WEDNESDAY 15 FEBRUARY 2017

Can’t slap a person in real life: Pannu

COMMUNITY | 06 FOOD | 09 BOLLYWOOD | 11Jose George’s

‘musical evening’tomorrow

Shrimp cooked in romesco with wilted

spinach

Email: dohatoday@pen.com.qa

11COMM

‘m

P | 4-5

ALGORITHMS RUN THE WORLD

Every time you consult Facebook, Google or Twitter you are exposed to choices that algorithms calculate for us, and we are also sometimes influenced by them

CAMPUS WEDNESDAY 15 FEBRUARY 2017 03

Are you making your toddler an over-achiever? Beware! According to a new study, the increasing

academic stress on younger chil-dren is likely to be the reason behind the high prevalence of attention-deficit disorder.

Researchers from the Univer-sity of Miami in the US hypothesized that increased aca-demic standards since the 1970s have contributed to the rise in diagnosis of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

From time spent studying to enrolment rates in pre-primary programmes, everything had increased, and not surprisingly, in the past 40 years also saw ADHD diagnoses double, the study revealed. The results showed that from 1981 to 1997, time spent teaching three to five-year-olds letters and numbers increased 30 percent. Also, the percentage of young children enrolled in full-day programmes increased from 17 percent in 1970 to 58 percent in the mid-2000s. Further, six to eight-year-olds in 1997 saw time

spent on homework increase to more than two hours a week, when a decade earlier their peers were studying less than an hour.

“When we researched educa-tional and public policy literature for studies that documented time children spent on academic activ-ities, we were alarmed to find how substantially education had changed since the ‘70s,” said Jef-frey P. Brosco, professor at the University of Miami.

While ADHD is a neurobio-logical condition, it is influenced by age-dependent behaviours and

demands of the environment, the researchers noted.

As academic activities have increased, time for playing and leisure has decreased, resulting in some children being seen as outliers and ultimately being diag-nosed with ADHD. “We feel that the academic demands being put on young children are negatively affecting a portion of them,” Bro-sco added. “For example, beginning kindergarten a year early doubles the chance that a child will need medications for behavioural issues,” he said.

Adopting the right kind of style -- a mixture of restriction and auton-o m y - - i n decision-making may

help kids become smarter consum-ers when they turn adults, a study has found.

According to researchers from the University of Nebraska - Lin-coln in the US, there are four basic styles for controlling children-- authoritative, authoritarian, neglecting and indulgent -- that are linked to a variety of consumer socialisation processes.

Authoritative caring is more likely to tell children what they want them to do while also explain-ing why, which can be described as

“restrictive” and “warm” communication.

Here parents or teachers tend to relate quite effectively with their

children and expect them to act maturely and follow family rules, while also allowing a certain degree of autonomy.

On the other hand, authoritar-ian parents are restrictive and not likely to exhibit much warmth in their communication, said Les Carl-son, Professor at the University of Nebraska - Lincoln.

“They are more likely to tell a child what to do and not explain why,” Carlson added.

While neglecting teachers offer little guidance for their children’s development and limited monitor-ing of activities. Indulgent parents are lenient, compliant and give chil-dren adult rights without expecting them to take on responsibilities.

The findings, based on a meta-analysis of 73 studies, revealed that children of authoritative parents had the best outcomes when

interacting with the world around them.

‘Authoritatives’ also seem to be most effective in consumer social-isation activities and tendencies

regarding children, the research-ers said. Children of these parents seem to perform better than chil-dren of indulgent or neglecting parents.

Raise kids to be smart consumers

Academic stress spurs ADHD in children

COVER STORY WEDNESDAY 15 FEBRUARY 201704

AFP

Algorithms are a crucial cog in the mechanics of our digital world, but also a nosy minder of our personal lives and

a subtle, even insidious influence on our behaviour.

They have also come to sym-bolise the risks of a computerised world conditioned by commercial factors.

A gift from a scientist Long before they were associ-

ated with Google searches, Facebook pages and Amazon sug-gestions, algorithms were the brainchild of a Persian scientist.

The term is a combination of mediaeval Latin and the name of a ninth century mathematician and astronomer, Al Khwarizmi, consid-ered the father of algebra.

A bit like a kitchen recipe, an algorithm is a series of instructions that allows you to obtain a desired result, according to sociologist Dominique Cardon, who wrote

“What Algorithms Dream Of”.Initially known mainly to math-

ematicians, the term spread as computers developed.

The brains of computer pro-grammes are algorithms, and are thus a central cog in the internet machine.

Where are algorithms found? “We are literally surrounded by algorithms,” says Olivier Ertzsc-heid, a French professor of information technology and communication.

“Every time you consult Face-book, Google or Twitter you are exposed to choices” that algo-rithms calculate for us, and we are also sometimes influenced by them, he said.

They reign in the finance sec-tor, one example being high frequency trading programmes, which can execute trades in milli-seconds driven by algorithms that analyze a range of market and eco-nomic factors. Their speed and rule-based nature means they can make markets volatile and have triggered so-called flash crashes in the foreign exchange and stock markets.

Police forces increasingly use algorithms to predict where and when crimes are most likely to be committed. Predpol, a software programme, claims to have

contributed to double-digit drops in burglaries, robberies and vehi-cle theft in several US states and is also used in Kent, southern England.

Satellite tracking and surveillance would not have reached the point they are at today without sophisti-cated algorithms.

