Chinese chopper violated airspace: India

NEW DELHI: Chinese incursions across the Line of Actual Control in the north and east of India are causing some concern in New Delhi.

But India has decided not to push these incidents till the time the Chinese show restraint and caution. Brig (retd) Arun Sehgal says, "It appears that New Delhi has decided to not push the issue militarily though we have the capability." The Press Trust of India in an exclusive story has revealed that two Chinese helicopters reportedly violated the Indian air space in recent months in the Leh area of north Jammu and Kashmir during which they airdropped some canned food in barren land at Chumar, northeast of this Himalayan town, along the border.

They have added the MI series helicopters that entered Indian airspace on 21 June were reported to the nearby defence post by residents of the high- altitude area living along the Pangong lake, prompting the Army Aviation Corps to rush its Cheetah and Chetak helicopters.

Sources told Mail Today that these are disputed areas on which competing claims exist of both China and India.

Courtesy: GEO.TV

Business: Disney to buy Marvel in $4bn deal

The deal means Disney will take over ownership of 5,000 Marvel characters, such as Spider-Man and the X-Men.

Marvel shareholders will get $30 per share in cash plus 0.745 Disney shares for every Marvel share owned.

The boards of Disney and Marvel have both approved the deal, which now needs the backing of Marvel shareholders and competition authorities.

Marvel shares were ahead $9.76, or 25%, to $48.41 in midday trading while Disney shares fell 94 cents, or 3.5%, to $25.90.

"We believe that adding Marvel to Disney's unique portfolio of brands provides significant opportunities for long-term growth and value creation," Disney president and chief executive Robert Iger said.

"We are pleased to bring this talent and these great assets to Disney."

Other Marvel's characters include Captain America, the Fantastic Four and Thor.

"Disney is the perfect home for Marvel's fantastic library of characters given its proven ability to expand content creation and licensing businesses," said Marvel chief executive Ike Perlmutter.

"This is an unparalleled opportunity for Marvel to build upon its vibrant brand and character properties by accessing Disney's tremendous global organization and infrastructure around the world," he added.

source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/8230504.stm

Thunderstorm cripples KESC network

KARACHI: A heavy thunderstorm on Sunday crippled the city’s fragile electricity network, causing power outages in many areas as around 180 feeders were not operational.

There were reports that several citizens in some areas had been electrocuted by live wires falling into pools of rainwater.

People were cautioned by the KESC to stay away from pools of water on the road in order to lessen the risk of electrocution.

The power supply to many areas was switched off soon after the first raindrops fell across the city as a ‘protective measure,’ even though the KESC claimed that none of its grids were affected by the rain.

A KESC spokesman claimed that there was no load-shedding on Sunday as demand and supply both stood at 1,700MW. He said all grids were normal and that the system was stable.

Sources, however, said that there was no electricity in Gadap and parts of Malir, Orangi, Landhi, Lyari, Shah Faisal, Gulistan-i-Jauhar, Gulshan-i-Iqbal, North Karachi, Nazimabad, Defence Phase I, and areas near Hub.

KESC authorities said they were mounting repair and rehabilitation work to remove faults.

The KESC spokesman claimed that the figures of feeders affected by the rain were exaggerated by the media and at the time of filing of this report ‘less than 30 out of a total of 1,106 feeders’ were to be normalised.

Meanwhile, business and industry leaders have taken strong exception to the KESC CEO’s remarks on power theft. Naveed Ismail, the utility’s CEO, had on Saturday alleged that businessmen and industry leaders were involved in power theft. The leaders maintained that industry was the major contributor of revenue to the KESC as it was among the major payers of bills. They said that to malign the entire community was ‘unfair’.

It may be pointed out that the KESC had mortgaged receivables from 400 leading industrial consumers with a bank in the past and it is maintaining a strong vigil on major energy consumers. The SITE Association’s Chairman, Engineer M.A. Jabbar, was extremely perturbed over the remarks of the KESC CEO and said that the utility ‘must put its own house in order and expose those involved in alleged power theft’.

