It’s a sad situation for Indian sport: Keshavan

IOC froze India’s membership in December 2012 after the national association in New Delhi elected a number of tainted officials to key posts. PHOTO: AFP/FILE

NEW DELHI: India’s athletes lost all hope Wednesday of competing under the national flag at the Winter Olympics after the country’s suspended Olympic association said it would hold elections two days after the Games open in Sochi.

The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) will hold a poll to elect new leaders on February 9, stated a senior source; meaning Luge medal hope Shiva Keshavan and three other competitors will be classed as independents, not as Indians.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) froze India’s membership in December 2012 after the national association in New Delhi elected a number of tainted officials to key posts.

The IOA last month bowed to pressure and agreed to keep tainted officials out of the fresh elections, but rejected a request from India’s sports ministry to hold the new contest before the start of the Games.

A furious Keshavan, preparing abroad for his fifth Winter Olympics that open on February 7, told the Mail Today newspaper on Wednesday that not being able to compete under the national flag was ‘shameful and pathetic’.

“It is a sad and embarrassing situation that Indian sport has been put in,” said the 32-year-old. “People around the world know about the failure of our systems and about corruption and bad governance in sports.

“The essence of the Olympic Games is to ‘represent’ and I feel it is shameful and pathetic for all of us Indians that athletes may not walk under the Indian flag.”

‘Reghunathan issued election notice’

IOC President Thomas Bach explained on December 10 that if elections were not held before February 7, Indian qualifiers for Sochi would be officially classified “as independent athletes under the Olympic flag”.

A source in the Indian association said Wednesday: “A notification to hold the elections on February 9 has been issued by senior IOA official S Reghunathan, who has chaired the last few meetings.”

The officials in the row include IOA secretary-general Lalit Bhanot who is out on bail facing corruption charges linked to the chaotic 2010 Commonwealth Games in New Delhi.

The IOA source further stated that holding the elections before the Games would have ‘created complications’

Sydney International: Aisam-Bopanna progress to semi-finals

Aisam and Bopanna left their Chennai Open quarter-final defeat disappointment behind to win the same round in the Sydney International. PHOTO: FILE AFP

KARACHI: Pakistan tennis player Aisamul Haq Qureshi and his India counterpart Rohan Bopanna cruised to their first semi-final of the year, defeating Treat Huey and Dominic Inglot at the Sydney International doubles event on Wednesday.

The third seeds picked up their pace in the pre-Australian Open tournament as they beat their opponents 6-7, 7-6, 10-3 in the quarter-finals.

The win enabled the Indo-Pak Express to book their place in the last-four against Czech Republic’s Lukas Rosol and Portugal’s Joao Sousa, who defeated top seeds Mike Bryan and Bob Bryan 3-6, 6-3, 14-12.

“We aren’t worried about the rankings, they’ll improve as we win more matches,” Bopanna told The Express Tribune earlier. “Everything will fall into place; we just need time to practise together in Australia before the first grand slam of the year.”

Del Potro faces Czech hero in quarters

Juan Martin del Potro dropped the opening set before beating Nicolas Mahut to secure a quarter-final spot against Czech Davis Cup hero Radek Stepanek on Wednesday.

The Argentine, playing his first match of the year, rallied from a set down to beat Frenchman Mahut 1-6, 6-3, 6-4 in his tournament opener after receiving a first-round bye.

World number five Del Potro will play Stepanek on Thursday for a place in the semi-finals after Stepanek defeated Spaniard Albert Ramos 6-2, 7-6 (7/5).

“For my first match in two months it was okay,” said Del Potro. “The court and the balls are really fast and it’s tough to play long rallies.

“Mahut serves really well and he played a lot of slices and volleys, so it was tough to feel the ball on the baseline.

Del Potro said Stepanek will be a tough opponent early in the season.

“They won the Davis Cup, so he must feel confident playing on this surface. He has experience.

“I need to improve my game a little bit from the start of the match and then see what happens.”

