Europe can learn from India, says Sebastian Vettel

The inaugural Indian Grand Prixitself was a big success, but the charm of the country also captured the hearts and minds of Formula One's superstars. Double world championSebastian Vettel, who wonSunday's race, summed up his experience of India in a philosophical way.

"It is great, I think, what the people did here in a short amount of time. We heard about it a couple of years ago but to put up this arena is incredible. I am very proud to be the first winner here in India. I think it is a very impressive country, very different to what we probably know from Europe, but very inspiring. If you keep your eyes and ears open, I think you are able to learn a lot, the way the people handle things here," the German Red Bull driver said.

"It is a big country, a lot of people, but sometimes it looks very different, but they get along with it and they are very happy here. They enjoy life and in the end that's what it is all about. If your life comes to an end, it is more the thoughts, the emotions, the friends, the friendships you take with you rather than whatever you have in your bank account. Even (if) the people have so little here, I think in a way they are much richer than a lot of people back in Europe. There is a lot we can learn."

Talking about the time he spent in India, Vettel said: "Obviously I haven't spent a lot of time here, so I can't judge as well as people from India, 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.

"Keeping your eyes open, there are a lot of things which make you appreciate a lot of things much more than you probably do. Yeah, it opens your eyes, as long as you allow yourself to look at certain things, so I think it was an inspiration and something that you should never forget."

Vettel also tried his hand at Hindi, cheekily saying: "Dhanyawaad... aapki aankhein bahut khoobsurat hain (thank you, your eyes are beautiful). Obviously that's for the ladies of India. You know the girls, to all the girls in India, you have beautiful women in this country. They have beautiful eyes." Second-placed finisher Jenson Button of McLaren added "beautiful smiles" to this quip, and complimented the Indian public. "I think we need to say a big congratulations to the Indian people for their efforts on building this circuit because the circuit itself is, I think in years to come, we are going to think of it as one of the greats. It is a very special circuit and I really, really enjoy driving around here. I hope we put on a good show and it is also great to see the excitement in the crowd. The people that are here, as there are quite a few people here, they are really getting into the mood and really getting into the action and it is good to see, really good to see, so a very special weekend and thank you to them," the Briton said.

Seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher of Mercedes GP offered praise for the organisers: "To the organisers of the first Indian Grand Prix, I would like to send a big compliment; I'm sure that I am not the only one to say that this was a very positive debut." The other drivers unanimously praised the Buddh International Circuit and the event, and Vettel can't wait to get back here. "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. There are some great corners which we usually enjoy a lot, because it allows us to put the cars on the limit. This will be one of the races that settles in very quickly and we will all be happy to come back. Even though there has only been one race so far, I'm already looking forward to next year," he said.
Sebastian Vettel says 'don't want this to end'
"I think we can continue," Vettel beamed later. "The car is fantastic and the team is enjoying it. We are on a run since the beginning of the season. We enjoy every race. The great thing is when you walk in the garage every morning, they are flat out and pushing very hard. It's really enjoyable to see that knowing what we have achieved, we are still hungry, not lacking motivation. People come with questions but we come back with the right answers, so we don't want this to end," he added. 

Vettel files 

* From his 79th start, the German won for the 21st time. This is also his 11th win of the season, matching former champion Michael Schumacher's 2002 season record. Only Schumacher's 2004 season was more successful in F1 history with 13 wins. 

* Grabbed another record at the end of lap 42, surpassing Nigel Mansell's 1992 record for most laps led in a season, leading his 693rd lap in 2011. At the end of lap 49, Vettel became the first driver in history to lead 700 laps in 
one year. 

* Set the first grand slam of his career today (win/pole/fastest lap/led every lap). It is only the second grand slam in the last seven years. He is also the youngest man to set a grand slam.

Indian street food emerges the winner among Formula 1 racers

GREATER NOIDA: The Formula One stars have already shown their partiality towards the spicy Indian fare. To introduce them to the variety of Indian cuisine, afterhours-party organizers put up a food street on Sunday night. Dishes from different parts of the country, cooked delicately and beautifully assorted, were presented to the F1racers who were more than happy to dig in. 

The chefs at Jaypee Greens Golf & Spa Resort also baked a specia l cake that sported a chocolate pillar of F1 cars to celebrate Sebastian Vettel's win at the maiden Formula One Airtel Indian Grand Prix. Another four-foot-long F1 chocolate car decorated in the colours of Tricolour was also made and signed by all drivers and key members of the F1 fraternity. 

