Epaper 16 august 2013 by Scribble Media & Entertainment Pvt. Ltd.

FRIDAY, AUGUST 16, 2013 HYDERABAD

FOOTBALL

IS BACK

It will be a fight for the coveted cup when the 20 teams take on each other in the English Premier League. Here is all you need to know about them.

32 PAGES

WEATHER: HAZE; 25°C

WWW.POSTNOON.COM

PG 16&17

WORKING THE COLOUR BLACK

PG 22&23

A little fashion advice can do most of us a whole lot of good, especially when fashion icons begin dressing like Christmas decorations or care two hoots about the fit.

SRINIVAS SETTY

HYDERABAD’S FIRST COMPACT AFTERNOON NEWSPAPER

DJOKOVIC, FEDERER ADVANCE PG 30

THOTA VANI SHIFTED TO HOSPITAL

FLASH

REPORT ON P3

GANDHI IMPRISONED!

IN RED TAPE

Thota Vani, wife of stamps and registration minister Thota Narasimham, who was on fast for the last six days in Kakinada town opposing the State's bifurcation, was forcibly shifted to a hospital by the police in the early hours of Friday as her health deteriorated. Digvijay Singh, in-charge of party affairs in the State, had spoken to her on Thursday urging her to call off the hunger strike.

B H A I: A MASS ENTERTAINMENT CONCOCTION PG 21

FRIDAY, AUGUST 16, 2013

city events

FLAVOURS TO SAVOUR

Unique flavours of Pondicherry. Where: Dakshin, ITC Kakatiya, Begumpet When: August 30 Contact: 789301 3000

Weather for Hyderabad

Evening

Overnight

24°C

22°C

Cloudy with periods of rain.

Cloudy with a few showers.

Morning

Afternoon

24°C

26°C

Cloudy with a few showers.

Cloudy with showers likely

New Delhi Max 30 Min 25

Mumbai Max 30 Min 26

Cloudy at times

Chennai Max 31 Min 27

Thunderstorms likely

Chances of showers

Bangalore Max 26 Min 19

Cloudy with chances of thunderstorms.

AROUND THE CITY: YOUR GUIDE TO THE TWIN CITIES When: August 18, 6 pm Contact: 94495-96889

EXHIBITION

DINING Foodie’s delight One day workshop on Italian cuisine. Where: Dr. Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy National Institute Of Tourism And Hospitality Management (NITHM), Gachibowli When: August 17, 10 am to 4 pm

Art attack Works of artists like Anand Panchal, Nagesh Goud, Laxman Aelay and others will be exhibited. Where: Aalankritha Art Gallery, Jubilee Hills When: Till August 22, 11 am to 7 pm Contact: +91-40-23113709; 40207171 An age of innocence An exhibition by Jaya Javeri depicting playfulness, fantasy, nature and childhood memories will be held. Where: Ginger Lily, Radisson Blu Plaza When: Aug 3 onwards, 11.30 am onwards Contact: 6733 1133

Tea flavours Try the tea flavours of Budlabeta, Hapjan, Khobong and Sessa. A portion of the proceeds will be contributed to WWF India's onehorned Rhino Conservation project in Assam. Where: Oxford Bookstore, The Park, 22 Rajbhavan Road When: Ongoing Contact: 8790432354 FREEDOM RIDE: Paying tribute to the nation on its 67th Independence Day, Harley owners across the country rode together. The Freedom Ride brought together members from Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Bengaluru, Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, Kochi, Chennai and Chandigarh who roared across their respective cities for the second edition of this annual ride. Art fair Charity art fair 2013, exhibition and

Art show A solo show by Devangana Kumar, Pageants of the Raj will be held. Where: Kalakriti Art Gallery, Banjara Hills When: Till August 25, 11 am to 7 pm Contact: +91.40.66564466 Works of art Exhibition and sale of sketches by talented painter Suraj. Where: Lamakaan, Banjara Hills When: Till August 18, 10 am to 10 pm Contact: 9642731329

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

198 155313

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

sale of affordable art will be held. Where: Taj Krishna, Banjara Hills When: August 16, 7 pm to 10 pm Contact: 93475-25646

Commissioner & Spl Officer

Helpline

155333 23431178 23431179

MUNICIPAL CORPORATION

SHOWS Iranian movie Iranian movie, Beloved Sky will be screened as part of Iranian Film Festival. Where: Prasad Lab Preview Theatre, Banjara Hills When: August 16, 6 pm Contact: 93910-20243

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

Film Songs will be screened. Where: Lamakaan, Banjara Hills When: August 17, 7 pm Contact: 96427-31329 Film fest Movie The Child And Angel will be screened. Where: Prasad Labs Preview Theatre, Banjara Hills When: August 17, 6 pm Contact: 93910-20243

Documentary screening Documentary The Human Factor will be screened. Where: Lamakaan, Banjara Hills When: August 17, 7 pm Contact: 9642731329

Movie time Movie Family bond will be screened. Where: Prasad Labs Preview Theatre, Banjara Hills When: August 17, 7.45 pm Contact: 93910-20243

Behind the scenes Rudradeep Bhattacharjee's documentary The Musicians Behind Hindi

Play pursuits Love, Sex & Mocha will be staged. Where: Lamakaan, Banjara Hills

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

155313 23307328 23313163

27505566 23314095 23390933 24600146 27001134 23607777 30418888 30417777 30419000 30416666 39879999

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

27567892 23559555 23226624 27633087 27035588 27550238 30799999 30418296 30417445

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

Jonathan, an eighth standard student living in Mehdipatnam was so taken by Postnoon daily that he gave up reading another leading English daily and declared he is a Postnoon man!

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

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

24523211 232431300/7641 24521029

Readers’ views

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

FRIDAY, AUGUST 16, 2013

news

YESTERDAY’S QUESTION

WILL TDPS TACTICS WIN OVER SEEMANDHRA? YES (A) NO (B)

47% 53%

TODAY’S QUESTION

ARE THE OSMANIA AND GANDHI HOSPITAL DOCS RIGHT IN STRIKING? A)

To vote visit www.postnoon.com

IN CHAINS DESPITE INDEPENDENCE

CRIME

At GHMC, a diminutive Gandhi awaits deliverance!

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norms. It was felt the former CM did so much for the City through the civic body that he deserved to be honoured. However, the TDP leaders started protests and threatened to commit en-masse self immolation. Hence the unveiling these statutes has been on hold for the past three years. “We are not against the late CM, but we cannot defy rules, if that is the case then even former CM NT Rama Rao’s statue also should be erected in government offices. What we want is the installation of statues of freedom fighters and national leaders like

Gas conversion racket busted, 4 held Mohd SHUBHAN mohd.s@postnoon.com

SRINIVAS SETTY

ALEENA ALICE aleena.t@postnoon.com HYDERABAD: As tradition goes, every year for Independence Day the GHMC officials make sure that the national flag is hoisted at every Mahatma Gandhi statue in every ward, ironically, the one in its foyer is wrapped up and kept out of the public gaze. Reason? Bureaucratic-political folly. The statue of the trio— Mahatma Gandhi, Dr. BR Ambedkar, and former Chief Minister YS Rajashekar Reddy— which are put up on pedestals just at the entrance of the GHMC office are left unveiled surrounding controversies since 2011. And, more ticklish is the issue how incongruous the whole thing looks. The life-size statue of YSR stands tall over a diminutive Gandhi and a slightly larger Ambedkar. To a neutral observer the degree of reverence to the three leaders is clear. First it is YSR followed by Ambedkar and then Gandhiji! It all started after the death of the former Chief Minister YSR under the mayorship of Banda Karthika Reddy, YSR’s followers and Congress Party leaders had erected his statue on a pedestal at the GHMC head office and planned a grand unveiling ceremony. However the grandiose plans of the corporators belonging to the Congress, did not work after the TDP corporators installed statues of Mahatma Gandhi and Ambedkar on either sides of YSR statue. According to the rules, the statue of any political leader cannot be installed in any government office, but the Congress leaders hardly bother with such

YES

HYDERABAD: The police arrested four men on charge of illegal filling of cooking gas in autos. It seems it is a flourishing racket in the City. Police themselves admit that the practice seems to be widespread but done under cover with beneficiaries keeping it away from the public. While the LPG gas customers wait for weeks for a refill, racketeers collect cooking gas, use machinery to transfer this gas to auto rickshaws or fit the latter with the cylinders that saves them a lot of money. Auto rickshaws charge passengers at the petrol fuel rate while gas comes much cheaper. This leads to handsome profit for the auto drivers. The Task Force north zone team stumbled on a couple of racketeers at Sanjeevapuram and arrested four people with machines used for filling gas. The arrested are: Gajam Janardhan, 31, doing cloth business and K Nagaraj, 39, auto driver, both are from Sanjeevapuram, Parsigutta.

Mahatma Gandhi, Ambedkar, and Jyothi Rao Phule. The statue of YSR can be shifted to Gandhi Bhavan,” said TDP floor leader Singireddy Srinivas Reddy. If that was the controversy surrounding YSR’s statue, Congress floor leaders condemned the TDP leaders for placing the statues of Mahatma Gandhi and Ambedkar at the feet of YSR and insulting the national leaders. Despite the TDP leaders assuring to relocate the statues to higher pedestals, so far the statutes remain in dust, unveiled. Meanwhile senior GHMC officials remained tight-lipped about the controversies surrounding the statues fearing backlash.

HOW DO THEY DO IT? Janardhan is having three passenger autos which run on gas. One litre gas costs `55 and one time full tank costs `660(12 litres).He is purchasing each domestic gas cylinder for `800 per refill. With one domestic gas cylinder an auto can be filled twice. In order to gain gas for auto in a cheaper way he is purchasing domestic gas cylinders in bulk and filling in autos..

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The seized material and documents have been handed over to the Asst. Supply Officer, Civil Supply Authority, Circle-IX, for taking necessary action. In the second incident the task Force Central Zone team apprehended two men for the same charge. Kadatala Raji Reddy, 32, and his friend Bodduna Srinivas, 40, both businessmen and residents of Singadikunta, Banjara Hills have been buying cylinders and selling them to auto rickshaw drivers. Police said that both the respondents were running kirana business. As the shops are not giving them enough they thought of the racket. As this money is black they have no obligation of income tax or sales tax. Oil supply companies have been alerted against giving gas cylinders in bulk. While rules do not permit, how do these cylinders find their ways to such racketeers?

CITY BRIEFS Seemandhra agitation continues unabated

2 youths die while making Complaint lodged against Diamond-studded gold I-Day arrangements RJ for sexual harrassment chain stolen

Secunderabad station equipped with escalators

he agitation of various sections of Seemandhra people against the division of the state continues unabated. While the fast unto death of two YSRCP MLAs entered ﬁfth day today, another party MLA from Srikakulam launching a bus yatra in his district besides holding a public meeting. On the other hand, employees from these two regions boycotted their work.

ragedy struck Independence Day celebrations in the State when two youths died of electrocution while making arrangements to unfurl the national ﬂag in Medak, Singannaguda village. The victims, Mahesh, 25, and Naresh, 24 were electrocuted when a live electric wire came in contact with the pole on which the national tricolour was to be hoisted.

he market police have registered a case against a radio jockey by name Anoop on the complaint of an event manager, Praneeta. Praneeta met with Anoop in 2008 and since an intimate friendship developed. She says of late he started harassing her sexually and when she did not yield, started sending vulgur SMS to her at night times. So she lodged a complaint.

ive tolas of diamond-studded gold chain, a highly-priced ornament, was stolen from the house one Ravi Babu, a resident of Regimental Bazaar in Secunderabad. He suspects the maid servant, Padma, and watchman Venkanna. He based his suspicion on the fact that both had seen his wife putting away the jewellery and so they knew where it was kept.

ecunderabad Railway station has now become equipped with modern escalators. According to the authorities of South Central Railways (SCR), the escalators in all the 10 platforms of the railway station were set up recently with the total expenditure of `6.6 crore. In all, the station has seven escalators for the passengers convenience.

News FRIDAY, AUGUST 16, 2013 LAST YEAR... HERE GHMC budget for poverty

ast year we had reported how the GHMC would be spending Rs1033.45 cr for 2012-2013 for poverty alleviation programmes.As part of welfare measures to uplif the downtrodden, particularly those BPL, the GHMC had earmarked massive allocation. The scheme was announced by Mayor Mohd Majid Hussain.

AUGUST 16, 2012

NUMEROLOGY

2,776

is the number of incidents in the previous 12 months of “unauthorised collection, storage, access to or distribution of legally protected communications from the NSA.

My friends call me Big Zaw.I do not fit in an ordinary car. When the doctor brought me here, he had to hire a truck. I cannot move quickly like the others do. I feel depressed about that sometimes. Win Zaw Oo,a signiﬁcantly tall man, see page 11

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

What better way to keep your lawn mowed This is not the ﬁrst time that people use animals like cows to keep their lawn mowed, but it cannot get cooler when the Chicago O’Hare airport uses Ilamas for that.

Toll rises in Egypt as Friday becomes “Friday of anger” Egypt’s Islamists called for a “Friday of anger” in Cairo after nearly 600 people were killed following a crackdown on their protest camps.

You may ride on footpaths with a traffic cop watching Our traffic cops only knows two types of traffic violations: biking without helmets and jumping signals. Riding on footpaths in okay. Check page 7.

Bifurcation has hit the GHMC, too. The State bifurcation has not just hit the Secretariat, it has also paralysed the GHMC.

The Myanmar’s tallest man needs help At seven foot eight inches, Win Zaw Oo hopes his fame will help to treat his condition.

JUNIOR DOCTORS’ STRIKE

A strike most inopportune Though the managements have brought in doctors from non clinical departments to attend to the emergency services, it seems to be of little help to patients. ALEENA ALICE aleena.t@postnoon.com HYDERABAD: As the ongoing strike by junior doctors entered the 17th day at Osmania General Hospital and Gandhi Hospital, the medical and emergency services at these teaching hospitals are badly affected. With the junior doctors boycotting their duties, emergency services have come to a standstill as most of the patients are left unattended. Though the hospital managements have brought in doctors from non clinical departments to attend to the emergency services, it seems to be of little help to patients. The hospital authorities claim to be handling the situation effectively with the standby staff, the reality at these hospitals, is quite different. Patients coming from far of districts hoping to get cured are frustrated with the affected services. “I was asked to wait in the outpatient wing for more than three hours and, they asked me to come back on Thursday. It is difficult to travel for such long distances with health ailments. The government should do

Medicos’ demands n Seek relaxation of the rule of making it mandatory for them to work in rural areas for one year. n Improvement of facilities at all the teaching hospitals. n Government should amend GO 93, which allows private medical colleges to collect stipend from PG Students. n All government employees including IAS and IPS officers should be treated only at government hospitals.

