End of the road: ‘Little Master’ Tendulkar says goodbye

Legendary India batsman retires after illustrious 24-year international career. ILLUSTRATION: JAMAL KHURSHID

MUMBAI: 

Indian cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar wept as he left the pitch for the final time on Saturday after his 200th Test match, ending a dazzling career spanning nearly a quarter of a century.

The master batsman, who has god-like popularity across India, waved to thousands of cheering, emotional fans and wiped tears from his eyes as he left the field through a guard of honour formed by his teammates at Mumbai’s Wankhede stadium.

At the age of 40, Tendulkar is retiring from the game as the world’s leading scorer in both Test and one-day cricket and the only man to score 100 international centuries.

In a lengthy and poignant speech on the field after the match against the West Indies in his hometown – which India won by an innings and 126 runs to take the series 2-0 –  Tendulkar thanked everyone who had supported him, from family members and friends, coaches and managers through to teammates and ardent fans.

He began by paying tribute to his father who passed away in 1999, saying that “without his guidance I don’t think I would be standing in front of you”.

The cricketer thanked his mother and other relatives individually, prompting tears from his wife Anjali as he praised her and his ‘two precious diamonds’ – their son Arjun, 14, and daughter Sara, 16 – who stood close by as he spoke.

Calling his marriage to Anjali “the best partnership I’ve had in my life”, he promised his children “the next 16 years and beyond, everything is for you.

“I know there are so many guys who’ve fasted for me, prayed for me, done all sorts of things for me. Without all that life wouldn’t have been like this for me,” he told the teary-eyed crowds in comments broadcast on Indian television.

“I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart and say that time has gone by rather quickly, but the memories that you’ve left with me will always be with me forever and ever.”

He said the chanting of “Sachin! Sachin!” would “reverberate in my ears until I stop breathing”, prompting deafening shouts of his name from spectators.

Tendulkar was then hoisted on to his teammates’ shoulders for a victory lap around the field, waving a giant Indian flag.

Soon after the match he was chosen for India’s highest civilian award, the Bharat Ratna, in an announcement from the president’s office, making him the first sportsperson to receive the honour.

To the disappointment of his followers, the ‘Little Master’ only batted for one innings during his last match, failing to clinch a fairytale final century when he was out for 74 on Friday.

His dismissal was met with a stunned silence followed by a standing ovation from the crowd, who had greeted his every run with thundering cheers.

Spectators nevertheless praised his last performance, which included 12 well-timed boundaries to remind them of the best that Tendulkar has produced since his international debut in 1989 at the age of 16.

During his glittering career, Tendulkar gained a reputation for humility and integrity in a country where public figures are often tarred by corruption.

He told his Indian teammates that he believed they would “continue to serve the nation in the right spirit, with the right values.

“Each generation gets the opportunity to merely take care of this sport and serve it to the best of our ability,” he added. 

China ships spotted close to Japan-controlled islands

File photo of China Marine Surveillance ship. PHOTO: AFP

TOKYO: Four Chinese coastguard ships sailed into disputed waters off Tokyo-controlled islands in the East China Sea Saturday, officials said, as Japan continued a massive drill aimed at bolstering defence of its remote islands.

The vessels entered 12-nautical-mile territorial waters at about 9:25 am local time off one of the Senkaku islands, which China also claims and calls the Diaoyus, the Japan Coast Guard said.

Nine days ago, four Chinese coastguard ships were also spotted sailing through the waters, according to the Japanese coastguard.

China’s state-owned ships and aircraft have approached the Senkakus on and off to demonstrate its territorial claims, especially after Japan nationalised some of the islands in September last year.

They have been chased by Japanese coastguard ships with the two sides trading warnings and claims of sovereignty.

Usually they stay for a few hours and then move out into waters that, under international definitions, lie outside the territorial zone.

Japan’s defence forces launched an 18-day drill on November 1 with 34,000 military personnel, six vessels and 360 aircraft, making China nervous.

They stationed missiles, albeit not operable, on islands marking the gateway to the Pacific in the exercise.

The exercise comes amid growing nervousness in Japan and other parts of Asia over China’s surging military might, which has seen it expand its naval reach into the Pacific Ocean.

Kerry, Clinton urge support for Afghan women

Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton (C), Secretary Of State John Kerry (R) and former first lady Laura Bush (L) stand together during an event to honor the women of Afghanistan, at Georgetown University, November 15, 2013 in Washington, DC. PHOTO: AFP

WASHINGTON: US Secretary of State John Kerry Friday joined forces with his predecessor Hillary Clinton to urge that hard-won gains for Afghan women since the fall of the Taliban be protected.

