TUESDAY, JULY 30, 2013 HYDERABAD
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BIG FAT ON-SCREEN WEDDINGS Saying ‘I do’ is a big deal. And, on the big screen, things get bigger. With The Big Wedding releasing this weekend, Postnoon looks at other lavish weddings of Holly wood. And, those who think Karan Johar is the only one in love with the idea of wedding bells, think again!
PG 16&17
HYDERABAD’S FIRST COMPACT AFTERNOON NEWSPAPER
FORMER CREW MEMBER BRANDS
GAGA AS 'BULLY' PG 25
Political observers portray a pink picture of Congress harvests in 2014 if T is created. However, its rivals are in no mood to allow the ruling party to walk away with their ‘baby’.
BUS SHELTER OR CATTLE SHED? Of the 1,450 bus shelters in the twin cities, 90% lack basic amenities — which points to the apathy of those responsible.
PG 5
REPORT ON P3
TELANGANA It’s a paternity battle now
THE GRASS-PICKERS OF PYONGYANG PG 11
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TUESDAY, JULY 30, 2013
city events
YOGA TIME
Parental yoga classes will be held. Where: The Birthplace, Banjara Hills When: August 3, 11.30 am Contact: 98855-69459
Weather for Hyderabad
Evening
Overnight
24°C
21°C
A mix of cloudy and clear skies.
Extremely windy.
Morning
Afternoon
24°C
27°C
Cloudy with a chance of rain.
Cloudy and windy.
New Delhi Mumbai Max 36 Max 28 Min 27 Min 24 A t-storm in the afternoon.
Rain.
Chennai Max 36 Min 26 Some sun, then turning cloudy.
Bangalore Max 27 Min 21 Some sun with a shower.
AROUND THE CITY: YOUR GUIDE TO THE TWIN CITIES SHOWS
Play pursuits Dario Fo's The Open Couple will be staged. Where: Lamakaan, Banjara Hills When: July 30, 31, 7.30 pm to 8.30 pm Contact: 98480-23379 / 9963447673 Dance performance K Harshitha, 31st student of Shankarananda Kalakshetra is performing her arangetram. Where: Ravindra Bharathi, Saifabad When: 6.30 pm, August 2
Festive photography Festive photography at Charminar by twin cities Where: Charminar, Hyderabad When: August 3, 6.30 pm
CITY’S NIGHT LIFE: The night bazar at Charminar has been bustling with people since the onset of the holy month of Ramzan on July 9. N SHIVA KUMAR Contact: 040 23113308 Live performance Band Agam will be performing in the City. Where: Hard Rock Cafe Hyderabad, Banjara Hills When: August 1, 9 pm Contact: 6463-6375
WORKSHOPS Theatre workshop Theatre workshop for children in the eight years and above age group. It offers a rich mix of outdoor theatre activities, readings, analysis, discussions and performances. Where: Lamakaan, Banjara hills When: Till Aug 3, 10am Contact: 2329 9779
Talking point Prahlad Kakkar will give a talk on art and movies. Where: Radisson Blu, Banjara Hills When: July 31, 7 pm Contact: 90306-16161
Artworks galore Jal Anand — Impressions from the maha Kumbh Mela 2013 will be held. Where: Goethe-Zentrum, Banjara Hills When: Till August 4
Commissioner & Spl Officer
Helpline GAS BOOKING IVRS NO HP 9666023456 Indane 9848824365 BSNL Complaints HMWS & SB Complaints
198 155313
POLICE CONTROL ROOM Hyderabad 27852435 Traffic Control Room 27852482 DCP Traffic 23234065, 23243499F Pollution Control Board 23887500 ELECTRICITY General Complaints Breakdown Section
Book release Prince of Tears by Fatima Shahnaz will be released. Where: Lamakaan, Banjara Hills When: August 2, 7.30 pm to 9 pm Contact: 96427-31329
155333 23431178 23431179
MUNICIPAL CORPORATION
23262266 24166666R ENC 23225267 Engineering 23220418 MCH Tankbund 23225397 Emergency MCH Circle I&II 24525842 MCH Circle III 24736912 MCH Circle IV 23326975 MCH Circle V 23326976 MCH Circle VI MCH Complaints 1100 Head Office 23225397 IVRS CUM MANUAL ENQUIRY PHONE NUMBERS (TRAIN & RESERVATION) RAILWAYS Rail Nilayam 27833169, 27824216 Railway Information 131 Reservations 135 Recorded Information 1345 Enquiry (IVRS) 1331, 1332, 1333
Women power Eternal Feminine, exhibition of paintings of Priyanka Poogalia is on. Where: Beyond Coffee, Jubilee Hills When: Till July 31, 11 am Contact: 2354-5359
WATER SUPPLY Complaint Cell Sewerage Complaint Hyd. Water Supply HOSPITAL General Hospital, Sec-bad Niloufer Hospital, Red Hills NIMS, Director, Punjagutta Osmania General Hospital Railway Hospital, Lalaguda Apollo, Jubilee Hills Care Hospital, Banjara Hills Care Hospital, Nampally Care Hospital, Musheerabad Care Hospital, Sec-bad Kamineni Hospital, LB Nagar
155313 23307328 23313163
27505566 23314095 23390933 24600146 27001134 23607777 30418888 30417777 30419000 30416666 39879999
BLOOD BANKS Blood Bank,Narayanguda Chiranjeevi Blood Bank Blood Bank Mediton Goal Red Cross, Vidyanagar ADRM Blood Bank Mythri Charitable Trust NTR Memorial Trust Care Banjara Hills
Spoken English Spoken English classes for women will be held. Where: Colorama Printers, Begumpet When: Till July 31, 10.30 am to 12.30 pm Contact: 80088-85493 / 8008624949
27567892 23559555 23226624 27633087 27035588 27550238 30799999 30418296 30417445
AMBULANCES Apollo 23548888, 23607777 Kamineni 24022222 Medwin 23202902, 23204616 Smile Line Dental Hospital 23747979 Red Cross 27627973 Niloufer Hospital 23314095 Gandhi 23320332 AIRLINES
Photowalk Photowalk at Hyderabad Polo & Riding Club. Where: Hyderabad Polo & Riding Club, Gandipet When: July 30, 4.30 pm Tailoring A crash course in tailoring. Where: Andhra Mahila Sabha Arts & Science College for Women, Osmania University When: July 30, 10 am Contact: 2709-8406 Design work Mehendi designing workshop is on. Where: Colorama Printers, Begumpet When: Till July 31, 5 pm to 7 pm Contact: 80086-34949 Weekend Voyager Future Authors workshop (Age 6-10 and 11-15) will be held. Where: Oakridge International School, Gachibowli When: Till August 3, 9 am Contact: 1800-200-8171
Airport Director 27903785, 27906001 For Air India Flight Information Toll free (from any network) for IC Flights 18001801407 And for All Flights: 1800227722 Air India has revised its flight timings. For more information call (Toll free) 18001801407, 1800227722 from BSNL/MTNL 04023430334 from other lines and mobile Website; www.airindia.in TOURISM OFFICES AP Tourism, Hyd 23262152/53/54 Sec-bad 27893100 Dept of Tourism 23453110 India Tourism 23261360 AP Tourism information Centre (24x7) 23450444, 23455999 UK VISA OFFICE VFS India Pvt Ltd Building, 8-2-542/A, Sunil Chamber, Road No. 7
Beside Meridian School, Banjara Hills34. Working hours are from 8 AM to 1 PM And 2 PM to 3PM. MUSEUMS Salar Jung Museum AP State Museum Nizams Museum
24523211 232431300/7641 24521029
Readers’ views
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TUESDAY, JULY 30, 2013
news
TODAY’S QUESTION
YESTERDAY’S QUESTION
WILL T-FORMATION SAVE CONGRESS POLL PROSPECTS?
SHOULD DEATH PENALTY BE ABOLISHED? 12% 82%
A)
YES (A) NO (B)
YES
B)
NO
To vote visit www.postnoon.com
T-DEBATE
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Cong T-party: Will it be spoiled? Political observers portray a pink picture of Congress harvests in 2014 if T is created. There was no hurry and compulsion from any other party. But will the gamble pay off? PK SURENDRAN surendran.pk@postnoon.com HYDERABAD: The Congress game plan, mooted in the court of Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and their followers, is to achieve maximum number of MPs from Telangana and the rest of Andhra as this region is the largest supplier of Parliamentarians to the Congress. In this game, the Central leadership’s calculation is that it wants to take the whole credit of creating Telangana, denying the glory to the TRS and isolating YSRC and TDP on this count. “The Congress alone emerges champion,” is the crisp comment of a Congress MP. But what would happen to it in Rayalaseema and Andhra is a
moot question the Congress is not answering. It’s learnt from inner circles that the biggest and mightiest among Andhra-Rayala will be assured of enough juicy crumps in building the economy of new Telangana. This, the party leadership believes, will blunt opposition to Telangana.
True, the Congress aim of pulling a coup on T has achieved one aim. It has unsettled its rivals — TRS, TDP, TJAC and BJP. Leaders like K Chandrasekhar Rao and TJAC leader Kodandaram, who spearheaded the Telangana movement, aren’t too happy about the
Congress hijacking their agenda. The TDP too finds itself in an unenviable position as the YSRC clearly sides with RayalaAndhra while the party is appearing to be sitting on a fence. Similarly, the BJP that ran around making noise supporting Telangana finds itself friendless
and forlorn. The MIM, which has no roots in Telangana, also finds itself on a sticky wicket. Meanwhile, investors who have put their money into Hyderabad are worried. They are fearful of a far more deadly weapon — extraction of a price by the new state leaders.
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Fire syndrome hits AP politicians
T
he situation today over Telangana creation is akin to the one when fire breaks out in your home. When conflagration hits, you run out with the most precious thing. Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy has won the tournament. This will make his seat safe while giving him an aura of a martyr who was ready to give up his position for the sake of a united Andhra. The YSRC that got a drubbing in the polls in Telangana came out with an unequivocal stance that it opposes T-state. The TDP believes it could keep both. The TRS, on the other hand, is crestfallen as its long struggle is sought to be decimated by the Congress in claiming the paternity of the new state. The BJP is a total loser as it cannot hope to gain anything in Rayala-Andhra since it has vociferously backed a Telangana state.
Education in jeopardy?
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peaking to Postnoon, chairman, Consortium of Engineering Professional College Management, Rev KVK Rao said, “More than 50 per cent of students who take admission in the engineering and medical colleges are from Andhra and Rayalaseema region. If there is a separation, there will be a decline in the admission process and many colleges will not even have minimum number of students.”
Gauging public opinion By floating the idea of a Rayala-Telangana state, the Congress was able to find out where political parties in the State stand on the issue. MD INKESHAF AHMED ahmed.m@postnoon.com HYDERABAD: Perhaps today will be the last day in the history of Andhra Pradesh state as the Congress and UPA government at the Centre have almost made up their mind to create a separate Telangana state. A decision is likely to be out by this evening over the Telangana state creation issue. In the backdrop of these developments, the Congress has implemented a strategy to come to the final decision over the division of the State — leaking news to the media. The leak was meant to tell the world that the Congress and UPA government were inclined towards creation of Rayala Telangana state. The idea of Rayala Telangana was put into motion by none other than the former AICC AP in-charge Ghulam Nabi Azad. Azad succeeded in knowing the views of Andhra and Rayalaseema leaders. Most of these leaders, especially from Rayalaseema, reportedly expressed their strong opposition to the proposal of a RT state. The feedback of various sections over
the RT issue aided the Congress high command to zero in on Telangana state with 10 districts. BJP president Rajnath Singh had announced that his party would not support the formation of Rayala Telangana state at any cost and that his party would extend its full support to the formation of separate Telangana state with 10 districts and Hyderabad as its capital.
More paramilitary forces from neighbouring Karnataka and Tamil Nadu are expected to enter the State by this evening. The Centre seems to have taken over the law and order situation of the State post declaration of its decision on Telangana. It has already sent huge contingents of paramilitary forces to Andhra and Rayalaseema regions in the last three days. More paramilitary forces from neighbouring Karnataka and TN are expected to enter the State this evening.
Chief secretary summoned POSTNOON NEWS feedback@postnoon.com
T
he Centre has summoned Chief Secretary PK Mohanthy to New Delhi to discuss the issues that would arise following the imminent announcement of its decision on Telangana issue. The Chief Secretary is scheduled to leave for Delhi this evening. Meanwhile, the entire State Cabinet, which is already divided on regional lines, shifted base to New Delhi. Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy and APCC chief Botsa Satyanarayana reached Delhi following an official call from Prime Minister’s Office. Both are scheduled to meet AICC chief Sonia Gandhi and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh minutes before the crucial UPA co-ordination committee and CWC meetings. On the other hand, Andhra and Rayalaseema leaders have hastened their efforts to prevent the formation of separate Telangana state.
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News TUESDAY, JULY 30, 2013 LAST YEAR... HERE
Train mishap in Nellore
L
ast year, we had reported about the train accident in Nellore where the Chennai-bound Tamail Nadu express caught fire. Thirty-five people died and 20 were injured. Initial probe suggested short circuit and inflammable materiel catching fire as the reasons for the mishap. The situation was exacerbated as the fire was stoked further by the train’s speed: 110km/hr.
CRIME
9 robberies in 2 hours Most of the incidents happened when victims were on morning walks Special teams
JULY 30, 2012
F
ollowing an uproar due to the sudden spurt in crime (it has been reported that some cops who were approached by the victims got an earful about their incompetency), the police have formed special teams to crack down on the offenders.
NUMEROLOGY
105
A nationwide sting in the US focused on underage prostitution has freed 105 sexually abused youths and netted 150 pimps, the FBI announced Monday.
It looks as though this young man was shot when he was alone in the streetcar and surrounded by police officers. Was there nothing else that could be done to save his life? Janet Davis City councillor on the Candian teen encounter See page 9
THINGS WE 5LEARNT TODAY
The column that teaches everyone something new about the way the world functions.
1
Way to go FBI. India, take notice. A US sting focused on underage prostitution has freed 105 sexually abused youths and held 150 pimps.
2
Mite is not right, say food inspectors. In Arlington, cheese shop owner Jill Erber is leading an almost desperate crusade to convince authorities not to ban one of her products over a tiny thing like mites.
3
Four poles and a hoarding don’t make a bus shelter. Of the 1,450 bus shelters in the twin cities, 90 per cent lack basic amenities. Public suffers as GHMC, APSRTC and ad agencies engage in blamegame and refuse to act.
4
Cellphones beep for health
Mobiles are being used increasingly to beep health messages, reminders to get a child inoculated and checkups pregnant women.
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It’s Rock ‘n’ Roll time for jailbirds. Looks like prison breaks are ‘trending’. The latest news is of 230 Pakistani jailbirds sprung by the Taliban.
MOHD SUBHAN mohd.s@postnoon.com HYDERABAD: A spate of robberies was reported in the City from various places, all of which reportedly occurred in a span of a couple of hours. The cops may not be blamed — while the action was happening, the cops were only busy elsewhere doing their duty: holding up citizens, finding irregularities and issuing challans. They were doing their duty. The places where the rob-
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beries happened are Bollaram, Trimulgherry, Marredpally, Nallakunta, Ramgopalpet and Charminar. The whole booty from all the incidents would amount to nearly 20 tolas of gold ornaments, some cash and a mobile phone. In the first incident, Narsimhalu, 72, from Nizamabad district was robbed in
The places where the robberies happened are Bollaram, Trimulgherry, Marredpally, Nallakunta, Ramgopalpet and Charminar. Secunderabad. The man who had come down to a shop in East Marredpally found the shop
closed and was waiting in front of it when he was mugged by two men. He lost his gold chains, a mobile and some cash that was in his pocket. In another incident Anitha Devi, 50, from Metti-ka-sher in the Old City, was robbed by two persons when she was on a morning walk. They snatched from her seven tolas of gold jewellery from her possession. She had complained to the Charminar police station. Yet in another instance, a Ramnagar resident Suknya, 40, lost her eight-tola gold chain; she was also on a morning walk with her friend when chain-snatchers swooped on her. There were six more chain-snatching incidents reported where it is alleged that the same gang struck twice. Following an uproar due to the sudden spurt in crime (it has been reported that some cops who were approached by the victims got an earful about their incompetency), the police have formed special teams to crack down on the offenders.
