WEDNESDAY 15 FEBRUARY 2017

COMMUNITYCOMM | 06 FOOD | 09 BOLLYWOOD | 1111 Jose George’s Shrimp cooked in Can’t slap a ‘m‘musical evening’ romesco with wilted person in real tomorrow spinach life: Pannu Email: [email protected]

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 P | 4-5

ALGORITHMS RUN THE WORLD

03 WEDNESDAY 15 FEBRUARY 2017 CAMPUS Raise kids to be smart consumers

dopting the right kind children and expect them to act of style -- a mixture of maturely and follow family rules, restriction and auton- while also allowing a certain degree omy -- in of autonomy. decision-making may On the other hand, authoritar- Ahelp kids become smarter consum- ian parents are restrictive and not ers when they turn adults, a study likely to exhibit much warmth in has found. their communication, said Les Carl- According to researchers from son, Professor at the University of the University of Nebraska - Lin- Nebraska - Lincoln. coln in the US, there are four basic “They are more likely to tell a styles for controlling children-- child what to do and not explain authoritative, authoritarian, why,” Carlson added. neglecting and indulgent -- that are While neglecting teachers offer linked to a variety of consumer little guidance for their children’s socialisation processes. development and limited monitor- Authoritative caring is more ing of activities. Indulgent parents likely to tell children what they are lenient, compliant and give chil- want them to do while also explain- dren adult rights without expecting ing why, which can be described as them to take on responsibilities. interacting with the world around regarding children, the research- “restrictive” and “warm” The findings, based on a meta- them. ers said. Children of these parents communication. analysis of 73 studies, revealed that ‘Authoritatives’ also seem to be seem to perform better than chil- Here parents or teachers tend children of authoritative parents most effective in consumer social- dren of indulgent or neglecting to relate quite effectively with their had the best outcomes when isation activities and tendencies parents. Academic stress spurs ADHD in children re you making your From time spent studying to spent on homework increase to demands of the environment, the toddler an over- enrolment rates in pre-primary more than two hours a week, researchers noted. achiever? Beware! programmes, everything had when a decade earlier their peers As academic activities have According to a new increased, and not surprisingly, in were studying less than an hour. increased, time for playing and study, the increasing the past 40 years also saw ADHD “When we researched educa- leisure has decreased, resulting Aacademic stress on younger chil- diagnoses double, the study tional and public policy literature in some children being seen as dren is likely to be the reason revealed. The results showed that for studies that documented time outliers and ultimately being diag- behind the high prevalence of from 1981 to 1997, time spent children spent on academic activ- nosed with ADHD. “We feel that attention-deficit disorder. teaching three to five-year-olds ities, we were alarmed to find how the academic demands being put Researchers from the Univer- letters and numbers increased 30 substantially education had on young children are negatively sity of Miami in the US percent. Also, the percentage of changed since the ‘70s,” said Jef- affecting a portion of them,” Bro- hypothesized that increased aca- young children enrolled in full- frey P. Brosco, professor at the sco added. “For example, demic standards since the 1970s day programmes increased from University of Miami. beginning kindergarten a year have contributed to the rise in 17 percent in 1970 to 58 percent While ADHD is a neurobio- early doubles the chance that a diagnosis of attention-deficit in the mid-2000s. Further, six to logical condition, it is influenced child will need medications for hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). eight-year-olds in 1997 saw time by age-dependent behaviours and behavioural issues,” he said. 04 COVER STORY WEDNESDAY 15 FEBRUARY 2017

Algorithms: The managers of our digital lives

AFP The brains of computer pro- contributed to double-digit drops Satellite tracking and surveillance grammes are algorithms, and are in burglaries, robberies and vehi- would not have reached the point lgorithms are a crucial thus a central cog in the internet cle theft in several US states and is they are at today without sophisti- cog in the mechanics of machine. also used in Kent, southern England. cated algorithms. our digital world, but also a nosy minder of Where are algorithms found? our personal lives and “We are literally surrounded by Aa subtle, even insidious influence algorithms,” says Olivier Ertzsc- on our behaviour. heid, a French professor of They have also come to sym- information technology and bolise the risks of a computerised communication. world conditioned by commercial “Every time you consult Face- factors. book, Google or Twitter you are exposed to choices” that algo- A gift from a scientist rithms calculate for us, and we are Long before they were associ- also sometimes influenced by them, ated with Google searches, he said. Facebook pages and Amazon sug- They reign in the finance sec- gestions, algorithms were the tor, one example being high brainchild of a Persian scientist. frequency trading programmes, The term is a combination of which can execute trades in milli- mediaeval Latin and the name of a seconds driven by algorithms that ninth century mathematician and analyze a range of market and eco- astronomer, Al Khwarizmi, consid- nomic factors. Their speed and ered the father of algebra. rule-based nature means they can A bit like a kitchen recipe, an make markets volatile and have algorithm is a series of instructions triggered so-called flash crashes that allows you to obtain a desired in the foreign exchange and stock result, according to sociologist markets. Dominique Cardon, who wrote Police forces increasingly use “What Algorithms Dream Of”. algorithms to predict where and Initially known mainly to math- when crimes are most likely to be ematicians, the term spread as committed. Predpol, a software computers developed. programme, claims to have 05 WEDNESDAY 15 FEBRUARY 2017 COVER STORY

