THURSDAY, AUGUST 1, 2013 HYDERABAD
WWW.POSTNOON.COM
WEATHER: CLOUDY WITH A FEW SHOWERS; 21°C
32 PAGES
`3
HYDERABAD’S FIRST COMPACT AFTERNOON NEWSPAPER
‘BRAND’ SCHOOLS
FACE AN EXISTENTIAL CRISIS
Leading corporate education brands are caught up in a situation where they must open their branches immediately in both Telangana and Seemandhra. If they don’t, they face a very unsure future indeed.
REPORT ON P6
‘HYDERABAD WAS BUILT BY US TOO’
The sudden eruption of anger in Rayala-Andhra against the division of the State is due to Hyderabad. Seemandhra leaders say they sweated and spent huge money making Hyderabad what it is today, and overnight asking them to forget it is cruel. Congress leaders sitting in Delhi have no right to barter our rights for nothing, they argue.
PG 3
2
THURSDAY, AUGUST 1, 2013
city events
AN AGE OF INNOCENCE
An exhibition by Jaya Javeri depicting playfulness, fantasy, nature and childhood memories will be held. Where: Ginger Lily, Radisson Blu Plaza When: Aug 3 onwards, 11.30 am onwards; Contact: 6733 1133
Weather for Hyderabad
Evening
Overnight
Morning
Afternoon
25°C
21°C
24°C
30°C
A mix of cloudy and clear skies
A mix of cloudy and clear skies.
A mix of cloud and sun. Windy.
Cloudy with sunny periods
New Delhi Mumbai Max 34 Max 27 Min 28 Min 25 Scattered thunderstorms
Chennai Max 35 Min 27
Cloudy with chances of thunderstorms
Mostly cloudy
Bangalore Max 25 Min 19
Cloudy with chances of thunderstorms.
AROUND THE CITY: YOUR GUIDE TO THE TWIN CITIES 7pm onwards Contact: 99899 23763
SALE Monsoon sale Upto 80% discount on books, magazines, and stationery and gift items. Where: Oxford Bookstore, Tresorie, The Park When: August 1 to September 1, 10 am to 8 pm Contact: 31002959/60
Tea flavours Try the tea flavours of Budlabeta,
Hapjan and Khobong Sessa. Where: Oxford Bookstore, The Park, 22 Rajbhavan Road When: July 29 onwards Contact: 8790432354
SHOWS THREAD BY THREAD: A woman is seen operating the loom as she prepares for the IKAT art mela 2013 being organised by the Pochampally Handloom Park from August 2 onwards at the State Gallery of Fine Arts.
EXHIBITION Fun learning art Workshops on creative writing, origami mathematics and making paper are being organised by Adhya Educational Society for ages 3-8. Where: Our Sacred Space, Secunderabad When: Aug 4 9 am to 7 pm Contact: 88975 41237
Prenatal care Yoga classes for expecting mothers’ wellness will be held. . Where: The Birthplace, Banjara Hills,
World of Colours Workshop on drawing and water colour, oil and acrylic painting for housewives . Where: Inspire Painting Institute When: Ongoing Contact: 89777 72524
GAS BOOKING IVRS NO HP 9666023456 Indane 9848824365 BSNL Complaints HMWS & SB Complaints
198 155313
POLICE CONTROL ROOM Hyderabad 27852435 Traffic Control Room 27852482 DCP Traffic 23234065, 23243499F Pollution Control Board 23887500 ELECTRICITY General Complaints Breakdown Section
155333 23431178 23431179
MUNICIPAL CORPORATION
DINING Parantha festival Haldi at Novotel Airport is hosting a parantha festival titled Parantha Overload. The parantha festival on till August 15, offers a variety of paranthas in both vegetarian and non-vegetarian combinations. Where: Novotel Airport, Shamshabad When: Ongoing, 6.30pm Contact: (040) 6625 0000 Good Seeds Bazar The organic bazar by Good Seeds, held every Sunday, will be organised. List of items can be subscribed on
Commissioner & Spl Officer
Helpline
Rd No 2 When: Aug 3, 11.30 Contact: 98855 69459
23262266 24166666R ENC 23225267 Engineering 23220418 MCH Tankbund 23225397 Emergency MCH Circle I&II 24525842 MCH Circle III 24736912 MCH Circle IV 23326975 MCH Circle V 23326976 MCH Circle VI MCH Complaints 1100 Head Office 23225397 IVRS CUM MANUAL ENQUIRY PHONE NUMBERS (TRAIN & RESERVATION) RAILWAYS Rail Nilayam 27833169, 27824216 Railway Information 131 Reservations 135 Recorded Information 1345 Enquiry (IVRS) 1331, 1332, 1333
WATER SUPPLY Complaint Cell Sewerage Complaint Hyd. Water Supply HOSPITAL General Hospital, Sec-bad Niloufer Hospital, Red Hills NIMS, Director, Punjagutta Osmania General Hospital Railway Hospital, Lalaguda Apollo, Jubilee Hills Care Hospital, Banjara Hills Care Hospital, Nampally Care Hospital, Musheerabad Care Hospital, Sec-bad Kamineni Hospital, LB Nagar
155313 23307328 23313163
27505566 23314095 23390933 24600146 27001134 23607777 30418888 30417777 30419000 30416666 39879999
BLOOD BANKS Blood Bank,Narayanguda Chiranjeevi Blood Bank Blood Bank Mediton Goal Red Cross, Vidyanagar ADRM Blood Bank Mythri Charitable Trust NTR Memorial Trust Care Banjara Hills
info@goodseeds.in. Handloom products will also be available this time. Where: Saptaparini, Banjara Hills When: Aug 4, 10.30pm to 2 pm Contact: 97044 96664 Street mania A joyous line of street food from across India will be served for street food lovers. Where: The Square, Novotel Convention, Hitech city When: Aug 2, 6.30 pm Contact: 6682 4422 Love for Kebabs An array of delicious kebabs will be served in Friday special Kebab festival. Where: Basil, Banjara Hills, Rd No 2 When: Aug 2,
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
Theatre festival The seventh edition of the multi-lingual theatre festival — Abhinaya National Theatre Festival will be held from August 16 to August 19. Where: Ravindra Bharathi, Saifabad When: August 16 onwards 6.30pm onwards Contact: (040) 2323 1245 Play pursuits Jokhad (The Burden), a play in Marathi will be staged. Where: Marathi Granth Sangrahalaya, Near Koti Woman's College, Koti When: August 4, 2013 at 7.30 pm Contact: 9949058292
ART Freezing moments Andhra Pradesh Photographic Society will be holding an exhibition. Where: From August 2 to 6 When: 11 am to 8 pm
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
THURSDAY, AUGUST 1, 2013
news
YESTERDAY’S QUESTION
WILL THE CONGRESS STEAL TRS’S THUNDER? YES (A)
61% 39%
TODAY’S QUESTION
WILL SMALLER STATES RESULT IN BETTER ADMINISTRATION? A)
YES
B)
NO
NO (B)
To vote visit www.postnoon.com
ROW OVER HYDERABAD
3
It’s all about Hyderabad The sudden eruption of anger in the Rayala-Andhra against the division of the State is due to Hyderabad. Seemandhra leaders say they sweated and spent huge money making Hyderabad what it is today, and overnight asking them to let it go is cruel. Congress leaders sitting in Delhi have no right to set our rights at their whims, they argue.
Mixed response "The Andhra and Rayalaseema leaders have got a great opportunity to develop their region. The creation of new Andhra Pradesh state will have huge development opportunities for the people of these regions. They will have 1 lakh new jobs besides witnessing huge infrastructure development." PL Srinivas
AROUND THE
Protest to go on
CITY
C
ongress MLA CK Babu from Chittoor district vows to carry on with the agitation.
Elated YSRCP
O
n the other hand, the dominant YSRCP is an elated lot as it is hoping to get huge turnout of votes in the next general elections.
party would suffer huge loss in our region. It would benefit only TDP and not YSRCP. The reason for this is that the people are seeing YS Jagan as corrupt person who is lodged in jail and Naidu as a leader who ruled the State for nine long years as CM," said one of them. On the other hand, the dominant YSRCP is an elated lot as it is hoping to get huge turnout of votes
Md INKESHAF AHMED ahmed.m@gmail.com HYDERABAD: Seemandhra leaders are reflecting the apprehension of Seemandhra investors in Hyderabad. They say it was a cruel joke on them that their 65 years of toil is bartered at one stroke of a pen for nothing. "We are not against formation of Telangana state if the Centre had made Hyderabad a union territory. We spent our entire life for the development of the city. We gave it Hitec City, International airport, thousands of crores of investment in various industries. But the Centre deprived us of all this by its sudden decision. We can’t digest it. The people of our region are agitating for this precise reason. Their agitation is genuine and not politicians' driven," former APCC Mahila Wing chief and former MLC Ganga Bhavani said. She wanted a huge package
to make another Hyderabad as capital for Seemandhra. Postnoon’s talk with a few other Seemandhra leaders brought out the same anger and fear. “It is about Hyderabad,” admitted a Congress MP. However, party MLA CK Babu from Chittoor district vows to carry on with the agitation.
OPPOSITION IS GLAD While the sudden Seemandhra eruption gives anxious moments to the ruling Congress leaders, the Opposition parties — the TDP, the BJP and the YSRC parties believe the mass anger may translate into antiCongress votes and therefore good for them. However, none of them see any prolonged agitation in the offing. The TDP's state organising secretary PL Srinivas wanted the Seemandhra region to spend their energy in defeating the Congress and building the region anew. "The Andhra and
Rayalaseema leaders have got a great opportunity to develop their region. The creation of new Andhra Pradesh state will have huge development opportunities for the people of these regions. They will have 1 lakh new jobs besides witnessing huge infrastructure development," PL demanded the central government to allocate `5 lakh crore for the development of Seemandhra region as suggested by TDP Supremo Naidu. " Our party president asked the center to give `5 lakh crore. It will help in the development of the two regions," he said. TDP leaders also hope that the party would win the next general elections by cashing in on the anti-congress sentiment of the people instead of YSRCP. Surprisingly, similar was the reaction of Congress leader from Andhra region. There is a palpable fear among Congress leaders in Seemandhra that the party would suffer loss of goodwill." There is no doubt that our
in the next general elections. " Yes, we will benefit from the ongoing agitaitions in the next general elections. The people would vote for our party and bury rival congress and TDP completely," YSR Congress Party Leader and MLC Jupudi Prabhakar said. Reacting to the reports of his party's merger with the ruling congress, Rao said that it would never happen.
4
News THURSDAY, AUGUST 1, 2013 LAST YEAR... HERE ORR death toll
L
ast year we had reported how the death toll on the Outer Ring Road was mounting, crimes were becoming rampant on the roads there and construction of many parts left unfinished. The ORR is a favourite racing ground for many of those who love speed and there is no one to check them. Today, the deaths continue piling up and crime goes on unabated.
AUGUST 1, 2012
NUMEROLOGY
POSTNOON SPECIAL
CHINA
Tricky challenges to T-state Forming a well-trained and equipped constabulary is the prime need of any state and Telangana faces a grave task.
`8,000 cr
is needed for the rehabilitation plan to make villages in Uttarakhand habitable.The Uttarakhand CM demanded this amount as part of the Kedarnath restoration plan.
Obviously growing up in England in the 70s and 80s there was some trouble and all these racist remarks one heard. You never felt 100% accepted. It is just a feeling that you lack a sense of belonging. Sukhi Dhanda, photographer, See page 11
THINGS WE 5LEARNT TODAY The column that teaches everyone something new about the way the world functions.
1
The division of the state constabulary The State police may share 40-60 proportion in which 40 percent would go to Telangana and the 60 to Seemandhra.
2
China aims to retake disputed islands through a game The game developed by the Chinese features the East China Sea islands known as Diaoyu by Beijing and Senkaku by Tokyo.
3
Where do we open schools now? Quite a dilemma. Big brand educational institutions are in a sudden expansion mode for survival. Pressure is mounting on them to open their institutions in Seemandhra immediately and Telangana.
4
Realisation hits former IMF chief Strauss-Khan Dominique Strauss-Khan declared on Russian television that politics for him was in the past.
5
Uruguay government will now be selling weed. Uruguay’s controversial bill for the first time would put a government in charge of production and distribution of legal marijuana.
Mohd SHUBHAN mohd.s@postnoon.com HYDERABAD: There is good and bad news for the State constabulary. If you want good news first here it is. As the State police get divided, the force will be divided on the basis of norms of 80-20 (80 per cent local and 20 per cent non local), rank and file will stand a chance for faster promotions. The bad news (only for police, not for masses) is that there would be much dislocation among the police rank and officials. Of the nearly one lakh constabulary, the State police may share 40-60 proportion in which 40 per cent would go to Telangana and 60 to Seemandhra. This would facilitate speedier promotions. By all indications, officers calculate that the qualifying marks of 80 per cent will come down to some 40-50 per cent after division. But the regional balance will be upset and the days ahead pose a serious challenge to the government and the director general of police.
AROUND THE
CITY
This apart, there is a host of problems and apprehensions among senior police force that Telangana does not produce enough IPS officers while the new state confronts virulent Maoist threats. It would take a decade or two to make a well-equipped
police force for Telangana. At the moment there are only 10 IPS officers from Telangana region and 10 IPS are promotes. The new state would require twice the number. Besides, if the past is any indication, it would be a tough task to find wellqualified and talented rank from Telangana. “The new state will face many challenges from law and order,” was the crisp remark of a senior IPS officer.
What the officers say amounts to this: n There would be tough
battle between the BJP and the MIM and the result will be communal clashes. n This is evident with MIM suddenly supporting T after opposing it all throughout. n Eight out of 10 districts are infested with Maoist/Naxal problem. l Hundreds of villages are already under their thumb. The neo-state
will take a long time to acclimatise with the situation and counter it. l The state can slip into the fate of Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh. n With Hyderabad remaining joint capital, Telangana would not get the full benefits of revenue from Hyderabad. Unless the Centre comes up with a massive fund, the State would suffer a great many problems.
Players can win disputed islands in game SHANGHAI: A video game backed by China’s military that lets players fight enemy forces in islands disputed between Beijing and Tokyo was set for release Thursday. Glorious Mission Online, China’s answer to Call of Duty, marks the 86th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA). The game, an online version of an earlier first-person shooter used by the PLA to train troops, features the East China Sea islands known as Diaoyu by Beijing and Senkaku by Tokyo. Tensions have been mountAROUND THE
WORLD
ing over the islands, which are claimed by China but controlled by Japan. Beijing’s vessels regularly sail into the disputed waters and, according to state media, tell Japanese ships they are encroaching on its territory. A press release for the game says: “Players... will fight alongside Chinese armed forces and use weapons to tell the Japanese that ‘Japan must return our stolen territory!’” Images from the game’s website are labelled “Guard the Diaoyu islands”, and a trailer posted online features shots of Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. The release comes at a time of increased fears over the PLA’s expansion amongst China’s neighbours — Beijing is also in dispute with several countries in the South China Sea. AFP
CITY BRIEFS Former AP education minister dead
17-year-old girl commits Auto driver beaten up by Protests and shutdown suicide neighbours continue in Seemandhra
Former education minister of Andhra Pradesh and MLC PV Ranga Rao passed away following a heart attack, family sources said. He was 78. Ranga Rao, the eldest son of former prime minister late PV Narsimha Rao, was once the education minister. He was twice MLC from Hanamkonda in Warangal.
