Epaper 21 october 2013

MONDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2013

WWW.POSTNOON.COM

NAIDU TO RESUME YATRA

P4 SCHOOL OF NURSING IS ‘ILL’; GHMC BLAMED

TDP leader hopes to rekindle the ‘self respect of Telugus’ theme that catapulted the late NTR to power in Andhra Pradesh.

The students complained that the hostel was poorly maintained and mosquitoes were rampant.

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WEATHER: HAZE; 28°C

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AUSSIE GANGSTER FESSES UP

Mark Chopper Read’s gory confession was recorded just 16 days before his death earlier this month.

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TELANGANA NOW MIRED IN LEGAL TANGLE HYDERABAD’S FIRST COMPACT AFTERNOON NEWSPAPER

PRIYANKA SAYS HER RAM LEELA ITEM SONG IS MODERN MUJRA

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The bifurcation of the state appears to be headed into a legal quagmire. A situation has emerged where legal luminaries and political leaders believe that the Congress did not do its homework when it decided to create the Telangana state. They claim a division is impossible without amending Art 371(d) of the Indian Constitution, inserted specially for AP. If the Assembly shoots down the T Bill the government will be caught between a rock and a hard place.

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THE MAN BEHIND THE EMPEROR: AUGUSTUS SHOW IN ROME A political genius, a great reformer, a patron of the arts — but ancient Rome’s first emperor Augustus was also a family man, as highlighted in a new exhibition that opened in Rome this week.

JIM PARSONS OPENS UP FOR THE FIRST TIME ABOUT HIS LOVE LIFE P28

REPORT ON P5

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MONDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2013

city events

FASHION YATRA

Renowned fashion designers, best artisans across the country are presenting their designer sarees, dress materials, gold jewellery, imitation jewellery,hand bags a lifestyle accessories in the exposition till October 31.

Weather for Hyderabad

Evening

Overnight

24°C

Morning

Afternoon

24°C

31°C

Sunny. Windy at times.

Sunny with a showers.

19°C

Clear with cloudy periods

Clear..

New Delhi Mumbai Max 36 Max 36 Min 21 Min 28 Mostly sunny

Clear. Slight chance of a thunderstorm.

Chennai Max 34 Min 27

Bangalore Max 34 Min 27

A mix of cloudy and with showers likely.

A mix of cloudy and with showers likely

AROUND THE CITY: YOUR GUIDE TO THE TWIN CITIES 12pm to 3pm Contact: 7569099444

WORKSHOP Horse Riding Training Hyderabad Polo and Riding Club is giving a classes on horse riding. Each course has 16 classes which will be for 2 hours. You can join either or both the classes. The fee is Rs. 5000/Where: Hyderabad Polo and Riding Club, Survey No.177, Himayat Sagar Rd, Aziz Nagar Village, Gandipet.

When: Monday 21 October 2013, 06:00am - 08:00am Contact: 09949000085

Pinktober Go pink this October! The hot spot of music lovers, Hard Rock Cafe lends its support to the subject of breast cancer this month Where: Hard Rock Cafe GVK One Mall, Road No. 1, Banjara Hills When: Until October 31 12pm to 1.30am Contact: 7569016340 Lunch Buffet Village - The Soul of India serves an awesome lunch buffet on everyday of the week. Go and enjoy the delicious food at just Rs.399/ Where:Village - The Soul of India 5th Floor, Inorbit Mall, Madhapur When:Monday 21 October 2013, 12:00pm - 03:30pm Contact: 040 - 4012 4270, 99081 75566

Zumba In The Circuit 60 Degree Fitness presents Zumba In The Circuit workshop for those who love to combine a bit of dance with their regular health regime.

Where: 360 Degree Fitness Croma Building, 2nd Floor, Road No. 36, Jubilee Hills When: Until October 31 7pm to 8pm Contact:(040) 23456789 Imagery Vs Photography The workshop will teach the participants how they can become thinking photographers, how imagery and photographs can be treated as a science.

Where: Fortune Select Manohar Hotel,Begumpet Airport Exit Road, Begumpet When: Until October 25 9am to 6pm Contact: (040) 39884422

Winter Funk This winter Shiamak Davars Institute Celeberates 100 years of Indian Cinema with the drama of song and dance. Shiamak's Winter Funk gives a platform for all participating students to perform on stage in a professional setup. Choose from Shiamak style, contemporary, bollywood jazz.

Where:Shiamak Davar's Institute for the performing Arts, Shangrila Plaza, Banjara Hills.

When: Monday 21 October 2013, 11:00am - 05:00pm Contact: 040 - 65979630, 040 - 23301170

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

155333 23431178 23431179

MUNICIPAL CORPORATION

artisans across the country are presenting their designer sarees, dress materials, gold jewellery, imitation jewellery,hand bags a lifestyle accessories in the exposition Where: Shop No. 8-6-949/1/B , Kamma Sangam, Ameerpet When: Until October 27 10am to 8:30pm Contact:(040) 23456789

Scrumptious brunch Sundays are a time to relax and rejuvenate. Head to N Grill to feast on a scrumptious Sunday brunch serving some exceptional preparations.

Where: N Grill Plot No. 788, Road No. 36 Jubilee Hills When: October 20

Fashion yatra Renowned fashion designers, best

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

Drenched In Color Ladies, it’s time to fall head over heals in love with Metro shoes’ new collection, available in spectacularly vibrant hues.

Where: Metro shoes outlet When: Until October 31 Contact: 9391099710 Contact: (040)- 66662323, Ritika Agarwal – 9948808604

DINING

EXHIBITION

Commissioner & Spl Officer

Helpline

ELECTRICITY General Complaints Breakdown Section

STRAIGHT FROM THE ROYAL KITCHEN: Book The Jewels of Nizam: Recipes from Khansamas of Hyderabad by Geeta Devi, a food consultant, was launched at Golkonda Hotel on Sunday.

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

Happy Highs Lounge bar at Hyatt gives 50% off on their selected drinks. You can walk in on any day of the week Where:Lounge Bar When:Monday 21 October 2013, 04:00pm - 09:00pm Hyatt, Plot No.7,Road No.2, IT Park, Nanakramguda,gachibowli Contact: 040-48481234

ART Little Blue Planet Commissioned by Jindal Steel Works foundation, this show titled 'The Little Blue Planet' aims at presenting the occurrence of rapid climate change that the world is experiencing today.

Where: Shilpakala Vedika Jubilee Enclave, Hitech City Road, Madhapur When: October 26 6.30pm onwards Contact: (040) 23112704

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 # Plot no.550-A1, 3rd floor, Road no-92, Jubilee hills, Hyderabad-500033 a call on a call on 2354 1412

MONDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2013

news

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CRIME

CRIME

Chopper’s gory confession

Minor raped in Medak

Before he died of cancer, Mark ‘Chopper’ Read made a callous confession to four gory murders, two of them unsolved cases.

SYDNEY: Notorious Australian crime figure-turned-author Mark "Chopper" Read offered a callous confession to four murders, including two unsolved cases, in his final interview just weeks before dying from cancer.

Read, who shot to international fame after the 2000 film "Chopper" starring Eric Bana was made about his violent life, AROUND THE

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spent 23 years in jail but was never convicted of murder — despite claiming over the years to have been involved in the killing of 19 people.

In a tell-all interview with Australian current affairs programme 60 Minutes screened on Sunday night, the career criminal claimed to have carried out four murders, saying he was determined to set the record straight.

The confession was recorded just 16 days before his death earlier this month from liver cancer.

"This is the last interview, the last picture show," said Read, who found fame in Australia after swapping his life of crime for novel-writing, including 1993's "How to Shoot Friends and Influence People".

"Four, that's all you're getting, that's it. I haven't killed any more than that so don't try to make out that I have," he said.

In a candid, often glib, recounting of the murders — three shootings and the hanging of a child-killer in his jail cell — Read denied feeling any remorse and said he felt "nothing at all" during the killings.

Among his alleged victims were two unsolved murders — the shooting of influential union member Desmond Costello outside a Melbourne hotel in 1971 and the death of Sydney Collins, national president of the Outlaws motorcycle gang who

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15-year-old girl was allegedly raped by a youth in Medak district of Andhra Pradesh today, police said.

The incident occurred in Surampally village when the girl was on her way to a farm, they said.

Oggu Illaiah allegedly had reportedly dragged the girl to nearby bushes and raped her, a police official said based on a complaint lodged by the victim's parents.

The victim was sent to a government hospital for medical tests, the official said.

A case of rape has been registered against Illaiah and hunt is on to trace him, police said. PTI

has been missing since 2002.

Read was just 17 when he claimed to have shot Costello and said he "can't really tell you why, I haven't the faintest idea and ... I couldn't care less", although he claimed that the unionist had been "insulting" him.

Collins was killed after he turned Read in for shooting him in the stomach over a money dispute, which he dismissed in the interview as a "petty offence". Read went to jail for six years over the incident and was determined to exact revenge.

THEFT

Eight stolen bikes and gold seized, 3 held I

n two separate incidents, city police have managed to track and trap three thieves and seized eight stolen bikes and 54 tola gold jewellery. The arrest took place on Saturday night.

In two separate incidents, city police have managed to track and trap three thieves and seized eight stolen bikes and 54 tola gold jewellery. The arrest took place on Saturday night.

In the first incident, the

Saidabad police took into custody Hyder and Aslam who had in their possession, eight stolen bikes. Police had received some information about a gang that spirited away bikes from different parts of the City. The duo was taken into custody from a chicken shop at Dabeerpura.

At first they denied having done anything wrong. But based on the clue police received they were taken to the police station

suspects are involved in several crimes, police said. They do everything from stealing to cheating and housebreaking.

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where interrogation led to their confession and consequent seizure of stolen goods. In another, the amberpet police arrested an ex-convict, Boddupally Uppaliah from the Central Excise colony. He had in his possession 54 tolas of gold jewellery which

PROPERTY RECOVERED

he confessed to have been snatched or stolen., said DCP East one Shahnawaz Qasim. The

n Hero Honda Splendor Bike 3 No.’s n Hero Honda Passion Plus Bikes - 3 No.’s n TVS Centra Bike - 1 No. n TVS XL bike - 1 no. (Total 8 two wheelers)

CITY BRIEFS Allegations of foul play in YSR’s death continue

Workshop on anger management in the City

National Lok Adalat to be set up in the City

Seminar on eradication of Communal Riots Bill

Lawyer accused of sexual harrassment

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Emotion cure’ is conducting a oneday workshop on ‘Deal with Anger – Anxiety – Stress – Depression’, at Ravindra Bharathi here from 9 am on October 26. Workshop Director Y Dattatreya said that Radha Kadali, a Marriage and Family Counselor and P Janardhan Rao, TV artist known for his social service, are the organisers of the workshop.

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JP leader NVSS Prabhakar has alleged that Bro. Anil, son-in-law of late Dr Y S Rajasekhar Reddy, had a role in the Agasta Helicopter scam. Prabhakar demanded that Hashki, who was arrested in Switzerland, should be brought to India. Investigation into the role of Anil and Hashki would bring out the facts in the case.

t will be conducted in the City on November 23, to settle cases pending before the AP High Court, in tune with the guidelines of the National Legal Services Authority.

The general public, advocates and Government agencies are advised to avail the opportunity for amicable settlement of their cases without any expenditure or loss of time.

lders’ Think Tank is organizing an All Party Seminar on “Eradication of Communal Riots Bill and its importance of approval in the winter session of Parliament” at 5:45 p.m. on Wednesday October 23 at Madina Education Centre, Nampally.

Asif Pasha, Former Law Minister and President of Elders’ Think Tank will preside over the seminar.

angar Houz police on complaint started investigation against a lawyer for alleged sexual exploitation and rape. Inspector N P Ratnam said that a 23-year-old woman, who wanted to divorce her husband, had reached the lawyer and asked him to do the needful for the same. The lawyer Khaja Moinuddin took the advantage of the situation.

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News MONDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2013 LAST YEAR... HERE Burrying the truth

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ast year we had reported that according to the locals, graveyard in Nizamabad was used by criminals to dispose off bodies of their victims.

Locals allege that this racket has been on for long but the police had been inative. The advantage is that police detectives would never think of looking in a gravyard for a body. Until the body is found, nobody can be convicted.

OCT 21, 2012

NUMEROLOGY

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Indian women led by ICICI Bank CEO Chanda Kochhar figure among Fortune magazine's list of world's top 50 women business leaders.

They told us we would be freed 100 times. But they were lying, they would move us and then there was no release. It tormented our morale.

Ali Termos, Lebanese exhostage See page 9

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

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Maldives on its way to become a banana republic?

The Maldives embraced multiparty democracy hoping to emerge a modern nation. There are fears the honeymoon islands are becoming a "banana republic”.

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Privatisation could become a Greek tragedy After three years of effort, worries are growing on the wisdom of state asset sales made on the quick and on whether they will benefit Greeks themselves.