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something about such strikes,” said P Narsiah a kidney patient at Osmania General Hospital. The junior trainee undergraduate doctors who are now burdened with additional work, because of the strike by the

junior doctors, staged a protest on Wednesday demanding that action should be taken against the doctors who are on a strike. Meanwhile the junior doctors on a strike threaten to take it onto another level if their demands are not met immediately. “It has been 16 days and our demands are still not met. We were told to meet the Principal

Health Secretary G Sudhir on Wednesday so that the issue could be resolved, however he is unavailable and the meeting has been postponed to Friday. The government should take our demands seriously and solve the issue immediately,” said Dr Vamsi Krishna, Chairperson, Central Committee Junior Doctors Association.

GREEN TACTICS

O’Hare airport’s 4-legged crew MIRA OBERMAN Agence France Presse CHICAGO: Chicago’s bustling O’Hare airport has hired a new crew to keep the grass cut: a herd of goats, sheep, donkeys and llamas. Yes, llamas. The llamas help protect the sheep and miniature goats from coyotes that roam the wooded

areas near one of the world’s busiest airports. The donkeys are also big and aggressive enough to keep predators away. And the entire chew crew works to keep the grounds clear of critters that can interfere — or even endanger — airport operations. Long grass isn’t just messy, airport officials explained as

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they unveiled the new crew Tuesday. It’s also a breeding ground for the small rodents that attract hawks and other birds of prey. “Birds and planes don’t mix,” said Rosemarie Andolino commissioner of Chicago’s airport authority. Chicago used to rely on herbicides and motorised lawnmowers to maintain the nearly 8,000 acres of land surrounding O’Hare. But the rocky and hilly areas far from the tarmacs were tough to mow and could damage the city’s expensive equipment. And despite endless hours of hot sweaty landscaping work, the airport’s wildlife relocation team was constantly on the hunt for errant animals. So the Windy City decided to follow the lead of airports in Seattle, San Francisco and Atlanta and try an old-fash-

ioned approach. Aside from giving the landscaping crew a break, relying on ruminants also potentially reduces the airport’s carbon footprint by eliminating the use of petrol-powered equipment. It’s not yet clear how much of an impact the herd of 14 goats, six sheep two llamas and three donkeys will make. It can’t

Not only does this give the landscaping crew a break, relying on ruminants also potentially reduces the airport’s carbon footprint by eliminating the use of gasolinepowered equipment. be allowed anywhere near the tarmac and also has to be protected from the busy freeway and roads that line the airport grounds.

News FRIDAY, AUGUST 16, 2013

UNFORTUNATE

JUSTICE AT LAST

Heavy jail terms for duo who raped student RIO DE JANEIRO: A court in Rio de Janeiro sentenced two men to almost 50 years imprisonment Thursday for brutally raping an American student and assaulting her French boyfriend, with a third man receiving a 21year term. The couple had boarded the minibus at around midnight in Copacabana and were headed to Lapa, a trendy area home to popular bars and dance clubs, when the six-hour ordeal unfolded. Two men who boarded the bus at the same time ordered the rest of the passengers to get off and they then handcuffed the eventual victims, beating the Frenchman with a metal bar and raping the 21-year-old American as they drove around the city, according to police. The driver of the vehicle, 20-

Woman loses arm in shark attack

LOS ANGELES: A German woman had her right arm bitten off after being attacked by a shark while swimming in Hawaii, authorities said Thursday. The 20-year-old woman was snorkeling in murky waters approximately 50 yards offshore at a beach on Maui island on Wednesday when the horror unfolded, Maui County officials said in a statement. It was the seventh shark

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The woman was snorkeling in murky waters approximately 50 yards offshore at a beach on Maui island when the horror unfolded.

attack in Hawaiian waters this year, and the fourth in Maui. “We heard screaming from the water and it was this unbelievable scream like I’ve never heard before,” witness Andree Conley-Kapoi was quoted as saying by the Mauinow.com local news site. “The only time anybody would scream like that is if they are being attacked by a shark.” The woman was helped out of the water by two male

WORLD

year-old Jonathan de Souza, and Walace de Souza Silva, 21, each received a jail term of 49 years and three months for robbery, rape, extortion and corruption of minors. Another defendant, 21-yearold Carlos Armando Costa dos Santos, who was not present at the start of the assault, was sentenced to 21 years for rape and extortion. A youth implicated in the incident is to be tried later by a court for minors, the daily O Globo reported. The assailants also took a credit card from the couple and used it to withdraw cash and buy gasoline and food. They were arrested a few days later. In his ruling, judge Guilherme Schilling Pollo said the young American woman “had been humiliated in a cowardly manner and the brutal act of her assailants had caused disgust and indignation”. AFP

AFP

MONEY-MINTING MACHINE

City is the cynosure of all eyes The real fight is not over Telangana but over Hyderabad. It came out while the recent government exercise to find regional revenue generation to be used for bifurcation. City earns for the state more than 50 percent of the revenue! Md INKESHAF AHMED ahmed.m@postnoon.com

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friends swimming nearby and another individual on a kayak. She was taken to Maui Memorial Medical Center (MMMC) where her condition was initially given as critical. An update on the woman’s condition was unavailable on Thursday. Maui County Ocean Safety officials said Thursday the beaches surrounding Palauea Beach where the attack took place had reopened.

HYDERABAD: Amidst the bitter agitation by Seemandhra employees and leaders to prevent the demand of division of the state, the authorities of the State government, which began the process of collecting data from various departments, has now shifted its focus on Hyderabad city. The data is meant for perusal of union government, which has undertaken the process of dividing the State. As per the data available with Postnoon, the Hyderabad city is the biggest income generator for the state government. The three money-minting departments of the state government — Commercial Taxes, Excise and Stamps and Registration Departments — alone have earned `33282 crore as against about `62,000 crore of total income of the State government during the last fiscal 2012-13. It means Greater Hyderabad

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As per the data available with Postnoon, the Hyderabad city is the biggest income generator for the State government. region which include complete Hyderabad district and major part of Ranga Reddy district earned about 50 per cent of the total income. If we look department-wise statistics, the commercial taxes department topped the list of money minting departments with a total income of about `41,000 crore. Of this, the Hyderabad region alone earned about `27,000 crores during the last fiscal. The excise department stood in income earning

departments. The state earned about `18,000 crore from the across the State. Of this, the contribution of Greater Hyderabad region stood at a mind boggling `3,100 crore in the last fiscal. The stamps and registration department earned about `3200 crore from the Greater Hyderabad region. Official figures of the state government once again tell the importance of Hyderabad city vis-a-vis income of the state concerned. The presence of

headquarters of almost all important large, medium and small commercial establishments, MNCs, IT companies and the density of over 7.5 million people made the capital city of the State as the numero uno income generator. Sources of the state government are saying that the statistics would help the centre in formulating an acceptable policy on the status of the city is concerned after the division of the state.

NATION BRIEFS Death toll rises to 11 in Odisha mine mishap

Biscuits make UP school children sick

Three hit by bullets, three cops hurt in Delhi

Woman attempts suicide near Parliament

Woman gangraped in Bengal, four arrested

BHUBANESWAR: The death toll in the mining mishap six days ago in Odisha’s Sundergarh district climbed to 11 with local authorities Friday conﬁrming one more death. “The mutilated body of a woman was retrieved from the debris Thursday. The death toll now stands at 11,” district Superintendent of Police Sanjeev Arora said.

LUCKNOW: Over a dozen school children aged between ﬁve and 10 years took ill in Aligarh district of Uttar Pradesh after eating biscuits served at the Independence Day function. The incident occurred at the Gyandeep Shishu Mandir in the Harduaganj area. Initial probe found that the biscuits were well past the expiry date printed on the package.

NEW DELHI: Three people were hit by bullets and 15 others, including three policemen, were wounded in a clash between two groups after a rider knocked down a boy. Three police vehicles were set on ﬁre. The clash started around 5.30 pm near Tilak Vihar colony in west Delhi after a motorcycle rider knocked down the boy who was ﬂying a kite on the road.

NEW DELHI: A Jharkhand woman attempted suicide by consuming a pesticide near the Parliament House as she could not get a job in a central government undertaking on compassionate grounds after her father’s death, said police. Sukumari, 25, consumed pesticide near a fountain at Vijay Chowk, adjacent to the Parliament House.

KOLKATA: A housewife was allegedly gangraped in West Bengal’s Howrah district. While the victim has been hospitalised, four people, including a minor, have been arrested, police said Thursday. According to police, the woman was returning after meeting her undertrial husband lodged in the Howrah District Correctional Home ( jail).

News FRIDAY, AUGUST 16, 2013

GHMC

Civic work hit by T-S wrangle The chasm between supporters of Telangana and Seemandhra is too evident in the GHMC and the tussle affects works. Md INKESHAF AHMED ahmed.m@postnoon.com HYDERABAD: The State bifurcation has not just hit the Secretariat, it has also paralysed the GHMC. Logically, it should not be so as the civic administration is the local government and has nothing much to do with division in its day-to-day functioning. However, civic politics and bureaucratic stance have adversely affected the workings of the GHMC in the past few days. Much of the seasonal works like road repairs after the first spell of monsoon and prevention of outbreak of rain-related illness are dragging on painfully. The worries that slow the works are the same that affect the Secretariat employees— Seemandhra versus Telangana. The latest issue that dispirit-

ed the civic bureaucracy pertains to transfer of higher officials in the rank of zonal and additional commissioners. The zonal and additional

commissioners are the important officials in implementing development programmes in the corporation after the commissioner.

ON IT’S LAST LEGS?

The colobus monkey (representative picture of another used here) in the primate section of City’s Nehru Zoological Park is not keeping good health for the past one week. It is not eating properly. This primate is 20 years old and is completing its life span which is 18-20 years. On examination by the veterinary officers it was observed that nearly half the number of teeth were missing in both upper and lower jaw, which could be due to old age and so have put the colobus monkey on emergency treatment. The condition of the colobus monkey, which is critical, is being monitored closely.

The issue of transfer of these officials had a direct impact on the governance. A majority part of the additional and zonal commissioners working in GHMC belong to Seemandhra region. Officials see a T hand in the transfer. This is adding fuel to fire. This has forced the corporators from the ruling and the opposition to up their ante against these officials. But corporators see no reason why the civic works should be affected. They blame the bureaucracy for shirking work. Speaking to Postnoon, BJP Floor Leader B Prakash alleged that the officials were deliberating their work based on flimsy grounds and making people suffer. "Most of these officials are ignoring their responsibilities at the cost of the people’s expenses. They will have to pay heavily,"

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he warned. Prakash has demanded that the officials should focus on initiating postmonsoon works. A corporator of the TDP too alleged that officials were ignoring their duties in an attempt to express their grudge over the formation of T.

PONDER OVER STIR

With the agitation of employees of the Seemandhra region raging elsewhere the State, many of the civic officials are also planning to join the bandwagon by boycotting their duties. If these take a decision in favour of boycotting their duties, it would further worsen the situation in the civic body which caters to the needs of over 75 lakh people.

News FRIDAY, AUGUST 16, 2013

REPORTERS’ DIARY

Hyderabad ‘Terrific’ Police

SRINIVAS SETTY

here is much grain in the criticism that the Hyderabad Traffic Police know only two types of traffic violations — biking without helmet or jumping red signal. Of all other more pernicious acts motorists do are winked at; whether it be air and sound pollution, using racing bike on normal roads, over-loading, tempos loaded with building materials jutting out dangerously, motoring wrong side etc. To this list must be added the overeager biker encroaching on footpath (in pic). Recently the penalty is jacked up to a minimum `1,000. But see how this biker rider is mindlessly using the footpath in the presence of police! This picture was taken at Khairatabad junction. When will the police realise that those riding without helmet are only risking their own life while these kinds of adventurous men put others’ lives at risk? It is high time police stop hunting helmetless travel and concentrates on far more hazardous feats the motorists take every day. (SS)

GANDHI CONFUSES MANY The MLA and a couple of his associates were busy discussing something when the alms seeker ambled by. To his outstretched palms the legislator placed a note. The man realised that it was a `1,000 note and he was ‘thanking his stars!’ for the good beginning of the day’s business when the MLA’s associates alerted him. As he realised his mistake, he suddenly reclaimed his `1,000 note, replacing it with a `10 note. A dejected alms seeker could not contain himself. He berated the leader’s associates saying heaven would not have fallen if he was given a `1,000 note. This time it was the associates who got the shock. And, knowing it was futile to speak to a downtrodden person, they swallowed the insults with a giggle. This happened at the Talabkata area. In another incident, a MIM MLA was talking with his friend while a beggar, known to ‘man this

beat’ came by seeking a coin. The MLA, engrossed in his discussion, took out a note thinking it was a `10 note and gave it. The alms seeker quickly pocketed it and walked away salaaming the generous giver. Only after a while the MLA realised that he had given the `1,000 note when he took out his purse to pay for something. But it was too late, and below his dignity to chase the beggar, so he let it go. Blame the Gandhi and the RBI for the confusion. (MS)

HUM NAHIN SUDHARENGE Remember the famous dialogue of Asrani in Sholay where as a jailor he commands his men saying, itne saalon mein hum nahin sudhare to tum kaise suddarenge! (I did not reform since Independence; how can you?). It applies to all our people’s representatives. In 2010, the GHMC decided to make corporators ‘hi-tech’ and given them a laptop each

with high-speed Net connections. It was obviously to facilitate their ‘seva’ of the public but what happened was that the laptop proved an entertainer for the family who used the high-speed data card to download films and other things. Recently when this scribe was sitting in the office of a corporator his family rang him up to complain the data card was not working. He said he will check. As such things have ceased to pinch the conscience of the people today, he declared how his family had been watching the pirated new movies, thanks to the corporation’s munificence. (AA)

