Pakistan, India set for intriguing semifinal today

BHUBANESWAR: Arch-rivals Pakistan and Pakistan return to centre stage in field hockey on Saturday after a controversial format helped them reach the Champions Trophy semi-finals in Bhubaneswar. Instead of rewarding performances in the preliminary league, all eight teams were assured of reaching the quarter-finals – a round which turned the tournament on its head, and left some teams quietly fuming.

The top four teams in the league – England, the Netherlands, Argentina and Belgium – were all knocked out in Thursday's round of eight, while the bottom four sailed through to the semi-finals. The format also helped new-look world champions Australia, seeking a sixth successive title, and Olympic gold-medallists Germany recover from shaky starts to line up for Saturday's other semi-final.

Hosts India, ranked ninth in the world, fought back from a 0-2 deficit to beat number four Belgium 4-2. Eleventh-ranked Pakistan stunned the Dutch by a similar margin after losing all their three league matches. The Germans knocked out England 2-0 and Australia ousted Argentina 4-2.

Dutch coach Max Caldas had been wary of the format from the start. "If you lose all three league games, you could still win the tournament and I think that's bad," he had said earlier in the week.In contrast, the surviving teams could not hide their glee." Although I am not in favour of this (format), today I don't mind it," Australian coach Graham Reid said on Thursday. German captain Moritz Furste added: "In this situation it is good for us. It has given us a lease of life. We can go on to win the tournament from here."Pakistan coach Shahnaz Shaikh tempered his joy with a suggestion. "To make this format fair to everyone, a handicap of one goal should be given to the table-toppers," he said.

Millions of fans across India and Pakistan will tune in to what should be a rousing semi-final, a repeat of the Asian Games gold medal clash in South Korea in October which India won in a penalty shoot-out. Once the masters of the sport, neither team has advanced to the final of a major world competition since 1998, when Pakistan lost the Champions Trophy final to the Dutch in Lahore. "I am so happy that both teams are in the semi-final," Shaikh said. "For fans it is a dream. For me, it is a good sign that Asian teams have started to do well again." India have not won a major title since bagging the last of their eight Olympic gold medals at the Western-boycotted Moscow Games in 1980. Dutchman Roelant Oltmans, India's high performance director who is acting as coach after Australian Terry Walsh was controversially axed last month, preferred to look ahead to the 2016 Olympics."We need to play tough matches to prepare for the Olympics," said Oltmans, who had earlier coached Pakistan. "And this tournament is as tough as it gets."

The other semi-final promises to be a classic between two young sides. Australia wear a new look in the absence of veterans Liam de Young and Rob Hammond, who retired after the World Cup in June, and five-time world player of the year Jamie Dwyer and Mark Knowles, who are both injured. Germany, with seven junior World Cup winners from 2013 in their squad, are banking on Furste, the world player of the year in 2012, to deliver.

Hockey India president seeks Pakistan’s apology over ‘uncouth’ behaviour

Hockey India President Narinder Batra on Sunday said the Pakistan hockey team would have to apologise for its ‘inappropriate’ behaviour, while also slamming the International Hockey Federation’s (FIH)’s decision to take “no further action” against Pakistan.

“Hockey India is disappointed with FIH TD (Tournament Director) decision conveyed to Hockey India on the behaviour of Pakistan team towards the crowd in Bhubhaneshwar, Odisha, after semi-finals of Champions Trophy on 13 December, 2014,” Hockey India (HI) President Narinder Batra wrote in his Facebook post, according to IBNLive.
In a statement issued by tournament director Wiert Doyer, the International Hockey Federation (FIH) said Pakistan Head Coach Shahnaz Sheikh had apologised for his team’s rude gestures towards the crowd.
“I have spoken to Shahnaz and told him that the behaviour of Pakistan players went beyond what is acceptable to standards of the FIH,” Doyer was quoted as saying in the statement.
“Shahnaz has apologised and assured me that this behaviour will not occur again. Given these matters, I’ve decided that no further action is warranted,” Doyer added.
However, claiming that FIH’s decision is unaccpetable to India, the Hockey India president wrote, “I am instructing my CEO to inform FIH that in case this kind of behaviour by teams is within normal and tolerable limits of FIH, then we may not be interested to host any more tournaments in India and the tournaments may be shifted to countries which tolerate this kind of nonsense and uncouth behaviour.”
Batra also said there will be no friendly series with Pakistan until their federation issues an unconditional apology.
“Further there will now be no friendly series on annual basis with Pakistan until an unconditional apology is received from Pakistan Hockey Federation on the uncouth and undesired behaviour of their athletes with spectators and media after the semi-finals on 13 December 2014,” he said.
As Pakistan edged past arch-rivals India 4-3 in a thrilling semi-final match at the Kalinga Stadium, Bhubaneswar in India on Saturday, advancing to the final, team players removed their T-shirts to celebrate.
Pakistan team’s head coach Sheikh boycotted a press conference following objections over his team’s behaviour by Indian media.
Pakistan will face Germany in the final today, while Australia and India will play each other for the third place.

