Typhoon leaves thousands dead in Philippines, heads to Vietnam

Philippines/Hanoi: The horrifying estimates came as rescue workers appeared overwhelmed in their efforts to help countless survivors of super typhoon Haiyan, which sent tsunami-like waves and merciless winds rampaging across a huge chunk of the archipelago on Friday.
Hundred of police and soldiers were deployed to contain looters in Tacloban, the devastated provincial capital of Leyte, while the United States announced it had responded to a Philippine government appeal and would send military help.
"Tacloban is totally destroyed. Some people are losing their minds from hunger or from losing their families," high school teacher Andrew Pomeda, 36, told AFP, as he warned of the increasing desperation of survivors.
"People are becoming violent. They are looting business establishments, the malls, just to find food, rice and milk ... I am afraid that in one week, people will be killing from hunger."
Authorities were struggling to even understand the sheer magnitude of the disaster, let alone react to it, with the regional police chief for Leyte saying 10,000 people were believed to have died in that province alone.
"We had a meeting last night with the governor and, based on the government's estimates, initially there are 10,000 casualties (dead)," Chief Superintendent Elmer Soria told reporters in Tacloban.
"About 70 to 80 percent of the houses and structures along the typhoon's path were destroyed."
On the neighbouring island of Samar, a local disaster chief said 300 people were killed in the small town of Basey.
He added another 2,000 were missing there and elsewhere on Samar, which was one of the first areas to be hit when Haiyan swept in from the Pacific Ocean with maximum sustained winds of 315 kilometres (195 miles) an hour.
Dozens more people were confirmed killed in other flattened towns and cities across a 600-kilometre stretch of islands through the central Philippines.
The Philippines endures a seemingly never-ending pattern of deadly typhoons, earthquakes, volcano eruptions and other natural disasters.
This is because it is located along a typhoon belt and the so-called Ring of Fire, a vast Pacific Ocean region where many of Earth's earthquakes and volcanic eruptions occur.
However, if the feared death toll of above 10,000 is correct, Haiyan would be the deadliest natural disaster ever recorded in the Philippines.
The previous deadliest disaster in the Philippines occurred in 1976, when a tsunami triggered by a magnitude 7.9 earthquake devastated the Moro Gulf on the southern Philippine island of Mindanao, killing between 5,000 and 8,000 people.
Haiyan's maximum sustained wind speeds made it the strongest typhoon in the world this year, and one of the most powerful ever recorded.
Witnesses in Tacloban recalled waves up to five metres (16 feet) high surging inland, while aerial photos showed entire neighbourhoods destroyed with trees and buildings flattened by storm surges that reached deep inland.
"The effects are very similar to what I have seen in a tsunami rather than a typhoon," the Philippine country director of the World Food Programme, Praveen Agrawal, who visited Tacloban, told AFP.
"All the trees are bent over, the bark has been stripped off, the houses have been damaged. In many cases they have collapsed."
President Benigno Aquino said while visiting Tacloban that looting had emerged as a major concern, after only 20 out of 390 of the city's police officers turned up for work following the typhoon.
"So we will send about 300 police and soldiers to take their place and bring back peace and order," he told reporters in Tacloban.
"Tonight, an armoured vehicle will arrive and our armed forces will display the strength of the state to put a stop to this looting."
As the scale of the disaster began to emerge, an international aid effort began to ratchet up.
In Washington, the Pentagon announced that US defence secretary Chuck Hagel had responded to a request from the Philippines for military aid and directed the US Pacific Command to deploy resources.
United Nations leader Ban Ki-moon also promised that UN humanitarian agencies would "respond rapidly to help people in need", while the European Commission said it would give three million euros ($4 million) to help in relief efforts.
Haiyan moved out of the Philippines and into the South China Sea on Saturday, from where it tracked towards Vietnam.
Although it weakened out at sea, more than 600,000 people were evacuated in Vietnam ahead of its expected landfall on Monday morning.
Chinese state news-agency Xinhua meanwhile reported six members of a cargo boat were missing off the southern island province of Hainan.
Over 600,000 evacuated in Vietnam
More than 600,000 people were evacuated as super typhoon Haiyan bore down on Vietnam, authorities said on Sunday, after the storm smashed through the Philippines leaving thousands feared dead and causing widespread devastation.
Residents of the Vietnamese capital Hanoi were braced for heavy rains and flooding, while tens of thousands of people in coastal areas were ordered to take shelter ahead of Haiyan's expected landfall on Monday morning.
"We have evacuated more than 174,000 households, which is equivalent to more than 600,000 people," an official report by Vietnam's flood and storm control department said.
The storm is now expected to strike on Monday morning after changing course, prompting further mass evacuations of some 52,000 people in northern provinces by the coast, the VNExpress news site reported.
"People must bring enough food and necessities for three days ... Those who do not move voluntarily will be forced," the VNExpress report said, adding all boats have been ordered back to shore.
The Red Cross said in a statement Haiyan's changed path meant the "the disaster area could be enlarged from nine provinces to as many as 15", stretching the country's resources.
"This is one of the challenges going ahead," Michael Annear, Red Cross country representative, told AFP, adding that heavy rains and flooding were likely to hit Hanoi.
Reports on social media indicated many of the capital's residents were rushing to markets to stock up on food and drinking water before the storm hit.
Many of the estimated 200,000 people evacuated in four south-central provinces initially thought to be in the storm's path have been allowed to go back to their homes, according to a report on the government's website.
Haiyan "is quickly moving north and northwest, travelling at a speed of up to 35 kilometres per hour", the country's weather bureau said in a statement.
The weather system — one of the most intense typhoons on record when it tore into the Philippines — has weakened over the South China Sea and is expected to hit as a category 1 storm, meteorologists added.
The typhoon's epicentre is expected to make landfall around 7am on Monday (0530 IST), with winds of about 74 kilometres an hour.
At least four people were reportedly killed while preparing to escape the typhoon, disaster officials said.

