Epaper 29 june 2013 by Scribble Media & Entertainment Pvt. Ltd.

MAKING A

SPLASH W e bring you in pictures a week full of exciting happenings, weather changes, sleepy animals and music. PG 16&17 WWW.POSTNOON.COM

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

Hyderabad’s first compact afternoon newspaper

JUNE 29, 2013 HYDERABAD

ON SATURDAY

Several government schools that were in the Metro’s path have been demolished and relocated. A higher-than-50 per cent drop-out rate is being seen in schools that have been moved. The poorly constructed new school buildings are only adding to students’ woes.

METRO DREAMS FOR CITY NIGHTMARE REPORT ON PG 5

32 PAGES

FOR EDUCATION SRINIVAS SETTY

BEAUTIFUL BODY INDEED

omen’s bodies have been criticised, altered, hidden, hated and disapproved of by other women for their

dissimilarity with the photoshopped images standardised and showcased by the media. However, Jade Baell with A Beautiful Body book project seeks to change all that. PG 18

PAGE TWO SATURDAY, JUNE 29, 2013

HIGH RISK

Sale begins AND is back with its much awaited end of season sale for its spring — summer collection. Discounts range from 20-50 per cent. tÜÉêÉW=All exclusive AND outlets and multi-brand outlets. tÜÉåW July 2 onwards

Weekend workshop Oakridge International Schools to host weekend experiential learning workshops – ‘Weekend Voyager’. tÜÉêÉW=Oakridge Gachibowli and Bachupally campuses. tÜÉåW Every Saturday from today, 9am to 12pm `çåí~ÅíW 1800-200-8171 tÉÄëáíÉW www.oakridge.in

Celebrity DJ Celebrity DJ Nikhil Chinapa will set the dance floor on fire at Sky, Avasa. tÜÉêÉW=Sky Avasa, Madhapur tÜÉåW June 29, 9pm onwards

A smoke-spewing autorickshaw was spotted near Assembly Road on Friday. Autorickshaw drivers using adulterated fuel are still getting off scot-free in the City. M ANILKUMAR

Play pursuits Play Aladdin Chicha will be staged. tÜÉêÉW=Lamakaan, Banjara Hills tÜÉåW June 29, 7.30-8.30pm `çåí~ÅíW 96427-31329

Exhibition Some of India's best weavers and designers bring exclusive traditional silk, cotton collection from all over the country. tÜÉêÉW=Sri Sathya Sai Nigamagamam, Srinagar Colony tÜÉåW June 30, 10am to 10pm

Word club A fun workshop for kids above the age of 8 will be organised. tÜÉêÉW=Just books, Jubilee Hills. tÜÉåW Every Sunday, 10am to 12pm `çåí~ÅíW 9849748117

My freedom story Freedom Refined Sunflower Oil in association with Red FM is organising a contest called 'My Freedom Story’. Participants can register by sending an SMS to Red FM in the format RED <space>HY<space>FREEDOM to 58585. They will get a call from Red FM for their story. `çåí~ÅíW Sunil Kumar M / Sarodhya Yadav - 040- 40140753/ 9866520337/ 8686080577.

CINEMAS

Little wonders A workshop on puppet making for mothers by Sphoorthi Theatre for

Educational Puppetry will be held. tÜÉêÉW=Lamakaan, Banjara Hills tÜÉåW June 29, 10.30 am to 1.30 pm `çåí~ÅíW Padmini Rangarajan at 98660-81172

Art attack Aakar Art academy is conducting a painting workshop for kids above the age of 4. tÜÉêÉW=Just Books, Jubilee Hills tÜÉåW Every Friday and Saturday, Friday - 4 to 5.30pm `çåí~ÅíW (040) 66662323

tÜÉêÉW=Bidri, Hyderabad Marriott Hotel and Convention Centre tÜÉåW Till June 30, 6.30-11.30pm `çåí~ÅíW +91 40 2752 2577

Singaporean food fest Enjoy the finest of Asian flavours at the Singaporean food festival. Chef Boon Kim from Grand Hyatt, Singapore, brings out an eclectic a

Let’s drum together Aao Bajao, an open drum circle by Drumberries is organising its 23 session. tÜÉêÉW=Pebble Creek High Montessori School, Dr AS Rao Nagar. tÜÉåW June 30, 5pm `çåí~ÅíW 9160001494 tÉÄëáíÉW www.drumberries.com

Food fest Home Made pasta food festival is on. tÜÉêÉW=Prego, The Westin tÜÉåW Till June 30, 7-11pm `çåí~ÅíW 040 6767 6828

Kakatiya food Kakatiya food festival is on.

la carte menu. tÜÉêÉW=Oriental Bar & Kitchen, Park Hyatt tÜÉåW Till June 30, 12-11:30pm `çåí~ÅíW +91 40 4949 1204

Afghani food festival Green Park Hotel has unveiled Kabul's best kept secrets as part of their Afghani food festival. tÜÉêÉW=Once Upon A Time, Green Park Hotel, Greenlands, Begumpet tÜÉåW Till June 30, 12-11pm

Big Cinemas, Ameerpet, 30581470; Cinemax, Banjara Hills, 44565555; Cine Planet , Kompally, 61606060; INOX, Banjara Hills, 447677770, Prasads, Tank Bund Rd, 23448888; PVR, Punjagutta, 08800900009; Talkie Town, Miyapur, 40214175; Tivoli, Secunderabad 27844973

CITY SATURDAY, JUNE 29, 2013

APSRTC uploads answer key

he APSRTC has uploaded the answer key for the written examination for the posts of lab assistant and ECG technician held on June 23 on its website www.apsrtc.gov.in. The management has welcomed candidates to send in their objections by approaching chief manager (HRD), APSRTC Bus Bhavan, Hyderabad within 10 days (by July 7, 2013).

Inspector held for graft

Girl goes missing

n excise inspector from Yellareddy excise police station, M Sudhakar Goud, was caught red-handed by the ACB officials on Friday at his residence as he demanded and accepted `8,000 as a bribe from a complainant for an official favour. He demanded the bribe “for not causing obstruction to run the toddy shop and not to book any case on the toddy shop belonging to the son of the complainant". The bribe amount was recovered from his residence.

he Humayun Nagar police have received a complaint from Md Omer Amoodi of Meraj Colony in Tolichowki. He stated that his daughter, Nidi Mohammed Al Amoodi, 17, had left home on June 21 and has not returned. The Humayun Nagar police have registered a missing person case in this regard. The teenager is 5ft7in, fair with a round face, a medium built. She speaks English, Hindi and Urdu. She was wearing a green salwar kameez with a burqa when she left home.

`3 lakh disappears from bizman’s account

Mohammed Faheemuddin was shocked when bank officials told him that a large sum had been withdrawn from his account without his knowledge. He claims the bank manager is involved in the theft. Mohd SUBHAN

mohd.s@postnoon.com

akhs of rupees were allegedly withdrawn from the Indian Bank account of a customer, Mohammed Faheemuddin, with the help of a forged signature. An enraged Faheemuddin has alleged that the bank manager is involved in the theft. The incident came to light when Faheemuddin went to the bank to withdraw some cash. Faheemuddin is a businessman who lives in Madina Colony in Old City. He has an account in the Falaknuma branch of Indian

Bank for the past few years. On June 3, Faheemuddin went to the bank to withdraw some money. He was shocked when bank officials told him that nearly `3.3 lakh in cash had been withdrawn from his account. He asked to meet the bank manager, Tippu Sultan, to clarify the issue. The manager assured him that the matter would be solved in five days. After five days, Faheemuddin returned to meet the manager. The manager claimed it would take four more days to look into the matter and get Faheemuddin’s money back. This went on for 25 days. The manager has not rectified the problem as yet. Faheemuddin then went to Falaknuma police station on

June 27 to lodge a complaint against the bank. He claims that the police refused to register his complaint and seemed to be in favour of the bank manager. He

UP IN FLAMES

is still waiting for his money. When contacted, inspector (Falaknuma) M Hussaini Naidu said that the bank manager has talked to him. He did not lodge

Rly cops solve youth’s murder, 1 held Postnoon News feedback@postnoon.com

A fire broke out at Tarani Educational Society at Padmarao Nagar near Musharabad. No one was injured, but books and other items were destroyed in the blaze. M ANILKUMAR

any complaint so far officially, he admitted. He added they were waiting for a complaint which would be filed only after the bank’s vigilance team gave permission. The inspector added that in another case, bank officials had taken a long time to inquire into the matter. Due to this, customers like Faheemuddin were suffering. Faheemuddin, meanwhile, alleges that bank officials have inside knowledge about his missing money, but they are hiding evidence so as to save their employees. Naidu said that after investigation, the police will take action against the bank. “If the manager is also found guilty in this matter, we will arrest him,” he added.

he railway police recently cracked the case of a youth found dead on the railway tracks near Siddipet on June 21. One G Ganga Raju has been arrested. A friend of his, who was involved in the murder as well, managed to escape. The police are looking for him. On June 21, railway police found B Raju, 25, dead on the railway tracks. He had multiple stab injuries on his body and his face had been smashed in. On investigation, it came to light that Raju had been murdered by Ganga and another youth, K Krishna Raju, for having an affair with Ganga’s sister. According to the details, the victim had been having an affair with Ganga Raju’s sister for the past few years. When the affair came to light, Ganga Raju decided to murder him. He planned the murder with

IT CAME TO LIGHT THAT RAJU HAD BEEN MURDERED BY GANGA RAJU AND HIS FRIEND, K KRISHNA RAJU, FOR HAVING AN AFFAIR WITH GANGA’S SISTER. his friend, Krishna. Accordingly, on the night of June 20, the three men went to a bar. The victim drank a lot and fell unconscious. The duo then put him in a car, stabbed him to death and smashed his face in to obscure his identity. They threw his body on the railway tracks to make it look like a train accident. The police managed to crack the case by checking the phone records of the victim. The last number called was Ganga Raju’s. When confronted, he admitted to the murder.

CITY SATURDAY, JUNE 29, 2013

Pro-, anti-T sentiments heat up The statement of newly inducted Union minister and a staunch supporter of united Andhra Pradesh state Kavuri Sambasiva Rao on Friday that the time had come for them to compromise on the Telangana issue triggered a series of political developments in the State.

Md INKESHAF AHMED

ahmed.m@postnoon.com

he State seems to be gearing up for another round of stiff pro- and anti-Telangana agitations in the wake of reports of a likely decision of UPA-2 government on the decades-long contentious issue. In a fresh development, taking a cue from their counterparts from Telangana region, Seemandhra leaders have decided to hold a series of massive public meetings in Andhra and Rayalaseema regions. These meetings will be held with the sole aim of pitching for a united Andhra Pradesh state. The statement of newly inducted Union minister and a staunch supporter of united Andhra Pradesh state Kavuri Sambasiva Rao (in pic) on Friday that the time had come for them to compromise on the Telangana issue triggered a series of political developments in the State. While the statement sent Telangana Congresss leaders into a state of joy, the Seemandhra leaders were shocked. The fresh decision of the Seemandhra leaders to hold the

public meetings has taken the exciting drama being enacted by the T-Congress leaders in the State to the next level. While a section of party leaders are saying that the leaders from the three regions of the State are acting as per the directions of the party high command ahead of its crucial decision on the Tissue, another section of leaders are say-

Congress Leaders, he said that they were trying to keep their political identities alive in their respective regions. Another Congress leader also expressed similar feelings. He said that the meeting would not have any effect on the party high command as it had made up its mind to divide the State. However, a Seemandhra Congress leader said that though they were shocked at the statement of Kavuri, they would leave no stone unturned to stop the division of the State. “It is a known fact that the party would be ruined in Andhra and Rayalaseema regions if it divided the State. We will not allow this to happen. Our meetings would be focused on highlighting this aspect,” he said.

A SEEMANDHRA LEADER SAID THAT THOUGH THEY WERE SHOCKED AT THE STATEMENT OF KAVURI, THEY WOULD LEAVE NO STONE UNTURNED TO STOP THE DIVISION OF THE STATE. ing that the political developments that are taking place in the party are part of a strategy of the party high command to put a check on the exodus of leaders, which would weaken the party before the next General Elections. “It is a strategy of the party to find out the status of the emotions of the people over the division of the State issue. It is clearly seen from the unity being shown by the Telangana Congress leaders. All the Congress leaders, including all

Cabinet ministers from Telangana region, have joined together on one platform. It was never the case in the past. This could not have been possible without the support of the party high command. The meeting of the Telangana Congress leaders is being held in an attempt to press the party high command to give a separate Telangana state,” a Cabinet minister from Telangana region told Postnoon on Friday evening. About the actions of Seemandhra

M ASSIVE

Goal: 100% voter registration Postnoon News feedback@postnoon.com

he Election Commission of India (ECI) is going to undertake a marathon task of achieving cent per cent registration of electorate in Andhra Pradesh. The main objective behind undertaking this Herculean task is to ensure that all the eligible voters of the State will cast their vote in the next General Elections scheduled to be held in 2014 . In order to achieve this goal, the election commission has decided to plug all existing problems from top level to grass root level. The most important issues that are confronting the commission are the filling up of the vacancies of electoral officers, rationalisation of polling centers and voter registration centers. According to the officials of the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of the State, the Central election commission authorities are planning to hold an interactive meeting with collectors of all the 23 districts of the State in order to prepare them to achieve the goal of the ECI. “We have been endeavouring to encourage young unregistered voters to enrol themselves as voters for a long time. In order to attract the youth, we have also launched many initiatives, includ-

The main objective is to ensure that all the eligible voters in the State will participate in the 2014 polls.

MEETINGS

Unperturbed at the attempts of Seemandhra leaders to scuttle the process of creation of the separate state, the TCongress leaders are making unprecedented arrangements for their Sunday public meeting at Nizam College grounds. The leaders have already decided to approve a unanimous resolution demanding that the Centre create a separate Telangana state at the earliest. About two lakh people are expected to participate in the public meeting.

ing launching election commission’s accounts on popular social community sites like Facebook. We have also visited junior and degree colleges of the State to create awareness among the youth on the importance of having a voter ID card. Our initiatives have yielded significant results. Buoyed by this, we are now shifting our focus to achieve 100 per cent voters’ enrolment in the State,” a senior official of the election commission said while speaking to Postnoon this morning. Apart from achieving 100 per cent enrolment, the election commission authorities are also focusing on identifying fake voter ID cards. According to an estimate of the commission, Andhra Pradesh alone has about 40 lakh fake voter ID cards in its database. This was revealed by none other than the CEO of Andhra Pradesh, Bhanwar Lal, during a review meeting recently. He said that they have chalked an action plan to identify fake voter ID cards and remove them from the list. The officials of the commission had launched a door-to-door campaign to identify the fake voters and remove them from the list. As per the existing rules of the ECI, a person who does not stay in the area where he or she is enrolled as a voter for more than six months would lose his/her voter ID card.

