Everyone wishes to be on the top of the world. Well, if you want to literally do it, then Mount Everest is the place to be. Towering at 8,848 metres, this is the highest peak in the world and summiting it is a dream. As we celebrate the achievement of Tenzing Norgay and Edmund Hillary, we look at some of the other mountains that give you a tough climb.
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WEDNESDAY, MAY 30, 2012 HYDERABAD
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WEATHER: CLEAR SKIES; 38°C
A FLYOVER KIDS’ FRIENDS INFLUENCE LEVEL OF ACTIVITY A new study found that children whose closest friends are active will likely also engage in sports or other activities.
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REPORT ON PG 4
TO NOWHERE The plan on paper was to make it a four-lane flyover. However, eight years have passed and it still shows no signs of getting completed.
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B TOWN LADIES TO TAKE CENTRESTAGE After the success of the Vidya Balan starrer Kahaani, Bollywood is all set to witness the release of a number of films with women as the central protagonists. P22
FLASH
PYARI RULES OUT THREAT TO PATNAIK A day after triggering speculation of cracks in ruling BJD in Odisha by holding a meeting of a group of MLAs, party MP Pyari Mohan Mohapatra today ruled out any threat to Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik and said he had no plan to topple the government. “There is absolutely no threat,” he said.
pbobk^=`o^pebp=lrq= Serena Williams crashed to the worst Grand Slam defeat of her career on Tuesday when she slumped to a dramatic 4-6, 7-6 (7/5), 6-3 French Open loss to France’s Virginie Razzano. It was her first ever exit in the opening P31 round of her Grand Slam career.
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WEDNESDAY, MAY 30, 2012
Spirit of Twin Cities
FAMILY FUN
Library summer camp
N SHIVA KUMAR
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
Calligraphic works Head to Truffles Cafe for the calligraphic works of Sri Parameshwar Raju in the exhibition titled the Ramayanam. Where: Truffles Cafe, Jubilee Hills, Rd No 36 When: Ongoing, 11am onwards Contact: (040) 2355 0105
Artistic exhibits On a look out for traditional prints and crafts? Head to an exhibitional of traditional handicrafts and artistic handlooms of Gujarat which has around 10 tribal craftsmen and 10 other artisans from Gujarat participating. Where: West Marredpally community grounds, Marredpally When: Ongoing, 10am onwards
Splash around Beat the heat this summer by joining swimming classes at NHCC. 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
Vermillion reds A solo painting exhibition by Hari Srinivas titled Synergy Vermillion Reds is being held at Taj Deccan. The exhibition will be on till May 30 Where: Taj Deccan, Banjara Hills, Rd No 1 When: Ongoing, 10am onwards Contact: (040) 6666 3939
A matter of perception
CINEMAS
Juxtaposed Perceptions, a solo painting exhibition by renowned artist Ninad Jagadish. Where: Muse Art Gallery, Lower Tank Bund When: Ongoing Contact: (040) 2752 2999
Summer camp
Where: Treasure House, Jubilee Hills, Rd No 36 When: Ongoing, 2.30pm onwards Contact: (040) 2355 0118
Solo exhibition
Annapurna International School of Film and Media will be holding a Summer Camp program in filmmaking, acting and photography. The second batch is from May 28. Where: Annapurna School, Banjara Hills When: Ongoing Contact: (040) 4914 1234
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
Theatre workshop
Painting exhibition
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
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.
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
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,
11.30am onwards Contact: (040) 6656 4466
Paradigm shift Mumbai-based fusion band PARADIGM which plays a combination of Indian classical music and contemporary progressive rock will be performing live on May 3. Where: Hard Rock Cafe, Banjara Hills, Rd No When: May 31, 9pm onwards Contact: (040) 6463 6375
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
Buy art Iconart Art Gallery as a part of its Buy Art initiative is hosting an exhibition featuring abstract art, sculptures and paintings. Where: Iconart Gallery, Banjara Hills, Rd No 12 When: Ongoing, 11.30am onwards Contact: 98499 68797
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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Jagan’s arrest: 2 die of shock
CRIME BRIEFS Girl dies of burn injuries at Gandhi Hospital
Mohd Subhan
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teenage girl, Laxmi died on Tuesday at Gandhi Hospital while under going treatment for severe burns which she is alleged to have sustained while boiling milk in her home in Balaji Nagar, Alwal. She was a student of XI class.
mohd.s@postnoon.com
U
nknown to many, two men in the City died of cardiac arrest. Their death is being attributed to the interrogation and later jailing of YSRC chief Jagan Mohan Reddy. M Hemla Naik alias Laloo, a 45-year-old auto driver, collapsed unconscious after having a glance at the newspapers where Jagan was seen being taken to jail. Friends and neighbours say he loved Jagan but he was not a politically ambitious man, just a hardcore cadre, who would stick to Jagan for his sheer love for him. A resident of Dattatreya Nagar in Asifnagar, Hemla came out of his home around 7am and he went in for tea in a nearby tea stall. After tea he was having a cigarette in the pan shop where he chanced to read the details of Jagan’s arrest. Soon after he complained of chest pain and fell down, said K Srinivas Singh, Hemla’s house owner. People nearby put him in an auto and taken to the closest hospital
Man kills wife in order to marry her sister
A YSRC chief Jagan Mohan Reddy being taken to Chanchalguda Jail which advised his immediate shifting to Osmania Hospital where he was declared brought dead. Doctors certified that he died of cardiac arrest. Singh said the man was healthy and he was a supporter of Jagan Mohan Reddy but if it was the shock that cut his life short is not clear. Hemla Naik, a tribal from Ramnayak Tanda of Mahbubnagar district came to City eight years back with his wife Sankaramma and four children,
three daughters and one son, and took residence at Dattatreya Nagar. His son Bhoopathy is undergoing training for police constable and when he heard of the sad news, the boy is reported to have said that his father was an admirer of Jagan but he never realised how attached he was to Jagan. Hemla’s family has gone to their native place with the body for cremation. In another case being linked to the Jagan’s arraignment is Naresh Kumar of Rajendra
N SHIVA KUMAR
Nagar. Naresh, a hardcore fan of Jagan Mohan Reddy is said to have died of shock. G Baburao, former MLA and YSRC leader Vishakhapatnam told Postnoon that in his Payakaraopet constituency alone five people died of shock. When YS Rajashekara Reddy died in chopper crash in the year of 2009 dozens of peoples had reported died of shock in the State and many had allegedly committed suicide from depression.
man, enamoured by the sister-in-law, has allegedly killed his wife on Monday for opposing his desire to marry her. The incident sent shock waves through the Peerancheruv village under Narsingi police station limits. G Bheem Rao is said to have murdered his wife Sumalatha to marry her sister Suvarnalatha, who lives separately from her husband.
Bikers rob two women of gold chains
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wo women were robbed by unidentified persons on Wednesday morning. Rekha Vagre of Himayath Nagar street was going for a morning walk a in Himayath Nagar when two men on a bike snatched her four tola gold chain. In the second similar incident Laxmi, a resident of Housing Board in Kuktapally a biker snatched her chain weighing five tolas.
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Kompally flyover’s completion woes SRINIVAS SETTY
The plan on paper was to make it a four-lane flyover with two lanes on each side. However, eight years have passed since the inception and it still shows no signs of being completed
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ncomplete flyovers aren't new to the City’s landscape. However, the flyover at Kompally is at a completely different level altogether. The flyover, which has been under construction since the past eight years, is incomplete, but is still being used extensively by motorists who risk their lives while doing so. Less than 500 metres from Runway 9 on Medchal road, which doubles up as National Highway 7, is a flyover that was started to improve the connectivity for motorists commuting from Kompally to Medchal.
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Currently, only one side of the flyover is complete, that is the incoming route to the City. The side where the traffic moves outside the City is yet to be completed. Yet it has been thrown open to motorists and this two-lane flyover is used by both incoming and outgoing traffic. This leaves motorists at great risk especially when they drive during the night. The road is mostly used by trucks who often come here carrying heavy loads. A small mistake, and it can spell death. In fact, accidents are common on this flyover. The road is more dangerous when it is wet during monsoon. Although there are steel brackets connected on each side, motorists driving cars and riding bikes, tend to overtake the slower,
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heavier vehicles, in turn exposing themselves to grave danger to the incoming traffic. The plan on paper, which still stands to this day, is to make it a four-lane flyover, with two-lanes on each side. However, eight years have passed since the inception of the flyover and it still hasn’t been completed. Many wonder why the flyover has been open at all. “I have been using this flyover since many years. I have always wondered why they haven't yet constructed the other side. This is not a safe for anybody and I myself have seen many a cars ram into trucks and trucks topple down. This makes me feel unsafe and I consciously drive slow on it,” said Abhijeet Anand, a regular user of the flyover. Yakshraj G, who uses the fly-
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over to go to his steel factory in the night pointed out that one side of the flyover had to be thrown open because there is no other connectivity to the road ahead. “The Hyderabad Municipal Development Authority (HMDA) under whom this flyover falls has made the flyover in such a way that a car cannot pass underneath it. It is a high risk road and there is even a sign warning people about it. This shows how the level of planning is — shoddy and unorganised,” he said. The officials at HMDA were unavailable for comments, despite repeated attempts to contact them. The flyover, when it is completed will be of great help to commuters. Until then, it is nothing but a death road.
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Readers’ views We invite you to write to us comments, suggestions, viewpoint or just about anything to feedback@postnoon.com or #1246, Level 3, Jubilee Casa, Road No 62, Jubilee Hills, Hyderabad – 500 033 or even by way of a call on 4067 2222
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Congress has lost this seat to its illegitimate offspring, YSRC PK Surendran surendran.pk@postnoon.com
S
ON THE
ome 2.10 lakh voters of Ongole, the coastal constituency, can’t close their doors in the day since the campaign began. If they close bang would come a knock and that would be one of the candidates. All players — the Congress, the YSRC, the TDP, Jan Satta with CPM,
CAMPAIGN
TRAIL
— have resorted to house-tohouse contact, which the Lok Satta calls mouth-to-mouth. This is cheaper and more effective. The TDP chief Chandrababu Naidu refers to the US Democratic campaign of Barack Obama, and
Balineni Srinivas Reddy
points out how personal contact and using new media catapulted the improbable task of putting an African American in the White House. As the mercury soars to an unbearable 48 degree C, courtesy the angry May sun, people in Ongole town have one great relief till the campaign lasts — steady power supply. “Before the election circus began,” says a native, Ramprasad Yadav, “it was any number of hours.” But now the government behaves like a gentleman. However, water supply is still a problem. The Congress-turned-YSRC candidate Balineni Srinivas Reddy is the superman who achieved a hat-trick of success in this constituency scoring a 22,986 votemargin in 2009. His crossing over to the YSRC has hit the Hand badly. Congress candidate M Parvathamma is trying to stump him. The
Congress and TDP grieve arrest of YSRC chief!
TDP candidate Damacharla Janardhan Rao goes with the charge-sheet against the Congress and the YSRC, which he calls, birds of the same feather. “The Congress is mother of all corruption. The YSRC has hands in Vanpic land scandal, dump these fellows and go for the old reliable, the TDP,” is the TDP war song. Ongole town faces three big problems — the Puthuraju Kalva (drainage river) that overflows after a heavy shower, lack of proper drainage, loss of land by farmers (land grabbers include those in power). The annual budget of Ongole municipality comes to `30 crore and the municipality for all these years has done nothing to alleviate the long-standing problems of people. “For a change you vote for us (LSP),” pleads the young Lok Satta candidate Ramesh Reddy. Ramesh
has the support of the CPI(M) and the two have some pockets of influence in the rural side. “It’s sad these people (Congress, YSRC) have done nothing to make this municipality area a livable place,” remarks Ramesh. He painstakingly explains how people are being taken for a ride by the Congress and its ‘illegitimate offspring” the YSRC. But, going by the indications, YSRC’s Balineni has an edge over the Congress and may prove four-time lucky. But, the Lok Satta, seems set to improve its tally and give some nightmarish vision to both Congress and YSRC grabbing a chunk of Reddy votes. Other prominent castes are the Kapus and Yadavs. The BJP too has a sizeable presence in this constituency. Voters are presented a long list of 23 candidates, 19 of them just to cut into the mainstream parties votes.
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Corruption no more an issue
POLITICS Inkeshaf Ahmed Ahmed.m@postnoon.com
M
any may not believe it but the unhappy people at the arrest of Kadapa MP YS Jagan Mohan Reddy are the Congress and TDP candidates for the bypolls! They are worried that Jagan’s arraignment will spark an emotional outburst among the voters and help the YSR Congress party to garner sympathy votes. “We have been praying for sparing Jagan till the elections are over. His arrest will strike a chord with the voters especially in rural areas. This will have an impact on our chances of victory,” said TDP Rajya Sabha Member CM Ramesh. He is presently canvassing
The arrest has not only dealt a big blow to TDP which is banking on its anti-corruption campaign including the alleged irregularities committed by Jagan Mohan Reddy but also force changed its strategy to win over voters. After the arrest of Jagan, the TDP leaders immediately met with party chief Chandrababu Naidu in Hyderabad to share their concern. After a careful hearing, Naidu reportedly asked the party leaders to highlight the lack of governance at grass-root level and nonimplementation of welfare programmes instead of corruption. “Our focus has shifted to the failure of the State government in implementation of welfare programmes and appraise the voters of it. We think this will help us bring to fore people’s problems,” CM Ramesh said. The party has organised similar meetings at assembly constituency level with important local leaders to carve out strategies consisting of local problems. At the other end, the ruling Congress is also facing a similar situation. Leaders of the party are openly saying that Jagan’s arrest would torpedo the chances of party’s victory in the by-elections. “We were hoping to get five to six seats in the bypolls. But, his arrest (YS Jagan) has destroyed our chances of winning. I think the outcome of these elections will have a terrible impact on the State government,” Congress MLA Pratap Reddy told Postnoon.
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NEWS BRIEF Village declared tobacco-free
Hard work reaps rewards
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ustained efforts of members of a tiny village in Andhra Pradesh have paid off as the place would be declared tobacco-free tomorrow, sources said. The announcement would be made on May 31, which is celebrated as the World No Tobacco Day. Pongalipaka is a village with a population of 1,632 people, located in Madugula mandal. It is a joint initiative of the Public Health Foundation of India (PHFI) and Nature. According to Pongalipaka sarpanch (U Demudu N Satyanaryana, efforts in this direction began on August 15 when it was decided that no villager would be allowed to chew tobacco.
YSRC to hold 10-day agitations
Y
SR Congress Party will hold 10day long agitation programmes across the State from today. These agitation programmes will consists of hunger strikes and rasta rokos protesting the arrest of party president YS Jagan Mohan Reddy by CBI. The party has exempted assembly constituencies where upcoming by-polls are scheduled to be held on June 12 next month from these protest programmes. The decision to organise these agitation programmes was taken following a meeting of the district conveners of the party on Tuesday.
State EC to start issuing voter slips
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tate election commission will start issuing voter slips to all the voters of one Parliamentary and 18 Assembly constituencies where by-polls are scheduled to be held from today. The decision of the State election commission comes in the wake of the directions of Election Commission of India that calls for making the use of EPIC (electronic photo identity) cards mandatory.
