THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2013 HYDERABAD
WEATHER: SCATTERED CLOUDS; 28°C
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THE SAFFRON BRIGADE
Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi has been anointed the prime ministerial candidate of BJP. We take a look at the party and some of its smoking aces.
PG 16 & 17
HYDERABAD’S FIRST COMPACT AFTERNOON NEWSPAPER
DEATH TOLL MOUNTS AS TERRORISTS ATTACK BASES IN KASHMIR Terrorists disguised as soldiers killed 12 people in attacks on police and army bases in Kashmir early today, days before long-awaited talks between the leaders of India and Pakistan. The militants, all wearing army fatigues, lobbed grenades and opened fire at the Hiranagar police station, around 200 kilometres from Srinagar before continuing the carnage in an army base, an officer in the police control room said.
PG 8
Plastic suffocating City, while GHMC twiddles its thumbs The GHMCs initiative to make Hyderabad plasticfree seems to be going down the drain. In spite of the GHMC’s claims that the usage of plastic has come down by 40 per cent in the last two years, many major retail outlets continue to use plastic bags of less than 40 microns, destroying the enviornment.
REPORT ON P6
CAN HE DO IT?
Wooing the masses is easy but governance is a whole different ball game? The City’s thinkers weigh in on Jaganmohan Reddy’s ability to take up the reins of a new Seemandhra state.
PG 5 COURT SUMMONS MANMOHAN SINGH A Sikh rights group has secured summons against Manmohan Singh from a US court in connection with the alleged human rights violations in the counter-insurgency operations in Punjab.
FLASH
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THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2013
city events
NAWABI SPREAD
The ambience at Jewel of the Nizam transports you to an era which was classic and flavoursome not just in terms of the way people lived but what they ate as well. The Nizami Express Lunch, a quick Nawabi spread at Golkonda hotel, is on till September 27. Come, have a taste!
Weather for Hyderabad
Evening
Overnight
Morning
Afternoon
26°C
21°C
26°C
32°C
Cloudy periods. with showers
Clear with cloudy periods
Mix of sun and cloud
A mix of sun and cloud.
New Delhi Mumbai Max 41 Max 32 Min 29 Min 29
Chennai Max 35 Min 27
Bangalore Max 31 Min 19
Mostly sunny with a chance of rain
Thundershowers
Mix of cloud and sun
Thundershowers
AROUND THE CITY: YOUR GUIDE TO THE TWIN CITIES Club and TCPC present you with a workshop on introduction to gigapan photography by Ravinder Reddy. For further details, check the events calendar on the GHAC website. Where: The Great Hyderabad Adventure Club When: Sept 29, 11am to 4:30pm
DANCE Let’s do some Zumba Probably the best way to burn out a ton of calories is by doing Zumba.Ditch the workout and join the party! Where: 360 Degree Fitness, 2nd floor, Above Tata Croma, Road No. 36, Jubilee Hills, When: Sept 26, 7pm to 7:30pm Contact: 9000111360
DINING Italian Food Fiesta Nature’s Basket is hosting an Italian Food fiesta. As a part of this gourmet extravaganza, the store will demonstrate various cooking techniques which will be taught by renowned chef Mayank Tiwari of Olive Bar and Kitchen. Where: Nature’s Basket, Urmila Towers, Opposite Rainbow Hospital, Road No.10, Banjara Hills When: Sept 27, 4:30pm to 6pm Contact: 23355399/ 23350029
Ballet Mark your calendars people! Don’t miss Gandhari: English Dance Ballet by Rajeswari Sainath and Troupe. Where: Ravindra Bharti, Opposite Legislative Assembly, Saifabad When: Sept 27, 6:30pm Contact: 23233672/ 9866704171
POWER OF PINK: Ushalakshmi Breast Cancer Foundation (UBF) organised a press meet for the fifth edition of Pink Ribbon Walk 2013 which aims at informing and making people aware of breast cancer.
Contemporary Dance Gravity: A Contemporary Dance Show by Durgakoteshwar Rao is being organised. Where: La Makaan, Lane adjacent to CBAY, Opposite GVK One, Road No.1, Banjara Hills When: Sept 26, 7pm onwards Contact: 9642731329 Dance India Dance Auditions If you love to dance and have learnt it professionally but have no platform to perform on, then this can be your one chance to become famous. Dance India Dance (DID) is conducting auditions in Hyderabad. Don’t miss it! This could be your chance to fame! Where: S N Vanitha Mahavidyalaya,
Contact: (040) 23299779
9573843503
WORKSHOPS Bonsai Training Bonsai training classes are being held by the Agri-Horticultural Society. Where: Public Gardens, Assembly Road, Nampally When: Sept 25-27, 11am to 2pm
Commissioner & Spl Officer
Helpline GAS BOOKING IVRS NO HP 9666023456 Indane 9848824365 BSNL Complaints HMWS & SB Complaints
198 155313
POLICE CONTROL ROOM Hyderabad 27852435 Traffic Control Room 27852482 DCP Traffic 23234065, 23243499F Pollution Control Board 23887500 ELECTRICITY General Complaints Breakdown Section
Exhibition Grounds, Nampally When: Sept 26, 8am to 2pm Contact: (040) 24735336/
155333 23431178 23431179
MUNICIPAL CORPORATION
23262266 24166666R ENC 23225267 Engineering 23220418 MCH Tankbund 23225397 Emergency MCH Circle I&II 24525842 MCH Circle III 24736912 MCH Circle IV 23326975 MCH Circle V 23326976 MCH Circle VI MCH Complaints 1100 Head Office 23225397 IVRS CUM MANUAL ENQUIRY PHONE NUMBERS (TRAIN & RESERVATION) RAILWAYS Rail Nilayam 27833169, 27824216 Railway Information 131 Reservations 135 Recorded Information 1345 Enquiry (IVRS) 1331, 1332, 1333
MediaSpehere ZEITGEIST presents ‘MediaSpehere’ a one day event for all the budding Mediawalas of the twin cities on Sept 27. The purpose of this event is to provide a forum for students to compete, interact and share ideas. Where: St Francis College for Women, Street No. 6, Uma Nagar, Begumpet When: Sept 27, 9am to 4pm Contact: (040) 23403200
WATER SUPPLY Complaint Cell Sewerage Complaint Hyd. Water Supply HOSPITAL General Hospital, Sec-bad Niloufer Hospital, Red Hills NIMS, Director, Punjagutta Osmania General Hospital Railway Hospital, Lalaguda Apollo, Jubilee Hills Care Hospital, Banjara Hills Care Hospital, Nampally Care Hospital, Musheerabad Care Hospital, Sec-bad Kamineni Hospital, LB Nagar
155313 23307328 23313163
27505566 23314095 23390933 24600146 27001134 23607777 30418888 30417777 30419000 30416666 39879999
BLOOD BANKS Blood Bank,Narayanguda Chiranjeevi Blood Bank Blood Bank Mediton Goal Red Cross, Vidyanagar ADRM Blood Bank Mythri Charitable Trust NTR Memorial Trust Care Banjara Hills
Weekend Theatre Director of Samahaara, Ratna Shekhar Reddy is organising a Weekend Theatre Workshop. If you are interested, you can join. Where: La Makaan, Lane adjacent to CBAY, Road No. 1, Banjara Hills When: Sept 28, 10am to 12pm Contact: 9642731329 Gigapan Photography The Great Hyderabad Adventure
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
Friday Barbecue With monsoon coming to an end and sunny days up ahead, its time to fire up the grills. Head to Alfresco for some mouth-watering grills and drinks. Where: Alfresco, Taj Krishna, Road No. 1, Banjara Hills When: Sept 27, 7:30pm to 11pm Contact: (040) 66662323
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 4067 2222
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2013
news
YESTERDAY’S QUESTION
DO YOU THINK THERE WILL BE A POSITIVE OUTCOME FROM THE SINGH-SHAREEF MEETING? 20% 80%
YES (A) NO (B)
CRIME
Youth rapes girl on promise of marriage
MOHD SUBHAN mohd.s@postnoon.com HYDERABAD: The Mailardevpally police have arrested a youth by name Sudan Kumar, aged 25, who came from Bihar in search of job and trapped and raped a poor girl with the promise of marriage. After landing a job as a helper with a private company, he was put up at his relative’s home in a housing board colony in Mailardevpally. Sudan is said to have come in touch with a 19-year-old girl of a poor family in the same area. Her parents are labourers and they leave in the morning in search of work. Sudan became chummy with the girl and gave her
promises of marriage, which the girl is said to have believed. On the fateful day, Sudan called her to his home telling him that he wanted to introduce her to his relatives. The unwary girl reached his home but found no relative present. He then tried to tell her that anyway they are going to be man and wife so they could indulge in sex. The horri-
fied girl refused but she was locked up in the room and Sudan threatened to kill her parents if she would not consent. After he sexually assaulted her, the girl was in a shock and shame and she refused to even eat for a couple of days. That worried her parents. On enquiry
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she sobbed out the story. The parents immediately approached the police who traced the offender and arrested him. The girl was then subjected to medical test. The reports substantiated sexual violation and Sudan has been charge-sheeted.
TODAY’S QUESTION
WILL JAGAN’S RETURN BOOST THE CHANCES OF THE STATE STAYING UNITED? A)
YES
B)
NO
To vote visit www.postnoon.com
FRAUD
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Cashier siphons off `27 lakh
Ramesh was found to be feathering his own bed as he had siphoned off lakhs over the last year. POSTNOON NEWS feedback@postnoon.com HYDERABAD: The Titan Watch company, PG Road, Hyderabad has filed a criminal complaint against its cashier Ramesh Jeethani AROUND THE
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whom it accused to have swindled over `27 lakh over a year. The police complaint states that Ramesh joined the shop in 2005 and as years passed he earned the trust of his employers and was
entrusted with increased responsibilities. Sometime last year, the employer noticed that the receipts of the deposited cash were missing from the files and huge amounts were missing in the account. Ramesh, when enquired with, gave different versions for it, which aroused the suspicion of his employer, who then shifted him to another department and entrusted another man with the financial affairs of the concern. The new cashier found that as much as `27,57,804 were missing from the company’s account.
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News THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2013 LAST YEAR... HERE Exam trouble
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ast year we had reported on how the GHMC came under fire from TDP corporators who criticised the body for concentrating all its energies on beautifying the City in preparation of the UN Biodiversity Summit but had ignored the issues and problems of its citizens. The GHMC had been utterly ineffective in curtaling the spread of disease in the City, they alleged.
SEPTEMBER 26, 2012
PUBLIC AMENITIES
It’s a stinking shame
Hyderabad, one of the country’s fastest growing cities, has a large migrant population adding to its existing infrastructure woes. The lack of well-maintained toilets are an immediate problem.
Fast facts
NUMEROLOGY
$50 bn
T
he state government constructed 274 public latrines in city. Of them 30 per cent were demolished for road widening and the remainder were available for people.
yuan is how much China's richest man, Wang Jianlin, is spending to set up the Oriental Movie Metroplis studio complex in Hollywood. The complex will house 20 studios that will turn out 100 films a year.
If we have insufficient cash on hand, it would be impossible for the United States of America to meet all of its obligations for the first time in our history Jacob Lew,Treasury Secretary See page 8
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THINGS WE LEARNT TODAY
The column that teaches everyone something new about the way the world functions.
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At long last, is Guinea coming of age? . Guinea, a dictatorship for over half a century, is on the cusp of its first parliamentary elections since 2002.
2
La Seleccion becomes a runaway hit. With Colombia’s national football team close to qualifying for the 2014 World Cup, millions of viewers are tuning to a telenovela about their 1990s dream team.
3
A new hackers-for-hire group on the rise. Based on the targets, Icefog have an interest in military,computers and software, research companies, telecom operators, satellite operators, mass media and television.
4
Central government puts Seemandhra leaders in a fix It may known for the City of Love, but French asexuals are opening up about their lack of sexual feeling.
5
Seemandhra leaders left in a fix. The quick steps being taken up by the central government is preventing Seemandhra Congress leaders from chalking an action plan.
MOHSIN ALI ali@postnoon.com
A
ny developed city ought to have a public comfort station every 200 metres but in this City no such thing has been set up. Hyderabad’s realty development is at a feverish pitch but hardly any authority, especially the GHMC, makes any attempt to ensure people’s basic need is met. The worst affected are women. After coming into power in
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Worst-hit
T
he worst-affected are women. There are no toilets in crowded areas like Nampally, Jambagh, Lakdi ka Pul.
2008, the then chief minister YS Rajashekhar Reddy directed the
GHMC to build public toilets every kilometer. Initially a lot of activities were seen building roadside toilets but many of them were later demolished for widening roads and they were never re-built. If anything, godowns and kiosks came in place of toilets. The state government constructed 274 public latrines in city. Of them 30 per cent were demolished for road widening and the remainder were available for people, "but recent sur-
vey has revealed the dismal reality that only 30 per cent of the toilets constructed by the GHMC are being used", according to Andhra Pradesh Health and Sanitation Mission chief engineer Vandan Kumar. The worst-affected are women. There are no toilets in crowded areas like Nampally, Jambagh, Lakdi ka Pul. However, men are seen passing urine on footpaths as they know no one would punish them. As there is no alternative, question of punishment does not arise. "I am not the only person passing urine on the roadside. The footpath stinks already. We are forced to do it here and don’t think anybody enjoys it,” said a vexed person when asked why he was relieving himself by the footpath. Most of the toilets that function are plagued by lack of hygiene. About this Vandan Kumar said that “we hand over the maintenance to the private companies by calling tenders. it is their responsibility to keep it clean.”
CRIME
Chinese child-killer gets death BEIJING: A court in China has sentenced a man to death for killing a two-year-old girl in Beijing over a parking space row, state media report. Han Lei, 39, pulled the toddler out of her pram and threw her to the ground after her mother refused to make way for his car in July. He fled the scene but was captured. The girl later died from her injuries. He said the killing was unintentional, as he was drunk and had thought the pram was a shopping trolley. "I did not know there was an infant inside," he previously said.