Yagnik. The footage showed Gandhi in his struggling days meeting people in India and South Africa. This was brought by Yagnik in the US at an auction for just $32! But that was years ago. This apart, the function had the Army band that gives out the best in patriotic numbers and songs. All this when followed by a simple dinner took people to the years when the country was fighting against the foreign yoke. Girish Sehgal, the manager of the hotel was beaming with happiness at the laudatory remarks of the audience when they relished the snaps from the past. (AD)

A PALACE CELEBRATION INDEED

NAIDU CAUGHT BETWEEN TWO MAIDENS

It was an Independence Day celebration with a difference. The Falaknuma Palace brought to its visitors on the eve of Independence Day a rare footage of Mahatma Gandhi presented by an avid Gandhi fan, Birad

Nara Chandrababu Naidu, the awesome politician who ruled the state for nine years and sat in the opposition another nine years was floored the other day when scribes cornered him on the state bifurcation

and his status. Naidu said he was the father of the modern Hyderabad and nobody can take away his claim. It was he who gave it a shiny, world-class status with classy institutions and prestigious organisations. But he could not answer many things including his party’s stance about Telangana and his support for the Seemandhra. All through his party stood for a united Andhra and suddenly he somersaulted and courted Telangana and now with Seemandhra on the boil he looked like the hapless lover caught between two fiery maidens, each eye-balling the other, and he expecting the worst any moment. So he strayed into the philosophical realm. It is truly said that the situation makes man a philosopher. (IA) (Contributed by Srinivas Setty, Aleena Alice, Arun Daniel, Mohd Subhan and Inkeshaf Ahmed)

WORLD BRIEFS 'Devil's advocate' lawyer Verges dies at 88

Torrential rain, floods kill 53 in Sudan

Mugabe's daughter marries pilot

Major quake felt across New Zealand

UN calls for $98M in aid for North Korea

PARIS: Jacques Verges, the provocative French lawyer who earned the nickname "Devil's advocate" by defending a series of highproﬁle criminals from Klaus Barbie to Carlos the Jackal, died in Paris on Thursday aged 88. Verges died of a heart attack around 18.00GMT in the house where 18th century enlightenment philosopher Voltaire once lived.

KHARTOUM: At least 53 people were killed and 77 others injured after heavy rains and floods hit most part of Sudan, a minister said on Thursday. A total of 40,578 families were affected and 20,027 houses were completely damaged nationwide, Xinhua reported citing Interior Minister Ibrahim Mahmoud Hamid.

HARARE: The oldest child of Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe — 23-year-old daughter Bona — got married to an Emirates Airlines pilot in a customary ceremony over the weekend, a private daily reported on Thursday. Quoting a close relative and member of parliament Simbaneuta Mudarikwa, NewsDay said the marriage ceremony was a private affair.

WELLINGTON: A powerful earthquake rattled major cities across New Zealand on Friday, terrifying residents and causing the capital Wellington to shake "like jelly", but authorities reported no major damage. The 6.5-magnitude quake struck at 2:31 pm (0231 GMT) in the Cook Strait, the US Geological Survey said.

UNITED NATIONS: The UN is in urgent need of $98 million to ﬁnance emergency aid for the people of North Korea, the UN coordinator for the impoverished country said on Thursday. Of the $150 million required to maintain food, health and sanitation programs by ﬁve UN agencies in the country for 2013, $98 million is still needed, the world body said.

News FRIDAY, AUGUST 16, 2013

SINDHURAKSHAK TRAGEDY

NOT FUNNY!

3 bodies recovered from sub Poor visibility in the wreck hampers divers’ efforts to locate bodies. MUMBAI: At least three bodies of sailors who were trapped inside INS Sindhurakshak submarine, which exploded, caught fire and sank here early Wednesday, were recovered Friday by naval diving teams. The fate of 15 more sailors was still uncertain as rescue efforts continued since the past 36 hours, an official said requesting anonymity. The identity of the bodies, or their condition, is still not known. The defence ministry late Thursday released the names of the three officers and 15 sailors who were aboard the ill-fated submarine INS Sindhurakshak. The officers are three Lt.Commanders - Nikhilesh Pal, Alok Kumar and R. Venkitaraj. The sailor crew members are: Sanjeev Kumar, K.C. Upadhyay, Timothy Sinha (all POUW-I), Kewal Singh (LSUC-I), Sunil Kumar (SEA I UW-III), Dasari Prasad (Mech-R 2), Liju

AROUND THE

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Navy divers and personnel are pictured in attempted rescue/salvage operations at the conning tower of the stricken INS Sindhurakshak,which sank following an explosion at the naval dockyard in Mumbai on August 14.

Lawrence, LEMP, Rajesh Tootika (LME), Amit K. Singh (STD-I), Atul Sharma and Vikas E. (both SEA-I), Naruttam Deuri (ME-I),

Malay Haldar (EMR-II), Vishnu V. (RO-II) and Seetaram Badapalli (LS RP-I). Eight of these 15 personnel, including

two officers, were married. The divers’ efforts are seriously hampered by poor visibility conditions inside the submarine which is filled with water, extremely restricted spaces and displacement of most of the equipment from their original locations. The heat of the explosion had melted parts of the internal hull deforming the submarine hatches, preventing access to different compartments. Heavy duty pumps have been deployed to pump out the seawater from the sunken submarine. The cause of the explosions and a raging fire - to which the submarine succumbed within six hours and sank - is still not clear nearly three days after the incident. IANS

Weed-seeker fired after cops reply

TORONTO: A Toronto area mechanic who posted a Twitter message seeking marijuana to alleviate boredom at work this week got an unexpected reply — from police with an apparent sense of humour. The young man also lost his job after his boss was alerted, Canadian media said. Posting under the user AROUND THE

WORLD

name Sunith Baheerathan, he wrote on Tuesday: “Any dealers in Vaughan wanna make a 20sac chop? Come to Keele/Langstaff Mr. Lube, need a spliff or two to help me last this open to close (shift).” Police spotted the post and were first to reply: “Awesome! Can we come too?” The exchange, which prompted chuckles across the Internet, has since been re-tweeted more than 3,000 times. AFP

URBAN SIEGE

Brave PPP leader helps take down gunman The man, who was with his wife and children as he issued demands for the imposition of Islamic law, was said to be fighting for his life after police snipers ended the standoff. ISLAMABAD: Pakistani police snipers shot and seriously wounded a gunman who was tackled live on television by a politician during a dramatic standoff close to Islamabad’s high-security political quarter. The man, who was with his wife and children as he issued demands for the imposition of Islamic law, was said by doctors to be fighting for his life after the five-hour incident which shut down part of the city late Thursday. Identified by Pakistani media as Mohammad Sikandar, the man touted two semi-automatic guns as he smoked

cigarettes while giving interviews to TV stations over his mobile phone. “Muslims are being subjected to cruelties everywhere in the world,” Sikandar, wearing black, told Dunya News as his children sat in the back of the Toyota Corolla and his wife stood calmly nearby. At one point she handed a note to a plain-clothed police negotiator. The standoff began around 5.30pm when police flagged down the car for a traffic violation in the central Jinnah Avenue neighbourhood — less than a kilometre from the presidency and parliament.

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Sikandar then started firing into the air, forcing markets and shops in the area to close. Crowds of onlookers gathered at a distance, as TV anchors broadcasting the incident live on air queried how police checkpoints had failed to stop an armed man from driving into the sensitive area. The standoff ended at 11:00 pm after Zamurd Khan, a leader of the opposition Pakistan Peoples Party who was acting

as a negotiator, jumped on the gunman and tried to disarm him. Sikandar broke free and fired at Khan, who was not injured. Police and paramilitary commandos then shot the gunman as he tried to flee, hauling him away as blood poured from his wounds. The children were unharmed. Television footage showed the young boy trying to rush over to his father after he was shot, but Khan held him back. “Condition of Sikandar is critical and doctors are trying to save his life,” doctor Wasim Khawaja, a spokesman for the

Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences hospital in central Islamabad, told AFP. “He received two bullets, one in the upper body and one in the left leg,” he said. “The woman was hit in her right leg but she is out of danger.” Khan was being hailed a hero by some local media. “I was sitting at home and watching this whole drama on TV,” the politician told Geo TV. “I came out with a commitment that I will catch this guy, even if it takes my life.” Islamabad police officials said Sikandar appeared to have mental health problems. AFP

News FRIDAY, AUGUST 16, 2013

CRACKDOWN AFTERMATH

Egypt braces for ‘Friday of anger’ Meanwhile, attacks against churches and Christian properties that began on Wednesday continued for a second day, with activists saying at least 25 churches had been targeted. CAIRO: Egypt’s Islamists called for a “Friday of anger” in Cairo after nearly 600 people were killed following a crackdown on their protest camps, as the UN urged “maximum restraint” from all sides. “Anti-coup rallies... will depart from all mosques of Cairo and head towards Ramsis square after (traditional Friday) prayer in ‘Friday of Anger’,” Muslim Brotherhood spokesman Gehad al-Haddad wrote on Twitter. The call raised fears of fresh violence after the death toll from nationwide clashes following Wednesday’s operation to clear two protest camps supporting ousted president Mohamed Morsi rose to 578, making it Egypt’s bloodiest day in decades. There were renewed attacks on security forces during a tense day on Thursday, with at least seven soldiers and a policeman killed in the Sinai peninsula and another police officer killed in the central city of Assiut. With the country under a state of emergency and many provinces hit by night-time curfews, the interior ministry ordered police to use live fire if government buildings came under attack. International criticism of the bloodshed poured in and the

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Governments in several European capitals summoned Egyptian envoys to voice their concern. Turkey later recalled its ambassador.

United Nations Security Council held an emergency meeting on the crisis at the request of France, Britain and Australia. Afterwards, the Argentine president of the council urged all parties to exercise “maximum restraint”. Ambassador Maria Cristina Perceval, whose country currently presides over the 15country body, said member states regretted the loss of life in Cairo, called for an end to the violence and spoke of the need to

ENVIRONMENT White House goes green with solar panels WASHINGTON: The White House is going green. Solar panels are being installed on parts of the residence, a US official said Thursday — making good on a pledge that dates back to 2010. With President Barack Obama and his family vacationing in Martha’s Vineyard for a week, workers equipped with cranes have been buzzing around the home in downtown Washington. “The White House has begun installing American-made solar panels on the First Family’s residence as a part of an energy retrofit that will improve the overall energy efficiency of the building,” the official said. The work will include the installation of new thermostats and variable-speed fans, according to the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity. AFP

Ecuador to drill for oil in nature reserve QUITO: Ecuador President Rafael Correa on Thursday said major oil exploration in an Amazon nature reserve could go ahead after the failure of an ambitious plan to secure billions of dollars in donations to avoid drilling in the area. Correa said he would seek authorization from lawmakers to allow drilling in a region of the Yasuni National Park, which was designated a world biosphere reserve.

advance “national reconciliation.” US President Barack Obama led the international outrage at the bloody crackdown, announcing the cancellation of a joint USEgyptian military exercise. “While we want to sustain our relationship with Egypt, our traditional cooperation cannot continue as usual when civilians are being killed in the streets and rights are being rolled back,” he said.

But despite scrapping the Bright Star exercise, which has been scheduled every two years since 1981, he stopped short of suspending Washington’s annual $1.3 billion in aid to Egypt. Obama’s remarks sparked a defiant response from Egypt’s president early on Friday, saying that “statements not based on facts may encourage violent armed groups.” “The presidency appreciates US concern for developments in Egypt, but it

wished it could have clarified matters,” said the statement carried by the official MENA news agency. Governments in several European capitals summoned Egyptian envoys to voice their concern. Turkey’s Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, a Morsi supporter, described the crackdown as a “massacre” and Ankara later recalled its ambassador to Cairo. And UN rights chief Navi Pillay called for “an independent, impartial, effective and credible investigation of the conduct of the security forces. The number of people killed or injured, even according to the government’s figures, point to an excessive, even extreme use of force against demonstrators.” AFP

BIG BROTHER

NSA committed ‘thousands’ of security breaches: Report WASHINGTON: The National Security Agency has breached privacy rules or acted outside its authority several thousand times since being granted sweeping new powers five years ago, the Washington Post reported Thursday. The paper said on its website the breaches had been revealed after analysis of an internal audit and other top secret documents, the details of which were made available to the Post by US intelligence leaker Edward Snowden. One of the documents cited by the Post showed that the NSA instructed staff to alter reports to the Justice Department and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, replacing specific details with generic language, the report said.

