Epaper 20 september 2013

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2013 HYDERABAD

32 PAGES

WEATHER: A MIX OF CLOUDY AND CLEAR SKIES; 27°C

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I'LL BE THERE FOR YOU...

For a decade, the TV show Friends was a huge part of our lives. This week marks the day when the show first premiered on TV. Let’s get reacquainted.

P16&17

HYDERABAD’S FIRST COMPACT AFTERNOON NEWSPAPER

JAILBIRDS PROVE BETTER

BIZ HANDS The Chanchalguda prison has set an emulative example where prisoners are employed in a petrol bunk. It has been drawing more customers than other bunks because of honest deals — both in money and measurement.

ALL ABOARD THE COMIC CON EXPRESS! Ladies and gentlemen, geeks and nerds, the wait is over — the much-awaited Comic Con festival is here. It’s time to get your super hero costume ready.

PG 8&9

REPORT ON P6

FLASH

BCCI EX-SECRETARY LELE PASSES AWAY

Jaywant Lele, the diminutive former BCCI secretary during whose tenure the matchfixing scandal broke out in 2000, passed away at his residence following a massive heart attack.

STATE OF GRACE PG 22&23

Gucci kicked off the Milan Fashion Week with models who looked like denizens of a luxurious opium den. Take a look.

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FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2013

city events

AUTUMN IS HERE AGAIN

Golden Dragon, at Taj Krishna, Banjara Hills is all set to present its customers with Cantonese and Sichuan specialties which feature some of the choicest traditional delicacies, celebrating the harvest season in China.

Weather for Hyderabad

Evening

Overnight

Morning

Afternoon

27°C

30°C

25°C

26°C

Cloudy with showers likely.

Cloudy with showers likely.

Cloudy with thunderstorms

Cloudy with thunderstorms.

New Delhi Mumbai Max 31 Max 32 Min 25 Min 25 Partly sunny

Chennai Max 34 Min 26

Cloudy.

Bangalore Max 26 Min 19

Mostly Cloudy

Showers.

AROUND THE CITY: YOUR GUIDE TO THE TWIN CITIES promises to give you taste of history with each bite.. Savour some mouthwatering delicacies as one would during the days of the Rajas and Maharajas!

Where: Hotel Regenta One, ISB Road, Financial District, Gachibowli When: Until Sept 22, 12:30pm to 11pm Contact: (040) 67300600

Contact: (040) 23550340

EXHIBITION Watercolour Paintings Portraits of Emperors :Exhibition of Water Colour paintings by Rajkumar Sthabathy will be on display. Make sure you don’t miss it!

Where: Shristi Art Gallery, 267, road No. 15, Jubilee Hills When: Until Sept 18, 2013, 11am to 7pm Contact: (040) 2354-0023

Walking Sticks Gallery Salarjung Museum recently opened a walking sticks gallery which puts on display the walking sticks collected

by Salarjung himself.

Where: Salarjung Museum, Afzalgunj When: Until Sept 30, 10am to 5pm Contact: (040)- 24576443/ 24523211

DINING

SHOWS Live Vibe with Krish Head over to News Cafe every Sunday to bring in the new week with a smile. Let Krish mesmerize you with his soulful music.

Where: News Cafe, G-5- and F-49, Inorbit Mall, Hi-tech city When: Every Sunday, 8pm to 11:30pm Contact: (040) 40101234

Painting Exhibition ArtBeat: Group Show of Paintings is an art event which features works of various artists from Hyderabad Where: Poecile Art Gallery, GUV Vivilash Chambers, Road No. 14, Banjara Hills When: Until Sept 19, 11am to 7pm

Comic Con Express Hyderabad The Comic Con is finally here in the city. Comic Con India gives its fans the opportunity to celebrate their undying love and passion for comics and pop culture. Be there to witness the craziness Where: Hitex Exhibition Grounds, Madhapur When: Sept 21 and 22, 10am to 7pm

Kebab Buffet Looks like its raining kebabs in Hyderabad. Enjoy an amazing array of kebabs as part of a lunch which is priced at Rs. 399 + taxes (weekdays) and Rs. 649 + taxes (weekends).

Where: The Great Kabab Factory, Road No. 12, Banjara Hills When: Until Sept 30 Contact: (040) 40208282/ 23302244 Street Food of Mumbai At Golkonda Hotel, you get a chance to savour some of Mumbai’s choicest street delicacies. Head over to Melange for some mouth-watering chaat, kebabs and vada pav and get the feel and taste of Mumbai.

Where: The Golkonda Hotel, Masab Tank When: Until Sept 29, 12pm to 10pm Contact: 9666003915

LAID TO REST: The last of the Ganesh immersions comes to a close with the Khairtabad Ganesh being put into the Hussain Sagar waters.

Rs.297.

Where: Khao Galli, Ground Floor, Cyber Towers, Madhapur When: Until Sept 30 Contact: (040) 23420545/ 9912022261 Tiger Trail Food Festival Limelight, the restaurant at hotel Regenta is hosting a festival which

Lunch Buffet Enjoy a sumptuous meal at Khao Galli restaurant at the price of Commissioner & Spl Officer

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

198 155313

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

155333 23431178 23431179

MUNICIPAL CORPORATION

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

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

155313 23307328 23313163

27505566 23314095 23390933 24600146 27001134 23607777 30418888 30417777 30419000 30416666 39879999

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

27567892 23559555 23226624 27633087 27035588 27550238 30799999 30418296 30417445

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

Airport Director 27903785, 27906001 For Air India Flight Information Toll free (from any network) for IC Flights 18001801407 And for All Flights: 1800227722 Air India has revised its flight timings.

For more information call (Toll free) 18001801407, 1800227722 from BSNL/MTNL 04023430334 from other lines and mobile Website; www.airindia.in TOURISM OFFICES AP Tourism, Hyd 23262152/53/54 Sec-bad 27893100 Dept of Tourism 23453110 India Tourism 23261360 AP Tourism information Centre (24x7) 23450444, 23455999 UK VISA OFFICE VFS India Pvt Ltd Building, 8-2-542/A, Sunil Chamber, Road No. 7

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

24523211 232431300/7641 24521029

Readers’ views

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

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2013

news

YESTERDAY’S QUESTION

IS THERE ENOUGH POLITICAL SPACE FOR ANOTHER T PARTY? 82% 18%

YES (A) NO (B)

City girl and friend dupe Delhi biz man Mixing business with pleasure has its risks as a Delhi businessman found out the hard way recently.

HYDERABAD: : A Delhi businessman on a business trip to the City finds himself cheated of Rsfour lakh by a clever girl and her friend, a police report revealed.

Ashok Kumar from Delhi, was in the City in connection with business. It is said he befriended a girl who gave her name as Aruna Devi. The two are understood to have gone beyond mere friendship.

After a while, Aruna intro-

TOP HONOUR

Obama gives key judge post to Indian American

A)

YES

B)

NO

To vote visit www.postnoon.com

CRIME

Mohd SUBHAN mohd.s@postnoon.com

TODAY’S QUESTION

WILL A TIE-UP WITH BJP HELP TO REVIVE TDP’S FORTUNES?

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duced one Iqbal Baig as a lawyer friend of hers. Iqbal too became chummy with Ashok and the trio enjoyed mutual confidence.

In the meantime, Ashok who was fairly rich, desired to buy a car for his Hyderabad stay.

Accordingly, he bought a car for `4.5 lakh. When his business commitments were accomplished, he planned to return to Delhi.

When he tried to sell the car, he found that most car agents he visited quoted not more than Rs3 lakh which Ashok thought was very less.

As he was in two minds, Aruna suggested Iqbal buy Ashok’s car for `4 lakh. Glad to have gained, Ashok readily agreed and signed the sale papers on the basis of a cheque for `4 lakh that Iqbal issued to Ashok.

When the Delhi businessman presented the cheque after the due date, it bounced. Shocked, he tried to contact Iqbal and Aruna whose mobile phones returned the switched-off tone.

He lodged a complaint with the Delhi police. On the basis of it, the Begumpet police have registered a case of cheating against Iqbal.

It is said that Ashok, flushed as he was with the friendship with Aruna and Iqbal, had not bothered to check out their residences.

Nor is he even sure if the woman’s name is indeed Aruna.

CRIME

Shylock harassment claims a life POSTNOON NEWS feedback@postnoon.com HYDERABAD: City auto driver P Ravi Kanth who had taken a loan of `3 lakh to construct a house has committed suicide leaving a death note in which he squarely blamed the financiers of cruelty and injustice.

But one of the financers rushed to the auto driver’s home, forcibly snatched the note from the victim’s brother, Uday Kanth, and tore it to smithereens when heard of the suicide note.

After the man left, Uday collected the pieces and put it together before presenting it at the Tukaram police station.

Inspector V Sudarshan Reddy promptly registered a case of unnatural death.

According to details given to police, Ravi and his father P Balraj, took a loan `3 lakh from Ellaiah, Saroja and Pochamma at the rate of 15 per cent interest three years ago. Ravi is said to have returned a considerable sum of the borrowed money but the financiers demanded that the entire `3 lakh be paid back and threatened to seize

FIERY PROTEST

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WORLD

WASHINGTON: President Barack Obama has nominated yet another Indian American, Manish S Shah, to the key post of US District Court judge for the Northern District of his home state of Illinois.

Announcing Shah’s nomination along with seven other judiciary posts, Obama said in a White House statement: “These men and women have had distinguished legal careers and I am honoured to ask them to continue their work as judges on the federal bench.”

IANS

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Turkish police stand in front of fireworks thrown by demonstrators during a protest on Thursday outside the Middle East Technical University (METU) in Ankara. Since early September Turkish riot police is regularly confronting hundreds of university students in Ankara throwing stones and erecting barricades in protest against a project to build a road across part of their campus.

AFP/ ADEM ALTAN

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the first floor of the building if the amount was not paid. One floor of the building is said to have a market value of `25 lakh. As their harassment continued, Ravi is said to have been dejected.

On Wednesday when his family members had gone to a Ganesh mandap, Ravi is said to have hanged himself to the ceiling fan. Police have arrested the three who were directly involved in collecting money from the diseased.

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News FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2013 LAST YEAR... HERE Bandh fizzles out in City

L

ast year we had reported how there was a lacklustre response in the City, with most of the City’s business remaining open, despite an All India Bandh called by the opposition to protest FDI in the retail sector. But even then more than 200 members participated in the bandh that also addressed the hike in diesel prices.

SEPTEMBER 20, 2012

NUMEROLOGY

$80 mn

is what JPMorgan Chase has been ordered to pay in penalties for billing about 2.1 million consumers for identity theft protection they did not receive.

I regret that there was a period in the early 2000s when we were so focused on what we had to do around Windows that we weren't able to redeploy talent to the new device called the phone.

Steve Balmer, Outgoing Microsoft CEO

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THINGS WE LEARNT TODAY

The column that teaches everyone something new about the way the City functions.

1

After 30 years, a Iran-United States confrontation Iran and the US are sizing up the gamble of a presidential close encounter at the UN next week that could open a first crack in 30 years of enmity.

2

Clockwork precision on the Tokyo subway Tokyo’s business culture and the value its people place on punctuality pushes them to achieve a precision that cannot be replicated.

3

Heritage sites in Hyderabad in a fix.

The Aga Khan Trust for Culture which is trying to restore the Qutub Shahi tombs is facing troubles from the Wakf department.

4

‘Lunchbox’ deserves an Oscar says Karan Johar.

A lot of people in the west have predicted that The Lunchbox is already a favourite. We are waiting for the Indian official entry and we hope to get the golden statue home, says Johar.

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TDP to court BJPs saffron maiden?

An alliance is expected between the two parties.

COLLATERAL DAMAGE

Stir hits food supply

Ration shops across the State are running dry as licensees are unable to clear stock owing to the Seemaandhra agitation.

MOHSIN ALI ali@postnoon.com HYDERABAD: Lakhs of white card holders (BPL) who get subsidized grains and essentials are going hungry after the Samaikyandhra agitation began a monthand-a-half ago.

The Akhila Bharat Praja Tantra Mahila Sangham protested before the Civil Supplies Bhavan on Thursday demanding to take the necessary steps to supply ration in all the 13 districts.

But the Civil Supplies office is helpless as ration shop licensees are unable to clear stock due to continuing agitation. The Civil Supplies Bhavan usually clears the process of supplying ration 28th of every month after collecting the DDs from the fare shop owners, but due to the agitation which started on July 29 the dealers failed to submit DDs for the pulses.

Member of All India Democratic Women Association Swaroopa Rani who was involved in the protest said that “thousands of families in those regions depend upon fair price shops for grains but from the last two months they are helpless.

She said that in the Seemandhra region a chunk of population consisting of Dalits, Girijans and backward classes are suffering.

“While all are keen on keeping the State united, nobody seems to bother if the people are going hungry to bed,” she regretted.

State secretary Communist Party of India Dr K Narayana also wrote a letter to the minister for Civil Supplies D Sridhar Babu, demanding to act on the issue as soon as possible and said in the letter that the backward classes and students of the welfare hostels in 13 districts of Costal Andhra and Rayalaseema, facing challenges to get the food since 50 days, government have to supply the grains by arranging alternatives here.

Dr Narayana, appealed fair price shop owners to serve peoAROUND THE ple and CITY p re f e r humanity over agitation.

Reacting to the representation given by the All India Democratic Women Association, the Commissioner of Civil Supplies Sunil Sharma said he has already discussed the issue with the minister for Civil Supplies D Sridhar Babu, who took notice and called a review meeting on “Essential Commodities” with officials concerned and held a video conference with Joint Collectors.

“Commissioner for civil supplies informed that the minister ordered to all the fair price shop owners to submit the DDs to get the pulses soon, and informed that the ministry will take help of forest official to shift grains if get hurdles in transportation.”

CONTAGION

Gene map helps trace spread of MERS virus

PARIS: Researchers in Britain and Saudi Arabia said on Friday that gene profiling of the MERS virus had provided insights, but no answer, as to how the mysterious microbe spreads.

Reporting online in The Lancet, the scientists said they had assembled a family tree of the coronavirus causing Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS), using samples taken from 21 patients in Saudi Arabia. With the exception of a cluster of cases in the eastern town of al-Hasa, the focal point of the outbreak is the Saudi capital, they said.

“These results suggest the circulating virus in Saudi Arabia is centred around Riyadh, with sporadic excursions to other centres,” they said.

The probe reiterated the theory that the virus — called MERS-CoV by scientists — probably leapt to humans from

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With the exception of a cluster of cases in the eastern town of alHasa, the focal point of the outbreak is the Saudi capital.

animals.

The genetic history of the virus suggests repeat infections may have occurred since then, but what the animal source was, or is, remains unclear, it said.

Tests are being carried on mammals in Saudi Arabia ranging from camels and bats to goats. The cluster in al-Hasa, in

contrast, shows that viral strains there were closely related, which is consistent with spread from human to human.

