Postnoon E-Paper for 28 May 2012 by Scribble Media & Entertainment Pvt. Ltd.

SHELL OF HSEL RAISES SPECTRE OF BETTER DAYS It stands forlorn as though it had been struck by a thunderbolt. Massive concrete walls, yes, but the stairs have no railings; there are no protective railing on the side and a step further would mean death. The iron rods are exposed; spiders have woven a false ceiling with intricate designs on every floor. The front yard is filled with dried leaves and abandoned furniture. The Hyderabad Stock Exchange building in Erram Manzil has been lying in a dilapidated condition. With the derecognition of the HSEL, there’s no solution in sight. P7 Hyderabad’s first compact afternoon newspaper

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WEATHER: A MIX OF CLOUDY AND CLEAR SKIES; 38°C

THE JAGAN SAGA RUNS AND RUNS Attempted suicide, hunger strikes and violent protests; the Jagan circus moved to the Nampally court. N SHIVA KUMAR

REPORT ON PG 4&5

DANCING WITH THE DREAMGIRLS

FROM THE LAST FRONTIER

Item numbers have become an indelible part of Indian cinema and some of the item girls in the past had even overshadowed lead P8 actors.

The success of MIB III and the upcoming Prometheus, have proved yet again the popularity of our ET friends. P16&17

FLASH

MONDAY, MAY 28, 2012 HYDERABAD

32 PAGES

HC SETS ASIDE 4.5% RESERVATION QUOTA The AP High Court on Monday set aside the 4.5 per cent reservation for minorities out of the OBC quota announced by the Centre last November.

Page Two

MONDAY, MAY 28, 2012

Spirit of Twin Cities

PEDAL POWER

Library summer camp

SRINIVAS SETTY

A library summer camp for parents and faculty of UG and PG students will be held from May 10 onwards. The camp will provide guidance for faculty and final year PG students for National/State lectureship and scholarship test(NET/APSET) for `3,650. Where: Hyderabad library services, Sagar View Complex When: May 10 - June 10, Contact: (040) 2322 2247, 94412 37751

Numerology Logically numerological, numerologically logical. Everything of you, based on DOB. For appointments call Appaaji, numerologist. Contact: 95734 11255

Splash around Beat the heat this summer by joining swimming classes at NHCC. L A special 15 day crash course also available. Special batches will be held for kids and women. Where: Novotel, Madhapur When: Ongoing Contact: (040) 6682 4422

Colonial cousins live Colonial cousins — the extremely popular duo of Hariharan and Leslie Lewis will be performing live at Shilpa Kala Vedika to support Sparsh Hospice Care Centre. Where: Shilpa Kala Vedika, Madhapur When: June 3, 6.30 pm onwards

June 1 to June 3. Where: Marvel Pavillion, Imperial Gardens, Secunderabad. When: Ongoing, 11am onwards

Paradigm shift

Sunday brunch

Mumbai based fusion band PARADIGM which plays a combination of Indian classical music and contemporary progressive rock will be performing live on May 31 at Hard Rock Cafe. Where: Hard Rock Cafe, Banjara Hills, Rd No When: May 31, 9pm onwards Contact: (040) 6463 6375

The Square at Novotel is host to an exciting summer brunch. Great food, beverages and games for your family. Where: The Square, Novotel, Hitech City When: May 20 onwards, Contact: (040) 6682 4422

A matter of perception Juxtaposed Perceptions, a solo painting exhibition by renowned artist Ninad Jagadish. Where: Muse Art Gallery, Lower Tank Bund When: Ongoing Contact: (040) 2752 2999

Weaves lifestyle A fashionable exhibition cum sale “weaves lifestyle” is being held at Imperial Gardens, Sikh Village from

CINEMAS

Theatre workshop Samahaara is hosting special four week summer acting workshops. The workshops will be held for a duration of four weeks in three different parts of the City. Where: Vidyaranya School, The Terrace, The Actor’s Studio When: Ongoing , Monday-Friday Contact: 83411 20303

Buy art Iconart Art Gallery as a part of it’s Buy Art initiative is hosting an exhibition featuring abstract art, sculp-

tures and paintings. Where: Iconart Gallery, Banjara Hills, Rd No 12 When: Ongoing, 11.30 am onwards Contact: 98499 68797

Metamorphosis This workshop aims to help child gain confidence so as to participate in a group , perform on stage through it’s fun-filled play methodology. Where: Treasure House, Jubilee Hills, Rd No 36 When: Ongoing, 2.30pm onwards Contact: (040) 2355 0118

Solo exhibition A solo painting and sculpture exhibition by Shantanu Roy is being held at the State Gallery of Fine Arts, Madhapur. The exhibition is on till May 31. Where: State Gallery of Fine Arts, Madhapur When: Ongoing, 11am onwards Contact: (040) 2311 3308

Painting exhibition An exhibition of paintings by Lalu Shaw is being held at Shrishti Art Gallery. Where: Shrishti Art Gallery, Jubilee Hills, Rd No 15 When: Ongoing, 11am onwards Contact: (040) 2354 0023

Summer camp Annapurna International School of Film and Media will be holding a Summer Camp program in filmmaking, acting and photography. The first batch is from May 21.The second batch is from May 28. Where: Annapurna School, Banjara Hills When: Ongoing Contact: (040) 4914 1234

Water colours A painting exhibition featuring new water colour works by Sunil Lohar called Narrations, Connotations and Interpretations is on display. Where: Kalakrithi Gallery, Banjara Hills, Rd No10 When: Ongoing, 11.30 am onwards Contact: (040) 6656 4466

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

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Depressed man kills self When his wife walked out on him following a drunken quarrel, a depressed B Sudhakar set himself on fire. He eventually succumbed to his injuries

CRIME Mohd Subhan mohd.s@postnoon.com

hat seemed like just another domestic quarrel took an ugly turn when 28-year-old B Sudhakar committed suicide by setting himself ablaze after a tiff with his wife. According to the police, Sudhakar resorted to the extreme step on May 23 after he failed to make amends with Lavanya, his wife, following a drunken quarrel. He succumbed to his burns on May 26 while undergoing treatment at Osmania General Hospital. According to the investigating officer S Ravi Kumar of Tappachabutra police station, although the matter was a simple one, Sudhakar took it very seriously and resorted to this extreme step. He further revealed that the suicide was a

fall out after a quarrel that Sudhakar had with his wife Lavanya, following which she returned to her parents’ home. The couple who stayed in Malaimet in a joint family, under Tappachabutra police station limits, were married three years back and had two

children, a girl and a boy. Sudhakar, who was a wood trader, was addicted to alcohol and would often return home in an inebriated condition. Owing to this, the couple would often fight. On May 3, Sudhakar as usual returned home drunk and quarrelled with Lavanya. Vexed with this, the latter left home and went to her parents’ house in Moula Ali along with her two children. After two weeks, when Sudhakar finally realised his folly, he tried to make amends with Lavanya and persuade her to return home. But despite his repeated attempts, Lavanya refused to take his calls. Depressed by his failure to patch up with his wife, Sudhakar went home on May 23 and poured kerosene on himself before setting himself ablaze. At the time of the incident his family members were not at home. When neighbours realised what was happening they immediately informed the

police, who then shifted him to Osmania General Hospital where he succumbed to his injuries, said Ravi Kumar. Sudhakar’s extreme step came as a shock to his family. “If I had spoken to him, he would have never committed suicide. I had thought this was just another regular quarrel, I didn’t realise that it would drive him to take such a step,” said an inconsolable Lavanya, adding, “Now I have not only lost my husband but also the father of my children.” In the meantime, the Tappachabutra police registered a case based on the deceased’s brother B Santosh’s complaint. “Investigations are on, but so far we don’t have any suspects, because Sudhakar in his statement had said that he had taken this extreme step due to the quarrel with his wife,” said Ravi Kumar, adding, “it was a very simple issue and I have not seen such a case so far in my service.”

CRIME BRIEFS Biker killed after being hit by speeding RTC bus

n a case of rash and negligent driving, a civil engineer was killed when he was hit by a speeding RTC bus. Ramkumar, 28, a native of Kadppa, was working as a civil engineer with a private firm located in Somajiguda. On Sunday when Ramkumar was riding his motorbike near the Telugu Talli statue under the Saifabad police station limits, a speeding bus rammed into his vehicle. Ramkumar fell off his bike, came under the rear wheels of the bus and died on the spot. The Saifabad police have booked a case against the bus driver and are investigating the matter.

19-year-old drowns in Miralam lake

n yet another tragic incident of accidental death, a 19-year-old youth fell into Miralam tank lake and drowned on Sunday. Mohd Ghouseuddin, who was a resident of Kishanbagh, Bahadurpura, had gone to the Miralam tank lake to retrieve a cricket ball. When he went near the lake, he lost his footing, fell in the water and drowned. The Bahadurpura police have said that a case had been registered and that the police were currently investigating the cause of his death.

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HIGH DRAMA IN LOTUS POND, COURT

VOICES

Rahul Ramakrishna and Osama Salman feedback@postnoon.com

T G Jaipal Yadav TDP MLA

Raj Bhavan owing to Jagan’s questioning by the CBI at the Dilkusha guest house. At the court the police threw a cordon around him and they closed the court gate. Jagan was taken inside the court. Around 10.15am joint director VV Lakshminarayana arrived. Jagan’s uncle Vivekananda Reddy came and he was led to the court. The hearing on his bail plea began and it was still continuing at the time of going to press. All shops and establishments were closed in the vicinity of the court. Police spread themselves everywhere and not a soul was allowed to pass the way.

PTI

here can be two reasons for Jagan’s arrest. One could be political revenge against Jagan, who ditched the Congress to float his own party and canvassed across the State. This did not go down well for the ruling Congress. Another reason could be that Jagan was arrested for committing offences as per the law.

he Dilkusha Guest House where Jagan Mohan Reddy was lodged last night was a fortress where nobody came in or went out. The only person allowed to go in the morning was Jagan’s uncle and party leader YS Vivekananda Reddy. Jagan Reddy was taken into the CBI court under heavy police escort around 9.50am. A convoy of five vehicles followed his car. At Jagan Mohan Reddy’s residence

in Jubilee Hills his mother and working president of YSR Congress, YS Vijaya Lakshmi, along with some close supporters resorted to a hunger strike. With them was film actress and party member, Roja. Elsewhere, the YSRC bandh call had little impact on Hyderabad. All institutions, public establishments and shops were functional. The only violent incident was reported form Ibrahimpatnam where three buses were attacked. In the last three days, commuters were put to severe hardships as the police blocked all routes leading to the

t is a known fact that the ruling party would take revenge against those who create trouble for it and those who are loyal to it go scot-free even if they are corrupt. Whatever it may be, his arrest has vindicated our stand that during YSR’s regime, land belonging to the poor had been given to industrialists close to him.

Etela Rajender TRS floor leader

Bus attacked, driver dies Mohd Subhan mohd.s@postnoon.com

T T

he timing of his arrest is not right. This will definitely spell doom for our party. It should not have happened at this juncture. The party will lose all the seats it is contesting in the upcoming bypolls. Jagan should have been arrested after the elections.

Ch Prathap Reddy Congress MLA

he arrest of YSRC chief Jagan Mohan Reddy on Sunday night drew blood this morning when irate party supporters attacked three buses. The driver of one bus lost control, hit an electric pole, and died on the spot. Six passengers suffered injuries of varied intensity. Violent incidents are linked to the YSRC call for AP Bandh today to protest Jagan’s arrest by the CBI last evening. Gangs of apparent YSRC supporters attacked buses, two APSRTC and one private bus near Ibrahimpatnam early in the morning. While the APSRTC buses escaped the ire, the private bus came under heavy stone throwing which led to the driver Gopi losing control of the bus. The vehicle careened to the wayside and hit the electric pole. He

died on the spot. Attempt by the attackers to set the bus on fire was foiled by the passengers and the police who rushed to the spot. In the second incident near Bharath Garden under the Ibrahimpatnam police station limits an RTC bus came under attack. Although some miscreants made a vain attempt to douse it with petrol and set it ablaze, timely police intervention prevented the mishap. The third incident, which was reported from the Mangalpally village in Ibrahimpatnam, where similar attempts were made to attack an RTC bus but heavy police presence foiled the bid, said ACP Ibrahimpatnam V Surender Reddy. In the meantime, the bandh call given by the YSRC party in protest against Jagan Mohan Reddy’s arrest by the CBI in the disproportionate assets case, had no impact in the City.

Partial bandh in the State T

he YSRC party’s call for a day long Andhra Pradesh shutdown Monday to protest the arrest of its leader Jagan Mohan Reddy evoked partial response. Jagan’s native Kadapa district and some parts of Rayalaseema and coastal Andhra regions were tense. A partial shutdown was being observed in these regions while there was hardly impact in Telangana region. The bandh call evoked little response in Hyderabad, though the City turned into a garrison. Prohibitory orders are already in force in Hyderabad, Kadapa and other parts of the State. Police had arrested dozens of leaders and activists of YSR party since early Monday when they tried to force closure of shops or staged road blockades. IANS

MONDAY, MAY 28, 2012

4&5

SRINIVAS SETTY

VOICES

n my opinion, Jagan deserves whatever is happening with him. He looted the State when his father YSR Reddy was in power. It is time he faced the consequences. He deserves to be behind bars immediately without any bail to let him out.

Mohammed Ali, shopkeeper

BRIEFS Clashes, violence erupt in Guntur

What’s cooking?

untur town erupted in violence this morning when YSRC supporters sat in dharna on road to protest Jagan’s arrest. As prohibitory orders are in vogue, the police attempted to disperse them, which resulted in clashes. Police lathicharged the crowd and dispersed protesters. All shops downed their shutters immediately.

YSRC worker makes a blunt statement

YSRC party worker attempted suicide on Monday morning near the Nampally court, where Jagan was produced by the CBI. The Jagan supporter, who was waiting outside, suddenly cut both his wrists and was bleeding, when policemen saw him. They shifted him to a nearby hospital for treatment and have booked a case against him.

ANALYSIS Postnoon News feedback@postnoon.com

hose wizened with age and political wisdom see a method in the arrest of YSRC chief Jagan Mohan Reddy on Sunday after the three days of grilling by the CBI in the disproportionate assets case. Postnoon’s enquiry with three senior political bigwigs (one in Delhi) says that the timing of the arrest is well chosen. As the by-election campaign is in full swing in the 18 Assembly and 1 Lok Sabha seat, the arrest would not provoke largescale violence at the instance of the YSRC because it will lead to countermanding the elections which will deny the YSRC the pleasure to prove its mettle in the elections. At the same time, say the sources, the Congress will have the chance to see how

much the sympathy factor helps the YSRC in the polls. If, they say, the rebel party sweeps the polls, the Central leadership will have a rethink on the Jagan issue and might strike a deal with him before the 2014 elections. Andhra Pradesh has a pivotal role in the Congress scheme. Thirty one MPs are the oxygen on which the Congress survives. It’s too precious to be given up. It is no surprise the Central emissary and Union Minister Vayalar Ravi said during a chat with the Postnoon, “the AP problem will be solved soon.” He was confident and he had talks with people close to Jagan more than once. If the YSRC sweeps this elections, the Congress will have no compunction of considering Jagan his basic demand — ruler of the State. To a political party, nothing is more valuable than the one who bring the seats in legislature. Little wonder Jagan Reddy said more than once, “when a crisis takes place, I will help UPA.”