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The paper said on one occasion the NSA concealed the unintended surveillance of American individuals. It cited an instance in 2008 when a “large number” of calls from Washington were monitored after a programming error mixed up the area code for the US capital — 202 — with the international dialing code for

Egypt — 20. The blunder was not revealed to the NSA’s oversight staff, the Post report said. The Post said that the NSA audit, dated May 2012, had numbered 2,776 incidents in the previous 12 months of “unauthorized collection, storage, access to or distribution of legally protected communications.” Most of the cases were unintended while many involved failures of due diligence or violated normal operating procedure. “We’re a human-run agency operating in a complex environment with a number of different regulatory regimes, so at times we find ourselves on the wrong side of the line,” a senior NSA official speaking on condition of anonymity told the Post in response to the report. AFP

News FRIDAY, AUGUST 16, 2013

HARVARD MODEL UNITED NATIONS

LITTLE DIPLOMATS

At the Harvard Model United Nations at the HICC, the young delegates, dressed in smart suits and dresses, looked the part. In the two days that follow they will have a taste of what real diplomats do at real UN summits. SRINIVAS SHETTY

RAJESH RAVINDRAN rajesh.r@postnoon.com HYDERABAD: Thirty minutes before the opening ceremony of the opening ceremony of the Harvard Model United Nations at the HICC, it looked like a school at recess time. Hundreds of teens who had come as delegates (boys dressed in suits, girls in dresses and heels) seemed enthusiastic about the whole idea. Some walked about making arrangements and seeing to it everything was in order, others huddled up in several groups speaking animatedly about the programme and resolutions that they will pass in the proceedings in the next two days. It’s a grand occasion to make friends and take pictures. And the delegates were doing that before the opening ceremony. There was a Harley Davidson on display, called the Ahimsa Harley Davidson, that was earlier in the day escorted to the venue to by 20 other roaring Harleys and there could be seen several of the “delegates” getting their pictures clicked posing by the bike that had on its black body signatures in, mayhap, white ink. The ceremony started late. It was said it would at 4 pm. Well, this is India, and there’s no room for surprise if things start a little late. A little earlier than 4pm one of the speakers at the event, Binalakshmi Nepram, founder of the Control Arms foundation of India, arrived and was escorted to one of the rooms for guests. While chatting up with the two girls who had received her, she said she was happy to come here and deliver her message for the need of disarmament in this country where everyday more than 10 deaths occur due to gun violence. Ms Nepram who is known for bringing focus on the issues of Manipur and the north eastern states at several world and national forums promised she would share with them some anecdotes about her experiences that she had when she went to attend the “real thing”. Finally, the ceremony started. Divya Seth, Secretary General, spoke about the importance of the HMUN and the role those assembled there

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The biggest cheers were reserved for Nepram. She talked the purpose of her forum and told the delegates how they can make a huge change.

had to play. A little later, Dr Rajendra Pachauri, started his address, apologising for his coming late because his flight was delayed. He spoke about the grave future that awaited the world if greenhouse gas levels are not checked by 2015: “Heat waves that happened once in 20 years would occur once in two years,” he warned. The biggest cheers were reserved for Nepram. She talked about the purpose of her forum and told the delegates how they can make a huge change. Speaking about her work and visits to UN summits, she recalled the response of a Chinese delegate when she confronted him about the spread of cheap Chinese weapons in the North Eastern states in India: “I don’t know what you are talking about.” “So diplomats can lie,” she pointed out. Boisterous cheers and claps followed. Another instance was when an Indian diplomat at the UN said that

the illegal arms seized in the North Eastern region came to a figure under 10 when the data with Nepram showed it to be over 200. “And diplomats may not have the right information.” There were delegates who had attended the session last year, too. Jenish, 16, was one of them. “It’s great to know about

the issues of the world. Last year I was with the Unicef and we had passed a resolution about helping the tremendous number of people suffering from Aids. This year I am with SPECPOL (Special Political and Decolonization),” he said. I asked another delegate why he was here. “It’s interesting. And it looks good on your resume, too.”

News FRIDAY, AUGUST 16, 2013

MYANMAR

‘Tallest man’ seeks aid abroad At seven foot eight inches Win Zaw Oo is believed to be the country’s tallest man, and a recent rise to fame means he can finally seek treatment abroad for the health condition behind his towering height.

SHWE YINN MAR OO feedback@postnoon.com YANGON: “Big Zaw” has known he was different since a teenage growth spurt sent him soaring above his neighbours in a remote Myanmar village. “My friends call me Big Zaw,” said Win Zaw Oo, who at 233cm is significantly taller than the 168cm (five foot six) average Myanmar man. I do not fit in an ordinary car. When the doctor brought me here, he had to hire a truck,” said the 36-year-old, who was given access to healthcare after a story about him in state media this year sparked a flurry of interest from reporters and medical experts. He is now set to undergo surgery

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in Singapore for a pituitary gland tumour — which causes the body to produce excessive growth hormones — because the procedure is too advanced to be carried out in Myanmar, where the health system was left chronically under-funded by the former junta. Win Zaw Oo, who left Myanmar on Thursday, said he was anxious about the trip. “I have only seen a toy plane before, so I feel a bit worried about having to fly. But if it is for my health, I must do it,” he told AFP

ahead of his departure, adding that he was concerned about the future costs of treatment. His height brings day-to-day challenges. Win Zaw Oo has gone barefoot for most of his life in his rural village in Magway region, central Myanmar, where his parents and three sisters scratch a living from growing peanuts and sesame seeds on a couple of acres of land. While his family was able to make extra-large longyis — the sarong-like skirt worn by both men and women in Myanmar — for him, custom-made footwear was far beyond the family’s modest means. His condition also means he tires easily and is unable to hold down regular employment, although he says he can help out in village construction because he does not need a ladder. Shy but friendly, Win Zaw Oo attracts stares when he travels, but at home people are accustomed to him. “We see him every day in our village... so we do not really think of him as being extraordinarily big,” said his cousin Than Htoo. Myanmar doctors said Win Zaw Oo appeared to have stopped growing, but that his condition carried future health risks. “He needs to be cured,” said Myatthu Mynn, part of the medical team travelling with him to Singapore on a trip funded by private donations from Myanmar and Singapore. He explained that the procedure

— which usually involves accessing the pituitary gland at the base of the brain through the nose or an incision in the mouth — is too specialised for Myanmar’s hospitals. Decades of military dictatorship in the Southeast Asian country left the vast majority of citizens without access to even basic healthcare, as the junta state focused on its military spending. A new quasi-civilian regime took power in 2011, but medical care remains woefully inadequate. Official figures show the state only allocated around one percent of its expenditure to healthcare in its 2011 to 2012 budget, rising to three percent in 2012 to 2013. Win Zaw Oo’s condition — acromegaly — which can lead to gigantism when it develops in puberty, is extremely rare. Accurate data for Myanmar is unavailable, but Britain’s Pituitary Foundation said only around four to six new cases per million of the population are diagnosed each year. It said health risks include “diabetes, high blood pressure and heart problems with a reduced life expectancy compared to the normal population”.

Doctors said only one other extremely tall person has been recorded in recent memory in Myanmar. Zee Kwet Sein, who is believed to have died in the 1970s, was left blind by her condition and her exceptional height saw her exhibited at fairs in the country’s central region. Win Zaw Oo’s recent fame had led him to consider the possibility of a film career to help support his family, although he would rather start a busi-

He is now set to undergo surgery in Singapore for a pituitary gland tumour — which causes the body to produce excessive growth hormones. ness with his sisters. But the condition takes its toll. “I cannot move quickly like the others do. I feel depressed about that sometimes,” he told AFP, adding that he does not expect to have a family of his own but hopes medical care will secure his future. “After the treatment is finished it will be enough to live my life, even if it does not change my appearance,” he said. AFP

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News FRIDAY, AUGUST 16, 2013

LIFESTYLE

South Korea takes a liking to haute-couture hiking AROUND THE

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Although Seoul’s highest peak, Mount Bukhansan, is a modest 836 meters above sea level, the hordes of hikers who swarm its slopes on a daily basis look dressed for a lengthy assault on the North Face of the Eiger.

The national and local governments have encouraged the trend, opening up trails and creating new hiking courses all over a country that boasts spectacular mountain and coastal scenery. South Koreans take their hobbies and pastimes seriously and the spectacular growth of what is now Asia’s fourthlargest economy means they have the disposable income to spend money on what they enjoy. As a result, the outdoor apparel market has exploded from $1.1 billion in 2006 to $5.3 billion in 2012. Seoul is surrounded by mountains, and every major trailhead is approached through a mass of retail outlets selling global brand wear like Merrell, North Face and Berghaus, as well as Korean makes like Black Yak and K2. Yang Moon-Young of Kolon Industry, a leading South Korean outdoors manufacturer, said the boom was partly attributable to the fact that most companies now allowed staff two full days off a week, rather than one-and a half days as in the past. The increase in leisure time combined with higher incomes had fuelled the market surge over the past five years, Yang said. She also highlighted how some of the more stylish hiking gear had been adopted as street

PARK CHAN-KYONG Agence France Presse SEOUL: If you want to go hiking in South Korea, you’re going to have to spend a substantial amount of money on stand-out designer gear if you want to blend in. While jeans and a T-shirt will draw attention — mainly in the form of thinly-disguised pity — a $650 North Face jacket with the latest ultra-light, threeply Gore-Tex technology, will barely merit a second glance. Hiking is close to a national pastime in South Korea, and millions throng the country’s many mountain parks and trails every weekend. Their ages, stamina and motivation may vary wildly, but one thing that binds the vast majority together is a nearobsession with having the latest brand-name outdoors clothing and equipment. Although Seoul’s highest peak, Mount Bukhansan, is a modest 836 meters (2,744 feet) above sea level, the hordes of

hikers who swarm its slopes on a daily basis look dressed for a lengthy assault on the North Face of the Eiger. “It’s not cheap, but everyone dresses this way and I don’t want to look out of place,” said Chung Da-Hee, a middle-aged housewife decked out in branded gear, right down to a pair of brightly-coloured fingerless gloves. “Anyway, it’s good quality and comfortable,” Chung said. South Korea experienced an initial surge in the popularity of outdoor activities in the late 1980s as living standards improved and people were inspired by the country’s hosting of the 1988 summer

Olympic Games. According to Jung Juno, who heads the grandly-named World Walking Headquarters based in Seoul, a second boom was triggered by an unlikely source — the 1997 Asian financial crisis. The crisis hit South Korea extremely hard and resulted in mass lay-offs, especially of middle-aged men who suddenly found themselves at a loose end. “They had nowhere to go in the daytime,” Jung told AFP. “At that time, the slogan was for South Koreans to ‘remain healthy for comeback,’ so a lot of them went walking in the hills and mountains.”

The national and local governments have encouraged the trend, opening up trails and creating new hiking courses all over the country.

wear by young, fashion-conscious South Koreans. “A widening range of age groups, especially younger consumers, are wearing them because of the casual look sportswear brings,” Yang said. “Outdoor garments have come down from hills and mountains to occupy the streets,” she added. Kim Mi-Hye, a 53-year-old high school teacher who hikes the different ridges and peaks of Mount Bukhansan on most weekends, admitted she had a substantial wardrobe of hiking gear. “Some of the lines are nice and stylish, and there’s a great colour and design choice,” Kim said. “I keep telling myself I have enough, but then I see another jacket and I can’t help myself,” she added.

FRIDAY, AUGUST 16, 2013

business

IBM ACQUIRES ISRAELI DATA SECURITY COMPANY

US technology giant IBM announced that it has purchased Israeli data security company Trusteer, Globes economic daily reported. IBM will also set up an Israeli software lab to conduct research and development on mobile device security apps and cloud-delivered security solutions.

BRIGHT FUTURE

THE SBI GESTURE

‘UAE, India bilateral trade to exceed $75B’ The bilateral relationship between the two countries will get a boost by the visit of India’s Prime Minister Manmohan Singh later this year.

ABU DHABI: Trade and investment between India and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is likely to exceed $75 billion in 2013, India’s ambassador to the UAE MK Lokesh said on Thursday. “Trade and investments will continue to be the engine that will drive the bilateral relations. Bilateral trade, which reached the level of $75 billion last year, is expected to increase further during the current year,” the ambassador said in a statement to Dubai-based newspaper The Gulf News. “Since the formation of the UAE, India’s interests in the

Since the formation of the UAE, India’s interests in the country have multiplied. Currently, the UAE is India’s largest trading partner. country have multiplied. Currently, the UAE is India’s largest trading partner, a major oil supplier and a significant investor,” Lokesh said in his Independence Day message. The bilateral relationship

between the two countries will get a boost by the visit of India’s Prime Minister Manmohan Singh later this year, which is in the pipeline, Lokesh said. He, however, added that details of the visit are not available as yet.

As the second fastest growing economy in the world, India is one of the most attractive destinations for foreign direct investments (FDI) in Asia. With a cumulative foreign direct investment (FDI) inflow of $2.3 billion to India, the UAE ranks 10th among the top investing countries. Indian companies also invest in the UAE. Major Indian companies have made sizeable investments in principal sectors of the UAE economy including construction, power, health and wellness, engineering, consulting and infrastructure. IANS/WAM

WOOING THE INDIAN VISITOR

Abu Dhabi launches tourism campaign The campaign — Abu Dhabi Month — will run throughout August at Select Citywalk Mall in India’s national capital. ABU DHABI: Abu Dhabi Tourism and Culture Authority (TCA Abu Dhabi), in association with India’s leisure travel company TUI, has launched a month-long campaign in New Delhi to bolster number of Indian visitor to the UAE. The campaign — ‘Abu Dhabi Month’ — will run throughout August at Select Citywalk Mall in India’s national capital. “With much more to see and do in Abu Dhabi as well as increased air access from the country following Etihad Airways’ equity stake in Jet Airways, we expect to see

strong growth in the number of Indian guests,” said Bejan Dinshaw, country managerIndia, TCA Abu Dhabi. In the first six months of 2013, 80,179 Indian nationals stayed in Abu Dhabi’s 145 hotels and hotel apartments — a rise of 22 per cent from the corresponding period last year. Sunil Hasija, executive director, TUI India, said robust growth was evidence of the emirate’s rapidly evolving leisure and business tourism offering, which is being increasingly factored into consumers’ travel decisions. IANS/WAM

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for for

DOLLAR `61.67 `54.99 POUND `88.14 POUND `96.32

State Bank of Hyderabad celebrated Independence Day at their Gun Foundry head office here on Thursday. The national flag was hoisted by M Bhagavantha Rao, managing director, Jyoti Ghosh and V Suresh Babu, chief general managers of the bank. Other general managers and top executives, besides association and staff members attended the function. After hoisting the tri-colour, Bhagavantha Rao addressed the gathering. Harshavardhan Madabhushi, general secretary, SBH Officers’ Association and JM Bhavthankar, general secretary, SBH Staff Association also spoke.

NUMEROLOGY

$100

is the loan World Bank will extend for sustainable low-cost dwellings in India.

BRAZIL FACTORY BY CHINA China's Foton Motor plans to invest $108 million to build a truck factory in the southern Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul, the state government said. Foton signed a letter of intent to build the factory a day after it was announced that the company had canceled plans to construct the plant in of Rio de Janeiro.

THUS SPAKE Political freedom without economic independence is meaningless. SIDDARAMAIAH, KARNATAKA CHIEF MINISTER

18,904.01 BSE 19,805.54 5,586.20 6,022.45 NSE 462.55 21.46 156.75 6.55

FRIDAY, AUGUST 16, 2013

Comment Education without values, as useful as it is, seems rather to make man a more clever devil.