Stepanek became the first player to win decisive fifth rubbers in consecutive Davis Cup finals, against Serbia in Belgrade in November.

Easier to handle triplets than stars: Farah Khan

Farah Khan is a director, choreographer and mother. How does she do it all? PHOTO: FILE

NEW DEHLI: She managed the rare feat of bringing a caravan of 31 cinema stars together for a song in Om Shanti Om in 2007. Now, for her new film Happy New Year, director-choreographer Farah Khan has been busy handling a cast of six, including top-rated actors like Shahrukh Khan, Abhishek Bachchan and Deepika Padukone, and the film-maker says that her toddlers are comparatively easier to handle.

“Let me tell you, it’s much easier to handle triplets and less tiring too,” the effervescent Farah, mother to two daughters and a son, said.

She was quick to add: “It’s six people here [in Happy New Year] and the onus is on me to make sure that each one gets their due presence. Each person is important in the script — it’s not that only Shahrukh is important. Each one has a character and a proper role to play and I have to make sure that each character stands out.”

What makes Farah happiest about being on the set of Happy New Year is the oneness of her eclectic cast.

“I always feel your movie will be as strong as your weakest link. So, if I ignore somebody, it’s not going to be good for the movie. Even Shahrukh knows that and he always keeps telling me to concentrate on Vivaan or make sure Sonu’s character is coming out well because each character is important,” she said of the film, which will have strong elements of a formulaic heist movie and liberal helpings of dance and music.

“In 95 percent of the movie, the six of them are always together. So, just in terms of logistics, it’s a nightmare, because someone wants to come late or leave early. But the chemistry between all of them is so great even off-screen, and that is translating very well on-screen,” she added.

Even the recently launched first-look poster of the movie features all the six characters. Yes, Shahrukh is in the centre of the poster, but he’s not snatching away the limelight from anyone.

“Nobody has an ego problem, nobody wants to stand in the middle, nobody says you’ve eaten my line or ‘I want to say that line’. Everyone is helping each other out during a scene and that is translating well on-screen because if the chemistry doesn’t happen, the movie won’t work as they are one team in the film,” said the 48-year-old Farah, who made her directorial debut with 2004 movie Main Hoon Na, starring SRK.

The director also points out that making a good film takes time.

“It takes two years to make a good film,” said Farah, who keeps herself busy with reality shows and choreography assignments when she’s not donning the director’s hat.

Happy New Year is her fourth directorial venture, which comes after a four-year-long hiatus. The director’s last cinematic offering was Tees Maar Khan.

Did you know? : Zinda Bhaag to be released in Dubai

Zinda Bhaag poster. PHOTO: PUBLICITY

Following in the footsteps of Waar, Zinda Bhaag is now making its UAE debut. Pakistan’s official submission for Best Foreign Film for the Academy Awards 2014 will now be reaching a much wider audience. The red carpet premiere of Zinda Bhaag will be held on January 15. Bollywood award-winning actor Naseeruddin Shah, who stars in the film, will also be attending the premiere.

The film’s cast also includes Pakistani actors Khurram Patras, Salman Ahmad Khan and Zohaib Asghar. It is the story of three young men who try to escape the reality of their everyday lives and succeed in ways they least expect.

While the premiere is invite-only, the film will release in the UAE on January 16.

This year looks to be a good one for Pakistani cinema. Not only are there over 50 films in the pipeline, local movies are being shown the world over. With Waar and Zinda Bhaag in the UAE and Chambaili in England, we hope for a year full of international premieres!

AIFD 2013 batch graduates with creative honours

Students use black and gold to invoke the golden era of Hollywood. PHOTOS: PUBLICITY

KARACHI: 

One wouldn’t term it a completely captivating experience, however, it is commendable that some creative young minds displayed their best at  the Asian Institute of Fashion Design (AIFD), Iqra University on Monday evening.

The event was the final year theses display of the AIFD students. Seven students from the Textile department and six from the Fashion department, showcased their collections at the institute located at Teen Talwar.

