Postnoon E-Paper for 20 July 2012 by Scribble Media & Entertainment Pvt. Ltd.

FRIDAY, JULY 20, 2012 HYDERABAD

WEATHER: CLOUDY WITH A FEW SHOWERS; 24°C

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SPACE SAILORS

On July 20, 1969, two astronauts Neil Armstrong and Edwin ‘Buzz’ Aldrin left their Apollo lander module and took the first steps on the Moon. But what it took them to get there is their training as astronauts. No wonder, this job is a universe apart from the rest.

P16&17

HYDERABAD’S FIRST COMPACT AFTERNOON NEWSPAPER SRINIVAS SETTY

FLASH

NAMRATA AND MAHESH WELCOME BABY GIRL

This time, it’s true! Namrata Shirodkar and husband Mahesh Babu are proud parents, as they welcome their second child, a girl. Mahesh Babu, as excited as ever, informed the media that both mother and baby are doing well. Already, Twitter is abuzz with congratulatory messages pouring in from Tollywood biggies and fans alike.

STOP THIS MASSACRE OF BIRDS Blinding pollution; felling of trees; unbridled use of plastic; contamination of water bodies; using glass-coated strings for kites; and loud noise from construction sites and vehicles are driving birds away from Hyderabad.

REPORT ON P6

FRIDAY, JULY 20, 2012

city events

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This fest is something that will defenetly appeal to the kebab lovers in town. Kangan at Westinn Mindspace, Madhapur is hosting a Kebab fest fro July 21 onwards. Sample a variety of Kebabs refelcting the various North Indian Flavours. The fest is on only for dinner.

Weather for Hyderabad

Evening

overnight

Morning

Afternoon

24°C

21°C

25°C

28°C

Cloudy with showers likely.

Cloudy with thunderstorms

Cloudy with thunderstorms.

New Delhi Mumbai Max 34 Max 32 Min 29 Min 27 Scattered thunderstorms

Chennai Max 35 Min 28

Clear with chances of rain.

Cloudy

Bangalore Max 28 Min 20

Cloudy with chances of thunderstorms.

AROUND THE CITY YOUR GUIDE TO THE TWIN CITIES Saifabad When: August 16 onwards 6.30pm onwards Contact: (040) 2323 1245

EXHIBITION Lepakshi Mela Lepakshi Craft Bazaar 2012 featuring artists from AP and other states is being held. The exhibition-cum-sale will be on till July 23. Where: Sri Kalyan Gardens, Miyapur Crossroads When: Ongoing, 11am onwards Contact: (040) 2323 5028

Monsoon mania Ramoji Film City celebrates the onset of monsoon with eight weeks of funfilled activities and entertainment with magic of cinema starting from July 1 to August 31. Monsoon Masti is an occasion for the entire family .Where: Ramoji Film City, Hayathnagar When: Ongoing, 9am onwards Contact: (040) 2341 2262

Pochampally mela Head to the Pochampally mela for handmade bed and home linen, dress materials, silk and cotton sarees. Where: Sri Sathya Sai Nigmagamam, Sri Nagar Colony When: Ongoing, 10am onwards Contact: (040) 2374 1450 Kanchi collections A saree exhibition by Kanchi weavers will be held on July 19 and July 20. Where: Taj Deccan, Banjara Hills, Rd No 1 When: June 19 and 20, 12 pm to 3.30pm Contact: (040) 6666 3939

DINING

ART

WATER WAY: Commuters are seen travelling through waterlogged roads as the City has been host to brief spells of N SHIVA KUMAR rain that have put the City Traffic out of gear. This image was taken near MozamJahi Market. Where: Novotel Airport, Shamshabad When: Ongoing, 6.30pm Contact: (040) 6625 0000

When: Ongoing, Contact: (040) 6463 6375

Middle Eastern food fest Take a trip to the Middle East with the Middle Eastern Food Festival being held at Arena, Taj Deccan till July 21. Where: Arena, Banjara Hills, Rd No 1 When: Ongoing, 7.30pm onwards Contact: (040) 6666 3939 Parantha festival Haldi at Novotel Airport is hosting a parantha festival titled Parantha Overload. The parantha festival on till August 15, offers a variety of paranthas in both vegetarian and non-vegetarian combinations.

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

Burger fest HRC is hosting the Legendary Burger Festival. Sample a variety of burgers from around the world. Where: Hard Rock Cafe, Banjara Hills, Rd No 1

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

Sizzler festival Love sizzlers? Head to Aditya Park Inn for the Sizzler festival. Sample a variety of vegetarian and non-vegetarian sizzlers. The festival is on till July 22. Where: The Promenade, Ameerpet When: Ongoing, 7pm onwards Contact: (040) 6678 8888

SHOWS Laugh riot Lamakaan, Banjara Hills will be showcasing the movie Superman of Malegaon by Faizi Ahmed Khana on July 19. Where: Lamakaan,

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

Banjara Hills, Rd No 1 When: July 19, 7.30pm onwards Contact: 96427 31329 French Film The French film Les Demoiselles de Rochefort will be screened at Alliance Francaise. The film revolves around the life of two young women. Where: Alliance Francaise, Marredpally When: July 20, 6.30pm onwards Contact: (040) 2770 0734 Theatre festival The seventh edition of the multi-lingual theatre festival — Abhinaya National Theatre Festival will be held from August 16 to August 19. Where: Ravindra Bharathi,

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

Scaffold to infinity An exhibition of constructivist wooden sculptures by senior sculptor and artist Aekka Yadagiri Rao are being displayed. Where: Iconart Gallery, Banjara Hills, Rd No 12 When: Ongoing, 11.30 am onwards Contact: 98499 6879

Living with the masters An exhibition of paintings by artistes such as Akbar Padamsee, Bikash Bhattacharjee, Ganesh Pyne, Jagdish Swaminathan, K G Subramanyan, Krishen Khanna, Ram Kumar, S H Raza, Tyeb Mehta is being held. Where: Kalakriti Art Gallery, Banjara Hills, When: Ongoing, 11am onwards Contact: (040) 6656 4466

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

FRIDAY, JULY 20, 2012

City

AUTO DRIVERS THREATEN STRIKE The joint action committee of autodrivers’ unions threatened to go on strike from August 1 if the State failed to hike auto fares immediately. The leaders have demanded that the government increase the minimum fare from Rs 14 to Rs 20 and Rs 11 for every additional kilometer.

STUDENT PROTESTS

CRIME

‘Ensure girls aren’t Mess issue leads to exam boycott cheated for life’

N SHIVA KUMAR

Padma, who, along with her daughters, was thrown out by her in-laws, is lucky to have a supportive brother, say villagers MOHD SUBHAN mohd.s@postnoon.com

“I

appeal to parents of unmarried girls to make thorough enquiries about the men who propose marriage. You may even spend a little and put private detectives on the job so that your loved ones will not be cheated,” says V Anand (right), brother of B Padma of Mominpet, who was recently locked out of her in-laws’ home for delivering three daughters (Postnoon, July 17). But for her brother, Padma would have committed suicide, say her relatives. Anand, who works as a lineman in Vikarabad division, earns `17,000 a month and has a wife and four children to take care of. But for

the past few years, Anand has been taking care of his sister and her kids after her husband Anantaiah and his parents turned hostile for her ‘crime’ of delivering only daughters. T Devaiah, a farmer next door, told Postnoon, “Her (Padma's) luck was having a brother like Anand. He rides 30

kilometres everyday from his place in Marpally to Mominpet to see his sister and her family.” While it is criminal to turn out one’s wife and children from the home for no fault of theirs, the local police stay with the strong and the vocal, say villagers. Anantaiah not only threw out his wife and three children, but also went ahead and married two other women illegally, one of whom later committed suicide. Despite complaining, the police made no move to look into my case, Padma rued. Anand said, “I will feed my sister and her children till my last breath. But I want justice for my innocent sister. Anantaiahs abound in society but let no girls be cheated by these frauds,” he said, his voice trembling with emotion. SRINIVAS SETTY

But for her brother, Padma would have committed suicide, say her relatives

Pick

SUDESHNA KOKA sudeshna.k@postnoon.com

ot too long ago, students of Post-Graduate College of Law, Basheerbagh, protested because the administration had failed to provide them with hostel and mess facilities. Students approached the Human Rights Commission and the High Court. After the students won the case, the management provided them with hostel facilities. However, the story does not end there. The students have not been given mess facilities till date. Therefore, the students boycotted the final semester exams, which were scheduled to start on July 18. “We have been fighting for our rights. We approached the highest power, the High Court, but no respite. Hence, we boycotted the main semester exams. At least now we hope that the management knows how serious we are and to what extent we can go for our rights,” said Kaushik Pranav, a third-year student. All other colleges affiliated to Osmania University have also had to postpone their exams. G Vinod Kumar, vice-principal of the college, said, “We have been pacifying students but they have been facing this problem for the last three years. The vice-chancellor has returned and in a day or two, we will solve the problem. But this time, if the management does not solve the problem, the

at the

Reason for boycotting exams in the past Separate Telangana State. No hostel facilities No mess facilities.

Facts about Bathsheba College of Law Started in: 1991 Part of Osmania Law College Number of students: 120

issue will lead to bigger problems. Students have been suffering due to postponement of the exams.” This is not the first time in the recent past that exams have been postponed. Most students in the college are from Telugu medium backgrounds and should be given basic amenities, say students. The college has 120 students, many of whom have come from the interiors of Andhra Pradesh. “Before we joined the college, we were told that hostel and mess would be provided but after we got here, they denied promising anything. We have been suffering for the last one and a half years. Most students are from Telugu medium backgrounds and have come from far-off places. For their interests, we are ready to let go of our academics and fight for basic rights,” says Vikram Chandra, a student.

airport,

city FRIDAY, JULY 20, 2012 LAST YEAR... HERE

SPOTLIGHT ON ABIDS

M ANIL KUMAR

A long bridge to nowhere

ast year we had reported how the ﬂyover near Hitec City railway station had been under construction for years. Construction of the bridge was taken up by the HMDA at a cost of `24.38 crore, however it soon went up to `45 crore. Ofﬁcials claim the funds have been approved and work is underway. But now four years later, the situation remains unchanged.

JULY 20, 2011

NUMEROLOGY

1000

species of bird are currently facing danger of extinction due to loss of habitat to housing and commercial development and pollution.

Parents of unmarried girls should make enquiries about prospective grooms. Hire a private detective so that your loved ones will not be cheated. V Anand, Padma’s brother See page 3

THINGS WE LEARNED TODAY

The column that teaches everyone something new about the way the City functions.

Getting your daughter married? Hire a detective Mominpet’s Padma’s ouster from her home for delivering three girls is a lesson for everybody. So the next time you want to get your daughter married, do check the groom’s antecedents.

Hostels are not a second home for students. For students of Law College, life is a struggle. First they had to stage dharnas to get a hostel and now they don’t have a mess for their daily meals. When will it end?

Kite ﬂying turns fatal for winged beauties. We might love to watch our kites soar high. But for birds it’s no less than a death trap.

Authorities rarely practice what they preach. Civic authorities responsible for curbing encroachments themselves have their building jutting onto the road.

A tax ofﬁcial and lying drunk on the road? Doesn’t matter. If you’re a government ofﬁcial and lie drunk on the road, it does not mean you’ll be ostracised.

Disappearing footpaths in the heart of the City With hawkers, eateries and the GHMC building encroaching, footpaths in Abids are doing the vanishing act. Pedestrians in the meantime negotiate busy traffic MD NIZAMUDDIN feedback@postnoon.com

ven as the GHMC is spending hundreds of crores on the beautification of several stretches as part of preparations for the prestigious CBD COP-11, the footpaths and their use in Abids remain elusive. For the thousands of shoppers in the area, there is always the risk of getting knocked down by a speeding vehicle. Sometimes referred to as the heart of the City, Abids was once known for its pedestrian friendly roads with wide footpaths. While a few footpaths between Chermas and the GPO are still used, the stretch between GPO and Koti, towards Moazzam Jahi Market and towards Nampally from GPO have been completely encroached. “Even if we try to

walk on the footpath at several places we have to climb down and up, walking past some eatery or shop that has encroached this place,” laments P Ranjeeth Kumar, a shopper.

MATTERS MADE WORSE Ironically, one of the stretched of footpaths that has been encroached upon is right in front of the municipality building. The space has been taken up by a few eateries and business, while the authority has only worked in their favour by barricading the footpath. A religious structure and a transformer in the vicinity have ensured that the public cannot access the footpath at all. “The authorities are so busy demolishing buildings that do not abide by regulations. But what about the GHMC building which not only juts out onto the road but also eats up footpath

thanks to hawkers and vendors, pedestrians are forced to walk on the road after crossing Big Bazaar. Since the road is a one way, vehicles travel at high speeds, making it risky for pedestrians. “It is better if we wear bright colours while walking on this stretch, as buses and other motor vehicles travel at high speeds,” points out, Shafeeq Hussain, a cloth merchant. The footpaths connecting GPO and Nampally are very narrow. When contacted, the Gunfoundary corporator, M Madhu said that although the footpath exists, they are not used by the public. The authority that should have educated people is not active. “The issue of encroachment of footpath rests with the GHMC authority that should enforce measures and should cope with the hawkers there. Some strong initiative is required,” said Madhu.