Champions Trophy: Pakistan celebrate India win with finger salute

Pakistani player flips out the middle finger aimed towards the Indian fans after their win
Pakistani players shamelessly hurled obscene gestures towards Indian fans and media after their win over India but no action will be taken against them as their coach Shahnaz Sheikh has apologised to the FIH for the incident.

Soon after their 4-3 win, Pakistani players went into a frenzy mode and started celebrating their victory in a wild fashion. They started dancing in jubilation.

They removed their shirts, used foul language and made obscene gestures including the finger salute towards the crowd and media, prompting their coach Shahnaz to come into action and take away his players.

Tournament Director Wiert Doyer then spoke to Pakistani camp and said International Hockey Federation (FIH) has accepted their apology.

"The celebration of the Pakistani team contained some behaviour that warranted further investigation by me as Tournament Director. As a result I have spoken to the Head Coach of the Pakistan team, Mr. Shahnaz Sheikh and told him that the behaviour of Pakistan players went beyond what is acceptable to standards of the FIH," Doyer said.

"The behaviour in question concerned many members of the Pakistan team. It is difficult to find any particular miscreant, and it is possible that the behaviour of the players may have been a reaction. Shahnaz Sheikh has apologised and assured me that this behaviour will not occur again. Given these matters, I've decided that no further action is warranted," Doyer added.

Their on-field antics prompted Pak coach to come into action and take away his players

The gestures of the Pakistani players infuriated every person present at the stadium.

Pakistan coach Shahnaz Sheikh was bound to feel the wrath of the media at the post-match press conference for his players' behavior but he went away by merely saying a sorry, which according to him was enough to settle the issue.

"I am not a politician I am a sportsperson, but I am sorry for this. They are youngsters and made a mistake in enthusiasm. I guess that's enough," Sheikh simply said and walked out of the conference hall evading further questions on the matter.

India captain Sardar Singh also denounced winners' celebration style.

"It doesn't look good because many families came to watch the match. Their celebration after the win was not appropriate. They deserved to win. Congratulations to them, but the way they celebrated by opening their shirt and making indecent gestures was not right. It sends a wrong message."

India's High Performance Director Roealt Oltmans said, "To be honest I didn't see much but it looked too much."

FIH bans two Pak players from today's hockey match

India government warned FIH of not hosting any international event in case of not taking the action.

BHUBANESWAR (Dunya News) - International Hockey Federation (FIH) on Sunday banned two Pakistani players, Amjad Ali and Muhammad Touseeq to play today s hockey match with Germany.

Earlier, FIH refused to take any action against Pakistani hockey team over the indecent gestures towards Indian spectators at the hockey stadium.

According to Pakistani hockey team coach Shahnaz Sheikh, the alleged hockey players Amjad Hussain, Shafqat Rasool and Muhammad Touseeq were presented before FIH and after watching the video of the match, FIH dismissed the Indian objection.

The head coach of Pakistani hockey team has also appologized over the profane gestures of Pakistani players and has assured to maintain respectful behavior ahead.

Further, Indian government on Sunday enraged over the success of Pakistan in Hockey Champions Trophy’s semi final and demanded FIH to take action against Pakistani hockey players who took off their shirts and did obscene gestures towards the Indian onlookers.

Indian government further warned FIH of not hosting any international event in case of not taking the action.

On the other hand, FIH has ignored the threats of India and has decided not to take any action against Pakistani players.

Also, Pakistan has defeated Indian by 4-3 in the semi-final of men’s Hockey Champions Trophy in Bhubaneswar, India. India was the first to score when Gurjinder slapped one into the nets in 11th minute. Pakistan failed to score only three minutes later on a penalty corner but succeeded to convert in the 16th minute of the game to level the match.

The two sides remained even till the end of the first half but immediately after the game was restarted in the third quarter, Muhammad Waqas scored to put Pakistan in the lead. Indians were quick to respond as Dharamvir scored to level the match again.

Irfan was the next to give Pakistan the lead and Nikkin was the next to level the scores yet again.

However, when Qadir scored for the fourth time into the India net, it was the goal that decided the fate of the match in Pakistan’s favour as India failed to score the equalizer one minute later on penalty corner.

No FIH event in India till Pakistan players are punished: Hockey India

PTI

Pakistan team members celebrate after beating India in the semi-final of the Champions Trophy hockey at Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar, Odisha on Saturday. Photo: Sandeep Saxena

Taking strong exception to FIH’s “weak” censure to Pakistani players for their obscene behaviour after beating India in the Champions Trophy semifinal, Hockey India on Sunday decided that it would not host any event sanctioned by the world body until strong punishment is handed out to the offenders.

The Pakistani players made obscene gestures towards Indian fans and media after their win last night but no action was taken against them by the International Hockey Federation (FIH) after their coach Shahnaz Sheikh offered an apology.

