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

TUESDAY, JULY 16, 2013 HYDERABAD

WEATHER: LITTLE DRIZZLE; 25°C

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GIANTS AMONG MEN

Chengdu in southwest China is home to ‘the largest building in the world’. New Century Global Center is world's largest freestanding building capable of fitting 20 Sydney Opera Houses or three Pentagons inside. We list buildings that are the largest of their kind.

P16&17

HYDERABAD’S FIRST COMPACT AFTERNOON NEWSPAPER

PG 15

SPOUSE AT WORK The comfort and the blessing of having a work spouse extend beyond what may be strictly defined as work. Do you know of someone whom you can count on in office with your eyes closed?

REPORT ON P3

ILLEGAL TUITIONS: THERE’S NO STOPPING THEM

What’s preventing I-T department from raiding tuition centres, where teachers conduct mass classes with loudspeakers? They earn lakhs in black money every month, activists say.

THIS VICTORY BAR DANCING NEEDS LONELY LEGAL, SAYS SC NO MAKE-UP Recently India became Supreme Court on GEORGE The the first country in Tuesday upheld the right South Asia to ban bar dancers to pursue TO ‘WED’ BY oftheir animal testing for profession subject to SEPTEMBER dancing bars taking cosmetics. PG 6

PG 8

licence from the state authorities. The apex court bench rejected the state government's plea against the Bombay HC verdict striking down the police orders that bar dancing in hotels.

Postnoon speaks to Human Society of India's Cruelty Free Beauty.

PG 9

TUESDAY, JULY 16, 2013

city events

KATHAK PERFORMANCE

Nritya Pravah: A kathak dance performance by Sanjay Joshi. Where: Ravindra Bharathi, Saifabad When: July 16 Timings: 6:30-8:30pm

Weather for Hyderabad

Evening

Overnight

24°C Cloudy and windy at times. Showers likely.

New Delhi Mumbai Max 35 Max 30 Min 29 Min 25

Morning

Afternoon

22°C

25°C

28°C

Cloudy with a chance of showers.

Cloudy with sunny periods.

1 to 3mm of rain. Windy at times.

Partly sunny with a t-storm.

Periods of rain.

Chennai Max 35 Min 26

Bangalore Max 27 Min 20

A thunderstorm in spots.

Variable clouds, a t-storm.

AROUND THE CITY: YOUR GUIDE TO THE TWIN CITIES

FOOD & DRINK Ramadan special Relish the season special iftar delicacies at these venues: Where: Viva, Taj Vivanta When: Till Aug 7, 5.30-11.30pm

SHOWS Just for fun History of India Viritten will be performed by stand-up comedian Vir Das. Where: N-Convention, Madhapur When: July 27 Contact: 8790432354

Where: Deccan Pavilion, ITC Kakatiya When: Till Aug 7, 7.30pm onwards DO THE ZUMBA: Girls shake a leg at a Zumba session this morning. The workout session was organised at the Bobby Fitness Studio in Madhapur. SRINIVAS SETTY

State of the Art Voyage of exploration, a collection of paintings, drawing and sculptures by students of MFA programme 2013 from Sarojini Naidu School of Art & Communication, University of Hyderabad is on. Where: Shrishti Art Gallery, Jubilee Hills When: Till July 25 Contact: +91 40 23554485/86

WORKSHOPS Aerobics Have fun while you burn calories at this aerobics workshop. Where:Colorama printers, Begumpet

Commissioner & Spl Officer

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

198 155313

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

155333 23431178 23431179

MUNICIPAL CORPORATION

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

When: Till July 26, 4.30-6.30pm Contact: 2373 0328 Puppetry STEPARC is holding a workshop for adults. Where: :Lamakaan, Banjara hills When: July 21, 10.30 am to 1.30 pm Contact: 96427 31329 Music theory Theory on music by Hyderabad Western Music Foundation. Where: Lamakaan, Banjara hills When: Till Aug 3, 11am to 2pm Contact: 2329 9779 Isha yoga Learn the nuances of inner engineering under the guidance of Sadhguru. Where: Radha Swamy Ashram, West

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

155313 23307328 23313163

27505566 23314095 23390933 24600146 27001134 23607777 30418888 30417777 30419000 30416666 39879999

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

Marredpally When: July 17 to 23, 6 am Contact: 80086 24949

Where: Jewel of Nizam, Golkonda hotel, Masab tank When: All year round, 5pm onwards

Mime Explore your expressions in Natvarya-a mime workshop by Indian Mime Academy Where: Sutradhar school of acting, Nampally When: Till July 20, 6 pm to 9 pm Contact: 8297117515 Relationships A workshop on art & science of relationships. Where: Palm exotica resorts, Shankarpally When: July 19 to July 21, 11am-2pm Contact: 2329 9779

27567892 23559555 23226624 27633087 27035588 27550238 30799999 30418296 30417445

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

Where: Green Park hotel, Ameerpet When: Till Aug 8, 6.30-10.30pm

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

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

24523211 232431300/7641 24521029

Readers’ views

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

TUESDAY, JULY 16, 2013

news

YESTERDAY’S QUESTION

WILL RAHUL’S INTEREST IN T BOOST BIFURCATION CHANCES? YES (A) NO (B)

56% 44%

TODAY’S QUESTION

WILL THE CONG-YSRC DEAL HURT TDP’S CHANCES IN 2014 POLLS? A)

YES

To vote visit www.postnoon.com

EDUCATION

BOLD MOVE

Tuition classes continue to flourish despite ban

Myanmar to free all political prisoners

What’s preventing I-T department from raiding these teachers, who conduct mass classes with loudspeakers? They earn lakhs in black money every month, activists say. ALEENA ALICE aleena.t@postnoon.com HYDERABAD: “I come home from school at 6.30pm and immediately have to leave for my math and science tuition class. Though I feel tired as I leave for school by 6.30am, I cannot complain because my parents want me to get good grades,” says 12-year-old Shashank. Reshma Raj, in Class VIII, says the same thing. She does not have time to enjoy a TV show. School and tuition take away her whole time. This is just not the case of Shashank or Reshma. Most students, even kids in primary school, have a similar story to cite. Most are forced to rush for tuition classes, even after spending nearly 11 hours in school. With teachers wanting to make more money apart from school hours, private tuitions have become a thriving business. Section 28, RTE Act 2009, states, “No teacher shall engage himself or herself in private tuition or private teaching activity,” banning all teachers, irrespective of whether they work in government or private schools, from taking private tuitions. However, with private tutorials at every nook and corner of City streets, it is evident that this rule is being flouted. Private school teachers justify this act by saying this is the only way they can make ends meet. “For government teachers it is okay not to take tuition class-

More than 90 per cent of students are forced to go for private tuition classes. These have become a moneymaking racket. Achyut Rao President, APBHS

es. However, as private school teachers, we do not get paid well. So we are left with no option. If one is complaining that teachers are flouting rules, who in this country in any profession does not?” questions a teacher on condition of anonymity.

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Parents too seem to have no problem with the concept of sending their child for tuition classes. “It’s now become a competitive world. If our children have to get into any mainstream course, they have to put in more effort. And I don’t see anything

wrong in sending my child for tuition. These classes are a solution for parents, especially those who are working,” says Sudheer Babu, a parent of a 10-year-old. “Earlier, parents were more concerned about making sure that their child had firm basics in maths and science and hence enroled them at private tuitions. Now there is a demand for all subjects, especially languages,” says M Ravinder, general secretary of AP Teachers’ Federation. Various child rights organisations condemn these extra classes saying this is only stunting the growth of the child, and causing more damage. “More than 90 per cent of students are forced to go for pri-

vate tuition classes. These tuitions have become a moneymaking racket. They are illegal, and since these classes are conducted at the teacher’s home, most of the time, the family members of these teachers interfere and take classes instead of the teachers. It is only because the government is not taking any necessary action that such kind of a business is flourishing,” says Achyut Rao, president of Andhra Pradesh Balala Hakkula Sangham. The education department however seem to be having no qualms about teachers conducting private tuition classes. When contacted, the DEO (Hyderabad district) Subba Reddy, said, “Conducting private tuitions is clearly violating the rules. However, since parents want it we cannot really do much. So it’s okay if the teachers conduct classes for two hours in the morning and evening and not more than that.”

LONDON: Myanmar President Thein Sein said Monday that all political prisoners would be freed by the end of the year and that a ceasefire with ethnic groups was possible within weeks. The former junta general’s comments, made during his first visit to London, appear to be latest stage in reforms that Sein has made since he took office in 2011. “I guarantee to you that by the end of this year there will be no prisoners of conscience in Myanmar,” Thein Sein said. “We are aiming for nothing AROUND THE

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less than a transition from half a century of military rule and authoritarianism to democracy.” He was also optimistic about ending decades of conflict that have raged between the government and ethnic groups. “Very possibly over the coming weeks we will have a nationwide ceasefire and the guns will go silent everywhere in Myanmar for the very first time in over 60 years,” he said. Thein Sein promised to take a “zero tolerance approach” to people who "fuel ethnic hatreds" following attacks against Rohingya Muslim minority in which hundreds have been killed. AFP

CITY BRIEFS Complaint filed against Modi for Godhra remark

CPI to launch national stir against Reliance

BJP hopes for massive crowd at Modi rally

Ragging rages in University of Hyderabad?

Solar power tariff to come down

complaint has been ﬁled against Gujarat CM Narendra Modi in Hyderabad over remarks he made about the post-Godhra riots. Ghulam Rabbani, an advocate, lodged the complaint with Santosh Nagar police station, seeking legal action against Modi, terming his statements as “highly provocative and malicious against Muslim community”.

PI State secretary Dr K Narayana said his party would launch a nationwide movement against the looting of natural gas at KG Basin by the Reliance Company. Addressing the party protesters at Collectorate here on Monday, Dr Narayana alleged that both Reliance Company and the UPA government were behaving like co-dacoits.

he BJP (AP), which is charging an entry fee to Narendra Modi’s speech in Hyderabad on August 11, hopes to see some one lakh people though Lal Bahadur Stadium can accommodate 30,000 people. The proceeds of the event, which is being billed as a youth rally, will be donated to the ﬂood-hit pilgrims of Uttaranchal.

reshers in University of Hyderabad have alleged ragging at midnight despite stringent antiragging laws. The seniors make the juniors sing, dance and clean ﬂoors and refusal is met with abuse. But university authorities deny having received any complaint. They said students could even anonymously post complaints.

ith the technological developments in solar power and ﬁnancial engineering, solar power tariff in AP is expected to come down to `5.50 per unit, equalling that of the new thermal power tariff, said former CMD of Andhra Pradesh Transco AK Kutty. This is one of the most reasonable tariffs in the country, say ofﬁcials.

News TUESDAY, JULY 16, 2013 LAST YEAR... HERE Starting new

ast year we had reported that Startup Weekend was a grand success in the City. The event saw 72 hours of mad coding and ideation from the 15 teams that participated. Of the numerous ideas for startups that were proposed, four were judged to be the best, including a site that helped people choose gifts and a social network site for tipplers.

JULY 16, 2012

NUMEROLOGY

POLITICS

Battle of wits on T rages on

130

Alokparna Sengupta, activist See Pg 9

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

City’s Lonely George to get a mate! After years of waiting, the Hyderabad zoo’s lonely giraffe (Lonely George) will be getting its female pair from Malaysia. A pair of giraffe will be donated to Visakhapatnam zoo too.

Tuition ban ﬂouted in City, government takes no action. While the RTE Act states that school teachers cannot hold private tuition classes, the many coaching centres in the City show how this law is ﬂouted.

Faulty poll process, claims TDP. The Telugu Desham Party has alleged gross irregularities in poll process in many villages and castigated election ofﬁcials of ignoring its complaints.

Where the streets have no name. No street names and the constant threat of suicide bombs, a Kabul postman’s job is a job to die for..

Putin slams US for ‘trapping Snowden’. The Russian leader adds that Snowden would leave soon.

Israel PM bars agents from US-China case

As CWC is billed to take a final call on T-issue by month-end, a duel of words is on between the supporters and opponents.

people have been killed in clashes between troops and rebels in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo on Monday, the deadliest clash in recent times. Some 10 soldiers are among the casualties.

It is erroneous to assume that products can't be used without animal tests. There are more than 1,000 companies that make products that are safe for use without animal testing.

TERRORISM

POSTNOON NEWS AND AGENCIES feedback@postnoon.com HYDERABAD: A slanging match continues between the pro- and anti-Telangana forces in State. The United Andhra votary, Lagdapati Rajgopal, has aroused the passions in Congress leader and Parliamentarian V Hanumanth Rao (in pic), who questioned the credibility of Seemandhra leaders on issues concerning

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Telangana. Reacting to the statement of Rajgopal that star batsmen are batting for a united state, Rao asked him to name the batsmen so that people will know the capability of them. Rao said the Seemandhra leaders need not worry about batsmen or bowlers for Telangana. “We will decide if we want a fast bowler or spinner or a googly.” Rao asked the Seemandhra

leaders not to make provocative remarks and it was not proper to say anything on TV shows. He said Andhra Pradesh was united earlier when it was merged. He also explained the reasons about formation of Andhra Pradesh and asked them not to compare the Telangana issue with other States. Even Prime Minister Nehru had commented that if people of Telangana do not feel happy with the rest of the state, they could ask for a separation, he added. The Congress leader suggested to the Seemandhra people to wholeheartedly agree for division like brothers and live together peacefully. He has advised the Centre to announce a special package for the Seemandhra region and create a separate Telangana state. He said the Telangana leaders would support the chief minister in this regard. Alleging that TRS chief K Chandrasekhara Rao was under great tension as his “shop” might be closed with creation of separate Telangana, Rao asserted that the TRS leaders were making baseless allegations against him too as they were afraid the Congress might actually create a separate T-state.