GO for merging 10 districts issued
T
heState government today issued a GO merging the surrounding 10 villages into the Mahbubnagar municipality. According to the GO, ten gram panchayats — Bandameedipally, Doddalonipally, Timmasanipally, Palakonda, Christianpally, Chinadarpall, Yenugonda, Appanapally, Boyapally and Yedira — were brought under the jurisdiction of Mahbubnagar Municipality. The municipal commissioner of Mahabubnagar said that they had published the proposal and affixed the notification on the notice board in his office No written objections and suggestions were received.
WEDNESDAY, MAY 30, 2012
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Two office boys of an IT firm have proven that hard work and support from colleagues can help one rise above their adversities and achieve their dreams
INSPIRATION Anubha K Singh anubha.k@postnoon.com
I have two children and I want them to be educated. I am earning more compared to what I use to earlier. I am able to fulfill my family’s dream to an extent now.
S
ome may call it luck but for some others it is the sheer hard work that makes them rise from being a nobody to somebody. The success stories of two office boys are proof of how hard work with a dose of luck help the determined achieving a higher station in life. Till last month, Mallikarjun Pardish was an office boy in Real Page India, an IT company. But now he is a proud IT employee working with tech-grads in the same firm. Mallikarjun discontinued his higher studies due to a weak financial situation at home and begun his work as attender to contribute to the meager family chest. “I worked as an office boy for five years and sometimes I used to do part-time jobs here and there. While I was working as an office boy, I also used to learn the basics of computer from the office staff. They were the ones who helped in achieving my dream to be an IT employee. Seeing my dedication and hard work, my company appointed me as Associate-I in the IT section,” beamed Mallikarjun. “I have two children and I want them to be well educated. I am earning more now as compared to what I used to get before. In addition to working, I am also planning to complete my graduation and keep learning new
Mallikarjun Pardish
Mallikarjun Pardish
Sandeep Kumar
f`lkf`=`fqv Jal Vihar, Necklace road
H
yderabad has plenty of theme parks but the common complaint is that they are located in the outskirts of the City and therefore it is time consuming there. A solution to their problem is Jal Vihar, a water theme park which is located in one the best spots in the City — Necklace Road. Situated near Eat Street and Prasads, Jal Vihar is run by the government in association with a private company. Families and youngsters come here to have a
Aishwarya Yerra Hyderabad as a City has a lot to offer in terms of heritage and sights. We take a look at such places in this City
relaxing and enjoyable time. Jal Vihar has many pools for people to splash around. The wave pool deserves a special mention. It is a favourite among many because it creates artificial waves giving the feeling that one is in the sea. It also has special slides and water games. There are separate pools for women and children. Jal Vihar is not all about water; it has games like mini train, super jet, battery cars, battery bikes, air hockey etc. The best part is that it is cheap and affordable.
things in my field so that I can grow professionally,” he adds. Sandeep Kumar, who is also appointed as an IT Vendor in the same firm, is happy with his new job and new work profile. “I discontinued my studies after Intermediate first year because of lack of finance in the family. As I was lowly educated, the only job I landed in was that of an office assistant. I have a family of five members and meeting everyone’s needs was becoming tougher by the day. But thanks to my new job, I am earning well as well as continuing my education. Recently I wrote my physics exam and hope to get through with good marks. I am greatly indebted to my colleagues who taught me computers and other technology related subjects. I am happy that I am no more referred to as an office boy,” says a proud Sandeep.
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Fighting online piracy Online piracy has emerged as a critical issue for the entire South Indian film industry prompting collaborative efforts to fight the menace Hemanth Kumar hemanth.k@postnoon.com
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BJP urges TJAC neutrality
T
he State Bharatiya Janata Party official spokesperson NVSS Prabhakar has appealed to the Telangana Political Joint Action Committee to remain neutral and not politicise the Parakala Assembly by-election. Speaking to media persons here on Tuesday, Prabhakar appealed to the constituents of Parakala to cast their votes in favour of Bharatiya Janata Party candidate. He pointed out that only a national party like the BJP would bring about a separate Telangana state. Stating that the people of the region have lost hope that the Congress will carve a separate state, he exuded confidence that his party would win the Parakala by-election. He strongly felt that a separate Telangana would materialise only through the BJP. Prabhakar also alleged that TRS president KCR was deceiving the people of the region by frequently issuing statements that a separate Telangana would be created shortly. He also alleged that KCR was always trying to gain personally. NSS
wo months after the AP Film Chamber of Commerce signed an MoU with Motion Picture Association (MPA) to fight online piracy, the AP anti-video piracy cell is ready to make giant strides. In a significant development, the anti-video piracy cell has been approached by the South Indian Film Chamber of Commerce (SIFCC) to extend its services to other film industries as well to fight online piracy. Talking to Postnoon, Rajkumar, chairman of Anti-Video Piracy Cell, says, “A week ago, I attended a conference held by SIFCC where we discussed various issues related to piracy. Since we have been efficiently fighting online piracy in Andhra Pradesh, the SIFCC has asked us to share the knowledge and extend our services to other film industries as well. It makes sense because every film industry across the world is grappling with this issue.” Monitoring the internet for unauthorised movie content is a monumental task. Rajkumar’s team developed several inhouse tools, which can track URLs, domain registration, ISPs and who’s hosting websites that upload illegal content, using several keywords. “We have been sending caution notices to lot of websites which host illegal content. We really don’t want to punish anyone because even the producers are interested in money rather than putting 100 people in jail. All we are trying to do is drive home the point that piracy is illegal and can land them in trouble,” Rajkumar says. For the past four years, the anti-video
piracy cell has been collecting data of ‘rogue’ websites which have been facilitating downloads of unauthorised movie content. Telugu film industry alone incurred a loss of `712 crore between 2008-2010 and the number is expected to be significantly higher when the data of last two years is taken into account. The Malayalam film industry too has been facing a severe crisis due to online piracy. “Impressed by our efforts to curb piracy, we were invited by the Kerala Film Chamber to share information on what we have been doing in AP. They were surprised to learn that out of 47 Malayalam films that released this year, 37 films are widely available on the internet. In the
New format for GMAT
past five months alone, there were 59 lakh illegal downloads of Malayalam films which resulted in a loss of `29 crore for the industry. Considering that most of their films are made on a budget of `1-3 crore, this is a mind boggling number,” Rajkumar reveals. His team has identified a group of people from Tamil Nadu who have been pirating films. “We are planning to increase the size of our team since we are taking this fight against piracy beyond borders and we realise that it’s important for us to establish strong ties with film chambers in other states. It requires sustained efforts and the important thing is that we are on the right path,” Rajkumar says.
GHMC plans to stem strike
Postnoon News feedback@postnoon.com
Inkeshaf Ahmed ahmed.m@postnoon.com
S
tarting from June 5, 2012, the format for Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT), the gateway for more than 2000 B-schools across the globe will see new changes. The test will now have a new section called Integrated Reasoning. The new section will be incorporated by dropping an essay from the analytical writing assessment. This section measures ability to assimilate information from multiple sources. There will be a separate score for the new IR section and this will not impact the net GMAT score on a scale of 800. As in the existing pattern, the net GMAT score will depend only on the performance in quantitative and verbal sections. Analytical writing and integrated reasoning scores will be reported separately.
Pattern of the new section The new IR section will have 12 questions to be answered in 30 minutes. An on-screen calculator will also be provided. The section will have four formats n Graphic interpretation will have questions based on data graphs n Multi-source reasoning will have questions based on multiple data sources n Table analysis will be on data given in sortable data table n Two part analysis that will test ability to discern relationship between two entities.
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tung by the recent flash strike by employees of sanitation wing of GHMC, the officials have decided to prepare a detailed action plan to deal with such strikes in future by putting in place an alternative system. The plan involves collection of ward-wise data of number of garbage bins, amount of garbage being collected every day, number of workers working in localities and number of vehicles required to transfer the garbage. After the input comes in, officials will prepare a blueprint to deal with emergency situations that arise out of employees strike. The action plan will allow the corporation to make alternative arrangements to lift garbage from various colonies of the corporation by using its own resources. “Yes, we have begun the process of collection of data on our available resources. This will help us tackle emergency situations, especially
statistics n
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Total Number of Dumper bins - 3,500 Dumper bins to be procured this year - 1,000
flash strikes by employees,” said GHMC additional commissioner (health and sanitation) L Vandana Kumar. The corporation has scrapped the existing contract system following reports of irregularities and absenteeism by workers. It introduced a new system of providing direct employment to over 18,000 sanitation workers after getting them registered as Self Help Groups. The new system had saved `50 crore to the corporation as it is spared from paying service tax and payment of salaries to bogus workers.
Focus
WEDNESDAY, MAY 30, 2012
8
Focus shifts to UN mission in Syria as Houla mourns its dead Caroline-Nelly Perrot
BEIRUT: The massacre in the central Syrian town of Houla has dented the UN observer mission’s credibility and may be a turning point in the international community’s response to the regime, analysts say. UN and Arab League envoy Kofi Annan “placed his bets on the monitors’ presence stemming abuses. But he may have lost his bet, though it may be a little too early to say so,” UN expert Alexandra Novosseloff told AFP. Over the past month, nearly 300 observers were progressively deployed in 10 Syrian towns to monitor a truce that went into effect on April 12. But after a relative lull in the first weeks of the ceasefire, the violence raged anew. Arriving in Houla just hours after the massacre ended, although anti-regime activists first reported an army assault on Friday afternoon, the monitors could do little more than count the bodies of at least 108 victims, among them around 50 children. Activists posted amateur videos online showing UN monitors taking notes and photographs of horrific scenes, while some observers were visibly embarrassed by their inability to do more than witness and document the tragedy. The massacre, which prompted a massive global outcry, made Syrian anti-regime activists sceptical of the joint UN-Arab League mission’s effectiveness. The mission’s mandate is due to expire in mid-July, and in an interview with French daily Le Monde, mission chief Major General Robert Mood admitted on Monday that its future was uncertain. The observers’ role is to “offer Syrians the choice to opt for peace,” he said. “If the violence continues at its current rate, we’ll have to find another way out.” Renewed violence may give rise to the international consensus needed for firmer action against President Bashar alAssad’s regime. In apparently coordinated moves on Tuesday, the European Union, the United States and other governments including Australia, Canada and Switzerland ordered out top Syrian diplomats in protest at the Houla killings. “The (observer) mission was born out of the international community’s incapacity to agree on a firmer course of action,” said
People watch the mass burial on May 26, 2012 of more than 100 victims killed in the central Syrian city of Houla in a massacre condemned by world leaders and described by visiting Kofi Annan as "an appalling moment with profound consequences." Peter Harling of the Brusselsbased International Crisis Group. “The Houla massacre might change the situation in two ways. It might lead certain countries to increase their aid to the armed opposition, while resuming
efforts in favour of a military intervention,” said the Syria expert. “Or it might push other countries, mainly Russia and China, to put forward a genuine political solution, which will require them
to put all their energy into convincing the regime.” But if the international community does not find an alternative, it will have to extend the UN mission’s mandate, experts say. “If UN Security Council mem-
Australia open to military intervention SYDNEY: Australia said Wednesday it was open to discussions about military intervention in Syria as threatened by France, but warned of significant challenges getting it off the ground. Canberra led Western powers in ejecting Syrian diplomats Tuesday in protest at the Houla massacre which claimed at least 108 lives, and Foreign Minister Bob Carr said Australia “would talk about” the French proposal for force. “But you would need unanimity in the Security Council for that to take place, and you’ve got to take account of the criticisms of China and Russia — as is their right — of
the way intervention was managed in Libya,” he said. He said arming the Syrian opposition involved real difficulties and President Bashar alAssad’s government “will interpret this as a licence to slaughter even more vigorous-
ly than they’ve been doing their political opponents”. Carr pointed to logistical issues in establishing a Libyastyle no-fly zone in a country with “very considerable” ground-to-air defences and a “hugely more powerful” army. He also noted that the US had been reluctant to commit ground forces to Libya as it counts the cost of the war in Iraq and grapples with a drawdown in Afghanistan. “I’m not ruling out discussions on the subject (of a Syrian intervention), I just think in a spirit of candour I ought to share with you the reservations that are going to be expressed,” he said.
AFP
bers, including the US, consider the mission failed, they may then decide to veto any resolutions extending its mandate,” said Jocelyn Coulon, director of the Research Network on Peace Operations. “But with no alternative to offer, it is more likely that Annan will call on the Council to extend the mission’s mandate for three months... especially if he makes progress in political negotiations,” Coulon said, adding that this is the option Syria’s powerful neighbour Turkey backs. “There’s a 50-50 chance that the international community will take this route, because the Annan plan is the only diplomatic solution on offer at the moment,” said Novosseloff of Assas-Paris 2 University. But having failed to implement the ceasefire Annan brokered, the observers can continue to document the violence — in so far as the Syrian authorities will allow them to — to help the international justice system take action, should a legal case against the Syrian authorities be opened. AFP
16,354.62 83.83
4,961.50 28.60
BSE
NSE
Business
10g= `29,200
GOLD
1kg= `54,100
SILVER
`56.11
DOLLAR
Matters of saving and spending
POUND WEDNESDAY, MAY 30, 2012 9
‘I have been tested by fire’ ANIL KUMAR
Prudhvi Raju K
Approximate Revenues
prudhvi.k@postnoon.com
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erseverance is the key for the growth of small scale businesses. Renu Rao, founder, Deckle Edge paper boutique, had faced many difficulties as a women entrepreneur, but her perseverance made her company to achieve around `43 lakh turnover last fiscal. Talking about the business idea, she says, “I always have passion towards eco-friendly products. I even chose this as part of my thesis, ‘Public art on environment’ during my Masters in Fine Arts from Cranbrook Academy of Art. I returned to India and joined as a designer at Development Alternative, an NGO, which is into eco-friendly initiatives such as manufacturing handmade paper. While I was working there, I decided to start a business on my own of eco-friendly products. “I returned to Hyderabad in 1996 and started Deckle Edge which manufactures corporate gifts and stationery like folders, letterheads, envelopes, desktop organisers which are made with handmade paper. We started with two employees and an investment of `5 lakh in the modified car garage given by my father,” Renu knew there would be market for eco-friendly products. “As I understood the market in USA, I knew very well those ecofriendly products would be coming to India. Even, corporates at that time were looking at ISO 14000 certification, for which using eco-friendly stationery is mandatory. The business did not take long time to take off and got a
n n n
2009-2010- `23 lakh 2010-2011- `32 lakh 2011-2012- `43 lakh
Employees-11 Margins-Around 50 per cent
Renu Rao, founder, Deckle Edge paper boutique breakeven in the second year and got bulk orders from a major pharmaceutical company which was interested in eco-friendly products. “However, I could not sustain the business; the purchase manager at the pharmaceutical company was hostile. Generally, these managers get commissions on the orders. I did not know at that time that one has to bribe these people to get orders. He started pestering me with lot of questions and I thought it was a general corporate process. He made sure that somebody quotes lesser than me for
orders. I lost all the business from that company because I stood against corruption,” she says. “I faced lot of difficulties with the sales tax people. They demand money at every stage; otherwise they will not process any request. We entrepreneurs come to business with lot of ambitions, the redtapism and bureaucracy bogs us down at all stages,” she says. Renu Rao could successfully manage both personal professional life. Talking about difficulties of a women entrepreneur, she says, “I have to move to New Delhi in 2000
to take care of my children and husband. We are two people ambitious and passionate about our professions. He has to remain in the Capital to get a job that matches his profile. Even though, he did his best in bringing up children and created an environment for the growth of the business, I used to shuttle between the cities and to tried both family and profession from 2006-2010. My team did their best and managed to sustain the business without my presence for many years but I came back in 2010 to expand the business,” “There is lot of hard work that is put into the creation and design of these eco-friendly products. Many times customer buys an individual product from us and gets the bulk order from the competitor. “We customise the product according to the customer but never copied nor compromised on the price to get orders. We have to get paid for the amount of hard work we put in the work,” she says. The company is aiming for `1 crore revenues in next two to three years and also had a tie-up Abhinav of Hyderabad Goes Green to create public awareness on ecofriendly products and also to launch new range of eco-friendly products.