Scheme to provide livelihood to SC/ST youth

hief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy has declared that the government was formulating a new scheme to provide self employment opportunities to six lakh youth in the State this year and to ensure livelihood on a large scale to the SC, ST, BC and minority communities. Nearly 500 SC workers from Medak district, under the leadership of major industries minister Dr J Geetha Reddy, called on the CM at his camp office here Friday and thanked him for providing legislative sanction to the SC/ST sub-plan and for reconstituting the SC Co-operative Finance Corporation. The chief minister said that with a view to implement the scheme effectively, the SC Finance Corporation has been reconstituted recently, and similarly other co-operative finance bodies would be reconstituted shortly. He said that for the first time, statutory status has been provided to the SC/ST Sub-plan to bring revolutionary change. NSS

CITY SATURDAY, JUNE 29, 2013

GOING OFF THE TRACKS

Several government schools that were in the Metro’s path have been demolished and relocated. More than 50 per cent drop-out rate is being seen in schools that have been taken over. The poorly constructed new school buildings are only adding to the students’ woes. ALEENA ALICE

aleena.t@postnoon.com

he ongoing Metro work has raised several objections from a lot of people. If traffic has been one problem, another major concern is the government schools that are hit by the Metro rail project. Students studying in areas where the Metro work has been taking place are majorly affected. Though the HMRL has decided to earmark enough land for the construction of new government schools at appropriate locations, more than 50 per cent drop-out rate is being seen in schools that have been taken over by the HMRL. Take, for example, the Padwa School in Punjagutta, which was demolished as part of the HMR project. One of the oldest government schools in the twin cities, it used to achieve a good success rate in the Class X examinations. Now, nearly 50 per cent students have dropped out after they were shifted to another government school in Yellareddygudda in Sri Nagar Colony. Four days ago, the students of Padwa School were shifted to another new building in Punjagutta that was recently constructed. However, the dropout rate has further increased because of the haphazardly constructed new building. Even before completion of construction of the new building, students and teachers were forced to shift out of the school in Yellareddygudda and were asked to occupy the new building. The new building has only six classrooms for 320 students, half-constructed toilets, no electricity and no drinking water.

Students and teachers have been finding it very difficult to go through the entire day without these basic facilities. Students have to climb over piles of garbage and construction debris to enter the school, which does not even have a compound wall. Increasing the chances of any untoward incident taking place, the second floor of the building is left incomplete without even a parapet wall. “We were forcibly asked to shift to this school even before the construction was completed. From morning to evening, the staff have to sit in the school with no basic facilities. It is becoming very problematic, especially for the girl students and the female staff. In the whole building, only eight rooms have been allotted, out of which six are being used as classrooms, one is used as a staff room as well as the office room and the other is for admin purposes,” said a teacher. The decision to shift the students to the incomplete building was taken by the District Education Office (DEO). “Since

there was no space in the school in Yellareddygudda, students were studying in the shift system. Classes were being conducted in the morning for students of the Yellareddygudda school and in the afternoon, classes were being conducted for students from Padwa School. Half-day classes were not helping students complete the syllabus. Hence to avoid any delay, we asked the students of Padwa

School to shift to the new building,” said DEO Subba Reddy. Stating that the decision was taken by the higher officials and facilities would be provided soon, he added, “Our major concern was that students should not study in shift system. It is only a matter of time and facilities will be provided to the school shortly.” Ironically, though the shift system is being cited as the reaSRINIVAS SETTY

son for the forcible shifting of the school to the new building, even now classes are being conducted in shifts because of lack of space. Since the new building has only six classrooms, primary school students are attending classes in the morning and high school students are attending classes in the afternoon. When the DEO was questioned about this, he said he was unaware about it and had to make enquiries into the matter. The Padwa School is an example of the government’s failure to keep the tall promises and the schemes offered to the poor. “Certain schools in the areas where the Metro work is going on have come in the way. Most of these schools were in shambles and the government offered to give us the school land if we construct schools elsewhere, to which we agreed,” said a senior official in the HMRL. Some eight schools so far have been affected by the Metro project. Four schools in Chaderghat, one in Kukatpally, one in Punjagutta and according to sources, the biggest government school in Hyderabad which is in Yousufguda, will have to be demolished for the HMR project. Stating that relocating schools to other places will only increase the dropout and illiteracy rate in the State, social activist C Ramchandraiah says, “These days, government schools are only for the poorest of poor. Because of the careless attitude of the government, relocation of schools would mean that the distance would only see more number of students drop out for a number of reasons. Even if the government is planning to relocate the schools, they should make sure that the new schools are in the same range of the old schools and proper facilities should be provided.”

NATION SATURDAY, JUNE 29, 2013

Five die due to asphyxia

ive persons, including a father-son duo, died due to asphyxia in Bilsi area, police said here today. Todimal, 57, accidentally slipped it a boring well in Khandua village last night, they said. To rescue his father, Raju, 30, entered into the well and died. Later Nawab Singh, 24, Viresh Kumar, 32, and Daulta Ram, 65, all entered the well, but also died.

3rd batch for Amarnath

10-foot rise in Mettur dam

ver 2,000 pilgrims left the Jammu base camp for their onward journey to the cave shrine of Amarnath in south Kashmir amid tight security arrangements. The third batch of pilgrims, consisting of 2,370 devotees, left from Bhagwati Nagar base camp in Jammu at around 4:55 AM, police said, adding that the convoy included 74 vehicles.

View of the observation footbridges over the Iguazu Falls, at Iguazu National Park, Argentina, on June 28, 2013. Though the Iguazu National Park remains open, the Garganta del Diablo pass is closed at its footbridge was knocked down by the flood. AFP

opious inflows into the Mettur dam due to release of surplus water from two reservoirs in Karnataka has seen a nearly 10-foot rise in water level in the past 24 hours, PWD sources said. They said the water level today was 29.10 feet, up from 19.59 feet yesterday. The full level is 120 feet. Water was being released from the Kabini, Krishnarajasagar dams.

Steps taken to prevent epidemic outbreak

There are no reports of any disease spreading, a senior official involved in the relief efforts said. DEHRADUN/NEW DELHI: Adequate steps have been taken to prevent outbreak of an epidemic in flood-hit Uttarakhand and there are no reports of any disease spreading, a senior official involved in the relief efforts said Friday. On his part, Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde said the evacuation of old people, women and children stranded in Badrinath was the top priority of the teams involved in rescue efforts, with the army chief adding that this would depend on weather conditions. According to National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) vice chairman M. Shashidhar Reddy, "We have not received reports of any kind of epidemic. As a preventive measure bleaching powder, chlorine tablets are dispatched to various places to sanitise places wherever it is required. About 50 doctors are on standby, they will be reach the local villages, and some of them might stay there for two to three months". According to NDMA, of the 20,000 villages in Uttarakhand, 2,395 villages are affected in one form or another by the calamity and while 1,636 villages have been connected, 759 villages are yet to be reached. "As the restoration of roads will take longer, the Border Road Organisation (BRO) has been told at least to provide new walking tracks or footpaths so the supplies can be carried and they can be transited to the villages which can be accessed," Reddy said.

2,395

villages are affected in one form or another by the calamity.

1,636

villages have been connected.

759

villages are yet to be reached.

FLOOD FURY Sharif writes to Singh NEW DELHI: Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif Friday sent Prime Minister Manmohan Singh a message of condolence on the Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh tragedy, saying with the subcontinent getting increasingly prone to natural disasters, all Pakistanis "share the pain and anguish" of those suffering in the calamity. The incessant and intense rains that hit Uttarakhand over three days from June 14, causing flash floods and landslides, have led to hundreds of deaths, while many are missing. There were thousands of pilgrims in Badrinath and Kedarnath areas when the tragedy struck the region. In Dehradun, Home Minister Shinde said: "There are people still stranded in Badrinath. Our priority is to rescue elderly people, women and children and then get the youth and others out of there." The rescue efforts would be on in the rain-ravaged state for another 15 days, the home minister added. "We are operating 17 helicopters to evacuate the stranded people. The Indian Air Force helicopters will stay in the state for 15 more days to finish the rescue and relief work," he said. He also lauded the coordination between various agencies involved in rescue and relief operations. "There is an excellent coordination between the (rescue) teams working in Uttarakhand. There were some problems in the initial few days, but after June 21 the work went on in full swing," IANS Shinde noted.

WORLD SATURDAY, JUNE 29, 2013

Rudd’s return revives Labor

he dramatic return of Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has delivered his flagging Labor party a six percentage point bounce, according to polls Saturday that also showed him as preferred leader over Tony Abbott. Rudd, popularly elected to top office in a landslide 2007 election win, seized back the prime ministership on Wednesday.

Rover prototype tested

Eight killed in Thailand blast

ASA scientists said Friday they were testing a prototype of a robot the US space agency hopes to send to Mars in 2020 in Chile’s Atacama desert. NASA hopes to use this kind of rover to explore lifefriendly sites found by Curiosity, the rover already searching for signs of life on Mars. It has been there since last August.

ight soldiers were killed by a roadside bomb in Thailand’s restive south early Saturday morning, an army spokesman said, raising questions over the durability of a fragile peace process aiming to end the near-decade long insurgency. More than 5,700 people have been killed in a festering insurgency in Thailand’s Muslim-majority southern provinces.

Gay time in California

Cheers erupted at San Francisco City Hall after Kristin Perry and Sandy Stier, who spearheaded the fight for same-sex marriage, exchanged vows in a ceremony conducted by California Attorney General Kamala Harris. Josh Edelson Agence France-Presse

Kristin Perry (right) and Sandy Stier at their wedding in the City Hall. The lesbian couple who spearheaded the fight for same-sex marriage in California, also became the first to tie the knot hours after a ban was lifted.

SAN FRANCISCO: A lesbian couple who spearheaded a fight for same-sex marriage in California have become the first to tie the knot hours after a ban was lifted, following a landmark US Supreme Court ruling. Cheers erupted at San Francisco City Hall Friday after Kristin Perry and Sandy Stier exchanged vows, in a ceremony conducted by California Attorney General Kamala Harris. “I now declare you spouses for life,” said Harris, after the couple exchanged rings and vows in front of a hastily-assembled gathering. “I could not be more honored to stand here today.” “We have waited a long, long time for this day,” said Stier after the ceremony, the first gay wedding since a brief period in 2008 when California allowed same-sex marriage but then banned it under a close-run referendum. The ceremony came only an hour or two after the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco lifted the ban on samesex marriages, imposed under the so-called Prop 8 ballot measure, with immediate effect. Many observers thought it could be several weeks before marriages would resume in the famously liberal western US state, but the appeals court announced the ban was lifted in a brief ruling posted online. “The stay in the above matter is dissolved effective immediately,” the ruling read,

We have waited a long, long time for this day. Sandy Stier

Cosgrove Norstadt and Jeff Foote

AFP PHOTO/JOSH EDELSON

Paul Katami (L) and Jeff Karrillo.

AFP PHOTO / ROBYN BECK

prompting an explosion of online celebration, and hasty wedding ceremony preparations. Perry and Stier were the first to get married in San Francisco, but they were followed by a long line of other same-sex couples, who rushed to City Hall after news of the unexpectedly early court decision broke. “Kris and I fell in love 14 years ago. We knew that our relationship would last ... and wanted our love to last and to be dignified by the institution of marriage,” said Stier. Perry told the crowd: “This is the first day of the rest of our lives together, and we could not be more elated by your being here.”

Jen and Francis Rainin

AFP PHOTO/JOSH EDELSON

These are some of the other gay couples who giogay couple Cosgrove Norstadt and Jeff Foote who cwedding at San Francisco’s City Hall in California on Friday, June 28, 2013.

American killed in Egypt clashes

Hajj in focus amid MERS virus fears

Terrorists blamed for Xinjiang unrest

CAIRO: An American was among three people killed in Egypt on Friday as clashes erupted during rival demonstrations for and against Islamist President Mohamed Morsi a year after his election. The US citizen, a 21-year-old who reportedly worked for an American cultural centre in the coastal city of Alexandria, was killed as he took photographs of a demonstration, officials said. “We can confirm that a US citizen was killed in Alexandria, Egypt,” US spokesman Patrick Ventrell said. Another man was killed earlier during the clashes in Alexandria. In Port Said, an Egyptian journalist was killed and several injured after a small explosive device at anti-Morsi protesters, a security official and witnesses said.

LONDON: Virologists are casting a worried eye on this

BEIJING: China’s state-run media blamed around 100

year’s Islamic hajj pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia as they struggle with the enigmatic, deadly virus known as MERS which is striking hardest in the kingdom. Little is known about the new pathogen, beyond the fact that it can be lethal by causing respiratory problems, pneumonia and kidney failure. It can be transmitted between humans, but unlike its cousin, the SARS virus, which sparked a scare a decade ago, it does not seem very contagious. Even so, for any respiratory virus the mass gathering of the hajj provides a perfect opportunity to first spread at the two holiest Muslim shrines in the cities of Mecca and Medina, and then travel around the globe at jet speed as pilgrims return home.

people it branded as “terrorists” for sparking ‘riots’ in the ethnically-divided region of Xinjiang, where clashes killed 35 days earlier. The riot took place in the prefecture of Hotan on Friday, where the group “(attacked) a number of people with weapons after gathering at local religious venues,” the Global Times said. The latest incident followed clashes on Wednesday that were the deadliest to hit the western desert region — home to around 10 million members of the mostly Muslim Uighur minority — since 2009, when riots killed around 200 people. Local Uighurs were angry police had “stormed into the mosque and surrounded it” during prayers last week.

COMMENT SATURDAY, JUNE 29, 2013

EDITORIALS WHY SHIRK THE DRS? The International Cricket Council chief executives meeting has put off deferred decision on the Decision Review System. The main reason for ICC not being able to make it mandatory on all its member countries is India’s stance on it. While it has the backing of many international cricketers and boards, the BCCI and the Indian players’ dislike for it is no secret. This is because Indian players have been on the receiving end on more than one occasion, when it has been imposed on them. Arguing that the system is not foolproof is not ground enough for the powerful cricketing nation. While it may not be error free, it has time and again proved to be very handy, as proved in the recently concluded Champions Trophy. West Indies, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh could be worried with the cost factor because the host team is expected to foot the bill, but India being a rich country in the cricketing field should not worry about the cost aspect. Yes, if the actual reason is that the DRS is stacked in favour of the bowler, this could be the worrying factor since India depends more on batsmen to deliver the goods. While India has been a champion of free play in the gentleman’s game, its regard for the sentiments of umpires is proving to be a letdown. Umpires have made mistakes before and erring decisions at times have changed the course or result of many a game. They haven’t been done away with, have they?

WHY WE LOVE... Indian Railways One of the world’s largest railway networks, the Indian Railways carries over 24 million passengers daily. All of these need a ticket to travel on these trains, which earlier was bought after spending hours in serpentine queues in few stations. Internet growth eased that with online booking facilities, but access to the net is not the privilege of all; a mobile is, almost. To be able to SMS from your mobile phone and be abble to purchase a railway ticket is a welcome technology usage.

