Nadal reaches Paris Masters quarter-finals.

Battling Rafael Nadal moved into the Paris Masters quarter-finals on Thursday with a 6-3, 3-6, 7-5 win over Tommy Robredo underlining his Nadal threat to unseat Roger Federer as world No.1 by the end of the season.

With Federer a shock loser to Frenchman Julien Benneteau on Wednesday, a win for Nadal in Sunday’s final would leave him just 305 points adrift of his arch rival with the season-ending ATP World Tour Finals to come in London later this month.

Nadal ended Federer’s long reign as world No.1 after winning the Beijing Olympics last year, but Federer bounced back to regain the top spot in July after winning both the French Open and Wimbledon titles.

Nadal had needed to save five match points to get past Spanish compatriot Nicolas Almagro in a second round marathon of over three hours on Wednesday, and he wobbled again against Robredo, another countryman and a player he had beaten in straight sets in all five of their previous encounters.

Robredo even served for the match at 5-4 in the deciding set but once again Nadal produced his best with his back to the wall to pull through by winning the final three games of the match.

“I was a little less lucky than yesterday,” Nadal said. “He served for the match and it was in his hands, but I won anyway.

“I wasn’t playing my best, but I played better than yesterday.”

Joining Federer on the sidelines though was fourth seed Andy Murray who found two matches in one day too much to handle as he lost 1-6, 6-3, 6-4 to Radek Stepanek of the Czech Republic.

The Scot, who won a season-best sixth title in Valencia on Sunday was taken to 1:45 a.m the night before in defeating James Blake 6-3, 6-7 (5/7), 7-6 (7/4).

“I said last night it was going to be difficult to come back and feel 100 percent. It’s obviously limited recovery after a long match,” he said.”But you still come out and you try to give it your best shot. Wasn’t good enough.”

Nikolay Davydenko meanwhile became the seventh player to qualify for the eight-man London Tour Finals despite losing 6-3, 3-6, 6-4 to Sweden’s Robin Soderling in another third round match.

Placed seventh in the standings coming into Paris, the loss briefly left the Russian at the mercy of the four other players in with a chance of playing in London from November 22-29.

But then Spain’s Fernando Verdasco, who was holding on to the eighth and final slot, lost 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 to Marin Cilic of Croatia.

His defeat meant that Davydenko was assured of finishing the week no lower than eighth which stamped his ticket for London.

Verdasco will now have to sweat it out while keeping an eye on the progress of the three other potential finalists – Soderling, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, who reached the last eight here with a 6-2, 6-3 win over French compatriot Gilles Simon, and Chile’s Fernando Gonzalez, who was playing US Open champion Juan Martin del Potro of Argentina in Thursday’s final match.

Soderling, who reached the French Open final the last time he was in Paris in June, will still have to at least reach the final at Bercy to have any chance of making it through to London.

Next up for him, with a place in the semi-finals at stake, will be third seed Novak Djokovic, who cruised past French qualifier Arnaud Clement 6-2, 6-2 in 75 minutes.

The 2008 Australian Open champion from Serbia, last year’s Tour Finals winner, is seeking to lift back-to-back titles following his win in Basel last week where he beat Roger Federer in the final.

He is also eager to win his first Masters Series title of the year having lost in four finals.”Robin has a chance to qualify for the Masters Cup so he will give his best in the quarter-finals,” Djokovic said.

“He is a big server and is having the best year of his career. I played him recently in Beijing and won so, hopefully, I can do the same here.”Title-holder Tsonga, who needs to defend his title to qualify for London, said after his win over Simon that he refused to let himself become obsessed with qualifying for the season’s finale.

“I’m not here for the Masters. I’m here for Bercy,” the French No.1 said.”I will only be qualified if I win this tournament, so I’m not thinking about London.

Benneteau, who said his win over the world No.1 Federer was the best moment of his career, failed to carry his form into Thursday losing 6-4, 6-3 to compatriot Gael Monfils.

Sunny, Vishy feted by Big B, Little Master.

It was a sight for the Gods. Four legends – Amitabh Bachchan, Sunil Gavaskar, Gundappa Vishwanath and Sachin Tendulkar – came together on Sachin, Gavaskar, Vishwanath, Amitabh one stage to celebrate 60 years of life of two of India’s greatest cricketers in Gavaskar and Vishwanath.

While Tendulkar was the chief guest of the function, Amitabh did the honours by presenting Sunny and Vishy with golden bats. And indeed, as these greats stood together to a standing ovation from the distinguished audience at the Rangasharda auditorium, they made for a picture to be preserved for posterity.

The clock was pushed back to the era when Gavaskar and Vishwanath were the signatures of Indian cricket. There were glimpses of their heroics on the screen while their friends and colleagues came up with interesting anecdotes to bring forth not just their passion for the game but also their colourful persona.