BlackBerry maker to study options, warns of loss
Amazon streams video to Xbox 360 consoles
NEW YORK: BlackBerry maker Research In Motion warned Tuesday it could report a loss in the current quarter and said it had hired investment firms to study its strategic options. The move comes with the BlackBerry, which pioneered the smartphone, rapidly losing market share to Apple’s iPhones and devices powered by Google’s Android operating system. Chief executive Thorsten Heins said RIM “is going through a significant transformation” as it moved towards the launch later this year of the BlackBerry 10, the new platform aimed at competing with Apple and Google.
Online retail powerhouse Amazon.com on Tuesday announced a collaboration with Microsoft to begin streaming films and television shows to Xbox 360 videogame consoles. An “app” was made available for free download to let people with subscriptions to Xbox Live Gold view Amazon Prime video using Microsoft’s popular videogame consoles linked to Internet. “Amazon Instant Video on the Xbox 360 console is among one of the most requested video features from our customers,” said
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As a result, “our financial performance will continue to be challenging for the next few quarters. The ongoing competitive environment is impacting our business in the form of lower volumes and highly competitive pricing dynamics in the marketplace, and we expect our first quarter results to reflect this, and likely result in an operating loss for the quarter,” Heins said. AFP
FRANCISCO:
`87.62
Amazon.com vice president for video Anthony Bay. The Instant Video application for Xbox synchs with Kinect accessories to let users peruse and select content by speaking or gesturing, according to Bay. Amazon technology also lets people switch between watching shows or films on Kindle Fire tablets and Xbox consoles without losing continuity. “Working with Amazon.com marks a significant milestone in our mission to make the entertainment you love more amazing on Xbox,” said Xbox Live entertainment and advertising general manager Ross Honey. AFP
NUMEROLOGY
`35,000 crore is the debt of textile firms that will be restructured under a government plan.
THUS SPAKE “An exit from the euro would cause a significant drop in the living standards of Greek citizens — with a reduction of at least 55 per cent in per capita income,” a report from the Bank of Greece
MERGER Three Spanish savings banks, Ibercaja, Liberbank, and Caja3, said on Tuesday their boards have approved a merger that would create the country’s seventh largest bank by assets. The new bank is estimated to have assets of around 120 billion euros ($149.6 billion). Ibercaja is to represent 46.5 per cent of the new bank, Liberbank is to comprise 45.5 per cent and Caja3 would represent eight per cent Spanish authorities have pressed savings banks, considered the weakest link in the country’s troubled banking sector, to merge into what is hoped will be stronger institutions. The government has said the banks must set aside 83.8 billion euros to cover potential losses on property loans.
IN TROUBLE Japanese regulators are probing JPMorgan for its alleged role in a high-profile insider trading case, Dow Jones Newswires reported on Wednesday, the latest bad news for the embattled US bank. The Securities and Exchange Surveillance Commission (SESC) recommended on Tuesday that an asset manager be fined for short-selling Nippon Sheet Glass shares after illegally obtaining information ahead of a stock sale JPMorgan was underwriting. A sales executive for the US bank was the source of the leak, Dow Jones said.
India‑View
10
WEDNESDAY, MAY 30, 2012
India unveiled
An India-educated democracy beacon Rahul Dass
YANGON: India-educated Aung San Suu Kyi, who didn’t leave Myanmar even when her husband was dying of cancer as she feared she may not be allowed to return, is to her country what Nelson Mandela was to South Africa — a powerful symbol of democracy. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Tuesday met Suu Kyi, 66, here during his three-day trip. The pro-democracy leader has fought a tough and long battle against the military that has ruled Myanmar for nearly 50 years before beginning to share power with the civilians. In the years before she was placed under house arrest at her lakeside village in Yangon and became a
symbol of hope for her people, she spent a long time in other countries including India. Suu Kyi passed out from New Delhi’s Lady Shri Ram College in 1964 with a degree in political science. While in Delhi, she lived in
VEILED COUNTERATTACK
the very house in the heart of the city that later became the Congress party headquarters. Daughter of Aung San, considered a hero in Myanmar, Suu Kyi was born in June 1945. When she was barely two, her father was assassinated. In 1960, her mother Daw Khin Kyi was appointed ambassador to India. From Delhi, the daughter moved to Oxford to study philosophy, politics and economics. On Jan 1, 1972, she married Michael Aris. The year 1988 marked a dramatic change in her life when she rushed to Myanmar to take care of her ailing mother, perhaps little realising that she would go on to wage nearly a quarter-century struggle against the military. Three years later in 1991, she won the Nobel Peace prize.
India’s last Mughal emperor burried here YANGON: India’s last Mughal emperor, Bahadur Shah Zafar, lay buried here for nearly 130 years in a forgotten grave until 1991 when his final resting place was chanced upon during digging. His mausoleum in this former capital of Myanmar is frequented by those who want to have a glimpse of the tomb of the man who was the last emperor of India. He died on Nov 7, 1862, after being exiled by the British. After the first war of independence in 1857, the British whisked the emperor away to Myanmar, then Burma, where he died at the age of 87 at Rangoon, now Yangon. After the 1857 revolt, he hid
at Humayun’s tomb in the Indian capital where he was caught. The mausoleum gets visitors, some of whom pray. Bahadur Shah Zafar had become a saint in his last days. Buried alongside his grave are his wife Begum Zeenat Mahal and granddaughter Raunaq Zamani Begum. While digging to lay the foundations of a memorial hall in 1991, a subterranean grave was discovered. It is believed that this grave is the true grave of the last Mughal, the graves on the ground being decoys constructed by the British to ensure nationalist sentiments centred around the last emperor were not aroused. IANS
Sibal for creating educators’ pool NEW DELHI: With teacher shortage and training continuing to be a big challenge, HRD minister Kapil Sibal today favoured a solution which creates a pool of educators with expertise in different subjects and languages. “There is need to create a pool of pedagogy to
address the present challenges and realities,” he said. This pool of teachers should be easily accessible, he said at the ‘International policy dialogue forum on teacher’s challenges for education for all in India’ here. In this context, he called for an UNESCO
round table to figure out the needs of global community and children. Sibal said unless the quality of teachers is addressed, especially in poor countries like India, any development process would be hard to achieve. PTI
Infra-red meters for foolproof billing
A girl covers her face from the sun as she walks along a street in New Delhi on Tuesday. Heat wave conditions prevail in the northern states of India with the mercury registering a record high 44.4 degrees Celsius for the month of May. AFP
YAVATMAL: In a maiden attempt in Vidarbha region of Maharashtra, the Yavatmal circle of MSEDCL is set to replace the existing energy meters with the new ‘infra-red meters’ in Pusad city shortly. “It aims to ensure foolproof meter reading of the energy consumption by the consumers and we are initially launching the scheme in Pusad town. During the first phase we would replace 180,900 old meters with the newly introduced ‘infra-red meters’,” superintending engineer Baba-
saheb Jadhav said today. The infra-red energy meters along with a modem would be installed at consumers’ residences in Pusad city next month and the old meters would be withdrawn, Jadhav said, adding that the meters are expected to arrive in a fortnight and thereafter the installation would begin. The scheme would be extended to other cities in the district in a phased manner. The new meter would cost around `1,200 each and it would be borne by the company. Explaining the functioning
of the infra-red meters, Jadhav said anyone can take the reading automatically within a distance of 300 meters from the place of installation and the data would be reproduced with the help of a computer device attached with Internet connection. “At present, we are spending `7 per meter and it would be saved with the commissioning of the infra red meters,” he said, adding that the umpteen number of complaints from the consumers about faulty reading and excess billing can now be solved. PTI
Cool summer attracts tourists to Kashmir Sheikh Qayoom
SRINAGAR: It’s another summer of peace for Jammu and Kashmir and tourists are flocking like never before to this picturesque land of meadows, streams and hills that was deserted just two years ago as tension reigned and bullets flew. Seeking to escape the searing heat of the plains for the serenity of the famed Kashmir valley, visitors in their thousands are pouring in each day — galvanising the tourism industry and bringing
smiles to the faces of thousands of crafts-persons, hotel owners, restaurateurs, shikara-wallahs and the like. In this summer capital, there are simply no rooms to be had. All houseboats on the Dal and Nigeen lakes, hotels and guesthouses are booked to capacity. “There is simply no place anywhere in the Boulevard Road area, which is the famous haunt of the tourists coming to Kashmir each year. Many locals are now converting their residential homes into paying guest facilities,” said
Gowhar Maqbool, a hotel owner. Long queues of tourists are seen outside Srinagar’s many Mughal gardens with people waiting for entry tickets to enter the Nishat, Shalimar and Chashma Shahi gardens. Shikara-wallahs, who are so much part of the Srinagar charm with their wooden boats, on the Dal and Nigeen lakes are doing great business. “I have never been this busy all my life. God finally has decided to be kind to our families,” said Abdul Salam, a shikarawallah in Nigeen Lake. IANS
India‑View
11
WEDNESDAY, MAY 30, 2012
India unveiled
Armed forces prepared for any challenge: VK Singh PUNE: All three units of the armed forces were prepared to face any challenged, army chief Gen VK Singh said on Wednesday, a day before he retires from office. Addressing reporters at his last major function as army chief, VK Singh said modernisation would help the forces further build their capacity. He was replying to questions at a press conference after the National Defence Academy (NDA) passing out parade at Khadakvasla near Pune. “All three units of the armed forces, in whichever condition they are, are fully prepared to face any challenge,” VK Singh said. “As they modernise, they will add to their capacity,” he said. The army chief was at the centre of a controversy when a letter, written by him to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh pointing out lack of ammunition with the army, was leaked to the media. Addressing the cadets, the army chief stressed on upholding moral and ethical values. “You should lead by the respect of the people you command. A correct mix of moral and ethical values is needed. Never let personal gains override your professional duty and responsibility. You will lead the future,” he said. IANS
Modi woos Muslims on path to PM gaddi AHMEDABAD: In his bid to wean away Muslim voters from Congress’ fold in election year, Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi is making efforts that include experimenting social engineering and even shedding his saffron persona to woo the community towards BJP. In what appears to be a well thought out strategy, Modi is holding a meeting of the state BJP Minority Cell at Staff Training College in Gandhinagar tomorrow to “ponder” over the ways to bring Muslims to BJP, a party functionary said. “We will try to bring the minority community towards BJP’s call of nationalism and
inform them of Congress’ divide and rule policy,” BJP spokesperson Jagdish Bhavsar said. With poll calculations weighing heavily on its mind, the saffron party seems deter-
mined to dent what is considered as the traditional vote bank of the Congress. “Programmes would be devised by the party in this meeting to counter Congress’s vote bank politics. Programmes will be devised in such a way that BJP party workers and especially minority community workers will donate maximum time, engage them and establish contact with Muslims population of the state,” Bhavsar said. This is for the first time that Gujarat BJP will chalk out an all out plan to woo Muslims under Modi, who is accused of complacency in the 2002 Gujarat riots. PTI
CHENNAI: Ruling UPA’s key ally DMK today issued a veiled threat of pulling out of the alliance on the issue of the “atrocious” petrol price hike, saying the party had never hesitated to do so earlier respecting people’s sentiments. “The DMK is in the coalition. But (being in) alliance is different but it is our duty to voice concern against policies that will affect the people,” DMK chief M Karunanidhi said.
Disabled senior citizen shot dead in Kanpur KANPUR: A disabled senior citizen was today shot dead in Railbazar area here, police said. The man, aged above 50, was shot to death by unidentified assailants, they said. Packets of smack were recovered from his body, leading police to suspect that he was a drug dealer, they said. His body was sent for postmortem, they said.
GUIDING LIGHT Dense smoke billowing out of the HCL factory in Noida after a fire on Tuesday. PTI
Chhattisgarh govt bans PLFI for naxal activities
7 J&K cops injured in militant hit SRINAGAR: Seven CRPF personnel were today injured, one of them critically, as two motorcycleborne militants opened indiscriminate firing on them at Khanyar in old city today. Two militants riding a motorcycle fired on the CRPF personnel of 82nd Battalion as they were leaving their headquarters at Shiraz Cinema for law and order duty at around 7.15am, Senior Superintendent of Police, Srinagar, Aashiq Bukhari told PTI “Seven security force personnel were injured in the militant attack at Victory Crossing near Khanyar,” he said, adding while one jawan received bullet injuries in the chest, six others received injuries on their limbs. The injured jawans were rushed to SKIMS Hospital at Soura where the doctors said condition of one jawan was “critical”. Official sources said the driver of the motorcycle was wearing a helmet while the pillion had covered his face with a mask. PTI
NATION AT A GLANCE DMK threatens to exit UPA over petrol hike
People take part in a ‘Save The Girl Child’ campaign by National Confederation of Human Rights PTI Organisations at Rajghat in New Delhi on Tuesday.
13 killed as SUV falls into Kashmir gorge JAMMU: Thirteen people were killed early Wednesday when their vehicle skidded off the road and fell into a deep gorge in Jammu and Kashmir’s Ramban district, police said. The Tata Sumo carrying 13 passengers rolled into a 300 metre deep gorge at Digdol, about 165 km north of Jammu city, an official said. All the passengers died instantly. Bodies were scattered all over and police were finding it difficult to retrieve them, the official said. IANS
RAIPUR: Chhattisgarh Government has banned for a year the Peoples Liberation Front of India (PLFI) and Tritiya Prastuti Committee (TPC), for their alleged involvement in naxal activities, sources said today. The state government under the Chhattishgarh Special Public Safety Act, 2005 has banned these organisations through a notification from immediate effect for a year, they said. According to sources, the home department has said that if any office-bearers of these organisations want to go into appeal against the ban, they can do so before the Advisory Board of the Chhattisgahrh High Court.