A minor girl allegedly committed suicide by setting herself ablaze on Tuesday at her home in Saif Colony in Pahadishareef area. She was admitted to the hospital with severe burns where she died yesterday. Police were told that the 17-yearold took this extreme step following her parents’ insistence to get her married against her wishes.
An autorickshaw driver by name Ramu, 30, a resident of Bowenpally was allegedly beaten up by his neighbours, Shehkar and Kiran, for objecting to the duo playing loud music and creating nuisance. Ramu is said to have confronted them and asked them to lower the volume. Enraged the two attacked him. Bowenpally police are investigating.
Protests and shutdown continued for the second day on Thursday in Rayalaseema and Andhra against the Centre’s decision to divide AP to carve out a separate Telangana state. Shops, business establishments and educational institutions remained closed while buses were off the roads for the second consecutive day in all major towns of Seemandhra.
5
News THURSDAY, AUGUST 1, 2013
CIVIC
CORRUPTION
GHMC goes tech savvy The off-site real-time urban governance monitoring system uses the ubiquitous cellphone as a major component. POSTNOON NEWS feedback@postnoon.com HYDERABAD: The Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) claims to be the first to use a real-time urban governance monitoring system at any level of government to attend to citizens’ complaints and increase the efficiency of civic services. The off-site real-time (OSRT) monitoring system uses the ubiquitous cell phone as a major component. GPRS technology allows cellphones to capture real-time images of public servants at work or public sites under inspection, with the date, time and location of the picture. These images are instantly transmitted to a central server and are available in the public domain. Garbage collection, for instance, which is outsourced to private contractors can be easily monitored using this system. The private contractor collects the garbage and brings it to dumper bins from where it is taken to
AROUND THE
CITY
transfer stations. The corporation takes over from here and transfers the waste to the main dump yards. Around 4,000 bins have to be cleared; 16,000 workers are employed for this work. But there
was no way of ascertaining whether the bins were cleared regularly or whether workers reported regularly for work. With the introduction of the OSRT system, the supervisor uses his cell phone to take a picture when the workers show up for work, and uploads it on the GHMC server. The state of the bins can be similarly verified. The GHMC estimates that
dumper bin lifting for transport to transfer stations has increased from 76 per cent to 98 per cent and that worker attendance has gone up from 85 per cent to 95 per cent. Citizens can also make complaints and get the outcome using their cell phones. The complaint is text-messaged in by the citizen. It goes to the concerned ward officer and corporator. Once the fault is rectified, the status is uploaded and the report posted online. A message is sent to the complainant and the corporator. All complaints have to be attended to within 48 hours or the concerned official is fined. Compliance with building permissions — a hotbed of corruption — can also be better monitored. Real-time images are taken every 15 days at various stages of construction to check whether the builder is sticking to the sanctioned building plan. Illegalities can thus be clearly detected, though commensurate punishment remains in fallible human hands.
REEF CONSERVATION
ROLAND LLOYD PARRY Agence France-Presse MADRID: Lawmakers will grill Spain's Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy on Thursday, demanding explanations over a corruption scandal that has sparked calls for him to quit. The affair threatens to destabilise his government which is battling to strengthen the public finances of the eurozone's fourthbiggest economy, and is anxiously watched by its neighbours. Rajoy, 58, who took power in 2011, has denied receiving illegal payments from his conservative Popular Party and refused to step down. The allegations come from the party's former treasurer, Luis Barcenas, who has named him in AROUND THE
WORLD
Oz opens ‘world’s smartest’ aquarium This is a vital weapon in protecting the reef and Australia's vast territorial waters. SYDNEY: A major research aquarium able to simulate ocean warming and carry out key studies on the deadly crown-ofthorns starfish devastating the Great Barrier Reef opened in Australia on Thursday. The Aus$35 million (US$31.4 million) National Sea Simulator, or SeaSim, was unveiled in the northern city of Townsville by Industry Minister Kim Carr, who said it was a vital weapon in protecting the reef and Australia's vast territorial waters. The Australian Institute of
Lawmakers to grill Spanish PM on scandal
the scandal. After months of damaging leaks in the press and under pressure from political opponents who threatened a no-confidence vote, Rajoy bowed to calls to explain himself publicly. "I want to give an explanation and recount everything that has happened and give my side of the story... to all the citizens," he said on July 22. His appearance will focus not only on the Barcenas affair, he said, but also on Spain's economic outlook, which has improved recently. Rajoy's political opponents however say they will not let him use the economic news to duck what for them is the real issue, the Barcenas affair.
Marine Science (AIMS), where SeaSim is housed, has labelled it as the "world's smartest aquarium". It has an "awesome" array of technology on offer, according to AIMS principal research scientist Mike Hall. "What we've built takes the best in the world and adds new technologies and an incredible level of automation and control." Hall said researchers would be able to tweak a sophisticated array of parameters in the SeaSim tanks, including water temperature and acidity, salinity, lighting,
nutrient levels, and water quality to test a range of hypotheses. "It still has walls, unlike the open ocean. But it will fast-track marine discovery," he said. Tackling the predatory crown-of-thorns starfish responsible for widespread damage to the Barrier Reef would be a key priority for the simulator, according to AIMS chief John Gunn. Coral cover on the embattled
reef — which is facing a world heritage downgrade from UNESCO — has halved in the past 27 years, with the starfish blamed for 42 per cent of the damage. The government has funded a culling programme for the coral predators, which are naturally-occurring but have proliferated due to pollution and run-off. Canberra formally downgraded the reef's health from moderate to poor last month, with cyclones and floods depleting water quality and reducing coral cover. AFP
Chandy, Chennithala patch-up in final stage
Bodh Gaya temple dome to be inlaid with gold
Caste, crime, cash fuel UP politics: Ajit Singh
Nearly 13,000 women raped in Assam in 8 yrs
Three bookies nabbed in Goa
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM:
PATNA: The dome of the 1,500-year old Mahabodhi temple that was rocked by a string of bombings in July, will be inlaid with gold thanks to an offer made by a pilgrim, Bihar CM Nitish Kumar said Thursday. "The ASI has accepted the proposal of a Buddhist pilgrim with certain terms and condition to decorate the Mahabodhi temple's dome with gold," he said.
VRINDAVAN: Taking a swipe at former chief ministers of Uttar Pradesh, Rashtriya Lok Dal president and union Civil Aviation Minister Ajit Singh said that Mulayam Singh, Mayawati and Kalyan Singh were responsible for the state's backwardness. He also criticised the caste conferences organised by Mayawati and Mulayam Singh.
GUWAHATI: Nearly 13,000 women have been raped in the last eight years in Assam, official sources said. State Home Department officials said 12,857 women were raped between 2005 and May 2013 and 59 of them were killed after rape. Of the 8,181 cases filed against rape, 76 per cent of them were acted upon, the officials said.
PANAJI: Three bookies were arrested from Miramar beach for accepting bets on the one-day cricket match between Sri Lanka and South Africa, police said. Police Inspector Rajendra Prabhudesai said the trio—Sunil Shukla, Hitesh Desai and Hitesh Jatakia—all hailing from Mumbai, were caught accepting bets last night.
AROUND THE
WORLD
NATION BRIEFS The Congress high command is all set to settle the thorny issues between Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy and state party chief Ramesh Chennithala. Chandy is set to return to Delhi Thursday evening to finalise a cabinet berth for Chennithala, who has been camping in the national capital for the past few days.
6
News THURSDAY, AUGUST 1, 2013
EDUCATION
T split dilemma— expand or perish Leading corporate education brands are caught up in a situation where they must open their branches immediately in both Telangana and Seemandhra. The future is bleak.
ALEENA ALICE aleena.t@postnoon.com HYDERABAD: Big brand educational institutions are in a sudden expansion mode for survival. Pressure is mounting on them to open their institutions in Seemandhra immediately and Telangana after a while. “We are asked by parents to locate our school in Vizag. There is a palpable fear among RayalaSeemandhra parents that their wards might suffer if they continued in Hyderabad,” said an educationist of one of the five leading brands in the City. While a lot is being spoken about how badly the education sector is hit because of the bifurcation of the state, corporate educational institutions are trying to make the most of it. If there is competition among any educational institution, it is majorly among the corporate junior colleges. They have been
in cut-throat competition with each other. So far many of the corporate colleges, especially institutions offering professional educational courses have been concentrating on establishing and coming up
with more institutions in the City. However, now with the bifurcation of the State they have been suddenly caught up in a decisional jam where they must decide to expand or perish. Some of the leading institu-
REALITY BITES
My political career is over: Strauss-Kahn AROUND THE
WORLD
MOSCOW: Former IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn declared in an interview broadcast Wednesday on Russian television that his political career was over and he was instead working as an economic advisor. “Politics for me is in the past,” Strauss-Kahn, who resigned from the IMF’s top job in 2011 after being accused of sexual assault in a New York hotel, told state news channel Rossiya 24 in an interview. “Today, I am working as an advisor to big companies in numerous countries in all the corners of the world — in Russia, Africa and Latin America,” he added. “I try my best to fulfil my role and give the most accurate advice possible,” he said in the interview, which was conducted in French but dubbed into Russian. Strauss-Kahn was in July suddenly appointed a member of the board of directors at two Russian state-controlled financial institutions — the Russian Fund for Direct Investment and the Russian Bank for Regional Development, the latter controlled by oil giant Rosneft. AFP
Serbia contacts Kahn BELGRADE: Serbia’s Deputy Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic said Wednesday he spoke with shamed former IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn over a possibile advising position in the government. “We spoke very briefly about a possibility of cooperation,” Vucic told B92 private television channel. Strauss-Kahn “will certainly not be a minister, but he could be an adviser” and help the government “deal with public debt” and other economic issues, Vucic said, giving no further details. AFP
tional brands have decided to come up with new branches in districts in Seemandhra region, which all this while was not on their radar of these institutions. Places like Ongole, Prakasam, and Srikakulam in the Andhra region and places like Khamam, Nalagonda and Wrangal in the Telangana region are being sort after now. According to sources, corporate colleges like Narayana and Chaitanya will very soon be inaugurating new branches in Warangal. Since the situation at the moment is volatile in the state, there is anxiety about the future of the educational system is Telanagana as well as Andhra regions. However educationalist say that there will not be much changes and infact because of the increase in the competition there are high chances of colleges reducing their fee structure to beat the competition. “The situation in Hyderabad
AROUND THE
CITY
Since the situation at the moment is volatile in the state, there is anxiety about the future of the educational system is Telanagana as well as Andhra regions. will not change, nor will the number of institutions here decrease. However in places where these colleges are venturing into will be a blessing in disguise for parents. Since the competition in those areas will increase, colleges will slash their fee structures drastically,” says educationalist Prof. P Satyanarayana.
7
News THURSDAY, AUGUST 1, 2013
SYDNEY NURSING HOME FIRE
Man jailed sans parole
IS THIS YOU?
Roger Dean, a nurse at the facility, pleaded guilty to 11 counts of murder. SYDNEY: A man convicted of deliberately lighting a blaze that ripped through a Sydney nursing home, killing 11 elderly residents, was Thursday sentenced to life in jail with no chance of parole. Roger Dean, a nurse at the facility, pleaded guilty to 11 counts of murder, telling police after the fire in 2011 that he had been “corrupted with evil thoughts". “You won’t believe it, but it was like Satan saying to me that it’s the right thing to do and I try very hard to not do that," he said. He also admitted eight
AROUND THE
WORLD
counts of causing grievous bodily harm to other mostly infirm residents of the home, some of whom suffered from dementia or were blind. Judge Megan Latham said the 37-year-old’s crimes were in the worst category, calling them “heinous", “atrocious” and “greatly reprehensible” with his victims vulnerable and elderly people who were under his care. “The pain and terror suffered by all of the victims must have been horrific," she said.
A police officers checks the ID of a demonstrator during a march in front of the Public Ministry building in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on July 31, 2013. The protestor’s demands include better healthcare and the resignation of Rio de Janeiro governor Sergio Cabral. AFP/YASUYOSHI CHIBA
CHILD TRAFFICKING
Between the lost and the rescued Facial recognition software is the only way to connect children that are missing and children that are being rescued, say activists. Government officials agree, but it is beyond their budget. PADMINI C Padmini.c@postnoon.com HYDERABAD: Over the past few years, Hyderabad has emerged as a destination in the South for child traffickers. Girls missing in neighbouring states like Orissa or Karnataka, or even the State’s own districts are found making their way to brothels in the city. Young girls from socio-economically backward communities are either lured or forced into leaving their families with the promise of a better life and then lured into the flesh trade. Despite a number of initiatives and interventions by the state and nongovernmental actors, little headway has been made to tackle the problem. It is estimated that over 40,000 women including 15,000 children out of which almost 60 per cent were girls, went missing in the last four years.
One of the strongest measures to get a handle on the problem was the launch of the missing children’s portal last year which helped families of the children, the police, NGOs and res-
cue homes come together on a common platform. “The portal bridges the gap between families looking for their lost children and the rescued children who are to be traced back to their fami-
lies,” explains a CID official, who designed the website. As effective as the portal has proven to be, it still suffers from a major loophole: inadequate technology. From the time a girl leaves her family, to when she is rescued from sex trade and ends up in a home, she goes through so many aliases that her identity is completely altered, making it almost impossible for her family to find her. “For instance, a girl named Jyoti is registered as a missing child. The girl’s name is changed to Reshma. When she’s finally rescued, fearing repercussions, she usually states another name, say Pooja. Her details are also uploaded on the website alongside a blurry picture with the same name. But her parents most likely won’t find her because they’re still looking for a Jyoti," says Dr Bhavani, of the NGO Plan International.
AROUND THE
CITY
It is estimated that over 40,000 women including 15,000 children out of which almost 60 per cent were girls, went missing in the last four years. So what is the solution? Facial recognition software. It is the only way to connect children that are missing and children that are being rescued, say activists. Government officials agree, but admit it is beyond their budget.
WORLD BRIEFS Cabinet orders police to end pro-Morsi sit-in
Oz PNG asylum-seeker solution takes effect
Japan deputy PM retracts Nazi remarks
‘Investigate gurdwara attack as hate crime’
Bangla forces have killed 150 since Feb: HRW
CAIRO: Egypt’s cabinet Wednesday ordered a police crackdown on protests by ousted president Mohamed Morsi’s loyalists, as European envoys headed for Cairo to try to ease tensions between the army-installed government and Islamists. The order to the interior minister raised the prospect of a dangerous showdown.
SYDNEY: The first asylum-seekers to be sent to Papua New Guinea under Australia’s new hardline refugee policy arrived in the impoverished Pacific nation Thursday. Their arrival brought into effect a bilateral agreement that asylumseekers arriving in Australia on illegal boats will be sent to PNG for processing and resettled there.
TOKYO: Japan’s gaffe-prone deputy prime minister on Thursday retracted controversial remarks that suggested Tokyo could learn from Nazi Germany when it comes to constitutional reform. “It is regrettable that my remarks over the Nazi administration led to a misunderstanding, which was not my intention," Taro Aso.