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Ten way to improve the life

1. Leave a Polaroid of yourself in his briefcase or car. What you're wearing (or not wearing) is up to you!
2. Make an "I love you" coupon book that each of you can use when you feel like it. Some coupon ideas include: Kiss me here. Wear my favorite ___ . Act out a fantasy. Give me a 10-minute massage.
3. Plan a weekend away together. Make it an erotic vacation, no matter where you go. Bring toys and lubricant, order room service, have no contact with the outside world (unless it's an emergency), and indulge in food and drink. It doesn't have to be expensive, but if you want it to be, then make a plan for saving up — it'll give you something to look forward to.
4. Try a female-friendly erotic video. Contrary to popular belief, women benefit from watching sexy videos as much as men do. Maybe you'll be inspired to try something new. Pick a video that you think you'll like — it may not be his first choice, but he'll be thrilled anyway!
5. Call your partner in the middle of the day and explain what you want to do to him later that night. You can get graphic or you can be coy and seductive, with subtle, come-home-soon hints.
6. Have sex with your eyes open to heighten your connection. Keep your eyes locked on each other during the especially passionate moments (the ones we normally close our eyes during). Look at each other when one or both you orgasms.
7. Take a bath together. Make sure to include candles and essential oil, such as lavender oil. Take turns washing each other. Include a waterproof toy if you'd like.
8. Spend five minutes kissing — it's the only thing that will help you rediscover the passion and sensuality that your kisses hold! Plus, it can remind you of your first kiss.
9. Write him a note about your most memorable sexual encounter or time together. It will spark your memory and get the creative juices flowing.
10. Have a "giving" day. One of you agrees to completely give, with no expectations about what you'll get in return. From breakfast in bed to an out-of-the-ordinary treat to sex later that night, one of you shows your love for the other and thereby increases intimacy for both of you.

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Africa's war on cancer kicks off with vaccine trials

AT FIRST, Florence Agyei put the bleeding down to the birth of her daughter 18 months earlier. "I thought maybe something had been left inside me," she says. She didn't think it was a disease and had never even heard the words kokoram awotea amo – cancer of the neck of the womb.

After enduring the pain and bleeding for seven months, it was a radio programme that finally prompted Florence, a Ghanaian market stall vendor, to seek help. At 36, she was diagnosed with advanced cervical cancer.

Cancer is often seen as a disease of the affluent, hitting people in their twilight years. Yet more than half of cancers now affect people in developing countries – often in the prime of their life. Africa recorded 681,000 new cancer cases in 2008 and that is predicted to double by 2030 – even before increased tobacco use and lifestyle changes are taken into account. Similar rises are expected in Latin America and some countries in Asia – attention was drawn to China this week when it was claimed the nation's youngest lung cancer patient is just 8 years old – but Africa is the least well equipped to deal with the increase.