“It was a shameless and condemnable incident but the FIH took a very weak and feeble decision. It is not acceptable to us. We have made it clear to FIH that such sort of behaviour from sportspersons is not acceptable to Indians,” HI president Narinder Batra toldPTI from New Delhi.

“So we have decided not to host any FIH tournaments in India after the Women’s World League Round 3 scheduled in March, which includes the 2018 Men’s World Cup, if they don’t take any strong action against Pakistan,” he said.

Soon after their 4-3 win, Pakistani players went into frenzy and started celebrating their victory in a wild fashion. They removed their shirts, used foul language and made obscene gestures towards the crowd and media, prompting their coach Shahnaz to come into action and take away his players.

Tournament Director Wiert Doyer, who was asked to carry out an inquiry into the matter, then spoke to the Pakistani camp and said FIH has accepted their apology. But Batra said a mere apology is not enough.

“If FIH rules and regulations permit such uncivilized behaviour then they should hold their tournaments in any other country not India because Indian culture and values don’t permit such acts,” the HI chief said.

India and Pakistan were scheduled to resume their bilateral hockey series at a neutral venue in Dhaka soon, but Batra said India will not play any bilateral series with Pakistan after this incident.

“We have decided not to play any bilateral or trilateral series against Pakistan until and unless the Pakistan Hockey Federation gives an unconditional apology for this incident in writing,” he said.

The FIH also has to share the blame for the fiasco as they conducted a hurried investigation into the incident and came out with their views within hours.

“The celebration of the Pakistani team contained some behaviour that warranted further investigation by me as Tournament Director. As a result I have spoken to the Head Coach of the Pakistan team, Shahnaz Sheikh and told him that the behaviour of Pakistan players went beyond what is acceptable to standards of the FIH,” Tournament Director Doyer, who was in charge of the investigation, said in a statement last night.

“The behaviour in question concerned many members of the Pakistan team. It is difficult to find any particular miscreant, and it is possible that the behaviour of the players may have been a reaction. Shahnaz Sheikh has apologised and assured me that this behaviour will not occur again. Given these matters, I’ve decided that no further action is warranted,” he added.

UNESCO declares Indian National Anthem best in the world

A hoax email has resurfaced that claims that UNESCO has declared the Indian National Anthem Jana Gana Mana to be the best in the world. This email message has gone viral on Facebook and Whatsapp again. It appears to have first emerged in 2008, and again in 2012, before reappearing at the end of 2014. This message is believed to be fake and reports say that UNESCO has denied any such declaration on their part.

A Facebook page has also been created asking Indians to be proud because the Indian National Anthem has been declared the best in the world by UNESCO.

Jana Gana Mana is based on a Bengali-Sanskrit poem written by Rabindranath Tagore, India’s great poet and author of pre-Independence era who had also put his poem to tune.

The Indian National Anthem hoax email is in a series of online hoaxes, the recent ones being a fake picture of the baby of Riteish Deshmukh and Genelia just a few days ago, and also the fake photo of Aaradhya Bachchan – the daughter of Abhishek and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan two years ago. Another fake was the beautiful Diwali lights photo clicked from space that emerged in 2011.

Eicher launches new generation buses in Pune

Following the launch of new gen Eicher Skyline Pro Series light duty buses in Hyderabad and Bangalore, the automaker has now launched this range in Pune

Commenting on the launch, Shyam Maller, Senior Vice-President, Sales, Marketing and Aftermarket, VECV, said, “The new generation Eicher Skyline Pro Series buses have been developed as per our philosophy of relevant modernisation to continuously improve transportation efficiency in India and developing world thereby reducing cost of people transportation and increased productivity.”VE Commercial Vehicles (VECV) has launched its new-generation Eicher Skyline Pro Series of light duty buses in Pune. The new buses aim to meet the demands of the emerging premium market segment while providing enhanced passenger safety and comfort.

Eicher Skyline Pro buses are available in school, staff and tourist variants. The seating capacity ranges from 36 to 60 high head rest and school bus seats as per the segment requirement. These buses have been equipped with the Eicher E-483 engine which the company claims has low maintenance and good fuel-efficiency. The automaker claims that the longer length and width of the buses offers best seating layout for passengers in the saloon area, higher seat pitch for more leg space, and a wider gangway. Parabolic suspension and radial tyres improve passenger and driver comfort, and tyre life.

Eicher Skyline Pro school buses also offer individual retractable seat belts for safety of children. The front engine buses have the lowest first step and floor height. 

The new Skyline Pro Range is being manufactured at Eicher’s Baggad plant in Indore, Madhya Pradesh.

Delhi goes on ban 'overdrive' to tackle Uber rape backlash

Following a ban on Uber by the Delhi government after a female passenger accused one of its drivers of rape, three other private radio taxi services have also been disbarred from operating in the Capital, according to the Indian Express.

Police escort Uber cab driver Shiv Kumar Yadav, who is accused of raping a woman executive, after his court appearance in New Delhi on Monday. (Raj K Raj/HT photo)

The Express said Ola Cabs, Taxi for Sure and TaxiPixi have been banned for not being recognised by the Delhi transport department.

