TUESDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2013 HYDERABAD
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SC SPARES TANDOOR KILLER FROM GALLOWS
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FALLEN ANGELS
Fallen Angels: Would any other phrase describe these stars featured here, born and shone bright with huge promise but became next to nothing because they fell to bad ways?
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Former Youth Congress leader Sushil Sharma’s death sentence commuted to life imprisonment.
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WEATHER: CLOUDY SKY; 30°C
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HYDERABAD’S FIRST COMPACT AFTERNOON NEWSPAPER
T LEADERS THREATEN TO
‘BLACKOUT’ KIRAN KUMAR REDDY
In an agitated tone, the TRS leaders have alleged that Kiran Kumar Reddy and Seemandhra leaders are working against Telangana and T electricity employees would severe power connections to the CM and SA leaders if they continued this.
REPORT ON P5
WHY ARE YOU SPARING PVT SCHOOLS? P5
THEY SOLD THEIR FERRARIS P15
KALEY CUOCO
SAYS NO WEDDING PLANS YET
The Big Bang Theory actress Kaley Cuoco has said that despite a speedy engagement, the pair is in no rush to the altar.
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TUESDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2013
city events
FUNKY DUO
One of the best director duo in India, Vishal-Shekhar will be performing live in concert at HITEX grounds in Hyderabad on October 19, 7pm onwards. The concert tickets are priced between `500-2000. Make sure to grab them soon before they run out!
Weather for Hyderabad
Evening
Overnight
Morning
Afternoon
26°C
22°C
26°C
32°C
Cloudy with showers likely.
Cloudy with showers likely.
A mix of cloud and sun with showers.
Mix of cloud and sun.
New Delhi Mumbai Max 38 Max 32 Min 32 Min 29 Mostly sunny
Mix of cloud and sun
Chennai Max 35 Min 30 Thundershowers
Bangalore Max 29 Min 23 Thundershowers
AROUND THE CITY: YOUR GUIDE TO THE TWIN CITIES Banerjee (Bangali Sanskritik Sangha) – 9985128747
EXHIBITION
MOVIE SCREENINGS
Sarang Boutique An Exhibition which includes the collection of Sarang Boutique. Sarees which have been made popular from the weaves of Banaras. Do check it out. Where: Sarang, D Number 469, Opp Ofen Bakery, Road No. 10, Banjara Hills When: Until October 9, 11am to 7:30pm Contact: (040) - 66822121/ 66564477
Soul Kitchen In Hamburg, German-Greek chef Zinos unknowingly disturbs the peace in his locals-only restaurant by hiring a more talented chef. The movie screening is open to all. Where: Goethe-Zentrum Hyderabad, 20, Journalist Colony Road No. 3, Banjara Hills When: October 10, 6pm Contact: (040) – 23350473/ 73/ 0040
Chaturang Chaturang: Essence of Women Exhibition-cum-sale of designer wear, jewellery, fashion accessories and home decor. Don’t miss this fun exhibition!. Where: Taj Krishna, Road No.1, Banjara Hills When: October 9-10, 10am onwards Contact: (040) – 66662323/ Archana Agarwal - 9849705793
Lover Boy The story of doomed, self-destructive love unfolding against the background of an unflattering slice of Romanian life. Where: Sarathi Studio, 8-3-321, Ameerpet When: October 11, 6:30pm Contact: (040)- 23732050/ Bh S S Prakash Reddy, Secretary Hyderabad Film Club – 9391020243
Wedding Fair Parinaya Wedding Fair is an exhibition-cum-sale of designer wear, jewellery and accessories. Brides-to-be must visit! Where: Sri Satya Sai Nigamamam, No. 8-3-987/2, Srinagar Colony When: October 8-10, 10am to 9pm Contact: (040)- 23741450, 9411183981/ 9133355227
INNER BELIEF: Padmasri and Sangeet Natak Akademi awardee, Dr Ananda Shankar Jayant presented her ensemble production, SRI - The Goddess Within at Ravindra Bharti Auditorium
DINING B Cube: The Beer Bladder Blast is not as comforting as a massage but it’s no less fun. Head to Rain on Tuesday to unwind with your close friends for unlimited beer at Rs. 699 while listening to some amazing numbers being spun by DJ Santosh. Where: Rain Pub/ Rain – The Super Club When: October 8, 7pm Contact: 9505200333/ 9505300333/ 9505600333 Power Lunch Ladies, it’s your turn to feel pampered. Head over to W-Lunch at Ruci & Idoni (Ohri’s) with your best friends for an amazing lunch at just Rs. 399.
Commissioner & Spl Officer
Helpline GAS BOOKING IVRS NO HP 9666023456 Indane 9848824365 BSNL Complaints HMWS & SB Complaints
198 155313
POLICE CONTROL ROOM Hyderabad 27852435 Traffic Control Room 27852482 DCP Traffic 23234065, 23243499F Pollution Control Board 23887500 ELECTRICITY General Complaints Breakdown Section
155333 23431178 23431179
MUNICIPAL CORPORATION
23262266 24166666R ENC 23225267 Engineering 23220418 MCH Tankbund 23225397 Emergency MCH Circle I&II 24525842 MCH Circle III 24736912 MCH Circle IV 23326975 MCH Circle V 23326976 MCH Circle VI MCH Complaints 1100 Head Office 23225397 IVRS CUM MANUAL ENQUIRY PHONE NUMBERS (TRAIN & RESERVATION) RAILWAYS Rail Nilayam 27833169, 27824216 Railway Information 131 Reservations 135 Recorded Information 1345 Enquiry (IVRS) 1331, 1332, 1333
Where: Ruci & Idoni, 8-2-594/A/1, 1st Floor, Urmila Heights, Opp Rainbow Hospital, Road No. 10, Banjara Hills When: October 9, 11am t0 4pm Contact: (040) 64551000/ 2000 Durga Utsav Sarbojanin Durgotsab 2013 is a freedom cookery contest which is going to be held in the city. On the special occasion of Durga Puja, let’s put on our chef hats, wear our mittens, and aprons, and just start cooking. Let’s have fun cooking because this festival is all about food and celebration. Where: Keyes Girls High School, Opposite Mother Teresa Statue, Near Blue Sea Cafe, St.John’s Road, Secunderabad When: October 9, 7pm onwards Contact: (040) 27703219/ 67357832
2013 It’s the time for celebration and what better way to celebrate than with some mouth-watering Bengali Food. Don’t miss the Durga Puja Celebrations 2013: Ananda Mela – Bengali Food festival! Where: Windsor Gardens, Beside Paigah Palace Function Hall, Patigadda, Secunderabad When: October 9, 6:30pm Contact: (040) 27901056/ Munmun
Durga Puja Celebrations
WATER SUPPLY Complaint Cell Sewerage Complaint Hyd. Water Supply HOSPITAL General Hospital, Sec-bad Niloufer Hospital, Red Hills NIMS, Director, Punjagutta Osmania General Hospital Railway Hospital, Lalaguda Apollo, Jubilee Hills Care Hospital, Banjara Hills Care Hospital, Nampally Care Hospital, Musheerabad Care Hospital, Sec-bad Kamineni Hospital, LB Nagar
155313 23307328 23313163
27505566 23314095 23390933 24600146 27001134 23607777 30418888 30417777 30419000 30416666 39879999
BLOOD BANKS Blood Bank,Narayanguda Chiranjeevi Blood Bank Blood Bank Mediton Goal Red Cross, Vidyanagar ADRM Blood Bank Mythri Charitable Trust NTR Memorial Trust Care Banjara Hills
27567892 23559555 23226624 27633087 27035588 27550238 30799999 30418296 30417445
AMBULANCES Apollo 23548888, 23607777 Kamineni 24022222 Medwin 23202902, 23204616 Smile Line Dental Hospital 23747979 Red Cross 27627973 Niloufer Hospital 23314095 Gandhi 23320332 AIRLINES
The Green Bandits The movie revolves around 3 insane, environment-friendly bank robbers who set out to clean out a bank and make the earth greener and a better place to live in. Where: Goethe-Zentrum Hyderabad, 20, Journalist Colony Road No. 3, Banjara Hills When: October 18, 6pm Contact: (040) – 23350473/ 73/ 0040 Silver Linings Playbook After a stint in a mental institution, former teacher Pat Solitano moves back in with his parents and tries to reconcile with his ex-wife. Things get more challenging when Pat meets Tiffany, a mysterious girl with problems of her own. Where: Sarathi Studio, 8-3-321, Ameerpet When: October 19, 6:30pm Contact: (040)- 23732050/ Bh S S Prakash Reddy, Secretary Hyderabad Film Club – 9391020243
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
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TUESDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2013
news
TODAY’S QUESTION
YESTERDAY’S QUESTION
SHOULD THE GOVERNMENT FIRE THE STRIKERS AND HIRE AFRESH?
IS THE LIFE BAN RECOMMENDED FOR JWALA GUTTA JUSTIFIED? 40%
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CRIME
REFLECTIONS OF A SCHOOL-GIRL
Fake note gang held
A picture taken on October 7, 2013 in an elementary school of the Italian island of Lampedusa shows a child’s drawing telling the story of the tragic shipwreck which happened on October 3, 2013. Divers resumed the search for bodies today after a shipwreck in which over 300 African asylum seekers may have died as EU states prepared to address the growing refugee crisis this week. The fishing boat packed with around 500 Eritrean and Somali migrants capsized and sank on Thursday after its captain set fire to a T-shirt to signal distress to coast guards, sparking panic on board. Emergency services have recovered 194 bodies so far and 155 survivors were plucked from the waves.
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MOHD SUBHAN Mohd.s@postnoon.com
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he City police claim to have nabbed a gang that involved the services of three suspended home guards that has been defrauding public for some time. Police have seized from their possession; `2.3 lakh counterfeit notes of `100 and `500 denominations. According to the details, the accused, N Venkat Reddy was previously involved in an attempt to robbery case in the Jubilee Hills police station limits and was remanded to custody for 22 days.
AFP/ALBERTO PIZZOLI
CRIME
LOVE KILLS
Fake gold gang includes cops! POSTNOON NEWS feedback@postnoon.com
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he Malakpet police have arrested seven persons of a gang, including three suspended home guards who were involved in selling of duplicate AROUND THE
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gold to unwary public. The gang leader is J Venkatesh Goud, alias Venkanna, police said. According to details with the police officials, the dark game came to light when one Shiva Prasad, a 27-year-old goldsmith was trapped and robbed.
Why sex is killing for marsupials
SYDNEY: Mating is such an arduous and frenzied process for some male marsupials that it literally kills them, according to new Australian-led research. Scientists had wondered for decades why some species of insect-eating marsupials dropped dead after sex, with speculation including that they died from fighting or to leave more food for their offspring. But research published in the US-based Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences puts the “dying off” down to the animals’ extreme efforts to ensure their sperm is successful in the short once-a-year window that females offer to mate. “There’s always a cost to
Well-known marsupials
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reproducing — it’s an energy expensive thing that animals do,” lead researcher, mammal ecologist Diana Fisher from the University of Queensland, explained Tuesday. “But in this case they haven’t spread out their effort over time, they do it all at once in a really short time. And they just die afterwards.” Organisms that mate once and then die are common among plants and some fish, but rarer among mammals.
n n n n n n
Kangaroos Wallabies The koala, Possums, Opossums, Wombats The Tasmanian devil.
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he research published in the US-based Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences puts the “dying off” down to the animals’ extreme efforts to ensure their sperm is successful in the short once-a-year window that females offer to mate.
AFP
Lesserknown ones n n n n n
Numbat Bandicoots Bettongs Bilby Quolls.
THE REASON
CITY BRIEFS Will talk only with Chief Minister: Mohanty
JC calls Congress insensitive
Curfew relaxed in Vizianagaram
Student arrested for harassing girl
CM inaugurates golden jubilee fete at zoo
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PNGO told Chief Secretary PK Mohanty that the Union will talk only with the Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy and nobody else. This was conveyed to the CS when the APNGO leader P Ashok Babu met Mohanty in response to his call for a talk to end the agitation. The agitation have severely crippled life in the state.
enior Congress leader of Rayalaseema region J C Diwakar Reddy has described the party high command as dumb, deaf and blind. The party high command remained rigid on its decision to divide the State, he regretted. Stating that he was very much pained at the thought leaving the Congress party, he would not join any other.
ith improvement in the situation, the indefinite curfew in Vizianagaram town of Andhra Pradesh was relaxed for one hour on Tuesday morning, police said. People came out to buy vegetables, food and other essential commodities as police and paramilitary forces kept a tight vigil to prevent any untoward incident.
yberabad police yesterday arrested a student on charges of sexually harassing a girl after fraudulently logging into her email account and creating her profile on porn websites. After a complaint by the victim, who is also a college student, that she found emails with indecent comments, the police arrested one Goli Subhash Chandra Bose.
he Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy yesterday inaugurated the golden jubilee celebrations of Hyderabad’s Nehru Zoological Park. He went around the primate park after inaugurating the Nehru statue at the Zoo gate. He also released a souvenir. The CM expressed his satisfaction at the smooth running of one of country’s major zoos.
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News TUESDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2013 LAST YEAR... HERE The rudderless party
L
ast year we had reported about the rudderless state of the YSRC party after Jaganmohan Reddy was arrested and put behind bars over in his disproportionate assets case. It was only a week ago, this year, that he was released from jail after he got bail. He received a hero’s welcome.
OCTOBER 8, 2012
NUMEROLOGY
2000
people from the Jain Community become monks and sadhvis every year. Today India has about 14,000 monks off which 10,000 are Sadhvis (nun) and 4,000 are monks.
What we’re not willing to do is to create a permanent pattern in which unless you get your way, the government is shut down or America defaults. Barack Obama US president See page 6
THINGS WE 5LEARNT TODAY The column that teaches everyone something new about the way the world functions.
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Nobel good wishes from Malala’s little friends. In Malala Yousafzai’s home town in Pakistan, school friends hope to see her win the Nobel Peace Prize this week.
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Rape has become a weapon of war in eastern DR Congo. The situation is so bad in the country that women cannot venture out for simple chores as getting vegetables or gathering wood.
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The grave issue of Mumbai’s building collapses. Corruption and negligence are the main reasons for the troubled housing situation in Mumbai: Six major building collapses in recent months: 160 people dead
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Abbott in running for Australian sexism awards “Vicious” commentary about Julia Gillard have put PM Tony Abbott as front runner for a sexism award.
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Africa has more millionaires that thought Ventures said its exhaustive research had identified at least 55 on a continent where the wealthy are eager to protect their privacy.