Koti is worse still, with the footpaths completely taken over by hawkers. Pedestrians are forced to walk on the road. space?” questions Somasekhar Reddy, a commuter. Somasekhar’s relative’s building was demolished by the civic authority a year ago. The drive was initiated by GHMC commissioner MT Krishna Babu after he took charge. While it has drawn both applause and flak from various quarters, the drive opened several loopholes in the administration while providing building permissions.

PEDESTRIANS AT RISK Koti however, is worse still. With barely no footpath in the area

NEWS BRIEFS Missing boy's body found in lake

Depressed aspirant commits suicide

Burglars decamp with gold and cash

Woman set herself on fire, dies at Osmania

n a highly suspicious case, a teenage student, Vishal Gupta, was found dead in Jillalguda Lake today. The issue created a sensation as the parents suspect murder. A student of class VII in SRBG school, Vishal was missing since Wednesday and his father Rajendra had lodged a complaint with the Meerpet police.

hivabachan Chaudary, 22, from Bihar who tried unsuccessfully to get enrolled in the CRPF is alleged to have committed suicide in the CRPF quarters where his father works as an attender. Police said the youth had passed in the written test but was declared unﬁt in the physical. He is said to have slipped into depression and hanged himself.

urglars snuck into the home of Vijayalaxmi of Chaudarguda village in Ghatkesar and snatched gold ornaments from her person and stole some cash kept in the almirah, according to a complaint lodged with the Ghatkesar police. How the thieves gained access is being investigated. Initial enquiries reveal the door was not properly locked.

ahmeeda Begum, 30, allegedly burnt herself to death on Monday in her home at Suleman Nagar. The Rajendranagar police said she was undergoing treatment in Osmania Hospital for some time. Her only daughter died ﬁve years ago and she had been in depression ever since. A case of unnatural death has been registered.

city FRIDAY, JULY 20, 2012

OFFICE POLITICS

N SHIVA KUMAR

POLITICS

NEWS BRIEF

TDP to deal with rebels differently INKESHAF AHMED ahmed.m@postnoon.com

W What’s happening? POSTNOON NEWS feedback@postnoon.com

man, said to be a mid-level official of the Central Excise department, working in the Tilak Road office, has been proving a spectacle to passersby for quite some time. He is seen sprawled, drunk and oblivious, virtually every day. Identified as a tax official, his colleagues told Postnoon that he has become an alco-

holic. For whatever reasons, he has not been going home for many months but spends his time in the office, drinking. A functionary of the Excise office said, “We have become fed up with this man. The road has become his residence. He sits on the road, drinks continuously and sleeps in the compound.” But what action have the superiors taken? There was no answer as seniors refused to comment when contacted.

oes of the main opposition, the TDP, never ends, it seems. The latest trouble comes from five MLAs who cast their vote in the presidential elections despite a party whip against it — Chinnam Rama Kotaiah, Kodali Nani (right), S Venugopala Chary, T Hareeswar Reddy and Y Bala Nagireddy. Barring Rama Kotaiah, the party had already suspended the four MLAs long back. The fresh revolt by Rama Kotaiah has the party leadership thinking. Instead of ousting the wayward members, the leadership has decided to take immediate remedial steps to keep its flock intact. The party is going in for an overhaul of the district party committees by appointing new district party chiefs. It will begin this exercise from the Krishna district, the birth place of party founder NT Rama Rao. The reason for this is that the party faces a sit-

REPORTERS’ DIARY

Vote for bail? Opposition benches cry foul

Ban on foreign visits of netas extended

he State has decided to continue the ban on foreign visits of ministers, officials, cadre/non-cadre officers for another year. The exception is tours sponsored by the Centre, official training and so on. NSS

CLASSIFIEDS uation there with two MLAs — Rama Kotaiah and Kodali Nani — revolting against the party high command. The party has decided to appoint new in-charges to Assembly seats represented by these MLAs. New party presidents will head the district units. “This would also instil confidence among leaders at the grassroot level,” one TDP senior leader told Postnoon. Districts in Rayalaseema and Andhra regions will also see these reshuffles as many party leaders are showing a keen interest to shift their loyalties to YSR Congress after the recent by-polls.

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The presidential polls see interesting deals

as there a quid pro quo for YSRC voting for Pranab Mukherjee in the presidential elections? According to TRS politburo member G Vinod Kumar, both the ruling Congress and YSR Congress parties have spun an amusing but revealing slogan in the corridors of power: Vote for Pranab and Bail for Jagan. The lyric may lack rhyme but it tickles. “Both the ruling Congress and the YSR Congress parties have struck a deal. It’s vote for bail. After the Delhi tour of YS Vijayamma, the pace of the CBI inquiry into YS Jagan’s disproportionate assets has slowed down,” he said. KCR also made similar comments on Thursday, albeit indirectly. He said that YSR Congress had voted for Pranab Mukherjee for ‘selfish ends’. YS Vijayamma too, after her visit to Delhi Durbar, openly said that her son would get bail in 15 days. So you know what the quid pro quo is. IA

EMPOWERED EVE, OR ADAM? Logically, with one-third of the GHMC having woman corporators, Hyderabad should have been one of the cities of ‘empowered women.’ If you don’t see many empowered women, there is an amusing reason. The City has a different

lesson for the world which believes ‘behind every successful man is a woman’. Here, it is conversely true, as behind every woman corporator is a man! The magic is performed by the women quota. As there is no way out but to put up a woman candidate, men get their wives elected so they remain the de facto voice. If someone tries to reach a woman corporator, it is most likely that it would be a male voice answering. If you insist that the phone be handed over to ‘madam’, the voice will want to know ‘what the matter is’. So much for the ‘empowered women’ of India, where the wife cooks and the husband enjoys the food. MN

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

BY THE BY C V Anand may be an upright, wellmeaning officer leading the city traffic corps, but the same can’t be said about some of his men. The Pacific Hospital crossing on Road Number 36 is a case in point. The crossing has no zebra crossing. An elderly traffic cop posted there is never at his station. His whole energy is focused on two pastimes; guzzling tea and catching helmet-less bikers. There is no anand (pleasure) for citizens. PK (Contributed by Inkeshaf Ahmed, Md Nizamuddin & P K Surendran)

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city FRIDAY, JULY 20, 2012

ANIMAL RIGHTS Blinding pollution, destruction of trees, unbridled use of plastic and poisoning the water body, using glass-coated strings for kite and loud noise from construction areas and vehicles, are driving birds away from City

Stop this massacre of birds SRINIVAS SETTY

birds only a few hundred make it back to the wild after treatment. A lot of maimed birds remain at the care centres for the rest of their lives while most of them die due to the throatinjuries or trauma due to pain. “Many of these birds are migratory birds that are on the brink of extinction due to the kite festival. The worst affected are the ones that are not rescued and remain tied in the thread and continue swinging on trees for days without feed or water till they drop dead,” says a bird watchers society report of last year. Birds, say ornithologists, are excellent natural indicators of the health of many ecosystems. They are the literal canary in the coalmine — when birds disappear from an area, it normally signals the deteriorating health of the entire ecosystem.

WAY OUT

NIHAR PARULEKAR feedback@postnoon.com

illions of kites take to the sky during Makar Sankranti. An innocent and joyful celebration has however turned deadly for birds in Hyderabad. And, more tragic is, children are flying kites not for a religious reason but simply for

fun without realising the consequences. But very few know that the treated thread used these days is a killer for winged friends. The razor-sharp Chinese thread or glass coated strings cut the wings and throats of the unwary birds. And this happens by the hundreds every year. According to census, out of the 1,000 injured and rescued

The only way to avoid these fatal injuries to birds is by organising an annual kite flying festival at one spot rather than allowing it in every lane. People should be advised not to fly kites early in the morning and or late evenings when the birds are more active. People can use the normal thread instead of the razor sharp and glass coated ones as the life of the birds are more precious than losing a small penny on a kite! The tragedy befalling birds is the direct result of crass ignorance about our ecosystem. Schools and GHMC should realise the importance of educating children about this. Nihar is founder of ARPF, Hyderabad

Songsters are vanishing, does anybody care? PK SURENDRAN surendran.pk@postnoon.com

linding pollution, destruction of trees, unbridled use of plastic and poisoning the water body, using glass-coated strings for kite and loud noise from construction areas and vehicles, are driving away the winged beauties from Hyderabad. Common crow, vultures, kites, the tiny beauty, weaver, willow sparrow, crowned sparrow, barn swallow — all that filled the Hyderabad mornings with their melodious chirpings and songs, decades ago are fading. The vulture has totally withdrawn. Adding to all these miseries is the mindless kite-flying that trap the birds. The ultimate loser will be man himself, warn ornithologists. Perhaps one can shrug off it all saying it is a global phenomena. Between 120 and 130 species of birds known to have existed in the 17th century have disappeared for ever. Over 1,000 are currently in danger of extinction. Loss of habitat is the biggest threat to birds as a species, say worldwatch institute. crucial for humans The winged songsters are not just an important

link to the ecological balance. They inspire literature, enthuse musicians, present a pleasant parable of nature to growing kids who have a natural affinity with little birds. Besides providing food to man, birds pollinate flowers and carry viable seeds to new locations. They are valuable as an early warning system to current and future ecological problems. According to the Audubon Society, “birds are important indicators of the overall health of our environment.” Their numbers indicate where natural resources are threatened. North American birds moving to winter locations further north by 35 miles provided new evidence of the effects of global warming. Hyderabad is becoming poorer by the day as there is no attempt to curb pollution and preserve greenery.

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nation

ANOTHER BATCH OF PILGRIMS LEAVES FOR AMARNATH Amid tight security, a fresh batch of 1,812 pilgrims today left for the Amarnath cave shrine. The pilgrims comprising 1,398 men, 389 women and 25 children left in a cavalcade of 48 vehicles from Bhagwati Nagar base camp in Jammu at around 5am for Amarnath.

POWER STRUGGLE

SURGERY FOR UDDHAV

Sharad Pawar meets Sonia

The NCP chief and party minister Praful Patel are believed to have offered their resignations over the new pecking order. NEW DELHI: An aggrieved Sharad Pawar met Congress president Sonia Gandhi Friday, a day after the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) president and his lieutenant Praful Patel were believed to have offered to resign from the cabinet apparently over the No.2 position in the government. Pawar drove down to Gandhi's 10 Janpath residence to discuss "coalition issues", NCP sources said. The meeting lasted for about half an hour following which senior party leaders met at Pawar's residence. Agriculture minister Pawar and heavy industries minister Patel are understood to have sent in their resignations to

1 killed in train crash MUMBAI: A 65-year-old woman has been killed, while 14 others have been injured after the speeding Vidarbha Express rammed into 11 derailed coaches of a Mumbai suburban train in Maharashtra's Thane district late Thursday. Even as relief work was going on in full swing under the supervision of senior ofﬁcials at the scene of the double accident between Kasara and Umbermali, normal operations have been severely hit on the Central Railway suburban and long-distance network. The accident occurred around 9.15 pm. The commissioner of railway safety will probe the accident, the ofﬁcial added. IANS

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh late Thursday. The prime minister has refused to accept the resigna-

tions, sources told IANS. The Congress-NCP rift has implications for the ruling United Progressive Alliance (UPA) in which Pawar's party has nine Lok Sabha members. The sources said the two ministers will not be attending ofﬁce from Friday, but the party will continue to be in the UPA. Party spokesperson D.P. Tripathi said the NCP, with which the Congress shares government in Maharashtra also, is upset over the way the Congress has "denigrated and humiliated the coalition". The signs of trouble were apparent when Pawar and Patel boycotted the cabinet meeting Thursday evening chaired by

the prime minister. The unhappiness of the ally was rumoured to be over Pawar not being given the number two slot following the exit of Pranab Mukherjee, who resigned as ﬁnance minister to contest presidential election. Mukherjee had occupied the seat next to the prime minister at cabinet meetings. In the meeting last week, the seat was taken by Defence Minister A.K. Antony, indicating that the senior Congress leader from Kerala was the No. 2 in the government. Tripathi said the boycott of the cabinet meeting by the NCP was the ﬁrst in eight years. IANS

HOT AND COLD

NUMEROLOGY

`34 cr

has been sanctioned by Tamil Nadu government for setting up two fisheries technology institutes.

GENERAL RELIEF

A Delhi court on Friday granted bail to former army chief General VK Singh and four other army ofﬁcers in a defamation case ﬁled by Lt Gen Tejinder Singh. The court asked each of them to furnish a surety amount of `20,000. A firefighter douses a fire at an air conditioning manufacturing factory in Kadi, near Ahmedabad on Thursday.

PTI

NEWS BRIEFS 14 killed, 18 injured in road mishap

Panel on illegal mining gets extension

Goa may reject Gadgil panel's guidelines

CRPF, Naxals exchange fire in Gadchiroli

MUZAFFARNAGAR:

NEW DELHI: The Central government has extended till July 16, 2013, the tenure of the Justice MB Shah Commission of Inquiry set up to enquire into cases of illegal mining, it was announced Friday. The Union cabinet Thursday approved the extension which will entail additional expenditure of `50 lakh.

