Federer matches Agassi for Grand Slam wins

New York: 
Roger Federer tied Andre Agassi for the second-most match victories in Grand Slam tournaments by beating Santiago Giraldo in straight sets on Monday.

The third-seeded Swiss won 6-4, 6-3, 6-2 to move level with Agassi on 224 singles wins at tennis majors; nine behind Jimmy Connors.

East Bengal to tour Vietnam, skip Durand Cup

Kolkata: East Bengal will be competing in an international friendly tournament in Vietnam in October, giving a skip to the 124th edition of the Durand Cup in New Delhi, the club decided at its working committee meeting on Monday.

In their effort to give the players an international exposure ahead of the I-League 2011-12 season, the last year's league runners-up and Federation Cup winners will be competing in the tournament at Go Dau Stadium, home venue of Vietnamese football club Becamex Binh Duong.

Arsenal to offer free tickets to fans: Report

London: The Guardian reported on Monday that Arsenal will offer free tickets to its fans after the team's 2-8 thrashing at the hands of Manchester United a day earlier.

It is estimated that close to three thousand Arsenal supporters registered their presence at the Old Trafford only for the team to go down in a humiliating manner. The defeat was the worst for the club since 1896.

Barcelona rout Villarreal 5-0 in Spanish opener

Barcelona: Lionel Messi and Thiago Alcantara led Barcelona to a dominating 5-0 win over Villarreal on Monday to open the defending champion's campaign for a fourth straight Spanish league title.

Bin Hammam slams FIFA bribery probe

Kuala Lumpur: Ousted Asian football chief Mohamed bin Hammam on Monday accused FIFA of threatening Caribbean football officials to force them to admit he offered bribes -- claims that led to his life ban.

Oval win and a nightclub party for England players

London: England players celebrated their series win against India, at The Oval last week, with a party at a London nightclub according to Britain's Daily Mail.

India beat Leicestershire in T20 warm-up match

Leicestershire: 
R Vinay Kumar bowled fast, slow and smart to finish with a three-wicket haul that helped the Indians complete a hat-trick of wins in three warm-up matches in five days, providing a much-needed boost ahead of the lone Twenty20 international against England at Old Trafford on Wednesday.

Captain Dhoni is now Dr. Dhoni

Leicester: Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni on Monday awarded an honorary doctorate by De Montfort University after the conclusion of a Twenty20 practice match against Leicestershire.

BCCI under RTI? Cabinet to discuss new Sports Bill

New Delhi: The Cabinet will discuss on Tuesday a new Sports Bill that seeks to put the BCCI under the RTI Act and also cut sports czars down to size. Sports Minister Ajay Maken has said the proposed new Bill is aimed at bringing in transparency and accountability in all sports bodies.

India’s GDP likely to grow at slowest pace in 6 quarters

India's GDP (gross domestic product) for the first quarter (April-June, Q1FY12) is likely to grow at the slowest in the last six quarters, compounding worries for a government that is already battling high inflation. GDP is a yardstick of the country's economic health.

Gold futures recover on global cues

Gold prices recovered by Rs. 55 to Rs. 26,793 per 10 grams in futures trade on Tuesday as speculators enlarged their positions amid a firming trend overseas.

At the Multi Commodity Exchange, gold for delivery in October surged by Rs. 55, or 0.21 per cent, to Rs. 26,793 per 10 grams, with a business turnover of 331 lots. The metal had closed 3.26 per cent lower at Rs. 26,738 per 10 grams in the previous session.

Sensex rallies 567 points; NBFCs jump on RBI move

Indian markets witnessed a strong pullback rally on Monday, after falling sharply on Friday. The benchmark indices regained key technical levels on the back of over 3.5 per cent jump.

Commenting on the rebound, Ashish Chaturmohta, Vice President at IIFL Wealth said it is premature to say if a base has formed or not. "It is more of a pullback rally which can end at 5,050-5,100 levels... Crossing 5,000 levels would not be easy in the short term," he added.

Insurers drive stocks higher; Dow gains 254

So much for Irene.

