Postnoon E-Paper for 26 July 2012 by Scribble Media & Entertainment Pvt. Ltd.

THURSDAY, JULY 26, 2012 HYDERABAD

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HYDERABAD’S FIRST COMPACT AFTERNOON NEWSPAPER

Samba strikes: 3 bus passengers stabbed to death

The APSRTC's much-vaunted ‘safety week’ was washed away in blood as three of its passengers were stabbed to death in a daylight attack near Nellore this morning. The elusive killer Psycho Samba is said to be the culprit.

As poor die of thirst,

RICH WASTE WATER Even as the City struggles with its water problems, the educated resident continues to blatantly waste water, while the poor suffer.

REPORT ON P7

THURSDAY, JULY 26, 2012

city events

MUSICAL EXTRAVAGANZA

Head to Hard Rock Cafe for a musical extravaganza. Bangalore-based band Thermal and A Quarter will perform live at Hard Rock Cafe on June 26 from 9pm onwards. The band is known for its innovative music and has performed across the Country.

Weather for Hyderabad

Evening

overnight

24°C

21°C

Chance of showers or thunderstorms

A mix of cloudy and clear

Morning

Afternoon

22°C

28°C

A mix of cloud and sun

New Delhi Mumbai Max 36 Max 31 Min 29 Min 30 Scattered thunderstorms

Chennai Max 37 Min 30

Scattered thunderstorms

Cloudy

Bangalore Max 28 Min 20

Cloudy with chances of thunderstorms.

AROUND THE CITY YOUR GUIDE TO THE TWIN CITIES The Park, Somajiguda When: July 26 Contact: (040) 2345 6789

ART Artistic display Works by Laxma Goud, Vaikuntam Thota and Ramesh Gorjala are on display at Gallery Space. Where: Gallery Space, Banjara Hills, Rd No 1 When: Ongoing, 11am onwards Contact: (040) 6554 1836 The dancing coffee An exhibition titled Dancing Coffee by Koeli Mukherjee Ghose is being held at Truffles Cafe. The exhibition is on till August 4. Where: Trufﬂes Cafe, Jubilee Hills, Rd No 10 When: Ongoing, 11am onwards

SHOWS

Contact: (040) (2355 0105 Duck, death and tulip A fun activity for adults and children alike, Duck, Death and Tulip is a puppetry show for adults and children alike. Where: Goethe Zentrum, Banjara Hills, Rd No 3 When: July 28 Contact: (040) 2335 0443

Thirst for theatre Eugene O’Neil’s play Thirst deals with two men and a woman who find themselves on a life-raft, with little hope of rescue after a shipwreck leaves them stranded.This play is being held at Lamakaan on July 29. The play stars Naren Yadav, Ravi Raj and Preksha Joseph, Where: Lamakaan, Banjara Hills, Rd No 1 When: July 29, 7.30pm onwards Contact: 96427 31329

DINING

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

Ice Age festival Celebrate the Ice Age Festival at McDonalds, to celebrate the latest Ice Age film Ice Age: Continental Drift. The happy meals for this occasion offer 8 exciting toys based on

Commissioner & Spl Officer

Helpline

155333 23431178 23431179

MUNICIPAL CORPORATION

Parantha festival Haldi at Novotel Airport is hosting a parantha festival titled Parantha Overload. The parantha festival that will be on till August 15, promises to offer a variety of paranthas in both vegetarian and non-vegetarian combinations. Where: Novotel Airport, Shamshabad When: Ongoing, 6.30pm Contact: (040) 6625 0000

Interactive workshops Oakridge International School launches weekend voyager. This is an exciting weekend activity for children. It includes workshops on a variety of topics such as film making, theater, photography, robotics etc. Where: Oakridge International School, Gachibowli and Bachupally When: July 28 onwards 9am-12pm Contact: 1800-200-8171

Lift you spirits TGI Friday brings to Infia the tallest high spirits glass ( 22 inches) called Tall Boy. Three different cocktails are being offered with these Tall Boy glasses. Where: TGIF, Banjara Hills, Rd No 2 When: Ongoing Contact: (040) 4015 1925 Kingfisher Comedy Nights The world famous comedian Shazia Mirza will be performing as a part of Kingfisher Comedy Nights this week.The cost per ticket is `1,000. Where: Kismet,

served while breaking the fast. Where: Arena, Taj Deccan, Banjara Hills, Rd No 1 When: Ongoing, 7pm onwards Contact: 92950 06969

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

BALLOON TRAIL: At the age when they should be playing with them, two street urchins are seen blowing up balloons at the signal near the TDP office, Road No 2, Banjara Hills on Wednesday evening. SRINIVAS SETTY characters from the movie. This offer is on till August 17. Where: TGIF, Banjara Hills, Rd No 2 When: Ongoing

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

Contact: (040) 4015 1925 Iftar buffet Arena is hosting Iftar Buffet during the sacred month of Ramzan. The meal offers a variety of delicacies

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

Festival of pasta TGIF is offering its new festival of pasta menu which includes a new selection of pastas. The menu also includes a special signature beverage called Pink Punk Cosmopolitan which matches with these pastas. Where: TGIF, Banjara Hills, Rd No 2 When: Ongoing Contact: (040) 4015 1925

MISCELLANEOUS Angry Birds app Samsung announces Angry Birds app for Samsung Smart TV. The new technology allows customers to enjoy the game on the large screen This will be available on Samsung smart interaction enabled models.

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

THURSDAY, JULY 26, 2012

City

50 HURT AS LORRY OVERTURNS IN WARANGAL

Fifty people were injured when a mini lorry overturned near Maddikera in this district on Wednesday. According to the police, the condition of 10 of the injured was serious. It is learnt that the lorry turned turtle because one of the tyres burst. The victims were returning after attending a marriage in Guntapalli.

CRIME

Psycho Samba strikes, 3 passengers stabbed to death MOHD SUBHAN mohd.s@postnoon.com

he APSRTC’s muchvaunted ‘safety week’ went up in smoke with three of its passengers stabbed to death in a daylight attack near Nellore this morning. The elusive killer Psycho Samba is said to be the culprit. The blood-curdling incident took place around 4am at Thada village, which abuts Tamil Nadu. Most passengers were dozing at the time of the incident. The bus, AP29Z 1543, was going from Bhadrachalam to Chennai, when Samba, believed to have been one of the passengers, got up and stabbed a passenger who was later identified as Ramesh. The sudden attack first benumbed other passengers but some of them tried to capture the man. However, the violent Samba, in the struggle to free himself, stabbed three more. All the three died due to profuse bleeding. Seeing the mayhem, the shocked

driver stopped the bus. Many terrified passengers ran out screaming, ‘Murder! Murder!” There were in all 25 passengers. The dead are identified as Niranjan, a native of Nellore Kavali, Ram Babu, a native of Talluru, Prakasam district, and Ajay Biswas, a native of Malkajgiri, Odisha. Ramesh, badly injured, is being treated in

the local government hospital. The SP of Thiruvalluru, TN, DSP of Gudur and collector of Thiruvalluru reached the spot. The chilling fact remains that Samba, who was in police custody in Vijayawada some two weeks ago, had escaped the custody and had since been declared a fugitive. However, the police seem to have made no serious

efforts to trace the killer who had sowed deaths in many places several times. Chief Minister Kiran Kumar Reddy has asked DGP Dinesh Reddy to investigate the incident and report to him. He also asked transport minister Botsa Satyanarayana to take steps to prevent the recurrence of further such incidents. According to RTC officials, the victims were taken to Suluripeta Government Hospital and the police are investigating the case. The Vigilance and Security (V&S) and regional manager are on the spot, where the incident took place and coordinating with the police. “The motive behind the act was not yet clear. This was an isolated incident,” said T Venkata Rao, joint director, APSRTC. Earlier, in an accident in the City one RTC driver had died, bringing the death in the ‘APSRTC safety week’ to four. (With input from Md Nizamuddin and Inkeshaf Ahmed)

Who is Samba?

he elusive and most wanted criminal, psycho Sambasiva Rao has been giving the police sleepless nights, as the massive combing operations near Kondapalli fort did not yield any results for the third consecutive day. The police intensified the search for psycho Samba who escaped from their custody two days ago after getting some vital clues on Saturday. Guntur urban SP Ake Ravikrishna camped at Kondapalli and is personally monitoring the search operations. About 800 armed police personnel including the anti-naxalite squad and armed reserved cops are taking part in the manhunt with the help of high-powered lenses and GPS enabled tracking tools for the search operations.

CRIME

Wife, paramour kill husband

After months of investigation the police realised that the murder of N Kistaiah, was not a night marauder’s job. His wife finally confessed that she and her lover had killed him.

POSTNOON NEWS feedback@postnoon.com

mother of two, who fell in love with another man, is in prison for murdering her husband in Ainapur village of Vikarabdad in RR district. The Vikarabad police had to work for a month to realise that the murder of N Kistaiah, 45, was not a night marauder’s job as his wife N Padma, 34, made it out to be. After weeks of probe, the police extracted enough information to grill the wife who admitted that she and her lover had killed Kistaiah, SP RR district B Rajakumari said. Explaining, the SP said,

Kistaiah was an agriculturist and he had married Padma eight years ago. Padma developed feelings for P Venkatesh, 32, and they forged a relationship. Kistaiah came to know about it and warned her. Padma is alleged to have ignored his warn-

After weeks of probe, the police extracted enough information to grill the wife who admitted that she and her lover had killed Kistaiah.

ing and continued her affair. Of late, the two lovers wanted to live together and Kistaiah proved to be a road block. On the night of July 12, Padma woke Kistaiah and asked him to accompany her as she wanted to go out to answer a call of nature. Unsuspecting, he accompanied her. Venkatesh who was waiting outside, bludgeoned Kistaiah to death. The duo then burned his clothes and the body was packed in a gunny bag and sunk in a village well. After the body was found, she lodged a missing complaint. On interrogation she admitted to the crime and they are now in prison.

P Venkatesh and N Padma

MOHD SHAFI

city THURSDAY, JULY 26, 2012

POLITICS

LAST YEAR... HERE Joint capital anyone?

ast year we had reported how the decision to make Hyderabad the joint capital of Telangana and Andhra was the solution to the T tussle. However, the United Andhra leaders were reluctant to share the City. While some were grudgingly beginning to agree to the idea, others were still undecided. After all who would want to give up on the IT hub of the State?

JULY 26, 2011

NUMEROLOGY

street dogs were saved by the NGO Humane Society for the Protection and Support of Animals since November 11, 2011.

We can create awareness among individuals who are not educated, but when it comes to educated how is it possible? They must have common sense. Ram Reddy, HMWS&SB See page 7

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

Everything’s fair in love and war. A mother of two bludgeoned her husband with the help of her paramour — all for the sake of love and because he didn’t approve!

Loyal to the CM? Will get Cabinet berth. It pays to be loyal to the chief minister. Those who criticised him lost their cabinet posts, but sources say his loyalists might just get those coveted ministerial posts.

The rich don’t realise the value of resources. Even as the poor struggle for a single pot of water, the rich and educated blatantly waste water, despite the looming crisis in the City. Talk about turning a blind eye!

They’re carving a niche for themselves despite hurdles. They’ve been ridiculed and marginalised for long. But the City’s LGBT community is ﬁnally making itself heard.

Follow your heart, the rest will follow. Three youngsters gave up lucrative jobs to work towards protecting animal rights. Kudos we say.

VIOLATION

Cabinet reshuffle in the offing CM’s loyalists stand to gain; Botsa, Ravindra may lose berth INKESHAF AHMED ahmed.m@postnoon.com

deputy speaker Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka, chief whip Gandra Venkata Ramana Reddy and senior party leader and MLA Arepally Mohan from Karimnagar district.

he Congress high command is taking correctional steps and is gearing up to effect changes in the State cabinet. After heaving a sigh of relief following the successful conclusion of the presidential elections, the high command is now focussed on AP, which is very important when it comes to the number game to run the government at the Centre. As part of its action plan, the high command will reshuffle the State cabinet. The party’s AP secretary in-charge KB Krishna Murthy recently hinted at a likely expansion. He, however, ruled out any change of guard. According to sources, APCC chief Botsa Satyanarayana who is dou-

FOUR BERTHS AVAILABLE

bling as Transport Minister will lose his cabinet post. The party high command reportedly asked him to focus on strengthening the party before the general elections. Health minister DL Ravindra Reddy, who revolted against the CM is also likely to lose his post. Apart from this, there are many hopefuls in the party. The list of hopefuls include

PROTEST TVV plans dharnas on August 8 AGENCY he Telangana Vidhyarthi Vedika (TVV) has decided to lay siege to district Collectorates on August 8 all over the State, demanding that the government solve the problems in government schools and colleges. TVV State president M Ramesh demanded that the State government steps to provide drinking water and toilets for girl students. NSS

The present cabinet has a strength of 40 ministers. But the arrest of excise minister Mopidevi Venkata Ramana by CBI led to his resignation taking the strength to 39. Going by the present strength of the assembly, four posts are lying vacant. The total number of vacancies will go up to six if the CM sends out Botsa and DL. He is planning to fill these vacancies with his loyalists like he did earlier. Sources said that the expansion may take place immediately after the vicepresident’s election next month.

