India to seek inspiration from 2007 final

NEW DELHI
: Inspirational skipper Bhaichung Bhutia once again holds the key as India aim for a 2007 encore against Syria to clinch their second
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successive Nehru Cup title in the final of the five-nation football tournament on Monday.

Two years ago at the Ambedkar Stadium, the home team had beaten the Syrians in front of a 20,000-strong crowd to win their maiden Nehru Cup title after losing to the same opponents in their round-robin fixture.

Bob Houghton's boys will have to take refuge in the history books once again after losing their last round-robin league match to the Syrians, 61 places above India in FIFA rankings at 95th, on Saturday.

India did not start with five first XI players, including Bhutia, on Saturday and Houghton was satisfied with the performance of his boys but the fact is that Syria had been the better side in the tournament having won all their four matches while the hosts had also lost to Lebanon.

Houghton though is not losing hope and rightly too as the home team will be bolstered by the return of two of the best players in the tournament, Bhaichung Bhutia and Steven Dias, in the starting line-up on Monday.

Bhutia has been outstanding as he has led from the front in the two matches India won by opening scoring and spearheading the attack admirably well along with Sunil Chhetri.

Bhutia's presence in the Indian ranks will also infuse confidence in his team-mates.

The 'Sikkimese Sniper', in the running for the player of the tournament award having become man of the match twice, may come up with something special in the tournament during which he became the first Indian to have played 100 international matches.

Another star performer, Steven Dias, will also be looking to repeat his performance against Sri Lanka and with the return of right back Surkumar Singh, Bhutia and Chhetri are expected to be fed by those deadly curling crosses from the right flank.

It will be an interesting duel between the Indian frontmen and Syrian backline, which has not conceded a single goal so far.

Bhutia and Co. will have to do something extra to break through the Syrian citadel manned by two of the best defenders of the tournament, Ali Dyab and Belal Abdul Daim.

In contrast, India's Achilles heal has been the back four who have conceded some soft goals in the league stage. They have to work extra hard against Syrian star striker Mohammad Al Zino and midfielder Feras Ismail.

Houghton, seeking his third title in his just-over three year tenure as India coach, exuded confidence that his boys can beat the Syrians on Monday.

"Syria are a strong side. We have to lift our game on Monday to beat them. The good crowd and the good environment and I think we can beat them in the final," Houghton said.

Syrian coach Fajer Ebrahim is satisfied with the performance of his boys and was thinking of making amends for their 2007 final loss under his charge.

"We will play even better in the final as we will have the full squad," he said.

"This Indian team is not as good as the last time (in 2007). They are less active, not running much and lack fighting spirit," he added.

Ebrahim also knows the threat that may come from Bhutia, saying, "Our defenders will be much more intense as India will play Bhutia."

For the Delhi crowd though it will be the match they are waiting for, a game between full strength Indian and Syrian sides.

Enthusiasm of the fans has been even more than 2007. Two years back, fans turned up only from midway the tournament.

But this time, starting from the opening match between India and Lebanon, the fans have turned up to near capacity at in all the four matches involving the home team.

They are expected to fill the floodlit Ambedkar Stadium to the brim tomorrow as they had done on August 29, 2007, and a late monsoon rain could be the only dampener in what promises to be a high-intensity game.

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Jwala, Diju create history, win GP Gold title in Taipei

NEW DELHI: Shuttlers Jwala Gutta and V Diju on Sunday created history by becoming the first Indian mixed doubles pair to win a Grand Prix Gold in
Jwala, Diju
Chinese Taipei.

The world number seven Indian pair prevailed 24-22 21-18 over the Indonesian duo of Hendra Aprida Gunawan and Vita Marissa to achieve the historic feat in Taipei city.

In the first game, the Indian pair opened up a 15-9 but the Indonesian combo staged a comeback to reduce the gap to 15-14. But Jwala and Diju quickly got their act together and prevailed in long rallies to go one up.

The Indonesians started off well in the second game and were leading at 13-9 but this time it was turn Indians' turn to claw back at make it 15-15.

Jwala and Diju then grabbed the lead and sealed the issue in their favour.

"It is a great feeling. I am extremely happy but to be honest, I still can't believe that we have won. The feeling is yet to sink in. Our team has already left and we are all alone here," Jwala told PTI after the match.