MOBILE REVOLUTION
Cellphones beep for health
Mobiles are being used increasingly to beep health messages, like reminders to get a child inoculated and for pregnant women to get their check-ups done in time. SHRADHA CHETTRI feedback@postnoon.com NEW DELHI: “Aapke bacche ka tikakaran ka samay hai (It is time to get your child vaccinated),”{ beeps the voice message. From pregnant women to community health workers in remote districts of Bihar, Haryana and Rajasthan, to the tea growing adivasis of Nilgiri hills in south India or in remote forested villages of Chhattisgarh, the click of the mobile, which has now an almost universal reach across this vast country of 1.2 billion people, is proving a useful solution. Harnessing technology to access areas hitherto untouched
by the national healthcare system, mobiles are being used increasingly to beep important health messages, like reminders to get the child inoculated and for pregnant women to get their check-ups done in time across
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India, particularly in states where social indicators are low. The Women Mobile Lifeline Channel application, designed by ZMQ Development, is being used by NGOs in villages to empower women. “There is not enough content available for women at the
grassroots level. Men just need one calculator, while women need many calculators like menstrual cycle calculator, immunisation calculator and pregnancy calculator. So this application is an integrated solution,” Hilmi Qurashi of ZMQ Development, told IANS. An NGO, BBC Media Action, has introduced similar applications in eight districts of Bihar. Their Mobile Kunji and Mobile Academy are being widely used by community health workers in Bihar for women and child healthcare. There is another application called Project Leapfrog to address the needs of tea growers of the Nilgiri hills. IANS
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News TUESDAY, JULY 30, 2013
CRIME
HUNTED
Minor raped by school teacher The Class II student was assaulted by the teacher when she went to the bathroom. Mohd SUBHAN mohd.s@postnoon.com HYDERABAD: A minor student was raped by a school teacher in the bathroom of a private school in Almasguda village of Saroornagar mandal. The incident occurred four days ago. The seven-year-old girl, a resident of Rajiv Gruhkalpa colony, is a Class II
When she started screaming, the watchman heard her and went into the bathroom. He caught the teacher red-handed. student at the school. Both her parents work as labourers.
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On Thursday, when school was over, the student headed to the bathroom. A school teacher, Rama Raju, 25, followed her to the bathroom. He caught her and forcibly raped her. When she started crying and scream-
ing, the watchman heard her and went into the bathroom. He caught the teacher red-handed. He then informed the school management, who alerted the police in Saroornagar. The police arrested the teacher and registered a case against him. The seven-year-old has been sent to the government hospital for medical check-up and examination.
CIVIC
Bus shelter or cattle shed? Corruption is leading to a situation where licence holders of shelters don’t give a damn, and the APSRTC cares little for its passengers. SRINIVAS SETTY
ALEENA ALICE aleena.t@postnoon.com HYDERABAD: Despite bus shelters being a revenue generator for GHMC, the civic body seems to be least bothered about providing basic amenities to commuters. For the GHMC, official bus shelters are only advertisement revenue shelters. They are as many as 1,450 bus stops in the twin cities and 90 per cent of the bus shelters lack basic amenities. Leave alone seating facilities, none of these bus shelters have route maps to help commuters. In 2005, GHMC took the responsibility of maintaining bus shelters and stated that it would construct bus shelters according to the needs of commuters. However, all we see now is that these bus shelters are for name’s sake. Except for having four poles on four sides with a hoarding on it, these shelters have no roof and the commuters are left to the mercy of nature. There are no seating arrangements and what is worse is that none of these shelters are properly lit.
bus shelters.” GHMC officials also claim that regular inspections are carried out at all the bus shelters and notices have been sent to the agencies that have not been maintaining the bus shelters. “We had levied fines on all the defaulting agencies. During our inspection, we found out that UNI Ads are the biggest defaulters, with nearly 180 bus shelters which they have taken charge of lack basic amenities. The next is Prakash Arts, which also have not been maintaining the shelters,” said a GHMC official. Meanwhile, APSRTC officials blame the GHMC and states that the GHMC issuing notices to agencies are only on paper. “If any action was seriously being taken, the condition of the bus shelters would not be in this state today. The GHMC might try to get away by saying that the responsibility to maintain the bus stops lies with the ad agency, but since they are enjoying the revenue generated, they have to take the responsibility in providing proper bus shelters for commuters,” said a senior official from APSRTC.
Indonesia, India biggest shark catchers PARIS: Indonesia and India on Tuesday were named as the world’s biggest catchers of sharks in an EU-backed probe into implementing a new pact to protect seven threatened species of sharks and rays. Indonesia and India account for more than a fifth of global shark catches, according to the wildlife trade monitoring network TRAFFIC. They head the list of 20 countries that together account for nearly 80 per cent of shark catch reported between 2002 and 2011. The others, in descending order, are Spain, Taiwan, Argentina, Mexico, the US, Malaysia, Pakistan, Brazil, Japan, France, New Zealand, Thailand, Portugal, Nigeria, Iran, Sri AROUND THE
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Lanka, South Korea and Yemen. The report was requested by the EU’s executive European Commission following the listing of seven species of sharks and rays by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) in Bangkok last March. The regulations will take effect in September 2014 to give countries time to determine what is a sustainable level of trade in these sharks and how their industries can adapt to it. The absence of this apex predator has a big knock-on effect on the biodiversity chain. Some scientists believe that one of the consequences has been an explosion in jellyfish numbers. AFP
This has of late been causing a major security threat. “I travel by bus every day to work on the ECIL-Secunderabad route. I board the bus opposite to Sharada Theatre in AS Rao Nagar while returning home. The bus stop is dirty and stinks horribly. It is a nightmare if I ever get late leaving work,
because the bus stop is not properly lit. This makes it worse for women, who are subjected to sexual harassment,” says V Kalyani, a private firm employee. GHMC officials, however, blame the advertising agencies for the poor maintenance. According to GHMC additional commissioner J Kennedy: “Last year we had called for tenders from private agencies for 560 bus shelters. However, we received response for only 330
Man kills mother, brother, self over property
Demand for Vidarbha gains momentum
Six children killed in accident
Verdict on Batla House shootout today
Setback to UdhampurKatra rail link project
LUCKNOW: A man gunned down his mother and brother in UP's Lakhimpur Kheri district before pulling the trigger on himself following a bitter property feud, police said. The incident took place Monday in the Pradeura village where the village chief Sanjay Verma was locked in a property dispute with his brother Sandeep Verma.
NAGPUR: With the UPA government likely to concede the demand for creation of Telangana state, the call for carving out a separate Vidarbha state out of Maharashtra has started gaining heat. Former BJP MP Banwarilal Purohit, who formed a political outfit for fighting for the cause, said his party had passed a resolution for the same.
JAIPUR: At least six school students were killed and 20 injured when their bus collided with a truck in Hanumangarh district this morning. The bus was on its way to school when the mishap occurred near Goluwala, police said. The injured children have been rushed to a hospital. Further details are awaited.
NEW DELHI: A Delhi Court Tuesday will decide the fate of Shahzad Ahmad, lone convict and suspected Indian Mujahideen (IM) operative in the 2008 Batla House shootout case. The prosecution has sought death penalty for Ahmad saying it is the "rarest of rare case". The court held Ahmad guilty of assaulting police officials.
NEW DELHI: In a setback to Udhampur-Katra rail link project, the work on the 25-km-long stretch has been slowed down after the unrest in Jammu and Kashmir over the BSF firing incident at Ramban. The Katra line was expected to be operational by the end of August. But now it is likely to be commissioned in October this year.
AROUND THE
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NATION BRIEFS
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News TUESDAY, JULY 30, 2013
CRIME
DISASTER
FBI sting frees 105 sexually abused youths, nets 150 pimps There have been 1,350 convictions from the Innocent Lost initiative’s investigations, resulting “in lengthy sentences, including 10 life terms. AROUND THE
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WASHINGTON: A nationwide sting focused on underage prostitution has freed 105 sexually abused youths and netted 150 pimps, the FBI announced Monday. Most of the minors rescued during the three-day operation in 76 cities are aged 13 to 16, said Ronald Hosko, assistant director of the FBI’s Criminal Investigative Division. The sweep took place in con-
junction with local, state, and federal law enforcement, as well as the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC). NCMEC CEO John Ryan said the sting, dubbed Operation Cross Country, “demonstrates just how many of America’s children are being sold for sex every day, many on the Internet.” San Francisco agents freed a dozen children and arrested 17
pimps, while the FBI’s Detroit team rescued 10 children and took 18 pimps into custody. In Atlanta, two youths were recovered, while 17 pimps were detained. The busts typically began by targeting truck stops, casinos, as well as websites that advertise dating or escort services, the FBI said. The detained often ended up helping uncover wider networks of prostitution that cross
HEALTH
Potential targets for breast cancer therapy Deleting a certain gene expression markedly inhibits lung metastasis in mice, found scientists. SINGAPORE: Scientists have identified genes that could be potential targets of drugs for aggressive forms of breast cancer, says a study. Findings by scientists at the A*STAR’s Genome Institute of Singapore (GIS), were reported in the July 2013 issue of PNAS. Using integrated genomic approaches, GIS scientists led by Qiang Yu, in collaboration with local and international institutions, set out to search AROUND THE
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The identification of target genes is always the most crucial first step towards treating a disease, said the lead author of the study, Qiang Yu. for targets that can be affected by drugs. The scientists discovered that a protein tyrosine phosphatase, called UBASH3B, is overexpressed in one-third of Triple-Negative Breast Cancer (TNBC) patients. UBASH3B controls the activity of an important breast cancer gene. The researchers found that deleting this gene expression markedly inhibits TNBC cell invasive growth and lung metastasis in a mouse model. Lead author Qiang Yu said: “The identification of target genes is always the most crucial first step towards treating a disease. It is heartening to know that UBASH3B is an important element of the pro-invasive gene network and targeting UBASH3B not only inhibits TNBC invasive growth, but also significantly reduces metastasis.” IANS
state lines, turning it into a federal crime. The operation was part of the bureau’s Innocence Lost National Initiative, which, since its launch in 2003, has been involved in the rescue of more than 2,700 sexually exploited children. One girl freed in an earlier operation, identified only as Alex in an interview posted on the FBI’s web site, was 15 when she left a difficult home situation, and 16 when she turned to prostitution. “At first it was terrifying, and then you just kind of become numb to it,” she said of her experience on the streets. “You put on a whole different attitude — like a different person. It wasn’t me. I know that. Nothing about it was me.” She ultimately contacted the FBI, which, with her help, arrested two pimps and rescued several other minors. AFP
15 missing in Florida gas plant explosion MIAMI: Fifteen people were unaccounted for and nearby neighborhoods were evacuated after a series of explosions shook a propane gas plant in central Florida, US media reported early Tuesday. The Orlando Sentinel newspaper, citing local officials, wrote that 24 people were working the night shift at Blue Rhino, a propane-tank business, when the explosions occurred. AROUND THE
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Some 15 people were still unaccounted for after the accident late Monday, the daily wrote. The blasts set off a huge fire, which firefighters were still trying to contain early Tuesday. The Sentinel reported that the first explosions shortly before midnight blew the roof off the plant. Residents described loud blasts and a “giant fireball” in the sky. AFP
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News TUESDAY, JULY 30, 2013
TERRORISM
NIA releases sketches of five suspects in Bodh Gaya blasts
PATNA: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has released sketches of five suspects in the July 7 serial bomb explosions at Bodh Gaya’s Mahabodhi temple in Bihar. The sketches, including one of a foreigner, have been distributed among the public, particularly rickshaw-pullers, auto drivers and local civic body members, police said Tuesday. “NIA officials have sought information about the suspects,” a police official said.
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NIA has also given five telephone numbers on which people can provide information. “NIA has assured it would not reveal the identity of those giving information,” he said. In mid-July, the NIA released two sketches of one of the suspects. “NIA is working on local suspects,” the official said.
According to police, NIA officials have questioned some local people, including officials of the temple management and shopkeepers. Ten bombs exploded in Bodh Gaya in which two Buddhist monks were injured. Three live bombs were recovered and defused. A special court has been established in the Patna civil court to hear the serial bombings case, said the official who is assisting the NIA’s probe. IANS
E-ATTACK
Hackers attack NZ PM’s site WELLINGTON: The “hacktivist” group Anonymous on Tuesday briefly crashed New Zealand Prime Minister John Key’s website in protest at plans to allow the country’s intelligence agency to spy on local residents. AROUND THE
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A group identifying itself as Anonymous NZ posted a clip on YouTube saying it had attacked Key’s website www.johnkey.co.nz and 12 others linked to the ruling
National Party to show its opposition to “a despicable piece of legislation. John Key make no mistake the majority of New Zealanders oppose this bill,” it said. “Due to your own arrogance and your unwillingness to listen to the people we have decided to take direct action,” said the clip posted by the hackers. Key’s website was operating normally by Tuesday afternoon and the prime minister condemned the hackers. “(It’s) pretty juvenile behaviour in my view,” he told Radio New Zealand. AFP
IAS OFFICER SUSPENDED
Spirited babus baffle Akhilesh Many attribute it to the long simmering discontent among the IAS officials who have been shunted from one post to another in the present-day government.
LUCKNOW: The unusual combativeness of the state bureaucracy over suspended IAS officer Durga Shakti Nagpal has taken the Samajwadi Party (SP) government in Uttar Pradesh by surprise. While many say not even Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav had reckoned with the backlash from the IAS officials in the state, senior bureaucrats also say that “turn of events” has surprised them as well. Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer Durga Shakti Nagpal, who took on the sand mining mafia in Greater Noida (Gautam Budh Nagar), was suspended Sunday. The UP government has, however, cited a different reason for her suspension. It said she was suspended for ordering demolition of a wall of a religious place in Noida. “It is not in the DNA of the bureaucracy to take on the state government, but in this case I find it both heartening and surprising that a group of officials has had the courage to tell their
to three months. “There is anger among the officials at the raw deal they are being given by not being allowed to function and by the incessant meddling in day to day affairs by AROUND THE
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IAS officer Durga Shakti Nagpal, who took on the sand mining mafia in Greater Noida, was suspended Sunday. political masters that all was not well,” says a senior official not wishing to be named. Insiders in the Chief Minister’s Office too concede that they were not prepared for “events to take such a nasty turn”. At worst, they said, they anticipated a media whipping
but not a concerted and united attack by IAS officials in the state. Many attribute it to the long simmering discontent among the IAS officials who have been shunted from one post to another in the present-day government, with an average posting span of an IAS officer coming down to a miniscule two
the ruling SP leaders at district levels,” said an official. He pointed out how at the behest of a senior SP leader and the illegal sand mining mafia, Nagpal was given the marching orders. “It is everywhere. These SP men have made our lives miserable and it had to be sometime that one of us reacted,” said a
district magistrate, posted in central UP. Officials see Nagpal’s suspension as their moment to salvage their honour, which they feel has been eclipsed under the present day government. While others feel that things were far worse during the regime of Bahujan Samaj Party when Mayawati was the chief minister of the state, they say the situation has not improved much under Akhilesh Yadav. “Things are very different now, the IAS breathe easier now, IAS association is functioning and after a gap of several years, the IAS week was held in the state. But I guess the officials have been spoilt with these niceties of the young chief minister,” says an SP leader angrily. Alok Ranjan, acting chief secretary, says that the demand of the IAS association is before him and the officials feel the suspension was uncalled for and unfair. “I will present their case before the chief minister,” he added. IANS
WORLD BRIEFS China airport bomber arrested: Lawyer
Three S Korean climbers die in Japan Alps:
15 killed in Cairo violence
Woman arrested over paint attacks
Colombia’s largest oil pipeline attacked
BEIJING: A disabled man who bombed Beijing airport to protest police brutality has been formally arrested, his lawyer said Tuesday, in a case that highlighted popular resentment toward low-level authorities. Ji Zhongxing who said a 2005 beating left him paralysed, set off a small explosion on July 20, injuring an officer.