How 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 information filtered by algorithms perspective on the world. other social media. Facebook’s contacts. based on one’s friends, tastes and algorithms were not designed to One risk posed by such a sys- previous digital searches and Algorithms and the truth distinguish true from false -- a feat tem is that of “The Filter Bubble” choices, someone surfing the inter- Another risk was exposed dur- that is difficult even for artificial according to Eli Pariser, who devel- net can be plunged unwittingly into ing the last US presidential election intelligence -- but the popularity of oped the concept in a book of the a “cognitive bubble” that just rein- -- the prevalence of so-called fake information. same name. Being surrounded by forces their convictions and news or hoaxes on Facebook and 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. 06 COMMUNITY WEDNESDAY 15 FEBRUARY 2017 Jose George’s musical evening tomorrow

easoned Qatar-based singer Jose George and flute specialists. “Dr K J Yesudas has been will be hosting a two-hour musical extrav- my singing inspiration all through my life. It Saganza featuring a unique selection of has been my long cherished dream to host a melodies from the repertoire of legendary play- programme in tribute of this legendary singer. back singer Dr K J Yesudas. I would like to thank each and everyone, espe- Titled ‘Indomie Gandhrava Geethangal’, the cially this program’s sponsors, for helping me event will be held tomorrow at ICC Ashoka Hall to realise this dream,” said Jose George, a sing- from 6.30pm onwards. Entry to the event is ing veteran in the GCC region. free for all music lovers and enthusiasts. A Over the years, Jose has been blessed to group of 8 singers led by Jose George will share the stage with major musical personal- enlighten the audience with a string of Yesu- ities like Sreekumaran Thampi, Sarath Chandra and presently Qatar. Prominent singers like das melody and semi-classical hits in Varma, Sudheep Kumar, Kallara Gopan, Nis- Sharath, Shabith, Sunil Nair, Malini Gopaku- Malayalam, Tamil and Hindi over a two-hour hand, Kannoor Sherif, Erinjoli Moosa, Thajuddin mar, Malini Balachandran, Neetha Subhir and period. The 10-member orchestra team will Vadakaraand others in his advertising career Preethi Vinod will also be joining Jose in giv- include keyboard, guitar, violin, rhythm, tabla, that took him to Bahrain, UAE, Saudi Arabia ing voice to popular hits of Yesudas. Commercial Bank marks National Sport Day

ommercial Bank organised fun physical activities for staff on the occasion of National Sport Day, yesterday. CA 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.” Sri Lankan community marks Independence Day

he Sri Lankan community in Coordinating Committee Qatar. Qatar celebrated the 69th The programme began with a TIndependence Day (Nidahas- welcoming ceremony of the chief Udanaya 2017) with a cultural guest, sponsors and invitees by the programme on Friday at the Giwana members of Chandana Wickramas- Ballroom, Radisson Blu Hotel in Doha. inghe and the Dancers Guild who The chief guest was K H C Sankapali, were flown in from Sri Lanka for the Charge d’ Affaires of the Embassy of celebrations, followed by the light- Sri Lanka. The programme was ing of the traditional oil lamp and organised by the Embassy of Sri unveiling of the souvenir to mark the Lanka in collaboration with Sri Lanka occasion. 07 WEDNESDAY 15 FEBRUARY 2017 CAMPUS Birla Public School holds ‘Health Walk’

irla Public School celebrated Qatar National Sport Day Bwith 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, were some of the highlights of the marked a day of fun, laughter and Here’s wishing our booming and Tug-of-War, Arm wrestling, Bas- day. unity and was well accepted and prospering State of Qatar a very ketball, Throw ball and Volleyball The School has certainly enjoyed by one and all. happy Qatar National Sport Day. Mark Plus to host seminars on Neet