The good news is that there are vaccines that could prevent many cancer deaths – if the infrastructure and the political will are there to deliver them.

This week sees the start of a programme trialling the introduction of the cervical cancer vaccine in Ghana, and Niger and Madagascar will begin similar programmes later this month. The vaccines are supplied by the GAVI Alliance, but countries will have to demonstrate that they can deliver them in limited areas before vaccination is rolled out more widely. Rwanda is expected to be the first African country to start offering vaccination to all teenage girls early next year.

Infectious agents account for just 3 to 4 per cent of cancers in Western countries, but in Africa they're responsible for one-third, mostly because screening programmes aren't in place to catch the precancerous signs.

Cervical and liver cancer, which can be caused by the human papillomavirus (HPV) and hepatitis B virus respectively, each account for about 10 per cent of cancer deaths – and vaccines exist for both. It is hoped that combining vaccination with other preventative measures like screening, and encouraging people to eat well and give up smoking, could make a serious dent in Africa's cancer death toll.

"There's a big opportunity to avoid some of the mistakes of Western countries," says Christopher Wild, director of the World Health Organization's International Agency for Research on Cancer. "We're trying to convince people that they need to act now to prevent the problems of tomorrow."

That's difficult though, because many African governments already have their hands full reducing deaths related to childbirth and fighting diseases like HIV and malaria. They don't necessarily want to hear about something that is going to cause problems in a decade or so.

Yet breast and cervical cancer have already overtaken childbirth-related deaths in Asia and Latin America, and by 2030, African deaths from non-communicable diseases including cancer and heart disease are expected to eclipse the combined toll from infectious disease, malnutrition and death during childbirth.

"We're not suggesting that we need to take resources away from other areas like HIV, but we need to start re-evaluating our allocation of resources," says Vivien Davis Tsu of PATH, a non-profit organisation in Seattle.

One possibility is piggybacking existing health infrastructures that have been set up to tackle HIV, using it to offer cancer screening at the same time as people come to collect antiretroviral medication, for example (see "Vinegar: The acid test for cancer"). Access to drugs and radiotherapy to treat advanced cancers is also a necessity, but remains largely unaffordable for many countries.

There are already signs that vaccination may work. Rwanda was the first African country to pilot HPV vaccination in 2011 and, unlike the vaccine's lukewarm reception in the US, where uptake has stagnated at around 50 per cent, Rwanda achieved 93 per cent coverage (Bulletin of the WHO, doi.org/pvf).

"Because we have a country where vaccination for other diseases has really paid off and people are seeing their children live, we have created trust," says Agnes Binagwaho, Rwanda's heath minister. "In America, there are so many treatments. They don't understand that prevention is less expensive."

Hepatitis B vaccination is also now being offered to infants in most African countries, and vaccines against Helicobacter pylori – a bacterium that causes stomach cancer – and a more effective vaccine for HPV are in development.

Although vaccination won't prevent other burgeoning cancers like breast cancer, the hope is it will at least facilitate discussion about them. "HPV vaccination is the first concerted effort to address a cancer in developing countries," says Tsu. "This could be the thing that opens the doors to other cancer efforts."

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Dying asteroid is a six-tailed beast

This freakish asteroid may be spinning in its grave. Unlike its rocky siblings, asteroid P/2013 P5 has a record six tails of dust streaming from its body. It also whirls about on its axis, spewing material like a rotating lawn sprinkler. This suggests the oddball object is spinning so fast it is falling apart, which could help us better understand the life cycles of asteroids.

Until recently, comets were the only space rocks thought to have tails. Born in the frigid outer reaches of the solar system, comets are made from ice and dust. Their famous tails form when they swing close enough to the sun that the ice turns directly to gas, creating haloes of material that get swept back in one direction by radiation pressure from the sun.

Most asteroids occupy a belt between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter and are made primarily of rock without much ice. Since 2006, though, David Jewitt of the University of California, Los Angeles, and colleagues have found a number of asteroids in this belt masquerading as comets.

"These are bodies that are asteroids as determined by their orbit – they're sitting there in the asteroid belt, completely different from the orbits of comets, so there's no confusing them," says Jewitt. "But they look like comets. They're rocks and, weirdly, they're ejecting dust. The question is why."

