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

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2012 HYDERABAD

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WEATHER: A MIX OF CLEAR AND CLOUDY SKIES; 23°C Vettel became only the third driver in Formula One history to win three successive titles, equalling the feats of the great Argentine Juan Manuel Fangio and his own childhood idol Michael Schumacher, who finished seventh in his final race.

32 PAGES

RACING AROUND THE WORLD

P16&17

M ANIL KUMAR

HYDERABAD’S FIRST COMPACT AFTERNOON NEWSPAPER

ILLEGAL BUILDINGS,

a cat and mouse game The City has at least 10,000 illegal buildings that have violated building laws and yet the GHMC has no permanent solution.

REPORT ON P4

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2012

city events

FESTIVE SONGS

Christmas — the season of joy and giving is here again. Head to Park Hyatt, Banjara Hills, Rd No 2, on December 5, 7pm onwards for Festive Choristers. The event is a musical evening of Christmas songs. Be a part of the evening and sing along!

Weather for Hyderabad

Evening

Overnight

Morning

Afternoon

24°C

18°C

30°C

31°C

Clear with cloudy periods

A mix of cloudy and clear

Sunny with cloudy periods

Sunny

New Delhi Mumbai Max 24 Max 32 Min 13 Min 23 Sunny

Sunny

Chennai Max 30 Min 24

Bangalore Max 29 Min 16

A mix of cloud and sun

AROUND THE CITY: YOUR GUIDE TO THE TWIN CITIES catch Five broken cameras’ at Lamakaan and Tous au Larzac at Alliance Francaise on November 28. Where: Lamakaan,Banjara Hills, and Alliance Francaise, Banjara Hills When: November 26-28, 7pm onwards Contact: (040) 23 55 44 85

SHOWS Third eye blind American alternative rock band Third Eye Blind is performing live a Hard Rock Cafe on November 28. Where: Hard Rock Cafe, Banjara Hills, Rd No 1 When: November 28, 9pm onwards Contact: (040) 6463 6375

SHOWS Art exhibition An exhibition by artists such as Akbar Mohammad, Basuki Das Gupta, Baskar Rao B, Kandi Narsimlu, Srikant Kohle, Shayamal Mukherjee is being held. Where: Gallery Space, Banjara Hills Rd No 10 When: Ongoing, 11am onwards Contact: (040) 6554 1836

U never know The play U never know being staged at Lamakaan on December 1 revolves around a teenager Jennings and her journey to heaven. Where: Lamakaan, Banjara Hills, Rd No 1 When: December 1, 6.30pm onwards Contact: 96427 31329

Palette scapes An exhibition of paintings on Acrylic on canvas by artist Nupur Kundu is being held at Shrishti Art Gallery Where: Shrishti Art Gallery, Jubilee Hills, Rd No 15 When: Ongoing, 11am onwards Contact: (040) 2354 0023

The last Christmas The last Christmas is a large-scale production featuring live singing, dancing and acting, is the heartwarming story of Retired Gen Roy who recounts his seven favourite Christmases. Where: RNR auditorium, Banjara Hills, Rd No 12 When: December 8, 9 and 10 11am onwards Contact: (040) 6515 7558

Art show Symmetrics in the unknown, an exhibition of abstract paintings by 10 artists is being held at Iconart Gallery. The exhibition is on till December 6. Where: Iconart Gallery, Banjara Hills, Rd No 12 When: Ongoing, 11.30am onwards Contact: 98499 68797

Documentary screening Alliance Française of Hyderabad is hosting Novembre: Le mois du Film Documentaire. On November 27

FROZEN WONDER: Students of Regency College of Hotel Management, M ANIL KUMAR Banjara Hills during a training session at the college campus. Commissioner & Spl Officer

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

198 155313

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

155333 23431178 23431179

MUNICIPAL CORPORATION

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

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

155313 23307328 23313163

27505566 23314095 23390933 24600146 27001134 23607777 30418888 30417777 30419000 30416666 39879999

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

Convergence Convergence, an exhibition Of Paintings By Ananad Swaroop Manchiraju is being held at Muse Art Gallery, Tank Bund. Where: Muse Art Gallery, Marriot Convention Centre, Tank Bund When: Ongoing, 11am onwards Contact: (040) 2752 2999 Exile in the wind A painting exhibition by Sisir Sahna is being held at Kalakrithi Art Gallery, Banjara Hills from November 28 to December 8 . Where: Kalakrithi Art Gallery, Banjara Hills, Rd No 10 When: November 28 onwards, 11am onwards Contact: (040) 6656 4466

DINING Kashmiri Wazwan nights A Kashmiri food fest based on the Wazwan cuisine is being held.The fest is on till December 2. Where: The Square, Novotel, Cyberabad When: Ongoing, 11am onwards Contact: (040) 66824422

Expressive art Alankritha Art Gallery presents an exhibition by Maredu Ramu, Nirmal Karmakar Nirmala Biluka and Palak Dubey. Where: Alankritha Art Gallery,

27567892 23559555 23226624 27633087 27035588 27550238 30799999 30418296 30417445

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

Kavuri Hills, Jubilee Hills When: Ongoing, Monday-Saturday 11am onwards Contact: (040) 2311 3709

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

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

24523211 232431300/7641 24521029

Readers’ views

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

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2012

City

YESTERDAY’S QUESTION

IS KCR’S TIRADE A DESPERATE ATTEMPT TO HOG THE LIMELIGHT? 59% 41%

YES (A) NO (B)

TODAY’S QUESTION

ARE THE CORPORATORS WASTING PUBLIC MONEY WITH THEIR ‘STUDY TOURS’? A)

YES

To vote, visit www.postnoon.com

CRIME

Cheating duo held Two friends who would dupe people promising them jobs in the APSRTC have been arrested by the police. Mohd SUBHAN mohd.s@postnoon.com

he commissioner’s task force, Central Zone Team apprehended two men, A Naresh kumar, 29, resident of Sharda Nagar Vansathalipuram and his friend K Hari Krishna, 23, a Xerox machine operator lived in Rajinagar, Khairtabad on a charge of cheating unemployed youths with the promise of get-

The duo promised a job in the APSRTC as a processing associate. Naresh told her that he had contacts with RTC officials. ting them jobs in APSRTC. Deputy commissioner of task force, B Rameshaih said both the suspects and some of their friends posed as a high and mighty who are ‘close to the higher ups in RTC.’ They even dropped fictitious names of ‘RTC bosses’ to convince the gullible. The duo’s handiwork was exposed after the complaint of one C Rajani, a victim. Cherukuri Rajani , 24 , a stu-

dent hailing from Enkipadu Guntur who stayed at the KSR. Women’s Hostel, SR Nagar, Hyderabad was one of the duped. The duo promised her job in the APSRTC as a processing associate. Naresh told her that he had high-level contacts with RTC official one Promodraj (fictitious name). She was persuaded to pay `50,000 and submit her biodata including educational certificates for the purpose

of a job. After two weeks, Naresh gave her a fake offer letter of appointment with a logo of APSRTC with joining date mentioning as 23-7-2012. After two days of receiving of appointment letter Naresh told her that the present RTC MD Prasad Rao was transferred and a new MD has come in place of him and that he would get another offer letter with signature of the new MD, AK Khan.

KIDNAPPING

Quick action saves girl

He asked her to return the offer letter. Believing him she returned the offer letter. Later, Naresh began to played truant. Only on enquiry, she realised the whole thing was plain cheating. On November 23, the Central Zone task force team on receipt of information laid a trap and apprehended them. They were handed over to the SR Nagar police station who obtained a police custody of the two.

f the police want they can actually be quick in solving cases, this was seen in the latest incident. A minor girl who was kidnapped from the City was traced to Pune within 24 hours by the police. Inspector of Chaderghat L Rajavenkat Reddy said the girl was about to be handed over to a brothel when the police zeroed in on the gang.

The victim, aged about 16, belongs to Amravathi of Maharashtra who has studied up to Class X and is now undergoing training for para medical service. She had come to the City to meet her elder sister residing in Shankar Nagar in Malakpet last week. According to the details, one youth, Sampath, 22, a resident of Shanker Nagar kidnapped the girl in a car with the help of others on November 22 while she was returning from a medical shop.

It is not clear if she was drugged so that she would be silent. However, someone who happens to see it noted down the vehicle number and told the police. Meanwhile, the girl’s sister, Arushi, notified the police that her sister was missing. Police took the help of the witness who revealed who the kidnapper was and where they had proceeded to. It came to be known later that Sampath had earlier kidnapped a newly-wed couple for ransom.

POLITICS Will develop RTC, vows TDP chief

DP chief Chandrababu Naidu has assured that he would develop APSRTC on par with the private sector transport. APSRTC workers of Narayanakhed have met Naidu who was on 'Vastunna Meekosam' Pada Yatra. Addressing them, he has dismissed the charge of his opponents that he would privatise the public sector transport organisation, if he came to power. He said on the other hand he would bring a special policy for the development of the organisation and the welfare of the employees. He said Narayanakhed depot also would be developed like the Kuppam depot. He said, because of fluoride contamination, water in the depot was unfit for drinking. They said there was no sleeping facility for workers halting for the night and the repair shed was in a dilapidated condition. Naidu said he would take their problems to the notice of authorities and resolve them. After interacting, Naidu wrote a letter to the APSRTC regional manager. In the letter, has asked the RM to take steps to provide safe drinking water to the employees and provide resting facilities for the crew coming on long distance trips. NSS

CRIME

Bike thief nailed

The police managed to trace a kidnapped minor girl in Pune within 24-hours of her disappearance. POSTNOON NEWS feedback@postnoon.com

POSTNOON NEWS feedback@postnoon.com

e is barely 20, young and debonair. He would pass for a showbiz child or student from a rich family. But Mohd Akber of Shaikpet Nalla is just a school dropout and is a marble polisher. But he is not the

one to get tied with so lowly a livelihood. Hence he chose a new vocation: lifting expensive bikes and selling them in black. And in such an early stage in life, he has already been incarcerated several times but no jail can dissuade him from his side-business. The latest to pick him up was the Golconda police who caught him and recovered half a dozen bikes of expensive brands. They were taken off from various parts of the City. Akbar explained to the police that he has a master key that helps unlock most bikes. Inspector Golconda, Syed Nayeemuddin Javed said, Mohd had demonstrated how he steals the bikes parked. He is fond of lavish lifestyle.

city TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2012

DEMOLITION DRIVES

LAST YEAR... HERE 1OK run gets a T-tinge

ast year we had reported how the 10k run had seen large participation from Hyderabadis but saw many stars and popular faces conspicuous by their absence. On the other hand the run saw a new set of participants in the form of T-supporters. They participated in the run to protest not being allowed to hold a rally before the event.

SEPTEMBER 27, 2011

NUMEROLOGY

1500W

is the approximate amount of additional power the State has to purchase. Government utilities are putting all-out efforts to optimise generation in the State.

When residents come with their grievances, we find out what their problems are and try to assuage them through emphasis on social engineering. Rao Chelikani , RWA See page 6

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

Authorities turning a blind eye to illegal constructions. The number of cases regarding illegal constructions that have been piling up in the City courts is a course for concern. Its time action is taken against all illegal constructions.

Illegal buildings, a cat and mouse game City sports at least 10,000 illegal buildings which have violated building laws and yet the GHMC has no permanent solution. M ANIL KUMAR

Md NIZAMUDDIN nizamuddin.a@postnoon.com

here are around 2,000 illegal constructions in each of the five zones under GHMC but what is seen as a ‘selective action’ against some of the buildings and letting off others is what irks the Opposition TDP which had made a huge issue of yesterday’s demolition in Gachibowli. It is believed that an average building in the GHMC limits is constructed with 20 per cent deviation but action is not taken on any of these until someone complaints about the matter. According to officials, in this case a petition was filed against the ‘illegal constructions’ at the Lokayukta, therefore the action was prompted. “It is only that these actions catch attention when a major operation is going one. Else these demolitions are routine in the Circles,” says K Dhananjaya Reddy, additional commissioner (planning), when asked about the number of cases in GHMC. It was under pressure from Lokayukta the GHMC had demolished about 23 from the 36 buildings in Anjaiahnagar, Siddiqpet yesterday. Following demolitions the

Corporation will be submitting the reports to it by the deadline December 7. The officials who are reluctant to clarify on the number of cases in their jurisdiction point out that during the recent years court’s intervention was minimal. But recently court cases have

Time to give women farmers their dues. Women farmers contibute to nearly 50 per cent of the South-East Asia’s agricultural produce, yet till date they are lagging behind when it comes to rights and wages.

been piling up causing apprehension to the GHMC. It is believed that there could be at least 1,000 cases pending in the courts. Most of the ‘illegal constructions’ are from Central, South and West zones. Serilingampally Corporator, Neelam Ravinder, has accused the officials for being selective. “There are several commercial buildings opposite of Shilparamam, but the officials only targeting poor man’s abodes. “If the officials were vigilant against these why anyone would have come up with these structures. The hard earned money was put in these structures and in one day officials have demolished,” he said.

There are several commercial buildings opposite to Shilparamam, but the officials only target poor man’s abodes. If officials had been vigilant against why anybody would have come up with these structures. Neelam Ravinder, corporator, Serilingampally

NEWS BRIEFS

RWA promises to be a force to reckon with. The residents’ welfare association chairman Rao Chelikani dispels the notion that RWA is just an ornamental body.

HMWS&SB organises consumers meet

London mayor Boris Johnson to visit City

Day against violence on woman observed

Place of worship set on fire in SR Nagar

The secret behind CM’s newfound conﬁdence. CM’s aides were suprised at his change on the eve of his completion of two years in ofﬁce.

