Sponsors keen on ICL

It seems that the Indian Cricket League is on the fast track and a number of companies have expressed their interest in investing in it.

According to reports, at least six major companies have expressed interest in investing by way of sponsorships and contracts.

This level of interest comes quick on the heels of the league announcing the names of some of the players who have joined them.

"People are constantly looking for opportunities; advertisers buy audiences and they buy experience. The ICL format takes away the uncertainty of the game like in English football, i.e., the sponsors never lose out."

"Unlike in the World Cup, when we had crores of money riding and we lost, the ICL format takes away the pressure of India not doing well," said Sashi Sinha, CEO, Lodestar Universal.

While it is still early days, advertisers are looking for that little bit extra for their buck, and that even includes Team India sponsor Sahara. In fact, Sahara chairman Subroto Roy told NDTV that he would back the ICL.

NDTV: If you had your way would you back it (ICL)?

Subroto Roy: If it comes to me that we can support it for the good, we will do that.

NDTV: Sahara could be the sponsor of the National cricket team and the ICL?

Subroto Roy: It may happen in the future.

This could cause the biggest ripples with the BCCI because the buck won't stop with them.

"I wouldn't worry about advertising coming my way, that will happen since the product is good. We have the right names, and a lot of advertisers are in touch with us. But our priority now is to put the processes in place," said Ashish Kaul, VP, Indian Cricket League.

In cricket, it is money that makes the ball go round, and it now seems that the ICL will be hurting the BCCI where it is likely to hurt the most, i.e., its coffers.

MPs raise concern over rising prices

Members in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday expressed concern over rising prices of essential commodities with Left members accusing the Government of failing to check inflation despite repeated assurances.

Raising the issue during Zero Hour, Gurudas Das Gupta (CPI) said prices of pulses had crossed Rs 50 per kg and that of potato Rs 15 per kg and edible oil Rs 60 a litre.

He said that there had been an unprecedented price rise for more than a year and despite Finance Minister P Chidambaram's assurance that the Government would take all steps to tackle inflation, things have not helped.

Members belonging to the Left, the Samajwadi Party and the BJP supported him.

Das Gupta said the poor had been hit hard. Speaker Somnath Chatterjee promised a discussion on the matter observing the entire House wanted it.

Wall Street closes mixed

Wall Street ended another erratic session mixed on Tuesday as investors, waiting for the Federal Reserve's next move to steady the markets, made few big commitments to stocks.

Comments from policymakers and government officials tugged at a market looking for any evidence the Fed will cut rates to help contain the credit crisis that began with the failure of subprime loans.

The Fed has taken a number of steps to prop up the nation's financial institutions ahead of its scheduled September 18 meeting, including injecting more liquidity into the banking industry and cutting the discount rate.

But many on Wall Street want the Fed to do more, including lowering the more important federal funds rate, and to do it before next month's meeting.

Shrinking credit

Traders reacted positively to comments from Senate Banking Committee Chairman Christopher Dodd who said Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke isn't satisfied with Wall Street's response to his efforts to stabilize markets torn by anxiety about shrinking credit.

Dodd, after a meeting with Bernanke and Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson, said policymakers plan to use "all tools available" to complete its mission.

But that bullishness cooled after Fed President Jeffrey Lacker said the central bank's policy must be guided by fundamentals, rather than market swings, indicating that a cut in the fed funds rate cut might not be among the tools the Fed plans to use.

The 30-stock Dow Jones industrial average fell 30.49, or 0.23 per cent, to 13,090.86 after moving in and out of positive territory throughout the day.

Broader market indexes were slightly higher. The Standard & Poor's 500 index rose 1.57, or 0.11 per cent, to 1,447.12, and the Nasdaq composite index rose 12.71, or 0.51 per cent, to 2,521.30. The Russell 2000 index of smaller companies added 0.93, or 0.12 per cent, to 788.38.

Advancing issues outnumbered decliners by about 3-to-2 on the New York Stock Exchange, where volume came to 1.35 billion shares.

Bonds rally

Bonds continued to rally as more investors moved money from stocks to the safer haven of the Treasury market.

The yield on the benchmark 10-year Treasury note fell to 4.59 per cent from 4.63 per cent late Monday. Bond prices move opposite yields.

The day's trading session echoed the erratic pattern seen Monday, when the Dow changed course several times and swung in a 200-point range before closing only slightly higher.

However, Wednesday's volatility was much more mild, free from triple-digit swings, as investors took a more cautious tone.

Trading also reflected speculation that the global credit crunch is nowhere near over. Countrywide Financial Corp. was said to be a takeover target due to losses linked to distressed subprime mortgages.

Investors expected more layoffs after Capital One Financial Corp. said it was shuttering its GreenPoint Mortgage unit and slashing 1,900 jobs. Capital One shares rose $1.75, or 2.6 per cent, to $68.47; Countrywide spiked $1.98, or 10 per cent, to $21.79.

Oil prices dip below $70

Crude oil prices dropped below $70 a barrel to an eight-week low on Tuesday, after Hurricane Dean weakened and it appeared the storm would have no lasting effect on Mexican oil production.

Gasoline and natural gas prices also extended their sharp losses, with traders betting that demand is falling and supplies are safe.

"It's good news for consumers certainly. There's really not much short-term support for natural gas prices in the absence of hurricane activity," said Tim Evans, energy analyst at Citigroup Global Markets.

Light, sweet crude for September delivery lost $1.65 to settle at $69.47 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange, its lowest close since June 27.

September natural gas, which dropped more than 13 per cent on Monday, fell another 22.3 cents, or 3.7 per cent, to settle at $5.817 per 1,000 cubic feet.

September gasoline futures, which fell 5 per cent Monday, extended its losses by 7.28 cents, or 3.8 per cent, to settle at $1.8637 a gallon. September heating oil futures dipped 2.89 cents to settle at $1.9520 a gallon.

October Brent crude fell $1.16 to $68.69 a barrel on the ICE futures exchange in London.

Wall Street movement

In addition to hurricanes, energy traders are also closely following the stock market's moves.

Wall Street's plunge appears to have been stanched for now, following the Federal Reserve's discount rate cut that made it cheaper for commercial banks to borrow from the central bank. But trading has been choppy, reflecting ongoing credit worries.

Because of the rocky stock market, the energy market is betting that energy demand will keep declining, especially as the driving season ends.

Also causing energy prices to drop, speculators, those looking to make fast money, as opposed to commercial investors who use the market to hedge their interests, have exited their positions to free up cash.

Putin opens Russian air show

Russia opened its largest air show in post-Soviet history, showing off its growing military footprint and global assertiveness while seeking lucrative deals as it seeks to boost sagging aircraft development and production.

President Vladimir Putin, who last week announced that his country's long-range bombers had resumed patrols over the word's oceans, stressed Russia's prominence in production of military aircraft but said it must be more competitive in creating passenger planes.

The International Aviation and Space Show, held at a former secret military airfield outside Moscow, is an international trade fair showcasing Russia's latest military and civilian planes.

But reactions to the Russian hardware - both planes parked in hangers and others whizzing overhead - were mixed.

While the commander of US air forces in Europe expressed admiration for advanced Russian MiG and Sukhoi fighters, one military analyst characterized the same jets as ''flying toys.''

Putin, meanwhile, conceded nothing to critics of Russia's military aviation industry.

''The task stands before us of maintaining our leadership in the production of military aviation technology,'' he said Tuesday at the start of the six-day show at Zhukovsky military airfield.

Russian manufacturers ''must more actively enter the world market for passenger and transport aircraft with competitive production,'' he said.

After the 1991 Soviet collapse, the Russian government drastically cut spending on its aircraft manufacturing industry.

Though factories producing military planes fared better than those building civilian aircraft - in part because they benefited from arms sales abroad - Russia fell behind the West in designing advanced warplanes.

Today, Russian passenger planes are so outdated that airlines flying to European and US destinations must use Western-made planes to meet noise and pollution restrictions.

But the Kremlin is determined to revive the heyday of Soviet aviation, and the government - bolstered by oil and gas revenues - has invested in a new S-400 missile defense system and enhanced its MiG and Sukhoi fighter jets - all on exhibition at the show.

Nearly 800 companies from about 100 countries participated in the biannual show, state arms trader Rosoboronexport said, up from 70 at the last show.

The largest foreign delegations were from China, Latin America and Arab countries.

Venezuela constitutional reforms approved

Venezuela's National Assembly, dominated by allies of President Hugo Chavez, gave unanimous initial approval to constitutional reforms that would allow him to run for re-election and possibly govern for decades to come.

Assembly President Cilia Flores said Chavez's proposed changes to the constitution, including the lifting of presidential term limits were approved on Tuesday by all 167 lawmakers after about six hours of debate.

Final approval is expected within two or three months, and voters will then decide whether to approve the changes in a referendum.

The assembly has been solidly pro-Chavez since the opposition boycotted a 2005 vote and had been expected to sign off on the changes proposed by Chavez in Tuesday's first reading.

Extend presidential term

The reforms, if approved, would extend presidential terms from six to seven years and allow Chavez to run again in 2013.

Government opponents have attacked the reforms, saying they will weaken democracy by permitting Chavez to become a lifelong leader like his ally Fidel Castro of Cuba.

Chavez, a former paratroop commander who was re-elected by a wide margin in December on promises to steer the country toward socialism, says the changes will give Venezuelans greater decision-making power.

He also says that it will aid the transfer of billions of dollars from Venezuela's foreign reserves into social programmes.

Opposition against it

Ismael Garcia, one of the assembly's few dissenting voices, criticised pro-Chavez lawmakers for excluding opposition groups from the discussion, arguing that Venezuelans of all political leanings must be included in the debate before the proposed reforms are put to a national vote.

