Epaper 18 october 2013

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2013 HYDERABAD

WWW.POSTNOON.COM

WEATHER: PARTLY SUNNY; 30°C

32 PAGES

`3

DID YOU KNOW…

With Virat Kohli having slammed the fastest century by an Indian (in 52 balls), Postnoon takes a look at a few records that are a little different from the usual.

P16 & 17

HYDERABAD’S FIRST COMPACT AFTERNOON NEWSPAPER

S S E C

While supporters of united Andhra keep saying they will stall the Telangana formation even at this stage, the State government has started the process of bifurcation... silently.

O R P

RT REPO P5 ON

E B

T

S N I G

YEVADU TO GET A CHRISTMAS RELEASE

P21

PAINT ME PINK

P22&23

2

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2013

city events

BACK FOR MORE

There is perhaps nothing more enticing than the thought of freshly flipped burger on a busy afternoon which will get your culinary tongues wagging. Encounters bring you the burgers of the world to make it a reality from 16th till 27th of October.

Weather for Hyderabad

Evening

Overnight

23°C

19°C

Cloudy with clear skyies

Clear with Cloudy periods

Morning

Afternoon

25°C

31°C

Sunny with Cloudy periods

Sunny with cloudy periods

New Delhi Mumbai Max 38 Max 37 Min 23 Min 31 Sunny with cloudy skyies

Sunny with cloudy periods

Chennai Max 33 Min 29

Bangalore Max 29 Min 19

A mix of Cloud and sun

Cloudy with chances of rain

AROUND THE CITY: YOUR GUIDE TO THE TWIN CITIES A fictional political-thriller inspired by true events - the recent British Petroleum Oil Spill and the 1984 Union Carbide Gas Explosion at Bhopal.

Where: Goethe-Zentrum Hyderabad, Journalist’s Colony, Road No. 3, Banjara Hills When: October 18, 6:30pm onwards Contact: (040) - 23350443

EXHIBITION Gems and Jewellery Exhibition Ladies, is there anyone out there who doesn't love to own gems and jewellery! This time Hitex presents an exhibition of International Gems and Jewellery, not the one which you get to see everyday but from around the world.

When:Friday 18 October 2013, 10:00am - 06:00pm Where:Hitex Exhibition Ground Hitex Rd, Izzat Nagar, Madhapur.

Contact: 040-23112121/22/23

Movie screening Movie Silver Linings Playbook will be screened.

Where: Sarathi Studio, Ameerpet When: Oct 19, 6.30 pm Contact: 93910-20243

ART

SAY YES TO SHOPPING: Tollywood actress Hamsa Nandini who makes a special appearance in Atharintiki Daaredi was spotted inaugurating YES Mart at L B Nagar.

Contact: 789301000

DINING Midnight Buffet Looking for an awesome midnight meal? Head to Viva at Vivanta by Taj and relish the best of culinary indulgences served at the midnight buffet Where: Vivanta By Taj Hotel,Mayuri Marg, Begumpet When: Until October 26, 11.30pm2.30am Contact: (040) 67252626

Beer Cocktails Enjoy some of the cocktails which will make your October a really interesting one! You can count on these cocktails - carbomb beer coctail which is a strong beer cocktail with a heady mix of beer, rum and vodka, the Brazillian beer cocktail etc.

When:From Tuesday 15 October,

Lunch Specials If you are looking to stuff yourself during lunch, then the best place to head to is Nautanki Galli which offers an expansive lunch buffet. Take a walk after if you don’t want to fall asleep when you get back to work.

Where: Nautanki Galli, Madhapur When: Everyday, 12:30 pm onwards 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

12pm - 20 October, 08:00pm Where:Truffles Cafe,Plot No. 376, Road No. 10, jubilee-hills Contact: 040 - 2355 0105 World Burger Festival There is perhaps nothing more enticing than the thought of freshly flipped burger on a busy afternoon which will get your culinary tongues wagging. Encounters bring you the burgers of the world to make it a reality from 16th till 27th of October When:Friday 18 October 2013, 12:00pm - 04:00pm Where: Encounters,Taj Krishna, Banjara Hills,Hyderabad.

SHOWS Pinktober Go pink this October!

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

The hot spot of music lovers, Hard Rock Cafe lends its support to the subject of breast cancer this month.

Where: Hard Rock Cafe, GVK One Mall, Banjara Hills When: Until October 31, 12pm1.30am Contact: 7569016340 Vishal-Shekar live-in-concert Gear up for a musical evening filled with all masti and fun with VishalShekar.

Where: Hitex Exhibition Centre, Madhapur When: October 19, 7pm onwards, Contact: 9959547935 Green Bandits Pushed over the edge, 3 environment-friendly bank robbers set out to rob a bank and record their heist.

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

Rags Shargi - Belly Dance Furor Entertainment, in association with Meher Malik and the Banjara School of Dance brings quality, authentic Belly-dance to the city for three days. This is exclusively for women.

When:From Tuesday 22 October 2013 - 07:30am To Thursday 24 October 2013 09:00pm Where:Poecile Art Gallery, GUV Vivilash Chambers, Road no. 14, BN Reddy Colony Contact: 040 2355 0340

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

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2013

news

YESTERDAY’S QUESTION

IS DO YOU THINK ONE-CAR-PER-FAMILY POLICY IS RIGHT? 40% 60%

YES (A) NO (B)

TODAY’S QUESTION

PAKISTAN HAS VIOLATED CEASEFIRE AGAIN? TIME WE GAVE A SOLID REPLY? A)

YES

B)

NO

To vote visit www.postnoon.com

CRIME

JAPAN TYPHOON

Cops meet to counter cross-border criminals Commissioner of Cyberabad, CV Anand iniciated a special drive against border crime. He instructed all his subordinates to keep vigil on the border-crossing of criminals.

MOHD SUBHAN Mohd.s@postnoon.com

T

he meeting was aimed at establishing a mechanism for coordinated action between bordering police stations of Hyderabad and Cyberabad commissionerates, exchanging information on criminals and controlling crimes.

The meeting provided an opportunity to share information compiled by the bordering police zones with respect to criminals involved in property crimes besides inter-zone operations.

With criminals establishing their own networks and taking safe shelters in another area after having committed crime in one region.

The exchange of profiles would help investigators in not only getting to know the modus operandi of anti-socials but also in tracking down the offenders.

During the meeting, it was felt that the border crime meetings should be held at regular intervals for sharing information, tracking criminals and detecting crimes, besides taking steps to prevent the same.

The nearly two-hour long meeting also discussed the follow-up measures that needed to control myriad crime and decided to exchange first-hand information on crime and criminals

3

Death toll reaches 24 OSHIMA: Frogmen were scouring waters off the coast of a Japanese island where landslides buried houses when a huge typhoon rolled through, as the death toll reached 24.

Coastguard joined the grim search for the 27 people still unaccounted for after a mountainside collapsed on the island of Oshima, 120 kilometres (75 miles) south of the Japanese capital.

Troops, firefighters and police were continuing their search on land, using shovels to move huge volumes of earth that swamped homes.

Meanwhile, the body of one of two elementary schoolchildren believed to have been near a beach in Kanagawa when the AROUND THE

WORLD

for effective prevention.

Alwal, Neredmet,Malkajgiri and Nacharam police stations share border with Hyderabad Commissionerate while Uppal,Medipally and Ghatkesar police stations neighbours with L.B. Nagar Zone.

Owing to lack of co-ordination,the criminals are going scot-free. Sometimes, criminals form themselves into groups and indulg in offences.

In this scenario, the officers

AROUND THE

CITY

The meeting provided an opportunity to share information compiled by the bordering police zones with respect to criminals involved.

discussed the crime pattern in their respective areas and also suggested measures to prevent and detect cross border crimes.

This would go a long way in detection of crime by officers of both the Commissionerates.

It was also discussed to conduct joint raids, if required, in the future and also suggested to hold similar meetings at regular intervals for the improvement of crime detection, N Siva kumar said.

storm hit, a local official said.

The other child and a man in Chiba were still listed as missing.

Typhoon Wipha, the most powerful in ten years, veered up the coast of the Japanese archipelago overnight Tuesday into Wednesday.

The eye of the storm remained offshore but the strong winds and heavy rain that it brought wreaked devastation on Oshima, one of a number of farflung islands that are administratively part of metropolitan Tokyo.Tokyo governor Naoki Inose, who visited rescue workers on Thursday, urged them to do their utmost to find anyone who was still alive, Jiji Press reported.

"The 72-hour 'golden rescue period' is going to be over soon," he said, referring to the time after which it is thought survival is unlikely. "I expect you to do everything you can."

AFP

CITY BRIEFS ASCI seminar to be held today

Senior TDP leader demands arrigning PMO

Metro coach exhibition a hit among people

A grant of `6 Crore sanctioned to UoH

Suicide over not landing a job

T

T

T

T

A

he Administrative Staff College of India (ASCI) & Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative are organizing a seminar on the “Need for People’s Participation for Better Policing in India and Andhra Pradesh” on October 18 at Bella Vista, Raj Bhavan Road. seminar will be attended among others by Dr SK Rao, Director General ASCI.

DP senior leader Yanamala Ramakrishnudu has demanded that the CBI file a charge-sheet against Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh in connection with the Coal Scam case. Yanamala pointed out to the remarks made of former secretary of the concerned department Parakh on the role of the Prime Minister in coal scam.

he model Metro coach exhibition in front of PV Ghat, Necklace Road is drawing overwhelming popular response with people coming in huge numbers to visit and have a feel of the Metro coach. People are taking individual and family photos in different angles inside and outside the Metro coach and are asking enthusiastic questions.

he Union Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment has approved a Grant-in-Aid to the University of Hyderabad (UoH) for creation of Barrier-Free Environment and other facilities for persons with disabilities. A total grant sanctioned for the purpose is nearly `6 Crore and the first instalment of over `4 Crore has been released.

young man hanged himself to death in Sanathnagar. As per the details, Venkat Krishna, 25, native of Krishna district, was the resident of Moosapet. He had completed his MCA but very disappointed over not landing a job. On Wednesday night, he allegeldy took to the extreme step. Santhanagar police is investigating the case further.

4

News FRIDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2013 LAST YEAR... HERE Pensions for six lakh more

L

ast year we had reported how arrangements were made to extend pensions to another six lakh people during the chief minister's ensuing Rachchanbanda programme.

This was in addition to paying pension to over 75 lakh senior citizens, minister for pensions, women development and child welfare Sunita Laxma Reddy said.

OCT 18, 2012

NUMEROLOGY

152

died in flash floods of the Mekong river in Cambodia and 418,770 families have been affected, officials said.

Floods have hit Cambodia twice this year between August and October.

If folks think we’re done fighting about spending, debts, deficit, Obamacare, religious liberties (and) equal protection, they’re wrong.

Mick Mulvaney, Republican congressman; See pg 12

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

1

Chinese firms to star in upcoming Brazil oil auction Chinese oil giants CNOOC and CNPC will be in a prime position in next week's first auction of deepwater concessions in Brazil's coveted Libra oilfield, experts say.

2

Xi Jinping’s cartoon causes a flutter A Chinese cartoon comparing Xi Jinping's ascent to power with that of Barack Obama has gone viral.

3

17 arrested for Spain’s biggest watch heist Seventeen people have been arrested in the biggest jewellery heist. December 2012 theft involved wristwatches valued at more than 23 million euros.

4

Bushfires ravage communities in Australia Cooler temperatures and a drop in wind were offering firefighters some relief but 94 fires were still raging across the state of New South Wales.

5

Bachmann aims to reduce federal spending in the US Bachmann and others link their crusade against Obamacare to a demand for reduced spending.

POLLUTION

City chokes as babus watch Utter failure of the pollution control board in checking air and water pollution in the twin cities is leading to a horrendous situation.

MOHSIN ALI ali@postnoon.com

The source Addagutta, HMT, Kukatpally, Shapurnagar, Jeedimetla, in Rangareddy and Katedhan, Chandulal Barahdari.

R

esidents of the housing colonies surrounding the industrial hubs in the twin cities are fated to breathe the hazardous air due to severe air pollution released by chemical industries.

A number of major and minor industries are spread over the twin cities, like Addagutta, HMT, Kukatpally, Shapurnagar, Jeedimetla, in Rangareddy and Katedhan, Chandulal Barahdari in Hyderabad district which are causing water and Air pollution.

The industries, it seem, have denied people the right to breath fairly fresh air at least in the morning.

With no check on the pollution they freely emit toxic air and pollute water with no care in the world.

The role of the Andhra Pradesh Pollution Control Board is suspicious in this regard as it has utterly failed to control industries from discharging pollution, people from many residential areas complaining about the issue.

Officials from Andhra Pradesh Pollution Control Board say that they are very active and are keen to minimise the pollution and there are strict guidelines made in this concern.

Speaking to Postnoon,

senior environmental engineer, APPCB Task force P Ravindranath, says “We certainly keep a vigil on the industries in these localities and will take strong actions if found guilty, no one should be affected due to the pollution caused by these industries as many of them are releasing toxic wastes into the environment. They were earlier earlier in Kukatpally area and adjacent Jeedimetla.”

“We have the power to close these industries who fail to prove their credibility, however many environmentalists claim pollution levels in the industrial areas in and around Hyderabad

AROUND THE

CITY

are still alarming and the PCB has been receiving several complaints from industrial areas” he added.

“Facts are at variance. One only has to walk along the industrial hubs to know the hazard they create and the emptiness of the PCB claims,” says Jayaprakash Nambaru, motivational speaker on environment.

The opinion of the residents of the localities too are quite different,”we are scared of the future, initially the situation

was bad, but there was slight improvement later, however, the situation is getting worse with each passing day. Most industries release the toxic waste into the lakes and into the air. There is every chance of pollution having hazardous effects on the public health,” says Divakar Reddy, a resident of Gandhi Nagar near Jeedimetla.

“I have complained about many industries that release toxic chemicals which cause health hazards to the people living in the surrounding areas, they inhale the foul smelling air which causes severe respiratory diseases. when I complained about the same to the Pollution Control Board, there was no response on the issue, the board has to take a note of the industries in residential areas and should take necessary action,” says CH Mallikarjun, another citizen.