WASHINGTON: Condemning the vandalism at a Sikh gurdwara in Riverside, California as “reprehensible", an influential US lawmaker has urged officials to investigate the incident as a possible hate crime. “I am deeply troubled by the events that took place on Tuesday at the Sikh Gurdwara in Riverside," said House member Joe Crowley.
DHAKA: Bangladeshi security forces have killed at least 150 protesters since February, using excessive force during demonstrations against war crime trials for top Islamists, a rights group said Thursday. New York-based Human Rights Watch said security forces have also injured more than 2,000 protesters during the street rallies.
8
News THURSDAY, AUGUST 1, 2013
CHILD SOLDIERS
REALISTIC LAW
Uruguay lower House nod for weed MONTEVIDEO: Uruguay's lower house Wednesday approved a controversial Bill which for the first time would put a government in charge of production and distribution of legal marijuana. Lawmakers approved the text with 50 votes in favour out of 96. President Jose Mujica's leftist government has backed the Bill. He himself is a doctor by trainAROUND THE
WORLD
ing. In the lower house, the president's left-leaning Frente Amplio (FA) party has a narrow majority. All the opposition parties oppose the proposed law. The measure specifies that the government would assume control and regulation of the importation, planting, cultivation, harvesting, production, acquisition, storage, marketing and distribution of marijuana and its derivatives. After registering, users would be able to cultivate up to six plants, gain access to the drug as part of a marijuana-growing club; or purchase up to 40 grams per month at a dispensary. AFP
Looking for childhood Demobilised child soldiers hoping to find their families and start a different kind of life regularly arrive at specialist centres run by western charities. XAVIER BOURGOIS Agence France-Presse BANGUI (RWANDA): Smiling from the back of a pick-up truck careering through Bangui, a child no older than ten clutches a rifle, struggling to stay upright in his freshly-pressed uniform. It’s a familiar scene in the Central African capital, where demobilised child soldiers hoping to find their families and start a different kind of life regularly arrive at specialist centres run by western charities. According to UN figures, 3,500 children under the age of 18 are members of the country’s various armed groups, many of whom joined the ranks of the Seleka rebels who overthrew President Francois Bozize. “I joined the rebellion because Bozize killed too many Muslims! It was revenge!” said 17-year-old Moussa, a veteran of four years of fighting, at a complex run by Italian humanitarian group Coopi on the outskirts. “They killed my uncle,” Moussa added, showing off a scar from a bullet that hit him in the calf during the rebels’ assault on the capital. Fear still stalks this largely
lawless country, where rebel gangs attack women, kill men and recruit children as fighters. “The main problem is the total absence of any authority,” a bishop, Albert Vanbeul, living in a town north of the capital, said. Coopi’s centre has welcomed 150 children and teenagers so far, the youngest of whom was 12. They are often regular abusers of drugs such as the painkiller Tramadol, and are used as messengers, bodyguards, cooks and as fighters, according to Rodolphe Mbale, head of child protection at Coopi. AROUND THE
WORLD
“They are good soldiers because they have no sense of danger, they are brave and obedient. They are often on the front line,” he said. A few kilometres away, Delphin, 17, sits on the ground with his back against a brick wall. He lives in a centre that had taken in street children but has expanded to welcome returning child soldiers. Looking at smiling photos of himself and his best friend, who
AFP PHOTO/XAVIER BOURGOIS
Moussa, 17, has already served four years with various armed groups.
joined a rebel group because they were hungry, he recalls his brief training. “We learnt to lock and load,” Delphin said, admitting that he joined voluntarily. Then it was straight to the front. “I was a soldier; I had a rifle,” he added, brandishing photos of his Kalashnikov. “I killed a Faca (soldier in the regular army) when we took Bangui. I saw him and I fired. I went to check afterwards, and he was definitely dead,” he said impassively. Delphin made it out alive, but his brother-in-arms was not so lucky. During the attack on
GREEN RESEARCH
Faster, taller, thicker
Indian scientists are working to develop hybrid eucalyptus trees with these characteristics so that their plantations can satiate the paper industry’s demand. AROUND THE
NATION
RAHUL CHHABRA feedback@postnoon.com DEHRADUN: They look like normal eucalyptus trees — up to 65 ft tall with a trunk girth of about 19 cm and towering over their peers in an evaluation trial on the foothills of Himalayas here. They are hybrids, progenies of two high-growth species of eucalyptus parent trees. The progenies — just about six years old — have shown a growth pattern which is substantially higher than a commercially available clone variety of their age. Welcome to the world of tree breeding at the Forest Research Institute (FRI) in the Himalayan foothills, where Indian scientists are working to develop fast-growing, taller and thicker eucalyptus trees so that their plantations can satiate the paper industry’s demand and, in effect, help reduce the load on other species.
The fast-growing progenies are the centre of attraction at New Forest in the FRI campus and hold promise of developing future eucalyptus varieties to feed pulp or biomass to the paper industry and other wood-based industries. “In eucalyptus tree breeding, scientists are developing hybrids with controlled hybridisation among desired genotypes of different eucalyptus species,” said FRI Director PP Bhojvaid.
A hybrid that grows taller and faster with greater volume is cloned and multiplied. In this way, the plants produced will have identical features and growth patterns and could be distributed among farmers and growers who undertake captive plantation for the paper industry. Ashok Kumar, head of the FRI’s Division of Genetics and Tree Propagation, said: “Cloning continues parallel with tree breeding, adopting conventional and tissue culture techniques (in a sophisticated lab).” He said the FRI recently released a clone of eucalyptus propagated through tissue culture after establishing its higher growth and biomass production in different locations such as Haldwani in Uttarakhand, Hoshiarpur in Punjab and Hissar in Haryana, which report different geographical conditions like land, rainfall and temperature. The FRI, an institute under the ministry of environment and forests, has, over the years improved the quality of eucalyptus to such an extent that a biomass of up to 40 cubic metres per hectare per year could be possible in experimental conditions. IANS
Bangui, he was shot and killed by a South African helicopter. The death of Delphin’s friend is the type of incident that SA soldiers struggle to forget. “It was only after the firing had stopped that we saw we had killed kids. We did not come here for this... to kill kids. It makes you sick. They were crying calling for help... calling for their mums,” a paratrooper told South Africa’s Sunday Times newspaper. Mbale said their apparently carefree attitude disguised the problems of adapting to normal life after the atrocities many were forced to commit. AFP
TAIWAN
Man jailed for starving mum to death TAIPEI: A Taiwanese man Chang Chih-chiang, 36, has been sentenced to 12 years in prison for letting his sick mother starve to death and her body to become infested with maggots. The case came to light after Chang's wife contacted the police in August last year when she found her diabetic, bedridden mother-in-law dead in their apartment in northern Taiwan. When officers arrived they AROUND THE
WORLD
discovered the body, which weighed less than 30 kilogrammes, infested with maggots in a room littered with trash. Local media have reported that Chang liked to spend his time playing computer games at Internet café, and that he ignored his sick mother. AFP
9
News THURSDAY, AUGUST 1, 2013
DIPLOMACY
UNITED STATES
No brokering on Kashmir, says US
Hagel bats for 15% cut in troops WASHINGTON: The US Army could be reduced by a further 15 percent, with cuts to the numbers of full-time active soldiers as well as reserves, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said on Wednesday. He said a review found that priority missions could be handled with between 420,000 and 450,000 active troops — compared to the 490,000 currently envisaged after cuts. Presenting the results of a study to reporters at the Pentagon, Hagel said the additional cuts would help him make $150 billion in savings at a time when budgets are tight. AROUND THE
WORLD
But he warned that even with an additional 15 percent reduction in troop numbers, the Pentagon would not be able to meet the savage spending cuts imposed on it by the so-called “sequester.” This draconian package of across the board funding reductions was a result of Congress failing to agree a budget, and has forced the Defense Department to furlough thousands of civilian workers. The only way that this could be done, he said, would be by dramatically reducing the size of the armed forces or by halting modernization programs. AFP
Talks with Pakistan will include operation of anti-India terrorist groups from Pakistani soil, a top US official said. WASHINGTON: As Secretary of State John Kerry flew into Pakistan, American officials said the US was very supportive of recent moves by India and Pakistan to normalise relations, but there was no change in its hands off Kashmir policy. “There’s no change in policy in terms of where we are on that," a senior administration official accompanying Kerry told reporters on way to Islamabad Thursday. “We do not see ourselves or seek to be in the middle of any conversation between India and Pakistan on Kashmir," he said according to a transcript of the background briefing released here by the state department. “But certainly we are very supportive of the moves that both India and Pakistan have made to normalise relations," the official added. The new Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, he noted had “already begun the outreach to India and with good cooperation on the Indian side as well in trying to jumpstart the normalisation process." The official said “the great strides in normalisation on the economic side have been very
“And I’m sure that that will be part of the conversations that we continue to have," the official said. “But we are external actors in this. We are in no way seeking to broker any sort of conversation on Kashmir." In meetings with Sharif, army chief General Ashfaq Kayani and
AROUND THE
NATION
important the last few years and have really paved the way for better and more constructive conversations on the political side." “So we’ll see where that continues to lead," he said recalling that during his India visit last month, Kerry had “called on the Indians to continue that process of facilitation, as well as the Pakistanis to do things like provide MFN (Most favoured nation) status to the Indians."
Pakistani-US relations, deeply troubled in recent years, have recovered at least somewhat from the crisis sparked by the US killing of Osama bin Laden. outgoing president Asif Ali Zardari, Kerry is expected to press the new government on eliminating militant safe-havens as US-led troops prepare to leave Afghanistan next year. Asked about Pakistan’s refusal to give up their use of proxies through certain domestic terrorist groups in the Indo-Pak context, the official said this would be a part of the conversation with the Pakistanis. AFP
ARGENTINA
Reading while driving train! BUENOS AIRES: Argentine train drivers have been caught on video half asleep at the controls, talking on cell phones and reading books since a deadly rail crash in June, officials said Wednesday. “Less than a month after cameras were installed in train conductors’ cabs, the results have been overwhelming,” said transport minister Florencio Randazzo. Randazzo showed video images taken from the surveillance cameras which showed drivers nodding off, on the phone or reading, AROUND THE
WORLD
sometimes with their hands off the controls altogether. A driver seen struggling to keep his eyes open “has already been relieved of his duties,” Randazzo said. “He was driving a train with a thousand passengers.” His disclosure came as investigators in Spain found that the driver of a speeding train that derailed in Santiago de Compostela was talking on a cellphone at the time. Argentina began putting surveillance cameras in conductors cabs after three people were killed in June when a passenger train slammed into another train in the outskirts of Buenos Aires. AFP
CLIMATE CHANGE
Supercomputer to the rescue Predicting extreme weather, which Australia frequently experiences, required millions of lines of code and complex information to be processed in an instant. This is where the new supercomputer comes in. PAUL KUSKE
SYDNEY: Australia’s most powerful computer was unveiled Wednesday, in a boost for climate scientists who need to crunch vast amounts of data to make forecasts and pinpoint extreme weather, officials said. The Australian National University in Canberra has named the supercomputer Raijin after the Japanese god of thunder, lightning and storms. “You could say that we in the climate science community have a need for speed,” the head of the Bureau of Meteorology Rob Vertessy said.
“The simple fact is that supercomputer capacity is a major determinant of our success in this field, but it’s always been a struggle to secure access to it.” Lindsay Botten, director of AROUND THE
WORLD
the ANU’s National Computational Infrastructure centre where the computer is housed, said the machine can handle complex simulations and modelling much faster and at a
higher resolution than previously available in Australia. “Advanced computational methods form an increasingly essential component of highimpact research, in many cases underpinning discoveries that cannot be achieved by other means,” he said. Predicting extreme weather, which Australia frequently experiences, required millions of lines of code and complex information to be processed in an instant, said Andy Pitman from the Centre of Excellence for Climate System Science. AFP
10
News THURSDAY, AUGUST 1, 2013
BIGGER BROTHER
US intel program XKeyscore monitors Internet: leak
Citing classified documents provided by fugitive intelligence contractor Edward Snowden, the Guardian said the program was the most wide-reaching operated by the NSA. WASHINGTON: A secret surveillance system known as XKeyscore allows US intelligence to monitor “nearly everything a typical user does on the Internet,” according to leaked documents published Wednesday. Citing classified documents provided by fugitive intelligence contractor Edward Snowden, British daily the Guardian said the program was the most widereaching operated by the National Security Agency (NSA). The paper said the existence of XKeyscore proves the truth of Snowden’s earlier claim, denied by some US officials, that before he left the NSA he could “wiretap anyone, from you or your accountant, to a federal judge or even the president, if I had a personal email.” The White House insisted, however, that access to such tools is only available to those who are assigned to use them and that multiple “checks and balances” are in place to prevent abuse. “As we’ve explained and the intelligence community has explained, allegations of widespread, unchecked analyst access to NSA... data are false,” White House spokesman Jay Carney said. The NSA late Wednesday in a statement also refuted as false “the implication” that its information collection is “arbitrary and unconstrained.” On its website, the Guardian
XKeyscore: quick facts n XKeyscore allows US spies to monitor in real time the emails, web browsing, Internet searches, social media use and virtually all online activity of a target. n The system’s computer infrastructure is based on a “massive distributed Linux cluster” and has 500 servers distributed around the world. n XKeyscore does not require an intelligence analyst to have a “strong selector” such as an email address to find a target — agents can work back from a general search to find an individual. n XKeyscore has allowed US agents to capture “over 300 terrorists” published a batch of slides from what appears to be an internal US intelligence training briefing laying out the capabilities of the XKeyscore program. The paper had blacked out four of the 32 slides because “they reveal details of specific NSA operations,” but the remainder of the document lays out the operation of the program in detail.
THE MARKS IN RED DENOTE WHERE XKEYSCORE HAS ACCESS.
AROUND THE
WORLD
The slides are marked “Top Secret” and restricted to authorized personnel from the United States, Britain, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. They were produced in 2007 and not due to be declassified until 2032. According to the slides, XKeyscore allows US spies to monitor in real time the emails, web browsing, Internet searches, social media use and virtually all online activity of a target. The system’s computer infrastructure is based on a “massive distributed Linux cluster” and has 500 servers distributed around the world. A map included in the briefing suggests that these servers
are located on every continent, on the territory of US allies and of rivals like Russia, China and Venezuela. Where XKeyscore appears to differ from other US surveillance programs that have already been revealed is that it can index and make searchable virtually any online activity. “No other system performs this on raw unselected bulk traffic,” the document boasts. XKeyscore does not require an intelligence analyst to have a “strong selector” such as an email address to find a target — agents can work back from a general search to find an individual. The examples it gives are if someone is using an unusual language for his area, such as German in Pakistan, or using Google Maps to scout targets for attack.
US accounts for 78% Twitter data queries SAN FRANCISCO: Twitter revealed that government demands for information about users rose in the first half of this year, with US authorities accounting for more than threequarters of the requests. Governments submitted a total of 1,157 requests for information about Twitter accounts, with 78 per cent of those queries coming from the United States, according to a transparency report issued by the globally popular one-to-many test messaging service.