"May be after we go back home, we will realise that we have won," added Jwala, who is turning 26 on September 7.

"It wasn't an easy match. It was a quality match and there were long rallies and we didn't give away any silly point. we had to work hard for it."

Jwala-Diju had become the first India mixed doubles pair to reach the quarterfinal of the World Badminton Championship in Hyderabad early this month.

They had also won the Bitburger Open and Bulgarian Open last year.

Badminton Association of India (BAI) President VK Verma said, "This is a very good news for India. This is the first time that any doubles pair of India have won a grand prix gold event."

"They have been doing well and now with this win they have catapulted themselves to be one of the Commonwealth Games medal hopes for the country," he added.

Verma said keeping next year's Commonwealth Games in view, a number of super series tournament
has been lined up for the mixed doubles pair.

"They are shaping up well and yesterday we finalised a training programme for them and they would be sent for a number of super series tournaments for exposure," he said.

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India's stealth fighter to take-off soon

In less than four months from now, India's first stealth fighter will fly for the first time. It's called the Fifth Generation Fighter Aircraft or FGFA and is being developed in Russia by Sukhoi, the same firm that worked with India to develop the mainstay of the Indian Air Force, the Sukhoi-30MKI fighter.

A drawing shows what India's first stealth fighter looks like. It may be an artist's impression, but sources at Sukhoi, which is building the FGFA or Fifth Generation Fighter say the images resemble the real thing quite closely.

The FGFA is designed to have a top speed of approximately Mach 2, or twice the speed of sound. It has the ability to super cruise or in other words operate at speeds beyond the speed of sound without engaging systems called afterburners, which consume huge amounts of fuel. And comes equipped an electronically scanned array radar whose beams are electronically steered to detect targets with maximum accuracy.

India, which has partnered Russia in the development of jet, the Sukhoi 30 MKI, is a key player in the FGFA project and is expected to pay a sizeable chunk of the $3 billion needed to fund development of the fighter.

"The prototype will take off this year. India is an important player," said Alexey Federov, president, United Aircraft Corporation.

Several of the technologies being developed for the stealth fighter have evolved from those used in the Sukhoi 30 MKI.

Considered the most maneuverable fighter in the world, the Sukhoi 30 MKI uses thrust vectored engines which deflect the exhaust from its engines to extreme angles, which enable the jet to pull off violent maneuvers like a flat spin, where the jet literally spins around on its axis.

As new technologies are developed for the stealth fighter, they will also find their way into the Sukhoi 30.

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No agreement between Israel, US on settlement: Netanyahu

JERUSALEM: Israel's hawkish Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu today said his government has not entered into any agreement with the US over
freezing construction activities in the West Bank.

"No decision has been made and we have not reached an agreement with the United States," Netanyahu told Israel Radio today.

"There are a lot of rumours and a lot of newspaper articles, none of which are my responsibility. We haven't agreed to anything yet, we are still working towards advancing peace talks while safeguarding settlers' rights, who are equal citizens," the leader of the right-wing Likud part said.

The Israeli premier also vowed not to compromise on the Jewish state's security under any peace deal with the Palestinians.

"Any decision is bound to disappoint someone, each side saying you should have done things differently, but I will conduct myself in the way I believe will promote Israel and peace," he stressed.

The number of Israeli settlers in the West Bank has more than doubled since the mid-1990s, reaching around 300,000, leading to expanded construction activities. The Palestinian Authority has dubbed the settlement activities in the West Bank and East Jerusalem as the biggest hurdle in the path of the peace process.

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Myanmar rebels surrender in China

BEIJING: Some of the 30,000 odd refugees who fled into China have begun to return to their homes across the border after clashes subsided in
Myanmar on Sunday, Chinese official sources said.

Some of the armed Myanmar rebels, who had sneaked into China, have surrendered to Chinese authorities. The local government did not clarify whether they will be handed over to the military authorities in Myanmar, whom they had been fighting.

The surrender might cause problems for Chinese government, which may be under pressures from Myanmar to hand over the rebels. China is one of Myanmar’s closest allay and had protected it from international sanctions by using its veto power in the United Nations Security Council.

China rushed senior officials to examine the sensitive situation in the border region and talk to the surrendered rebels, many of whom are ethnic Chinese. It may be politically difficult for Chinese authorities to hand over the rebels to the Myanmar military.