Minister Parthasarathy convicted AGENCY

he Special Court for Economic Offences on Wednesday convicted and sentenced Secondary Education minister K Parthasarathy to two months’ simple imprisonment and also imposed a fine of `5.15 lakhs for violation of FERA regulations by KPR Tele Products, a company to which he has been the managing director. The court also pronounced that the minister would have to undergo a sentence for three months, in case he fails to pay the fine. Considering the plea of the minister, Judge Lakshman, who pronounced the sentence, granted him bail and also gave a month’s time to go to the HC against the judgment. The minister on Wednesday appeared before the court in the case of violation of FERA rules. KPR Tele Products had imported some equipment in 2002. The enforcement directorate has charged the minister under FERA violations and evading to pay import duties. NSS

FLYING HIGH

Tollywood actor Nagarjuna and director K Raghavendra Rao unveil the poster of their latest film Shirdi Sai near NTR Bhavan on Wednesday. SRINIVAS SETTY

NEWS BRIEFS RTC driver dies after bus hit a tree

Man found dead near railway tracks

BC community plan APSET to be held for the meeting for reservations first time on July 27

n RTC bus driver B Kodanda Ramulu died after he lost control and hit a tree on Wednesday night at Secunderabad. Ramulu, 47, a resident of Srinivasnagar Chintal was from Picket depot, who left for Srisailam from JBS with passengers. However, the bus hit a tree and the impact threw him out of the window causing his death.

alaiah, 30, a worker of the Vikarabad Muncipality died under suspicious circumstances on Wednesday near the railway tracks at Vikarabad. He is said to have had an extra marital affair with a woman which resulted in an ugly quarrel with his wife Shanta. It is not yet clear if he committed suicide or someone murdered him.

he BC community in the State is going to hold a public meeting on August 24 to demand that the government provide them 50 per cent reservations in Legislative bodies and adequate seats in the Assembly and Lok Sabha. Association president R Krishnaiah said that this was necessary for the upliftment of the community.

ndhra Pradesh State Eligibility Test (APSET)-2012 will be held on Friday. A total of 1.17 lakh students have enrolled for the exams. The test, which is essential to secure admission in PhD research programmes will be held for the ﬁrst time. APSET convenor Rajeswar Reddy said that a total of 194 centers have been set up.

city THURSDAY, JULY 26, 2012

POLITICS

Panel recommends local body elections The Congress ministerial panel believes that conducting grassroot elections will help boost the morale of the cadres after the election defeat INKESHAF AHMED ahmed.m@postnoon.com

have a terrible impact on the functioning of the government,” he opined.

he ruling Congress in the State is inching towards holding local body elections. The main objective is to raise the spirits of the Congress cadres. A ministerial panel constituted to examine the reasons for the debacle of the party made this recommendation in its report submitted to CM and PCC president on Wednesday. The committee report pointed out that not holding grassroots elections is causing a sense of insecurity among the second grade and local leaders of the party, leading to their desertion. “One of the reasons for party’s poor performance in the elections is the holding of local body elections. The committee strongly feels that these elections

COURT TO BE APPROACHED

Pitani Satyanarayana

should be held immediately to boost the morale of the cadres. We have asked the State government to immediately take necessary steps,” committee member and minister for social welfare Pitani Satyanarayana said. He opined that the failure of holding timely elections is also stalling welfare programmes. “Many of our programmes are being hampered due to the lack of elected bodies at the village level. If this continues, it will

According to official sources, the State would move the HC with a request to vacate its earlier orders and allow it to hold the elections. In June last year, the State government had issued a Government Order pertaining to the status of reservations in the local bodies. But the operation of the GO was subsequently suspended by the AP High Court following one M Venkat Reddy of Mahbubnagar challenged the validity of the GO. The GO was issued amending the rules framed in 2006. As per the GO, the BC community was given 34 per cent reservations, the SC got 18.30 per cent and ST were given 8.25 per cent reservations.

POLITICS Vijayashanti complains about police harassment AGENCY

RS senior leader and Medak MP Vijayashanthi called on home minister Sabita Indra Reddy on Wednesday. She has complained against the police officials, who allegedly maltreated Telangana protagonists and TRS workers during YSRCP honorary president Vijayamma’s visit to Sircilla town. She alleged that Kiran Kumar Reddy’s government was adopting vindictive

attitude towards Telangana protagonists. The Medak MP asked what was wrong in asking the political parties to spell out their stand on Telangana issue. She also charged the CM with giving a red-carpet welcome to the Rayalaseeama leaders. She also said that the people of the Telangana region would teach a fitting lesson if the CM failed to change his hostile attitude towards the Telanganaites.

Minister’s son surrenders AGENCY

C welfare minister Baswaraju Saraiah’s son Sriman, who has been facing charges of abusing a police sub-inspector, surrendered before the district court here on Wednesday. On Tuesday, the High Court granted him anticipatory bail.

It was stated that TRS activists staged a protest when Saraiah was participating in some official programs. Angered by this, Sriman rushed to the police station and abused the duty officer for remaining mute spectators.The SI later lodged a complaint with the district SP.

city THURSDAY, JULY 26, 2012 REAL ESTATE

EDUCATION

FABRICATION

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FURNITURE

HEALTH

HOME APPLIANCES

TRAVEL

HOME APPLIANCES COMPUTERS

INVERTOR RESTAURANT

DENTAL

EDUCATION

FURNITURE

RESORT

AQUARIUM

HEALTH

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classifieds THURSDAY, JULY 26, 2012 CLASSIFIEDS

INTERIORS

WATER WOES

No water audit, no water harvest

SAREES

Even as the City struggles with its water problems, the educated resident continues to blatantly waste water, while the poor struggle. MD NIZAMUDDIN nizamuddin.a@postnoon.com

W SOUNDTRACK

Mahilas stage dharna

JP to address toppers J

ayaprakash Narayan will address a national-level function being held in Pune on July 26 to felicitate successful UPSC candidates in the 2011. Those associated with the MIT group say that JP will motivate them to serve the country with integrity. NSS

he State BJP Mahila Morcha on Wednesday launched 24-hour dharna at Indira Park demanding that the State government revive the W o m e n ’ s Commission in the State. BJP State president G Kishan Reddy and former Union minister and party national executive member B a n d a r u Dattatreya have extended their support to the programme. State Mahila Morcha president Malathi Rani, and some 100 party workers participated in the programme. NSS

ith water sources depleting, the Hyderabad Metro Water Supply and Sewerage Board (HMWSSB) is struggling to fill the gap of 110 MGD. Worse, the authority does not have a proper mechanism to create awareness among the masses about optimum use and to control wastage, let alone bringing the profligate to book. To meet the daily needs of denizens, 450 MGD is required, but the authority is able to get only 340 per day. With the dried up borewells that used to fill the gap several residential areas continue to engage water tankers. More pathetic is the condition in the slums where on one hand it is raining and on the other hand people, can be seen fighting for a pot of water. “People are running after water tankers even in the monsoons,” points out P Srikanth, a resident of Hafeezpet. However, the officials are sighing in relief as the recent rains have brought some water into the reservoirs. They are considering this to be a ‘positive scenario’. Rather, they point out that the demand for tankers came down after the recent downpour in the City. “We ran short of water during the summer where demand increases by 20 to 25 per cent. Now it is sustainable,” says D Sunder Ram Reddy, in-charge director (Technical), HMWS&SB.

NO WATER AUDIT Sadly, there is no ‘water requirement breakup’ detailing how people are availing water for different purposes like drinking, kitchen and washing. The overall standard for ‘urban usage’ is 135150 MGD. Most of the requirement is fulfilled by the reservoirs, but the supplementary water sources contribute negligibly now. About the rainwater har-

vesting, the HMWS&SB has made some effort in some localities providing support in constructing pits but failure of recharging by the residents have made the effort futile. “Without recharging, the pits would become useless. If the concept is adopted and availed by all house-

holds, the rain water could be used for days,” says Ram Reddy. The value of water is understood by the people living in slums, but the privileged rarely understand its importance. This can be pointed out by the fact that people living in prime locali-

What is Rainwater Harvesting? It means capturing rain where it falls or capturing the run off in your own village or town. And taking measures to keep that water clean by not allowing polluting activities to take place in the catchment.

Rainwater harvesting can be undertaken by... nCapturing runoff from rooftops nCapturing runoff from local catchments nCapturing seasonal floodwaters from local streams nConserving water through watershed management

Rainwater can... nProvide drinking water nProvide irrigation water nIncrease groundwater recharge nReduce stormwater discharges, urban floods and overloading of sewage treatment plants nReduce seawater ingress in coastal areas. Source: www.rainwaterharvesting.org

ties are considered to be educated, but do not know how to use it wisely. Many residents living in posh localities continue to waste water, which sometimes causes water clogging on roads. “We can create awareness among individuals who are not educated, but when it comes to educated how is it possible. They must have common sense,” says the official. While the GHMC officials squarely blame damaged portions of the roads in most of the localities onto water clogging caused by the residents. “We gave notices to these residents, but a tougher stance could not taken by the department. Being well educated and informed, they should realise the responsibility as a citizen,” says Mohan Singh, executive engineer. “The GHMC is trying to generate awareness among the residents on the issue for the last few years, but to no avail. With the density of population surging in the recent years, this problem has increased,” laments the official.

city THURSDAY, JULY 26, 2012

ANIMAL RIGHTS

Rehabilitating street animals Three youngsters are making waves in the City with their NGO Humane Society for the Protection and Support of Animals and making a difference to the lives of street animals AMY ROSE THOMAS amyrose.t@postnoon.com

Our group on Facebook helped in getting youngsters involved with the cause. There are more than 30 volunteers working for us currently.

t was the resolve to stop cruelty against street animals that brought three youngsters — Sameera Sultana, Amrutha Rizal and Prashant Goshal together. In a bid to get their voices heard, these three youngsters joined forces forming the NGO Humane Society for the Protection and Support of Animals. After coming into existence on November 11, 2011, the NGO has changed the lives of as many as 50 street dogs. With thousands supporting their group on Facebook, Humane Society for the Protection and Support of Animals has become the talk of town — rescuing stray dogs, and putting them up for adoption. “The idea about starting an NGO came after we saw the harassment that stray dogs in the City faced. It was not safe for us to fight alone against the municipality. So we decided to work together to make a difference in the lives of animals. Our motto is the 3As — awareness, adoption and animal birth control,” Prashant Goshal says. Co-founder Amrutha Rizal

Amrutha Rizal Co-founder

The NGO works towards rehabilitating street dogs

attributes the success and popularity of the NGO to Facebook as it helped in the adoption process and also in spreading word about animal welfare. “Our group on Facebook helped in getting youngsters involved with the cause. There are more than 30 volunteers currently. Thanks to Facebook, all the rescued dogs so far have found new homes,” she says. When the NGO began, all

three had left their lucrative careers to dedicate themselves completely for the cause. However, lack of funds has prompted Prashant to take up a job at a school. “Our priority is the NGO but we are still in a nascent stage. For one, we still do not have any shelter home. So whenever we rescue animals, we bring them to our homes till they are adopted. I have started working at a school

to raise funds and Sameera Sultana is now in Dubai to spread awareness about the cause,” Prashant says. They have got their future plans chalked out and will be focussing on school children to promote their work. “We are planning to target school children. We will be conducting debates and essay competitions on animal welfare at various schools in the City. I am vegan since a year. I also plan to discuss the importance of being vegan and how that helps the

environment. It is easier for children to adapt to this lifestyle than grown ups,” Amrutha says. There were times when they had to seek help from the cops. “Some months ago we got information about dogs being caged for breeding. These five dogs were kept in an enclosed place without food and water. It was a racket of sorts and we couldn’t rescue those dogs. We approached the cops for help. First they were hesitant but later they helped us. It took three weeks for the dogs to recover,” she says. It was their childhood association with animals that prompted them to take up the cause. Prashant says, “I rescued a squirrel when I was little. Now, after moving out of home, mother is following suit.” Amrutha says, “I had a poultry farm hen which stayed with our family for five years. There were no restrictions and many animals would be around our home in Shillong.” How did the families take the news when they resigned their respective jobs for the cause? Amrutha says, “They did not take the news very well but after telling them that this is what I really want to do, they caved in.”