The drivers and team members, who started coming back to the resort by 8pm, enjoyed the food amid Rajsthani folk music and dance. Michael Schumacher, who has become a big fan of Indian cuisine, went for his favourite kebabs while several grilled dishes, kadi, tawa roti, rumali roti and naan were made live and served to the guests. 

Executive chef Shivanand Kain, told TOI that F1 team members, especially Vettel andSchumacher, and F1 chief Bernie Ecclestone have very fond of Indian food. Ecclestone and Vettel, he said, have even asked for the recipes. Their enthusiasm has prompted the resort to organize the live kitchen at the after party in which "we would give live presentation to the team members on how to make Indian food", Kain said. 

At the food street, tips were given on how to make the mouth-watering dishes. A special barbeque was also set up for kebabs. Organizers also arranged for stress-busting activities. 

Formula One: Vettel wins, world raises toast to India

Indian Grand Prix winner Sebastian Vettel.

GREATER NOIDA: If you hadn't been bit by theFormula 1 bug so far, there was no escaping its big bite on Sunday. Four hours before the race's spine-tingling, ear-splitting, high-octane start at 3pm, hundreds of cars and buses from all across Delhi were making their way to Greater Noida'sBuddh International Circuit - India's latest world-class sporting facility - where reigning world champ Sebastian Vettel, fittingly emerged as the first winner. 

The buzz was unmistakable from the morning. Eager faces looked out of cars heading for India's first-ever Grand Prix. The smell of petrol fumes for once didn't start a discussion on the city's rising pollution levels. Formula 1 was set for a screaming, adrenaline-pumping debut. India delivered, and how. 

It was the first time the Indian national anthem was played in Formula 1 and the roar that went around must have sounded like music to the Jaypee Group, which has built the circuit and facilitator Mayawati. For good measure, Narain Karthikeyan finished 17th while the Sahara Force India team gained 2 points after Adrian Sutil finished ninth. 

A crowd of 95,000 - nearly double of what Saturday saw - that included cricketers MS Dhoni, VVS Laxman, Yuvraj Singh, Harbhajan Singh and Virender Sehwag, Bollywood biggies Shah Rukh Khan, Hrithik Roshan, Abhishek Bachchan, Deepika Padukone and Arjun Rampal, and corporate honchos Richard Branson, Pawan Munjal, Yogi Deveshwar, Shivinder Singh, Malvinder Singh, Vijay Mallya and Subrata Roy were all present to watch Vettel dominate the race from the moment the five red lights extinguished. 

He never let go of the lead as he roared to his 11th win this season, recording the fastest lap on the last lap. McLaren's Jenson Button could never get closer than within 2.8 seconds of the German. 

Gwen Stefani Stuns as Cinderella for Halloween

Pop princess Gwen Stefani became a Disney princess forKate Hudson's Halloween party in the Brentwood area of L.A. on Saturday night.

PHOTOS: The sexiest (too much?) celeb Halloween costumes ever

The singer, designer and mother of two, 42, transformed into Cinderella with absolutely stunning results.

Stefani donned the scullery-maid-turned-belle-of-the-ball's trademark powder-blue gown, white gloves and blonde updo with tiara.

PHOTOS: Gwen's cutest moments with her boys

No word yet on what Kingston, 5, and Zuma, 3 -- her adorable, fashion-forward boys with hubby Gavin Rossdale -- will wear for their trick-or-treating outing this year.

The "Harajuku Girls" singer isn't the first star to channel a Disney character for Halloween. Kim Kardashian was Aladdin's Jasmine in 2009, and Mariah Carey, Nick Cannon and their twins Moroccan and Monroe dressed up as The Incredibles last week, among many others.

Canada's most haunted places to visit

We’ve never been the type to shy away from a good ghost story. That’s why we’ve hunted down the five most haunted places you can visit across Canada to get your spook on — if you dare.

Calgary's Rouge Restaurant

Think your kitchen’s a nightmare? The staff members at this creepy resto have had to deal with frying pans moving by themselves, doors opening and closing on their own, and multiple ghost sightings, including the figures of former house residents Helen and Nellie Cross.

Rouge; 1240 8 Ave. S.E.;             403-531-2767      ; www.rougecalgary.com.

Montreal's Notre-Dame-Des-Neiges Cemetery

Send a tingle down your spine exploring the biggest cemetery in Canada. Boasting over one million resting six feet under, this national historic site is crammed with enough mausoleums and headstones to spook you senseless.

Notre-Dame-Des-Neiges Cemetery; www.cimetierenotredamedesneiges.ca.