"There was no way we would win," former rebel Ri Chenchuan told the Chinese media as he exchanged battle gear for ordinary clothes. The rebels, who formed part of the local police in the border region of Kokang, were clearly outmanned by the Myanmar army.
Campaign for Burma, a Washington based non-government organization, said about 700 Myanmar rebels fled fled from thousands of military troops into China. But tensions remained high in Konkang.

"The majority of the Kokang troops have surrendered to China," said Aung Din, the campaign's executive director. But is not clear if Peng Jiashen, who was recently interviewed by the Chinese media, has also surrendered on the Chinese side.

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Pak modified Harpoon to direct against India: US

WASHINGTON: Pakistan has illegally modified US supplied missiles for potential use against India, Washington has just discovered, in a belated
realization that uncontrolled supply of weapons to the dangerously unstable country poses a security threat to the region, including eventually to western forces in Afghanistan.

Judging by a suspicious missile test on April 23 this year, Pakistan has modified the US supplied Harpoon anti-ship missile to strike at land targets, according to American officials, who say the changes are a violation of the US Arms Control Export Act. The test was kept secret not publicly announced by Pakistan.

The US charge, which has set off a new outbreak of tensions between Washington and Islamabad, was made in an unpublicized diplomatic protest in late June to Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani and other top Pakistani officials, the New York Times reported on its website on Saturday. The United States has also accused Pakistan of modifying American-made P-3C aircraft for land-attack missions, another violation of United States law, it said.

Expectedly, Islamabad has denied it fiddled with the Harpoon, and claimed it developed the missile itself. But Pakistan, it is famously said, does not even have the capability to make a tow-truck, let alone a missile. Its inventory is largely made of knock-offs of Chinese and North Korean missiles, and it now appears to have pilfered an American design to no great surprise.

What is surprising though is the timing of the leak in the US media, which appears aimed at questioning, if not torpedoing, efforts by sections of the Congress and the Obama administration to urgently supply even more economic and military aid to Pakistan, ostensibly to help in its war against extremists.

Critics of the five-year, $ 7.5 billion US aid package to Pakistan, which Congress is scheduled to take up next month, say Washington is bankrolling a basket case that has been selective and dishonest in its fight against extremist elements that it nurtured in the first place. Even US government reports have suggested Pakistan is using American arms to bulk up for a confrontation with India, even as many extremists remain state guests.

There is a strong demand in Washington for certifiable benchmarks before Congress signs off on the package, including scaling down its confrontationist posture against India, which the Pakistan military, long used to uninhibited expenditure, is resisting.
In the latest case, the Harpoon was originally sold to Pakistan as a defensive anti-ship missile, but it has been converted into weapon to strike targets on land. The NYT quoted American officials as saying that while the weapon in the latest dispute is a conventional one, the "subtext of the argument is growing concern about the speed with which Pakistan is developing new generations of both conventional and nuclear weapons."

In fact, the country's nuclear arsenal is said to be expanding faster than any other nation's, and it is making heavy investments in both nuclear and conventional weapons that experts say have no utility in the battle against insurgents. In other words, the build-up is still directed against India. "There's a concerted effort to get these guys (Pakistanis) to slow down," an unnamed senior administration official told the paper. "Their energies are misdirected."

However, at least one expert has contested the reading of the US officials on the Harpoon issue, saying Pakistan could not have modified the older-generation missiles (which were supplied during the Reagan era), which did not have the range for a land-attack. Pakistan, the expert said, already has more modern land-attack missiles that it developed itself or acquired from China. In an effort to clear the air, Islamabad is said to have taken the unusual step of inviting US officials to examine its Harpoon inventory.

The remarkable aspect of the whole episode is Pakistan's willingness to spend billions of dollars on weapons when the international consensus is that it faces no threat from India, particularly at a time it is reduced to begging for foreign aid to rescue the country from collapse. Even its long-standing allies China and Saudi Arabia have mostly turned their backs on Pakistan, leaving Washington and London to save it.

But the US and the so-called Friends of Democratic Pakistan (FoDP) appear to be holding Islamabad to a higher standard this time, insisting on knowing where and how it is going to spend aid money, before loosening the purse-strings. The NYT story appears to be part of the plan to seek greater accountability.