JERUSALEM: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has bowed to Chinese pressure and barred intelligence officers from testifying in a US lawsuit against the Bank of China, a newspaper reported Monday. The Yediot Aharonot, a topselling daily in Israel, said Netanyahu’s actions had irked the United States. Its report referred to a lawsuit filed in a New York court in 2008 by families of victims of “terrorist attacks” that rocked Israel between May 2004 and January 2007. They claim the Islamist AROUND THE

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Palestinian groups Hamas and Islamic Jihad transferred through the Bank of China millions of dollars which were allegedly used to fund the deadly attacks. Lawyer Nitsana DarshanLeitner, who represents the 22 Israeli families, said: “Netanyahu, who wants to show that he is at the forefront of the fight against terrorism, has given in to considerable pressure from China,” she told AFP. Netanyahu’s office has refused to comment the claims, while a senior government official sought to defend the premier. AFP

HEALTH

Women get more stress headaches Lifestyle changes and stress have left more adults suffering from migraines and headaches in India. Women suffer more because of hormonal changes. NEW DELHI: “I have a splitting headache.” Be it your colleague at work or your spouse at home, this has probably become one of the most heard complaints today. Considering the statistics — one-third of Indian women and one-fifth of Indian men suffer from migraine — the frequency is hardly a surprise. Doctors blame lifestyle changes and stress and say that women suffer more than men. “Headache is a pain in the head region, while migraine is a type of headache. Migraine is not a disease but a syndrome. One should know that not every headache is a migraine, but a migraine can be termed as a headache,” PN Renjen, senior consultant, neurology, at Apollo Hospital, told IANS. Migraine is accompanied by a throbbing headache, photophobia and vomiting. According to Renjen, around 30 per cent of the patients he sees every day are cases

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related to headache and migraine. “Women are more prone to headache and migraine because of hormonal changes in their body and the stress and strain of

daily life,” he said. Erratic meal timings and a bad sleep cycle are contributing factors. “Around 75 per cent of migraine sufferers are women,” Manoj Khannal, consultant, neurology, at Max Hospital, Shalimar Bagh, told IANS. “Although the incidence of migraine is similar in boys and girls during childhood, it increases in girls after puberty. Migraine most commonly affects women in the age group of 20-45 years.” “Fluctuation of female hormones like oestrogen and progesterone appear to increase the risk of migraine and its severity in some women. About half the women with migraine report headaches associated with their menstrual cycle,” he added. Warning against popping of pills at the drop of a hat, Rajashekhar Reddi, consultant in the neurology department of Max healthcare, said that too much medication can itself cause you a headache! IANS

News TUESDAY, JULY 16, 2013

HEALTH

MOVE IMMINENT?

Natural defenders turn attackers

A set of proteins that are part of the body’s immune system cause mutations in DNA. LOS ANGELES: Scientists have discovered that a set of proteins that are a part of the body’s natural defences cause mutations in DNA, which could potentially lead to cancer, says a study. According to a study led by researchers at the National Institutes of Health, these naturally occurring mutations are just as powerful as known cancer-causing agents in producing

COMPETITION

Heritage quiz on August 3 POSTNOON NEWS feedback@postnoon.com HYDERABAD: A quiz competition, Cycle Heritage Quiz, will be held on August 3 in Sri Satya Sai Nigamam Auditorium. The competition is open to all students from Class VIII to Class X in the City. AROUND THE

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The quiz is being sponsored by Cycle Pure Agarbattis, and aims to encourage youngsters to learn more about the country’s rich art forms, culture, tradition and history. The questions will focus on subjects like monuments, epics, mythology, festivals and traditions. Popular Telugu TV actor Pradeep will be the quiz master. The quiz was first held in 2011 and has had a successful run in other cities. This is the first time it will be held in Hyderabad. The third edition of the Cycle Heritage Quiz will be held in Chennai, Hyderabad, Pune, Bangalore, Kolkata, and Ahmedabad. The last date for registration is July 20. To participate, contact Chandrakanth at 9246 533219 or Tilak at 8886983399.

tumours, reports Science Daily. The proteins are part of a group called apolipoprotein B mRNA like (APOBEC) cytidine deaminases. The investigators found that APOBEC mutations can outnumber all other mutations in some cancers, accounting for over two-thirds in some bladder, cervical, breast, head and neck, and lung tumours. Dmitry Gordenin, PhD, is

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corresponding author of the paper and a senior associate scientist at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), part of NIH. He said scientists knew the main functions of APOBEC cytosine deaminases were to

inactivate viruses that attack the body and prevent ancient viruses present in the human genome from moving around and causing disrupting mutations. Because they are so important to normal physiology, he and his collaborators were surprised to find a dark side to them; that of mutating human chromosomal DNA. IANS

CRIME

Aged bizman butchered

He was a businessman running a mutton shop. His partners in real estate business are natural suspects, say police. POSTNOON NEWS feedback@postnoon.com HYDERABAD: A 70-year-old businessman was stabbed to death behind Taj Banjara Hotel at Banjara Hills on Monday. Identified as Eshwariah, a resident of Ambedkar Nagar, Road No 13, the victim used to run a mutton shop in Chintal Basti. The deceased was murdered at 6.30am while he was going to his shop. As he

Shut Heathrow airport, says London mayor LONDON: London’s Mayor Boris Johnson on Monday proposed shutting Heathrow airport, one of the busiest in the world, and replacing it with a major new hub to the east of the capital. Setting out three proposals to end Britain’s chronic shortage of air capacity, Johnson said a new four-runway airport would create thousands of jobs and allow London to compete with rival international transport hubs. “For London and the wider UK to remain competitive, we have to build an airport capable of emulating that scale of growth,” he said. “Anyone who believes there would be the space to do that at Heathrow, which already blights the lives of hundreds of thouAROUND THE

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reached the rear gate of Taj Banjara, unidentified assailants intercepted the deceased, who was on his scooter, and attacked him with

knives. He sustained injuries on his neck and stomach and died instantly. According to the details, Eshwariah had a

small ‘disputed’ land on Road No 13, Banjara Hills. After talking to his family members, police suspect that the real estate issue or financial disputes could be the reason behind the murder. Police are questioning friends and people who knew the deceased and his business partners. Meanwhile, a case has been registered and the body has been shifted to a hospital for post-mortem.

Congress mocks Modi for `5 entry fee to rally

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sands of Londoners, is quite simply crackers.” Despite being one of the world’s busiest airports, Heathrow has only two runways and is running at 98.5 per cent of its capacity. For years politicians have wrestled with contentious plans to give Heathrow another runway, with Johnson among those arguing that the noise and air pollution would be intolerable for people who live nearby. On Monday, he put forward three alternative locations for a new four-runway hub, including his long-touted proposal to build an airport on an artificial island in the River Thames, dubbed Boris Island. AFP

NATION BRIEFS US Sikh group to serve Badal summons in India

Man shot dead by brother-in-law

Centre agrees to Kerala request on food security

NEW YORK: A US Sikh group has engaged a Washington ﬁrm to serve two US federal court summons on Punjab CM Parkash Singh Badal on charges of human rights violations in India. The Sikhs for Justice had earlier offered $20,000 to anyone who could successfully serve the summons to Badal who is in Wisconsin since July 5.

SAMBHAL: A 35-year-old man was shot dead allegedly by his brother-in-law over family dispute in Asmoli area of the district, police said today. The deceased, Moolchand Tyagi was shot at by his brother-in-law Shiv Kumar over some family dispute in Ecundah Kamboh village. The victim died while being taken to Moradabad for treatment.

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM : Kerala Chief Minister Oommen

Chandy said that the central government has agreed to modify the food security scheme for the state. “If the scheme had being implemented in the state in toto, Kerala would have been a loser, but we have been able to convince the PM and the Congress president,” Chandy said.

NEW DELHI: The Congress Tuesday took a jibe at Gujarat CM Narendra Modi over the `5 entry fee for his rally in Hyderabad next month. “To hear a Baba pravachan, a ticket costs `100-100,000, a cinema ticket costs `200-500 even for a box ofﬁce ﬂop, to hear the CM `5, the market discovers true value,” minister Manish Tewari tweeted.

Himachal CM flags off 50 more ambulances SHIMLA: Himachal Pradesh CM Virbhadra Singh Tuesday ﬂagged off 50 more ambulances here, which will join the existing ﬂeet of 112 ambulances operating in the state. The new ambulances, associated with the '108' National Ambulance Service, would be deployed across the state, Health Minister Kaul Singh told IANS.

News TUESDAY, JULY 16, 2013

1984 ANTI-SIKH RIOTS

RIGHTS UPHELD

HC orders trial against Sajjan

Bar dancing is legal, says Supreme Court

The order comes as setback for Sajjan Kumar, who has been trying to clear his name over his role in the pogrom. NEW DELHI: The Delhi High Court Tuesday dismissed the plea of Congress leader Sajjan Kumar challenging a trial court order to frame charges against him in a 1984 anti-Sikh riot case relating to the killing of six people in Sultanpuri area here. Justice Suresh Kait dismissed the plea of Kumar, who was charged with rioting, murder and destruction of property and paved way for trial in the case. Kumar had contested the trial court order, which in July 2010 framed charges against five accused, including him, for the murder of six people after the assassination of then prime minister Indira Gandhi October 31, 1984. Justice Kait also dismissed the cross-appeal of complainant

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Kumar and other acuused are charged with rioting, murder and destruction of property, amongst others.

Sheela Kaur seeking to invoke charges of criminal conspiracy against Kumar and the others. She had also opposed the plea to drop charges against Kumar. Kumar, Brahmanand Gupta, Peru, Khushal Singh and Ved Prakash Pial were charged with rioting, murder and destruction of property, amongst others. The Congress leader and two co-accused, Gupta and Pial alias Vedu Pradhan, had moved the Delhi High Court in 2010. A Karkardooma court had acquitted Kumar of "killing" five people in the Delhi Cantonment area during the riots.

BETTER DIAGNOSIS

US approves brain wave test for ADHD WASHINGTON: US regulators on Monday approved the first brain wave test for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), saying it may improve the accuracy of diagnoses by medical experts. Cases of ADHD are on the rise in the US, as are the number of prescriptions for stimulants doled out to young people who appear to have difficulty concentrating or controlling impulses. The new test, known as the Neuropsychiatric EEG-Based Assessment Aid (NEBA) System, measures electrical impulses given off by AROUND THE

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neurons in the brain. A 15-20 minute test calculates the ratio of certain brain wave frequencies known as theta and beta waves in children age six to 17. “The theta/beta ratio has been shown to be higher in children and adolescents with ADHD than in children without it,” the US FDA said. “Diagnosing ADHD is a multistep process based on a complete medical and psychiatric exam,” cautioned Christy Foreman, director of the Office of Device Evaluation at the FDA's Center for Devices and Radiological Health. “The NEBA System along with other clinical information may help health care providers more accurately determine if ADHD is the cause of a behavioral problem.” The FDA said the test “can help confirm an ADHD diagnosis” or help decide if further treatment should focus on “other medical or behavioral conditions that produce symptoms similar to ADHD”. The FDA approved the device after a reviewing it as a new and “lowto moderate-risk medical device.” Studies evaluated 275 patients using both the NEBA system and other standard protocols for diagnosing ADHD which include behavioral questionnaires, behavioral and IQ testing and physical exams. AFP

IANS

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court Tuesday upheld the right of bar dancers to pursue their profession subject to dancing bars taking licence from the state authorities. The apex court bench of Chief Justice Altamas Kabir and Justice SS Nijjar upheld the right of bar dancers as it rejected the Maharashtra government's plea against the Bombay High Court verdict striking down the police orcders that bar dancing in hotels below three stars.

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Pronouncing the judgment, Justice Nijjar said that they have not touched the question of the right of the dancing girls under article 19 (A). The bar dancers had contended that besides being discriminative the police order impinged on their right to livelihood. They had also contended that besides dancing at the bar they knew no other trade to earn their living. IANS

Mumbai dance bars to reopen after SC verdict MUMBAI: The city's famous symbol of nightlife, the dance bars which were shut down in 2005, will reopen soon after a Supreme Court verdict in New Delhi Tuesday. Welcoming the judgment, Fight For Rights of Bar Owners Association president M.S. Sethi said Mumbai police had cancelled all licences subject to the outcome of the Supreme Court ruling. "Now that the SC ruling has gone in our favour, the police decision stands automatically cancelled. I don't see any reason why we cannot re-start the dance bars from today," Sethi said. BJP state unit spokesperson Madhav Bhandari said that while shutting down the dance bars, Maharashtra Home Minister R.R. Patil thought he was doing something great. IANS

News TUESDAY, JULY 16, 2013

ANTI-DRUG BATTLE

Mexico captures dreaded Zetas cartel leader

MEXICO CITY: Mexican marines detained the head of the brutal Zetas drug cartel without firing a shot Monday, giving the government its biggest catch as it strives to reduce violence, officials said. Miguel Angel Trevino, alias “Z-40," was intercepted by a helicopter that dropped in front of his pick-up truck as he traveled with two associates on a dirt road near Nuevo Laredo, a northeastern city bordering Texas, officials said. The marines seized $2 million in cash from the car along

with eight large weapons and 500 cartridges. The other two detainees are believed to be a bodyguard and an operative tasked with finances. “Not one shot was fired," interior ministry spokesman Eduardo Sanchez told a news conference. The ministry released a mugshot of the 40year-old drug lord wearing a black shirt, with a bloody lower lip and a bruise on his right cheek following his arrest at around 3:45 am. He was later transferred to Mexico City. Trevino is accused of organ-

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ised crime, homicide, drug trafficking, torture and money laundering.