The samples in Riyadh have a broad genetic diversity, the paper said.

This could mean that the virus is being transmitted through an animal source that is

continuously being brought in from elsewhere, it said.

Alternatively, it may be down to the fact that the capital is the country’s biggest population centre, which makes it more vulnerable to human-to-human transmission of the virus.

Forty-nine fatalities have occurred in Saudi Arabia. And now one of the world’s biggest movements of people, hajj pilgrimage, is due to take place next month. AFP

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News FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2013

STRATEGY

CINEMA TALKIES

Will TDP court ‘Lunchbox’ deserves an saffron maiden?

Oscar: Karan Johar

Md INKESHAF AHMED ahmed.m@postnoon.com

HYDERABAD: Ever since BJP’s posterboy, Narendra Modi, went lyrical about NTR and his ‘atma gaurav’ at his Hyderabad meeting recently, speculation is rife among political circles in AP if it was an invitation for Chandrababu Naidu to jump onto the saffron bandwagon.

It is a possibility not just because of Modi’s laudatory remarks but for cold logic. For the TDP, sandwiched between the Congress and its ally, the YSRC, there is little leeway in AP

T becoming a state, the TDP cadres would rather join the BJP. Sources also say that the party has realised lately that it had alienated Muslim voters after siding with the NDA led by BJP a decade ago. Ever since, however much it tries, the party could not get a strong support of the community which is usually ruled by regional leaders who take an uncompromising attitude to the BJP.

Its offbeat theme and novel production nuances make it the right choice for India’s official entry, he says.

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ARUN D YELLAMATY arunyellamaty@postnoon.com

politics for an independent action. The Leftists, he knows, are fickle-minded.

The Telangana State announcement has altered the political chemistry of the State.

The TDP can’t go back on its support to the new state as did the YSRC. For YSRC, it has no base in Telangana while the TDP has strong roots.

With Telangana becoming a reality, the party finds it difficult to convince its cadres in the Seemandhra.

Unless the party sides with a less ambitious party, its electoral results are likely to be lacklustre.

Therefore, in the political spectrum, the only dependable party is the BJP. Besides, the TDP has cadres but no great leaders to lead it in Telangana. There have been reports that in the event of

NEW FORMULA The TDP leadership now finds it easier to corner the Congress with an alliance with the BJP. The BJP would not be a major gainer but it will also be benefitted in Telangana. The BJP wants at least five MPs from AP which the TDP could help deliver. In return, it would benefit from at least 50 Assembly constituencies where the BJP is no force but could wean away a chunk of votes from the Congress.

Whichever way it looks, the TDP seems by force of circumstances, leaning towards the right-wing alliance at the 2014 elections. The party is compelled to taken an anti-Congress stance.

If it would not swing to the right, where will it go?

HYDERABAD: In the City to promote their much-talked about movie The Lunchbox, actors Irrfan Khan, Nimrat Kaur and the writer and director of the film Ritesh Batra along with producer Karan Johar spoke to Postnoon about the film, Bollywood and more.

Talking about how the film came about Ritesh says, “The genesis of the project was in 2007. I was trying to make a documentary about the dabbbawallas. I embedded myself with them, and they told me these gems of stories. I became more and more interested in those people. So I abandoned the documentary and started writing the film,” he says.

What made Karan Johar come onboard? “I was overwhelmed by the film when I saw it. Not many films do that, so when I was asked to come on board, I was more than happy. I thought UTV and I can put out this film in its best possible way and draw as many eye balls as possible,” he says.

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About the movie’s reception and people saying it should be nominated for Oscars, Karan says, “I believe that The Lunchbox is the right entry for Oscars. Believe me and I am not being biased. I have seen this film with various audiences and everyone connects with this film. A lot of people in the west have predicted that The Lunchbox is already a

Believe me and I am not being biased. I have seen this film with various audiences and everyone connects with this film.

Karan Johar Producer,

favourite. We are waiting for the Indian official entry and we hope to get the golden statue home.”

When asked what drew Nimrat Kaur to choose this for her debut film, “ I have been doing theatre, ads and various other projects for a quite a while and when I was asked to do this film, I was thrilled. and started practicing the role even before I was confirmed,” Kaur gushes.

But the star of the show of course has been Irrfan Khan, whose choice of role in The Lunchbox is quite the change from his previous projects such as Life of Pi. So what made him sign this film? Irrfan says, “It surely was a new beginning, life has been different. I like working in films that make an impact and stay with people. Of course, I also look for my own excitement. This film excited me and I wanted to be part of it.”

About Indian filmmakers becoming better with time, Irrfan agrees. “Our filmmakers, audiences and industry have evolved and all these films are working. From writers to filmmakers, we are getting better.”

NATION BRIEFS Encephalitis toll goes up Former editor back on to 275 Mumbai streets

UP CM threatening BJP MLAs: Uma Bharti

Gherao of JU VC, pro-VC continues

Autopsy shows injuries on Sarna’s private parts

GORAKHPUR: With four more persons succumbing to encephalitis, the toll in UP has climbed to 275 this year, health officials said here today. The dead include two children, one from Gorakhpur and one from Bihar. The four patients died at the BRD Medical College Hospital here yesterday, Additional Director, Health, S K Srivastava said.

VARANASI: BJP leader Uma Bharti today said Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav was threatening BJP MLAs to hide his own failure in controlling violence in Muzaffarnagar. “Yesterday in the Assembly, we spoke about cooperation. But, we were threatened and silenced, Uma Bharti told reporters here.

KOLKATA: The Vice-Chancellor, Pro- Vice-Chancellor and Registrar of Jadavpur University continued to be under gherao for the third day today by a section of engineering faculty students demanding withdrawal of suspension order of two students on charges of ragging. VC and Pro VC had taken ill but are said to be receiving treatment.

NEW DELHI: Anmol Sarna, a 21-year-old NRI student who died here, bore injuries on his private parts and bloodstains on his face, a source said Thursday citing the autopsy report. According to report, Sarna died due to shock and hemorrhage caused by head injuries.There were major injuries on his private parts also.

MUMBAI:: Less than a month after moving into the home of a couple, 65-year-old Sunita Naik, former editor of Marathi magazine ‘Grihalaxmi’, is back to living on the pavement outside a local gurudwara here. Naik was offered shelter by the couple - Gregory and Christine Misquitta - at their home in suburban Vile Parle last month.

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News FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2013

REVOLUTIONARY REFORMATION

Jailbirds prove better biz hands

The Chanchalguda prison has set an emulative example where prisoners are put to a petrol bunk. It has been drawing more customers than other bunks because of honest deal — both in money and measurement.

ALEENA ALICE aleena.t@postnoon.com HYDERABAD: It’s a dream come true for 30 convicts of Chanchalguda prison.

They, while serving their term, are part of a business their family are proud of.

Sudhar Filling Station adjacent to Chanchalguda jail which initially started off a few months ago with 24 prisoners handling the petrol pump roundthe-clock. Now it has over 30 inmates from the prison. The average sales come to `11 lakh per day at the pump, which is much more than the collection at the

The average sales come to `11 lakh per day at the pump, which is much more than the collection at the nearby pumps. nearby pumps because of unadulterated fuel and honest dealings.

“Seeing the petrol pumps running successfully at Hyderabad, other states like Punjab have borrowed the concept of having an open jail and earning revenue,” Chanchalguda jail superintendent B Saidaiah.

As per the provision of the jail authorities the 30 odd inmates from the prison are working in three shifts and are paid `2,100 per month. This earning is giving them a sense of confidence say the prisoners. “We have committed big crimes in the spur of the moment for which we regret now. In spite of our offence its like we got a second chance.

Coming from poor family backgrounds this part of earning is a big deal for our families. Not only that whenever we are released, this work experience will be helpful,” says an inmate working at the petrol bunk.

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Though it is an open prison and the inmates are in contact with the outside world, what really catches attention is the fact that there is only one security guard to monitor the 30 odd inmates working at the petrol pump. The jail department officials justify this kind of security surveillance by stating the confidence on the convicts selected.

“Under the chairmanship of the DIG for Prisons, a team of officials like the welfare officers and the medical officers select convicts who show good conduct in the jail. We select only inmates who we are confident about.

Prisoners with family ties and who are really looking for a second chance are only selected. There is a psychological reason of keeping only one security guard at the petrol pump. Apart from that we have other undisclosed ways of maintaining security surveillance to make sure the convicts have no chance to escape,” says B Saidaiah.

The petrol pump which is open for the public from 5am to midnight has been drawing more public than the other pumps in the area. This the officials say is because of the quality provided. “The fuel at this petrol pump is pure and unlike other private-owned pumps there is no chance of any adulteration, this is the reason public prefer getting their vehicles refuelled at this station. It is because of this good response that we are able to make lakhs of rupees of profit,” said a jail official.

Apart from the petrol pump, the prison officials are planning to put up confectionery stores and gas filling stations. For this the prison inmates will very soon be provided with training.

MEMORABILIA

Renoir personal items auction fetches $1.3 mn NEW YORK CITY: A collection of over 100 letters, photos, plasters, drawings and personal items that once belonged to Pierre-Auguste Renoir were sold at auction Thursday in New York, despite protests from the Impressionist master's great-grandson.

Sale organizer Heritage Auctions, which billed it as the largest collection of Renoir memorabilia, said the items earned nearly $1.3 million in total -- far short of the hoped-for $3 million.

Renoir's glasses, his signature polkadot scarf, his marriage certificate and letters written to him by friends and contemporaries such as Claude Monet, Edouard Manet and Auguste Rodin all went under the hammer.

The entire collection belonged to one of Renoir's grandsons, Paul, who moved to the United States and sold the belongings before his death in 2005.

In France, Jacques Renoir, the artist's great-grandson, denounced the "dismembering of Renoir's private life by publicly selling family memorabilia... including personal objects, personal letters and photographs including Renoir on his death bed."

Most of the letters -- some of the most controversial of the items up for sale,

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including ones written to the artist's wife, Aline, about his art -- sold for well above their pre-sale estimates.

The priciest to his wife ended up going for $12,500, while the highest bid for a letter to his son, fellow painter Jean Renoir, was $7,000.

Also part of the sale was the painting "Les Becasses" (The Woodcocks) completed only a few hours before the artist's death at age 78 on December 3, 1919. It sold for $125,000, just over its estimated value of $80,000 to $120,000.

AFP

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News FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2013

REPORTERS’ DIARY

Hard times for Lord Ganesh

V

laddu in the auction held at their office in Ameerpet.

At Balapur, it was the second time former mayor Banda Karthika Reddy bagged the Ganesh laddu in open auctions.

This year, the Balapur laddu was cornered by an educational institution run by former Hyderabad mayor and TDP leader Teegala Krishna Reddy.

(AD)

inayaka, who took adieu of His millions of devotees yesterday, may have been a bit troubled at their varied wishes.

Many of the desires of His devotees clashed and contradicted.

For instance, the Telangana devotees prayed Him for early deliverance of the state, while leaders of Seemandhra besought the blessings of the elephant-god to favour a Samaikyandrha.

Lord Ganesh, then heard of some who asked his favour for the success of Narendra Modi.

There were also those who asked for a change of guard in AP while some prayed for the continuance of the present government.

As is His wont, He collected all those petitions and departed.

We’ll have to wait for a year to know who Vigneswara favoured and whose petitions went in vain.

KHAKHI KA RANG ANEK "Kyon mamool bhi dena aur police ki maar bhi khana?” (Why should I bribe the police and also get beaten up?) a rowdy-sheeter of west zone said when he was picked up and thrashed for defying police summons. Later, the angry inspector booked a case against him. The rowdy was red with rage and said the above words.

It is said that the rowdy from the west zone used to give fat bribes (mamool) to the Habeeb Nagar police and had the freedom to indulge in his wrongful activities. He was naturally close to the police station bosses. But on the eve of Ganesh festival he was asked to come to the police station, which he ignored. The miffed inspector sent his policemen and had him picked up and brought to the police station.

To his surprise he saw a different inspector (in mien and demeanour) where duty prevailed over bonhomie. Asked why he ignored the summons, the rowdy said something irksome and the inspector was quick to grab his collar and give him a thrashing. The rowdy’s outburst of having given mamool in front of his subordi-

FOGGING PUBLIC The world over, fogging as a check on mosquito proliferation, has long been abandoned for being ineffective. If anything, it only pollutes the air while the smart vector flies away and larvae ducks the poisonous air and bob up afterward. But the GHMC health officials still believe in it. It brings more and more machines. But the interesting thing is that while the purchase is on, most of the old ones do not function. In the picture here, a municipal employee struggles with a fogging machine that refuses to function.

(SS)

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MURDERING TREES

nates made him angry. Now, behind bars, the rowdy is said to be ruminating over the tenuous relationship between cops and criminals.

(MS)

POOR NETA! It is often difficult to be a politician. They have to bear a lot of slur on their character, sometimes just and sometimes unjust.

At a regional conference held by the National Women's Commission (NCW) on Muslim women's problems recently, the guest of honour was the AP Women’s Commission chairperson Dr Tripurana Venkataratnam.

She was a political leader before adorning the present position.

During the function, a speaker was so angry at politicians that she called them ‘rascals’ for their attitude towards women and their problems. She saw a connection between the politicians’ general apathy to women issues and rising crimes against women. She said these politicians are a cursed lot, and a bane

for the society. The angry words shocked Venkararatnam who went visibly pale with shock.

However, as most politicians do, she skipped the issue and never referred to the speaker’s words in her address. In other words, she swallowed the pride being a politician herself.

(IA)

LADDU IMMUNE TO RECESSION Recession or no recession, Ganesh laddus at various pandals raked in the moolah in lakhs.

The day started with the Balapur Ganesh Utsav Samithi in the Old City, earning a record sum of `9.26 lakh in the open auction of the 21-kg laddu.

However, the biggest grosser was the one auctioned by the VVR Housing Pvt Limited, Ameerpet, which surpassed the previous record for the organisers and sold for `12.56 lakh.

BSN Murthy, vice-president, marketing division, VVR Housing Pvt Limited bagged the

When will we ever learn? Never is the answer. Or else how could man be so cruel to those who sustain his very life? Even elementary science tells children that trees produce oxygen without which we can stay alive for only 30 seconds. Trees also reduce pollution, provide us shade and fruits and timber and yet these facts notwithstanding, the first casualty of the so called ‘development’ in the City are trees (as the picture here shows). This is the plight of a tree in front of Pacific Hospital on Road No 36. It has been so much tortured that it is a wonder it survives despite all the onslaught.

The GHMC, which is empowered to deal with such things hardly bothers. Why? Utter ignorance of biological fact, probably. But the more important reason could be corruption, where money speaks, not the law.