FILM FESTIVAL

LGBT film festival begins

SHWETHA PAI feedback@postnoon.com

t is a time of anticipation and fervour in Hyderabad, the City has finally woken up and the buzz in the town is that the queers are here. For all those who are still unaware, the City is bustling with activities that are creating awareness about the LGBT community. From organising gender identity workshops to hosting a performance of hijra monologue, the City is now ready to embrace its new and improved avatar. Adhering to the clichéd adage of ‘better late than never’, the LGBT community has slowly started to create ripples in the society by making their voices heard. The US Consulate is one of the many

organisations in the City which have shown their open support to the LGBT communities in the city. Partnering with Wajood, an LGBT organisation in the City, the US consulate is holding the Rainbow Film Festival at the Annapurna International School of Film and Media at Banjara Hills, Road No 2. The film screening is slated to be on July 27 and July 28. The four movies Prayers for Bobby, Milk, Stonewall Uprising and Boys Don’t Cry will be screened over two days at Annapurna Studios. All the four movies are LGBT-themed and are based on true stories. Speaking about the movie screening, Elizabeth Jones, assistant public affairs officer, US Consulate, said that these were not just any gay-themed movies but covered a wide

The four movies Prayers for Bobby, Milk, Stonewall Uprising and Boys Don’t Cry will be screened over two days at Annapurna Studios.

A poster of the upcoming LGBT film festival to be held on July 27 and 28.

spectrum of issues affecting the LGBT community worldwide. She felt that the movies were all from the west, but were sure to strike a chord not only with people who identified themselves as gay but also their allies, friends and family. Jayati Mathur and Vishal Jaiswal from Wajood, said that for many people who turn up at such events, it is their first

interaction with anyone from the gay community and for others it helps them get one step closer to coming out of the closet. Most people in the city feel that homosexuality is a disease and others feel that there is no one from the LGBT community in Hyderabad and this sentiment is echoed by many corporates who fail to have a diversity policy in their company. Smruthi Narayan and her partner came out of the closet a couple of years ago. She spoke from her personal experience and said that two years ago she was not aware of any LGBT organisation in the City and understands the need for such events which reach out to people and let them know that we exist.

city THURSDAY, JULY 26, 2012

SAILING COMPETITION

Champions set sail in the City Sailor who missed Olympic bus takes solace in City race Rohini Rau who missed the London Olympics by a whisker is all set to overcome the debacle. The fact that she missed the cut by a mere ‘spot’ was compounded when her name was not proposed for a wildcard entry. She blames the politics in Indian sports bodies for this missed opportunity. “Had my name been sent, I would have made it to the Olympics as a wildcard entrant. I shall, though, keep performing and hope to do the country proud in the Asian championships,” she said, while consoling herself, “The weather over here is better than in London.” N SHIVA KUMAR

SYED SHOAIB shoaib.s@postnoon.com

he 27th Anniversary Regatta of The Laser National Sailing Championship got underway at the Secunderabad Sailing Club on Wednesday. Situated on the Husain Sagar premises, the Secunderabad Sailing Club was a hive of activity with enthusiastic participants gearing up for a variety of races scheduled over the week. The Hyderabad Sailing Week will see as many as 90–100 sailors from across the country participating in different categories which are: Laser Std, Laser Radial and Laser 4.7, which again are subdivided age-wise, gender-wise and on varying professional levels; Apprentice Master, Master and Grand Master levels.

Late Lt Cdr Kelly S Rao trophy The sailor who tops the Laser Standard Fleet without discards will be awarded the Late Lt Cdr Kelly S Rao trophy instituted to honour the Hyderabad man, who not only was a multiple winner of Laser national events, he also represented India at the Seoul and Barcelona Olympics. World champion in the Enterprise class of boat, he brought laurels to the Country like no one else did in the sport.

Defending champion in the Laser Standard class, BK Rout, Gajender Singh, Dharmender Singh and Sharif Khan, amongst others, will vie for top honours at the event. The local challenge in the form of sailors S Srinivas, SS Siwatch, Dilip Kumar, Suhiem Shaikh and S Anirudh, will try to keep the prizes in the home city. While offering fair umpiring, organisers say that prevailing windy conditions will ensure a fierce competition and that the participant who is strong and sure will be the winner. “Sea-like conditions at the Husain Sagar Lake and a conducive weather in the City hold a lot of promise for exciting races over the coming few days,” spokesman for the organisers of the event announced.

THURSDAY, JULY 26, 2012

Business

GOOGLE, FB, eBAY LAUNCH US INTERNET LOBBY Big technology firms including Google, Facebook, eBay and Amazon have joined to create a new lobby group aimed at promoting “an open, innovative and free Internet.” The Internet Association announced its formation in a statement on its site.

SMART BUSINESS

QANTAS-EMIRATES DEAL

App-lying it right

Businesses will pay to develop apps wherever there is an increase in the efficiency levels of the firm and value addition to the customers. RPRUDHVI RAJU K prudhvi.k@postnoon.com

Mobile operating systems

he value addition provided by device apps to the customer has become a trend to sell mobile phones or tablets. The budget smartphones and tablets will bring in more usage of these applications eventually and enable bigger market for the app developers in the country. “However, the current usage of device applications is very low compared to western countries because of less number of smart phones. The current scenario had made mobile companies to sell more phones by marketing the applications that they have on the store. Mobile operators have also benefited from increased data traffic, but there are less than 1 per cent of developers who made significant money by developing applications, said Vishwanath Alluri, chairman and CEO, IMI mobile. The general revenues sharing model between a developer and application store is 70/30, if the application gets sold in the application store. The market in India for a paid apps is very small and people generally go for free apps. If a developer wants to opt for a free model and bring through advertisements, the percentage of business that are using mobile as a marketing platform for advertising is very less with only a portion of it is going apps. It is also the responsibility of an app developer to bring in advertising on to his app. All this makes matters difficult for the app developer to survive on advertising model either. As of now, there is no sustainable revenue stream for the developers in India, he said. However, the apps are set to grow based on the utility and the purpose it can serve the businesses. There is an opportunity in developing in businessrelated apps. There are two types of apps one can develop to the business-employee facing

n Android n BlackBerry OS n iOS n Symbian OS n bada from Samsung

Electronics

“We developed an employee facing application for a company which maintains the telecom towers. They send site engineers to check and file reports periodically whether everything is functioning properly at the site. The app will verify the location of the site engineer while the report is filed. This will help the company

n Windows Phone

to make sure the site is engineer is actually at site rather than simply sitting at home and filing the report,” said Vishwanath. As far as general applications usage is concerned, the applications based on the utility like health, education, agriculture will work nor the ones with mere entertainment. The developers should not expect money unless it solves the real purpose to the users, he added.

application and customer facing application. Businesses will be ready to pay substantial amount to develop applications for both the employees and customers where ever there is increase in the efficiency levels to the company and value addition to the customers. For instance, there is a customer application for the cab services in the UK. The customer can easily find the nearest available cab of the company and click on it for a pick up using the GPS on mobile. Such an app will eliminate the call centre services significantly and increase efficiency levels.

Australia’s Qantas Airways is on the brink of an alliance with Emirates to revive its international arm that will see most of its London-bound flights routed through Dubai, a report said Thursday. The Australian Financial Review said code share negotiations were at an advanced stage and would give Qantas access to the network of the largest international carrier in the world. Qantas is primarily losing money on its international routes. The tie-up would see Qantas fly to Dubai for the first time and rely on its new partner to transfer passengers to destinations in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, it said.

NUMEROLOGY

$2.6

is the net profit of Brazilian mining giant Vale, down from $6.452 billion during the same period last year.

NOMURA CEO TO QUIT Nomura Holdings Group chief executive Kenichi Watanabe will resign to take responsibility for an embarrassing insider trading scandal at the firm, a report said on Thursday. The report comes after the brokerage firm said last month it would temporarily cut its most senior executives’ pay by as much as half following a scandal involving leaks of insider information. Watanabe had said he had no intention of resigning. But the company and chief have apparently concluded that more significant action is needed to regain public trust.

THUS SPAKE

China and India have been in the news for many years, ﬁrst because both are fastest growing major economies, which lead some to predict that we will dominate the world. NIU QINGBAO, CHINESE CONSUL GENERAL

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THURSDAY, JULY 26, 2012

nation

UNEASY CALM IN VIOLENCE-HIT ASSAM An uneasy calm settled over Assam’s Kokrajhar and Chirang districts Thursday with no fresh incidents reported in the communal violence that has claimed 40 lives. CM Tarun Gogoi will visit the Kokrajhar district and interact with people besides reviewing the law and order scenario.

GLOBAL HONOUR

GOA TO CLOSE 40 MINES

Indian wins Magsaysay Award Kulandei Francis initiated projects in villages for education and healthcare. Over 22 years, he helped set up 331 irrigation projects and 8,200 self-help groups. CHENNAI: India’s Kulandei Francis is one of the six winners of the prestigious Ramon Magsaysay Award for 2012, announced by the organisers in Manila Wednesday. Francis is being recognised for his visionary zeal, his profound faith in community energies and his sustained programmes in pursuing the holistic economic empowerment of thousands of women and their families in rural India, the Ramon Magsaysay Award Foundation (RMAF) said in a statement. Born to a poor family in the Salem district of Tamil Nadu, Francis was the only one of his siblings to earn a degree. Sixty-six-year-old Francis began the Integrated Village

Kulandei Francis

Development Project in 1979, in Krishnagiri in Tamil Nadu starting out with small projects: conducting a night school, setting up a first-aid centre.

Later with the help of development organisations, he undertook a micro-watershed programme that, over 22 years, built 331 mostly small check dams benefitting cultivators and their families in 60 villages, said RMAF. In 1989 IVDP began organising women’s self-help group and today there are over 8,200 groups with 153,990 members with a total savings of around $40 million, a cumulative loan portfolio of around $435 million and a reserve fund of around $8.9 million. Established in 1957, the Ramon Magsaysay Award is Asia’s highest honour and is widely regarded as the region’s equivalent of the Nobel Prize. It celebrates the memory and

VENDETTA Zilla panchayat member killed Police says rivalry from criminal days behind the murder. BANGALORE: A history sheeter-turned zilla panchayat member was hacked to death by a gang while his gunman killed one of the assailants on the city outskirts, police said. Nelamangala Zilla Panchayat member BML

Krishnappa, a former JDS member who had switched over to Congress, was travelling in a car when the gangsters numbering around 30-40 waylaid and hacked him near Nelamangala on Bangalore-Pune National Highway last night, they

leadership example of the third Philippine president, and is given every year to individuals or organisations in Asia who manifest the same sense of selfless service that ruled the life of the late and beloved Filipino leader. “The Magsaysay awardees of 2012,” says RMAF president Carmencita Abella, “are six remarkable individuals, all deeply involved in creating sustainable solutions to poverty and its accompanying disempowerment - whether in the forests or on farmlands, in exploitative industries or in inadequate education. The awardees will be formally conferred the award during in a ceremony to be held on August. IANS

Operations of 40 out of Goa’s 100-odd mines which were running without clearances for the last few years will be cancelled within two weeks, CM Manohar Parrikar said. Parrikar told the Goa Legislative Assembly that the 40-plus mines were operating without the required documentation and several mines had even been given dubious environment clearances by the union ministry of environment and forests . He alleged that the previous Congress-led state government allowed the mines to function, even when they did not follow the norms, rules and regulations. He said that mining was essential but it should not be at the cost of ecology.

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said. Nelamangala Police Inspector Prakash said the attackers first opened fire at Krishnappa’s car and later hacked him with longs and machetes, killing him on the spot before fleeing from the spot. PTI

NEWS BRIEFS Pranab, a strong partner to Aus issues travel advisory America: Hillary Clinton for north-east WASHINGTON: Calling Pranab Mukherjee a strong partner to America and the American people, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has congratulated him on becoming the 13th President of India. Mukherjee had worked throughout his career to deepen India-US cooperation on a wide range of issues, she said in a statement Wednesday.