Change on the horizon Soul Curry SUMAA TEKUR

he tragedy that is unfolding at Uttarakhand, with hundreds of lives lost to nature’s fury and thousands of lives impacted forever, sends chills down the spine. In the most unfortunate struggle of man against furious nature, man is losing terribly. The picture of the Kedarnath temple standing all alone abandoned in a sea of slush and rocks begs the question: was this more a manmade disaster or is there a larger divine design we’re unable to comprehend yet amidst the immediate grief of the lives lost and a state reduced to rubble? The disaster multiplied manifold because of the huge pilgrim influx in what is the year’s peak season for the devout to undertake the chardham yatra. For Hindus, old and young, the chardham yatra is a

life ambition because of its strong association with spiritual cleansing, as are many other religious rituals that the Hindus follow. Are these floods and the ensuing devastation an indication that these symbols need to be revisited? The cloudburst washed away many structures, including the Samadhi of Adi Sankaracharya, one of the leading lights of Hinduism. A Shiva statue was swept away in the floods, which would have broken many hearts as much as watching the stranded tourists who were crying for help. That it’s a manmade disaster, which we brought upon ourselves due to our greed, is one thing. But perhaps there is also a deeper divine message that we won’t be wrong to read. Every institution, especially religion, needs physical symbols that its followers can identify with and use in order to pursue a spiritual path. These physical symbols are also in the form of rituals that give more weight to our beliefs and add value to the idea that we’re somehow closer to our spiritual

PERHAPS RIGHT NOW IS THE TIME TO THINK ABOUT WHAT THE CHARDHAM YATRA MEANS TO HINDUS, AND HOW WE CAN REINTERPRET IT IN THIS NEW AGE, WHEN SPIRITUAL AWARENESS IS HIGH. goals. Over the years, when new leaders give new insight and meaning to an age-old belief, the rituals are tweaked to change course but still aim for the desired goal. Are the Uttarakhand floods a sign that the idea of the chardhama yatra needs a relook? Hinduism has changed over the centuries. New leaders, new signs and symbols lend newer interpretations to previously held beliefs that were thought to be unquestionable and unshakeable. There are many routes to spiritual enlightenment. Believers can take any route as long as it suits their

belief system and it gives them a sense of satisfaction of having performed their karma in the best possible way. The Uttarakhand devastation is not just a reminder that nature holds us all in its grip but also a question thrown at us about what we consider sacred and absolutely pure. These definitions change depending on time, depth of understanding of reaching goals, and also the flexibility to change to newer systems that lead the way forward much better. Perhaps right now is the time to think about what the chardham yatra means to Hindus, and how we can reinterpret it in this new age, when spiritual awareness is high. No doubt we live in a tech-dependent age but articles of faith have been stronger than ever before. But this does not mean that the same old routes that we used in the past are the best even today. Change is not just inevitable but also essential to a steadily evolving human soul. What better way to express this change than to adapt to new circumstances that lend more meaning to life?

COMMENT SATURDAY, JUNE 29, 2013

A Slovenian border tale The Inside Story SIM SIM WISSGOTT

VISWAPRASAD RAJU

Urban sketches

Terminal

neon-green line runs across the floor of the “Kalin” restaurant in the tiny Slovenian hamlet of Obrezje: step over it and you’re suddenly in Croatia. Outside, a lone border guard stands looking bored as the restaurant’s cook runs out in her apron and signals to a friend on the other side of the border to come over for a chat. Obrezje stands on the eastern edge of Slovenia and “Gostilna Kalin” (restaurant Kalin) literally straddles an international border that sprang up just over two decades ago, right in the middle of its main room. The result: the fridge with cold drinks stands on the Slovenian side, the cases of empty bottles on the Croatian side. “This border was really bad for our business," says restaurant owner Sasa Josip Kalin, 40. The family-owned eatery was already popular with Croatians, who still make up 60 per cent of its clientele, when Slovenia and Croatia were part of the former Yugoslavia. Independence in 1991 and Slovenia’s EU entry in 2004, however, introduced passport controls between Zagreb, just 30

kilometres (19 miles) away, and Obrezje. Within the restaurant itself, there is no need to dig out one’s passport. But when Croatia enters the European Union on Monday, business might become a little bit easier. “They’re going to be a lot looser with the border, it’s not going to be as strict," says Kalin, who himself has dual Slovenian and Croatian citizenship. “Hopefully in one year they’ll open this road in front. Then it will be much better because the traffic will go through here." At the moment, the gravel path is blocked; a border guard is on duty 24/7; and locals on foot or on bicycle need a special pass to cross the small stone bridge. Everyone else must go through the modern border checkpoint a few hundred metres away, a detour that can take 40 minutes depending on traffic. For Nada Krkovic, 65, who lives next door to the restaurant: “Until we enter Schengen (Europe’s visa-free zone), it will still be a border." “It will be a bit easier but controls will remain."

JOINT PAST

Border issues between Slovenia and Croatia were long an obstacle to Zagreb’s EU accession talks and even now, they

A sign on the wall (right) and a green line painted on the floor (above) shows the Slovenian-Croatian border going through the Kalin Restaurant (Gostilna Kalin) in Obrezje, Slovenia. Obrezje stands on the eastern edge of Slovenia. The border sprang up just over two decades ago. JURE MAKOVEC have not been solved: the two neighbours have only just agreed to arbitration in their dispute over 13 square kilometres (five square miles) in the northern Adriatic. Rajka Krizanac, a “Kalin” regular from Jesenice, the next Slovenian town, remembers going to school on the Croatian side of the border when it was

still the former Yugoslavia. “It was hard for me to get used to showing my ID card on the border. The border actually angered me," says the 46-year-old sociologist, who still buys her bread in Croatia. A softer border regime now will make a big difference, she says. “Most people in this border

area expect benefits in their everyday lives." Anton Rop, Slovenia’s prime minister when it entered the EU, also told AFP: “It’s not important that Slovenia and Croatia had some problems concerning the borders." “The important thing is that those two countries have quite a lot of similarities, they have a common history, they can cooperate very successfully and they understand each other very well." Croatia is also a prime holiday spot for its neighbours. “Those two countries are connected and with Croatian membership, those relations will be much, much better," said Rop. Already the border guard outside Kalin’s restaurant merely growls to trespassers that they should not be there, without moving from the metallic box where he is sheltering from the heat. A young woman wearing earphones cycles past him without even a glance. Kalin, whose restaurant is entirely under Slovenian law despite the border running through it, is now looking to expand on the Croatian part of his land — already home to his vegetable patch and the children’s playground. And he sees no administrative headaches on the horizon. “Anyway now it’s going to be the European Union, so there won’t be any problems," he says AFP confidently.

Global edits The Guardian (UK)

‘THEY PLAYED THE GAME,'

Unthinkable? Close of play for cricket metaphors

SAYS THE INSCRIPTION AT THE OVAL BELOW THE NAMES OF SURREY PLAYERS WHO FELL IN THE FIRST WORLD WAR

on-sporting listeners tuning in to the Today programme yesterday may have found one item a touch inscrutable. This was the one in which army major Richard Streatfeild reflected from Kabul on how cricket illuminates the Afghan political situation. “We put the Taliban into bat in 2001 and took a flurry of early wickets," the major told the nation. “Now, with half an hour to play we find ourselves some runs short, with our last recognised batsmen at the crease." Imperial cricket metaphors have a long history, even before Henry Newbolt cemented the association with his call to play up and play the game, whether on the school cricket field or in the sands of the desert sodden red. But the connection has endured. “They played the game," says the inscription at the Oval below the names of Surrey players who fell in the first world war, while in 1942, General Montgomery urged his soldiers in North Africa to “hit Rommel for six". Politics, like war, sometimes reaches for a handy cricket metaphor. Sir Geoffrey Howe’s resignation speech

in 1990 complained that Margaret Thatcher’s antiEurope views left ministers feeling “their bats have been broken before the game". His colleague Peter Brooke used to express the political situation in terms of a cricket score – Henry Newbolt the CameronClegg coalition would probably be around 160 for 6 in this code. All this can be quite amusing. But it really belongs in the past. After all, we now know only too well that neither war nor politics – nor even cricket itself – can be described as a game.

BUSINESS SATURDAY, JUNE 29, 2013

No sex ads in Facebook

Delhi Metro rejects notice

China foreign debt is $765bn

SAN FRANCISCO: Facebook on

NEW DELHI: Delhi Metro on Friday

BEIJING: China's

Monday will tighten its review process to spare advertisers the embarrassment of having their ads pop-up on pages containing porn or violent imagery. "Our goal is to both preserve the freedoms of sharing on Facebook but also protect people and brands from certain types of content," the leading social network said on Friday.

rejected a notice issued by Reliance Infrastructure to stop operating the Airport Metro Express Line from Sunday, an official statement said on Friday. Reliance Infrastructure-led Delhi Airport Metro Express Private Limited had sent a notice on Thursday to Delhi Metro intimating that they would stop operating the Airport Line.

outstanding foreign debt hit $764.97 billion by the end of March, up from about $737 billion at the end of 2012, the country's forex regulator said on Friday. The country's foreign debt stood at about $199 billion, up from about $197.06 billion at the end of December, reported Xinhua citing the State Administration of Foreign Exchange in a statement.

Armed with an MBA degree and Dell and IBM work experience, two entrepreneurs venture into the fine art of coffee making, and feeding those hungry for more than just food.

Stimulating relaxation PRUDHVI RAJU K

prudhvi.k@postnoon.com

ike many other people, Vinod Mula dreamt of being his own boss. After working for nine years in IT biggies like Dell and IBM, he wanted to create something that he loved. It is this love for entrepreneurship that made him start @Houz Coffee and Resto, a coffee shop, and restaurant with his childhood friend Kiran Kotakonda this month.

Their vision was a place that catered quality food, and where people could relax, spend time and enjoy. After a few months of hardship, they could create a place that they envisioned at No 27, Journalist Colony, Road No 3, Banjara Hills. Speaking about his educational background, Kiran says, “I did MBA Marketing and Systems from Bangalore University after which I worked with ICICI for three years and came back. I joined family businesses — construction and Internet broadband services. The idea took birth only when Vinod approached me.”

Detailed breakup Seating capacity: 60 people (as of now) Menu: Over 150 food and beverage items Cuisines: Continental, Indian, Mexican and Italian Employees: 11 Expected operational breakeven: 3 months Breakeven for investments: 18 months

With many coffee shops and restaurants mushrooming in posh localities, the duo aimed to create a place with a difference. “The ambiance is designed in way that customers can unwind themselves by sitting in open places and spending their valuable time reading books or browsing the Internet. We will also provide other value-added services like library to the customers in a phased manner,” revealed Vinod. When asked about how they are going to compete with branded coffee chains, Kiran added, “People are not really bothered about the brand. When you can

Steps to start a coffee shop or restaurant n n n n n n n n

Envisage a dream of making it big Arrange funds Make business plan according to the funds raised Find the right place that would attract target customers Apply for approvals and sanctions from authorities Develop the spot according to the plan and vision within the budget Find chefs and servers in the last months of course completion Market the idea to target customers

create a nice ambiance and provide quality food and beverages, they are ready to come and enjoy it. An open area with greenery, away from noise and traffic will have an edge in this race.” The business is positioning itself to attract various parties. It lets customers organise parties and also to make their own grills. The duo did not do any business research before starting up the venture. “We know that there is a trend for coffee shops in the City. For instance, we have about 15 coffee shops in a 1.5km radius nearby. The idea is not to be one among them and take away their market. We aim to create a place that can stand out in the crowd and attract customers. “We are targeting the corporate employees and college students in a 2km range. The idea is to provide a connect with nature and let them relaxed. Our menu is priced in a way that customers do not need to shell out much to hang out here. We intend to get repeat customers by providing quality food and beverages at decent price points,” he says. When asked about chal-

lenges, Vinod said, “Human resource and getting permissions are the challenges for anybody who is stepping into this business. Finding quality chefs and servers and making them stick to the shop is a tough task. However, there were no other major issues as we completed the project in the planned budget. The property is spread over a 1,100sq yard plot with 3,000sft rooftop space. In the long term, the business also plans to start a chain of coffee shops with similar style and design.

FOCUS SATURDAY, JUNE 29, 2013

Lovers use smartphones to beat segregation

AFP PHOTO/FAYEZ NURELDINE

In the United Arab Emirates and all across the conservative Gulf countries, dating is unacceptable among nationals while arranged marriages are the norm. Wissam Keyrouz

Agence France-Presse

DUBAI: Jaber and his girlfriend flirt the day away, never wasting a minute to sweet-talk and dream of a future together, but like most Gulf Arab youths, they can only do it virtually. In the United Arab Emirates and all across the conservative Gulf countries, dating is unacceptable among nationals while arranged marriages are the norm. To beat the segregation imposed by a stern society, young men and women meet through chatting applications available on smartphones. Sitting in a coffee shop in a luxurious Abu Dhabi mall, the love-struck Emirati young man holds a tea cup in one hand while the other one is busy typing love messages on the keyboard of his BlackBerry. “I saw her at the movies. I asked an employee there to hand her my BlackBerry PIN code,” Jaber recalls with a grin the day he met his girlfriend. “I didn’t really expect her to add me to her contact list, or for such a love story to evolve between us,” said Jaber, who is in his 20s. But it did and the first cyberspace encounter took place two months later when the young woman mustered enough courage and linked up with Jaber via Skype. It was a short meeting, said Jaber, who staunchly refused to reveal his girlfriend’s name because making their relation-

ship public would trigger a scandal in their conservative society. That first Skype date was enough “to affirm our love,” said the university graduate. Eventually he convinced his beloved to meet him in secret and now the couple are considering the next step — namely should Jaber request a meeting with her father in line with tradition and formally ask for her hand in marriage. “Despite the modernisation in the United Arab Emirates, families still hold on to their traditional conservative values,” says Jamila Khanji, adviser of research and studies at the Family Development Foundation in Abu Dhabi. “Families still arrange their children’s marriages, even though they have now become more flexible by allowing the engaged couple to meet, or accepting longer engagement periods to give the couple better chances to get to know one another,” she said.

‘HOPELESS’

LOVE STORIES

But while this is the case in the UAE, considered one of the Gulf ’s most liberal countries, it is nearly impossible for couples in neighbouring Saudi Arabia to meet as the ultraconservative kingdom strictly prohibits mixing between the sexes.

Pick

In a cafeteria at the entrance of a shopping mall in Al-Tahliya street, one of Riyadh’s most vibrant districts, dozens of young men look on as fully veiled girls in high heels and designer handbags walk past and head towards the seating area reserved to women and families only. In oil-rich Saudi Arabia, it is nearly impossible for men to openly approach a woman but thanks to an easy access to the latest technologies including mobile phone applications, they can indeed meet. By switching on WhosHere, a smartphone application which is popular in the kingdom, a young man sitting at the men’s section of the cafeteria could contact girls sitting in the families’ section. “I can see that 16 girls have showed up on WhosHere and I can connect with any one of them,” says Ahmed, who like Jaber declined to give his surname.

at the

Before such applications, men would throw at the girls pieces of paper with their phone numbers scribbled on them. But the Saudi telecom authority warned in March that it would ban applications like Skype and WhatsApp if providers failed to allow authorities access to censor content, according to an industry source. Internet messenger application Viber was briefly blocked in June in Saudi Arabia, while BlackBerry nearly got banned in 2010. Authorities cite security concerns to justify their actions. Although smartphones have become an integral part of dating in the kingdom, the relationship does not develop into marriage, users say. “None of my friends has married a girl he met in this way,” said Ahmed. The lovers sometimes get to finally meet face-to-face, but in most cases the short-lived relationship ends with a click.

airport,

TECHNOLOGY SATURDAY, JUNE 29, 2013

WEBSITE OF THE WEEK weather.gov eather.gov isn’t as slick as the weather app on your phone, but compared with other popular websites, the National Weather Service excels at offering no-nonsense forecasts and other weather details with minimal clutter.

MOBILEGAME REVIEW THE GOOD

APP OF THE WEEK

HERO OF MIGHT AND MAGIC

Moves

f you don’t fancy investing in a dedicated fitness tracking device, this GPS-enabled monitoring app can record walking, cycling and running data and visualise the information in a Storyline.

n First off, this is a very detailed game and can provide a lot of hours of fun.

THE BAD

n Graphics are cartoonish and they have their limitations.