(PK) (Contributed by Inkeshaf Ahmed, Srinivas Setty, Arun Daniel, Mohd Subhan and PK Surendran)

WORLD BRIEFS Venezuela accuses US of blocking efforts

Foreigners flock to New Argentina, Brazil in joint Zealand for gay marriage plan against US spying

87 dead in Boko Haram 'ambush' in Nigeria

Obama names leading donor as Canada envoy

CARACAS: Venezuela accused the United States of hampering its diplomatic efforts Thursday, saying Washington was denying airspace to its China-bound president and blocking visas for its UN delegation.

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro bristled with outrage at the "serious offence" of denying his plane rights to American airspace.

WELLINGTON: More than 80 same-sex couples, including 24 from overseas, have said "I do" in New Zealand since a law legalising gay marriage took effect a month ago, figures showed on Friday. Officials expect the number to accelerate as NZ moves from the gloom of winter into the more desirable wedding months of spring and summer.

ABUJA: As many as 87 people have been killed in an attack by Boko Haram militants in Nigeria's restive northeastern Borno state, local officials said. Disguised in military uniforms, the militants set up checkpoints outside the town of Benisheik and shot dead those trying to flee, reported BBC Friday citing witnesses.

WASHINGTON: US President Barack Obama named a Goldman Sachs executive and large campaign contributor as ambassador to Canada on Thursday amid potential rifts between the allies over the Keystone pipeline. Bruce Heyman lives in Obama's base of Chicago and raised funds for the president's campaigns.

BUENOS AIRES: Argentina and Brazil are planning a coordinated response to US spying in Latin America, officials said Thursday. The two countries' foreign ministers met in Buenos Aires to discuss US cyber-spying on Brazil and other Latin American allies, amid a diplomatic row over the practice.

News

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2013

CURTAIN-RAISER Ladies and gentlemen, geeks and nerds, the wait is over — the much-awaited Comic Con festival is here. It’s time to keep your favourite super hero costume ready and save up lots of money to grab the best comics and merchandise. But if you are in still two minds, we give you five reasons to attend Hyderabad’s first ever Comic Con. ARUN DANIEL arunyellamaty@postnoon.com

A costume party Given that we live in a land that doesn’t celebrate the awesomeness that’s Halloween, how many chances will you get to dress as a superhero of your choice? Anyone above the age of ten will have a chance to come dressed as their favourite comic character and that’s not all. Each day, one winner will be chosen from each of five categories: Comic book/graphic novel, Animated Series/Movie, Manga/Anime, Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Gaming. MTV’s VJ Jose will be

ALL ABOARD THE

there hosting the cosplay parade and both days, one lucky winner out of the chosen five will get the awesome chance to win a golden ticket to Goa!

Want to create a comic of your own?

Comic Con Express will include a multitude of sessions and panels through which you can interact with who’s who of the comic universe in India. Look out for a special session from Rajiv Chilakapudi (a true-blood Hyderabadi) the creator of one of the most famous comic characters in India, Chotta Bheem,

We are also looking forward to special sessions taken by The Magical Evolution of Tinkle Studios by ACK, creators of The Hyderabad Graphic Novel Jasram Grewal and Jai Undurti and budding artists Harsho Mohan Chattoraj Talking about the session, Jasram Grewal of the Hyderabad Graphic Novel says he can’t wait for the festival.

“We will be taking a session on ‘Make your own superhero’, we want people who can’t draw too come and be part of the session.

Coming up with a comic is two peoples job, one writer and other who can sketch. It’s a great

session, where people can come and create their own stories and the best will win a prize.”

COMIC CON EXPRESS HYDERABAD

Meet and Greet

Date: September 21–22 2013 (Saturday and Sunday) Time: 10.30am–7pm Location: Hitex Exhibition Centre, Hyderabad Entry: Free For further details, contact www.comicconindia.com

Kid’s favourite cartoon characters from TINKLE and Chota bheem will be hanging out at the comic con and kids can interact and click pictures and of course pick up some tips from the popular Chota Bheem.

Book launches Look out for Amar Chitra Katha, Campfire Graphic Novels, Scholastic India, and DC Comics by Random House, HarperCollins India, Pop

STUN YOUR FELLOW COMORINS WITH THESE SUPER FACTS SCAREY SPIDEY

SHAPE-SHIFTING SHIELD

DAREDEVIL, OFFENSIVE?

ANGRY AND GREY

Spider-Man is without doubt one of Marvel’s most famous, popular, and money-spinning characters.

But Spidey was very close to being kicked in the wastepaper bin mere moments after making it off the drawing board. Martin Goodman, head of Marvel at the time, told Spider-Man creator Stan Lee that he thought the new hero was a “rotten idea” for a comic book hero. Goodman sincerely believed that the character would struggle to ingratiate himself with Marvel’s adoring fans, for the simple fact that people were scared of spiders — so they’d supposedly be scared of him.

One of Cap’s most popular features has to be his shield. But the shield was originally intended to be very different from the versatile discshaped one adorning Cap’s front covers today. Joe Simon and Jack Kirby originally dreamed up a heraldicshaped shield. But rival comic publisher MLJ already had a patriotic character called The Shield who had a very similar looking heraldic logo on his chest. Due to legal pressure from MLJ, Marvel (then Timely) changed the design — and by the time Captain America made his first appearance in America Comics No1, in March 1941, the new shield had been penned, inked, and signed off.

Although Ben Affleck did his best to butcher the character in the movie version of the comic, Daredevil fans are some of the most loyal comic books followers out there (right up there with fans of DC’s Flash). But the acrobatic avenger of the streets very nearly fell from his perch a few moments after taking flight. Stan Lee made it clear to the Marvel team: if there were even the vaguest whiff that the comic was causing offence to blind people, or blind organizations, he would pull the book from the shelves quicker than you can say Matt Murdock.

What’s the first thing you think about when you imagine the Hulk? The fact he’s bright green, right? Well, this very nearly wasn’t the case. Stan Lee always intended for the Hulk to be grey — and so he was, in the very first issue of the series The Incredible Hulk in 1962. This didn’t last for long, however. Due to the fact that there were major problems with the inconsistency of the printing, they ended up having to choose a colour instead. One of the most consistent colours in print at the time was green, so they opted for that. As printing has become more proficient, a grey Hulk has appeared numerous times in the modern comic era.

8&9

COMIC CON EXPRESS! Culture Publishing, Holy Cow Entertainment, Mario Miranda Gallery, Level 10 Studios and Green Gold Animation. — Chotta Bheem Comics.

There are so many comic books those will be launched for the first time that too in Hyderabad, Jason Quinn, of the Pride and Prejudice, graphic novel, says, “We are super excited about the graphic book launch. This book has to be the best so far, all the women will fall in love with Mr. Darcy all over again. Its 100 pages book and people will love it. The artist Rajesh is from Hyderabad, but he couldn’t make it for the launch.”

Shopping at the Comic Con:

KING KONG COMIC-CONS Sand Diego Comic-Con The world’s largest comic convention is held annually in San Diego, California, United States. It is a four-day event (Thursday-Sunday) held during the summer in San Diego, in southern California, United States. Originally showcasing comic books, science fiction/fantasy and film/television, and related popular arts, the convention now includes a larger range of pop culture elements, such as horror, animation, anime, magna, toys, collectible card games, video games, webcomics, and

For the first time ever, Amar Chitra Katha will be bringing out merchandise around its popular comics and characters, launching exclusively at Hyderabad. Catch The Diamond Select Toys Booth at the convention, for exclusive International merchandise. Grab your choice of customized action figures by ArtronMedia.

There will be lots more to pick from a variety of other Merchandisers as well — Toys, Posters, Mugs, T-shirts, Wallets, Superhero USB Drives. Special Swag Bags for 5000 lucky fans will be given out by Myntra.

Speaking on the Comic Con coming to Hyderabad, organiser Jatin Varma, says, “We are excited and also nervous coming to Hyderabad, we hope a lot of people turn up to the event because we want to make it annual.” event.”

fantasy novels. According to Forbes, the convention is the “largest convention of its kind in the world”. In 2010, it filled the San Diego Convention Center to capacity with more than 130,000 attendees which makes it the fourth comic convention in the world for number of attendees, after Comiket, Angoulême International Comics Festival and Lucca Comics and Games.

Comiket Comiket, otherwise known as the Comic Market, is the world’s largest dōjinshi fair, held twice a year in Tokyo, Japan. The first Comiket was held on December 21, 1975, with only about 32 participating circles and an estimated 600 attendees. Attendance has since swelled to over a half million people. It is a grassroots, DIY effort for selling dōjinshi, selfpublished Japanese works. As items sold in Comiket are considered very rare (because dōjinshi are seldom reprinted), some items sold at Comiket can be found in shops or on the Internet at prices up to 10 times the item’s original price, and in certain cases, more than 100 times.

Angoulême International Comics Festival This is the largest comics festival in Europe, and the second biggest in the world after the Comiket. It has occurred every year since 1974 in Angoulême, France, in the month of

January. More than 200,000 visitors come each year to the fair, including between 6,000 and 7,000 professionals and 800 journalists. The attendance is generally difficult to estimate because the festival takes place all over the town, and is divided in many different areas that are not connected to each other directly.

arranged in different squares within the walls of this Medieval city. Visitors can now experience the world of comics alongside all of the history and fabulous restaurants of Lucca’s beautiful historic centre. With about 180,000 visitors in 2012, it is the second most popular comic fair in Europe and the third in the world.

Lucca Comics & Games This is an annual comic book and gaming convention in Lucca, Italy.

It takes place, usually, at the end of O c t o b e r.

Launched in 1966, the event grew in size and importance over the years. It began in one small square in the center of Lucca, then in the 1980s was moved to a sports center outside the city walls. In 2006, for the 40th anniversary, the fair was moved back to the city center, with numerous tents and pavilions

THE JOKE’S ON US

VENOM HATH NO FURY…

WE DARE YOU

STOP BADGERING US

The Joker has to be the best super villain of all time. But Batman creator Bob Kane was ready to kill off the evil jester in his very first appearance. As with many of Batman’s early villains, the plan was to have the Joker die through some fatal accident. Batman’s editor Whitney Ellsworth saw potential in the character, however, and forced Kane to include a panel showing the Joker coming back to life.

When the Symbiote — an evil alien-suit which takes over its host — was discarded

by Spider-Man, writer David Michelinie didn’t know what to do with it.

Eventually, he decided to give the suit to a woman. But Michelinie decided that she needed to hate Spider-Man so much that she wanted to kill him, so he plotted out a story which, in true comic fashion, is massively convoluted. When Michelinie moved over to Amazing Spider-Man, he pitched that very idea to his boss, who said that the readers would never see a woman as a realistic physical threat to Spider-Man. Eventually, Michelinie came up with the character of Eddie Brock instead — the name eventually becoming synonymous with Venom.

Stan Lee and artist Don Heck created Iron Man at the height of the Cold War in 1963, when the American people were very much aware of war and its impact on their lives. On paper, Tony Stark offered no alternative to this; in fact, he really wasn’t the most likeable superhero at all. But this was the point. Lee was challenged by his publisher Martin Goodman to create a superhero who was also a “wealthy capitalist war profiteer”. Lee took on the challenge, believing all the while that Stark would be a big hit — and he was dead right.

Wolverine was created by writer Len Wein, because he needed a character who could battle with the The Incredible Hulk. The Wolverine made his debut in issue 181, back in 1974, as a Canadian special agent ordered by the government to capture Hulk and “bring him in.” The early Wolverine displayed many of the traits which would remain as we see him in the X-Men. But things could have been very, very different.

The character of Wolverine was conceived when Wein decided that he wanted to create a character who would be popular in Canada.

He knew that heroes based on animals were a big hit in the US, so he brainstormed Canadian animals, eventually narrowing it down to two: The Wolverine and The Badger.

Thankfully, the former prevailed.

10

News FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2013

NO PROGRESS

VIOLENCE

Police still grope in dark for Dabholkar’s killers

Maoists kill STF trooper in Bihar AROUND THE

NATION

Sketches of suspects have been released and dozens questioned, but a month later, they have yet to make any significant breakthrough.

PUNE: It’s been a month since the brutal daylight murder of rationalist Narendra Dabholkar in this Maharashtra city. The police, however, continue to grope in the dark for the killers.

Police released sketches of a couple of suspects and questioned dozens of people, but have yet to make any significant breakthrough in their investigations.

Dabholkar, a campaigner against superstition and witchcraft, and a mild-mannered medical doctor, social worker and journalist, was shot at close range and killed while out on a morning walk near his residence in Pune, near the Omkareshwar Temple, Aug 20, around 7.30 a.m. The murder created a nationwide furore.

Of at least four bullets fired, two found their target in Dabholkar’s neck and back. He succumbed shortly afterwards at the government-run Sassoon Hospital.

A stunned Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan immediately announced a reward of Rs.10 lakh for information on the killers but still there has not been any breakthrough.

Dabholkar’s funeral was

A rationalist, known for his boldness, Dabholkar had rubbed many the wrong way and had reportedly even received threats. attended by top dignitaries including Chavan, Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, R.R. Patil and top officials.

A rationalist, known for his boldness, Dabholkar had

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rubbed many the wrong way and had reportedly even received threats, which his son said he refused to complain about, claiming that he needed no weapons in his cause.

In 1989, he founded the Maharashtra Andhashraddha Nirmoolan Samiti , with a few like-minded people and raised cudgels against all types of superstition, irrational practices, blind faith and beliefs, con-

fronting dubious tantriks, babas and buas who preyed on gullible masses.

Dabholkar was instrumental in pushing the state government to frame an anti-superstition law, finally approved and passed as an ordinance a day after his murder.

The new law seeks to eradicate black magic, blind faith, superstitious beliefs, rituals and sacrifices or ensure a male progeny - perpetrated by selfstyled godmen, and witchcraft practitioners - often with the intention of cheating gullible and unsuspecting people.

As no progress was reported on nabbing those involved in Dabholkar’s murder, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray Thursday wondered whether it was “a state-sponsored murder.”

“Since there is no breakthrough in the murder case, the needle of suspicion is pointing towards the state government.

There is growing suspicion whether it was a state-sponsored murder,” Thackeray alleged, after meeting the late activist’s daughter Mukta Dabholkar at his Mumbai home.

IANS

PATNA: Maoist guerrillas attacked a patrol vehicle in Bihar’s Jamui district early Friday, killing a Special Task Force (STF) trooper and seriously injuring two others, police said.

The attack took place near Khaira, about 200 km from here, when the security personnel were on a routine patrol.The injured were admitted to a government hospital.

Maoists also attacked and

The attack may be linked to the killing of Maoists in neighbouring Odisha. damaged a Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) camp under construction in the district and opened fire at a vehicle of a private mobile tower company.

According to police officials, the attack may be linked to the killing of Maoists in neighbouring Odisha.

A police officer said: “In the last two months, Maoists have attacked in over half a dozen places across the state and killed nearly a dozen people including policemen.”

