A Shillong road wears a deserted look during the dawn-to-dusk bandh called by the Hynniewtrep Achik National Movement (HANM) on Tuesday. Photo: W Lytan
Isner advances at Shanghai Masters
SHANGHAI: John Isner reached the third round of the Shanghai Masters by beating Kevin Anderson of South Africa 7-6 (3), 6-7 (8), 7-6 (7) on Tuesday.
Neither player was able to break serve in the match, the first at the tournament to go to three tiebreakers. Isner saved three break points and Anderson saved four.
Isner finished the match with 24 aces and Anderson had 21.
”The quality was good as far as serving goes,” Isner said.
”But other than that I think we maybe both could have played better a little bit.
”I guess it was exciting from a fan standpoint. Anytime a match comes down to a third set tiebreaker, it’s going to be exciting.”
In the first round, 14th-seeded Kei Nishikori of Japan defeated Di Wu of China 6-2, 6-4.
”Obviously, it’s not easy thing to play after winning the tournament,” said Nishikori, who won the Tokyo Open on Sunday. ”You want to rest. But I had a good day today.”
Also, 13th-seeded Stanislas Wawrinka of Switzerland beat Albert Ramos of Spain 7-6 (1), 7-6 (5), 15th-seeded Gilles Simon of France beat Jurgen Melzer of Austria 6-4, 6-2, and Florian Mayer of Germany defeated Bernard Tomic of Australia 6-4, 6-0.
Seventh-seeded Juan Monaco was upset by fellow Spaniard Fernando Verdasco 6-4, 6-2. The 23rd-ranked Verdasco broke his opponent three times and held serve throughout.
In other first-round matches, Chennai Open champion 12th-seeded Milos Raonic of Canada beat Marinko Matosevic of Australia 7-6 (4), 6-3.
And the Czech Radek Stepanek came through 7-5, 6-1 against Lleyton Hewitt of Australia.
Meanwhile, Zheng Jie of China advanced to the second round of the Japan Open with a 4-6, 7-5, 6-4 win Tuesday over Maria Jose Martina Sanchez of Spain.
Zheng broke her opponent three times in the final set at the Utsubo Tennis Center and will face Pauline Parmentier in the second round.
In other matches, sixth-seeded Anabel Medina Garrigues dropped the first set but won 3-6, 6-2, 6-2 over Camila Giorgi.
Wild-card entry Tamarine Tanasugarn of Thailand upset fifth-seeded Yaroslava Shvedova of Kazakhstan 6-3, 6-2.
Virginie Razzano booked a second-round meeting with top-seeded Sam Stosur after defeating Thailand qualifier Nudnida Luangnam 6-3, 6-3.
Laura Robson of Britain, Chanelle Scheepers of South Africa and Mirjana Lucic of Croatia also advanced.
Indian challenge ends at Tashkent
The Indian challenge came to an end as Yuki Bhambri, Vishnu Vardhan and Sanam Singh fell in the first round of the Tashkent Challenger here on Tuesday.
Eighth seed Karol Beck of Slovakia scored a 6-1, 6-3 win over Yuki Bhambri while Russia’s Igor Kunitsyn ended the run of Vishnu Vardhan 6-3, 6-4.
In a battle of qualifiers Oleksandr Nedovyesov played solid tennis to oust Sanam Singh 6-0, 6-4.
India’s lone pair in the doubles event of Bhambri and Divij Sharan also went down to the German pair of Andre Begemann and Martin Emmrich in the first round. The German pair won 6-4, 6-4. (Agencies)
Martinez hails high quality of Spanish football
MADRID: The absence of Juan Mata from Vicente del Bosque’s Spain squad is proof of the quality the world and European champions can draw on, midfielder Javi Martinez said on Tuesday.
Mata has been in sparkling form for European champions Chelsea in recent weeks but was overlooked for the World Cup Group I qualifiers in Belarus on Friday and at home to France four days later.
He is one of several Spanish players, alongside the likes of Arsenal’s Santi Cazorla and Manchester City’s Javi Garcia, who have performed impressively in the English Premier League but rarely get a look-in with the national side.
“That a player like Mata is absent shows how hard it is to get into the squad,” Martinez told a news conference as the players gathered at their training camp outside Madrid.
“For me he is one of the five best players in the Premier League and the fact he is not here shows the quality we have,” added the former Athletic Bilbao player who joined Bayern Munich in the close season.
“But we cannot all be here and for sure many players deserve a place. He (Mata) is very strong mentally and that will help him as he tries to improve and win his place back.”
Mata, who competes for a place with Andres Iniesta, David Silva, Cesc Fabregas, Pedro and Jesus Navas, told Spanish media on Monday he expected to be included in Del Bosque’s plans after playing a part in the triumphant 2010 World Cup and Euro 2012 campaigns.
“I was excited and confident about being called up, all the more so because of the form I am in at Chelsea,” the 24-year-old said.
“I am in the best form so far since arriving in London. What I need to do now is keep it up so that I can win my place back.”
