It may come as little surprise that the Arab world is considered one of the fastest growing coffee markets in the world, with the UAE one of its most active centres.
Caffeine devotees across the UAE drink nearly twice as much of the popular beverage as anywhere else in the GCC, helping create a vibrant and diverse coffee and café scene, and providing the perfect marketplace for businesses looking to tap into the increasingly diverse and sophisticated tastes of their customers.
One such business is Coffee Planet – a UAE-grown and Dubai SME 100 ranked company which, according to managing director Robert Jones, will see the largest growth levels in its history this year.
“Last year we saw 35 percent overall growth,” he says. “At the end of Q1 this year we were up 38 percent compared to Q1 last year.”
Familiar to drivers across the emirates, Coffee Planet is well known as the brand of choice at petrol stations, but there’s much more to its success than that.
Since launching in 2005, Jones and his team have built something of an empire by stealth, gradually growing a business to be proud of, and one which many people might not even know they’ve interacted with.
“I like to say that we are like an iceberg,” continues Jones.
“Most people see us in the gas stations or supermarkets, but they don’t know that on the flight they are taking via Emirates or Etihad, they’ll be drinking our coffee. Or in the hotel where they have lunch, they’ll be drinking our coffee.”
Excerpt from –
The Daily Grind: Coffee Planet
source: http://www.elanthemag.com / Elan / Home> Innovation / August 01st, 2014
Higher Education and Tourism Minister R V Deshpande said, tourist places in Chamarajanagar, Mandya and Kodagu districts will be developed by creating a tourism hub with Mysore under focus.
He was speaking after inaugurating a Yatri Nivas constructed by the Tourism department at a cost of Rs 3.90 crore at Kanakagiri, in Chamarajanagar taluk, on Sunday. He also took part in Mokshakalyana puja and Mukuta Sapthami puja of Sri Vijaya Parshwanatha Swami. He said, the State government would soon announce a Tourism Policy and would seek financial assistance from the Centre. “The Yatri Nivas will provide accommodation, food and basic facilities for tourists at nominal prices.
Another facility, which will include a prayer hall, open air theatre, rest rooms, etc, will be provided at a cost of Rs 4 crore. A proposal will be forwarded to the Union government in this regard.
Tourism will be given priority as it provides employment to numerous persons and also generates revenue for both the people and the government,” he said.
source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> District / Chamarajanagar – DHNS, August 03rd, 2014
Author Kavery Nambisan / by Special Arrangement / The Hindu
Kavery Nambisan talks to the writer about her book A Town Like Ours, and juggling the roles of writer and surgeon.
Pingakshipura — where the hair on children’s head has turned white and the water runs black — is the town Kavery Nambisan created in her latest book, A Town Like Ours. Though a fictional account of a fictitious place, Nambisan’s words resonate with a dark, uncensored truth that brings to mind the fate of hundreds of villages across the country. Known for her highly perceptive and emotive style, Nambisan talks about her writing and her dual life as author and surgeon.
Excerpts from an interview:
Tell us a little about how you created Pingakshipura.
It grew around the character of Rajakumari. When I created this endearing, coarse-tongued prostitute and tried to imagine her life, the place that came to mind was a shapeless, noisy pell-mell town. I worked backwards from the town to what it must have been a decade or two earlier. I thought I had created Pingakshipura but, in actual fact, it was like the villages of Karnataka where I lived in my childhood that, over the decades, transmogrified into towns. The lopsided modernisation that we so timidly endorse in our greed for wealth leads to a distortion of the intrinsic fabric of society. The deep and abiding wisdom that is a part of village life is forever lost.
You choose to use Rajkumari to tell the story?
She is derived from a real characterYou know how you come across a person and she stays in your mind and cooks away in your imagination until she is no longer a strangerThe important thing about Rajakumari is not her beauty but her ability to think, and to believe in herself. Her unique position as a harlot gives her the fearlessness and the freedom to retain her dignity at all times.
As for using her voice to tell the story, who better than a whore to give an honest account of the goings-on in any place, who better to tease out the absurdities of life and people? Her voice is like the drumbeat of Pingakshipura, the collective voice of the town. She speaks in her language, namely Kannada which is also the language I grew up with in school.
Not every character’s story is resolved. This seems to be deliberate.