The Zetas are considered one of the most feared organized crime groups in Mexico, founded by former elite troops, although Trevino was never a soldier. Originally, the Zetas acted as the armed enforcers of the Gulf Cartel, but the two groups split in 2010, sparking turf wars in northern Mexico. The Zetas are also engaged in a fight for lucrative drug routes to the United States

against the Sinaloa cartel, led by the most wanted man in Mexico, Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman. The gang’s activities include extortion, stealing fuel from pipelines and trafficking migrants. The Zetas are also present in Central America Trevino’s capture comes eight months after Mexican troops killed his predecessor, Heriberto Lazcano, in a gunfight in the northern state of Coahuila, only for the capo’s body to be stolen by gunmen hours later in a funeral home. AFP

NSA SPYING ROW

Putin slams US ‘trapping’

Calling Edward Snowden’s stay in the Moscow airport, ‘America’s Christmas gift to Russia’, President Valdimir Putin has blamed the US for the present predicament. MOSCOW: Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday accused the United States of trapping US intelligence leaker Edward Snowden in Moscow, saying he would leave Russia as soon as possible. “As soon as there’s the chance to move somewhere he will certainly do this," Putin said in televised remarks. “He arrived on our territory uninvited, he did not fly to us, he was flying in transit to other countries," Putin said. “But as soon as he was in the air, it became known, and our American partners essentially blocked off his further flight." These were Putin’s first public remarks since Snowden met with several rights activists at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo airport, where he is stranded. Putin said of the United States: “They themselves scared off all the other countries, no one wants to take him, and therefore they essentially themselves trapped him on our territory. “A nice gift to us for

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Christmas," he told Russian reporters travelling with him on a visit to the island of Gogland in the Gulf of Finland. He did not know what would become of Snowden. “How would I know? That’s his life, his fate," the president said. But he did note a change in position by the former NSA con-

tractor. Snowden announced on Friday that he did, after all, want to apply for asylum in Russia until he could travel on to Latin America, where several countries have offered him asylum. He had withdrawn his initial application after Putin said earlier this month that Snowden could claim asylum in Russia only if he stopped his leaks. When Snowden announced Friday he was renewing his application, he said he had promised not to harm US interests in the future. “Judging by his latest statement, he is somewhat changing his position," said Putin. “But the situation has not been finally clarified so far." He said nothing about whether or not Snowden’s application would be accepted. Putin said Russia had made its position clear to Snowden. “We have certain ties with the United States. We do not want you through your activity to damage our ties with the States." AFP

Manning awaits judge’s word on ‘aiding the enemy’ FORT MEADE: A military judge will rule Thursday whether to drop some charges against Bradley Manning, the US soldier who has admitting giving a massive cache of secret documents to WikiLeaks. As the espionage trial enters its final stage,

Manning’s defense lawyer, David Coombs, renewed his request Monday for the judge to toss out several counts— including the most serious charge that the soldier “aided the enemy” — on grounds the prosecution has failed to provide incriminating evidence.

Spain says sorry to Bolivia over Morales

Brazil calls US response ‘insufficient’

LA PAZ: Spain Monday apologised for the row sparked when President Evo Morales’ plane was blocked from Spanish airspace over suspicions of Edward Snowden being on the jet. “Spain deeply regrets this and is sorry that it happened. We offer our apology and consider the matter closed," Spain’s Ambassador to La Paz Miguel Angel Vasquez said.

BRASILIA: Brazil said Monday Washington had not sufficiently responded to Brasilia’s request it explain the alleged US electronic spying disclosed by rogue intelligence leaker Edward Snowden. “Some clarifications were made; we view them as insufficient," Foreign Minister Antonio Patriota said at press conference.

WORLD BRIEFS Major British drug dealer arrested in Spain

Tsarnaev seeks to beef up legal team

Death of ‘mentally ill’ US Calif court rejects bid to UN envoy in Syria talks as inmate postponed halt same-sex weddings child toll mounts

MADRID: Spanish police said Monday they had arrested a notorious British drug dealer, Brian Charrington, whom they accused of running an international trafﬁcking racket. Police arrested 13 people overall in Spain and Venezuela, including Charrington, “one of the 10 criminals most investigated by European police", a police statement said.

NEW YORK CITY: Alleged Boston bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev is seeking to beef up his legal team by hiring an additional attorney who specialises in death penalty and terrorism cases. One of Tsarnaev’s lawyers, Judy Clarke, sought the recruitment of Virginiabased lawyer David Bruck citing the “extraordinary nature” of the case.

WASHINGTON: The execution of a US inmate diagnosed as “mentally retarded” was postponed Monday, just hours before it was set to take place at a Georgia prison. Hill, 52, was already serving life in prison for the murder of his girlfriend when he bludgeoned a fellow prisoner to death in 1990. He was subsequently sentenced to death.

LOS ANGELES: California’s Supreme Court rejected Monday a request to halt same-sex marriages. Anti gay wedding group ProtectMarriage.com sought the suspension after the US Supreme Court’s judgement which allowed same-sex unions to resume ﬁve years after a referendum initiative banned them.

DAMASCUS: The UN’s special envoy on children in war was in Syria for talks as concern mounted over the rising child death toll in the bloody two-year conﬂict. Six children were among 29 people killed in a devastating army bombardment of ﬁve villages in the northwest as residents prepared to break the fast observed by Muslims , a watchdog reported on Monday.

News TUESDAY, JULY 16, 2013

HYDERABAD ZOO

POLITICS

Lonely George to ‘wed’ by September Nehru Zoological Park in the City is gearing up to celebrate its Golden Jubilee this year by bringing in some rare species for display. PK SURENDRAN surendranpk@postnoon.com HYDERABAD: The Nehru Zoological Park (Hyderabad Zoo) is well on its way to celebrate its Golden Jubilee this year with a few distinctions. The zoo is set to emerge number 1 in India in terms of drawing visitors and it will have few rare species in its fold. The NZP has clocked 27.5 lakh visitors last year as compared to the highest in the country, Mysore Zoo’s 30 lakh. In terms of facilities too the Zoo has come in for high praises from many leading personalities of the world. The zoo, spread over 380 acres in Bahadurpura, has over 1,500 species on display. Eclectus Parrot, wolves and a pair of black swans, Marmoset (simian species) are some of the zoo’s inmates. More importantly, the zoo will be celebrating the ‘mating’ of the long-awaited giraffes. After years of wait, the zoo’s only giraffe (lonely George) will be getting its female pair from Malaysia. A pair of giraffes will be donated to Visakhapatnam zoo too. This would happen before the golden jubilee celebrations begin and the pair will be on display from October first week, said zoo official HM Haneefulla. This would end years of George’s waiting for a mate.

The main opposition party finds many faults with poll process and wants them corrected quickly.

Interestingly, three giraffes will be flown in, rather than shipped in, from Malaysia. They will be transported in specially made crates. The zoo has created natural habitats for many varieties of species, especially the predators. This has been a delightful treat for the visitors and also given the much needed freedom to the animals. The added attraction is the nocturnal house. The zoo artifi-

POSTNOON NEWS feedback@postnoon.com HYDERABAD: The TDP has alleged gross irregularities in poll process in many villages. The party has also found fault with the scrutiny date falling on a Sunday making it difficult to obtain papers for registering objection on certain categories. The party’s official spokesperson has castigated the government and election officials of ignoring its complaints. TDP Visakhapatnam dis-

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Interestingly, three giraffes will be flown in, rather than shipped in, from Malaysia. cially reverses night and day for the animals so that nocturnal animals are active while visitors are at the zoo. This exhibit includes fruit bats, slender loris, civets, leopard cats, hedgehogs, barn owls, mottled wood owls, fishing owls, and great horned owls. The zoo runs several safari trips each day, such as the Lion Safari, Tiger Safari, Bear Safari, and Butterfly Safari. Other attractions include elephant rides, a natural history museum, and a children's train.

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SECURITY

130 dead in DRC fighting

The fighting broke out Sunday outside Goma, the capital of North Kivu province in the volatile east. GOMA: Fighting between troops and rebels in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo has killed at least 130 people including 10 soldiers, the government said Monday, the deadliest clashes in months. Loud blasts rang out north of the flashpoint city of Goma Monday afternoon, and up to 1,000 people fled towards the city in a cloud of dust, an AFP photographer reported. "Our forces have inflicted

very heavy losses on the M23 fighters, 120 have been killed and 12 captured," government spokesman Lambert Mende said. Mende said 10 soldiers had also died in the ongoing clashes between the army and rebels of the M23 group. The fighting broke out Sunday outside Goma, the capital of North Kivu province in the volatile east — an area rich in minerals including gold and coltan, a key component in cell

TDP alleges gross poll violations

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phones and other electronic equipment. Several Congolese army tanks fired at M23 positions Monday. Mortar fire could also be heard. The M23 briefly seized Goma late last year before withdrawing under international pressure.

Mende said that this time they had attacked army positions supported by Rwandan troops. The M23, an armed group launched by Tutsi former soldiers who mutinied from the Congolese army in April 2012, blamed the government for the fighting. In a statement it condemned "in the strongest terms the resumption of war initiated by the Congolese government". AFP

trict (Rural) president G. Rama Naidu says that at Dibbur in Rambilli mandal the nomination of a BC candidate was rejected though he filed five sets of nomination papers with the caste certificate from a gazetted officer. Condemning it as unjustified, he said the matter had been taken to the notice of the district Collector and the District Panchayat Officer. At Dibbapalem in Chidikadal mandal, though the candidate himself admitted that he had three children his nomination was not rejected. In another instance though contractors were barred from contesting the election, one person filed nomination in the last minute. But it was not possible to contest it as it was difficult to obtain the details from the department he worked for or his bank accounts. He said the district Collector had assured action.

News TUESDAY, JULY 16, 2013

ANIMAL RIGHTS

THIS VICTORY NEEDS

NO MAKE-UP Recently India became the first country in South Asia to ban animal testing for cosmetics. Postnoon speaks to Human Society of India's Cruelty Free Beauty campaign manager Alokparna Sengupta.

ELIZABETH SOUMYA elizabeth.s@postnoon.com

What are the animals used in cosmetic testing and how are they rehabilitated? Animals tested for cosmetics are rats, mice, guinea pigs and rabbits. I know of people who have adopted rescued dogs used in drug toxicity testing. However, I must emphasise that dogs are not used at all in cosmetics testing. The release of such animals from laboratories is very unusual as most often they either die as a consequence of the experiment or will be re-used in subsequent experiments.

What are the tests performed and what are their consequences on the animals? Skin irritation, eye irritation and oral toxicity tests are used. Animals are made to endure painful tests such as skin and eye irritation, in which chemicals are rubbed onto the shaved skin or dripped into the eyes of rabbits. These animals are restrained so that the chemical can more easily be dripped into their eye, and one of the reasons rabbits are chosen is that they cannot cry, so they have no natural way of weeping the harmful chemical away. Tests on mice and rats include repeated force-feeding studies lasting weeks or months to look for signs of general illness or specific health hazards; and even widely condemned â&#x20AC;&#x153;lethal doseâ&#x20AC;? tests, in which animals are forced to swallow massive amounts of a test chemical to determine the dose that causes death. At the end of a test, the animals are killed, normally by asphyxiation, neck-breaking or decapitation and pain relief is

not provided. Not only do we believe that animals should not have to endure such suffering, but many of these tests were developed decades ago when our understanding of toxicity was quite basic, and they simply don't stand up to scientific scrutiny in the modern age. So replacing these tests with modern, sophisticated non-animal test methods is a very positive step for India's science base generally.

While the animal testing in cosmetics is banned, the import and sale of newly animal-tested products from elsewhere is still allowed. Does this make the current ban less effective? Currently, there is no legislation to stop the import and sale of cosmetics newly animal-tested elsewhere and it might take some time. We've already started the process and written to the concerned authorities. And while we want such import to be banned, the current ban is a great start and a sustainable solution. In Europe, for example, a domestic regulation preceded an international marketing ban. In 2009, testing on animals for cosmetics was banned in Europe and this year the EU banned marketing and sale of animal tested products.

What do you think has made

this ban in India possible? It has been a collaborative effort. Support from several sections of people has made this possible. For more than a year, we have gathered support from various Members of Parliament, State Legislative Assemblies and Legislative Councils. We have had at least a dozen of them writing to the Health Minister and Consumer Affairs Minister in support of our campaign. When the amendment of the BIS standard was made public for comments, we provided the Bureau of Indian standard technical comments which were accepted and have helped seal the language of the ban in

place. The perseverance of various animal welfare groups has also helped the Government to sit up and take notice. There have been multiple online petitions by people asking the Government and various companies to stop testing. In addition to this, the European ban, which preceded the Indian ban has been a great example of how animal testing can be banned. If the largest market for cosmetics can have a blanket ban on animal testing of cosmetics, why should India remain behind.

Are there regulations for labelling cosmetics as animal tested or not? In India, there are no current requirements in terms of labelling. However, due to increased public awareness and consumers who care about cruelty-free cosmetics, a manufacturers do mention that their products have not been tested on animals if they want to.

How can safety for human use be ensured without animal testing? If aspirin were tested on animals as a requirement for human use it would have never passed the test. One of the reasons animal tests continue is because they have been done for at least a

hundred years. It is erroneous to assume that products can't be used without animal tests. There are more than 1,000 companies around the world that make products that are safe for human use without animal testing.

What are the available alternatives to animal testing? Since animal testing is done to test new ingredients, companies such as Lush have stopped using any new chemicals. Picking from the 18,000 ingredients that have already been tested to be safe for use is one solution. There are also in vitro tests that are a popular alternative. For example, a potential alternative for the live rabbit eye Draize test is said to be BCOP (Bovine Corneal Opacity and Permeability) test and the ICE (Isolated Chicken Eye) test.

How have you been campaigning against animal testing for cosmetics? Humane Society International runs the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s largest campaign against cosmetic testing on animals, Be Cruelty-Free. Our efforts in the EU have helped in achieving a marketing and sales ban of animal tested cosmetics there. In addition to that, HSI/India was instrumental in achieving the cosmetics animal testing ban in India, and we have active Be Cruelty-Free campaigns in Canada, Brazil, China, Korea, Russia, Oceania, and the United States. Be Cruelty-Free aims to create the consumer and political will to end animal testing on cosmetics forever. In India, our first goal was to achieve a national ban here in India on cosmetics animal testing and we succeeded.

News TUESDAY, JULY 16, 2013

WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION?