CIVIC
Headquarters will be Hyderabad, says TRS TRS suspects the Centre was covertly planning to take over the administration of the City to placate Seemandhra. POSTNOON NEWS feedback@postnoon.com HYDERABAD: Reacting to the remarks of AICC general secretary in-charge of AP affairs Digvijay Singh that Hyderabad city would be kept under Governor or Centre’s jurisdiction, TRS senior leader T. Harish Rao on Monday suspected that the Union government was trying to conspire against the region. Loss of Hyderabad would not be acceptable to the Telangana people, he said. Rao was of the opinion that the city belonged to Telangana and no force can take it away. While people working and living here have a right to continue, no other region can stake claim to the City. Rao asserted whatever the Centre does, under no circumstances would the people of Telangana region agree for a Telangana State without Hyderabad city. The TRS leader demanded that the State government immediately transfer all the Telangana employees working in the Seemandhra region to
JAPAN Mizuho declines honour over loans to gangsters TOKYO: Japan’s Mizuho Financial Group has declined an award it was set to receive for transparency after getting told off by regulators for lending money to gangsters. Mizuho Bank, Japan’s thirdbiggest, has been under fire since it came to light that it had processed hundreds of transactions worth about 200 million yen ($2 million) for “anti-social forces”, a common term for Japan’s yakuza mobsters. A group of securities analysts had selected Mizuho Financial Group as the best bankAROUND THE
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Telangana as they were being attacked. The TRS leader also asked the government as to why the government Seed Corporation was not making profit while private seed companies were making fabulous profits. He said that they needed to take appropriate steps to develop the Seeds Corporation
after Telangana State came into being. Pointing out that Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy has sanctioned thousands of crores of rupees to his home district, Harish Rao said the Telangana region with 10 districts has only three medical colleges while the four Rayalaseema districts have four medical colleges. He also asked as to how the Chief Minister set up a Rs 15-crore medical college in Tirupati without setting up a women’s college in Hyderabad.
ing firm for information transparency, saying “the company was praised for its attitude for proactively disclosing information that may not necessarily benefit the firm or even about the company’s weak points”. But Mizuho FG declined the honour, the Securities Analysts Association of Japan said Monday as it released the annual report. It would have been Mizuho’s third honour for transparency. The Financial Services Agency admonished the bank last week for taking “no substantial steps” in dealing with the issue after it was first discovered two years ago, and pointed to “serious problems” with its compliance monitoring. AFP
THE IRONY
Get richer, die younger In the long term, economic prosperity is credited with lower mortality rates across all age groups — largely due to a drop in old-age mortality. PARIS: We all live longer when times are good, right? Not so, according to a new study which says that in developed countries, the elderly have a higher mortality rate when the economy goes into higher gear. Even its authors are baffled by the outcome. The finding was “highly unexpected”, Herbert Rolden from the Leyden Academy on Vitality and Ageing in the Netherlands, told AFP. In the long term, economic prosperity is credited with lower mortality rates across all age groups — largely due to a drop in old-age mortality. But the picture changes when you look at short-term
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economic fluctuations, according to the study which appears in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health.
The finding was “highly unexpected”, Herbert Rolden from the Leyden Academy on Vitality and Ageing in the Netherlands, told AFP.
For every rise of one percentage point in a country’s gross domestic product, mortality among 70-74-year-old men rose by 0.36 percent and for women of the same age by 0.18 percent, it found. Among 40-45year-olds, the corresponding rise was 0.38 percent for men and 0.16 for women. The study analysed mortality and economic growth figures from 1950 to 2008 in 19 developed countries — Australia, Japan, New Zealand, the United States and several in Europe. “Since many developed countries are currently in a recession, one could expect that this has a dampening effect on old age survival,” says the study.
“However, it has been found that annual increases in unemployment, or decreases in gross domestic product (GDP) are associated with LOWER mortality rates.” A similar, seemingly counterintuitive trend had already been found in younger people. AFP
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News TUESDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2013
POLITICS
PERFECT POSER
T leaders threaten to usher in darkness In an agitated tone, the TRS leaders have alleged that Kiran Kumar Reddy and Seemandhra leaders are working against Telangana and T electricity employees could severe power connections to the CM and SA leaders if they continued. AROUND THE
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Md INKESHAF AHMED ahmed.m@postnoon.com HYDERABAD: The indefinite strike launched by Seemandhra electricity employees Joint Action Committee (JAC), which led to the shutdown of two major power plants of Andhra Pradesh has left the people in the State in a crisis. The authorities are imposing unannounced power cuts to the consumer. However, political parties in the State, especially proTelangana parties and organisations see a conspiracy in it. They allege that Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy is behind the crisis. Addressing a gathering of party’s minority workers at BJP state headquarters, the BJP state president G Kishan Reddy said that the chief minister, despite being a CM of the entire Andhra Pradesh, is spearheading the ongoing Seemandhra agitation. “Have you ever seen or heard of a chief minister resorting to such cruel acts. Our CM N Kiran Kumar Reddy is doing it. While sitting at his office, he is encouraging employees and other organisations to hold agitations against the division of the State,” he said. A similar feeling was echoed at the meeting of the State Cabinet ministers from Telangana region held at Panchayat Raj minister K Jana Reddy’s residence in the City. “The agitation of electricity
Two versions on the power crisis
“P
ower cuts in the Telangana region is not a part of the ongoing strike by Samaikya Andhra Electricity Employees. It is because of the reduced power being generated in the district. Power cuts of three hours is being enforced on the City in two different spells” said superintendent engineer load monitoring, Praveen Kumar Reddy, to a query on the load shedding the City has been facing over the past week or so. Vice-chairman of employees of Seemandhra regions has led to a crisis in the State. But the CM seems to be enjoying it instead of solving the issue. He must take steps as it is clear that nobody, including the CM, can stop the creation of a separate
Seemandhra Electricity Employees JAC, and asst Division engineer, Ganesh, clarified that we are using power cuts as a weapon. Around 3,500mw power generation is totally stopped at the three hydel power plants, at Srisailam Right, Rayala Seema, and Upper Sileru PH, due to which the power supply is affected even on emergency services. We managed to restore supply to emergency services, like hospitals, water works, and TTD after 6pm yesterday. Telangana state,” a senior Cabinet minister told Postnoon. The meeting asked the CM to immediately take steps to prevent power crisis in the State and warned the CM that they would complain to the party
high command if he failed to do take immediate steps. On the other hand, TRS leader and MLA T Hareesh Rao was vocal in denouncing the CM. He warned the CM that the T employees would cut off power connection to the CM’s residence and all Seemandhra ministers if he did not take necessary steps. Rao requested the Seemandhra employees to rethink their indefinite strike. “The Telangana employees never resorted to such acts during their years of agitation for Telangana. If they wanted, they could have cut off power connections to the CM and other Seemandhra leaders’ residence on a call of TJAC. But we never did such things as we held only peaceful agitations. But we are forced to take such drastic steps due to the attitude of the CM and Seemandhra employees,” he said.
HM: Why are you not closing private schools? AROUND THE
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POSTNOON feedback@postnoon.com HYDERABAD: Health minister Kondru Murali and representatives of APNGOs union had heated arguments during the Cabinet sub-committee meeting held in the Secretariat on Monday. It is learnt that APNGO leaders reportedly expressed displeasure over the attitude of Kondru Murali towards their agitation in the Seemandhra region for keeping the State united. The minister reportedly questioned the APNGO leaders for sparing private educational institutions from the bandh and forcing closure of only government schools in the region. Answering the minister’s poser, the APNGO leaders reportedly retorted saying that the government employees would not have gone on strike if the political leaders resigned from their posts and led the agitation against the division of the State. The employees’ representatives also accused the minister of acting like an agent of the Congress high command. Meanwhile, it is learnt that the Samaikyandhra agitators locked the party office of Kondru Murali in Srikakulam district. When the ministers appealed to the employees to give up agitation keeping in view the hardships being faced by the people in the entire Seemandhra region, the APNGOs leaders reportedly said they would come to a decision only after holding talks with the chief minister. It is learnt that Kiran Kumar Reddy is scheduled to hold talks with the APNGOs here on Wednesday.
NATION BRIEFS Asaram to SC: Restrain media from speculation
Encephalitis claims 15 lives; toll 358
Activists welcome court ban on idol immersion
Mill, dairy firm polluting Ganga; NGT seeks reply
Dec 16 gang-rape case: 2 convicts file appeal
NEW DELHI: Spiritual guru Asaram Bapu Tuesday urged the Supreme Court to restrain the media from carrying speculative reports about him, his family and his ashrams in the wake of rape allegations against him. Senior counsel Vikas Singh said that there was no objection to media correctly reporting the court proceedings.
GORAKHPUR (UP): Fifteen more children succumbed to encephalitis, taking the toll in the disease in eastern UP to 358 this year. Health officials said the children died in the last two days in various government hospitals in the district. As many as 45 fresh cases of encephalitis have been reported at BRD Medical College Hospital.
AGRA: The Allahabad High Court order asking the UP government to ban immersion of idols in the Yamuna and Ganges rivers has been welcomed by eco-activists here. Activists have been presenting memorandums to the district authorities and the UP State Pollution Control Board to restrict immersion of Ganesh and Durga idols in the Yamuna.
NEW DELHI: The National Green Tribunal (NGT) today sought the responses of the Centre and the UP government on a plea alleging that the Ganga is being polluted due to effluents discharged by sugar mills and a dairy firm. A bench headed by Justice Swatanter Kumar also issued notices and sought responses of concerned parties.
NEW DELHI: Two of the four convicts facing death for the December 16 gangrape of a paramedical student today filed their appeals before Delhi High Court challenging the trial court's conviction and sentence. Convicts Vinay Sharma (20) and Akshay Thakur (28) sought the trial court's conviction and sentencing orders.
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News TUESDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2013
CIVIC
Prajavani becomes Rajavani People’s voice is stifled as unions and officials of GHMC shoo away public who came for prajavani on Monday. ALEENA ALICE aleena.t@postnoon.com HYDERABAD: As it is, if public have to bring their civic grievances to the notice of the GHMC officials, it is next to impossible. Added to it, on the one day they get to address their grievances to the officials they are asked to go back. This is what happened on Monday. The GHMC had started the weekly prajavani programme so that citizens can bring their civic grievance to the officials. However, on Monday thanks to the flash strike by the GHMC staff, most of the public who had come with problems to be addressed by the officials were asked to go back. The GHMC employees led by their Employees Union
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The officials seemed to pooh-pooh the whole matter, saying that it was a “small issue”. They can come back next week, they say. President, U Gopal, went on a flash strike at the head office alleging that the Additional Commissioner (Health and Sanitation) had used abusive and vulgar language against a vehicle inspector and a driver. The union employees shut the gates, burnt effigies of the additional
commissioner and disrupted the weekly Prajavani programme. Every week, during the Prajavani Programme at least a minimum of 25-30 complaints and grievances by the public are taken up. This week, however, they were only 16 complaints, as most of the public were asked to go back. “I had reached the GHMC head office by 10 am. However, the gates were shut and the entire place was chaotic. The employees were shouting slogans for some issue. Along with me they were many others who were asked to leave. I had come all the way from Uppal, to bring to the notice of the Town Planning officials about the illegal structures that came up just next to my plot and causing great inconvenience. As it is it is very
ACTION AGAINST PRICE RISE
Rythu bazzars to sell super fine rice at `30/kg Government measure is to give relief to common man from galloping inflation, reports civil supply authorities MOHSIN ALI ali@postnoon.com HYDERABAD: With the prices of essential commodities going up, the State government has thought of intervening. The civil supplies will now make available the popular super fine rice at `30 per kg through special counters in all the rythu bazaars of the City very soon. In the recent past the prices of the rice like sona masuri have gone up to `42 a kilo whereas the best quality is sold at `50. Many families in the middle class are unable to consume their favourite brand. Officials from Civil Supplies Bhavan, Andra Pradesh, told Postnoon that due to inadequate and uneven rains, production of rice in the State had gone down. The prices of the commodi-
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ties like rice, onion, green vegetables have therefore gone up, and the retailers cashing in on the situation made the situation worse. People have little hope in the government controlling prices. It is evident from the feelings expressed by customers who come to rythu bazaars. They say the government simply announces schemes which in reality do not work or middlemen sweep up the benefits. The latest move, however, will bring some relief to the public, it is hoped. The District Supply Officer, Hyderabad, V Rajasekhar, said, ”To overcome the shortage of essential goods, the government has resolved to get rice from the neighbouring states to make the best rice available. These counters are to be at rythu bazaars for the convenience of the public. Rajasekhar further said that the government was also planning to provide the super fine rice at fair price shops, each card holder can get 20kg rice once the procedure started, but it will take some time.
difficult to get the officials to solve our problem. Added to it, now even this programme was disrupted. I will have to wait for one more week, for my problem to be heard,” said D Venkaiah, a retired government teacher. The issue, however, was only sorted out in the afternoon, during a meeting between senior
officials and the agitating staff in the presence of the GHMC Commissioner. The disturbance of the Prajavani did not seem to affect the officials. “This sort of issues is common. It’s a small issue. Citizens who were asked to go back, can come next week and we will take up their problems,” said an official.
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News TUESDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2013
FOOD
3 cities on one platter For the first time chefs of three kitchens of Kangan, Westin, have come together and put up a special menu of the best dishes found in three different cities, Mumbai, Pune and Hyderabad. ARUN D YELLAMATY arunyellamaty@postnooon.com HYDERABAD: The recipes of all the dishes are unique and every dish reminds you of the city the dish is popular in. Tandoori Jhinga ‘kari patta’, Murgh Duheri tikki, Kacchey gosht ke koftey, Mahi Qaliya, Musafir ka adlah are few of the chefs’ specials put up on the menu. The idea behind the special menu is to ensure people get to experience popular dishes of various cities. For the vegetarians, there are various dishes to pick from, starting from Bhavnagri mirch ke gullar, Chironji ke kebab, Tandoori Kumbh masala, Palak Anardana iikki etc. The selection of the Indian breads is vast too, like Warqi paratha, Zattar naan and Naan-e-Bakamuch. Coming to the deserts, chef Rajesh mentioned that in Pune Westin, Khubni ka meetha was a big hit among the foodies. The others popular sweet dishes like Zaffrani phirni, Kulfi falooda and Ras malai was delicious to taste. Chef Rakesh Singh Anand from Hyderabad, Chef Ajay Chopra from Mumbai and Chef Shamsher Ahmad from Pune have curetted, an all-new menu for the Kitchens of Kangan. Speaking on the special menu, Chef Rajesh, says, “Three of us came together and wanted to come up with a special with popular dishes in the three Westin Kangans, so we had a discussion and after cooking a few dishes we called in many others chefs to have a tasting session and then finalised this menu. We are keeping the same menu in three different cities.” The dishes put up in the menu are traditional ones,
RICHES UNVEILED
Research ‘discovers’ 39 mega-rich across Africa LAGOS: There are far more African billionaires than previously thought, Ventures magazine said Monday in a report on the continent’s mega-rich, but the number of Africans living in extreme poverty has also shot up. Previous Africa-rich-lists named as few as 16 billionaires, but Ventures said its exhaustive research had identified at least 55 on a continent where the wealthy often fiercely protect details about their fortunes. The pan-African business magazine said it was able to uncover dozens of new billionaires by using “on-the-ground knowledge” to overcome hurdles that may have “hampered” other researchers. Of the 55, 20 are Nigerian, including several oil barons, while South Africa and Egypt boast nine and eight respectively. Ventures’ supported reports AROUND THE
which are not only popular in various cities, but also across the globe. All the dishes are served in an a-la-carte menu. The Kangan restaurant is popular for interpretation of rustic Indian flavours mainly from the North-West Frontier region of Peshawar. Also inspired by the culinary traditions of the MiddleEast, Iran and Afghanistan, the food style incorporates the evolved richness of indigenous curries from various regions across India. The cuisine sparkles in myriad ways by bringing out many undiscovered facets of authentic Indian cuisine with its unique use of time-tested ingredients transformed by eclectic combinations and modern presentations by renowned chefs. Chef Rakesh Singh Anand, Kangan Chef at The Westin
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Hyderabad says, “Every spice has its own characteristic flavour and therefore, we have tried to retain its distinct uniqueness in every recipe that we have thoughtfully created for our menu.” Chef Shamsher Ahmad from
Pune, adds, “The dishes put up in this menu are very rich and healthy, and not too spicy. The Kebabs will not completely fill your stomach, but will surely make you grab more of them. The main course too is not very spicy, but exact to the taste, and people will love it. We spent a lot of time together to come up with the menu and it’s a good time for people to spoil themselves with good food.” I definitely agree with what the chef said for the food being served here is a must try, and do talk to the chefs who will surely take you back to history on how each dish came into existence. Don’t forget to grab your dinner with the vintage wine the restaurant offers. This special menu will be up till 17 October after which the festival will begin at the Mumbai Kangan.