The State government ought to take the required steps to shift these industries to the outskirts away from residential areas as the most residents suffer from various diseases due to the industrial pollution.

HONOUR FOR INDIAN AMERICAN

Ranee Ramaswamy on US art panel WASHINGTON: The US Senate has confirmed Indian American Bharatanatyam exponent Ranee Ramaswamy as a member of the prestigious National Council on the Arts for a five-year term.

The National Council on the Arts advises the chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts, who also chairs the Council, on agency policies and programmes.

It reviews and makes recommendations to the chairman on applications for grants, funding guidelines and leadership initiatives.

Ramaswamy, who has been a disciple of Alarmel Valli, one of India’s greatest living masters of Bharatanatyam, founded the Ragamala Music and Dance Theatre in 1992 at Minneapolis,

R

amaswamy, who has been a disciple of Alarmel Valli, one of India’s greatest living masters of Bharatanatyam, founded the Ragamala Music and Dance Theatre in 1992 at Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Among her many grants and fellowships are 13 McKnight Artist Fellowships, a Bush Fellowship, and an Artist Exploration.

Minnesota.

She started popularising this classical Indian dance form in the US since then, according to her biography posted on her website.

Ramaswamy has worked with celebrated artists such as poet Robert Bly, jazz musician Howard Levy and legendary

AROUND THE

WORLD

composer and violinist L. Subramaniam.

Among her many grants and fellowships are 13 McKnight Artist Fellowships, a Bush Fellowship, and an Artist Exploration Fund grant from Arts International.

Her work is supported by the National Endowment for the Arts, the National Dance Project, and the Japan Foundation.

In 2011, she was chosen as the McKnight Foundation Distinguished Artist. Ramaswamy and co-Artistic Director Aparna Ramaswamy were named the 2011 Artist of the Year by the Minneapolis Star Tribune.

5

News FRIDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2013

POSTNOON SPECIAL

T PROCESS BEGINS

While votaries of a united Andhra keep saying they will stall the Telangana formation even at this stage, the State Government has silently started the process of bifurcation, even though the public at large are blissfully unaware.

INKESHAF AHMED ahmed.m@postnoon.com

This is the beginning of the process, as the resource-sharing and the question of Hyderabad are the only two hurdles before the new state.

T

he AP Government has begun the process of Tformation. The Chief Secretary P K Mohanty has directed 11 departments to prepare the resource map for the submission to the Group of Ministers (GoM) meeting scheduled for tomorrow in Delhi.

The state falling despite the sabre-rattling of the chief minister is the reason for him to advise the APNGOs to withdraw strike.

“The last ball is bowled long ago,” said an anti-CM camp follower with a tinge of sarcasm. It referred to Kiran’s famous statement sometime back saying Tformation has not reached the last stage and the last ball is yet to be boweled. The departments included finance, revenue, irrigation and municipal administration. The directive gives guidelines on the data needed to be filed. The data from the State would be examined at the sevenmember GoM headed by AK Antony. The most tricky issue would be water sharing and irrigation issues, it is pointed out.

This is the beginning of the process, as the resource-sharing and the question of Hyderabad

AROUND THE

CITY

are the only two hurdles before the new state. “It is going to be nerve-wracking experience for the leaders and bureaucrats,” remarked a senior official.

‘Don’t be so sure’ This puts at rest the speculation that the Telangana statehood may be in peril. However, leaders of Seemandhra are planning a series of legal and procedural challenges. There are those who argue that the Centre can not bypass the State Assembly on the matter of bifurcation as the integration was done at the Assembly. If the bill gets defeated at the Assembly, the issue will take a different turn because no union government can be seen as going against a State whatever the compulsions.

POLITICS

Triangular fight for SA cake starts

A fierce battle for Seemandhra votes has begun among the Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy, the YSRC led by Jaganmohan Reddy and the TDP. P K SURENDRAN surendran.pk@postnoon.com

I

n the one-upmanship, each is trying to outwit the other promising the best fight ever for a united Andhra.

But each party knows it is a losing battle as they can’t stop Telangana now.

The idea is to bag the maximum electoral harvest impressing the people of Seemandhra. In the latest score, the YSRC has notched up a brilliant point with its continued protestations of novel kinds. The latest of the stir series is the Samaikya Sankharavam on October 26 in the City which is poised to be the ‘mother of all rallies.’

This rally would be the first one held in the city that explicitly asks for a united State, though the city falls in the Telangana region. The idea, the party

The YSRC, it is learnt, is eager to reap the benefits from the headstart it got from the anti-Telangana stance. The party wanted to steal the thunder from Kiran.

AROUND THE

CITY

sources say, is to make its roots firm in the City whether it remains with the Telangana or Union Territory. “This is the only hope for our party to have a good hold over a slice of Telangana,” admitted a YSRC leader candidly.

Telangana will not give any considerations for the YSRC owing to its commitment to Seemandhra.

The YSRC, it is learnt, is eager to reap the benefits from the headstart it got from anti-Telangana stance.

The party wanted to steal thunder from the chief minister who had of late emerged the skipper of the Seemandhra team. If the party does not make a final

pitch, the vote cake would be divided between the Kiran Kumar Reddy team and YSRC with the TDP getting juicy crumbs in between.

The TDP is in the most unenviable situation, as it is caught between the

stools.

However, the party believes that it would be able to recover the grounds to some extent if it manages to tell people that both the YSRC and the Kiran camp are Congress which has cut up the state and the only alternative to the people is to vote for the ‘real party’ the TDP. How far the party stalwarts manage to impress the people with this argument is to be seen.

6

News FRIDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2013

NATURE’S FURY

Bushfires wreak havoc in Oz states

Cooler temperatures and a drop in wind were offering firefighters some relief but 94 fires were still raging across the state of New South Wales.

GREG WOOD Agence France-Presse WINMALEE: Residents faced scenes of devastation Friday after bushfires ravaged communities and destroyed “hundreds” of homes in southeastern Australia, leaving one man dead with dozens of blazes still burning out of control.

Cooler temperatures and a drop in wind were offering firefighters some relief but 94 fires were still raging across the state of New South Wales.

NSW Rural Fire Services Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons said that despite the cooler conditions the situation was still “very active, very dynamic, very dangerous”.

“We are going to... continue to save life and to protect as much property as possible, but at the same time slowly take advantage of the weather conditions that are more favourable than was otherwise presented

who died from a heart attack as he defended his home in the Central Coast, north of Sydney.

“That’s the worst that anyone wants to happen and we send our sympathy to his family,” said state Premier Barry O’Farrell, adding that two firefighters were in hospital with one undergoing an operation.

Hundreds of residents spent the night in evacuation centres and awoke Friday to confront the extent of the disaster.

In the town of Winmalee, Jordie Cox said it had been a frightening experience.

“I’ve lived in Winmalee Amy Hubbard (L) and her partner Adam Ilhan (R) stand in front of the burnt out ruins of her parents’ home which was destroyed by bushfires in Winmalee in Sydney’s Blue Mountains on October 18, 2013.

yesterday,” he said, adding that 86,000 hectares (212,000 acres) had been burnt out so far.

Several major blazes fanned by high, erratic winds in unseasonably warm weather ripped

through communities in the Blue Mountains west of Sydney on Thursday with whole streets razed.

One fatality has been reported so far — a 63-year-old man

EASY MONEY

17 arrested for Spain’s biggest jewel heist MADRID: Seventeen people have been arrested as suspects in the biggest jewellery heist in Spain’s history, police said Thursday.

The December 2012 theft in Madrid involved wristwatches valued at more than 23 million euros (about $31 million) Among those arrested is a known thief, Ismael A.V., alias “The Troll”, who is considered to be the mastermind of the heist.

It theft was carried out when the thieves gained access in

AROUND THE

NATION

HOW IT HAPPENED?

T

he criminals had entered the firm during working hours and gained access to the heavily armored room where the watches were kept without leaving any trace and without the guards detecting it, remaining inside carrying out their heist for four hours.

December 2012 to the Diarsa company, where they robbed two safes, making off with more than 1,700 watches of prestigious Swiss brands.

Among the people arrested are 11 Chinese citizens, and more than 300 of the luxury watches have been recovered, some of them valued at almost 270,000 euros (about $368,000). With the cooperation of Interpol, authorities have been able to locate more watches in Shanghai, where the organisation was selling them on the black market. The criminals had entered the firm during working hours.

AFP

THE TROLL

A

mong those arrested is a known thief, Ismael A.V., alias “The Troll”, who is considered to be the mastermind of the heist.

ONE DEATH

O

ne fatality has been reported so far — a 63-year-old man who died from a heart attack as he defended his home in the Central Coast, north of Sydney.

AROUND THE

WORLD

Several major blazes fanned by high, erratic winds in unseasonably warm weather ripped through communities in the Blue Mountains, west of Sydney on Thursday with whole streets razed. since I was four and my parents always said to us during fire season that our house would be safe because we were surrounded by other houses so others would have to burn down before it got to us,” she told ABC television.

“But we were pretty much the last house standing — all the houses around us burnt down.”

7

News FRIDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2013

REPORTER’S DIARY

Happy days are here again

SRINIVAS SETTY

T

he game of opinion polls is in full swing. Everyone should know that these are sponsored by interested parties and they fare far below star-gazing in credibility.

While expert surveyors at the national level go through the set pattern and method, the local level surveys are a lot of crap.

A survey predicts TRS will get away with 14 of 17 parliament seats in Telangana! Another says TDP is on a comeback trail and with the help of the newfound friend, the BJP, would form a government in either Seemandhra or united AP. Even BJP is doing its bit and only the Congress is shy of surveys in AP for obvious reasons. There are no takers for the Rahul brigade after the T mess.

The only people who gain from this exercise are the survey companies who make money by doing mathematical jugglery.

Once a survey is done, subtraction and addition are all that is required by the subsequent surveys. A gainful game for survey people! (PK)

BECHARA MLA!

MLAs as people’s representatives are usually the ones who roughshod over bureaucracy and police. But in this one instance, a MLA proved tongue-tied while the police went on closing shops on the eve of Bakrid.

It happened at Volta crossroads on Tallabkatta in the Old City. Police had orders to close shops earlier than usual to prevent any skirmishes. But, locals allege that they had worked hard to make a bit of business before Bakrid. There were myriad handmade goods put on sale. But the police made them close down the shutters, which proved a dampener as they lost the extra business.

All this while a local MLA and his henchmen were sitting there watching the proceedings.

When the MLA, fearing people’s ire, tried to intervene, the policemen on duty told him civilly: if you have any objection, please tell our bosses, we are only obeying our duty. He could not do so, said those present. (MS)

THINK BEFORE YOUR CROSS

Hyderabad Traffic police whose E image is better than its P (physical) image uploaded five ad film videos on its website. One of them advises people to cross the road only at zebra crossings.

If their advice is followed, people will never cross the roads because there are hardly any zebra crossings except on traffic junctions. Here too, it is neither

painted properly nor the rules are adhered to. Rest of the roads have no zebra crossings. This is a peculiar problem of Hyderabad city while other maladies of traffic are common to most cities.

This city gives two hoots to the pedestrians who seem to be looked down upon without remembering that pedestrians are not necessarily all pedestrian.

Understand, dear cops, that people these days even walk for health reasons and that does not mean they are devoid of wheels.

This would include your boss, the traffic police commissioner too.

Why is it that this city does not implement the rules of pedestrian path or zebra crossing? Why is it that anyone who builds a home or office along the road must boorishly appropriate that little walking space?

The entire jubilee hills drew caustic comments of the traffic experts visiting from Delhi. They said they have never seen such wanton encroachment of footpath while isolated violations are not new. Jubilee Hills takes the cake, they said. Why, why, why?

(PK)

GUNTUR MP’S SCUD MISSILE

AROUND THE

CITY

This city gives two hoots to the pedestrians who are looked down upon without remembering that they are not necessarily all pedestrian.

Decided to divide the state? Well, give back what you have taken earlier, says Guntur MP Rayapati Samabasiva Rao. If the division is inevitable, Rayapati has put some demands before the Centre which are not known to many of the younger generation.

He said that Bhadrachalam division should be back in the fold of Seemandhra region. It’s because during the delimitation exercise, Seemandhra region had lost two MP seats and ten Assembly seats to the Telangana region and he wanted them to be returned to Seemandhra region.

He said he was still confident that the state will remain united, despite the current developments. He adda that if bifurcation is inevitable, Hyderabad should be made a Union Territory or the second capital of India.

We await the patriotic missile from the T camp. (IA)

BETTER SENSE PREVAILS ON JOURNOS

Food first or news first is quite a dilemma for reporters close to lunch time and already waiting for an hour for a press briefing scheduled at 11:45am. It seems to be an odd time but then, no one

can complain as news does not follow any calendar or the clock.

Most importantly if the head of a major government agency is to address the media at a short notice, no reporter would want to miss out on it.

Just when hunger pangs were getting the better of the instinct for news, the people who had organised the affair came rushing saying "Sir/ Madam,please join us for lunch.

The Chief Guest will speak to you immediately afterwards."

But since gathering news was the priority at that time, the reporters present at the event had no qualms in telling the event organisers that they were there for the news. "Thanks for the invitation, but we would rather get briefed first; some of us are from the afternoon newspapers." said a reporter at the event.

Better sense prevailed on the bureaucracy and a detailed briefing followed. Those who had the time stayed on for lunch while others rushed to their offices.

(AA) (Contributed by Mohd Subhan, Inkeshaf Ahmed, Aleena Alice and P K Surendran)

8

News FRIDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2013

SECURITY CRISIS

AYODHYA ON HIGH ALERT

The Uttar Pradesh government has put a ban on short messaging services (SMS) in Ayodhya to clamp down on VHP LUCKNOW, Oct 18 (IANS) The Uttar Pradesh government has put a ban on short messaging services (SMS) in Ayodhya to clamp down on Vishwa Hindu Parishad’s (VHP) ‘Sankalp Sabha’ scheduled for Friday, an official said.