PHYSICAL FITNESS

‘INSANE’ FITNESS REGIME HITS CITY

ARUN D YELLAMATY arunyellamaty@postnoon.com

HYDERABAD: A new workout and fitness regime has hit the city. Not found in many fitness centres, the ‘Insanity Workout’ has been keeping many Hyderabadis in front of their televisions, burning close to 1000 calories in just one hour!

The extreme cardio workout of American Celebrity Trainer, Shaun T (pictured), promises beach body in just 60 days. Hard to believe? But this is possible if the tons of testimonies found on the net and people are anything to go by.

Speaking to a few people from Hyderabad who have decided to give this a go say swear by it.

Samuel Rufus Nallaraj, The Apprentice Asia semi-finalist and

CEO of Mixit India, says, “I first came to hear about this from another contestant at the Apprentice Asia. A lot of the other participants used to meet up and workout every morning, s o

when I saw it, the workout looked familiar, but I didn’t know what it was, when I inquired with them, they told me that this was the insanity workout and that they had been doing this for months.”

“This workout doesn’t need any equipments, we just use our body weight, a natural workout, like God intended us to workout. It is just brilliant,” he says.

His wife Genevieve saw him working out and she joined in and now they both workout tougher, she says. “This is the only thing that ever worked on me. I have seen results in a week

AROUND THE

CITY

and have been sharing this workout with a lot of my friends.”

Another youngster Ria Girri who noticed a big change in her friend, hopped onto the bandwagon. She says it’s better as she doesn’t need to go to gym and workout in front of random people who stare. “I saw a friend of mine from Banglore who lost a lot of weight and got to know about insanity from her. It is the best, I workout at home at my home gym, and I don’t need to worry of people staring at me at a public gym, I can just workout watching a videos and is very nice.” says Girri, a baker.

Writing this write-up as I am, after trying out the ‘Insanity

workout’ I should say, anyone can consider themselves a superhero after starting this workout.

No really, this workout program will most definitely get you in the best shape ever. Your overall fitness will be so improved, that from now on, it will be hard for you to find friends that can keep up with you in physical activities and sports.

Before starting with the Insanity workout I’d get tired pretty soon after going for a small jog in the morning, but now I feel different, I am more active, I jog for a longer time. I can feel a difference in just three days.

This however, comes at a price. In order for this workout to strengthen you, it must first break you. Prepare for the hardest workout of your life ever, you will get the meaning of these words soon, don’t worry.

11

News FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2013

CALCULATED KILLER

UN SUMMIT MEETING?

Obama and Rowhani mull a gamble

Washington gunman ‘hunted’ his victims WASHINGTON: The gunman who slaughtered 12 people at the Washington Navy Yard stalked his victims as if he was “hunting” them, officials said Thursday as they painted a chilling portrait of how the carnage unfolded.

FBI Director James Comey told reporters that former Navy sailor Aaron Alexis had roamed the offices and corridors of the Navy Yard’s 197 building, blasting victims at random with a sawed-off shotgun before being shot dead. Alexis, 34, was killed in a gun battle with police after being cornered following Monday’s bloody spree.

Comey’s account of the rampage came after analysis of security camera footage taken inside the 197 building, providing the most detailed chronology so far of the massacre.

The FBI chief said that after driving into the naval installation in the heart of the US capital early

Several people injured in Chicago shooting CHICAGO: Police said several victims were wounded late Thursday in a shooting at a South Side Chicago park.

A police dispatcher told AFP early Friday that “there were several people shot” in the incident at around 10:15 pm (0315 GMT Friday).

“Basically, there have been no fatalities reported and there is no one in custody at this time, the dispatcher said.

Local news reports said there were as many as 10 adults struck by the gunfire and that a child was also hit, but police would not confirm those accounts.

The shooting comes as Chicago struggles to stem an epidemic of gang violence that helped push the city’s murder rate up 16 percent to 506 people last year.

President Barack Obama returned to his adopted hometown earlier this year to appeal for an end to the “senseless” gun violence ravaging Chicago as he pressed for ambitious gun control measures, which so far have been stalled in the US Congress.

AFP

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WORLD

Monday, Alexis had headed into building 197 and gone into a fourth floor restroom, carrying a bag. He came out of the restroom moments later holding a sawedoff Remington 870 shotgun and began blazing away at anyone who crossed his path, Comey said.

“He emerged from the bathroom a few minutes after 8:00 am with the shotgun and almost immediately started to shoot folks on the fourth floor in a way with no discernible pattern,” Comey told reporters.

“It appears to me that he was wandering the hall like hunting people to shoot.”

After shooting people on the fourth and third floors of the building, Alexis went down to the ground floor, shot dead a security guard and seized the man’s weapon — a semi-automatic Beretta pistol.

He then returned to the third and fourth floors and continued shooting from the shotgun until he was out of ammunition. Alexis then began shooting with the slain security guard’s gun.

“That continued until the first responders arrived and then our team arrived and cornered him and sustained exchanged fire with him and he was downed and obviously killed at the scene,” Comey said.

It was difficult to say how long Alexis had been pinned down by police, but the attack lasted roughly 30 minutes, he said.

Choosing victims at random Comey said Alexis appeared to

be selecting his victims at random.

“From the video... he appears to be moving without particular direction or purpose, his movements don’t appear, at least to me, as if he was looking for a particular person or a particular group,” the FBI chief said.

“When you look at the folks who were shot and the folks who are alive, they’re all people from different backgrounds, from all over the building.”

He said workers in the building were desperately trying to take cover and “were moving everywhere to find safety.”

Comey confirmed Alexis acted alone and said initial suspicions that there were other shooters resulted from a chaotic atmosphere. “Early on, there was some confusion because a lot of good people ran towards the sounds of gunfire with a lot of weapons,” he said.

The FBI did not offer a precise count on the number of shots fired by the gunman and did not say whether Alexis was killed by one or more police officers, or from which law enforcement agency. There were bigger questions about the gunman’s past that remained unanswered as well, and US officials acknowledged Wednesday that they missed “red flags” about the deeply troubled Alexis that may have averted the rampage.

Alexis had a security clearance that granted him access to the Navy Yard despite a record of misconduct in the Navy and runins with the law, including two shooting incidents and a Rhode Island police report showing he suffered from severe delusions.

Comey said Alexis was “a person who had mental health problems and we’re trying to better understand that,” suggesting authorities had still not arrived at a motive for the attack. FBI investigators were working to better understand “the shooter’s life and motivations,” he said.

AFP

Pick

President Barack Obama WASHINGTON: After a flurry of diplomatic smoke meanwhile is promising to signals, Iran and the United test Rowhani’s seriousness States are sizing up the gam- and the political space he has ble of a presidential close back home to talk with the encounter at the UN next American “Great Satan.”

White House spokesman week that could open a first Jay Carney, sending his own crack in 30 years of enmity.

In letters, statements, tele- signal toward Tehran, noted vision interviews and even “lots of interesting things” tweets, both sides have been coming out of the Iranian gingerly testing attitudes and capital.

Obama and Rowhani appetites for detente on either side of their metaphorical have both acknowledged in interviews that they have iron curtain.

With no diplomatic rela- exchanged letters, prompting tions, the enemies can only hopes they may stage a show communicate over the air- of mutual respect in the UN waves or through intermedi- corridors of power.

But even a brief handaries, but that could change at shake would represent a the UN General Assembly.

Neither side is ruling out political gamble by both men, could backfire what would be with critics and a historic first AROUND THE cause diplohandshake WORLD matic blushes between the president of the Islamic if the choreography goes Republic and the president of wrong.

“There has been a lot of the United States.

Iranian President Hassan talk, back and forth, about Rowhani, a conservative with something informal - a hand a pragmatic political streak, shake, a brief exchange of was elected in June promising greetings in a hallway — it to ease Iran’s tortured foreign could happen, but it may not relations and US-led sanc- happen,” said Jim Walsh, a tions that buckled its econo- research associate at MIT’s my in a bid to punish a nucle- Security Studies Program.

“There is risk for both ar drive.

Rowhani, who was sides — it waves a red flag to offered “flexibility” in negoti- domestic opponents back in ations by Supreme Leader Tehran and Washington.”

The White House says Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has spurred curiosity in Washing- there are no meetings schedton, which is mustering for a uled between Rowhani and new round of so far fruitless Obama, but has repeatedly nuclear diplomacy between declined to rule out a face-toface chat.

Iran and world powers.

AFP

at the

airport,

-

12

News FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2013

TIMELY TRAINS

Clockwork precision on the Tokyo subway But when delays do occur — even as little as a minute — they are repeatedly announced to passengers along with humble apologies until normal service resumes.

HIROSHI HIYAMA feedback@postnoon.com TOKYO: The vast train network, which criss-crosses subterranean Tokyo can be a confusing and intimidating place for the uninitiated.

Dreary, utilitarian stations drone and chime with a stream of announcements, seemingly ignored by the mass of humanity that spills onto platforms or crams improbably into carriages.

It may not be pretty, but in a city where millions of commuters travel by train daily, it boasts the

Tokyo’s business culture and the value its people place on punctuality pushes them to achieve the kind of precision that foreign underground railways cannot easily replicate. precision of a finely-crafted Swiss watch, keeping Tokyo moving — even if it means pushing hundreds of people into a single carriage at rush hour.

Huge banks of computing power link 13 lines and nearly 300 stations over 121 miles (195 kilometres) of track, putting one train on each line every two-to-

three minutes at peak times.

Subway officials say that Tokyo’s business culture and the value its people place on punctuality pushes them to achieve the kind of precision that foreign underground railways cannot easily replicate.

“The subway is an integral part of everyday life in Tokyo.

This level of safety and punctuality is expected by our passengers,” said Shogo Kuwamura, a spokesman for Tokyo Metro.

The city actually has two public subway operators: Tokyo Metro and Toei Subway. Between them they carry nearly 10 million passengers daily.

Both systems operate in coordination with above-ground trains, which themselves link several hundred stations and ferry 26 million people around all corners of the sprawling megalopolis of Greater Tokyo, home to around 35 million people and the largest conurbation

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WORLD

on Earth.

These layers of interconnecting rail systems make punctuality all the more important — a minor delay on one train can have a knock-on effect on another service, which in turn throws several more out of kilter, each one of them setting off its own

ripple effect. But when delays do occur — even as little as a minute — they are repeatedly announced to passengers along with humble apologies until normal service resumes.

Prolonged delays are fodder for local, if not national, news programmes, and see the train companies handing out cards to passengers that they can submit to their bosses as a reason they were late for work.

“If there is a delay, you have to catch up,” said driver Shunsaku Hagita, 27. “You apply your skills so that you can recover from delays.”

Subway trains are increasingly operated by computers and monitored by the central command centre to minimise the risk of human error, Hagita said.

Drivers sit in the cockpit essentially to provide human eyes to monitor the on-deck computers and to take action in emergency situations, he said. In the event of an earthquake warning, all trains automatically stop.

If a subway line is delayed, other trains in the affected area drop their speed slightly, to keep them in line and maintain the flow of passengers from station to station.

The method prevents waiting passengers overcrowding platforms and jamming into delayed trains when they arrive.

AFP

A dream job — that sits alongside footballer, doctor and policeman D

rivers and platform attendants perform elaborate rituals at each station to demonstrate they are paying attention to subway safety. In their cockpit, white-gloved drivers chant to themselves as they acknowledge and drive by safety signs in tunnels and to confirm readings on various onboard gauges.

Before signalling “safe to start” to drivers, conductors must raise their arms and point a finger to the closed doors, loudly demonstrating to onlookers they have checked the doors are safely shut. For Japanese boys, the train driver sits alongside footballer, doctor and policeman as a dream job.

“I grew up watching train drivers do all that,” said Hagita. “There was nothing unnatural about this when I began working as a driver.

“When I get married and start a family, I want them to ride on my train,” he said.

The system played a proud part in Tokyo’s successful tilt at hosting

the 2020 Olympic Games, with bid chiefs pointing out that the city’s “rail structure is one of the best in the world and continues to expand and develop.”

The culture of extreme punctuality might be difficult to export, but Tokyo Metro has shared its knowhow with foreign counterparts who are trying to improve their systems at home.

A Chinese delegation came recently to learn how to minimise train noise through better maintenance work. An Egyptian firm asked about efficient methods to stock repair parts.

Tokyo Metro, which uses one of most energy-efficient subway trains in the world, is also helping Vietnam to launch a new subway system in Hanoi.

But for all their efficiency and punctuality, there is no getting away from the fact that Tokyo’s subways are a bit of a squeeze.

For Tokyo Metro, trains typically consist of up to 10 carriages that

are designed to carry about 150 passengers each. During rush hour, train operators literally push nearly 300 people into a single carriage, with briefcases and handbags squeezed in as doors slide shut.

While violent crimes are extremely rare — most drunkards are asleep — young women on packed trains complain about being groped.

Subways and many other commuter trains have designated women-only carriages during the busiest hours in the morning to give them an environment free of potential perverts.

Signs requesting mobile phones be silenced are adhered to, and train rides can be tranquil experiences in Tokyo — if you can find a seat.

“We are always considering ways to improve our system,” said Kuwamura.

AFP/ HH

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2013

Business PAT ON THE BACK

IMF supports Fed call on stimulus taper WASHINGTON: International Monetary Fund chief Christine Lagarde voiced her support Thursday for the US Federal Reserve’s decision not to cut its stimulus, saying that was what the IMF recommended.

“For the moment, it’s clearly the approach that we’ve always recommended,” she said, a day after the Fed stunned markets by not cutting its $85 billion a month bond-buying program.

Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke said Wednesday that the Fed had decided to wait for more signs of strength in the economy and the jobs market before reducing its bond buys, which he had in June predicted could be completely wound up by mid-2014.

Lagarde told reporters that was what the IMF thought was the right course. “The IMF has always said... that it should be gradual, that it should be based on data with clear indication on what the criteria would be” for tapering the stimulus. “So clearly the decision that was communicated yesterday, and the various comments made by the chairman, show that it’s exactly what we at the Fund have advocated.”

BAN CALLS FOR END TO TRADE ‘LOGJAM’

UN leader Ban Ki-moon said Thursday the world must break a decade old “logjam” in trade talks to boost efforts to eradicate poverty. Ban appealed for the action as he sought to rally support for the Millennium Development Goals, whose final deadlines are fast approaching.

ECONOMY

RBI hikes repo rate by 0.25%

MUMBAI: In a surprise move, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on Friday hiked its key policy rate by 0.25 percent, a move that will make housing, auto and other loans costlier.

In its mid-quarter review of the monetary policy for fiscal 2013-14, the central bank increased repurchase or repo rate by 0.25 percent to 7.5 percent. The reverse repo rate is adjusted at 6.5 per cent from the earlier 6.25 per cent.