Ottawa's Jail Hostel
Before checking in to this hostel, you better muster up the courage to spend the night in a former cell. Originally the Carleton County Jail, the gruesome inmate mistreatment in this old stone building has resulted in frightful hauntings.

Ottawa Jail Hostel; 75 Nicholas St.;             613-235-2595      ; www.hihostels.ca.

Toronto's Keg Restaurant
Spot one of several resident ghosts lingering around this beautiful steakhouse. Listen for children’s footsteps running around on the creaky second floor or look above the main stairs for a popular ghostly hideout.

The Keg Manson; 515 Jarvis St.; www.kegsteakhouse.com.

Vancouver's Gastown 

Check out the city’s oldest ‘burb for some paranormal activity. Home to Blood Alley, named after the buckets of blood that landed on these ancient cobblestones by butchers who held business here in the 20th century, this pathway maintains a ghostly energy even today. 

Gastown, www.gastown.org.

Do it yourself Halloween costumes

Seven billionth baby coming today!

Rethink strategy, advise demographers

New Delhi, October 30
Mid UN projections of the world’s seven billionth baby to be born in India on Monday, demographers today struck a note of caution, asking the government to reposition family welfare efforts.

Ashish Bose, member, National Population Commission chaired by the PM, today asked the Government to wind up its family welfare department and divert funds to education and skill development of the existing population. Half of our people are below 25 years; 65 pc are below 35 years. “As such, the department is doing nothing,” he said, adding that even the Commission last met two years ago, indicating a lack of commitment on the front.

S.C. Gulati, member, Government’s technical working group on population, said, “China followed one child norm and reduced the population growth rate to 0.6 pc”.

Despite crores going into the National Rural Health Mission launched in 2005, the target of reducing Total Fertility Rate to 2.1 by 2012 looks unattainable. India had however recorded a decadal population growth of 17.64 per cent in 2011 Census, the lowest in 90 years.

At the current rate of decline, it will take Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh 18 to 45 years to achieve a TFR of 2.1. The high TFR states (with TFR over 3) also have over 40 per cent of our population, adding to pressures on resources like food and land.

“Education and provision of reproductive health services and nutrition were responsible for achieving the TFR of 2.1 in Kerala in 1988 and in Tamil Nadu in 1993,” Health Ministry officials told The Tribune. At present, India has a TFR (the average number of children expected to be born per woman during her entire span of reproductive period) of 2.6, ranging between 1.7 per cent in Kerala and 3.9 per cent in Bihar.

Demographers agree that India has not done well on the family planning front. Even today the unmet need for contraception is a whopping 27 per cent and 20 per cent is unwanted fertility. “It only means you are unable to provide contraceptives even to those who need them. Your whole programme focuses on sterilisations and not on condoms, intra uterine devices and oral pills, which help space children. The Government must bring in injectibles, and must counsel couples and tell that every contraception comes with some side effects; to manage these effects the health system needs to be equipped,” said Poonam Muttreja, head, Population Foundation of India.

Halloween Special

HAUNTED HOSPITAL

The Charles Camsell Hospital is located in Edmonton, Alberta, and the building that stands originally opened in 1946. Since 1996, the building has been abandoned since the hospital shut its doors. The original part of the building that no longer exists was a tuberculosis sanatorium that reached its peak in the 1950s. Some of the patients in this sanitorium were put there by force, and other patients that had certain defects were sterilized without the patients approval. The hospital has bore witness to many deaths and tragic events, including in 1982, when a man working on the roof fell to his death.

The hospital is believed to be haunted, and people who just even walk past it feel as though there are hundreds of eyes looking at them through the boarded up windows. Satanic symbols and graffiti are a plethora on the fences, not helping the sites reputation as a dark and scary place. The fourth floor of the hospital was home to the psychiatric ward during its existence. On a recorder, the scream of a young woman has been captured there. A psychic believed this was the spirit of a teenage girl who had ripped her nails off from her fingers. The second floor was the surgical wing, and to this day there are still blood stains on the floor in one room. In the morgue, the elevator has been known to go up and down on its own accord. Footsteps are often heard, indicating that some of the patients still walk the halls, even in death.

Alberta Ballet wants to create dance shows about Leonard Cohen, k.d. Lang

TORONTO - The Alberta Ballet says it's in talks to create stage shows based on the lives of Leonard Cohen and k.d. lang.

The Calgary-based dance company has already staged hit ballet tributes to the music of Joni Mitchell, Sarah McLachlan and Elton John.

Artistic director/choreographer Jean Grand-Maitre says he's now speaking with Cohen's son, Adam, about creating a ballet about his father.