More than 1200 people across the state have been placed under preventive arrest.

NUMEROLOGY

1,200

More than 1200 people across the state have been placed under preventive arrest.

LEADERS UNDER HOUSE ARREST

Cops’ take

D

GP Devraj Nagar said the contents of the ‘Sankalp Patra’ preceding the ‘Sankalp Sabha’ were very inflammatory and could result in communal flare up”.

Officials said strict vigil was being kept on movement of people to the temple town of Ayodhya and all borders to Faizabad were sealed Thursday.

At least 42 people, including leaders associated with the Ram temple movement Mahant

n Mahant Nritya n Gopaldas, n Mahant Suresh Das, n Brijmohan Das, n Abhishek Mishra n Manmohan Das Nritya Gopaldas, Mahant Suresh Das, Brijmohan Das, Abhishek Mishra and Manmohan Das were placed under house arrest in Ayodhya.

At least 366 people were arrested in the state capital. This included the state convener of the Bajrang Dal, Surendra

DEATH PENALTY

Flynt pleads mercy for his shooter LOS ANGELES: Porn mogul Larry Flynt urged US authorities Thursday to spare the life of a man sentenced to death for shooting him 35 years ago, leaving him paralyzed and wheelchair-bound.

Joseph Paul Franklin is due to be executed next month after being convicted over the March 1978 attack on Flynt outside a Georgia courthouse, where he was fighting obscenity charges.

In an opinion column for industry journal The Hollywood Reporter, the 70-year-old said he would like to physically hurt Franklin, but did not want him dead.

“In all the years since the

shooting, I have never come faceto-face with Franklin,” Flynt wrote.

“I would love an hour in a room with him and a pair of wire-cutters and pliers, so I could inflict the same damage on him that he inflicted on me. But, I do not want to kill him, nor do I want to see him die.”

Flynt said Franklin had “targeted me because of a photo spread I ran in Hustler magazine featuring a black man and a white woman. He had bombed several synagogues... He hated blacks, he hated Jews.”

The Missouri Supreme Court has ordered Franklin to be put to death by lethal injection. AFP

Mishra and spokesman Sharad Sharma.

Officials warned VHP and its affiliates not to try and move to Ayodhya.

Director general of police (DGP) Devraj Nagar, principal secretary (Home) Anil Kumar Gupta are camping in Ayodhya

to ensure fool proof security.

Traffic between LucknowGorakhpur has been diverted through Barabanki, Gonda-Basti and Sultanpur, officials said.

Inspector General (IG) Law and Order, RK Vishwakarma said that while Ram Vilas

AROUND THE

NATION

Vedanti had gone underground, there was no information on senior VHP leader Ashok Singhal so far.

Officials, however, fear the ageing leader could turn up disguised at Ayodhya and hence, strict checking at entry points to Faizabad was being carried out and raids were continuing at possible hide outs of VHP leaders.

Meanwhile, principal secretary (Home) Anil Kumar Gupta warned the VHP leadership not to try and enter Ayodhya.

DGP Devraj Nagar said the contents of the ‘Sankalp Patra’ preceding the ‘Sankalp Sabha’ were “very inflammatory and could result in communal flare up”.

Gupta added that such moves will never be tolerated or allowed to vitiate communal harmony.

IANS

HEY MAN!

Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh (R) talks with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban at the Presidential Palace during a welcoming ceremony in New Delhi on October 17, 2013.

NATION BRIEFS Pak troopers fire on Indian posts, injure 5 JAMMU: Hours after injuring five civilians after firing on an Indian post along the international border in Jammu district, Pakistani troopers fired at another border post in Samba district Thursday night, triggering a gunfight, an official said.

The Pakistan Army and paramilitary forces continue to violate the November 2003 ceasefire.

Allegations against K.G Balakrishna serious: SC NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court Thursday said the allegations against former CJI K.G. Balakrishnan were a serious matter and it wanted to decide the issue even as the central government argued that alleged misbehaviour could not be a basis for seeking his removal as NHRC chief. A bench of Justice B.S. Chauhan and Justice S.A. Bobde said it would involve a detailed hearing and “we want to decide the issue”. Mocking the government stand, counsel Prashant Bhushan, appearing for NGO Common Cause, dismissed the government stand as “laughable” and said that it was an “absurd view”. Common Cause is seeking the removal of Justice Balakrishnan as the head of National Human Rights Comission on the grounds of alleged misbehaviour during his tenure as the Chief Justice of India.

ASI to begin treasure hunt in UP fort LUCKNOW: The A rchaeological Survey of India (ASI) will Friday start the excavation for 1,000 tonnes of gold, which a seer dreamt, at a dilapidated fort in UP’s Unnao district. Officials said the survey of the fort of the late ruler of Unnao, Raja Rao Ram Bux Singh, at Dondia Khera village will begin at 11 a.m after a ‘puja.'

9

News FRIDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2013 BOLT FROM ABOVE LIGHTNING SETS FIRE TO CHEETAH RESERVE WINDHOEK: A lightning strike set fire to Namibia’s world-renowned cheetah conservation centre, injuring an intern and burning down buildings, an official said Thursday.

Amid a severe drought, lightning struck late Wednesday, causing a fire that raged until midnight at the Cheetah Conservation Fund (CCF), assistant director Patricia Tricorache told AFP. “One tourism intern has sustained mild injuries,” CCF said in a statement earlier.

“No animals were injured,” it added, as 23 cheetahs at the reserve managed to escape the fire.

Workers battling to contain the blaze at the centre in Otjiwarongo, 250 kilometres (155 miles) north of the capital Windhoek were hampered by low water levels during the worst drought in decades in the southern African country.

KENYAN MALL HIT

Norwegian suspect held

NAIROBI: A Norwegian citizen of Somali origin is suspected of being one of the attackers who stormed a Kenyan shopping mall last month massacring 67 people, the BBC said. The 23-year-old was named as Hassan Abdi Dhuhulow, who the BBC said is suspected of helping to plan and carry out the attack on the upmarket Westgate mall. Dhuhulow was born in Somalia, but he and his family moved to Norway as refugees in 1999, according to relatives who spoke to the BBC from the Norwegian town of Larvik.

SHUTDOWN ENDS

‘No winners in Washington’ US President Barack Obama warned Thursday that America’s recent bout of political dysfunction had encouraged its enemies and dismayed its friends, and said the crisis left “no winners” in Washington.

KUDOS!

STEPHEN COLLINSON WASHINGTON, October 17, 2013 (AFP) - US President Barack Obama warned Thursday that America’s recent bout of political dysfunction had encouraged its enemies and dismayed its friends, and said the crisis left “no winners” in Washington.

In trying to heal the wounds of the last two weeks of internecine drama, Obama hoped to avoid a new stalemate within months, after a temporary truce between Republicans and Democrats.

“There’s been a lot of discussion lately of the politics of this shutdown,” Obama told an audience of returning executive branch workers in the State Dining Room of the White House.

“Let’s be clear. There are no winners here.”

The president called on warring politicians to come together to pass a long-term budget and to give up the “brinkmanship” that squandered the trust of the American people.

He spoke less than 11 hours after signing legislation that ended a 16-day government shutdown and a showdown over raising his government’s borrowing authority.

The bill brought a temporary end to a stand-off that had threatened to pitch the US economy into a historic default.

Investors cheered the deal, signed to end the shutdown and debt drama, powering the S&P

WASHINGTON: Italian Prime Minister Enrico Letta became the first world leader Thursday to meet President Barack Obama after the end of a debt default showdown and declared: “his success is our success.”

A stable US economy was vital for the globe, Letta told

Obama, only hours after the US Congress staved off a debt default by agreeing to extend the government’s borrowing authority.

After talks in the Oval Office, Letta congratulated Obama for ending the latest political drama in Washington to capture the world’s attention.

NEW HOME SECY

NO SNOWDEN EFFECT

US President Barack Obama will on Friday nominate Jeh Johnson, formerly the Pentagon’s top lawyer, to lead the Department of Homeland Security, an official said.

Johnson, who will succeed Janet Napolitano who left earlier this year, was in his previous job responsible for a prior legal review of every military operation.

The director of America’s eavesdropping National Security Agency plans to retire next year but his departure is not connected to leaks from former intelligence contractor Edward Snowden, officials said Thursday. A search is under way for a successor to General Keith Alexander, as well as his deputy, John Inglis.

500 index to an all-time high of 1,733.15, up 0.67 percent.

Obama urged Congress, specifically Republicans in the House of Representatives, to pass stalled bills on agriculture and on reforming America’s immigration system.

“Probably nothing has done more damage to America’s credibility in the world, our standing with other countries, than the

spectacle that we’ve seen these past several weeks,” he said.

“It’s encouraged our enemies, it’s emboldened our competitors and depressed our friends who look to us for steady leadership.”

The president implicitly warned conservative “Tea Party” Republicans to stop using their most potent weapons -- threatening to halt US debt payments and withholding government fund-

ing.

“There’s no good reason why we can’t govern responsibly, despite our differences, without lurching from manufactured crisis to manufactured crisis,” he said.

“If you don’t like a particular policy or a particular president, then argue for your position. Go out there and win an election.

Don’t break what our predecessors spent over two centuries building.”

Florida Senator Marco Rubio, a possible 2016 Republican presidential hopeful, quickly rejected Obama’s remarks.

“The President spoke about the divisive language in American politics. He’s one of the leading causes of it,” Rubio told Fox News.

Obama appeared to have one eye on the next possible political crisis -- set up in the language of the bill that ended the shutdown and the threat of default before an October 17 deadline.

The compromise plan hashed out in the Senate and passed by the House only funds government until January 15 and extends US borrowing authority until February 7.

It remains unclear if Republicans, politically wounded by their tactics this time around, will seek to use the levers of shutdown and default again.

Republican Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell said Thursday there would be no government shutdown in the near future.

“A government shutdown is off the table,” McConnell told National Review Online. “We’re not going to do it.”

Thousands of federal workers trooped back to work on Thursday.

Trains into Washington DC were again packed and the city’s downtown hummed with activity after being much quieter in recent weeks.

Vice President Joe Biden was at the Environmental Protection Agency handing out muffins to returning workers.

White House Chief of Staff Denis McDonough meanwhile met executive branch employees at the gates of the White House, and handed out high fives.

The “Panda Cam” at the National Zoo in Washington was up and running again for fans starved for two weeks of a glimpse of the Smithsonian Institution’s cutest new addition — a cub.

10

News FRIDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2013

A NO SHOW

The dump has been expanding steadily into the sea since 1993 and upwards, forming one of the highest points in the whole country, 80 per cent of which is less than a metre above sea level.

Rubbish Island ADAM PLOWRIGHT Agence France-Presse MALÉ: Descending by plane into the Maldives offers a panoramic view of azure seas and coral-fringed islands, but as the tarmac nears, billowing smoke in the middle distance reveals an environmental calamity.

Thilafushi Island, a half-hour boat trip from the capital, is surrounded by the same crystal clear waters and white sand that have made the Indian Ocean archipelago a honeymoon destination for the rich and famous.

But no holidaymaker sets foot here and none could imagine from their plane seats that the rising smoke is the waste from residents and previous visitors being set alight by men, like 40year-old Fusin.

Fusin, a migrant from Bangladesh, is one of several dozen employees on “Rubbish

Its biggest export

O

nly plastic bottles, engine oil, metals and paper are collected, with the waste sent by boat to India, forming the biggest export from the Maldives to its giant neighbour to the northeast.

Island” — the biggest waste dump in the country where he’s paid $350 a month for 12-hour shifts, seven days a week.

With no safety equipment bar a pair of steel-capped boots, he clambers over a stinking mountain of garbage, eyes streaming and voice choked after four years’ exposure to thick, toxic fumes.

Beneath his feet lie the discards of the cramped capital Male and the local tourism industry that has helped turn the collection of more than 1,000 islands into the wealthiest country in South Asia. Bottles of beer — illegal for local Muslims but ubiquitous on tourists’ islands — lie scorched next to piles of halfburnt hotel forms requesting speed boat transfers.

A discarded plastic diving mask lies in a heap of packets of juice, plastic bags and rotting vegetables that awaits Fusin’s attention.

“Before we used to separate cardboard and glass, but now the company is not so strong,” says site manager Islam Uddin, a friendly man who has worked here for 16 years. He complains of neglect from successive governments and laments that a privatisation deal signed in 2008 with a German-Indian waste

AROUND THE

WORLD

management company has stalled as a result of local political upheaval.

Only plastic bottles, engine oil, metals and paper are collected, with the waste sent by boat to India, forming the biggest export from the Maldives to its giant neighbour to the northeast.

All of the rest, including electronics that escape the attention of hundreds of human scavengers and batteries, go up in flames — with no sign of the high-tech incinerators promised as part of the privatisation deal.

“The batteries contain lead.

There are products with mercury in them. All of these can easily get into the food chain,” says Ali Rilwan, an environmentalist with local organisation Bluepeace Maldives.

“Unlike landfill, this is the ocean they are filling.”

As he speaks, waves lap at the edge of the dump which has been expanding steadily into the sea since 1993 and upwards — forming one of the highest points in the whole country, 80 percent of which is less than a metre

above sea level.

He cites government figures showing visitors to the Maldives created on average 7.2 kilograms of waste per day, compared with 2.8 kilograms for residents of Male, which make up a third of the 350,000-strong population.

Tourists, at nearly a million last year, outnumber locals by a ratio of about three-to-one.

OPEN BURNING Local authorities plan to stop the toxic open burning on the island and the private operator of the site, finally set to start work after a five-year delay, will build an incinerator.

Better waste management in the capital Male through door-todoor collection and recycling will also help to reduce environmental damage, says a city councillor from the capital, Ahmed Kareem.

“The project that is going ahead will monitor air pollution and also the sea pollution near Thilafushi Island and so no further expansion by waste will be done for Thilafushi,” Kareem opined.

The Maldives Association of Tourism Industry declined repeated interview requests from AFP seeking comment on efforts of resorts to reduce their environ-

The batteries contain lead.