CLOSETED

BILL SAVADOVE Agence France-Presse

he maiden voyage to Europe by a Chinese merchant ship through the “Northeast Passage” will help the world’s biggest exporter speed goods to market and is a symbol of Beijing’s strategic ambitions in the Arctic. The emerging Arctic Ocean shipping route north of Russia has been opened up by global warming and cuts thousands of kilometres (miles) — and many days — off the journey from China to its key European market. A vessel owned by Chinese state shipping giant COSCO left the northeastern port of Dalian last week bound for Rotterdam in the Netherlands, on a 5,400-kilometre (3,380-mile) voyage which state media said would take just over 30 days. That is up to two weeks faster than the traditional route between Asia and Europe through the Suez Canal, according to COSCO. “It’s potentially going to change the face of world trade,” said Sam Chambers, editor of SinoShip magazine. “The Chinese will use the Arctic route in a very big way. It’s all about having options, having alternatives in case of emergency,” he said. But China is also eyeing the Arctic for better access to resources to fuel the world’s second largest economy, such as the natural gas reserves held by political ally Russia in the region.

RUSSIAN LAW SENDS GAY FAMILIES INTO HIDING fined for telling children that homosexual and heterosexual relationships are equal. This “really speeded us up” in wanting to leave the country, Maria said.

MARIA ANTONOVA Agence France Presse

CS Lewis Irish novelist

New shipping route shows China’s Arctic ambitions

HIGH-FLYING THOUGHTS Narendra Modi may be a great administrator and also a good orator, but that is not the all of politics. Wisdom has no substitute. LK Advani’s appeal to all to stay positive on Independence Day reflects the man’s stature.

aria and Alexandra vaguely considered leaving Russia for several years, but it was not until this year’s anti-gay legislation that they started to gather paperwork. The quiet, academic lesbian couple, who live with a sevenyear-old daughter in the outskirts of Moscow, have now lost hope that Russia is moving in the direction of Europe, where same-sex marriages are increasingly legalised despite opposition from conservatives. “Before, there was hope that everything would improve, but instead the trend has reversed. I hope that we will leave,” said Maria, 31 who has a daughter Lilya from a short-lived marriage. She is now raising her with her partner of six years, Alexandra, 30. Earlier this year President Vladimir Putin signed a law banning the dissemination of “gay propaganda” to minors, which has already prompted an international outcry and even calls for Russia to be stripped of its right to host the Winter Olympics. In practice, the law means that anyone in Russia can be

‘GAYS ARE ENEMY NO 1’ Mizulina has said the family committee she is chairing in the Duma lower house is writing a new family policy based on “traditional” values like registered heterosexual marriage and refusal of abortions. “We are looking into the possibility of creating a legal basis for taking children out of families that are de-facto gay marriages,” said Mizulina, who has also sponsored a bill banning adoptions by foreign samesex couples. Last month, Russia’s influential Orthodox Patriarch Kirill called the increasing legalisation of same-sex marriage in other countries a “syndrome of apocalypse” which Russia must fight. Militantly conservative rhetoric has come amid increasing intolerance. Since 2005, the number of people who believe gays should have equal rights as the rest of society fell from 51 to 39 per cent this year. The number of people who believe that homosexuality is an illness or is caused by “licentiousness” also grew from 67 to 78 per cent in that period, according to Levada centre pollster.

Violent crimes committed against gays are rarely investigated, according to Moscowbased lawyer Ilnur Sharapov who had represented people injured at gay protests by neoNazi or ultraconservative Orthodox activists. “Hooliganism and injury cases very quickly reach trial unless the victim is gay,” he told AFP. In the increasingly homophobic environment, gay parents now worry what will happen if their child is asked about their home situation in school.

‘A CHAIN OF SILENCE’ Single mothers, or two women living together with a child are a familiar picture in Russia. But in a country where men almost never get custody in a divorce, gay men have to be more circumspect, said Artyom, 30, who recently became a biological father to twins and is helping a lesbian couple raise them. “I wanted children, it was a conscious decision, I looked for candidates online,” said Artyom, 30, who works as a doctor in Saint Petersburg. AFP

EDITORIALS Kashmiris reaching out to the hand of friendship

ou get to reap only what you sow: the seed of isolation cannot germinate into a tree of acceptance. Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has said that Kashmiris were being forced to feel “different and isolated” from the Indian national mainstream. For decades Kashmiris have not been identifying themselves with mainstream Indians. While some have another country’s citizenship in mind, some want an independent country, and many have remained mute spectators to the uncertain proceedings, which has resulted in this feeling of alienation. This development, though, can be used as an opportunity to bring all Kashmiris into the country’s fold. The people who till recently were rejecting the friendship hand extended to them, are now yearning for it. Time is a big healer; and years of non-development of the area is ﬁnally bringing in rationality. Other states have been through this phase and with effective government policies have been made to feel secure to stay within the sovereign land of India. Punjab is a classic example of this.

READERS’ VIEWS

The barren Wimbledon throne

hile it is not always that sportspersons go into retirement with guns blazing, you don’t have crown-holding champions not playing in the next edition either. Even if Marion Bartoli got there though an unconventional route, she is the Wimbledon champion! For her to hang up her boots at 28, barely six weeks after scaling the tennis summit, speaks of the shrinking age of ﬁt professional tennis players, and the need to compliment skill with ﬁtness in order to make it big in any sport.

FRIDAY, AUGUST 16, 2013

music

JOHN MAYER PREDICTS PERRY'S NEW SONG WILL BE A HIT

Musician John Mayer really likes his girlfriend Katy Perry's new song Roar and predicts it will be a super hit. Perry's song was released earlier this week. "Roar is in my life. I remember hearing it, going like—wow what an interesting experience to hear something that you identify as massive before it's massive," billboard.com quoted Mayer as saying.

RESSONANCE DUO

NEW ALBUM

2 of 2 tracks

The Sister Act

SRINIVAS SETTY

From playing covers of Adele to penning their own songs, sisters Sukanya and Sanchita Roopchand tell us about their musical journey. JYOTSNA NAMBIAR jyotsna.n@postnoon.com

hile the rest of us were busy squabbling with our siblings, Sukanya and Sanchita Roopchand were living harmoniously — both metaphorically and musically. The sisters have been singing together since they were seven and three respectively, and their years of practice held them in good stead as they hit Hard Rock Cafe recently.

Kicking it off strong with Adele's Rolling In The Deep, the sisters, accompanied by an enthusiastic Moses Abhishek on the drums, went on to show off their range of talents. Sanchita had the crowd cheering with her Eminem impression on Love The Way You Lie; Sukanya showed some beautiful fingerwork on the keyboard. Transitioning smoothly from R&B to classic rock and then on to some dance pop, the ReSSonance Duo proved that no genre could contain them.

When Postnoon caught up with them later, Sukanya explained that they loved exploring new genres. “Music is like an ocean. There are so many things for us to learn and experiment with. It's exciting!” When asked what their experience performing together is like, Sanchita says, “Just one word. Fun!” The sisters made sure their audience had a great time as well. While they played a lot of new hits like Justin Timberlake's Mirrors and Bridgit Mendler's Hurricane, they also pleased the classics crowd with Ben E King's Stand By Me and Sounds of Silence by Simon and Garfunkel. They also performed an unusual and catchy mashup of Saibo (from Shor In The City) with Maroon 5's Payphone. The girls seemed equally comfortable in English and Hindi, and ended the night with a rousing performance of Kailash Kher's Allah Ke Bande. The duo also does covers of Tamil hits. “Since we speak Tamil at home, we're very comfortable in the language,” explained Sukanya. And what about the latest Telugu number? “Well, we sing them, but we haven't incorporated them

in our performance yet!” Coming from a musical family gave the sisters an early start. “Oh yes, the whole family is very musical,” they chimed. “Our parents would sing, play the guitar... they encouraged us and supported us right from the start. They helped us in the right direction.” Sukanya and Sanchita have been performing professionally for around seven years now, and they got their first gigs with Hyderabad Western Music Forum. Since then, there has been no looking back. When they're not performing, Sukanya works as a technical writer as a software company and Sanchita is a student pursuing ACS. When, then, do they get time to practice? “Weekends!” says Sanchita. “There are times when we don't even get time to speak during the week, but weekends, we make it a point to practise,” she adds. Though they focus heavily on covers, the sisters also write and compose original music. Sanchita adds, “Our original music ranges usually from country to pop. We write about love, going to work, everyday life, basically.”

hile The 20/20 Experience was all about dance commands, sexytime, and Jetsonsappropriate vehicles, 2 of 2 might be the dark half of things, with tracks like Murder, Amnesia, Drink You Away, and T.K.O. There's also a song called True Blood and another called Cabaret. In tandem with the September 30 release date, Timberlake will sell The Full Experience as a fourdisc vinyl set. The singer, who has enjoyed being a little tease lately, announced to his Instagram followers, #The2020Experience#2of2 track listing is being revealed today!! #trackbytrack#imready." J.T. then posted a total of 11 videos on Instagram throughout the day, unveiling the song titles for his upcoming album one at a time by handwriting the tracks in his sketchbook .

TRENDING...

Singers Katy Perry and Rihanna seem to have buried the hatchet — the two were spotted partying together. The singers' friendship fell apart when Rihanna missed Perry's wedding to now exhusband Russell Brand in 2010. When Perry showed her disagreement over Rihanna's patch up with singer Chris Brown, it pushed them further apart.

This time hackers have targeted singer Cher's duet with Lady Gaga and leaked it online. The former is disappointed and expressed it on Twitter. The duo had been working on the track "The greatest thing" for almost a year now and were facing delay in the release due to various reasons, reports mirror.co.uk.

FRIDAY, AUGUST 16, 2013

spotlight YOUTH IN FOCUS SRINIVAS SETTY

Harbingers of change The opening ceremony of the Harvard Model United Nations India 2013 was held at the Hyderabad International Convention Centre. Dr Rajendra Pachauri and Binalakshmi Nepram addressed the audience on the day.

SPIRIT OF FREEDOM Freedom Ride 2013, a corporate cycling event kicked off on the occasion of Independence Day at Gachibowli stadium. The ride was organised by The Atlanta Foundation. Around 6,000 cyclists took part in the event.

ROYAL GATHERING On the occasion of Independence Day, Taj Falaknuma Palace hosted an exclusive gala dinner for patrons of the hotel and special guests.

FRIDAY, AUGUST 16, 2013

health

COLON CANCER LINKED TO MOUTH INFECTION?

An infection from a common type of mouth bacteria can contribute to colorectal cancer, a new study suggests. The bacteria, called Fusobacterium nucleatum, can attach to colon cells and trigger a sequence of changes that can lead to colon cancer, according to the team at Case Western Reserve University School of Dental Medicine.

BEWARE

KIDS OF OBESE MOTHERS AT RISK Children who have obese or overweight mothers are more likely to die early as adults because of heart disease, a Scottish study has found. Rates of maternal obesity have risen rapidly in the past two decades. POSTNOON NEWS feedback@postnoon.com

PUBLIC HEALTH CONCERN

The authors say their research highlights the urgent need for strategies to prevent obesity in women of childbearing age and the need to assess the offspring of obese mothers for their risk of heart disease. Many studies have shown a link between maternal obesity and disease later in life, but it is still not clear whether maternal obesity is associated with increased death in offspring from heart disease. Using birth and death records from 1950 to the present day, a team of researchers led by the universities of Edinburgh and Aberdeen identified 28,540 women — whose body mass index (BMI) was recorded at their first antenatal visit - and their 37,709 offspring who were aged between 34 and 61 at the time they were followed up. Mothers were rated as overweight where they had a BMI of 25-29.9 and obese when their BMI was 30 or more. Heart disease ‘a leading cause of death’ Among the mothers, 21% were overweight and 4% were obese. Among the 37,709 offspring there were 6,551 premature deaths from any cause and, among the deceased, 294 had obese mothers at birth. Cardiovascular disease was identified as one of the leading causes of death. After adjusting for other factors, such as mother’s age, social class and birth weight,

nancy are urgently required,” they conclude.

MANAGING WEIGHT

the researchers found that the risk of premature death was 35 per cent higher in the adult offspring of obese mothers compared to those of normal weight mothers. They also found a 42 per cent increased risk that the offspring of obese mothers would be admitted to hospital as adults for a heart attack, stroke or angina compared with

ANEWS PP-LYBRIEFS YOURSELF

mothers of normal weight.

APPETITE CHANGES

One theory is that being overweight in pregnancy may cause permanent changes in appetite control and energy metabolism in the offspring, leading to a greater risk of heart problems later in life. The authors of the study, which is published on bmj.com,

HOUSECALL

Visual Anatomy Free

Osteoarthritis

Serves as an education and reference tool. It helps the readers in understanding about the organs, muscles, bones and systems in the human body. It includes high-resolution photos and feature points. Each feature consists of its own label and a description. Moreover, this app consists of multiple choice queries and quizzes.

Osteoarthritis, the “wear and tear” arthritis, is common, especially as we age. Causes include ageing joints, previous injuries, and obesity. Symptoms include joint pain and stiffness. Osteoarthritis may affect any joint, including the hand, wrist, neck, back, knee and hip. Treatment can include medication and exercise. There is no special osteoarthritis diet, but weight loss may improve symptoms of osteoarthritis.

say their findings are “a major public health concern” and indicate that the children of obese mothers are a high risk group who should be assessed for cardiovascular risk, and actively encouraged to maintain a healthy lifestyle. “As one in five women in the UK is currently obese at antenatal booking, strategies to optimise weight before preg-

DID YOU KNOW? Fatty fish ‘could halve arthritis risk’ A regular serving each week of fatty ﬁsh such as salmon, or four servings of lean ﬁsh such as cod, could halve the risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis, a disease which causes swollen and painful joints. The results of this large study are published in the Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases.

Louise Silverton, director for midwifery at the Royal College of Midwives, says in a statement: “This research shows the importance of women starting their pregnancy at a normal weight. However, not all pregnancies are planned and midwives encourage mothers to manage their weight during pregnancy. “For those who are overweight or obese there is a need to avoid excess weight gain and for those of normal weight to maintain this status. In addition after the birth midwives work hard to support women to lose their weight — over a reasonable time period — so that they are an ideal weight for the next pregnancy. Midwives do communicate to women the long term health risks of obesity for mother and baby.” Earlier this week the British Heart Foundation warned that childhood obesity and unhealthy lifestyles were putting children at risk of heart disease as adults. Source : Webmd

LATEST FINDINGS Cure for Hepatitis C An experimental drug duo may cure some cases of the liver disease hepatitis C, without the severe side effects of standard therapy, a new clinical trial suggests.The study, of 362 people with chronic hepatitis C, found that the new drugs, combined with one older drug cleared the virus from up to 69 per cent of patients. And that was without having to use interferon, a difﬁcult-to-take injection drug that is part of the therapy.