Pakistani officials returned empty-handed from a recent FoDP meeting in Turkey
, bitterly complaining about countries not meeting the $ 5.7 billion commitment they had made to Islamabad at a previous meeting in Japan. Another FoDP meeting is scheduled to be held in New York on September 23, by which time even the US Congress is expected to demand that Pakistan redirect its energies on meeting the internal threat from extremism, rather than prepare to confront India.

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MJ killed himself by mistake with drug overdose: Doc

LONDON: Michael Jackson accidentally took his own life by administering an overdose of anaesthetic on himself, his personal physician will
reportedly claim.

Dr Conrad Murray and his legal team will allegedly defend themselves claiming the King of Pop topped up his own drip with powerful sedative Propofol.

Murray, who is at the centre of a manslaughter probe, previously confessed hooking up the insomniac star to a drip with the drug to help him sleep, reports the News of the World.

The medic alleged he administered just 25 milligrams of Propofol into the bloodstreamof the singer.

He will purportedly claim that Jackson later re-set the machine to increase the dosage that sent him into a cardiac arrest.

Medical experts have, however, cast a shadow of doubt over Murray's claims, saying 25mgs of Propofol would not have been enough to put Jackson to sleep for sometime.

Dr Kathleen London, a US family practice physician, said: "Murray says he only gave 25mgs of Propofol. I don't believe that. In order to induce sleep, 40mgs is needed."

The Los Angeles Country Coroner recently ruled Jackson's death as homicide caused by acute intoxication from Propofol and other conditions.

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Indian-origin beauty is Miss Bollywood UK

LONDON: A British beauty of Indian origin will be whisked off for a Bollywood role after being crowned the first ever Miss Bollywood UK at a gala
event in Birmingham.

Reena Patel, from London, beat off 14 rivals - whittled down from a long list of 900 - at the star-studded event Saturday night to win the title which comes with the offer of a Bollywood role and a year's modelling contract.

The runner up was Simran Chadha from Manchester and the third place was taken by Stacey Fox of Essex in an ethnically diverse contest held at the International Convention Centre in Birmingham.

The judges included Bollywood actress Manisha Koirala, said Miss Bollywood UK CEO Zia Choudhury, a Leicester-based model and actor.

Patel, 23, now waits to be flown off to India to live the life of a Bollywood celebrity and will be automatically entered into the finals of Miss Universe Great Britain which will give her an opportunity to compete for the title of Miss Universe.

"The appeal in Bollywood is the song and dance, the glamour, the people - it is after all the largest film industry in the world," Choudhury said.

"Suddenly we've got this cross-over between Hollywood and Bollywood which adds to the authenticity of the Indian film industry. It's an exciting time to be part of Bollywood."

The contest was open to women from all ethnicities as organisers wanted it to be as diverse as possible.

Patel follows the success of Liza Lazarus, a Welsh beauty who scooped the Miss Universe UK title last year, and then found herself starring with Salman Khan in the period drama "Veer".

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16 killed in Swat police centre blast

ISLAMABAD: At least 16 police recruits were killed and several people injured in a suicide attack on the Police Training Centre in Pakistan’s
troubled Swat region on Sunday, officials said.

The blast took place when the recruits of a community police force were undergoing training in Mingora.

Soon after the attack, authorities imposed curfew in Swat. Troops were patrolling the town and people shut their businesses in fear of more bombings, the officials said. It was the first major attack in Mingora since the Pakistan army claimed to have cleared the valley of Taliban last month.

The attack came just two days after Hakimullah Mehsud’s appointment as the new Pakistan Taliban chief was announced. Hakimullah had vowed to take revenge for the death of his predecessor Baitullah Mehsud.

Condemning the attack, Pakistani Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani ordered a probe into the incident and said the government was determined to carry on the fight against militancy. ‘‘We will not allow the enemies of the country to succeed in their evil designs,’’ he said.

Even on Saturday, the army said it had destroyed a major training camp for suicide bombers in the area.
The government in April had launched military offensive against Maulana Fazlullah-led Taliban in Swat, Dir and Buner areas of Malakand.

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Airspace violations by Chinese choppers

LEH: Two Chinese helicopters have reportedly violated the Indian airspace in recent months in Leh area of north Jammu and Kashmir during which
they air-dropped some canned food in barren land at Chumar, northeast of this Himalayan town, along the border.

