions were being whitewashed by not giving priority in school education, syllabus, newspaper language and in Telugu movies. Telangana Vidyavanthula Vedika president Mallepally Laxmaiah said that people’s organizations and political parties favouring Telangana State should boycott the Telugu Maha Sabha to avenge disrespect being shown to Telangana culture, language and sentiments of Telangana people for separate State. NSS

Officers rehearse for the 150th year celebrations of the Indian Police at Parade Grounds on Tuesday. The main event will be held on December 20 and traffic restrictions will be imposed in the area during the celebrations. N SHIVA KUMAR

city WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 19, 2012

STAR MATCH

Stars bat for a good cause

HEMANTH KUMAR hemanth.k@postnoon.com

t will prove a fabulous yearend treat for Hyderabadis. Actors from Telugu and Hindi film industries are joining hands to raise funds for the underprivileged. Two teams from Tollywood and Bollywood are going to play a charity match on December 23 in LB Stadium, Hyderabad as a part of Crescent Cricket Cup. Popular actors like Venkatesh, Balakrishna, Nani,

Tollywood and Bollywood celebrities will clash on the crease on December 23 to raise funds for a cause.

Apart from the match, the organisers have roped in Madhu Shalini, Bindu Madhavi and Anuj Gurwara to perform. Tharun, Srikanth, Nithin, Allari Naresh, Sharvanand, Tanish and Ajay from Telugu film industry are expected to take part in the event. The Bollywood XI will be headed by Sunil Shetty and the team comprises actors like Sonu Sood, Shreyas Talpade, Sachin Joshi, Jackky Bhagnani among many others. Priyamani is going to be brand ambassador of Tollywood XI and Charmi will be

cheering for the Bollywood XI team. Apart from the match, the event’s organisers have also roped in actresses like Madhu

Shalini, Rachana Mourya, Bindu Madhavi, Seiya Gautham and singer Anuj Gurwara to perform at the event. Talking about the charity

RIDING TO GLORY

The City’s sporting scene is definitely looking up with City-based team Deccan Polo & Riding Club (DPRC) winning the finals of the HH Maharaja of Jodhpur Cup recently. In all, six teams had participated in the tournament — Deccan Polo & Riding Club, Yuvraj Knights, Central Academy, SSC/HPRC, Chandna group and Marco Shipping. Team DPRC defeated SSC/HPRC and Chandna group to face Central Academy in the Finals. The Hyderabad-based team beat Central Academy by 4-9 goals.

cricket match, K Md S Shafi, chairman of Crescent Cricket Cup, said, “The two teams from Tollywood and Bollywood are going to play the charity match

to raise funds for women’s selfemployment programmes and distribution of sewing machines to the poor, especially those who are widows, physically challenged and orphans.” Last year, after a similar event was organised in Anantapur, several top stars from the film industry had taken part enthusiastically. In 2011 alone, a committee from Cresent, an NGO which works to provide education, had donated `3 lakh to Basavatarakam cancer hospital and another `2 lakh to Movie Artists Association. This year, the organisers conducted a philanthropic drive where they appeared to the public and corporate sector to donate sewing machines, sarees, wollen blankets, wed grinders, ceiling fans, water filters and even blood which would come in handy for the underprivileged. “We are going to donate everything we collect on January 1, 2013 and more details about this will be announced at the event,” Shafi said. The celebrity cricket match on December 23 promises to be a fun filled evening with glitz, glamour and quality entertainment for the fans. More details about the event can be found @ http://crescentcricketcup.com.

LAW AND ORDER

AP cops to boost drive against drugs W ith over 350 drug rackets unearthed till October this year that saw arrest of as many as 813 accused, Andhra Pradesh police will intensify campaign against drug traffickers by launching raids. Police have drawn up short and long-term plans to control narcotics menace and say their proposed action will see arrest of more number of drug racketeers, users and suppliers. With the arrest of some Tollywood actors (Telugu movie industry) on charge of consumption of cocaine in the past, police said they will also be keeping a track on such film personalities. Apart from keeping a close watch on pubs, resorts and other points of drug addicts ahead of the New Year, police have stepped up their crackdown by deploying more decoy teams in Hyderabad city to catch hold of

drug traffickers, users and peddlers red-handed, CID additional director general of police T Krishna Prasad told PTI. Police will also be using dog squads to check vehicles and buildings in connection with its drive. Besides, checkposts will be set up and surprise raids will be conducted under the Hyderabad and Cyberabad police commissionerate limits, he said. The next step to deal with narcotics will be by carrying out series of more and specific raids by the district superintendents of police across the State, Prasad explained. “These measures will see more arrests and seizures which will ultimately help in controlling the drug menace,” the top CID officer said, adding that as part of the proposed drive, police will focus more against narcotics while they were till now preoccupied with law and order duty. PTI

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 19, 2012

focus

SYRIAN REFUGEE COUNT PEGGED AT 500,000

The United Nations refugee agency said on December 11 that more than 500,000 Syrians had registered as refugees in neighbouring countries and north Africa since the beginning of the country’s uprising in March 2011. It added that many more had not come forward to seek help.

A Syrian schoolboy flashes the V-sign for victory amid his friends in the Turkish town of Kilis on December 17, 2012, as a group of volunteer Syrian teachers joined forces and opened a school for Syrian children, some of whom had been out of school for over a year. The school, on the ground floor of a three-storey building in southwest Kilis, lacks all but the the most basic of supplies while all the teachers work for no pay in cramped classrooms where five children often squeeze into desks made for three. AFP PHOTO/ALICE MARTIN

Playtime’s over, back to class For the students among Syrian refugees in Turkey who were missing months of education as a result of battles between Syrian government forces and rebels, the opening of the school in a Turkish town near the border three weeks ago was a welcome sight. PRASHANT RAO KILIS, TURKEY: In a Turkish town across the border from Syria, a few dozen exiled schoolteachers have established a makeshift school for children displaced by their native country’s brutal civil war. The school, on the ground floor of a three-storey building in southwest Kilis, lacks all but the the most basic of supplies while all the teachers

I was happier at my old school in Syria, more than this one. But I am happy that this school opened. I was away from school for six months — I was doing nothing. Hossam Hassanatu 13-yr-old Syrian refugee

work for no pay in cramped classrooms where five children often squeeze into desks made for three. And teachers and administrators note that many of the students appear to be suffering from psychological problems that they have no training in how to address. But for the students who were missing months of education as a result of battles between Syrian government forces and rebels in cities like Aleppo in the country’s north, the opening of the school three weeks ago was a welcome sight. “I was happier at my old school in Syria, more than this one," 13-year-old Hossam Hassanatu, who grew up near Aleppo, admitted. “But I am happy that this school opened." “I was away from school for six months — I was doing nothing, just waiting, and playing on the street." Students like Hossam attend either a morning or afternoon session, mostly learning Arabic, English, mathematics and science — during school hours, the lone hallway echoes with the sounds of children screaming

the Arabic or English alphabet in unison. The idea for the school was hatched when a group of Syrian teachers met soon after fleeing their homeland for Turkey in the summer. They decided they wanted to establish a school for children whose families had made similar decisions, and submitted a request to the local Turkish government. Classrooms finally opened to students on November 26. Now, between 1,100 and 1,200 students between the ages of seven and 13 attend on a daily basis, but several children join on a near-daily basis, their families having fled Syria, according to school supervisor

Fuad al-Sheikh Sana, one of the original founders. They are part of countless families who have found private accommodation in border towns like Kilis, rather than going to refugee camps. The United Nations refugee agency said on December 11 that more than 500,000 Syrians had registered as refugees in neighbouring countries and north Africa since the beginning of the country s uprising in March 2011. It added that many more had not come forward to seek help. Sana said that while the Turkish government and local organisations had been generous with their donations of the building and basic supplies,

much was still needed. “The school needs some financial support, especially some means of transportation, because it is very far," he said. “We also need financial support for the teachers, because they are all volunteers." Sana added: “Every day in Syria, you hear bombings and explosions. The students develop psychological problems because of that." He said regional organisations had offered to provide counselling, but no agreements had yet been struck. Rabaa al-Barri, one of the English teachers, gave the example of a young boy in her class who refused to speak or respond to her prompting, which she attributed to being one of the impacts of the Syrian conflict. “Some of them are ok, but others are in bad condition," she said. And lacking supplies like textbooks, teachers also struggle with older students who, unlike their younger counterparts, cannot simply shout back lessons they are being taught. AFP

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 19, 2012

Business

UN REPORTS SLOWDOWN OF WORLD TRADE

The UN has reported a “sharp slowdown” of world trade, attributing the decelerating global trade growth to “a declining import demand” in Europe and “anaemic aggregate demand” in the US and Japan.

REALTY CHECK

INSTAGRAM BACKTRACKS

Big projects hold key There are also new buying models evolving in the City, wherein buyers come together to buy flats or houses in a certain locality. FOR REPRESENTATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY

PRUDHVI RAJU K prudhvi.k@postnoon.com

Indepedent house buyers are looking in the price range of `75 lakh to `1.5 crore, whereas flat buyers are opting within the range of `30 lakh to `60 lakh

esidential flat sales in the City has shown persistent growth in the last festive season. However, the flat booking tendency generally goes down from mid-December to midJanuary as it is considered inauspicious (Dhanurmasam). “On the whole, the bookings are moderate for the City in the last festive season. Buyers are opting for flats, which range from `30-60 lakh for living requirement. However, the investors are still reluctant to enter in to City market,” says R Chalapathi Rao, vice-president, AP Real Estate Developers Association (APREDA) Talking about potential and trends in different locations in the City, he said, “Upcoming infrastructure plans in Miyapur — Intercity Bus Terminal with 200 bus bays at in about 55 acres and proposed Metro terminal has boosted new projects in and around Miyapur. The independent house projects, that are connected to Outer Ring Road

has also shown decent bookings. For instance, With TCS and aerospace manufacturing cluster projects in the pipeline has also pushed the sales in Adibatla. Indepedent house buyers are looking in the price range of `75 lakh to `1.5 crore. “The realtors also offered various discount and offers on the projects in the festive season to give momentum to their sales.” About its impact on buying, he says, “There were many sales without these offers. Many buy-

MOBILE PHONES Samsung is top ’12 phone brand, ousts Nokia according to IHS iSuppli. Samsung is expected to account for 29 per cent of worldwide cellphone shipments, up from 24 per cent in 2011, according to the IHS, which said Nokia’s share dropped to 24 per cent from 30 per cent. This will mark the first time the South Korean electronics giant will occupy the top on a yearly basis. AFP

WASHINGTON: Samsung has overtaken Nokia as the top mobile phone brand for 2012 and has opened up a decisive lead over Apple in the smartphone market, a research firm said Tuesday. This will mark the first time in 14 years that Finnishbased Nokia will not sit atop the global mobile phone business on an annual basis,

ers consider car/furniture as two different expenditure accounts. However such freebies will be a value addition to the customer and a relief for a seller, who is looking at finances to develop the project.” There are also new buying models evolving in the City, wherein buyers come together to buy flats or houses in certain locality. “Such a model puts realtor in a role of builder rather than promoter. This will help in pooling the funds required by the project by buyers and the

costs will drastically reduced in terms of marketing or in debt servicing which can be passed to the buyers. “However such models also have their own disadvantages with lack of choice. For instance, the buying is driven by factors such as location, ventilation and vasthu. Each of the customers has their own interest in choosing a flat but this type of planning hinders the choice. “There may be other development issues like the development area is significantly large and the funds pooled together by the buyers are insufficient. This may result in putting the project on hold.” he explained.

