Postnoon E-Paper for 27 June 2012 by Scribble Media & Entertainment Pvt. Ltd.

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Sex, lies & videotapes K Radha has approached the HRC seeking justice after being blackmailed by her husband who claims he will sell the nude pictures he took of her. REPORT ON PG 3

WEATHER: A MIX OF CLOUDY AND CLEAR SKIES; 29°C

Arachnophiles Assemble!

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 27, 2012 HYDERABAD

Spidey’s back, but how much do you really know about the web-swinging superhero’s new film, The Amazing SpiderMan?

32 PAGES

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Page Two

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 27, 2012

Spirit of Twin Cities

IN HIGH PLACES M ANIL KUMAR

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

Fatman trio Catch Hyderabadi band Fatman Trio perform live at Cuba Libre. The band is a blues rock band with jazz influences. Where: Cuba Libre, Rd No 1, Banjara Hills, When: June 27 Contact: (040) 6776 7111

Album launch Mumbai-based band Blakc will be releasing its sophomore album Mothered land at Hard Rock Cafe, Banjara Hills on June 28. Where: Hard Rock Cafe, Banjara Hills, Rd No 1 When: July 28 Contact: (040) 6463 6375

Kuchipudi recital A Kuchipudi dance recital by Sindhuja will be presented by Nitya Swara at Lamakaan on July 1. Where: Lamakaan, Banjara Hills, Rd No 1 When: July 1, 6.15 pm onwards Contact: 964273 1329

Monsoon Regatta An exhibition that features works of artists Thota Tharrani, JMS Mani, S Jayaraj, Alphonso Arul Doss and Sowmya Das Gupta is on. Where: Muse Art Gallery, Tank Bund When: Ongoing, 11am onwards Contact: (040) 2752 2999

Cloth, paper, scissors An exhibition featuring 22 artists in various medias is on display at Iconart Gallery. Where: Iconart Gallery, Banjara Hills When: Ongoing, 11.30 am onwards Contact: 98499 68797

Dragon festival Have an oriental experience as the

CINEMAS

Golden Dragon at Taj Banjara presents its Dragon Festival Feast from June 28 onwards. The food festival is open for both lunch and dinner. Where: Golden Dragon, Taj Krishna, Banjara Hills When: June 26 onwards Contact: (040) 6629 3309

Ameerpet When: June 28, 10am-7pm Contact: (040) 23732050

Cheating cheaters

An exhibition of recent works by Farhad Tamkanand is on display. Where: Shrishti Art Gallery, Jubilee Hills When: Ongoing, 11am onwards Contact: (040) 2360 7151

Cheating cheaters is a play dealing with two middle-aged sisters,who set off with the ideo of impersonating nuns so that they would be able to send their orphaned niece to an art school. The play is being staged by Masquerade Youth Theatre. Where: Nift auditorium, Madhapur When: June 30, 7.30pm onwards Contact: (040) 2311 4537

Being eunuch

Musical evening

Exhibition time

Being Eunuch, a play highlighting the plight and problems of eunuchs in the country will be presented by Nishumbita on July 13. Where: Ravindra Bharathi, Saifabad When: July 13, 7pm onwards Contact: (040) 2323 1245

Beginners Beginners, a movie by Mike Millis which is based on the, surprises and confusion about love will be screened at Sri Sarathi Studios on June 28. Where: Sri Sarathi Studios,

Boondhon ka Paigam, a monsoon musical yearly event will be held on July 12 at Hyderabad Marriott and Convention centre. The musical event will feature sufi singer Kavitha Seth and ghazal singer Jaswinder Singh. Where: Hyderabad Marriott and convention centre, Tank Bund When: July 12, 7pm onwards Contact: (040) 2752 2999

Creative strokes An exhibition of paintings by artists

like Fawad Tamkanat, Kavita Duesker and Sayam Bharath Yadav titled Creative Strokes is being held at Arts Heaven Art Gallery. The exhibition will be on till June 30 . Where: Arts Heaven Art Gallery, Lakdikapul When: Ongoing, 11am onwards Contact: 99495 71031

Chai pakoda Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s monsoon. We all love to sit by the window as it rains, with a plate of hot pakodas and some chai. Arena at Taj Deccan brings that feeling to you every evening from 3pm-7pm. Where: Taj Deccan, Banjara Hills, Rd No 1 When: Ongoing, 3pm to7pm Contact: (040) 6666 393

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

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

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Hubby films, threatens wife CRIME

K Radha has approached the HRC seeking justice after being blackmailed by her husband who claims he will sell her nude pictures

Mohd Subhan mohd.s@postnoon.com

ven family life has lost its sanctity. In a shocking incident, a wife, after being ‘blackmailed’ by her husband, who claims that he has taken nude pictures of her in the bedroom, sought police help, but the police laughed it off, and now she has approached the Human Rights Commission. K Radha, 39, got divorced in 2007 and has a 13-year-old son. She runs a cloth store in Lingampally. Her family had migrated to the City from Godavari district 25 years ago. The family lived in Ashok Nagar under the Ramachandrapuram police station limits. In 2008, she became friendly with a customer K Srinivas alias Shashidhar, 40, who posed as an unmarried man and a television artist. Glib-tongued, Srinivas took her into confidence and he started visiting the shop frequently.

With each visit, she said, he behaved more and more flamboyantly and she was taken in by his antics. In October 2008, the two decided to live together against

the wishes of Radha’s parents. They got married in a temple but she was in the dark about the man’s marital status. For a while, life was hunky-dory, and for the sake of ‘security’ he had installed

a camera in their bedroom. Radha did not suspect any foul play. But he began to show his avarice and started to demand money from her. As she was not meeting all his demands, he had

allegedly switched on the camera and recorded their sex life in detail. It is said that he had made many videos that he said would be sold for money if she did not pay up. It was then that Radha woke up to the reality. She made a thorough enquiry about Srinivas and found that he was neither a TV artist nor did he have a job. He was a salesman and had no professional career to his credit. Moreover, he was married to one Sarojini of Indranagar in Karimnagar district and the marriage was on the rocks. Horrified, Radha went to the Ramachandrapuram police station and tried to lodge a written complaint against Srinivas. But, she says, the police assumed it was a prank between the husband and wife and did not take it seriously. As the police did not help, Radha approached the Human Rights Commission, which has asked the Medak district superintendent and Ramachandrapuram police to submit a report by June 31. Last heard, the estranged first wife was also planning to consult the Human Rights Commission.

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No justice for abuse victims? An average of 250 cases of domestic violence are seen in the City every month. But the fact remains that many more cases tend to go unreported

Inspector suspended, arrest likely Mohd Subhan subhan.m@postnoon.com

JUSTICE

nspector of police, Nacharam police station, M Srinivas Rao who allegedly stole the password of his DCP and mailed information to a media reporter was placed under suspension today. Rao is charged with the crime of stealing the password of deputy commissioner of police Malkajgiri K Venkateshwar Rao in connection with the call history of CBI joint director VV Laxminarayana’s friend Chandrabala. The commissioner, Tirumala Rao has instructed him to be in the headquarters and to not leave the City without informing higher officials. He has been asked to deposit his service revolver with the police station. Highly placed sources said his arrest for criminal conspiracy could not be ruled out. Meanwhile, the CBI joint director too has forwarded a complaint with the City police chief Anurag Sharma regarding the leak and telecast of the call data records by a news channel.

Anubha K Singh anubha.k@postnoon.com

ith Satyamev Jayate, Aamir Khan is trying to create awareness about many issues in the society. But will it change the skewed mindset of our society? Hardly. Take the case of Smita Singh (name changed) a resident of Road No 14, Banjara Hills. It was just another day for her and she was busy with her household chores. Suddenly, she heard the screams of a woman and shouting from across the street. What she saw from her window was not an unusual sight in that area. A man was beating his kids and wife wantonly without anybody to interSMITA TRIED CALLING THE WOMEN’S PROTECTION CELL BUT TO HER SURPRISE NOBODY ANSWERED. AFTER SEVERAL ATTEMPTS SOMEONE ATTENDED THE PHONE AND SLAMMED IT DOWN SAYING THAT THE AREA DID NOT FALL UNDER ITS JURISDICTION.

Vijaya Sai files defamation suit

vene. His loud curses and her screams filled the air and disturbed the peace of the locality. Smita tried calling the women’s protection cell and to her surprise, nobody answered. After several attempts someone attended the phone and slammed it down saying that the area did not fall under their jurisdiction. Then she rang up the women’s police station thinking they might be of some help but to her shock the

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response was the same and they told her to call the concerned area’s officials. After a while she realised the futility of chasing these ever evasive people. She then sent out her maid to request the women in the neighbourhood to come to the violent home. They did, and the blows stopped — albeit for the time being. Neighbours said that such incidents were usual and nothing could be done about it.

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Even the victim bore it with fortitude and pleaded with them to not file a complaint. “In our country the laws related to domestic violence are very weak. A case of domestic violence can only be registered if the victim herself comes forward and complains to the police, which not many would do. The police cannot file an FIR or complaint on the basis of neighbours’ versions and that is the main reason why these depart-

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ments did not come forward to help,” said Jameela Nishat, chief functionary officer, Shaheen Women Resource and Welfare Association. “Hyderabad stands second in domestic violence cases in Andhra Pradesh. In the last six months more than 1,500 cases of domestic violence were registered with the 45 police stations across the City. On an average, we register six to eight cases everyday in the City,” she adds.

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agati Publications vice-chairman and Jagan Mohan Reddy’s confidant Vijaya Sai Reddy has filed a defamation suit against TDP chief Chandrababu Naidu, Eenadu group chairman Ch Ramoji Rao and leader of the Opposition in the Council Dadi Veerabhadra Rao. He pleaded the court to take criminal action against the trio for making baseless charges against him. Vijaya Sai Reddy filed the defamation case for a poster that the TDP had brought out, making allegations against him. He urged the court to register cases against them under Sections 499 and 500 IPC. NSS

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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

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

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AP Congress leaders flock Delhi Netas from the State’s ruling party vie with each other in a bid to promote themselves

POLITICS Inkeshaf Ahmed ahmed.m@postnoon.com

he stage of the State Congress politicking has been shifted to Delhi. After the flop show of the 18 Assembly bypolls most of the senior leaders of the party have been flying to Delhi to meet one leader or another to promote themselves. Party circles tell Postnoon that while the ultimate aim is to meet the ‘Madam’, few succeed, and they get satisfied meeting the second-rung leaders. In the last 10 days alone, some 9-10 senior leaders from the State have called on leaders like Ghulam Nabi Azad, AK Antony and Vayalar Ravi to apprise them of the party’s situation in the post-poll state. Some of those seeking an audience with

D Srinivas

Ghulam Nabi Azad

central leaders included former APCC chief D Srinivas, Rajya Sabha member P Govardhan Reddy and several party MPs from Telangana region like G Vivekanand, Ponnam Prabhakar

and G Sukendhar Reddy. D Srinivas has called on many AICC leaders including party president Sonia Gandhi and reportedly apprised her of political developments in the State.

ED questions Emaar accused in jail

BP Acharya

POLITICS

fficials of the Enforcement Directorate started questioning Rajendra Prasad, Sunil Reddy and BP Acharya (suspended IAS officer) in connection with the Emaar Properties scam on Tuesday morning. It is learnt that the ED sleuths have been questioning them about the money siphoned off from India. CBI found that Prasad had transferred most of the money he had illegally earned through the sale of Emaar Villas, to his son’s account in Dubai. The main charge against Rajendra Prasad is that though it was stipulated that plots should be sold at the rate of `5,000 a square yard, he sold them at much higher rates and pocketed the money without the knowledge of the APIIC in the joint venture partnered by the government corporation. The State government has lost heavily as a result.

Jagan Mohan Reddy Sunil Reddy, a close associate of Jagan Mohan Reddy reportedly collected `90 crore from Koneru Prasad in the illegal profit made by him. CBI is suspecting that the real beneficiary of the money collected by Sunil Reddy was the YSR family. Now ED authorities are questioning the accused about the money siphoned from India. It may be mentioned that ED sleuths have got court permission to question the accused of Jagan properties, Emaar Properties and OMC cases. On Sunday, they questioned suspended IAS officer Srilakshmi, former director of mines VD Rajagopal and Srinivasa Reddy, MD of the Obulapuram Mining Company owned by former Karnataka minister Gali Janardhana Reddy, in connection with the mining scam. On Monday, ED sleuths questioned Nimmagadda Prasad and Brahmananda Reddy, who were arrested in the Jagan assets case. NSS

Incidentally, D Srinivas’s meeting Sonia Gandhi, even before the CM N Kiran Kumar Reddy and PCC president Botsa Satyanarayana met her, has assumed significance. The former PCC president has been camping in Delhi since the last six days and reportedly continuing to meet other high command leaders. When Postnoon tried to contact D Srinivas, he was unavailable for comment. Apart from D Srinivas, another senior leader and MP P Govardhan Reddy also called on Sonia Gandhi. He later hinted at possible changes in party and the government after the presidential elections. “I appraised the party president of the reasons for the party’s defeat in the bypoll. I told her Jagan’s arrest was one of the contributory factors. But the most important reality is that the party has lost its ground in the State,” he said.

