Raikkonen fined for speeding in pit lane

Kimi Raikkonen of Lotus was on Friday fined 400 euros for speeding in the pit lane during the first practice session of the Indian Grand Prix at the Buddh International Circuit (BIC) in Greater Noida.

According to an FIA statement, the Finn breached Article 30.12 of the FIA F1
sporting regulations by exceeding the pit lane speed limit by 3.4kmph, the limit of which is 80kmph. "The competitor (Lotus F1 team) is fined 400 euros," the statement read.
Defending champion Sebastian Vettel of Red Bull set the pace by registering a new lap record in the first practice session of the 2013 Indian Grand Prix.
Vettel made a perfect start to his preparations by pipping his teammate Mark Webber by 0.188 seconds.
Vettel, who won the 2011 and 2012 Indian GPs, recorded his best timing of 1:26.683s in just his second lap of the day.
The German, who has a chance to clinch his fourth world title this weekend, edged past team-mate Webber (1:26.871s), Mercedes' Nico Rosberg (1:26.899s) and Lotus's Romain Grosjean (1:26.990s) to emerge as the quickest on a hazy morning.

Border Security Force to make fresh efforts to have flag meeting with Pakistan Ranger

Border Security Force is likely to make fresh efforts to have a flag meeting with its counterpart Pakistan Rangers to defuse tension along the International Border in the wake of heavy firing from across the border.
The Home Ministry has asked the Border Security Force to try to hold a flag meeting with Pakistan Rangers as soon as possible to reduce tension along the border in Jammu and Kashmir where heavy exchange of fire has led to killing of two persons and injury to over two dozen others since last week.

At the same time, highly placed sources said, the border guarding force has been given direction to retaliate with equal measure any unprovoked firing from across the border. There have been two attempts by the BSF to hold flag meetings with the Pakistan Rangers this month -- on October 18 and October 20 -- but on the both occasions, the border guarding force of Pakistan did not turn up.

Firing from across the border has become a matter of concern for the government and steps are being taken to evacuate villagers living close to the border to safety till the tension continues, sources said. The BSF has been asked to ensure that there was minimum inconvenience to border population during the skirmishes. Three civilians were injured as Pakistani troops opened fire and shelled 17 border out posts and hamlets along the IB overnight, resulting in heavy exchanges till the wee hours today.
A total of 11 civilians have been injured in the Pakistani firing since yesterday.

Narendra Modi takes on 'shahzada' Rahul Gandhi

Jhansi, Uttar Pradesh: Narendra Modi today derided Rahul Gandhi, the Congress Vice President, for alleging that an intelligence officer has told him that young Muslim men whose families were affected in the communal riots in Muzaffarnagar are in touch with Pakistani agencies, including the ISI, who want to recruit them to work against India.

"Who is this shahzada (prince)? Why are intelligence officers briefing him?" Mr Modi asked at an election rally in Jhansi in Uttar Pradesh.

Mr Gandhi's comment, made at a rally in Madhya Pradesh on Thursday, has provoked a barrage of criticism, with the BJP accusing him of questioning the patriotism of Indian Muslims.

The Congress leader has been accusing the BJP of instigating  September's communal violence in Muzaffarnagar in Western Uttar Pradesh in which nearly 50 people were killed.

Mr Modi returned fire today. He made an offer to the people of Uttar Pradesh. "You gave the Congress 60 years, try us for just 60 months," said the BJP's candidate for prime minister.

Mr Modi said that India's most populous state has been destroyed by the "trinity of SABKA"  -an acronym he coined for the Samajwadi Party, the Bahujan Samaj Party, and the Congress.

Mr Modi, 63,  who is serving his fourth term as chief minister of Gujarat, said  that the Congress had ruined Uttar Pradesh with corruption, while the Samajwadi Party is crippled with dynastic politics, and Mayawati's Bahujan Samaj Party is mired in the cult of her personality.