It is Rajakumari who speaks. She is keenly interested in the lives of four people; two couples and two children. My own experience is that the lives of seemingly disparate people come together due to the strangest of circumstances. And a novel is only a peeping-hole into something that happens somewhere. Life can be a charming fairy-tale but more often it is a mess. I look in and show what I see.
I am also very interested in the way we keep secrets from each other, the way we speak half-truths and get away with it all the time. We try to shield our own ‘imagined’ dignity or shield that of others. But see what dilemmas we can end up with. Would it not have been easier for Manohar to tell his wife about his longing for children instead of doing what he did? Or for Saroja to be utterly honest with Sampathu?
A Town like Ours seems to underline your own worries about where rural India is headed.
I guess that runs like a theme through the book, although it is not talked about much. Yes, I am depressed about the destruction, the thinning away, of our link with Nature. It is like humanity is steadily losing blood, getting more anaemic by the day and, instead of treating the cause, is trying to pep itself up by using the magic tablet of modernisation.
Is this the kind of fiction you believe in writing, one that reflects on and mirrors reality?
I did not plan anything. When I started, all I knew about writing was that you had to tell a story. I like stories that make me smile or laugh (sometimes with bitterness). But what really moves me is the grand canvas of living. We humans have a greater capacity for grief than for joy, don’t you think? At least, that is the case with me. I try to be honest, that’s what I do when I write. Everything flows from there. Injustice of all sorts fills me with disbelief about our future and I write so I can change that disbelief into something more hopeful.
Are there any similarities/overlaps in the two facets of your life: writer and surgeon?
Surgery is all about knowledge, skill and team-work. Writing, on the other hand, is done in isolation; it is a bizarre mix of observation, experience, memory and imagination, a chipping- away until something comes out on the page. But both writing and surgery require a certain confidence and the ability to take risks. Who knows what your novel will turn out to be like? In surgery, the risk is that each human body behaves differently and, although you think you know it well, it always throws up surprises. When I open an abdomen, or take on something else, I should be prepared to handle the innumerable variations. Especially in a rural area where you cannot cry for help. You succeed by staying abreast of progress, by keeping your faculties sharp and your mind open to learning. Once you say, “Yes, I can do this for you,” to a patient, you go all the way in the best way possible. By nature, I’m a risk-taker. That’s how I’ve survived as a writer and a surgeon.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Features> Sunday Magazine> The Sunday Interview / by Swati Dastur / August 02nd, 2014
In the Quadrangular A Team ODI tournament that is reaching its closing stages in Australia, India registered their fifth straight win on the trot, against Australia A, on Thursday. The loss ended Australia A’s five match unbeaten run that started in the first match of the tournament against the same opponents. Chasing 229 for win, India reached home with 5-wickets to spare.
Ambati Rayudu(77) and Kedar Jadhav(52) stitched together a 101-run partnership after India A lost three wickets early in the chase. Rayudu batted cautiously for his half-century, while Jadhav continued to be the aggressor. The Maharashtra batsman struck two sixes and three boundaries in his knock, which was eventually ended by Cameron White.
Sanju Samson joined Rayudu and continued from where Jadhav left; the duo added 52 off 59 balls that set India on course for the win. Parvez Rasool contributed 20 off 16 to guarantee a victory. The Kerala wicketkeeper-batsman finished on an unbeaten 49 from 51 balls.
Earlier in the day, White won the toss and decided to bat first at the Marrara Oval, Darwin. Opener Marcus Stoinis batted briskly for his 58, before falling to Akshar Patel. The breakthrough opened the gates for Manoj Tiwary who bagged his maiden five-wicket haul of his career by getting rid of the next five batsmen.
Peter Nevill (23) got stumped by Samson, while the captain did not last long. Phil Hughes, who scored the incredible record-breaking double century in his last outing, became the second batsman to be stumped off Tiwary’s leg-spin in the match, for 58.
Akshar Patel was extremely effective, bowling economically and also picking up important wickets. The left-arm spinner cleared off the tail that sneaked in some quick runs towards the end of the innings. Australia were eventually bowled out with 228 on board in the final over of the innings.
Indian skipper Robin Uthappa failed once again with the bat and is without a single half-century in this entire tour. In the end, it turned out to be a convincing victory for the visitors. The two sides will meet again in the finals on Saturday.
source: http://www.sportskeeda.com / Sports Keeda / Home> Report> Cricket / by Pradeep Kalamagam / July 31st, 2014
The 26-member committee has to submit its report within three months
The government has set up a 26-member expert committee, headed by the former Law Minister M.C. Nanaiah, to suggest amendments to the law related to sexual assault cases and enhancement of punishment for the crime.