Unintentional
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The case has provoked an outcry in China, with many people expressing their anger online, state media reported. Many in China were shocked that an argument over a parking space could come to such a violent end, says the BBC's Martin Patience in Beijing. The trial started on 16 September at the Beijing No 1 Intermediate People's Court. Prosecutors had recommended the death sentence for
H
an Lei said the killing was unintentional, as he was drunk and had thought the pram was a shopping trolley. "I did not know there was an infant inside," he previously said.
Han, who committed the crime within a year of being released from prison, the Xinhua news agency said. Han also beat the girl's mother during the altercation in Beijing's Daxing district. AFP
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News THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2013
ROAD TO CM - II
WILL HE, WON’T HE?
PROF. HARAGOPAL, HYDERABAD CENTRAL UNIVERSITY
In the event of Jagan taking over the reins of the Seemandhra state, the most important challenge that he would face is lack of political experience. In Jagan's case, he does not have political exposure. It is not easy to run a government in a new state as it would be facing crises issues which call for sagacious decisions. If he succeed he would not have to look back but penalty for failure will be obliteration from the scene forever. A major challenge that would confront Seemandhra will be river water sharing. The Telangana state would get more, going by natural justice, and it would be a challenge to even experienced hands. Bringing harmony between coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema is another. Another important challenge is to build a new capital. In short, the new state would either build his future or destroy his career. If he can utilize his abilities to become a visionary for Seemandhra region, he would emerge a tall leader.
PROF. B. MOHAN VENKATRAM, DEPT. OF MANAGEMENT, ANDHRA UNIVERSITY, VIZAG
Many look askance at Jagan Mohan Reddy’s ability to take up the reins of a new Seemandhra state as the fledgling state would throw up umpteen issues that need adept handling. Without any exposure to politics and governance, will he, if put at the helm pull off a victory? Md INKESHAF AHMED ahmed.m@ postnoon.com HYDERABAD: Circumstances may throw the YSRC Chief Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy into the maelstrom of politics and governance soon. The
SRINIVAS AYYADEVARA, PRESIDENT, FAPCI (FEDERATION OF AP CHAMBERS OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY) Whoever forms the government should implement a pro-industry policy. This should be implemented in toto at least for five years. A good industrial policy would not only help the sector to grow rapidly but also prove to be beneficial for the people. I also strongly feel that the state government should set up industrial clusters of various types depending upon the nature of commodities that can be produced at a particular place.
VEDA KUMAR, PRESIDENT, FORUM FOR BETTER
uppermost question in popular mind is if Jagan will manage the spate of crisis facing a new state and come out unscathed or will he prove a reed and go down? Not many among the neutral observers are ready to root for Jagan as he remains a green horn in statecraft
GOPALA KRISHNA KALANIDHI, SENIOR ADVOCATE, AP HIGH COURT
The new CM will have a great opportunity to develop a new capital with echo-friendly concepts. The CM can also fully use the vast coastline of the Seemandhra state by increasing commercial activities. There is also a great scope for the development of industrial sector as the region has plenty of natural resources. The CM can also ensure balanced development of the state and strictly follow the do's and don'ts by looking at existing capital city in developing the new capital.
The number one challenge to Jagan or anyone who becomes the first chief minister of the new state is to tap funds for the development of the new state. The new CM plays a crucial role in securing liberal funds from the Centre. It is also a challenge to develop a brand new capital with ultra-modern facilities. Setting up of a High Court is going to be the biggest challenge. I strongly feel that he will have no option but raise revenue by imposing more taxes and duties.
The major challenge Jagan would face is locating a new capital. The location should not be too far from all 13 districts especially Anantapur and Kurnool as they are the worst affected in the bifurcation. The second major challenge is to create educational and employment opportunities to more than 70 per cent of young students and graduates. The third challenge is to make another Hyderabad for 13 Seemandhra districts. He should also focus on the creation of self-employment opportunities by setting up entrepreneurs incubation centres. The fourth major challenge is river water allocation. Another challenge is development of existing and newly formed universities. He should also strive to establish IITs, Central universities and NITs. Balanced Regional Development (BRD), which is a popular concept, is also an important aspect that Jagan should focus on. He must also exploit the abundant resources available in Coastal Corridor.
G. VASANTH KUMAR GOUD, FORMER PRESIDENT, ALL INDIA HUMAN RIGHTS ASSOCIATION AP UNIT If YS Jagan Mohan Reddy becomes the CM of the newly formed Seemandhra state, he will be confronted by many issues pertaining not only to infrastructure development but issues related to farmers and agricultural sector, especially river water allocation. Apart from this the biggest challenge he would face is to setting up world-class institutions like IITs, IIMs and NITs. Another challenge that he is likely to face is strengthening existing universities in Seemandhra districts.
NATION BRIEFS Uttar Pradesh to recruit 10,000 teachers
US suggests 'specific steps' to boost trade
Pakistan violates ceasefire in Jammu
Encephalitis claims 9 more; toll crosses 300
Another Indian is among those killed in Nairobi
LUCKNOW: The Uttar Pradesh government will recruit 10,000 teachers for its basic education schools, an official said Thursday. The recruitment process would begin October 15, and would be completed by December 15. The orders were issued by Basic Education Secretary Niteshwar Kumar late Wednesday.
UNITED NATIONS: Ahead of Manmohan Singh's visit, the US has suggested some "specific" economic reforms that could give "real movement" to Indian economy and help expand India-US trade relations. The suggestions were made by Secretary of State Kerry during a meeting with external affairs minister Salman Khurshid.
JAMMU: A There was unprovoked firing Wednesday night by Pakistan troops at Indian positions on the line of control in Rajouri district, barely two days ahead of the Prime Ministers of India and Pakistan meet in New York.Frequent violations of the ceasefire by Pakistan have already forced many families flee for safer locations.
GORAKHPUR: With nine more children succumbing to encephalitis, the death toll due to the disease in eastern UP has climbed to 301 this year. The dead include three children from Kushinagar, two from Deoria, and one each from Gorakhpur, Siddharthanagar and Santkabirnagar districts of eastern UP, health officials said today.
LONDON: Jyotibala Dharmesh Vaya, from Gujarat, was late Wednesday identified as a fourth Indian among the 61 killed in the Nairobi mall attack. The external affairs ministry spokesperson tweeted that Vaya was a long term resident of Kenya. The attack on Westgate Shopping Mall by AlShabab group ended after four days.
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News THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2013
ENVIRONMENT
‘Plastic’ promises of the GHMC
The GHMCs initiative to make Hyderabad plastic free, seems to be going down the drain. The GHMC officials claim that the usage of plastic has dropped by 40% in the last two years. However, many retail outlets still use plastic bags below 40 microns.
Most of the garbage you see in this picture are either made of plastic or waste material that are bound in plastic. Plastic is not biodegradable and it is more dangerous if it is burned to dispose of it, for the fumes are extemely toxic.
If the GHMC officials really want to ban plastic they should make it clear that retail stores should only sell jute/paper bags instead of plastic. Mohammed Mustafa Student of `3 on the total purchase bill and a discount of `5 is if the purchase value exceeds `1,000. However, various shops in the city HYDERABAD: The GHMCs initiative to make Hyderabad plastic free, seems to do not abide by the instructions and conbe going down the drain. The GHMC tinue charging customers for plastic officials claim that the usage of plastic carry bags. Worse, when customers take has dropped by 40% in the last two away their purchase in jute/cloth bags, years. However, many retail outlets still the shop keepers do not inform them about the discount. use plastic bags below 40 microns. The Retail Association of India howThe GHMC, which has failed miserably to enforce the ban on the manufac- ever are unhappy with the civic authoriture, sale and use of plastic carry bags ties’ orders of giving discounts to the below 40 microns in the city, has asked customers and have given a representatraders to promote the use of jute and tion to the commissioner asking for cloth bags without making any arrange- change in regulations of the GHMC ment for manufacture of these eco- direction. Stating that it would become cumbersome to pay the customers who friendly bags. Recently with regard to the ban on bring their own jute/ cotton bags usage of plastic carry bags and efforts to Gautam Jain, Head Advocacy and encourage usage of cloth and jute bags, Finance Department for the Retail Association of India, in GHMC had directed all a representation to the major retail stores to AROUND THE GHMC said, “If retailprovide jute/cloth bags CITY ers allow people to to customers at subcarry their own jute sidised rates. The shop owners were also instructed to display bags there could be risks and monitoring boards, posters and stickers showing the for shoplifting would be difficult.” Meanwhile, many city-based retail rates of incentives given to customers who carry their own cloth bags depend- stores seem to be unaware of the new ing on the purchase at their cash coun- rule. When Postnoon contacted a few retail chains the management said that ters by September 15. During a meeting last month with they were unaware of the condition for the shops and business establishments, providing discount to customers carryGHMC Commissioner MT Krishna Babu ing their own bags. “Till now we have warned that fines to the tune of `2,000 not received any written representation would be levied if the instructions were from the GHMC in this regard,” said a not followed. Further non-compliance store manager of Food World in would invite larger fines and finally can- Secunderabad. Those retail stores which are aware of cellation of trade licences and confiscathe rule, and have yet not displayed the tion of goods. According to the new instruction boards outside their shops made excuscustomers, carrying their own cloth or es. “The boards have been sent for lamijute bags to shops and purchase goods nation. We will display them soon,” said worth `500, should be given a discount a store manager in AS Rao Nagar. ALEENA ALICE aleena.t@postnoon.com
So far none of the retail stores have given me any discount, even though I make it a point to carry my own jute bag while shopping. Ayesha Tahair Self-employed
Sometimes customers who bring bags are persuaded at the counter to buy plastic bags, saying, ‘It’s after all a rupee or two, it’s ok to buy a plastic bag.’ Laveena Lalwani Private Firm employee
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News THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2013
PRO BONO
Corporates pedal for peace The longest-ever amateur corporate Peace ride to Sabarmati from Hyderabad began today at Bapu Ghat ARUN DANIEL YELLAMATY arunyellamaty@postnoon.com
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lose to 25 City cyclists, mostly corporate executives from different companies in Hyderabad, are attempting to raise `16 lakh in donations for the United Way through a 1200 Kms ‘peace ride’ from Hyderabad to Ahmedabad, covering 4 states, 8 cities in 7 days time. Organized by the Atlanta Foundation, this is the 4th edition of The Peace Ride to honour Mahatma Gandhi. This one, said to be the longest cycling ride ever of 1200 Km begins from Bapu Ghat, Hyderabad and ends at Sabarmati, Ahmedabad where TAF will be launching the Joy of Giving Week and will be raising funds for United Way to support the charitable programs for the benefit of education of underprivileged children. The ride was flagged off on Wednesday evening at HICC where cyclists did the 15 kms riding upto Bapughat. Many dignitaries from the corporate fraternity attended the event. Their actual ride will start from Bapughat at Langar House
on Thursday morning and ends in October 2 at Sabarmati, Ahmedabad. It is a rare ride, in the sense, most riders are amateurs and corporate executives working in high positions in various corporate houses. Commenting on the cycle ride, H.Deenanath, founder of Atlanta Foundation said, “The Peace Ride 2013 is one of the longest rides in the country of 1200 kms from Hyderabad to Ahmedabad. The ride convoy passes through 4 states and halts in 7 cities. More community rid-
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ers are going to join them enroute. Last time close to 10,000 people joined, we are expecting many this time.” “This is a ride by the citizens, for the citizens; fully based on Gandhian principles; riders will have to raise money and these funds will be donated to various charitable causes through United Way,” he adds. The cost of this ride is going to be approximately `6 lakhs, which is borne by the individual riders. Some of the costs are also
absorbed by regional communities. These riders representing various corporate companies are well-trained and participate in TAF rides on a regular basis. Each rider is committed to raise `1,00,000 for the charity. The objective of this ride is to raise awareness on the benefits of cycling, the need to support education and to spread the motto of the peace ride – “Live the Conviction, Support Education!” “The ride which starts Thursday morning at 6pm at Bapughat will travel 178 kms and halt at Basava Kalyan. On Day Two, they travel 220kms and halt at Beed, then on the 3rd day they ride for 129 kms and reach at Aurangabad. They stay there overnight and then leave for Nashik by traveling 180kms. From there they ride for 180kms and reach Dandi. From Dandi its 195 kms to reach Vadodara. From Vadodara they ride 195 kms and reach Sabarmati, Ahmedabad,” says Deenanath, explaining their routemap. These twenty five riders include
The objective of this ride is to raise awareness on the benefits of cycling, the need to support education and to spread the motto of peace. Sanjay, Subba Raju, Deenanath, Anil, Krishna Varma, Sandeep, Rajashekhar, Jaysankar, Dinesh, Nagendra, Manjunath, Mahi Teja, Ramesh, Prasanth, Vishal, Satyanarayana, Syed , Subrahmanyam, Nag and others. The riders will be covering an average distance of about 175 to 200 Kms on a daily basis. The ride time per day is approximately 8-9 hours. Upon reaching a town, there will be community events where in the riders spread the Peace Ride message and ride along with community riders. Vishala, who will participate the ride as a crew member says, “all of us are very excited as this is the longest ride we have ever
done. So we just hope everything goes well. Cycling is a best way to create awareness and we have seen it before. So hope this ride too helps the cause.” The Charity partner of this event is United Way Hyderabad. Special support has been provided by Gujarat Tourism. Technical support is provided by National Biodiversity Authority (NBA) on biodiversity awareness and its connection to Mahatma Gandhi. Logistics supporters of this event are Identcity, Cross Borders and Real Shoppee. The regional partners are Novotel Hyderabad Convention Centre (NHCC), Andhra Pradesh Biodiversity Board, Highbrow, Moksh Interactive. Through the ride the foundation plans to raise funds for United Way which in turn will donate the same for Uttarakhand relief. Their target is to raise Rs 16 lakh. Those who wish to contribute need to log on to www.atlantafoundation.org or can write to info@atlantafoundation.org for more information.