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by Forbes which listed Nigeria’s Aliko Dangote as Africa’s richest man with a fortune of $20.2 billion (15 billion euros). Dangote, who made his fortune in cement, heads a multiinterest empire, profiting from products including flour and sugar, while eyeing a massive investment in oil refining. The continent’s richest woman is Nigeria’s Folorunsho Alakija, whose Fama Oil owns an offshore oil block, which she acquired in 1993 “at a relatively inexpensive price”, likely through a helpful connection. Alakija studied fashion in London, then made dresses for Maryam Babaginda, the late wife of Nigerian dictator Ibrahim. The former designer “is believed to have ridden on the crest of this relationship to acquire an oil block,” off the Niger Delta in Nigeria, said Ventures. AFP
WORLD BRIEFS Japan seeks intervention North Korea warns US on atomic fish ban over joint naval drill
2 China miners rescued 10 days after flood
US gives Guatemala six helicopters for drug fight
South Korea seizes Chinese fishing boats
TOKYO: Japan has asked the WTO to step into a row over Seoul’s import ban on fish caught in waters near the crippled Fukushima nuclear plant, officials said on Tuesday. Tokyo wants WTO’s Sanitary and Phytosanitary Committee, which deals with food safety, to discuss South Korean rules restricting the import of marine produce.
BEIJING: Two Chinese miners were rescued early Tuesday after 10 days trapped underground by a flood, state news services reported in a rare success for the accidentprone industry. A total of 42 workers were underground when water began pouring into the state-owned Zhengsheng coal mine on September 28.
GUATEMALA CITY: The US government gave six helicopters to Guatemala to increase its operational capacity fighting drug trafficking, part of a $40 million donation, President Otto Perez said on Monday. The president said the helicopters were worth $11 million, and the United States had donated $24 million in night vision devices.
SEOUL: Two Chinese fishing boats, suspected of illegal fishing in South Korean waters, have been detained by the country’s coast guard in Mokpo, the Chinese consulate general in Kwangju confirmed on Monday. The two fishing boats were suspected of illegal fishing in South Korean waters near Xinan county in Jeollanam-do.
SEOUL: North Korea on Tuesday warned the US of a “horrible disaster” and put its troops on alert over a massive joint naval drill involving a US aircraft carrier alongside South Korean and Japanese vessels. The warning came after Seoul and Washington last week signed a new joint strategy to counter the growing threat of a N Korean nuclear attack.
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News TUESDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2013
SUPREME RELIEF
PRE-POLL SOPS
SC spares tandoor killer from gallows
Sonia Gandhi on one-day visit to UP
Sharma’s life imprisonment would be for the rest of the life, the court said.
NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court Tuesday commuted to life imprisonment the death sentence awarded to former Youth Congress leader Sushil Sharma for killing his wife and attempting to dispose off her body in a tandoor (clay oven). An apex court bench of Chief Justice P. Sathasivam, Justice Ranjana Prakash Desai and Justice Ranjan Gogoi said the prosecution had proven the guilt of the accused beyond reasonable doubt. The court recounted the
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sequence of events leading to the murder of Naina Sahni and the attempt to dispose off her body by burning it in a tandoor of the Bagiya restaurant in a then government-owned hotel. The chain of events would indicate that the accused and the accused alone had committed the brutal murder, the court said. “It is not a crime against society, but it is a crime committed
by the accused due to strained personal relationship with his wife,” said Justice Ranjana Prakash Desai, pronouncing the judgment on behalf of the bench. The court further said this was a mitigating factor for commuting the death sentence to life imprisonment. Sharma’s life imprisonment would be for the rest of the life, the court said, adding it would be subject to the powers of the appropriate authority to grant remission in accordance with the law. IANS
LUCKNOW: Congress president Sonia Gandhi will be on a one-day visit to her parliamentary constituency of Raebareli in Uttar Pradesh Tuesday. She will be laying the foundation stone of an ambitious rail wheel manufacturing unit in Lalganj. The unit will come up within the coach manufacturing unit, already functioning in the region. She will later address a public rally and meet party workers. She will also be laying the foundation stone of a city resource centre at the “Jalkal” premises on the canal road, Congress legislator Akhilesh Pratap Singh said. While the rail wheel project is being jointly undertaken by the railways and the National Steel Corporation, the resource centre will be built by the central urban housing department. The one-day visit of the UPA chairperson comes a day after her son and Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi visited Amethi for laying the foundation stone of a Rs.200 crore food processing unit. The slew of new developmental projects, political observers say, was a sign of the forthcoming Lok Sabha polls in which the Congress will have to fight a strong antiincumbency to retain its 2009 tally of 22 MPs.
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Rahul Gandhi criticises Mayawati NEW DELHI: Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday attacked BSP chief Mayawati, saying she has not let new Dalit leaders come up. “In the second stage of the Dalit movement, the production of leaders stopped, Mayawati-ji has captured the leadership and she does not let people come up,” Gandhi said while addressing a national awareness cam. “Though it is her personal choice, it is a great time for Congress party who has a history of working for Dalits,” he added. He also said that the Congress party, in a systematic manner, will have Dalit leaders at the panchayat, legislative and even the poliIANS cy level.
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UTTAR PRADESH
Idol immersions in Ganga, Yamuna banned The court also dismissed the plea of the state government that the idols would be immersed and then fished out. LUCKNOW: The Allahabad High Court (HC) Monday put a ban on the immersion of idols of Gods and Goddesses in Ganga and Yamuna rivers in Uttar Pradesh. The court also dismissed the plea of the state government that the idols would be immersed and then fished out. The HC bench of Justice Ashok Bhushan and Justice Arun Tandon asked the state government to ensure a blanket ban on immersion of idols. The court gave these directives while hearing a petition on Ganga pollution. During the hearing, the counsel of the petitioner Sudhanshu Srivastava informed the court
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The court had earlier asked the UP State Pollution Control Board to monitor the water quality before and after the immersion of idols. that the district administration, despite several reminders, had failed to make adequate alternative arrangements for the immersion of idols in Ganga.
The counsel of the state government while admitting this requested the bench to allow the immersion of idols this season and that they would be taken out immediately. The court, however, refused to yield and asked the state government to also ensure that within a year, the rivers of the state are free from any immersion activity. The court had earlier asked the UP State Pollution Control Board to monitor the water quality before and after the immersion of idols. The report submitted before the court had revealed that the water quality had suffered immensely after the immersion of idols. IANS
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News TUESDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2013
ZIONIST YOKE
SYRIA
‘Palestinian GDP can expand 33% if restrictions go’
Ban: Inspectors face unprecedented danger
JERUSALEM: The Palestinian economy could expand by over a third if Israel were to lift its restrictions on about 60 percent of the West Bank that it controls, the World Bank said in a report published Tuesday. “More than half the land in the West Bank, much of it agricultural and resource rich, is inaccessible to Palestinians,” said the World Bank. “The first comprehensive study of the potential impact of this ‘restricted land,’ released by the World Bank today, sets the current loss to the Palestinian economy at about US$3.4 billion (2.5 billion euros),” it added. If businesses and farms were allowed to develop in the territory, “this would add as much as 35 percent to the Palestinian GDP”, it estimated. The World Bank report came about a fortnight after the Middle East Quartet published a plan to revive the ailing Palestinian economy, in an effort to support peace negotiations between Israel
If businesses and farms were allowed to develop in the territory, “this would add as much as 35 percent to the Palestinian GDP”, it is being estimated. AROUND THE
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and the Palestinians. The three-year “Palestinian Economic Initiative” would focus on private sector growth. It identified eight key sectors targeted for development, including construction and building materials, agriculture, energy and water, and tourism. The International Monetary Fund has estimated that the Palestinian GDP growth would slow from 11 percent in 2011 and 5.9 percent in 2012 to 4.5 percent by the end of this year. AFP
UN warned that inspectors face a year-long mission of unprecedented danger in trying to destroy Syria’s chemical weapons arsenal. UNITED NATIONS: The United Nations warned Monday that inspectors face a year-long mission of unprecedented danger in trying to destroy Syria’s chemical weapons arsenal, as rebels launched a major offensive. In a report to the UN Security Council seen by AFP, Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said it would take 100 foreign experts to complete “an operation the likes of which, quite simply, has never been tried before.” Ban set out a blueprint for the most dangerous disarmament operation ever staged, even as the United States and Russia praised steps taken so far by President Bashar al-Assad’s government. But a major rebel assault in northwest Syria highlighted the looming threats to inspectors from the joint United Nations and Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) mission. The two international bodies have had to speedily gather a team after a Security Council resolution endorsed a Russian-US
SPARKLING ACCUSATION
Abbott in travel expenses row SYDNEY: Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott was embroiled in a spiralling travel expenses scandal on Tuesday. The issue has blown up for Abbott, who was elected to office last month vowing to lead a government that would “live within its means”, while in Indonesia for the APEC summit. Last week he voluntarily repaid about Aus$1,700 (US$1,600) in travel expenses claimed for attending the weddings of two former colleagues in 2006.He did so following uproar after two senior members of his coalition were heavily criticised after being exposed for billing taxpayers . One of the weddings Abbott claimed for involved former parliamentary speaker Peter Slipper, who he vigorously pursued last year over his alleged misuse of taxi vouchers to visit Canberra wineries.
On Tuesday, Australian media also revealed Abbott, who has a macho reputation, charged taxpayers almost Aus$1,300 in travel and accommodation costs to compete in a 2011 ironman event. Abbott insisted Tuesday it was “perfectly legitimate” for the public to pay for travel expenses for his participation in charity and community sports events. “I believe that all of my claims have been within entitlement,” he told reporters on the APEC sidelines. Bill Shorten, who is campaigning to be Labor leader following Kevin Rudd’s defeat to Abbott in October elections, said the system needed to be tightened. “But if there is this confusion and there is this uncertainty, then it does need to be cleaned up for the public confidence in the system, full stop — it does need to be sorted.” AFP
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disarmament plan on September 27. The plan was launched after a chemical weapons attack near Damascus on August 21, in which hundreds -- Washington claims around 1,400 -- people died. US President Barack Obama initially threatened a punitive military strike but when he struggled to win international or even domestic support for such a move agreed to a Russian disarmament plan. Russia and the United States
have the ambitiously aim to seize and destroy Syria’s huge chemical weapons arsenal, estimated at 1,000 tonnes, by mid-2014. Some 19 OPCW arms experts and 16 UN logistics and security personnel are in Syria and hav started to destroy weapons production facilities. Ban recommended the team be increased to about 100 scientists, logistics and security experts who will stay for up to a year. The mission will have bases in Damascus and Cyprus. Ban highlighted the threat to the experts and Syrian civilians from the sarin, mustard gas and other chemical horrors which are to be moved amid the “carnage” of Assad’s daily battle with rebels. The experts will have to work in “dangerous and volatile” conditions, particularly in urban areas such as Damascus, Homs and Aleppo, the UN leader warned. “Heavy artillery, air strikes, mortar barrages and the indiscriminate shelling of civilians areas are commonplace and battle lines shift quickly,” he added. AFP
... in running for Oz sexism awards SYDNEY: “Vicious” commentary about Australia’s first female leader Julia Gillard dominates entries for the annual “Ernie” awards for sexism with Prime Minister Tony Abbott the “most constant” offender, organisers said Tuesday. There were more than 100 entries for the 2013 gong, which will be decided by the traditional “boo-off” at a gala dinner in Sydney on Wednesday, with founder Meredith Burgmann saying Gillard’s ascension had seen unprecedented hostility against women by lawmakers and the press. Topping the list in the politics category is conservative lawmaker Mal Brough for the menu at his election fundraiser featuring “Julia Gillard Kentucky Fried Quail: Small breasts, huge thighs and a big red box.”