Six private radio taxi services registered under the Delhi government's Economy Radio Taxi Scheme — Easy Cabs, Mega Cabs, Meru, Chanson, Yo Cabs and Air Cabs — will continue to operate in the city.

"All other transport/taxi service providers through web-based technology, who are not recognised, are prohibited from providing such services in the NCT of Delhi till they get licence/ permission from the transport department," the Express quoted from said a statement issued by the deputy commissioner (transport).

A Delhi court sent the Uber taxi driver accused of raping the 25-year-old executive to police custody for three days.

The Delhi Police are considering legal action against Uber for hiring the driver, who was arrested and jailed on allegations of sexual assault on a previous occasion, without running a background check.

Commuters say regulate cabs

The Delhi government's decision to ban the app-based cab booking service Uber has evoked strong reactions from the public.

"This is the only thing that can be expected from the government. Rather than regulating the cab services and making sure that implementation of law is better, they have decided to ban the service," said Kavita Kumar, a Delhi University teacher who is a regular Uber user.

Calling the government’s reaction kneejerk, a number of people questioned if banning was the solution to such crimes.

"If tomorrow someone gets raped aboard a bus, will you ban buses? This is not the way to deal with these problems. Have strict rules and make people follow those rules. Cabs are a great way for people to travel, especially at night. Banning them is just a way to say that people, especially women, should not go outside the house at night," said Manisha Yadav, a Delhi University student.

The outrage against the ban was also evident on websites such as Facebook and Twitter.

"Two months ago, an auto driver raped a mentally challenged girl in an auto. Did the government ban autos then?" said Suryanarayan Ganesh on Twitter.

A number of people also used the opportunity to make fun of the decision.

"India should ban India. There will be no rapes then," said one.

SC rejects ban on hookah bars in smoking zones

READ MORE Smoking Zones|SC|Sale Of Cigarettes And Tobacco|Rejects Ban|Hookah Bars

The apex court pointed out that the definition of smoking under the Cigarettes Act included smoking tobacco in any form with the help of a pipe, wrapper, or any other instrument, which would include a hookah and the expression, "no other service shall be allowed", referred to services other than hookahs. 

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MUMBAI: The Supreme Court on Monday struck down the ban on sale and use of hookahs in hotels, restaurants and even airports where smoking is otherwise legally permitted. 

The SC has set aside judgments passed by three high courts three years ago that upheld such prohibitions brought in by the civic bodies and police in Mumbai, Ahmedabad and Chennai. 

The apex court pointed out that the definition of smoking under the Cigarettes Act included smoking tobacco in any form with the help of a pipe, wrapper, or any other instrument, which would include a hookah and the expression, "no other service shall be allowed", referred to services other than hookahs. So, the use of hookahs could be permitted in smoking zones, said a bench of Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justice Rohinton Nariman, allowing a bunch of appeals against the judgments of the Bombay, Gujarat and Madras high courts. Gujarat and Madras HCs had relied on an August 2011 judgment of the Bombay HC, which rejected a challenge to a BMC circular issued in July 2011 that banned the stocking and sale of cigarettes and tobacco even in hotels and restaurants and prohibited use of the hookah in smoking rooms there. 

The law, as it stands, prohibits smoking in all public places across the nation except in specially designated smoking rooms in hotels, restaurants and airports. The SC pointed out that the law permitted the sale of cigarettes and tobacco to adults in areas outside a 100-yard radius of educational institutions. Any other exception added by the civic administration or the police would be impermissible, said the SC judgment. C U Singh, counsel for Narinder Chadha who had gone to the SC against the Bombay HC's prohibitory order, argued the BMC circular was unlawful as it prevented the stocking and sale of tobacco even on licensed premises. The SC accepted his argument.

The law, as it stands, prohibits smoking in all public places across the nation except in specially designated smoking rooms in hotels, restaurants and airports. (Reuters photo) 
The tussle revolved around Rule 4(3) framed by the Centre in 2008 to govern smoking in public places that said only smoking and "no other services shall be allowed" in smoking areas. The BMC additionally banned the "use of any apparatus designed to facilitate smoking". "The effect of the added words is that a hookah can't be provided by the hotel, restaurant or airport and it is an apparatus designed to facilitate smoking," said the SC, adding the BMC's condition was contrary to the Cigarettes Act.

The SC rejected a Madras HC judgment that had upheld a July 2011 notice that prevented hotel and restaurant owners from providing tobacco to adults. (TOI photo) 
Dismissing BMC counsel R P Bhatt's arguments that hookahs cannot be permitted in public places at all, the SC said the rule could not be used by the BMC to justify its stand on prohibiting hookahs even in designated smoking areas. "The rules must be read harmoniously... What is expressly allowed in one rule, cannot be taken away by another," it said. 

Besides setting aside the Bombay HC's judgment and deleting some sections of the BMC circular, the SC rejected a Madras HC judgment that had upheld a July 2011 notice that prevented hotel and restaurant owners from providing tobacco to adults. 