Around the World
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WEDNESDAY, MAY 30, 2012
Beyond Borders
Vatileaks exposes cracks VATICAN CITY: The flood of secret Vatican documents leaked to the press, enraging the Holy See, aims to oust the Church’s powerful number two and maybe to replace the pope himself, experts say. The so-called “Vatileaks” scandal is a plot within the intrigue-filled Vatican City to unseat Secretary of State Tarcisio Bertone, seen by some as wielding too much power and not acting in the Church’s interests, they say. As the Vatican moves to root out whistle blowers who have been copying and leaking private documents straight from Pope Benedict XVI’s desk, rumours have been circulating in the Italian media over whether the plot may run deeper. Frustration over the management of Church scandals in recent years — from allegations of money-laundering to clerical sex abuse — has apparently led some to begin preparing the way for their chosen candidate to become future pope. “A group of cardinals has begun to act on a very ambitious aim: to take the secretary of state, and then, conquer the conclave (the assembly which elects a new pope) with a chosen
Look before you eat A
spate of child poisonings has laundry-detergent makers rethinking colourful laundry pods that resemble candy. There were at least 250 cases reported to poison control centers of children eating the brightly coloured pods that arrived on store shelves in recent months. The new pods are the size of large candies and even sold in jars that look strikingly like containers for sweets. “If you look at the Tide Pods, they’re bright blue and bright red and they look very similar to some of the ribbon candy,” said Julie Weber, director of the Missouri Poison Control Center in St. Louis. Although there has yet to be any fatalities, there have been hospitalizations of infants and children who have swallowed the detergent or got it in their eyes. Some experts believe that the reactions children have had prove the pods are more dangerous than regular detergent. In response, Cincinnatibased Procter and Gamble said that it would be adding a double-latch lid to the packaging in order to prevent poisonings. GLOBALPOST
A demonstrator holds a poster of Emanuela Orlandi in St. Peter’s square, at the Vatican. Fifteen-year-old Emanuela Orlandi, the daughter of a Vatican messenger who lived with his family in Vatican City, disappeared 25 years ago (June 22, 1983) when she went to a music lesson. AFP/ FILIPPO MONTEFORTE pope among them,” said La Repubblica newspaper. Bertone, a close ally of Benedict, has sparked controversy in some quarters, in particular over his management of the Vatican bank, which has come to symbolise the opacity and scandal gripping the Holy See’s administration. The leaked documents have shed light on many Vatican
secrets, including the Church’s tax problems, child sex scandals and negotiations with hardline traditionalist rebels. Although they do not reveal any great surprises, the secret papers have lifted the lid on deep-seated venom among rival figures in the Vatican. Leaks in January revealed a bitter battle between Bertone and Archbishop Carlo Maria
Vigano, who had been attempting to clean up the Vatican’s finances when he was removed from his post — allegedly for cracking down on corruption. Vigano wrote to the pope and begged not to be punished for rooting out examples of favours, waste and financial mismanagement which set the Vatican back millions of euros in higher contract prices — but to no avail. Insiders say the pope was not strong enough to challenge Bertone’s decision. “These leaks are bullets aimed at Bertone. They want to sink him, to force him to resign,” Italian theologist Vito Mancuso told journalists. The cardinal, 78, also infuriated critics last week for his reported role in pushing the Vatican bank to oust its head, Ettore Gotti Tedeschi — an expert on financial ethics — for not toeing the line. Gotti Tedeschi had been tasked with getting the Vatican on the “white list” of financially virtuous countries, but frictions arose when Bertone insisted on maintaining the bank’s independence and appeared intent on watering down a new transparency law. AFP
Real life action drama
A
robbery suspect in Dallas climbed into a giant construction crane on the Southern Methodist University campus on Monday and threatened to shoot police. The man is wanted for an early morning carjacking. He climbed onto the crane being used to build campus housing and began hurling his shoes at police and threatened to jump and shoot officers, although police don’t know if he has a gun, Dallas TV station DFW reported. Television footage showed the crane on an empty lot, with the cab higher than the light poles at SMU’s nearby football stadium. Although there are a limited number of people on campus because of the Memorial Day holiday, officials locked down the SMU campus and a nearby shopping center as a precaution. A helicopter with a sniper on board was headed to the area, also as a precaution. GLOBALPOST
Cool solution to Kenya’s stoves NAIROBI,
KENYA: Greg Spencer, a 27-year-old from San Diego, was on holiday in Uganda with his dad four years ago when he found his calling. “I was just a year out of college and I wanted to be involved in a cool, challenging and innovative business,” he said. In Uganda he saw some of the 3 billion people worldwide who cook on open fires. An estimated 1.9 million of them die premature deaths from the inhalation of toxic fumes, according to the World Health Organization. Spencer gained an interest in the emerging world of carbon markets, in which polluting companies buy credits from firms that reduce carbon emissions, from his father, Greg Sr, who made his name with the US-based offset company Blue Source. In Uganda Spencer asked himself: “How do we leverage the carbon market to make a sustainable business that will impact the world positively. His answer was clean, efficient cooking stoves that use less fuel and reduce deforestation. In addition, those cooking
HIS ANSWER WAS CLEAN, EFFICIENT COOKING STOVES THAT USE LESS FUEL AND REDUCE DEFORESTATION. IN ADDITION, THOSE COOKING WITH THE INNOVATIVE STOVES WOULD BE EXPOSED TO LESS SMOKE, REDUCING THE RISK OF PNEUMONIA, LUNG CANCER AND OTHER RESPIRATORY DISEASES.
with the innovative stoves would be exposed to less smoke, reducing the risk of pneumonia, lung cancer and other respiratory diseases. Now Spencer spends his time in a dirty double-story warehouse in Nairobi’s industrial zone. The area is an trafficclogged maze of broken roads and rundown depots stretching from the fringes of the city’s central business district to the edge of its international airport. Here on Nanyuki Road, the company Spencer co-founded,
the Paradigm Project, manufactures its cooking stoves. The stove itself is an 11-inch tall metal cylinder with three legs, two handles, a grate, a hotplate and a ceramic lining. Because it is aimed at rural families, for whom charcoal is often unavailable or too expensive, the stove is made to burn wood. A recent survey found that 76 per cent of East Africa’s 100 million residents use wood to cook. “It’s a simple design, but it’s well-designed. It’s all about airflow and thermal dynamics,” says Spencer. The stove allows wood to be burned quickly and completely while the insulated lining directs the heat to the pot. In tests the stove — marketed in Kenya as the “Jiko Poa” or “Cool stove” — has proven to be 45 per cent more efficient than open fires and it reduce toxic smoke by 50 per cent. The Nairobi factory turns out around 2,000 stoves a month, which are sold through a network of 40 dealers. The subsidized retail price is $16 and even this is beyond the reach of the poorest who subsist on just a dollar or two a day. GLOBALPOST
Around the World Dharun says sorry before going to jail NEW BRUNSWICK: Before turning himself in Thursday to begin serving a 30-day jail term for spying on his gay roommate with a webcam, Indian-American student Dharun Ravi has apologised for the first time. In a statement on Tuesday, Ravi, former student at Rutgers New Jersey state university, said he decided to “accept and hopefully complete the sentence as soon as possible. It’s the only way I can go on with my life.” Ravi also offered a clear apology. “I accept responsibility for and regret my thoughtless, insensitive, immature, stupid and childish choices that I made on September 19, 2010 and September 21, 2010,” he said referring to the spying incident. “My behaviour and actions, which at no time were motivated by hate, bigotry, prejudice or desire to hurt, humiliate or embarrass anyone, were nonetheless the wrong choices and decisions. I apologise to everyone affected by those choices.” Since the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office is appealing the sentence handed down by Superior Court Judge Glenn Berman, Ravi did not have to begin serving the term yet, but his lawyer said Ravi wanted to go through with it sooner rather than later. Ravi is to appear Wednesday before Berman at 8.30am in New Brunswick. He will report to the Middlesex County Jail a day later. With good behaviour, his term could be shaved to as little as 20 days. IANS
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WEDNESDAY, MAY 30, 2012
Beyond Borders
It’s Romney all the way after Texas win AFP/ JUSTIN SULLIVAN
Republican presidential candidate, Mitt Romney speaks during a campaign rally at Somers Furniture on Tuesday. WASHINGTON: Mitt Romney clinched his Republican party’s White House nomination on Tuesday by winning its Texas primary, vowing to get America “back on the path to prosperity” by defeating Barack Obama in November. But the milestone was clouded by a rehashed controversy over claims by billionaire tycoon Donald Trump, a high-profile Romney supporter, questioning President Obama’s birthplace. “#1144. Thank You. Whatever challenges lie ahead, we will settle for nothing less than getting America back on the path to prosperity,” Romney tweeted, referring to the number of delegates required to win his party’s
Obama’s slip WASHINGTON: The White House on Tuesday tried to head off a diplomatic spat with Poland after President Barack Obama mistakenly called a Nazi facility used to process Jews for execution as a “Polish death camp.” “Before one trip across enemy lines, resistance fighters told him that Jews were being murdered on a massive scale, and smuggled him into the Warsaw Ghetto and a Polish death camp to see for himself,” Obama said. Spokesman for Obama’s National Security Council, said that the president “misspoke.” AFP
nomination. The former Massachusetts governor, the only candidate who actively campaigned in Texas, won 71 per cent of the vote. US congressman from Texas Ron Paul won 10 per cent in his home state, Catholic conservative Rick Santorum 7 per cent and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich 5 per cent, according to CNN. In Texas 155 delegates were at stake — which added to Romney’s tally of 1,064 should take him well over the 1,144 nomination threshold, according to the website RealClearPolitics. But while Romney celebrate the achievement, the campaign was risked veering off message thanks to interventions by flamboyant real estate tycoon Trump, who endorsed the candidate in February. Trump spent much of Tuesday insisting there were still lingering doubts about whether Obama was really a natural born US citizen. “Nothing has changed my mind,” he told CNBC about the so-called “birther” issue, adding “There are some major questions here and the press doesn’t want to cover it.” That provided an opening for Obama’s campaign to slam Romney for lacking “moral leadership” over his appearance with Trump. AFP
Bidding adieu to Doc Watson WASHINGTON:
Grammywinning US folk legend Arthel Lane “Doc” Watson, who branched out from his Appalachian musical roots blending in bluegrass, country, gospel and blues, died in North Carolina on Tuesday, his promoters said. He was 89. Watson, a National Medal of Arts winner who hailed from Deep Gap, North Carolina, passed away following abdominal surgery last week at Wake Forest baptist medical Center in Winston-Salem, promoters Folklore productions announced. From a musical family, Watson picked up the banjo early — his first instrument — before moving on to the guitar. According to family lore, at 13, he taught himself the chords
to When the Roses Bloom in Dixieland on a borrowed guitar. His father was so delighted that he learned the chords in a day, that he helped Watson buy his
own guitar just days later. Illness left Watson blind as an infant yet he was able to channel his talent and determination into musical renown; he
was widely known as one of the world’s most accomplished flatpickers. His opening in the musical world was aided by the growing folk revival. In 1960 folklorists Ralph Rinzler and Eugene Earle heard Watson in the process. That led to his first recordings. It was 1962 when Watson gave his first solo performance in New York’s Greenwich Village. So began his busy professional career including concerts, clubs, colleges and festivals. As recently as 2002, Watson took home one of his eight Grammys, when he joined forces with banjo player David Holt. The pair shared the Grammy for their album “Legacy.” AFP
GLOBE AT A GLANCE Australian man loses marriage rape case SYDNEY: An 81-year-old Australian man lost a bid to have charges that he raped his wife in the 1960s dropped on the grounds that forcing a spouse into sex was not a crime at the time. The man, known only as PGA, had asked the High Court of Australia to dismiss the case brought by his wife, arguing that prior to 1976 in Australia a woman could not refuse sexual intercourse with her husband.
Human foot mailed to Conservative Party OTTAWA: Canadian police were on Tuesday investigating after a decomposing human foot was mailed to the ruling Conservative Party at its headquarters in Ottawa. The package was partly opened by the receptionist who called the police after seeing blood stains and was overwhelmed by the smell.
A student dressed as Quebec Premier Jean Charest takes part in a protest in Quebec. AFP
Sudan withdraws troops from Abyei UNITED NATIONS: Sudanese troops on Tuesday withdrew from the disputed territory of Abyei, a UN spokesman told AFP. Rival South Sudan had already pulled its security forces out of the territory after the UN Security Council had demanded both sides get their forces out of Abyei. Abyei is one of the key disputes between Sudan and South Sudan.
Iran’s n-plant launch rescheduled to June MOSCOW: The launch of Iran’s Bushehr nuclear power plant, may be rescheduled to June from May. Under a bilateral agreement approved by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Russia will operate the plant, supply its fuel and take away all the spent fuel for the next two or three years, but will eventually hand over full control to Iran.
Firefighters extinguish a fire that engulfed a residential area in Makati city, financial district of Manila today. AFP
Comment
WEDNESDAY, MAY 30, 2012
Fair, free and forthright
Talk back All equal for law Shouldn’t we let law take its own course rather than suck up to a highprofile suspect in a case of bleeding the state and country of crores of rupees? I am not saying that Jagan Mohan Reddy is guilty and hence should be punished, all I am saying is when the CBI are investing the case, why is that people have let themselves be gullible and are getting involved in it? We are playing into the hands of unscrupulous politicians who for a little personal gain can ruin everything of the common man. To have your business shutdown for days together brings untold miseries on not just the shop owner but many a family dependent on it. Narasimha Reddy Nampally
Check will curb crime I wonder why people do wrong things in the name of religion. A wrong is wrong in the eyes of any god! It is stupid to think that a certain god will be appeased if we do some bad to a religion other than that god’s. How very funny that it. No god will approve of violence, hatred or for that matter anything negative. Let’s not indulge in wrongdoings in the belief of appeasing anybody. That’s not the way it works. Everyone is equal in the eyes of the lord. Let us at least remember that humanity is the first scale that mortals will be measured on. Well, let’s hope SMSs and Internet footage being monitored by the Central Crime Station sleuths will help reduce criminal activities by the ignorant ones. Moula Ali Masab Tank
Stop abuse of rights Figures released by The Amnesty International annual report are shocking and expose the poor management skills of the state administration in handling situations of crisis. Violating basic rights of human beings must stop at all costs. We are not a primitive population. We are people who go around advising other countries; how than can we violate human rights in our own country? There is no problem that comes out of nothing. There is a reason for the problem and there is also an amicable solution. Lakshmi Venugopal Krishna Nagar
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
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There’s nothing Holy about what we See Fusillade Arun Koshy Philip
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he Vatican, the seat of Roman Catholic Church, has throughout its history, found itself digging in on the wrong side of history — the latest scandals to shake the bedrock of a billion faithful have proved that not much has changed. It was barely a week ago that the board of Vatican Bank (official name, Institute for Religious Works) was forced to sack its chief Ettore Gotti Tedeschi after an Italian police probe and a freeze on a £19-million account. Tedeschi is lucky, at least so far. In 1982, Banco Ambrosiano (whose main shareholder is Vatican Bank) collapsed after close to $1.5 billion was siphoned off. Its then chief Roberto Calvi, who was popularly known as ‘God’s Banker’ for his proximity with the Holy See, tried to change his appearance and flee the country. A few days later, his body was found hanging from a London bridge — an inquiry in 1983 found that he was murdered. Witch-hunts are not new to the Church. It has a long history of ‘silencing’ its critics and using all means necessary to suppress dissemination of information that will hurt the credibility of its doctrines. Philosophers, litterateurs, artists, scientists, social reformers have all faced the brunt of these actions. Tens of thousands were persecuted, detained, tortured and executed in attempts to enforce the ‘infallibility’ of the Catholic doctrine and the Pope’s unquestionable authority. For all what Jesus might have had to say, the Church’s activities haven’t been towering examples of righteousness, honesty, transparency and tolerance. The deafening silence on, if not tacit approval of, Hitler’s persecution of Jews is an excellent example. The Church requires celibacy from its priests (I thought the good book said something about God making woman for man — feminists, no offense intended). Tens of thousands of children have been abused by priests and I have lost track of the millions, if not billions shelled out by the church of St Peter to keep matters hush-hush.