Algorithms: The managers of our digital lives

COVER STORYWEDNESDAY 15 FEBRUARY 2017 05How Google began In the 1990s, PageRank (PR)

was created in Stanford, California by Larry Page and Sergey Brin, Google’s co-founders.

PR made it possible to class web pages by order of popularity. It became the heart of the Google research engine, which responds to key words within a fraction of a second. In addition to PR, Google uses “a dozen algorithms... to deal with spam, detect copyright infrac-tions” and handle other crucial tasks, Ertzscheid explains.

Facebook and the ‘filter bubble’

Facebook uses sophisticated algorithms to offer its more than 1.8 billion users worldwide personal-ised content, in particular on its News Feed service which compiles messages from “friends”, and shares articles selected according to each users social media contacts.

One risk posed by such a sys-tem is that of “The Filter Bubble” according to Eli Pariser, who devel-oped the concept in a book of the same name. Being surrounded by

information filtered by algorithms based on one’s friends, tastes and previous digital searches and choices, someone surfing the inter-net can be plunged unwittingly into a “cognitive bubble” that just rein-forces their convictions and

perspective on the world.

Algorithms and the truth Another risk was exposed dur-

ing the last US presidential election -- the prevalence of so-called fake news or hoaxes on Facebook and

other social media. Facebook’s algorithms were not designed to distinguish true from false -- a feat that is difficult even for artificial intelligence -- but the popularity of information.

Facebook chief Mark Zucker-berg has sought to deflect criticism that it had been used to fuel the spread of misinformation that may have impacted the presidential race, but the company responded to growing criticism by saying new tools would be provided so users could call attention to controver-sial content.

Thinking for us? -Cardon says four main “fami-

lies” of web algorithms exist. One calculates the popularity of web pages, another assesses their authority within the digital com-munity, and a third evaluates the notoriety of social network users. The fourth attempts to predict the future.

This last one is “problematic” for the sociologist, because it tries to anticipate our future behaviour based on clues we have left on the internet in the past.

It shows up on Amazon for example as book recommendations based on past purchases.

“We build the calculators, but in return they build us” too, Cardon concluded.

COMMUNITY WEDNESDAY 15 FEBRUARY 201706

Seasoned Qatar-based singer Jose George will be hosting a two-hour musical extrav-aganza featuring a unique selection of

melodies from the repertoire of legendary play-back singer Dr K J Yesudas.

Titled ‘Indomie Gandhrava Geethangal’, the event will be held tomorrow at ICC Ashoka Hall from 6.30pm onwards. Entry to the event is free for all music lovers and enthusiasts. A group of 8 singers led by Jose George will enlighten the audience with a string of Yesu-das melody and semi-classical hits in Malayalam, Tamil and Hindi over a two-hour period. The 10-member orchestra team will include keyboard, guitar, violin, rhythm, tabla,

and flute specialists. “Dr K J Yesudas has been my singing inspiration all through my life. It has been my long cherished dream to host a programme in tribute of this legendary singer. I would like to thank each and everyone, espe-cially this program’s sponsors, for helping me to realise this dream,” said Jose George, a sing-ing veteran in the GCC region.

Over the years, Jose has been blessed to share the stage with major musical personal-ities like Sreekumaran Thampi, Sarath Chandra Varma, Sudheep Kumar, Kallara Gopan, Nis-hand, Kannoor Sherif, Erinjoli Moosa, Thajuddin Vadakaraand others in his advertising career that took him to Bahrain, UAE, Saudi Arabia

and presently Qatar. Prominent singers like Sharath, Shabith, Sunil Nair, Malini Gopaku-mar, Malini Balachandran, Neetha Subhir and Preethi Vinod will also be joining Jose in giv-ing voice to popular hits of Yesudas.

Jose George’s musical evening tomorrow

The Sri Lankan community in Qatar celebrated the 69th Independence Day (Nidahas-

Udanaya 2017) with a cultural programme on Friday at the Giwana Ballroom, Radisson Blu Hotel in Doha. The chief guest was K H C Sankapali, Charge d’ Affaires of the Embassy of Sri Lanka. The programme was organised by the Embassy of Sri Lanka in collaboration with Sri Lanka

Coordinating Committee Qatar. The programme began with a

welcoming ceremony of the chief guest, sponsors and invitees by the members of Chandana Wickramas-inghe and the Dancers Guild who were flown in from Sri Lanka for the celebrations, followed by the light-ing of the traditional oil lamp and unveiling of the souvenir to mark the occasion.

Sri Lankan community

marks Independence Day

Commercial Bank organised fun physical activities for staff on the occasion of National Sport Day, yesterday. A variety of team building activities have been organ-

ised by the Bank for its employees, including yoga classes for females and males, and also a cricket match. Many of Commercial Bank staff took part in the Qatar Central Bank (QCB) walking race, with a starting point at the QCB build-ing yard to the Ministry of Interior building and back. Commercial Bank CEO, Joseph Abraham, said: “Commercial Bank is proud to promote sports in Qatar in accordance with Qatar National Vision 2030 under the wise leadership of H H the Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani.”

Commercial Bank marks National Sport Day

CAMPUSWEDNESDAY 15 FEBRUARY 2017 07

Birla Public School celebrated Qatar National Sport Day with great exuberance enthu-

siasm and energy. A K Shrivastava, Principal,

Shirly Rappai, Sr. Vice-Principal, George Edison,Vice-Principal, headmistresses and other teaching and non-teaching staff inaugurated the Qatar National Sport Day with the school prayer followed by Qatar National Anthem.

Entire staff joined a ‘Health Walk’ organised as part of it. A vari-ety of games were also organised.

