7th January, 2016 - Thursday Year :02 Issue : 12 Pages:4 Price :Rs.1/Annual Subscription : Rs. 300 /Edition : Ahmedabad. M.:9687612324
RNI NO.: GUJENG/2014/59629
ENGLISH DAILY MORNING REPUTED NEWS PAPER, AHMEDABAD Editor : Kapilkumar M. Hirpara
News Brief Kolkata Zoo says no to kangaroos
Deputy Editor : Chirag Rudani
“Hydrogen Bomb”
With the death of the lone red kangaroo in captivity in India, the Kolkata Zoo authorities have decided against keeping the pouched mammals in the future. “We have decided that we won’t bring anymore kangaroos in the near future,” a West Bengal Zoo Authority official said. “Henceforth, our focus will be on species found in eastern India and not exotic species”, he said.
Mercury rises by few notches in Kashmir
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North Korea ‘earthquake’ near nuclear test site
North Korea carries out ‘successful’ hydrogen bomb test; ‘Man-made earthquake’ suspected after tremor
North Korea announced on Wednesday it had successfully carried out its first hydrogen bomb test, a development that, if confirmed, would mark a stunning step forward in its nuclear development. “The republic’s first hydrogen bomb test has been successfully performed at 10:00am on January 6, 2016, based on the strategic determination of the Workers’ Party,” a state television news reader announced. The announcement Wednesday from North Korea that it had carried out a nuclear test brought to the front lines of global attention a phrase not often heard since the Cold War — “the H-bomb.” As opposed to the atomic bomb, the kind dropped on Japan in the closing days of World War II, the hydrogen bomb, or so-called “superbomb” can be far more powerful — experts say, by 1,000 times or more. North Korea’s first three nuclear tests, from 2006 to 2013, were A-bombs on roughly the same scale as the ones
used on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, which together killed more than 200,000 people. Pyongyang announced Wednesday that it had detonated its first H-bomb; while seismic data supported the claim of a large explosion, there was no immediate way to confirm the type. Atomic bombs rely on fission, or atom-splitting, just as nuclear power plants do. The hydrogen bomb, also called the thermonuclear bomb, uses fusion, or atomic nuclei coming together, to produce explosive energy. Stars also produce energy through fusion. “Think what’s going on inside the sun,” says Takao Takahara, professor of international politics and peace research at Meiji Gakuin University in Tokyo. “In theory, the process is potentially infinite. The amount of energy is huge.” The technology of the hydrogen bomb is more sophisticated, and once attained, it is a greater threat. They can be made small enough to fit on a head of an intercontinental mis-
North Korea Missile Tests: Timeline
North Korea conducted its fourth underground nuclear test Wednesday, detonating what the government said was its first hydrogen bomb, a device significantly more powerful than those used in previous tests. The test was conducted in a “safe and perfect manner” with “no adverse impact on the ecological environment,” the official Korean Central News Agency said. Kim Jong Un’s government said it set off a hydrogen device at 10 a.m. local time. The explosion was first detected as a magnitude 5.1 earthquake by the U.S. Geological Survey. 1976-81: Begins development using SCUD-B missile from the Soviet Union and launchpad from Egypt
sile. “That the bomb can become compact is the characteristic, and so this means North Korea has the US in mind in making
AAP govt to reply to Delhi HC’s observations on January 8
Agency | Srinagar
Agency | New Delhi
Mercury stayed above the freezing point across Kashmir, barring Gulmarg and Pahalgam towns, while the weather is expected to remain mainly dry for the next few days. Pahalgam witnessed light rainfall during the night and the mercury there settled at minus 3.5 degrees Celsius against the previous night’s zero degrees Celsius, an official of the Meteorological Department said.
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Government on Wednesday said that it would be addressing the observation made by the Delhi High Court with regard to the Odd-Even formula on January 8. “The Delhi Government would be following the observation of the Delhi High Court and it would keep its point in front of the court also. We would be addressing the observation made by court on January 8,” Delhi Transport Minister Gopal Rai said. “We have significantly increased the fre-
‘Ghayal Once Again’ to now release on Feb 5
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North Korea Nuclear Detonations Agency | Seoul
Agency | Kolkata
January 07, 2016, Thursday
quency of the Delhi metro and we have also worked to increase the efficiency of the buses plying on the roads of the national capital,” he added while pointing out that the city has become congestion free and there is a drop in pollution. Rai further said it seems entire Delhi is
united in this campaign. “The vehicular pollution is most dangerous. It has been reducing and that is definitely helpful for the people of Delhi as people are also doing carpooling,” he added. Rai also said that the state government would be proving to the High Court the
Some elements want to sabotage talks with India: Pak defence minister Agency | Islamabad
data of the changes in the level of pollution in the national capital since the scheme came into effect. The Delhi High Court has asked Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Government to explain as to why the Odd-Even trial should last for more than a week. The High Court has asked the city government to file a detailed account of the impact on pollution level of the new traffic rules, which were introduced on January 1. The AAP Government had declared that the first two working days since the inception of the Odd-Even scheme was a success.
this H-bomb announcement,” says Tatsujiro Suzuki, professor at the Research Center for Nuclear Weapons Abolition at Nagasaki University.