MELBOURNE: Australia has issued a travel advisory asking its citizens to reconsider their travel plans to states of Assam, Manipur, Nagaland and Tripura.”We advise you to reconsider your need to travel to the north-eastern states of Assam, Nagaland, Tripura and Manipur because of the risk of armed robbery, kidnapping, extortion and terrorism-related incidents.”

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Azam Khan offers to resign Thin attendance at Team from Cabinet post Anna fast venue

LUCKNOW: SP leader Azam Khan has offered to resign from the UP Cabinet after he was removed as the minister in-charge of Meerut district. In a letter to Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav, Khan said if he was not capable of being the minister incharge of the district, he was willing to step down as a Cabinet minister, sources said.

NEW DELHI: The indeﬁnite fast by Team Anna against the Centre on corruption issue entered the second day today with a thin attendance at the venue. The response to the fast yesterday was also modest with police estimating that 2,5003,000 people attended during peak hours. This morning around 600 protesters attended, according to police estimates.

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nation THURSDAY, JULY 26, 2012

FEMALE FOETICIDE

Using songs and shame to restore gender balance Carrot-stick, sensitisation and public support have worked wonders in this village and restored sex ratio to natural levels. While some question the ‘innovative’ methods, statistics establish its success beyond doubt. A ‘FLOOD’ OF BOYS

AMMU KANNAMPILLY feedback@postnoon.com

he no-frills maternity ward in Nawanshahr district public hospital offers a rare sight in India; parents cooing over newborn girls — lots of them. In 2004, Nawanshahr in Punjab was notorious for its abysmal sex ratio, recording just 795 female births for every 1,000 male births annually. The last eight years have witnessed a radical turnaround with Nawanshahr recording 949 female births for every 1,000 male births in 2011, just shy of the naturally occurring rate of 952:1,000. The striking success in restoring the gender balance has been built on a twin-pronged strategy of strict — and, some critics argue, intrusive — monitoring of pregnancies and a colourful, grassroots awareness-raising campaign. As a first step in 2005, the district’s top civil servant, Krishan Kumar, pushed a crackdown on pre-natal sex determination tests which are illegal in India but widely available given the prevalence of ultrasound technology. In two years, nearly twothirds of all ultrasound scan centres in Nawanshahr were shut down or forced to suspend operations for violating the law. In three instances, officials

Turnaround In 2004, Nawanshahr in Punjab was notorious for its abysmal sex ratio, recording just 795 female births for every 1,000 male births annually. The last eight years have witnessed a radical turnaround with Nawanshahr recording 949 female births for every 1,000 male births in 2011, just shy of the naturally occurring rate of 952:1,000.

ran sting operations in which doctors were filmed on hidden camera offering sex-selection procedures to pregnant women posing as patients. The cases are currently under trial. Traditionally, married women in India have faced huge pressure to produce male heirs who are seen as breadwinners,

A doctor inspects a pregnant woman during a check-up in a maternity ward at a public hospital in Nawanshahr. AFP/NARINDER NANU

family leaders and carers when parents age. The development of cheap, mobile, ultrasound equipment -now available in even remote villages -- saw this gender bias manifest itself in a surge in the abortion of female foetuses, or “female foeticide.” Alarming census figures released last year showed newborn girls had never been so outnumbered by boys in India since independence in 1947. As well as targetting illicit ultrasound testing, officials in Nawanshahr also employ pressure tactics against expectant parents, creating a computerized database to keep track of pregnancies. Health workers go door-todoor recording new pregnancies and return around the scheduled date of delivery to check on the outcome. If the family refuses to answer questions or says the woman miscarried, officials make enquiries locally to establish if the foetus was aborted because it was female.

Census figures showed new-born girls had never been so outnumbered by boys in India since independence in 1947. Jaspal Singh Gidda, who heads the Upkar Coordination Society, a local NGO which works with the district administration, said the aim was to publicly shame couples who opt for abortions on gender grounds. Twice, when officials uncovered evidence of sex-selective abortions, Gidda and other Upkar volunteers held a daylong ceremony outside the family’s home to mourn the lost foetus. “We help generate community pressure against female foeticide by doing all this,” Gidda said.

UNETHICAL TACTICS? Nawanshahr’s success has brought it national attention, but some activists are unsure that the means justify the end.

Prominent anti-sex selection campaigner Sabu George sees an uncomfortable level of coercion that amounts to “a gross violation of privacy.” “The administration has good intentions but their tactics are totally unethical, totally wrong,” George said. “They have heaped tremendous pressure on women, who already face terrible pressure from their families,” he said. But doctors like Usha Kiran, who works in the maternity ward of the district hospital, argue that firm intervention is the only way forward. “Unless the government steps in people won’t change. Otherwise those who wanted sons would have just continued to get scans done and practise sex selection,” Kiran said, as she checked on her new mothers and infants. “Earlier people used to come here and say, ‘we want a son’. “No one has come to me recently and said they want a son. These days I deliver as many female as male babies,” she said.

Upkar’s Gidda said the birth sex ratio in Nawanshahr had become so dramatically skewed by 2004, that urgent action yielding tangible short-term results had to be adopted. “The destruction had already hit us by then -- it was like a flood, like a natural disaster. By the time we woke up, we had to make a real effort,” he said. At the same time, longerterm awareness-raising programmes have also been introduced to spread the anti-foeticide message at the grassroots level. A recent Sunday morning saw around 50 Upkar volunteers descend on the small village of Jasso Majara, singing songs with lyrics such as: “Daughters are born to rule, not to be slaughtered” and “Don’t murder unborn girls”. As the group walked past green sugarcane fields, with little boys and girls carrying banners against the aborting of female foetuses, sleepy villagers emerged in the dawn light to watch the procession pass by. Some joined in, while others watched quietly, cleaning their teeth while sitting on the doorsteps of their homes. In Kiran’s maternity ward, there is substantial evidence that traditional mindsets are being changed, not just in terms of the growing numbers of girl infants

Keeping check Health workers go door-to-door recording new pregnancies and return around the scheduled date of delivery to check on the outcome. If the family refuses to answer questions or says the woman miscarried, ofﬁcials make enquiries locally to establish if the foetus was aborted because it was female.

but also in the obvious joy they bring. “I am just thrilled...there is nothing sons can give you which daughters can’t,” said new grandmother Ranjit Kaur as she cradled her two-day-old granddaughter Gudiya. One can only hope that the movement becomes contagious. AFP

THURSDAY, JULY 26, 2012

World

BATMAN SHOOTER SENT WARNING PACKAGE: REPORT Alleged Colorado shooter James Holmes reportedly sent a warning package to a psychiatrist at his former university with a notebook and drawings of his plans to massacre people. Holmes, 24, is accused of shooting 12 people dead and wounding 58 more at a cinema on Friday in Aurora, outside Denver.

SYRIAN CRISIS

SHE CAUGHT HIS EYE & EAR

Defections rise as Army, rebels set for showdown The US said fresh defections from the regime showed President Bashar al-Assad’s ‘days are numbered’.

DAMASCUS: Syrian troops and rebels sent reinforcements to the intensifying battle in the second city Aleppo, as the US said fresh defections from the regime showed President Bashar al-Assad’s “days are numbered”. Clashes raged Wednesday in Aleppo’s central Al-Jamaliya neighbourhood, near the local headquarters of the ruling Baath party. In Kalasseh in the south of the city, rebels set a police station ablaze, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. Helicopter gunships strafed several neighbourhoods of the commercial capital, causing deaths and injuries, according to the British-based watchdog group. A rebel spokesman told AFP via Skype that a “large number” of troops have been moved from the northwestern province of Idlib to Aleppo. A Syrian newspaper journalist confirmed that the rebels were also reinforcing. UN peacekeeping chief Herve Ladsous said he had told Syrian officials that without a significant reduction in violence, the remaining 150 UN observers would leave on the expiry of the “final” 30-day extension of the mission’s mandate, agreed by the Security Council on July 20. As the violence increases, high-level defections from Assad’s regime are growing.

The wife of North Korea’s Kim Jong-Un is a former singer who caught the leader’s eye while she was giving a performance, South Korean media said Thursday after Pyongyang disclosed the marriage. Ofﬁcial media in the secretive state revealed late Wednesday that a stylish young woman pictured accompanying Kim this month is his wife, Ri SolJu. It gave no details about her and did not say when they wed. AFP

NUMEROLOGY

member club des chefs des chefs, a club that comprise chefs of world leaders, at their latest reunion shared some juicy gossip: Barack Obama can’t stand beetroot, artichokes are a no-no at Elysee Palace. Syrian civilians take cover as fighters from the Syrian opposition clash with forces loyal to President Bashar alAssad, in the center of Syria’s restive northern city of Aleppo on Wednesday.

The United States on Wednesday confirmed the defections of two more senior Syrian diplomats, the ambassadors to the UAE and Cyprus. White House spokesman Jay Carney told reporters aboard Air Force One that the moves showed that “senior officials around the Assad inner circle are fleeing the government because of the heinous actions taken by Assad against his own people, and the recognition that Assad’s days are numbered”. Earlier a senior State Department official said; “these defections serve as a reminder that the bottom is starting to fall

out of the regime. It is crumbling and losing its grip on power”. UN chief Ban Ki-moon, in Bosnia to visit the site of the Srebrenica genocide in 1995, told the parliament there that “the international community is being tested in Syria”. “I make a plea to the world: Do not delay... Act now to stop the slaughter in Syria,” Ban said. “The echoes are deafening: An accelerated slide to civil war. Growing sectarian strife. Villages and children butchered.” White House spokesman Carney condemned the use of attack helicopters as “another

indication of the depth of depravity” of Assad’s regime. Meanwhile, Russia’s UN ambassador Vitaly Churkin said Moscow was ready to host talks between the two sides.”We are ready to give the opposition and the government a platform in Moscow to forge contacts to unify the opposition and for negotiations with the government,” he said. Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov lashed out at the United States for backing the armed opposition, saying a US failure to condemn the July 18 bombing that killed four top Syrian security officials meant it was justifying terror.

NEWS BRIEFS 2 activists ‘punished over Hong Kong demo’

Lack of water causing child deaths in Kiribati

N Korea drops leaflets on border with South

Pak Taliban threaten Myanmar over Rohingya

HONG KONG: Two Chinese activists have been sent to a labour camp for taking part in this month’s massive pro-democracy march in Hong Kong and other protests, a report said Thursday. It is the ﬁrst time Beijing has punished activists for attending a rally in the semiautonomous former British colony.

WELLINGTON: Poor hygiene and sanitation stemming from a lack of water is contributing to soaring child mortality rates in the Paciﬁc island nation of Kiribati, a UN envoy said Thursday. Catarina de Albuquerque said urgent action was needed to address water shortages among the country’s 100,000 population.

SEOUL: North Korea has dropped thousands of leaflets attacking South Korea’s government across their shared border for the first time in 12 years, the South’s defence ministry said Thursday. North Korea used balloons to send the leaflets, which contain criticism of President Lee Myung-bak’s administration, to make the delivery.

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistani Taliban Thursday threatened to attack Myanmar to avenge crimes against the Muslim Rohingya, unless Pakistan halts all relations with the government and shuts its embassy in Islamabad. In a rare statement, the umbrella Tehreek-e-Taliban (TTP) group present itself as a defender of Muslim in Myanmar.

AFP

OLYMPIC FAUX PAS North Korea’s women’s football team walked off before their Olympic opener after the South Korean ﬂag was displayed on the big screen. The Group G clash between North Korea and Colombia, which was scheduled for a 7.45pm kick-off, started over an hour late because of the protest at Hampden Park. The mistake occurred when North Korean players were pictured alongside the South Korean ﬂag on the big screen. Relations between North and South Korea have been tense ever since the end of the Korean War in 1953.