Probe ordered into Manikonda ﬁre incident. The CM has ordered a high-level inquiry into the major ﬁre accident in Manikonda.

s part of maintaining better consumer relations, the HMWS&SB, organised a consumers meet at Feelkhana area under the limits of Gowliguda section on Monday. A total of 87 complaints about billing, regularisation of illegal connections were received. Krishna Mothkur, GM (E) and DyGM(E) and Managers (E) of O&M Div IV were present.

ondon's mayor Boris Johnson will visit Hyderabad. He will be in the City in order to promote investment opportunities for Indians in UK. Apart from this, he is also planning to discuss about the possibilities of strengthening Indo-UK ties. As a part of his visit, mayor Boris Johnson will visit the ISB campus at Gachibowli on Wednesday.

asturba Gandhi Peace Centre in coordination with COVA has organised a symposium on the occasion of International Day for Elimination of Violence against Women at Urdu Ghar, Moghalpura on Tuesday. Various eminent dignitaries and speakers addressed the gathering that had come together for the occasion.

nder the cover of darkness, some criminals poured petrol over a place of worship at Rajunagar, SR Nagar, and set fire to it last night. Passers-by noticed the fire and informed the police. Firemen put out the flame but the structure was damaged. It soon generated tension in the area and police team was asked to camp.

city TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2012

POLITICS

Kiran’s confidence jolts detractors What made Chief Minister Kiran Kumar Reddy suddenly transform from a lamb to a roaring lion on completion of two years in office? Postnoon tries to find a plausible answer. INKESHAF AHMED ahmed.m@postnoon.com

veiled warning to the party high command that he would quit from the party if a change of guard is thought of. “As far as I know, he did not resort to any such act. There was no need for him to do any such thing as he enjoys the confidence of the party high command.” Reddy added, “The CM was vegetarian for the last two years. Now, he has turned in to meat-eater for a difference.” He made it clear that the CM would continue in office till the next General Elections in 2014. Former deputy chairman of AP Legislative Council Mohammad Jani also expressed similar views. “Even if a layman completes a two year term in a particular position, he tries to be assertive. The CM’s situation is no different from this. He is simply trying to display his success after completing two years despite several hurdles.”

he roar of the Chief Minister on the eve of his completing two years in office has surprised many but not his close associates. Apparently suave and shy, Kiran turned into a drum-beater who tom-tommed about his efficiency and his government’s achievements in two years. “It was unlike Kiran,” agreed a political observer. Searching for answers for the sudden boldness, it became clear that the party’s inability to change horse in midstream and the lack of an ideal alternative are two reasons for his newfound courage. His frequent trips to Delhi, say leaders, has revealed to him the dilemma the party leadership is in. It does not have an alternative. Considering the varied things a party needs to look into before handing over the reins of a state are difficult to meet in one individual. The only alternative, Jagan Mohan Reddy, spoiled his record and now he has to regain the trust and prove himself in the General Elections before the leaders consider him again.

Speaking to Postnoon, AICC secretary and party MLC Ponguleti Sudhakar Reddy, who is said to be very close to the CM, agreed that the confidence and aggressiveness exuded by Kiran was because he completed two years in office. “See, he was appointed as the CM at a time

when the political situation in the State was completely uncertain. Now, he has completed two years term in office successfully. It’s but natural for anybody to assert oneself after a milestone,” he said. Reddy however denied reports that the CM’s new-found zeal was a result of him issuing a

SAILAJANATH SPILLS THE BEANS However, minister for primary education S Sailajanath, who is a close confidant of the CM revealed another side of the story. He said the main reason for the CM’s boldness was the

belief that attack is the best defence. Being a victim of organised opposition to him, Kiran has grown wiser. “Being a close friend of the CM, I can tell you that he has not become bold overnight but has been exercising self restraint. I have seen him expressing strong views in the past couple of months. What he did was to send out a strong warning to all his critics, who let go of no opportunity to dethrone him,” he said. The minister further noted that he had never seen the CM under pressure even in the wake of strong media reports of change of guard in the State. “Being a person from Rayalaseema region, he is a stubborn man. He was never under pressure despite the repeated reports of his ouster and just did his work as usual,” he said. The minister also made it clear the party did not have any alternative for Kiran till 2014. Many leaders, fearing retribution, did not want to identify but they admitted that the new Kiran is worrying them. “He has become autocratic and it spells bad days for us,” said a dejected leader who happens to be not in good books of Kiran’s coterie.

POWER

Nation’s power supply looks bleak

Over 52 thermal power plants in the country are facing a shortage of fuel, with less than a week’s stock left. RAHUL RAMACHANDRAN rahul.r@postnoon.com

ccording to the State Energy Conservation Mission, 52 thermal power plants in the country are facing a similar situation of fuel shortage with less than a week’s stock. There was a peak power deficit of 9 to 10 per cent in the first six months (April-September) of the current financial year, mainly due to scarce fuel supply. Though the government of AP had achieved substantial installed capacity of 16,000 MW, power utilities are able to utilise only around 9,000 to 10,000 MW due to severe shortage of fuel. Government utilities are putting all out efforts to optimise generation in the State apart from purchase of around 1,000 to 1,500

MW of additional power. In order to meet the requirements of the consumers, the DISCOMs have purchased huge quantities of power. (see table) As per the report of energy conservation committee submitted in 2011, there are many possibilities of saving a minimum of

10,000 MU per annum by implementing effective energy conservation and efficiency measures. This can be achieved only by effective public participation in conserving energy through the following suggested steps: Domestic sector: Allow sunlight and natural air into the

Purchase of power by power utilities from all sources 2010-11

2011-12

Regular Additional

Energy in MU72195 Amou nt in crore – `20,37 0

Energy in MU5169 Amoun t in crore – `2,082

Regular

Energy in MU76431 Amoun t in crore – `24,518

2012-13 (till October) Additional

Energy in MU8846 Amoun t in crore – `3,498

Regular

Additional

Energy in MU41357 Amount in crore – `15,359

Energy in MU6225 Amount in crore – `3,992

house by using thin and light coloured curtains, replacement of ICLs lamps with CFLs and LEDs, replacement of all fan regulators with electronic regulators, usage of BEE marked star rated energy efficient appliances, switch off power at plug point instead remote, using solar water heater in place electric geysers, etc. Industrial Sector: Excessive illumination levels to be limited

to standard levels, to adopt Perform Achieve and Trade (PAT) mechanism to enhance energy efficiency. Inefficient and age-old equipments such as motors, pumps, compressors, ACs, etc, to be replaced with energy efficient equipment and purchase of star-rated BEE approved equipments like transformers, motors etc. Agricultural Sector: Adopting Demand Side Management (DSM) measures such as using of BEE marked star rated energy efficient pump sets, capacitors, Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) pipes, suitable suction pipes and foot valves, efficient irrigation methods like drip irrigation system, sprinkler systems, usage of optimum capacity pump sets instead of higher capacity depending on the ground water level.

city TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2012 EDUCATION

WELFARE ASSOCIATIONS

We’ve done what we could RWA chairman Dr Rao Chelikani, in a talk with Rahul Ramakrishna, tries to dispel the notion that RWA is just an ornamental body. Tell us about RWA and how it has come into existence? Residents Welfare Association or RWA started in 1998 when we, a few other people and myself, began to research about social living in the City. We realised that when most people in the City living right next to each other have common aspirations and common problems why is it so hard to find a common solution? That was what prompted RWA, which after four years of background work and research was formed in 2002. It has been a functioning body ever since. On November 23, 2012, we made it a national body. How does RWA function? We function on a self-governing basis like other RWAs we have seen in the US, France and Germany. Our objective is to become self-governing mini communities where mutual aid and help is meted out to the resident community. Unlike other cities like Delhi or Bangalore that have a strong but convenient housing-based system, Hyderabad does not have so. We wish to play a stronger and more able role in urban development, roads, water supply and power supply for residential colonies which is basically quality control in urban development. When residents come with their grievances, we find out what their problem is and try to assuage them through emphasis on social engineering, like convening get-togethers, social dinners etc. We find that most of the problems are inconvenient parking methods and other physical structural problems. Every week, three to four associations come to us with their problems and over the last 10 years, we have solved hundreds of such problems. Has your organisation effectively helped fight some residential problems? If yes, please tell us a few.

Most of the problems residents face in cities are with the municipal corporation or the police, but more so with the municipal corporation. Nearly 50 to 60 per cent of all the complaints we have are with the GHMC. But what legal empowerment do we have? Nothing. However, through collective action and several representations to the GHMC, we have been able to list some examples of our hard work. We bear costs with the municipal bodies over constructional and developmental projects like park constructions. With the RWA, we have a 30-70 per cent cost bearing relationship with the GHMC. While the GHMC pitches in 70 per cent of the cost, we bear the other costs What is RWA’s progress report in a city like Hyderabad that does not enjoy any great relevance with residents’ associations? Most progress has been nonmaterial. As of now we have a special status with the GHMC, as quite luckily the GHMC has had a high quality of commissioners. As RWA we have signed agreements with them in each of the 18 circles and developed a concept of “Dialogue Sessions” with the GHMC’s commissioner, who will try to execute them. We review whatever work they

have done the next month with the GHMC. Also, we convene meetings every three months with the zonal commissioner, every six months with the commissioner himself, including policy issues. As any welfare association, you too must have had a share of troubles. Has RWA suffered any drawbacks so far?

Of course. The implementation of “Dialogue Sessions” has suffered due to two factors — people are irregular in following up the problem, tend to give up on the problems. They agree to the method but they are not persevering. More attention is paid to their own problems. Second, are the local corporators. They think they have sovereign rights over the circle. When officials come

Pick

to RWA come to our meetings, they put officers in a very embarrassing situation. What is RWA’s bigger picture? Political empowerment — we have a direct agreement with the chief election commission in Delhi. We have assigned a protocol and agreement with the CEO of Election Commission for voter id, ration card, aadhar card enrolments and registrations. In the last 10 years, we developed three strategies during municipal elections. One — we get all the candidates from a ward together onto a platform and authorise residents to ask questions. This way there is complete transparency in choice of selection of candidates for corporator. Also we raise awareness of usage of liquor or campaigning after 10pm. The second way is we and the residents together listen to all the candidates and decide to choose one candidate as a corporator unanimously. Sometimes, one member from the RWA himself will contest as a candidate of choice from wards, which happened recently in Mumbai. We have been doing it for State and Central Elections. We have had the goodwill to survive this, although some candidates shied away after realising there could be no foul play this way.

at the

Telugu medium gets job boost

chool education minister S Sailajanath has urged the leaders to understand the efforts of the State government to stop the diversion of SC/ST subplan funds to other works. Speaking to the media at the CLP office here on Monday, Sailajanath said there were some occasions that the SC/ST subplan funds were diverted to works like Hussain Sagar waters purification. He said that the announcement of new scheme to the SC/ST students of classes IX and X show the sincerity of the government towards Dalits. The minister said it was not proper on the part of TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu to talk as he wished instead of giving constructive advice to the State government. He said that one has to learn while watching the performance of the Kiran Kumar Reddy government.

At another press conference in the Secretariat after the review meeting with the officials of Official Language Association, Primary, Middle and Higher Education officials, Sailajanath said the State government was taking steps to revive five per cent weightage to Telugu medium students in government jobs. The review meeting discussed the inclusion of Telugu culture and arts as part of Telugu subject from primary to higher level. The meeting also decided to make Sanskrit examination compulsory in Devanagari script even in Intermediate. He said the chief minister would take a final decision within four to five days. Official language commission chairman Mandali Buddha Prasad said the Telugu will be implemented from primary level to higher studies.

airport,

NSS

classifieds TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2012 HEALTH/ CLINIC

COMPUTERS

POLITICS

Vijayashanti denies rift rumours

RS MP from Medak Vijayashanti on Monday denied that she had differences with party chief K Chandrasekhara Rao. Vijayashanthi said that there was no truth in the reports that she had differences with KCR. She could not attend the “Samarabheri” meeting as she was down with viral fever since the last two days. She said that she had already spoken to KCR about the matter. NSS

EDUCATION

ACCIDENT

Fire toll rises to seven

The CM has ordered a highlevel inquiry into the fire at Manikonda.

he death toll in the Manikonda fire has risen to seven. A Padmavathy, 39, died on Tuesday morning in Osmania Hospital while undergoing treatment. Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy ordered a highlevel inquiry into the major fire which occurred at an apartment in Manikonda on Sunday, in which seven people, including an infant, were charred to death. The fire broke out Sunday night in a shed adjacent to a fivestorey apartment in the Secretariat Colony, where equipment used in film shooting was being stored. The fire spread rapidly and the adjoining apart-

ment was caught in the inferno. Though it was earlier claimed that the mishap occurred due to a short circuit, the officials of the electricity department asserted that no power connection was provided to the shed, which is on a disputed plot. This triggered suspicion as to whether the fire was set deliberately. The police are on the look out for the person who was using the shed

EVENT

Gem meet in City

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he International Gemological Institute (IGI) is set to host a two-day buyer-seller knowledge meet called ‘The IGI D-Show’, organised to facilitate easier communication in the jewellery industry. The show, to be held in the City, is the first of its kind. IGI observed the need to facilitate buyer-seller interactions aimed at the development of the gemstone market in Hyderabad. The idea is to bring like-minded people who offer IGI certified jewellery/loose diamonds, along with jewellers, on a common platform to interact and establish long-term business goals.

Several jewellery and diamond manufacturers from across the country will showcase their merchandise at the knowledge fair, which will have exclusive seminars on critical information jewellers should keep in mind while buying and selling. Manufacturers from across the country will be present for the event. Well-established retailers from Hyderabad have also signed up for the event. Tehmasp Printer, managing director, IGI, said, “We are thrilled with the response shown by the jewellery industry, and look forward to building this property with regular events across cities for the benefit of diamond merchants and traders in India.”

for storing the film-shooting material. The chief minister conveyed his condolences to the bereaved families. He also directed the officials of fire services department to inquire and submit a report to him on the incident. The chief minister asked the officials to take stringent action against the people who were responsible for the fire. NSS

POLITICS

T-leader launches his yatra T

elangana Nagara Bheri president Dr Nagam Janardhan Reddy on Monday launched his “Bharosa yatra” from Achampet. Reddy performed puja at Umamaheshwara Swamy temple in Achampet before setting out. Telangana Political JAC chairman Prof Kodandaram and senior BJP leader Bandaru Dattatreya also participated in the yatra and announced solidarity with Reddy. Reddy mentioned that over 1,000 youngsters had sacrificed their lives for the cause of Telangana. The suicides of the youth in the region would be stopped if and when a separate Telangana state was formed. The Telangana Congress MPs and ministers should unitedly mount pressure on the party high command on the separate state issue. The Congress would lose its address in the region if the UPA government failed to carve out a separate Telangana State, Reddy cautioned. NSS

city TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2012

AGRICULTURE

Hands that feed man don’t get their due Though women farmers produce around 60-80 per cent of the food in developing countries, they own less than two per cent of the land, shows a new study. POSTNOON NEWS feedback@postnoon.com

ood is essentially a woman’s portfolio, really. Since ages, it’s the woman who takes care of feeding the man and child. And yet, when it comes to agriculture, man dominates. In spite of women farmers’ essential roles in global and local food security, there is a persistent gender gap in agriculture. Cultural norms and restrictive property or inheritance rights limit the types and amount of financial resources, land, or technology available to women. Studies in South Asia and throughout the Middle East also show that women receive lower wages and are more likely to work part-time than men in comparable jobs, regardless of levels of education and experience. It’s a global phenomenon, not of India’s or Andhra Pradesh’s alone. Women farmers produce more than half of all food worldwide and currently account for 43 per cent of the global agricultural

Highlights n Women represent 70 per cent of the 1.3 billion people living in poverty around the world. n Increased individual smallholder yields as a result of closing gender gaps in land ownership can raise domestic agricultural output by 2.5-4 per cent. n Although they produce as much as 50 per cent of the agricultural output, only 10-20 per cent of landholders are women in most developing countries.

labour force, yet few extension or research services are directed at women farmers, according to new research conducted by the Worldwatch Institute. Women produce as much as 50 per cent of the agricultural output in South Asia and 80 per cent in subSaharan Africa, write report authors Danielle Nierenberg and Seyyada Burney. “Recognising the factors restricting women from receiving full compensation for their role in global agriculture is key to alleviating the gender gap in agricultural employment, resources, and development,” said Nierenberg, co-author of the report and director of Worldwatch’s Nourishing the Planet project. “Women produce 60-80 per cent of the food in developing countries but own less than two per cent of the land. They typically farm non-commercial staple crops, such as rice, wheat, and maize, which account for 90 per cent of the food consumed by the rural poor.”

