Anand floors Kasimdzhanov
NEW DELHI: Viswanathan Anand produced two brilliantly-crafted victories with
white pieces to overwhelm World champion Rustam Kasimdzhanov 2.5-1.5 and won
the Ciudad de Leon rapid chess title in Leon, Spain on Sunday.
After suffering a reverse in the opening game of the four-game title-match,
Anand bounced back to annihilate the Uzbek in just 33 moves of Sicilian
Najdorf. Anand dominated the proceedings, offered a piece on the kingside
and launched the decisive attack.
The third game in Sicilian Paulsen was drawn after 68 moves and it was left
to Anand to take the initiative with white pieces to claim the title ahead
of the five-minute blitz tie-break games. The Indian was again in his
element after a sedate opening phase in Ruy Lopez. Once the queens were off
the board on the 26th move, Anand came up with a stunning knight sacrifice
for three queenside pawns to give a dramatic twist to the proceedings.
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NASA gives Indian names to rocks on Mars
KOLKATA: The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has given
Indian names to certain types of rocks on Mars, a senior geologist on the
American agency's Mars Mission said on Monday.
``We shall disclose the names soon after NASA gives clearance to make this
classified information public,'' planetary geologist Amitabha Ghosh, now on
a tour to India, told PTI.
The rocks were named in consultation with Indian geophysicists and
astrophysicists.
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One nation, uninsured
HARRY TRUMAN tried to create a national health insurance system. Public
opinion was initially on his side: Jill Quadagno's book, One Nation,
Uninsured, tells us that in 1945, 75 per cent of Americans favoured national
health insurance. If Truman had succeeded, universal coverage for everyone,
not just the elderly, would today be an accepted part of the social
contract.
But Truman failed. Special interests, especially the American Medical
Association and Southern politicians who feared that national insurance
would lead to racially integrated hospitals, triumphed.
Sixty years later, the patchwork system that evolved in the absence of
national health insurance is unravelling. The cost of health care is
exploding, the number of uninsured is growing, and corporations that still
provide employee coverage are groaning under the strain.
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Budget airlines may fold-up soon
KUALA LUMPUR: Stiff competition and rising fuel prices will force a
shake-out among Asia's budget airlines, and some are likely to be
permanently grounded, analysts say.
The success of Malaysia's AirAsia, Southeast Asia's biggest low-cost
carrier, has sparked a slew of other budget operators to take to the skies,
including spin-offs from major airlines which scrambled to cash in on the
phenomenon.
But after a tremendous start which revolutionised travel in the region, a
changing business environment may mean an end to the boom, as happened in
Europe where no-frills carriers suffered a bloodbath that only the strongest
survived. "Competition is tough. I foresee a drop-out soon," OSK Research
aviation analyst Chris Eng said.
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