Epaper 20 august 2013 by Scribble Media & Entertainment Pvt. Ltd.

TUESDAY, AUGUST 20, 2013 HYDERABAD

32 PAGES

WEATHER: HAZY; 27°C

WWW.POSTNOON.COM

THE GAME OF

LEAGUES

The Indian Badminton League, which is currently conducting its inaugural season in different cities across the country, is one of the many sports leagues in the world. Postnoon takes a look at few other leagues in different sports, which have come up in the recent years or are likely to begin soon.

P16&17

HYDERABAD SIRF HAMARA! HYDERABAD’S FIRST COMPACT AFTERNOON NEWSPAPER

REPORT ON P5

This is the TRS’s retort to all those from Seemandhra who are laying a claim to the City. No one is forcing them to leave, say TRS leaders, but they have to stop their demands for Hyderabad.

Olivia Munn dislocates her shoulder Olivia Munn was just having some fun on a swing inside her house when things took a turn for the worse. The swing broke and Munn ended up dislocating her shoulder.

PG 28

PG 8&9

THE RUNNING MEN

As the Airtel Hyderabad marathon nears, we take a look at some of the people who are casting off their work-wear and donning running gear with an eye on the finish line.

PG 20

HOW INDIA MISSED THE AAKASH BUS While distribution of $50-Aakash tablet has often been delayed in India, other countries — led by the US — are moving ahead with equivalents.

HIGH-END STORES FLEECING US ON PLASTIC BAGS Despite the GHMC officials raiding several branded stores in the City, seizing plastic carry bags and even sealing one for selling plastic bags, most of the stores continue to sell plastic bags to customers. Remember, they’re supposed to give it to you for free!

PG 6

TUESDAY, AUGUST 20, 2013

city events

FLAVOURS TO SAVOUR

Unique flavours of Pondicherry. Where: Dakshin, ITC Kakatiya, Begumpet When: August 30 Contact: 789301 3000

Weather for Hyderabad

Evening

Overnight

Morning

Afternoon

25°C

21°C

24°C

28°C

Cloudy with a slight chance of showers

Cloudy. Windy at times.

Cloudy

New Delhi Mumbai Max 30 Max 30 Min 25 Min 26 Cloudy with showers likely

Chennai Max 34 Min 27

Clear with chances of rain.

Cloudy

Bangalore Max 27 Min 19

Cloudy with chances of thunderstorms.

AROUND THE CITY: YOUR GUIDE TO THE TWIN CITIES WORKSHOPS

DINING

Rakshabandhan goodies Strengthen the knot of rakhi with a hamper from Godrej Nature’s Basket. Where: Godrej Nature’s Basket Contact: +91 8790432354 Comicon workshop Comic Con India in association with The Coffee Cup presents a special workshop on Graphic Novel Project conducted by Jaideep Khare. Where: The Coffee Cup, Sainikpuri When: August 24, 1 pm till 3 pm Contact: +91-9711335505 Demo workshop Free demo workshop on upscaling art and craft will be held. Where: Kidihou Children's Museum, Kondapur When: August 20, 5 pm to 6 pm Contact: 2300-4348 / 73824-04348 Dance workshop Odissi dance workshop by Jyoti Rout will be organised. Where: Lamakaan, Banjara Hills When: From August 21 to August 22, 6 pm to 8 pm Contact: Nayantara Nanda Kumar, at 90300-13344

SHOWS French movie French movie Ceux Qui Restent will

SRINIVAS SETTY

be screened. Where: Prasad Labs Preview Theatre, Banjara Hills When: August 20, 6.30 pm Contact: Alliance Francaise of Hyderabad, at 2355-4485 / 86

State of the art Consortium "6" - Group exhibition of drawings, paintings and graphics is on. Where: Poecile Art Gallery, Banjara Hills When: Till August 22, 11 am to 7 pm

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

QUITE A MOUTHFUL: Models tasting the food at 555 Restaurant, Masab Tank as they extended their haleem sale up to the end of the month.

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

Contact: 2355-0340 / 99089-46958 Art show A solo show by Devangana Kumar, Pageants of the Raj will be held. Where: Kalakriti Art Gallery, Banjara Hills When: Till August 25, 11 am to 7 pm Contact: +9140.66564466

others will be exhibited. Where: Aalankritha Art Gallery, Jubilee Hills When: Till August 22, 11 am to 7 pm Contact: +91-40-23113709; 40207171

Sizzling South This food festival will focus on South Indian specialties and gourmet delicacies from interiors of Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Andhra Pradesh. Where: Chill Restaurant and Terrace, Radisson Blue When: Till August 30 Contact: 7799917999

Art attack Works of artists like Anand Panchal, Nagesh Goud, Laxman Aelay and

HOSPITAL General Hospital, Sec-bad Niloufer Hospital, Red Hills NIMS, Director, Punjagutta Osmania General Hospital Railway Hospital, Lalaguda Apollo, Jubilee Hills Care Hospital, Banjara Hills Care Hospital, Nampally Care Hospital, Musheerabad Care Hospital, Sec-bad Kamineni Hospital, LB Nagar

155313 23307328 23313163

27505566 23314095 23390933 24600146 27001134 23607777 30418888 30417777 30419000 30416666 39879999

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

27567892 23559555 23226624 27633087 27035588 27550238 30799999 30418296 30417445

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

Delectable fare Oriental food festival is on. Where: Zodiac Hall, Golkonda Hotel. When: 12 noon, Till August 31. India on a Platter A culinary journey across the country at The Square. Where: The Square, Novotel Contact: 8686080577

An age of innocence An exhibition by Jaya Javeri depicting playfulness, fantasy, nature and childhood memories will be held. Where: Ginger Lily, Radisson Blu Plaza When: Aug 3 onwards, 11.30 am onwards Contact: 6733 1133

WATER SUPPLY Complaint Cell Sewerage Complaint Hyd. Water Supply

Tea flavours Try the tea flavours of Budlabeta, Hapjan, Khobong and Sessa. A portion of the proceeds will be contributed to WWF India's one-horned Rhino Conservation project in Assam. Where: Oxford Bookstore, The Park, 22 Rajbhavan Road When: Ongoing Contact: 8790432354

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

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

24523211 232431300/7641 24521029

Readers’ views

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

TUESDAY, AUGUST 20, 2013

news CITY BRIEFS

CM inaugurates Rajiv Gandhi statue

hief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy paid rich tributes to former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi on his birth anniversary this morning. The chief minister garlanded the statue of Rajiv Gandhi at Somajiguda Crossroads as well. APCC president Botsa Satyanarayana and State Cabinet ministers Danam Nagender accompanied the chief minister on the occasion.

T-employees to launch peaceful programmes

elangana employees working in the State Secretariat have decided to launch peaceful nonviolent programmes to dissuade Seemandhra employees from agitating to keep the State united. The joint action committee of the Telangana employees have called upon the Seemandhra employees to withdraw their stir in order to bring back normalcy in the nerve center of the State governance.

Auto unions to protest `1,000 fine

uto Drivers Union will stage a protest demonstration at Indira Park on Thursday demanding the withdrawal of GO 108. The GO is to regulate the traffic and impose a fine of `1,000 as penalty for traffic violations. Around 13 auto unions will be participating in the protest, demanding the government to withdraw the order. The unions even threaten to go off the roads.

Woman kills self over marriage

30-year-old woman, Deepika Bhatt, hanged herself from the ceiling fan at her home in Tarnaka. The woman’s parents were not at home when she killed herself. It is believed she took the extreme step because she was not getting any offers of marriage. She reportedly was vexed with life and preferred to die. The Osmania University police have registered a case.

Fake journalist tries to extort money

he Nizamabad police registered a case against a fake journalist. The complainant runs a shop in front of Sridevi theatre. A person approached him and claimed that he was a reporter with a leading newspaper. He demanded a huge sum of money from him. When he refused, the man threatened him and left. When Prasad made inquiries, he discovered he was not a journalist.

YESTERDAY’S QUESTION

WILL THE ANTHONY COMMITTEE SOOTHE S-CONCERNS? 55% 45%

YES (A) NO (B)

TODAY’S QUESTION

DOES ANYONE HAVE THE RIGHT TO RAISE A SLOGAN LIKE HYDERABAD SIRF HAMARA? A)

YES

To vote visit www.postnoon.com

CRIME

Woman duped by former lover

After he promised to marry her, she had a sexual relationship with him. When she brought up marriage, he disappeared. HYDERABAD: On the promise of marriage, a woman was sexually exploited by her boyfriend for the past few years. The victim, Meena, 24, is a resident of Rasoolpura basti of Begumpet. She belongs to a middle class family and works as a receptionist at a private firm. She stated in her complaint that four years ago, she met one Durga Prasad, 26, who lives in her locality. They met several times, became friends, and then fell in love. Prasad assured her that they would marry soon and they embarked on a sexual relationship. Meena stated that once, he made her abort her pregnancy forcibly. This was over a year ago. When she started asking him about them getting married, he quit his job. She added that for the past few months, he has not been meeting her frequently. For the last few days, his cellphone has been switched

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was written up as a case report in a recent issue of the International Journal of Surgery. According to the paper “An Unusual Urethral Foreign Body,” the 70-year-old arrived at the emergency department of Canberra Hospital with a bleeding penis “following self-insertion of a fork into the urethra to achieve sexual gratification”. It said he had put the dining fork inside 12 hours prior “for autoerotic stimulation” but

Man cheats wife of money, kicks her out POSTNOON NEWS feedback@postnoon.com HYDERABAD: A husband allegedly forged his wife’s signature, withdrew lakhs from her account and then divorced her. He also forcibly took away their daughter from her and threw her out of the house, alleging that she was having an affair. The victim, Shashi Rekha, 38, was married to Venkat Kamlakar. They have a daughter.

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off. He also left the City, she claimed. Vexed, she approached the Begumpet police for help. The police registered a case in this connection. A team has been formed to nab the accused. In another incident, an auto driver attempted to rape a minor girl in Prakash Nagar of Begumpet. Her mother, Shakira

BIZARRE WORLD Australian lodges fork in penis for sexual pleasure SYDNEY: Doctors had to perform emergency surgery on a man in Canberra after he lodged a 10cm steel fork in his penis for sexual pleasure. The bizarre incident was considered so unusual that it

it became stuck. Baffled doctors called it a rare and unusual incident. The fork was not visible and “multiple retrieval methods were contemplated”. Success was achieved using forceps and “copious lubrication” and the man, who was put under general anaesthesia, was sent home. It did not say when the incident occurred. “The motives for insertion of a variety of objects are difficult to comprehend,” the doctors said. “The practice manifests primarily during states of pathological masturbation, substance abuse and intoxication and as a result of psychological compounders,” the case study said It said death could occur through infection if people delay seeking medical attention due to embarrassment. AFP

Begum, lodged a complaint in the Begumpet police station. Shakira Begum, in her complaint, said that her 13-year-old daughter, who studies in a private school, takes an auto to and from school every day with her siblings. She returned home crying recently and complained that the auto driver had attempted to rape her. The police have sent her to the government hospital for medical examination.

Venkat is unemployed and a habitual drinker, she said. Rekha’s parents had deposited nearly `55 lakh in an account in her name. When their granddaughter was born, they put some more money into an FD. Both FDs were with Rekha. Since June this year, Venkat had been harassing her over petty issues. He finally threw her out of the house and filed for divorce. She then discovered that he had withdrawn money from her FDs. She lodged a complaint with the Begumpet police.

News TUESDAY, AUGUST 20, 2013 LAST YEAR... HERE

Stop texting!

ast year we had reported that the government’s decision to restrict each user to only 5 SMSes a day in view of the delicate situation in the North-East had upset students. While many said that they could not survive without text messaging, others pointed out that with smartphones, Whatsapp and email, there was no way to cut off the younger generation.

CIVIC

10 days to link Aadhaar Only 50% consumers have opted for the LPG-bank account-Aadhaar link. bers to the banks, but the banks were not forwarding their documents to the agencies, making it difficult for them to get gas cylinders. Representatives from banks, gas companies and civil supplies department will now help people to enroll their Aadhaar number. Banks will also be providing zero-balance account facility to consumers who did not have bank accounts earlier. District supply officer Vijay Rao said, “What we observed was that a large number of con-

AUGUST 20, 2012

NUMEROLOGY

123

Carmelo Flores Laura lives high in the Bolivian mountains, chews coca leaves, cooks on open fires and says he's 123 years old. Flores Laura was born on July 16, 1890, according to his government identification card.

We conducted meetings with various retail associations, but despite that they continue to charge customers (for plastic bags). T Damodar Medical ofﬁcer of health department See page 6

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

Hyderabad Sirf Hamara Hai, say T-leaders. TRS leaders are planning to launch a campaign claiming ownership of the City and say they are fed up with Seemandhra people trying to claim it for themselves.

Water with high radiation levels sparks fear in Japan. Puddles with extremely high radiation levels have been found near water storage tanks at Japan's crippled Fukushima nuclear plant.

The Obamas welcome a new family member. No, it’s not a kid, but an adorable female dog, Sunny. The Portuguese water dog seems to be getting on well with the family’s other dog, Bo.

Oz ignorant about child labour in fashion. Oz clothing brands are ignorant about where the cotton they use comes from, making it more likely child labour has been involved.

Kids in China give rockstars a run for their money. Eight- to ten-year-olds in China are battling it out in a junior rock competition.