GENDER-SENSITIVE POLICIES NEEDED Fewer extension services are directed at women farmers

Recognising the factors restricting women from receiving full compensation for their role in global agriculture is key to alleviating the gender gap. Danielle Nierenberg Co-author of the report because of perceptions of the limited viability of their labour or products — and only 15 per cent of extension officers are women. Yet the Economist Intelligence Unit’s newly developed Global Food Security Index has a 0.93 correlation with its index of Women’s Economic Opportunity, showing that countries with more gender-sensitive business environments — based on labour policies, access to finance, and comparative levels of education and training — have more abundant, nutritious, and affordable food. This rela-

tionship provides evidence that when women have equal resources and opportunity, they can produce higher — and higher-quality — agricultural yields. Farmers in countries with greater gender equality, based on an Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development Index of Gender Inequality and Social Institutions, tend to achieve higher average cereal yields than those in countries with more inequality. The countries are also more food secure, based on food affordability, availability, quality, and safety. Improved agricultural productivity reinforces gains in gender equality, in addition to creating a positive feedback mechanism throughout local communities. Community-level efforts to improve women farmers’ status and livelihoods can become more effective if there are similar initiatives at the national scale. Policies governing assets, employment, and mobility can be altered to protect women’s diverse needs and interests, including retention of joint property upon widowhood and freedom for sole caregivers to work in non-domestic employment or travel without male

supervision in order to support their families. Improved property or inheritance rights must go hand in hand with supporting measures to ensure and develop women’s capacities to use their land or agricultural assets.

STILL MARGINALISED According to the World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap Report, 2011, 85 per cent of countries made progress toward gender equity over the past seven years, yet women farmers are still largely marginalised by development policies that are inattentive to their needs. Current data are limited in scope and slow research efforts by not reflecting the wealth of knowledge and expertise that women are already using to, for example, mitigate global climate change. Food insecurity and climate change, along with associated trends such as land grabbing, large-scale biofuel production, and gendered migration and employment patterns, are also putting increasing pressure on women farmers to produce more with fewer resources. (Compiled by PK Surendran)

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2012

focus

MORE YOUTHS INTO NIP AND TUCK FOR ‘LIKES ‘

An increasing number of youngsters are opting for non-surgical treatments to get that dreamed for face and maximise the 'likes' on their photos in social networking sites. From rhinoplasty, a non-surgical nose job involving an injection, to botox, juvederm and laser treatments, youngsters are opting for them in a big way to correct the shape of their nose, eyebrows or lips.

Young UK feminists armed with tweets and jokes A new wave of feminism has taken hold in Britain this year: young, irreverent, and fuelled by social media. JUDITH EVANS feedback@postnoon.com

hree online projects founded in 2012 — a website for submitting experiences of sexism, a campaign against topless women in newspapers and a blog satirising women’s portrayal in the media — have won tens of thousands of supporters. They have earned national press coverage and admiration from veteran feminists who thought their cause had faded into the background. “Initially we just made it for our friends and we didn’t really think that it would take off," said Rhiannon Coslett, 25, a cofounder of the Vagenda blog. She and Holly Baxter, 23, impoverished flatmates who had studied together, started the blog after a wine-soaked evening ridiculing women’s magazines. It went viral on its first day with a post of “Stock Photos Of Women Looking Remorseful After Sexual Encounters”. Nine months later, the Vagenda has 30,000 readers each day, while the two have given up their day jobs and have a book deal. Last week they were among 600 people at a London theatre for an anti-sexism stand-up comedy night on the 42nd anniversary of Page Three, the page dedicated to topless models in Rupert Murdoch’s tabloid newspaper The Sun. The audience was treated to a “feminist burlesque” and a rap history of feminism, while comedian Viv Groskop pointed out that with 26,241 female nipples having appeared in The Sun to date — the odd number explained by glamour model Melinda Messenger having once posed with her hand covering one breast — “it’s kind of not really news". Behind the event was a campaign called No More Page 3, which is pushing The Sun to remove the feature, and Everyday Sexism, which compiles accounts of discrimination and harassment. Both were started this year. More than 57,000 people have signed the No More Page 3

petition, while 11,000 submissions have been made to the Everyday Sexism website and Twitter feed. Comedian Lucy Porter told the audience how she was groped by a well-known colleague in the 1990s, “in an era when you were told to laugh things off". “If it happened now I could tweet about it," she added. Young feminists credit social media with bringing people together and creating space for views that might be mocked elsewhere. “We get a lot of messages from teenage girls who come from small towns and feel like they’re the only feminist in the village," said Coslett. Everyday Sexism founder Laura Bates, 26, said: “I think women feel a real sense of relief about being able to talk about these things and be taken seriously. “A disabled girl wrote that

since she was seven she’d had constant jibes about women driving as she moved around in her mobility scooter, and a woman in her 90s wrote to say exactly the same thing."

British women are underrepresented in politics and business, while earning about 10 per cent less than men. Despite huge advances in the 20th century, British women are underrepresented in politics and business, while earning about 10 per cent less than men. Campaigners also speak of a pervasive culture of sexism. Yet so far this century, feminism has been a minority pursuit. “We have always felt a bit reluctant to

wholeheartedly jump in with the feminist movement that exists on the Internet, because I think a lot of it can be quite alienating to young women — it’s very academic, it’s theoretical, a lot of it’s really angry, it’s extremely pofaced," said Coslett. She credits Caitlin Moran, whose book “How to be a Woman” — part comic autobiography, part polemic — became a bestseller this year, with reaching “thousands and thousands of women who wouldn’t call themselves feminists”. Women’s rights campaigners still face hostility, especially online: when Bates set up Everyday Sexism she received hundreds of abusive messages a day, culminating in specific threats that led her to call police. But the site has now drawn numerous submissions from men angered by the experiences

of women close to them, while others say the site has made them re-examine their own behaviour. When No More Page 3 held a protest outside News International, the Murdoch subsidiary which publishes The Sun, the company called the police — who arrived and promptly signed the petition. Neither the Vagenda writers, nor Holmes and Bates, were involved with activism before this year, but all say there is much more to be done. “A mum wrote in to say her little girl had asked if she could be turned into a boy so that she could go into space,” Bates said. “As long as even one little girl is growing up thinking she has to change who she is to be what she wants to be, the fight isn’t over.” AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE

Feminist campaigners protest outside the UK offices of News International in east London on November 17, 2012 against the continued use of topless photographs of women on page 3 of “The Sun” newspaper. AFP/ LEON NEAL

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2012

Business

MEXICO MAKES BIGGEST OIL FIND IN A DECADE

State-owned oil giant Petroleos Mexicanos, or Pemex, said it found reserves of up to 500 million barrels of crude in southern Mexico, a discovery that President Felipe Calderon hailed as the “biggest find” of petroleum on land in the past decade.

CARNEY TO HEAD BOE

Greece wins significant debt relief BRUSSELS: Greece won big breathing space Tuesday with long-frozen eurozone loans to restart from December and a first clear admission that a chunk of the country’s debt burden will need to be written off down the line. After 13 hours of talks in Brussels, the eurozone and the

International Monetary Fund agreed to unlock 43.7 billion euros ($56 billion) in loans and on the need to grant significant debt relief going forward for decades to come. Greece must still meet a series of agreed conditions but “the decision will certainly reduce the uncertainty and

strengthen confidence in Europe and in Greece,” said European Central Bank President Mario Draghi, who left the talks before a final. Starved of bailout financing since the summer, Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras hailed the deal in Athens, while German

Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble said the package would be presented to German lawmakers by the end of the week. Other member states will also have to obtain their parliament’s approval for the deal. AFP

REAL ESTATE

A welcome realty check

PRUDHVI RAJU K prudhvi.k@postnoon.com

any reports have claimed the residential real estate prices in the City are the cheapest among all Indian metros. A recent study by Artha Yantra acknowledged the fact yet again. Getting a property at cheap price is not solely pushing the customers to buy a flat in the City. “Any study acknowledging the fact that City’s residential real estate prices are the lowest in Indian metros cannot have any impact on locals purchase decisions. However, for families looking to buy a property in any of the Indian metros to settle out, will definitely consider these lowest prices to opt for the City,” says R Chalapathi Rao, vice-president, AP Real Estate Developers Association (APREDA) According to National Housing Board India’s Residential Index, there is around 100 per cent growth in capital values of the residential real estate prices in major metros of the country except Bangalore and Hyderabad as compared to 2007. These two Indian cities failed to show any appreciation from last five years. For instance, properties purchased at `40 lakh five years ago, today can be only sold at `30 lakh for being a second hand property. Even, the new properties are 15 per cent lower com-

pared to 2007. There was not much of rental appreciation either during this tenure. “The capital values of a medium or premium range properties in the City is almost 50 per cent cheaper than Bangalore. However, the City has much better infrastructure

than any other South Indian City and has less congestion,”says Rao. Talking about the impact of lowest prices on sales, he says, “The lowest prices cannot drive or push the sales in the City from an investor viewpoint. For instance, if you see the majority

of the investments in the stock market is driven by the appreciation of the stock value. Most of the investors would bet on appreciating stock with an assumption of certain growth rates. There are only few people who buy a stock at its lowest assuming its strengths. The same applies to the City real estate market. There are certain bunch of people would buy during this price fall and leave it for a growth by considering its strengths but there are many others who consider its growth record and doubt the appreciation of the property,” Many sources claim, there are few unsold stock (flats from 2006-2007 construction) is still left in major gated communities in the prime areas. This supply is also hindering the natural demand that is to evolve from moderate growth in sales. “However, the industry is showing positive signs for the growth.Unlike, earlier the political agitations are peaceful and are not causing any disturbance to the everyday life in the City. Around `300 crore is spent on infrastructure and beautification of the city during a recent Biodiversity summit. There is also development of radial roads and the outer ring road is being successfully completed in a phased manner. Keeping power scarcity aside, the city is no way inferior to any of the Indian cities in all the facilities,” added Rao.

for

Britain has named Canadian central bank chief Mark Carney as the new Bank of England governor, the ﬁrst time a foreigner has been chosen to lead the institution which is in a period of enormous change. Finance minister George Osborne told lawmakers on Monday that the 47-year-old Carney was the “outstanding central banker of his generation”, while Carney himself said he was honoured to be picked. Carney, who is currently governor of the Bank of Canada and chair of the global Financial Stability Board (FSB), will take over from Mervyn King, who has led the BoE since 2003 and is due to step down on June 30 next year.

NUMEROLOGY

$6.5

is what the liquidator of Lehman Brothers made by selling off a property unit.

BRAZIL BOOSTS DAM PLAN Brazil’s state-run development bank BNDES said it had approved $11.25 billion in loans to ﬁnance construction of the controversial Belo Monte mega-dam in the Amazon basin. It noted that the project, which got under way more than a year ago and which next year will employ more than 20,000 people, will cost a total of $14.45 billion.

THUS SPAKE

All Greeks have fought (for this decision) and tomorrow is a new day for every Greek person. ANTONIS SAMARAS GREEK PRIME MINISTER

BSE 5698.65 `55.70 5,209.05 DOLLAR`55.14 17,179.95DOLLAR NSEPOUND `86.60 `89.32 POUND BSE NSE GOLD`32,700 10g SILVER `64,300 1kg

24C

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

98.90

33.65

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

18755.07 218.06

ANAND SHARMA, 62.75 COMMERCE MINISTER

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2012

nation

PC BETS ON MICROFINANCE BILL Finance Minister P Chidambaram today said the proposed Bill on micro-finance institutions will provide adequate legislative framework for development and regulation of the sector. The Bill is currently being scrutinised by a Parliamentary Standing Committee.

SETBACK

SYMPATHETIC EAR

Adarsh scam accused dead

Heart attack cause of Gidwani’s death: Family

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah talks to a fire victim after a major fire at Frislan Pahalgam in Anantnag district on Monday. PTI

CAUVERY DISPUTE

Jaya-Shettar to meet on Thursday for talks

CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa and her Karnataka counterpart Jagadish Shettar will meet in Bangalore on Thursday in an effort to find a solution to the Cauvery water sharing row. The meeting comes after the Supreme Court yesterday asked both the Chief Ministers to meet and arrive at an amicable solution to the "sensitive" water dispute. A Tamil Nadu government release said the chief minister would meet Shettar on November 29 and discuss the issue keeping the farmers interests in both the states as suggested by the apex court.

