Epaper 10 august 2013

As GHMC

SNOOZES

epidemic risk rises

The absence of a Chief Health Medical Officer at the GHMC is leading to a lax approach in the fight against vector-borne diseases that sprout after the monsoon.

Hospitals are reporting a rise in Dengue and viral fever cases.

REPORT ON PG 4

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Hyderabad’s first compact afternoon newspaper

AUGUST 10, 2013 HYDERABAD

IT’S

‘WAR 2014’

AT LB STADIUM TOMORROW

The BJP is all abuzz as its most prized candidate for PM in 2014, Narendra Modi, gets set to address a massive meeting here which the party has called “the beginning of the end of the Congress Raj in India”.

PG 5

WINDS OF HOPE The week comes to end on a very auspicious note with Muslims all over the world celebrating the end of Ramzan.

While unrest remains in many parts of the world, there is also hope for better times.

PG 16&17

A STRIKING

BLEND

It may have been only three years since accessory designer Rachana Reddy launched her label, but within this brief period, she has become a household name with style divas in the country.

PG 18

32 PAGES

`3

ON SATURDAY

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PAGE TWO SATURDAY, AUGUST 10, 2013

GEARING UP

Gala dinner Taj Falaknuma Palace is celebrating Independence Day by hosting an exclusive Gala Dinner with a historical walk of the palace, marching band from the Indian Army and an exclusive screening of a never seen footage on Mahatma Gandhi.

Where: Taj Falaknuma Palace When: August 14 Contact: 040-6629 8585

Art show A solo show by Devangana Kumar, Pageants of the Raj will be held.

Where: Kalakriti Art Gallery, Banjara Hills When: August 11 to August 25, 11 am to 7 pm Contact: +91.40.66564466

With the annual Ganesha festival round the corner, large Ganesh idols are being made in and around the City.

Ganesh Chaturthi will be celebrated on September 8 and 9.

N SHIVA KUMAR Kumbha Mela 2013 by Jean Pierre Muller, Cord Meier-Klodt & Lalit Verma.

Where: State Gallery of Art,Kavuri Hills, Madhapur.

When: Till August 14 Contact: Goethe Zentrum on Facebook

Play pursuits Play Gagana Damama Bajyo - The Legend of Bhagat Singh by Manch Theatre will be staged.

Where: RNR Auditorium, MLA Colony, Banjara Hills When: 15 August, 7pm

An age of innocence

tion of the proceeds will be contributed to WWF India's onehorned Rhino Conservation project in Assam.

Where: Oxford Bookstore, The Park, 22 Rajbhavan Road When: Ongoing Contact: 8790432354

Where: Aalankritha Art Gallery, Jubilee Hills When: August 10 to August 22, 11 am to 7 pm Contact: +91-40-23113709; 40207171

Kashmiri food festival Explore the pride of kashmiri cuisine Wazwan . Roganjosh, Yakhni ,

An exhibition by Jaya Javeri depicting playfulness, fantasy, nature and childhood memories will be held.

Where: Ginger Lily, Radisson Blu Plaza When: Aug 3 onwards, 11.30 am onwards Contact: 6733 1133

Dining experience

Reel abilities

Chef Olaf Niemeier is holding a week long fine dining experience with Art you can Eat. Where: Fusion9, Banjara Hills When: Till August 15

Kinnudiya Belakalli, a Kannada Play will be staged.

Where: Ravindra Bharathi, Saifabad When: August 10, 6 pm Contact: Srinivas, at 93911-11622

Unique flavours of Pondicherry.

Where: Dakshin, ITC Kakatiya, Begumpet When: August 30 Contact: 789301 3000

Wildlife conservation

Photo exhibition

Try the tea flavours of Budlabeta, Hapjan and Khobong Sessa. A por-

CINEMAS

Tabak Maaz, Kashmiri pulao, sheermal, bakarkhani and much more.

Where: Kangan, Westin When: Till August 11, 7 to 11 pm Contact: 040 67676838

Flavours to savour

Jal Anand: Shahi Snan, Maha

Kathakali dance Art attack Works of artists like Anand Panchal, Nagesh Goud, Laxman Aelay and others will be exhibited.

Kathakali Performance by PV Chandra Shekhran will be staged.

Where: Silver Oaks School, Bachupally When: August 10, 2 pm Contact: 94901-22248

Big Cinemas, Ameerpet, 30581470; Cinemax, Banjara Hills, 44565555; Cine Planet , Kompally, 61606060; INOX, Banjara Hills, 447677770, Prasads, Tank Bund Rd, 23448888; PVR, Punjagutta, 08800900009; Talkie Town, Miyapur, 40214175; Tivoli, Secunderabad 27844973

CITY SATURDAY, AUGUST 10, 2013

3

Modi to blow conch on ‘war 2014’ from LB Stadium tomorrow BJP is all atwitter as its most prized bet for the 2014 General Elections, Narendra Modi, will address a massive meeting here, which the party has termed as the beginning of the end of the Congress Raj in India. SEE PG 5

4

CITY SATURDAY, AUGUST 10, 2013

GHMC snoozes, City sneezes The absence of a Chief Health Medical Officer at the GHMC is leading to a lax approach in the fight against vector-borne diseases that sprout after the monsoon.

ALEENA ALICE

aleena.t@postnoon.com

I

t looks like the health department in the GHMC is waiting for a major outbreak of contagious diseases in order to take action. Monsoon and festivities bring with them diseases like dengue, malaria, typhoid, influenza, and typhoid.

Already, City hospitals are reporting an upswing in the number of dengue and viral fever cases. In Niloufer Hospital alone, 34 cases of dengue and viral fever were reported in the past 14 days. There is no monitoring or accounting of the private clinics and hospitals, where hundreds of suspected dengue fever cases are reported. The trouble with dengue and viral fever is that they do not have effective drugs or vaccinations and the patient has to suffer two weeks of agony, loss of work time, health and money.

The lack of a CMOH (chief medical health officer) also leads to laxity in monitoring of the situation. After Ramzan and Bonalu, tonnes of meat wastes are dumped on the roadside that lead to vector-borne diseases and proliferation of street dogs. In fact, in a posh area like Jubilee Hills, meat waste dumps are seen at every corner, while the

GHMC neither scolds those mindlessly dumping them nor makes regular cleaning set up.

Usually, the first to be affected by these vector-borne diseases are mostly the people living in slums and low-lying areas.

Already, there have been cases of people being admitted in both government and private hospitals, because of suffering from these diseases.

However, it is surprising that in a time like this, the government has not yet appointed a Chief Medical Officer of Health (CMOH). The post has been vacant for the past six months and there still seems to

be no sign of the government taking an initiative to fill up the vacant post.

Earlier in 2010, this was the similar case after the then CMOH Dr CH Jayaram completed his term. After much delay and protest, Dr D Shalini Devi was appointed as the CMOH. After her transfer last year, the government has failed to fill the post.

In the absence of the CMOH, the subordinate officers seem to be taking advantage of the situation. Despite government instructions earlier this year that the assistant medical officers should conduct awareness as well as medical camps in dif-

ferent areas, especially the slum areas of the City, so far not a single camp has been conducted.

When contacted, the AMOs of a few circles claimed to be making arrangements for organising these camps.

Though the GHMC had made tall claims of aiming to make the City mosquito-free, so far no operations of bleaching around the garbage bins and fogging operations have been conducted in many areas of the City.

Last year, the City had seen several cases of malaria and dengue during the monsoons. It is the responsibility of the CMOH to closely co-ordinate

with various hospitals and nursing homes in the City, to keep a track of the diseases and inform the higher officials. However, since the post is vacant currently, there is no co-ordination with the hospitals by any official from the civic body.

At present, additional commissioner for health and sanitation L Vandan Kumar is in charge of the post of the CMOH, and the added responsibility is becoming a burden.

Apart from no co-ordination with the hospitals, another major problem is the delay in issuing birth and death certificates to the citizens. Because of the absence of the CMOH, thousands of certificates that are due for dispatch have been pending at the RDO and the GHMC office, causing inconvenience to the public.

Condemning the government’s failure to appoint a CMOH so far, GHMC TDP floor leader Singireddy Srinivas Reddy said, “So far, thankfully no major disease has broken out in the City. However, before the situation goes out of hand, the post of the medical officer should be filled immediately.”

Meanwhile, accepting that the absence of the CMOH is affecting the functioning of the heath wing in the GHMC, Vandan Kumar said, “The post should be filled up immediately as there will be better co-ordination among the medical officers from the various circles.”

‘Withdraw Polavaram project’ T

he Adivasi Solidarity Forum on Friday demanded that the Centre withdraw the “draconian” Polavaram project. Backing the demand for new States to resolve regional disparities, underdevelopment and exploitation, it also said the agency areas are also subject to problems of exploitation and discrimination by internal contradictions owing to nontribal forces and hegemonic tribal groups.

Speaking at a meeting convened by Adivasi Solidarity Forum in Sundarayya Vijanana Centre, here on the Tribals Rights Demand in the light of Separate Telangana Statehood, forum leaders Pallai Trinadha Rao and M Bharath Bhushan condemned reducing tribal people and tribal regions as well as resources as commodities in the bargain of the forces engaged in creation of Telangana. They lamented that the UPA and Union government unfortunately introduced

A COMMITTEE HAS BEEN CONSTITUTED TO PREPARE TRIBAL STATUS PAPER FOR WIDER DEBATE IN BOTH TELANGANA AND SEEMANDHRA REGIONS.

schism by linking creation of Telangana with according national status for Polavaram dam.

Current political scenario of de-merging Telangana from

Andhra Pradesh and resistance is centered on business interests and political power interests instead of people’s aspirations and people’s demands in both regions, they

added.

They demanded that political leaders and parties from both regions make clear their stand on the tribal question and prove their commitment to people’s interest, particularly the political parties and people’s organizations who reiterate their support against Polavaram dam and condemn linking the Polavaram dam with creation of Telangana.

They further demanded that the provisions of the PESA Act and Bhuria Committee Recommendations for tribal self-rule be implemented in scheduled areas of both

regions.

Several speakers, including M Bharath Bhushan, human rights activist; Prof E Revathi; Prof M Gopinath Reddy of CESS; G Satya Srinivas; Mypati Arun, State president of Adivasi Students Union; former ZPP chairperson Chanda Lingayyadora and other tribal leaders also spoke.

A committee has been constituted to prepare Tribal Status Paper for wider debate in both Telangana and Seemandhra regions. The meeting was presided over by Human Rights Forum president S Jeevan Kumar. The discussion was initiated by tribal rights activist Palla Trinadha Rao, who said the Central Panchayats Extension to Scheduled Area Act 1996 directs the State government to follow the pattern of Sixth Schedule to the Constitution while designing arrangements in the panchayats at district level in the scheduled areas of NSS the State.

5

CITY SATURDAY, AUGUST 10, 2013

Modi to declare ‘War 2014’

BJP is all abuzz as its most prized bet for the 2014 General Elections, Narendra Modi, will address a massive meeting here.

PK SURENDRAN

surendran.pk@postnoon.com

A

ll eyes are trained on Lal Bahadur Shastri stadium in Hyderabad where the BJP’s as-yet-undeclared-butunderstood prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi will sound the bugle of 2014 war, which the party has termed as Kurukshetra. And, there is no prize for guessing who the Kauravas are.

The party is expecting one lakh people and collecting `5 lakh by way of tickets which will go to the flood relief fund of Uttarakhand.

“Congress-free India” or ‘Banish Kauravas’ is the theme song of the Navarbharat Yuva Bheri (youth convention).

From here, Modi will begin his ‘Bharat Yatra’, which is considered his attempt to get into the Delhi gaddi. The material the AP BJP brought out on the occasion blames the Congress directly for all ills the country faces today — from runaway inflation to terrorism.

Minority appeasement, dividing people on caste and religion, crass corruption, weak dealing with aggressive neighbours and perpetuation of family rule are some of them.

The party says the Congress can’t blame anyone else for the mess the country finds itself.

The party says the strength of the party for its 2014 war will be the spirits of the youth. Lakhs of youths who wanted to banish

the ‘Corrupt Congress’ will join the party’s efforts for a clean rule, party leaders say.

As preparation to drumming up support for tomorrow’s grand show, the party will take out a padayatra from Gowliguda Ram mandir to Tilak Park in Koti. It will be led by G Kishan Reddy, BJP State president; Bandaru Dattatraya, BJP national vice-president; B Venkat Reddy, BJP City president; and Radhika Sridhar, BJP Mahila Morcha City president.

Modi is expected to draw a contour of the party line for the benefits of the young population. What the party wanted to do would be spelled out. He is going to emphasis on development that ensures employment and prosperity, it is learnt.

According to Kishan Reddy, over one lakh people are expected to attend the meeting and the grounds close to LB stadium have also been arranged for participants to watch the proceedings on screens. This will help people watch and listen to the whole programme from afar.

NEW KID ON THE BLOCK

Doc moves against brother-in-law Mohd Subhan mohd.s@postnoon.com

D

r Kusum, a City doctor, has approached the Chilkalguda police with an unusual complaint against her own brother-in-law.

After the untimely death of her husband last year, his brother, Ajay Kumar, has been sexually taunting her.

Dr Kusum, 27, works with a City private hospital in Secunderabad. She is a resident of Padmarao Nagar in Secunderabad. She married Sanjay Kumar four years ago but he died suddenly last year.

Widowed, she was living alone.

AFTER HER HUSBAND’S DEATH, HER BROTHERIN-LAW STARTED The Nehru Zoological Park, Hyderabad, received one male fishing cat which was brought from Kakinada division. It was caught when it entered habitations and attacked poultry. This is the first fishing cat the zoo has ever welcomed. This cat usually inhabits mangrove forests on the estuaries of river systems.

MAKING SEXUAL ADVANCES, SHE SAID.

Her brother-in-law, Ajay, began frequenting her home and allegedly tried persuading her to have sex with him. Another reason for his advances, she guessed, was the huge property she owns. As she was unwilling, the man had spread canards about her and cast slurs on her character, she alleged. According to her, warnings have failed to dissuade her brother-in-law, hence the criminal complaint.

The Chilkalguda police have recorded the case and started investigations.

6

NATION SATURDAY, AUGUST 10, 2013

T bucks up Tripura party

T

he decision to create a new state of Telangana out of Andhra Pradesh has enthused the Indigenous People's Front of Tripura (IPFT), a party that draws its support from tribal people and having only a small support base, has demanded that the Tribal Autonomous District Council (TADC) be upgraded, and a new separate state be formed from Tripura.

Sara Khan escapes unhurt

T

Kishtwar death toll hits two

The clashes between two communities in Kishtwar took place on Eid-ul-Fitr Friday after about 500 villagers raised pro-independence slogans.

JAMMU: Indefinite curfew continued for the second day Saturday in Jammu and Kashmir's Kishtwar town where the death toll in communal clashes rose to two.

The body of one person apparently set ablaze by rioting mobs in Kishtwar town of Jammu region was found late Friday night, raising the toll in the clashes to two. The number of injured is over 60.

A senior officer said the charred body of a person was found in Chowgam ground of Kistwar town.

"The body has been kept at the hospital", the officer said.

Arvind Kumar Bhagat, who was injured in a shotgun firing, had succumbed to pellet injuries in the hospital.

Doctors have described conditions of two of those injured in Friday's clashes as critical.

The clashes between two communities in Kishtwar took place on Eid-ul-Fitr Friday after about 500 villagers raised pro-independence slogans.

More than 80 shops, a petrol pump, an oil tanker, some police and fire service vehicles and the office of the chief education officer were torched by mobs Friday.