The mood was set for the wonderful evening once Amitabh held fort and his rich baritone struck an instant rapport with the audience. And catching the mood of the occasion, Vishwanath took a trip down memory lane to recall several humorous and even horror-filled incidents of his illustrious career. Yet, when it came to praising Gavaskar, he underlined the qualities that made his brother in-law one of the greatest batsman of all times.

“He was an amazing player who faced fast bowling all over the world with courage, pride and determination. I admired his tremendous powers of concentration and his ability to pick the length of the ball,” said Vishwanath.

On his part, Gavaskar recalled that he never wore a helmet because he wasn’t comfortable wearing it and found it a bit heavy. In a lighter vein, Gavaskar said that if born again, he would like to be a fast bowler and not an opening bat. His reasoning: “In my days, they used to have a fast bowlers’ union where by no fast bowler would bowl a bouncer at any of his opponent. But now things are different. I can retaliate.”

The unique occasion gave Big B butterflies in his stomach. “Even as I sit between these distinguished people, I have butterflies in my stomach. I don’t know what to say. But, it’s good to have butterflies for any performer to perform under pressure,” he explained. His views were endorsed by Tendulkar who said, “It’s important to be nervous because when I am nervous I know I want to do well.”

While greeting Vishwanath and Tendulkar for their wealth of accomplishments, Amitabh said he was privileged to have spent more time with Sunil. “He would call me on every birthday and I called him on his birthday. And it was Sunil who started it,” the Bollywood icon said.

Honour Sachin with a ‘Vishwa Ratna: Lata Mangeshkar.

LATA: My heartiest congratulations to him. I have seen Sachin right from the time he made his debut as a sixteen-year-old. Since then, he has gone on to climb dizzy heights, he’s got married, raised a family, and somehow remained the same humble man throughout. It’s really amazing to know he has been around for 20 years. I greet him and his family. May God bless him and may he go on for another 40 years!

Like Sunil Gavaskar, there’s a comforting thought that Sachin will hold the fort, that Team India is safe. Though each stroke is a stroke of genius, I have a distinct liking for his straight drive. I also admire the way he looks up to the heavens every time he completes a half-century or century. It means he is thanking God for blessing him, and that’s a great thing. Who can forget the 1999 World Cup, when he played on even though his father passed away midway through the tournament? Sachin took a break to attend the funeral and returned quickly to score a century, then looked up to the skies to seek his father’s blessings. It was a very touching and emotional moment for every Indian. The poignancy of that moment has stayed in the minds of all who watched that knock. I am no exception.

11 dead as bombers hit ISI office, police station in Pak.

Suicide bombers struck an office of the ISI and a police station in northwest Pakistan, killing at least 11 people and injuring 40
Pak blast Pakistani security officials secure the site of a bomb blast at the ISI building in Peshawar. (AFP Photo) More Pictures
others in the latest in a wave of audacious terrorist attacks across the country.

A suicide attacker rammed his explosives-laden car into the gate of the Inter-Services Intelligence office within the cantonment of Peshawar city at 6.40 am, killing at least eight persons and injuring 30 others, police and rescue service officials said

The bomber’s car was packed with about 200 kg of explosives, Inspector General of Police Malik Naveed Khan told reporters. The facade of the building and a nearby check post were destroyed by the blast, which was heard up to 20 km away.

Officials at the Lady Reading Hospital said they had received the bodies of two security personnel, four civilians and a private security guard.About 30 injured people, including a six-year-old boy, were taken to this hospital. More bodies and injured were taken to a military hospital.

The ISI office on Khyber Road that was targeted is located at a short distance from an army stadium and the official residences of several dignitaries, including the Governor and Chief Minister of the North West Frontier Province.

A second suicide bomber rammed a car packed with explosives into a suburban police station in the garrison city of Bannu, southwest of Peshawar, killing three policemen and wounding five others, police said.

“The bomber rammed the car into the police station,” Bannu police chief Iqbal Marwat said from the garrison town.

“There are three policemen dead and 12 injured. The number of casualties is likely to rise because the injured are being pulled out from the rubble of the police station,” he added.

Peshawar, which borders Pakistan’s semi-autonomous tribal belt where US officials say al-Qaida are plotting attacks on the West and where Pakistani troops are pressing a major offensive, is frequently hit by attacks.

Now,the Metro from Delhi to Noida.

The Delhi Metro has finally crossed the border to the first suburb Noida. The Delhi-Noida link was inaugurated on Thursday. It has been thrown open to the public on Friday.

There were two chief ministers on hand to launch it. Delhi’s Sheila Dikshit and UP’s Mayawati did the honours, flagging off the much-waited Metro line between Delhi and the satellite town of Noida.

Mayawati and the media were among the first to ride the 13-kilometre stretch built over a period of three years for 800 crores. Between 6 am and 11 pm, close to 40 trains will operate on the line for an estimated 53000 passengers everyday.

It hasn’t been an entirely smooth ride. First, a crack was discovered in a crucial pillar. Then, after trial runs began, it was discovered that only 3 of the ten stations are ready with parking facilities. Feeder buses haven’t been launched.