"Why the two chief ministers can't sit together? Give it a try, it is not impossible," a bench of justices DK Jain and Madan B Lokur said yesterday. "We want you to meet in a congenial manner and discuss the issue in the larger interest of farmers from both states," it said. The court said that it is not possible for Cauvery River Authority headed by the Prime Minister to meet, so the state governments should meet to find a solution. "Try to find out a solution through give and take," the bench said, adding "the chief ministers should not meet just for coffee but they should meet along with their experts to find a solution". PTI

MUMBAI: Kanhaiyalal Gidwani, businessman, former Congress leader and prime accused in the Adarsh housing corruption scandal, passed away early Tuesday following a heart attack, a family source said. He was 61. Gidwani had been admitted to south Mumbai's Breach Candy Hospital following breathing problems two days ago. He breathed his last in the hospital early Tuesday, the family source added. The high-profile and flamboyant former legislator and state Congress spokesman had been arrested by the CBI in March last year for his role in the

Adarsh Housing Society scam in Colaba. The controversy involved a prime plot in south Mumbai's Colaba on which a 31-storey building was constructed by the society, allegedly illegally. The plot was originally earmarked for housing war widows and Kargil heroes. Gidwani was accused of paying `1.25 crore to financial consultant JK Jagiasi to influence CBI officials investigating the case. Following Gidwani's arrest, an embarrassed Congress had suspended him from the party and attempted to distance itself from him. IANS

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NEWS BRIEFS Train to Vaishno Devi base camp

Nine injured in group clash

JAMMU: The train to Katra, the base camp of

GHAZIABAD: Nine persons were injured in a clash between two groups of a community over slaughtering of an animal at Jamalpura colony in the district today. The clash broke out between the two groups over the slaughtering and members of both the groups attacked each other with canes, injuring nine, police sources said. Of the nine injured, four were undergoing treatment at MMG hospital here. No police case has been ﬁled by any of the two groups. PTI

Vaishno Devi shrine that attracts more than 10 million pilgrims every year, will be chugging in March next year, an ofﬁcial said Monday. Divisional Commissioner Pradeep Gupta made the announcement at a meeting he chaired to review the facilities for the passengers travelling to Katra from different parts of the country, an ofﬁcial spokesman said here late Monday evening. The work on the Jammu-UdhampurKatra stretch of the railway line was inaugurated in 1983. The Jammu-Udhampur line was completed and commissioned in 2005.

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TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2012

World EGYPT

Morsi sticks to his guns JAILAN ZAYAN Agence France-Presse CAIRO: Egypt’s President Mohamed Morsi on Monday stuck by a controversial decree granting him sweeping powers, on the eve of planned nationwide rallies to protest the move, in the worst crisis since his election in June. There is “no change to the constitutional declaration,” presidential spokesman Yasser Ali told reporters, after a meeting between Morsi and the country’s top judges aimed at defusing the dispute. During the meeting, the judges expressed concern about Thursday’s constitutional declaration which allows Morsi to issue any law or decision unchallenged by the courts, Ali said. But he added that Morsi sought to clarify that any irrevocable decisions apply only to issues related “to his sovereign powers” and stressed the tempo-

There is “no change to the constitutional declaration,” a spokesman said, after a meeting between Morsi and judges. rary nature of the decree. A judicial source told AFP that even if immunity were limited to sovereign powers, “which appears to be a compromise, there are still concerns that the text itself remains unchanged.” The crunch talks came on the eve of planned protests by rival forces, although the Muslim Brotherhood party from which the president hails withdrew its call for a rally out of fears that it would spark more clashes. AFP

US MUST RETHINK MID-EAST PEACE PLAN The US administration must radically rethink ways to achieve a sustainable Israeli-Arab peace deal or risk seeing the goal of a two-state solution slip away, experts warned Monday.

SYRIAN CRISIS

Rebels sever regime supply lines France announced it had earmarked financial aid for the opposition coalition.

‘3D MODEL’

CHIBA, JAPAN: Expectant parents in Japan who can’t wait to show the world what their baby will look like can now buy a 3D model of the foetus to pass around their friends. The ninecentimetre (3.6-inch) resin model of the white foetus is fashioned by a 3D printer after an MRI scan. “As it is only once in a lifetime that you are pregnant with that child, we received requests for these kind of models from pregnant women,” said FASOTEC, the company offering the service.

NUMEROLOGY

41,000

homes in northern Japan have lost electricity following a snow storm. Gusts of up to 144 kilometres per hour were recorded in Muroran, an industrial city on Hokkaido’s Pacific coast.

KILLER SYRUP Syrian refugees are seen on the Turkish side of the border, close to the village of Atme, in neighboring Syria’s northwest Idlib province, on November 26, 2012. A Syrian warplane bombarded the village of Atme in the northwest of the country near the Turkish border at midday causing hundreds of panicked residents to flee, an AFP journalist said. AFP PHOTO/ FRANCISCO LEON

DAMASCUS: Syrian rebels virtually cut off roads to Aleppo from neighbouring Raqa province on Monday, severing regime supply lines, as France announced it had earmarked financial aid for the opposition coalition. Reflecting its growing recognition since being formed earlier this month, the National Coalition said it had named an “ambassador” to London, its second such appointment, following an

invitation to do so by the British government. The Red Cross, meanwhile, called on both sides in the conflict to respect international humanitarian law, a day after an aerial bombing killed 10 children. On the ground, the insurgents took full control of Tishrin dam on the Euphrates river after days of fighting, an area that connects the northern provinces of Aleppo and Raqa, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

A resident of nearby Manbij confirmed the report, adding that staff of the dam were continuing operations. “The capture of the Tishrin dam is very important. It means that the army basically has only one road left to Aleppo,” Observatory director Rami Abdel Rahman told AFP. “The highway crossing over the Tishrin dam was the last main route from Raqa province under regime control.” AFP

NEWS BRIEFS Walmart: Goods made at Bangla hunts owner Bangladesh fire factory after factory inferno

Australian firms lagging Rice to meet McCain to on gender equality: Data try to douse Libya row

DHAKA: US retail giant Walmart has admitted some of its products were made at the Bangladesh garment factory that burnt down at the weekend killing 110 workers, as anger grows over lax safety standards. Bangladesh has become a global centre for clothes manufacturing due to cheap labour.

SYDNEY: Two-thirds of Australia’s top 500 companies had no female executives and less than 10 per cent of directors were women, according to data released on Tuesday. The Equal Opportunity for Women in the Workplace Agency (EOWA) called for Australia to introduce female quotas in the boardroom.

DHAKA: Bangladesh police said Tuesday they had launched a manhunt for a fugitive factory boss after 110 garment workers burned to death following claims by survivors that they were ordered not to ﬂee the inferno. Ahead of the ﬁrst mass burials, Dhaka police chief Habibur Rahman said Delwar Hossain would be quizzed over violations of rules.

WASHINGTON: US envoy to the UN Susan Rice is to meet Senator John McCain on Tuesday in an apparent bid to defuse a bitter row over Libya that could hurt her chances of becoming the next secretary of state. McCain has led Republican attacks against Rice, accusing her of misleading the public over the September 11 assault.

At least 16 people have died in the Pakistani city of Lahore after drinking what police say was toxic cough syrup, reported the BBC. The factory producing the medicine has been sealed, and three people have been arrested, including a distributor of the medicine. The deaths occurred between Friday and Sunday. Police say they were mostly drug addicts in Shahdra town area. Cough syrup, which is sold as an over-the-counter medicine, is sometimes used by addicts to get high, police say.

It is an unconstitutional interference with the judiciary, a disregard of the rule of law, and the violation of the fundamental rights of the bar. Wijedasa Rajapakse Bar Association head about the impeachment of Shiranai Bandaranayake, Chief Justice of Sri Lanka

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2012

Technology

DECLINE AND FALL OF THE BLACKBERRY EMPIRE

RIP, RIM?

Whether you’re a BlackBerry fan or not, the fact that BlackBerries have as much of a future as a Green Lantern sequel is plain for all to see, especially after the debacle of 2012. But how did the once mighty Research in Motion go from hero to zero so quickly? Let’s find out.

One helluva ride 2007 n RIM is Canada’s most profitable company. n iPhone launches.

2008 n Blackberry Bold released to good reviews and strong sales. n Android launches. n Blackberry Storm releases. Reviews are poor and RIM stock price plummets 18 per cent.

2010 n Launch of Blackberry Torch, but Blackberry loses top in smartphone market share.

2011 n RIM lays off 10% of its workforce. n RIM CEOs cut their salary to $1. n Playbook launch flops. n Three-day Blackberry outage leaves millions of users stranded. n Delays new QNX operating system

2012 n Co-CEOs Jim Balsilie and Mike Lazardis step down. n Thornston Heins is appointed new CEO. n RIM lays off 30 per cent of its workforce. n Stock price plunges to record lows. n Blackberry OS10 delayed till 2013.

Will anyone buy RIM? Facebook Why: Facebook failed to build an in-house phone and desperately needs the knowledge and experience to build one. Why not: Rumoured to be in talks with HTC on a Facebook phone.

Google Why: Would increase access to enterprise market and gain more patent assets. Why not: They just bought Motorola.

Apple Why: Would strengthen its enterprise position. BBM would be an improvement to iMessage. Why not: Integration concerns and regulatory barriers.

Amazon Why: They lack their own mobile platform. Why not: Their Tablet OS is based on Android. RIM’s business model is not a match with Amazon’s.

Microsoft Why: Would gain enterprise leverage. Could boost its Exchange Server. Why not: Integration of QNX and Windows 8 could be problematic. Have an existing hardware partnership with Nokia.

Samsung Why: Would gain Enterprise grade security. Why not: Already in position to become the global leader in the smartphone market.

In two years, the company’s revenue has been divided by half, while it’s now posting losses instead of profits for the first time in ages. And yes, while RIM’s subscriber base continues to grow [it’s at 80 million now], most of those plans are prepaid and “lower tiered plans” outside of North America. The North American market is collapsing like a black hole. RIM is toast. It’s only a question of how long it takes. Ben Parr, Former editor-at-large at Mashable

BlackBerry numbers

is the number of Blackberry users, of which 20mn are business users.

$1.6

is what RIM’s BBM is estimated to be worth.

is the estimated worth of RIM’s intellectual property.

FACEBOOK PUSHES DROID Well it seems like Facebook is busy making its bed, now it better hope that it doesn’t have to sleep in it. Reports have emerged that Facebook has been putting up posters in its Mountain View, California headquarters, ‘urging’ its staff to chuck out their iPhones in favour of those that support Android. The reason, it seems, is that Facebook’s Android app is such rubbish that the company hopes its staff might actually realise that, once they have to use it themselves. In fact, Facebook even have a help desk that will allow staff to painlessly make the transition from iOS to Android. Fat chance of that happening Mark!

WEEEEEE!

Wii U

Dan Ackerman of CNET has hailed the Nintendo Wii U as the saviour of synchronous gaming. Ackerman claims that with remote gaming (playing with people half way across the world) taking over the gaming community, Nintendo is doing a great service by bringing videogames back to one room. We just don’t have enough obese children in the world. Go Nintendo!

3D CATASTROPHE And from obese children, we move swiftly on to dangerous ones. Cody Wilson, a spokesperson for Defense Distributed, has said that the company is ready to test prototypes of the world’s ﬁrst 3D-printable plastic weapon. Now everyone, with me on three…1, 2, 3 FACEPALM! But just in case there was any doubt about the company’s levels of idiocy, the company has applied to the IRS to become a non-proﬁt 501(c)(3) that will focus on “charitable public interest publishing” – or distributing schematics of the weapons online for free. How have we lived without this luxury for so long! Now every terrorist across the globe can have access to the latest weapons technology. Epic!

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2012

Comment The world is a dangerous place to live; not because of the people who are evil, but because of the people who don't do anything about it. Albert Einstein Physicist

Stinky delicacy gets PGI JAN FLEMR feedback@postnoon.com

dults love it, but the smell is more than most children can bear. Tvaruzky, a stinky low-fat Czech curd cheese has won a coveted EU protected geographical indication (PGI), similar to Italy's venerable Parmesan or France's Roquefort cheese. Its popularity has inspired a novelty Tvaruzky "sweetshop" and even vending machines. Gourmets and average Czechs alike throng to its home in Lostice, a sleepy provincial town about 200 kilometres (125 miles) east of the capital Prague. Neighbouring Slovakia is a major export market along with Austria, Germany, Hungary and Poland. Lostice is the only place on Earth where Tvaruzky is made. A factory founded in 1876 has a well-stocked shop, while a nearby cafe offering "Tvaruzky tiramisu" and Tvaruzky with ice-cream is pushing the culinary limits of this pungent honey-and-butter coloured treat. There's even a Tvaruzky vending machine at a local pub for clients who enjoy it with beer. Miroslav Stefanik from the eastern city of Havirov carries two bags stuffed with Tvaruzky delicacies as he strolls across the town's sprawling central square."I make regular trips to the factory shop. I've bought Tvaruzky and other cheese for about 500 koruna ($25), for myself and the family," he said after making a detour of almost 100 kilometres (60 miles) on his way home from a business trip. The AW Lostice factory, whose 140 staff annually churn out up to 2,000 tonnes of Tvaruzky in an array of shapes and sizes, uses a blend of various types of curd to create this ‘delicacy’.

HIGH-FLYING THOUGHTS Guardian reports that almost half the lay members who voted against female bishops in Church of England were women. Perhaps they don’t read papers or they think women can’t do a good job when women across the world are making huge strides in all fields?

‘BROKEN TOOTH’

A SYMBOL OF MACAU'S VICIOUS PAST HUMAN PORTRAIT Stephen Coates

he release from jail next month of a triad boss known as Broken Tooth is fuelling speculation that the Chinese gambling playground of Macau could be on the verge of a return to the vicious gang violence of its colonial past. Wan Kuok-koi will walk free from prison on December 1 having served 14 years and seven months for offences committed as the enforcer of the 14K triad, the largest organised crime outfit in the then-Portuguese colony in the mid-1990s. Newspapers in Macau and nearby Hong Kong have run stories with headlines like "Crime Lord Returns", while the New York Times has asked whether the recent bashing of an old Wan rival meant the southern Chinese city is on the verge of a "new gang war". Experts agree that Wan's reappearance will rekindle memories of some of Macau's darkest days, when his men fought a violent street "war" against their enemies from the Soi Fong gang in the years before the 1999 handover to China. But few pay any heed to his

reported jail-cell mutterings about reaping revenge upon his old foes, or fear a new cycle of triad violence. "The Portuguese government was almost leaving and at that time, the public order, everything went very bad, the triads' activity was very rampant," Macau University Professor of Criminology Jianhong Liu recalled. "After the handover, everything has changed sharply... It is hard to make statements saying there is no triad activity in Macau. But overall, I think those activities, even if they are there, are contained very well." Macau's casino sector has been opened up to foreign competition and taken from the smoky backrooms of Broken Tooth's day, when gambling tycoon Stanley Ho ruled the roost. The semi-autonomous territory in the Pearl River delta now earns five times the revenue of Las Vegas. US operators such as Sheldon Adelson's Las Vegas Sands and Steve Wynn's Wynn Resorts have entered the market, helping to transform a swampy area on the outskirts of the old city into the world's premier gambling resort destination. "Things have changed dramatically. It is not possible for Macau to go back," Liu told AFP, adding that the local police were

now better equipped and more closely integrated with their counterparts in Hong Kong and the mainland. Most importantly, there was a "much stronger political will to combat any crime, any disturbance" that threatened social order and Macau's reputation as a safe and legitimate place for Chinese gamblers to have a flutter. "There must be some triad activity, certainly. But they are not expanding as people might imagine. I think it's not expanding at any scale," he said.