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Powerplay in postFukushima Japan Tokyo has introduced a scheme that guaranteed generating companies a premium for the electricity produced from renewable sources.

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Clock ticks for Madagascar’s lemurs Immortalised in the hit cartoon Madagascar, real-life lemurs to face extinction within 20 years.

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Fourth Hyderabad Triathlon in the City Over 650 athletes participated in the fourth Hyderabad Triathlon conducted by GHAC.

HEALTH

School of nursing is ‘ill’; GHMC blamed The students had complained that the hostel was poorly maintained and mosquito breeding was rampant.

POSTNOON NEWS feedback@postnoon.com

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yderabad: After two students of the School of Nursing at the Osmania Hospital died of dengue fever, the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) officials on Saturday inspected the nursing hostel on the hospital premises and expressed unhappiness over the unhygienic conditions there.

GHMC additional commissioner (health and sanitation) L Vandan Kumar and zonal commissioner (South Zone) N Ravi Kiran AROUND THE

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were shocked at the squalid conditions like garbage heaps and poor maintenance.

Earlier, the students had complained that the hostel was poorly maintained and mosquito breeding was rampant.

Talking to the media after the inspection, the additional commissioner said a notice would be sent to the OGH superintendent seeking information pertaining to maintenance of the hostel. He said the OGH had

outsourced the maintenance work to private parties. After the first death due to dengue in the first week of October, GHMC teams were sent to clear garbage and keep the premises clean.

Vandan Kumar said they were informed that the existing hostel building, which has poor facilities, would be demolished and a

new structure would come up at the same location. He said that the GHMC has no dearth of men and material, and could send teams to take up sanitation whenever it is sought. On increase in dengue cases, he said the mosquito which causes dengue grows in stagnant water and appealed to the public to store water for only one day.

RUN FOR IT! Egyptian students of al-Azhar university run for cover from a tear gas canister fired by riot police during clashes outside their university campus in Cairo on October 20, 2013 following an antiarmy protest.

About 3,000 students initially blocked the main Nasr road leading to the Islamic university's campus, and clashed with police who arrived to persuade them to leave, the interior ministry said in a statement.

AFP PHOTO / KHALED DESOUKI

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News MONDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2013

POLITICS

Congress caught in a legal quagmire over Telangana

The bifurcation of the state appears to be headed into a legal quagmire. A situation has emerged where legal luminaries and political leaders believe that the Congress did not do its homework when it decided to create the Telangana state.

They claim a division is impossible without amending Art 371(d) of the Indian Constitution, inserted specially for AP. If the Assembly shoots down the T Bill the government will be caught between a rock and a hard place.

INKESHAF AHMED ahmed.m@postnoon.com HYDERABAD: The most zealously discussed issue today in Andhra Pradesh is Article 371(d) of Indian Constitution that stipulates two-third majority of parliament and a national consensus for alteration of any geographical shift in AP (see Box).

Speaking to this correspondent APNGO Association president P. Ashok Babu said that the union government can't go ahead without amending the article 371 (d) of the Indian constitution. "The article 371 (d) is meant exclusively for Andhra Pradesh. The amendment of this article requires two-third majority in Parliament apart from the approval of all state assemblies of the country. It is not possible in the existing circumstances to get a two third majority in the highest legislation making body of the country," he said.

Babu further demanded the centre to give clarity on the issue before speeding its bifurcation of the state process. Life and safety of several lakh employees and people from various regions depend on this article and it can’t be tampered with in a light manner as the Congress satraps think

it can.

TRS DENIES IT On the other hand a TRS senior leader and former MP B. Vinod Kumar said that the contentious article would not have any impact on the ongoing process of bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh state. He said that the division of the state process does not require the amendment of the Constitution as stated by a section of Seemandhra leaders. "The seemandhra leaders have deliberately launched a false propaganda for their political existence.

They are misleading all Seemandhra people by citing article 371 (d) and asserting that the division of the state was not possible without amending the controversial article by a two-third majority in both the houses of parliament. It

is not true at all. The bifurcation of the state require only simple majority in Parliament.

Many legal experts have also said that even the article 371 (d) would be amended by the simple majority. There is no need to invoke article 368 of the Indian constitution which is meant for amendment of the constitution," h e said.

He

Lagadapati Rajagopal and APNGO Association Ashok babu are deliberately misleading the people of the state and creating confusion among them.

He said that even the soon to be formed Telangana state also require article 371 (d) to keep the balance in public employment."

We also want article 371 (d). It can also be applied to newly formed Telangana state with

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slight modifications. We are going to request Group of Ministers (GoM) formed on to work out modalities of bifurcation of the state," he said.

Another Telangana employees union leader V. Srinivas Goud also expressed similar feelings.

What is 371(d)?

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n the 32nd amendment to the Constitution, two new articles - 371 (D) and 371 (E) were inserted with the header, ‘Special provisions with respect to Andhra Pradesh.’

This has been incorporated in the 7th Schedule.

Article 368 clearly states that if any change is to be made under the 7th schedule, then it has to be adopted by a special majority. Both houses of Parliament have to pass the Bill with a two thirds majority.

Such an amendment also has to be ratified by state legislatures. If the ruling UPA agrees to the creation of a separate state and seeks a Constitutional Amendment, it

advised the Seemandhra leaders to desist from misleading their own people for political gains. Telangana Joint Action Committee (TJAC) leader and president of Telangana NonGazetted Officers (TNGO) Association C. Deviprasad alleged that leaders like

would require a special majority and the agreement of 50 per cent of Indian states. In other words this means government needs a national consensus to create a new state in AP. The states of Uttarakhand, Jharkhand and Chattisgarh were carved out of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Madhya Pradesh respectively by the National Democratic Alliance under the provisions of Articles 2, 3 and 4 of the Indian Constitution. The creation of these states did not pose too much of a constitutional hassle as there was no special provision mentioned, as in the case of Andhra.

NATION BRIEFS Agasta Helicopter scam to be investigated

One-day workshop on anger-anxiety-stress

National Lok Adalat to settle pending cases

Elders’ Think Tank organizing a seminar

Investigation against lawyer for alleged rape

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JP leader NVSS Prabhakar has alleged that brother Anil, son-inlaw of late Dr YSR, had a role in the Agasta Helicopter scam. Prabhakar demanded that Hashki, who was arrested in Switzerland, should be brought to India. Investigation into the role of Anil and Hashki would bring out the facts in the case.

motion cure’ is conducting a one-day workshop on ‘Deal with Anger – Anxiety – Stress – Depression,’ at Ravindra Bharathi from 9 am on October 26.

Workshop Director Y Dattatreya said that Radha Kadali, a Marriage and Family Counselor and P Janardhan Rao are the organisers of the workshop.

National Lok Adalat will be conducted in the City on November 23, to settle cases pending before the AP High Court, in tune with the guidelines of the National Legal Services Authority. The general public, advocates and Government agencies are advised to avail the opportunity for amicable settlement of their cases.

lders’ Think Tank is organizing an All Party Seminar on “Eradication of Communal Riots Bill and its importance of approval in the winter session of Parliament” at 5:45 p.m. on Wednesday October 23 at Madina Education Centre, Nampally.

Asif Pasha, Former Law Minister and President of Elders’ Think Tank will preside over the seminar.

angar Houz police on complaint started an investigation against a lawyer for alleged sexual exploitation and rape. Inspector N P Ratnam said that a 23-year-old woman, who wanted to divorce her husband, had reached the lawyer and asked him to do the needful for the same. The lawyer Khaja Moinuddin who then took the advantage of the situation.

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News MONDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2013 COMMEMORATION DAY

For the martyrs

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On this day police who laid down their lives in the service of their nation are remembered.

HYDERABAD: The state police department observed the Police Commemoration Day today at the Police martyrs memorial, Goshamahal. Chief Minister N Kumar Reddy took the salute along with the ministers and senior police officials and paid tributes to martyred police personnel. Every October 21, Police Commemoration Day is observed to mark the martyrdom of the police personnel who were killed in Ladakh in 1959 and also to pay tribute to all other policemen killed on duty during the year.

Until 1959 the Indian Police force was responsible for manning the 2,500-mile long border of India with Tibet.

POLITICS

Naidu to resume yatra TDP leaders hope to rekindle the ‘self respect of Telugus’ theme that had catapulted the late NTR to power in Andhra Pradesh.

POSTNOON NEWS fter having lost the initiative for grabbing the Seemandhra leadership to the chief minister and YSRC, the TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu has plans to revive his ‘Teluguvari Athmagourava Yatra’ from November 5.

TDP leaders fondly hope to rekindle the ‘self respect of Telugus’ theme that had catapulted the late NTR to power in Andhra Pradesh. The NTR wave had bulldozed the giant Congress party

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with the mass surge powered by the slogan.

According to NTR Trust Bhavan sources, Chandrababu was chalking out the action plan for the tour, to go to the people extensively. They said that the program will be launched after Diwali and it will touch as many districts as possible.

Chandrababu had toured Guntur, Krishna districts in his first phase of Yatra. His tour was postponed due to various political developments that AROUND THE

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took place in the state, though he had contemplated to tour more districts then. Recently, he had also taken up Deeksha at Delhi demanding the centre to ensure justice to the Seemandhra region before the division of the state.

Chandrababu is also contemplating to convene meetings in all districts and constituencies with the party local leaders to alert the cadre. TDP Chief was also contemplating to direct the party leaders to take up parallel tours in the constituencies along with his tour.

(NSS)

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News MONDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2013

SPRINT, SWIM, CYCLE

City turns into Iron Men for a day The fourth Hyderabad Triathlon conducted by GHAC, was held at the Gachibowli Stadium.

Over 650 athletes participated in the four streams: Novice, Sprint and Olympic and Half Iron.

POSTNOON NEWS feedback@postnoon.com HYDERABAD: The fourth Hyderabad Triathlon conducted

by Great Hyderabad Adventure Club (GHAC), was held at the Gachibowli Stadium on Sunday.

Over 600 athletes participated in the four streams: Duathlon, Novice, Sprint, Olympic and Half Iron.

Over 40 athletes took part in the Half Iron Triathlon which involved an international format of Swimming (1.9 km) Cycling (90 km) and Running (21.1 km).

Among those who participated included national athlete Madhurjya Borah, Richard McDowell, Sunil Menon. All 41 participants completed the event.

The Olympic Triathlon saw 100 participants slogging it out with a swim of 1.5 km in the pool, cycling 40 km, and a final run of 10 kms. The Sprint Triathlon which involved 20 km cycling, 5 km running, and 750 m

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swim saw over 100 athletes who vied for the honours.

The swimming took place at the Olympic standard Gachibowli swimming pool while the cycling and running took place along the road from Gachibowli stadium, ISB, the Financial District, Kokapet, ORR service road and on to IBS. The easiest of the three Triathlons, the Novice which involved 8 km cycling, 2 km running and 300 m swim saw over 50 participants some of whom were trying their luck for the first time. All of them completed the event.

There was also a special Para Triathlon Olympic Relay event for physically-challenged athletes. Aditya Mehta an aboveknee amputee cycled, Kiran Kanojia, a below-knee amputee ran and Srinivasa Naidu an above-knee amputee swam in a

sequence to complete the Olympic Level Team Triathlon.

Aditya also participated with Manish Pandey, a below-knee amputee, who ran in the Sprint Duathlon category.

The next Hyderabad Triathlon 2014 event will witness the introduction of the Full Iron level.

INDIAN GRAND PRIX

Grid gal suits and trophy ready POSTNOON NEWS feedback@postnoon.com

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fortable as well as adds the oomph factor to the garment.

Belt, buttons and lapel makes it different and creates a sporty style statement.

Regarding the trophy designed by Bengaluru-based designer Michael Foley, its is an aesthetic interpretation of a contemporary and forward looking India on a global pedestal. To be bagged by the winner of the 2013 edition of Indian Grand Prix, Foley's trophy is all set to be an aesthetic interpretation of a contemporary trophy with a touch of Indian tradition.

he Grid Girl's Costume for the 3rd edition of Airtel F1 Indian Grand Prix is designed by Mandira Wirk and Bengaluru-based designer Michael Foley has crafted the trophy for the Grand Prix.

"Express Yourself" — This has been the whole idea behind creating the uniforms for the grid girls.

Known for elegance, feminity and sensuality, Mandira Wirk has tried to express herself in

designing these uniforms.

Considering F1 as a chic sport in itself, she has experimented and created uniforms keeping the latest fashion trends in mind.

Fall winter being the coming season, uniforms have been inspired from trendy trench coats which Mandira herself is very fond of. She feels that they are very elegant as well as stylish.