Kiwi PM raises Qaeda bogey for spying laws WELLINGTON: New Zealand knows of Al-Qaeda-trained activists within the country who need to be monitored, Prime Minister John Key said Thursday amid debate on the need for stronger spy laws. Key took to the airways to defend legislation that allows the country's intelligence agency to spy on local residents, saying opponents refused to acknowledge security threats were genuine and needed to be addressed. "In the real world, in New Zealand, there are people who have been trained in Al-Qaeda camps," he told commercial radio.
"(People) who operate out of New Zealand, who are in contact with people overseas, who have gone off to Yemen and other countries to train. That's the real world, the reality of what we're dealing with." Key did not provide any further details on the potential Al-Qaeda threat in the remote South Pacific nation, which sent a small military force to Afghanistan but played no part in the US-led invasion of Iraq. New Zealand's intelligence service, the Government Communications Security Bureau (GCSB), is currently barred from spying on New Zealand citizens or residents.
AROUND THE
WORLD
In the real world, in New Zealand, there are people who have been trained in Al-Qaeda camps John Key Prime Minister of New Zealand
Key wants the restriction removed, saying it needs to cooperate more closely with the police and military in an increasingly complex cybersecurity environment. Groups ranging from the Law Society to Internet giants Facebook and Google have raised concerns about the proposal, while "hacktivist" group Anonymous crashed Key's website this week in protest. One of the strongest opponents is Megaupload founder Kim Dotcom, who received an apology from Key last year after revelations the GCSB illegally spied on him before he was arrested. AFP
11
News THURSDAY, AUGUST 1, 2013
CLICK CLICK
Finding herself through the lens When Dhanda was growing up in London, she was looking at a country that was home, yet a new one, her eyes behind the camera became interested in what others like her feel. ABOUT SUKI DHANDA
L
ondon based British Asian photographer Suki Dhanda has been shooting professionally for over 10 years. She specializes in portraits of people in their environments, citing emotion, realism and identity as key elements of her work. She is one of The Observer’s main portrait photographers and some of her sitters have included Tony Blair, Rihanna, Jude Law amongst other political, sports and musician celebrities.
ELIZABETH SOUMYA elizabeth.s@postnoon.com
S
uki Dhanda agreed to a short chat with me between her busy schedule. She had just wrapped up a workshop session for young photographers, where I saw her explain how outdoor portraits could be shot using flash. With not much to do while the session was concluding, I volunteered to be the subject artificial light could be spurted on. Soon after, she was kind enough to brew a cup of chai for us before we sat and had a chat as strangers would, talking first about the weather. It was a cloudy day — one that followed quite a few cloudy days in the city. Dhanda, craving some Indian sunshine complained she had brought the damp English weather with her. Back home in London there's a heatwave, she said. Dhanda is in town as part of an art exhibition titled 'Homelands' which displays works of various artists and their ideas of home. As for Dhanda, a Punjabi girl who grew up in England, pondering about what and where home is, happened quite naturally. “I was very aware of being
new to a country,” she confessed about how she felt in her early years. “Obviously growing up in England in the 70s and 80s there was some trouble and all these racist remarks one heard. You never felt 100% accepted,” she explained. Though she didn't really go through bad times and felt completely at home in London, she thinks “it is just that feeling that you lack a sense of belonging, when you almost feel like an outsider. We didn't belong to India either, because we were not raised there”. Perhaps because Dhanda looked at a country that was home, yet a
new one, her eyes behind the camera is interested in what others like her feel. “I tend to lean towards the marginalised. Coming from an migrant family myself,” she says. “It's related. My parents came to England in the 60s. My mom worked in a factory and my dad worked in a bakery. He worked his way up, had kids, got his own shop.” Dhanda's work that's been shown as part of the exhibition is a series commissioned by the British Council titled 'Shopna', the name of the Bangladeshi Hijab-clad teenager whose life she documented years ago. One looks at snapshots of 15year-old Shopna's life — her hanging out with friends in a cafe, playing pool, preparing to pray namaz, staring out of the window under the veil of a curtain and just going about her regular life. How did any teenager allow anyone access to their life, I wonder. “See, I already had inroads with this youth club in White Chapel, which is predominantly a Bengali community. I'd taken them for trips, I had a rapport. So when I approached them, I knew what I wanted. I wanted a young girl in a Hijab. I saw Shopna and she stood out,” she explains. Shopna and her
family were open to the project. “It's interesting that even though she was quite shy, she liked being photographed. She liked the attention,” remembers Dhanda. “What was also important to capture was her environment, her street, her local cafe, the places that this young girl went to. This is important to give an idea about her.” What's gives meaning to Dhanda's images are that they are not forced or forceful. There's little that the photographer imposes on
the viewer or her subject. She merely observes the going ons of life in someones life. She recounts she met Shopna for a period of a year and with each meeting she became more comfortable with Dhanda being around. About the Hijab itself and its meaning in today's Europe, Dhanda says she shot her images just before 9/11, in a pre-hysteria era. “Today the hijab means a different thing, it is seen as a political statement more so than before,” she admits.
PICK YOUR
@
Across Stores
ities Twin C
12
News THURSDAY, AUGUST 1, 2013
THE STATE OF THE WOULD-BE SUPERPOWER
India’s poor drain ‘bad’ blood to cure ills India has world-class hospitals, but the poor who cannot afford treatment there cure their ailments through the all-curing blood-letting. RUPAM NAIR Agence France Presse NEW DELHI: Mother-of-three Lilavati Devi stands perfectly still in the hot sun in Old Delhi as a practitioner and his assistants check the veins in her hands. Then, armed with razor blades, the practitioner slices neatly into her skin and lets the “impure blood” drain out. Devi suffers from chronic arthritis and firmly believes that her elderly “doctor” or practitioner, Mohammed Gyas, has the skills to cure her and others through the ancient treatment of bloodletting. “Science and modern medicine have failed,” Devi tells AFP, as an assistant pours cold water on her bleeding hands and sprinkles them with a grey-coloured herbal powder. The 82-year-old Muslim man’s treatment “has been the only way to end the severe joint pain,” she says. Doctors used the thousandsyear-old practice to treat illness until the late 19th century, when it was mostly abandoned and overtaken by modern medicine. But among a handful of poorer, and sometimes remote, communities in India, where medical services are too costly, waiting lists too long or modern doctors simply not trusted, traditional practices like bloodletting are favoured. About 50 patients queue each day at the open-air clinic in the shadow of India’s largest mosque, the Jama Masjid, for the treatment which Gyas says can cure everything from paralysis to diabetes and even
OHIO KIDNAP CASE US kidnap victims described their torment in diaries MIRA OBERMAN Agence France Presse CHICAGO: Diaries kept by three young women held captive for a decade in an Ohio home helped US prosecutors describe their suffering in a memo released ahead of their tormentor’s sentencing hearing Thursday. The entries spoke of rape, vicious beatings, of being chained to a wall and locked in a dark room, of “being treated like an animal,” of “anticipating the next session of abuse,” and of “his threats to kill,” prosecutors said. The women also wrote of “dreams of some day escaping and being reunited with family,” of “missing the lives they once enjoyed” and of their overwhelming desire for freedom.
The entries spoke of rape, vicious beatings, being chained and locked in a dark room of ‘being treated like an animal’. cervical cancer. “The basic tenet of the therapy is the belief that impure blood is the root cause of all ailments. Get rid of the impure blood and your health problem is solved,” says Gyas, who learnt the skill from his father and has been treating people here for more than 40 years. “Tracking the flow of impure blood is the biggest skill required. Incisions are not made randomly, every vein has to be checked,” he says. The practitioner finds what he calls blockages, knots, clots and lumps in veins and makes incisions to unclog them, removing blocked blood and improving flow. Before starting treatment, Gyas instructs patients to stand in the sun for about 40 minutes at the clinic, where nearby ducks and goats wander, and Muslim vendors sell mutton curry, prayer beads and skull caps. His assistants tie cloth strips around his patients’ limbs to restrict blood flow, making veins bulge nearer the surface of the skin in preparation for a series of small incisions. Gyas says he does not charge patients, most of whom are poor.
However they pay about 40 rupees (67 cents) to his assistants for their work — about 10 times less than what homeopaths, popular alternatives in India to GPs, charge for a consultation. “When people come to me, they have very little money. What can I take from such people?” Gyas says. “Our treatment is like any other traditional form of medicine. We are not commercial doctors because people’s wellbeing is what matters to us,” says son Mohammad Iqbal. Bloodletting may still be practised in some parts of India but conventional doctors dismiss it as quackery. Diabetes specialist Rajesh Keswari says he regularly sees patients who have put their health at risk by trying unscientific therapies and remedies such as draining blood or drinking herbal potions. “Diabetes has to be controlled from day one, what happens is many people, especially uneducated and poor people, they go to such quacks, they take treatments which obviously do not work,” said Keswari, adding that patients often suffer complications from such treatments.
Earlier, I was unable to sit or stand. Now I can even walk without support. Jayant Kumar The 42-year-old was left physically disabled by a road accident four years ago Although India has worldclass hospitals, many Indians cannot afford them. A decade of rapid economic growth has allowed the government to boost sp e nding on poor and rural communities, but the public health system still falls short of meeting the needs of its 1.2 billion people, according to a 2013 Oxfam report. And despite efforts to strengthen the sector, it still suffers from one of the world’s lowest levels of government investment in health, according to a report by the World Health Organisation in 2008.
Their tormentor, Ariel Castro (picture), last week agreed to plead guilty and spend the rest of his life in prison with no chance of parole in exchange for prosecutors taking the death penalty off the table. The former school bus driver, 53, is expected to speak about his catalogue of crimes when he is formally sentenced Thursday. “Although he admits his disgusting and inhuman conduct, the defendant remains remorseless for his actions,” Cuyahoga county prosecutor Timothy McGinty wrote in the sentencing memo released late Wednesday.
THURSDAY, AUGUST 1, 2013
Business
CHINA MANUFACTURING INDEX AT 11-MONTH LOW
A key measure of Chinese manufacturing activity sank to an 11-month low in July, British banking giant HSBC confirmed on Thursday. The final reading of its purchasing managers' index (PMI) came in at 47.7 last month, down from 48.2 in June and the lowest since August last year.
THE CHANGING STATE
YAHOO BUYS UP LEXITY
A positive real-T
The decision for making Hyderabad the joint capital for the next 10 years will prove to be a game-changer for the City’s real estate.
SAN FRANCISCO: Yahoo on Wednesday said it bought e-commerce platform start-up Lexity, racking up its 20th acquisition since Marissa Mayer became chief last year. Yahoo did not disclose the financial terms of the deal to buy Lexity, a fouryear-old company specialising in software applications that help small businesses attract and service customers. Lexity, founded by former Yahoo employee Amit Kumar, boasts tens of thousands of clients spread across 114 countries. Lexity applications will continue to operate as independent offerings. The acquisition continues a shopping spree launched after Mayer became chief of Yahoo a year ago.
SANDIP PATNAIK feedback@postnoon.com
T
he decision that has been arrived at is good for the Hyderabad real estate market, as it has been hanging fire for the last three-four years. This state of affairs had given rise to a lot of doubt in the minds of residential end users, investors as well companies that were considering Hyderabad for its unique business potential. Investors who had been playing with the notion of pulling out of Hyderabad because of the unresolved political climate there will now have the requisite level of assurance that they had made the right decision, and more investments will now pour in. The fact that Hyderabad will become the joint capital for the next 10 years is especially encouraging for this City’s real estate. In terms of the effect of this decision on real estate demand and pricing dynam-
13
NUMEROLOGY
ics, it is unlikely that enduser demand will increase immediately. However, within the next two-three months, demand will start picking up considerably and this will lead to better appreciation in many areas. The locations which will see the fastest uptick include those on and around Outer
FACEBOOK LETS USERS SHOWCASE POSTS ON OTHER WEBSITES
SAN FRANCISCO: Facebook on Wednesday began letting people share social network posts at blogs or other spots on the Internet. An Embedded Posts feature being tested out at CNN, Huffington Post, Bleacher Report, PEOPLE and Mashable websites lets Facebook members broadcast posts in real-time to broader online audiences. "We are beginning to roll out Embedded Posts to make it possible for people to bring the most compelling, timely public posts from Facebook to the rest of the Web," Facebook software engineers Dave Capra and Ray He said in a blog post. "When embedded, posts can include pictures, videos, hashtags and other content," they continued. Facebook posts that people allow to be shared publicly can be fired off to blogs or selected outside websites, with the list of venues to grow quickly, according to the engineers. Examples given by Facebook included an official British Monarchy Page publishing a picture of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge with their newborn son.
Ring Road, the CBD area of Banjara Hills and Jubilee Hills, and areas such as Gachibowli, HiTec City, Kukatpally, Miyapur and Chandan Nagar. When it comes to commercial real estate, we can definitely expect increased action as corporate clients who were sitting on the fence
will now feel encouraged to enter or further expand in this lucrative market. All said and done, this decision has been long awaited and will prove to be a gamechanger for Hyderabad real estate. The writer is MD (Hyderabad), Jones Lang LaSalle India.
STARBUCKS TURNS TO GOOGLE FOR FREE WIFI IN US CAFES
SAN FRANCISCO: Google on Wednesday said it has been signed on to provide free high-speed wireless Internet service at all Starbucks cafes in the United States. Google will roll out WiFi service to the coffee giant's 7,000 US cafes during the coming 18 months, replacing telecom titan AT&T as Internet provider. "When your local Starbucks WiFi network goes Google, you'll be able to surf the web at speeds up to 10x faster than before," Google Access general manager Kevin Lo said in a blog post. "If you're in a Google Fiber city, we're hoping to get you a connection that's up to 100x faster." Google in April announced that the Utah city of Provo will be the third US city to get its experimental high-speed Fiber Internet service that promises to move data at a gigabyte-persecond. The Google Internet service is spreading to Austin, the Texas home of a South By Southwest festival beloved by technology trendsetters, after a successful pilot program in Kansas.
GOLD`28,162 10g SILVER `41,310 1kg
24C
for
for
DOLLAR `60.68 POUND `91.98
2,500
jobs
Air France on Wednesday confirmed its intention to cut around 2,500 jobs in 2014 as part of a wide-ranging restructuring drive that has already seen thousands take voluntary redundancy.
FED STILL BUYING BONDS WASHINGTON: The US Federal Reserve left unchanged near-zero interest rates and its massive bondbuying program on Wednesday, saying growth was modest in the world's largest economy. The Fed said that the easy-money monetary policy would be appropriate as long as the unemployment rate remains above 6.5 per cent. The Federal Open Market Committee said it would continue to buy $85 billion in bonds per month to help tamp down longer term interest rates that have been helping support growth, and in particular the housing market recovery. The FOMC said it would keep buying mortgage-backed securities at a pace of $40 billion and longer-term securities at a pace of $45 billion Treasury per month. By reinvesting the mortgage-backed securities and rolling over maturing Treasury securities, the Fed said it "should maintain downward pressure on longer-term interest rates, support mortgage markets, and help to make broader financial conditions more accommodative."