Spain won their opening qualifier away to a Georgia 1-0. (Reuters)
Lucky escape for rallyists
Manali: Amit Gupta of Rishikesh and his navigator Tarun Sharma had a miraculous escape on day three of the 14th Maruti Suzuki Raid De Himalaya after their SUV almost ran off the edge of a sheer cliff.
The incident occurred on the climb-up from Kaza to Komic, in the Lahaul and Spiti district of Himachal Padesh.
The close tracking and the alertness of the marshals of the Raid De Himalaya ensured that the rallyists were pulled back from the cliff edge in time.
Gupta and his navigator, part of Raid Xtreme category, were headed towards the end of the competitive zone at Komic, when a wheel of their SUV went off the road. During this competitive stretch, Raid Xtreme was running at a height of 4,500 meters above sea level along sharp, high cliffs.
Gupta miscalculated the drive, running almost off the track.
The duo’s amazing luck was that their vehicle did not go over into the deep valley, and stayed precariously hanging on the cliff edge.
President of Himalayan Motorsport Association, Vijay Parmar said that the minute-to-minute tracking of rallyists by the marshals saved the lives of the doctor duo.
When the team did not reach the designated check-post on time, the marshals sent out an SOS to the Search and Rescue teams about the missing vehicle.
The teams immediately moved into the competitive zone and began a lookout for team. Within minutes, marshals reached the spot and pulled Gupta’s SUV back on the road.
The doctor duo were in a state of shock, and were given medical help by the marshals.
This has been the second incident in which rallyists at the Maruti Suzuki Raid De Himalaya 2012 have had a close shave. (PTI)
Lowering 9.4 seconds still the goal, says Bolt
Auckland: Olympic 100 and 200 metres champion Usain Bolt says his goal of lowering the 100-metre mark below 9.4 seconds still stands and hints at a possibility of it happening next season.
Bolt made his declaration on Monday as he ended a whistle-stop promotional tour, which has seen the world’s fastest man on New Zealand soil for less than 24 hours.
The 100m and 200m world record holder has previously predicted lowering the 100m mark below 9.4s – 0.19 of a second below his current benchmark.
“There’s a possibility for 9.4s, there’s a definite possibility. I think this season won’t be so stressful, I can relax a little bit more, focus a little bit more,” said the six-time Olympic gold medallist.
“It will be much easier without the pressure on your shoulders. I’m just going to continue working hard and pushing myself.”
Meanwhile, the Jamaican athlete has told a news conference in Auckland that cricket is his “first love”.
With the West Indies defeating Sri Lanka to win the T20 World Cup hours before Bolt touched down, the Jamaican acknowledged the career which might have been his.
“I love cricket, it was my first love but I don’t play much now. The only time I play now is with my brother,” Bolt said.
“If I wasn’t in athletics I would probably have a career somewhere else in sport.”
Having dominated the world sprint circuit for the last two Olympic cycles, the Bolt ‘pointing’ pose and flamboyant pre-race behaviour have become internationally-recognised trademarks.
But Bolt insists he’s not cocky.
“People always say I’m cocky. The pose just happened, there was a dance and I put a swing on it. I continue doing it for the fans because they’re the ones who make us who we are,” said Bolt.
“The gimmicks that I do are just to make me relax. When I get to the line it makes me relax and not worry. If you worry you tense up.”
Tuesday brought news that Bolt and Mo Farah are among the Olympic track and field stars nominated for the World Athlete of the Year award.
The sport’s governing body, the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF), announced 10 nominees for each of the men’s and women’s categories.
All the nominees have won at least one gold medal at the recently held London Olympics.
In addition to 100m and 200-metre winner Bolt and endurance champion Farah, the men’s list includes David Rudisha, who shattered the 800-metre world record in the final.
If Bolt wins, it would be the fourth time he has won the award in five years while Rudisha could regain the title he won in 2010.
American runner Allyson Felix takes her place among the nominees for the women’s award after becoming the first female track athlete to win three gold medals at an Olympics since 1988. (IANS)
Bandh brings life to standstill
Our Bureau
SHILLONG/NONGS-TOIN/JOWAI: Heavy rains accompanied by a freezing weather kept people indoors during the dawn-to-dusk bandh called by the Hynniewtrep Achik National Movement (HANM) on Tuesday.
The 12-hour bandh, which brought life to a standstill in the State except in Garo Hills region, passed off peacefully save a few stray incidents of stone pelting in Nongstoin.
All the State and Central Government offices, financial institutions and educational institutions remained closed, while vehicles were off the roads. The streets in Shillong town wore a deserted look.
The State Government’s stringent warning to its employees did not have any impact as almost all the State Government offices witnessed a thin attendance. The government claimed that the overall attendance in all the State Government offices was 10 percent while it was almost nil in the Central Government offices.
The bandh was called by the HANM in protest against the arrest of its Western Ri-Bhoi Zone president, K Thongni. Thongni was arrested by Assam Police last month for his alleged involvement in the torching of an Assam Police outpost along the Assam-Meghalaya border.
The SP of East Khasi Hills M Kharkrang informed that no untoward incident was reported from any part of the city.
The bandh passed off peacefully in Ri Bhoi district even as the attendance in the Government offices were recorded at 20 per cent.