Telltale spin

P/2013 P5 was first observed by a telescope in Hawaii on 18 August as a fuzzy-looking object in the asteroid belt. When Jewitt's team pointed the Hubble Space Telescope at it on 10 September, the fuzz resolved into six distinct tails. "That must be a record," says Jewitt. "I don't even know of regular comets that do that."

In most previous cases, tailed asteroids had survived a collision with another space rock, and the tails were clouds of dust kicked up by the impact. Others had some remnant ice trapped beneath their rocky surface that escaped to space, forming faint tails. But P/2013 P5 is too close to the sun for any ice to survive, and the odds of all six tails being the result of separate impacts are vanishingly small.

"Space is big, and collisions are rare. You can fly right through the asteroid belt and never see an asteroid, never get close enough to one to take a picture of it, never even get hit by a piece of dust," says Jewitt. "It's not an impact, I would bet a huge amount of money on that."

A clue to the tails' origins came almost two weeks later, when the team again observed the asteroid with Hubble. The tails were all in different positions, as if the entire structure had spun like a wheel. "That freaked us out big time," says Jewitt. "But we can explain it if the dust was emitted on six separate occasions."

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Narendra Modi vs Rahul Gandhi: Rallies with different strokes

At Narendra Modi’s rally, the composition of crowd included rickshaw pullers to IT professionals carrying smartphones and other hi-tech gadgets. At Rahul’s rally, which was held in Mangolpuri, an area populated with people from the low income group, there were hardly any smartphone users, forget other high tech gadgets.
Even crowd  response at both the rallies were completely opposite to each other.
During Modi’s rally, the crowd did not let any other leader speak. At Rahul’s rally, the crowd started moving out of the ground as soon as he started his speech, not waiting for him to deliver his punchline.
Modi spoke for around one hour. And he went on attack mode  from the word go. He slammed the UPA, the Delhi government and trained guns on not only the prime minister but also allies of the Union government.
On the other hand, Rahul Gandhi spoke for 20 minutes, settled with lauding the Sheila Dikshit government, and the flagship programmes of the UPA government. It could be argued that Rahul was making a pitch for the Delhi elections, not for the general elections, which is still months away. But Rahul’s rallies in general, whether held  in Udaipur or elsewhere, have been dwarfed by those addressed by Modi.
In terms of the number of people attending too, both their  rallies have seen a different count.
While Modi’s rallies were truly “mega”, seeing upwards of two lakhs in attendance, only around 10,000 came to listen to Rahul speak on Sunday But fact is both the parties chose their venues “strategically”.
To show its strength, the BJP organises rallies at venues which have the capacity to accommodate huge numbers. Whereas, the Congress picks up venues such as the park in Mangolpuri, which could accommodate only around 20,000.
Then again, Modi’s Japanese Park’s rally saw people turned “spontaneously”. Even the Delhi Metro recorded an increase in ridership at the nearest metro station to the venue. At the Congress rally in Mangolpuri, the majority of crowd was from nearby localities.

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Chief Minister Oommen Chandy had no role in solar scam: Sreedharan Nair to police

 The solar panel scam appears all set to devour Chief Minister Oommen Chandy and the 24-month-old United Democratic Front government in Kerala.

The latest revelations that emerged on Monday have made Chandy a suspect in the multi-crore scam.

They include the reported submission by a victim in the scam on July 6 that Sarita S. Nair, the second accused in the case, met him on July 9, 2012, at the CM's secretariat office in his presence.

According to Sreedharan Nair's affidavit, Chandy had recommended that he should hire Sarita's firm "Team Solar".

The ADGP also stated that retrieval of data from CCTVs in the Chief Minister's office is yet to be done. So far such retrieval had never been undertaken in any criminal case in Kerala, he stated.
The investigating team had been exploring the possibility of such retrieval utilising all available technologies, including those available with Non Government agencies, the court was informed.
The statement was filed on a petition by one Joy Kaitharath, seeking to retrieve CCTV data of CM's office.
Opposition the Left Democratic Front has launched a major agitation demanding Chandy's resignation. Earlier on Monday, Chandy for the first time admitted that he had met Sreedharan but denied Sarita's presence at the meeting.
He claimed Sreedharan had met him on an issue related to quarrying. The scam going on for three years came to light on June 3 with the arrest of Sarita.
The arrest was based on the complaint filed by businessman K. Sajjad saying he was duped by her and Radhakrishnan in 2012 offering to set up solar panels at his office.
On July 6, Shalu Menon, an actor and member of the Central Board of Film Certification was also arrested for involvement in the scam. 
 The scam relates to cheating people of huge sums by the accused Biju Radhakrishnan and Saritha Nair by offering solar energy solutions.
The case assumed a serious political dimension with the arrest of Tenny Joppan, a personal assistant in the Chief Minister's office, for his alleged links with the accused.
As a spin-off, former Director of Public Relations Department A Firoz and tele-actress and danseuse Shalu Menon were also arrested in a related case. Shalu and Joppan were released on bail last month.