Gaffe-prone Abbott was nominated for 11 separate remarks and was “the most constant offender”, Burgmann said. They include his touting of a female political candidate’s “sex appeal” as a reason to vote for her, his “disappointment” at only appointing one woman to his cabinet and saying his daughters “don’t want to leave home until such time as they get married”. “The Tony Abbott comments are just straight out of the 1950s ‘this is the way women should be’ rather than anything vicious,” Burgmann said. Former Labor leader Mark Latham could give Brough and Abbott a run for their money with his remarks dismissing Abbott’s “sex appeal” candidate as a case of “beer goggles” and “low standards”. AFP
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News TUESDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2013
FALLING STANDARDS
Crumbling reality of Mumbai Corruption, negligence and outdated laws have all contributed to the troubled situation. RACHEL O’BRIEN Agence France Presse MUMBAI: The top two storeys have already been torn down and workmen with sledgehammers are hacking at what’s left, but at Mumbai’s Botawala Chawl apartment complex four families refuse to leave. They are among many in the Indian city stuck in dilapidated or poorly built structures, whose plight was highlighted last month when a residential block came crashing down killing 60 people sleeping inside. “The builders haven’t given us anything in writing,” said 57year-old tenant R.K. Tiwari, who has verbally been promised an apartment in a replacement highrise block. “As long as we don’t get anything on paper, we won’t move.” Her dilemma is just one of a complex array of reasons why people continue to live in dangerous buildings in India’s densely populated financial capital, where land and affordable housing are scarce. Corruption, negligence, and outdated laws have all contributed to the troubled housing situation in Mumbai and its surrounding areas, where six major building collapses in recent months have killed more than 160 people. While a heavy monsoon has exacerbated the problems, poor maintenance and shoddy construction have been highlighted since the collapses. Experts say rogue developers are cashing in on the desperate need for cheap housing. AFP first visited the centuryold, three-storey Botawala Chawl in southeast Mumbai in 2005 after officials declared it one of about 30 “extremely dangerous” buildings that would have to be vacated within a week. Eight years later, Tiwari is still there, the ceilings of her home starting to buckle. She lives near a five-storey building owned by the civic government, providing accommodation to its employees, that tumbled to the ground on September 27, killing 60 of more than 90 people inside. The 30-year-old block had earlier been found unsafe and in urgent need of repairs, according to local reports. Residents were asked to leave but were not transferred to safer homes. But Tiwari would rather risk her home falling down
than voluntarily give it up with no future guarantees — possibly to be stuck in one of the so-called “transit camps” that house thousands of people while their homes are rebuilt. “They have heard several stories of people leaving, getting accommodation in transit camps and the redevelopment never happening or getting delayed,” said Ashutosh Limaye, head of research at Jones Lang LaSalle India, a property consultancy. A recent survey by the municipal government found 959 dilapidated buildings in the city — although some say the real figure is likely much higher — while more than half of Mumbai’s population of over 18
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million people is said to live in slums. Yet around 40,000 apartments in various stages of construction lie unsold or empty, priced out of reach of most people, according to Mahesh Khalap, strategic consultant at Jones Lang LaSalle. ‘It’s beyond repair’ In April, an illegal multistorey building that was still being built collapsed in Mumbai’s neighbouring district of Thane, killing 74. In June, three buildings came crashing down in Mumbai and
While politicians and construction firms are accused of colluding to cash-in on the over-priced housing market, some say the best structures are ironically now found in the slums, built by local masons. Thane killing 27, including 10 at the Altaf Manzil apartment block in the city centre. “I feel like crying every time I see this,” said Amy Patel, 72, looking at the remains of Altaf Manzil from her next-door residential block — itself more than 80 years old. She and her family have agreed since that collapse to move out while the landlord knocks down and rebuilds their home, in which a mess of wires hangs overhead and the stairs creak with age. “It’s beyond repair,” said her 44-year-old son Merzi. The family currently pays as little as 500 rupees ($8) a month in rent — but the strict controls on hikes that keep prices down mean landlords have little impetus to pay for building maintenance. On some collapsed buildings, including Altaf Manzil, potentially damaging struc-
tural changes and other alterations had been carried out, such as the addition of marble floorings. “There’s a constant state of upgradation,” said Naresh Fernandes, author of the new book “City Adrift: A Short Biography of Bombay”. As new affluence takes hold in old structures “people do whatever they want on their buildings” — often flouting cumbersome regulations, Fernandes said. Architect Chandrashekhar Prabhu said several of the recently collapsed structures were built around the 1980s, a time when good quality cement was in short supply. Air and land salinity in the coastal city can also corrode properties. While politicians and construction firms are accused of colluding to cash-in on the overpriced housing market, some say the best structures are ironically now found in the slums, built by local masons. In the big business of redevelopment “neither the builders, contractors, nor the state have shown that level of quality consciousness”, said Rahul Srivastava, a Mumbai-based cofounder of the urban research collective URBZ. “They are only interested in producing an exchange value in what they are constructing, only interested in returns, not good quality homes.”
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News TUESDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2013
NOT EVEN SAFE IN THEIR HOMES
DR Congo women fight rape Rape has become a weapon of war in eastern DR Congo, a defining feature of the conflicts rending the mineral-rich region since the 1994 genocide.
HABIBOU BANGRE Agence France Presse MUGUNGA: For the women forced to flee their homes by the fighting in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, the simple chores of getting food or fetching firewood are fraught with danger. If they venture outside the camps set up for the displaced, they risk being raped by members of the many armed groups active in the region, or even by soldiers in the regular Congolese army. Rape has become a weapon of war in eastern DR Congo, a defining feature of the conflicts rending the mineral-rich region since the 1994 genocide in neighbouring Rwanda, whose aftermath deeply destabilised the area over the border. At the Mugunga III camp, as at the dozen or so others scattered around Goma — the flashpoint city around which most of the recent fighting has revolved — women are often the ones who risk going outside, anxious to protect their husbands and sons from being forcibly recruited into a rebel group or worse. The World Food Programme brings meals to the camp once a month, but the rest of the time the women have little choice but to venture outside to farm the surrounding fields and gather firewood to cook. Aid staff and the displaced have tried to find a compromise to keep women safe at the camp,
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In 2011, the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, set up a small factory at the Mugunga III camp that makes briquettes from water, sawdust and paper. The project “is both a way to prevent sexual assaults and a way of generating revenue,” said Celine Schmitt, UNHCR spokeswoman in DR Congo. The displaced people keep part of their output to cook and sell the rest — mainly to the camp’s bakery, which is funded by UNHCR and pays $5 for a bag of 300 briquettes.
‘I AM SO AFRAID AFTER WHAT I’VE BEEN THROUGH’
which houses 14,000 people in dirt-floor shacks about 10 kilometres (six miles) west of Goma, the capital of North Kivu province. “But it’s hard to reason with someone who needs wood, who’s hungry.... We try to show that there’s no need to go too far, even if it’s just to bring back a small amount,” said Evariste Kabunga, who represents the refugees at Mugunga III. Providing alternative cooking fuel — mainly in the form of briquettes made of compressed
Sexual violence against women DR Congo increased sharply last year as a new rebellion by a group of army mutineers called the M23. sawdust — could go a long way to curbing the scourge, say the United Nations and humanitarian groups.
Several projects are now aiming to do just that. A Dutch-backed World Food Programme project has begun distributing briquettes made by local women to displaced people, according to Fabienne Pompey, a WFP spokeswoman. Rick Slettenhaar, in charge of humanitarian affairs for the Dutch embassy, said the Netherlands was also working with the Women’s Refugee Commission to provide better stoves that use less wood and can also burn briquettes.
Sexual violence against women in eastern DR Congo increased sharply last year as a new rebellion by a group of army mutineers called the M23 engulfed the region in fresh unrest. More than 5,000 women were raped in North Kivu province in 2012, according to a local hospital. At Mugunga III alone, health clinics recorded 664 cases of sexual violence from January to July 2013, according to Schmitt. Late last year UNHCR announced it had delineated “safe” areas for collecting firewood, but the project never took off. The women opposed it, fearing their husbands would be abducted if they came with them.
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Across Stores A file of the leader of a faction of the Mai Mai malition, Ntabo Ntaberi Sheka, wanted on an arrest warrant over charges of mass rape, campaigning for a seat ahead of the November 26 national elections in Walikale, North Kivu. AFP
ities Twin C
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News TUESDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2013
ICON OF HOPE
In Malala’s home, schoolgirls pray for her Nobel in secret Malala, who survived being shot by the Taliban on October 9 last year, has become a global ambassador for education, feted by celebrities and politicians. EMMANUEL DUPARCQ Agence France Presse MINGORA: In Malala Yousafzai’s home town in Pakistan, schoolfriends hope to see her win the Nobel Peace Prize this week -- but they dream in secret, under pressure from a society deeply ambivalent about the teenage activist. Malala, who survived being shot by the Taliban on October 9 last year, has become a global ambassador for education, feted by celebrities and politicians around the Western world. But in northwest Pakistan’s Swat valley, a deeply conservative area fearful of foreign influence encroaching on the traditions of its society, many regard her with suspicion and even contempt. Her longtime friend Safia has no such doubts. Peeling off from a group of girls at a high school in Mingora, the main town in Swat, she spoke confidently about her friend, and women’s rights, in excellent English. Malala is among the favourites for the Nobel, which will be awarded on Friday, and Safia said she deserves it. She supports Malala’s efforts to get all children -- girls as well as boys -- to go to school. “A bicycle cannot run with only one wheel: society is like a bicycle, with the male education as the first wheel and female education as the second one,” she told AFP. Beautiful, verdant Swat was once a honeypot for tourists, but it was plunged into war in 2007 when the Pakistani Taliban took control and enforced a hardline Islamist rule until they were kicked out by the army two years later.
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A bicycle cannot run with only one wheel: society is like a bicycle, with the male education as the first wheel and female education as the second one. But pockets of militancy remain, and a year ago a Taliban hit squad shot Malala in the head at point-blank range on her school bus. Remarkably, Malala survived and has spent the past year in England — first for treatment and then to continue her education. Safia’s sentiments are shared by many schoolgirls in Mingora, who want their country and their area to be known for something other than Taliban and bombs. “Malala is a model, not only for us but for the whole Pakistan,” said 14-year-old Rehana Noor Bacha. Education has improved in Swat since the Taliban days. Since 2011 the proportion of girls going to school has risen to nearly 50 percent, from 34 percent,
while that of boys is close to 90 percent. But the authorities say they are short of at least a thousand female teachers and 200 classrooms for girls. ‘America created Malala’ Malala has become one of the most famous teenagers in the world, attracting support from the likes of Madonna, Angelina Jolie, Hillary Clinton, Bono and Gordon Brown. But this rise to stardom in the West, and her frequent appearances in the media, have brewed suspicion in a society that expects women to remain out of sight and is always quick to blame foreign powers for its ills. The head of girls’ education in Swat, Dilshad Begum, explained that in Pashtun society “people don’t like to see women in front of cameras”. Maulana Gul Naseeb, a prominent figure in the JUI-F, one of Pakistan’s leading religious political parties, was more forthright. “America created Malala in order to promote their own culture of nudity and to defame Pakistan around the world,” he told AFP. Bizarre theories like this have gained ground on social networking sites, with users declar-
ing themselves shocked to see the West elevate a girl “only” wounded while forgetting Afghan and Pakistani children killed by American bombs. Driver Ali Rehman, 33, is among the sceptics. “Local people never took her seriously. She became famous only because of international media,” he told AFP, adding that nothing had changed except for Malala and her family who now have an easy life in the UK. Malala first rose to prominence during Taliban rule in Swat with a blog for the BBC Urdu service chronicling the rigours of daily life under the
Islamists. The threat of the Taliban returning and the ubiquitous presence of the army which is now grudgingly returning control to the civilian authorities weigh heavily on the atmosphere in Swat. Safia said even people from Malala’s village had opposed her, but that the critics were “hypocrites and jealous”. This week as the Nobel announcement approaches Safia will pray for Malala’s chances, but warns it will make little difference if she wins. “It will take at least three generations to make things change here,” she sighed.
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2013
Business
SANTANDER TO BUY EL CORTE INGLES ARM
Spain’s largest bank, Santander, said Monday it has agreed to buy a controlling stake in the consumer finance business of heavily indebted Spanish department store El Corte Ingles.
US SHUTDOWN
STEEL USE TO GROW 3.1%
Default fears fuel angst in shutdown Washington The US government will be barred from borrowing after October 17 unless the current $16.7 trillion debt ceiling is lifted. WASHINGTON: The “unthinkable” threat of a US default weighed on Washington Monday, as a standoff over raising the government debt ceiling drowned out angst over a weeklong government shutdown. The White House hit back after Republican House Speaker John Boehner warned he would not allow Congress to raise the government’s borrowing limit before an October 17 deadline unless President Barack Obama offers concessions. Washington’s building financial crisis was noted by China, with Beijing warning that the United States must act quickly to establish the credibility of the dollar, the world’s major reserve currency. Concern also spread to previously calm investors. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 136.34 (0.90 percent) to 14,936.24, on worries about the debt ceiling showdown and the US government shutdown, now entering a seventh day. The White House reacted sharply to Boehner’s remarks, warning Congress could trigger a disastrous default and shred Washington’s prized credit rating, as doomsday scenarios grew in credibility. “We can’t threaten an economic catastrophe,” Obama said. “What we’re not willing to do is to create a permanent pattern in which unless you get your way, the government is shut down or America defaults. That’s not how we do business in this country. And we’re not going to start now.” The US government will be barred from borrowing after October 17 unless the current
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US launches new $100 banknote WASHINGTON: The United States launches on Tuesday a new $100 bill that comes with, for the iconic greenback, a new touch of color, as well as special features to foil counterfeiters. In its first remake since 1996, the $100 banknote, which takes a key role in cash transactions for everyone from small traders to big drug traffickers worldwide, sports the traditional portrait of American Revolutionary War statesman Benjamin Franklin on the front. On the back, too, it depicts Philadelphia’s Independence Hall, where the Declaration of Independence was adopted on July 4, 1776. But it adds a yellowish “100” in one corner and, next to Franklin, a tan quill and bronzecolored inkwell that holds inside it the Philadelphia Liberty Bell in changing colors from darker brown to green, depending on the angle the note is held. Cutting vertically through the middle of the banknote is a blue security ribbon that shows
$16.7 trillion debt ceiling is lifted. In the resultant chaos, Washington would begin defaulting on its debts, global stock markets could plummet and the fragile world economy could take a hit it can ill afford. Gene Sperling, Director of the National Economic Council, said Boehner’s comments were disappointing and warned Obama could not allow the House of Representatives to hold him hostage over the debt limit because it would set a dire precedent for future presidents. Obama is refusing to negotiate with Boehner on raising the debt ceiling, saying Congress
SAO PAULO: Global steel use is expected to grow 3.1 per cent this year, up from two percent last year and to expand 3.3 per cent in 2014, industry experts said here Monday. A report released by The World Steel Association, which groups 170 steel producers, said global use should rise to 1.475 billion tons, up up 3.1 per cent following growth of two per cent last year. It forecast a 3.3. percent expansion to 1.52 billion tons in 2014. According to industry data, steel demand in China will grow six per cent this year, but only three per cent in 2014. In the United States, demand will rise only 0.7 per cent this year after a 7.8 per cent growth last year.
NUMEROLOGY numerous small Liberty Bells and 100s printed in darker blue, which appear to move as the note is shifted. While the feature appears like a hologram, the 100s and bells are actually microscopic in size and are enlarged by millions of micro-lenses printed on the note which make the figures appear to move, said Sonja Danburg, program manager in charge of currency education at the Federal Reserve.
has a duty to pay bills already run up by lawmakers. But Boehner told ABC News on Sunday that the Republicancontrolled House would not raise US borrowing authority without concessions from the White House. Uncertainty remains over Boehner’s true intentions. He had been quoted by anonymous lawmakers in reports last week as saying that he would not allow the US to go into default. But Boehner is in a perilous spot between the wider interests of economic stability and the demands of Tea Party conservatives in his Republican coalition to whom he may well owe his
jobs will be cut by French telecomequipment maker Alcatel-Lucent worldwide, but will create 5,000 other posts, financial newspaper Les Echos said on its website Monday.