The Head of the Sports Depart-ment Thomas Bennet ensured 100% participation of all the staff present on the campus. Musical Chairs, Tug-of-War, Arm wrestling, Bas-ketball, Throw ball and Volleyball

were some of the highlights of the day.

The School has certainly

marked a day of fun, laughter and unity and was well accepted and enjoyed by one and all.

Here’s wishing our booming and prospering State of Qatar a very happy Qatar National Sport Day.

Birla Public School holds ‘Health Walk’

Mark Plus Education Centre in Al Sadd, which offers entrance coaching for pro-fessional courses like Medicine and

Engineering, is set to host a series of educational seminar on NEET (National Eligibility cum Entrance Test) from tomorrow onwards at Mark Plus location and other selected schools and com-munity centres in Doha.

NEET was introduced by CBSE for admission to professional course, MBBS and BDS in India. As per CBSE notification, this year the NEET is scheduled to be held on May 7. The resource per-son of the seminar is Dr P R V Venkitarman (PRV) (pictured), an educationalist and recognised expert in NEET.

PRV is a regular columnist in the Time of India and Malayalam Manorama on educational sub-jects and a ‘guru’ in career guidance and

counselling. Being a former HoD of the Depart-ment of Zoology in Mahatma University and a PhD holder, he has published many text books and science related articles .

An interactive session will be a part of the seminar at the end of each session. Students and their parents are welcome to attend the seminar. Entry to the venue is free. Details of venue and timings is available at Mark Plus office and one can contact at 70443392 or 44685878. Apart from offering coaching for NEET and JEE (Joint Entrance Exam for Engineering), Mark Plus undertakes entrance based foundation classes for secondary level students from standard 8. Mark Plus also conducts regular mock text for entrance aspir-ants. Currently Mark Plus through its free help desk service offers assistance to file on line appli-cation for NEET and KEAM.

Mark Plus to host seminars on Neet

LIFESTYLE WEDNESDAY 15 FEBRUARY 201708

There’s good news for career women. Overturning conventional wisdom, a new study suggests that delaying

pregnancy till age 35 can actually make your kids smarter.

In contrast to 40 years ago, children born to older mothers today are more likely to perform better in cognitive ability tests than those born to younger mothers, said the study published in the International Journal of Epidemiology

“Our research is the first to look at how the cognitive abilities of children born to older mothers have changed over time and what might be responsible for this shift,” said study lead author Alice Goisis, researcher at London School of Economics and Political Science.

This shift is due to the changing char-acteristics of women who have children at an older age, the study said.

Older mothers today tend to be more advantaged than younger mothers -- for example, they are well educated, are less likely to smoke during pregnancy and are established in professional occupations. This was not necessarily true in the past.

For the study, the researchers analysed data from three longitudinal studies in Brit-ain -- the 1958 National Child Development Study, the 1970 British Cohort Study and the 2001 Millennium Cohort Study.

Children’s cognitive ability was tested when they were 10/11 years old. In the 1958 and 1970 cohorts children born to mothers aged 25-29 scored higher than children born to mothers aged 35-39. In the 2001 cohort, this result was reversed. When the researchers took the mothers’ social and economic characteristics into account, the differences across cohorts disappeared.

Reuters

Debbie Harry, frontwoman of rock band Blondie, was crowned a fashion icon at

London’s Elle Style Awards, and she thanked her punk influences for defining her style.

“Coming from the punk point of view, which was very deconstruc-tionist, destructive, and disrespectful, you have to find something in yourself that makes you feel a lot of different ways,” she told Reuters at the red carpet event late Monday.

“So you have to feel beautiful, you have to feel comfortable.”

Harry, who attended the event with Blondie co-founder Chris Stein, playfully wore a crown designed by Vivienne Westwood, while pos-ing for photographers. Harry also wore a Westwood red suit with a black-and-white shirt and shoes.

Blondie, an American punk band famous for hits like “Heart of Glass” and “Call Me” in the late 1970s and early 1980s, is expected to release their 11th studio album,

“Pollinator”, in May.“It’s about the ongoing circle of

culture and how we all feed off of each other and I think at this par-ticular time...it’s very important to remember that. That we’re all so

deeply connected,” Harry said about the new album. British actress and United Nations Women Global Goodwill Ambassador Emma Watson was given the Woman of the Year award in recognition of her acting career and work for gender

equality. Other winners included French singer-songwriter Christine and the Queens, who won Album of the Year, and Christopher Bailey took home British Brand of the Year for Burberry. Erdem Moralioglu won British Designer of the Year.

Rock singer Debbie Harry

crowned Style Icon

Study shows kids born to older mothers are smarter

Women who prefer physically formida-ble and dominant mates (PPFDM) have a tendency to feel more at risk of crime

regardless of the situation or risk factors present, suggests a new research.

The research showed that women who are attracted to dominant men generally feel more at risk of being victimised, even when their risk of victimisation is actually low.

PPFDM appears to be associated with wom-en’s self-assessed vulnerability. Women with strong PPFDM feel relatively more at risk, fear-ful, and vulnerable to criminal victimisation compared to their counterparts, regardless of whether there are situational risk factors present, explained the researchers.

“Our research suggests that the relationship between feelings of vulnerability, as measured by fear of crime, and women’s preference for physically formidable and dominant mates is sta-ble, and does not update according to environmental circumstances or relative level of protection needed,” said Hannah Ryder, researcher from the University of Leicester in Britain.