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Nokia launches tablet to join Microsoft gadget push

(Reuters) - Nokia (NOK1V.HE) has unveiled its first tablet and large-screen smartphones, which will form part of Microsoft's (MSFT.O) global push to become a leading player in consumer devices when it takes over the Finnish company's handset business.
The Lumia 2520 tablet, along with the Lumia 1320 and 1520 phones are among the last products Nokia developed before deciding to sell the devices unit to Microsoft in a deal that is due to close in the first quarter of next year.
Nokia, once the global leader in mobile phones, arrived late to the smartphone race and has struggled to catch up with Apple (AAPL.O) and Samsung (005930.KS), who dominate the increasingly crowded market for large-screen smartphones, known as phablets.
The Lumia tablet, which has a 10-inch screen, will also face tough competition from the likes of Apple, which is expected to unveil slimmer, faster iPads on Tuesday. The phablets, which both have 6-inch screens, will take on a multitude of similar devices from Samsung.
Analysts said the new products, which will retain the Nokia brand after the Microsoft handover, are priced low enough to attract interest.
The Lumia 2520, which comes in glossy red and white as well as matt cyan and black versions, is expected to start shipping in the fourth quarter for about $499.
"The tablet is a nice design, it's a good-value proposition," Gartner analyst Annette Zimmermann said, though she doubts that Nokia's first foray into the tablet market will bring billions in sales.
POSSIBLE CLASH
Others also questioned whether the new launch is enough to lure consumers back to Nokia and Microsoft, while Forrester analyst Thomas Husson said the Lumia 2520's position for Microsoft is unclear, particularly after the software giant launched its own tablets.
At midnight on Monday, Microsoft started selling its Surface 2 and Surface Pro 2 tablets. Still feeling its way in the computer hardware business, the company is banking on the lighter and faster models boosting the lacklustre sales of its touch-screen devices.
"Despite a more affordable price, the respective positioning of Nokia's tablet versus the Surface 2 is not obvious and will have to be dealt with after the Nokia acquisition," Husson said.
The new devices will help Microsoft to increase the number of Windows users, but Husson said he expects it to remain a long way from "a significant installed base of consumers".
Nokia's former chief executive Stephen Elop, hired in 2010 to turn round the company, decided in early 2011 to drop Nokia's own operating system in favour of the Microsoft's untested Windows Phone software.
The Lumia devices have been well received by technology blogs and critics, but sales have been slow to pick up, partly because of a lack of Windows Phone apps and a limited marketing budget. (Writing by Ritsuko Ando; Editing by David Goodman)

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Apple cuts orders of iPhone 5C as consumers prefer 5S