TOKYO: Three South Korean climbers who went missing during a mountaineering trip in Japan have been found dead, a report said Tuesday. The trio were among nine people who disappeared near the 2,728-metre Mount Hinokio in central Japan on Monday, according to Japanese media. The male victims were found on mountain paths.
CAIRO: At least 15 people, including street vendors and store staffers, were killed in violence Monday evening in downtown Cairo, Xinhua reported. “The fight started when vendors attempted to establish their stands outside a large cosmetic store in Moski area in central Cairo, and the store owner shot dead two,” a source said.
WASHINGTON: US police arrested a female suspect Monday after three Washington landmarks, including the Lincoln Memorial, were vandalised with green paint. A spokeswoman for the US capital’s Metropolitan Police Department confirmed the woman’s arrest to AFP, but gave no other details.
BOGOTA: Colombia’s largest oil pipeline was hit by an explosion causing a significant oil spill in an attack blamed on leftist guerrillas, the army said Monday. The 780kilometer Limon-Covenas pipeline, operated by US oil firm Occidental Petroleum (Oxy), was attacked near the town of Saravena, in eastern Colombia.
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News TUESDAY, JULY 30, 2013
BIRD FIGHTING
Feathers fly in Afghanistan
Under the Western-backed government of today, fights between anything from quails to bulls have been restored as a violent aspect of daily life in Afghanistan. EDOUARD GUIHAIRE Agence France-Presse KABUL: The sun has barely risen and already dozens of Afghan men are swapping fistfuls of bank notes, frantically betting in one of the country's goriest pastimes: bird fighting. In a shady patch, under a cluster of trees in a Kabul park, two partridges face off at opposite ends of a small square of dirt. The spectators press closer, roaring the birds on as they clutch their cash. A man sprinkles water into the air to keep the stifling heat at bay for the birds, an action that recalls the throwing of salt at the start of a Sumo bout. "These two birds are very good. The fight could last 10 minutes to two hours," said Hafizullah, a large man in his 50s, wearing a red and white turban. Under the 1996-2001 Taliban regime, such a scene would have been unthinkable. The Islamists banned all forms of gambling and animal fighting. But under the Westernbacked government of today, fights between anything from quails to bulls have been restored as a violent aspect of daily life in Afghanistan — as is the war between Taliban insurgents and 1,00,000 NATO troops. In the second round, one partridge grabs the other by the neck before being thrown off. As the fight goes on, bets rise.
Afghan men watch partridge fighting at a park in Kabul.
"At the beginning, bets were like $200, but now it's $800 and it's going to be higher. This fight will continue until one of them runs away," says Hafizullah. Gradually the birds become caked in mud, they shed feathers and become more and more aggressive, fired up by the violence and shouts from the crowd. "It is not good for them, they are gonna be hurt, they may die. They are innocent, why are we making them fight?" muttered teenager Abdullah Wafa, who wandered down to the park to do some exercise, but came over to check out the commotion.
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After more than a hour, one partridge refused to continue, losing the fight and prompting spectators to overrun the fighting ground as money changes hands. Taliban militants have targeted animal fights in the past. In February 2008, around 80 people were killed by a suicide bomber at a dog fight in Kandahar in the south. But Afghans, for whom war is a daily reality, are not deterred.
AFP PHOTO/ MASSOUD HOSSAINI
On the sidelines, men unwind in the park, chatting and stretched out on large carpets smoking hashish between mouthfuls of barbeque meat. In the bird market of Kabul, down a narrow street on a slight hill in the old city, partridges can sell for several thousands of dollars — a fortune in a country where one in three people live in poverty. Shokrullah’s shop is little bigger than a cupboard, crammed with cages stored on old planks of wood. Shokrullah has a mischievous smile and a wealth of information. Their diet, for
example, must be especially crafted to give the birds power and endurance. "We prepare a nutritious cake or bread in which we put lentils, different seeds, almonds, cream, pistachio, saffron plus some more," he said. Shokrullah says the best fighters come from Pakistan, ironically from the southwestern city of Quetta, associated as a hiding place for Taliban leaders. He seems philosophical about the dangers and the cruelty in a country exposed to three decades of war and fighting. "This is mainly like a boxing match and as you know sometimes boxers do die during the fight," he said. But these fighting birds and their trade — a wild mix of money and blood, and inevitable cruelty which that entails, is not to everyone's liking. "We condemn any kind of fighting among animals, whether it includes bird-fighting or dogfighting because it's cruel," said Aziz Gul Saqeb, the director of Kabul zoo. "We did as much as we could to stop it," he said. "But fighting animals have become a tradition. Particularly in rural parts of the country, dog-fighting and birdfighting have become common." But the authorities have other priorities in a country ridden by war, poverty and daily violence, as well as the deep traditions in proudly-held Afghan culture.
WILDLIFE
US zoo to breed rhino siblings
The step is controversial but the zoo authorities say they have no other choice if they are to save the species. AFP PHOTO / CINCINNATI ZOO-TOM UHLMAN & MICHELLE CURLEY-HO
KERRY SHERIDAN Agence France-Presse WASHINGTON: In a desperate bid to preserve a critically endangered species, a US zoo is taking the controversial step of trying to mate brother and sister captive Sumatran rhinoceroses. The coupling of six-year-old Harapan and his older sister Suci could take place as early as August at the Cincinnati Zoo in Ohio, animal keepers say. The tactic has stirred strong emotions, but Terri Roth, director of the Lindner Center for Conservation and Research of Endangered Wildlife, said she has no other choice.
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"We are in a really tough spot and we just don't have any other options," she told AFP. Conservation experts say there are as few as 100 Sumatran rhinos left in the wild in their native lands of Indonesia and Malaysia. In captivity, there are only 10 in the world. Four of them are closely related, with three having been bred in recent years at the Cincinnati Zoo. A fourth born in Indonesia last year was the son of a Cincinnati-bred captive rhino
and a formerly wild rhino. For Suci, who is marking her ninth birthday next week, the only available suitors are her relatives, Roth said. The other captive male of age in Indonesia is her older brother. Harapan, who is on the cusp of adulthood, was brought to Ohio earlier this month from his previous home at the Los Angeles Zoo. Artificial insemination has never worked in Sumatran rhinos, so shipping sperm from a genetically unique mate is not a viable alternative. "We are about to lose this rhino quietly, without a whimper, and I don't want to see that happen," said Roth.
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News TUESDAY, JULY 30, 2013
BAD COPS IN CANADA
Teen encounter debate hots up OTTAWA: Canadians demanded answers Monday in the wake of a fatal police shooting of a knife-wielding teenager in Toronto that has sparked an uproar. Sammy Yatim, 18, was alone on a stopped, downtown streetcar at 12:30 a.m. on Saturday, knife in hand, when police asked him multiple times to drop his weapon, according to witnesses and an amateur video posted on YouTube. AROUND THE
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Nine shots were eventually fired, instantly killing the young man of Syrian origin, according to images filmed by a bystander and given to Canadian television. According to the footage, police were about five meters (16 feet) from Yatim, who arrived in Canada five years ago with his family, when shots rang out. Journalists and the public quickly questioned the decision to open fire, prompting Toronto’s police chief to respond Monday. “Like many members of the public I have viewed the videos of this incident,” Police Chief Bill Blair said in a televised news
PEACE EFFORT
Palestine, Israel hold ‘productive’ direct talks
S
ammy Yatim, 18, was alone on a stopped, downtown streetcar at 12:30 a.m. on Saturday, knife in hand, when police asked him multiple times to drop his weapon, according to witnesses and an amateur video posted on YouTube.
conference, adding he was seeking answers to the same questions the public were asking. City Councillor Janet Davis, known for advocating more police training, lamented the police response in an interview with the Toronto Star. “It looks as though this young man was shot when he was alone in the streetcar and surrounded by police officers,” she said. “Was there nothing else that could be done to save his life?”
TRAIN TRAGEDY
The site of a train accident in Granges-pres-Marnand, western Switzerland. Two trains collided head-on Monday in western Switzerland, killing one of the drivers and injuring 35 passengers, at least five of AFP/ALAIN GROSCLAUDE them seriously, police said.
JAIL BREAK Taliban springs hundreds from Pak jail PESHAWAR: Taliban insurgents armed with mortars and grenades launched a major attack on a jail in northwest Pakistan, escaping with 230 prisoners including hardline militants after a gunbattle with security forces, officials said Tuesday. At least 12 people including four police were killed and seven others wounded in the brazen assault late Monday staged by militants disguised in police uni-
WORLD
forms, they said. “A total of 243 prisoners have escaped, six of them were later arrested by police,” senior government official Mushtaq Jadoon told private TV channel ARY News, adding that “30 among the escaped prisoners were hard-
core militants”. The attack targeted the Central Prison in Dera Ismail Khan, a city in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, close to the lawless tribal regions bordering Afghanistan where Taliban and Al-Qaeda-linked insurgents are active. A security official said the jail held up to 5,000 prisoners including some 300 militants involved in attacks on security forces and sectarian killings.
LARGESSE IN NEW YORK
Luxury is a night under the stars Where pollution, lights and the dizzyingly tall skyscrapers of the Manhattan skyline can obscure the stars, hotel companies say they offer travellers a unique experience.
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WASHINGTON: Israeli and Palestinian officials met for direct talks for the first time in three years Monday, with the United States urging both sides to make the tough compromises needed to reach a peace deal. In a symbolic message of peace and tolerance, Israeli chief negotiator Tzipi Livni and her Palestinian counterpart Saeb Erakat sat down side-by-side opposite US top diplomat John Kerry to share a traditional Muslim itfar meal just after sunset. “It was a constructive and productive meeting between the parties. They engaged in good faith and with seriousness of purpose,” a senior State Department official said.
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PRUNE PERROMAT feedback@postnoon.com NEW YORK CITY: In the concrete jungle of New York City, where open sky can be hard to find, the latest luxury offering is a night under the stars — or, under twinkling city lights, at least. From terraces and high-rise
balconies atop Art Deco buildings or glass-walled modern structures, this new breed of hotel offers straight-up views, with nary a window pane or curtain to impede the breeze. “When we identified something we think will delight people and give them a one-of-a-kind chance of living — something
that they can’t get somewhere else — we quickly tried to make that happen,” said Elana Friedman, of luxury hotel group AKA. For the not-so-insignificant price of $1,995 a night, the AKA Central Park promises a five star “outdoor bedroom,” 17 floors up, complete with a queen-size bed, candle-lit dinner, fireplace, romantic snacks, and a giant telescope to admire the stars in the city that never sleeps. To the strains of live jazz guitar, Brazilians, Australians, Emiratis, and even New Yorkers spend the night doing what travel agents call urban “glamping” — short for “glamorous camping.”
PITCHING A TENT IN THE NEW YORK JUNGLE
Born of a desire to enjoy the great outdoors — without missing out on the pleasures of a comfortable
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mattress — the trend towards luxury camping has only recently taken hold in New York, after the exceptionally harsh winter of 2011. “Our guests started to get that kind of cabin fever and really wanted to be able to have that outdoor experience,” explained Susana Ramos, marketing manager for Affinia Gardens, which also offers open-air luxury accommodation in Manhattan. But the guests weren’t looking to rough it: “After such a crazy snow storm, they really wanted to have a warm, summery, outdoor experience,” she said. Affinia Gardens’ outdoor suites — include tents on leafy terraces in the Upper East Side — run from $309 to $700 a night, depending on the season. AFP
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News TUESDAY, JULY 30, 2013
REGULATED HOLIDAY
Myanmar monasteries offer bootcamp for the spirit
The search for inner peace at Myanmar’s monasteries is unlikely to appeal to visitors who take a more hedonistic approach to vacations — booze, beaches and bikinis are definitely out. KELLY MACNAMARA feedback@postnoon.com YANGON: Pre-dawn wakeup calls, days of silence and hunger may not be everyone’s idea of a holiday, but for tourists seeking spiritual sustenance Myanmar’s monasteries offer help on the path to Buddhist nirvana. “When you first start it is a bit like running into a brick wall, you know, you are having extreme problems settling down and for your mind to settle," said Rupert Arrowsmith, a British art historian. He spent 45 days of total silence in the “famously austere” Chanmyay Yeiktha monastery, a peaceful compound of rooms for meditation and sleeping in the countryside near Yangon. “The new environment, different way of dressing, different way of eating... It’s like some sort of military bootcamp. You’ve even got the same hairstyle," he told AFP. After their heads are shaved at an ordination ceremony, new monks — foreign or Burmese — retreat to the quiet but challenging routine of monastic life. Rising at 3.30am, they practise sitting and walking meditation for the majority of the day, spending long periods crosslegged in the complex, which is largely silent apart from the sound of birdsong. Food, though often sumptuous dishes such as local curries, is served before noon. The last meal of the day at Chanmyay Yeiktha is at 10.30 am and monks have nothing more to eat before they retire to bed in the evening to sleep in individual
rooms on a bed with no mattress. Arrowsmith urged those entering a monastery to “be serious... this is not Disneyland", but he said the experience — his second at the monastery — was worth it. “It’s more or less essential for anybody who wants to understand how their own mind functions. I mean this is probably the key point for people in the West," he said. “You know people who talk about self knowledge, they really need to come and do some Vipassana meditation in Myanmar," he said.
With thousands of monasteries and a regional reputation for being spiritually devout, the country hopes to attract visitors interested in Buddhist practice. After years as an international pariah under the former junta, Myanmar is stepping firmly back onto the Southeast Asia tourist trail under a new reformist regime that came to power in 2011. With thousands of monasteries and a regional reputation for being spiritually devout, the country hopes to attract visitors interested in Buddhist practice. Phyoe Wai Yar Zar, of the Myanmar Tourism Board, said visas for meditation visits can now be “easily” obtained and that spiritual tourism is on the rise — although authorities are current-
In this picture taken on February 23, 2013 British art historian, Rupert Richard Arrowsmith (R) has his hair AFP/ SOE THAN WIN shaved before he enters monastic life at a monastery on the outskirts of Yangon.
ly unable to provide hard data.