According to a government release on Wednesday, Mr. Nanaiah will have the Cabinet Minister status. As the chairman of the committee, he enjoys powers to invite opinions and suggestions from experts and officers concerned. The committee is expected to submit its report along with its recommendations within three months from the date of its formation, the release said.
Increase in the incidents of sexual assault on women and children, followed by protests both inside and outside the House, prompted the government to constitute the expert committee comprising legislators, representatives of social organisations and women and children’s organisations, and legal experts.
Legislators Shakuntala Shetty, Y.S.V. Datta, Motamma, Jaimala, Tara, V.S. Ugrappa, Basavaraj Horatti, K.B. Shanappa, Govind Karjol, Tanveer Sait and Vinisha Nero, the former Minister Rani Satish, the former MLC Prafulla Madhukar, Leela Sampige, retired IPS officer Jija Hari Singh, writer Suchitra Rao, journalist Gouri Lankesh, Sangeetha Saxena, Krupa Alwa, Chandramouli and M.R. Hegde are members of the committee apart from four government officials from the departments of Home, and Law and Parliamentary Affairs.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> National> Karnataka / Special Correspondent / Bangalore – July 31st, 2014
MLC M C Nanaiah has demanded the district administration and the government to hand over the complete operation of river rafting in Cauvery river at Dubare to the government owned Jungle Lodges.
In the letters written to Kodagu Deputy Commissioner Anurag Tewari and State government Chief Secretary Kaushik Mukherjee, he has requested to stop the dangerous rafting and harassment of tourists in Dubare. Permission has been granted by the forest department, tourism department and port and inland department to operate six boats for rafting purpose in Dubare. However, over 30 boats are operating here illegally.
“I have visited the place twice and have witnessed the illegal river rafting taking place in Cauvery river in Dubare. The permission given to private firms for operating this dangerous and adventurous sports has to be withdrawn immediately and hand over the operation to government owned Jungle Lodges for the safety of tourists,” he has said.
Further, he has mentioned that there is an unhealthy competition between the private water sports operators. Lack of safety equipment is another cause of concern.
Thus it will be a good decision to hand over the responsibility to Jungle Lodges, Nanaiah has said.
He has requested the DC to take a decision after discussing with the secretaries of the forest and tourism department.
source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> District / Madikeri, DHNS – July 30th, 2014
Several waterfalls have come alive, attracting scores of tourists
Kodagu
The monsoon may not have reached its peak in the State. But, they have intensified in some places, while disappointing farmers in other places. Showers have been heavy, especially in the coastal and Western Ghats belts of the State.
Kodagu
Deputy Commissioner Anurag Tewari has banned the entry of tourist vehicles on the Bhagamandala-Talacauvery road for 15 to 20 days.
This is a precautionary measures as cracks have developed on the boulders of a hillock on the roadside. On Monday, the deputy commissioner visited the spot where boulders had caved in on the road.
He said as the Talacauvery area is receiving heavy rainfall, there are possibilities of flood. The boulders beside the road have developed cracks. Thus, officials of the PWD and Mines and Geology department had been directed to submit a report on the safety of the road, Tewari said. Only light vehicles will be allowed on the road.
A boat has been arranged to ferry people in Bhagamandala to safer areas. It will be better if tourists do not come to Bhagamandala-Talacauvery during rainy season, Tewari said. In the meantime, rain receded in Madikeri, Bhagamandala, Napoklu, Kushalnagar and Somwarpet. Balele, Nittur and Srimangala received good rainfall.
Two persons suffered injuries when a branch of a tree fell on them at Arameri in Virajpet. Bhagamandala received 13.7 cm rainfall. The water level in Harangi
reservoir stood at 2,841.66 feet. The inflow of water was 8,359 cusecs.
Shimoga
Though several parts of the district continued to receive moderate to heavy rain on Monday, the intensity was less.
The Malnad taluks of Teerthahalli, Sagar, Hosanagar received moderate to heavy rain. In the last 48 hours, Agumbe received the highest rainfall of 283 mm, followed by Yadur (Hosanagar taluk) 240 mm, Hulikal 205 mm, Chakra 227 mm, Savehaklu 190 mm, Teerthahalli 145.2 mm and Sagar 85.4 mm.
