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

TUESDAY, AUGUST 28, 2012 HYDERABAD

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PERFECT STORM

Seven years after Katrina wrecked New Orleans, yet another deadly tropic storm Issac, which already claimed 10 lives in Haiti, is headed on the same path. We take a look at some of the most destructive hurricanes in history.

P16&17

HYDERABAD’S FIRST COMPACT AFTERNOON NEWSPAPER M ANIL KUMAR

SCOURING TO RESTORE LOST GLORY A Postnoon team finds villagers planning to celebrate the 'return of Lord Rama' as they call the find of 17th century coins in the forest abutting their village. A Rama idol was stolen from the village temple a decade ago.

REPORT ON P4&5

DECODING THE INTRICACIES OF FEMALE EMOTIONS

A trained bharatanatyam dancer and a marathon enthusiast, Lata Gwalani, author of Incognito, talks about women, writing, emotions and the many facades of feminism.

MORE BURMESE LAND IN CITY

A revisit to Balapur camp, where 400 Burmese Rohingya Muslims who fled Myanmar are camping, reveals that more keep coming, while only around 60 have official refugee status.

PROSECUTORS RE-OPEN OLD HIT-AND-RUN CASE ON AMANDA BYNES

Amanda Bynes is no longer in the clear for an alleged hit-and-run back in April — TMZ has learned the LA city attorney is taking a new look at that case because of Amanda’s other hit-and-run earlier this month.

P25

TUESDAY, AUGUST 28, 2012

city events

SOLDER LIVE

Five piece alternative band Solder will perform live at Hard Rock Cafe, Banjara Hills, on August 30, 9pm onwards. The band follows the belief that it was born with the intention of writing feel good songs and belting them out live. Entry for the event costs `150 per head.

Weather for Hyderabad

Evening

overnight

Morning

Afternoon

24°C

21°C

31°C

25°C

Cloudy with showers likely.

A mix of cloudy and clear

A mix of cloud and sun

New Delhi Mumbai Max 34 Max 31 Min 27 Min 26 Scattered thunderstorms

Chennai Max 34 Min 26

Scattered thunderstorms

Bangalore Max 27 Min 20 Scattered thunderstorms

AROUND THE CITY YOUR GUIDE TO THE TWIN CITIES Rd No 12 When: Ongoing Contact: (040) 2323 1245

DINING World Cuisine fest The food festival brings together various speciality cuisines from across the world. The festival includes a live kitchen where one can see dishes being prepared and plated. In addition to this, a live dessert counter will be open for dinner only. Where: Saffron Soul, Hotel Marigold, Greenlands When: Ongoing, 12.30am onwards Contact: (040) 6736 3611

Image and imagination A painting exhibition by various artists titled Image and Imagination. Where: Kalakrithi Art Gallery, Banjara Hills, Rd No 10 When: Ongoing, 11am onwards Contact: (040) 6656 4466 Painting exhibitions Two painting exhibitions, dealing with cities and sustainability will be displayed at Vidyaranya High School. Where: Vidyaranya High School, Saifabad When: Ongoing, 10am onwards Contact: (040) 2323 7789

Punjabi food festival Head to Taj Deccan for a Punjabi Food festival. The food festival offers a variety of Punjabi delicacies such as saag and makke ki roti. Where: Taj Deccan, Banjara Hills, Rd No 1 When: Ongoing Contact: (040) 6666 3939 Kebab and biryani fest GreenPark Hotel presents its kebab and biryani festival at Gardenia. The lavish buffet caters to the Indian palate, with a variety of five vegetarian and 5 non-vegetarian kebabs to choose from. Where: Gardenia, GreenPark Hotel, Greenlands When: Ongoing, 7.30pm onwards Contact: (040) 6651 5151

Satellite City The play is the kaleidoscopic world of a motley bunch of characters and their struggle to make their lives about something. Where: Ravindra Bharathi, Saifabad When: September 2 7.30pm onwards Contact: (040) 2323 124 A night of the absurd Grim Pumpkin Theatre presents A Night of the Absurd. The event is the staging of four ten minute plays by noted American playwright Alex Broun. Where: Lamakaan, Banjara Hills, Rd No 1 When: August 30, 7.30pm onwards Contact: 96427 31329

SHOWS

Commissioner & Spl Officer

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

198 155313

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

STAYING UP-TO-DATE: Three sweepers take out time for a quick news scan on Necklace Road.

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MUNICIPAL CORPORATION

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

Baghdad Wedding The play Baghdad Wedding dealing with weddings in Iraq will be presented at Ravindra Bharati. Where: Ravindra Bharati, Saifabad When: August 31, 7.30pm onwards Contact: (040) 2323 1245 Taj Khazana Sale For six days, there will be a special offer on magnificent collection of sarees, western ensembles, pashminas, hand-picked costume jewellery, men’s garments and more. Where: Taj Krishna, Banjara Hills Taj Falaknuma, Falaknuma When: August 20-29, 10am – 9pm Contact: Taj Krishna (040) 6629 3248

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

Faluknama (040) 6629 8600 39 Step Play lovers, keep your dates free for September 1 as the award winning play The 39 Step will be presented on September 1. Where: Ravindra Bharati, Saifabad When: September 1, 7.30pm onwards Contact: (040) 2323 1245

Sunyata An exhibition of paintings by Suniyata Khanna will be held from September 1. A preview will be held at 6pm on September 1. Where: Alankritha Art Gallery, Kavuri hills When: September 1 onwards, 11am onwards Contact: (040) 2354 0023

ART Colours of change An abstract painting exhibition by Jayanthmanda titled Colours of change is being held at Iconart Gallery. Where: Iconart Gallery, 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

SRINIVAS SETTY

Deep in the wood The exhibition displays woodcut art prints by 22 artists.These art works are from the woodcut workshop conducted by Earth Art Gallery. Where: Earth Art Gallery, Banjara Hills, Rd No 12 When: September 2 onwards

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

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

24523211 232431300/7641 24521029

Readers’ views

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

TUESDAY, AUGUST 28, 2012

City

YESTERDAY’S QUESTION

SHOULD THE OPPOSITION ALLOW FOR DEBATE ON COALGATE? 92% 8%

YES (A) NO (B)

TODAY’S QUESTION

SHOULD THE STATE DECLARE AN ENERGY EMERGENCY? A)

YES

To vote visit www.postnoon.com

IMMIGRATION

More Burmese land in City

A revisit to Balapur camp, where 400 Burmese Rohingya Muslims who fled Myanmar are camping, reveals that more keep coming — only around 60 have official refugee status. M ANIL KUMAR

Mohd SUBHAN mohd.s@postnoon.com

There are several pregnant women in the camp who need care but except for the political platitudes and misinformation ladled out by the police and foreign registration authorities, they are in a miserable state.

hile the Centre and the State are sitting on the festering refugee problem from Myanmar, more and more are landing in the City which is already bursting at its seams. In the past one month, some 60 more people of 20 families have joined the 400-plus Burmese (from Myanmar). They are mostly accommodated at Balapur Durgah and nearby areas. The situation is turning grim with most of them suffering health problems and the pregnant are not getting free treatment in hospitals as some leaders, who shelter them, promised. Rakhine Buddhists and Rohingya Muslims in coastal Rakhine state clashed with new ferocity in June, leaving at least 78 people dead and thousands homeless. While Bangladesh has closed its borders to Myanmar Muslims and China restricted their entry, India continues to get a stream of the fleeing people. India is not learnt to have taken a concrete step to negotiate with the Myanmar government on this issue.

Postnoon’s visit to the camp after a month revealed that the alien people are putty in the hands of some middlemen and local MLAs, who promised them refugee cards and free medical services. In reality, neither is coming true and the refugees who earn from manual labour are unable to pay for their medical expenses. One of the refugees, Rubina Begum, had deliverd in Asra

Hospital a few days ago and was asked to pay `2,800. She said through a mediator that the Malakpet MLA, Ahmed Bin Abdullah Balala, had assured them that free treatment will be provided to them in government hospitals. They trusted him. Another, Abdul Munaf, whose right arm was paralysed when he suffered an electric shock, was charged `8,000 for treatment in a hospital. He too

expressed shock as he is unable to pay. There are several pregnant women in the camp who need care but except for the political platitudes and misinformation ladled out by the police and foreign registration authorities, they are in a miserable state. However, many of them say locals are helping them and they are better off than in Burma or in Bangladesh. The latter, said a

refugee, had been killing the Myanmar Muslims who sought refuge in the country. “They don’t care for Muslims,” he said. Many Burmese told Postnoon through a translator (who seemed to be a middleman ) that they are facing financial problems. This has led to quarrels in the camp too, where, the other day, a fight broke out. If the situation continues, much more could happen. They believe that if the Central government issues them refugee cards, it could solve a lot of problems. Only 60 of them have been officially declared refugees and the remaining have come or been brought to the City by local vested interests.

POLITICS

Breather for ministers under CBI lens With the Central leadership preoccupied with coalgate, CM has been asked to wait a while. PK SURENDRAN surendran.pk@postnoon.com

inisters under the CBI scanner and PCC chief Botsa Satyanarayana have received a short reprieve till the Monsoon Session of the Parliament is over, it is learnt. Currently, the UPA itself is deeply entangled with the CAG report of the mega coal scam. As the Opposition parties are gunning for Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s head, Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy has been asked to wait for a

while before a series of steps to revamp the State Congress party are taken. Political sources point out that the Centre’s first priority, once it pulls through the coalgate, is to depute a team of senior leaders headed by defence minister AK Antony to work out the AP political labyrinth. “The State party has to take very serious decisions which can’t be rushed through,” said a senior APCC leader. Six ministers who received court notices for their complicity in the 26 controversial

Botsa Satyanarayana, it’s said, has to give up one of the two positions held viz the PCC leadership or the ministership. Government Orders issued during the YSR regime are waiting with bated breath for the Central action. Meanwhile, lending credibility to rumours of a massive Cabinet reshuffle, the chief minister met the governor the other day. Interestingly, his covert rival

and PCC Chief, Botsa too met the governor. However, the government is unlikely to take a step till the Central team comes. The one silver lining has been that no defections to YSRC have taken place as hoped for by the YSRC’s creditable victory in the latest bypolls. “The flow will just begin,” declared a YSRC leader soon after the victory. Botsa, it’s said, has to give up one of the two positions held viz the PCC leadership or the ministership. It is pointed out that a person can’t do justice to two big responsibilities.

city TUESDAY, AUGUST 28, 2012 LAST YEAR... HERE Channelise youth power

EXCLUSIVE

ast year we had reported how the Lok Satta party chief JP Narayan had said that it was important to channelise youth power following the popular response to Anna Hazare’s campaign against corruption. With the Parliament agreeing to pass the Lokpal Bill back then, Hazare’s fast also ended. A year later it is still hanging.

AUGUST 28, 2011

NUMEROLOGY

60,000

students appeared for the GATE exam from the City last year. For the next exam in 2013, the number of students is expected to increase by 10 per cent.

Ours is the only union not attached to a political party. Hence, many are jealous and are trying to pull me down. They hurl ludicrous charges against me.

Postnoon team finds villagers planning to celebrate the ‘return of Lord Rama’ as they call the find of 17th century coins in forest abutting village. Rama idol was stolen from the village temple a decade ago.

Mahesh Konagala, TVIV See page 6

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

India welcomes everybody with arms open wide. Ever since trouble erupted in Burma, refugees have been making a beeline for the City, albeit illegally. Though Bangladesh and China have now restricted their entry, we continue to let them in, unaccounted for.

Congress revamp in State can wait some more. With the Centre busy trying to ﬁght the coalgate scam, the State Cabinet reshufﬂe will just have to wait for its turn.

The City is a treasure trove and everyone is on the hunt. First it was rumour about a hidden treasure at Vidyaranya and now the discovery of the panchaloha coins in Kavadipally has everybody excited.

Turn off billboard lights to save power. Brilliant idea. The GHMC has ordered turning off lights on the numerous billboards in the City in a bid to save power.

To avoid glitches, GATE goes online in parts. Learning from the CAT glitches, GATE is going online in phases.

COIN FIND VILLAGE Mohd SUBHAN mohd.s@postnoon.com

“Y

eh sab bhagwan ki maya hai,” gushed temple committee chairman K Prabhakar Reddy of Kavadipally village where four

panchaloha coins from the 17th Century were found recently. A crowd of villagers gathered discussing the find echoed the leader’s sentiment. “We waited for 10 years for our idols stolen from the temple. Now, Anjaneya has brought them in coin form,” Prabhakar believes. Otherwise, he reasoned, why nothing of such

city TUESDAY, AUGUST 28, 2012

M ANIL KUMAR

Govt will decide further

eputy collector Y Surender Rao who took over the coins has sealed the coins and handed them to collector Vani Prasad. The precious ﬁnd will be handed over to the archaeology department for research and probe. “No,” he said when asked if he would recommend excavation of the area. “Now, it’s up to the government and the archaeology to decide the further course of action.”