MOHSIN ALI ali@postnoon.com HYDERABAD: There are just 10 days left to link Aadhaar card with LPG connections and bank accounts, but large number of consumers are yet to do so. The government had extended the last date to link the Aadhaar number to LPG connections, so that consumers can get the benefit of Direct Cash Transfer Subsidy on their LPG. However, not more than 50 per cent of LPG users have enrolled their Aadhaar number with gas agencies and their banks in the last two and a half months since the date was extended. Officials say that enrolments with gas agencies are higher, but with

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bank accounts, only 40 per cent have linked up in Hyderabad and Ranga Reddy districts. Officials say they have conducted awareness camps in Old City on August 12 and 13, and plan to hold more. “As per the orders of the district collectors of Hyderabad and Ranga Reddy, we are also planning to provide Aadhaar kits to gas dealers. To make the process simpler, we are conducting special camps at all gas agencies,” said the official. He added that some people have complained that they have provided their Aadhaar num-

Consumers say that due to lack of co-ordination between gas agencies, Aadhaar officials and banks, they were unable to link Aadhaar IDs. sumers haven’t got their Aadhaar number yet, due to which this process is being dragged out. If someone had applied for an Aadhaar card and has not received it yet, they can just check the status and submit the Aadhaar number.” On the other hand, consumers say that due to lack of co-ordination between gas agencies, Aadhaar officials and banks, they were unable to link their Aadhaar IDs. Many added that they had done all the formalities for the Aadhaar card

over a year ago but were still waiting to get it. No status details are available on the website either, they said. Consumers who have linked LPG connections to their bank accounts are also having problems. Hari, a resident of Begumpet, said that the Direct Cash Transfer Subsidy was a failed experiment. “We have to pay `900 at the time of delivery and are not getting the amount of the subsidy properly. The actual price for each cylinder is `420 only,” he complained. In this regard, gas dealers say the process is slow as it has just been introduced. Just 51.13 per cent consumers linked their Aadhaar number with gas agencies and only 20 per cent have given their bank account numbers in Hyderabad. In Ranga Reddy district, 52 per cent have linked Aadhaar with LPG and 22 per cent with bank accounts. Chief rationing officer Dr Padma told Postnoon that the government has decided not to extend the dates any more. “We are creating awareness among consumers and trying to increase the numbers by conducting camps in various parts of the City, as the date is close and people are hurrying to link up . There are hundreds of applications coming to the bank and gas agencies now, so it might take some time to complete the process.,” she added.

THE SOLO TRAVELLER

Going off on your own trip A holiday is no longer a family affair in India, nor do you need a huge group of friends to enjoy yourself. More and more people are opting for the joys of solo travel. SHILPA RAINA feedback@postnoon.com NEW DELHI: More and more Indian travellers are on a selfdiscovery trail, busy exploring places and lapping up the historical knowledge that comes along with it. The quest to attain this “ultimate experience” is driving one category of Indians to shun stereotyped journeys and embark on solo expeditions. In 2009, when Tushar Agarwal thought about a break from the daily grind of life, he looked at a world map and thought: Why not drive from London to Delhi? He persistently worked at it for a year and embarked on his incredible road

trip in April 2010. “It was a lifetime experience,” recollected Agarwal, who took 51 days to travel 12,000 kilometres in his SUV, traversing Europe, Central Asia, Russia, China/Tibet and Nepal,

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consuming 1,571 litres of fuel. “A road trip comes with an experience that is culturally enriching,” he added. Ajay Reddy’s solo wanderlust began in a rather unexpected way and had an unexpected spinoff. Reddy came across an image on Twitter that chal-

lenged people to identify India’s World Heritage Sites. Like many others, he failed miserably. So, he took it on himself to visit all the 29 sites in India. “I first started travelling to these sites on my own. This was because you might not be with like-minded people. People have different notions about holidaying,” Reddy told IANS. These solo endeavours reflect the paradigm shift in the travel industry, which has reaped benefits from religious, rural, health and adventure tourism, tour operators say. In a country where a vacation becomes more of a family ritual, solo expeditions are purely for experience seekers. IANS

News TUESDAY, AUGUST 20, 2013

POLITICS

T-WRANGLE

Last-ditch effort for a united state

Hyderabad Sirf Hamara!

This is the TRS’s retort to all Seemandhra people who are laying a claim to the City. No one is forcing them to leave, but they must stop making demands, TRS said.

Seemandhra leaders meet the AK Antony committee this evening, and they have drawn up a list of demands to ensure the region does not get shortchanged. POSTNOON NEWS feedback@postnoon.com HYDERABAD: In an attempt which could be seen as a last resort, Seemandhra Congress leaders have chalked out an action plan to stop the process of division of the State. The leaders, including the chief minister, will depose before the party high command-constituted AK Antony committee this evening to put forth their views over the division of the State. Interestingly, the Seemandhra leaders, who have been demanding that the Central government keep the State united, have changed their strategy following the reluctant attitude of the party high command in going back on its announcement of creating the separate Telangana state. The sole agenda of these leaders now is to impress the party high command with convincing facts and halt the ongoing process of the creation of a separate Telangana state. The leaders have come prepared with a lot of ammunition in the form of demands to achieve their aim. The first important demand of the Seemandhra Congress leaders is to set up a Second States Re-organisation Commission (SRC) to look into various issues related to division of the State. The second important demand is to press for accepting the sixth recommendation of the Justice BN Sri Krishna Committee, which was constituted by the Centre in 2010 to study the

merits of separate Telangana issue and make suitable recommendations. In its sixth recommendation, Justice Sri Krishna committee recommended that the Centre constitute an autonomous regional council for the

Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) region. “During the campaign, we will tell the world that Hyderabad belongs to Telangana and nobody can dare to claim a stake on it. We will not give up our legitimate right on Hyderabad city come what may. The Seemandhra people are free to live here as they have been since the last 56 years. The peo-

ple of Telangana will treat them as their own family members,” he said. The party’s campaign is also aimed at reducing the effect of the ongoing Seemandhra agitation and drive out their fears. Party supremo KCR is also likely to participate in the campaign. He has already instructed leaders from Hyderabad to counter the rhetoric of Seemandhra leaders from all political parties. Another objective behind launching this agitation is to ensure that the Union government does not succumb to the pressure being mounted by the Seemandhra Congress leaders and make Hyderabad city a union territory. in the aftermath of the announcement of the division of the State. The party, recognising the importance of having to stay afloat till the division of the State is complete, has decided to hold cadre-strengthening programmes. As part of the plan, party president K Chandrasekhara Rao will tour all the districts of Telangana and address the meetings of party cadres. The decision of the party comes in the wake of reports of the Congress consolidating its position following the announcement of Telangana state.

Curfew in Kishtwar, looted arms found

Country remembers Rajiv on 69th birth anniversary

SP to support Food Bill, move amendments

Abdul Tunda to be John Abraham says he produced in court today won’t be bullied

JAMMU: Curfew continued for the 12th day Tuesday in Kishtwar town of Jammu and Kashmir. Police said they have recovered nine guns looted from a gun-shop by rioters August 9. Curfew was relaxed for four hours Monday, during which the situation remained peaceful with no report of any untoward incident, said reports.

NEW DELHI: The country today fondly remembered former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi on his 69th birth anniversary with President Pranab Mukherjee and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh leading the nation in paying tributes to the departed leader. Mukherjee, Vice-President Hamid Ansari and Singh paid ﬂoral tributes at Vir Bhumi, the samadhi of Rajiv Gandhi.

NEW DELHI: A day after Congress reached out to Mulayam Singh Yadav seeking support for passage of the Food Security Bill, SP today decided to support the legislation but will move amendments seeking to give farmers their due for crops and giving more grains per person. The Samajwadi Party supremo today chaired a meeting to discuss the party’s stand.

NEW DELHI: A special team of doctors will put together a psychological proﬁle of 70-year-old Abdul Karim Tunda, before he is produced in court by the Delhi police today. The police want to know through the exercise whether he has been telling them the truth or is being deceptive during his interrogation since his arrest on Friday.

Md INKESHAF AHMED ahmed.m@postnoon.com HYDERABAD: Separate Telangana champion Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) has finally woken up from its deep slumber to the continuous agitation of Seeemandhra people and parties alike. The party is now planning to launch Hyderabad Sirf Hamara (Hyderabad is only ours) campaign in the City. The campaign will kick off in either the last week of August or the first week of September. Speaking to Postnoon, senior TRS leader and former minister N Narasimha Reddy confirmed the news and said that they were forced by the Seemandhra leaders to launch the campaign in order to tell the world that the City is an integral part of Telangana. “We are fed up with the irrelevant and unwarranted claims of Seemandhra people over Hyderabad City. We are not forcing them to leave the City after the division. They must stop raising such ridiculous demands such as making Hyderabad a union territory or joint capital on a permanent basis,” he said. Reddy further added that they have already agreed to the

idea of keeping Hyderabad as a joint capital for a period of 10 years. He said the Hyderabad Sirf Hamara campaign was going to hold massive meetings with over 5,000 party activists and Telangana supporters in each and every constituency of

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The objective behind launching the agitation is to ensure that the Union government does not succumb to the pressure being mounted by Seemandhra Cong leaders.

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development of Telangana region by allocating substantial amounts of funds with lot of powers.The third most important agenda of the Seemandhra leaders seems to be to demand that the Union government give a union territory status to Hyderabad.

RAYALA-TELANGANA GAINS MOMENTUM

On the other hand, a section of Congress leaders from Rayalaseema are demanding that the Central government create a Rayala-Telangana state by merging two districts — Kurnool and Anantapur — of Rayalaseema with the 10 districts of Telangana. Cabinet ministers like E Pratap Reddy, TG Venkatesh and Union minister K Surya Prakash Reddy are among the leaders who are demanding this.

NATION BRIEFS MUMBAI: Tamil Nadu’s Naam Thamizhar and MDMK may have sought a ban on Madras Cafe, but the actorproducer says he won’t fall prey to “bullying tactics"."People say I am a new producer, just one-ﬁlm old... But I believe somebody should bring something different. Somebody should take a stand. These bullying tactics of groups and parties... I do not accept it," he said.

News TUESDAY, AUGUST 20, 2013

PLASTIC ISSUES

Shops continue the plastic game Despite the GHMC officials raiding several branded stores in the City, seizing plastic carry bags and even sealing one for selling them, most of the stores continue to sell plastic bags to the customers.

ALEENA ALICE aleena.t@postnoon.com HYDERABAD: Many supermarket and textile chains in the City continue to loot customers by charging them for plastic carry bags clearly violating the rules laid by the GHMC. Most of the traders state that they are unaware of the revised rule, and that the civic body has not told them to give away plastic bags free of cost to the customers. Three days after the GHMC raid, a visit to various retail outlets by this correspondent confirmed that customers are still being taken for a ride and charged for the plastic bags. Popular supermarket chains like Food World, Heritage Fresh, Spencer’s Super Market, `2 for small carry bags, ` 3 for medium and `5 for big sized carry bags. In fact, several branded retail

stores are charging `7 for big carry bags stating that it is of good quality plastic. “We are not aware of this new rule. We were only told to sell plastic bags that are above 40 microns to the customers and we are going by the rule,” said the store manager of Heritage Fresh AROUND THE

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in Jubilee Hills. Members of the Retailers Association of India state that the GHMC earlier had asked the retailers to pay `2 or `5, depending on the size, to customers who carry cotton or jute bags while shopping but they had not been informed of this new rule. “Earlier this month we had given a representation to the GHMC on

how it was impractical to pay customers carrying cotton/jute bags. We were however not informed that we should completely stop charging customers for plastic carry bags. The GHMC should send out circulars and conduct meetings so that all the retailers in Hyderabad and Secunderabad will be aware,” said S Vinay from the Retailers Association of India. Customers on the other hand state that the confusion between the retailers and the civic body is only resulting in a hole in their pockets. “Every time we go out shopping unexpectedly we are forced to buy carry bags. Recently we read an article stating that the GHMC withdrew the rule of charging customers two months back, however shops are still charging us. This is very unfair,” complained Sunitha Krishna, a private firm

TOP DOGS

This official White House photograph shows Bo (left) and Sunny, the Obama family dogs, on the South Lawn of the White House, Monday. A Portugueses water dog, sister of the original Obama family pet Bo, Sunny arrived at the White House from Michigan. AFP/THE WHITE HOUSE /PETE SOUZA

Asylum-seeker boat with 105 sinks SYDNEY: An asylumseeker boat carrying 105 people has begun sinking north of the Australian territory of Christmas Island with a rescue operation underway, officials said Tuesday. The Australian Maritime Safety Authority said they received a request for assistance from someone onboard Tuesday

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morning and a navy ship responded. "The vessel was 120 nautical miles north of Christmas Island with reportedly 105 people on board," an AMSA spokeswoman said, adding that an alert was issued to shipping in the area. "HMAS Parramatta

arrived on scene at around 12:20 pm (0230 GMT) and reported the vessel had foundered." The spokeswoman said a rescue operation was underway with support from a Australian Customs Dash-8 aircraft with another navy ship and a merchant vessel also steaming to the scene. AFP

employee. Meanwhile the GHMC authorities state that they will conduct meetings with the various retailers to make sure that the message is clear. “Earlier we had conducted meetings with various retail associations, but despite that they continue to charge customers. We will be calling for another meeting soon and make sure that they do not violate the new rule. Also the stores will have boards displaying the cost of cloth bags,” said assistant medical officer of Health Dr. T Damodar. Just last Friday the GHMC team led by Dr. T Damodar raided well known showrooms like Shoppers Stop, Kalaniketan, Neeru’s, Mother’s Care and Mebaz for selling plastic carry bags. Nearly 3,500 plastic bags were seized from these showrooms.

News TUESDAY, AUGUST 20, 2013

RADIATION DANGER

Toxic puddles found at Fukushima plant

TOKYO: Puddles with extremely high radiation levels have been found near water storage tanks at Japan’s crippled Fukushima nuclear plant, its operator said on Tuesday, as it moved to contain the latest of several toxic water threats. The radiation level, measured around 50 centimetres (20 inches) above the toxic water surface, was about 100 millisieverts per hour, Tokyo Electric Power (TEPCO) said. Scientists consider that level of radiation as harmful to human health. An estimated 300 tonnes of water is believed to have leaked out from a huge radioactive water storage tank at the vast site, with the leak believed to be continuing Tuesday, TEPCO and

ROYAL FAMILY

the Nuclear Regulation Authority (NRA) said. TEPCO denied that toxic water had flowed into the adjacent Pacific ocean, but the regulator ordered the utility to study the possibility that it had escaped through nearby drains.