SR was a great man. He did a lot to help the poor. He even brought Congress to its peak. Jagan was on his way to do the same. The Congress betrayed him and the legacy left behind by his father. This is a political game of the Congress as they know that Jagan is the best man to lead the State.

G Sindramma, homemaker

agan looted the State off hundreds of crores. He needs to pay for his sins and whatever is happening is only because of his greed. Everything has come out in the open and even he knows he is guilty. He will use his position to influence his way out of the mess.

K Sai Roshan, home guards

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MONDAY, MAY 28, 2012

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Service to community is their goal DEEPAK DESHPANDE

PHILANTHROPY Anubha K Singh anubha.k@postnoon.com

reaking the myth that the youth of today are selfcentred, a group of 10 boys has collected money among themselves and started a free water and juice service at Musheerabad bus stand. The boys, who are in the business of selling vehicle spare parts, aren’t particularly rich. Yet they spend from their own pockets out of pure goodwill. Everyday, they spend `2,000 to `4,000 serving water to the thirsty passengers, and every alternate day, they serve `6,000 to `8,000 worth of juice. What do they get out of this? “Nothing. We do it because we want to serve the community,” said Abdul Aleemuddin, one of the members of the group. They are the residents of Bholakpur and are aware of the importance of clean water. To maintain the purity of water they clean the earthen pots daily at the end of the day and no outsider is allowed inside the

camp so as to prevent water contamination. They serve water and juice in disposable glasses for the bus passengers and plastic glasses are used for passersby at the camp. The Hyderabad

Metropolitan Water Supply & Sewerage Board (HMWSSB) provides two water tankers to the camp. The camp is open from 7am to 7pm. “On any given day we

Robed women are growing and glowing

serve water and juice to nearly 4,000 bus passengers and more than 1,500 passers-by. The best part is even the RTC bus drivers are very supportive they stop the bus near the camp and allow us

to serve the drinks to the passengers. Many times passengers offer us money but we refuse to take it as our main purpose is to serve water to thirsty people. We ask people to donate only disposable glasses if they want but not money,” said Aleemuddin. “Many companies have come forward to offer us refrigerator but we refused them as people prefer drinking water from earthen pots. Many small political groups and people from business fraternity have also offered us to start the camp under their banner but we refused as we are not doing it for any publicity. Whatever we earn from our business half of it we spend on the water camp and at the end of the day it gives us immense satisfaction” he adds. Surprisingly, this year the HMWSSB has not installed even one water hut in the twin cities; those found here are all private. Thanks to some selfless people and NGOs in the City, parched citizens can still find cool drinking water on the roadsides because of them. However, water provided to most of these stalls is by HMWSSB.

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EMPOWERMENT Pruthvi Ramesh and Sukriti Sen feedback@postnoon.com

n recent years, the legal profession is assuming a feminine tinge with significant rise in women in robes. Women’s entry and rising representation in the legal profession is one of the most remarkable, some claim ‘revolutionary’ change to the legal profession. Many people say that law is not a safe career option for women. The arguments go like this: they face security issues, they do not get maternity leave or payments, not many of them shine as successful lawyers.” Woman lawyers dismiss such statements. “Government pleaders and those working for good law firms get generous maternity leave and flexible work arrangements. Who says being a lawyer is not safe? We are here,” laughs Bhanu. Another lawyer, Thakur Rupa Singh, at Nampally court says, “Law is very important in one’s life. It demands respect. Every woman should study law. It is helpful in many ways.” Taking up law doesn’t mean just wearing a black coat. It is also to help people. I will practise law and in a few years will write civils to become a judge,” says Aishwarya Suresh, student, National

Government pleaders and those working for good law firms get maternity leave and flexible work arrangements. Who says being a lawyer is not safe? Bhanu, Lawyer Law University. Some women lawyers suggest that female attorneys do better. They are valuable hands in firms on legal matters. “Advocates are good. People assume bad things about law. Television can sometimes lead to misconception. Law is not as dangerous as it is portrayed on screen,” says Nandini, a lawyer. There are no women associations for lawyers except the Women’s Bar Association (WBA). Law practice also helps women to help the deprived. “We help deprived women by creating awareness and by giving free legal services,” says Sri Lata, a lawyer. When asked if a person can make a good living by practising independently, she said “To be financially stable it may take time, but work-wise it is good.”

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HSEL lies in shambles

ELECTRONICS

The building of the Hyderabad Stock Exchange in Erram Manzil has been lying in a dilapidated condition. With the derecognition of the HSEL, there is no solution in sight

INFRA Osama Salman salman.o@postnoon.com

FABRICATION

t stands forlorn as though it has been struck by a thunderbolt. Massive concrete walls, yes, but the stairs have no railings, there are no protective railing on the side and a step further would mean death. The iron rods are exposed; spiders have woven a false ceiling with intricate designs on every floor. The front yard is filled with dried leaves and abandoned furniture. This seven-storeyed building is a perfect setting for a gory Tollywood film, and many a movie climaxes have been shot here. Ironically, this is the Hyderabad Stock Exchange Limited (HSEL) building! Though the HSEL inaugurated its own building in 1989 in Himayatnagar, it bought an underconstruction building the same year in Somajiguda to bring all the operators under one roof. Some 23 years later, this branch of the HSEL located behind Erram Manzil bus stop, has been in the same condition that it was originally bought in. Seven floors and 4,86,842 square feet of space (nearly 3 acres) lie unutilised. This branch of stock exchange occupies merely a quarter of the ground floor space. The first floor has been rented to two furniture shops. The construction of the building is far from over. Ill-fate has befallen on this massive property after the HSEL was derecognised by the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) in August 29, 2007, for failing to dilute 51 per cent of its equity share capital to the public. When Postnoon visited the

HSEL, apart from a security guard and a receptionist, nobody else was seen in the stock exchange office. In fact, we even called up the office landline and the telephone receptionist said that ever since the stock exchange has been derecognised, there haven’t been any operations especially since the past three years, although formally the office is open till 6 pm every day. “The building was simply purchased, and there really is no purpose for such a big space especially since the HSEL has been derecognised,” said Sri Hari, senior manager of the Somajuguda branch. He, however, refused to divulge any further details about why there hasn’t been any form of construction and whether they were facing monetary crunch to complete the structure. When contacted, the HSEL chairman, Norottam Rao, informed us that he wasn’t in town and would be unable to speak to us about this. Senior director of HSEL, Ram Swaroop Agarwal, too was apparently “out of town.” Even the building in-charge, Malleshwar Rao, refused to say anything since he is not authorised to speak about the property. The hesitance of the stock exchange staff perhaps shows that the building has been wasted and something better could have come out of it. “The building is really big. It is located at an ideal location. There were massive plans to convert this into a world-class stock exchange, but they have failed to do so. To better utilise the building, government offices that are facing a space crunch can be shifted here. Or better still, it can made into a mall,” suggested Kona Swani, a resident of the Somajiguda.

100 YEARS OF INDIAN CINEMA

MONDAY, MAY 28, 2012

Item numbers have become an indelible part of Indian cinema and some of the item girls in the past had even overshadowed the lead actors of their era in terms of popularity among the masses. Postnoon traces the journey so far

DANCING WITH

THE DREAMGIRLS Hemanth Kumar hemanth.k@postnoon.com

esire is one of the most profound effects of films. From Vyjayanthimala to Mallika Sherawat, there have been umpteen actresses in the past who managed to become every man’s dream girl. To cash in on their popularity, filmmakers often included ‘item numbers’ in the film. Most of the times, these item numbers had no connection with the main story but that hardly seemed to matter to millions of moviegoers who couldn’t have enough of the divas gyrating to scintillating music. The history of item songs dates back to early 50s, when the likes of Cuckoo, Vyjayanthimala and Padmini became a sensation in both Hindi and Tamil cinema with their dance recitals in films like Nagin, Devdas, Vanjikottai Valiban and Raj Tilak. The sleaze factor, which is often associated with item songs, hadn’t permeated into popular culture until the late 60s. In 1958, one of the songs in Sakthi Samanta’s Howrah Bridge, Mera Naam Chin Chin Chu became extremely popular and Helen, who performed in the song, became a big star overnight. For the next two decades, she was the most popular item girl in Hindi cinema and she went on to play noteworthy supporting roles in quite a few films. The popularity of cabarets in mid 20th century had had a huge influence on item numbers. No wonder, most of the songs featuring the likes of Helen and later Jayamalini, Jyothi Lakshmi and Silk Smitha were set in a cabaret and they often featured the hero and the villains enjoying the performance of the dancer. By the early 80s, the item numbers had become so popular in Telugu and Tamil, that distributors demanded the producers and

directors to feature Jayamalini and Silk Smitha in an item number. Item girls were often dressed to kill and their ability to provide an outlet to repressed sexuality made them an indelible part of cinema in the 80s. Silk Smitha had become an icon and some of her songs like Pon meni Uruguthey in Balu Mahendra’s Moondram Pirai and Nethu rathiri yamma in SP Muthuraman’s Sakalakala Vallavan are popular to this day. Meanwhile, lead actresses in Hindi like Madhuri Dixit, Zeenat Aman and Parveen Babi had begun dancing in special songs in their respective films which made the concept of featuring item girls like Helen, Aruna Irani and others redundant. The enormous popularity of songs like Ek Do Theen from Tezaab, Choli Ke Peechey Kya Hai, Dhak Dhak and Dum Maro Dum from Hare Rama Hare Krishna is proof enough of this trend. Actresses like Tabu, Raveena Tandon, Shilpa Shetty, Ramya Krishna and even Sushmita Sen and Aishwarya Rai did item numbers at several stages of their career. In the early part of the 21st century, the item songs were back in vogue thanks to the rise of item girls like Malaika Arora, Rakhi Sawant, Yana Gupta, Mallika Sherawat and Mumaith Khan. Dressed more provocatively than ever before, they even sparked a debate whether item songs were crossing the line between sensuality and vulgarity. But that hardly seemed to have made a difference to the producers because these item songs caught more eyeballs than the actual film itself. Of late, several foreign dancers like Maryam Zakaria, Nathali Kaur, Gabriela Bertante, Scarlett Wilson are giving the local talent a run for their money. But then, as long as they continue to set the screens on fire with their moves, no one’s complaining.

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Greek web users waged Facebook war against IMF head Christine Lagarde on Sunday after she accused their countrymen of dodging taxes. The managing director of the International Monetary Fund received more than 10,000 messages, many of them obscene, on her page on the online social network — where her postings typically draw a couple of hundred comments. By late Sunday afternoon a separate Facebook page had sprung up titled “Greeks are against Lagarde”. Its creators described it as “the page through which to show displeasure as a nation towards Lagarde!”, with a picture of the IMF chief. Greeks accused Lagarde on her page of belittling their suffering in an economic crisis that has seen salaries and pensions cut, in a recession now in its fifth year.

NUMEROLOGY

$700

million

THUS SPAKE

hospitals are not evenly spread out according to the population. When a group of hospitals, mushroom at one place, definitely there would be dearth of patients results in to unethical practices of hospitals for their survival. It is very important for the government to give permissions for the new hospitals, in the locations, where is a need for it. This will not only curb the unethical practices but also helps the larger sections of people to get accesses medical services, he said. Talking about regulations and heavy taxation, Shashidhar said, There are 40 statutory regulations need to be met before opening up a hospital. The permission taking

process has to be made simple for the growth of industry. There is also a need of renewing some permissions every year resulting in official and unofficial costs. It is also becoming burden on the hospitals to provide low cost health services under Aryogyasri Scheme. Initially, the hospitals offered introductory prices but the government is stick to it after years. However, the hospitals could not manage to provide the best services with ever raising input costs and wages. This may force some of the hospitals to compromise on the quality by using second grade equipment in providing health services. Even taxation is so high; every hospital

is paying from `50- 250 per day as a tax depending on the size of the hospital. Medicines and equipment take majority of the hospital costs. There are huge number of drugs with little variations, which are let in to the industry and at times without the need. The generic drug costs lesser but with the variation, the price of the drug increases resulting in heavy price burden on the patients. The council has to first check the need of the drug before releasing in to the market. These pharmaceutical companies corrupt the doctors to push the product resulting in heavy costs to the patients, said Shashidhar.

IMF chief sparks Facebook war by Greeks ATHENS:

POUND MONDAY, MAY 28, 2012 9

$700 million is the worth of the order South Korean shipbuilding giant Hyundai Heavy Industries won from a Norwegian company to build the world’s largest semi-submersible oil rig.

Prudhvi Raju K

he hospital services industry is expected to be worth $81.2 billion by 2015 in the country. The organised sector in the State is growing at around 10 per cent with active research happening in wide variety of fields. However, the growing concern is that the hospital services are not at par to the growth of population. There is lack of human resource (doctors) in the country. According to the world health statistics report in 2010, the country has only 6.13 lakh physicians against a requirement of 13.3 lakh. Even with the country producing around 30,000 doctors every year, there is disproportion in supply due to brain drain problem. “Practising medicine has become just like any other profession. The doctors are leaving for various countries for better career prospects and growth opportunities. However, the government is not looking at the core issues and cribs that doctors are leaving the country. The government has to create a healthy environment for them to stay back,”said Dr K Shashidhar, managing director, Kamineni Hospitals. The country does not even have a doctor per thousand people. It has around six doctors for 10,000 people. The doctors and

`86.67

Swiss ready action plan GENEVA: Switzerland does not foresee a break-up of the eurozone but is nonetheless drawing up an action plan in the event of its collapse, the country’s central bank chief said on Sunday. Thomas Jordan, who became chairman of the Swiss National Bank last month, told the SonntagsZeitung newspaper that a working group was discussing measures to combat any strengthening of the safe haven Swiss currency. The bank intervened in September to stem the rise of the Swiss franc which had soared as investors sought a secure place for their cash, hurting Swiss exports and the tourism industry. Lagarde told Britain’s Guardian newspaper in an interview published Friday that Greeks must “help themselves” by all paying taxes, saying she was more concerned about Africans in poverty than Greeks in the economic crisis.