PANAJI: Goa government has hinted that it might not accept the Gadgil panel's recommendations on the Western Ghats. "We need protection for Western Ghats...But the acceptance of recommendations in the report amounts to locking of 50-60 per cent of land available in Goa," Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar told the Assembly.

GADCHIROLI: An encounter broke out between CRPF jawans and Maoists in Kaneri forest in Dhanora taluka of the district today. The ﬁring between the two sides began at around 7.30 am and was still continuing, police said. The region has recently witnessed several murders committed by Maoists.

Fourteen people were killed and 18 others were injured today when the tractor-trolley they were travelling collided head on with a speeding truck in the district, police said. The mishap took place this morning when the victims were returning from Shukartal after attending a cremation ceremony, they said.

Shiv Sena executive president Uddhav Thackeray will undergo an angioplasty at the Lilavati Hospital here today to remove blockages in his arteries. Uddhav, 52, reached the Lilavati Hospital this morning. Uddhav's estranged cousin and MNS chief Raj Thackeray was also at the hospital. Uddhav had undergone an angiography on July 16 which had revealed three blockages. Lilavati medical team had strongly recommended a bypass surgery.

US government is investigating the incident in an independent manner and would keep the Indian Government apprised of full facts of the incident. Wendy R Sherman US Under Secretary

nation FRIDAY, JULY 20, 2012 SOCIETY

Teenage mum lets newborn die Parents pressured her to abandon child born out of wedlock THANE: A teenage girl has been booked for allegedly concealing the birth of her child and leaving him to die in tribal dominated Mokhada taluka of the district. On July 16, some residents of Kolsmseth village noticed the body of a new born in a field and alerted the police. Police reached the spot and seized the body. While probing the case, they came to know that a 17-year-old girl had recently delivered a baby boy in the area. On interrogation, the girl confessed to have abandoned her son, born out of wedlock, on pressure from her parents as they wanted her to marry a person of their choice. The police booked the girl yesterday under Section 318 of the IPC (concealment of birth by secret disposal of dead body). "We have booked the accused and are waiting for her to recover before we arrest her. She is not well since she delivered the child," Mokhada police station inspector SK Walvi said. PTI

BRAZEN CRIME

Youth gets life for killing prof Mobile phone stolen from the victim nails the culprit NEW DELHI: A young man has been sentenced to life imprisonment by a Delhi court for murdering a 72-year-old professor at his residence while robbing his mobile phone. Additional Sessions Jugde Narinder Kumar handed down life sentence and `40,000 fine to Mukesh Kumar, 27, a native of Bihar, after finding him guilty of murdering V K Gupta, a professor at Sachdeva P T College here, and committing robbery of his mobile phone in February 2008. The court gave its verdict on the basis of circumstantial evidence, one of which was that consequent upon of his arrest, Mukesh was found in possession of the mobile phone that he had robbed from the professor's house and the call detail records and the IEMI detail showed that he had been using the phone after the murder. PTI

INFRASTRUCTURE IN THE CAPITAL

Another white elephant strolls Indraprastha roads Mistakes doomed Delhi's ‘Bus Rapid Transit’ corridor before it got rolling JASON OVERDORF feedback@postnoon.com

WHAT'S THE RESULT?

fter a new report debunked its claims that the hopelessly flawed Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) corridor has speeded up bus travel and reduced accidents in the city, the Delhi government has pleaded that the project cannot be scrapped lest its failure affect other transit systems planned around the country. Absurd? That's the sort of logic that the BRT has been following since it was first suggested. I'll get into the new Central Road Research Institute (CRRI) report in a moment. But here are the real reasons that the BRT has been a complete failure.

THEY BUILT IT IN THE WRONG PLACE The not-so-secret agenda of the BRT planners was to convince middle class commuters to shift from cars to the bus, so they put the first route smack in the middle of wealthy South Delhi, which has a greater percentage of car owners than any other part of the city, as well as (once) some of its widest and therefore least congested roads. This meant that the system was going to irritate a powerful lobby from the outset, and also that its usefulness to the lower class/lower middle class bus riders would not be immediately evident.

Buses ply on the road as commuters are stuck in a traffic jam at the Bus AFP Rapid Transit (BRT) corridor in New Delhi.

headed move, because it ensured that there would be no upside to the corridor. The jams were particularly bad where the bus lanes began and because the corridor didn't actually deliver riders to their destination.

FREQUENCY OF BUSES REMAINED THE SAME Leave it to engineers who don't commute by bus to miss the one crucial fact about bus travel: It's not the bus ride that takes forever, it's waiting for the bus to come in the first place. So when the BRT opened for business, car owners would sit in the car lane, waiting for 15 or 20 minutes before a bus would whiz by in the empty "rapid transit" corridor.

‘TRIAL RUN’ WITH HALF-FINISHED PROJECT

THEY DIDN'T LINK THE ROUTE TO THE METRO

This was an incredibly bone-

One will recall that the BRT

began amid a slanging match over whether buses or a subway system was the most practical a cost-effective way to convert Delhi to a public transportation city. This was stupid, since the answer was "all of the above." But it also meant that the BRT and the Metro essentially developed independent from one another. If the first leg of the BRT had taken riders directly to a major Metro exchange, both systems might have leveraged added riders. And the BRT, in particular, might have gotten a boost from the Metro's street cred with the middle class.

NO CARROT, NO STICK

Not only was the BRT not actually faster than taking your car or bike — since you'd have to first get to the BRT line, which lacked the commuter parking lots present at Metro stations. But apart from the traffic jams

According to CRRI, 'a lack of a proper bus route rationalisation has meant that buses cluster on the BRT stretch, with only four-five passengers boarding or alighting per bus, but the government data shows a huge number of passengers plying on the stretch. This, the report notes, "is obviously boosting the passengers per hour per direction (PPHPD) drastically and thus presenting an exaggerated figure". Moreover, "A comparison of the available road crash data indicates that there is an increase of 40% in the number of fatal road crashes coupled with 48% increase in the number of fatalities. At the same time, the number of simple/injurious road crashes reported by the traffic police has registered an increase of 7%." And comparing the normal BRT non-functioning to an experimental run in recent weeks, in which the bus lane was thrown open for everybody, the CRRI also found that the thing was bad for the environment. that it created, there was no punishment for continuing to drive: Parking fees remain in many high-traffic areas; license fees for cars are low, and not collected annually; the cops rarely issue parking tickets or tow cars; and there is no charge for bringing your car into the city center, such as exists in London or Singapore.

THE INDIAN EXODUS

India tops permanent migration to Aus Road to Oz

Britons too queue up for new life in the former penal colony

India China Philippines Sri Lanka Malaysia South Korea Vietnam.

MELBOURNE: Indians have become the largest source of permanent migrants who chose to make Australia their home, comprising over 15 per cent of the intake under the country's migration programme this year. Immigration minister Chris Bowen, who is also citizenship

minister, released new official data which showed Indians taking the top spot. Indian migrants comprised a total of 29,018 places or 15.7 per cent of the total migration programme of 185,000 places under the 2011-12 permanent migration programme. China and the UK

were Australia's second and third largest sources of permanent migrants, with 25,509 and 25,274 places respectively. Seven of the top 10 source countries are from Asia: India, China, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, the Republic of Korea and Vietnam. PTI

FRIDAY, JULY 20, 2012

World

CHEVRON FACES $25 MN FINE FOR BRAZIL OIL SPILL Brazil’s National Petroleum Agency said that Chevron Corp. will be fined nearly 50 million reais ($24.7 million) for an oil leak at an offshore field last November. The US oil major was found to have committed 25 infractions, each of them subject to a fine of up to 2 million reais

SYRIAN CRISIS

WEIWEI LOSES APPEAL

UN rendered helpless by Russia-China veto

Assad troops use tanks to target rebel strongholds in the capital after the bombing that killed three top aides of the president DAMASCUS: Rebels seized control of Syria’s border crossings with Iraq on the bloodiest day of the uprising against President Bashar al-Assad, as China and Russia dismayed the West by blocking UN action against his regime. The rebel offensive on Syria’s eastern border on Thursday came as the army focused its resources on Damascus, resorting to tank fire in the capital for the first time in its efforts to root out rebel fighters a day after a bomb blast killed three of Assad’s top aides. Assad appeared in public for the first time since the bombing, greeting his new defence minister on state television, as he scrambled to shore up his battered prestige. Meanwhile at the UN in New York, Russia and China used their powers as permanent members of the UN Security Council to block resolutions on Syria for the third time in nine months. UN-Arab League envoy Kofi Annan, who had called on the council to impose “consequences” for the failure to carry out his peace plan for Syria, expressed disappointment that it had failed to reach agreement. The US condemned the “highly regrettable decision” of China and Russia to veto the UN resolution, with President Barack Obama’s spokesman Jay Carney warning of “repercussions... in terms of how they’re

Chinese artist and government critic Ai Weiwei Friday lost his appeal against a multi-milliondollar tax fine on a company he founded, his lawyer said. Pu Zhiqiang said the Beijing Chaoyang court had rejected the appeal against a tax fine levied on Fake Cultural Development Ltd, a firm Ai founded but which is legally registered to his wife. Ai is still not allowed to leave the country, was barred from attending the hearing.

NUMEROLOGY

$14

million

has been loaned out by Cuban banks since the island’s communist government first authorized the lenders to offer credit lines late last year.

Syrians go about their daily life after hard clashes at Atareb near Aleppo on Thursday.

Assad emailed sexist jokes: WikiLeaks PARIS: Hundreds of emails purportedly written by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad show he sent several sexist or irreverant messages in the months before the ongoing Syrian uprising began. The French website owni.fr on Thursday published extracts from the latest cache of Syrian documents made avaiable by WikiLeaks. Of those emails, 538 were supposedly written by Assad himself, sent from the address sam@alshahba.com and mostly written before the uprising.

The emails shed little new information on the deadly crackdown but give a glimpse into Assad’s puerile and slightly misogynistic mindset. “Wife: I wish I was a newspaper, so I’d be in your hands all day,” begins one of the jokes in an email dated December 23, 2010. “Husband: I too wish that you were a newspaper, so I could have a new one everyday.” The messages were sent to close aides, his female translator or his father-in-law. AFP

AFP

viewed by the Syrian people”. “There’s no doubt that Syria’s future will not include Bashar al-Assad. His days in power are numbered,” he warned. Washington said the Security Council had “utterly failed” on Syria and that it would now work outside of the council to confront Assad’s regime. The White House also said that without the tougher mandate the vetoed text would have implied, there was no point in retaining UN military observers in Syria to monitor the nonimplementation of Annan’s plan by Assad’s government. AFP

NEWS BRIEFS US lawmakers vote to scrap Russia contract

French lawmakers vote to cut pay of prez, PM

Ancient Mayan ‘night sun’ temple

Chinese arrested in $133 mn Aus drug bust

WASHINGTON: US lawmakers voted overwhelmingly on Thursday in favor of ending the Pentagon’s arms contract with a major Russian defense ﬁrm, with one congressman saying it was wrong to partner with “lords of war” who are supplying arms to Syria. The amendment was adopted by a vote of 407-5 by the US House of Representatives

PARIS: French lawmakers voted on Thursday to reduce the salaries of President Francois Hollande and Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault by 30 percent as part of a series of budget-cutting moves. The lower house National Assembly thus endorsed one of the ﬁrst decisions made by Hollande after he came to power in May.

GUATEMALA CITY: Archeologists have uncovered a 1,600-year-old Mayan temple dedicated to the “night sun” atop a pyramid tomb in the northern Guatemalan forest near the border with Mexico. “The sun was a key element of Maya rulership,” lead archeologist Stephen Houston explained in announcing the discovery.

SYDNEY: A Chinese national was among two people arrested when drugs worth $133 million were seized in Sydney, Australian police said on Friday. The bust disrupted an international syndicate dealing in methamphetamines, or ice, and cocaine. Approximately 40 kg ice, 500 g of cocaine and approximately $2.6 million in cash was seized.

CHANGING TACK Egypt’s President Mohamed Morsi met Palestinian Hamas chief Khaled Meshaal on Thursday, a day after hosting his rival Mahmud Abbas amid scrutiny over how Cairo’s policy on the Palestinians might change. Morsi afﬁrmed his support for the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip which is ruled by Hamas, Meshaal said after the meeting. Morsi, in the past an outspoken backer of the Palestinians who pledged during his campaign for the presidency to support their “right of resistance” against Israel, has adopted a more subdued tone since his election.

I want everybody to know, under my administration, we haven’t just preserved the unbreakable bond with Israel, we have strengthened it. Barack Obama US President

world FRIDAY, JULY 20, 2012

THE HUNT FOR JOSEPH KONY

Kony is a step ahead... always The reported capture (some say surrender) of LRA commander Caesar Acellam near the Congo-CAR border on May 12 is a major accomplishment, but the overall picture remains bleak. Hurdles towards eradicating LRA n First is the lack of capable and committed forces. Regional militaries have approximately 1,700 troops deployed in a densely forested area the size of Arizona that lacks roads and infrastructure. The Congolese army is planning to transfer its US-trained battalion from LRA-affected areas to eastern Congo in order to combat the M23 rebellion. Meanwhile, Uganda’s commitment to ending the LRA appears likely to wane in the coming months. With the current force strength and the probable drawdown, how can the national militaries effectively search for LRA leader Joseph Kony and his senior leadership, and protect civilians? n The African Union envisions a Regional Task Force of 5,000 troops to ﬁght the LRA and protect local communities. But the countries involved – Uganda, the Democratic Republic of Congo, South Sudan, and the Central African Republic – appear unwilling to provide additional soldiers.

