2013 BNP Paribas Masters Oct 28 - Nov 03,2013

The Paris Masters, currently sponsored by BNP Paribas  is an annual Tennis Tournament for Male Professional Players held in Pairs, France and is played indoors at the Palais Omnisports de Paris-Bercy(POPB)

POPB is the venue for the Paris Masters ATP Tennis Tournament and for many sports like Handball,Basketball,Boxing,Track Cycling.Show Jumping and more. It has a seating capacity ranging from 7,000 to 17,000, depending on the event.

The event is part of the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 on the Association of Tennis Professionals(ATP)

Prize Money

Event	W	F	SF	QF	Round of 16	Round of 32	Round of 64	Q2	Q1
Singles	€522,100	€256,000	€128,850	€65,520	€34,020	€17,940	€9,685	€2,150	€1,090
Doubles	€155,400	€76,060	€38,150	€19,580	€10,120	€5,340	N/A	N/A	N/A

2012 Paris Masters(BNP Paribas Masters)Winners

Singles
David Ferrer(Spain)defeats Jerzy Janowicz 6–4, 6–3

 

Doubles
Mahesh Bhupathi & Rohan Bopanna(India)defeats Aisam- ul-Haq Qureshi(Pak)& Jean Julien Roger(Netherlands) 7-6,6-3

2013 BNP Paribas Masters – Singles

QF Draw

 

QF 1 Rafael Nadal(Spain)Vs Richard Gasquet(France)

Rafael Nadal beats Richard Gasquet 6-4,6-1

QF 2 David Ferrer(Spain) Vs Tomas Berdych(Czech)

David Ferrer beats Tomas Berdytch 4-6,7-5,6-3

QF 3 Roger Federer(Swiss) Vs Juan Martin del Petro(Argentina)

Roger Federer beats Juan Martin del Petro 6-3,4-6,6-3

QF 4 Stanisla Wawrinka(Swiss) Vs Novak Djokovic(Serbia)

Novak Djokovic beats Stanislas Wawrinka 6-1,6-4

 

SF 1 David Ferrer(Spain)Vs Rafael Nadal(Spain)

David Ferrer beats Rafael Nadal 6-3,7-5 

 

David Ferrer had lost nine straight times to Nadal, including in this year’s French Open final, and hadn’t beaten his fellow Spaniard in almost three years

Rafael Nadal’s best result at the Paris Masters was runner-up in 2007. 

Rafael Nadal still leads 20-5 against David Ferrer

SF 2 Novak Djokovic(Serbia)Vs Roger Federer(Swiss)

Novak Djokovic beats Roger Federer 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 

 

 

Novak Djokovic was facing Roger Federer for the 30th time but the first in 2013

Despite the loss, Roger Federer still leads 16-14 against Novak Djokovic

   

Final Draw

David Ferrer(Spain) Vs Novak Djokovic(Serbia)

Novak Djokovic beats David Ferrer 7-5,7-5

 

2013 BNP Paribas Masters – Doubles

QF Draw

QF 1 -USA's Bob & Mike Bryan Vs Aisam-ul-Qureshi(Pakistan)&Jean Julien Rojer(Netherlands)

QF 2 -Ivan Dodig(Croatia)&Marcelo Melo(Brazil) Vs Rohan Bopanna(India)& Edouard Roger Vasselin(France)

QF 3- Max Mirnyi(Belarus)&Horia Tecau(Romania) Vs Marcel Granollers(Spain)&Marc Lopez(Spain)

QF 4- Santiago Gonzalez(Mexico)&Scott Lipsky(USA) Vs Alexander Peya(Austria)& Bruno Soares(Brazil)

SF Draw

SF 1 -USA's Bob & Mike Bryan Vs Ivan Dodig(Croatia)&Marcelo Melo(Brazil)

SF 2 - Max Mirnyi(Belarus)&Horia Tecau(Romania) Vs Alexander Peya(Austria)& Bruno Soares(Brazil)

Final Draw

USA's Bob & Mike Bryan Vs Alexander Peya(Austria)& Bruno Soares(Brazil)

USA's Bryan Bros beats Alexander Peya & Bruno Soares 6-3,6-3 and won the title for the 3rd time

 

 

 

 

Earthquake of 6.7 magnitude strikes Taiwan Thursday Oct 31,2013

An earthquake of 6.7 magnitude struck Taiwan today, the US Geological Survey (USGS) said, but there were no immediate reports of casualties or damage

The quake shook tall buildings in the island's capital, Taipei. "People were screaming," one resident said.