Prince William and his wife Catherine, with their newborn baby boy, Prince George at the Middleton family home in Bucklebury, Berkshire. The couple released two family photographs with their son, Prince George, taken by Michael Middleton, Catherine’s father. AFP /MICHAEL MIDDLETON

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There were no significant changes in radiation levels outside the plant, he added. Drain valves on the water tank may have been left open, allowing the water to flow out, TEPCO said. An employee found water leaking from a valve at about 9:50 am local time. AFP

MARTYR FOR PROGRESS

COSMIC LINK

Pune anti-superstition activist gunned down Narendra Dabholkar, who was leading a campaign for a Bill against black magic and superstition, had confronted ‘holy’ men on several occasions. PUNE: Narendra Dabholkar, an anti-superstition activist, who was leading a campaign to persuade the state government to pass an anti-superstition and black magic Bill, was gunned down by bike-borne assailants while he was on his daily morning walk on Tuesday morning. Dabholkar, founder of the Maharashtra Andhashraddha Nirmoolan Samiti (AntiSuperstition Movement), was also the editor of Sadhana magazine, which advocates progressive thinking, was rushed to the Sassoon Hospital where he succumbed to bullet injuries. Dabholkar, an MBBS gradu-

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ate, began his activism in 1983 and founded the Maharashtra Andhashraddha Nirmoolan Samiti in 1989. The organisation has, for the last two decades, confronted many ‘holy’ men and spread awareness about various forms of exploitation perpetrated by them. Police inspector Manohar Joshi, in-charge of Deccan Gymkhana police station, said, “We are scrutinising nearby CCTV cameras for the identity of suspects. Eyewitnesses have noted the number (7756) of the motorbike. We are probing the incident. Dabholkar was shot at

from a close range and the assailants fled the place via Rasta Peth Road.” Four rounds were fired. Postmortem report shows two bullet injuries, while two live cartridges were found at the spot. Pune Police Commissioner Gulabrao Pol, who confirmed Dabholkar’s death, said that police were investigating the motive but no suspects have so far been identified. Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan has announced `10 lakh reward for anyone who gives information on Dabholkar’s killers. IANS

Earliest iron artefacts came from meteorite

PARIS: The earliest iron artefacts ever found — funeral beads strung around bodies in a 5,000year-old Egyptian cemetery — were made from a meteorite, archaeologists said on Monday. Hi-tech scanning of the beads, discovered by British archaeologists in the Lower AROUND THE

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Egypt village of el-Gerzeh in 1911, shows the metal came from a rock in outer space, they said. The nine small beads come from two burial sites dated to around 3,200 BC, where they were found in necklaces along with exotic terrestrial minerals such as lapis lazuli, agate and gold. They are stored at the University College London Petrie Museum. Meteorite iron is an alloy that has a different composition from terrestrial iron. AFP

NEWS BRIEFS Jindal gets 50 per cent approval in GOP poll

Australian candidate apologises for lewd site

7 dead as heavy rains pummel Philippines

Colombian rebels to free Musharraf indicted on Canadian hostage Benazir Bhutto murder

WASHINGTON: Louisiana’s Indian American governor Bobby Jindal, seen as a potential Republican presidential candidate in 2016, has an approval rating at 50 percent in his home state, according to an internal party poll. Jindal, who was re-elected governor in 2011 for a second four year term, cannot contest for the State’s top job again.

SYDNEY: An Australian candidate for national parliament was on Tuesday forced to apologise for a personal website which reportedly carried hundreds of lewd jokes and in which he referred to “tit banter”. Conservative Liberal Party candidate Kevin Baker has since shut down his site reportedly contained references to incest and racism.

MANILA: Flood-battered residents of the Philippine capital and surrounding areas appealed for help on Tuesday as relentless rains, which have claimed at least seven lives, submerged more than half of Manila. Water engulfed entire homes and vehicles in large parts of the city of 12 million people, trapping and displacing many.

BOGOTA: Colombian leftist guerrillas said they will free a Canadian engineer who has been held hostage since January. The National Liberation Army, known by its Spanish acronym ELN, asked the International Committee of the Red Cross to help arrange guarantees for Jernoc Wobert’s safe handover.

BOGOTA: Pakistan’s ex-military ruler Pervez Musharraf has been indicted on three counts over the murder of opposition leader Benazir Bhutto, who died in a gun and suicide attack in December 2007. Musharraf, 69, who was bundled into the court amid high security, denied the charges and the case was adjourned until August 27.

News TUESDAY, AUGUST 20, 2013

ONE STEP AT A TIME Airtel and Hyderabad Runners are leaving no stone unturned for making the Airtel Hyderabad Marathon a success. With the run only five days away, the City is charged up and coming together for this major event. People from various walks of life have come together to participate in the event. Various organisations have also lent their help and expertise in ensuring the a great run this year: the GHMC, Waste Warriors (who are involved in pre-planning stage of the event to the post-event activities). There are 35 brand ambassadors from 25 various colleges helping in collecting shoes as part of ‘Soles for Souls’ initiative. ‘Life is great’

irst time ever in the Airtel Hyderabad Marathon, we will see a blind runner taking part in the marathon. His story will surely inspire a lot to start running again. Raghavendra Satish Peri, a Hyderabadi working in Banglore, says, “I started running in 2012. I wasn’t born blind, but due to retinal pigmentation I started becoming blind soon since. I always loved running and have taken part in many runs in Banglore.” Raghav says that he was running one day at a park. He could only see partially then and he fell down. When he got up, he realised he couldn’t see anymore. “It was hard, but I was prepared for this. But life is great and I make use of every opportunity.” He wants to dedicate this race for his friend who also wants to run, but is on a wheelchair after she met with an accident. “I want to create awareness and encourage people. I am dedicating this race to my friend who is on a wheelchair and can’t run, even though she wants too. I have legs, I want to run for her.” He adds, “I am also running in Hyderabad so that my family can see me run, they have never seen me run. So want them to experience what I go through.” Raghav has another runner who runs with him, who is tied with a bottle with dal in it, the sounds that comes out, makes him run and follow the sound.

Romil of Hyderabad Runners is pumped up and ready

omil Barthwal, working with the Defence and also representing the organisers’ Hyderabad Runners, says, “I have been asked to carry the ‘Pacer Flag’. I am running as well as volunteering at the event, two in one duty. I am participating for the first time in this

marathon and am very excited to be a part of it.” He adds, “I have been practising a lot. Apart from running, I do other exercises for fitness. We had some special run practice sessions at various places on Sundays along with the group and so I am very pumped up for

the race. It’s not going to be tough, as I have been running and walking all my life, but this will be special as I will be running for the team.” Many more people from the Hyderabad Runners group are also running and volunteering at the event.

Ready,

steady,

GO...

Run, Singh, Run...

he story of this 63-year-old excop might be the most inspiring of all. And he is ready for it, as this cancer survivor jogs 10km every day. Sardar HariHar Singh says proudly that he has proved no ailment is indomitable if a man makes up his mind to lead a healthy life. I have been jogging for over eight years to keep myself fit. I wake up at 3.30am and set out to the nearest park or garden to jog. Then I follow it up with one hour of pranayaam.” Singh retired as additional superintendent of police, on October 31, 2007. “I had life-threatening ailments, underwent multiple surgeries for cancer, heart and urinary tract ailments during last 10 years. Yet I did not lose heart and went

about my routine with a positive attitude. I developed diabetes at the age of 34. On January 26, 2000, my condition deteriorated. I was immediately shifted to Apollo hospital. It had affected my leg. Thanks to my physicians and a physiotherapist, after a few months I could walk with support. “Then in 2003, I developed a large ulcer in the stomach, which on investigation was found to be malignant. A surgery was conducted to remove the cancerous growth. Twenty per cent of stomach was retained and the rest removed. Later, further examinations proved that I was free from malignant cells. A wellknown surgeon performed the operation. The next year I developed

chest pain. Coronary investigations indicated multiple blocks in the arteries. I was advised an urgent bypass surgery by senior cardiac surgeon. In the year 2005, doctors conducted another surgery and removed a big stone from my urinary track. “In 2011 I participated in a 10K run and got a timing certificate. Three surgeries and a series of related aliments have not been able to put me down. I have beaten every virus, bacteria and malignant cell that threatened my body. Today I am living an energetic and invigorating life. I have proved to the world that positive thinking and an attitude to match is the panacea to conquer debilities of the body and lead a healthy life.”

8&9 Corporate runners

Close to 4000 participants have registered, almost double the number that ran last year. Arun Yellamaty speaks to some of the participating runners and their preparations for the run so far.

he corporate sector will be present for this marathon in large numbers, it is estimated that more than 1,500 participants will be from this sector itself. Many heads of companies are taking part in this marathon. Debasis Chatterji, CEO, Netxcell Limited, will be representing his company, he says, “I am participating in the 5km run and I am very excited to run this year. It’s a wonderful opportunity, and for working people running is very important as it keeps them healthy and also will help them cope with stress and other issues.” “I walk every day and have been doing it more often to be ready for the race. I walk close to 5km,” he says. Close to 30 people from Google are said to participate apart from the employees from other companies like Deloitte and Facebook.

The fitness freak

xpat Richard McDowell, who stood second in AHM last year, has been in Hyderabad for over three years working as a design manager in the Steel Industry. An expat from the UK, Richard has also participated in international marathons, the recent being the “Iron Man” in Zurich — an event that involves 3.8 km swim in a lake, 180 km cycling and a full marathon. Richard, 34, is raring to run this time, too. “I have participated in quite a lot of international races and marathons. I can surely tell that this one is one of the best and well-organised races.” On how he works out for the race, he says, “I run, cycle and swim to be fit and work out close to 18 hours in a week so that I am in shape for these kind of runs. I am excited and looking forward to it.” He said, “Last year I came second. At the beginning I was last; many people ran fast and got ahead. Then slowly I started overtaking them. This time I have a better strategy and I hope to do better this year.”

Cops to set an example

Registration:

ate date for online registration is August 20 (today). But people can spotregister themselves at the Airtel Expo on August 24 at Hitex.

Categories: n n n

41 km 22 km (Half Marathon) 5 km (Earlier only for corporates, but now also open for college students due to increase in interest for participation.)

he cops are all set, too, to run and set an example for the citizens. Akun Sabharwal, additional deputy director, National Police Academy will be participating in the 42km marathon category along with 143 IPS probation trainees. The team has been practising and have been running a stretch from Gandipet to Shankarpally. The Deputy Director of NPA, says, “As cops we do have some energy and strength advantage; we run everyday and thought why not take part here. It’s nothing official, but surely looking forward to the run.” He adds, “Running is a good form of exercise and we are running just running to participate.”

News TUESDAY, AUGUST 20, 2013

ANTI-TERROR LAWS

EGYPT

Britian under pressure Authorities are faced with increasing pressure to explain why they used anti-terror laws to detain the partner of a journalist who worked with Snowden.

KATY LEE Agence France-Presse LONDON: British authorities faced increasing pressure Monday to explain why they used anti-terror laws to detain the partner of a journalist who worked with US intelligence leaker Edward Snowden. David Miranda — the Brazilian partner of Glenn Greenwald, an American journalist with Britain’s Guardian newspaper — was held for almost nine hours on Sunday as he passed through London’s Heathrow Airport on his way to Rio de Janeiro from Berlin. A furious Greenwald said British authorities had “zero suspicion” that Miranda was involved in terrorism and instead spent hours questioning him about the Guardian’s reporting on the activities of the US National Security Agency, which has enraged Washington. “This was obviously designed to send a message of intimidation to those of us working journalistically on reporting on the NSA and its British counterpart, the GCHQ (Government Communications Headquarters),” Greenwald wrote in the Guardian. “They completely abused their own terrorism law for reasons having nothing whatsoever to do with terrorism.” Miranda, 28, often assists Greenwald with his work, the Guardian said. He is not an employee of the newspaper but it paid for his flights. He stayed in Berlin with Laura Poitras, a US filmmaker who has been working with the Guardian. Miranda said he had been questioned by six agents at Heathrow who confiscated his electronic equipment.

“They asked questions about my entire life, about everything. They took my computer, video game, mobile phone, my memory card.” A spokesman for Prime Minister David Cameron said the British government takes “all necessary steps to protect the public from individuals who pose a threat to national security”. “But it is for the police to decide when it is necessary and proportionate

They asked questions about my entire life, about everything. They took my computer, video game, mobile phone, my memory card. David Miranda

David Miranda (left) the Brazilian partner of Glenn Greenwald, is pictured at Rio de Janeiro’s Tom Jobim international airport upon his arrival on August 19, 2013.

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“The minute I stepped out of the plane they took me away to a small room with four chairs and a machine for taking fingerprints,” he told the Guardian.

to use these powers,” the spokesman said. London’s Metropolitan Police on Monday insisted their actions were “reviewed throughout to ensure the examination was both necessary and proportionate” and that its use of anti-terror powers was “legally and procedurally sound”. The force also dismissed reports that Miranda was denied legal representation and said that a solicitor was present. The United States denied it asked Britain to detain Miranda. “There was a heads-up that was provided by the British government, so this is something we had an indication was likely to occur,” White House said.

‘You’ve had your fun. Now we want the stuff back.’

LONDON: The British government forced the Guardian to destroy files or face a court battle over its publication of US security secrets leaked by Edward Snowden, the paper’s editor claimed Tuesday. Alan Rusbridger said he was contacted by “a very senior government official claiming to represent the views of the prime minister” which led to two meetings in which “he demanded the return or destruction of all the material we were working on.” The paper was in the middle of publishing candid revelations about mass surveillance programmes conducted by the US National Security Agency (NSA) and its British counterpart, the GCHQ, after former US

The demand was the same: ‘hand the Snowden material back or destroy it...You’ve had your debate. There’s no need to write any more’. Alan Rusbridger Editor, The Guardian intelligence operative Snowden handed them thousands of documents. Writing in Tuesday’s Guardian, Rusbridger claimed

authorities told him: “You’ve had your fun. Now we want the stuff back.” “There followed further meetings with shadowy

Whitehall figures,” he continued. “The demand was the same: ‘hand the Snowden material back or destroy it...You’ve had your debate. There’s no need to write any more’.” The editor said the government threatened to use the courts to try and obtain the leaked documents if the paper did not destroy them themselves. “And so one of the more bizarre moments in the Guardian’s long history occurred,” he added. “With two GCHQ security experts overseeing the destruction of hard drives in the Guardian’s basement just to make sure there was nothing in the mangled bits of metal which could possibly be of any interest to passing Chinese agents.”