And then there have been repeated murmurs that security checks and trial runs were cut short so that the launch could coincide with a huge trade fair, ensuring trains are packed in their first few days of service.as authorities wanted to start operations… during the busy trade fair… that would ensure more footfalls.

But Noida’s high crime rate is also a matter of concern for both passengers and the police. “There will be CISF people who will provide security here,” says E Sreedharan, Chairman of the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation.

Will Nitin Gadkari next BJP president?

Is the Maharashtra BJP chief Nitin Gadkari all set to be the party’s next national president? The question is doing the rounds in the BJP.

Gadkari was in the national capital on Thursday. Significantly, he did not deny being tipped for the top party post. He said he was ready for any assignment.

“I am a loyal soldier of the party but my political influence is limited within Maharashtra and not the rest of the country. I am no one to intervene or take decisions on their behalf at that level. Though the situation hasn’t arisen but I will do whatever the party wants me to as I have in the past. I was never part of any race neither have I tried to participate in any race ever,” says Gadkari.

“I have always taken up any responsibility that the party has entrusted me with, starting from pasting posters when I began with ABVP.

RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat said a few days ago that BJP’s central leaders Arun Jaitley, Sushma Swaraj, M Venkaiah Naidu and Ananth Kumar have been passed over for the post.

Gadkari’s candidature as the Sangh’s choice has been doing the rounds since September.

Since there’s no consensus in the BJP on an alternative name, as GenNext leaders opposed one another bitterly, the RSS seems to be succeeding in pushing its case for a leader from “outside Delhi”.

Rajnath Singh also has officially asked the RSS to help in choosing the next president.The L K Advani faction is opposing a leader who will closely align with the Sangh.

Jharkhand: Kidnapped MLA calls top cop.

The RJD MLA who was kidnapped by Maoists called up the Jharkhand IG to say that he was safe. Ram Chandra Singh and a supporter were kidnapped from his constituency Manika as they were returning on a motorcycle after attending a function.

Singh has got a ticket to contest again in the coming Assembly elections.Jharkhand is one of the worst affected Naxal states which is why polling is being held in five phases for the 81 Assembly seats starting on November 27.

Rahul’ Mahesh Bhatt’s son suspected with Headley.

Is Mahesh Bhatt’s son Rahul the actor mentioned in the e-mails between Headley and his Lashkar contacts?

Now more revelations have emerged in the Headley terror plot. Reports in a section of the media say that the mysterious name, Rahul, mentioned extensively in Lashkar-e-Taiba operative David Coleman Headley’s e-mails to handlers in Pakistan has finally been identified.

It’s neither Shah Rukh Khan nor Rahul Gandhi, as suspected, but the son of famous filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt.

Twenty-five-year-old Rahul Bhatt is a fitness instructor and a body builder. He is in fact a friend of Headley who was arrested by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in Chicago last month.

Headley, a key suspect in the terror plot against India and Denmark, which was uncovered by the FBI last month, had befriended Rahul at a gym. But the police say Rahul probably had no idea of the man’s real identity.

However, investigating agencies, who have already questioned Rahul, have almost given him a clean chit, saying that he appears to be innocent.In a few e-mail conversations with a LeT operative, Headley has mentioned Rahul several times.

Ranbir and I are competitors: Neil

Their grandfathers were best friends, their fathers enjoy great camaraderie and Neil Nitin Mukesh says he and Ranbir Kapoor are pals too. But he also admits that there is healthy rivalry between them.

“Ranbir and I are of course competitors. But there’s no negative rivalry between us. Our respective fathers (Nitin Mukesh and Rishi Kapoor) would kill us if we behaved like two brats fighting for the same roles,” Neil said.

“I’m proud that Ranbir’s and my grandfather (Raj Kapoor and Mukesh) were very close friends. My father and Ranbir’s father adore each other. Ranbir is like my younger brother,” he added

Neil’s Jail and Ranbir’s Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani released on the same day.

“I’d want Ranbir’s film to do as well as mine,” Neil says. “Fortunately, Jail and Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani look like north and south poles.”

Vidya Balan carries 45 kg boy on her shoulders.

Who says acting is easy? Not when you have to carry a boy weighing 45 kgs on your shoulders. Just ask actress vidya Balan, who had to go through the exercise for her film Paa — and ended up falling.

“In a scene, Vidya had to shoot with a child who is playing the younger version of Amitabh Bachchan in Paa. The scene required Vidya to carry him on her shoulders,” said a source.

“Vidya weighs 45 kgs and so did the boy. Vidya carried him on her shoulders nevertheless. Suddenly there was this loud thud and people saw that she had lost balance and fallen on the ground along with the boy. The actress still completed the shot,” added the source.

Paa, slated for a Dec 4 release, revolves around a father-son relationship. While Abhishek Bachchan plays the father, Amitabh Bachchan will be seen as his son who is suffering from a rare disorder called progeria.

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