KAMPALA, UGANDA: Since late 2010, the Central African Republic (CAR) army has deployed two soldiers in a remote area of the country’s southeast to pursue the Lord’s Resistance Army, or LRA. The destitute conditions of their mission illustrate one of the biggest challenges in the effort to end the 25-year conflict that has devastated parts of Central and East Africa. The two soldiers were sent without any supplies. They spent most of their time collecting firewood and food, while surviving largely on humanitarian aid and provisions given by the Ugandan army. The one radio they had could be turned on just once a day, due to limited power from a small solar panel. The reported capture (some say surrender) of LRA commander Caesar Acellam near the Congo-CAR border on May 12 could signal the beginning of the end of the LRA, but only if a number of things change. Efforts to terminate the LRA remain vastly under-resourced. In a significant step forward last year, President Obama deployed US military advisors to provide advice and information to the region’s national militaries, and he announced in late April that they would stay for at least

another few months. Acellam’s capture is a major thing, but the overall picture remains bleak.

NEED OF THE HOUR More capable and committed troops in sufficient number are urgently needed. Highly trained forces should carry out operations to arrest the leaders, while other dedicated and skilled troops should protect civilians. The Obama administration must knock on doors to secure troops. If the Ugandan and other armies are unable to provide them, the

US should reach out to South Africa or other African countries to get soldiers for the African Union force. A strategy for effectively protecting civilians and LRA abductees must be developed and implemented, and accountability for any human rights and other violations must be ensured. Real-time intelligence and rapid response transport are critical. The administration needs to provide sufficient intelligence and transportation capabilities, and it should ask European and other countries to lend their support.

The US must put its diplomatic weight behind securing access to all LRA-affected areas for the relevant troops. President Obama and his senior officials should engage the governments of Uganda, Congo, CAR, and Sudan toward this end. The administration must also offer more chances for LRA combatants to return home. As confusion over the Amnesty Act continues, only the top three commanders wanted by the International Criminal Court should be prosecuted, and the Ugandan government should establish a truth-seeking initiative. Also required are greater efforts to communicate with LRA commanders and more resources for encouraging rank-and-file fighters to defect. Like the ill-equipped pair of soldiers in CAR, the forces deployed to pursue the LRA are often incapable. If they are to succeed, with the help of US military advisers, then the above courses of action, along with support for reconstruction and economic development, are urgently needed. Only then does exist the international community have a real chance of ending this conflict and allowing communities that have been affected by the violence to recover.

n Second is the lack of real-time information about the LRA’s whereabouts. While allegations recently surfaced that Kony is in or near the Darfur region of Sudan, conflicting statements by Ugandan and US officials suggest that they do not know where he is. The US appears to be providing only a few aircraft for surveillance of the vast area in which the LRA operates. And without enough troops on the ground, it will be difficult to gather information critical to the capture of LRA commanders. n Third, the regional militaries lack transportation, such as helicopters, needed to rapidly follow up on reports about the LRA. n Fourth, there are large areas that have effectively become safe havens for the LRA. For more than nine months, Congo has been off-limits to the Ugandan army under orders from the Congolese government. We’ve seen the results of this: a spike of more than 90 reported LRA attacks in Congo since March 1, 2012. n Finally, efforts to encourage LRA commanders and fighters to leave the group require more resources and a clear strategy. Large areas remain where there are no FM radio stations broadcasting “come home” messages to LRA combatants.

FRIDAY, JULY 20, 2012

Business

TOURISM BOOM IN SRI LANKA

Sri Lanka's post-war tourism is booming. In the first half of this year, a total of 452,867 people including 85,000 from India, visited the island nation, government data shows.

TACKLING THE TAXMAN

GOOGLE PROFITS SURGE

It need not be taxing With a little planning, one can avail several options to make filing of returns easier and save for a rainy day Google on Thursday reported a surge in quarterly profit to $2.79 billion on the back of rising online advertising revenue, beating Wall Street expectations. The California-based online search titan's profit rose 11 per cent in the quarter ended June 30 as consolidated revenue climbed 35 per cent to $12.21 billion compared with the same fiscal quarter last year. "Google standalone had a strong quarter with 21 per cent year-on-year revenue growth, and we launched a bunch of exciting new products... in particular the Nexus 7 tablet, which has received rave reviews," said chief executive Larry Page.

Money Matters

Nupur Pavan Bang

t is that time of the year again when we scramble to put together our salary slips, investments, collect form 16 and 16A's, run after Chartered Accountants, all in order to meet the deadline for filing our Income Tax returns. Most of us handle pretty complicated decisionmaking scenarios with ease, in our respective work domains. However, this entire process of filing the tax returns seems unfathomable to most of us. The tax rate slabs, the deductions, the exemptions and the sections! This article lays down the basics of Income Tax returns filing for the Assessment Year 2012-13 (that is, financial year 2011-12).

TAX SLABS AND STANDARD DEDUCTION The tax calculations for an individual depend upon the gender and the age of the person, apart from the income levels. There is a minimum standard deduction of `1,80,000 for a male below the age of 60. If we are doing the calculation for a woman, the standard deduction will increase by `10,000 to `1,90,000. Similarly, if the individual is a senior citizen above the age of 60 but below 80 years of age, the standard deduction is `2,50,000. For people above 80 years of age, the standard deduction is `5,00,000/-. The Tax rates are 0, 10, 20 and 30%, depending on the level of the income.

NUMEROLOGY spouse or child(ren); contributions to Employee or Recognised Provident Funds; Post Ofﬁce Savings Schemes; Subscriptions to Unit Link Plans of LIC, Annuity Plans or Mutual Fund Plans; Admission Fees for up to two children (this is not an exhaustive list). The upper limit for deductions available under section 80c, 80ccc and 80ccd together is `1,00,000. Section 80ccf allows for a deduction of up to `20,000 invested in long term infrastructure bonds issued by approved institutions. The investment has to be for a minimum period of 10 years, with a lock-in of ﬁve years. Section 80d is the deduction for premium paid for mediclaim or medical insurance. It is `20,000 for senior citizens and `15,000 for everyone else. One may also claim for premiums paid for par-

ents who are senior citizens, over and above their own premiums. Section 80E allows for deduction of interest on loan taken for Higher education, while section 80G allows for deduction of donations paid to approved trusts and NGOs. Section 80 GG allows for deduction of house rent paid (HRA). The amount to be deducted for HRA is the lowest of the: n the HRA received, or n 50% of salary for people residing in the four Metro cities and 40 % of salary for any other city, or n rent paid in excess of 10 % of salary

ONLINE TAX FILING

Taxes can be ﬁled through a Chartered Accountant or a taxation lawyer or one can do it online. If your income is below

`5,00,000 , you are not required to file your tax returns if you are a salaried person and receive a Form 16 from your company. According to a notification by the Central Board of Direct Taxes, if an individual or a Hindu Undivided Family earns more than `10 lakh, it is mandatory to file the returns online. You may directly file your returns through the official website of the Income Tax Department: www.incometaxindiaefiling.gov.in or you may file your returns through other sites which may charge you a nominal fees of around `200. It is a good practice to recheck your tax return with the Form 26AS. Form 26AS is a statement of all taxes deducted or collected at source and paid to the IT Department on your behalf, against your PAN number.

INDIVIDUAL AND HINDU UNDIVIDED FAMILY (MALE, LESS THAN 60YRS OF AGE)

DEDUCTIONS

Various sub-sections of Section 80 specify deductions which can be deducted from the Income, to reduce your tax liability and to encourage people to save in the speciﬁed instruments. Once again, this is not an exhaustive list, but covers most of the popular deductions: The section 80c, 80ccc and 80ccd cover premium paid for Life Insurance policies for self,

Income Slabs Less than or equal to `1,80,000

Tax Rate NIL

Example If Income is `1,50,000: Tax will be 0.

More than `1,80,000 but less than or equal to `5,00,000

10% of the amount more than `1,80,000

If Income is `4,00,000: Tax will calculated as 10% of `2,20,000 (4,00,000-1,80,000). That is, Rs22,000.

More than `5,00,000 but less than or equal to `8,00,000

`32,000+20% of the amount more than `5,00,000

If Income is `7,00,000: Tax will calculated as `32,000+20% of `2,00,000 (7,00,000-5,00,000). That is, `72,000.

More than `8,00,000

`92,000+30% of the amount more than `8,00,000

If Income is `10,00,000: Tax will calculated as `92,000+30% of `2,00,000 (10,00,0008,00,000). That is, `1,52,000.

Additionally, there is an education cess of 3%, calculated on the tax payable.

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

for

BSE

17,179.95 98.90

NSE

5,209.05 33.65

$160

is what Renault-Nissan Alliance will invest to roll out Nissan models at its South Korean unit.

MS PROFIT DECLINES Microsoft posted its first ever loss on Thursday, shedding $492 million in the fourth quarter due to a massive $6.2 billion write-down to reflect the slump in value of its online operations. Microsoft still posted an annual profit of $16.98 billion and said the results reflected "solid revenue growth and rigorous cost discipline." The Redmond, Washington-based firm had announced earlier this month it would take the $6.2 billion writedown, which is required by accounting rules and does not affect the company's cash position.

THUS SPAKE

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

DOLLAR`55.14 POUND `86.60

FRIDAY, JULY 20, 2012

Comment Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak; courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen. Winston Churchill Former British PM

It’s time Rahul proved himself Arun Koshy Philip Arun.k@postnoon.com

n the movie Rocky Balboa, there is an inspirational dialogue from father to son about why one should stop cribbing, pointing ﬁngers and be ready to take hits that life throws at you to emerge the winner. Now that Rahul Gandhi has decided to stop playing Prince Charles and has come forward to 'play a bigger role', one could imagine a similar conversation at 10 Janpath. The regular loose cannon, Digvijay Singh, has been demanding that the heir apparent shouldn't be wasting more time learning the ropes and Salman Khurshid's 'cameo' comments revealed that veterans were losing patience with the hesitant yuvraj. The NDA, for all its bickering, has many leaders who have showed their mettle — Nitish Kumar and Narendra Modi to name a few. The Congress has quite a few capable leaders, but none has the stature to be considered a PM candidate without the props of caste, community or region. Despite Rahul’s attempts at strengthening the Congress, the party has been taking blow after blow in elections. Finally, it appears to have dawned upon the Gandhi-Nehru scion that tacking a backseat may backﬁre. In a country where corruption is the norm and failures of the system perennial, there should be a towering leader if the UPA manages to get another innings. With Manmohan and other senior leaders to guide him, Rahul might just learn the real ropes in time. It's time to put some war paint on.

HIGH-FLYING THOUGHTS Outlook’s tit-for-tat ‘underachiever’ tag for Barack Obama is nothing short of juvenile behaviour. Sure the UPA is happy that scribes are coming forward to wield their pens like swords to defend the economist prime minister, but where’s the innovation dudes!

THE CURSE OF THE KHAPS

STOP THEM NOW!

The human Anhle Babu Gogineni

n 21 July 2012, leaders of the Jat community from all over the country will gather in a Mahapanchayat in Asara village in Baghpat district, Uttar Pradesh (UP). At this meeting the Jat chiefs will discuss how to enforce their decisions about women and marriages on their community. That day will be a day of reckoning for India. Historically, a panchayat was a village council headed by ﬁve male elders, and a mahapanchayat was an assembly of leaders of all panchayats. After independence, the caste-based, peasant-led panchayats were replaced by a system of local self-governance called the Panchayat Raj. The new system has 265,000 village assemblies called Gram Sabhas, and universal adult suffrage and ensures representation for women and under-privileged castes. Some traditional caste-based panchayats called Khaps continue to operate in the country… illegally. Khaps are geographical units, and each Khap has a jurisdiction over 84 villages. The most important Khaps are those run by the Jats who could be Hindu, Muslim or Sikh. Three hundred such Khaps control 25,000 villages in Haryana, Punjab, Western Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan. They issue writs on civic and

criminal issues which have greater reach than that of the law. Recent Khap interference has ranged from the bizarre to the chillingly barbaric: the Daadan Khap banned cricket and warned that offenders would pay ﬁnes for seven generations; the Kadyan Khap banned DJs in wedding parties, while the Tevatia Khap showed its misogynistic side by declaring that families needed to have at least two sons before they could approach it for justice – this in Haryana which is plagued by female foeticide and a dismal sex ratio of 821 women to 1000 men. Khaps have also used murder, rape, ostracism and banishment from the village as means of control. When Chetan eloped with the daughter of an upper caste Yadav, the Tevatia Khap ordered that Chetan’s mother be raped to avenge the dishonour. The latest instance happened just 50 kms from the national capital. A Jat-panchayat meeting in Asara village decided that women below the age of 40 should cover their heads and face when stepping out of their homes; after sunset they should do so only with a male escort; and that young men and women should not use mobile phones on roads. The Panchayat banned dowry and also love marriages. Following widespread outrage at these unlawful restrictions, the police started making inquiries which ended when their boss, UP’s young Australia-educated Chief

Minister Akhilesh Yadav, dismissed the developments as just a media issue. The powerful farmer’s group, the Bharatiya Kisan Union, lent its support to the Panchayat’s tyrannical diktat, while Rashtriya Lok Dal’s leader and Union Minister Ajit Singh’s son Jayant Chaudhary claimed that this was just an advisory. Yashpal Malik of the Jat Arakshan Samiti threatened a huge agitation if the Centre dared to go ahead with the proposed bill to ban Khap Panchayats. Only Janata Dal United’s Sharad Yadav reminded public ofﬁcials of their duty to abide by the Constitution. Freedom of Speech cannot legitimise intimidation. In 2001, Rajasthan’s High Court and its State Human Rights Commission instructed the state administration to curb caste panchayats of the state. In 2009, a Haryana court ﬁned a Khap for calling for a person’s social boycott. The Supreme Court

termed the caste panchayats ‘barbaric and illegal’ kangaroo courts. The Law Commission of India’s draft bill on The Prohibition of Unlawful Assembly (Interference with the Freedom of Matrimonial Alliances) Bill, 2011, states no group of persons can condemn any lawful marriage. The government must go further: honour killing must be recognised as a separate category of crime, and Panchayats should be held responsible for conspiracy and murder when an honour killing happens. Political parties that support Khap’s illegal orders for the votes of the over 80 million Jats in nine states need to be pulled up, for their loyalty to the Constitution is a pre-requisite for their registration. The meeting of 21 July should not be allowed unless the organisers undertake to abide by the rule of law and the Indian Constitution.