They were joined by former first lady Laura Bush, in a powerful plea to ensure that the rights of women in Afghanistan are not eroded as US and international forces prepare to leave the country next year.

“We all know that creating opportunities for women is not just the right thing to do. It’s also a strategic necessity,” Kerry told a symposium at Georgetown University.

“There’s no question in my mind that investing in Afghan women is the surest way to guarantee that Afghanistan will sustain the gains of the last decade and never again become a safe haven for international terrorists.”

Citing examples of Afghan women entrepreneurs, police officers, teachers and students, he said the women of Afghanistan never wanted to go back to the dark days of rule by Taliban militants when they were barred from going to school and from having jobs.

“Societies where women are safe, where women are empowered to exercise their rights and to move their communities forward – these societies are more prosperous and more stable – not occasionally, but always,” Kerry said.

And he insisted that it was not just up to the women – their menfolk also had to stand up for their rights.

“It will take the courage of every man who defends his daughter’s right to an equal education; it will take the courage of every brother who challenges a law that keeps his sister from owning property or opening a business; and every husband who not only promises that the cycle of domestic violence can stop with him, but who actually proves it,” Kerry said.

Clinton, who has long advocated for the rights and empowerment of all women, said that with 2014 looming Afghanistan stood at “a serious turning point.”

She called on Georgetown students to discuss what they could do to support the young people of Afghanistan through virtual contacts and exchange programs.

“I’m so worried that once our troops leave no-one will pay attention again to Afghanistan,” Bush told the audience.

“I want the people of Afghanistan to know that the people of the United States are with them and do support them.”

In an op-ed in the Washington Post Friday, Bush warned that although 2.4 million girls were enrolled in schools by 2011 compared to 5,000 under the Taliban, the group’s legacy has lingered.

“These gains are fragile, and there is a real danger that they will be reversed,” Bush wrote.

“I worry that the message we are sending to Afghan men, women and children is that their lives are not worth our time or attention. That message must change. We cannot abandon them.”

China says not looking at broad one-child policy relaxation

Govt had announced that it would allow millions of families to have 2 children. PHOTO: FILE

BEIJING: China is not considering a broad relaxation of its strict one-child policy despite an easing of existing rules since it would be too disruptive, the health ministry said on Saturday.

The government announced on Friday that it would allow millions of families to have two children in the country’s most significant liberalization of its strict one-child policy in about three decades. China, the world’s most populous nation, has nearly 1.4 billion people.

Couples in which one parent is an only child will now be able to have a second child, one of the highlights of a sweeping package of reforms announced after the ruling Communist Party held a key meeting that mapped out policy for the next decade.

The plan to ease the policy was envisioned by the government about five years ago as officials worried that the strict controls were undermining economic growth and contributing to a rapidly ageing population the country had no hope of supporting financially.

In a statement carried on the ministry’s website, deputy director Wang Peian said if everyone were suddenly allowed to have two children it would cause too many problems.

“Adjusting and perfecting family planning policy is not the same as abandoning it,” he said.

“There has been no fundamental change to the fact that we are a very populous country, and the pressures on the economy, society, resources and the environment will be around for a long time,” Wang added.

“The basic policy of family planning will need to be upheld over the long term and we cannot rest up on this.”

Wang did not give a timeframe for when the new relaxed policy would begin, only that it would not take long and it would be up to each province to decide.

In areas where people were more likely to be able to take advantage of the relaxation, the government would encourage couples not to quickly have a second child, he said, to “prevent a rush of births”.

A growing number of scholars has long urged the government to reform the policy, introduced in the late 1970s to prevent population growth spiralling out of control, but now regarded by many experts as outdated and harmful to the economy.

Although it is known internationally as the one-child policy, China’s rules governing family planning are more complicated. Under current rules, urban couples are permitted a second child if both parents do not have siblings and rural couples are allowed to have two children if their first-born is a girl.

There are numerous other exceptions as well, including looser rules for ethnic minorities.

But any couple violating the policy has to pay a large fine.

Wang said the system of punishments would also remain.

Many analysts say the one-child policy has shrunk China’s labour pool, hurting economic growth. For the first time in decades the working age population fell in 2012, and China could be the first country in the world to get old before it gets rich.

Naval prowess: India gets 'new' aircraft-carrier from Russia

Admiral Gorshkov, a Soviet-era aircraft carrier that was bought by India, is anchored at the Sevmash factory in the northern city of Severodvinsk July 2, 2009. PHOTO: REUTERS

MOSCOW/NEW DELHI: Russia handed over a $2.3 billion aircraft carrier to India on Saturday after years of delays, extending the South Asian country’s maritime reach in the Indian Ocean as it looks to counter China’s assertive presence in the region.