WORD POWER

Back when personal computers had processing power that was calculated in bytes, graphical elements were almost impossible to load and text-based games were really popular. These games varied from role playing to simple fighter ones and now this genre is making a comeback albeit in smartphones. Here are the top five games in the category that you can download and play on your smartphone now.

NT BALANARAYAN

balanarayan.nt@postnoon.com

CHOICE

OF THE

DRAGON

This game lets you play as a dragon who sleeps on a pile of gold, while looting, pillaging, and inspiring terror in the hearts of your enemies. Oh, before I forget this beast also likes to kidnaps princesses, although by his own admission he does it only to draw out heroes whom he then proceeds to kill. This game does not take itself too seriously but has a very interesting storyline, which however is quite short compared to other games of the genre. It is without doubt one of the best games in the category available right now.

CHOICE

BROADSIDES

This game is a naval adventure, in which you get to play as a sailor and slowly take him up the rank to the captain of a ship. The game has a lot of role playing elements to it and

actions you take within the game will have an impact on your abilities later on. You can work on your soft skills such as tact, leadership, likeability while also concentrating on improving your sword fighting, navigation and fire fighting skills. The only downside is that you’ll need to cough-up $5 if you want to be immediately

resurrected every time you’re killed. If you do not want to pay, you’ll need to wait 20 minutes.

FROTZ

This is one of the few true text based game that is still available in the market right now. While the other games take a storybook like approach

with a few options thrown in along the way, this game requires you to type out every move. Want to go into a dungeon, type ‘down’ and hit enter; want to pick up a powerful sword from a chest. then type ‘pick up sword’, you get the idea. The most important factor in this game, is that it is in reality a collection of stories so if one of them is not your type you can always skip to the next one.

THE NIGHTMARE M AZE

Most games in the genre end up borrowing too much from the Dungeons and Dragons universe, this one however delves into the world of dreams. The game takes you through the mind of a tormented person and his dreams, you’re left trying to figure out the dreams through bulk of the game. The choices available and levelling up are all similar to Choice of Broadsides. This game is worth checking out also because it is one of the more difficult ones of the lot as conclusions are not always very obvious.

WANT TO GO INTO A DUNGEON, TYPE ‘DOWN’ AND HIT ENTER; WANT TO PICK UP A POWERFUL SWORD FROM A CHEST. THEN TYPE ‘PICK UP SWORD’, YOU GET THE IDEA. GODVILLE

This is one of the most weirdest games you’ll find as you won’t be required to do anything in this game. The main character of this game does all his adventures on his own and writes about them in his diary which you get to read. You do however get to decide how to level him up, but the simplicity of the game is what makes it truely beautiful. RPG fans will like the game as it gives them the same experience on the story front without the grind of travelling and facing similar opponents again and again.

ANIMAL KINGDOM SATURDAY, JUNE 29, 2013

PET NEWS Monkey culture

he power of social networks didn't start just in the digital age. A new study on squirrel monkeys reported in Current Biology finds that monkeys with the strongest social networks catch on fastest to the latest in foraging crazes.

A rare breed

A group of killer whales once thought to be genetic anomalies may in fact be a species all their own, according to a recent study in the journal Polar Biology. The rarely-seen "type D" orcas are one of four varieties of killer whale.

IMPORTANT NUMBERS

Less in research

The number of chimpanzees in U.S. government-funded research will be substantially reduced under a new set of principles and criteria, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) announced today.

CATS AND DOGS The Animal Care Clinic 040-2335 2474 Pet’s World Dog Clinic 98856 46259 Blue Cross of Hyderabad 040-3298 9858, 23544355/ 5523 Vet-N-Pet 040-6553 9535, 93463 05890 Bluplus Pet Clinic 040-2712 1739, 2716 2636 Sri Sai Pet Clinic

040-2779 7458, 9848645350 Claws & Paws 98662 82772 All Creatures Animals Clinic 040-2773 0885 BIRDS Govt Veterinary Hospital 040-2331 9656, 2753 5755 Bird Watcher’s Society 040-2355 6166 Friends of Birds9391048315 SNAKES Friends of Snakes 8374233366

One big happy family With three Great Danes and 10 cats living under the same roof at Chikkadpally, Sarvesh Kumar is one big animal person.

AMY ROSE THOMAS

amyrose.t@postnoon.com

day in the life of Sarvesh Kumar is beyond anyone’s imagination. For starters, he is never short of friends to hang out with. With three Great Danes and 10 cats living under the same roof at Chikkadpally, his is one big happy family. “There has never been an instance when the dogs and cats have attacked each other. To be fair, in spite of the Great Dane’s size, they are scared of the cats. Most of the times, cats bully the dogs, eat their food and tease them a lot. It is so much fun to see them at each other,” Sarvesh says. It all began 15 years ago, when Sarvesh found an injured cat in their backyard and nursed it back to health. “It was never our intention to get 10 cats in the house. It had happened by chance. We had rescued our first cat and brought her home. She later became pregnant and gave birth to more kittens. Mother brought in more cats from the street. And before I

knew we had 25-30 cats roaming in the house. As for the dogs, we have always had them and they never attacked the cats since they knew they were also part of the family,” he says. However, around a year back a viral infection killed more than 10 cats. “It was the most depressing period in our lives. It had all happened in a flash and around 10 cats had dropped dead. After this incident, we have made sure that all our animals are vaccinated and neutered,” he says. His mother takes care of the food for the cats while he tends to the dogs in the house. “Between me and my mother, we share the work. I wake up around 6 am and take the dogs for a walk. We give the dogs and cats Pedigree, Me-O and lot of rice and meat. We spend around `4,000 to `5,000 on our pets each month,” he says. So, does he see himself looking after more animals in the future? “We didn’t want to adopt more. But if I see an animal in danger or in pain, I would bring it back home. We have decided to put up a few cats for adoption since we can’t take care of all of them,” he says.

BOOKS SATURDAY, JUNE 29, 2013

SHORT READS Title: Sisterland Author: Curtis Sittenfeld Publisher: Random House Publishing Group Twin sisters Kate and Violet discovered as children that they have psychic powers. But while Violet embraces her gift, Kate tries to deny her abilities. Years later, a devastating earthquake causes their paths to cross again.

Title: Choose Yourself! Author: James Altucher Publisher: James Altucher Here’s a novel thought. Instead of worrying about how employable you are or whether you are good enough, believe in yourself. Follow your dreams. Do what you want to do and success will follow. This is James Altucher’s advice for a happy life.

Title: Sweet Salt Air Author: Barbara Delinsky Publisher: St Martin’s Press Here’s a heartwarming read for when you’re stuck indoors. Two friends, Charlotte and Nicole, lose touch over the years and grow to become very different people. When they team together on a project, they realise that they have a lot to learn about each other.

Title: TransAtlantic Author: Colum McCann Publisher: Random House Publishing Group Crossing the Atlantic was a big deal in the days before we had jumbo jets and airplanes. TransAtlantic takes a look at three major historical crossings, and the effect they had on three women of a family, weaving in fiction and history brilliantly.

Deep into the forest

All around us is chaos, and it seems to be increasing rather than decreasing, felt Paul Torday as he wrote his new book. Where does that chaos end? Let’s find out. Fleme Varkey

called Mary and a stepfather who is a woodcutter. But all said and done, before the climax, it’s a piece of absolute brilliant narrative, he keeps the reader engaged and hoping that ultimately all ends well. A hope he shatters quite effortlessly. A must-read.

fleme.v@postnoon.com

aul Torday’s first comic novel Salmon Fishing in Yemen was published when he was 59 years old. But six books down the line, with Light Shining in the Forest, Torday goes from comic to something dark and mysterious. An interesting amalgamation of genres — thriller, satire, romance, horror and fable — it has a plot involving a chilling and gruesome serial killer, a complacent civil servant, an ambitious secretary and a journalist who dreams of getting the biggest scoop of his career. Torday, in an interview to The Independent, says, “It probably is my darkest book. You should be writing to entertain and interest people. But I did start after reading some appalling newspaper account — possibly about Baby P. It was all about blame. Was it the social services’ fault? There was almost nothing in it asking how, in the 21st century, we are still producing individuals who do this to children.” The setting at the beginning is a dark one, the Kiebler Forest, where we find Geordie Nixon, a woodcutter going about his daily job but also

There May be an Asterisk Involved is much more than an average mushy love story, and you’ll find yourself rooting for the spunky heroine. Amy Rose Thomas amyrose.t@postnoon.com

hen I was given There May be an Asterisk Involved by Vedashree Khambete, I didn’t have many hopes pinned on the book. I was expecting yet another chick-lit which ends with the guy over

mourning the loss of his stepson Theo Constantine, the son of his girlfriend Mary. What led to the loss comes later on. Then we have Norman Stokoe, the newly appointed ‘Children Czar’. He has a plush office, a fat pay cheque, drinks espressos all day and was once a religious man. Pippa is his secretary, who works with whatever little Stokoe tells her to do. Then there is Willie Craig, the 27-year-old reporter who covers school plays and gardening events. The case of a missing girl in their town of Newcastle whets Craig’s interest. Despite threats from his editor, he pursues the story, exposes Stokoe’s

false sense of comfort and complete cluelessness about his position and manages to get Pippa to fall in love with him. Goaded by Craig, Stokoe decides to participate in the investigation. Together they discover that kidnappings have been going on for quite some time and in a span of few months, three children have gone missing. The trio’s investigation culminates in finding the hideout of the kidnapper, but what unfolds there is a story few are willing to believe. Torday introduces us to the town of Newcastle, its people, its going-ons. The tone in this part of the book is acidic and

angry. He builds the tension so cleverly that you begin to anticipate the coming events but are powerless to stop them. And that’s where things begin to get spooky. The back stories give the reader a lot to dwell on. Nevertheless, it is hard to ignore the spiritual dimension in the story. The transformation of all involved in this investigation. But that’s where Torday loses it, after building up such a great story, he dumps it in the climax by bringing the religious and supernatural in. Makes one wonder whether the religious references at the beginning were clever or all too obvious — the boy’s mother

A thorough entertainer whom the protagonist would have incessantly mooned for the whole of 200 pages to declare his love for the girl. Fortunately, I was pleasantly surprised from the very beginning. I found myself hooked and laughing out loud at the crisp and the sarcastic tone rendered by the characters. The story is about a wise-ass, passionate copywriter Ira Bhatt, working with one of the best advertising agencies in the country. It follows the relationship she shares with her friends Aditi and Sameer, how she deals with her overly demanding boss, later the entry of her ex-boyfriend into her office and her budding romance with the new account

Name There May be an Asterisk Involved Author Vedashree Khambete Pages 208 Publisher Hachette India planner. The book gives a sneak peak into the interesting but strenuous life of one working in the advertising field. The most interesting bits of the book for me were the sarcastic comebacks of Ira and also the conversations she has with her

Name Light Shining in the Forest Author Paul Torday Pages 341 Publisher Hachette India friends. You cannot stop yourself rooting for this spunky heroine of the story. Books written by Indian authors, especially with female protagonists, more or less end up as chick-lits. However, this book is a welcome exception. It does cover the budding romance between Ira and the new account planner, but the plot doesn’t revolve around only this particular relationship. If you have ever worked in the advertising industry, then this is the book for you. Even without any connection to the advertising field, reading There May be an Asterisk Involved is bound to be a joyride. The book is a thorough entertainer and if you are looking for a time-pass, light read, then it is worth a read.

BOOKS SATURDAY, JUNE 29, 2013

Immerse yourself

in the wonder and beauty and magic that is Neil Gaiman’s The Ocean At The End Of The Lane. JYOTSNA NAMBIAR

jyotsna.n@postnoon.com

antasy is everywhere. You can’t visit a bookstore without seeing stacks of novels involving dragons, ghouls, warriors and magic. A lot of them are very good too; you find yourself wishing you lived in a world like that, at a time like that. But fantasy that involves our world, without the glamour of medieval castles and exotic creatures, is much more difficult to write. It takes a certain delicacy to lift the veil of the world, exposing the magic that lies hidden. If there ever was doubt that Neil Gaiman was a master of this art, his latest novel, The Ocean At The End Of The Lane, will dispel it. In what is easily one of Gaiman’s best works, the narrator, who is never named, finds

himself back in his childhood hometown for a funeral. Wandering aimlessly, he finds himself at the farmhouse of Lettie Hempstock, the girl who lived at the end of the lane. As he waits for her near the pond, which she insisted was the ocean, he remembers his childhood and the events that made him friends with Lettie. Gaiman’s nostalgia is at its best when he describes the narrator as a seven-year-old bookworm, who enjoys tramping around the countryside, lost in

IF YOU EVER WERE THE DREAMING SORT, THE BOOK WILL RIP AWAY YOUR YEARS, TRANSPORTING YOU BACK TO THE DAYS WHEN YOU WERE INNOCENT AND THOUGHT THE WORLD WAS A MARVELLOUS PLACE.

Name The Ocean At The End Of The Lane Author Neil Gaiman Pages 248 Publisher Hachette India

his dreams. You can almost picture a mop-headed little Gaiman, walking through fields and forests, stopping to confer with fairies and goblins. He writes with such startling sharpness that it almost feels like you’re reading a graphic novel, flipping the pages with intricate sketches of the narrative in your head. You expect dark from Gaiman. You expect wicked humour, ambiguous characters, strange practices and complicated plots. But here, he discards his usual trappings. There is no cleverness to hide behind. It is just a

simple story, told achingly well. Is this book meant for children? Kids will take simple pleasure in it, enjoying the simplicity of narrative. It isn’t that easy for adults though. If you ever were the dreaming sort, the book will rip away your years, transporting you back to the days when you were innocent and thought the world was a marvellous place. Gaiman writes with a wonder and simple joy which all of us once had, but which we buried under years of cynicism, reality and drudgery. This is a difficult book to

review. Not because there is a lack of good things to say about it, but because I don’t believe I could ever do justice to the wonder and beauty that is this book. It’s as addictive as myth, simple as a fairytale, compelling as a thriller and beautiful as a poem. It is my favourite Gaiman so far. There is real magic in this book, but Gaiman casts a spell that sends you back to the days when you believed in magic. This truly is his greatest achievement. Do yourself a favour. Stop listening to me gush about him Just go out and buy this book.

WHAT’S SELLING Walden's best in fiction

Walden's best in non-fiction

New York Times' best in fiction

n Love Stories That Touched My Heart by Ravinder Singh

n Dongri To Dubai by S Hussain Zaidi

n Inferno by Dan Brown

n Best Kept Secret by Jeffrey Archer

n Romancing The Balance Sheet by Anil Lamba

n Fifty Shades Of Grey by E L James

n Durbar by Tavleen Singh

n Salvation Of A Saint by Keigo Higashino

n Leadership 2.0 by T Bradberry & J Greaves

n Accidental Apprentice by Vikas Swarup

n All Is Well by Louise L Hay

n And the mountains echoed by Khaled Hosseini n Bad Monkey by Carl Hiaasen n The Silver Star by Jeannette Walls n The Eye of Moloch by Glenn Beck

New York Times' best in non- fiction n Happy, Happy, Happy by Phil Robertson n American Gun by Chris Kyle n Lean in by Cheryl Sandberg n Dad is Fat by Jim Gaffigan n Keep it pithy by Bill O'Reilly

WOMEN SATURDAY, JUNE 29, 2013

WEBSITES OF THE WEEK VisualNews: Founded in 2009, Visual News is a blog about today’s unique innovations in art and design.And it’s definitely a cure for eyeball boredom. It reflects the constantly changing landscape of the art world.

