By Our Reporter
SHILLONG: The BSNL NE-I Circle (Meghalaya, Mizoram and Tripura) will organise the 12th All India BSNL Tournament from October 9-11 in Shillong.
Altogether, 11 teams from different parts of the country will participate.
The games will be played at 2nd/3rd ground and JN complex at Polo on over three days from 9 am to 3 pm.
By Nawaz Yasin Islam
Shillong/Mumbai: Duncan Rufus, the five-member outfit passionately blending a comforting combination of music and words have evolved as a band and touched every music lover’s mind since its inception in January 2009.
Duncun Rufus is led by singer, songwriter Lima Yanger from Nagaland, formerly known for his blistering role in the famed Indian Rock bands like Bliss logic and Sleeping Buddha (Mumbai) and Drummer Gaute Johannesen of Popface fame (Norway).
The rest of this stellar ensemble is jeweled by JD (known in the Bollywood arena for his contribution in Rog and Jism 2) on Bass, Hitesh Dhutia (Junkt, Sleeping Buddha, Contraband, Rajiv Raja combined) on lead Guitar and Viney Lobo (of Airport fame) on Guitar.
Complementing these stalwarts in fine tuning every note towards perfection is Richard Francis who is the only professional studio engineer in the band.
With some much acclaimed music in their arsenal, Duncan Rufus has managed to stir an overwhelming response in Mumbai where they are currently based together with inciting cheerful symphonies in the minds of their fan base back here in North East.
Duncun Rufus makes soulful music and the songs are about hope, betrayal, desire & devotion in troubled times.
The crisp contemporary songs sung in the distinctly laid-back voice of Yanger enveloped in soulful symphonies of sharp guitaring and well spaced foot tapping beats and catchy hook lines truly present music that can be felt with eyes closed!
As rightly said, this is music for journeys where your love resides and where you are supposed to be.
The enigmatic compositions of Duncan Rufus are surely making it large in a very competitive arena like Mumbai.
They started working for their debut album ‘Carte Blanche’ in 2010, released it in 2011.
This was a big hit and took the band’s offering to a whole new level.
Ten revitalizing soundtracks with Yanger’s soulful crooning and loads of guitar play was an instant hit. This is Lima Yanger’s third album and it packs original and mellow music. Lima first rose to prominence with the release of his debut album, ‘Sleeping Buddha-Web of Life’ in October 2002.
In 2009 Lima released his second album, ‘Bliss Logic-The Big Thaw.’ As he puts it, “The emphasis was on writing songs rather than composing technique-laden pieces.”
This is one band that believes in making strides, not small steps. The band is signed to the Norwegian Label, CCAP recently will officially launch their music for iTunes on October 12.
The year end will see Duncan Rufus coming out with their second album christened ‘The Folds Galore’.
(With inputs from Lima Yanger)
Madrid: Real Madrid face Barcelona in a make-or-break El Clasico this weekend aided by a resurgent Cristiano Ronaldo but acutely aware that defeat would see them trail their bitter enemies by a massive 11 points.
Ronaldo has hit form at just the right time, netting three in the 4-1 win at Ajax in the Champions League on Wednesday, that haul coming after his hat-trick in the 5-1 La Liga rout of Deportivo La Coruna last weekend.
The last time Real and Barcelona clashed in the league last April, Ronaldo scored the decisive goal at the Camp Nou as Madrid went on to win the league.
But this season Barcelona have begun with ominous intent to reclaim their crown with six straight victories.
Perhaps the result of basking in their own triumph, Jose Mourinho’s side instead made a stuttering start with just one win from the first four games but since then they have clicked into gear and Ronaldo has looked more like his old self.
The Portuguese had looked moody and introspective, refusing to celebrate some goals with his team mates and declaring himself unhappy but his winner against Manchester City in the Champions League last month showed his desire was back.
And now he is fully primed to face Barca after his successive hat-tricks.
“I am very happy with the way we are playing and the victory against Ajax gives us all plenty of confidence while for me personally to score three is vital for my own confidence,” said Ronaldo.