“You should say that to the relatives of the 3,000 Greeks that have committed suicide, to the one million unemployed,” wrote a Facebook user under the nickname Ntavos Paok. “You should tell your countrymen, who were many years in

colonial Africa enriching themselves by stealing from the grandparents of the children you so hypocritically think of by comparing them with Greeks.” Retired civil servant Christina Tsekoura wrote of the hardship of her and husband whose pensions have been cut and who pay housing tax as well as supporting their unemployed daughter. “My family does not owe one euro to the tax office, to a public agency or a bank in Greece or abroad,” she wrote. “We believe in honesty, hard work and merit. I forbid you from equating me with thieves and taunting my family.” One Facebook user, Litsa Sterp, resorted to ancient Greek wisdom, quoting the first-century scholar Plutarch: “Flee the hostile and tyrannous money-lender who interferes in your freedom and attaches conditions.” ^cm

“We are working to build a policy consensus on a number of pending issues such as introduction of Goods and Services Tax, further liberalisation of FDI, including in retail, and deepening and strengthening of financial markets for long term investments,” Pranab Mukherjee, Union finance minister

AI PROPOSES VRS Air India has proposed a voluntary retirement scheme (VRS) for its executive cadre employees to bring down manpower costs. The Air India Board will deliberate on the scheme at a meeting on Monday. “This is the first time that VRS is being proposed for AI employees. It is a big step for cutting manpower in the best possible way,” a senior civil aviation ministry official told IANS.

GOOD NEWS Bringing much needed relief to power-deficit Tamil Nadu, one of the four units of the Mettur Thermal Power Station resumed generation in the wee hours today, seventeen days after the 840 MW station was shutdown following a fire accident that killed one employee. The 210 MW third unit started generating power since 2.17 am and the other three units of 210 MW each would start functioning in a phased manner, MTP chief engineer M Madhu said. The entire capacity of 840 MW would be realised before May 31, he added.

India‑View

MONDAY, MAY 28, 2012

India unveiled

RELIGIOUSLY MAKING NEWS MUMBAI: Angry Catholics have accused an Indian sceptic of blasphemy after he argued a dripping crucifix was caused by faulty plumbing rather than divine intervention, leaving him facing a possible prison term. Thousands of believers flocked to a suburban street in the west of Mumbai in March, when drops of water began to fall from the feet of Jesus on the cross, drinking the prized liquid in the hope that it had holy powers. Sanal Edamaruku, president of the Indian Rationalist Association, suggested otherwise. He said he inspected the site and found the source of the water to be leaking toilet drainage, making it dangerous to imbibe. “It’s a case of miracle-mongering,” Edamaruku told AFP from his home in New Delhi. “Any kind of miracle-mongering is ultimately to get money and power.” Accusing him of spreading “anti-Catholic venom” during televised debates on the crucifix, outraged religious groups in Mumbai have filed police complaints that could see Edamaruku jailed for up to three years under India’s blasphemy law. “Don’t try to bring dark ages in India,” Edamaruku had warned in a TV discussion. One complaint was lodged with police by Joseph Dias, general secretary of the Catholic-

Statue of Jesus Christ in of Irla village in Mumbai which was allegedly dripping water from its feet. AFP/ PUNIT PARANJPE Christian Secular Forum, who objected to the rationalist’s “very obvious and stridently antiChristian bias”. In a statement emailed to AFP, Dias denied the dripping crucifix had been hailed as a miracle — a status that requires an official Church pronouncement — but he also dismissed Edamaruku’s theory. Superstitious beliefs are still widespread in India, a fast-developing and officially secular country where Hinduism dominates but a diverse range of ethnic groups, religious practices and languages co-exist. As a prominent sceptical

New tech can prevent suicide attempts in metros DUBAI: The growing number of suicides on metro tracks in India could be avoided if a new advanced technology and communications system, which provides for driverless trains and quick response to prevent such accidents, is put in place. Thales Group, which has an impeccable track record in Dubai and other cities - where it provides supervision, communications, security and fare collection facilities - has ffered India its advanced Communications-based train control CBTC) system. With the CBTC system, metro trains can run without a river and all controls are managed from a centralised office which monitors all the tracks and train movements. Incidents of suicides have been on the rise inside Delhi etro premises for the past few months. The first week of May lone saw four such incidents, prompting authorities to take

steps to stop them in future. France-based Thales Group, which plans to bid for the next phase of Delhi Metro as well as the Hyderabad metro among others, feels this technology would help India immensely. “The aim is to reduce the waiting period between two trains to 90 seconds. The delay caused by fog in winters would not happen if this technology is used,” Eric Lenseigne, country director of Thales India Private Limited, told reporters. PTI

campaigner Edamaruku is no stranger to controversy. His association, which claims 100,000-plus members, was set up in 1949 to campaign for scientific reasoning over superstition — a job that has become his mission in life. The 56-year-old has spent the last three decades exposing what he says are fake miracles and fraudulent gurus across India, whose top mystics and yoga masters have amassed huge followings and fortunes. Edamaruku’s targets have included powerful spiritual leaders such as the late Sathya Sai Baba, who was revered by mil-

lions and famed for producing baubles out of thin air. Now Edamaruku welcomes the moves against him as “an opportunity, not a thing to be afraid of”, he said, and is challenging India’s blasphemy law. The legislation bans “deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs” — a rule Edamaruku believes runs counter to freedom of expression. His lawyers are preparing to lobby India’s Supreme Court to overturn the colonial-era section of the penal code, as well as asking a court in Delhi to prevent his arrest. Edamaruku said the Catholics’ response had been “like Islamic fundamentalists speaking” and drew parallels with the opposition to Mumbaiborn British author Salman Rushdie. Rushdie’s 1988 book “The Satanic Verses” remains banned in India for allegedly insulting Islam and the writer withdrew from a literary festival in January this year after death threats and angry protests. “I always think there are two Indias,” said Edamaruku. “The 21st century, which is progressive, modern, scientific” and “17th-century India, which is pulling us back to the dark ages of intolerance, bigotry, superstition”. AFP

Only 27 remain, but Jews love Kolkata KOLKATA: Kolkata’s Jews are a disappearing lot. The once thriving community of some 3,000 has now shrunk alarmingly to just 27, the lowest figure since their arrival in the late 18th century. The creation of Israel in 1948 saw a majority of Jews leave the city. Gradually, the young branched out to other countries for better prospects, leaving the elderly behind. Among the few who remain include an equal number of men and women. For the unmarried males, there are no single Jewish women. Although inter-community marriages among Jews are a taboo, it is not unheard of now in Kolkata. Most Jews who came here were Baghdadi Jews - primarily from Iraq — and smaller groups from Syria and Afghanistan. The lone Jewish cemetery has graves of Russian and Polish Jews as well. Shalom Cohen, a jeweler from Syria, arrived in Kolkata via Surat in the 1790s, with the intention to trade. Since then, many reputed Jewish families have made Kolkata their own. IANS

Migratory birds overstaying BERHAMPUR: The winged guests who had flown to Chilika during winter have continued their stay in the biggest waterfowl habitat of the country despite the mercury hovering around 40 degree celsius. This was revealed from the summer bird count conducted by the wildlife division of the forest department. As many as 77,609 birds of 75 species were spotted in the 1100 sq km lake. These included several migratory birds, official sources said today. Migratory species like the pelican, open billed stork, painted stork and little cormorant were overstaying in the lake. More birds were found in Badagotha and Mangalajodi areas in the lake than Nalabana bird sanctuary area in the summer, DFO (Chilika Wildlife) BP Acharya said. During last summer 41,259 birds had taken shelter in the lake, the sources said. The presence of the birds in the lake during summer indicated they were accustomed to adverse conditions including scorching heat, a senior forest officer said.

Strict protection measure was also one of the causes for their overstaying in the lake, he said. A noted ornithologist, however, said the birds which were unable to fly back to their own habitats due to sickness remained in the lake. The winged guests mostly arrive from Northern Eurasia, Caspian

region, Siberia, Kazakh, Lake Baikal and the remote areas of Russia and neighbouring countries every winter. State’s forest and environment minister Debi Prasad Mishra has advised the officials to take steps for further improvement of the habitat to attract more birds. PTI

India‑View 23 killed in Maharashtra bus accident RAIGAD: At least 23 people

were killed and another 10 injured when a tempo hit two stationery private mini-buses on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway early on Monday. The accident occurred near Khalapur, around 80km from Mumbai. According to the Raigad police control, the accident occurred shortly after midnight when one of the two ill-fated mini-buses had halted for rectifying some technical problem. Suddenly, a speeding loaded tempo hit the two buses from the rear, instantaneously killing many of the occupants sleeping in the bus and running over the others who were waiting for a relief bus. The buses, carrying members of a marriage party from Ghatkopar suburb of north-east Mumbai, was returning to Pune when the gruesome accident occurred, an official said. Another 10 injured passengers have been rushed to hospitals in Mumbai, Thane and Pune. One of the bus driver, who survived, told media persons that the victims were taken completely unawares by the speeding tempo and a majority succumbed after the hit. IANS

Tiger found dead in UP LAKHIMPUR (UP): A tiger was found dead in Kishanpur Wildlife Sanctuary, part of Dudhwa Tiger Reserve, forest officials said here today. The carcass, with multiple fractures and injuries, was detected by forest officials while on patrol yesterday, field director DTR Shailesh Prasada said. The carcass has been sent to Indian Veterinary Research Institute in Bareilly for autopsy to ascertain the exact cause of the tiger’s death, he said. Officials have been on high alert over the past few days since the recovery of two tiger carcasses last week from Haripur forest range in neighbouring Pilibhit. PTI

MONDAY, MAY 28, 2012

India unveiled

PM meets Myanmar president NAYPYIDAW: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh held talks with Myanmar’s president on Monday in a historic visit aimed at boosting trade and energy links and contesting the influence of regional rival China. Manmohan, the first Indian premier to visit Myanmar in a quarter of a century, was greeted with a guard of honour as he met President Thein Sein in the capital Naypyidaw. Energy-hungry India is eyeing a raft of agreements with its neighbour after dramatic reforms in Myanmar ended its international isolation. Singh will travel to the main city of Yangon for talks with opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi on Tuesday, in a move seen as a sign that India also wants to repair links with the veteran activist. New Delhi was once a staunch supporter of the democracy icon, but changed tack in the mid-1990s as it sought closer ties with Myanmar, and drew international criticism for its engagement with the former junta. India has since pointed to recent dramatic reforms under a new quasi-civilian regime, including Suu Kyi’s election to parliament in April by-elections, as a validation of its stance. Singh is the latest in a series of top-level visitors to Myanmar as the international community begins easing sanctions, raising hopes that the impoverished nation could be the next big frontier market. An Indian diplomat who declined to be named said that about 12 agreements were set to be inked during the talks. Singh is seen as looking to expand India’s influence after half a century of military rule left Myanmar heavily reliant on Chinese investment and support. Indian-backed infrastructure projects in the country include a port at Sittwe on the Bay of Bengal but New Delhi’s presence lags well behind that of Beijing, which is behind a host of major energy developments. “India does seem to have been rather slothful in its response to Myanmar’s reforms compared to

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his wife Gursharan Kaur are received by the Myanmar minister of foreign affairs U Wunna Maung Lwin (2R) on their arrival on Sunday.

Terrorism, economic co-operation top agenda: Krishna

head of the Prime Minister’s talks with President Sein, external affairs minister SM Krishna said both India and Myanmar are facing terrorism and insurgency and hence “it is necessary that both of us work out a joint strategy as to how to meet with these terror elements”. “Also, there are insurgents on either side. So, I think we have to work out an understanding to tackle it. We have an understanding with Myanmar, we have been cooperating with Myanmar and it is necessary to deepen this coopthe enthusiasm shown by many other world leaders,” said Rajiv Biswas, Asia-Pacific Chief Economist at IHS Global Insight. He said Myanmar was in the grips of a “gold rush”, and that oil and gas are an area of “considerable opportunity” for investors. According to data from IHS, China led the ranking in investments in Myanmar

Minor fire on Mumbai-bound flight, no casualties MUMBAI: A minor fire broke out in an engine of a Riyadh-Mumbai Jet Airways flight shortly after landing early today, necessitating an emergency situation at the Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport here, official sources said. No casualties were reported. The incident occurred when Jet Airways flight 9W-523 from Riyadh landed at the airport and was taxiing on the parallel taxiway at the international airport, around 5.45am, the source said. Confirming the incident, Jet Airways officials said that soon after landing,

AFP

the Air Traffic control noticed smoke emanating from a suspected fire on the left engine of the aircraft, which was also seen by the cockpit crew. While the cockpit crew shut down the engine, the airport fire brigade rushed to the scene, the airport sources said. The fire was extinguished within minutes and all operations were suspended at the airport for nearly 10 minutes due to the emergency situation. IANS

eration”, he said. Krishna stressed on the economic content of India’s relationship with Myanmar saying “this too is equally important. Myanmar is a developing country like India. They have come out of some problems internally and now they seem to be settling down and it is about time for them to devote time and to launch a developmental agenda, I think people of Myanmar need India’s assistance and India would be willing to assist them”. Krishna’s remarks came in the last year, pledging $8.3 billion, with India trailing in 13th place, with $189 million pledged. Indian trade with Myanmar stood at $1.2 billion in 2010, far short of the $4.4 billion between China and Myanmar. Singh, who

backdrop of Myanmar government signing a ceasefire with Naga insurgent group NSCN (K) and India expressing happiness over the development. Asked about growing Chinese presence in Myanmar, Krishna said: “each country has its own relationship. Myanmar has its relationship with China, India has its relationship with China. So, let us not mix up issues and each relationship stands independent of each other, on a pedestal created over a period of time and history”. PTI is travelling with a top-level business delegation, stressed the countries’ “shared history and culture” in a statement ahead of the visit. India sees Myanmar as the springboard to a closer connection with the ASEAN as well as a key partner in counter-insurgency and economic development drives in its northeast border areas. AFP

Around the World

MONDAY, MAY 28, 2012

Beyond Borders

Europe’s ray of hope: Eurovision The annual kitsch ritual is about the only thing in Europe that’s working — but barely mated. In previous years it has helped launch Swedish pop group ABBA, Canadian singer Celine Dion and, of course, Finnish horror rock act Lordi. In additional to this legacy, Eurovision has many quirks. It allows non-Europeans like Dion to perform, and includes Israel among member nations. It has a penchant for unintentionally retro sounds. And there’s always the looming fear that a contestant strikes out with “nul points, like British act Jemini managed in 2003. And that has earned it a cult status. Yet for countries like Azerbaijan, which is staging this year’s Eurovision thanks to the voraciously-promoted talents of Ell and Nikki in 2011, it is also serious business. The oil-rich country has spent $134 million on the event’s Crystal Hall venue in Baku and cleared swaths of its capital in a pre-event spruce up. “For some nations it’s one of the very few platforms on which they can promote themselves,” Paul Jordan, an academic who has carved a career out of analyzing the song contest, told GlobalPost by phone from Baku. Such a public relations exer-