ark Plus Education Centre in Al Sadd, counselling. Being a former HoD of the Depart- which offers entrance coaching for pro- ment of Zoology in Mahatma University and a Mfessional courses like Medicine and PhD holder, he has published many text books Engineering, is set to host a series of educational and science related articles . seminar on NEET (National Eligibility cum An interactive session will be a part of the Entrance Test) from tomorrow onwards at Mark seminar at the end of each session. Students and Plus location and other selected schools and com- their parents are welcome to attend the seminar. munity centres in Doha. Entry to the venue is free. Details of venue and NEET was introduced by CBSE for admission timings is available at Mark Plus office and one to professional course, MBBS and BDS in India. can contact at 70443392 or 44685878. Apart from As per CBSE notification, this year the NEET is offering coaching for NEET and JEE (Joint Entrance scheduled to be held on May 7. The resource per- Exam for Engineering), Mark Plus undertakes son of the seminar is Dr P R V Venkitarman (PRV) entrance based foundation classes for secondary (pictured), an educationalist and recognised level students from standard 8. Mark Plus also expert in NEET. conducts regular mock text for entrance aspir- PRV is a regular columnist in the Time of India ants. Currently Mark Plus through its free help and Malayalam Manorama on educational sub- desk service offers assistance to file on line appli- jects and a ‘guru’ in career guidance and cation for NEET and KEAM. 08 LIFESTYLE WEDNESDAY 15 FEBRUARY 2017 Rock singer Debbie Harry crowned Style Icon Reuters Harry, who attended the event with Blondie co-founder Chris Stein, ebbie Harry, frontwoman of playfully wore a crown designed rock band Blondie, was by Vivienne Westwood, while pos- Dcrowned a fashion icon at ing for photographers. Harry also London’s Elle Style Awards, and she wore a Westwood red suit with a thanked her punk influences for black-and-white shirt and shoes. defining her style. Blondie, an American punk “Coming from the punk point of band famous for hits like “Heart of view, which was very deconstruc- Glass” and “Call Me” in the late tionist, destructive, and 1970s and early 1980s, is expected disrespectful, you have to find to release their 11th studio album, deeply connected,” Harry said equality. Other winners included something in yourself that makes “Pollinator”, in May. about the new album. British French singer-songwriter Christine you feel a lot of different ways,” she “It’s about the ongoing circle of actress and United Nations Women and the Queens, who won Album told Reuters at the red carpet event culture and how we all feed off of Global Goodwill Ambassador Emma of the Year, and Christopher Bailey late Monday. each other and I think at this par- Watson was given the Woman of took home British Brand of the Year “So you have to feel beautiful, ticular time...it’s very important to the Year award in recognition of her for Burberry. Erdem Moralioglu you have to feel comfortable.” remember that. That we’re all so acting career and work for gender won British Designer of the Year. Women who prefer Study shows kids born to dominant partner older mothers are smarter more at risk of crime