Use of jersey, makes it com-

Australia crews battle to contain wildfires

Hurricane Raymond off to Mexico in Pacific

US spy agency snooped on French citizens

Chinese city blanketed in heavy pollution

Amnesty: Saudi rights record getting worse

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WORLD BRIEFS irefighters were racing to tame an enormous blaze in southeastern Australia Monday with officials warning it could merge with others to create a "mega-fire" as weather conditions worsen. Crews have been battling fires that flared in high winds and searing heat across the state of New South Wales last week.

ropical storm Raymond surged to hurricane force Sunday churning toward Mexico's Pacific coast, still recovering from a devastating tropical storm last month. Raymond was packing sustained winds of 75 miles an hour (120 kmh), about 155 miles (245 kilometers) west-southwest of Acapulco. It was headed north at 6 mph (9 kmh).

he US National Security Agency secretly recorded millions of phone calls made in France, daily Le Monde reported on Monday, citing documents from former intelligence contractor Edward Snowden. The spy agency taped 70.3 million phone calls in France over a 30-day period between December 10 and January 8, 2013.

hoking clouds of pollution blanketed a Chinese city famed for its annual ice festival Monday, reports said, cutting visibility to 10 metres (33 feet) and underscoring the nation's environmental challenges. Footage from Harbin on state broadcaster CCTV showed a screen full of charcoal-brown smog.

mnesty International on Monday said Saudi Arabia had failure to act on UN recommendations and "ratcheted up the repression" since 2009, with the arbitrary detention and torture of activists. The Londonbased watchdog's statement was released ahead of a UN Human Rights Council meeting in Geneva on Monday.

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News MONDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2013

TIME FOR ACTION

Bihar mid-day meal tragedy: Chargesheet against principal An FIR against Meena Devi was filed in the court of chief judicial magistrate in Saran district.

PATNA: A chargesheet was filed Monday against a Bihar school principal and her husband for the deaths of 23 children who ate contaminated mid day meal, police said.

The chargesheet was filed in the court of chief judicial magistrate in Saran district.

“A 346 page chargesheet was filed against school principal Meena Devi and her husband Arjun Rai,” police official Raj Kaushal said. Both Meena Devi and Rai are in jail.

Kaushal, who is the investigating officer of the case, said that chargesheet was filed under various sections including 302 and 307. “It was stated in the chargesheet that Rai purchased pesticide from a sugar factory and he kept the pesticide in the room where items for cooking mid day meal were stored. The food was cooked with pesticide,” Kaushal said.

He said that adequate evi-

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dences were collected against both accused in the case during investigation.

Meena Devi was the principal of the government primary school at Gandaman village in Saran when the children died after eating contaminated food July 16. She was arrested a week after the deaths.

A FIR was registered against her on charges of murder and criminal conspiracy, police said.

Her husband Rai, accused of buying the pesticide that got mixed with the food, was on the run after the mid day meal tragedy and surrendered in court two months ago.

A forensic lab report confirmed traces of toxic insecticide were found in the cooking oil used for making food at the school, police said.

IANS

THE LIABILITY CLAUSE

Russian lawyers vet Kudankulam insurance package Russian company Rosatom are trying to finalise a commercial deal on the third and fourth nuclear reactors for the Kudamkulam plant.

MOSCOW: India’s civil nuclear liability clause is currently being discussed by Russian lawyers, especially India’s proposal for allowing an insurance package to address the concerns of Russia over the liability clause.

India has proposed the name of state-run General Insurance Corporation (GIC) as the insurance company with which Russia could work to quantify the risk amount for the Russian suppliers for units three and four of the Kudankulam civil nuclear power plant, an informed source told IANS. The Russian side need not accept GIC as the company for providing the risk cover. It can seek any other company too, including a Russian one, the source added.

GIC would suggest insurance rates for different components of the Russian reactors. While this

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could in push up the cost, but if there is no insurance claim then the Russian suppliers would get the money after the insurance period is over, another source said.

India’s Nuclear Power

Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) and Russian company Rosatom are trying to finalise a commercial deal on the third and fourth nuclear reactors for the Kudamkulam plant. Lawyers from India and Russia are negotiating over the deal now. The Indian side has passed on the proposal to Russia, which still has to take a call, said the source.

IANS

DIPLOMACY US rejects Sharif’s call to get involved on Kashmir

I

ndia and Pakistan’s dialogue on Kashmir is for those two countries to determine with each other,” Washington: Even before Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif landed here for a four-day visit, the US rejected out of hand his call for Washington to get involved to resolve the Kashmir issue.

“On Kashmir, our policy has not changed an iota,” a senior administration official said in a background conference call Sunday reiterating US’ oft-stated stand that Kashmir issue was a bilateral one between the two South Asian neighbours.

While it encouraged a dialogue between the two countries “the pace, scope, and character of India and Pakistan’s dialogue on Kashmir is for those two countries to determine with each other,” the official said.

The official was responding to comments made earlier

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Sunday by Sharif in London on way to Washington that even though India does not want it, world powers should get involved to resolve the Kashmir issue.

While the focus of the Obama-Sharif meeting would be bilateral relationship, including energy, economy and extremism, in addition to Afghanistan, the official said, “We expect India to come up at some point.”

“We have been very encouraged by steps that both India and Pakistan have taken,” he said terrorism IANS

9

News MONDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2013

THE PILGRIMS’ PROGRESS

ROYAL BABY

They tortured us with lies: ex-hostages The 11 Shi’ite men abducted by rebel fighters in northern Syria in May 2012 talk of how they were tortured by their abductors with lies of freedom.

MOHAMAD AL GHANDOUR feedback@postnoon.com BEIRUT: Lebanese ex-hostage Ali Termos says his Syrian rebel captors moved him 13 times during his 17-month ordeal, constantly stringing him along with the lie that freedom was hours away.

“My nerves were wrecked. I counted that we were moved 13 times, maybe more,” he said in his living room, hours after his release and return home late Saturday via Turkey.

“They told us we would be freed 100 times. But they were lying, they would move us and then there was no release. It tormented our morale,” he told AFP. Termos was among 11 Shiite men abducted by rebel fighters in northern Syria in May 2012 as they were returning from a pilgrimage to a Shiite sacred site in Iran along with female relatives.

They had travelled by bus through Turkey and were heading home when rebels fighting to oust the Syrian regime seized them just a short distance away from the border crossing into Lebanon.

The gunmen ordered all 11

Abbas Hammoud, one of the nine Lebanese pilgrims held hostage in Syria for 17 months, is welcomed by his mother Mayla Aldurr upon his arrival at his home in the city of Tyre. The nine Shiite arrived in Beirut overnight after being freed in an exchange that also released two Turkish Airlines pilots seized in Lebanon.

AFP/MAHMOUD ZAYYAT

Shiite male pilgrims off the buses but let the women continue on their journey. Two men were subsequently freed.

The nine others returned home at the weekend thanks to a deal mediated by Qatar and Turkey, which also led to the freedom of two Turkish pilots who had been seized in Beirut in August in a tit-for-tat abduction.

Ali Abbas had harsher words for his captors.

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“They are not Sunnis, or Shiites, or Christians or humans either,” said the young man who also returned home on Saturday after 17 months in captivity.

“You know psychological and moral abuse and undermining people’s dignity is worse than physical abuse,” he said.

“Our worst fear was fear itself,” Abbas added.

“Eleven of the sites they took us to were totally destroyed in bombardment and blasts and many times we thought the would kill us,” he added.

But both Termos and Abbas said they were not beaten or tortured by their captors.

Lebanese officials have said the men were freed on Friday and taken to Turkey.

Private christening for George DANNY KEMP feedback@postnoon.com LONDON: Britain’s Prince George, the son of Prince William and his wife Catherine, is to be christened on Wednesday in a private family ceremony far removed from the global media circus that surrounded his birth.

The Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, the head of the world’s Anglicans, will perform the christening at the Chapel Royal in St James’s Palace in London, Kensington Palace said.

George — who as third in line to the British throne is a AROUND THE

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future Supreme Governor of the Church of England and “Defender of the Faith” — was born on July 22 to the royal couple with the title of Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.

Guests are expected to include Queen Elizabeth II, the young prince’s greatgrandmother, and William’s father Prince Charles, although royal officials have only said that “close members of both families” will attend the baptism.

Kensington Palace, the couple’s official residence, said it was a “personal decision” to use the chapel for the service.

HOME IS NOT WHERE THE HEART IS

Family of Roma girl attacked in Kosovo The deportation of Leonarda and her family from France after being denied asylum had touched off mass student protests around the country, demanding that the Dibranis be allowed to return.

ISMET HAJDARI feedback@postnoon.com

The Dibranis family meet the press at their place after being escorted from the police station.

AFP/ARMEND NIMAN

KOSOVSKA MITROVICA: The family of a Roma schoolgirl — whose deportation from France caused an outcry — has been attacked in Kosovo, apparently over a private matter unrelated to their controversial French expulsion, police said.

Leonarda Dibrani, 15, and her family were confronted as they were walking in Kosovska Mitrovica, where they have been living since they were forced to leave France on October 9.

The girl’s mother, Xhemaili,

was slapped and taken to hospital, but her injuries were not serious, a police source who requested anonymity told AFP. Shortly after the incident a police officer said to AFP that “it AROUND THE

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shows that the Dibranis are not safe here”.

The deportation of Leonarda and her family from France after being denied asylum had touched off mass student protests around the country,

demanding that the Dibranis be allowed to return.

French President Francois Hollande said Leonarda could come back to France to continue her schooling, but without her family — an offer the teenager immediately refused.

Later on Sunday, the Dibranis renewed their plea to be allowed back into France, where they had lived for four years.

The results of a formal probe published in France on Saturday found that the deportation was lawful but that police could have used better judgement in the way they handled it.

10

News MONDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2013

THE SECRET LIFE OF LEMURS Each year that passes hastens the decline of the saucer-eyed animals, as the Indian Ocean island’s people struggle for survival amid a drawn-out political crisis.

Clock ticks for Madagascar’s lemurs

GAELLE BORGIA feedback@postnoon.com RANOMAFANA: Immortalised in the hit cartoon “Madagascar”, real-life lemurs face extinction within 20 years short of drastic action to tackle the poverty driving islanders to poach the primates and destroy their habitat.

Each year that passes hastens the decline of the saucer-eyed animals, as the Indian Ocean island’s people struggle for survival amid a drawn-out political crisis.

“As long as there is poverty, we can’t expect to prevent the lemurs’ extinction,” said primatologist Jonah Ratsimbazafy from the University of Antananarivo.

Cast as a lovable bunch in the “Madagascar” movies, lemurs occur in the wild only on the island, having evolved separately from their cousins the African ape over millions of years.

Madagascar is home to 105 AROUND THE

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different species of lemur, accounting for 20 percent of the world’s species of primate, in an area spanning less than one percent of the global habitat of all primates.

But crop burning and wildfires destroy 200,000 hectares of Madagascar’s forest a year. And the 13 percent of its natural forest that remains may disappear within a generation, according to Ratsimbazafy.

“If this rate of deforestation continues you could say that within 20 to 25 years there won’t be any forest left, so no lemurs either,” he said.

Ninety-three of the 105 known lemur species are on the endangered list.

Woodcutters hunt them for food An estimated 92 percent of

Madagascar’s people live on less than a $2 a day, and social conditions have worsened on the island since its leader Andry Rajoelina seized power in 2009 with the help of the army.

Most foreign aid was suspended, bringing the economy to its knees and putting the country at risk of a food crisis — a situation exacerbated by a locust plague this year.

The broke state has scheduled a presidential election for later this month aimed at ending the four-year political crisis.

The island’s blossoming tourist industry also suffered a blow this month following the mob lynching of two Europeans and a local man accused of killing a boy on the Madagascan tourist island of Nosy Be. The deadly riots sparked travel warnings from several countries including France and the United States.

Locals eke out a living where they can — including by looting precious woods, minerals and lemurs from the forest around them.

Small-scale woodcutters also hunt the animals for food while searching for rosewood, accord-

ing to Tovonanahary Rasolofoharivelo, another primate expert.

“Often they don’t bring enough to eat and woodcutting is hard work, so they eat lemur meat because the animals are easier to catch than birds.”

Gold-diggers are pushing into the forest too, chipping away at the lemur’s habitat.

Rangers have to travel far, often camping on the way, to

track the diggers, said a guide from the Ranomafana National Park in the southeast of the island.

“There are many gold prospectors in the park. You can earn up to 100,000 ariary ($46, 35 euros) per gram of gold,” said the guide, who asked not to be named.

And all the while, crop fields are steadily encroaching on the forest, a little more each year.

“In tropical countries like Madagascar the soil is very, very poor,” explained Ratsimbazafy.

“One year a farmer plants here, next year he moves, again, and again, and afterwards you have deforestation, the desert.”

A coalition of conservationist groups have launched an international campaign to raise around $8 million, in a do-or-die effort to reverse the trend.

The three-year programme aims to help provide alternative livelihoods for the local population, in addition to tourism and agricultural programmes that have been running for a few years.