AFP / VYACHESLAV OSELEDKO

s Greece pushes the euro zone towards a possible Armageddon that could tear apart the European Union, at least one experiment in uniting the old continent is still going strong: The Eurovision Song Contest. The talent show can appear jaw-droppingly strange to the uninitiated, but is for many countries one of the most important cultural — and sometimes political — events of the year. Though it shows no signs of fatigue in its 56th year, this eclectic mix of national pride, panEuropean bonding and barnstorming kitsch isn’t immune to the euro crisis, not least because victory carries the bittersweet reward of hosting next year’s hugely expensive final. No stranger to controversy thanks to a voting system that some say recognizes cross-border bickering rather than musical talent, the contest has this year generated new disputes courtesy of host country Azerbaijan’s questionable record on human rights. And while outsiders may disregard it as inconsequential, Eurovision’s global cultural impact shouldn’t be underesti-

Moldova’s Pasha Parfeny performs during the Grand Final of the Eurovision 2012 song contest in the Azerbaijan’s capital Baku. cise is timely for Azerbaijan, which is bidding to host the 2020 Olympics in the face of heavy criticism from human rights organizations. Amnesty International has demanded the release of 17 people arrested during protests last year and an end to a crackdown on demonstrations. Human Rights Watch says six journalists

and a blogger have been unjustly imprisoned. Azerbaijan, which has also had to deal with a fittingly bizarre spat with Iran, which derided Eurovision as a “gay parade,” has bluntly dismissed the complaints. According to Jordan, these are unlikely to impact on the contest which, he says, exists in its own “bubble.” But, he says, the euro

Transgender diva seeks ‘other’ reforms BANGKOK: Consider Yollada “Nok” Suanyot among the more unique challenges for campaign strategists. After all, the public is seldom presented with a maleborn political candidate who was famously arrested as a teen for using a fake ID to enter — and win — women’s beauty pageants. Via May 27 provincial elections, Yollada could become the highest-ranking transgender politician in Thailand’s history. If victorious, a potential but unlikely scenario, she will have taken a most unusual route to political office: rebellious teenage pageant queen to pop singer to rights advocate and entrepreneur. Yollada, now 28, is campaigning in her home province of Nan, a remote region on the Thai-Laos border. She has no party’s backing. She competes independently against a candidate from Thailand’s ruling party for a top position commanding provincial finances. She is perhaps best known as a cover model and former member of Venus Flytrap, a Spice Girlsesque troupe of fellow male-tofemale transgender Thais. This week, Yollada took a break from campaigning to speak with GlobalPost about her stardom, her political aims and her home pro-

vince’s view of transgender Thais. Yollada “Nok” Suanyot: I’ve received some great feedback. As for the other candidates, yes, they’ve highlighted the face that I’m of a different gender. They seem to think it’s a weakness. But as far as I can see, the people of Nan are believers in human rights. They examine my ability to develop the province more than my gender. I don’t even focus on gender in my campaign. I barely bring it up. You’ve had a lot of high-profile jobs. What are you doing now? I’m the manager of a TV station (a home shopping network called the

“Jewelry Channel”) and I still run my jewelry business. I also do voiceovers for Discovery and National Geographic. Can you be taken seriously as a politician? Or are you seen as a showbiz star? I was born and bred here in this small province. Developing it is my focus. Am I pretty? Am I a star? It doesn’t matter. Whether I’m a star or not doesn’t affect whether or not I can improve lives in this area. Are you satisfied with transgender rights under Thai law? Good laws protecting transsexuals have yet to come. We’re still on

the fringe. Look at me. My role in society is that of a woman. But the law recognizes me as a man. That doesn’t make much sense, does it? Perhaps we now have greater acceptance in society. But not when it comes to legal rights. How far would you push? For the right to raise a child? Well, look, we barely have any rights at all at this point. Our genitalia is not recognised as female (even after surgery) so, if we’re jailed, we’re put in prison with the men. We can’t get proper health insurance. We can’t get married. We have problems traveling outside the country and trouble dealing with banks and government offices. Does your family support your campaign? Yes, they still live here and they support everything I do. Do you think you’ll win? I concede to having very little experience in politics. I’m getting all these positive responses but I don’t know if that will secure my victory. So I can’t answer that question just yet. What will you do if you lose? I have my career. And I’ll continue my work with the TransFemale Association of Thailand. GLOBALPOST

crisis is a different matter with tight finances reining in spending on some acts. “Previously, countries would host parties to promote their entries and give away freebies, but this year has certainly been much quieter,” he added. “Greece in particular has been very quiet. There’s hardly any money there, whereas in previous years they threw money at it.” The crisis has also spilled into the music. Last year’s Portuguese entry was a melodic response to austerity titled “Luta É Alegria,” or the Struggle is Joy. This year Montenegro fielded “EuroNeuro” by Rambo Amadeus, featuring lines such as: “Monetary break dance/Give me a chance to refinance.” Sadly, for fans of turbo folk, Rambo Amadeus didn’t clear the semi-finals, having been voted off in favor of acts including Russia’s Buranovskiye Babushki, a twinkle-eyed group of singing grandmothers. Their “Party for Everyone” offers no meaningful protest lyrics, just an on-stage cake baking routine and classic Eurovision couplets such as: “Come on and dance/Come on and boom boom.” GLOBALPOST

Man is mama duck to 8 ducklings

LONDON: A 50-year-old man in Britain has become a surrogate mother to eight ducklings after watching them hatch. The birds now think he is their mother and follow him everywhere. They are kept in a pen during the day but do get to stretch their legs when they accompany Ponce Risco on his daily walk. Risco said “They think I’m their mother I think, as long as they can see me they are fine but if I go out of sight they start making a noise and panic and huddle together.” He added: “I didn’t ask for this, I was just trying to help. “We were here with the eggs and they take an imprint of the first thing they see.” IANS

Around the World Assange set for extradition verdict LONDON: WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange will find out on Wednesday whether he can be extradited from Britain to Sweden, as the Supreme Court hands down its judgement at the end of a marathon legal battle. Britain’s highest court is Assange’s final avenue of appeal under UK law, having been detained in December 2010 on a European arrest warrant. He is wanted in Sweden for questioning over allegations of rape and sexual assault. Since then, the 40-yearold Australian has been through round upon round of legal battles, culminating in what will be a short ruling at the Supreme Court in central London. The judgment, expected to take around 10 minutes, will be handed down at 9.15am (0815 GMT) on Wednesday, streamed on the Sky News website. Assange will have been living under restrictions on his movement for 540 days when the verdict is handed down. Assange’s case rests on a single point — that the Swedish prosecutor who issued a warrant for his arrest was not a valid judicial authority. The Supreme Court president will give a summary of the point of law raised by the appeal, the court’s decision, and a brief explanation of its rationale. AFP

MONDAY, MAY 28, 2012

Beyond Borders

UN Council stands united on Syria verdict

Syrians carry coffin of Fadwa Khaled who was allegedly killed during the unrest in Qamishli. AFP UNITED NATIONS: The UN Security Council on Sunday strongly condemned the Syrian government for using artillery in a massacre in which at least 108 people were killed and 300 others injured. UN officials said the slaughter in Houla — the subject of an emergency Security Council meeting — claimed the lives of 49 children and 34 women. Russia, Syria’s main ally, signed up to the Security Council statement which “condemned in the strongest possible terms” the killings in the village near the protest city of Homs. The statement said the deaths had been confirmed by UN observers and were the result of “attacks that involved a series of government

33 killed in Hama BEIRUT: A Syrian military offensive on Sunday left 33 people dead in and around the restive town of Hama, with seven children among the latest victims, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. The London-based observatory said today that the central town had come under machinegun and rocket fire just as the UN Security Council was holding an emergency session which condemned an earlier massacre in the country. AFP artillery and tank shellings on a residential neighbourhood.” The 15-nation council made a new demand for President Bashar al-Assad to withdraw heavy weapons

from populated areas — in line with the peace plan of UN-Arab League envoy Kofi Annan — and said that “those responsible for acts of violence must be held accountable.” UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and Annan have called the Houla massacre a “flagrant violation of international law”. Britain and France had proposed a UN statement making an even stronger condemnation of the Assad government. But Russia would not agree on the wording and demanded a special meeting before approving the statement. The Syrian government has denied any responsibility for the deaths and Russia still does not accept that the Damascus government is to blame, its diplomats said. “It still remains unclear what happened and what triggered what,” Russia’s deputy UN ambassador Igor Pankin told reporters after the meeting. “There are substantial grounds to believe that the majority of those who were killed were either slashed, cut by knives, or executed at point blank distance,” Pankin said before the meeting. “It is difficult to imagine that the Syrian government would not only shell... but also use point-black execution” against dozens of women and children, he said. AFP

Love conquers all at Cannes AFP/ LOIC VENANCE

CANNES: Cannes crowned Love by Austria’s Michael Haneke, the wrenching tale of a man and his dying wife, with its Palme d’Or prize on Sunday as Europe swept the awards at world cinema’s top showcase. Haneke’s octogenarian actors, French screen icon JeanLouis Trintignant, 81, and Emmanuelle Riva, 85, bowled Cannes over in the story of Georges and Anne, an adoring couple whose bond is tested after she suffers a stroke. Hailed as a “masterpiece” by critics, the French-language Love marked a journey into tender new territory for a director better known for exposing the icy secrets of the soul. Both actors climbed on stage at the star-studded gala in the Riviera city to accept the award with Haneke, who dedi-

Love director Michael Haneke (C) poses with lead actors JeanLouis Trintignant (R) and Emmanuelle Riva during a photocall. cated it to his wife of 30 years. Speaking for the rest of the jury, the designer Jean Paul Gaultier said Riva and Trintignant had delivered “the

greatest emotion of all the movies we saw.” Choosing among 22 films from around the world, the jury headed by Italian director Nanni

Moretti handed all but one prize to Europeans. Cannes’ best actor award went to Danish heart-throb Mads Mikkelsen, 46, searing as a man falsely accused of molesting a child in the psychological thriller The Hunt by Thomas Vinterberg. Two young Romanians, Cosmina Stratan and Cristina Flutur, shared the best actress prize for their roles in Cristian Mungiu’s Beyond the Hills, about a young nun and her friend who falls victim to a deadly “exorcism”. Mungiu, who captured the Palme d’Or in 2007 for the Communist-era abortion drama 4 Years, 3 Months and 2 Days, also won this year’s screenplay prize for the story that explores how badly institutions can fail the individual. AFP

GLOBE AT A GLANCE 2 Tibetians set selves on fire in Lhasa, 1 dies BEIJING: Two Tibetan men set themselves on fire in the Tibetan capital Lhasa and one died, China’s official Xinhua news agency said today. Sunday’s incident was the first such protest to take place in Lhasa, according to Xinhua, which said police put the flames out “in minutes” and one of the men, named Dargye, survived and was in a stable condition. The dead man as Tobgye Tseten.

Sudan, South Sudan to meet for crisis talks ADDIS ABABA: Sudan and South Sudan are due to restart African Union-led talks in the Ethiopia on Tuesday in the first face-to-face meeting since bitter border fighting took the foes to the brink of allout war. International pressure has pushed both sides to return to the long-running talks stalled by the fighting last month.

Children dressed as angels take part in the Divine Holy Spirit’s Procession in Sao Luiz do Paraitinga, Brazil on Sunday. AFP

Liberian warlord Charles Taylor faces sentencing LEIDSCHENDAM: Liberian warlord Charles Taylor will be sentenced for war crimes by a special UN court on Wednesday, after being found guilty of arming Sierra Leone rebels in return for “blood diamonds”. The tribunal’s chief prosecutor, earlier this month argued for 80-year prison sentence for Taylor, once one of the most powerful men in west Africa.

Tropical storm Beryl heads to US coast MIAMI: Tropical Storm Beryl picked up speed and churned toward the southeastern US coast at near-hurricane strength on Sunday, casting a shadow over the first big beach weekend of the US summer season. At 0001 GMT on Monday, Beryl’s center was located about 115 kilometers east of Jacksonville, Florida, the Miami-based National Hurricane Center reported.

Activists of the Pakistan Tehreek-eInsaaf wave party flags during a public meeting in Rawalpindi. AFP

Comment

MONDAY, MAY 28, 2012

Fair, free and forthright

Vanishing voices

Talk back Stop illegal gas trade I live near a slum beyond the Yousufguda check post. We live in the grip of fear every single day of lives. Coming from a poor family, we do not have enough resources to shift our residence. The fear of losing our lives in an explosion any day is what we fear most. Autorickshaws and sometimes cars are all the time queuing up just behind where we live. I know that illegal gas transferring is happening there. Please will the concerned authorities stop this menace and ensure are safety? Anita Wesley By email

Lost lives forgotten When a big tragedy strikes for a couple days newspapers carry them prominently and then reports on it stop. And because the public has other preoccupations, the tragedy gets forgotten, till eventually it is erased from the short-lived memory of the masses. As a consequence nothing gets done to punish the guilty to ensure that man-made tragedies like the Hampi Express accident that fizzled out a number of innocent lives, do not recur. This particular tragedy is also going the same way. With the passing of just three days, it has become history. VS Murthy Panjagutta

Patch up RGV, Dutt I have very keenly been following Ram Gopal Verma on his Twitter account. He comes around as a knowledgeable and intelligent human being to me. And Sanjay Dutt, we all know from his history, is a khalnaayak in real life, who has turned over a new leaf. He is a very popular figure with a big fan following who has braved and lasted the film industry for over three decades. It is unfortunate that two colossal film personalities fell apart because of one flop movie. My advice to the two is... patch up, for life is too short and gets shorter with differences. Deepika S Ameerpet

Shame child abusers Those who violate a child’s freedom are a curse to the society. They ought to be singled out and barred from being able to life within the society. Children are like angels and childhood a once in a lifetime bliss. To deprive a child if childhood is the worst atrocity one can commit and deserves no pardon or lenience. Only strict punishment will deter others. Brinda Naidu Kukatpally

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. Editor: Dean Williams

Human Angle Babu Gogineni

ecently, the world's spotlight focused briefly on 75-year old Gyani Maiya Sen, the last speaker of Kusunda, a language from western Nepal. Maiya Sen's two children had refused to learn their mother tongue since this nomadic language was looked down upon by the others. They migrated from the hills, changed their family names and married outside their group - this was the story of many Kusundaspeaking families in the last century and today hardly anyone self-identifies as a native Kusunda speaker. Yet, Kusunda is considered unique by linguists as it is a language isolate and does not fall into any of the 20 major language families of the world. Experts are learning the language from Maiya Sen so that a unique part of humanity's linguistic heritage is preserved. In 2010 when Boa Sr of the Andamans died at 85, with her died Bo, a language that the Bo tribe spoke for the past 65,000 years. When Marie Smith Jones died in Alaska in 2008, so did the aboriginal Eyak language as she was its last speaker. The Manx language of the Isle of Man died in 1974 along with Ned Madrell. The American Summer Institute of Linguistics reports that 51 of the world's nearly 7000 languages have only one speaker left — so the disaster of Kusunda, Bo and Eyak is set to repeat itself in the years to come. Further, nearly 500 languages have less than 100 speakers and another 1,500 languages have fewer than 1,000 speakers each. UNESCO sounded the alarm a few years ago, pointing out that nearly 2500 of the world's languages are endangered: 538 languages are critically endangered, 502 severely endangered, 632 definitely endangered and 607 unsafe. UNESCO's Atlas of Endangered Languages also points out that India leads the list with 197 endangered languages, while the US has 192 languages. Indonesia's count is 147 languages. “Language is the dress of thought,” said Samuel Johnson. If a group prefers to think in another language than its native tongue, or if a language refuses to catch up with changing times and cannot meet the demands of modern times, can anything be done from the outside to preserve that language?