The MI series helicopters were reported to the nearby defence post by residents of this high altitude area living along the Pangong lake, located in the lap of majestic hills, prompting the Army Aviation Corps to rush its Cheetah and Chetak helicopters.

However, they could only find tell-tale signs left by Chinese helicopters which hovered in the Indian territory for nearly five minutes dropping the food material on June 21 this year, sources said.

When contacted, Army spokesperson for Udhampur-based Northern Command said that "there was a report of a helicopter flying in the area south of Chumar, where India and China have differences in perception on the Line of Actual Control. It was reported by grazers."

A confidential defence document shows that Chinese helicopters entered into Indian air space along Damchok area and Trig Heights in Ladakh and air dropped canned food containing frozen pork and brinjal, which had passed the expiry date.

Chinese People's Liberation Army has been crossing over into the Indian side in this region quite frequently with August reporting the maximum number of incursions.

Trig Heights also known as Trade junction, which connected Ladakh with Tibet in earlier days, is an area where Chinese patrol have frequented this year in June, July and August.

Chinese Army patrols have made 26 sorties in June, including two incursions by helicopters, and 21 in July.

In August this year, Chinese patrols have entered into the Indian Territory 26 times and walked away with Petrol and kerosene meant for jawans of the border guarding forces. The Chinese army had made 223 attempts last year and left tell-tale signs.

The Army spokesperson, however, tried to downplay these incursions attempts saying "there are a few areas along the border where India and China have different perceptions of the LAC. Both sides patrol up to their respective perceptions of LAC."

"Due to perceived differences in the alignment of LAC, the Chinese patrol does transgress beyond our perception of the LAC in a few areas. The pattern of transgressions has remained similar over a long period of time," the spokesperson said.

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Chandrayaan mission formally over: ISRO

A day after it lost radio contact with the Chandrayaan-1, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has formally called off the moon mission.

ISRO Chairman G Madhavan Nair said: "We have terminated the moon mission as we have not been able to get in touch with Chandrayaan."

Earlier, the ISRO scientists said that they lost radio contact with Chandrayaan-I spacecraft at 1:30 am on Saturday. The last data from Chandrayaan came in at 25 minutes past midnight on Saturday.

The mission was scheduled for two years.

Troubled life on the moon

* Within weeks of launch, Chandrayaan almost got burnt
* Power system on board failed
* May: Spacecraft's star sensor damaged
* August 29: All radio communication lost

The landmark satellite was launched from Sriharikota on October 22, 2008 and has had a rather troubled life on the moon. Yet in its short over-300 day life, the spacecraft has indeed achieved a lot.

Within weeks of the launch, the spacecraft almost got burnt due to overheating. And later, a power system on board failed.

In May, the spacecraft lost its fine guidance when the star sensor packed up.

And the latest trouble happened a little after midnight on Saturday when all radio communication was lost with spacecraft.

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Chandrayaan failure: What went wrong?

A day after it lost radio contact with the Chandrayaan-1, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has formally called off the moon mission.

So, what could have been the possible reasons?

* A possible failure in the power system led to a glitch in the control system
* The spacecraft
lost orientation and could not point its solar panel towards the Sun
* As a consequence the onboard battery got drained, which led to loss of contact with spacecraft
* The battery could not be recharged as the spacecraft lost orientation

Mission 'terminated', all over for the Chandrayaan-1. Now, the Chandrayaan will orbit the moon as space debris and may be crash onto the moon surface in three to four years.

But enough data has been gathered to keep the scientific team busy for the next two to three years. First scientific papers are expected to be published in next few weeks.

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H1N1 virus turning Tamiflu-resistant

NEW DELHI
: An increasing number of countries, including some in Asia, are now reporting Tamiflu resistant H1N1 virus. The worrying development,
according to WHO, has seen 12 countries including China and Singapore. India has not reported the mutation in the virus so far.

The changes in the virus reported in samples are making these strains of swine flu resistant to oseltamivir or Tamiflu - the antiviral of choice globally. Such cases have also been found in Japan, US, Hong Kong, Denmark and Canada.

While India is monitoring these reports closely, it will begin exit screening of pilgrims bound for Saudi Arabia for Haj as the desert nation is refusing entry to anyone with even a common cold. Saudi authorities are insisting on certificates stating that Haj pilgrims are completely free of any influenza infection.