“We will go to the Camp Nou which is a very difficult stadium but we have belief in our chances and that we can get a good result.
“Barca have a very strong side with strength in depth.”
His team mate Xabi Alonso admitted that there is no margin for error.
“To win will be fantastic and lose, bad, there is no way of hiding the fact. We are aware of the difference in points and so obviously we are going out for the victory but we need to rest and prepare,” he said.
Although Barca have a 100 per cent record they have had injury worries to deal with especially in defence.
And the bad news to come from their mid-week Champions League win over Benfica was that Carles Puyol will be out of action for up to two months with a dislocated elbow.
The talismanic defender was only just returning from a lengthy layoff and is now back in the treatment room along with fellow centre-half Gerard Pique, so it is likely that Javier Mascherano and Alex Song will line up in the heart of the defence on Sunday.
Elsewhere unbeaten duo Atletico Madrid and Malaga go head-to-head while high-flying Sevilla and Mallorca, both on 11 points, are against Celta Vigo and Granada respectively.
At the other end of the table the situation remains desperate for Espanyol who have just one point and they are now away to Valladolid while Athletic Bilbao and Osasuna immediately above them face each other. (AFP)
LONDON: Chelsea manager Roberto Di Matteo defended his players on Friday saying they were not out of control after Ashley Cole sent an insulting message on Twitter shortly after an FA inquiry criticised his evidence in the John Terry racism case.
Cole, 31, responded to a report which explained why the FA banned Terry for four matches and fined him 220,000 pounds (Rs 1.8 crore) for racially abusing Queens Park Rangers defender Anton Ferdinand.
The report questioned Cole’s evidence saying the independent commission that ruled on the case had “considerable doubts”. Cole responded by calling the FA a “bunch of t***s”.
Di Matteo, informed of Cole’s tweet during his pre-match news conference on Friday, said his squad were not ill-disciplined and added he would judge them by what they did on the pitch.
“I judge the players on what I see when they train and play, and I try and select a team that will hopefully be able to win against Norwich. That is my job,” Di Matteo said.
Meanwhile, it was made known that Terry has until October 18 to decide whether to appeal the FA’s ban. (Reuters)
ZEIST (NETHERLANDS): Netherlands coach Louis van Gaal named midfielders Rafael van der Vaart and Ibrahim Afellay in his 20-men squad on Friday for World Cup qualifiers against Andorra and Romania. Arjen Robben, however, is not part of it.
Van Gaal, who also recalled Nigel de Jong, said the changes were due to the selection of Jordy Clasie, Adam Maher and Luuk de Jong who have been included in the Dutch Under-23 squad.
The U-23 side will play a double header against Slovakia for a place at the European championship finals next year in Israel.
“Qualification for the U-23 finals is important for the development of our players and that’s why those three are not in my squad for the Andorra match,” Van Gaal told reporters.
“Clasie, for example, would have played for sure against Andorra as he would have some extra value, while Maher is more fit then Van der Vaart.”
Van Gaal dropped Van der Vaart, Afellay and De Jong for the first two qualifiers last month against Turkey and Hungary because they were involved in late transfers.
“I predicted then that Van der Vaart would regain his fitness in the Bundesliga and now he really is fit,” he said.
Van der Vaart replaces Wesley Sneijder, who is out for a week with a thigh injury, while Leroy Fer is also sidelined.
Joris Mathijsen and Arjen Robben are also omitted from the squad for the Andorra match but Van Gaal kept the door open for the second qualifier.
“Joris is likely to start this weekend with his club, but in case of Robben I don’t know if he will be in action,” he said.
“But I know Arjen and he is a true professional and if he is fit and capable to play he would let me know.”
Schweinsteiger is back
Bastian Schweinsteiger, left out of Germany’s World Cup qualifiers last month as he struggled to regain match fitness, was reinstated for the October matches as coach Joachim Loew named his squad on Friday.
Schweinsteiger took the place of the injured Julian Draxler in the only change from the squad which beat the Faroe Islands and Austria in September.