The administration called out the army after the police failed in bringing the situation under control.

The army carried out a flag march in the town around 7.30 pm Friday. Reports

Students protest in UP jail

P

elevision actress Sara Khan's vehicle overturned after hitting a road divider in Mumbai early Saturday, police said.

There were no casualties. According to preliminary information, Sara, along with four of her friends, was returning home from a birthday party around 3 am when the accident took place in Oshiwara.

from the town said although the army was called out at noon, riots were brought under control only in the evening State government announced an exgratia relief of `5 lakh in favour of the next of kin of the dead.

Shant Manu, divisional commissioner (Jammu), has ordered to conduct a magisterial probe into the violence in Kishtwar. The report has to be submitted to the state government within three weeks.

Kishtwar is the home town and the assembly constituency represented by Sajad Kitchloo of the ruling National Conference (NC).

Kitchloo is the minister of state (Home). He had come to his home in connection with the Eid celebrations when communal riots broke out in the town.

IANS

EID MUBARAK, DAD A little girl and her father during Eid alFitr prayer at the Idgah Maidan in Bangalore on Friday.

Muslims around the world are celebrating Eid alFitr, which marks the end of the fasting month of Ramzan.

MANJUNATH KIRAN

ro-reservation protestors late Friday began an indefinite sit-in at the Allahabad prison in Uttar Pradesh, officials said Saturday.

Students jailed for protests last week against the withdrawal of the new reservation policy in the Uttar Pradesh Public Service Commission examinations said the sit-in would continue till their demands are met, and the new policy is implemented.

Pak violates ceasefire again, India returns fire SRINAGAR: Pakistan again violated the ceasefire late on Friday night when Pakistani Army fired on several Indian posts in Poonch sector of Jammu and Kashmir, forcing the Indian side to retaliate. The firing continued till 3am on Saturday but no casualties have been reported. This fresh incident comes four days after five Indian soldiers on a patrol in the Poonch sector were killed in an ambush by specialist troops of the Pakistan Army.

Reports said the Pakistan Army targeted the Durga post along the Line of Control (LoC) on Friday night. This fresh violation is likely to further jeopardise the meeting between the prime ministers of the two countries which was scheduled on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly at New York in September.

Defence minister AK Antony had said in Parliament on Thursday, “This incident (the

THIS FRESH INCIDENT COMES FOUR DAYS AFTER FIVE INDIAN SOLDIERS ON A PATROL IN THE

POONCH SECTOR WERE KILLED IN AN AMBUSH BY SPECIALIST TROOPS OF THE PAKISTAN ARMY. Poonch killings) will have consequences on our behaviour on the LoC and for our relations with Pakistan. Our restraint should not be taken for granted nor should the capacity of armed forces and resolve of the government to uphold the sanctity of the LoC ever be doubted.� The UPA government under fire from the Opposition and people for not taking a strong line against the neighbouring country will now have to harden its stance.

7

WORLD SATURDAY, AUGUST 10, 2013

Elina takes child-birth break

Child porn ring king held

T

he suspected head of an international child pornography ring was arrested Friday in Costa Rica as part of a probe coordinated with Spain and several Latin American countries, authorities said. Agents, both local and from the global police agency Interpol, arrested the man and seized computers during raids across the country, said officials.

China ships near ‘isles’

F

L

our Chinese government ships entered disputed waters in the East Asia Sea at the centre of a bitter row with Tokyo on Saturday, the Japanese coastguard said. “We are telling them to leave the area,” a coastguard spokesman told AFP, after the ships sailed into waters around the Senkaku islands, the Diaoyu islands in Chinese, shortly after 0000 GMT.

atvian mezzo-soprano Elina Garanca has cancelled performances at New York’s Metropolitan Opera and Covent Garden in London because she is expecting her second child, she said on her website. Garanca, who is 36, was to sing “Carmen” at the Royal Opera House in November and take on the role of Octavian in “Der Rosenkavalier” at the Met the following month.

However she will still perform in Verdi’s “Requiem” at the Salzburg festival this month

Obama vows checks

The perfect candidate? n She said only 2%of

The US President said he would ensure that the surveillance programme would have greater transparency.

WASHINGTON: President Barack Obama pledged to overhaul US secret surveillance on Friday, promising greater oversight and transparency and insisting he had no interest in snooping on ordinary citizens.

Weeks after former US contractor Edward Snowden leaked details of widespread snooping on private Internet and telephone use, Obama stood firm in denying any abuse but acknowledged that he needed to address growing concerns.

“All these steps are designed to ensure that the American people can trust that our efforts are in line with our interests and our values,” Obama told a news conference.

“And to others around the world I want to make clear once again that America is not interested in spying on ordinary people,” he said.

Obama said he would ask Congress to reform one of the most controversial sections of the Patriot Act passed in the aftermath of the September 11, 2001 attacks — Section 215, which gives the government access to telephone and other records of its citizens.

In a newly declassified memo, the Justice Department said the program recorded data — such as duration and numbers — of phone calls feared to involve “terrorists” but did not record the conversations.

Obama also called for the start of debate in the court that authorizes surveillance, which now only receives requests from the government without hearing any

n

SYDNEY: Sydney: A candidate for Australia’s anti-immigration One Nation party dropped out of the election race Saturday after a blundering interview in which she referred to Islam as a country.

Stephanie Banister, 27, had been campaigning for just 48 hours when she gave the interview to the Seven Network which quickly went viral online and saw her labelled “Australia’s Sarah Palin”, who was pilloried for her gaffes as US vice-presidential candidate in 2008.

MOTHER

OF BLUNDERS

n “I don’t oppose Islam as a

country, but I do feel that their laws should not be welcome here in Australia,”

n

n

n

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Australians follow “haram” — actually meaning the Koran — and muddied matters further by voicing her support for kosher foods for Jewish people.

“Jews aren’t under haram.

They have their own religion which follows Jesus Christ” about Judaism, which in fact sees Jesus as an ordinary man and not the messiah.

Banister on Saturday withdrew her candidacy for the September 7 election, which she was contesting for anti-immigration firebrand Pauline Hanson’s One Nation party in Queensland.

However, Party leader Jim Savage denied Banister had been dropped and then confirmed it.

Confirming her withdrawal from the race, Banister said the interview was edited to make her look “quite the fool”.

“I’d like to apologise to One Nation, to my friends and family, for any embarrassment this has brought to them,” she said.

One Nation US President Barack Obama signs a student loan bill to keep students’ interest rates low during a signing ceremony in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, August 9, 2013.

AFP/SAUL LOEB counter-arguments as is customary in virtually all of the US judiciary.

Obama said the administration would make a greater effort at transparency, including by starting a website that describes intelligence activities.

And he said he would appoint a board of outside experts who

will look more closely at surveillance programs and issue a report by the end of the year.

Controversy has grown since Snowden, a former US government contractor who fled to Russia, revealed some of the more sweeping aspects of US surveillance on citizens’ Internet searches and telephone records.

O

ne Nation was founded in 1997 by the divisive Pauline Hanson, who famously warned that Australia was being swamped by Asians. She has made several failed bids to return to politics after losing her federal seat in 1998, including a 2007 run for a national Senate seat in which she campaigned for an end to

immigration by Muslims to protect “Australian culture”.

Hanson announced she is running for a Senate seat in the September elections with the One Nation party. Ahead of Banister’s withdrawal Hanson reportedly told Seven that the mother of two was clearly “not ready” for national politics.

6 hurt in wildfire in California

UN chief calls for peaceful talks in Egypt

All US units but Yemen’s to open

LOS ANGELES: More than 1,600 Californian firefighters are battling a blaze east of Los Angeles that has injured six people and forced hundreds to flee their homes, authorities said Friday. The fire is estimated to cover 18,000 acres (7,200 hectares), a figure that has nearly doubled since Thursday. Those injured include five firefighters and a civilian, the Riverside County Fire Department said. As of Friday the fire had destroyed 29 buildings, mostly homes, and was only 40 percent contained. Two of the firefighters were overwhelmed by heat, and the condition of the other three has not been made public. The civilian victim was wounded Wednesday, the day the fire broke out, and was airlifted to a burn center, Fire Chief John Hawkins said.

LONDON: UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on

WASHINGTON: The United States said Friday it would reopen all of the embassies it shut this week except the one in Yemen, after re-assessing the AlQaeda threat. State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said Washington would also keep its consulate in the Pakistani city of Lahore closed, after pulling out staff on Thursday. The United States had closed some two dozen embassies and consulates since August 4 after reported intelligence intercepts from Al-Qaeda suggested an attack was imminent. The closures affected virtually all of the Arab world and were eventually extended to include parts of sub-Saharan Africa. Psaki said 18 of the 19 embassies subject to the week-long closure would reopen on Sunday.

Friday appealed to Egyptians to avoid provocations and favor dialogue amid heightening tensions between supporters of deposed president Mohamed Morsi and the interim government. Ban said he is “deeply concerned” by the political stalemate in Egypt, in a statement released by his spokesman on the occasion of Id. Ban “applauds the deep courage and commitment of the Egyptian people” towards peaceful change since mass protests began in January 2011. “The secretary-general also believes it is of critical importance that all sides in Egypt — those in positions of authority as well as those protesting in the street — should urgently reconsider their current actions and language,” the statement read.

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COMMENT SATURDAY, AUGUST 10, 2013

BRITT

EDITORIALS SINDHU EXPLOITS great for the sport Think badminton and Saina Nehwal it is that comes to the mind. That could change now.

An 18-year-old has carved a name for herself by achieving what Saina could not manage despite a career-best world No two ranking.

PV Sindhu has become the first Indian girl to reach the semifinals of World Badminton Championships, and with the feat has etched her name in history.

With Hyderabad having become synonymous with badminton in a cricket-crazy country that ours is, the failures of Saina and Parupalli Kashyap needed to be quickly embalmed, and the teenager did just that, changing in the process disappointment into euphoria. That there is no substitute to hard work becomes clear from this example and it is not an isolated case. The exploits of Indians in badminton recently can be attributed to the healthy atmosphere in the City created by a group of enthusiastic people, in the lead of which is the national badminton coach Pullela Gopichand.

Gopichand trains Sindhu at his academy in the City beginning at 4.15 every morning. With such dedication, of both coach and players, little wonder that India is climbing up the world badminton pecking order.

There was a phase when players from Indonesia and China dominated the international badminton circuit for decades. A Prakash Padukone did happen about three decades ago, winning, as he did, the All-England crown. That did give a glimmer of hope that a sport other than cricket could come into the spotlight, only to fade away. Another player, Syed Modi was in news, albeit for different reasons, and that did not help the badminton cause.

Recent achievements of Indian players in world badminton go to prove that with proper facilities, we can be world beaters.

EXTORTIONISTS

Doctors refusing duty in rural areas is passé: with travel becoming easier, some doctors have realised that to visit villages and make a quick buck is after all not a bad idea. It is easier to con tribal people with medical jargons like cancer, it has struck some doctors who are doing just that in Warangal district... morality be damned!

The women’s circle Soul Curry SUMAA TEKUR

O

ne of the purest, happiest and satisfying images of people in public places is that of a group of women sharing time.

When I go people-watching in public places, be it in malls or at a pub or on the streets, I find that women in smaller groups of twos and threes are having a good time without the pressure of pleasing or impressing.

Female bonding, as it is loosely called (I say ‘loosely’ because when women of depth get together, they go beyond just bonding at superficial levels), has been elevated by scientific research to be important to humans’ overall health. The head of psychiatry from Stanford, while speaking on the subject of mind-body connection in relation to stress and disease, said that research has proven

that the best thing a man can do for his overall physical and mental health is to be married to a woman. A woman, who wants to take care of her overall health, should maintain strong social relationships with her female friends. She should nurture her relationships with her close girl friends and spend enough time with them regularly.

Women are known to connect with each other in ways that they cannot open up to men around them. It starts with having to face similar challenges from society, relationships and various other stressors. But at a deeper, spiritual level, women connect instinctively by sharing similar energy and by not having it intimidate them. At the physical level, this can be explained as the release of serotonin in women when they’re share quality ‘girlfriend time’.

The release of the serotonin hormone in humans keeps depression and stress at bay, and makes a person feel naturally inclined to be positive and hopeful for a bright future.

Women also bond better because they are so good at

WOMEN ARE KNOWN TO CONNECT WITH EACH OTHER IN WAYS THAT THEY CANNOT OPEN UP TO MEN AROUND THEM. being honest about their feelings. They talk openly about how they feel and they stress on the feelings that emerge from the right side of the brain, rather than intellectualising the ‘thoughts’ that come from the left side of the brain. Men often focus on thoughts and form relationships as per how they, or society, think(s) it should be.

It is quite easy for women to make strong bonds with each other because, to them, spirituality is all about building relationships, it’s all about their bodies, and it’s about the way they live in this world. Women find it far easier than men to use their instinct or that gut feel to make decisions. They’re more connected to the cosmos and

also recognise other women who are able to do the same.

Spirituality is not something that has to be learned, but it is something that they ‘live’ every day.

Difficult emotions like hurt, anger, fear, anxiety, depression, shame and guilt are identified more easily by women because they are in connect with their inner child. They have a better relationship with their core self and are able to have conversations with themselves without anyone having to teach them this. They find that other women also recognise this quality in them, making an instant connection.

It’s a huge challenge for women today, given that their own bodies, the society and its expectations are changing so much. It’s also a bigger challenge that a majority of men continue to view women from the prism of these traditional expectations.

This is bringing women closer together because they have an empathetic connection — one that will help them overcome many challenges.

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COMMENT SATURDAY, AUGUST 10, 2013

Gay Muslims in Turkey: torn between religion, sexuality The Inside Story

AS GAY MUSLIMS STRUGGLE TO RECONCILE RELI-

AMBRE TOSUNOGLU

GIOUS TEACHING AND SEXUALITY, SOME PREFER TO TRY AND GET RID OF THEIR FEELINGS, EAGER TO BELIEVE THAT BEING GAY IS MERELY A PHASE.

“W

hen I was a child, I was told that homosexuals would burn in hell,” said Ertugrul, a Muslim fighting for greater freedom for gays in a country where homosexuality remains taboo.

Ertugrul, who did not want to give his last name, is president of the group Muslims and Gays, which he says wants to “break taboos” in Muslim-majority Turkey, where gays are still subject to violence and abuse.

“There are still regions where people kill gays and lesbians to keep the honour of the family intact,” he said.

“For religious clerics, homosexuality is a test. If you succumb to temptation, you will go to hell. If you resist, you will be pardoned and go to heaven,” explained the 39-year-old, a practising Muslim.

Homosexuality and transsexuality are not illegal in Turkey but police regularly swoop — with or without authorisation — on parks, bars or hammams they believe gays frequent to check for prostitution.

People are then taken to

Urban sketches VISWAPRASAD RAJU

police stations where officers check their identities and if they have a criminal record.

Critics say the checks are a way of putting pressure on the gay community. In 2010, the Turkish minister for Women and the Family, Selma Aliye Kavaf, fell foul of gay rights groups when she classified homosexuality as “a biological disorder” and a “dis-

ease” which needed to be “cured”.

When anti-government protests swept Turkey in June, members of the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) association used the demonstrations to try and highlight their cause, but in vain, as violent attacks and even murders continue.

Gulsen, a 24-year-old who is gay, told AFP that, just the previ-

ous day, a transsexual friend had been found dead.

“We have lost count of the number of attacks, there are so many of them,” he said.