Stocks rose broadly Monday, led by insurance companies, after it became clear that the tropical storm caused far less damage than many had feared. An increase in U.S. consumer spending also helped, as did a rare piece of good news from Greece: a merger of two major banks.

Asian stocks rise on US spending data

Asian-Pacific markets opened higher Tuesday, as investors took heart from strong consumer spending in the U.S. and a merger of two major banks in debt-stricken Greece.

Japan's Nikkei 225 index rose 1.2 percent to 8,956.83. Australia's S&P ASX 200 rose 16.9 points to 4,280.2. South Korea's Kospi index was 0.5 percent higher at 1,839.02.

Global cues aid markets; Sensex extends rally

A bounce back was expected, and the Indian markets have got that in ample measure. The benchmark indices rose over 1 per cent on Tuesday, after witnessing the biggest rise in two years on Monday.  At 0930 hours, the Sensex was up 196 points to 16,612 while the Nifty rose 56 points to 4,975.

India's Q1 GDP at 7.7%, manufacturing growth dips

India's economy has grown at 7.7 per cent in the first quarter of this fiscal, down from 7.8 per cent in the last quarter. This is the slowest pace of GDP (gross domestic product) growth in the last six quarters. GDP is a yardstick of the country's economic health.

Maruti suspends 16 more, sacks 12 trainees; no production yet

Maruti Suzuki India on Tuesday suspended 16 more permanent workers and discontinued the services of 12 trainees as the stand-off between the management and workers at its Manesar plant intensified, completely affecting production for the second day.

India to receive 200 bn euro loan from EU

India will receive a loan of 200 million euros from the European Union to finance private sector projects for the development of renewable energy resources.

The EU's assistance comes as part of its "strategic partnership" with India and will be made available by the European Investment Bank (EIB) to ICICI Bank, India's largest private bank, in the first-ever cooperation between the two financial institutions.

Seven-year-old girl beaten up by tutor in Bangalore

Bangalore:  The government seems to have failed in its efforts to curb the rampant cases of corporal punishment in the city.  If a government body's report dented the city's image by putting it on the top of the list of cities notorious for violation of corporal punishment laws, the case of a seven-year-old girl being beaten black and blue by her tutor reveals the administration's helplessness in curbing such unfortunate incidents. 

Rain whips Mumbai, one dead near Haji Ali

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Mumbai:  Mumbai had a nasty start to its week.  Heavy rains whipped the city, making the morning insidious for commuters.  A portion of a small hill near the city's famous Haji Ali Dargah collapsed; one person has died. Residents of several buildings in the area have been asked to leave their homes.

Pilot arrested for harassing wife

Mumbai:  A 26-year-old pilot was today arrested for allegedly harassing and assaulting his wife, police sources said.

A case has also been registered against the parents of Ashish Jaiswal, who is employed with a private airline, they said.

Rajasthan official beats wife to death with cricket bat

Jaipur:  A senior Rajasthan Administrative Service official on Monday beat his 48-year-old wife to death with a cricket bat due to marital discord, said police.

Ramdev Singh, posted as assistant district magistrate in the Jaipur district collector office, suspected that his wife had extra-marital affairs, police said.

Businessman found strangled at home

New Delhi:  A 44-year-old businessman was on Monday found strangled at his house in west Delhi, police said.

Naresh Narang, who run an apparel business house at Shastri Nagar in east Delhi, was found strangled at his house in Kirti Nagar, police said.

Man robs MP on train

New Delhi:  An unidentified man lunged at the pocket of an MP returning to Delhi on board a train on Monday and fled with cash and valuables, police said.

Super-typhoon leaves 16 dead in Philippines

Manila:  Super-typhoon Nanmadol left at least16 people dead after hitting the Philippines, and the toll is expected to rise as hopes of finding those missing fade, the civil defence chief said today.

Over 61,000 people have been evacuated from their homes after Nanmadol, the strongest storm to hit the country this year, lashed the northern edge of the main island of Luzon at the weekend, causing landslides and floods. Most of the 16 killed were buried in landslides, including two children in northern Baguio who were killed in an avalanche of rubbish at the city dump, said civil defence operations chief Benito Ramos.