STRIVING FOR NIRVANA
Both men and women can enter monasteries from two weeks up to several months. Across the border in Thailand, an established destination for spiritual tourists, Buddhist authorities say some 1,000 people from abroad join monasteries for meditation stints every year, while about 50 foreigners are fully ordained as monks annually. Abbot Bhaddanta Jatila of the Mahasi Meditation Centre in Yangon said foreign visits dried up as the country came to the end of its near half-century of military rule. “When the government opened, more foreign meditators came. Many of them are coming now, especially this year," he said. A whole wing of accommodation has been set aside for foreign visitors at his monastery, which recently had about 20 people from Korea, Japan, China and the United States among its 500 meditators and child novices. Paradoxically, the rise in foreign meditators could result in villagers in one of the world’s poorest countries feeding visi-
tors from rich nations. Monasteries rely for food and funding on local people, who believe their donations earn them “merit” and karmic reward in the cycle of rebirth that is a key part of Buddhist faith. Arrowsmith said the sight of impoverished local people donating precious supplies of rice was “quite difficult to accept", but that his abbot assured him that donors were giving the food not to him as an individual, but “for the potential for enlightenment in you” as a monk. Myanmar’s Buddhist clergy has faced international scrutiny amid extremist anti-Muslim campaigns by some monks that have been linked to recent deadly waves of violence in the Buddhist-majority country. But Arrowsmith said this should not taint the Buddhist establishment as a whole. “Personally, I have never experienced Myanmar monks getting involved in anything other than intensive meditation, nonviolence, and the issuance of goodwill to all living beings," he said. Meditation, detachment and loving kindness are just some aspects of the quest for nirvana
— and freedom from the suffering of perpetual reincarnation. Abbot Bhaddanta Jatila said Buddhism helps practitioners to rise above a cycle of life that “starts with being in the mother’s womb, then involves getting old, ill and dead". That search for release was particularly appealing to 36-yearold Shigenari Moriya, whose path from working in the stock market in Japan, to entering the Mahasi centre in Yangon was dominated by a battle with cancer. Attracted to Myanmar because its meditation practice was AROUND THE
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“directly inherited” from Buddha, he was unperturbed by the drastic change to his lifestyle. “I like the sunshine, the food is delicious and above all, I’m happy meditating here because I believe that the country has more dharma (truth) than any other place on the planet," he told AFP. Having initially planned to be a monk for three months, Moriya said he was now unsure whether he would ever go back to his old life.
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NORTH KOREA
The grass-pickers of Pyongyang
During the day, a small brigade of men and women can be seen squatting in various sections, plucking furiously at patches of turf with tools that would seem better equipped for pruning a bonsai tree than tending a meadow.
PYONGYANG: At first glance it seems like a task worthy of Hercules - manicuring lawns the size of a football field with a pair of tweezers. And not just any lawns. These make up the gardens of one of the most sacred sites in North Korea -the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun in Pyongyang, which hosts the embalmed bodies of the nation’s founder Kim Il-Sung and his son and successor Kim Jong-Il. So the gardening duties come with a bit of added pressure. For a country of severe winters, the lawns are in impressive shape -covered in thick, healthy, bright green grass that both enhances and softens the visual impact of the monumental mausoleum. During the day, a small brigade of men and women can be seen squatting in various sections, plucking furiously at patches of turf with tools that would seem better equipped for pruning a bonsai tree than tending a meadow. One woman, dressed in a pale blue uniform with a peaked cap to protect her from the sun, works with nothing more than a pair of tweezers and a small plastic receptacle for collecting dead grass. Her task is two-fold -- to straighten the healthy grass and pluck out
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damaged or browned blades that might cause the lawn to stray to the dull side of verdant. “We had some heavy rain recently which flattened parts of the lawns," she told AFP during a tour of the palace for foreign media covering celebrations for the 60th anniversary of the armistice that ended the 1950-53 Korean War. “When the rain is very strong, we use brushes to stop too much water collecting in one place. Then, when it’s all dried out, we need to straighten the grass out," she said.
Great green lawn
A
nd not just any lawns. These make up the gardens of one of the most sacred sites in North Korea -- the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun in Pyongyang, which hosts the embalmed bodies of the nation’s founder Kim Il-Sung and his son and successor Kim Jong-Il.
On a separate patch of lawn nearby, a similarly uniformed woman worried away at her patch of grass with a rake no more than six inches (15 centimetres) long. “This a new grass type. It was laid quite recently so it requires a lot of work," she said. Unlike her tweezerwielding colleague who had only been doing the job for a few months, she had been tending the palace gardens for six years. She also looked after the trees and plants, but the lawns were the main responsibility and, she insisted, monotony was not an issue. “Boring? No, not at all. It’s a great honour to work in such a special place. I’m very proud of what I do to keep it beautiful," she said through one of the government minders that chaperone foreign reporters in North Korea. North Korea’s showpiece capital is a relatively green city in season. Most of the large monuments — and there are many of them — are offset by lawns, and the boulevards are often lined with trees and grass verges.The banks of the Taedong river offer belts of public parkland to residents who mostly live in charmless residential tower blocks or work in equally drab offices. AFP
AVIATION
Boeing, Airbus to check distress beacons PARIS: Boeing and rival Airbus said they would check distress beacons made by Honeywell on their planes, after the device was identified as the likely cause of a fire on a Boeing Dreamliner. Some 6,000 so-called emergency locator transmitters (ELT), designed to help localise the plane if it crashes, have been installed on Boeings like the 787 as well as Airbus aircraft, though none have been involved in a blaze before. British authorities have recommended that the beacons on Dreamliners be disabled, after identifying the devices as the likely cause of the fire that took place on an empty Ethiopian Airlines plane in London’s Heathrow on July 12. No one was injured. But the US firm has decided to broaden the checks to all its planes, and its European rival Airbus will also inspect the beacons on its aircraft. “Boeing is asking some companies operating 717, 737 NG, 747AROUND THE 400, 767 and 777 to WORLD inspect their planes that are equipped with emergency locator transmitters made by Honeywell," the US giant said in a statement. A spokeswoman for Airbus, meanwhile, said the group’s records “do not show any incidents of this nature." “However, as a precautionary measure, we will do an additional review of the integration of the device in order to determine whether there is a need to apply any lessons from the AAIB (British Air Accidents Investigation Branch) findings." Investigators are seeking to determine whether the beacon itself caused the fire on the plane or whether its surroundings triggered the incident. The blaze is a further blow to Boeing, which withdrew from service its entire fleet of Dreamliners for several months earlier this year due to separate concerns that lithium-ion batteries on board could cause fires. AFP
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TOURISM
An unlikely tourist spot
Sniper fire, minefields, ghost towns: perched perilously on the verge of conflict, the disputed Armenian-controlled Azerbaijani region of Nagorny Karabakh may not sound the ideal holiday destination. Tourists visit Grandmother and Granfather monument outside city of Stepanakert in Armenian-controlled Azerbaijani region of Nagorny Karabakh
MARIAM HARTUTYUNYAN Agence France-Presse STEPANAKERT: Sniper fire, minefields, ghost towns: perched perilously on the verge of conflict, the disputed Armenian-controlled Azerbaijani region of Nagorny Karabakh may not sound the ideal holiday destination. Now, though, a growing number of foreign tourists are heading to the breakaway territory — which is not recognised by any state — and say they are seeing a different side to its war-scarred image. Wandering around the region’s largest town Stepanakert as part of a tour group whose members come from places ranging from Turin to Taiwan, French pharmacist Jordan Nahoum said that while he knew all about Nagorny Karabakh’s bloody past, he was surprised by what he found. “People are very nice and
open," Nahoum, 23, told AFP as he stood next to a row of hawkers selling tourist trinkets. “It is very safe here and I see many tourists from different countries — I don’t feel myself in danger.” Seized from Azerbaijan by Armenian-backed separatists in a brutal war that claimed an estimated 30,000 lives as the Soviet Union disintegrated in the early 1990s, Nagorny Karabakh remains frozen AROUND THE
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between war and peace. Despite a fragile 1994 ceasefire that ended major hostilities, repeated attempts to get Armenia and Azerbaijan to sign a final peace deal over the past two decades have failed, and both sides — especially oil-rich Azerbaijan — are rearming heavily. Nagorny Karabakh is still recognised as
part of Azerbaijan by the United Nations, but its population is almost completely ethnic Armenian after the Azerbaijani community fled in the wake of the war. Soldiers along the heavily fortified frontline exchange gunfire almost daily, with both sides blaming each other for violating the ceasefire. So far this year some 20 soldiers from both sides have been killed.
Nagorny Karabakh is still recognised as part of Azerbaijan by the United Nations, but its population is almost completely ethnic Armenian after the Azerbaijani community fled in the wake of the war.
CHEESY TAKE
Saving mite-ridden mimolette In Arlington, cheese shop owner Jill Erber is leading an almost desperate crusade to convince authorities not to ban one of her products over a tiny thing like mites. FABIENNE FAUR Agence France-Presse ARLINGTON: In the Washington suburb of Arlington, cheese shop owner Jill Erber is leading an almost desperate crusade to convince US authorities not to ban one of her products over a tiny thing like mites. The sign behind the counter at Cheesetique, Erber’s store and wine bar where more than 200 kinds of cheese are on offer, says it all: “Save the mimolette." In just a few weeks, “we
US regulators determined the cantaloupelike rind of the cheese was covered with too many mites, even though the tiny bugs give mimolette its unique flavor. probably won’t be able to get mimolette from our distributors any longer," Erber told AFP. The US fate of the bright-
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orange, mild-tasting French cheese has been in jeopardy for months. The Food and Drug Administration has blocked all further imports. Why? Because US regulators determined the cantaloupe-like rind of the cheese was covered with too many mites, even though the tiny bugs give mimolette its unique flavor. No formal ban has been put
in place, but 1.5 tonnes (3,300 pounds) of cheese were blocked from being imported, and nothing is going through US customs. Benoit de Vitton of French import company Isigny says
those 1.5 tonnes were eventually destroyed. Result: stocks of mimolette are quickly disappearing, and cheese enthusiasts are wringing their hands.
TUESDAY, JULY 30, 2013
Business
BP RETURNS TO PROFIT
BP said Tuesday that it returned to profit in the second quarter of 2013, after the previous year's loss over lower oil prices and writedowns on assets. Earnings after taxation stood at $2.042 billion (1.541 billion euros) in the three months to the end of June.
ECONOMY
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FRENKEL REJECTS JOB
RBI keeps interest rates on hold The cash reserve ratio was kept at 4 per cent, while India's growth forecast for the financial year was lowered to 5.5 per cent from 5.7 per cent. JERUSALEM: The candidate named to become the new governor of Israel's central bank, Jacob Frenkel, said he was rejecting the post after an investigation against him on a shoplifting allegation. "I have decided to give up the post of governor of the Bank of Israel," Frenkel told Israeli media. The commission charged with appointing senior civil servants asked Frenkel two weeks ago why he had failed to mention a 2006 incident at a duty-free boutique in Hong Kong airport. According to the press, which calls the incident the "perfume affair," Frenkel was briefly detained after a bottle of perfume that he had not paid for was found in his luggage.
MUMBAI: The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) kept its benchmark interest rates unchanged on Tuesday, ignoring demands for a cut as it seeks to defend the ailing rupee from a further devaluation.
India is currently caught in a classic `impossible trinity' trilemma, whereby we are having to forfeit some monetary policy discretion to address external sector concerns.
NUMEROLOGY
$2.29
D Subbarao RBI Governor The RBI said that the benchmark repo rate, at which it lends to commercial banks, would stay at 7.25 per cent, as expected by most economists. The cash reserve ratio — the percentage of deposits banks must keep with the central bank — was kept at 4.0 per cent, while the bank lowered India's growth forecast for the financial year to 5.5 per cent from 5.7 per cent. The decisions were taken in the first quarter review of the bank's monetary policy for the current fiscal, conducted by RBI Governor D Subbarao, who said: "By far, the biggest risk to the macroeconomic outlook stems from the external sector." The governor also said while the investment climate remained weak and risk aversion continued to stall fresh plans, the outlook was also inhibited by cost and time over-
bn
has been released by the International Monetary Fund released in aid for Greece after completing a review of the country's performance.
runs, deteriorating cash flows and lack of credit confidence. Subbarao said while in the past couple of years, the central bank's stance was to address the twin issue of growth and inflation, the situation now has exacerbated with concerns over external sector, mainly on account of current account deficit. "The current situation — moderating wholesale price inflation, prospects of softening of food inflation consequent on a robust monsoon and decelerating growth — would have provided a reasonable case for continuing on the easing stance," the governor said. "However, India is currently caught in a classic ‘impossible trinity’ trilemma, whereby we are having to forfeit some monetary policy discretion to address external sector concerns." On the central bank's part,
A cut in interest rates would weaken the rupee, push up the cost of imports and widen the current account deficit which hit a record 4.8 per cent of gross domestic product in the fiscal year to March. Subbarao said, the recent liquidity-tightening measures were aimed at checking undue volatility in the foreign exchange market, but would be rolled back in a calibrated manner. For that, stability has to be restored to the foreign exchange market, enabling monetary policy to revert to supporting growth with continuing vigil on
inflation, he said, in a nudge to the government to play its part as well. "It should be emphasised that the time available now should be used with alacrity to institute structural measures to bring the current account deficit down to sustainable levels." The Indian currency has depreciated nearly 12 per cent against the dollar this year and hit a lifetime low of 61.21 earlier this month. A cut in interest rates would weaken the rupee, push up the cost of imports and widen the current account deficit which hit a record 4.8 per cent of gross domestic product in the fiscal year to March. Last week, the central bank raised two short-term lending rates to ease pressure on the rupee, which is the worst performing currency among major Asian nations. AFP/IANS
GOLD`28,275 10g SILVER `41,134 1kg
24C
for
for
DOLLAR `59.80 POUND `91.70
JP MORGAN PULLED UP NEW YORK CITY: The top federal US energy regulator has accused banking giant JP Morgan Chase of manipulating energy prices, according to a "preliminary" document published Monday. However, according to a source close to the negotiations, the document's publication is "a formality" and a $400 million settlement should be announced in the coming days, ending the proceedings. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) investigation found that between September 2010 and June 2011 the bank's Ventures Energy Corporation "engaged in five manipulative bidding strategies designed to improperly obtain payments at above-market rates" from California's independent power grid operator. And from October 2010 to May 2011, it said JPMVEC "engaged in three manipulative strategies aimed at improperly obtaining excessive payments from" the power grid operator in the US Midwest.
BSE NSE
19,465.95 127.33
5,792.90 38.75
TUESDAY, JULY 30, 2013
Comment Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in getting up every time we do. Confucius Chinese philosopher
Dos and don’ts of Bayreuth’s Wagner Fest SIMON MORGAN Agence France-Presse
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he legendary Bayreuth Festival, where audiences frequently have to wait 10 years or more for a ticket, has strict rules of etiquette that set it apart from other music festivals. Here are some of the dos and don’ts to observe so as not to embarrass yourself on your first visit to the world-famous Festspielhaus theatre on Wagner’s fabled Green Hill. Swot up on the operas in advance People who attend this monthlong festival know their Wagner inside-out and do not need to be told what is going on on stage. The programmes never contain a summary of the plot and there are no surtitles. Never dress down Earlier, the door attendants would not let you in if you were not wearing evening dress. Nowadays, such dress codes are impossible to impose. But if you wear anything less than a tuxedo or a ball-gown — even in the sweltering heat — you will have to suffer looks of contempt from the other guests. Cool off at the Kneippanlage The Festspielhaus has no airconditioning. One way of cooling off during the intervals is to wander over to the open-air pool at the Buergerreuth up behind the theatre, take your shoes off and paddle in the Kneippanlage. Don’t be late Because Bayreuth is as much a place to be seen as a place to hear music, guests start arriving at the Festspielhaus anywhere up to 90 minutes before the curtain goes up. There is no entry for latecomers.