"That's a project that's very dear to me and I'm taking my time with this one," Grand-Maitre said Thursday as he brought the company's production of "Love Lies Bleeding," which outlines John's life, to Toronto.

"It may take a few years because Leonard Cohen is a very complex artist."

Grand-Maitre said he's also talking to lang, with whom he worked on the opening ceremonies of the 2010 Vancouver Olympics, about putting her music and life to a ballet.

He said he'd also like to work with Peter Gabriel one day.

"When you make connections with singers like Elton John, you can get help, you know, you can say: 'Can you send a quick little email to Mr. Gabriel and tell him how great it was?' Just like Joni did with Elton," said Grand-Maitre.

"We're hoping that the doors will keep opening and that we can do more."

The Alberta Ballet has had huge success with its dance tributes to Mitchell, John and McLachlan, drawing international attention and acclaim.

Grand-Mairtre said "Love Lies Bleeding" has been the biggest box-office success in the ballet's 46-year history.

Still, he said the dance company isn't "trying to just become a songbook company," noting it balances its repertoire with a mix of contemporary and classical works.

But "there may be an interesting future" if it pursues more shows based on recording artists, he added.

"New audiences are coming, new subscribers, younger audiences, so it's been very successful in bringing new people to our art form, which is so important for our future," he said.

"Love Lies Bleeding" will run at the Sony Centre for the Performing Arts from Nov. 8 to 12.

The contemporary semi-abstract ballet is set to 14 of the classic songs composed by John and Bernie Taupin.

Tories want CBC to turn over internal files to Commons committee

OTTAWA - A bid by the Conservatives to peek at the CBC's internal files is sparking a debate over parliamentary privilege, Charter-protected freedom of the press and the independence of the courts.

The Tories on the Commons access to information committee put forward a motion Thursday to have the CBC turn over files related to several access requests, to be examined by MPs in private.

The motion would involve both the records the CBC provided to the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, Quebecor Inc.'s media outlets, and the Friends of Canadian Broadcasting plus the records it held back.

The public broadcaster redacted or withheld certain documents citing its exemption under the Access to Information Act for journalistic, creative and programming activity.

The committee has been studying the CBC's legal battle with the information commissioner over who gets to review the documents it has decided to block. The CBC has argued that only a judge should be able to take a look at the records.

The CBC did not comment on the committee motion, which will be debated again Tuesday.

Also at play is the Broadcasting Act, which enshrines the CBC's independence by barring cabinet ministers from accessing its journalistic, creative and programming information.

"I think in order for the committee to determine how (the exemptions are) being applied and what changes should be made, that we should be reviewing the decisions that have been made, specifically with respect to these access to information requests," said MP Dean Del Mastro, parliamentary secretary to the prime minister.

The NDP members on the committee immediately balked at the motion, and asked for a legal opinion.

NDP MP Charlie Angus says the committee is treading on the Federal Court of Appeal's territory, since the court is currently dealing with the dispute between the CBC and the information commissioner. Last month, a Federal Court judge refused a Conservative invitation to appear at the committee.

"This case would be completely undermined by demanding the CBC show unredacted documents without any sense of the legal limitations of what that means," Angus said in an interview.

"It raises serious questions about the rights of journalists to have their notes protected — suddenly the Conservative party is going to be examining notes, unredacted notes."

Quebecor Inc. president Pierre Karl Peladeau appeared at the committee in the place of two Sun News journalists after the company cited their journalistic independence.

Del Mastro said there is no indication that any of the access requests dealt with journalistic activities. For example, one Quebecor request was about CBC's fleet of vehicles. Another by the Friends of Canadian Broadcasting dealt with contracts handed to an American consultant.

The Commons was seized with some of the same issues of parliamentary privilege last year, when the opposition demanded the government produce top secret documents on the Afghan mission and detainees.

The Speaker of the House ultimately ruled that Parliament has an inviolable right to demand documents, and ordered the Commons to find a resolution. A special committee of MPs was struck to view the files.

But the detainee file touched on national security, not constitutional protections such as press freedom. Parliament has not had to grapple with parliamentary privilege and Charter rights very often, nor have the courts.

The Supreme Court of Canada ruled in 2005 that parliamentary privilege wasn't limitless, saying Parliament wasn't exempt from an employment discrimination case.

"The question is: would CBC go to court now, a new case, to get an order from the court to tell the committee you can't have this, then facing of course Parliament citing them for contempt...," said Richard Dearden, an Ottawa-based media lawyer.