He was attacked in Istanbul’s Gezi park, the site made famous after controversial plans for its redevelopment sparked the June protests. “I was talking to a young guy the other evening in

the park when I was attacked by two guys who stabbed me in the face with a knife,” said Gulsen, who like Ertugrul, preferred that AFP did not use his last name.

But reporting the attack is out of the question.

“Why would I?” he said. “We know that there will be another version of events and that the attackers will never be punished.”

As gay Muslims struggle to reconcile religious teaching and sexuality, some prefer to try and get rid of their feelings, eager to believe that being gay is merely a phase. “I couldn’t stay gay — my family and friends could not accept it,” said Mustafa, 26.

He underwent therapy to “better understand himself ” and to “try to desire a woman’s body”.

Convinced that he could change, Mustafa married a woman in AFP June.

Global edits

Terminal

The New York Times

Breaking through limits on spying

W

ere Apparently no espionage tool that Congress gives the National Security Agency is big enough or intrusive enough to satisfy the agency’s inexhaustible appetite for delving into the communications of Americans. Time and again, the N.S.A. has pushed past the limits that lawmakers thought they had imposed to prevent it from invading basic privacy, as guaranteed by the Constitution.

It was bad enough in 2008 when Congress allowed the agency to spy without a warrant on e-mails and text messages between Americans and foreign targets of an investigation. That already strained the Fourth Amendment’s protections against illegal searches, but lawmakers decided it was justified as part of a terror investigation. It turns out, as Charlie Savage revealed in The Times on Thursday, that the N.S.A. went far beyond those boundaries. Instead, it copies virtually all overseas messages that Americans send or receive, then scans them to see if they contain any references to people or subjects the agency thinks might

IT WAS BAD ENOUGH IN 2008 WHEN CONGRESS ALLOWED THE AGENCY TO SPY WITHOUT A WARRANT ON EMAILS AND TEXT MESSAGES BETWEEN AMERICANS AND FOREIGN TARGETS OF AN INVESTIGATION. have a link to terrorists.

That could very well include innocent communications between family members expressing fears of a terror attack. Or the privileged conversation between a lawyer and a client who is being investigated.

Data collection on this scale goes far beyond what Congress authorised, and it clearly shreds a common-sense understanding of the Fourth Amendment. It’s as if the government were telling its citizens not to even talk about security issues or else they will come to the attention of the nation’s spies. “By injecting the N.S.A. into virtually every crossborder interaction, the U.S. will forever alter what has always been an open exchange of ideas,” said Jameel Jaffer, the deputy legal director of the American Civil Liberties Union.

10

BUSINESS SATURDAY, AUGUST 10, 2013

UP looks to solar energy

China data helps oil rebound

TOKYO: Japanese government’s debt

LUCKNOW: Faced with acute power

NEW YORK CITY: Oil prices charged

reached a record 1,008.6 trillion yen (about $11.40 trillion) at the end of June, the finance ministry said on Friday. As the government has issued plenty of new bonds to fund largescale public projects to promote economy this fiscal year, the debt may expand to 1,107.1 trillion yen by the end of next March, reported Xinhua.

shortage and growing anger against incessant power cuts, the Uttar Pradesh government has stitched up a new solar initiative that will ensure additional power supply to the state.

It proposes to set up solar power plants with a total installed capacity of 130 MW in the Bundelkhand region.

back Friday after falling for five straight sessions, helped by strongerthan-expected numbers on Chinese industrial output in July. In New York, the benchmark WTI crude for September delivery added $2.57 to $105.97. In London, Brent North Sea oil for September gained $1.54 to $108.22.

Jap debt reaches record

US bans some Samsung imports A court ruled that Samsung had infringed two Apple patents on touchscreen and headphone actions.

WASHINGTON: The US International Trade Commission on Friday blocked imports of some older model Samsung mobile devices following complaints by Apple that the South Korean company had violated its patents.

The ruling by the Washington-based trade body was the latest in a long-running and bitter global battle over alleged patent infringement between the two smartphone and tablet computer giants.

The ITC ruled that Samsung had infringed two Apple patents — numbers 949 and 501, dealing with touchscreen actions and headphone jack plug-ins — but cleared the South Korean company of charges that it had violated four more.

Apple welcomed the ITC ruling while Samsung expressed its disappointment.

“With today’s decision, the ITC has joined courts around the world in Japan, Korea, Germany, Netherlands and California by standing up for innovation and rejecting Samsung’s blatant copying of Apple’s products,” Apple said in a statement.

“Protecting real innovation is what the patent system should be about,” it said.

Spokesman Adam Yates said

Samsung is “disappointed that the ITC has issued an exclusion order based on two of Apple’s patents.”

“However, Apple has been stopped from trying to use its overbroad design patents to achieve a monopoly on rectangles and rounded corners,” Yates said, referring to design features at issue in rejected patent claims.

THE RULING RAISED THE QUESTION OF WHETHER

OBAMA’S ADMINISTRA-

TION WILL AGAIN INTERVENE IN A PATENT FIGHT BETWEEN THE COMPANIES AT ITC. “The proper focus for the smartphone industry is not a global war in the courts, but fair competition in the marketplace.

“Samsung will continue to launch many innovative products and we have already taken measures to ensure that all our of products will continue to be available in the United States,” the Samsung spokesman said.

It was unclear precisely which devices would be targeted

in the ban, but it was aimed at early model smartphones and tablets that are no longer hot products in the United States.

“It really doesn’t mean that much,” independent Silicon Valley analyst Rob Enderle said of the ITC ruling.

“It is not the new stuff they are talking about, but the older devices that are more likely to be shipped to emerging markets than here.”

The import block is subject to a review by the White House and Samsung will be allowed to continue to sell the items at issue during the two-month review period.

The ITC ruling raised the question of whether US President Barack Obama’s administration will once again intervene in a patent fight playing out between the companies at the agency.

Less than a week ago, the US Trade Representative overturned an ITC ruling in a patent suit brought by Samsung against Apple that would have banned the sale of certain iPads and iPhones in the United States.

It was the first time the USTR has overruled the commission since 1987, and South Korea’s trade ministry made its feelings clear at the time.

Legal analysts point out that a critical difference in the cases is that the USTR intervened regarding patents deemed “standards essential,” indicating that the technology involved was needed to comply with industry standards.

“Our ministry expresses concern about negative impacts the decision by the USTR will have on protecting patents held by Samsung,” the company said in a statement at the time.

The ITC ruling also opens a door for Apple to try to use the same patent violation claim against newer Samsung gadgets that have incorporated the same technology.

Samsung has taken pains to modify smartphone and tablet designs to avoid attacks over AFP Apple patents.

US to sell India 145 howitzers Arun Kumar

WASHINGTON: The United States proposes to sell India 145 M777 155mm light-weight towed howitzers in a $885-million deal to add a powerful punch to India’s ground forces.

The Pentagon’s Defence Security Cooperation Agency notified Congress Aug 2 of a possible Foreign Military Sale India of the howitzers with Laser Inertial Artillery Pointing Systems (LINAPS) and associated equipment, parts, training and logistical support for an estimated cost of $885 million.

“India intends to use the howitzers to modernise its armed forces and enhance its ability to operate in hazardous conditions. India will have no difficulty absorbing these weapons into its armed forces,” the mandatory notification said.

The proposed sale at India’s request “will contribute to the foreign policy and national security of the United States by helping to strengthen the US-India strategic relationship and to improve the security of an important partner which continues to be a for political stability, peace, and economic progress in South Asia,” the notification said.

The proposed sale of this equipment and support will not alter the basic military balance in the region, the notification said. There will be no adverse impact on US defense readiness as a result of this proposed sale, it said.

In accordance with the Indian Defense Procurement Procedure (DPP), it is anticipated that the vendor will be required to negotiate an offset contract with the Indian government, the notification said The deal will include warranty, spare and repair parts, support and test equipment, publications and technical documentation, maintenance, personnel training and training equipment, US government and contractor representatives’ technical assistance, engineering and logistics support services and other related elements of logistics support.

The M777 howitzer is a towed 155 mm artillery piece, successor to the M198 howitzer in the US Marine Corps

THE PROPOSED SALE AT INDIA’S REQUEST ‘WILL CONTRIBUTE TO THE FOREIGN POLICY AND NATIONAL SECURITY OF THE UNITED STATES BY HELPING TO STRENGTHEN THE USINDIA STRATEGIC RELATIONSHIP’. and the US Army. The M777 is also used by the ground forces of Canada and Australia. It made its combat debut in Afghanistan. According to Marine.com the M777 provides timely, accurate and continuous firepower in support of marine infantry forces. IANS

11

FOCUS SATURDAY, AUGUST 10, 2013

Hunting for butterflies in Pakistan — with cheese

Guillaume Lavallee

In the mountains of Pakistan, a man braves the perils of Taliban militants to chase his obsession — butterflies.

Agence France-Presse

AYUBIA: In the mountains of Pakistan, a Frenchman is on a mission. Armed with a net and a smelly cheese, Jerome Pages braves the perils of Taliban militants to chase his obsession: butterflies.

For two decades the 64-yearold has scoured the remote, pristine landscapes of Pakistan’s north, where the Himalayas meet the Karakoram and Hindu Kush ranges.

He scrambles across the cedar-robed hillsides of Ayubia, 100 kilometres northwest of Islamabad, the majestic peaks of Kashmir on the horizon, chasing a butterfly known in India but not in Pakistan.

“What a beauty! You only find this species in the Himalayas,” he exclaims, stopping before a tiny butterfly with lime green tints on its wings.

With his helper Nasir, Pages recently spent six weeks among the woods and slopes of northern Pakistan, guarded by

AFP PHOTO /FAROOQ NAEEM

curious police officers wielding automatic rifles.

Before the September 11 attacks, thousands of foreign tourists came to Pakistan to climb and hike in the foothills of some of the world’s highest mountains.

Now the risk of attack means the few who come are accompanied by armed police.

In June, Islamist gunmen killed 10 foreign climbers at a camp at the base of Nanga Parbat, the country’s second-highest peak. But the rapid shrinking of the areas accessible to butterfly hunters has not stopped Pages jumping in his battered jeep to

tour Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Gilgit-Baltistan and Kashmir — accompanied the whole time by policemen bemused at this strange foreigner’s antics.

A professor of statistics at an agricultural university in Rennes, northwest France, Pages emerges from his chrysalis in the summer holiday to flit around Pakistan.

This year’s expedition saw him equipped on this trip with some unusual bait —a Maroilles cheese.

“A few days before I set off, my wife bought a Maroilles,

Pick

but it was starting to turn. A Maroilles on the turn and a journey to Pakistan. It clicked immediately and I brought it with me,” he said.

Butterflies are attracted to rotting matter, and Pages hoped the pungent, orange-skinned Maroilles would prove a potent addition to his usual armoury of decaying fruit.

But while his guide Nasir certainly felt the kick — “It’s very strange and very strong,” he said through a pinched nose — the butterflies weren’t so interested in the cheese, and Pages stuck to the tried and tested fruit.

After years chasing butterflies in Turkey, Pages turned to Pakistan in 1994 almost by default. He has come to love its variety of terrain, from deserts

at the

to damp forests, and for the fact it remains unexplored by other collectors.

“Afghanistan was impossible, Iran very difficult, so Pakistan it was. The unique thing about Pakistan is the great range of habitats,” he said.

“In France, every species has been recorded for almost a century — there are no new butterflies any more, but in Pakistan there’s always the hope that somewhere off the track you might find something new.”

And in 2006 his quest bore fruit, when he found a previously unknown species, with brown and ochre wings in the Swat Valley, which been described in the past as the Switzerland of Pakistan.

He named the new butterfly “Annieae” after his wife Annie and gave specimens to the British Museum in London and the Musee de l’Homme in Paris.

Sadly it was Pages’ last visit to Swat — a year after his discovery the Taliban seized control of the valley, banning girls from attending school and executing opponents.

An army operation flushed them out in 2009 but insecurity in Swat persists, preventing Pages returning. Last October Taliban gunmen shot schoolgirl activist Malala Yousafzai in the main town of Swat.

airport,

-

12

TECHNOLOGY SATURDAY, AUGUST 10, 2013

WEBSITE OF THE WEEK GetGoing.com et Going is a terrific new site for leisure travelers who are flexible and are looking for a bargain. The site’s signature feature is its Pick 2 Get 1 deal whereby travelers narrow down their flight search to two destinations.

G

MOBILE GAME REVIEW

APP OF THE WEEK

THE JARS

History Eraser Pro

H

istory Eraser Pro makes it simple to delete junk off your phone. The app walks you through all sorts of data, from text messages to browser history to cached files, and then it wipes them in one shot.

Duel over Apple’s penalty US antitrust attorneys defended their push to restrict Apple in the e-books market as hearings opened Friday on how to punish the tech giant found guilty of price-fixing.

Glenn Chapman feedback@postnoon.com

SAN FRANCISCO: In a submission to a federal court in New York, anti-trust attorneys for the US Justice Department suggested that publishers were already joining hands again to prevent prices from falling, and insisted Apple should be forced to end its current contracts with them.

But Apple, backed by the publishers, argued in its own submission that the judge in the case made numerous legal missteps that gave it grounds to appeal the verdict.

And it said the proposed sanctions were “draconian” and disproportionate to the purported harm from the price-fixing scheme.

The manoeuvring came in briefs and letters submitted to federal court ahead of Friday’s hearing.

In its filing, the DOJ defended its proposed remedies in the case as “necessary to rid the e-book market of the effects of a successful and long-running price-fixing conspiracy and to restore this market to competitive health.”

The department has recommended that Apple be forced to end its current ebook deals with five top publishers — Hachette Book Group, HarperCollins, Macmillan, Penguin and Simon & Schuster.

All had already struck deals with prosecutors to settle price-fixing conspiracy charges.

It said that Apple should only be able to set new contracts with

them in the e-book market if those contracts would not limit price competition.

And it said that Apple should be compelled to allow other ebook retailers to sell their products through Apple’s iPad and iPhone apps for two years.

Going further, the DOJ order would prohibit Apple from seeking to drive up prices by signing agreements similar to its e-book deals “ with suppliers of e-books, music, movies, television shows or other content” — a move which puts Apple’s powerful iTunes service in DOJ sights.

In a letter to the court, Lawrence Buterman of the DOJ antitrust division acknowledged that Apple’s punishment would effectively extend by three years a restriction placed on publishers in their settlements in the case.

Buterman argued that was justified, after the publishers

THE DOJ ANTITRUST DIVISION ACKNOWLEDGED THAT APPLE’S PUNISHMENT WOULD EFFECTIVELY EXTEND BY THREE YEARS.

joined together to argue against the proposed restrictions on Apple.

“There is reason to believe that the Publisher Defendants are positioning themselves to pick up where they left off as soon as their two-year clocks run,” he said in the letter.

“The very fact that publisher defendants have banded together once

again, this time to oppose two provisions in the proposed final judgment that they believe could result in lower e-book prices for customers, only highlights why it is necessary to insure that Apple (and hopefully other retailers) can discount e-books and compete on retail price for as long as possible.”

On Wednesday, the publishers argued that some of the proposed sanctions would contradict the deals they negotiated with prosecutors for their roles in the price-fixing scheme.

“The plaintiffs are attempting to impose a specific business model on the publishing industry, despite their express and repeated representations that they would play no such role,” they said.

Apple has condemned the DOJ proposal, and on Friday sought to move to reverse the July verdict, submitting a list of evidence it argued was “improperly admitted, excluded, or disregarded” before or during the trial.

Apple attorneys called the proposed punishment “a draconian and punitive intrusion into Apple’s business, wildly out of proportion to any adjudicated wrongdoing or potential harm.”