LEAVES ECSTATIC great antiquity was ever found here before? The coins on which were engraved the images of Lord Rama, Sita and Hanuman with 1616 Dutch East India Company markings were discovered in the forested parts of the village by a shepherd D Aiyesh and Ailaiah (cousins) on Saturday. The coins, an

important find that would throw light on the cultural history of this region, have been handed over to the collector. Since the find, villagers from the nearby areas have been coming to Kavadipally almost everyday asking if new things were discovered. “Eeroju kuda meeku emanna dorikinda?” (have you found anything new

today?) asked a villager elder K Laxman. We climbed the rocky spot where the coins were found. It’s a steep climb and the rocks draw the forest contour. Only shepherds usually move about with their herds here. Durgam Ailaiah stepped forward to point out the spot where he found the first coin. It’s called “Valsa Gundla.” He had first thought he got a gold biscuit. “I was so happy I hid it in the crevice of a boulder,” he explained in Telugu. Next day he took some more friends and went to the spot, and lo! There were more coins! “Then my friends told me it is not gold but ‘loha’ metals and they are to be given to the government.” Soon word spread through the village and they all came running to see the ‘murthy’ the boys got. But there has been an anti-climax to the expectations. Villagers were waiting for the lost idols but got coins instead.

city TUESDAY, AUGUST 28, 2012

POWER CRISIS

Illuminations banned in City

GHMC resorts to desperate measures to curb electricity usage in the City due to power crisis. Md NIZAMUDDIN nizamuddin.a@postnoon.com

By reducing the permitted usage the officials are hopeful of sharing the burden of the government in dealing with the crisis.

n an effort to help the State government deal with the ongoing power crisis, the GHMC will be controlling the use of power for at least 15 days. It has ordered the ‘lit hoardings’ to turn off lights and reduced the timing for the usage of streetlights. By reducing the permitted usage by at least two-hours during early mornings and evenings, the officials are hopeful of sharing the burden of the government in dealing with the ongoing power problem. There are around 3,300 hoardings under GHMC limits and among them 40 per cent are lit boards and kiosks. For street-lights, two hours reduction means, saving at least 17 per cent reduction in power utilisation. “There may be stray incidents of negligence, but we are closely watching how street lights are working within the GHMC limits. Even the hoardings are contributing to this,” said D Jayaraj Kennedy, additional commissioner (electricity and advertisement). As per the directions of Mohammed Majid Hussain, mayor, MT Krishna Babu, GHMC commissioner, has instructed all advertising agen-

cies within the corporation’s limits of GHMC, who have “lit hoardings”, not to illuminate the hoardings until further instruc-

tions. Violation of the instruction will be viewed seriously and action will be initiated against the violators.

The electrical wing will switch on the streetlights after 7pm and switch off the same before 5am, as it is not getting

dark before 7pm. MT Krishna Babu opined that the strict maintenance of street lighting between 7pm to 5am can save the power consumption for 2-3 hours a day. GHMC is utilising 20 million units of electricity per month for maintenance of streetlights, water supply to peripheral areas and for other purposes. According to the officials, the corporation is planning to conserve between 20 to 25 per cent of electricity usage by taking up these measures amounting to five million units per month. As a part of the conservation efforts, the commissioner directed officials to conserve power in their offices. For long-term efforts, GHMC is planning to replace all the electrical equipment with LED and CFL lamps. It was decided to use LED lighting for streetlights at all important roads. But it was delayed due to court cases.

POLITICS

Leader debunks charges, ridicules rivals TVIV founder-leader Mahesh responds to allegations that he was absconding after several misappropriations. SUDESHNA KOKA sudeshna.k@postnoon.com

week after allegations were levelled against Mahesh Konagala, TVIV founder-leader, he rubbishes them as an attempt to malign him. He was responding to reports that he was absconding after several misappropriations. In an emotional vein, Mahesh told Postnoon that many of his detractors on the campus, worried at the popularity of the TVIV, have been spreading canards about him. “Ours is the only student union which is not attached to any political party. Hence, many are jealous and are trying to pull me down. Following instructions from other political parties, they hurl ludicrous charges against me,” he says. “But they won’t stick.” Mahesh was referring to

posters put up recently on the OU campus by an anonymous group which reads ‘Mahesh Konagala, has been absconding for the last few days’. “I am very much here and I have only been away travelling for a while to districts,” Mahesh said. Mahesh was one of the students who blazed a trail taking to novel and emotional methods of protests during the 2009 agitations. He has been in jail several times and more than eight attempts were made on his life, he claims. “I am very emotional about Telangana, and yes, I did a few things emotionally,” admits Mahesh. He ridiculed the charge that he took money from students and others by devious methods. “It’s all nonsense. We don’t have much of monetary support unlike other parties. Telangana sympathisers give us

N SHIVA KUMAR

some money and with that we run the Vedika. Even our office is donated by a professor,” he said. Mahesh explained, “I have been travelling to the districts (Warangal, Karimnagar and Nizamabad), to mobilise students to join TVIV.” He believes his rivals used this opportunity to level charges against him. If they have gumption let them come out in the open, he challenged. “We are not just restricted to OU. We want to expand throughout Telangana. Many rivals are afraid of us.” Why did the TVIV not respond to the charges? “We want to, but are waiting for the right time. We have put up another pamphlet online, but our website is not officially launched. Soon we will put up posters in the campus and will let our actions speak.”

classifieds TUESDAY, AUGUST 28, 2012 HEALTH/ CLINIC

EDUCATION

HOME APPLIANCES

PDS

FURNITURE

Officials warn about bogus cards

he minister for civil supplies Sridhar Babu has warned officials and ration shop dealers with stern action if they failed to cooperate. He said that three lakh bogus cards were identified. He made it clear that from March, ration would be given to those with Aadhar cards only. NSS

EDUCATION

GATE exam goes online The number of online subjects in the exam is being increased.

INVERTERS TRAVEL SUDESHNA KOKA sudeshna.k@postnoon.com

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ust like CAT, even GATE is now slowly going online. In 2013, the GATE exam will be conducted by IIT Bombay. They have announced the dates for GATE examination for both online and offline modes. While the online papers will be held on January 20, the offline tests will be conducted on February 10. Even GATE is now slowly converting to the online format, with 15 of the 21 papers (specialisations) in the exam being conducted online. This year, only six were online while the number was four in 2010. Students will be able to give the exam at around 100 centers spread across the country. IIT-Bombay is organising the exam this year. Every year, the number of students appearing has increased so the need of online papers has also increased. Also this year, for the first time, there will be no application fee for female students. Last year, nearly seven lakh students appeared. This year, the number is expected to increase by 15-20 per cent. Faculty members believe that it’s a good idea as managing students will become easier. From the City itself, around 60,000 students wrote the test. Experts believe this number will increase by 10 per cent.

“Students these days are accustomed to online exams so it’s not something new for them. When it comes to the online exam, students can see how many questions are left. If they have left any question it’s easy to come back,” said Prudhvi Reddy, course director, GATE, T.I.M.E. Fifteen of the papers which have gone online are subjects that are less popular. The preferred subjects like electrical and mechanical are all still offline. “It’s not possible to convert the whole syllabus hence less preferred subjects have been converted as of now,” said Reddy. The main concern with online exams are technical glitches. When CAT and other exams were conducted online, several glitches were seen, hence GATE is being converted in phases. “It’s a good idea because it will be easy to maintain an easy access question bank. Also in case the question paper gets leaked it’s easy to replace. Our schedule won’t get disturbed,” Megna K, an engineering final year student. IIT will release a test inter-phase one month before the exam, which will have practice papers. The City has the maximum number of students appear ing for the exam. Not just engineering but students who want to apply for a job also take up the exam as many PSUs consider GATE scores.

city TUESDAY, AUGUST 28, 2012

INTERVIEW

Decoding the intricacies of female emotions A trained bharatanatyam dancer and a marathon enthusiast, Lata Gwalani, author of Incognito, talks about women, writing, emotions and the many facades of feminism. N SHIVA KUMAR

RAHUL RAMAKRISHNA rahul.r@postnoon.com

n a rainy evening in a crowded City hotel, Lata Gwalani who was in town to promote her first book Incognito, talks about women, writing, emotions and the many facades of feminism. The conversation begins conventionally, pleasantries are exchanged and we drop into comfortable chairs facing each other. Lata’s husband, who is also in town for the marathon, walks by and we greet each other, more pleasantries are exchanged. After the informal chatter about sudden rains and the crowded city, we begin with the interview.

Apart from writing and your fancy for the human psyche, what else captivates you? I speak at various clubs and am also an occasional bharatanatyam dancer apart from the endless reading and the appetite I have for reading. I also run marathons with my husband and have finished three so far, all of which keep me occupied.

Is Incognito your first attempt at writing? My attempts at writing go a long way back. I have always been passionate about writing. I blog mostly, and also occasionally write for newspapers but this is my first book.

Incognito conjures up a world of unfulfilled aspirations, ambitions, aspiring women and emotional fabric of their world. So has writing been your bread and butter throughout? No. I currently work as a facilitator at Human Impact Training and Consulting which deals with behavioural training. We prepare people to handle the many aspects of modern living like the corporate world for example. We also train them in stress and emotional management. Prior to this, I worked as a journalist with many publications for over a decade before shifting to behavioural training and developing a fancy for the human psyche. Tell us a little about Incognito. Incognito is a psychological thriller. It took me a year to finish writing this book. I’ve been told by many friends that this genre of writing is new and mostly

I often feel comfortable with my place in this world, with the side that has let women take their place in this world unlike the firebrand side of feminism, observed mostly with the urban woman who I have been more in contact with. In today’s world, where the corporations have driven ambition to new scales, women who have climbed onto the top of the ladder have slowly acquired male characteristics. Which has led to new scales of personal conflict and emotional breakdowns. But I feel the urban woman in India is much better off compared to the rest of the lot in the world. We are a lot more liberated than the rest, which is saying something.

unheard of. It is about the many unfulfilled emotions of Anjali, the protagonist, who is the nucleus of the lives of four different people. From a distance, she is witness to four bizarre crimes that rock her plain staid life. That is what Incognito is. Was there any particularly strong emotion or inspiration behind this book? Incognito, as you will know once you read it, is all about emotions. It conjures up a world of unfulfilled aspirations, ambitions, aspiring women and the emotional fabric of their world. But of course, there are men in this story too. Now that you mentioned journalism, please allow this very generic question — how has your experience as a journalist helped you in writing your book? And what do you think about the current mainstream media?

With newspapers, I was always under a protocol. And what with the little freedom we had in feature writing, we were literally starved of bylines (getting a byline was an achievement in those days) But they have certainly had an impact on my writing. I do not need to stick to bylines or a conventional protocol, so the freedom factor has helped me in many ways. There was a time when I was addicted to newspapers. Not a day went by without reading news. But the times have changed and along with it, so has news. They are too loud for me to start my day with. I personally wish the headlines were a little softer and more positive. Since women seem to be an important part in this story, what is your take on the current state of women in India? I think there are two types of women — the urban, corporate ladder climbing, ambitious

I think there are two types of women —the urban, corporate ladder climbing, ambitious woman and the rural, ambitious but often unlucky and restrained Lata Gwalani Author woman and the rural, ambitious but often unlucky, restrained woman. In my observation, I have noticed how different the outcomes of their lives have often turned out to be. For instance, I think there are many sides of feminism that exist currently.

Bharatanatyam has South Indian roots, isn’t it? Am I right in assuming you are from the same geographical hemisphere as I am? (Laughter). I was actually born in Pondicherry, grew up very briefly in Zambia and Delhi. My later education and work took me to Pune and then Bombay. Added to this was my stint with journalism. So I have many regional influences from Tamil Nadu to Delhi to Zambia and then of course, Bombay. At the end of the interview, we shake hands and Lata poses for the shutterbugs with a copy of Incognito. Prior to concluding the interview, we talk inevitably about Hyderabad and biryani. Lata exclaims that Hyderabad is really as big a city as seems from the flight. I remark that it is, indeed. Once the shutterbugs are done clicking, we shake hands and leave, she into her world of human observation and I into the rain and snarling traffic of the City.

