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El Clasico: Moment of the year for La Liga

With superstars Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, the match can boast the best two players in the world.

IANS | Madrid |

The global might of Spanish football’s showpiece event, the derby between giants Real Madrid and FC Barcelona called the El Clasico, will be on full view on Saturday.
The two clubs have millions of fanatical fans all around the world: their club shops and stadiums are visited by hundreds of thousands of tourists, and although other Spanish teams also count on international fans, there can be little doubt that Barca and Madrid fly the flag for the La Liga, reports Xinhua.
Saturday sees the first Clasico of the season and the game will be watched by not only around 99,000 fans in Barcelona’s Camp Nou Stadium, but also by a worldwide TV audience of over 500 million people, making it La Liga’s showcase event.
“The Clasico isn’t just a Spanish phenomenon, neither is the La Liga,” La Liga President Javier Tebas said on Thursday.
Since taking over as the La Liga president in 2013, Tebas has worked hard to put Spanish football on a stable financial footing to both increase the credibility of the competition, and to raise its competitiveness.
With superstars Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, the match can boast the best two players in the world. In addition, heavyweights Neymar, Luis Suarez and Luka Modric will all be on hand to make it the most attractive club game on the planet.
“The Clasico is the sporting event between clubs which moves the most people in the world… it attracts more people than the Superbowl,” said Tebas, who added that the game “has to be a standard in our strategy” for exporting La Liga to fans worldwide.
“I think La Liga is a global phenomenon and as such we have to live the Clasico as a global phenomenon. In China, in the USA, in South Africa and India, we have to make the Clasico a global event,” he explained.
Worldwide TV deals, including one with Chinese network PPTV, means the game can be watched in homes and bars all over the planet (with the exception of the UK, where live games are not allowed to be shown between 2.45-5 local time in order to protect attendance at UK domestic games).
However, Tebas explained that La Liga ambassadors (former players charged with taking the image of the Spanish game all around the world) will be appearing at special events in South Africa, India and China with former Madrid striker Fernando Morientes appearing in Beijing, and former Valencia and Barcelona midfielder Gaizka Mendieta appearing in Shanghai. Luis Garcia will be present in New Delhi at a public screening of the match.
So this year’s Clasico will not just be watched on TV screens, for many fans it will be an all-round experience of Spanish football’s best, one that can only raise awareness and support for La Liga.

Mithali shines as Indian women beat Sri Lanka by 52 runs

Mithali gave India a solid platform with a quickfire 59-ball 62 that included six hits to the fence.

PTI | Bangkok |

Indian opener Mithali Raj hit a half-century while Ekta Bisht (3/8) and Preeti Bose (3/14) shared six wickets between them to propel India to a comfortable 52-run win over Sri Lanka in the Women's Asia Cup T20 tournament on Thursday.
Opting to bat, India posted a modest total of 121 for four in their allotted 20 overs and then managed to restrict Sri Lanka to 69 for nine to maintain their unbeaten run in the tournament so far.
Mithali gave India a solid platform with a quickfire 59-ball 62 that included six hits to the fence.
Smriti Mandhana (21) and Veda Krishnamurthy (21) also chipped in with useful runs, although they failed to accelerate the run-rate.
Chasing a modest target, Sri Lanka never looked like in the race as they kept losing wickets at regular intervals with Preeti and Ekta wreaking havoc, running through the islanders' middle order.
Only two Sri Lankan batswomen could reach the double digit mark, with Dilani Manodara top-scoring with 20.

Mithali shines as Indian women beat Sri Lanka by 52 runs

Mithali gave India a solid platform with a quickfire 59-ball 62 that included six hits to the fence.

PTI | Bangkok |

Indian opener Mithali Raj hit a half-century while Ekta Bisht (3/8) and Preeti Bose (3/14) shared six wickets between them to propel India to a comfortable 52-run win over Sri Lanka in the Women's Asia Cup T20 tournament on Thursday.
Opting to bat, India posted a modest total of 121 for four in their allotted 20 overs and then managed to restrict Sri Lanka to 69 for nine to maintain their unbeaten run in the tournament so far.
Mithali gave India a solid platform with a quickfire 59-ball 62 that included six hits to the fence.
Smriti Mandhana (21) and Veda Krishnamurthy (21) also chipped in with useful runs, although they failed to accelerate the run-rate.
Chasing a modest target, Sri Lanka never looked like in the race as they kept losing wickets at regular intervals with Preeti and Ekta wreaking havoc, running through the islanders' middle order.
Only two Sri Lankan batswomen could reach the double digit mark, with Dilani Manodara top-scoring with 20.