Editorials

The problem is complex and so are the answers to these questions. In most parts of the world language is the basis of identity, culture and nationhood. Most European countries are organized on the basis of the dominant language of their region while recognizing some minority languages. In South Asia, amongst other reasons, Bangladesh was born as a result of the aspirations of the Bengali-speaking people of East Pakistan. India is divided into different federal states primarily based on language. The dominant languages in these societies have attained their position because of the number of people who speak it, because of state patronage and by virtue of they being the language of politics, justice and administration. It is a consequence of this that minorities are sidelined unless safeguards are provided within the system. Efforts have been made world-wide to recognise the importance of linguistic rights —some official, some yet to gain formal support of the international institutions. These are the Universal Declaration of Linguistic Rights (not official) and the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages (official). Linguistic Rights and the Right not to be discriminated on the basis of language are also covered by the International Bill of Rights. In the Constitution of India, Articles 29 and 30 provide special measures that guarantee to all minorities, including linguistic minorities, the right to conserve their lan-

guage and to establish and administer educational institutions. Article 350 A enjoins all state and local authorities to provide adequate facilities for imparting education at the primary level in the mother tongue to children belonging to linguistic minority groups. Of course, it is not always possible to do this because of the stage at which some of the languages are. For example, not all languages have a script. Further, languages have their own evolution and where a language is not adequate to the needs to the people using it, it is bound to lose out and even disappear. It is believed that since recorded history nearly 7,000 languages have so far become extinct. What would be unacceptable is that a language's existence is threatened due to social prejudice which certainly seems to be the case of Kusunda in Nepal or the Gond language in India. Such languages need support for creation of modern dictionaries, language academies and facilities so that they evolve to meet the demands of modern times. It is possible to preserve languages and protect them. Papua New Guinea's extraordinary story is inspiring — this country of just 3.9 million people has a dazzling linguistic richness of over 800 languages and only 80 of them are considered endangered. This is possible because the people have been 'proud to speak their language'. This is the essential condition for the success of a language.

WHILE LEADERS SQUABBLE OVER INTERVENTION Syrians pay with their blood

hile the world leaders are weighing the pros and cons of international intervention in Syria, the body count is mounting. The Assad regime has been ruthlessly slaughtering civilians in its suppression of opposition and the international sanctions have done little to stop the bullets. A UN-brokered ceasefire has failed and the contingent of monitors have been reduced to mute spectators. The recent massacre where about 40 children were gunned down by government forces in their bombardment of an opposition stronghold shows clearly that there is scant regard for human lives. The Western countries began their military action against Gadaffi when his troops' siege of a rebel stronghold threatened to trigger a humanitarian catastrophe. However, this enthusiasm has been lacking in the 'liberators' though people are dying like flies. For every second of indecision and delay, the people of Syria are paying with their blood. The global community should set aside their differences and forge a consensus for direct intervention in Syria and stop the megalomaniac tyrant.

JAGAN SAGA stretches police

s the Jagan imbroglio captures the imagination of the state, there’s one question that has not been answered. With a large number of police being used to ensure Jagan’s safety are there enough left over to protect law-abiding citizens who do not happen to be living along Jagan’s route? We’re waiting.

Campus

MONDAY, MAY 28, 2012

All that we want it to be? Those just out of school can’t wait to start college. But does the quintessential college experience match up to your imagination? Here’s a reality check Sameena Kenaz feedback@postnoon.com

he first day of college is often weighed down with so many expectations. We lose our sleep over trivial things like: what to wear, which bag to take and wonder endlessly, what it will be like. But, often the experience doesn’t even live-up to our expectations, let alone exceed them. What we expect and what we get, seem to be poles apart for most of us. Vidhi Malpani, a student of class X at Orchids International School tells us, “I’d like my college to be something different, something new. I want new experiences in life but also after graduating from a school where we have special attention for every student, I would expect the same from my college.” We expect college to be marvelous. We expect that the new step in life will make us indepen-

dent, mature and smarter. But does all that really happen? In some aspects it may have been everything you wanted it be; the independence, all the bunking and hanging out. But, in the other aspects college might have royally failed your imagination. To a lot of students just the joy of being able to wear whatever they want is something to look forward to, but this soon fades to

dismay. The grim realities of college life tell a different story altogether. Hafsa Maqavi, an intermediate, second year student tells us about her experience so far, “College life is completely different then what I thought it would be like, school life is more innocent and we have guidance but college life is too independent and makes us do stuff we

regret later.” And its not just a case of the grass being greener on the other side. Because Ammar, another intermediate student shares the same sentiment. “School life for me was just perfect! It used to be friends, food, parties, coke, music, cricket and some more parties. I was sure my life wouldn’t change too much once school life would

end. But to my surprise, there was something completely different in store for me! College equalled party was how I had thought of it. But on the first day of my college life I wanted to run back to my school life and freeze it forever! But then as days went by, I realized one year of the ‘torture’ was over,”he says wryly. The reason college means so much to most is because its the changing point of life. It signifies independence, maturity and responsibility for ones actions; hence, the expectations are endless and large. College means, finally studying only what you want to and no more struggling with subjects you hate. It means an effortless life. But, unfortunately, more often than not, it turns out to be nothing of what we contemplate and sometimes leaves us ‘tortured’ and makes us realise why we realise and cherish school life again.

How to choose a college that’s right for you Introspects: Till now, you’ve had little choice in the matters of education. But now, you get to choose what you’ll study, where you’ll study and how you want to study. Take your time. Think carefully. Be sure. Don’t give into peer pressure and go in the general direction of where your friends are headed. What might work for them might not for you.

Research, research and more research: Most colleges already have a reputation. Either they’re good, just okay or really bad. While looking them up on the internet might be the easiest way, it’s not the most reliable. Talking to alumni is usually the best way to find out everything about the college.

Stretch your boundaries: If you think there isn’t a good enough college in the vicinity for the programme you want to study, then look for the best place. Don’t settle. Most importantly, don’t eliminate choices because you think the best colleges are too tough to get into. Try anyway. It might make all the difference down the road.

Prioritize: It’s easy to be tempted by the frills of a fancy campus, relaxed rules, glamorous cafeterias or some such but they should not be your criteria for choosing on a college. Instead, inquire about the faculty, the facilities, the courses, the costs and most importantly, the placements.

Think long-term: A commonly made mistake among youngsters is to blindly rush into a course to buy time. If you are not clear about where you are going now, you won’t be two or three years later. So its imperative to think carefully now. Your choice now should ideally be a step towards achieving your long-term goals. That said, don’t be paralyzed by the fear of making the wrong choice. The safest way to avoid going wrong is to study what you love, what you are passionate about, and what you think you will be good at, irrespective of whether its a popular choice or not. If nothing else, you will come out of college having the best time of your life!

H‑Factor

MONDAY, MAY 28, 2012

Holistic view of mind, body and soul

Patience and understanding is the key

Dr Diana Monterio

Let loose those muscles There are several muscles in the foot that go unused due to the use of footwear. Barefoot running can help utilise those muscles Ranjani Rajendra ranjani.r@postnoon.com

ow often have you come across articles stressing on the need to wear well fitted trainers when you go running? The trainers should be well cushioned, should fit well with enough space for your toes etc. But in a latest trend many converts have been inspired by Christopher McDougall’s bestseller ‘Born To Run,’ which focuses on the virtues of running barefoot without pain. However, according to anecdotal evidence there has been a surge in foot injuries as more and more people switch to barefoot running in the West. These range from pulled calf muscles to Achilles tendinitis with some patients laid up for several months. Yet, experts in the City point out that if practiced properly, then running barefoot is actually a lot more beneficial

than running with shoes on. “When you run barefoot, the sensory reception is much better and so is the shock absorption,” says Dr S Rajesh Kumar, chief physiotherapist at SISA Hospital. According to Dr Rajesh, over the years humans have evolved to running with footwear. “Over the years we have gotten so used to running with footwear on that the sudden transition from footwear running to barefoot running, people are bound to injure themselves. This occurs primarily due to improper training,” he says.

The difference “When you jog with footwear on, you tend to put your heel first due to the cushioning in the shoe. As a result the impact is on your knee. Traditionally, when people run barefoot, they run on their forefoot. This facilitates better shock absorption on the heel, ankle and knee. But when you run with footwear on this gets reversed,” says Dr Rajesh. Injuries can occur when

people put too much pressure on their calf and foot muscles, or don’t shorten their stride and end up landing on their heel with no padding. “The transition from footwear to barefoot running can be hazardous. Stress fractures can occur even with footwear running. This can happen when you do too much in too short a period of time. This commonly happens with

marathoners and cyclists. In the long run this can take a toll on people’s joints,” warns Dr Rajesh. Incidentally, there are a lot of muscles between the bones in the foot that we barely make use of due to the constant use of footwear. “People who wear footwear all day long lose muscle strength because these muscles are not used during the day. There is no free chance for the muscles to perform well,” says Dr Rajesh.

What you can do

We have gotten so used to running with footwear on that with the sudden transition to barefoot running, people are bound to injure themselves Dr S Rajesh Kumar, Physiotherapist

What one must do is start off slow. A sudden transition can be hard on the joints. “The best way to minimise such hazardous impact is to start off slowly, be steady and take a long time to increase the intensity of jogging. Too much in a short time is to bad. The reflexology points in the foot are better stimulated when you run barefoot. Also avoid rough terrain and work your way up slowly. Gradually your foot will begin to get stronger,”Dr Rajesh says.

My 10 year old son still wets the bed. This is embarrassing when we are travelling or he is invited for a pyjama party. He now finds it embarrassing and tries to hide his sheets in the morning. What could be the reason and what can I do to help him? I’ve even tried to limit his water intake in the evenings. Bedwetting usually occurs in children below the age of three or four. After this age only 15% of children continue to have this problem, and only 5% of 8 to 11-year-olds wet their bed at night. Typically bed wetting goes away on it’s own, but for some, a little more help might be needed. Children rarely have control over this behaviour and it is often a source of embarrassment and shame for them and can affect their self-esteem. It usually stops by puberty and is more in boys than in girls. Bed wetting itself does not indicate emotional problems, and there can be several causes for it. It can be an inherited trait where if the parent was a bed wetter, often the child is one too. It could also indicate a sleep disorder or could be a result of a small bladder or delayed bladder maturation. Also, if a child is constipated this can cause it as well. When a child has insecurities or fears caused by sudden changes in their life, this can also cause bed wetting. Parents should remember to treat this problem with patience and understanding. Offer a child support and encourage them that this behaviour will soon stop. Check for any medical problems that might be causing it. Limit liquid intake at night and encourage a child to void twiceonce at bed time and once before they fall asleep. Praise a child on their dry mornings and avoid punishing them for this behaviour. A paediatrician can help with medication and there are also moisture alarms that work on behavioural conditioning that can be useful in training a child to wake up before they wet the bed. If emotional problems are present, then seek the help of a psychiatrist or counselor. (The writer is a counselling psychologist at the Hyderabad Academy of Psychology. You can write to her at askdrdiana@gmail.com)

H‑Factor

MONDAY, MAY 28, 2012

Holistic view of mind, body and soul

IUD MORE EFFECTIVE THAN THE PATCH: STUDY Women who choose birth control pills, are more likely to have an unplanned pregnancy than those using IUDs WASHINGTON: Women who choose birth control pills, the patch or vaginal ring are 20 times more likely to have an unplanned pregnancy than those using long-term methods such as IUDs and implants, a study released Wednesday found. Among young women under 21 who chose the pill, the patch or vaginal ring, the risk of unintended pregnancy is almost twice as high as that for older women, according to researchers at the Washington University School of Medicine in St Louis. The study, carried out on 7,500 participants between the ages of 14 and 45, appears in the May 24 New England Journal of Medicine. “This study is the best evidence we have that long-acting reversible methods are far superior to the birth control pill, patch and ring,” says senior author Jeffrey Peipert.

HOUSECALL

APP-LY YOURSELF

Ataxia

Usable health

he loss of coordinated body movements is known as Ataxia. The ailment can be inherited but also has various other non-inherited causes such as multiple sclerosis and brain tumour. The other possible causes are a development delay in the brain while in the womb itself, deficiency of vitamin D and sensitivity to gluten. Although the symptoms of ataxia vary according to the type, the earliest symptoms include clumsiness and unsteadiness. These symptoms are followed by other problems like progressive hearing, vision and speech loss. The severities of these symptoms may vary as time progresses. As there is no treatment, physiotherapy and medication may be given.

“Intrauterine devices and implants are more effective because women can forget about them after clinicians put the devices in place.” Unplanned pregnancies remain a major health problem in the United States. About three million pregnancies per year — half of all pregnancies — are unplanned, very high for a developed nation. “We know that IUDs and implants have very low failure rates of less than one percent," said lead author Brooke Winner. “But although IUDs are very effective and have been proven safe in women and adolescents, they only are chosen by 5.5 per cent of women in the United States who use contraception.” IUDs are inserted by a nurse or doctor, but few women can easily afford them as the cost can reach around $500. However “when IUDs and implants are provided at no cost, about 75 per cent of women chose these methods for birth control,” Winner added. That means that greater use of longer acting contraceptive methods by teens and young women could prevent substantially more unplanned pregnancies.

f you are in the mood for a spicy chicken burger or those hot crispy french fries but you really can’t afford to be eating any junk food, usable health is an innovative app which helps you ‘swap’ you food for a healthier alternative. So you satisfy your food craving without worrying that it’s unhealthy. The app works like this — you enter the details of what you want to have and then swap. The app gives you a healthier alternative along with the recipe for this healthy dish. The app also helps generate a nutrition profile and provides various diets. The app can be downloaded free of cost.

Fever during pregnancy increases autism risk Alexander Besant

he University of California, Davis researchers found that even a single fever episode in an expecting mother may more than double the risk of having an autistic child. “Our study provides strong evidence that controlling fevers while pregnant may be effective in modifying the risk of having a child with autism or developmental delay,” said lead author Ousseny Zerbo, a PhD candidate at UC Davis during the research, reported Health 24. “We recommend that pregnant women who develop fever take anti-pyretic medications and seek medical attention if their fever persists.” The study looked at data from the Childhood Autism Risk from Genetics and the Environment (CHARGE) study, which included 538 children with autism and 163 children with developmental delay, reported Medical Daily. The survey tracked whether mothers had ailments such as the flu or fever during pregnancy. The research found that while fever increased the risk of autism and developmental delay, having the flu did not. Anti-fever medication helped to mitigate those risks. The study was published in the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders. GLOBAL POST

DID YOU KNOW? You are taller in the morning

re you one of those who would do anything to be or look tall? Studies have proven that every person is 4 cm taller when they first get out of bed. This happens due to the relaxing of cartilage in your back, legs and your hips. As the day progresses you start to shrink. By evening you are back to your regular height. This happens due to gravity. Next time you want to brag about your height, do it during the daytime.