"It's a fascinating issue and the clash is the courts have certain powers to make sure their process isn't interfered with, and then you have Parliament saying 'We're supreme we get to do our work and we want this information now."'

Former Commons procedural clerk Thomas Hall said the CBC could mount a Charter challenge in the courts, that would create a very sticky situation where the constitutional rights of Parliament were pitted against another set of rights.

"I think a better way might be to look at what can the House of Commons do if the CBC refuses, and they're quite limited there," said Thomas.

"They can send for the papers and order for them to be produced, but if the CBC refuses, they can cut the grants to CBC in the budget as punishment, they can demand that the officials come before the bar of the House and explain themselves, they can reprimand them in public and theoretically they can jail them, but then we get into Charter issues. I think (the CBC) would challenge that in court."

Toronto mayor lost cool in 911 call; admits using F word that wasn't for Ford

TORONTO - He's a larger-than-life character whose fits of pique helped cement his self-branding as an ordinary dude among his supporters, although detractors labelled him a bully.

Now, Mayor Rob Ford has again aroused conflicting passions for using profanities when he called 911 seeking police help after a TV comedy crew confronted him in his driveway.

According to the CBC on Thursday, Ford allegedly asked the emergency operator: "Don’t you (expletive) know? I’m Rob (expletive) Ford, the mayor of this city."

The report which did not specify its sources also said he called the operators names, something Ford denied strenuously.

The mayor did admit to being frustrated at the police response time, but called allegations he made "foul and derogatory comments" toward the 911 staff "absolutely false."

"After being attacked in my driveway, I hope I can be excused for saying the F-word," Ford said in the statement.

"I never called anyone any names. I apologize for expressing my frustration inappropriately."

Police had no comment.

On Monday morning, the CBC-TV comedy show "This Hour Has 22 Minutes" confronted Ford in his driveway at home as the mayor was about to get into his car.

Ford fled inside as Mary Walsh, dressed as the outlandish characterMarg Delahunty, cooed: "Mayor Ford, I came to give you a hand, honey."

The mayor, who said he has had death threats, said he called 911 because Walsh had frightened him and his six-year-old daughter. He said he didn't know Walsh or the show.

"Maybe other people know about this "22 Minutes" (but) I've never seen this show, so I didn't know who they were," Ford said Thursday.

"You have one big guy and a lady who looked like a guy dressed up _ I couldn't really tell ... and I've had a few death threats, I have to be careful."

The CBC said Ford called 911 a second time when police didn't arrive quickly enough, and that the mayor verbally abused the operator.

"I was very upset," Ford told reporters.

"I was accosted in my driveway. Maybe I shouldn't have used the F-word."

The mayor also criticized Walsh and the comedy crew.

"Their behaviour was traumatic for my daughter and in no way acceptable professional behaviour."

Ford said he was not asking the CBC for an apology, saying "it's up to them."

He also said he had not had a chance to talk to police about releasing the 911 tapes, which could confirm his version of events, and police said they would not do so without a formal request from Ford.

It's not the first time Ford has been in the news for allegedly losing his cool.

In July, a motorist complained that Ford gave her and her six-year-old daughter "the finger" and swore at them when they urged him to stop talking on his cellphone while driving.

Ford admitted to talking on the phone while behind the wheel — illegal in Ontario — but denied being abusive.

A year ago, Ford swept to the city's top office on a populist wave with promises of "gravy" cutting, but his efforts at cutting down the public sector have run headlong into furious opposition.

Word of the 911 calls unleashed a torrent of online and media reaction — most of it critical of the mayor.

One National Post newspaper columnist, Kelly McParland, said Ford appeared to have "anger management issues" and called on the mayor to apologize.

Jesse Brown, a blogger and columnist with Toronto Life magazine, tweeted that Walsh's Ford satire had fallen flat.

"It's because he's already a caricature of himself ... like a turkey that makes its own gravy," Brown said.

Some were sympathetic to Ford.

"I guess we are all supposed to know who Marg Delahunty is?" said one online CBC post from someone identifying themselves as Joshua Slocum.

"The show they quote is not on my watch list and therefore I may have called 911 myself, with this loud obnoxious stranger attacking me in my driveway first thing in the morning."

"If someone stuck a camera in my face in front of my home on my driveway uninvited, I might do more then just go in my house and call the police," said another CBC poster with the handle Jayteee.

Still others wondered if Ford would call in the army to protect him from the CBC, a reference to when former Toronto mayor Mel Lastman, in a fit of snowsteria, sparked national merriment by asking the military to help dig the city out after a storm.