The bandh, however, evoked a mixed response in East and West Jaintia Hills districts.
A few businesses establishments and educational institutions in Jowai, Ladrymbai, Khliehriat and Amlarem areas remained open during the day.
The district Administration in West Jaintia Hills claimed 76 per cent attendance in the government offices.
All educational institutions in West Khasi Hills remained closed. A negligible attendance was witnessed in the Deputy Commissioner’s office.
Dearth of issues may force parties to bank on clichéd agenda
Verdict 2013: Border dispute, influx to dominate poll manifestos
By Our Reporter
SHILLONG: With no new scams and burning problems in sight, political parties are poised to rake up the clichéd agenda to woo voters in the run up to the 2013 Assembly elections.
Border dispute, influx and the need to have stability are some of the age-old issues which all the political parties will be raising again during the pre-poll campaign.
However, when contacted, majority of political parties indicated that though the border dispute and influx seem clichéd, the issues still have relevance in the present context.
The HSPDP as usual is banking on the issue of creation of Khasi-Jaintia state and it wants to popularize the agenda among the masses.
The HSPDP leader HS Lyngdoh recently said that this agenda would figure in the HSPDP campaign till the formation of a separate state.
UDP, KHNAM, NCP, NPP, BJP and MDP are keen to place familiar issues like the border dispute and influx in their poll manifesto.
Moreover, both the NCP and NPP will also take up the worsening law and order situation in Garo Hills during the election campaign.
The state BJP, however, has decided to focus on the problems being faced by the people of the state due to the price rise in the context of hike in prices of diesel and LPG.
The political parties in the state are yet to finalize the election manifesto as they are still on the task of finalizing their candidates.
With the Congress-led Government going slow on the issue of uranium mining, this is unlikely to find any space in the election manifesto of the political parties.
Unlike the past, there is hardly be any scathing attack on the present Government by Opposition parties or coalition partners as the State prepares for the elections.
A senior Congress leader said that while the majority of political parties will be focusing on the clichéd agenda and are ready to take on the Congress on its various omissions and commissions which are yet to be made known, the Congress leadership will harp on the blessings to the people due to the creation of several new districts and launching of several road projects in the State.
He claimed that the performance of the Congress-led MUA coalition government has silenced the opponents.
“We have taken up positive steps to address the border issue by submitting relevant documents to Assam Government and also formed committees to address the problem of influx,” he added.
Jail employee says sorry to Krishan
By Our Reporter
SHILLONG: Adding a new twist to the recent unrest in Shillong District Jail, one of the agitating jail staff on Tuesday tendered a written apology before the Director General (Prisons) Kulbir Krishan claiming that he was forced by his colleagues to level charges against the prisons chief.
In the letter, Richard Synrem, a warder of the jail, said, “I was forced to make several allegations against the Director General by my colleagues.”
Kulbir Krishan, meanwhile, accepted the apology.
It may be mentioned that the State government has already instituted a magisterial inquiry into the irregularities in the Shillong district jail where arrested GNLA chief Champion R Sangma is lodged.
According to Richard Synrem, his colleagues made him say that the DG and his wife had beaten him with slippers besides taking money from him which were not true.
Synrem, earlier, had alleged that the DG’s wife on several occasions issued notices with regard to suspension and termination of services of jail staff by forging the signature of her husband.
“I was made to say that Madam had signed the official papers by forging the DG’s signature,” he said in the letter adding “They even threatened me if I fail to follow their diktat.”
Seeking his transfer from Shillong jail, he also made it clear that no one forced him to tender the apology.
Synrem also said that a few more jail staff were willing to apologise before the DG.
Meanwhile, the jail staff will agitate on Wednesday seeking the DG’s removal.
The Shillong jail hit the headlines recently when the DG (Prisons) Kulbir Krishan, in a confidential report, alleged that the GNLA chief’s lawyer had bribed the jail staff including the Jailor seeking a preferential treatment for his client.
HDR refuses to take up arrest issue with Assam govt
By Our Reporter
SHILLONG: The State Government has refused to take the issue of arrest of the HANM’s Western Ri-Bhoi Zone president, K Thongni with Assam Government saying that he (Thongni) was wanted in connection with a criminal case.
“The Assam police had issued an arrest warrant against the HANM leader,” Home Minister HDR Lyngdoh told reporters here on Tuesday.
According to Lyngdoh, it is upto the court to grant him bail.
Earlier, the HANM had sought intervention of the Home Minister for the immdiate release of Thongni.
10-day police custody for Rev Miller
By Our Reporter
SHILLONG: A city court on Tuesday awarded 10-day police custody to Rev SK Miller, who allegedly exploited, molested and sexually abused minors staying at New Life Home owned by him.
The church leader was produced in court on Tuesday after his release from NEIGRIHMS on Monday.
During the hearing, police sought 14-day custody. However, the court deemed it fit to award a police custody of ten days.
Rev Miller’s interrogation was delayed following his hospitalization on the day of his arrest. He was first admitted to the Shillong Civil Hospital on September 28 and subsequently shifted to NEIGRIHMS.
The next hearing will be held on October 18.