LEGAL TANGLE EU, Google to seek anti-trust accord

BRUSSELS: The European Union will seek an accord with US Internet search giant Google as progress has been made in resolving EU anti-trust concerns, EU Competition Commissioner Joaquin Almunia announced here on Tuesday. Almunia said he made the decision after meeting Google head Eric Schmidt in Brussels as “we have substantially reduced our differences regard-

ing possible ways to address” EU competition concerns since talks began in July. “On the basis of the progress made, I now expect Google to come forward with a detailed commitment text in January 2013,” he said in a statement. In a short statement, Google said it would “continue to work cooperatively with the European Commission.” AFP

for

NUMEROLOGY

$900

is the amount the World Bank announced on Tuesday as support plan for Iraq aimed at helping the war-ravaged country better manage its human and vast oil resources.

BILLABONG CONFIRMS TALKS Struggling Australian surf and sportswear company Billabong on Wednesday conﬁrmed it was considering a takeover offer from a former executive valued at $555.2 million. A consortium led by Paul Naude, who last month stepped aside as director and president of Billabong’s US business, is offering Aus$1.10 per share. Billabong downgraded its full-year earnings guidance and said it was considering the bid, which is conditional on due diligence. Shares in Billabong remained in a trading halt Wednesday at 98 cents. The stock slumped in October after equity ﬁrm TPG withdrew from a takeover offer.

THUS SPAKE “With real GDP likely to decline another 4-5 percent next year after falling 6 percent this year, and further austerity testing social cohesion, risks to the EU-IMF program will remain substantial,” INSTITUTE OF INTERNATIONAL FINANCE

BSE 5,922.70 `54.79 5,209.05 DOLLAR`55.14 17,179.95DOLLAR NSEPOUND `86.60 `89.07 POUND BSE NSE GOLD`31,300 10g SILVER `60,800 1kg

24C

GOLD `29,500 10g SILVER `53,000 1kg

Instagram backed down on Tuesday from a planned policy change that appeared to clear the way for the mobile photo sharing service to sell pictures without compensation, after users cried foul. “The language we proposed also raised questions about whether your photos can be part of an advertisement,” Instagram co-founder Kevin Systrom said in a blog post. “We do not have plans for anything like this and because of that we’re going to remove the language that raised the question,” he continued. “To be clear: it is not our intention to sell your photos.”

98.90

33.65

Since our country is a union of states, we abide by its federal character and, therefore, are bound by the consensus on the issue, ANAND SHARMA, COMMERCE MINISTER

19,461.09 96.34

ANAND SHARMA, 25.94 COMMERCE MINISTER

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 19, 2012

nation

PLEA CHALLENGING TENDULKAR’S RS NOMINATION DISMISSED

The Delhi High Court Wednesday dismissed a plea challenging the nomination of cricketer Sachin Tendulkar to the Rajya Sabha. The petition was filed by Ram Gopal Singh Sisodia, a former Delhi legislator, claiming that Tendulkar did not possess “special knowledge and practical experience,” a criterion prescribed under Article 80 of the constitution for such nomination.

26/11 CASE IN US

LIGHT OF PEACE

ISI, its ex-chiefs have immunity The US defended the stance in court saying that ISI gets cover from FSIA.

P A view of illuminated Mahabodhi temple on the occasion of Kagyu Monlam prayers for world peace in Bodhgaya on Tuesday evening.

PTI

KIDNAPPING

Two businessmen rescued ITANAGAR: In a joint operation, security forces have rescued two businessmen, who were kidnapped from Lekang village in Lohit district of Arunachal Pradesh recently. The businessmen, Pradip Mohr, a resident of Duliajan in Assam and Chandrapal Sharma of Bordumsha, who were kidnapped on December 2, were

rescued from Namsai on Monday last, the police said today. A joint team of Army and state police had launched search operations at Namsai, Innau and Mahadevpur for more than 15 days which led to the apprehension of a linkman. During interrogation, the linkman revealed the presence

of hostages at a specific place in Manabam Reserve forest. The two kidnappers identified as Lambu Chakma and Pokhanto Khem, both cadre of UPDF (United Peoples’ Democratic Front), fled inside the dense forest in the cover of darkness, the police said. The hostages were later handed over to Namsai police. PTI

akistan’s ISI and its former chiefs Ahmed Shuja Pasha and Nadeem Taj “enjoy immunity” in a case related to the 26/11 attacks filed by American survivors and relatives of victims of the Mumbai terror strikes, the US government has informed a court here. While insisting that Pakistan must take steps to dismantle LeT and support India’s efforts to counter this terrorist threat, it told the federal court: “In the view of the United States, the ISI is entitled to immunity because it is part of a foreign state within the meaning of the FSIA (Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act).” “Furthermore, the Department of State has determined that former Directors General (of ISI) Pasha and Taj are immune because plaintiffs’ allegations relate to acts that these defendants allegedly took in their official capacities as directors of an entity that is undeniably a fundamental part of the Government of Pakistan,” Stuart Delery, Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General, said. “Because foreign sovereign immunity and foreign official

DELHI RAPE FALLOUT Shocked Sonia writes to Diskshit, Shinde

Maharashtra mulls cash aid

NEW DELHI: Congress president Sonia Gandhi Tuesday expressed horror at the gang rape of the 23-year-old girl and asked Union Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde and Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit to take urgent action to improve security of “daughters, sisters and mothers”. Gandhi conveyed her message in separate strongly-worded letters to Shinde and Dikshit. In her letter to Shinde, Gandhi said the monstrous crime deserves not only universal condemnation but also the government’s most urgent attention. She said it was imperative that police and other agencies

MUMBAI: Taking serious cognisance of rising cases of rape and acid attacks, the Maharashtra government is planning to bear their expenses for medical and legal aid, counselling and rehabilitation. Under the ‘Peedit Mahila Navjeevan Yojana’, the government plans to provide financial assistance of `2 lakh to the victims to fight their case to seek justice and also rehabilitation. The women and child welfare department has prepared the proposal for approval by the Cabinet. As soon as the case of attack is reported, `20,000 financial aid would be provided. For legal and medical aid, `50,000 would be given. Later, for the victim’s rehabilitation `1.30 lakh would be provided, department officials told PTI.

concerned are sensitised to the danger and that “our daughters, sister and mothers face everyday”. “Security agencies must be motivated to deal with this menace. I hope you will initiate immediate action to remedy the situation,” she wrote to Shinde. “It is a shame for all of us who are responsible for security of our cities that a young woman can be raped in a moving bus in the capital city and flung on to the street,” the Congress president added. In her letter to Dikshit, Gandhi said there was an urgent need to demonstrate “our sincerity and determination” in improving security of women. IANS

immunity provide an adequate basis upon which to dispose of this case with respect to the ISI and former Directors General Pasha and Taj, the United States takes no position on the political question doctrine issues that are also presented in this case,” he said. Delery stated this in a 12-page affidavit, which was submitted to the court on December 17, in response to the case filed by relatives and family members of the American victims of the Mumbai terrorist attacks. Claiming that the ISI of Pakistan was involved in the planning and execution of the Mumbai terrorist attacks, the American survivors of the strikes and family members of the victims had filed their case against Pasha, Taj and other ISI officials, besides the LeT leaders, including its founder Mohammed Hafiz Saeed and its operations commander Zakiur Rahman; and Sajid Mir and Azam Cheema. In fact as many as four identical court cases were filed, including one by Linda Ragsdale, who was shot in her back by LeT terrorists at the Oberoi Trident hotel in Mumbai. PTI

PICK YOUR

Across Stores

ities Twin C

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 19, 2012

World ‘Benghazi security inadequate’

US AUTHORITIES SEEK MAN PHOTOGRAPHED RIDING WHALE US authorities are looking for a man who was photographed off the Florida coast riding on the back of a female sperm whale, an endangered species. The marine mammal, which is distinguished from other types of whale by its enormous head, was found dead Tuesday on a beach north of Miami. Federal authorities are investigating the causes of its death.

SCHOOL SHOOTING

WILL PARK MAKE HISTORY?

Obama backs bid to revive assault gun ban Obama also called an ardently pro-gun senator who has shifted his position on firearms laws since Friday’s carnage.

WASHINGTON: A longawaited inquiry into a deadly militant attack on the US mission in the Libyan city of Benghazi late Tuesday slammed State Department security arrangements there as “grossly inadequate.” But the months-long probe also found there had been “no immediate, specific” intelligence of a threat against the mission, which was overrun on September 11 by dozens of heavily armed militants who killed four Americans. “Systemic failures and leadership and management deficiencies at senior levels within two bureaus of the State Department resulted in a Special Mission security posture that was inadequate for Benghazi and grossly inadequate to deal with the attack that took place,” the damning report said. The Accountability Review Board (ARB) also concluded “there was no protest prior to the attacks, which were unanticipated in their scale and intensity.” The attacks, in which the consulate and a nearby safe house were targeted, have become fiercely politicized, with Republicans skewering the administration for security failings as well as a possible cover-up over AlQaeda’s role.

STEPHEN COLLINSON WASHINGTON: President Barack Obama Tuesday backed a new bid to revive an assault weapons ban and other new gun laws, as traumatized US politicians wrestled with the aftermath of a sickening school massacre. Obama also called an ardently pro-gun senator who has shifted his position on firearms laws since Friday’s carnage in Connecticut and has begun meeting top cabinet officials to consider his options, his spokesman Jay Carney said. The killings of 26 people, including 20 children, at a Newtown elementary

(The bill) It’s going to be strong, and it’s going to be definitive. Dianne Feinstein US Senator

South Koreans cast their votes Wednesday in a tight and potentially historic presidential election that could result in Asia’s fourthlargest economy selecting its ﬁrst female leader. The ballot is a straight ﬁght between Park GeunHye, the conservative daughter of assassinated dictator Park ChungHee, and her liberal rival Moon Jae-In, the son of North Korean refugees. Opinion polls indicate the result could go either way.

NUMEROLOGY

$120K

was found by a A worker at a waste disposal site in Japan in a stream of pulverised rubbish. There were about a thousand 10,000 yen ($118) bills that came out of a pulveriser unscathed. Lisa Peterson (left) speaks to Michael Jones (2nd-L) as residents of Newtown meet therapy dogs Smartie Jones and Abbie Einstein on Tuesday. The purebred golden retrievers were among several dogs that came to Newtown to help residents cope with the shock of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shootings in which 20 kids and six teachers were killed. AFP/ROBERT MACPHERSON

school sent the country into shock, and may have shifted the political debate on firearms in US society, after years of gun lobby ascendancy. Carney said that Obama is “actively supportive” of an effort by Democratic Senator Dianne Feinstein to write a bill early next year to reintroduce a ban on deadly assault weapons that expired in 2004. Obama aides said after previous mass shootings that the president supported reintro-

ducing a ban on weapons like the one used by Adam Lanza to gun down six and seven-yearolds, but he never put political muscle behind such a push. Carney said Obama would also be interested in any move to ban high-capacity clips -magazines that hold dozens of rounds -- and to close the socalled “gun show loophole” that allows unlicensed individuals to sell guns privately. “He is heartened... by what we have all heard from some

Man in dock over killing of Chinese-Oz family

US audit uncovers more waste in Afghanistan

Group defiant over US ban on tackling whalers

SYDNEY: A 48-year-old man was committed to stand trial Wednesday over the high-proﬁle murder of a Chinese-Australian family of ﬁve who were bludgeoned to death inside their Sydney home. Robert Xie is charged with killing his Chinese-born brother-in-law Norman Lin, Lin’s wife Lily, her sister Irene, and two boys.

WASHINGTON: Almost $13 million in equipment designed to upgrade Afghanistan’s creaking power grid has been left mothballed in storage for lack of an installation plan, a US watchdog revealed. The State Department found a contractor was paid $5.76m to help the national power utility, but the work remains incomplete.

members of Congress who have been long-time opponents of gun control measures, commonsense gun control measures like the assault weapons ban and the like,” Carney said. Feinstein has said her bill would ban by name at least 100 military-style semi-automatic assault weapons, and would curb the transfer, importation and the possession of such arms. “It’s going to be strong, and it’s going to be definitive,” she said. AFP

NEWS BRIEFS LOS ANGELES: US conservation group Sea Shepherd vowed Tuesday to ﬁght a US court order to stay at least 500 yards away from Japanese whaling ships, and to keep protecting whales “with our ships and our lives.” The injunction was ordered by the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. AFP

Mexico prison clash leaves 17 dead: official DURANGO, MEXICO: Eleven prisoners and six guards were killed Tuesday in armed clashes at a prison in northern Mexico that erupted when inmates attempted a jailbreak, state security ofﬁcials said. The clashes broke out as wardens were “thwarting the inmates’ attempted prison break” in the city of Gomez Palacio.