Brotherhood chief arrested SARA HUSSEIN Agence France-Presse CAIRO: Egyptian authorities said Tuesday they had arrested the supreme guide of the Muslim Brotherhood, as they stepped up a campaign to crush the party of ousted president Mohamed Morsi. The arrest stoked fears of an escalation in the already tense situation in Egypt, where nearly 900 people have died in days of clashes nationwide between security forces and Islamist supAROUND THE

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Anita Bai, from Betul district, returned to her father’s place, despite repeated assurances by her inlaws and husband to provide a toilet. porters of Morsi. In the latest bloodshed, militants killed 25 policemen in the restive Sinai Peninsula, just hours after 37 Muslim Brotherhood prisoners died in police custody. The interior ministry said police picked up Brotherhood chief Mohamed Badie, 70, near Rabaa al-Adawiya square, where more than 200 Morsi supporters were killed on Wednesday as police cleared their protest camp. Senior members of the Muslim Brotherhood organisation, including Badie, have been accused by Egypt’s militarybacked authorities of inciting the violence that the deaths of protesters. And judicial sources said fresh accusations had been levelled against Morsi himself, who has been held in a secret location since the military deposed him on July 3. Meanwhile, former president Hosni Mubarak won conditional release in the third of four cases against him, but remained in detention on the fourth.

News TUESDAY, AUGUST 20, 2013

IN DAD’S DEFENCE

Bo's son breaks silence, seeks fair trial

BEIJING: The son of ousted Chinese politician Bo Xilai broke a months-long silence Tuesday, saying his father's imminent trial would carry no "moral weight" if it depended on deals struck with his parents to guarantee his wellbeing. Bo Guagua, 25, said in a statement to the New York Times

AGRA

that he had been denied contact with his father and mother — who was convicted of murder last year — for 18 months. "I can only surmise the conditions of their clandestine detention and the adversity they each endure in solitude," he said in the statement, published on the

trial on the condition that her son's future welfare would be guaranteed and that his father has also been under pressure to cooperate. He said in the statement: "If my well-being has been bartered for my father's acquiescence or my mother's further cooperation,

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newspaper's website. Reports have speculated that Bo Guagua's mother Gu Kailai would testify at her husband's

STUDY

Taj city hit by

‘GREEN THIEVES’ The green thieves are not even sparing government saplings planted across the city for beautification.

BRIJ KHANDELWAL feedback@postnoon.co AGRA: A whole tribe of petty thieves with a peculiar fancy for flower pots and saplings seems to have hit the Taj city, targeting salons, mobile phone shops, dentists’ clinics and even scrap dealers. The “green thieves” are not even sparing government saplings planted across the city for beautification. When residents of some upscale colonies complained to authorities a few days ago that new saplings were disappearing, nobody took them seriously. But now activists and environmentalists have demanded action against the unidentified “green thieves” who reportedly came in a truck and whisked away two huge flower pots kept at the entrance of the newly-developed Etmauddaula view-point on the Yamuna bank, right in front of a police kiosk. “This is amazing. When I got up around 4 a.m. and looked from the temple balcony towards the newly-developed site across the Ambedkar Setu, I found the picture incomplete. Something looked amiss. I came down to have a closer view and, to my horror, I realised the huge flower pots were missing,” Nandan Shrotriya, priest of the Mathuradheesh temple, told IANS.

city. We have to look for them and we need police protection. At this rate, voluntary agencies would be discouraged from taking up greening efforts,” he said. Dinesh Pandey, an official of the state forest department, has complained to police, and a search has been launched.

When residents of some upscale colonies complained to authorities a few days ago that new saplings were disappearing, nobody took them seriously.

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“On inquiry, I learnt a truck with some people had come to take the flower pots away. Only three days ago, Agra District Magistrate Zuhair Bin Saghir inaugurated the site, which provides such a magnificent view of the Etmauddaula tomb across the river,” he said. Citizens of Agra voluntary group convener Harvijay Bahia, who worked hard to beautify the area, and Ashok Jain, who installed two solar panels, expressed shock. “How could somebody do this,” said Bahia. “Obviously, the huge flower pots must be somewhere in the

Pick

then the verdict will clearly carry no moral weight." He called for his father to be "granted the opportunity to answer his critics and defend himself without constraints of any kind" during his trial which is scheduled to be held in the eastern province of Shandong. AFP

Theft of saplings has been reported from many areas. “It’s easy to plant saplings, but you need committed volunteers to look after them and tend them like kids. The NGOs generally fail in this task,” said green activist Shishir Bhagat. The problem is that a whole tribe of petty thieves has raided the city, residents said. “On Saturday night, a barber’s salon, a mobile phone shop, a dentist’s clinic and a scrap dealer’s shop were burgled for whatever the culprits could lay their hands on, including flower pots,” said social activist Sudheir Gupta. IANS

at the

Oz brands ignorant of child labour SYDNEY: Australian clothing brands are ignorant about where the cotton used in their products comes from, making it more likely child labour has been involved, a study said. The Australian Fashion Report, which examined 41 firms that own 128 brands, found companies had made improvements in workers’ conditions at factories over the years but little was known about how their raw materials were produced. “Companies have made a significant amount of progress looking at the final stage of production -- about 40 per cent of companies know all or almost all of the suppliers at that stage,” said one of the authors Gershon Nimbalker. “But when you get down

The report said state-sponsored forced labour and child labour continued “on a massive scale” in the former Soviet republic. to the raw materials stage, or where the cotton supply comes in, it drops to as low as seven per cent. So hardly any companies that operate in Australia are doing that, and that’s where some of the deepest abuses occur.” Much of the clothing sold by Australian retailers is manufactured overseas, in countries including garment hub

airport,

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Bangladesh, where labour costs are cheaper. Nimbalker said cotton from Uzbekistan, one of the world’s biggest suppliers of the material, had long been linked to child labour yet the country still supplied about 35 per cent of the fabric used in Bangladeshi factories. The report, conducted by Baptist World Aid Australia, said state-sponsored forced labour and child labour continued “on a massive scale” in the former Soviet republic. “It requires teachers to close schools for the harvest, and forces children to work up to 70 hours a week,” it said. Nimbalker said while activists had campaigned against the use of Uzbek cotton for years it was the recent collapse of a garment factory in Bangladesh which triggered more interest in ethical production in Australia. AFP

News TUESDAY, AUGUST 20, 2013

ON A ROLL

At China school of rock begins

Clash of the mini-titans The event is a symbol of rock music’s move into the mainstream of China’s entertainment industry despite the initial opposition from authorities. TOM HANCOCK Agence France-Presse TIANJIN: With neat ponytails and immaculate grades, the four eightyear-olds who bounded on stage would make any Chinese parent proud — but wielding electric guitars, these schoolgirls were ready to add another brick in the wall of rock history. Dressed in blue-sequinned jackets, their band Cool blasted out a song by British pop-rockers McFly in a heavy style echoing 1970s megastars Led Zeppelin, complete with rock star jumps and fist pumps. "I like to play loud music which annoys old people," said lead singer Zhou Zi, whose favourite toy is a big white teddy bear. "We like rock songs because they’re crazy." Cool’s members lead parallel lives as students at a chain of music schools hoping to create a new generation of Chinese rock stars, and the band were one of more than two dozen child outfits battling for honours at a competition in the northern port city of Tianjin earlier this month. The event — where bands offered a mix of foreign covers and original tunes — is a symbol of rock music’s move into the mainstream of China’s entertainment industry since it met opposition from authorities when it arrived in the country in the 1980s. A band named Rock Fairytale — the eventual winners — played

the Guns N’ Roses classic "Sweet Child O’ Mine" before the 10-yearold leader of another group, dressed in a spangly black shirt and leather boots, gave an impressive rendition of Queen’s "We Will Rock You". Boom, from China’s poor Henan province, covered the Beatles’ "Twist and Shout". Asked what he knew about the British foursome, the band’s

China’s first homegrown rock acts began to perform in the 1980s when the ruling Communist party relaxed cultural controls. eight-year-old lead singer Jia Tianyi responded: "They’re probably from the US." In defiance of rock cliche, irresponsible backstage behaviour at the competition was limited to impromptu games of hide and seek between band members, while Cool’s post-performance routine included eating peaches bought along by the bass player’s father. As well as attending normal classes, the band members also go to the Nine Beats music school in Tianjin, whose founder Li Hongyu says has more than 150 branches across China, and thousands of students in total.

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"In the past, if parents wanted to children to study music, they would think of classical musical instruments... but few kids studying classical music are happy," Li said. "I believe that China’s future rock stars can be found at our school," he added. "We are changing the direction of Chinese contemporary music." China’s first homegrown rock acts began to perform in the 1980s when the ruling Communist party relaxed cultural controls — only to

be condemned by officials who shut down concerts and banned some songs from broadcast. The student protestors in Tiananmen Square repeatedly sang "Nothing to my name" by Cui Jian, renowned as the father of Chinese rock, in 1989, and the song became a musical symbol of their defiance. Cui was banned from playing large-scale concerts following the crackdown on the demonstrators in which hundreds, perhaps thousands of people were killed. But Jonathan Campbell, the author of Red Rock, a history of the genre in China, told AFP: "Rock is not as dangerous as it used to be... I really do think there is a sense that it is OK now. "The kids who grew up with Cui Jian are now parents... so priorities change and so do understandings and feelings about things like rock music," he said. China has played host to an increasing number of foreign rockers, with the Sex Pistols’ John Lydon playing earlier this year and Metallica appearing in Shanghai last week. But some acts still face restrictions — Shanghai band Top Floor Circus, whose satirical lyrics poked fun at government projects in the city, had concerts banned by police in 2009. "Rock as entertainment is total-

ly safe, but there are limits. Some things are OK but suddenly you bump up against the wall," said Campbell. And while rock fans were once seen as rebellious youths hoping to alienate their parents, wannabe stars at the school have their families’ full support. "Children are under a lot of pressure," said Qi Yue, the mother of Cool’s lead singer. "Rock allows them to blow off steam." "Music brings them happiness," father Zhou Hongxin said. "We only have one child in each family, but by being in a band, it’s as if they have sisters." Weeks before the competition, Cool met at the school for a weekly rehearsal as their parents sat outside — part of a regime which sees the children practice their instruments for up to two hours every evening. Drummer Ma Ruisheng beat her sticks together before lead guitarist Wang Jiajun launched into the thumping riff from "I Love Rock And Roll" and the group erupted into giggles, drawing a frown from their teacher. The school’s fees — about 200 yuan ($32) for an hour’s lesson, plus the costs of equipment — mean that most of Nine Beats’ graduates are members of China’s comfortably-off middle class, and have aspirations to match. AFP

TUESDAY, AUGUST 20, 2013

Business

UAE SEEKS KNOWLEDGE-BASED ECONOMY

The United Arab Emirates’ (UAE) vision of prospering through a powerful knowledge-based economy is a vital part of how the country plans to break free from its dependency on the oil sector, a daily has said.

FREE FALL Rupee slips to new record low against the dollar

MUMBAI: India’s rupee hit a new all-time low on Tuesday on continuing fears that recent measures to stabilise the currency and kickstart the country’s flagging economy will not work. Asia’s worst-performing currency this year slid to 64.05 rupees against the dollar, past its previous low of 63.22 struck the previous day. The rupee has fallen 16 percent against the dollar this year. Dealers said they feared the

OBAMA MEETS REGULATORS

unit could weaken further and central bank measures undertaken over the past three months would not halt the slide. Emerging market currencies have also been hit by expectations the US Federal Reserve will roll back its stimulus, which has fuelled a flood of foreign investment in developing economies looking for better returns than in the West.

FELONY

China returns runaway executive in $82m case SHANGHAI: A Chinese insurance executive who allegedly took 500 million yuan ($82 million) from her company and fled the country has been escorted back from Fiji by police, state media reported. Chinese police tracked down the former general manager of the Shanghai Fanxin Insurance Agency, Chen Yi, with the help of Interpol, the official Xinhua news agency said. China’s insurance regulator said last week that Fanxin sold investment schemes without authorisation. So-called wealth management products are loosely regulated in China and have found favour with investors looking for higher returns than bank deposits and securities. Media reports said Chen, who they dubbed the “beautiful woman manager”, was rumoured to have fled with tens of millions of dollars, reportedly bound for Canada.

HEDGE FUND STAR FALCONE FINED $18M, BANNED FOR 5 YRS

NEW YORK CITY: Hedge fund star Philip Falcone agreed to an $18 million fine and a fiveyear ban to settle charges that he tapped fund assets to pay his taxes, the SEC said Monday. The Securities and Exchange Commission said Falcone and his Harbinger Capital Partners agreed to admit guilt in the 2012 case, in which the SEC accused Falcone of improperly using $113 million in assets from his hedge funds to pay his own personal taxes. Falcone, who raked in billions in 2007 betting against packaged mortgage securities ahead of the US real-estate crash, admitted to: “multiple acts of misconduct that harmed investors and interfered with the normal functioning of the securities markets,” the SEC said.

AFP

REBRANDING

AirAsia Japan renamed Vanilla Air

TOKYO: Budget carrier AirAsia Japan is being rebranded as Vanilla Air, the airline announced on Tuesday, with its president saying that vanilla is “loved by everyone in the world”. Executives chose Vanilla Air from over 200 other names, taking a month and a half to decide. “We chose vanilla as our brand name because it is popular and loved by everyone in the world,” the airline’s president Tomonori Ishii told a news conference in Tokyo. “I think it is a very cute name.” The name was chosen — despite its connotations of “boring” or “bland” in the West — following the break-up of a joint venture between the airline’s parent companies, Malaysia-based AirAsia and Japan’s All Nippon Airways (ANA), which now wholly owns the carrier. The airlines announced in June that the joint venture would be terminated by the end of October, just over a year after the carrier began flying out of Tokyo’s Narita airport, due to a slump. Vanilla Air, which will begin flights in late December with two passenger planes to be leased from ANA, is to target travellers heading for resort destinations. All of AirAsia Japan’s 420 staff will now become employees of Vanilla Air. Ishii said the carrier would remain based at Narita airport, and aims to serve travellers to resort destinations both at home and overseas, mainly in Asia.