Garcia, who voted for the initial approval despite his criticism, said issues ''such as the economic path of a new society'' must be discussed. ''This isn't just any debate,'' he said.

Other reforms would create new types of property to be managed by cooperatives, give neighborhood-based ''communal councils'' administrative responsibilities usually reserved for elected officials and create ''a popular militia'' that would form part of the military.

The workday would also be reduced to six hours.

Flores said government-friendly lawmakers have the right to approve the reforms without changing the proposal that Chavez presented last week.

''We are not imposing anything,'' she told state television.

Earlier on Tuesday, former Chavez mentor Luis Miquilena urged Venezuelans to reject the proposed constitutional changes.

Miquilena, who headed a popularly elected, pro-Chavez assembly that drafted Venezuela's existing constitution, called his former ally's new reform proposal ''a constitutional fraud'' aimed at giving him ''perpetual power.''

Miquilena, an 88-year-old former labour leader, once was commonly referred to as Chavez's closest adviser.

But he quit his Cabinet in 2002 and has periodically criticized the president since then.

UN releases report on Sudan rapes

The UN's top human rights office released gruesome new details of rapes of Darfur women, reportedly by soldiers and government militia.

It also accused the Sudanese government of failing to investigate.

''The abuses may also constitute war crimes,'' said the report by the office of Louise Arbour, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.

Members of the Sudanese armed forces and allied militiamen allegedly subjected around 50 women to multiple rapes and other forms of violence in an attack on the village of Deribat in late December, it said adding that they abducted many children.

Systematically raped

Deribat was one of nine villages attacked in the eastern Jebel Marra region of Darfur at the time, it said, adding that 36 civilians were killed and many people were driven from their homes.

''Interviews indicate that the abducted women were systematically raped,'' said Tuesday's report, which was compiled by a team of UN human rights investigators.

''Some children were beaten by their abductors and they were exposed to the traumatic scenes of rape,'' it said.

Testimony from victims indicated that the attacks were committed by members of the Sudanese armed forces and affiliated groups, the report said.

Independent investigation

Arbour's office urged the Sudanese government to ''establish an independent body to investigate abduction, rape and sexual slavery committed in the region.''

It further said the suspects should be brought to justice.

The office said in a report last April that the military and its allies have been using rape as part of a wider assault on people belonging to the same ethnic group as some Darfuri rebels.

The report said UN representatives presented the initial findings to local authorities in Darfur, but ''no investigations were carried out by the authorities,'' it said.

No reaction

Sudanese government reaction was not immediately available.

Rahma Slih Elobied of the Sudanese mission to the UN in Geneva told the AP that she was unable to comment because she had yet to see the report.

The report said a woman who had been abducted from Deribat with her 16-year-old daughter described how the women were raped in front of each other.

Those who resisted would be beaten with sticks, the report said.

The women suffered physical injuries and psychological trauma from the repeated rapes by many of the attackers, the report said.

''A number of women became pregnant as a result of the rape,'' posing a further health risk to them, it said.

The women were forced to cook and serve food to their abductors, but received only leftovers to eat, according to the report.

Darfur has been the scene of a bloody four-year conflict between government-backed militias and rebel forces that has so far seen more than 200,000 people killed and at least 2.5 million driven from their homes, according to UN estimates.

Flood fury: NKorea reaches out for UN aid

Reclusive North Korea is opening up to widespread international aid after devastating floods, and the main UN food agency said it will start distributing emergency food to thousands of victims.

Letting in aid under the World Food Program indicates the severity of the floods and the secretive regime's desperation.

UN food distribution is strictly monitored to ensure those in need are being fed.

The tightly controlled communist North has previously bristled at such intrusions.

In recent years it scaled back the outside assistance it allows, claiming its food crisis was over.

But this year's floods, spawned by the heaviest rain in four decades, appear to have devastated the country.

The North says recent storms destroyed more than 11 per cent of its crops. International aid officials say some 221 people were killed and 82 remain missing. More than 89,000 are homeless.

The disaster has also forced the postponement of the first summit between the two Koreas in seven years.

The planned summit, along with the easing of a nuclear standoff between North Korea and the international community, have recently relieved some tensions in the region.

Pyongyang requested more help Tuesday from the South, beyond the $7.5 million in emergency aid that Seoul has already pledged.

The South's Unification Ministry said it was considering what to offer in response to the North's plea for construction materials and heavy equipment.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said Tuesday that the North sent it a letter saying it ''welcomes willingness to assist,'' and that it was asked to coordinate relief efforts.

The agency plans to send experts to the country in the next few days, spokeswoman Elisabeth Byrs said in Geneva.

The World Health Organization said North Korea asked it to coordinate the supply of medicines and emergency health kits.

The World Food Program or WFP is already at the center of international efforts to help fight hunger in the North, which is unable to provide for its own people without outside aid.

Murder case: Delhi HC acquits Soren

Former union minister Shibu Soren has been cleared of charges of murdering his private secretary Shashinath Jha.

The Delhi High Court acquitted the JMM leader stating the CBI had failed miserably in gathering any evidence against him.

Soren had challenged his conviction for the 1994 kidnapping and murder of his private secretary.

Nuke deal standoff resonates in US

Indian Ambassador to the US Ronen Sen is not the only casualty of the opposition to the Indo-US nuclear deal in the Indian Parliament.

The ramifications of the political impasse in New Delhi are being felt amongst experts and think tanks in Washington DC too.

In fact, in the US, even those international relations experts who have been the most fervent proponents of the deal have had no option but to agree with Sen's remark that if the nuclear deal unravels because of opposition in New Delhi, India will have ''zero credibility.''

''The fact that there has been such controversy over it and that the government is even considering slowing things down inevitably leads people to wonder whether India is a country that cannot take yes for an answer.''

''I think it is more than credibility. Obviously, any time a government agrees to something and cannot deliver that something, obviously its credibility is questioned. This would be as true for the United States as it is for India.''

''But what I am really talking about is whether India as a political society is willing to take the kinds of decisions needed to be a big player on the international scene,'' said Teresita Schaffer, Director, South Asia Program, CSIS.

Moreover, the standoff in Delhi has also strengthened the stand of critics of the deal in the US policy community.

''I think the biggest impediment to this deal from day one was Indian domestic politics. If an agreement is not consensual, if an agreement this important is not consensual, then it is not a good idea.''

''This was a mistake for the government of India and the previous government of India - whose leaders now object to the deal. It was a mistake for them to make this a litmus test for their relationship, and it was a mistake for the Bush administration to sign up to it,'' said Michael Krepon, Co-founder, Henry Stimson Center.

The nuclear deal is possibly the most ambitious chapter in India and the US's diplomatic history.

It has been hailed as the cornerstone of a new strategic partnership between the once estranged democracies.

Nearing the end of its term, the Bush administration does not have very much foreign policy success to point to and was hoping that the nuclear deal could be one.

Instead, the political developments in Delhi could mean that what was expected to be a policy success for the Bush administration now runs the risk of being another policy embarrassment.

NCW takes up acid attack victim's cause

The National Commission for Women has summoned the DCP of South Delhi who is investigating the Tarveen Suri case.

A team visited Tarveen at Safadrjung Hospital where she has been admitted with 80 per cent burn injuries. Tarveen was attacked outside her Delhi house 10 days ago.

Though police have grilled Tarveen's husband Naveen and his friend Rachna, police are yet to find anything incriminating against them.

In her initial statements Tarveen alleged she was attacked because of Naveen's relationship with Rachna.

Japan PM addresses Parliament

Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has addressed a joint session of Parliament on Wednesday.

It's a visit at a crucial time for India as Japan is a key member of the Nuclear Suppliers Group.

Despite the Left's resistance to Indo-US nuclear deal, nuclear energy cooperation is likely to dominate talks between Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Abe.

India will be asking for Tokyo's support for the nuclear deal at the NSG which first has to agree to lift restrictions on nuclear trade.

But with the Japanese very sensitive on issues of nuclear proliferation convincing Abe may need some diplomatic manourevring.

Abe is accompanied by a 200 member business delegation from corporations like Mitsubushi, Hitachi and Toshiba - companies specialising in high tech goods.

Both countries are expected to finalise an Economic Partnership and funding for the 100-billion dollar Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor (DMIC) project.

FRL improves army life at Siachen

The guns may have fallen silent on Siachen, the world's highest battlefield, in the past four years but the icy weather and inaccessible location remains a constant enemy and an enduring challenge for the Indian army.

But thanks to a combined effort of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and the army, there is a constant effort to improve the soldiers' life in high altitude areas.

Located at Leh, the DRDO's field research laboratory has devised ways to make life comfortable for soldiers' deployed in these difficult conditions.

One of the oldest labs in the country, the Field Research Laboratory has developed techniques that allow a variety of non-indigenous crops to grow in the barren landscape of Ladakh.

It allows soldiers to get fresh vegetables locally instead of depending on supplies from the plains of Punjab. It also helps the local economy.

''We first experiment new techniques on our farms and then pass the technique onto the local farmers. This has helped us to reduce the length of the supply chain,'' said Dr Zaman, Director, FRL, Leh.

But agriculture is not the only field that the FRL deals in. After the Kargil War, it found the mules were not able to withstand the harsh weather. So now it has developed a new breed.

The FRL also plays a major part in Operation Clean and Green Siachen.

Synergy between the FRL and the army deployed in Ladakh has ensured that there is a constant improvement in the life of the soldiers deployed in these adverse conditions.

World's oldest natural mother at 59

LONDON: A British housewife has become the world's oldest natural mother after giving birth at the age of 59, breaking the previous global record for a pregnancy by two years.

Dawn Brooke gave birth to a healthy boy without any fertility treatment only 12 months before she became eligible for her old age pension, the ' Daily Mail' reported here on Monday, quoting her 74-year-old husband Raymond as saying.