WORLD BRIEFS S. Korea court overturns tycoon's sentence
Charles Taylor faces final war crimes verdict
Pakistan quake death toll nears 350
'Humanitarian crisis' in Philippine city
S. Korean leftist MP charged with rebellion
SEOUL: South Korea's Supreme Court on Thursday overturned a three-year sentence handed down to the head of business group Hanwha for embezzlement. The top court referred the case back to the High Court and said it should review its verdict — restarting the appeals process as it felt the appellate court misjudged its rulings.
LEIDSCHENDAM: The judges' ruling at the Special Court for Sierra Leone (SCSL) marks the end of the road for the former west African strongman's seven year trial. Taylor, 65, was found guilty in 2012 of supporting Sierra Leone rebels who waged a terror campaign during a civil war that claimed 120,000 lives between 1991 and 2002.
AWARAN: The death toll from a huge earthquake in southwest Pakistan this week has soared to around 350 people with more than 500 injured, officials said Thursday, among fears the toll could still rise. The 7.7-magnitude quake hit on Tuesday afternoon in the remote Awaran district — an expanse of land roughly the size of Wales.
MANILA: Aid workers warned Thursday of a worsening humanitarian crisis in a major Philippine city wracked by more than two weeks of deadly street battles between Muslim rebels and soldiers.The overnight deaths of three troops brought the death toll from the conflict in Zamboanga to 173,as the MNLF guerrillas remained defiant.
SEOUL: South Korean prosecutors on Thursday formally charged a leftist lawmaker with plotting an armed revolt in support of North Korea. United Progressive Party MP Lee Seok-Ki was charged under the tough National Security Law. The sedition charges levelled against Lee are rarely used, especially against a sitting MP.
8
News THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2013
SECURITY
12 killed in J&K attack
Terrorists attack police station and kill five cops and a civilian.Then they comandeered a truck and attacked an Army camp. Initial reports say the commanding officer of the Army unit was injured. JAMMU: Twelve people, including an army officer, were killed on Thursday when separatist guerrillas mounted an audacious attack on a police station in Jammu region and commandeered a truck which they drove into an army camp where soldiers took them on. The brazen attack took place ahead of ahead of September 29 meeting between Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in New York on the sidelines of the UN general assembly meet. Three militants reached the Hira Nagar police station in Kathua district in an autorickshaw, police sources told IANS. They then attacked the police station, which is barely seven km from the international border. "Militants used grenades and automatic weapons to attack the Hira Nagar police station today (Thursday) morning...," said a source. The rebels lobbed grenades and fired automatic weapons, killing a shopkeeper.
AROUND THE
NATION
The attack took place ahead of ahead of September 29 meeting between Manmohan Singh and Nawaz Sharif in New York.
Four policemen were also killed. At least four people suffered critical splinter and bullet injuries. Once the attack at the police station got over, the guerrillas shot dead a truck driver and stole his truck that was parked at
the police station complex and escaped. They took to the PathankotJammu highway and the gunmen opened fire in Samba town — only to run into Indian troops. The highway has now been closed. "We intercepted the truck
POLITICS
T netas’ Delhi visit upsets Seemandhra
which the militants were driving in Samba area," a military spokesperson told IANS. Army sources said the militants then entered an army unit of Samba brigade, about 35 km from Jammu, and opened fire. Exchange of fire between the militants and the security forces is
underway. An army officer and two soldiers were killed while three soldiers were wounded. "There has been an attack on a police station and an army camp...we are collecting information," union Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde told reporters in New Delhi. Army sources say that they have taken the help of helicopters, which were used to bring commandos to the site of the firing. The Samba brigade belongs to the 9 Corps, which is headquartered in Himachal Pradesh. It falls under army's Western Command. IANS
TOP HONOUR
Congress leaders of both the Telangana and Seemandhra, to show off to people they are earnestly working, indulge in one-upmanship, resulting in heartburn and unrest in both the regions. Md INKESHAF AHMED ahmed.m@postnoon.com HYDERABAD: The Delhi tour of the Telangana Congress leaders including State Cabinet ministers has left their Seemandhra counterparts astir. The visit of the T-leaders is aimed at mounting pressure on the Centre to speed up the process of division. In fact, it is a charade to counter the strong anti-bifurcation agitation of the Seemandhra leaders. The T Congress leaders went around meeting available Central leaders such as the Union home minister Susheel Kumar Shinde. This practically would make no difference but the gesture would convince people of Telangana that their leaders are earnest.
Speaking to Postnoon, minister for women, child and disabled welfare, Sunitha Lakshma Reddy, said they were forced to undertake Delhi tour by their Seemandhra counterparts, who have launched a violent agitation against the division of the State. “We never wanted to do this,” she said, “ But we’re forced to AROUND THE
CITY
undertake the tour or else we would lose our mass support.” In a novel attempt The Tleaders have also decided to closely follow the moves of the Seemandhra leaders and counter them immediately.
SEEMANDHRA LEADERS IN FIX
The quick steps being taken up by the Centre has put the Seemandhra Congress leaders in a big fix. The leaders are unable to chalk out their action plan in the backdrop the severe agitation in the entire Seemandhra region. The attempts of a section of Seemandhra Congress MPs to resign from their posts on Tuesday were also thwarted by CM N Kiran Kumar Reddy and APCC chief Botsa Satyanrayana in a clear indication that the party high command was in no mood to waste its time on the issue. The leaders have primarily decided to keep themselves confined to either Delhi or Hyderabad instead of visiting their respective constituencies.
Queen of Jordan, Rania Al Abdullah, awards The Leadership in Civil Society to Malala Yousafzai, at the Clinton Global Citizen Award ceremony in New York City. Timed to coincide with the United Nations General Assembly, CGI brings together heads of state, CEOs, philanthropists and others to help find solutions to the world's major problems. RAMIN TALAIE/GETTY IMAGES/AFP
9
News THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2013
TEHRAN’S NUKE PROGRAMME
Iran, US set for historic talks
With the eyes of the world upon them, the United States and Iran will Thursday have one of their highest-level meetings since the 1979 revolution as their foreign ministers join talks on Tehran’s suspected nuclear program. JO BIDDLE Agence France-presse UNITED NATIONS: With the eyes of the world upon them, the United States and Iran will Thursday have one of their highest-level meetings since the 1979 revolution as their foreign ministers join talks on Tehran’s suspect nuclear program. And while officials are saying that no bilateral talks are planned between US Secretary of State John Kerry and his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif, there remains the chance for a quick tete-a-tete in the corridor. Zarif will be the first Iranian foreign minister to sit down with his counterparts from the five permanent members of the UN Security — Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States — plus Germany to discuss Iran’s nuclear program. The Iranian delegation will only join part of the talks being hosted by EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton however, and no-one is keen to raise hopes of a breakthrough in the dragging negotiations. Indeed the encounter with European, Russian and Chinese foreign ministers is set to be brief. It comes after speculation that Iran’s new President Hassan Rouhani would meet or at least shake hands with President
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Barack Obama at the United Nations fizzled out. But diplomats say Thursday’s meeting will give them the first chance to take the measure of the new Iranian leadership which took office in August. And they insist it will give the Iranians the opportunity to prove there is some substance behind Rouhani’s charm offensive, and his claims that Iran is only seeking to pursue a peaceful civilian nuclear energy program. Ashton, who has led Western efforts to engage with Tehran, said this week she was “struck by the energy and determination” of Zarif. But “as you would appreciate, there is a huge amount of work to do,” she added. The international powers made a new proposal to Tehran this year, before Rouhani’s election, believed to offer some relief from international sanctions that have crippled Iran’s economy in return for a scaling back of its uranium enrichment. “There’s a sense that we never actually got a firm response or a detailed response to that,” a senior US official said.
MISSING FRENCH GIRL Mother gives up hope about child PERPIGNAN: A French mother who issued a tearful appeal for her missing five-year-old daughter has told investigators the girl is dead after she was taken in for questioning along with her partner, her lawyer said. Cecile Bourgeon, 25, told investigators in May that her daughter, Fiona, disappeared while she was napping in a park. AROUND THE But her WORLD lawyer, Gilles-Jean Portejoie, said Wednesday that she had now told police that her daughter was dead, her body buried close to the city of Clermont-Ferrand in central France. News of the girl’s disappearance was met with anguish in France.
An airplane takes off past the Washington Monument at sunset in Washington, DC.
AFP/SAUL LOEB
Countdown to shutdown
W
ith five days until a possible US government shutdown, lawmakers were to mull options Thursday for keeping agencies open while potentially postponing a battle over President Barack Obama’s health care law. The Senate expected to approve a stopgap funding bill soon that strips out a provision
defunding the controversial health law, while House Republicans were to confer early Thursday over possible plans to shift the health care fight to mid-October, when lawmakers will need to raise the debt ceiling. Congress is deeply fractured over how to spend within the government’s means, and they have yet to come to terms over a bud-
get that funds federal operations beyond next Monday, the final day of the current fiscal year. After the Senate moved forward Wednesday on the temporary spending bill, the chamber’s top Democrat Harry Reid stripped it of the health care provision, insisting that nothing that defunds so-called “Obamacare” will pass the Senate, as it did in the House.
GANGRAPE IN CHINA
General’s son gets 10 years Li Tianyi had previously trigBEIJING: A court sentenced the teenage son of a Chinese general gered controversy in 2011 after he to 10 years in jail for gang rape on and another teenager, both drivThursday, court authorities said, ing expensive cars, attacked a after his trial threw a spotlight on couple who reportedly blocked their passage, while the victims’ the lives of China’s elite. Li Tianyi, 17, and four other child looked on. His father is dean of the music men were found guilty of raping a woman in a Beijing hotel in department for the Chinese army’s Academy of February, Beijing Arts. His mother, court authorities AROUND THE Meng Ge, is also a said on a verified WORLD prominent singer. The social media account. Li’s father Li court did not state clearly how Li Shuangjiang, a military singer, had pleaded during his trial last holds a rank equivalent to general month. During the hearings, the in China’s army. The case drew Beijing News reported that he widespread scrutiny in the coun- “did not admit to the sexual try, where the children of the elite assault and did not admit to a are often seen as living extrava- relationship, saying he was drunk gantly or above the law due to and did not know anything” about what happened. their connections.
PICK YOUR
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Across Stores
ities Twin C
10
News THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2013
A NEW BUSINESS
War means profit in Syria While wars are condemned the world over, the story is not the same with Abu Mohammad, a gun seller in Aleppo, who considers these battles to be a ‘great business’. ANTONIO PAMPLIEGA Agence France-Presse ALEPPO: While most Syrians get poorer with every day of war, Aleppo’s main gun seller Abu Mohammad is doing just fine by selling firearms, including rocket-propelled grenades, ammunition and even swords. “War is great business,” said the northern city’s only gunshop owner, as he laid several hand grenades out on a counter. “I wanted to help the rebels because they had no arms or ammunition,” the 39-year-old told AFP, adding that he makes an astonishing 50,000 Syrian pounds ($370) a day. Abu Mohammad opened his gun store in the rebel-held neighbourhood of Fardos earlier this year after a leg injury cut short a nine-month stint battling alongside the Free Syrian Army. Several weapons are exhibited on the shop walls, including 9mm guns and AK-47 assault
When rebels seize an army base, they come to my store and swap weapons for ammunition. We also buy weapons off people who need the money to feed their families. Abu Mohammad Gun Seller rifles, one of them silver-plated. “They’re made in Iraq and Russia, and prices range from $1,500 to $2,000, depending on the quality,” said Abu Mohammad’s 20-year-old son, a rebel fighter who lends a hand in the store. “100 pounds for a bullet,” the rebel sighs. “Ammo is so scarce. That’s why it’s the most expensive thing to buy.”
“We also have military uniforms, boots, gas masks and walkie-talkies. Most of the material comes from Turkey,” he added. Reaching for a 9mm gun, Mohammad says he enjoys helping his father out in the shop because “I love weapons.” It’s 4:00 pm (1300 GMT) and the two men running the family business are busy serving clients. Mohammad Assi, 43, walks in along with several of his brothers in arms. He is looking for ammunition for his rifle. Counting a wad of cash, Assi says he would like to buy a new rifle, “but these models aren’t very good and they’re too expen-
sive.” He hands over 15,000 Syrian pounds ($110) for 150 rounds. “100 pounds for a bullet,” the rebel sighs. “Ammo is so scarce. That’s why it’s the most expensive thing to buy.” Gun seller Abu Mohammad understands there’s a shortage of cash, so he’s open to making deals with some of his clients. “When the rebels seize an army base, they come to my store and swap weapons for ammunition,” he said. Some buyers come in looking for more specialised products, including one who wants a scope that will help locate snipers. Another walks in holding
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three swords and shows them to Abu Mohammad, who unsheathes them and inspects them for quality. “We also buy weapons off people who need the money to feed their families,” Abu Mohammad says. “Before the war broke out, there were many people who collected weapons, or who held onto them after they’d finished their draft service. They aren’t going to use them, so they bring them over to me to make some money off them,” he added.
FILM STUDIO IN CHINA
China’s richest man to take on Hollywood JULIEN GIRAULT Agence France-Presse QINGDAO: An ambitious studio complex built by China’s richest man will be a major boost for the country’s film industry but experts say it needs more than sprawling grounds to rival Hollywood. Global A-listers Nicole Kidman, Leonardo DiCaprio and Catherine Zeta-Jones showed up on Sunday for the lavish event to showcase plans for the Oriental Movie Metropolis, set to span 376 hectares, in the eastern port city of Qingdao. The 50 billion yuan ($8.3 billion) complex will house 20 studios that will turn out 100 films a year, including 30 foreign productions. Backing the project is China’s
AROUND THE
WORLD
50 billion yuan ($8.3 billion) complex The
will house
20 studios that will turn out
100 films a year, 30 richest person, Wang Jianlin, whose conglomerate Wanda last year acquired US cinema chain AMC Entertainment to become the world’s largest cinema operator. “I think it’s exciting to see
including foreign productions.