Britain disappointed at UN panel decision on Assange

AFP | London |

The British government voiced disappointment on Thursday after a UN panel rejected its request to review a ruling that WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is being arbitrarily detained.
“Julian Assange is not, and has never been, arbitrarily detained in the UK,” junior foreign minister Alan Duncan said in a statement.
“We completely reject the opinion of the UN Working Group and are very disappointed that they will not review their deeply flawed and incorrect position,” he said, adding that Assange’s presence at the Ecuadoran embassy was “entirely self-inflicted”.
Having initially issued its opinion in favour of Assange in February, the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention said it was not changing course as the British request “did not meet the threshold of a review… and (was) thus not admissible”.
Assange, 45, has been at the Ecuadoran embassy in London since 2012, having taken refuge to avoid being sent to Sweden where he faces a rape allegation that he denies.
He fears Sweden would extradite him to the United States to answer for the leaking of diplomatic cables and other classified documents by his whistleblowing website. The disclosures caused huge embarrassment in Washington.
The UN panel, which is attached to the Human Rights Council, met between November 21-25 but only published its findings on Wednesday.
The fate of the former computer hacker, who turned WikiLeaks into a vehicle for releasing classified documents on the US-led wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, remains unclear.
He was grilled over the longstanding rape allegation by an Ecuadoran prosecutor at the embassy for two days earlier this month. The questions were provided by Swedish officials but the answers were confidential.
Swedish prosecutors dropped a sexual assault probe into Assange last year after the five-year statute of limitations expired. But they still want to question him about the 2010 rape allegation, which carries a 10-year statute of limitations.
Assange insists the sexual encounters in question were consensual.

Britain disappointed at UN panel decision on Assange

AFP | London |

The British government voiced disappointment on Thursday after a UN panel rejected its request to review a ruling that WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is being arbitrarily detained.
“Julian Assange is not, and has never been, arbitrarily detained in the UK,” junior foreign minister Alan Duncan said in a statement.
“We completely reject the opinion of the UN Working Group and are very disappointed that they will not review their deeply flawed and incorrect position,” he said, adding that Assange’s presence at the Ecuadoran embassy was “entirely self-inflicted”.
Having initially issued its opinion in favour of Assange in February, the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention said it was not changing course as the British request “did not meet the threshold of a review… and (was) thus not admissible”.
Assange, 45, has been at the Ecuadoran embassy in London since 2012, having taken refuge to avoid being sent to Sweden where he faces a rape allegation that he denies.
He fears Sweden would extradite him to the United States to answer for the leaking of diplomatic cables and other classified documents by his whistleblowing website. The disclosures caused huge embarrassment in Washington.
The UN panel, which is attached to the Human Rights Council, met between November 21-25 but only published its findings on Wednesday.
The fate of the former computer hacker, who turned WikiLeaks into a vehicle for releasing classified documents on the US-led wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, remains unclear.
He was grilled over the longstanding rape allegation by an Ecuadoran prosecutor at the embassy for two days earlier this month. The questions were provided by Swedish officials but the answers were confidential.
Swedish prosecutors dropped a sexual assault probe into Assange last year after the five-year statute of limitations expired. But they still want to question him about the 2010 rape allegation, which carries a 10-year statute of limitations.
Assange insists the sexual encounters in question were consensual.

Mamata flight issue: TMC writes to Centre, demands probe

PTI | Kolkata |

Trinamool Congress on Thursday wrote to Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapati Raju, demanding a through inquiry by his ministry to unearth the truth behind Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s flight being made to hover over the Kolkata airport despite the plane reportedly running low on fuel.
“We have written a letter to Raju, demanding a high-level probe into the incident by the Civil Aviation Ministry to unfold the truth and reasons for the dilly-dallying attitude of the Air Traffic Controller, NSCBI airport,” TMC vice- president Mukul Roy said.
“We hope the inquiry report will be given to us within a fortnight or a month from the date of receipt of the letter,” Roy said.
A political row has erupted over Banerjee’s IndiGo flight from Patna to Kolkata being made to wait despite the plane reportedly low on fuel with TMC members raising the issue in Parliament on Thursday.
The party has demanded that it be ascertained if there was any conspiracy to kill the West Bengal chief minister.
“This is nothing but a conspiracy to kill our chief minister as she has raised voice against demonetisation and is touring the country to organise a mass movement against the anti-people decision. We think a proper inquiry should be held to unearth the truth,” Roy said.