Panama stops N. Korean ship over missile material suspicion

Panama President Ricardo Martinelli said had sailed from Cuba and tried to illegally sneak suspected sophisticated missile material through the Panama Canal. PANAMA CITY: Panama on Monday stopped a North Korean vessel that President Ricardo Martinelli said had sailed from Cuba and tried to illegally sneak suspected sophisticated missile material through the Panama Canal. “The world needs to sit up and take note: you cannot go around shipping undeclared weapons of war through the Panama Canal," Martinelli said, noting that the ship had been inspected to rule out drugs and was found to have other cargo of greater concern. “We had suspected this ship, which was coming from Cuba and headed to North Korea,

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might have drugs aboard so it was brought into port for search and inspection," on the Atlantic coast of the country, the presi-

BANGLADESH

Two Jamaat activists killed in police firing

DHAKA: Police fired on Islamist demonstrators in southwestern Bangladesh Tuesday killing two, amid a nationwide strike in protest at the conviction of a top Islamist for war crimes, an officer said. Several thousand protesters from Jamaat-e-Islami, went on the rampage in the streets of Satkhira district, attacking police with sticks, machetes and throwing homemade bombs. Jamaat supporters attacked

dent said on Radio Panama. “When we started to unload the shipment of sugar we located containers that we believe to be

sophisticated missile equipment, and that is not allowed," Martinelli stressed, describing a dramatic scene in which he said the ship’s captain tried to kill himself. “The captain has tried to commit suicide, and the crew also rioted," when police moved in, Martinelli said. “So we are holding this vessel for further investigation." Cuba is the only one-party Communist regime in the Americas, and a rare ally of also-

isolated Pyongyang. Cuba’s coast lies just 90 miles from the United States’ southeastern flank. Back in 1962, the Cuban Missile Crisis brought the world to the brink of nuclear war at the height of the Cold War. US and Soviet leaders had a 13-day political and military standoff in October 1962 over the installation of nuclear-armed Soviet missiles on Cuban soil. In the end disaster was avoided when US agreed to Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev’s offer to remove the missiles in exchange for a US pledge not to invade Cuba. Then president John F. Kennedy also secretly agreed to remove US missiles from Turkey. AFP

FIERY PROTEST

an officer as police tried to clear a main road blocked by fallen trees in the town of Kaliganj, as part of protests over the conviction of Jamaat’s spiritual leader by a court on Monday. “They hacked him (the officer) with a machete. We opened fire at them to rescue the officer. AROUND THE

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Two Jamaat activists were hit by bullets and they died," district deputy police chief Tajul Islam said. A war crimes tribunal sentenced 90-year-old Ghulam Azam to 90 years in prison for masterminding atrocities during the 1971 war of Independence. AFP

A supporter of the Muslim Brotherhood and of Egypt’s ousted President Mohamed Morsi demonstrates on Tuesday under the Six October Bridge in the center of Cairo. The demonstrators, demanding the reinstatement of Morsi, clashed with riot police as they tried to block the bridge, one of the main highways in the AFP/ MAHMUD KHALED capital.

SPACE DISCOVERY

NASA finds new moon of Neptune

WASHINGTON: A tiny new moon has been spotted circling Neptune — the 14th known to be orbiting the faraway planet, the US space agency said on Monday. The moon is the smallest ever glimpsed around Neptune

and measures just about 19 kilometers across, based on observations from the Hubble Space telescope, NASA said. Neptune is the farthest planet from the Sun, and NASA said the moon, named S/2004

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N1, is about 100 million times fainter than the dimmest star that can be seen with the naked

eye. Astronomers found the moon by tracking a white dot that appeared repeatedly in more than 150 photos taken by Hubble from 2004 to 2009. Mark Showalter of the SETI Institute in Mountain View,

California, found the moon July 1 while studying the faint arcs around Neptune, a NASA official said. The moon is believed to circle Neptune once every 23 hours. AFP

News TUESDAY, JULY 16, 2013

AFGHANISTAN

Delivering mail in Kabul, where streets have no name

Many of Kabul’s streets are without names and due to the constant threat of suicide bombs, a postman’s job here is a job to die for. MUSHTAQ MOJADDIDI Agence France-Presse KABUL: In Kabul, many streets have no name and houses often have no number, meaning that postmen already braving the constant threat of suicide bombings must play detective to deliver mail. Mohammad Rahim makes his rounds on the tattered, hilly streets of the Afghan capital riding an old bicycle. After 10 years on the job he is undaunted by even the vaguest addresses on letters. “Here we have a letter for a man who lives near Doctor Hashmat’s house,” Rahim, 46, says. “I don’t know the address, so let’s see, how can we find the right place?” His only clues are the addressee Mohammad Naeem, the doctor’s name and instructions on the back of the envelope saying “Kart-e-Sakhi hilltop, behind the agricultural ministry”. Wearing a black fur hat, blue jeans and a violet T-shirt, he cuts a familiar figure and is often recognised by Kabul residents. He sets off from the neighbourhood post office to start asking people for help. “Brother, can you tell me — where is Doctor Hashmat’s house?” Rahim shouts at a shopkeeper. “Go up the hill, and turn right,” comes the reply, so Rahim sets off up the rocky road. Further on, another man tells him: “Turn right and it is the third house on the left.” After waiting outside the gate, a woman in her 40s comes out:

Mohammad Naeem’s wife, who takes the letter for her husband. “We have received letters from the US, Canada, Germany and Pakistan, and the postman always brings them safely and on time,” she says. Rahim delivers dozens of letters AROUND THE

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every day across west and southwest Kabul, a city reduced almost to ruins in the brutal 1992-96 civil war. The Kabul population has boomed to five million as people have flooded in seeking employment and an escape from the fight against the Taliban, but much of the recent expansion is illegal, with many houses and shacks built on contested land or without planning permission. But the days of confusion over addresses could soon be over, as last month the communications ministry signed an agreement with the city authorities to create a comprehensive new address system. All streets and houses will be coded, numbered and mapped in a two-year project that the government hopes to expand to other cities. The scheme — which will use global positioning system (GPS) surveying — should help Rahim, and fellow postmen such as Khan Agha, 42, who works in a post office in the central Shar-e-Naw district. For now Agha, who first started delivering mail 22 years ago, says

Last month the communications ministry signed an agreement with the city authorities to create a comprehensive new address system. the chaotic street mapping makes it “the most difficult job in the world”. “We don’t care about traffic, summer or winter, smog or rain but there are many vague addresses, though a telephone number on the back of the envelope can help,” he says. “We ring them up and they say ‘I’m standing here’ so we go and hand over the letter. “I do my best to treat people well. We see on television that postmen are admired in foreign society, because we connect the sender and receiver.” The job is even more challenging for Agha, who lost his right eye when he was serving as a soldier more than 20 years ago, another victim of the fighting that has battered Afghanistan for decades. “One day in the fighting, I was shot with a bullet in the back of my head and the bullet came out of my right eye socket.” Admitting that the injury continues to trouble him, Agha scrabbles through a huge pile of mail on the post office floor, looking for what needed to be delivered to his area. “We are going to take a letter to a Mrs Barbara in Sherpoor sent in from Germany,” he says.

As so often, the letter has only the district name without any house or street number. After a search lasting nearly two hours and asking 12 different people, including the local baker, he finally finds the small lane where the intended recipient works in a health centre. Such hard work is not well-rewarded in Afghanistan, which has 900

postmen nationwide with 100 in Kabul. Agha earns just 5,000 Afghanis ($90) a month. Barely enough, he says, to feed his family of eight. But he is hopeful that soon most streets and houses in Kabul will have a proper name and number. “This is a good move by ministry to create a new postal system,” he says. “With the completion of this project, we could do our job more easily.”

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News TUESDAY, JULY 16, 2013

ECOLOGY

GOOD SAMARITANS

Anti-snakehead battle ends on plate Growing up to three feet in length, the snakehead first appeared in the Potomac about a decade ago, raising concern about its impact on biodiversity. FABIENNE FAUR Agence France-Presse MARBURY: The snakehead is an invasive species of fish from Asia that is threatening the delicate ecosystem of the Potomac River that flows through Washington into the Atlantic Ocean. It also tastes great with onions and butter, said sport fisherman Brett Miron after catching a total of 110 pounds (50 kilograms) of the otherwise slimy, hard-to-catch fish at the recent Potomac Snakehead Tournament. The yearly contest in Maryland’s Smallwood State Park brings together anglers and bow fishermen — those who catch fish with a bow and arrow — from many miles around in hopes of bringing snakehead numbers down. “It brings people together to have fun and to do something for the environment. It’s a winning formula,” said Austin Murphy, organiser of the tournament that this year reaped 165 fish weighing a combined total of 1,058 pounds. Growing up to three feet (one meter) in length, the sharptoothed snakehead first appeared in the Potomac and its tributaries about a decade ago, arousing concern about its impact on local biodiversity. Local authorities, adventurous restaurateurs and environmental activists responded by banding together to promote the snakehead’s weakness: it tastes good. “When we first started (the tournament three years ago), people would throw away their

snakeheads,” Murphy said. “Now people are very tight with their snakeheads. They want to take them and enjoy them at home. It’s nice to see that transformation.” Like the 150-odd other fisherman who registered for this year’s tournament at the end of June, Miron — part of a five-man bowfishing team — brought along an icebox to conserve his catch. The 46-year-old mechanic from rural Maryland was motiAROUND THE

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Snakeheads spawn at least twice a year, they live 10 to 15 years, can survive a day or two out of the water in a humid place — and eat practically anything, including native fish species. vated by the $1,500 grand prize as well as the gastronomical feast that is no small part of the tournament. “It tastes very good. I like them deep fried or grilled with onions and butter,” Miron told AFP, although he cautioned that snakehead is not the easiest fish to catch. “It’s a very clever fish, very smart. It’s been in these waters for a few years. They’re learning to know when to leave when they see the boats coming. They are a hard fish to catch,” he

said. Chad Wells likes his snakefish barbecued. For three years, the 30-something chef has featured it at his restaurant in Maryland’s capital Annapolis, serving it with mango and peppers or spiced tacos. “It’s a really good fish, really versatile. Every time you eat it, you’re doing a service to the ecosystem,” said Wells. Highly appreciated in Asia, the snakehead’s presence is thought to be the result of some runaways from a live fish market in New York’s Chinatown neighborhood. “They’re fairly common in the live fish market. They are a delicacy. You could go to a market, buy a live fish, bring it home and cook it,” said Joshua Newhard, a biologist with the US Fish and Wildlife Service. Snakeheads are also common in the aquarium trade, he said, but they may grow so big that their keepers, rather than kill them, prefer to set them loose into the open water. Their resilience does the rest. Snakeheads spawn at least twice a year, they live 10 to 15 years, can survive a day or two out of the water in a humid place — and eat practically anything, including native fish species. “They eat young white perch, yellow perch... occasionally young large-mouth bass. They are capable of eating a wide variety of prey,” said Joseph Love of the Maryland state department of natural resources. “Our concern is that they will have a local negative impact on the relative abundance of other species,” said Love.

Delhi cops’ ‘Khoj’ for lost children NEW DELHI: Thirteen-yearold Raju’s life changed overnight when he was spotted by a police officer at the New Delhi Railway Station rummaging through garbage. Separated from his parents three years ago, Delhi Police helped re-unite the boy with his family. Delhi Police’s “Operation Khoj” — launched in March to re-unite lost children on railway platforms with their parents — has had many happy endings. Till June 30, 722 minors — below 18 years — found loitering on railway platforms got back their parents and their lives. The search operation helped to re-unite Raju, 13, with his parents and brought the joy back into his life. Raju, a native of Uttar Pradesh’s Gorakhpur district, had got separated from his parents near New Delhi Railway Station. Operation Khoj has been started at all five railway stations of Delhi - New Delhi, Old Delhi, Sarai Rohilla, Hazrat Nizamuddin and Anand Vihar. According to Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police Sanjay Bhatia, the drive is aimed at preventing such lost children from turning to crime or being trafficked by criminals lurking on the railway stations. “Those who want to go

back to their homes, we reunite them with their parents. Those who do not want to return are taken to the Child Welfare Committee. This helps them get a chance to reform themselves,” Bhatia told IANS. AROUND THE

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Till June 30, 722 minors — below 18 years — found loitering on railway platforms were united with their parents. Most of the lost minors are aged between five and 16 years. Of the 722 children restored to their families, 406 children were rescued from New Delhi Railway Station, 232 from Old Delhi Railway Station, 59 from Hazarat Nizamuddin, 14 from Sarai Rohilla and 11 from Anand Vihar railway stations. “Our officials directly spot the children and send them to CWC. We search for their parents by uploading the picture of children on Zipnet, which connects all the police stations. Once parents are located, we hand the children over,” said the official. IANS

TUESDAY, JULY 16, 2013

Business

CHINA’S BAIDU BUYS MOBILE APP FIRM FOR $1.9 BN

China’s leading Internet search engine is to buy a smartphone app distribution firm for $1.9 billion, it said Tuesday, in what is said to be the largest takeover deal in the country’s Internet industry.

HALF-YEARLY REPORT

CITI PROFITS JUMP

Retail industry to be hit According to a 2013 Mid year-outlook report, rising inflation and marginal nominal wage growth will be a major deterrent to consumer spending. POSTNOON NEWS feedback@postnoon.com

“R

etail outlook I n d u s t r y remains negative due to higher inflation and marginal nominal wage growth. Both of these aspects are expected to act as major deterrents for consumer spending in the next six months to one year. In addition, margins pressures will continue to impact credit profile of retailers,” according to a 2013 Mid year-outlook report released India Ratings & Research. The private final consumption expenditure (PFCE) growth rate was at an eight year low in the last fiscal. The agency does not expect any significant improvement in the consumption expenditure during the second half of this year. Deterioration in PFCE is possibly emerging as a wellentrenched trend. Although, there is a nominal wage rate increase in the last fiscal, in reality, it indicates negative real wage growth for the consumer. According to the report, the wage rate increase was at 9.4 per cent for last fiscal, compared with the consumer price inflation (CPI) of 10.4 per

Retail Industry size: $500 billion n Growth rate: Around 10 per cent (between 2010 and 2012) n Expected to reach : $750-850 billion by 2015 n Organised sector: 8 per cent of the overall retail n Organised sector to reach 20 per cent of the overall retail by 2020 n Food and Grocery share of the retail: 60 per cent

NEW YORK CITY: US banking giant Citigroup Monday reported better-than-expected quarterly earnings as strong securities and investment banking revenues helped offset weaker mortgage business and continued US consumer caution. Net income came in at $4.2 billion on revenues of $20.5 billion in the second quarter, an increase of 26.2 perc ent from $2.9 billion on revenues of $18.4 billion in the year-ago period. Excluding the effects of a prior-year asset sale and some debt cost effects, Citi reported earnings of $1.25 per share, solidly topping analyst expectations of $1.18. Citi chief executive Michael Corbat pointed to year-on-year revenue and proﬁt growth across the globe.