Wanda build these facilities. But it takes much more than hard assets and facilities to do good movies,” said Robert Cain, who has done business in China since 1987 and is now a partner in a film co-production company.
“There is a huge gap in the skills which remain between China’s film industry and Hollywood.” While Beijing is aware of the importance of using its “soft power” overseas, the state tightly controls the film industry and cuts any subject matter that might be politically sensitive. Rarely do domestic movies attract an international audience — and even Chinese moviegoers have shown lukewarm interest in local offerings. Although a quota of just 34 foreign films can be shown in the country each year, these made up more than half of Chinese box office sales last year. However, the first half of 2013 showed a reversal. Ticket sales for Chinese films more than doubled those of the same period
the year before, surpassing foreign films for the first time in five years. At the end of June the Chinese movie “Tiny Times”, which depicted the daily life of wealthy Chinese youth, defied expectations by overtaking Hollywood blockbuster “Man of Steel”. But its international success remains in question. Chinese movies deserve attention if only because the number of moviegoers is so large, said Hawk Koch, a former president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which runs the Oscar awards. “Given the box office in China, the fact that China is going to become the number one box office in the world, we have to pay attention,” he said.
11
News THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2013
PITIABLE PLIGHT
THE IRONY OF GUINEA
Guinea, a former French colony and a dictatorship for a more than half a century, is on the cusp of its first parliamentary elections since 2002, but on the streets of Conakry, optimism seems as scarce a commodity as reliable electricity and water. CONAKRY: Emilia Camara rests in the porch of her threadbare, ramshackle home in capital of Guinea, musing that she really ought to be a lot better off as she watches a sliver of paint peeling away and floating to the floor. The symbolism of her crumbling home is not lost on Camara for she has struggled in penury, like millions of Guineans, as she has watched a succession of dictators run down the economy in what could and should be one of the richest nations in Africa. “None of my five university graduate children or husband work,” she sighs as she watches five of her grandchildren finish off bowls of rice and palm oil sauce at a wobbly table on which worn-out kitchen utensils sit. “I manage to feed my family every day by selling fruit,” she says. Guinea, a former French colony and a dictatorship for a more than half a century, is on the cusp of its first parliamentary elections since 2002, but on the streets of Conakry, optimism seems as scarce a commodity as reliable electricity
and water. The country — already the world’s largest producer of bauxite, used to make aluminium — has all manner of other untapped minerals too, including diamonds, gold, uranium and one of the planet’s richest deposits of undeveloped iron ore. Yet it remains one of the poorest nations in west Africa, hamstrung by corrupt and incompetent autocrats who mismanaged and plundered the public purse following independence from France in 1958. A military junta took control in December 2008 at the of death of President Lansana Conte, who seized power in a coup 24 years earlier, and a transitional administration oversaw the introduction of civilian rule at the end of 2010. Today the economy is stagnating, youth unemployment is estimated by the government to be somewhere around 60 percent and Guinea is languishing 178th out of 187 countries on the Human Development Index of the United Nations Development Programme. Power cuts are regular, the water supply is woefully inad-
The country — already the world’s largest producer of bauxite, used to make aluminium — has all manner of other untapped minerals too, including diamonds, gold, uranium and one of the planet’s richest deposits of undeveloped iron ore. equate, local government is weak and the private sector embryonic at best, according to the African Economic Outlook, published by the United Nations and Africa Development Bank. “The electricity in Guinea is like a flashing light show. It comes and goes constantly,” says Ibrahim Bangoura, one of Camara’s children who, despite being 36 and having an engineering degree, still has to live off his mother. The elections have been po-
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stponed for almost three years following the inauguration of Alpha Conde, the country’s first democratically-elected president whose advisers have included billionaire investor George Soros and former UK prime minister Tony Blair. “We go several days without water and electricity. We are so accustomed to the lack of power it no longer affects our studies,” said Mohamed Lamine Kaba, a 22-year-old law student who nevertheless intends to vote for Conde’s Rally of the Guinean People. Government spokesman Albert Damantang Camara defends Conde’s record strenuously, pointing out that Guinea was on its knees when his boss came to power. “We were facing a catastrophic situation with the coffers completely empty, an exponentially increasing debt and an inflation rate of 29 percent,” he says. He admits that the wavering electricity supply is “our biggest challenge” and concedes that the infrastructure
providing the capital with clean water will need to be “completely rebuilt”. In Conde’s favour, literacy rates and attendance at medical centres have improved since 2010 but ordinary Guineans are seeing few improvements to their lives in a country where more than half the population still lives in poverty. Even those lucky enough to find work often discover that their wages do not cover the basics. Alpha Barry Sadio, a chauffeur, told AFP he was struggling on a monthly salary of 800,000 Guinean francs ($114, 87 euros). “I give 600,000 GNF to my wife and I tell her to manage. We eat almost nothing but rice. A kilo (2.2 pounds) of meat, which costs 32,000 GNF, just isn’t within our reach,” he said. Yet many Guineans believe Conde is better placed to control public finances and get the economy moving than any of his rivals or the private sector. “Alpha spends money wisely. Since he came to power, there has been no shortage of rice and fuel,” said hauliage driver Moussa Donzo. AFP
12
News THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2013
DRAMA
That soap opera called
football
The Colombian soap opera — known simply as La Seleccion — is an undeniable runaway smash hit. ALEXANDER MARTINEZ feedback@postnoon.com BOGOTA: With Colombia’s national football team close to qualifying for the 2014 World Cup, viewers are tuning in by the millions to a telenovela about their dream team of the 1990s. The soap opera — known simply as “La Seleccion” (marketed in English as “Football Dreams, a World of Passion”) — is an undeniable runaway smash hit. The series focuses on the personal struggles and love stories of the national team’s four main players: Carlos “El Pibe” (The Kid) Valderrama, goalkeeper Rene “El Loco” (Madman) Higuita, striker Faustino Asprilla and midfielder Freddy Rincon. These players formed the backbone of the team that played in World Cup tournaments in Italy in 1990, the United States in 1994, and France in 1998. “These characters are representative of Colombia, and rich from a dramatic point of view,” said series co-director Ricardo Coral. Valderrama, known for his trademark bushy blond afro, was the team captain and a born leader. Internationally he played for Montpellier in France, Real Valladolid in Spain, and later with US soccer teams. Higuita, who sported long, curly black hair, was the goalkeeper known for his spectacular “scorpion kick” and for daring forays far from his goal posts. He also played for Real Valladolid, and for Veracruz in Mexico. Striker Asprilla, a media diva, played internationally in Italy and Britain, while midfielder Rincon, who played for SSC Napoli, Real Madrid and teams in Brazil, was known for his tenacity and determination, Coral said. Fed up with ‘narco-dramas’ Colombian soaps in the past years have focused on the usual
fare of steamy love stories as well as “narco dramas” — stories about the country’s decades-long conflict involving drug traffickers, leftist guerrillas and rightwing paramilitary forces. “We wanted to state — loud and clear — that Colombia is not only made up of drug traffickers and paramilitary fighters,” Coral told AFP. “We want to change that view and give a fresh one that AROUND THE
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shows high personal values, hard work, and massive effort, which also represents us.” Coral acknowledges Colombia’s dark side, “but we’re fed up with seeing it.” The decision to shy away from drug trafficking led producers to cut out a scene in which Higuita meets Colombia’s most famous drug lord, the late Pablo Escobar. Colombian football clubs were soaked with drug money in the 1980s and 1990s, so it was impossible to avoid the topic. “The story is based on their lives, but it’s not a fully accurate portrayal. We had to introduce changes to create more tension for dramatic purposes,” he said.
Nevertheless there is plenty of humor, and real-life drama worthy of a Garcia Marquez novel — like the time that Higuita was courting a young woman who turned out to be his half-sister. “His father shows up and tells him: ‘she is your sister, you can’t get involved with her,’” Coral said. “It sounds like fiction, but it’s true.” Part of the success of the series relies on the physical similarities between the actors and the football stars. Edgar Vittorino, the actor who portrays Valderrama, said he was terrified to represent a national icon.
Eastbound & Down
E
astbound & Down is an American comedy television series broadcast on HBO, starring Danny McBride as Kenny Powers, a former professional baseball pitcher, who after an up and down career in the major leagues is forced to return to his hometown middle-school in Shelby, North Carolina, as a substitute physical education teacher.
People would “love or hate me for the rest of my life because I was portraying their idol.” Vittorino was studying in the United States when he was approached by the series producers. He prepared by buying a blond afro wig in New York and watching videos of Valderrama interviews. Later he visited the neighborhood where Valderrama grew up, in the northern coastal city of Santa Marta, and spent an afternoon with the football great. “Every year there was a telenovela about narcotrafficking and violence. Now, not just parents, but children too, can sit down and watch this show,”
Vittorino said. The first part of the series ends with the 5-0 blowout Colombia dished out to Argentina in Buenos Aires in a 1993 World Cup qualifying match, and with players visiting Higuita in prison, where he spent six months for helping negotiate the release of a friend’s kidnapped daughter. The prison sentence meant that Higuita missed the 1994 World Cup tournament in the United States. Filming for the second part of the series begins in early 2014, and will take the team through the qualifying round and into the 1998 World Cup in France. AFP
Sports on TV Friday Night Lights
The League
I
T
s an American drama series based around a high school football team in Texas. It takes place in the fictional town of Dillon. Particular focus is given to team coach Eric Taylor and his family, Tammy and Julie. The show uses this small town backdrop to address many issues facing contemporary American culture, including family values, child development, life lessons, school funding, racism, etc.
he series revolves around six friends who participate in a fantasy football league. The show follows the friends, who will do anything to win, while also dealing with a variety of situations that occur in their everyday lives.
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2013
Business
BRAZIL SEES HIGHER PRODUCTIVITY AS KEY
Brazil needs to boost productivity to ensure long-term growth and reduce inequality amid virtually full employment, the government said. “Personal income continues to rise, inequality continues to fall but we can do more,” Strategic Affairs Minister Marcelo Neri said.
AGE OF THE CYBER MERCENARY
13
THE DUVALIER MILLIONS
Business world braces as ‘Icefog’ alert sounded Based on the targets, a group of ‘cyber mercenaries’ appear to have an interest in military, shipbuilding and maritime operations, computers and software, research companies, telecom operators, satellite operators, mass media and television. WASHINGTON: Security researchers said Wednesday they uncovered a “cyber mercenary” team which specializes in attacks on targets in Japan and South Korea, and warned of more operations of that nature. Kaspersky Labs identified the group as “Icefog,” and said evidence points to it being based in China. Based on the targets, the attackers appear to have an interest in military, shipbuilding and maritime operations, computers and software, research companies, telecom operators, satellite operators, mass media and television. Kaspersky said the operation was a “small yet energetic Advanced Persistent Threat (APT) group” which focuses on targets involved in the supply chain for Western companies. The operation started in 2011 and has increased in size and scope over the last few years, according to the report presented at a Washington cybersecurity conference. The attackers have been “hitting pretty much all types of victims and sectors. In most cases, attackers maintain a foothold in corporate and governmental networks for years, smuggling out terabytes of sensitive information,” said Kaspersky researcher Costin Raiu. “The ‘hit and run’ nature of the Icefog attacks demonstrate a new emerging trend: smaller hit-and-run gangs that go after information with surgical preci-
sion. The attack usually lasts for a few days or weeks and after obtaining what they were looking for, the attackers clean up and leave.” Raiu said these types of hackers-for-hire groups are growing, developing into a “kind of ‘cyber mercenary’ team for the modern world.” The researchers localized the attackers and “assume some of the players behind this threat operation are based in at least three countries: China, South Korea and Japan,” with the largest number in China. The report, presented at the Billington Cybersecurity Summit, said Icefog targeted attacks relied on spear-phishing e-mails that attempt to trick the victim into opening a malicious attachment or a website. Some of these attachments include images of scantily clad women or “decoy” documents; when users click on the attachments, they unwittingly install malicious software which allows access to the attackers. “The attackers are hijacking sensitive documents and company plans, e-mail account credentials, and passwords to access various resources inside and outside the victim’s network,” a Kaspersky statement said. “In most cases, the Icefog operators appear to already know very well what they need from the victims. They look for specific file names, which are identified and transferred” to the attackers.
GOLD `30,215 10g SILVER `49,171 1kg
24C
for
for
DOLLAR `62.32 POUND `100.22
GENEVA: A Swiss court confirmed the confiscation of millions of dollars in frozen bank accounts belonging to former Haitian dictator Jean-Claude “Baby Doc” Duvalier, clearing the way for the money to be returned to Haiti. The Swiss Federal Administrative Court upheld a bid by Bern to confiscate more than $5 million in Swiss accounts opened by Duvalier and his entourage during his 15 years in power. The legal case to return the money to Haiti was “valid because the assets in question had been obtained illicitly,” the appeals court said in a statement, noting that “the level of corruption (in Haiti) was notoriously high” during the Duvalier years.
NUMEROLOGY
$395
mn
is the amount Citigroup will pay Freddie Mac to settle claims of potential flaws in millions of mortgages it sold Freddie.
MORE AUSTERITY MADRID: Spain will stick to its path of austerity in 2014 with the government due to approve its draft budget for the year on Friday, subjecting pensioners and public workers to more cutbacks despite a slowly improving economy. A new pay freeze for civil servants and a pension reform which will stop indexing payouts to inflation are among the measures which PM Mariano Rajoy’s conservative government is expected to adopt. The 2014 budget “will be the most boring of these last few years” because “it will seem like the twin brother of this year’s”, daily business newspaper Cinco Dias wrote.