omen who prefer physically formida- here’s good news for career women. ble and dominant mates (PPFDM) have Overturning conventional wisdom, a Wa tendency to feel more at risk of crime Tnew study suggests that delaying regardless of the situation or risk factors present, pregnancy till age 35 can actually make your suggests a new research. kids smarter. The research showed that women who are In contrast to 40 years ago, children attracted to dominant men generally feel more born to older mothers today are more likely at risk of being victimised, even when their risk to perform better in cognitive ability tests of victimisation is actually low. than those born to younger mothers, said PPFDM appears to be associated with wom- the study published in the International en’s self-assessed vulnerability. Women with Journal of Epidemiology strong PPFDM feel relatively more at risk, fear- “Our research is the first to look at how ful, and vulnerable to criminal victimisation the cognitive abilities of children born to compared to their counterparts, regardless of older mothers have changed over time and For the study, the researchers analysed whether there are situational risk factors present, what might be responsible for this shift,” data from three longitudinal studies in Brit- explained the researchers. said study lead author Alice Goisis, ain -- the 1958 National Child Development “Our research suggests that the relationship researcher at London School of Economics Study, the 1970 British Cohort Study and between feelings of vulnerability, as measured and Political Science. the 2001 Millennium Cohort Study. by fear of crime, and women’s preference for This shift is due to the changing char- Children’s cognitive ability was tested physically formidable and dominant mates is sta- acteristics of women who have children at when they were 10/11 years old. In the 1958 ble, and does not update according to an older age, the study said. and 1970 cohorts children born to mothers environmental circumstances or relative level of Older mothers today tend to be more aged 25-29 scored higher than children born protection needed,” said Hannah Ryder, advantaged than younger mothers -- for to mothers aged 35-39. In the 2001 cohort, researcher from the University of Leicester in example, they are well educated, are less this result was reversed. When the Britain. likely to smoke during pregnancy and are researchers took the mothers’ social and Further, women’s fear of crime significantly established in professional occupations. This economic characteristics into account, the changed in response to crime signals -- for exam- was not necessarily true in the past. differences across cohorts disappeared. ple location and time of day -- and that overall fear of crime was related to PPFDM. 09 WEDNESDAY 15 FEBRUARY 2017 FOOD Shrimp cooked in romesco with wilted spinach Tom Sietsema then add the vinegar, smoked The Washington Post paprika, mild paprika, 1/4 cup of the extra-virgin olive oil and a good s memorably as I’ve eaten pinch of salt; pulse just to combine, away from home over the forming a thick sauce. Ayears, there’s no restaurant, Taste, and add salt or paprika anywhere, that calls to me like Zuni as needed. Cafe in San Francisco, where for Spread the sauce in a small, four glorious years in the 1990s I shallow baking dish; roast (middle covered the food scene for the San rack) for about 8 minutes or until Francisco Chronicle. the surface has darkened, with Judy Rodgers, Zuni’s longtime occasional brown flecks. minder and chef, is mostly to thank Meanwhile, heat the broth, sea- for the many fond memories. Rodg- food stock, water or combination ers returned to the Bay Area in 1987 of those liquids, plus the wine, in a to take over the kitchen at Zuni Cafe. medium saucepan over medium- Beginning in 2000, she, her restau- low heat. Whisk in the just-browned rant and her cookbook went on to romesco sauce base until well win top regional and national incorporated. Cover, and turn off awards from the prestigious James the heat; let it sit for 30 minutes. Beard Foundation. Heat 2 tablespoons of the extra- virgin olive oil in a large saute pan Shrimp Cooked in white country bread, torn into sev- deveined large or jumbo shrimp, over medium heat. Once the oil Romesco With Wilted eral pieces preferably American wild-caught shimmers, stir in the onion and a Spinach 3 cloves garlic, crushed to a (tails on or off) couple pinches of salt; cook for 4 servings paste 12 ounces fresh spinach about 5 minutes, stirring occasion- As Judy Rodgers noted in her 1 dried ancho chili pepper, Water (optional) ally, until the onion is translucent. headnote for this recipe, the flavour stemmed, seeded and soaked for 1 Stir in the rested romesco sauce; of the sauce improves with a day’s to 2 minutes in boiling water Steps once it has warmed through, add refrigeration. Feel free to use the 1/2 ounce (about 2 tablespoons) For the sauce: Line a plate with the shrimp and reduce the heat to romesco for other seafood or a blanched almonds paper towels. Preheat the oven to medium-low. Cook gently for 6 to combination of shellfish. 1 ounce (1/4 cup) skinned 425 degrees. 7 minutes, turning the shrimp over, We’ve streamlined a few steps, unsalted hazelnuts, toasted Pour the mild-tasting olive oil until they are opaque and cooked thanks to the availability of prepped 1/2 cup drained, coarsely into a medium skillet to a depth of through. ingredients that weren’t around 14 chopped fire-roasted tomatoes 1/2 inch; heat over medium heat. Meanwhile, heat the remaining years ago. But be advised that the 1 teaspoon vinegar Use a small piece of bread to test 2 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive recipe does call for several pans. 1 teaspoon Spanish smoked the temperature; once the oil barely oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium MAKE AHEAD: The sauce needs paprika (pimenton), or more as sizzles around the bread in the skil- heat. Once the oil shimmers, add to sit for 30 minutes (in the sauce- needed let, add the rest of the bread. Fry for the spinach and season lightly with pan). The finished sauce can be 1/2 teaspoon mild paprika, or a total of 2 to 3 minutes, turning as salt. Use tongs to turn the leaves refrigerated for up to 1 week. more as needed needed, until golden on both sides. until just wilted and bright green. Adapted from Rodgers’s “The 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil Combine the garlic, the rehy- Divide the spinach among indi- Zuni Cafe Cookbook” (WW Norton, Kosher salt drated ancho chili pepper, the vidual plates. 2003). 1 cup no-salt-added chicken cooled fried bread pieces, almonds If the romesco sauce seems too Ingredients broth, seafood stock, water or a and hazelnuts in a food processor. thick to spoon over with the shrimp, About 1 cup mild-tasting olive combination Pulse to a moist paste, scraping stir in a little water. Spoon the oil, or as needed 1/2 cup diced yellow onion down the sides of the bowl. Add the shrimp and sauce over each por- 1 thick slice (1 1/2 ounces) chewy About 1 1/4 pounds peeled, tomatoes and pulse a few times, tion of spinach. Serve right away. 10 LIFESTYLE WEDNESDAY 15 FEBRUARY 2017 Cutting down on calories can slow ageing

IANS production to slow down in the first place? Reduced calorie consump- hile anti-ageing moistur- tion, show the results of the study isers only go skin deep, tested in mice. Price and his fellow Wreducing calorie con- researchers observed two groups sumption can slow the ageing of mice. One group had unlimited process at cellular level, suggests access to food while the other was new research. restricted to consume 35 per cent The study, published in the jour- fewer calories, though still receiv- nal Molecular & Cellular Proteomics, ing all the necessary nutrients for showed that when ribosomes -- the survival.“When you restrict calorie cell’s protein makers -- slow down, consumption, there’s almost a lin- the ageing process slows too. ear increase in lifespan,” Price said. The decreased speed lowers “We inferred that the restriction production but gives ribosomes caused real biochemical changes extra time to repair themselves. that slowed down the rate of age- “The ribosome is a very complex ing,” he added. “The machine, sort of like your car, and calorie-restricted mice are more it periodically needs maintenance energetic and suffered fewer dis- to replace the parts that wear out eases,” Price said. he said. Despite this study’s counting calories and expect to stay the fastest,” said study senior author “And it’s not just that they’re liv- observed connection between con- forever young. Calorie restriction John Price, Professor at Brigham ing longer, but because they’re suming fewer calories and has not been tested in humans as Young University in in Provo, Utah, better at maintaining their bodies, improved lifespan, Price assured an anti-ageing strategy, the US. So what causes ribosome they’re younger for longer as well,” that people should not start researchers pointed out.