He added that without ‘insiders’ connivance one cannot cut live wires or bypass meters’.

He said that industrialists were not opposed to a campaign against power theft, but felt it was a cover-up to deflect attention from the utility’s failure to meet the Sept 15 deadline given by the government to revamp its system in four towns of the city.

He also slammed the KESC CEO’s reasoning of linking an end to load-shedding with the public’s cooperation in a drive against power thieves. He urged the utility to fulfil its primary obligation of providing uninterrupted power supply, the lack of which had ‘ruined Karachi’s industry’.

Soure: http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/news/pakistan/metropolitan/09-thunderstorm-cripples-kesc-network---szh-03

Saudi tightens security to protect oil plants

KHOBAR: Saudi Arabia has tightened security at oil facilities after the country's anti-terror chief, Deputy Interior Minister Prince Mohammed bin Nayef, escaped a suicide attack, guards at Abqaiq, the world's biggest oil processing plant, said yesterday.

"Thursday night we received a call to tighten security and car inspection at all gates," one guard said. "Even Aramco employees undergo inspection. There's a lack of trust as militants disguised in Aramco's cars attacked the facility in 2006," he said.

Interior Minister Prince Nayef yesterday defended the policy of enticing "repentant" militants after one tried to assassinate his son, but warned there could be more attacks ahead.

ARticle Source: http://geo.tv/8-31-2009/48510.htm

Pakistan in US missile refit row

Washington has accused Pakistan of illegally modifying a US-supplied anti-ship missile, US media say.

The US believes the Harpoon, sold to Pakistan by the Reagan administration, has been altered for land-based use, the New York Times reported.

Islamabad says the accusations are "incorrect and based on wrong intelligence", Pakistani media say.

The US protested to Pakistan's PM in June, the Times said, fearing increased tension with Pakistan's rival, India.

The Times quoted a senior US administration official as saying: "The focus of our concern is that this is a potential unauthorised modification of a maritime anti-ship defensive capability to an offensive land-attack missile."

The paper said it had been told there was a secret missile test on 23 April.

It said it was feared the missile would be a significant addition to Pakistan's military arsenal, allowing its small navy to strike at land-based targets.

The alteration, if proved, would be a violation of the US Arms Control Export Act.

The paper said the revelation came at a "delicate" time, as Congress mulled an administration request for $7.5bn (£4.6bn) in aid to Pakistan over the next five years.

Pakistan's foreign ministry on Sunday "categorically rejected" the accusations in the article.

The Associated Press of Pakistan also quoted Pakistan's ambassador to the United States, Hussain Haqqani, as saying the claims were incorrect.

"We will make sure that the US understands the correct picture and we will fight back periodic efforts to falsely blame Pakistan, which remains a critical US ally in fighting terrorism," Mr Haqqani said.

"Instead of false accusations, US media should help Pakistan secure the help it needs to fight our common enemy, viz terrorism."

India has not responded officially to the row but ties with Pakistan remain delicate in the wake of last year's insurgent attacks on the Indian city of Mumbai.

The nations have fought three wars since Partition in 1947.

Article source:http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/8229466.stm

3 more US banks shut down

NEW YORK: The US regulators have announce to shut down three more banks after they failed, bringing the total to 84 so far this year, as the industry continues to grapple with deteriorating loans on their books.

Regulators shuttered Affinity Bank of Ventura, California, Bradford Bank in Baltimore, and Mainstreet Bank of Forest Lake, Minnesota.

The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp on Thursday said that assets of these banks valued at $1900 million and volume of accounts was $1700 million.

These banks were sold to new investors for $446 million.

Article Source: http://geo.tv

Angelina Jolie: wanted again

Timur Bekmambetov seems prepared to defy all sense of consistency in order to enable Angelina Jolie to revive her role as Fox for the sequel to "Wanted". Viewers of the first film will no doubt remember the beautiful actress' rather spectacular death right at the end. She took a bullet to the head in broad daylight. However, Bekmambetov, who is directing again, has told MTV that he and his scriptwriters have "found the reason for her to come back" and that it will involve the baths of wax seen in episode one.