Rahul Gandhi's statement on youths being in touch with ISI 'most unfortunate'

Muslim clerics on Friday slammed Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi's statement that some Muslim youths from riots-ravaged Muzaffarnagar in Uttar Pradesh were in touch with Pakistan's intelligence agency ISI, and said these were "most unfortunate".
Maulana Saif Abbas Naqvi, a prominent Shia cleric, said such statements not only painted the Muslim community in bad light but also strengthened the communal forces. He said these were a "grave insinuation" on millions of peace loving and patriotic Muslims in the country.
He also alleged that instead of understanding the plight and pain of the riot victims, the Gandhi scion was playing politics with the communal riots and the victims.
Shahar Qazi, Maulana Abul Irfan Miyan Farangi Mahali, said the statement of Rahul Gandhi was "most unfortunate" and demanded an immediate and unconditional apology from the Congress leader.
"It does not behove leaders of a national party like the Congress to give such cheap and hurtful statements against the Muslims...we are patriotic and would do anything for India" he said in a statement.
Maulana Kalbe Sadiq, senior vice-president of the All-India Muslim Personal Law Board, also said that anyone who casts aspersions on the integrity and loyalty of the minorities for the country was doing a great dis-service to the country and the Muslims.
At an election rally in Indore Thursday, Rahul Gandhi had made a sensational claim that singed by the riots and killings in Muzaffarnagar district of the state, many Muslim youth were in touch with Pakistan's intelligence agency ISI (Inter-Services Intelligence). The riots and communal violence in the district in September had left 62 dead and 43,000 homeless.

Sachin Tendulkar prepares Wankhede for farewell Test

Sachin Tendulkar is trying to ensure that his mother has no difficulty getting to the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) president box from where she is expected to watch her son play his 200th and final Test match.
As he arrived for the Mumbai Ranji team's practice session on Monday, Tendulkar spoke at length with MCA officials about providing a ramp at the entrance to the box.
Tendulkar, who had ascertained that the lift to the box wasn't big enough to accommodate his mother's wheel-chair, was not happy with the temporary metal ramp that the MCA showed him.
The batsman's mother, Rajni, has never seen him play at a stadium, and has made an exception for his farewell Test.
India will play the West Indies at Tendulkar's home ground from November 14 to 18.
MCA joint secretary Nitin Dalal told The Indian Express that all arrangements would be made in the coming days. "We will make sure that everything is taken care of and every assistance is provided to Tendulkar's family. His mother is in a wheelchair and we will prepare the ramp so that she can enter the president box without any problem," he said. The entire Tendulkar clan is expected to be at the
Wankhede for the Test.
200@WANKHEDE: PORTRAIT & CUTOUTS
What MCA decided at its meeting on Monday
A PAINTING is what Sachin Tendulkar wants as his farewell gift. MCA will send an artist to his home on Tuesday, and the batsman will choose what kind of portrait he wants
SACHIN TENDULKAR GYMKHANA will be the new name for MCA's Kandivali Club at Mahaveer Nagar
SACHIN'S CUTOUTS from his early days till date will be placed in and around the Wankhede for the 200th Test

Nokia unveils first Lumia phablets, tablet

ABU DHABI: Finnish manufacturer Nokia today entered two new segments, unveiling its first tablet and phablets. The new products, showcased at an event in Abu Dhabi, will help the company make its presence felt in the two booming markets.

Nokia Lumia 2520 is a Windows RT-based tablet with a 10-inch 1080p HD display with Gorilla Glass 2 protection. It has a 6.7MP rear camera with Zeiss lens and 2MP front unit. It runs on the 2.2GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processor and has 2GB RAM and 32GB internal storage; it also supports microSD cards up to 32GB.

Other key features of the device include 4G LTE connectivity, 8,000mAh battery and free SkyDrive storage. It comes preloaded with free apps like Nokia's Storyteller and Video Director as well Microsoft Office. The tablet will come in red, white, cyan and black colours. Similar to Microsoft Surface, Lumia 2520 pairs with a Nokia Power Keyboard. The keyboard with a touchpad also contains an extra battery for up to five hours extra use, plus two USB ports.

The Windows RT 8.1 device priced at $499 will ship later this year. The tablet will first launch in the US, UK, and Finland, followed by other countries shortly after.

Nokia Lumia 1520 and Lumia 1320 are its first phablets, with screens measuring 6-inch. Both devices run on Microsoft Windows Phone 8 operating system with the recently unveiled GDR3 update. Lumia 1520 has been priced at $749, while Lumia 1320 will cost $339, excluding taxes.