Spotlight

MONDAY, MAY 28, 2012

Political tensions couldn’t stop the city from partying as Kismet on Sunday night was a sight to behold. PYTs from across the city let their hair down to make the most of the weekend

A Hard Day’s Night DEEPAK DESHPANDE

Bindya

Kritika, Varsha & Noorain

Deepa

Tracey

Divya & Priyanka

Jay & Poorvi

Sandy & Sonia

Sonia

Koyal & Anup

Bharat & Sristi

Maloni

Magic Screen

Samantha to team up with Shankar?

RGV keeps his fingers crossed R

GV is down, but not out despite the debacle of his recent film Department. Amitabh Bachchan, Sanjay Dutt, Rana Daggubati, Lakshmi Manchu, Madhu Shalini and Abhimanyu Singh played the lead roles in the film. Two days after the release of the film, he alleged that Sanjay Dutt, Dharam Uberoi and Abhishek Bachchan were responsible for the film’s failure. Soon after this controversy broke out, there were reports that Sanjay Dutt had distanced himself from his close associate and Department’s co-producer, Dharam Uberoi. When the news reached RGV, he was delighted with the turn of events. “Don’t know if dharam is out of sanjays life but if true its the best news I heard cos he’s more dangerous for sanjay than the 93 blast case (sic),” RGV posted on Twitter. That’s not all, he also revealed that the original version of Department will be dubbed in Telugu and it’ll feature some never before scenes from the film. The scathing reviews and bad word of mouth about the film doesn’t seem to have had any impact on RGV. No wonder, he’s still hoping that the audience in Andhra Pradesh will continue to patronize his films, like they had done in the past.

MONDAY, MAY 28, 2012

The glamour behind the glitz

amantha’s dream run at box office doesn’t look like to be stopping anytime soon. It’s been just two years since Samantha made her on screen debut and the remarkable progress which she has made in such a short time has surprised many. After teaming up with some of the biggest actors and directors like Mahesh Babu, Ram Charan, NTR, Rajamouli, Gautham Menon and Mani Ratnam, the actress has reportedly bagged a role in upcoming Shankar’s film. She’ll play Vikram’s love interest in the film. A M Ratnam is going to produce this bilingual film which will go on floors later this year. P C Sreeram is the cinematographer and A R Rahman is going to compose the music. Meanwhile, Samantha is awaiting the release of S S Rajamouli’s Eega, Gautham Menon’s Yeto Vellipoyindhi Manasu and Deva Katta’s Autonagar Surya later this summer.

AVS sets a National Record

opular comedian AVS has been included in the Indian Book of Records. The national record is for starting the ‘First Online Voting Blog for Cinema Awards’. Few weeks ago, AVS announced a new initiative named Blog Buster Awards 2011 on his blog www.avsfilm.in, which enabled people to vote for their favourite celebs in different categories like acting, direction, writing etc. Buzz is that he’ll also be featured in the Asia Book of Records for this initiative.

T-TOWN TWEETIES

@Actor_Siddharth Have to say... Thoroughly enjoyed bisla and the greatest all rounder in the modern game,kallis. Party hard Kolkata fans! What an achievement srk!

@pnavdeep26 About to watch dharuvu... three of my favourite ppl from d industry n m close to r in it... lookin forward... @taapsee,ravi anna n dirtr shiva:-)

@taapsee “Dil hote jo mere seenein mein do, Dusra dil bhi main tumhe deta todne ko” loved these lyrics frm ek diwana tha.

@ramsayz GUNTUR lo vunna ghaattu antha ee Mirchi Yard lo ne vunnattundhi! Sneezing and Coughing... Burning nose and watery eyes! *DEAD* already!

@trishtrashers

Prophecy fulfilled! T

ravelling constitutes a major part of an actor’s life and when someone says that travelling isn’t their favourite part of the job, it’s bound to take you by surprise. Taapsee is one among them. “I hate travelling for long because it makes me quite restless,” Taapsee said in a recent interview to Postnoon, adding “When I was young, I was told that I would travel across the world and I laughed it off saying that no one would force me to go somewhere if I don’t want to. Who would have thought that I would become an actress one day and that the prophecy would come true.” No wonder, everytime she goes abroad for film shootings, Taapsee yearns to come back home as soon as possible. “Almost every film has a song or two which has to be shot abroad and most of the times, we shoot in extreme climatic conditions. When I go abroad, I miss everything about India right from the people, food and places which are familiar,” she says. She’ll soon join the team of Vishnuvardhan’s upcoming Tamil film which also stars Ajith, Nayanthara and Arya in lead roles.

Hi guys... Dont mk it a big issue... I wl always support only CSK but have sum KKR friends... Let us have a large heart n be happy for others....

@shraddhadas43 Shootin with real cobras in a real snake temple situated in an actual snake forest in kerala n dancing between all them! This is so scary!

@snehaullalheart A steet dog was beaten by some unknown person then found by 9 children.tey fed him,took him 2 the vet n found him a home... follow #angelwork

@themohanbabu In Banglore to the attend the celebrations off my dear friend Kanada Superstar Ambareesh. Wish him nay more years of this and more.

Magic Screen

MONDAY, MAY 28, 2012

The glamour behind the glitz

Prasoon Joshi’s Uff tribute to

B-TOWN TWEETIES

@Riteishd KKR ipl champs- congrats to @iamsrk and Gauri- had one of the best evenings- rolercoaster emotional ride, ended in a great victory.

@AnupamPkher

SHAMMI KAPOOR

So wonderful to be the Chief Guest at the 3rd International Queer Film Festival. Proves that the ONLY place without boundaries is Cinema.:)

yricist Prasoon Joshi has penned a song titled Jab se mere dil ko uff for the forthcoming film Teri Meri Kahaani and says that the world Uff reminds him of late Bollywood legend Shammi Kapoor. Sung by Sonu Niigaam and Sunidhi Chauhan, Jab se mere dil ko uff is a tribute to Shammi Kapoor who died last year. The star was known for his typcial dancing and singing style. “The use of the word ‘uff’ is very Shammi Kapoor. You can almost see his face and his head going back with ‘Uff’,” Joshi said. Releasing June 22, the Shahid Kapoor-Priyanka Chopra starrer has been directed by Kunal Kohli, who has taken the couple through different time zones in this love story. Talking about the inspiration for the song, Prasoon said that it was the situation in the movie that helped him write the lyrics. “The song required very simple lyrics. My words were inspired by the situation,” he added. Describing Jab se mere dil ko uff as a fun song, he said: “It is a very easy song but it has a certain meaning. Meaning does not mean that the song has to be very serious. It’s a fun song and I can imagine people singing it. Already people are humming the song.” IANS

@realpreityzinta Just landed in India & heard the good news ! Congrats @iamsrk, Gauri & KKR for winning IPL 5 ! I’m sure 2night the Party is not gonna end !

@rampalarjun Great day, red carpet at Cannes, KKR rocked it Congratulations!!! Force India 6th 7th, Kaam first look at Cannes. Happy. Positive. Superb.

@bipsluvurself

Nawazuddin feels training must for actors

Kohli hooked on to love stories

omantic comedies may be the latest fad in B-town, but Kunal Kohli’s heart lies in pure love stories. And the director says that the key to a successful romantic movie lies in the right chemistry between the script, music and lyrics. “I have grown up watching Yash Chopra and Raj Kapoor’s films. They have always made most iconic films and have always made love stories,” Kohli, who is gearing up for the release of his next love story, Teri Meri Kahaani, said. “My belief has always been with romantic films. I have nothing against rom-com, but I prefer love stories,” he added. IANS

ctor Nawazuddin Siddiqui, who played an abusive officer in Kahaani and an informer in Paan Singh Tomar, says training is must for every actor. “Training is very important be it a theater actor or a movie actor. Right kind of training brings out various shades of an actor and it is appreciated by the audiences,” Nawazuddin said. The actor is on a roll as his two forthcoming films - Miss Lovely by Ashim Ahluwalia and Anurag Kashyap directed Gangs of Wasseypur were screened at the 65th Cannes International Film Festival. “Movies made now are very different and that is why viewers are liking them. Till now the audiences knew that there is a hero, a heroine and a villain and that there will be with some action sequence, romance and song dance thing. He has nine films lined up for release including

Csk is n will be one of the strongest teams in IPL!Cheers to them fr a good run in all IPLs !Love to Mahi n team!

@FarOutAkhtar The wait is over. Well done KKR. Congratulations @iamsrk and all team owners, members and staff. Let the good times roll....

@kunalkohli Humbles me to read you all celebrating #Hum Tum day today.8th anniversary.Thanx for all the love & making it such a cult film.

@udaychopra Aamir Khan starrer Talaash. Other films are Lunch Box with Irrfan Khan, Dekh Indian Circus, Patang, Miss Lovely, Gangs of Wasseypur, Liar Dice, Chittagong and Monsoon Shootout. IANS

Sometimes believing a lie is not about ignorance but about knowing that the person who is lying to you, is more important than the truth.

Magic Screen

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MONDAY, MAY 28, 2012

The glamour behind the glitz

Catwoman leaves her mark

John Mayer soars high

udging by the brief glimpses of The Dark Knight Rises we’ve seen so far, we know that Batman is going to take a beating — likely at the hands of the muscled terrorist Bane. Anne Hathaway’s cat burglar, on the other hand, has been much more difficult to pin down. Is she part of Bane’s “liberation” front, a freelancer with her own scheme, or a potential ally for our aging hero. The most recent TV spot showcased the semi-playful costumeparty banter between Bruce Wayne and Selina Kyle, who shrewdly ended up getting her own ride home. But the newest movie poster — uncovered on the film’s website by a hawk-eyed reader of BatmanNews.com — hints that the feline vamp might not flinch from stepping on Batman’s neck, should the opportunity arise. True to the character’s ambivalence, though, she leaves her mark with a kiss.

Obama’s girls check out Beyonce M

ichelle Obama is with the single ladies this weekend: The First Lady is at a Beyonce concert in Atlantic City. Obama is at Revel Resorts with daughters Sasha and Malia where Beyonce is performing Saturday night. The girls were singing along to Love on Top. The crowd cheered loudly as Obama made her way to her seat in a shiny green dress. Some took photos while others screamed her name. One fan yelled, “This is history!” Beyonce entered the stage wearing a glimmering silver outfit and hot pink shoes that matched her nails. The singer’s Atlantic City concerts are the first since giving birth in January to daughter Blue Ivy. She performed Friday night in Revel’s Ovation Hall and has shows on Sunday and Monday.

hough John Mayer’s performance wings have been clipped due to his current vocal issues, they won’t stop him from soaring into the top spot on the Billboard 200 next week by a wide margin. Born and Raised is on target to sell as much as 250,000, nearly 200,000 more than its closest competitor, Adele’s “21,” which

is looking like it will end up in the 55,000-60,000 range. It will mark Mayer’s third chart topper. Three other albums look strong for Top 10 bows: Christian band MercyMe’s The Hurt & The Healer looks strong to come in at No. 5, although it may have to head off One Direction’s Up All Night, which both titles looking at selling between 35,000-40,000 copies, according to Hits Daily Double. Slash’s new set, Apocalyptic Love and Sara Bareilles’ EP, Once Upon Another Time are duking it out to bow at No. 7 with sales of up to 35,000 copies. Elsewhere in the Top 10, Carrie Underwood’s Blown Away should hold at No. 3, while Lionel Richie’s Tuskegee keeps going strong, actually bolting back up to No. 4 from No. 9. Now That’s What I Call Music 42 will be at No. 9, while the latest Glee cast album is at No. 10. This week’s chart topper, Adam Lambert’s Trespassing looks like it will fall out of the Top 10. But there’s even worse news for “Idol’s” season eight winner, Kris Allen. It looks like his new album, Thank You Camellia may not even crack the top 20 when it debuts next week. Last season’s sweetheart, Haley Reinhart, should come in between No. 15 and No. 20 with her debut, Listen Up.

Chai Time

KAKURO

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

SCRIBBLING PAD

MONDAY, MAY 28, 2012

Take a shot at the brain game while sipping your cuppa

QUICK CROSSWORD ACROSS 1 Wayne's "Sands of Iwo Jima" co-star 5 Casting categories 10 Sheepish sounds 14 Took a cab 15 Poem of 17 syllables 16 For some, it could be a lot 17 Make a more attractive offer 20 Like a contortionist 21 Invested 22 "... see hide ___ hair of" 23 Recede gradually, as the tide 26 Gangster's sidearm 27 Notebook projection 30 "Island in the Sun" novelist Waugh 32 Inventor Whitney 34 "Desire Under the Elms" playwright O'Neill 36 Like a circle stretched in one direction 39 Kindergarten goo 40 Fashion spread 42 Tiny landmass 44 Insist on 45 From that point on 47 First double-digit number 48 Thanksgiving side dish 52 Red or Dead body of water 53 Jump on one foot 55 Wild blue yonder 57 Thing to get pinned on 58 Cup's companion 61 Solo 63 Basis of a false arrest 67 German dollar 68 Bottommost point 69 Teen hangout 70 Onionlike soup ingredient 71 Melancholy poem 72 Beer alternatives DOWN 1 Mysterious lore 2 101-digit number

3 Esteem 4 Walk unsteadily 5 Despite, for short 6 Go off course, nautically 7 Type of evergreen tree 8 ___ out a living (making do) 9 Hot fudge creation 10 Like Old Mother Hubbard's cupboard 11 Decisive experiment 12 Curved line 13 Wait and ___ 18 Actor Billy ___ Williams 19 Taken advantage of 24 Martial arts award 25 Vital fluid 28 Unwanted guest in a pantry 29 Small stinger 31 Ben of Ben & Jerry's 33 Shoreline feature

35 Cheaply ornate 37 Make a mess of 38 Arcade attractions 40 Hedonist's pursuit 41 Give a firm tug to 42 "___ Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas" 43 "That's all ___ wrote!" 46 Certain geological epoch 49 Ethically neutral 50 Make unrecognizable 51 Hardens 54 Bicycle part 56 Oft-repeated word in "Fargo" 59 Run ___ (go wild)

SUDOKU

60 Ill-mannered 62 Buddhist monk 63 ___ Aviv 64 Be contrite about 65 Potbellied creature 66 Turn on the waterworks PREVIOUS PUZZLE ANSWER

THOUGHT OF THE DAY If God had thought homosexuality is a sin, he would not have created gay people. – Howard Dean

Chai Time STAR POWER

MONDAY, MAY 28, 2012

Your tomorrow today̶Star Power and Tarot THIRUVAIKUMAR

As per Hindu panchang

FOR 29-5-2012

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

TAURUS

GEMINI

All your desires will get fulﬁlled. Your social status is set to increase. You have to take care of children and the family members. Expenses might increase in fulﬁlling their wishes.