HIGH-FLYING THOUGHTS
In the nation’s worst blackout in a decade, on July 30, 2012, 300 million people were without power in Delhi due to power grid failure. Time we went back to the very basics if we want to be a world power.
HANDPICKED WORLD LIST
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ZIMBABWE VOTE PUTS AU, SADC IN THE DOCK ANDREW BEATTY
Agence France Presse
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ith many intern a t i o n a l observers barred from c o v e r i n g Zimbabwe’s crunch election on Wednesday, two African blocs are becoming the eyes and ears of the world in a stern test of their credibility. When Robert Mugabe’s government released the list of roughly 50 countries and groups invited to observe this week’s crunch presidential and parliament elections, there were few surprises. It was, in essence, a handpicked list of nations — Russia, Venezuela, China, Sudan, Cuba, Belarus and Iran — not usually known for their commitment to democracy. While all embassies in Harare will be allowed five observers, fully blown missions from the United Nations, the United States, the European Union and anyone considered hostile to Mugabe’s attempt to extend his 33-year rule were blocked. Hopes for a substantial and credible account of the election rest with the African Union (AU) and the 15-member Southern African Development
Community (SADC). But even before an early civilian vote earlier this month ahead of the election had been cast, the AU’s 60-strong mission to monitor the vote appeared at risk of losing its democratic bona fides. Amid the chaotic early vote for police and security personnel, serious doubts about the state of the electoral roll and rampant partisanship by state media, the AU expressed confidence in a free and fair vote. “On the whole we got the impression that the preparations were satisfactory," said AU commission chairwoman Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma. That raised eyebrows across the continent. Mugabe’s perennial challenger Morgan Tsvangirai went as far as to describe Dlamini-Zuma’s account of events as “misleading". For many, her comment had troubling echoes of the AU and SADC’s performance in previous elections. Both declared a 2011 vote in the Democratic Republic of Congo successful, despite outside observers reporting a panoply of problems. In Zimbabwe itself, SADC declared the recent constitutional referendum “peaceful and credible” despite the detention of prominent human rights lawyers and Tsvangirai allies. “The reason you want international monitors is to have
actors that are more likely to be neutral," said Judith Kelley, author of “Monitoring Democracy", a book on election monitors. “Both the AU and SADC are likely to enter this election with some bias because of their membership countries’ affiliation with Zimbabwe." But for SADC in particular, much is riding on its take on the vote. The EU, after decades of playing bad cop, seems set to defer to SADC’s verdict on the vote. “We don’t have the right to continue with (sanctions) if the elections are acceptable," Roeland van de Geer, the EU’s ambassador to South Africa,
said recently. “But it has to be clear that’s true." And in many ways these elections are of SADC’s making. Fed up with chronic instability and a flood of Zimbabwean economic refugees across their borders, the bloc forced Mugabe and Tsvangirai into a powersharing government following the bloodshed of the 2008 vote. It also forced both men to agree a new constitution which paved the way for the vote. But SADC still has to prove it is dependable. “The Southern African Development Community and the African Union face severe credibility tests," the International Crisis Group said in a report published Monday.
EDITORIALS ANDHRA PRADESH GOES THE AADHAR WAY
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ndhra Pradesh is a state that is ahead of others in the enrolment of Aadhar cards because it is linked to the disbursal of LPG. Now the Aadhaar database has come in handy for the police also in nabbing several new offenders and also in identifying unidentified bodies at sites of crime and accident. It is good that the State police are given access to the Aadhaar database on a case-by-case basis to run fingerprint checks. The fingerprint database of CID has prints of only those who are already arrested. In recent cases, searches based on the Aadhaar database, has proved useful. Helping officials to get special software that can link the Crime and Criminal Tracking Network System to the Aadhaar database will go a long way in detection and solving of highprofile cases also. New offenders who are not registered with the UIDAI for the Aadhaar card could be a challenge to the police as some of them could belong to the floating population. Police from other states can take a leaf out of AP’s book in this regard.
READERS’ VIEWS
NO PETROL FOR THE BROKE
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etrol bunks in the State refuse to fill petrol worth less than `50. Though there are no such restrictions from the Oil Marketing Companies or the civil supplies department, the bunks do not relent. This troubles two-wheeler riders in case of emergency and more so people from economically weaker sections who want only a small refill. Refilling pumps can state the amount to be paid on the machine after fuel is delivered and not leave it to the whims and fancies of attendants.
We invite you to write to us comments, suggestions, viewpoint or just about anything to feedback@postnoon.com or #1246, Level 3, Jubilee Casa, Road No 62, Jubilee Hills, Hyderabad – 500 033 or even by way of a call on 4067 2222. Editor: Dean Williams
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focus
SOAKING IN THE SUN
Europe’s urban rivers spring back to life after neglect
Beaches in Paris and Warsaw, a bucolic cycle in Madrid... capitals around Europe are slowly transforming their riverbanks from noisy, polluted thoroughfares to green, leisurely havens.
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een to boost their image, environmental credentials and their economy, authorities in many cities are giving rivers pride of place again after years of neglect. “We can’t live without water,” said Jean-Pierre Gautry, honorary president and former head of the French Society of Urban Planners, explaining that for centuries cities had depended on rivers. But with the growing popularity of cars during the 1960s and 1970s, he said some cities decided to transform riverbanks into roads to make way for drivers — a process that is now slowly being reversed. Authorities “poured concrete on the linear routes along rivers because they were easiest to take over as they often belong to a quasi-public area and are mostly flat”, said Gautry. “(Georges) Pompidou (French president from 1969 to 1974) had a famous saying — ’the city must adapt to the car’ — but today we’re saying the opposite.”
In Paris, drivers who used to whizz past the Seine in a cloud of exhaust fumes are increasingly having to change their route as authorities gradually claw back some of the riverbanks. The capital inaugurated a 2.3-kilometre (1.4-mile) pedestrian walkway along the Seine last month near the Eiffel Tower. “I wanted a place that respected one of the most beautiful areas in the world... by bringing it back to life,” Paris Mayor Bertrand Delanoe said. And every summer, the riverbanks are closed to traffic to make way for a beach — the now famous “Paris Plages”. Truckloads of sand are brought into the capital and poured onto the asphalt next to the Seine. Sun worshippers are then able to lie on deck chairs and under parasols in front of the murky water — almost like being at the beach. “This year, we couldn’t go on holiday because we don’t have enough money,” said Claudine, a 67-year-old Parisian who was taking in the
rays with her young granddaughter. “Normally, we go to my flat in Cannes (on the French Riviera) but I chose to rent it out to earn a bit of money. But here it’s great, it’s like in Cannes!”
Long leafy promenades and cycling routes lined with some 25,000 trees replace a polluted and noisy ring road that now runs under the project area. In Madrid, the riverbanks of the Manzanares sprung back to life in 2011 as part of the Madrid Rio project, after years of neglect. Long leafy promenades and cycling routes lined with some 25,000 trees replace a polluted and noisy ring road that now runs under the project area. The riverbank park also includes an urban beach, simi-
lar to the one that lines the Vistula river in Warsaw — the difference being that the Polish capital’s shore is natural. Completely forgotten in the reconstruction of the city after the Second World War, the riverbanks in Warsaw have become fashionable again in the past decade.
RIVERS ‘AN EXCUSE FOR PARTYING’ “The presence of water is a magnet,” said geographer Maria Gravari-Barbas, who wrote a study on the transformation of riverbanks in urban areas. “There are now countless parties and festivals that have an urban section of a riverfront as a background, and even as a raison d’etre. As if the presence of water was an excuse for partying, for gathering there.” In Vienna, for instance, the Danube Island was created in the 1970s and 1980s with earth taken from the river. Every year, a three-day music festival takes place there. Berlin, meanwhile, has long
partied along parts of the Spree river, which once upon a time divided the city like a second wall. But some of the waterway is the subject of a tussle between property developers and opponents who want a “green zone”. In Rome, residents and ecologists decry the state of the Tiber riverbanks, which are littered with trash and dilapidated pontoons. The neglect is such a cause for embarrassment that Rome Boats, the company that controls river cruises for tourists, said in May that they had stopped tours to spare visitors to the Eternal City the sight. Nevertheless, authorities are making an effort with a 34kilometre cycling route along the Tiber banks. Gautry said that apart from bringing a better quality of life to urbanites, the transformation of riverfronts also had an economic advantage. “It’s a whole series of jobs that spring up, starting with tourism.” AFP
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spotlight FASHIONISTAS
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1 Pinky Reddy cuts the ribbon 2 Thanu Mehta 3 A professional dancer 4 Beena Mehta 5 Priyanka 6 Pinke 7 Sonal 8 Aishu 9 Rashe 10 Priyanka
The much-awaited Kamini Saraf’s Fashion Yatra kickstarted in the City recently. The event was inaugurated by Pinky Reddy.
READY, STEADY, GO! The Flag Off ceremony of 100 TVS King Auto Rikshaws, financed by SBH Bank, was held on Monday evening. SBH Bank managing director M Bhagavantha Rao was the chief guest on the occasion.
Beauty queens
Twenty six contestants vied for the coveted titles of Ms GujaratiHyderabad and Mrs Gujarati-Hyderabad. While Ms Krupali won the former title, Mrs Nisha was awarded the Mrs Gujarati-Hyderabad title.
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health
NOTIFICATION OF TB CASES NEEDS TO BE STRICT Strict enforcement of laws on TB notification, infection and control at all levels and uninterrupted laboratory supplies are some of the steps needed for control of tuberculosis, experts said on Monday.
UNDERSTANDING YOUR THROAT: PART II Strep throat
Laryngitis
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L
Symptoms
Symptoms
trep throat is a kind of pharyngitis that is caused by a streptococcal infection. It usually affects the pharynx, but the infection might also spread to the larynx and the tonsils. It is the cause of 37 per cent of sore throats in children and up to 15 per cent of the cases in adults.
n n n n n
aryngitis is the inflammation of the larynx, causing hoarseness or complete loss of voice. The infection irritates the vocal folds, causing pain or irritation while speaking. The infection is characterised as acute if it lasts less than three weeks, chronic if it lasts for longer.
Sore throat Fever Swollen lymph nodes Pus on the tonsils Nausea and vomiting
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Hoarseness Sore throat Difficulty swallowing Coughing up blood Swelling of lymph nodes
Treatment
Treatment
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ntreated streptococcal pharyngitis usually resolves within a few days. Treatment with antibiotics shortens the duration of the acute illness. The primary reason for treatment with antibiotics is to reduce the risk of complications such as rheumatic fever and retropharyngeal abscesses and they are effective if given within nine days of the onset of symptoms.
Diseases of the
THROAT
esting your voice when you have laryngitis is important. Steam inhalation is recommended. If the laryngitis is due to acid reflux, a proton pump inhibitor is given. If persistent hoarseness or loss of voice is a result of vocal cord nodules, physicians may recommend a course of treatment that may include a surgical procedure and/or speech therapy.
Any infection of the throat leaves you unable to swallow or speak. Here are some of the common diseases that leave you coughing. Tonsillitis
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onsillitis is inflammation of the tonsils most commonly caused by viral or bacterial infection. The overwhelming majority of people recover completely, with or without medication. In 40 per cent, symptoms will resolve in three days, and within one week in 85 per cent of people, regardless of whether streptococcal infection is present or not.
Symptoms n n n n n
Sore throat Red, inflamed tonsils General malaise Fever Pain while swallowing
Treatment
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f tonsillitis is caused by streptococcal infection, then a course of antibiotics may be prescribed. For viral causes, the infection usually resolves itself within a week or two. Medicines are given to reduce fever and manage pain. Sore throat relieving measures like drinking warm water, gargling and steam inhalation can help. Chronic cases may be treated with tonsillectomy (surgical removal of tonsils) as a choice for treatment.
Diphtheria
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iphtheria is a contagious disease spread by direct physical contact or breathing the aerosolised secretions of infected individuals. Historically quite common, diphtheria has largely been eradicated in industrialised nations through widespread vaccination. The diphtheria–pertussis–tetanus (DPT) vaccine is recommended for all school-age children and boosters of the vaccine are recommended for adults.
Influenza
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he flu is considered mostly a nasal disease, but the viral infect affects the upper respiratory tract as well. Flu can occasionally lead to pneumonia even in persons who are usually very healthy. Influenza is transmitted through the air by coughs or sneezes, creating aerosols containing the virus. It accounts for nearly five lakh yearly deaths during seasonal epidemics, and the numbers rise if it is a pandemic.
Symptoms n n n
Symptoms
Fever Cardiac arrhythmias Bluish skin colouration
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Foul-smelling bloody nasal discharge Rapid breathing
Treatment
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he disease may remain manageable, but in more severe cases, lymph nodes in the neck may swell, and breathing and swallowing will be more difficult. People in this stage should seek immediate medical attention. Patients with severe cases will be put in a hospital intensive care unit and be given a diphtheria antitoxin. SOURCE: en.wikipedia.org
n n n
Fever Cough Body ache
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Reddened facial skin Nasal congestion
Treatment
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he influenza vaccine is recommended by the World Health Organization and United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for high-risk groups. People with the flu are advised to get plenty of rest, drink plenty of liquids, avoid using alcohol and tobacco and, if necessary, take medication to relieve the fever and muscle aches associated with the flu. Vulnerable populations may develop pneumonia and other complications if the flu is left untreated.
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TUESDAY, JULY 30, 2013
Technology MOTION SENSING
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ike waving a wand, new apps are bringing a bit of magic to computers, enabling users to zoom, pan and control the action with hand gestures. A new app store called Airspace, launched by San Francisco-based company Leap Motion last week, has 75 apps that are all controlled with the wave of the hand. “Right now in front of your computer, there’s dead space. You’re only using your desktop, where your keyboard and mouse rest, and the surface of your monitor,” said Michael Zagorsek, VP (product marketing) Leap Motion. “We take all that otherwise useless space in between and make it come alive,” he added. All of the gesture apps from Airspace use a small device called the Leap Motion Controller, which costs $79.99. It has sensors that can detect motions and translate them for the apps. Painter Freestyle, a free app for Windows created by Corel, mimics how artists work. Lightly moving a finger, or paintbrush, toward the computer produces a light brush stroke, while pushing in harder makes a darker, bolder one. Google Earth’s free apps for Mac and Windows let users pan around the Earth with hand motions and zoom in to explore. With Unlock, a Windows app, users can password-protect their computers and unlock them simply by waving their hands over the controller. The app, which costs $4.99, works by
IT’S MAGIC! In new apps, hand gestures control the action.
detecting the unique characteristics of an individual’s hand. The popular game, Cut the Rope, has also released a free app for the controller. But instead of swiping on a touch screen, users swipe through the air to control motion. Gamers playing Sugar Rush can steer midair using their fists. Thalmic Labs, a Canadabased startup, has developed a wearable device called MYO that uses gestures to control apps for gaming, 3D modeling and remote control of other devices. The company plans to ship MYO, which costs $149, to customers who pre-ordered later this year. Microsoft’s Kinect device, available worldwide, also uses gestures to control games, fitness and entertainment. Although hand gestures are gaining in popularity, Zagorsek does not think the keyboard or mouse will disappear anytime soon. “There’s nothing wrong with the mouse and keyboard today. They have literally millions of pieces of software making those tools effective,” he said. But he envisions a bigger role for the technology for threedimensional tasks. “In the real world, you can mould something like a piece of clay in minutes, but to do it on a computer requires hours of training and hours of work,” he explained. “The idea of being able to reach into your computer and manipulate a digital environment is really powerful,” he added. AGENICES
HACKING
SO YOU NEVER LOSE THEM Nokia is preparing to launch a proximity sensor accessory for its range of Lumia Windows Phones. Sources familiar with Nokia’s plans revealed that the Finnish smartphone maker will debut a “Treasure Tag” accessory that combines Bluetooth 4.0 and NFC to track items from a phone. The Treasure Tag will pair with Lumia Windows Phones via NFC, and Nokia will ship the device with a loop strap to attach it to a set of keys. Nokia has built a Treasure Tag application for Windows Phone that will let users manage the sensor and locate it when it’s lost. The app will also display the location of the sensor on a map, complete with Nokia’s LiveSight augmented reality view.