EDITORIALS Fight of two unequals

oth are born in December, both are of the same age, both are senior cabinet colleagues of the Delhi Durbar, both are close to the ruling Gandhi clan. But here ends the similarities and begins the differences.Though both are born in December they, Sharad Pawar and A K Antony fall in two zodiac houses — Sharad in Sagittarius and Antony in Capricon. One is archer the other is goat. One is seen as a 'power broke,' the other 'Mr. Clean' who though clean is self-centred. No wonder the two happen to be on eyeball confrontation for the No.2 position in the Durbar. In the Durbar, Antony was allotted the seat next to the PM which is by tradition No.2 position that has so far been occupied by Pranab Mukherjee. In the PMO website however Pawar was named next to PM. Since creating confusion is a Congress speciality, no surprise in this. But the trouble began after the PMO clariﬁed that Antony will take the place of Mukherjee. And, the world collapsed for Pawar whose name is made synonymous with 'Power.

READERS’ VIEWS

Microsoft loss is our gain

e love Microsoft as much as the next geek, and even though we sometimes rail at Windows products we do appreciate the company’s pioneering efforts in making the PC the technological achievement it is. Still, of late Microsoft has been an also-ran when it comes to innovation, so maybe the fact that it has reported a quarterly loss for the ﬁrst time ever, will spur it forward. Who knows, this jolt may be just what the company needs to get its act together again.

FRIDAY, JULY 20, 2012

music

SETTING TEMPERATURES SOARING THIS NOVEMBER

International music sensation and rhyme singer Sean Paul Henriques who has enjoyed continued pop dominance will be making his debut tour to India to give his fans an exclusive taste of a never seen before musical extravaganza.

ACTIONS SPEAKS LOUDER THAN WORDS

NEW STAR

Going crazy on stage After trying all sorts of attention grabbing stunts, Madge has now gone and put a gun to her head. But she is not alone, there are several other musicians who take their live stage performances a bit too seriously.

PRIYANKA SURESH feedback@postnoon.com

here is a fine line between causing a revolution and being an absolute moron. Some musicians have taken this rebellion a bit too far and become obnoxious with their live stage performances that they have been sued for more reasons than one.

1. JIM MORRISON

The legendary frontman of The Doors, Jim Morrison landed in a legal soup after doing one of the first most obscene concerts, on March 1, 1969, in Miami after he turned up drunk on stage and started talking gibberish. When the crowd started expressing displeasure, he flashed his privates and was charged with lewd behaviour.

2. ALICE COOPER

Infamous for his freaky concerts, Alice Cooper created history with “The Chicken Incident” at the Toronto Rock ‘n Roll festival on September 13, 1969, when the audience supposedly threw a live chicken onto the stage. The rocker, assuming it would fly, threw it back into the crowd where it was torn to pieces. However, the next day headlines read that Cooper bit off the chicken’s head and drank its blood during the performance.

3. OZZY OSBOURNE Madonna brandished a gun during her MDNA world tour performance

iTUNES Top 10 songs 1 TAKE A LITTLE RIDE (FEAT. SIA)

Jason Aldean David Guetta & Sia

2 WHISTLE 7 LIGHTS

Flo Rida Ellie Goulding

3 WIDE AWAKE 8 SOME NIGHTS Katy Perry Fun

4 CALL ME MAYBE 9 WANT U BACK Carly Rae Jepsen Cher Lloyd

5 SETTLE DOWN 10 GOOD TIME

No Doubt Owl City & Carly Rae 6 TITANIUM Jepsen

The self proclaimed “Prince of Darkness” did the unimaginable on January 20, 1982, in the Des Moines concert of Black Sabbath

Top 10 albums 1 FORTUNE MIRRORS

Chris Brown Gotye

2 TEENAGE DREAM 7 SOME NIGHTS Katy Perry Fun

3 BELIEVE 8 WELCOME TO THE Justin Beiber FISHBOWL 4 OVEREXPOSED Kenny Chesney Maroon 5 9. 21 5 LIVING THINGS Adele Linkin Park 10. EL CAMINO 6 MAKING Black Keys

when he bit off a bats head. In reciprocation to the rocker’s usual practice of throwing pig intestines and calves’ livers, the audience threw a bat. Thinking it was made of rubber, the rocker enthusiastically bit it off. He was rushed to the hospital for rabies shots soon after. The rocker apparently also bit off a dove’s head during a press conference.

4. MARILYN MANSON

Known as the “Agent of Satan” because of his distorted looks, Marylin Manson lives up to the image of a demented genius in all his concerts by throwing zip-lock bags containing chocolate chip cookies and cat excreta. He is also famous for filling donkey piñata with cow brains, chicken livers and pig intestines in the pre94 era in music.

5. MADONNA

The queen of pop is known for her bold and provocative performances but things have taken an ugly turn after she flashed her right nipple to a crowd in Istanbul,Turkey on June 7, 2012 and posing as France’s far-right party leader Marine Le Pen with a swastika on her forehead at her Tel Aviv concert in Paris. Earlier the queen of pop had shocked the world with a three way kiss with Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera at the MTV VMA’s in 2003.

Bollywood Top 10 1. YAARIAN Cocktail

2. KEH KE LUNGA

Cocktail

6. YE KASOOR Jism 2

7. HUNTER 3. TUM HI HO Gangs of Wasseypur BANDHU 8. ABHI ABHI

Gangs of Wasseypur

Cocktail Jism 2

4.O WOMANIYA LIVE 9. MUKHTASAR

Gangs of Wasseypur Teri Meri Kahaani

5 JUGNI 10. MAULA Jism 2

Lianne La Havas At the ﬁrst of two sold-out shows, Lianne La Havas gushed that she was “over the moon” to be performing her debut album, Is Your Love Big Enough?, a day after it made the top ﬁve.The music industry will also be thankful for new talent after some poor sales for major releases. The 22-yearold from Tooting is a proper album artist with a soaring soul voice that makes her a good British bet for a Grammy before long. Prince is already a fan.

DID YOU KNOW...

Adele’s chart-topping release has overtaken Pink Floyd’s landmark 1973 release, The Dark Side Of The Moon, on the list of best-selling UK albums. Her album, including hits like Rolling In The Deep and Someone Like You, has now sold more than 4,142,000 copies, making it the seventh biggest-selling album of all-time and the biggest selling album of the 21st century.

TRENDING...

P!nk rockets into the Billboard Hot 100’s top 10, as Blow Me (One Last Kiss) vaults 58-9 in its second week on the chart. Meanwhile, Carly Rae Jepsen’s Call Me Maybe holds the No. 1 position for a sixth week, Katy Perry’s Wide Awake crowns the Digital Songs tally and Flo Rida reaches the Hot 100’s top 10 with Whistle.

The Who are heading back on the road after a four-year break and bringing their 1973 rock opera “Quadrophenia” with them. Surviving original members Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey recently announced the tour – a 36-date romp through North America.

FRIDAY, JULY 20, 2012

spotlight

DIFFERENT SHADES

Alankrita Art Gallery at Jubliee Hills is hosting a group exhibition titled ‘Diverse Expressions’ from today till July 24. Art lovers in the city can surely head to this one to get a glimpse of these artists’ accomplishments.

DEEPAK DESHPANDE

KISMET NIGHTS

FASHION,NOT

JUST A FAD

A fashion show was held at Kismet on Thursday. Those attending the event were seen at their fashionable best. The event was titled Fad Nightout.

TAKING IT FORWARD

The team of Uu Kodathara Ullikki Padathara held a Press meet at Prasad Labs on Thursday. Balakrishna, Manoj Manchu and Deeksha Seth are playing the main leads in the ﬁlm. The ﬁlm is all set to hit screens on July 27. Lakshmi Manchu (L) is the producer.

TOUCHING BASE WITH FANS

Gearing up for this much-awaited movie Tuneega Tuneega, Dil Raju and Sumanth made a star entry to Radio Mirchi – 98.3 FM as part of the ﬁlm's promotional activity. Producer turned director MS Raju is introducing his son Sumanth Ashwin as hero in his directorial venture. DEEPAK DESHPANDE

FRIDAY, JULY 20, 2012

health

8 MN WORLDWIDE RECEIVING HIV TREATMENT Over eight million people worldwide had access to life-saving treatment in low- and middle-income countries last year, an increase of 1.4 million over 2010, the UNAIDS said. According to the report, some 34.2 million people are living with the AIDS virus globally.

ALL YOU WANT TO KNOW ABOUT ERECTILE DYSFUNCTION

Rising to the challenge Did you ever realise that those oh-so-stylish low-waist jeans could be affecting your sperm count? Read on to learn more about how modern lifestyles affect performance in bed ranjani rajendra ranjani.r@postnoon.com

hat is every man’s worst nightmare when it comes to physical intimacy? Impotence or better known as erectile dysfunction (ED). Utter the word and a look of discomfort crosses faces. Impotence is one topic, nobody wants to talk about, after all nobody wants to admit that they can’t perform in bed. However, it is a reality for many men. According to

Performance issues n Sexual functioning requires coordination of several functions in the body. This includes the nervous system, hormones, and the vascular system which pumps blood into the muscle tissue that maintains the erection. n Smoking blocks arteries thereby inhibiting blood flow. Impotence is another result of arterial blockage. Men have reported a completely reversed situation by quitting smoking. n Psychological causes and stress can also cause erectile dysfunction. n Ailments like diabetes, high blood pressure, coronary artery disease, trauma to the spine, multiple sclerosis etc can also affect sexual performance.

research, impotence affects nearly 50 per cent of the men above the age of 40. Some studies also suggest that men who are less educated are also more prone to impotence, simply because they are less aware of the importance of a healthy lifestyle, diet, drink more and exercise less. However, even the stress induced by today’s hectic lifestyle can result in sexual dysfunction. “Erectile dysfunction is a man’s inability to get or maintain an erection. It is usually common in older men, although these days it is also seen in plenty of men between the 20 to 30 age group,” says Dr F Rai, a City-based sexologist.

years. “Many people don’t realise it, but wearing tight clothes or even low waist jeans and trousers has a role to play in causing erectile dysfunction. When people wear these kind of clothes or sit for long hours at a stretch, it reduces the blood flow to the penile area. This is the root of most problems these days.”

TREATMENT The key to improving one’s performance in bed, says Dr Rai, is by changing one’s lifestyle. “Stress in today’s competitive world is unavoidable. But one needs to learn to live with that stress. Going for walks, incorporating and exercise regime and wearing appropriate clothing is necessary. Sildenafil may be pre-

scribed in certain cases, but this should be strictly taken under the supervision of a urologist or cardiologist. It is not an over the counter option. When people randomly pop these pills, it may not help and this results in panic. Most importantly, one should get adequate rest and this does not mean hitting the pub after a long day at work.”

CAUSES There are various reasons for a man to find it difficult to perform in bed. “ED can be caused due to various factors. It could be partly psychological and partly due to physiological reasons. However, these days it is turning out to be a lifestyle ailment. The changing lifestyle is to blame for many cases of ED, especially in younger men. Factors like sitting in one place for long hours (sedentary lifestyle), smoking, drinking too much alcohol, lack of adequate sleep, stress and wearing tight clothes are some of the factors contributing to the rising incidence of erectile dysfunction,” says Dr Rai. Dr Rai goes on to add that there has been an increase in the number of men complaining of erectile dysfunction in the last 10

HNOUSECALL EWS BRIEFS

APP-LY YOURSELF

DID YOU KNOW?

HOUSECALL

Chondromalcia

Fertility Friend Mobile

Bananas for energy

Elizabeth Blackwell

Chondromalacia is a knee condition that normally affects teenagers. Usually only one knee is affected. The cartilage at the back of the kneecap is damaged. This softened cartilage is vulnerable to being broken down that in turn allows the kneecap to rub against the femur.