The new Lumia 1520 has a Full HD (1920x1080p resolution) display and is powered by a 2.2GHz quad-core Snapdragon 800 chipset. It sports a 20MP PureView camera with OIS and has 2GB RAM, 32GB expandable storage, 3,400mAh battery and NFC. It will compete against the likes of Samsung Galaxy Note 3, HTC One Max and Sony Xperia Z Ultra. Apple is also said to be testing a handset with 6- inch display.

Lumia 1320, on the other hand, is an affordable phablet with a 720p display. It runs on a dual-core Krait processor unlike Lumia 1520's quad-core chip and has 1GB RAM, 8GB internal storage and supports microSD cards up to 64GB. The 4G LTE-enabled phablet has a 5MP rear camera and a VGA front-facing unit.

Powered by a 3,400mAh battery, this device will be available in orange, yellow, black and white colours. Nokia Lumia 1320 will launch early next year in China and Vietnam, followed by more Asian and European countries. It will take on rival products like Samsung Galaxy Mega 5.8 and Huawei Ascend Mate.

Nokia also announced that popular imaging app Instagram is coming to Windows Phone platform in coming weeks.

The event also saw the new range of Asha smart feature phones being introduced, namely Asha 500, Asha 502 and Asha 503.

Nokia Asha 500 comes both in single and dual-sim variants and sports a 2.8-inch screen. It has a 2MP rear camera and is powered by a 1,200mAh battery. The phone will ship for $69 in Africa, Asia-Pacific, Europe, Latin America and Middle East.

Nokia Asha 502 is a dual-sim handset with a 3-inch screen and 5MP rear camera with LED flash. Powered by a 1,010mAh battery, this device will ship for $89 in Africa, Asia-Pacific, Europe and Middle East.

Both these Asha phones have Wi-Fi and 2G connectivity and can support up to 32GB microSD card.

The third entrant to the range Asha 503 has both single and dual-sim variants. It sports a 3-inch display with Corning Gorilla Glass 2 and a 5MP camera with LED flash. It is the only Asha handset to have 3G connectivity, along with 2G and Wi-Fi. Other features include support for microSD cards up to 32GB and 1,200mAh battery. The phone will ship for $99 in Africa, Asia-Pacific, Europe, Latin America and the Middle East.

All three devices will come in bright red, bright green, yellow, cyan, white and black colours. The company also announced that Asha 500, 501, 505 and 520 will get the popular messaging platform WhatsApp.

After the Microsoft deal, which is due to close in the first quarter of next year, the new products will still carry the Nokia brand but become part of Microsoft's drive to become a major player in global consumer devices.

As onions inch towards Rs. 100 a kg, onions make India weep

The onion, a staple of most Indian dinner tables, is inching towards Rs. 100 a kilo in the festival season. It is also election season and a worried government is now considering importing onions from China and Egypt to bring down prices.

Traders say excessive rain has ruined crop in major onion producing states like Maharashtra, Gujarat, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh, leading to a shortage. Food Minister KV Thomas today also asked onion producing states to crack down on hoarders, promising that prices would come down soon.

"Prices have to be stabilised. Prices will come down in a few weeks," Mr Thomas said, adding that he is in discussions with Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar on the onion crisis and that they are considering importing the staple.

Mr Thomas said the problem is most acute in Delhi, where people are paying Rs. 90 for a kilo of onions in retail markets. Delhi votes for a new government in 43 days. In 1998, the ruling BJP lost the assembly elections to the Congress, primarily because onion prices had shot up to Rs. 60 a kg. The Congress has ruled the national capital ever since.

"Did you congratulate the government when the price of onions fell?" asked Congress spokesperson Meem Afzal today, also claiming that he had seen onions being sold at Rs. 55 a kg at a Daryaganj market in Delhi "when the media was reporting that the price was Rs. 75-80."

The situation is not much better in other markets. In Chandigarh and Bhopal onions cost Rs. 80 a kg. People in Bangalore are paying relatively less at Rs. 60 for a kilo. Traders say onion supplies are less than half the country's monthly demand of 9-10 lakh tonne.

A 323% jump in onion prices had pushed September inflation to a seven-month high, raising chances of another bank rate hike later this month. All bad news for consumers just before the Dussehra-Eid-Diwali festival season.