In Gujarat, the HC had upheld an order from the Ahmedabad police chief, prohibiting standalone hookah bars and also those in hotels and restaurants. The SC observed that the "Gujarat HC had referred to the evil effects of smoking ... and concluded that the police power to regulate included the power to prohibit". Justice Nariman, who penned the SC ruling, held that the Gujarat HC was wrong on all counts. 

Mumbai hookah parlour owners Shakil Bhure and Suhail Mansoori, who had also appealed against the HC order, said they were happy that their "undivided efforts of three years paid off" and didn't go up in smoke

Send Sheetal From Mumbai Red-Light Area To USA School

Meet Sheetal Jain. She's 19, in 10th grade and loves to dance and play drums. A normal teenage life? Not for her, she grew up in Mumbai's red-light area. Her mother is a sex worker and she has never met her father. Growing up was not easy, she faced violence, rape and discrimination.

Growing up in Asia’s largest red-light district, people often taunted her saying that she would end up either as a bar dancer or a sex worker, just like her mother. This did not stop her from dreaming, she's courageous, optimistic, and is eager to make a difference.

In SheetaI's own words

I was taught that "a prostitute's daughter will only be a prostitute" and I was never allowed to have big dreams. But when I came to Kranti NGO, I studied, I had therapy, and most importantly, I had the chance to dream. I also found my passion in life - playing the drums.

Why Drumming

Children are encouraged to follow their dreams, why should it be different for Sheetal?

With a disrupted childhood, Sheetal enrolled in only three years of school. Studies are not her strong point; she wasn’t able to clear her recent Class 10 exams. She could either learn a trade to eke out a living. Or, she could struggle through an Open University.

However, Sheetal had begun to dream: “I always loved the sound that came out of drums; I found solace in music. What if more children could have that?” With a little initial training, she proved to have a natural ability for the drums. She applied to music schools in Mumbai, but they take in only Class 10 or Class 12 graduates. Meanwhile, the Levine School of Music in Washington D.C., USA, accepted her application, for their 1-year diploma program.

What does she hope to achieve?

In her own words: “I want to bring music to my community. I will use the skills and experience I acquire to start a music program in Kamathipura, because music is amazing therapy. I want to help other girls from my community get their chance at dreaming big.”

I have seen music serve as a powerful tool for social change. People play the drums to protest, fundraise, and entertain. I want to help sex workers and their kids to use music to fight for their rights, especially when they are protesting police brutality and other big problems.”

I also want the opportunity to live and study abroad: a childhood dream that I, a sex worker's daughter, never thought would come true. I believe the experience will help me as a person, and as a leader.”

The only thing standing in Sheetal’s way is financing her trip, tuition and stay in the US. We are actively raising funds to help her dream come true. As of 5 December, we have already raised ₹ 3,58,000 but there's a long way to go and we need your support. We urge you to help Sheetal realize her dream.

Lata Mangeshkar and Asha Bhonsle collaborate after 30 years

Lata produces, Asha sings!

• 

They're the playback industry's most legendary songstresses. And since 1984, this will be the first time the two sisters -Lata Mangeshkar and Asha Bhosle come together. However, the reunion is for Ae Hawa, a track Lata's label, LM Music is producing and Asha, along with Shaan, has sung for. Says Lata, "It's a pleasure to come together with my sister again. We've sung many songs together and it's always a challenge to face the mic with her." Incidentally, the last song they sang together was Mann Kyon Behka for the film Utsav in 1984.

Lata says that it will be difficult for them to sing together. She explains, "The thing about the two of us coming together to sing is that we are very different singers. The music composer has to find the meeting-point. And this isn't easy." How did Ae Hawa, out December 10, happen? She elaborates, "My niece Rachna's brother-in-law Rohan Shah composed the number. Asha and Shaan sang it. So I decided my company LM Music along with Saregama-HMV will produce the song."

IPTL: Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic steal the show as Delhi witness world-class tennis

New Delhi: The second match on the final day of the Indian leg of the International Premier Tennis League (IPTL) was probably best we have seen of the tournament so far.

There was plenty on offer as we saw a world class encounter between World No. 2 Roger Federer and World No. 1 Novak Djokovic here at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium which matched the intensity of any Grand Slam match or a big WTA event.

We saw Roger Federer playing probably the shot of the league when he hit an over-the-head winner in the shoot-out against Djokovic after making it 5-5. We also saw Goran Ivanesevic throwing his racquet after he lost two back to back games against Bruno Soares and we saw Federer shoulder-bumping Gael Monflis after the French scored a winner against the pair of Marin Cilic and Nenad Zimonic in the men's doubles match.

Image credit: Getty Images

Federer might find it difficult to remember all the rules in the 'crazy' IPTL, but what he has find very easy so far is winning the sets for his team, Indian Aces. After winning all three sets on his opening day in the IPTL on Sunday, Federer continued his good form to defeat Djokovic 6-5 as UAE Royals defeated the Indian Aces 29-22.