Women’s bodies have been criticised, altered, hidden, hated and disapproved of by other women for their dissimilarity with the photoshopped images standardised and showcased by the media. However, Jade Baell with A Beautiful Body seeks to change all that. KANCHAN AGARWAL

kanchan.a@postnoon.com

SoulPancake: A brain batter of art, culture, science, philosophy, spirituality and humour designed to open your mind, challenge your friends, and feel damn good.

Moddea: Owned by Dessi Ivanova, the designer of Calendreco. Moddea is her visual catalog of everyday objects that she considers modern, clever, nontraditional, provocative, simple, fun, inspirational, surprising.

A beautiful body indeed

Jade Baell

ho can say how long this world of poor selfimage has been existing. Surely, it has trickled down the generations from a self-loathing woman to another. Gearing against the tide of self-hatred is dancer and photographer Jade Baell’s project, A Beautiful Body. The project, in its first stage, is a book of seminude photographs and stories of women facing aging, cancer, eating disorders and beyond. The project captures their dayto-day struggle —looking into the mirror for that ideal body shape but instead finding one’s own body and disregarding it for its failure. The project leads to developing a fulfilling selfimage by which you accept and love your body with its scars, taking it to be beautiful as it is. Jade Baell’s project is for all such women to feel empowered and beautiful in their bodies. Jade says the project started when she was a teenager suffering from feelings of deep unworthiness. “I had acne, and I was unable to look in a mirror for nearly three years, unless it was by candlelight.

Fifteen years later in 2012, I posted a series of self-portraits of my semi nude postpartum body on my blog because 95% of women will not see ourselves reflected in mainstream media. I had gained 50 pounds with my pregnancy and that added to my history of self loathing in a culture that praises mostly photoshopped images of women in media. I wanted to join the movement of redefining beautiful for self-empowerment, for women to feel validated and for reshaping the media,” recollects Jade. Her idea is that no woman should wait for validation from the likes of Vogue. “It is about praising the un-photoshopped body of a woman by using language of support and un-shaming for the body of a woman just as she is instead of that which we see in the media. That which is mostly photoshopped, air-

brushed and altered.” Hundreds of women from around the world wrote to tell Jade their story and asked if she would photograph them just as they were. Hence, the project began growing in the summer of 2012. “The stories from the women photographed are about finding freedom from feeling too fat, too skinny, too dark skinned, too pale, too wrinkly, too pimply or whatever other story inhibits us from completely loving ourselves, just as we are,” she adds. The plan is to get the book in the hands of as many women as possible with the goal of empowering them to feel beautiful in their own skin. The project is open to women from anywhere and everywhere. “I would love to study body-positive influences in communities worldwide and how women feel about their bodies in their particular culture,” she explains. When asked if she would consider travelling to a conservative society such as India with her project, she reveals her India connect. “My husband’s father Arjun Appadurai is an Indian, and hence my son is 1/4th Indian. So India is very close to my heart and it would be a dream come true to photograph and record the stories of women in India. Especially to share cross culturally our stories, that is, for American women to hear the women in India talk about their relationship with their body and vice versa.” For more than a decade, Jade has been teaching a style of West African-inspired dance to live traditional drumming, poetry and words of selfempowerment. “The beating drum is a reminder to connect to the blessing of being alive. For me, this means that life is here and wants us to feel empowered and beautiful so that we can lead happy and meaningful lives.” To a new self-image, as Jade says, “The drum is beating for women to feel empowered around the world.”

No worries at 30 All About Eve

FLEME VARKEY

writer for The Telegraph brought out a very important point in today’s day and age — the changing milestones for women today. She writes, “I’m 30 and by the time my mother was my age, she was married with two children and a mortgage, and was working a 60hour week in a highly driven, corporate environment. In short, by 30 she was a fullfledged grown up — a woman.” She on the other hand dresses up as a fifteen-year-old in oversized t-shirts, is into freelancing and can barely make ends meet. While I wouldn’t say this the scenario for most of us, there certainly is a sizeable number who can relate to this. At least I can relate to the part of having a house, kids and 60hour week part. Generation Y today has clearly different prerogatives. First thing out of college they expect is a plum job, a great pay-cheque and a five-day shift. Too much I say. Personally when I was starting off, I had to learn an extra course, scour job portals for a decent paying one and happily accept the six-hour shift, minimum package for freshers that my first job offered me. Talking about home and other property, at 30 few have a house to call of their own and that means either they earn in dollars or are just plain lucky. Marriage and kids. This criteria seems to have divided opinions. Most girls do not easily give into the pressures of an early marriage. Some who do, make sure that kids come five-six years down the line. They still hold hope of a career or if a housewife of enjoying and planning for a life of motherhood. Well, I am with this young generation in this sense. Live your life out thoroughly, make your own mistakes, dream your dreams, work towards fulfilling them and then settle down. At 30 even if you don’t have a man or a marriage or a house or a baby, be proud of the fact that you have career and a life of your own.

SPOTLIGHT SATURDAY, JUNE 29, 2013

S BALAKRISHNA

From the stylists

Tolllywood actress Samantha looked beautiful in an off-white dress as she inaugurated the Se La Vie exhibition cum sale at Taj Krishna on Friday. 8

The taste of the City

1 Sheetal

5 Samantha

9 Aruna, Karuna

13 Pragnya

2 Alekya

6 Nikitha Reddy

10 Bindu

14 Kamala, Sandya

3 Shravanthi

7 Sushma

11 Lavanya

15 Brunda

4 Swetha

8 Anchal

12 Khushboo

It’s the most awaited season of the year, as it’s the season of good food. Haleem is a speciality that most Hyderabadis swear by. Cafe 555 at Masab Tank launched the season’s first haleem on Friday. Mohtesham Ali (R) a body builder is seen relishing the dish.

RELATIONSHIPS SATURDAY, JUNE 29, 2013

I AM ALL EARS

am a 25-year-old woman and have recently got a job in my dream company. But it seems no longer nice as I came face to face with my ex boyfriend. We had been dating for three years and then he cheated on me. I was a bunch of nerves when I saw him. And if I have to see him everyday now, it’s going to be difficult. What do I do?

We’ve all come across couples who find it hard to keep their hands off each other because they are deeply in love, or even lust. However, public displays of affection range from holding hands to behaving in a manner that would embarrass a porn star. Postnoon finds out how affection borders on awkward.

en in relationships prefer women with more feminine faces for a fling.The study investigated whether considering partners for long-term or short-term relationships would affect men’s preference for different women’s faces.The results showed that men in relationships were more likely to find women with feminine faces most attractive when they were looking for a short-term relationship.

Dear scared ex-girlfriend, You could call him a few names, tell your boss what a scumbag he is, trip him on the office floor or spread a rumour in office that he has an STD. That would be fitting revenge but we are not looking for that. You could just hold your head high, smile, say a polite hi and try not to grind your teeth. Make sure you keep a few friends with you at all times and if you find yourself giving into weakness, remind yourself of the idiot that he is.

Get a room!

NIDHI BHUSHAN

nidhi.b@postnoon.com

njoying a meal with a couple that spends more time nibbling on each others’ earlobes than the food can be very awkward. More so if you’re the only other person on the table. We’ve all been in situations similar to this with our friends who are in love; some really unlucky ones also have siblings who can’t keep their hands to themselves around their girlfriend/ boyfriend/spouse. There are a number of reasons why couples show off their affection in public. At times, they are so much in love that they are oblivious to where they are and who they are with. Other times, they are slightly or very intoxicated, which lowers their inhibi-

tions and makes them behave more affectionately than they normally do. Then there are a few who like the idea of being watched in the act; it can feel sexy knowing others are watching, it can crank up the heat of a simple kiss. Whatever the reason, too much PDA makes people uncomfortable. Period. “An affectionate peck on the cheek or a hug is fine. In fact, pecking, hugging, ‘shweet’ talking is all fine. Things become awkward when people start necking, kissing and really going at it. It was fine during college days, because there were hardly any options then. We had to make out in public or in front of friends who would politely

ignore what was happening. But now, when we’re all settled with jobs and flats to get back to, PDA is a big no-no,” says 28-year-old Spandhan Mishra. When asked what he would do if he’s with two friends who are a couple, he says: “If they start behaving in a mushy manner, I would consider it rude and awkward.” Arun Kapoor, who is slightly more understanding of couples who can’t keep their hands off each other, says: “Sometimes, people can’t really help it. Especially, when you are 18-something and filled with hormones, it’s difficult to care about what others are feeling as well.” Hemanth Singh, who is

Tips that might help n

Tell your friend: Whenever you get a chance, tell them how you really feel.

Engage them in conversation: Ask them pertinent questions to keep them distracted.

Make a joke.

Beat them at their own game: If you’re with a partner, give that ‘affectionate’ couple a taste of their own medicine.

unaffected by PDA, says: “To each his own. It doesn’t bother me when my friends display affection towards their partners. I’m not much of a talker anyway, so I find it easy to walk off when it gets too much.” Sometimes PDA is used to mark territories. “Every time I or any of my friends meet this one guy friend of ours, his girlfriend sits on his lap and starts to baby talk. I can’t have a serious conversation with him. When I meet his girlfriend alone, she doesn’t seem the type to be into PDA. It might be a way of marking him as her guy. But it’s just really awkward for the rest of us,” says Anita D’Cruz. Though displays of affection are most annoying when physical, there are couples who can piss you off just by whispering into each other’s ears constantly. “Two of my friends are dating. We have to invite them for all the gettogethers and parties because both are part of our group. While we all understood that they needed time to get to know one another as a boyfriend and girlfriend initially, we are sick of them behaving like two-bodies-one-heart now. Though they don’t show any awkward physical affection towards each other when they are with us, they are annoying as they can’t stop talking to only each other. They are with us, but not with us,” says Tenzin Dechen. Then there are those who have to put up with affectionate family members too. “My sister can’t keep her hands off her husband. It gets very awkward when I go to visit her in Bangalore as I’m at her house, so basically, at her mercy. When they start kissing or necking, I freeze instead of running into the guest room. It gets really awkward and I don’t know how to tell her to stop,” says Anne Thomas. While there’s no standard way of controlling this affection epidemic, you can start by making a joke about it. Next time, couples around show their affection, shout out loud, “Me too, me too!”

CINEMA SATURDAY, JUNE 29, 2013

he audio launch of Prince, Dimple and Manasa starrer Romance is going to be launched later today at Shilpa Kala Vedika, Hyderabad. Swamy is making his debut as a director with this film and in the past, he had written dialogues for films like Rebel and Darling. Good Cinema Group, which made Ee Rojullo, is producing this film. The film is said to be a triangular love story and the makers have claimed that it’s going to be quite different from Ee Rojullo and Bus Stop. Sai Karthik has scored the music and J Prabhakar Reddy is the cinematographer. Buzz is that Allu Arjun will be the chief guest at the audio launch and the makers are leaving no stone unturned to promote the film on a huge scale.

ALLU ARJUN is Europe bound

llu Arjun will soon join the sets of his upcoming action entertainer Race Gurram in Europe. Surender Reddy is going to direct the film and Nallamalupu Bujji and Dr K Venkateshwara Rao will jointly produce the film. Shruti Haasan is the lead actress and it’s her first film with Allu Arjun in the lead role. Two songs are going to be shot in Geneva and Norway. “I’m eagerly looking forward to work with Allu Arjun and hopefully, I can match up to his dancing skills,” Shruti Haasan told Postnoon in a recent interview. Thaman is scoring the music for this film and Manoj Paramahamsa, who has worked on Ye Maya Chesave, has been roped in as the cinematographer.

ROMANCE

IS IN THE AIR

Ravi Teja is back with a bang! Ravi Teja, Shruti Haasan starrer Balupu is a good concoction of action and entertainment which hits all the right notes.

avi Teja has finally managed to hit the ball out of the park, after almost two years. His latest film Balupu has everything one would expect from a quintessential Ravi Teja’s film. However, more than the fact that it’s a breezy entertainer, it was quite a revelation to see Ravi Teja find his mojo and sort of reconjure that actor whom we had last seen in films like Kick, Krishna and Venky. Balupu is a complete Ravi Teja’s film, but his histrionics could have easily gone haywire if it wasn’t for a strong cast consisting of Prakash Raj, Brahmanandam, Shruti Haasan and Anjali. The film is about Ravi (Ravi Teja), who’s at loggerheads with his father (Prakash Raj) on the subject of marriage. One fine day, he comes across Shruti (Shruti Haasan) and her uncle Crazy Mohan

Hemanth Kumar

hemanth.k@postnoon.com

Movie: Balupu Cast: Ravi Teja, Shruti Haasan, Anjali, Prakash Raj Directed by: Gopichand Malineni Rating: (Brahmanandam). Both Shruti and Crazy Mohan decide to play a prank on Ravi, but it backfires enormously. On the other hand, there’s Poorna (Ashutosh Rana), who travels all over the country in search of his foes Shankar and Nanaji and before we know it, all hell breaks loose when he sees Ravi and his father. It’s interesting to note that the film treads on a thin red line between banality and goofball comedy, which doesn’t take itself seriously, even when the film enters a zone where the characters’ past is revealed. A lot of credit for that goes to the writers Kona Venkat, Bobby and Veligonda Srinivas, who infuse humour to keep things moving at a break neck speed, at least in the first half. For a moment, the film does seem to be going overboard in terms of portraying violence in the second half, but the introduction of Anjali gives an equilibrium to the whole story. Anjali becomes a major factor of change in

both Shankar and Nanaji’s lives and the actress delivers another good performance. The film borrows several plot points from previous hit films, but Gopichand Malineni neither tries to reinvent the wheel nor does he do an imitation. Instead, he has moulded Balupu into a crowd pleaser which combines action with a right dose of entertainment. There’s hardly a boring moment in the film, which is quite an achievement. Brahmanandam gets slapped again and again, yet, like always, the audience join the fun. The surprising factor in the film is Shruti Haasan herself. It’s her first film since Gabbar Singh and in Balupu, she has shown a good flair for comedy and more than that a commanding screen presence amidst towering talents like Ravi Teja, Brahmanandam and Prakash Raj. Ravi Teja is incredibly funny in the scenes where he takes Shruti and Crazy Mohan for a ride and he adds a great deal of arrogance to suit his characterisation in the second half. All said and done, Balupu is proof enough that Ravi Teja hasn’t lost his charm and all he needs is a decent script and a good team. Fortunately, everything falls into place in Balupu. It’s a fun ride all the way and it even made watching someone dance to Dil Jumping Jhapak seem fun. That was a masterstroke.

CINEMA SATURDAY, JUNE 29, 2013

An uninspiring

tale

hanchakkar starts out with Sanjay Athray (Emraan Hashmi) the master of robbery deciding to give up his con job after his last heist along with two friends Pandit (Rajesh Sharma) and Idris (Namit Das). Three part ways after the robbery to get rid of the cops while Sanjay keeps the money safe. Sanjay meets up with an accident and loses his memory. He forgets about his friends and also where he kept the money. The two stay with the couple Sanjay and his loud, Punjabi wife Neetu Athray (Vidya Balan) waiting for Sanjay’s memory to come back. Will Sanjay discover the baggage that is how the story deals further? The story doesn’t stick with you but it surely entertains you with its guess quotient till the end. However, the problem in the movie lies in the climax which ruins the entire effort of the director. Till the arrival of those last few minutes, the situations along with the Punjabi housewife’s dialect tickle your funny bones with few cheesy dialogues, though it’s not Vidya leading the flick, like she did in her earlier dramas. When it comes to performances, Emraan Hashmi has given a mature performance. The suspicion and confusion he carries in his eyes looks humorous and at the same time is mysterious. Vidya Balan plays a lovable character as a loud, Punjabi housewife. She keeps the entertainment quotient high throughout the movie. Rajesh Sharma, Namit Das and Amit Trivedi put up brilliant performances. Songs on the other hand, are quite likeable. Ghanchakkar is surely not a perfect flick but needs to be watched once.