Focus

TUESDAY, AUGUST 28, 2012

SYRIAN UPRISING SARA HUSSEIN

hen the Syrian uprising started, Fatima Zahra sent her five sons off to join the rebel forces and battle the regime, but she wanted to find a way to do more. So she transformed her house into a rear base of support for the Free Syrian Army, cooking up massive meals for distribution to the rebels, offering basic medical treatment and care, sheltering army defectors, and even storing weapons in the rooms of her home. “Since I was a child, I’ve wanted to see the end of the regime, so when my chance came, I knew I would help any way I could,” she says. Zahra’s father went into exile in Kuwait in the 1980s as the regime cracked down on members of the Muslim Brotherhood. He wasn’t part of the group, but he was an educated, religious man, and feared he would soon be targeted. “We lived in total fear before the revolution, even behind closed doors you wouldn’t utter the name Bashar or Hafez,” Zahra says, referring to Syrian president Bashar alAssad and his father and predecessor, Hafez al-Assad. Fatima, along with her husband Ahmed (above), have opened up their home to ensure that defectors from the army have a safe place to stay.

What my wife (Fatima Zahra) is doing is normal. We would give the Syrian rebel forces our eyes if we could. I only wish there was more that we could do. Ahmed Zahra Runs shelter with wife But now, Zahra says, she is no longer afraid, proudly describing her decision to stay. “I cook, I treat wounded people as best I can, and I provide a place for people who are defecting from the army to stay.” Zahra’s husband Ahmed looks on proudly as his wife describes the family’s sacrifices. “What my wife is doing is normal. We would give the rebel forces our eyes if we could,” he says emphatically. “I only wish there was more that we could do.” Among those benefiting from the help provided by Zahra are two army defectors currently using her home as a safe house. Abu Mohamed defected from his Damascus unit two months ago, when they were stationed nearby. “What Fatima is doing is unbelievable. She helps us enormously. She treats us even better than family,” he says. The 23-year-old said, “I defected when I realised we were protecting certain people, not the nation. They told us to shoot any car that approached our checkpoint, whether there were women and children inside or not.” Abu Fahd was stationed in the

A mother's contribution to the revolt

area with a unit from Homs, and decided to defect after managing to sneak a call to his family and learning about the revolution. “We didn't have television or radio or any communications in the army. They told us we were fighting terrorists and everyone believed them, me included,” he says. “But when I spoke to my family, I realised what was happening. I found out I’d been shooting innocent people and decided I had to leave.” He got in touch with a friend who had already defected, and prepared to jump the wall of his base and rendezvous with a rebel contact. But as he threw himself over the top of the wall, his comrades fired, forcing him to scramble through fields.

“These are my sons,” Zahra says, “all the rebel forces are my sons.” There are a handful of other women providing similar support, but most offer only food, she says. “They are scared, a lot of them have left. But I draw my strength from God, and when I see what the Assad troops do, my strength is renewed by the injustice and oppression.” Zahra’s sister, 40-year-old Um Ahmed, walks into the house, ready to help with the daily cooking duties. She sent four of her nine children to join the rebel forces, and lost one two months ago to a bullet in the city of AlBab. “When my fouryear-old sees a plane, he picks up a stick and points it like a gun. He keeps asking me ‘Why did they kill my brother?’” AFP

Fatima Zahra and her husband have turned their home into a base for the Free Syrian Army, cooking meals, providing medical assistance and storing weapons for the rebels.

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TUESDAY, AUGUST 28, 2012

Business

VIRGIN AUSTRALIA RETURNS TO PROFIT

Australian budget carrier Virgin posted a full-year profit of Aus$22.8 million (US$23.6 million) Tuesday, climbing back into the black after picking up business-class passengers from rival Qantas.

EDUCATING DIFFERENTLY

School of thought

RYANAIR IN LABOUR ROW

The business idea is to develop teamwork, adaptability, leadership skills and problem solving capabilities of students in the most engaging way. DEEPAK DESHPANDE

PRUDHVI RAJU K prudhvi.k@postnoon.com

nyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new, said Albert Einstein. But our education system always wants the student to be right at any cost. Committing a mistake for a question in the exam results in zero marks. Classroom has become a platform for only the students who knew the right answers and not for the students who are putting their point across. Hari Krishna Verma Nadimpalli, Praveen Vudogiri and Datla V Reddy have started Creya Learning to make the system of education better and to enrich the lives of students by developing real life problem solving skills and to make their learning more engaging than one-way communication. The City-based company started in June 2011 with `75-80 lakh. Talking about the business idea, Harish questions, “To what extent, does the child use the learning that he did in school in a real life situation? Are the schools developing the creativity of the child in anyway? For many, learning is not about developing creativity but

Praveen Vudogiri and Hari Krishna Verma N, co-founders, Creya Learning

to get in to most prestigious schools and draw the highest possible salary. The business idea is to develop teamwork, adaptability, leadership skills and problem solving capabilities in students in the most engaging way possible and make them really embrace the world when they get out of school.” Creya is experiential learning system, which brings 900 hours of curriculum for the stu-

dents from Class I to XII. It counts to 75-80 hours per class. “As of now, we are offering only 30 hours of curriculum to the four schools in the state because of their constraints in allocating time for experiential learning without compromising on the time table of regular class,” said Hari. Talking about curriculum, he said, “For instance, we ask children to build mousetrap in Class IV. We will also encourage

children to ask as many as questions and answer them during the process. The discussion would lead to different subjects from history to science and also develops creativity and problem solving capabilities in the child. In real life, nothing is isolated as a subject area but most the subjects blended to get the right invention and innovation, “ The company is aiming for 30 schools on board in next academic year. “Educators are appreciating the concept. 98 schools out of 100 have showed interest. But, we want to only with the schools that have strong belief and commitment to implement the concept. We also want to learn and enhance the concept during the process and then scale up,” Hari said. The price for the curriculum does vary with the offering and size of the school. “We charge `3,000 per student for a full package, which turn out to be `250 per month.” he added. The company is looking for an operational breakeven by 2014 March. It raised `20 crore from HNIs and is self-sufficient for another two years. It wants to bring down the course costs over time. It is not only targeting 80,000 private schools but also 2 lakh government schools.

PATENT DISPUTE

Apple goes into kill mode SAN FRANCISCO: Apple filed a court request Monday seeking to ban eight Samsung mobile phones in the US market following a major victory in a patent suit against the South Korean electronics giant. The request includes phones being sold by AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile to US customers that were found to have infringed on Apple’s patents from its iconic iPhone. Apple asked the court to ban some of the newer 4G phones from

pple shares soared to a new all-time high Monday after the US tech giant’s big win in a patent lawsuit against Samsung, which saw its own stock tumble. Meanwhile Google shares slipped amid concerns that its Android operating system used on mobile devices made by Samsung and others would come under greater scrutiny.

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Samsung’s Galaxy line as well as the Droid Charge. The case — in which the jury ordered more than $1 billion for patent infringement — does not include Samsung’s Galaxy S III, which was released subsequent to the suit but which is facing separate litigation. Apple asked the US District Court in California to issue a preliminary injunc-

17,684.41 5.66

tion on the eight devices as a permanent injunction is debated. The phones include the Galaxy S 4G, Galaxy S2 AT&T model, Galaxy S2 Skyrocket, Galaxy S2 T-Mobile model, Galaxy S2 Epic 4G, Galaxy S Showcase, Droid Charge and Galaxy Prevail. Samsung asked the court to dissolve an injunction on its Galaxy Tab 10.1, after the jury found it did not infringe on Apple’s patent for the iPad tablet. AFP

NSE

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Low-cost Irish airline Ryanair has been ordered to appear in court to answer a string of charges of alleged breaches of French labour law, lawyers representing a pilots’ union said on Monday. State prosecutors have concluded a three-year investigation by charging the airline with a number of illegal practices, including registering workers employed in France as Irish employees, preventing workplace councils from functioning and preventing access to unions. The trial, which is expected to take place around the turn of the year, will be held in Aix-en-Provence, near where Ryanair operated a base.

NUMEROLOGY

is the worh of the deal signed by Philippine Airlines (PAL) for 54 Airbus aircraft.

GREECE SELLING JETS The Greek government has ofﬁcially announced it was getting rid of a set of three jets as part of cost-cutting efforts. A government statement Monday said Prime Minister Antonis Samaras has instructed ofﬁcials to transfer the biggest of the planes, a Brazilian-made Embraer, to the air force for use in pilot training. A second Embraer jet will be sold, and the proceeds given to the armed forces. The government will keep the third aircraft, a US-made Gulfstream, but make it available to the air force when it is not used for state missions.

THUS SPAKE

We’ve invited China to participate in and support the establishment of one or more of the National Investment and Manufacturing Zones, ANAND SHARMA, COMMERCE MINISTER

DOLLAR`55.77 POUND `88.01

TUESDAY, AUGUST 28, 2012

nation

1 KILLED, FIVE INJURED IN ASSAM One person was killed and five others injured in three separate incidents of violence in Assam's strife-torn Kokrajhar district late last night, police said. Miscreants opened fire and set some houses on fire before managing to escape after police reached the incident sites.

COALGATE

DIPLOMACY

India to continue ties with Iran: SMK

Cong returns fire Holding Parliament to ransom and blackmail have become political bread and butter of BJP, says Sonia. TEHRAN: Under unrelenting attack from the BJP over coal blocks allocation, the Congress Tuesday announced it will "hit the streets" to expose the double-speak of the opposition over sanctity of constitutional institutions. After a meeting of the Congress Parliamentary Party here under the chairmanship of Sonia Gandhi, spokesperson Manish Tewari told reporters here that lakhs of party workers would "hit the streets" to expose the BJP "shedding crocodile tears" over the sanctity of constitutional bodies. Tewari's remarks come in the wake of BJP leaders targeting Prime Minister Manmohan Singh over his attacks on the

CRIME

Unable to pay fine, student commits suicide TIRUNELVELI: Unable to cough up the fine imposed by school authorities for breaking some flower pots, a Class X student of a private school committed suicide. Police said that the 16-yearold boy and his classmates had been asked to pay `5,000 as a punishment for breaking some flower-pots . The boy had stayed away from school till Sunday as he belonged to a poor farmer's family and could not afford to pay his share of the fine. Yesterday, when he went to school, his class teacher had reportedly asked him to pay the fine. The vexed student went back home and allegedly committed suicide by hanging himself from the ceiling, police said. School authorities, when contacted, said all other 43 students had paid their share of the fine and said levying fine for breaking school articles was common in educational institutions. Puthiya Tamizhgam party activists and relatives of the boy blocked traffic yesterday demanding action against the school management. IANS

CAG report on coal blocks allocation in a statement made in Parliament on Monday. "The BJP is in the habit of shedding crocodile tears about the sanctity of constitutional institutions. Is Parliament not a

constitutional institution and their stalling it — will it not undermine democracy?" Tewari asked the Opposition party. Sonia Gandhi lashed out at the Opposition for holding Parliament to ransom. "We have nothing to hide or to be defensive about," she said. Holding Parliament to ransom and blackmail have become political bread and butter of BJP, she charged, slamming BJP leader LK Advani for calling the government "illegitimate". Asking the Opposition party to see reason, she said the government and the PM are always prepared for debate on any issue, on any CAG report or any perceived shortcoming. AGENCIES

TEHRAN: Ahead of the 16th NAM Summit, external affairs minister SM Krishna has said that India hopes to boost mutual cooperation with Iran especially in the economic sector. The remarks came even as US has been leaning on India to decrease its engagement with Tehran which has been hit by a series of sanctions slapped by Washington and other Western countries. Krishna told reporters upon his arrival at Tehran's Mehrabad International Airport that India, as a founder member of NAM, thinks of boosting cooperation among the member states. He said that India and Iran have had friendly relations and New Delhi hopes to boost mutual cooperation especially in economic area.

Krishna had held bilateral talks with his Iranian counterpart Ali Akbar Salehi last evening during which the two sides focused on trade and economy. PTI

Iran offers vessels

aced with problems of its customers not being able to import oil due to lack of adequate insurance for ships, National Iranian Oil Company has offered India and other countries the use of fully-insured Iranian vessels. The countries purchasing Iranian oil can ship supplies through these oil tankers that have full insurance cover, Mohammad-Ali Khatibi, director of National Iranian Oil Company said.

NEWS BRIEFS 1 killed, many injured as LPG tanker explodes KANNUR (KERALA): A woman was killed when an LPG tanker lorry burst into flames after an accident and set her house nearby on fire, police here said Tuesday. Thirty-four people were injured in the accident. The incident occurred when the lorry carrying liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) overturned after hitting a divider around 11.30 pm. Monday. While the driver and a helper ran for safety, the vehicle caught fire and the flames engulfed five houses and some shops nearby.

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DSP arrested on graft charges MADURAI: A DSP has been arrested for allegedly taking `15,000 as bribe from a mill owner for withdrawing a false case registered against him, police said today. The DSP M Sakthivelu had demanded bribe from the owner and his sister at Peraiyur near here for withdrawing the false case, police said. On a complaint from them, a trap was set and the vigilance and anti-corruption wing took the DSP into custody while he was receiving the bribe last evening, sources added.