A LEGAL VOID Risk consultant Steve Vickers, the former head of the Hong Kong police criminal intelligence bureau, agrees that the

old guard like Broken Tooth no longer pose a significant danger. But he is far less sanguine about triad activity in general, seeing its reach extending in step with the boom in the city's legitimate casino business. Indeed, he believes Macau -the only city in China where casino gambling is legal -- is riddled to its core with organised crime. "The problems in Macau are very deep and go well beyond just a few low-end desperados," he told AFP. "Wan Kuok-koi was a particularly violent gangster who exploited the weak government situation at the time -- that time has gone, his time has gone. It's a completely different security situation now.”

EDITORIALS The dark age of Uganda Hero or fool?

ews from Uganda tells us that the nation is going through a dark age of its own. The Uganda antihomosexuality bill has been reintroduced in its Parliament and Speaker Rebecca Kadaga hopes that it will be passed before yearend. Sources say that it could happen as early as this week. Most appalling are the reasons for the nation’s lawmakers earnestness to get it passed: the speaker says the people want it; also such laws are necessary to keep the country’s children safe from homosexuals and protecting the idea of a traditional family. The only change before the re-tabling of this discriminatory bill is that offenders may not be punished by death. However, every other possible horror may be inﬂicted: imprisonment and the usual. Not to speak of the harm that’s posed by the un-understanding if they gang up and help the state by targeting many innocents for their being different. Christian clerics are egging the lawmakers that the bill be passed soon as a “Christmas gift”. The world is very far from ensuring equality for gays and lesbians but the ‘normal’ people are slowly learning to accept them and give them space. The idea is to make space for everyone and passing this bill of discrimination is no Christmas gift.

READERS’ VIEWS

here’s a video of a youngster walking towards an approaching train and ducking just in time to lie facedown and emerge unscathed after the train has passed. The video titled “Hero or Fool?” is doing rounds on Facebook. Not one has liked it. No one will who appreciates the value of life and knows what true bravery is.

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2012

workplace

TEAMWORK AND COMMUNICATION

Teamwork is about the bringing together of parts of an organisation to build an engine that can create a synergy or greater sum than those of its simple parts. Communication is the fuel that drives the engine and the oil that makes it run smoothly.

MAKING THE WORLD SMALLER

Families at work

AMY ROSE THOMAS amyrose.t@postnoon.com

n a bid to bridge the gap between work and home, employers today are organising Family Days at offices. An employee’s family forms a very important support system for the employee and it is essential for them to know where the employee works and who his/her colleagues are. Yet, most of the times, spouse, children and parents of the employees have never seen their workplaces. During Family Days, family members are invited to do just that. Rajita Singh, HR head of Broadridge Financial Solutions (India) Pvt. Ltd, says, “Family Day is an annual celebration where a host of entertaining and engaging activities are held making the associates’ families feel like an integral part of Broadridge. We ensure that the evening has something in it for everyone, ranging from face painters, inflatables and games jockeys to entertain kids, bangles, mehendi, tarot readers and ittar counters for women, song and dance performances etc. This special annual gathering helps the families of our associates establish a connect with each other. It also gives them an opportunity to be a part of the Broadridge culture and environment.” Debasis Chatterji, CEO of Netxcell Limited, says that Family Days help in achieving greater bonding and team-spirit among the employees as family members of the associates interact with each other. He says, “It certainly helps

Companies are holding Family Days at work where family members are invited to visit the workplace and tour the facilities.

Family members and employees of ADP are seen enjoying Family Day at ADP.

them achieve greater bonding and team spirit as they get to meet colleagues from different departments, which is beyond their routine work purview. Associates spend on an average nine to ten hours in office during weekdays and actually spend fewer active hours at home. In that sense, office is a macro family and home is a micro family. So, it is very important to keep a good balance and association between home and office. If you boost one, the other will be motivated. It is also a great way to get to know more about colleagues at such events when the associates get to meet each others’ families at such gatherings.” Apart from Family Days, companies in the city hold greeting card workshop, talent hunt and chocolate making workshops for family members. Hemanth Karumanchi, an Associate at ADP Private Limited, says, “At ADP, we have regular involvement of families throughout the year via various programmes such as the Family Day, workshops that help develop creative skills such as painting, meditation, yoga, cooking, chocolate-making etc. We also send our regular communication to the family members through an in-house quarterly newsletter “Communiqué” with active contribution from associates. On the eve of New Year, all family members receive a personally signed greeting card and a message by the MD of ADP . All these occasions serve to improve the interaction among associates and their family members.”

DRESSING FOR WORK Corporate Wear

onfederation of Women Entrepreneurs (COWE), a non-proﬁt trade body of successful women entrepreneurs organised a Fashion Show with the theme Corporate Wear for Women. The event was held at NSIC Business Park, Kushaiguda late evening on Saturday. Twelve Young COWE members, along with several male and female models walked the ramp showcasing corporate wear for women. Young COWE is an initiative by COWE to inculcate entrepreneurship in young women and welcome more young women into the COWE fold.

A SHOT IN THE ARM

Employees of FactSet India got together at DLF Cyber City, Gachibowli, and gave the message to all the participants of the 10K Run – GET. SET. GO to make Hyderabad one of the world’s best cities! All the employees in the picture participated in the 10K Run. FactSet India offers instant access to accurate financial data and analytics to thousands of investment professionals around the world. The company combines hundreds of databases from industry-leading suppliers and clients’ own proprietary data into a single, powerful information system, making FactSet a one-stop source for financial information.

DID YOU KNOW...

`700 cr is the amount Kerala-based IBS Software has bagged in what is being viewed as one of the largest software product deals this year. European cargo airline Lufthansa Cargo has picked IBS to implement its iCargo suite in a deal.

COMPANY NEWS

Kishore Biyani, who is demerging his fashion businesses into a new company, Future Lifestyle Fashion, described the move as his “second innings”, and projected its revenues to be `4,000 crore by the next ﬁscal, a ﬁgure which analysts said was “overtly optimistic”.The lifestyle business has a potential of delivering an ebitda margin of 1213% going ahead, reports a business newspaper.

Cipla said on Thursday that Subhanu Saxena is the company’s new CEO effective February 1, 2013, ﬁlling a void that had been left after the passing away of Amar Lulla, joint MD, in April 2011. Cipla also said that it is in preliminary discussions to acquire a 51% stake in Cipla Medpro South Africa, a company with which it already has a distribution tie up, for $220 million.

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2012

spotlight N SHIVA KUMAR

get engrossed

Watch Five Broken Cameras, a documentary on a Palestinian farmer's chronicle of his nonviolent resistance to the actions of the Israeli army. Five Broken Cameras and each has its own tale to tell. Be there at LaMakaan, 7pm onwards.

THE NIGHT LIGHTS The NTR Stadium on Monday was awash with devotees as they gathered to light more than one lakh earthen lamps (diyas) on the occasion of Karthika Somavaram.

THE WINNING TICKET

The much awaited results of the Bajaj Electronics Bumper Draw of 5Hyundai EON Cars was held on Monday. Actor Nikitha Narayan drew the winning ticket.

FOR THE

MONSTER

MAMMA

US pop diva Lady Gaga interacted with her fans in Asuncion, on Monday. Lady Gaga is currently on tour in South America and performed in the Paraguayan capital. Fans of Gaga were seen dressed in painted faces and monster costumes as they waited to get a peek of their idol before entering the venue for the show.

AFP PHOTO/NORBERTO DUARTE

FAN FOLLOWING

WITH FULL FERVOUR

Sikh Devotees were seen performing Gatka (martial arts) during the Nagar Keertan (Holy Procession), taken out on Monday as part of Prakash Utsav. The occasion was the 543th birthday celebrations of the ﬁrst Sikh guru.

TAKE YOUR PICK

N SHIVA KUMAR

The curtain raiser for the D’sire Exhibition and sale was held on Monday at Taj Krishna. Tollywood actors Madhu Lagna Das and Shymala are seen in the picture displaying the jewellery collection.The exhibition will be held on November 29-30.

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2012

health

DRUG LULLS CANCER CELLS TO SLEEP FOR GOOD Flibercept, a new drug, practically tricks tumours into passivity by flipping molecular switches in cancer's structure and making them as good as dead. Trials conducted in the UK, are showing positive results with the novel drug, where patients are reporting "significant" extension of life.

DIABETES MANAGEMENT RANJANI RAJENDRA

ranjani.r@postnoon.com

ou’d been diagnosed with diabetes nearly six years ago and had been taking insulin injections for the last four. But now your sugar levels have begun to stabilise and you’re wondering if you could possibly

Insulin injection recommendations Needle length n For children, adolescents, adults and obese patients, a 4 to 6mm needle can be used. A1 Site rotation n An easy-to-follow rotation scheme should be taught to the patients from the onset of injection therapy. A2 Needle/syringe hygiene n Do not reuse needles. A2 n Use a new needle for each injection. A2 Lipohypertrophy n Injection sites should be inspected at every visit. Patients should be taught to inspect their own sites and should also be given training on how to detect lipohypertrophy. A2 n The best current strategies to prevent and treat lipohypertrophy are to rotate the injection sites with each injection, using larger injecting zones and nonreuse of needles. A2 Injection sites n Injection should be given at a clean site with clean hands. A2 n Prior to the injection, the site has to be palpated for lipohypertrophy and inspected for wounds, bruises, or blisters. If the injection site shows any signs of these, then a different site should be selected until the problem has been resolved. A3 Safety issues n Safety needles should be recommended whenever there is a risk for a contaminated needlestick injury. B1

Source: Forum for Injection Techniques, India

stop taking those insulin injections. But is it really advisable? “The need to take insulin injections varies for every patient. There can be no hard and fast rule for all diabetic patients. While some people will require insulin injections for the rest of their lives to keep a check on their blood sugar levels, there may be some others who can be weaned off the injection once their sugar levels stabilise and they modify their lifestyles with proper exercise, diet and medication,” says Dr Arshad Punjani, physician and diabetologist at Apollo Hospital, Hyderguda. He goes on to add that insulin injections are the mainstay of treatment for patients with Type I diabetes. “These patients lack the Beta cells that secrete insulin. For them insulin injections are mandatory for the rest of their lives to keep their blood sugar levels in check. However, for patients with Type II diabetes oral medications can work wonders. Such patients are prescribed insulin injections based on their sugar levels but can stop taking them if their physician thinks they don’t require it anymore,” he explains. Incidentally, 90 per cent of the patients with diabetes suffer from the Type II variant in India. “If a patient’s sugar level is too high and their kidney function decreases then we suggest that they take regular insulin injections to control the condition and prevent complications. Once these are normal and the patient has adopted a healthy lifestyle with regular exercise and diet modifications then they can be taken off the insulin injections,” says Dr Arshad. However, it is important that the patient learns to administer the insulin injection himself/herself and also the accurate dosage. “The patient should be educated on the need for the insulin supplement, the right timings and dosage and also method of injecting it. He/she should also monitor their glucose levels every day and get monthly blood tests done so that the doctor can modify dosage accordingly,” says Dr Arshad.

ANEWS PP-LYBRIEFS YOURSELF

Agreed insulin is the mainstay to treat people with very high blood sugar levels. But is it a lifelong dependency or can you withdraw once your levels stabilise? We speak to experts.

How much is too much?

HOUSECALL

HealthRally

Frostbite

HealthRally is a website that provides users with a new way to find motivation to meet their health and fitness goals. The website provides users with a place to post their goal. This can be shared with friends and family who can pledge money to a special reward if the user meets their stated goal.

Frostbite refers to a medical condition where localised damage is caused to skin and other tissues due to freezing. Frostbite is most likely to happen in body parts farthest from the heart and those with large exposed areas. The initial stages of frostbite are sometimes called "frost nip". Frostbite causes fluid in skin cells and the tissues beneath the skin to freeze and damages blood vessels.

DID YOU KNOW? O is the most common blood group The most common blood type in the world is Type O. Blood banks find it valuable as it can be given to those with both type A and B blood. The rarest blood type, A-H or Bombay blood due to the location of its discovery, has been found in less than 100 people since it was discovered.

PIONEERS Dean Kamen Dean L Kamen is an American entrepreneur and inventor from New Hampshire. Kamen dropped out before graduating after five years of advanced research for drug infusion pump AutoSyringe. Kamen is best known for inventing the egway PT, an electric, self-balancing human transporter with a sophisticated, computer-controlled gyroscopic stabilisation and control system.

health TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2012

RESEARCH

STUDY According to a study, reading and writing can preserve the brains of older people and insure them against deterioration.