The quake struck 45 km (28 miles) southwest of the east coast town of Hua-lien at a depth of 9.3 km (5.8 miles), the USGS said.

Election Commission of India(ECI)Approves NOTA Symbol Design Thursday Oct 31,2013

The Election Commission of India approved the design of none of the above (NOTA) button, which is being introduced for the first time in the Delhi assembly elections, said a statement on Thursday Oct 31,2013

The NOTA Button also known as "against all" is a ballot option designed to allow the voter to indicate disapproval of all of the candidates in a voting system. 

The symbol approved is a circular depiction with black background and NOTA written in white in capital letters in English

NOTA will be printed in addition to "None of the above" in the row of symbols

This time it will be one of the 16 buttons in the electronic voting machine

 

Candidate with highest votes wins, even if majority goes for NOTA option

Election Commission of India(ECI)said that the candidate securing the highest number of votes would be declared elected even if the number of electors going for the None of the Above (NOTA) option surpassed the votes polled by the electoral contestants

SC Orders that IAS Officers Should Not Take Verbal Orders from Political Bosses Thursday Oct 31,2013

The Supreme Court on Thursday Oct 31,2013 said IAS officers should not take verbal orders from their political bosses, and ordered landmark reforms to insulate the bureaucracy from victimisation.

Civil servants must refrain from acting on oral instructions of political bosses, except in certain exceptional circumstances,the SC said

A Bench of Justices K.S. Radhakrishnan and Pinaki Chandra Ghose referred to the recommendations of the Hota Committee (2004) and the Santhanam Committee report, which highlighted “the necessity of recording instructions and directions by public servants.”

The Bench said: “We notice that much of the deterioration of the standards of probity and accountability with the civil servants is due to the political influence of persons purporting to represent those who are in authority. The Santhanam Committee on Prevention of Corruption, 1962 has recommended that there should be a system of keeping some sort of records in such situations. Rule 3(3) (iii) of the All India Service Rules specifically requires that all orders from superior officers shall ordinarily be in writing.”

PM Dr Manmohan Singh likely to attend CHOGM in Colombo,DMK warns of 'consequences'

The Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh is likely to attend a Commonwealth summit in Colombo this month, ignoring a collective demand from parties in Tamil Nadu to boycott the event to protest against Sri Lanka's alleged war crimes against ethnic Tamils

In a sharp reaction to reports in a section of the press that Dr Singh is likely to attend the meet, DMK chief M Karunanidhi said the people of Tamil Nadu expect that there should not even be a symbolic participation from India at CHOGM.

"When we say India should not participate, even a speck of rust should not be present at the meet," he told

M Karunanidhi, the chief of the DMK, also warned  that if Dr Manmohan Singh attends the conclave, "his party has to face the consequences."

Note
DMK pulled out of the UPA Govt after India refused to accuse Sri Lanka of genocide in the final months of its civil war in 2009.
The Tamil Nadu state assembly had adopted a resolution urging that the PM skip the even

Special Stamp, Gold Coin for Sachin Tendulkar's 200th Test

A special gold coin with Sachin Tendulkar's photo will be used during toss when the Master Blaster walks out to play his 200th and final Test match at the Wankhede Stadium against West Indies on November 14,2013

The first Test against West Indies,Sachin Tendulkar's 199th, will be played at the Eden Gardens,Kolkata Ticket for Sachin Tendulkar's 199th Test at Eden Gardens

The special 10-gram gold coin will have Sachin Tendulkar's photo and the MCA logo on either side. The coin will also have metallic replicas for fans who wish to buy them as mementoes

The Mumbai Cricket Association(MCA) is planning a grand farewell for the legendary batsman who will play his last two Test matches against the West Indies

The MCA has also decided to bring out a special postal stamp to mark the occasion. The MCA will also come out with a 64-page brochure consisting of articles, quotes on Tendulkar from personalities belonging to the fields of business, profession, sports, journalism. Limited edition brochure and coins will be distributed to the MCA and BCCI members



Everyday there will be distribution of 10,000 face masks, 10,000 scorecards and 10,000 caps with Sachin's photograph in different stands

Other plans include -

• special Sachin Tendulkar masks which will be distributed to ticket holders on all five days of the game Special placards of 4's & 6's will also be given free to ticket holders
• Special balloons with Tendulkar's face will fill the air
• information on Sachin Tendulkar's centuries will be on display inside the stadium.