BSE NSE
19,504.86 160.57
5,783.70 40.55
THURSDAY, AUGUST 1, 2013
Comment We cannot always build the future for our youth, but we can build our youth for the future. Franklin D Roosevelt Former US president
Tight security for Bangladesh verdict on Islamic party
S
ecurity was tight in the Bangladeshi capital on Thursday as a top court was set to rule on whether to ban the nation’s biggest Islamic party, with fears the verdict could trigger fresh unrest. The High Court was scheduled to announce its decision on the legality of Jamaat-e-Islami after a petition was lodged arguing the party’s charter conflicted with the nation’s secular constitution. The decision could trigger fresh protests by Jamaat supporters in the politically volatile country, already reeling from deadly violence over war crime verdicts passed on Jamaat’s top leadership. Police officers and members of the elite Rapid Action Battalion have been deployed outside the court in central Dhaka ahead of the verdict in an attempt to prevent any violence. “We have taken adequate security measures in and around the court area," deputy commissioner of Dhaka Metropolitan Police Maruf Hossain Sarder told AFP. A leading Sufi group, which practices Islamic mysticism, and dozens of others filed the public interest litigation in January 2009 seeking to scrap Jamaat’s registration just days after a secular government took power. A lawyer for the petitioner, Sheikh Rafiqul Islam, told AFP on Wednesday that Jamaat’s charter violates the secular constitution as it calls for the rule of Allah and discriminates against minorities and women. “If the court cancels Jamaat’s registration, it cannot take part in any polls under the country’s election rules," Islam said. AFP
HIGH-FLYING THOUGHTS
An acerbic Shobha De has politicians in Maharashtra in a tizzy. The columnist tweeted after the Congress announced the decision to create Telangana: “Maharashtra and Mumbai??? Why not? Mumbai has always fancied itself as an independent entity, anyway. This game has countless possibilities."
EXODUS
14
MODERN-DAY PARTITION BUT... SERIOUSLY
Ajay Hotchandani (a Sindhi)
O
kay, what would it be like if partition occurred in today’s world? What would a guy go through if he was trying to get his family out of the country within 24 hours? Modern-Day (insert country in turmoil): All hell has broken loose and residents have to pick up and get out before they get slaughtered or tortured by being forced to watch TV serials nonstop. The story follows a man’s journey to get his family to safety. Rushing home to get everyone packed – “Everyone listen up, we need to get out of here in 30 minutes. Pack only what is essential; leave the rest behind. Each person is allowed two bags weighing no more than 50kg, otherwise we will have to pay extra at the airport or they might not let us check in the bags”…20 minutes go by, and the guy is packed and waiting in the hall. Wife: Picking out the perfect outfit for the partition. Shoes have to by stylish but comfortable, just in case there is walking involved. Two bags! Not content with that, she packs one bag with shoes, the second bag with casual clothes and insists that her husband surrender one of his bags so she can pack her formal wear and heavy outfits. Daughter: Has spent the past 20 minutes texting her best friend to see what she is going to wear. Seeing how the journey might be
long she has decided to update her play list on her ipod, and change her status on Facebook to ‘Partied got cancelled cause of partition, how lame! Son: Eating a bowl of cereal and watching cartoons, the little guy has managed to pack everything in under five minutes. Seeing how things are going to get crazy, there was no need for him to take a shower or fix his hair. As long as the PSP and underwear (not sure if they are all clean) are packed the rest is not important. Grandmother: It took her 10 minutes to get packed. Somehow she saw this coming and one of two bags was already packed. She spent another 10 minutes rubbing BenGay on her sore joints, cleaning her dentures and complaining about the maid stealing her precious items. She spent the remaining time in pain as her poor vision led to her cleaning her dentures with the BenGay. Now 30 minutes have passed by, and it’s time to go; 40 minutes have passed by, “Come on everyone we are going to get stuck in traffic and miss our flight.” As the typical Sindhi would say, “Be there in five minutes.” No matter what, it will always take five minutes, be five minutes or no more than five minutes. An hour later they finally pack everything up in the taxi (this is fiction people; you can get a taxi anytime you want only in a fictitious story). Airport: Waiting in line to get checked in, the family drags along 10 bags, 5 carry-on, 3 purses, 1 briefcase and a backpack. The line is starting to inch along and the counter is getting
nearer. At the counter with all the belongings, the lady behind the counter requests that the bags be placed on the scale to be checked. Trying to assure her that they are all within the 50pound limit, the guy places the obviously hernia-producing heavy bag on the scale with half of it hanging over. She drags the bag fully on the scale and waits for it to read ‘85 pounds’. “Sir you have to either pay a fee of $500.00 or reduce the contents of the bag so its 50 pounds.” He summons the owner of the bag over, the grandmother. Opening the bag he wants to go through the contents to see what can be thrown away. Carefully and conspicuously wrapped in her clothes are metal kitchen utensils such as pots, pans and spoons. “What in the name cheese is this?” The paranoia getting the best of the grandmother, she took these items as she is sure the maid would come back and steal them when they weren’t there. Security Check Line: When almost at the counter, the wife starts to frantically rummage through her purse. Being married this long he knows what this means, she needs something and can’t find it. Looking at him she says: “I’m out of pads, can you get me some?” “Are you serious? There is an angry mob of people about to riot and you want me to walk into the store and buy you pads?” As soon as he said it he realiszed his mistake. Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned (or PMS-ing). Weighing out his options carefully, he realises it might be safer to walk into a store with a mob of
desperate customers trying to buy food, water and the latest issue of Oprah’s magazine, than be on a flight with her with no pads. “FINE, I’ll go get them myself!” (translation – man you are screwed!) Apologising profusely he scrambles off into the sea of brown people to find pads. He returns with the wrong brand. Waiting to board: The little boy with the questionably clean underwear has been twiddling his thumbs at the PSP nonstop since the taxi came to pick them up. Seeing the ‘low battery’ light flash, he decides to charge it up before the flight. Hand in the back pack, he realises he can’t find the charger. The grandmother chimes in, “The maid stole it, I told you she steals.” The kid goes from a state of concern to panic, “I left my charger at home!” he yells at his parents. “You need to go back to get it,” he tells his dad. Still traumatised by the maxipad experience, the dad vows to buy him a new PSP when they get to their final destination if he would just relax. Throwing a tantrum, the boy insists his dad get him a charger. The wife is still irate that he bought the wrong brand. To redeem himself, he walks around the airport and buys a charger off someone for the inflated price of $150.00. On board: Sitting in between his irate wife and paranoid grandmother, he tries to reassure himself that as soon as they get to the final destination all will be good. It will be worth it. The scent of BenGay breaks his calm meditative state. Overhead, the pilot comes on and informs that they will be departing in five minutes!
EDITORIALS SANELY INSANE: NO HOME TO RETURN TO NEW PLACEMENT PATTERN
T
he condition of 150 inmates of the Government Institute of Mental Health (IMH), Erragadda, needs attention of the State. All of them have successfully undergone treatment and are waiting to get discharged from the hospital. The sad part is that they are stuck at the hospital, with neither relatives nor police and hospital authorities able to make arrangements for their release. With no vocational skills for support, they while away time in the special outpatient wards. Incidentally, some slip into depression and are re-admitted, while a few desperate souls even try to escape only to be brought back by police. Their condition worsens by the day due to lack of social workers and specially-trained nurses at the hospital. Sometimes, when police manage to pin down a patient’s address, either it turns out to be a fictitious one, or the relatives have already moved to another place. To top it off, the condition of the hapless inmates is compounded every month. A police check-post on the hospital premises to take up the responsibility of tracing homes of discharged patients will help.
READERS’ VIEWS
E
ngineering college students in AP need to pay attention to the new hiring pattern of campus placements. Companies that used to recruit fresh graduates and experienced applicants in the ratio of 70:30 have now made it 50:50. This means less opportunities for fresh graduates. Global firms such as Microsoft and Google will launch campus placements in August while Indian firms such as Infosys, Wipro and Tech Mahindra prefer September. Companies scale down campus placements because they prefer ‘in-time hiring’.
We invite you to write to us comments, suggestions, viewpoint or just about anything to feedback@postnoon.com or #1246, Level 3, Jubilee Casa, Road No 62, Jubilee Hills, Hyderabad – 500 033 or even by way of a call on 4067 2222. Editor: Dean Williams
15
THURSDAY, AUGUST 1, 2013
tELEVISION
CASUALTY CASTS FORMER BOND GIRL Honor Blackman is to make a guest appearance in the new series of Casualty this weekend. Blackman, who starred as Pussy Galore in the James Bond film Goldfinger, plays a pensioner called Agatha in the BBC One show.
FOR BETTER VIEWING
DEXTER SPINOFF
When spin-offs tank Friends gave us Joey, Happy Days begat Joanie Loves Chachi and more cautionary tales. Here’s a list some of the worst spin-offs on television. Three's a Crowd Law & Order: Trial by (ABC, 1984-1985) Jury hree's Company's ladies'
T
Baywatch Nights (Syndicated, 1995-1997) fter the sun went down, lifeguard extraordinaire Mitch (David Hasselhoff) moonlighted in this weak drama as a detective who solved cases with his cop buddy from Baywatch, Garber (Gregory Alan Williams), and hottie sleuth Ryan (introducing Angie Harmon). Things went from blah to worse in season 2: The series went for an XFiles vibe, and had Mitch & Co. working freaky cases involving demons, vampires, and various otherworldly creatures. Viewers were, not surprisingly, scared off.
D
Time of Your Life
A
(Fox, 1999-2000) or her solo series, Jennifer Love Hewitt's Party of Five character, Sarah, left the Salinger clan to find her biological mother in New York City. She ended up in a heavily hyped but poorly conceived show, also featuring a young Jennifer Garner.
F Three's Company, Too), as their relationship is strained by the constant meddling of their landlord, Vicky's disapproving father. Sadly, he was not Mr Roper.
Joey (NBC, 2004-2006) uring Friends, Joey's sandwich obsession, crazy Italian sisters, and ''how you doin''' provided a welcome bit of dumb humor amongst the lives of the other, smarter pals. But when NBC tried to build a whole show around a dimwitted actor trying to make it in LA, even Matt LeBlanc's many charms couldn't convince us to sit through this clichéd comedy.
D
(NBC, 2005-2006) ick Wolf's Law & Order franchise comes in many flavours. There's the original, which has chugged quietly along for almost 20 years, SVU with it's sweet lineup of bigname guest stars, and Criminal
man Jack Tripper (John Ritter) was finally ready to settle down in 1985, when he popped the question to his stewardess girlfriend, Vicky Bradford. That set the stage for this short-lived sitcom (sometimes airing in syndication as
Intent, which could be subtitled ''Vincent D'Onofrio Goes Bananas.'' All three shows put their own unique twists on the crime drama. So the weirdest thing about Trial by Jury was how un-twisted the show felt. Mixing together L&O veterans (Fred Thompson and Jerry Orbach) with bored-looking franchise newbies like Bebe Neuwirth and Kirk Acevedo, TBJ felt like it fell out of a world where lawyer shows never advanced beyond Perry Mason. Its failure was sad, but we think Mr Wolf will get over it. Source: IMDB
Showtime president David Nevins has hinted at a possible Dexter spinoff. Nevins spoke about the hit series while attending the Television Critics Association summer press tour on Tuesday (July 30). When asked about a Dexter spinoff, Nevins gave little clues while referring to the news of showrunner Scott Buck's new two-year deal with Showtime. Nevins did not disclose any additional details about a potential spinoff.
DID YOU KNOW?
Oprah
Winfrey is to make her first appearance on Watch What Happens Live. Winfrey will sit down with late-night host Andy Cohen on Thursday, August 15 on Bravo, reports Us Magazine. She will be appearing to promote her starring role in director Lee Daniels's film The Butler. Cohen's candid celebrity interviews on Watch What Happens Live frequently make headlines.
TRENDING...
The Flash could be the latest comic book character to get his own TV series. Deadline claims that The CW is preparing to announce plans for a series based around the popular DC character. The Flash will be introduced in season two of Arrow before being given his own series.
It's Archie has been announced by Archie Comics and Moonscoop LLC. The animated series will feature 12-year-old versions on the Riverdale gang from the longrunning Archie comic books. Archie CEO Jon Goldwater confirmed the show's existence during an interview with CBR.
18
THURSDAY, AUGUST 1, 2013
spotlight ISLAND PEOPLE
1
Hawaiian air
5
6
The Marriott poolside on Wednesday resembled the Hawaiian island as guests enjoyed themselves. The party was hosted by Arun and Surithi.
2
3
4
7
9
8
1 Mala 2 Atish, Mala 3 Jetin,Rashleen 4 Surithi, Arun 5 Sushmita 6 Aneet, Naina 7 Ruchi 8 Raja Singh, Vinni Singh 9 Veeresh, Sumita
Financial detailing The family store
CMR which is now open at Somajiguda held a showcase of its' fresh collection of designer saris, suits and more. More than 20 models and celebrities took part in this event.
OfďŹ cials at the Andhra Bank held a press meet to release the working results for the quarter that ended in June 2013.The event was held at ITC Kakatiya on Wednesday.
THURSDAY, AUGUST 1, 2013
health
EXCESSIVE MOBILE PHONE USE BAD
Excessive use of mobile phone can lead to oxidative stress in cells that is linked to cellular and genetic mutations which cause development of tumours, says a study.
UNDERSTANDING THE THROAT-PART IV
19
FOR A CLEAR THROAT
FLEME VARKEY fleme.v@postnoon.com
What are the throat problems that people come to you for? Primarily people come to us often complaining of three problems — throat irritation, cough and snoring. Throat irritation can occur due to various reasons — allergy being the one of the causes, more common in the urban population. There are other conditions such as infections in the throat, nose (sinusitis) and even matters related to indigestion and acid reflux. Rarely can it be due to a sinister problem like throat cancer. People must keep in mind that a general physician just by looking at it will not be able to diagnose the true form of the problem. Coughing on the other hand can be caused by irritation in the throat or any infections above or below the throat. Problems such as asthma, COPD and bronchitis could present with cough alone sometimes. Problems that are not related to the lungs is not unusual to cause cough and we recommend a thorough evaluation of the symptom to help in treatment. The third most common cause of throat problems is snoring. It can manifest itself in some as simple snoring or it can also be sleep apnea and these two are hard to distinguish. How do we distinguish between simple snoring and sleep apnea? There are certain clinical features like excessive tiredness, poor concentration, sleepiness during the day, poor performances at school or work, impotency, weight gain. People with some or all of these symptoms must consult an ENT specialist. In fact, sleep apnea could be present even in children and it is easily treatable. But in cases where sleep apnea is left untreated, it can lead to problems of the heart, lungs and even hormones. There are options of medical management to minimally invasive surgeries to reduce snoring and sleep apnea. How to manage a sore throat? Sore throat is a spectrum of disease. It can start with some-
thing as simple as an irritation in the throat and go up to difficulty in swallowing. Unless the doctor distinguishes the cause it is difficult to treat or stop. Commonly sore throats along with mild fever are due to viral infection and general pain killers and hydration should be sufficient. If the condition doesn’t improve, then consult a doctor for proper guidance and treatment. It is recommended that people who drive should wear protective nasal or facial masks to avoid any dust related allergies. Make sure they are hydrated and reduce or avoid smoking and carbonated drinks like Pespsi/Coke to a great extent. How to deal with difficulty in swallowing? Difficulty in swallowing can be due to variety of causes. Often infectious causes are common in children and young adults but in adults and older population non infectious causes are common. People with tonsillitis (inflammation of the tonsils) or pharyngitis or epiglottitis present with difficulty in swallowing and fever. Where as a subtle difficulty in swallowing could be due to indigestion Indigestion needs proper evaluation, investigations and medical management. As a part of evaluation we also look for certain organisms causing this problem and at times endoscopy/ barium swallow is done to rule out other serious problems. Only rarely does it entail something very serious. What lifestyle factors affect the throat? Habitual smokers need to be careful. Those who have excessive exposure to dust, are fond of carbonated drinks, have lack of hydration of the throat or eat improper meals are at risk. When should you bring children to the doctor? This depends on the parents. If it's a normal cold and cough then there is no need to consult. But some are given a lot of antibiotics as per advice from pharmacist or a local medical shops. This has to be
Dr Shareef MM tells us about common problems of the throat and how to avoid them. That irritating itch in the throat is not something we must worry about excessivley but does need attention from a specialist.
discouraged. These antibiotics prevent children from developing a proper immune system and makes a child prone to frequent infections. It is best to give paracetamol, antihistamines, hydration and steam/inhalation initially. For what are throat surgeries usually performed? There are number of surgeries involving throat
and neck. Tonsillectomy, Laser palatoplasty, tongue base reduction, excision of salivary gland lumps, voice surgeries, cancer surgeries are some of them. Tonsillectomy is for recurring sore throats, Laser paltoplasty and/or tongue base reduction for benign snoring and sleep apnea.Laryngoplasty and Thyroplasty for voice related-surgeries. What are some of the misconceptions you would like to clear regarding the throat? The concept of tonsillectomy being a cure for sore throat is a misconception. More often patients can have pharyngitis which presents itself in similar forms such as sore throat and this condition does not respond to tonsillectomy, in fact it could make it even worse. For throat cancer the main reason for this is consumption of guthka and oral tobacco. It is a serious condition and should consult a specialist immediately.