US President Barack Obama on Monday met Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke and other top regulators to press for urgent and full implementation of a sweeping finance reform law. Obama, mulling the choice of a replacement for Bernanke who is expected to retire early next year, held the rare closed door meeting at the White House. Officials said that Obama commended the regulators for their work so far on implementing the reforms, known as the Dodd-Frank law, and consumer protections. A statement said he also “stressed the need to finish the critical remaining portions of Wall Street reform.”

NUMEROLOGY

`180

is the earning of Indian cricket team captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, placing him above the likes of Rafael Nadal and Usain Bolt.

JPM FACES NEW PROBE

“We will begin with short-distance services but want to expand the range to mid- and long-distances in line with ANA’s branding strategy,” Ishii said, adding that it would also increase the number of airplanes to 10 in 2015. He said further details about the new operation, including destinations and ticket fees, would be announced in late September. AirAsia Japan, which was equally controlled by AirAsia and ANA, booked an operating loss of about $36 million for the year to March. Ishii said the slump was partially due to the company’s extra focus on online sales — a key strategy for AirAsia, but many Japanese travellers still book flights through travel agents. A company spokeswoman said the new company would cooperate with travel agents, on a new online ticketing system. AFP

GOLD`30,982 10g SILVER `50,786 1kg

24C

for

DOLLAR `64.05 POUND `99.76

US authorities are probing whether banking giant JPMorgan Chase manipulated US energy markets, the Wall Street Journal reported on Monday. The newspaper, citing unnamed sources, said the Justice Department recently decided to take a closer look at the bank’s energy practices as it was wrapping up a $410 million settlement linked to allegations it had manipulated power prices in California and the Midwest. The Journal said it was unclear whether the investigation is civil or criminal and noted that its sources warned the probe was still in its early stages.

THUS SPAKE Now that all the 12 village councils have said ‘no’ to Vedanta... I think it’s the end of the road for Vedanta as far as this project is concerned. KUMUTI MAJHI, NIYAMGIRI PROTECTION COUNCIL LEADER

BSE NSE

18,157.51 149.50

5,369.35 45.75

TUESDAY, AUGUST 20, 2013

Comment It is the unknown we fear when we look upon death and darkness, nothing more. JK Rowling British novelist

US expats flee taxman's reach by giving up citizenship JEREMY TORDJMAN Agence France-Presse

he decision was not easy for the Gulf War veteran. After 20 years living in Switzerland, Scott Schmith renounced his American citizenship, to escape the obligation to report his income and assets to the US government despite living overseas. “I have nothing to hide. But I don't want to be punished because I chose to live outside the US,” said the new Swiss passport holder, a photographer who lives near Zurich. Schmith is just one of a rising number of Americans giving up their citizenship to avoid the increasing efforts of US authorities to collect taxes on its citizens who keep money offshore, even those who live and work outside the country. Starting next January, the US Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act — now known worldwide as Fatca — has required banks in a rising number of countries, including Switzerland, to report to US authorities all accounts held by Americans. Americans discovered to be not reporting their offshore accounts, and not paying taxes on them where due, face stiff penalties. The US is the only major country that requires its citizens resident abroad to report their income to their country's tax authority, the Internal Revenue Service. For years, Americans abroad have mostly been able to ignore that requirement.

HIGH-FLYING THOUGHTS Loosening restrictions on direct foreign investment in the hope that major retailers will come rushing in has not worked. The government’s constant policy changes and widespread corruption make the Indian market unattractive: this needs to change.

EGYPT

MEDIA LINE UP BEHIND STATE AGAINST ISLAMISTS MOHAMAD ALI HARISSI Agence France Presse

gypt's media, both public and private, have lined up behind the government in portraying its fight against the Muslim Brotherhood as a “war on terror” and vilifying foreign journalists. As police and troops chase down members of the Islamist group, from which ousted president Mohamed Morsi hails, the media have taken part in a “campaign against the Muslim Brotherhood and other Islamist currents”, political commentator Hisham Kassem told AFP. “In one year of Morsi's presidency, more journalists were prosecuted than in the 185 years of the Egyptian press before,” he said. “Now, the media are exploiting the situation the Brotherhood is in to pay them back.” For days, Egypt's three state television channels have broadcast under a banner in English reading “Egypt fighting terrorism”. They report around the clock on the latest clashes between Morsi supporters and security forces that have claimed nearly 900 lives since Wednesday. Between broadcasts, patriot-

ic songs play over footage of the armed forces carrying out military exercises and showing kindness to civilians. A piece entitled “The Black History of the Brotherhood Organisation” purports to show the group's violent history. It includes archive footage of Brotherhood members, as well as the attempted murder of president Gamal Abdul Nasser and the assassination of president Anwar Sadat by Islamists. It ends with clips from recent clashes, showing gunmen purportedly belonging to the group, and buildings set ablaze. The country's newspapers have been equally uniform in their criticism of the group and in rallying behind the government and the army chief who installed it, Abdel Fattah al-Sisi. Government daily AlAhram on Monday devoted its entire front page — and nine separate headlines — to a speech by Sisi a day earlier. Abdel Halim Qandil, editorin-chief of the independent Sawt al-Ummah daily, sees the media's united front as a normal response to the country's “national battle”. A fierce critic of Islamists, he accuses the Western media of swinging between two extremes: hatred for Islam and love of the Brotherhood. “This is what has created serious anger and suspicion on the part of Egyptians” towards

foreign media, he said. Since Morsi's July 3 ouster by the military after mass demonstrations, the foreign media have come under attack from the government and the population, particularly in Cairo. Authorities accuse Western journalists of ignoring the victims of violence committed by Morsi's supporters, such as police and soldiers. Simply walking in the street with a camera has become increasingly dangerous, said one Western photographer on condition of anonymity. “I'm afraid to go into the street with my cameras since the government authorised security forces to open fire” on demon-

strators targeting government buildings, he said. “Today, I managed to take a few pictures from the car. I got out for 45 seconds to take some others,” added the photographer, who has been in Egypt for 18 months. “By publishing statements accusing the Western media of being biased, the government is inciting public hatred against us,” he said. “Two photographer friends of mine were beaten up a few days ago by a group of young guys when they were taking photos inside a government building. “They dragged them out of the building shouting 'They are spies!' before beating them up.”

EDITORIALS The name of the game is to win CSR will become transparent

urvival is more important than pursuing an ambition. Since ‘horses for courses’ does not always work one must make do with available opportunities. What is necessary, though, is that one keeps a fire burning in the belly to excel in the chosen or ‘forced’ field. Bachelors of technology joining the State police constabulary can be perceived as a healthy sign since the prerequisite of any job is the will to keep the home fire burning. Employment of a different nature is better than staying unemployed. Ours is a vast country that requires that its citizens are expected to queue up to satiate any of their needs. There is competition in all fields, which must be fought in a healthy manner. If there is aptitude, skills can be developed. IT giant Infosys has an interesting hiring method, it does not limit itself to techies: it chooses the cream of the passing out graduates, whatever their field of education maybe. The fresh hands are then honed to its requirement, and this has been done with considerable success. If a B Com can make a good techie, then a techie can make a good cop too.

READERS’ VIEWS

t a time when a new legislation on companies requires private ﬁrms to spend at least 2 per cent of three-year average annual proﬁt towards Corporate Social Responsibility work, an appropriate mechanism is being developed for public sector companies to report about their CSR activities, the government has said. For the government to decide company charity is probably not wrong here since public sector units are notorious in their economics, coming up as they do, with losses in their balance sheets.

TUESDAY, AUGUST 20, 2013

workplace

e h T place k r o W Quiz POSTNOON TEAM feedback@postnoon.com Q1. When do you think is the right time to stop working, considering you have a 9-5 shift. a. When the boss heads out of the office.-1 b. When your work is finished.-3 c. As soon as the clock strikes five.-2 d. When you hear the watchman shout ‘closing time’.-4 Q2. The company outing is planned for a date when you’ll be on vacation in Goa. You decide to… a. Tell your co-workers how not sorry you are to be missing out on the outing.-1 b. Make something for them to take on the trip and wishing you were there.-3 c. Remind your boss of your impending trip and ask about the outing when you get back.-2 d. Postpone your Goa trip.-4 Q3. When a new employee is hired in your company, what’s your first instinct? a. Dig up their social profile on Facebook.-4 b. Make them feel welcome.-3 c. Indifferent.-2 d. Wait to rag them.-1

OPEN YOUR EYES

Online training technology company Mindflash on Tuesday announced a new feature called FocusAssist for iPad that uses the tablet’s camera to track a user’s eye movements. When it senses that you’ve been looking away for more than a few seconds, it pauses the course, forcing you to pay attention in order to complete it.

Find out how good an employee you are. Are you the one who everybody counts on are you top of the discard pile in office. Pick the one that describes you best and add the score. you don’t know how to do, you …. a. Let your superior know you don’t have the experience but are eager to learn.-3 b. your way through the task, hoping to figure it out.-4

c. Complain that you’re always being asked to do things you haven’t been trained to do.-2 d. Make a colleague do it and take all the credit.-1 Q8. Your company is launching a

new product, and your boss is looking for people to join the team that manages the rollout. When you are asked to step in and help, you… a. Agree immediately, as it will look good on your resume and you will get a chance to get into the boss’ good books. -4 b. Point out what a totally ridiculous idea it is and instead propose a new plan.-1 c. Hesitate for a moment as you are swamped with work , but don’t have the courage to tell your boss and so you admit.-3 d. Say No. Who wants an extra hassle?-2

Q4. You notice that something is wrong on your company’s website, but the website is not your responsibility. What do you do? a. Immediately report the error to your boss.-3 b. Try to fix it yourself.-2 c. Ignore it.-1 d. Contact someone on the web development team.-4

Q9. Your boss mentions a new idea in your weekly meeting that’s obviously flawed, and no one is speaking up. You:

Q5. You seem to have a huge workload. Boss asks you to delegate. What do you do? a. Keep it to yourself to steal all the appreciation.-4 b. Ask a co-worker to help and tell the boss about their contribution.-3 c. Sit and crib.-2 d . Delegate all the work and take all the credit.1

a. Keep quiet and let someone take the responsibility- 2 b. Take initiative and mention to the boss the flaws and suggest an alternative-3 c. Make fun of your boss at lunch.- 1 d. Try to say what you think your boss wants to hear and be supportive. -4

Q6. You have a bone to pick with a colleague, and the person is in trouble with the boss. What do you do? a. Gloat and do the victory dance.-2 b. Tell the boss what you think of the person.-1 c. Forget the fight and offer to help.-3 d. Offer to help but make sure the person feels miserable.-4

Q10. How do you treat that annoying colleague who thinks he/ she is a know-itall? a. Ignore them.-3 b. Pass snide remarks behind their backs.-1 c. Tell them the truth and put them in their place.-2 d. Report their behaviour to the boss. -4

Q7 If you’re asked to do a task that

Your scorecard n If you score 10-15 : You really hate your job don’t you? You just show up because you have no other option.

n If you score 15-25: It’s just a job for you. Office politics and the like don’t hold any attraction for you.

n If you score 25-35: You seem to enjoy your work and like your colleagues. You are probably what a balanced employee looks like.

n If you score above 35: Remember your job is not your whole life. Learn to loosen up and allow others to have a chance.

TUESDAY, AUGUST 20, 2013

spotlight

SRINIVAS SETTY

FASHION EXPRESS 1

HAUTE Mana Shetty organised Arraish a luxury exhibition at Taj Deccan on Monday. The event was sold out.

1 Samia Alam Khan,

Mazoor 2 Bindu, Sunita 3 Archana 4 Breeze Sarana,

Samia 5 Laila 6 Pooja 7 Sridevi 8 Masoom

9 Manzi 10 Nikita Reddy 11 Farah 12 Bobby 13 Shalini

14 Queeny 15 Sammy Sahani 16 Rani 17 Suman Rao

FOOD INNOVATION

As the curtains go up on the third edition of FICCI’s FOOD 360 on November 6-7, 2013 in the City, the agri-business and food processing industry in South India is set to receive a major ﬁllip.The thematic focus of FICCI Food 360 will be “The Next Wave of Opportunities” in agri-business and food processing.

TUESDAY, AUGUST 20, 2013

health

MEASLES ALERT IN TEXAS

Health authorities in the US state of Texas have issued a measles alert due to a sharp increase in the number of cases this year. About a dozen people have been confirmed to have measles in Texas so far this year. Texas had reported six cases of measles in 2011, while there were no cases in 2012.

CLINICAL DEATH

Australian doctors bring woman back from the dead She was saved using the Lucas device, which physically compresses the chest, allowing doctors to work non-stop to put a stent into a blocked artery. PHILIP BLACKMAN / AFP

SYDNEY: An Australian woman has lived to tell the tale after being brought back to life from being clinically dead for 42 minutes, doctors said on Monday. Mother-of-two Vanessa Tanasio, 41, was rushed to Monash Medical Centre in Melbourne last week after a major heart attack, with one of her main arteries fully blocked. She went into cardiac arrest and was declared clinically dead soon after arrival. Doctors refused to give up and used a compression device called a Lucas 2 — the only one of its kind in Australia — to keep blood flowing to her brain while cardiologist Wally Ahmar opened an artery to unblock it. Once unblocked, Tanasio’s heart was shocked back into a normal rhythm. "(I used) multiple shocks, multiple medications just to resuscitate her," Ahmar said. “Indeed this is a miracle. I did not expect her to be so well." Tanasio said she had no history of heart conditions and was grateful to be alive. “I remember being on my couch, then the floor, then arriving at hospital, and then two days go missing," Tanasio said. “I was dead for nearly an hour and only a week later I feel great. It’s surreal." The Lucas device physically compresses the chest, like during cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), allowing doctors to work non-stop to put a stent into a blocked artery. It is the first a time a patient has successfully used the device, which was donated to the medical centre, for such a length of time in Australia, the hospital said. Clinical death is a medical term for when someone stops breathing and their blood stops circulating. AFP

It’s a miracle!

What is clinical death?

linical death is the medical term for cessation of blood circulation and breathing, the two necessary criteria to sustain human and many other organisms’ lives. It occurs when the heart stops beating in a regular rhythm, a condition called cardiac arrest. Consciousness is not lost until 15-20 seconds later. Under laboratory conditions at normal body temperature, the longest period of clinical death of a cat (after complete circulatory arrest) survived with eventual return of brain function is one hour.