It’s a shame that this rather novel take on an age-old puzzle is extremely limited.

There are only three levels 4 Pint, 5 Pint, and 6 Pint each using only two glasses.

What’s more, the four and five pint levels have exactly the same solution to them.

iPhone device can help prevent strokes SYDNEY: A special iPhone device can be used to quickly detect heart rhythm problems and help prevent strokes, say researchers.

Experts from the University of Sydney said the cheap device, known as the AliveCor Heart Monitor for iPhone (iECG), was highly

effective and accurate in screening patients with undiagnosed atrial fibrillation (AF).

The study was revealed Friday at the Australia and New Zealand Cardiac Society conference in Queensland, Xinhua reported.

The device was invented by an Australian scientist and a US cardiologist.

Ben Freedman, professor at the University of Sydney, and his colleagues tested the device on randomly selected people aged 65 or older at 10 pharmacies in Sydney.

He said the device was an exciting breakthrough and can be operated without special skills.

“Atrial Fibrillation is the most common heart rhythm problem and is responsible for almost one third of all strokes,” he said.

“AF increases with age, affecting more than 15 percent of people aged 85 years and over.”

Freedman said people with atrial fibrillation face up to a five-fold increased risk of stroke, and tend to have more severe and life-threatening strokes.

He said the research shows around 50,000 Australians aged over 65 have AF, but do not know it.

INS

13

ANIMAL KINGDOM SATURDAY, AUGUST 10, 2013

PET NEWS Dying dolphins

B

ottlenose dolphins are washing up dead in unusually high numbers along the U.S. East Coast this summer—a “very alarming” situation that has experts scrambling to decipher the cause.

IMPORTANT NUMBERS

The yawn study

Loudest of them all

D

ushcricket may be tiny, but males can chirp as loud as a power saw to attract females, a new study says. Researchers recorded male bushcrickets in Colombia singing at frequencies of about 74 kilohertz.

og owners who claim their pets know their feelings may be on to something: A new study shows that canines yawn more in response to their owners’ yawns than they do to strangers’ yawns.

B

CATS AND DOGS The Animal Care Clinic 040-2335 2474 Pet’s World Dog Clinic 98856 46259 Blue Cross of Hyderabad 040-3298 9858, 23544355/ 5523 Vet-N-Pet 040-6553 9535, 93463 05890 Bluplus Pet Clinic 040-2712 1739, 2716 2636 Sri Sai Pet Clinic

040-2779 7458, 9848645350 Claws & Paws 98662 82772 All Creatures Animals Clinic 040-2773 0885 BIRDS Govt Veterinary Hospital 040-2331 9656, 2753 5755 Bird Watcher’s Society 040-2355 6166 Friends of Birds9391048315 SNAKES Friends of Snakes 8374233366

THE GOLDEN YEARS

Ypur pet needs as much love and care in their golden years as a human does.

Make the last years of their lives great ones.

Amy Rose Thomas

amyrose.t@postnoon.com

I

t might feel like just yesterday when you got your furry little friend home and but before you know it, a few years might have passed and your friend is in its twilight years. It’s a sad reality that your pet ages faster than you.

Some of the problems that your animal can face include vision deterioration, getting hard of hearing, inability to learn new tricks and their memory can also take a toll. In case of dogs, bigger breeds age faster than the smaller ones.

For instance, Dobermans, Golden Retrievers needs special care once they hit the age seven, while smaller breeds like the Dachshund can hold their own till nine years. Cats on the other hand, have higher life expectancy when compared to dogs.

“My advice to pet-owners is to get a complete physical examination for your animal every year to keep a check on the health. Labradors are more likely to have cardiac issues when they hit the twilight

JOHN VIAU

years while Doberman breed is prone to liver issues. There is high likelihood for Golden Retrievers to be diagnosed with cancer. If not these major illnesses, just like humans they are also prone to hypertension, diabetes and cataract,” Dr Lakshmi S says.

The behaviour of the animal changes as it gets older.

Some pets may become clingier and over-dependent, while oth-

ers become less interested in affection, petting or interaction. It can increase their activity level (resulting, for example, in staring at objects, wandering aimlessly) or decrease their activity level (leading to less self-care and poor appetite). It can increase their anxiety and tendency to react aggressively. If you watch out for the signs of ageing in your pets and help them

with the changes happening in their lives, they can enjoy added years of health.

“Just like humans, animals can become all the more bored and disinterested when they get old. You need to take them out for longer walks and give them proper physical exercise during this period. Brushing their teeth is integral as the animal grows older as many die due to lack of dental care.

Take Care n Regular visits to the vet’s office n Good dental care n Regular exercise n A warmer bed as some lose the ability to control their body temperature when old. n Its skin and hair may suffer as the body produces less natural oils. Get a shampoo that helps moisturise the skin.

Regular visits to the vet will help in detecting the illness as treatment can be started immediately,” Dr Lakshmi says.

A little help from your part and you can ensure that your animal enjoys a happy, enjoyable few years at the end.

Instead of trying to imbibe the routine during its twilight years, make your animal get used to a healthy lifestyle from the time it’s a puppy.

14

BOOKS SATURDAY, AUGUST 10, 2013

SHORT READS Title: Infiltrated Author: Jay W Richards Publisher: McGraw-Hill Professional Publishing If you’re interested in governmental and financial policy, especially the American system, this is the book for you. The author fashions himself as the champion of free enterprise, and considering his expertise, he may well be one.

Title: The Sports Gene Author: David Epstein Publisher: Current Hardcover Here’s the old debate repackaged, meticulously researched and smartly written — are some people just born better athletes? Luckily, this book doesn’t tell all us non-gifted people to sit at home and vegetate. It’s a cool blend of science and sport.

Title: Hotshot Author: Julie Garwood Publisher: Penguin Group (USA) When Peyton and her sisters inherit a luxurious beachfront resort, they are taken by surprise. But they have a year to prove themselves, or they lose the inheritance.

With so many people trying to trip them up, they call for outside help.

Title: Coming Clean: A Memoir Author: Kimberly Rae Miller Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt An immaculate life can hide messy secrets, and Kim Miller has to face her complicated childhood even though she has a near-perfect present. Finding peace and love in imperfect relationships is what this book is about.

Lexi-con: A misleading spell Wil has to keep running, and keeping running smartly, to stay alive and unlock the secret that is locked deep within his subconscious — he is immune to spells, but not to bullets.

ARUN KOSHY PHILIP

arun.k@postnoon.com

W

il Parke wakes up in an airport restroom to find himself being interrogated by two people who have incapacitated him. He wants the pain to stop, but can’t answer satisfactorily. He has no clue what his tormentors want — but they are not convinced.

In Australian mining hinterland lies the ghost town of Broken Hill. Three thousand people are dead and the area has been cordoned off. No one knows what happened there, the only certainty being that a trip down that road is a one-way ticket.

A street hustler finds herself selected to attend an ‘academy’, a world where she will be taught skills that would eventually take her up the ranks of an organisation that specialises in taking control of other people’s minds — by just uttering a few words.

There are several people who are after a ‘word’, a potent weapon at the hands of someone skilled enough to wield it. Each has their own agenda and little

Internationally acclaimed lawyerturned author Steve Berry has an undying passion for history and played with it in his latest novel The King’s Deception, the eighth in the Cotton Malone adventure series.

T

he suspense, the drama and the thrills in The King’s Deception hinge on the identity of Queen Elizabeth I, portrayed as an impostor. Steve,

tolerance for anyone or anything that comes in the way.

With a formidable network of word conjurers and their foot soldiers closing in, Wil has to keep running, and keeping running smartly, to stay alive and unlock the secret that is locked deep within his subconscious — he is immune to their spells, but not to bullets.

Each character is a world in

themselves, or so you think till there reaches a point where you find yourself experiencing a movie-like time warp where pieces of the puzzle fall into place. And when you think a pattern has emerged to give a predictable picture, the initial pieces are no longer what they originally appeared to be.

Lexicon is not the first attempt at weaving a gripping

plot around the machinations of a secret society and a protagonist on the run. The maze of action that acts as the thread in the story — switching from person, place and time — tends to distract and disorient rather than rivet.

One major flaw in the narrative is that little attention has been paid to detail. As the story unfolds with thick action across

Name Lexicon Author Max Barry Pages 385 Publisher Hachette India two continents, there is hardly any explanation for how the ‘star wars’ of the ‘poets’ is being facilitated without any interference from government agencies.

For all the build up throughout the plot you expect an extraordinary ending, but there it comes a cropper.

I love lost, forgotten things: Steve Berry realised the topic would be controversial” but couldn’t resist it as he “loves things from the past”. “I knew the topic would be controversial, but it’s also quite interesting. We know little to nothing about Elizabeth I. What we do know is contradictory. The reality is that no one knows for sure what happened 400 years ago. And that makes for a great thriller,” Berry said.

The lawyer with a flair for writing has authored a dozen novels, including The Amber Room, The Alexandria Link, The Paris Vendetta, The Emperor’s Tomb, The Jefferson Key” and The Columbus Affair. His work has been translated into 40 lan-

guages and is sold in 51 countries.

What inspired him to weave history in the novel, especially the facts and legends surrounding the identity of Queen Elizabeth I? “The Bisley Boy legend intrigued me from the first moment I heard it. I love things from the past, lost things, forgotten things, that the reader may know little to nothing about. I especially like it when those things are still relevant today,” he explained.

“And, trust me, if Elizabeth I was an impostor there would be chaos today. Everything in Northern Ireland would change.” The Bisley Boy legend,

which claims that Elizabeth had died at the age of 10 while staying at Berkeley Castle in Gloucestershire and a lookalike boy from the nearby village of Bisley was put in her place, is the key factor in the novel. The thrill in The King’s Deception has been a result of 18 months of research. Such intensive research work entails travelling.

“Two trips were made to England,” Berry said.What next?

Will his next also have a dose of history? “Cotton Malone will return for another adventure in The Lincoln Myth, which gives you a taste as to what the story is about,” Berry said.

IANS

15

BOOKS SATURDAY, AUGUST 10, 2013

BETWEEN CONTINENTS, ACROSS CENTURIES

That is the span of Colum McCann’s new book TransAtlantic. A vivid detailing of three crossings that are linked quite beautifully. Longlisted for the Man Booker Prize this year, read the book to see whether he deserves the coveted prize on his shelf.

Fleme Varkey fleme.v@postnoon.com

T

alking about awards, McCann is no stranger to them. He is the author of six novels and two collections of stories. His most recent novel, the New York Times bestseller Let the Great World Spin, won the National Book Award, the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award and several other major international awards. Will TransAtlantic get him another one?

If for Let the World Spin McCann drew inspiration from the Philippe Petit’s tightrope walk between the twin towers of the World Trade Center in 1974.

In TransAtlantic, he’s used the first nonstop flight across the Atlantic Ocean — made in 1919 by the British aviators John Alcock and Arthur Brown — his canvas for a masterpiece. This Irish author charts in 150 years of Irish history, through the voyages of four historic visitors — all men and the travels of four generations of fictional women — Lily Duggan, Emily Ehrlich, Lottie Tuttle, Hannah Carson.

A homecoming, of sorts. The first time the Irish-American author has written about his homeland in quite some time. So much of this book takes place under the shadow of wars — World War I, the Irish Troubles, the Civil War, the potato famine.

Surprisingly set in the shadow of the wars but it deals with them quite rarely, only to bring out what went on after it, the handling of peace.

He says in an interview with The Daily Beast, “Peace is a tough thing to write about. It’s airy. It’s hard to ground. And so

it has this etheral sense. Which is not good for a realist. And I’m a realist. And so you have to shadow it against the reality of war.”

The first of the three stories involves Alcock and Brown’s trans-Atlantic flight from Newfoundland to Ireland in a modified bomber, only months after the end of World War I. The pilots, McCann adds in the interview, were “using the bomber in a brand-new way: taking the war out of the plane, stripping the whole thing of its penchant for carnage.”

This portrait which he creates for the readers remains with us

long after the chapters close.

The second story talks of a trip made to Ireland in 1845 by the antislavery activist Frederick Douglass.

Douglass was trying to prevent getting captured by his owner while trying to complete his autobiography tour to Ireland.

McCann says he knew almost immediately that he wanted to turn this historical fact into fiction: "This intersection between history and fiction, between what is real and what is not real, fascinates me.”

This intermingling of fact and fiction sometimes tires the reader or in simple words is a put off.

His third story is based on Senator George Mitchell and his efforts to help negotiate the 1998 Good Friday peace agreement in Northern Ireland.

How he links these stories is through the fictional women.

Their stories provide that human element, as it bleeds of struggle, of yearning and of their desire for freedom.

However inconsistent the narratives may seem sometimes, there is always something that pulls you back, such as Lily’s journey. Readers might find the Mitchell part a little troublesome but that’s just a wee hiccough.

If one were to consider the span of the book, the events it includes, the lives it touches, then there is something truly phenomenal about the book.

Slow reading but interesting enough to hook us.

Name TransAtlantic Author Colum McCann Pages 196 Publisher Bloomsbury India

WHAT’S SELLING Walden’s best in fiction

Landmark’s best in fiction

New York Times’ best in fiction

New York Times’ best in non-fiction

n And The Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini

n Manuscript found in Accra

by Paulo Coelho

n The Cuckoo’s Calling by Robert Galbraith

n Zealot by Reza Aslan

n The day I stopped drinking milk by Sudha Murty

n Inferno by Dan Brown

n Lean in by Sheryl Sandberg with Nell Scovell

n The English Girl

by Daniel Silva

n This town by Mark Leibovich

n The Alchemist

by Paulo Coelho

n And the Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini

n Happy, happy, happy by Phil Robertson with Mark Schlabach

n Dongri to Dubai by Hussain Zaidi

n Light of the world by James Lee Burke

n Breakpoint by Jeff Stibel

n Inferno by Dan Brown n Asura by Anand Neelakantan n Like It Happened Yesterday by Ravinder Singh n Oath Of The Vayuputras by Amish Tripati

n What young India wants by Chetan Bhagat

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WOMEN SATURDAY, AUGUST 10, 2013

WEBSITES OF THE WEEK Plum District: Known as the “Groupon for moms,” this deal site provides daily offers specifically designed for savvy moms. The website is staffed by other mothers across the nation.

xoJane: Former Sassy Editor-in-Chief Jane Pratt resurfaced this year with a women’s site as irreverent and informative as her previous lady mag. Pratt’s celebrity friends keep the content fresh.

Sous Style: Australian transplant to Brooklyn, NY, and current photo director of Elle magazine, Pippa Lord launched Sous Style for a “new generation of homemakers.”

It may have been only three years since accessory designer Rachana Reddy launched her label, but within this brief period, she has become a household name with style divas in the country.

A STRIKING BLEND AMY ROSE THOMAS

amyrose.t@postnoon.com

F

ashionistas in and around the City vouch for Rachana Reddy’s wooden, designer clutches for being icebreakers and conversation starters. With these wooden creations, accessory designer Rachana Reddy has carved a niche for herself in the market within a mere three years.

These designs are of a striking blend of tradition and contemporary luxury. Fans of her work include style divas like Malaika Arora Khan, Rhea Kapoor, Sophie Chowdhary, Manasi Scott and others. Her signature clutch which is a wooden clutch with a lotus inscribed is a hit among celebrities and socialites alike.

Women who appreciates art, believe in experimentation and love the global taste are her frequent customers.