ANOTHER READER DOWN
When Google first announced Google Reader would be shut down, the news kick-started a very competitive race to create the best alternative. At least one service, however, did not welcome the change, and is now planning to close up shop next month: The Old Reader. In fact, if you navigate to the service’s homepage now, you’ll be greeted by this sad message: “Unfortunately we had to disable user registration at The Old Reader.” In two weeks, the public site will be shut down and a private one, available to a select few, will take its place.
THREE MORE DOWN
The dark side of social Online sharing helps hackers sharpen ‘spears’.
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haring on social media helps hackers sharpen “spear phishing” attacks they use to trick their way into computers, security experts said Monday. Spear phishing refers to individualising deceptive messages sent to people in order to trick them into clicking on links or opening files booby-trapped with viruses. Public posts on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Foursquare and other online venues give hackers fodder to mimic the way people write and the words they use, said Ulisses Albuquerque of the security firm Trustwave. He and colleague Joaquim Espinhara are at a premier Black Hat security conference in Las Vegas this week to present a talk titled “Using Online Activity As
Digital Fingerprints To Create A Better Spear Phisher.” The Trustware security consultants created a software tool that “fingerprints” the way people communicate by
analysing online posts. The tool scrutinizes posts at social networks such as Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn to ascertain writing styles, right down to hashtags added to indicate subjects of online posts. A hacker unable to break into a company’s computer network could write a convincing email pretending to be from a friend of an employee and include an attachment or link that, once clicked, unleashes malicious code. “Say a CEO has a Twitter or LinkedIn account and I am able to see those posts,” Albuquerque said. “Then I could produce content that looks like it came from him and send it to his staff, who will be less suspicious of clicking a link.” AFP
Zynga has lost three top executives this month, people familiar with the matter said, increasing the number of managers who have exited the struggling socialgames developer. John Osvald, a senior vice president of games, Jesse Janosov, a vice president who ran Zynga’s casino division, and Nathan Etter, a vice president of games, all resigned this month, said the people, who asked not to be named because the departures aren’t public. Etter left to take a job in the interactive division of The Walt Disney, according to his profile on LinkedIn’s website.
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Entertainment ON CLOUD NINE
CINE BYTES
D H A N U S H 'S next to be produced by home banner No actress signed for Puri Jagannadh's next
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uri Jagannadh has taken Nithin under his wing, featuring him in his next ďŹ lm titled Heart Attack. Among the new generation, he has worked with Mahesh Babu, Pawan Kalyan and Allu Arjun quite recently. This will be his ďŹ rst collaboration with Nithin. Although the shoot has been scheduled for August, the lead heroine has not been signed yet.
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fter the overwhelming success of recently released Tamil romanticdrama Ethir Neechal, which was produced by Dhanush's home banner, the actor has decided to produce his yet-tobe-titled next project as well. "Guys, glad to announce on my birthday that we just designed a project in Wunderbar Films, starring myself and Amala Paul," Dhanush posted on his Twitter page. The film will be helmed by debutant director Velraj, who had previously worked as cinematographer in Dhanush's films such as Polladhavan, Aadukalam and 3. Composer Anirudh Ravichander has been roped in to take care of the music department, while the title of the film will be revealed soon. As a producer, Dhanush struck gold with Ethir Neechal, which was reportedly made on a budget of `5 crore. It earned over `30 crore at the box office. Dhanush has a very busy year ahead. While his Tamil project Naiyaandi with National award winning director Sargunam is coming to a close, he also has two more Tamil projects lined up. He is also expected to team up with Raanjhanaa director Anand L Rai again next year.
Amala Paul enjoying a sleepover with her best girlfriends.
Samantha dressed like a princess. Courtesy: Samantha Ruth Prabhu, Official Page, Facebook
Mahesh Babu busy shooting in London
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he shooting for Mahesh Babu Starrer 1 is in full swing. The crew is currently shooting in London till August 20, after wrapping it in Belfast. Thrilling action and chase sequences are being shot with Mahesh Babu. It is being said that these sequences will be edited to match the look and feel of those in Bourne Identity series.
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Entertainment TUESDAY, JULY 30, 2013
WOMEN IN CINEMA
CINE BYTES
Mahi Gill happy doing dance numbers
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ctress Mahi Gill, known for her roles in Dev D and Saheb Biwi Aur Gangster, is happy that she is doing a lot of dance numbers this year. “This year there are some interesting roles and different from what I have done in the past. This year there are a lot of dance numbers, which is new to me,” Mahi said. “I have dance numbers in Bullett Raja, Zanjeer remake and Gangs Of Ghosts,” she said. IANS
Older actresses hardly have any role NEENA GUPTA
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uling out any scope for ageing actresses in showbiz, National Award winning actress Neena Gupta, who got into acting in the 1980s, says she is seen less frequently on screen because there aren’t enough offers for people like her and that the trend reflects the mindset of society. “In Indian families, an older woman is a useless woman. The same way older actresses hardly have any role,” Neena said. “It is a mirror image of society. I don’t expect much from acting at this age,” added the actress who has been in showbiz for about three decades. In terms of talent, Neena knows no boundaries and made her mark with her role in Jaane Bhi Do Yaaron (1983), and won the 1994 National Film Award for best supporting actress for her performance in Woh Chokri. In between, she also
appeared in international ventures like Gandhi as well as The Deceivers and Cotton Mary. Recently, the actress was seen on the big screen in Manish Tiwary’s Issaq, in which she had a challenging role, but she says it was cut short. “There were more scenes, but they were cut. This is why I was sad as some very nice scenes were cut due to the length,” she said. “Any actor would love to play a nice character. All actors want to do different roles. I thought this was a big challenge to look and behave different. This is why I took it. It is rare to get a challenging role in movies,” she added. Neena has been known for leaving her mark on the small screen as well. In fact, she entered the television industry in the 1980s, a period when TV was described as an intelligent alternative of cinema. In the last two decades, the television industry has grown
manifold and Neena said that the growth has its positives as well as negatives. “When something is young, it takes some time. it goes bad and comes up again. I think TV is going through a similar phase. There are some nice things and some not-sonice things,” she said. With a motto to try
In Indian families, an older woman is a useless woman. The same way older actresses hardly have any role. It is a mirror image of society. Neena Gupta Actress
different things always, Neena does not accept too many offers. “It is very tough to find something new every time. This is why I don’t work much,” said the actress who didn’t shy away from doing the dance number Choli ke peeche with Madhuri Dixit in 1993 movie Khalnayak. In fact, she doesn’t have any fixed parameter while selecting a role. “There are no parameters. If I like something and it is challenging, I take it up. I don’t think much,” said Neena whose daughter Masaba is a well-known designer. Talking about her future plans, she said that she doesn’t have much in the pipeline. “I am not planning anything. If something good comes my way, I will do it. If it doesn’t also, I am busy with other things in life,” she said. IANS
Salman Khan’s Kick has onset accident
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alman Khan’s Kick crew have been involved in an accident on their first day of shooting in Scotland. “The vehicle has knocked down part of the wall of the chambers and obviously we will be having discussions with the production company,” a spokesperson for Glasgow City Council told Herald Scotland.
R Madhavan to star in Hollywood horror flick
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Madhavan is the latest Bollywood actor to join the Hollywood bandwagon with producer Simon West’s horror remake of 1968 film Night of the Living Dead. The 3D reboot, directed by Zebediah De Soto, is a reimagining of George A Romero’s hit blackand-white movie. It revolves around a group of survivors fighting to stay alive when a mysterious plague unleashes the undead on New York City. PTI
Entertainment TUESDAY, JULY 30, 2013
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Entertainment TUESDAY, JULY 30, 2013
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Entertainment TUESDAY, JULY 30, 2013
MONSTER ALERT
CINE BYTES
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former crew member of pop star Lady Gaga has branded her a bully and monster. The 27-year-old, who has repeatedly spoken against bullying, has been accused of unpredictable behaviour, reports contactmusic.com. The crew member who worked on her Monster's Ball world tour between 2009 and 2011 said: "She would have a prayer circle before each show. "One night she just suddenly turned on one of the backing singers, branding her unprofessional and ungrateful. She crucified her in front of dozens of people, she skinned this girl alive. It was so painful to watch and no, you couldn't step in. "She offers support to her fans who are victims of bullying and calls them her monsters, but she is a bully and a monster herself," added the crew member. IANS
Malkovich was paid by his classmates
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ctor John Malkovich used to charge his classmates for doing their homework. The 59year-old admits his macho friends were not interested in the creative side of their college theatre course as he was, so they used to give him money for doing their work, which eventually has helped him forge a successful career in the fashion industry, reports femalefirst.co.uk. IANS
A film on Armstrong in the pipeline
B
ritish director Stephen Frears is looking to bring Lance Armstrong's story to the big screen, the Deadline entertainment blog reported. Actor Ben Foster is nearly ready to sign on to play the disgraced American former cyclist in the film project, which has been written by John Hodge (Trainspotting). IANS
Former crew member brands
GAGA AS
'BULLY'
Chloe was intimidated by Moore, Pfeiffer
A
ctress Chloe Grace Moretz admits that working with actresses like Julianne Moore and Michelle Pfeiffer was incredibly intimidating. The 16-year-old stars alongside Moore in the horror film Carrie and she appeared with Pfeiffer in vampire comedydrama Dark Shadows. She admits she was a little lost for words when she met both the screen icons, reports femalefirst.co.uk. IANS
TUESDAY, JULY 30, 2013
Chai Time
THOUGHT OF THE DAY
There is no need to go to India or anywhere else to find peace. You will find that deep place of silence right in your room, your garden or even your bathtub. Elisabeth Kubler-Ross
KAKURO
QUICK CROSSWORD
26
SUDOKU How to play kakuro Kakuro is a popular game similar to sudoku in some ways. But is also suitably different. The key question: ‘How do you play kakuro?’, well here are the rules of kakuro. The answer: The kakuro grid, unlike in sudoku, can be of any size. It has rows and columns, and dark cells like in a crossword. And, just like in a crossword, some of the dark cells will contain numbers. Some cells will contain two numbers. However, in a crossword the numbers reference clues. In a kakuro, the numbers are all you get! They denote the total of the digits in the row or column referenced by the number. Within each collection of cells — called a run — any of the numbers 1 to 9 may be used but, like sudoku, each number may only be used once. Let’s have an example to explain this concept more clearly: In the image above, which shows a section of a kakuro puzzle, you will see the numbers ‘26’ and ‘14’ in the top row. Look at the 14. This means that the total of the three cells underneath must sum to 14. Therefore 9, 4, 1 could be the answer, or perhaps 7, 4, 3 and so on... So, how do you work out the actual combination? Well, this is done through elimination and cross-referencing. For instance, as you work out the answers for other kakuro clues, this will naturally limit the valid combinations, and hence the answer for this particular run. Note the second cell in row two — it contains two numbers, 30 and 11. The 30 refers to the vertical run underneath the number 30 and the 11 refers to the two cells to the right, horizontally, of the number 11.
ACROSS
PREVIOUS PUZZLE ANSWER
SCRIBBLING PAD
1 The former Miss Trueheart 5 ‘Hair’ do? 9 Competent 14 Word seen on sports schedules 15 Senior member 16 Kentucky college town 17 Flowerless decorative plant 18 Bit of drollery 19 Flashy jewelry, in slang 20 Took part in a Halloween ritual 23 Matching pair designation 24 Dangerous marine creature 25 Old Rome’s ___ Way 29 Bob in a bay 30 Main burner? 33 Congregation 34 Spill the info (with ‘up’) 35 Holy Roman Emperor called ‘the Great’ 36 ‘That’s my final offer’ 39 Checked out 40 Where to hear a lot of grunts? 41 Haggard songwriter? 42 Writer Bradbury 43 Udders 44 Pollster’s projection 45 French soldier’s cap 46 Critique harshly 47 Ripley’s ultimatum 54 Like a dunce cap 55 When ‘et tu’ was spoken 56 Presidential administration 57 Having no company 58 Cold War-era alliance 59 ‘70s supergroup 60 More dishonorable 61 Extra on ‘The Untouchables’ 62 One of a yawl’s two
DOWN
1 ‘Dollar Diplomacy’ president 2 Pitcher in a still life 3 Ganges garb 4 Set to the same time 5 Abut on 6 Dreads 7 Spellbound 8 In an oppressive way 9 Abbot’s place 10 Burke of ‘Designing Women’ 11 Port between Buffalo and Cleveland 12 Await judgment 13 Baseball action 21 Army uniform material 22 Notched like a maple leaf 25 Subsequently 26 ‘Costa’ kin 27 Gumby’s chum 28 Like some coffee 29 Banks of earth 30 Back in the navy 31 Functional 32 Attentive one 34 Accepting one’s apology 35 Place to wear a mitt 37 Brownish-gray 38 Kind of acid 43 Airport fluid 44 Bell’s first phone-call recipient 45 ‘A Fish Called Wanda’ Oscar-winner 46 1499 marble masterpiece 47 Gaucho’s weapon 48 Baseball’s Slaughter 49 Cheese that’s made backward? 50 Act the nomad 51 Space org 52 Man with a lift 53 Just one of those things? 54 It will give you a fare deal
Chai Time TUESDAY, JULY 30, 2013 Thiruvaikumar
STAR POWER for 31-7-2013
27
As per Hindu panchang thiruvaikumar@yahoo. co. in, 040-27177230 / 9177596118
ARIES
TAURUS
GEMINI
CANCER
LEO
VIRGO
LIBRA
SCORPIO
SAGITTARIUS
CAPRICORN
AQUARIUS
PISCES
Employees will be entrusted with new responsibilities. You will act without partiality, bringing you respect. Success is certain in all important undertaken work. You will fulfil wishes of your children and keep them in a cheerful mode.
STRIP TEASE AGNES
Unexpected financial fortune is likely. You will march forward with wise decisions. Debt issues will be under control. Profits are set to increase for businessmen. Blood relatives will support you and make you happy with their understanding of you.
Businessmen will sign new and gainful agreements. You will get an opportunity to use your skills. You will reap gains through relatives. Children will make you happy and proud. Govt work might get delayed but the situation will change soon.
Chance of misunderstanding with spouse is likely; avoid such a situation. You will look very brisk and active. You will complete all held up work held up due to various reasons. Expected money will come. Your friendship circle will expand.
You will be the most respected in functions you attend. You will progress towards your goal without looking back and by thrashing obstacles swiftly. You will understand the real characters of your friends and relatives and act accordingly.
Your bold decisions will yield desired results. All expectations will be fulfilled without hurdles. Some have a bright chance to get a job abroad. Misunderstanding among friends and close relatives will end. Health problems likely; take care.
Health problem is most likely, hence be careful. All work planned will get completed successfully. Sudden and unexpected financial fortune is likely. Ego clashes and misunderstanding at home and with friends will end. Avoid arguments.
Employees will get expected sops. You will get new and innovative thoughts that will be implemented in a better way. Postponed marriage talks will resume and marriage will be finalised. Never hurry and take important decisions.