No Nara-Nandamuri tiff, say TDP leaders T

DP leaders Bojjala Gopala Krishna Reddy and Gali Muddu Krishnama Naidu have dismissed reports that there were differences between the Nara and Nandamuri families. Talking to the media on Tuesday, they said that Rajya Sabha member Nandamuri Hari Krishna and his son and film actor Junior NTR have been frequently talking to party supremo on party matters. They said both the families would work only for strengthening the party. They also said that both the families would share space on a dais soon. Alleging that the CM and the PCC chief were waiting in the lobbies of the Congress president Sonia Gandhi for her appointment, they said a proxy government was being run in the State. Stating that there was no governance in the State, the TDP leaders have demanded imposition of President’s Rule. They have claimed that Governor ESL Narasimhan had also complained to Delhi that there was no administration worth the name in the State. NSS

Pranab to be in City on July 1

Postnoon News

ongress Presidential candidate Pranab Mukherjee will be arriving in the City on July 1 to meet the Congress legislators in connection with his presidential election. The Congress Legislature Party has directed all the party legislators and MPs to meet Mukherjee at the Jubilee Hall in Hyderabad. The Congress has a strength of 155 in the 294-member House. While the MIM with seven MLAs proclaimed support to Mukherjee’s candidature, the TDP has 86 members, Yuvajana Sramika Rythu Congress party of Kadapa MP YS Jagan Mohan Reddy (YSRC) 17 and Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) 17 are yet to announce their decision. The NDA’s nominee PA Sangma sought the support of TDP, TRS and also YSRCP for his candidature. It is believed that feelers have been sent to YSRC and TRS for their support. The recent meeting of MIM chief Assauddin Owaisi with YSRC president YS Jagan Mohan Reddy in the Central prison was to seek help for Pranab Mukherjee. The MIM took up this mission as Jagan might not heed to Congress pleas. (With NSS inputs)

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Rasoolpura awaits deliverance from its own political leaders While the ward member claims that the City’s biggest slum has a whopping budget of `16 crore and various developmental works are taking place, the efforts are stalled by inept authorities and fellow ward members Recorded development according to ward members n

Rahul Ramakrishna rahul.r@postnoon.com

asoolpura is a cauldron simmering with problems of all kinds. Its base recipe is a political drama that speaks volumes about our system of governance. Here, development through economic, civic and political initiatives has been lagging for years due to the lack of unity and sense of purpose between bureaucracy and politics for the common weal.

INSIGHT INTO... Rasoolpura

If Rasoolpura has many civic problems and it is aggravated by the presence a big slum. What strikes a visitor is the evidential governance failure — water and sewage problems, decaying environment, lack of proper infrastructure, illiteracy, you name it Rasoolpura has it. On record, copious amounts of paperwork point out the many endeavours taken up by its leaders, but in reality they do not figure much. Ward member Sada Keshava Reddy, MLA P Shankar Rao and MP Sarve Satyanarayana share the same political heritage — the Congress party. While one may expect the three to work in unison, the reality is that three of them do not see eye to eye. Their animosity is complicated by the alleged patriarchal mien of the Cantonment Board’s CEO Balakrishna. Keshava Reddy claims that whatever developmental works have been undertaken in Rasoolpura are because of his efforts and all of them are nearing com-

pletion. “I can say that we have completed over 50 per cent of the developmental works. I have released over 3,500 new water connections out of which 850 on a pay per use basis were blocked by the CEO. When we questioned this he has booked cases against us,” he complains. Part of Keshava Reddy’s claims included the annual budget allocated for the benefit of the slum — a whopping `16 crore. He also goes on to say that a special school for mentally handicapped children had been set up at a cost of `40 lakh, right next to the government school in the slum. But, despite the continuous efforts, he says the works are stalled by inept authorities and his fellow ward members. “Some people pay the media to be in the news all the time but when it comes down to brass tacks I challenge them to walk into the slum like I have done, and work for the people. Let’s see how many of them can actually do that,” Keshava Reddy is pretty worked up on this score. The soured relationship between MLA P Shankar Raod and MP Sarve Satyanarayana has proved another blockade for this area’s advancement. Shankar Rao’s famous acerbic tongue and Satyanarayana’s parliamentarian ego are coming in the way, whisper social workers in this area. Shaikh Nayeem, a functionary of Bhumi, an NGO working in this area, noted, “In spite of the three leaders belonging to the same party, development works are pretty slow here. Keshava Reddy to his credit has taken some initiative in this regard but lack of harmony is telling on the work.” While the both of them were unavailable for comment, it is pretty evident that Rasoolpura’s fate hangs delicately by a thread mired by great political unrest, among the people and its leaders.

Government tenders for laying down new sanitation pipelines total come to `55 crore. JAICO sanctioned `45 crore and an additional `10 crore for completing repair works. Despite, the monsoons turning the slum into a low lying pool of slush and mud, ecords say that 70 per cent of the slum’s roads are CC roads. A dispensary was set up to cater to the people of the slum at a cost of `20 lakh. The dispensary treats its patients for just `2 per head and distributes free medicines sanctioned by the State government. Annual budget allocated for Rasoolpura is `16 crore.

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ABVP strikes once again Just a week after the student body called for a bandh to protest non-implementation of the RTE, it has once again called for a State-wide bandh for intermediate colleges, disrupting academic schedules Sudeshna Koka sudeshna.k@postnoon.com

arely a week after the ABVP called for a bandh of schools and colleges across the State to protest the non-availability of textbooks and nonimplementation of the RTE, it has once again forced private intermediate colleges to shut down today. The ABVP called for the bandh, the third in the last 10 days, for many reasons — lack of faculty in corporate colleges, opening sev-

eral colleges under one brand name, expanding the Board of Intermediate Education (BIE) and scrapping courses due to poor response from students. Principals complain that only private colleges are being targeted. “None of the government colleges are being shut. Only we are being targeted. This is intolerable but we don’t have a choice. Our students are preparing for their boards and this is uncalled for,” said Venkata Reddy, principal, I-Class Junior College. Talking to Postnoon Ram

Krishna, ABVP national executive member said, “Colleges are cutting down on courses. as they have fewer intakes. This is unfair; they are scrapping many arts courses. Secondly, these corporate colleges are minting money, they do not have good staff and are also opening too many branches under one name.” Reacting to the complaint that they were only targeting government colleges, he said, “We demand a separate BIE for each district. We have shut down all colleges and now our

men will shut down government colleges too.” While the tug-o-war continues between college managements and student organisations, parents worry that this could adversely affect their children’s educational growth. “Last year we suffered a lot and the whole saga is continuing this year as well. Today the ABVP has called for a bandh and tomorrow some other organisation will. When will this ever end?” questions Jayanthi P, an angry parent.

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ACB petitions for Pattabhi’s custody

he Anti Corruption Bureau (ACB) on Tuesday filed a petition seeking custody of former CBI judge Pattabhi Rama Rao for questioning him in the cash-for-bail scam. It may be mentioned here that Pattabhi Rama Rao was suspended by the High Court for accepting a hefty bribe for granting bail to the former Karnataka minister Gali Janardhana Reddy, who was arrested for illegal mining. The ACB authorities later arrested Pattabhi. They also arrested former judge Chalapati Rao, who is alleged to have acted as a go-between in the deal. ACB sleuths also arrested Ravi Chandra, Pattabhi Rama Rao’s son after they found over `2 crore in his bank locker. NSS

The water level in the Hussain Sagar has risen with the intermittent showers in the City. Speculation is that the gates will DEEPAK DESHPANDE soon be opened if heavy showers ensue.

Morning murder stirs up Ziaguda Mohd Subhan mohd.s@postnoon.com

wo murders in quick succession today in the City have generated fear and misgivings in the minds of public. In a morning murder right in the middle of a busy road, a private financier was hacked to death by a gang of four today, even as the benumbed public watched the gory event in disbelief. Vijayanand, 40, a resident of Ziaguda Sabzimandi, was riding to his office in this morning when at Guddimalkapur Shivabagh Road under Tappachabutra police station limits, a group of four men stopped him, and without much ado stabbed and hacked him. As he lay dying,

one of them cut his hands and head, scattered them around and fled. Inspector Tappachabutra S Murlikrishna said Vijayanad’s murder seemed to be a sequel to another murder of a financier in which he seems to have had a role. It therefore appears a revenge killing. After the initial shock, the whole area was suddenly abuzz with fear and rumour of more murder. Immediately, all shops downed their shutters. In yet another murder, reported from Sitarambagh under Mangalhat police station limits one man identified as Rajesh was found dead in a pool of blood on the footpath at Sitarambagh. He bore head injuries and he is believed to have been hit with boulders till he died.

Municipal polls by Sept: Minister

inister for municipal administration and urban development M Maheedhar Reddy on Tuesday made it clear that municipal elections will be held by this September. Reddy said that the government could not conduct municipal elections on time due to instability and special circumstances in the State. Stating that the government was ready to hold civic polls on the basis of 2011 Census, he said the government would approach the court for permission. NSS

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M ANIL KUMAR

Chandrayangutta

ROAD REALITIES

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DOLLAR

Matters of saving and spending

Farmville 2 released with 3-D graphics SAN FRANCISCO: Zynga, has unveiled a sequel to Farmville. The game has realtime farming simulations and also lets it users watch from different angles with its 3D graphics. The stock price of the firm has traded below its floatation price since April because of decrease in interest from the game players. However, with this launch the investors are planning to regain its popularity. It also unveiled a social network for gamers dubbed Zynga with friends. The company said its new network will make features such as chat, player profiles for all users irrespective whether they play Zynga games. Mark Pincus, CEO, said the company would show off "the products and technology that represent the next generation of Zynga. Our pipeline of new games represents more genres of play that expand our audience, more mobile ways to play and more dimensions of play that will deliver the next generation fun," he said.

`57.11

POUND WEDNESDAY, JUNE 27, 2012 9

Realtors feel squeezed Prudhvi Raju K

and Ng. The computations were spread across an “artificial neural network” of 16,000 processors

$4 bn THUS SPAKE

Kukatpally housing board for different sections and sell directly to the customer. However, it may not possible for the government to create housing with the current demands, but can at least provide land and other infrastructure, where the builder can develop projects according to the requirements of the government, said PV Ravindra Kumar, CEO, Vasathi Housing. However, the proposed government policy to reserve 20 per cent area of layout area for EWS and LIG sections have affected the growth of the reality sector much before it could bring real benefits for these sections. It is

becoming hard for a realtor to offer 20 per cent development area after purchasing the land at around `4-5 crore. The realtor has no other option than to pass these costs to the middle class buyer. The industry is also taxed heavily at various levels which is almost touching `300 on sqft, he said. A person earning `15,000 a month can only pay interest for `15 lakh house but he cannot own it until he has 50 per cent of the money in cash. The government also needs to look at decreasing interest rates to make housing a reality for EWS and LIG sections, he added.

Google computers to mimic brain SAN FRANCISCO: Google on Tuesday said it was dabbling with getting computers to simulate the learning process of the human brain as one of the unusual projects for researchers in its X Lab. Computers programmed with algorithms intended to mimic neural connections “learned” to recognize cats after being shown a sampling of YouTube videos, Google fellow Jeff Dean and visiting faculty Andrew Ng said in a blog post. “Our hypothesis was that it would learn to recognise common objects in those videos,” the researchers said. “Indeed, to our amusement, one of our artificial neurons learned to respond strongly to pictures of... cats,” they continued. “Remember that this network had never been told what a cat was, nor was it given even a single image labeled as a cat.” The computer, essentially, discovered for itself what a cat looked like, according to Dean

NUMEROLOGY

debt owed by Ivory Coast was cancelled by the IMF and the World Bank, after it met goals under a poverty reduction programme.

prudhvi.k@postnoon.com

he growing urbanisation is pushing the huge demand for housing sector. According to various reports, 40 per cent of the Indian population would live in cities by 2026. These figures have already become reality in Tamil Nadu where around 50 per cent of the population is living in urban areas. More than 25 million urban households in India could not afford a house and the number is to reach 38 million by 2030. The need for the housing will not be confined to tier-1 cities but also to tier-2 and tier-3 cities in where 80 per cent requirement comes from economic weaker sections (EWS) and lower income groups (LIG) and 20 per cent from middle income groups (MIG). In this scenario, there is a need to create conducive environment by proving infrastructure for real estate sector to build housing for the lower income groups and weaker sections. The real estate sector cannot grow without much needed amenities and infrastructure like water supply, drainage, roads, and transport connectivity. In 1980, the government used to develop various colonies like

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and a billion connections in Google data centers. The small-scale “newborn brain” was shown YouTube

images for a week to see what it would learn. “It ‘discovered’ what a cat looked like by itself from only unlabeled YouTube stills,” the researchers said. “That’s what we mean by selftaught learning.” Google researchers are building a larger model and are working on ways to apply the artificial neural network approach to improve technology for speech recognition and natural language modeling, according to Dean and Ng. “Someday this could make the tools you use every day work better, faster, and smarter,” they said. Dean and Ng conceded that there is a long road ahead, since an adult human brain has around 100 trillion connections. Google X Lab headed by company co-founder Sergey Brin is known for its work on innovations such as a self-driving car and “Terminator” film style glasses that provide Internet information about what is being seen. AFP

“I know that not every decision I have taken might have been right. But I have taken those decisions always keeping in mind those simple and poor people I knew from my childhood,” Pranab Mukherjee

YAHOO! Yahoo! on Tuesday announced that it will be integrating Spotify internet radio service into its websites as part of a quest to reinvent itself as an online stage for digital content. Spotify will be added first to Yahoo! Music and eventually be woven into the California firm’s other online entertainment venues such as Movies and omg!. The alliance will include adding an application to the Spotify platform to provide Yahoo! editorial content to the more than 10 million users of the Londonbased on-demand music service.