There are products with mercury in them. All of these can easily get into the food chain. Unlike landfill, this is the ocean they are filling.

Ali Rilwan Environmentalist mental impact.

Site manager Islam is hopeful he will get new machinery allowing them to move waste more easily and sort it. Rows of broken diggers and bulldozers sit nearby in a vehicle graveyard.

Behind him as he talks stands a row of palm trees discarded by a hotel resort which were planted in an incongruous attempt to beautify a place of toxic smoke clouds and buzzing swarms of flies.The trunks are blackened and the leaves are missing.

“They died,” Islam smiles.

11

News FRIDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2013

FOOD TALK

PROPAGANDA

The different tastes of silence

Xi cartoon causes a flutter

Patrons are prohibited from talking during four-course meals in this restaurant known as Eat. NEW YORK CITY: At the table, silence is golden, especially in noisy New York. That's the gamble a young restaurant owner is taking with patrons, who are prohibited from talking during four-course meals.

The project, launched a month ago at Eat in Brooklyn's fashionable Greenpoint neighborhood, has created a buzz in a city where restaurants are often so noisy that they trigger routine complaints.

Customers have to reserve days in advance for the privilege of eating without speaking or hearing a word on Friday or Saturday night in the small room that seats 25.

"I want to provide the opportunity for people to experience the

Customers have to reserve days in advance for the privilege of eating without speaking or hearing a word in the small room that seats 25. food with a kind of intention and attention to the experience that isn't usually afforded by a loud meal, especially in New York City," manager Nicholas Nauman told AFP. Customers who dare break the golden rule during the $40 prix fixe meal are forced to finish their plate on a bench outside.

Sitting at long, wooden tables adorned with stoneware, the clients play along while tasting a menu based on local organic ingredients.

For an entire hour, they savor the food, watch one another and don't say a word, as though cut off from the hustle and bustle of the outside world.

AROUND THE

WORLD

Cell phones must also be turned off. Some struggle to keep serious in the face of an experience that is the polar opposite of the constant frenzy prevalent in New York, the city that never sleeps.

ACCOLADES FROM ALL AROUND "We're bringing our own intentionality to it as well," explained the restaurant's chef Elsa Schmitt, using a philosophical term for the mind's power to stand in for things or concepts.

"We know what is about to take place so we're bringing our own energies to it."

As the dinner ends, after dessert, the silence ends.

Nauman, 28, breaks the silence first with a "thank you guys," and is greeted by applause from his customers.

"It was very enjoyable," said chemist Kevin Stokely.

Morgan Yakus, who like most clients was in her 30s, spoke of the

I wanted to laugh.

You're going through stages but by the end, you're in a really zen, relaxed stage.

Morgan Yakus almost transcendental experience as an "internal dialogue of your mind, saying all kids of things."

"I wanted to laugh. You're going through stages but by the end, you're in a really zen, relaxed stage," she said.

Alison Wise came with her boyfriend, and the couple was won over as well, though for different reasons.

"It was a really nice way to spend time together without any of the pressure of coming up with anything to say," she said.

At first, Nauman had hoped to organize one silent meal per month. But his haven of silence in a hub of sound was so popular that it quickly became a weekly affair. AFP

BEIJING:A Chinese cartoon comparing Xi Jinping's ascent to power with that of Barack Obama has gone viral, leaving Internet users asking Friday whether it is a subtle piece of animated propaganda.

The Chinese-language video, which uses pictures of politicians on cartoon bodies, has been viewed nearly 1.5 million times since it was released Monday on Youku, a popular video-sharing website in China, where YouTube is banned. An English-language version has been watched almost 22,000 times.

The cartoon presents a view of the different paths to leadership in China, the United States and Britain, but makes only fleeting reference to the fact that the latter two are multi-party democracies with competitive elections.

The hard work involved in the climb to China's presidency is like "the training of a kung fu master", it says.

"As long as people are satisfied and the country develops and progresses as a result, it's working," the narrator states.

In the US, according to the video, becoming president is tougher than winning "American Idol", involving "a

AROUND THE

WORLD

super-complex business" in which candidates must put together a campaign team, deliver speeches and raise money. "Without a glib tongue, extraordinary stamina and, most importantly, an unending flow of greenbacks, no one can ever pull through it," notes the narrator, over an image of Obama and his vanquished rival Mitt Romney sitting on piles of dollar bills.

The path to becoming British prime minister, the video goes on, includes ascending to the leadership of one's political party and then clinching a parliamentary majority.

"That chance is way narrower than Susan Boyle had at winning 'Britain's Got Talent'," says the narrator, as the video contrasts British Prime Minister David Cameron with the distinctive talent show contestant.

In China, the video says, "you must also get to the top of the governing party, but here, we're talking about a party of more than 85 million members".

AFP

WORLD BRIEFS Unicef launches mobile app for breastfeeding

U

nicef China has launched a mobile application that enables its users to locate breastfeeding rooms in public places in different cities. The mobile application is part of the "10 Square Metres of Love" breastfeeding advocacy campaign launched by Unicef and the National Centre for Women and Children' s Health.

Canada police clash with protesters

P

olice arrested at least 40 protesters opposed to shale gas development in easternmost Canada on Thursday after vehicles were set ablaze and a shot was ďŹ red. Authorities moved in to enforce a court injunction against the protesters, who have been camped out on a New Brunswick highway near the town of Rexton for weeks.

NYpupils could get Muslim school holidays

S

chool children in New York are likely to get two extra days off to mark the biggest annual Muslim holidays if the city's next mayor gets his way. New York schools currently have mandatory holidays for the Christian festivals Easter and Christmas, and the Jewish holidays of Rosh Hashanah and Passover.

12

News FRIDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2013

A FRESH START Bachmann and others link their crusade against Obamacare to a demand for dramatically reduced federal spending, saying the monstrous US debt — currently at $16.7 trillion and counting — will only drag down the nation’s economy.

Beaten, but unbowed A

drift but unbowed, dyed-in-the-wool conservatives sifted through the ashes of their Republican Party’s capitulation, insisting their failed fight over Obamacare was worth flirting with US economic disaster.

The Thursday morning after their legislative defeat promises a political hangover for many Tea Party-backed Republicans in the House of Representatives.

Their strategy of standing against President Barack Obama’s landmark health care law during a fiscal crisis yielded little except a two-week government shutdown, a near default on US debt, tanking poll numbers and an internal battle that has alienated moderates and set the direction of the party itself into question.

“We lost today,” Republican congressman Mick Mulvaney acknowledged as he strode through the basement of the US Capitol, where weakened Speaker John Boehner had convened his caucus to break the news that Wednesday’s deal to avert default would only minimally nick “Obamacare.”

But “if folks think we’re done fighting about spending, debts, deficit, Obamacare, religious liberties (and) equal protection,

they’re wrong.”

He wasn’t the only undaunted Republican.

“We fought the right fight,” it was “absolutely worth it,” proclaimed congresswoman Michele Bachmann, who launched the House’s Tea Party caucus in 2010.

Bachmann and others link their crusade against Obamacare to a demand for dramatically reduced federal spending, saying the monstrous US debt — currently at $16.7 trillion and counting — will only drag down the nation’s economy.

And by giving in on the debtceiling fight, some argued it will be tougher for hardliners to press their case in future budget battles, including one expected to consume Washington later this year when Democrats will want to remove automatic spending cuts favored by many Republicans.

“Because we capitulated on this one, we blinked... I think we have less credibility going into the next” fiscal fights, said congressman Thomas Massie.

The Tea Party-backed freshman has flouted economists to insist that the US Treasury would be able to avoid default for significant time even if it could no longer borrow new money.

“Americans want somebody to stand up to the establishment here, and that’s what we did,” Massie said.

The movement’s current flagbearer, Senator Ted Cruz — another freshman — has become AROUND THE

WORLD

the poster child of congressional intransigence, incurring wrath for helping send the government careening into shutdown.

But he insisted Wednesday the fight he and House conservatives have waged was a “remarkable victory” and “a profile in courage.”

Some fellow Republicans warned against such characterizations.

“First of all we should block out Ted Cruz,” Republican congressman Peter King told reporters when asked the path forward for the party.

King has repeatedly stressed that Republicans could be cast into the political wilderness after the shutdown and default threat debacles, which polls show are being largely blamed on conservatives.

“We’re alive, that’s the important thing, (but) it certainly

wasn’t a win,” King said of the fight.

Tim Huelskamp, one of the most conservative House members, said the crisis showed it pays to confront the Washington establishment.

“We did lose the battle, but if you go outside the Beltway... we are winning the war,” if only in red states, Huelskamp offered.

“Finally someone is pushing back against an administration that has had excesses for five years.... So there’s a value in actually fighting back.”

Many among the group which critics have derisively called the “debt default deniers” liken the latest failed showdown to a sports match where losing players gain key experience.

“Sometimes when you lose, you win for next time,” said Republican congressman Matt Salmon, who left Congress in 2000 only to win another term 12 years later.

“You learn your opponent’s weaknesses, you learn somewhat about your strengths, and you learn how to capitalize on all those things.”

But if that means employing the same tactics in three months’ time, when Congress must negotiate a broad budget deal or go through another circus simply to

keep government open another 90 days, moderate Republicans may well revolt.

“Where we are today just demonstrates that this was not a smart thing to do in terms of a strategy... and it’s time to move on,” Senator Kelly Ayotte said, bristling when asked what lessons Tea Party conservatives could learn from the last two weeks.

“If they’re saying that the defunding issue is going to come up in three months again, then they’ve learned nothing from this,” she fumed.

We fought the right fight. It was absolutely worth it.

Michele Bachmann US Congresswoman But Salmon said this month’s fiscal stand would be worthy of a repeat.

“I have no regrets of fighting the fight,” he said. “It’s not over.

This is Round 1.”

AFP

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2013

Business

BULGARIA SEEKS CHINESE INVESTMENTS

Bulgarian PM Plamen Oresharski said here Thursday that his country would encourage all sorts of private Chinese investments in its private sector. The Chinese investment in the Balkan country reached 85 million euros with 67 million euros invested during the last two years.

FIGHT FOR OIL

GOOGLE PROFITS SURGE

Chinese firms to star in upcoming Brazil auction

Petrobras workers launched an indefinite strike to demand the immediate suspension of the auction.

CLAIRE DE OLIVEIRA NETO Agence France Presse RIO DE JANEIRO: Chinese oil giants CNOOC and CNPC will be in a prime position in next week’s first auction of deepwater concessions in Brazil’s coveted Libra oilfield, experts say.

Monday’s highly-anticipated auction covers Libra’s estimated eight to 12 billion barrels of recoverable crude, or nearly a million barrels a day for five years, according to Brazil’s National Petroleum Agency (ANP).

“Markets expect Asian companies will be the stars of these auctions as the US majors are not at the table and will merely sit back,” said Carlos Assis, head of Ernst&Young’s Americas oil and gas unit.

Petrobras workers launched an indefinite strike Thursday to demand the immediate suspension of the auction, according to the National Oil Workers Federation.

The federation, which

groups 12 Petrobras oil workers’ unions, also called nationwide demonstrations to “denounce the threat to sovereignty and the losses the Brazilian nation will suffer if multinationals grab Libra.”

A defense ministry spokesman said a total of 1,100 security personnel from the

army and police would be deployed around the Rio hotel where the auction will take place.

The auction will be the first since Brazil announced the discovery of huge deep-water oil reserves off its southeastern coast in 2007.

Finance Minister Guido

Mantega said the Libra oilfield is expected to attract $180 billion in investment over the next 35 years.

Speaking in Brasilia during a presentation on investment in the country’s infrastructure, he noted that between 2014 and 2025, $80 billion is likely to be pledged to develop and exploit the deposits.

With state-owned Brazilian giant Petrobras leading the pack, 11 companies have put up more than two million reais ($900,000) each to take part in the auction in which Brazil is assured of at least a 41.6 percent production stake.

Seven bidders rank among the world’s 11 biggest oil companies by market capitalization: second-ranked China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC), number three Anglo-Dutch Shell, Colombia’s Ecopetrol, Petrobras, France’s Total, China National Offshore Oil Corporation.

The sale of deepwater concessions to foreign companies has not passed without opposition here.

Packer confirms Sri Lanka casino plans SYDNEY: Australian tycoon James Packer on Friday said he plans to pump Aus$400 million (US$384 million) into a five-star gambling resort in Sri Lanka, cashing in on the country’s tourism potential.

The billionaire, who operates casinos in Melbourne, Perth and Macau and is planning a complex in Manila, said the project on the banks of Beira Lake in Colombo would

create 2,500 jobs.

Sri Lanka is banking on high-end casinos to attract high-rollers and boost tourist arrivals to 2.5 million by 2016 from the current level of about a million tourists a year.

Packer said he was in detailed discussions with the Sri Lankan government and potential joint venture partners to develop the resort, which will have 450 rooms as well as

restaurants, retail stores, conference facilities and gambling spaces.

“I have great confidence in the country’s future and believe as a destination that it is Sri Lanka’s time to shine in Asia,” Packer said in a statement.

“A Crown integrated resort would help redefine luxury tourism in Sri Lanka and play a significant role in helping to drive increased international

in-bound tourism especially from India and China.”

The tourism industry on the Indian Ocean island, famed for its beaches and wildlife, has boomed in the past four years after the end of a decades-long civil war.

Packer said the Sri Lankan parliament and the Board of Investment were in the process of considering whether to grant investment approvals.

AFP

GOLD`30,520 10g SILVER `48,032 1kg

24C

for

for

DOLLAR `61.31 POUND `99.11

13

Google shares surged to a record high, close to $1,000, after quarterly earnings figures showed the Internet giant’s profits are climbing despite a trend toward cheaper advertising on smartphones and tablets. The company on Thursday reported net income of $2.97 billion on revenue that rose to $14.89 billion in the quarter that ended on September 30.Profits were up 36 percent from the same period a year ago and topped expectations.

Revenues also beat forecasts with a 12 percent jump year-on-year. The California titan’s stock leapt more than eight percent, hitting $961.48 a share in after-hours trade.