Cash Reserve Ratio (CRR), the proportion of money that commercial banks must keep with the central bank, has been kept unchanged at 4 percent.

The central bank reduced the marginal standing facility (MSF) rate by 75 basis points from 10.25 percent to 9.5 percent with immediate effect.

The minimum daily maintenance of CRR is also reduced from 99 percent of the requirement to 95 percent effective

The smartphone and tablet computer market is currently dominated by Apple’s iPhone and iPad and by devices pow-

JPMORGAN FINED $80 MN

NEW YORK CITY: US regulators Thursday ordered banking giant JPMorgan Chase to pay $80 million in penalties for billing about 2.1 million consumers for identity theft protection they did not receive. JPMorgan charged the credit-card customers monthly fees ranging from $7.99 to $11.99 for add-on services, such as “identity theft protection” and “fraud monitoring,” even though the services were not performed, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau in a statement. The CFPB ordered JPMorgan to pay a $20 million fine. The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, a partner in the action, ordered the bank to pay a $60 million penalty.

NUMEROLOGY from the fortnight beginning Sep 21, the RBI said.

“The policy stance and measures set out in this review begins the process of cautious unwinding of the exceptional measures, which will restore normalcy to financial flows,” the bank said in a statement.

“They are also intended to address inflationary pressures so as to provide a stable nominal anchor for the economy, thereby mitigating exchange market pressures and creating a conducive environment for the revitalisation of sustainable growth,” it said.

IANS

Ballmer rues missing ‘smart’ boat NEW YORK CITY: Outgoing Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer said Thursday his biggest regret is missing the boat on smartphones — but he said the software giant should not admit defeat just yet.

“I regret that there was a period in the early 2000s when we were so focused on what we had to do around Windows that we weren’t able to redeploy talent to the new device called the phone,” Ballmer said in a conference with analysts.

“That is thing I regret the most,” he repeated, adding “It would have been better for Windows and our success in other foreign factors.”

13

ered by Google’s Android operating system.

Microsoft has “almost no share” in mobile devices, Ballmer conceded, but said that leaves the company with significant “upside opportunities.”

In telephones, the company is counting on the recently announced acquisition of Finnish mobile telephone company Nokia, with which it is already collaborating to make a new smartphone, the Lumia, to popularise its Windows mobile software.

The company’s Surface tablet failed to win over buyers last year and Microsoft was forced to lower the price of the

device, which translated into a loss of nearly a billion dollars in its latest quarterly figures.

A new generation of the tablet is to be unveiled Monday.

Beyond mobile devices, Ballmer said, Microsoft must seize crucial opportunities in cloud computing services, in online subscriptions to its word processing suite Office, and with its search engine Bing.

Ballmer took over as CEO of Microsoft in 2000 from cofounder Bill Gates, a classmate and friend from their days at Harvard University in the 1970s. He announced in August that he would retire within 12 months.

AFP

GOLD `30,544 10g SILVER `51,750 1kg

24C

for

for

DOLLAR `62.14 POUND `99.70

$2

bn

in bank deposit, which Doha wanted to transform into bonds, has been returned to Qatar by Egypt. The deposit was part of an $8-billion Qatari aid package to Egypt after the 2011 revolution.

11 FIRMS IN BRAZIL OIL BID RIO DE JANEIRO: Eleven oil firms paid more than $900,000 each to enter an auction next month for rights to explore Brazil’s huge deepwater Libra field, authorities said Thursday. International giants such as Britain’s BP and BG Group, as well as American firm ExxonMobil chose to stay away, according to National Petroleum Agency (ANP) chief Magda Chambriard. The list features several titans of the oil industry, including China National Corporation, AngloDutch Shell, Petrobras, France’s Total, China National Offshore Oil Corporation and Chinese-Spanish Repsol/Sinopec. Also taking part in the October 21 auction are Japan’s Mitsui, India’s ONGC Videsh, Portugal’s Petrogal and Malaysia’s Petronas.The enormous Libra oil prospect, found in 2010, marked the largest oil discovery in Brazilian history. It is believed to hold between eight and 12 billion barrels of recoverable oil, and covers an area of 1,500 square kilometers in ultra deep oil fields.

BSE NSE

20,623.14 23.50

6,111.30 4.25

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2013

Comment

HIGH-FLYING THOUGHTS If some leave India in pursuit of greener pastures and yet others run away from here because of fear of being governed by communal elements, we will be left with very ordinary people existing in the country. To brave the odds and come out a winner should be the way to go.

TELEVISION

14

WASHINGTON BASKS IN EMMY LIMELIGHT... OR MAYBE NOT

ROBERT MACPHERSON THE INSIDE STORY

F

ive TV series with 32 primetime Emmy nominations between them have two things in common: they’re set in Washington, and they’re not made in Washington.

For all the real-life political drama in the nation’s capital, hit shows like Homeland (in pic) and House of Cards are filmed somewhere else, much to the frustration of Washingtonians who would like a bigger slice of the Hollywood action.

“It’s a real challenge,” admits Crystal Palmer, head of the city’s Office of Motion Picture and Television Development.

“People tend to think (a Washington-themed series) originated here, when in actuality it did not.”

House of Cards, starring Kevin Spacey as a congressman with a serious Machiavellian streak, is up for nine Emmys — but it’s filmed up the road in Baltimore, Maryland.

Homeland casts Claire Danes as a bipolar CIA agent tracking down terrorists. It received 11 nods — but it’s shot 400 miles (600 kilometres) away in Charlotte, North Carolina.

The comedy Veep and the mini-series Political Animals, with five nominations apiece, were

made in Baltimore and Philadelphia, respectively.

And political thriller Scandal is produced on the other side of the country in Los Angeles. It has two nominations, including a best drama actress nod for the aptly-named Kerry Washington.

It’s a state of affairs that the capital has endured since the 1930s, when Jimmy Stewart got off the train at Union Station in Mr Smith Goes to Washington and came face-to-face with the dark side of US politics.

That film’s director Frank Capra shot a few scene-setting landmark shots in Washington, and then recreated Capitol interiors back in Hollywood — a formula used by countless moviemakers and TV shows ever since.

One reason is that Washington is pretty much a company town — the company being the federal government — and that throws up a lot of logistical hurdles, from traffic congestion to security clearances to filming in public venues.

Getting prime exterior footage of the Capitol requires a permit from its security detail, for instance. Doing the same at the White House means calling up the Secret Service.

But Palmer says a bigger factor is money — and on that score, Washington is hard-pressed to compete when it comes to wooing Hollywood with generous tax breaks.

“The incentive programs really cut into our business,” she

Homeland casts Claire Danes as a bipolar CIA agent tracking down terrorists. It received 11 nods — but it’s shot 400 miles (600 kilometres) away in Charlotte, North Carolina. told AFP in an interview.

In 2011, 37 states had a film incentive program, offering a total of $1.3 billion, according to the Tax Foundation, a Washing-

ton think tank that questions the effectiveness of such policies.

Maryland used its $7.5 million tax-credit envelope to lure House of Cards after a spirited competition with Washington to woo the Netflix series.

In return, during the making of season one, the show’s producers hired 2,200 Marylanders — from day extras to experienced technical crew — and bought goods and services from 1,800 businesses.

“We’ve doubled for DC, I think you can say, for decades,” said Jack Gerbes, director of the Maryland Film Office. “It’s a strong alternative to actually

shooting in the nation’s capital.”

Baltimore played its gritty post-industrial self in the acclaimed TV drama The Wire. Its varied neighborhoods give location scouts plenty of scope for recreating Washington sites.

In North Carolina, the Charlotte Regional Film Commission estimates that Homeland generated $45 million of local spending during its first season in production. Season three premieres on September 29.

That compares to the $60 million spent by the makers of The Hunger Games, which used Charlotte as their production base.

Much of the action in Homeland unfolds in suburban Washington, and “suburban is suburban anywhere,” said Mark Washburn, the TV writer for the Charlotte Observer newspaper who grew up in Washington’s outskirts.

North Carolina has some of the most competitive tax breaks in the United States for the film and TV industry, offering a 25 percent tax rebate on salaries and money spent on taxable items, according to Washburn.

But with its thicket of modern skyscrapers, downtown Charlotte — the financial hub of the American South — falters as a stand-in for the grandeur of low-rise Washington.

When that happens, Palmer said, what viewers get to see is “a facsimile at best.”

EDITORIA Time running out for India’s athletes

L

eander Paes, who at 40, features in doubles tennis events on the ATP Tour and the Davis Cup tournament, will be remembered as one of the better doubles player in the world. In India he will always be remembered for most of the laurels the country earned, especially in the Davis Cup, an event that brought out the best in him. Eight doubles and six mixed doubles Grand Slam titles is no mean feat. Add to that a bronze medal for India in the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games, and we have the most decorated Indian tennis player.

Paes has said that he is yet to get over the ugly episode that marred Indian tennis in the lead up to the London Olympics when Mahesh Bhupathi and Rohan Bopanna

READERS’ VIEWS

refused to play with him together. This, he says, is the motivating factor for him to play the 2016 Rio Games.

Paes, the oldest player to win a Grand Slam title, said he hopes the issues with the International Olympic Committee are sorted out at the earliest so that Indian athletes can represent their country in international events. The IOC has suspended the Indian Olympic Association on corruption, government interference, and for not following guidelines of the IOC. The plea of a sportsperson with his distinction and international exposure must be headed to considering it the voice of the Indian athlete. The IOC is a non-profit non-governmental body and the IOA could do well to fall in line.

We invite you to write to us comments, suggestions, viewpoint or just about anything to feedback@postnoon.com or # Plot No 550-A1,3rd Floor, Road No 92, Jubilee Hills, Hyderabad-500033 Landmark – Volkswagen showroom or even by way of a call on 4067 2222. Editor: Dean Williams

AFP

15

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2013

music

BLAST FROM THE PAST

Titanic bandmaster’s violin goes on display

T

he violin played by the bandmaster of the Titanic as the liner sank beneath the waves is to go on display at a museum marking the tragedy in Northern Ireland, officials said.

The instrument belonging to Wallace Hartley was found strapped to his body after he drowned with some 1,500 others on board the supposedly unsinkable ship in 1912.

It carries an inscription from the 34-year-old’s fiancee to mark their engagement.

For decades the violin was believed lost but it was found in the attic of a house in northwest England in 2006.

It will be displayed at the Titanic Belfast exhibition from September 18 until October 13 before it goes to auction in Wiltshire, southwest England on October 19.

“We are honoured and excited that Titanic Belfast has been chosen to display Wallace Hartley’s violin which he played on RMS Titanic,” said the museum’s chief executive Tim Husbands.

“This could very well be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for visitors to see one of the world’s most famous and most valuable Titanic artefacts before it goes to auction.”

For decades the violin was believed lost but it was found in the attic of a house in northwest England in 2006.

The Titanic was built in Belfast and set sail from Southampton, southern England, for New York on April 10, 1912.

The band played the hymn Nearer, My God, To Thee to try to calm passengers while they climbed into lifeboats as the Titanic sank beneath the icy

instrument engraved with the words: For Wallace, on the occasion of our engagement. From Maria.

It is now thought that the instrument was inside a leather bag that was found strapped to his body 10 days after the sinking, and was then passed to Robinson.

Robinson never married and

waves in the North Atlantic on April 15 after hitting an iceberg.

Hartley and his seven fellow band members all died after choosing to play on.

He was given the maple, spruce and ebony violin by his fiancee Maria Robinson to mark their engagement in 1910. She had a silver plaque fixed to the

after her death in 1939, her sister donated the violin to her local Salvation Army band, where it passed into the hands of a music teacher and then to the unnamed owner in whose house it was discovered in Lancashire, northwest England.

After seven years of testing including MRI scans, researchers said in March this year that the instrument was genuine.

Both the violin and the bag with the initials WHH will go on display at Titanic Belfast.

The instrument was recently on display in the United States.

Andrew Aldridge, from auctioneers Henry Aldridge and Son who are selling the violin, said the instrument was “one of the most iconic collectables from the 20th century”.

It is expected to fetch at least a six-figure sum, the auction house said.

“Bandleader Hartley was an incredibly brave man whose actions helped to calm passengers during Titanic’s last hours,” Alridge said.

“The authentication process behind the collection has been a long and exhaustive one with some of the world’s leading experts in their respective fields helping to assemble a conclusive package of independent reports to accompany the archive.” AFP

MANUSCRIPT FOUND

Handwritten fragment of Bellini opera found

S

pain’s national library said it had discovered a rare fragment of an opera score handwritten by 19th century Italian composer Vincenzo Bellini lying within its archives.

The single page of manuscript shows an outline of seven bars of notes from a duet in the opera Il Pirata (The Pirate) which had its debut in Milan’s La Scala on October 27, 1827, the National Library of Spain said.

The manuscript by Bellini (1801-1835) has annotations at the bottom of the page and a phrase written in the right-hand margin: “Manuscript of

Vincenzo Bellini and his brothers Mario and Carmelo”.

The phrase was a form of authentication commonly found on manuscripts sought after by 19th century collectors of “relics” of the most memorable composers, the library said in a statement.

The newly discovered Bellini manuscript was unusual because the notes did not correspond exactly to the final score, although there were barely any changes, it said.

“This rarity makes it of even more interest from a musicological point of view,” the library

said.

The fragment was discovered after the library’s catalogue service requested the identification of a “sheet of music bound in an album of 19th century photographs and drawings with landscapes of Malta and Sicily”, it said.

Born in Catania, Sicily, Bellini is said to have composed his first pieces at six years old. He wrote sacred and chamber music but his greatest popular successes came with operas such as Il Pirata, La Straniera (1828) and his most famous work Norma (1831).

AFP

18

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2013

spotlight MERRYMAKING

FIRST BIRTHDAY Nikhileshwar Goud and wife Sneha celebrated their baby Ridhima’s first birthday at N Convention. The party was attended by family and friends.

PICS BY: SRINIVAS SHETTY

BRAND-NEW

Lamya Gandhi who has been a designer for the last 18 years launched her exclusive collection at Vestitii, the new onestop destination in woman’s clothing, at Kavuri Hills. The store launch was attended by the who’s who in the city

FAIR WEAR Fashion Unlimited, a 3 day expo began at Satya Sai Nigamagamam, Sri Nagar Colony. The event was inaugurated by Tollywood actresses, Swathi Dixit and Sindhu. From exquisite sarees to designer jewelry to home decor, the exhibition has this and much more. Make sure to stop by!

19

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2013

health DEFYING DEATH

Google promises new thinking for health company A Google statement said the company, Calico, would put a particular focus on “the challenge of ageing and associated diseases.” Google also hinted at cooperation with longtime rival Apple in the venture.

G

oogle announced it was launching a new company focused on health and well-being, and hinted at cooperation with longtime rival Apple in the venture.

A Google statement said the company, Calico, would put a particular focus on “the challenge of ageing and associated diseases.”

