Healthyway chief gets bail in 3 cases

Chandigarh, November 1
A local court granted bail to the director of Healthyway Immigration Consultants, Amit Kakkar, in three cases here today. Despite getting the bail in these cases, Kakkar will remain in the Burail Jail as seven more cases are pending against him.

On August 16, Kakkar had surrendered in a court in a case of cheating registered against him in which a large number of clients had been duped of huge sums of money on the pretext of sending them abroad.

The Sector 42 firm is accused of duping scores of youths on the basis of false promises of an easy migration overseas. The cases were registered against the company after the British Embassy provided the police with input of a massive fraud.

Kakkar had 28 franchises in Punjab, eight in Haryana, two in Himachal Pradesh and one in Jaipur. The UT police had informed the police of these states after the registration of 10 cases against Kakkar.

DSP Anil Joshi said they had prepared charge-sheets in five cases against Amit Kakkar. Out of these, three had already been submitted in court.

He added that two charge-sheets were under legal scrutiny and in the coming days they would submit these before the court as well.

Kabaddi World Cup takes off amidst glitz, glamour

Bathinda, November 1
The second edition of the Kabaddi World Cup took off amidst a glittering ceremony at the Bathinda multipurpose stadium this evening. Kabaddi fans began taking seats at the stadium as early as 3 pm. Ministers and MLAs known for arriving late were also well in time.

A rough estimate put the turnout at above 20,000. The stadium has a capacity for 10,000. Adrenaline ran high as Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan arrived at the venue at about 7.45 pm. A huge crowd of kabaddi fans reached out for him.

The stadium broke into a thunderous applause.

Before SRK’s arrival, all the 14 teams participating in the cup held a parade with Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal taking the salute. He was flanked by Deputy CM Sukhbir Badal, MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal, Chief Minister of a Provincial Council of Sri Lanka Mahiepala Herath and ministers.The police had to resort to mild force near gate numbers 4, 7 and 8 meant for the general public. The event began with a light and sound show and breath-taking fireworks.

WWE wrestler Khali’s entry in an open jeep along with bhangra, gidda, jhoomar and luddi performers drew a deafening applause. Khali met the team captains and led them towards the stage as Sukhbir appeared on stage through a hydraulic system. The Deputy Chief Minister presented shawls and phulkaris to the captains.

The event was declared open with athletes handing over the baton to the Chief Minister and Bollywood icon SRK.

Giant audio-visual screens provided an overview to the spectators who just could not have enough. Speaking on occasion, the Chief Minister said the SAD BJP government had allocated a major part of its budget to sports.

OPPN UNIMPRESSED

It would have been better if the money (spent on the Kabaddi World Cup) was given to hospitals where the poor are treated
— Amarinder Singh, PCC chief
Instead of spending a hefty Rs 4.50 crore on inviting filmstar Shah Rukh Khan, the government should have first paid cash awards to those players who have excelled in the international arena

— Raninder Singh, Congress leader

On the sidelines...

• Politicians were seen playing musical chairs. A Member of Parliament (MP) was on his seat since 4 pm. Unaware of his VIP status, a spectator asked him to get aside. Irritated at this unexpected ‘order’, the politician tried to leave but was pacified by president of the Punjab Kabaddi Association Sikandar Singh Maluka and the MP resumed his seat.
• The stadium was filled to capacity even before 5.30 pm. The police dealt with the crowds at the entrance gates with an iron hand. Even VIPs were seen in heated arguments with policemen.
• The police had to use mild force at three entrance gates.

KHALI UNHAPPY

BATHINDA: WWE wrestler Khali who was invited at the opening ceremony of the Kabaddi World Cup expressed displeasure over the arrangements. During a late night press conference, his spokesperson Amit Swami alleged that they were told that Khali would get a seat on the dais. The spokesperson said Khali was not happy with the way he was treated during the ceremony.
Talking to TNS later, Khali denied that he felt insulted. He said the event was great but the arrangements were poor. — TNS

SRK APPROACHED US, CLAIMS GABRIA

LUDHIANA: Jail Minister Hira Singh Gabria claimed that his government had not invited SRK to the opening of the Kabaddi World Cup.
“We did not invite any Bollywood star. Witnessing the popularity of last year’s Kabaddi Cup, SRK approached us ,” the minister said. Asked if Bollywood stars Akshay Kumar and Katrina Kaif would perform at the closing ceremony, Gabria said: “We have received offers from various filmstars but we have yet to take a decision on the names “. — Mohit Khanna

Formula 1: Indian Grand Prix

Vettel had claimed at Buddh International Cricuit (BIC), here on Saturday. Vettel had won the Drivers' Championship during the the 15th race of the season at the Suzuka Circuit in Japan and his team Red Bull won the Constructors' Championship in the next race in Korea. The Indian GP is the 17th with two more races remaining in this season.