Sops are likely for businessmen from the govt. You are aware that failures are stepping stones to success; follow the same policy in your life and march ahead without giving up. Sudden trips likely and there are chances of misunderstanding with friends.
TAROT READ
Sumaa Tekur
tarotreadhyd@gmail. com
ARIES:
GEMINI:
Seven of Cups – You take comfort in the belief that you have most needs covered and are in a position to take some risks when it comes to relationships.
LEO:
The World – Finances are in great shape and you’re in a position to plan the future. Take all possibilities into account and plan knowing that the future is uncertain.
LIBRA:
PEARLS BEFORE SWINE
Strength – Your strength and never-say-die attitude is taking you through this rough phase. You will come out successful and more knowledgeable. Get spiritual.
SAGITTARIUS:
Page of Swords – Focus on yourself and what you need at this point. You may be paying attention to others’ needs, and now your body is calling for your time.
TAURUS:
The Lovers – Being at the crossroads is never easy because in order to move forward you have to make a decision as to which road to take. Jump in. Take a call.
CANCER:
Four of Swords – You may be a fan of following the rituals because they give you a sense of stability. Ask yourself if these have become outdated and come in your way.
VIRGO:
Ace of Pentacles – There are aspirational needs that need fulfilling just so you can feel more confident about yourself. Be open to new changes and you will be alright.
SCORPIO:
Seven of Pentacles – Two groups are fighting about something and you’re caught in the middle. It’s not good to take sides in such a situation. Stay in the middle.
CAPRICORN:
Knight of Pentacles – The wait is over and the results are about out. You may have put brakes on your normal routine in anticipation of something important.
PREVIOUS SOLUTIONS
PISCES:
Six of Cups – Don’t go back on your word, no matter how difficult it may be to follow it through. Keeping promises also increases your status in your peer group.
NUMBER GAME
ords – Female energy is in focus. For men, a woman in their life will shift their decisions. Women will get in touch with other strong women.
SCRABBLE
AQUARIUS: Knight of Sw-
POOCH CAFE
Children will behave as per expectations and make you happy. Though certain work will get delayed, one unexpected but long-pending work will get completed to your surprise. Avoid rewinding of past bitter experiences.
for 31-7-2013
Eight of Wands – This is the age of the techie. Not being tech-savvy is akin to being in the stone age, almost. Brush up your tech skills. It will take you a long way.
NON SEQUITUR
You will find a suitable solution for a long-pending issue. Your talks will be wise and diplomatic and will fulfil your expectations. Some may undertake renovation of their house. Spouse will be more affectionate. Tension due to children likely.
SUDUKO
Employees will be happy as seniors respect their suggestions. Financially, a very comfortable situation is likely. Some have a bright chance to buy a vehicle. Tensions and worries likely but stay cool and proceed with your work.
Boggle PURPLE ORANGE VIOLET MAROON Vol: 3, No 10 RNI No: APENG/2011/39337 Published for the proprietors, Scribble Media and Entertainment Pvt Ltd, by V Harshavardhan Reddy, at #1246, Level 3, Jubilee Casa, Road No 62, Jubilee Hills, Hyderabad – 500033 and printed by him at Jagati Publications Ltd, Plot No D-75&E-52, APIE Industrial Estate, Balanagar, Ranga Reddy Dist, Hyderabad – 500037, Editor: Dean Williams – Responsible for selection of news under the PRB Act All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission of the publisher is prohibited. For feedback, please write to: feedback@postnoon. com and for subscription, please call 040-4067 2222, Fax: 040-4067 2211
28
Entertainment TUESDAY, JULY 30, 2013
FAMILY ON FOCUS
N
eil Patrick Harris spoke to Zap2it on the blue carpet at The Smurfs 2 premiere in Los Angeles, and discussed an unexpected theme for the live action-animation hybrid sequel: the ever-evolving definition of “family” in modern society.
“I think it’s a pretty heady topic to deal with what defines a family in a movie like this,” Harris says. “I don’t think people will be expecting that necessarily. And it’s done in a really normal, organic way.” In the sequel to Sony’s 2011 The Smurfs, Smurfette (Katy
Perry) is kidnapped by the evil Gargamel in the hopes she’ll help him create a legion of Smurf-wannabes called The Naughties. “It’s Smurfette’s origin story,” Harris points out. “She was created by Gargamel in the history of The Smurfs, and then The Smurfs took her
over. So I think she’s conflicted about what her family really means — is it The Smurfs, who love her? Or is it Gargamel, who created her? My character has a similar situation with his stepdad and his real dad. And so, I think those are good conversations to have with the family after-
wards. There’s a lot of definitions of ‘family’ now.” Harris brought his longtime partner, actor David Burtka, and their two children to the Smurfs 2 premiere. He has previously said raising two kids with Burtka makes marriage “inevitable” for them.
Neil Patrick Harris says Smurfs 2 helps redefine ‘family’
CINE BYTES It’s ‘essential’ for Lois to know Superman’s identity
W
hile the decision to have Lois Lane know Superman’s true identity in Man of Steel proved controversial with some fans, star Henry Cavill thinks it’s an “essential” component . “There’s no way that Lois has these direct interactions with Superman, and then doesn’t recognise Clark sitting next to her in the office,” Cavill said.
Eddie Murphy moving forward
Christina’s favourite thing about being engaged
F
or Christina Ricci, it takes just one word to make her smile. “Getting to say ‘fiancé’ instead of ‘boyfriend,’ “ is the engaged actress’ favourite thing about her relationship status, she tells People at Sunday’s The Smurfs 2 premiere in N.Y.C.
E
ddie Murphy is ready to return as Axel Foley in a new Beverly Hills Cop movie. Paramount has decided to quickly capitalise on the buzz of the franchise’s failed TV reboot and get started on a new big screen installment.
sports
29
TUESDAY, JULY 30, 2013
SWIMMING WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS
LEAGUE CRICKET
Ye suffers shock 200m defeat at worlds China’s Olympic champion Ye Shiwen finished at a shocking fourth position in the 200m individual medley final.
SJOSTROM REGAINS WOMEN’S 100M FLY WORLD TITLE
S
wedish teenager Sarah Sjostrom (in pic) regained her women’s 100m butterfly title at swimming’s world championships on Monday as defending champion and world record-holder Dana Vollmer had to settle for bronze. Sjostrom, who won the 2009 title aged just 15, hit the wall at 56.53secs, with Australia’s Alicia Coutts at 0.44secs back and Vollmer, America’s Olympic champion who set the world record in
RYLAND JAMES Agence France-Presse BARCELONA: China’s Olympic champion Ye Shiwen finished a shock fourth in Monday’s 200m individual medley final, while teenager Ruta Meilutyte smashed the world record in the women’s 100m breaststroke semi-finals.
winning the 2012 Olympic title, at 0.71 behind. “I didn’t have that much confidence after the Olympics, but now I am delighted I persisted in the sport,” said the 19-year-old Sjostrom. Having finished fourth in the final of both last year’s Olympics and the 2011 world championships, this was a commanding performance by the Swedish teenager in Barcelona. AFP The 17-year-old Ye had been the hot favourite for Monday’s 200m IM final at swimming’s world championships in Barcelona, but finished a full second behind the medallists as Hungary’s Katinka Hosszu claimed gold. Hosszu, 24, won by a considerable margin, clocking 2mins 07.92secs with Australia’s Alicia Coutts second at
1.47sec back and Spain’s Mireia Belmonte 1.53 behind, but defending champion Ye was a noticeable absentee on the dais. Ye finished more than a second behind the medalists, which surprised Hosszu. “I’m sure she will get back up there soon, she’s a great swimmer and I’m sure it is really tough to get back after an Olympic gold medal,” said Hosszu. Ye has her next chance at an individual medal in Sunday’s 400m IM, in which she set the world record at the Olympics last year in controversial fashion by swimming the last leg faster than
17-year-old teenager Ruta Meilutyte smashed the world record in the women’s 100m breaststroke semi-finals. Ryan Lochte did when he won the men’s Olympic title. Lithuania’s teenage star Meilutyte, who pulled off a shock win in the Olympic 100m breaststroke final last year, punched the water in delight as she took a tenth of a second off the world record to blast her way into Tuesday’s final. “The world record was always a dream for me, but yes, obviously a gold medal at the world championships would be like the cherry on top of the ice cream,” said the 16-year-old. Meilutyte broke the four-year-old mark of 1min 04.45secs, set by Jessica Hardy of the USA, who will get the chance to reclaim her record in the final. Swedish teenager Sarah Sjostrom regained her women’s 100m butterfly title. AFP
Bowlers have field day A DIVISION TWO DAYS Crown 114 (Mohammed Samiuddin 39, Ashwin Vijay 4/42) lost to Sultanshahi 119/1 (Ashwin Vijay 51no). Sporting XI 128 (Vijay 46no, Nagaraj Yadav 3/17, Vamshivardhan Reddy 4/4) vs Gouds XI 44/2. Kosaraju 155 (Jaysuriya 3/47) vs Telangana 76/3. Brothers XI 169 (Abrar 34, Saleem 99, Dharani 5/59) lost to Mega City 170/2 (Anirudh 64no, Shreyas 55no) Galaxy 218 (Sai Charan Yadav 34, G Vamshi 97, Sunny Patsa 5/67, Naresh Kumar 3/19) vs Cambridge XI 7 for no loss. Sai Satya 130 (M Vikas Babu 6/30) lost to Jai Bhagwathi 131/7 (SS Bharath 63no, Deekshith Reddy 4/31). CCOB 237 (Mohammed Akbar Khan 65, Shabaaz Tumbi 60, Sai Venkatesh 5/99) vs Team Speed. Continental 285/9 (DGJ Chaitanya 32, Rahul Budhi 80, P Praneeth Kumar 68no, Christy Victor 4/47) vs Gemini Friends Khalsa 332 (Saeb Ali 154no, Divyanshu C 39, Ramesh 3/67, N Vignesh 72) vs New Blues 33 for no loss HBCC 444/8 (Rohit P 91, Yudish 43, Jaskaran 109, Omer Khan 52, Akshay 52no, Adil 48no, Saurav Kumar 5/163) vs Pasha Beedi.
A DIVISION ONE DAY PN Youngstars 72 (Munwar Ali 31, Surya Teja 4/15, Ranveer 4/43) lost to Yadav Dairy 73/2 (Mohammed 44no) Deccan Wanderers 146 (Imrose 38, Asheer 6/25) bt Abhinav Colts 115 (Abdullah Mustafa 3/24) Classic 241 (Baber 42, Salam Bin Yousuf 30, Imad 35, R Harinarayanan Rao 3/18) bt Marredpally Blues176 (TP Varun 50, Ramakanth 34, Rafi 3/30, Imad 3/20). Mayura CC145 (Ashish Srivastav 32, Akhilesh Yadav 43, KR Prashanth 5/38) bt Future Stars 136 (Shyam 47, Kanal Kumar Chaudry 5/36)
FORMULA ONE
Ferrari chief chastises Alonso over comments
ROME: Ferrari president Luca Di Montezemolo on Monday rebuked the team’s star driver Fernando Alonso (in pic) over comments the Spaniard made following Sunday’s Hungarian Grand Prix. Alonso, a two-time world champion, was unhappy following his fifth placed finish which saw him slip to third in the world championship standings and 39 points behind triple world champion Sebastian Vettel. Alonso said Ferrari “need to improve the car if we are going to have chances to win the world championship.”
And while Montezemolo agreed he wasn’t satisfied with the car’s performance, he reminded Alonso that he needed to be more of a team player. “All the great champions who have driven for Ferrari have always been asked to put the interests of the team above their own,” said Montezemolo on the Ferrari website. “This is the moment to stay calm, avoid polemics and show humility and determination in making one’s own contribution, standing alongside the team and its people both at the track and outside it.” The article carrying the presi-
dent’s quotes expressly stated they were directed at Alonso, who turned 32 on Monday. It said: “That was a reference to the latest comments from Fernando Alonso, which did not go down well with Montezemolo, nor with anyone in the team. So, when Montezemolo called the Spaniard this morning to wish him a happy birthday, he also tweaked his ear.” Alonso has recently been linked with a move to Red Bull, whose Australian driver Mark Webber is retiring at the end of the season. AFP
30
sports TUESDAY, JULY 30, 2013
WASHINGTON OPEN
Stephens stumbles in Washington opener JIM SLATER Agence France-Presse WASHINGTON: Sloane Stephens (right), coming off a quarter-final run at Wimbledon, crashed out on Monday in the first round of the WTA and ATP Washington Open. The 20-year-old American, ranked 15th in the world and seeded second on the women’s side of the $1.76 million hardcourt event, was ousted 7-5, 63 by Russia’s Olga Puchkova. “There were some (shots) I really couldn’t believe went that far out," Stephens said. “The ball was flying everywhere. “I just couldn’t find it. When you don’t practice well it shows. I had a couple rough days, and it showed." Stephens is already trying to tamp
down US Open expectations after beating current world number one Serena Williams on her way to the Australian Open semi-finals, where she lost to then-number one Victoria Azarenka.
Results n Xavier Malisse (BEL) bt Rajeev Ram
Men — 1st round n Somdev Devvarman (IND) bt Rhyne n n n n n n
Williams (USA) 7-5, 6-1 Radek Stepanek (CZE) bt Steve Johnson (USA) 7-6 (7/3), 6-3 Denis Istomin (UZB) bt Santiago Giraldo (COL) 6-3, 6-4 Samuel Groth (AUS) bt Denis Kudla (USA) 7-6 (7/2), 6-2 David Goffin (BEL) bt Lu Yen-Hsun (TPE) 6-4, 6-4 Mardy Fish (USA) bt Matthew Ebden (AUS) 2-6, 6-1, 6-3 Marinko Matosevic (AUS) bt James Blake (USA) 6-2, 7-6 (8/6)
(USA) 4-6, 6-3, 6-2
n Lukas Lacko (SVK) bt Alejandro Falla
(COL) 1-6, 6-4, 6-4
n Women — 1st round n Magdalena Rybarikova (SVK x7) bt
Christina McHale (USA) 2-6, 6-4, 6-2
n Paula Ormaechea (ARG) bt Beatrice
Capra (USA) 6-1, 6-1
n Jana Cepelova (SVK) bt Kiki Bertens
(NED) 6-4, 0-6, 6-3
n Olga Puchkova (RUS) bt Sloane
Stephens (USA x2) 7-5, 6-3
n Andrea Petkovic (GER) bt Jessica
Pegula (USA) 6-2, 7-5
RESIGNED TO MISDEMEANOUR Erik resigns from post after doping admission LAUSANNE: Former Tour de France sprint ace Erik Zabel (in pic) resigned from his position with the Professional Cycling Council Monday following his doping admissions, the International Cycling Union said. The 43-year-old gave an interview published on the Sueddeutsche Zeitung website Sunday in which he admitted to using EPO between 1996 and 2004. The six-time Tour green jersey winner’s confession came a few days after a French government commission released the names of a number of cyclists whose retroactively tested samples from 1998 and 1999 had
come up positive in 2004. Back in 1998 and 1999 there was no test for EPO. “The International Cycling Union has announced that the former sprint cyclist Erik Zabel has resigned from the Professional Cycling Council," said a UCI statement. “He contacted the UCI President earlier today (Monday) to offer his resignation and to further express his ‘deep regret for having lied for so long about taking performance enhancing substances'. Erik Zabel said that cycling is now in a cleaner era, however he is no longer the right person to be a part of the Professional Cycling Council."