Changes in the virus are also being tracked closely as scientists are concerned that new strains may make the vaccines being developed at a feverish pace infructuous. As of now, WHO fears Tamiflu resistance may be more widespread than officially reported.
Going by available data, majority of the resistant cases were reported where oseltamivir was given as preventive medication to people exposed to the flu but who had not tested positive themselves. Some cases were a result of treatment of mild illness as well as "immuno-compromised" patients or persons whose immune systems were working imperfectly.

India has so far not reported such a mutation. ICMR director general Dr V M Katoch told TOI, "We have been constantly sequencing genes in H1N1 to mark any form of mutation. However, we have still not found a case of oseltamivir resistant H1N1 virus."

He added, "Fear of resistance is why we are so careful about Tamilfu's availability to the public and its use in management of H1N1 infected or suspected patients. Tamilfu is now only available in select hospitals so that we can keep a record of the treatment."

Meanwhile, the decision on exit screening was taken in a meeting between the director general of health services and the Haj Committee of India on Saturday.

Till now, India has only been carrying out screening of passengers arriving at the country's 22 international airports.

Saudi Arabia has announced that it will require a health certificate for all pilgrims to Mecca, showing they are not suffering from normal flu. In the meeting on Saturday, the health ministry said that in the next 10 days, it would provide the Haj committee and states with the prototype of India's flu free certificate that every pilgrim will have to get stamped after a check-up by designated doctors.

The certificate will state that the pilgrim isn't suffering from seasonal flu or has H1N1 symptoms.

Speaking to TOI from Mumbai, CEO of India's Haj committee Mohammad Owais said, "A high-level expert committee has been formed to see whether all Indian pilgrims can be given a 42-day regimen of Tamilfu as a form of protection. The committee will see what the drug's side effects will be if used for so long and whether it is a feasible proposition."

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In Puri, Anil Ambani doles out cash

PURI/BHUBANESWAR: Industrialist Anil Ambani exhibited his generosity during a visit to Puri on Sunday. Holding wads of Rs 1,000 notes, Anil

donated not less than Rs 40,000 among a handful of roadside coconut vendors and poor passers-by on Puri-Bhubaneswar National Highway near Chandanpur in Puri district.

Anil’s cavalcade, comprising eight cars, halted with a screech near the coconut vendors on the busy highway around 3.15 pm. Anil, wearing a white kurta-pyjama, walked up to the vendors and bought coconuts for himself and those in his cavalcade. He was joined by his mother Kokilaben, sister Dipti D Salgaocar and brother-in-law Dattaraj Salgaocar.

Anil then distributed food packets and other gifts among coconut vendors. The chairman of Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group did not stop there. Money was distributed like ‘prasad’ among fruit sellers and poor villagers, who thronged the place.
“I sold 70 coconuts to Anil Ambani and his people. He himself had two. I got a Rs 1,000 note, some sweets and a food packet from him,” said a coconut vendor, Sagar Bhoi.

Anil did not frustrate other vendors. He walked down to other fruit sellers and doled out money and freebies. “I saw him hand Rs 1,000 notes to at least 40 people. Some security guards, who accompanied Anil, were also benefited as Anil distributed notes to them as well,” another vendor Nanda Behera said.
“I had heard of Anil Ambani. I was overjoyed to get him as my customer today. He was very generous and soft-spoken,” Bhoi said.
“Anil was driving the car and suddenly stopped on the road. We were shocked at first. Then he got us coconuts and donated money to the poor coconut vendors,” one member of the cavalcade said.

Earlier, Anil visited the Jagannath temple and spent at least two hours meditating in the Mahalaxmi sub-shrine located inside the 12th century shrine precinct. His mother accompanied him to the temple for darshan of the presiding deities. Anil’s visit to Puri came a fortnight after he undertook a pilgrimage to temples in south India. From Puri he headed further east to Pashupatinath temple in Kathmandu.

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End to the Vasundhara deadlock?

Will the deadlock over Vasundhara Raje end after her meeting with the central BJP leadership on Monday?

Raje is scheduled to meet Venkaiah Naidu. She has been asked to step down as the leader of the opposition in Rajasthan, taking responsibility for BJP's losses in the last elections.

The question is how to give Raje an honourable exit and how to sort end the rebellion in Rajasthan BJP.