OZ SAYS SORRY Australia will formally apologise for the forced adoption of tens of thousands of babies born mostly to unmarried mothers between the 1950s and 1970s, the government said Wednesday. Attorney-General Nicola Roxon said the apology for the adoptions, driven largely by religious groups in the post-war period, would be given on March 21 in Parliament House, Canberra. “The government recognises the pain and suffering of those affected by these policies and practices,” Roxon said.

They (doctors) say there is no crisis, but add that they are in no hurry to send him home just yet until they are satisfied that he has made sufficient progress. Jacob Zuma about Nelson Mandela

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 19, 2012

Technology FUTURE TECH

Smells like geek spirit SPEED IT UP

New IBM computing devices will allow touch and smell.

uture computing devices will push further into the senses by developing capacities to mimic the ability to see, smell, touch, taste and hear, IBM says in an annual forecast Monday. The seventh annual “IBM 5 in 5,” a list of innovations that have the potential to have an impact in the next five years, said computers and other devices will gain more capabilities to simulate the human senses. IBM said computers may be able to use algorithms to determine the precise chemical structure of food and why people like certain tastes. “Not only will it make healthy foods more palatable — it will also surprise us with unusual pairings of foods actually designed to maximise our experience of taste and flavour,” the computing giant said. “In the case of people with special dietary needs such as individuals with diabetes, it would develop flavours and recipes to keep their blood sugar regulated, but satisfy their sweet tooth.” IBM predicted that in the next five years, tiny sensors embedded in computers or cell phones will detect if someone is coming down with a cold or other illness, by analysing odours, biomarkers and thousands of molecules in someone’s

These tools will also help doctors diagnose and monitor the onset of ailments such as liver and kidney disorders. breath. These tools will also help doctors diagnose and monitor the onset of ailments such as liver and kidney disorders, asthma, diabetes and epilepsy, according to the IBM report. For touch, IBM says new tactile, infrared and pressure sensitive technologies will allow people to simulate touch, such as the texture and weave of a fabric, over a mobile device. “Utilizing the vibration capabilities of the phone, every object will have a unique set of vibration patterns that represents the touch experience,” IBM said, pointing out the potential for retail and

health care sectors. IBM said computers are also developing improved capacities to detect and analyse sounds. “Within five years, a distributed system of clever sensors will detect elements of sound such as sound pressure, vibrations and sound waves at different frequencies,” IBM said. “It will interpret these inputs to predict when trees will fall in a forest or when a landslide is imminent.” “Baby talk” will be understood as a language, according to IBM, helping parents or doctors understand what infants are trying to communicate. The IBM outlook says another key area for computer innovation will be the ability to analyse visual data, or “see.” “Computers today only understand pictures by the text we use to tag or title

them; the majority of the information — the actual content of the image — is a mystery,” said IBM. “In the next five years, systems will not only be able to look at and recognise the contents of images and visual data, they will turn the pixels into meaning, beginning to make sense out of it similar to the way a human views and interprets a photograph.” These applications will be able to help analyse images such as X-rays or body scans, but also have an impact on industries from retail to agriculture. “IBM scientists around the world are collaborating on advances that will help computers make sense of the world around them,” said Bernie Meyerson, IBM fellow and vicepresident of innovation. “Just as the human brain relies on interacting with the world using multiple senses, by bringing combinations of these breakthroughs together, cognitive systems will bring even greater value and insights, helping us solve some of the most complicated c h a l lenges.” AFP

DARPA is working on creating a 100Gbps internet connection for the US army stationed in Afghanistan. They will need to create proprietary technology to reach the goals as current wireless standards restrict the speed of transmission. The primary goal is to reduce the lag while communicating with drones and other military hardware remotely. DARPA clearly states that the 100GB programme is for US military use — but it’s hard to ignore the repercussions it might have on commercial networks, too. It needs to be seen if the military will leave the infrastructure behind whenever they pull back troops from the country.

LOST NO MORE

iPhone users were so relieved when Google finally launched their Maps app for iOS devices that they downloaded it right away. According to latest info from Google, the app has been downloaded more than 10 million times in the first two days! Apple launched their own maps app when they released iOS6, but it came under fire for inaccurate information and crude imagery. iPhone maps had a better interface and the company is currently working on improving the data.

Malware threat It sucks to use a computer in Iran. First, they need to put up with all the malware that is targeted at Iranian computers and secondly, their government doesn't allow users to check any of the interesting websites in the world. To add to all that misery, a new malware goes ahead and wipes out whole harddisks! Dubbed Batchwiper, the malware systematically wipes any drive partitions starting with the letters D, along with any files stored on the desktop of the user logged in when executed, according to security researchers who independently confirmed the findings.

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 19, 2012

Comment Hope is the best possession. None are completely wretched but those who are without hope. Few are reduced so low as that.

DELHI RAPE CASE

HENRY MORALES Agence France-Presse

t its peak, the Maya civilisation had one of the richest cultures in the Americas. Today, ethnic Mayas in central America and Mexico suffer from discrimination, exploitation and poverty. In Guatemala, where nearly half of the population is indigenous, descendants of the once-mighty ancient civilization have even fallen victims to genocide. The rich Mayan culture will be in the global spotlight Friday when revelers — and doomsday watchers — will mark the end of a 5,200-year era as sketched out in the elaborate Mayan calendar. But the plight of indigenous Mayas in the region will likely go undiscussed. "The indigenous population was always seen as cheap labor and this persists to this day," said Guatemalan anthropologist Alvaro Pop, a member of the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues. "They are seen as a tool and are not the focus of public policies." The Maya civilization reached its peak between the years 250 and 900, but then slipped into decline around 1200. Three centuries later, during Spanish colonization, the Mayas were dispossessed of their lands and reduced to poverty as well as servitude. Today, there are currently an estimated 20 to 30 million direct descendants of the ancient civilization living in southern Mexico, Belize, Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala, where the indigenous group is most prevalent. In Guatemala, ethnic Mayas often find themselves on the margins of society, with limited access to education, health care and other basic services.

WE HAVE BUILT A RAPIST’S PARADISE FUSILLADE

William Hazlitt Essayist

Mayans marginalised

HIGH-FLYING THOUGHTS

Age matters not if you have the pedigree. The latest recruit for the spring/summer 2013 Burberry campaign is David and Victoria Beckham’s second oldest son, Romeo Beckham. In an advert, shot by Mario Testino, wearing a trench coat and shirt and tie, Romeo stole the show, says Burberry's chief creative officer, Christopher Bailey.

Arun Koshy Philip

journalist friend’s social network post on the Delhi bus rape made some scathing observations, and correctly so, about how the nation is truly ‘outraged’ only sexual violence occurs in the heart of political and economic powerhouses. Society and what we call “the system” are equally responsible for the state of sexual siege the women of this country are forced to live under. Newspapers come up with illustrations of statistics and news channels line up ‘experts’ from different walks of life to hold prime time panel discussions on the deteriorating social conditions. There is a lot of drama and rage before cameras and mikes for a few days, then all is gradually forgotten — till another mauled female form is discovered abandoned and battling for life. Though psychologists may line up a host of reasons to explain the behaviour of perpetrators of sexual violence, it boils down to few basic reasons. n Societal endorsement of masculine aggression n Lack of airtight case-building

that will lead to conviction Flawed portrayal of women in popular culture n Outdated patriarchal social system that tends to punish the victim than the violator n An ultra-slow legal system that can be exploited to delay justice to the effect of denying it As long as we have ludicrous ‘out-of-court settlements’ for rape such as rapist agreeing to marry the victim, the justice system is taking a beating. This is an endorsement that the rape victim is in some way ‘contaminated’ and ‘unfit’ for leading a normal life. It also puts the victim at the mercy of the violator, who has already destroyed every minute element of selfrespect she possessed. Every act of sexual intercourse after such a wedding is nothing short of n

There is a lot of drama and rage before cameras and mikes for a few days, then all is gradually forgotten. socially-endorsed rape. The absence of quick legal redress ensures that the victim is forced to put up with inordinate delays as case hearings are postponed and mental wounds stay raw and open. And thanks to

the media attention (which usually goes overboard), every last bit of privacy of the victim goes for a toss — making a return to normal life even more difficult. From policemen, politicians and social workers, we need to go miles in terms of treating cases of sexual violence with sensitivity. There is no dearth of top cops and politicians who shift the blame on victims’ tight clothes and loose morals. Above all, the lack of a punishment that serves as a deterrent to rapists is the biggest inducement for the perpetrators

to continue their brutal hobby with impunity. I reiterate my call, from an earlier column, for surgical castration of rapists. If there is anything that can deter the rapist, it is the permanent destruction of the supply chain that powers the macabre hunt. I know this is not a permanent solution. However, with predators reduced to paper tigers, forced to live in self-loathing for the rest of their lives, the world becomes a better place for the fairer sex.

EDITORIALS Kiran’s bold words All you need is love, Jones

obody can blame Chief Minister Kiran Kumar reddy for getting worked up by the covert game played by his one-time friend Asaduddin Owaisi and rival Jagan Mohan Reddy to uproot the Congress in the next general elections. His going hammer and tongs at Jagan and Owaisi in his public meeting in Anakapalli yesterday is seen as an injured man who wants to rebuke his rival for hitting below the belt. His stance that Jagan deserves no sympathy is in tune with the majority feelings in the Congress camp though many are afraid of Jagan’s YSRC hurting them in elections in Rayalaseema and parts of Coastal Andhra. Kiran contends that the late YS Rajasekhara Reddy had manipulated the state machinery to carve out a larger than life image for himself which is being ruthlessly exploited by Jagan now. Kiran is also snubbing Owaisi and his party, the MIM, as a pygmy in the Andhra Pradesh politics. It seems that Kiran would gamble and take a chance in the next general elections. After all, luck favours the brave.

READERS’ VIEWS

ot in his worst nightmares he saw this coming. In fact, he could be in trauma after living his worst possible nightmare. Pastor Terry Jones, the man who shot to the limelight with incendiary remarks against Muslims and his attempt to burn the Qur’an, was drowned out by the very crowd that he was preaching to in New York when they started singing. Terry Jones was dishing out about the sins of Islam, a man started singing John Lennon’s All you need is love. And as his singing grew louder, the crowd joined him, silencing the inﬂammatory Jones. See what music can do?

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 19, 2012

Cinema

CAP MISSING

Actor Charlie Sheen has reportedly gave his priceless baseball cap to actor Zac Efron while he was drunk. Sheen had bought the cap in an auction, which has estimated worth of 1.6 million pound and was signed by baseball legand Babe Ruth, and handed it over to Efron during a night out.

GET THE POPCORN READY

JINGLE ALL THE WAY HEMANTH KUMAR hemanth.k@postnoon.com

Hollywood’s fascination with Christmas is an age old phenomenon. From It’s a Wonderful Life to the recent made-for-TV movie, A Fairly Odd Christmas, there have been umpteen films which have become a staple diet for movie buffs on the eve of Christmas. Here’s a list of few such films, with a twist.

DIE HARD

Bruce Willis starrer Die Hard is one of the greatest action movies ever made and since its release in 1988, this John McTiernan’s film has inspired several sequels and parodies. Bruce Willis stars as NYPD detective John McClane who flies to LA to meet his estranged wife at a Christmas party. But a group of terroists who lay seige to a building becomes an obstacle and Willis ends up saving the day single-handedly.