Anyway, is it strictly necessary for the laws of plausibility to be adhered to for a film like "Wanted 2"? For people who liked the original, it was probably less down to the depth of the script and more for the depiction of violence and, to be fair, the high visual quality. For those who didn't like it, no doubt they will abstain from the sequel anyway, with or without Angelina.

source: arabia.msn.com

So called "free media" SILENT on SAAD KHAN tragic death

In their quest to produce a western-style adventure and thrill-based reality show in Pakistan, but poor, substandard and possibly lack of safety arrangements led to the death of its participant Saad Khan, victim’s cousin Mansoor Khan told Aarpix.

Saad lost his life during the recording of the reality show when host Amina Sheikh (model for Clear Shampoo) challenged him to an underwater performance contest. Saad Khan apparently lost his control and shouted for help but lack of safety and lifeline measures failed to rescue him and the young man, a father of four lost his life, report said.

The blame goes to the producers (sponsors?) of the show Unilever Pakistan and Mindshare, for hiring such a sub-standard team and having made cheap arrangements that became the cause of the death, said Aarpix.

To what extent the private TV channel where the reality show was to be run is involved in its making is also not clear.

For now, the mainstream media has rejected to air any such news as they get a fair amount of advertising revenues from Unilever, Aarpix commented, adding, the spokespersons of the two companies have been shamelessly calling the incident a mere accident.

Mansoor Khan, the cousin of the victim has demanded that “all concerned people of Unilver Pakistan and Mindshare must be put behind bars.” He wants that the culprits who gambled with the life of his cousin must be brought to justice.

It is not known if the commonly practised concept of establishing life and accident related insurances for participanting individuals and workers of the reality show were in place during its filming and recording. No independent verification of the said report has been possible yet.

Meanwhile, details of the unfortunate incident continue to tweet on the internet sociables like Twitter, Facebook, etc..

COURTESY: despardes.com

Kerry-Lugar Bill to be approved by September

ISLAMABAD: Former US vice Secretary of State for South Asia, and Economic and Developmental Aid for Pakistan, Rabin Raphael has announced that the Kerry-Lugar Bill would be approved by the American Senate by September.

Talking to media on Friday after round table talks in the American Embassy, he said that his appointment for managing the affairs in Pakistan pertained to oversee a coordinated disbursement of aid supplied to Pakistan under USAID and Kerry-Lugar schemes.

He said the reason for disbursement of non-military aid to Pakistan was to help Pakistan attain economic and developmental prosperity, help restructure the much damaged energy sector, cater to health, education, construction of highways and provision of basic facilities to masses.

He strongly refuted the notion of appointing an American inspector general to monitor the execution of American aid disbursement; however, he stressed for increased transparency, sincerity and honesty coupled with sheer objectivity in utilizing this aid; which was also the prime reason for his current visit, and stressed for enhancing the accountability process.

Answering a question about the 5-year $1.5 billion annual, Kerry-Lugar aid for Pakistan, he assured that it would be approved by the American Senate in September.

Also assuring the approval of reconstruction zones’ bill for FATA and tribal areas, he said that these bills would also be approved, and assured minimizing any non-developmental expenditure in these projects.

He expressed his deep affirmation that he would strive for better relations with Pakistan, and see to the full compensation for Pakistan’s daring struggle in the war against terrorism.—Online

Jackson death ruled as homicide

he death of Michael Jackson was homicide due to intoxication by anaesthetic, an LA coroner has said.

The singer died in June from cardiac arrest at his home in Los Angeles.

The powerful anaesthetic Propofol and Lorazepam, a sedative, were the "primary drugs responsible for Mr Jackson's death", the report said.

Police have interviewed his doctor, Conrad Murray, but he has not been named as a suspect. He has strenuously denied any wrongdoing.

"The cause of death was established as acute Propofol intoxication," the coroner's report said.