1984: First SCUD-B missile test firing 1988: Operational deployment of SCUD-B and SCUD-C missiles 1990: First Rodong missile test firing 1998: Operational deployment of Rodong missiles, which have a range of 1,300 kilometers. Firing of Taepodong-1 missile, which North Korea says was a satellite launch 2005: North Korea announces possession of nuclear weapons and its withdrawal from six-party talks aimed at ending its atomic program More on Page 3...
US university blames Air India, deported students for visa mess Agency | Washington
A US university, whose Indian students were deported recently, has blamed Air India and some of the students for confusion on the issue. “I want to share with everyone my strong belief that these difficulties arose solely because of the actions of Air India,” president of the Northwestern Polytechnic University (NPU) Peter Hsieh said in an email to its students. “At this time, we do not know why Air India has undertaken these actions to cause irreparable
harm to our university and tarnish its reputation and incite great distress in our students and their families... we can only speculate as to Air India’s motives and assume Air India’s recent actions are related to their precarious financial position,” he said. Hsieh alleged that Air India is preventing students from boarding the plane because of the
fear of financial burden in case students are deported from the US. The statement has also been posted on the university’s website. There was, however, no immediate comment from Air India. Hsieh said the university continues to witness a large number of students successfully arriving and entering the United States.
Tourism ministry denies dropping Aamir from Incredible India campaign
Pakistan defence minister Khawaja Muhammad Actor Sunny Deol’s Asif said that “some elNovember last year when Agency | New Delhi much-awaited “Ghayal” ements” want to “sabhe said his wife, Kiran sequel, which was ear- otage” Indo-Pak peace The government denied Rao, was considering lier slated for January talks through terror acts on Wednesday Aamir whether to move out of the 15 release, will now hit but they will not sucKhan had been removed country due to the prevtheatres on February 5. ceed in their nefarious as the brand ambassador alence of an atmosphere “Ghayal Once Again” designs. “Some elements of Incredible India -- a of “intolerance”. “As an marks Sunny’s second want to sabotage the dial relationship was war against the menace. campaign to promote tourindividual, as part of this directorial venture af- talks process between the the most appropriate re- Heavily-armed terrorists ism in the country – hours country as a citizen, we ter “Dillagi” (1999). two neighbouring coun- sponse to the terrorists, last week attempted to after reports of the actor read in the papers what is The reason behind the tries through such terror Radio Pakistan reported storm the air force base being dropped emerged film’s postponement is acts but they would not on Wednesday. He said in Pathankot. The attack- on the web. “In response tourism ministry said. The ed doing the rounds after happening, we see it on the not known yet. “Big an- succeed in their nefar- Indian leadership has not ers were believed to have to certain news reports ministry clarified it had Amity Malviya, who han- news and certainly, I have nouncement: Save the ious designs,” he said. levelled any allegation infiltrated from Pakistan appearing in the media, a contractual agreement dles the IT, website and been alarmed. I cannot date, Ghayal Once Again Asif said Pakistan Prime on Pakistan regarding the and there was specu- about Shri Aamir Khan, with creative agency Mc- social media management deny. I have been alarmed now to be released world- Minister Nawaz Shar- Pathankot airbase terror lation that they may the ministry of tourism Cann Worldgroup to pro- cell for the BJP, tweeted: by a number of incidents,” wide on 5th February, if and his Indian coun- attack. To a question, he belong to Jaish-e-Mo- clarifies that there is no duce a social awareness “Aamir Khan removed he said while speaking 2016 #Ghayalon5Feb @ terpart Narendra Modi, said that Pakistan itself hammad, headed by change in the stand of the campaign and the said as brand ambassador of at the Ramnath Goenka IAMSUNNYDEOL @ in a telephonic contact, was a victim of terrorism Maulana Masood Azhar ministry in this matter,” a campaign featured Khan. Incredible #India.” Khan Excellence in Journalism have agreed that a cor- and fighting a successful of the Kandahar hijack. sakpataudi.” statement released by the Several news reports start- had courted controversy in Awards ceremony. Corpo. Office: A/41, Madhav Chamber’s, Shaktidhara Colony, Opp-Sayona Arcade, L.B.S. Road, Toll Naka, Bapunagar, Ahmedababad - 380024 Email: ssdaily2013@gmail.com Mo : 98250 98053 Agency | Mumbai
2 / Dt. 07-01-2016, Thursday Editors’ Picks Thursday, JANUARY 07, 2016
What North Korea’s ‘hydrogen bomb’ means for Asia and the world