Further, women’s fear of crime significantly changed in response to crime signals -- for exam-ple location and time of day -- and that overall fear of crime was related to PPFDM.

Women who prefer

dominant partner

more at risk of crime

FOODWEDNESDAY 15 FEBRUARY 2017 09

Tom Sietsema The Washington Post

As memorably as I’ve eaten away from home over the years, there’s no restaurant,

anywhere, that calls to me like Zuni Cafe in San Francisco, where for four glorious years in the 1990s I covered the food scene for the San Francisco Chronicle.

Judy Rodgers, Zuni’s longtime minder and chef, is mostly to thank for the many fond memories. Rodg-ers returned to the Bay Area in 1987 to take over the kitchen at Zuni Cafe. Beginning in 2000, she, her restau-rant and her cookbook went on to win top regional and national awards from the prestigious James Beard Foundation.

Shrimp Cooked in Romesco With Wilted Spinach

4 servingsAs Judy Rodgers noted in her

headnote for this recipe, the flavour of the sauce improves with a day’s refrigeration. Feel free to use the romesco for other seafood or a combination of shellfish.

We’ve streamlined a few steps, thanks to the availability of prepped ingredients that weren’t around 14 years ago. But be advised that the recipe does call for several pans.

MAKE AHEAD: The sauce needs to sit for 30 minutes (in the sauce-pan). The finished sauce can be refrigerated for up to 1 week.

Adapted from Rodgers’s “The Zuni Cafe Cookbook” (WW Norton, 2003).

IngredientsAbout 1 cup mild-tasting olive

oil, or as needed1 thick slice (1 1/2 ounces) chewy

white country bread, torn into sev-eral pieces

3 cloves garlic, crushed to a paste

1 dried ancho chili pepper, stemmed, seeded and soaked for 1 to 2 minutes in boiling water

1/2 ounce (about 2 tablespoons) blanched almonds

1 ounce (1/4 cup) skinned unsalted hazelnuts, toasted

1/2 cup drained, coarsely chopped fire-roasted tomatoes

1 teaspoon vinegar1 teaspoon Spanish smoked

paprika (pimenton), or more as needed

1/2 teaspoon mild paprika, or more as needed

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oilKosher salt1 cup no-salt-added chicken

broth, seafood stock, water or a combination

1/2 cup diced yellow onionAbout 1 1/4 pounds peeled,

deveined large or jumbo shrimp, preferably American wild-caught (tails on or off)

12 ounces fresh spinachWater (optional)

StepsFor the sauce: Line a plate with

paper towels. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

Pour the mild-tasting olive oil into a medium skillet to a depth of 1/2 inch; heat over medium heat. Use a small piece of bread to test the temperature; once the oil barely sizzles around the bread in the skil-let, add the rest of the bread. Fry for a total of 2 to 3 minutes, turning as needed, until golden on both sides.

Combine the garlic, the rehy-drated ancho chili pepper, the cooled fried bread pieces, almonds and hazelnuts in a food processor. Pulse to a moist paste, scraping down the sides of the bowl. Add the tomatoes and pulse a few times,

then add the vinegar, smoked paprika, mild paprika, 1/4 cup of the extra-virgin olive oil and a good pinch of salt; pulse just to combine, forming a thick sauce.

Taste, and add salt or paprika as needed.

Spread the sauce in a small, shallow baking dish; roast (middle rack) for about 8 minutes or until the surface has darkened, with occasional brown flecks.

Meanwhile, heat the broth, sea-food stock, water or combination of those liquids, plus the wine, in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Whisk in the just-browned romesco sauce base until well incorporated. Cover, and turn off the heat; let it sit for 30 minutes.

Heat 2 tablespoons of the extra-virgin olive oil in a large saute pan over medium heat. Once the oil shimmers, stir in the onion and a couple pinches of salt; cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasion-ally, until the onion is translucent.

Stir in the rested romesco sauce; once it has warmed through, add the shrimp and reduce the heat to medium-low. Cook gently for 6 to 7 minutes, turning the shrimp over, until they are opaque and cooked through.

Meanwhile, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium heat. Once the oil shimmers, add the spinach and season lightly with salt. Use tongs to turn the leaves until just wilted and bright green.

Divide the spinach among indi-vidual plates.

If the romesco sauce seems too thick to spoon over with the shrimp, stir in a little water. Spoon the shrimp and sauce over each por-tion of spinach. Serve right away.

Shrimp cooked in romesco with wilted spinach

LIFESTYLE WEDNESDAY 15 FEBRUARY 201710

IANS

While anti-ageing moistur-isers only go skin deep, reducing calorie con-

sumption can slow the ageing process at cellular level, suggests new research.

The study, published in the jour-nal Molecular & Cellular Proteomics, showed that when ribosomes -- the cell’s protein makers -- slow down, the ageing process slows too.

The decreased speed lowers production but gives ribosomes extra time to repair themselves.

“The ribosome is a very complex machine, sort of like your car, and it periodically needs maintenance to replace the parts that wear out the fastest,” said study senior author John Price, Professor at Brigham Young University in in Provo, Utah, US. So what causes ribosome

production to slow down in the first place? Reduced calorie consump-tion, show the results of the study tested in mice. Price and his fellow researchers observed two groups of mice. One group had unlimited access to food while the other was restricted to consume 35 per cent fewer calories, though still receiv-ing all the necessary nutrients for survival.“When you restrict calorie consumption, there’s almost a lin-ear increase in lifespan,” Price said.