Raje has said she will obey the central leadership, saying she was a 'disciplined soldier' of the party and its order was 'supreme' to her.

Sources say Raje will try to meet RSS boss Mohan Bhagwat apart from having talks with Naidu.

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Vijay Mallya's Force India creates history

It was a fight to the finish from two drivers who battled their hearts out through every minute of the 44-lap race to give us arguably the most exciting racing duel of the season so far! Only one man could come out on top; on the given day it was Kimi Raikkonen, but nobody can take anything away from Fisichella who drove like a genius to bring Force India their first points after 30 race starts!

The start was most exciting! Even though the rain kept away this year, the action was ever-present! In the very first lap of the race there was a monstrous crash that took out four cars including championship-leader Jenson Button, 2008 stripped ‘winner’ Hamilton, debutant Grosjean and the baby of the grid Jaime Alguersuari.

Thanks to the wreck on lap 1, the Mercedes safety car was deployed even as Fisichella lead the race with a mean scarlet car harrowing him from behind. Raikkonen waited patiently behind the Force India during the entire safety car period but the moment the silver car went in to the pit-lane, Raikkonen made his move. It appeared like a limp surrender from the Italian as the KERS monster pulled off a routine over-taking manoeuvre to take the race lead on lap 5.


What followed were 39 laps filled with remarkable persistence from Fisichella who never allowed Raikkonen’s lead to get out of hand. He pushed incessantly lap after lap putting immense pressure on a man who had triumphed at Spa three times before. All the while, from second place, a position that he hasn’t finished at in 4 seasons (2005, Japan) – Fisichella didn’t stop pushing. He stayed on Raikkonen’s tail to the very last second of the race to give his team its first point and his engineers their first bottle of champagne!

It was a great drive from Kimi Raikkonen in the end and even though Fisichella’s historic first podium for Force India did steal a bit of the limelight at the Spa-Francorchamps, it was Raikkonen who stamped his return to the top step for the first time in 26 races (his last victory was at the Spanish GP of 2008) and giving Ferrari its first win of 2009.

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Rajasthan blood bank racket: Govt orders probe, 2 held

The Rajasthan government has initiated an inquiry into a blood donation racket in Sriganganagar. This, after reports that several units of blood collected and supplied illegally to patients at a nursing home in Sriganganagar were HIV infected.

The Sriganganagar police on Sunday arrested Hetram Goyal, the owner of Goyal Medical Lab in Anoopgarh, for illegally collecting and supplying blood to a private nursing home. Two children, who received blood transfusions at the nursing home, have, however, tested negative for HIV.

Police along with district health authorities were scrutinising records seized from the lab and nursing home to determine how many patients were given blood transfusions. Sriganganagar's chief medical health officer B L Misra said, "Preliminary investigations show that the lab collected blood from donors and supplied it to patients in the nursing home."

In a twist to the tale, the alleged HIV positive donor also submitted an affidavit to the SDM that although he was HIV positive, he had never donated blood to the lab.

Sriganganagar SP Umesh Datta said, "The block medical officer registered an FIR against Goyal and Dr Bharat Bhusan, the owner of Shyam Nursing Home, for collecting and giving blood without a licence. Goyal has been arrested while a search is on for Dr Bhusan," Datta said.

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India to seek inspiration from 2007 final for 2nd title

Inspirational skipper Bhaichung Bhutia once again holds the key as India aim for a 2007 encore against Syria to clinch their second successive Nehru Cup title in the final of the five-nation football tournament here on Monday.

Two years ago at the Ambedkar Stadium, the home team had beaten the Syrians in front of a 20,000-strong crowd to win their maiden Nehru Cup title after losing to the same opponents in their round-robin fixture.

Bob Houghton's boys will have to take refuge in the history books once again after losing their last round-robin league match to the Syrians, 61 places above India in FIFA rankings at 95th, on Saturday.

India did not start with five first XI players, including Bhutia, on Saturday and Houghton was satisfied with the performance of his boys but the fact is that Syria had been the better side in the tournament having won all their four matches while the hosts had also lost to Lebanon.

Houghton though is not losing hope and rightly too as the home team will be bolstered by the return of two of the best players in the tournament -- Bhaichung Bhutia and Steven Dias -- in the starting line-up on Monday.

Bhutia has been outstanding as he has led from the front in the two matches India won by opening scoring and spearheading the attack admirably well along with Sunil Chhetri.