THUS SPAKE Some day, I don’t know how many years in the future — it could be decades — but I think printed newspapers on actual paper may be a luxury item. JEFF BEZOS, AMAZON CHIEF EXECUTIVE
BSE NSE
19,876.77 20.53
5,880.90 7.05
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2013
Comment
HIGH-FLYING THOUGHTS
Despite not being devoid of MPs with criminal background, a delegation of the BJP is headed for a meeting with Pranab Mukherjee to voice its opposition to the ordinance floated to protect convicted MPs — this is one bravado that should succeed.
GOING IT ALONE
14
The splintering of Syria begins SARA HUSSEIN DATELINE DAMASCUS
A
decision by key Syrian rebel groups to break with the Western-backed National Coalition further splinters the opposition and poses a key challenge for its international supporters, analysts say. A new alliance sees members of the military command of the West’s ally General Salim Idriss join forces with the Al-Qaeda-affiliated Al-Nusra Front. It effectively guts the Syrian Military Council (SMC) that Idriss heads, and raises questions about how much influence the West and other rebel backers will now have on the ground, experts say. And both the language of the announcement and the participation of AlNusra will raise fears in the West about increasing radicalisation in the armed opposition. The announcement by 13 rebel factions, including the powerful Ahrar alSham, Liwa al-Tawhid and Liwa al-Islam groups, came on Tuesday night. In a statement, they said the key opposition grouping known as the National Coalition to which Idriss belongs “does not represent us, nor do we recognise it.” The group called “on all military and civilian groups to unite in a clear Islamic context that... is based on sharia (Islamic) law, making it the sole source of legislation.” The announcement strips the mainstream rebel force of some of its most important players, according to Charles Lister, an analyst at IHS Jane’s Terrorism and Insurgency Centre. “It’s extremely damaging,” he told AFP. The 13 groups “represent a very signif-
icant portion of the armed opposition and the groups that have had the most strategically valuable impact. The impact this will have on the ability of the SMC to represent itself as the core of the opposition will be huge.” Aron Lund, a Syria expert, agreed, in an analysis posted on the Syria Comment blog. “It represents the rebellion of a large part of the ‘mainstream Free Syrian Army’ against its purported leadership, and openly aligns these factions with more hardline forces,” he wrote. Thomas Pierret, a lecturer at the University of Edinburgh, pointed out that last year some of the factions had refused to join Al-Nusra in a similar denunciation of the Coalition. He said a US-Russian deal to strip
Syria of its chemical weapons, which halted US plans for military action against the regime, had changed the calculus for some. “After the chemical weapons crisis, insurgents have lost any possible hope in the benefits of an alliance with the West,” he said. While the Islamist bent of the alliance is clear, many of Syria’s rebel groups use Islamist language, and Lister said he did not expect to see all the factions fall in line with Al-Nusra. In fact, analysts pointed to a notable jihadist absence from the new grouping — that of the Al-Qaeda-affiliated Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). The group, which began as Al-Qaeda’s Iraqi arm and expanded into Syria earlier this year, has clashed with other rebel
groups in recent months. Lund said it was too early to see the new grouping as intended to confront ISIL, noting that nothing in its statement would be objectionable to the Al-Qaeda affiliate. Even without ISIL, the alignment of formerly Western-backed brigades with Al-Nusra will pose problems for the West, much of which lists the group as a “terrorist organisation.” Washington has been talking about ramping up military aid to the rebels through Idriss, but the new alliance could make that impossible. “They’ve got no way forward, they’ve put themself in a box. It becomes more and more difficult to provide arms,” said Yezid Sayigh, a senior associate at the Carnegie Middle East Centre. AFP
EDITORIAL RBI decision to ban zero per cent interest will save consumer the heartburn
R
eserve Bank of India’s decision to ban zero per cent interest rate schemes for purchase of consumer goods is an interesting move. The RBI has also directed that no additional charges can be levied on payment though debit cards. These curbs will go a long way in restoring buying procedures of the past, when people saved up money if they wanted to buy something. Our parents, by and large, believed in cash purchases. They were not in a tearing hurry to procure a goody as soon as
READERS’ VIEWS
they fancied one, by way picking it up in exchange of a few signed post-dated cheques. This sort of thing is okay in an emergency or as a one-off thing, but in our hurry to spend tomorrow’s earning today, the trend of debt buying caught on and spread to purchase of even fancy consumables. One factor that slowed down this trend was the interest such purchases attracted. Manufacturers wooed those who did not fall for the interest-levied buy-now-pay-later schemes with zero-interest alternates.
Not that these were actually void of extra costs: only they were cleverly hidden. Generally, in the zero per cent monthly schemes offered on credit cards, the interest component is mostly hidden and passed on to the customers as processing fee or service charge. Consumers are sure to benefit through this move immensely. Reverting to the good old days of cash purchase will save the consumer a lot of tension every month when cheques given by them are remitted, and the world another recession.
We invite you to write to us comments, suggestions, viewpoint or just about anything to feedback@postnoon.com or # Plot No 550-A1,3rd Floor, Road No 92, Jubilee Hills, Hyderabad-500033 Landmark – Volkswagen showroom or even by way of a call on 4067 2222. Editor: Dean Williams
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THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2013
tELEVISION A PROMISING START
Fall line-up could sizzle US television networks began to roll out their new Fall series, and many of them are surprisingly good. But The Blacklist, says Andrew Josef, might just be the one to rule them all.
L
et me start by apologising to all the Grey’s Anatomy fans out there, but network shows are usually melodramatic pieces of tat. It’s invariably HBO, Showtime and to some extent FX and AMC that crank out the real classics. When it comes to drama can anything really beat Game of Thrones (HBO), Shameless and Ray Donovan (Showtime), Sons of Anarchy (FX), Breaking Bad and Mad Men (AMC)? Or if it’s just laughs you’re looking for, things rarely get more hilariously edgy than Veep (HBO), Californication, House of Lies (Showtime) and Archer (FX)? Network series on the other hand have been far more family-friendly affairs, thanks to pressure put on them by advertising sponsors, and with more series being cancelled than tickets for a Gary Glitter concert, it was imperative that the new Fall programming stood up to the cable fare. And there just may be a glimmer of hope. Leading the charge is The Blacklist. Fans of Boston Legal will know the protagonist as Alan Shore, film buffs will know him as the bloke who spanked Maggie Gyllenhall’s bottom in The Secretary. Either way it’s his show all the way. James Spader plays Raymond Reddington, a wanted criminal who surrenders himself to the FBI and has decided to spill the beans on all his ‘colleagues’. And these are not just any criminals: You won’t find any of them on the FBI’s Most Wanted list, which Reddington claims is nothing more than a “popularity contest”. These are cold-blooded killers. There are two problems though. One is that Reddington will only deal with novice FBI profiler Elizabeth Keen (a sort of TV Clarice Starling) and the second is that Reddington’s intellect far outstrips those of his minders. Spader continues from where he left off in Boston Legal with consummate ease and drives the first episode with pace and wit. There is a fair bit of blood and gore (whether Indian
audiences will be allowed to see it is another matter) and no dearth of snappy, intelligent dialogue, which is rare for a network show. The overarching question, however, is why has Reddington picked Keen. There is a clue in the first 15 minutes, but is it too obvious to be true? The Blacklist has all the ingredients to become the next Person of Interest, but a lot rides on Spader. And without a William Shatner to partner him, is he up to the task? Only time will tell. As far as comedies go, it’s a
The Blacklist has all the ingredients to become the next Person of Interest, but a lot rides on Spader. hard to beat Modern Family, which is miles ahead of the pack in terms of comedic value. But both Mom, and Dads make admirable attempts, though eventually both fall short.
Mom centres around Christy (Anna Faris), a waitress, and single mother who also happens to be a recovering alcoholic. She is ‘supported’ by her mother, also allegedly a recovering alcoholic with the sex drive of Charlie Sheen, her stoner ex-husband, a boss she’s sleeping with, and a chef who makes Gordon Ramsey look like a boy scout. The series is created by Chuck Lorre (Two and a Half Men, The Big Bang Theory) so it has its fair share of
zingers, but it pulls its punches, just when it should land the knockout blow. Dads, on the other hand is produced by the irrepressible Seth McFarlane so we hoped to get loads of political incorrectness and juvenile hilarity, and the first episode has quite a lot of both. Starring Seth Green and Giovanni Ribisi as sons to two imbalanced fathers played by Peter Reigert and Martin Mull this could be the live action Family Guy, but unfortunately it’s not. Rumour has it that the writers were asked to tone down the content from episode two onwards. That’s network TV for you. There are other new dramas like Hostages and Sleepy Hollow that have made solid, though not exemplary starts. And the Michael J Fox Show is one comedy to watch out for when it airs tomorrow. But one gets a sense that the usual suspects Grey’s, PoI, Nashville, etc will once again be as good as it gets; unless James Spader can come out swinging again in episode two.
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THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2013
spotlight SELFLESS DEEDS
ALL FOR A CAUSE
A fund raiser was organised by Heal a Child foundation at Taj Krishna and the who’s who in the city took time out from their busy schedules to lend a helping hand. 1
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ANNUAL MEETING
Sri Kanna Lakshminarayana, Hon’ble Minister for Agriculture and Agriculture Technology Mission inaugurates the 18th Annual General Meeting of SEEDSMEN Association at FAPCCI Federation House, Hyderabad.
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ELECTRICAL SAFETY AWARENESS
A seminar on revised National Electrical Code of India was organised to create awareness about electrical safety.
1 Kamna Jethmalani
3 Liza
5 Honey
2 Charmee
4 Sara
6 Anam & Tania
7 Jwala Gutta
‘F IS FOR FASHION’
64.fashions.com, a multi-designer online store, started in early 2013, announced their signatory fashion show, Fashionology which is going to be held on October 4, 2013 at Taj Vivanta, Begumpet. The designer clothes will be exhibited at the Fashionology Expo on October 5, 2013 at Taj Vivanta.
RIDING JUPITER
TVS Motor Company, one of India’s largest two wheel manufacturers, launched its much awaited new scooter, TVS Jupiter
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2013
health
DEWORMING DOSE FOR OVER 3MN DELHI CHILDREN
Delhi Health Minister, A K Walia launched the second round of annual deworming in schools, expected to cover 3.6 million children in the national capital. The first round of mass deworming was carried out in February 2012 and covered 2.7 million school children. IANS
WORLD HEART DAY
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The five foods that will keep your heart healthy An estimated 45 million people suffer from heart disease in India, most of whom fall below the age of 50. Don’t become a statistic, eat healthy, and stay fit. POSTNOON NEWS feedback@postnoon.com
body thereby improving overall heart health.
HYDERABAD: World Heart Day has been celebrated every year since 1999 to spread awareness on heart disease and maintaining a healthy heart by focusing on dietary habits and exercise. An estimated 45 million people suffer from heart disease in India, most of whom fall below the age of 50. Heart disease will be the leading cause of death globally by 2020. Sheela Krishnaswamy, Diet, Nutrition and Wellness consultant, gives us five foods that can shield us from heart disease.
‘T’ FOR TOMATOES
The rich red colour in tomatoes comes from a compound called lycopene, which is an antioxidant. Although lycopene is best known for its protective effects in cancer, some preliminary studies show that it can also reduce the risk of coronary heart disease when taken over a long period of time. The large amounts of vitamin C present in tomatoes provide antioxidant support to the cardiovascular system.
‘H’ FOR HONEY
Honey is delicious. It is also a friend to the heart. Tests have shown that antioxidants in honey can slow the oxidation of LDL (bad cholesterol) in blood. Oxidation of LDL may lead to plaque deposits in blood vessel walls which may lead to a heart attack.
‘E’ FOR EAR OF CORN
The ear of corn (commonly known as corn or maize) is a rich source of magnesium and potassium, both of which are known to have a positive influence in controlling blood pressure. It’s very low in fat and contains fiber which can help to control
cholesterol levels.
‘A’ FOR ALMONDS
Almonds are one of the most versatile nuts which can easily be made part of our daily diet. They can be had as they are and also be used in food preparation as an ingredient. Almonds contain heart healthy mono-unsaturated
fats – a type of fat, which has been shown to reduce LDL or bad cholesterol levels without reducing the levels of HDL or good cholesterol. High levels of bad cholesterol contribute to heart ailments.
‘R’ FOR RAISINS
Raisins are a convenient and ver-
satile snack that can be had any time in the day. They are a good option when we crave the taste of something sweet and they are available at any local store near you. They are very high in potassium which helps to maintain blood pressure and are a good source of fiber that helps to lower blood cholesterol levels in the
HEALTHY LIVING
Fish, and veggies to avoid prostate cancer S
imple modifications in food habits, including adopting a diet rich in cereals, fish and green leafy vegetables, can drastically reduce chances of prostate cancer, considered to be one of the most common cancers among men. The sixth leading cause of cancer deaths among males,
prostate cancer is linked to family history of the disease and age. Doctors said research also indicates that a diet rich in red meat and high-fat dairy products predisposes men to the risk of this cancer. "High fatty diet and red meat are the main causes of prostate cancer," P K Julka, Head of the Department
Oncology All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), told IANS. As September has been dedicated to create awareness on prostate cancer, experts said early symptoms vary from man to man. One should look for frequent, difficult or painful urination, not being able to urinate, blood in the urine, painful ejaculation or frequent
pain or stiffness in the lower back, hips or upper thighs. Studies of men who drink green tea or take green tea extract as a supplement have also found reduced risk of prostate cancer that occurs in the male reproductive system. Sugary candy and soda as well as starchy foods spark inflammation. IANS
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THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2013
Technology DRONING ON
MAYDAY! IT’S AMAZON NEW YORK CITY: Amazon upped the ante in the tablet wars, unveiling upgraded Kindles with a boost in power while adding a ‘Mayday’ button for free, live technical support. The US online retail giant said the Kindle Fire HDX tablets would include an improved display that goes "beyond HD with exceptional pixel density" and a new processor that provides "three times the processing power" of the current version of Kindles. The new tablet is offered in a seven-inch version that competes with smaller devices like Apple's iPad mini, and an 8.9 inch model closer to the larger iPad and similar units.