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NBW against former BSP MLA in gang-rape case BADAUN (UP): A local court here has issued a non-bailable warrant against a former BSP MLA and issued orders to attach his property in connection with the abduction and gang-rape of a student. The court directed the police to ensure strict implementation.

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SOCIAL REVOLUTION

New beginning for Manipur’s women gun survivors Over the years, the network has now touched the lives of over a thousand. It has 150 active members, most of them victims. The network had initially reached out to 25 women.

hand-woven scarf, or leiroom, as they call it in Manipur, a cane jewellery box, a painting on Manipuri dance — the Lei Hao brand is all about handlooms, handicrafts and paintings. Or so one would imagine. Until you hear the story of the maker of each product — that of a woman gun survivor — and realise that it goes far beyond. “As far as my memory goes, I have always known that I live in a conflict zone. My father tells me that even on the day I was born, there was a conflict raging and that he had to run from pillar to post for medicines that my mother so desperately needed,” Binalakshmi Nepram of the Manipur Women Gun Survivors Network (MWGSN), whose brand Lei Hao is, told IANS. In her own words, Nepram always wanted to do something about the situation, especially for the survivors of the family which has lost the breadwinner — a husband, a father and a son. Therefore, as an academic researcher in the JNU in New Delhi, she started collecting data and researching the situation. “However, nothing prepared

doing research if there was no intervention. I decided to form a network that supports scores of victims like Rebika, and the MWGSN was born,” she said.

With families pushed into despair due to loss of breadwinners, the need to create a support mechanism was imperative.

Binalakshmi Nepram of the Manipur Women Gun Survivors Network.

me for that gloomy Christmas eve on December 24, 2004, when I was in Wabgai, a village near Imphal, talking to a group of women activists. Suddenly we heard gun shots less than a kilometre away and just like that, in a flash of a second, Rebika

Akham, one of the women in our group, became a widow,” Nepram said. “Amid all the cries, I remember Rebika’s mother’s words clearly, ‘Now how will I feed you?’ It was that moment when I realised there was no point in

Soon after, Nepram collected `4,500 with which she bought a sewing machine for Akham. The 24-year-old widow knew sewing and this was an opportunity to start life afresh. Nepram was however very sure that monetary relief was just a temporary solution, and that soft loans would be more appropriate to make the women gun survivors self-reliant. The network also started opening bank accounts for the women. As immediate relief, the network helps out the women with food, the children’s school fee and other needs. Along with the loan, they are also helped with

medical and legal assistance. Over the years, the network has now touched the lives of over a thousand. It has 150 active members, most of them victims. The network had initially reached out to 25 women. Huidrom Tanya Devi, 18, is one of the beneficiaries. In 2001, her father, a karate instructor, was gunned down by unidentified assailants for reasons not known to the family till date. Still shocked at her father’s untimely death, Tanya was however able to turn things around with the help of a `3,000 loan that the network gave her mother in 2007. She set up a small business and as months rolled by, she became a successful entrepreneur. This April, Tanya, like two other women whom the network helped, set up her own shop, selling embroidered material, household goods and incense sticks. To further help women like Rebika and Tanya, MWGSN decided to bring together the women’s hand-crafted products, brand and sell them. The network is also doing its best to help the women benefit from government schemes. IANS

THINKING DIFFERENT

Forest officer turns poet to protect

Written in Bengali and tribal languages like Sadri, all the poems have a common theme of how the life of human beings is intertwined with natural surroundings and the ecological system.

or three decades he has been guarding the rich forests of north Bengal against poachers with a gun in one hand and a pen in another. Soon after realising that strict vigilance alone cannot protect wildlife and natural resources, Buxa Tiger Reserve’s range officer Pradeep Kumar Sarkar started penning poetries to seek the help of local tribes in conserving biodiversity. Written in Bengali and tribal languages like Sadri, all the poems talk have a common theme of how the life of human beings is intertwined with natural surroundings and the ecological system. The forest officer proudly

recalls that an old tribal school teacher once had tears in his eyes after hearing his recitation. “He told me I had summed up their

life in a few lines,” Sarkar says proudly. “The tribes worship nature as they practice animism. But some of them get involved in smuggling and poaching. My job is just to remind them of their culture which some of them have forgotten,” Sarkar told PTI. “I have been living in the midst of forests all these years and so I understand not only nature but also the lives of these tribal communities who are dependent directly or indirectly on forest resources or tourism,” he says. While expressing his pain on seeing man-animal conflict around him, the poem urges everyone to come together and save nature. PTI

Rights bodies allege guards kill innocent tribals

n the conflict between guards and forest dwellers in West Bengal’s Doors and Terai regions, 13 tribals have died in firing by forest guards since 2007, according to the state Forest Department. While the forest department described those killed as belonging to the timber mafia, rights bodies claimed they were just poor and innocent tribals, who merely entered the forest in search of firewood and forest waste. Jatiswar Bharati, a member of the Jalpaiguri branch of the Association for the Protection of Democratic Rights, alleged that there were discrepancies in the figures provided by Forest officials.

He quoted the field director of Buxa Tiger Reserve, Ravinder Pal Saini, as saying that 11 persons had died in firing at the reserve alone till 2009. The Uttarbanga Bana Sramajibi Mancha (UBSM), a forest rights group, gave an example of Milan Rawtia, 39, a tribal worker who was an innocent victim of the conflict. The rights body quoted Milan’s wife Reshmi as having claimed that her husband had entered the adjoining Taippo forest to fetch his cow when the forest guards shot him and took him to a hospital where he was declared dead. He was accused of felling timber illegally, the rights body said. PTI

TUESDAY, AUGUST 28, 2012

World

FIVE SOMALI KIDS KILLED IN SCHOOL BOMBING At least five children died and a dozen others were injured when a bomb exploded at a school in Somalia. The attack took place Monday in the Middle Shabelle region, regional governor Abdi Jinow Alasow told Radio Mogadishu. The explosion occurred when the students were playing.

SYRIAN CRISIS

JINDAL SKIPS CONVENTION

UN chief leads outcry over Syria 'massacre'

Calls for independent and impartial inquiry into the killings of hundreds of civilians in Daraya, allegedly by pro-government forces. AFP

DAMASCUS: UN chief Ban Kimoon demanded an independent inquiry Monday into the killings of hundreds of civilians in the Syrian town of Daraya as world outrage mounted over the “massacre” by pro-government forces. Rebels from the Free Syrian Army claimed to have downed a military helicopter as they battled the army in a new front in east Damascus where a human rights watchdog reported at least 35 people killed, among them children. France said it was working with allies on possibility of setting up buffer zones to protect civilians inside Syria amid growing concern about the plight of fleeing civilians camped out on the country's borders. The UN chief was “shocked” by the reports of hundreds of bodies found in Daraya, a satellite town southwest of Damascus that was subjected to a five-day assault by pro-government forces last week, his spokesman Martin Nesirky said. “The secretary general is certainly shocked by those reports and he strongly condemns this appalling and brutal crime,” Nesirky told reporters. “Where hundreds of civilians have been killed in Daraya, this needs to be investigated immediately in an independent and impartial fashion,” the spokesman added.

ith tropical storm Isaac bearing down on his home state, Louisiana’s IndianAmerican governor, Bobby Jindal, considered a rising Republican conservative star, decided to skip the party’s presidential convention in Tampa, Florida. Now is not the time for politics, said Jindal, who was to make a prime-time speech at the Republican National Convention. President Obama has declared a state of emergency in Louisiana.

NUMEROLOGY

$880,000

The amount fetched by three rare Australian coins at an auction. One of the coins was a famous example for the nation’s first coin, ‘The Holey Dollar’, and sold for a record Aus $410,000.

A young Syrian girl looks on as she stands near the Syrian-Turkish border, waiting for more camps to be set up.

France ready to recognise Syria opposition govt PARIS: French President Francois Hollande stepped up pressure on Syria, saying France would recognise a provisional government and warning of intervention if the regime uses chemical weapons. Hollande called for an “intensification of efforts for the political transition to take place quickly” and urged the Syrian opposition to form a “provisional, inclusive and representative” government. “France will recognise the pro-

visional government of the new Syria as soon as it is formed,” he said. Washington, however, reacted that before setting up a government, the Syrian opposition first needed to coordinate with citizens inside and outside the country and set a democratic path. “That’s the first order of business — for them to agree on what a transition ought to look like," said a US State Department spokesperson.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said that 334 bodies had now been found in Daraya after what activists described as brutal five-day onslaught of shelling, summary executions and house-to-house raids by pro-government forces. The Sunni Muslim town of some 200,000 people is seen as a stronghold of opposition to the minority Alawite-led regime of President Bashar al-Assad. Videos issued by activists showed charred and bloodied bodies lined up in a graveyard in, and others lying in rooms in a mosque. AFP

NEWS BRIEFS Pussy Riot appeals verdict

Italians occupy mine Six die in shootout at 400 metres underground Brazil nightclub

Four dead as typhoon pounds South Korea

MOSCOW: Defence lawyers for Russian all-female punk band Pussy Riot have appealed the court verdict under which three members of the band were jailed. Yekaterina Samutsevich, 30, Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, 22, and Maria Alyokhina, 24, were sentenced to prison for two years for hooliganism motivated by religious hatred.

ROME: Around 40 mine workers have occupied a coal mine on the Italian island of Sardinia, demanding investment in a 200 million euro project. The workers at the mine belonging to Carbosulcis di Nuraxi Figus are 400 metres below the ground. A load of coal has been dumped at the entrance, making access possible only by foot.

SEOUL: Four Chinese crew members were confirmed drowned and 12 were missing after a strong typhoon battering South Korea pushed their ships onto the rocks Tuesday. Officials issued an alert for almost the entire country as Bolaven — the strongest typhoon for almost a decade — swept towards flood-affected North Korea.

RIO DE JANEIRO: Six people were killed and 14 wounded in a gunﬁght at a nightclub in the southeastern Brazilian city of Belo Horizonte, police said Monday, blaming the violence on a dispute between gangs. Scores of people were inside the club late Sunday night when two armed men burst in and started ﬁring indiscriminately.

GIRL DIES IN BEACH HOLE PARIS: A 12-year-old Italian girl on vacation with her family in France died from suffocation in a hole she dug at a beach. The girl’s death was confirmed by the Italian foreign ministry. The victim suffocated in a hole she dug at the La Teste-de-Buch beach near Gironda. Lifeguards alerted medics after the girl was spotted partially buried. Witnesses said they saw a “happy girl” who spent hours digging the hole which would later take her life.

I have complied with the constitutional obligation to search for peace. We have started talks with the FARC with the aim of seeking an end to the conflict. Juan Manuel Santos Colombian President

TUESDAY, AUGUST 28, 2012

Comment Russia needs a strong state power and must have it. But I am not calling for totalitarianism.

WILDLIFE THREATENED

Armstrong was not for space race on budget NAOMI SECK

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ore than 40 years after Neil Armstrong landed on the moon, humans continue to push the frontiers of space exploration but missions are being tempered by costs, a trend that concerned the astronaut. The blank check from the government that financed adventures in the Cold War-era is no longer available, with today’s missions depending more on the private sector and international cooperation. Armstrong criticised President Barack Obama in 2010 for cost-cutting plans that retired the US space shuttles. Now, US astronauts ride as passengers on Russian spacecraft, and hopes for Nasa’s own future manned flights are pinned on private companies, which are trying to build cheaper shuttle alternatives. Armstrong feared becoming reliant on other nations would take too long to develop new space-worthy vehicles. US analysts, however, say the country’s space program had no choice but to change, given new global realities. “The world evolves, humanity evolves, our capabilities evolve. And the future of space exploration, therefore, must also evolve,” said Jeff Foust, an aerospace consultant and the editor of TheSpaceReview.com. For one thing, flights into lower-Earth-orbit are now routine, and privatising them allows the American space agency to focus its efforts on more cutting edge missions, according to Foust. AFP

VIETNAM’S PREFERRED DRUG DOOMS RHINOS ERIN CONWAY-SMITH feedback@postnoon.com

Vladimir Putin Russian President

HIGH-FLYING THOUGHTS It’s curious how death can put you back in the limelight. After his historic step on the moon, Neil Armstrong has never been more in the news than after his death on Sunday. This collective remembrance is fuelled in no little part by the flood of articles and TV news clips on the man and his legacy.

ore expensive than cocaine, rhino horn is now the party drug of choice among Vietnam’s young things. Instead of a razor blade and mirror, a textured ceramic bowl is used for grinding down rhinoceros horn into a powder to be mixed with water or wine. Rhino horn is made of keratin, the same protein as fingernails. Scientists say it has no medicinal value, and users aren’t getting high. The belief in Vietnam is that drinking a tonic made from the horn will detoxify the body after a night of heavy boozing, and prevent a hangover. One Vietnamese news website described rhino horn wine as “the alcoholic drink of millionaires.” This is the latest twist in South Africa’s devastating rhino poaching crisis, which began with a sudden boom in illegal killings of the endangered animal in 2008 and has worsened every year since. Demand among the newly wealthy in Vietnam is the root of the problem, says TRAFFIC, the wildlife trade monitoring group. Tom Milliken, a rhino expert with TRAFFIC, said that in Vietnam, offering your friends rhino horn at a party has

become a fashionable way to show wealth and status. The way it happens is like this: “I would get my closest friends and we’d go into another room. I would bring out some rhino horn and we’d all take it and then come back to the party,” said Milliken, who studied the phenomenon. A new TRAFFIC report, coauthored by Milliken, details how surging demand for horn in Vietnam, corruption in South Africa’s wildlife industry, loopholes in regulations and criminal networks have all fed into the poaching epidemic. Vietnam’s new rich have become the world’s largest consumer group of rhino horn, spurring demand and the continued slaughter of rhinos in South Africa. Another key group of Vietnamese consumers is people with serious illnesses, in particular cancer, who believe rhino horn can cure them despite the lack of any medical evidence. The TRAFFIC report describes the phenomenon of “rhino horn touts” stalking the corridors at hospitals, seeking out desperate patients with cancer. An update released by South Africa’s Department of Environmental Affairs said that 339 rhino have been killed illegally in the country since the start of 2012, on track to be the worst year for poaching yet.