An Australian man who was clinically dead for 40 minutes was brought back to life by a brand new resuscitation technique. Colin Fiedler, 39, was one of three cardiac arrest patients brought back to life after being dead for between 40 and 60 minutes at The Alfred hospital in Melbourne. A pregnant Filipina woman, who was declared clinically dead just before delivery at a hospital in Kuwait, came back to life moments after her baby boy was born. Surfer Ryan Kim was found underwater without a pulse and not breathing. After using a defibrillator, despite being clinically dead for

over five minutes, Ryan had a pulse. He quickly recovered. A nurse from England was hailed as a hero after performing live-saving CPR at a rugby match. Darren Ripley was seconds away from leaving Birstall Victoria’s White Lee ground before rushing back to resuscitate club stalwart Ian Hemingway, who was ‘clinically dead’ for more than 10 minutes. Firefighter Mike Riesterer helped bring a Northville man back to life at a Lyon Township golf course. “He was clinically dead,” Riesterer said about Richard Wilkins, the 65-yearold man who collapsed on the golf links.

TUESDAY, AUGUST 20, 2013

Technology TECH-POWERED EDUCATION While distribution of $50-Aakash tablet has often been delayed in India, other countries — led by the US — are moving ahead with equivalents.

CLAWING BACK Apple readying two iPhone versions: Report

India misses, others take Aakash bus

NEW DELHI: After a few minutes on the Aakash, a five-yearold American kid proudly announced he had achieved Level 4 in an addition game. He’d started the day at Level 1. These poorer kids in North Carolina were already picking up skills they’d be learning in the next school year, which was unprecedented — they would usually start off the year at a disadvantage. The world’s cheapest Madein-India tablet, nicknamed Aakash (sky), had promised to transform Indian education. Instead, the government project got mired in delays and controversies in India. Meanwhile, the $50 Aakash tablet was creating a buzz in a dozen countries, and in the United Nations, where it was showcased last November. Now, the Aakash has just completed a pilot in North Carolina, with 100 units of the Android tablets deployed in summer camps for poorer schoolchildren (mostly under age 10) to help them prepare for next year’s studies. And there are other projects under way, with 2,000 tablets — DataWind’s Aakash-equivalent UbiSlate models — already deployed. The man behind the North Carolina pilot is software entrepreneur Chris Evans. After hearing about the Aakash from

Valley-based entrepreneur Vivek Wadhwa, Evans agreed to fund 100 tablets for the American non-profit Communities in Schools (CIS), which was running the summer camps in North Carolina. "(The richer kids) were already using smartphones and tablets at school," Evans says, “and I thought the Akash would be an affordable way to keep them in pace with their classmates and engaged with their studies." Wadhwa is an evangelist for low-cost tablets. He has written extensively in the Washington Post, ForeignPolicy.com, and elsewhere, about their potential to transform education. He also saw the Aakash “as a way to force US tablet prices to drop — bring in some competition from abroad". Along the way, Wadhwa spoke about the Aakash

Evolution

nitially meant for engineering college students at a subsidized $35, the Aakash was to be later given to other students - with ambitious plans of giving them to all 220 million students in India over seven to eight years. That rollout is now planned for 2014, with what the Indian government now calls Aakash 4.

The Aakash was designed and developed by Londonbased DataWind for ministries of HRD and information and communication. to Lotus Corp founder Mitch Kapor, Obama’s former CTO Aneesh Chopra, and to others including Evans, to bring them on board for different projects involving the low-cost tablets. The tablets in the pilot shipped with apps mostly developed by New York-based Mango Learning, an educational games venture. Mango’s chairman Prakesh Ahuja offered access to their entire suite of apps, including a management and evaluation system that tracks student progress. The sub-$50 price of the Wifi was a game-changer, Evans says, adding that free wi-fi was available in many of the students’ neighbourhoods. “We discussed giving the tablets to the students for the pilot, but the staff preferred to keep possession of them to make sure they stayed configured consistently," adding that several parents now want to buy the tablet — even though they all live on public aid.

The Aakash, which costs about $50, was designed and developed by London-based DataWind for India’s ministries of human resource development and information and communication technology. About 100,000 units were supplied in the first phase, ending in April 2013, mostly in the form of Aakash 2, a tablet well received even by critics who had panned the first Aakash. Initially meant for engineering college students at a subsidized $35, the Aakash was to be later given to other students — with ambitious plans of giving them to all 220 million students in India over seven to eight years. That rollout is now planned for 2014. The US isn’t the only country with Aakash pilots. DataWind CEO Tuli reports deployments in a half a dozen African countries, Mexico and Afghanistan, spanning NGOs, government departments and UN agencies. Most deployments, he says, are in the hundreds of units, while Mexico and Zambia “are in the range of tens of thousands of units". Wadhwa says those projects are good to have, but for technology, the world looks to the US. “That is why what happens here matters more than anywhere." IANS

NEW YORK CITY: Apple has asked its Taiwan-based supplier to begin shipping two new versions of the iPhone next month, including a lower-cost model, the Wall Street Journal reported Monday. The Journal, citing unnamed sources, said Taiwan-based Hon Hai Precision, the parent company of Foxconn in China, was readying both a standard iPhone with new upgrades and a less expensive model with fewer features. Last week, the news site AllThingsD, part of the same company as The Journal, said Apple had scheduled a September 10 event to unveil the new smartphones as part of an effort to regain momentum. An Apple spokesman declined to comment. Apple’s move comes with its chief rival Samsung reportedly set to unveil its own smartphones and other devices, including a smartwatch. Speculation has centered around whether Apple will shift its strategy to include a lowercost handset to appeal to more consumers, especially in emerging markets. A survey released by Gartner last week said Apple’s share of the smartphone market worldwide fell to 14.2 percent in the second quarter, while Samsung’s share rose to 31.7 percent. Gartner said the Google Android operating system was used on 79 percent of smartphones sold in the period.

TUESDAY, AUGUST 20, 2013

Entertainment REVISITING THE CLASSIC

CINE BYTES

TOOFAN’S MUSIC

usic release of Ram Charan Tej-Priyanka Chopra starrer Toofan will be organised on August 25th. Toofan is the Telugu version of Zanjeer. The movie stars Ram Charan Tej and Priyanka Chopra and is directed by Apoorva Lakhia. Director of the movie Apoorva Lakhia tweeted, "Final mix reel 1 to 3 done, awesome, print to be out in 4 days, wow, its been an awesome ride. Can't wait to see the movie on screen (sic).” “Music launch now on 25th, got the news on Twitter, many thanks for the info... See u guys on the 25th. Come 1 nd all to the launch (sic)” he added. Toofan is slated for release on September 6. Ram Charan will be seen stepping into the shoes of Super Star Amitabh Bachchan for the remake of the blockbuster film Zanjeer. Amit Mehra is producing the film.

Vikram's next with Gautham Menon?

OUT THIS WEEK

amil actor Vikram, busy shooting for director Shankar's Ai, may join hands for the ﬁrst time with ﬁlmmaker Gautham Vasudev Menon. "Gautham recently narrated a story to Vikram, and the actor loved it. He even expressed his interest to work with him as soon as he completes Ai, which is nearing completion," a source from the industry said. IANS

Thalaivaa to release sans tagline

ijay-starrer Tamil actiondrama Thalaivaa, set to release in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry on August 20 will reportedly come out sans the tagline — Time to Lead. "We have been advised to drop the tagline from the ﬁlm's publicity posters and all other forms of promotions ahead of its release on Tuesday," a member from the ﬁlm's unit said. IANS

Audio launch of VenkyRam starrer on Aug 23

udio release of Venkatesh and Ram starrer will be on August 23rd. Actor Ram tweeted, "AUDIO RELEASE Tentatively on the 23rd of this month..superb album by MusicThaman .. and yeah..Title Conﬁrmation SOON! (sic)." The ﬁlm is remake of Bol Bachchan and is being directed by Vijaybhaskar. Anjali and Shajahn Padmsee are the leading ladies.

Entertainment TUESDAY, AUGUST 20, 2013

BIRTHDAY GIRL

CINE BYTES

Salman’s appearance in Riteish’s Marathi film

SUSHMITA, SHILPA AT SRIDEVI’S BIRTHDAY BASH B

oney Kapoor threw a bash to celebrate his wife and actress Sridevi’s 50th birthday and the party was attended by some of the well-known names from filmdom, including her co-star Rishi Kapoor and actresses Shilpa Shetty and Sushmtia Sen. The Saturday night party saw many B town celebrities coming and wishing Sridevi, who turned 50 on August 13, such as director duo Abbas-Mustan, filmmakers Bunty Walia, Ramesh Taurani, Girish Taurani, Madhur Bhandarkar and Rajkumar Santoshi and musicians Anu Malik and Bappi Lahiri. Hema Malini came with her daughter Esha and son-inlaw Bharat Takhtani, while Juhi Chawla was seen with her husband Jay Mehta. Manoj Bajpayee and Vinod Khanna were also spotted along with Rishi, who worked with her in successful films like Nagina and Chandni. Anupam Kher, who shared the screen space with her in Lamhe, was also seen there. Sridevi’s brother-in-law Anil Kapoor, who worked with her in hits like Mr. India, too came for the do with his wife Sunita. Last year Sridevi hogged the limelight for her comeback film English Vinglish, which saw a credible performance by her. Before taking retirement in 1996 after marrying Boney Kapoor, she gave hits like Sadma, Himmatwala, Chaalbaaz and Judaai. IANS

alman Khan will be seen in a special appearance in Riteish Deshmukh’s second Marathi production venture Lai Bhaari, which also marks the latter’s debut in Marathi films as an actor. “It was extremely gracious of Salman to offer himself to be part of our film Lai Bhaari. It was great to do a Marathi scene with him,” Riteish said in a statement. IANS

Dance film on Richa Chadda’s wish list

fter working in crime thriller Gangs of Wasseypur and comedies like Fukrey, Richa Chadda is eager to work in a dance film. “I am really looking forward to play a role in a dance film... I have a dance background and no one has exploited that till now,” Richa said. IANS

Naam Thamizhar group seeks ban on Madras Cafe

fter attending the special screening of John Abrahamstarrer Madras Cafe, members of Tamil activist group Naam Tamizhar vowed not the allow the film’s release in Tamil Nadu contending it portrays LTTE cadres as terrorists. “The film tries to portray late Prabhakaran, LTTE chief, as a terrorist. We don’t appreciate it and request the distributors to not screen the film in the state. The sentiment of the film is antiTamil,” Seeman said. IANS

Entertainment TUESDAY, AUGUST 20, 2013

BACK ON TRACK?

tells Oprah: 'I'm clear-headed and focused'

Lindsay Lohan

CINE BYTES

indsay Lohan says this time it's going to be different. In an interview that aired Sunday with Oprah Winfrey, the trouble-prone actress declared that this, her sixth stint in rehab, has put her on a path of recovery. Lohan said she's in "a different head space" now and vowed to stay "present and clear-headed and focused." "I feel whole again," she told Winfrey, "and I have such

a desire to want to keep this feeling and stay this way, and I'm willing to do whatever it takes." Lohan, 27, completed her latest court-ordered stay in rehab in July. She must continue therapy into late next year. She acknowledged an addiction to alcohol, which "in the past was a gateway to other things for me," but she offered no specifics other than cocaine, which she said she has used no more than 15

times. Winfrey asked her what she's on these days. Lohan replied, "Vitamins." "You're not on any prescription drugs?" Winfrey pressed. "No, no," Lohan insisted, then checked herself: "I take Nexium. Because I have acid reflux." Clad in a form-fitting orange dress, Lohan said a comfort level with her past chaotic life had fed her much-

reported partying and her brushes with the law. But she added that she takes full blame for her mistakes. When Winfrey asked if she can turn her life around this time, Lohan said with no hesitation, "Yeah." The interview aired as an episode of Oprah's Next Chapter on the Oprah Winfrey Network, which will spotlight Lohan next year in an eightpart docuseries based on her life.

Marriage on the cards: Tom Parker's girlfriend

inger Tom Parker's girlfriend Kelsey Hardwick says the couple is planning to get married in the future. The couple want it to be a lowkey ceremony. "I think we'd like to keep the wedding low-key, but any party with The Wanted wouldn't be low-key," Kelsey Hardwick said. IANS

Avoid Bieber, parents tell Selena Gomez

elena Gomez's family has warned her to stay away from Justin Bieber after seeing his bad boy behaviour. "They told her Justin was a really bad person. They said she has to rid him from her life, otherwise they can't be part of her life â&#x20AC;&#x201D; her new baby sister (Gracie Elliot) included. Selena was devastated," a source told Life & Style magazine. IANS

Cuoco weighed down by romance with Cavill

aley Cuoco was reportedly overwhelmed by her relationship with actor Henry Cavill and it was difďŹ cult for her to deal with the non-stop attention. Cavill and Cuoco split up last month following a brief romance. "She just got overwhelmed with the very public Superman relationship. She's not used to that much attention and chaos in her life," a source told OK! Magazine. IANS

TUESDAY, AUGUST 20, 2013

Chai Time

THOUGHT OF THE DAY

Energy is the essence of life. Every day you decide how you're going to use it by knowing what you want and what it takes to reach that goal, and by maintaining focus. Oprah Winfrey

KAKURO

QUICK CROSSWORD

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

ACROSS

PREVIOUS PUZZLE ANSWER

SCRIBBLING PAD

1 ___ drum (Caribbean instrument) 6 Accomplishes, to Shakespeare 10 Hog filler 14 Cognizant 15 It might come off the top of your head 16 ‘Dynamic’ prefix 17 What some ions have 20 Inventor Nikola 21 Paradigms of sluggishness 22 Words from sponsors 24 Was familiar with 27 This and that 28 Funny, but not funny ha-ha 31 Slug secretion 33 Shrimp snare 34 Zeniths’ antitheses 36 Cinematic spectacles 38 The answer ‘no’ 42 Ancient Greek gathering place 43 Monk of TV sleuthing 45 Big ___, Calif 48 Barbecue rods 50 Careful observers 51 Chemically nonreactive 53 It may be reserved 55 Kind of horse or monkey 56 Gets a glimpse of 58 In the ___ of (among) 61 What those neither ‘for’ nor ‘against’ take 66 Hoops Hall-of-Famer Thurmond 67 Italian coin of old 68 ‘Purlie’ star Moore 69 Bass and Harp 70 First family’s home 71 Acrobatic maneuver

DOWN

1 Vermont harvest 2 What it takes to tango

3 Big Apple slice 4 Lake southwest of Lake Ontario 5 Permits 6 Armless couches 7 Versified rhapsody 8 Clue collector, slangily 9 Cries of derision 10 Jazz great Vaughan 11 ‘American’ or ‘Foreign’ follower 12 Words of warning 13 Sweet spiced hot milk curdled with beer 18 Type, derogatorily 19 Go in advance 22 Barley bristle 23 College bigwig 25 Lift up 26 Disposable cleaning aid 29 Capital on the Baltic Sea 30 Racing vehicle 32 ‘Mighty Aphrodite’ star Sorvino 35 ‘Cool it!’ 37 Ballerina-like 39 Flower of one’s eye? 40 MRI tech’s instruction 41 Easily maneuvered, on 55-Across 44 CIA relative 45 ‘Burnt’ Crayola colour 46 Break open 47 Public esteem 49 Margaret Mead subject 52 Acts of worship 54 ‘Whether ___ nobler ...’ 57 2-for-1 event 59 Adjusts for romantic effect, as lights 60 Word before ‘off’ or ‘lively’ 62 Canister top 63 Historic introduction? 64 Part of a geisha’s garment 65 Musical King Cole

Chai Time TUESDAY, AUGUST 20, 2013 Thiruvaikumar

STAR POWER for 21-8-2013

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

ARIES

TAURUS

GEMINI

CANCER

LEO

VIRGO

LIBRA

SCORPIO

SAGITTARIUS

CAPRICORN

AQUARIUS

PISCES

Postpone important decisions till you consult experienced persons. Women are advised to stay away from love affairs for the time being. Businessmen will struggle hard and earn good profits. Avoid contemplating major investment for now.