AFP

NUMEROLOGY

$600

mn

is how much the partial US federal government shutdown has cost the Pentagon, officials estimate.

IMF VISITS UKRAINE KIEV: An International Monetary Fund (IMF) team, headed by Nikolay Gueorguiev, arrived here Thursday to assess Ukrainian economy. During its 13-day technical mission, the IMF staff will take stock of the country’s economic developments and hold talks with Ukrainian authorities on the issues of common concern, Xinhua reported. The negotiations will focus on Ukraine’s current macro economic situation, in particular the rising public debt and budget deficit, local currency exchange rate and the prospects for further cooperation between Kiev and the global lender.

IANS

THUS SPAKE America is the bedrock of the global economy for a reason ... because we keep our word and we (meet) our obligations.

BARACK OBAMA PRESIDENT, UNITED STATES

BSE NSE

20,729.91 314.41

6,022.45 97.65

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2013

Comment

HIGH-FLYING THOUGHTS Sixty-six years after Indendence, it is rather a shame that more than half the number of modern day slaves in the world comes from our country. The study is according to the first Global Slavery Index.

TRING... TRING!

14

BACK TO THE FUTURE I still remember my first cell phone, it was the size of my shoe and heavier than potato, and all it can do was make phone calls, not even text messages.

BUT... SERIOUSLY

Ajay Hotchandani

I

t’s 2013. I had to remind myself of that today. Some say this year has gone by fast, I feel like a decade has flown by. I remember when 2000 was such a big deal, and now 2050 seems like the impossible number. The one thing that has really progressed at an alarming rate is the number of horrible TV shows. Five minutes of watching some of those shows drain my IQ at a mind numbing pace.

Besides TV shows, electronics are another item that have far superseded our expectations.

For those of you who are old enough to remember there was time where phones were limited to a certain location and not everyone could afford one. Then came the cordless phone, WOW! Cell phone? What’s that? A phone that you can take anywhere with you? You lying! I still remember my first cell phone, it was the size of my shoe and heavier than potato, and all it can do was make phone calls, not even text messages. Now, I use it for just about everything from treating patients to listening to Pankaj Udhas’ songs (Chiithi aayi hai), except making calls. I make an average of 5 calls a week. With all that has happened it’s really difficult to imagine what they will think of next. More important, who are those people they call “they”

who are tasked with thinking up of this near sci-fi technology?

Video conferencing on your phone was something you saw in sci-fi movies and now its standard hardware. If I could be one of those people who could conjure up some of the mind blowing stuff that gets added to phones I would first change my name to something cool and

reflects creative genius, Rajinder Shakespeare or Bigrod Blackhole. Then I would look at my phone and ask myself, what have you done for me today you lazy bastard? It would probably look back at me with disgust as it knows what’s on my browser history. When all the back and forth, along with my coffee, is done, I’ll start designing my new

phone. What crazy stuff can they think of next? Built in printer? A place to swipe credit cards and ID’s? Phones with miniature speakers and microphones implanted subcutaneously behind your ear and mouth? The minute you think it’s too crazy or farfetched, that’s the idea that ‘they’ will work on.

My fear, is that the phone are

programmed with artificial intelligence, learn your pattern and behavior and start acting on your behalf. Oh! Phones that can analyze your bodily fluids, and take your vital signs. This would really help me out with random relatives contacting me for free medical advice. No you sick bastard, you can’t stick that in your phone (though that might not be a bad idea for a marketing gimmick).

Then again, having a phone that can think like me might not be a bad idea, as long as it does not say everything I’m thinking.

I think every house should have one of those old fashion rotary phones and kids should be forced to use only that phone until they are 15, after which they get to use the fancy new cordless phone. If they really behave themselves they get access to this new contraption they call a cell phone.

The microwave, that’s another one that blows my mind, but needs to be updated to something that can freeze something as fast as it thaws it, cause nothing is cooler than cool underwear on a hot day!

EDITORIAL Collusion between Netas, Babus and udyogpatis

S

upreme Court which now de facto runs the government, thanks to the lawless manner of government performance, has now said something very apparent to the common man of India. In connection with the coalgate, the Apex court stated there was collusion between Netas, Babus and udyogpatis. This is not in doubt as any exbureaucrat who is not seeking a political post will vouchsafe.

Industrial intrusion into politics began from the early ‘80s. The topmost

READERS’ VIEWS

industrial house in India today has engendered the trend which was otherwise not overt. The very fact that every

politician today has industrial-business interests and vice versa is not in doubt.

Though not a white dove himself, Vijay Mallya’s lamentation that he should have curried favour with politicians, goes to prove the nexus between the industries and the government.

It is only in India where we witness a weird debate — whether or not the prime minister is responsible for a scam in his ministry. To the rest of the world, it is obvious. PM is the head of the government and any omissions or

commissions of his government his business and his responsibility. How can head of a government be immune to the law which others are subject to?

In the coalgate scam, the debate if the PM is to be named in the CBI report is unfortunate. He should be the first to stand in the dock for the crude manner in which country’s common wealth— coal—was apportioned among cronies for gain. If not for gain, it should for favours received. This much is very clear to common intelligence.

We invite you to write to us comments, suggestions, viewpoint or just about anything to feedback@postnoon.com or Plot No 550-A1,3rd Floor, Road No 92, Jubilee Hills, Hyderabad–500033 Landmark — Volkswagen showroom or even by way of a call on 040-2354 1412. Editor: Dean Williams

15

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2013

music CONSUMMATE ARTISTE

HALL OF FAME

Recording Academy honours

YOUNG AGAIN

Nirvana members are among the first-time nominees for 2014 induction into the hall, for which artists become eligible 25 years after the release of their debut single or album. They join a list of veteran acts who are also up for the honor for the first time, including former Genesis leader and solo star Peter Gabriel, "You're No Good" singer Linda Ronstadt, prog rock icons Yes and rock and soul duo Hall & Oates. Despite releasing just three full-length studio albums in their seven-year career, Nirvana stand as one of the most influential rock bands thanks to landmark hits such as Smells Like Teen Spirit.

DID YOU KNOW...

Katy Perry doesn't deal with fans when she's relaxing. The singer confessed she chooses not to please them while enjoying personal time to herself. During vacations Katy refuses to take pictures or sign autographs for those who adore her.

TRENDING...

J

ust four years after the Recording Academy honored Neil Young with an allstar tribute concert, they are once again honouring him, reported the Rolling Stone. This time it's the Recording Academy Producers and Engineers Wing.

The seventh annual ceremony will take place on January 21st and held at Village Studios in West Los Angeles. Past honorees include Chris Blackwell, Jimmy Iovine, Quincy Jones and T Bone Burnett.

It is with great honour that we pay tribute to a musical icon who has been tireless in his own efforts to draw attention to the importance of hearing music as the artistes who created it intended, and who has continually set precedents of excellence within

Young hits Rockin' In The Free World’ From: ‘Freedom’ (1989)

Done' From: ‘Harvest’ (1972)

'Ohio' From: ‘Decade’ (1977)

'Cowgirl In The Sand' From: ‘Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere’ (1969)

'Old Man' From: ‘Harvest’ (1972) 'Cinnamon Girl' From: ‘Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere’ (1969) 'Heart of Gold' From: ‘Harvest’ (1972) 'The Needle & The Damage the music community," Recording Academy President/CEO Neil Portnow said in a statement. "The contri-

'Helpless' From: ‘Decade’ (1977) ‘After The Gold Rush’ From: ‘After The Gold Rush’ (1970) 'Down By The River' From: ‘Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere’ (1969) butions of Neil Young are innumerable, as is his incomparable body of work, and we look forward to an unforgettable

evening with this legendary artiste."

Much of Young's time in recent years has been devoted to his LincVolt electric car project and his high-resolution digital audio format, Pono. In a recent note on his website, Young wondered whether too much of his time has been spent on these types of initiatives.

"As the sun rises today I wonder," he wrote, "how hard should I try? As I spread awareness of climate change and make that my priority, am I losing sight of day to day life? Is this more important than making music?

Why should it matter so much to me?" In 2010, Young was named the 2010 MusiCares Person of the Year, another annual Grammyweek event.

Attention, Ke$ha fans currently releasing her early demos.

"They're so crazy; I love them. I live for them!" she laughed.

"I have songs leak all the time, because I've written like, hundreds and hundreds of songs, and my fans somehow find them on the Internet, somewhere — I don't even have them — and they put them around.”

Lady Gaga and R. Kelly just want you to do whatever you want.

The Mother Monster is giving fans a preview of her ARTPOP duet, "Do What U Want," with Kells, in a new advertisement for Beat

by Dre. On the snippet of the song, Gaga and R. Kelly trade lines over a funky, up-tempo beat. "Do What U Want/ Don't Stop/ Let's party," Gaga sings.

18

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2013

spotlight FASHION FOR KIDS

PETITE FASHION

Designers Deepthi Rajesh and Sujata Lakotiya launched Lil Buttons, a store exclusively dedicated to kid’s fashion, at Road No. 3, Banjara Hills on Thursday.

PICS: SRINIVAS SHETTY .

CO-CREATING WITH ALLEN SOLYY

Apparel brand, Allen Solly, launched an innovative concept called Colour Lab with which customers have the option of co-creating with the brand through an interactive tablet.

CHANGING THE WAY WE COOK

Managing Partner, Furnplus, Mr. Rohit Thakran along with director of Operations Gorenje, India, Mr. Sriram N at the launch of Gorenje’s line of home appliances at Hacker Kitchens, Hyderabad.

INTERNATIONAL TADKA

International pop singer, Stella G, collaborated with India’s youngest DJ, DJ Prithvi for an original single album titled Beat the Box which will be released on October 19 at The Park Hotel.

19

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2013

health STUDY

Resting can cause problems, not relive painful muscles Lying down when suffering from sore muscles, prolongs pain, reduces mobility and extends recovery time, a study shows.

Women have too much estrogen to build large amounts of bulk. Guys build muscles faster because they have testosterone.

R

esting in bed when suffering from sore muscles, a kind of muscle fever, seems like best option for many. However, studies show that it prolongs pain, reduces mobility and extends recovery time A study of 1,000 people aged 25-65 with aches and pains, commissioned by the Simplyhealth Advisory Research Panel (ShARP), an independent panel of experts, found that more than a third thought bed rest was the remedy However, it can cause many problem.

Femalefirst.co.uk reports that a group of panelists

n

n

n n

n n

Myth: Stretching will help prevent injuries.

Busting: While toe-touches and extra flexibility might be required in gymnastics or figure skating, it's irrelevant for more everyday activities like basketball or weightlifting. But warming up helps.

n

n

has found that people get trapped in a cycle where their lack of exercise not only exacerbates their pain and stiffness, it also leads to muscle wastage. This, in turn, can result in weight gain, placing even more stress on already painful joints.

The study also reveals that the lower back is the nation’s number one sore spot and overweight people suffer joint pain daily.

Also, while many are aware that exercises such as swimming, yoga and pilates can help with muscle and joint pain, over 50 percent admitted to doing nothing to help their musculoskeletal health.

IANS

Myth: Women shouldn't lift weights because it'll make them bulky.

Busting: Women have too much estrogen to build large amounts of bulk. Guys build muscles faster because they have testosterone.

Myth: Low-intensity exercise burns more fat.

Busting: The more intensely you exercise, the higher proportion of carbs you burn. You may burn less fat, but the total amount of calories burned is higher and that is the bigger picture.

Myth: As long as I go to the gym 30-45 minutes, that gives me a pass to do what I want for rest of the day.

Busting: The gym doesn't negate a bad diet.

20

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2013

Technology ANALYSIS

‘Lenovo will face obstacles in any BlackBerry deal’ Chinese computer maker Lenovo, which has signed a non-disclosure deal to examine BlackBerry's books, faces regulatory obstacles if it bids for all of the company and will likely pursue just parts, a source familiar with the matter said on Thursday.

B

lackBerry, based in Waterloo, Ontario, virtually invented mobile email with its first pagers, but it has rapidly lost market share to rivals in recent years.

B

lackBerry Ltd said in August it was exploring options that could include an outright sale.

And the Canadian company, which helped pioneer smartphones, has since been linked with a string of potential buyers from private equity firms to rival technology companies.

Its shares, which rose 4 percent after the Wall Street Journal first reported the interest from Lenovo Group Ltd, ended up less than a percent at $8.20 on the Nasdaq.

Multiple sources close to the matter have told Reuters BlackBerry is in talks with Cisco Systems Inc, Google Inc and Germany's SAP AG among others, about selling all, or parts of itself. The potential buyers have all declined to comment.

None of these technology companies have made a formal bid for BlackBerry yet.

However, industry experts believe that, while these players might not be interested in all of BlackBerry, they are keen on at least some pieces that would mesh well with or expand their own businesses.

Two sources said they expect some of these strategic players to be paired in bids for BlackBerry, depending on their level of interest its hardware and network assets.

Such a deal would be an alternative to a preliminary, $9a- share offer by a group led by BlackBerry's biggest shareholder, Canada's Fairfax Financial Holdings Ltd. Earlier this month, co-founders Mike Lazaridis and Douglas Fregin said they were also considering a bid.

TOUGH REGULATORY REVIEW The sale of BlackBerry, or any

of its assets will likely undergo tough regulatory reviews in both Ottawa and Washington.

Most security experts believe BlackBerry's most vital asset, a secure network that handles millions of confidential corporate and government emails every day, is likely to be sold to a North American entity

THE STATUS

N

one of these technology companies have made a formal bid for BlackBerry yet. However, industry experts believe that, while these players might not be interested in all of BlackBerry, they are keen on at least some pieces that would mesh well with or expand their own businesses. because of the security concerns. Its less contentious handset business, however, could be shopped to an Asian

d e v i c e maker.

Under the Investment Canada Act, the federal government has wide ranging powers to veto any foreign takeover of a Canadian asset or company if it deems such a deal would not bring a "net benefit" to the country, or if it believes a deal might pose a threat to national security.