Editorials
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You hypocrite! First remove the beam out of your own eye, and then you can see clearly to remove the speck out of your brother’s eye. Matthew 7:5 Not only were reported cases of abuse hidden from police, many of the offenders were allowed to continue in key posts — and presumably continue their ‘activities’. HIV/Aids has killed thousands and the number of cases are skyrocketing. A large chunk of the affected population is in Africa and the Church’s long-standing opposition to condoms have made its mark in a rather deadly way. It was only in 2010, after decades of criticism from human rights activists and medical fraternity, that the Pope decided to condone use of condoms. The latest leak of highly confidential Vatican documents has revealed battles for
supremacy and control raging within its walls have left the Church red in its face. However, instead of coming clean on the matter, the Church has taken upon itself to target the whistleblowers — the arrest of Pope’s butler is just the tip of the iceberg if we take history into account. In focus is the secretary of state Tarcisio Bertone, a powerful figure and confidant of Pope Benedict XI, who is the real authority behind Vatican Bank. The leaked documents also say that Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano, who had been trying to clean up the state’s finances, was abruptly removed — allegedly for cracking down on corruption. The world has come a long way since inquisitions and burnings at stake. People, individualism and nation states are the order of the day. If someone’s under the assumption that they can live the unquestioned, opaque lives of medieval ages forever, they are living in a fool’s paradise. The dark secrets, skeletons in the cupboard and blood under the carpet will be exposed — the Judgement Day is not far away. The writer works for Postnoon.
FUKUSHIMA FALLOUT IS A WARNING we cannot ignore
he National Academy of Sciences Washington has published the results of a research done on the fallouts of the quake-struck Japan’s Fukushima Nuclear plant. Fifteen bluefin tuna caught off the coast of San Diego, California in August 2011, researchers have found had “modestly elevated levels” of two radioactive isotopes, but they declared that it posed no risk to public health. We can no longer be complacent that we can stay immune to manmade blunders triggered in any part of the globe however distant they may be from us. To that extent, the world has indeed become a global village. To live in tandem with nature is the best thing we could do to ourselves. The Fukushima incident must serve the human race as an eye-opener, especially when it comes to dealing with dangerous technology. Also, it would be a valuable learning if these fish could be observed over a period of time to study the effect of nuclear radiation on them and their offspring.
WHY WE LOVE... Manmohan Singh
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o be able to weather a national movement while seated in what has become the hottest seat in the nation, what with us living through such turbulent political times, is no mean a feat. Accepted that Team Anna’s holier-than-thou attitude cuts no ice with many today, still for our dear PM to dismiss its allegation so categorically... wow!
Cinema Paradiso
WEDNESDAY, MAY 30, 2012
Queens of the damned Faustina Johnson feedback@postnoon.com
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here is no other character quite like her, the magnetic charm, the cold ruthlessness, the indomitable power, oozing sensuality in every cursed stroke. The Evil Queen is the epitome of all evil, an enigma so bent on domination that she even dictates the story. Possessing a Gothic appeal, she is synonymous with the dark. While the heroine is captivating in her own innocent right, the Evil Queen is undoubtedly more interesting. Her personality offers a fascinating study in psychology. “She is the exact opposite of the damsel in distress,” says Rajdeep Sarkar, a student of psychology. She is a supremacist dictator who controls her own fate and sets the pace of the story. Another unmistakable quality is the irresistible sensuality, a potent weapon, which makes her victims easy prey. The luscious Queen in The Brothers Grimm played by Monica Bellucci dazzled victims and audience alike. How did she come into existence? The Queen is usually based on a real person with some dramatic exaggeration, is the opinion of most others. An amplified persona, yes, with the other redeeming good qualities siphoned out. She represents the murky dregs of the human soul, filtered down to its dark depths. Something about an evil queen sounds more terrifying than an evil king. The unnamed Evil Queen of Snow White sets the classic prototype with her magic, power and narcissism. The most famous fantasy dictator, she is also rather shallow. Her obsession with beauty and immortality finally consumes her. The White Witch in the Narnia movies is completely ruthless, killing as casually as stepping on
an ant. With her costume designed to reflect the ice of her character, she is easily the best dressed. She is more ambitious, a brilliant example of the psychopath. Her emotional coldness, the knowledge that you can't affect her and her unpredictability grip you with an entirely different kind of fear. The Queen of Hearts in Alice In Wonderland represents another class of the species, one without the advantages of physical allure. Dubbed “blind fury” by Lewis Caroll himself, this woman is passionate and driven by vengeance. More mad than truly evil, this queen is the stormy id of Freud's psychic apparatus, the dark sea of unconscious pulsating with instincts and desires, a person who exists within us, without the moralising influence of the super ego. We find contemporary counterparts in the perfectionist wife, the overbearing boss, even the malevolent popular cheerleader bent on making the teen heroine's life miserable. Miranda Priestly of The Devil Wears Prada is the ultimate characterisation of the Evil Queen of today, not only because she fits in the archetypal concept perfectly, but also because she is (allegedly) based on a woman from the present (Anna Wintour, editor of Vogue). “All of these women think they are so much better than the others,” says Drishya Nair, a student, “And with good reason. When you wield so much power, you can do what you want and get away with it.” They are egocentric characters who are very aware of their powers and limitations. “Evil Queens are always exhibiting their superiority. It is an inflated projection of a rather common human trait,” Drishya adds. With her power, confidence and twisted mind, The Evil Queen is a timeless character, a metaphorical wonder, one without which the fairytale, and many other genres would not exist.
Something about an evil queen sounds more terrifying than an evil king. Snow White and the Huntsman lends yet another addition to the long line of female villains. We conduct an exploration into the elusive psyche of the evil queen
MOVIE OF THE WEEK
Battle of moves
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steady look at the underbelly of the youth battle dance culture in Long Beach, California. Sean Lewis, a young, charismatic, successful businessman finds himself in the mix with a bunch of disheveled misfits Bad Boys, who have virtually no dance talent. Realising his dilemma, Sean brings aboard a professional dance instructor to ease his responsibilities to these kids. Meanwhile, he finds himself falling for Sara,
who runs the community center where the kids hangout and practice their moves. With Sean motivating them, The Bad Boys find the confidence to rise to the challenge and defeat their nemesis The Bang Squad, at NAME: Battlefield America the annual DIRECTOR: Chris Stokes dance battle CAST: Marques Houston, Mekia competition Cox and Christopher Jones Battlefield America!
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H‑Factor
WEDNESDAY, MAY 30, 2012
Holistic view of mind, body and soul
TROUBLE SLEEPING? If you’re feeling sluggish despite a good night’s sleep and are a loud snorer, chances are you have sleep apnea, a chronic condition condition is usually identified by doctors in inpatients and rarely in the OPD. Since obesity is one of the major risk factors for OSA, weight reduction is one of the primary treatments advised. “Patients are also advised to avoid alcohol, smoking and sleeping pills. While there are surgical correction options chances of recurrence is high,” says Dr Vijay. A machine called the CPAP machine helps clear the
Ranjani Rajendra ranjani.r@postnoon.com
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ho doesn’t love to sleep in and then wake up feeling refreshed? But have you ever noticed that despite your more than adequate hours of sleep, you wake up feeling sluggish and struggle to get through your day? Or how many times have people complained that your snoring has kept them up for the better part of the night? It’s probably not something you should be merely shrugging off. It could be obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), a condition in which the airflow decreases or pauses for short intervals when you are asleep. Incidentally, this occurs more often when you lie down on your back as airway constricts. The problem is more pronounced in people who are obese. So your waistline definitely affects your sleep patterns. “There are primarily two stages of sleep — non-rapid eye movement (NREM), the lighter plane of sleep and rapid eye movement (REM) the deeper plane of sleep. In REM the airway constricts further and if breathing
SINCE OBESITY IS ONE OF
halts for more than 10 seconds then it is classified as apnea. Before that when the breathing is shallow it is classified as hypopnea. Using the apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) we measure the severity of OSA,” explains Dr Vijaykumar, consultant pulmonologist. Men are said to be more prone
to OSA and women post menopause as well. Health conditions like high blood pressure, diabetes, heart ailment and obesity and some of the risk factors for sleep apnea. This lack of quality sleep could lead to daytime sleepiness, irritability, poor memory, recurrent dream of being stangled, loss of libido etc. Most people don’t even realise they have a problem nor do they take snoring seriously. Due to lack of awareness, this
THE MAJOR RISK FACTORS FOR SLEEP APNEA, WEIGHT REDUCTION IS ADVISED AS A TREATMENT TO MOST PATIENTS. SLEEPING ON THE SIDE CAN ALSO HELP PATIENTS WITH THIS SLEEP DISORDER airway. The machine which can be worn as a mask during bedtime helps curb snoring and also improves quality of sleep. Sleeping on the side can help too. Experts warns that it is important to treat OSA because it can be a precursor to coronary heart disease, diabetes, hypertensions and strokes apart from affecting the quality of life.
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Now a helpline to quit tobacco
NEW DELHI: Quitting tobacco could become easier from this May 31 on ‘World No Tobacco Day’ with a prominent tobacco cessation company Nicorette starting a helpline by providing techniques to get rid of the addiction. Tushar Murdeshwar, vice-president marketing at consumer division of Nicorette’s parent company, Johnson and Johnson India said on Tu esday, “We want to partner with quitters through their entire journey by providing them the entire infrastructure and support that is needed to quit.” “We are confident our tobacco cessation infrastructure will help tobacco users struggling to quit,” he added. According to World Health Organisation (WHO), such helplines are essential for any tobacco-control effort due to their easy accessibility and cost-effectiveness as tools to increase the quit success rate. Murdeshwar added that the helpline is the latest addition to Nicorette’s Tobacco Cessation Infrastructure which already has a Facebook page and an SMS-based text-to-quit service. The company manufactures nicotine based chewing gums that help in quitting tobacco. The gums include small quantities of medicinal nicotine, that satiate a tobacco user’s nicotine craving without the harmful effects of smoking. The helpline, called National Tobacco Cessation Quit Line will be accessible from 31 May, from 9 am to 9 pm at the toll-free number: 1800227787. Tobacco cessation counselling will be provided in English, Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati and Bengali. Also, callers wanting on-ground support will be referred to a local Tobacco Intervention Initiative (TII) centre of the Indian Dental Association (IDA). Currently there are 500 TII centres across India. The Global Adult Tobacco Survey (2009-2010) shows that one-third of all adults in India use tobacco in some form or the other and over 35 percent of them want to quit this habit. However, inaccessibility to treatment, lack of support and low levels of awareness has been the major hindrances in determining low success rates. IANS
H‑Factor
WEDNESDAY, MAY 30, 2012
Holistic view of mind, body and soul
Kids’ friends influence
how active they are, says study The new study found that children whose closest friends are active will likely also engage in sports or other activities
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he new study found that children whose closest friends are active will likely also engage in sports or other activities. “Peer groups matter,” said lead author Sabina Gesell, a research assistant professor in pediatrics at Vanderbilt School of Medicine, reported Time. “If your child is surrounding by children who are seden-
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tary it will be difficult for that child to be more active. If they can find more active friends it will be easy to change their activity level.” Researchers at Vanderbilt University tracked groups of friends between five and 12years-old over three months. They used a device that tracked the child’s muscle movements throughout the day.
CBC News reported that the biggest determinant to whether or not they were active was the influence of their four to six closest friends. The more active their friends, the more active they were and vice versa. Children, the study found, also adjusted their behaviour to meet the demands of their more active friends.
“We see evidence that the children are mirroring, emulating or adjusting to be similar to their friends,” said Gesell, reported the Globe and Mail. “And that’s exciting because we saw meaningful changes in activity levels in 12 weeks.” It is estimated that one in five American children are obese. The new study was published in Pediatrics. GLOBAL POST
Night shift linked to breast cancer risk
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esearchers found that women who work at least three night shifts a week for around six years or more are twice as likely to develop breast cancer. The study, published online in Occupational and Environmental Medicine, followed more than 18,500 women working for the Danish Army from 1964 to 1999, all of whom had been born between 1929-68. It found an increased breast cancer was strongest among those who describe themselves as “morning” people or “larks,” rather than “evening” people or “nightowls,” according to UPI. Lead author Dr Johnni Hansen, of the Institute of Cancer Epidemiology, in Copenhagen, Denmark, wrote that there was little to no risk for women who worked one to two night shifts per week as this workload would not change the timing of melatonin production and thereby not initiate circadian disruption. “The observation that women with night work and morning preference (who may be less tolerant of night shift work) tend to have a higher risk for breast cancer than similar women with evening preference warrants further exploration in larger studies,” Hansen said. Professor Jim Horne, of the Sleep Research Centre at Loughborough University, said that for most women the increased risk of developing breast cancer after many years of shift-work, is still small. He added the uptake in the number of breast cancer cases may be due to their inability to cope with the stress of working late nights. Hansen said that enough women around the globe work enough night shifts to merit validating the study. About 10 to 20 per cent of women have night shift work. It might therefore be one of the largest occupational problems related to cancer,” Hansen said. GLOBAL POST
HOUSECALL
APP-LY YOURSELF
DID YOU KNOW?
Burstis
Yoga Stretch
Fingernails grow faster
urstis refers to an inflammation of the joint or bone. A bursa is a sac filled with fluid and it usually overlays a bone or a joint and acts as a shock absorber. When these bursas become inflamed it is known as Bursitis. Bursitis is of three kinds. Housemaid’s knee occurs if the bursa in front of the knee cap becomes irritated by someone kneeling for long periods of time. Student’s elbow may occur when students bend their elbow for a long time. The third type is clergyman’s knee which is similar to Housemaids knee but in such a case the bursa affected is a different one. Treatment involves resting the area, medicines and cold packs.
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xercise is a great way to stay fit and be healthy. When it comes to traditional forms of exercise yoga holds a high place in the world of fitness. Getting a good yoga instructor to come home or going to a yoga class may not suit everyone’s schedules. A solution for this has come in the form of a yoga app called Yoga Stretch. The app aims to improve flexibility, strength, balance and posture. It provides an option of a customizable yoga session with an audio instructor that can be switched on and off depending on your requirements. A visual description of the yoga posture is also provided. A simple and healthy way to benefit from yoga.
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ate cutting your nails regularly and end up clipping your fingernails more often than your toenails, do not fret. This is quite normal and natural. The fingernails grow faster than those on you toes. This happens as the fingernails get more exposure hence end up growing faster than the toenails. Your fingernails are said to grow faster on the hand that you use to write and also on the longest of your fingers. On average, it is said that human nails grow by about one-tenth of an inch each month. So next time anyone tells you that you need to clip your nails while you have actually done it a few days back only, this could be the perfect alibi.
Spotlight
WEDNESDAY, MAY 30, 2012
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MATRIX professional salons began its 100 city education tour on Monday at RTC Kalyana Mandapam. Models walked the ramps showing off some trendy hair styles.
Matrix reloaded
Creativity with style One of the year's most exciting designer exhibitions is finally here! Weaves Lifestyle's first premiere is being held from June 1-3 at 11 am to 9 pm, at Marvel Pavilion, Imperial Gardens, Sikh Village Road, Secunderabad. So ladies get ready for some retail therapy.
DEEPAK DESHPANDE
Magic Screen
WEDNESDAY, MAY 30, 2012
The glamour behind the glitz
Madhavan, Lakshmi Manchu
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T-TOWN TWEETIES
@Snehaullalheart
to host SIIMA or the first time ever, South Indian film industry will have its own international awards show on the lines of IIFA. A brainchild of Vishnuvardhan Induri, who was also a key member of CCL, South India International Movie Awards (SIIMA) was conceptualised to promote south Indian cinema on a global platform and increase overseas revenues. The awards ceremony is going to be held on June 21-22 in Dubai and we hear that
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A kitty family adds to my family..they live down stairs right below my window..all they need to do for food is “meow”... hmmm..