20
THURSDAY, AUGUST 1, 2013
Technology THE COMPARISON
CONSOLE FACE-OFF PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Ouya are most energy efficient consoles. The Enervee Score for video game consoles is calculated based on gaming performance per power consumption and is converted into an easy energy affiance rating from 0 to 100 (best). The new console generation is twice as powerful and highly energy efficient.
PlayStation 4 500GB
Gaming performance (out of 10)
10.0
9.25 1.4
Energy effeciency (out of 100)
100
96
Xbox One 500GB Ouya
78
PS3 SuperSlim 500GB
Average lifetime energy cost Wii U 32GB
$90
$98 $23
Wii
How Enervee Score is calculated The performance factor of each console based on the underlying hardware specs across four equally weighted categories is calculated first.
Xbox 360 S 320GB PS3 Slim 320GB
CPU
GPU
RAM
HDD
Central Processing Speed (GHz), cores and threads
Graphics Processor Speed (GHz) and Gflops
CPU and GPU memory combined (GB)
Hard Drive Capacity (GB)
The score is then calculated by dividing the performance factor by power consumption and scaling the best result for all products in the category from 0 to 100.
1-25
26-50
51-75
76-100
less efficient
somewhat efficient
fairly efficient
highly efficient
SONY TO REJECT
ENTERTAINMENT SPINOFF PROPOSAL: REPORT TOKYO: Sony's board is likely to reject a US hedge fund's proposal to spin off part of its profitable entertainment arm, a report said Thursday, as the electronics giant prepares to report its quarterly results. Japan's leading Nikkei business daily said the firm's directors discussed the idea Wednesday and were leaning towards turning the proposal down after reviewing a financial advisor report on the deal. Some directors argued that Sony can compete better as a whole firm instead of hiving off part of the entertainment division, the Nikkei said without citing sources. US billionaire Daniel Loeb, who says his hedge fund Third Point has amassed the largest stake in Sony, called on the Japanese firm's executives to spin-off up to 20 percent of the unit, which includes a music label and Hollywood movie studio. Loeb, known for his aggressive style in stoking change at target firms, initially took a softer approach by praising Sony chief Kazuo Hirai's bid to turn the company around after years of losses. Hirai has resisted previous calls to break up the electronics giant. In June, he told an annual investor meeting in Tokyo that the company's board was studying the proposed plan from "all sorts of angles", but said it would not be rushed into a decision. Loeb had argued the spin-off would make the entertainment unit's managers more accountable and help improve profitability. In a quarterly letter to investors this week, Loeb struck a harder tone, saying corporate culture in the subsidiary was "characterised by a complete lack of accountability and poor financial controls". The division "remains poorly managed, with a famously bloated corporate structure, generous perk packages, high salaries for underperforming senior executives, and marketing budgets that do not seem to be in line with any sense of return on capital invested", Loeb wrote.
21
THURSDAY, AUGUST 1, 2013
Entertainment BODY BUILDING
R
am Charan has left no stone unturned to sculpt his physique for the entry scene in Zanjeer remake, which marks his debut in Hindi films. If sources are to be believed,
CINE BYTES the actor, poised to be the next action hero in Bollywood, has especially flown down an Australian fitness trainer to get the rugged physique. "He worked out for almost three to four hours day and
night with him, even at 4am for his action scenes in Zanjeer. But he made sure that his workouts didn't interfere with the shoots and other commitments," said a source. Directed by Apoorva Lakhia, the film
RAM CHARAN TO MAKE ENTRY WITH SCULPTED BODY IN
ZANJEER
also features Priyanka Chopra and it is ready to hit the screens Sep 6. It's a remake of director Prakash Mehra's Zanjeer (1973) that featured Amitabh and Jaya Bachchan in the lead roles. IANS
Tamannaah back in Bollywood
A
fter Himmatwala fizzled out at box office, Tamannaah has hung all her hopes on her next stint in Bollywood. The film is called It's Entertainment, with Akshay Kumar as her co-star. Tamannaah will be playing his romantic interest in this action comedy. Her last Tollywood flick Tadakha did very well at the box office, and she also recently signed Aagadu with Mahesh Babu.
Hello Brother shelved
D
irector Srinivasa Reddy and actor Akkineni Naga Chaitanya’s Telugu romantic-comedy Hello Brother, a remake of 1994 film of the same name has been shelved, so the duo is now teaming up for another untitled movie."Naga Chaitanya and Hansika Motwani are coming together for the film, which is expected to go on floors in September.
Dhanush to endorse Center Fresh
S
inger-actor Dhanush, who is on a roll with the positive response to Raanjhanaa and Maryan, has a new endorsement in his kitty. He is now the face of chewing gum brand Center Fresh. Dhanush, whose popularity went several notches high thanks to his song Why this kolaveri di?, will feature in the new TV commercial of the product.
THURSDAY, AUGUST 1, 2013
fashion
COSTUME NATIONAL RETURNS TO MILAN
COSTUME NATIONAL will return to Milan Fashion Week this season, having shown in Paris for more than 20 years. The spring/summer 2014 collection will be presented in an "unusual" location that has never been used as a catwalk destination before.
Trends in the hair care industry change in the blink of an eye. If there is something that is everlasting, it’s the health of your hair. We bring you insights on latest celebrity haircuts and much more.
Mane Drama THE SQUARE FACE (KEIRA KNIGHTLY, KAREENA KAPOOR)
THE LONG FACE (KATRINA)
L
ong hair does tend to drag a face down elongating it further so those with this face shape who want long hair should make sure it is contrasted with bouncy layers that are at chin and cheek levels. Get a fringe too if possible. The fringe cuts off almost one quarter of the face length.
T
he cuts should aim to soften the jawline and its angularity so choose styles that fall along the sides of the face as they serve to lengthen and soften the appearance of the jawline. Layers that start at the jawline and spiky short cuts look great on square jawlines. Long sleek bobs, and side swept bangs make for a great combo.
THE ROUND FACE (SELENE GOMEZ, ALIA BHATT)
I
deally a cut for this face shape should aim at making the face look leaner so staying clear of very short bouncy layered hair cuts helps as they can make the face seem rounder. Face framing layers can slim the face down while below the shoulder styles or longer layers, beginning from below the jawline, give the face the length needed to make it appear less round. If a shorter style is a must then go in for a stacked bob (short at the nape and kept longer in the front) or an A-line bob. Side swept fringes help to create angles on the face so go for it.
T
T
THE OVAL FACE (MADHURI DIXIT, PRIYANKA CHOPRA)
his is the perfect face shape as almost any cut looks good on it. Longer layered, square layers, the shorter pixie cuts, the edgy layered bobs all look good on this face shape.
THE HEART SHAPE FACE (TAYLOR SWIFT)
his shape tapers to the point at the chin making it a prominent feature therefore a style that takes attention away from the chin is what suits such a face. Bring attention to the forehead by using sides wept bangs that end just above the eyebrow. Also work to draw attention to the eye area. — By Priscilla Corner, Hair Expert, Fiama Di Wills
CHARLIZE THERON’S FASHION TELEVISION SHOW
CHARLIZE THERON is supporting the launch of a new fashion reality television show. Her production company, Denver & Delilah, has announced a new clothes-swapping show, Whose Closet Is It Anyway?.
22&23
A different flamboyance
Elegance, style, craftsmanship and impeccable quality are terms synonymous with him in every sense. He is known to incorporate traditional Indian drapes, textiles and techniques in modern contemporary form.Tarun Tahiliani, a master designer and a man of few words, answers a few questions for us.
KANCHAN AGARWAL kanchan.a@postnoon.com
You and a few other leading fashion designers have been taking up interior designing for hotels and celebrity houses. Is it because fashion designers can bring something on board that professional interior designers cannot? No, we just have a different eye and proportion. Perhaps a different flamboyance. You have also begun event designing for weddings. Do you find it an extension of your talent in designing bridal wear? It has more to do with a sense of theatre and taste and scale. Nothing to do with bridal wear. Tell me something about the experience you imagine a bride having when she wears your designs? She must feel sensual, confident, her most beautiful self and yet like herself, not some extraterrestrial. She must feel like herself and also deliriously happy and confident. Also, bridal wear has evolved. It is lighter, more sophisticat-
ed and silhouetted. Can you please comment on that? Yes, lifestyles have changed and with that sartorial needs are lighter and more fun. You are known as a fashion designer, but you are also, of course a businessman. How much of both make your brand “Tarun Tahiliani”? Everyone gives me credit for both. I have some horse sense, I have always believed in real estate and lived well but with thrift. I actually did not pay enough time to internal systems etc. that has all changed now.
Design is only one spoke in the wheel. Tarun Tahiliani, presented his collection — Marriage, Mystic and Magic at the fourth edition of the Aamby Valley India Bridal Fashion Week, by putting up a grand finale for this 6 day bridal extravaganza. The who’s who of the fashion fraternity and capital’s social scene were present to witness the finale of this bridal saga. The grand set was complemented by the contemporary dance performance given by the Attakkalari group for Tarun’s show. It was a sheer elegance
depicted in swift moves and sharp movements, with dancers swaying to a melodious tune on the ramp. A shimmery bustier teamed with a nude colour sari, fine tissue-like silhouettes draped with pyjamis, skimpy dresses, and long floor-grazing jackets over dresses were certainly eye catching. The contemporary collection also included a high neck long dress teamed with a stole, and culotte pants with a long tunic. The sari was completely transformed into a new avatar by teaming with a broad and intricately embroidered belt at the waist. The men’s collection was also really noteworthy with dhotis and pathanis, teamed with kurtas and sharp cut jackets. During the show, dancers gave a sensuous performance by appearing at regular intervals and performing an interesting mix of contemporary dance with acrobatics. Vibrant floral evening gowns, soft flowy printed fabrics teamed with a floral blouse, and a green shimmery long gown with attached frills attracted a lot of attention of the audience. In all, glimpses of shimmering gold, hues of soft pastels and intricate workmanship are reminiscent of an era of charm and elegance.
Entertainment THURSDAY, AUGUST 1, 2013
24
Entertainment THURSDAY, AUGUST 1, 2013
25
THURSDAY, AUGUST 1, 2013
Chai Time
THOUGHT OF THE DAY
Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great make you feel that you, too, can become great. Mark Twain
KAKURO
QUICK CROSSWORD
26
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 Winter frost 5 Bell ring 9 Rockers in nurseries 14 Foreign currency 15 ‘Little Caesar’ gangster 16 Banish to Siberia 17 ‘___ turn up’ 18 Eastern title of honor (Var) 19 Strong cotton thread 20 Work in the kitchen 23 Tenth anniversary gift 24 Addams Family cousin 25 Sir Hillary, of mountain-climbing fame 28 ‘Nocturnal Serenade’ painter Jan 30 ‘Fine by me’ 32 Costello of comedy 33 Went after 36 Prefix with ‘drome’ or ‘naut’ 37 Work in the kitchen 39 17 Monopoly props 41 Green films 42 Bad-mouth, in slang 43 ‘SNL’ sketches 44 Coin at an arcade 48 Popular garden flower 50 ‘Say what?’ 52 A boxing legend 53 Work in the kitchen 57 Assume as one’s own 59 Gripped 60 A founder of Time 61 Destructive insect 62 Abnormal breathing 63 ‘Pro’ opposite 64 Common place for a mosquito bite 65 Olfactory perception 66 Woofer output
DOWN
1 Bank jobs 2 Prove shrewder than 3 Garfield’s girlfriend in the comics 4 Casting assignment 5 Military manufacturer ___ & Whitney 6 Black ball, in billiards 7 Aerobics-class reminder 8 Bakery buy 9 Song feature 10 It goes without saying 11 Abuses the throne 12 The whole shebang 13 Take a gander at 21 Calendar girl 22 Escort through the door 26 Negative link 27 Trilling twosome 29 Heroic sagas 30 Expels 31 French soldier’s cap 34 Indonesian currency 35 Old-fashioned shoe covering 36 ‘Not only that ...’ 37 Fabric woven together at regular intervals 38 Indian police officer’s club 39 Do sumthing? 40 By means of 43 Dark-brown color 45 ‘Big’ Hawaiian 46 Chooses by ballot 47 Children of Japanese immigrants 49 Jacket part 50 ‘Greetings!’ 51 Whence milk comes 54 ‘Comin’ ___the Rye’ 55 Lettuce unit 56 Thick slice 57 Lawyer’s org 58 Put on
Chai Time THURSDAY, AUGUST 1, 2013 Thiruvaikumar
STAR POWER for 2-8-2013
27
As per Hindu panchang thiruvaikumar@yahoo. co. in, 040-27177230 / 9177596118
ARIES
TAURUS
GEMINI
CANCER
LEO
VIRGO
LIBRA
SCORPIO
SAGITTARIUS
CAPRICORN
AQUARIUS
PISCES
Expected money will come, which will reduce debt problems. You will not like to de dependant on anyone. Minor health problems are likely; take care. Some work is likely to get delayed or will get completed only after multiple efforts.
STRIP TEASE AGNES
You might face tension due to children. You will express opinions with courage and unmindful of the consequences. New thoughts in your mind will be given shape and implemented successfully. Friendship with VIP friends likely.
Tension and travel will reduce. Controversial decisions taken in haste need to be avoided. Friends and wellwishers will understand you better whereas others might misunderstand you. However, the situation is likely to change for the better soon.
Financially a strong position is likely, which will let you relax. Comforts are set to increase. Your creativity will reach greater heights and earn appreciation. Your charisma is likely to improve, which will be favourable in getting work done effortlessly.