REPAYMENT Argentina will pay off all debt payments due this year to international financial institutions from its monetary reserves, the Official Gazette announced on Tuesday. “All debt services due to international financial institutions for the current year will be settled with the use of reserves of as much as $2.17 billion,” the government said in its publication. Argentina’s reserves tally in at over $46 billion. In early 2006, Argentina repaid its entire debt to the IMF to the tune of $9.5 billion. Argentina must meet two important payments in the second half of 2012: a $2.4 billion Boden 2012 bond payment in August and $3 billion in December to the holders of GDP warrants.

India‑View

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 27, 2012

India unveiled

‘More Indian women marrying before 25’

NEW DELHI:

An increasing number of women across India are keen to tie the knot before they turn 25, and states like Kerala, Andhra Pradesh and Gujarat top the chart, a survey released here Tuesday has showed. Conducted by an online matrimonial portal, the survey said Tamil Nadu had registered the maximum increase of 19 per cent in the last two years followed by

Delhi which had witnessed a 14 per cent increase — from 32 percent in 2010 to 46 per cent in 2012. “Some 64 percent of girls in Kerala, 54 percent in Gujarat and 53 percent in Andhra Pradesh got married before they turned 25,” said the survey. “States like Punjab, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh have also witnessed an increase in the girls opting for early marriages... Almost all states show more than 10 percent increase,” added the survey. “While it’s a common belief that women today are comfortable with late marriages, the survey shows that most young ladies wish to get married before reaching the age of 25. This could be due to various socio-economic factors and also due to a personal need for companionship,” said a senior official of the portal. IANS

SHARP VIGIL

Security personnel keeping vigil over the tracks leading to the holy cave shrine of Amarnath in Baltal on Monday.

PTI

Assam planter strikes green gold Gobin Hazarika started his own tea garden after he was asked to pay a bribe for a job in a tea estate LAKHIMPUR

(ASSAM):

Gobin Hazarika is a one-man army. Not in a battlefield, but in a tea garden in Assam, whose owner as well as worker is the same man. And so popular is his handmade, organic tea that it has become a rage and is mostly exported to countries like Canada, Japan and Egypt, where it sells for as much as `2,000 ($35) a kg. His first batch of handmade, organic tea to be exported was in 2007 to Canada. What started as a 50-60 kg consignment rose to 150 kg in 2011 and this year he has an order from Canada alone for 300 kg organic tea. There are demands from other countries like Japan and Egypt. It’s also sold in the domestic market, and Hazarika makes it a point to visit auctions and trade fairs to further popularise his product. Hazarika’s annual production is 4,000 kg, 80 per cent of which is exported. He wouldn’t give out his annual earnings but said his green tea is sold for around `2,000 per kilo and black tea at `1,600 per kilo on foreign shores, while in India it’s sold at `1,200 and `1,000 respectively. It is marketed as Madhupur tea, named after the village his garden lies. Hazarika produces his tea in his mud hut, which serves as his “factory” beside his lush tea garden near Lakhmipur in lower

Assam. It does seem rather odd in the face of today’s latest technologies, of big machines in even bigger factories that seem to do all the hard work with mechanical ease. What seems even more ancient are his tools for processing the tea — a bigger form of a mortar and pestle (called Dheki in Assamese) in wood, a large frying pan (called Kodai) and cane sieves. “I make tea the traditional way, using tools that are available in every household in Assam. I use absolutely no pesticides in the garden and the end produce is plain and simple organic tea, either green or black orthodox,” Hazarika, who is in his 40s, said. Every morning, his day begins by tending to the tea bushes in his two acre Meen Mohan Tea Estate — named after his parents — to check for pests and insects. When the crop is ready for plucking, Hazarika takes his jute bag and goes about his work,

collecting the magic potion — two leaves and a bud — that finally makes way to millions of homes, to become the cup that cheers. “I do all the processing myself. After plucking, for the weathering process, I spread the leaves in the open, under the sun, so that they dry out. At times, I also leave them under a fan in my room. Thereafter, I pound the leaves in the Dheki,” said Hazarika, dressed in a simple clothes and a pair of slippers. “After pounding, I finally roast the tea in the Kodai over a log fire. In case of green tea, I first boil the leaves and then roast them. Frying it over the logs gives the tea a very distinctive, but delicate smoky flavour that the people love and which makes it so popular in the foreign market,” he added. Since it’s organic, Hazarika does not use any pesticide on his tea bushes. Instead, he has planted trees like Neem among the bushes and sometimes

burns tobacco leaves to ward off insects. Humble and deeply rooted, Hazarika’s journey began in 1995 when, disgusted by the demand for a bribe for a job in a nearby tea estate, he decided to start his own tea garden. While his knowledge about tea cultivation was limited, his will power was not. He also took the aid of experts in nearby tea estates, like Harmutty, for advice and tea seeds. As he sold his tea in the local market

initially, Peggy Carswell of the World Community Development Education Society, from Canada, came looking for organic tea in Assam, as part of her Assam Tea Project. “When she visited the agricultural university, she was directed to my estate. She was impressed by my work and that’s how my tea was introduced in Canada,” Hazarika said. And the rest, as they say, is history. IANS

India‑View

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 27, 2012

India unveiled

Sarabjit family shattered after Pakistan volte-face ISLAMABAD: Pakistan did a volte-face on Tuesday night and said that instead of releasing Indian prisoner Sarabjit Singh, who was sentenced to death for spying, another Indian named Surjeet Singh, in Pakistani custody for three decades, would be released. “I think there is some confu-

Krishna seeks Sarabjit release NEW DELHI: India on Wednesday welcomed the release of Surjeet Singh from a Pakistani jail and renewed its “request” to Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari to also free Sarabjit Singh and all Indian prisoners who had completed their sentences. “I have seen media reports about release from imprisonment in Pakistan, of Surjeet Singh, son of Sucha Singh. I welcome this decision and further renew our request to the president of Pakistan to release Sarabjit Singh who has been in custody for well over two decades and is serving a death sentence,” said external affairs minister SM Krishna. Krishna urged the government of Pakistan to take a “sympathetic and humanitarian view” of Sarabjit’s case. “I also appeal to the government of Pakistan to release all Indian nationals who have completed their prison term,” he added.

A file photo of Sarabjit Singh’s sister Dalbir Kaur and daughters at a rally to seek his release. PTI sion. First, it is not a case of pardon. More importantly, it is not Sarabjit. It is Surjeet Singh, son of Sucha Singh. His death sentence was commuted in 1989 by President Ghulam Ishaq Khan on the advice of then prime minister Benazir Bhutto,” presiden-

tial spokesman Farhatullah Babar was quoted as saying by Geo News. Law Minister Farooq Naek Tuesday told the interior ministry that Surjeet Singh had completed his life term in jail and should be released and sent back

MIGHTY BEASTS

Two rhinos cross a path at the Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary in Morigaon district on Tuesday.

to India, Babar said. Surjeet Singh is reportedly being held in Kot Lakhpat Jail in Lahore. He has been in a Pakistani prison for over 30 years, after being arrested near the border on charges of spying during the regime of military ruler Zia-ul-Haq. Dismayed that Pakistan was not releasing Sarabjit Singh, his family today said it was a “cruel joke” on them but vowed not to give up efforts. A pall of gloom today descended on Sarabjit’s native Bikhiwind village in Punjab where hundreds of villagers had gathered last night to celebrate the news of commutation of his death sentence. With tears in her eyes, Sarabjit’s sister Dalbir Kaur said, “It is difficult for us to believe the Sarabjit Singh has not been released. How can I accept that my brother would not come home yet.” “I would never stop my struggle to get my brother released. I would again visit Pakistan to seek appointment with President Asif Ali Zardari to do the needful for the release of my brother since he is innocent”. Kaur says she would meet Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Congress President Sonia Gandhi and her son Rahul Gandhi and ask them to take up the matter with Pakistan Government. AGENCIES

Naxals kill policeman

PTI

RANCHI: Maoists today fired on a patrolling party killing a policeman and blew up tracks disrupting rail service in Dhanbad district as the 24-hour Jharkhand bandh called by the banned CPI (Maoist) got underway in the state. The bandh which began at midnight last is in protest against reported arrest of Maoist cadres in neighbouring Odisha. One policeman was killed and 15 others were injured when the Maoists opened fire on a patrolling party at Topchanchi near Grand Trunk road in Dhanbad district, about 210 km from here, Divisional Commander of the Railway Protection Force Shashi Kumar said. The rebels blasted railway tracks near Tetulmari, disrupting railway services for over six hours, he added. PTI

NATION AT A GLANCE CII, World Bank Group ink pact to save tiger WASHINGTON: The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and the World Bank Group have agreed to establish the India Wildlife Business Council (IWBC) to promote tiger and biodiversity conservation for sustainable development. A memorandum of understanding to set up the IWBC to improve the dialogue between business, conservation stakeholders as well as decision makers was signed here Tuesday by CII deputy director-general Indrani Kar and World Bank Group President Robert B Zoellick. The International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD), the International Development Association (IDA), the International Finance Corporation (IFC) which comprise the World Bank Group and CII will jointly create and support the IWBC. Barely 3,000 tigers remain in the wild today, confined to only seven per cent of their historical geographic presence.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh signs the nomination papers of UPA’s presidential candidate Pranab Mukherjee. PTI

Occupy Singur to begin on July 3: CPI-M leader KOLKATA: CPI-M lawmaker Abdur Rezzak Mollah, who had called for organising an “Occupy Singur” movement on the lines of “Occupy Wall Street” for the benefit of the unwilling farmers, said he plans to start the stir from July 3. Mollah had earlier said that the circumstances of the cases are totally different, the flavour of the movement will be same.

BJP: Country facing economic emergency NEW DELHI: Asserting that the country was facing an “economic emergency”, the BJP said that the government is trying to protect the business interests of some foreign corporates and capitalists. “The economic liberalisation policy has turned into indebtedness to the US, following which the dollar has become dearer,” said BJP vice president Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi.

Esha Deol poses with businessman Bharat Takhtani during a Sangeet ceremony ahead of their marriage on Monday. PTI

Around the World

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 27, 2012

Beyond Borders

Biting the lead bullet Condor population dwindles due to lead bullets in diet

ondors in California are dying out due to exposure to lead from bullets. Researchers at UC Santa Cruz found that 30 per cent of blood samples from condors had lead exposure, typically from the carcasses of animals shot with lead bullets. The news comes even after decades of conservation management, including a ban on bullets that are poisonous to the feeding birds. According to the Christian

Science Monitor, the study found that 20 per cent of those birds tested had lead poisoning so severe that they required medical intervention to stay alive. Science reported that since 1982, conservation efforts have brought the California condor population up from 22 to 400. But the main threat to the population - lead bullets in the birds’ diet - has yet to be addressed in full. “We will never have a selfsustaining wild condor population if we don’t solve this problem,” said the study’s lead author Myra Finkelstein, a research toxicologist at UC

Blond ambition

Santa Cruz, in a press release. “Currently, California condors are tagged and monitored, trapped twice a year for blood tests and when necessary treated for lead poisoning in veterinary hospitals, and they still die from lead poisoning on a regular basis.” Unlike many birds, condors feed on the carcasses of other animals. Excessive lead in the bird causes its digestive system to shut down leading to eventual starvation. The study was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences GLOBALPOST

4-wheeled birth Woman stuck in Berlin gay pride traffic gives birth in police car

German woman gave birth in the back of a police car over the weekend after she was unable to get to a hospital because of Berlin’s gay pride parade. NewsCore says that the woman went into labor during the annual Christopher Street Day parade, reportedly sending her husband into a panic. “My wife is having a baby but I can’t get through the street blockades,” he is quoted as telling two police officers. Germany’s The Local says that the policemen ushered the couple into their patrol car and called an ambulance. However,

the woman’s waters broke and the delivery began almost immediately, the news website says. “I could tell that the birth was going to happen soon,” officer Mario Stöcklein told the Germanlanguage Tagesspiegel newspaper. “Somehow I knew what I had to do.” The Daily Telegraph explains that Stöcklein drew on first aid training he received about 25 years ago and successfully delivered baby Yaren Yakut in the car. The mother and child were eventually taken to hospital where doctors declared them both healthy, says the Herald Sun. GLOBALPOST

SEALED WITH A KISS

Blond mafia godmother nabbed in Italy

ROME: Italian police on Tuesday arrested the blond godmother of a mafia clan in Naples, along with 65 other suspected gangsters accused of extortion, possessing illegal arms, robbery and dealing drugs. “Raffaella D’Alterio was taken away in handcuffs at dawn. During the operation, 66 people affiliated with the Pianese-

D’Alterio clan in north Naples were arrested, 18 of which were already serving time,” a police spokesman said. D’Alterio, who “took over the clan after her husband was murdered” in 2006, is accused along with her henchmen of violently suppressing competition from a neighbouring clan over an extortion and counterfeit money trafficking ring. Police also seized properties and goods owned by the suspects, including car dealerships, bars, supermarkets, houses, fast cars and bank accounts. D’Alterio’s rise through the ranks of the crime organisation was marked by a botched hit by a rival clan in 2009, when she was shot in the shoulder. She is also accused of building up ties with other clans in the powerful Naples-based Camorra, which has a vast international network that generates billions of euros (dollars) in profits from drug trafficking, counterfeit goods, waste disposal and construction. AFP

Uggie, the dog who starred in the Academy Award-winning film The Artist, gets a kiss from Lassie (L), a descendant of the original Lassie, at his hand and paw print ceremony outside Grauman’s Chinese Theatre in Hollywood, California, on Monday. AFP/ ROBYN BECK

Around the World

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 27, 2012

Beyond Borders

Syria in state of war: Assad DAMASCUS: Syria is in a state of war, President Bashar al-Assad has said, ordering his cabinet to crush the anti-regime revolt even as fierce fighting broke out near the capital Damascus. With the uprising now in its 16th month, Assad told his cabinet Tuesday that Syria was in a “real situation of war”. “When one is in a state of war, all our policies and capabilities must be used to secure victory,” he said according to the official SANA news agency. Turkey meanwhile said it had issued fresh rules of engagement to its army in response to the shooting down by Syria of one of its fighter jet last Friday. And a senior official travelling with US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told AFP that a Geneva conference on the crisis planned for this weekend was threatened by Russia's refusal to consider Assad's departure. Across the country, the violence continued with at least 116 people killed on Tuesday according to the Observatory for Human Rights which said 68 civilians, 41 soldiers and seven rebels had lost their lives. The fighting drew closer to the capital with clashes breaking out Tuesday in the suburbs of Damascus between rebel forces

and Syrian army units, around elite Republican Guard posts, the London-based Observatory said.