Businessmen and professional will be the most successful.They will achieve new heights and mindboggling proﬁts. You will enjoy a jolly trip with your family. Students will be successful.

Avoid getting into disputes and petty clashes. Students need to concentrate well. You will be able to pay back with the same coin to your opponents. Good money inﬂow likely.

CANCER

LEO

VIRGO

Politicians will be in the limelight. Wo‑ rk undertaken will move in the desired direction and end without any hitches. Certain projects which you were plan‑ ning since long will materialise.

Unexpected ﬁnancial fortune expected. Ofﬁcial journey will bring desired results. Friends and relatives will be co‑operative. Business will pick up momentum.

Employees will be entrusted with additional responsibilities, but they will ﬁnish them with ease. Egoistic attitude will spoil your reputation and hence advised to avoid.

LIBRA

SCORPIO

SAGITTARIUS

You have to be very alert and cautious as some friends might become ene‑ mies in no time. Avoid getting into dis‑ cussions which are meaningless and waste your time.

Friends or relatives from abroad will help you extend help to you in time. Avoid taking any hurried decisions. Patient approach will yield good results to businessmen.

Your ﬁnancial status become better considerably. Fresh investments can be considered. Old dues will get collected. Government sops will come by govern‑ ment‑related works will end favourably.

CAPRICORN

AQUARIUS

PISCES

Court verdicts will go in your favour. Business will ﬂourish to new heights. You might resume held up projects with the cooperation and support from friends and colleagues.

Financial position is just above satis‑ factory level. You will enjoy full co‑ operation from the spouse and life will roll on smoothly. Avoid taking contro‑ versial stand. Take care of health.

Works which are in the verge of com‑ pletion, need a push to get completed. Businessmen will be able to earn good proﬁts. Be alert with indirect enemies. Old dues will get collected.

SUMAA TEKUR

FOR 29-5-2012

tarotreadhyd@gmail.com

ARIES

TAURUS

GEMINI

Knight of Cups – Emotions are run‑ ning all over the place. Youʼre feeling volatile and want to share your feelings‑ but donʼt know whom to trust.

Five of Cups – Some form of loss is indi‑ cated. There was lit‑ tle you could have done about it. Just let go and move on. No point crying over spilt milk.

CANCER

LEO

VIRGO

Queen of Swords – You might feel lonely and need to be by yourself for some ti‑ me. Take time off and explain to close fri‑ ends and family that you need some space.

Four of Pentacles – Finances are in focus. You are in a comfortable and sta‑ ble position. Good choice of invest‑ ments, which are paying off now.

Strength – Your patience is put to the test and you feel conﬁdent about the choices youʼve made. Just donʼt lose hope if your goal seems a little far away.

LIBRA

SCORPIO

SAGITTARIUS

Six of Wands – Ro‑ mance is in the air today. Singles meet someone interesting at a bookstore or a café. An unexpected encounter will lead to interesting things.

Six of Swords – Foreign trips are about to come your way. Make sure all your documents are updated and youʼre all set for a safe and good journey.

Five of Wands – There are times when you feel nobody is on your side. You feel isolated at the work place. You need to get away and be by your‑ self.

CAPRICORN

AQUARIUS

PISCES

The Fool – This is the beginning of a very fruitful journey in your life. Donʼt ignore an idea that comes into your head. It may turn into some‑ thing big very soon.

The Hanged Man – Spiritual awareness is important today. You need to keep calm and meditate on your choices and actions. Stay away from imp‑ ortant tasks today.

Queen of Pentacles – Youʼre driven and motivated by money. You need to do things the logical way by keeping your ego aside. Think of your family.

Five of Pentacles – Avoid all kinds of conﬂict and ﬁghts. Donʼt lock horns with a coworker at any cost. It will not be worth your time or effort.

For Better or for Worse Stone soup

SOLUTIONS

Boggle DAD SON AUNT NIECE COUSIN NEPHEW

Number game

Suduko

Scrabble

Ink pen

COMICS

Fred Basset

ARIES

TAROT READ

Vol: 1, No. 316 RNI No: APENG/2011/39337 Published for the proprietors, Scribble Media and Entertainment Pvt Ltd, by V Harshavardhan Reddy, at #1246, Level 3, Jubilee Casa, Road No. 62, Jubilee Hills, Hyderabad–500033 and printed by him at Jagati Publications Ltd, Plot No D-75&E-52, APIE Industrial Estate, Balanagar, Ranga Reddy Dist, Hyderabad–500037, Editor: Dean Williams – Responsible for selection of news under the PRB Act All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission of the publisher is prohibited. For feedback, please write to: feedback@postnoon.com and for subscription, please call 040-40672222, Fax: 040-40672211

Playing Field

MONDAY, MAY 28, 2012

The games people play

Bisla stars as KKR wins the big one

Kolkata Knight Riders teammates celebrate their victory after they won the DLF IPL Twenty20 Champions Trophy in a final against Chennai Super Kings at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai AFP/MANJUNATH KIRAN

The magnificence of IPL 5 The fifth edition of the Indian Premier League turned out to be truly magnificent tournament

Twelfth Man Babu Kalianpur

here was everything for a cricket fan – top quality cricket, close finishes, last ball affairs, big hitting and superb bowling. Add to that the off field dramas, including match-fixing scandals, rave parties, assault and rough behaviour and the mixture was heady enough to make a Bollywood script. The final between Kolkata Knight Riders and Chennai Super Kings was also pulsating and was won by the former in the last over. And the crowds were there lapping it up at every venue. For the Indian fan, this was a welcome relief after India’s painful displays over the last 12 months or so. National pride was not at stake. Franchise support was easier to handle and the losses easier to digest. It was loads of fun anyway. There were a few executives who were complaining that the TV ratings were not that great. But the exciting matches, embellished by the eccentric Danny

Morrison and Navjot Singh Sidhu, were far better than the predictable plots and stratagems of sitcom families. There was no shortage of drama. Until the penultimate week, the last four line-up was yet to be decided. And unexpectedly, Chennai retained their place in the top four thanks to the disability of the other contenders. Every franchise had some hope of making it to the last stage at the latter half of their campaign. For some, things fell apart after a good start. For others like Deccan Chargers, it was the case of being near but yet too far. Mumbai Indians and Chennai must consider themselves lucky to make it to the top four in the first place. They were fairly inconsistent but scored the big points when it mattered. But once Chennai made it to the final, they switched on the magic. Skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni was inspirational and the helicopter shot came out of the bag. The Delhi Daredevils played brilliantly before falling at the last hurdle. Dropping the highest wicket taker of the IPL 2012, Morne Morkel, was shocking and disastrous. Royal Challengers Bangalore were

really unlucky. They had two of the best players in the business in Chris Gayle and A B de Villiers. Yet some poor plays at crucial moments lost them a spot. Gayle was easily the player of the tournament. He was at his brutal best and the sixes soared higher as he gained in confidence. This was clean hitting not rough hoicks. It is indeed sad that he is spending his peak years picking up orange caps when he should be turning out in the maroon cap for the West Indies. Another West Indian, Sunil Narine, won the player of the tournament for his mystery spin bowling. He was rarely mastered and was miserly in the runs column. There were a few young Indian players who matched the hardened professionals and overseas players. Mandeep Singh and Gurkeerat Singh of Kings XI Punjab turned out special performances when it mattered. Fittingly, it was a young Indian player who gave the performance of his life to help Kolkata win. Manvinder Singh Bisla, who replaced Brendon McCallum in decision which could have backfired, played some audacious shots to bring his team back into contention. Finally, after Mission Impossible 4, it was Mission Complete for Kolkata.

CHENNAI: Kolkata Knight Riders found a surprise hero in Manvinder Bisla to bag their maiden Indian Premier League title with a five-wicket victory over Chennai Super Kings in a thrilling Twenty20 final on Sunday. The little-known opener smashed five sixes and eight fours in his quickfire 48-ball 89 as Kolkata surpassed Chennai’s total of 190-3 with two balls to spare at the Chidambaram stadium in Chennai. Kolkata needed nine runs to win off the last over bowled by West Indies seamer Dwayne Bravo, but Manoj Tiwary (nine not out) smashed the third and fourth deliveries for fours to spark celebrations in his team’s camp. Kolkata’s other batting star was South African Jacques Kallis, who made a crucial 49ball 69 with the help of one six and seven fours despite suffering a hamstring injury in the later part of his knock. “Mission accomplished,” said Kolkata skipper Gautam Gambhir. “Chasing 191 against the defending champions in their backyard shows the character of Bisla. It proves a captain is only as good as his team.” Man-of-the-match Bisla and Kallis put on 136 runs for the second wicket in 13.4 overs before Tiwary and Bangladesh all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan (11 not out) completed the win to deny two-time champions Chennai a hat-trick. “Bisla and Kallis got the partnership Kolkata needed,” said Chennai captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni. “I think the ball started coming on slightly better in the second half but under the conditions, we batted well. Our bowlers were not getting the reverse swing.” Australian paceman Ben Hilfenhaus bagged two wickets for Chennai, who were facing elimination at one stage of the tournament. Chennai were lucky to figure in the play-offs, having qualified on better net runrate than that of Royal Challengers Bangalore after both the teams finished their league engagements with 17 points. The final was also watched by Pakistan’s cricket chief Zaka Ashraf. Pakistani players, who are usually a major draw in India, have been kept out of the tournament after the first edition, reportedly due to security fears.

Lin Dan leads China to Thomas Cup victory over S Korea Emilie Bickerton

WUHAN, CHINA: Superstar Lin Dan led hosts China to an emphatic victory over South Korea in the Thomas Cup final on Sunday, sending a stark message he and his teammates are in peak form for the London Olympics. Widely regarded as the best player of all time and a sporting hero in China, Lin threw his tshirt into the Wuhan crowd after his side were far too good in seeing off the Koreans 3-0 -- repeat-

ing the feat of the women’s team Saturday. “Lots went through my mind last night. I don’t know how many more Thomas Cups I’ll play. This one is at home and I wanted to put on a good show,” said 28year-old Lin, known as “Super Dan” to his adoring millions of fans. “Every player gets nervous. When you’re young it’s because you’re excited, it’s the first time you wear your national colours. When you’re older, it’s because

there’s a lot of expectation... I didn’t sleep so well last night.” But the reigning Olympic champion showed no signs of tiredness or nerves in his match against Lee Hyun-Il, the 21-14, 21-17 victory easier than the scoreline suggested. “At our level it doesn’t matter if you win 21-9 or 21-19, it’s the outcome that counts,” Lin said as China picked up their fifth consecutive Thomas Cup title and ninth since the men’s tournament began in 1949.

58 DAYS TO GO

MONDAY, MAY 28, 2012 Benoit Noel

HENGELO,

Netherlands: Ethiopian athletics legend Haile Gebrselassie failed to qualify for the London Olympics here on Sunday as he could only finish seventh in the 10,000 metres. The 39-year-old two-time Olympic 10,000m champion who had already failed to post a qualifying time for the marathon admitted his hopes had been dashed after his disappointing performance against 12 of his compatriots. Ethiopia were using this as a qualifier for the Olympics. “The Games in London, is over for me,” he told AFP. “I ran a good race till the last lap. I felt good but I manifestly didn’t have the speed to compete against my rivals. “That’s life. I am not disappointed,” added Gebrselassie, whose epic defeat of Kenyan great Paul Tergat at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, his second Olympic title, is one of the great finishes of all time. Indeed for the ever cheerful Ethiopian great it is to be his last track race. “The ‘spikes’, it is finished for me. I am 39. I have failed to qualify for the Olympics. And there is a very strong younger generation in Ethiopia now. “I tried to qualify for my fifth Olympics. And I don’t regret trying to do so. “I simply came up against stronger rivals on Sunday.” Tariku Bekele and Leleisa Desisa Benti finished first and second respectively - with the former posting the best time in the world this year of 27min 11.70sec - to book their tickets for London. The third spot is being kept for Bekele’s older brother and world record holder Kenenisa, who has been struggling for several months with a calf muscle problem. Gebrselassie said that he felt he was handing over the baton of

Legend Haile fails to qualify for Games

Ethopian athlete Haile Gebrselassie competes during the 10.000 metres race at the Fanny Blankers Koen Games in Hengelo AFP/ANP/ TOUSSAINT KLUITERS Ethiopian track running to a golden generation. “I am leaving the track in a calm frame of mind because there is a super generation taking over. “I haven’t in any case run on the track since the Beijing Games (2008). “Ethiopia will be stronger in

London. “I gave all that I had. It is why I am not sad or disappointed. I am always happy to run. These next months, I will devote solely to marathons and half marathons. “In three years, I envisage a political career. I would like to

become a member of parliament.” Gebrselassie, a four-time world 10,000m champion, had come into the race boosted by his victory in the 10km Great Manchester Run in northwest England last week in 27min 39secs.

S Korea, Serbia go through TOKYO: South Korea, Serbia and Japan qualified for the London Olympics, joining two-time world champions Russia, on the final day of the women’s volleyball qualifying tournament on Sunday. South Korea beat Peru 2511, 25-18, 25-21 to finish on 15 points and in second place behind Russia, who had already qualified for the Games. The Japanese — who were defeated by Serbia 18-25, 2521, 19-25, 25-21, 15-9 — ended with a higher set ratio than the Thais, meaning they claimed the Asian ticket to London. The top three teams in the eight-team round robin and the best-placed Asian side among the rest qualify for the Olympics. Serbia ended in third place with a 5-2 win-loss record and 14 points, while Japan and Thailand ended with a 4-3 record for 12 points. “We couldn’t take part in the Beijing Olympics and we struggled since then, but today we were able to achieve our dream,” said South Korean coach Kim Hyung-Sil. “We won the bronze medal in the Olympics 36 years ago. We’ll do our best to win a medal again. Hopefully our men’s team will also qualify for the Olympics.” Hwang Youn-Joo, the team’s top scorer of the day with 14 points, said injuries had prevented South Korea from getting to the Olympics last time. “This time, everybody had a strong feeling to go to the London Olympics as a unified team,” said Hwang.

Russians win back pride MONTPELLIER: Aleksandr Balandin and Emin Garibov (left) claimed two gold medals for Russia on the final day of the European men’s gymnastics championships here on Sunday. A day after having to settle for silver behind Britain, who took their first ever international team title, rising 22-year-old star Balandin won gold on the rings while Garibov took the horizontal bar title. Hungary’s Krizstian Berki, the reigning two-time world champion, won the pommel horse for a

sixth European title, ahead of British rival Louis Smith, who helped his team to gold on Saturday. Romanian Flavius Koczi lost his title on floor but took vault gold, with Greece’s Eleftherios Kosmidis, the 2010 world champion on floor, taking gold in that discipline. It was a disappointing championships however for Germany and their star Philipp Boy, with the twotime world silver medallist going home without a medal after falling twice off the horizontal bar in the final.