Madhavan and Lakshmi Manchu are going to host the show. “Yep it’s official. I’m super excited!! (sic),” Lakshmi Manchu posted on Twitter. Celebrities from Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam and Kannada film industries are expected to attend the event and sources say that the team behind SIIMA is leaving no stone unturned to grab all the attention since it’s the inaugural edition.
@Actor_Siddharth Saw Sundar C’s ‘Kalakalappu’. Several moments that bring the house down...Shiva is superb! Fun outing:)
@shraddhadas43 Shot in a morgue today n now back to the cobras! Wow vampire films r so exciting!
@_Hansika Just received @Alwayscharan wedding card, must say its super elegant .:) wishing the couple all the v best for their new innings .god bless
@PriyaWajAnand Watching Sri Devi’s ‘Chandini’ while I eat a yummy triple chocolate donut from the Donut House! Aaaahhh... Life!
UKUP’s audio launch
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fter a series of delay, the audio of Manchu Manoj, Balakrishna starrer Uu Kodathara Ulikki Padathara will be launched in a grand ceremony later today at Shilpakala Vedika. Earlier, the audio was supposed to be launched in Guntur and then the team decided to postpone the event to May 26 which didn’t happen
as scheduled due to technical issues. Manoj, Balakrishna, Lakshmi Manchu, Sonu Sood, Prabhu, Saikumar and Deeksha Seth are playing lead roles in the film. Both Manoj and Lakshmi Manchu can’t stop raving about Balakrishna’s professionalism on the sets and Manoj seems to have had a ball directing some action sequences featuring Balakrishna.
@ramsayz
Manchu Vishnu in trouble in LA M
anchu Vishnu’s hobby of collecting knives landed him in trouble in Los Angeles. After wrapping up discussions for his father’s upcoming film Ravana Brahma, the actor was on his way back to India. Revealing more about the incident, Manchu Vishnu tweeted, “I goofed up big time. I had bought 2 knives in a shop in LA and packed it. Like a big — I put it in hand luggage and I was stopped by the airline police & I apologised million times. Was lucky. Cud have locked me up but they were kind enough to let me off with a warning (sic).” Vishnu does seem to have a big collection of knives as he further added, “Btw I collect knives swords etc. Hence I bought it. Lovely pocket knives. Looked sexy. Damm (sic).” Talk about having a lethal hobby!
The other day I was explaining 2 some1 that I had “HypeAversion” when I was a kid..it was ok until dey pronounced it as “Hi-Perversion”! =S
@actressanjjanaa Gud night lovelies !! Life is full of surprises n i guess this was 1 of the big once .. Love u all good night .. Shabakhair !!
@RanaDaggubati “@AdviceToWriters: Editing is everything. Cut until you can cut no more. What is left often springs into life. ESTHER FREUD #amcutting”
Magic Screen
WEDNESDAY, MAY 30, 2012
The glamour behind the glitz
Bollywood actresses
B-TOWN TWEETIES
to take centrestage with new releases
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fter the success of Vidya Balan starrer Kahaani, Bollywood is all set to witness the release of a number of films with women as the central protagonists. While the last month saw the success of newcomers like Parineeti Chopra and Paoli Dam with films like Ishaqzaade and Hate Story, the coming months will see actresses like Bipasha Basu, Kareena Kapoor, Preity Zinta, Sridevi and Rani Mukherjee vying for audience’s attention. August will see the release of Sunny Leone’s debut Bollywood film Jism 2 along
@SrBachchan T 759 -More stats on KBC registrations : As of 6pm IST today 29th May - 916k hits on SMS only vs 455k last year, including SMS and IVR...
acclaimed films like Hazaaron Khwaishen Aisi and Yeh Saali Zindagi. The actress stars opposite Arjun Rampal in the film. Madhur Bhandarkar is another director, who weaves strong characters for women and he promises the same for Kareena Kapoor in Heroine. Vikram Bhatt, on his part, is looking forward to the release of Raaz 3 which will see Bipasha Basu share screen-space with Emraan Hashmi. “She was good in Raaz and now 10 years down the line with Raaz 3, she has obviously matured further as an actress. We have been good friends all these years and never lost touch,”says Vikram.
@sandymridul This probably comes late but if you haven’t seen Dombivli fast you’re missing the best film that came out of this country in a while!
@GulPanag Just finished a nice 8 k run (with HIM) in Versova- dodging BEST buses, potholes, pedestrians, dogs, goats, autos & 2 wheelers.Total fitness.
@DuttaLara Conversations ranging from college admissions to preferred brand of diapers! :-). Gotta love Gen X...Y...Z??? What is it now???
with director-turned-actor Farah Khan’s sweet romantic comedy Shirin Farhad ki Toh Nikal Padi. Farah will have competition from Chitrangda Singh whose Kaam-The Unofficial Story releases on the same day as the Sanjay Leela Bhansali production. “I was quite conscious about turning a heroine with ‘Shirin Farhad....’. After all, how can you have someone who is fat and in her 40s as the leading lady? However, Sanjay trusted in me. In fact, I was so nervous about even seeing the rushes of the film. All my apprehensions vanished when Sanjay gave me a nod of approval,” Farah says about her much talked about acting debut. Sudhir Mishra has once again given Chitrangda a central part after his critically
Sonu ready for other routines A
ctor Sonu Sood, known for giving intense performances, is open to doing roles which require him to run around the trees, singing and dancing, but insists his role should have some substance. “As long as it is convincing, why not. I think Indian cinema has survived all these years on this, but there are fewer films that are made on those notes,” Sonu said. “It’s not just running around trees and singing, my role has to be substantial and give me a reason to dance around the trees,” he added. IANS
22
@shreyaghoshal The upright piano has arrived!!! Now the home sounds, feels and looks complete:) She was my life long dream
@Riteishd
Gurdeep Kohli plays a cop in Rowdy Rathore S
mall screen actress Gurdeep Kohli is looking forward to her big screen debut! She has bagged a cop’s role in Rowdy Rathore and has even pulled off some stunts in the Akshay Kumar-starrer. “Rowdy Rathore is my first film. People will get to see me in a very different role and look in Rowdy Rathore. I play a lady cop,” Gurdeep said. The movie, releasing Friday, is directed by Prabhu Deva and features Sonakshi Sinha in the
female lead. Gurdeep is excited as it gave her an opportunity to try her hand at some stunts as well. “I haven’t done very heavy duty stunts in the movie, but yes, I have got to do some action. I have a swordfight sequence,” she said. Gurdeep, who became popular with shows like Sanjivani and Sinndoor Tere Naam Ka, is currently working on the second season of Best Of Luck Nikki. IANS
Just heard the preview of @VJAnusha ‘s new singleBetter than your EX-its absolutely rocking
@MallikaLA Cannes was a HUGE SUCCESS,feels great to be back home in India,grateful to ma fans 4 their support:)
@priyankachopra Ok so now back to work... Fun promotions with @shahidkapoor for #terimerikahaani .. Interviews today.. Straight hair or curly?
Magic Screen
D I S P L A YA
D S RATE ` 150 sq. cm
For Further Details Please Contact Abhinay 9989399972 Nandlal 9951467988 Ravi Chander 8106039919
WEDNESDAY, MAY 30, 2012
23
Magic Screen
The glamour behind the glitz
Cynthia Nixon and girlfriend say ‘I do’
C
ynthia Nixon has finally said “I Do” to longtime partner Christine Marinoni. The couple, who got engaged three years ago at a rally to support gay marriage in New York, wed on Sunday in the Big Apple, according to People. While the pair is keeping details about their wedding under wraps for now, a rep for the 46year-old Sex and the City star did
tell the mag Nixon walked down the aisle in a custom dress by Carolina Herrera. The newly married couple has one child together, Max Ellington Nixon-Marinoni, whom 45-year-old Marinoni gave birth to in February 2011. Nixon and Marinoni began dating in late 2003, shortly after the former split from her longtime companion Danny Mozes.
Gordon Ramsay, Will Ferrell hurt in charity soccer match
T
alk about giving ‘till it hurts! Celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay and actor Will Ferrell both paid a heavy price for appearing in a UK celebrity soccer match for Unicef, when both were forced from the game by injury. They’ll reportedly be okay, but which of them was taken off on a stretcher? Chef Ramsay was the unlucky star who had to be given oxygen on the field and was carted off to the hospital after a collision with former All England forward Teddy Sheringham, who was clearly taking the game too seriously. We’re sure the famously profane Hell’s Kitchen star had an unprintable comment, but we’ll just leave that to your imagination.
WEDNESDAY, MAY 30, 2012
24
Magic Screen
WEDNESDAY, MAY 30, 2012
The glamour behind the glitz
25
Madonna covers Gaga
P
erhaps it’s because Madge hasn’t been in the spotlight much since her album, Mdna, topped the Billboard charts (and suffered a subsequent nosedive in sales), but she recently went out of her way to once again remind everyone that she is, in fact, older than Lady Gaga. The queen of pop was performing Express Yourself at a rehearsal in Tel Aviv, Israel when she suddenly trotted out a cover of Born This Way. Of course, the
E
va Mendes says working with her beau, actor Ryan Gosling, is like “a dream”. “He’s your dream co-star. I have never felt so creatively satisfied on a film,” Mendes told Marie Claire magazine in an interview, reports dailymail.co.uk. The couple, who continue to thrive despite recent break-up rumours, met on the set of The Place Beyond The Pines last year. IANS
Ryan Gosling is a dream co-star: EVA MENDES
Nicole ‘immune’ to emotional film premieres
N
icole Kidman has explained her reserved response to the lengthy standing ovation her new film The Paperboy received following its big premiere at the Cannes Film Festival, admitting she’s become “immune” to the emotion tied to such events. Director Lee Daniels and Kidman’s co-star Zac Efron were moved to tears by the loud applause which erupted as soon as the end credits rolled, but the Oscar winner raised eyebrows as she remained dry-eyed throughout the 15-minute-long reception. But that doesn’t mean The Hours star doesn’t appreciate the positive feedback — she’s just learned to keep her emotions in check. She tells AP, “We got an amazing standing ovation, which was great. This is my fifth time, so I’ve had many, many, different reactions. That’s the longest standing ‘O’ I’ve ever gotten at Cannes. “Lee was crying, but I wasn’t crying. I cry at my kids, I cry with my family, I don’t really cry outside of that - that’s the stuff that brings me to tears! All of this other stuff, the glitter, and those sort of things, I’m more sort of immune to it. It’s probably because I’ve been here for so long.”
two tracks blended seamlessly. Though she stayed mum on Gaga’s song for some time after its release, Madge eventually said she felt the single was “reductive” and undoubtedly influenced by her earlier work. The whole affair had an air of condescension, as if Madonna was wielding the cover like Jay-z did when he silenced Noel Gallagher and other critics by performing Wonderwall at Glastonbury.
Chai Time
KAKURO
How to play Kakuro Kakuro is a popular game similar to sudoku in some ways. But is also suitably different. The key question: ‘How do you play kakuro?’, well here are the rules of kakuro. The answer: The kakuro grid, unlike in sudoku, can be of any size. It has rows and columns, and dark cells like in a crossword. And, just like in a crossword, some of the dark cells will contain numbers. Some cells will contain two numbers. However, in a crossword the numbers reference clues. In a kakuro, the numbers are all you get! They denote the total of the digits in the row or column referenced by the number. Within each collection of cells — called a run — any of the numbers 1 to 9 may be used but, like sudoku, each number may only be used once. Let’s have an example to explain this concept more clearly: In the image above, which shows a section of a kakuro puzzle, you will see the numbers ‘26’ and ‘14’ in the top row. Look at the 14. This means that the total of the three cells underneath must sum to 14. Therefore 9, 4, 1 could be the answer, or perhaps 7, 4, 3 and so on... So, how do you work out the actual combination? Well, this is done through elimination and cross-referencing. For instance, as you work out the answers for other kakuro clues, this will naturally limit the valid combinations, and hence the answer for this particular run. Note the second cell in row two — it contains two numbers, 30 and 11. The 30 refers to the vertical run underneath the number 30 and the 11 refers to the two cells to the right, horizontally, of the number 11.
SCRIBBLING PAD
WEDNESDAY, MAY 30, 2012
Take a shot at the brain game while sipping your cuppa
26
QUICK CROSSWORD ACROSS 1 Nonkosher food 4 Bad place to be, in relation to a sewage plant 10 Playful kiss 14 Flightless bird common in Australia 15 One of a band of brothers 16 A demonstrated position? 17 Experienced know-it-all 19 Filly's father 20 Ending for ‘bureau’ or ‘pluto’ 21 Mad ___ (Wonderland character) 23 Action-scene elements 25 Genesis brother 27 Mr Potato Head accessory 28 Ends of the Earth? 29 Uno, ___, tres 30 Russian spirit 32 ‘I ___ Rock’ (Simon and Garfunkel hit) 33 Be relevant (to) 35 What those with promising futures have 40 Firm, like pasta 41 Diesel of Hollywood 43 Dramatic event 46 Actress Charlotte of ‘The Facts of Life’ 47 Any ABBA member 49 Convert into leather 50 Church niche 52 Car in a procession 53 Part of the eye 55 Dried-up riverbeds 56 Cow-horned goddess 57 Wiseacre 62 Sagan or Sandburg 63 Deep soup dish 64 Tailless primate 65 Orange producer 66 Blue-pencils 67 Two cents' worth DOWN 1 Cut down with an ax 2 ‘What ___, a mind reader?’ 3 Brawny
4 Ashcan targets 5 Clobbers with snowballs 6 Marries 7 Billy Joel's ‘___ to Extremes’ 8 Improved partner? 9 City on the Yamuna River 10 Cordage fiber 11 American rival 12 Word with ‘winning’ or ‘losing’ 13 ___ Nevada mountain range 18 Ocean flier 22 Blacksmith's block 23 You can get soaked here 24 Pyramid, to a pharaoh 25 Luminous rings (var) 26 Sharp as a tack 29 Tries to prevent 31 Yoko from Tokyo 33 Grad student's goal
34 Was a consumer 36 ‘At Seventeen’ singer Janis 37 Gather little by little 38 Abroad 39 They say the darndest things 42 Maiden name lead-in 43 Inflexible about the rules 44 Victim of Brutus 45 Whole 47 Many four-doors 48 Banshee sound 51 What a copier will often do next 52 Couldn't
SUDOKU
stomach 54 South Seas spot 55 Suburban warbler 58 Close-mouthed 59 ‘What ___ you up to?’ 60 Tax pro, for short 61 Vitally important PREVIOUS PUZZLE ANSWER
THOUGHT OF THE DAY Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go. – Anonymous
Chai Time STAR POWER
WEDNESDAY, MAY 30, 2012
Your tomorrow today̶Star Power and Tarot THIRUVAIKUMAR
As per Hindu panchang
FOR 31-5-2012
thiruvaikumar@yahoo.co.in 040-27177230 / 9177596118
TAURUS
GEMINI
Never be negligent in taking care of small health problems. If not taken treatment in time, it might scare you later. Family members and children will be more affectionate towards you.
You have to struggle hard and wander a lot. Spending time with family mem‑ bers will be very difficult. Wait for a few days, situation will change for the better. Kid's achievements cheer you.
Students will be happy as results go in their favour and as per expectations. Avoid misunderstanding with mother. You will spend more to buy luxurious objects. Careful; keep expenses down.
CANCER
LEO
VIRGO
Never allow tensions to make you up‑ set, keep doing your duty and leave the result to God. Try to maintain silence for time being as your expression of opinions might be misunderstood.