Reading, writing keep ageing brains healthy WASHINGTON: Reading and writing can preserve brains of older people and insure them against deterioration as they age, says a new study. Konstantinos Arfanakis and colleagues from Rush University Medical Centre and Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago, examined the effect of late-life cognitive activity on the brain’s white matter, composed of nerve fibres, or axons, that transmit information through the brain. Previous research, unlike that of Arfanakis, had linked

late-life cognitive activity with better mental sharpness, according to a statement from Rush University and Illinois Institute. “Reading the newspaper, writing letters, visiting a library, attending a play or playing games, such chess or checkers, are all simple activities that can contribute to a healthier brain,” Arfanakis said. The researchers used a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) method known as DTI to generate data on diffusion anisotropy, a measure of how

water molecules move through the brain. These values in white matter drop with aging, injury and disease. The study included 152 elderly participants with an average age of 81 years, from the Rush Memory and Aging Project, a large-scale study looking at risk factors for Alzheimer’s disease. They were without dementia or mild cognitive impairment, based on a detailed clinical evaluation. Researchers asked them to rate on a scale of one to 5 the frequency with which they par-

‘Pregnant women better be teetotallers’ WARSAW: Alcohol use by expectant mothers can impair the mental and physical development of their babies, in what is known as foetal alcohol syndrome, show results available through advances in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Recently, researchers in Poland used three different MRI techniques to better define these effects. The study involved 200 children who were exposed to alcohol during their foetal stage and 30 children whose mothers did not drink while pregnant or during lactation. They used MRI to evaluate the size and shape of the corpus callosum, the bundle of nerve fibres that forms the major communication link between the right and left halves of the brain, in the two groups, according to a University statement. The MRI results showed statistically significant thinning of the corpus callosum in children exposed to alcohol. “These changes are associated with psychological problems in children,” said Andrzej Urbanik, head of the department at Jagiellonian University. IANS

ticipated in a list of mentally engaging activities during last year, such as reading newspapers and magazines, writing letters and playing cards and board games. Data analysis revealed significant associations between the frequency of cognitive activity in later life and higher water molecule diffusion in the brain. These findings were presented at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) in Chicago in the US. IANS

SLEEP DISORDER

Semi-somnic? Blame technology, say experts LONDON: A growing number of people are now suffering from a newly identified sleep disorder called ‘semi-somnia’ triggered by stress and technology use, sleep experts say. Rather than totally sleepless nights, sufferers of semi-somnia experience short bouts of sleep

disruption — perhaps on particularly busy or stressful days, experts claim. An Indian-origin expert has even coined a phrase ‘fizzy sleep’ to explain sleep difficulties faced by sufferers. “It’s not a scientific term, but clients say that’s what their head feels like. They are asleep

but it’s not restful. It’s a jangly, informationfilled sleep where the brain is still highly active,” said Dr Nerina Ramlakhan, a sleep coach at London’s Capio Nightingale hospital. The condition is being called insomnia’s irritating little

sister, but despite not sharing the full agonising symptoms of acute sleeplessness, semi-somnia is far from harmless, the Daily Mail reported. Victims may wake every night for 30 minutes, or find it impossible to sleep for an hour because their minds are racing.

Experts are of the opinion that semi-somnia started plaguing people now because of excessive use of technology. “We’ve spent five years researching and technology is probably the main cause,” said Jean Gomes, chairman of The Energy Project . PTI

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2012

Entertainment

RLS GETS GOOD RESPONSE Sundeep Kishan, Regina starrer Routine Love Story opened to a good response all over the state. Praveen Sattaru had directed the film and Mickey J Meyer had composed the music.

CINE BYTES

Ram Charan catches Allari Naresh off guard

am Charan, who was the chief guest at the audio launch of Allari Naresh’s upcoming film Yamudiki Mogudu, took everyone by surprise when he requested Allari Naresh to remake Chiranjeevi’s evergreen classic Chantabbai. “It would be great to see Allari Naresh in the remake of Chantabbai,” Ram Charan said.

Poorna teams up with Trisha

oorna, who was last seen in Ravi Babu’s suspense thriller Avunu, has signed a big project in Telugu. She’s going to team up with Trisha in MS Raju’s upcoming woman-centric film. The film is expected to go on floors early next year.

Nagarjuna moves on to his next film

agarjuna will soon be seen in a film titled Bhai and the film was formally launched yesterday morning in Hyderabad. Veerabhadram is going to direct the film and Richa Gangopadhyay is going to team up with Nagarjuna. Devi Sri Prasad is going to score the music for this mass entertainer.

FEELING THE LOVE

I AM A BIG FAN OF MASS SONGS

Shruti Haasan talks about life after Gabbar Singh and why Balupu is exactly the kind of film she had been wanting to do for a long time. HEMANTHKUMAR hemanth.k@postnoon.com

off anything. “I would be lying if I say that I walked into film business knowing my chops like I do in singing. I had to learn a lot as days went by and today, I am a lot uck indeed favours the more confident. Balupu is my first brave and it is all the more true when comedy. I am game for trying diffilm one talks about ferent things,” she says. In Balupu, One anged h ch Shruti Haasan. she’s paired opposite Ravi Teja whic r life? – After making her debut and for the past few days, she you Chitty ty in Anganaga O has been shooting in Hyderabad. Chit g Bang Ban “It’s an exciting project and I am Dheerudu, it took her having a blast working with Ravi Teja four films spanning for and Brahmanandam. I have to be on my toes almost one and a half all the time,” she confesses. How years, during which she different is it when you endured criticism and wide you re talk about comedy? spread media coverage city o One visit bef – After all, we have about her personal life, u s o d y n wish world e loved never seen you do a before she scored her first the ver my re comic role. “I have blockbuster. The success of e Whe ones ar never seen myself Gabbar Singh changed everydoing a comedy, except thing for her and surfor my friends in real life. I prisingly, even the am a monkey at heart. I get to be a complete gossip columnists n tio ques h goofball which my friends have warned me have been going One you wis k s h a to not to be as a heroine. Besides, it’s my first easy on her. We c i r e h v w Pin le ne so called glamorous role and I’ll ask her how she peop My BBM – r ? be dancing a lot,” she says, feels about e u b o y num wish adding, “I never had the chance that and One ulﬁlled nf u to dance properly in my previshe quips, “I have ’s t l l a i h st f ts. T ous films. I am a big fan of no idea why they stopped – Lo he rest o r tt mass songs and kuthu doing that. Is my personal life any less wha life is fo my numbers. I interesting now? (laughs) Jokes apart, a on have been wonlot of people have always been quite pers et One t to me supportive right from the beginning and now dering why I don’t get wan u die – u o y everyone is nice to me.” She has four projects to do all that and finally, re yo befo adonna it’s all coming together.” in pipeline right now including the Hindi M Now we know why she’s remake of Nuvvu Vasthanante Nenu so excited about the film. Vaddhanta, D-Day and in Telugu, she has Incidentally, Shruti hasn’t repeated her roles. signed Ravi Teja starrer Balupu and Ram’s And she confides that she isn’t competing upcoming film. Apart from these, she’s also against anyone. So where does that leave in talks to star opposite Ram her in the larger scheme of things? Charan in Yevadu. We e g a t dvan in a “Someone who’s versatile, that’s what I wonder if signing a s i d One ot being Not have always strived for. One of my advanmore projects has got – n p f o nshi ier when tages has been a face which you can’t put o something to do with i t a rel barr you in a zone. It’s paying off pretty well now,” her new found confin ng a havi uys hit o she signs off. dence that she can pull g

Entertainment TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2012

THE KHAN FAVOURITES

CINE BYTES

andid Rani Mukerji has confessed she has a soft corner for all three Khans of Bollywood — Salman, Shah Rukh and Aamir — with whom she worked at an impressionable age. “I have a soft corner for Salman, Shah Rukh and Aamir because at an impressionable age, I worked with them. I was 17-18. At that age, you look up to some people and that always remains irrespective of whatever happens,” the actress said. “Your comfort level with them is such that you can’t compare it with any other co-star. The kind of love and support they showed towards me when I was a newcomer will stay with me for life,” said the 34-year-old who acted with Shah Rukh Khan in Kuch Kuch Hota Hai and Paheli. With Salman, she featured in Chori Chori and Baabul. She worked with Aamir in Ghulam and Mangal Pandey and will now be seen with him in Talaash releasing November 30. “I always treated myself as a youngster or as a learner in front of two people — Aamir and Shah Rukh — as I started my career with them. So I do look up to them in a different way. I may not be shy in front of them any more, but I learn a lot from them. When they suggest anything to me, it’s important for me to take their suggestion,” she said. Talaash is her second release this year after Anurag Kashyap’s Aiyyaa, which failed to impress her fans. “I would not want to be a part of any project that I feel would not work. An actor like me always wants to work to get appreciation of the audiences. And appreciation can only come if people will come to watch the film. In Aiyyaa, probably people didn’t come. It is a very sad situation for me. We actors always crave for adulation,” she said. Moving on is the best way to tackle failure and success in life, she said. “I don’t really get stuck in a time warp where if my film is a success, I have to keep partying till the next one releases or if my film is a flop, I keep wallowing in sorrow until the next comes my way. IANS

I’ve soft corner for Salman, Shah Rukh and Aamir: RANI MUKHERJEE

Acting is tough, but enjoyable: Saqib Saleem

aqib Saleem started as a model and turned to acting with Mujhse Fraaandship Karoge. He agrees that modelling is an easier job but says he enjoys facing the camera for movies more. He says, “When I was a model, I used to enjoy it. But now, I feel acting has given me so much to do.It is, of course, tougher but much more enjoyable.“ IANS

Bipasha to experiment with sci-fi

ctress Bipasha Basu, who has experimented with various genres, is all set now to be part of a scifi film directed by Vikram Bhatt. “Bipasha Basu is one actress in Bollywood who is ready to experiment with different genres. Besides, Bipasha suits the role for my sci-fi film,” said Bhatt, who recently worked with the actress in Raaz 3. IANS

Mani Ratnam is a cinematic genius: Abhishek Bachchan

aving worked with Mani Ratnam in Raavan, Guru and Yuva, actor Abhishek Bachchan says the ace director is a cinematic genius. The actor recently read the book titled Conversations With Mani Ratnam. “If you enjoy Cinema, then you must try and get a copy of this book. A great insight into the mind of a cinematic genius,” he tweeted. PTI

Entertainment TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2012

Entertainment TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2012 CINE BYTES Shakespeare made Cooper cry

ctor Bradley Cooper says he started crying after reading William Shakespeare's novel Romeo And Juliet. Cooper was in college when he went through the romantic novel. "This is going to sound cheesy, but I remember taking a Shakespeare class in college where we had to read Romeo and Juliet. Hmm, this is weird. I'm crying'," more.com quoted Cooper as saying. IANS

Olivia Wilde moving to New York for love

livia Wilde has agreed to move to New York for the sake of her relationship with Jason Sudeikis. She is smitten with the 37-yearold comedian and has already listed her Los Feliz home in Los Angeles ahead of her move, reported Us magazine.

Charlie Sheen paid Lindsayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s tax debt

nger Management star Charlie Sheen showed his generous side when he reportedly paid his "Scary Movie 5" co-star Lindsay Lohan's tax bill worth USD 100,000. The actors became close friends while shooting for the movie and after getting to know about 26-yearold Lohan's tax issues Sheen offered to pay the outstanding amount of her tax bills.

HOPKINS EFFECT

s c a re

ctress Scarlett Johansson says she was scared of acting with costar Anthony Hopkins in movie Hitchcock as she could not forget his serial killer role in 1991 movie Silence Of The Lambs. The recently released movie stars Hopkins as Alfred Hitchcock and Johansson as Janet Leigh. "You have to be brave to get into the shower and face Anthony Hopkins as Hitchcock jabbing you in the face with a 12-inch kitchen knife," Star magazine quoted Johansson as saying. "As much as he is a pussycat, Anthony is terrifying. Maybe I watched Silence Of The Lambs too much when I was a kid," she added. IANS

JOHANSSON

o h S

i t o

it h Hop w ng

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2012

Chai Time

Play & Win

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

KAKURO

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

QUICK CROSSWORD

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

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

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ACROSS

SCRIBBLING PAD

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SUDOKU

PREVIOUS PUZZLE ANSWER

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1 Recedes to the ocean 5 Trident prong 9 Fields of study 14 Put on a long face 15 Agitated state 16 V-shaped indentation 17 Sit at a light 18 Ms. Krabappel (animated educator) 19 ‘Tag! ___ it!’ 20 Stars 23 ‘Mona ___’ (da Vinci work) 24 Thinning in the middle? 25 Wall Street watchdog agcy 28 Like a well-grounded argument 31 Sheep’s cry 34 Investigation with much digging 36 The Mavericks, on scoreboards 37 ‘Beloved’ novelist Morrison 38 Stars 42 Large reference book 43 Do the floors 44 Up to the time that 45 Historic span 46 Dressmaker’s aid 49 Pay a visit to 50 ‘The Greatest’ of box-

ing 51 Maui mementos 53 Stars 61 Honolulu howdy 62 Cartel formed in ‘60 63 River to the Caspian Sea 64 Fowl on a menu 65 Starling’s home 66 Defense org since 1949 67 In plain sight 68 Understands 69 Jubilance

DOWN 1 Like some proportions 2 Foreshadow 3 Bronze animal in New York’s Financial District 4 Symbol of toughness 5 Sleep-inducing fly 6 One of the four oceans 7 1492 ship 8 Abbr in a library catalog 9 Nobody in particular 10 Old crosses 11 Decorative sewing case 12 Land measure 13 Ships personified, eg 21 Located 22 ‘Twilight’ protagonist

25 Outpouring 26 Diamond flaw? 27 Use it to prevent running on 29 Take into one’s family 30 Joint in many a joke 31 Galoshes 32 Daddy Warbucks’s charge 33 Supermarket feature 35 Tournament freebie 37 Foil material 39 Send with a click 40 Portable bed 41 Toga alternative 46 Easily swayed 47 One with the most life experience 48 Flinches or frowns 50 Despise with a passion 52 Attacked, bee-style 53 Food in a shell 54 Any of several kings of Norway 55 Vatican leader 56 How hippies wore their hair 57 Weapon electrified in the Olympics 58 Like many vaccines 59 Currency exchange statistic 60 Blackthorn fruit

Chai Time TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2012 Thiruvaikumar

STAR POWER for 28-11-2012

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

ARIES

TAURUS

GEMINI

CANCER

LEO

VIRGO

LIBRA

SCORPIO

SAGITTARIUS

CAPRICORN

AQUARIUS

PISCES

Mental worries and problems of recent days will be over. Minor ego clashes between couples will disappear. Avoid unimportant arguments. Friends and wellwishers will extend their support. Mother's health need to be taken good care of.

STRIP TEASE AGNES

You will handle problems created by children successfully and feel relaxed. Heat-related problems likely; take good care. Couple look to be cordial and affectionate towards each other. Minor misunderstanding with maternal relatives likely.

Good effects will start and you will relax. Important family members will reunite again. Newlyweds will be blessed with an offspring. Minor hurdles likely in undertaken work but with your hard and sincere efforts, success will be achieved.