Its always great to have someone who can give you advice on issues as personal and important as becoming pregnant. Fertility Friend is the name of a health application that has a menstrual calendar, a period tracker, ovulation chart and a fertility chart. This free app is designed to work with both iPhone and iPad. A unique aspect of this app is that it allows for data entry and review even when there is no internet access.

If you love to exercise or are gymming you will know how important energy is. So instead of reaching out for that energy drink, try a natural and more healthy option — bananas. Research has proven that just two bananas provide enough energy. This will be sufﬁcient for a strenuous 90-minute workout.

Elizabeth Blackwell is the name that comes to the forefront when we talk about women physicians in America. She was America’s ﬁrst female physician. She is known to have valiantly faced prejudice from both students and professors, and went on to earn a medical degree from Geneva College in New York. While there, she graduated at the top of her class. She was the ﬁrst woman to earn a degree in medicine in the US.

health FRIDAY, JULY 20, 2012

PAEDIATRICS AND PATERNAL FACTORS

BREAKTHROUGH

Dad’s job affects birth defects in kid, says study Researchers used data from the US National Birth Defects Prevention Study and found that men with certain jobs had higher chances of having kids with defects ALEXANDER BESANT Global Post

new study links a father’s profession with the chance of birth defects in a child. Researchers at the University of North Carolina used data from the US National Birth Defects Prevention Study and found that fathers with certain jobs had higher chances of having children with birth defects. According to CBS News, the study examined 1,000 fathers who had children with defects and 4,000 who had children without birth defects. The researchers asked about the dad’s profession three months before conception — while couples were planning to have children — and after the first month of pregnancy — key periods where the father could pass on birth defects. The most common jobs of the men interviewed included management, sales and construction. Jobs that were linked with higher degrees of birth defects included computer scientists, artists, mathematicians, physicists, photographers, landscapers, hairdressers, make-up artists, food service workers, gas, chemical and petrol workers and crane and digger operators, reported Medical News Today. Other jobs that did not seem to increase the rates of birth defects were architects, healthcare workers, and firemen, among others, reported HealthDay. Researchers even found that fathers with certain jobs spawned certain defects in children. For instance, visual artists had children with defects of the mouth, eyes, ears and limbs, while photographers had children with defects in their eyes. The report was published in the journal Occupation and Environmental Medicine.

Gym Diaries

love vacations and my most recent one was with my family — after nearly 10 years. Before the trip, I had decided that while on vacation I would not think about my work outs or diets. When I announced this to my friend she said, “Try not to eat just about anything. Try to balance your diet.” But I was determined to enjoy myself. However, once I actually went on the trip, I found myself keeping a check on what I ate almost sub consciously. I sup-

Musical glove improves sensation in paralysed WASHINGTON: A wireless, musical glove — improving sensation, motor skills — could be a boon for people with paralysing spinal cord injury (SCI). The gadget was successfully used by individuals with limited feeling or movement in their hands due to tetraplegia, known also as quadriplegia, resulting in partial or total loss of use of all their limbs and torso. Called Mobile Music Touch (MMT), the device looks like a workout glove with a small box on the back, is used with a piano keyboard and vibrates a person’s fingers to indicate which keys to play. While learning to play the instrument, several people with SCI experienced improved sensation in their fingers. Researchers at Georgia Tech and Atlanta’s Shepherd Centre recently completed a study focusing on people with weakness and sensory loss due to SCI. “After our preliminary work in 2011, we suspected that the glove would have positive results for people with SCI,” said doctoral graduate Tanya Markow, the project’s leader. “But we were surprised by how much improvement they made in our study. For example, after using the glove, some participants were able to feel the texture of their bed sheets and clothes for the first time since their injury,” said Markow, according to a Georgia Tech statement.

THE PROJECT

Sudeshna Koka

MY STAMINA REDISCOVERED pose my four months of training have had an affect on me. I, otherwise love sweets. But when I was offered my favourite sweet by my sister-in-law, I promptly turned it away. I’m quite surprised myself that I didn’t binge. I was just conscious about eating anything that contributed to my ﬂab. My workouts at the gym usually entail a mix of cardio,

weights and stretching. For the life of me, I couldn’t ﬁgure out why my trainer made me do all those crazy stretches. But while on this trip I realised just how much my workous had helped me. My stamina had increased so much. When we went trekking with my cousins, who all look ﬁtter than me, they could barely climb up half the hill, while I had no trouble. I was

so proud of myself. I may not have lost as much weight, but stamina has definitely improved. Earlier I’d feel conscious when I saw the other girls training at my gym. But now I realise that I’ve been getting better too. Time to take up new challenges. The writer is determined to fight the flab. Readers can inspire her at sudeshna.k@postnoon.com

The eight-week project required study participants to practice playing the piano for 30 minutes, three times a week. Half used the MMT glove to practice; half did not. They had sustained injury more than a year before the study, a time frame when most rehab patients see very little improvement for the remainder of their lives. Remarkably, the device was primarily used while the participants were going about their daily routines. The MMT system works with a computer, MP3 player or smart phone. Participants also wore the glove at home for two hours a day, five days a week, feeling only the vibration. Previous studies showed that wearing this passively in this manner helped participants learn songs faster and retain them better. The researchers hoped that the passive wearing of the device would also have rehabilitative effects.

FRIDAY, JULY 20, 2012

Entertainment

REBEL NEARS COMPLETION

Prabhas, Tamannaah and Deeksha Seth starrer Rebel is nearing completion. Currently the film is being shot in Pondicherry and with this the entire shooting will be completed except a song.

BANGKOK LOCATION FOR BAADSHAH

CINE BITES

BAADSHAH set to release on January 11

TR, Kajal starrer Baadshah is expected to hit the screens on January 11, 2013. The principal shooting of the film recently began in Milan, Italy and currently a song is being shot on the lead pair. After wrapping up the shoot in Europe, the film unit will head to Bangkok for another marathon schedule. Sreenu Vaitla is directing the film and Ganesh Babu is producing it. Recently, the writers duo Kona Venkat and Gopi Mohan flew to Italy to join the team and we hear that they are planning to go on a road trip across Europe. “We are going to complete the entire shooting of Baadshah by mid December and it'll have a huge release on January 11, 2013," Ganesh Babu said. SS Thaman, the music director of the film, is planning to rope in Akon to sing one of the songs in this romantic and action entertainer. The film has made quite a lot of buzz already after it was revealed that NTR is sporting a new look in the film. A Mumbai based hair stylist was hired to oversee NTR’s makeover.

Another remix for Charan's film

et another song from one of Chiranjeevi's films is going to be remixed for Ram Charan's upcoming film in VV Vinayak's direction. After Bangaru Kodipetta and Vana Vana Velluvaye, we hear that Subhalekha Raasukunna, a superhit song from Kondaveeti Donga is going to be remixed for Charan's upcoming film.

Srimannarayana's first look on July 23

alakrishna's upcoming film Srimannarayana is gearing up for its big release in August. Ravi Kumar Chavali has directed the film and Ramesh Puppala has produced it. The first look of the film will be unveiled on July 23 and the audio is expected to hit the stands by August 6. Balakrishna is playing a journalist in this film.

Madhura Sreedhar to direct Gautham

adhura Sreedhar, who had earlier directed ﬁlms like Sneha Geetham and It's My Love Story, is all set to team up with Brahmanandam's son Gautham. "Although Gautham has done couple of ﬁlms in the past, this new project is going to be like a relaunch. You'll see Gautham in a new light," Madhura Sreedhar told Postnoon.

FRIDAY, JULY 20, 2012

Going Dutch

fashion

RUNNING SHOES BECOMING FASHIONABLE

THESE DAYS both designers and street-style notables are leaving their dressy footwear at home and making fashion statements with athletic shoes. And no, we’re not talking about those ubiquitous Isabel Marant wedges. We’re referring to a specific subgenre of sneaker, i.e. competitive trainers made for running sprints.

KATE MOSS ARTWORK

KATE MOSS is the subject of a new artwork on Oxford Street. The brightly-coloured mural has been created to promote the debut London exhibition of French street artist Mr Brainwash - real name Thierry Guetta which will open at the The Old Sorting Office on August 3.

22&23

AFP/ ADE JOHNSON

he Amsterdam International Fashion Week 2012 is into its 17th edition this year and is showing a lot of promise. Twice a year, Amsterdam International fashion week (AIFW) becomes the center of the Dutch fashion world, with a full schedule of runway shows, trade fairs, presentations and parties. For both the spring / summer and fall / winter seasons, Amsterdam fashion week brings both established and new Dutch fashion talent to the runway. The Amsterdam Fashion Week started in 2004 as an initiative to put Amsterdam on the map as a sparkling and internationally oriented destination for fashion. The summer edition of the fashion week kicked off with an explosion of flowers, sequins and organza in a catwalk show by designer Claes Iversen and Marga Weimans.

Entertainment FRIDAY, JULY 20, 2012

FRIDAY, JULY 20, 2012

Chai Time

THOUGHT OF THE DAY

If there is anything in the world that can really be called a man's property, it is surely that which is the result of his mental activity. Arthur Schopenhauer

KAKURO

QUICK CROSSWORD

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

ACROSS

PREVIOUS PUZZLE ANSWER

SCRIBBLING PAD

1 Autumn bloomers (Abbr) 5 ‘Back to the Future’ bully 9 Adult tent caterpillar (Var) 14 At the high point of 15 Citrus fruit similar to a grapefruit 16 World's largest producer of rice 17 Delhi princess 18 Remains to be seen? 19 Accept, as a credit card 20 Cause of a diet setback, perhaps 23 10 jiao 24 Wildcatter's strike 25 Brick bearer 28 Afflicted with muscle tremors 31 Volcanic fallout 34 Clear sky's color 36 His partner 37 Vocal quartet member 38 Cause of a diet setback, perhaps 42 ‘It follows logically ...’ 43 ‘___ Miss Brooks’ 44 Like many Poe stories 45 ‘Lucy in the ___ with Diamonds’ 46 Chinese restaurant appetiser 49 ‘Old college’ effort 50 ___ Lanka 51 ‘___ contendere’ (no contest) 53 Cause of a diet setback, perhaps 61 Sans companions 62 Revise writing 63 A psychic may claim to see it 64 Hindu princes 65 ‘... to form a ___ perfect union’ 66 Varieties or types 67 Angry bull's sound 68 Wintertime slider 69 Take a breather

DOWN

1 Wine press residue 2 Its state flower is the sego lily 3 ‘The kissing disease,’ casually

4 Hot, on a Chinese menu 5 Potato sack material 6 Williams title lizard 7 Act the butterfly 8 ‘Can't complain’ 9 Imitative of a natural sound 10 One who commits grave offenses? 11 Array on a bar shelf 12 Adam's grandson 13 Seldom seen 21 Common black European thrush (Var) 22 Ripple pattern on a stamp 25 Wealthy bunch 26 Arkansas' ___ Mountains 27 Super Bowl XLI-winning coach Tony 29 Bake in a shallow dish, as eggs 30 Gumshoe, briefly 31 All-points bulletin 32 Device for upward mobility 33 Comfy-cosy 35 ‘Road to ___’ 37 Be in another form? 39 Careful reasoning 40 Calendar abbr. 41 Instrument played sitting down 46 ‘KnowwhutImean?’ character 47 In the middle of a hot streak 48 Hit high 50 Bat's detection tool 52 ‘Live’ 53 ‘___ and the Real Girl’ (2007 movie) 54 Distinctive and stylish elegance 55 Austin Powers' ‘power’ 56 Does a tailoring job 57 ‘American ___’ 58 Act like a baby 59 Gets under the skin of 60 Geographical region

Chai Time FRIDAY, JULY 20, 2012 Thiruvaikumar

STAR POWER for 21-7-2012

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

ARIES

TAURUS

GEMINI

CANCER

LEO

VIRGO

LIBRA

SCORPIO

SAGITTARIUS

CAPRICORN

AQUARIUS

PISCES

An unwanted fear will haunt you. Just drive it away and keep cool. Opportunities will come knocking. You must take necessary steps to make use of them in a better way that will benefit you. Businessmen might be forced to avail fresh loans.

Travel will increase and you have to struggle hard to complete undertaken work. However, you won't be fully satisfied with the result. Ancestral property will be yours. Couples might be upset due to petty clashes over financial matters.

You will be able to clear a major portion of your debts. Businessmen will see a boom time with profits increasing on expected lines. Legal issues and govt-related work might create minor obstacles. Handle them carefully and come out.

QUICK CROSSWORD FRED BASSET

Be careful with relatives and maintain cordial relationship with them. Businessmen will face obstacles that will upset them. Avoid worrying about debts; keep patience, things will become alright. Mother's health is a cause for concern.

Health needs attention. Tensions because of women likely. Be alert and think twice before taking up important work. Avoid taking fresh loans and also try to clear the old debts at the earliest. Employees need to discharge duties carefully.

Businessmen will plan fresh investments, which will benefit them in the long run and increase profits. Comforts are set to increase. Employees will see a favourable atmosphere. Marriage talks will progress well and end favourably.