(Reuters) - Apple Inc (AAPL.O) is cutting production orders for its plastic-backed iPhone 5C a month after launch, a source familiar with its supply chain said on Wednesday, fueling speculation the cheaper model of its main gadget may have been priced too high.
Apple has asked one of its largest suppliers to increase production of the top-tier 5S, which went on sale at the same time, the Wall Street Journal reported. said. Analyst said this allayed concerns that the cheaper 5C will eat into premium sales and erode margins.
Apple has told manufacturers it will reduce orders for the 5c smartphone in the final three months of the year, the source told Reuters. The company added the 5C to the lineup in September along with the flagship iPhone 5S.
Pegatron Corp (4938.TW), which assembles many of Apple's iPhone 5Cs, had seen orders reduced by less than 20 percent, said the source, who asked not to be identified because the information is sensitive.
Hon Hai Precision Industry Co (2317.TW) another major assembly contractor for the 5C, had its orders for the same period reduced by a third, the Wall Street Journal reported.
But at the same time, Apple raised orders for the 5S in the fourth quarter, the newspaper said, quoting two Hon Hai executives.
Analysts said the decision by consumers to spend more on the pricier 5S benefits Apple. The company's shares rose on Wednesday, touching a one-month high above $502. Canaccord Genuity analyst Michael Walkley estimated that the iPhone 5S is outselling 5C by 2.5 times to 1.
Canaccord Genuity's "survey work indicates a significantly higher sell-through mix of iPhone 5s versus 5c that should benefit near-term Average Selling Prices and margins," Walkley said.
In the United States, the 5C is $100 cheaper than the premium 5S, which starts at $649 for the 16 GB model.
Spokespersons at Pegatron, Hon Hai and Apple declined to comment.
Analysts and Apple executives have cautioned against reading too much into supply chain adjustments, which are common in the fast-moving electronics industry.
Investors will get some idea of the demand for the two phones when Apple reports its fiscal fourth quarter results later this month. But the iPhones numbers from July-September will include sales of only a month of the new models.
HOLIDAY QUARTER BOOST
Apple is expected to sell 33 million to 36 million iPhones in its fiscal fourth quarter, rising to over 50 million in the typically strong holiday quarter, which will mark the first full quarter of sales of the new iPhones.
The holiday quarter may also feature a new lineup of iPads.
Next week, Apple is expected to introduce a updated version of the tablets that compete with Amazon.com Inc's (AMZN.O) Kindle Fire and tablets made by Samsung Electronics (005930.KS).
Apple has come under pressure over the past year to bolster sales of its iPhones and iPads and defend its market share against rivals that are rapidly raising capabilities and lowering prices.
The reception for the 5c has been lukewarm in China, which Chief Executive Tim Cook has identified as one of Apple's most important markets. Some local bloggers say the price difference between the 5C and 5S is too narrow.
The price difference could widen next year as Apple is known for cutting prices of older models to drive volume.
"We're not especially concerned with 5C order cuts at this point because they appear to be offset by strong demand and increased production for the 5S, said Brian Colello, analyst with Morningstar said. "As far as emerging markets, the 5C is simply not cheap enough to gain traction with customers that can buy $150 Android devices."
Previously, Apple had said sales for the 5S and 5C in the first three days of their launch in September totalled 9 million, and that demand for the 5S exceeded initial supplies. It did not give separate figures for the 5C and 5S.
Prudential, which does not own Apple shares, forecasts assemblers will ship around 23 million 5C units in the final three months of this year and 10 million in the first three months of next year.
Apple shares rose as high as $502.53 at the open on the Nasdaq on Wednesday and was up 0.6 percent at $501.63 in afternoon trading. (Additional reporting by Poornima Gupta and Soham Chatterjee; Editing by Ryan Woo, Rodney Joyce and David Gregorio)

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Kerala Cricket Association apologises to Shashi Tharoor

Kochi:  Bowing to pressure from Youth Congress activists for its statements against Union Minister Shashi Tharoor over the Duleep Trophy final match here, the Kerala Cricket Association tendered an apology to him for "hurting his sentiments".

The move came after agitated Youth Congress workers barged into its office on Monday and forced them to give a written apology for their statement against Tharoor, who had criticised KCA after rain washed out the fourth day's play of the Duleep Trophy final between North Zone and South Zone on Sunday.
The activists also broke a clock in the premises, KCA sources said.

KCA Joint Secretary Jayesh George told PTI that he gave an apology in writing stating that "we are sorry for hurting the sentiments of the minister".

Tharoor had on Sunday hit out at KCA after the fourth day's play was called off due to wet ground conditions following heavy rains.

"KCA has brought disgrace to d state w/two major matches washed out. Who benefitted from the Rs. 8 crore spent on drainage system," the Minister had said in his tweet.

"KCA annual reports list JNI Stadium upgradation expenditure in crores. Since pavilion was already done, wasn't drainage the main expense?

"Cricket fans await explanations of what KCA spent on stadium upgradation & drainage. Rains haven't prevented matches on sunny days before," he wrote.

KCA President T C Mathew had responded saying Tharoor's tweet was "immature" and made without understanding facts.

"Those who wish that KCA should not have a stadium of its own are trying to create a controversy. We have not taken any amount from the Government for drainage work," he said.

"The Jawahar Lal Nehru International Stadium was not for cricket alone but for football matches also," he added.

The finals of the tournament have been affected since the past four days following rains.

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