Germany, who top Group C with maximum points from their opening two games, are away to Ireland on October 12 and at home to Sweden four days later.
BEIJING: Shanghai Masters organisers have increased security for the tournament starting on Saturday after an online threat to decapitate world number one Roger Federer, a local newspaper reported on Friday.
“On October 6 I plan to assassinate Federer in order to exterminate tennis,” read a post by “Blue Cat Polytheistic Leader 07” on a Federer fan website on September 25, the newspaper’s website said.
The paper said the post was accompanied by a “very scary” computer modified image showing a decapitated Federer.
Federer may go directly from the airport’s VIP arrival hall to his hotel as part of the precautions, Yang Yibin, the tournament director, told the paper in an interview earlier in the week. It said Shanghai police were investigating.
Sana-Nuria in final of China Open
Meanwhile, Sania Mirza, on Friday, earned the opportunity to end her 2012 season with a title win as she reached the summit clash of the China Open with her partner Nuria Llagostera Vives, here.
The Indo-Spanish pair downed the team of Katarina Srebotnik and Jie Zheng 7-5, 6-1 in the semifinals.
They play the pair of Ekaterina Makarova and Elena Vesnina, who defeated Maria Kirilenko and Nadia Petrova 6-4, 7-5 in their semifinal.
Meanwhile, the Indian pair of Rohan Bopanna and Mahesh Bhupathi crashed out of the men’s doubles event with a 2-6, 6-7 (8) defeat at the hands of Carlos Berlocq and Denis Istomin.
In the singles events, Novak Djokovic needed only 53 minutes to reach the semifinals with a 6-1, 6-2 win over Jurgen Melzer.
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga defeated Mikhail Youzhny 6-3, 6-2, and Feliciano Lopez outlasted Sam Querrey of the US 4-6, 6-4, 6-4.
On the women’s side, Victoria Azarenka and Maria Sharapova advanced. Azarenka topped Romina Oprandi 6-2, 6-0, and Sharapova was in charge of Angelique Kerber 6-0, 3-0 when the German retired with a right foot injury. (AP)
The nominations for
the class of 2013 Hall
of Fame were announced this morning and Rush has finally garnered a nod.
The top vote-getters will be inducted on April 18th, 2013 at the Nokia Theater L.A. live in Los Angeles.
For the first time, the public will be able to vote along with industry insiders for the bands.
Fans can cast their votes starting today and until December 5th for the nominees they’d like to see inducted. Click here to vote.
Fans of Rush have petitioned the Rock Hall to induct the band for over 10 years. They have been eligible since 1998 and this will be the first year they are included on the ballot.
Rush is a Canadian rock band formed in August 1968, in the Willowdale neighbourhood of Toronto, Ontario. (Agencies)
It was a little less than a year ago that
the world was rocked by the passing
of Flattus Maximus, back to the cosmos from whence he came.
And since that day fans of Gwar have wondered how the mighty overlords of Gwar would deal with the void it left within the band.
Gwar responded the only way they knew how-by soldiering on-and continued to play as a four-piece.
But from the very beginning of that phase, the quest began to find the new Scumdog that was in every way as magnificent as his predecessor.
Today the members of Gwar are pleased to inform their legions of followers, and even more so their many enemies, that once again the band is whole, with the proclamation that long-lost cousin of Flattus, Pustulus Maximus, has officially joined the band in the position of lead guitarist, and will join with the group on their upcoming “Fate or Chaos” tour.
Pustulus offered his first words to the press with the following, “At this point I have nothing to say to the press, even though I am talking to you. I will let my guitar speak for itself. But let me add that I am blood-sworn to honor the legacy of the great Flattus and indeed the whole Maximus tribe. HAIL FLATTUS!” (Agencies)
On October 1st
NIGHTWISH officially parted ways with vocalist Anette Olzon, citing personal differences. The band has since announced the addition of fill-in vocalist Floor Jansen from The Netherlands (ex-AFTER FOREVER, REVAMP), who will help the band complete their current Imaginaerum world tour.