THESE DESIGNS ARE OF A STRIKING BLEND OF TRADITION AND CONTEMPORARY LUXURY. FANS OF HER WORK INCLUDE STYLE DIVAS LIKE MALAIKA ARORA KHAN, RHEA KAPOOR, SOPHIE CHOWDHARY, MANASI SCOTT AND OTHERS. “I always had this natural inclination to wood and after my graduation from Cordwainers-London College of Fashion, the idea of making a wooden clutch came to me in a flash. What makes the style distinct is the exotic Indian element which these clutches ooze. Since these are statement pieces in themselves and stand out, it is better to team them with sober, monochrome clothes,” she says.

Conceptualised and designed by Rachana, clutches are handcrafted by skilled artisans. Rachana Reddy has now launched a more affordable and casual fashion line.

“This line is for college going girls who cannot afford the other line. Apart from wood, I also work with leather, Indian silks and metals,” she says.

This Bangalore-based designer has a interesting pro-

file having dropped out of engineering course and joining a fashion institute with the strong resolve to make it big in fashion.

Her message to newbies out there trying to follow her footsteps: “No matter what the case might be one should always be original. Ensure that your designs are different, unique and stand out. And once you are noticed, work hard towards improving your

work. It’s a tough journey but if you are at it and committed you will reach your goal.” She launched her label in 2010 and has debuted in Lakme Fashion week, Summer Resort 2011 in Mumbai. So far, Rachana’s work has received wide recognition for the unique designs and detail oriented craftsmanship. Come next year, she will be showcasing her creations in trade shows to be held in New York and Paris.

Brains and babies All About Eve JYOTSNA NAMBIAR

A

study conducted by a researcher at the London School of Economics has concluded that the maternal urge of women decreases with every 15-point increase in IQ. Satoshi Kanazawa’s findings come soon after the revelation that the number of women opting to be childless has almost doubled in Britain since the 1990s. These two bits of news have had the UK newspapers in a tizzy, and several female columnists have weighed in on the subject — both for and against babies.

But here’s my question.

What about the men who are choosing to have children? Are higher IQ men opting out?

Where’s that study?

Chances are, no one will ever feel the need to research that subject. Men don’t have children, or have them, because it’s their choice. End of discussion. Why women are or aren’t having children is not that simple. No way. There has to be something that makes a woman do this. More brains, more money, unhappy childhood, happy teen years?

Did she study math only till high school? Was she the only child? What could be the reason women choose to have or not have kids?

For all we progress, for all we get liberated, we still think that there is a simple reason why all women act a particular way. There isn’t. All women are different. All women have different reasons for making the choices they do. No woman should be made to feel that her wanting a child means that she isn’t intelligent enough.

No women should be made to feel that her intelligence will make her a terrible mother.

Why do we still care so much about slotting women according to their maternal instincts? Move on. Women will decide for themselves whether they want children or not. They don’t need to be told what criteria they have to fulfil to have a maternal instinct.

We’ll make up our own minds, high IQ or low IQ notwithstanding.

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SPOTLIGHT SATURDAY, AUGUST 10, 2013

Getting groovy DJ Teri Miko from Ukraine rocked the night at Movida, Radisson Blu. Revelers were seen dancing to the beats and having a blast at the pub.

1

DREAM WEDDING

6

Wedding ceremony of Dr Bingi Sainath Goud and Dr Parkala Anusha Goud was a fun affair. Ministers Mukesh Goud and Danam Nagender were present at the do.

2

3

4

5

1 Dr Sainath, Dr Anusha Goud 2 Pannam Prabhakar 3 Pallavi, Abhishek 4 Talasani Saikiran, Mahita 5 Mukesh Goud 6 Prathyusha

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RELATIONSHIPS SATURDAY, AUGUST 10, 2013

I AM ALL EARS

I

have been in a relationship for two years now. Things are not well between us and I am feeling as if we have reached the end. Both my girlfriend and me feel that way but we are unable to justify why we should leave or even stay. It’s a very confusing situation. Please help.

Dear confused kid, There are certain signs that may help you reach a decision. For example, if you argue over the same issues again and again with no resolution, that could be a telling sign. Also stop blaming each other, look at the relationship and not the person. Also don’t ever try the phasing out phase, it never works. You end up clinging on to false hope. Nothing can be done without talking it over. That’s the place to start.

S

leeping in separate beds — or even separate bedrooms — sounds so unromantic, but it’s actually not uncommon. According to a Canadian sleep scientist, 30 to 40 per cent of couples sleep separately. That’s what Colleen Carney, director of Ryerson University’s Sleep and Depression Laboratory, told the CBC this week. According to National Sleep Foundation, one in four American couples sleep separately.

THE LAWS OF ATTRACTION Do intelligence and creativity in a man attract a woman more than looks? This is the question we tackle today. We spoke to a few youngsters to find out their opinion.

FLEME VARKEY

fleme.v@postnoon.com

W

hich attributes in men attract women the most? I confess, I was at a loss for answers and so turned to the ever-trusty Internet to search for answers to my question. I stumbled upon a site Askmen.com, where the writer had listed five types of men that make women go weak in the knees and have also explained what makes them irresistible. I quote, “The Intelligent/Witty Guy: He instigates conversations that are intellectually stimulating and listens to what she has to say in response. He makes her laugh with his clever sense of humour and has an uncanny ability to make politics interesting. Why he is so irresistible: As time goes on, your hairline may recede and your buff body may soften, but an intellectual connection is a big part of what sustains a relationship and if a man has the ability to keep a woman interested, then he’s won half the battle.”

The other guy that caught my attention was the Artistic Guy. To quote them again, “The artistic guy is spontaneous and lives for the moment. Often, he will use his creativity to woo her, such as with a song he has written about her or a painting he has made for her. Why he is so irresistible: Every woman wants to feel unique and special. There is no better way to make her feel this way than to use her as your muse or your source of inspiration. She is intrigued by the artistic guy’s creative mind and especially by the way he incorporates her into his art.”

Since the question, ‘do intelligence and creativity matter to women more than looks?’, begged further clarification, I tried out a little survey of my own. Both men and women were asked the ques-

tion. The answers I got were surprisingly similar to the traits mentioned above.

Jyoti P, a teacher at a school in Delhi says, “Most of the time, if you see a goodlooking boy and an averagelooking girl hanging out together, our first reaction is to say that surely the girl has fallen for his looks. But I think that is untrue. Looks do matter a lot to some women especially since they themselves spend hours grooming themselves. I think it’s the smart girl who won’t compromise, they would rather fall for intelligence and creativity of a guy than his looks.”

Souvik Bannerjee, a software engineer in Pune, too

echoes the same sentiments.

He says, “Looks always attract first. It’s like the beat/music of a song and a man’s personality, like the lyrics of the song. If it is creative and intelligent and you like what you hear, you will continue listening to it or you may listen to it for the music once in and the analogy continues. According to what I have observed, women seem more interested in the lyrics of the song... but then who doesn’t like some occasional good music!”

Deepak Kumar shares his experience with us. “I was a dancer in college, I wasn’t the best at studies. I am not exceptionally good looking either.

But when I used to dance on

stage, I had the girls falling like nine pins for me, (slightly exaggerated point), they used to keep praising me for the way I danced and my moves.

While my handsome, studious friends stood in a corner gnashing their teeth. I personally think creativity in any form, be it be dance, art or poetry, is a huge turn on for women.”

While all of the three above mentioned that creativity and intelligence do matter for women, Nishank Kapoor, a sales professional, says it’s all a camouflage for most women. “I am speaking out of experience,” he says and adds, “Most girls will not accept that looks matter for them, because if

they do, they will be considered shallow and narrow-minded and fixated with outward appearances. So in order to ward off that stigma, they project as if they are interested in some singer/dancer fellow, following a herd of other girls.

Few of my friends who fell for this average-looking artist friend of mine, went and fell for his good-looking and wellbuilt younger brother the moment they got acquainted with him. There are girls who prefer looks, money, fair complexion and intelligence in a guy (in the order as mentioned). So it’s a pretence for most.”

Looks like the balance is still tilted towards the intelligent/creative guys.

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CINEMA SATURDAY, AUGUST 10, 2013

No clarity yet on Thalaivaa

T

here is no clarity whether Vijay-starrer Tamil actiondrama Thalaivaa will come out or not in the state. Now, government intervention has been sought in the matter. Tamil Nadu Oppressed Students Revolutionary Force, a students’ body, Wednesday threatened violence if Thalaivaa, produced by Chandraprakash Jain, will be screened in the state. Following the threat, multiplexes stopped advance bookings for the film.

According to the group, the distributor of the film, Vendhar Movies, have not paid the tax on the money they invested in the movie. They also alleged that the money has been earned by exploiting students of SRM group

of educational institutions. “The group has alleged that Vendhar Movies has invested a large sum of tax-evaded money in the film and believe that the money was earned by exploiting the students of their institutions. They have threatened to resort to violence if the film is released in the state,” said a member of Tamil Nadu Theatre Owners Association (TTOA). After the emergency meeting Wednesday between producer of Thalaivaa and TTOA, consensus could not be reached.

“We have requested actor Vijay and his father SA Chandrasekhar along with the director of the film to seek the government’s intervention,” the TTOA member said. IANS

BAAHUBALI shoot to commence R

ajamouli is back from the US after a personal trip and will start shoot for the much-talked about trilingual drama Baahubali. Before he had left for the US he had canned a few scenes for five days with

Prabhas and Rana. But now with this shoot, the work is to begin for real.

Rajamouli is set to commence huge schedule from August 12th in Ramoji Film City (RFC) for which sets are already been created by art director

ALLU ARJUN

all praises for Thaman A

llu Arjun seems to be extremely happy with Thaman’s work in his upcoming movie Race Gurram. He publicly praised Thaman’s work through his Facebook page.

“Thaman has given excellent songs for Race Gurram and I am excited about the audio”, he said. Surender Reddy is the director of Race Gurram and Nallamalapu Bujji is the producer. Manoj Paramahamsa is handling the cinematography. Allu Arjun and Shruti Haasan will be seen as the lead actors in this movie.

Sabu Cyril.

Baahubali is being produced

by Arca Media and has music by MM Keeravani with cinematography by Senthil Kumar.

Anushka is the leading lady of the movie. Other principal cast members are yet to be finalised.

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CINEMA SATURDAY, AUGUST 10, 2013

CHENNAI EXPRESS

a typical sambar-andsandalwood creation

D

Ranbir has a lengthier role in Roy!

D

irector Vikramjit Singh’s film Roy will see Ranbir Kapoor in a lengthier role and he reportedly has a 45-day shooting schedule for the movie.

There were reports that Ranbir will make a guest appearance in the film and setting the rumour to rest, a core member of the film’s team said: “Ranbir has 45 days of shooting in Roy. So you decide if that qualifies as a guest appearance. And Arjun Rampal has moreor-less the same number of dates. Jacqueline Fernandez has a double role.”

The source further added: “It’s a love triangle among Arjun, Ranbir and Jacqueline. The dramatic conflict is between the two guys... something like Ranbir’s dad Rishi and Rakesh Roshan’s equation in Aap Ke Deewane, though very different plot-wise.”

Further probing revealed that Ranbir was very keen to have Arjun on board for Roy. “The two got along famously during Raajneeti and had sworn to obtain themselves more time together at the first opportunity. Roy is a twohero film and Arjun suited the other role to perfection.”

Roy producer Bhushan Kumar confirmed it’s a two-hero film and Jacqueline has a double role. IANS

ammit! No out-takes!! Is this really a Rohit Shetty film? Every film of the Gol Maal director has so far ended with out-takes giving us entertaining glimpses from during the making of the film. Here those trademark Shetty out-takes are replaced by a Honey Singh track which celebrates Rajnikanth and the lungi.

The rest of the film resembles those typical sambar-and-sandalwood creations by K Raghvendra Rao, and worse still, Raj Kanwar’s Dhai Akshar Prem Ke where Aishwarya to escape her parental wrath at her elopement, introduces to her family a man she has just met as her soul-mate.

Of course, there are the flying cars exploding in the air to make sure we know that all said and drummed, this is a Rohit Shetty presentation.

Packaged with pickled precision, peppered with just the right doses of naughty jokes and precocious pranks that go well with Shah Rukh’s 40-year-old brat’s act, Chennai Express is the kind of non-toxic comic entertainer where the most damaging doubleentendres you’d get is a Tamil word that sounds like Angelina Jolie’s name.

Come again?

That brings me to another major hurdle in the heap of hilarity that Shetty builds so meticulously in the first-half.

The generous outflow of Tamil that seems initially engaging (more so, since Shah Rukh shares our non-comprehension of the rapidfire Tamilian cloudburst that accompanies Deepika’s

Movie: Chennai Express Cast: Shah Rukh Khan, Deepika Padukone Directed by: Rohit Shetty Rating:

PACKAGED WITH PICKLED PRECISION, PEPPERED WITH JUST THE RIGHT DOSES OF NAUGHTY JOKES, CHENNAI EXPRESS IS THE KIND OF NON-TOXIC COMIC ENTERTAINER. quicksilver character) begins to come in the way as the narration grows older and runs out of energy.

But then there is the sprightly Deepika as the runaway Tamilian girl who piles on to the North Indian mithaiwala stranger to escape marrying the boorish fiancee back home in her village in Tamil Nadu.

We’ve seen Kareena Kapoor do the chirpy runaway train traveller in Jab We Met. Deepika brings a special filtered-coffee flavour to her chirpy character.

Even that broad hammy accent grows on us.

Yes, we like! Here she is the only Rohit Shetty team member (and I use the term ‘team’ since Shetty generously credits the direction to himself and his

team) who seems to have a firm grip over her rudderless dithering character.

Deepika plays Meena Amma with flavourful flourish. She is specially delightful in three key sequences, two of them comic and the other unexpectedly sombre.

In the sequence where her character turns into a sleeping, kicking and convulsive zombie, she’s unbelievably goofy. It’s not just Shah Rukh who gets a kick out of that scene.

Shah Rukh pokes a whole lot of good-natured fun at his nowaging lover-boy persona. There are tongue-in-cheek references to Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge and several other Shah Rukh Khan films and songs including the introductory South Indian lines from the Jiya jale song in Dil Se. But there is some genuine steam and spark in the early part of Chennai Express.

Through all of this, Shah Rukh Khan braves it with a delicious sense of self-mockery bordering almost on a masochistic absence of heroic pride.

Yes, he likes it when the joke is on him. But that happens once too often here.

So it’s finally here. The film that all Shah Rukh Khan fans (which covers half the hemisphere) has been waiting for. The good news first. Chennai Express is a pleasant and likable film in parts. The bad news is, it does nothing for Shah Rukh Khan’s indomitable star power except to tell us he can still play a 40-year Rahul without faltering. That we IANS already know.

‘Working with familiar people is fulfilling’

B

ollywood actor Imran Khan, busy shooting for Gori Tere Pyaar Mein, says that working with familiar people on a different project makes things easier.

Gori Tere Pyaar Mein is being directed by Puneet Malhotra, who had directed Imran in I Hate Luv Storys. His leading lady in the film is Kareena Kapoor, with whom he did Ek Main Aur Ekk Tu. “I am currently shooting for Gori Tere Pyaar Mein. I am working with Puneet for the second time. Also, for the first time I am repeating the heroine.

It is a nice environment as Puneet and I have a great working relationship. Also, Bebo (Kareena) and I got on so well in Ek Main Aur Ekk Tu. We carry that relation forward. It has turned into a fulfilling work environment,” Imran said.

The actor added that familiar team makes work process easier.

“Filmmaking is a creative process, you have to figure out another person’s sensibilities and it takes time to figure each other out and get in sync.