Mamata flight issue: TMC writes to Centre, demands probe

PTI | Kolkata |

Trinamool Congress on Thursday wrote to Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapati Raju, demanding a through inquiry by his ministry to unearth the truth behind Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s flight being made to hover over the Kolkata airport despite the plane reportedly running low on fuel.
“We have written a letter to Raju, demanding a high-level probe into the incident by the Civil Aviation Ministry to unfold the truth and reasons for the dilly-dallying attitude of the Air Traffic Controller, NSCBI airport,” TMC vice- president Mukul Roy said.
“We hope the inquiry report will be given to us within a fortnight or a month from the date of receipt of the letter,” Roy said.
A political row has erupted over Banerjee’s IndiGo flight from Patna to Kolkata being made to wait despite the plane reportedly low on fuel with TMC members raising the issue in Parliament on Thursday.
The party has demanded that it be ascertained if there was any conspiracy to kill the West Bengal chief minister.
“This is nothing but a conspiracy to kill our chief minister as she has raised voice against demonetisation and is touring the country to organise a mass movement against the anti-people decision. We think a proper inquiry should be held to unearth the truth,” Roy said.

PV Sindhu rises to seventh spot in BWF rankings

IANS | New Delhi |

Rio Olympics silver medallist PV Sindhu’s maiden China Open title and her subsequent runners-up finish at the Hong Kong Open, helped her gain two spots to the No.7 spot in the latest Badminton World Federation (BWF) women’s singles rankings.
Sindhu, who skipped the ongoing Macau Open, has now assured herself a spot in the year-ending BWF Superseries Final in Dubai from December 14 to 18. Only the top-8 shuttlers are allowed to take part in the Superseries Final.
London Olympics bronze medallist Saina Nehwal clawed back to the top-10 of women’s singles. The Hyderabadi rose one spot to the No.10 position in the rankings.
The women’s singles rankings saw considerable changes in the top three, with Chinese Taipei’s Tai Tzu Ying clinching the top spot after her Hong Kong Open title.
Rio gold medallist Carolina Marin of Spain lost a spot to the No.2 position while Thailand’s Ratchanok Intanon also fell one rung to No.3.
In men’s singles, Indian shuttler Sameer Verma’s runner-up show at the Hong Kong Open was rewarded with a leap of 13 spots to No.30 while Kidambi Srikanth fell one spot to No.13 in the list led by Malaysian veteran Lee Chong Wei.
Among others, Hong Kong Open winner Ng Ka Long Angus vaulted five places to enter the top-10 and is now at No.9 spot.

PV Sindhu rises to seventh spot in BWF rankings

IANS | New Delhi |

Rio Olympics silver medallist PV Sindhu’s maiden China Open title and her subsequent runners-up finish at the Hong Kong Open, helped her gain two spots to the No.7 spot in the latest Badminton World Federation (BWF) women’s singles rankings.
Sindhu, who skipped the ongoing Macau Open, has now assured herself a spot in the year-ending BWF Superseries Final in Dubai from December 14 to 18. Only the top-8 shuttlers are allowed to take part in the Superseries Final.
London Olympics bronze medallist Saina Nehwal clawed back to the top-10 of women’s singles. The Hyderabadi rose one spot to the No.10 position in the rankings.
The women’s singles rankings saw considerable changes in the top three, with Chinese Taipei’s Tai Tzu Ying clinching the top spot after her Hong Kong Open title.
Rio gold medallist Carolina Marin of Spain lost a spot to the No.2 position while Thailand’s Ratchanok Intanon also fell one rung to No.3.
In men’s singles, Indian shuttler Sameer Verma’s runner-up show at the Hong Kong Open was rewarded with a leap of 13 spots to No.30 while Kidambi Srikanth fell one spot to No.13 in the list led by Malaysian veteran Lee Chong Wei.
Among others, Hong Kong Open winner Ng Ka Long Angus vaulted five places to enter the top-10 and is now at No.9 spot.

PV Sindhu rises to seventh spot in BWF rankings

IANS | New Delhi |

Rio Olympics silver medallist PV Sindhu’s maiden China Open title and her subsequent runners-up finish at the Hong Kong Open, helped her gain two spots to the No.7 spot in the latest Badminton World Federation (BWF) women’s singles rankings.
Sindhu, who skipped the ongoing Macau Open, has now assured herself a spot in the year-ending BWF Superseries Final in Dubai from December 14 to 18. Only the top-8 shuttlers are allowed to take part in the Superseries Final.
London Olympics bronze medallist Saina Nehwal clawed back to the top-10 of women’s singles. The Hyderabadi rose one spot to the No.10 position in the rankings.
The women’s singles rankings saw considerable changes in the top three, with Chinese Taipei’s Tai Tzu Ying clinching the top spot after her Hong Kong Open title.
Rio gold medallist Carolina Marin of Spain lost a spot to the No.2 position while Thailand’s Ratchanok Intanon also fell one rung to No.3.
In men’s singles, Indian shuttler Sameer Verma’s runner-up show at the Hong Kong Open was rewarded with a leap of 13 spots to No.30 while Kidambi Srikanth fell one spot to No.13 in the list led by Malaysian veteran Lee Chong Wei.
Among others, Hong Kong Open winner Ng Ka Long Angus vaulted five places to enter the top-10 and is now at No.9 spot.