South Korea to sign pact with Japan SEOUL: South Korea will soon sign a military agreement with Japan for the first time since Tokyo's brutal colonial rule ended in 1945, a report said Wednesday. The pact — named the General Security of Military Information Agreement (GSOMIA) — calls for the two countries to exchange intelligence about North Korea.

Russian President Vladimir Putin with Jordan’s Prince Ghazi at an event in a valley in Jordan. A street was named after him in Bethlehem, revered by Christians as the birthplace of Jesus. AFP

Man who killed neighbour for her flat gets life OTTAWA: A Canadian serial killer got life sentence for bludgeoning his two former wives to death with a rock, and killing his neighbor for her apartment with “a better view.” Camille Cleroux, 58, admitted to killing ex-wives Lise Roy and Jean Rock, and neighbour Paula Leclair over a two decade period starting 1990. Alexis Murphy (L) holds a sign reading, " F_ck this Guy" as she points it at Jerry Gonzalez who stands near her holding a sign reading, " F_ck Obama", as they stand outside a President Barack Obama fundraiser at the Fillmore Miami Beach at Jackie Gleason Theater on June 26, 2012 in Miami Beach, Florida. President Obama was in Miami Beach to continue his campaign JOE RAEDLE/GETTY IMAGES/AFP for another four-year term.

Queen of RomCom Ephron passes away LOS ANGELES: Oscar-nominated Hollywood screenwriter Nora Ephron who penned such romantic comedies as “When Harry met Sally” and “Sleepless in Seattle” died Tuesday, US officials and media said. She was 71. A noted American journalist, essayist, writer as well as producer and director, Ephron wrote and directed her last film “Julia and Julia” in 2009 in which she worked once more alongside her good friend Meryl

NEW YORK: At least 24 people were arrested in the United States and abroad in a US-led sting operation targeting cyber criminals buying and selling stolen credit card information, officials said Tuesday. FBI said “Operation Card Shop” targeted sophisticated, highly organized cyber criminals involved in buying and selling stolen identities, exploited credit cards, counterfeit documents, and hacking tools.”

QUICK REPLY

Circumcision is assault, rules German court BERLIN: Circumcising young boys on religious grounds amounts to grievous bodily harm, a German court ruled Tuesday in a landmark decision that the Jewish community said trampled on parents' religious rights. The regional court in Cologne, western Germany, ruled that the "fundamental right of the child to bodily integrity outweighed the fundamental rights of the parents". "The religious freedom of the parents and their right to educate their child would not be unacceptably compromised, if they were obliged to wait until the child could himself decide to be circumcised," the court added. AFP

“Violent clashes are taking place around positions of the Republican Guard in Qudsaya and Al-Hama,” Observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman told AFP in Beirut. It was the first time that artillery had been used “so close to the capital”, he added. “This development is important because it's the heaviest fighting in the area and close to the heart of the capital.” Abu Omar, a spokesman for activists in the Damascus region, told AFP that all communication had been cut off in and around Al-Hama and Qudsaya. Regime forces had “stormed the areas with tanks”, he said via Skype. He also spoke of a “massacre” but gave no further details. The official SANA news agency reported that government forces had clashed with “armed terrorist groups” in Al-Hama, killing dozens and arresting others. Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan moved to denounce Syria's downing of its Phantom F-4 fighter jet in far more aggressive terms than his initial, cautious statements over the weekend. “This is a hostile act... a heinous attack,” he said. “The rules of engagement of the Turkish Armed Forces have changed given this new development,” he said. AFP

GLOBE AT A GLANCE 24 held for cybercrime in US-led sting op

Streep. Her son Jacob Bernstein told the New York Times that his mother had died of pneumonia brought on by acute myeloid leukemia. New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg said: “The loss of Nora Ephron is a devastating one for New York City's arts and cultural community. “From her earliest days at New York City's newspapers to her biggest Hollywood successes, Nora always loved a good

New York story, and she could tell them like no one else.” Ephron was born in the Big Apple on May 19, 1941, the daughter of a Broadway playwright and Hollywood screenwriter, who told her to “take notes. Everything is copy.” Ephron was a committed feminist, and wrote often about women's rights in her collections of essays — having once said that she had modeled herself on the noted American critic and wit, Dorothy Parker.

12 people dead in Buenos Aires crash BUENOS AIRES: A crash Tuesday involving two police buses and a truck left at least 12 people dead and 48 injured in the Argentine province of Chubut, according to an official list of fatalities. The victims include nine police officers and the three drivers, according to local officials.

Asylum-seeker boat with 150 aboard sinks SYDNEY: An asylum-seeker boat carrying an estimated 150 people sank Wednesday en route to Australia's Christmas Island, barely a week after another vessel went down in the same area, killing up to 90. The rickety ship capsized 107 nautical miles north of Christmas Island in the Indian Ocean and then sank, Australian Maritime Safety Authority said.

Comment

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 27, 2012

Fair, free and forthright

Talk back Keep up the good work

Apropos Public awareness is their aim. Post retirement from Army I have permanently settled at RK Puram Secunderabad. I am very proud to be part and parcel of Hyderabad where such educative activities are on. I myself is doing my bit to highlight some of the issues which are the root cause of many evils in the Army. In fact I have experienced it. I therefore volunteer my service unconditionally and look for opportunities to be part of your team. I must congratulate your team for the efforts which were much needed. Haridas Mandal via e-mail

Be prepared always It is funny what the papers predicted about the monsoons and what happened in the days that followed. Some said there would be no rains and then some reported it’s on its way. Then comes reports that there would be rain but it won’t satisfy our requirements and replenish the depleted source of ground water due to unrestricted usage of borewells. I remember a report that appeared in your paper about rainwater management. The most practical thing is to be prepared by novel methods to tackle scarcity of water. But being prepared was never our way of doing things and so this time too we can see rainwater becoming of no use to anyone. Joseph Williams Secunderabad

We need to change

Apropos AP oblivious to Met warnings (June 25)? That’s the Indian way to deal with problems. Asking the farmers to pray instead of installing contingency plans or water management measures to reduce addiction of rain amount in monsoon. Welcome to the 21st century. Anushrija Setty Hyderabad

Platform for progress Like most government-run establishments, government schools too do not flourish. It is a sad saga, especially since it is the very platform from where an entire state can perform well, given its importance in longterm effects. We can help in this project at our level by understanding that it is not always needed to admit our children in private schools; government schools have a great infrastructure. Faham Nida Mehdipatnam

Swearing by Stalin’s spectre Fusillade Arun Koshy Philip

ne day I was at the market in my town in Kerala, picking up item after item from the long list my mother had given me in the morning. Haggling with the vendor over the price of fish, I did not notice the slight commotion in the area. After buying few good pieces of the pisces for a reasonable sum I was surprised to see vendors packing their wares and stalls closing. I thought: “Oh, some important trader must have died. His friends must be closing their business to show their respect… ” My thoughts were interrupted by the highpitched squeal from a loudspeaker attached to the carrier of a car that was cruising along the adjacent main road. “Total shutdown today…We request (read ‘better comply or be battered’) you to join us in expressing our solidarity against US led capitalists, whose puppets have executed our beloved hero of the Arab world – Saddam Hussein,” the announcer croaked. “No. It can’t be. I heard it wrong,” I thought as I checked what I heard. The announcement is repeated, and this time there is no confusion. It is actually, Saddam, the butcher of Baghdad. Welcome to God’s Own Country and its ‘global’ communists. The red revolutionaries have come a long way from the days they bled and died in the hundreds against oppression, injustice and human rights violations. The tiny state owes them a lot for almost all things progressive that have made it comparable with developed countries in indicators such as human development index, maternal mortality, literacy and political participation. When the state of Kerala was formed in 1957, they formed the government – the first democratically elected communist government in the world. However, some historical trends do not change, especially the effect of popularity and power. The Communist Party of India and, later when the party split in 1964, the CPI-M began to show increasing intolerance to political

Editorials

rivals. The northern district of Kannur, a picturesque region, has seen hundreds of bloody clashes and dozens of political murders. There are several areas divided into ‘party villages’ by the CPI-M, Congress and the BJP; murders and revenge killings are part and parcel of life in this region which was the original communist heartland. Over the years, people have come to reject the culture of violence and there has been calm for several years now. But looks like history is repeating itself with the recent murder of TP Chandrasekharan, who quit the party along with his supporters to float a rebel outfit. Even as CPI-M leaders were busy denying the party's role in the murder, a district chief, while giving a passionate speech about loyalty, blurted out that the party brooks no betrayal and has been bumping off its political rivals. For a party that boasts of (or pays lip service to) intra-party democracy, the CPI-M has a culture of intolerance towards dissent. The party expels its critics or demotes them. Over the last couple of decades, the party has taken cue from its Chinese counterpart – and possibly from the military forces of Myanmar and Pakistan – by developing multibillion investments and heavily entrenching itself as a state in itself. Naturally, all the vices and aberrations brought about by such 'expansion and diversification' has given rise in its ranks a breed of ruthless leaders who condone and facilitate corruption, violence and nepotism. The party has been ravaged by factionalism. On one side is former CM and current Leader of the Opposition VS Achuthanadan and on the other, all-powerful party state chief Pinarayi Vijayan. The latter and his cronies have taken control of the party organisation and has been steadily purging the rival camp's followers on one pretext or the other. VS is immensely popular among Keralites for his relentless campaigns against corruption, crime syndicates, sex rackets and several evils that have been plaguing the state. However, the official faction ridicules him as a dinosaur that refuses to understand the 'opportunities' of capitalism and its 'benefits' for all. The ideology is outdated and even today (despite decades of ridicule) party leaders invoke Lenin, Stalin, Mao Fidel Castro, and of

late, Hugo Chavez, to tell people why their brand of authoritarianism and thuggery is the path to 'enlightened' progress. While leadership qualities of these people are inspiring, the question is whether it was worth the suffering of the people of those countries. For example, more Russians were killed by Stalin's purges than by World War II. Mao's Cultural Revolution was no different. India is a democracy that allows freedom to criticise. If the CPI-M thinks that this is not acceptable, they are free to go and join their red brethren on the other side of the Himalayas – both have a lot in common dealing with critics. Wake up comrades, Stalin is dead; Cold War is over; Berlin Wall has fallen; dictators are being ousted and democracy is gaining in strength. It's time for some serious introspection and path correction so that a movement that once inspired millions and changed lives for better doesn't end up being a cartel to benefit a few. The writer works for Postnoon.

PAK’S GOOF-UP OF NAMES: There’s more to this than meets the eye

ho is to blame for the Himalayan blunder of mixing up the names of death row convict in Pakistan Sarabjit Singh with that of another convict Surjeet Singh? Whoever it may be, it was a rude shock to Sarabjit’s family. They were jubilant that their prayers were answered. Laddoos were being distributed by the dozens around the poor man’s house in Jalandhar. Five hours since the announcement followed the clarification that it was not Sarabjit who will be released, but Surjeet Singh. The goof-up has already set off rumour mills about the incident, some attributing it to the hand of ultra-nationalists in Pakistan. Only in our neighbouring country can things like this happen. Pakistan knew Sarabjit’s case is a very emotional issue in India. It just does not look like that it was just a mistake on the part of the Pakistani officials concerned. Most of the major mediahouses in the country reported that President Zardari has accepted Sarabjit’s appeal and has converted his death sentence to life imprisonment. There is more to this whole episode than meets the eye.

WHY WE LOVE... Nora Ephron

s you age, live life to the fullest — travel to exotic places, eat good food, walk in the park, read lots of books and under no circumstances eat egg-white omelettes: that’s the gist of Nora Ephron’s collection of essays, I Remember Nothing. She is no more now, but her thoughts about living life to the fullest will live in us.

Cinema Paradiso

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 27, 2012

Spidey’s back, but how much do you really know about the web-swinging superhero’s new film, The Amazing Spider-Man?