Delayed marriage talks will resume and progress towards finalisation. You will never give up till you achieve your goals. All commitments given by you will get fulfilled without any deviation. Your stock is set to pile up. Support from spouse is likely.
Politicians will be in limelight. Your boldness is set to increase, which will make you get work done decisively. Foes are likely to become your friends, which will come as a surprise to you. Written-off dues will get collected and make you comfortable.
Change your approach to achieve goals. You will never compromise at anything falling short of your expectations. You also expect instant results for decisions taken by you. Work that seemed hard to complete will get completed now.
Foreign trip not materialised since long will become a reality now. With unrelenting efforts you are certain to complete even challenging assignments easily. Also, the very purpose of the trip will be successfully accomplished.
Avoid harsh talks, which might land you in trouble. You will attract all with your sweet talk and proper approach. Expenses might go beyond expectation, which might erode your savings too. Minor misunderstanding between couples is likely.
TAROT READ
Sumaa Tekur
tarotreadhyd@gmail. com
ARIES:
GEMINI:
Four of Wands – A young lad may give you a new perspective to life. You will see situations a lot more differently now. Open your mind to a new attitude.
LEO:
Queen of Cups – There is every possibility that you may get into a dispute with someone in the position of power. This will not be a small conflict. Gear up!
LIBRA:
PEARLS BEFORE SWINE
Nine of Wands – Beware of someone who is a fraud. This person may be selling a great idea and asking you to invest. Be careful with your money. Do not invest yet.
SAGITTARIUS:
Four of Cups – There is a silver lining to everything that’s happening around you right now. It will emerge a few days later. A job offer is coming soon.
TAURUS:
Three of Wands – If you are eating non-veg, you may want to cut down for some time and eat healthy. Food can determine mood and also how you react to situations.
CANCER:
Five of Wands – Make optimum use of your time by organising and prioritising the most important jobs. You need to make the most of your waking hours.
VIRGO:
Page of Cups – You are losing a lot of energy by the end of day. This may be because of the way you are breaking up your day. Organise your time table better.
SCORPIO:
Three of Cups – String the stories of your life together. Reflect on how your life has turned out. It will give you a clue as to how to make things better.
CAPRICORN:
Ten of Wands – Your mood swings will get you down quite badly. Learn to control your temper and do not hurt people who help you.
PREVIOUS SOLUTIONS
PISCES:
Two of Cups – You realize many new things about yourself, especially your limitations. There will be ways to overcome those. Work at it seriously.
NUMBER GAME
– This is not exactly where you expected to be today. Life is strange but you have to move on with it. Do not regret anything. Just keep fighting.
SCRABBLE
AQUARIUS: Ten of Swords
POOCH CAFE
Anger and emotional outbursts should be avoided. You are not ready to believe anything without evidence. You look matured and gain worldly knowledge, which will help you in handling problems wisely and lead a smooth life.
for 2-8-2013
Four of Pentacles – Someone may offend you at the work place. But do not attack as retaliation. Play your cards right by just waiting and watching.
NON SEQUITUR
Those deprived of child for a long time will get favourable news. Health looks alright. All long-pending wishes will get fulfilled. You will be invited by VIPs to take part in celebrations at their home. Good events to take place at home.
SUDUKO
House construction plan will get approval. Defeats will not deter you from marching ahead but will make you stronger as you learn from disappointments. Success is sure in the future but that also will not go to your head, which is appreciable.
Boggle TEE HOLE CLUB IRON GREEN BUNKER Vol: 3, No 12 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
28
THURSDAY, AUGUST 1, 2013
Entertainment IN CONVERSATION WITH
‘E K T A IS PROUD OF ME’
After spending eight years in the television industry, it’s time for Priya Bathija to take the next step — movies. She tells us about her experience with her debut film Chor Chor Superchor. NIDHI BHUSHAN nidhi.b@postnoon.com eople who flock to Mumbai in search of stardom generally have skyhigh expectations. Their aim is to become an SRK or Kareena Kapoor, with or without any struggle. However, when you ask Priya Bathija, of Kasamh Se fame, if she has any expectations from her debut film Chor Chor Superchor, scheduled to release on August 2, she says: “The film’s script is good and I’m confident if people give it a chance, they would like it. Because it is a reasonably small movie, sans any stars, I don’t have sky-high expectations. But, shooting for it has been a beautiful experience.”The only known actor in the film is Deepak Dobriyal, of Omkara fame. However, Priya believes that shouldn’t come in the way of a good watch. “Chor Chor Superchor is a lighthearted comedy film. It tells the story of a gang of thieves based in Delhi. I’m playing Deepak Dobriyal’s, one of the thieves’, love interest. However, I’m not just that. My role is important and crucial to the film,” says Bathija.Talking about the transition from TV to the big screen, Bathija says: “Of course, there is a huge difference in the two mediums. For instance, one
P
has to be more careful about body language and other detailing while shooting for a film because there is a wider frame. I got some guidance from Ram Kapoor, who I worked with in Kasamh Se after Prachi Desai left the show. Like all actors, I’m also greedy to learn more every day. And, the transition from TV to films has been a big learning experience.” Though the world of glitz and glamour has many pluses, privacy is its price. “I’m a straight-forward person and if I’m in a relationship with someone, I will say so. I’m sure link-up and break-up rumours, something I’m not used to despite being in the industry for eight years, will upset me initially,” says Bathija. Ekta Kapoor is known to be a hard task master. Does Bathija, who has worked with her extensively, feel the same? “I met her recently and she said she is proud of me. She has been a mentor for almost five years. I’ve had a beautiful experience at Balaji,” she says.
CINE BYTES Kuljit Pal-Mahesh Bhatt's battle over Arth
T
he Arth producer Kuljit Pal is up in arms against Mahesh Bhatt for giving his consent to a Pakistani producer for the remake rights of the classic, but Bhatt says he gave no-objection thinking this will be one of the first initiatives to strengthen the India-Pakistan relations. IANS
Comedy calls writer Niranjan Iyengar
A
fter penning dialogues for many films like D Day, Ra.One among others, Niranjan is keen on writing a comedy. "I want to write a comedy. My personality is such. I have done only one film, which had tones of comedy. But I want to dabble with that part of my writing more," Iyengar told IANS.
‘If there's a script, will work with Salman’
T
hey teamed up for Dabangg and rocked the box office but after that Abhinav Kashyap and Salman Khan parted ways. But the director says he would like to work with him if he gets a good script. According to reports, the two had a fallout when Kashyap refused to direct Dabangg 2. IANS
sports
29
THURSDAY, AUGUST 1, 2013
SWIMMING’S WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS Magnussen benefiting from Aussie solidarity BARCELONA: James Magnussen (right) is hoping a greater unity in the Australian team will help him retain his title in Barcelona after missing out on Olympic gold in London. He cut a disconsolate figure after being pipped by Nathan Adrian by just one hundredth of a second last year and was then embroiled in controversy as he admitted to taking sleeping pills and
making prank calls during the Games. “You can’t compare it to last year,” he said as he sealed his place in the final with the fourth fastest time. “There is such a great
camaraderie and morale is much better.” Magnussen’s nightmare started when Australia surprisingly missed out on a medal in the men’s 4x100m relay on the opening weekend, but despite also finishing behind France, USA and Russia in a repeat of last year’s race in Sunday night’s relay, he said the reaction from his teammates had been completely different. AFP
Golden night for South Africa South Africa won three medals, including two golds, at swimming’s world championships. RYLAND JAMES Agence France-Presse BARCELONA: South Africa won three medals — including two golds — on Wednesday at swimming’s world championships while US teenage star Missy Franklin picked up her third gold in Barcelona. After Chad le Clos won the men’s 200m butterfly final — exactly a year to the day since taking the Olympic title — South
AMERICA’S CUP Rossa, Artemis to skip last round robin SAN FRANCISCO: America’s Cup challengers Luna Rossa and Artemis will forego their last scheduled first-round race in the Louis Vuitton Cup on Thursday and focus their energies on the upcoming semis. “Previously, Artemis Racing had said it won’t be ready to compete until August 6. Today, Luna Rossa advised the race committee that it won’t be on hand either,” organizers said in a statement posted on the America’s Cup website on Wednesday. Swedish syndicate Artemis missed all of the round-robin first round after a training accident in May that saw British crew member Andrew Simpson killed and their AC72 catamaran destroyed. However, they have been training on their replacement boat and are slated to meet Italian syndicate Luna Rossa in the semi-finals of the challenger series. AFP
Africa’s Cameron van der Burgh took gold in the men’s 50m breaststroke with training partner Giulio Zorzi winning bronze. Van der Burgh said the challenge facing Swimming South Africa is to now build on their Barcelona and 2012 Olympic success. “It has been a special night for SA swimming,” beamed 25year-old Van der Burgh, who set the world record in winning the 100m breaststroke Olympic title in London.
South Africa’s Cameron Van Der Burgh celebrates after winning the final of the men’s 50-metre breaststroke swimming event in the FINA World Championships at Palau Sant Jordi in Barcelona on Wednesday. AFP/FABRICE COFFRINI
“Since the London Olympics, we have brought on a new generation of South African swimmers. “More medals also means more pressure and expectation, but pressure is a privilege. “It is now up to organisers in South Africa to get more sponsorship and make swimming bigger.” Having been beaten into silver in the 100m final, Van der Burgh gained 50m revenge on Australia’s Christian Sprenger,
who this time had to settle for second in the sprint event. China’s long-distance giant Sun Yang shed tears of joy after winning his second gold as he dominated the men’s 800 metres freestyle final. Having emphatically won Sunday’s 400m freestyle final, the 21-year-old Sun was never troubled in Wednesday’s final as he clocked 7mins 41.36 to finish more than two seconds ahead of the field.
2020 OLYMPIC GAMES BID
‘Istanbul win would be historic’ PIRATE IRWIN PARIS: The International Olympic Committee (IOC) can take an historic decision by electing Istanbul to host the 2020 Games when they vote in Buenos Aires on September 7, the bid president Hasan Arat told AFP. Arat said the 100+ members of the IOC would be giving “hope, trust and peace to a region” should Istanbul manage to win. Istanbul are up against Madrid, bidding for the third successive time having finished third and then second for the 2012 and 2016 Games
The IOC can take an historic decision by electing Istanbul to host the 2020 Games during the bid, said president Hasan Arat.
respectively, and Tokyo, the only one to host the Games previously in 1964 but finished third behind Rio de Janeiro and Madrid in the 2016 race. Arat, who has led the bid with energy, unbridled passion and enthusiasm making it the most effective of the five bids by the Turkish city, said that hosting the Games would offer hope to the youth of the region and give them the right sort of role models. It’s been suggested sport would present an alternative and inspiration to the youth of the region who it is often feared seek solace in either a sedentary existence, playing computer games or watching television, or become increasingly isolated sometimes drifting towards radicalisation. However, Arat believes the Olympics - which would be the first to
be hosted by a predominantly Muslim country - could prove to be a turning point in the region’s history and also bring more understanding of different cultures. AFP
With his victory confirmed, Sun stayed in the pool to celebrate along with the vocal Chinese supporters in the crowd and he let the tears flow during the medal ceremony. Sun can finish the Barcelona championships with three golds with the 1500m freestyle to come on Saturday, but has had a difficult year since splitting with his coach Zhu Zhigen and moving to Hong Kong after winning two golds at London 2012.
NBA Wall inks contract extension WASHINGTON: John Wall, the top pick in the 2010 NBA Draft, signed a contract extension with the Washington Wizards on Wednesday that will keep him with the club until 2019. The deal, reportedly for five years and worth $80 million, would start in the 20142015 campaign and keep him from testing the free agent market next year. “Since drafting John with the first overall pick, we have been impressed with his maturation, hard work and commitment to our franchise,” team owner Ted Leonsis said. “He is the cornerstone of our team and we have clearly expressed our desire to build around him well before making it official by re-signing him. “We are extremely confident in his leadership abilities and are excited to see the continued improvement of the team.” AFP
sports
30
THURSDAY, AUGUST 1, 2013
WASHINGTON OPEN
TENNIS BRIEFS
Isner wins, rain hits others John Isner, fresh off a seventh ATP title, fired 19 aces to beat qualifier Alex Kuznetsov 7-6 (7/2), 7-6 (7/4) at the ATP and WTA Washington Open.
John Isner returns a shot to Alex Kuznetsov during the Citi Open at the William H.G. FitzGerald Tennis Center on Wednesday. AFP/MATTHEW STOCKMAN
JIM SLATER Agence France-Presse WASHINGTON: John Isner, fresh off a seventh ATP title, fired 19 aces on Wednesday to beat qualifier Alex Kuznetsov 76 (7/2), 7-6 (7/4) at the ATP and WTA Washington Open. Eighth-seeded American John Isner, who won last week at Atlanta, advanced to the round of 16 at the $1.76 million hardcourt event before rain washed out most of the day’s
matches. That included tournament openers for Argentine top seed Juan Martin Del Potro, the 2009 US Open champion and a twotime Washington winner, and second seed Kei Nishikori, who received first-round byes. Two other second-round matches were halted, with South African seventh seed Kevin Anderson leading Australian qualifier James Duckworth 6-3, 3-6, 5-4 and German third seed Tommy Haas
PRESIDENTS CUP
South Korean course to host 2015 event AKRON: The Presidents Cup golf matches will make their Asian debut in 2015 when US and International teams will meet in South Korea, US PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem said Wednesday. The Jack Nicklaus Golf Club Korea was selected to be the host for the biennial showdown between the American and non-European squads in a Ryder Cup-style format. The 2013 edition of the event will be staged in October at Muirfield Village in Dublin, Ohio, where 18-time major champion Nicklaus plays host to the US PGA Memorial tournament every year. The Korean event will be the fifth Presidents Cup staged beyond US borders after South Africa hosted at Fancourt in 2003, Canada’s Royal Montreal hosted in 2007 and Australia’s Royal Melbourne hosted in 1998 and 2011. AFP
leading US qualifier Tim Smyczek 3-6, 7-5, 1-0. The total washouts for Nishikori, ranked a career-best 11th this week, and Del Potro mean they will likely have to win five times in four days to take the title. That bolsters Isner’s hopes for back-to-back trophies, despite a tough title run last week. Big-serving Isner won six of seven tie-breakers he played in Atlanta, but dropped one to Anderson in the final and only won the last-set tie-breaker after saving two match points. “The tank isn’t completely full, but I’ve got a lot of confidence,” Isner said. “I’ve been able to focus and play well in the tight moments. Using my weapon, my big serve, puts a lot of pressure on opponents. “I feel like I can get sharper as this event goes along.” Isner will play India’s 129thranked Somdev Devvarman on Thursday for a spot in the quarter-finals. They last played in the 2007 US college finals when top seed Isner was an upset loser. “Somdev is a great player and a good friend,” Isner said. “I knew eventually our paths would cross (as pros). It will be a fun match. I’ll need to play very well.”