There have also been 192 poaching-related arrests this year. South Africa is the primary target for poachers because it is home to 21,000 rhinos, or more than 80 per cent of the world population. South Africa and Vietnam are beginning to cooperate on the problem, although progress has been slow. Vietnam's deputy foreign affairs minister Le Loung Minh visited South Africa last week for talks on illegal trade in wildlife with his counterpart Ebrahim Ebrahim. The two governments are set to sign a memorandum of understanding that would encompass cooperation in criminal investigations. But it has taken a year of sporadic talks to reach this point — a sign of the lack of urgent action.

“South Africa has progressively scaled up its response to rhino crime,” the report noted, pointing to a plan that is being implemented and the recent increase in “high-value arrests.” South Africa’s environment ministry hired Mavuso Msimang to bring together South Africans in private and public sectors to find the best way to save the rhino. The project involves studying the potential legalising of the rhino horn trade, a contentious issue. “The government has done a good job of putting their effort behind the saving of the rhino,” Msimang said at the launch of the TRAFFIC report. “It’s got shortcomings, coordination is not always great, but the will to do well is with us,” he said. GLOBAL POST

EDITORIALS Waiting on the world to change

n the span of a week, 36 people have died due to heavy rains in Rajasthan. The US is bracing itself for the impact of Hurricane Isaac, while fishermen are braving Typhoon Bolaven off the coast of South Korea. Global weather patterns are changing rapidly and in some cases, erratically. While attempting to make amends for our activities which speeded up global warming is all good, governments need to first strengthen infrastructure to ensure that cities can withstand the fury of natural disasters. Every time a heavy shower hits Hyderabad, traffic comes to a standstill because of the poor road conditions and flooding. As the corporation busies itself to beautify the City ahead of CoP 11, perhaps it would be a good time to take a good hard look at the state of our civic amenities and make a lasting change. The delegates of the biodiversity summit will leave after the event, but citizens have to live here. Should the government not take into consideration their woes while ‘improving’ the City?

READERS’ VIEWS

A welcome step to save energy

ivic authority’s decision to ban illumination for a fortnight is a laudatory step as the State is going through an unprecedented power crisis. Similar measure needs to be taken about ofﬁces and homes too. Idly running fans are common sights and lightings are used in rich homes to bolster their vanity. The government and the GHMC should take up a campaign to tell people that energy comes at enormous economic and environmental cost and wasting it is a criminal act.

TUESDAY, AUGUST 28, 2012

workplace

SONY MOBILE TO SHIFT BASE

Making evident attempts to bring down its costs as well as to speed up its push into the smartphone arena, Sony Corp announced on Thursday that it intends slashing nearly 15 percent of the workforce of its Sony Mobile business between now and March 2014.

TRAFFIC TROUBLE

KNOW YOUR COMPANY

Deloitte Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited, commonly referred to as Deloitte, is one of the Big Four professional services ﬁrms along with PricewaterhouseCoopers, Ernst & Young, and KPMG. Deloitte is the second largest professional services network in the world by revenue and has 182,000 employees in more than 150 countries providing audit, tax, consulting, enterprise risk and ﬁnancial advisory services. Its global headquarters is located in New York City, United States.

Companies bust violators Companies in the City determined to ensure the safety of their employees are catching hold of those violating the traffic rules and putting them to task in order to change them for good AMY ROSE THOMAS amyrose.t@postnoon.com

lot of lives are lost thanks to callous behaviour on the roads. Even though most of the public are aware of the traffic rules and regulations, they are hesitant when it comes to following them. Employers nowadays are refusing to sit around idle while their staff put their lives at risk. Companies like Broadridge India has taken upon themselves to ensure that their employees’ safety. And they are going to the extent of calling these traffic violators to work on weekends and giving them classes on traffic rules to get their way. And the trainers say that they do not have repeaters coming back to these classes. Well, if one has to sit through an one and half hour session on traffic regulations after which you share your experience on what prompted you to break the laws, you would be in no hurry to flout any law in the near future.

Rajita Singh, Head HR, Broadridge Financial Solutions (India) Private Limited, says, “In spite of the fact that these classes are held for the employees’ benefit, they see this as a severe punishment since they have to come to work on weekends and sit through the lectures on traffic violations and rules. Security guards deputed at the gates keep an account of those who do not wear their helmets on two-wheelers and those who are without their belts on. At the end of

the month, we consolidate the list and intimidate the traffic violators about the class they have to attend. These classes are held every month and the last class on the same was organised at the premises two weeks back.” One of the trainers who holds these classes during the weekends, Dileep Narayan from the HR Team of the company, says that there are 35-40 employees who attend these sessions each month and there are never any repeaters at these sessions. “We educate them about the traffic rules and consequences of flouting these rules and how small changes can go a long way when it comes to safety and saving one’s life. At the end of the session we ask the violators to share their experience and tell others what prompted them to flout the rules,” he says. Apart from holding classes at the company, Broadridge

“Security guards deputed at the gates keep an account of those who do not wear their helmets and those who are without their belts on.” employees also conducted a traffic awareness programme for kids at residential bridge camp which is operated by MV Foundation that works towards the eradication of child labour. Ranjita Singh says, “We organised various programmes like quiz, games and role play for the kids at the camp. All these programmes were aimed at spreading awareness about traffic regulations and rules. We also have annual pollution checks being organised at the premises where employees have to check their vehicles.”

DID YOU KNOW...

Amazon

is likely to unveil its next-generation Kindle Fire tablets at the press event to be held in Santa Monica, California this week. According to several reports, Amazon is planning to introduce an updated Kindle Fire tablet, and probably even more Kindle Fire versions, as well as an e-ink Kindle which will boast the advantage of built-in lighting.

WORK CULTURE

At Saatchi creativity is all about the art of looking sideways and creating lovemarks. A ﬂuid and lively workspace – where even a spark of an idea is valued is what makes the difference between good to great. With diverse people with eclectic interests it I just a melting pot of ideas – both in and out of ofﬁce. Shreya Dutt, Saatchi

To ensure that everyone knows each other at work, many interactive programmes are organised. Each Friday we have the Thank God Its Friday event where many fun activities like quiz, balloon ﬁght and singing contests are held. At the end of the event, we get to know all on ﬁrst name basis. Sumeet Kumar Barua, Accenture

TUESDAY, AUGUST 28, 2012

spotlight

WHERE’S THE PARTY TONIGHT

Tuesday means there’s only place to be. Girls, it’s time to dress up and let your hair down. It’s ladies night at Firangi Paani. With drinks on the house, interesting music and dance all night long, is there a better way to beat the mid-week stress?

SRINIVAS SETTY

IN MEMORIAM

REMEMBERING A LIFE

The city's who’s who came together at Taj Krishna recently for an event hosted by Sherry Javeri. The get-together was to honour the life of her late husband Rai Sahib Sadruddin Hashim Ali Javeri. 4

1 Nilesh,

Sunila 2 Darlim, Karthik, Rummy Azad, Sanjeev 3 Sridevi 4 Aalim, Sherry Javeri 5 Mohibsher, Zia Ansari

MAGNIFICENT MARY KOM FELICITATED

To salute her dauntless spirit and awe-inspiring achievements, city-based infrastructure company Incredible India Projects Private Limited felicitated Olympic bronze medal winner Mary Kom on Tuesday. Mary Kom expressed her happiness for the support.

SRINIVAS SETTY

6 Anika, Ali

Bilgrami 7 Vijaya Devi 8 Renu Siraj 9 Katherine

Dhanani 10 Rani Reddy 11 Krishna Das 12 Anu Asar 13 Savita

menon

AND THE AWARD GOES TO...

Proving their creative might yet again, JWT Mindset bagged the prestigious Agency of the Year prize at ADEX 2011 awards

TUESDAY, AUGUST 28, 2012

health

SOUNDS, SMELLS HELP PEOPLE LEARN WHILE ASLEEP? People can pick up new information with the help of specific sounds and smells, even while asleep, says a study. For instance, if certain odours are presented after specific tones during sleep, people will start sniffing when they hear the tones — even when odour is absent, during sleep and later.

FASHION OVER HEALTH

Body shaping undergarment might be every woman’s wonder clothing when it comes to hiding unsightly flab. But not without a price, warn experts.

In tight knots? RANJANI RAJENDRA

ranjani.r@postnoon.com

emember that moment when Will Turner proposed to Elizabeth Swann only to have her faint and topple over the battlements in Pirates of the Caribbean? While they say girls swoon in love, this was definitely not the case with Swann. The tight corset she wore made her breathless and eventually faint. Not too unlikely a scenario with modern day women either, who swear by their body shaping

undergarments when it comes to hiding those unsightly flabs. Sure, body shapers might seem like God’s gift to womankind, what with their wonderful ability to provide an illusion of a smooth and toned figure. But then it all comes at price, warn experts. Such tight body shapers, which do little more than squeeze the body, are actually quite hazardous for health if you choose to look past that superficial toned look. Extremely tight clothing can cause gastrointestinal and neurological problems. “There are certain areas of the body where the nerves are superficial (rather close to the

ANEWS PP-LYBRIEFS YOURSELF

Wearing body shapers can lead to gastrointestinal problems and blood clots which in severe cases can cause death. skin surface) like the peroneal and femoral nerves (near the knee joint and the groin areas respectively). Wearing such tight clothing can cause these nerves to get compressed and don’t permit them to function normally. This leads to a condition called neuropraxia and patients will typically notice numbness (the

HOUSECALL

Nutrisystem

Tetralogy of Fallot

The Nutrisystem app features a meal planner that will help you track and plan your meals and water. You can also track your weight, exercise, measurements and even write in your own personal journal. Can’t decide what’s the right food to eat? The app allows you to browse its menu to ﬁnd healthy favourites.

Tetralogy of fallot refers to a heart as well as the major blood vessels abnormality found in babies. In this ailment the blood pumped from the heart around the body doesn't contain normal levels of oxygen. The abnormalities are of four types. Symptoms for the ailment include the baby going blue, slow development and the failure to gain weight. Heart surgeries are conducted on babies suffering from these abnormalities.

most common symptom) and tingling in the affected areas. If the pressure is too much then it leads to weakness in the muscles as well,” explains Dr Sudhir Kumar, senior consultant neurologist, Apollo Hospital. Wearing body shapers for a prolonged period of time can also lead to gastrointestinal problems and blood clots. The garment is tight enough to squeeze the organs causing health issues and also restricts blood flow. This can lead to blood clots that can then travel up to the heart, lungs or brain and cause severe complications and in extreme cases death. “Normally wearing body

DID YOU KNOW? Smokers lose two teeth every 10 years When we talk about dental care, sweets and smoking often top the list of substances to be avoided. Till now we have heard about how smoking can stain your teeth but it can also cause your teeth to fall. Believe it or not but according to studies, smokers lose two teeth every 10 years.

shapers should not cause much problem unless it is very tight and is being worn for a long time. This exerts too much intra abdominal pressure. This then can affect the internal organs and in some cases if the garment is extremely tight then create blood clots,” says Dr Poorna Chandra, consultant gastroenterologist at the Bangalore-based Fortis Hospital. “While it is alright to wear a body shaper, care must be taken to ensure that it is not extremely tight and also should not be worn for prolonged periods of time. At the end of the day it is not a substitute for weight loss,” he adds.