“We try to finance moneygenerating activities like planting beans, and pig, chicken or fish

Wildfires destroy 200,000 hectares of Madagascar’s forest a year. And what remains may disappear within a generation. farming, so that people in the countryside stop destroying the forest,” said Benjamin Andriamihaja, local representative of the US-based Institute for the Conservation of Tropical Environments (ICTE).

“But it’s difficult to compensate for the lack of revenue of locals who don’t think longterm,” he added.

An international conference was held in August to discuss conservation strategies near the Ranomafana park.

These days, at the entrance of the 40,000-hectare reserve, tour guides and self-styled trackers sit waiting for tourists to arrive.

But their numbers have dwindled compared with a year ago, with small-scale smuggling simply a more lucrative option for many.

11

News MONDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2013

LIFE AFTER FUKUSHIMA

Powerplay in post-Fukushima Japan Last year, Tokyo introduced a scheme that guaranteed generating companies a premium for the electricity produced from renewable sources and forced the country's huge power monopolies to buy however much electricity was produced by green-energy plants over the next 20 years.

PATRICE NOVOTNY feedback@postnoon.com OHIRA: A remote Toyota plant in northeastern Japan bears few scars from the devastating quaketsunami more than two years ago that completely shut it down.

Employees roll out more than 100,000 Corolla and Yaris sedans a year and the factory looks like most operated by the world’s biggest automaker.

But the plant is unusual for something that cannot easily be seen: it produces its own power.

A gas-fired power system supplies 7,800 kilowatts of energy — about 70 percent of present needs — to help keep production moving, and virtually nothing is lost.

The factory recycles heat from the burning of gas and uses it to dry the paint on finished vehicles. Hot water from the gas turbine runs through pipes into a nearby greenhouse that grows green peppers, which will later be sold. Solar panels also supply some power to the plant.

The factory is tapped into the

local energy grid and could supply the nearby village of Ohira in case of another disaster.

“We produce electricity for us, but also emergency power for local businesses and the town,” said Toyota official Makoto Sogo, raising his voice above a deafening turbine.

That is a crucial change for the 5,600 residents of Ohira, in Miyagi prefecture, whose coastline was flattened by the monster waves that crashed ashore after a 9.0 magnitude earthquake in March 2011.

The twin disasters caused widespread power outages in communities such as Ohira and were quickly followed by the crisis at the Fukushima nuclear power plant, the worst atomic accident in a generation.

“Life just stopped after 2011,” said Ohira mayor Masahiro Atobe.

“So we wanted to avoid a repeat of this situation at all costs and make sure it never happens again.”

The changes at the Toyota plant earlier this year are one part

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of a post-disaster energy revolution in Japan.

With anti-nuclear sentiment running high and safety in question, Tokyo temporarily switched off the nation’s 50 reactors, which had once supplied about onethird of Japan’s power.

They remain offline but the ruling Liberal Democratic Party is pushing for restarts as Japan’s energy import bills soar.

The shutdown forced a countrywide rethink on energy use — and supply.

The Japanese government has stepped into the green power market to set minimum prices in a bid to encourage the sector.

Last year, Tokyo introduced a scheme that guaranteed generating companies a premium for the electricity produced from renewable sources and forced the country’s huge power monopolies to buy however much electricity was produced by green-energy

Pick

plants over the next 20 years.

The move was part of a plan to dramatically increase the amount of electricity from renewables — currently it is less than two percent — and reduce resource-poor Japan’s reliance on expensive imported fossil fuels.

The country is now on track to lead the solar energy market this year, some analysts say, while the world’s largest offshore wind farm is being built off the battered northeast coast.

In Miyagi, the self-sufficiency at Toyota’s plant means it could keep operating even in the event of another huge natural disaster, instead of grinding to a halt like it did in March 2011.

That was a fate suffered by many industrial plants across the country as local power utilities were pushed beyond their limits.

‘Dramatic’ changes to come Smaller producers are now cropping up with the government’s feed-in tariff for green energy suppliers helping to diversify power sources.

“After 2011 everyone started to realise that it was necessary to

at the

be dependent on oneself to a certain extent since the country has previously depended on big utilities,” said Takanobu Aikawa, an energy researcher at Mitsubishi UFJ Research and Consulting.

Toyota is not alone, with rival automakers also jumping into the power-producing field.

Honda’s plant in Yorii, northeast of Tokyo, is covered with solar panels and also has an onsite gas plant with a 2,600 kilowatt capacity.

Mitsubishi installed a mini gas plant at a Kyoto facility — following a request from the local power company.

A loosening of rules on purchasing electricity, which started in the late nineties, has paved the way for Nissan to flexibly buy power for four sites — including its Tokyo-area headquarters — from new producers as well as the long-standing utilities.

“The changes that have started will not stop so I expect the energy situation in Japan to change dramatically over the next 10 years,” said Mitsubishi’s Aikawa.

airport,

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News MONDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2013

SOCKING IT TO THE SYSTEM

The ‘booster’ sock gains mass appeal The socks provide calibrated pressure in the calf area so as to speed up circulation, unlike traditional products that placed pressure on the ankle.

FRANÇOIS-JEAN TIXIER feedback@postnoon.com LYON: It counted some of the world’s greatest sportsmen among its clients, from car racer Alain Prost to Zinedine Zidane, but the French maker of Booster sports socks, BV Sport, faced the classic challenge of conquering a mass market.

BV Sport began out of a collaboration in the early 1990s between Serge Couzan, a specialist in blood circulation problems associated with athletes, and doctor and Olympic ski champion Michael Prufer.

The two men developed gradual support socks — still patented today — that improve muscular performance and speed up recovery.

The socks provide calibrated pressure in the calf area so as to speed up circulation, unlike traditional products that placed pressure on the ankle.

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Quadruple Formula One champion Prost was one of the earliest converts to the socks.

“According to him, he won a tenth of a second for each lap” thanks to the comfort of the socks, said BV Sports chief executive Salvatore Corona.

The company also equipped the French football team that triumphed at the World Cup in 1998.

Despite Booster’s success, the company based in the Loire valley was going through a difficult period when Corona took over in 2007.

The company took in only 150,000 euros ($205,000) annually with just one multi-tasking employee.

Corona admitted he hesitated before taking the job.

‘Granny socks’ for athletes At first “I could not see the interest because, for me, ‘varicose veins stockings’ were for grannies.”

But then he realised his reaction was the problem the company needed to tackle with brand-

Eymeric Broussaud poses in his Broussaud Textiles socks factory in Les Cars, central France.

ing and marketing, and that there was incredible potential as the socks were at that point only being sold to professional athletes.

“When you have the knowhow you have to make it known.”

So, out with “stockings” and in with “Booster”. And their appearance was jazzed up with a more aesthetic design and a range of colours.

Corona’s strategy focused on making the socks accessible to the mass market and an advertising push, while still focusing on winning over professional athletes as trendsetters.

Supplying French football clubs helped BV Sport expand across the continent.

“When French footballers started to emigrate successfully

abroad, we entered into the big European clubs,” said Corona.

Lionel Potillon, a former footballer and now director at the French club Saint-Etienne, said he wore Booster for recovery.

“When you finish a match, putting on the recovery socks

accelerates and eases this process, especially as we spend a lot of time travelling on planes or buses,” he said.

“It has become indispensible when you know you will have to play every three days.”

BV Sport now supplies more

AFP/PASCAL LACHENAUD

than 2,500 elite athletes including 230 world or Olympic champions in various disciplines.

Today the company takes in four million euros a year and employs 25 people.

Originally it had outsourced all of its production, but around four years ago it brought the manufacturing of its key compression and support products, about 70 percent of its products, in-house to a site near SaintEtienne where it benefits from some tax exemptions.

“This doesn’t allow us to be competitive compared with those manufacturing in China,” acknowledged Corona.

However “Made in France” allows BV Sport “to keep quality at an extreme high level while retaining a minimum of competitiveness,” he said.

13

MONDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2013

Business

AT&T IN $4.85-BLN DEAL WITH CROWN CASTLE

AT&T, the largest US phone company, announced that it has agreed on a $4.85-billion deal to sell or lease 9,700 US wireless transmission towers to Crown Castle. That will make Crown Castle the biggest provider of shared wireless infrastructure in the US.

GRECIAN PAINS

LEW SLAMS SHUTDOWN

Privatisation could become a Greek tragedy After three years of effort, with paltry results, worries are growing on the wisdom of state asset sales made on the quick and on whether they will ultimately benefit Greeks themselves.

JOHN HADOULIS feedback@postnoon.com ATHENS: The approach of a new budget year in crisis-hit Greece has rekindled talk of more spending cuts, along with a renewed EU-IMF creditor push for a breakthrough in the country’s clogged-up privatisation programme.

But after three years of effort, with paltry results, worries are growing on the wisdom of state asset sales made on the quick and on whether they will ultimately benefit Greeks themselves.

Unions have long warned that the planned offloading of stakes in utility and transport companies will impose higher water and gas prices to a population already struggling through a six-year recession.

Wages have fallen by over 22 percent since 2010 according to state statistics, and unemployment has soared to over 27 percent of the active workforce.

Right now, the agency tasked with the privatisations, the problem-prone Hellenic Republic Asset Development Fund, is pushing a laundry list of Greek state holdings.

Up for sale: Greece’s main oil refiner, a cluster of land developments, a motorway, a dozen ports, the national post office and a trio of struggling defence and mining firms.

And reports last week said a plan to divest up to 55 percent of Athens International Airport was being sped up.

But economists are divided on the net effect of privatisations

carried out under time pressure and in a depressed market environment, with some critics fearing the potentially corrupting power of vested interests.

“The privatisation of ports and airports will help build credibility, create positive investor sentiment and, more importantly, will start delivering benefits in terms of quality services to the population,” said Gikas Hardouvelis, chief economist at Eurobank.

“The net sum for Greeks will be negative,” countered Costas Melas, a professor of economics at Athens’s Panteion University.

“When the troika leaves, the wealth of the Greek people will have sustained a major blow. Not only in terms of public corporations but also in terms of their own assets,” he said.

“Anything that moves, flies or walks in Greece has sustained a devaluation of 30 percent on

Unions have warned that the planned offloading of stakes in utility and transport companies will impose higher water and gas prices. average,” Melas told AFP. The privatisation programme is far behind schedule and planned sales have repeatedly been delayed.

Athens recently revised its estimated asset sales for this year down to 1.6 billion euros ($2.2 billion) from an initial target of 2.6 billion euros.

And in August, the privatisation agency’s head was sacked after travelling with a businessman who was part of a consortium which had just bought state gaming group OPAP for 652 mil-

lion euros.

The chairman job at the agency has already changed hands three times this year.

His removal was the second blow to Greece’s privatisation drive, following the sudden withdrawal in June of Russian gas giant Gazprom from a deal to buy the country’s state gas operator DEPA. Meanwhile, the OPAP deal has raised broader questions on whether standards are being compromised to secure a quick sale.

OPAP, in whose locations thousands of Greeks gamble everyday, is a key sponsor of the country’s football clubs, and the businessman who now partly owns the gaming company also controls AEK Athens, one of the most popular teams in the country.

A few days after the OPAP deal was announced, the gaming company announced a new AEK sponsorship of 1.9 million euros, a sum deemed overly generous for a club that was relegated to the third division this year over unpaid debts.

Questions on the issue were sent to the offices of the European commissioners for finance and competition, but there was no response.

HRADF likewise did not respond to a request for an interview. The OPAP case “proves that vested interests still operate, the economy is not free...or transparent”, said Melas, who also castigates a recent EU decision to approve a takeover by Greece’s Aegean Airlines of its main rival, Olympic.

GOLD`30980 10g SILVER `48,896 1kg

24C

for

for

DOLLAR `61.50 POUND `99.47

WASHINGTON: The recent US government shutdown and debt limit showdown bruised the nation’s economy and “can never happen again,” Treasury Secretary Jack Lew said in an interview. “We took an economy that is fighting hard to get good economic growth going, to create jobs for the American people, and took it in the wrong direction,” Lew said on NBC’s Meet the Press program.

He said borrowing costs went up and economic activity suffered after more than two weeks of a partial government shutdown, as the country came within hours of reaching its legal borrowing limit and defaulting on its debts.

NUMEROLOGY

$4.7

billion

is the amount of currency swap agreed between South Korea and Malaysia worth $4.7 billion, in a move to encourage bilateral trade.

JAPAN TRADE DEFICIT UP TOKYO: Japan’s trade deficit in September surged 64.1 per cent from a year earlier, extending its string of shortfalls to a record 15th consecutive month. A weaker yen has been helping Japan’s export picture, but the volume of shipments was down last month while the country’s energy bill remained high due to imports of pricey fossil fuels.

Energy imports surged after the 2011 Fukushima crisis forced the shutdown of Japan’s nuclear reactors.