The Textile students took inspiration from the local industry, with some delving into the relics of the past from Larkana, Sindh, and others from Empress Market and Jodia Bazaar, Karachi.

What took one’s breath away was the Hollywood-inspired theme and fashion trends that followed for. Drawing inspiration from the French fashion house Chanel, one student displayed chic jackets.

Twenty three-year-old Faiz Rohani found his muse in the Hollywood film Sin City, stating that “[the use of the colour] black  [in his western-styled outfits]is inspired by the movie itself, while the deep gold identifies with glamour.”

Rohani said, “As I was doing my research, I came across the movie that inspired me to bring forward my thesis on the floor and into a reality.” Rohani put forth a dramatic collection, using lace, chiffon, net, cut-work and sequins, building on fashion trends from last year. Commenting on the movie itself, Rohani said, “I found it very disturbing, but the overview I got from it helped me to bring forward my collection.”

Another student Sarah Pasha, 23, took inspiration from Hollywood glamour as well, and said, “That is where anyone can find simplicity, with the dominance of black, which has an elegant appeal.” For her western collection, she said that she was primarily influenced by two of Hollywood’s most iconic dresses, the first being the black lamé dress worn by Marilyn Monroe and the second, the black Givenchy dress worn by Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany’s. The fabric used by the young student for her collection was velvet silk with a combination of black and gold, with embellishments on either the neck-line or the waist-line, along with a belt. Pasha said, “The look is sleek and simple with some sparkle on the top.”

Another student Tooba Aziz, 22, found inspiration while flipping through an international magazine with a Chanel model on the cover. The jacket worn by the model was from Chanel’s Spring/Summer 2010 line and it immediately piqued Aziz’s interest.

Aziz adopted the signature tweed look in her collection, relying heavily on jute and added her personal touch to it. The tea-pink line she created included some tilla work, with a little velvet,jamawaar and sequin design in a chattapatti format. Aziz said, “To give a rough look, I used jute in my collection. Though the inspiration came from the jacket, I developed some textures on my own.”

Speaking to The Express Tribune, Neha Asim, Director Academic and Planning, AIFD said, “This was our star class from the year of 2013. Though they are still students, all of them have managed to expose themselves locally. They have been receiving orders from the industry, and some even have solid jobs on their hands to become fresh players in this competitive field.”

Hit-and-run case: Salman Khan’s trial hearing postponed

Salman Khan called the 2002 case an unfortunate incident beyond his control. PHOTO: FILE

MUMBAI: A Mumbai court postponed the hearing of the case involving Bollywood actor Salman Khan running over a group of persons who were sleeping on the pavement in front of a suburban bakery in 2002. One person was killed and four others were injured in the hit-and-run. The hearing has been postponed till January 21, 2014, after the prosecution sought time to appeal against the fresh retrial order in the Bombay High Court in December 2013.

Public prosecutor J V Kendralkar informed session court Judge D W Deshpande that the prosecution was awaiting the state government’s response in the matter and accordingly sought a postponement. However, Khan’s lawyer Shrikant Shivade opposed the prosecution plea and urged the fresh trial to commence immediately. He also pleaded to the court to grant a short date to the prosecution for adjourning the case. Judge Deshpande posted the matter for January 21 and directed the prosecution to get instructions from the government on the issue of appeal before the high court. On December 5, in a relief to the Bollywood superstar, a session court in Mumbai had ordered commencement of a fresh trial in the case. The grounds for the request of a fresh trial were on the basis of Khan not being given an opportunity to examine witnesses in the context of the enhanced charges against him of committing culpable homicide under Indian Penal Code Section 304(2), which were slapped on him midway during the trial.

Earlier, the actor was tried by a magistrate court for the lesser offence of causing death by negligence which is punishable by imprisonment for up to two years. However, under the charges pressed against him now, the actor may receive a jail term of ten years.