PV Sindhu rises to seventh spot in BWF rankings

IANS | New Delhi |

Rio Olympics silver medallist PV Sindhu’s maiden China Open title and her subsequent runners-up finish at the Hong Kong Open, helped her gain two spots to the No.7 spot in the latest Badminton World Federation (BWF) women’s singles rankings.
Sindhu, who skipped the ongoing Macau Open, has now assured herself a spot in the year-ending BWF Superseries Final in Dubai from December 14 to 18. Only the top-8 shuttlers are allowed to take part in the Superseries Final.
London Olympics bronze medallist Saina Nehwal clawed back to the top-10 of women’s singles. The Hyderabadi rose one spot to the No.10 position in the rankings.
The women’s singles rankings saw considerable changes in the top three, with Chinese Taipei’s Tai Tzu Ying clinching the top spot after her Hong Kong Open title.
Rio gold medallist Carolina Marin of Spain lost a spot to the No.2 position while Thailand’s Ratchanok Intanon also fell one rung to No.3.
In men’s singles, Indian shuttler Sameer Verma’s runner-up show at the Hong Kong Open was rewarded with a leap of 13 spots to No.30 while Kidambi Srikanth fell one spot to No.13 in the list led by Malaysian veteran Lee Chong Wei.
Among others, Hong Kong Open winner Ng Ka Long Angus vaulted five places to enter the top-10 and is now at No.9 spot.

Jamie Foxx to produce series about Marvin Gaye

IANS | Los Angeles |

Actor Jamie Foxx is set to produce a series about singer Marvin Gaye.
The 48-year-old and Gaye’s son Marvin Gaye III will jointly produce a project about the life of the Ain’t no mountain high enough hitmaker, who passed away in April 1984, reports hollywoodreporter.com.
“I’ve been a huge fan my whole life. His brilliance in music is unparalleled. Marvin Gaye’s story has always fascinated me,” Foxx said in a statement.
While Marvin Gaye III added: “This project will be a powerful and definitive telling of Marvin Gaye’s life story.”
Motown founder Berry Gordy Jr., who signed Gaye to his label in 1961, also gave his blessing to the series.
“Marvin was the truest artist I have ever known. I am confident that this is the right team to bring his story to the audience in an authentic and compelling way,” Gordy Jr. said.
Suzanne de Passe and Madison Jones will also be executive producing the show and are currently discussing with Sony/ATV what music they can use in the show as the company holds the rights to the late singer’s music.
Jones dubbed the series a “labour of love for three decades”.
A Marvin Gaye biopic has been on the table for a long time but the different projects have suffered set backs time and time again.

Jamie Foxx to produce series about Marvin Gaye

IANS | Los Angeles |

Actor Jamie Foxx is set to produce a series about singer Marvin Gaye.
The 48-year-old and Gaye’s son Marvin Gaye III will jointly produce a project about the life of the Ain’t no mountain high enough hitmaker, who passed away in April 1984, reports hollywoodreporter.com.
“I’ve been a huge fan my whole life. His brilliance in music is unparalleled. Marvin Gaye’s story has always fascinated me,” Foxx said in a statement.
While Marvin Gaye III added: “This project will be a powerful and definitive telling of Marvin Gaye’s life story.”
Motown founder Berry Gordy Jr., who signed Gaye to his label in 1961, also gave his blessing to the series.
“Marvin was the truest artist I have ever known. I am confident that this is the right team to bring his story to the audience in an authentic and compelling way,” Gordy Jr. said.
Suzanne de Passe and Madison Jones will also be executive producing the show and are currently discussing with Sony/ATV what music they can use in the show as the company holds the rights to the late singer’s music.
Jones dubbed the series a “labour of love for three decades”.
A Marvin Gaye biopic has been on the table for a long time but the different projects have suffered set backs time and time again.