Marcel NGuyen gave Germany gold on the parallel bars after the defending champions finished sixth in the team event. “It’s like a hammer blow,” said Boy, with just two months to go to the London Olympics. “I spent the entire European championships in a hole. I have to now train to try and regain the confidence which was missing here,” said Boy who injured his collarbone earlier this year. Hosts France took just one medal — Gael Da Silva’s bronze on the floor.

MONDAY, MAY 28, 2012

BEAUTY

ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT PORTUGAL Best EURO performance: runners-up 2004 Coach: Paulo Bento Leading scorer: all-time – Pauleta (47); current – Cristiano Ronaldo (32)

THE BEST

Most appearances: all-time – Luís Figo (127); current – Cristiano Ronaldo (87) Association formed: 1914 Nickname: Selecção das Quinas (Team of Shields)

PORTUGAL’S FIXTURES

EURO STATS

Saturday 9 June: Germany v Portugal, 20.45CET, Lviv Wednesday 13 June: Denmark v Portugal, 18.00CET, Lviv Sunday 17 June: Portugal v Ned, 20.45CET, Kharkiv

MATCHES PLAYED Overall: P122 W66 D28 L28 F217 A118 Final tournament: P24 W12 D4 L8 F34 A23 Qualifying: P98 W54 D24 L20 F183 A95

Almost, but not quite A resounding play-off success against Bosnia and Herzegovina secured Portugal’s place at Euro 2012, where they will hope to improve on the near misses of recent tournaments

POSTNOON PREDICTION

LISBON: With the “golden generation” led by Luis Figo long since retired, Portugal head to Euro 2012 secure in the knowledge that at least expectations will be lower than at the tournament they hosted eight years ago. Fans of the Selecao are still reeling at the near miss by the team of 2004, when unfancied Greece spoiled the party in Lisbon in the nearest the Portuguese have come to international glory. Figo and friends, tipped for top honours after under-20 World Cup successes in both 1989 and 1991, had been expected to turn on the style and show their rivals, including then under-achieving neighbours Spain, the way to glory. But the final defeat crushed home expectations and sent the Portuguese, who had banked on flair winning the day, back to the drawing board. Eight years on and the talismanic presence of Cristiano Ronaldo notwithstanding, most observers expect a more cautious approach from coach Paulo Bento, a tough defensive midfielder in his day who won domestic honours with Sporting Lisbon. Portugal could hardly have asked for a tougher group: their Group B rivals — Germany, the Netherlands and Denmark — are all former competition winners. For a side which only crawled through the back door of the playoffs to qualify at Bosnia’s expense, even getting If Portugal can get out of this group (a big if), they’ve got every chance of going all the way, especially if Ronaldo and Nani click. They will, however, have to shore up their defense.

through the group stage looks a daunting prospect. Portugal will clearly have to step up a gear if they are to get the better of tournament favourites Germany in Lviv on June 9, where they also take on Denmark four days later before a final match against the Netherlands at Kharkiv on June 17. “Getting through to the knockout stage is a tough call,” admitted Bento, who was suspended with Xavier and Nuno Gomes in the 2000 tournament for jostling the Austrian referee in a controversial 2-1 semi-final defeat to eventual winners France. With the attacking flair of Ronaldo and Manchester United’s occasionally mercurial Nani to call on, the Portuguese should carry a threat.

PORTUGAL GROUP B At a glance Since reaching the Euro 2004 finals, Portugal have become fixtures in the knockout stages of major tournaments. Semi-finalists at the 2006 World Cup and quarter-finalists at Euro 2008, they were unlucky to encounter eventual winners Spain in the last 16 in South Africa two summers ago. A fifth successive European Championship final tournament was in jeopardy when Paulo Bento replaced Carlos Queiroz two games into qualifying.

PLAYER TO WATCH

‘Better-thanMessi’ Ronaldo hopes triumph LISBON: If Cristiano Ronaldo can carry over the goalscoring prowess he has shown all campaign with Real Madrid into Euro 2012, Portugal fans can realistically hope that their side will escape from a tough group. Although Paulo Bento’s unit are cast to a degree in the mould befitting a former defensive midfielder, the 2004 finalists can call on a peerless and prodigious talent in Ronaldo whose mercurial skills can, on his day, take them past any opponent. Ronaldo has certainly been on fire with Real, even if his exploits were not quite enough to see off Bayern Munich in the Champions League semifinal, in which he missed a penalty, taking the gloss off two goals earlier in the contest. His 54th goal of the season in all competitions at the Camp Nou last month all but ended Barcelona’s resistance in the battle for the Liga title as he outshone fellow goalscoring machine Lionel Messi, even if the latter did outscore him in La Liga. At international level, however, the 27year-old remains an unfinished product who flatters to deceive in a way very much reminiscent of England, which he lit up during his time at Manchester United. Nevertheless, Ronaldo insists that they “will go to the finals with high expectations — though we have been drawn in a hard group”.

Playing Field

MONDAY, MAY 28, 2012

The games people play

Tsonga fights off jitters Dave James

Dufner falls to Zach attack FORT WORTH, TEXAS: Zach

PARIS: Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (right) survived the weight of home expectations while dangerman Juan Martin Del Potro shrugged off an injury scare before triumphing on Sunday’s sweltering first day at Roland Garros. French fifth seed Tsonga, the highest-ranked player in action, overcame a first set wobble to beat Russian qualifier Andrey Kuznetsov 1-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-4. Ninth seed Del Potro, the Argentine who won the 2009 US Open having made the semi-finals here in the same year, saw off Spanish veteran Albert Montanes 6-2, 6-7 (5/7), 6-2, 6-1 in a shade over three hours. He will tackle France’s Edouard Roger-Vasselin for a place in the last 32. Andy Roddick slumped to a fifth French Open first round defeat in 10 visits when the injury-plagued American lost 63, 6-3, 4-6, 6-2 to France’s Nicolas Mahut. Also making the last 64 was 2003 champion Juan Carlos Ferrero, who defeated French wildcard Jonathan Dasnieres de Veigy 6-1, 6-4, 6-3. In the women’s event, US Open champion Samantha Stosur had the honour of being the first player into the second round, brushing aside Britain’s

Elena Baltacha. Joining Stosur in the next round were former champions, Russia’s Svetlana Kuznetsova and Ana Ivanovic of Serbia. Venus Williams battled back from a set down to defeat Argentine teenager Paula Ormaechea 4-6, 6-1, 6-3. Williams, seven-times a Grand Slam title winner, faces either third seed Agnieszka Radwanska or Bojana Jovanovski for a place in the third round.

Donald is number one Adam Hathaway

WENTWORTH, ENGLAND: Luke Donald looked back with pride after successfully defending his PGA Championship title here at Wentworth on Sunday and returning to the top of the world rankings. A year after becoming number one for the first time at the same event Donald was back at the head of the list for the fourth time in his career. The Englishman carded a four-round total of 273, 15under par and won by four shots from Scotland’s Paul Lawrie and Justin Rose from England. Rose, who missed a six foot putt at the last which would have given him second place outright, had put the pressure

on during the front nine before Donald eased away to win and displace Rory McIlory as world number one. The 34-year-old said: “There is something special about going 12 months and still being number one. We have swapped it a couple of times but to go a 12 month span is something I am very proud of and is a vindication that what I am doing is right and shows that my game is improving.” This was a much more comfortable win for Donald than last year’s when he had to win a play-off against Lee Westwood to take the crown. Donald said: “I enjoyed the walk up the 18th more this time with a four-shot lead. It is very special to come back here.”

Djoker set to make history PARIS: World number one Novak Djokovic kicks off his bid for an historic Grand Slam on Monday when he tackles Italian claycourter Potito Starace in the French Open first round. The top seed is just seven wins away from becoming only the third man to hold all four majors at the same time. But the Wimbledon, US Open and Australian Open champion has

never made a final in Paris, falling at the semi-finals on three occasions. He also has Roger Federer in his half of the draw where the great Swiss looms as a potential semi-final opponent. Federer, the holder of a record 16 Grand Slam titles, was the champion at Roland Garros in 2009, and he also starts his campaign on Monday.

Johnson fired a two-over 72 that included a two-shot penalty at the final hole on Sunday to win the Crowne Plaza Invitational, denying Jason Dufner a third US PGA victory this season. On a day of dramatic swings in the duel between Johnson and Dufner, Johnson appeared to be home and dry after Dufner’s triplebogey seven at the par-four 15th. That gave Johnson a four-shot lead, and even after a bogey at 16, the 2007 Masters champion arrived at 18 with a three-stroke lead. He had celebrated what he thought was a par for a three-shot win but then realized he had moved his ball marker on the 18th green and failed to replace it properly. With the two-shot penalty, Johnson signed for a 72 and a 12-under total of 268 — giving him only a one-shot victory over Dufner. “There’s a number of adjectives I’m calling myself right now. And lucky would be the biggest one,” said Johnson, who won for the first time since claiming the same title two years ago. “Blessed would be another one, humbled would be another one. It’s an honor to put this jacket on once. ... I’m in shock I got it twice.” Johnson called Dufner’s performance in recent weeks “beyond impressive.”

France scrapes through VALENCIENNES: France battled back from two goals down at half-time to beat Iceland 3-2 and avoid a humiliating defeat in the first of three warm-ups for Euro 2012 here on Sunday. Iceland, ranked a lowly 131 in Fifa’s world table, stunned their hosts when Birkir Bjarnason put them into a 28th minute lead, with Ajax striker Kolbeinn Sigthorsson doubling up five minutes later. Whatever words of wisdom coach Laurent Blanc came up with at the interval evidently sank home as the second half was only seven minutes old when Lille defender Mathieu Debuchy reduced the deficit. But France had then to wait until the 85th minute before

Franck Ribery put them back on level terms with a lob for the Bayern Munich star’s first goal for his country since April, 2009. Valencia back Adil Rami bagg-

ed the winner three minutes from time, volleying home Olivier Giroud’d knockdown to extend France’s unbeaten run to 19 matches.

Playing Field

MONDAY, MAY 28, 2012

The games people play

Britain edge India 3-2; New Zealand thwart Pakistan IPOH, MALAYSIA: Top

seconds on the clock, their first win of the tournament, which is an important warm-up for the London Olympics. Britain, who drew their opening match 3-3 on Friday to hosts Malaysia, were in good form in the early part of the match, with Glenn Kirkham and Ben Hawes both scoring.

seeds Britain secured their first win of this year's Sultan Azlan Shah Cup on Sunday with a 3-2 victory over India in a closely fought match. New Zealand sent Asian champions Pakistan crashing to a 3-1 defeat, while Argentina beat South Korea 4-3 with just

But some poor defending saw India draw level with goals from VR Raghunath and Sunil Sowmarpet, leaving it to Nick Catlin to save the day for Britain, ranked fourth in the world, with a goal in the 62nd minute. Indian coach Michael Nobbs berated his team, saying they “simply did not follow the

instruction given and wasted several good chances... What is the point in fancy stick work in the D if you do not score?” Earlier, New Zealand took a commanding 3-0 lead over Pakistan with goals from Ryan Archibald, Andy Hayward and Nick Wilson. Pakistan pulled a goal back in

the 44th minute through Abdul Haseem Khan, but the brief comeback was too late to pose a real threat to their dominant rivals. “We created enough chances to take a point in the match but just did not have the final touch,” said Pakistan team manager Akhtar Rasool.

Spurs shut out the Thunder

Dario wins the Indy 500 INDIANAPOLIS: Scotland's Dario Franchitti (pictured) won the 96th Indianapolis 500 on Sunday, taking his third career Indy 500 crown after Japan’s Takuma Sato crashed while running beside him on the final lap. Franchitti, who also won the fabled race in 2007 and 2010, was followed across the finish line under a caution flag by Chip Ganassi Racing teammate Scott Dixon of New Zealand and Brazil’s Tony Kanaan. “What a race. I think Dan Wheldon would be proud of this one,” Franchitti said, dedicating the triumph to the

2011 winner from England who was killed in a crash last October at Las Vegas. Franchitti, who fell behind early after his car was struck on pit row, seized the lead from Kanaan on a restart with six laps to go in the 200-lap showdown around the 2.5 mile Indianapolis Motor Speedway oval. After Franchitti and Dixon traded the lead over the next few laps, Sato moved past Dixon into second behind the Scotsman with two laps remaining and made his run at the lead in the first turn of the last lap. Spain’s Oriol Servia was fourth, followed by Aussie pole-sitter Ryan Briscoe and Canada’s James Hinchcliffe.

Hamilton loses in Monaco, moans Tim Collings

SAN MONTE CARLO: Briton Lewis Hamilton complained that people on the pit wall were dropping debris on his head while he was driving his McLaren to a fifth place finish in Sunday’s Monaco Grand Prix. Hamilton said: “The guys hold the pit boards over the track and two or three slips fell out and hit me in the front of the helmet. I was like ‘guys this is getting ridiculous’ as they kept dropping them and dropping them.” It was a disappointing race for Hamilton who started third but came in fifth.

Business as usual, as Windies collapse Julian Guyer

NOTTINGHAM: West Indies' latest top-order collapse left England on the brink of a seriesclinching victory in the second Test at Trent Bridge here on Sunday. The tourists had slumped to 61 for six in their second innings at stumps on the third day.

That gave them a lead of just three runs after England had made a first innings 428 featuring captain Andrew Strauss's second hundred in as many Tests. Marlon Samuels (13 not out) and West Indies captain Darren Sammy (nought not out), who both made hundreds in the first innings, were together at the

ANTONIO,

TEXAS:

Manu Ginobili scored 26 points and the San Antonio Spurs turned it on in the fourth quarter to beat Oklahoma City 10198 Sunday in the first game of the NBA Western Conference Finals. The Spurs stretched their winning streak to 19 games and moved one game closer to booking their berth in the NBA Finals. The winner of this best-ofseven series will face either the Miami Heat or Boston Celtics for the NBA title. San Antonio host game two on Tuesday. The Spurs, who trailed by nine points late in the third,

close. James Anderson removed both West Indies openers in a spell of two wickets for three runs in eight balls while fellow seamer Tim Bresnan followed up with three for nine in 26. "It's fantastic," Bresnan told the BBC. "It puts us in a really good position. We've still got work to do.

turned the tables in the fourth, when they out-scored Oklahoma City 39-27. The Spurs also had just three turn-overs in the second half, compared to their 13 in the first half. Kevin Durant led Oklahoma City with 27 points and Russell Westbrook added 17, but they couldn't stop the Spurs in the final period. Point guard Tony Parker scored 18 points with six assists for San Antonio, while Tim Duncan scored 16 and grabbed 11 rebounds. With Argentinian Ginobili leading the way, the Spurs bench contributed 52 points.