Singles not in plans: Hingis CARLSBAD: Former world number one Martina Hingis may not be contemplating a return to WTA singles play, but she got her doubles comeback off to a quick start on Wednesday. The 32-year-old Swiss great played her first WTA match since 2007 at the Southern California Open, teaming with Slovakian Daniela Hantuchova for a 6-1, 6-1 doubles victory over Germany’s Julia Goerges and Croatian Darija Jurak. Hingis has retired twice, first at the age of 22 in 2003 and again in November of 2007 — which ended a comeback she launched in 2005. Hingis has said she’ll play doubles with Hantuchova at the US Open, the year’s final Grand Slam. But she said on Wednesday she wasn’t contemplating a return to singles play. “Not singles, no,” she said. “It’s a completely different world. Even World Team Tennis now, it’s brutal, it’s only one set but still the next day you wake up, and you have to put so much AFP more effort into it.”
Players defend sport WASHINGTON: ATP players defended their sport and the tour’s updating of anti-doping information on Wednesday in the wake of drugs cases involving 15th-ranked Croatia’s Marin Cilic and Serbian Viktor Troicki. “Tennis does a good job of testing from my experience,” said 20th-ranked John Isner, the American number one. “Tennis as a whole, I do feel, our sport is clean.” The topic has drawn attention after Troicki was banned for 18 months after allegedly refusing to submit a blood sample to a tester and Cilic reportedly tested positive at an April event in Munich. AFP
Tsonga withdraws MONTREAL, July 31, 2013 (AFP) - World number eight JoWilfried Tsonga of France has withdrawn from next week’s ATP Rogers Cup, organizers said Wednesday, due to a left knee injury that forced him out at Wimbledon. Tsonga retired from his second-round match June 26 at Wimbledon against Latvia’s Ernests Gulbis because of the injury and has not played a match since. “I am sorry that I won’t be able to play in Montreal,” Tsonga said in a statement. AFP
BRIDGESTONE INVITATIONAL
Mickelson seeks to build on Open triumph AKRON: Phil Mickelson will try to maintain momentum and Tiger Woods will try to build some at the Bridgestone Invitational, an elite World Golf Championships event that is also a last tuneup for the PGA Championship. Mickelson and Woods will both tee it up for the first time since the British Open, where Mickelson walked off with the Claret Jug while Woods was again unable to add to his tally of 14 major titles. “It has been really a fun time,” Mickelson said of the days since he lifted the trophy at Muirfield. “I’m just excited every day that I’ve got the Claret Jug and I get to look at it every day.” Like Woods, Mickelson said he was looking forward to a busy stretch of highprofile events. “We have some big tournaments coming up. We’ve got the big event here, a World
Golf Championship, we’ve got the PGA next week, and our FedEx Cup. So it’s a lot of golf left. “Right now I’m playing as well as I ever have and want to make sure I stay focused this week and next week because I think there’s an opportunity to add to this year and make this year every bit as special as it can be. And I want to make sure I give myself every chance to play well because I’ve been playing some of my best golf the last few months, as you’ve seen and as the results have shown.” Mickelson hasn’t won at Firestone Golf Club since 1996, when he captured the NEC World Series of Golf. AFP
sports
31
THURSDAY, AUGUST 1, 2013
ASHES
Warne puts positive spin on Oz Warne spoke to Ashton Agar and Nathan Lyon, as well as captain Michael Clarke, ahead of a match Australia, 2-0 down in the five-match series, must win to keep their Ashes hopes alive. JULIAN GUYER Agence France-Presse MANCHESTER: Shane Warne was in typically bullish mood on Wednesday after advising Australia’s spinners ahead of a make or break Ashes Test against England at Old Trafford — where the leg-spin legend delivered the ‘ball of the century’ 20 years ago. Warne, at the request of Australia coach Darren Lehmann, spoke to 19-year-old left-armer Ashton Agar and offspinner Nathan Lyon, as well as captain Michael Clarke, ahead of a match Australia, 2-0 down in the five-match series, must win to keep their Ashes hopes alive. Agar went wicketless on a helpful pitch during Australia’s crushing 347-run defeat by England in the second Test at Lord’s. Meanwhile Lyon, having seemingly established himself as Australia’s premier spinner, has yet to play in this Ashes after being left out for the first two Tests in favour of the teenager. Both sides could yet field two spinners at Old Trafford, with England adding left-armer Monty Panesar to a squad already co-
Anderson best bowler in the world: Akram MANCHESTER: Pakistan’s Wasim Akram believes England’s James Anderson is the best bowler currently operating in world cricket. Anderson has taken 13 wickets in the first two Tests to help England into a 2-0 lead over Australia. Anderson, whose tally of 320 Test wickets places him third on England’s all-time list behind Ian Botham and Bob Willis, is currently only equal fifth with Australia’s Peter Siddle in the International Cricket Council’s Test bowling
Australia’s former player Shane Warne (L) speaks to bowler Nathan Lyon (R) at a practice session ahead of the third Ashes cricket Test match between England and Australia at Old Trafford in Manchester, north-west England, on Wednesday. AFP PHOTO/PAUL ELLIS
ntaining off-spinner Graeme Swann, as the Manchester ground has a reputation for taking turn. After bowling at Clarke, the 43-year-old Warne, who retired in 2007 with a then world-record 708 Test wickets, insisted an Australia side who have lost
BRIEFS Zim, Ind likely to make changes BULAWAYO: India have remained tightlipped about their intentions but Zimbabwe expect to face a changed team when the two sides meet in the fourth one-day international in Bulawayo on Thursday. The Indians have already taken an unassailable 3-0 lead in the five-match series, having shown a strong desire to win by naming the same XI throughout the tour so far. However with the series already decided, Zimbabwe captain Brendan Taylor anticipates a few new faces in the Indian line-up over the next two matches at Queens Sports Club. AFP
Arthur reaches deal with CA SYDNEY: Former Australian cricket coach Mickey Arthur said Wednesday he had reached a settlement with Cricket Australia over his sacking after he “significantly reduced” his claim for damages. The South African had been suing for his job back or up to Aus$4 million (US$3.7 million), claiming there was a deliberate campaign against him and he had no choice but to take legal action. After conciliation talks lasting more than 13 hours at the Fair Work Commission in Sydney, the two parties reached a “confidential agreement", the Australian Associated Press reported. AFP
their last six Tests (they were beaten 4-0 in India) could upset the odds and regain the Ashes. “I think they can (win the series)," Warne, in England as a television commentator, said. “I think they will go into this Test match like they think they
can too. “I think Australia have a good chance and if it is 2-1 going to Durham, where anything can happen up there, they’re back in the series. “If everyone thinks they have no chance then they have every chance. Hopefully you guys (the British media) keep laughing and keep thinking Australia have no chance because then they might win.” Clarke, a world-class bats-
rankings, which are led by South Africa quick Dale Steyn. But Akram, arguably cricket’s greatest left-arm fast bowler, who took 414 wickets in 104 Tests at a mean average of 23.62, was in no doubt of Anderson’s standing amongst his peers. “Jimmy Anderson is leading from the front. For me he is the best bowler of this era," Akram told BBC Sport on Wednesday. “He does it consistently, with the new ball and the old ball.” AFP man and a renowned player of spin, has been nowhere near his best form of late, with Australia still looking for their first individual century of the series. “I was just bowling and talking to him about the way he was batting against the spinners,” Warne said of Clarke. “He’s one of the best players in the world; if not the best player of spin in the world. I don’t think I could teach him anything about playing spin.
SOUTH AFRICA’S TOUR OF SRI LANKA
Dilshan stars against South Africa COLOMBO: Tillakaratne Dilshan (in pic) narrowly missed a second successive century as Sri Lanka whipped South Africa by 128 runs in Colombo on Wednesday to wrap up the one-day series 4-1. The hosts, already holding a decisive 3-1 lead, piled up 307-4 after electing to take first strike and then shot the Proteas out for 179 in 43.5 overs in the day-night match at the Premadasa stadium. AB de Villiers played a captain’s knock of 51, but could not prevent South Africa from being condemned to their 13th defeat in 15 one-dayers on Sri Lankan soil. The tourists were struggling at 137-8 when Ryan McLaren hit 29 and Aaron Phangiso an unbeaten 18 down the order to boost the total. Suranga Lakmal and Sachithra Senanayake marked their first appearance in the series by sharing five wickets. Ajantha Mendis claimed three for 36. Opener Dilshan, who hit an
unbeaten 115 in the fourth game in Pallekele on Sunday, plundered 13 boundaries before he was bowled for 99 by McLaren in the 39th over. “I am a bit disappointed at missing my century, but these things happen in cricket," said Dilshan. “But I think McLaren bowled that over very well. “I am really enjoying my cricket these days. When I get a start, I want to make it count. This has been a good series for me. I have batted, bowled and fielded well." Lahiru Thirimanne, promoted to number three, scored 68 and Kumar Sangakkara was unbeaten on 75 off 45 balls as the South African bowlers wilted in steamy conditions. Thirimanne and Dilshan put on 163 for the second wicket after Kusal Perera was caught behind off Morne Morkel. AFP
Score Board Sri Lanka T. Dilshan b McLaren 99 K. Perera c de Kock b Morkel 9 L. Thirimanne c Duminy b Phangiso 68 K. Sangakkara not out 75 A. Mathews c Miller b Tsotsobe 23 T. Perera not out 17 Extras: (lb8, w8) 16 Total (for four wickets, 50 overs) 307 Bowling: Morkel 10-0-78-1, Tsotsobe 10-2-52-1, McLaren 10-0-47-1, Behardien 4-0-28-0, Duminy 7-0-46-0, Phangiso 9-0-48-1. South Africa Q. de Kock b Senanayake 27 H. Amla lbw b Senanayake 18 JP Duminy lbw b Dilshan 15 F. du Plessis c Sangakkara b T. Perera 6 AB de Villiers c Mathews b Mendis 51 F. Behardien c Mathews b Lakmal 1 D. Miller c Sangakkara b Lakmal 0 R. McLaren c Mathews b Mendis 29 M. Morkel b Mendis 0 A. Phangiso not out 18 L. Tsotsobe b Lakmal 3 Extras: (w11) 11 Total (all out, 43.5 overs) 179 Bowling: Lakmal 5.5-0-24-3, Mathews 4-0-32-0, Senanayake 10-2-29-2, Dilshan 10-0-41-1, T. Perera 5-1-17-1, Mendis 9-2-36-3.
THURSDAY, AUGUST 1, 2013
sports
BASTIA SIGN IVORY COAST MIDFIELDER ROMARIC
Ivory Coast midfielder Romaric has joined Ligue 1 side Bastia on a free transfer, the French club announced on Wednesday. Romaric joins the Corsican outfit on a one-year deal, with the option for a second, having spent last season with Real Zaragoza in Spain.
PRE-SEASON AUDI CUP
Man City powers past Milan Manchester City outclassed AC Milan to set up a showdown with Bayern Munich. MUNICH: Manchester City outclassed AC Milan to set up a showdown with Bayern Munich in the final of the pre-season Audi Cup tournament following a 5-3 victory at the Allianz Arena on Wednesday. Last year’s English Premier League runners-up dominated the opening half hour against an experimental Milan side, taking the lead after just three minutes through Spanish winger David Silva. With Stevan Jovetic looking impressive on his City debut, Manuel Pellegrini’s men doubled their lead on 19 minutes thanks to Micah Richards before Aleksandar Kolarov added a third shortly after. Edin Dzeko then struck twice within the space of four minutes to put City 5-0 ahead but the Italians rallied through two goals from Stephan El Shaarawy and an
Andrea Petagna strike to reduce the deficit going into half-time. The second half brought a flurry of changes, but no more goals. Hosts Bayern secured their place in Thursday’s final after beating Brazilian side Sao Paulo 2-0 in the second semi-final. Croatian striker Mario Mandzukic put Pep Guardiola’s team ahead 10 minutes after the interval before German youth international Mitchell Weiser wrapped up the victory in the closing stages after Xherdan Shaqiri’s effort crashed back off the post. Veteran Sao Paulo goalkeeper and set-piece specialist Rogerio Ceni had a chance to grab a late consolation for the Brazilians but saw his penalty tipped onto the post by Manuel Neuer.
Manchester’s French midfielder Samir Nasri (L) and Milan’s defender Cristian Zaccardo vie for the ball during the Audi Cup match between Manchester City and AC Milan in Munich, southern Germany, on Wednesday. AFP/CHRISTOF STACHE
AFP
TRANSFER WOES
Bale leaves Spurs training LONDON: Gareth Bale (right) left Tottenham Hotspur’s training ground on Wednesday after reportedly telling manager Andre Villas-Boas of his desire to join Real Madrid, according to Sky Sports sources. Bale spent around five hours at the club’s training base, during which time he is said to have informed Villas-Boas of his intentions amid mounting rumours about a lucrative move to Real Madrid in a possible world record transfer deal. Villas-Boas said during the club’s pre-season visit to Hong Kong last week that they were in talks with the highly rated player, who scored 26 goals last season, about a new contract. He said he was optimistic of reaching agreement on a deal but fuelled speculation
that Bale would leave the club after saying that there was currently no agreement. Since then, the British and Spanish media have gone into overdrive, with Bale reportedly being given a price tag upwards of the record £80 million Real paid Manchester United for Cristiano Ronaldo in 2009. The Guardian said Real had indicated they were willing to pay a world record £100 million for Bale while Spanish sports daily Marca has claimed that Spurs have demanded a fee of £125 million for the player. Spurs chairman Daniel Levy has also been reported as having set up a meeting with Real president Florentino Perez in Miami next week, where the Spanish club are due to play in a pre-season tournament, to
broker a deal. Bale’s family were even said to have met Levy earlier this week to persuade him to allow the player to go, even though he has reportedly not submitted a formal transfer request. The Daily Mirror claimed Levy was holding out for the best price for Bale and would be prepared to bring back Luka Modric, who left White Hart Lane for the Bernabeu last year in a similarly drawn-out transfer saga. France legend and former Real player Zinedine Zidane, currently an ambassador for the Spanish capital club, was reported as saying: “If he (Bale) has expressed a desire to join Madrid, then Tottenham should give him permission to speak with us. “The chance to play for Real Madrid might only come
around once in a player’s lifetime — and it’s understandable that Gareth doesn’t want to miss out on it.” Real and Spain goalkeeper Iker Casillas added that Bale would be welcomed as he was “one of the top three or four players in Europe”. But former Tottenham star Glenn Hoddle suggested that Bale could be better served by staying in England and building on his impressive performance from last season. “It’s one thing setting a standard, it’s keeping the standard which is the hardest thing, the consistency,” the former Monaco and England midfielder told talkSPORT radio. AFP
32
SCOTTISH PREMIERSHIP
Celtic look to be the favourites GLASGOW: Top flight football in Scotland may have a new name but when it comes to who will come out on top at the end of the season then it is the same old story. Glasgow giants Celtic will start the season as overwhelming favourites to capture the inaugural Scottish Premiership crown after cantering to the title last year. Despite being weakened by the loss of last season’s top scorer Gary Hooper and influential midfielder Victor Wanyama, the Hoops still have more than enough quality to turn the title race into a procession. Nearly £18 million has been raised from their departures and after raking in £20.4million from their run to the last 16 in the Champions League it is clear there are no sides with the finances or resources able to compete with Celtic domestically over a season. Neil Lennon’s side, who beat Elfsborg 1-0 in the Champions League third qualifying round first leg on Wednesday, open their league campaign against Ross County on Saturday. AFP