Financial situation will be more than satisfactory. Keep a vigil on your children as they might be spoiled due to bad friends; handle them carefully without hurting their feelings. Businessmen might not get the expected sops from the government.

Efforts need to be started now for solving roadblocks in the marriage proposal and there are good chances of success. Children will make you feel proud. Issues in the family will be under control. Foes will realise their mistakes and change.

Be careful during travel as there are chances of losing valuables. You will be affectionate with blood relatives and get their support. Employees may be subjected to unwanted tension at workplace; they need to keep their cool.

Need to cut extravagant expenses and be conservative, else there are chances of financial crisis. Employees will discharge their responsibilities sincerely and earn a name and recognition. They will also get desired transfer and pay hike.

Success in all your sincere efforts brings you cheer and financial situation will be strong enough to meet any type of expense. Court issues will go in your favour. Some have a chance to buy a house or land. Happy events at home likely.

A strong financial position will keep you cheerful. Couples deprived of children for a long time will get favourable news. Children will make you proud. Employees will get expected pay hike and change in their responsibilities as expected.

TAROT READ

Sumaa Tekur

tarotreadhyd@gmail. com

ARIES:

GEMINI:

Six of Pentacles – There’s a reason why our elders told us to not poke our noses into someone else’s business. In no time, that dirty business can haunt us.

LEO:

King of Cups – Profit is on your mind. But when investing, be wary of Ponzi schemes that may promise great returns. If it’s too good to be true, it probably is.

LIBRA:

PEARLS BEFORE SWINE

Queen of Cups – Your circumstances may be limiting your opportunities but you have to think out of the ordinary to get something done, and do it well.

SAGITTARIUS:

The Lovers – Your world view is shaping out to be different than you thought it would be. Many influences are responsible for this skew, importantly your family.

TAURUS:

King of Wands – You may be planning a project based on some assumptions. As you get more involved, you take those assumptions to be true. Be careful.

CANCER:

Seven of Pentacles – If you cannot stomach some facts or reality, then look away. You have to either develop the strength to face it or pretend it doesn’t exist.

VIRGO:

Page of Pentacles – Where there’s a will, there’s a way. Today, you have to rely on your own determination to get a job done. Do it without blaming anyone else.

SCORPIO:

The Magician – It does not pay to be inconsistent. Make a plan and stick to it, no matter what. There are times when you feel restless. Tide over the rough seas.

CAPRICORN:

Seven of Swords – You have a tendency to react to sexist remarks without thinking. Pick battles carefully. Maybe you shouldn’t argue with this person.

PREVIOUS SOLUTIONS

PISCES:

Two of Wands – Not everything should be left floating as an approximate range between one point and another. Don’t be afraid to pick your exact destination.

NUMBER GAME

cles – You have some grand plans in mind but remember that you need a team that’s on your side to pull them off. Take people on your side.

SCRABBLE

AQUARIUS: Ace of Penta-

POOCH CAFE

Financial situation is set to improve considerably. Never postpone any work. Follow a work discipline. Drive away the laziness in you. Businessmen will bounce back from recent setbacks. You will come out of the clutches of bad friends.

for 28-11-2012

Four of Pentacles – You’re tempted to pass judgements on someone’s character based on just a couple of reactions in the recent past. Don’t jump too soon.

NON SEQUITUR

Good turning points likely, which will take you to the path of growth. Employees might be entrusted with extra work and a few might get unexpected transfer. Businessmen need to take extra care and analyse fully before making an investment.

SUDUKO

Confusion and misunderstanding in the family will disappear. Your boldness will be exposed. Decisions taken by you will prove to be successful and show your speciality. Real-estate deals will be profitable. Diabetics need to take extra medical care.

Boggle SEA GULF OCEAN PUDDLE CHANNEL Vol: 2, No 131 RNI No: APENG/2011/39337 Published for the proprietors, Scribble Media and Entertainment Pvt Ltd, by V Harshavardhan Reddy, at #1246, Level 3, Jubilee Casa, Road No 62, Jubilee Hills, Hyderabad – 500033 and printed by him at Jagati Publications Ltd, Plot No D-75&E-52, APIE Industrial Estate, Balanagar, Ranga Reddy Dist, Hyderabad – 500037, Editor: Dean Williams – Responsible for selection of news under the PRB Act All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission of the publisher is prohibited. For feedback, please write to: feedback@postnoon. com and for subscription, please call 040-4067 2222, Fax: 040-4067 2211

Entertainment TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2012

GOSSIP GIRL

CINE BYTES

Bieber defends wearing overalls

fter catching a bit of ﬂack for meeting with the Canadian Prime Minister in a decidedly casual pair of overalls, Justin Bieber took to Instagram Sunday to explain himself. "The pic of me and the Prime Minister was taken in a room in the arena where I was performing at that day," Bieber wrote in response to a journalist who criticized the move as "white trash."

Chris Brown deletes Twitter account

hris Brown decided to unleash another Twitter attack before completely deleting his whole proﬁle. The singer, who was recently spotted hanging out with Rihanna for the Thanksgiving holiday, can no longer be found — shortly after a vulgar tweet exchange between the singer and comedy writer Jenny Johnson, Twitter page disappeared.

Victoria house-hunting in London?

Heard telling everyone A about relation with

DEPP?

ctress Amber Heard has reportedly confirmed her relationship with Johnny Depp to her friends. Heard and Depp are said to have been in relationship since latter parted ways with long-time girlfriend Vanessa Paradis in June this year. "They have said 'I love you'. Amber was telling people they are officially together," Us Weekly magazine quoted a source as saying. The two were even seen cosying up at a party recently. "They were flirty and engaged," a source said. Deep was in relationship with Paradis for 14 years and has two children daughter Lily-13 and son Jack- 10. IANS

ictoria Beckham has reportedly been seen looking at houses in the Greater London area. The former Spice Girl and fashion designer was seen out and about in south and south west London, with The Sun reporting that she viewed four multi-million pound properties in the space of six hours.

sports

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2012

GOLF

NBA

Dominant McIlroy vows more of the same in ‘13 McIlroy played 24 events in 2012, winning five of them. JOSH CHARLES Agence France-Presse DUBAI: Rory McIlroy has promised a repeat of his stunning 2012 after he finished the season with five birdies in a row to win his fifth title of the year and a $2.33 million pay-day in Dubai. The 23-year-old from Holywood, Northern Ireland, took the DP World Tour Championship in the Gulf on Sunday, after embarrassingly missing the cut in Hong Kong and vowing to come back in style in the European Tour's season-ending tournament. The victory left him a staggering 4.33 average points ahead of Luke Donald on top of the world rankings, cementing his stranglehold on the top spot and the money list on both sides of the Atlantic in the second half of the year. The win in Dubai saw him

fight back to overcome a twostroke deficit against Justin Rose, setting him up for a strong start in 2013. "To finish off the season like this and gain another 65-odd world ranking points (he actually gained 58), it puts me in a really strong position going into next year. It's great to know that going into the off-season," he said. "I had a few goals starting off this year. Obviously I wanted to win a Major. I think I wanted to win four times around the world, I wanted to win the Race to Dubai and I wanted to get to world no.1, which I achieved earlier in the year. "I guess every goal that I set myself at the start of 2012, I've achieved this year. It doesn't really get much better than that."

HYDERABAD TRACK WORK Twinklingofaneye catches the eye HYDERABAD: Twinklingofaneye, Golden Arrow, Snow Falls Pleased when horses were exercised at the Malakpet racecourse here this morning. Sand track 800 metres 2y. Ray Of Hope (Trainer) 2y. Vijays Splenodur (Deep Shanker) 1-1.5, 600/45 They moved together. 2y. Whats Up (Trainer) 2y. Tejaswini (Deep shanker) 12.5, 600/46 They moved freely. Golden Arrow (Ravinder Singh) Snow Falls (Chary) 58, 600/43.5 They finished together. August Kranti (Harinder Singh) 1-2.5,600/46 Easy. Sand track 1000 metres Elzaam (rb) Imaan (app) 1-18.5, 800/12.5, 600/46 They moved freely. Sand track 1200 metres Royal Craft (rb) 2y. Twinklingofaneye (Mukesh) 1-30, 1000/1-13, 800/58, 600/44 Former finished a length in front. Sand track 1400 metres Three Double Eight (app) 1-49, 1200/134, 1000/1-17, 800/1-2, 600/46 Easy. Noted on Monday Sand track 800 metres True friend (rb) 1-18, 800/1-2, 600/46 Moved freely. Snow Bird (Anil) 1-3, 600/47 Easy. Sand track 1000 metres True Friend (rb) 1-18, 800/12, 600/46 Easy. Sand track 1200 metres Alexander Sqaure (rb) 1-30, 1000/1-15, 800/59, 600/45 Moved on the bit. Mock ace 1200 metres

First mock race Hero’s Choice (Dileep) Shatakshi (Deepak Singh) Noble Honour (K.Alam) Woverton (M.Mark) Original Gladiator (Sai Kiran) Victorous Sally (Praveen Kumar) Sarvagnya (Mukesh Kumar) 116, 1000/1-2, 800/49, 600/39 They jumped out well and finished in the same order. Second mock race Castle Town (Ajit Singh) 2y. Kallu Mama (P.S.Chouhan) Nano Tribute (Ajit Kumar) Naughty Gal (Harinder Singh) Kohinoor Angel (Kunal) Moghul Emperor (Deep Shanker) 1-16, 1000/1-2, 800/49, 600/38 They took a level jump and first two were the pick. Noted on Sunday Sand track 800 metres Invincible India (rb) 1-1, 600/46 Easy. 2y. Goldie (Togrolu) Magical Punch (rb) 1-0, 600/45 They finished together. Excluisve (Kuldeep Singh) Perfect (rb) 12, 600/47 They moved freely. Figting Fit (Kuldeep Singh) Atternborough (rb) 59, 600/44 They moved together. Walnut Creek (rb) Ice Lolly (Kuldeep Singh) 59, 600/44 Former finished in front. Viays Champ (Togrolu) 1-0, 600/44 Moved freely. Sand rack 1000 metres DonValentino (Ravinder Singh) 1-18.5, 800/1-2, 600/47 Easy. Sand track 1200 metres 2y. Spirited (KiranNaidu) 1-31, 1000/115, 800/1-0, 600/45 Easy. 2y. Samita (rb) 1-31, 1000/1-16, 800/1-0, 600/45 Easy.

Spurs slam dunk hapless Wizards MAN ON FIRE: Gary Neal netted 13.

WASHINGTON: The San Antonio Spurs kept Washington winless this season by beating the Wizards 118-92 Monday behind a balanced offensive attack and 16 points from Boris Diaw. Tiago Splitter added 15 points and 12 rebounds, while Tony Parker also had 15 points for the Spurs, who have won four-straight National Basketball Association contests. Tim Duncan had 14 points, Gary Neal netted 13, Manu Ginobili scored 12 and Matt Bonner finished with 11 at the Verizon Center arena.

Jordan Crawford paced Washington with 19 points and Kevin Seraphin finished with 18 as the Wizards dropped to 012 on the season. It is their worst start in franchise history. San Antonio shot 72.2 percent from the field in the third quarter as the Spurs outscored the Wizards 33-22 en route to a 92-70 lead entering the final quarter. Washington never threatened, trailing by as much as 29 in the fourth quarter. The Wizards played without forward Nene, who was out with a foot injury.

RANJI TROPHY Hyderabad’s K Sumanth clobbers a Mumbai bowler over midwicket on route to 50 on the fourth day of their Ranji match at the RGIS in Uppal in the City. Hyderabad had scored 530 for 4 at lunch in reply to Mumbai’s score of 435 in their first innings. N SHIVA KUMAR

LEAGUE CRICKET Saurashtra puts on spirited performance Col CK Nayudu Trophy Plate Semi-final 2 – Day 3 Hyderabad 326 in 156 overs Saurashtra 287 for 4 in 126 overs (PI Solanki 72, HD Anghan batting 101, CS Jani batting 56, PM Sarvesh, Mehdi Hasan 2 for 65) A4-11 One Day League Championship Universal 183 for 8 (Srikar 31, Arvind 3 for 36) Beat International 166 (Arvind 56, Vijay 63, Shiva 3 for 36, Siddhanth 4 for 18) Hyd Patriots 165 (Manoj 35, Satyanarayana 33,Ashwin Srivastav 3for 23) Lost to Mayura 166 for 4 (Komal

Chaudary 45, Harish Yadav 53) Rushi Raj 190 (Abhinav Kumar 100no, Surya Teja 40, Vijay Kumar 4 for 43) Beat PKCC 171(Mohsin 41, Manikanta 50, N Surya Teja 3 for 54, TS Ranveer 3 for 29, Satwik 3 for 48) Satya CC 189 (Sriram 40, Praneeth 42, VSP Aditya 3 for 29, S Sai Baba 4 for 12) Lost to Cosmos 193 for 9 (B Prasanna Vijay 36, C Narender 33, B Guru Prasad 31, Sriram 3 for 18) Reliance 190 (Preetam 36, Nayudu 30, Revanth 3 for 39) Beat AVCC 160 for 7(Ajay Dev 31, Revanth 58, Saket 3 for 36) Walker Town 240 for 4 (Ashok Kolar 101, Amin Uddin

53) Beat Kishore Sons 217 for 9 (Rahul Pawar 36, Preetsha Rawani 35, Majid 4 for 64) Shalimar 198 for 6 (Krishna Prasad 38, Shanthan Reddy 63, Mohd Saleem 60no) Beat Picket 81 (Shanthan 3 for 15, Mohd Saleem 5 for 18) Young Masters 228 (Uzair 31, Aslam Khan 39, Mohammed Ibrahim 61, Pandu 7 for 63, Lavakush 3 for 67) Beat Team Kun 99 (Harshit 30, Ibrahim Baig 5 for 21) Bhartiya CC 320 for 9 (G Morris 93, M Soma Sekhar 82, K Bhargav 72, B Naresh 4 for 76) Beat Consult 104 for 9 (B Naresh 30, K Kantha Rao 3 for 24, M Soma Sekhar 6 for 13).