The handover, at a shipyard near the Arctic Circle, underlined close defence ties between Russia, the world’s No. 2 arms exporter, and the world’s largest arms customer, India.

But while India remains Russia’s biggest buyer, it has started to look to new military suppliers and aims to build more hardware itself. It has recently rolled out new military purchase rules to lure local private companies into the sector.

The retooled Soviet-era ship was commissioned into the Indian Navy at the Sevmash shipyard in Severodvinsk, on the White Sea, in a ceremony attended by Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin, and Indian Defence Minister AK Antony.

The ship, built in the final years of the Soviet Union and named the Admiral Gorshkov, will now be escorted by warships to India in a two-month voyage from Russia’s northern coast.

It has been renamed INS Vikramaditya.

A recent upgrade means that the carrier, originally designed to carry Yak-38 vertical take-off aircraft, has been requipped to carry Mig-29K fighter jets. It can carry up to 30 aircraft and will have a crew of around 2,000.

India signed a deal to buy the carrier in 2004 after a decade of negotiations. Its reconditioning was to be finished in 2009, but the price was increased and delivery postponed until 2012 under a new agreement, according to the Indian navy.

The handover was later delayed by another year.

India’s first, British-built, aircraft carrier was bought in the 1960s and was decommissioned in 1997. Another ex-British carrier, the INS Viraat, is in operation but is reaching the end of its service.

India is on a push to modernise its mostly Soviet-era military, and plans to spend $100 billion in the next 10 years doing that. It buys about 60 per cent of its arms needs from Russia, but has started a diversification drive recently.

China last year put its first-ever aircraft carrier, another retooled Soviet-made craft called the Liaoning, into service amid tensions with Japan over contested islands and a show of strength in the South China sea.

India launched its first domestically-built aircraft carrier this year, but it will not be fully operational until 2017.

Jay Z will stick with Barneys despite claims of racial profiling

Jay Z has taken matters into his own hands and aims to resolve the issue. PHOTO: FILE

LOS ANGELES: 

Rapper Jay Z made a statement on Friday that he will go ahead with his clothing collaboration with upscale retail chain Barneys New York Inc, but will also join a council fighting racial profiling. The statement was made following reports that authorities will investigate Barneys and other major retailers accused of discrimination against black shoppers.

Jay Z, 43, one of the most powerful rapper/entrepreneurs in the global entertainment industry, collaborated with Barneys on the BNY SCC clothing line. Initially, 25% of the proceeds from the clothing line were to go to Jay Z’s Shawn Carter foundation, but now it has been determined that 100% of the profits will be donated.

Jay Z came under fire for his partnership with the retail chain when two black shoppers alleged they were detained by New York police and accused of fraud, after buying luxury items in Barneys.

Jay Z released a statement on his Life + Times website saying his team was being kept updated on the investigations of the two detained shoppers, and that he would sit on a council “specially convened to deal with the issue of racial profiling.”

“I am in a unique position to use my voice to affect change to this disturbing issue. The easy position would have been to walk away and leave policy making to others hoping that someone addresses the problem. I will not leave the outcome to others,” he said.

“I will take this into my own hands with full power to recommend, review and revise policies and guidelines moving forward. I am choosing to take this head on,” the rapper added.

Barneys is being investigated alongside Macy’s Inc in what has become known as “shop-and-frisk,” as multiple reports have emerged of black shoppers allegedly being detained due to racial profiling. 

Downsizing: TEPCO seeks funds for nuclear plant

Tepco wants to secure 500 billion yen in funding from banks by the end of the year and hopes staff cuts would encourage banks to agree to the funding. PHOTO: AFP /FILE

JAPAN: 

Japan’s Tokyo Electric Power Company (Tepco) plans to drop more than 1,000 jobs via voluntary retirements by the second half of 2014 as it seeks to win more financial aid to clean up its crippled Fukushima nuclear plant.

Tepco is working on a reorganisation plan to fend off more drastic proposals, including a possible bankruptcy in return for a publicly funded clean-up and shut down of its Fukushima reactors.

The government has agreed to assist Tepco with crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant especially with the 1,000 tanks of radiated water. Tepco wants to secure 500 billion yen in funding from banks by the end of the year and hopes staff cuts would encourage banks to agree to the funding.

Tepco has floundered in trying to bring the plant under control in the two and a half years since the tsunami disaster and is now moving towards restoring the nuclear power plant.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 17^th, 2013.