Arthur Levinson, chairman and former chief executive of the biotech firm Genentech and chairman of Apple, will be Calico’s chief executive and a founding investor.

Announcing the new investment, Google CEO Larry Page said: “Illness and ageing affect all our families. With some longer term, moonshot thinking around healthcare and biotechnology, I believe we can improve millions of lives.”

“It’s impossible to imagine anyone better than Art — one of the leading scientists, entrepreneurs and CEOs of our generation — to take this new venture forward,” he said.

Levinson said in the same statement: “I’ve devoted much of my life to science and technol-

ogy, with the goal of improving human health. Larry’s focus on outsized improvements has inspired me, and I’m tremendously excited about what’s next.”

Levinson will remain chairman of Genentech and a director of Hoffmann-La Roche, as well as chairman of Apple, the statement noted.

Apple’s CEO Tim Cook was quoted in the Google statement as saying: “For too many of our friends and family, life has been cut short or the quality of their life is too often lacking. Art is one of the crazy ones who thinks it doesn’t have to be this way.

There is no one better suited to lead this mission and I am excited to see the results.”

TIME magazine, which interviewed Page ahead of the announcement, said the details

of the project were not yet clear but that it is likely to use its dataprocessing to shed new light on age-related maladies.

On Google+, Page acknowledged people may be surprised at the effort.

“OK ... so you’re probably thinking wow! That’s a lot different from what Google does today,” he wrote.

“And you’re right. But as we explained in our first letter to shareholders, there’s tremen-

dous potential for technology more generally to improve people’s lives. So don’t be surprised if we invest in projects that seem strange or speculative compared with our existing Internet businesses. And please remember that new investments like this are very small by comparison to our core business.”

He said that the venture is still in its “very early days so there’s not much more to share yet.”

Page told Time — for a cover story titled, Can Google Solve Death? — the effort would include innovative thinking, not just ways to fight cancer.

“One of the things I thought was amazing is that if you solve cancer, you’d add about three years to people’s average life expectancy,” Page told the magazine.

AFP

20

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2013

Technology SMARTPHONES

Buyers rue high price of new ‘low cost’ iPhone Apple also appeared to have missed a trick by not reaching a deal with China Mobile and its 700 million subscribers — the country’s largest carrier.

TOKYO: Apple acolytes got their hands on new iPhones Friday in the global roll-out of two new models, but failure to make headway in China and complaints about the price struck a sour note.

The once-unbeatable king of the smartphones has penned a potentially lucrative new deal with Docomo, Japan’s biggest mobile carrier, but is without a new alliance in the vast Chinese market.

That, and rumblings over the high cost — even of the pared-down iPhone 5C — could mute the fanfare that routinely accompanies launches, observers say.

The double debut kicked off in Australia when stores threw open their doors to eager crowds at 8am (2200 GMT Thursday).

The polycarbonatebodied 5C, supposedly aimed at budget-conscious smartphone shoppers, but its hefty $700 ticket price in China will put it out of reach of most consumers in the world’s biggest mobile market.

Jimmy Gunawan, 33, was first in line at the company’s flagship Sydney store, but was surprised he only had to stake his place 20 hours beforehand.

“Last year, I got here around the same time and there was already a queue of about 20 people,” the freelance graphic designer said.

In Tokyo, diehard fans began lining up last week, and even sat out a weekend typhoon to keep their spot in a queue that grew to around a kilometre (half-a-mile) in length by opening time, police estimated.

But worldwide, some Apple fans were not prepared either to line up or shell out the asking price.

“Wow, $1,129 (US$1,065) for an iPhone 5s here in Australia.

That’s simply insane,” tweeted Bill Hutchison, referring to the cost of a 64GB model of the new version, which boasts a speedier processor and a fingerprint sensor.

Another, David Smith, tweeted: “Incredible — Apple charging $99 for iPhone 5c in the

USA (with a contract) but $740 in Australia and its $1,200 for 5s - no wonder Android phones are popular.”

The polycarbonate-bodied 5c, supposedly aimed at budgetconscious smartphone shoppers, was widely trailed as Apple’s answer to the onslaught of cheaper, Android-powered models, led by Samsung.

But its hefty $700 ticket price in China will put it out of reach of most consumers in the world’s biggest mobile market.

“It’s not worth the price,” said Wang Ying, a Beijing-based analyst with consultant firm iResearch. Many domestically made smartphones are priced as low as $100.

Apple has not revealed what the “c” stands for, but did not knock down months of media speculation that it was intended to signify “cheap” or “China”.

Wang said Apple also appeared to have missed a trick by not reaching a deal with China Mobile and its 700 million subscribers — the country’s largest carrier.

Currently, Apple has sales contracts with China Unicom and China Telecom.

“Apple’s performance is declining in the world as well as in China,” Wang said.

“Cooperating with China Mobile will be a significant channel for Apple to... win more users.”

As well as the usual enthusiastic reception in Japan, where most models sold will be bundled with contracts that will see no big up-front payments, the launch marked a welcome new chapter for Apple.

A fresh deal with Docomo, the mobile unit of NTT, has opened up a much wider crosssection of Japan’s cash-rich, gadget-loving consumers after years in which both companies lost market share.

Docomo is looking to reverse years of watching domestic rivals cash in on the iPhone bonanza.

The firm, which has about 42 percent of the Japanese market, has shed more than 3.5 million subscribers to rivals since 2008, when SoftBank first rolled out the iPhone in Japan, local media have reported.

“Docomo’s partnership should be a favourable wind for Apple in Japan,” said Toshihiko Matsuno, chief strategist at SMBC Friend Securities.

AFP

SETBACK TO MARS PLANS WASHINGTON: Hopes of finding life on Mars suffered a setback after new findings from NASA’s Curiosity rover detected only trace amounts of methane gas in the Red Planet’s atmosphere, a study said Thursday. In the past decade, scientists have reported large “plumes” of methane in the Martian atmosphere, findings that have remained controversial because they were made on the basis of observations from Earth or an orbiting satellite. Researchers said in March 2003 that they had found a cloud near the Martian equator containing some 19,000 tons of methane, considered a key indicator of microbial life.

ANGRY BIRDS TOP LIST

HELSINKI: The latest instal-

ment of the Angry Birds video game series from Finnish game maker Rovio topped download rankings Thursday on its release in several Western countries.

“Angry Birds Star Wars II” was the most downloaded application from AppStores in several countries, including the US, France and Germany, according to download market analysts App Annie.

In China, where Rovio has announced plans for a major expansion, the game was the fourth most popular.

CALL FOR TRANSPARENCY WASHINGTON: An Internet freedom coalition backed

by US technology giants asked Thursday for 21 countries to release information on national security and law enforcement data requests. The Global Network Initiative, which includes Google, Facebook, Yahoo and Microsoft, asked the countries to “report on the requests they make for electronic communications surveillance and to make it legally possible for companies to report regularly to the public on the government requests that they receive from law enforcement as well as national security authorities.”

21

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2013

Entertainment

BIRTHDAY GIFT

FIRST LOOK OF ‘MANAM’ RELEASED

T

he first look of Telugu multistarrer featuring three generations of the Akkineni family is likely to be released on Friday, the 90 birthday of acting legend Akkineni Nageswara Rao (ANR). Nageswara Rao will be seen with his son Nagarjuna and grandson Naga Chaitanya in the film. “I think this is the best gift we could think of.

Plans are being made to release the first look of the

film’s poster on Friday. We thought it would be a great moment for his fans to look forward to. Releasing it on this day also means good visibility,” a member from the film’s unit said. Manam is being directed by Vikram Kumar. It is touted to be the first family multi-starrer in the Telugu industry.

The film, which has already completed its first schedule, is being produced by Annapurna Studios, home banner of Nagarjuna.

IANS

CINE BYTES Attharintiki Daaredi to be out on Oct 9

I

f the latest buzz is to believed, Attharintiki Daaredi will hit screens on October 9.

The movie stars Pawan Kalyan and Samantha in the lead. The initial release date of the movie was August 9 and later it was postponed.

I did 6 Candles for myself: Shaam Ibrahim

S

haam Ibrahim’s much delayed Tamil thriller 6 Candles will hit screens on Friday, and the actor says that he did the film to satisfy the actor in him. “I did 6 Candles for myself because I thought it was time I did something for myself,” Shaam said.

IANS

‘Working with sightless kids invigorating’

D

ebutant filmmaker K Ayodhya Kumar, who has attempted a rare feat of making a Telugu film titled Minugurulu featuring 40 visually challenged students, says working with them was an invigorating experience that he will remember for a long time.

IANS

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2013

fashion

GUCCI CONTINUES TO CHIME FOR CHANGE

GUCCI is continuing to champion its Chime For Change initiative by donating three of its most famous and popular handbags to an online-only auction hosted by Christie's. The sale kicks off on September 23 and closes on September 30

LACROIX FOR PETIT BATEAU REVEALED

CHRISTIAN LACROIX has unveiled his debut collection for Petit Bateau and the Paris Opera, which lands in stores on December 6 - just in time for Christmas. Aimed at both adults and children, the range features the nautical signatures of the French T-shirt favourite.

22&23

STATE OF GRACE G

ucci kicked off Milan Fashion Week with models who looked like denizens of a luxurious opium den, with billowing see-through tops and Art Nouveau-style floral patterns.

Among those attending the show in Milan was French luxury tycoon FrancoisHenri Pinault, the husband of actress Salma Hayek and the chief executive of the multinational Kering, which owns Gucci.

Also present were US actress Blake Lively and US Vogue editor Anna Wintour in her trademark sunglasses, as well as Russian luxury tycoon Mikhail Kusnirovich, a Milan regular.

Fashion week, which runs until Monday, will feature 74 catwalk shows ranging from familiar names like Armani, Dolce & Gabbana, Fendi, Gucci, Prada and Versace to up-and-coming young designers.

Thousands of young revellers packed into fashion boutiques on the eve of fashion week as DJs pumped out club music in an event called Vogue Fashion's Night Out. French-owned Fendi and pride of Milan Prada take to the catwalks on Thursday, followed by Etro and Versace on Friday.

Saturday it will be the turn of Bottega Veneta, Roberto Cavalli, Jil Sander and Moschino, then Missoni and Salvatore Ferragamo on Sunday.

Dolce & Gabbana will also be showing on Sunday although they are not on the official calendar following a reorganisation of fashion week and a spat with Milan authorities over a tax fraud case they are involved in.

AFP

Entertainment FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2013

24

Entertainment FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2013

25

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2013

Chai Time

THOUGHT OF THE DAY

There are admirable potentialities in every human being. Believe in your strength and your youth. Learn to repeat endlessly to yourself, 'It all depends on me.'

Andre Gide

KAKURO

QUICK CROSSWORD

26

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

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

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

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

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

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

ACROSS

PREVIOUS PUZZLE ANSWER

SCRIBBLING PAD

1 Had upward mobility?

5 Change with the scenery 10 Old TV show set in Korea 14 Minute quantity 15 Beach towel material 16 ___ mater 17 Slash mark?

18 Wiser partner 19 They may get stepped on 20 ‘Rough ride ahead!’

23 Attest 24 It’s fit for a queen 25 Engaged in banter 28 Goat seen on treks 30 ‘No’ voter 31 Shipwreck locator 33 History-book chapter 36 ‘Don’t get so excited!’

40 Prophetic gift, for short 41 Stave off 42 Group of troops, collectively 43 ‘Begone!’

44 Shortcuts for ships 46 Geologic time period 49 Narrow groove 51 ‘Get ready for hard times’ 57 Roll call reply 58 Waterproof coverings 59 Butter look-alike 60 Tabloid twosome 61 Dressing dispenser 62 It dissolved in December 1991 63 Docket item 64 Promotes heavily 65 It might have a lot of problems

DOWN

1 They’re cold-blooded 2 Unhinged

3 ‘Just to name a few’ abbr 4 Custody 5 Made amends 6 Mouth formation 7 Extreme passion 8 Fly, to a spider 9 Neophyte 10 Keanu Reeves film (with ‘The’) 11 ‘Hello’ or ‘Goodbye’ 12 Bit of mudslinging 13 ‘___ la vista, baby!’

21 Verb in IOU 22 Organs males lack 25 ‘Raging Bull’ pugilist LaMotta 26 Small Federal Reserve notes 27 Procedure part 28 ‘Meet Me ___ Louis’ 29 ‘___! Humbug!’

31 Animal fat 32 ‘Bobby Hockey’ 33 Volcano in Sicily 34 Muddy, as water 35 Pesticide targets, at times 37 America’s Cup entrant 38 Eggs, scientifically 39 Quick, open-topped automobile 43 Deceitful plan 44 Pizza party leftovers 45 Common inhalant 46 Body of moral values 47 Madonna-and-child sculpture 48 Bedtime story baddies 49 Flapjacks topper 50 Lightweight helmet, in India 52 Use acid to make art 53 Hardly any 54 Add-on to an if-then statement 55 Not so much 56 Civil wrong

Chai Time FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2013 Thiruvaikumar

STAR POWER for 21-9-2013

27

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

ARIES

TAURUS

GEMINI

CANCER

LEO

VIRGO

LIBRA

SCORPIO

SAGITTARIUS

CAPRICORN

AQUARIUS

PISCES

Marriage talk will resume and materialise. Success is yours in whatever work you take up.

Financial position will improve steadily. You will solve all pending issues with your innovative techniques and rich experience.

STRIP TEASE AGNES

Those in construction or purchase of a house will be successful. Son will get a promising job and daughter will be successful in higher studies.

You will take successful celebrities as your role model and be successful in your life.

You might be upset with the behaviour of your friends. You will be courageous and take the right decisions that will yield results. Tension and confusion will end. You need to avoid anger and harsh talks. Give maximum love to your children.

Persons in powerful position will befriend you. Though expenses go beyond expectations, good inflow of money will take care of the situation. You will undertake challenging assignments and complete them.

Some will shift to a new house.

Held-up work will resume and progress well. Your stock is set to pile up. You need to control unwanted expenses and plan properly with available resources. You will become active and focus on work to complete them in the scheduled time.

Expenses will increase but good inflow will keep you comfortable. Though hurdles are likely in undertaken work, they will disappear. Blood relatives will extend financial support.

Employees will be given more responsibilities.

Your self-confidence level will be at its high. You will become bold and take some important and wise decisions on your own.

Some will sell their property for a good price and purchase a new one. Employees can expect a promotion or transfer.

Avoid anger and emotional outbursts. You might face failures and disappointment if proper planning is not done.

While finalising the match for your daughter, be extra cautious to avoid problems in future. Maintain patience.

Chances are that savings will be spent; be careful. You will not be affected by bad events but will treat them with a seasoned mind and absorb the shocks. A deficit financial position is likely but help will come from the expected sources.

TAROT READ

Sumaa Tekur

tarotreadhyd@gmail. com

ARIES:

GEMINI:

Five of Wands – Get a broad picture of what’s happening before you react. You may not have the whole truth before you to be able to decide practically.