In fact, her husband, a former company director, said the couple had kept the 1997 birth private for a decade to let their son grow up in peace. But, he spoke for the first time yesterday about their delight at having a child so late.

"People are generally not quite aware of the extreme good luck we had at our age. We're overjoyed to have our son. We've been hugely fortunate. He's such a fantastic boy," Brooke was quoted as saying.

The youngster has been brought up at the couple's one million pound home on Guernsey and attends school on the Channel Island.

Relatives of the boy - who is ten on Monday- said he's extremely bright and particularly enjoys maths. But like most children his age he is also a big fan of Harry Potter, a passion he shares with his father.

Brooke married his London-born wife a few weeks before their son was born by caesarean section at a Guernsey hospital on August 20, 1997.

"When we moved in they came round for a children's party, and everyone assumed that Mrs Brooke was the grandmother. But they are devoted to their son and very active. They seem far younger than their age," the couple's neighbour Marina Bourgaize told the daily.



It may be mentioned that the earlier world record for the oldest natural birth was held by Ruth Kistler, who had a daughter in Los Angeles in 1956 aged 57.

Taliban chief says Bin Laden alive: Video

WASHINGTON: A top Taliban commander said Al-Qaida mastermind Osama bin Laden is alive and well, according to US-based analysts monitoring extremist publications.

"All praise be to Allah, he is extremely healthy and active," the commander Mansour Dadullah said in a video interview, according to a transcript of the video's English subtitled translation, released on Tuesday by the analyst IntelCenter.

Dadullah, whose brother Mullah Dadullah was also a top commander in the Afghanistan-based militants and was killed this year, said he had been contacted by Bin Laden, the man blamed for the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States.

"I received a message from him in which he advised me 'I must follow Mullah Dadullah and continue the same activities so that the mujahideen (Islamic fighters) may not weaken," he said, according to the transcript.

The video is dated June 15, 2007, IntelCenter said. After the attacks the United States led an invasion of Afghanistan to oust the Taliban regime allied with Al-Qaida and believed the Saudi-born Bin Laden was hiding there. But after pounding the mountains where his den was thought to be, US-led forces failed to find him.

Report reveals CIA failures before 9/11

WASHINGTON: The CIA's top leaders failed to use their available powers, never developed a comprehensive plan to stop Al-Qaida and missed crucial opportunities to thwart two hijackers in the run-up to September 11, the agency's own watchdog has concluded in a bruising report.

Completed in June 2005 and kept classified until now, the 19-page executive summary released on Tuesday finds extensive fault with the actions of senior Central intelligence Agency (CIA) leaders and others beneath them. "The agency and its officers did not discharge their responsibilities in a satisfactory manner," the CIA inspector general found.

"They did not always work effectively and cooperatively," the report stated.

Yet the review team led by Inspector General John Helgerson found neither a "single point of failure nor a silver bullet" that would have stopped the attacks that killed nearly 3,000 people.

In a statement, CIA Director Michael Hayden said the decision to release the report was not his choice or preference, but that he was making the report available as required by Congress in a law President George W Bush signed earlier this month.

"I thought the release of this report would distract officers serving their country on the front lines of a global conflict," Hayden said. "It will, at a minimum, consume time and attention revisiting ground that is already well plowed."

The report does cover terrain heavily examined by a congressional inquiry and the September 11 Commission. However, the CIA watchdog's report goes further than previous reviews to examine the personal failings of individuals within the agency who led the pre-September 11 efforts against Al-Qaida.

China storm death toll rises to 36

BEIJING: A typhoon killed at least 36 people as it swept across southeast China this week, destroying crops and battering homes, Xinhua news agency said.

Typhoon Sepat, which hit at the weekend and was expected to linger as a tropical depression through Thursday, caused losses of nearly 5 billion yuan ($658 million) in the provinces of Fujian, Jiangxi, Zhejiang and Hunan, Xinhua quoted the Ministry of Civil Affairs and local meteorologists as saying.

Landslides caused at least half the deaths.

A tornado spun off the storm in Zhejiang's manufacturing hub of Wenzhou, which produces everything from shoes to cigarette lighters, killing several people.

Disaster officials in the Philippines said three people drowned in flooding caused by Sepat and parts of the capital and surrounding provinces remained under water.

Taiwan's disaster centre said one person had died and several had been injured in the typhoon. About 2,500 people were evacuated and nearly 9,000 homes were still without electricity.

Nuke deal with India will not be reworked: US

NEW DELHI: A top US official said a controversial nuclear pact with New Delhi could not be renegotiated amid demands from Indian critics for a reworking the deal.

"We cannot renegotiate it because the agreement is done. Neither government wishes it to be renegotiated because it is now complete," US Under Secretary Nicholas Burns told a magazine in an interview published over the weekend.

The agreement will allow New Delhi to buy atomic fuel, technology and plants even though it is not party to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, but critics say it would limit India's strategic options.

The agreement -- reached last month after nearly two years of negotiations -- has drawn heavy criticism from both the opposition parties and the government's communist allies.

Burns declined to comment on criticism by the communists, who support is crucial to the survival of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's Congress-led coalition government in Parliament.

"So, I don't have any particular message for them except to say that in the 21st century we have seen the global balance of forces shifting," said Burns, the chief US negotiator of the deal.

"That it is in the common interest of India and the US to be partners, certainly on the effort to bring peace and stability in South and East Asia."

The Indian government came under mounting criticism after a US State Department spokesman said this week that the accord had provisions allowing Washington to terminate the agreement if India tested atomic weapons.

Singh and Foreign Minister Pranab Mukherjee have said that the negotiation will not hinder the country's nuclear testing options.

The communists say the agreement would also lead to US interference in India's foreign policy.

But Burns dismissed the suggestion. "No one is trying to challenge India's sovereignty as a country to make its own decisions," Burns said.

Tensions between the government and its allies mounted last week after Singh told the Communists the deal would not be renegotiated and dared them to withdraw support for the ruling Congress coalition.

The deal also requires the approval of the US Congress before it becomes operational.

Shoaib Akhtar fined for indiscipline

Pakistan's controversial fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar has been fined three lakh rupees for indiscipline.

Pakistan Cricket Board chief executive Shafqat Nagmi said on Wednesday that Akhtar had left a training camp in Karachi last Saturday without informing the team management.

Later when the disciplinary committee of the board summoned him he failed to show up.

The 31-year-old player, who has been facing fitness problems, left the camp complaining of a neck strain.

Lampard on a mobile TV channel

Frank Lampard is not as high profile as David Beckham or as glamourous as Wayne Rooney but he's now the first footballer to have a TV channel dedicated just to him.

It's called FRANK TV and it's actually a mobile TV channel.

What you get is clips shot by Lampard on his mobile showing him doing a variety of things.

One of the good ones no doubt shows banter shot from the Chelsea dressing room.

The England mid-fielder also shot himself chatting with Ronaldino as he collected the runner up award at the world player of the year awards.

Mohammad Hamid Ansari wins Vice Presidential poll

UPA-Left candidate Mohammad Hamid Ansari was declared elected the country's 13th Vice President on Friday.

He won by a convincing margin in a triangular contest whose outcome was on expected lines.

The 70-year-old seasoned diplomat and academician trounced NDA candidate Najma Heptullah and UNPA nominee Rashid Masood, given the numbers heavily loaded in his favour.

Ansari got 455 votes against 222 secured by Heptullah while Masood finished a poor third polling 75 votes. Ten votes were declared invalid.

In all 762 members of Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha cast their votes in an all-Muslim contest. In the electoral college of 788, the effective strength of the two Houses is 783.

The victory of Ansari, who will succeed Bhairon Singh Shekhawat, was a foregone conclusion as the BJP-led NDA as also the grouping of regional parties - UNPA - made it known earlier that they were in the fray so as to ensure that the poll does not go uncontested.

Shekhawat had resigned within hours after he lost to UPA-Left candidate Pratibha Patil on July 21 in the Presidential poll.

Ansari will take oath on Saturday at a ceremony in Rashtrapati Bhavan and would assume charge as Chairman of Rajya Sabha on Monday, Parliamentary Affairs Minister P R Dasmunsi said.

BJP votes

Formally declaring the result, Rajya Sabha Secretary General Yogendra Narain, who is also the Returning Officer, said that because of the ten invalid votes, the total number of votes came down to 752 and the winning candidate was required to get at least the support of 377 MPs.

The voting percentage in the election was put at 97.31 per cent.

Narain said four members, who were in jail - Rajesh Ranjan alias Pappu Yadav, Afzal Ansari, Mohd Shahabuddin and Babubhai Katara - also cast their votes.

Of the ten invalid votes, six were marked in favour of Heptullah, three for Ansari and one for Masood, Dasmunshi said.

He said the UPA-Left nominee got 31 votes more than expected and the bulk of which came from the BJP.

ULFA militants kill 14 in Assam

Fourteen people, all of them migrants from Bihar, were killed late on Friday night by ULFA militants at Bokajan in Assam.

Militants opened fire at a village near Bokajan killing a two-year-old child and injuring eight others.

In a third incident at Diphu in Karbi Anglong 11 people were injured in a bomb blast.

On Wednesday eight migrants from Bihar including a two-month-old baby were shot dead at Bokolia.

In the past months, ULFA's orders to its cadres have been clear - target Biharis across the state. Since January, 80 of them have been killed.

While other attacks involved IEDs and grenades, Biharis have been brutally shot one-by-one. The idea is to drive a wedge between the locals and the Bihari migrants.

But so far, it is the politicians that the locals are blaming.

''Don't we know who are the insurgents, where are the insurgents? Why hasn't the elected representative come to see us? I do not have anything against the police and the army, you are doing your job, but it is the politicians who have a nexus with the insurgents,'' said a local resident.

From Karbi Anglong to Guwahati, ULFA's striking ability is getting better, and counter insurgency measures have been grossly inadequate to contain terrorist violence.