This is much easier,” he said.

Imran’s next is Milan Luthria’s Once Upon Ay Time In Mumbai Dobaara.

IANS

CINEMA SATURDAY, AUGUST 10, 2013

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CINEMA SATURDAY, AUGUST 10, 2013

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CINEMA SATURDAY, AUGUST 10, 2013

Bieber leaves with women after brawl P

Sci-fi meets social commentary

T

hree summers ago, a film called District 9 came from “out of nowhere” to command our attention, despite a lack of stars or a recognizable filmmaker. It put many higher-priced Hollywood blockbusters to shame and established Neill Blomkamp as a writer-director of talent and substance.

As a result, his follow-up feature has been keenly anticipated. Elysium starts out on the same solid footing as District 9, establishing a serious science-fiction premise laced with searing social commentary. (In the late 21st century the “haves” have abandoned Earth for a utopian environment on a space station while the “have nots” remain here, living in squalor.) So far, so good.

Matt Damon, in yet

another first-rate performance, plays an ordinary guy who’s had squabbles with law enforcement in the past and continues to buck the system, while holding down a job on an assembly line that produces high-tech robots. His childhood girlfriend (Alice Braga) is now a nurse in one of Los Angeles’ insanely overcrowded hospitals.

It’s hard to say exactly why and how Elysium runs off the rails, but it does, becoming harsher and nastier as it goes along. Jodie Foster, in a highly mannered performance, plays the steely, arrogant secretary of defense who protects the privileged citizenry of Elysium from illegal immigrants—by any means necessary. That includes employing a smarmy soldier-of-fortune, played with

blood-curdling gusto by Sharlto Copley (the memorable South African star of District 9).

In order to survive, Damon agrees to a drastic operation in which he is outMovie : Elysium fitted with robotCast : Matt Damon, Jodie Foster like armature Director : Neill Blomkamp and a hard-wired link to his brain.

His object: to travel to escapist fare or as hard-hitElysium and save his life. ting drama, caught in an Unfortunately, what unpleasant form of limbo. begins as a parable about It’s rare that lightning greed, suffering, corruption, strikes twice, but I’m sure and a society where the gulf I’m not the only one who between rich and poor conwas rooting for Neill tinues to grow becomes a Blomkamp to give us anothgrim, gritty shoot-em-up: er District 9. Perhaps some extremely violent and day he will, but for now, devoid of fun. In the end, Elysium ranks as a major the film is ineffectual as disappointment. INDIEWIRE

Mayer, Perry team up for romantic duet

S

inger John Mayer has teamed up with his pop star girlfriend Katy Perry to record a romantic duet for his new album Paradise Valley.

Mayer and Perry recently rekindled their dwindling relationship.

The duo sealed their latest reunion

by collaborating on the track, a country-style number called Who you love, which will be their first musical pairing, reports contactmusic.com.

Paradise Valley, which will also feature a track by singer Frank Ocean, is slated to release later this month.

op star Justin Bieber reportedly left a night club with two waitresses by his side following a brawl.

The 19-year-old’s visit to Southampton hotspot South Pointe ended in a fight August 6.

He walked out with waitresses Diana Bhokasub, 24, and Sophia Rayo, 32, arm in arm, reports nydailynews.com.

The Baby singer is currently being investigated by police after he got into a fight with a fellow reveller as he partied the night away.

The fight is thought to have been triggered by a heated exchange between Bieber and a male club goer after a female friend attempted to hit on the singer in his VIP section.

The singer’s friends and members of his security were involved in the fight after he was escorted out, and an eyewitness reported seeing blood.

26

CHAI TIME SATURDAY, AUGUST 10, 2013

SUDOKU

THOUGHT OF THE DAY We are indeed much more than what we eat, but what we eat can nevertheless help us to be much more than what we are.

– Adelle Davis

KAKURO

How to play kakuro

SCRIBBLING PAD

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.

QUICK CROSSWORD ACROSS 1 ‘Yippee!’

6 Components 11 Brazil’s ___ Paulo 14 Blow one’s top 15 Certain board material 16 Unusual 17 With ‘show,’ demonstrate skill 19 Szyslak behind the bar 20 Kind of common stock 21 Princeton supporters 23 It may wind up in a yard 26 Accident on ice 28 Buenos ___ 29 Oater actor Wallach 30 Do some henpecking 32 City east of Phoenix 33 Fix, as an election 34 High heating-cost periods 38 Slave’s state 40 Dark solar area 43 Most sovereign 45 Barely achieve (with ‘out’) 46 Word with ‘string’ or ‘horn’ 48 ‘Before’ to poets of old 49 Spy org 50 Blade handles 52 Alone at the prom 55 Grip for a goblet 56 Not straight up 58 Eat into 60 Trident-shaped Greek letter 61 With ‘show,’ get better 66 Little green man 67 Bar orders for the calorie-conscious 68 Chambermaid’s charge 69 Employ pupils?

70 Swap 71 Cay DOWN 1 Parliamentary vote 2 Artist Jean 3 Primitive shelter 4 Make one’s views known

5 NFL Hall-of-Famer Graham 6 Accelerator, for one 7 Cherokee or Sioux, eg 8 Arbiter with a whistle 9 Hurried pace 10 A neighbour of Jordan 11 What to ‘show’ Aretha Franklin 12 Has a crush on 13 ‘Potemkin’ mutiny site 18 FedEx alternative 22 Hobbles 23 Chef’s seasoning 24 Melange 25 What a ‘Star Trek’ tricorder might ‘show’ 27 Like eight-tracks 31 Black wildebeests 34 Twist-off thingy 35 Fairy tale baddie 36 Looks nastily 37 Formicary dweller

39 ‘___ circumstances 62 HS support group beyond our control ...’

63 8 x 10 or 11 x 14 41 ‘The Grapes of Wrath’ (Abbr) migrant 64 Word before maiden 42 A group working names together 65 It may be used with a 44 Like some parking plunger spots 46 Square and cube, eg PREVIOUS PUZZLE ANSWER 47 Big inconvenience 51 Like proverbial milk 53 Cropped up 54 .edu alternative 55 Final Four matches 57 Chief in a burnoose 59 ‘Take a number’ site

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CHAI TIME SATURDAY, AUGUST 10, 2013

Aries

Gemini

Taurus

Cancer

Leo

Virgo

The World

Seven of Cups

Temperance

Eight of Swords

Ace of Swords

Eight of Cups

W

W

W

ork – You become the star of the show at work. This may not go down too well with jealous colleagues who think they deserved more. Romance – You are in a love-hate relationship. And strangely, the hatred feeds the love, too. Simplify your relationship to deal with it better. Health – You are in the right track of managing your health. Do not get lazy and cut corners with diet and exercise.

Money – You may have to make some compromises when you negotiate a deal. Do not sweat too much over it. You’re giving your best. Tarot message – There are some boundaries you must not cross, whether personal or professional. Be careful.

W

W

W

ork- You have the honour of working with some very bright minds. Make use of this to the maximum and pick up a few tricks.

Romance – You learn from someone else’s life about balancing work and the other aspects of your life. Health – You have to give importance to health. You have been treating it as an issue of secondary importance.

That won’t do. Money – You are on the road to making some good money and securing your future. There is nothing to worry about.

Don’t be impulsive.

Tarot message – You are more assured and self-satisfied with your current situation and do not wish to change it at any cost.

ork – You will have to make some important decisions by the end of this month.

Stay as practical as possible and do not panic.

Romance – You are quite a romantic at heart although you may choose to not show it. Your partner is surprised by your openness. Health – You have to learn some lessons about maintaining your health. Only a tough lesson will make you realise the importance. Money – There are many opportunities for you to make some extra money. You just need to be open about the kind of assignments you get. Tarot message – You are very set in your ways. Being more creative and thinking out of the box will help.

ork – Spend more time working on the job list. By rushing through the things that need to get done, you may be messing things up for yourself. Romance – You’re tempted to get into a relationship simply because it’s trendy to be in such a relationship.

It’s fine as long as you’re not hurting anyone.

Health – A visit to the dentist may be long overdue. Take it up on priority. It may not be urgent but it sure is important.

Money – Stop ranting about how much more money you could be making and learn to live happily with how much you have. Tarot message – There may be some breaks in your life, which you didn’t anticipate.

These surprises keep you interested.

ork – Someone at office is extremely curious about your life – what you do, where you go, whom you meet, etc.

Ignore this person.

Romance – You may be feeling a little down because there is boredom in a partnership. Not every day is going to be exciting. Health – Although you wish you could be young forever, that is not going to happen. Take proactive steps to manage your longterm health. Money – There is some trouble brewing on the investment front. It’s nothing you cannot tackle with a little care and attention.

Tarot message – You play many roles in your life – manager, spouse, parent, child, mentor, etc.

Learn to wear a new hat for each role.

SUMAA TEKUR tarotreadhyd@gmail.com

Libra King of Pentacles

Strength

W

W

ork – You may be missing an important piece of communication because you’re not on a mailing list. Make sure you’re updated on all information. Romance – Go dancing, scuba diving, cooking, gardening, etc. Singles can find someone like-minded through creative and adventure activities. Health – You have made yourself very cosy and refuse to get out of your comfort zone.

You need to push your body some more to achieve good health. Money – There is no worry on this front. You have made all the right moves and your smartness is paying off now. Tarot message – Think deeper and you will find many layers to your existence. Scratch the surface and it will instigate you to go further.

Sagittarius

Scorpio ork – You will be expected to work in an area that’s unfamiliar to you. Do not worry, though. You will manage well. Romance – Do some romantic things together – candlelight dinners, showers together, reading to each other, dancing, etc. Health – Get into a sport or some exercise routine that will keep you motivated. A gym routine may get you bored very quickly.

Money – There are traditional ways of investing and the not-so-traditional ways. You are now looking at the latter. Good luck! Tarot message – New ventures will go fantastically well. You will be at the top of your game. Stop worrying.

Nine of Pentacles

W

ork –There are some bad influences around you. You need to stay positive and constantly look at the bright side.

Romance – You have to keep constantly working on a relationship for it to work. Leave it, and it becomes more of a burden than a happy union.

Health – There are many ways in which you can manage your health better.

You come across many different viewpoints. Money – Watch out for some huge and unnecessary expenses.

Manage your money better.

Cut down excess spending and useless shopping.

Tarot message – A warning bell has been sounded.

You will need to act responsibly and do everything you can to protect yourself.

Capricorn

Date 11-8-2013

Aquarius

The Devil

The Emperor

W

ork – A good deed will earn you brownie points with your bosses.

You will end up being the favourite in the office.

Romance – There are many simple rules you need to follow to maintain a relationship and ensure it doesn’t go to the dogs.

Health – Your health may not be improving because you’re doing something wrong. Consult a doctor and seek out ways to change that. Money – You have enough for all your needs. Do not be in a hurry to get back to your old lifestyle without first securing yourself. Tarot message – This is a good time for creative ideas.

Put it in action and follow through with your positive thinking and conviction.

ork – You may have been feeling some shame because of letting yourself down on expectations. Be positive and think ahead. Don’t look back. Romance – Singles will end up spending time on some leisure activity, and may meet someone interesting.

Health – Take care of your body. Physical health needs attention.

You will then feel mentally fine. Money – Get someone else to manage your money for you. You will need to organise your life in a way you haven’t done before.

Tarot message – You may come across as a pushover by your choice of words and your need to constantly be around other people.

ork – No matter how much you try to avoid it, team work is something that will just not leave you. You will have to manage people, and their egos. Romance – There might be some tension in a relationship because of unmet expectations. Tide over this and make sure to communicate openly. Health – It may be a good idea to pay closer attention to your diet. Meat eaters may have to stop non-vegetarian food altogether. Money – You have tremendous opportunities to make more money but you’re just being lazy. Either get more active or stop worrying about money. Tarot message – There will be times when you feel you’re doing less. It’s alright as long as you’re enjoying life.

W

Pisces King of Cups

W

ork – Someone known to you will make a job offer. You may not be looking for a change. But the offer is enticing enough for you to consider. Romance – Couples will want to spend time with other couples so you can share your thoughts on relationships and take tips from those who’ve been through much more.

Health – Watch out for a cold or flu virus that may upset your schedule. You will end up being out of action for some time.

Money – Do not take life so seriously. There will be times when just by letting go, you get what you want. Tarot message – Borrow new ideas and get inspiration from successful people. Do not get stuck in a rut.

Vol: 3, No 21 RNI No: APENG/2011/39337 Published for the proprietors, Scribble Media and Entertainment Pvt Ltd, by V Harshavardhan Reddy, at #1246, Level 3, Jubilee Casa, Road No 62, Jubilee Hills, Hyderabad – 500033 and printed by him at Jagati Publications Ltd, Plot No D-75&E-52, APIE Industrial Estate, Balanagar, Ranga Reddy Dist, Hyderabad – 500037, Editor: Dean Williams – Responsible for selection of news under the PRB Act All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission of the publisher is prohibited. For feedback, please write to: feedback@postnoon.com and for subscription, please call 040-40672222, Fax: 040-40672211

28

THE SATURDAY QUIZ SATURDAY, AUGUST 10, 2013

TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE

IN THE NEWS

12. What did Jack Horner pull from his pie?

13. Robert G Heft designed it in 1958 as part of a school project when he was 17 years old. His work became famous when it was accepted by the United States Congress during the Presidency of Dwight Eisenhower. How is his project

known to the world today?

14. The Satere-Mawe tribe, who are inhabitants of the Amazon have a ritual where young males are made to insert their hands into gloves containing a particular insect. It is believed to grant them immunity from disease as well as hunting powers. What is it?

Answers

Quarrymen?

7. How is Dick Grayson better known as?

8. What does a funambulist do?

9. What is the name of Dennis the menace’s dog?

10. In which war was the Charge of the Light Brigade?

11. If you have caries who would you consult?

1 Five 2.Green 3. Kneecap 4.wear it 5.Dolphin 6. John Lennon 7. Robin in Batman and Robin 8 A tightrope walker 9.Gnasher 10. crimean 11. A dentist 12. A plum 13.The American Flag 14. Ants

1. How many rings are there on the Olympic flag?

2. What colour is Spock's blood?

3. Where in our body can you find the patella?

4. What would you do with a Yashmak?

5. On television what was Flipper?

6. Whose band was the

TEST YOURSELF

WHAT IS THE FEAR OF THESE ANIMALS CALLED?

CURRENT AFFAIRS 1

2

1

Italy's highest court recently upheld a prison sentence for former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi. On what charge was he convicted?

Which bands do these people belong to?

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

George Harrison Charlie Watts

2 3

The UN recently announced the death toll in which country was over 1,00,000 people since the start of hostilities in 2011?

Roger Daltrey

John Bonham

NSAleaker Edward Snowden has been granted temporary asylum in Russia. How many days was he in the transit area of the Moscow airport?

Syd Barrett

Zimbabwe held presidential elections last week. Current President Robert Mugabe has been in office since when?

Geezer Butler

3

4

Legislators in the lower house in Montevideo voted on a bill to legalise marijuana. In what country did this take place?

Bono John Densmore

1. Tax Fraud 2. Syria 3. 39 4.1980 5. Uruguay

Krist Novoselic

with Santosh Ghule Don’t go by the obvious: spot the handsome animal here.

WHO AM I? One of my research projects was called ‘BackRub’. I was named a ‘Global Leader for Tomorrow’ in the World Economic Forum in 2002. I am the CEO of one of the most well known companies in the world.

Answer : Larry Page

Answer for 78:

3

What was the real name of Baba Amte, the Indian social activist known for his work on leprosy?