Distinguishing fiction is really hard not just for writers, but for anyone. We live under a barrage of information that we believe is real, even when it can’t be. Paulo Coelho on his new book

THURSDAY, JULY 26, 2012

Comment There is something about jumping a horse over a fence, something that makes you feel good. Perhaps it's the risk, the gamble. In any event it's a thing I need. William Faulkner American writer

Can Cuba bear another martyr? ALEX LEFF Feedback@postnoon.com

hether he could have launched a Velvet Revolution like his late Czech friend Vaclav Havel did will remain forever a mystery. But even in death, Oswaldo Paya, the prominent Cuban dissident who died in a questionable car crash Sunday, still appears to be rattling the island. Paya was “more than a dissident,” reads an op-ed by Spanish newspaper El Pais. His death “means a major setback for the future of democracy in Cuba,” it said. As 60-year-old Paya was buried Tuesday, Cuban police reportedly beat and arrested at least 40 of his supporters who shouted “Libertad!” (freedom) at the funeral ceremony. Among them was another leading dissident Guillermo Farinas, reported French wire AFP. Farinas is a winner of the European Parliament’s Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought — just like Paya was. Paya’s daughter and son have told reporters the activist had been receiving threats and that his car was more likely forced off the road by other motorists out to kill him. Cuban police said they are investigating the circumstances of the crash.Now what's needed are detailed testimonies from the survivors: Jans Aron Modig and Angel Carromero, who was driving. That would help clear up this mystery. Until then, many seem to hold Paya's enemies — namely the Cuban government — accountable. The growing temptation to deem Paya a martyr will be too great to resist. GLOBAL POST

HIGH-FLYING THOUGHTS The 20-member "club des chefs des chefs"revealed Vladmir Putin continues the tradition of medieval monarchs who, for fear of poisoning, were reluctant to eat anything that had not been tried first by someone else. It shows not caution but cowardice, very unworthy of the barrel-chested Putin.

ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE

ARE YOU READY?

BUT... SERIOUSLY

Ajay Hotchandani

never understood why people feared cemeteries. If you thought about it, all the occupants are dead and we all know that dead people can’t do anything to harm…or can they? In 1968 a movie called Night of the living dead came out and it featured zombies. Since then there have been numerous movies, TV shows and print publication that have based the plot of their stories on zombies. For those of you who aren’t familiar with it, zombies are dead people that are brought back to life using black magic/witchcraft/kala jadoo, whose main purpose in life is to eat the brains and flesh of the living. The only way of destroying them is to destroy their heads. Zombie Apocalypse is the global rise of zombies hostile to human life and engage in a general assault on civilization spreading the "zombie plague/virus" leading to an exponential rise in the number of zombies causing the collapse of civilian society until only isolated pockets of survivors remain, scavenging for food and supplies in a world reduced to a pre-industrial hostile wilderness. I, amongst many other of my friends, am fascinated not so much with zombies but with the apocalypse. Tomorrow comes and you pick up a newspaper and some-

where buried in there is a story about a strange outbreak of a flu virus in another part of the country. The following day chaos begins to spread as word gets around that Amitabh Bachchan is planning on retiring but no one really cares about the flu virus. The next morning you wake up to absolute pandemonium as it appears civil society is about to collapse. You go to the store around the corner and the guy behind the counter gives you a paper and tells you to choose wisely. You look down and see the following chart. The only thing you know is the zombies are knocking down the gates and will be invading the city in two to three hours.

MY CHOICES ARE: 1. C – the AR-15 semiautomatic machine gun: As you can see it has a scope for long distance shots and reconnaissance. It also has a built in grenade launcher that will eliminate large groups of zombies in one shot. This weapon is ideal for mid- to long-range targets but can be useful for short range purposes if need be. 2. C – handgun with a built in silencer: This weapon is ideal for short range targets. The silencer gives you the added bonus of eliminating a target in dead silence without drawing attention to your location. 3. D – the machete: For hand to hand combat this is the ideal weapon for you as it allows you to slice through the zombies. This would come in very handy for other day to day activities like cutting wood

and checking your email. 4. D – the swiss army knife: This multi-purpose tool is the ultimate survival tool whose functions include updating your facebook status and opening a can of pasta sauce. 5. A – the SUV: This was the hardest choice of them all. Each mode of transportation had its merits, however the

SUV offered the perfect blend of protection, speed, fuel consumption, practicality and has a built in iPod dock so you can listen to Pankaj Udhas whenever you want! Ladies and gentlemen choose well: once the apocalypse starts its every man, woman, child and columnist for themselves. Happy Hunting!

EDITORIALS Win the war first, then decide who should rule Why we love... sailing

s things get messy and messy day after day in Syria, the Guardian reports that rebels are divided over what follows after overthrowing the Syrian strongman, Basher al-Assad. When a nation’s whole hopes rest on the civil war that is raging in Syria, this sort of fractious sentiment cannot be accommodated. The secretariat of the Syrian National Council (SNC) – the biggest single coalition of anti-Assad groups – is convening in the Qatari capital, Doha, on Thursday where SNC sources say that Riyad Seif, a respected dissident, is a leading candidate to head a "consensus-based" civilian administration, while Brigadier General Manaf Tlass is being mooted as the head of a Egyptian-style military council. Assad is wily and when he sniffs out that the enemy camp is divided he will look to make use of this and further widen the rift among the opposing groups among the opposition. This will cost the rebels dearly, as issues like these will hit their credibility in the world community and the chances of procuring support for their cause.

READERS’ VIEWS

hen it comes to experiencing complete freedom, the next best activity to swimming is sailing. Swimming, though is a prerogative, since strong winds tilt the sailor into the waters often, wow! When sailing is done as a solo event, and without the support of any machine or even rows, the adventure aspect gives the sport the added zing. To be solely dependent on the wind and tides in the ride makes it a lovable adventure sport. And to stay clear of humanity and pollution is the icing.

THURSDAY, JULY 26, 2012

tELEVISION

AMERICA’S GOT TALENT Sharon Osbourne says she’s ready to say goodbye to America’s Got Talent. Osbourne took to Twitter on Tuesday, addressing “my darling” fellow judge Howard Stern and saying “money is not the reason I’m not returning” to the show. Her tweet trailed off with “it’s because ....” and didn’t elaborate.

GLITTER ON SMALL SCREEN

Bitten by the serial bug AMY ROSE THOMAS amyrose.t@postnoon.com

magine what it will be like when Bollywood stars like Salman Khan, Kareena Kapoor and Vidya Balan pop onto your small screen and share screen space with your favourite television characters, advising them and interacting with them. These are the new tactics that filmmakers are coming up with to promote their movies. After making their presence felt in reality shows, Bollywood actors are eyeing serials to get their movies noticed. At times they appear as actors who come in for a cameo shaking a leg with the lead actors of the serial and at other times they are appear as characters they play in the movies. “This is a very good marketing strategy that can do wonders for the film. One needs to pay a lot for the advertisements on the small screen to promote movies. This is an easy way out for the filmmakers as this arrangement is beneficial for both the movie and the serial. Television serials have a wider reach and if a star as the character appears in the serial it will help in the grabbing more eyeballs. The television show will not have much to gain from this arrangement as the audience gets hooked onto the serial because of the characters,” Adman Prahlad Kakkar says. It may seem like a win-win situation but there are times when changes have to be incorporated in a hurry to include the actors’ cameos in the television show. This can work against the serial as the audience will see through this marketing technique if not done

Move over reality shows, Bollywood is now eyeing television shows to promote their movies

carefully. “Most of the times, these changes including the actors are incorporated at the last moment which can downgrade the product. On the other hand, television is a fantastic medium which reaches its audience everyday, so if an opportunity comes up I will surely include my actors’ cameos in the movie provided the script is tweaked effectively,” Abhinay Deo, director of Delhi Belly, says.Television shows are known to borrow heavily from Bollywood with these programmes showing clips and movie songs whenever there is a special occasion like an anniversary or a birthday in the serials. Bollywood actors appearing on the shows give these serials necessary glitter that serials vie for. “Bollywood actors are any day more popular than television ones. Even though, television has changed a lot with many young actors joining the field, it still lacks the allure of the big screen. Thus serial makers jump at the idea of roping in Bollywood actors to small screen,” Kaushik Mishra from Zee TV says. This approach is seen as more innovative and effective as opposed to the guest appearances stars made on reality shows. “The audience has grown tired of actors appearing on reality shows and giving scripted performances and fake smiles. Moreover, actors appear on reality shows as judges or guests every other day and so this trend is no longer interesting,” a viewer Niharika S says. This trend can lose its charm if more Bollywood movies follow suit. But as of now, this move has a novelty factor associated with it.

Bollywood actors sizzle on telly

Kya Super Cool Hai Hum The cast of Kya Super Cool Hai Hum is making an appearance in Pavitra Rishta during the Janmashtami special episode. They will be playing themselves.

Bol Bachchan Abhishek Bachchan, Ajay Devgn, Prachi Desai and Asin visited the sets of television show Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah as part of the promotion for their movie Bol Bachchan.

Kahaani

Bodyguard

Vidya Balan appeared in Hitler Didi as Vidya Venkatesan Bagchi, the character she portrayed in Kahaani. She also appeared in the show Uttaran to promote the same movie.

Kareena Kapoor promoted her movie Bodyguard by appearing in Pavitra Rishta as herself. She appeared for the Ganesha Pooja special episode where she danced with the actors of the serial.

London, Paris, New York Ali Zafar and Aditi Rao charmed the telly audiences by appearing the serial Main Laxmi Tere Aangan Ki to promote their movie London, Paris, New York.

CLASSIC TV

Hill Street Blues The original “ensemble drama,” this is the story of an overworked, under-staffed police precinct in an anonymous inner city patterned after Chicago. We follow the lives of many characters, from the lowly beat and traffic cops to the captain of the precinct himself. The series was regarded as a hallmark in American dramatic television and was the first dramatic series to incorporate long shots and handheld shots and continuous storylines. Nominated for 21 Emmys for its first season, which is a record, despite having low ratings. This is the show that blazed the trail followed later by such notable ensemble dramas as St. Elsewhere and L.A. Law.

DID YOU KNOW?

C.I.D

is a crime detective series that airs on Sony TV and is the longest-running TV series in India. It is about a team of detectives belonging to the Crime Investigation Department in Mumbai. The protagonist of the show is Shivaji Satam.

QUOTABLE QUOTES

All our young lives This is just perfect. we search for someI try to mold us one to love. into a family that Someone who will blend in, and makes us complete. what do I get? A We choose partners surly teenager, a and change partners. sister obsessed We dance to a song with a man, and a of heartbreak and brother who drinks hope, all the while too much. Is there wondering if someanother family in where, somehow, the whole world there’s someone perlike this? I don’t fect... who might be think so! searching for us. Dick Solomon, Kevin Arnold, Third Rock From The Wonder Years the Sun

THURSDAY, JULY 26, 2012

spotlight

THERMAL AND A QUARTER LIVE

This Bangalore-based band has unfailingly surprised listeners and critics alike. TAAQ is a path-breaking independent rock band and promote Indian rock music. Catch them performing live at Hard Rock Cafe today at 9pm.

BIRTHDAY BELLS RINGING

SRINIVAS SETTY

PARTY TIME

Shipra’s friends and family threw a birthday party for her at Rain club on Wednesday and made sure that she had the time of her life. Guests turned up in colourful outfits to wish her and partake in the celebration. 5

1 Rekha & Rakhee 2 Ruchi & Neha 3 Sakshi & Poonam 4 Nikita Reddy (R) 5 Sarita 6 Sonia 7 Ravneek 8 Rachana 9 Sheela 10 Reema 11 Khushboo 12 Vicky with Shipra

ONE FOR THE CAMERAS Babymakers was screened at the Silent Movie Theatre, Los Angeles, California recently. Spotted at the event were Producer/director Jay Chandrasekhar, actors Kevin Heffernan, Aisha Tyler (L-R) and Nicole Moore (L).

KILLER MATT STRIKES A POSE Matthew McConaughey and Gina Gershon attended the premiere of Killer Joe at NYC’s Tribeca Grand Hotel recently.

THURSDAY, JULY 26, 2012

health

YOGA HELPS BEAT STRESS According to researchers, practising Kirtan Kriya, a meditation chant exercise originating from Kundalini Yoga, for just 12 minutes daily for eight weeks, led to a easing of the biological mechanisms behind a spike in the immune system's inflammation response.