HOME ALONE

Macaulay Culkin was a rage back in the 90s, thanks to his role as a kid who gets stuck in his house on the eve of Christmas in Kevin McCallister’s popular film Home Alone. Culkin plays Kevin, an eightyear-old boy, who is left behind by mistake when his family flies to Paris for Christmas and soon he encounters a couple of thieves who break into his house. Home Alone is hilarious and the film hasn’t lost its sheen since the time of its release.

The Rise of the Guardians When an evil spirit known as Pitch lays down the gauntlet to take over the world, the immortal Guardians must join forces for the first time to protect the hopes, beliefs and imagination of children all over the world. The film tells a story about the Guardians — Santa Claus, the Tooth Fairy, the Easter Bunny, and the Sandman, who enlist Jack Frost to stop Pitch from engulfing the world in darkness. It features the voices of Chris Pine (Jack Frost), Alec Baldwin (Santa Claus), Hugh Jackman (The Easter Bunny), Isla Fisher (The Tooth Fairy) and Jude Law (Pitch).

DID YOU KNOW... THE SNOWMAN

Dianne Jackson’s animated film The Snowman is a definitive Christmas movie about a boy who builds a snowman on a winter’s day and a miracle occurs as the snowman comes alive. The boy and the snowman strike an unlikely bond and then they fly over the town and meet Santa Claus. The film comes to an end when the snowman melts after the sun rises the next day and the boy mourns the death of his friend. The film was nominated for Best Animated Short Film at Academy Awards in 1982.

GREMLINS Joe Dante’s Gremlins, a horror comedy film which released in 1984, added a new twist to Christmas movies with its quirky story of a young man who receives a strange creature called as mogwai as a Christmas present. The film starring Zach Galligan, Phoebe Cates and Hoyt Axton was produced by Steven Spielberg and the film was particularly noted for its dark humour and special effects. Apart from its boxoffice success, the film’s merchandise was also a major hit with the audience.

MOVIE OF THE WEEK

LOVE ACTUALLY It’s Christmas, love is in the air and there’s no better feeling than snuggling with your loved ones and watch one of the best romantic films of our generation — Love Actually. Directed by Richard Curtis, the film is an ensemble of ten different love stories starring prominent actors like Hugh Grant, Liam Neeson, Colin Firth, Laura Linney, Emma Thompson, Alan Rickman, Keira Knightley. Set just few weeks before Christmas, the film delves into the various aspects of love in the lives of its characters.

Tom Hardy accepted the role of Bane in The Dark Knight Rises without reading the script. He was verbally told that he would have unprecedented access to extensive stunt training and equipment that he could enjoy knocking around. To prepare for his role as Bane, Tom Hardy gained 30 pounds in weight, and studied various fighting styles to use in the film.

TRENDING...

BAD SANTA Terry Zwigoff’s Bad Santa is a crime comedy starring Billy Bob Thornton, Bernie Mac, and Lauren Graham and it narrates a twisted tale of a mall santa, who robs the mall after its working hours along with his friend. Billy Bob Thornton is almost perfect in his role as a hard drinking, chain smoking and bullying santa who is won over by a kid he has ever met. Bad Santa is as bizarre a Christmas movie can get, but that’s the beauty of this film.

Filmmaker Martin Scorsese has signed on to shoot a TV documentary about former US president Bill Clinton. “President Clinton is one of the most compelling ﬁgures of our time, whose world view and perspective, combined with his uncommon intelligence, make him a singular voice on the world stage,” Richard Plepler, the executive told The Wrap.

The Toronto Film Critics Association has named The Master, Paul Thomas Anderson’s cultleader drama, as the year’s best ﬁlm. Michael Haneke’s Amour and Kathryn Bigelow’s Zero Dark Thirty emerged in the voting as the runner-ups. Anderson also got top honors for best director and best screenplay.

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 19, 2012

spotlight

JUST FOR THE LADIES

10 Downing Street is hosting Ladies Night tonight at the pub. So, ladies head to the pub to dance the night away.

GO FOR GLAMOUR

Live an elegant life Indian Luxury Expo 2012 that is on at N Convention centre had a slew of celebrities and socialites turning up. Spotted were Naga Chaitanya, Lakshmi Manchu and others. 1

A starry evening 3

The audio release of Nayak saw A-listers like Allu Arjun and Pawan Kalyan gracing the occasion. The movie stars Ram Charan, Kajal Aggarwal and Amala Paul.

4 1

2 1 Naga Chaitanya 2 Manoj, Nirmala Devi,

Lakshmi Manchu and Mohan Babu 3 Radhika, Shilpa

4 Sirisha, Ranjini 5 Kaali Sudheer 6 Shreyan 7 Akhila 8 Revathy

1 Ram Charan,

Pawan Kalyan

2 Kajal Aggarwal 3 Upasana 4 Amala Paul 5 Allu Arjun

S BALAKRISHNA

CARNIVAL TIME

GET TOGETHER

Friends of Sherry Zaveri took time out to be part of the dinner party that she hosted at her residence on Tuesday night.

1 Sherry Zaveri, Aleem 2 Siraj

3 Zia Ansari 4

Sunila

A curtain raiser to Funival featuring hot air balloon ride, games, international cuisines and juke box was organised at the N Convention where Shilpa Reddy made her presence felt. Funival will held at HITEX Grounds from December 20to 23.

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 19, 2012

health

BLUE CHEESE GOOD FOR HEART

Roquefort cheese or blue cheese, conspicuous by its mould and blue-green veins, has anti-inflammatory properties which could ward off heart diseases, says a new finding. The cheese, which is aged in caves of Southern France, could perhaps explain why the French enjoy good health despite a diet high in saturated fat.

ADDICTIONS

If sex addiction is looked at as a taboo and patients cannot openly speak about it to anyone or seek therapy, it could lead to anti-social behavior, doctors say.

ARE YOU A SEX

ADDICT? DEEPASHRI V

deepashri.v@postnoon.com

he statistics of sex and porn addiction compiled by Operation Integrity, a site dedicated to help people overcome various addictions, from various data and statistics sites, is startling. Over two billion email exchanges per day are pornographic. Every second, 28,258 internet users are viewing pornography on the net. Over $97 billion was generated in pornography revenues worldwide in 2006. Devika Rani Kakarala, psychologist and director of Amrita Foundation Society, de-addiction and counseling centre, recollects a case she handled five years ago. An IT professional had come to her for counseling after he lost his job for watching porn in office. Even though he was caught, he could not stop his obsessive behaviour. “Sex addicts show a lot of deviant behaviour (unhealthy sexual behaviour). It could involve watching people change clothes, unhealthy masturbation or watching intimate acts.” she said. “Their thoughts are only related to sex and sexual activities. These obsessive thoughts lead to compulsive behaviour.” While there are cases where the person is aware of his condition and is supported by his or her family to seek therapy, there are also cases where addiction to sex can lead to rape. Like alcohol, drug or other

ANEWS PP-LYBRIEFS YOURSELF

addictions, sex addicts also require proper treatment. For them, it is obsessive craving that overcomes them. And we don’t live in a society where one can openly discuss sexual disorders or urges. “They can’t express it or suppress it,” said Sheetal Bidkar, clinical psychologist at Phoenix Foundation, a drug addiction and rehabilitation centre. “After he expresses his feelings (admits he is a sex addict) he experiences extreme shame and depression.” Bidkar said lack of information is the main cause of taboo. Most addicts don’t know where to get help from and end up spending a major portion of their salary in the wrong outlets on the internet. If they suppress it for a long time, they become aloof and isolated from the society. They are always under stress or anxiety. Talking about treatment, Bidkar said cognitive behavioural therapy is used. Patients are put through a 12step programme, like with any other addiction, where the first step is to admit they have a problem. Core beliefs behind this behaviour are addressed. Peer groups of people facing similar problems can help addicts cope, she said. But if the symptoms are not recongnised and treated on time, addicts can become sadistic. They could resort to exhibitionism (display of sexual organs in public) or forcing their partners to have sex, and derive pleasure out of inflicting pain on others. It could slowly lead to other mental illnesses like bipolar personality disorder, said psychologists.

HOUSECALL

BetterBrain

Loiasis

Improve your fluid intelligence with this app. Fluid intelligence is the ability to reason and solve new problems independently of previously acquired knowledge. With BetterBrain you practice challenging memory tasks where you have to remember simultaneously audio and visual events.

Loa loa filariasis (also known as loiasis) is a skin and eye disease caused by the nematode worm, loa loa. Humans contract this disease through the bite of a Deer fly or Mango fly, the vectors for Loa loa. The adult worm migrates throughout the subcutaneous tissues, occasionally crossing into the eye. Loa loa does not normally affect one's vision but can be painful when moving about the eyeball.

Fact file n Sex addiction is an uncontrollable urge towards sexual activities. n If this feeling is suppressed and not treated, it could lead to sadism or other mental disorders. n Once they realise they have a problem, addicts can experience extreme guilt, depression or shame. n Cognitive behavioural therapy is used to treat sex addicts. Anonymous groups where they can discuss their problem with other peers can help.

DID YOU KNOW? Some babies are born with teeth One out of every 2,000 newborn infants has a tooth when they are born. Nursing mothers may cringe at this fact. Sometimes the tooth is a regular baby tooth that has already erupted and sometimes it is an extra tooth that will fall out before the other set of choppers comes in.

PIONEERS Julio Palmaz Julio Palmaz is a doctor of vascular radiology at University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio. He is known for inventing the balloonexpandable stent, for which he received a patent filed in 1985. It was recognised in Intellectual Property International Magazine as one of “Ten Patents that Changed the World” in the last century. He continues to innovate on his initial designs.

health WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 19, 2012

RESEARCH

BREAKTHROUGH

2 cups of cow’s milk daily can maintain vit D levels

Bullying affects children

The study also suggested that children with darker skin pigmentation may not have enough vitamin D stores during the winter months. TORONTO: Two cups of cow’s milk a day is the exact quantity required by most children to maintain adequate vitamin D and iron levels, scientists say. The most common question parents often ask is how much milk they should be giving their kids. “We started to research the question because professional recommendations around milk intake were unclear and doctors and parents were seeking answers,” said Dr Jonathon Maguire, a pediatrician at St Michael’s Hospital and lead author of the study. Maguire and his team looked at how cow’s milk affected body stores of iron and vitamin D - two of the most important nutrients in milk - in more than 1,300 children aged two to five years. They found that children who drank more cow’s milk had higher Vitamin D stores but lower iron stores. “We saw that two cups of cow’s milk per day was enough to maintain adequate vitamin D levels for most children, while also maintaining iron stores. With additional cow’s milk, there was a further reduction in iron stores without greater benefit from vitamin D,” Maguire said in a statement. The researchers recruited healthy children during routine doctor’s appointments between 2008 and 2010. Parents were asked to fill out an extensive questionnaire about their children’s milk drinking habits and other factors that could affect iron and Vitamin D stores. A blood sample was obtained from each child to determine body stores of iron and Vitamin D. The study also suggested that children with darker skin pigmentation may not have enough vitamin D stores during the winter months. Maguire suggested that instead of consuming more milk to increase these levels, wintertime vitamin D supplementation may be a more appropriate way of increasing vitamin D stores while preserving iron stores. “Vitamin D deficiency in children has been linked to bone health issues and iron

STUDY

deficiency has been linked to anaemia and delays in cognitive development,” Maguire said. “Being able to answer parent’s questions about healthy cow’s milk intake is important to avoiding these potentially serious

complications of low vitamin D and iron stores,” Maguire added. The Canadian Paediatric Society recommends that cow’s milk not be started before one year of age. The study appeared in journal Pediatrics today. PTI TORONTO: Bullying by peers at school may bring on mental health problems for children later by altering the expression of a gene involved in regulating mood. "Many people think that our genes are immutable. However this study suggests that social environment can affect their functioning," said Isabelle Ouellet-Morin, professor at the University of Montreal and Centre for Studies on Human Stress (CSHS) at the Hopital Louis-H. Lafontaine. "This is particularly the case for victimisation experiences in childhood, which change not only our stress response but also the functioning of genes involved in mood regulation," adds Ouellet-Morin, who led the study, the journal Psychological Medicine reports. A previous study by OuelletMorin, conducted at the Institute of Psychiatry in London, UK, showed that bullied children secrete less cortisol — the stress hormone — but had more problems with social interaction and aggressive behaviour. The study indicates that the reduction of cortisol, which occurs around the age of 12, is preceded two years earlier by a change in the structure surrounding a gene (SERT) that regulates serotonin, a neurotransmitter involved in mood regulation and depression, according to a Montreal statement. IANS

Women can nag men into shape L O N D O N : Nagging your husband to lose weight works better for women than cajoling or persuading him, a new study has found. Research proves that men are much more likely to lose weight if their other

halves criticise, confront and reject them, rather than offer sugar-coated encouragement. US researchers found that men who went on diet or exercised half-heartedly got much better results if their wives gave them a tongue lashing. But the

same approach does not work for women, it appears, the Journal of Family Psychology reports. They found women regularly criticised by their partner for gaining extra pounds were unlikely to take action, according to the Daily Mail.