PIONEERS William Withering William Withering was an English physician born in Wellington in the year 1741. He was best known for his use of extracts of foxglove to treat dropsy. Dropsy is a condition associated with heart failure and characterised by the accumulation of ﬂuid in soft tissues. Most of the drugs used today contain this compound. He had also contributed to the clinical distinction of scarlet fever and to the medical use of lead and rum.

health TUESDAY, AUGUST 28, 2012

MATTERS OF THE HEART

Heart attacks increase anxiety in partners Researchers at Copenhagen University Hospital looked at data from nearly a quarter of a million people and found that depression and anxiety were significantly higher in those whose partner had an attack. ALEXANDER BESANT new study found that heart attacks don’t just affect the victim but can cause health risks to the spouse or partner as well. Researchers at Copenhagen University Hospital looked at data from nearly a quarter of a million people and found that depression and anxiety were significantly higher in those whose partner had a heart attack. They also found that mental health issues in those partners who did not have a stroke were raised whether or not the other

New device removes brain clots WASHINGTON: A new device that removes clots from the brain could be a game changer in the treatment of strokes, say researchers. In a recent clinical trial, the SOLITAIRE Flow Restoration Device, approved by the US Food and Drug Administration this March, outperformed the standard treatment. SOLITAIRE is among an entirely new generation of devices designed to remove blood clots. It has a self-expanding, stentlike design, and once inserted into a blocked artery, it com-

Results of the study showed that the device opened blocked vessels without causing bleeding in or around the brain.

person survived, reported the Daily Mail. The study looked at the medical records of a quartermillion people, 16,500 of which were spouses of people who died from heart attacks and another 50,000 spouses of people who died from other causes. It also included numerous people whose partners survived heart attacks and other illnesses.When medication use was considered, those whose spouses or partners survived a heart attack were 17 per cent more likely to use antidepressants. That number increased to 50 per cent if the partner died.

They found that heart attacks tended to be worse for the health of the partner than other conditions. They also found that heart attacks tended to be worse for the mental health of the partner than other medical conditions, said ABC News. Researchers said that the mental health of the spouse of the victim is a serious public health issue that should be addressed.

“Our study suggests that clinical attention needs to be paid to both the patient, who is suffering from the physical and mental trauma of the event, and the spouse, who has to live through the event alongside the patient,” the researchers wrote, according to Fox News. “I believe that treatment of an acute event also should include screening the spouse for possible psychological effects, and a plan should be in place for how to take care of this if, indeed, the spouse is severely affected.”The study was published in the European Heart Journal. GLOBAL POST

RESEARCH

New virus targeting children in US WASHINGTON: A viral illness seems to be targeting children in the US. “What we are seeing is a relatively common viral illness called hand-foot-and-mouth disease but with a new twist,” says Bernard Cohen, director of paediatric dermatology at Johns Hopkins Children’s Centre. “Your child is seemingly in

BREAKTHROUGH

perfect health when he or she goes to bed but wakes up with high fever and blisters all over the body. “The culprit is an unusual strain of the common coxsackie virus that usually causes the disease. The new strain, coxsackie A6, previously found only in Africa and Asia, is now crop-

ping up all over the US,” said a John Hopkins statement. Johns Hopkins dermatologists say the disturbing scenario has become quite common. Cohen and colleague Kate Puttgen have seen close to 50 such cases in the last few months. This figure may be just the tip of the iceberg, said Cohen. IANS

presses and traps the clot. The clot is then removed by withdrawing the device, reopening the blocked blood vessel, the The Lancet reports. “This new device is significantly changing the way we can treat ischemic stroke (caused by blockage of an artery to the brain),” said Jeffrey L Saver, director of the University of California Los Angeles Stroke Centre and a professor of neurology at the David Geffen School of Medicine. “We are going from our first generation of clot-removing procedures, which were only moderately good in reopening target arteries, to now having a highly effective tool,” added Saver, who led the study, according to a California statement. Results of the study showed that the device opened blocked vessels without causing symptomatic bleeding in or around the brain in 61 per cent of patients. The standard FDA-approved mechanical device, a corkscrewtype clot remover called the MERCI Retriever, was effective in 24 percent of cases. The use of SOLITAIRE also led to better survival three months after a stroke. The treatment that received the most study is an FDAapproved clot-busting drug known as tissue plasminogen activator. When clot-busting drugs cannot be used or are ineffective, the clot can be mechanically removed. The study, however, did not compare mechanical clot removal to drug treatment. IANS

TUESDAY, AUGUST 28, 2012

Entertainment

BAD NEWS FOR MOVIE MAKERS The Central Board for Film Certification (CBFC) have now ruled that they will not let any new film that's originally certified ‘A’ to be screened on TV. Satellite right wars might just have lost their sheen.

CLEARING THE AIR

CINE BYTES

utting all speculation to rest, Hansika has stated that she has dropped out of the Telugu remake of Vettai due to lack of details. The film, Bale Thammudu, is scheduled to release by the end of the year so the dates allotted by Hansika couldn't used by the team. With half a dozen projects in her kitty, the actress had no choice but to bow out. She even took to twitter to clarify the news. “so here's the real reason y I back out of the project.So now there can be a Full Stop 2al the fake stories created on the net o print:)peace.” Now, word is that she is replaced by none other than Tamannah who will be the female lead alongside Naga Chaitanya.

Hansika opts out of

remake

Duplicate set for October release

urya-starrer Maattraan was one of the biggest superhits in Tamil this year. And now the much-awaited movie will hit the screens in Telugu on October 12. The dubbed version, known as Duplicate is supposedly known to have gone for a whopping Rs 17 Crores, the highest paid for dubbing rights after Robot. Kajal Aggarwal is the heroine.

Sudigadu’s success story

his latest venture Sudigadu, Allari Naresh seems to have struck gold. The ﬁlm has garnered appreciation from audiences and critics alike for brilliant dialogues and original sequences. Now industry experts estimate that it has raked in an impressive `1.10 crores in opening weekend.

A new and improved Charmi

he triple platinum disc function of Srimannarayan saw a bevy of Tollywood personalities come to congratulate the cast and crew. But it was the new and improved Charmi who was the star of the evening. Her new slim avatar prompted everyone present to wonder just how much weight she's lost. To which she replied on twitter – it is 20!

Entertainment TUESDAY, AUGUST 28, 2012

BOLLYWOOD BACK IN KASHMIR

CINE BYTES

ollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan was in Kashmir to shoot in its picturesque locations for the first time in his over twodecade-old film career. Shah Rukh immediately left for south Kashmir’s Pahalgam hill station in a chopper after his arrival at Srinagar airport on Monday morning. He is here to shoot Yash Chopra’s next, yet untitled, movie. Chopra and his crew have been camping in Pahalgam for the last four days. Reports from Pahalgam said shooting for the movie, whose first teaser has already run in theatres, was started after Shah Rukh’s arrival there. “The unit is this time shooting in Aru (Pahalgam)," eyewitnesses told over phone. The unit would be shooting in Pahalgam for a week, after which it will start shooting around and on the Dal Lake in summer capital Srinagar. An extended shooting schedule for the film has already been completed in the Ladakh region of the state. Shah Rukh is said to be playing the role of an army officer named Samar in the lovetriangle movie, starring Anushka Sharma and Katrina Kaif. In the past, some memorable Bollywood movies like Kashmir Ki Kali, Junglee, Andaz and Mere Sanam were shot in Kashmir. The Valley was literally out of bounds for Bollywood for over two decades after separatist violence started here in early 1990s. With the improvement in the overall situation, Bollywood has already started returning to its dream outdoor locales in Kashmir. Actor Aamir Khan also shot for the Incredible India campaign in Srinagar earlier this year.

SRK SHOOTS in for the first time

KASHMIR

Dia Mirza loves classics

ctress Dia Mirza reveals she has an inclination towards traditional Indian jewellery and happily sports it wherever and whichever way she can. “If you notice the kind of jewellery I wear, it could be diamonds, uncut diamonds, it could be gold, platinum whatever. I am more attracted towards classic style. I really enjoy traditional jewellery," the 30-year-old said in an interview.

Bipasha in No Entry Mein Entry?

“N

o Entry director Anees Bazmee says he is considering roping in Bipasha Basu as the 10th actress for No Entry Mein Entry, the sequel to the 2005 comedy film. “We are considering Bipasha for a prominent role in the film, but nothing has been finalised yet," Bazmee told IANS.

Shaan turns actor, but finds dancing tough

inger Shaan is turning actor with Balwinder Singh Famous Ho Gaya, but admits he has two left feet when it comes to dancing. “We have shot one song and the thing I was most scared of is coming true — that I am unable to dance properly," the 39-yearold said on the sets of the movie, in which he plays Balwinder Singh.

Entertainment TUESDAY, AUGUST 28, 2012

ACTRESS IN TROUBLE A M A N DA BY N E S

manda Bynes is no longer in the clear for an alleged hitand-run back in April — TMZ has learned the LA city attorney is taking a new look at that case because of Amanda’s other hit-andrun earlier this month. As TMZ first reported, Bynes allegedly rear-ended a BMW, and fled the scene while driving a rental on the 101 Freeway. The LA city attorney’s office rejected the case because there was no independent witness to finger Amanda as the suspect. Law enforcement sources tell that all changed when Bynes was accused, yet again, of hit-and-run on August 4. Prosecutors have decided to re-open the April incident — which means Amanda could end up with two misdemeanor hit-and-runs... with each carrying a maximum sentence of six months. Don’t forget, Bynes also has a DUI on her plate for a whole other incident. She pled not guilty to that one back in June.

Prosecutors Re-Open OLD Hitand-Run Case

CINE BYTES

Mathew McConaughey’s day out with family

ctor Matthew McConaughey and his picture-perfect family went out for a stroll in New York City with an adorable puppy to celebrate National Dog Day. The Magic Mike star was seen carrying his son Levi on his shoulders, while daughter Vida held hands with baby-bumping Camila Alves, who was on leash duty with their four-legged friend.

Chris Pratt tweets about Jack’s arrival

his proud dad has a request for us. Actor Chris Pratt and wife Anna Faris announced the arrival of their ﬁrst child together, a son named Jack. And today the daddy tweeted his thanks and something else. “It’s a boy! Thanks for all your kind words. In lieu of gifts we ask that you mouth kiss a stranger,” Pratt tweeted.

The Wachowskis Rumoured for Justice League

ith Ben Affleck a definite no for Warner’s Justice League film, directorial speculation is likely to blow up right about... now. The Matrix auteurs Lana and Andy Wachowski are reportedly on a short list of candidates. An Avengers-sized project wouldn’t seem to jive with the timeline for the Wachowskis’s ambitious Jupiter Ascending, but it’s interesting to consider.

TUESDAY, AUGUST 28, 2012

Chai Time

THOUGHT OF THE DAY

I am not interested in picking up crumbs of compassion thrown from the table of someone who considers himself my master. I want the full menu of rights. Desmond Tutu

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 Strange hoverers 5 Thickly entangled, as hair 11 Did some crunches? 14 Craft project bonder 15 Be in a sticky situation? 16 ‘Friend’ Courteney 17 One place to drink on vacation 19 ‘___ Tac Dough’ (old game show) 20 Only Super Bowl won by the New York Jets 21 Escape clause 23 Does a checkout chore 26 The ‘p’ in rpm 27 Head hawk on Olympus 28 Art that requires a folder 30 Anti-seniors people 32 One of the Bobbsey twins 33 Assign to a role 36 Software that includes accounting and inventory programs 41 Monogram letter 42 Hosp. hot spots 44 Any Bryn Mawr grad 47 Merchant ship fee 50 You need a good deal here 51 Response when something hits you? 53 Vice ___ (conversely) 54 Compliant 57 ‘Culpa’ preceder 58 Python's cousin 59 Beverly Hilton amenity 64 ‘Walk-___ welcome’ 65 Angora yield 66 Devil's forte 67 Yes, on the briny 68 Position on an issue 69 Baseball stitches

DOWN

1 Utterance of revulsion 2 Andy Capp's missus 3 Under sedation

4 Keeping company with 5 A neighbor of Niger 6 Unseemly fuss 7 Greenland air base site 8 Voice above a baritone 9 ‘Cogito, ___ sum’ 10 Type of fly ball 11 They're seen in casts 12 Lavatory fixture 3 Glut 18 ‘Friend’ Kudrow 22 Port-au-Prince's country 23 Simba, to Mufasa 24 ‘Hermit’ crustacean 25 Aboriginal Japanese 26 (Var.) 29 Obsessive enthusiasm 30 Wedding pathway 31 Up-to-date antelope? 34 Tire-pressure abbr. 35 Port near Kobe 37 ___ Says (kids' game) 38 Place that could fit this puzzle's theme 39 Go like lightning 40 10 million of them equal a joule 43 Word in a classic Hemingway title 44 ‘Lawrence of ___’ (1962 epic) 45 Like some furniture polishes and custards 46 Restlessness 48 ‘Be it ___ so humble’ 49 Table extenders 51 Lei bestower's greeting 52 ‘Masters of the Universe’ fellow 55 Weaponizes 56 Start up, as a computer 57 ‘A ___ formality’ 60 ‘Attack, dog!’ 61 ‘Now ___ heard everything!’ 62 Org. whose seal contains a bald eagle and a compass 63 Street ‘created’ by Wes Craven

Chai Time TUESDAY, AUGUST 28, 2012 Thiruvaikumar

STAR POWER for 29-8-2012

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

ARIES

TAURUS

GEMINI

CANCER

LEO

VIRGO

LIBRA

SCORPIO

SAGITTARIUS

CAPRICORN

AQUARIUS

PISCES

Hurdles will disappear. Medical expenses likely. Misunderstanding with relatives likely. Children might put you in an embarrassing situation. Artists need to be careful as good opportunities might slip from their hands.