"The manner of death has been ruled: Homicide," it adds. In the US, the crime of homicide includes manslaughter.

A cocktail of drugs - including Midazolam, Diazepam, Lidocaine, Lorazepam and Ephedrine - were detected in his body, the report said.

The full toxicology report remains sealed, at the request of the LA Police Department and the city's district attorney.

An initial affidavit by the city's chief coroner had said that lethal levels of Propofol were judged to be the cause of Jackson's death.

According to those documents, Jackson's doctor told police he had been giving the singer the drug as part of his treatment for insomnia.

But, he said he had been concerned Jackson was becoming addicted to the drug and had been trying to wean him off.

The singer's remains will be buried on 3 September at the Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale, a suburb of Los Angeles, in a private ceremony.

The burial was initially scheduled to take place on 29 August - on what would have been Jackson's 51st birthday.--BBC--

India Jinnah book ban challenged

A former leader of India's opposition Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has challenged the decision by an Indian state to ban his book.

The BJP government in Gujarat banned Jaswant Singh's book on Pakistan's founder, Mohammed Ali Jinnah.

Mr Singh has filed a case in the Supreme Court challenging the ban. He was expelled from the party last week.

The state said it banned the book for "defamatory references" to India's first home minister Vallabhbhai Patel.

The late Mr Patel is a political icon in his home state of Gujarat.

Described often as the "Iron Man of India", Mr Patel played an important role in the country's independence and the integration of the different states in the Indian union.

Jaswant Singh said he was "saddened" by the ban.

"The day we start banning books, we are banning thinking," he said.

The book examines the role of Congress party leader and the country's first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, and Mr Patel in the partition of India in 1947.

Mr Singh writes that Mr Patel was "far off the mark" in many ways with his projections about the division and future of India.

The BJP dissociated itself from the book and sacked Mr Singh from the party.

Jaswant Singh is a 71-year-old party veteran who has served as finance and external affairs minister in BJP cabinets.

The book has been selling well both in India and Pakistan.

India's BJP disowns Jinnah book

India's Hindu nationalist BJP has "disassociated" itself from a new book on Pakistan's founder Mohammed Ali Jinnah, written by a party leader.

Jaswant Singh's book, Jinnah-India, Partition, Independence says that Mr Jinnah has been "demonised in India".

The book also holds former PM Jawaharlal Nehru and the Congress party responsible for the partition of India.

Mr Jinnah is a controversial figure in India and considered the architect of the partition.

'Painful'

BJP chief Rajnath Singh said in a statement that the views expressed by Jaswant Singh in the book "do not represent the views of the party".

"In fact, the party completely disassociates itself from the contents of the book," he said.

Mr Singh said that Mr Jinnah had played an important role in the "division of India which led to a lot of dislocation and destabilisation of millions of people".

"It is too well known a fact - we cannot wish away this painful part of our history."

Mr Singh has said that his book is a "purely academic exercise, which should be read and understood". "My book is not an attempt to malign or glorify anyone," he told a TV channel.

None of the party leaders attended the launch of the book in the capital, Delhi, on Monday evening.

Mr Singh is the second leader of the BJP who has been criticised for his remarks on Mr Jinnah.

In 2005, party chief LK Advani offered to step down after he described Mr Jinnah as "secular", causing a furore in India.

Mr Jinnah is still widely blamed for the partition of India because of his drive for a Muslim homeland.

bbc.com

Maulvi Omar captured, says Baitullah is dead

ISLAMABAD: Security forces captured Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan’s top spokesman, and he acknowledged the death of the group’s leader in a recent US missile strike, officials said on Tuesday.

‘Everybody knows that Maulvi Omar has been arrested. He was a spokesman for the Taliban,’ said Mian Iftikhar Hussain, information minister for the North West Frontier Province.

‘We will catch them all. All Taliban will have to face the same fate,’ he told AFP, adding that Omar had been moved to the provincial capital Peshawar.

‘Intelligence agencies have given me information that Maulvi Omar has confirmed the death of Baitullah during interrogation,’ he added.