North Korea’s claim of having successfully tested a thermonuclear device, if true, could have serious implications for the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons and the balance of power in the Korean Peninsula. This claim comes barely weeks after the country’s leader Kim Jong-Un stated his country is developing the capability for a thermonuclear device, or hydrogen bomb, as it is popularly called. While a 5.1 seismic event from near the country’s nuclear testing site was reported by international seismic stations, there is no clarity as yet on whether the test was indeed a thermonuclear one and, if so, a successful one. North Korea is unlikely to have mastered the technological capability to make highly sophisticated thermonuclear weapons, and therefore the device tested on Tuesday may well be a “boosted fission weapon”, more sophisticated than an atomic (or fission) bomb but not as powerful as a hydrogen bomb. The country has been on the nuclear path for some time now. Having declared its plans in 2003, it tested its nuclear weapons in 2006, 2009 and finally in 2013. Moreover, the country has been conducting submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) tests, a weapon system that when perfected could add great value to North Korea’s nuclear delivery capability while, of course, increasing the insecurity of its neighbours. North Korea’s nuclear ambitions have undeniable consequences for the stable balance of power in the Korean peninsula and beyond. For one, this will make Japan and South Korea deeply insecure, especially at a point in time when a rising China is perceived as a challenge by them, and the US’ ability to be the security provider for its allies in the region is in serious doubt. Secondly, with the breakdown of the six-party talks with Pyongyang, both the US and China have lost their traction within North Korea. Finally, the only country with some influence in Pyongyang is Russia, with whom the West has no meeting of minds on a variety of geopolitical issues, particularly after the conflict over Ukraine. It also shows that China, the rising superpower, does not enjoy much political and strategic influence in its own backyard. North Korea’s nuclear tests, whether or not their thermonuclear claims are valid, pose serious challenges to the global non-proliferation regime even as this order is under immense stress, particularly after the failure of the NPT Review Conference last year. Moreover, if Pyongyang continues to develop more sophisticated, and miniaturised, nuclear weapons and advanced delivery mechanisms, it could potentially force South Korea and Japan to follow similar paths.
- Kapilkumar M. Hirpara Editor
Konkona Sen Sharma says never wanted to be an actor
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QUOTE “We expect the construction work on the Ram temple at Ayodhya to start within the next two-three months and certainly before the end of this year. We OF THE will wait for a court verdict and the temple would not come up through any - BJP leader Subramanian Swamy today claimed that DAY ‘andolan’ (movement),” Confirmed: Deepika Padukone to be a part of Vin Diesel’s ‘XXX’ franchise
She may have bagged many awards and impressed the audience with her performances but Konkona Sen Sharma says she did not want to be an actress. After winning praise for her acting skills on screen, the 36-year-old is now working behind the camera. The “Ek Thi Daayan” star is all set to go on floors with her directorial debut “A Death in the Gunj” but Konkona insists she had no plans of turning a director either. “Honestly, I never wanted to be an actor ei-
ther and I never thought I want to be a director. But it’s just that this particular story fascinated me for so long, a story that’s been with me for so long…I didn’t think I would write a script either. But it started getting bigger and bigger and at some point I thought ‘oh so this is how its going to be like’, I have to write and direct it,” she said. The actress was speaking at the launch of Honey Trehan and filmmaker Abhishek Chaubey’s production company MacGuffin Pictures, which is backing the film.
Early release: Sanjay Dutt to walk out of jail on Feb 25 Agency | Mumbai
Agency | Mumbai
com, that Dips will be seen in the popular Hollywood movie and share screen space with action stud Vin Diesel! Earlier, Deepika had posted a mysterious photo posing with Vin which set the tongues wagging and started the game of speculation. According to sources, Deepika
who kept the project undisclosed, had flown to America to have a meeting with Vin. Apparently, director of ‘XXX: The Return of Xander Cage’ confirmed the news on Twitter and added, “We start in January. She starts sometime in February.” Well, what a way to start the year, Dips!
credit. He is the go-to At 49, singer-compos- musician across languager AR Rahman has two es and film industries, inAcademy Awards, a cluding though not limited BAFTA Award, two to Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Grammy Awards, four Malyalam, Kannada and National Film Awards, a English movies. But the Golden Globe, 15 Film- ‘Mozart of Madras’, who fare Awards and 13 Film- celebrated his 49th birthfare Awards South to his day on Wednesday, did
not have it easy. Just last year proved to be a rather rough one. There were fatwas against him over his involvement in Majid Majidi’s film on Prophet Muhammad , he joined the raging intolerance debate and courted several controversies. However, Rahman’s global appeal is his strong suit. In 2014, Rahman gave music for as many as 12 films including Hollywood projects like the Million Dollar Arm and The Hundred-Foot Journey, Shankar’s Tamil film I and Rajinikanth’s Kochadaiiyaan and Lingaa in Tamil.
It’s here guys – the cat is finally out of the bag. After much speculation and tizzy, we know that Bollywood actress Deepika Padukone will indeed be a part of Vin Diesel’s ‘XXX’ franchise. Yes, it has been confirmed by a report in Bollywoodlife.