Sonam Kapoor advises Dhanush S

Movie: Ghanchakkar Cast: Vidya Balan, Emraan Hashmi Directed by: Raj Kumar Gupta

argued. But it was his new buddy in Mumbai Sonam who convinced Dhanush to give it try.” The Raanjhanaa pair shot for the ad amidst loads of bantering and rejoicing, now that Raanjhanaa has been declared a hit. “It was different experience, but fun for me,” said a shy Dhanush. Raanjhanaa director Anand L Rai was also present during the shooting of the ad. “I just looked at the two of them proudly. When we began shooting Raanjhanaa, everyone wondered what kind of a pair Sonam and Dhanush would make. Now they’ve been unconditionally accepted as an onscreen couple,” said Rai. IANS

‘My role puts together movement in Satyagraha’ ollywood actress Kareena Kapoor essays a journalist named Yashin in Prakash Jha’s upcoming political thriller Satyagraha. She says her character plays a key part in bringing together the entire movement shown in the film. “Yasmin kind of puts together the whole revolution, brings together the entire movement that we have (shown) in the film. It’s strong, it’s intense and I am happy that Prakashji thought of me for this role,” the actress says. Kareena also said she did not prepare much for the role. “There was not too much preparation because I am a director’s actor,

outhern star Dhanush was “aghast” at the idea of endorsing a beauty soap, but actress Sonam Kapoor, his co-star in Raanjhanaa, managed to persuade him. On Tuesday, the unconventional-looking hero flew into Mumbai after a flash promotional trip to Chennai to promote his new Tamil film Maryaan, and shot an ad for Lux with Sonam. A source from the set said: “Initially, Dhanush who is extremely self-deprecating about his looks was aghast at the idea. ‘How can I endorse a beauty soap?’ he

and I left everything to Prakashji. He guided me through the whole role, but I think there are influences of some journalists. Basically, very workfocussed and no time for love... That’s

It’s strong, it is intense and I am happy that Prakashji thought of me for this role Kareena Kapoor, Actress

basically Yasmin’s character,” she said. The actress says the role helped her understand the work pressures of a reporter. “Our film shows that when she (the reporter) is on field and she stays true to her work no matter what the situation is,” Kareena says. The first look of Satyagraha was launched globally on Wednesday. While Amitabh Bachchan, Manoj Bajpayee, Amrita Rao and director Prakash Jha launched it in India, Kareena Kapoor and Ajay Devgn joined from London via video chat and the duo launched the movie’s promo there. IANS

CINEMA SATURDAY, JUNE 29, 2013

Keira Knightley to turn producer

A dynamic duo

The Heat starring Sandra Bullock and Melissa McCarthy is an ideal summer movie fare for grown-ups.

he preview of The Heat only offers a glimpse of what both Sandra Bullock and Melissa McCarthy have to offer in this rowdy, raunchy buddy-cop comedy. They make a terrific team. (Note to studio: that doesn’t mean we are dying to see them reteamed in a sequel. Find something else for these actresses to do, please.) Katie Dippold’s screenplay offers more plot than

one expects to find in this kind of film and enough fuel to propel both halves of its leading odd couple: ultra-square, by-the-book FBI agent Bullock and foulmouthed, unkempt Boston street cop McCarthy, who are forced to work together on an important case involving a drug lord whose identity is a dark secret. I don’t know how much of the dialogue was improvised, but it has a natural,

Movie : The Heat Cast : Sandra Bullock and Melissa McCarthy Director : Michael Mann spontaneous feel that’s right in line with director Paul Feig’s previous work. In the midst of nonstop insults and comebacks, McCarthy creates a character who’s likable and grounded: with the right material, she is a comedy powerhouse who takes no prisoners. Bullock is essentially the straight man here, but she’s no less skillful in imbuing a potentially farcical role with just enough reality to sustain the story and play off McCarthy’s boisterous antics. I was among the minority of people who didn’t love Bridesmaids, which I

thought had one hour of funny material in a twohour package. This one also nears the two-hour mark — but I didn’t feel it, because the screenplay kept throwing me curves and never ran out of hilarious dialogue. The Heat is ideal summer movie fare (for grownups).

‘I never planned to become an actor’

ctor Channing Tatum, who admits he was never a good student, says he never even planned to become an actor. Tatum says he struggled to choose from various career options like getting into military, becoming a footballer and veterinarian, before he entered Hollywood. “To be honest, I didn’t have a college education, so I would have settled on any career that made some sort of money that was respectful. I never planned on being an actor. I definitely never planned on being a model," femalefirst.co.uk quoted Tatum as saying. “You think about a lot of things — the military. I never really entertained going into the military, but when you are 18 and you decide not to go to college, you definitely ask a lot of questions," he said. During his Hollywood innings, the 33-year-old has enjoyed stratospheric success in Hollywood with

movies such as Magic Mike and 21 Jump Street. He admits he enjoyed working as a vet. “I always loved animals. I worked at a puppy, kitty nursery in Tampa, Florida, for about a

year or something. At that time, I thought maybe I should get a job as a vet tech. I thought maybe I’d go to a tech school for that. I just really don’t like school. I am not good at it — especially at that time in my life," he added. However, he was very keen to “figure out” what he must do. “I wish certain things in football happened differently, but it is what it is. I definitely knew I wasn’t going to go into the pros. It just ran its course for me. But I am happy that I got on with my life. You don’t learn anything by winning all the time," he added. Now, the star is happy. He welcomed his first child — daughter Everly, with wife Jenna DewanTatum last month and said he was by her side throughout the labour. “I was there for the whole thing. That was the most amazing thing I have ever experienced in my life," he said. IANS

eira Knightley is set to produce and star in The Other Typist, adapted from Suzanne Rindell’s debut novel centering on an introverted typist in 1920s New York who befriends a glamorous and mysterious co-worker and is introduced to the city’s fast-living underworld. Fox Searchlight snapped up the rights. A review of the book cited by the Hollywood Reporter leaves us with this tantalizing praise: “A dollop of Alfred Hitchcock, a dollop of Patricia Highsmith, and some Great Gatsby flourishes." Knightley was last seen in Joe Wright’s lavish Anna Karenina, which won the Best Achievement in Costume Design Oscar earlier this year. Next up is Kenneth Branagh’s action-thriller Jack Ryan, co-starring Chris Pine, slated for a December 25 release.

CHAI TIME SATURDAY, JUNE 29, 2013

SUDOKU

THOUGHT OF THE DAY The aim of art is to represent not the outward appearance of things, but their inward significance. – Aristotle

KAKURO

How to play kakuro

SCRIBBLING PAD

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.

QUICK CROSSWORD ACROSS 1 Carelessly affix (with ‘on’) 5 Grasslike marsh plant 10 Vessels seen in cubicles 14 Decrease, as the moon 15 Legal proceeding 16 ‘Cast Away’ setting 17 Strongly say it’s so 18 Outlet for the Persian Gulf 20 What a crow’s-nest is attached to 21 ___ Altos, Calif 22 Attractive things 23 Golden Horde member 25 Fancy chopped liver 27 Expressing amazement verbally 29 Strong and deep, as a voice 33 The Council of ___, 1545-63 34 Like babies and puppies 35 WWII turning point 36 Aurora’s Greek equivalent 37 Blood carrier 38 Vegetable tray centre filler 39 Great land mass 41 Go to and fro 42 Martini orb 44 Spaghetti topper, perhaps 46 Comes up in conversation 47 Where yodelers sing 48 Puffball part 49 St ___ Girl (beer brand) 52 Carney of ‘The Honeymooners’ 53 Goes back to sea? 56 Impediment to getting high? 59 Barely cooked 60 Places to stay 61 Canadian NHLer 62 Further a felon 63 Minus 64 Bass and treble 65 Congressional output

DOWN 1 Did the butterfly 2 Hawaiian bubbly? 3 Surgical tool 4 Be relevant (to) 5 Billy Wilder’s ‘___ 17’ 6 Baseball boo-boo 7 ‘Buenos ___!’ (‘Good day!’) 8 Shoot the breeze 9 Wallach of Hollywood 10 Figure in subtraction 11 ‘Miracle on Ice’ losing team 12 Club that sings 13 Tranquility and Sargasso 19 Singing voice 24 Explosive palindrome 25 Small-minded 26 Confused 27 With ‘The,’ Mr T series 28 Took to one’s feet 29 Bucolic

30 Ethiopia’s capital 31 Without worldly sophistication 32 Composes email 34 Monks’ hoods 37 ‘Hurry up!’ in memos 40 Bad way to operate your business 42 Mine product 43 Conserva tive’s rival 45 Radar screen image 46 Knot-tying locales 48 Part of a Charlie Brown catchphrase 49 Vessel for Jack and Jill 50 Adolescent

outbreak 51 Party beverage servers 52 Having the means 54 Witch’s ___ 55 What the sun does daily 57 Ad ___ committee 58 Squeak remover PREVIOUS PUZZLE ANSWER

CHAI TIME SATURDAY, JUNE 29, 2013

Aries

Taurus

Six of Pentacles

The Wheel of Fortune

Ace of Swords

King of Swords

Strength

Four of Cups

ork – If you’re unhappy with your current job, time to start looking. But do not leave your job without a firm offer letter in hand. Romance – You must be more open to sharing with a partner or a potential partner. You seem to hold back too much. Get used to sharing. Health – You’ve been talking too much and doing very little about your health regimen. How about you take your health more seriously? Money – You may need to think in terms of integrating a few of your income generating plans to reduce stress on yourself. Tarot message – You’re intuitive but tend to ignore what the heart says at almost all times in favour of the head.

ork- A re-look at your ideology is the need of the hour. It may be coming in the way of many job related hassles, which you can easily avoid. Romance – Add an extra punch to your relationship by spicing it up with the new. Cook for your partner, surprise him/her, and go out on vacation. Health – You’re spending some time on maintenance of health but are you getting the desired result? In order to optimise the time spent, you should experiment. Money – Socialising and out-of-home entertainment may be causing a dent in your pocket. Spend carefully and be aware. Tarot message – Use simple ideas and plans to work towards your goals. Don’t complicate life too much.

ork – You may be in middle of a mess, which is your own creation. The only way to get out of it is to communicated clearly and own up to what you did. Romance – You may be waking up only now to new realities about your partner. You’ll be surprised with what you see. Health – You need to lead the way for your own health. By being overconfident that you don’t need to do more than this, you may be ruining it. Money – Be open to criticism about your financial status or your choices about how you spend your money. Tarot message – It’s all too easy to preach to someone else on how to lead life. It’s too tough to follow those principles yourself.

Gemini ork – You need to spend more time in planning. Only then will you be clear about how to correctly execute your plans. Romance – Time to wine and dine. Go out, spend time with each other and enjoy each other’s company. Know what the other person definitely doesn’t like. Health – You need to work harder to achieve some health goals. It’s not enough to merely talk about it and not do much in the gym. Money – A foreign trip may be in the offing. It may take away most of the savings you’ve tucked away. But it will be a good experience. Tarot message – You are basing many of your current decisions on a lot of guesswork. How about supporting them with facts, too?

Cancer

Leo ork – You have very high regard for someone senior in your organisation and this may be colouring your thinking toward his/her ideas.Romance – Not reacting is also a reaction. If there’s some tension in your love life, maybe you need to start by communicating more openly. Health – Make a pledge to yourself to put health before everything else on your list of priorities. Eating right should be carefully managed. Money – You have a tendency to have a philosophically attitude to money. And so you go ahead and spend too much. Discipline your shopping. Tarot message – You have amazing inner strength to do what it takes to get ahead – even in the toughest of situations.

SUMAA TEKUR tarotreadhyd@gmail.com

Libra

Scorpio

Knight of Pentacles

Queen of Cups

ork – A lot of guesswork will be expected of you in solving a work related problem. Use your intuition, trust how you feel about something, and go ahead. Romance – Singles will find someone with similar interests. Don’t give in to the immediate passion and chemistry lest it may not last long. Health – Make a better health plan for yourself. If you’re not too satisfied with what one doctor has said, get a second opinion. Money – Don’t show off too much about how well you manage money. It may not be a good idea to blow your own trumpet. Keep it low. Tarot message – You may be called upon to volunteer or render your expert services somewhere. Keep an open mind.

ork – Time is of the essence when you’re delivering on important subjects and doing things differently. The idea may be great. But putting it out at the right time is equally important. Romance – A fight is not going to be pleasant and more than losing your cool, you’re likely to completely blame the other person for what went wrong. Health – A holistic approach is needed in order to achieve better health. You may be doing just one thing very well. Add to that a few other healthy habits. Money – This is a lucky and favourable time for fortune. Tarot message – There are many offers that come your way. Business partnerships work well. Team up with someone you know.

Sagittarius Nine of Wands

ork –Your biggest strength is that you’re super prompt with work. Be careful that this does not become an excuse for bosses to dump more work on you. Romance – You need rest and relaxation. Take time out, away from your spouse, too, and come back rejuvenated. Health – Try Reiki or any other form of healing that will connect you to the soul. You will also feel more compassionate toward fellow humans. Money – Don’t feel under pressure to spend to maintain your lifestyle if you don’t agree with it. Societal pressure will always be there, no matter what you do, or don’t. Tarot message – You may feel lonely despite being around people. Challenge yourself to be with company.

Capricorn

ork – Take the advice of a mentor or coach seriously in achieving your annual goals. You may want to choose a mentor carefully, if you don’t already have one. Romance – Some form of separation or pain is indicated. Maybe your partner didn’t turn out the way you expected. No worry. Life moves on. Health – You are blessed with good health but that doesn’t mean that you go ahead and be brash with your body or mind. Take good care, even then. Money – You may need to review your current earnings and do a stock taking to figure out where you are on the financial goals line. Tarot message – The choices you make now will determine which route you take at these crossroads.

Date 30-6-2013

Aquarius

Judgment

Seven of Cups

ork – You notice a familiar pattern in your office. Someone is making a promise and then breaking it. Just observe and don’t make judgments. Romance – Singles have to work harder to break out of a pattern when it comes to interaction with the opposite sex. You should seem interested. Health – You’re at a position when you need to immediately start focusing on your health. Don’t pay attention to what others say. Listen to your body. Money – Some expenditure will have to be made in order to maintain your social standing. Account for these expenses in your monthly budget. Tarot message – An angel comes to your rescue and pulls you out of what might have been a tough situation.

ork – You are a storehouse of talent and will be recognised for everything you’ve got to give your area of expertise. Bosses will be pleased. Romance – Your relationship will be put to the test. Different circumstances and new environments will make you both crave for novelty outside the relationship. Health – Discipline yourself to follow a regimen. Only then can you hope to even come close to achieving good health. Money – You’ll have to deal with a difference of opinion about how to deal with money. Someone close to you does not agree with your point of view. Tarot message – You have led the way and been a great leader. You’ll be asked to do more of that now.