PICTURE PUZZLE 79

Mirror images of two women being served drinks by a man.

2

Which king is believed to have introduced ‘rupee’ in India as an equivalent of 40 copper pieces?

Answers: 1. Myrmecophobia 2. Chiroptophobia 3.

Ranidaphobia 4. Ailurophobia

In 2010, a group of above 3,000 dancers went into the Guinness Book of World Records performing Hindolam Thillana in Hyderabad. Which dance form did they perform?

Answers:

Answers

KNOW YOUR COUNTRY

1

Brian May

1. The Beatles 2. The Rolling Stones 3. The Who 4. Led Zepplin 5. The Beach Boys 6. Pink Floyd 7. Black Sabbath 8. Queen 9.U2 10. The Doors 11. Nirvana

4 5

Dennis Wilson

1. Kuchipudi 2. Sher Shah Suri 3.Muralidhar Devdas Amte.

Answers

29

SPORTS SATURDAY, AUGUST 10, 2013

Teen stars to clash in semis

T

wo teenagers tipped to break the Chinese stranglehold on badminton will do battle in the women’s singles semi-final showdown at the world championships in Guangzhou on Saturday. Also in action are Chinese Olympic champ Lin Dan and Lee Chong Wei of Malaysia, on course for a mouthwatering clash in Sunday’s final in southern China.

Luna Rossa beats Artemis

Voigt not yet ready to retire

L

eteran German rider Jens Voigt, who will turn 42 next month, has said he intends to carry on in the sport until the end of the 2014 season.

“No No- no retirement yet!!” Voigt wrote on Twitter on Friday. “I will happily ride that new bike a whole new saison next year — Down Under, Europe, Asia and again Amerika....” it said.

V

una Rossa beat Artemis to move within one victory of advancing to a showdown with mighty Team New Zealand in the America’s Cup challenger series finals. Luna Rossa have won all three semis races over Artemis Racing, who made a belated entry into the venerable sailing after the accident that destroyed their first AC72 catamaran and killed Andrew Simpson.

Williams cruises ahead

TORONTO:- World No.1 Serena Williams (right), who is seeking her eighth title of the year, stormed into the semi-finals at the WTA Rogers Cup with a crushing straight-set win over Magdalena Rybarikova.

The 31-year-old Williams blitzed the world number 42 Slovak 6-1, 6-1 in a quarter-final match that took just one hour on Friday.

“She had nothing to lose,” Williams said of Rybarikova. “I knew I had to play really, really good today.”

Williams next faces third-seeded Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland on Saturday for a spot in the final.

Radwanska powered her way past Sara Errani of Italy 7-6 (7/1), 7-5 in an earlier quarter-final match.

“She is a great player. She has a great feel for the ball,” Williams said of facing Radwanska on Saturday.

It was a powerful display of tennis from the top seed Williams, who hammered seven aces and broke Rybarikova a half dozen times.

“I’m definitely happier with the return game today,” Williams said.

“I could still use some improvement.

She served pretty well, but I was pretty happy with the results from today.” Williams is 8-0 since her fourth-round loss at Wimbledon to Sabine Lisicki.

“I just felt like I was too tight, and just put a lot of pressure on myself there,” she said of the loss at Wimbledon. “I just needed to relax

more than anything, which is what I’m doing.”

Unseeded Romanian Sorana Cirstea also sent defending champion Petra Kvitova packing Friday in the quarter-finals. “It might come as a surprise for many people,” said Cirstea of her upset win. “It’s not really a surprise for me, because I know how hard I have been working for the past couple of weeks. “It’s nice to see the reward.”

Cirstea rallied for a 4-6, 7-5, 6-2 victory over sixth-seeded Kvitova and advanced to a semi-final clash with China’s Li Na, the woman Kvitova beat in the final last year when the tournament was held in AFP Montreal.

Nadal, Djokovic in semis MONTREAL: Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal (right) delivered crushing defeats on Friday to set up their 36th career clash in the semis of the Montreal Masters.

Djokovic hammered France’s Richard Gasquet 6-1, 6-2 as the top seed motored into final four. Nadal was equally ruthless with Australian qualifier Marinko Matosevic 6-4, 6-2.

Nadal leads his Serbian rival 20-15 in their career series, winning the last two in Monte Carlo and Roma after Djokovic had claimed the previous seven.

Milos Raonic and wildcard Vasek Pospisil set up an all-Canadian semi at the bottom of the draw.

Pospisil, living the dream week of his career, had it easy in his quarter-final as Russian opponent Nikolay Davydenko retired with a respiratory ailment while trailing 3-0. Raonic, overcame Latvia’s

Ernests Gulbis 7-6 (7/3), 4-6, 6-4.

Pospisil had reached the quarter-finals with his first top-10 victory, a third-round defeat of Tomas Berdych.

Djokovic, a three-time champion in Canada who is bidding for his third-

Russia unperturbed by boycott threat MOSCOW: Russia on Friday said it was unperturbed by threats of an Olympic boycott over a controversial law banning “homosexual propaganda”, despite wide-ranging criticism of the legislation from rights groups to US President Barack Obama.

President Vladimir Putin passed the law in June as part of a wider political crackdown but it has cast a shadow over the build-up to next year’s Winter Olympics in Sochi over claims it infringes fundamental rights.

Obama said Friday he was “offended” by the law, but stressed that a boycott of the Games would be inappropriate. Pressure on Moscow has mounted this week after the openly gay Briti-

sh actor Stephen Fry called for Russia to be barred from hosting the Games.

Activists have also been calling for a boycott of Russian vodka, whose brands have traditionally been popular in gay clubs while the hashtags #BoycottRussia and #BoycottSochi have become popular on Twitter.

The country’s sports minister Vitaly Mutko on Thursday stoked the issue further by saying athletes, activists and the international community should “calm down”.

But he said on Friday that the clamour for athletes to stay away was only “light pressure”, adding: “We should not be afraid of an Olympic Games boycott.

straight title at the event, won his eighth match out of nine against Gasquet and his sixth in a row in the series.

“Everything was working in my game,” said the winner, “It was close to the perfection. In every part of my game I did almost my best.

“From the start I tried to dictate the play on the court and be in control of the rallies. I’ve done really well. The serve was very efficient, very high percentage of first serves, a lot of aces, a lot of free points.

“That’s something that obviously gives you confidence when you’re playing at this level.” Nadal, leading the ATP on seven titles this season, spent an hour and a quarter in dispatching Matosevic. He said that after a seven-week pause following an early Wimbledon loss that his probAFP lem left knee feels fine.

Chess tourney from Monday HYDERABAD: The RR District Chess Association would be organising the RR District under-11 selection chess tourney and under-19 open chess tournament at the Johnson Grammar School I.C.S.E senior section at Mallapur Road, Nacharam on 12 and 13 August to select the under-11 District team for AP Sub Junior State Championship.

The top two players from the boys and girls category will be selected for AP State Championship.

For further details, contact Sree Krishna on 9247143456.

Decaux banned for doping MOSCOW: French hurdler Alice Decaux has been banned for six months for a doping offence, the head of the French Athletics Federation told AFP on Friday.

Decaux tested positive for amphetamines in a test conducted at the European team event in the northern English city of Gateshead in June, according to Bernard Amsalem.

“She took a food supplement without taking care to have it tested by a doctor,” Amsalem said.

“Unfortunately, the supplement contained a very small dose of a product from the family of amphetamines. And she produced a positive test.”

Decaux, who finished sec-

ond in the 100m hurdles at the French championships, was notified of the positive reading three weeks ago, and was omitted Wednesday from the French team to compete in the

August 10-18 world championships in Moscow.

The hurdler becomes the latest statistic in the battle track and field is waging AFP against drugs offenders.

30

OAK HILL, AUGUST 8 – 11

SATURDAY, AUGUST 10, 2013

Jason Dufner creates history

Jim SLATER

ROCHESTER: American Jason Dufner matched the low 18-hole score in major golf history on Friday, firing a seven-under par 63 to seize the lead after two rounds of the PGA Championship while world number one, Tiger Woods was ten shots adrift.

On an Oak Hill course that was drenched by rain showers all morning, Dufner fired five birdies and an eagle to finish on nine-under 131 after 36 holes for a two-stroke lead in the $8 million tournament.

“The rain, the soft golf course, made it scorable,” Dufner said. “But to join history, to shoot a 63 in a major, pretty unbelievable. To be leading the tournament, even better.

Hopefully it will propel me to a great weekend.”

Masters winner Adam Scott of Australia and Americans Jim Furyk and Matt Kuchar shared second on 133, with Sweden's Henrik Stenson and England's Justin Rose, the US Open cham-

Jason Dufner of the United States hits his tee on the 13th hole during the second round of the 95th PGA Championship on Friday in Rochester, New York.

AFP/STUART FRANKLIN pion, on 134.

Dufner became the 24th player to shoot 63 in a major. The feat has been done 26 total times, with Australian Greg Norman and Fiji's Vijay Singh accomplishing it twice.

Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods,

List of all-time major low rounds of 63 MASTERS Nick Price, 1986, third round (9-under) Greg Norman, 1996, first round (9-under) US OPEN Johnny Miller, 1973 (Oakmont), final round (8-under) Jack Nicklaus, 1980 (Baltusrol), first round (7-under) Tom Weiskopf, 1980 (Baltusrol), first round (7-under) Vijay Singh, 2003 (Olympia Fields), second round (7-under) BRITISH OPEN Mark Hayes, 1977 (Turnberry), second round (7-under) Isao Aoki, 1980 (Muirfield), third round (8-under) Greg Norman, 1986 (Turnberry), second round (7-under) Paul Broadhurst, 1990 (St. Andrews), third round (9-under) Jodie Mudd, 1991 (Birkdale), final round (7-under) Nick Faldo, 1993 (St. George's), final round (7-under) Payne Stewart, 1993 (St. George's), final round (7-under)

Rory McIlroy, 2010 (St. Andrews), first round (9-under) PGA CHAMPIONSHIP Bruce Crampton, 1975 (Firestone), second round (7-under) Raymond Floyd, 1982 (Southern Hills), first round (7-under) Gary Player, 1984 (Shoal Creek), second round (9-under) Vijay Singh, 1993 (Inverness), second round (8-under) Michael Bradley, 1995 (Riviera), first round (8under) Brad Faxon, 1995 (Riviera), final round (8-under) Jose Maria Olazabal, 2000 (Valhalla), third round (9-under) Mark O'Meara, 2001 (Atlanta Athletic Club), second round (7-under) Thomas Bjorn, 2005 (Baltusrol), third round (7-under) Tiger Woods, 2007 (Southern Hills), second round (7-under) Steve Stricker, 2011 (Atlanta Athletic Club), first round (7-under) Jason Dufner, 2013 (Oak Hill), second round (7under)

Rory McIlroy, Nick Price and Nick Faldo are among the other players to shoot 63 in a major.

“That's pretty good company right there,” Dufner said.

Dufner set a course record at Oak Hill, breaking the mark of 64 shared by countrymen Ben

Hogan from the 1942 TimesUnion Open, Curtis Strange from the 1980 US Open and Webb Simpson earlier on Friday.

Dufner had a 12-foot birdie putt at the 18th hole to shoot the first 62 in a major but left it 18 inches short and his tap-in for par dropped in off the right edge of the cup.

“You don't want to leave anything short to make history,” Dufner said. “But I was able to two-putt and at least share history.”

Dufner holed his approach shot for an eagle at the par-4 second and followed with back-toback birdies at the par-5 fourth and par-4 fifth.

On the back nine, Dufner birdied the par-3 11th and par-5 13th, then birdied the par-4 16th.

He missed a 15-foot birdie putt at the 17th, setting up the drama at 18.

Dufner won his first US PGA title after 163 tries last year at New Orleans, then followed by taking the Byron Nelson Championship.

Dufner shared fourth at the

US Open in June and lost the 2011 PGA Championship in heartbreaking fashion.

Owning a four-stroke lead on the field with four holes to play at Atlanta Athletic Club, Dufner led eventual winner Keegan Bradley by five strokes, but Dufner made bogeys at 15, 16 and 17 while Bradley birdied 16 and 17 to set up a three-hole aggregate playoff that Bradley won by a shot.

Kuchar made five birdies but closed with a bogey.

“This was definitely the good side of the draw,” Kuchar said.

“People took advantage of the conditions to make some birdies.”

World number one Woods fired a 70 to stand on 141 for 36 holes, 10 off Dufner's pace. He made four birdies and four bogeys, going birdie-bogeybirdie bogey over the last four holes.

“I'm so far back that if the leaders go ahead and run off with it and shoot a low one tomorrow, I'm going to be pretty AFP far behind,” Woods said.

Selected scores after the second round 131: Jason Dufner (USA) 68-63 133: Adam Scott (AUS) 65-68, Matt Kuchar (USA) 67-66, Jim Furyk (USA) 65-68 134: Justin Rose (ENG) 68-66, Henrik Stenson (SWE) 68-66 135: Robert Garrigus (USA) 67-68, Steve Stricker (USA) 68-67 136: Webb Simpson (USA) 72-64, Martin Kaymer (GER) 68-68, Charley Hoffman (USA) 69-67, Marcus Fraser (AUS) 67-69 137: Sergio Garcia (ESP) 69-68, Roberto Castro (USA) 68-69 138: Scott Piercy (USA) 67-71, Jason Day (AUS) 67-71, Hunter Mahan (USA) 70-68, Rickie Fowler (USA) 7068, Bill Haas (USA) 68-70, David Lynn (ENG) 69-69, Jonas Blixt (SWE) 68-70 139: Lee Westwood (ENG) 66-73, Zach Johnson (USA) 69-70, Paul Casey (ENG) 67-72, Graeme McDowell (NIR) 70-69, Kiradech Aphibarnrat (THA) 68-71, Michael Thompson (USA) 72-67 140: Ryo Ishikawa (JPN) 69-71, Tim Clark (RSA) 69-71, Francesco Molinari (ITA) 72-68, Miguel Angel Jimenez (ESP) 68-72, Ryan Moore (USA) 69-71, Rory McIlroy (NIR) 6971, Chris Kirk (USA) 71-69, Hideki Matsuyama (JPN) 72-68, David Toms (USA) 71-69, Marc Leishman (AUS) 70-70 141: Matteo Manassero (ITA) 72-69, Boo Weekley (USA) 72-69, Thongchai Jaidee (THA) 70-71, Marc Warren (SCO) 74-67, Ian Poulter (ENG) 70-71, Shane Lowry (IRL) 71-70, Peter Hanson (SWE) 72-69, Keegan Bradley (USA) 69-72, Tiger Woods (USA) 7170, Thorbjorn Olesen (DEN) 71-70, K.J. Choi (KOR) 76-65, Scott Jamieson (SCO) 69-72