No takers in Left for PM's challenge

The Left parties on Saturday downplayed Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's challenge to withdraw their support on the Indo-US civil nuclear deal.

The Left maintained that ''we are going to oppose it'' and ''everything should not be linked with pulling down the government''.

While senior CPI (M) leader Sitaram Yechury and CPI's D Raja went roundabout reacting to Singh's statement, their junior allies, RSP and Forward Bloc, were forthright saying the Left support cannot be taken for granted.

Asked whether the Left will withdraw support, Yechury, leader of the CPI (M) in Parliament, said, ''everything should not be linked with pulling down the government. Our concern is with the nuclear deal. Governments will come and go but the agreement will remain.''

Yechury, while taking to reporters in Hyderabad, noted that the Prime Minister's statement was ''not in consonance with our viewpoint'', while Raja said here that the Left was ''not in agreement'' with it and ''that is why we have asked the government not to operationalise the deal.''

Debate in Parliament

All the four parties wanted a debate in Parliament but none of them said that they wanted it under a rule, which entails voting.

Opposition BJP and the UNPA constituents want the debate to be held under such a rule.

The Left leaders were reacting to Singh's statement bluntly telling them ''it is not possible to renegotiate the deal. It is an honourable deal, the Cabinet has approved it, we cannot go back on it. I told them to do whatever they want to do, if they want to withdraw support, so be it''

Yechury said the Left is going to oppose the nuclear deal ''because of the reasons which we have given. Now, the Prime Minister and everybody else may think that those reasons are not valid, that is their opinion.''

He said there was ''difference of opinion'' and ''difference of perception'' between Left and government on the deal.

Heavy political price

There was no immediate comments from CPI (M) General Secretary Prakash Karat, who had warned the government that it will have to pay a ''heavy political price'' if it went ahead with the nuclear deal.

''We will oppose the deal in Parliament. The UPA is a minority in Parliament. If the government pursues the deal, we will also go to the people and it will have to pay a heavy political price,'' Karat, who is in Kerala, had said earlier.

Maintaining that the Left has always been ''positive and constructive in its criticism'' of the government, Raja said they opposed the deal as it was bound to impact the country's foreign, security and economic policies.

''Our views are based on our assessment of the international situation, Indo-US strategic relationship and in particular the nuclear deal. The Left is not in agreement with the government's position,'' he said, adding ''that is why the
Left has asked that the government should not operationalise the deal.''

Referring to the Prime Minister's statement that the Left should learn to work with the government, RSP leader Abani Roy said ''these are just threats'' and ''that does not mean that we have to surrender everywhere.''

Forward Bloc leader G Devarajan said the Left had not promised the government of its support for the entire term of five years and ''our support cannot be taken for granted.''

Jammu: Ayodhya attack mastermind killed

Security personnel gunned down a top JeM militant, believed to be the mastermind behind the 2005 Ayodhya attack, in an encounter and arrested four of his associates early on Saturday.

Saifullah Kari, the divisional commander of the Jaish-e-Mohammed, was killed in the encounter at Janipura area of the city by a joint team of the Delhi and Jammu and Kashmir Police at around 0200 hours.

Acting on information that the JeM was planning a major attack here on the eve of Independence Day, the joint police team cordoned off Ramzan colony and raided the house of Maqsooda Begum .

A sub-inspector of Delhi police, Devinder Singh, and a Pakistani militant were also injured in the encounter.

The injured militant, Maqsooda Begum and her brother H A Siddiqi, were among the four persons arrested.

The injured SI and the militant have been admitted to a hospital.

Arms recovered

A large quantity of arms, ammunition and explosives were also recovered.

Kari was the mastermind behind the Ayodhya attack in which six heavily armed terrorists, who made an attempt to storm the high-security makeshift Ram temple in Ayodhya, were killed before they could make it to the shrine on July 5, 2005.

The plan was jointly formulated by JeM chief Masood Azahar and Kari in Bangladesh.

Nuke deal: PM dares Left to withdraw support

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has dared the Left parties to withdraw support to his government on the Indo-US civil nuclear deal.

''I told them (Left parties) that it is not possible to renegotiate the deal. It is an honourable deal, the cabinet has approved it, we cannot go back on it.

''I told them to do whatever they want to do, if they want to withdraw support, so be it,'' he said in an interview to the Kolkata based daily The Telegraph.

The Prime Minister's virtual challenge to the Left parties, whose 64 members in Lok Sabha provide a crucial make or break support to the UPA government, comes in the context of strong statements made by CPI-M leader Prakash Karat and CPI's AB Bardhan.

The Left leaders had warned that the government may have to pay a ''heavy price'' if it went ahead with the nuclear deal with the US.

The Prime Minister also made it clear that the UPA-Left relationship could not be a one-sided affair.

''I don't get angry, I don't want to use harsh words. They are our colleagues and we have to work with them. But they also have to learn to work with us,'' he said.

On the other hand Sitaram Yechury of CPI(M) appeared to be holding fast to their opinion on the deal.

''The PM is articulating his viewpoint which is not in consonance with ours. But we will oppose the N-deal. We will discuss it in Parliament,'' he said.

On the Left's reservations about dealing with the United States, Singh said, ''Look at Vietnam, look at China (the way they are engaging with America) - out of fear of dealing with the US, we cannot become a frog in the well.'' (With PTI inputs)

Musharraf set to impose emergency: Reports

According to Pakistan TV channel reports President General Pervez Musharraf is planning to impose emergency in the country.

He has had several high-level meetings on Wednesday with leading counsel Sharifuudin Pirzada and his law secretary. Reports also said emergency can be declared on Thursday.

The meetings reviewed the political situation in the country and the options open to the government in current scenario.

According to Pakistan based news channel Geo TV, Musharraf has decided to impose emergency for one month and may extend it to three months.

Speculation mounted after Musharraf cancelled in the last minute his proposed visit to Kabul to take part in the Pakistan-Afghan tribal jirga to start on Thursday.

Pakistan Information Minister Tariq Azeem has said that emergency as an option cannot be ruled out. However, Pakistan law minister said he had no information on imposition of emergency.

No official confirmation

Reports say that all arrangements are in place but there is no official confirmation.

Reacting on the development former Pakistan Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto told Geo TV that she hoped emergency is not declared.

According to her emergency will not resolve situation. She also added that emergency won't reduce threats from al-Qaeda.

Ever since Musharraf sacked Chief Justice Iftekhar Mohammed Chaudhry there has been wide spread protest against him across the country.

Reinstatement of Justice Chaudhry by Pakistan Supreme Court further weakened Musharraf's position.

The Lal Masjid deadlock also complicated the situation for him and it became a rallying point for the hardliners.

The move is being considered ahead of the Supreme Court taking up the petitions of former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and his brother Shahbaz to return home from forced exile.

Musharraf's worry

However, the biggest worry for Musharraf is the sharp reaction that could come from lawyers, which had waged a strident anti-government agitation over Pakistan CJ's suspension.

Prominent lawyer Aitzaz Ahesan, who defended Justice Chaudhry leading to his reinstatement, said the conditions in Pakistan did not warrant the imposition of Emergency.

''Emergency, if at all imposed, should be imposed by an act of Parliament,'' he said adding any such move by Musharraf will be opposed by lawyers and challenged in the Supreme Court.

Attorney General Mallik Abdul Qayyum said he was not aware of any attempt to impose a state of Emergency and he believed that the situation did not warrant it.

Even if it is imposed, it would not affect Musharraf's plan to get re-elected as President between September 15 and October 15 by the present assemblies, he added.

Emergency was imposed in Pakistan in 1998 in the aftermath of the tit-for-tat nuclear tests carried out by Pakistan in response to Indian nuclear tests. (With PTI Inputs)

Asia's rich-poor gap growing: ADB

The gap between rich and poor in China and other Asian countries is growing, hurting anti-poverty efforts and possibly fueling unrest, the Asian Development Bank said in a report on Wednesday.

The growing wealth gap is a byproduct of globalisation, which has brought higher incomes to urban, skilled, English-speaking workers in China, India and other countries, the bank's report said.

China has had Asia's second-biggest and second-fastest-growing wealth gap since the 1990s, exceeded only by war-wracked Nepal on both counts, the bank said in an annual survey.

China has seen thousands of protests in recent years, some of them violent, over land seizures and other economic grievances blamed on the growing gap.

Social cohesion

The communist government has made improving incomes for the poor a priority, warning last year that inequality has reached ''alarming and unacceptable'' levels.

''High inequality, particularly high absolute levels of inequality, leads to a disruption in social cohesion. You could have street demonstrations which could lead to violent civil wars,'' Ifzal Ali, the bank's chief economist, said at a news conference.

Ali said it was inappropriate to speculate when asked whether China should expect worse unrest.

However, he cited the experience of Nepal, where he said a recently ended, decade-long civil war was most intense in areas with highest inequality.

Georgia, Russia tensions soar

Georgia said that Russians were trying to coerce witnesses to the dropping of a missile earlier this week to throw doubt on Russia's part in the incident, which has sorely tested relations between Moscow and Tbilisi.

President Mikhail Saakashvili, meanwhile, said his country was not seeking confrontation with Russia, but said no country should strengthen their security at the expense of Georgia's.

He said that Georgia would work swiftly to join Western organisations, like the European Union and NATO.

''The Georgian armed forces are able to repel any aggression. But we will do everything to avoid large-scale armed confrontation,'' he told a group of students on Friday.

''We should behave as a responsible partner for the United States and for the Euro-Atlantic bodies,'' he said.

Radar data

Georgia has said radar data proved Russian jets violated its airspace on Monday and fired a missile aimed at a Georgian radar.

The missile, which did not explode, landed close to a village in the northwestern Gori region near the breakaway province of South Ossetia, which is patrolled by peacekeepers.