Roger looked rusty at the start when he was playing in the men's doubles but once he got his rhythm back he was exceptional at the nets and scored some brilliant winners. Djokovic came in to replace Cilic in the eighth game of the men's doubles and gave good fight to the Indian Aces.

The set was tied at 5-5 and the match went down the shoot-out. Federer/Monflis, after trailing 3-6, came back and won the set 6-5 to keep the Aces alive in the match. Federer hit some unbelivable winners from the nets and received a huge cheer from the cloud.

The Federer vs Djokovic match started with huge expectations from the fans. And both the world class players didn't disappoint. Federer and Djokovic won their opening games on serves before the Serb broke Federer in the third game to take an early advantage in the set. He held on to his serve in the next game as Federer also won the game on his serve. The Swiss then came back from 0-40 to win the seventh game and he hit three aces to win the ninth game.

Federer won the shoot-out 6-5 and the set 6-6 as the UAE Royals won the match while the Indian Aces maintained their lead at the top of the table with 30 points.

Earlier, UAE won the mixed doubles match 6-2 after Rohan Bopanna was replaced by Federer to partner with Sania Mirza for the last three games of the set.

During the break after the first match, Bollywood's famous stars Aamir Khan, Deepika Padukone, Akshay Kumar and Riteish Deshmukh joined Federer on the court to try some luck in tennis during an exhibition match.

Delhi rape case: Cops may have given 'rapist' character certificate

Under the nose of six PCR vans and five beat constables, taxi driver Shiv Kumar Yadav allegedly raped a 26-years -old woman in the Capital. Less than a kilometre away from Sarai Rohilla Police station on the desolated stretch of PWD road number 38 leading to Shakti Nagar and Bharat Nagar, Yadav allegedly committed the heinous crime.

The callousness of the authorities became more evident as Yadav had served seven months of imprisonment for a similar crime in 2011. Despite that, police issued him a character certificate last August. Yadav had apparently submitted the same certificate to Uber as part of the necessary paperwork.Uber is an American cab service operator in the national capital.

The police however has feigned ignorance about the character certificate produced by Yadav. They say that the certificate was forged and that the matter is under investigation.

A visit to the crime scene highlighted that despite the tall claims made by authorities following the December 16, 2012, gang-rape in the capital, the fateful road number 38, lacks street lights and police patrolling. Two years on, it remains one of the most deserted stretches in the city. Even after this incident the cops seem to have made no attempts to make the road safer.

The road has a drain flowing on one side and a park on the other. The park is an extension of Delhi's ridge. The stretch is a relatively busy road during the day, when vehicles to avoid heavy traffic on the main road use the road as a short cut. But by night the street is dark and isolated. Except for vehicles of the local slum dwellers not many
use it.

While the drain and the ridge on both sides of this road have high raised walls, but broken patches along the wall are safe havens for small time crimes in the area. "We do not allow our girls to use this street along after sunset. There are no streetlights and notorious elements loiter in the area," said Ruksana Begum a resident of Nibri colony, a slum located along the road. The locals also said that incidents of molestation are common in the area, but the cases go unregistered.

Locals also say that many private cars are parked outside the park till late at night. "We see young boys and girls sitting in the park. The police should have kept a check. We hope that after this incident, the police will become more vigilant," added Raghubir another resident of the area.

Uber will compensate victim, comply with rules but will stay in Delhi: Eric Alexander

On the issue of police verification of drivers, Uber said that it is willing to work with third party verification agencies to perform background checks on drivers. 

Taxi hailing app Uber's top management on Monday told ET that it is willing to compensate the victim financially and is okay to be subjected to regulation and licensing rules of the state in order to operate its services. "We would be happy to assist in her recovery. Financially. If there are things that we can do to help her, we will do.

And I think that is the right thing," said Eric Alexander, President of Business for Uber in Asia. He added that Uber is not willing to leave the Delhi market. "Absolutely not! We are looking at ways to appeal against the government order in court," said Alexander. He said India was one of Uber's top markets globally, neck-to-neck with China after the United States. This is the first interview by a senior Uber official to any media since the crime committed by one of its registered drivers. So far Uber has only communicated through its blog posts. 

On the issue of police verification of drivers, Uber said that it is willing to work with third party verification agencies to perform background checks on drivers. It is also willing to set up a call centre in India. Currently, Uber only has an email and twitter support for its customers in India unlike radiocab firms such as Meru or Mega that have full-fledged call centre operations and GPS trackers fitted on all their cars. "We are also willing to be subjected to Indian laws and regulatory regime. 

We have done that in other markets and we are willing to do it here," said Alexander. Alexander said that Uber employees in India were nervous and the company's office in Bengaluru was 'almost attacked' by a mob. "You never know what a mob can do. So we have, for now, pulled all our employees out of our office in Delhi and Bengaluru and are still to take a decision to operate out of them this week," he said. 