STRONG MIND IS THE KEY

Conquer your mind Although physical fitness is important for an athlete to succeed, mental ability and preparedness is equally important. The perfect balance is an essential in sports. ANISHAA KUMAR

anishaa.k@postnoon.com

he Olympics is considered to be the biggest sporting event of the world. For athletes the world over every day is an effort to win the coveted Olympics gold medal. In such a scenario personal desire and the dreams of millions from your country can definitely add to the stress levels of even the most seasoned of sport stars. As important as it is to be physically fit, an athlete needs to be mentally prepared to adapt and handle situations arising

Train your mind

r Diana says that sports psychology is gaining significant importance in the field of mental health the world over, but is only now starting to emerge in India. It takes a special skill set to be a sports psychologist and for one of the first times, more and more sports psychologists are being employed by Olympic committees of different countries. Dr Roshan mentions that a new concept of sports psychiatry is also in the offing. He mentions that both psychology and psychiatry help the players in tackling fears and other anxieties. The mental barriers also need to be tackled to help the player succeed.

when it comes to the match and the event as a whole. According to Dr Diana Monteiro, counselling psychologist, Hyderabad Academy of Psychology, “Mental toughness is the key factor for athletes and sports persons competing in any competition. I think that all the sportspeople who are competing in the Olympics have already proven they are the best in their country, so a certain toughness and mental strength already exists. Now however, they have to face the whole world which I think requires more grit and determination.”

mentally prepared for the event, Dr Diana suggests that if you are competing in a non-home crowd environment, then you have to prepare in that environment. Allowing yourself to listen to crowd sounds in your ears while you are practicing will prepare you for the real thing. In addition, imagining yourself doing the different things needed for your specific sport, like running, imagining yourself making the big swimming dive etc, can be another way to prepare your mind for the real thing. Giving yourself time to practice waiting for events

to begin is important, because while you are at the event, the actual competition might be hours away and if you buckle under the pressure of waiting, then you won’t compete to your best ability. “Using relaxation techniques, positive self-talk and visualizations where you see yourself doing the sport well are all a part of the prep needed to compete in such a big event,” she adds. Dr Roshan adds that it is important that a person gets adequate sleep before the event. They should disconnect from

unnecessary things. Breathing techniques may also be helpful in assisting the player and help them achieve the mind and body balance. Dr Roshan says that it is important that players treat each event differently and should leave behind the success or failure of past games. At the end of the day it is their performance on the final day that matters the most.

FACING PRESSURE For an athlete it is important that he/she is both calm and focussed. Dr Roshan Jain, senior consultant psychiatrist, Apollo Hospital, Bangalore says, “For individual athletes, irrespective of the sport they play it is important that they focus on the game. They should work towards outperforming themselves. The second aspect is that before the actual event the person would have already spent several hours on practice. They should thus try to calm themselves down. A balance of both focus and remaining calm is important.” Talking about tips to be

ANEWS PP-LYBRIEFS YOURSELF

HOUSECALL

G0LD RUSH

LONDON 2012 DID YOU KNOW?

PIONEERS

Baby ESP

Dengue

You can’t tickle yourself

Bian Que

Baby ESP helps parents and caretakers track when the baby eats, sleeps, and poops. Created with tired, stressed parents in mind, Baby ESP makes entering baby's activities as simple as pressing a button on a cell phone. And it works for more than one baby, too! Time for others to care of baby? Just hand them Baby ESP! It’s easy transition. The simple, interface lets others easily view baby's daily activities and enter information.

Dengue is an infection caused by the dengue virus transmitted by mosquitoes. It usually leaves a patient in a lot of pain. Some of the symptoms of dengue are fever; headache; a skin rash that looks like measles; and pain in the muscles and joints. In a few people, dengue can turn into one of two forms that are life-threatening. The ﬁrst is dengue haemorrhagic fever and the second is dengue shock syndrome.

Most of us have a ticklish spot somewhere on our bodies, and it is usually pretty easy to ﬁnd. For some it's just above the knee, for others it's the neck, and some of us burst out laughing if someone grabs our sides. However, it is not possible to tickle yourself. The cerebellum, a part of the brain, warns the rest of the brain that you are about to tickle yourself. Since your brain knows this, it ignores the resulting sensation.

Bian Que was, according to legend, the earliest known Chinese physician (ca. 700 BC). According to legend, he was given a packet of medicine by an old man and asked to drink it, which gave him the ability to see through the body. He thereby became an excellent diagnostician. He also excelled in pulse taking and acupuncture. Tales state that he was a doctor of many disciplines, conforming to local needs.

health THURSDAY, JULY 26, 2012

CUT OUT THE SALT

Doctor’s corner

Salt tied to kidney stones, osteoporosis

Dr Divya T Sudarshan

Painful periods a harsh reality

Since people are eating more and more sodium these days they are losing more calcium, making it imperative to follow a low sodium diet TORONTO: People eating high salt diets tend to develop kidney stones and osteoporosis, a bone disease that leads to increased risk of fracture, says a study. Principal investigator Todd Alexander from the University of Alberta and his team have uncovered an important link between sodium and calcium. They appear to be regulated by the same molecule in the body. When sodium intake becomes too high, the body gets rid of sodium via the urine, taking calcium with it, which depletes the calcium stores in

the body. High levels of calcium in the urine lead to the development of kidney stones, while inadequate levels of calcium in the body lead to thin bones and osteoporosis, the American Journal of Physiology - Renal Physiology reported. “When the body tries to get rid of sodium via the urine, our findings suggest the body also gets rid of calcium at the same time,” said Alexander, researcher in the faculty of medicine & dentistry at the University of Alberta, according to its statement.

When sodium intake becomes too high, the body gets rid of sodium via the urine, taking calcium with it. “This is significant because we are eating more and more sodium in our diets, which means our bodies are getting rid of more and more calcium. Our findings reinforce why it is important to have a low sodium

diet and why it is important to have lower sodium levels in processed foods.” “We asked a simple question with our research - could sodium and calcium absorption be linked? And we discovered they are,” said Alexander. “We found a molecule that seems to have two jobs — regulating the levels of both calcium and sodium in the body. Our findings provide very real biological evidence that this relationship between sodium and calcium is real and linked,” he added. IANS

I am a male boss and have subordinates who seem to take time off from work almost every month due to painful periods. Can periods really be so bad or are they just bluffing? I can assure you that there is a condition like painful periods. And it even has a name — it’s called Dysmenorrhea (dys means bad/painful; meno for period; rhea means flow). So the condition exists, and you may be surprised to know the prevalence of dysmenorrhea is estimated to be approximately 25 per cent in women. You are lucky one fourth of your office is not on leave! Reports of dysmenorrhea are greatest among women in their late teens and 20s,with reports usually declining with age. Dysmenorrhea can be classified as either primary or secondary based on the absence or presence of an underlying cause. Secondary dysmenorrhea is usually associated with an existing condition like endometriosis, fibroids, ovarian cysts and pelvic infections. Sometimes, an IUD can also cause dysmenorrhea. Any pain without a cause is called primary dysmenorrhea! The main symptom of dysmenorrhea is pain concentrated in the lower abdomen, in and around the belly button, and also above the pubis. It is also commonly felt in the right or left abdomen. It may radiate to the inner thighs and back. Symptoms include nausea, vomiting, headache, constipation, diarrhoea, dizziness, with occasional fainting. All this is a response to the hormonal changes post ovulation. If you have never had any menstrual cramps then a visit to the doctor may help (especially if you are planning a baby). The column will conclude next week. The writer is a gynaecologist and obstetrician practising at Happy Women Clinic. You can write in to her at happywomenclinic@gmail.com

THURSDAY, JULY 26, 2012

Entertainment ENGLISH VINGLISH JOINS THE LIST

Midnight’s Children selected for Toronto Film Festival

CINE BYTES

Varun Sandesh, Nisha Aggarwal team up again

arun Sandesh and Nisha Aggarwal are teaming up once again after Yemaindhi Ee Vela. They’ll soon be seen together in P Bhanu Shankar’s upcoming ﬁlm which will go on ﬂoors on August 14. Ravi Varma is composing the music for this romantic entertainer.

OKOK set to release on August 10

dhayanidhi Stalin, Santhanam and Hansika starrer OKOK is going to release on August 10. Bellamkonda Suresh is distributing the Telugu version of the film. M Rajesh has directed the film. Sunil has lent his voice for Santhanam. Harris Jayaraj has composed the music.

ridevi’s comeback film English Vinglish has been selected for the prestigious Toronto Film Festival. Directed by Gauri Shinde, the film stars Sridevi as a rural woman who wants to learn English and Priya Anand is also playing an important role in this film which is going to release on September 21 in Hindi, Telugu and Tamil. Another entry at Toronto Film Festival is Deepa Mehta’s Midnight’s Children which stars Siddharth, Shriya and Anupam Kher. The film, based on Salman Rushdie’s book of the same name, has been in the making for a long time and finally it’s going to compete for the top prize at Toronto. The film festival is going to be held from September 6-16 this year in Toronto. We hear that a lot more Indian films are going to be screened and the names of those films will be announced soon.

Routine Love Story’s shooting is complete

he principal shooting of Sundeep Kishan, Regina starrer Routine Love Story has been completed. Both of them are playing the roles of college students in this love story with a twist. Praveen Sattaru, who made his debut with Life Before Wedding, has directed the ﬁlm. Mickey J Meyer has composed the music.

THURSDAY, JULY 26, 2012

fashion

SIBLING FOOTWEAR WARS

Sibling multitaskers Madonna and brother Christopher Ciccone (he, an author, furniture designer, artist, photographer, and dancer; she, Madonna) have each separately launched footware lines. Talk about genetic serendipity!

hy should fall and spring get all the attention? This week, Mercedes-Benz Fashion Swim Week 2013 — held in the luscious and inviting locales of Miami — showcased the best in pool-ready fashion, with designer brands such as Mara Hoffman and Gottex sending models down the runway in colourful, retro-inspired swimwear. Hot trends included highwaisted bottoms, metallic colours, shoulder-accented tops, geometric and floral prints and (still going strong) one-shoulder styles. Hundreds of tanned and toned beauties filled the catwalks and nightclubs leaving onlookers awestruck. The country’s largest and most important fashion week

SWIM TURNS

AND

SALE SEASON

International luxury brands such as Chanel, Christian Dior and Burberry have started discount sales at their outlets in Delhi, Mumbai and other cities to woo first-time buyers as well as to clear inventory.

for swimwear showcased artists such as White Sands Australia, Beach Bunny Swimwear, True Religion, Wildfox Swimwear, Aqua di Lara, BCBG Max azria. Lisa Blue, Caffe Swimwear and many more. Kicking off swim week was the Lisa Blue collection, where Australian designer Lisa Burke featured five very different styles. For Agua Bendita, cropped jackets with military hardware or maritime accents were part of the Lovely Heroes collection. Designers Catalina Alvarez and Mariana Hinestroza wanted to pay homage to the 700 men and women who work on each of the hand-made garments in Colombia. In the case of Paola Robba, the Brazilian designer stuck to her roots with her Poko Pano collection, the dresses featured pops of tangerine and green foliage prints with gold hardware and soda tabs. The 40-piece collection of bikinis, maillots, caftans and pants was influenced by the rhythm of Salvador, Brazil. For Spanish designer Doleres Cortes, Miami Beach was the inspiration, she used vitamin colours and a touch of neon in her sophisticated collection. The Nicolita collection can be described as a collection of sexy swimwear with curve-flattering styles reminiscent of Cubaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s

alluring 1940s era â&#x20AC;&#x201D; but with a California twist. Slimmer cuts for Miami and Brazil are new this season by Tory Burch. Prints inspired by worn ceramic tiles and florals scaled up and down are also new for the collection. There are also reversible styles and four different looks for a rash guard. The five-day event also cemented some new trends, including crochet, foliage prints, ruffles and fringe. Also making a splash next summer will be the one-piece and cowgirlthemed suits, boots and all. For the wild-chic look, snakeskin is the animal print to choose.