“If I lose in the first round, don’t be upset," she said. “It’s going to be my first time there playing under so much pressure and everyone expecting me to do so well. Whatever people say or however they think I should do, they don’t practice with me. I just have to go out and do the best I can." Stephens, who took a postWimbledon family vacation to Hawaii, also reached the fourth round at the French Open and the last eight at Wimbledon, losing to eventual winner Marion Bartoli. “I don’t know why I play so well at the Slams and not so well at the rest," Stephens said. “I can fix these things myself and get ready for next week." Mardy Fish, who has missed most of the past year with heart problems, won his first ATP match since March, rallying to outlast Australian qualifier Matthew Ebden 2-6, 6-1, 6-3.
Del Potro looks to rebound from Wimbledon loss WASHINGTON: Juan Martin Del Potro (in pic), coming off an epic Wimbledon semifinal loss to world number one Novak Djokovic, says he is ready to close the gap on the world’s top tennis players. The seventhranked Argentine is the men’s top seed for this week’s $1.76 million ATP and WTA Washington Open, his first event since losing the longest semi-final in Wimbledon history 7-5, 4-6, 7-6 (7/2), 6-7 (6/8), 6-3 after four hours and 43 minutes. “It was a very good experience for me even in the loss," Del Potro said on Monday. “I played a good match with the number one in the world in the semi-finals at Wimbledon. Many good things to take. “It was a really long battle for both of us. We played an incredible match for about five hours with high intensity. After that I needed a week to recover myself. And Novak was really tired in the final. Everyone saw that." Djokovic lost in the final to Britain’s Andy Murray but remains atop the rankings and that duo together with Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer remain the men to catch in Del Potro’s eyes. “That’s my biggest challenge for the next year," Del Potro said. “The top guys are so good. The top four have a big difference to the rest of the players. I have to do well in the big tournaments to get close, but that’s not easy. “They are much better than the rest of the players.” AFP
Japan judo head to resign in wake of scandals: reports TOKYO: The head of Japan’s judo authority was on Tuesday to announce his resignation according to reports, after the sport was sullied in its birthplace by a series of scandals including abusive coaching, sexual harassment and misuse of funds. Japan’s Yomiuri Shimbun newspaper and Jiji Press news agency said Haruki Uemura (right), head of the All Japan Judo Federation (AJJF), and four other board members would step down after a meeting later in the day. A Federation spokeswoman told AFP that a board meeting was scheduled but she was unable to give further details. Japan’s judo community was rocked in January this year
when it emerged the coach of the national women’s team was found to have used a bamboo sword to beat athletes, calling his charges “ugly” and telling
them to “die” in the run-up to the London Olympics. The coach later resigned. In April, judo officials were accused of improperly receiving government coaching subsidies, while a month later the Federation revealed allegations that a female athlete had been the target of unwanted sexual advances. In the wake of the scandals, the Japanese government and International Judo Federation (IJF) president Marius Vizer separately called on the country’s top judo body to clean up the sport. Last month, Vizer said the IJF has given the Japanese federation until October 15 to submit a full report on the incidents. AFP
31
sports TUESDAY, JULY 30, 2013
ROAD TO WORLD CUP 2015
India, Pak, WI in same group Co-hosts of the 2015 World Cup, Australia and New Zealand, have been drawn in the same group for the tournament, while title-holders India will face off against long-time rival Pakistan, according to officials.
Cricket legend Kapil Dev of India addresses guests at the official launch of the 2015 Cricket World Cup in Melbourne on Tuesday. The tournament will be run across 14 Australian and New Zealand cities with the final to be staged at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) in Melbourne on March 29, 2015. AFP/PAUL CROCK
MELBOURNE: Co-hosts of the 2015 Cricket World Cup, Australia and New Zealand, have been drawn in the same group for the tournament, while title-holders India will face off against long-time rival Pakistan, officials said Tuesday. The first match of the prestigious one-day tournament will be held in Christchurch, the New Zealand city devastated by an earthquake in 2011, when the locals take on Sri Lanka on February 14. The day-night final match will be at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on March 29. Australia and New Zealand are grouped with England, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and two qualifiers. Title-holders India are pooled with Pakistan, South Africa, West Indies, Zimbabwe, Ireland and one other qualifying team. The top four sides from
each pool will go through to the knockout stage. Forty-nine matches will be played in 14 venues across the two host nations, with Australia staging 26 games at grounds in Adelaide, Brisbane, Canberra, Hobart, Melbourne, Perth and Sydney. New Zealand will host 23 games in seven cities, including Christchurch where inter-
2015 World Cup draw Draw for the 2015 Cricket World Cup in Australia and New Zealand announced on Tuesday. Pool A England, Australia (co-host), Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, New Zealand (co-host), Qualifier 2 (TBD), Qualifier 3 (TBD) Pool B South Africa, India, Pakistan, West Indies, Zimbabwe, Qualifier 1 (Ireland), Qualifier 4 (TBD)
TBD: To be decided
national cricket is set to return for the first time since the 6.3magnitude quake which killed 185 people in 2011. Other New Zealand cities to host games are Auckland, Dunedin, Hamilton, Napier, Nelson and Wellington. New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum said he was encouraged by the draw. “We’ve had recent success over both Sri Lanka and England in one-dayers, so to face them and a qualifying team in the first three matches is certainly an encouraging draw for us,” he said. Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, who launched the tournament in Melbourne, said the contest would likely be watched by a global television audience of one billion. “When it comes to 2015, I don’t think you’re going to be able to keep anyone away,” Rudd said. “This is going to be a great, great world series.” AFP
ASHES
Truth of Verity’s death revisited JULIAN GUYER Agence France-Presse
LONDON: There has already been talk of “campaigns” and “battles” during the ongoing Ashes series. And even the often sober Sydney Morning Herald newspaper referred to Australia’s 347run defeat by England in the second Test at Lord’s just over a week ago as a “slaughter”. Well, to borrow the words of German tennis great Boris Becker, after the then two-time defending champion’s shock defeat by Australian journeyman Peter Doohan at Wimbledon in 1987, “nobody died” as a result of the tourists falling 2-0 behind with three to play against Ashesholders England. Yet, after Saturday’s play at Lord’s, Graeme Swann proved it was possible to have a sense of perspective without having seen active service when he paid tribute to a fellow England spinner of an earlier generation. “Yesterday (Friday, July 19) was the 70th anniversary of Hedley Verity’s mortal wounding in WWII. We forget how easy
life is for us due to men like him #heroes,” Swann, only the second England spinner since Verity to take five wickets in an Ashes Test at Lord’s, tweeted. This July 31, marks the 70th anniversary of Yorkshire left-arm spinner Verity’s death aged 38 after being hit by enemy fire and shrapnel while serving as a British Army captain during a Second
World War battle in Sicily in 1943 where, despite his injuries, he implored his troops to “keep going”. Verity, born in the Headingley district of Leeds that gives Yorkshire’s headquarters its name, enjoyed a remarkable cricket career. He took 1,956 firstclass wickets at an average of 14.90 as Yorkshire won seven County Championship titles in
the 1930s. His haul saw him take all 10 Nottinghamshire innings wickets for just 10 runs, to this day a record, in a match in 1932. His Test record was scarcely less impressive, with Verity taking 144 wickets in 40 matches at 24.37. Verity was a member of the England side that triumphed in the controversial 1932/33 ‘Bodyline’ tour of Australia.
Warner to rejoin Ashes squad, eyes Test recall JULIAN GUYER Agence France-Presse LONDON: David Warner is to rejoin Australia’s squad in England on Monday, a team spokesman told AFP, as the controversial batsman eyes a recall for a third Test that the tourists must win to keep their Ashes hopes alive. Warner was banned in the run-up to the opening match of the series after punching England batsman Joe Root in a Birmingham bar in June following Australia’s defeat by their arch-rivals in the Champions Trophy one-day tournament in June.His subsequent lack of match practice saw the selectors send him out to
join the Australia A side on their tour of Zimbabwe and South Africa. |That meant Warner missed the first two Tests of the five-match Ashes series, both of which Australia lost as they went down by 14 runs at Trent Bridge and then suffered a 347-run hammering at Lord’s.
Last week 26-year-old left-hander Warner, who can open the innings, made 193 against South Africa A in a drawn four-day match in Pretoria. But the second innings saw umpires twice having to halt play as sledging involving Warner and South Africa A wicketkeeper Thami Tsolekile boiled over. These incidents again raised questions about Warner’s temperament but an Australia team spokesman confirmed the New South Wales batsman would be rejoining the squad in Manchester, northwest England, where the third Test starts on Thursday at Old Trafford. “We are travelling to Manchester today (Monday) and David Warner will link up with us there,” said team AFP spokesman Matt Cenin.
And in 1934 the second Test at Lord’s became known as ‘Verity’s Match’ after he took 15 for 104, including 14 wickets in a day and twice dismissed Australia’s Don Bradman, widely regarded as the greatest batsman international cricket has known. Verity had more success against Bradman than any other Test bowler, taking his wicket eight times in 17 Tests. Yet it wasn’t until he passed his 25th birthday that Verity made his debut for ‘White Rose’ Yorkshire, having honed his craft playing league cricket ‘across the border’ in Lancashire where he appeared for several clubs including Accrington, some 25 miles from the ‘Red Rose’ county’s Old Trafford base which will stage the third Ashes Test of the 2013 series later this week. Whereas current England left-arm spinner Monty Panesar reacts with all the disjointed fury of a hyperactive puppet whose strings have just been cut when he takes a wicket, Verity, in common with many players of his generation, was far more restrained. AFP
TUESDAY, JULY 30, 2013
sports
BOLTON’S HOLDEN OUT WITH TORN KNEE LIGAMENT US’ Stuart Holden was diagnosed with a torn right knee ligament on Monday, dimming some of the joy from the Americans’ victory over Panama in the Gold Cup final. US Soccer announced that Holden was found to have a torn anterior cruciate ligament and will consult Bolton and US Soccer doctors.
PREMIER LEAGUE PREVIEW
Teams pay for Asia tours
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NEW BEGINNING
At least two key players suffered injuries during friendlies held in Asia, that could see them miss the start of the Premier League season. PETER STEBBINGS Agence France-Presse HONG KONG: The Premier League’s top teams swarmed to Asia chasing the region’s growing wealth and unquenchable thirst for English football, but they go home counting the fitness costs. At least two key players — Jan Vertonghen of Spurs and Matija Nastasic of Manchester City — suffered injuries during friendlies that could see them miss the start of the season, which kicks off in under three weeks. Manchester United’s Wayne Rooney was in Bangkok for less than 24 hours when he sustained a hamstring injury in training and was immediately sent back to Britain for rehabilitation. He is at least expected back before the start of the season and is pencilled in for a return on August 6. Whether the England star, 27, is still a United man when
Tottenham Hotspur’s Jan Vertonghen is taken off the field on a stretcher after injuring his ankle during a Barclays Asia trophy semis match against Sunderland at Hong Kong stadium earlier this week. AFP/DALE DE LA REY
the season gets underway remains to be seen -- he is the subject of a big-money bid from title rivals Chelsea. United, the Premier League champions, say they do not want to sell.
Spurs manger Andre VillasBoas was in open revolt after seeing Vertonghen, a first-choice defender, pick up an ankle injury playing on a surface in Hong Kong that his Sunderland
counterpart Paolo Di Canio branded “a killer pitch”. “If I can be sincere, I would prefer not to play, but this is the reality that we have to face,” said the Portuguese on the eve of his side’s friendly against South China. After seeing his team hammer the hopelessly outclassed local side 6-0, Villas-Boas said that he was just relieved to get out without any more injuries. Hours later Manchester City manager Manuel Pellegrini found himself in the same boat when he lost first-pick centrehalf Nastasic, also at Hong Kong Stadium, where days of heavy rain had the players slipping and sliding dangerously. The young Serbian’s injury was caused by a kick to the ankle, said Pellegrini, refusing to blame the muddy pitch. Nastasic appeared to be in considerable pain as he was stretchered from the field in front of a 40,000 sell-out crowd.
OBITUARY
Ecuador striker dies suddenly: agent
QUITO: Ecuador striker Christian Benitez (in pic) has died suddenly in Qatar at the age of 27, his agent Jose Chamorro said on Monday. Speaking to Ecuadorian Gama TV, Chamorro claimed Benitez, known as “Chucho”, had suffered a heart-attack. He had complained of abdominal pains and was transferred to a hospital, where he died on Monday, Chamorro said. Benitez, who was top scorer in the Mexican league last sea-
Christian Benitez had complained of abdominal pains and was transferred to a hospital, where he died on Monday. son with Club America, had just signed for Qatari outfit El-Jaish and had travelled to the club to undergo a medical before completing his move.
El-Jaish said in a statement that Benitez played on Sunday with the team in a match against Qatar Sports Club in the Sheikh Jassem Cup “without complaining of any health problems.” “His sudden departure is a big shock for each member of the technical and administrative staff. He was a player that over the short period he was here was regarded for his high moral character,” it said. The club did not give a cause for the death. AFP
FOOTBALL BRIEFS Celtic can repeat Euro heroics says Lustig
Goalkeeper becomes Cardiff’s third signing
Former champions put European bids at stake
Orban rejects River Plate for Bordeaux
GLASGOW: Mikel Lustig admits Celtic are determined to prove last season’s run to the last 16 of the Champions League wasn’t a one-off. Neil Lennon’s team are preparing to host Swedish champs Elfsborg in the third qualifying round of this season’s competition on Wednesday after cruising past Northern Irish minnows Cliftonville in the last round.
CARDIFF: Highly-rated goalkeeper Simon Moore signed for Premier League newboys Cardiff City from League One outfit Brentford on Monday becoming their third signing since they won promotion. The 23-year-old is likely to fight with Joe Lewis for second choice spot behind present number one Scotland international David Marshall. AFP
PARIS: Former European champions PSV Eindhoven and Steaua Bucharest put their ambitions for the continental campaign on the line in midweek in the third and penultimate round of Champions League qualifying. The Dutch giants host Belgian outsiders Zulte Waregem in their League Route first leg tie on Tuesday. AFP
BUENOS AIRES: Argentine defender Lucas Orban signed for Ligue 1 side Bordeaux for $4.6million on Monday after turning down an offer from River Plate, who owned half the rights to him. The 24-yearold played for River Plate's Argentinian rivals Tigre, who bought half the rights to him two years ago when he joined them from River Plate. AFP
Young stars impress Moyes HONG KONG: Robin van Persie may have got the biggest cheer when he came on as a substitute in Manchester United’s 52 win in Hong Kong on Monday, but it was three youngsters who stood out. Adnan Januzaj, 18, and Jesse Lingard, 20, both climbed off the bench to score against local side Kitchee.
Adnan Januzaj, 18, Jesse Lingard, 20 and Wilfried Zaha, 20, impressed Manchester United manager David Moyes. That was the midfielder’s fourth goal on United’s pre-season tour of Asia and Australia and will add to his fast-burgeoning reputation. It also made him the Premier League champions’ top-scorer on tour. Wilfried Zaha, 20, also impressed in patches, especially in the first-half, and his clever reverse pass set up defender Fabio Da Silva to score in a comfortable win on a tricky pitch. United manager David Moyes (above) said he was delighted “A couple of the young boys doing well, Jesse Lingard and Adnan Januzaj, who I didn’t know as much about, and Wilfried Zaha, who has only just joined, have shown what they are capable of.” AFP
A couple of the young boys doing well, Jesse and Adnan , who I didn’t know as much about, and Wilfried Zaha, who has only just joined, have shown what they are capable of. David Moyes Man United manager