NUMEROLOGY

$309 cent. This will in turn affect household savings rate and lead to discretionary spending. In addition to this, moderate corporate performance will lead to the nominal wage growth in this fiscal (FY14), in the best-case scenario, remain at FY13 levels. Retailers are likely to resort to extended discount-driven sales to boost volume growth. However, over the past nine quarters, discounts have not benefited volume growth meaningfully. Poor consumer sentiment is manifested in the low quarterly same-store-sales growth (SSSG) trend since FY12, driven by higher pricing with no significant improvement in volumes. Also, discounting may further dampen margins,” the report says. In this scenario, retailers are looking at profitable and moderate pace of expansion—additions under 10 per cent this fiscal as against the range of 15-30 per cent, seen in the last two-

The agency does not expect any significant improvement in the consumption expenditure during the second half of this year. three years. The agency expects this pace of additions to be maintained which would help reduce major capital expenditure outgo. In recent times, companies are closing, relocating or rationalising unprofitable stores. On a trailing 12 months (TTM) basis, Future Retail’s net space addition was negative 7.5 per cent to 14.1 million sft. In FY13, Trent closed down four Westside stores in India. Shoppers Stop’s (standalone) space addition was 9.7 per cent (YoY) to 3.4 million sft in last fiscal as compared to 29.2 per cent in previous fiscal (FY12). “Hurdles in attracting for-

eign direct investment (FDI) in multi-brand retail have increased. Recent instances of alleged questionable practices, under the existing Foreign Corrupt Practises Act, may further increase the challenge of attracting FDI in sectors such as retail. Foreign investors may additionally face a regulatory or reputation risk in their home jurisdictions,” explains the report. “The lower operating profitability, higher funding costs and working-capital requirements are to continue to exert pressure on operating cash flows. However, a sustained reduction in consumer price inflation coupled with healthy kharif productivity may benefit consumer spending in the last quarter of this fiscal. Alternately, a sudden spurt in government spending may have a temporary beneficial impact on private consumption, ultimately benefitting the sector,” states the report.

GOLD`31,300 10g SILVER `58,600 1kg

24C

for

DOLLAR `59.30 POUND `89.67

is what Mexico’s president is eyeing in private and public investments to improve the country’s infrastructure during his six-year term by modernizing roads, building passenger trains and boosting the energy sector.

TSE EXPANSION TOKYO: The Tokyo Stock Exchange on Tuesday officially absorbed the smaller Osaka bourse, creating the world’s third-largest stock market on a par with London. The move inflates the combined market to about 3,400, up from Tokyo’s previous 2,300 stocks, and values the market at about $4.4 trillion, according to the TSE. The total also includes hundreds of firms listed on the Jasdaq start-up market. The first day of trading for the combined bourse follows the January 1 creation of the Japan Exchange Group, which said the merger would help save costs and boost the nation’s securities market.

THUS SPAKE The drop in trade and scaling back of investment are part of a more balanced growth path for (China), and the knockon effect of its slower pace is deﬁnitely a concern for the region. CHANGYONG RHEE ADB CHIEF ECONOMIST

BSE NSE

19,748.74 285.74

5,935.10 95.70

TUESDAY, JULY 16, 2013

Comment Don’t go around saying the world owes you a living. The world owes you nothing. It was here first.

ABOUT A LEGEND

Betting hots up on ‘Baby Cambridge’ DANNY KEMP Agence France-Presse

he long wait for the birth of Prince William and his wife Catherine’s royal baby is big business for Britain’s bookmakers. Punters around the world are betting on a girl called Alexandra to be born, well, any day now. And with footballer David Beckham joking that the child should be named after him, the temptation for people to wager on every detail grows with every day the infant bides its time. Bookies say bets on the name, sex and date of the first child of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are drawing a record number of bets for a non-sports market, worth over £1 million (1.1 million euros, £1.5 dollars) so far. “It is the biggest novelty market we have ever seen,” Gary Burton, from the British betting firm Coral, told AFP on Monday. “We did the pope, we did reality TV and this is by far the biggest we have had. It’s getting busier and busier the more it goes on and the more coverage it gets.” Coral alone had taken more than £500,000 in bets on the royal baby, he added. Bookmaker William Hill said it had taken £100,000 from punters in 100 countries. Bets include a huge £1,000 bet from a punter in Austria on a male baby in the last week. That is at odds with most people, who believe it will be a girl following a slip of the tongue by Kate earlier this year when she appeared to start the word “daughter” when talking about the baby before cutting herself short. One punter placed £5,000 on a baby girl with Coral at the weekend.

FEW DARE TO ATTACK AILING MANDELA CHARLOTTE PLANTIVE

Mark Twain Writer

HIGH-FLYING THOUGHTS

According to doctors, a woman about to give birth needs to be as stress free as possible. With the betting and the royal baby watch going on in full swing, we can only hope the Duchess Kate can get through unaffected.

Agence France-Presse

riticism of Nelson Mandela is rare in South Africa, much less so when he is lying in a hospital bed. But a few critics are still willing to break the taboo. The 94-year-old’s opposition to apartheid and his role in negotiating a peaceful democratic transition have won him worldwide, but not, it seems, universal adoration. Twenty years after those talks, some still believe the deal he struck with South Africa’s white rulers ensured blacks would be disenfranchised for decades to come. Amukelani Ngobeni, a youth leader with the black consciousness party the Azanian People’s Organisation, is one such critic. With whites still earning six times more than blacks on average, he recently demanded Mandela apologise before he dies for “selling out black people’s struggle”. “Mandela and his friends... could not wait to occupy the global political space at the expense of the struggle for complete political, social and economic emancipation,” he said. The similarly minded Pan Africanist Congress’s youth

spokesman Sello Tladi also accused Mandela of being a “sell out.” But his party quickly distanced itself from the “reckless” statement made by “cranks” in its youth brigade. Such back-peddling normally follows anti-Mandela comments as quickly as the public backlash. In 2010, Mandela’s ex-wife Winnie, who he separated from two years after his release from prison in 1990, let loose in an apparent unguarded moment. “Mandela let us down. He agreed to a bad deal for the blacks,” she was quoted as saying. “Economically, we are still on the outside,” she added, according to the article by Nadira Naipaul, wife of Nobel literature laureate VS Naipaul. In the face of public outcry Winnie Mandela denied ever giving the Naipaul interview, and local media speculated she may have let slip in a private visit from the literary couple. While Mandela was long criticised for his support for violent resistance to apartheid, he has also come in for criticism for his role as president from 1994 to 1999. Mandela — already a septuagenarian when he took office — had expressed doubts about running the country he fought to create. But while he managed to

Members of Maitibolo Cultural Troupe pose on July 14, 2013 in front of tributes for former South African President Nelson Mandela outside the Medi Clinic Heart Hospital in Pretoria.

work with his former white jailers to “avoid a bloody civil war” he was not hands-on in the dayto-day running of the nation. During his administration, biographer Anthony Sampson later noted, then deputy president Thabo Mbeki “was more decisively running the country as Mandela became increasingly aloof from day-to-day government.” He behaved “more like a constitutional monarch than an executive president.” Still, in Johannesburg’s impoverished township of Alexandra, few are willing to

criticise a man who is now breathing with the help of life support machines. Only a highway separates the area from upmarket suburb Sandton, home to Africa’s largest stock exchange. “There are small groups saying he sold us out, but they are a very small minority,” said 22year-old Khetha, a trainee technician. “He did his work,” he said, adding that “blacks still don’t have economic freedom, whites are more advantaged. If you compare the life of people from Sandton with those of Alex, it’s obvious.” Others also temper their criticism. “Even if he has done some things wrong, we don’t speak about it because everybody idealised him,” according to Mark Dons, 46. “Mandela had his mistakes but, because of the man he was, people overlook them.” The former president’s actions were necessary, said Joseph Mulaudzi also 46-yearsold. “He had to compromise on a lot of things during the reconciliation process,” he said. In the early 1990s “there were a lot of tensions ... if it was not for him, we would have had a civil war.” “That’s why we can enjoy freedom. There had to be compromise,” he added.

EDITORIALS Supreme verdict on dance timely

upreme Court’s ruling today that dance bars can be reopened in Mumbai is a welcome development. Dance performances in Mumbai bars were banned in 2005. The dance bar owners will now have to apply for a licence to the government before reopening. The ban invoked in 2005 was immediately contested by bar owners and dancers’ unions. In April, 2006, the Bombay High Court had struck it down on grounds that the ban prohibited one’s right to profession. In May, 2006, the Maharashtra government had obtained a stay against the HC judgement. Don’t dance we are Indians, say many Indian states. It is as if dancing was a cardinal vice human being could do. One wonders at such insensitive stance espe-

READERS’ VIEWS

cially when one recalls that all our ﬁlms are overﬂowing with music and dance. And, pray, is not dancing a physical and mental exercise, certainly more welcome than violence and quarrel? Even all holy scriptures mention of feast and dancing. Gods do, according to scriptures. Lord Shiva is Nataraja. It is another matter that many so called break-dance in bars degenerate into obscenity. In such cases bar owners and elders should use their avuncular authority to bring sanity, but blanket ban is undemocratic and illegal. As for the youth, they need avenues to express their vibrancy and energy. If we put ban on dance and bars and parks, where will they go? This kind of authoritarianism is unjust by any measure.

TUESDAY, JULY 16, 2013

workplace

YAHOO HACKATHON

Venturing out of Bangalore for the first time, Yahoo! India R&D organised the sixth annual edition of its hackathon in Hyderabad on Saturday and Sunday July 13 and 14.

A SHOULDER TO LEAN ON

HERE’S THE DOPE

The comfort and the blessing of having a work spouse extend beyond what may be strictly defined as work. Do you know of someone whom you can count on in office with your eyes closed?

SPOUSE AT WORK A POSTNOON NEWS feedback@postnoon.com

t work, you have friends. Close friends. But is there someone who is more than a friend, a perfect partner at work? He or she will know when you need something done and will work with in tandem. He or she will know that you are low in spirits and will do all they can to bring cheer. Also, you can trust them with secrets and share your worst fears and best joys. If you have, then you have a work spouse, or a work partner. Shruti Kaushik, who works for a publication, says once she was faced with a situation where she contemplated quitting and would have done so had it been not for her work spouse. “I had a terrible boss. And she was driving me nuts. She would pick on me for trifles and would shoot down ideas that I suggested at team meetings. I was frustrated and not a day would pass by at work where I would not have thought about quitting. One bad day, I decided I could not take it anymore and told my work spouse that I was quitting.” Shruti says she was glad that she told him. “He listened, waited till I finished, sat me down and told me calmly that I should not be rash and impulsive. He

advised me to look at the bigger picture and convinced me that just because your boss is a pain, it does not mean you have to quit,” Shruti recalls. She and her work spouse then deliberated and found a way to “work around her issue”. The comfort and the blessing of having a work spouse extend

beyond what may be strictly defined as work, for there are instances when there is something unconnected to work gnawing at you which causes your performance at work to suffer. Here, too, work spouses are an immense relief, because they know you enough to know what you may be going through

— not only do they back you up at work, they give you a patient listen, after which you feel better, and may give you a solution. Rajeev Sharma, who works as a senior executive at a bank, says sometimes some people find it hard to gel with the whole team due to various reasons and it is inevitable you ending up having a work spouse. “There was this statuesque girl who joined in a senior position with us some years back. She was pretty, intelligent and good at her work. There was a majority that resented her for all that, especially the ones who had more experience than her and the ones whose attempts at wooing her failed. So they would take her case and would slander her and spread the malicious rumours about her. I was the only one who kept aloof from all this and so she started talking to me and we became pretty good friends.” Rajeev says she would practically depend on him for any help at work and seek advice when her personal life was going through a rocky time: she had begun an affair with a married man, much older than her. “It had begun to show on her work. One day she told me everything and asked me what she should do. I told her that she should stop it, as there’s no point in your being unhappy and wrecking a marriage.”

The silent observer always KANCHAN AGARWAL kanchan.a@postnoon.com

nce a passenger asked me, "You pick and drop people all the time. That means you are either driving or waiting by the car for hours together. Don't you get bored?". I said, "Well. It is my job. Sitting, driving, and waiting is my share of manual labour as a member of my class. It is better than digging coal mines, for sure." Besides, having acquired this patience I get to be the silent and invisible observer. They fight, cry, laugh, trade, fart even, in my presence without being much affected by it. When the journey is long, I am told stories. They tell me what they do and how their industry works. On an unlikely day, a passenger sits by who is very curious about my small life, and how my family must be fighting for elbow space in my limited earnings. I have seen on rearview mirrors that they wonder if have enough. Truth is, we need simple things, want less, spend less and save more. If you must know, a driver is a very trustworthy employee. Once you have built that trust in your employer, driving is only a tool. I have delivered and collected bags full of money innumerable times. I have also played the messenger. It feels nice to be given responsibility of these intangibilities, but the risk is just as high. You make one mistake, they jump at judging you equal to that selfish, insensitive murdering driver they read about in the papers. Suddenly, you become just as capable of looting your bosses off their money and jewellery even if that required killing them all in cold blood. Believe it or not, these rich dudes are scared as hell. Some are generous, too. Especially those who come from abroad. This white guy I drove around for a week, meant to tip me before leaving. After a week of sincerity, efficiency and goodwill, when I was all set to drop him at the airport, I was sent to drive another important man. Funny things, events. I have no choice but to make peace with the money that never came, and the quiet, moving job I have.

TUESDAY, JULY 16, 2013

spotlight SMILE PLEASE...