LEO:

Queen of Cups – You learn a tough lesson today – to not interfere in someone else’s matters.

Your drawback is that you go with your heart too much.

LIBRA:

PEARLS BEFORE SWINE

Ace of Swords – Take a holiday. Do something unusual and different. See places you haven’t seen and go to places where you can meet people and learn.

SAGITTARIUS:

The Magician – The mob mentality may be striking you, causing you to behave just like everyone else. Step away; think differently and make your path ahead.

TAURUS:

The Wheel of Fortune – You have the tendency to land in trouble with your caustic tongue. Hold comments till you feel it’s safe to say what exactly you feel.

CANCER:

Eight of Cups – Do not add fuel to the fire by hyping up an issue more than it deserves.

The truth may already be out. You’re only fanning the flames.

VIRGO:

Eight of Pentacles – There are a ton of ideas there. The real deal is the execution of these ideas. You will have the opportunity to work with someone interesting.

SCORPIO:

The High Priestess – You tend to be a tough boss and those working with you see you more as a dictator and less as someone that can be easily approached.

CAPRICORN:

Ten of Wands – You have an inclination towards a certain type of people. It makes you very predictable. Maybe you need to change the way you project yourself.

PREVIOUS SOLUTIONS

PISCES:

Four of Cups – Your words may be left hanging because people have stopped listening to you. Is it because you’ve cried wolf far too often? Change tack now.

NUMBER GAME

The Hermit – It’s time to file for your rights. If the soft approach has not worked, you can take the tough decision to make people toe the line.

SCRABBLE

AQUARIUS:

POOCH CAFE

Benefits are likely through friends. Avoid anger and unwanted expenses, else a financial crisis is not ruled out. Health needs attention. Work will get completed but not without a delay. A very important work will be done successfully.

for 21-9-2013

The Fool – Keep an education course in your radar and go with the right institute, even if it’s expensive. Even working professionals should upgrade their skills.

NON SEQUITUR

A peaceful atmosphere is likely at your home. You give importance to character and not money. A court verdict will go in your favour. Unexpected fortune is likely, which will cheer you. Delayed work get completed successfully now.

SUDUKO

Those trying for a new job will get a favourable result. Wherever you go, respect awaits you. Sudden journey, sleeplessness and increased expenses are likely. Be alert and take care of health. Good financial inflow will make cheer you up.

Boggle PIN BALL LANE SPARE ALLEY STRIKE Vol: 3, No 59 RNI No: APENG/2011/39337 Published for the proprietors, Scribble Media and Entertainment Pvt Ltd, by V Harshavardhan Reddy, at # Plot no.550-A1,3rd floor, Road no-92, Jubilee hills, Hyderabad-500033 and printed by him at Jagati Publications Ltd, Plot No D-75&E-52, APIE Industrial Estate, Balanagar, Ranga Reddy Dist, Hyderabad – 500037, Editor: Dean Williams – Responsible for selection of news under the PRB Act All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission of the publisher is prohibited. For feedback, please write to: feedback@postnoon. com and for subscription, please call 040-23541412,

28

Entertainment FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2013

OPENING UP

CINE BYTES

A

ctor Ranbir Kapoor, who is working with Anurag Kashyap in Bombay Velvet and who has worked with the latter’s brother Abhinav Kashyap in Besharam, says both the filmmakers differ in their working styles.

“Both of them are very different filmmakers.

I am doing a light film with Abhinav in Besharam, while Anurag’s Bombay Velvet is an intense film,” Ranbir said.

Besharam will witness Ranbir in a street smart role and in Bombay Velvet, he says he plays a boxer.

“In Bombay Velvet, I play an intense character. I am playing boxer. It’s about the 1950s and 1960s. We have already shot 50 per cent of Bombay Velvet. We shot in Sri Lanka. It is an interesting character and an interesting film,” said Ranbir, who features in the movie with Anushka Sharma and Karan Johar.

Ranbir is happy to experiment with his roles.

“The audience might slap me and say do films like Barfi!, but if I don’t try, how will I get to know,” the 30-year-old said.

Minissha, Sonal support North East Design Fest

B

ollywood actresses Minissha Lamba and Sonal Chauhan will walk the ramp on day one of North East Design Fest to support talented people from the region.

The four-day event, organised by North East Institute of Fashion Technology (NEIFT), will comprise of fashion shows, cultural programmes, musical shows and exhibitions of handloom, handicrafts and jute.

IANS

IANS

‘I’m not interested in breaking records’

B

ollywood actor-filmmaker Aamir Khan features in one of the most awaited films of the year, Dhoom 3, and says he is not thinking about how many records it will break. “I am not interested in breaking records. I am an artist, and what gives me a high is to entertain my audience, to give them a good time, and to satisfy them emotionally,” he says.

IANS

Sonali Bendre supports anti-dengue campaign

Anurag, Abhinav very different filmmakers:

B

RANBIR KAPOOR

ollywood actress Sonali Bendre, a mother to an eightyear-old boy, lent support to a campaign to prevent dengue in the country. She said it is vital to take preventive measures all the time. The campaign — Fight Dengue For Payal - was launched as a joint initiative by pest control brand Allout and Voluntary Health Association of India (VHAI).

IANS

sports

29

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2013

AMERICA’S CUP

US hopes alive with win The Oracle Team USA kept their hopes alive in the America’s Cup final, denying Emirates Team New Zealand the one victory they need to win the title.

GLENN CHAPMAN Agence France-Presse SAN FRANCISCO: Oracle Team USA and high winds on the San Francisco Bay on Thursday kept challenger Emirates Team New Zealand from the one victory needed to take home yachting’s coveted trophy.

The US team rallied to win the race held before winds topped safety limits and caused the second match to be postponed until Friday.

The defending champion shifted the blame for a fourth frustrating race delay onto the Kiwis, saying they want to raise the wind limit but the New Zealand team won’t agree.

“It just seems a little strange that half-way through a series you need to change a wind limit that has been agreed to (at the start),” said New Zealand skipper Dean Barker.

“It doesn’t seem right to change any rules half-way through a series.”

TOUR OF BRITAIN

Bennett wins stage five LONDON: Irish rider Sam Bennett claimed the fifth stage of the Tour of Britain in the Welsh town of Caerphilly on Thursday, while Bradley Wiggins retained the overall lead.

Bennett, from An Post-Chain Reaction, prevailed in a sprint finish ahead of Michal Golas (Omega Pharma-Quickstep) and Martin Elmiger (IAM Cycling) following a small breakaway.

Wiggins held onto his 37-second advantage as Team Sky, orchestrated by Ian Stannard, managed to hold the peloton together.

Stannard is second in the overall classification, six seconds ahead of Swiss rider Elmiger.

Belgium-born Bennett, 22, completed the 177km ride from Machynlleth to Caerphilly in a time of four hours, 35 minutes and 28 seconds. It was his first career stage victory.

“It was a real hard fight coming into the finish, but I knew if I hung on up the climb that I would recuperate quick enough for the sprint and I just hung in,” he told www.britishcycling.org.co.uk. AFP

Barker appeared suspect of the motive of the defending champion, whose catamaran has sailed better in higher winds.

Wind racing limits were lowered after the “huge shock” of the death of Artemis team member Andrew “Bart” Simpson while training on the Bay, but fierce onwater bouts have built the skills and confidence of the Cup final-

The US team rallied to win the race held before winds topped safety limits and caused the second match to be postponed until Friday. ists who “are up for” racing in higher winds, Spithill reasoned.

The AC72 catamaran of Swedish team Artemis, one of three challenger hopefuls, capsized in May and Simpson, a British double Olympic medallist, drowned after being trapped under the overturned structure.

Oracle Team USA (R) and Emirates Team New Zealand at the start during the 34th America’s Cup on Thursday in San Francisco. Team USA won the AFP/DON EMMERT first race of the day.

FIXING

NBA

Ronnie plays down claims Ronnie O’Sullivan took to Twitter after former world number five Stephen Lee was found guilty on Monday of fixing matches.

LONDON: World champion Ronnie O’Sullivan has “clarified” comments he made that match-fixing could be widespread in snooker.

O’Sullivan took to Twitter after former world number five Stephen Lee was found guilty on Monday of fixing matches in 2008 and 2009. Lee could be handed a lifetime ban at a hearing next week.

O’Sullivan told his Twitter followers on Tuesday: “I’ve heard there’s many more players who throw snooker match-

The sophisticated AC72 catamarans sailed by the teams reach speeds higher than cars crossing the Golden Gate Bridge bordering one side of the tight race course.

The postponement on Thursday was the fourth time racing was cancelled due to high winds.

“We want to race,” said Oracle skipper Jimmy Spithill.

“I think both teams are up for it,” he continued. “You have a beautiful breeze like this in the afternoon and then you have to come ashore; you ask yourself why you are doing it.”

The USA is not being spared the stiff winds of a daunting deficit in the best-of-17 series.

New Zealand has won eight races and needs just one more to wrest the prized trophy from the grip of Oracle Team USA owner Larry Ellison.

The defending champions have won four races, but still need seven victories to retain the Cup because they were penalized two points before the start for pre-regatta violations.

AFP

es.. I suppose Steve lee was just caught out.”

He added that “plenty of people have got loads to hide”.

However, World Snooker chairman Barry Hearn warned O’Sullivan he must not make “vague announcements” and said he risked disciplinary action.

But, in a World Snooker statement released Thursday, the 37-year-old O’Sullivan insisted he had no specific evidence of any wrongdoing.

“I would like to clarify the

comments that I made on Twitter 17th September as they were an instant reaction to an issue which I feel strongly about, namely the integrity of my sport,” O’Sullivan said.

“My reference to players throwing matches was out of context in that I was referring back to rumours from many years ago when there were only a few tournaments on the circuit.

“If I were aware of matchfixing, I understand that it would be up to me to report any fears to the association.

“I have no intention of undermining the integrity of the sport that I love and enjoy participating in so much and firmly believe that my tweets were taken out of context.” AFP

Marks named assistant coach SAN ANTONIO: Sean Marks, who became the first New Zealander to play in the NBA 1998, was named assistant coach of the San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday.

The 38-year-old from Auckland will work under head coach Gregg Popovich, the team announced on their website.

Marks joins a coaching staff that is already considered one of the best in the league and is formulating a plan to get back to the NBA finals this season. The Spurs lost in the league championship series in seven games last season to the Miami Heat.

Marks competed for New Zealand in two Olympics, in 2000 at Sydney and 2004 in Athens. He was a member of the New Zealand team that finished fourth at the 2002 FIBA World Championships.

An 11-year NBA veteran, Marks played for San Antonio from 2003-06 and was a part of the Spurs’ 2005 NBA Championship team.

AFP

sports

30

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2013

TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP

WRESTLING

Stenson seizes early lead

ATLANTA: Henrik Stenson fired a six-under 64 to grab the lead at the Tour Championship in an opening round in which world number one Tiger Woods finished a disappointing second to last.

Sweden’s Stenson, who played in the final group with Woods, birdied the last hole Thursday in a round that included seven birdies and one bogey at the East Lake Golf Club.

Stenson started quickly with five birdies in a six-hole stretch from the second to grab the lead in the final tournament of the PGA Tour’s playoff series.

His hot streak consisted of just two putts from outside five feet as he stuck the majority of his iron shots close to the pin.

“That stretch between one and seven I guess is as good as I’ve ever hit it in a round of golf,” said Stenson, who tied his career low nine-hole score with a 30.

Stenson can capture the FedEx Cup if he can hang on to his lead for the rest of the tournament.

Stenson’s playing partner Woods was the only golfer not to

ATHLETICS

I could race until 2017: Bolt RIO DE JANEIRO: Jamaican sprint star Usain Bolt has left open the possibility of continuing his career beyond the Rio 2106 Olympic Games.

The sixtime Olympic gold medallist earlier this month said the 2016 Games would likely be his last competitive appearance.

But the 27-year-old said he could be convinced to race until 2017.

“I am definitely reconsidering (retiring after 2016), I think my fans have voiced their concern about me retiring,” Bolt said.

“They think I should carry on and so do my sponsors.

I have discussed it with my coach and he says it is possible. We will see what happens but it’s on the cards that I will extend it by one more year.” Bolt won the 100m, 200m and 4x100m gold at Beijing 2008 and London 2012 Games.

AFP

Henrik Stenson of Sweden tees off the eighth hole during the first round of the tour Championship by Coca-Cola at East Lake Golf Club on Thursday in Atlanta, Georgia.

AFP/SAM GREENWOOD

post a birdie in the first round.

The American struggled to a three-over 73 which put him 29th out of 30 players. The only player to shoot a worse score was PGA Championship winner Jason Dufner, who had 74.

Australia’s Adam Scott is in sole possession of second place

following his five-under 65, while Americans Steve Stricker and Billy Horschel share third at four-under 66.

Roberto Castro shot a 67 to sit alone in fifth.

Reigning FedEx Cup winner Brandt Snedeker had a oneunder 69 and is in a tie for 14th

place.

Horschel parred his final four holes to hold the clubhouse lead for a while.

“It all comes down to putting the ball in the fairway. I think if you’re in the rough it’s hard to judge whether it’s going to come out flying or it’s going to come out dead and you can’t control the spin,” said Horschel.

“I did a good job putting the ball in the fairway, which gave me an opportunity to attack the flag.”

Playing in the penultimate group ahead of Stenson, Scott stormed up the leaderboard with a sizzling back nine.

The Masters champion countered bogeys at the third and eighth with a birdie at the sixth to make the turn at one-over, then poured in six birdies over a seven-hole stretch from the 10th to grab a share of the lead.

“This is always a tricky course,” Scott said. “If you’re playing well, there’s a good chance to score and if you’re playing bad it’s really tough to score out there.”

AFP

Japanese women rock in Worlds

BUDAPEST: The day four of the ongoing Wrestling World Championships witnessed the Japanese women dominating in the event. event.

Japan’s Saori Yoshida won her 11th straight gold at the theWrestling Wrestling WorldWorld ChaChampionships mpionships in Budapest, by in Budapest, the capturing by 55kg capturing freestyle the 55kg Thursday meet freestyle while teammeet Thursday mate Kaori while Icho won teammate her 8th Kaori Icho world’s gold by won triumphing her 8th world’s in 63kg,gold Xinhua by triumphing reported. in 63kg, The Hungarian Xinhua women reported. also showed The Hungarian plenty of gumption women also Marianna with showed Sastin plenty soun ofgumption dly beating with TaybeMarianna Yusein of Sastin of Hungary Bulgaria in 59kg,soundly while beating Taybe teammate Emese Yusein Barka took of Bulgaria bronze in 55kg. in 59kg, while teammate Yoshida Emese beat Sweden’s Barka took bronze Sofia Mattsson in 55kg.