Happy Birthday AR Rahman: Top 18 Hindi hits by the maestro
Agency | New Delhi
Man sitting next to Kriti Sanon watches pirated Dilwale, shamed Agency | New Delhi
Agency | Mumbai
Ahmedabad
Bollywood actor Kriti Sanon was in for a rude surprise as she boarded a flight to Delhi recently for a man sitting next to her took obvious pride in watching a pirated version of Dilwale, which stars her, on his phone. The Shah Rukh KhanKajol film, made at an estimated cost of Rs 100 crore, released on December 18 and is still showing in cinemas. Despite being aware of the fact that the film’s lead actress was a fellow passenger, the man continued watching the film via his iPhone projector. Infuriated by the man’s act, Kriti took to Twitter to shame the man. “Someone watchin pirated version of Dilwale in front of me on
phone in the flight! Annoyed!! #SayNoToPiracy,” she wrote along with the image of the man. The tweet was shared and liked over 4,000 times. The man, however, remained unfazed as Kriti’s following tweets showed. She wrote: “Sad to c the hardwork of so many ppl bein watched in such pathetic quality!Pls enjoy films in cinemas #SayNoToPiracy.”
Directed by Rohit Shetty, Dilwale has earned Rs 141.5 crore on box office till now. It is a hit internationally but the business has remained below expectations given the star names attached to it. Shetty had said that the sporadic protests against the film by right-wing organisations affected the BO numbers. He should probably add piracy to the list.
Bollywood actor Sanjay Dutt , currently serving five-year sentence in Yerawada central prison in Pune for illegal possession and destruction of an AK-56 rifle in 1993 serial blasts case, is set to released from jail on February 25 on the grounds of ‘good conduct’. The release will be 103 days ahead of the official end of his prison term. Sources said the home department on Tuesday approved the proposal to give the actor, currently lodged in Yerawada central prison, the benefits of remittance for good conduct. Sources in the state secretariat said Dr Ranjit Patil, the minister of state home, cleared the proposal. Patil, however, has not given an official confirmation that the proposal was cleared. He did not deny it either. HT had
reported on December 9 last year that Dutt is likely to be released on February 25. Dutt was convicted in the 1993 Mumbai blasts case for possessing illegal weapons and sentenced to five years in jail. He had already served 18 months before the verdict was pronounced. The actor is serving 42 months of his remaining jail term, after the Supreme Court upheld his conviction in 2013. The state home department, said sources, believes Dutt should be given all benefits of remittance a prisoner gets
for good behaviour while serving a sentence. The only hitch was pertaining to a two-day delay by Dutt in returning to jail after being granted a 14-day furlough in December 2014. While he was expected to report back to jail on January 7 (2015), he had sought an extension of furlough (an extension of 14 days is allowed) from jail authorities. The jail authorities, however, delayed taking a decision on his application and informed Dutt about it being rejected only on January 9 (2015).
er’. And now with this Neeraj Pandey film, Disha will mark her Bollywood debut. Sushant has worked really hard for
the film which will retell various phases of Dhoni’s life on celluloid. The film will release on September 2, 2016.
ing system. We are stuck with the U, U/A and A system, which do not allow that much sensibility. You can’t tell a person above a certain age that you are immature to watch a kiss. We don’t need to be babysit,” Farhan said in an interview here. There were reports that an intimate scene between Farhan and actress Aditi Rao Hyadri in their upcoming film “Wazir” was chopped off by the board. The “Rock On!” star denied the rumours but expressed his disappointment with the
“inconsistency” in the CBFC’s working. “There has not been consistency in the way the censor board has behaved in the past that can tell you what will be removed. Every single time the people in the committee that come to watch your film, they are not the same people. “Different members come, hence they have different sensibilities and aesthetics. You can’t have a written rule and this is with every art form because context is everything. Snipping has to be done away,” he said.
Disha Patani to play MS Dhoni’s former lady love in biopic Agency | Mumbai
Disha Patani has bagged the role of Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s former girlfriend in a biopic which will see Sushant Singh Rajput playing the World Cup winning India captain. The girl was roped in to essay the character as she fits the bill perfectly. Disha had made her Telugu movie debut last year opposite Varun Tej in a film titled ‘Loaf-
Shyam Benegal-led panel will bring good results: Farhan Akhtar Agency | New Delhi
Actor-filmmaker Farhan Akhtar is hopeful that the new Shyam Benegal-headed committee will bring positive changes in the controversy-ridden censor board. The Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) has been at the centre of flak for some time now, owing to its decisionfrom cutting scenes in films like “NH 10” and “Dum Laga Ke Haisha” to shortening a kiss in “Spectre”. The 41-year-old “Bhaag Milkha Bhaag” star feels a rating system should be adopted while certifying a film. “Everything is work in progress. A new committee has been set up, headed by Mr Shyam Benegal. I would hope some result will come of it that benefits artists. “In my personal opinion, there needs to be a rat-
3 / Dt. 07-01-2016, Thursday Ratan Tata invests in data analytics company Tracxn
Agency | New Delhi Chairman emeritus of Tata Sons Ltd Ratan Tata has invested data analytics company Tracxn continuing the slew of investments he has made in various startups globally. However, the value of the investment was not disclosed. This is Tata’s second investment this year. He begain his first investment this year with pet care portal DogSpot.in.Tata, who served as the Chairman of Tata Sons for over two decades until his retirement in 2012, is also associated with some venture capital funds as advisor, including Kalaari Capital and Jungle Ventures. His other investments include Snapdeal, Ola Cabs, Paytm, Urbanladder, Xiaomi, UrbanClap. Founded in 2013 by Abhishek Goyal and Neha Singh, Tracxn provides information on start-ups to over 6,000 clients across India, US, Middle East, South-East Asia and Europe.