PETROBRAS TO CLOSE OFFICES
job as speaker. Obama said he was prepared to negotiate with Republicans on health care, taxes and budget issues — but only after the government is reopened and the debt ceiling raised. There was a glimmer of an opening for a temporary end to the crisis on Monday, when the White House did not rule out a short-term extension of US borrowing capacity to permit tempers to cool. Such a move might be a last minute solution for Boehner though, and no current such legislation is on the table. AFP
GOLD `29,535 10g SILVER `49,709 1kg
24C
15,000
The new design comes primarily to fight the increasing sophistication of counterfeiters, Danburg told AFP. The new $100 banknote, printed on the traditional cotton and linen paper with green and black ink, has other foils for copiers. For instance, the design includes showing the back of Independence Hall, rather than the building’s front as before, so copiers cannot just use their old printing plates.
for
for
DOLLAR `61.68 POUND `99.19
RIO DE JANEIRO: Brazilian state-owned energy giant Petrobras says it will close 38 offices abroad in order to concentrate focus on pre-salt activities forecast to double production by 2020. The company on Monday confirmed to AFP comments made to that effect by Petrobras CEO Graca Foster to energy digest Brazil Oil and Gas. A press spokeswoman told AFP: “We do not yet have details of the countries where the branches will be closed.”But 38 bureaux and enterprises does not mean 38 countries are affected — there are countries with several,” the spokeswoman said. The move came with Moody’s having last week downgraded its Petrobras rating from A3 to Baa1 and on negative watch amid fears the behemoth is carrying onerous levels of debt. Noting an ambitious capital program and high leverage, Moody’s also downgraded Brazilian government from positive to stable on growth fears.
BSE NSE
19,997.75 102.65
5,932.35 26.20
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2013
Comment
HIGH-FLYING THOUGHTS
Asserting that India will breach its Aggregate Measurement of Support commitments to World Trade Organisation due to its new food security programme, Director-General, Roberto Azevedo sought a solution before the Bali Ministerial as some countries express concern over the procurement and distribution of subsidised food-grains.
STATE OF AP AFFAIRS
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DENMARK’S ‘LAZY ROBERT’ FUELS WELFARE CRITICISM
SÖREN BILLING feedback@postnoon.com
WELFARE VERSUS WORK ETHIC
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Nielsen’s philosophy studies may have helped him shape his argument that there is nothing morally superior about working, and that “it’s enough to be human.” “If you’re a citizen of Denmark, that’s enough to be offered food and shelter and clothes to wear,” he said. “At that point 95 per cent will then say: I would also really like to have a house, a car, a summer cottage, and to go on holiday in London and Ibiza. That’s why they go out and take a job. There isn’t anyone who takes a job for society’s sake.” A study by libertarian Danish think tank Cepos in June found that a large welfare state had a negative impact not just on people’s willingness to work. “The more generous the welfare state, the lower the work ethic of the individual citizen,” Casper Hunnerup Dahl wrote in the report. Politicians radically overhauled the social benefits system, Denmark risked raising a generation who “preferred working as little as possible,” he claimed. Nielsen said Copenhagen’s centre-left government had used him as a bogeyman to justify cuts that had nothing to do with him, such as lowering student grants.
Danish man who spent a decade on benefits and now sells sweaters emblazoned with the slogans “Unemployed and proud” and “I can’t be bothered” is riling welfare critics. Robert Nielsen, 45, was nicknamed “Lazy Robert” last year after he appeared on a talk show and admitted he would rather live on social benefits than take a job he didn’t find meaningful. “I have never suffered from the fallacy that it’s necessary to have a job to have a good life,” he told AFP. “I consider myself intellectual. So I would obviously like to have a job where I can use what I know about the world.” Comments like those have struck a nerve in Denmark, where rightwing commentators claim the generous welfare system has made the population too complacent. “We will look over all employment measures, and if there are people out there like Lazy Robert, the demands will become more stringent” for them, Prime Minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt said in the wake of Nielsen’s infamous television appearance. The Scandinavian country has scaled back parts of its wel-
fare state after a burst housing bubble prompted its economy to flatline in 2009. But it’s still a place where most people leave work at 4.00pm, and where unemployed people can claim up to 80 per cent of their salary for two years after losing their jobs. In the past 12 years, Nielsen has done stints as a flooring contractor and as a janitor at McDonald’s, but it never took long before he was back on the dole. “They expected too much
from you,” he said of the American fast food chain. He’s educated, having studied social sciences and philosophy “for a few years.” One term he even tried Chinese, and he has spent half a year in Zambia as a volunteer. However, his work never resulted in a degree. “Unfortunately I have no papers to show what I know,” he said. While that may have filled some people with regret, Nielsen
is happy with the status quo. Just don’t ask him what would happen if all of Denmark did what he does. “It’s a ridiculous question, and I don’t like answering it. Both in prisons and in the newspapers there are plenty of people you can point to and say: How would Denmark function if everyone were like them?” he said. “Everyone isn’t. Everyone isn’t like me, and they won’t ever be like me.”
EDITORIAL Bandh takes its toll on students
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he strikes in Seemandhra have prevented students from finishing their syllabus at college and taking exams. After agitations in Telangana, it’s now Seemandhra that is facing the heat of the bifurcation of the State. Fighting for a united Andhra Pradesh, protesters in Seemandhra have taken to the streets. This includes students who are lagging behind in academics. With exams postponed and universities shut, most students are wasting their time. The worst-hit are
READERS’ VIEWS
final year students, who should have finished portions and started studying for exams. A break of two months makes it challenging for most students
to continue in good spirit. Outstation students find it difficult to go back home as public transport is erratic. Educational institutions should make up for the lost time as the future of students hangs in the air. As engineering colleges are worse hit than medical colleges, attention to final-year students who need to attend competitive exams and require placements should be the focus. Completion of syllabus at the last minute is bound to affect the quality of response in the answer
sheets. Compared to students in other states, who have already completed mid-term and are gearing up for the main semester, students in many parts of Andhra Pradesh are lagging behind. Students claim that everyone is coming up with the response ‘piccha lite’ when it comes to attendance and exams. Their destiny should not be akin to students in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, during the Cauvery agitation, whose professional life still bears the brunt of strikes and bandh.
We invite you to write to us comments, suggestions, viewpoint or just about anything to feedback@postnoon.com or Plot No 550-A1,3rd Floor, Road No 92, Jubilee Hills, Hyderabad–500033 Landmark — Volkswagen showroom or even by way of a call on 040-2354 1412. Editor: Dean Williams
AFP
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TUESDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2013
workplace SPIRITUAL AWAKENING
LOOKING FORWARD
They sold their Ferraris Among the usual millions who jump into the race of life to carve their space in the material world, these people stand apart — raising the question that has wracked the brains of many a wise man: what is important and what is not. POSTNOON NEWS feedback@postnoon.com
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any of her relatives and friends were astounded when Manali Rathod abandoned a promising career in interior designing to become a Jain Sadhvi: Manali is not alone. Here’s Vikrant Suresh Vohra, who according to Motilal Rathod, Manali’s father, quit his plush job in the US to become a monk. When he did so on 14 April 2013, he was 37. Vikrant Muni now leads the ascetic life at Ranjangaon, near Durg in Chattisgarh. That’s not young enough? Here’s Reshma of Vellore. This Sadhvi is 23. Then there’s Mansi Jhaveri, Monica, both women in their 20s. So what is driving these people, smart, young successful, to turn to the path of spirituality when they should be basking in their success and enjoying their
Is texting the future? One-Liner Pitch: Cotap aims to be like WhatsApp for the workplace. Why It's Taking Off: The app makes it simple for employees to quickly message anyone in their company and create group chats. If Jim Patterson has his way, managers across the country may one day encourage their employees to text more inside and outside the office. Patterson is the co-founder of Cotap, a mobile messaging app that was launched for iPhone earlier this week with the promise of making texting more useful for the workplace.
DID YOU KNOW...
25
is the number of security flaws in the Google Chrome browser that were fixed to improve Omnibox search capability and also offer a new browser reset feature. The company has credited four researchers for the discovery of six flaws with the Chrome 29.0.1547.57 release.
TRENDING... lives with their hard-earned money as is the way of life these days? Atul Shah’s story is stranger still. He is merely 32. Two years ago, when he switched his suit for the garb of a monk, he had been running a successful company valued at $2m — not much, but for a man of 30, not so bad. Atul Shah now is a shalibhadra muni, eats one meal a day and fasts the next three. His meal? Chapathi soaked in water. Or flour with water — eaten uncooked. It’s a bit bizarre because it’s unimaginable that the youth of today could lead that hard a life. For instance, Manali will henceforth for the rest of her life never brush her teeth, won’t bath; she will not wear footwear, in her life, she cannot go back to her house, have to let go of her kin, cannot possess money or valuables: simple and hard sacrifices — but when you forego habits, practices your
According to leaders in the Jain community, every year nearly 2,000 people from the Jain community take diksha in India. Today India has about 14,000 monks off which 10,000 are Sadhvis (nun) and 4,000 are monks. loved ones you knew since you were a baby, the change is tough. It’s both a happy and sad occasion, says 23-year-old Priya Gandhi, a BSc graduate from Malakpet in Hyderabad, who had come to witness the becoming of Manali into a sadhvi. “It is a hard path that she has chosen for her,” said Priya, adding, “but she is doing so to help others and that’s a great thing.” So why are several professionals and youngsters like Manali renouncing the material world, perhaps for which they had been bracing for all their
lives till then, for spirituality? Manali sums it up laconically: Aatma kalyan (spiritual wellbeing). According to leaders in the Jain community, every year nearly 2,000 people from the Jain community take diksha in India. Today India has about 14,000 monks off which 10,000 are Sadhvis (nuns) and 4,000 are monks. The rigours of the becoming a sadhvi do not end at the pain of abandoning your life till then. Every strand of hair on Manali’s head would be plucked manually twice a year for the perfect bald head. Needless to speak of the pain, but it is done in penance. When it was time for that, Manali smiled undaunted. Among the usual millions who jump into the race of life to carve their space in the material world, these people stand apart — raising the question that has wracked the brains of many a wise man: what is important and what is not.
Boosting workplace productivity is a key concern for many African organisations. Whilst studies have demonstrated that there are many factors influencing workplace productivity, it is clear that developing and implementing effective management techniques can help to improve workplace morale and efficiency.
People who are still working when they are near or past traditional retirement age are now earning significantly more per hour, on average, than workers who are in their prime working years, according to a new analysis of government data. That’s a major shift from the 1980s and 1990s, according to the Brookings Institution analysis.
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TUESDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2013
spotlight BIRTHDAY CHEERS
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B’DAY WISHES
1 Shipra & Vicky 2 Divya 3 Niraj & Sushma 4 Susila & Alok
Birthday boy Anup memorialised his birthday with much pomp and glamour. The celebrations took place at Casa Luxurio at Road No. 4, Banjara Hills, amongst family and friends.
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A solo art exhibition titled, “Fellow Travellers” by artist Laxman Aelay was held at Kalakriti Art Gallery, Road No. 10, Banjara Hills.
8 Koyal & Anup
10 Sandeep & Simran 11 Komal
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DISPLAYING ART MAGNIFICO
6 Brij & Deepali
7 Radhika 9 Harshit
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5 Diksha
6 1 Shankar Melkote 2 Laxman Aelay &
Jagadish Mittal 3 Amulya 4 Laxman Aelay,
Prashant & Narsingh Rao 5 Suya Prakash 6 Koili
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TUESDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2013
health HAPPY TEETH
Get a sparkling smile by following simple daily habits like brushing your teeth regularly, cutting down on sugar intake between meals and limiting your alcohol intake and smoking.
An easy regime for healthy,
CLEAN TEETH
A
mit Rai, an award winning General Dental Practitioner, shares some basic tips that can help you achieve a healthy and clean set of teeth, reports femalefirst.co.uk.
first try a toothpaste with a gentle whitener that brings out your teeth’s natural whiteness. Always visit your dentist if considering any whitening treatments to be sure that they are safe and effective.
Change your toothbrush: A worn out toothbrush cannot clean your teeth properly and may even damage your gums. Change your toothbrush every two or three months, or sooner if the bristles become splayed. Using an electric toothbrush can help against brushing too hard. Brush before breakfast: You should brush twice a day and never straight after eating as acids can soften the outer layer of tooth enamel which you might wash away. Also don’t forget to brush your tongue which can help to banish bad breath. Think twice about whiteness: If you are keen to have white teeth,
your risk of developing gum disease and mouth cancer.
Quit smoking: Smoking can prevent you from having gleaming, healthy teeth as it can turn your teeth yellow as well as increase
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Limit your alcohol: Excessive alcohol consumption has been linked to an increased risk of developing mouth cancer. White wine, cider and alcopops are considered to be particularly erosive to teeth. Limit acids: Citrus fruit can be very acidic, just like pickle and fizzy drinks. Remember to swill your mouth with water afterwards to buffer their harmful effects. Also, use a straw when drinking fizzy drinks.
Cut back on sugar between meals: Grazing on sweet treats and sugared drinks can cause dental caries since your mouth takes around an hour to neutralise sugar attacks.
BUSTING DENTAL MYTHS
Don’t ignore the warning signs: Suffering from twinges, dental pain or bleeding gums can be your mouth’s way of telling you that you need to see the dentist. Dental check ups should be no longer than every six months. But they might be more or less frequent depending upon what your dentist says.
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Brushing's Bad for Bleeding Gums On the surface this myth might make sense -- if your gums are bleeding it seems logical that you would leave them alone until they heal. But when it comes to your gums, the opposite is true. Bad Breath Means You're a Bad Brusher Actually, bad breath can be caused by several factors, only one of which is poor dental hygiene. The foods you eat are a major culprit — a stomach full of garlic and onions is bound to give your breath a foul odor, no matter how much you brush and floss. The More Sugar you Eat, the Worse for your Teeth Many of us can recall being told that if we eat too many sugary foods they will
destroy our teeth. But did you know that the amount of sugar you eat is not the deciding factor in tooth decay? It's not about the amount of sugar you eat, it's about how long the sugar is in contact with your teeth n Bleaching Weakens Teeth Some people worry that using bleaching products on their teeth can be harmful or that they can weaken the teeth. Is there any basis behind this fear? Not really. Bleaching products are generally harmless if used according to the directions. That's because teeth bleaching only affects the colour of the teeth, not their health or strength. Source: http://health. howstuffworks.com/
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TUESDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2013
Technology LET IT BEGIN...