ARACHNOPHILES

ASSEMBLE! n

2012 marks the 50th anniversary of Spider-Man. The classic Marvel comic book character made his debut in 1962 in Issue #15 of the anthology series Amazing Fantasy (August 1962). Amazing Fantasy ended with this issue and SpiderMan’s adventures continued in a new series, The Amazing SpiderMan, beginning in 1963. Andrew Garfield is a lifelong fan of Spider-Man – he remembers an old snapshot of himself, at age 3, dressed as Spider-Man for Halloween. Emma Stone portrays Gwen Stacy, a key character in Spider-Man lore and Peter Parker’s first love. Gwen Stacy made her first appearance in the December 1965 The Amazing Spider-Man #31). Costume designer Kym Barrett collaborated with director Marc Webb to realise his vision for Spider-Man’s suit to reflect a more lean and athletic, less muscular silhouette. 56 Spider-Man suits were created for the film, including 17 suits for Andrew Garfield and multiples for each stunt person. It took Andrew Garfield 20 minutes, assisted by costumer Robert

Moore, to put on the SpiderMan suit for shooting. The Lizard, one of the most formidable of Spider-Man’s foes, made his first appearance in 1963 in Marvel’s The Amazing Spider-Man #6. In order to portray the role of the one-armed Dr Curt Connors, Rhys Ifans learned to complete various tasks with one arm tied behind his back. He became quite skilled at tying a tie, making coffee and many other tasks using only his free arm. In Peter Parker’s father’s study, created for flashback scenes, Dr. Parker’s passion for jazz is represented by a collection of jazz CDs and a framed photograph of Duke Ellington, which hangs on the study wall. The same Ellington image can be seen as a postcard on the bulletin board of Peter’s bedroom years later, a symbol of his memories of his father. Interiors of Midtown Science High School were constructed on Sony Studios’ Stage 15. The stage housed four classrooms, five hallways, a restroom, a principal’s office and secretary’s office. The chemistry class was constructed

of breakaway materials, to accommodate several fight sequences. Over 400 pieces of breakaway glass flasks, cylinders and beakers were acquired for this classroom alone. n In Captain Stacy’s office at the Police Precinct, a certificate of commendation from The Leary Firefighters Foundation hangs on the wall. This real-life organisation was established in 2000 by actor Denis Leary in response to a tragic fire that claimed the lives of six firefighters, including Leary’s cousin and a childhood friend.

With enemies like these… This time he takes on The Lizard, but is he the most awesome of all Spidey’s nemeses? Mysterio

Venom

Green Goblin

ysterio was created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko and first appears in Amazing Spider-Man #13, although it was later retconned that the aliens seen in Amazing SpiderMan #2 had been Mysterio and his men in disguise; it was revealed that he had been hired by the Tinkerer to disguise himself as an extraterrestrial and uncover military and industrial secrets.

Kraven the Hunter

raven the Hunter is another enemy. Kraven's name is Sergei Kravinoff. He also appears as Xraven, with white-grey skin and red eyes, possessing the powers of XMen. He is the half-brother of Dmitri Smerdyakov, better known as the Chameleon. He first appeared in The Amazing Spider-Man #15 and was created by writer Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko.

enom, or the Venom Symbiote, is a fictional extraterrestrial life form. Symbiote is a sentient alien, with a gooey, almost liquidlike form that requires a host, usually human, to bond with for its survival and to whom it endows enhanced powers. The Symbiote's first known host was Spider-Man, who eventually separated himself from the creature.

Doctor Octopus

octor Octopus (Dr. Otto Gunther Octavius) is a highly intelligent mad scientist. He is typically portrayed as a stocky, myopic man who utilises four powerful, mechanical appendages, and is obsessed with proving his own genius and destroying Spider-Man. The character is portrayed by Alfred Molina in the 2004 film Spider-Man 2.

he Green Goblin first appeared in The Amazing Spider-Man #14. Although many characters have taken up this identity, the most wellknown is the original Green Goblin, Norman Osborn. He is one of Spider-Man’s most persistent foes, and many consider him to be one of his archenemies, being directly responsible for numerous tragedies in Spider-Man's life.

H‑Factor

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 27, 2012

Holistic view of mind, body and soul

FIGHTING THE FATAL FLOW Haemophilia is the name given to a group of genetic blood disorders in which the blood does not clot or takes time to do so

Anishaa Kumar anishaa.k@postnoon.com

relaxed stroll down the road had not ended as Ramesh had planned. At one moment he was walking along looking at the people around him, the next moment he was being wheeled into a hospital emergency ward. Luckily for him it wasn’t a fracture, but the doctor informed him that there was a problem — his wound refused to heal. A few tests later it was revealed that Ramesh was suffering from a genetic disorder that was preventing his blood from clotting normally. Haemophilia is a bleeding disorder that prevents the blood from clotting. According to Dr Srinivas Chakravarthy, senior consultant in oncology and haematology, Apollo Hospital, Jubilee Hills, “The blood contains two proteins which are very important for it. These are factor 8 and factor 9. If either of the factors are missing it can cause haemophilia. If factor 8 is missing then it causes haemophilia A and if factor 9 is missing it can cause

haemophilia B.” According to studies a majority of the population has the absence of factor eight while people who are lacking in factor 9 are not many. According to Dr Ramanand, a Bangalore-based doctor, “Haemophilia is a genetic disorder. This implies that the ailment runs within the family.” Haemophilia can be diagnosed even in the foetal stage. Dr Srinivas says, “Genetic counselling can be done to find out if the child may be suffering from the same. Nowadays pre-natal testing is done, where they can conduct tests for the gene and if there is a chance of the child being affected the parents can take a decision if they want to abort the child.”

Symptoms The symptoms of haemophilia vary depending on the condition and can show up at any age. According to Dr Srinivas, “The condition can be mild, moderate or severe. Not everyone will have a complete shut down of the production of either proteins. In case there is a complete shutdown of protein 8 then it is called severe haemophilia. The symptoms could include bruised gums, swelling up of joints, blood in

the stool or inside the skull. Swelling up of joints is a common symptom. Usually people realise that they may be suffering from haemophilia when they get easily bruised or have delayed healing after operations.” Haemophilia can be detected with the help of blood tests which help determine the presence and effectiveness of the factor. Haemophilia affects mainly males. It is said that it effects males in the ratio of 1:40,000 with the incidence of women being very rare. According to Dr Srinivas, “Haemophilia always affects the males. It occurs in the y chromosome. Women are thus generally the carriers but it rarely affects them.” Dr Ramanand says, “there is a very minute chance that a woman can get haemophilia.”

Treatments The treatments again vary depending on the type of haemophilia. According to Dr Ramanand the treatment depends on which factor is missing in the blood. Dr Srinivas says, “In mild or severe bleeding such as bleeding from the gums and the nose, medicines are available to

increase the speed of clotting. They are easily available and safe. On the other hand for severe haemophilia, replacement of factors is advised. They are commercially available. In both cases the treatment can be provided only when there is bleeding. Unfortunately, haemophilia is a lifelong problem. People may be required to take the enzyme once a month or even several times. Enzyme replacement is costly and it may end up costing the up to `1 lakh for a single day’s dose.” In case haemophilia is not treated on time it can cause various problems such as death or disability. Dr Srinivas mentions, “The person can go into coma, suffer from a haemorrhage and organ damage. The organs get damaged as excessive blood flow causes a fall in the blood pressure. This in turn reduces the flow of blood to the organs. Patients tend to suffer from problems like when the joints get stuck so the person is unable to walk.” Dr Ramanand mentions that if haemophilia is not treated it can cause problems such as cariogenic and hypovolemic shock. In mild and moderate cases, early care helps.

Graft created to regenerate coronary arteries? WASHINGTON: Researchers have developed a new biodegradable graft that helps regenerate coronary arteries within 90 days of bypass surgeries, leaving no trace of itself in the body. Designed by principal investigator professor Yadong Wang and his team from the University of Pittsburgh Swanson School of Engineering, the graft fully harnesses the body’s regenerative capacity. “The host site, the artery in this case, is an excellent source of cells and provides a very efficient growth environment. This is what inspired us to skip the cell culture altogether and create these cell-free synthetic grafts,” said Wang, the journal Nature Medicine reports The team, which included former Pitts postdoctoral associate Wei Wu and bioengineering doctoral student Robert Allen, designed the graft with three properties in mind, according to a Pittsburgh statement. First, they chose a graft material — an elastic polymer called PGS — that is resorbed quickly by the body. Then, they examined graft porosity and selected parameters that allow immediate cell infiltration. Wang’s team borrowed a procedure developed by another team of Pitt researchers — David Vorp, professor of bioengineering and surgery, and William R Wagner, professor of surgery, bioengineering and chemical engineering — wrapping the vascular graft with a fibrous sheath to trap the cells.

Finally, Wang’s team wanted a coating for the grafts that would reduce blood clotting and bind many growth factors, so they used heparin, a molecule that does just that. “The results were porous grafts that are suturable,” said Wang. “And the rapid re-modelling of the grafts led to strong and compliant new arteries. The extent of the changes in the grafts that occurred in just 90 days was remarkable.” Wang and his colleagues made grafts as small as one mm across and monitored the graft’s transformation in the body for three months. Within 14 days, smooth muscle cells — an important blood vessel builder — appeared. IANS

H‑Factor

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 27, 2012

Holistic view of mind, body and soul

Doggy dust protects against respiratory infection: Study WASHINGTON: Dust found in a house with dogs may help protect children against a common respiratory virus linked to the development of asthma. “We found that exposing mice to dust from homes that have dogs protected them against a childhood airway infectious agent, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV),” said study co-author Kei Fujimura from the University of California. “RSV infection is common in infants and can manifest as mild to severe respiratory symptoms. Severe infection in infancy is

associated with a higher risk of developing childhood asthma,” added Fujimura, according to a California statement. Fujimura and colleagues compared three groups of animals: Mice exposed to dust from homes with dogs before being infected with RSV, mice infected with RSV without exposure to dust and a group of mice not infected with RSV. “Mice exposed to dust did not exhibit symptoms associated with RSV-mediated airway infection, such as inflammation and mucus production. They

also possessed a gastrointestinal bacterial composition compared to animals with no exposure to dust,” says Fujimura. Pet ownership, in particular dogs, has previously been associated with protection against childhood asthma development, says Fujimura. Recently, she and her colleagues demonstrated that the collection of bacterial communities (the microbiome) in dust from homes that possess a cat or dog is compositionally distinct from the dust in homes with no pets.

HOUSECALL

APP-LY YOURSELF

Beriberi

Sleep Bug

eriberi is a disease of the nervous system caused by a person not getting enough thiamine in the diet. Thiamine is needed to breakdown food such as glucose. It is also found on the membranes of neurons. Symptoms of beriberi include severe lethargy and tiredness. There are also problems that affect the cardiovascular system, the nervous system, muscles, and gastrointestinal systems. It is often found in people with a history of drinking too much alcohol. There are two kinds of beriberi, wet and dry. Wet beriberi mainly affects the cardiovascular system. Dry beriberi affects the nervous system. There is also a rare type of genetic beriberi. Thiamine is found in foods like oatmeal, flax, brown rice, sunflower seeds, asparagus, cauliflower, potatoes, oranges etc.

“This led us to speculate that microbes within dog-associated dust may colonise the gastrointestinal tract, modulate immune responses and protect the host against the asthmagenic pathogen RSV,” said Fujimura. “This study represents the first step towards determining the identity of the microbial species which confer protection against this respiratory pathogen,” added Fujimura. These findings were presented at the 2012 General Meeting of the American Society for Microbiology. IANS

ver had trouble getting to sleep? If counting sheep and staring at the ceiling don’t help, then you could try Sleep Bug. Designed for the iOS and Windows phones, this app produces ambient sounds and music to help you fall asleep. Through the use of a powerful sound mixer generating high-quality realistic ambient sounds and music, Sleep Bug provides up to 19 scenes with a plethora of options to suit user needs for reaching a faster more relaxing sleep. Sleep Bug’s classical and music box scenes are popularly used to help babies fall asleep. The horror scene is for those where creepycrawly helps them sleep or simply to get a scare out of you or your friends.

Why women need reading glasses so early

LONDON: Women end up requiring reading glasses early on because they hold books and other reading material closer to their eyes than men, says a new study. The researchers found no difference in the ability of men and women to focus on objects at near distance. Women need bifocals earlier because of shorter arms, which means they hold things closer, raising their odds of things appearing blurred as they age. Scientists from the University of California said women’s need for reading glasses earlier was “likely due to differences in preferred reading distances or arm length as women tend to hold reading materials closer than men do,” the journal Investigative Ophthalmology and Visual Science reported. The researchers were studying presbyopia — the loss of near vision that occurs with age. The deterioration results from the stiffening of the eyeball’s lens, which makes zooming in on close objects more difficult, leading to blurred vision and the need for reading glasses, according to the Daily Mail. The researchers added: These findings could impact global vision care in multiple ways. The findings reinforce the need for presbyopia correction programmes for women - a group that often has greater unmet vision needs in developing countries. IANS

DID YOU KNOW? Breast fed babies have higher IQ

ow often have you heard doctors and other health advocates shouting themselves hoarse over the benefits of breast feeding? From providing the child with all its nutritional needs, helping the baby form antibodies to fight infections to even helping the mother by warding off breast cancer, breast feeding has been a much advocated practice. But according to another study 90 per cent of breast-fed children get higher IQ points than those who are formula fed. Ninety per cent of babies carry a specific genes needed to digest breast milk fats into polyunsaturated fatty acids that develop the brain. Those babies end up with more IQ points. This research study was done in England and New Zealand in 2007 and included more than 3,000 children.