Artists will opportunities. Businessmen are advised to be alert about opportunities and make use of them. Politicians will be in limelight and Government officials might get promotion and powerful position soon.

Financial crisis likely. Journey will bring financial benefits. Ancestral property will be helpful as there are chances of income through the same. Fortunate opportunities likely through women. Businessmen will prosper.

QUICK CROSSWORD FRED BASSET

Old problems might surface again and make you upset. Be careful about food habits. Also bad habits you possess might bring you trouble. Tensions through children also likely. Politicians must keep a low profile.

Avoid unwanted new efforts. Delayed marriage talks will resume and finalise. Friendship with powerful persons likely. Be careful while dealing with women. Never be in a hurry while planning to carry out important works.

Take necessary precautions and consult family members before taking any important decision. Avoid taking controversial stand. Your approach need to match the expectations of the persons you will deal with.

Wanderings, hesitation to take decision and hurdles likely. Your talks need to be practical and not harsh. Misunderstanding with relatives likely. Financial position will be worrisome and critical. Court issues will go in your favour.

Your social status is set to increase. Lot of opportunities likely. Those deprived of children for a long time will get a good news about their offspring soon. Be careful during travel and if possible try to avoid the same.

You will face different type of challenges but will be successful. Chances of misunderstanding with relatives and they might turn as your enemies too. Marriage talks might get delayed. Expenses likely to increase.

TAROT READ

Sumaa Tekur

tarotreadhyd@gmail.com

ARIES:

GEMINI:

The Moon – Take care of your skin as rashes caused by pollution and bad diet can cause trouble. Don’t hesitate to consult a dermatologist if in any doubt at all.

LEO:

Three of Wands – The waiting is over and you are well on your way to something you have always wanted to acquire.

LIBRA:

STONE SOUP

Four of Pentacles Financial stability has been achieved. But you’re still feeling unsettled within. This may be because you’re anxious about the future.

SAGITTARIUS:

Five of Wands – Creativity is a gift, but it can also be learned. There are ways to make yourself more productive and win the confidence of others.

TAURUS:

Knight of Swords – Monsoon cleaning in your house is in order. De-clutter to feel good about your living space. It will also energise your mind.

CANCER:

The Emperor – Happiness is within kissing distance if you only alter your perspective. There are many ways to look at the situation. Look at it from another angle.

VIRGO:

King of Cups – Control and emotions are a lethal combination. Those around you may be trying hard to keep pace with your expectations. Calm down.

SCORPIO:

Nine of Cups – Today goes like clockwork. Everything will fit into place and you will be relieved that all your organising skills are being put to good use.

CAPRICORN:

King of Pentacles – Someone in your close circle of friends is likely to play spoiler, ruining your chances of doing something creative and different.

SOLUTIONS

PISCES:

Page of Wands – You get in touch with your spiritual side thanks to a new meditation trick someone has taught you. It refreshes you from within and you feel great.

NUMBER GAME

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

SCRABBLE

AQUARIUS: Four of Wands

INK PEN

Health need to be taken good care of. Financial position will be strong. Some have bright chance to buy a land or house. Employees will work hard, complete their works in time to get a good name and recognition from the management.

for 29-8-2012

The Hermit – Be careful of your keys, cellphone and other small but very important objects you keep with you all the time. Keep them in a safe place.

FOR BETTER OR FOR WORSE

Students need to put in hard efforts in their studies. Employees need to do their works with involvement. Women need to adjust with inlaws to avoid any major misunderstandings. Businessmen need to work hard to succeed.

SUDUKO

Avoid unwanted arguments and wasteful expenditure. Businessmen will see good growth. Don't get depressed. Take good care of health. Chances minor misunderstanding likely between the family members.

Boggle LION LEMUR LLAMA LEOPARD LEMMING Vol: 2, No 42 RNI No: APENG/2011/39337 Published for the proprietors, Scribble Media and Entertainment Pvt Ltd, by V Harshavardhan Reddy, at #1246, Level 3, Jubilee Casa, Road No 62, Jubilee Hills, Hyderabad – 500033 and printed by him at Jagati Publications Ltd, Plot No D-75&E-52, APIE Industrial Estate, Balanagar, Ranga Reddy Dist, Hyderabad – 500037, Editor: Dean Williams – Responsible for selection of news under the PRB Act All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission of the publisher is prohibited. For feedback, please write to: feedback@postnoon.com and for subscription, please call 040-4067 2222, Fax: 040-4067 2211

Entertainment TUESDAY, AUGUST 28, 2012

LIFE IN A FAST LANE

CINE BYTES

Emma Stone Busted for Speeding

Olivier Martinez to testify in Halle Berry’s child custody battle

livier Martinez is set to testify on behalf of ﬁancée Halle Berry at her child custody case against ex-boyfriend Gabriel Aubry. Martinez is said to be talking about “their living arrangement and his involvement with Nahla” and how Berry is a good mother.

Madchen Amick to star on Beauty and the Beast

adchen Amick has landed a guest-starring role on CW’s new drama Beauty and the Beast. Amick will appear as “a wealthy polo-club president named Lois who owns a therapeutic horse camp” in the third episode of the ﬁrst season. Amick’s previous television credits include Ringer, Californication and ER.

Usher’s music video features Chanel Iman

erhaps Emma Stone and Andrew Garfield should take a break from Malibu. The Amazing Spider-Man starlet was pulled over for speeding in the beach town on Saturday, just a few days after her boyfriend was busted for the exact same thing. Emma

sher has released the music video for Dive. The R&B singer appears alongside model Chanel Iman as his leading lady in the video. ‘Dive’ is the ﬁfth single taken from Usher’s seventh studio album Looking 4 Myself, released in June. Usher recently won primary custody of his two children with Tameka Foster. Stone and Andrew Garfield liplock on the sand. Stone, who was in Garfield’s car when he was cited on his birthday (!), was riding solo this time around. Hmmm, maybe her right foot is actually made of stone. Definitely time to sharpen up those Spidey senses (or stop living in the fast lane).

sports TUESDAY, AUGUST 28, 2012

ASIAN TOUR

Asian golf ‘major’ soon

DEADLY MISS

The way to get into the Olympics is to gain world-ranking points; the way to gain enough points is to be involved with the Asian Tour. TALEK HARRIS Agence France-Presse SINGAPORE: The Asian Tour is in talks to set up an “iconic” golf event to rival the majors as early as 2015, its new chief executive has revealed. Mike Kerr, who took the helm in March, made the statement as he laid out an ambitious vision which sees the circuit expanding to match the current size of the European Tour in the next 10 years. “Yes, I think we can have an iconic event in Asia. There are some plans that we have that we’re already in the market talking about,” he told AFP at the Asian Tour offices in Singapore. “We’re working on it... let’s say definitely within the next three to five (years).” The so-called “fifth major” is considered the next frontier of Asian golf after years of rapid growth brought new, worldclass tournaments and pumped up prize money and standards. Both the WGC-HSBC Champions in China, with a purse of US$7 million, and the US$6 million Singapore Open, have been informally touted as “Asia’s major”. Golf’s majors — the US

I think you’ll probably find that we will get that Asian McIlroy. I think the next Rory McIlroy probably will come from this part of the world. Mike Kerr Asian Tour chief Masters, US Open, British Open and the PGA Championship — have slightly larger purses, but also prestige and tradition built up over generations. “The majors are not going to move. I think I can say that for certain,” said Kerr, in his first interview with an international press agency since taking charge. “I’m not sure whether it would ever be confirmed as a major or supported in that way but I think there certainly is room for an iconic event in Asia

that would be at a similar level to a major event, which the players can support and which we can build up over time. “Golf is still in its infancy in this part of the world. The majors have hundreds of years of tradition, which is what sets them apart from every other event.” The former ESPN Star Sports TV executive said Asia was not “burdened” by the “old boys network” in Europe and America, enabling it to do things differently — including

for example a tournament where all players wear shorts. He predicted the Asian Tour would be offering similar total prize money to the European Tour in a decade, rising from 26 to about 40 tournaments a year with potential new partnerships in the Middle East and the former Soviet bloc. And he dismissed the challenge of rival circuit OneAsia, which sprang up in 2009 bringing together the Chinese, South Korean and Australasian tours, and lists 15 events on its schedule for this year. “I don’t think that their fundamentals are sound, I don’t think that they have the right foundation and I don’t think they’re a long-term, ongoing proposition. The Asian Tour is,” said Kerr. “OneAsia itself... is a commercial venture, nothing more than that,” he added. Kerr said the Asian Tour also stands to benefit from golf’s reintroduction to the Olympics in 2016, when players will gain entry through their world rankings. He said not only does the Asian Tour have more events than OneAsia, but they also carry more rankings points.

Javelin kills German official DÜSSELDORF: A sporting official in Germany has died after being struck in the throat by a javelin, police said. The 74-year-old man was adjudicating at a youth athletics event in the western city of Düsseldorf when the incident happened late on Sunday, said police spokesman Andre Hartwig. He was immediately taken to hospital but died of injuries early on Monday, Hartwig said. The local athletics association for Düsseldorf and Neuss identified the man as Dieter Strack. “The popular and experienced sports judge was the victim of a tragic accident while carrying out his duties on 26 August,” the association said on its website. “All of us who were there are horrified and in shock.” Hartwig said the 15-year-old athlete who threw the javelin was receiving psychological counselling. Police have opened an investigation into the official’s death.

PARALYMPIC GAMES

Founder’s ‘far-fetched’ dreams come true Loeffler is honorary mayor of the Paralympic Village, welcoming 4,200 athletes to the sporting event.

KATY LEE Agence France-Presse LONDON: When Eva Loeffler volunteered as a ball girl during a rudimentary wheelchair sports tournament for World War II veterans in 1948, she had no idea the contest would grow into the Paralympic Games. On Tuesday, the disabled sports movement will return to where it all began — Stoke Mandeville Hospital in southern England — for the start of a 24hour torch relay to the Olympic stadium in east London. Ludwig Guttman was a German Jewish neurologist, who escaped Nazi Germany and took his young family to England as refugees, going on to pioneer the use of sport as therapy for soldiers injured in World War II. “They were young, they were

soldiers and they got very bored just sitting around in hospital,” Loeffler, 79, told AFP in an inter-

view just outside the Olympic Park, where the opening ceremony takes place on Wednesday.