Russian officials have vehemently denied the accusations, accusing Tbilisi of trying to provoke Moscow.

Shevardnadze speaks up

A day after the chairman of the UN Security Council signaled a reluctance to get the world body involved in the festering dispute, Eduard Shevardnadze weighed in, saying that when he was Georgia's president, Russian jets bombed Georgian forces during the wars in the 1990s when Abkhazia and South Ossetia broke from central government control.

''I won't be revealing any great secrets if I say that that such violations of Georgia's air space and bombings were common during my presidency. But Russian forces never acknowledged any of this,'' Shevardnadze said in an interview.

Shevardnadze, a former Soviet foreign minister who was president of Georgia until he was ousted in a popular uprising in 2003, said Georgian officials should ensure that the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe conducts an objective investigation.

He also dismissed efforts to involve the United Nations, because Russia would use its veto as a permanent member to thwart any real investigation or criticism.

''Therefore, I think that the OSCE here should be given the authority,'' he told AP.

Airspace violated

The OSCE said in a report released on Wednesday that its mission had confirmed that Georgian airspace was violated, but could not say how many and what kind of aircraft were involved.

The mission also said it could not identify the missile.

Georgian Minister for Conflict Resolution David Bakradze told reporters that new eyewitness reports he said were gathered independently by Russian peacekeepers were part of a ''small spectacle'' and were a violation of the peacekeepers' mandate.

He said the peacekeepers ''used threats and pressure'' to persuade four elderly villagers not far from where the missile landed to give statements saying that they saw the aircraft flying from the southeast rather than from the north, where Russia is located.

Moreover, the village was outside of the conflict zone where the peacekeepers are restricted to under their mandate, he said.

''The Russian side is trying to turn this case around, as if there exists some ambiguity,'' he said.

The commander for Russian peacekeepers in the region did not answer repeated phone calls on Friday.

A three-sided peacekeeping force consisting of Russian Georgian troops and troops from the Russian region of North Ossetia have patrolled South Ossetia since the wars of the early 1990s.

On Thursday, the chairman of the Security Council said the council wanted to know the facts before it holds an emergency meeting on Georgia's claim.

Pascal Gayama, the Republic of Congo's diplomat who is the current council president, said he raised Georgia's request for an urgent meeting during closed consultations Thursday but members ''felt that there was a lack of adequate, accurate information.''

''We are looking ... to hear more about the facts,'' Gayama said. ''So before that, there is little we can do.''

Tbilisi has accused Moscow of trying to destabilise the country and of backing South Ossetia and Abkhazia.

Saakashvili, whose efforts to integrate into the West have irked Moscow, has vowed to return the regions to central government control.

Taliban: Koreans could be released 'today or tomorrow'

A Taliban leader taking part in hostage negotiations for the lives of 21 South Koreans said on Saturday that talks are on a ''positive track.

He said he hopes the captives could be released ''today or tomorrow.''

Mullah Qari Bashir said that face-to-face negotiations with four Korean officials that began on Friday were going well.

He further said that the Taliban were sticking with their original demand that 21 Taliban prisoners be released from prisons in Afghanistan.

''I'm very optimistic. The negotiations are continuing on a positive track,'' Bashir said.

Asked when the hostages might be released, he said: ''Hopefully today or tomorrow.''

On July 19, Taliban fighters kidnapped 23 South Koreans from a bus traveling to the southern Afghan city of Kandahar from the capital, Kabul. Two male hostages have been executed.

UNSC to expand UN role in Iraq

The Security Council voted unanimously to expand the UN role in Iraq and opened the door for the world body to promote talks to ease Iraq's sectarian bloodshed.

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon welcomed the new challenge saying he hopes to organise a meeting of foreign ministers from the region at UN headquarters in late September on the sidelines of the General Assembly's annual ministerial meeting.

Facilitating discussions

The United Nations will also be facilitating discussions among different Iraqi factions, ethnic and religious groups, he said.

''A peaceful and prosperous future is for Iraqis themselves to create, with the international community lending support to their efforts,'' Ban told the council after the vote on Friday.

''The United Nations looks forward to working in close partnership with the leaders and people of Iraq to explore how we can further our assistance under the terms of this resolution.''

The resolution authorises the UN, at the request of the Iraqi government, to promote political talks among Iraqis and a regional dialogue on issues including border security, energy and refugees as well as help tackle the country's worsening humanitarian crisis which has spilled into neighboring countries.

The United States and Britain, co-sponsors of the resolution, believe the world body, which is viewed by many as a more neutral party, should be doing more to help Iraq, especially in facilitating talks.

For example, US Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad, a former US envoy to Iraq, has said that Iraq's top Shiite spiritual leader, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, will not talk to the Americans but he will talk to the UN envoy, Ashraf Qazi.

Stategic implications

Khalilzad said that despite differences with the international community over Iraq, the unanimous support for the resolution ''underscores the widespread belief that what happens in Iraq has strategic implications not only for the region, but for the entire world.''

''We hope that this resolution will be a springboard to greater international support for Iraq's government and people,'' he said.

Khalilzad stressed that the resolution is not a substitute for what the United States is doing in Iraq.

''The United States will continue to shoulder all of its responsibilities to assist Iraq's government and people,'' he said.

''We are fully dedicated to success in Iraq, and our commitments to Iraq, to the region, to the UN and to the rest of the international community remain.''

Iraq's UN Ambassador Hamid Al Bayati said his country recognises that all the challenges should be the government's responsibility.

''We, however, cannot achieve it without the assistance of the international community represented by the United Nations,'' he said.

Iraq looks forward to ''a greater role'' for the UN outlined in Friday's resolution, Al Bayati said.

Ramping up presence

For the UN, however, ramping up its presence in Iraq remains a highly sensitive issue.

The UN pulled out of Iraq in October 2003 after two bombings at UN headquarters in Baghdad and a spate of attacks on humanitarian workers.

After Friday's vote, the Secretary-General and many council members recalled the upcoming anniversary of the first bombing, on Aug 19, 2003, which killed top UN envoy Sergio Vieira de Mello, and 21 others.

The UN allowed 35 international staffers to return in August 2004, but the ceiling is a low 65 because of security concerns.

Last week, the UN's top political official said the UN expects to raise the ceiling to 95 by October.

Hours later, however, the UN Staff Council called on the secretary-general to pull all UN personnel out of the country until security improves.

While Ban said on Friday that the United Nations ''cannot shy away'' from its responsibility to help Iraq because of the violence in the country, he said staff security will remain ''a paramount concern.''

He urged the General Assembly to approve additional funds for secure housing for UN staff in Baghdad.

Since he took over on Jan 1, Ban has expanded the UN role in Iraq, especially in launching and promoting the International Compact with Iraq, an initiative of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki which sets ambitious benchmarks to achieve a united, democratic Iraq within five years.

The Secretary-General indicated that the compact would play an important part in the UN's new mandate.

Khalilzad said he envisioned the UN contacting different parties, convening meeting in agreement with the Iraqi government, and proposing formulas to bridge differences if they arise.

''The United Nations has a lot of experience dealing with situations in which different groups in a country have not had an agreement with each other,'' he said.

Russia's UN Ambassador Vitaly Churkin said the resolution meets Moscow's call over the last few years for ''maximum possible involvement of the United Nations'' in settling the Iraq conflict.

Russia wants to see the UN's ''independent mediating potential'' used ''to overcome the profound military and political crisis in Iraq and to push the political process forward,'' he said.

The UN mission, established in 2003, has helped organize elections, draft Iraq's constitution and develop institutions for representative government.

The resolution extends its mandate for a year and authorises it to ''advise, support and assist the government and people of Iraq on advancing their inclusive, political dialogue and national reconciliation.''

It also authorises the UN to facilitate ''regional dialogue, including on issues of border security, energy and refugees.''

It asks the UN to help develop ways ''to resolve disputed internal boundaries'' that are acceptable to the government.

The initial text was revised to focus more on human rights, humanitarian issues, protecting civilians, and promoting the safety of humanitarian personnel.

China's UN Ambassador Wang Guangya said ''history has shown the United Nations has its comparative advantage and abundant experience'' to meet these new responsibilities ''and it should have a lot to do.''

He urged the Iraqi government and the US-led multinational force to provide the UN with the necessary security guarantees to do its new job.

We are here to win: Dravid

Monday, May 7, 2007 (Dhaka)

Hours after landing in Bangladesh, Indian captain Rahul Dravid on Monday sent out a strong message to the rivals, saying his young team was "well-prepared" and would settle for nothing but a series win.

"We are well prepared for the series. I think we will have a good series. It is definitely like any other series, we are here to win," Dravid told reporters.

India will play three one-dayers followed by two Tests, during its 23-day tour.

Dravid did not see the current tour as a revenge series after India were upset by Bangladesh in the recent World Cup match resulting in their first round exit from the mega event. "We are not here for revenge," he said.

Complimenting Bangladesh for their recent performance in the World Cup, Dravid said the Indians were hoping to face a quality opposition.

"They are playing well. And we hope to face good opposition. (But) our team is also in good shape. We had a good camp. It was intense and successful.

"We have a blend of youth and experience some of the senior player have been rested. The players are looking forward to performing well," he added.

The team is not scheduled to play practice matches and would straightway face the home side in first ODI on Thursday but Dravid said acclimatisation would not be a problem as the weather conditions here were quite similar to India.

"We are used to the conditions here, because the weather is almost the same as in India," he said.

Team Manager Ravi Shastri said the players were ready to play "hard cricket" in the next one month.

"We have come to play hard cricket because we have experienced Bangladesh in the World Cup," he told reporters at the Dhaka airport.

The team is expected to do some practice later in the day.