Virgo

Pisces Seven of Swords

ork – The road ahead is going to be a tough one with lots of changes. Don’t give up even if you fail a few times. Keep trying and you’ll eventually succeed. Romance – Make some effort to get closer to your loved one. Spring surprises, and go down the less trodden path. Life will become more interesting. Health – Try an alternative therapy if the drugs you’re currently taking are not giving the desired effect. Marry a few different schools of thought. Money – You come across someone who has a very different view to money when compared to yours. You’ll learn much from this person. Tarot message – You may need to catch up on sleep and rest. Even doing leisure activities regularly will help.

Vol: 2, No 344 RNI No: APENG/2011/39337 Published for the proprietors, Scribble Media and Entertainment Pvt Ltd, by V Harshavardhan Reddy, at #1246, Level 3, Jubilee Casa, Road No 62, Jubilee Hills, Hyderabad – 500033 and printed by him at Jagati Publications Ltd, Plot No D-75&E-52, APIE Industrial Estate, Balanagar, Ranga Reddy Dist, Hyderabad – 500037, Editor: Dean Williams – Responsible for selection of news under the PRB Act All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission of the publisher is prohibited. For feedback, please write to: feedback@postnoon.com and for subscription, please call 040-40672222, Fax: 040-40672211

THE SATURDAY QUIZ SATURDAY, JUNE 29, 2013

TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE 7. 8. 9.

10. What kind of creature is the Venus sea fan? 11. What is the capital of Lebanon? 12. How many months in a year have 31 days? 13. How many radii are there in a circle? 14. Charles Hardin Holley is the real name of which singer?

15. How many layers are found in the epidermis of the human skin? 16. What kind of animal is the Aberdeen-Angus? 17. What is the reported programme called that allegedly gave US intelligence agencies access to the central servers of nine tech firms?

Answers

mythology? How many colours are there in the flag of Scotland? In what year was Princess Diana born? In the National Hockey League how many minutes does a minor penalty last? The Congo was a colony of which country in 1914?

1. Money 2. 1165 3.Butterflies 4. El Grecco 5.3 6.2 7.1961 8.2 9.Belgium 10.Anemone 11.Beirut 12. 7 13. Infinite 14.Buddy Holly 15. 5 16. Cow 17. PRISM

TEST YOURSELF

IN THE NEWS

IDENTIFY THESE NATURAL PHENOMENA

CURRENT AFFAIRS 1

US President Barack Obama recently named his choice for the next US Ambassador to the UN. Which former US President once held this post?

Hestia is the Goddess of?

Ares is the God of?

Hermes is the God of?

Artemis is the Goddess of?

Britain recently apologised and offered $30 million in compensation to the victims of colonial-era abuses in the 1950s where?

Cronus is the God of?

Eros is the God of?

Taksim Square where protests have been held in Turkey against the government is in which City?

Nike is the Goddess of? Aphrodite is the Goddess of?

1. George W Bush 2. A ballet performance 3. Kenya 4.Ethiopia 5. Istanbul

Dionysus is the God of?

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh flagged off the first train which connects Banihal in Jammu with which other place in India?

PICTURE PUZZLE 73 with Santosh Ghule This harmonious image is the result of the blending of two things. What are they?

Answer for 72:

Which Chief Minister received the prestigious United Nations Public Service Award for his mass contact programme initiative?

Faces of a woman and a man.

Answers: 1.Sailing Stones 2. Aurora Borealis 3.Mammatus Clouds 4.Rainbow Fire

India and Thailand signed a treaty after two decades of negotiations. Name the treaty?

WHO AM I? I am Australiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s new prime minister ousting Julia Gillard as Labor chief in a ballot. Earlier I held the position of Prime Minister of Australia from 2007 to 2010.

Answer : Kevin Rudd

Answers

KNOW YOUR COUNTRY

Rhea is the Goddess of?

Answers:

4 5

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

Poseidon is the God of?

The Russian President Vladmir Putin and his wife were attending which event when they announced that they were getting divorced?

Egyptian politicians were recently caught on camera suggesting sabotaging a new dam in which country?

Do you know the Gods in Greek mythology?

1. Ruler of the sea 2. Hearth 3. War 4. Messenger 5. Moon 6.Sky 7.Love 8.Mother Goddess 9.Victory 10. Love and Beauty 11. God of wine, joy and theatre and a lover of peace

1. The Armenian word "dram" translates into English as? 2. How many steps are there to the top of the Eiffel Tower? 3.What type of an insect does a Lepidoterist study? 4. Who in 1610 painted the Laokoon? 5. How many goddesses comprise the Fates in Greek

1. Extradition Treaty 2. Oommen Chandy 3. Qazigund in Kashmir. This train started off from Banihal Railway Station to Qazigund through the Pir Panchal mountain range.

Answers

SPORTS SATURDAY, JUNE 29, 2013

Watson denies involvement

hane Watson has denied any role in forcing Australia cricket chiefs to take action against David Warner for the opener’s attack on England’s Joe Root. Warner was fined Aus$11,500 and suspended until the start of the Ashes on July 10 by CA. The sanctions were for punching Root in a bar following Australia’s Champions Trophy loss to their arch-rivals.

Coast Guard issues permit

Saina, Gopi to play in city

he US Coast Guard on Friday issued the Marine Event Permit required for America’s Cup racing to get underway on San Francisco Bay. “This is an important and necessary step for the America’s Cup,” said America’s Cup regatta director Iain Murray. “I’d like to thank the United States Coast Guard and all of the other organizations and agencies.”

McIlroy fails again in Irish Open MAYNOOTH: World number two Rory McIlroy’s troubles with his driver continued as he failed to make the cut in the Irish Open while Florida’s Peter Uihlein (68) and England’s Robert Rock (66) head the Euro 2m event on nine under par at Carton House on Friday. McIlroy continues to struggle with the driver, revealing he will meet Nike technical staff again next week before the British Open at Muirfield. The 24-year posted a second round 72 for a two-over par tally to miss the cut by two shots in windy and overcast conditions. In 43 stroke-play rounds this year on either the European or PGA Tours, McIlroy has only managed to break 70 on 11 occasions. “I am spending more time with Nike’s technical staff as this was a new driver I had in the bag this week but it still wasn’t 100% what I want,” he said. “So I am testing with them again next week. I am still confident in my ability to hit the golf ball and hit good shots but then confidence comes from hitting good shots and seeing the ball go in the hole, and shooting good rounds and posting good results. “I guess in that way the results are not great but from being on the golf course and seeing some good shots today I am definitely more positive now than this time yesterday.”

n a coup of sorts, the final day of the FNCC all-India junior badminton championship for boys and girls will witness an exhibition match involving World No 3 Saina Nehwal, No 6 Parupalli Kashyap, No 11 Pusarla Venkata Sindhu and former All England Open Badminton Championship and renowned coach Pullela Gopichand at Film Nagar Cultural Centre in the City today.

Park snatches lead Park fired a four-under par 72 to take the US Open Women’s lead.

SOUTHAMPTON: World number one Park In-Bee, chasing her third major title of the year, fired a four-under par 72 on Friday to take the US Women’s Open lead just as fog halted the second round. The South Korean superstar had a nine-under par total of 135 and a twostroke lead over compatriot I.K. Kim. Kim was in the clubhouse on sevenunder 137 after a three-under 69 that included five birdies and two bogeys. American Lizette Salas carded a 72 at Sebonack Golf Club for a four-under total of 140. England’s Jodi Ewart Shadoff was four-under for the tournament through 15 holes when play was halted for the day, with the second round to resume Saturday morning. “I think we got very lucky that we finished today,” said Park, who capped her round with the last of her six birdies at the par-five 18th. “I played very good golf today. I gave myself a lot of good opportunities, a very good ball-striking day. The long putts seemed to be going well today. I left a couple out there, but very

Park In-Bee hits the ball on the fairway during round 2 of the 2013 U.S. Women’s AFP/AL BELLO Open on Friday.

Franklin wins 100m back in 58.67 secs

Missy Franklin competes in the women’s 200m backstroke finals on day 2 of the USA Swimming Phillips 66 National Championships and World Trials at the Indiana University Natatorium on Friday in Indianapolis, Indiana. AFP/STREETER LECKA

INDIANAPOLIS: Missy Franklin produced a world-leading time Friday to win the women’s 100m backstroke at the US swimming championships, then set her sights on Saturday’s 200m individual medley. Franklin, the Olympic gold medalist in the 100 back at London last year, trailed Liz Pelton at the halfway mark

but pulled ahead with about 20 meters left to win in 58.67 seconds. “The whole field was right there at the fifty, so I knew I had to bring it back fast that last lap,” said Franklin. “It was tough. It hurt a lot.” Franklin’s time was a US open record as the fastest-ever on American soil and improved on the previous best

of the year of 58.84 set by Japan’s Aya Terakawa. The top four finishers all dipped under one minute, with Pelton second in 59.27, Sarah Denninghoff third in 59.75, and Rachel Bootsma fourth in 59.90. Bootsma had defeated Franklin in Thursday’s 50 backstroke. The championships serve as the qualifier for the American team at the World Swimming Championships in Barcelona. Winners automatically make the squad. Franklin, the 18-year-old whose five medals at the London Games included four gold and one bronze, has qualified automatically in six events (100 free, 200 free, 100 back, 200 back, 4x100 relay, 4x200 relay). After talking with coach Todd Schmitz, she also planned to enter the less familiar 200m individual medley on Saturday. “Todd and I feel really confident about how the meet went,” said Franklin, who will compete next year for the University of California. “We’ve got a two-hour workout planned for tomorrow morning, and we’re going to get right back in it.” AFP

satisfied with today’s score.” Park, whose five titles in 2013 include major triumphs at the Kraft Nabisco Championship and the LPGA Championship, opened her round with a birdie at the first. She had two bogeys and two more birdies in her outward run, then gathered steam on the back nine. At the 13th, she hit a wedge over the green but made a 20-footer for birdie. At 15 she landed a sand wedge within a foot before draining a 12-footer at the last. “I’d say it was a little tougher to play in the fog, but I made a birdie so I don’t think it really came into effect for me,” she said. “I was able to see the pin on the third shot, so I think that was good enough.” Overnight rain softened the course, but players found it windier on Friday, with the conditions changing frequently from sunny to overcast to foggy and back. That made a good round all the more satisfying, Park said. “It really made me think today that with the wind and fog, it just really made me think. I think that is what AFP the US Open is all about.”

AP put up good show in Iran HYDERABAD: In an amazing display of skills, players from Andhra Pradesh won medals at the recently held Asian Youth chess championship held in Iran. Winners: n U-18 Girls Standrd chess: B Prathusha (gold medal). n U-12 Girls Standrd chess: Nuttaki Priyanka

(gold medal). n U-12 Girls Biltz chess: Nuttaki Priyanka

(gold medal). n U-10 Open Standard chess: Kushagra

Mohan (bronze medal). n U-12 Rapid chess: Potluri Supreetha (silver

medal). n U-12 Rapid chess: Nuttaki Priyanka (4th

position). n U-18 Girls Blitz chess: B Prathusha (4th

position).

Chess tourney from Thursday HYDERABAD: The Ranga Reddy District Chess Association will be organizing an under-15 District Chess selection tournament on July 4 at the Saroornagar Indoor Stadium. The top four boys and four girls will be selected for selected for State Level Championship. n For further details contact Sree Krishna on 9247143456.

SPORTS SATURDAY, JUNE 29, 2013

Murray routs Robredo

Andy Murray swept into the fourth round as the world number two maintained the perfect start to his title challenge with a 6-2, 6-4, 7-5 win over Spanish 32nd seed Tommy Robredo. LONDON: Andy Murray swept into the Wimbledon fourth round as the world number two maintained the perfect start to his title challenge with a 6-2, 6-4, 7-5 win over Spanish 32nd seed Tommy Robredo on Friday. Murray’s sights are firmly fixed on ending Britain’s 77-year wait for a first male winner of the Wimbledon singles title since Fred Perry and his path to the title is becoming less fraught by the day. The 26-year-old, who faces Russian 20th seed Mikhail Youzhny or Serbia’s Viktor Troicki for a place in the last eight, hit 40 winners and served nine aces and hasn’t dropped a set in his first three matches. The tournament had barely started when Rafael Nadal, a potential semi-final opponent for

Can cope with favourite tag: Andy

MURRAY’S SIGHTS ARE

FIRMLY FIXED ON ENDING BRITAIN’S 77-YEAR WAIT FOR A FIRST MALE WINNER OF THE WIMBLEDON SINGLES TITLE SINCE FRED PERRY. Murray, suffered a stunning opening day defeat. And when Roger Federer, another likely last four foe, was eliminated on Wednesday, the Scot would have been forgiving for pinching himself to check he wasn’t dreaming. Throw in the injury withdrawals of Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Marin Cilic and a third

Britain’s Andy Murray celebrates taking the lead in the final game of the first set against Spain’s Tommy Robredo during their third round men’s singles match on day five of the Wimbledon Championships tournament at the All England Club in Wimbledon on Friday. AFP/GLYN KIRK

Djokovic, Serena eye last-16 Dave JAMES Agence France-Presse

LONDON: Andy Murray insists he can cope with the pressure of being a favourite for the Wimbledon title after the world number two swept into the fourth round in emphatic fashion. While Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer and a host of other leading seeds have crashed out in a chaotic opening week at the All England Club, world number two Murray has enjoyed the perfect start to his challenge. The US Open champion brushed aside Spanish 32nd seed Tommy Robredo 6-2, 6-4, 7-5 in the third round on Friday to move into the second week without dropping a set in his first three matches. With Nadal, Federer, JoWilfried Tsonga and Marin Cilic all eliminated from Murray’s half of the draw, the 26-yearold’s path to the final is looking less treacherous by the day. AFP

LONDON: Top seeds and title favourites Novak Djokovic and Serena Williams, having comfortably survived the cull of Wimbledon stars in the first week, aim to move into the fourth round on Saturday. World number one Djokovic takes on French 28th seed Jeremy Chardy who he has defeated six times in six meetings without dropping a set. The pair’s last meeting was in the first round at Wimbledon in 2011 when Djokovic cruised through for the loss of just six games on his way to his first and only title at the tournament. The Serb has yet to drop his serve at Wimbledon this year, but having seen Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal both knocked out in the first three days, he is taking nothing for granted. “I don’t think about the

DJOKOVIC AND SERENA, HAVING COMFORTABLY SURVIVED THE CULL OF STARS IN THE FIRST WEEK, AIM TO MOVE INTO THE FOURTH ROUND.

final because it’s still a very long way. I think the fact that the top players lost in the last few days gives enough reason for all of us to not underestimate any opponent and not look that far,” he said. “It’s sport. This is what happens. Everybody, especially lower ranked players in the opening rounds, have nothing to lose really when they go on the centre stage and they come up with their best game.” Defending women’s champion Williams and Japan’s Kimiko Date-Krumm, two players with a combined age of 73, will clash in a battle of Wimbledon senior citizens. Top seed Williams is on a winning streak of 33 matches and is widely expected to clinch a sixth Wimbledon title next weekend now that major rivals Maria Sharapova and Victoria Azarenka are out. Victory on Saturday will also give the American her 600th tour victory. AFP

round defeat for 15th seed Nicolas Almagro and suddenly only a list of unheralded names stand between Murray and another Wimbledon final. “I thought I struck the ball really well from the start of the match. I had a lot of winners and that was probably the most pleasing part,” Murray said. “The third set was a tough one so I’ve been tested and come through it well. I hope I can keep playing better. “People are putting even more pressure on me because of the nature of how the draw has worked out. “It would be a lot easier if we just concentrated on each match at a time. “Upsets are never far away and you have to be very focused on your game to avoid that.” AFP

Angelique suffers Internet abuse

LONDON: German seventh

seed Angelique Kerber was the target of a torrent of abuse on social media after her Wimbledon exit on Friday.Kerber, who made the semi-finals in 2012, was knocked out by Estonia’s Kaia Kanepi, 36, 7-6 (8/6), 6-3 in the second round despite leading by a set and 5/1 in the second-set tiebreaker. Her Facebook page received a string of abusive messages including a death threat as well as one wanting her to break her arms while another demanded the tie be investigated for match-fixing. “Fat cow, burn in hell,” said one message with another screamed “I wish you broken hands”. Another described her as a “fat, German cow”. “Just embarrassing Angelique. Horrible horrible performance today. Very disappointed,” one of the less abusive posts. AFP

Sergiy blames Federer effect for loss LONDON: Sergiy Stakhovsky admitted he had struggled to come to terms with his epic victory over Roger Federer as the Ukrainian’s Wimbledon fairytale came to an

abrupt end with a 6-2, 2-6, 7-5, 6-3 defeat against Austria’s Jurgen Melzer in the third round on Friday. Stakhovsky had caused one of the biggest upsets in the history of the All England Club when the world number 116 defeated reigning champion Federer on Centre Court on Wednesday. It was Federer’s earliest exit from a Grand Slam

for a decade and ended the seven-time Wimbledon champion’s incredible run of 36 successive quarterfinal appearances at the majors. But Stakhovsky, 27, was brought back down to earth just 48 hours later in the less glamourous surroundings of Court Three. Unlike Federer, world number 37 Melzer was able to subdue Stakhovsky’s serve and volley tac-

tics and will play Poland’s Jerzy Janowicz for a place in the quarter-finals. “I was possibly not prepared mentally because everybody expects you to play better after you beat Roger,” said Stakhovsky. “The only thing you don’t want to happen is to lose next round. It’s actually what happened because you’re trying to AFP avoid it.