Avoid criticising anyone. Also, do not be over‑emotional in punishing ene‑ mies, as there will be a tussle in future. Those trying to start their career will be blessed with favourable news.
You will expose your extraordinary capabilities in all work and in your approach. Your stock is set to pile up as a result of this. Family go through happy times. Plan all work in advance.
LIBRA
SCORPIO
SAGITTARIUS
Those planning to go abroad will receive formalities like visa and pass‑ port without any delay. Savings may erode but no need for a panic situa‑ tion as the same will come back.
Influx of visitors will increase expenses heavily. Children will make you proud. Marriage talks will progress well and end in finalisation of marriage. Some will undertake pilgrimage.
Avoid getting into arguments with spouse. Be cordial and keep her/ him happy always. Father will be happy as he is about to receive a good news. Spouse will get appreciation at work.
CAPRICORN
AQUARIUS
PISCES
You never are a reason for the confu‑ sions that arise in the family. Hesitat‑ ing to go abroad even after getting a promising opportunity due to your apprehensions? Just proceed.
Success and success will always keep you cheerful. Couples are advised not to break the limits in case of any mis‑ understandings. Health is more important; Don't be negligent.
Your influence is set to increase and your charisma will attract people. Emp‑ loyees will gain importance at work‑ place. Be cordial with family members. Drive away unwanted apprehensions.
SUMAA TEKUR
FOR 31-5-2012
tarotreadhyd@gmail.com
ARIES
TAURUS
GEMINI
Nine of Pentacles – Allegations are being made and you feel nervous that people will stop trusting you. Stay patient and donʼt go overboard explaining yourself.
The Wheel of Fortu‑ ne – You may be con‑ trolling someone, for their own good. This does not go down well with that person. Find easier ways to put across your point.
Five of Swords – Learn to be part of the group. Sometimes, itʼs fine to be alike than be different all the time. You benefit from the community‑feeling.
CANCER
LEO
VIRGO
Two of Swords – If you feel like eating ice cream but donʼt want to pile on the pound, the only solu‑ tion is to have the ice cream but also to hit the gym.
Five of Pentacles – You may be feeling guilty about not han‑ dling a situation well enough. It may be eating into your mi‑ nd and you feel rest‑ less and sleepless.
Queen of Swords – If youʼre feeling bored and lonely in the eve‑ nings, make sure to do something about it. Join some classes or group activity to feel confident.
LIBRA
SCORPIO
SAGITTARIUS
Strength – Take care of your health. Dia‑ betics, especially must pay attention to diet and exercise. Do what makes you feel good; take char‑ ge of your health.
Six of Wands – You may be feeling inse‑ cure about looks and need to do something about it. Consult a fa‑ shion stylist (or take tips from a magazine) to refresh your look.
Seven of Cups – You are uncertain about something and feel very unsure about whether to go ahead with an idea or not. There is confusion and lack of clarity.
CAPRICORN
AQUARIUS
PISCES
Six of Swords – Over‑ seas connections are in focus. You do ext‑ remely well in your in‑ teractions with foreign clients and coworkers. They appreciate your professionalism.
Five of Wands – Avoid getting into petty arguments that serve no purpose. Your ego has to be kept aside in order to make the most of what you have.
Knight of Pentacles – Finances need atten‑ tion. Are you plan‑ ning for the future in the most practical way? Take help from a finance planner, if needed.
For Better or for Worse Stone soup
SOLUTIONS
Boggle VIOLET ORANGE MAROON YELLOW
Number game
Suduko
Scrabble
Ink pen
COMICS
Fred Basset
ARIES
TAROT READ
27
Vol: 1, No. 318 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
WEDNESDAY, MAY 30, 2012
The games people play
Germany pray for lady luck BERLIN: Germany are looking to avoid their third straight friendly defeat and pick up a much-needed pre-Euro 2012 confidence booster in Thursday’s warm-up game against Israel in Leipzig. Despite their billing amongst the pre-tournament favourites, a second string German side were beaten 5-3 by Switzerland last Saturday in Basel as their defence showed some glaring weaknesses, which coach Joachim Loew needs to fix against Israel. “I see the game as a test and we have the chance to try a few things out,” said Loew with Germany set to arrive at their Euro 2012 base in Gdansk on Monday. “A good result would be desirable to give us a boost, but it will be really important next week in Poland.” Loew will welcome back his Bayern Munich stars including captain Philipp Lahm, goalkeeper Manuel Neuer, defenders Holger Badstuber, Jerome Boateng, plus midfielders Toni Kroos and Thomas Mueller. Vice-captain Bastian Schweinsteiger is an injury doubt after he strained a calf muscle in Bayern Munich’s Champions League defeat to Chelsea on May 19. Having also lost 2-1 to France in Bremen last February, Germany need to avoid a third
IBAYS Suzuki Cup Group A R&I vs Pegasystems R&I Innings 156 in 20 overs (Abishek Anand 39(30), Anirban 28(30), Omkar Avhad 24(20), Anupam Hyanki 4 overs 33 for 2) bt Pegasystems 116 in 18.4 overs (Bhargav Vankalaya 54(51),Santosh Peri 3 overs 14 for 3, Omkar Avhad 1.4 overs 4 for 3.) SQ Consulting vs Prime KI SQ 149 in 20 over, Prime were dismissed for 68 in 13.2 overs (SQ Innings 149 in 20 overs (Amneet Singh Padda 17(14), Anand Palikala 17(12), Vara Prasad 4 overs 27 for 2, Jagadesh R 2 overs 15 for 2) bt Prime 68 in 13.2 overs (Praveen Kumar Diddi 23(32), Chris Ganta 3 overs 9 for 4, Avinash Vp 2 overs 11 for 3) HSBC GLT vs Qualcomm HSBC scored 132 in 20 overs (Arjun Reddy 32(22), Sunilkumar Hugar 16(14), Vignesh Nagaa 4 overs, 1 maiden 10 for 3, Dushyant Reddy 4 overs 27 for 2) lost to Qualcomm (Vignesh Nagaa 39(21), Vamshidhar 35(33), Amit Ohri 4 overs 25 for 3, Seshadari 2 overs 9 for 2)
28
SPORT SNIPPETS Schleck receives ‘10 yellow jersey LUXEMBOURG: Andy Schleck on Tuesday received the winner’s yellow jersey for the 2010 Tour de France. Schleck finished second behind Alberto Contador in the race but was declared as the winner after the Spaniard was stripped of the title in February in the wake of a positive dope test. Contador was also stripped of the 2011 Giro d’Italia and banned from cycling for two years, a ban that runs until August this year. Schleck, 26, has finished second in each of the last three Tours de France. “It’s great to receive this jersey but for me, it changes nothing: it’s not like a victory.”
Footballer held for kidnap, robbery Germany’s goalkeepers Manuel Neuer (R), Tim Wiese (C) and Ron Robert Zieler stretch during a training session at the EURO 2012 training camp on Tuesday. AFP/PATRIK STOLLARZ defeat and see off Israel with their Euro campaign set to start on June 9 against Portugal in Lviv, Ukraine. The Germans have never lost to Israel in three meetings between the two nations and current striker Miroslav Klose netted a hat-trick when the teams last met in 2002 as Germany ran out 7-1 winners. But after Saturday’s blunder in Basel, where the defence leaked five goals, Loew’s team have to answer some serious
questions about their defence. The key area is at centre-back where Arsenal’s Per Mertesacker is struggling for match fitness after three months out with an ankle injury and his partner Mats Hummels failed to deal with the Swiss attack. Nothing less than a convincing victory will calm a few nerves and Lahm is expected to lead the side in Leipzig. Loew has said he will use the final friendly to decide whether
to play his captain at left or right-back at the tournament. The Germans are not the only Group B sides to have recent poor form: Holland, who Germany play on June 13 in Kharkiv, Ukraine, and Denmark, Germany’s opponents on June 17 in Lviv, both lost friendlies last weekend. Israel, who have not qualified for Euro 2012, were beaten 2-1 by the Czech Republic over the weekend, their fifth loss in six outings.
Parker stars in Spurs win SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS: Tony Parker scored 34 points and the San Antonio Spurs stretched their win streak to 20 games on Tuesday, defeating Oklahoma City 120-111 to seize command of their NBA playoff series. The Spurs took a 2-0 lead in their best-of-seven Western Conference final and moved halfway toward booking a place against the Eastern Conference winner, either the Miami Heat or Boston Celtics, in next month’s NBA Finals. Oklahoma City will host games three and four against the Spurs on Thursday and Saturday. In NBA history, teams that fall behind 2-0 in a best-of-seven series have recovered to advance less than six percent of the time. The Spurs, who last lost 48 days ago on April 11 in a home game against the Los Angeles Lakers, won their final 10 regular-season games and have won their first 10 playoff games. San Antonio’s streak has broken the NBA record for a combined win streak in playoff and regular-season games, outclassing the old combined mark of 19
Russell Westbrook of the Oklahoma City Thunder and Tony Parker of the San Antonio Spurs vie for the ball wins in a row by the 2001 Lakers. French guard Parker hit 16of-21 shots and contributed eight assists for the Spurs, who have lost only twice in their past
33 games. Manu Ginobili added 20 points and Kawhi Leonard scored 18 for the Spurs. Kevin Durant scored 31 points to lead the Thunder while James Harden added 30 and Russell Westbrook contributed 27 in a losing cause. The Thunder trimmed a 22point Spurs’ lead to only 99-93 with 5:25 remaining before the Spurs found their shooting touch to finish off the victory, but not before Spurs coach Gregg Popovich screamed at Parker to regain focus. “We were playing sloppy and OKC came back on us,” Parker said. “He wanted to make sure I stay in place so we didn’t let them come back. “They messed up our rhythm a little bit. We came out flat in the fourth quarter but we came back at the end to win it. They are a very tough team. They won’t quit. We can’t stop playing.” Only three other teams in NBA history have won 20 or more in a row, all of those runs coming exclusively in regularseason games. AFP
SEOUL: A former South Korean national football player who was desperate for money after being banned for life for match-fixing has been arrested for robbery and kidnapping, police said Wednesday. Kim Dong-Hyun, 28, and former professional baseball player Yoon Chan-Soo, 26, are accused of kidnapping a woman and commandeering her Mercedes in Seoul’s wealthy Gangnam district. The pair stole a van late Friday and toured the neighbourhood for hours looking for a victim, a senior detective at Gangnam police station told AFP on condition of anonymity. They followed the woman to her apartment car park where Kim allegedly threatened her with a knife and forced her into the passenger seat of her vehicle.
Sex industry bets on Euro 2012 Anya Tsukanova
KIEV: Ukraine’s sex industry is banking on pulling in clients and cash during Euro 2012 but campaigners paint stark warnings given that the championship cohost has the highest rate of HIV infection in Eastern Europe. “Kiev’s prostitutes are preparing actively for Euro 2012,” one Ukrainian sex site said, claiming that some are even studying the history of the 16 nations taking part in the tournament, plus the basics of football, to get a competitive edge. Ukraine transformed prostitution from a crime to a misdemeanour in 2006, with fines ranging from eight to 20 euros (£6.5£16, $10-$25), while pimping or running a brothel remains a criminal offence.
56 DAYS TO GO Bolt, Powell in 100m battle 29
WEDNESDAY, MAY 30, 2012
by Barnaby Chesterman
ROME: Just as it was last year, the 100m will provide the highlight of the Diamond League meeting at the Stadio Olimpico here on Thursday with Usain Bolt the main draw once again. And just as was the case last year his main competition will come from compatriot Asafa Powell and European champion Christophe Lemaitre. It may not be an unusual highlight but that won’t make it any less anticipated or explosive. Last year Olympic champion Bolt was slow out of the blocks and former world record holder Powell looked set for victory until the leggy legend strode past him to pip him at the post by two hundredths of a second. It was Bolt’s first outing of the year and he was far from satisfied with it but this time he comes into the race following his slowest 100m in three years. Bolt ran 10.04sec in Ostrava last week and although he won, like everyone else he was shocked at the time he clocked. But he says he believes the track in Rome is fast and he’s hoping to see something nearer 9.7sec come up on the scoreboard when
Jamaican double Olympic sprint champion Usain Bolt (R) poses with Rome’s Golden Gala mascot, Romeo in Rome on Tuesday. AFP/FILIPPO MONTEFORTE he crosses the finish line. “Like every race I definitely want to win but for me it’s all about execution,” he said. “The key thing is getting a con-
win, and a fast time would be great also. Last year’s was the first of the season so I was slightly nervous, I just wanted to get out there and run and get the first out of the way.
Contenders seek winning formula
Aus axe sculler due to incompatibility issues Australia SYDNEY: Wednesday axed sculler Pippa Savage from their Olympic women’s quad team due to “incompatibility issues” among the crew as tensions escalated on the water in the lead-up to London. Problems came to a head on the eve of last weekend’s World Cup regatta in Lucerne, Switzerland following what reports said was a personality clash that descended
sistent start, my coach likes me to execute properly so he can review the race and analyse it and figure out what I need to do to go forward. Pretty much execute and
IPOH,
into a harsh exchange of words. Savage was withdrawn from the crew shortly before the start of the race and has now been dumped from the Olympic team. “The decision follows concerns around the performance of the crew due to incompatibility issues among the crew,” Rowing Australia’s high performance director Andrew Matheson said. AFP
MALAYSIA:
Olympic hockey contenders are struggling to find that elusive winning formula at the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup, their last chance to tune up ahead of the London Games. Other than unbeaten New Zealand, the six London-bound sides in the annual Malaysian tournament have been inconsistent at best, but coaches expressed confidence that they can work out the kinks and find their best line-ups.
Britain, India, Pakistan, South Korea, New Zealand and Argentina have all qualified for the Olympic hockey competition, which begins in July, while hosts Malaysia have not. But the play of the Olympic hopefuls has been a litany of missed chances, botched penalty corners and failure to execute game plans as they have sought to accustom themselves to the blue surface that will be also be used in London. AFP
“At the end it was just a relief to get through the first injury free and feeling good. The positive thing is the first race is always good and I won so it was even better.” Powell will likely be his toughest competition but Lemaitre has proved himself an elite level athlete over the last 12 months, finishing fourth in the 100m final at the World Championships in Daegu and going one better in the 200m. It won’t just be about the 100m here as there are many other world class performers on show. The women’s 5,000m promises to be an intense battle with world 5,000m and 10,000m champion Vivian Cheruiyot of Kenya facing former world record holder Meseret Defar of Ethiopia. World champion and Athens Olympic champion Ezekiel Kemboi will be the major draw in the men’s 3,000m steeplechase alongside Kenyan compatriots Brimin Kipruto, the Olympic champion, Paul Koech and Richard Matelong. The women’s 800m will see world champion Mariya Savinova of Russia take on the women she deposed, South Africa’s Castor Semenya and Olympic champion Pamela Jelimo, the fastest women over the last 29 years. AFP
Sania welcomes boom in Asian women’s tennis PARIS: Asian poster girl Sania Mirza says the women’s game is in its best state ever in the region, with Chinese stars like Li Na leading the charge and a new generation waiting in the wings. “I think we’re probably at the healthiest best in Asian women’s tennis,” Mirza told AFP in an interview on the sidelines of the French Open. “Tennis is growing in
Asia,” she said. Asia’s former number one was speaking after a three-set loss with her American doubles partner Bethanie Mattek-Sands to the Russian-Romanian pair of Nina Bratchikova and Edina Gallovits-Hall in the first round at Roland Garros. The shock defeat came after Mirza and Mattek-Sands won the doubles trophy at last week’s Brussels Open. AFP
Cook’s Olympics dream on hold LONDON: The British Olympic Association (BOA) said Tuesday it had sought “further clarification” from British Taekwondo over the exclusion of European champion Aaron Cook from the London 2012 Games squad. Cook, 21, has appealed to the BOA after being left out of the four-strong team
chosen by British Taekwondo despite retaining his European under-80 kgs title in Manchester, northern England, in May. British Taekwondo’s performance director Gary Hall backed Cook’s inclusion. But Cook, who last year quit British Taekwondo’s world class performance
programme to train independently, was left out in favour of Lutalo Muhammad, who would have to drop down a weight division to compete at the Olympics. Cook’s omission is all the more curious given he is set to be ranked world number one later this week. Now the British
Olympic Association’s Olympic qualification standards pabel (OQS) — which consists of chief executive Andy Hunt, deputy chefs de mission Sir Clive Woodward and Mark England and Sarah Winckless, chairman of the BOA athletes’ commission, — have asked for more detaills regarding selection policy.