The finance ministry said Japan recorded a trade deficit of $9.5 billion), well above a 568.2 billion yen deficit in the year earlier.

THUS SPAKE Job One for Apple is to get something out there on the large-size iPad that gets people excited, then the Mini needs to catch up with what everybody else has done.

STEPHEN BAKER, NPD ANALYST

BSE NSE

20,876.20 6.69

6,195.45 6.10

MONDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2013

Comment

HIGH-FLYING THOUGHTS General Abdel Fatah el-Sisi has been riding a popularity wave that could see him become president thanks to his hardline stance to the Muslim Brotherhood. The question is, what sort of a president will he be?

THE MALDIVES ISSUE

14

The banana republic?

ISLAND POLITICS AMAL JAYASINGHE I

T

he Maldives embraced multi-party democracy in 2008 hoping to emerge a modern nation. Five years on, there are fears the honeymoon islands are becoming a "banana republic" ready to implode.

The political crisis came to a head Saturday when police blocked elections designed to restore stability after the first democratically elected leader, Mohamed Nasheed, was toppled 20 months ago.

But observers say there should no surprise at the turmoil as key institutions are still run by followers of the country's long-time dictator who never accepted Nasheed's 2008 victory.

"After a long tradition of one-party rule, the Maldives is now fast becoming a banana republic," said regional defence analyst Iqbal Athas.

"My real fear is that all this political unrest can turn into violent chaos," added Athas, associate editor of the Colombo-based Sunday Times.

Athas said instability could have consequences for regional security because of the huge Indian Ocean trade.

The 1,192 tiny coral islands of the Maldives may be home to only 350,000 mainly Sunni Muslims.

But scattered some 850 kilo-

metres across the equator, they are an important location along east-west sea trade.

Pro-Western Nasheed, a former Amnesty International prisoner of conscience, was forced to resign following a mutiny by police who are still thought to be loyal to former autocrat Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, 75.

It was the same police force that prevented the independent Elections Commission from going ahead with Saturday's presidential poll, which Nasheed, 46, was widely expected to win.

Given that Nasheed was widely forecast to win an outright majority in Saturday's vote, its scuttling came as no surprise

with the Supreme Court having also played its role.

Nasheed's main challenger, Gayoom's half-brother Abdullah Yameen, was a distant second to Nasheed in a the first round of voting held on September 7.

But the result was annulled by the Supreme Court last month following allegations of irregularities in voter lists, although foreign monitors gave the polls a clean chit.

By stipulating that all candidates had to approve the voter lists, the court effectively gave Nasheed's challengers carte blanche to block a vote they were sure to lose.

"The problem with the Maldives is they adopted

Western-style democracy without proper institutions to support the transition," a Western diplomat accredited to the Maldives said.

Gayoom ruled the Maldives with an iron fist for 30 years until he lost the first multi-party election in 2008 to Nasheed.

Until then, it was an offence in the Maldives to put oneself forward as a presidential hopeful.

Despite the outward veneer of democracy, observers say Gayoom's supporters still control key levers of power such as the judiciary.

An exasperated Nasheed ordered the military to arrest a criminal court judge on charges of a politically motivated deci-

sion in 2011.

The move backfired leading to a police mutiny that eventually forced him to resign and later say he was ousted in a coup.

Nasheed's then deputy, Mohamed Waheed took over the leadership and was seen by Western and Asian diplomats as Gayoom's puppet.

"Gayoom has his tentacles everywhere in the administration so he can still call the shots from behind the scenes," said another Colombo-based diplomat.

"He built a formidable machinery in the three decades he was in office."

The outgoing Waheed's regime is trying Nasheed for ordering the incarceration of a judge accused of corruption. He was allowed to run for president only after intense international pressure to ensure an "inclusive election".

If convicted, Nasheed faces up to three years in jail or banishment to a remote island.

Nasheed has long feared Gayoom loyalists would do whatever they could to prevent him returning to power.

"They do not want me to be president," Nasheed told AFP in an interview last year.

"You can bring down a dictator in a day, but it can take years to stamp out the remnants of his dictatorship."

Despite the turmoil, the country has so far this year attracted nearly one million tourists to its pristine beaches and turquoise seas.

EDITORIAL

Devil quoting the Bible?

S

tupidity has no limits. Take the latest instance. India’s Home Minister sends a directive to all states asking them not to ‘harass innocent Muslim youths’ as if all states had been grossly torturing ‘innocent Muslim men’ while serving other communities. Only in India it can happen where a union minister takes a blatantly communal line to gather votes of a community. And now the same party is talking of a communal violence bill!

One could say, Devil quoting Bible.

READERS’ VIEWS

Look how the BJP leader Shahnawaz Hussain drilled a big hole in the Congress ploy. He said, “17,000 riots took place under the Congress rule, what Communal Violence Bill will they bring?” He said it. If there is any single party that is squarely to be blamed for communalising the polity, it is the Congress party which ruled most part of independent India. This party alone has gone into outrageous stance that minority communalism is less evil than majority communalism. This kind of

skewed thinking which JL Nehru initiated into the Indian polity keeps claiming its pound of flesh. India is bleeding with avoidable communal tension kicked up by the pseudo secularists who included besides Congress, SP, BSP, RJD etc. It is a shame we have no tall politician who could rise above petty electoral politics. The only one who did this was Indira Gandhi who had a pan-India appeal and never indulged in naked communalism as the present-day political mackerels do.

Unless India produces a Winston Churchill who calls a spade a spade, there is little we can hope for. Till such a tall figure emerges, what we can do is to reject the Congress double-face and tell it like the Muslim leader Madani said in Delhi—for god’s sake don’t raise the bogey of Modi. Bring positive agenda and ask for votes.

Madani did his job, his dharma while thousand other Mulsim leaders are keeping mum to share the spoils of office.

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

15

MONDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2013

campus INTERNSHIP

HANDS-ON TRAINING

As the global economy becomes competitive, the competition for good jobs continues to surge. Hence, building a network of "who you know" through internships can pay great dividends upon completion of the course.

MEENAKSHISENGUPTA feedback@postnoon.com

IMPORTANCE OF AN INTERNSHIP

In the current epoch, students are increasingly opting for internships before they join the corporate world — whether by choice, or because the internship forms a compulsory component of their academic course. Doing an internship is a great way to learn about what you want out of your career and a way of getting your foot in the door when the time comes to apply Rohan Gaikwad for a fulltime job at a company. Whether you’re a college student trying to get work experience or considering a career change altogether, an internship can help you get an edge in the marketplace, an excellent way to start networking.

Internships are a proven way to gain relevant knowledge, skills, and experience while establishing important connections in the chosen field.

Therefore, college-goers are now looking at bagging internships at reputed organisations.

“The biggest advantage of an internship is that it allows students to take a peek into the corporate setting,” says Pranav Rathod, an intern in Amazon.

Priya Dutta, a mass communication student says, “Though we do receive ample guidance on writing news reports and covering local news, nothing can match the experience of working in the field.

Internships not only give us first-hand experience on the job, but also provide practical exposure.”

B u t why have part-time j o b s become u n c o o l among college stud e n t s ?

"The priPranav Rathod

mary reason is that internships are more b e n e fi c i a l in the long run, especially if we happen to Divya Iyer undergo training at a place where we want to work in the future.

There are lot of internships in which we don’t get paid but surely we get paid in experience” asserts Rohan Gaikwad, a nautical technology student, who is all set to intern in Maersk. Divya Iyer feels the same,she says, “One can learn so much during an internship which will surely help us in the long run. The hands on assignments gave me a real feel of what is like to work for a radio station,” she is currently interned in Radio Mirchi.

BUILDING CONTACTS

An internship helps students and freshers alike to build industry contacts, an opportunity to do something out of the ordinary. “I am doing my marketing internship in Lodha

Constructions wherein I am helping them in the launch of a new projectas well as getting a chance to meet many high profile people and improve my formal skills. This internship would be helpful in my MBA

too and it’s a good use of my time too as I am earning and having fun at the s a m e time,” says a com- Varun Naidu merce student Varun Naidu.

An internship can also be a stepping stone to landing a fulltime job. Sure, an internship will not be all hunky-dory.

Freshers may be left baffled or confused by the working of the organisation or make mistakes out of inexperience.

The work assigned may be limited or too complex. Interns should take these challenges as a learning opportunity, and make great efforts to overcome it. After all, that's where the real enrichment lies.

18

MONDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2013

spotlight GLAMOUR & GLORY

Fashion elite Fashion followers trooped to Taj Krishna where Fashion Yatra was organised.

Seen were Manjula Narsa, Kamini Saraf and others.

EMBELLISHED ENSEMBLES

Silk of India exhibition was launched at Sri Satya Sai Nigamagamam, Sri Nagar Colony on Sunday. The expo is on till October 27th.

MUSICAL JOYRIDE

Music lovers had a rollicking time at Hitex where talented duo Vishal-Shekhar performed. Hyderabadis were treated to bollywood's latest numbers at the event.

19

MONDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2013

health OSTEOPOROSIS

Bone diseases among women is a common occurrence, but of late osteoporosis, is fast affecting men, mostly after they turn 60, experts opine.

Not just women; men too get affected by bone diseases

BY SHRADHA CHETTRI steoporosis, which was earlier associated with women, has now risen among men as well. The problem affects them mostly after they reach the age of 60 years and above,” Hemant Gopal, consultant (Rheumatology) at the Max Super Speciality Hospital in Shalimar Bagh, explained.

Osteoporosis occurs when there is a loss in the peak bone mass and loss of calcium, leading to hip, knee and shoulder fractures.

Osteoporosis is ranked as the second most common healthrelated risk in the world after coronary heart disease. Around 93 per cent of women are aware of it, but of them, only eight to 10 per cent know they have it.

It is estimated that there

“O

would be around 36 million people suffering from the disease by the end of 2013.

“The development of the bone mass occurs between the age of 15 to 25 years. However, these days, with changes in lifestyle, less physical activity leads to bone problems at a later age,” Gopal added.

Experts feel physical exercise should be done in the right manner, with focus on activities like jumping, running and walking.

“When one is jumping, the load falls on the body and it is useful in developing bone mass.

The load should fall on the hand, knees, joints so that they grow stronger,” Dhananjay Gupta, of the orthopedics department at Fortis Hospital, said.

A deficiency of vitamin D and lack of mineral-rich food are the other causes of calcium loss

in the bones. For this, doctors advise exposure to sun.

Similarly, people suffering from arthritis, liver diseases or who sweat excessively too are prone to bone diseases, doctors said.

“The patients who are on steroids should stop this if they are diagnosed with osteoporosis.

Patients who are on long-term medication for conditions like epilepsy should also immediately consult doctors as the steroids for these diseases lead to tremendous calcium loss in the bones,”

Gupta added.

Ironically, the symptoms of osteoporosis are present in the body long before one gets to know about the problem. And the realization comes when the bones start fracturing.

“Some fractures may escape detection for years. The patients may not be aware of their osteoporosis problem until they suffer painful fractures so we strictly advise people above the age of 35 years to go for a routine bone density check up, “ said Rajeev K. Sharma, senior orthopedic and joint replacement surgeon, Apollo Hospital.

Doctors said as part of the aging process, both men and women lose their bone density by 0.3 to 0.5 per cent after the age of 35.

“People who consume alcohol and smoke cigarettes (which are high calcium stealers) run a

higher risk of acquiring bone diseases. Quitting is the best option than to suffer from fractures later in life,” Sharma added.

With physiotherapy being the treatment for osteoporosis, many rehabilitation centres have come up in the capital to provide effective treatment.

“The services that we offer are orthopedic rehabilitation, back-and-neck pain therapy, pain management, medical fitness and osteoporosis program,” said Gerd Mueller, managing director, Aktiv Ortho, which has introduced state-of-the-art, German designed rehabilitation equipment together with a team of experienced and certified medical professionals.

In sum, doctors said that both men and women should exercise and eat healthy to avoid bone diseases at a later stage.

IANS

20

MONDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2013

Technology US HEALTH SECTOR

The US government’s healthcare.gov website launched on October 1 was supposed to spearhead President Barack Obama’s sweeping health care reform. But the websites have struggled with overloads, glitches and crashes, in a big embarrassment for the program.

Obamacare’s tech pains MARTIN DE MONTVALON feedback@postnoon.com WASHINGTON: Technical problems have hobbled the website design to sign up millions of uninsured Americans for health care, but they have largely been overshadowed by a 16-day government shutdown.

The government’s healthcare.gov website launched on October 1 was supposed to spearhead President Barack Obama’s sweeping health care reform, known as Obamacare.

The federal website serves 36 states, with the 14 other US states managing the system locally with their own websites.

But the websites have struggled with overloads, glitches and crashes, in a big embarrassment for the program.

“What breaks my heart... we’re overshadowing how badly Obamacare has been rolled out,” Republican Senator Lindsey Graham told ABC television’s “This Week” program.