S BALAKRISHNA

PICTURE PERFECT Works of photographer Sarath Shetty were displayed at the Muse Art Gallery, Hyderabad Marriott Hotel and Convention Centre yesterday. Celebrities like SS Rajmoli and Kiran Dembla attended. 2

IT’S MOVIE TIME!

A special screening of Anand Gandhi’s Ship of Theseus was organised at Cinemax, Banjara Hills, yesterday. Celebrities Tashu Kaushik and Aida El-Kashef ﬂocked to the theatre dressed in their best.

1 Manmeet

5 SS Rajmoli, Rama

9 Sunil, Sakshi

2 Kiran

6 Ishita, Rajita

10 Nisha

3 Kavya

7 Sapna, Simran

11 Esha

4 Shalini

8 Bhavisha

TUESDAY, JULY 16, 2013

health

KIDS OF OBESE FATHERS RISK BEING OVERWEIGHT

Children of obese fathers are at a greater risk of being overweight, a new study by Australian researchers has claimed. Adelaide University's Robinson Institute team has found molecular signals in the sperm of obese fathers could produce diabetes-like symptoms and obesity in two generations of offspring.

UNDERSTANDING YOUR EYES: PART II

DISEASES OF THE EYE

TRACHOMA

Trachoma is the result of infection of the eye with Chlamydia trachomatis. Infection spreads from person to person, especially where there are shortage of water, numerous flies, and crowded living conditions. Approximately 80 million people in the world have active trachoma.

SYMPTOMS

Early symptoms include: n Mild itching and irritation of the eyes and eyelids n Discharge from the eyes containing mucus or pus Later, the symptoms get much worse. n Marked light sensitivity (photophobia) n Blurred vision n Eye pain n Inner eyelid scarring n Ingrown eyelashes

TREATMENT

If left untreated, the infection eventually causes the eyelid to turn inwards, which in turn causes the eyelashes to rub on the eyeball, resulting in intense pain and scarring of the front of the eye. The WHO-developed strategy for treatment is a combination of interventions known by the acronym "SAFEâ&#x20AC;?, which stands for surgery for trichiasis (inturned eyelashes), antibiotics, facial cleanliness and environmental improvement.

Every five seconds, one person in the world goes blind. This shows how delicate an organ the eye is, and how vulnerable it is to diseases and disorders. We take a look at some common eye problems. MACULAR DEGENERATION

Dry macular degeneration is a chronic eye disease that causes vision loss in the centre of your field of vision. This usually happens as a person gets older. Wet macular degeneration is characterised by blood vessels that grow under the retina in the back of the eye, leaking blood and fluid.

SYMPTOMS

n Blurred vision n Loss of brightness n Drusen (yellow deposits under the retina) n Blurred spot in the centre of field of vision

TREATMENT

No treatment exists for early age-related macular degeneration. If the condition worsens, the doctor might suggest a specific high-dose supplement that contains antioxidants and zinc. Wet AMD typically results in severe vision loss. Injecting anti-VEGF drugs into the eye, photodynamic therapy and laser surgery could help.

CONJUNCTIVITIS

Conjunctivitis, also known as pinkeye, is an inflammation of the conjunctiva. Pinkeye caused by some bacteria and viruses can spread easily from person to person, but is not a serious health risk if diagnosed promptly. Irritants like shampoo and allergies can also cause pinkeye.

SYMPTOMS

n Redness in the white of the eye or inner eyelid n Increased amount of tears n Thick yellow discharge that crusts over the eyelashes n Green or white discharge n Itchy eyes n Burning eyes n Blurred vision n Increased sensitivity to light

TREATMENT

Pinkeye caused by bacteria, including those related to STDs, is treated with antibiotics, in the form of eye drops, ointments, or pills. Viral conjunctivitis can be highly contagious. Avoid contact with others and wash your hands frequently. Allergy-associated conjunctivitis should improve once the allergy is treated and the allergen removed.

GLAUCOMA

Glaucoma is a condition that causes damage to your eyeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s optic nerve and gets worse over time. It's often associated with a build-up of pressure inside the eye. Glaucoma tends to be inherited and may not show up until later in life.

SYMPTOMS

n Seeing halos around lights n Vision loss n Redness in the eye n Eye that looks hazy (particularly in infants) n Nausea or vomiting n Pain in the eye n Narrowing of vision (tunnel vision)

TREATMENT

Eyedrops, laser surgery and microsurgery are the common treatments for glaucoma. Most people with glaucoma do not go blind as long as they follow their treatment plan and have regular eye exams.

CATARACTS

Cataracts occur when there is a build-up of protein in the lens that makes it cloudy. This prevents light from passing clearly through the lens, causing some loss of vision. Cataracts can be age-related, congenital, secondary or traumatic.

SYMPTOMS n n n n n n n

Vision that is cloudy, blurry, foggy, or filmy Progressive nearsightedness in older people, often called "second sight" because they may no longer need reading glasses Changes in the way you see colour because the discolored lens acts as a filter Problems driving at night such as glare from oncoming headlights Problems with glare during the day. Double vision Sudden changes in glasses prescription

TREATMENT

If your vision can be corrected to an acceptable level with a change in prescription, eyeglasses, including bifocals or contacts, may be prescribed, eliminating the need for surgery at that time. If vision loss cannot be corrected with lenses or spectacles, cataract surgery is recommended.

TUESDAY, JULY 16, 2013

Technology UNIVERSAL EXPANSION A LOOK BACK AT THE DIGITAL WALLET COMPANY’S ASCENT TO THE STARS For anyone who has shopped online PayPal is a ubiquitous name. The company is now setting its sights outside the planet with PayPal Galactic, an idea so forward-thinking that it seems like something out of science fiction. Here’s a look at the company’s rise to stardom.

PayPal is born

1998 Max Levchin and Peter Thiel meet at Levchin’s lecture at Stanford. Inspired, they founded Confinity, a money transfer service for PDA devices.

PayPal grows to 100,000 accounts after eBay sellers show their love for the system as opposed to eBay’s own, even as Confinity merges with x.com with Elon Musk as Chairman and CEO.

Offers payment service for brick and mortar stores.

2011

2000

Did you know?

1999 A heady year for PayPal, during which they get acquired by eBay for $1.5 billion.

2002 PayPal expands operations to 103 countries and 10 currencies.

Launches global payment solution PayPal X.

2006

2009

2008 Launches local sites in Mexico, Hong Kong and Singapore.

2013 goes

Levchin’s award winning antifraud program was named ‘Igor’ after the Russian hacker whose boast was that he would never be caught. PayPal was one of the first websites to use CAPTCHAs, which they called the GausebeckLevchin test. PayPal Mafia is a group of people who were associated with the company at various points of time and went on to found highly successful companies. Peter Thiel is the ‘don’ of the group; other notable names include Roelof Botha (Sequoia Capital), the founders of YouTube and Russel Simmons of Yelp. PayPal was voted one of the top 10 worst business ideas of 1999. Well, they certainly proved that one wrong!

NO MORE ADS Apple has a new trick up its sleeve as it tries to launch a longawaited television service: technology that allows viewers to skip commercials and that pays media companies for the skipped views. For more than a year, Apple has been seeking rights from cable companies and television networks for a service that would allow users to watch live and ondemand television over an Apple set-top box or TV. Talks have been slow and proceeding in fits and starts, but things seem to be heating up. In recent discussions, Apple told media executives it wants to offer a “premium” version of the service.

WATCH PLANS ‘SURFACE’

Microsoft's prototype smartwatch testing has moved over to its Surface team according to sources familiar with the plans. The company is now prototyping devices directly under the Surface team as the ﬁrm moves its wrist-worn device closer to reality. Previously, Microsoft had been testing variations of a smartwatch designed and prototyped by the Xbox accessories team, with the original plan of a "Joule" heart rate monitor. The news follows prototype testing of devices with a Surface connector.

Redemption? Yahoo, initially vilified for being part of the PRISM program, which allows the NSA to tap it and other companies for users' information, is about to be vindicated. A court ruled Monday that the Department of Justice must reveal classified documents from 2008 that Yahoo says will demonstrate that the company fought back against a secret court order to reveal their users' data. Ironically, it's the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) Court that ruled for Yahoo. It was the FISC, often referred to as a "secret court," that signed off on an order for Yahoo to hand over users’ information in the first place.

TUESDAY, JULY 16, 2013

Entertainment CINE BYTES

Atharintiki Dharedhi’s teaser goes viral

he first teaser of Pawan Kalyan’s upcoming film Atharintiki Dharedhi has gone viral on the Internet. Directed by Trivikram Srinivas, the film also stars Samantha, Pranitha Shubash, Boman Irani and Nadiya in lead roles. Devi Sri Prasad has scored the music and the audio will be launched on July 19.

RISING STAR

Doosukeltha’s new schedule begins

Balakrishna begins shooting for his next

he principal shooting of Balakrishna’s upcoming film in Boyapati Sreenu’s direction has officially begun. Currently, a fight sequence is being shot in Ramoji Film City. Sonal Chauhan is one of the heroines in this action entertainer. Devi Sri Prasad will compose the music.

new schedule of Manchu Vishnu, Lavanya Tripathi starrer Doosukeltha has begun in Hyderabad. Last month, a song was shot on the lead pair and a major portion of the film has already been wrapped up. Veeru Potla is directing the film and Vishnu is producing the film.

WHEN A DREAM COMES TRUE Charlotte Claire, who’ll soon make her acting debut in Arjun’s Jai Hind 2, tells us more about her dream to act in films and what she has given up for it. HEMANTH KUMAR hemanth.k@postnoon.com

harlotte Claire is living her dream these days. Less than a year after she decided to pursue a career in acting, she went on to win Gladrags Mega Model 2013 beauty pageant earlier this year and now she has bagged one of the lead roles in Arjun’s upcoming film Jai Hind 2. “After completing my class XII, I decided to take part in the Gladrags Mega Model beauty pageant. My sister, Sophie Handa had won the Mrs India title few years ago and she is a huge inspiration for me. I think the luck was on my side and I went on to win the competition. Soon after that, I was called for an audition for Jai Hind 2. Everything happened quite quickly and I couldn’t have asked for a better start for my career in films,” Charlotte says. However, winning the competition wasn’t a easy task for her and she reveals, “My whole personality has changed over the past few months. All the contestants were groomed for the beauty pageant which included dancing, gymming, getting the body posture right among other things. I was a spoilt brat and plump before joining the competition and I lost a lot of weight to get into the shape.” It sounds too good to be true that everything fell in place for her so quickly, but she avers, “I have always been passionate about acting and right now, I’m trying to learn Tamil because I want to dub on my own.” Jai Hind 2 deals with the education system in India and its flaws. Most part of the film will be shot in Mysore, Chennai and London. “I’m playing a London-based girl in the film. It’s a very strong character and it’s a huge privilege for me to act alongside a great actor like Arjun. There is a lot to learn from him. I’ll be joining the film’s shooting later this month,” she signs off.

Entertainment TUESDAY, JULY 16, 2013

CRTICAL ACCLAIM

CINE BYTES

Stars invited for centenary celebrations

ollywood luminaries such as Amitabh Bachchan and Shah Rukh Khan are on the guest list for celebration of Indian cinema’s 100 years to be held in Chennai on September 1-3. “Shah Rukh and Amitabh-ji are on our guest list. We have requested them to lend their support in our celebration. We are hoping that they will take out time and join us,” C Kalyan, president of The South Indian Film Chamber of Commerce said. IANS

‘You can’t please everybody’

ikramaditya Motwane says it is impossible to make everyone happy. Reacting to the mixed response to his second film Lootera, director “Yes, the film has got a mixed response, but you can’t please everybody through your film. Some have liked it and some have not. But I am happy that many people have liked the film,” Motwane said. IANS

Indian erotic drama BA Pass to screen at London Indian Film Festival

.A. Pass star Shadab Kamal has said that he is grateful that the project has won praise on the international film festival circuit. Following screenings at Osian’s Cinefan Festival of Asian and Arab Cinema, the Montreal World Film Festival and South Asian Film Festival in Paris, the project will screen this week at the London Indian Film Festival. Kamal told Digital Spy: “I feel proud to say that not only has our film been selected for various prestigious festivals but it also picked up awards and got critical acclaim. “We don’t have a big star cast. For a small budget, non-commercial film made on an unconventional theme in mainstream Indian cinema, it helps to earn as much credibility as possible.” Also starring Chak De India actress Shilpa Shukla, the movie’s theatrical release in India has been postponed in order to get wider distribution. “The idea was to get as many shows as possible,” revealed Kamal. “It seemed like a good move to postpone the release since we would be hard-pressed to fit in enough shows with a three-hour film like Bhaag Milkha Bhaag running at the same time. “Add to that, there were many other films releasing on the same date.”

Sanjay Gupta to direct Mumbai Saga next

fter the success of Shootout at Wadala, filmmaker Sanjay Gupta is geared up for his next project Mumbai Saga, which, he says, is his “most ambitious” movie as yet. “Mumbai Saga is the title of my new film. It’s an epic crime saga set in the 1980s and 1990s,” Gupta posted on Twitter.. “It is my most ambitious film to date. Action, drama, deceit, betrayal, powerplay, politics, crime, cops and gangsters are the keywords,” he added. IANS

Entertainment TUESDAY, JULY 16, 2013

THROUGH THICK AND THIN

CINE BYTES

DEMI LOVATO reaches out to support S Paris Jackson

inger Demi Lovato has reached out to help Paris Jackson, daughter of late pop-star Michael Jackson, following her hospitalisation for allegedly trying to commit suicide. Lovato lost her father, Patrick Lovato, last month after he lost the battle to cancer, reports conatctmusic.com. “With Demi having just lost her dad, she feels a special bond with Paris. She told Paris about how she’d endured horrible bullying about her weight and her looks and even nasty comments about her estranged father. That struck a chord with Paris because of her own controversial father and like Demi, she’s been dieting for years,” a source was quoted as saying. “There are so few people in Hollywood who show up during the tough times but Demi is the real deal,” the source added. Lovato recently partnered with a mental health charity to honour her late father to help those with mental illnesses and seeking treatment. IANS

Actor Richard Gere is a tough guy

ctor Richard Gere says he behaves like a tough guy whenever he is on the movie sets and everybody has to listen to him. “I’m kind of a tough guy at work and I guess because I’m a big shot on set, everyone has to listen to me,” Total Film magazine quoted Gere as saying. “But I live with a very strong woman! Believe me, she doesn’t say ‘yes’ very often,” he added. IANS

Robbie Williams to quit Take That again?

obbie Williams is reportedly planning to quit his Take That band for the second time to pursue his solo career. The singer, who joined Take That again in 2010 after 15 years of gap, might not be there for the band’s seventh studio album, reports dailystar.co.uk. “Robbie feels rejuvenated about his solo career,” a source said. IANS

Fergie to take Josh Duhamel’s name

ergie is changing her name. The Black Eyed Peas singer has filed legal papers requesting to change both her first and last names. If the court grants her request, she will soon legally be named Fergie Duhamel. Born Stacy Ann Ferguson, the name change is meant to reflect the names by which the singer is known by now.