Psychologists from UCLA, Southern Methodist University, Dallas and Florida State University, said that women already face such intense pressure from society to remain slim that a few harsh words from their husbands are unlikely to

make much difference. The findings establish that giving negative feedback can sometimes have positive benefits in a relationship. The researchers came up with the results after studying weight gain in newlywed couples. IANS

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 19, 2012

Entertainment SETTLING OLD SCORES

RAM CHARAN vents his ire on media!

CINE BYTES

Yamudiki Mogudu postponed?

llari Naresh, Richa Panai starrer Yamudiki Mogudu is likely to be postponed due to post production delays. E Satti Babu has directed the ﬁlm and it was supposed to release on December 22. However, there’s still a lot of CG work left to be done. The ﬁlm is a socio-fantasy and it narrates the story of a commoner who falls in love with Lord Yama’s daughter.

Mahesh Babu praises Mickey J Meyer

t was a sight to behold at the audio launch of Ram Charan’s upcoming film Naayak on December 17 in Hyderabad. Chiranjeevi, who was supposed to grace the event, was busy with a meeting in Delhi and instead the audience was in for a pleasant surprise as Pawan Kalyan walked in as the chief guest of the event. Soon after the event began, the mood turned electric and all eyes were on what Pawan Kalyan would say during his speech. But it was Ram Charan who made heads turn with his emotionally charged speech about his family and in the process he vented his ire on the media for writing baseless rumours about his family. Earlier this year, when Pawan Kalyan didn’t attend the audio launch of Racha, it triggered rumours about differences between Chiranjeevi and Pawan Kalyan. The issue became a hot topic in the industry and to put an end to all

such rumours, Ram Charan said, “There were several rumours in the media after my uncle Pawan Kalyan didn’t attend one of the events. For that matter, he might not even attend my next film's function but that doesn’t mean that he has distanced from us. Our relationship will not be affected just because of a baseless story in a news channel or newspaper. My family and mega fans have a 35-year-old of relationship and it’ll not suffer by such baseless rumours and stories. I treat them like a strand of my hair.” Although his speech raised many eyebrows at the event, perhaps it was Ram Charan’s intention to put all the rumours about his family to rest once and for all. Naayak stars Ram Charan, Kajal Aggarwal and Amala Paul in lead roles. VV Vinayak has directed the film. Thaman has scored the music. The film is likely to hit the screens on January 9.

ahesh Babu is all praises for music director Mickey J Meyer, who has composed music for Seethamma Vaakitlo Sirimalle Chettu. “Svsc audio gets an outstanding response.:) :) thank you mickey for giving ur best.....:) u deserve every bit if it... :) In my opinion , d album of svsc. Is a masterpiece...(sic),” Mahesh Babu posted on Twitter.

Gajaraju set to release on December 21

ajaraju, the Telugu version of the recent Tamil film Kumki, is going to release on December 21. Bellamkonda Suresh is distributing the film in Andhra Pradesh. Vikram Prabhu and Lakshmi Menon are playing the lead roles in this film which is the story of a mahut. Prabhu Solomon has directed the film and Imman has composed the music.

Entertainment WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 19, 2012 Nambiar shoots ‘David’ sequence in black and white

irector Bejoy Nambiar, who is busy with his bilingual venture David, has shot a part of it in black and white to make the film interesting. The film stars Neil Nitin Mukesh, Vinay Virmani, Monica Dogra, Isha Sharvani and Vikram. There are three stories in David, one of which is set in London in 1975. IANS

No Mogambo in ‘Mr. India’ sequel

Naseer shoots at ‘Kabhi Haan...’ church

aseeruddin Shah, who played Father Braganza in Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa went back to shoot in the same church for his film John Day after 18 years. In Kundan Shah’s Kabhi Haan..., the 62-yearold played a peace loving priest. IANS

ilmmaker Boney Kapoor clarifies that he is planning a sequel to 1987 hit Mr. India and not a remake and added that he would introduce a new villain in the film. In the original, Amrish Puri played the baddie Mogambo and his performance was one of the high points of the sci-fi comedy.IANS

A DIRECTOR’S CONVICTION

Sajid guarantees ticket crunch for ‘Himmatwala’

irector Sajid Khan, who is remaking the 1983-hit Himmatwala, guarantees that it will not be easy to get tickets for the film in the initial three days of its release. “We will talk about Himmatwala in the press conference of Himmatwala. But please watch Himmatwala, I guarantee you will not get tickets for the first three days,” the 41-yearold said . Asked about his place as judge of a dance reality show, Sajid said, “We judges are not experts in judging. There are better people than us who are experts in judging.” IANS

Entertainment WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 19, 2012

PARENTS APPROVAL

MOTHER DIDN’T CRITICISE ME FOR NUDE SCENES:

KRISTEN STEWART

ctress Kristen Stewart says watching herself in nude scenes in the movie On the Road with her mother was not embarrassing. The 22-year-old’s new film On the Road will hit the theatres on December 21. In the film, Stewart has intimate scenes with both Sam Riley and Garrett Hedlund and the brunette beauty said that her mother “loved it” instead of criticising her for doing them, reported Aceshowbiz. “That was really an interesting experience. For me, I think everyone was really happy that it took a few years for the movie to get made. My mum came to Cannes. She loved it. She was really proud,” Stewart said. But the actress says she hadn’t discussed the explicitly sensual scenes with her father. “I haven’t talked to my dad about it yet, really. I think Welcome to the Rileys was probably more difficult for a parent to watch. I was so sensitive about everything, after that film. That character really found its way under my skin. I was so overly sensitive about not just anything overtly sexual, but anything about a young girl. It rocked me, and I think my parents could probably feel that, as well. It was not something that we talked about,” she added. PTI

Zooey and Ben Gibbard are divorced year after Zooey Deschanel A filed for divorce from Ben Gibbard, the pair’s marriage is officially over. The New Girl star, 32, and Death Cab for Cutie crooner, 36, were divorced on December 12, according to court documents filed in Los Angeles Superior Court. “Unhappy and irreconcilable differences” have been cited as reason for divorce.

Franco to publish book of poems

ames Franco has revealed that he plans to publish a book of poetry. The actor has named his forthcoming collection of works Directing Herbert White. The 34year-old named his first book after the title of a poem he adapted from the works of White, according to the New York Times.

Quiet premiere for Django Unchained he planned Hollywood preT miere of Django Unchained that was to be held on Tuesday has been cancelled. “Our thoughts and prayers go out to the families of the tragedy in Newtown, Ct, and in this time of national mourning we have decided to forgo our scheduled event,” The Weinstein Company said in a statement.

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 19, 2012

Chai Time

Play & Win

Please send in your filled-in entries to Postnoon, #1246, Level 3, Jubilee Casa, Road No 62, Jubilee Hills, Hyderabad – 500033. The winners will be announced on this page in Sunday’s edition.

KAKURO How to play kakuro Kakuro is a popular game similar to sudoku in some ways. But is also suitably different. The key question: ‘How do you play kakuro?’, well here are the rules of kakuro. The answer: The kakuro grid, unlike in sudoku, can be of any size. It has rows and columns, and dark cells like in a crossword. And, just like in a crossword, some of the dark cells will contain numbers. Some cells will contain two numbers. However, in a crossword the numbers reference clues. In a kakuro, the numbers are all you get! They denote the total of the digits in the row or column refer-

QUICK CROSSWORD enced by the number. Within each collection of cells — called a run — any of the numbers 1 to 9 may be used but, like sudoku, each number may only be used once.Let’s have an example to explain this concept more clearly: In the image above, which shows a section of a kakuro puzzle, you will see the numbers ‘26’ and ‘14’ in the top row. Look at the 14. This means that the total of the three cells underneath must sum to 14. Therefore 9, 4, 1 could be the answer, or perhaps 7, 4, 3 and so

on... So, how do you work out the actual combination? Well, this is done through elimination and cross-referencing. For instance, as you work out the answers for other kakuro clues, this will naturally limit the valid combinations, and hence the answer for this particular run. Note the second cell in row two — it contains two numbers, 30 and 11. The 30 refers to the vertical run underneath the number 30 and the 11 refers to the two cells to the right, horizontally, of the number 11.

Play & Win

voucher from VENKEY’S VEG Restaurant, Nampally

ACROSS

SCRIBBLING PAD

Play & Win voucher from VENKEY’S VEG Restaurant, Nampally

SUDOKU

PREVIOUS PUZZLE ANSWER

Play & Win voucher from VENKEY’S VEG Restaurant, Nampally

1 Inexact recipe amount 5 Japanese rice wine 9 Calm periods 14 Land in the ocean 15 Personal flair 16 Be of use to 17 Thin wedge for leveling 18 It’s good to have these about you 19 G with a sax 20 Phrase of assured success 23 Church chorus 24 ‘Fargo’ word that rhymes with 25Across 25 ‘Well, ___-di- dah!’ 27 What a nod may mean 28 Side in checkers 31 Help settle disputes 34 Yard or garage events 36 End-of-the-book section, often 37 Pipe dream 40 In no time ___ (instantly) 42 Nomadic dwellings 43 In a hazardous or speculative manner 46 Nineteenth Greek letter

47 Constellation next to Scorpius 50 Ambulance letters 51 Tour de France thirst quencher 53 Played on TV again 55 Profitable again 60 Shady area 61 Stabilizing structure 62 Victim in Genesis 63 New ___, India 64 Pitchers’ stats 65 Item in a car trunk 66 Vegetable spreads 67 Name on Irish stamps 68 Compass point

DOWN 1 Loss of heart 2 ‘Ain’t That ___’ 3 Trombone parts 4 Hairy-chested ones 5 Stitched together 6 Landed 7 Oscar winner Bates 8 Pants length measurement 9 100,000 in India 10 Iris locale 11 Mrs. Hudson, to Sherlock Holmes 12 Marked with stripes 13 Clever like a fox 21 Hailing from Haifa,

perhaps 22 ‘Thar ___ blows!’ 26 Witch’s whammy 29 Yale student 30 Cub scout unit 32 Bother or agitate 33 Tattoo artist’s selections 34 Epitome of smoothness 35 Home for a hog 37 Just adequate 38 Jungle bungalow 39 The Roaring Twenties, eg 40 Am for more than one? 41 Hand drum 44 Hawaiian necklace 45 Doodle in music? 47 Middle East peninsula 48 Indy 500 entrants 49 Knee-high’s shorter cousin 52 Where embryos develop 54 Cheer up 56 Great Lakes salmon 57 ‘Me and Bobby McGee’ songwriter Kristofferson 58 Catch wind of 59 Otherwise 60 Trivial bother

Chai Time WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 19, 2012 Thiruvaikumar

STAR POWER for 20-12-2012

As per Hindu panchang thiruvaikumar@yahoo. co. in, 040-27177230 / 9177596118

ARIES

TAURUS

GEMINI

CANCER

LEO

VIRGO

LIBRA

SCORPIO

SAGITTARIUS

CAPRICORN

AQUARIUS

PISCES

Sweet talk will do wonders in getting all work done. Troubles at work place will disappear. At the same time avoid criticism about the management as it will spell lot trouble. Be careful while expressing opinions. Spouse's actions make your happy.