Spotlight

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 27, 2012

SRINIVAS SETTY

Queen for a day Manisha Kapoor celebrated her birthday in style with friends at Syn in Taj Deccan on Tuesday. SRINIVAS SETTY

Aadesh with Himani 5

1. Archana 2. Sheetal 3. Kavita Reddy 4. Rachana 5. Jasmeet & Koyal 6. Manisha Kapoor 7. Gurlin 8. Sneha 9. Reema

Masked celebrations Birthday girl Himani shared her happiness with her friends at 10 Downing Street on Tuesday.

Magic Screen

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 27, 2012

The glamour behind the glitz

Baadshah set to roll in Italy

B-TOWN TWEETIES

@Actor_Siddharth

TR, Kajal starrer Baadshah is all set to roll from July 1 onwards in Italy. Sreenu Vaitla and NTR have teamed up for the first time and for the past few months, Sreenu Vaitla and his team had been working on Baadshah’s script and other finer nuances. A Mumbai-based stylist was roped in to give NTR a new look which has led to a hot debate among his fans. For the second time in a row, Sreenu Vaitla has opted to start filming in a foreign location. His earlier film Dookudu began rolling in Turkey and now he’s set to fly to Italy to start Baadshah. We hear that the film unit will shoot in Italy for 23 days and soon after their return to Hyderabad, they’ll fly again to Bangkok for another long schedule. Ganesh Babu is producing the film. Kona Venkat and Gopimohan have written the script along with Sreenu Vaitla.

Eega gets a U/A certificate S

S Rajamouli’s upcoming film Eega has cleared all hurdles for its worldwide release on July 6. The film has already been censored and Rajamouli revealed that the film has got a U/A certificate. “Censor done and eega is given clean U/A certification.no cuts....:) The officer explained even U/A was due to smoking shots. (sic),” Rajamouli posted on Twitter. Of late, a lot of filmmakers and producers are keen on getting at least a U/A certificate if not a U certificate from the censor board so that there’s absolutely no restriction on who can watch the film. Several multiplexes in the country and overseas markets have been strictly implementing restrictions on moviegoers below the age of 18 if a film gets an A certificate. Moreover, the film has to be re-censored before it’s aired on TV. Eega has caught the attention of almost all age groups ever since the promos went on air and it’s just a matter of time before Rajamouli unveils his pet project on which he spent nearly two years.

2 days. 2 weddings. 2 cities. Feels like a summer blockbuster. As much as I adore my boys who are getting hitched... thank god it’s not me ;)

@shraddhadas43 It’s d toughest thing to have bland food every night as ur dinner! D most pathetic tasting healthy soups n salads! Looking for tasty options!

@tashu_02 Being with no one is better than being with the wrong one because sometimes those who fly solo often have the strongest wings... !!

@HEROMANOJ1 Finally Chennai weather is good today :)) dts work and final graphics are coming out gr8 :)

Taapsee

opts out of Sundar C’s film

aapsee has opted out of Sundar C’s upcoming film Mada Gaja Raja starring Vishal. Surprisingly, six days ago, she had officially confirmed that she’s indeed going to be part of the film; however, she has cited lack of dates as the reason for opting out of the film. “Unable to allocate all d required dates for sundar cvishal project coz of 3 other movies on floor n chashmebaddoor promotions. So won’t b doing d movie. I wish d whole team n luck n really hope n wish I get to work wid em soon :( (sic),” Taapsee posted on Twitter. Her debut film in Hindi, Chashme Baddoor will hit the screens on August 24 and she’s currently part of Chandrasekhar Yeleti’s action adventure, Shadow and Vishnuvardhan’s next.

@taapsee Loved d trailer of Shirin Farhad Ki Toh Nikal Padi. Farah khan will have d most amazing debut this year. Too cute!

@RGVzoomin I think Eega will b first film to start the 100 crore club in Telugu industry... in othr words I mean it will collect 100 cr in telugu alone.

@sundeepkishan Happened to bump into @UrsSudhee at a coffee shop... the fittest actor I have seen in recent times... superb form... inspiring stuff.

@ssrajamouli Censor done and Eega is given clean U/A certification. No cuts... :) The officer explained even U/A was due to smoking shots.

Magic Screen

j~ÇÜìêáI pìëÜãáí~=

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 27, 2012

The glamour behind the glitz

HONOURED FOR EXCELLENCE

T-TOWN TWEETIES

@MadhuriDixit1 Ate at a typical Veg Punjabi Dhaba on the highway from Chandigarh to Delhi. The food was amazing! The lacha paratha and dal were yummy!

@singer_shaan 20 days of Sun and Fun with the Kids and@RadhikaMukherji ... Greece... Then Italy... EXCITED!!!

@realpreityzinta

ollywood diva Madhuri Dixit and former beauty queen and actress Sushmita Sen were honoured for individual excellence in the field of acting and entrepreneurship respectively on Monday night. While Sushmita was honoured with woman entrepreneur award for successfully running her organisation —I AM SHE, Madhuri was conferred with platinum diva award, at Planman Media’s Powerbrands Hall of Fame awards held at Kingdom of Dreams. “I am very proud and honoured after receiving the award. It reiterates

No Koffee With Karan this year F

ilmmaker Karan Johar says the next season of Koffee With Karan will happen only next year. Asked if viewers will get to catch up with the spice on Bollywood stars’ lives through the show this year, he said. “Next year only!” For now, Johar’s hands are full as he is busy with his next directorial Student Of The Year and his latest small screen engagement — Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa 5. He is judging a reality show for the first time. IANS

the fact that people still look at me with integrity. I have come here with a lot of hard work,” said Madhuri. While thanking for the honour, Sushmita said: “It has been a journey for me. I won Miss Universe in 1994, got to do my first film Dastak in 1996 and now I receive this woman entrepreneur award for I AM SHE, which I opened two years ago.” Sen said she opened it with the idea of making “Our Indian beauties capable enough to win international titles. All you people have been a source of great strength”. IANS

Anubhav launches horror franchise with Warning

fter directing Shah Rukh Khan in Ra.One, Anubhav Sinha is all set to make his comeback as a producer with a horror franchise called Warning. The 47-year-old filmmaker says he has been inspired by several horror franchises from all over the world and has bought remake right for the first in the series. “I am creating a horror franchise and worldwide there have been several such franchises from which I have been inspired. For the first in the series, I have already bought remake rights. “I plan to create a brand in the form of Warning and starting this year, I aim to release one Warning every year,” Anubhav said. But Anubhav is not looking to rope in stars for this franchise and would be going with what the script demands in terms of acting talent. PTI

Nothing beats pampering yourself with the girls... Manis pedis and hair oil massages.... Omg! I love Indian champis :-) ting !

@imarshadwarsi Children r being sold, Kasab is enjoying the Police hospitality n Dobley is stopping people who r paying their Taxes from having a drink.

@sonusood18 Always love coming to #Delhi. The place from where I started my struggle. Now promoting my film #maximum in the city.. Feeling great :-)

@iamsrk Quaint town far from material noises. Quiet as falling snow.TV showing war injuries on mute. Reintroducing myself 2 Milan Kundera.

@SrBachchan T 786 - #T786 after the release of Deewar, number plates of cars and necklaces and pendants bearing #T786 number became most prominent !!

@bipsluvurself It has been found that d lack of self love is d root coz of conditions like eating disorders, obesity n even terminal diseases.

Magic Screen

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 27, 2012

Magic Screen

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 27, 2012

Magic Screen

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 27, 2012

The glamour behind the glitz

Paris makes DJ debut in Brazil J

ennifer Lopez and Kelly Clarkson weren't the only ones rocking out at Brazil's Pop Music Festival this weekend in São Paulo.Paris Hilton made her big-time professional DJ debut at the bash, playing a onehour set for thousands of concert goers. “I had so much fun deejaying at the

Pop Music Festival,” the 31-year-old heiress exclusively tells E!. “I could not have been happier with the crowd’s reaction to my set. It felt so good to be in control of the party and see everyone dancing!” Hilton took the stage after Lopez and Clarkson's performances, closing the show with songs like Rihanna’s

We Found Love and her own brand new single Last Night. Hilton says she’s been spending lots of time perfecting her skills on the turn tables. “Recently I have been working in the studio with DJ Poet, who produces and deejays for the Black Eyed Peas,” she dished.

Zach engaged to girlfriend Quinn Lundberg

Blake and Salma go super sexy for Savages

ach Galifianakis has reportedly got engaged to his girlfriend Quinn Lundberg. The couple have already sent out invitations to their upcoming nuptials on August 11, reports Celebuzz. A source said: “The wedding invite is very Zach. While it has the formal and standard details of who, what, when, where - including Zach’s full name, Zachary Knight Galifianakis, and his fiancée’s, Mary Quinn Lundberg — it is also very funny. “Zach included a drawing of himself and his bride-to-be. He made sure he looked like a little troll, while Quinn is a stunning tall blonde princess.” Lundberg is the co-founder of Growing Voices, a non-profit organisation that connects international donors to communitybased projects. Galifianakis appeared in the last two Hangover movies and will reprise his role as Alan in Hangover 3.

lake Lively and Salma Hayek were a pair of stunning visions at their LA premiere of Savages on Monday evening. Blake channeled old Hollywood glamour in her strapless Zuhair Murad gown, while Salma showed off her curves in green. The two

ladies were joined by their costars for the Oliver Stone drama, including Taylor Kitch, Mary-Louise Parker, and Emile Hirsch. John Travolta and his wife Kelly Preston also hit the red carpet together, not showing any signs of stress despite all the recent drama surrounding their family. Blake was without her man Ryan Reynolds, though the two are going strong and were spotted shopping outside NYC together last week. The actress will soon be starting work on her final season of Gossip Girl, but she's already lining up her next high profile projects —Blake was just named the face of Gucci fragrance.

Chai Time

KAKURO

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

SCRIBBLING PAD

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 27, 2012

Take a shot at the brain game while sipping your cuppa

QUICK CROSSWORD ACROSS 1 Network with an eye logo 4 Not well mentally 8 Depicts with bias 13 The entire lot 14 Dish of many ingredients 15 FedEx Field and Fenway Park 16 Painful activity for one with a sore throat 18 Sail line 19 Pressure unit 20 Plato's teacher 22 Vanquishes Dracula 26 "Beetle Bailey" pooch 27 One to avoid 29 Decisive boxing win 33 Laborious breathing 36 Introduction to the public 37 Uncle Sam costume piece 38 Reach one's goal 41 New Haven Bulldog 42 Intense enthusiasm 44 Cold symptom 46 Catchall category (Abbr.) 47 Candy maker Russell 48 Chore at hand 51 Arranged in sequence 55 Ships intended for battle 59 Russian ruler of old 60 "Aladdin" setting 61 Displaying an allergic reaction 65 Hospital worker with a residency, sometimes 66 Bill killer 67 Have ___ at 68 Big name in lawn equipment 69 Hymn of praise (Var.) 70 Petal-plucker's word DOWN 1 Desert plants 2 Open, as a flower 3 Rude noise 4 Cry from Homer Simpson 5 "Float like a butterfly" boxer 6 Sturgeon steerer 7 Duds

8 Board game word 9 Offering of some bars 10 Check for errors 11 Burgundy or Bordeaux 12 Becomes baggy 15 Church branch 17 Fruit of the vine 21 "How impressive!" 23 Piano virtuoso Berman 24 "Hulk" actor Bana 25 Hyperbolic function 28 Feed for a fee, as cattle 30 Victim of the first sibling rivalry 31 Christmas shortening? 32 He gave us a lift 33 "Batman" sound effect 34 Famous spy Mata 35 Approx. takeoff hrs. 36 Put on the back burner 39 Baseball great Slaughter 40 On the qui ___ (watchful)

43 Leaf-raking month 45 On the ___ (inoperable) 47 Horn-heavy music genre 49 Blazing 50 "Black ___" (2010 film) 52 From Tibet, e.g. 53 "Last ___ in Paris" 54 Bane of grain 55 Word with "nurse" or "old" 56 Bird around the shore 57 "Great" detective of kid lit 58 Answer an invitation 62 Alumni news word 63 J.F.K. guesstimate 64 An extreme-

SUDOKU

ly long period of time 64 Kind of meeting at a school 65 Compass pt. opposite WNW 66 All-purpose truck, for short 67 Bacon frying sound PREVIOUS PUZZLE ANSWER

THOUGHT OF THE DAY Anyone who says he can see through women is missing a lot. – Groucho Marx

Chai Time STAR POWER

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 27, 2012

Your tomorrow today̶Star Power and Tarot THIRUVAIKUMAR

As per Hindu panchang

FOR 28-6-2012

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

TAURUS

GEMINI

A lucky day so that you will be suc‑ cessful in all the works undertaken. Promotion and pay hike on the cards for software professionals. Some have chances to go abroad also.

Wanderings will increase. You have to work hard to get the works done. Sudden trips will be inevitable. Financial position will be just satisfac‑ tory.

Mother's health will be a cause for concern. Employees might not get expected help or co‑operation from their colleagues. Businessmen might face revolt from their own staff.

CANCER

LEO

VIRGO

You will be successful in all the works that are planned well. Unexpected ﬁnancial fortune likely. New efforts will yield the expected and desired results.