US and Pakistani officials have said they were almost certain that the chief, Baitullah Mehsud, had been killed in the August 5 strike, but at least three Taliban operatives, including the detainee, Maulvi Omar, had called media organisations following the attack to say he was still alive.

Omar’s comments – relayed by an intelligence official who took part in the questioning – would be the first admission by the Taliban that Mehsud was dead.

The spokesman’s capture was the second arrest of a prominent Taliban figure in 24 hours.

As the official spokesman for Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan Omar frequently called journalists to claim responsibility for terrorist attacks in Pakistan.

As well as being the movement’s mouthpiece, Omar was an influential aide to Mehsud and ranking member of the Taliban.

Omar initially operated relatively openly – a reflection of the former government’s reluctance to tackle the group.

Reporters had his home and cell phone numbers. Omar would occasionally summon reporters stationed in Khar, the main city in Bajaur tribal region, for news conferences at his headquarters in nearby Mohmand town.

But after the army began an offensive in April, Omar changed phone numbers frequently. He never appeared in public, but still continued to telephone the media with messages from the Taliban leadership.

He was captured along with two associates in a village in the Mohmand tribal region Monday night while he was travelling in a car to South Waziristan, a Taliban stronghold, said Javed Khan, a local government administrator.

‘Maulvi Omar is in our custody, and he is being questioned,’ Khan told The Associated Press without giving any further details.

Earlier, three intelligence officials said local tribal elders assisted troops in locating Omar in the village of Khawazeo.

Omar’s capture came a day after police arrested militant commander Qair Saifullah, another close Mehsud aide, as he was being treated in a private hospital in Islamabad, the capital.

Saifullah, who is reportedly linked to al-Qaida, told police he had been wounded in an American missile strike in South Waziristan, said two police officials. It was unclear if it was the same strike believed to have killed Mehsud.

Saifullah appeared on Tuesday before a special anti-terrorism court along with Zaid Ikram, an aide arrested along with him. Both were ordered held for four days for investigation, prosecutor Raja Yaseen said, but he would not elaborate on what charges they would face.

The two men were being questioned for possible roles in attacks on US and allied forces in Afghanistan as well as terrorist attacks in Pakistan, said Islamabad police operations chief Tahir Alam Khan.

Saifullah is affiliated to Harkat Jihad-e-Islami, an al-Qaida-linked group that recruits militants to fight foreign forces in Afghanistan, Khan said. Ikram – who is Saifullah’s younger brother – played a major role in a bomb attack on Islamabad’s Marriott hotel in 2004, in which one guard was killed in the parking lot, he said.

Michael Jackson will be buried on his 51st birthday

LOS ANGELES, California-- Michael Jackson will be buried Saturday, August 29, on what would have been the singer's 51st birthday, according to a statement from publicist Ken Sunshine.

The private ceremony will take place at Holly Terrace in The Great Mausoleum at Glendale Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale, California, and "will be limited to family and close friends," the statement said.

Jackson died June 25 of cardiac arrest. The famed entertainer was 50.

Other Jackson plans have moved sluggishly. Monday, a judge delayed his approval of the exhibition agreement between concert promoter AEG Live and the Jackson estate until Friday, when he will hear testimony about why Michael Jackson's mother, Katherine Jackson, thinks it should be renegotiated.

The three-city exhibition of Jackson memorabilia could be derailed, as relations between Jackson's mother, the men Jackson named as executors of his will and the promoter of his planned comeback concerts have been challenging.

Questions surrounding Michael Jackson's death and AEG Live's role in his last days are an "obvious source of tension" as Katherine Jackson objects to the agreement, Jackson attorney Burt Levitch said.

Michael Jackson's family has "floated" the possibility of filing a wrongful-death lawsuit against AEG Live because of its "very, very active role in Michael's life during the last six months," Levitch said Monday.

Levitch said AEG Live "apparently paid for the services of Dr. Conrad Murray, who we're told is under criminal investigation in connection with the decedent's death."