Bhutia's presence in the Indian ranks will also infuse confidence in his team-mates.

The 'Sikkimese Sniper', in the running for the player of the tournament award having become man of the match twice, may come up with something special in the tournament during which he became the first Indian to have played 100 international matches.

Another star performer, Steven Dias, will also be looking to repeat his performance against Sri Lanka and with the return of right back Surkumar Singh, Bhutia and Chhetri are expected to be fed by those deadly curling crosses from the right flank.

It will be an interesting duel between the Indian frontmen and Syrian backline, which has not conceded a single goal so far.

Bhutia and Co. will have to do something extra to break through the Syrian citadel manned by two of the best defenders of the tournament -- Ali Dyab and Belal Abdul Daim.

In contrast, India's Achilles heal has been the back four who have conceded some soft goals in the league stage. They have to work extra hard against Syrian star striker Mohammad Al Zino and midfielder Feras Ismail.

Houghton, seeking his third title in his just-over three year tenure as India coach, exuded confidence that his boys can beat the Syrians tomorrow.

"Syria are a strong side. We have to lift our game on Monday to beat them. The good crowd and the good environment and I think we can beat them in the final," Houghton said.

Syrian coach Fajer Ebrahim is satisfied with the performance of his boys and was thinking of making amends for their 2007 final loss under his charge.

"We will play even better in the final as we will have the full squad," he said.

"This Indian team is not as good as the last time (in 2007). They are less active, not running much and lack fighting spirit," he added.

Ebrahim also knows the threat that may come from Bhutia tomorrow, saying, "Our defenders will be much more intense as India will play Bhutia."

For the Delhi crowd though it will be the match they are waiting for -- a game between full strength Indian and Syrian sides.

Enthusiasm of the fans has been even more than 2007. Two years back, fans turned up only from midway the tournament.

But this time, starting from the opening match between India and Lebanon, the fans have turned up to near capacity at in all the four matches involving the home team.

They are expected to fill the floodlit Ambedkar Stadium to the brim tomorrow as they had done on August 29, 2007, and a late monsoon rain could be the only dampener in what promises to be a high-intensity game.

India (From): Subrata Paul, Subhashish Roy Chowdhury, Anwar Ali, Deepak Mondal, Bhaichung Bhutia (C), Mahesh Gawli, Surkumar Singh, Gouramangi Singh, Samir Naik, Mehrajuddin Wadoo, N P Pradeep, Renedy Singh, Syed Rahim Nabi, Steven Dias, Anthony Pereira, Climax Lawrence, Sunil Chhetri, Sushil Kumar Singh, Abhishek Yadav.

Syria (From): Mosab Balhous, Moustafa Shakosh, Hamzeh Al Aitoni, Ali Dyab, Wael Ayan, Mohamed Al Zeno, Belal Abdul Daim, Abdul Razak Al Hussain, Abdul Fatah Alaga, Alaa Alshbli, Feras Ismail, Raja Rafe, Kawa Hisso, Moutaz Kaildni, Jwan Hisso, Ahmad Haj Mohamad, Bakri Tarrab.

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Jwala-Diju win Grand Prix gold in Taiwan

Shuttlers Jwala Gutta and V Diju on Sunday created history by becoming the first Indian mixed doubles pair to win a Grand Prix Gold in Chinese Taipei.

In the hard-fought final of the Chinese Taipei Grand Prix Gold tournament, the world number seven Indian pair prevailed over the Indonesian duo of Hendra Aprida Gunawan and Vita Marissa 23-21, 21-18 to achieve the feat in the Chinese Taipei city on Sunday.

Jwala-Diju had become the first India mixed doubles pair to reach the quarterfinal of the World Badminton Championship in Hyderabad early this month.

They had also won the Bitburger Open and Bulgarian Open last year.

Badminton Association of India (BAI) President VK Verma said, "This is a very good news for India. This is the first time that any doubles pair of India have won a grand prix gold event."

"They have been doing well and now with this win they have catapulted themselves to be one of the Commonwealth Games medal hopes for the country," he added.

Verma said keeping next year's Commonwealth Games in view, a number of super series tournament has been lined up for the mixed doubles pair.

"They are shaping up well and yesterday we finalised a training programme for them and they would be sent for a number of super series tournaments for exposure," he said.

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