“We inferred that the restriction caused real biochemical changes that slowed down the rate of age-ing,” he added. “The calorie-restricted mice are more energetic and suffered fewer dis-eases,” Price said.

“And it’s not just that they’re liv-ing longer, but because they’re better at maintaining their bodies, they’re younger for longer as well,”

he said. Despite this study’s observed connection between con-suming fewer calories and improved lifespan, Price assured that people should not start

counting calories and expect to stay forever young. Calorie restriction has not been tested in humans as an anti-ageing strategy, the researchers pointed out.

Researchers have found that a gene that controls food intake by trigger-ing a feeling of fullness could help

break the cycle of overeating and under-exercising, a study says.

The finding may lead to the develop-ment a drug that could help control obesity by reducing appetite and increasing the desire for exercise, according to the researchers.

In the study, published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the researchers reported discov-ery of the gene, encoding a transcription factor called ETS-5, which controls signals from the brain to the intestines.

The discovery of ETS-5 is the first time a gene regulatory molecule of this type, and potential drug target, has been implicated in the brain-intestinal control of eating and activity, said one of the researchers Roger Pocock, Associate Professor at Monash Uni-versity in Melbourne, Australia.

The researchers discovered the gene in worms, but they noted that a similar gene is found in people.

“The ETS family of genes is present in humans and has previously been linked to obesity regulation. Now that we’ve learned this gene family controls food intake through a feedback system to the brain, it represents a credible drug target for the treatment of obesity,” Pocock said.

The researchers studied Caenorhabdi-tis elegans, or the roundworm, because of the comparative simplicity of its brain -- it has just 302 neurons and 8,000 synapses, or neuron-to-neuron connections, all of which have been mapped.

A specific gene that plays a crucial role in ensuring DNA is copied correctly when cells divide and grow can cause growth

defects associated with a rare type of dwarf-ism, says a study.

“This research sheds new light on the mech-anisms underlying DNA replication, and the effect on human health when this process goes wrong,” said Grant Stewart from University of Birmingham in Britain. During the study, pub-lished today in Nature Genetics, the researchers looked at genetic information from more than 250 people around the world with micro-cephalic dwarfism, a group of disorders characterised by short stature and reduced head size.

They found that 29 of the individuals had faulty versions of a gene called DONSON.

Tests on cells growing in the laboratory revealed that this gene plays a crucial role in ensuring DNA is copied correctly when cells divide and grow. Cells from patients with muta-tions in the DONSON gene had difficulty in efficiently replicating their DNA and protect-ing it from uncontrolled damage, ultimately leading to the growth defects typical of micro-cephalic dwarfism.

Cutting down on calories can slow ageing

Gene controlling food intake could lead to obesity treatment

Gene blamed for growth

defects linked to dwarfism

BOLLYWOODWEDNESDAY 15 FEBRUARY 2017 11

IANS

Social awareness video “Hawa Badlo”, featuring Bollywood actors like Vivek Oberoi, Kalki

Koechlin, Swara Bhaskar, Vir Das and Govind Namdeo, will be screened at the International Film Festival of Prayag (IFFP) in

Allahabad. Directed by Karmik Varma, “Hawa Badlo” is a social awareness campaign that highlights the issue of air pollution and pub-lic behavior towards traffic police. The short film, due to its effective message, has been shortlisted for the festival.

Kalki said: I’m happy to hear

‘Hawa Badlo’ has been selected at IFFP and hope this selection brings more change in the air for all of us.”

B C Tripathi, Chairman and Managing Director, GAIL (India) Limited, said: “Air pollution has proved to be a growing menace in the last few years. Rising cases of respiratory diseases have made it

imperative that we choose a cor-rective path towards the future.

“Our daily choices affect the course of our tomorrow and switching to cleaner fuels like natural gas should be our first step towards changing the air. GAIL (India) Limited is glad to partner this much needed cause with ‘Hawa Badlo’.”

‘Hawa Badlo’ to be screened at Prayag film fest

IANS

Actor Hrithik Roshan has launched the trailer of Kunal Kapoor’s upcoming

film “Veeram” on online plat-forms like Facebook and Twitter. Kunal yesterday morning took to Twitter, where he announced that Hrithik will be unveiling the trailer of “Veeram”, a trilingual period drama. “Launching today on Facebook at 10 by Hrithik Roshan ‘Veeram,” Kunal tweeted on Tuesday morning.

Hrithik shared the link of the trailer on his official Facebook and Twitter page and called it

“incredible”. Kunal re-tweeted the “Kaabil” star’s post and thanked

him. “Veeram” is an adaptation of

legendary poet Shakespeare’s classic “Macbeth”. Set in 13th cen-tury Kerala, “Veeram” resuscitates the real life character made famous through folklore litera-ture and songs.

Sharing broad similarities with the rise and fall of Macbeth, the film spans the journey of Chandu (played by Kunal), a Kalaripayattu warrior who meets a tragic end as an outcome of betrayal.

Produced by Chandrakala Arts, “Veeram” has been shot in three different languages -- Hindi, English and Malayalam.

The film is directed by Jayaraj.

“Veeram” -- Jayaraj’s fifth in his Navarasa series after “Karunam”,

“Shantham”, “Bheebhatsa” and “Adbutham” -- has been shot in the scenic locales of the Ellora caves in Aurangabad, Fatehpur Sikri in Agra and in a few areas in Kerala.

Hrithik Roshan launches ‘Veeram’ trailer

Actress Shruti Haasan has been signed on to play the leading lady

in upcoming mega budget Tamil period drama “Sang-hamitra”, which will star Jayam Ravi and Arya in the lead and will roll from April.