Warrants used to search Murray's home and clinics indicated police were investigating his role in Jackson's June 25 death. A source with knowledge of the investigation told CNN that Murray gave the anesthetic propofol to Jackson in the 24 hours before he died.

"There's an obvious link between AEG and concerns that we have about the decedent's demise," Levitch said. "So, that's one obvious source of tension right now."

Reader's Digest eyes bankruptcy

The US publisher of Reader's Digest magazines has said it will file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy as it looks to get rid of up to 75% of its debts.

The arrangement, which has been agreed with lenders, comes as it struggles in a weak advertising market.

The move will apply only at its US businesses. Operations elsewhere will not be affected, while the US edition will continue to be published.

Chapter 11 gives firms time to juggle their finances while continuing trade.

'Hammered out'

Reader's Digest has been trying to cut costs since it was bought in 2007 by a group led by Ripplewood Holdings.

If approved by a bankruptcy court, Reader's Digest will see its debt cut to $550m from $2.2bn.

Annual interest payments on remaining debt will also be reduced to less than $80m, from about $145m.

"Our deal has already been negotiated and hammered out with a majority of our creditors," said chief executive Mary Berner.

"It doesn't affect our employees, it doesn't affect the vast majority of vendors, it doesn't mean we'll do mass layoffs, it doesn't mean we're going to be selling off assets. It's business as usual."

The company says Reader's Digest is the largest-selling magazine in the world.

It also sells books, other magazines, recorded music and home videos.

Pakistan militants planning new attacks: Manmohan

NEW DELHI: Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said Monday that militants in Pakistan were plotting new attacks in India as he urged security forces to stay on high alert.

‘There is credible information of ongoing plans of terrorist groups in Pakistan to carry out fresh attacks,’ Singh told a summit on internal security attended by the chief ministers from India’s states.

‘After the Mumbai attacks, we have put in place additional measures. There is need for continued utmost vigilance,’ Singh added.

There was no immediate comment from Pakistani officials.

India has boosted its security to prevent assaults after the attacks in the country’s financial capital Mumbai last November, in which gunmen killed 166 people.

‘All states need to actively share intelligence information to avert any terror attack,’ he said.

India accuses Pakistan of arming and training cross-border militants in Muslim-majorityKashmir — a charge Islamabad vehemently denies.

Singh said cross-border terrorism remained a ‘most pervasive’ threat.

‘In dealing with the terrorist challenge, we need to be prepared for encountering more sophisticated technologies and enhanced capabilities. We also need to guard our sea frontier as vigilantly as our land border,’ he said.

The two nuclear-armed countries have fought three wars since independence in 1947 and came dangerously close to a fourth following an attack on the Indian parliament in 2001 by militants New Delhi said came from Pakistan. — AFP

Moody's ups Pakistan rating from negative to stable

LONDON: Moody's Investors Service said on Monday it has raised its rating outlook for Pakistan to stable from negative after the country received a bigger loan from the International Monetary Fund. "The stable outlook was prompted by the recent augmentation of Pakistan's IMF program by $3.2 billion to more than $11 billion, and several ongoing policy and structural reforms" said Aninda Mitra, Moody's analyst for Pakistan, in a statement. Moody's has a B3 rating on Pakistan's foreign and local currency debt.

N Korea eases South border rules

North Korea has agreed to reopen its border with South Korea and allow tourism and family reunions to resume, the North's KCNA news agency said.

But at the same time KCNA reported that the entire country had been ordered on to special alert over joint US-South Korea military exercises.

The border easing followed talks between the North's leader Kim Jong-il and the head of the Hyundai group.

Hyundai chairwoman Hyun Jeong-eun also won the release of a detained worker.

The man had been held since March for allegedly criticising Pyongyang's regime.

North Korea also recently pardoned two jailed US journalists.

'Prompt annihilating strike'

Hyundai heads up tourism to the North and operates a joint factory just south of the border that is a key source of revenue for the impoverished regime.

There was no word on whether Hyundai had agreed to the North's demands for large wage increases for workers at the Kaesong industrial park.