SPORTS SATURDAY, JUNE 29, 2013

Gayle wreaks havoc

Chris Gayle notched his first ODI ton against Sri Lanka as he led West Indies to a crushing six-wicket victory in the opening match of the tri-nation series. KINGSTON: Chris Gayle notched his first one-day hundred against Sri Lanka as he led West Indies to a crushing six-wicket victory with more than 12 overs to spare in the opening match of the threenation international series at Sabina Park on Friday. Replying to the visitors’ modest total of 208 all out off 48.3 overs, the hard-hitting opening batsman delighted his fellow Jamaicans with another dominant effort on the way to his 21st ODI century. His 109 came off 100 deliveries and was embellished with seven sixes and nine fours. That pushed his team on to 209 for four off 37.5 overs and they earned a bonus point as well for reaching their target before the conclusion of the 40th over. That extra point is likely to be significant in the latter stages of the competition, especially with World Cup-holders and recent Champions Trophy winners India entering the fray on Sunday against a West Indies team that will be buoyant following their comprehensive opening triumph.

West Indies batsman Chris Gayle (L) celebrates after scoring a century during the first match of the Tri-Nation series at the Sabina Park stadium in Kingston on Friday. AFP/JEWEL SAMAD Any anxiety that home fans may have had about the target facing them were erased by the confidence of Gayle’s start. The former captain domi-

Tharanga c Ramdin b DJ Bravo 25 Jayawardene c Ramdin b Narine 52 Sangakkara c Pollard b Narine 17 Chandimal c DJ Bravo b Samuels 21 Mathews not out 55 Thirimanne c Charles b Rampaul 6 Kulasekara c Pollard b Rampaul 2 Mendis c Samuels b Narine 5 Herath c Sammy b Rampaul 4 Malinga lbw b Narine 8 Mendis c Charles b DJ Bravo 2 Extras (b5, lb2, w4) 11 Total (10 wickets, 48.3 overs) 208 Bowling: Roach 7-1-41-0, Rampaul 10-0-38-3, Sammy 10-0-34-0, DJ Bravo 7.3-0-37-2, Narine 10-0-40-4, Samuels 4-1-11-1.

WEST INDIES Gayle c Chandimal b A. Mendis 109 Charles c Jayawardene b Herath 29 DM Bravo run out 27 Samuels not out 15 Pollard lbw b Kulasekara 0 DJ Bravo not out 8 Extras (b4, lb7, w10) 21 Total (4 wickets, 37.5 overs) 209 Bowling: Malinga 7-0-34-0, Kulasekara 8-1-39-1, A. Mendis 100-53-1, Mathews 5-0-28-0, Herath 60-37-1, J Mendis 1.5-1-7-0. RESULT: WEST INDIES WON BY 6 WICKETS.

‘England tough to beat’

Lyon, Pattinson star against Somerset LONDON: Nathan Lyon and James Pattinson took three wickets apiece as Australia moved into a strong position on the third day of their tour match against Somerset at Taunton on Friday. Australia, in their first match under new coach Darren Lehmann, declared their first innings on 321 for five, a lead of one run, with Phil Hughes unbeaten on 76. The tourists then responded by dismissing Somerset for 260, with paceman Pattinson taking three for 61 and off-spinner Lyon three for 73. James Hildreth made 75 and Peter Trego 60, but the

nated an opening partnership of 115 by the 21st over with Johnson Charles, who rode his luck for a supporting but struggling 29 before he fell off the

bowling of left-arm spinner Rangana Herath. Ajantha Mendis eventually accounted for Gayle via a miscued swing to leg, but the clever slow bowler, making a return to the Sri Lankan side, did not materialise as the threat his teammates would have hoped. Darren Bravo was run out near the end for 27 and Kieron Pollard was unlucky to be adjudged lbw to Nuwan Kulasekara, but by then the match was over as a contest and Marlon Samuels, with skipper Dwayne Bravo at the other end, ensured that victory was complete. Earlier, Sunil Narine retur ned to his miserly, wicket-taking best, snaring four for 40 as Sri Lanka faltered after a deceptively bright start to be dismissed for 208. He had an instant impact on the match when he came on in the 18th over, removing the prolific and experienced pair of Mahela Jayawardene (52) and Kumar Sangakkara (17) in his first three overs to immediately put the brake on what had been a promising AFP start by the Sri Lankans.

SRI LANKA

LONDON: New Zealand captain

tourists were still left with a victory target of 260 and, when bad light forced an early close on the third day of four, they were 36 without loss. Play started Friday with Australia vice-captain Brad Haddin falling to Jamie Overton’s first ball for his overnight 38. But from then on Australia took charge with Hughes, 44 not out overnight, completing an 88-ball fifty. Somerset were 62 without loss in their second innings before Marcus Trescothick was caught behind off Pattinson and the same bowler then had first innings centurymaker Chris Jones lbw. AFP

Brendon McCullum (in pic) expects England to retain the Ashes, saying “they are going to be a tough team to beat”. England begin their defence of the Ashes against arch-rivals Australia in the first of a fiveTest series at Trent Bridge, Nottingham, on July 10. And McCullum is well-placed to assess their standing, having led New Zealand in five Tests, home and away, against Alastair Cook’s men this year. In New Zealand, England had to cling on desperately at the end to square the threematch series 0-0. But it was a different story in the return series, with England winning a two-Test series 2-0 following a crushing 247-run win in the final Test at Headingley in May. “I think England are going to be a tough team to beat,” said

McCullum fafter a washed-out second Twenty20 international at The Oval on Thursday saw New Zealand end their tour with a 1-0 win in a two-match series following a five-run success at the same ground on Tuesday. “They seem to have got their

swagger back against us in that final Test match,” McCullum said. “What we saw in that Test match is a team that when they are firing they are an incredibly tough team, not just to beat but to compete against. “I thought for long periods of the summer we held our own against them but when it really mattered they flexed their muscles. I don’t expect that will change in the home summer here against Australia,” added McCullum, who also led New Zealand to a 2-1 one-day series win over England during the tour. In comparison to Australia, who are still coming to terms with the shock axing of their coach Mickey Arthur on Monday, England can so far boast a relatively trouble-free preparation for the Ashes openAFP er.

Banned Butt apologises for spot-fixing

Bopara annoyed, depressed by Willis

Strauss backs England to punish troubled Oz

LAHORE: Former Pakistan cricket captain Salman

LONDON: Ravi Bopara hit back Friday at claims of

LONDON: Former England captain Andrew Strauss

Butt has for the first time publicly admitted to and apologised for spot-fixing, two years after he was found guilty of the offence. Butt, along with fast bowlers Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Aamer, was banned from the sport by the International Cricket Council (ICC) in 2011 after being found guilty of deliberately contriving no-balls in return for money during the Lord’s Test against England the previous year. The trio and their agent Mazhar Majeed were also jailed by an English court in 2011. The players were released last year. AFP

ball-tampering made against England by former captain Bob Willis during the Champions Trophy. Willis, one of only four England bowlers to have taken 300 Test wickets, said leading umpire Aleem Dar was “on England’s case” and “that one individual is scratching the ball for England.” Former fast bowler Bob Willis, now a television pundit, made his comments after Dar and fellow on-field umpire Billy Bowden changed the ball during England’s group stage loss to Sri Lanka at The Oval. AFP

believes his country have never been stronger favourites to win the Ashes after Australia’s descent into chaos in recent weeks. Strauss, who masterminded back to back Ashes triumphs in 2009 and 2011 before retiring last year, has been stunned by the turmoil gripping the Australia squad ahead of the forthcoming series between the old rivals in England. Australia batsman David Warner missed the majority of the recent Champions Trophy after being suspended for punching England star Joe Root in a Birmingham bar. AFP

SPORTS SATURDAY, JUNE 29, 2013

Fans await exciting final

Millions of fans hope to watch a thrilling final as defending side Brazil take on world champs Spain. Chris Wright

Previous winners:

Agence France-Presse

RIO DE JANEIRO: FIFA president Sepp Blatter has already declared this year’s Confederations Cup, hors d’oeuvre for the World Cup in 12 months time, the best ever. Yet he and 200 million Brazilians, 47 million Spaniards and countless fans across the globe hope the best is yet to come as holders Brazil and world champions Spain prepare to take the final curtain Sunday in Rio. Brazil’s Neymar says he can already taste the atmosphere of an historic occasion as the Selecao aim for a third straight crown, and a fourth overall. A Spanish victory, by contrast, would make them the first side to win four straight international tournaments after sandwiching their 2010 World Cup success with European glory in 2008 and 2012. With Spain the dominant power of recent years and Brazil the most successful nation in the

game’s history, it is small wonder their stars cannot wait to joust at the renovated Maracana stadium, scene of Brazil’s legendary 1970 World Cup win. “These teams have great tradition and history. Spain have their stars - and so do Brazil,”

Neymar said Friday as he contemplated the final the purists craved. Brazil faced initial criticism from Pele, who claimed the current Brazil team is “not good enough” to land the game’s top prizes. But by beating Japan,

starlet said as he looked forward to a mouthwatering encounter with the Spanish on Sunday in Rio’s Maracana stadium. “We shall be defending our country,” added Neymar, who scored in all three group games before helping to create goals for Fred and Paulinho in the semi-final success over Uruguay. “It will be a great match. Both teams are out to create history,” added Neymar, noting that while Brazil are gearing up for an even bigger prize next year when they host the World Cup for the first time since 1950, landing Spain’s scalp on Sunday would send out a message that a new Selecao has landed. Spain, who have never won the Confederations event, will go into action on the back of a record 29 matches unbeaten and seeking an unprecedented fourth consecutive victory in a major tournament after Euro 2008 and 2012 triumphs sandwiched their maiden World Cup sucAFP cess in 2010.

RIO DE JANEIRO: Brazilian star Neymar vowed on Friday to help fire Brazil to a third straight Confederations Cup title at the expense of world champions Spain to show fans they can expect fireworks when he arrives in La Liga with Barcelona. “We will be playing for our families, our friends, but above all for the Brazilian nation. “We are ready for what will be an historic match,” the 21-year-old

Number game

Boggle

CAB CAR JEEP BIKE TRUCK TRAIN

Suduko

Brazil’s forward Neymar during a press conference on Friday. AFP/NELSON ALMEIDA

Scrabble

1992 (Continental Cup): Argentina 3 Saudi Arabia 1

1995 (Continental Cup): Denmark 2 Argentina 0

1996 (Confederations Cup): Brazil 6 Australia 0

1999 Mexico 4 Brazil 3

2001 France 1 Japan 0

2003 France 1 Cameroon 0

2005 Brazil 4 Argentina 1

2009 Brazil 3 United States 2

Spain’s players take part in a training session at the Joao Havelange stadium in Rio de Janeiro on Friday during their AFP/LLUIS GENE preparations for the Confederations Cup final against Brazil.

Neymar ready for historic Maracana tussle with Spain

SOLUTIONS

Mexico and Italy in the group phase and then showing they can scrap by edging Uruguay in a tough semi, Brazil are rising again after falling to a modest 19th in the FIFA rankings ahead of the event. Just as Vicente del Bosque

has taken Spain to even greater heights after succeeding Euro 2008 winner Luis Aragones, so Brazil’s ongoing renaissance is down to a fellow moustachioed sexagenarian in Luiz Felipe Scolari, architect of a World Cup AFP success in 2002.

Italy, Uruguay seek consolation SALVADOR: After each suffering late heartbreak in the Confederations Cup semi-finals, Italy and Uruguay will attempt to rouse their weary bodies for Sunday’s third-place play-off in steamy Salvador. Uruguay will start with a distinct physical advantage, their 2-1 loss to Brazil having taken place a full 24 hours before Italy’s staminasapping 7-6 penalty shootout defeat by Spain in Fortaleza on Thursday. Italy coach Cesare Prandelli was particularly concerned about the lack of recovery time available to his players following a 120-minute slog amid the cloying humidity of Estadio Castelao. He even proposed a change to the format of the tournament, to allow teams more time to recover, while centre-back Giorgio Chiellini told Rai Sport he was “struggling to breathe” at the end of the game. To compound matters, Sunday’s match at Arena Fonte Nova will start at 13:00 local time (1600GMT), when temperatures in tropical Salvador are forecast to

Uruguay’s goalkeeper Fernando Muslera takes part in training session in Salvador, Brazil on Friday for the third place match against Italy today. AFP/DANIEL GARCIA hit 26 degrees Celsius with 75 percent humidity. Given their exertions against Spain, captain Gianluigi Buffon has admitted that the quick turnaround before the Uruguay encounter represents a difficult challenge. “The final would have been nice. You don’t get to play at the Maracana every day. But if we had got there, we might have had to play on all fours,” said the Juventus goalkeeper. “Now we will give our all against Uruguay, because our holidays

have not started yet.” The Spain game appears to have taken a heavy toll on Prandelli’s squad, with reports in the Italian media suggesting Chiellini, Andrea Pirlo, Claudio Marchisio, Daniele De Rossi and Andrea Barzagli could all miss Sunday’s match due to either injury or fatigue. Mario Balotelli and Ignazio Abate had already been ruled out of the tournament by injury, but Uruguay striker Luis Suarez believes the Azzurri are still an intimAFP idating prospect.