Soldiers deployed at 2 toll plazas without telling us: Mamata

IANS | Kolkata |

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday accused the Union government of “deploying the army” along two highway toll plazas while keeping the state government “in the dark”.
Banerjee, also chief of the ruling Trinamool Congress, said the state chief secretary was writing to the central government and she will approach President Pranab Mukherjee to seek clarification over the alleged deployment of the army at the Dankuni and Palsit toll plazas on National Highway 2 (connecting Delhi and Kolkata).
“Army has been deployed in the state without informing the state government. This is unacceptable. We do not know anything about it. It has never happened,” she said.
“We want details. Federal structure has been disrupted and democracy twisted. Has Emergency been declared? We had no information,” she added.

Soldiers deployed at 2 toll plazas without telling us: Mamata

IANS | Kolkata |

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday accused the Union government of “deploying the army” along two highway toll plazas while keeping the state government “in the dark”.
Banerjee, also chief of the ruling Trinamool Congress, said the state chief secretary was writing to the central government and she will approach President Pranab Mukherjee to seek clarification over the alleged deployment of the army at the Dankuni and Palsit toll plazas on National Highway 2 (connecting Delhi and Kolkata).
“Army has been deployed in the state without informing the state government. This is unacceptable. We do not know anything about it. It has never happened,” she said.
“We want details. Federal structure has been disrupted and democracy twisted. Has Emergency been declared? We had no information,” she added.

Soldiers deployed at 2 toll plazas without telling us: Mamata

IANS | Kolkata |

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday accused the Union government of “deploying the army” along two highway toll plazas while keeping the state government “in the dark”.
Banerjee, also chief of the ruling Trinamool Congress, said the state chief secretary was writing to the central government and she will approach President Pranab Mukherjee to seek clarification over the alleged deployment of the army at the Dankuni and Palsit toll plazas on National Highway 2 (connecting Delhi and Kolkata).
“Army has been deployed in the state without informing the state government. This is unacceptable. We do not know anything about it. It has never happened,” she said.
“We want details. Federal structure has been disrupted and democracy twisted. Has Emergency been declared? We had no information,” she added.

Hornbill Festival starts in Nagaland

IANS | Kisama (Nagaland) |

Hornbill Festival, the festival of all festivals in Nagaland, got off to a grand start on Thursday as tourists, including foreigners, descended here.
The 10-day festival, which also coincides with the Statehood Day of Nagaland, is an annual tourism promotional event to showcase Nagaland’s rich cultural heritage in all its ethnicity, diversity and grandeur, Parliamentary Secretary in-charge of Tourism C. Apok Jamir said.
It is the coming together of all the elements that make up the total Nagaland.
The Hornbill Festival is a collaborative celebration of all Naga tribes at one venue.
The festival is a tribute to the great “Hornbill”, which is the most admired and revered bird for the Nagas for its qualities of alertness and grandeur.
The majestic bird is closely identified with the social and cultural life of the Nagas as reflected in tribal folklore, dances and songs, Jamir said.
The awe and admiration for the bird is symbolically displayed on almost all tribal traditional headgears worn during the festivals and is indicative of the unity of the Nagas.
The festival is a cultural extravaganza to revive, protect and preserve the richness and uniqueness of the Naga heritage, while for the visitors to this event it is a means to comprehensively understand the Naga people, their land and culture.
Jamir said over the years the event has become a unique platform for the tourists to witness the cultural diversity not only of the Nagas but also the seven other sister states of the Northeastern region.
It was former Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio’s brainchild to promote tourism by bringing all the Naga tribes on one platform, espousing the spirit of unity in diversity.
Nagaland Governor P.B. Acharya, who inaugurated the festival, thanked the pioneers of the state who had sacrificed for the people of Nagaland during the early years of statehood.
Nagaland attained statehood with the enactment of the State of Nagaland Act in 1962 by Parliament. 
The interim body was dissolved on November 30, 1963 and the state of Nagaland was formally inaugurated on December 1, 1963.
Kohima was declared the state capital.
“Nagaland is a land of festivals and as such we have to promote our rich culture and tradition through festivals to boost tourism in the state,” Acharya said.
He said Nagas treat other people with respect and a sense of forgiveness and asked both the domestic and international tourists to make use of the best facilities and go home with sweet memories.
Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, who was the guest of honour, said the Hornbill Festival would lead to closer understanding within the people of Nagaland where every tribe can showcase its unique culture and tradition.
He also mentioned about the cordial relationship between Assam and Nagaland during the Ahom Kingdom.
Nagaland Chief Minister T.R. Zeliang, who is also the chief host, greeted the people of the state on the occasion of the 53rd Statehood Day.
“Naga people are determined to preserve the rich culture and tradition,” Zeliang said.
“Nagaland being considered as geographically isolated from the mainland would soon be a thing of the past with the coming up of ‘Act East Policy’ and Hornbill Festival being recognised internationally,” the chief minister added.