Top 10 after Indian GP

1 Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull)   25 points (Winner)
2 Jenson Button (McLaren)    18
3 Fernando Alonso (Ferrari)   15
4 Mark Webber (Red Bull)   12
5 Michael Schumacher (Mercedes)  10
6 Nico Rosberg (Mercedes)   8
7 Lewis Hamilton (McLaren)   6
8 Jaime Alguersuari (Ferrari)  4
9 Adrian Sutil (Force India)  2
10 Sergio Perez (Sauber)   1

Race Day highlights from the Indian Grand Prix:

16:40: Sebastian Vettel kisses the winners trophy. The three winners - Vettel, Button, and Alonso soak themselves in champagne. 

16:37: Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel wins Indian Grand Prix, Jenson Button second, Fernando Alonso. Narain Karthikeyan finishes 17th. India's star cricketer waves the chequered flag.

16:30: Narain Karthikeyan pushed down to 17th pos by Virgin's Jerome d Ambrosio.

16:25: Webber closes to within 2 seconds of Alonso. Rosberg also closes up on Schumacher quickly, the gap 1.3s now

16:20: 50 laps over. All drivers in pits. Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel continues to lead the pack with McLaren's on his tail and Ferrari's Spanish driver Fernando Alonso third. 

16:20: Vettel maintains a comfortable lead of five seconds after 47 laps. Though he seems to have troube with the cold tyres on turn three and that has allowed Button to gain time on the straight.

16:15: Four drivers have retired at the BIC track of the Indian GP - Ferrari's Massa, who was the fastest in the second practice, Buemio of Toro Rosso, Maldonado of Williams, Glock of Virgin, Kobayashi of Sauber. Meanwhile Red Bull's Vettel continues to lead. 

16:10: Since Sebastien Buemi of Toro Rosso has pit, Daniel Ricciardo of HRT moves up the grid and is now 18th. Meanwhile, his team-mate Narain Karthikeyan of India has moved up to 16th.

16:05: Vettel's Red Bull team-mate Mark Webber has a go after Ferrari's Fernando Alonso. Drivers pit after lap 39.

Yellow flag - Ferrari's Felipe Massa seems to have a problem with his front left suspension. He has to park the car and is out of the race. Replays show that it was the kerb (curve) on the inside of turn nine that broke it. 

16:00: All drivers pit after 32 laps. Vettel stretches his lead over Button to 4.5s. Alonso with the fastest lap, while Massa pits for hard tyres and a new front wing. His front wing seems vibrating heavily again. 

15:50:  Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel still ahead after 26 laps and going strong. India's Narain Karthikeyan continues to hold the 18th place. A good performace by him considering that he is way ahead of the Virgin driver and Lotus' Jarno Trulli. Massa slapped with penalty for earlier obstructing Hamilton.

15:45: Rowan (Mr Bean) Atkinson spotted in McLaren's paddock. Mass and Hamilton crash, but recover. Soon Toro Rosso's Sebastien Buemi's car catches fire.

15:40: Drivers pit including Sebastian Vettel. But he continues to hold the lead Jenson Button close behind him on second and Vettel's team-mate mark Webber is third after 19 laps. India's Narain Karthikeyan is 18th.  

15:35: Ferrari's Massa pits but Red Bull's Vettel stretches his lead to 5 sceonds after 18 laps. The Ferrari driver rejoins just behind his team-mate Alonso, who then passes Schumacher using DRS (drag reduction system).

15:30: Pastor Maldonado of Williams using KERS to attack Senna for 12th, while Toro Rosso's Jamie Alguersuari is tailing Sutil for the battle for ninth place. Pastotr Maldonado of Williams has pulled off the track.

15:25: 11 laps over, all driver in pits. Vettel still in clear lead.

15:20: Apart from Timo Glock, Team Sauber's Kaumi Kobayashi has retired. Vettel continues to lead after nine laps.