You will be successful in completing all undertaken work, even though they are difficult for others. Financial position looks strong. Enemies will be active and hence you need to exercise caution. Businessmen will see increased profits.

A happy atmosphere will prevail at home. Held-up work will resume and get completed successfully. Deficit financial position will put you under stress. Stay cool and take necessary steps to improve situation. Politicians might face a setback.

Wasteful expenditure will increase and upset you. Health needs more attention. Tensions and expenses due to children will upset you. Businessmen might face unexpected problems and investments might come under pressure.

TAROT READ

Sumaa Tekur

tarotreadhyd@gmail.com

ARIES:

GEMINI:

Five of Pentacles – Watch your diet. Don’t eat too many unhealthy foods from the buffet table. Pick up a generous serving of fruits as well.

LEO:

The Hermit – Manage your time better. Make job lists, if you have to, and be more proactive in managing your tasks so that you’re not under pressure later.

LIBRA:

STONE SOUP

The Tower – Changes are on the way. You may or may not be happy with these changes but you don’t have a choice but to deal with them. Might as well like them.

SAGITTARIUS:

The Sun – Good times are rolling. Those who’re travelling will meet someone interesting from the opposite sex. The chemistry is immediate and passionate.

TAURUS:

Ace of Cups – You experience the warm and fuzzy feeling of being in love. It’s an exciting time and you’re going through these emotions for the first time.

CANCER:

Seven of Pentacles – Some conflict is indicated on the work front. People will push you to be aggressive. Don’t give in, unless you want to rub someone the wrong way.

VIRGO:

Five of Cups – Some form of loss is indicated. It could be some money lost because you forgot about an investment or didn’t take care of it well. Move on.

SCORPIO:

Ace of Wands – You’re at your creative best. You find new ways to discover and travel and do all the things you’ve always dreamt of. This is a great time.

CAPRICORN:

Nine of Wands – Make more space for your own interests. You need to stop living for others and live for yourself. Spend some alone-time and re-prioritise.

SOLUTIONS

PISCES:

Seven of Cups – The focus is on material objects. You want to amass as much wealth as possible in a short time because you’re unsure of the future.

NUMBER GAME

Guard against sore throat, cold or flu, which might bring down your productivity. Eat healthy and stay away from partying. Take lots of rest.

SCRABBLE

AQUARIUS: Judgment –

INK PEN

Health looks fine. Newlyweds will receive good news about arrival of offspring. Mother's health needs attention. Businessmen are advised to treat their staff with respect. Businessmen need to be careful in all their plans.

for 21-7-2012

The Empress – You’re in the mood to sit in bed all day and watch action movies. Not a bad idea, considering it’s the weekend and you have worked quite hard.

FOR BETTER OR FOR WORSE

Avoid arguments and exchange of harsh words. Businessmen will feel happy as they will come out of major debts. Ailments related to bone and nerves likely; take proper care without neglecting. Court verdicts will go in your favour.

SUDUKO

Happy events to take place at home. Businessmen will be successful in implementing their expansion plans, which will fetch good results. Sops from govt likely. Enemies will run away from you. Some have chances to get a promotion.

Boggle SEA POND LAKE OCEAN LAGOON HARBOR Vol: 1, No 368 RNI No: APENG/2011/39337 Published for the proprietors, Scribble Media and Entertainment Pvt Ltd, by V Harshavardhan Reddy, at #1246, Level 3, Jubilee Casa, Road No 62, Jubilee Hills, Hyderabad – 500033 and printed by him at Jagati Publications Ltd, Plot No D-75&E-52, APIE Industrial Estate, Balanagar, Ranga Reddy Dist, Hyderabad – 500037, Editor: Dean Williams – Responsible for selection of news under the PRB Act All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission of the publisher is prohibited. For feedback, please write to: feedback@postnoon.com and for subscription, please call 040-4067 2222, Fax: 040-4067 2211

2012 LONDON OLYMPICS

60 59 58

DID YOU KNOW...?

LEGENDS OF THE SPORT

n The event developed from the ancient pentathlon. Pentathlon competitions were held at the ancient Greek Olympics.

56 55 54 52 51 50 49 48 47 46

n Traditionally, all decathletes who finished the event do a round of honour together after the competition, rather than just the winner or medalling athletes. n At major championships, the women’s equivalent of the decathlon is the seven-event heptathlon; prior to 1981 it was the five-event pentathlon. n Women’s disciplines differ from men’s in the same way as for standalone events: the shot, discus and javelin weigh less, and the sprint hurdles uses lower hurdles over 100 m rather than 110 m. n The points tables used are the same as for the heptathlon in the shared events. The schedule of events differs from the men’s decathlon.

45 44 43 42 41 40 39

TALLY 2008

38 37 36 35

USA RUSSIA JAMAICA

7 6 6

9 5 3

7 7 2

The medals are for all the athletic events at the 2008 Games

MEDAL EVENTS

32 31

DAYS TO GO

FRIDAY, JULY 20, 2012

August 9 Decathlon

Dan O’Brien (born July 18, 1966) was deemed one of the best decathlon athletes of the 1990s, winning an Olympic gold after winning three consecutive world titles. O’Brien won the Olympic gold medal for decathlon at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, and also won gold medals at the 1991, 1993, and 1995 World Championships in Athletics.

Daley Thompson (born July 30, 1958) won the decathlon gold at the Olympics in 1980 and 1984, and broke the world record four times. With four records, two Games golds, three Commonwealth titles and wins in the World and European Championships, Thompson is considered by many to be the greatest decathlete of all time.

Perfect-10 champ

DECATHLON: The decathlon is a combined event (consisting of ten events) in athletics consisting of ten track and ﬁeld events. The word decathlon is of Greek origin. Events are held over two consecutive days and the winners are determined by the combined performance in all the competitions. Performance is judged on a points system in each event and not by the position that has been achieved. At the Olympics, the decathlon is an event for men only. Traditionally, all decathletes who have completed the event, do a round of honour together after the competition is completed, rather than just the winner or the athletes who win the medals. Athletes receive points which is relative to their performance in each element, with these scores added up over the course of the competition to determine the ﬁnal placings. The rules for each element apply as it is done for the normal sport, with the exception that is there in the case of the long jump competition and throwing events where the athletes are permitted three attempts only. Traditionally, there is a title which is of the “World’s Greatest Athlete” and this title is been given to the man

THE LINGO Decathlete A contestant in a decathlon Field event An athletic event that involves jumping or throwing Foul it is a violation in an event where, most commonly, an athlete jumping or throwing for distance steps across the line or circle defining the limit of the athlete’s approach to an attempt

who wins the decathlon competition. This ritual began when King Gustav V of Sweden told Jim Thorpe, “You, sir, are the world’s greatest athlete” after Thorpe had won the decathlon competition at the Stockholm Olympic Games which were held in 1912. The Decathlon competition at the 2012 London Olympic Games consists of 10 elements (events) and these events are held in this order on the respective two days: Day 1: 100m, long jump, shot put, high jump, 400m.

Day 2: 110m hurdles, discus throw, pole vault, javelin throw, 1500m.

COMPETITION FORMAT

For the decathlon event, the competition referee presides over which heats or groups that the athletes would compete in for each element (event). At the end of the competition, if there are two (or more) athletes who have been tied, then, the athlete who has received more number of points in greater number of events is declared as the winner of the decathlon competition.

HISTORY OF DECATHLON

ncient Greek Olympians competed in a ﬁve-sport pentathlon event. The ﬁrst modern Olympic decathlon in 1904, then called the “All-Around Championship,” included events such as the 800-yard walk, hammer throw and 56-pound

throw. The next decathlon, in 1912, included the same 10 events that decathletes compete in today. When King Gustav V of Sweden presented awards at the 1912 Games of Stockholm, he proclaimed to the winner, an American Indian named Jim Thorpe, as the

world’s top athlete. “You sir, are the world’s greatest athlete.” Incidentally, Jim is purported to have replied, “Thanks, King” to the Swedish monarch, a story, true or not, which itself has become part of the Thorpe saga. Ever since, the decathlon champion

has been dubbed “the World’s Greatest Athlete.” And rightly so, since the decathlon is the only objective test of all around athletic ability. Decathletes must contest ten separate events and have those performances tallied on a scoring table.

FRIDAY, JULY 20, 2012

29 1

DAYS TO GO

Van Zyl chases dream DAVID LEGGE JOHANNESBURG: South African 400metre hurdler Louis Jacob van Zyl has dreamt of winning an Olympic gold medal since watching American Kevin Young achieve the feat 20 years ago. Bloemfontein-born Van Zyl was just six when he saw Young clock 46.78 seconds in Barcelona to not only win the ﬁnal, but also create a world record that still stands. It proved a pivotal moment for the emerging sprinter as LJ decided his future lay in hurdle racing and he goes to the London Olympics as one of the leading South African medal hopes although he is happy to consider himself an outsider. A niggling knee injury and a mystery virus have disrupted the preparations of the athlete who turns 27 today (Friday) and his best time this year ranks only 66 on the 2012 IAAF 400m hurdles list. Van Zyl ran 49.42sec in Pretoria last April to better the Olympic qualifying mark a second time and clinch a place in Team South Africa as the Games return to London after a 64year absence. That time is 1.64sec behind Puerto Rican Javier Culson, who has returned ﬁve of the best seven times this year with the other two

coming from David Greene of Great Britain. Greene and Culson are well known to Van Zyl as he ﬁnished third behind them at the 2011 world championships in South Korean city Daegu despite recording the best four times of the year ahead of that race. No surprise, then, that Van Zyl rates Greene and Culson among the favourites for London gold along with 2008 Beijing Olympics medalists Angelo Taylor and Bershawn Jackson from the United States. Taylor won the race ahead of compatriots Kerron Clement and Jackson with Jamaican Danny McFarlane fourth and Van Zyl ﬁfth in

48.42sec -- 1.17sec behind the winner. Recalling the 2008 final, Van Zyl believes he adopted the wrong tactics by trying to keep up with the faststarting Taylor instead of running at his own pace. “I should have held back a bit and run the race the way I usually do,” he confessed. “I will not make the same mistake if I get the opportunity to run in the final again.” His unimpressive form ahead of London does not unduly concern Van Zyl as he has tended to flatter only to deceive ahead of previous major events on the athletics calendar. His times were among the top three in the heats and semi-finals ahead of the

Beijing final and LJ was considered favourite to win gold in Daegu after the four best times. Media-shy Van Zyl also took the fastest time of the year into the 2009 world championships in Berlin only to be eliminated at the semi-finals stage of the 400m hurdles. “I prefer being an underdog,” he admits. “If I reach the final anything can happen. I only need to win one race to win the Olympic gold medal,” he said before heading for the English capital. “It is the dream of every athlete to stand on the podium and have a gold medal placed around their neck. I am no different and cannot wait for the Olympics to begin.”

South Sudan’s hopes fade HANNAH MCNEISH JUBA: Leaders of the world’s youngest nation South Sudan have branded the International Olympic Committee (IOC) as “conservative and insensitive” as hopes are fading fast of participating in the London Games. Sports Minister Cireno Hiteng Ofuho said that athletes from the new nation that separated from Sudan last year after decades of civil war, were told by the IOC they could only com-

pete under the Sudanese ﬂag in the Games starting next week. “The feeling here is that the IOC is very conservative and insensitive to the people of South Sudan, and you can quote me on that,” Ofuho told AFP. “What is the reason for us becoming independent if they treat us like that?” Ofuho said that appeals from South Sudan President Salva Kiir (in pic) to include their Olympic hopefuls have so far fallen on deaf ears. “Our president even wrote to president of IOC, Jacques Rogge,” he said.

‘Blade Runner’ eyes London, then Rio JOHANNES MYBURGH JOHANNESBURG: South African Oscar Pistorius will be the ﬁrst double amputee athlete to compete at an Olympics when he takes part at the 2012 London Games, but he is already looking beyond to the Rio Games in 2016. The 25-year-old, fondly known as the ‘Blade Runner’ because he runs with carbon ﬁbre prosthetic running blades, was pumping iron at a gym in the north-eastern Italian town Gemona on July 4 when his coach’s wife rushed in in hysterics with the news he had been cleared to run the men’s individual 400m and in the 4x400 metre relay team. “It was just overwhelming. I think it took a couple of days for it to settle in and I do not think it will fully settle in until I am on the starting blocks in a couple of weeks,” he said in an interview on Laureus.com in Italy, where he was competing at a pre-Olympic event. Multi Paralympic gold medallist Pistorius is part of his country’s 65strong paralympic team.

2 3 4 5 6 7 v

8v 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19

20 21

Outcry as Oz women fly economy SYDNEY: Australian basketball officials on Friday said they would review travel policies after stinging criticism that the men’s team travelled to the London Olympics in business class but the women in economy. Sports minister Kate Lundy called for more equality after learning that the Australian Opals, captained by global star Lauren Jackson flew economy.

22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30

sports FRIDAY, JULY 20, 2012 BOHN TAKES LEAD

CARLSBAD WTA EVENT

Bartoli’s fitness test

Top-seeded Bartoli struggled in a second round win on Wednesday over American Vania King as she needed treatment on her left hip. MADISON, MISSISSIPPI: Jason Bohn made the most of soft scoring conditions to ﬁre an eight-under 64 to take the early lead at the PGA Tour's True South Classic before heavy rains halted play. With the Tour's top players in Europe competing at the British Open, Bohn is atop the leaderboard as 65 players still have to ﬁnish their rounds. The Annandale golf course was soaked with more than an inch of rain.