Gene controlling food intake Gene blamed for growth could lead to obesity treatment defects linked to dwarfism specific gene that plays a crucial role in esearchers have found that a gene ensuring DNA is copied correctly when that controls food intake by trigger- A cells divide and grow can cause growth Ring a feeling of fullness could help defects associated with a rare type of dwarf- break the cycle of overeating and under- ism, says a study. exercising, a study says. “This research sheds new light on the mech- The finding may lead to the develop- anisms underlying DNA replication, and the ment a drug that could help control obesity effect on human health when this process goes by reducing appetite and increasing the wrong,” said Grant Stewart from University of desire for exercise, according to the Birmingham in Britain. During the study, pub- researchers. lished today in Nature Genetics, the researchers In the study, published in the journal looked at genetic information from more than Proceedings of the National Academy of 250 people around the world with micro- Sciences, the researchers reported discov- cephalic dwarfism, a group of disorders ery of the gene, encoding a transcription “The ETS family of genes is present in characterised by short stature and reduced factor called ETS-5, which controls signals humans and has previously been linked to head size. from the brain to the intestines. obesity regulation. Now that we’ve learned They found that 29 of the individuals had The discovery of ETS-5 is the first time this gene family controls food intake faulty versions of a gene called DONSON. a gene regulatory molecule of this type, and through a feedback system to the brain, it Tests on cells growing in the laboratory potential drug target, has been implicated represents a credible drug target for the revealed that this gene plays a crucial role in in the brain-intestinal control of eating and treatment of obesity,” Pocock said. ensuring DNA is copied correctly when cells activity, said one of the researchers Roger The researchers studied Caenorhabdi- divide and grow. Cells from patients with muta- Pocock, Associate Professor at Monash Uni- tis elegans, or the roundworm, because of tions in the DONSON gene had difficulty in versity in Melbourne, Australia. the comparative simplicity of its brain -- it efficiently replicating their DNA and protect- The researchers discovered the gene has just 302 neurons and 8,000 synapses, ing it from uncontrolled damage, ultimately in worms, but they noted that a similar or neuron-to-neuron connections, all of leading to the growth defects typical of micro- gene is found in people. which have been mapped. cephalic dwarfism. 11 WEDNESDAY 15 FEBRUARY 2017 BOLLYWOOD ‘Hawa Badlo’ to be screened at Prayag film fest IANS Allahabad. Directed by Karmik ‘Hawa Badlo’ has been selected at imperative that we choose a cor- Varma, “Hawa Badlo” is a social IFFP and hope this selection brings rective path towards the future. ocial awareness video “Hawa awareness campaign that highlights more change in the air for all of us.” “Our daily choices affect the course Badlo”, featuring Bollywood the issue of air pollution and pub- B C Tripathi, Chairman and of our tomorrow and switching to Sactors like Vivek Oberoi, Kalki lic behavior towards traffic police. Managing Director, GAIL (India) cleaner fuels like natural gas should Koechlin, Swara Bhaskar, Vir Das The short film, due to its effective Limited, said: “Air pollution has be our first step towards changing and Govind Namdeo, will be message, has been shortlisted for proved to be a growing menace in the air. GAIL (India) Limited is glad screened at the International Film the festival. the last few years. Rising cases of to partner this much needed cause Festival of Prayag (IFFP) in Kalki said: I’m happy to hear respiratory diseases have made it with ‘Hawa Badlo’.” Hrithik Roshan launches ‘Veeram’ trailer