STRIP TEASE AGNES

Working women will be ambitious and achieve their goals. Businessmen will be charged with a cheerful atmosphere as profits are likely to jump beyond expectations. Never interfere in personal issues of relatives to avoid misunderstandings.

Savings will become a distant dream. Politicians not to blame other party men without evidence. Unexpected fortune is likely. Some might purchase a house. Though money comes from expected sources, a deficit situation might upset you.

Purchase of gold and silver ornaments is likely. Some of you might undertake pilgrimage with family members. Employees might be overburdened with new responsibilities. Loan for house construction or purchase will soon get approved.

Businessmen are likely to see a boom trend. You will be disturbed as none in the family is ready to understand you properly. Those trying for a job will be successful. Decisions need to be postponed for sometime as planetary situation is not favourable.

Your bold decisions will be appreciated by all. Influx of relatives and friends will cheer you. A strained relationship will blossom again and progress well without misunderstanding. Delayed marriage talks will resume and progress successfully.

New efforts by businessmen will get delayed but ultimately click. Benefits through close friends and relatives not ruled out. Important work should be handled by only you to be carried out successfully. Long-time dreams will become a reality.

Drive away the inferiority complex within you and be confident. Though financial situation is satisfactory, you will be forced to raise a loan to meet unexpected expenses. Acidity, dental and digestion problems are likely; take care of your health.

Some are likely to go abroad or to another state for official reasons. Debt issues might haunt you; do not worry as situation will change with the wholehearted help of friends and relatives. Solution to old age problems will be found letting you relax.

TAROT READ

Sumaa Tekur

tarotreadhyd@gmail. com

ARIES:

GEMINI:

Queen of Wands – You are very passionate about your hobby and will not give it up for anything in the world. People around you are seeing it as a useless obsession.

LEO:

Ten of Cups – You are feeling drained out and feel the need for a break. Take time off to do things that you like. Stay at home and spend time with friends.

LIBRA:

PEARLS BEFORE SWINE

Seven of Wands – When you meet people of “loose character”, as society says, refrain from judgement. You don’t know what they may have been through.

SAGITTARIUS:

Page of Wands – You have the tendency to stick to a group and be part of that group even if it’s not helping you any. Get out of the clique mentality.

TAURUS:

Judgement – There are things about your daily routine that need correcting. Start with the bedtime and also the first things you do when you wake up.

CANCER:

Knight of Cups – Spend time analysing people and their motivations. Do not get into a situation that you’ve read someone wrong and misunderstand him/her.

VIRGO:

King of Pentacles – Moving from one place to another has become quite a pain. And it is taking a toll on you. You’re feeling fatigued, and need some rest.

SCORPIO:

The World – You can make use of contacts and people in the know to get some contracts your way. But do not forget the people who helped you.

CAPRICORN:

King of Swords – Your efficiency is your biggest strength. Use it well and also make it known to people that you’re working hard on these projects.

PREVIOUS SOLUTIONS

PISCES:

Four of Swords – A travel plan may have to be shortened for various reasons. Keep your options open and do not jump into collaborations with anyone before checking.

NUMBER GAME

cles – Spend time de-cluttering your home. Dust articles and showpieces that are out in the open but have not been attending to for a long time.

SCRABBLE

AQUARIUS: Ace of Penta-

POOCH CAFE

Businessmen will be happy as profits improve steadily. Friends and close relatives will extend help at the time of your need. Employees will face tension. Politicians will march ahead with abundant self-confidence to keep their enemies at bay.

for 21-8-2013

Seven of Pentacles – You have to have a friendlier attitude for business to click. Do not be arrogant with people you don’t know. They may be helpful some day.

NON SEQUITUR

Self-confidence level will be at its high. You will feel happy to receive assets through father’s side. You will participate with interest in the celebration at your friend’s place. You will undertake renovation of your house and also build an annex.

SUDUKO

Good news of promotion and pay hike are on cards for employees. Politicians advised to stay away from groups within the party as high command may not like it. Health will be fine. Businessmen will have a steady business and profits.

Boggle SAM NORM CLIFF CARLA DIANE Vol: 3, No 31 RNI No: APENG/2011/39337 Published for the proprietors, Scribble Media and Entertainment Pvt Ltd, by V Harshavardhan Reddy, at #1246, Level 3, Jubilee Casa, Road No 62, Jubilee Hills, Hyderabad – 500033 and printed by him at Jagati Publications Ltd, Plot No D-75&E-52, APIE Industrial Estate, Balanagar, Ranga Reddy Dist, Hyderabad – 500037, Editor: Dean Williams – Responsible for selection of news under the PRB Act All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission of the publisher is prohibited. For feedback, please write to: feedback@postnoon. com and for subscription, please call 040-4067 2222, Fax: 040-4067 2211

Entertainment TUESDAY, AUGUST 20, 2013

BYE BYE TRESSES

CINE BYTES

ove over, Beyonce – another star has chopped off her hair. Shailene Woodley, the 21-year-old star of The Descendants, cut off what appears to be at least eight inches of her hair and documented the experience on Twitter. “And so it begins,” Shailene tweeted Friday night, along with a photo of multiple pairs of hair scissors, followed by a photo of two chopped off ponytails, captioned “Hair nubbins.” The actress later added a photo of the final product, a chin-length bob, with the caption, “Work in progress, but luckily, it grows back!!!” While a haircut may not seem dramatically significant to some, it was a big move for Shailene, who wrote a lengthy blog post explaining why letting go of her locks was emotionally difficult. The Divergent star is donating her hair to Children With Hair Loss, an organisation that provides human hair replacement to kids who have lost their hair due to medical conditions — and knowing that her hair will help a child without has made the experience a positive one.

SHAILENE WOODLEY

CHOPS HAIR FOR CANCER PATIENT ROLE

Olivia Munn dislocates her shoulder

livia Munn was just trying to have some harmless fun by swinging inside the house when things took a turn for the worst. The seat of the swing completely broke and Munn landed on her bum. "Goin really high then it broke mid-swing. BAD NewsDislocated my shoulder. GoodNews-I laughed AND we got it on VIDEO (sic)," she wrote. Handled it like a champ.

Jackman worried about being typecast

ctor Hugh Jackman has reportedly rejected superhero roles because he fears that he will get typecast. According to dailystar.co.uk Jackman, 44, was offered 65 million pounds to star in ﬁve superhero action ﬂicks. But the actor, best known as Wolverine in the superhero franchise X-Men, has refused the mega offer. IANS

Liam Payne dating his schoolmate

iam Payne is reportedly dating his schoolmate Sophia Smith with whom he went to St Peter's Collegiate School, Wolverhampton. It is his ﬁrst romance since his split from longterm girlfriend Danielle Peazer in May. The 19-year-old is so smitten with his new lady love that he ﬂew her 5,000 miles from their home town Wolverhampton to Los Angeles to be at his side, reports mirror.co.uk. IANS

sports

TUESDAY, AUGUST 20, 2013

WORLD BADMINTON

LIN DAN SLAMS BWF

In a rare interview, he questioned whether the Badminton World Federation understood players’ needs after the body investigated the apparent failure of the air-conditioning. LAURA MANNERING Agence France-Presse HONG KONG: Chinese superstar Lin Dan took a swipe at badminton’s global governing body after his record fifth world title win was hit by controversy, just a year after a scandal at the London Olympics. In a rare interview, “Super Dan” questioned whether the Badminton World Federation (BWF) understood players’ needs after the body investigated the apparent failure of the air-conditioning during his victory over world num-

ber one Lee Chong Wei. And the 29-year-old great also took aim at the BWF over last year’s embarrassing episode at the Olympics, when eight players, including two from China, were disqualified for deliberately trying to lose matches. Witnesses at this month’s men’s world final in Guangzhou, southern China, said the stadium air-conditioning, which had been affecting players at one end of the court, went off at the start of the second game, when Lin switched to the breezy side. Lin, who lost the first

game, won the second to level the match and, with temperatures soaring in the decider, took the title when Lee was stretchered off with cramp when facing match point. Lee’s coach, Tey Seu Bock, blamed the lack of air-conditioning for the cramp and retirement, adding that the

OSCAR ON TRIAL

The fall of Oscar Pistorius

Before the shooting of Reeva Steenkamp, 26-year-old Pistorius was one of the world’s most admired sportsmen. SUSAN NJANJI Agence France-Presse PRETORIA: South African Olympic hero Oscar Pistorius was publicly adored, but the killing of his girlfriend has exposed a private life filled with rash behaviour, guns, beautiful women and fast cars. Before the Valentine’s Day shooting of cover girl Reeva Steenkamp, 26-year-old Pistorius was one of the world’s most recognisable and admired sportsmen. But the shooting left South Africa reeling with shock and anger, and one newspaper dubbed him the “Blade Gunner”. In 2009 Pistorius spent a night in jail after allegedly assaulting a 19-year-old woman at a party. Last year he allegedly fired a gun through the sunroof of his ex-girlfriend’s moving car. Weeks before he shot his lover, he reportedly discharged a gun by accident at a Johannesburg restaurant.

A turbulent family life marked his childhood. His parents divorced when he was 6 and his mother died when he was 15. The date is tattooed on his arm. “Oscar is certainly not what people think he is,” said ex-lover Samantha Taylor last November — two months after a magazine

covered the couple’s Seychelles holiday. Taylor is among the 107 witnesses to testify at the trial which opens on March 3. After Taylor, Pistorius started dating model Reeva Steenkamp, who he shot in the dead of the night on February 14 after, he claims, mistaking her for an intruder. Pistorius has long been open about his love for guns. A turbulent family life marked his childhood. His parents divorced when he was six and his mother died when he was 15. The date she died is tattooed on his arm. The middle child between a younger sister and elder brother, he has problematic relationship with his father, Henke, but the two brothers are close. Just weeks after he shot Steenkamp, Pistorius’s father said white South Africans must own guns because the ANC government does not protect them. US sportswear giant Nike and French cosmetic firm Clarins scrapped lucrative endorsement deals they had signed with him.

player could hardly breathe in the stifling conditions. Chinese officials denied turning off the cooling system, saying it was simply set too low. But Lin said conditions were the same for both players and he suggested that losing the air-con helped “bring out a higher level of competition”. “First, you don’t need to ask me about that because when I’m on the court, I’m not aware of anything,” Lin told AFP via email. “Second, I think the conditions were equal. Third, and most important, if the air-conditioning is switched off, then I hope it was because it would bring out a higher level of competition from the players.” He added: “Many people, including those from

the BWF, don’t really understand what the main problems in badminton are, and what it most needs, because many officials are not competitors. “The biggest problem for badminton is wind direction and lighting. If those problems are not solved, it seriously impacts players’ performances on the court. “If a high-level player’s performance is affected by these factors, they suffer setbacks and cannot be fully satisfied on the court.“ The row came 12 months after badminton was rocked at the London Olympics, when eight women’s doubles players were kicked out for playing to lose group matches, in the hope of gaining an easier quarter-final draw.

IBL

Hotshots thrash Pistons 4-1 in IBL

MUMBAI: The Hyderabad Hotshots thrashed Pune Pistons 4-1 in the Indian Badminton League (IBL) at the National Sports Club of India (NSCI) here on Monday.