NUMEROLOGY

Is the age of Mike Hesson, who recently quit as Kenya's national cricket coach citing security concerns, and was Friday appointed to take the reins of the New Zealand team.

THUS SPAKE

I wasn't surprised at Kenny [Dalglish] leaving. John Henry has obviously looked at that [the Suárez incident] and felt it wasn't handled in the right way. Sir Alex Ferguson on Kenny’s sacking

CARLSBAD, CALIFORNIA: Injured Marion Bartoli will need to recover fitness when she plays American Christina McHale, who lined up a Friday quarterfinal at the WTA event with a 46, 6-4, 6-4 win over Misaki Doi. The top-seeded Bartoli, of France, struggled in a second round win Wednesday over American Vania King as she needed treatment on her left hip. The world number 10 is counting on solid hardcourt performances this summer in North American as she misses the London Olympics due to a longstanding feud with the national federation over her insistance that her father should be her only coach. Bartoli spent Thursday in rehab with the hopes of being ready for McHale, one of two American Olympians in the quarter-finals.

Results Christina McHale (USA x5) bt Misaki Doi (JPN) 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 Ursula Radwanska (POL) bt Melanie Oudin (USA) 6-2, 6-1 Dominika Cibulkova (SVK x2) bt Marina Erakovic (NZL) 6-2, 6-4

Bartoli spent Thursday in rehab with the hopes of being ready for McHale, one of two American Olympians in the quarter-finals.

“I will be able to rest and have good work on it from the physio and get my whole body loose and relaxed,” Bartoli said after her late-night Wednesday win which included a stagger-

ing 18 double-faults. “It is great to have a day off, that’s for sure. But I will have to figure out why my serve is not on right now.” McHale showed her fighting qualities as she recovered to

BB&T ATLANTA OPEN

Fish out with injury

ATLANTA, GEORGIA: Two-time defending champ Mardy Fish surrendered the Atlanta Open tennis crown when an injured left ankle forced him to retire from his second round match on Thursday. The second-seeded American was leading Luxembourg’s Gilles Muller 6-4, 3-2 when he called it quits at the hardcourt event. Fish, 30, stumbled while trying to return a drop shot and rolled his left ankle at the net, dropping to the ground and staying down for about a minute. He got up and limped off to his sideline chair, sat down for a short break and returned to finish the fifth game but then chose to withdraw. Fish, who beat American compatriot John Isner in the last two Atlanta finals, recently underwent a procedure called cardiac catheter abla-

Mardy Fish fields questions from the media after retiring from his match due to injury against Gilles Muller MATTHEW STOCKMAN/GETTY IMAGES

Results Matthew Ebden (AUS) bt James Blake (USA) 6-7 (6/8), 6-4, 6-4 Gilles Muller (LUX) bt Mardy Fish (USA x2) 4-6, 2-3 retired John Isner (USA x1) bt Ruben Bemelmans (BEL) 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 Jack Sock (USA) bt Steve Johnson (USA) 7-6 (7/5), 7-6 (7/5)

tion, which deals with misfiring electrical pulses in the heart. Isner, meanwhile, advanced on Thursday to the quarterfinals by defeating Ruben Bemelmans of Belgium 4-6, 63, 6-4. Aussie Matthew Ebden beat 32-year-old American James Blake 6-7 (6/8), 6-4, 6-4, and will play Muller on Friday.

beat Doi after nearly three hours, with the 27th-ranked winner reprising a victory over her opponent from Stanford two years ago. Ursula Radwanska, younger sister of world number two Agnieszka, posted a 6-2, 6-1 win over Melanie Oudin, who came into the draw as a lucky loser form qualifying. Radwanska needed 65 minutes to advance. Second seed Dominika Cibulkova of Slovakia defeated New Zealand’s Marina Erakovic 6-2, 6-4.

INJURY WATCH Nadal pulls out of Games MADRID: Defending champion Rafael Nadal has dropped out of the London Olympics because he is not in shape to compete, the Spanish tennis world number three said on Thursday, calling it one of the saddest days of his career. “I am not in condition to compete in the London Olympics, so I will not be travelling as planned with the Spanish delegation to compete in them,” said Nadal, who had been recovering from a knee injury. “Today is one of the saddest days of my career, as it was one of my greatest hopes and perhaps the most special moment to be the flag-bearer for Spain in the the games in London,” he added in a statement. “You can imagine how difficult it has been to take this decision.” Nadal was knocked out of Wimbledon in the second round on June 28 in a shock defeat by Lukas Rosol.

sports FRIDAY, JULY 20, 2012

FORMULA 1, GERMAN GP PREVIEW

Lewis hints McLaren love-fest will go on

Speaking on the eve of opening practice for this weekend’s German Grand Prix, Hamilton made it clear he was in no rush to confirm his future as he reaches the end of his current contract.

Drivers

GORDON HOWARD Agence France-Presse HOCKENHEIM, GERMANY: Lewis Hamilton dropped a heavy hint on Thursday that he is ready to re-sign with McLaren and stay with the team that has been his second home nearly all his motor racing career. Hamilton said he would feel “abnormal” to race for any other team in Formula One. Speaking on the eve of opening practice for this weekend’s German Grand Prix, the 2008 world champion made it clear he was in no rush to confirm his future as he reaches the end of his current contract. “I have a lot of faith in this team, we’re like a family,” Hamilton told reporters in the Hockenheim paddock. “Anything different would feel very abnormal. “For me, when you are in a position like this for the first time, you have to do due diligence, and you have to make sure that you look at the whole grid. “You have to look at all your

1. Fernando Alonso (ESP) 129pts, 2. Mark Webber (AUS) 116, 3. Sebastian Vettel (GER) 100, 4. Lewis Hamilton (GBR) 92, 5. Kimi Raikkonen (FIN) 83, 6. Nico Rosberg (GER) 75, 7. Romain Grosjean (FRA) 61, 8. Jenson Button (GBR) 50, 9. Sergio Perez (MEX) 39, 10. Pastor Maldonado (VEN) 29, 11. Paul di Resta (SCO) 27, 12. Michael Schumacher (GER) 23, 13. Felipe Massa (BRA) 23, 14. Kamui Kobayashi (JPN) 21, 15. Bruno Senna (BRA) 18, 16. Nico Hülkenberg (GER) 17, 17. Jean-Eric Vergne (FRA) 4.

Constructors

Hamilton grew up with McLaren after joining the team as a teenager and being groomed for the top. AFP/KIRILL KUDRYAVTSEV

options and know all your plans, and not rush into things. Some of the worst decisions are generally the ones that are rushed.” Hamilton grew up with McLaren after joining the team as a teenager and being groomed for the top.

He said he hoped that he could be at McLaren when they next found success. “It’s been a tough 10-15 years for this team,” he added. “So I’m looking and waiting for that period to come where they have their highest point. Hamilton was speaking after

1. Red Bull Racing 216.0pts, 2. Scuderia Ferrari 152.0, 3. Lotus 144.0, 4. McLaren Mercedes 142.0, 5. Mercedes AMG 98.0, 6. Sauber 60.0, 7. Williams 47.0, 8. Force India 44.0, 9. Scuderia Toro Rosso 6.0

McLaren team chief Martin Whitmarsh suggested his team would have no difficulty in retaining the Briton’s services for the long-term future. That has sparked rumours with his name being linked with rival teams including Red Bull, Mercecdes and Ferrari.

‘LOST’ DIARRA RETURNS

MARSEILLE, FRANCE: Marseille midﬁelder Alou Diarra, absent without leave from preseason training, is expected back at the Velodrome on Saturday, a source at the French club indicated. On Wednesday Marseille’s new coach Elie Baup said that he had had no news from the player two days after the resumption of training. “At the moment I can say that he hasn’t been here for the ﬁrst two days when he should have been,” Baup said.

NUMEROLOGY

£25mn

Is the amount Chelsea is expected to pay for Brazil midfielder Oscar after the International player underwent a medical at the club. The European champions had an initial bid of £20m turned down.

THUS SPAKE

FERRARI TEAM NEWS

Alonso is ‘fitter than ever’

Alonso leads this year’s title race by 13 points from Mark Webber and was the first driver to win two races in this most open season in Formula One history. He agreed that he has been lucky.

HOCKENHEIM, GERMANY: Championship leader Fernando Alonso said on Thursday that he is in the best shape of his career and determined to fight for his third win of the season in this weekend’s German Grand Prix. The two-time champion added that though he felt confident he and Ferrari will be competitive, he was aware that Red

Bull had a faster car and were likely to be a major threat in Sunday’s race and the scrap for the world title. Spaniard Alonso said: “I think this year is my best for my condition in my career. “You are a better driver every year because you improve from mistakes - that is the way it is, you always learn constantly in Formula One and you have to

Alonso added that though he felt confident he and Ferrari will be competitive, he was aware that Red Bull had a faster car.

go with it. “Physically it’s my best season so far because in previous years, you didn’t know, but all the leg and the shoulders, something always had some pain or I didn’t have good preparation. “This year so far, and hopefully it stays like this, I have arrived 100 per cent at every race, so it’s good. I’m quite pleased with my performance.

The truth has been established after this procedure and my conscience is clear. It’s not revenge for me [against Fifa]. , it’s about showing equanimity from my point of view. Mohamed Bin Hammam after his Fifa life ban was lifted

FRIDAY, JULY 20, 2012

sports

BRYANT AND CO BEAT GB TO WIN HEARTS AND MINDS

The United States basketball team warmed up for their Olympic title defence by winning hearts and minds, as well as a warm-up game against the Great Britain team, at Manchester’s MEN Arena on Thursday.

SOUTH AFRICA IN ENGLAND

DOPING ROW

Cook equals Gooch in tons He now has 20 Test centuries against his name, the same as his mentor, former England captain and present batting coach Graham Gooch. COLIN BRYDEN Agence France-Presse LONDON: Alastair Cook drew level with his mentor Graham Gooch by hitting his 20th Test century, giving England the edge on the first day of the first Test match against South Africa at the Oval on Thursday. Cook made 114 not out as England overcame the loss of captain Andrew Strauss in the first over to reach 267 for three at the close. His chanceless hundred put him level with fellow Essex stalwart and current England batting coach Gooch. He also shares the mark with current teammates Strauss and Kevin Pietersen. The England record is 22, shared by Wally Hammond, Colin

The England record is 22, shared by Wally Hammond, Colin Cowdrey and Geoffry Boycott.

England’s Alastair Cook hits a shot on day one of the first Test against South Africa at the Oval in London on Thursday. AFP/ IAN KINGTON

TOUR DE FRANCE

Wiggins feels like victor already Alejandro Valverde won the 17th stage as Wiggins said he now feels like a yellow jersey champion. JUSTIN DAVIS Agence France-Presse PEYRAGUDES: Spain’s Alejandro Valverde claimed a stylish solo victory in the 17th stage of the Tour de France as Bradley

Wiggins admitted he now feels like a yellow jersey champion. Wiggins, of team Sky, came over the finish line of the 143.5km stage between Bagneres-de-Luchon and Peyragudes on the wheel of Sky teammate

British Bradley Wiggins, celebrates on the podium at the end of 143,5km and stage 17 of the 2012 Tour de France on Thursday. AFP/ L BONAVENTURE

Chris Froome 18sec behind the Spaniard. The pair had led a frantic chase of Valverde on the day’s fifth and last climb but Valverde, who had broken away from an early escape group on the Col de Peyresourde, dug deep to hold off the British pair. Although they failed to win the stage, their increase in pace dropped Italian Vincenzo Nibali further down the standings. From sitting 2:23 adrift overnight, he is still third but at 2:41. With only the 53.5km time trial on Saturday set to stand in his way, Wiggins — who beat Froome to win the race’s first big time trial on stage nine — admitted he is now starting to feel like the race champion, “The moment we crossed the Peyresourde (climb), I allowed myself to drift and that was the first time I thought, ‘Maybe I’ve won the Tour today,’” said Wiggins.

Cowdrey and Geoffry Boycott. “It’s nice to join Goochy. He was a great player and to have the same number of hundreds as him is a very special moment,” said Cook. Cook shared a 170-run second wicket partnership with Jonathan Trott (71) and an 81run third wicket stand with Kevin Pietersen, who made 42. Cook and Trott came together without a run on the board after Strauss was leg before wicket to Morne Morkel off the fourth ball of the match.

Dismissal of Armstrong lawsuit sought by USADA COLORADO SPRINGS: The US AntiDoping Agency kept up its pursuit of charges against Lance Armstrong by filing a motion on Thursday that asks a judge to dismiss the cyclist’s lawsuit against the agency. “We will continue to do our duty on behalf of all clean athletes, who rightly depend upon us to ensure that no matter how famous or anonymous, we will treat each alleged offender the same,” said USADA chief executive Travis Tygart in a statement. USADA’s motion refers to the Ted Stevens Amateur Sports Act, which gives the anti-doping body jurisdiction over Olympic sports athletes and it includes a 2005 affidavit from Tygart stating that Armstrong was under its mandate and took part in USADA’s testing programme.