Veteran Leander Paes and Rohan Bopanna outclassed the Korean pair of Seong Chan Hong and Hong Chung in straight sets to guide India to the Davis World Group Play-offs as the hosts took an unassailable 3-0 lead in the Asia/Oceania Group I tie on Saturday. The Indian pair dished out a dominating performance to trounce the visitors 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 in just one hour and 41 minutes at the grass courts of Chandigarh Club. Saketh Myneni and Ramkumar Ramanathan had won their respective singles on Friday to hand India a 2-0 cushion. The reluctant partners for the Rio Olympics did not face any competition from the Koreans in what was their only competitive match together before the Games. Even as the Koreans managed to break Paes in the third set, they did not present any challenge to the Indians. But it was a treat for the fans, little more than a thousand, to watch the Indian pair cruise to the win under overcast and friendly conditions. Captain Anand Amritraj would be delighted to see that his idea of playing on the grass worked out for his side.
Roger Federer put his global army of "Fed-Head" fans through the wringer for four nerve-shredding sets before he kept alive his pursuit of a record eighth Wimbledon title with a 6-7(4), 4-6, 6-3, 7-6(9), 6-3 win over Marin Cilic the quarter-finals on Wednesday. Novak Djokovic's shock third round exit had raised hopes that this could be the week when the Swiss finally ends his four-year hunt for an 18th Grand Slam title, as the Serb had been the only man to beat him at the majors over the past year. However, all those expectations appeared to be heading for the dustbin as Cilic stood one point away from victory -- not once, not twice but three times in a pulsating fourth set that had everyone on the edge of their seats.
It was the match that had everything spectacular goals, a brutal clash and a dramatic comeback, before finally, a nail-biting penalty shoot-out. For many, West Germany's 1982 World Cup semi-final against France in Seville remains the ultimate, an engrossing duel providing new plot twists at every turn. And as the two countries prepare to meet again in the Euro 2016 semi-final in Marseille on Thursday, the 1982 match has also become a symbol of the tense football relationship between France and Germany . "It is a scar that will remain forever," said Alain Giresse, a French midfield lynchpin at the time.
The Singapore authorities have sent back 26 of the 35 trains delivered by a Chinese company because if found defects in them. "Our engineers discovered that 26 of the 35 trains delivered by the manufacturer had cracks in the structure connecting the car body and the bogie after they were delivered in 2013," Lee Ling, managing director of SMRT, the subway rail operator in Singapore, said in a statement. "The defective trains, which are still under warranty, will be repaired by the manufacturer. All 26 trains will be repaired by 2023," he said.
US President Barack Obama heads to Europe this week, possibly his last European visit as the President, that would take him to Poland and Spain where he would attend the NATO summit and hold meetings with top European leaders following Britain's exit from the EU. The situation in Afghanistan, the war against Islamic State terror group after attacks by it in the last month, are likely to dominate the proceedings in addition to post-Brexit European Union and Ukraine, senior administration officials told reporters on the eve of Obama's departure for Europe.
'Eid-ul-Fitr, the Festival of Fast-Breaking The celebration at the end of Ramadan is called 'Eid-ul-Fitr (the Festival of Fast-Breaking). It is a joyous occasion, similar to Christmas in its celebration but with strong religious significance. The giving of a special charity for this occasion is obligatory. Muslims dress in holiday attire, attend a special community prayer in the morning, and visit friends and relatives. Greetings of "'Eid mubarak," or "a blessed 'Eid" are exchanged. In some places, children are given gifts or money by their parents and relatives. The celebration of 'Eid-ul-Fitr lasts three days, although the main festivities occur on the first day. In Fort Collins, Muslims gather in a community center for prayer and a community breakfast. Students and workers of all ages take time off from school and work whenever possible. Muslims in the United States are trying to gain recognition of 'Eid-ul-Fitr, one of their two main festivals, as an official holiday.
After creating day-to-day controversies for his own party, the BJP MP Subramanian Swamy, has said he will tweet less for a week. Swamy's statement comes days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in an interview to Times Now on Monday, made it clear that he completely disapproves of his party's MP making disparaging comments about the outgoing RBI governor Raghuram Rajan, finance minister Arun Jaitley and others.
She reminds me of a Betty-meets-Veronica kinda gal. An amazing mix of sugar, spice and all that's bright. She preens, she pouts, she sulks like any other 20-something. And yet, she carries off her stardom like blush on her cheeks, and with the grace of a lovely lady. Her onscreen roles show maturity way ahead of her years, and in the upcoming 'Udta Punjab', her stark, de-glam avatar sets the stage for another shocker of a performance. She treats failures as heartbreaks and is unfazed while talking about her jealous streak. That's Alia for you. Well, she's not the Candy Crush of a zillion boys for nothing. Read on...Alia's tales and trepidations — in her own words.
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