5-0. Barka and Valeriia Yoshida Koblova beat Sweden’s of RusSofia sia shared Mattsson bronze.5-0.

IchoBarka triuand Valeriia mphed over Mongolia’s Koblova Be ofRussia shared ttetseg Soronzonbold bronze. 7-0, while Icho Yekater triumphed ina Larionova over Mongolia’s of Kazakhstan andBettetseg Elena PiSoronzonbold rozhkova shared7-0, bronze. while AFP

TENNIS

Murray to undergo surgery, faces season end LONDON: Andy Murray is unlikely to play again this season after pulling out of next week’s Thailand Open to undergo minor back surgery.

Murray has been bothered by a disc problem in his lower back for much of this year and he opted to skip the French Open to rest the injury before he went on to claim a maiden Wimbledon title.

The 26-year-old responded to a flood of well-wishing messages on Twitter by tweeting his thanks for the support.

“Thanks so much for all the nice messages today. Having operation on Monday. Will let everyone know how it goes. I’ll be “back” stronger,” he wrote.

His representatives earlier Thursday confirmed the world number three would go under the knife. “Next week, Andy is set to undergo minor back surgery in an effort to clear up a long-standing back problem,” a statement from 77, Murray’s management company, read.

“The issue flared up again during the Rome Masters this

year when Andy was forced to retire and he sought advice from a range of specialists in May. “After a successful return on the more forgiving grass courts, Andy enjoyed success at Queen’s and Wimbledon, but after recently playing on hard-courts and clay, Andy once again sought medical advice about solving the iss-

ue once and for all. The aim is to be fully fit for the new season.”

Earlier this month, Murray looked well below his best at the US Open when his defence of the title was ended by a straight-sets defeat to Switzerland’s Stanislas Wawrinka in the quarter-finals.

He returned to action to help Britain back into the Davis Cup

World Group with victory over Croatia last weekend.

But Murray’s decision to undergo surgery next week is likely to rule him out of the last months of the campaign, including the prestigious World Tour Finals in London in November.

Murray’s injury flared up badly in May during the Rome Masters, prompting him to abandon a second-round match against Marcel Granollers and pull out of Roland Garros.

The disc problem affects a nerve in Murray’s lower back which can send pain shooting down his hip and upper leg.

It appears to cause him more problems when he plays on clay and the harder surfaces than on grass courts.

The Scot and his team have carefully dealt with the complaint since then and he showed no signs of the problem when he finally ended the long wait for a British male winner of the Wimbledon singles title by dispatching world number one Novak Djokovic in the final. AFP

sports

31

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2013

WEST INDIES ‘A’ IN INDIA

West Indies ‘A’ win series

Put in to bat, West Indies A made the most of the opportunity to put up a total of 312/9 in their 50 overs with 28-year-old Edwards guiding the innings with 104 runs.

BANGALORE: A timely century

by Kirk Edwards (in pic) (104, 104b, 12x4, 3x6) propelled West Indies A to a deserving 45-run, series-clinching victory against India A here at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium Thursday.

As in the previous game, put in to bat, West Indies A made the most of the opportunity to pile up 312/9 in their 50 overs with the 28-year-old Edwards guiding the innings.

In reply, the Indians faltered after skipper Yuvraj Singh (61, 59b, 4x4, 3x6) and opener Baba Aparajith (78, 96b, 6x4, 1x6) put on 112 runs for the third wicket to finish on 267/8.

The victory helped the Caribbean side clinch the series 21 after they came back from 0-1 down. The Indians promised a lot but delivered little in a series the hosts were expected to win.

For the second game running, India A, depending on Yuvraj, failed under pressure. Barring left-arm seamer Jaydev Unadkat, who came away with a five-wicket haul, none of the other bowlers looked the part and to make matters worse, the batsmen too fumbled in sharp contrast to West Indies A, who showed greater discipline and character.

With opener Robin Uthappa (27) and Naman Ojha (0) failing

early in the chase, it was left to Yuvraj and Aparajith to rebuild the innings. Until the pair was at the crease, the Indians looked to be in the hunt but after their dismissals, it was a procession though Vinay Kumar (37 not out) offered some resistance that, however, did not impact the outcome.

While Yuvraj was at his fluent

AUSTRALIA IN INDIA

Brad Haddin in, Warner out

SYDNEY: Veteran wicketkeeper Brad Haddin (right) was Thursday recalled to Australia’s one-day squad to play India but troubled batsman David Warner and spinner Fawad Ahmed missed out.

Captain Michael Clarke was also among the 14 players selected for the seven-game series in India from October 11, which will be coached by Steve Rixon while Darren Lehmann is rested.

Whether Clarke makes the trip or not depends on treatment for his chronic back problem, with national selector John Inverarity making clear he was picked “subject to fitness.”

Haddin was the surprise inclusion, winning his place on the back of a lean England one-day series by alternative

keeper Matthew Wade, which Australia won 2-1.

Haddin, 35, was drafted back into the Test side in place of Wade for the recent Ashes series against England to serve as Clarke’s vice-captain.

He broke Rod Marsh’s 30year-old record for the most dismissals in an Ashes series, but was not in the team for the subsequent one-day matches.

best from the start to carve out a splendid half-century, Aparajith was fortunate as he was given not out after gloving a catch and then seeing Fletcher pouching a lofted shot but crossing the rope to concede a six.

Yuvraj fell to offie Ashley Nurse while Aparajith had his stumps rattled by left-arm spinner Veerasammy Permaul. With the pressure mounting and injured Mandeep Singh unable to bat, India’s goose was well and truly cooked as West Indies A made further inroads.

The tourists’ innings was as much about Edwards’ century as the four key partnerships that helped them cross the 300-run mark, aided by some sloppy bowling and fielding by the hosts.

Edwards held the innings together with a knock that grew in stature as he settled down to bat most responsibly. While the Indian bowling tended to be a bit of fodder, Edwards never hesitated to improvise once he got into his groove.

But it was the openers Andrew Fletcher (28) and skipper Kieran Powell (40) who laid the foundation with a 74-run partnership and though the duo departed in quick succession, others who followed carried on the good work.

IANS

BOWLERS DID THE JOB AGAINST INDIA ‘A’: POWELL BANGALORE: Quite obviously, skipper Kieran Powell was pleased as punch that his team, the West Indies ‘A’, bounced back to win the three-match one-day series 21 against India ‘A’ here Thursday as he attributed the success to some disciplined bowling.

Powell was all praise for the younger players in his team while pointing out that many of them were travelling to India for the first time.

“Of course, I am extremely delighted to have come back and win the series after losing the first game. Before the series, we had discussed that to beat India, you need to take wickets consistently and that is what we did here,” said Powell after the game.

Powell had a special word for seamer Miguel Cummins: “Cummins was outstanding throughout the series.”

As for the team strategy, Powell said: “After the first game, we watched the Indians and strategised around the Indians’ game. We then executed it well.”

“Also, Kirk Edwards gave himself a chance and played deep into the innings. That is what the team needed and he got it,” Powell said.

Powell was all praise for the younger players in his team while pointing out that many of them were travelling to India for the first time.

“A lot of players have come to India for the first time. The conditions in India are different and it is a different experience. The bowlers have bowled well and the batters have batted well. This augurs well for West Indian cricket,” he said.

India ‘A’ captain Yuvraj, who personally had a good series with the bat, said he was disappointed with the efforts of the batsmen and admitted that his bowlers leaked too many runs in the death overs.

IANS

ASHES

Australia could have lost 5-0

LONDON: England fast bowler Stuart Broad on Thursday dismissed claims by Australia coach Darren Lehmann that the tourists were unlucky to lose this year’s Ashes series.

Lehmann said after England’s 3-0 victory that Australia could have won at least two Tests, after the third Test at Old Trafford fell victim to rain and the fifth Test at the Oval was ended by bad light with the match finely poised.

However, Broad believes that the series could just as easily have finished with an England whitewash.

“Lehmann said it could have been 3-2 to Australia, but it could have been 5-0 to us,” he said, in comments reported by several British newspapers on Thursday.

“And anyway, that’s not how sport works, is it? It’s a resultsdriven business. Sure, Australia had chances to win Test matches in England, but they won none.

That’s the bottom line.”

England’s Stuart Broad believes that the Ashes series could just as easily have finished with an England whitewash.

Broad is due to be the focus of attention when the return series begins in Australia in November, after his contentious decision not to walk during the first Test at Trent Bridge.

Lehmann apologised to Broad after calling on Australia’s fans to heckle him in a radio interview, but the England bowler says he fully expects to be given a hard time.

“The head coach of Australia has called for a barrage, but I am one of these characters who thrives off a bit of niggle,” Broad said.

“It’s strange, because off the field I am a shy, quiet person. I prefer to watch a bit of TV at home. But get me on the cricket field and I like it all kicking off.

“So it’s something I look forward to. It will be interesting out there. I don’t quite know what to expect from the crowds in Australia, but I’m certainly not expecting cheers.”

AFP

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2013

sports

FERGIE DENIES CLAIMS OF REF INFLUENCE

Alex Ferguson on Thursday hit back at claims he intentionally influenced officials after ex-referee Mark Halsey revealed his close relationship with him. Halsey caused controversy this week when the newspaper serialisation of his new book ‘Added Time’ gave details of his friendship with Alex.

ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE

Mourinho seeks boost Successive defeats have prompted some soul-searching at Chelsea with Mourinho claiming his squad’s lack of experience has been exposed.

IAN WINROW Agence France-Presse LONDON: Jose Mourinho (in pic) finds himself in the unexpected position of attempting to turn around Chelsea’s alarming early dip when Fulham make the short trip to Stamford Bridge on Saturday.

Successive defeats by Everton and Basel have prompted some soul-searching at Chelsea with Mourinho claiming his squad’s lack of experience has been exposed.

Having started the campaign positively with the hardearned point at Manchester United following on from victories over Hull and Aston Villa, Chelsea have since lost the European Super Cup on penalties to Bayern Munich before the latest painful defeats.

Without a win in four games and with goals proving hard to come by, the meeting with west London neighbours Fulham has taken on more significance, particularly given the Cottagers’ record of have drawn on their last three visits to Stamford Bridge.

The loss to Basel was particularly frustrating, ending a run of 29 home Champions League

games without defeat and coming after Chelsea had secured a first-half lead.

Blues centre back Gary Cahill acknowledged there must be improvements.

“You can always do better, you can always analyse goals,” said Cahill.

“The back four, goalkeepers, individuals. We’ll have a look at that.

“It’s not a disaster, but it’s not ideal. A club like this wants to win the majority of games it plays. That’s the expectation.

It’s a blow but it’s not the be all and end all.

“We need to win our next

game now, as simple as that.

The manager will stress that.

We’ve got the squad to do it, we need to go on now and get back to winning ways on Saturday.”

The defender added: “It’s two disappointing results. We lost at Everton and someone was saying it was the worst start in however many years but before then we were bang on track.

“The lads are hurting but we have to move on and go again on Saturday.”

Mourinho’s side have struggled in front of goal during their last two games, with Samuel Eto’o still acclimatising to his

new surroundings following his arrival from Anzhi Makhachkla.

Fernando Torres and Demba Ba, Mourinho’s other strikers, have also failed to make a major impact.

Torres was left out of the squad against Basel but is expected to return while John Terry and Juan Mata could start after being named as substitutes in midweek.

Fulham manager Martin Jol is also attempting to lift his club’s fortunes after coming in for criticism following last weekend’s draw with West Bromwich Albion.

Jol was the target of jeers from some Fulham supporters following West Brom’s addedtime equaliser and expressed his frustration at the reaction after the game.

But Jol, speaking before the trip to Chelsea, said: “I think it is better not to talk about it, but I did, and I shouldn’t have because they (the fans) are entitled to express themselves.

“They pay us to play football for them and they have got an opinion, and to lose a goal in the 92nd minute was very disappointing — not only for them, but for me and the club,” the Dutchman added.

Rodgers wary of title talk GRAHAM CHASE Agence France-Presse LIVERPOOL: Liverpool will remain top of the Premier League with a win over Southampton at the weekend but manager Brendan Rodgers feels it is still far too soon to discuss a potential title challenge.

The Reds have 10 points from their first four Premier League matches, with 1-0 wins over Stoke, Aston Villa and Manchester United and a 2-2 draw at Swansea.

After Southampton’s visit to Anfield, Liverpool face a run of games against Sunderland, Crystal Palace, Newcastle and West Bromwich Albion before travelling to Arsenal on November 2.

They also have Luis Suarez set to return from a 10-match suspension for biting Chelsea’s Branislav Ivanovic when they head to Manchester United in the League Cup on Wednesday.

Rodgers feels it will only be

The Reds have 10 points from their first four PL matches, with 1-0 wins over Stoke, Aston Villa and United and a 2-2 draw at Swansea. possible to judge his team’s prospects for the season once they’ve played their 10th game of the campaign at Arsenal.

Asked about Liverpool’s

chances of a push for a first title since 1990, Rodgers said: “I haven’t even considered that at all. Our expectation is to improve as a team.

“We’ll assess it after 10 games and then at the halfway point and we’ll have a more realistic idea of where we can be.

“There’s a lot more to come.

We’ve made a good start and people will say that it’s early stages, as will I, but these are still hurdles you have to get over.

“We’re on 10 points already and at the end of last season we finished on 61 points and we talked about those extra 10 points that might have taken us into the Champions League.

“At this early stage we’ve got them. I believe the team has still got a lot of improving, only because of the nature of what I’ve seen in the games and the potential we have in the players still to grow.”

32

United, City set for season’s first derby TOM WILLIAMS Agence France-Presse LONDON: The Manchester derby takes top billing in the Premier League this weekend, as England’s leading teams return to domestic action after a week of mixed fortunes in European competition.

Manchester United and Manchester City face off at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday, in what will be a first taste of the fixture for both United manager David Moyes and his City counterpart Manuel Pellegrini.

Both sides have made spluttering starts to the season, having each amassed seven points from their first four league games, but they both enjoyed convincing wins in mid-week.

United opened their Champions League campaign with an entertaining 4-2 win at home to Bayer Leverkusen, while City enjoyed a 3-0 victory away to Czech champions Viktoria Pilsen.

United striker Wayne Rooney confirmed his return to form with a brace against Leverkusen and he will now hope to repeat his performance from last season’s equivalent fixture against City, when he scored twice in a 32 victory.

“It’s a massive game,” Rooney said. “Two title contenders. It’s not going to define the season, but it’s a big game, a derby. We’ll be going there to win. I’ve scored a few goals against City.”

Last season, an injury-time free-kick from Robin van Persie sent United six points clear of their city rivals and it was a setback that the defending champions were unable to overcome.

It’s a massive game. Two title contenders. It’s not going to define the season, but it’s a big game, a derby. We’ll be going there to win.

I’ve scored a few goals against City.

Wayne Rooney United striker