TWITTER’S IPO BID:
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hen Facebook Inc was preparing to go public last year, the telephones at Granite Investment Advisors rang off the hook as clients called about the social media’s company’s highly anticipated debut. In stark contrast, the investment company has not fielded any calls about Twitter as of Friday morning. “Not a single call yet,” said Tim Lesko, the principal at Granite Investment Advisors, who added that he himself will hold back until he sees a few more quarters of financial results. “We want to start seeing numbers,” he said. “They need to mature a little bit before we would think that we were getting good numbers and consistent numbers.” As Twitter Inc races toward the year’s most highly anticipated tech offering, memories of Facebook Inc’s disappointing 2012 debut are dampening enthusiasm for shares of the eight-year-old online messaging service. Like Facebook, Twitter enjoys strong brand recognition, which typically translates to outsized retail investor interest. That was one of the reasons Facebook was able to raise its IPO price to $38 a share, giving the company a valuation of $100 billion, or about 99 times its 2011 earnings. Facebook shares plummeted on their first day of trading and
As Twitter Inc races toward the year’s most highly anticipated tech offering, memories of Facebook Inc’s disappointing 2012 debut are dampening enthusiasm for shares of the eightyear-old online messaging service. continued to decline in the following months. They did not regain its IPO valuation until more than a year later, in August this year. Twitter, which is expected to go public some time before Thanksgiving, has yet to determine pricing, but investors say it might come under pressure from its financial backers to go high. Analysts expect the company, which posted a $69 million loss last year, to seek a valuation of at least $10 billion. “Right now, we think it could be a repeat of Facebook, where it comes in heavily hyped and is too expensive,” said Tim Ghriskey, chief investment officer at Solaris Group in New York. From 2012’s March quarter to the June quarter of 2013, Twitter’s monthly active users leapt 58 percent to an average of about 218 million. But users grew just 6.9 percent betweenthe second quarter and the first, and 10.3 percent from the fourth quarter to 2013’s first quarter.
The plan
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witter, which is expected to go public some time before Thanksgiving, has yet to determine pricing, but investors say it might come under pressure from its financial backers to go high. Analysts expect the company, which posted a $69 million loss last year, to seek a valuation of at least $10 billion.
“Timeline views,” a measure of how many times a user refreshes his or her stream of tweets, grew 10.7 percent in the second quarter to almost 151 billion, and 16.1 percent to 136.3 billion in the first. “User growth seems like it has been slowing fairly dramatically for the company,” warned Darren Chervitz, director of research, Jacob Funds, and comanager of the $42.8 million Jacob Internet Fund.
WHAT, ME WORRY?
Yet he thinks the company has room to expand its “limited”
or
advertising options overseas, wringing out new revenue even if user growth decelerates. Twitter revealed scorching revenue growth on Thursday, but also huge losses, a classic technology growth story reminiscent of Amazon.com Inc’s own 1997 stock debut, with just $16 million in revenue and a loss of about $6 million. On a cautionary note, the prices Twitter can get for ads have fallen over the past five quarters. The company said that decline was the result of a deliberate effort to expand its inventory and frequency of ads, which in turn drives volume demand from marketers.At the end of the day, most investment managers want to see a valuation, or even more financial information, before taking the plunge. “This company is barely profitable. Whether it’s $10 billion or $12 billion, it’s going to trade at valuations that will be tough to stomach for a traditional investor,” said Chervitz. “You’re going to have to take a leap of faith to get comfortable with the valuation.” Chris Carter, co-manager of the $521 million Buffalo Growth Fund, advised by Kornitzer Capital Management in Shawnee Mission, Kansas, said a “back-of-the-envelope” analysis of Twitter’s IPO filing showed a fair market valuation for Twitter might be $10 billion. “We’re still in due diligence” on the shares, he added.
NETIZENS TO CROSS 2.7 BN GENEVA: At least 40 per cent of the world's population — around 2.7 billion people — will be connected to the Internet by the end of 2013, the UN said on Monday. Another 250 million people came online in 2012, but 4.4 billion people remain unconnected, said the UN's International Telecommunication Union (ITU). The ITU said there would be 6.8 billion mobile-cellular subscriptions — almost as many as there are people on the planet — by the end of the year. South Korea leads the world in information and communication technology (ICT) development for the third consecutive year, followed closely by Sweden, Iceland, Denmark, Finland and Norway, the ITU reported. The Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Luxembourg and Hong Kong (China) also rank high, while Britain nudged into the top 10 from 11th position last year, the report said.
NEW DEVICES DRIVE SALES WASHINGTON: Global spending on information technology is expected to reach $3.8 trillion in 2014, driven by growth in connected devices ranging from jewelry to refrigerators, researchers said Monday. Gartner said, IT spending is expected to increase 3.6 per cent from 2013. The vast expansion of digital devices affects just about every industry in what is described as the Digital Industrial Economy, according to Gartner researcher Peter Sondergaard. In 2020, there will be up to 30 billion devices with unique IP addresses, most of which will be products. "Computing power will be cheap and covert. We won't know it is there. It will be in our jewelry and in our clothing," Sondergaard said. "We will throw more computers into our laundry in a week than we've used in our lifetimes so far." Gartner said that by 2017, new device categories such as mobile phones, tablets, and ultramobile PCs, will represent more than 80 percent of device spending and that tablets will comprise nearly half of first-time computer purchases.
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TUESDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2013
Entertainment LUCKY MASCOT?
WILL SPB,
RAJINI combo deliver another hit?
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ome call it coincidence, but every time SP Balasubramanyam (SPB) has crooned the title track of a Rajinikanth-starrer, the song as well as the film have turned out to be a blockbuster. Now all eyes are set on the superstar's Kochadaiiyaan. The song from the movie is slated to release Monday. “The song Engae pogudho vaanam crooned by SPB, lyrics by Vairamuthu and music by AR Rahman will be released online tomorrow (Monday)," posted Sony Music on its Twitter page. Over the years, SPB has crooned the title track for Rajinikanth's Tamil films such as Baasha, Muthu, Arunachalam, Padayappa, Chandramukhi, Sivaji and Enthiran. All the films were blockbusters. Veteran filmmaker Suresh Krissna, who had directed Rajinikanth in films Baasha, Annamalai and Veera, says SPB is the superstar's lucky mascot. "SPB has given hundreds of hits for Rajinikanth. He could very well be considered his successful voice. This title track sentiment has always had an effect on the audience," Suresh said. "Audiences strongly believe in this sentiment and it has worked in the favour of the makers. I'm hoping it works again and I'm eagerly waiting for the song as much as everyone else," he added. Some of SPB's title tracks for the superstar include Naan Autokaaran, Oruvan Oruvan, En Peru Padayappa and Balleilakka. IANS
CINE BYTES Selvaraghavan, Gitanjali welcome a baby boy
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amil filmmaker Selvaraghavan and his wife Gitanjali were blessed with a son. The baby boy is the couple's second child since their marriage in 2011 Last year, the couple had a girl and named her Leelavathi. "The mother and the baby boy are doing fine," a family relative said. IANS
Varuthapadatha Valibar Sangam to be remade
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elugu producer Suresh Kondeti has acquired the remake rights of recent Tamil blockbuster Varuthapadatha Valibar Sangam (VVS). "I have bought the remake rights and I intend to start shooting for the remake soon," Suresh said. IANS
Sid, Sam flaunt their love life
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amantha and Siddharth have never spoken about their relationship to the media. In the beginning, they had insisted that they were close friends. But seems like they are now more comfortable about been spotted together. The duo graced a charity event called Project 511 recently.
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Entertainment TUESDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2013
CONSUMMATE ARTISTE
CINE BYTES
Acting needs to be learned, practised:
ANUPAM KHER A
cting might come naturally to many, but it is an art that needs to be “learnt” and “practised”, says veteran actor Anupam Kher, whose acting academy has been included in a documentary series about incredible schools around the world. He argues that reproducing emotions in front of the public needs work, which is something acting schools teach. “Practice makes an actor excel. It is like cycling and motor driving. It is an art, which can be learnt and practised,” Anupam said. “You express all emotions in your daily life. An actor, who can act out these emotions for the public, needs to practise that,” he
added. Anupam Kher runs an acting school Actor Prepares. “Our school not only makes you an actor, it makes you understand who you actually are as well... it gives you discipline and punctuality. It also teaches you a way of life,” he added. Actor Prepares has been selected to feature in a documentary series about incredible schools around the world by a Montreal-based production company Eurêka Productions. The series titled Schools Like No Others will broadcast on TV5 in Canada next year. “The school, which I started eight years ago, for that to be recognised is not only a great honour for me individually but also a great honour to the country... To achieve this in a short period of eight years is a great feeling,” Anupam said. The actor is excited that his school has been discovered on its own. “It was not like we sent any entry. They have discovered us on their own. They got in touch with us a few months back; at that time I had no idea who they were,” he said. A versatile actor, Anupam has been seen in a mix of art-house and commercial films like Saraansh, Daddy, Karma, Darr, Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge and Maine Gandhi Ko Nahin Mara in Bollywood. He has been a part of crossover projects like Bend It Like Beckham and Bride And Prejudice. Recently, he was seen in Hollywood film Silver Linings Playbook, which stars Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence. The actor also featured in television thriller series, 24, the desi version of American show by the same name. He firmly believes that series like 24 will spark off a new tradition of Indian modifications of international fiction shows. “Somebody has to take a risk and start that tradition. Others follow it. I am sure after 24, a lot of foreign fiction series will be made in India,” he said. The actor has many films in his kitty such as David Dhawan’s Mein Tera Hero, Punit Malhotra’s Gori Tere Pyaar Mein and Yash Raj Films’ Daawat-E-Ishq, which stars Aditya Roy Kapur and Parineeti Chopra. IANS
Pooja Bhatt had boldest fashion sense: Alia
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ctress Alia Bhatt finds her elder half-sister Pooja to be the most fashionable actress during the time she entered Bollywood and believes she had a really bold sartorial taste. “I think when Pooja became an actress, she was the most fashionable heroine that time. She used to wear nice pants and tied her hair in a nice pony,” Alia said. IANS
Besharam slips at the box office
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t started on a positive note, but Ranbir Kapoorstarrer Besharam is slipping at the box office. Trade experts say that the movie had a good opening, but couldn’t retain the footfalls on the subsequent days. Critics were not too impressed with the movie and wrote that “with Besharam, Ranbir sinks to a low”. IANS
TV not on John Abraham’s wish list, yet
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ctor-producer John Abraham says right he is not thinking about switching from the big to the small screen because he believes movies are the right platform for him. “No, I will not host (any show on TV). I am not interested in going on the small screen as of now. I don’t have any desire to go there,” John said in an interview. IANS
Entertainment TUESDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2013
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Entertainment TUESDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2013
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Entertainment TUESDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2013
HAPPY & ‘HIGH’
CINE BYTES
KALEY CUOCO no
says ng i d d we yet s n a pl
Penélope Cruz: My family will always be a priority
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t’s not even three months since she gave birth to her daughter, Luna, so Penélope Cruz knows all about the difficult balancing act that working moms struggle with. “I’ve always been a very family person, since I was a little girl, that’s the way I was raised,” Cruz, 36, said. “So that will always be a priority. But I have to work, like everyone else, so I will find a way to balance.”
I always sing live: Britney Spears
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inger Britney Spears says she always sings live during her concerts. The 31-year-old’s reaction came after certain reports claimed that the singer lipsync on pre-recorded audio. “I’m definitely going to be singing live. I always sing live. It doesn’t sound so great all the time, but I do my best,” Spears said in a radio interview. IANS
Harry Styles wants to travel to space
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inger Harry Styles is reportedly keen to travel to space in businessman Richard Brandson’s Virgin Galactic next year. Styles, member of One Direction band, is willing to spend 150,000 pound to get a ticket of the much talked about trip. “Harry heard about the voyage a while ago but something triggered his interest in the past few weeks,” dailystar.co.uk quoted a source as saying. IANS
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2013
Chai Time
THOUGHT OF THE DAY
If all the world hated you and believed you wicked, while your own conscience approved of you and absolved you from guilt, you would not be without friends. Charlotte Bronte
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 Discussion group 6 Pouts peevishly 11 Cookout throwaway 14 It stimulates a sense 15 Sherlock’s lady friend 16 Find a function for 17 Tool belt item 19 Coal holder 20 Hurricane’s center 21 ‘A Nightmare on ___ Street’ 22 Color associated with screeching brakes 23 They’re often whispered 27 Secretive couple 29 Word to a general practitioner 30 Position in a hierarchy 32 Beauty salon sound 33 Dos Passos trilogy 34 Clean with elbow grease 36 Cheap cigar (Var) 39 Interim employee 41 ___ out (made a successful putt) 43 Nonfictional 44 Be rude in line 46 Head of a Muslim state (Var) 48 Pompon-centered cap 49 Chief in a burnoose 51 Fuzzy fruit 52 180 deg from WSW 53 Anterior limb 56 Coven’s kettle (Var) 58 Coke companion 59 ‘CSI’ evidence 60 Tell it like it isn’t 61 Airport posting (Abbr) 62 18th-century explorer 68 Asian title of respect 69 Square things? 70 Aquatic bird similar to a loon 71 ‘___ give you the shirt off his back!’
72 They’ll question you 73 Neighbor of Turkey
DOWN
1 ‘Faux’ follower 2 A compass can help you make one 3 It goes with ‘neither’ 4 Another way to spell 49-Across 5 Targets of many jokes 6 Word that’s conferred 7 Canton in Switzerland 8 Bank that deters flooding 9 Death tolls 10 Addresses for churches 11 Newspaper newbie 12 Tree that provides wickers 13 Road curves 18 Remove, as a coupon 23 Brown in a pan 24 Prop for Rembrandt 25 Suite cleaner 26 A thumb to the nose 28 ‘Fight Club’ star Brad 31 Stalin’s persecuted peasant 35 A bit of antiquity 37 Fertilizer from bats 38 Country on the Red Sea 40 Apple or pear, eg 42 Hindu festival of lights 45 University of Kentucky athlete 47 Documents entered into public records 50 Change the identity of 53 Newly made 54 Bizarre 55 Stares with open mouth 57 Bad-mouth 63 Powerful explosive 64 Network revenue generators 65 Above, to Shakespeare 66 ___-Wan Kenobi 67 Hawaii’s Mauna ___
Chai Time TUESDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2013 Thiruvaikumar
STAR POWER for 9-10-2013
27
As per Hindu panchang thiruvaikumar@yahoo. co. in, 040-27177230 / 9177596118
ARIES
TAURUS
GEMINI
CANCER
LEO
VIRGO
LIBRA
SCORPIO
SAGITTARIUS
CAPRICORN
AQUARIUS
PISCES
Delays and inconveniences will put you under stress. Your pet project might face roadblocks; proceed without giving up. Adopt the patient approach in all work as you need to adhere to the slow-and-steady approach right now.
STRIP TEASE AGNES
Expectation will be fulfilled but you may not be fully satisfied. Be content with what you get and avoid being greedy. Persons in love will be happy as both sides will agree for marriage. Financial position looks strong, which will let you relax.
Good news awaits those who are trying for a job. Avoid taking suggestion from others as your decisions will be perfect and yield desired result. Be positive in approach. Never get annoyed with anyone under any circumstances.
Never get frustrated if things don’t happening as per expectations. Proceed with determination till you succeed. Businessmen will feel relaxed as they are able to collect the old dues. Politicians and govt employees might face tension.