STRIP TEASE AGNES

You have to act with patience and full involvement in all undertaken work. Avoid venturing into new efforts for the time being. Never criticise experienced persons at work place. Plan everything with a time-bound schedule.

You have to put in tireless efforts to keep your growth graph moving up. Working with a greater level of self-confidence will yield good results. But avoid thinking you alone are the cause for all good things that took place so far.

Good effects will increase. At this juncture, it is necessary for you to avoid fake prestige and rigidity. Negligence in official work might spell trouble. Avoid arguments with superiors. Family will remain largely peaceful. Children will make you happy.

Your troubles will disappear and wishes get fulfilled. Problems at work place because of the rumour mongers will be over. Your skills will be recognised. Misunderstandings between you and your superiors too will disappear.

Patience alone can do good for you. Adopt slow-and-steady policy. Avoid dictating terms at work place to get co-operation from all. To keep the family peaceful it is necessary to adjust with all. Do not write off suggestions from spouse.

You will see career growth looking up as per expectations. Those who aim high will grow high. Abilities you have will be appreciated at wok place and be suitably rewarded. Elevation and pay hike likely to those who perform with distinction.

Act with caution to avoid any type of trouble in future. Avoid acting in haste, as it is not good for you at this point of time. Also, don't behave as if you alone know worldly issues. Obstacles in implementing growth plans can be achieved with hard work.

You will feel peaceful by acting with a good amount of patience. Never adopt a mentality that reflects that you alone can perform. Also, avoid acting in haste. You need to complete all work in time and direct handling. Avoid trusting others.

TAROT READ

Sumaa Tekur

tarotreadhyd@gmail. com

ARIES:

GEMINI:

Queen of Pentacles – You’re strong financially, and that is giving you the confidence to make certain tough decisions, whether it’s about living condition.

LEO:

Two of Cups – Singles will meet an attractive person from the opposite sex. The chemistry is immediate and you plan to tie the knot or deepen the commitment.

LIBRA:

PEARLS BEFORE SWINE

Six of Swords – Your foreign friends will be influencing the decisions you make in the immediate future. You get a bigger and better world view.

SAGITTARIUS:

The Chariot – Travel is on the cards. This will be an important journey when you meet interesting people who make an impact on your future life course.

TAURUS:

Ten of Pentacles – Family is in focus. This is when you spend lots of time with family and realise why your partner and you have stuck together.

CANCER:

The Sun – You’re feeling cheerful and on top of the world after a phase that wasn’t perhaps too good. You create your own reasons to smile and be happy.

VIRGO:

The Tower – Big changes are on the way and you may feel unsettled at first. Keep an open mind and change your perspective of things that are blocking your growth.

SCORPIO:

King of Wands – You’re in the mood to show off ideas and something new that you’ve learnt. A party at your house giving everyone a good time is a great idea.

CAPRICORN:

King of Swords – You’re cut and dried in your approach to everything in life. Family may be used to this but new acquaintances find it a bit strange.

PREVIOUS SOLUTIONS

PISCES:

Queen of Swords – It’s lonely at the top and where you are at the moment, you’re feeling a bit cut off from the rest of the group.

NUMBER GAME

ds – Thoughts and beliefs about the way things ought to be are coming in the way of your growth. You’re unable to break out of stifling situations.

SCRABBLE

AQUARIUS: Eight of Swor-

POOCH CAFE

Both your self-confidence and decision-making levels will be at a high. Unwanted apprehensions in the mind will disappear. However, there are chances of tension and memory loss. Proper planning and practice of yoga can help.

for 20-12-2012

Page of Pentacles – You’re feeling youthful and have new ideas that could change the course of your career. Plan well and take the risk. It will work in your favour.

NON SEQUITUR

Avoid dictating terms with anyone at office. Working with a lovable approach will yield great results. To keep the peacefulness at home, you have to adjust with all members in the family. Give respect to spouse's feelings.

SUDUKO

All disappointments will be over and you will climb the ladder of success on all fronts. Employees will relax as problems with colleagues will vanish. They will be courageous and feel with increased level of self-confidence. Avoid hasty actions.

Boggle ROOT LEAF TRUNK BRANCH FOLIAGE Vol: 2, No 153 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

Entertainment WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 19, 2012

IN HARMONY

CINE BYTES

Of Sisters and Songs SHALAKA PAI

n a cold winter night in Bangalore, the acoustic folk rock group, The Staves — Camilla, Emily and Jessica, the Staveley-Taylor sisters performed a sober yet compelling set that had their fans listening in attentive silence. This, only broken with cheering and comments on how beautiful they were, "we love you", the fans screamed out now and then. What was apparent in their performance apart from their neatly coordinated harmonies, the three were a bit too effortlessly comfortable with each other. Rather than sibling rivalry, the sisters view their relationship as a sort of advantage in the business they're in. "It is like three musicians. But there is an extra layer," said Emily. "You understand each other because you are really close. You can also understand all the references. If the guitar sounds like that song, I remember that song, when you were fourteen I remember you heard that song a hundred times. So we don't have to explain much because we have so many shared experiences," added Jessica. But it's not really like the sisters performed as children together, it was something that happened when they dwelt on what-to-do-withtheir-lives question. "When we were young, we only sang for fun. The first time we even performed together for was when we were around 20, it was a very casual thing, for our friends in a pub and then gigs happened." Reminiscing their growing years, the trio put their memories together to reveal growing years filled with

Wrestling with some lively music in the background, Elizabeth Soumya caught up with The Staves — the three crooning sisters from Watford, England at the Bacardi NH7 Festival, Bangalore.

music. "Our parents would always listen to music. They would sing and play the guitar. It sunk in from a young age. Our parents loved the Beatles, Simon and Garfunkel and Paul Simon,” remembered Jessica. "They also loved Queen and ABBA," reminded Camilla. Emily pitched in, "We were lucky to hear songs with harmony and very well written songs like Simon and Garfunkel. Yes lots of Queen." In the songwriting process, each of them does everything. Sometimes one writes most of a song about something personal, other times songs are changed with influences from all. Other times they collectively

write about something that they've all been through. "It's a mixture of everything really," explained Camilla. The trio's India tour was for a short span of three days. After performing in the Liberty theatre with artist Fink, they stopped over in Bangalore for an open air gig at the NH7 festival and wrapped up with a show in New Delhi. The Mumbai gig had been calmer and formal since the venue was an old theatre and a bit different from the Bangalore night, they said. Their debut album, Dead & Born & Grown, released in November, 2012 is now available on iTunes for in India, they informed. "It's an introduction to us musically. Some of the best songs we've written and the most recent songs we've written. The three of us are on the fore front, though there are drums, harmonica and guitars. It was all recorded live, so I'd say it's an honest sounding record and we're really proud of it," said Emily, while Jessica and Camilla nodded in agreement. https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=hYV0Wp0MdZ4

Rough pregnancy for Megan

egan Fox is the proud mum to baby Noah, who turns 3months-old on Thursday, but she admitted her pregnancy was so rough, she related to what Bella Cullen went through in The Twilight Saga. "It was so bad for me, actually, that I felt like I was maybe birthing a vampire baby, like the one from Twilight," Megan joked on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno on Monday to promote This is 40.

Lady Gaga under fire

ady Gaga is now under fire from a high profile Russian politician who is accusing her of “illegally” promoting gay rights in their country. Vitaly Milonov, an associate of President Vladimir Putin, is reportedly planning to file a lawsuit against the singer following her concert in his ruling district of St. Petersburg last Sunday.

Smurfs 2 trailer released

ony has released the first trailer for The Smurfs 2. The sequel is helmed by returning director Raja Gosnell. The Smurfs 2 will follow the CGI creatures on a mission with the help of their human friends to find Smurfette after she is taken by their evil nemesis Gargamel. The cast includes returning actors Neil Patrick Harris and Jayma Mays, as confirmed by Collider.

ELIZABETH SOUMYA

Entertainment WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 19, 2012

CHANGE IN COSTUME

CINE BYTES

Electro’s ‘Amazing Spider-Man 2’ costume won’t be green and yellow

Josh Hutcherson eyeing Pablo Escobar film

aradise Lost, a drama featuring Benicio Del Toro as drug lord Pablo Escobar, is negotiating with The Hunger Games’s Josh Hutcherson for the lead role. He’d play Nick, a young Irish surfer who visits his brother in Colombia. There he meets the love of his life — until he meets her uncle Pablo. The ﬁlm will be written and directed by Italian actor Andrea di Stefano.

Hacker sentenced to 10 year prison

hose hoping to see supervillain Electro’s traditional green and yellow costume in The Amazing Spider-Man 2 are in for a rude awakening. “It won’t be green and yellow,” said Jamie Foxx, tapped to play the supervillain in the upcoming Marvel sequel, during a recent interview with BlackFilm. “It will be a different colour. They [the producers] want something for the future. They want to have it more grounded and not as comic book-y, so it won’t be green and yellow. They want to try new things, like a liquid rubber and things like that, and there are all these bolts and stuff in my arms when they are hanging me upside down and trying to figure out what happen[ed]. How did he become this way? So, it will be some new stuff.” Marc Webb has signed on to return for the follow-up, in which returning stars Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone will be joined by franchise newcomers Foxx, Shailene Woodley (as Mary Jane Watson) and Chronicle‘s Dane DeHaan (as Harry Osborn). Production is scheduled for a February start in London.

lorida’s Christopher Chaney received a tenyear prison sentence on Monday, having pleaded guilty to hacking into celebrity e-mails and spreading their nude photos online. Chaney’s self-described addiction affected Scarlett Johansson, Mila Kunis, Christina Aguilera, and dozens more. “I don’t know what else to say except I’m sorry. This will never happen again,” Chaney said.