FRIDAY, AUGUST 16, 2013

Technology WHAT NEXT? Once upon a time it was the coolest thing. Now, reduced to next to nothing, the BlackBerry Ltd is up for sale. Experts say that the failure to innovate was where founders RIM (Research In Motion) went wrong. We trace the trail of doom.

RIP RIM?

2010

2007

CHINA SECURITY PROBE

1999 RIM's annual sales hit $85 million.

2004

The Canadian RIM becomes the country's most profitable firm after hitting 10 million subscribers.

June

BlackBerry 850 It had email, a monochrome screen and a QWERTY keyboard. It was the coolest thing that had happened to businessmen in the longest time.

First iPhone releases. It's hailed the invention of the year.

1 million subscribers and counting. Blackberry had found its niche.

October

2008

‘YAHOO! WEATHER’S GOOD’ Yahoo's redesigned weather app for iOS has been receiving praise and accolades for its gorgeous design and usability all year. In fact, the updated weather app included with iOS 7 appears to borrow more than a few ideas from Yahoo's version. Now Yahoo is bringing that same design sense and feature set to Android. The updated Yahoo Weather for Android, available across the world today, offers the same full bleed design as its iOS counterpart, along with similarly crisp typography.

Google launches its open source platform, Android.

RIM stocks plummet

Blackberry Storm, RIM's answer to iPhone, disappoints. It sells less than 1 million devices in one year, as compared to Apple's 1 million in three months.

RIM launches BlackBerry Torch. Combining a touchphone with a QWERTY keypad, RIM hopes to score. It's sales are a mere one-tenth of Apple's iPhone 4 sales.

Touchscreen walls October

2011 Far from its heydays of commanding $150 per share in 2008, the BlackBerry stock is down to $15 per share.

2012

2011 RIM is forced to lay off 10 per cent of its global workforce.

BlackBerry users go without email, IM and internet for three days as the company's infrastructure fails. December

2011

All the co-founders cut their salaries to $1 each.

The first BlackBerry $11.04 per share.

2013

China's Ministry of Public Security and a cabinet-level research center are preparing to probe IBM Corp, Oracle Corp and EMC Corp over security issues, the official Shanghai Securities News said on Friday. The report follows revelations by former US spy agency contractor Edward Snowden of widespread surveillance by the National Security Agency and his assertion that the agency hacked into critical network infrastructure at universities in China and in Hong Kong. Documents leaked by Snowden revealed that the NSA has had access to vast amounts of Internet data such as emails, chat rooms and video from large companies.

The device got its fruity name after someone noted that the keys on the original Blackberry resembled groups of seeds. After going over several seed-based fruits, they settled on the blackBerry name because most of the devices were black at the time.

Turning a wall into a touch-screen computer has many uses — it could help teachers instruct classes or be used by shops to display product information. It could even be used for fun to play interactive active games. Once just a prototype created by the startup Ubi with a Microsoft Kinect for Windows sensor, this technology is now out of beta and on sale for consumers. Ubi has worked to develop the software with more than 50 organizations and is now accepting orders for purchase. "We want human collaboration and information to be just one ﬁnger touch away, no matter where you are," Ubi CEO Anup Chathoth wrote in a blog post.

FRIDAY, AUGUST 16, 2013

Entertainment FUN UNPLUGGED

B H A I IS A MASS entertainment concoction’ Working for Bhai was exciting since the script required me to so many fun stunts. Nagarjuna Actor

ith catchy oneliners, drama, songs, comedy sequences and stunning action scenes shot in different exotic locales, Nagarjuna says Bhai is a mass entertainment concoction. “It will be a non-stop 140minute popcorn entertainer and

a film everybody would love to watch. Working for Bhai was exciting since the script required me to so many fun stunts,” Nagarjuna says. The movie was largely shot in Bangkok, Europe and India. Nagarjuna feels that it will be the quality of the script and the versatility of actors in the film

that will leave a lasting impression. The film features Richa Gangopadhyay as the lady love. Other stars include Sonu Sood, Rahul Dev, Mukul Dev, Ashish Vidyarthi, Brahmanandam, Jayprakash, Hamsa Nandhini and Nathalia Kaur.

Music of the film is done by Devi Sri Prasad and the movie is produced under the banner of Annapurna Productions. The movie is currently in postproduction mode. Bhai is directed by Veerabhadram Choudry. The much-awaited film is slated for release in September this year.

CINE BYTES ‘ I would love to be born as Madhuri Dixit’

he might be one of the popular actresses in South India, but she says she would love to be born as Madhuri Dixit. “If God gives me a chance to be born again, I would love to be Madhuri Dixit”, she said. She says she looks up to Madhuri Dixit nd Preity Zinta.

Sai Ram Shankar wants to direct movies

fter trying his hand at acting, Puri Jagannath's brother Sai Ram Shankar is of the opinion that he wants to try directing. “I will definitely direct a film. But before that, I must prove myself as an actor. After I earn enough money to produce a film, I will take up direction,” he says.

Kajal doesn’t want to marry any time soon

he word around the town is that Kajal Aggarwal is getting married soon. In an interactive video session with her fans, she denied all the rumours. “I’m not marrying anytime soon. When I do decide to get married or when I do ﬁnd the right person, I will be the ﬁrst one to inform you all”, she said.

FRIDAY, AUGUST 16, 2013

fashion

J. CREW’S LONDON ART ATTACK

J. CREW’s first London flagship doesn’t open until November, but that doesn’t mean we’ll be expected to look at an unsightly boarded-up shop front until then. The American brand has commissioned set designer and artist Shona Heath to give the temporary plywood store facade a makeover.

Our Bollywood actresses look beautiful in black, most of the time. Here’s Deepika, Kareena, Kajol and Dia.

THREE RULES ABOUT BLACK TO REMEMBER

n Mix textures and fabrics-

There is a right and wrong way to wear black clothes. As with any ensemble, it’s important to mix different fabrics and textures. The reason? It will make you look less like you are wearing a uniform and more like you are adding some creative effort to your style. n Don’t overdo it- You don’t have to wear black from head to toe. If you do decide you

Ah! Beyonce! What would we have done without her. Watch her work this black and white jumpsuit really well. Paired with black peeptoe heels she nails the look.

want to wear ‘all black’, try to spice it up a little with fun accessories/jewellery. In other words, avoid looking like a character out of a midnight horror story. n When it fades, get rid of it!- Retire clothes when they start to fade.Especially when the article of clothing is the colour black! Black attire is best when it looks brand new and polished.

. See how Priyanka Chopra uses the colour to her advantage. You always don’t need to cover yourself in black to look sexy, a little of legs can do wonders, like it did for her.

22&23

NAEEM KHAN SETTLES

NAEEM KHAN has settled a contract dispute with his former creative director, Lionel Geneste, in court. Geneste will receive $125,000 (£81,000) in compensation. The designer worked for Khan between 2003 and 2006, but was let go over alleged “identity fraud”.

Notice how Kareena Kapoor works hotness into this attire, a smart black jacket to cover a short white and black number, paired wonderfully with black heels. Perfect outfit for a party with the girls.

Selena Gomez and Mila Kunis give us the ways to pair a skirt. A smart white/off-white /gery top and a black skirt and you are set for the evening.

A little fashion advice can do most of us, a whole lot of good, especially when fashion icons begin dressing like Christmas decorations or care two hoots about the fit of their clothes. At a recent party hosted at Ekta Kapoor’s house few of our Bollywood stars were spotted in black, unfortunately the advice when in doubt wear black did not apply to them, because most of them looked as if they jumped out of an inkwell. We give you few stars who have rocked the colour.

Emma Watson and Kirsten Stewart, look fabulously beautiful in these evening gowns.

t is the favourite colour for investment buys such as a suit, coat or the famous little black dress and can make the wearer feel sophisticated, elegant, sexy or edgy. Unfortunately, contrary to popular belief, it’s not the most flattering colour on everybody — not everyone can wear black as a solid colour or near the face. The younger you are, the more you can get away with wearing black since youthful skin will always provide a nice contrast to black. But once you’re in your twenties when skin and features are getting softer and you’re starting out in your first job it will start to matter. This is when you need to know how to make black work for you, whether it’s in your colour palette or not.

Entertainment FRIDAY, AUGUST 16, 2013

FRIDAY, AUGUST 16, 2013

Chai Time

THOUGHT OF THE DAY

When I am abroad, I always make it a rule never to criticize or attack the government of my own country. I make up for lost time when I come home. Sir Winston Churchill

KAKURO

QUICK CROSSWORD

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

ACROSS

PREVIOUS PUZZLE ANSWER

SCRIBBLING PAD

1 Food in a shell 4 Gathers in 9 Jumped a gap, say 14 ‘Conjunction Junction’ conjunction 15 Large grouping 16 Small stringed instrument 17 Risk a ticket 20 Citrus fruit similar to a grapefruit 21 Social service 22 All in the family 26 ‘Make yourself comfortable’ 27 Young newt 30 Palindromic ‘before’ 31 Prolific Roman love poet 33 Wet behind the ears 35 Tarzan’s moniker 37 A little of this, a little of that 38 Common car feature 42 Subject for a best-seller 43 Hide 44 Slow-cooked French dish 47 Ed who played Mingo 48 School mtg holder 51 Part of WYSIWYG 52 Frisbee catcher 54 High-pH substances 56 Stevedore’s job 59 Supplies with personnel 60 Certain business expense 65 Word with ‘limits’ or 67-Across 66 Thin and nasal in tone 67 Place for a small hammer 68 Lords and ladies 69 A bank may have one 70 Wile E Coyote purchase

DOWN

1 Go on 2 Greedy eater 3 Bra’s location 4 With 36-Down, a Sally Field

character 5 Stray from the straight and narrow 6 Art today? 7 International treaty 8 Comedian Wanda 9 Prayer book of Zoroastrianism 10 Go to one’s feet 11 ‘Who’s on first?’ inquirer 12 Result when builders wing it 13 Word before and after ‘after’ 18 By means of 19 Like a human flock 23 Certain African antelope 24 Nights spent in anticipation 25 Thin mint products 28 Fencing tool 29 Afternoon hour 32 Russian country house 34 British title 35 Workers in Detroit make a dash for it 36 See 4-Down 38 Italian signoff 39 Create and enforce rules 40 Present time? 41 Mammoth feature 42 Wipe the dishes 45 Cow features 46 Wearisome work 48 Mars or Saturn, eg 49 One end of a homemade walkie-talkie 50 State firmly 53 Growl 55 ‘Helping doctors help patients’ org 57 State with authority 58 Shameless joy 60 CEO’s place 61 Regret 62 Bulgaria currency 63 Rhapsodic rhyme 64 Maryland oak

Chai Time FRIDAY, AUGUST 16, 2013 Thiruvaikumar

STAR POWER for 17-8-2013

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

ARIES

TAURUS

GEMINI

CANCER

LEO

VIRGO

LIBRA

SCORPIO

SAGITTARIUS

CAPRICORN

AQUARIUS

PISCES

Businessmen will look active as new customers are likely to join their list. You will get support from family members. Act wisely and get out of the problem created by enemies. Employees need to work hard. Women need to be careful of strangers.

STRIP TEASE AGNES

Businessmen will earn income directly proportional to their efforts. Employees can feel happy as their demands will be considered favourably. Strained relationships will blossom again and continue with better understanding from now on.

Employees might not get favourable decisions from management. Businessmen go through limited growth. They need to postpone plans for expansion. Be careful during travel. Women must drive away apprehensions worrying them needlessly.

Need to exercise extra caution while undertaking financial transactions. Businessmen are likely to sign new and favourable agreements and likely to improve their international horizons. Mixed results likely. Favourable atmosphere is likely.

Employees need to work in a way that they get the favour of superiors. Women will be upset as mixed events are likely to take place at home. Be careful while driving. Businessmen will change to partners who co-operate well and help improve business.

Children might put you in an embarrassing situation but you need to deal with the situation patiently. Friends might seek assistance and co-operating with them will help you in the long run. Profit margins might be strained for businessmen.

Friendship with VIPs will be helpful in completing certain critical work. Avoid giving guarantee or commitments to anyone. Businessmen are advised to make use of the opportunities that come their way. Some are likely to change their residence.

Unexpected transfer is on the cards for employees. However, they will set their mind and shift themselves to the new destination. Businessmen will have a normal trend though miracles are unlikely. Frequent journeys are also likely.

Court verdict will go in your favour. Tension in the family will end and a peaceful atmosphere will prevail. Children will concentrate in studies and bring you a good name with their achievements. A comfortable financial situation is likely.

TAROT READ

Sumaa Tekur

tarotreadhyd@gmail. com

ARIES:

GEMINI:

The Wheel of Fortune – You have been waiting for success to knock on your door. When it does knock, which will be soon, you will be in for a pleasant surprise.

LEO:

King of Cups – Spend time with family. Take a weekend away together and bond so that you can be assured that you have enough support when you need it.

LIBRA:

PEARLS BEFORE SWINE

Ten of Wands – Leave room for things to go awry when you plan something – overseas trip. Keep a backup of all your documents and manage your trip well.

SAGITTARIUS:

King of Pentacles – Nostalgia is the flavour of the season. You want to re-live the old memories and get in touch with friends who mattered. How about a reunion?

TAURUS:

The Empress – Love is in the air. If you’re committed, you meet an old flame and sparks ignite. You feel great about the feeling and are excited to take it forward.

CANCER:

Death – Change is inevitable. It may be a relationship in the most unconventional way, which you didn’t expect to happen to you. Bottom line is that you’re happy.

VIRGO:

Four of Pentacles – Your goals and plans may not sync. Take a look at how you want to work it out and look at it more practically. Consider how times have changed.

SCORPIO:

Five of Swords – You need excitement in life and you can do something about it if you’re sure of what you need. An adventure trip or study course may help.

CAPRICORN:

The Moon – You need to chase a dream in order to make it come true. Just sitting and fretting will not help in any way. Make a workable plan and go for it.