IANS him. “Veeram” is an adaptation of ctor Hrithik Roshan has legendary poet Shakespeare’s launched the trailer of classic “Macbeth”. Set in 13th cen- AKunal Kapoor’s upcoming tury Kerala, “Veeram” resuscitates film “Veeram” on online plat- the real life character made forms like Facebook and Twitter. famous through folklore litera- Kunal yesterday morning took to ture and songs. Twitter, where he announced that Sharing broad similarities Shruti Haasan Hrithik will be unveiling the with the rise and fall of Macbeth, trailer of “Veeram”, a trilingual the film spans the journey of to play lead in period drama. “Launching today Chandu (played by Kunal), a on Facebook at 10 by Hrithik Kalaripayattu warrior who meets “Veeram” -- Jayaraj’s fifth in his Roshan ‘Veeram,” Kunal tweeted a tragic end as an outcome of Navarasa series after “Karunam”, ‘Sanghamitra’ on Tuesday morning. betrayal. “Shantham”, “Bheebhatsa” and ctress Shruti Haasan Hrithik shared the link of the Produced by Chandrakala “Adbutham” -- has been shot in has been signed on to trailer on his official Facebook Arts, “Veeram” has been shot in the scenic locales of the Ellora Aplay the leading lady and Twitter page and called it three different languages -- Hindi, caves in Aurangabad, Fatehpur in upcoming mega budget “incredible”. Kunal re-tweeted the English and Malayalam. Sikri in Agra and in a few areas in Tamil period drama “Sang- “Kaabil” star’s post and thanked The film is directed by Jayaraj. Kerala. hamitra”, which will star Jayam Ravi and Arya in the lead and will roll from April. “Shruti had recently fin- ished the paperwork and Can’t slap a person in real life: Pannu shea¿s quite excited to be part of the project. The mak- cant even slap a person. “This is my domain and have ers had several options but Taapsee showcased her fight- total control over it. I was chosen they eventually chose Shruti ing skills in “Baby” alongside because I had to just come as because they wanted some- Akshay Kumar. She will next be myself on screen. It’s a blessing for one who is popular but at the seen fighting her way in “The Ghazi an actor to portray a character that same time can perform,” a Attack” and “Naam Shabana”. is everything like herself. I didn’t source from the film’s unit Talking about it during a visit have to put in any kind of efforts said. The source further to IANS headquarters here, she said: in terms of accent, body language added that Shruti, who is “Till now, whatever you have seen, or style,” said Taapsee, whose char- basking in the success of like even though I can identify acter exudes a carefree attitude. Tamil actioner “SI3”, will myself as Meenal Arora (character “There were a lot of things that commence shooting for from ‘Pink’) in a lot of ways... I can- I spontaneously added in the film, “Sanghamitra” from May not even slap a person in real life, which were retained in the end. It onwards. The film is made on forget about fighting the way I do was the most comfortable charac- a budget of `150 crore. To be in films.” Taapsee, who is currently ter that I could portray on screen,” helmed by Sundar C and pro- he can be seen doing daredevil busy promoting her forthcoming she added. Directed by Amit Roy, duced by Sri Thenandal Films, fighting scenes and breaking film “Running Shaadi”, says this is “Running Shaadi”, which also fea- the film will also be released Sbones in films, but actress the first film where she is totally in tures Amit Sadh, is slated to release in Telugu and Hindi. Taapsee Pannu says in real life, she her comfort zone. on Friday. 12 HOLLYWOOD WEDNESDAY 15 FEBRUARY 2017

‘Lego Batman’ beats ‘Fifty Shades Darker’ at box office

AFP Batman as he tries to save Gotham City from being taken over by the he Lego Batman Movie” Joker, voiced by Zach Galifianakis. dominated “Fifty Shades Third place went to “John Wick: “TDarker” in a battle of new Chapter 2,” debuting with a respect- releases at North American box able $30.4m in revenue. The thriller offices over the weekend, industry stars Keanu Reeves as a hit man data showed. forced out of retirement, who reluc- The Warner Bros spinoff of the tantly agrees to repay a debt to a “Lego Movie” finished on top with fellow hired killer with whom he $53m, against $46.6m for the sec- has signed a blood oath -- ending ond in the steamy franchise based up with a $7m bounty on his head. on the novels of E L James, box “Split,” M Night Shyamalan’s $9.5m for a total of $112.5m since helped Nasa put the first men in office monitor Exhibitor Relations thriller about a man with multiple coming out. It was made on a space. The comedy-drama, starring said. Featuring the voice of Will personalities who abducts three budget of just $9m. Taraji P. Henson, Octavia Spencer Arnett as the caped crusader, the teenage girls, dropped from first to In fifth place was “Hidden Fig- and Janelle Monae, took in $8m in new Lego offering is a 3D, compu- fourth place in its fourth week in ures,” Fox’s true-life story of three its eighth week, for a cumulative ter-generated comedy that follows theaters, with weekend revenue of black women mathematicians who total of $131.5m. Robert Downey Jr to star in Linklater movie