Avoid taking a controversial stance. Friendship circle will expand. Avoid taking an important decision in a hurry. Businessmen might find it difficult as they are unable to satisfy customers’ expectations. Be alert as you might be blamed unexpectedly.
Businessmen will sign new contracts, which will be profitable. Assess pros and cons before undertaking important work and accordingly put efforts to complete them. Be careful during travel as tension is likely. Health needs to be taken good care of.
Your influence is set to increase. Your creative abilities will get sharpened and efforts will bear fruit. Plan your trips whether in India or abroad properly and well in advance. Postponed marriage talks will resume and get finalised.
You might be in a fix to decide an important issue; go as per plans and intuition rather than taking advice from others. You may postpone the decision for some time. Do not ignore health and take immediate treatment to avoid major trouble.
Your financial position looks strong. All dreams and expectations will get fulfilled. Businessmen are advised to be cautious and think twice before making a fresh investment. Influx of visitors will charge the atmosphere at home.
TAROT READ
Sumaa Tekur
tarotreadhyd@gmail. com
ARIES:
GEMINI:
Six of Swords – Overseas connections are indicated. It’s possible that you’ve met someone interesting from a foreign country recently. It will lead to something.
LEO:
The Star – There is hope. And you need to cling to this silver lining, or you run the risk of getting overly depressed. This is a learning phase.
LIBRA:
PEARLS BEFORE SWINE
Queen of Cups – Listen to your heart. It has important things to tell you. There are times when you feel isolated and out of tune with the world around you.
SAGITTARIUS:
King of Cups – You’re in a position of power but one cannot say the same when it comes to emotions. Make the effort to get in touch with your soft side.
TAURUS:
Knight of Cups – You end up playing a crucial role in the life of a person who is not a friend nor related to you. Be sensitive to the needs of others.
CANCER:
Queen of Swords – You’re feeling lonely and quite left out from the group. It’s because you have grown and those around you haven’t, to the same extent.
VIRGO:
Five of Pentacles – Some form of loss is indicated. You’re disappointed with the results of something. Don’t blame yourself or those around you. Move on.
SCORPIO:
The Chariot – Travel is on the cards. You may be moving to another city for a new job. You’re excited because you think you’ve landed your dream job.
CAPRICORN:
Ace of Cups – New beginnings are indicated. It could be a new job, a new house or a new relationship. It will make you feel like you’re on the right road.
PREVIOUS SOLUTIONS
PISCES:
Nine of Pentacles - If you’ve left a hobby you really liked, it’s a good time to get back to it. It may be playing an instrument or cooking or writing.
NUMBER GAME
You’re in control of all aspects of your life and you’re admired by your peers for these very qualities. Your leadership skills are put to the test.
SCRABBLE
AQUARIUS: The Emperor -
POOCH CAFE
You will be positive and cheerful. With determination you will win wherever you face failure and that brings you more cheer. Right steps at right time will bring you a lot of success. A strained relationship will resume and get stronger.
for 9-10-2013
The Moon – You are stuck in a demand-supply equation, where decisions have to be made based on your instincts apart from the market realities. You do well.
NON SEQUITUR
Friends may not act favourable. Avoid harsh and irrelevant talk with anyone. You may feel depressed as your work gets struck half way. This will change; stop not till goals are achieved. Many turning points are likely to take place in your life.
SUDUKO
Consult family members before taking a major decision. Intolerance in dealing with any issue must be avoided. Opportunities will knock at your door; make full use. Avoid acting in haste in undertaken work to avoid failure and disappointment.
Boggle PLUM PEAR LEMON APPLE GRAPE Vol: 3, No 77 RNI No: APENG/2011/39337 Published for the proprietors, Scribble Media and Entertainment Pvt Ltd, by V Harshavardhan Reddy, at # Plot no.550-A1,3rd floor, Road no-92, 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 040-23541412,
28
Entertainment TUESDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2013 CINE BYTES
BUNDLE OF JOY
Pattinson had a word with girlfriend's dad
R
obert Pattinson, who is dating model Dylan Penn, had a oneon-one chat with his girlfriend's father and actor Sean Penn. Penn met Pattinson to make sure his daughter doesn’t get hurt, reports showbizspy.com. "Sean had a chat with Rob recently. Sean gave his piece about not getting too heavy with his daughter if he’s playing the field, as he doesn’t want to see her hurt," the source added. IANS
Kate Winslet: Single moms lives tough
K
ate Winslet says life is an uphill task for single mothers as the society is judgemental about them. Winslet has two children Mia, 12, and Joe, 9, from her previous marriages to Jim Threapleton and Sam Mendes respectively. "Single mums do come in for a hard time. Society is incredibly judgmental," Time Out magazine quoted Winslet as saying. IANS
No more wrestling for Stacy Keibler
A
ctress and former WWE wrestler Stacy Keibler will not return to the wrestling ring anytime soon. The 33-year-old enjoyed a wrestling career for almost seven years before calling it quits in 2006. Ever since Stacy has split from actor George Clooney, there were rumours that she may return to the wrestling ring. But a source close to the actress said that she will not go back to that part of her career ever again, reports tmz.com. IANS
HALLE BERRY & OLIVIER MARTINEZ
WELCOME THEIR SON!
H
alle Berry and Olivier Martinez welcomed a baby boy Saturday, her rep confirms to PEOPLE. It is a second child for the Oscar winner, who married French actor Martinez in July. The healthy baby, who was born in Cedars Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, has a 5-year-old sister, Nahla, Berry's daughter with exboyfriend Gabriel Aubry. A source at the hospital told PEOPLE on Saturday night, "Olivier hasn't left Halle's side. Nahla visited her baby brother earlier today." On
Sunday, the big sister was seen happily skipping and prancing in the corridor of the maternity floor. Earlier this week, only days before the birth, the 47-year-old star looked gorgeous and chic as ever, shopping at the Grove in LA with her daughter. In April, Berry said about the impending arrival: "This has been the biggest surprise of my life, to tell you the truth. "Thought I was kind of past the point where this could be a reality for me. So it's been a big surprise and the most wonderful."
sports
29
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2013
LEAGUE CRICKET A DIVISION THREE DAYS Superleague Day 1 SBH 290/7 (T Suman 32, Kushal Jilla 106, S Anoop Pai 32, Ahmed Quadri 94, K Sabarish 4/56) vs BDL
A DIVISION TWO DAYS
Saleemnager 121 (Mohammed Khaled 45, BK Naresh 5/29, Tanay Thygarajan 3/37) lost to Cambridge 124/6 (Shaik Lateef 33, Ilyaz Zubedi 33no) Sayi Satya 190 (Mickhil Jaiswal 68, Akash Kulkarni 60, Satyanarayana 6/35, Dinesh Kumar 3/55) vs Osmania 125/3 (K Santosh Reddy 53, Ram Prasad 34no) Gouds XI 404 (K Sainadh 31, Harish Yenikapati 120, Vamshivardhan Reddy 58, Tarun Yadav 88, Radhakrishna 46, Sai Venkatesh 4/118, Saicharan 3/55) vs Team Speed Telangana 158 (Anuraag Vittal 48, Shravan 57, Datta Prakash 3/61, E Vallabh Reddy 3/23) vs New Blues Nizam College 215 (Sarath Kumar 61, Sai Kumar 48, Manish Parashar 5/68, Bharath Simha 4/39) vs Budding Star 113/4 (Nikhil Yadav 61no) Crown 121 (Shanawaz 31no, Jairaj 4/39, Aditya 4/39) vs Hyderabad Titans 88/7 (Sandeep 6/26) Vijay Hanuman 166 (Shareef Pathan 33, Rohan 56no, MA Jaweed 3/46, G Srinivas Rao 4/55) lost to Syndicate Bank 167/4 (Arvind Shetty 62, Shekar Santosh 59no) Visaka 223 (Surender Singh 43, Siddique 42, Sai Keerth 36, Revanth Sai 56, Nitish Koundinya 6/81) vs Mega City 71/3 Kosaraju 488/3 (Ajay Patwari 143, Lohit Doradla 203, K Bhagath Varma 99no) vs Galaxy
70, Abdullah 78, Vipin 34, Sandeep 3/50, Ashish Srivastav 4/56) bt Mayura CC 236/9 (Akhilesh Yadav 52, Gopal Jha 45, Farhan 5 for 45) HUCC 274/7 (M Kaleemuddin 52, Rithvik Ramdas 33, Md Ateeq 31, Syed Aslam Akbar Hussaini 66, Syed Maveenuddin 31, Sriram 3/54, Akbar 3/26) bt Southern Star 251 (Phani 69, Harshith 33, Sridhar 37, Varun 31, Md Kaleemuddin 5/50) LNCC 91 (Vasista 3/16, Sagar 4/16) lost to St Marys 94/3 (Someshwar 41) COL CK Acrylic 225/4 (Sarfaraz Abudl Majeed 104, Aftab 32) bt HCA Academy 205 (Sridhar 45, Abu Baker 4/65, Saleem 3/64) Greenlands 277 (E Sreecharan 84, M Pratyush 38, Sunder Kumar 41, Jayanth 3/61) bt HPS R 246 (HK Simha 60, Jayanth 43, Tarun 59, P Srikanth 5/49, Pratyush 3/72) Starlets 185/6 (Harsha 31, Sai Anoop Reddy 37) bt Golconda 100 (Sai Anoop Reddy 5/41, Suresh 3/21) Victor 109 (Ashfaq Ali 35, Randeep 7/32) lost to Vijay Nagar 113/4 Walkertown 238/7 (Chanti 56, Ameen 66, Prasanth 44no, Mohammed Adam 3/58) bt Hyderabad Panthers XI 215 (Mohammed Adam 35, Prasanth 4/43) Gunrock 88 (Mujeeb 35, Ravi Kumar 5/31, MA Baseer 4/6) lost to Shalimar CC 89/1 (Shanthan 48) Cheerful Chums 82 (N Ramu 8/25, Sandeep 32) lost to Kakatiya 85/1 (Subbu 30, Sai 35no) Ameerpet 75(Abdul Rehman Naveed 4/4 ) lost to HUCC 76/8 (Vinay 3/10)
MCC 271 (Rayan Koundinya 44, Rana 91, Neeraj Kumar 73, Syed Ahmed 5/62, Younus 4/62) vs Charminar
Youth CC 195/7 (Venkat Reddy 58, Ankit Agarwal 48no, Sai Kumar 3/54) bt Navjeevan Friends 100 (P Ratnakar 47, Pavan Kumar 3/40, M Ali 3/40)
Agarwal Seniors 155 (Ankit 5/41) lost to SN Group 160/4 (Pawan Kumar 42)
Mahmood CC 167 (Chandan 38no, Abhista Rao 5/28, Ratan Teja 3/55) lost to Young Citizen 168/5 (Vikas 54)
A DIVISION ONE DAY
Yadav Dairy 232 (M Abhishek 40, D Srihari 61, Sudhkar 4/49, Prithvi Raj 3/52) bt Vijay CC 199 (N Shiva Kumar 49, B Shiva Nagender 49, TS Ranveer Kumar 4/49) Sunshine 383/4 (Bharadwaj 130no, Pradeep 134, Kishore 51) bt Manikumar 229 (Srinath Naik 104, Sai Ramdev 41) Green Turf 237/9 (J Akshay
LOOMING SUSPENSION
BAI sets up independent panel BAI said it has set up an independent three-member panel to hear Gutta’s case against the life ban proposed. NEW DELHI: The Badminton Association of India (BAI) Monday said it has set up an independent three-member panel to hear Jwala Gutta’s case against the life ban proposed against her by its disciplinary committee. The panel will have to give a decision within a month, till when Jwala will not be considered for national or international selection, BAI said. The disciplinary committee, headed by BAI vice-president S. Muralidharan, has recommended a life ban on Jwala or six years’ suspension from all badminton activities in the country or a conciliatory rapprochement in case she submits an unconditional apology, leaving the final decision to BAI president Akhilesh Das Gupta. “Instead of taking action on his own, BAI president in consultation with the executive council members, has decided to constitute an independent three-member committee for issuing a further show-cause notice to Jwala Gutta,” BAI general secretary Vijai Sinha said in a statement. The notice would seek “her
The panel will have to give a decision within a month, till when Jwala will not be considered for national or international selection. reply within a week on the punishments proposed by the disciplinary committee in order to satisfy the principles of natural justice and take final decision on the proposed punishments within a month,” Sinha said. The three-member committee comprises Indian Olympic Association (IOA) joint secretary Anandeshwar Pandey, Luge Federation of India president Deepa Mehta and social worker and former member of Commonwealth Games Organising Committee Swati Shukla. “The committee is constituted to afford an appropriate opportunity for hearing, including her personal hearing if so requested, in order to take final decision on the proposed punishment.”