PREVIOUS SOLUTIONS

PISCES:

Four of Wands – Keep track of all your purchases and make sure you maintain a detailed expenses file. You’ll know where you need to cut expenses to save.

NUMBER GAME

– You want some pampering are in the mood for a luxurious holiday. Why not plan one if you can? Take your loved ones along and make a vacation of it.

SCRABBLE

AQUARIUS: Page of Swords

POOCH CAFE

Influx of relatives or close friends will make the family members cheerful. Though minor hurdles are faced in the way of completing important tasks, you will manage them well and complete them. Good news on the cards from distant relatives.

for 17-8-2013

The Magician – Everything’s falling in place as per larger plan. Even a few months ago, you didn’t know it was possible. Life turns out in unexpected ways.

NON SEQUITUR

You will relax as help from expected sources come. Selfemployed are likely to do well and remain buoyant. Artists are likely to get promising opportunities. Health looks alright. Businessmen will see a rise in business volume and profits.

SUDUKO

Pay hike and promotion are on the cards for employees. Artists are likely to get good opportunities. A long-pending task will get completed successfully and cheer you. Unexpected financial opportunity likely, which will make you comfortable.

Boggle DAY YEAR SECOND MINUTE DECADE CENTURY Vol: 3, No 27 RNI No: APENG/2011/39337 Published for the proprietors, Scribble Media and Entertainment Pvt Ltd, by V Harshavardhan Reddy, at #1246, Level 3, Jubilee Casa, Road No 62, Jubilee Hills, Hyderabad – 500033 and printed by him at Jagati Publications Ltd, Plot No D-75&E-52, APIE Industrial Estate, Balanagar, Ranga Reddy Dist, Hyderabad – 500037, Editor: Dean Williams – Responsible for selection of news under the PRB Act All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission of the publisher is prohibited. For feedback, please write to: feedback@postnoon. com and for subscription, please call 040-4067 2222, Fax: 040-4067 2211

Entertainment FRIDAY, AUGUST 16, 2013

NEW ON THE LIST

CINE BYTES

Salman wants to be Bigg Boss contestant?

R Rahman is to turn producer and story writer for a Hindi film. The Oscar-winning composer and lyricist has announced that he is to collaborate with Eros International for the as-yet untitled film. The project has been billed as “a young sensual movie based on love, art and self-discovery”. Rahman said: “It is a 16year relationship with Eros and this time it is extending the role a bit more. It is about exploring the other side of the creative partnership” Speaking about the collaboration with the world-renowned composer, Eros International’s Media Managing Director Sunil Lulla added: “It is with great pleasure that we announce this very special venture with him. “With this film, we wish to present music and cinema at its best and entertain fans and audiences with an unforgettable experience.”

alman Khan, who is ready to host the seventh season of controversial reality TV show Bigg Boss, has reportedly expressed his desire to be a housemate and not just a host. While shooting the promo, Salman was heard as saying: “Mujhe bhi ‘Bigg Boss’ ke ghar ke andar daal do. Aur agar mai gaya toh pakka saare contestants ki life jahannum bana doonga.” IANS

Sanjay Gupta praises Chennai Express

ecently, Chennai Express has become the fastest film to make `100 crore. It accomplished the feat in the first weekend itself. “So Chennai Express marches on. With the quickest century and three others as well we can call Rohit Shetty the (Sachin) Tendulkar of films,” he wrote and added: “Shah Rukh Khan has almost hijacked all newspapers, magazines and TV. Maan gaye yaar.” IANS

Boman Irani enjoys watching drama

ctor Boman Irani, who has worked in ﬁlms like Munnabhai series, 3diots and Jolly L.L.B, says he likes watching drama and wants to be part of ﬁlms that have human experiences. “I used to enjoy all genres - horror, action, thriller, and romance. But now I like watching drama more than anything else,” Boman told IANS.

sports

FRIDAY, AUGUST 16, 2013

WORLD ATHLETICS CHAMPIONSHIPS

Kemboi equals record, Felix on brink of history Ezekiel Kemboi laid claim to being the greatest steeplechaser of all time as he won a record-equalling third 3,000 metres steepelchase. I’m the king: Ezekiel

PIRATE IRWIN Agence France-Presse MOSCOW: Ezekiel Kemboi laid claim to being the greatest steeplechaser of all time on Thursday as the extrovert Kenyan won a record-equalling third 3000 metres steepelchase world title at the World Athletics Championships. The 31-year-old two-time Olympic champion - sporting a new Mohican hairstyle and who danced stylishly in celebration equalled compatriot Moses Kiptanui’s record as he coasted to victory. “It’s good to be the king,” smiled the never shy 31-yearold. Kemboi, who also has three world silvers, could well win a record fourth in two years time but the all-time record haul of world titles in all events will be beyond him. That record of eight is at risk of falling as American sprint queen Allyson Felix - who has three 200m gold and five relay titles - looked sublime in cruising into the 200m final. Should she prevail in Friday’s final she will move one ahead of joint-holders, and now retired, compatriots Michael Johnson and Carl Lewis.

Kenya’s Ezekiel Kemboi (R) and France’s Mahiedine Mekhissi-Benabbad compete during the men’s 3,000 metres steeplechase final at the 2013 IAAF World Championships in Moscow on Thursday. AFP/KIRILL KUDRYAVTSEV

However, she has been promised a real fight. Jamaica’s Shelly-Ann FraserPryce, fresh from regaining her 100m crown declared she was the best, but she will have to improve considerably after being outclassed by the 27-yearold American in the Olympic final last year. While Kemboi and Felix’s hopes of medal records remain very much alive, those of the Dominican Republic’s 400m hurdling great Felix Sanchez

look to be in tatters as he never threatened to become the first man to win three golds in the event. Now 35, the two-time Olympic champion didn’t sound like a man, even with his deep reserves of self-belief, confident he could line-up in Beijing in 2015. “I don’t know,” he said. “I need to think about it. There’s still two long years ahead.” Despite the final being packed with veterans it was 21year-old Jehue Gordon who won gold in a thrilling finish.

MOSCOW: Kenyan showman Ezekiel Kemboi won his third 3000 metres steeplechase world title in convincing style at the World Athletics Championships in Moscow on Thursday. The 31-year-old two-time Olympic champion timed 8min 06.01sec to take gold while compatriot Conseslus Kipruto took silver in 8:06.37 and France’s two-time Olympic silver medallist Mahiedine Mekhissi was third in 8:07.86. “It’s good to be the king,” said Kemboi. Kipruto was left devastated despite his second place at the age of just 18, saying: “I am so disappointed, I can’t even talk.” Meanwhile, Mekhissi, who also won bronze two years ago, admitted that he was finding it hard to cope with the pressure. “In the French team I am under a lot of stress and pressure, but I have to deal with it the best I can,” said the 28year-old. “I had to settle for bronze again but it is never easy to win one. I am on the podium and that’s what counts.” Kemboi, also a three-time world silver medallist, had taken the lead at the bell. AFP

Sanchez left out to dry by Gordon LUKE PHILLIPS Agence France-Presse MOSCOW: Unheralded Jehue Gordon of Trinidad and Tobago ruined two-time Olympic champion Felix Sanchez’s bid to nail a history-making third world title in the 400 metres hurdles on Thursday. Gordon, sixth in the London Olympics and fourth in the 2009 worlds in Berlin, came from nowhere to snatch gold in 47.69sec, with American Olympic silver medallist Michael Tinsley taking silver at just onehundredth of a second. The battle for the third spot on the podium was tight, but went the way of Serbia’s Emir Bekric, the European silver medallist, for a first-ever world medal for his country. Cuban Omar Cisneros beat Sanchez for fourth spot for a sorry end to the world champs for the Dominican Republic star, who turns 36 at the end of August. The London Olympic champion had picked the little-known Gordon as favourite for the race and proved to be right on the money. “I started well after feeling good in warm-up,” said Sanchez. “But after the third hurdle I made some mistakes and lost too much time. “I came back to finish strong but it was not enough to come back after those mistakes - they definitely cost me a medal.”

Isinbayeva warns Belgian brothers make history athletes to respect law MOSCOW: Russian pole vault legend Yelena Isinbayeva warned on Thursday athletes competing at next February’s Sochi Olympics must respect a controversial law banning gay “propaganda” for minors or risk facing the legal consequences. The 31-year-old - regarded as a role model by many young Russians - added that, for her at least, heterosexuality was the norm. The Russian authorities have said all athletes will be free and safe to compete at the Sochi Games regardless of their sexual orientation but must obey Russian law. Foreigners found guilty

of violating the law can not only be fined up to 5,000 rubles ($156, 114 euros) but face administrative arrest of up to 15 days and eventual deportation. “We are tolerant of all existing opinions and respect all people,” she said. AFP

MOSCOW: The Belgian Borlee brothers made history on Thursday when all three competed in the 4x400m relay, a first for the World Athletics Championships. Twins Jonathan (in pic) and Kevin, the 2011 world 400m bronze medallist, ran in their heat alongside younger brother Dylan, making his world debut, and Antoine Gillet. It was the first time in the history of the world championships that three siblings had all competed together in the same race. “It’s great to have three brothers running,” said Kevin Borlee. “We train together all year round. “We’re three brothers who get on great, it is a special moment, be it as an athlete or for the family.”

Jonathan did well to get back into third spot after a poor first leg from Gillet. Brazil’s Wagner Cardoso then overtook debutant Dylan on his third leg to push the Belgian quartet back into fourth, but Kevin produced a strong anchor-leg to get back into third spot, with the top two of the

three heats automatically qualifying along with the next two fastest. The Belgians, who had finished fifth at the 2011 world champs in Daegu and one place lower at the 2012 Olympic Games in London, eventually finished third in their heat in a season’s best of 3min 00.81sec. AFP

sports

FRIDAY, AUGUST 16, 2013

CINCINNATI MASTERS

Djokovic, Federer advance Novak Djokovic continued his quest for a first title at the Cincinnati Masters while Roger Federer kept alive his bid for a sixth as the seeded pair advanced into the quarter-finals. CINCINNATI: Novak Djokovic continued his quest for a first title at the Cincinnati Masters while Roger Federer kept alive his bid for a sixth as the seeded pair advanced into the quarterfinals on Thursday. The contrast between the wins could not have been more stark, with top seed Djokovic crushing Belgian qualifier David Goffin 6-2, 6-0 in just 50 minutes. Federer is seeded fifth and was the winner here a year ago on the fast hardcourt where he thrives. He had to rally from the depths after a disaster of an opening set, finally overhauling German Tommy Haas 1-6, 7-5, 6-3. The Swiss has gone back to his traditional racquet after

Novak Djokovic of Serbia serves to David Goffin of Belgium during the Western & Southern Open on Thursday at Lindner Family Tennis Center in Cincinnati, Ohio. AFP/MATTHEW STOCKMAN

experimenting without much success last month with a larger, more modern model. He said he needed to go back to basics to pull off his 12th win from 15 meetings with Haas, seeded 11th. “I wasn’t playing great in the first set, I needed to clean up my game from the baseline,” said the crowd favourite and fifth seed. “I’m happy to be through to have another match. Sometimes on fast courts it’s tough to get rhythm, you are thinking of too many things. I had to simplify my game in order to win.” Federer will face off for the 31st time against longtime rival and last week’s Montreal champion Rafael Nadal, winner of eight titles from 11 events this

INDIAN BADMINTON LEAGUE

Masters win against Beats

NEW DELHI: The Mumbai Masters won a tight 3-2 battle against the Banga Beats in the second tie of IBL Thursday at the Siri Fort Sports Complex. In the first match, Masters’ Vladimir Ivanov caused an upset victory by beating Bangalore’s Parupalli Kashyap 21-18, 2118 in the men’s singles match. The Beats came back when Chinese Taipei’s Ying Tai Tzu caused another upset by beating Danish great Tine Baun 21-17, 21-18 in the women’s singles. Danish Carsten Mogensen and India’s Akshay Dewalkar of the Beats easily overcame Indian pair Pranaav Chopra

and Manu Attri 21-13, 21-12 in the men’s doubles match to give the Bangalore-based team a 2-1 lead. However, Mumbai reverted by winning the next two rubbers and sealing the tie. In the second men’s singles, Masters’ Marc Zweibler brought them back by triumphing in the do or die clash by beating Beats’ Hu Yun 17-21, 21-17, 11-6 in the fourth match. With the tie to be decided in the fifth rubber, mixed doubles pair of Mumbai - Vladimir Ivanov and N. Sikki Reddy came out good winning the clash in straight games to seal the tie in their favour. Ivanov

and Sikki defeated Dewalkar and Aparna Balan 21-18, 21-19. Masters’ icon player and World No.1 Lee Chong Wei wasn’t available for the clash.