But the KCNA statement said South Korean tourists and business people would soon be allowed to cross freely.

It also said it would allow more reunions of Korean families - separated since the 1950-1953 war - starting around Korean Thanksgiving Day, which falls on 3 October.

The meeting between Kim Jong-il and the Hyundai officials came a week after Pyongyang released the two US journalists following an unexpected visit by former US President Bill Clinton.

However, in keeping with its usual response to South Korea's military exercises, the North vowed to retaliate for any breach of its sovereignty with a nuclear attack.

It threatened a "merciless and prompt annihilating strike at the aggressors", saying the drills south of the border were a "grave threat" to peace and a prelude to an invasion.

SPORTS: MURRAY bows down DEL POTRO

Britain's Andy Murray completed a superb week by fighting back to beat Juan Martin del Potro in the final of the Montreal Masters.

The 22-year-old Scot defeated the world number six from Argentina 6-7 (4-7) 7-6 (7-3) 6-1 for his 13th career title, and fourth at the elite Masters level.

By reaching the final, Murray had guaranteed that he will move to second in the new world rankings on Monday.

He heads to Cincinnati next week to defend the title he won last year.

Del Potro was playing in his first Masters 1000 final and for much of the second set looked like taking the title, but Murray's superior fitness played a huge part as he outlasted the 20-year-old in the hot conditions.

After a cagey start that yielded no break points in the opening 12 games, Murray appeared to just have the edge going into the tie-break, but Del Potro made the breakthrough with a surprise chip-and-charge return to lead 5-4 and two good serves gave him the set.

Murray then won a gripping game at the start of the second by converting his fourth break point when Del Potro put a backhand wide, but he let a 30-0 lead slip in the following game to hand his hard-earned advantage straight back.

Del Potro had beaten Murray for the first time in four meetings on clay in Madrid last time out and has been in tremendous form, winning in Washington last week and extending his unbeaten run to 10 matches in Montreal.

The momentum was certainly with him as the second set progressed and when Murray missed two more break points in game nine, the Argentine was on the brink at just a game away from the title.

Finally, and with perfect timing, the Murray serve began to click into gear and he held his nerve superbly to force a second tie-break, despite clearly being unhappy when Del Potro called an injury time-out for treatment to his shoulder.

Some brilliant scrambling from the Briton earned him the crucial break for 5-3 in the tie-break and he quickly levelled the match from there.

That effectively ended the Del Potro challenge and, as Murray's game went from strength to strength, the Argentine's legs appeared to have gone beneath him.

Murray swept into a 4-0 lead and, despite losing one of the breaks when a now free-swinging Del Potro connected with a few returns, the new world number two sealed victory with an ace after two hours and 42 minutes.

Among his many recent achievements, Murray also becomes the first Briton in 128 years to lift the Canadian title.

Jinnah was great, writes Jaswant Singh

New Delhi: Controversy has been sparked by Jaswant Singh's observation regarding partition in his book about India's independence struggle. Mr. Singh has, contrary to popular perception prevailing in India, glorified Jinnah who is often demonised in India, as an ambassador of Hindu-Muslim unity.

Singh’s view of Jinnah is markedly different to the accepted Indian image. He sees him as a nationalist, even accepting that Jinnah was a great Indian.

Jaswant Singh also goes on to term Nehru as one of the principal architects of India's partition. He also writes that Jinnah did not win Pakistan, rather Nehru and Patel conceded Pakistan to Jinnah with help of the British.

The BJP leader supported his opinion saying that till 1945 Jinnah was seeking a solution to the problems between Hindus and Muslims. And consider it not as a communal problem but as the problem of a nation.

Earlier, Advani, senior leader of BJP also faced a lot of public and political scorn when he called Jinnah a great nationalist.

This book can evoke serious contempt from the leaders of RSS which has zero tolerance against the Pakistani leader and is likely to cause turmoil in Indian politics.

Two Russian jets collided in mid air

Two Russian fighter jets have collided while training for an air show near Moscow, killing one pilot and injuring at least five people on the ground.