142: Darren Clarke (NIR) 69-73, Vijay Singh (FIJ) 70-72, Phil Mickelson (USA) 71-71, Brendon De Jonge (ZIM) 71-71, John Senden (AUS) 72-70, Luke Guthrie (USA) 71-71, Josh Teater (USA) 71-71, David Hearn (CAN) 6676, J.J. Henry (USA) 71-71, Kevin Streelman (USA) 70-72 143: Brooks Koepka (USA) 71-72, Ken Duke (USA) 75-68, Brandt Snedeker (USA) 70-73, Danny Willett (ENG) 7370, Harris English (USA) 74-69, John Merrick (USA) 75-68, D.A. Points (USA) 73-70, Gary Woodland (USA) 73-70, Dustin Johnson (USA) 72-71, Tommy Gainey (USA) 69-74, Ryan Palmer (USA) 73-70, Ben Curtis (USA) 73-70, Rafael Cabrera-Bello (ESP) 68-75, Stephen Gallacher (SCO) 75-68, Scott Stallings (USA) 73-70, Matt Jones (AUS) 72-71 Missed The Cut 144: Charles Howell (USA) 71-73, Nicolas Colsaerts (BEL) 71-73, Joost Luiten (NED) 71-73, Bubba Watson (USA) 70-74, Bae Sang-Moon (KOR) 75-69, Woody Austin (USA) 69-75, Martin Laird (SCO) 71-73, Chris Stroud (USA) 71-73, Charl Schwartzel (RSA) 71-73, Davis Love (USA) 74-70, Paul Lawrie (SCO) 72-72, Branden Grace (RSA) 71-73 145: - Jimmy Walker (USA) 71-74, Luke Donald (ENG) 71-74, Mikko Ilonen (FIN) 73-72, David Muttitt (USA) 75-70, Marcel Siem (GER) 7372, Rich Beem (USA) 71-74, David Lingmerth (SWE) 74-71, Bernd Wiesberger (AUT) 70-75 146: John Huh (USA) 72-74, Russell Henley (USA) 76-70, Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano (ESP) 74-72, Carl Pettersson (SWE) 74-72, Graham DeLaet (CAN) 70-76, Charlie Beljan

(USA) 71-75, Ernie Els (RSA) 74-72, Yang Yong-Eun (KOR) 72-74, Richard Sterne (RSA) 72-74, Stewart Cink (USA) 75-71, Jason Kokrak (USA) 7472 147: Brett Rumford (AUS) 70-77, Kevin Stadler (USA) 74-73, Richie Ramsay (SCO) 72-75, Hiroyuki Fujita (JPN) 71-76, Padraig Harrington (IRL) 76-71, Scott Brown (USA) 73-74, Billy Horschel (USA) 69-78, Peter Uihlein (USA) 77-70, Brian Gay (USA) 73-74 148: Derek Ernst (USA) 72-76, Kohki Idoki (JPN) 72-76, Geoff Ogilvy (AUS) 74-74, Jordan Spieth (USA) 7474, Matt Every (USA) 71-77, Jeff Sorenson (USA) 73-75 149: Alex Noren (SWE) 76-73, JC Anderson (USA) 73-76 150: Tom Watson (USA) 73-77, Nick Watney (USA) 76-74, George Coetzee (RSA) 74-76, Chris Wood (ENG) 75-75, Pablo Larrazabal (ESP) 76-74, David McNabb (USA) 74-76, Ryan Polzin (USA) 73-77, Jaco Van Zyl (RSA) 74-76 151: Danny Balin (USA) 73-78, Kyle Stanley (USA) 73-78, Kevin Chappell (USA) 79-72, Rob Labritz (USA) 78-73, Bob Gaus (USA) 74-77, Thomas Bjorn (DEN) 70-81, Caine Fitzgerald (USA) 75-76 152: Paul McGinley (IRL) 78-74, Lucas Glover (USA) 76-76, Mike Small (USA) 76-76, Shaun Micheel (USA) 76-76 153: Freddie Jacobson (SWE) 76-77, Mark Sheftic (USA) 75-78, Stuart Smith (USA) 78-75 154: Kirk Hanefeld (USA) 76-78 155: Bob Sowards (USA) 73-82 156: Jeff Martin (USA) 78-78, Rod Perry (USA) 78-78, Sonny Skinner (USA) 76-80.

URN

SATURDAY, AUGUST 10, 2013

IT

31

ASHES 2013

Lyon roars against England Julian Guyer

CHESTER-LE-STREET: Australia’s Nathan Lyon took four wickets as England collapsed to 238 for nine at stumps on the first day of the fourth Ashes Test at Chester-le-Street on Friday.

Off-spinner Lyon, controversially left out of the first two Ashes Tests in favour of teenager Ashton Agar, despite taking nine wickets in Delhi in the final Test of Australia’s 4-0 series loss in March, had figures of four wickets for 42 runs in 20 overs.

England captain Alastair Cook, who won the toss, was the only batsman to make a fifty as the hosts, who had been in a solid position at 107 for one, played a succession of poor shots in the face of accurate Australian bowling.

Tim Bresnan was 12 not out and last man James Anderson, who gave the crowd something to cheer with four fours, 16 not out.

“There’s nothing in the wicket so I bowled around the wicket to keep myself in the game and I was able to build some pressure,” Lyon told BBC Radio’s Test Match Special after England great Geoffrey Boycott slammed the hosts for their “pathetic” batting against “a non-spinning off-spinner”.

“For myself it’s about keeping it simple, putting balls in the right area, varying pace and flight.”

Australia’s wicket-keeper Brad Haddin (R) appeals sucessfully for the wicket of England’s Jonathan Trott (L) after he was caught by Usman Khawaja off Nathan Lyon on the first day of the fourth Ashes Test the Riverside stadium in Chester-le-Street on Friday.

AFP/LINDSEY PARNABY Ashes-holders England came into this match having already retained the urn after a rainaffected draw in the third Test at Old Trafford left them 2-0 up with two to play.

But Australia could still

Oz press praise ‘hunted’ Nathan SYDNEY: Nathan Lyon (below) was hailed by Australia’s cricket writers after bowling the visitors into a strong position on the opening day of the fourth Ashes Test against England.

Lyon took four wickets as England collapsed to 238 for nine at stumps at Durham’s Chesterle-Street ground on Friday.

Lyon, controversially left out of the first two Tests in favour of

teenager Ashton Agar despite taking nine wickets in New Delhi in March, had figures of four wickets for 42 runs in 20 overs.

“Lyon’s Ashes moment finally arrived at Durham, too late to save the urn, sadly, but perhaps just in time to help Australia level the series,” The Australian’s Wayne Smith said.

“Relegated to the role of spectator for the Trent Bridge and Lord’s Tests while the selectors flirted with the precociously talented but barely whiskered Ashton Agar, Lyon was primed to bowl Australia to victory in the last two sessions at Old Trafford last week when rain robbed him of what could have been his greatest day under the baggy green.”

Fairfax Media’s Chris Barrett said Lyon had been a casualty of Australia’s postShane Warne era, as selectors searched for a replacement for the inimitable leg-spinner.

AFP

deny them a series victory by winning both this match and the fifth Test at The Oval.

Cook opted to bat despite the pitch and overhead conditions promising assistance to Australia’s seamers in the first

Ashes match at the headquarters ground of northeast county Durham.

His decision also meant Cook put to one side his own modest form this Ashes, having scored just 145 runs in the first three Tests at 24.16 with a best of 62.

England, on a slowish outfield, initially found runs hard to come by against Ryan Harris and Tasmania’s Jackson Bird, playing his third Test.

However, it was first change Shane Watson who had Joe Root (16) caught behind, although Australia had to challenge New Zealand umpire Tony Hill’s original not-out verdict.

Nevertheless, the Hot Spot thermal imaging device -- whose inventor Warren Brennan suggested this week was being duped by players on both sides deliberately applying silicone tape to their bats -- showed a mark and England were 34 for one.

Jonathan Trott, like Cook, had yet to make a major score this series, but he looked in good touch Friday until, trying to whip Lyon through his favourite onside region, he was caught off bat and pad by diving short leg Usman Khawaja for 49.

“Winning the toss and being a 100 odd for one it’s disappointing to then go and lose some soft wickets,” said Trott.

Pietersen, as happened during his Old Trafford century, didn’t want Lyon to dictate terms

SCORECARD

England 1st Innings A Cook lbw b Bird 51 J Root c Haddin b Watson 16 J Trott c Khawaja b Lyon 49 K Pietersen c Haddin b Lyon 26 I Bell c Harris b Lyon 6 J Bairstow lbw b Lyon 14 M Prior lbw b Siddle 17 T Bresnan not out 12 S Broad c Warner b Harris 3 G Swann c Lyon b Harris 13 J Anderson not out 16 Extras (b5, lb1, w3, nb6) 15 Total (9 wkts, 90 overs, 393 mins) 238 Bowling: Harris 19-3-70-2; Bird 21-8-58-1; Watson 13-6-21-1; Siddle 17-5-41-1; Lyon 20-7-42-4

and drove him for two fours in as many balls.

Meanwhile Cook completed a 153-ball fifty when he edged Bird for four. Pietersen then fell tamely when, with Lyon bowling around the wicket, he opened the face and got a thin edge to wicketkeeper Brad Haddin on 26.

Angered by suggestions from Australia’s Channel Nine television he was one of the players trying to trick Hot Spot, Pietersen walked off without waiting for Hill’s decision.

And 149 for three soon AFP became 155 for five.

POINT TO PONDER

England coach Andy Flower (L) and captain Alastair Cook watch play from the stands on the first day of the fourth Ashes cricket Test match between England and Australia at the Riverside stadium in Chesterle-Street, north-east England, on Friday.

AFP/LINDSEY PARNABY

32

SPORTS SATURDAY, AUGUST 10, 2013

Moyes’ United set for Community Shield Tom WILLIAMS

LONDON: David Moyes

Manchester United’s manager David Moyes (L) talks to Manchester United’s Alexander Buttner during the pre-season friendly football against Sevilla at Old Trafford in AFP/ANDREW YATES Manchester on Friday.

will take charge of his first competitive game as Manchester United manager on Sunday when his new club tackle FA Cup winners Wigan Athletic in the Community Shield. Moyes succeeded Alex Ferguson on July 1 following this shock retirement and the 50-yearold has endured a challenging start to his Old Trafford tenure.

His chief transfer target, Barcelona midfielder Cesc Fabregas, has spurned United’s advances, while Wayne Rooney has been the subject of two unsuccessful bids from Chelsea.

Moyes has also seen his

side win just two of seven pre-season games, but the English champions will start as strong favourites against a Wigan team who slipped into the Championship after stunning Manchester City in May’s FA Cup final.

Victory over Wigan would give United the first piece of silverware of the new season, but Moyes says the credit for a positive outcome beneath the Wembley arch would have to go to his illustrious predecessor.

“I will be trying to make this the first trophy of many. But, if we win, it’s really something that will have been earned by Sir Alex,” he told Inside United magazine.

Qatar World Cup must move: FA Chief LONDON: New Football Association

awarded to another country.

“I don’t know how many people have been to Qatar in June, but I have, and one thing I can tell you is that you couldn’t play a football tournament in Qatar in June,” he told reporters during an FA lunch in London on Friday.

“Even if the stadia are air-conditioned — which seems, in terms of the green policy, a bit strange — I think for the crowds, for the fans, it would be impossible.

“My position, and I suspect the FA’s position, will be: you can’t play it in June, you can’t play it in the summer in Qatar.

“FIFA therefore has got two choices: you move it, and you either move it in time or you move it to another location.

“I suspect either ends up in some kind of litigation, but then someone should have worked that out in 2010 when it was awarded.

“I think it’s generally becoming accepted that you can’t play it in Qatar in the summer and I think that will be our position.

“It’s then up to FIFA to decide whether they keep it in Qatar or whether they move it into the autumn or the winter. That will be the discussion of the next few months. I think it’s going to be moved.” Dyke’s stance is directly at odds with that of the lucrative and powerful English Premier League, which is the world’s most-watched AFP national championship.

Boggle Number game

Scrabble

SOLUTIONS

RAT MOUSE GERBIL BEAVER HAMSTER

Suduko

chairman Greg Dyke (below) has risked the wrath of the Premier League by calling for the 2022 Qatar World Cup not to take place during the Gulf summer.

Qatar was awarded the right to host the tournament in 2010, but world governing body FIFA, footballers’ union FIFPro and European governing body UEFA have since called for it to be moved to later in the year.

Mid-year temperatures in the Gulf can reach a sweltering 50 degrees Celsius, whereas in December the average highest temperature is a markedly cooler 24 degrees Celsius.

Dyke agrees that the tournament should not go ahead as scheduled, and he even suggested the competition could be

Previous Community Shield winners 2012 Manchester City 2011 Manchester United 2010 Manchester United 2009 Chelsea 2008 Manchester United 2007 Manchester United 2006 Liverpool 2005 Chelsea 2004 Arsenal 2003 Manchester United 2002 Arsenal 2001 Liverpool 2000 Chelsea 1999 Arsenal 1998 Arsenal 1997 Manchester United 1996 Manchester United 1995 Everton 1994 Manchester United 1993 Manchester United

“It’s because of his good work in the Premier League last season that we’re in the Community Shield. I’ll do my best to finish off the job but it’s Sir Alex who will deserve a lot of the credit if we’re successful at Wembley.”

United have sold over 47,000 tickets for the traditional curtain-raiser to the English season — a record for one club at the new Wembley, which opened in 2007.

The fans travelling to west London will be eager to discover how Moyes intends to set up his side for the new campaign, after he experimented with different line-ups during the tours of Asia and Sweden. AFP

Pep starts reign with victory BERLIN: Pep Guardiola began his reign as Bayern Munich coach in the Bundesliga with a 3-1 win over Borussia Moenchengladbach as the new German league season kicked-off on Friday.

Ex-Barcelona boss Guardiola took charge of the Champions League winners eight weeks ago after predecessor Jupp Heynckes had steered Bayern to the treble of European, league and cup titles last season.

It was a brighter start in the German league for the Spaniard at Bayern than at Barcelona in La Liga, where the 42-year-old lost his first game 1-0 to CD Numancia in the 2008-09 season before going on to win 14 titles in four years.

“We’re pleased to have won the first game,” said Guardiola. “We need results in the first three or four games, because some players are not yet one hundred percent fit.

“We could have controlled the game better in the first 15 minutes of the second half, but that’ll come.”

Having broken or equalled 25 records in winning last season’s Bundesliga title by 25 points, defending champions Bayern earned their first three points of the new season at home with Arjen Robben and Mario Mandzukic scoring early on.

Left-back David Alaba then converted a second-half penalty after ‘Gladbach defender Alvaro Dominguez gave away two penalties — both for handball — in as many minutes.

“Both penalty decisions were correct by the referee, I would have given them, as well,” said Guardiola.

The only blot on Bayern’s copybook was a Dante own-goal which left Gladbach 2-1 down at the AFP break.

PSG held on opening day MONTPELLIER: Paris Saint Germain dropped points on the opening day of the French league season, held 1-1 Friday at Montpellier as they began their defence of the title.

PSG have moved swiftly on since landing their first league crown in 19 years in May, with Italian coach Carlo Ancelotti leaving for Real Madrid and loan star David Beckham retiring.

But awash with cash from their Qatari owners the capital club are favourites to repeat their success, even if newly-promoted fellow moneybags outfit Monaco will look to push them hard.

Falcao, a 60-million-euro acquisition from Atletico Madrid, is the big draw for the Monegasques, bankrolled

by Russian billionaire owner Dimitri Rybolovlev.

But the principality club must begin the season with a two-point

deduction after a series of incidents at the end of a game last season.

Montpellier represented a tough opening day test for the Parisians given the southerners’ status as 2012 champions though they saw the architect of that win, Rene Girard, switch to Lille in the summer, with Jean Fernandez arriving to replace him.

PSG, now under the stewardship of former France and Bordeaux coach Laurent Blanc, elected to start with a strike tandem of Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Ezequiel Lavezzi, leaving 64 million-euro new boy Edinson Cavani on the bench to begin with at the Stade de la Mosson.

But after an early Lavezzi header flashed off target it was the hosts who scored the opening goal of the new season, a rasping drive from Remy Cabella AFP after just ten minutes.