Hu Yun of Bang Beats

Results: Vladimir Ivanov (Masters) bt Parupalli Kashyap (Beats) 21-18, 21-18; Ying Tai Tzu (Beats) bt Tine Baun (Masters) 2117, 21-18; Carsten Mogensen/ Akshay Dewalkar (Beats) bt Pranaav Chopra/Manu Attri (Masters) 21-13, 21-12; Marc Zweibler (Masters) bt Hu Yun (Beats) 17-21, 21-17, 11-6; Vladimir Ivanov/N Sikki Reddy (Masters) beat Akshay Dewalkar/Aparna Balan (Beats) 21-18, 21-19. IANS

AMERICA’S CUP

NZ, Luna Rossa renew rivalry

SAN FRANCISCO: Luna Rossa are hoping lessons learned in a semifinal sweep of Artemis will boost their challenge to powerhouse Team New Zealand in the finals of the America’s Cup challenger series. The best-of-13 Louis Vuitton Cup finals are set to start on Saturday with two races, launching a series that will produce the challenger to take on Oracle Team USA in the America’s Cup finals in September. Emirates Team New Zealand won all of their races against the Italian outfit in the round-robin first round to advance to the

Luna Rossa are hoping lessons learned in a semifinal sweep of Artemis will boost their challenge to powerhouse Team New Zealand. challenger finals. Luna Rossa helmsman Chris Draper said his team had “learned a lot” in a four-race semi-final sweep of Artemis — latecomers to the venerable

event after the deadly training accident that claimed the life of sailor Andrew Simpson in May. But Draper noted that Luna Rossa’s Kiwi rivals also continued to improve. “The team has taken a good few steps forward the past couple of weeks,” Draper said. “For sure we’ve improved a lot, but we’ve all seen the Kiwis are very, very solid. We’re going to have to sail incredibly well, and we need to get more performance out of our boat to be competitive with them. With regards to boat handling and that sort of thing, I

think we’re getting a lot closer. But they’re still improving and that makes it hard for us to make up ground. “But we feel a lot happier racing the boat and feel like we’re properly racing now. I know it’s hard to believe, but it’s amazing how unprepared you can feel, these boats are pretty humbling.” Proper racing is just what the latest edition of the Cup needs after a round-robin first round that ended up featuring just two teams because Artemis Racing’s training accident destroyed their first AC72 catamaran. AFP

season. The Spaniard got a test from Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov but won 6-2, 5-7, 6-2. Russian qualifier Dmitry Tursunov upset third seed David Ferrer 6-2, 6-4 as the Spaniard now leaves town with one win from two Masters events over the past fortnight. In other thirdround results, Juan Martin del Potro beat Spain’s Feliciano Lopez 6-4, 1-6, 6-4 while American John Isner defeated 12th seed Milos Raonic 7-6 (7/5), 6-4 with the Canadian being treated for shoulder problems. On the women’s side of the dual event, Serena Williams mowed down Mona Barthel 6-4, 6-1 to move closer to a first title at the tournament. AFP

WYNDHAM CHAMPIONSHIP

Fisher grabs co-lead GREENSBORO: England’s Ross Fisher shot a sixunder-par 64 to share the lead after the opening round of the PGA Wyndham Championship on Thursday, with defending champion Sergio Garcia one shot back. Fisher, a member of Europe’s 2010 Ryder Cup winning team, is tied for the lead with American Chris Stroud. “My manager said, ‘You’ve got nothing to lose. Just go out there all guns blazing and see what happens,’” Fisher said. “I know what I’ve got to do, and I’ve just got to go enjoy it, and if it’s meant to be, it’ll happen. ... I don’t want it to end here.” Garcia began his title defence with a bogey-free round that included five birdies. The Spaniard is bidding to become the first repeat winner since Sam Snead in the 1950s. He was joined in third place by former Masters champion Trevor Immelman of South Africa, Robert Garrigus, Australia’s Matt Jones, Andrew Svoboda, Morgan Hoffmann, Jordan Spieth and Patrick Reed. Australia’s Stuart Appleby carded a four-under 66 for a share of 11th place with Charles Howell, Aussie John Senden, Bryce Molder and Chris Kirk. AFP

sports

FRIDAY, AUGUST 16, 2013

ASHES

Injured Bresnan out Bresnan has been ruled out of the remainder of Ashes and the rest of the home season with a stress fracture. JULIAN GUYER Agence France-Presse LONDON: England pace bowling all-rounder Tim Bresnan has been ruled out of the remainder of the Ashes and the rest of the home international season with a stress fracture in his lower back, the England and Wales Cricket Board announced Thursday. Bresnan starred with both bat and ball as England beat Australia by 74 runs in the fourth Test against Australia at Chester-le-Street on Monday as they went 3-0 up with one to play and so won a third straight Ashes series. He took the key wicket of David Warner to pave the way for Stuart Broad’s match-winning spell.

COUNTY CRICKET

Gambhir joins Essex LONDON: India batsman Gautam Gambhir is to play for Essex for the remainder of the season, the English county announced Thursday. The left-handed opener will replace New Zealand’s Hamish Rutherford as Essex’s overseas player, with Gambhir likely to make his debut for the club in their County Championship match against Northamptonshire, starting on August 20. Rutherford is due to return home after Saturday’s Twenty20 finals day ahead of New Zealand’s domestic and international competitions. World Cup-winner Gambhir, who has scored 4,021 Test runs at an average of 44.18, said in a statement: “I am delighted to have this chance to make my county cricket debut with Essex. “After the IPL ended I was looking to play some competitive cricket and playing for Essex will give me that opportunity. “I am thankful to Essex for presenting me with this option and BCCI for allowing me to participate in county cricket.” AFP

“England and Yorkshire pace bowler Tim Bresnan has been ruled out of the remainder of the international season with a stress fracture in his lower back,” an ECB statement said. “Bresnan will begin a recovery and rehabilitation programme and a date for his return to cricket will be determined in due course.” The first England match Bresnan will miss is next week’s fifth and final Test against Australia at The Oval in south London starting on Wednesday, August 21. Whether the 28-year-old Bresnan will be fit for the return Ashes in Australia starting in November remains to be seen. He has played in three of the four Ashes Tests to date after replacing Middlesex quick Steven Finn at Lord’s, taking 10 wickets. At Chester-le-Street, Bresnan, batting as nightwatchman, made an important

45 in England’s second innings 330. He then took two wickets for 36 as Australia, chasing 299 for victory, were bowled out for 224, removing opener Warner for 71 before snaring all-rounder Shane Watson for two as Broad took six wickets in the innings with England winning inside four days. As well as the fifth Test, Bresnan will now miss the two-match Twenty20 series at the end of the month, the lone one-day international against Ireland and the five-match one-day series against Australia which starts at his Headingley home ground on September 6. Now fast bowler Chris Tremlett has a chance to revive his Test career on his Surrey home ground next week having last featured for England against Pakistan in Dubai in January last year, although Finn will also be hoping for an Ashes recall after playing in the first Test at Trent Bridge.

SRI LANKA VS PAKISTAN

appreciated by the ICC. The challenge facing such Tests has been to find a ball that is clearly visible in both sunshine and floodlights, and Sarwar said a discussion on the colour of the balls to be used was under way with the Sri Lankan board. “We have sent them a dozen cricket balls of pink and orange colour so that they can have further tests,” said Sarwar. “Nothing has been finalised.” Pakistan has been forced to play its “home” internationals at neutral venues, mainly in the UAE, since militants attacked the Sri Lankan

SYDNEY: A bat used by Australian great Donald Bradman and signed by his 1948 “Invincible” team sold for Aus$61,000 ($65,000) at auction in Melbourne on Thursday, reports said. Bradman used the Sykes bat to score 115 in his final firstclass innings at home before the team travelled to England 65 years ago. It sold for well above its anticipated value of Aus$20,000, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation said. The bat was signed by Bradman and his team-mates, who included Lindsay Hassett, Ray Lindwall and Keith Miller. The Invincibles went on to become — and remain — the only Australian side to go through an entire Ashes tour unbeaten. The item had spent 20 years on display at the Western Australian Cricket Association (WACA) and is mounted in a wooden display case. The bat was sold by Leski Auctions. Legendary Australia batsman Bradman, who died aged 92 in 2001, played his last match in England in 1948 and retired with a yet-to-be-topped Test batting average of 99.94, despite scoring a duck in his final innings.

FOR CHARITY

Pakistan plans day-night Test KARACHI: Pakistan cricket authorities said Thursday they have proposed playing day-night Tests in the upcoming series against Sri Lanka in the United Arab Emirates in a bid to attract bigger crowds. The International Cricket Council (ICC) last year approved the idea of daynight matches played under floodlights as a way to stem dwindling interest in Tests in many countries. No country has yet tried the new format and the ICC has left it to individual boards to decide when and how to experiment. “We have proposed the idea of playing day-night Tests with Sri Lanka in December-January in UAE and their reply is awaited,” Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) spokesman Nadeem Sarwar told AFP. PCB staged the five-day final of its premier first-class tournament, the Quaid-eAzam Trophy, under lights in December 2011, an event

Bradman bat fetches $65,000

team during a Test in Lahore in 2009. Pakistan host Sri Lanka for three Tests, five one-day internationals and two Twenty20s in December and January in the UAE and Sarwar feels the conditions are right to experiment. “The time and weather would be ideal as there will be no dew at that time and it will be feasible to play under lights,” said Sarwar, who disagrees the idea would cost more to an already financially-hit PCB. “Studies we have done reveal that day-night Tests will generate more public interest and in turn more gate money,” said Sarwar. “The sponsors are also interested as they get prime time viewing.” The UAE has a large expatriate Pakistani community but few show up to watch Test matches, in part because they are played during the day when most are at work. AFP

Botham braces for challenge COLOMBO: England cricket legend Sir Ian Botham said Thursday he has accepted his “daftest” challenge — walking hundreds of miles under Sri Lanka’s scorching sun to raise money for charity. Botham said he would walk nearly 375 miles (600 kilometres) from the former war zone in the island’s north to the southern home constituency of President Mahinda Rajapakse starting November 1. “It is the daftest thing I have agreed to do... it is going to be in temperatures of 40 degrees (Celsius, 104 Fahrenheit),” Botham told reporters in Colombo while announcing his fund-raising walk. “This is going to be the hardest walk. We have done 1,000-mile walks... walks in the Alps, but nothing like this... We will have a lot of rehydrating to do in the evenings.” Botham advised those planning to join him to bring “a lot of water, you will need it” when walking in the hot and humid conditions of tropical Sri Lanka. He said it will be the first of “Beefy’s Big Walks” to be held outside Britain and was intended to raise money for disadvantaged children in Sri Lanka and around the world. AFP

FRIDAY, AUGUST 16, 2013

sports

MOYES GETS DOWN TO BUSINESS David Moyes will be relieved to finally start his first Premier League campaign in charge of Manchester United on Saturday after a tumultuous opening to his Old Trafford reign. Currently, he is no longer under any illusions after a turbulent first few months since arriving from Everton.

LA LIGA

Martino brings back intensity Barcelona midfielder Xavi Hernandez believes that his side will be able to rekindle their intensity and ability to handle pressure under the tutelage of new manager Gerardo “Tata” Martino. KIERAN CANNING Agence France-Presse MADRID: Barcelona midfielder Xavi Hernandez believes his side will rekindle their intensity and pressing under the tutelage of new manager Gerardo “Tata” Martino. The Argentine was appointed less than four weeks before Barca kick off the defence of their league title against Levante on Sunday, after Tito Vilanova had to resign due to on-going health problems. However, Xavi believes the squad are adjusting well to Martino’s methods and has backed the new coach to be a success despite his lack of managerial experience in Europe. “He is a leader, capable, prepared and has experience,” the 33-year-old told Barcelona sports daily Sport. “He is transmitting a lot to us. We are recovering a little of the intensity and rhythm that perhaps we lost for various reasons towards the end of last season. We are pressing very well and working well physically. “He is adding things that he is influencing a lot. For example,

Barcelona’s coach Gerardo “Tata” Martino (R) takes part in a training session at the FC Barcelona Sports Center Joan Gamper in Sant Joan Despi, near Barcelona, on Thursday. AFP/JOSEP LAGO

on set-pieces we are working differently. We are adjusting and he is a guy that is very clear about what he wants.” Martino’s insistence on pressing high up the field was very evident in his only game at the

Camp Nou so far as Barca destroyed Santos 8-0 in a friendly that formed part of the deal to bring Neymar to the Spanish champions. The Brazilian international will also make his competitive

Barcelona debut against Levante, but World Player of the Year Lionel Messi is a doubt as he continues to recover from the quadriceps injury that forced him to miss Argentina’s friendly with Italy on Wednesday. Captain Carles Puyol will definitely be absent for the Catalans after he underwent knee surgery to remove a cyst last month, but Cesc Fabregas and Pedro Rodriguez should be fit to play despite missing Spain’s friendly with Ecuador in midweek due to minor injuries. Real Madrid also get their league campaign underway on Sunday with a new man in charge as Carlo Ancelotti makes his bow at the Santiago Bernabeu where Real Betis are the visitors. Los Blancos have enjoyed a superb pre-season that encompassed victories over Paris SaintGermain, Chelsea and Inter Milan and Ancelotti will have a wealth of midfield options to choose from following the capture of Isco and Asier Illarramendi from Malaga and Real Sociedad respectively. Arguably the most enticing fixture of the opening weekend though comes at the Ramon

Opening fixtures Saturday: Real Sociedad v Getafe (1700 GMT), Valladolid v Athletic Bilbao (1900 GMT), Valencia v Malaga (2100 GMT) Sunday: Barcelona v Levante (1700 GMT), Real Madrid v Real Betis, Osasuna v Granada (both 1900 GMT), Sevilla v Atletico Madrid (2100 GMT) Monday: Rayo Vallecano v Elche (1800 GMT), Celta Vigo v Espanyol, Almeria v Villarreal (2000 GMT) Sanchez Pizjuan where a newlook Sevilla side host Atletico Madrid. Atletico enjoyed a fantastic campaign last season as they finished third and won the Copa del Rey. As a result they will face Barcelona in the first leg of the Spanish Super Cup next week and have Champions League football to look forward to. However, coach Diego Simeone has insisted it is important that his team maintain the consistency they showed in the league last season, starting on Sunday.

PREMIER LEAGUE

Jack backs side to end drought IAN WINROW Agence France-Presse LONDON: Jack Wilshere (left in pic) insists Arsenal are desperate to put another dispiriting pre-season behind them and finally end the club’s eight-year trophy drought. Last season finished promisingly as Arsenal claimed fourth place on the final day ahead of rivals Tottenham. But the Gunners remain without silverware since 2005 and boss Arsene Wenger’s failure to land any major signings has added to the growing sense of unease ahead of Saturday’s Premier League opener against Aston Villa.

The frustrating barren spell helps explain the discontent among the club’s supporters during periods when the team struggled last season and that will undoubtedly resurface if Wenger’s side again fail to challenge for major honours. But England star Wilshere says there can be no more excuses for underachievement because Wenger’s squad have the talent and desire to restore the club to its’ former glory. “We understand the fans’ frustration, because we care as well,” Wilshere said. “Arsenal used to be a team that won everything, you know, trophies and titles. But now we haven’t won anything

for eight years, so we know what we have to do. “It’s time to start producing trophies and being closer to

the top of the league at the end of the season. “We don’t just want to be fighting for fourth place - we

want to be up there with the likes of Chelsea, Manchester City and Manchester United. We feel we’re good enough to be there.” Wilshere has been eased into action during pre-season but should start against Villa after appearing for England against Scotland this week, although Theo Walcott is a more significant doubt after limping out of the Wembley clash. Wenger needs every weapon at his disposal ahead of a testing opening week, with the first leg of their Champions League qualifier against Fenerbahce following four days after the Villa clash.