Last week, Canada blocked an Egyptian telecommunication entrepreneur's bid to acquire the Allstream fiber optic network owned by Manitoba Telecom Services Inc, citing unspecified national security concerns.

Industry Minister James Moore declined comment on the Lenovo interest in BlackBerry.

LENOVO INTEREST

BlackBerry, based in Waterloo, Ontario, virtually invented mobile email with its first pagers, but it has rapidly lost market share to rivals in recent years.

Its latest results highlighted disappointing sales for a new line of devices the company

initially saw as its way to win back market share from Apple Inc's iPhone and the numerous devices powered by Google's Android operating system.

And senior Lenovo executives have on more than one occasion expressed an interest in acquiring BlackBerry, or parts of the company, as it would help boost their own smartphone business.

In an interview at the World Economic Forum earlier this year, Lenovo Chief Financial Officer Wong Wai Ming told Bloomberg the company would consider a bid for BlackBerry.

Lenovo downplayed the comments at the time, saying that Wong was speaking broadly about Lenovo's M&A strategy.

A spokesman for Lenovo declined to comment on news of the company's renewed interest. BlackBerry said it is conducting a thorough review of its alternatives and that it does not intend to disclose further developments until it approves a transaction, or otherwise concludes the review.

The Wall Street Journal said Lenovo was looking at a bid for all of BlackBerry, which includes its faltering hardware unit, along with its securityfocused service businesses.

21

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2013

Entertainment CINE BYTES

Janal Oram audio to be unveiled in a bus

U

pcoming Tamil romanticdrama Janal Oram is about a bus driver and its conductor.

Keeping this in mind, the makers have decided to unveil its audio in a bus. "The crew has planned to hire a special bus.

They will take a trip in this bus around Chennai and release the audio in it in front of the public," read a statement. IANS

CHRISTMAS BONANZA

NTR Jr now shifts focus on Rabhasa

N

TR Jr has become apprehensive about his career after his latest Ramayya Vasthavayya was declared a flop. He has taken some major decisions regarding his career during past few days; he changed his manager and has vowed to give more importance to the script rather than the director.

Pawan Kalyan watches Atharintiki Daaredhi

W

hile Pawan Kalyan's fans are crowding the theatre and watching Atharintiki Dareedhi multiple number of times, the actor himself has admitted that he watched the movie once. Pawan Kalyan who usually doesn't watch his own movies was spotted with the director Trivikram Srinivas catching the movie at Prasads.

YEVADU

TO GET A CHRISTMAS RELEASE

Y

evadu that has been making news for a while now for being delayed endlessly, gets a release date. If the latest buzz is to be believed, the movie will be released on December 19. In a press statement, producer Dil Raju made it clear that he is releasing the movie in Malayalam too on the same day. "Yevadu will take Telugu cinema to the next level. We saw the film and happy with the output. Allu Arjun appears in 10 minutes in the movie but audiences can feel his presence through out the movie," he added. In the beginning, the movie was slated for a release in July, which was later shifted to October 10th. Now according to the producer, Yevadu will be released in December. It stars Ram Charan Tej in the lead with Shruti Haasan and Amy Jackson playing the leading ladies. Devi Sri Prasad has composed the music.

IANS

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2013

fashion

LOUISE GRAY RETURNS FOR LULU KENNEDY

LULU KENNEDY has partnered with one of her former Fashion East protégées, Louise Gray, for her spring/summer 2014 Lulu & Co collection. Although the Scottish designer has been quietly consulting for a number of brands after suspending her eponymous label in July, this is the first time that she has unveiled any new creations since February.

ROSIE DISMISSES SEX SYMBOL TAG

ROSIE HUNTINGTON-WHITELEY's bombshell looks have earned her some of fashion's most lucrative jobs, from Victoria's Secret shows to Burberry campaigns, but she still can't quite get her head round being described as sex symbol.

PAINT ME PINK

W

22&23

edding dresses haven't always been white. Queen Victoria made it the norm when she wore one at her wedding to Prince Albert in 1840. So those who want to break the norm can find dresses in pale, subtle tones like blush and champagne. However, that’s about it. Vera Wang may change that. At her debut, she showcased a collection of bridal gowns at Bridal Fashion Week in New York City — the elegant, ruffle-and-lace-adorned dresses in magenta and coral.

Experts say that with changing times, fashion-forward brides are using what they wear on the biggest day in their lives to make a statement. “We’re seeing a whole trend toward customization of the wedding

— making the wedding a reflection of the couple,” an expert says.

Jessica Biel, Anne Hathaway and Margherita Missoni are celebrities who wore pink on their wedding day.

Entertainment FRIDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2013

24

Entertainment FRIDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2013

25

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2013

Chai Time

THOUGHT OF THE DAY

A life spent making mistakes is not only more honorable but more useful than a life spent doing nothing.

- George Bernard Shaw

KAKURO

QUICK CROSSWORD

26

SUDOKU How to play kakuro Kakuro is a popular game similar to sudoku in some ways. But is also suitably different. The key question: ‘How do you play kakuro?’, well here are the rules of kakuro. The answer: The kakuro grid, unlike in sudoku, can be of any size. It has rows and columns, and dark cells like in a crossword. And, just like in a crossword, some of the dark cells will contain numbers. Some cells will contain two numbers.

However, in a crossword the numbers reference clues. In a kakuro, the numbers are all you get! They denote the total of the digits in the row or column referenced by the number.

Within each collection of cells — called a run — any of the numbers 1 to 9 may be used but, like sudoku, each number may only be used once.

Let’s have an example to explain this concept more clearly: In the image above, which shows a section of a kakuro puzzle, you will see the numbers ‘26’ and ‘14’ in the top row. Look at the 14. This means that the total of the three cells underneath must sum to 14. Therefore 9, 4, 1 could be the answer, or perhaps 7, 4, 3 and so on...

So, how do you work out the actual combination? Well, this is done through elimination and cross-referencing. For instance, as you work out the answers for other kakuro clues, this will naturally limit the valid combinations, and hence the answer for this particular run.

Note the second cell in row two — it contains two numbers, 30 and 11. The 30 refers to the vertical run underneath the number 30 and the 11 refers to the two cells to the right, horizontally, of the number 11.

ACROSS

PREVIOUS PUZZLE ANSWER

SCRIBBLING PAD

1 Word in French restaurant names 5 Sweater size, say 10 One-time Kremlin dweller 14 Freeway division 15 Bald eagle nest 16 “Lilo & Stitch” dance 17 Fine mount 18 Dylan’s “As ___ Out One Morning” 19 Do as told 20 Top layer of an organization, typically 23 Alternative energy choice 24 Squeak remover 25 Boat propeller?

28 67.5 degrees on a compass (Abbr.)

29 Escapees from Pandora’s Box 33 Bobby’s wife on the original “Dallas” 35 Arctic and Atlantic 37 Burden or responsibility 38 Certain source of illumination 43 Use a fruit knife on 44 Decorative neckwear 45 At leisure 48 Needle apertures 49 Sixth sense 52 Pen tip 53 Mountain 55 1,000 kilograms 57 Narc 62 Smilin’ Lisa 64 Coupe de ___ 65 Icky or sticky stuff 66 Name of many Norwegian kings 67 Ring great Griffith 68 Axlike tool with a curved blade 69 How thumbs are twiddled 70 Stock without face value 71 “... ___ the twain shall meet”

DOWN

1 Part of a contract 2 “NCIS” star Mark 3 Pave the way for 4 Striped critter 5 Crossjack, e.g.

6 Act like a baby 7 Paperhanger’s computation 8 Slang 9 Deliver a tirade 10 You, in the Bible 11 Court summons 12 Beverage with fish and chips, perhaps 13 Sunshine unit 21 Susan Lucci role 22 Ending with “pay” or “Motor” 26 Target of a college fund-raiser 27 Speak hoarsely 30 Potok’s “My Name Is Asher ___” 31 Not of the clergy 32 Sleep soundly?

34 Shed, as skin 35 Nabisco best-seller 36 Overwhelm with humor 38 Current about 39 Past midnight 40 Court-martial setting 41 Wife without in-laws?

42 There’s no accounting for it 46 Down in the dumps 47 One and one, side-by-side 49 Write, as computer programs 50 Alarm clock button 51 Effervescent doctor?

54 First-class, in slang 56 Hammond product 58 The blue of many blazers 59 Cut out, as a coupon 60 Casa kitchen crock 61 Change directions suddenly 62 Pronoun for Miss Piggy 63 “... at the ___ ball game!”

Chai Time FRIDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2013 Thiruvaikumar

STAR POWER for 19-10-2013

27

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

ARIES

TAURUS

GEMINI

CANCER

LEO

VIRGO

LIBRA

SCORPIO

SAGITTARIUS

CAPRICORN

AQUARIUS

PISCES

Blood relatives, younger to you will extend their wholehearted support. Litigation problems might surface in ancestral property issues. Employees are likely to get good support from the colleagues and they will achieve whatever they planned.

STRIP TEASE AGNES

Businessmen are likely to face minor setbacks. Be careful and take good care of health. Some might think of changing their lawyer who is dealing the court case. However things will go in the right path and soon all the problems will disappear.

Deficit financial situation is likely to make you upset. Expenses are likely to overtake the expenses. Businessmen might face disturbance from the staff.

It is necessary for them to identify good and bad and get rid of the bad ones.

Pregnant women need to take good care; try and avoid undertaking journey to the maximum extent possible. Forgotten dues will get collected and couple will be more cordial and lead a happy life. Financial position looks strong.

Happy events to take place at home. Be careful while driving as minor accident is not ruled out.

Though there will be tensions and obstacles, you will march ahead by managing them all very well. Friendship with some new persons.

Your skills will be exposed which will earn appreciation from all.

Businessmen need to maintain accounts properly as Govt. scrutiny is most likely. Self confidence level will increase and you will work with a determinan.

Some has bright chance to buy a house or plot. Your long pending wishes will get fulfilled. Disturbance through maternal relatives are likely to upset you. Expected loans will be approved. All your plans will be successful.

Blood relatives might not cooperate well. Financial helps from expected sources will be received. Apprehensions and inferiority complex might surface but never allow them to pollute your mind. Some might undertake a pilgrimage.

Students need to concentrate well in studies. Employees need to focus on the work. Repeated travel will make you tiresome and expenses are likely to go up heavily. Good turning points are likely to take place, which will keep you happy.

TAROT READ

Sumaa Tekur

tarotreadhyd@gmail. com

ARIES:

GEMINI:

King of Cups – A strong conviction in your ideas will take you the distance. You will be excited to share details of a new project with someone.

LEO:

Page of Swords – Circumstances force you into making a more daring choice despite your heart not being fully into it. Don’t worry about what people will think.

LIBRA:

PEARLS BEFORE SWINE

Knight of Pentacles – You look up to those who achieve success despite the odds. You’re in a position to achieve something on your own. Make full use of it.

SAGITTARIUS:

Eight of Wands – It’s tempting to take a peek into the lavish world of material wealth. As long as your roots remain intact.

TAURUS:

Ace of Cups – Your skills have been underrated for a long time now. But times are changing and the same skills will help you bag some good projects.

CANCER:

Temperance – You get unnecessarily stressed over small details. It’s just the way you function, and it’s not always a bad thing. People make fun of you for this.

VIRGO:

The Hermit – A surprise gift is in store. It’s not so much the gift but the packaging, timing and the surprise element that make you feel wonderful.

SCORPIO:

Seven of Pentacles – You know how you have struggled for a long time to get a foothold in an industry that doesn’t easily welcome strangers.

CAPRICORN:

Queen of Cups – You will be surprised by the kind gesture of someone you thought was very rude or harsh or insensitive.

PREVIOUS SOLUTIONS

PISCES:

Seven of Cups – You do not tolerate discrimination of any kind – even if it is a VIP cutting the queue to get special treatment.

Keep a tab on your anger.

NUMBER GAME

Forgiveness and love are key themes today. You will experience these emotions or be in a vantage point where you’ll see these play out.

SCRABBLE

AQUARIUS: The Lovers –

POOCH CAFE

Businessmen will see an upward trend. Your individual skills will get sharpened and plans will achieve success.

Minor confusions will surface frequently in the family, but also get resolved. Religious thought will occupy your mind.

for 19-10-2013

Page of Pentacles – You are focusing on finishing off some long-pending tasks. No point in putting it off if you can work a few extra days.

NON SEQUITUR

Govt. sops are likely for the businessmen. Chances of couple getting separated are likely.

You might be caught in a dilemmatic situation sometime, but need to maintain cool and proceed with patience. Be careful and maintain cordiality.

SUDUKO

Children might face minor hurdles in accomplishing their goals; they might need your support. Sudden unexpected fortune opportunities for some are likely. Chances of misunderstanding with blood relatives are likely.

Boggle ROME MALIN GENOA NAPLES VENICE BOLOGNA Vol: 3, No 86 RNI No: APENG/2011/39337 Published for the proprietors, Scribble Media and Entertainment Pvt Ltd, by V Harshavardhan Reddy, at # Plot no.550-A1,3rd floor, Road no-92, Jubilee hills, Hyderabad-500033 and printed by him at Jagati Publications Ltd, Plot No D-75&E-52, APIE Industrial Estate, Balanagar, Ranga Reddy Dist, Hyderabad – 500037, Editor: Dean Williams – Responsible for selection of news under the PRB Act All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission of the publisher is prohibited. For feedback, please write to: feedback@postnoon. com and for subscription, please call 040-23541412,

28

Entertainment FRIDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2013

launches official Facebook page

ARJUN RAMPAL

NEW LAUNCH

CINE BYTES

Tough days opened my eyes: Manisha Koirala

A

ctress Manisha Koirala, who emerged successful in a battle against cancer, says her "tough days" were an eyeopener about the "quality" of people who surrounded her. "Tough times... few whom I considered family said, 'Oh, she is going to pop any minute, she is too critical, prayers won't help'. I'm thankful to such tough days to make my eyes wide open," the 43-year-old said. IANS

B

ollywood actor Arjun Rampal has extended his digital presence by launching his official page on social networking site Facebook. It shares the highlights of his career and personal life starting from 1996.