Until Congress ended the federal government shutdown in an eleventh-hour vote late Wednesday, the budget and debt crisis that paralyzed Washington

largely obscured the health reform’s troubled debut, even as Republican lawmakers were fighting to have it overturned.

“Government shutdown: Obamacare dodges a bullet,” the Los Angeles Times summed it up in a headline earlier this week.

The site launch was a “gargantuan failure,” said health industry consultant Bob Laszewski of Health Policy and Strategy Associates.

He estimated that during the federal website’s first two weeks, only 10,000 Americans enrolled for insurance, with the websites in states handling their own exchanges getting mixed results.

According to The Washington Post, about 185,000 people had signed up by Wednesday on the state-based exchanges.

That’s a far cry from the seven million Americans expected to enroll within the first year, according to estimates by the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office.

And more than 50 million Americans lack health care overall.

“The health insurance industry is shocked and extremely concerned,” Laszweski told AFP.

“These people who are enrolling are their customers and (insurance companies) are very concerned that there will be service problems as we go forward and that they will be blamed for it... They are the ones that would have to lose the money.”

Amid all the criticism, the Obama administration has so far refused to reveal how many Americans have signed up for insurance on its website, promising monthly data starting next month.

“This is one of the largest and most complex things we have ever done. Typically, a company launches a project like this in a city, then a few cities,” said independent technology analyst Jeff Kagan.

“They figure out what doesn’t work right and they fix it before they roll it out nationwide. Why the government thinks it doesn’t have to follow the same rules of common sense is a mystery.”

Laszweski warned that unless the Obama administration moves fast to fix the technological glitches, people will lose confidence in Obamacare and the program could fold.

“Only the sickest people, who

are willing to put up with all of the problems — wait online for the website, wait on the phone for hours — only the sickest people will sign up for the program and there won’t be enough healthy people signing up to pay the costs of the unhealthy people,” he said.

“The range of possibilities is anything between they get it fixed shortly to problems causing the entire program to collapse.”

But White House spokesman Jay Carney stressed that Obama’s reform extends far beyond the websites, and claimed that healthcare.gov had seen more than 17 million unique visitors since its launch.

“Although the glitches are unacceptable, so is the idea of leaving millions of Americans on their own, including families across the country who now have access to health care that they did not have,” he said.

“Despite the glitches that we acknowledge and that absolutely must be fixed, people are getting on and enrolling. They are finding an enormous array of options available to them that weren’t available to them in the past.”

Obamacare supporters recall

that major social programs such as Medicare health coverage for the elderly and Medicaid for the poor also faced difficulties at first but have since known solid success.

Aneesh Chopra, Obama’s former chief technology officer, said the administration had expected about 60,000 people to sign up for an account — and ended up getting about 250,000.

“They’re looking to find ways to expand that capacity at that account creation step. It will be resolved over the next several weeks. I’m very confident of that,” he told CNN. “Hopefully, this will be a footnote in the challenges when we look back on the process.”

On the very day the site launched, Obama pointed to tech giant Apple as an example.

“Consider that just a couple of weeks ago, Apple rolled out a new mobile operating system,” he said.

“And within days, they found a glitch, so they fixed it. I don’t remember anybody suggesting Apple should stop selling iPhones or iPads — or threatening to shut down the company if they didn’t.”

21

MONDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2013

Entertainment BIDDING ADIEU

RICHA TO TAKE A BREAK

A

ll you Richa Gangopadhyay, we have sad news for you... The actress is considering taking a long break from movies.

She was in the US for the last couple of weeks figuring out her studies plan. And then after getting back, she drops the bomb. She tweeted, “I was thinking deeply for the last one year if I want to just continue doing films or pick up my studies in the US where I left off when I moved to India in 2008 to try my luck in films. I intentionally did not want to sign other films after Bhai (Telugu) this year, even though I have been getting many offers, as I did not want to leave the projects midway. I am taking a break from acting for a while to finish up my studies and even pursue higher studies in the US. I am not quitting films, just prioritising academics at this juncture in my life”.

During the time she was part of the movie industry, she acted in Tamil, Telugu and Bengali movies. Her hits include Mayakkam Enna and Osthe.

CINE BYTES

Allari Naresh plays dual role in Kalakalappu remake

T

elugu remake of Tamil super hit Kalakalappu will star Allari Naresh. He will be appearing in a dual role in it. The new film was launched in Chennai. While the Tamil version had two male lead characters, Naresh is playing both roles himself for the Telugu version, which is being directed by E Sattibabu. Ambika Krishna is producing it.

1 Bangkok schedule completed

M

ahesh Babu’s most awaited movie this year 1-Nenokkadine has completed its Bangkok schedule. The team was in Bangkok for over a month filming action sequences.

Kriti Sanon is making her debut as a heroine in the movie and Devi Sri Prasad is composing the music.

Ajith is happy with Arrambam

A

fter Ajith saw the final copy of Arrambam, the actor hugged and praised the director Vishnuvardhan and thanked him for giving him a ‘Big’ film like this.

The movie that is releasing on Oct 30 was okayed by the censor board with U certificate. Ajith saw the final censor copy at a special screening of the film in a prominent preview theater in Chennai.

22

Entertainment MONDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2013

MODERN MUJRA

CINE BYTES

PRIYANKA says her Ram Leela item song is modern mujra

Festivity at home everyday due to AbRam: SRK

S

uperstar Shah Rukh Khan, who was recently blessed with baby boy AbRam through surrogacy, says every day sees festivity at home because of AbRam. "Everyday is special after AbRam has come home. His health is good now and I am really happy for him. Everyday is festivity at home because of AbRam," SRK told reporters at an event. IANS

A

ctress Priyanka Chopra, who has done an item song in Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Ram Leela, describes it as a modern mujra which has Indian vibes with a western touch.

"The song is very different and special because I am a huge fan of Mr Bhansali.

It's a modern mujra which you all have not seen for a long time. It's a mujra, but modern. It's got Indian music and vibes, but still western and contemporary.

“It has got a different look, different form of dancing and I didn’t have time to rehearse. I used to rehearse at night," Priyanka told reporters here.

Aishwarya Rai was reportedly approached for the item song before Priyanka.

Ram Leela features Ranveer Singh and Deepika Padukone in the lead. IANS

Lata gets first Yash Chopra Award

I

n a tribute to the legendary filmmaker Yash Chopra on the eve of his first death anniversary, melody queen Lata Mangeshkar was conferred the first Yash Chopra Memorial Award at a glittering function. Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting Manish Tewari presented the award late Saturday.

IANS

I want to experiment on Nach Baliye 6: Gurmeet

T

V actor Gurmeet Choudhary, the winner of dance reality show Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa 5, is all set for another dance competition with Nach Baliye 6. "For the first time we are dancing together and I am sure the audience will love it. The second thing is that since I won Jhalak..., people know that I am good at dancing so they must be expecting something new and that's a challenge for us," Gurmeet said. IANS

Entertainment MONDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2013

23

Entertainment MONDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2013

24

25

Entertainment MONDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2013

ALL IN A DAY’S WORK

I wanted to feed co-stars with pasta:

JENNIFER GARNER

A

ctress-producer Jennifer Garner says she wanted to feed Matthew McConaughey a "big bowl of pasta" while shooting their new movie The Dallas Buyers Club because he lost 50 pounds for his role.

The 43-year-old lost 50 pounds for his role as an AIDS victim campaigning for proper healthcare in the new drama and his co-star admits it was upsetting to see him and fellow actor Jared Leto, who also lost weight for his role in the film, in such frail conditions. ''It was shocking and upsetting and really hard to see ... I wanted to feed them a bowl of pasta,” contactmusic.com quoted Garner as saying.

IANS

CINE BYTES Action is fun: Jason Statham

A

ctor Jason Statham thinks action scenes are "a lot of fun" despite injuries. The Hummingbird actor does his own stunts and admits while he often gets hurt, it's more enjoyable than relying on a stuntman. “It's part of the job.

Coalminers get dirty, I get hurt! It looks serious, but it's actually a lot of fun,” he said.

IANS

What keeps Kim's face clean?

S

ocialite Kim Kardashian keeps her skin glowing by regularly getting her face "vacuumed" and undergoing mushroom facials.

The 32-year-old, who has four-month-old daughter North with partner Kanye West, undergoes a regular procedure to keep her skin glowing.

IANS

Tom Welling and wife to divorce

T

here are some things even Superman can't fix.

Smallville star Tom Welling, 36, is getting a divorce.

The actor's wife, Jamie White Welling, filed documents in Los Angeles on Wednesday to end their 10-year marriage, PEOPLE has confirmed.

White Welling, a model, cites irreconcilable differences as the reason for their split and is asking for spousal support.

MONDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2013

Chai Time

THOUGHT OF THE DAY

“Happiness cannot be traveled to, owned, earned, or worn. It is the spiritual experience of living every minute with love, grace & gratitude.”

-Denis Waitley

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 Where vows are exchanged 6 Coolidge’s vice president Charles 11 NFL signal-callers 14 River to the English Channel 15 Battery terminal 16 Abu Dhabi’s country, for short 17 Antarctic bird 19 Be on the side of caution?

20 PC linkup letters 21 LLC, in the U.K. 22 One of the Siamese twins 23 Dance in the streets 27 What Ray Lewis played 29 Zsa Zsa’s sister 30 Tears 32 Brown building?

33 Pulp fiction gumshoe 34 Agitated fits 36 Protests gone awry 39 Writing liquids 41 “Do well!”

43 Abbr. that can replace a lot of things 44 “No Country for Old Men” codirector Coen 46 Sounder of mind 48 Artist’s choice 49 “It’s a pity!”

51 Truth or ___ 52 Do the final step of 53 Glue relatives 56 Passes on, as wisdom 58 Abraham found one caught in a thicket 59 Significant time in history 60 All eternity, poetically 61 “Hail, Caesar!”

62 Child born May 1, 2002, on Nov. 1, 2012 68 A pop 69 It comes before penta70 Cake section

71 Serpentine letter 72 Leg of a military march 73 Court reporter, e.g.

DOWN

1 “What would you like to know?”

2 Wahine’s gift 3 Type of foil or can 4 ___-Saxon 5 Auto mechanics’ jobs 6 John’s “Blues Brothers” co-star 7 Director Lee 8 “___ you mind?”

9 Corrected, as text 10 Summon 11 Beloved figure in England 12 Tractor shelters 13 Material that’s worsted for wear?

18 California oak 23 Adjust one’s shoelace 24 Happening 25 Sidewalk destroyers 26 Cinematic spectacles 28 U.S.-Canada border lake 31 Home extension?

35 Six-Day War battleground 37 “In your face!” is one 38 Coasters with runners 40 Shopper’s incentive 42 Named formally 45 “No, No” girl of Broadway 47 Undoes, as an amendment 50 Area between curbs 53 ___ myrtle (shrub) 54 Downspout sites 55 Present-day hero?

57 One who’s attained Nirvana 63 Renowned Dadaist Jean 64 “Sorry, laddie” 65 “Got it,” to a tar or gob 66 Dawson or Deighton 67 Big round hairdo, in slang

Chai Time MONDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2013 Thiruvaikumar

STAR POWER for 22-10-2013

27

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

ARIES

TAURUS

GEMINI

CANCER

LEO

VIRGO

LIBRA

SCORPIO

SAGITTARIUS

CAPRICORN

AQUARIUS

PISCES

Avoid unwanted discussion and dispute with neighbour. Money may not come by from the expected sources. Your wishes will get fulfilled after facing minor hurdles. Persons of other region will help you. You will always keep your efforts live.

STRIP TEASE AGNES

Good efforts will fetch you the desired results. Some might undertake a pilgrimage. Those disturbed for not having a job will receive favourable news.

Happy events are to take place at home. Businessmen will be poured with good orders.

You might be disappointed as expected good news is not received. Children will co-operate with you very well. Try not to interfere in others’ personal issues as you might repent for the same later. Good effects might get delayed.

Court verdict delay will make you upset. Marriage talks might hit a road block. Avoid unwanted arguments at workplace as both superior and colleagues might turn against you.

Wasteful expenditure will make you upset.

You will complete all work which others could not complete. Long pending court issue will come to a favourable end. You will be straight forward and never allow anyone to commit mistakes.

Though expenses are more, sufficient inflow is also there.

Those trying to change their present job will get a good and suitable alternative. Employees might be favoured with promotion or pay hike. Debt issues will be under good control. Couple will be more affectionate towards each other.

Helps and financial assistance will come by from all the expected sources. You will be attending get together at your VIP friends’ place and feel cheerful by meeting various persons. Your stock is set to pile up.

Children will make you happy and proud. Avoid trying mew methods in business at least for the time being. Businessmen will be happy as they will be able to collect written off old dues successfully. Blood relatives might create tension.

Be polite with all and be in good harmony. Controversial stand might spell trouble to you.