Following the heavy rain in Teerthahalli, the Mandagadde bird sanctuary was submerged. The nests of birds were washed away in rain. The mantap near the Korpalaiah convention hall on the banks of River Tunga in Shimoga city was submerged, following the release of water from Tunga dam.
Water levels in various reservoirs across the district witnessed a drastic rise following heavy rainfall in the catchment areas. The level in Linganamakki reservoir rose to 1,754.50 against the maximum level of 1,819 feet. The inflow of water was 38,183 cusecs and the outflow 175 cusecs.
The water level in Bhadra dam rose to 144 feet against the maximum level of 186 feet. The inflow was 24,854 cusecs and the outflow 120 cusecs. The level in Tunga dam rose to 588.21 metres against the maximum level of 588.24 metres. The inflow of water was 68,000 cusecs. As many as 48,000 cusecs of water was released from 19 out of the 22 crest gates.
Dakshina Kannada
Heavy rain that lashed Dakshina Kannada district on Sunday receded on Monday. However, intermittent rain continued to lash the district. The sky remained overcast the whole day.
In the last 24 hours, Bantwal received 135 mm, followed by Belthangady—114.6 mm, Moodbidri—104.2 mm, Sullia—98.2 mm and Puttur—72 mm. The water level has receded in Kumaradhara river.
Three houses were partially damaged when a hillock caved in on them at Shantigudde near Jokatte in Mangalore taluk.
The road leading to Athoor Mahaganapathy temple at Pakshikere in Mulki was inundated, following heavy rain on Sunday night.
Udupi
The district recorded an average of 104.1 mm rainfall in the last 24 hours. Karkala taluk received 134.4 mm, Kundapur taluk 106.6 mm and Udupi 71.3 mm.
Following gusty winds, a house at Nejar in Mooduthonse village of Udupi was damaged. Another house was partially damaged in Karkala taluk. A tree was uprooted on the Hebri-Karkala road, disrupting the movement of vehicles for a few hours. River Sita is in spate.
Chikmagalur
Rain has receded in NR Pura, Chikmagalur, Tarikere and Birur. However, rains continued to lash Kottigehara, Javali, Gonibeedu, Kalasa, Kigga and Sringeri. Kerekatte received the highest of 195.4 mm of rainfall in the last 24 hours.
Belgaum
The Malaprabha, Mahadayi and Pandari rivers are in spate following heavy rains in the Western Ghats region of Khanapur taluk in the district. The Gawwali, Kongala and Pastoli villages of Nerasa Gram Panchayat have been cut off and have formed an island as the Mahadayi river and the Bandora canal are overflowing.
Power supply was disrupted in the Shiroli Gram Panchayat as several trees and electricity poles were uprooted, snapping power lines. Overflowing ponds have hit movement of vehicles on the roads.
source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> State / Bangalore, DHNS – July 14th, 2014
Vikarmkant will lead the 19-member men`s Karnataka hockey squad for the third Senior National Championship to be held at Pune from May 28 to June 10.
S K Uthappa, adjudged the best player in 2011 Senior Nationals in Bhopal where Karnataka had finished runners-up, will be the vice-captain of the state side.
The team is being coached by 1994 World Cupper K K Poonacha.
Karnataka is grouped in Pool C along with Services, SAI, Bihar and Goa. They will play their first match against Goa on June 3.
As many as 37 participating teams have been divided into eight pools and toppers of each pool will make it to the quarter finals. Pune had previously hosted the inaugural Hockey India Junior Men`s Nationals in 2011.
The championship will be telecast live on DD from the quarter final stage.
Pool A: Hockey Punjab, Hockey Delhi, Association of Indian Universities, Hockey Arunachal.
Pool B: Air India Sports Promotion Board, Madhya Pradesh Hockey Academy, Hockey Puducherry, Tripura Hockey, Chhattisgarh Hockey.
Pool C: Hockey Karnataka, Services Sports Control Board, Hockey Bihar, Goans Hockey, Sports Authority of India.
Pool D: Hockey Haryana, Uttar Pradesh Hockey, Hockey Maharashtra, Hockey Andaman and Nicobar, Mumbai Hockey Association.
Pool E: Hockey Jharkhand, Hockey Odisha, Hockey Himachal Pradesh, Bengal Hockey Association, Comptroller and Auditor General.
Pool F: Railway Sports Promotion Board, Hockey Bhopal,
Sashastra Seema Bal, Hockey Jammu and Kashmir, Namdhari XI.