TUESDAY, JULY 16, 2013

Chai Time

THOUGHT OF THE DAY

We know what we are, but not what we may be. William Shakespeare.

KAKURO

QUICK CROSSWORD

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

ACROSS

PREVIOUS PUZZLE ANSWER

SCRIBBLING PAD

1 Florida metropolis 6 Carnival dance 11 Shell game need 14 Rubber industry city 15 Contemptible one 16 Business meeting dispenser 17 Asian restaurant serving 19 Slip preventer 20 Letter from Greece? 21 Ltd. or Inc., in Paris 22 Tire letters 23 Con’s marks 27 Absorbed amounts 29 Org. quoted on toothpaste tubes 30 Made stuff up 32 “Certainly!” south of the border 33 Bird’s beak 34 Georgia of “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” 36 Odometer increment 39 Alternatives to buses 41 Vidalia veggie 43 It has a lot of Turkey in it 44 Don’t just please 46 Hollywood statuette 48 Elephant feature 49 Baffles, or is no longer baffled 51 Trumpet muffler 52 Preposition in poetry 53 Trembles with fury 56 Broken stone used in pavement 58 Trusted chum 59 Infuriation 60 Post for a ‘60s GI 61 Get mileage out of 62 It may lead a horse to water 68 “Give ___ break!” 69 Concerning bees 70 Start of some Hallmark cards 71 Jolly old ___ (Santa) 72 Slow, musically 73 Disappearing afternoon TV shows

DOWN

1 Prefix for “content” 2 Thirty-fourth president’s nickname 3 “Pop” and “op” follower 4 Church choral work 5 Useless 6 Abbr. in some Canadian place names 7 “How adorable!” 8 “___ beaucoup!” 9 Zombie’s plaint 10 Last word before the first bite, sometimes 11 Throwaway from a Halloween carving 12 Shake an Etch A Sketch 13 Naysayers 18 El ___ (Chevy coupe) 23 “I Love Lucy” actress 24 Perfect 25 Off-stuffed appetizer 26 Repeat symbol, in music 28 No longer in the docks 31 Certain religious philosophy 35 ___ tenens (substitute) 37 Miss America’s headgear 38 Concubines’ confines 40 “Ignore previous notation” 42 Afloat 45 Adhering to moral principles 47 Puts in a whole new light 50 Mexican shawl 53 Suds in the surf 54 Prop for Rembrandt 55 Yellow finch 57 Answer to “Are not!” 63 Start of a drum sound 64 Inspiration for Lennon’s “Woman” 65 “Yankee Doodle Dandy” beginning 66 Beat walker 67 U.K. distance measures

Chai Time TUESDAY, JULY 16, 2013 Thiruvaikumar

STAR POWER for 17-7-2013

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

ARIES

TAURUS

GEMINI

CANCER

LEO

VIRGO

LIBRA

SCORPIO

SAGITTARIUS

CAPRICORN

AQUARIUS

PISCES

Speculative deals need to be avoided. Businessmen will feel cheerful as number of new customers will be added to their list and quantum of sales will jump considerably. Employees need to focus in their works.

STRIP TEASE AGNES

Be careful during travel as chances of getting robbed or minor accident is likely. Realtors stand to gain in most of the deals. Businessmen will act wise enough to beat competitors and progress well.

Employees will work hard with perfection and get closer to the management and superior. But they need to handle important works on their own without entrusting to others. Artists will be flooded with good opportunities.

Deficit financial situation might keep you upset. Politicians are advised not to blame their own party men as that might boomerang on them later. Artists will get back the good opportunity which got slipped out of their hands earlier.

Businessmen will wisely handle the labour problems and succeed. Spouse’s health will be a cause for concern, take good care. Do not share your personal matters with anyone else including very close friends or relatives.

Women will be successful in all the difficult tasks that were undertaken. Software professionals are likely to get promotion and pay hike. Your self confidence and will power are so high which will prompt you to undertake tough tasks.

Politicians may have to struggle a lot to fulfill their commitments. Women need to keep away the persons who befriend them with bad intention. Artists will get good lot of opportunities. Heat related ailments are likely, health needs attention.

You will take very important and bold decisions. Son might get a prosperous career opening which will keep all the family members cheerful. You might get frustrated with the action of your close friends or relatives but keep your cool.

Children will be very much cooperative. Politicians will win the confidence of their high command and will be entrusted with new and responsible post. Businessmen need to make a good study of the market condition.

TAROT READ

Sumaa Tekur

tarotreadhyd@gmail. com

ARIES:

GEMINI:

Eight of Wands – You find someone’s behaviour appalling but it bothers you that you cannot say anything because it is too late to pick faults now.

LEO:

King of Swords – You need to listen more and speak less. Most of the miscommunication is happening because you are not paying attention to what others say.

LIBRA:

PEARLS BEFORE SWINE

The Lovers – In a competition, you win. You will be in a position to advise on how to move forward. This is a profitable time, one that makes you feel worthwhile.

SAGITTARIUS:

Six of Wands – There is someone in your office or your team, who is uncomfortable with anyone entering what they believe is his/her territory.

TAURUS:

Nine of Pentacles – You are spending too much time on the mobile phone. This may be affecting your personto-person interaction.

CANCER:

Seven of Swords – You will gain tremendous insight when you visit a museum or any place which is a storehouse of culture and information. Open your mind.

VIRGO:

Three of Pentacles – Pay attention to the features of a person you may be getting close to. This person will give you hints on what they are actually like.

SCORPIO:

King of Wands – Do not waste time thinking of the past when you should actually be spending this precious time planning for the future.

CAPRICORN:

Seven of Wands – You have abundant talent. You only have to make time to practice and stay focused on improving your skills.

PREVIOUS SOLUTIONS

PISCES:

Ace of Wands – Someone is dominating you and you have to stand up for your rights in order to be heard. Do not take this lightly. Carve your own space.

NUMBER GAME

Wands – A bonus is on the way. It may be a reward for your hard work or the result of some smart investment moves.

SCRABBLE

AQUARIUS: Page of

POOCH CAFE

New job opportunity is likely for some. Businessmen are advised to keep on hold, signing important contracts, as the time is not favourable. Govt. works will end favourable without any delay. Employees will be given new opportunities.

for 17-7-2013

Nine of Swords – You look for cheap deals when out shopping. Let this not cloud your judgment on quality. Make room for a sensible and practical buy.

NON SEQUITUR

Held up works will resume and progress well. VIP friends will help you in achieving your goals. Employees have good chances to cheer up as their demands will be accepted by the management. Businessmen will sign promising contracts.

SUDUKO

Debt issues might put you in a fix; deal with them carefully. Politicians are advised not to waste time in purposeless discussions. Govt. officials might be upset as they are promoted to a post without any benefits.

Boggle ITALY TURKEY NORWAY GERMANY Vol: 2, No 361 RNI No: APENG/2011/39337 Published for the proprietors, Scribble Media and Entertainment Pvt Ltd, by V Harshavardhan Reddy, at #1246, Level 3, Jubilee Casa, Road No 62, Jubilee Hills, Hyderabad – 500033 and printed by him at Jagati Publications Ltd, Plot No D-75&E-52, APIE Industrial Estate, Balanagar, Ranga Reddy Dist, Hyderabad – 500037, Editor: Dean Williams – Responsible for selection of news under the PRB Act All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission of the publisher is prohibited. For feedback, please write to: feedback@postnoon. com and for subscription, please call 040-4067 2222, Fax: 040-4067 2211

Entertainment TUESDAY, JULY 16, 2013

SCREEN DIVAS

CINE BYTES

Leighton’s role recast with Andrea Estella

ack in Season 1 of Veronica Mars, Leighton Meester (Gossip Girl) played the role of Carrie Bishop in a memorable episode. That part has been recast with singer Andrea Estella to play Carrie in the upcoming Veronica Mars movie. Rob Thomas, the creator of the Veronica Mars series and the writer/director of the ﬁlm, announced the casting change in a message sent to Kickstarter supporters on Sunday (July 14).

Lea Michele grieving Cory Monteith

Teese would choose Johansson as burlesque dancer

ctress-designer Dita Von Teese, known as Queen of Burlesque, says given a chance she would pick actress Scarlett Johansson to be a burlesque dancer. The 40-year-old said the 28-year-old actress was fixated with her during a show and the feeling was mutual. “If I had to pick one of today’s celebrities to be a burlesque dancers, I’d chose Scarlett Johansson. She came to one of my (burlesque) shows once, she was sitting front row with her mouth agape and she couldn’t take her eyes off me,” femalefirst.co.uk quoted Teese as saying. ”She has a great body and you can see that she has a good relationship with her own sexuality,” she added. Teese, who believes every artist should have their own character and style, was also full of praise for a number of other A-listers who have made their mark in the entertainment industry, including Madonna and Lady Gaga. ”I’m from Detroit (Michigan) and Madonna is from around there. She’s been the person who influenced my career the most, she’s interesting, she’s an icon. “I love Lady Gaga and her eccentric spirit. She’s fascinating and charming, but there will never be another Madonna,” she added. IANS

ea Michele is grieving the sudden loss of her boyfriend (and Glee co-star), Cory Monteith. Though the 26-year-old actress has yet to personally speak out following Cory’s death on Saturday, a rep for the actress issued a statement on Sunday. ”We ask that everyone kindly respect Lea’s privacy during this devastating time,” the actress said in a statement.

Transformers 4 casts top Chinese star Han Geng

nother Chinese superstar has joined the cast of Transformers 4. Singer-turnedactor Han Geng has landed an unspeciﬁed role in Michael Bay’s forthcoming action sequel, following the lead of Chinese actress Li Bingbing, who signed on for the ﬁlm back in May. “Han Geng has been a sensation in China and we are happy to have him in our movie,” said Bay in a statement.

sports

TUESDAY, JULY 16, 2013

ELITE FOOTBALL LEAGUE OF INDIA

SRINIVAS SETTY

HUT! HUT! Hyderabad The Sky Kings Hyderabad will take on Bangalore Warhawks in a warm-up match. Fans of American football, be ready for the hussle and tussle. ARUN D YELLAMATY arunyellamaty@postnoon.com

he Hyderabad Skykings is all set to rock the American football fans in the City; the team will be playing against the Bangalore Warhawks in a warm-up match for the on July 20, Saturday at the Begumpet Hockey Stadium.

Playing in the Elite Football League of India (EFLI), the Hyderabad Skykings donning their armour-like gear are training under the watchful eye of Coach Praveen Reddy Chintala. They are a motley crew of athletes: former sprinters, wrestlers, software engineers and college students with a flair for sport. Few months ago the

Skykings became the first team to be purchased while other teams remain under the ownership of the League. The players are looking forward to the upcoming season starting yearend and the matches will be in India, determined to go the whole nine yards, literally and figuratively, to win the championship.

The coach, talking about the team, said, “We are popularly known as a great defensive team and that is our strength. We have people from different walks of lives. Since all are athletes, I don’t spend time in teaching about fitness; I work more on teaching them how to catch the ball. We are happy to perform at home, and we will surely give our best to win the title. We are a hard team to beat.” The first season took place last year in Sri Lanka backed by big names from America including Hollywood actor Mark

We are popularly known as a great defensive team and that is our strength. Praveen Reddy Chintala Skykings coach

Wahlberg and NFL (National Football League) head coach Mark Dikta, and was a grand success. This year, however, the team is excited to play in India and the Hyderabad team is very excited to show off their talents before their home crowd. Captain Santosh Yerrabolu, a software engineer at Infosys, says, “We are very excited to play in Hyderabad and are training hard for the upcoming season. Everyone in our team is talented.” Santosh is confident that American football will find its fanbase in Hyderabad. “Like any other sport, American Football is about intense competition but what makes it special is that it’s a contact sport and that is what will attract people to it and once they start understanding the game, they will keep coming back.” Catch their Hyderabad matches, follow them on: https://www.facebook.com/Hyderab adSkykings.

PAK-WINDIES SERIES

Pak to capitalise on Windies batting woes PROVIDENCE: In the wake of a thumping 126-run series-opening victory, Pakistan will again seek to capitalise on the struggles of the West Indies batting line-up for the second One-Day International at the Guyana National Stadium on Tuesday. Sunday’s capitulation for just 98 represented a continuation of the declining performances of the Caribbean side’s batsmen. At the preceding Tri-Nations Series also involving Sri Lanka and eventual winners India, West Indies won their first two matches in Jamaica but were eliminated from the final on the back of heavy defeats in their

remaining encounters in Trinidad with the team managing totals of 171 and 190 for nine. “It’s about a lack of confidence among the batters,” West Indies captain Dwayne Bravo lamented following the humiliating loss in front of a full house on Sunday. “When you’re not scoring runs, things just don’t seem to go your way. It’s really tough.” Compounding the woes of the home side is the fact that their only other batting option in the 13-man squad, Devon Smith, failed to score in the two innings he played during the Tri-Nation Series.