Kumble hits ton as India post 664

Anil Kumble hit his maiden Test hundred as India posted a mammoth 664 on day two of the third and final Test against England at the Oval on Friday.

If India was in control at close of play on day one, on day two they completed England's subjugation.

At stumps, England was 24 for one with Alaistar Cook and James Anderson in the middle. Andrew Strauss was the man out. He was caught by S Sreesanth off a Zaheer Khan delivery for six. Defintitely, not the start his skipper would have wanted.

India's innings was reminiscient of the 2002 Leeds Test when India had posted 628 for eight and recorded an innings victory - the first against England. In that match, the three stalwarts of Indian cricket Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and Rahul Dravid had each scored a century.

What was, however, keenly different this time was the partnerships that each of the wickets strung together, right from one to ten.

India started the day at the overnight score of 316 for four and added 348 runs on Friday, most of which came in fantastically entertaining fashion.

Sachin Tendulkar, overnight on 48, completed his 45th Test fifty. But it was VVS Laxman who lit up the morning with some excellent strokeplay. The Hyderabadi, who was dropped by Matt Prior on 41, made 51 before falling to Chris Tremlett.

The two were involved in a 78-run partnership.

Tendulkar and Mahendra Singh Dhoni continued to torment the England bowlers. The Bombay Bomber, who had been dropped on 20 by Prior on Thursday, finally fell for 82. He was caught by Andrew Strauss at first slip off a James Anderson delivery.

Dhoni played in Twenty20 fashion as he smashed 92 from just 81 balls. He played without a care in the world and lit up the Oval with some breathtaking shots inlcuding two consecutive sixes off Kevin Pietersen before going for the third and being caught by Alastair Cook in the deep. His knock was studded with nine boundaries and four sixes.

Dhoni and Anil Kumble put on 91 runs for the seventh wicket.

The hosts would have thought that with all the specialist batsmen back in the pavillion, they would get a reprieve, but Kumble had other plans.

Kumble and Zaheer Khan put on 62 runs for the eighth wicket before the Indian pacer was caught by Anderson off a Monty Panesar delivery. Anderson then held a catch off his own bowling to send back RP Singh for 11.

But Kumble batted resolutely, hitting some excellent shots on the off side to bring up his maiden test hundred. His unbeaten knock of 110 included 16 boundaries and a six.

Kumble's prior best was 88 against South Africa, almost a decade ago. He was ably supported by S Sreesanth who hit a 32-ball 35 before being the last man out. He was caught by Michael Vaughan off the bowling of Panesar.

All the England bowlers toiled hard. Anderson was the most successful with four for 182 from 40 overs.

India lead the three-match series 1-0 and this commanding performance may just be enough to give them a series win in England in 21 years.

Five bogies of Tapaswini Express derails

Five bogies of the Puri-Hatia Tapaswini Express derailed on Wednesday between Maneswar and Sambalpur city stations.

No one has been injured in the incident, which occurred around 5.15 am (IST). A relief train from Sambalpur station has been rushed to the spot.

Train services have been affected on the route as the railway authorities have cancelled the Sambalpur-Bhubaneswar Inter-City Express and diverted the Bhubaneswar-Kurla Express on another route.

ANALYSIS - Coal prices set for record highs on Asia demand

Surging Asian demand and strong freight rates may be set to send coal prices jumping by around a quarter to record highs, wrong-footing buyers around the globe.

Tight supply could push prices to around $100 a tonne delivered in the European and Asian markets by winter, from recent levels around $80-$85.

European users may be caught out as Asia's buyers spread their nets wider for coal.

"All the consumers, not just in Asia, misread the market," a Russian coal exporter said. "We've been saying since before the beginning of this year that there was undersupply and prices would rise strongly."

An acute coal shortage in Asia is looming but consumers should manage to scrape by, producers, traders and utilities said.

"I think they will find coal but it won't be easy and they're going to have to look very hard for a spot cargo here and there. They'll be paying higher and higher prices, naturally," one trader said.

"We're going to get into the realm of hypothetical prices which won't mean anything because there won't be coal to be sold," another producer said.

The Asian market of Japan, Taiwan, South Korea, Philippines and including India and Pakistan, accounts for over half of global coal demand.

Around 90 pct of the 600 million tonnes a year global trade in steam coal is sold under long-term contract with the remainder traded as spot.

But many term contracts are priced against published indices which reflect spot prices.

ASIA DEFICIT TO REACH 25 MLN T

According to some coal producers, the Asian market faces a deficit of 15 million tonnes this year, which will have to be brought in from the Atlantic market. In 2008, this deficit could rise to 25 million tonnes, producers said.

As more South African coal is sucked into Asia, Colombia and the United States are the producers most able to fill the resulting shortfall for Europe, utilities said.

Increased Latin American coal demand, notably from Mexico, will absorb a large portion of the extra 10 million tonnes of Colombian production for 2007, Colombian producers said.

European demand has been lower than usual this year because the warm winter left a stocks overhang. But European power generating companies, gencos, will need some spot cargoes for Q4 and will have to compete against Asia.

Russian exporters said they are almost sold out for 2007 and will seek $75 a tonne FOB for remaining spot tonnes. They will be catching up with shipments delayed from this year for the first quarter of 2008.

"We're really talking about displacement of one type of coal from the Atlantic into Asia and whether there'll be enough of something else to take its place into Europe," one utility said.

LESS FROM CHINA

China's large-scale withdrawal from coal exports and the impact of heavy rains on Indonesian exports forced cement makers in India and Pakistan to turn to South Africa for coal. The subcontinent could import 10-12 million tonnes in 2007, up from just over 3 million in 2006.

This is a significant proportion of South Africa's likely 2007 total exports of 63-65 million tonnes.

Around four million tonnes of Australian exports are also likely to be pushed back into 2008 as a result of recent heavy rains.

Indonesia is the world's largest exporter, at around 200 million tonnes a year, but exports can drop easily by 30 million tonnes in a season of exceptionally severe rain.

Chinese exporters have made it clear to Asian customers that availability will be less this year and prices sharply higher. Chinese producers will give priority to domestic term supply contracts, market sources said.

The reluctance of Asian utilities to look further afield for coal has puzzled producers and traders who have been in talks with Asian buyers on potential sales of Atlantic coals for several months.

"They do still seem to be very laid back," a Pacific producer said. "I think it's been a mixture of being in denial about short supply, optimism that coal prices or freights will fall.

"And also, they just take a very long time to decide a change of strategy and things have been moving very quickly in the market."

The Korean gencos have all this year appeared calm in the face of shrinking availability and rapidly-rising prices.

The gencos have quietly bought Russian, Indonesian and South African coal on a small scale and outside their usual tender process and are now more actively seeking Q4 offers.

"The Koreans are asking everybody for offers of South African, Russian, whatever. It's a diversification, but not on a huge scale," another trader who regularly supplies to Korea said.

Sania beats Hingis 6-2, 2-6, 6-4

Sania Mirza, who has been on a roll lately, has added a new victim to her list of top 20 players she has vanquished.

The Hyderabad hurricane has beaten World Number 12 Martina Hingis in the second round of the East West Bank Classic.

Mirza has now played Hingis four times and the overall head to head count is 2-2. Sania took 1 hour 36 minutes to wrap up the match 6-2, 2-6, 6-4.

She is through to the third round of the tournament where she will face the winner of the Shahar Peer and Virginie Razano match.

Mirza has over the last few weeks downed the likes of Tatiana Golovin, Patty Schnyder, Dinara Safina and now Hingis.

Pak CJ to head bench hearing Sharif's petition

Reinstated Pakistan Supreme Court Chief Justice Iftikhar M Chaudhry would head a two-judge bench to hear the petitions of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif and his brother seeking judicial directive to the government not to obstruct their return home from their ''forced exile'' and permit them to take part in the forthcoming polls.

The petitions of Sharif and his brother Shabaz, filed on August 2, have been listed for hearing on August 9 by Chaudhry and senior judge M Javed Buttar.

It would be interesting to see what view the court takes as the Sharif brothers in their petitions mentioned an order delivered by the same court on a similar appeal in March 2004 that said the constitution bestowed the right to all citizens to move freely and settle wherever they want.

''It is a settled proposition of law that the right to enter in the country cannot be denied but a citizen can be restrained from going out of the country. The petitioner (Sharif) is a citizen of Pakistan and has a constitutional right to enter and remain in the country,'' the 2004 court order, which the Sharifs have attached to their petitions, said.

The brothers also accused the government of ''brazenly violating'' the orders in preventing them from returning.

Nawaz Sharif along with 20 family members were exiled to Jeddah in 2000, which the Musharraf government says was part of a deal it reached with Sharif and the Saudi royal family.

Sharif, who later moved to London, denies making a deal and claims that he was forcefully deported.

Dhoni to captain Twenty20 team

Mahendra Singh Dhoni was on Tuesday named captain of the Indian cricket team for the Twenty-20 World Cup in South Africa next month.

He will also be vice captain of the ODI team in England.

Virender Sehwag, Irfan Pathan and Harbhajan Singh made a comeback and were included in the Twenty-20 squad announced by BCCI Secretary Niranjan Shah in Mumbai.

Irfan Pathan's younger brother Yusuf has also been included in the squad.

Yuvraj Singh will be Dhoni's deputy at the tournament that runs from September 11 to 28.

Apart from Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly who had earlier opted out of tournament, fast bowler Zaheer Khan has also been rested.

Meanwhile, pacer S Sreesanth was dropped from the Indian ODI team for the seven-match series against England, which was also picked by the selectors on Tuesday.

Munaf Patel, who was ignored for Test series and the preceding one-dayers against Ireland and South Africa, was recalled to replace Sreesanth.