15:15: Sahara Force India's Adrian Sutil 9th at the moment, while India's HRT driver Narain Karthikeyan 16th after fifth lap.

15:10: DRS (Drag Reduction System) enabled. It means drivers will be allowed to overtake during this lap. Vettel sets a new fastest lap but Vitaly Petrov of Renault pits as Timo Glock of Virgin retires.

15:05: William's driver Rubesn Barrichello loses his front wheel in the second lap, pits.

15:00: Driver off the grid. Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel off to a quick start...down the first lap.

A minute silence for Dan Wheldon and Marco Simoncelli, who both lost their lives on track. While Dan died during an Indycar race accident, Simoncelli during a bike championship. Sachin Tendulkar, Jean Todt and Bernie Ecclestone are also at the front of the grid with the drivers and team principals.

The drivers are all set with their helmets on and yes black armbands on both McLaren drivers, stickers on a number of helmets and even a Simoncelli-esque helmet from Jarno Trulli.

Sebastian Vettel falls in love with 'Incredible India'

Formula One World ChampionSebastian Vettel says his win in the inaugural Indian Grand Prixwas the one of the best in his career and he will take back a lot from the country which has inspired him immensely.

Vettel secured his second world title in Japan three weeks ago and on Sunday won his 11th race of the season.

The German, who has not put a foot wrong this season, is floored by everything concerned with India.

He rates the Buddh International Circuit as one of the best on the F1 calendar, loves the people who according to him are poor but happy and can't wait to come back next year.

"Coming to India has been an inspiration. A great learning experience," said a humble Vettel.

"I haven't spent a lot of time here but it was very inspiring when I had a bit of time to spend in the country. I went to see the Taj Mahal which is obviously a touristy thing to do but driving there by car, and not falling asleep because the roads were pretty… it was a good adventure, let's say," he said.

"All in all, it was great to be here, a great circuit, which obviously - speaking about our job, about racing, that's what we judge most, the circuit is fantastic to drive. I was surprised that the race went by pretty quickly. I was always trying to keep the gap to him (Button), trying to push but my engineer came on the radio and said 'twelve laps to go' and I was surprised because I thought, bloody hell, that went by quickly. It is a good sign, because you enjoy the circuit and it is a good sign for the future."

"It is great what people did here in a short amount of time. We heard about it (circuit) a couple of years ago but to put up this arena is incredible. Its not 100 per cent finished but I am sure they will fix it next year. I am very proud to be the first winner here in India. It is a very impressive country."

Vettel says it was the first time he saw people happy despite being poor, something he hasn't seen in Europe.

"I think some things are very difficult to imagine for us. If you look where we come from, I think it's hard to imagine things if you haven't seen them.

"The really surprising bit for us… where sometimes you measure happiness in our lives, in our world, with what you have achieved, what you have etc. For the people here, it doesn't really matter, they are happy with what they have, even if you compare they have so little, but they are happy and friendly, helpful, respectful.

"The people have so little here I think in a way they are much richer than a lot of people back in Europe so there is a lot we can learn. They enjoy life and in the end that's what count.

"If your life comes to an end, it is more about the thoughts, the emotions, the friendship that you take with you rather than what you have in your bank account," said an emotional Vettel.

When asked to describe the country, Vettel promptly replied: "Incredible India", sparking a loud round of applause from the local media.

It was fantastic to win in India: Vettel

Moments after winning the inaugural Indian Grand Prix, double world champion driver Sebastian Vettel described his performance as "fantastic" and said he is very happy to win the first ever Formula One race hosted by this country.

"Today is a fantastic performance. It is great to be winning the first ever Grand Prix of India. To put this arena so well is fantastic. Whole in one it is fantastic. I want to thank everyone for our win," said Vettel who registered his 11th triumph of the season today.

Vettel paid tribute to MotoGP rider Marco Simoncelli and IndyCar racer Dan Wheldon, who succumbed to fatal crashes recently while racing in different circuits.

"We pray that every time nothing happens as Marco Simoncelli and Dan Wheldon disappeared last week-end and we will never forget these young commited two drivers," he said.

The Red Bull driver said his team is still hungry to win and he is looking forward to races at Abu Dhabi and Brazil.