Avoid sharing important secrets to any third person including your own and close friends and relatives. Health looks alright.

Work will get a little delayed.

TAROT READ

Sumaa Tekur

tarotreadhyd@gmail. com

ARIES:

GEMINI:

Five of Cups – Take help from seniors in order to fine tune your plan and get assurance that you’re on the right track.

Pay attention to useful pointers.

LEO:

Nine of Pentacles – Someone around you is coming across as quite a dictator. It is annoying you because you’re unable to do anything about it. Don’t react!

LIBRA:

PEARLS BEFORE SWINE

Four of Wands – Your biggest strength is that you have a choice. You are able to pick and choose from many options. So, don’t blame anyone else.

SAGITTARIUS:

Seven of Pentacles – It is possible to undo the damage no matter what people tell you. People make mistakes all the time. You should be able to correct it.

TAURUS:

The Empress – No point burning the midnight oil without knowing that your hard work is in the right direction. Make a plan, first. Then, test your plan.

CANCER:

Justice – While working on a project, focus on the overview to keep a track of where you’re headed. You tend to get carried away with the details often.

VIRGO:

Queen of Wands – There is no obligation that you need to do as is exactly told to you. Think for yourself and be confident that you are capable of right action.

SCORPIO:

Two of Swords – Get into doing volunteer work.

There will be opportunities to meet new people. This will enable you to get new perspective on an issue.

CAPRICORN:

Three of Swords – You have to do a little extra and work harder to get closer to your dreams. Rather than simply sitting still and waiting for things to come.

PREVIOUS SOLUTIONS

PISCES:

Five of Swords – This is a difficult time at work.

People are going to be tough on you. You have it tough both from subordinates and from the bosses.

NUMBER GAME

Swords – A glass of whiskey may have the ability to reduce your stress to some extent. But it also harms your body in the long run. Take a call.

SCRABBLE

AQUARIUS: Queen of

POOCH CAFE

Your influence is set to increase. Your suggestions and advises are well accepted by everyone. Govt. works will end smoothly and in a faster pace.

Loans applied for purchase of house or vehicle will get sanctioned.

for 22-10-2013

Queen of Pentacles – Material concerns are taking your mind away from the larger questions, which may eventually not matter.

Consider your options for the future.

NON SEQUITUR

Be careful while driving as chance of minor accident likely.

Take care of mother’s health well. Avoid harsh talks as you might be misunderstood. Good events to take place at home which will keep the family members cheerful.

SUDUKO

Promotion or pay hike on cards for the employees. You will fulfill wishes of your children and make them very happy.

Problem likely through women and hence be careful. Father’s health may be a cause for concern.

Boggle TUBA BUGLE CORNET TRUMPET TROMBONE Vol: 3, No 89 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 MONDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2013

OUT IN THE OPEN

CINE BYTES

JIM PARSONS OPENS UP FOR THE FIRST TIME ABOUT HIS LOVE LIFE

J

im Parsons and his longtime boyfriend Todd Spiewak may have been given the Inspiration Award last night by LGBT young advocacy group GLESN, but the 40-year-old Big Bang Theory star insists the two have done nothing extraordinary. "If we're inspiring at all, it's that we're a very average normal just moving right along with our lives kind of people," Parsons said on the red carpet at the Beverly Hills Hotel before he and Spiewak were presented the award by the actor's Big Bang costar Mayim Bialik. "That doesn't feel like you could possibly be inspirational when you're going through those day-to-day motions, but I get it."

The night's event marked the first time Parsons and graphic designer Spiewak have talked publicly about their relationship and posed and did interviews together on a red carpet. (Parsons has thanked Spiewak during acceptances speeches at awards shows like the Emmys.)

James Franco eyes Broadway debut

A

ctor James Franco is set to make his Broadway debut in a new production of Of Mice and Men. The 35-year-old will play one of the lead roles in the stage production, based on John Steinbeck's classic 1937 novel.

Of Mice and Men will tell the story of two brothers who travel across California seeking field work during the Great Depression. IANS

Jackie supports wildlife campaign

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ctor Jackie Chan is helping to campaign against ivory hunting by throwing his support behind a documentary examining the slaying of elephants and rhinos for their tusks and horns. Gambling on Extinction, a Canadian and German production, follows German filmmaker Jakob Kneser across Africa and Southeast Asia to investigate the illegal trade of wildlife products. IANS

Oprah Winfrey to auction personal items for charity

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hat show queen Oprah Winfrey is auctioning personal items from her various residences for charity. The collectables include signed poster prints from her movies, a marble bathtub and a doll. The 59-year-old is hoping to raise funds for her Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy Foundation College Fund, which benefits graduates of her school for girls in Africa as they try to get into universities around the world. IANS

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MONDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2013

SKATE AMERICA

Asada wins Skate America title Asada's win completed the Japanese double after Tatsuki Machida claimed the men's title on Saturday.

DETROIT: Two-time world champion Mao Asada won the Skate America title, finishing first in Sunday's ladies' free skate to beat runner-up Ashley Wagner at the Joe Louis Arena.

Asada's win completed the Japanese double after Tatsuki Machida claimed the men's title on Saturday.

World champions Tatiana Volosozhar and Maxim Trankov set a pairs world record as they successfully defended their Skate America title.

The 23-year-old Asada has now won gold at each of the six Grand Prix events and the Grand Prix Final.

A 2008 and 2010 world champ, she also finished first in Saturday's short programme.

Asada was far from perfect Sunday but impressed the judges enough with her jumps, landings and footwork to post the victory.

She lost points because of a fall on her triple axel and for

Asada was far from perfect Sunday but impressed the judges enough with her jumps, landings and footwork to post the victory. two-footing a landing on her triple lutz but she made up for it with her technical difficulty.

Asada finished with 204.55 points, compared to Wagner's 193.81. Third place went to 14year-old Russian Elena Radionova with 183.95. The former world junior champion was taking part in her first Grand Prix skate.

Reigning USA champ Wagner skated to "Romeo and Juliet." She began her free skate with a successful triple flip-triple toe -- her second clean tripletriple of the weekend.

SWIMMING WORLD CUP

France smash relay world record The final time of 1:39.54 seconds slashed 2.16sec from the previous mark set by Russia in Moscow last weekend.

DOHA: France broke the eightday-old mixed 4x50m medley relay world record on the opening night of the Doha leg of short-course World Cup on Sunday.

The French quartet of Jeremy Stravius, Giacomo Perez Dortona, Melanie Henique and Anna Santamans used the strategy of opening a lead with both male swimmers first up, and it worked out well.

The final time of 1:39.54 seconds slashed 2.16sec from the previous mark set by Russia in Moscow last weekend.

There was the usual gold rush for South Africa's Chad le Clos, compatriot Roland Schoeman and Hungary's Katinka Hosszu who all won twice.

The 21-year-old le Clos, who beat Michael Phelps in the 200m butterfly in 2012 Olympics, decided to add the 400m individual medley to his schedule in Doha, and was a comfortable

winner at 4:03.23.

Hungary's David Verraszto was second in 4:03.95. Tunisia's Ous Mellouli was third.

Le Clos then returned for his favourite event -- the 200m butterfly -- and even though he was nowhere close to his Dubai tim-

ing three days ago, he had no trouble in edging out Poland's Pawel Korzeniowski.

Le Clos' timing was 1:50.39.

The South African superstar was then beaten to silver in the 50m butterfly by Schoeman, who also snatched the gold in the 50m

breaststroke.

Schoeman, acknowledged as one of the finest sprinters in the world, was a class apart from the field as he won the breaststroke in 25.89sec.

France's Florent Manaudou followed him to second place at 26.54sec.

And even le Clos wasn't much of a challenge in butterfly as Schoeman cruised home in 22.30sec, 0.11sec ahead of his compatriot.

Hosszu, the overall winner of the World Cup last year, won two golds -- in the 200m freestyle (1:53.53) and in the 200m individual medley (2:05.45).

Among other winners were Russian Vladimir Morozov (100m freestyle), American Tom Shields (100m backstroke), Aussies Robert Hurley (400m freestyle) and Kenneth To (100m individual medley), Great Britain's Michael Jamieson (200m breaststroke) and Alia Atkinson of Jamaica (100m breaststroke).

"I am someone that needs to be taken into consideration," Wagner said.

"This is a great start and a great way for me to evaluate where I am compared to the rest of the world. I have a lot of work to do before Sochi but I think I am on the way up."

Russian pair Volosozhar and Trankov finished with a total of 237.71 points to easily beat Kirsten Moore-Towers and Dylan Moscovitch of Canada, who scored 208.45, in the first of the six-leg ISU Figure Skating Grand Prix season.

Another Russian pair, Ksenia Stolbova and Fedor Klimov (187.35), finished third.

Reigning world champions Meryl Davis and Charlie White won the ice dance competition on Saturday. They took home the title with 188.23 points. The victory extended their winning streak to 13 consecutive ISU Grand Prix events.

WORLD WEIGHTLIFTING Yayun opens China’s account WROCLAW: Tan Yayun gave China their first gold of the world weightlifting championships on Sunday, winning the women's under 48kg category. The Chinese lifter managed 84kg in the snatch, and then lifted 115kg in the clean and jerk to end the competition with a total of 199kg.

Olympic bronze medallist Ryang Chun Hwa of North Korea took silver with 186kg (81/105) and Mexican Carolina Valencia Hernandez third, 181kg (78/103).

China are looking to consolidate their status as favourites after winning five gold medals at the 2012 Olympics and four titles at the last worlds.

But the Chinese must be wary of the Russians who are gunning for a title after going home without an Olympic gold and the Kazakhs — winners of four Olympic titles.

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MONDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2013

ETHIOPIAN MARATHON

Ethiopia stages first international marathon

JENNY VAUGHAN feedback@postnoon.com HAWASSA: The sun had barely risen but the cool morning air was buzzing with excitement: 350 participants had gathered in Ethiopia, the land of runners, for the country’s first international marathon organised by athletics legend Haile Gebrselassie.

Sunday’s race, which drew 150 elite Ethiopian athletes and about 150 foreign “fun runners”, promises to boost professionalism in a country that has produced scores of world-class runners, many of whom started running barefoot along dusty country roads.

“Believe me, we can produce more big names, we can produce more marathon runners, more Olympic champions, world champion and world record holders,” said Gebrselassie, twotime marathon record-breaker and 10,000 Olympic champion.

Race organisers sought to draw Ethiopia’s top athletes to the race in Hawassa, 275 kilometres (170 miles) south of Ethiopia’s capital, by offering the largest cash prize in Ethiopian racing history — close to $5,300 (3,855 euros) each for the top man and woman competitors.

The marathon is part of an

Sunday's race, which drew 150 elite Ethiopian athletes and about 150 foreign ‘fun runners’, promises to boost professionalism in a country that has produced scores of world-class runners, many of whom started running barefoot along dusty country roads.

overall boost to Ethiopian athletics, which in the past two years has been bolstered by new world-class training centres and a series of competitive races that have drawn crowds from around

the world.

“Two years ago there was nothing here, athletes they wanted to come to Ethiopia to train there was no facility,” said Gebrselassie, who hosts several

runs throughout the year, including the annual Great Ethiopian Run, which last year drew close to 40,000 people.

Today he has his own training centre, Yaya Village, on the

outskirts of Addis Ababa and last year, 5,000 and 10,000 world record holder Kenenisa Bekele opened a running centre with one of the country’s only professional-rate running tracks.

With its high altitude and consistently sunny weather — the country is often dubbed the land of “13 months of sunshine” — Ethiopia has long been heralded as one of the best places in Africa for long distance training, rivalled only by neighbouring Kenya.

Sunday’s marathon winner, Gudissa Shentema,said the race was a historical victory for him as he had never run a competitive marathon on home soil, and that it has encouraged him to train harder.

“I’ve been competing in different countries but this one gives me a lot of motivation to continue,” he said, forehead glistening with sweat after his 42 kilometre-run.

Gebrselassie said he hopes to draw casual runners from abroad too, in order to promote a running culture and give foreigners a chance to tour Ethiopia.

“It’s a very good opportunity to bring tourists to see Ethiopia,” he said, adding that the international exposure is crucial for changing Ethiopia’s image.

MACAU OPEN

Hend victory outshines Lahiri feat On a day of drama, which also saw India’s Anirban Lahiri match the course record with a nine-under-par 62, Hend capitalised on his overnight four-shot lead and never let Ernie Els come close to staging a comeback.

MACAU: Australian long hitter Scott Hend claimed victory at the Macau Open Sunday as the tournament’s star draw Ernie Els was forced to content himself with third place.

On a day of drama in the $800,000 Asian Tour tournament, which also saw India’s Anirban Lahiri match the course record with an impressive nine-underpar 62, Hend capitalised on his overnight four-shot lead and never let Els come close to staging a comeback.