22&23

WEEK

PEPPY

JOE KLAMAR/AFP

BRIGHT

Entertainment THURSDAY, JULY 26, 2012

THURSDAY, JULY 26, 2012

Chai Time

THOUGHT OF THE DAY

A word to the wise ain't necessary - it's the stupid ones that need the advice. Bill Cosby

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 Small, flightless bird 5 Hair hides them 11 Type of maniac 14 Cut text, say 15 Yank from the soil 16 "Smoking or ___?" 17 Quarterback's command to his backup? 19 "Don't ___ step farther!" 20 Aflame 21 What some people may try once 23 Be of benefit 26 Extra periods in NHL games 27 Lake in four states and Canada 28 Nebraska's capital 30 Play to the crowd 32 Autograph hound's necessity 33 "Rank" novice 36 Certain seafood 41 Birds in the finch family 42 Lie out in the sun 44 Heathens 47 Use an easy chair 50 Islamic holy man 51 A sheep remark 53 Bogart classic "Key ___" 54 Painter's problem 57 Word with "generation" or "gender" 58 ___ Aviv 59 Type with two fingers, perhaps 64 A miner matter? 65 Big name in flatware 66 Case for pins and needles 67 "Deliverance" actor Beatty 68 Find a new table for 69 Acerb

DOWN

1 Beer bust delivery 2 "If ___ say so myself" 3 Ad-libber's asset

4 Biased type? 5 Animal fat 6 Accountant, briefly 7 Buddhist in Nirvana 8 Filet mignon sources 9 Slow as molasses 10 "Do not change," to an editor 11 Surround 12 Any of the kids in a 1985 comedyadventure 13 Jackass' Asian relative 18 1,000 grams 22 French painter Matisse 23 Austrian peak 24 Competes 25 " ___ and the King of Siam" 26 Pope's "An Essay ___" 29 Grassy grounds 30 By its very nature 31 "___ Wiedersehen" (German goodbye) 34 Scarfed down 35 Aquarium inhabitant 37 Alpaca's cousin 38 "Cat on a Hot ___ Roof" 39 "Joy of Cooking" instruction 40 Suspend, as curtains 43 "The one" played by Keanu 44 Detroit hoopster 45 Current measurement 46 Annoyed 48 Dressed (in) 49 Decorative fold on a garment 51 "Seinfeld" character Elaine 52 Big Band musician Shaw 55 "Kon-Tiki" author Heyerdahl 56 Adjust plugs and points 57 Pest you might slap 60 Toothpaste-approving org. 61 Abbr. at Kennedy 62 Hardly a show dog 63 Baby fox

Chai Time THURSDAY, JULY 26, 2012 Thiruvaikumar

STAR POWER for 27-7-2012

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

ARIES

TAURUS

GEMINI

CANCER

LEO

VIRGO

LIBRA

SCORPIO

SAGITTARIUS

CAPRICORN

AQUARIUS

PISCES

Work will end successfully but only after a lot of travel and strong efforts. You will be interested in helping others and to charity organisations. Blood relatives will support you. One of your long-standing wishes will get fulfilled.

You will successfully complete all work undertaken. Your talks and approach will do the magic. You will take utmost care to fulfill wishes of family members. Income will be good enough and you will enjoy all comforts. Chance to buy goodies.

Expected work will get completed without any hurdles. You will act diplomatically according to the situation and get things completed and earn appreciation from all. Financial position look satisfactory. Blood relatives will seek help.

QUICK CROSSWORD FRED BASSET

All your struggle and travel will be over. Even the most complicated work will be handled by you with ease. Your social status is said to increase. Expenses will increase, income will match them. Relatives and friends will help you wholeheartedly.

Good effects will keep you in a cheerful mode. You will act swiftly without magnifying the confusion that exists. Plans to purchase a new immovable asset needs to be postponed. Blood relatives and friends will extend help.

Employees will be recognised well as they complete entrusted responsibilities successfully. Your activities will look attractive to others. You will not only do work swiftly, you will to them with proper planning and achieve your goals.

There are chances of trouble but your willpower will help you in a big way to face the situation and come out. Religious thoughts will occupy your mind. Expenses you undertake,keeping in view your prestige, will also bring in benefits.

Travel will increase and there will be delay to complete planned work. But you need to work without giving up so that you will achieve success. Though there will be minor confusion in the family, happiness will prevail. Expenses will increase.

You will be upset as you feel that some sort of sabotage is being done to you. You will find it difficult to differentiate between good and bad persons. Financial situation will be comfortable and steady. Chances of buying a house.

TAROT READ

Sumaa Tekur

tarotreadhyd@gmail.com

ARIES:

GEMINI:

The Magician – Your thoughts make or mar a situation. You have some happy memories. You may be ruining those by thinking of the negative.

LEO:

Nine of Pentacles – You may be thinking of purchasing a new vehicle. Consult people in the know. Waiting for a few months may get you a better deal.

LIBRA:

STONE SOUP

Queen of Wands – You have a tendency to be addicted to something. It could be shopping or playing video games. It will make you restless. Meditate!

SAGITTARIUS:

Eight of Pentacles – You come across to peers and colleagues as being too harsh, too judgmental. Tone down your communication.

TAURUS:

King of Cups – You have undertaken a task and you should not rest until you complete it to the best of your satisfaction. Redo a task if you’re not pleased.

CANCER:

Eight of Wands – Some kind of loss was about to happen but it was averted thanks to your sharp mind. Make use of this fortunate time to do things you like.

VIRGO:

Six of Wands – You find it hard to concentrate and may stray from the topic at hand. Focus your energies on the jobs that need priority right now.

SCORPIO:

The Devil – You may be caught mimicking someone and this person is not going to like it. You deserve a holiday. Take a break and switch off the BlackBerry.

CAPRICORN:

Ten of Wands – Time to reclaim what’s yours. It could be time, or the right to do what you want to do. Heed Heed nothing but your instincts.

SOLUTIONS

PISCES:

Two of Wands – You are looking for stability and it is coming in its own twisted way. You will be forced to take up a job or be around people you need.

NUMBER GAME

Page of Swords – You’re spending a lot of time in quiet contemplation. This is needed to re-prioritise and make everything fall in place.

SCRABBLE

AQUARIUS:

INK PEN

Your self-confidence and boldness will increase. You will work hard and get things done without believing in luck. You look cheerful as meeting with friends and relatives likely. Spouse will help you and cooperate in all your ventures.

for 27-7-2012

Four of Pentacles – You will be involved in some financial transactions. All will go well as long as you keep an eye on the details.

FOR BETTER OR FOR WORSE

Favourable situation will prevail at workplace for employees. Expected and planned works will get completed without any delay or difficulty. Financial position will improve beyond expectation. A cheerful atmosphere will prevail at home.

SUDUKO

You are likely to face trouble. You will however, face them with courage and self-confidence and success will be yours finally. Steady financial position likely. You will purchase immovable assets with the savings.

Boggle FORD GRANT REAGAN MONROE CARTER Vol: 1, No 374 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

G0LD RUSH

London Games:

THURSDAY, JULY 26, 2012

it ?

MARIANNE BARRIAUX Agence France-Presse PARIS: The London Olympics are set to be liked, tweeted, pinned and shared with more people than ever before as athletes, fans and organisers interact online in the first-ever social media Summer Olympics. Sportspeople and those overseeing the event are using social networks to communicate with legions of netizens — mainly on Twitter, which has 140 million active users, and the 901-million-strong Facebook. But the sheer scale of this relatively new medium has brought up a host of challenges for organisers and national teams. “This is going to be absolutely huge,” said Ian Maude, an Internet analyst at research group Enders Analysis. “Pretty much every event is going to be broadcast live, streamed to the Internet and a lot of that is going to end up being shared with friends, linked to, discussed on social media platforms — far more so than anything before.” In the four years since the Beijing Olympics, the global

POLITICAL GAMES

STAR TWEETS

Net count n Twitter: 140 million users n Facebook: 901 million users

number of social media users has exploded, as has the amount of people with smartphones. As such, the London event will generate unprecedented scrutiny — a fact the International Olympic Committee is capitalising on with initiatives such as a social media hub that links Internet users with athletes. Olympians themselves are

commenting in real time on their social media pages, allowing regular netizens to get an insight into their lives in a way that was not previously possible. US hurdler Lolo Jones, for instance, is huge on Twitter thanks to a mix of funny comments, interaction with her 168,500-plus followers and juicy announcements — such as her revelation that she is a virgin. “Sports fans are behaving in a new way — they are increasingly using social media to follow sport,” said Charlotte Lesage, spokeswoman for Synthesio, a social media monitoring firm.

We used to be able to have front and back side with flags but for some reason there are rules that tell us we cant do that anymore? Smh gotta love an organizing committee telling us we can’t do that anymore...

@Michael Phelps Athletes are sleepy, hungry and need to pee

@US hurdler Kerron Clement

BOLT AND BEAUTIFUL

Dancers from the AMCK Agency rehearse in a practice facility next to the Horse Guard Parade in central London on Tuesday before the start of the London 2012 Olympic Games.

Seven of the British team played in the England side that beat New Zealand in the 2011 women's World Cup in Germany. CARDIFF: Great Britain, playing their first ever Olympic women's football match, got the London Games off to a winning start in Wales on Wednesday with a 1-0 victory over New Zealand. Two days before the Olympics officially open in the capital, Arsenal Ladies defender Stephanie Houghton scored the only goal of the game with a neatly-executed free-kick after 64 minutes. In a match played in bright sunshine but in front of a sparse crowd at the 75,000-capacity Millennium Stadium, the home of Welsh rugby, Britain were just about worthy winners. Houghton buried a 25-yard free-kick with a curling effort over the wall and past Jenny

RESULTS Group E Great Britain 1 New Zealand 0 Cameroon 0 Brazil 5 Group F Japan 2 Canada 1 Group G USA 4 France 2

Romney criticises Olympic preparation

WASHINGTON: US presidential hopeful Mitt Romney made some undiplomatic criticism of London’s preparations for the Olympic Games on Wednesday, expressing concern about Britain’s readiness to host the event. “It’s hard to know just how well it will turn out,” Romney, who is running to unseat President Barack Obama in November’s election, told NBC News from London, where he will attend the opening ceremony of the games on Friday. “There are a few things that were disconcerting,” he said. “The stories about the private security ﬁrm not having enough people, the supposed strike of the immigration and customs ofﬁcials — that obviously is not something which is encouraging,” he warned. Romney even called into question whether the British people as a whole were behind the spectacle, saying this would be key their success.

GB women get off to winning start

AFP

Bindon in the Kiwi goal. "It was something special and I'm sure my family are really proud. I don't think it will sink in for a while. I'm just glad it got us the win," said Houghton. "The win was brilliant. We needed three points and we got them. We worked very hard as a team under hard conditions." Seven of the British team played in the England side that beat New Zealand in the 2011 women's World Cup in Germany and that experience proved crucial in the first half. Anita Asante had the best of Britain's chances with a header from an Eniola Aluko cross on the half hour mark beating Bindon who was relieved to see the ball clip the post.

LONDON 2012

Beckham to feature in opening ceremony LONDON: David Beckham has confirmed he will take part in Friday’s Olympics opening ceremony following his shock snub from Britain’s football team, it was reported Wednesday. The 37-year-old former England captain was quoted by several newspapers as saying that he has been granted an unspecified role in Friday’s extravaganza at the main Olympic stadium. “It is some kind of role in the opening ceremony which I am honoured to be involved in because obviously I was involved in the start process with this seven years ago,” said Beckham. “And for Seb (Coe) to have kept me involved I’m very proud of that.” Beckham, who played a key lobbying role during London’s campaign for the Games in 2005, has already ruled out any prospect of him lighting the Olympic flame, saying the honour should go to an established Olympian.

HONG KONG: A labour watchdog on Wednesday slammed the London Olympics organisers over alleged human rights abuses at Chinese “sweatshops” producing Games merchandise. The group said labourers at two Chinese factories producing merchandise including Olympics mascots Wenlock and Mandeville worked up to 120 hours of overtime a month, or nearly three times the legal limit. The workers were

Debby Chan Sacom

exposed to hazardous chemicals without sufficient protective gear, leading to illnesses, and some had to buy their own face masks to guard against paint mist. “We are disappointed as these practices are unacceptable,” Hong Kong-based Students and Scholars Against Corporate Misbehaviour

(Sacom) spokeswoman Debby Chan told AFP. Sacom said it based its findings on interviews with 90 workers at two factories in southern Guangdong province between May and June. The factories were run by Hong Kong companies Key Pine and Zindart Manufacturing. Some of the workers reported

inhaling paint, being docked half a day’s wages if they were five minutes late, and being required to start shifts at 8.00am after finishing at midnight the previous day. Sacom said the conditions breached the London Organising Committee’s (Locog) ethical and sustainable procurement codes. AFP

Skipper bets on Bolt to retain title Jamaica with Bolt, world champion Blake and former world record Asafa Powell in their squad, are highly favoured for medals.