Two pilots from the elite Russian Knights aerobatic team parachuted to safety, but a third, the group's commander, did not survive.

One woman suffered burns and at least four other people were injured as one jet struck houses near the airfield.

Initial reports say that pilot error caused the crash of the two Su-27 jets.

Air force spokesman Lt Col Vladimir Drik said the fighters collided near Zhukhovsky airfield, east of Moscow, where they were preparing for the Maks 2009 aerospace exhibition, due to start on Tuesday.

The dead pilot was named as Russian Knights' commander Igor Tkachenko, 45, a decorated air force colonel.

Russia's entire fleet of Su-27 jets was grounded earlier this year after two crashes in three days, the Associated Press news agency reported.

Pak Army begins relief activities in flooded areas of NWFP

MARADAN: Pak Army has launched relief activities in flood-hit Mardan and Swabi areas where emergency has been declared in all the government hospitals.

Funds have been issued to the district administration of Mardan and Swabi for helping the flood victims.

According to Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR), Army troops have reached Muhib Banda, Bagram and Ismailia along with boats.

Pak Army has also set up a flood relief camp in Peshawar which will function in coordination with the Provincial Flood Relief Commissioner and PDMA.

The flood water level is easing in Kalpani Nala, Mardan and the road will be opened for vehicular traffic soon.

The Emergency Response Unit (ERU) has released the necessary funds to the district administration for helping the flood affectees. Hundreds of tents, medicines and other essential items have been dispatched for the victims of Mardan and Swabi.

Steps are also being taken for providing cooked food to the affectees.

SPORTS: Zimbabwean batsman equals Saeed Anwar’s world record

BULAWAYO: Zimbabwean batsman Charles Coventry equalled the record of the highest individual ODI innings, set by Pakistan’s Saeed Anwar, smashing an unbeaten 194 runs against Bangladesh in the fourth One-day International here on Sunday.

Batting first, Zimbabwe made 312 runs for eight wickets in the allotted 50 overs at the Queen’s Sports Club ground in Bulawayo.

The main highlight of the innings was Coventry’s marathon batting as the right-hand middle-order batsman struck seven sixes and 16 fours, facing 156 balls.

He equaled the 12-year-old world record of stylish left-hand batsman Saeed Anwar, who made 194 from 146 balls against India at Chennai.

More than THOUSAND still trapped after Taiwan typhoon

More than 1,300 people are still trapped in remote mountainous villages in southern Taiwan, victims of treacherous mudslides and floods from Typhoon Morakot, the country's semiofficial Central News Agency said Saturday.

Rescue officials quoted by the news agency said 1,373 were trapped, and 75 helicopters were scheduled to conduct rescue missions Saturday in the counties of Kaohsiung, Pingtung, Taitung and Chiayi.

The storm hit last weekend, dropping 2.6 meters (102 inches) of rain on Taiwan. After hitting Taiwan, Morakot roared on to mainland China on Sunday, killing at least six people and displacing 1.4 million, authorities said.

The toll was much higher in Taiwan, where the storm was blamed for killing 123 people, according to the latest figures from Taiwan's National Disaster Prevention and Protection Commission.

Mary Yu, spokeswoman for the commission's Central Emergency Operation Center, said 53 people were unaccounted for.

At least 1,375 people awaited rescue in towns inaccessible to rescuers who have faced torrential downpours, dense fog, rugged terrain and raging rivers. Washed-out roads and bridges have made some rescue operations impossible, the disaster commission said.

Despite the obstacles, 2,518 people were rescued on Saturday, Yu said.

Southern and central Taiwan were hardest hit by the storm.

Mudslides flattened some places in southern Taiwan, including the small village of Shiao Lin. Authorities believe hundreds of people could be trapped under five stories of mud in the village.

A memorial service was being held under a tent where framed pictures of the dead were crowded on tables.

"He's gone, he's gone, that one's gone, all these grandchildren are gone," said a tearful Yu Chin Chih. She lost 10 members of her family.