RASH OF WORRIES
WASHINGTON: More than
Drones from jets Boeing has revealed that it has retrofitted retired fighter jets to turn them into drones.
I
t said that one of the Lockheed Martin F-16 made a first flight with an empty cockpit last week. Two US Air Force pilots controlled the plane from the ground as it flew from a Florida base to the Gulf of Mexico. Boeing suggested that the innovation could ultimately be used to help train pilots, providing an adversary they could practise firing on. The jet - which had previously sat mothballed at an Arizona site for 15 years - flew at an altitude of 40,000ft (12.2km) and a speed of Mach 1.47 (1,119mph/1,800km/h). It carried out a series of manoeuvres including a barrel roll and a “split S” - a move in which the aircraft turns upside down before making a half loop so that it flies the right-way-up in the opposite direction. This can be used in combat to evade missile lock-ons. Boeing said the unmanned
A new purpose The jet — which had previously sat mothballed at an Arizona site for 15 years — flew at an altitude of 40,000ft (12.2km) and a speed of Mach 1.47 (1,119mph/1,800km/h). F16 was followed by two chase planes to ensure it stayed in sight, and also contained equipment that would have allowed it to self-destruct if necessary. The firm added that the flight attained 7Gs of acceleration but was capable of carrying out manoeuvres at 9Gs - something that might cause physical problems for a pilot. “It flew great, everything worked great, [it] made a beautiful landing - probably one of the best landings I’ve ever seen,” said Paul Cejas, the project’s chief engineer. Lt Col Ryan Inman, Commander of the US Air
The pros The firm added that the flight attained 7Gs of acceleration but was capable of carrying out manoeuvres at 9Gs — something that might cause physical problems for a pilot.
Boeing said the unmanned F16 was followed by two chase planes, and also contained equipment that would have allowed it to selfdestruct. Force’s 82nd Aerial Targets Squadron, also had praise for how the test had gone.
QF-16 JET
The jet flew over the Gulf of
Mexico on the test carried out on 19 September “It was a little different to see it without anyone in it, but it was a great flight all the way around,” he said. Boeing said that it had a total of six modified F-16s, which have been renamed QF-16s, and that the US military now planned to use some of them in live fire tests. However, a spokesman for the Campaign to Stop Killer Robots warned of the temptation to use them in warfare. “I’m very concerned these could be used to target people on the ground,” said Prof Noel Sharkey. “I’m particularly worried about the high speed at which they can travel because they might not be able to distinguish their targets very clearly. “There is every reason to believe that these so-called ‘targets’ could become a test bed for drone warfare, moving us closer to automated killing.”
200 mobile apps for diagnosing skin rashes and moles are now on the market, and US researchers Wednesday urged caution in relying on them over a doctor's advice. Their names include attentiongrabbers like "What's My Rash?" and "iSore." Over half of the 229 apps studied are mainly targeted at consumers and patients, but only a few were clearly designed by medical personnel, said the study in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) Dermatology.
NASA LAUNCHES FINDER WASHINGTON: A portable radar device that can sense live victims beneath a collapsed structure was inspired by the same technology used to detect distant objects in space, NASA said Wednesday. The prototype for the new tool was demonstrated for reporters by US space agency experts who are collaborating with the Department of Homeland Security. Known by the acronym FINDER, short for Finding Individuals for Disaster and Emergency Response, the device can locate people as many as 30 feet (nine meters) under crushed materials, NASA said.
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THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2013
Entertainment TELUGU INDUSTRY UNHAPPY
CINE BYTES
‘Centenary celebrations of Indian cinema disgrace to Telugu film industry’
Tamannah, Ravi Teja to work together?
I
f all goes as planned, Tamannah Bhatia will act with Ravi Teja in his upcoming but untitled Telugu film to be helmed by Veerabhadram.”Her name has come up since the two (Ravi and Tamannah) have not worked together. The makers thought that the audience can look forward to a new pair if they come together. However, nothing is confirmed. IANS
A mark of solidarity
P
T
elugu producer Katragadda Murari has called the recently concluded centenary celebrations of Indian cinema a “disgrace” for the Telugu film industry as several veterans were not invited and those who attended were not given due respect. Telugu actor-filmmaker R. Narayana Murthy left the function midway.The fourday (Sep 21-24) centenary celebrations concluded here Tuesday. On Monday, 41 legends of Indian cinema were honoured by President Pranab Mukherjee who presided over the event organised by the Tamil Nadu government and the South Indian Film Chamber of Commerce.”I’m surprised several industry veterans from Chennai were not even invited for the event. Artists such as Vennelakanti Rajeshwara Prasad and Bhuvanchandra were among those who were not invited. I was told I would be invited but nobody contacted me and therefore I decided not to go. It’s a disgrace to our industry,” Murari told
IANS.”If a committee is planning to honour an artist then it should let him or her know well in advance. Most of them didn’t have a clue that they will be honoured until the minute they were called upon to receive their awards,” he added.Murari said the event lacked a basic sense of planning.”They should have ideally given a single pass for all the four days but artists had to wait everyday at the entrance to pick up their passes. I was told that most of the artists who were honoured had to return their shawls and mementos because the committee had run out of stock,” he said.”I still can’t fathom how careless was the organising committee in this regard. I came to learn that a few artists left the event midway when their awards were taken back,” said Murari. Many other Telugu artists including actress Kavita, who is a member of the Telugu Desam Party, and actor-filmmaker R. Narayana Murthy had something similar to say. Kavita was heartbroken when she was not even invited for the
event.”I’m a senior artist and have worked in over 150 films. I don’t understand how the organisers didn’t even think of inviting me. I’m extremely upset,” Kavita told IANS. Kavita has worked with several southern stalwarts such as N.T. Rama Rao, M.G. Ramachandran and superstar Rajinikanth.”Actresses much younger to me were invited and honoured on the stage. Does this mean nobody gives importance to seniority? Or should I think my contribution was not even worthy of getting an invitation to the event,” she added.”I’m extremely saddened that I have been treated like this by my own industry. I never expected this kind of treatment. Several seniors too were not considered for the ceremony,” she said. Murthy, known for making films such as Swatantra Bharatam, Dandora and Veera Telangana, attended the event but walked out midway.”I thought we were paying tribute to hundred years of Indian cinema but all that I saw on stage were
cultural events, dance and some skits. Is this how we pay our respect to our cinema,” a miffed Murthy asked.” Telugu artists such as Mohan Babu, Dasari Narayana Rao, Mahesh Babu, Prabhas and many others also did not attend the event. When asked about the complaints C. Kalyan, president, South Indian Film Chamber of Commerce, said that when you organise such a big event some mistakes are bound to occur. “I agree mistakes may have happened but we didn’t stop anyone from coming. We may have missed inviting some artists but all of them were welcome to attend the function,” Kalyan told IANS. “All these artists are accusing us of not inviting them but if they really love their industry, then they should have just landed up at the event. Moreover, most senior artists from Telugu cinema didn’t show up for personal reasons. We can’t be held accountable for that,” he added. “I welcomed Kavita to join us but she didn’t turn up,” said Kalyan. IANS
ower Star Pawan Kalyan and director Trivikram Srinivas have returned a significant portion of their remunerations to producer BVSN Prasad, as a mark of solidarity. Because of the piracy issues and the unexpected emergency release, the production house experienced a severe cash crunch.The film is going to release on September 27.
Doosukeltha to enter Dussehra race
M
anchu Vishnu’s action entertainer, Doosukeltha is going to be released soon. As per the latest information, the production team is all set to release for Dussehra. An official announcement can be expected soon. Lavanya of Andhala Rakshasi fame has been chosen to play the lead heroine alongside Vishnu who has worked on his physique
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2013
fashion
GET THOSE PERFECT CURLS
Some love straight hair and others want curls that make their hair look bouncy and voluminous. From sprays, to straighteners, use hair products to get bouncy curls. Actress Allison Williams recently stunned the red carpet at the 65th Primetime Emmy Awards in a cobalt blue Ralph Lauren gown. IANS
Sporting
BLING
EXOTIC FLOWERS PREFERRED OVER ROSES
A rose is a rose, says Vikaas Gutgutia of Ferns N Petals (FNP), but it has been elbowed out by exotic flower varieties like chrysanthemums, cymbidiums and anthuriums, because people are into an experimenting mode and want to try different blooms for decoration as the floral business booms in India. IANS
This year, Italy’s fashion capital, Milan shed its conservativeness and sported some serious bling at the Milan Fashion Week. Here’s a quick look at the week that was in fashion
22&23
Entertainment THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2013
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Entertainment THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2013
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THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2013
Chai Time
THOUGHT OF THE DAY
Time is the coin of your life. It is the only coin you have, and only you can determine how it will be spent. Be careful lest you let other people spend it for you. Carl Sandburg
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 Airport posting (abbr) 4 County festivals 9 Border plant 14 Down in the dumps 15 At the original length 16 External 17 Saying at the onset of wrinkles (Part 1) 20 ‘It’s ___!’ (Dr Frankenstein’s cry) 21 Put down 22 Burned up the highway 23 All-too-agreeable fellows 26 HS support group 29 Preposition in poetry 30 Siamese sobs 31 Unskilled labourer 32 Photocopier’s ancestor 33 Penny-pinching 35 Saying at the onset of wrinkles (Part 2) 38 Church groundskeeper 39 Small, dark goose 40 Held on to 41 Long-limbed, as a model 42 Product pitches 45 ‘If ___ say so myself’ 46 They might keep you up all night 48 Dance studio lesson 49 The Moody Blues’ ‘Nights in White ___’ 51 ‘Same here!’ 52 Saying at the onset of wrinkles (Part 3) 57 Swashbuckling Flynn 58 Choir’s platform 59 Fix, as an election 60 Part of an act 61 Dangerous downpour 62 Wichita-to-Kansas City dir
DOWN
1 Elvis’ Graceland, eg
2 Clothing alterer 3 Look to as a role model 4 Act incensed 5 Santa ___, Calif 6 Very standoffish 7 Massage 8 Cooks over boiling water 9 ‘Crocodile Dundee’ star 10 Yours and mine 11 Increases inclination 12 Contents of some small bags 13 Gallery display 18 Gift wrapping time, for many 19 Lincoln, informally 23 Middle Eastern country on the Red Sea 24 Wide-spouted pitcher 25 Chew toy coating 27 Ceremonial gown for Claudius 28 In whatever quantity 30 Otis’ pal, in film 31 Brad of Hollywood 32 Marshal Dillon 33 Deer that have antlers 34 Smaller than small 35 Give careful attention to 36 Hazard for the snowbound 37 Try to persuade 38 Participate in a biathlon 41 Non-company men? 42 Dress code concern 43 Hold for questioning 44 Kind of cake or bath 46 What’s in, in fashion 47 Penpoint 48 Attack word 50 ‘... unto us ___ is given’ (Isaiah) 51 Tabloid gossip 52 WKRP newsman Nessman 53 ‘The Lord of the Rings’ beast 54 Have a fever 55 Find a function for 56 Golfer’s peg
Chai Time THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2013 Thiruvaikumar
STAR POWER for 27-9-2013
27
As per Hindu panchang thiruvaikumar@yahoo. co. in, 040-27177230 / 9177596118
ARIES
TAURUS
GEMINI
CANCER
LEO
VIRGO
LIBRA
SCORPIO
SAGITTARIUS
CAPRICORN
AQUARIUS
PISCES
Minor health problem is likely; take good care. Expected money will come, which will help reduce debt problems. You will not be dependant on anyone. Some works are likely to get delayed or will get completed only after multiple attempts.
STRIP TEASE AGNES
You will express opinions with courage, unmindful of the consequences and will face any situation. New thoughts in your mind will be implemented successfully. Friendship with VIPs is likely in the near future, which will be beneficial.
Avoid taking controversial decisions in a hurry, which might not be appreciated by anyone. Friends and well-wishers will understand you, whereas others might misunderstand you. However, the situation is likely to change for the better soon.
Comforts are set to increase. Your creativity will reach greater heights and earn you appreciation. Your charisma is likely to improve, which will be favourable in getting work done without much effort. Money will come from expected sources.
You will never give up till you reach goals. Commitments given by you will get fulfilled without deviation. Your stock is set to pile up. Support from spouse and in-laws will make you cheerful. Delayed marriage talks will resume and progress well.
Politicians will be in limelight. Old dues will get collected and you will become financially strong. Your boldness is set to increase, which will let you get work done decisively. Foes are likely to become friends to your surprise.
You will not compromise with anything short of your expectations. You expect instant results over your wise decisions. Difficult work will get completed successfully now. Changing your approach is important to achieve your goals.
You will be able to complete even challenging assignments with a determination. A foreign trip that has not been materialising since long will become reality now. Also, the purpose of the trip will be successfully accomplished.
You will be able to attract all with your sweet talk. Expenses might go beyond expectation, which might erode your savings. Be careful while driving as minor accident is likely. Avoid harsh talks. Misunderstanding between couples is likely.
TAROT READ
Sumaa Tekur
tarotreadhyd@gmail. com
ARIES:
GEMINI:
The Sun – You may have to put in some extra work in order to get something you really want. Don’t be afraid of hard work. It has never killed anyone.
LEO:
Queen of Cups – There are shooting stars that are believed to fulfil your wishes. If you believe it to be true, it must be true. Faith can move mountains.