Twenty-20 World Cup squad: Mahendra Singh Dhoni (captain), Yuvraj Singh (vice-captain), Virender Sehwag, Harbhajan Singh, Ajit Agarkar, Dinesh Kaarthick, Gautam Gambhir, Robin Uthappa, Joginder Sharma, Yusuf Pathan, Piyush Chawla, S Sreesanth, Irfan Pathan, Rudra Pratap Singh and Rohit Sharma.

ODIs vs England squad: Rahul Dravid (captain), Mahendra Singh Dhoni (vice-captain), Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, Yuvraj Singh, Ramesh Powar, Dinesh Kaarthick, Zaheer Khan, Munaf Patel, Piyush Chawla, Rudra Pratap Singh, Rohit Sharma, Robin Uthappa, Gautam Gambhir and Ajit Agarkar.

Gusmao sworn in as East Timor PM

Independence hero Xanana Gusmao was sworn in as East Timor's new prime minister on Wednesday.

The swearing in comes a day after Gusmao's appointment triggered violence by opposition loyalists in which at least six people were injured.

Gusmao, who used to be president of East Timor, was inaugurated at a ceremony at the state palace in the capital, Dili. His deputy and the country's new government ministers were to be sworn in later.

Authorities had been expecting violence after the announcement on Monday that President Jose Ramos-Horta would break a political logjam by handing the prime ministerial post to Gusmao, who led the country's armed resistance to Indonesian rule.

The unrest, which has mostly involved young men torching unoccupied buildings and throwing stones, threatens the fragile peace that took hold after the collapse of tiny, impoverished East Timor's government a year ago.

The former ruling party, Fretilin, won 21 seats in the 65-member Parliament in June elections, well short of a majority, but insisted it had the right to form the next government. Gusmao's party won 18, but formed a coalition that now has 37 seats.

Fretilin called the decision to appoint Gusmao illegal and vowed to have it overturned in court.

Gangs rampaged in the capital, Dili, but the worst violence was in Baucau 128 kilometres to the east, where buildings housing the offices of international aid groups and government agencies were set ablaze

Two IIM-Indore students drown

A friendship's day picnic turned horribly wrong for two IIM-Indore students who were swept away by strong currents of the Choral river while taking a swim.

Their screams for help were muffled by the sound of the gushing water. All attempts to save them went in vain and they eventually drowned in the river.

The body of both the victims, Nitesh Agarwal from Delhi and Neha Singh from Hyderabad have been recovered.

''It was raining Saturday night. Today when we resumed rescue operations, we found the first body four kms away and the second one was recovered 8 kms from here,'' said Angshuman Yadav, SP, Indore.

The relatives of the victims are in shock over the abruptness of the event.

''We got to know at 7:30. His friends and villagers were trying to rescue. When they didn't find the body, they called home. We are not able to contact anyone.

The authorities are not even talking to us properly,'' said Kanika Agarwal, Nitesh's sister-in-law

Both were second year post graduate students. They had gone to the Choral picnic spot along with two other friends.

''My son had also gone with four of his friends. His name is Vishal. We lost all hope after 6:30, when they stopped the rescue operations sighting electricity problems,'' said the mother of one of Nitesh's friends who had gone with them.

The director of IIM-Indore, SP Parashar said that the students had been warned about swimming in the area.

''The water came gushing from the mountains to the river. Villagers had warned the students to come out of the water but they did not listen.

''The water came with so much force that it swept them away,'' said Piyush Tiwari, Eyewitness

Though attempts were made to save the students, all of them proved futile as darkness hindered rescue work.

The incident has left the student fraternity in shock.

An abrupt end

Nitesh was 24 years old and was a bright student.

His family says he had a bright career ahead of him, he had scored 99.4 per cent in his first year at IIM.

He had studied at Greenfields School in Delhi. He also had a Bachelors degree in Information Technology.

He would have completed his masters from IIM in another six months.

Thackeray under scanner in riots case

The Mumbai blasts case has come to an end. But will the man, widely believed to have incited the 1992-93 communal riots be brought to book?

Activists pressing for the implementation of the Srikrishna Commission report say cases against Shiv Sena chief, Bal Thackeray should be reopened.

''Criminals of the blasts and the riots should be measured with the same yardstick. If action is not taken, then the distance between the two communities will only increase,'' said Maulana Azmi, activist.

A legal window opened up last week when the Supreme Court in response to a petition asked the Maharashtra government to file details of cases of communal offences against those involved in the riots.

These also included those against whom cases have been withdrawn.

The Sena chief thus could now be under scanner.

Justice Srikrishna in his report made scathing comments on Thackeray's role in inciting his cadres to attack Muslims.

The report said:

* Sena and Sainiks took lead in attacks on Muslims.
* Sainiks from Shakha Pramukhs to supremo Bal Thackeray involved.
* Thackeray, like a General commanded Sainiks to retaliate against Muslims.

Inflammatory writings

Thackeray himself stayed away from the actual violence and used his writings in Sena mouthpieces Saamna and Navakal to reportedly incite violence.

In fact the only time that he was taken into custody was because of his inflammatory writings. The police picked him up from his residence on July 25, 2000. But the court dismissed the case in 45 minutes saying it was time barred.

So far Thackeray almost had a clean sheet. That is because when they came to power the Sena-BJP alliance had rejected the report.

Of the 24 cases filed against Thackeray, sanction for prosecution was not given for 16. Of the remaining eight, the Sena-BJP government withdrew sanction for six leaving the Sena supremo to fight just two cases.

With pressure building up to implement the report, the Congress-NCP government will be hard pressed to take a stand.

''As soon as we get the judgement from the Supreme Court, we will study and do whatever needs to be done,'' said R R Patil, Home Minister, Maharashtra.

This may well force the government to take a serious re-look at possible action against Bal Thackeray. But given the sensitive balance of power shifts in Maharashtra, this is going to be a tough ask.

Chak De India on women's hockey

Shah Rukh Khan's bunch of young and fiesty women hockey players are ready to hit the screens on Friday when Chak De India releases all over.

The film revolves around the story of an Indian women's hockey team, that goes on to win a World Cup.

Real life women hockey players are now hoping that it gives their sport a big boost.

There were initial reports that Vidya Stokes, the President of the Indian Women's Hockey Federation was unhappy with the on-screen portrayal of the players. But it now seems that it was a clear case of misunderstanding.

"She was asked if women's hockey is zero, and if they're being shown as hero, so she obviously reacted to it. Everyone knows the results, and my girls are doing very well, that's a fact. So neither are we unhappy, nor have we asked for a separate screening. We have no hassles with Yashraj at all," said Amrit Bose, Secretary, IWHF.

The much-awaited blockbuster is the tale of a former Indian hockey goalkeeper, played by none other than King Khan, who leads a low profile women's team to a World Cup win.

It's believed his character is based on former real-life goalie Mir Ranjan Negi, who conceded seven goals against Pakistan in the final of the 1982 Asian Games.

During the production, the filmmakers spent time at hockey camps throughout the country, during which they chose one player to play a role in the movie.

But what if only one of these players had the opportunity to share screen space with the stars, for all the other girls, the idea of being the subject of a big banner film like this is thrilling enough.

They are now looking forward to the first day first show of the film.

"We are waiting for the release of the film. People don't know hockey as much as they know cricket. So we really want the game to spread," said Pushpa Pradhan, hockey player.

"I think hockey can get a lot of promotion through the film. We all want to watch it together when the film releases," added Joydeep Kaur, hockey player.

So come Friday, the women's hockey federation will be looking forward to netting in a few more sponsors, courtesy the massive publicity generated by the film.

Bayern Munich beat Wacker Burghausen

Captain Oliver Kahn saved the last two penalty attempts to send Bayern Munich into the second round of the German Cup with a penalty kick victory on Monday over third-division club Wacker Burghausen.

Bayern rallied to draw 1-1 on a late goal by Miroslav Klose but could not break down Burghausen in extra time and came dangerously close to getting knocked out on penalties.

With the score 3-3 in the shootout after each team had taken five shots, Kahn stopped two straight shots and Christian Lell converted his attempt to put the star-studded Bayern side into the second round.

"We played a good game and we created many chances, but we failed to convert them and their goalkeeper was very good," Bayern manager Ottmar Hitzfeld said.

Burghausen's 18-year-old goalkeeper Manuel Riemann foiled Bayern by stopping more than a dozen shots.

He also scored from the spot to make it 3-3 in the shootout before Kahn secured Bayern's win.

Thomas Neubert flicked a free kick cross under Kahn's crossbar in the 61st minute and Burghausen appeared headed for a major upset, before Klose rose to head home a corner cross from Franck Ribery in the 79th.

Ribery, Marc van Bommel and Philipp Lahm also scored in the shootout for Bayern while Jose Ernesto Sosa had his shot saved by Riemann and Hamit Altintop's effort bounced off the crossbar.

Sania beats Wozniak at Carson

Sania Mirza beat qualifier Aleksandra Wozniak 6-3, 6-2 to reach the second round of the East West Bank Classic at Carson on Monday.

The 30th ranked Sania did not have much problem in taming the 109th ranked Wozniak as she notched up an easy victory over the qualifier at the Tier II hard court event.

Sania will take on world no 12 and seventh-seed Martina Hingis in the next round. The Swiss got a bye in the first round.

In the doubles, Sania and her new partner Bethanie Mattek of the US will take on Janette Husarova of Slovakia and Michaella Krajicek of the Netherlands. (With PTI inputs)

Dhoni set to lead Twenty20 team

Mahendra Singh Dhoni is expected to be named captain of the Indian squad for next month's Twenty20 World Cup in South Africa when the selectors meet in Mumbai on Tuesday.

Test and ODI discard Virender Sehwag may also make a comeback to the side.

Apart from the Twenty20 sqaud, the selectors will also decide on the squad for the ODI series in England.

But within India's series win over south africa in the Future Cup in Ireland, it is likely that no changes will be made for the one-day sqaud that will take on England in seven ODIs.