Jansen has now released an update on her first days of touring with Nightwish:
“I am writing to you sitting here in the tour bus with Nightwish! We are heading to San Fransisco. The sun is shining bright here and the scenery is beautiful. I am trying to find words to describe how I feel, but it’s impossible to really cover it. I am on a high!
What do you do when Nightwish asks you to join them on tour? Stay calm and say, well OK…? Or does your heart start beating twice as fast instantly, hands start to sweat and your mouth is unwilling to pronounce words like ‘that sounds amazing’. I guess I don’t need to tell what happened to me.
The time to prepare was scarily short… I packed my bags and left and printed the lyrics into my head all the way over from Amsterdam to America. Fifteen hours of airplane later I arrived with a jetlag, a full head and the most happy feeling ever. The next day I jumped on board on this bus and the adventure truly began. I was welcomed into the group as an old friend and I felt great instantly. It is now 10 years ago I joined Nightwish on tour with After Forever as their support act. We stayed in touch ever since and that made the whole situation so much easier and smooth.
The day of the first show we also did a long soundcheck to rehearse the songs. That was the only possibility. You cannot imagine how nervous I was before that first show started! Next to nerves my voice was battered by a cold due to all the travels, lack of sleep and airco’s.
The intro started… I ran on stage… and all nerves were gone! The music and the guys took me in and so did the audience. What an experience! The excitement lasted the entire show, and way after. When I went to my tour bus bed that night I still had a smile on my face. I felt so happy and satisfied I fell asleep instantly.
The next morning I woke up – ahem – afternoon… in Portland. Show number two was there already. So were the first online reactions and the massive amount of press that responded to the news.
You must be living under a stone if the news didn’t reach you yet. I even did an interview with the Dutch radio, standing outside the venue in my stage outfit. With a nine hour time difference…
My cold got worse and the doctor had to give me some power supplies to help me.
Thank goodness for that, they helped instantly and the second show was an amazing blast. The Crystal Hall in Portland is a beautiful venue and the atmosphere extraordinary! Again the audience welcomed me warmly! I am so grateful!!! (Agencies)
United Nations: Chief Ban Ki-moon and the 15-nation Security Council have voiced alarm over the escalating tensions along the Syrian-Turkish border, warning that the risk of regional conflict and threat to international peace is increasing.
Ban called on all concerned parties to abandon use of violence, exercise maximum restraint and exert all efforts to move toward a political solution, a statement issued by his spokesperson said here. The Secretary-General is “alarmed” by the escalating tensions along the Syrian-Turkish border and has repeatedly made clear his concern about the spillover of the Syrian crisis into neighbouring countries, the statement said.
In a press statement, the Security Council “condemned in the strongest terms” the shelling by the Syrian armed forces of the Turkish town of Akcakale. “The members of the Security Council underscored that this incident highlighted the grave impact the crisis in Syria has on the security of its neighbours and on regional peace and stability,” Ambassador Gert Rosenthal of Guatemala, which holds the Presidency of the Security Council for October said in the press statement after a meeting of the 15-member body.
The Council called on the Syrian Government to respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of its neighbours. At least five Turkish civilians were killed and others injured on Wednesday after mortar fire from Syria hit the town of Akcakale in Turkey’s Sanliurfa province, which shares a border with Syria.
Turkey’s parliament on Friday authorised further military action against Syria, as Turkey began its second day of shelling targets within Syria in response to yesterday’s incident. More than 18,000 people, mostly civilians, have died in Syria since the uprising against the regime of President Bashar al-Assad began last year.
A further 2.5 million Syrians urgently need humanitarian aid, according to UN estimates. “As the situation inside Syria deteriorates yet further – including the atrocious terrorist bombings in Aleppo this week which killed dozens of people including civilians – the risks of regional conflict and the threat to international peace and security are also increasing,” Ban’s spokesperson.
Joint Special Representative for Syria of the UN and the League of Arab States, Lakhdar Brahimi, has been in communication with officials from Turkey and Syria to encourage an easing of tensions. (PTI)
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