Good news! Twitter planning to expand tweet’s 140-character limit to 10,000
Agency | New York Want to convey more to your friends and policymakers on Twitter? Soon, you may be able to tweet in 10,000 characters on the micro-blogging site. According to media reports, Twitter is building a new feature that will allow users to tweet longer than its traditional 140-character limit. The company is currently considering a 10,000-character limit, recode. net reported, adding that Twitter may launch this feature toward the end of the first quarter. This is the character limit the company uses for its Direct Messages product. According to the report, it is also possible that the 10,000-character feature may change before it is finally rolled out. There is, however, no official launch date set so far.
North Korea...
Conti. from Page 1...
July 2006: Taepodong-2, Rodong and SCUD missiles test firings Oct. 2006: Korean Central News Agency announces “a successful nuclear test” 2007: Operational deployment of Rodong missiles April 2009: Firing of Taepodong-2 missile, which North Korea says was satellite launch. United Nations strengthens sanctions and North Korea responds by withdrawing from six-party nuclear disarmament talks May 2009: North Korea carries out second nuclear test July 2009: Test-firing of SCUD and Rodong missiles Dec. 2011: North Korean leader Kim Jong Il dies, clearing way for son Kim Jong Un to take power April 2012: North Korea says Unha-3 rocket launch failed Dec. 2012: North Korea launches Unha-3 rocket that puts its first satellite into space Feb. 2013: North Korea conducts third underground nuclear test Aug. 2013: North Korea reported to have restarted nuclear reactor to produce plutonium May 2015: North Korea claims to have tested a submarine-launched missile; says it developed technology to mount nuclear warhead on a missile July 2014: North Korea conducts series of missile tests ahead of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to Seoul Sept. 2015: North Korea threatens nuclear attack against U.S. and reaffirms its main reactor is operational. South Korean President Park Geun Hye says North would “pay a price” for fourth test Dec. 2015 Kim Jong Un says North Korea is “ready to detonate” a hydrogen bomb Jan. 2016: North Korea says it successfully tests hydrogen bomb
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Virat Kohli is cricketer of the year, lifetime honour for Syed Kirmani
Agency | Mumbai Former stumper Syed Kirmani was bestowed with the prestigious Col CK Nayudu Lifetime Achievement Award for his contribution to Indian cricket, while Test captain Virat Kohli bagged the Polly Umrigar Trophy for Cricketer of the Year in the BCCI awards night on Monday. The 66-yearold former India cricketer and member of the 1983
World Cup-winning squad was presented the award by BCCI president president Shashank Manohar at the Cricket Board’s annual awards (2014-15 season) ceremony. The coveted Polly Umrigar award was also handed over to Kohli by Manohar. Kirmani, who was also given the award of citation, trophy and Rs 25 lakh, took a mild dig at modern wicketkeepers when asked
about the difference from his time to the present day. Kirmani, who was understudy to Farokh Engineer on successive visits to England in 1971 and 1974 before taking over as the No.1 gloveman, effected 198 dismissals in 88 Tests during the latter period of the famous Indian spin quartet. Kohli said that the greatest moment of his career so far is the Test series in Australia, which India lost 0-2, but not before giving a tough fight to the hosts. “It is important to start the year well and we were able to do so in Australia. I compliment the entire team. It was the greatest moment of my career so far and would probably remain so,” he said.
Salman Butt and Mohammad Asif will have to wait: Pakistan chief selector Agency | Karachi
Pakistan’s chief selector Haroon Rasheed has ruled out an immediate national team comeback of spot-fixing tainted duo of Salman Butt and Muhammad Asif who will resume playing domestic cricket from January 10 in the National One-day Championship. Pakistan Cricket Board has permitted the duo to play for their department Wapda in the national event which begins in Karachi and Islamabad. But Rasheed made it clear that there would be no immediate return for Butt and Asif to the national team even if they performed well in the champion-
ship. “I would say they will have to wait until the next season and appear in the first class tournament before we can decide whether their form, fitness and attitude makes us consider them for national selection,” Rasheed said on ‘Geo Super’ channel. He said even Muhammad Amir, the third player involved in the 2010 spot-fixing scandal in England, was
only recalled to the Pakistan team after one proper domestic season. “In Amir’s case, the ICC allowed him to resume playing last April and first he played Grade-11 cricket, then in different T20 tournaments and finally in the Quaid-eAzam Trophy and Bangladesh Premier League before we invited him for the national camp,” the chief selector said.