Minor tensions likely in the family. Financial position will be a cause for concern as deﬁcit will be more. Employees will face non co‑operation from their colleagues.

Held up good events will be celebrat‑ ed now without any hurdles. Financial position will improve for better. Transfer as per expectation on the cards for some Govt. ofﬁcials.

LIBRA

SCORPIO

SAGITTARIUS

You will have consistent problem in the ﬁnancial front. Health of couple will be a cause for concern. Need to take enough care. Some have eye problems.

Good effects will be felt and keep you cheerful. Your social and ﬁnancial sta‑ tus are set to rise. Satisfactory ﬁnan‑ cial position likely. Held up good events to take place.

There might be a delay in your new efforts to achieve desired results. You need to put in hardwork to get things completed. Businessmen will face labour and production problems.

CAPRICORN

AQUARIUS

PISCES

Recently married will get blessed with an offspring. Deficit financial situation will change for better. Court issues will turn in your favour. Some govt. officials can expect transfer as desired.

Indirect opposition likely. Postpone new efforts for the time being. Financial situation will be a cause for concern. Minor tensions likely in the family.

Businessmen will face ﬁerce competi‑ tion and feel the going tough. A down trend is likely and also partners may not extend their support. Transfer on the cards for employees.

ARIES

SUMAA TEKUR

FOR 28-6-2012

tarotreadhyd@gmail.com

TAURUS

GEMINI

The Hanged Man – You may be paired up with someone who you donʼt par‑ ticularly like. This is a new learn‑ ing experience for you.

King of Cups – Be a consistent performer, even if your perfor‑ mance in each ﬁnan‑ cial quarter is mod‑ erate. In the long run, this quality is more reliable.

The Chariot – You are in for a surprise during lunch today. You either meet someone interesting or you ﬁnd your favourite dish in the lunchbox.

CANCER

LEO

VIRGO

Knight of Swords – You may be prone to certain allergies. So you must be respon‑ sible and avoid behaviors that might trigger off these health problems.

Queen of Swords – You need more sleep and need to develop better sleep hygiene. Go to bed at the same time everyday and unwind before bedtime.

Page of Pentacles – Youʼre in for a deli‑ cious treat from your mother or someone elderly in the family. They pre‑ pare your favourite delicacy.

LIBRA

SCORPIO

SAGITTARIUS

King of Wands – You may be a threat to someone at the work place. This person is going to do every‑ thing possible to exclude you from his/her circle.

Queen of Pentacles – You need to look at the larger picture when it comes to a nagging problem. The broad ideas will give you answers.

CAPRICORN

AQUARIUS

Nine of Cups – This is an extremely lucky phase. Singles are likely to meet some‑ one interesting and this person plays a signiﬁcant role in your perception.

Ten of Cups – There is a big heap of work to be finished. If it was not done till now, only you are to blame. Start working on finishing the list off, one at a time.

For Better or for Worse Stone soup

Eight of Swords – A project or plan may have to be stalled because of some technical reasons. But worry not. It actually works in your favour.

PISCES

Four of Swords – Just skimming the surface wonʼt do as you grow higher in the job hierarchy. You have to get down to the details and thorough.

SOLUTIONS

Boggle NOTE TUNE CHORD MELODY HARMONY

Number game

Suduko

Scrabble

Ink pen

COMICS

Fred Basset

ARIES

TAROT READ

Vol: 1, No. 346 RNI No: APENG/2011/39337 Published for the proprietors, Scribble Media and Entertainment Pvt Ltd, by V Harshavardhan Reddy, at #1246, Level 3, Jubilee Casa, Road No. 62, Jubilee Hills, Hyderabad–500033 and printed by him at Jagati Publications Ltd, Plot No D-75&E-52, APIE Industrial Estate, Balanagar, Ranga Reddy Dist, Hyderabad–500037, Editor: Dean Williams – Responsible for selection of news under the PRB Act All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission of the publisher is prohibited. For feedback, please write to: feedback@postnoon.com and for subscription, please call 040-40672222, Fax: 040-40672211

2012 LONDON OLYMPICS

60 59 58

DID YOU KNOW...? n Table Tennis balls are hollow, made of celluloid and weigh approximately 2.7g.

LEGENDS OF THE SPORT

PING PONG TIME

Guoliang Lui (born January 10, 1976) broke into the Chinese national table tennis team at the age of 15 and went on to become a double Olympic champion. He made his Olympic debut in 1996 Games and overcame compatriot Tao Wang in the Singles final to claim the gold medal. He also enjoyed success in the Doubles competition with teammate Lin Lu, making him a double Olympic champion.

Yaping Deng (born February 6, 1973) overcame her diminutive stature to dominate table tennis during the 1990s. In the 1992 Games, Deng and her partner Qiao Hong won the Doubles title. They later faced each other in the Singles final, where Deng emerged triumphant to claim her second g-old medal. Deng went on to dominate the sport and successfully defended her titles in 1996.

DAYS TO GO

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 27, 2012

n Top players previously used speed glue to increase the spin and speed on the ball, until equipment rule changes were enforced to slow the game down. n Table Tennis was banned in the former Soviet Union during the early 20th century because the sport was believed to be harmful to the eyes.

50 49

TALLY 2008

48 47 46 45 44 43 42

CHINA 2 GERMANY 0 SIN’PORE 0

2 1 1

2 0 0

MEDAL EVENTS August 1 August 2 August 7 August 8

Women’s Singles Men’s Singles Women’s Team Men’s Team

41 40

TRIVIA

Field of play The court is 18m x 9m; the Table Tennis table is 2.74m long and 1.525m wide. It is 76cm above the floor and divided in half by a 15.25cm high net

38 37 36 35 34 33 32 31

TABLE TENNIS: Power, subtlety and lightningfast reflexes will be on display during the Table Tennis competition. The sport has come a long way from its origins in the late 19th century, when it developed as an after-dinner game played by upper-class English families. More than a century later, Table Tennis is a breathtaking spectacle that blends power, speed, skill and subtlety. It’s the biggest participation sport in the world.

The Expedite system If a game is unfinished after 10 minutes’ play and fewer than 18 points have been scored, the expedite system is initiated. The umpire interrupts the game, and the game resumes with players serving for 1 point in turn. If the expedite system is introduced while the ball is not in play, the previous receiver shall serve first. Under the expedite system, the server must win the point before the opponent makes 13 consecutive returns or the point goes to the opponent. It can also be initiated at the request of both players or pairs.

THE LINGO Blade: the flat, rigid part of the racket used for striking the ball Loop: an attacking shot, often played with plenty of topspin Penhold: a type of grip where the racket is held as if it were a pen Let: as well as service lets, a let may be called if play is interrupted. For example, by a ball from another table entering the playing area of the present table.

Table Tennis at Games Since Table Tennis joined the Olympic programme in 1988, China has won 20 of the 24 available gold medals.

The only European Olympic gold medallist so far is Swedish player Jan-Ove Waldner. He won the men’s Singles at the 1992 Games

The basics Table Tennis is based on the basic principles of Tennis, but has a different scoring system, and a ball weighing just 2.7g. Singles matches are played over the best of seven games, with the first player to 11 points. Team matches consist of four singles matches and one doubles match, each played over the best of five games. Each team consists of three players and matches end when a team has won three individual games. In Doubles matches, players take turns to hit the ball, with one hit each before alternating.

Competition format Both Singles and Team events are run in a knockout format. Players and teams progress through the draw until the finals. The winners of the semis play for the gold. Players’ seedings dictate the round in which they enter. In Singles, the 16 highest-ranked players qualify for the third round, players ranked from 17 to 32 qualify for the second while the others qualify for the first. In Doubles, a special ranking list is used.

Officials An umpire and assistant umpire sit or stand on either side of the table, in line with the net. They are responsible for ensuring the game is played within rules and the score is announced accurately.

THE HISTORY OF TABLE TENNIS

he game originated as a sport in Britain during the 1880s, where it was played among the upper-class as an after-dinner parlour game, then commonly known as “wiff-waff”. A row of books were stood up along the center of the table as

a net, two more books served as rackets and were used to continuously hit a golf-ball from one end of the table to the other. Alternatively table tennis was played with paddles made of cigar box lids and balls made of champagne corks. The

popularity of the game led game manufacturers to sell the equipment commercially. Early rackets were often pieces of parchment stretched upon a frame, and the sound generated in play gave the game its first nicknames of “wiffwaff” and “ping-pong”. A

number of sources indicate that the game was first brought to the attention of Hamley’s of Regent Street under the name “Gossima”. The na-me “pingpong” was in wide use before British manufacturer J. Jaques & Son Ltd trademarked it in 1901.

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 27, 2012

DAYS TO GO

BOLT NOT VERY THREATENING EUGENE: Maurice Greene, the 2000 Olympic 100-meter champion, sees Usain Bolt as “dangerous” but not as fit as in 2008 and said Tuesday he expects a dramatic 100meter final at the London Olympics. Two days after 2004 Olympic champion Justin Gatlin and 2007 world champion Tyson Gay booked 100m berths at London for an expected showdown with reigning Olympic champion Bolt, Greene sized up the men who followed in his footsteps. “The race in London is going to be a lot closer than a lot of people think,” Greene said. “It’s going to be a really exciting race.” Speaking on a rest day at the site of the US Olympic Track and Field Trials, Greene, who turns 38 next month, said he does not see Bolt lowering his world record of 9.58 seconds from Berlin in 2009. “I’m going to tell you right now, he can’t do that,” Greene said. Greene, a US sprint legend whose nickname was the “Kansas Comet”, is proof that an Olympic can match his time from four years earlier, however. Greene won gold at Sydney in 9.87 and took bronze in 2004 at Athens in the same time. “He has done it before so you have to prepare accordingly,” Greene warned Olympic sprinters. “If you

Ryan gets the better of Phelps once again OMAHA, NEBRASKA: Ryan

want the gold, you have to be prepared to go to that area.” Bolt will not lack for motivation at London simply because he already won Olympic gold, and in overwhelming fashion, at Beijing, according to Greene. Greene cited Bolt’s false start disqualification in last year’s 100m world final as enough inspiration to make him a foe to fear in the London final. “Usain is talking about his legacy,” Greene said. “He wants to prove he should have won when he was knocked out. I don’t think he would have won. I know when someone has something to prove, he is dangerous.” Bolt, 25, faces the Jamaican Olympic trials next weekend at Kingston but the

The race in London [Olympics] is going to be a lot closer than a lot of people think. It’s going to be a really exciting race. Maurice Greene, 100m Olympic Champion 2008 Olympic 100 and 200 champion and reigning world 200 champion lacks the sizzle that saw him win 100 gold at Beijing in 9.69. “I look at people. I analyze their races. He hasn’t

shown to me to be in that type of shape that he was in 2008,” Greene said. “If he is in that kind of shape he’s going to win. I don’t think he’s in that kind of shape. He’s having problems from zero to 65 (meters). From there to the finish, that’s just him. You have to be with him at 70.” Bolt owns the fastest times in the world this year, 9.76 to win in Rome last month and 9.79 to win at Oslo earlier this month. Gatlin, 30, is next at a career-best 9.80 from his victory Sunday at the US trials. Then come Jamaicans Yohan Blake at 9.84 and Asafa Powell at 9.85 with Gay’s runner-up trials time of 9.86 next, level with Trinidad and Tobago’s Keston Bledman.

Hansen set to face old foe Kitajima OMAHA, NEBRASKA: Brendan Hansen is back for another Olympic breaststroke bid, and the American knows he’ll have a familiar foe fighting him for gold in Japanese veteran Kosuke Kitajima. Kitajima and the 30year-old Hansen have gone head-to-head in the pool at the last two Summer Olympics. The Japanese star dominated their contests, sweeping the 100m and 200m breaststroke in both

Athens and Beijing. Hansen retired after the 2008 Games, and he said his decision to come back was personal and not fueled by any thoughts of revenge. “I think this has been just an individual journey,” Hansen said. “I never thought about him at all the whole time I was coming back. “I knew in the back of my mind he was probably going to be the guy to beat, but you don’t think about other athletes when you’re trying to accomplish or come back. AFP

Lochte again got the better of Michael Phelps on Tuesday, but said his real 200m freestyle test against the 14-time Olympic gold medalist was yet to come at the US Olympic swimming trials. Lochte edged Phelps by twohundredths of a second in the semifinals of the 200m free, which Phelps won four years ago at the Beijing Games. Last year, Lochte beat Phelps in the event at the World Championships in Shanghai to stamp himself a contender to deny Phelps an Olympic repeat. Swimming in the same semifinal heat, Lochte and Phelps both hit the final turn a fraction behind Conor Dwyer. Both burst off the final wall, Lochte grabbing the victory in 1min 46.25 to Phelps’s 1:46.27. Dwyer was third in 1:47.38 as they led the way into the final ahead of Matt McLean — winner of the other semi in 1:47.40. Lochte and Phelps will line up again in Wednesday’s final with the top two finishers punching their tickets to the Games in the event.

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

Former Olympian Batman killed in car crash SYDNEY: Former Olympian Daniel Batman, described as the best all-round sprinter Australia has ever seen, has been killed in a car crash aged 31, police said on Wednesday. Batman died Tuesday in an accident southeast of Darwin when his car veered off the road and rolled 10 metres (32 feet). Detectives said they were not sure what caused the crash, but speed and alcohol could be factors. AFP

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WEDNESDAY, JUNE 27, 2012

BEAUTY

English humour reigns despite Euro defeat England has lost six out of seven penalty shoot-outs since 1990 but the country has not lost its sense of humour. Visit England, the country’s tourist board, sensed an opportunity on Sunday night after Roy Hodgson’s side went out 4-2 after spot kicks to Italy. “England lose on penalties. For more on our culture and traditions go to http://www.visitengland.com” their tweet read.