Sunday’s capitulation for just 98 represented a continuation of the declining performances of the Caribbean side’s batsmen. It suggests therefore that the West Indies essentially have no choice but to persist with the same combination for the second match in the hope that they can come good against a top-class bowling line-up and in condi-

tions that Pakistan captain Misbah-ul-Haq has acknowledged are very challenging. “It was one of the most difficult pitches on which I’ve ever played. It was seaming. It was even stopping a bit,” was Misbah’s post-match assessment of the playing surface. “Shahid Afridi played a really good innings for us, you really can’t be too hard on the other batsmen on a pitch like this.” Pakistan rallied from 47 for five to 224 for nine on the back of Afridi’s bludgeoning 76 and Misbah’s patient 51. The all-rounder then returned the outstanding bowl-

ing figures of seven for 12 in routing the West Indies. Conditions are not expected to be much different for the second game on Tuesday. The teams then head to St Lucia for the remaining three matches of the series. It is unprecedented for senior international cricket to be played in Guyana at the start of the rainy season, and with inclement weather on Monday forcing the West Indies to cancel their scheduled practice session, batsmen on both sides are again expected to face an almighty task on a pitch offering considerable assistance to the bowlers. AFP

sports TUESDAY, JULY 16, 2013

INJURY SCARE

Maria withdraws from Stanford Classic The Russian suffered the left hip injury during Wimbledon which ended earlier this month. STANFORD:AFP) - World No.2 Maria Sharapova pulled out of next week’s WTA Tour Standford Classic with a nagging hip injury. Sharapova’s withdrawal Monday has robbed the tournament of one of its biggest names. The Russian suffered the left hip injury during Wimbledon which ended earlier this month. “We understand that a player’s health must always

come first," said tournament director Kim Hall. Hall also said Belgium’s Kirsten Flipkens, who is ranked 15th overall, had pulled out. Officials did not give a reason for Flipkens’s withdrawal. With the loss of Sharapova, the top draws in the event now include recently crowned Wimbledon champion Marion Bartoli and world number four Agnieszka Radwanska. Former

US Open champion Samantha Stosur, of Australia, and 2010 French Open winner Francesca Schiavone are also in the field. Sharapova and Flipkens will be replaced in the 28-player draw by world number 46 Daniela Hantuchova and Christina McHale, who is ranked 79th. The tournament, which includes singles and doubles players, runs from July 22-28. AFP

WAR AGAINST DOPING

Coe vows stern action against drug cheats Sebastian Coe insists athletics chiefs will intensify the war against drugs cheats in the aftermath of the positive tests for Tyson Gay and Asafa Powell. LONDON: Sebastian Coe insists athletics chiefs will intensify the war against drugs cheats in the aftermath of the positive tests for Tyson Gay and Asafa Powell. It was revealed on Sunday that America’s Gay, the fastest man in the world this year, and Jamaica’s former world record holder Powell had both tested positive for banned substances. It is not known which substance Gay took, although that should be confirmed after his B sample is analysed. Powell, who has run 9.88secs this year but failed to make the Jamaican team for next month’s World Championships, was tested at the national trials in June

This is not a war we can afford to lose, and it is important for any athlete to know that if they want to risk cheating that they are going to get caught. Sebastian Coe VP, IAAF

Addidas suspends Gay sponsorship BERLIN: Adidas on Monday said that it had suspended its sponsorship with Tyson Gay, after the US sprinter tested positive for a banned substance. The German company said in a statement that it was “shocked” at revelations that he failed a drugs test. “Even if we presume his innocence until proven otherwise, our contract with Tyson is currently suspended," Adidas said.

File picture of Gay and Powell competing at an event.

and returned an adverse finding for oxilofrine, a stimulant that boosts fat-burning. Jamaica’s Sherone Simpson, a three-time Olympic medallist, has also tested positive. And Coe, vice-president of the International Athletics Federation (IAAF) and chairman of the British Olympic

AFP

Association, is determined to ensure the sport clamps down on doping. “The most important thing for me is that the testing system is working and for the sake of clean athletes it is very important we do not flinch in our efforts," he said. “This is not a war we can

afford to lose, and it is important for any athlete to know that if they want to risk cheating that they are going to get caught. “Of course we would rather not wake up to the headlines that we have done today but we have taken a tough stance on doping and will continue to do so. “We would rather have the

short-term embarrassment from the sorts of stories we have today rather than a decline in the sport to a position where no one has any trust in the athletes. That’s what we are fighting for. “We are still waiting for the B samples and as vice-president of the IAAF it is very important we go through this process in a proper way to really understand what we are dealing with. “But the message is getting through and we are not taking our foot off the pedal." AFP

URN

TUESDAY, JULY 16, 2013

IT ASHES 2013

ASHES FIRST TEST REVIEW

COACH’S SACKING

Flower’s in full bloom

Flower on Monday praised his ‘resilient’ side after their thrilling 14-run.

JULIAN GUYER Agence France-Presse NOTTINGHAM: England coach Andy Flower on Monday praised his “resilient” side after their thrilling 14-run win over Australia in the first Test at Trent Bridge. Victory put the Ashes-holders 1-0 up in the five-match series with a quick turnaround before the second Test at Lord’s on Thursday.

But Flower, not one to buy in to suggestions of a 5-0 England sweep or even 10-0 come the end of back-to-back Ashes in Australia in January, forecast the tourists would be just as tough to beat at “the home of cricket” as they were in Nottingham. “We never for a moment thought that this match or the series would be a walkover,” said Flower. “I know we hear the odd thing in the media predicting some funny results but we

We never for a moment thought that this match or the series would be a walkover. Andy Flower England team coach always knew this would be a tough battle. “This is a really good example and I’m sure it will be a tough fight for the remainder of the series.” England named an

unchanged squad of 13 on Monday with attention focused on whether fast bowler Steven Finn, not at his best in the second innings, would be retained in the starting XI for a match at his Middlesex home ground. There were also concerns as to whether James Anderson, the fulcrum of England’s attack, would be able to recover in time after a punishing first Test where he bowled 13 successive overs Sunday on his way to a decisive match haul of 10 wickets. “It will have taken something out of all the players involved,” said Flower of what he said was a “sensational game”. “But that’s why our guys work so hard on their fitness and they are mentally resilient -- they have shown that. “Over a number of our Test campaigns (they have) come out on top because of that resilience and I expect them to show that at Lord’s in the second Test.” As well as praising Alastair Cook’s “strength and calmness as a captain”, Flower also highlighted the contributions of Anderson and Ian Bell, whose second innings 109 was the only century of the match, to England’s victory.

MAN UP, MATES: LEHMANN NOTTINGHAM: Australia coach Darren Lehmann has told his top order batsmen to up their game in time for the second Test against England at Lord’s starting Thursday. The tourists came close to a stunning win in the first Test at Trent Bridge before Ashes-holders England scraped home by 14 runs on Sunday to go 1-0 up in this five-match series. Australia’s tenth wicket pair were responsible for 228 runs at Trent Bridge, including a world record stand of 163 in the first innings that featured teenage debutant Ashton Agar’s 98 — the highest score by a Test No 11 — after they had collapsed to 117 for nine. There was an improved showing second time around but had it not been for wicketkeeper-batsman Brad Haddin’s 71 at number seven and yet more tailend resistance, England’s margin of victory would have been greater. This Ashes series was always likely to hinge on the performance of Australia’s top order and Lehmann, himself a former Test batsman, was in

no doubt of what was required. “Our tail has done really well over a period of time now but it’s time for the batters to make sure they’re making the runs,” he said. “I think we only batted for 64 overs in the first innings and 110 in the second. “We’ve got to be reversing that about, batting for 120 overs plus in the first innings of a game and making our runs there,” said Lehmann, brought in just 16 days before the Ashes after South African coach Mickey Arthur was sacked by Cricket Australia. Among those now under pressure for their place is Ed Cowan who, on his home ground after a spell with Nottinghamshire this season, was out for a duck in the first innings driving at fast b o w l e r Steven Finn and fell to part-time off-spinner Joe Root for just 14 second time around having been moved to No 3 from his usual opening position. AFP

Warner says he feels ‘gutted’ SYDNEY: Australian batsman David Warner has admitted he is devastated by the idea that his off-field behaviour may have played a part in the sacking of national coach Mickey Arthur. Arthur was sensationally ditched just days out from the first Ashes Test, apparently paying the price for a 4-0 Test series loss in India, a poor Champions Trophy campaign and a lack of player discipline. This last was highlighted by

Arthur was sacked just days before the first Ashes Test, apparently paying the price for a 40 loss in India and lack of player discipline. an incident in which Warner punched England’s Joe Root in a Birmingham bar following a Champions Trophy defeat. “It was probably another thing that was gutting, that I may have played a part in that,” Warner said on Monday. Warner served a ban for the incident but without having played in any warm-up matches was left out of the Australia side which played the first Ashes Test and lost to England. He will now play with Australia A in Zimbabwe and South Africa to gain match practice. Speaking on the eve of his departure from London, Warner, 26, spoke of his devastation at not being selected to play the first Ashes Test, saying he “kind of broke down” when he told his mum. “(It’s) massive to miss a Test. As a kid growing up, you want to play in the Ashes. I was pretty shattered for a week and a half, two weeks.”

TUESDAY, JULY 16, 2013

sports

INDIAN CLUBS AGAINST IPL-LIKE TOURNAMENT India’s top football clubs are up in arms against the national federation over moves to stage a cash-rich franchise-based tournament inspired by cricket’s popular Indian Premier League early next year. The All India Football Federation (AIFF) and its commercial partner, IMG-Reliance, plan to hold the eight-city tournament in January-March.

ARSENAL IN ASIA

A ROYAL NAMESAKE

Good morning ‘Nam as Gunners arrive HANOI: Hundreds of cheering Vietnamese football fans turned out to greet Arsenal on Monday as they became the first English Premier League club to visit the football-mad communist country. The team arrived early Monday at Hanoi’s Noi Bai airport and were greeted by Vietnam Football Federation officials, who presented them with traditional Vietnamese conical hats and bunches of lotus flowers. To the delight of fans and Vietnam’s state-run press, the players and coach Arsene Wenger donned the hats and waved to supporters as their coach sped them through Hanoi. “We are proud of becoming the first English football club to be in Vietnam, where Arsenal has a big number of fans,” Wenger told reporters.

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE QUALIFIER

NUMEROLOGY

Celtic worry about form

Celtic manager Neil Lennon admits his side are nowhere near their best as they prepare to take on Cliftonville in a vital Champions League qualifier. ALISTAIR WATSON Agence France-Presse BELFAST: Celtic manager Neil Lennon admits his side are nowhere near their best as they prepare to take on Cliftonville in a vital Champions League qualifier in Belfast on Wednesday. Lennon’s team have endured a far from ideal preparation for the crucial tie after conceding 12 goals in four friendly defeats on a pre-season tour of Germany disrupted by injuries and star sales. The Scottish champions could be without a number of key players for the second qualifying round first leg match against the Northern Irish minnows. Adam Matthews, Gary Hooper and Joe Ledley are all expected to be sidelined, while Kenya midfielder Victor Wanyama, a key figure last season, has been sold to Southampton. And Lennon says starting their European campaign less than eight weeks

Football superstar David Beckham recommended his friend Prince William and his wife Catherine call their baby David if it’s a boy. The former England captain, 38, who attended the couple’s wedding in April 2011 with his Spice Girl singer wife Victoria, suggested his own name for the new royal arrival. “David’s pretty good! David’s not bad. I think they should go for David — if a boy!”, he told Sky News television.

It’s so early, it’s a harsh reality of where we are. Neil Lennon Celtic manager

since their Scottish Cup win over Hibernian at the end of last season is far from ideal. “It’s so early, it’s a harsh reality of where we are,” Lennon said. “We won the cup final at the end of May and we are back in on June 24. “It’s been staggered and a bit disjointed because we have had a lot of injuries as well. “I don’t even know what my best team is at the moment or which players I’ll have available to me. They are the ups and downs you have to cope with during pre-season, but I don’t think you’ll see us anywhere near our best for another two weeks or so. “We know how difficult it’s going to be because these games are so early in the season. We’ll cover it as best we can but it won’t be easy for us.” Despite the financial gulf that separates the two sides, Lennon has warned his players against complacency against the team of part-timers, whose tiny Solitude ground has been extended to allow a 5,000 capacity crowd.

SPORTS BRIEFS Rostov go top in Russia Premier League

Hull City signs Harper on free transfer

It’s a Dunne deal as Richard goes to QPR

Gombau takes Barça experience to Reds

MOSCOW: Rostov went top of the Russian Premier League following a dramatic come-from-behind 2-1 win over Terek Grozny on Monday. A double by forward Artem Dzyuba, on loan from Spartak Moscow, lifted the hosts to the top of the league due to Sunday’s season-opening matches all ending in draws.

LONDON: Premier League newboys Hull City signed former Newcastle goalkeeper Steve Harper on a free transfer on Monday. Harper agreed a one-year contract with Steve Bruce’s team following his release by Newcastle at the end of last season. The 38-year-old joins the Tigers for their ﬁrst top-ﬂight campaign since 2010.

LONDON: Championship promotion favourites QPR bolstered their squad with the signing of former Aston Villa defender Richard Dunne on a free transfer on Monday. Dunne was released by Villa boss Paul Lambert at the end of last season and the Republic of Ireland international has agreed to drop down a division.

SYDNEY: Spaniard Josep Gombau says he wants to use his experience coaching at Barcelona to rejuvenate his new Adelaide Reds team in next season’s Australian ALeagues. Gombau, 36, who spent six years from 2003 as an academy coach with Barcelona, has signed a two-year contract with the Reds.

$84m

Edinson Cavani was in Paris on Monday to finalise his transfer to Paris Saint-Germain, with sources close to the deal saying his $84 million price tag would break the French record.

FABREGAS TO UNITED?

Manchester United have made a £25 million ($37.7 million, 28.9-million-euros) offer for Barcelona midﬁelder Cesc Fabregas, reports in the British media suggested on Monday.

He’s talked in the media about wanting to play in the Champions League and all these things. It’s our job to convince Luis that this is the right place to achieve those things. Ian Ayre Liverpool MD