Mohammed Shami’s comeback story – From using crutches to bowling again
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SPORTS ROUNDUP Virender Sehwag opens up about IPL, State Associations, and his equation with MS Dhoni Agency | New Delhi
He might be known to have unflinchingly stuck to his ‘see the ball and hit it’ batting approach irrespective of match situations in his playing days, but former India opener Virender Sehwag says that he made changes in his techniques early in his career to emulate iconic Sachin Tendulkar. “When I was growing up, I played a lot of 10- and 12-over games, I would bat in middle order. I got only 10-odd balls to face and I tried to score as much as I could. I applied the same approach in domestic and international cricket and people were appreciating my strike rate being more than 80
or 90 in Test cricket,” Sehwag said when asked if his approach changed how batsmen opened the innings in a fundamental way. “I was just playing my game and not thinking that I have to score quickly or do something different except when I joined the team and wanted to bat like Tendulkar. I realised there could be only one Tendulkar and I changed my stance and backlift. I realised I
should change my game and I did it. After that, I was playing with my own technique,” he told ‘Cricinfo’. Sehwag, now 37, last played for India in 2013 after scoring 8586 runs from 104 Tests and 8273 runs from 251 ODIs. Asked if there was only one Sehwag as well, he said, “Yes, because of my mindset and the impact I had on the team but there was only one Tendulkar.”
dia due to the estimated recuperation period and he was unable to offer a better prognosis on Wednesday. “It’s very unlikely,” he told reporters at the Sydney Cricket Ground. “Everything would have to go perfectly to be any chance. I won’t know until I can start doing some stuff on it. I don’t want
to rush it. I want to make sure it’s 100 percent because I’ve rushed back before and been dropped after a game. I’ve played probably non-stop for two years and the silver lining is I get to give the body a bit of a break and rebuild that strength. Make sure everything is 100 percent before I go again.”
louring brush has spruced up the beard, a crop of hair has knocked off couple of years, and fat burn in hips has given a ‘v’ shaped definition, and he looks the most relaxed he has been in the last couple of years. “I am still 87-88 kgs that I have been in the last 15 years but I have toned down. I have enjoyed doing it and have had fun.” Someone whispers that he has opened a fancy gym recently. It’s the retirement question, though,
that hangs in the air. We are at the press conference before the team’s departure to Australia on Tuesday night that also saw the BCCI awards night in a suburban hotel lawns in Mumbai. The man who announced his Test retirement in the middle of a series wasn’t going to make a grand farewell statement. “I am somebody who has always believed in the present,” he warms up after the smile. So you won’t get the answer about future that is too far ahead. As of now, the Australia series is important. Then, after we get into the T20 groove, we should move in one direction to what we need to do as a team so that we have the best chance of winning the World T20.
Australia’s Mitchell Starc writes off his World Twenty20 chances Agency | Melbourne
Fast bowler Mitchell Starc has all but written off his chances of making a faster-than-expected recovery from ankle surgery and playing a part in Australia’s bid for a first World Twenty20 title. The 25-year-old left-arm quick had surgery on ankle spurs after sustaining a stress fracture in his foot during the inaugural day-night test against New Zealand in November. Starc, the player of the tournament at last year’s 50-overs World Cup, was always an outside shot to make the March 11-April 3 World Twenty20 in In-
MS Dhoni in twilight zone, no finish line in sight
Agency | Mumbai During the World Cup in New Zealand, Mohammed Shami was asked by a journalist about his journey to the Indian team, and how he had endured the tough times. “Itne bhi bure din nahi dekhe,” (haven’t seen real bad days), he said with a smile. Little did he know then, in the midst of the best time of his career where he was getting raves about his action from the legendary Richard Hadlee to whom he was even introduced to by Ravi Shastri, that things would soon turn
dire. Almost immediately after the tournament that he had played through pain and injury, he was out of action for several months after a knee surgery. During the World Cup, he would have fluids sucked out of his knee and practice on the day before the match. He was India’s second-highest wicket-taker at the World Cup, with 17 wickets at 17.29 and an economy rate of 4.81. The surgery put him on bed for two months after which he hobbled around on crutches before slowly finding the
energy, and will, to start bowling again. On Tuesday, a few hours before the flight to Australia, he was still shuddering at the memory of the “bure din”. “No one should face such a time. It was really tough times. When injury happened the doctors prohibited me from getting up from bed for two months. That was the toughest time for me. I was allowed to walk only up to the bathroom.” His wife was pregnant with their daughter Aaira then and he was in crutches for 40 excruciating days.