That squad consisted of four openers, four middle order batsmen, wicket-keeper Dhoni, two spinners with Powar and Chawla and five pacers.

As many as 10 of these players are likely to feature in the Twenty20 squad as well. The absentees will of course be the big three who have opted out and the others who miss out could be Powar, Zaheer and S Sreesanth.

India has played just one Twenty20 international till now - the least of any of the international teams so far which means the selectors don't have much to go. They know they need fit players, hard hitters and all rounders. Of course the premium is on youth.

That is why Dhoni seems to be the unanimous choice as the Twenty20 captain with Dinesh Karthik as his deputy.

Yuvraj Singh though might be disappointed to miss out. Virender Sehwag ignored, since the one-dayers in Bangaldesh, is expected to make a comeback.

Ajit Agarkar and Harbhajan Singh will be considered, while Irfan Pathan is said to be 50-50.

Mohammad Kaif is unlikely to be picked given that this game does not suit his style.

The newcomers in the team could be Pathan's brother Yusuf, an all-rounder and Yo Mahesh - the bowler from Tamil Nadu.

The certainties are Yuvraj, Gautam Gambhir and Rohit Sharma. Manoj Tiwary and Suresh Raina will be considered provided they have a fitness clearance.

US military holding massive war games

he US military expects to amass more than 22,000 troops off the coast of Guam starting on Tuesday for a weeklong exercise involving dozens of ships and hundreds of aircraft.

''The exercise demonstrates to our friends and allies in the Asia-Pacific ... how important the security of the region is to the United States,'' said Navy Captain Matt Loughlin, deputy chief of staff for Task Force 519, the Hawaii-based unit directing the drills.

Last year's exercises coincided with rising tensions over a possible test launch of a North Korean long-range missile, prompting two ships participating in the games to be assigned off the Korean coast to monitor the activity.

US military officials at the time stressed the exercises were not held in response to the North Korean activity and they were not directed at any one nation.

Similarly, officials said this year's war games are not connected in any way to world events or targetted at any country.

The US military also did not invite foreign observers to this year's drill, unlike last year when it hosted observers from 10 countries, including China, India, Japan and Australia.

The 2006 Valiant Shield drill marked the first time the US had invited a Chinese delegation to officially observe US maneuvers in the Pacific. Beijing sent a 10-member delegation headed by an admiral to watch.

Loughlin said hosting the observers was logistically costly, and commanders decided to limit foreign participation during this year's drill and focus on the training.

However, foreign media have been invited again.

NASA launches mission Mars

he US space agency NASA launched a spacecraft on a nine-month journey to the planet to dig below the surface of Mars.

If everything goes to plan, the Phoenix Mars Lander will travel 680 million Kms over nine months and land on the Red Planet on May 25 2008.

Phoenix's journey has begun after four years of work and after one failed attempt in 1999 when NASA's Polar Lander disappeared moments after reaching Mars.

Once on Martian ground the Phoenix will dig below surface for frozen water and try and look for signs of life.

A robotic arm will pick samples deliver them to the phoenix's deck where they will be tested for water, organics and minerals. While NASA scientists will monitor from Earth.

Scientists want to investigate if there is or could have been life which is possible when water comes into contact with soil.

The Phoenix will land near the polar regions of the planet where life or signs of life would be better preserved in the minus 73 degrees Celsius temperature rather than the other parts of the planet which are extremely hot.

Unlike Spirit and Endeavour other NASA spacecraft on Mars, Phoenix is not a rover and will work for the next three months looking for life.

However, for NASA scientists right now their biggest concern is a smooth landing after the flawless midnight take off.

N Korea energy aid talks resume

North Korea joined the US and representatives of four other countries on Tuesday for talks at the heavily armed border dividing North and South Korea on an aid package the North would receive for its nuclear disarmament.

The two-day meeting at the truce village of Panmunjom is being held under the auspices of the six-nation talks on North Korea's nuclear program - which include China, Japan, Russia and South Korea.

The countries were to discuss technical details of how to provide North Korea with the equivalent of 950,000 tons of oil in exchange for abandoning all its nuclear programs and disabling its facilities under a February agreement.

North Korea has already received 50,000 tons of oil for shutting down its sole operating nuclear reactor last month and inviting UN nuclear inspectors to ensure it stays closed.

''After many twists and turns, the six-party process has gained momentum again,'' South Korean nuclear envoy Chun Yung-woo said as he opened the session.

The nuclear talks are usually held in Beijing and Tuesday's session is the first time the six-nation group has convened in Panmunjom, where North and South Korean soldiers stand face-to-face.

''This truce village symbolizes a particular legacy of division of the Cold War, which I believe should be remedied through the peace process to proceed in parallel with the denuclearization process,'' Chun said.

Agreements on ending the North Korea's nuclear weapons programs include proposals for discussions on a peace plan for the peninsula, which remains technically at war since the 1950-53 Korean War ended in a cease-fire that has never been replaced with a peace treaty.

On the eve of the talks, North and South Korean soldiers briefly exchanged gunfire along their border, South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said.

North Korean soldiers fired several shots toward a South Korean guard post in the eastern part of the Demilitarized Zone that divides the Korean peninsula.

South Korean soldiers immediately returned fire, a statement said.

No one was hurt on the southern side, and it was unclear if there were any casualties on the northern side.

On Tuesday, Chun said the nuclear talks would focus on finding a ''cost-effective and feasible'' package of options for aid. North Korea has limited storage facilities for oil and its facilities are rundown.

The US has previously said some of the assistance could be infrastructure improvement.

The South Korean diplomat said there would be ''obstacles and pitfalls'' in the talks, but also higher expectations for speedy progress in disarming North Korea.

''Our task only becomes more difficult and challenging,'' Chun said.

Lebanon's Christians deeply divided

The deadlocked struggle between the pro-US government and mainly Shiite opposition deepened after a tense parliamentary election showed a sharp divide among Christians, a key swing bloc.

That deadlock was reinforced when pro-government candidate Amin Gemayel, a former president and the head of one of Lebanon's most powerful Maronite Christian families, conceded defeat on Monday by a mere 418 votes in Sunday's election in the Christian stronghold of Metn north of Beirut.

The victor was little-known Kamil Khoury, who was backed by the most prominent Christian leader in the pro-Syrian opposition, Michel Aoun.

Khoury took 39,534 votes to Gemayel's 39,116.

The result ''reaffirms the existing stalemate,'' said Rami Khoury, an analyst with the Issam Fares think tank at the American University of Beirut. ''It shows a very polarized Christian community.''

Sunnis are the base for the ruling coalition, which opposes Syrian influence. Shiite Muslims, led by Hezbollah, overwhelmingly back the pro-Syrian opposition.

Neither side has been able to decisively lure the Christians, around a third of Lebanon's 4 million people, to their camp.

Many fear the deepening stalemate may lead to the formation of competing governments if it is not resolved before the race to replace pro-Syrian President Emile Lahoud, whose term ends November 23.

Under Lebanon's division of power among its sects, the presidency must be held by a Maronite Christian chosen parliament.

Now, no Maronite leader can boost his bid among lawmakers by claiming to represent the entire community.

Anti-Syrian candidate

Prime Minister Fuad Saniora's backers are hoping to finally put in place an anti-Syrian figure in the presidency to strengthen their power.

They rose to control the government after Syrian troops withdrew from Lebanon in 2005, ending Damascus' decades long control of Lebanon.

But the political struggle with the Hezbollah-led opposition has sapped the anti-Syrian movement's power and paralyzed the government. Gemayel's loss is a setback for his potential as a candidate.

Aoun has said he will stand for the presidency. But the slimness of Kamil Khoury's victory on Sunday damages his patron Aoun's attempts to present himself as the top Christian politician.

''Aoun is still a formidable figure but cannot really present himself as the leading Maronite figure anymore. That's probably the single most significant element in the election,'' said Rami Khoury, the analyst.

Gemayel, 65, was running in his home district with an implicit endorsement by the powerful Maronite patriarch. He was seeking to replace his son, Pierre Gemayel, who was gunned down in November in an attack that government supporters blamed on Syria.

Gemayel got more of the Maronite vote than his rival 75 per cent, according to press reports. But Aoun's candidate made up for it by winning other Christians' votes.

Gemayel supporters blamed his loss on the large ethnic Armenian community in the Metn district and said Kamil Khoury was not representative of the Maronites, who form a majority in the district and are the largest Christian sect in Lebanon.

Armenians are largely Catholic or Orthodox Christian.

Another election on Sunday was to replace lawmaker Walid Eido, a Sunni Muslim who was killed in a June car bombing there. A pro-government candidate, Mohammed al-Amin Itani, won that race easily.

Tbilisi accuses Russian planes of dropping a bomb in Georgia

A pair of Russian fighter jets violated Georgian airspace Monday evening, firing a missile that landed near a village north of the capital, Tbilisi, Georgian authorities said Tuesday morning. There were no casualties.

"Two Russian, presumably, SU-24 frontline bombers violated Georgian airspace near Kazbegi and flew towards Gori," an Interior Ministry statement said. "The Russians launched 'air-surface' precision-guided missiles and bombed the surroundings of Tsitelubani village." According to media reports, the ordnance did not explode.

A senior official in Russia's air force quickly denied the reports.

Col. Alexandr Drobyshevskiy, the assistant commander of Russia's air force, said Russia planes did not fly any missions in the area and did not violate Georgia's airspace.

Tsitelubani is located about 40 miles (65 km) north of Tbilisi, and on the border of the breakaway region of South Ossetia. South Ossetia split with Georgia in the early 1990s.

Officials from the breakaway region were to meet with Georgian officials on Tuesday, but canceled the meeting after the alleged attack, claiming Georgia could not guarantee their safety. Tbilisi accused Moscow of trying to sidetrack the talks