He finished the tournament with a three-stroke victory, closing with a four-under-par 67 for a 16-under-par 268 total.

Lahiri’s blistering fourth-day

performance thrust him into second while four-time Major champion Els shared third with the Philippines’ Elmer Salvador.

Hend, currently ranked the 179th best player in the world, had a dreadful start to the first round with a dismal 74. But on days two, three and four he found his form battling head to head with Els for the top spot.

The South African began promisingly on the final day, sinking birdies on two, three and six. But a bogey on nine halted his momentum and he struggled to pressure Hend while Lahiri’s stunning round forced Els further down the table.

“It was very frustrating,” Els

said after the tournament, according to a release put out by organisers.

“I started off nicely again and then made a soft bogey on nine. I couldn’t afford any mistakes. I needed to keep the pedal on the metal but I made that mistake and I didn’t play the back nine all that well either. Tough weekend but I think Scott was very strong.”

Hend, who now has three wins under his belt this year, said he was delighted to be able to play against Els and credited staying calm under pressure for the win.

“Ernie is one of the best players in the world,” he said. “I had

my own goals and targets and I achieved my goal which was to stay patient, patient, patient. In the first four holes, I didn’t make any birdie. Ernie started to put some heat on me and all of the sudden, I hit a great shot on the fifth for birdie there. It was all about being patient.”

He admitted being rattled by his initial poor start in the tournament.

“Thursday was a difficult day, mentally and physically.

Then on Friday and Saturday, I started holing putts which I haven’t done the whole year even when I won a couple of weeks ago. I’ve holed my fair share this week,” he said.

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MONDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2013

QUEST FOR GREATNESS

Serena looks forward to breaking records RICHARD EATON feedback@postnoon.com ISTANBUL: Serena Williams’ verdict that she is “a bit disappointed” with her 2013 season indicates her urgency to overtake the 18 Grand Slam titles of Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert and to get on with chasing Steffi Graf’s Open era record of 22.

Whether the 32-year-old still has time to achieve that may be suggested by her performances at the season-ending climax, the WTA Championships which

starts on Tuesday.

It was an extraordinarily critical self-judgement by Williams on a season in which she has won another two Grand Slam titles and taken her total to 17 — perhaps caused by a fear that time is short.

More than that, Williams has lost only four matches, taken her career earnings past $50 million, and become the oldest woman to hold the world number one ranking.

She claims not to be mindful of such records, but nevertheless volunteered that: “I’m

VALENCIA OPEN PREVIEW

Ferrer faces ‘tricky’ Monfils Ferrer failed to claim his third title of the season on Sunday as he was beaten by Grigor Dimitrov in the final of the Stockholm Open.

MADRID: World number three David Ferrer faces a tricky opening round clash with Gael Monfils as he goes in search of his fourth Valencia Open title this week.

Ferrer failed to claim his third title of the season on Sunday as he was beaten by Grigor Dimitrov in the final of the Stockholm Open.

And the defending champion will need to be close to his best to beat an in-form Monfils, who pushed Novak Djokovic all the way in the quarter-finals

of the Shanghai Masters in his last outing.

Indeed, the mercurial Frenchman has a 3-1 lifetime record against Ferrer, although the Spaniard did emerge victorious from their last meeting in Auckland earlier this year.

The draw doesn’t let up for Ferrer even if he should beat the world number 31 with big-serving fifth seed Jerzy Janowicz his potential quarter-final opponent and number three seed Nicolas Almagro also in his half of the draw.

excited about the possibilities.”

Retaining the title this week will be a great momentum builder for her off-season work — increasingly important as Williams gets older — just as it was, she says, when she regained the title at the 2012 WTA Championships.

Williams is probably a stronger favourite now than then, partly because of the absence of Maria Sharapova, who is rehabilitating her vulnerable shoulder. The player most capable of upsetting her is Victoria Azarenka.

It was a critical self-judgement by Williams on a season in which she has won another two Grand Slam titles and taken her total to 17 — perhaps caused by a fear that time is short.

Ferrer has at least sealed his place in the season ending ATP World Tour Finals in London, and second seed Tommy Haas is still in contention to join him.

The 35-year-old German continued his fine year with a second title of the season in Vienna on Sunday.

Victory moved Haas to within 700 ranking points of Richard Gasquet in the fight to make it to London and with 500 points on offer in Valencia, he is hoping to move even closer to the Frenchman ahead of the Paris Masters next week.

“I have to give my best tennis, nothing is impossible. I want to play good tennis for the rest of the season,” said Haas after downing Robin Haase to claim his second title in Vienna.

“I still have a small chance, but I have to play extremely well.”

Haas also faces a tricky opener against compatriot and world number 24 Philipp Kohlschreiber on Tuesday.

In the other standout ties of the first round, number four seed John Isner takes on world number 26 Ernests Gulbis and Mikhail Youznhy and Bernard Tomic square off for the right to play the winner of the clash between Haas and Kohlschreiber in the last-16.

LUXEMBOURG OPEN Wozniacki beats Beck It was Wozniacki’s first title since the Kremlin Cup in Moscow last year.

LUXEMBOURG: Caroline Wozniacki claimed her first title in over a year at the Luxembourg Open on Sunday as the top seeded Dane defeated German teenager Annika Beck 62, 6-2.

It was Wozniacki’s first title since the Kremlin Cup in Moscow last year, and came on a weekend when boyfriend Rory McIlroy finished second in the Kolon Korean Open.

And former world number one golfer McIlroy indicted that the two are still very much an item, despite recent reports of a break-up, referring to her as “my girl” in a tweet after her Luxembourg success.

McIlroy send out a tweet praising Wozniacki on the 21st

title. “#21 #luxembourg #mygirl @CaroWozniacki,” the Northern Irish golfer tweeted.

Neither confirmed the rumoured split, and Wozniacki still uses a photograph of herself and McIlroy as her Twitter profile picture.

She tweeted after her win.

“Thank you for all the support this week! Great to win a title this year! #21.”

Wozniacki, ranked ninth, who beat this year’s Wimbledon runner-up Sabine Lisicki in the semi-finals, gave 57th-ranked Beck no opening in their first meeting.

“This result in Luxembourg is going to give me a lot of confidence,” the 23-year-old.

Federer admits to errors The Swiss, who split last week with coach Paul Annacone after more than three years, confessed that he could have done things differently.

BASEL: Roger Federer admitted on Sunday that he made serious errors in his planning which have contributed to a disastrous 2013 campaign but insisted that retirement is not on his agenda.

The 17-time Grand Slam title winner has slumped to number seven in the world and eight in the race for the World Tour Finals, and failed to make a final at any of the four majors, a run of disappointments that has led many in the sport to predict the end of the road for the 32-yearold.

The Swiss, who split last

week with coach Paul Annacone after more than three years, confessed that he could have done things differently.

“I played matches that I should never have played,” said Federer, ahead of his participation in his home Swiss Indoors event which starts on Monday.

“I should have left in Indian Wells (last March, with back pain) before the quarter-finals against (Rafael Nadal). This summer, I should not have tried to play on clay in Hamburg and in Gstaad.

“But things always look better in hindsight.”

MONDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2013

sports

BITTER EVRA LABELS LIZARAZU ‘PARASITE’

Controversial France and Manchester United defender Patrice Evra delivered a vicious tirade aimed at several pundits, among them France’s 1998 World Cup winner Bixente Lizarazu, on Sunday after they criticised him over a half-time talk he gave his team-mates.

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE PREVIEW

Big test for Arsenal

Wenger knows another three points on Tuesday will leave Arsenal in pole position to reach the knockout stages, but he is also well aware that Dortmund could deliver a major blow to his side’s qualification hopes.

STEVEN GRIFFITHS feedback@postnoon.com LONDON: Arsene Wenger believes Arsenal’s Champions League double-header against Borussia Dortmund will be “decisive” in the race to qualify from Group F. Wenger’s side host last season’s runners-up on Tuesday before heading to Dortmund for the return on matchday four.

The Gunners are currently top of their group following back-to-back wins over Marseille and Napoli.

Wenger knows another three points on Tuesday will leave Arsenal in pole position to reach the knockout stages, but he is also well aware that Dortmund could deliver a major blow to his side’s qualification hopes.

“Dortmund have grown a lot and they look a different proposition now, maybe they were a bit impressed by us in the first group games when we met them in 2011, but this time

they have gained confidence,” Wenger told UEFA.com.

“I feel we are stronger as well this season, so I think it will be very interesting.

“It is already a very important tie because usually matchday three and four usually are

decisive, so that could be the key for us to qualify.”

Wenger, whose side are two points clear at the top of the Premier League following Saturday’s 4-1 win over Norwich, has a wealth of options to ponder in midfield,

with the return to match fitness of Santi Cazorla following an ankle injury.

Aaron Ramsey started on the bench against Norwich but replaced Mathieu Flamini just before half-time after the French midfielder suffered double vision following a clash of heads with Alex Tettey, leaving him rated as doubtful for the Borussia tie.

“We have a squad that is, number and quality wise, very, very good. After that in January we are not desperate (to buy) now,” Wenger said.

“If there is a good opportunity (to buy), why not? But if you know who is out injured now, they will come back in November, the beginning of December, then you have a really massive squad.

“With the number of competitions involved, everybody thinks they have a chance to play. That is what is the most important. As long as you fight for things, everybody keeps the focus.”

Schalke hope to go Blue-bashing Having won both of their Group E matches against Steaua Bucharest and FC Basel, leaders Schalke face a big test of their mettle against second-placed Chelsea.

GELSENKIRCHEN: Schalke 04 must produce a big performance if they want to live with Jose Mourinho’s Chelsea on Tuesday in the Champions League, the German’s boss Horst Heldt has insisted.

Schalke face back-to-back clashes in Europe against Chelsea as Tuesday’s match at Gelsenkirchen’s Veltins Arena will be followed by a trip to Stamford Bridge on November 6.

Having won both of their Group E matches against Steaua Bucharest and FC Basel, leaders Schalke face a big test of their mettle against second-placed Chelsea.

The Blues crashed to a shock 2-1 defeat to Swiss champions Basel at Stamford Bridge in their opening

match, but Schalke have suffered from erratic form this season.

Having laboured to a 3-2 win at Bundesliga bottom side Eintracht Braunschweig on Saturday, Schalke twice came from behind before Roman Neustaedter’s 91stminute winner.

“If we want to survive against Chelsea, we desperately need an improvement in individual performances,” fumed

director of sport Heldt.

The Blues’ boss rates 2012 Champions League-title winners Chelsea as “top favourites for the title” and insisted Schalke need a “much better performance than in Braunschweig”.

Schalke are hoping to welcome back goalkeeper Timo Hildebrand from a back injury, while US midfielder Jermaine Jones and Ghana star KevinPrince

Boateng should be fit after knee injuries.

But Schalke look to be without defensive midfielder Marco Hoeger, who twisted his knee against Braunschweig.

Chelsea badly need a win in Gelsenkirchen to build on their 4-0 win at Steaua Bucharest as they bounced back from their Basel defeat.

“It’s an important game for us,” said Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech.

“We dropped three points against Basel at home, but we recovered that at (Steaua) Bucharest and now we play two games with Schalke and we have to make sure we get points to help us qualify, but it will be a tough test.”

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SERIE A

Rossi ‘trick sinks Juve Juventus coach Antonio Conte insisted his side had not been sidetracked by thoughts of their Champions League trip to Real Madrid on Wednesday.

JUSTIN DAVIS feedback@postnoon.com MILAN: Giuseppe Rossi scored a hat-trick for Fiorentina in a stunning come-from-behind 4-2 win over Juventus on Sunday, which helped Roma maintain their five-point lead at the top of Serie A. Roma’s 2-0 defeat of Napoli on Friday opened up a fivepoint cushion over both Rafael Benitez’s side and Juventus ahead of the latter’s visit to Florence.

And despite Juventus holding a 2-0 lead at half-time following a Carlos Tevez penalty and a strike from Paul Pogba, the champions crumbled during 14 second-half minutes in which ‘La Viola’ staged a remarkable comeback.

Roma now have a maximum 24 points from eight wins with Napoli back up to second with Juventus, suffering their first defeat of the season, slipping one place to third on goal difference.

Juventus coach Antonio Conte insisted his side had not been sidetracked by thoughts of their Champions League trip to Real Madrid on Wednesday.

But while claiming Juve dominated throughout, he admitted his side were unrecognisable late in the second half.

“We dominated them in every department and had the game wrapped up,” said Conte.

“Then the unimaginable happened — we lost a game that we were dominating. Those 10 minutes changed everything and we conceded some strange goals. It just wasn’t like us.”

Fiorentina coach Vincenzo Montella said: “This is the best result ever. Putting four past them gives us immense satisfaction.”

Fiorentina’s win was not the only shock of the day, however, with Atalanta securing a precious 2-1 win at home to Lazio. thanks to German Denis’s 84th minute winner.