Agency | Mumbai Greying beard, a hint of baldness, a thickset frame, and the weight of Indian cricket on his shoulder – that was MS Dhoni at the start of 2015. The new year, though, couldn’t have started more differently. A year after Test retirement, the finish line seems near. Sentimentalism is in air. Is he ready to pack up and leave cricket after the T20 World Cup? He just smiles when you ask that question. A co-
4 / Dt. 07-01-2016, Thursday
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Congress workers agitate for Hardik’s Women-only buses on 5 BRTS routes in Ahmedabad from January 8 release, key party leaders detained Sunvilla News | Ahmedabad
Sunvilla News | Ahmedabad
Hundreds of Congress protesters were detained across Gujarat on Tuesday after the party was denied permission to hold its Daman Pratikar rally in Ahmedabad against alleged police atrocities on the Patidars and also the state action against quota stir leader Hardik Patel and his aides. Many senior Congress leaders, including state party chief Bharatsinh Solan-
ki, former GPCC presidents Arjun Modhwadia and Siddharth Patel, and spokesperson Shaktisinh Gohil, were detained near Gandhi Ashram in Ahmedabad along with a number of party workers during the protest. They were all released in the evening. Leader of Opposition in the Assembly Shankersinh Vaghela, who is said to be tending to a bad knee, did not participate in the protest. Party workers shouted
‘Run Gandhinagar Run’ to be held on January 31
Sunvilla News | Gandhinagar
‘Run Gandhinagar Run’the first half marathon of its kind in the capital city of Gujarat dedicated to children born with heart ailments will be held on January 31. Apart from the 21 km half marathon, restricted to the participants of or above 18 years of age an open to all 7 km Dream Run will also be organized on the same day. The purpose of the run, promoted by Tourism department of Gujarat and organiszed by Gandhinagar runners, a club of running enthusiasts of the city. is to create awareness about
anti-government slogans and some lied on the road to stop police buses. They also damaged several flower pots kept on the road median, but were soon dispersed by police. Talking to the media before being detained, Solanki said: “The state government could have solved the Patidar issue without resorting to excesses against the Patidars. Unfortunately, the
NCB claims largest haul of narcotics over 4 years
Sunvilla News | Ahmedabad
the benefits of running among common people,’ Dr. Gunjan Shah of the club told newsmen here today. The half marathon and dream run both will start and end at the GH-5 circle in the capital city . Over 2000 people are expected to participate in the events which is also dedicated to the children born with cardiac defects. The fund raised through this initiative would also be used to treat such children,’ he said.
Over 4,000 kilograms of ‘ganja’ or marijuana and 6,700 kg of poppy straw have been among the large-scale seizures executed by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) in Gujarat during the last four years since 2012. NCB officials say that instances of drug abuse is fast spreading in the state especially among school-going students who are as young as 16 years. “Ganja, hashish and derivatives of poppy continue to among the biggest consignments seized from Gujarat,” says Hariom Gandhi, the
Union Cabinet approves Singapore pact forAhmedabad, Jaipur airports Correspondent | New Delhi
The Union Cabinet, chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, has given its ex-post facto approval for signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), which was signed in November, 2015 between Airports Authority of India (On behalf of Government of India) and Singapore Cooperation Enterprise (On behalf of Government of Singapore) in Civil Aviation during Prime Minister’s visit to Singapore. The objective of this MoU is to establish mutual cooperation in the field of civil aviation, which will cover, to begin with, the airports of Jaipur and Ahmedabad. This cooperation will be extended to other airports with mutual consent. The salient features of the MoU include collaboration in Civil Aviation Sector in the areas of (a) Master-planning
state government did not show the maturity and resulted in worsening of law and order situation, leading into the death of 11 innocent persons (during the quota violence in August). Many Patidars were arrested and several of them are still in jail.” “Congress wants the state government to withdraw cases against leaders of the Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti,” he said.
Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation will start regular run of women buses on five BRTS routes from January 8. Mayor Gautam Shah will inaugurate the regular women bus service on January 7 at the L D Engineering college stop at 6 pm. A statement issued by the AMC today said that the run of women bus services on the five routes (RTO to Maninagar, RTO to Hatkeshwar, Maninagar to Ghuma Gam, Iskon crossing to Naroda Gam and Zhundal circle to Commerce six roads) was conducted successfully on trial basis. Now the service on these routes will be regularized, the statement said adding that of the around 1 lakh 35 thousand daily
zonal director of NCB. Figures from the Ministry of Home Affairs show that the biggest seizures in Gujarat have been in form of poppy straw (all parts of poppy plant except the seeds). Over 6,700 kilograms of poppy straw have been seized in the state since 2012. The use of poppy straw is common in states like Punjab and Haryana where labourers and drivers use it to relieve fatigue and physical pain. “Most of the derivatives of poppy
illegally find its way into the state from the neighbouring states of Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan where licit cultivation of poppy is carried out,” says the NCB official. The second biggest recovery during the four year period is that of ‘ganja’. The NCB has recovered over 4,000 kg of this narcotic substance between 2012-2015. Other substances like hashish (271 kg) and opium (12 kg) have also been seized in sizable quantities during this period.