ilmmaker Richard Linklater The podcast tells the true story Ellison will produce for motion will be directing actor Robert of two doctors -- John Brinkley, who picture company Annapurna Pic- FDowney Jr. in a film based on scammed his way to fame and for- tures, with Downey Jr and Susan a real-life con man. The yet to be tune using fake medicine, populism Downey under their Team Downey titled film is based on the episode and radio, and Morris Fishbein, the banner. Linklater will co-produce “Man of the People” from digital editor of the Journal of the America along with Gimlet Media. Downey media company and podcast net- Medical Association, who goes on a will next be seen as Iron Man, in work Gimlet Media’s podcast Reply decade-long quest to take Brinkley “Spider-Man: Homecoming” and All, reports hollywoodreporter.com. down. “Avengers: Infinity War”. Beyonce fails to break Grammy curse s Beyonce too edgy for the music industry? “My view is, kind of, what the fuck does she Or do the Grammy Awards suffer from an have to do to win Album of the Year?” Adele told Iunderlying racial bias? The superstar’s fail- reporters at the Los Angeles gala. ure to win top prizes is vexing her many admirers The English singer said that her black friends -- among them the night’s big winner Adele. found “Lemonade” to be “empowering” and Beyonce had led the Grammy nominations hailed Beyonce’s creativity for intertwining the with nine for “Lemonade,” her most daring album with a film.“Obviously the visual is very album to date, which she crafted as a celebra- new and the Grammys are very traditional, but tion of the resilience of African American women. I just thought that this year would be the year But Beyonce, whose tour was one of the that they would kind of go with the tide,” Adele industry’s most lucrative in 2016, took only two said. Adele’s triumph comes a year after Kend- awards on Sunday, again losing in the leading rick Lamar’s “To Pimp A Butterfly,” hailed as a categories of Album and Record of the Year. hip-hop landmark and whose song “Alright” Adele, whose blockbuster album “25” stuck to became an anthem of the Black Lives Matter her trusted style of wrenching ballads, for the movement, also lost to a best-seller, Taylor second time swept three top Grammys -- and Swift’s “1989.” Frank Ocean chose not to even she earned praise from Beyonce’s fans for say- submit his follow-up, “Blonde,” for Grammy ing that “Lemonade” deserved to win. consideration. 13 WEDNESDAY 15 FEBRUARY 2017 TECHNOLOGY Dubai aims to launch hover-taxi by July

AFP

ubai 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. DThe 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 operation of the autonomous aerial vehicle summers. In November, Dubai agreed a deal “The autonomous aerial vehicle exhibited at in July 2017” to help reduce traffic congestion, with US startup Hyperloop One to study the con- the World Government Summit is not just a Tayer said. struction of a near-supersonic transport link to model,” authority head Mattar al-Tayer said. “We The quadcopter is powered by eight propel- the Emirati capital Abu Dhabi. Home to Burj Kha- have already experimented (with) the vehicle in lers, the authority said. It has highly accurate lifa, the world’s tallest tower, Dubai is a leading a flight in (the) Dubai sky,” he said in English. sensors and can resist extreme temperatures, it tourist destination in the Gulf, attracting a record The authority was “making every effort to start said. The emirate is known for its scorching 14.9 million visitors in 2016. Intech DMLS developing Smartphone app to improve rail safety micro engines for drones smartphone app that records bumps, bangs and vibration data on trains has ntech DMLS, a metal printing firm, is in A the potential to improve train ride com- the process of developing a series of fort and railway safety, says a study. Imicro and small jet engines to power The findings, published in the journal Fron- unmanned aerial vehicles and remote con- tiers in Built Environment, showed that trolled small aircraft. The company will accelerometers found in modern smartphones display engine developed in the private are good enough to be used in measuring ride sector at the ongoing Aero India in the Kar- comfort. nataka capital. “Our research opens the door for many “We have developed four engines with opportunities, allowing passengers to provide thrusts of 20kg-force (kgf), 40kgf and instant feedback on the comfort of their jour- 100kgf and a small engine with thrust of at Aero India 2017. We hope to tap both ney and equipping railway companies with 350kgf,” Sridhar Balaram, Managing Direc- domestic and international markets vis- information they can use to further improve tor, Intech DMLS, said yesterday. a-vis our products,” he added. ride comfort for passengers,” said Sakdirat “Development of gas turbine-based jet As for how Intech took to developing Kaewunruen from University of Birmingham and shaft power engines is a challenging jet engines, Sridhar said: “We have been in Britain. task. We have brought together the exper- involved in engine development pro- “There is also potential for this technology tise of specialist engineers to develop gramme with the Hindustan Aeronautics to be used to detect track faults and indicate unique and modern engine. “The team has Ltd, wherein we contributed over 30 per which sections of track are in need of mainte- been working feverishly in the recent cent of the critical components.” HAL is nance, possibly saving on maintenance costs months to ensure that engine development developing HTFE-25 (Hindustan Turbo Fan and improving the safety of the railway,” is on the right track and ready for display Engine), which has a thrust of 25 kN. Kaewunruen pointed out. 14 CINEMA PLUS WEDNESDAY 15 FEBRUARY 2017