All employees in the capital for instance had vacated their office in Gurgaon and were camping in a five star hotel in Delhi. On the issue of installing GPS trackers, he said that the company is willing to install physical devices in cabs of its partner-drivers 'if that helps'. Uber cabs are still operational in the capital despite the ban. 

Shweta Prasad sex scandal: Celebrities react

Shweta Basu Prasad, who was mired in a controversy this year when she was caught in an alleged prostitution racket, has accused the media of wrongly dragging her name into a prostitution case. The starlet was sent to a rescue home for 59 days after a prostitution racket allegedly involving her was busted, reports PTI. On December 5, the Metropolitan Sessions Court, Nampally, Hyderabad, gave Shweta a clean chit in the case by withdrawing charges and stay order against her that was made by a trial court. According to the PTI report, in an open letter posted on her Twitter account, the 23-year-old Makdeestar said she was sad with the way things played out in the press. "I understand that everything was a chain of reaction and versions of the incident with several misleading stories were picked up along with my... wait, not my statement... for the rest of India or anyone, anywhere on planet, for the last time: This is not my statement," she said. Shweta said that she wanted to move ahead in life and forget the whole episode. "I have completely gone past the whole incident and I overlook everyone who picked up false statements and encouraged misleading stories without verifying it's authenticity. I overlook, because this episode does not deserve any more attention," she said.

Sikka Welcomes Share Sale by Infosys Founders

File photo of Infosys CEO Vishal Sikka

New Delhi: As four founder families sold part of their Infosys holdings on Monday, Vishal Sikka, chief executive of India's second largest IT outsourcer, said monetization of shares for philanthropic and entrepreneurship purposes was in line with the company's values.

"As I have always said, the founders have left an indelible legacy and culture in this iconic company and I respect and trust their decision of contributing towards philanthropic activities and entrepreneurship and other initiatives...So, in that sense again this action by them is aligned with the company's values," Mr Sikka said in a statement.

"In fact, contributing to the greater good is something close to the company's heart, I am looking forward to further strengthening and reinforcing this area."

Mr Sikka, the first outsider CEO of Infosys, noted that the four co-founders continue to be among the largest retail shareholders in the company and they have reiterated their commitment to the future of the company and reinforced their belief in and support of its leadership.

On Monday, families of four Infosys co-founders, including Narayana Murthy and Nandan Nilekani, sold shares worth over $1 billion (Rs 6,484 crore) - within months of all original promoters exiting the management and Mr Sikka becoming the first outsider CEO.

While these four co-founders, which also include former CEO S D Shibulal and K Dinesh, have monetized only part of their holdings - for entrepreneurship and philanthropic activities - their action led to a sharp plunge of about 5 per cent in the IT heavyweight's share price eroding almost $2 billion from the company's market capitalisation.

A total of 3.26 crore shares, accounting for an over 5.5 per cent stake in the company, were sold through multiple deals by Mr Murthy, Mrm Nilekani, Mr Dinesh and some of their family members, as well as wife of Mr Shibulal.

Infosys, which currently commands a market value of about Rs 2.25 lakh crore, was founded by seven engineers, including these four, by pooling together $250 in 1981, while all the promoters together held a 15.92 per cent stake at the end of last quarter.

Narendra Modi rally in Kashmir unimpressive: Congress

 

Congress  termed Prime Minister Narendra Modi's maiden election rally in Kashmir as "unimpressive", saying his speech was "highly disjointed" and the content a "mere propaganda". "After a great fanfare, Modi's rally at Srinagar turned out to be highly unimpressive and to add insult to injury, he wanted to take credit for things which have either not happened or had happened without Modi's contribution," Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee president, Saif-ud-din Soz said in a statement here.

Soz claimed only 2500 people had turned up for the rally which was held at the Sher-e-Kashmir Cricket Stadium. "The reports are that at the most 2500 people turned out for the rally after a great effort in the length and breadth of Kashmir to collect people. To say the least Modi's speech was highly disjointed and the content was mere propaganda," he said.

The Congress leader alleged that Modi was "not aware" of what former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee meant when he had said that Kashmir issue would be resolved under the ambit of humanity. "First of all Modi is not aware of what the then Prime Minister Vajpayee meant by saying that Kashmir question would be resolved within the parameters of 'Insaniyat' (humanity). Modi is very widely recognised in the state as a strong votary of abrogation of Article 370. How can he talk of solution within the parameters of 'Insaniyat'. His silence on Article 370 at this time speaks volumes on his perception of Kashmir problem. Unfortunately, his bravado, he does not know how to set a limit to his propaganda about things," he said. 

Soz further claimed that while it was true that "Army went wrong in opening fire in many situations, it is also true that the Army apologised many times for its wrong actions and that had happened long before Modi was on the scene".

"Modi forgot that before Nowgam incident, the Army had awarded punishment to five Jawans in a fake encounter at Machil (Kupwara). He also did not know that it was CBI which had found Army guilty in fake Machil encounter and had wanted further enquiry by the Court. It was then that the Army instituted court martial and found the Army guilty and awarded punishment.