Sheen gets ‘thank you’ bouquet from Lohan

ctress Lindsay Lohan has sent a bouquet to her Scary Movie 5 co-star Charlie Sheen for financially helping her with money. Lohan, 26 got a major help from Sheen, when the latter payed approximately 62,500 pounds to fill the tax outstanding. However, Sheen had later expressed his displeasure at not being acknowledged by Lohan but has now received flowers from her.

sports

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 19, 2012

LEAGUE CRICKET

HYDERABAD TRACK WORK

Staying The Best, Bernabeu impress

HYDERABAD: Staying The Best, Zorro The Legend, Fortunate, Caladium, Molla, Symbol Of Beauty and Bernabeu impressed when the horses were excercised here this morning: Sand Track 800 Metres: Proof (rb) 57.5, 600/44 Moved on the bit. Staying The Best (N.Rawal) Montego Bay (Sai Kumar) 57, 600/41.5 Former finished 2 lengths in front. Saravagnya (rb) Symbol Of Victory (app) 1-0, 600/45 Former finished in front. Ruffiano (rb) 57 600/43 Moved well. Splendid Knock (app) Baba’s Gift (rb) 58, 600/44 Former finished in front. Zorro The Legend (M.Mark) 57, 600/42 Moved well. Silver Arnage (app) 1-2, 600/47 Easy. Zero Tolerance (rb) 58.5, 600/45 Easy. Great Guns (rb) Any Given Day (rb) 1-0, 600/45 They finished together. Strides Of Glory (N.Rawal) 57, 600/43 Moved well. Vijay Kiran (Deep Shanker) 57.5, 600/43.5 Unextended. Prince Of Arabia (S.Nayak) 1-3, 600/48 Easy. Paying Guest (Dileep) 58 600/42 Urged. Tico Tico (rb) Lots Of Love (Kiran Naidu) 1-1, 600/45 They finished together. Vendetta (Chary) Light Blue sky (Kiran Naidu) 58, 600/43 Former finished a length in front. Sand Track 1000 Metres: Fortunate (B.Shinde) Foudre Rouge (rb) 1-11.5, 800/55.5, 600/42 They moved together. Confidential (Chary) Star Experience (app) 111.5, 800/56.5, 600/42.5 Former finished a length in front. Don Valentino (rb) 1-18, 800/1-1 600/46 Easy. Sand track 1200 Metres: So Super (Kiran Naidu) 1-23.5, 1000/1-10.5, 800/57.5, 60/44

Pleased. Caladium (rb) Molla (C.Henrique) 131.5, 1000/1-15, 800/1-0, 600/45 Former finished in front. Symbol Of Beauty (rb) Bernabeu (C.Henrique) 1-26.5, 1000/1-10.5, 800/56.5, 600/42 Former finished 3 lengths in front. Sand 1400 Metres: Surya Lakshmi (Ramana) 1-46, 1400/400 in 1-10 Eased. Monsoon Inner Race Grass 800 Metres: Joel (Harinder Singh) 56, 600/41 Easy. Monsoon Inner Race Grass 1000 Metres: Apprise (rb) 1-10, 800/54, 600/41 Moved well. Amrapal (rb) 1-11, 800/54, 600/40 Moved well. Vijays Victory (app) Policy Maker (Harinder Singh) Black Bolt (Deep Shanker) Ranjah (Culhane) 1-15, 800/58.5, 600/42 They moved freely. Oscar Royal (rb) 1-7, 800/53, 600/40 Moved freely. Stolen Date (rb) 1-9.5, 800/55.5, 600/41.5 Moved well. August Kranti (Deep Shanker) Ray Of Hope (Culhane) 15, 800/51, 600/37 They moved well and finished together. Monsoon Inner Race Grass 1200 Metres: Mr.Khaoshteep (app) 120.5,1000/1-5.5, 800/51, 600/37.5 Impressed. Galiant (rb) 1-31, 1000/1-16, 800/1-0, 600/44 Moved freely. Sitting Pretty (rb) 1-15, 1000/1-2, 800/50, 600/37 Impressed. Monsoon Inner Race Grass 1600 Metres: Vijays Conquer (Culhane) 1-54, 1400/1-36, 1200/1-19, 1000/1-4.5, 800/53.5, 600/39.5 Pleased. Onti

BROTHER JOHN OF GOD U-14

Onti Onti (app) 1-51, 1400/1-35.5, 1200/1-20.5, 1000/1-5.5, 80051.5, 600/38.5 Moved attractively. Gate Practice 1200 Metres: Rosemead (Kuldeep Singh) Sherman Oaks (S.Nayak) Beau Ideal (Christopher) 1-22, 1000/1-7.5, 800/53.5, 600/39 They jumped out well. Chitrangada (C.Henrique) Any Given Time ( (app) Mr.Glorious (M.Mark) 1-19.5, 1000/1-2, 800/50, 500/37 They jumped out well last named was troublesome at the gates. Homely Helo (Culhane) Lady Luck (Togrolu) Tejaswini (Harinder Singh) Flames Of Forest (Deep Shanker) 1-16, 1000/1-3.5, 800/52, 600/39 They jumped out well and finished in close order. Twinklingofaneye (Chary) Alastor (app) Handsome Hawk (Anil) Girnar (app) Amber Sultan (K.Alam) Flip Side (Dileep) 1-22.5, 1000/1-.5, 800/56.5, 600/43 They took a level jump. Melody Queen (app) Hawkspring (B.Shinde) Squanderers Square (Sai Kumar) Home Town Hero (N.Rawal) 1-20, 1000/1-6.5, 800/52.5, 600/39 Last three were slowly off. Sun Strikes (app) Mukhtar (Dileep) Graceland (S.Nayak) Riverdale (Christopher) Globe Trotter (Kuldeep Singh) 121.5,1000/1-8, 800/55.5, 600/41.5 They jumped out well. Smashing Beauty (Chary) Classic Crown (rb) 1-21, 1000/1-5, 800/52.5, 600/40 They jumped out well and finished together. Power Drive (B.Shinde) Kohinoor Adhira (Anil) Kohinoor Desire (N.Rawal) Ancillery (Togrolu) Tricks Of Gold (P.Venkat) 1-18, 1000/1-3.5, 800/52, 600/38 They jumped out well and first named was the pick. Kohinoor Revanta (app) Kohinoor Destiny (N.Rawal) Nano Star (P.Vankat ) 1-17, 1000/13, 800/54, 600/39 Last named slowly off.

NBA

Heat beat Wolves

MIAMI, FLORIDA: Miami blew open a close contest with a 17-6 run in the fourth quarter as they beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 103-92 behind a 24-point performance from Dwyane Wade on Tuesday. LeBron James finished with 22 points and 11 assists for the reigning NBA champion Heat who captured their fourth victory in five games. Chris Bosh also scored 15 points to help the Heat prevail in front of a crowd of 19,862 at the American Airlines Arena. The Heat won despite being out-rebounded by 52-24 and outscored in the paint 58-36. “At end of the third and fourth quarter our offense was much more efficient,” said

Miami coach Erik Spoelstra. “It is uncanny how they (Minnesota) are able to rebound like that. When we needed it we finally made the adjustments and got some team rebounds.” Miami shot a superb 52 percent (13-of-25) from three-point range as Mario Chalmers hit four-of-six from beyond the arc. Chalmers had 12 points and Shane Battier went three-ofseven from three-point range. Andrei Kirilenko had 22 points to pace the Minnesota attack. Nikola Pekovic finished with 18 points and 12 rebounds for the Timberwolves who lost their second straight after compiling a season-best four-game win streak. AFP

Dwyane Wade #3 of the Miami Heat dunks during a game against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Tuesday. AFP

Medak 311/3 (Faizal 147 n.o., Anand 83) bt Delhi School of Excellence 40 (Srinivas 4/11). Gurukul Vidyapeeth 133/8 (M. Somasekhar 52, Ravi 3/20) lost to Laurel HS 134/9 (Hari Hari 33, M. Somasekhar 4/20, Nandi Vardha 3/14). DAV PS 45 (Zubair 4/10) lost to Mahboobnagar 46/2. Karthikeya Concept HS 78 (Sanjay 3/27, Aahan Reddy 4/13, Irfan 3/21) lost to Royal High School 79/1(MAR Arshad 32) Nagarjuna High School 81 lost to Khammam 82/6. Takshashila High School Malkajgiri 169 (Vijay Rohit 34, Indra Dhanush 33, Vigneshwar 4/19, Junaid Ali 3/34) lost to Bhavans Sri Ramakrishna Vidyalaya 171/5 (Vigneshwar 34, Vishu Naik 44).

St Josephs High School 159/9 (Vikas 54, Pratyush 43, Sandeep 3/29, Mukesh 6/12) bt Medak 72 (Pratyush 4/16).

A DIVISION TWO-DAY

Vijay Hanuman 214 (Zakir 64, Aman Chordia 30, Akshay Sharma 5/34) lost to P&T Colony 216/6 (Akshay Sharma 35, Uttam Kumar 83, Chandrashekar 6/58). A4-A11 divison one-day Apex CC 182 (S Pasha 60, Syed Ghouse 3/12) lost to Aggarwal Seniors 186/5 (Mahboob 38, Hashim 50). Classic 200/7 (Salam 40, Nusrath 102, Adam 53, Vinay Kumar K 5/40) lost to Ameerpet 201/6 (Santosh 93, Himanshu 33, Santosh Patil 30). Lal Bahadur PG 106 (Devrath Singh 35, Hameed 5/32) lost to SUCC 107/3 (Mustafa 50 n.o., Devrath Singh 3/28).

POST VICTORY

Pietersen set to be offered full contract LONDON: Kevin Pietersen is set to be offered a full central contract by the ECB after team director Andy Flower was impressed by the right-hander’s on and off-field behaviour and contribution in the historic Test series win in India. Pietersen’s successful reintegration into England’s dressing room will be officially acknowledged with the award of his full contract at the end of ongoing tour of India. Flower confirmed that the extension of Pietersen’s four-month contract is all but a formality. “The contract won’t be a problem, Kevin has been excellent in every way,” Flower said after England defeated India 2-1 in the justconcluded four-Test away series. “We don’t all always get on with people all of the time, in any walk of life, and everyone has made an effort to make it work. It’s been really good fun and he should be very proud of the way he’s operated out here both as an individual and as a player,” the former Zimbabwe captain added. Flower knows the value of Pietersen’s 186-run knock in the second Test in Mumbai, and said his innings played a big role in England’s turnaround in the series after the crushing defeat in the first Test in Ahmedabad. “In that Test (Mumbai) he

showed real skill in Indian conditions on a pitch that turned on the first day,” Flower was quoted as saying by The Daily Telegraph. “For him to score as quickly as he did there and put such pressure on the opposition bowlers really helped us turn the series around,” Flower said. “He also scored a 73 and a 54 in the series, important innings, and he’s been excellent in the field and in the dressing room,” he added. Pietersen was on a four-month trial after being welcomed back into the team following his banishment for sending provocative texts about team-mates to South African players. But for Flower the episode was a thing of the past now. “We did move on from it as soon as we had our meetings and everyone made a commitment to do so,” he said. “I want to continue that. We want to learn from the past but we don’t want to keep on revisiting it.” PTI

sports

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 19, 2012

ROAD TO RECOVERY

Clarke in race to be fit

SYDNEY: Australian captain Michael Clarke is confident he will be fit for the second Test against Sri Lanka and started an intensive physio campaign Wednesday to overcome a hamstring strain. Clarke suffered the twinge in his team’s 137-run win over the tourists in Hobart this week and he is racing the clock to recover in time for the next encounter in Melbourne from December 26. “I know I’m in great hands with (team physio) Alex (Kountouris) and I know how great a physio he is,” said Clarke, who reclaimed the top spot in the ICC Test batsman rankings released Tuesday evening. Clarke, who entered the Hobart Test trailing Shivnarine Chanderpaul by just one ratings point, now leads the West Indian by nine points after knocks of 74 and 57. “Obviously my preparation will be a little bit different to the lead-up to this Test match but I’ve done a fair bit of batting throughout the summer so I’m confident,” he added. The prolific Clarke needs just 55 runs to equal Ricky Ponting’s Australian record of 1,544 Test runs in a calendar year, set in 2005. The Melbourne Test is the last chance to overhaul his now retired former team-mate. AFP

NEW ZEALAND’S TOUR OF SOUTH AFRICA

Big task for depleted NZ Hit by injuries and the unavailability of Ross Taylor, New Zealand’s best chance of matching their powerful hosts would appear to be in T20s. COLIN BRYDEN Agence France-Presse DURBAN, SOUTH AFRICA: The New Zealand Black Caps will be underdogs on their cricket tour of South Africa, with the first Twenty20 international against South Africa scheduled for Durban on Friday. Hit by injuries and the unavailability of leading batsman and former captain Ross Taylor, New Zealand’s best chance of matching their powerful hosts would appear to be in three Twenty20 internationals, which precede two Tests and three one-day internationals. Led by Brendon McCullum, one of the world’s leading T20 batsmen, New Zealand will hope to match an experimental South African squad in the shortest form of the game. Their chances in the Tests would seem to be minimal against South Africa, who claimed the world No 1 ranking by beating England in England earlier this year and then endorsed that status with an

New Zealand start with win

Nathan McCullum made 22 off 15 balls in the warm-up match against South Africa A on Tuesday.

away win against Australia. New Zealand’s hopes in the Tests are likely to depend on a handful of key players such as batsmen McCullum, Martin Guptill, Kane Williamson and fast bowlers Tim Southee and Trent Boult. Not only will the New Zealanders have difficulty

matching South Africa on the field, but they will also have to convince a sceptical local public that they are worthy opponents. Jacques Faul, the acting chief executive of Cricket South Africa, took the unusual step of distancing the organisation from negative media comments about the quality of a New

SRI LANKA’S TOUR OF AUSTRALIA

Peter Siddle and Mitchell Starc bowled Australia to victory over Sri Lanka. ROBERT SMITH Agence France-Presse

The Australian team celebrates after bowling Sri Lanka out on the final day of the first cricket Test match in Hobart on Tuesday. AFP /WILLIAM WEST

series. Starc claimed the last four wickets to end with five for 63, while Siddle was named man of the match after his four for 50 gave him nine wickets for the match. Australia found it hard going to gouge out the batsmen on a fifth-day pitch until the wickets tumbled in the final two hours. “We knew we had to be patient,” said Michael Clarke. “No doubt I was confident that if we could bowl the balls in the right area for a long period of time that we would have success.