Pool G: Manipur Hockey, Hockey Andhra Pradesh, Hockey Uttarakhand, Hockey Kerala.
Pool H: Hockey Unit of Tamil Nadu, Chandigarh Olympic Association, Hockey Assam, Hockey Rajasthan.
Karnataka squad: Jagdeep Dayal, K D Bidappa, S K Appachu, B P Chingappa, S M Rafeeq, Vikramkant (captain), C K Somanna, M B Aiyappa, S K Uthappa (vice captain), M G Poonacha, M K Muddappa, Mohan Muthanna, Nikkin Thimmaiah, Bipin Bopaiah, K B Thammaiah, P L Thimmanna, K M Somanna, P V Pramod and C U Bopanna.
Coach: K K Poonacha
Manager: Rickey Ganapathy
Physio and Trainer: Sampath Kumar.
PTI
source: http://www.zeenews.india.com / Z News / Home> Sports> Others / Thursday – May 30th, 2013
Hockey India made sweeping changes in the national selection committee, bringing in many young faces.
The nine-member selection committee will be headed by Olympian BP Govinda.
Former India captain Arjun Halappa is in the committee
The new committee was decided at the HI Executive Board meeting recently and will come into effect from July 1.
It will have one-year tenure.
It includes former men’s team captains Gagan Ajit Singh and Arjun Halappa, besides women’s team skippers Savitri Purty, Mamta Kharab, Surinder Kaur and Saba Anjum, who is youngest member in the committee at 27.
The other two members in the panel are Olympian Syed Ali (1976 Olympics) and former international player RP Singh (World Cup in 1986 & 1990).
“The Selection Committee will work jointly with the High Performance and Development Committee to identify fresh talent in the country. The High Performance committee is a step forward in bringing uniformity in the development of the sport across the country.”
HI secretary general Narinder Batra said they have selected youngsters because they know the modern day hockey.
“The committee has been selected keeping in mind the present day environment. They know what it needs today to take Indian hockey forward,” he said.
“Besides we have people like BP Govinda and Harbinder Singh who is the government advisor in the committee. It is a fine mix of youth and experience,” he added.
source: http://www.dailymail.co.uk / Mail Online India / Home> India / by Mail Today Reporter / June 01st, 2013
Ajai Appachu, Nadia Haridass, Fouad Mirza and Silva Storai
Bangalore :
Three of Karnataka’s excellent show jumpers from Embassy International Riding School, Bangalore, will make their way to Incheon, Korea for the 17th Asian Games to be held from September 19 to October 4.
Ajai Appachu and Nadia Haridass will represent the country for the second time in the Asian Games, while Fouad Mirza will make his debut. In 2010, Ajai was selected for Asian Games, but did not make it due to technical issues.
Equestrian has featured in the Asian Games ever since it was first staged in New Delhi in 1982. To date, Japan leads in the number of accolades collected at the Asian Games followed by South Korea and India.
Appachu, Mirza and Haridass train at Bangalore’s premier horse riding school, Embassy International Riding School (EIRS). They have meticulously trained under reputed instructors.
Appachu has earned several accolades at events across the world. Recently, he stood second at the renowned Hopetoun Commonwealth Cup in Scotland.
At 22, Mirza has performed splendidly, having won over 50 regional and international championship medals. He stood fourth at the Hopetoun Commonwealth Cup.
Nadia, a dressage specialist, has been a consistent performer in the category and has gained recognition in equestrian circles by winning many laurels and representing the country at both national and international platforms.
“I think we stand a good chance of winning in South Korea as we have the best horses. In the run-up to the Asian Games, we have been training hard in Europe and also participating in tough competitions,” said Appachu. Nadia, who trains under Olympian Hubertus Schmidt in Dusseldorf, Germany, said: “Competing against the world’s best riders in the qualifying rounds of Asian Games has infused confidence in me ahead of the big event. Qatar has spent a huge amount of money to prepare for the race and they can be tough opponents.”
“I am optimistic about winning a medal in the team event. Overall, the championship will be tough as Korea, Japan and Qatar have invested heavily on buying a good breed of horses,” said Oxfordshire-based Fouad.
“Nowadays, more parents want their children to pursue the sport and I hope we have some good performances at Asian Games,” said EIRS director Silva Storai, who was a professional rider herself, not too long ago.
source: http://www.thenewindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Bangalore / by S.S. Shreekumar / July 29th, 2014
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