“So he started getting them to do sport.” Guttmann had been set to

become the top neurosurgeon in the German city of Hamburg when Adolf Hitler’s regime banned Jewish doctors from working in non-Jewish hospitals in 1933. He became the director of a Jewish hospital in what is now Wroclaw in western Poland. After “Kristallnacht” — the co-ordinated anti-Semitic attacks across Germany on November 9, 1938, which saw thousands of Jews sent to concentration camps — he saved some 60 people’s lives by admitting them to his hospital. Guttmann’s wife was so worried that he would be dragged off to a camp himself that day, their daughter recalled, that she sent him to work wearing a thick coat and heavy boots. The family finally fled to England in 1939.

sports TUESDAY, AUGUST 28, 2012

CORRECT CRICKET

iPad technology to scrutinise bowlers ICC’s initiative would see ‘inertial sensors’ attached to the bowler’s arm to assess the legality of his action. DUBAI: Cricket’s governing body on Monday announced plans to introduce wearable technology usually found in iPads to scrutinise bowlers with suspect bowling actions. The actions of several current and recently retired bowlers have come into question after the International Cricket Council (ICC) allowed a tolerance limit of 15 degrees’ bend to the bowling arm — a relaxation questioned in some quarters. The ICC has announced that it is willing to invest in bowling action technology. “The ICC has entered the second phase of an agreement with a consortium of high-profile Australian cricket, sports science and sports engineering institutions to develop a wearable technology to assess the legality of bowling actions in match and training conditions,” an ICC statement read. Retired pacemen Brett Lee of Australia and Pakistan’s Shoaib Akhtar, as well as Sri Lankan spinner Muttiah Muralitharan, have all had their actions questioned but were

“The ICC is keen to see this technology implemented in elite cricket and believes it will be a significant stride forward in detecting illegal bowling actions in match conditions. David Richardson ICC chief executive cleared on the basis of tolerance limit or existing arm-joint deformity. India’s Harbhajan Singh and Pakistan’s Saeed Ajmal are two highprofile current bowlers whose actions have come under scrutiny on several occasions. The ICC said it was working to address the problem. “The ICC is now working with

experts to produce a process capable of measuring bowlers’ actions in a match environment,” it said. “Known as inertial sensors, they employ similar technology to that used in iPads, mobile phones and car crash impact detection systems. “It is planned the technology will be light, cost-effective and wearable on the bowler’s arm and will not hinder performance, while still allowing information about the throw-like features of an illegal action to be assessed in near real-time in both match and training environments.” Bowlers who have been reported by umpires with a suspicious illegal bowling action are currently required to attend an ICC-approved biomechanics laboratory to assess the amount of elbow extension in their bowling action, the ICC said. “The second phase of the threephase project will conclude in late 2013 and is concerned with the technology’s measurement methods and precision against current laboratory protocols,” the ICC said. AFP

SPORTING SPIRIT

Morgan: Team spirit must come before individual LONDON: England batsman Eoin Morgan (far right) admits Kevin Pietersen’s (right) fall from grace has emphasised the danger of letting individuals undermine team spirit. Pietersen has been cast into exile by England after the controversial batsman infuriated captain Andrew Strauss and coach Andy Flower by sending text messages containing criticism of the duo to South Africa players. The 32-year-old is also reported to have made England newboy James Taylor feel unwelcome when he joined up with the squad, prompting an unnamed senior player to become embroil-

ed in a row with Pietersen. The England and Wales Cricket Board remain tight-lipped about the prospect of Pietersen, who was

dropped from the Test squad due to what Flower described as issues of “trust and mutual respect”, returning to the fold any

time soon. While Morgan wasn’t involved in Test series, the Irishman has been drafted in for the limited overs clashes with South Africa and, after assessing the mood in the camp, he believes it is vital that distractions like the Pietersen saga are quashed quickly to avoid bad feeling speading through the squad. Speaking ahead of Tuesday’s second one-day international in Southampton, Morgan said: “I think Kevin is a world-class cricketer and any team around the world would want him in their side, but there are issues surrounding him at the moment and it will take time to resolve

them. “Personally I didn’t find him difficult but I’ve not been around the Test team a lot. “I think that it is hugely important (to get the situation resolved) because the amount of time we spend together is huge. We spend more time together than with our families, particularly on tour. “It is a huge factor and it has been for the all the successful years we’ve had as the England cricket team.” England already have experience of coping without Pietersen, winning all six matches since his surprise retirement from limitedovers cricket earlier this year. AFP

sports TUESDAY, AUGUST 28, 2012

US OPEN

Federer cruises past Young The top seed, playing in his 52nd consecutive Grand Slam tournament, brushed aside his 81st-ranked opponent, who only last week stopped a run of 17 defeats in a row. NEW YORK: Roger Federer began his campaign to win a record sixth US Open with a comfortable 6-3, 6-2, 6-4 victory on Monday over America’s Donald Young, whose season of under-achievement hit another low. Federer, who won his 17th Grand Slam trophy courtesy of his seventh Wimbledon title in July, goes on to face German veteran Bjorn Phau for a place in the last 32. The Swiss star’s win was also the first step on his way to erasing the disappointment of 2011, when he squandered a two-setsto-love lead and match points to lose to eventual champion Novak Djokovic in the semifinals. “It hurt like crazy to lose like that, but Novak deserved the title. He was the man of the year,” said Federer, whose win on Monday was also his 22nd in 22 night session outings at the US Open. “But I played fantastic at Wimbledon and to come back here as world number one again is crazy. I’m the big favorite, so I hope to put up a great fight and continue to enjoy myself.” Federer won five titles in succession in New York from 2004 to 2008, but was runner-up to Juan Martin del Potro in 2009 before Rafael Nadal and Djokovic

Djokovic favourite, not me, says Roger

claimed the two most recent editions. Young, meanwhile, will see his world ranking slump to around 120 next week as a consequence of his failure to match his best performance at a major, a run to the last 16 in 2011. But Federer had words of encouragement for the defeated American. “He’s a great player, but maybe he needs to understand the tour more, about the grind of the outside courts,” he said. AFP

Results (x is seeding) Men — 1st round n Roger Federer (SWI x1) bt Donald Young (USA) 6-3, 6-2, 6-4 n Andy Murray (GBR x3) bt Alex Bogomolov (RUS) 6-2, 6-4, 6-1 n Kei Nishikori (JPN x17) bt Guido Andreozzi (ARG) 6-1, 6-2, 6-4 Women — 1st round n Victoria Azarenka (BLR x1) bt Alexandra Panova (RUS) 6-0, 6-1

n Sorana Cirstea (ROM) bt Sabine Lisicki (GER x16) 4-6, 6-2, 6-2 n Li Na (CHN x9) bt Heather Watson (GBR) 6-2, 6-3 n Samantha Stosur (AUS x7) bt Petra Martic (CRO) 6-1, 6-1 n Maria Sharapova (RUS x3) bt Melinda Czink (HUN) 6-2, 6-2 n Marion Bartoli (FRA x11) bt Jamie Hampton (USA) 6-3, 7-6 (7/5)

Clijsters advances at farewell event JIM SLATER Agence France-Presse

NEW YORK: Three-time US Open champion Kim Clijsters is ready to give up the globe-trotting tennis star life at the age of 29 in order to spend more time as a wife and mother. But first, she’s going to give winning a Grand Slam title one last try. The Belgian star began the final tournament of her WTA career by defeating American

teen Victoria Duval 6-3, 6-1 on Monday on the same Arthur Ashe Stadium court where she captured US Open crowns in 2005, 2009 and 2010. “It’s going in the upward direction,” Clijsters said of her game, citing her comfort with New York and the courts as well as a strong week of practice. “I was playing a lot better in the second set.” Clijsters, whose Grand Slam title haul also includes last year’s

Australian Open, stretched her US Open win streak to 22 matches. She has not lost at the US Open since falling to compatriot Justine Henin in the 2003 final. But she also has missed five of the past eight Flushing Meadows fortnights due to injury or retirement breaks. “I’ve trained very hard for the past year to try and stay in shape. I’m not worried that I’m not physically ready for it,” Clijsters said.

Roger Federer began his campaign for a record sixth US Open with an easy win over Donald Young, but insisted Novak Djokovic remains hot favourite to deny him an 18th major. Top seed Federer, playing in his 52nd consecutive Grand Slam tournament, brushed aside 81st-ranked Young, who only last week stopped a run of 17 defeats in a row but who now stands at three wins and 22 losses in 2012. Federer, who won his 17th Grand Slam trophy courtesy of his seventh Wimbledon title in July, goes on to face German veteran Bjorn Phau for a place in the last 32. The Swiss star’s win was also the first step on his way to erasing the disappointment of 2011, when he squandered a two-sets-to-love lead and match points to lose to eventual champion Djokovic in the semi-finals. And he remains wary of the danger posed by his great Serb rival. “For me, Novak goes in as the favourite because he’s the defending champion. He’s probably won most titles on hard courts in the last couple of years. It’s where he feels most comfortable,” said the world number one, adding, “He’s beaten me the last couple of years here as well. It’s strange for me to be the favourite just after beating him a couple of times.”

TUESDAY, AUGUST 28, 2012

sports

BASKETBALL PLAYER’S OLYMPIC MEDAL STOLEN

MOSCOW: A bronze medal was stolen from a Russian basketball player who recently led the national team to third place in the Olympics. Vitaly Fridzon, 26, told police that his home outside Moscow was broken into and that the thieves also took watches, a laptop, a camera and an iPad.

SPANISH SUPER CUP

SPANISH LEAGUE

Falcao hat-trick sees off Athletic

Real pressure after defeat

The Basque side were seeking revenge for defeat in Bucharest last season. TIM HANLON Agence France-Presse MADRID: Colombian hotshot Radamel Falcao (right) hit a hattrick as Atletico Madrid cruised to a 4-0 victory on Monday over Athletic Bilbao, their opponents in last season’s Europa League final. The Atletico forward line and in particular Falcao came out on top. Falcao hit a double in the 30 European final and got his first on Monday night after 20 minutes. He swivelled around Mikel San Jose and clipped the ball over the keeper Gorka Iraizoz from a tight angle. Uncertainty prevails at Athletic Bilbao with the futures of Fernando Llorente and Javi Martinez in the air and the team appeared unsure of themselves especially in defence where Martinez did so well last season. Martinez and Llorente have been excluded from the squad until a final decision is made on whether they stay or go. Falcao headed over before adding his second before half time when he tucked the ball home at the far post from a deep cross from Diego Godin. Athletic were in disarray after the break and a handball

The 2-1 defeat at Getafe on Sunday night means Real are five points behind Barca. DERMOT LEDWITH Agence France-Presse MADRID: Real Madrid go into Wednesday’s Spanish Super Cup second-leg against rivals Barcelona knowing a victory is the only option if they are to take the first title of the season. Anything less will add to a disappointing start to a campaign in which Madrid are yet to win in 3 games, including the 3-2 defeat to Barca in the first-leg at the Nou Camp last Thursday. Jose Mourinho (right) called the defeat at Getafe ‘unacceptable’ while refusing to blame refereeing decisions for the defeat, as he had done in the first-leg claiming Barca’s first goal to be offside.

In the last games we have worked more than ever on defending dead ball situations, with only 2 days to go until the next game we can’t do anymore. Jose Mourinho Real Madrid coach He is looking for a response from his players, especially at dead balls where they have conceded

WORLD CUP COUNTDOWN

Brazil will show no mercy to hooligans RIO DE JANEIRO: With 10 months to go to the Confederations Cup and as the countdown starts to the 2014 World Cup, Brazilian officials said on Monday that they will not tolerate fan violence. The country, which lasted hosted the World Cup in 1950, is setting up a specialist police investigation centre to deal with cases of hooliganism, secretary for security affairs for Rio state, Jose Mariano Beltrame, told reporters, adding it would be based in the swish suburb of Leblon. The news came on the heels of several outbreaks of fan vio-

lence at club level, with 21 knuckle duster-wielding fans of Fluminense arrested on Sunday for attacking two fans of another local side, Vasco da Gama. AFP

goals in both their league games to date. “In the last games we have worked more than ever on defending dead ball situations, with only two days to go until the next game (against Barca) we can’t do anymore, it’s up to the players to do their jobs,” he said. One piece of good news for Madrid was the end of the summer-long transfer saga involving Luka Modric’s move to the Spanish capital from Tottenham Hotspur. Modric was finally presented to Madrid fans on Monday, perhaps too late to make an appearance in Wednesday’s game.

by Carlos Gurpegi led to Falcao completing his hat-trick from the penalty spot. The home side had a hatful of chances but their only further goal came from substitute Tiago Cardoso. Newly-promoted Valladolid continued their 100 per cent start to the season after two penalties gave them a 2-0 victory over ten-man Levante. Angel Rodriguez had a couple of good openings to give the visitors the lead but the game turned in the 37th minute when defender David Navarro conceded a penalty for handball and was given his second yellow card. AFP

CHANGING GUARD

Spurs close in on Lloris The transfer is expected to cost Spurs 15 million euros (£11.88 million, $18.78 million), which was the minimum fee demanded by Lyon. LYON: Lyon are close to reaching an agreement with Tottenham Hotspur over the sale of their French international goalkeeper Hugo Lloris (right), OL president Jean-Michel Aulas revealed on Monday. Lloris’ departure is linked to the sale of Tottenham’s Croatian midfielder Luka Modric to Real Madrid for a fee of around 30 million euros, which was announced earlier on Monday. “The sale of Modric from Tottenham to Madrid is important, as is the amount of the transfer,” said Aulas. “It’s true that on Sunday we

had a lot of contact with (Tottenham chairman) Daniel Levy. Things progressed during

these talks, both qualitatively and quantitatively, but nothing’s concrete yet. AFP