WEDNESDAY, MAY 30, 2012
BEAUTY
ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT ITALY Best EURO performance: winners 1968 Coach: Cesare Prandelli Leading scorer: all-time – Luigi Riva (35); current – Alessandro Del Piero (27)
THE BEST
&
Most appearances: all-time – Fabio Cannavaro (136); current – Gianluigi Buffon (112) Association formed: 1898 Nickname: Azzurri (Blues)
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ITALY’S FIXTURES
EURO STATS
Sunday 10 June: Spain v Italy, 18.00CET, Gdansk Thursday 14 June: Italy v Croatia, 18.00CET, Poznan Monday 18 June: Italy v Republic of Ireland, 20.45CET, Poznan
MATCHES PLAYED Overall: P125 W67 D40 L18 F195 A83 Final tournament: P27 W11 D12 L4 F27 A18 Qualifying: P98 W56 D28 L14 F168 A65
The great defenders After conceding just twice during their unbeaten qualifying campaign, a rejuvenated Italy head to Poland and Ukraine hoping for a second European crown to add to their 1968 success
PLAYER TO WATCH
An ageing warrior looks for one last hurrah Barnaby Chesterman
ROME: A year ago AC Milan seemed to sugBarnaby Chesterman
POSTNOON PREDICTION
ROME: Cesare Prandelli may not be a household name outside Italy and some may even find it surprising that the quiet and stylish former Juventus midfielder even occupies the position at all. He does not have the high-profile of top-class Italian coaches like Ireland’s Giovanni Trapattoni, Manchester City’s Roberto Mancini, former England boss Fabio Cappello or even Paris SaintGermain’s Carlo Ancelotti. Nor does he have a dazzling resume, having only won a second division title with Verona in the 1998-99 season. But what he does possess is style, class and professionalism — the same qualities that marked him out as a player for the Old Lady of Turin and Atalanta. As a coach, the stylishly turned-out Prandelli has notably introduced a strict disciplinary code of ethics to the national team set-up, even excluding star players from the squad for bad behaviour or suspensions. More importantly for Italy, though, he has brought a measure of calm and understatement to his role, as the Azzurri seek to banish the disappointment of failing to get through the group stage at the last World Cup after winning in 2006. Prandelli has always insisted that his team is a work in progress, although he Many accuse Italy of playing boring football, of focussing on defense rather than attack. But this has stood them in good stead, and watch them set up shop against Spain...epic! Sound bet.
has not been slow to talk them up when necessary. “I remember at the beginning of this adventure, critics said we don’t have any more defenders but we have the best defensive record in the qualification phase,” he said. He is a popular figure not just in the dressing room but also among Italian football’s top brass. Four years ago it was poorly-kept secret that Roberto Donadoni needed to reach the semi-finals to keep his job. He fell short by just one round, when Italy were eliminated by eventual winners Spain in the quarter-finals. But Italian football federation president Giancarlo Abete has imposed no such conditions on Prandelli this time round.
ITALY GROUP C At a glance The Azzurri have endured a turbulent period since claiming a fourth World Cup in 2006, but Cesare Prandelli has brought stability and fresh impetus since his summer 2010 appointment. He took the reins after a forgettable defence of their global title in South Africa. Yet Italy, edged out on penalties by Spain in Euro 2008 quarterfinals, head to Poland and Ukraine hopeful of a second continental crown after striding through qualifying unbeaten.
gest they thought Andrea Pirlo was finished. He was 31, had just spent a frustrating season largely interrupted by injuries and in which he had lost his starting berth to new signing Mark van Bommel. He had come to the end of his contract but after 10 years with the seven-time European champions, Milan only saw fit to offer the elegant playmaker a one-year extension. But then there are the statistics. Pirlo provided more assists than any other player in Serie A but perhaps more importantly he played more passes than anyone else. Not by a few, though, by about 50 per cent. Quite apart from that, he is the most important player in the Italy set-up. A main reason for that is the system favoured by coach Cesare Prandelli which often involves a pair of deep-lying forwards and no out-and-out striker. With two attackers dropping deep, the midfielders need to break beyond the opposition defence and Pirlo’s pinpoint passing is one of the main reasons that works. Pirlo’s ability to find space to receive a pass back from a forward and then release a breaking team-mate is a massive weapon for Italy.
Playing Field
WEDNESDAY, MAY 30, 2012
The games people play
Serena crashes out at Garros Serena Williams reacts after losing to Virginie Razzano during their Women’s Singles 1st Round match of the French Open at the Roland Garros stadium, Tuesday. AFP/PATRICK KOVARIK PARIS: Serena Williams crashed to the worst Grand Slam defeat of her career on Tuesday when she slumped to a dramatic and thrilling 4-6, 7-6 (7/5), 6-3 French Open loss to France’s world 111 Virginie Razzano. It was the 30-year-old American’s first ever exit at the opening round stage of her 47event Grand Slam career and her earliest loss at a major since she was knocked out of the Australian Open second round by sister Venus in 1998. On a night of unbearable ten-
sion on Philippe Chatrier Court, Williams saved seven match points in the ninth game of the nerve-jangling decider. “I’m disappointed, but that’s life, things could be worse,” said 13-time Grand Slam winner Williams, who missed last year’s Roland Garros as she battled lifethreatening blood clots in her lungs. “I’ve been through so much in my life. I’m not sitting here happy. I’ve gotta figure out what I did wrong and not do it again. I fought until the end.” Williams came into the tour-
nament with a 46-0 career record in Grand Slam first rounds and on a 17-0 winning streak on clay in 2012 with titles in Charleston and Madrid. The 2002 champion was amongst the favourites for the title here. Razzano was overjoyed by her astonishing triumph. “You (the crowd) gave me your energy. I’m gonna have to rest. Thank you all for your support,” said a breathless Razzano after a three-hour struggle. “I knew I had it in me and I dug deep inside myself to find it.” Williams, the 2002 champion, had had the late evening match in her hands when she led by a set and 5/1 in the second set tiebreak as she looked set for a routine win. But Razzano, the darling of the Paris crowd after playing the 2011 French Open just five days after the death of her fiance from a brain tumour, then reeled off the next six points of the breaker to level the tie. Amidst rising tension and emotion, Williams appeared to cry as she sat in her courtside chair ahead of the final set.
Nadal, Maria in 2nd round PARIS: Rafael Nadal and Maria Sharapova eased through to the second round of the French Open here on Tuesday. Nadal, bidding for a record seventh men’s crown, endured no such problems as the Spaniard, beaten only once in his entire career at the venue, as he attempts to go one better than Bjorn Borg’s six titles, overcame a second-set blip to thrash Italian journeyman Simone Bolelli 6-2, 6-2, 6-1. Despite the wide margin of his win Nadal, whose record in Paris is now 46-1, insisted he had had to battle some early butterflies.
Despite dropping his service once midway through the second set Nadal won comfortably in 1hr 58min to book a meeting with Denis Istomin of Uzbekistan, who whipped Russian Igor Kunitsyn 6-2, 6-1, 6-2. Also moving through among the men was British fourth seed Andy Murray, who crushed Japan’s Tatsuma Ito 6-1, 7-5, 6-0. Likewise into the hat was Spanish sixth seed David Ferrer, who dismissed Slovakia’s Lukas Lacko 6-3, 6-4, 6-1. Among the women, Sharapova was one of three former grand slam champions to
advance, and she had the added bonus of seeing potential last eight opponent Serena crash out. Sharapova humiliated Romania’s Alexandra Cadantu 60, 6-0 in just 48 minutes as the Russian second seed, seeking to complete her collection of majors, cruised towards a meeting with Japan’s Ayumi Morita, who put out Polona Hercog of Slovenia 3-6, 6-4, 6-3. Meanwhile, British fourth seed Andy Murray reached the French Open second round on Tuesday with a 6-1, 7-5, 6-0 win over Japan’s world number 68 Tatsuma Ito.
She then fell to pieces on the court, slipping two breaks down to trail 4-0. Williams then had to regather herself when umpire Eva Asderaki, with whom she had angrily clashed during her 2011 US Open final defeat against Samantha Stosur in New York last year, ordered the first point of the fifth game to be replayed. Razzano served an ace to lead 5-0, but the drama did not end there. Williams clawed her way back to 3-5 and had a break point when Asderaki punished Razzano for hindrance for a third time for letting out a loud yelp. She saved it and went to match point which she squandered on an eighth double fault. A second break point, as the French girl cramped, was saved before another match point quickly followed, this time wasted through a nerve-wracked wild forehand. Razzano saved another break point and another, before a third match point was lost, sailing away on a wild, long forehand and then a fourth, this time as a backhand flew way beyond the baseline. AFP
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Nadal puts friendship on back burner PARIS: Rafael Nadal says friendship sometimes has to take a back seat when you’re at the business end of a major tournament - but that World Cup-winning footballer, and close pal Fernando Llorente understands. Nadal, who swamped Italian Simone Bolelli as he reached round two at Roland Garros, said he’d like to put a little more time aside for his friend. But short of early knockouts for both him in France and Llorente at Euro 2012 it wouldn’t be possible. “He’s a great guy. But to meet up more often we both need to have some bad results! So hopefully we won’t at least for a bit,” Nadal said.” This time last year, with no international football on the immediate horizon, Athletic Bilbao striker Llorente met up with the Mallorcan for dinner in the French capital during the opening week of Roland Garros. AFP
Connors hails Federer on equalling record
J
immy Connors congratulated Roger Federer on Tuesday for equalling his Grand Slam match record of 233 wins. Federer pulled level with Connors’ mark when he beat Tomas Kamke at the French Open on Monday. That took the 16time Grand Slam title winner to 233-35 lifetime at the majors and with a chance to set the new record when he faces Adrian Ungur on Wednesday. “Nice work Roger on tying my GS record for match wins, looks like I should have played a few more majors! Great career, keep it up,” Connors wrote on his Twitter account. Federer had said he does have another Connors record to break — the American’s mark of 109 career titles. AFP
Playing Field
WEDNESDAY, MAY 30, 2012
The games people play
Anger, Sympathy for leader Cronje CAPE TOWNP: When Hansie Cronje died in an air crash 10 years ago, cricket lost an inspirational leader and the sport’s most high-profile self-confessed cheat. “He was a great leader of people who had the ability to get the best out of his players,” said former team-mate and current South African coach Gary Kirsten when asked for his main memory of the sporting icon who was banned for life for accepting money from illegal gamblers. Cronje, who captained South Africa to 27 wins against only 11 losses in 53 Tests before his disgrace, was the only passenger on a mail delivery flight which crashed into a mountain near his home town of George in bad weather early on June 1 2012. He was 32. “He was a fantastic teammate and captain, always positive, enthusiastic and supportive,” said former South African wicketkeeper David Richardson, the International Cricket Council’s general manager, cricket. Richardson said his reaction when details were revealed of Cronje’s involvement with cricket’s underworld was “huge disappointment, a little anger and some sympathy for what you would not wish on anyone”. But Richardson said there was
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England duo have shades of Warne, McGrath: Saker regarded as being worNOTTINGHAM: thy of a place among James Anderson and cricket’s greatest playGraeme Swann have ers. Yet Saker insists been compared to the way in which Australia greats Glenn Anderson and Swann McGrath and Shane bowl in tandem is Warne by England’s Aussie bowling coach James Anderson reminiscent of the McGrath/Warne comDavid Saker. McGrath and Warne were bination even though the the oustanding seam and spin England duo are unikely to bowlers of their generation, match the combined tally of AFP with leg-spinner Warne widely 1,271 by the Australians.
Have plenty of time with me SAN FRANCISCO: Tiger Woods spent 35 minutes answering questions from fans in an online chat session on Tuesday, saying that even at age 36 he has plenty of time to pass Jack Nicklaus in all-time major wins. Woods went on Google-Plus after what he called a comfortA photo taken on June 21, 2000 shows former cricketer Hansie Cronje during cross-examination at the King Commission of Inquiry into allegations of cricket match-fixing in Cape Town. a positive side to the revelations made at the King Commission, a judicial inquiry set up in South Africa in 2000 after Indian police intercepted telephone calls between Cronje and Sanjiv Chawla, a London-based gambler, during South Africa’s tour of India that year. “Until then, most believed the problem, if there was one, was limited to the sub-continent. The King Commission dealt with the matter effectively and unambiguously. The players were
Missing climbers group found, 1 dead BUENOS AIRES: One of the 15 climbers that went missing during an attempt to scale a glacier-carved monument in the Andes died before rescue efforts got under way, a local official said on Tuesday. The rest of the group was found by rescuers after hitting trouble on a climb of the Pincheira Castles, a natural monument formed by glaciers in Argentina’s Mendoza province, a popular area for campers and hikers with an altitude of 2,000 meters (6,500 feet). The climber who died was a 28-yearold woman, said Daniel Gomez, Natural Resources secretary for Mendoza province, citing radio communications, but the circumstances of how the victim died were unclear. The other 14 climbers are unharmed and had descended the mountain when they were found by rescuers in an area known as Cajon de la Mina, 1,200 kilometers (750 miles) west of Buenos Aires. The group, which police said included a 15-year old, set off on Saturday to climb the monument in preparation for scaling Mount Aconcagua, the highest peak in the Americas at 6,900 meters (nearly 23,000 feet.) AFP
investigated, were found guilty and punished.” In addition to Cronje being banned for life, Herschelle Gibbs and Henry Williams were banned until the end of 2000 for being persuaded by Cronje to accept money in return for under-performing in a one-day international in Nagpur. Richardson said he believed that measures taken by the ICC to combat corruption were effective. AFP
able practice round at The Olympic Course, site of June’s US Open, and the 14-time major winner repeated his belief that he will break Nicklaus’s record of 18 major titles. “I figure it’s going to take a career, but I have plenty of time,” Woods said. AFP
Price, Couples ’13 captains Z
the biennial team golf imbabwe’s Nick matches, to be staged Price, a three-time October 3-6 at the major champion, and Muirfield Village Golf Fred Couples, the 1992 Club built by legend Masters winner, were Jack Nicklaus. named team captains “This is a huge for the 2013 Presidents honor. I’m very excitCup, the US PGA Tour ed,” Price said. “It’s announced on probably the most Tuesday. Fred Couples excited I’ve been about Price will guide the International team of non- anything in the last five or six European talent against the years. This has been a moment American squad of Couples in that I’ve been waiting for.” AFP