The model-turned-actor, who is active on microblogging site Twitter and has over 1.3 million followers on the digital platform, is excited about the official Facebook page.

"I am really looking forward to interact with my audience here. The page has many interesting things about me that people might not have known before," Arjun said.

His Facebook timeline dates back to 1996. It is aimed to be a one-stop platform for all his fans on Facebook with all the information and updates about him.

The url of the page is www.facebook.com/arjunrampal.

Year 2013 has been eventful for the actor as three of his films — Inkaar, DDay and Satyagraha — hit the screens.

IANS

‘I make films for Indian audiences, not Oscars’

F

ilmmaker Mahesh Bhatt doesn't digress but drives the point straight home when quizzed about the Indian film industry not churning out Oscar-worthy "A choice has to be made whether you want to make films for the people of India or the Oscars. I chose the people of India," Bhatt said.

IANS

Saif-Kareena like celebrating abroad: Soha

W

ith celebrity couple Saif Ali Khan and Kareena Kapoor celebrating their first wedding anniversary abroad, Soha Ali Khan says the duo love to celebrate abroad.

"They tend to run away and leave the country whenever it is a special occasion — be it their birthdays or anniversary. They are again out today," Soha said.

IANS

sports

29

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2013

INDIAN OPEN

TENNIS RESULTS

Advani, Mehta in last 8

Pankaj Advani and Aditya Mehta came through gut-wrenching matches to set up a quarterfinal clash.

NEW DELHI: Pankaj Advani and Aditya Mehta came through gut-wrenching matches to set up a quarterfinal clash in the Indian Open World Snooker professional ranking tournament here Thursday.

While Advani came back from the brink of a certain defeat to beat World No.12 Stuart Bingham 4-3, Mehta survived a thrilling sixth frame to overcome double World Champion Mark Williams 4-2. The two Indian cueists will face off at 8 p.m. Mehta, ranked 72nd, could have won comfortably against the World No.18 Welshman whose famed potting seemed to have deserted him as he missed at crucial moments. In the sixth frame, 27-year-old Mehta missed a sitter black after taking the last red when leading by 26 points. The black rolled to the edge of the top left pocket and was to play a lead role in the drama that followed.

The 38-year-old Williams went on to sink the red followed by colours up to the blue that he missed with Mehta, leading 58-41. With just the blue, pink and black on the table, the pair traded safety shots.

Until then, Mehta was in control with Williams just unable to get going after winning the first frame with a small break. Mehta took the next two frames on the back of 54 and 66 breaks only to have Williams levelling at 2-2 after a scrappy fourth. Mehta played solidly on the colours to take the fifth and was poised to take the sixth when he missed the black that in turn set up a dramatic finish.

“These are the situations we come across a lot of time but I held my nerve.

The result only goes to show how unpredictable and competitive professional snooker is,” said Mehta.

On the black that he missed in the sixth frame, Mehta said: “I was shocked when the black didn’t drop and left hanging in the jaw. Yes, it could have become

3-3 instead of 4-2 but I was prepared for the seventh frame.”

Earlier, 28-year-old Advani was looking down the barrel of the gun in the seventh frame only to be let off when World No.12 Bingham fluffed a sitter red and left it in the jaw of the top corner pocket.

“I am relieved to get through this match.

Stuart is a fluent and attacking player but I got back my safety play and I thought I was much more solid than in my previous match,” said Advani.

Advani, ranked 70th, grabbed the opportunity to run up a break of 86 clearance to clinch the frame and match.

Advani took the first frame but Williams responded to pocket the second.

Advani won the next two frames but the Englishman retaliated by winning the fifth and sixth frames to push the match into the decider, which he won.

Meanwhile, Scotland’s 22-year-old Stuart McGill too advanced to the quarters overwhelming Joe Perry of England 4-2, aided by a break of 138 in the last frame. On another table, China’s World

No.4 Ding Junhui knocked out four-time World Champion John Higgins 4-2 while Robbie Williams overwhelmed Joe Perry 4-2 to book quarterfinal berths as also top ranked Neil Robertson of Australia, who got past China’s Ling Yenbo 4-2 with a century of 100 in the sixth frame.

Round of 16 results: Pankaj Advani (IND) bt Stuart Bingham (ENG) 4-3 (9926, 01-117, 80-15, 69-16, 11-72, 08-119, 8630); Aditya Mehta (IND) bt Mark Williams (WAL) 4-2 (34-65, 79-21, 85-00, 45-74, 63-49, 70-41); Neil Robertson (AUS) bt Liang Wenbo (CHN) 4-2 (96-39, 61-42, 10-68, 32-65, 87-00, 100-00); Stephen Maguire (SCO) bt Mark Davis (ENG) 4-2 (68-70, 70-00, 00-96, 70-45, 9316, 69-45); Michael White (ENG) bt Gary Wilson(ENG) 4-3 (78-49, 00-84, 133-00, 5943, 25-73, 89-00); Robbie Williams (ENG) bt Mike Dunn (ENG) 4-0 (57-49, 134-00, 67-05, 63-55); Anthony McGill (SCO) bt Joe Perry (ENG) 4-2 (00-80, 72-52, 77-06, 30-71, 109-22, 138-0); Ding Junhui (CHN) bt John Higgins (SCO) 4-2 (27-84, 62-21, 62-25, 109-00, 00-94, 77-00).

Results: Boys under-8: Semifinal: Poorva Parikh bt Chanakya (W/O), Rohit Sai Charan bt Nikhil Sawthi Prasad 5-1 Boys under-10: Semifinal: K Shashidhar bt Bandi Yuvraj, J Yaswanth bt Bagili Asheesh 6-3 Boys under-12: Quarters: Rahul Chandana bt Koushik Kumar Reddy 6-0, K Brihat bt P Yuvraj, K Shashidhar bt Syed Khasim Ali 6-2, Shaik Rehan bt K Vamsi Krishna Reddy Boys under-14: Round 3: Uddhav Thakore bt I Nikhil 6-0, Mohit Sai Kumar bt Allan 7-5, Rahul Chandana bt Kapil 6-0, Aditya bt Brihat 6-3, Yashodhan bt Revanth 6-2, Kushal bt P Nikhil 6-5 (5), Akhilesh Reddy bt R Archit 6-2, Girls under-8: Semifinals: Diya Reddy bt A Dia 6-0, Vemuri Apurva bt Sreenidhi Reddy 6-2 Final: Diya Reddy bt Vemuri Apurva 7-4 Girls under-10: Semifinal: V Adithi bt C Rakshitha 6-2, Shaik Kamreen bt T Vidhitha 6-0 Girls under-12: Quarters: Srujana bt Angela Rachel 6-2. Amulya bt Sri Harshita 6-5 (7), Vidushee bt B Rithika Reddy 6-1, Nikita Simhambatla bt Sanjana 6-1 Girls under-14: Semifinal: S Nikitha bt Sri Harshitha 6-5 (7), T Nikitha bt P Rithika 6-4.

LEAGUE CRICKET A DIVISION TWO DAYS Mega City 298/9 (Anirudh Reddy 40, Abhijeeth Kumar 62, Shreyas 70, Navjoth Singh 3/88, Navdeep Singh 4/74) bt Balaji Colts 197 (Amit Yadav 37, Ratan Sharma 65, K Ramesh 38, Shravan 4/65) National CC 115 (Prasad 32, Preetham 5/23, B Dinesh Goud 4/18) vs RajuCC 70/2 (Preetham 34batting) Zinda CC 364/8 (Shyam 123, Faraaz Naveed 82, Syed Shabaaz 52, Sunny 32no, Saurav Kumar 6/119) vs Pasha Beedi Venus Cybertech 169 (Srikanth Raju 39, Surya Vikramaditya 5/60, Prasanna 5/30) vs Ours 52/3 Crown 160 (Chandrashekar 4/24) vs Vijay Hanuman 5 for no loss

MOTOGP

Lorenzo quickest as Marquez tumbles

PHILLIP ISLAND: Spain’s defending world champion Jorge Lorenzo topped both practice sessions Friday as title challenger Marc Marquez struck trouble ahead of this weekend’s Australian MotoGP at Phillip Island.

Yamaha’s Lorenzo clocked one minute 28.961 seconds for the fastest lap in second practice to hold a gap of 0.294secs over compatriot Marquez on a Honda. But Marquez, who can claim the world title in his debut premier class season if he beats Lorenzo by sufficient points in Sunday’s third-last race of the

season, came heavily off his bike during the afternoon run.

The 20-year-old Spanish rookie high-sided his Repsol Honda and landed heavily on the newly-laid asphalt surface before getting to his feet .

Appearing to have escaped any injury, Marquez was back out on the track less than 20 minutes later. But Lorenzo, who clinched his world title in last year’s race, went within 0.304secs of Australian Casey Stoner’s lap record of 1:28.665 set in the 2008 Phillip Island race.

Stoner retired from MotoGP at the end of last season in a

Jorge Lorenzo of Spain powers his Yamaha through a corner during the first practice for the Australian Moto3 Grand Prix at Phillip Island on October 18, 2013.

AFP/PAUL CROCK

career where he won six consecutive Australian MotoGPs around Phillip Island.

Spain’s Alvaro Bautista had the third-fastest lap Friday, 0.477secs down on Lorenzo with Marquez’s Spanish teammate Dani Pedrosa fourth at 0.517secs.

Seven-time premier class world champion Valentino Rossi was fifth quickest and trailing Yamaha teammate Lorenzo’s best time by 0.576secs.

The Italian great has only been off the podium at Phillip Island on three occasions since he debuted in the World Championship in 1996.

sports

30

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2013

DENMARK OPEN

Saina, Gurusaidutt advance

Saina Nehwal and R.M.V. Gurusaidutt made their way into the quarterfinals by notching up easy wins at the $400,000 Denmark Open at the Odense Sports Park on Thursday.

ODENSE (DENMARK): India’s Saina Nehwal and R.M.V. Gurusaidutt made their way into the quarterfinals by notching up easy wins at the $400,000 Denmark Open at the Odense Sports Park here Thursday.

However, the campaigns of World No. 13 Parupalli Kashyap and Ajay Jayaram came to an end in the men’s singles second round of the penultimate Super Series Premier event of the year.

Defending champion Saina looked well on course to retain her title by thrashing her inexperienced Scottish opponent Kristy Gilmour in a second round tie.

The Hyderabadi won 21-12, 21-7 in exactly half an hour.

Gurusaidutt now has a tough task as he faces third seed Du Pengyu of China. However, the Indian can take heart from the fact that he beat the Chinese in Hong Kong two years ago in their only head-to-head contest.

On the other hand, London Olympics quarterfinalist Kashyap was completely out of touch as he could not raise his game to the level of World No. 5 and local favourite Jan O Jorgensen.

O Jorgensen, Kashyap’s teammate in the Indian Badminton League franchise Banga Beats, looked in control from the start and won 21-11, 2115 in 35 minutes, extending his record to 3-1 over the Indian. IANS

Saina looked well on course to retain her title by thrashing her inexperienced Scottish opponent Kristy Gilmour.

She forced her opponent to commit errors. Skill wise, Saina was way ahead of the Scot and used exquisite drops at the net to make her way through.

Earlier, World No. 24 Gurusaidutt won 21-15, 21-16 in 35 minutes to extend his lead to 3-1 in career meetings over compatriot and friend Ajay Jayaram.

ONE FROM THE ROYALS

SHRINERS HOSPITAL OPEN

Andy Murray honoured by British royal family

Henry takes lead

LONDON: Wimbledon champion Andy Murray was awarded an honour by Prince William on Thursday -- though the tennis star nearly missed his big day at Buckingham Palace due to a drugs test.

It was a big occasion for William too as he takes on more duties from his grandmother Queen Elizabeth II, presiding over an investiture ceremony for the first time.

Murray, who in July became the first British man to win the Wimbledon men’s singles title in 77 years, was made an Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (OBE), two ranks below a knighthood, for his services to tennis.

But he feared he might miss the royal appointment when drugs testers turned up at his house to conduct a random test 10 minutes before his car was booked to leave.

“I was just about to start getting ready and they turned up so I was a bit worried I was going to be late but the taxi driver did a good job getting around London,” Murray said.

The 26-year-old Scot chatted animatedly with the prince after William pinned the OBE on his jacket lapel.

“He just asked me about what it’s been like after Wimbledon,” Murray said.

“I think he’s a big sports fan, he was at the Olympics, he was

British tennis player Andy Murray (2nd L) poses for pictures with his girlfriend Kim Sears, (2nd R) his mother Judy (L) and father Will (R) at Buckingham AFP/JOHN STILLWELL/POOL Palace in central London, on Thursday.

seen everywhere and I’ve seen him a couple of times at Wimbledon.

“I thought he seemed pretty relaxed. He seemed to give everyone a lot of time.

“He asked me about my back surgery and what it was like after Wimbledon and the pressures and stuff. It was a great thing to do at the end of the year, especially as it’s his first one.”

A jocular Murray said William’s wife Catherine had much the better handwriting out of the two. “After Wimbledon his wife had written a letter to say congratulations and she had amazing handwriting, and I had a letter from Prince William before

and his handwriting was not good.”

William, 31, has recently ended his stint as a Royal Air Force search and rescue helicopter pilot, but was dressed in his uniform for the ceremony, during which he gave out 88 awards.

The prince, second in line to the throne, wielded the ceremonial sword to create two new knights. Investitures are one of the key duties of the monarch.

Murray was joined at the palace by his parents and his girlfriend. He underwent back surgery three weeks ago, forcing him to miss next month’s World Tour Finals, disputed among the year’s top eight players.

AFP

LAS VEGAS: JJ Henry eagled his last hole to complete a flawless 11-under par 60 and seize the first-round lead in the US PGA Tour’s Shriners Hospital Open.

Henry, who teed off on the 10th hole at TPC Summerlin, rolled in a 50foot eagle putt at the parfive ninth to cap his round.

“It was one of those

JJ Henry, who teed off on the 10th hole at TPC Summerlin, rolled in a 50-foot eagle putt at the par-five ninth to cap his round. days,” said Henry, a twotime PGA Tour winner whose effort included nine birdies.