“Shruti had recently fin-ished the paperwork and shea¿s quite excited to be part of the project. The mak-ers had several options but they eventually chose Shruti because they wanted some-one who is popular but at the same time can perform,” a source from the film’s unit said. The source further added that Shruti, who is basking in the success of Tamil actioner “SI3”, will commence shooting for

“Sanghamitra” from May onwards. The film is made on a budget of `150 crore. To be helmed by Sundar C and pro-duced by Sri Thenandal Films, the film will also be released in Telugu and Hindi.She can be seen doing daredevil

fighting scenes and breaking bones in films, but actress

Taapsee Pannu says in real life, she

cant even slap a person.Taapsee showcased her fight-

ing skills in “Baby” alongside Akshay Kumar. She will next be seen fighting her way in “The Ghazi Attack” and “Naam Shabana”.

Talking about it during a visit to IANS headquarters here, she said:

“Till now, whatever you have seen, like even though I can identify myself as Meenal Arora (character from ‘Pink’) in a lot of ways... I can-not even slap a person in real life, forget about fighting the way I do in films.” Taapsee, who is currently busy promoting her forthcoming film “Running Shaadi”, says this is the first film where she is totally in her comfort zone.

“This is my domain and have total control over it. I was chosen because I had to just come as myself on screen. It’s a blessing for an actor to portray a character that is everything like herself. I didn’t have to put in any kind of efforts in terms of accent, body language or style,” said Taapsee, whose char-acter exudes a carefree attitude.

“There were a lot of things that I spontaneously added in the film, which were retained in the end. It was the most comfortable charac-ter that I could portray on screen,” she added. Directed by Amit Roy,

“Running Shaadi”, which also fea-tures Amit Sadh, is slated to release on Friday.

Shruti Haasan to play lead in ‘Sanghamitra’

Can’t slap a person in real life: Pannu

HOLLYWOOD WEDNESDAY 15 FEBRUARY 201712

AFP

“The Lego Batman Movie” dominated “Fifty Shades Darker” in a battle of new

releases at North American box offices over the weekend, industry data showed.

The Warner Bros spinoff of the “Lego Movie” finished on top with $53m, against $46.6m for the sec-ond in the steamy franchise based on the novels of E L James, box office monitor Exhibitor Relations said. Featuring the voice of Will Arnett as the caped crusader, the new Lego offering is a 3D, compu-ter-generated comedy that follows

Batman as he tries to save Gotham City from being taken over by the Joker, voiced by Zach Galifianakis.

Third place went to “John Wick: Chapter 2,” debuting with a respect-able $30.4m in revenue. The thriller stars Keanu Reeves as a hit man forced out of retirement, who reluc-tantly agrees to repay a debt to a fellow hired killer with whom he has signed a blood oath -- ending up with a $7m bounty on his head.

“Split,” M Night Shyamalan’s thriller about a man with multiple personalities who abducts three teenage girls, dropped from first to fourth place in its fourth week in theaters, with weekend revenue of

$9.5m for a total of $112.5m since coming out. It was made on a budget of just $9m.

In fifth place was “Hidden Fig-ures,” Fox’s true-life story of three black women mathematicians who

helped Nasa put the first men in space. The comedy-drama, starring Taraji P. Henson, Octavia Spencer and Janelle Monae, took in $8m in its eighth week, for a cumulative total of $131.5m.

‘Lego Batman’ beats ‘Fifty

Shades Darker’ at box office

Is Beyonce too edgy for the music industry? Or do the Grammy Awards suffer from an underlying racial bias? The superstar’s fail-

ure to win top prizes is vexing her many admirers -- among them the night’s big winner Adele.

Beyonce had led the Grammy nominations with nine for “Lemonade,” her most daring album to date, which she crafted as a celebra-tion of the resilience of African American women.

But Beyonce, whose tour was one of the industry’s most lucrative in 2016, took only two awards on Sunday, again losing in the leading categories of Album and Record of the Year. Adele, whose blockbuster album “25” stuck to her trusted style of wrenching ballads, for the second time swept three top Grammys -- and she earned praise from Beyonce’s fans for say-ing that “Lemonade” deserved to win.

“My view is, kind of, what the fuck does she have to do to win Album of the Year?” Adele told reporters at the Los Angeles gala.

The English singer said that her black friends found “Lemonade” to be “empowering” and hailed Beyonce’s creativity for intertwining the album with a film.“Obviously the visual is very new and the Grammys are very traditional, but I just thought that this year would be the year that they would kind of go with the tide,” Adele said. Adele’s triumph comes a year after Kend-rick Lamar’s “To Pimp A Butterfly,” hailed as a hip-hop landmark and whose song “Alright” became an anthem of the Black Lives Matter movement, also lost to a best-seller, Taylor Swift’s “1989.” Frank Ocean chose not to even submit his follow-up, “Blonde,” for Grammy consideration.

Beyonce fails to break Grammy curse

Filmmaker Richard Linklater will be directing actor Robert Downey Jr. in a film based on

a real-life con man. The yet to be titled film is based on the episode

“Man of the People” from digital media company and podcast net-work Gimlet Media’s podcast Reply All, reports hollywoodreporter.com.

The podcast tells the true story of two doctors -- John Brinkley, who scammed his way to fame and for-tune using fake medicine, populism and radio, and Morris Fishbein, the editor of the Journal of the America Medical Association, who goes on a decade-long quest to take Brinkley down.