After examining 17 witnesses, the magistrate court held that the higher charge of culpable homicide was made out against Khan and referred it to the sessions court. The high-profile case dates back to September 28, 2002 when a SUV Toyota Land Cruiser allegedly driven by Khan ran over some pavement dwellers in Bandra West. The case has been lingering in judicial limbo for 12 years now and it’s high time for a verdict to be given soon

Musharraf bailout: Saudi royal laughs off exit deal reports

The Saudi foreign minister with PM’s adviser Sartaj Aziz at a joint press conference. PHOTO: AFP

ISLAMABAD: 

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al Faisal laid to rest speculation on Tuesday that he was in Pakistan to secure a safe exit for former military ruler General Pervez Musharraf, who is facing a treason trial for abrogating the constitution.

Appearing at a joint news conference with Prime Minister’s Adviser on National Security and Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz in Islamabad, the seasoned Saudi diplomat laughed off a question about a possible deal being brokered by his country.

“Absolutely not. I’ve just talked about the principle of non-interference in the internal affairs of other countries, especially friendly countries,” he said when asked if he was ‘on a mission’ to bail Musharraf out of his predicament.

“I won’t call it a ‘mission’. I’ll call it a visit to a brotherly and friendly country. This visit has taken a long time now in the making,” he said, dismissing reports linking his trip to the possible developments in Musharraf’s trial.

Prince Saud al Faisal – who is the first high-ranking Saudi official to visit Pakistan in years – met President Mamnoon Hussain, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and held formal talks with Sartaj Aziz.

His visit had earlier triggered speculation that Riyadh was making back-channel efforts to secure safe passage for the former military ruler. The Saudis had played an instrumental role in securing a safe exit for Nawaz Sharif when his government was toppled by then army chief Pervez Musharraf in a bloodless coup.

The Saudi foreign minister said he was in Pakistan to deliver a message of ‘friendship and cooperation’ from King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz.

Although publicly both sides denied discussions on the fate of Musharraf, sources suggested that the Saudi visitor did advise the government to avoid any internal conflict that could destabilise the country.

During formal talks at the Foreign Office, the two sides discussed a wide range of issues from bilateral cooperation to the regional and international situation, particularly in Afghanistan and Syria.

The Saudi foreign minister told reporters that Afghanistan was coming to a ‘turning point’ in the wake of US-led Nato forces’ withdrawal from the war-torn country. He said both Pakistan and Saudi Arabia urged the Afghan people to set aside their petty differences and think about the larger interest of the country.

He said both the countries wanted no forces to exploit the possible vacuum created in Afghanistan as a result of the drawdown. He said efforts should be made to prevent Afghanistan from slipping into civil war.

Saudi Arabia is upset over the lack of action from Western powers against President Bashar al Assad’s regime. The Saudi foreign minister said all parties must sit together to put in place a consensus government in Syria. “Bashar al Assad has no right to kill people,” he added.

Recently, US Foreign Policy magazine claimed that Riyadh after having lost faith in the Obama administration to oust the Assad regime has begun major initiatives with Pakistan to train Syrian insurgents.

In response to a question, Sartaj Aziz said the two countries would discuss defence cooperation soon but refused to comment on the report.

“The visit of Prince Saud al Faisal, foreign minister of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has a special significance in our bilateral relations,” Aziz said in his opening remarks at the news conference.  He said the two countries focused on further cooperation in investment, trade, energy and export of  manpower from Pakistan.

According to a Foreign Office statement, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif informed the Saudi foreign minister about his government’s plans to enhance growth, create jobs and reduce poverty to create a brighter future for the people of Pakistan.

He encouraged the Saudi businessmen to benefit from the conducive business environment in Pakistan. “Saudi Arabia’s positive contribution to support Pakistan’s endeavour for economic development is deeply appreciated. There is a mutual desire to further intensify economic interaction in the years ahead.”

It was agreed that the Joint Economic Council of Pakistan and Saudi Arabia would meet within the next two months to further enhance bilateral cooperation in various fields.