Leading Hotshots’ charge was local lad Ajay Jayaram who easily overcame Tien Minh Nguyen of Pistons 21-19, 21-8 in the first singles. In the process, the Hotshots bagged five points (four for each match win and a bonus point) while the Pistons had to be content with only one. Hyderabad Hotoshots are now leading the standing with 11 points while Pune-based team are second with nine. Leading Hotshots’ charge was local lad Ajay Jayaram who easily overcame Tien Minh Nguyen of Pistons 21-19, 21-8 in the first men’s singles

to give the Hyderabad-based team the lead in the tie. Jayaram completely dominated his World No 5 opponent, who has not been in good form lately. Next was the highly anticipated match between Hotshots icon player Saina Nehwal and Pistons’ Juliane Schenk of Germany. A lot was expected of the two as both are top-4 players of the World. Juliane took flight and won the first game by taking a huge lead at the start. The World No 4 Saina tried coming back into the game but fell short. However, the Hyderabadi eventually had the better of the World No 3 and the 59minute encounter went in Saina’s favour 17-21, 21-19, 116 to give the Hotshots a 2-0 lead. In the mixed doubles, Hotshots’ V. Shem Goh and Khim Wah Lim overcame veteran Indian pair KT Rupesh Kumar and Sanave Thomas of the Pistons 21-19, 21-16 to extend the lead to an unassailable 3-0. IANS

sports TUESDAY, AUGUST 20, 2013

ATHLETICS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS

Russia’s homophobia mars athletics triumph

No amount of noise could drown out the furore generated by Russia’s adoption in June of a law outlawing the dissemination of “propaganda” about homosexuality to minors, which critics have slammed as patently homophobic. STUART WILLIAMS Agence France-Presse MOSCOW: Russia on Monday basked in the glory of its triumph at the World Athletics Championships but the event was shadowed by a controversy over homophobia which risks tarnishing its hosting of the Winter Olympics and World Cup. Russian athletes topped the medals table for the first time since 2001 with seven golds, one more than the United States, boosted by a “super Saturday” where the team enjoyed stunning victories in the women’s high jump and 4x400-metres relay. The Russian success prompted a last-minute surge of interest and crowds of well over 60,000 for the last weekend, though the early days of the championships at Moscow’s Luzhniki stadium were burdened by banks of empty seats and a lack of atmosphere. Triple gold medal winning Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt diplomatically awarded the event a “seven out of ten", saying it was a “different championships, not the best".

By the final weekend, the stadium was caught in a memorable patriotic fervour, with the “Luzhniki roar” whipped up over the PA system by the interventions of Russia’s motormouth star sports commentator Dmitry Guberniev. But no amount of noise could drown out the furore generated by Russia’s adoption in June of a law outlawing the dissemination of “propaganda” about homosexuality to minors, which critics have slammed as patently homophobic. With these championships just the first in a string of major sporting events to be hosted by Russia — ahead of the Sochi Winter Olympics in 2014 and football World Cup in 2018 — the controversy risks only intensifying further. “This story of course is not over," grumbled the Sports Express. “Its peak is going to come at the Sochi Games." No sooner had Russia’s athletics queen Yelena Insinbayeva (pictured) set the championships alight with her stunning pole vault victory than she walked into a moral minefield by back-

ing the law and slamming Swedish high-jumper Emma Green-Tregaro as “disrespectful” for painting her nails in the rainbow colours of gay rights. A supporter of the law, Sports Minister Vitaly Mutko sparked further controversy by seeming to equate homosexuality with social ills like alcoholism.

Some believe that Russia did not expect the law — which sprung from a ‘family values’ campaign — would cause such an uproar. “We are seeking to protect minors — and not just from propaganda of non-traditional relations but from many other things. Like, for example, drug use, alcoholism and smoking. From many bad habits," he told the ITAR-TASS news agency in an interview. Some believe that Russia did not expect that the law — which appears to have sprung from a

“family values” campaign from conservative lawmakers worried about the declining population — would cause such an uproar. “They had not thought this through," said one high-ranking diplomat in Moscow, suggesting Russia has now put itself into a corner with no way to get out. As the Western press fumed about Russia’s stance on gay rights, Russian newspapers hit back by accusing European and US media of seeking to undermine the sporting achievements by the Russian squad. The depth of anger was shown by a bizarre nationalist eulogy penned Monday by Sovietsky Sport editor Yury Tsybanev about the superiority of the 4x400-metres female quartet who beat the United States for the gold. “They were standing on top of the pedestal, our four little blondes, four Russian birch trees, and it was as if the blood of our ancestors boiled in my veins," he said. “Consider this my answer to those ‘rights activists’ who started pestering and insulting Lena Isinbayeva," he added.

POWER STRUGGLE

Team NZ wins third race SAN FRANCISCO: Emirates Team New Zealand won the third race of the America’s Cup challenger series on Monday when Italy’s Luna Rossa pulled out with a mechanical problem for the second time in three days. “Obviously, Luna Rossa had some sort of issue with their wing, but we felt like we were in a strong position," said Kiwi skipper Dean Barker. The victory gives the Kiwis a 2-1 lead in the bestof-13 Louis Vuitton Cup final series. The winner of the Louis Vuitton event will square off against defending champ Oracle Team USA in the America’s Cup finals in September. New Zealand completed the course in 22 minutes 28 seconds with a top speed of 42.34 knots. A scheduled second race on Monday was postponed because of strong afternoon winds that were in excess of the 19.4-knot limit allowed

Luna Rossa was halted on Monday after rounding the leeward gate with a damaged control panel on the bottom of the wing. by organizers. It is the second day in a row that one of the two planned races was postponed because of high winds on San Francisco Bay. Luna Rossa was halted Monday after rounding the leeward gate with a damaged control panel on the bottom of the wing. Luna Rossa also had trouble on Saturday, failing to finish race one with damage to the catamaran’s starboard daggerboard system. Luna Rossa helmsman Chris Draper said it was unfortunate they had to stop Monday because they got off to a great start. “It was very frustrating," said Draper. “We had a nice start, unfortunately one bad jibe when it mattered on downwind leg, but kind of behind us now. Race is done." New Zealand looked strong Monday but they have also had mechanical problems. AFP

sports TUESDAY, AUGUST 20, 2013

ASHES 5TH TEST PREVIEW

TAKING THE MICKEY

England braced for history At 3-0 up with one to play, England have already retained the Ashes and won the series — the first time since the 1950s they’ve won three successive Test campaigns against their oldest rivals. JULIAN GUYER Agence France-Presse LONDON: A chance to make history, albeit of different sorts, will confront England and Australia when the final Test of this season’s Ashes starts at The Oval in south London on Wednesday. At 3-0 up with one to play, England have already retained

The last thing England batsman Jonathan Trott wants is for his captain, Alastair Cook, to receive the Ashes urn on the back of a loss. the Ashes and won the series -the first time since the 1950s they’ve won three successive Test campaigns against their oldest rivals. But they still have plenty to play as they’ve never won four Tests against Australia in England and have never taken any Ashes series by a 4-0 margin although they did win 4-1 in

SUBSTANCE ABUSE

Australia in 1911/12 and in 1928/29 before taking a sixmatch series against an Australia side weakened by defections to the unofficial World Series Cricket 5-1 in 1978/79. A result of greater resonance to both current sides is that the last England team to win the Ashes and round off the series

with a defeat was Mike Gatting’s side at Sydney in 1987. Following a narrow victory, Australia won the next eight Ashes series. The last thing England batsman Jonathan Trott wants is for his captain, Alastair Cook, to receive the Ashes urn on the back of a loss. “I don’t think anyone wants to go up on the stage and raise

the urn after we have lost,” Trott said. “If we do that, it will be a bit of a downer.” Unusually, Australia will have a chance for revenge in a matter of a few months, with the return Ashes ‘Down Under’ starting in November. “There are another five games after this one so we are not letting up,” Trott said.

Arthur slams Oz egos SYDNEY: Sacked Australian coach Mickey Arthur Tuesday admitted he “lost” Shane Watson, while criticising the team’s young players for having “big egos” while earning “obscene amounts of money”. The South African has refrained from commenting since being dumped just weeks before the Ashes campaign against England, but in an interview with Sydney’s The Daily Telegraph he detailed a fractured relationship with his vice-captain. “My relationships were outstanding, except with Watson. He was one of the guys I lost,” Arthur said. “India was where it started going wrong, when we suspended those players. “If I sit back and think, ‘would I have done it again?’, well, I probably would. Because I believed so much in what we were trying to do.” In a shambolic Test tour of India earlier this year that Australia lost 4-0, Watson, James Pattinson, Mitchell Johnson and Usman Khawaja were all disciplined by Arthur after failing to submit feedback requested by team management. They were axed with Watson controversially sent home. “I met with all our staff before I did it and our staff were adamant that was the right way to go,” said Arthur.

THE NEW ENGLAND?

Ryder banned for 6 months

Broad proud of ‘unpleasant’ England

WELLINGTON: Troubled New Zealand cricketer Jesse Ryder was handed a six month ban after testing positive for outlawed substances contained in a weight-loss supplement, the New Zealand Sports Tribunal said. The tribunal said Ryder, who has been in self-imposed exile from international cricket since February 2012, tested positive after a domestic match in March this year. It said Ryder’s sample showed traces of the stimulants PBA and DEBEA and the batsman admitted he took two supplement tablets in the days before the test. The disciplinary body said it accepted Ryder’s argument that he was not aware the over-the-counter product contained banned substances.

England’s ruthless streak has been on display during the Ashes, where they are an unbeatable 3-0 up against Australia heading into this week’s final Test at The Oval. JULIAN GUYER Agence France-Presse LONDON: Stuart Broad has said he’s proud to be a member of an England side that is an “unpleasant” team to play against. England’s ruthless streak has been on display during the Ashes, where they are an unbeatable 3-0 up against Australia heading into this week’s final Test at The Oval in south London. And fast-bowling all-rounder Broad, who credits a spell in Australian grade cricket with having made him a more hardened player, believes the entire approach of the England side under coach Andy Flower and captain Alastair Cook has been key to their success.

“There’s one thing for sure about this England team and that’s we’re tough,” Broad, the hero of the 74-run fourth Test win at Chester-le-Street with a match-winning spell of six for 50 on the last day, said Monday. “We’ve come through tricky times and stand up when we need to be counted, which is quite an un-English thing. We want that to continue.

Broad believes the entire approach of the England side under coach Andy Flower and captain Alastair Cook has been key to their success.

“There’s no doubt the country is proud of this team and what we’ve achieved because fans like winning teams. We want to win and make them happy. “We do have a win at all costs mentality. I think we’re quite an unpleasant team to play against at the moment. “Teams won’t play against us and enjoy the experience. That’s what we want. “You always have a responsibility to the fans and youngsters because you’re role models. You have to play hard but fair, that’s how the spirit of the game is defined. “We’ve been accused of all sorts, but those things aren’t remembered, it’s winning the series that will be remembered.”

TUESDAY, AUGUST 20, 2013

sports

BRYANT AND CO BEAT GB TO WIN HEARTS AND MINDS

Newcastle manager Alan Pardew accused Arsenal of showing disrespect after turning down the Gunners’ $19 million for France midfielder Yohan Cabaye. Cabaye has been targeted by Arsene Wenger as he looks to bolster his injury-hit squad after Saturday’s dismal 3-1 defeat at home.

ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE

City slickers make Pellegrini’s day

Wenger knows Gunners ‘must win’

Pellegrini was hired to revitalise a team that surrendered the title to Manchester United last season and the Chilean’s new players responded by delivering a stylish victory in his first match in charge.

ISTANBUL: Arsene Wenger admits vulnerable Arsenal must show some fight to avoid more misery in Wednesday’s crucial Champions League play-off first leg against Fenerbahce in Istanbul. Wenger’s team suffered a dismal start to the Premier League campaign as Aston Villa romped to a surprise 3-1 win at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday. Arsenal’s lacklustre display sparked a furious response from Gunners fans, who left Wenger in no doubt they blame him for failing to fulfil the club’s pre-season promise to spend big on new signings. The Arsenal Supporters’ Trust joined the chorus of disapproval on Monday when they called on the club to halt any contract talks with Wenger and focus instead on rebuilding the squad. After eight years without a trophy, Wenger and his players are already under intense pressure. But to make matters worse for Wenger, he was hit with a series of injuries against Villa which have left him with just eight fully fit senior players.

GRAHAM CHASE Agence France-Presse MANCHESTER: Manuel Pellegrini’s Manchester City revolution got off to the perfect start as 10-man Newcastle were crushed 4-0 at Eastlands on Monday. Pellegrini was hired by City’s Abu Dhabi-based owners to revitalise a team that surrendered the Premier League title to Manchester United last season and the Chilean’s new players responded by delivering a stylish victory in his first match in charge. With title rivals United and Chelsea both winning under new management over the weekend, it was essential that former Malaga boss Pellegrini kept pace at the top. City delivered emphatically as Spanish midfielder David Silva headed the opener in the sixth minute and Argentina forward Sergio Aguero steered in the second in the 22nd minute.

Newcastle’s troubles continued when defender Steven Taylor was sent off just before half-time for catching Aguero with a forearm. Yaya Toure’s superb 50th minute free-kick made it three and Samir Nasri came off the bench to complete the demolition with a cool finish 15 min-

With title rivals United and Chelsea both winning under new management, it was essential that Pellegrini kept pace at the top.

utes from full-time. Newcastle, who have only signed QPR striker Loic Remy on loan since Joe Kinnear was brought in to take care of transfer activity, faced disruption before the match, with France midfielder Yohan Cabaye being left out of the squad following a £12 million bid from Arsenal. But while Newcastle were abject, City made quite a statement about their intentions for the season Many predicted that Pellegrini, who replaced Roberto Mancini at the end of last season, would employ a 43-3 formation following his move to England, but he stuck with the 4-4-2 he has used throughout pre-season against Newcastle. An indication of the depth available to Pellegrini is that he had a powerful bench including Alvaro Negredo and Nasri and there was no place in his 18-man squad for Stevan Jovetic, Gareth Barry or Micah Richards.

Wenger’s team were beaten by Aston Villa 3-1 at home.

EPL PREVIEW

Jose braces for confident Villans The Midlands club stunned Arsenal 3-1 at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday. TOM WILLIAMS Agence France-Presse LONDON: After a triumphant homecoming as Chelsea manager at the weekend, Jose Mourinho must steel his side for Wednesday’s visit of a buoyant Aston Villa in the Premier League. The Portuguese made his return to the home dug-out at Stamford Bridge on Sunday after six years away and quickly slipped back into the old routine, overseeing a 2-0 defeat of Hull

City that extended his run of unbeaten home games in the English top flight to 61. The game was over once Frank Lampard made it 2-0 with a 30-yard free-kick in the 25th

Jose was into routine, with a 2-0 defeat of Hull that extended his run of unbeaten home games in the English top flight to 61.

minute, but Mourinho’s men can expect a more searching examination at the hands of Paul Lambert’s Villa. The Midlands club stunned Arsenal 3-1 at the Emirates Stadium and with Christian Benteke already in goal-scoring form, they look poised to banish memories of last season’s nervous dalliance with relegation. Lampard, one of eight survivors in the squad from Mourinho’s first stint, says Chelsea’s aim is to mount a sustained title challenge.