Ellison will produce for motion picture company Annapurna Pic-tures, with Downey Jr and Susan Downey under their Team Downey banner. Linklater will co-produce along with Gimlet Media. Downey will next be seen as Iron Man, in

“Spider-Man: Homecoming” and “Avengers: Infinity War”.

Robert Downey Jr to star in Linklater movie

TECHNOLOGYWEDNESDAY 15 FEBRUARY 2017 13

AFP

Dubai has tested a Chinese prototype of a self-driving hover-taxi, its transport authority said, with the aim of introducing the aerial vehi-cle in the emirate by July.

The test of the one-man electric vehicle comes as the city state in the United Arab Emir-ates seeks to ensure a quarter of its means of transport are self-driving by 2030.

The EHang 184 can travel on a programmed course at 100km an hour (60mph) at an altitude of 300 metres, the authority said in a statement. A passenger simply needs to select a destination for the autonomous taxi to take off, fly the route and touch down in the chosen spot monitored by a ground control centre, it said.

The vehicle, made by Chinese drone manu-facturer EHang, can recharge in two hours and make trips of up to 30 minutes.

“The autonomous aerial vehicle exhibited at the World Government Summit is not just a model,” authority head Mattar al-Tayer said. “We have already experimented (with) the vehicle in a flight in (the) Dubai sky,” he said in English. The authority was “making every effort to start

the operation of the autonomous aerial vehicle in July 2017” to help reduce traffic congestion, Tayer said.

The quadcopter is powered by eight propel-lers, the authority said. It has highly accurate sensors and can resist extreme temperatures, it said. The emirate is known for its scorching

summers. In November, Dubai agreed a deal with US startup Hyperloop One to study the con-struction of a near-supersonic transport link to the Emirati capital Abu Dhabi. Home to Burj Kha-lifa, the world’s tallest tower, Dubai is a leading tourist destination in the Gulf, attracting a record 14.9 million visitors in 2016.

Dubai aims to launch hover-taxi by July

Intech DMLS, a metal printing firm, is in the process of developing a series of micro and small jet engines to power

unmanned aerial vehicles and remote con-trolled small aircraft. The company will display engine developed in the private sector at the ongoing Aero India in the Kar-nataka capital.

“We have developed four engines with thrusts of 20kg-force (kgf), 40kgf and 100kgf and a small engine with thrust of 350kgf,” Sridhar Balaram, Managing Direc-tor, Intech DMLS, said yesterday.

“Development of gas turbine-based jet and shaft power engines is a challenging task. We have brought together the exper-tise of specialist engineers to develop unique and modern engine. “The team has been working feverishly in the recent months to ensure that engine development is on the right track and ready for display

at Aero India 2017. We hope to tap both domestic and international markets vis-a-vis our products,” he added.

As for how Intech took to developing jet engines, Sridhar said: “We have been involved in engine development pro-gramme with the Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd, wherein we contributed over 30 per cent of the critical components.” HAL is developing HTFE-25 (Hindustan Turbo Fan Engine), which has a thrust of 25 kN.

A smartphone app that records bumps, bangs and vibration data on trains has the potential to improve train ride com-

fort and railway safety, says a study.The findings, published in the journal Fron-

tiers in Built Environment, showed that accelerometers found in modern smartphones are good enough to be used in measuring ride comfort.

“Our research opens the door for many opportunities, allowing passengers to provide instant feedback on the comfort of their jour-ney and equipping railway companies with information they can use to further improve ride comfort for passengers,” said Sakdirat Kaewunruen from University of Birmingham in Britain.

“There is also potential for this technology to be used to detect track faults and indicate which sections of track are in need of mainte-nance, possibly saving on maintenance costs and improving the safety of the railway,” Kaewunruen pointed out.

Intech DMLS developing micro engines for drones

Smartphone app to improve rail safety

BABY BLUES

HAGAR THE HORRIBLE

Jolly LLB addresses many issues; terrorism, corruption, government

officials’ apathy and does a fair job of it, Director- Subhash Kapoor

Starring- Akshay Kumar and Huma QureshiNote: Programme is subject to change without prior notice.

JOLLY LLB 2

NOVO - Pearl ROYAL PLAZA

ASIAN TOWN

MALL

LANDMARK

John Wick 2 (2D/Action) 10:30, 11:00, 11:30am, 1:00, 1:30, 2:00, 3:30, 4:00, 4:30, 6:00, 6:30, 7:00, 8:30, 9:00, 9:30, 11:00pm & 12:00midnightRings 3 (2D/Drama) 10:30am, 3:00, 7:30, 11:30pm & 12:00midnightKung Fu Yoga (2D/Action) 12:40, 5:10 & 9:40pmHeartbeats (2D/Romantic) 10:30am, 3:00, 7:30pm & 12:00midnightThe Space Between Us (2D/Adventure) 12:40, 5:10 & 9:40pmEl Karmouty (2D/Arabic) 11:00am, 3:20, 7:40pm & 12:00midnight Split (2D/Thriller) 1:00, 5:20 & 9:40pm La La Land (2D/Musical) 11:00am, 2:40, 7:20pm & 12:00midnightXXX: The Return of Xander Cage (2D/Action) 12:30, 5:10 & 9:50pm Live By Night (2D/Crime) 10:00am, 3:20 & 8:40pm Jolly LLB 2 (2D/Hindi) 12:30, 5:50 & 11:15pmThe Lego Batman (3D IMAX/Animation) 10:00am, 12:10, 2:20, 4:30, 6:40, 8:50 & 11:00pm 2D 10:30am, 12:40, 2:50, 5:00, 7:10, 9:20 & 11:30pm