“There wasn’t much wind and the greens were pretty soft. It was nice to make that putt on the last hole to make lunch taste that much better.”

On a day when birdies abounded, Henry had a onestroke lead over Argentina’s Andres Romero -- who had six birdies and two eagles in his 10-under 61.

“I was focused on my game and I was trying to do my job, and that’s all,” Romero said. “I wasn’t paying attention to the leader-

board and the other guys.”

Americans James Driscoll, Jonathan Byrd and Jeff Overton were tied for third on 63, one stroke in front of former US Open champion Webb Simpson.

“I played solid on the front nine,” said Henry, who hit 17 of 18 greens in regulation and played his last six holes in six-under.

“I was just trying to get my feet wet and shoot a couple under par.”

Henry is coming off a 16th-place finish at last week’s Frys.com Open, which marked the official start of the US PGA Tour’s 2013-2014 season.

Six tournaments are scheduled before January, offering FedEx Cup playoff points and a coveted Masters berth to the winner.

“With the changes (to the schedule), I thought it was important to get myself off to a good start,” Henry said.

Byrd, who won the 2010 edition of this event with the first hole-in-one in PGA Tour playoff history, now finds himself trying to regain full playing privileges after wrist surgery late in 2012 sidelined him until March.

He made five cuts in 16 starts in 2013 and is trying to use the extra time provided by a major medical extension to match the 125th finisher on last season’s money list and secure his card. AFP

sports

31

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2013

PAK VS PROTEAS

Pakistan upstage South Africa Wily spinner Saeed Ajmal took four wickets to fire Pakistan to a seven-wicket win over world number ones South Africa in the first Test in Abu Dhabi on Thursday.

SHAHID HASHMI Agence France-Presse

Conditions made the difference: Misbah

ABU DHABI: Wily spinner Saeed Ajmal took four wickets to fire Pakistan to a seven-wicket win over world number ones South Africa in the first Test in Abu Dhabi on Thursday.

The off-spinner (4-74) was superbly supported by left-arm paceman Junaid Khan (3-57) and fellow spinner Zulfiqar Babar (251) as South Africa collapsed to 232 in their second innings on the

Scorecard

South Africa Ist innings 249 Pakistan Ist innings 442 South Africa 2nd innings (overnight 72/4) AB de Villiers c Masood b Khan 90 D. Steyn b Babar 7 JP Duminy lbw b Khan 0 F. du Plessis c and b Ajmal 9 R. Peterson not out 47 V. Philander c Akmal b Ajmal 10 M. Morkel c and b Ajmal 0 Extras: (b4, lb4, nb2) 10 Total: (all out; 82.4 overs) 232 Bowling: Irfan 13-1-42-1 (nb2), Khan 18-1-57-3, Ajmal 32.4-7-74-4, Babar 19-6-51-2 Pakistan 2nd innings K Manzoor c de Villiers b Philander 4 S Masood c de Villiers b Philander 0 Azhar Ali c Kallis b Steyn 3 Younis Khan not out 28 Misbah-ul Haq not out 9 Extras: (lb1) 1 Total: (for three wkts; 13.5 overs) 45 Bowling: Steyn 5-3-7-1, Philander 5-1-11-2, Morkel 2-0-12-0, Peterson 1.5-0-14-0 Result: Pakistan won by seven wickets

Pakistan’s team celebrates South Africa’s JP Duminy out during the fourth day of their first Test at the Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi on Thursday.

AFP/INEKE ZONDAG

fourth day at Sheikh Zayed Stadium. That left Pakistan to score 40 runs for their overall fourth win over South Africa and take a 1-0 lead in the two-match series. Pakistan made heavy weather of the small target losing openers Shan Masood (nought), Azhar Ali (three) and Khurram Manzoor (four) in the space of seven runs by the fourth over.

Vernon Philander took 2-11 while Dale Steyn had 1-7.

Senior batsmen Younis Khan (28) and Misbah-ul Haq (nine) were left to see off the target with the Pakistan captain deservedly hitting the winning six.

“It’s really unbelievable and a much-needed win for us,” said Misbah, whose team lost to min-

nows Zimbabwe in their last Test in September. “It was a team effort and everyone contributed, especially the youngsters.

“Both openers and Zulfiqar Babar, they really did a tremendous job for us. I think everyone chipped in, especially with the bowling.”

South African captain Graeme Smith was left “extremely disappointed”.

“We have set really high standards for ourselves, but credit goes to Misbah and his boys, right from session one, they have been ahead in the game and played better cricket. Even though we showed good character in parts, our skills were not up to the mark,” said Smith.

It was AB de Villiers who hit a fighting 90 to help South Africa avoid an innings defeat while Robin Peterson scored a valiant 47 not out but it only delayed Pakistan’s win.

This is Pakistan’s fourth win over South Africa in 22 Tests and also broke South Africa’s unbeaten 15-Test run since losing to Sri Lanka at Durban in December 2011.

De Villiers added an invaluable 57 for the eighth wicket with Petersen to carry the match into the final session.

Peterson added an invaluable 42 for the ninth wicket with Vernon Philander (10), much to the frustration of the Pakistani bowlers.

ABU DHABI: Victorious captain Misbah-ul Haq conceded that different conditions in the United Arab Emirates had helped Pakistan beat world’s top team South Africa just a month after losing to minnows Zimbabwe. Pakistan won the first Test against South Africa by seven wickets on a spinfriendly Shekih Zayed Stadium pitch with a day to spare, taking a 1-0 lead in the two-match series. Misbah said his team benefitted on home-like conditions suited to his bowlers and batsmen. “The change of conditions made a big impact,” said Misbah, whose team lost to Zimbabwe by 24 runs in the second Test between the two countries in September, a result that squared the series 1-1.

“Zimbabwe in Harare benefitted from the swing conditions but here it was totally different and we had that belief that conditions would suit us before the match,” said Misbah.

Pakistan bowled South Africa out for a paltry 249 in the first innings and then put on a big 442 total with 146 from opener Khurram Manzoor and 100 from Misbah, taking an invaluable 193-run lead.

South Africa hardly avoided an innings defeat with AB de Villiers notching a fighting 93 before they were bowled out for 232, giving Pakistan a 40-run target to win.

Saeed Ajmal led the attack with 4-74 and was ably supported by paceman Junaid Khan who took three wickets and left-arm spinner Zulfiqar Babar who took two.

SPECIAL FOR TENDULKAR

Sachin to get ‘dabbawala’ salute MUMBAI: When he retires after his 200th Test match in Mumbai next month, legendary cricketer Sachin Tendulkar will get a salute from a familiar but an unexpected and equally legendary tribe - the Mumbai “dabbawalas” who make daily lunch-box deliveries.

“Around 50-100 ‘dabbawalas’ will take a few days off from the tiffin delivery service to be present at Wankhede Stadium and give a salute to the legend who is retiring,” said Subhash Talekar,

spokesperson of the Nutan Mumbai Tiffin Box Suppliers Trust (NMTBST).

He said that the dabbawalas have been serving Mumbai for the past 123 years, while Tendulkar has been serving and bringing laurels to the nation in the past nearly three decades.

“He is a symbol of Mumbai who has made all Indians proud. We feel it is our duty to be present on this historic occasion,” Talekar told IANS, speaking for the dabbawalas, who are regarded the epitome

of management perfection and strategies.

The dabbawalas will pay for their own daily or season tickets for the Test match scheduled Nov 14-18, which Tendulkar’s mother will witness for the first time.

Talekar said that as an organisation, this will be the dabbawalas’ maiden entry into a stadium for the historic match.

Besides holding a banner, Talekar said, the dabbawalas plan to gift Tendulkar their traditional “dabba” (lunchbox),

which has earlier been gifted to celebrities from around the world, including Britain’s Prince Charles.

Mumbai’s nearly 5,000 “dabbawalas” have carved a global niche for themselves for their efficient to-and-fro delivery of nearly 200,000 lunch boxes around the city.

They have become the subject of international management and research studies, won accolades from around the world and are invited to top international business and celebrity events.

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2013

sports

TERRY STRUGGLED WITH SELF-ESTEEM: MOURINHO

Jose Mourinho feared John Terry’s career was on the way down, but the Chelsea manager believes he is now back to his best after a loss of “selfesteem”. Terry has been a more prominent figure in Mourinho’s Chelsea line-up this season after a number of troubled seasons.

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE

ROAD TO WORLD CUP

Bale, Messi set for return

Barcelona and Real Madrid will be boosted by the return of Lionel Messi and Gareth Bale this weekend as both sides prepare for a vital week in their season.

KIERAN CANNING Agence France-Presse MADRID: Barcelona and Real Madrid will be boosted by the return of Lionel Messi and Gareth Bale this weekend as both sides prepare for a vital week in their season.

The two will clash in the first El Clasico of the season at the Camp Nou next weekend and must also negotiate huge Champions League ties in midweek as Real host Juventus and Barca travel to face AC Milan.

A return to league action comes first though, with Madrid welcoming Malaga to the Santiago Bernabeu, whilst Barcelona are away to Osasuna.

The Catalans are sitting pretty atop La Liga, alongside Atletico Madrid, five points clear of Real having won all eight of their league games so far.

Indeed both Barca and Atletico have the chance to match Real’s league record nine wins to start the campaign from the 1968/69 season on Saturday.

And midfielder Sergio Busquets doesn’t want his teammates to lose concentration against a struggling Osasuna

side with big games just around the corner.

“It won’t be an easy game for us in Pamplona, and we can’t be thinking about Real Madrid yet. One lapse in concentration could allow them to gain ground on us in the table.

We cannot afford to get distracted,” he said.

“To break the league record we have to win in Pamplona and beat Real Madrid. If we can do it, we will open up a decent gap in the standings.

“Records are fine but they

don’t guarantee that you’ll end the season with a trophy. We have a few points advantage over Madrid but we have to keep an eye on Atletico.”

Messi’s return after missing the victories over Celtic and Valladolid is not the only good news on the injury front for Gerardo Martino’s men as centre-backs Javier Mascherano and Carles Puyol could both feature on Saturday.

Puyol hasn’t played since undergoing knee surgery in March and Busquets underlined

his importance as a leader both on and off the field.

“He’s an important figure in the dressing room.

“We’re all very happy for him. It’s clear to see that he is close to being back to full fitness and he’ll soon be fully integrated back into the team.”

Real have the chance to temporarily cut the gap at the top to two points as they play first on Saturday afternoon against an improving Malaga side.

Carlo Ancelotti’s men have been far from impressive despite winning six of their eight league games to date, thanks in large part to last minute winners away to Elche and Levante.

“Up to now we’ve had some poor games and our problems have been made worse by the fact that Barcelona and Atletico keep winning,” Ancelotti told Italian newspaper Corriere Della Sera.

“We need to play better, the criticisms are fair. The fans are demanding and they are right to be. As a coach I can say that in the games coming up, Malaga and Juventus at home and Barcelona in the Camp Nou, we’ll do better.”

ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE

Arsenal set eyes on title

IAN WINROW Agence France-Presse

LONDON: Arsene Wenger believes Arsenal’s true standing among the Premier League title contenders will become clearer at the end of November. Wenger’s side will attempt to consolidate their standing as the early leaders, ahead of Liverpool on goal difference, when they face Norwich City at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday.

The disappointment of the opening day defeat to Aston Villa has long been forgotten with the Gunners making impressive headway at home and in the Champions League.

That meant Wenger was able to use the club’s Annual

General Meeting of shareholders to speak confidently about his side’s progress — in contrast to recent years when he has frequently been forced to defend the lack of success on the pitch and the failure to replace big names like Robin van Persie and Cesc Fabregas.

But he injected a note of caution, saying: “We are top of

32

the table, in a very strong position, but at the end of November will give a much clearer indication of where everyone lies.

“I am confident that at the end of May we will all be happy.”

And the Gunners manager restated his determination to deliver success without compromising the club’s established way of playing and conducting business.

“We were restricted financially and had to be strict, but we have come out of that,” Wenger said.

“However, we have to defend our style of play and values, that comes from developing our own players and youth policy. That should be

the core of our club.

“The future of Arsenal will rely on quality of work we do inside, to scout and develop.

“We are respected all over world for our values. We are not artificial.

“But we will also look to buy proven quality, we did not need to scout to buy (Mesut) Ozil, it was just money. I am pleased we have shown you we are not afraid to spend.”

Ozil’s arrival from Real Madrid for a club record £42.5 million at the end of the transfer window proved to be the catalyst for the change in mood at the club and Wenger confirmed the Germany midfielder is expected to be fit despite picking up a knock on international duty this week.

Mexico fire third coach MEXICO CITY: Mexico manager Victor Manuel Vucetich said Thursday that he has been fired after just two games at the helm of the team’s dismal World Cup qualifying campaign.

Vucetich, who just last month became the third coach to guide the team as it struggled in the six-nation final qualifying group in North and Central America and the Caribbean, told US sports website ESPN.com that he had “received a notification in this direction” from the Mexican football federation and that an official announcement would come later.

He led the team to victory against Panama last week but that was followed by a defeat against Costa Rica on Tuesday that nearly spelt the end of Mexico’s hopes of reaching next year’s World Cup finals in Brazil.

The team lost 2-1 in San

Mexico manager Victor Manuel Vucetich said that he had been fired after just two games at the helm of the team’s dismal performance.

Jose on the final night of regional qualifying, but they secured the fourth spot in the group and a playoff against Oceania’s New Zealand next month after their bitter rivals, the United States, beat Panama 3-2.

With the team at risk of missing the World Cup for the first time since 1990, the federation fired Jose Manuel “Chepo” de la Torre last month after an embarrassing 2-1 loss to Honduras in Mexico City’s legendary Azteca stadium.

He was replaced by his assistant, Luis Fernando Tena, who was let go after just one game, a 2-0 defeat in Ohio against the United States.

Vucetich was then brought in with hopes that he could live up to his nickname, “King Midas.”

But the golden touch that saw his clubs win 13 Mexican league titles was apparently not good enough for the national team.

AFP