Sachin Tendulkar  - Facts and Career Statistics

• Full Name -Ramesh Sachin Tendulkar
• DOB -April 24,1973
• Height -5ft,5 Inches(165 cms)
• First Class Debut -Dec 11,1988 at the age of 15 years with a Century
• Test Match Debut -Nov 15,1989 against Pakistan in Karachi
• Maiden Test Century -Aug 14,1990 against England @ Old Trafford
• ODI Debut -Dec 18,1989 against Pakistan in Gujranwala
• Team -Mumbai,India
• Test Match Retirement -announced on  Oct 10,2013 that he will retire from Test cricket after playing his 200th match

Test Career Statistics
Tests   Runs       Highest       Average                 100's              50's
198     15837    248*           53.86                       51               67

ODI's Career Statistics
Matches            Runs            Highest         Average             100's              50's
463                   18426          200*              44.83                 49                96

Paloma Noyola (Mexico)dubbed 'The Next Steve Jobs'

Paloma Noyola(Mexico)aged 12 years,the youngest of eight children from a modest family was dubbed "The Next Steve Jobs" by a US magazine.

Paloma Noyola was thrown under the media spotlight since Wired Magazine featured the black-haired girl on its cover two weeks ago

Last year, Paloma Noyola whose school lies next to a dump across the US border wowed the country when she scored the maximum 921 in the national standardized exam, the best in Mexico.

Paloma Noyola has appeared in national newspapers and on cable news, redubbed "La Nina Jobs" -- "The Jobs Girl" -- with photographers and cameramen chasing the girl nicknamed after Apple's late founder

While Paloma Noyola made the cover of Wired, it was her teacher's radical methods that featured prominently in the magazine's story.

Sergio Juarez Correa, 32, saw his entire class's Spanish and math scores dramatically improve after he implemented a new approach, allowing students to tap into their own curiosity and self-learning to solve problems.

Juarez Correa took inspiration from the "minimally invasive education" concept of Sugata Mitra, a professor of educational technology at Britain's Newcastle University.

While Paloma Noyola garnered attention for acing the national exam last year, nine other students scored more than 900 in the math test.

Sensex Rises to All-time High of 21,206, Beating 2008 Record Friday Nov 01,2013

The Sensex today Friday Nov 01,2013 surged to an all-time high today just after the opening bell, smashing its earlier record of 21,206 which was set in January 2008.

After breaking its 2008 record, the Sensex kept going up, setting a new all-time high record of 21,293.88, up nearly 130 points.At 10 am, the Sensex was up 52 points at 21,217.08

Sustained inflows from foreign investors have been the biggest driver for the Sensex, which gained over 9 percent in the past month.

Overseas investors have pumped in close to Rs. 18,000 crore in the past 20 sessions

The gains represent a remarkable comeback for the Sensex, which has advanced nearly 22 % since hitting an intraday yearly low of 17,448.71 points on August 28, 2013 when the rupee had hit a record low of 68.80 to a dollar.

October 31 -Rembembering Indira Gandhi

 The country today Oct 31,2013 remember the 29th death anniversary of Indira Gandhi

Indira Priyadarshini Gandhi(Nov 19, 1917 – Oct 31, 1984)was the only child of Jawaharlal Nehru, the first prime minister of independent India and served as the 3rd PM of India  for three consecutive terms (1966–77) and a fourth term (1980–84)

Indra Gandhi was the 2nd Female Head of Govt  in the World(first being Sirimavo Bandaranake of Sri Lanka)  and  remains as the world's 2nd longest serving female Prime Minister as of 2012

Indra Gandhi  was the first woman to become prime minister in India.

Indra Gandhi was also the only Indian Prime Minister to have declared 'State of Emergency' in order to 'rule by decree' during 1975-77 and the only Indian Prime Minister to have been imprisoned after holding that office

Assassination of Indra Gandhi

 

On 31 October 1984, two of Gandhi's bodyguards,Satwant Singh and Beant Singh, shot her with their service weapons in the garden of the Prime Minister's residence at 1 Safdarjung Road, New Delhi as she was walking past a wicket gate for an interview by the British actor Peter Ustinov, who was filming a documentary for Irish television. Beant Singh shot her three times using his side-arm, and Satwant Singh fired 30 rounds. 