Gujarat govt eases norms for old age pension
Sunvilla News | Gandhinagar
and design (b) Traffic development (c) Commercial development (d) Service quality improvement (e) Training and development (f) Cargo handling and Management (g) Maintenance, repair and overhaul (h) Operation and management and (i) any other areas with mutual consent. Government of Singapore owns one of the best managed airports in the world, which has consistently maintained its ranking for last many years. A need was felt that in order to ensure high standards of service at Ahmedabad and Jaipur
airports, Airport Authority of India (AAI) may enter into operation and maintenance (O&M) contracts, either with or without the responsibility of maximization of non-aeronautical revenue in the terminal building (excluding land on city side and air side). The city side and airside will continue to be managed directly by AAI. Globally, limited O&M contract models are prevalent for the entire airport operations. AAI has no previous experience in awarding O&M contract model of terminal buildings to other entities.
In a move that may prove to be a respite to senior citizens not supported by their adult sons, Social Justice & Empowerment Department (SJED) of the Gujarat government has proposed to waive a rule for the old age pension scheme which disqualifies a senior citizen as beneficiary of the scheme if they have a son above 21 years. The proposal which, if accepted, will enhance the scope of the scheme to a larger group of senior citizens and cause drain on annual state budget to the tune of estimated Rs 600 crore. Sources said that presently there are two schemes of old age pension existing in Gujarat
— one by the Centre and the other by the state government. A senior officer of the state government says that one of the rules for the state government scheme, Niradhar Vrudhha Pension Yojana, is that the senior citizen must not have a son above 21 years with an assumption that the son would take care of the parents. “However, it is not necessary that the son would be taking care of the parents. There are increasing number of sons abandoning their old parents. And so, we have proposed to waive this rule,” the officer says. Currently, the old age pension scheme of the state government has 96,000 senior citizens as beneficiaries.
commuters on 97 km long 13 janmarg routes and 230 BRTS buses in the city, an estimated 35 to 40% happens to be women. The arrival of women buses would be shown on the passenger display system separately and will be
run at a frequency of evey half an hour during the peak period of 0800am to 1030 am and 0500pm to 0830 pm. There will also be provision of a women security guard in these buses. These buses will facilitate smooth travel
of the women passengers and in the wake of the run of these women exclusive buses the number of buses will also be increased by 10 so that the other commuters also continue to travel uninturp1ted, the statement said.
Samuel Beckett. He along with playwright Subhash Shah, wrote Ek Undar ane Jadunath based on Samuel’s Waiting for Godot. Mari Jawani Maza (1973) is a collection of his one act plays. He was active in workshops for playwrights called Aakanth Sabarmati. Akasmat and Kon are his famous novels while hile Malela Jeevni Samiksha and Inner Life are his works of criticism.
His works of journalism are collected in Ek Minute (1986) and Kshana Tatkshana (1989). Maari Ba (1989) is a biographical work about his mother. He had also written several books on Ayurveda. He published several magazines including Kriti and Unmoolan. Thakar was born on January 14, 1935 in Patdi area of Surendranagar district of Gujarat.
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Noted Gujarati Litterateur Labshankar Thakar passes away Sunvilla News | Ahmedabad
Sahitya Akademi Award winner Veteran Gujarati littérateur Labhshankar J Thakar, also known by his pen name Punarvasu, today died after prolonged illness. He was 80. Thakar was a modernist author of Gujarati literature with influence of existentialism challenging traditional literature styles. He was also an Ayurvedic Practitioner also. He had also received Kumar Chandrak, Narmad Chandrak and Ranjitram Suvarna Chandrak. He was presented Sahitya Akademi award in 1991 for his poetry, Tolan Aawaz Ghunghat. He also received Sahitya Gaurav Puraskar from Gujarati Sahitya Parishad in 2002. He has written several poems, plays, novels and stories. Kalagranthi (1987) is the collection of six poems. Thakar was heavily influenced by
Kotak Life Insurance Launches Kotak Premier Life Plan Sunvilla News | Ahmedabad
Kotak Mahindra Old Mutual Life Insurance Limited (Kotak Life Insurance), today announced the launch of Kotak Premier Life Plan. This is a limited premium payment, participating whole life plan. The plan is completely aligned with the firm’s core purpose, which is to add value to lives of customers by providing Protection and Long Term Savings (PALTs). This plan provides customers the option to save and protect up to 99 years of age. Life expectancy in India has steadily increased due to better health care, rising income levels and enhanced standard of living and is only expected to improve. Kotak Premier Life Plan provides
Year : 02, Issue : 12 “Sunvilla Samachar” (English) Daily Morning Newspaper Printed at “Sunvilla Samachar(Daily) Printing Press”, Survey No.: 1624-25-26, Final Plot No.F/P/537, Urmila Compound, Opp.Ambica Estate, G.D. School Road, Saijpur Bogha, Ahmedabad -382340 and Published at A-24, Shardha Apartment, Thakkarbapanagar Road, Bapunagar, Ahmedabad-382350. Mo.: 9687612324, by Owner, Printer, Publisher : Aksheshkumar S. Savaliya on date 07-01-2016 (Thursday), Editor : Kapilkumar M. Hirpara* (*Responsible for selection of News under the PRB act). RNI No. : GUJENG/2014/59629