LIBRA:
PEARLS BEFORE SWINE
The Magician – Use the weekend to plan your future. Spend some time alone to work things out and start afresh. Plan ahead keeping in mind your limitations.
SAGITTARIUS:
Temperance – You tend to believe reports about a person. Check for yourself before you take a decision based on these reports. Be your investigator.
TAURUS:
Three of Pentacles – Exercise caution with investments and what you do with money you have recently come into. There are ways to check credibility of schemes.
CANCER:
Ten of Swords – Someone from your past is remembering you and is making you think of the good old times when life was so much more simpler.
VIRGO:
Ace of Swords – You’re getting carried away with the ‘type’ of person someone is made out to be. You’re hesitating to interact with this person. Think again!
SCORPIO:
Four of Wands – Good deeds beget good deeds. Believe that positive action will, in turn, attract positive action. People around you will respect your goodwill.
CAPRICORN:
Three of Swords – You stick to the commandments and don’t want to do anything to upset your chances of being seen as a perfect companion.
PREVIOUS SOLUTIONS
PISCES:
Queen of Swords – Women who are expecting will start getting anxious about the baby that’s coming soon. Talk to your partner about your fears.
NUMBER GAME
– Don’t take any and every advice that people hand out to you. You need to do the job of a gatekeeper in order to protect your emotions.
SCRABBLE
AQUARIUS: Ace of Wands
POOCH CAFE
You are not ready to believe anything without evidence. You look matured and gain worldly knowledge, which will help you in handling problems wisely. Couples need to avoid ego clashes. Avoid anger and emotional outbursts.
for 27-9-2013
Page of Wands – Spare the rod and spoil the child? Not your style. But being too much of a control freak means that you stop enjoying life.
NON SEQUITUR
Those deprived of a child since long will get favourable news. Good events will take place at home, which will keep family members cheerful. Health looks alright. All your long-pending wishes will get fulfilled. You will celebrate with VIPs.
SUDUKO
Defeats will not deter you from marching ahead but will make you stronger as you learn a lot from disappointments. Success is sure in the future but that will not go to your head, which is appreciated by everyone. House plan will get approval.
Boggle BLUE GOUDA CREAM CHEDDAR AMERICAN Vol: 3, No 65 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,
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Entertainment THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2013
HUMPHRIES MAKES HIS CAMEO
CINE BYTES
S Michael Kors likes diverse models
A
merican designer Michael Kors likes to include models of different ethnicities in his fashion shows so that his shows don't get boring. "I like the idea of models that can be chameleons. I don't like it when the models all look the same. To me, it's so incredibly boring to turn them into mannequins, it's so much more interesting if we have different faces. IANS
ocialite Kim Kardashian's ex-husband Kris Humphries will be guest starring in the US series The Mindy Project. The 28-year-old basketball player will play himself on the show, but that didn't help him from getting nervous. "You're always nervous where people are really talented and you don't do this really, but as time went on, just being out there and messing around with the guys." "I loosened up a little bit and ended up having a good time," US magazine quoted Humphries as saying. In the show Humphries will be seen joining a group of single people - Danny (Chris Messina), Tom (Bill Hader) and others. During a meeting, they will chant: "Just because we don't have wives doesn't mean we don't have lives. Single and cool, single and cool, single and cool, yes!" IANS
Jada Pinkett Smith battled addiction in past
A
ctress Jada Pinkett Smith says she battled various kinds of addiction in the past, but is now proud of herself for overcoming them. Married to actor Will Smith, she has two children Jaden, 15, and Willow, 12 and she uses her wisdom to overcome various issues now, reports femaleďŹ rst.co.uk. IANS
Kimberley Walsh protective of Cheryl Cole
S
inger Kimberley Walsh is very protective of fellow Girls Aloud band member Cheryl Cole. The ďŹ ve-member band is not together anymore, but still Kimberley respected Cheryl's sentiments and made sure she did not reveal anything about the latter's failed marriage with footballer Ashley Cole. "I'm very protective of Cheryl," Hello magazine quoted Kimberley as saying. IANS
Kris Humphries to do cameo in
The Mindy Project
sports
29
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2013
THE AMERICA’S CUP
THE FRISCO MIRACLE
The defending champions, Oracle, crossed the finish 44 seconds ahead of challenger New Zealand to claim the coveted prize 9-8, having fought back from 8-1 down in the series. GLENN CHAPMAN Agence France-Presse SAN FRANCISCO: Oracle Team USA completed one of the greatest comebacks in sporting history on Wednesday to clinch the America’s Cup with victory over Team New Zealand in a decisive duel for the 162-yearold trophy. The defending champions crossed the finish 44 seconds ahead of challenger New Zealand to claim the coveted prize 9-8, having fought back from 8-1 down in the series. “Man oh man, what a race,” said USA skipper Jimmy Spithill. “Facing the barrel of the gun at 8-1 and what do these guys do? They didn’t even flinch.”
Cheers erupted from flagwaving fans on the shore of San Francisco Bay and the US team exchanged hugs as the catamaran zipped past the pier next to the finish. Billionaire yachtsman Larry Ellison, owner of the US team, hopped on board from a chase boat and took part in popping the champagne. “The engineering team, the guys on the water finally broke the code and figured out what to do,” Ellison said, giving much of the credit to Kiwi sailing legend and the team’s chief executive Russell Coutts. “He talked about sailing lower and faster instead of higher and slower. Russell Coutts has never lost an America’s Cup, not a bad
The Cup in quotes “Facing the barrel of the gun at 8-1 and what do these guys do? They didn’t even flinch.” American skipper Jimmy Spithill on the history-making comeback.
“Hollywood would have said this is not possible; it’s an unbelievable script.” Regatta director Iain Murray
“We didn’t get the last one we needed to take it back to New Zealand. It is hard to swallow.” New Zealand skipper Dean Barker on his team’s epic choke.
record. As long as Russell wants his job we are glad to have him.” But the result was greeted with despair in New Zealand where a one-word tweet from Prime Minister John Key summed up the mood of a nation: “Bugger.” The two rivals crossed the start of Race 19 almost even, and the Kiwis slipped around the first marker with a lead as the American’s flubbed the turn, dunking their bow. New Zealand defended a narrow lead around the next marker and into the critical upwind third leg. The Americans split the course and engaged in a tacking duel that ended with the defending champion seizing a
lead that grew all the way to the finish. The dramatic win culminated an epic rally by the Americans, who battled back from seven points down while the Kiwis were poised on match point. “Hollywood would have said this is not possible; it’s an unbelievable script,” regatta director Iain Murray said of the riveting drama played out on the Bay. The Kiwis struggled for seven days on match point, with victory staved off by Oracle and fickle winds that caused races to be postponed or abandoned. “It is obviously very hard to fathom,” said New Zealand skipper Dean Barker.
‘Yachting has been changed forever’ SAN FRANCISCO: Billionaire yachtsman Larry Ellison said the thrilling America’s Cup series had changed the face of the sport after his Oracle Team USA completed a miraculous comeback on Wednesday. The 34th edition of the prestigious yacht race had threatened to descend into chaos earlier this year following the decision to switch to the super-fast AC72 catmarans. The tragic death of British Olympic gold medalist Andrew
“Bart” Simpson during a training run in May heightened concerns over the safety of the boats used for the America’s Cup. Ellison said however that the move to AC72s had been vindicated by the dramatic finale to the race. “There was a lot of criticism about these boats,” Ellison said. “I felt I should keep my mouth shut and let the boats and the sailors demonstrate whether the vision was right or wrong. “This regatta has changed sailing forever,” Ellison said. “It
was the most beautiful regatta I have ever seen.” Many now wonder if the sport will ever return to using slower yachts. “This is absolutely off-thegraph,” said Richard Spindler of West Coast sailing magazine Latitude38. “This is the most exciting yacht racing ever seen, inside the Cup or out.” “I think the AC72s have found a sweet spot with the people,” said regatta director Iain Murray. “They were challenging, exciting, and provided a great
platform for these races.” As winner, Ellison will get to dictate the location and types of boats used in the next America’s Cup. “I’d love to come back to San Francisco; I have a house here,” Ellison said. “But we are going to sit down and talk to the officials in San Francisco and see if it will be possible to come back.” He joked that the next Cup would be around the Hawaiian Island of Lanai, which he recently bought.
sports
30
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2013
UCI ELECTIONS Cycling is about to elect a leader it hopes can pump fresh life into the sport and push it towards a doping-free future.
Race for hot seat nearing finish
JUSTIN DAVIS Agence France-Presse FLORENCE: Months of shadowy politicking, allegations of corruption and the use of secret, damning dossiers will come to an end on Friday when the International Cycling Union (UCI) holds its presidential election. Barely a year after disgraced American Lance Armstrong was banned for life for doping, cycling is about to elect a leader it hopes can pump fresh life into the sport and push it towards a doping-free future. Yet what has become a duel between Irish incum-
bent Pat McQuaid and British Cycling president Brian Cookson has taken almost as many twists and turns in recent months as the storied career of the disgraced American champion. Cookson, who has overseen Britain’s emergence as the world power in track cycling and the rise of its cycli-
WORLD TIME TRAIL
Martin defends title FLORENCE: Germany’s Tony Martin claimed his third consecutive title in the men’s time trial at the world road race cycling championships Wednesday. Britain’s Bradley Wiggins finished second, with Swiss former champion Fabian Cancellara taking the bronze. Martin clocked 1hr 05min 36sec on the course from Montecatini Terme to Florence to beat Wiggins by 46sec, with Cancellara finishing 48sec off the German’s pace. American Taylor Phinney, expected to be in the hunt for a possible podium finish, finished fifth 2:08 adrift, with Belarusian Vasil Kiryienka fourth at 1:26. Wiggins, who had hoped to add a maiden world title in the event to a list of honours which includes the 2012 Olympic time trial crown, was sitting in bronze medal position for most of the race but finished strongly to push Cancellara down a place.
sts among a professional road scene once ruled by mainland Europeans, is believed to be the frontrunner. McQuaid, meanwhile, is widely expected to pay the price for what Cookson has labelled the UCI’s “inefficient handling” of the Armstrong affair and a stance which his critics say
reflects too closely that of Hein Verbruggen, his predecessor. In a sport that has suffered years of scandal, anything less than a juicy buildup to the fight for the UCI presidency would have been disappointing. The seemingly squeakyclean Cookson is “confident” of winning by a majority and said he would quickly launch a ‘truth and reconciliation’ process and build bridges with the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). He also wants to “make our sport one where people can admire their heroes without doubt, aspire to compete, be a professional, even win a Tour or an Olympic medal and know that their friends will respect and not question them.” AFP
FIXING
No way back for Lee
LONDON: World Snooker chairman Barry Hearn said he couldn’t see a way back for Stephen Lee after the Englishman was given a 12-year ban for match-fixing on Wednesday. Lee, the former world number five, was found guilty by an independent tribunal last week of match-fixing charges relating to seven matches in 2008 and 2009 with the sanction imposed Wednesday. While many within the sport wanted to see Lee given a life ban by a tribunal headed by Adam Lewis, one of England’s leading sports lawyers, Hearn was confident the 12-year sanction amounted to much the same thing in practical terms.
“The courts today don’t seem to like to give out lifetime bans in any sport, this seems to be the policy generally,” Hearn told Sky Sports on Wednesday. But 12 years out of the professional circuit - it’s going to be a mountain to come back from that, I don’t see any way back. I think 12 years effectively is a lifetime ban, to be perfectly frank.” World number three Judd Trump added: “I think it should have been
a life ban but 12 years pretty much puts him out of his career, so he’s going to have to look at something else to do. “Anything over 10 years was right, I think.” Meanwhile former player Willie Thorne, now a BBC commentator, told Sky Sports: “He (Lee) will be 50 when he gets his licence back, as it were, and at that age you’ve got no chance of earning a living from snooker. “The Senior Tour could well be in full swing by then, but I don’t think he’d be accepted to the Senior Tour either so basically, 12 years is virtually a life ban.” Hearn said he was proud of the way snooker authorities had pursued the case. AFP
LOCAL SPORT Loyola wins Basketball title HYDERABAD: Loyola comes out with flying colours at the prestigious BOSM-2013 (BITS OPEN SPORTS MEET) All India Inter-Collegiate Basketball and Volleyball tournaments organized by Birla Institute of Technology, Pilani, Rajasthan from the September 18 to 22 at their BITS Pilani Campus. Basketball and Volleyball teams of Loyola Academy, Hyderabad participated in the tournament and came up with superlative performances in the tournament. The Loyola Academy Volleyball team which recently won the Osmania University Inter college championships, won the Bosm-2013 Volleyball Trophy by making a clean sweep of all its league engagements and knock-out matches convincingly winning the trophy with no worthwhile resistance except from IPS Academy, Chandigarh. In the semifinals, Loyola bet BITS Pilani 25-17, 25-16, 25-19 and in the finals, Loyola bet IPS Academy 25-17, 25-15, 25-19 and won the BOSM 2013 trophy. This is first time that a college team from A.P has won the title in an All India tournament bringing laurels to the state.
AITA Talent Series tennis tournament Boys U-12: R Ruchit Goud(AP) bt K Shashidha (AP) 9-3, Rishil Gupta (AP) bt N Shreyank (AP) 9-5, Anne Aakash (AP) bt V Kaushik KR Reddy (AP) 9-1, V Preetham (AP) bt Aravind Kalyana (KAR) 9-7, Harshith Kosaraju (AP) bt I Hari Vamsi Reddy (AP) 9-4, Anurag Agarwal (WB) bt Anamy Devraj (KAR) 9-2 Boys U-14: Venkat Anikait (AP) bt K Paresh (AP) 9-3, Ganta Sai Karthik R (AP) bt Ashrhudai G (AP) 9-1, T Sai Prathwik (AP) bt Adarshnaga T (AP) 9-3, Harshit Kosaraju (AP) bt Anurag Agarwal (WB) 9-7 Girls U-12: Juveri Fatima (AP) bt K Sreeja Reddy (AP) 9-1, K Shreya (AP) bt Thanuja Chauhan (AP) 9-0, M Sahithi (AP) bt K Sreya Kusum (AP) 9-1, P Amulya (AP) bt Lipika Murumala (AP) 9-7 Girls U-14: Juveria Fatima (AP) bt N Avani Reddy (AP) 9-1, Sravya Shivani (AP) bt Y Sahaja (AP) 9-4, Omer Mishgahn (AP) bt Nikhitha Simhabhatla (AP) 9-2, K Shreya (AP) bt K Avanthika Reddy (AP) 9-3, P Lasya (AP) bt Lipika Murumala (AP) 9-5.