Beant Singh and Satwant Singh dropped their weapons and surrendered. Afterwards they were taken away by other guards into a closed room where Beant Singh was shot dead.Kehar Singh was later arrested for conspiracy in the attack. Both Satwant and Kehar were sentenced to death and hanged in Delhi'sTihar Jail 

Indra Gandhi was cremated on 3 Nov 03,1984 near Raj Ghat and her funeral was televised live on domestic and international  TV's including BBC

 

 

 

Note

The day before her death Indira Gandhi visited Orissa on Oct 30,1984 where she gave her last speech -

"I am alive today, I may not be there tomorrow. I shall continue to serve till my last breath and when I die every drop of my blood will strengthen India and keep a united India alive."


Books about Indra Gandhi
                                                                        

 

CSKA Moscow punished for racist chants

UEFA has ordered the partial closure of CSKA Moscow's stadium during the club's next Champions League tie following racist chanting directed at Manchester City's Yaya Toure

CSKA Moscow,the Russian club was charged after Yaya Toure(Manchester City) complained about the chanting during the match against CSKA on Oct 23,2013 in which Manchester City won by 2-1

CSKA had denied Toure's claims he had been racially abused. 

But European football's governing body charged the club following a hearing in Switzerland by its control and disciplinary body.
A statement read: "The fight against racism is a high priority for Uefa.
"The European governing body has a zero-tolerance policy towards racism and discrimination on the pitch and in the stands."

In May 2013, Uefa announced that in the case of racist incidents involving spectators, a partial stadium closure would be applied for the first offence and a full stadium closure for a second, coupled with a fine of 50,000 euros (£42,800).

One of the single-tiered ends of Arena Khimki will be closed when CSKA host Bayern Munich on Nov 27,2013

UEFA's sanctions against clubs for racist behaviour this season

• Full stadium closures: Dinamo Zagreb of Croatia, Legia Warsaw of Poland and Honved of Hungary
• Partial stadium closures: Lazio (originally handed a full stadium closure that was reduced on appeal), Polish clubs Lech Poznan and Piast Gliwice, APOEL Nicosia of Cyprus and Croatian outfit HNK Rijeka.

New Minister Inducted and Portfolio Shuffled in Tamil Nadu Wed Oct 30,2013

Chief Minister Jayalalithaa on Wednesday Oct 30,2013 reshuffled the portfolios of two Ministers and inducted a new minister in her Cabinet. 

New Minister

Dr. C.Vijayabaskar, elected from the Viralimalai Assembly constituency, has been made the Minister for Health, Medical Education and Family Welfare

 Dr. C.Vijayabaskar(36) defeated veteran politician and former Union and State Minister S. Regupathy of Dravia Munnetra Kazhagam in the 2011 Assembly elections

Reshuffle
K.C. Veeramani, who earlier held the portfolios of Health, Medical Education and Family Welfare, has been designated as Minister for School Education, Sports and Youth Welfare

Till recently, these portfolios were handled by Higher Education Minister P. Palaniappan

Convention on People's Unity Against Communalism New Delhi Wed Oct 30,2013

Non-Congress and Non-BJP leaders belonging to various parties (from right ) Prakash Karat, Mulayam Singh Yadav, A.B. Bardhan and Deve Gowda during the convention on People's Unity Against Communalism, in New Delhi on Wednesday Oct 30,2013

The 14 parties that participated in the convention are -

• CPI(M)
• CPI
• JD(U)
• NCP
• Samajwadi Party
• Biju Janata Dal
• Janata Dal-Secular
• AIADMK 
• Jharkhand Vikas Morcha
• Asom Gana Parishad
• Republican Party of India
•  Forward Bloc
•  People’s Party of Punjab and
•  Revolutionary Socialist Party

At the coming together of 14 non-Congress, non-Bharatiya Janata Party parties at the “Convention for People’s Unity Against Communalism,” regional parties used the occasion to project a broad platform against communalism to challenge the Gujarat model of development by projecting States such as Tamil Nadu, Bihar and Orissa as examples of good governance