BIRMINGHAM: Michael Frater, captain of Jamaica’s Olympic team, on Wednesday backed Usain Bolt to retain his Olympic 100m title. Frater, who was part of Jamaica’s world record breaking 4x100m teams, both in Beijing and Daegu with times of 37.10 and 37.04 respectively, described

Bolt as a special talent. “I wouldn’t bet against Bolt,” Frater told a press conference at Jamaica’s training base at the University of Birmingham. “He (Bolt) is a special athlete.” In June, former Olympic 100m champion Justin Gatlin, who won the US trials, said he was ready to beat Bolt and take

down the Jamaicans. “We are not worried about Justin Gatlin or anyone else; we are all just going out there to do our thing,” said Frater. Jamaica with Bolt, world champion Blake and former world record Asafa Powell in their squad, are highly favoured for medals in London. Frater said since their exploits at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, the Jamaicans have become everyone’s target. “It’s us against the world. We

DAY TO GO

SNIPPETS

Games mascots made in China ‘sweatshops’

The rampant rights violations reveal that the Locog codes are really no more than lip service with no commitment to the enforcement of labour rights standards.

are the target, we are at such a high level where everyone wants to take us down,” he said while adding “they (Jamaica) took down the US in the last few years”. Meanwhile, hundreds of fans came out, but left disappointed, as they did not get to see Bolt who failed show for the Team Jamaica open day on Tuesday. The open day, which took place on the team’s training track at the University of Birmingham, was also without Veronica Campbell-Brown, Shelly-Ann Fraser, Blake and Brigitte FosterHylton. Donald Quarrie, the 1976 Olympic 200m champion and technical chief of the Jamaica team, said he could not say why Bolt stayed away. “I don’t know why he did not come, but what I am happy about was the rest of the athletes were there,” Quarrie said. AFP

Australia minister demands Jones ‘flab’ apology SYDNEY: Australian Sports Minister Kate Lundy on Thursday demanded an apology for triple Olympic gold medallist Leisel Jones after media criticism of her physical appearance. The Sydney Morning Herald and other newspapers carried unflattering photos of the former world breaststroke record holder on Wednesday implying she was not in her best shape and not taking her fourth Olympics seriously. They sparked an angry response from Australian team chief Nick Green, although the newspaper showed little signs of relenting on Thursday, continuing online coverage under the headline: “Nation gets in a flabby flap”. Lundy called it “an appalling attack on her physique”. “I think Leisel Jones is deserving of far more respect,” she told Sky News.

sports THURSDAY, JULY 26, 2012 CHELSEA SIGN OSCAR

LONDON: Chelsea have completed the signing of the Brazil midﬁelder Oscar (above) from Internacional for fee thought to be £25m. Oscar, who is part of the Brazil squad that will compete at the Olympic Games, had already undergone a medical with the west London club. Chelsea have embarked on an overhaul of their attacking options, having already paid £32m to Lille for Eden Hazard and £7m to Werder Bremen for Marko Marin.

NUMEROLOGY

3–2

Was the final score as European Champions League winners Chelsea suffered a shock defeat to a Major League Soccer all-star team in an exhibition game Wednesday.

THUS SPAKE

HUNGARIAN F1 GP PREVIEW

Lewis says revamped McLaren have title shot

The 2008 drivers’ champion said he can challenge for victory at Budapest’s Hungaroring circuit based on the team’s overall performance. GORDON HOWARD BUDAPEST: Briton Lewis Hamilton (right) believes he and the McLaren team will mount a serious title bid in the second half of this season, starting with the upcoming Hungarian Grand Prix. The 2008 drivers’ champion, who was forced to retire from last Sunday’s German Grand Prix at Hockenheim, said he can challenge for victory this weekend at Budapest’s Hungaroring circuit based on the McLaren team’s overall performance and speed last weekend. Hamilton’s teammate Jenson Button took second at Hockenheim behind the triumphant Fernando Alonso of Ferrari, who leads the title race. Hamilton was forced out of the race with a gearbox problem after earlier snags including a puncture collected on lap two, but said the weekend left him optimistic.

Hamilton is now fifth, 62 points behind Alonso, after an opening half to the season marked by strong pace.

“There’s every good reason to feel confident — our upgrade package seems to have delivered the pace we anticipated,” he said. “Things haven’t always gone our way in the first half of

this year, but I certainly feel like we’re experiencing something of a turning point for the whole team now. “We’ve really stepped up and delivered the pace we needed, our strategy has been spot-

on and our pit stops, despite a troubled start at the beginning of the year, are now consistently the fastest in the pit lane.” McLaren produced a nearmiraculous 2.31-second stationary time for their best stop, timed at 2.4s by the sport’s ruling body, the International Motoring Federation (FIA). The team believe that after problems earlier in the year they are now set to enjoy a spell of sustained excellence on the track and in the pit lane. The team plan further car upgrades this weekend.

LOS ANGELES OPEN

Mayer, Ram cruise into LA quarter-finals Mayer, ranked 64th, beat Ram in their only previous meeting in Sydney 2 years ago. There is nothing to elaborate. The options are clear: we want to keep our players. I would be happy for him [van Persie] to stay in the EPL — at Arsenal. Arsene Wenger on Robin van Persie

LOS ANGELES: Third seed Leonardo Mayer (right) will line up in the quarter-finals of the Los Angeles Open against American Rajeev Ram after both scored quick victories on Wednesday. Mayer spent minimal time and effort in advancing in his first match after a bye at the ATP Tour hardcourt tournament as he advanced 6-0, 4-0 when Italian opponent Flavio Cipolla quit with a neck injury. Ram, who knocked out eighth seed Brian Baker in the first round, took a comprehensive win against Chile’s Paul

Los Angeles results Second round n Leonardo Mayer (ARG x3) bt Flavio Cipolla (ITA) 6-0, 4-0, retired n Rajeev Ram (USA) bt Paul Capdeville (CHI) 6-1, 6-3

Capdeville 6-3, 6-1 in 64 minutes, firing ten aces and breaking four times. Down 3-2 in the opening set, the 117th-ranked Ram won seven straight games to take control against an opponent ranked 139th whom he had only

previously played at the Challenger level. “I just tried to get as many balls back as I could,” said the winner, who will be playing his second quarter-final in three weeks after a solid week on grass this month in Newport. “I also served well. It’s important to win consecutive matches, that’s what the top guys do,” added Ram In the last match on court at the UCLA campus, two-time champion Sam Querrey, seeded second, was playing his opening match against Igor Sijsling of the Netherlands.

sports THURSDAY, JULY 26, 2012

SPORTING TRENDS: URBAN GOLF

PABLO TAKES LEAD

VIENNA: Spain's Pablo Larrazabal took an early lead in the Austrian Open, on a first day marred by heavy rain that drenched the course in Atzenbrugg and forced officials to suspend play for several hours. Larrazabal, who had raced to six under par in his first 12 holes, held his form after play resumed to finish with an eight-under-par 64 — matching the course record. But the 29-year-old's lead was provisional.

NUMEROLOGY CONCRETE COURSE: German urban golf player Stefan plays a shot on the site of a closed brewery in Berlin on July 16, 2012. Urbangolf aka turbogolf or street-golf has found an obvious home in Berlin, where a lot of closed factories and devasted buildings attract players. AFP/JOHANNES EISELE

Urban ‘fore!’ play

The sport of urban golf has found a natural home among Berlin’s wide open urban spaces. ELOI ROUYER AGENCIE FRANCE-PRESSE BERLIN: The graffiti-strewn walls of a disused brewery are a far cry from the manicured greens of the Open Championship but this is where Berlin’s “crossgolfers” play their own underground version of the game. The sport of “cross golf”, otherwise known as “urban golf”, “street golf” or even “anarcho golf”, where players whack balls at improvised targets, has found a natural home among Berlin’s wide open urban spaces and abandoned buildings. And in the old burnt-out Baerenquell brewery in the old East Berlin district of Treptow, a group of six urban golfers, dressed in t-shirts, jeans and hooded caps, are teeing off, oblivious to the sign “no entry for unauthorised people.” “On a real golf course, it’s always about etiquette, rules. It’s snobbish and elitist,” said Eve, the only woman in the group.

BEGINNINGS

rban golf is believed to be started in Scotland in 1741 outside The White Hart Inn in the Grassmarket area of Edinburgh by a Duncan Thomas. However, it was established in Germany in the 1990s.

ANATOMY OF AN URBAN GOLF COURSE

The fundamental difference between Urban Golf and its verdant brother is the lack of nature and the high frequency of public houses.

The idea of urban golf can be summed up simply: why go to a golf course when you can play in the streets, in the city or in a park? “Here, it’s less uptight. Anyone can play anywhere. It’s for anyone who has the time and desire to play,” said the 28year-old who has been playing the game since 2010. Next to her, Sven, 37, carefully places his ball on a small patch of synthetic grass he has laid down on the concrete floor. Cigarette drooping from his mouth, jaunty flat cap slightly skew-whiff on his head, he swings hard at the golf ball, aiming for a far roof, but succeeds only in sending the astroturf patch high into the air. The idea of urban golf can be summed up simply: why go to a golf course when you can play in the streets, in the city or

in a park?

NO RULES GOLF

And while Berlin has not yet hosted its own tournament, players here are convinced it is the best place to play. “I play two or three times a week,” says Stephan, a 26-yearold nurse. “This is one of the best places you can find to practise.” This group plays a “safety first” version of the game, said Stephan. “We play with synthetic balls. That way, there’s less risk of hurting someone or smashing something. There are people who play with real balls, but they aren’t part of our group,” he adds. Apart from that, there are really no rules in urban golf. Each group defines the targets to aim for, the number of shots allowed, its own regulations. But for now, all eyes are on Sven, as he prepares to play the tricky next “hole”. “Where’s the Trabant?” he shouts, as he stands on the brewery roof searching for the shell of an old East German car he has to hit to win the hole.

$144mn

Is the amount Cole Hamels has agreed to in a six-year contract extension with the Philadelphia Phillies, making him one of the highest-paid Major League players, the team said on Wednesday.

THUS SPAKE

Last year I moved up from the continental team to the pro team. The first half of the year was all about settling in, but I've been well taken care of and now feel super. Wilco Kelderman on his Rabobank extension

THURSDAY, JULY 26, 2012

sports NZ TOUR OF WEST INDIES

Kiwis end first day on 232/4 Chris Gayle returned to the West Indies Test line-up for the first time since December 2010. NORTH SOUND, ANTIGUA AND BARBUDA: New Zealand were 232/4 at the close on the opening day of the first of two Tests against the West Indies here on Wednesday as Martin Guptill spurned the chance of a century. Things had been going slowly the tourists’ way when Guptill, on 97 and looking for his first ton against a side other than Bangladesh or Zinmbabwe, slogged Sunil Narine to the grateful waiting Narsingh Deonarine just three overs before the end of the session. It was Narine’s third wicket and put the hosts back on an even keel after they had earlier looked to be toiling at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium after Kiwi captain Ross Taylor had won the toss.

The Windies have dominated the Kiwis so far, taking the Twenty20 series 2-0 in which Gayle was awarded man of the series, and the ODI series 4-1. Guptill had already had a scare when a review got him out of jail when he appeared to have been trapped lbw. Taylor made 45 but was bowled by Narine, who ended the day with three for 73. But it was the demise of Guptill which hit the tourists as he was replaced by Kane Williamson, who had made two at the close with debutant and nightwatchman Neil Wagner on four. The match saw top-order batsman Chris Gayle return to the West Indies Test line-up for the first time since December 2010. Gayle has been absent from the Test side due to a standoff between himself and the West Indies Cricket officials board. The West Indies have dominated the tourists so far this summer, taking the Twenty20 series 2-0 in which Gayle was awarded man of the series, and the ODI series 4-1 in which Gayle made an aggressive century and half-century.

MANCHESTER UNITED POSTPONE FLOTATION

Manchester United are thought to have postponed temporarily plans to launch their $300m (£193m) flotation in New York, after volatile US markets spooked the Premier League club into a rethink.

CANADIAN OPEN PREVIEW

Els up for Canadian Open The current British Open champion says he feels ‘very fresh’. TORONTO: Ernie Els says he’s feeling good about his chances at this week’s Canadian Open despite having little time to prepare following his British Open victory on Sunday. Els, who brought the Claret Jug along with him to Canada, hasn’t had much time to himself since winning at Royal Lytham. He has played just five practice holes on the Hamilton Golf and Country Club course so far. “I feel very fresh,” he said Wednesday. “I’ve been trying to be just low key about it.” The 42-year-old South African said even though his pre-tournament routine will not be what it usually is, he

Ernie Els has played just five practice holes on the Hamilton Golf and Country Club course so far.

has done his homework and seen enough of the course to be ready. “I haven’t prepared on the golf course the way maybe

that I wanted to,” Els said. “So I went through the yardage. I saw a couple holes yesterday. I’ll be fresh and ready to go tomorrow, so I’ll

be competing at 100 percent tomorrow. “I don’t know if it’s such a big disadvantage because a lot of times when you don’t play a course, you don’t know where the trouble is.” Before heading to Canada, Els said he had spent some time at his home in England celebrating his British Open win with friends and family.