“Till the submission of the report in this regard by the aforesaid committee, Jwala Gutta shall not be considered by the BAI selection committee for participation in any international tournament inside or outside India,” Sinha said. The disciplinary committee had recommended a life ban for Jwala’s conduct during an Indian Badminton League (IBL) tie in Bangalore Aug 25. The Krrish Delhi Smashers, led by icon player Jwala, threatened to forfeit a tie when the Banga Beats tried to replace an injured singles player Hu Yun with Jan O Jorgensen at the eleventh hour. The Smashers protested despite the IBL governing council’s go-ahead. Only after the Beats decided to leave out O Jorgensen and play Arvind Bhat instead, did Delhi agree to continue, delaying the tie by half an hour. Following that, the 2011 World Championship women’s doubles bronze medallist was issued a show-cause notice in early September and was asked to explain her conduct. BAI appointed a retired high court judge to investigate the incident. IANS
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sports TUESDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2013
GIRO D’ITALIA
All set for epic Giro battle
Nibali and a handful of rivals including Joaquin Rodriguez, Alejandro Valverde, Cadel Evans, Ivan Basso and Andy Schleck will begin the three-week race with three days of mainly flat racing in north of Ireland. MILAN: Italy’s Vincenzo Nibali will kick off the defence of his Giro d’Italia title in 2014 with three days of racing in Northern Ireland before a “key” final week of epic racing in the high mountains. Nibali, of the Astana team, claimed his maiden pink jersey after a dramatic 2013 edition that was blighted by torrential rain, cancelled stages and a snow-hit stage to Tre Cime di Lavaredo in the Dolomites. Next year’s edition is set for an equally dramatic end with some key mountain stages, including the 20th and penultimate day to Monte Zoncolan, labelled the ‘Welcome to Hell’ stage, set to decide overall victory. Before then, however, Nibali and a handful of rivals including Joaquin Rodriguez, Alejandro Valverde, Cadel Evans, Ivan Basso and Andy Schleck will begin the three-week race with three days of mainly flat racing in the north of Ireland. In a break from tradition, the race will begin in Belfast on a
Friday with a team time trial and continue with two mainly flat stages which should suit the sprinters such as Britain’s Mark Cavendish. After a stage three finish
across the border in Dublin, the peloton will enjoy a rest day on May 12 before resuming the race the next day from Giovinazo to Bari on the ‘heel’ of Italy. The race makes its way north
with a slightly uphill finish on stages five and six and another flat stage which the sprinters and non-climbers will welcome on stage seven. The first of five stages in the
mountains comes on stages eight and nine, from Foligno to Montecopiolo and Lugo to Sestola respectively. After the second of three rest days, the ‘punchers’ - riders who excel on lumpy finishes - will be given a chance to shine on stage 10 from Modena to Salsomaggiore Terme. The next day has a hilly start, but finishes on the flat. The battle for the race’s pink jersey will move up a gear on stage 12 during a 46.4 km individual time trial which is almost all uphill. From Barbaresco to Barolo, it has been labelled ‘the wine stage’. After a flat finish on stage 13, the race only gets harder and harder. Stage 14 features four climbs and an uphill finish at Oropa while the following day’s 217 km features a long flat stretch before ending with the climb to Plan di Montecampione. After the final rest day, three climbs and another uphill finish welcome the peloton on stage 16 to Val Martello. AFP
SHANGHAI MASTERS
WTA CHAMPIONSHIPS
Federer-Zhang win opener
Sharapova withdraws from season finale
BEIJING: The wildcard team of Roger Federer and Zhang Ze needed just 48 minutes to beat Kevin Anderson of South Africa and Russian Dmitry Tursunov 6-2, 6-1 in the opening round of the Shanghai Rolex Masters men’s doubles event Monday. The Swiss/Chinese pairing saved the only break point they faced, and won 91 percent of first serve points, Xinhua reported. Federer, 17-time Grand Slam champion, said his partnership with Zhang was good for tennis in China. “That’s kind of the ultimate goal, to partner up with a Chinese upcoming player and promote the game at the same time.” “I’m just so happy for Zhang Ze. He played really well. I really am, because he couldn’t have played any better.” The Swiss No. 1 said he hoped to see more players from the Asian continent break through. “We had Paradorn Srichaphan, we have Kei Nishikori from Japan. Hopefully we’ll have more and more players coming up,” said Federer. “By having such a great tournament and all the top players coming here to Shanghai, I think that’s only going to help it. I think we all really want something to happen in a big way in the next 10, 20 years here.” IANS
ST PETERSBURG: Maria Sharapova on Monday withdrew from the seasonending WTA Championships in Istanbul because of a right shoulder injury that has dogged her since before the US Open, The Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) announced. The 26-year-old Russian had had to withdraw from the US Open on the eve of the tournament because of the injury and owing to a previous hip problem has played just one match since a second round exit at Wimbledon in June. “I am very disappointed that I will not be able to play in the WTA Championships this year,” said Sharapova, whose turbulent season has also been marked by her splitting with Jimmy Connors after just three weeks as her coach. “The fans in Istanbul have welcomed us each year with such intense passion and warmth, I will sincerely miss the energy and excitement they brought to the year-end tournament. “I want to thank Istanbul for being
a tremendous host and hope to play in Turkey sometime in the future.” While the crowd-pulling Russian won’t be there the WTA also announced that three further players had qualified for the tournament which takes place from October 22-27. The trio are Czech Republic’s Petra Kvitova, winner of two titles this sea-
son, Italy’s Sara Errani, who has won one of her four finals this campaign, and Serbia’s Jelena Jankovic, who ended a three year title drought when she won in Bogota. They join the already qualified Serena Williams, Victoria Azarenka, Agnieszka Radwanska and Chinese star Li Na. AFP
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sports TUESDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2013
COURTING TROUBLE
Warner in trouble again The explosive opener, who has fallen from grace after a series of incidents that culminated in his punching of England’s Joe Root , was supposed to turn out for club side Randwick Petersham on Saturday. SYDNEY: Controversial Australia batsman David Warner was in more trouble Tuesday after being disciplined by Cricket New South Wales for failing to show up for a grade game last weekend. The explosive opener, who has fallen from grace after a series of incidents that culminated in his punching of England’s Joe Root earlier this year, was supposed to turn out for club side Randwick Petersham on Saturday. But he failed to show, preferring a net session instead. Reports also suggested that he attended a horse racing meeting, although this was not confirmed. Cricket NSW handed him a suspended one-match ban in place for the rest of the one-day and Sheffield Shield season and
SUSPECT ACTION Botha under bowling action scrutiny SYDNEY: Former South Africa allrounder Johan Botha has been ordered to undergo biomechanical testing again after once again being cited for a suspect bowling action, Cricket Australia said Monday. The 31-year-old South Australia captain will still be eligible to play and bowl but would face suspension if the analysis proves his action is illegal. Cricket Australia said that three umpires in a match must agree on a suspect bowling delivery, but it did not say in which game Botha had been reported. South Australia have played one domestic oneday cup match this season, a six-wicket loss to Victoria on Friday in which the offspinner finished with no wicket for 39 off nine overs. “Under CA’s Doubtful Bowling Action Procedure, a bowler must undergo testing after a single mention for a suspected illegal bowling action in an interstate season,” CA said in a statement. “CA’s policy requires cited bowlers to undergo testing within 14 days of being notified.” AFP
Reports also suggested that, Warner, who failed to show up for his club, had attended a horse racing meeting, although this was not confirmed. ordered him to undertake two visits to other grade clubs to promote an anti-drink driving campaign. “This has been an unfortunate episode. Like most cricket fans, I and all at Cricket NSW would like nothing more than to see David Warner achieve his potential on and off the field,” Cricket NSW chief Andrew Jones said. “However, in order to do this
David needs to ensure that he is doing the right things and working closely with the organisation in all areas.” Warner said he believed he was acting appropriately. “I believed I was doing the right thing by focusing on my training and batting, but in hindsight I should have played. I remain determined to score runs for NSW and Australia,” he said. Warner missed the first two Ashes Tests against England this year after being suspended for punching Root in a Birmingham bar. He was then dropped for the one-day matches against England and returned home early to Australia. Warner also missed selection for Australia’s upcoming one-day series in India. AFP
SPOT FIXING
Top court suggests new probe NEW DELHI: India’s Supreme Court on Monday suggested a fresh enquiry into the spotfixing scandal surrounding the IPL, further delaying N. Srinivasan’s return as the country’s cricket chief. The court proposed a threemember panel headed by a former judge to investigate the scandal that has rocked the popular Twenty20 league run by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). “We want this committee to probe the spot-fixing and this committee will report to us,” said A.K Patnaik, one of two judges hearing the case.
affiliated to the BCCI had asked the court to prevent Srinivasan’s return on moral grounds because his son-inlaw had been charged in the scandal. The son-in-law, Gurunath Meiyappan, was the team principal of the Chennai Super Kings, the IPL franchise owned by Srinivasan’s India Cements company and captained by national skipper MS Dhoni. Srinivasan, who has not himself been accused of any wrongdoing, stepped aside temporarily as BCCI president in June when Meiyappan was named in the scandal. AFP
Patnaik also told the court that the BCCI’s lawyers must reply to the proposal at the next hearing on Tuesday. The probe will be separate from continuing investigations by police, who have filed charges in court against a string of officials, players and bookmakers in the scandal. Srinivasan, 68, widely regarded as the most powerful man in world cricket, has been barred by the court from taking charge since his election as the BCCI chief for a third year on September 29. A cricket body in the eastern state of Bihar which is not
POINT TO PONDER
‘Sachin should retire with his bat held high’ KOLKATA: Observing that Sachin Tendulkar’s retirement from international cricket was “imminent”, former India captain Sourav Ganguly Monday hoped the batting legend quits the game on a high. “There is too much speculation about his retirement, which is putting pressure on him. While I believe his retirement is not very far, I hope he bids adieu with his bat held high. He
should leave the game only after playing a match wining knock,” said Ganguly. The southpaw wished that Tendulkar, who Sunday played career’s last Twenty20 match with his Mumbai Indians winning the Champions League Twenty20 title, repeats the same feat with India triumphing over the visiting West Indies against whom he is slated to play his historic 200th Test Match.
“Sachin’s achievements and credentials won’t be lowered if he continues to play for some more time. But I sincerely hope is he quits the game only after playing well, be it against the West Indies or South Africa,” said Ganguly. Hailing Harbhajan Singh, Ganguly hoped the offie would make a comeback to the Indian team sooner than later. IANS
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2013
sports
BOATENG OUT OF PLAY-OFF CLASH WITH EGYPT
Ghana suffered a huge blow ahead of their World Cup play-off match with Egypt on Monday as Kevin-Prince Boateng was ruled out of the first leg because of a left knee injury. The 26-year-old suffered the injury in his club Schalke's 4-1 Bundesliga victory over Augsburg on Saturday.
ROAD TO WORLD CUP
International team in Qatar DOHA: A delegation from an international labour federation arrived Monday in Qatar to inspect the situation of migrant workers in the 2022 football World Cup host, amid claims of severe exploitation. The 18-member team from the Building and Wood Worker’s International federation will visit construction sites in the Gulf emirate and report on the situation. “This mission is to inspect the conditions of work in the construction sites,” said Gilles Letort, from the CGT French union upon arrival. He pointed out that the visit was decided before the revelations made by the British daily, The Guardian, last month, which said 44 Nepalese workers have died on construction sites in Qatar. “This has been prepared a year ago, and it is not linked to the recent campaign,” he said. “We will inspect, note, and afterwards, try to create awareness and act to improve the situation of workers based on our findings,” he added. AFP
Valcke keeps heat on Brazil
PORTO ALEGRE: FIFA Secretary General Jerome Valcke kept the heat on Brazil on Monday, saying his visits to World Cup venues were a means of keeping up the “pressure” for the country to be ready for next June. Valcke has made numerous visits to Brazil to check on progress at the 12 venues — last year he caused consternation in the host nation by suggesting it needed a “kick up the backside” to ensure it was 100 percent ready. He also warned that there was “no plan B” and that venues which were not ready by December would be discarded. However, he was effusive in praise of the Beira Rio stadium in the southern city of Porto Alegre. “There’s been a big change since we were here last time. There are no worries or doubts at all about the Beira-Rio being ready in time,” Valcke said. “It is great for all of us at FIFA to come here because Porto Alegre is a city that lives and breathes football. Everyone who visits the city next year will be
Cole out of qualifier
FIFA’s secretary-general, Jerome Valcke (R) arrives to visit the Beira Rio AFP/JEFFERSON BERNARDES stadium, in Porto Alegre, Brazil, Monday.
able to see that for themselves.” But with the tournament looming ever closer, Valcke was keen to stress it was necessary to exert a “certain pressure” to show that FIFA was being proactive we are “not sat in (FIFA headquarters) in Zurich.” Brazil says all the venues will be ready but there have been several bumps in the road — not least last week, when a judge’s concerns over conditions for workers halted con-
struction in the southern city of Curitiba. “We have to look at all the details. This period cannot be used to rest but to finalise all the missing details to guarantee the event is a success,” Valcke told reporters. Visiting Porto Alegre with Sports Minister Aldo Rebelo and event ambassadors Ronaldo and Bebeto, he added “there are still things to do” but stressed FIFA was working closely with the Brazilian gov-
ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE
David Moyes (L) and Rooney during a practice session. AFP
David Moyes has come under severe scrutiny since succeeding Manchester United great Alex Ferguson as manager.
LONDON: England left-back Ashley Cole will miss this week’s World Cup qualifier with Montenegro at Wembley, the Football Association said on Monday. The 32-year-old picked up a rib problem during Chelsea’s Premier League win at Norwich on Sunday and a scan confirmed he can not play in the first match of England’s crucial double header. He is also uncertain for the following Tuesday’s game against Poland. Arsenal’s Kieran Gibbs has been added to Roy Hodgson’s squad, with Everton left-back Leighton Baines set to start. England are top of Group H, one point ahead of Ukraine, but to be certain of reaching next summer’s finals in Brazil they need to beat Montenegro, who are also a point adrift of them, and Poland, who are three points behind them.
ernment. Even so, six stadiums are yet to be finished. Beira Rio will stage five matches and its refurbishment is 90 percent complete. AFP
MATCH AT BUCKINGHAM PALACE
‘Players have let Moyes down’ LONDON: Manchester United’s players have let down new manager David Moyes after making the club’s worst start to a season since 1989, according to striker Wayne Rooney. The defending champions won 2-1 at Sunderland on Saturday but they have claimed just 10 points from their first seven Premier League games and lie six points below leaders Arsenal in ninth place. Moyes has come under severe scrutiny since succeeding United great Alex Ferguson as manager but Rooney believes the players need to accept some of the blame for the team’s recent failings. “Obviously the manager is under a bit of pressure but we know as a team it’s us who have let him down,” he said, in comments reported by several British newspapers on Monday. “We have to pull together for the manager and show the sort of fight we have done here (in Saturday’s 2-1 win at Sunderland) and we’ll be fine. “This will be a transition season because it’s a new manager with different styles and we have to adapt to them. More importantly, we need to do
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better for him than we have been.” Moyes gambled by handing 18year-old winger Adnan Januzaj his first league start at Sunderland and the Belgium-born youngster rewarded his faith by turning the match around with a pair of fine second-half goals. Rooney believes the decision to play Januzaj was testament to Moyes’s bravery. “There was big pressure on us but the manager has trusted him (Januzaj) and he has repaid that,” he said. “He’s very confident, that’s great to see. A lot of the young players who come through are a little bit timid and shy, but he looks comfortable and he’s confident in his own ability, which you need to be. “It was a brave move to play him in the circumstances and we’re delighted it’s paid off.” Rooney’s thoughts will now turn to England’s forthcoming World Cup qualifiers at home to Montenegro and Poland. Roy Hodgson’s side need to win both matches to be sure of a place at next year’s tournament in Brazil, but Rooney is confident they will finish the job. AFP
‘Mind the windows’ LONDON: Britain’s Prince William warned footballers to watch the Buckingham Palace windows on Monday as Queen Elizabeth II’s official residence staged the first football match in its 308-year history. A match between two of England’s oldest amateur teams was taking place in the 39acre gardens of the famous central London landmark as part of celebrations to mark the 150th anniversary of the Football Association. William, president of the FA and second in line to the British throne, was on hand to oversee the event, although the Queen, his grandmother, was not present. “This magnificent home, Buckingham Palace, is at the heart of the nation, and so there cannot be a more fitting setting to celebrate our national game, and to celebrate all of you,” he told volunteers and guests including FA chairman Greg Dyke and former England striker Michael Owen. “I cannot tell you how excited I am that later today we will be playing football on my grandmother’s lawn,” he added, before joking: “One warning, though: if anyone breaks a window, you can answer to her.” Civil Service FC and Polytechnic FC, both from Chiswick in west London, faced off on a pitch specially prepared by a team led by the head groundsman from Wembley Stadium, Tony Stones. AFP