sports TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2012

FOR THE LOVE OF THE GLOVE

Flintoff insists fight debut is no gimmick Flintoff has eschewed the traditional route of an amateur. NICK PARKINSON Agence France-Presse MANCHESTER, UK: Former England cricket hero Andrew Flintoff has found himself on the back foot even before he throws his first punch for money in the boxing ring on Friday night. Freddie, as he is fondly known in Britain, is being filmed as part of a documentary series on Sky television, "Flintoff: From Lord's To The Ring", which culminates in his professional boxing debut against American Richard Dawson. For the past five months the 34-year-old Flintoff has been trained by former world featherweight champion Barry McGuigan and his son, Shane, as he gears up for four two-minute rounds against Dawson, who has won both his previous fights. But he has received criticism that he is not taking boxing seriously and that Friday will be all about TV, not sport, with British promoter Frank Maloney hitting out at boxing authorities over the decision to grant Flintoff a licence. Flintoff (right), who stands an imposing 6 feet 4 inches (1.93 metres) tall, insists his new career as a heavyweight boxer is for real and he is not motivated by the intention to make a documentary series about it. "I understand people are protective of the sport, but I'm going in the ring on Friday and that's what all my energy is going into," Flintoff told AFP. "They need to watch me and give me a chance. Through the fight and documentary, I want to show what sacrifices boxers go through and things that your casual sports fan might not necessarily realise about boxing. "There's no talk of disrespecting boxing but of celebrating boxing, and I hope I manage to do that. I'm a boxing fan and sport has been very good to me over the years. "The fight came before the TV show -- the TV show is a result of getting the fight, but you saw on

Andrew Flintoff, who stands an imposing 6 feet 4 inches tall, insists his new career as a heavyweight boxer is for real. the TV show... that I've put the hours in." Flintoff retired from cricket two years ago after a colourful career including two Ashes victories over Australia in 2005 and 2009. When he steps into the ring at the Manchester Arena, the venue will look a lot emptier than it was last weekend, when 20,000 people watched former world champion Ricky Hatton make an unsuccessful comeback. Ticket sales have been slow

for Flintoff's professional boxing bow, but he hopes those who do turn up or watch on television take him seriously. "I didn't do this as a gimmick, he said. "There's too much at stake. When you get in that ring and there's someone coming at you, you've got to do it for real. "Hopefully at the end of it people can say, 'You know what? He's had a go and done well there', but that's not my motivation behind it." As a morale booster for Flintoff, and to make the documentary series more interesting, ring legends Mike Tyson and Sugar Ray Leonard have come into the gym to offer advice. "I was fortunate enough to have Sugar Ray Leonard pop down and spend an hour with us," Flintoff said.

Cooper puts rugby on hold for boxing BRISBANE: Wallaby fly-half Quade Cooper (above) on Monday put his rugby union career on hold as he prepares to make his debut as a boxer on the same card as former All Black Sonny Bill Williams. Cooper's future has been uncertain since he rejected an incentive-based contract offered by the Australian Rugby Union, which came after his outburst at the "toxic" environment within the national squad. The 24-year-old Queensland Reds player is under contract until the end of the year but said talks on extending it beyond that have stalled. "I can't see anything happening at the moment because all I have in front of me is the offer that I was given, and that offer is one that I've already said I won't accept and I haven't accepted," he told a press conference. Cooper said he had been boxing for months as part of his rehabilitation following knee surgery and was preparing for a fight on February 8 on the undercard of a contest featuring Williams. "I don't really have an option to continue with rugby union at the moment, so from now on I'm just focusing on getting my body right, continuing my rehab, training still at the Reds as I'm still contracted there," he said. "I'm just putting my full focus on getting my body right for the upcoming boxing fight." Cooper was hit last month with the biggest fine in Australian rugby history for his outburst on social media in September about the "toxic" environment at the Wallabies and the defensive style of coach Robbie Deans.

The outspoken star also stated that he did not feel he could play for Australia at that time. He was fined Aus$40,000 ($41,800) plus a further Aus$20,000 suspended for two years. The player was also slapped with a suspended three-match ban for his comments and later apologised for his behaviour. "I think the ARU has made their point and let that be known," said Khoder

I don't really have an option to continue with rugby union at the moment. I'm just putting my focus on getting my body right for the boxing fight. Quade Cooper Debutant boxer Nasser, Cooper's manager and the promoter for the fight. "The way they value Quade, it gives Quade no choice." Nasser said Cooper loved being part of the Reds, but his three-year contract with the Queensland team depended on an agreement with the ARU. With his ARU contract about to expire, speculation has mounted that Cooper will switch to the National Rugby League or join a rugby union club in Europe. Despite getting ready to box, he said his passion was still for rugby. AFP

sports TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2012

INDIAN PREMIER LEAGUE AUCTION

IPL franchises looking for Pak players KARACHI: Some franchises of the Indian Premier League have reportedly begun search for signings from Pakistan ahead of the players auction of the tournament that is due to be held in January. Sources close to some of the national team players told PTI that inquiries had already started coming in from interested franchises in the IPL. “Rajasthan Royals and Punjab Kings are among those said to be making inquiries in the initial stages over the availability of Pakistani players and their base prices,” one source stated. The BCCI, which owns the IPL, is yet to announce a policy over the participation of Pakistani players in the league. Pakistani players have not been able to take part in the lucrative league since the Mumbai terror attacks in 2008 although in the inaugural edition, a number of them featured for different teams. Some of the Pakistani players have made no bones of the fact that they are keen to be part of the IPL, which offers lucrative money.

“If we get a chance to play in the IPL it would be great as it is not only about the money but also about being able to compete against and alongside top players of the world,” a national team player said. “It all depends on what our board says. If it gives us clearance fine but if it says no we can’t do anything directly,” another player said. Sources in the board said that they had asked the BCCI for clarity on whether Pakistani players would be part of the players auction. “The board will decide after getting a reply from the BCCI since it is their tournament,” a source said. He said as a policy matter it was decided that players would be able to sign up with franchises through the boards. “I think once the clearance comes it will be the board which will send names of players who can be part of the auction and even if some franchise approaches anyone directly, he will have to get clearance from the board,” the source stated. PTI

Cheerleaders perform in an IPL match.

WORLD RANKINGS

Clarke claims No 1 spot Clarke began the year in 20th position and has surged through the rankings by scoring 1,309 runs to date at an average of 119. ADELAIDE: Australian captain Michael Clarke (left) has regained his ranking as the world’s No 1 Test batsman after his record-breaking performance in the second Test against South Africa. The 31-year-old’s 230 in the first innings of the drawn Adelaide Test was his fourth double ton of the year — a feat that saw him become the first batsman in Test history to post four 200s in a calendar year. In the latest ICC rankings released late Monday, Clarke leapfrogged Kumar Sangakkara of Sri Lanka and South Africa duo Hashim Amla and Jacques Kallis. It is the third time Clarke has moved to the top of the table, having first achieved the ranking in August 2009 and then surging to the summit in March-April this year. Both times his stay was brief, which could prove to be the case again. He leads Sangakkara by a slender 10 rating points margin and if the Sri Lankan manages a strong performance in the second innings of the ongoing Test against New Zealand in Colombo, he could reclaim the coveted spot. Despite struggling for top form in Australia so far, Proteas quick Dale Steyn held his No 1 Test bowling ranking ahead of Pakistan’s Saeed Ajmal and South African Vernon Philander, who missed the Adelaide Test due to injury.

Sees positives in draw

kipper Michael Clarke said Australia are well placed in the run-up to this week’s final Perth Test despite having to settle for a draw against South Africa in the second Test on Monday. The Australians spent almost nine hours in the field in Adelaide and bowled a total of 148 overs but could not dismiss the Proteas. Inspired by Test debutant Faf du Plessis, who ended on 110 not out, they batted out the entire fifth day to finish on 248 for eight. The first Test in Brisbane was also drawn. Australia must win in Perth to take the series and the number one ranking from SA.

OJHA CLINGS ON TO 5TH, NO INDIAN BATSMAN IN TOP-10 By virtue of his impressive outing in the first two Tests against England, leg-spinner Pragyan Ojha has managed to hold on to his fifth position in the bowler’s chart even as no Indian featured in the top-10 batsmen list in the recently released ICC players rankings for Test matches. Ojha, who has taken 14 wickets from four innings, is placed fifth with 767 rating points in his kitty. No other Indian found a place in the top-10 bowlers chart, which is being headed by South Africa’s Dale Steyn, followed by Pak offspinner S Ajmal. AFP/ PTI

SNIPPETS Pietersen’s tweets in Hindi thanking Mumbai crowd MUMBAI: Kevin Pietersen (right), whose heroic knock of 186 played a huge part in England’s thumping 10-wicket victory against India in the second cricket Test, has a few good words to say about the Mumbai crowd. Pietersen posted a message in Hindi on his Twitter page to thank the crowd who gave him a standing ovation when he returned to the pavilion after his brilliant effort. “Dono teams ko support dene ke liye shukriya! Main chahta hoon kolkata aur nagpur mein agle do tests ke liye bhi aisa hi ho!”, Pietersen said on his Twitter account, and “Test wins have to be celebrated!” PTI

Ponting to captain PM’s XI against West Indies ADELAIDE: Ricky Ponting (below) was on Tuesday appointed captain of the Prime Minister’s XI to face the West Indies in January, suggesting his international career still has legs. The former Australia skipper, who turns 38 next month, has failed in three innings against South Africa during draws in Brisbane and Adelaide and pressure is building on the 167Test veteran. But he was named in the squad for Friday’s series decider in Perth and has been handed the Prime Minister’s captaincy, joining the likes of Sir Donald Bradman. AFP

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2012

sports

POLICE RAID HOME OF BRAZIL FOOTBALL OFFICIAL

Federal police seized documents and computers during a raid on Monday from the home of the vice-president of the powerful Brazilian Football Confederation. Marco Polo Del Nero was due to attend opening of Soccerex, the leading event provider for the global football industry, but did not.

PREMIER LEAGUE PREVIEW

Cech urges patience ahead of derby clash LONDON: Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech (left) says Rafael Benitez must be given a chance to make his mark at the club, ahead of a potentially stormy Premier League derby with local rivals Fulham on Wednesday. Benitez can only hope the club’s dissenting supporters eventually accept him, although the evidence of the new interim man-

Henderson enthused by progress LONDON: Liverpool midfield player Jordan Henderson believes his team will continue their recent improvement in form when they visit Tottenham Hotspur on Wednesday. Brendan Rodgers’ team are still labouring just outside the Premier League’s top 10 and have won just one of their six away league games to date this season. But a solid performance at Swansea City on Sunday brought a goalless draw that extended Liverpool’s unbeaten league run to eight games — a sequence dating back to the end of September. It is a run that has convinced Henderson, himself now coming into better form, that the Reds can continue to move forward. “Yes, I definitely think we believe we can keep pushing on, keep getting higher in the league and keep putting on performances,” said Henderson. “There is a lot of confidence and togetherness growing in the team. To be fair, everybody has taken on board what the manager wants really well,” he added.

ager’s first game in charge suggests that is unlikely to happen soon. Benitez will take charge of his second game since succeeding Roberto Di Matteo when Fulham visit Stamford Bridge, three days after Chelsea were held to a scoreless home draw by Premier League champions Manchester City. The Spaniard was given an early indication during that game

of the depth of resentment held towards him by some of the club’s fans, who have not forgiven him for his role in the intense rivalry that has existed between Chelsea and Benitez’s former club, Liverpool. Some supporters have suggested the protests will continue, ensuring another difficult atmosphere for the home side. AFP

Anderson hopes for United chance

Mancini seeks improvement at Wigan

Anderson, has failed to scale dizzy heights expected of him when he signed for £20 million in 2007. IAN WHITTELL Agence France-Presse MANCHESTER, UK: Midfielder Anderson (right) could return to the Manchester United team at home to West Ham United on Wednesday as injuries and suspensions unsettle the Premier League leaders’ squad. United manager Alex Ferguson has several decisions to make about his starting lineup, with the midfield area particularly problematic. Paul Scholes is suspended after being booked in the weekend victory over Queens Park Rangers, while Darren Fletcher may be rested, despite scoring against QPR, as he fights his way back from a career-threatening bowel disease. Winger Antonio Valencia is also expected to miss the visit of Sam Allardyce’s team, after being absent from the 3-1 win

Top ten teams today Man Utd 13 10 0 3 32 18 30 Man City 13 8 5 0 25 10 29 West Brom 13 8 2 3 23 15 26 Chelsea 13 7 4 2 24 13 25 Everton 13 5 6 2 23 17 21 Arsenal 13 5 5 3 23 13 20 Tottenham 13 6 2 5 23 22 20 West Ham 13 5 4 4 16 15 19 Swansea 13 4 5 4 18 16 17 Fulham 13 4 4 525 23 16 (played, won, drawn, lost, goals for, goals against, points)

over Rangers with a hip problem, while fellow wide player Nani has been ruled out with a hamstring complaint. 24-year-old Anderson’s development has been hampered by injury and an appar-

ent lack of focus at times, to the extent that he has started just 60 league games in over five years at the club, and only one in the current campaign. But his performance as a substitute against QPR helped change the game, with United transforming a 1-0 deficit into a 3-1 victory.

Talk of another Henry return IAN WINROW Agence France-Presse LIVERPOOL, UK: Olivier Giroud has encouraged Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger to add Thierry Henry (left) to his squad this January, ahead of the Gunners’ trip to Everton in

the Premier League on Wednesday. New York Red Bulls striker Henry is currently training with Arsenal to maintain his fitness during the Major League Soccer off-season and Wenger has hinted at the possibility of completing a loan move for

the forward. Henry, Arsenal’s record scorer, made a similar switch last season and Giroud said he would relish the prospect of teaming up with the 35-yeard-old if his fellow striker were to join the club for a third time.

PETER FERGUSON Agence France-Presse WIGAN, UK: Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini (above) is demanding a return to the ruthless accuracy from his strikers that fired the club to their first league title since 1968 in May. City travel to the DW Stadium to face Wigan Athletic on Wednesday night after a goalless draw at European champions Chelsea on Sunday left them a point behind leaders Manchester United in the PL. In itself a point from Stamford Bridge is no disgrace, but the alarm bells have begun to ring for the City manager. No rivals possess a stronger strike force than City’s attacking roster of Sergio Aguero, Edin Dzeko, Carlos Tevez and Mario Balotelli, all of whom were given a chance to break the Chelsea deadlock. But while only neighbours United have scored more than City’s 25 goals, a comparison with last season reveals why Mancini is anxious. City had scored 43 goals by this stage a year ago, winning 6-1 at Old Trafford and 5-1 at Tottenham Hotspur.