AP State Challengers chess championship Selected Results: C R G Krishna (7.5) bt J Rama Krishna (6.5); Krishna Teja (7) beat S Raviteja (6.5); M Deepthms Reddy (6.5) drew with Harsha B (6.5); D Bala Chandra Prasad (7) bt D Ashraf Subhani(6); YVK Chakravarthy(6.5) drew with J Sai Agni Jeevetesh (6.5); MY Aditya (6) lost to M Chakravarthy Reddy (7); V Lakshmi Sandeep Naidu(5.5) lost to G Harsha Vardhan Reddy (6.5) ; Ch Sahaja Sri (5.5) lost to K Asleesh (6.5); V Raghav Srivathsav (6.5) bt K Vijayakanth(5.5); KVK Karthik (6.5) bt A Kavya (5.5)
NBA
George inks extension with Pacers INDIANAPOLIS: The Indiana Pacers have signed all-star Paul George to a multi-year contract extension, the National Basketball Association team announced Wednesday.
Financial terms were not disclosed, but George was eligible to earn as much as $90 million on a five-year deal under the league’s collective bargaining agreement. The 23-year-old American
averaged 7.8 points as a rookie and 12.1 points during his second NBA season. The Pacers selected George with the 10th overall pick in the 2010 draft. AFP
sports
31
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2013
BRAIN BEHIND IPL
BCCI ban Modi for life
BCCI's decision to ban former IPL chairman, Lalit Modi, came minutes after the Supreme Court rejected Modi's plea to put on hold the board's Special General Meeting in Chennai. CHENNAI/NEW DELHI: Once a golden boy of Indian cricket, former IPL chairman and commissioner Lalit Modi (right in pic) was Wednesday banned for life by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) from all its activities on charges of serious misconduct and indiscipline. BCCI's decision came minutes after the Supreme Court rejected Modi's plea to put on hold the board's Special General Meeting (SGM) in Chennai. At the SGM, chaired by BCCI president Narayanaswami Srinivasan (left in pic), Modi was "found guilty of committing acts of serious misconduct and indiscipline, and therefore, in exercise of powers as per Regulation 32 of the Memorandum and Rules and Regulations of the Board," banned for life. "Resolved that Mr. Lalit Modi is guilty of committing acts of serious misconduct and indiscipline, and therefore, in exercise of powers as per Regulation 32 of the Memorandum and Rules and Regulations of the Board, Mr.
Lalit Modi is hereby expelled from the BCCI. He shall forfeit all his rights and privileges as Administrator. He shall not in future be entitled to hold any position or office, or be admitted in any Committee or as any member or associate member of the Board," BCCI secretary
Sanjay Patel said in a statement. The SGM discussed the 134page inquiry report submitted by the BCCI's special disciplinary committee, comprising senior vice-president Arun Jaitley and Jyotiraditya Scindia. Former IPL chairman Chirayu Amin was also a member of the committee
Is Lalit the fall guy of Indian cricket? NEW DELHI: From being the poster boy of Indian cricket, Lalit Modi (in pic), creator of the highly lucrative IPL, is being made the fall guy today for all the ills plaguing the premier T20 tournament. Modi, who has had a meteoric rise in Indian cricket, has come hurtling down and his friends-turned-foes in the Indian cricket board did not pause for a second before taking the drastic decision Wednesday. They all fell in line with their boss Narayanaswami Srinivasan and banned Modi for life at a Special General Meeting in Chennai, charging him officially with "serious misconduct and indiscipline," and alleged financial irregularities in IPL between 2008 and 2010. It was only last month that Modi the marketing guru had asked the "BCCI members to wake up and see the writing on the wall". Ironically for Modi, who hails
from one of the most reputed business families of the country, he knew what was coming and is now gearing up to take on his rivals in the board. "Ban on me as predicted. Like I said not perturbed about it. Rather happy not to be sitting on
same table as facilitators of match fixing. Only Time will show I am right. I have no reason to be remorse about this as I got to live and create my dream. Ban not going to stop me," tweeted Modi minutes after the BCCI took the decision. Modi was soon on various television channels warning the board chiefs to be prepared for a long drawn-out public spat and watch out for some sensational stuff. The BCCI took the decision minutes after the Supreme Court turned down Modi's plea for putting on hold the Special General Meeting. It took exactly 11 minutes to deliberate the issue before ending Modi's tumultuous cricket journey. During his five-year-tenure (2005-2010), Modi became the youngest vice-president, created one of the most successful cricket league and also antagonised a few powerful men who took their revenge Wednesday. IANS
but later recused himself. The committee had detailed the alleged irregularities that Modi committed from the time the IPL's governing council approved the draft of the Invitation to Tender (ITT) in December 2009 - for adding two more teams to the league - to Modi's eventual suspension in April 2010. In fact, it was the introduction of the Kochi franchise that spelt Modi's doom. The case of Kochi constituted three of the eleven charges pressed against Modi, including rigging bids, arm-twisting franchises and bringing the BCCI into disrepute through his comments on Twitter. Modi remained unperturbed and defiant despite the ban. He said that the "ban is not going to stop me". "Ban on me as predicted. Like I said not perturbed about it. Rather happy not to be sitting on same table as facilitators of march fixing. Only Time will show I am right. I have no reason to be remorse about this as I got
to live and create my dream. Ban not going to stop me," tweeted Modi. Modi told news channel Times Now from London that he is not going to sit quietly and watch BCCI president Narayanaswami Srinivasan destroy Indian cricket. "To some extent, I am responsible for Srinivasan's vices but that doesn't mean I will sit back quietly and watch Srinivasan destroy Indian cricket. Yes, I made mistakes but I created the biggest brand of Indian cricket. I will bring up issues if he does anything wrong. I have learnt from my mistakes but Srinivasan is just opposite," he said. "Now I can openly go after them. Till now they were all colleagues and friends. The time has come to unravel everything, take everything out of the box and put everything out in the public domain. All secrets will be out sooner than later," he said. Modi said he will not run away and will fight with BCCI as the target. IANS
CLT20
Tambe, Hodge script RR victory
JAIPUR: A four-wicket haul by Pravin Tambe and a late assault by Brad Hodge (right) gave Rajasthan Royals a 30run win over Lions in a group match of the Champions League Twenty20 at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium here on Wednesday. With the win, Rajasthan extended their winning run to 10 matches at home and also jumped to the top of Group A. Put in, Hodge came up with an unbeaten cameo of 46 from 23 balls, studded with six fours and two sixes, that took Rajasthan to 183 for five in 20 overs. Skipper Rahul Dravid (31), Shane Watson (33) and Stuart Binny (38) also came up with valuable scores. Hodge smashed 20 of his 46 in the last over bowled by Sohail Tanvir, Lions' best bowler in the innings till then. Lions never got their chase on track and all hopes of a late fightback diminished once 41-year-old leggie
Tambe was introduced. It was a master stroke by Dravid and the bowler didn't disappoint. Tambe finished with four for 15 and was also adjudged as Man of the Match. IANS
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2013
sports
KAGAWA HAS WORK TO DO: MOYES
Japan star Shinji Kagawa still has progress to make before he can stake a claim for a regular first-team place at Manchester United, according to manager David Moyes. The former Borussia Dortmund midfielder made only his second start of the season in Wednesday's League Cup tie.
LEAGUE CUP
SERIE A
Javier Hernandez ruins Suarez’s return
STEVEN GRIFFITHS Agence France-Presse
LONDON: Manchester United striker Javier Hernandez ruined Luis Suarez’s long-awaited return from suspension as the Mexican clinched a 1-0 win against Liverpool in the League Cup third round on Wednesday. Suarez was making his first appearance of the season following the completion of his 10match ban for biting Chelsea’s Branislav Ivanovic in a Premier League clash last term. But the controversial Uruguayan’s presence in the Liverpool starting line-up wasn’t enough to galvanise his team to victory at Old Trafford as Hernandez bagged the winner for United less than two minutes into the second half. David Moyes’s team were on course to bounce back from Sunday’s painful 4-1 derby defeat at Manchester City, and also avenge a 1-0 loss against Liverpool in the league this season, when Wayne Rooney’s corner picked out the unmarked Hernandez to volley home in the 46th minute. Suarez, who had angered
Suarez was making his first appearance of the season following the completion of his 10match ban for biting Chelsea’s Branislav Ivanovic.
Manchester United’s Mexican forward Javier Hernández celebrates after scoring the opening goal during the League Cup match against Liverpool at Old Trafford in Manchester on Wednesday. AFP/PAUL ELLIS
Liverpool with his failed attempt to engineer a move to Arsenal during his suspension, hit the bar with a free-kick in the closing stages and also went close when his powerful strike rippled the side-netting, but United held on to move into the fourth round. “The movement is great for the goal, that’s what Chicharito (Hernandez) is all about. He finds space so well,” Moyes said. Liverpool manager Brendan
Rodgers added: “I can have no complaints. One lapse of concentration has cost us. I thought Luis Suarez was excellent. You could tell he’d been out for a long time as he tired at the end. But he’s obviously a threat.” Meanwhile, Arsenal’s young guns held their nerve to win 4-3 on penalties after 1-1 draw at West Bromwich Albion. Denmark forward Nicklas Bendtner returned to the Arsenal
team for the first time in more than two years as manager Arsene Wenger made nine changes, giving game-time to a host of youngsters. Wenger’s side took the lead when Bendtner’s defence-splitting pass gave Thomas Eisfeld a clean run on goal and the German youngster slotted home in the 61st minute. But Burundiborn England under-21 striker Saido Berahino rose to head the equaliser from Steven Reid’s cross 10 minutes later. In the shoot-out, Arsenal’s German teenager Serge Gnabry saw his spot-kick saved by Luke Daniels, but Craig Dawson and Morgan Amalfitano both missed the target for Albion and Nacho Monreal drove in the winner.
LA LIGA
Ronaldo penalty hands Real Madrid controversial win Ronaldo put the visitors ahead from a free-kick, but Boakye thought he had rescued a point when he headed home in the 91st minute. MADRID: A dubious injury time Cristiano Ronaldo penalty was enough to move Real Madrid back to within two points of league leaders Barcelona with a 2-1 win away to Elche on Wednesday night. However, the hosts were left furious with referee Cesar Muniz Fernandez as after failing to show Sergio Ramos a second yellow card for a clear bodycheck on Coro in the first-half, he pointed to the spot in the fourth minute of added time when Pepe fell to the ground under pressure from Carlos Sanchez.
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Ronaldo had put the visitors ahead from a free-kick early in the second-half, but Richmond Boakye thought he had rescued a point when he headed home in the 91st minute before the late drama. And Real boss Carlo Ancelotti admitted that he was far from satisfied with a lacklustre display from his side. “I am not happy, we need to play differently,” he told a press conference.“We didn’t control the game in the second-half after Ronaldo’s goal and it is obvious that I am not happy with the game. The result doesn’t suffice,
we need to play better. “They played well. they were compact and they deserved to equalise because they finished the game very well.” Elche had also started the brighter side and Real had goalkeeper Diego Lopez to thank for preventing his side from falling behind for the fourth time in six league matches this season. David Lomban was first to be denied by Lopez as he parried the defender’s header from Eduardo Albacar’s cross before Carles Gil’s low drive was also smothered by the keeper. AFP
Elche’s midfielder Ruben Perez (bottom) vies with Real Madrid’s Portuguese forward Cristiano Ronaldo during the Spanish league match on Wednesday. AFP/JOSE JORDAN
Roma defeat Sampodoria FLORENCE: Arsenal reject Gervinho scored his maiden goal for Roma as they beat Sampdoria 2-0 and moved two points clear of stumbling Napoli to stay top of Italy’s Serie A on Wednesday. Roma started their fifth match of the campaign top thanks to a one-goal difference over Rafael Benitez’s title challengers Napoli. And as Napoli failed miserably at the San Paolo to put league new boys Sassuolo to the sword — days after a 7-0 mauling by Inter Milan — Roma took full advantage to pull clear at the top. Roma now have 15 points after five wins in as many games while Napoli sit two points adrift after a 1-1 draw with Sassuolo. “I’m happy with the win but what interests me more is seeing Roma succeed at the end of the season, not now,” said Roma coach Rudi Garcia. “It’s far too early to be predicting. But I’m happy with the team, we have a fantastic group of players and this is crucial for our future hopes.” Champions Juventus moved up to third with a fortuitous 2-1 win away to feisty Chievo while Lazio outclassed second-from-bottom Catania 2-1 at the Olympic Stadium to sit sixth. Injury-hit AC Milan, without the suspended Mario Balotelli, faced the banana skin of a trip away to Bologna and Massimiliano Allegri’s men slipped badly before recovering in the final two minutes. Two weeks after securing a late draw away to Torino, Robinho reduced arrears in the 89th minute before Ignazio Abate levelled in injury time to secure the visitors a lucky 3-3 draw. Thankful for the draw, Allegri was also angry at the match officials. “After we scored our third the match stopped 90 seconds earlier than it was supposed to. And during that time we could have grabbed a fourth,” said the coach. Inter host Fiorentina on Thursday although with both sides five points adrift of Roma neither can trouble Garcia’s men. AFP