THE BEST

UEFA fine Croatia and Portugal over fans behaviour UEFA slapped a 30,000 euro penalty on The Croatian Football Federation for the behaviour of their fans at their final Euro 2012 group game against Spain. Their Portuguese counterparts were fined 7,000 euros for one of their fans trying to invade the pitch during the 1-0 win over Czech Republic in the quarter-finals.

Arbeloa braces to pass Ronaldo test Tom Williams

DONETSK, UKRAINE: Spain defender Alvaro Arbeloa (in pic) says he is psyching himself up “mentally and physically” to face Real Madrid team-mate Cristiano Ronaldo in the Euro 2012 semi-final against Portugal on Wednesday. With three goals in his last two matches, Ronaldo has emerged as one of the stand-out players at the tournament and Arbeloa will enter directly into his line of fire when the teams face off in Donetsk. The 29-year-old right-back will be chiefly responsible for keeping Ronaldo in check at Donbass Arena, and he admitted he was not expecting an enjoyable evening. “You have to be prepared mentally and physically, especially against someone like this,” Arbeloa said on Tuesday. “He’s one of the best players in the world. It’s very demanding, physically and mentally. You have to be on top of your game. “You can’t stop him for the whole 90 minutes, but it’s a great challenge for me. I like to measure myself against the best in the world. “I haven’t spoken to him. I will probably speak to him tomorrow, when I see him, but we don’t know the starting lineups yet. If I’m lucky, the coach (Vicente del Bosque) will put me there and I’ll play against him,” he added.

Patience is the key to beating Spain, says Bento DONETSK, UKRAINE: Portugal coach Paulo Bento has urged his players to be patient in their Euro 2012 semi-final with Spain on WednesSpain vs Portugal day, but says his 12.15am (Thursday) side will not allow themselves to be Neo Prime dominated. Defending champions Spain have largely had their own way at the tournament so far, averaging 67.5 percent of possession in their games to date, and they encountered little resistance in the 2-0 quarter-final win over France. Under Bento, Portugal have developed an effective counter-attacking style, but the 43-year-old coach says his players will not be content to sit We will win for Roque, vows Iniesta and defend when they tackle Spain in Donetsk. Andres Iniesta said on Tuesday that Spain will seek to honour the memory of Miki Roque by triumphing at Euro 2012. Roque, who spent four years at Liverpool between 2005 and 2009, was diagnosed with pelvic Portugal unhappy with cancer in March last year and died on Sunday at the age of 23. “When semi-final referee you talk about Miki, we will be thinking of him and his family during LISBONX: Portuguese newspathe match,” said Iniesta, a member of the Spain team preparing to face pers on Tuesday said that the Portugal in the Euro 2012 semi-finals on Wednesday. “They have sufcountry’s football federation is fered for his loss. I hope we can dedicate the trophy to him as well.” unhappy with the choice of Turkish referee Cuneyt Cakir for

Spain v Portugal head-to-head 29 Jun, 2010: Spain v Portugal 1-0 World Cup finals last 16 20 Jun, 2004: Portugal v Spain 1-0 European Championship group stage 17 Jun, 1984: Portugal v Spain 1-1 European Championship group stage 09 Apr, 1950: Portugal v Spain 2-2 World Cup qualifier 02 Apr, 1950: Spain v Portugal 5-1 World Cup qualifier 18 Mar, 1934: Portugal v Spain 1-2 World Cup qualifier 11 Mar, 1934: Spain v Portugal 9-0 World Cup qualifier Note: Portugal have won only 9 matches out of 37 played between the two when the friendlies are also taken into account. the semi-final tie against Spain. “Portugal outraged: the appointment of Turkey’s Cakir rings alarm bells,” said sporting daily A Bola on its front page. AFP/ TW

Wimbledon 2012

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 27, 2012

Fresh health scare for Fish after win on return Robin Millard

LONDON: Mardy Fish made a winning return to tennis on Tuesday following his operation to treat a frightening heart condition, but immediately felt unwell after coming off court. The world number 12 beat Spain’s Ruben RamirezHidalgo 7-6 (7/3), 7-5 7-6 (7/1) in a first round clash and looked comfortable moving around the court.

SPORT SNIPPETS Hewitt’s 10th anniversary party falls flat after loss Lleyton Hewitt’s 10th anniversary party of his 2002 Wimbledon title was gatecrashed by French fifth seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga who cruised to a 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 first round win on Tuesday. The injuryplagued Hewitt, 31, playing in his 14th Wimbledon but needing a wildcard to do so after his ranking plummeted to 202 in the world, was unable to conjure up the magic of old. Tsonga showed no signs of the finger injury he suffered at Queen’s and goes on to play either compatriot Edouard Roger-Vasselin or Spain’s Guillermo Garcia-Lopez of Spain for a place in the last 32. The Frenchman reached the semi-finals last year.

Murray has last laugh as Davydenko downed

HE HAD A PROCEDURE CALLED CARDIAC CATHETER ABLATION IN LOS ANGELES ON MAY 23 TO CORRECT FAULTY WIRING IN HIS HEART. But afterwards, the US number two felt too ill to attend an obligatory press conference. “He is feeling unwell,” said an ATP tour spokesman, who added it should be “nothing worrying” and Fish had pledged to return on Wednesday, his day off, to

speak to media. Fish had postponed his press conference for half an hour to see if he felt any better but, in the end, decided to cancel. Tuesday’s match was his first tournament appearance since April, when, as the top seed, he fell at the first hurdle

in Houston. He had a procedure called cardiac catheter ablation in Los Angeles on May 23 to correct faulty wiring in his heart. Fish said the arrhythmia had made it hard for him to sleep and his heart felt like it was going to burst out of his chest.

Fish is the top American left in the draw after world number 10 John Isner was knocked out on Monday. During his two-hour, 37minute match on the Court 12 show court against RamirezHidalgo, the world number 82, Fish sent down 24 aces and hit 61 winners.

Japanese stars make their mark at All England Club

Worst Wimbledon show in decades for Aussies

Steve Griffiths

Dave James

LONDON: Kei Nishikori (in pic) and Go Soeda enjoyed their first ever victories at Wimbledon on Tuesday as the Japanese stars produced dominant displays to surge into the second round. Nishikori, returning from a stomach injury, marked his first match since April with a 7-5, 6-3, 6-4 win over Kazakhstan’s Mikhail Kukushkin. There was more good news for Japan as Soeda enjoyed his first ever Grand Slam victory, crushing Russia’s Igor Kunitsyn 63, 6-2, 6-1 to set up a second round clash with former US Open champion Juan Martin del Potro or Robin Haase.

LONDON: Australia’s men slumped to their country’s worst performance since 1938. Lleyton Hewitt lost to French fifth seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 6-3, 6-4, 6-4, handing the Australian his earliest exit at the All England Club since 2003. His loss also meant that there will be no Australian man in the second round for the first time since 1938 after compatriots Bernard Tomic (in pic), a quarter-finalist last year and seeded 20, Matthew Ebdon and Marinko Matosevic were also beaten. It is a depressing statistic for a country which has won 21 Wimbledon men’s titles.

Home favourite Andy Murray had the last laugh as he silenced Nikolay Davydenko’s taunts with a straight sets win over him on Tuesday to kick off his Wimbledon campaign. The Russian had claimed players laughed at the British fourth seed, believing he exaggerates his injuries. But Murray left Davydenko licking his wounds by beating him 6-1, 6-1 6-4 on Centre Court. Davydenko, 31, a former world number three, but now at 47, was outclassed by his Scottish opponent. “I’m desperate to get the tournament going because there’s a lot of talk from a lot of people,” Murray said.

Wimbledon results Results on the second day of Wimbledon at the All England Club on Tuesday (x denotes seeding): Men — 1st round n Nicolas Almagro (ESP x12) bt Olivier Rochus (BEL) 6-7 (4/7), 3-6, 7-6 (7/4), 6-2, 6-4 n Kei Nishikori (JPN x19) bt Mikhail Kukushkin (KAZ) 7-5, 6-3, 6-4 n Go Soeda (JPN) bt Igor Kunitsyn (RUS) 6-3, 6-2, 6-1 n Juan Martín Del Potro (ARG x9) bt Robin Haase (NED) 6-4, 3-6, 7-6 (7/3), 7-5 n Andy Murray (GBR x4) bt Nikolay Davydenko (RUS) 6-1, 6-1, 6-4 n Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (FRA x5) bt Lleyton Hewitt (AUS) 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 n Mardy Fish (USA x10) bt Rubén Ramírez Hidalgo (ESP) 7-6 (7/3), 7-5, 7-6 (7/1) n Rafael Nadal (ESP x2) bt Thomaz Belluci (BRA) 7-6 (7/0), 6-2, 6-3 Women — 1st round n Vera Zvonareva (RUS x12) bt Mona Barthel (GER) 2-6, 7-6 (7/3), 6-4 n Serena Williams (USA x6) bt Barbora Záhlavová Strýcová (CZE) 6-2, 6-4 n Marion Bartoli (FRA x9) bt Casey Dellacqua (AUS) 6-2, 6-4 n Victoria Azarenka (BLR x2) bt Irina Falconi (USA) 6-1, 6-4 AFP

Playing Field

Tiger and National return to the CCC BETHESDA, MARYLAND: Tiger Woods and the US PGA Tour’s National return to Congressional Country Club this week for the first time since 2009, when the 14-time major champion won the event he hosted. The event moved to suburban Philadelphia for the past two years while Congressional prepared for and hosted the 2011 US Open, which Rory McIlroy won while Woods was idled with nagging left knee and Achilles tendon injuries. Now the event is back in suburban Washington starting Thursday and Woods is back in a hosting role, his charity foundation receiving proceeds from the event, and on solid form after a victory earlier this month at the Memorial. Woods grabbed a share of the 36hole lead at this year’s US Open at The Olympic Club in San Francisco but faded at the weekend, although he saw signs that give him hope for future majors, including next month’s British Open. “Overall, the way I struck the golf ball, I was very pleased by that,” Woods said. AFP

India eves lose T20 to England CANTERBURY: Indian women produced a disappointing batting display as they suffered a 33-run loss at the hands of England in their Twenty20 match. Chasing 138 for a victory, India could manage only 104 for eight in 20 overs at the St Lawrence Ground here after inviting the hosts to bat. India's batting failed miserably with only skipper Mithali Raj (26) and wicketkeeper Sulakshana Naik (25) managing to reach the 20s. Openers Amita Sharma (9) and Poonam Raut (9) were out in successive overs as the visitors were reduced to 20 for two in five overs. Mithali and Harmanpreet Kaur (15) had begun a useful partnership, adding

30 before two more wickets fell in the space of four runs to leave India at 54 for four in the 13th over. There was no coming back for India from there. For England, Katherine Brunt and Danielle Wyatt grabbed two wickets apiece for 21 and 10 runs respectively. England were on the backfoot when they lost their captain Charlotte Edwards early after being sent in to bat. She was lbw to N Niranjana, leaving England one for one in 1.1 overs. The home side made an immediate recovery with Sarah Taylor (69 off 49 balls) and opener Laura Marsh (41 off 39) stitching a 104-run stand for the second wicket in just under 14 overs. PTI

Jockey follows horse in death

LONDON: Britain’s jump racing community was on Tuesday mourning the death of Campbell Gillies, the 21-yearold jockey who rode a winner at the Cheltenham Festival this year.

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 27, 2012

The games people play

Gillies was attached to the Lucinda Russell yard in Kinross, Scotland, and partnered the stable’s Brindisi Breeze to his biggest win in one of Cheltenham’s novice hurdles in March. Gillies rode his first winner in the 2007-08 season and had 131 winners under his belt. Last year was his best campaign to date with 38 winners and he was in action as recently as Sunday at Hexham. In a tragic twist Gillies’ death follows that of the horse that made his name — Brindisi Breeze — who was killed last month in a freak accident when he escaped from his paddock and onto a road. AFP

Greig advises India to put cricket ahead of money Julian Guyer

LONDON: Former England captain Tony Greig has urged India to accept the “spirit of cricket is more important than generating billions of dollars”. India is cricket’s economic powerhouse, driving the finance of the global game through the sponsorship and broadcast deals that derive from the sport’s huge popularity in the world’s second most populous nation. The BCCI also oversees the lucrative IPL franchise tournament. However, many believe the BCCI has used its influenc for its own interests as a result, the ICC is not functioning properly. They cite as evidence the BCCI’s ongoing refusal to accept the DRS, despite repeated calls for its universal implementation by senior ICC committees. Greig giving the 2012 MCC Spirit of Cricket Cowdrey Lecture at Lord’s on Tuesday, said, “Much of the game is controlled by the BCCI because it controls enough votes to block any proposal put forward at the ICC board meetings.

DRS bid quashed after India fail to play ball KUALA LUMPUR: Cricket's latest bid to make decision review technology (DRS) mandatory for all Tests and one-day internationals has been swiftly quashed after opposition from powerful India, a report said. The recommendation by chief executives was not put to a vote and "came and went without a murmur" at the ICC’s board meeting in Kuala Lumpur, ESPNcricinfo reported.