NOVO - Pearl ROYAL PLAZA VILLAGGIO & CITY CENTER

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, Jolly LLB 2 (2D/Hindi) 2:00 & 11:15pm Singam 3 (2D/Tamil) 4:30, 6:00 & 10:45pm 6:30, 7:00, 8:30, 9:00, 9:30, 11:00pm & 12:00midnight The Lego Batman (2D/Animation) 2:00, 4:00 & 7:15pm Rings 3 (2D/Drama) 10:30am, 3:00, 7:30, 11:30pm & 12:00midnight The Space Between Us (2D/Adventure) 5:00pm Kung Fu Yoga (2D/Action) 7:00pm Kung Fu Yoga (2D/Action) 12:40, 5:10 & 9:40pm Balu Mahi (2D/Romantic) 2:15pm Heartbeats (2D/Romantic) 9:00pm Heartbeats (2D/Romantic) 10:30am, 3:00, 7:30pm & 12:00midnight John Wick 2 (2D/Action) 9:00 & 11:00pm Rings 3 (2D/Drama) 9:00pm The Space Between Us (2D/Adventure) 12:40, 5:10 & 9:40pm El Karmouty (2D/Arabic) 11:00am, 3:20, 7:40pm & 12:00midnight ASIAN TOWN Split (2D/Thriller) 1:00, 5:20 & 9:40pm Singam 3 6:00, 7:00, 9:00 & 10:00pm La La Land (2D/Musical) 11:00am, 2:40, 7:20pm & 12:00midnight XXX: The Return of Xander Cage (2D/Action) 12:30, 5:10 & 9:50pm Jolly LLB 2 (2D/Hindi) 6:15pm Jomonte (Malayalam) 6:15 & 9:15pm Live By Night (2D/Crime) 10:00am, 3:20 & 8:40pm Jolly LLB 2 (2D/Hindi) 12:30, 5:50 & 11:15pm The Lego Batman (3D IMAX/Animation) 10:00am, 12:10, 2:20, 4:30, 6:40, 8:50 & 11:00pm AL KHOR 2D 10:30am, 12:40, 2:50, 5:00, 7:10, 9:20 & 11:30pm Singam 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 MALL ROXY Singam 3 (2D/Tamil) 2:15, 6:45 & 11:15pm Special Show 5:30pm The Lego Batman 2:00, 4:15 & 6:30pm Singam 3 2:00, 5:00, 8:00, 8:30, 11:00, The Lego Batman (2D/Animation) 2:30 & 4:30pm 11:15pm & 12:00midnight John Wick 2 (2D/Action) 2:00, 4:30, 7:00 & 9:30pm The Space Between Us (2D/Adventure) 2:00pm JOLLY LLB 2 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

LANDMARK

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 & 6:30pm The 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) 9:15pm Rings 3 (2D/Drama) 9:45pm Jolly LLB addresses many issues; terrorism, corruption, government officials’ apathy and does a fair job of it, Director- Subhash Kapoor Note: Programme is subject to change without prior notice. Starring- Akshay Kumar and Huma Qureshi

BABY BLUES

HAGAR THE HORRIBLE 15 WEDNESDAY 15 FEBRUARY 2017 BRAIN TEASERS

CROSSWORD CONCEPTIS SUDOKU

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.

Yesterday’s answer

ALL IN THE MIND

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.

7:30 The Stream 06:50 Misfit 10:10 Call Of The 14:05 Star 8:30 The Listening Garage Wildman Darlings Post 07:40 Fast N’ 10:35 Call Of The 14:10 Austin & 9:00 The Caliph Loud Wildman Ally 10:00 News 09:20 Auction 11:05 Tanked 14:35 Jessie 10:30 Inside Story Hunters 12:55 Bondi Vet 15:00 Bunk’d 11:30 The Stream 10:10 How Do 13:50 Catching 17:40 Girl Meets 12:00 News They Do It? Monsters World 12:30 Rewind 13:05 How Do 14:45 Gator Boys 18:05 Bizaardvark 13:00 NEWSHOUR They Do It? 15:40 Call Of The 18:30 Bunk’d 14:00 News 13:30 Auction Wildman 18:55 Best 14:30 16:05 King Features Syndicate, Inc. Inside Story Hunters Call Of The Friends 15:00 Al Jazeera World 14:20 Alaska: The Wildman Whenever 16:00 NEWSHOUR Last Frontier 16:35 Tanked 19:20 Disney 17:00 News 18:30 How Do 17:30 River Mickey Mouse 17:30 The Stream They Do It? Monsters 19:25 The Next 18:00 newsgrid 19:20 Running 20:15 Tanked Step 19:00 News Wild With 21:10 Call Of The 19:50 Austin & Ally 19:30 Witness Bear Grylls Wildman 20:15 Star Darlings 20:00 News 20:10 Auction 21:35 Call Of The 20:20 Shake It Up 20:30 Inside Story Hunters Wildman 20:45 Backstage 21:00 NEWSHOUR 20:35 Auction 23:00 Insane 21:10 Liv And 22:00 News Hunters Pools: Off Maddie 22:30 The Stream 21:00 Blowing Up The Deep 21:35 Cracke 23:00 Witness History End 21:40 The Next Step