Balu Mahi (2D/Romantic) 2:00pm Singam 3 (2D/Tamil) 2:15, 7:00 & 11:00pm The Lego Batman (2D/Animation) 2:30, 4:30 & 6:30pmThe Space Between Us (2D/Adventure) 4:45pm Heartbeats (2D/Romantic) 5:00pm John Wick 2 (2D/Action) 7:00 & 11:30pm Jolly LLB 2 (2D/Hindi) 8:30pm Kung Fu Yoga (2D/Action) 9:15pmRings 3 (2D/Drama) 9:45pm

Singam 3 (2D/Tamil) 2:15, 6:45 & 11:15pm Special Show 5:30pmThe Lego Batman (2D/Animation) 2:30 & 4:30pmThe Space Between Us (2D/Adventure) 2:00pm Jolly LLB 2 (2D/Hindi) 6:30 & 11:15pm John Wick 2 (2D/Action) 4:45, 9:00 & 11:30pm Balu Mahi (2D/Romantic) 8:45pm Rings 3 (2D/Drama) 9:30pm

Jolly LLB 2 (2D/Hindi) 2:00 & 11:15pm Singam 3 (2D/Tamil) 4:30, 6:00 & 10:45pmThe Lego Batman (2D/Animation) 2:00, 4:00 & 7:15pmThe Space Between Us (2D/Adventure) 5:00pm Kung Fu Yoga (2D/Action) 7:00pm Balu Mahi (2D/Romantic) 2:15pm Heartbeats (2D/Romantic) 9:00pm John Wick 2 (2D/Action) 9:00 & 11:00pm Rings 3 (2D/Drama) 9:00pm

Singam 3 6:00, 7:00, 9:00 & 10:00pm Jolly LLB 2 (2D/Hindi) 6:15pmJomonte (Malayalam) 6:15 & 9:15pm

WEDNESDAY 15 FEBRUARY 2017

VILLAGGIO & CITY CENTER

CINEMA PLUS14

AL KHORSingam 3 11:00am, 2:00, 5:00, 8:00 & 11:00pm Jolly LLB 2 12:30, 3:15, 6:00, 8:45 &

11:30pm Jo Monte 11:15am, 5:15 & 11:15pm Balu Mahi 2:15 & 8:15pm

ROXYThe Lego Batman 2:00, 4:15 & 6:30pm Singam 3 2:00, 5:00, 8:00, 8:30, 11:00, 11:15pm & 12:00midnight John Wick 2 (2D/Action) 2:00, 4:30, 7:00 & 9:30pm

CROSSWORD CONCEPTIS SUDOKU

ALL IN THE MIND

7:30 The Stream8:30 The Listening

Post9:00 The Caliph10:00 News10:30 Inside Story11:30 The Stream12:00 News12:30 Rewind13:00 NEWSHOUR14:00 News14:30 Inside Story15:00 Al Jazeera World16:00 NEWSHOUR17:00 News17:30 The Stream18:00 newsgrid19:00 News19:30 Witness20:00 News20:30 Inside Story21:00 NEWSHOUR22:00 News22:30 The Stream23:00 Witness

14:05 Star Darlings

14:10 Austin & Ally

14:35 Jessie15:00 Bunk’d17:40 Girl Meets

World18:05 Bizaardvark18:30 Bunk’d18:55 Best

Friends Whenever

19:20 Disney Mickey Mouse

19:25 The Next Step

19:50 Austin & Ally20:15 Star Darlings20:20 Shake It Up20:45 Backstage21:10 Liv And

Maddie21:35 Cracke21:40 The Next Step

10:10 Call Of The Wildman

10:35 Call Of The Wildman

11:05 Tanked12:55 Bondi Vet13:50 Catching

Monsters14:45 Gator Boys15:40 Call Of The

Wildman16:05 Call Of The

Wildman16:35 Tanked17:30 River

Monsters20:15 Tanked21:10 Call Of The

Wildman21:35 Call Of The

Wildman23:00 Insane

Pools: Off The Deep End

06:50 Misfit Garage

07:40 Fast N’ Loud

09:20 Auction Hunters

10:10 How Do They Do It?

13:05 How Do They Do It?

13:30 Auction Hunters

14:20 Alaska: The Last Frontier

18:30 How Do They Do It?

19:20 Running Wild With Bear Grylls

20:10 Auction Hunters

20:35 Auction Hunters

21:00 Blowing Up History

King Features Syndicate, Inc.

BRAIN TEASERSWEDNESDAY 15 FEBRUARY 2017 15

Yesterday’s answer

Conceptis Sudoku: Conceptis Sudoku

is a number-placing puzzle based on a

9×9 grid. The object is to place the

numbers 1 to 9 in the empty squares so

that each row, each column and each

3×3 box contains the same number

only once.

ARGON, ARSENIC, BARIUM,

BORON, BROMINE, CADMIUM,

CALCIUM, CARBON, CHLORINE,

CHROMIUM, COBALT, COPPER,

FLUORINE, GOLD, HYDROGEN,

IODINE, IRON, KRYPTON, LEAD,

LITHIUM, MAGNESIUM,

MANGANESE, MERCURY, NEON,

NICKEL, NITROGEN, OXYGEN,

PLATINUM, PLUTONIUM,

RADIUM, RADON, SILICON,

SILVER, SODIUM, STRONTIUM,

TITANIUM, TUNGSTEN, URANIUM,

XENON, ZINC.