"The car is fantastic. The team is enjoying the performance. When I walk in the garage, I see that the guys are working very hard. We are still hungry. It is a fantastic achievement. I am looking at the two next races," said Vettel, who will next bid to equal Michael Schumacher's 13 F1 win record in a season.

The 24-year-old said the circuit was challenging and a good start was very important.

"It is very challenging. It is very easy to go over the limit and to end up in the dust. Then you have to fight your way back. It is not so easy with traffic," he said.

"The start was important. I was focusing a lot on turn 3.

It was crucial to have a clean exit. I was able to pull away in the first laps. Jenson pitted. We had to react. The second sting was more tricky to manage.

"The tires were a bit of an issue. But I found the rhythm again. After Jenson pitted, we reacted the lap after. Then I was able to push. We wanted to have Jenson in the mirrors and that is where we kept him," he added.

Vettel said a new track poses many questions but now that they have the experience of racing here, they would have more data for next year.

"It is always clear than when there is a new track there are many questions to answer. Like tire choice. We knew about the soft tires. We were not sure if we had to pit twice or three times. These days we get an idea about the track. It is different when it is new," he said.

"We have more data for next year and we can understand more for the car and for the setup. It is more difficult for strategy, set-up when the track is new. As of now, our life will be a lot easier."

McLaren Mercedes driver Jenson Button, who finished second at the podium, said it was a fantastic race and dedicated it to Marco and Dan.

"I am fantastically happy. I got a good start and then I was trying to match Sebastian's pace. Yesterday I had a disaster in qualifying but it was a good race," he said.

"It was a tough week-end last week with two fatalities. I knew Dan very well. It is a very sad race. I think we should dedicate this race to Marco and Dan."

The 31-year-old British said he lacked pace to catch up with Vettel but overall it was a good race.

"I had Mark behind me. I was able to pull away. It was a fun race. We did a good job. The pace is not quite there. But we will make up," he said.

"The race was very different. I had a good start and then it was about judging where to put the car on turn 3. You have to be very careful where to put the car on turn 3. Mark pushed me very hard. We had a go on turn 4. In the end it was tricky.

"The guys on the team did a tremendous pit-stop. The pace was good. But when Sebastian was in the rhythm, we could not touche him. We did not have the pace.

"I hope that Sebastian is not untouchable. He is difficult to challenge. We tried everything today. But Sebastian and Red Bull were untouchable. We hope we can challenge him," he added.

Button also congratulated his team and said they will push hard for a strong finish in the next two races.

"I want to congratulate the team for winning the second place for constructor. This means we are strong for the next two races. I am very excited with the challenge from Abu Dhabi and Brazil," he said.

Ferrari driver Fernando Alonso too was pleased to finish third but rued their complicated start at the Budd International circuit today.

"I am very pleased with this podium. It is fantastic to be on the podium on occasion of a first ever Grand Prix. As for us at Ferrari, we did not make the perfect start. We lost a few positions," he said.

"The second pit-stop was a bit complicated as we did two extra laps. The hard tires were not as good as the stops. The team did the right call. We were calm and we tried to take the advantage from the extra two laps.

"In the last stint it was a bit of a question mark. Even if we were third at that point of the race, we were not sure how it would go. If more laps, the podium would have been more difficult," he reckoned.

Talking about the recent deaths of Marco and Dan, the 30-year-old Spanish said, "Mixed Feelings after sad days for motor-sports with two fatalities and we will remember these two fantastic friends."

Alonso also had good things to say about the circuit. "The circuit was fantastic for 60 laps. It is very nice to drive. It was a narrow line from normal line. It will improve. The circuit has a bit of everything: Hairpin, good start," he said.

"Two DRS zone which worked ok with more overtaking possibilities and a good combination of corners in 5th and 6th gear which we love to drive.

"The circuit itself will improve too. There was too much sand the first day. Now the circuit is in a very good conditions. There were a bit of issued on the kerb with my team-mate, there will be a better solution on this subject to avoid any risk or any accident," he added.

Although two more races are still to go, both drivers and constructor champions have been decided and Alonso said his priority would be to focus on 2012.

"Two races left and 13 points away from Jenson. There are 50 points still available in the last two races of the season.

Finishing second is better than fifth. But it is not a big priority for us to get a better position in the championship.

"This season, I will remember my win in Silverstone or a few great podiums. But once the championship is not in our hand, what can we do? The team worked well on my car. My priority will be 2012," he signed off.