"In his (Modi's) enthusiasm to take credit for everything he exhibited his taste for running down his government's own Institutions," he said. The Congress leader said Modi's assertion that he represents 120 crore people of the country is a "cruel joke which only Modi could crack". "He should be conscious of the fact all the time that despite his majority in the Lok Sabha he (Modi) had got 31 per cent of the votes and 69 per cent electorates of India had voted against him," Soz said. 

DGCA might issue showcause notice for violating directions

SpiceJet's troubles seem to be increasing with the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) warning the airline on Monday of a showcause notice if the latter does not stop accepting booking for flights scheduled more than a month in advance.

Separately, the Airports Authority of India (AAI) has decided to withdraw credit facility and put the airline on 'cash and carry' mode from Wednesday if SpiceJet fails to furnish bank guarantees for the cumulative dues pending with the Authority. Mumbai International Airport (MIAL), too, is learnt to have issued a letter to SpiceJet asking it to clear outstanding payments.

Highly-placed sources in the government said the DGCA has rapped SpiceJet for non-compliance of its directive about advance bookings issued on Friday. "SpiceJet continued to accept bookings for flights till October 2015, even after the DGCA directive came. The regulator has warned the airline if it does not stop accepting such bookings immediately, a showcause notice will be issued on Tuesday," said a senior government official.

Responding to the development, SpiceJet chief operating officer Sanjiv Kapoor said, "We are in discussions with the DGCA on the matter." Shortly after the DGCA instructions came in on Friday, SpiceJet had said the restriction on advance bookings would be "counter-productive" and that the airline "will be discussing the pros and cons of this cooperatively with the DGCA".

On the AAI's move, the government official cited above said: "The AAI has said it will withdraw credit facility from Wednesday if SpiceJet fails to provide bank guarantee covering its entire dues."

Senior MIAL executives, too, said the operator has written to SpiceJet to recover dues of Rs 16 crore, which exceeds the airline's credit limited with MIAL.

DGCA sources pegged SpiceJet's total dues at Rs 1,600 crore, which the airline owes lessors, vendors, income-tax department and airport operators. However, the airline has contested this figure, saying the actual dues are much lower.

SpiceJet has been instructed to prepare and present a payment plan to the DGCA by December 15.

After reviewing the financial and operational parameters of the Budget carrier, Prabhat Kumar, director-general of civil aviation, had issued a series of instructions to the airline on Friday. The regulator withdrew 186 slots of the airline and directed it to file a "convincing schedule" by December 15. The DGCA also instructed the airline not to accept bookings for the cancelled flights and refund all affected passengers within a month.

Responding to the DGCA's directions, Kapoor said in a statement: "SpiceJet today (on Monday) informed the DGCA and the public that for the near-medium term, it intends to operate a fleet of 22 Boeing737s and 15 Q400s, down from the 37 B737s we operated earlier this year. As a consequence of the fleet reduction of 15 Boeings, unused slots are given back to the airports."

On future bookings on cancelled flights, he said: "This has already been stopped as part of standard process," adding, "SpiceJet provides refunds of all bookings for cancelled flights made directly with the airline."

SpiceJet has cut its Boeing 737 fleet to 24 aircraft from 42 at the end of last year. The sharp cut had forced the airline to reduce its daily flights by a third to 232, sources said. SpiceJet is currently operating 232 flights a day, compared with 340 a day in September. The airline has pulled out of cities such as Surat and Lucknow, saying it is scaling down fleet to control costs and consolidate operations.

The DGCA has also directed SpiceJet to provide a report detailing the numbers of passengers affected by flight cancellations as well as refunds, daily. As of last week, the airline made refunds to 55,000 passengers.

The DGCA had also asked SpiceJet to pay salaries for November by December 15. From January, it has been asked to make payments within the seventh of each month. SpiceJet has said it has made payments to 85 per cent of its staff and payments to employees in high-salary brackets will be cleared this week.

The DGCA has also constituted a team to place SpiceJet's aircraft under "heightened surveillance" to ensure safety is not compromised on account of the airline's financial troubles. The team will inspect aircraft flown by SpiceJet - from which 115 commanders and 17 co-pilots resigned in the recent past - on a daily basis.

"We will keep a strict watch on the airline. We will ensure pilots working with the airline are not made to fly more than the hours specified in the flight-duty limitation norms due to shortage of commanders and co-pilots," said a DGCA official.

Civil aviation minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju had on Saturday ruled out any bailout for SpiceJet. "We have not supported any airline yet. We cannot support any one airline. Then there will be questions why we are supporting X and not Y. They have been talking of investors for some time. We only hope that they (SpiceJet) continue to fly," said Raju.

For the September quarter, SpiceJet reported a loss of Rs 310 crore, its fifth consecutive quarterly loss. For the year-ago period, it had reported a loss of Rs 559 crore. In a recent report, the airline's auditors had termed the ability of the airline to operate a "going concern".