SPORTS BRIEFS ‘Tendulkar must be ruing blunder’

Saina eyes World titles

KARACHI: Sachin Tendulkar must be “ruing the blunder” of not

LUCKNOW: After her Olympic triumph, Saina Nehwal is now eyeing to win the World Championship and the All England Championship. The bronze medal winner in the London Games stressed on developing the basic structure in the country in order to make it compete with China. Sahara India Pariwar on Tuesday announced its association with Nehwal. As part of the association Saina will don Sahara logo while playing at tournaments. Saina said that the international badminton calender is very busy and it is very difﬁcult for any player to excel at the international level for a prolonged period. PTI

calling it quits after the country’s World Cup triumph in 2011, a leading Pakistani daily said on Tuesday. “Tendulkar, unfortunately, has not been able to choose his departing moment and must now be ruing the blunder of not having called it a day in March 2011 when India won the ICC Cricket World Cup,” the Dawn wrote in an editorial. Tendulkar managed a mere 112 runs at an average of just under 19 in the just-concluded Test series against England, prompting speculations about his retirement from international cricket. PTI

Zealand side ranked eighth in Test and T20 cricket and ninth in one-day internationals. South Africa are first, fifth and second in the respective categories. “It is fundamental at any level of sport to respect the opposition, regardless of the team they put in the field,” said Faul.

Ranji Trophy brief scores

Australia win thriller

HOBART, AUSTRALIA: Pacemen Peter Siddle and Mitchell Starc bowled Australia to victory over Sri Lanka in the first Hobart Test on Tuesday, claiming six wickets in the final session for a thrilling win. The Sri Lankans had looked to be holding on for a draw until Siddle and Starc struck to secure Australia’s first win of the home season, after losing to South Africa 10 in the recent three-Test

PIETERMARITZBURG: Uncapped fast bowler Mitchell McClenaghan destroyed South Africa A’s top order to get the New Zealand cricketers off to a winning start in a Twenty20 match at the City Oval on Tuesday. New Zealand posted a modest 140 for seven after winning the toss and batting. The South African second stringers were soon in deep trouble at 23 for four before limping to 116 for nine to give the tourists a 24-run win. AFP

At Porvorim: HP 338 & 237/4 (Paras Dogra 119 n.o., Mukesh Sharma 51 n.o., Harshad Gadekar 2/48) drewwith Goa 347 (Reagan Pinto 85, Swapnil Asnodkar 81, Rahul Singh 5/71). At Dhanbad: Jharkhand 257 & 295/9 (Saurabh Tiwary 99, Akash Verma 82; Shaik Basha 6/74) drew with Andhra Pradesh 410 & 32/4. At New Delhi: J&K 85 and 269 lost to Services 221 & 134/5 (Yashpal Singh 61). At Agartala: Kerala 400 bt Tripura 127 & 196 (Manisankar Murasingh 67; Sandeep Warrier 5/46). At Vadodara: Baroda 208 & 260 (Ambati Rayudu 66; Jagannathan Kaushik 4/62, Sunil Sam 3/63) drew with TN 230 & 108/2 (Abhinav Mukund 45 n.o., Baba Aparajith 40 n.o.). At Lucknow: UP 227 & 348 (Eklavya Dwivedi 121, Parvinder Singh 64; Harshal Patel 4/100) drew with Haryana 276 & 106/3 (Nitin Saini 68). At Rajkot: Mumbai 606/5 decl and 169/4 (Wasim Jaffer 71, Rohit Sharma 71) drew with Saurashtra 300 (Arpit Vasavada 111 n.o., Jaydev Shah 60, Dhawal Kulkarni 4/58, Javed Khan 2/43). At Gwalior: MP 323 & 193/2 (D. Bundela 100 n.o., J Saxena 72 n.o., S. Sharma 2/39) bt Punjab 148 & 364 (f/o). At New Delhi: Maharashtra 196 & 266 lost to Delhi 193 & 273/3 (Shikhar Dhawan 116 n.o., Mohit Sharma 51, Mithun Manhas 51). At Bhubaneshwar: Railways 405 (Shukla 109, Madkaikar 86) bt Rajasthan 135 & 258 (f/o) (Bist 68, Menaria 56, Chouhan 51; Karan 8/97).

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 19, 2012

sports

LIVERPOOL STAR SUSO FINED FOR ‘GAY’ TWEET Liverpool’s Suso was fined £10,000 on Tuesday after labelling team-mate Jose Enrique “gay” on Twitter. Suso sparked protests when he posted a photo of Enrique having his teeth whitened with a tweet which read: “What f**k is he doing? This guy is gay...he does everything except play football.”

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE PREVIEW

CONTRACT EXTENSION

All roads lead to Wembley

A new champion will lift the Trophy after holders Chelsea suffered the humiliation of becoming the first defending side to exit in the group phase. GREG FRASER Agence France-Presse PARIS: A glamour ceremony to be held in Nyon, Switzerland on Thursday will unveil the much anticipated pairings for the knockout phase of the Champions League, as the 16 remaining teams continue their quest to reach the May 25 final at Wembley. A fresh champion will lift one of the most recognisable trophies in the game after holders Chelsea suffered the humiliation of becoming the first defending champions to exit following the group phase. Perennial favourites Barcelona go into the hat for next February’s matches, as the team everyone wants to avoid, although fellow pool winners Manchester United, Paris Saint-Germain, Borussia Dortmund, Malaga, Juventus, Schalke 04 and Bayern Munich are all guaranteed to avoid the fourtime champions as seeded teams. Real Madrid who won the last of their nine European Cups in 2002, are the pick of the second-placed group teams although along with Valencia, they cannot face their Catalan arch-rivals as teams from the same

country cannot face each other until the quarter-finals. Celtic who became the first British team to win the trophy back in 1967 when they beat Inter Milan, are the only other side from the runners-up that include Porto, Galatasaray, Shakhtar Donetsk, AC Milan and Arsenal, who are certain to avoid Tito Vilanova’s team. Paris Saint-Germain who make their first appearance in the knockout stages since

1995, had the best record in the group round as two-time champion Carlo Ancelotti guided the mega-rich capital outfit to five wins and one defeat — 1-0 against Porto. Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho who guided Porto and Inter Milan to unexpected crowns in 2004 and 2010 respectively, prophesised that 1997 champions Dortmund can go all the way under Juergen Klopp, after pipping his team to top spot and finishing undefeated. Bayern Munich are off to a blistering start in the Bundesliga where they are runaway leaders and are back on track to win their first Champions League since beating Valencia in 2001. Their opponents will come from a group that include Real Madrid, Celtic, Porto, Shakhtar or Arsenal. Manchester United who won the first of their three European Cups in 1968 when Bobby Charton and George Best were on target in the 4-1 win over Benfica at Wembley are another team to avoid. Although they went out in the group phase last season, manager Alex Ferguson has again tweaked the Old Trafford juggernaut with the inspired signing of Robin van Persie.

PREMIER LEAGUE PREVIEW

‘Robin similar to Eric’ LONDON: Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson has backed Robin van Persie to emulate Eric Cantona’s influential spell at Old Trafford. Van Persie has made a superb start to his United career after leaving Arsenal in a £24 million move and the Dutch forward’s haul of 15 goals in 21 matches has fired Ferguson’s team to the top of the Premier League and into the last 16 of the Champions League. The 29-year-old’s dynamic displays have added an extra edge to United’s play in the same way that French forward Cantona galvanised the club when he arrived from Leeds in 1992. Back then, United were searching for

a winning formula after 26 years without an English title and Cantona’s supreme confidence and talent proved the catalyst to end that drought. After missing out on the title, United were in need of a similar spark and Ferguson believes Van Persie is providing it. “He has a similar profile to Eric in terms of age and maturity,” Ferguson said in an interview with EurosportYahoo. He had a great spell at Arsenal so there is no issue with him needing to settle into the Premier League. He came from one big club to another big club and he is an established international. All these things in his profile suited us perfectly.” AFP

BRIEFS Vermaelen wants Arsenal to keep Walcott

Benitez promises shake hands with Warnock

Lampard warns Chelsea stars of Leeds rivalry

Rodgers not banking on January spending spree

LONDON: Arsenal captain Thomas Vermaelen has called on the club’s board to do everything in their power to keep Theo Walcott. Walcott’s future with the club is uncertain after several months of contract talks with the Gunners’ hierarchy failed to produce a satisfactory offer for him, whose current deal expires at the end of the season.

LONDON: Chelsea interim manager Rafael Benitez insists he is willing to shake hands with Leeds United boss Neil Warnock at Wednesday’s League Cup quarter-final in a bid to end their simmering feud. Benitez has clashed with Warnock on several occasions in the past, with the most high-profile incident coming in 2007.

LONDON: Frank Lampard has warned Chelsea’s foreign legion not to underestimate Leeds as they prepare to renew their long and bitter rivalry in the League Cup quarter-finals. Lampard is one of the few players in the squad with experience of the bitter nature of clashes between Chelsea and Leeds as the clubs haven’t met since 2004.

LONDON: Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers fears his struggling team’s problems won’t be fixed during the January transfer window. Rodgers has found it difficult to revitalise Liverpool since arriving from Swansea in the close-season and Saturday’s dismal 3-1 home defeat against Aston Villa left the Reds languishing in 12th place.

Messi extends contract at Barcelona MADRID: Barcelona’s striker Lionel Messi has pledged to stay with the Spanish giants until June 2018 by renewing his contract, the club said Tuesday. Currently leading the league by a huge nine points, Barcelona also said that they had agreed contract renewals with Carles Puyol and Xavi Hernandez. A statement from the club said that an agreement had been agreed with Messi, 25, whose current contract expires in 2016, and that he would sign his new deal “in the coming weeks”. Veteran defender and captain Puyol, 34, and midﬁelder Xavi, 32 - one of the heroes of Spain’s Euro victory this year - have each signed up to stay until 2016. Puyol’s current contract expires next year and Xavi’s in 2014. AFP

ILLEGAL BETTING Napoli docked two points in match-fixing probe ROME: Napoli have been docked two points and fined 70,000 euros ($92,000, 57,000 pounds) in connection with a long-running probe into illegal betting, the Italian football federation (FIGC) said on Tuesday. The southern Italy club’s captain Paolo Cannavaro and fellow defender Gianluca Grava were banned for six months for “failing to report evidence of corruption”, the federation added. Napoli, who have said they would appeal the sanction, were in third spot before the ruling but now fall to fifth, 10 points behind Juventus, in a severe blow to their title hopes. The FIGC disciplinary committee also said it had suspended former goalkeeper Matteo Gianello for three years and three months for his involvement in an attempt to fix the match between Napoli and Sampdoria on May 16, 2010. The sport authority hearing is separate from a wider criminal investigation into suspect matches headed by prosecutors in three Italian cities that has implicated players from the top flight and second-tier Serie B. AFP