'This was not the cleanest game of cricket you've ever seen -- there were too many flubs and fumbles for that. But it was certainly the semi-final this mostly blah tournament has needed -- two tough, well-rounded teams, toe to toe, slugging it out, bleeding and drawing blood until there was only one left standing.'

Leonardo Mayer beat Joao Souza in a Davis Cup singles match that lasted a record six hours and 42 minutes.

La Liga leaders Real Madrid were thumped 4-0 away by city rivals Atletico Madrid to open up the Spanish title race, while Chelsea strengthened their hold on top spot in the English Premier League after a 2-1 win at Aston Villa.

In his penultimate State of the Union address, Barack Obama said that the economy is improving.

Tillikaratane Dilshan eased to his 19th One-day International century to anchor his side to a six-wicket victory over New Zealand in the second game of their seven-match series at Seddon Park in Hamilton on Thursday.

Pakistan cricket captain Misbah-ul-Haq was fined 15 per cent of his match fee showing dissent to the umpire after his dismissal in the second one-dayer against New Zealand in Sharjah.

On Friday, German Chancellor was caught enjoying some down time in a pub in Brisbane, where she has come to attend the G20 summit. Over the past years, world leaders have often been snapped enjoying some time on their own at a pub, downing a drink or two. So, sit back, enjoy a glass of wine and a few of those moments.

'We are two countries that, as Swami Vivekananda said in Chicago more than a century ago, have sheltered the persecuted and the refugees of all religions and all nations on Earth.' 'People are watching to wait and see if this Modi moment is going to be the moment when the world's oldest democracy and the world's largest democracy finally capitalise on the full, inherent potential of this relationship.' Aziz Haniffa/Rediff.com reports from the State Department's lunch for Prime Minister Modi.

Another sobering number is that the total Chinese investment in India in the past 10 years amounts to $400 million.

Former World No 1 Ana Ivanovic was upset 7-5, 6-4 by 42nd-ranked Karolina Pliskova of the Czech Republic in the second round of the US Open on Thursday.

Former World No 1 Ana Ivanovic was upset 7-5, 6-4 by 42nd-ranked Karolina Pliskova of the Czech Republic in the second round of the U.S. Open on Thursday.

'Madras is a Tamil word while Chennai is Telugu. Without the English, there would have been no Madras. The erection of Fort St George laid the foundations for the growth of the first modern city of India,' Historian JBP More tells Shobha Warrier.

While India is witnessing slowdown, many countries have not yet been able to come off the last decade's financial crisis.

Newcastle Under-18 youngster Olivier Kemen re-visited Diego Maradona famous 'Hand of God' with a blatant handball goal during their FA Youth Cup defeat by Chelsea at St James Park.

India suffered its worst One-Day International series defeat in New Zealand, losing 0-4, after being trounced by 87 runs in the inconsequential fifth and final match in Wellington on Friday.

Franck Ribery, who has been shortlisted for the prestigious FIFA-Ballon d'Or award, was named French Player of the Year on Tuesday by France Football magazine.

Ashok Menaria produced an all-round show as India 'A' scored a convincing six-wicket victory over New Zealand 'A' in the second one-dayer between the countries to take an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series in Visakhapatnam on Tuesday.

India discard Robin Uthappa slammed a sparkling century as India 'A' recorded a comprehensive six-wicket victory over New Zealand 'A' in the first of the three-match unofficial ODI series in Visakhapatnam on Sunday.

The name of Prince William and Kate Middleton's newborn son is now a hot topic in Britain, with George being bookmakers favourite for the christening of the future King.

Mohun Bagan continued their dream run in the I-League, taking their winning streak to four matches by overcoming stiff resistance from Air India and recording a hard-fought 3-2 victory at Kalyani Stadium, in Kolkata on Saturday.

Luck was impartial on Saturday in the 21st round I-League encounter between ONGC and Churchill Brothers at Ambedkar Stadium.

Maria Sharapova swept aside any fears about her fitness with a ruthless 6-0, 6-0 victory over Olga Puchkova on Monday as a trio of top women progressed with ease on the first morning of the Australian Open.

A powerful batting display and disciplined bowling helped South Africa to a 33-run victory over New Zealand in the third and deciding T20 International at St.George's Park on Wednesday.

A summary of Thursday's second round matches in the I-League.

Defending champions Salgaocar notched their second successive win, blanking United Sikkim 3-0 to brighten their semi-final chances in the 34th Federation Cup on Saturday.

The Olympic torch will share the same security as the Crown Jewels at the Tower of London on its first night in the capital on Friday before embarking on a week-long journey that will take in religious, political and royal landmarks.

If Chris Gayle plays for the West Indies again, a new and distinct flavour will be added not only to the West Indies team but also international cricket, says Haresh Pandya.

Ranti Martins scored all of his team's goals as Dempo Sports Club floored Sporting Clube de Goa 4-1 and ensured they have more than just a hand on the I-League trophy in the 25th round I-League encounter at the Nehru Stadium in Fatorda, Goa on Sunday.

Salgaocar Sports Club overcame stiff second half resistance from Prayag United SC, to score a solitary goal victory in the 19th round I League match, at the Nehru Stadium, Fatorda, Goa on Monday.

A spectacular pile-driver from former international Deepak Mondal gave Prayag United the necessary lead to help it upset the Kolkata giant Mohun Bagan 2-1, in a 16th round I-League match, played at the Salt Lake Stadium, in Kolkata on Sunday.

Odafe Okolie scored a hat-trick as Mohun Bagan came from behind to beat Churcbill Brothers 3-2 and move to the second place after 14 rounds of the I-League football tournament in Margao on Sunday.

Shillong Lajong qualified for the semi-finals of the Federation Cup football tournament after defeating Royal Wahingdoh by a solitary goal in Pune on Wednesday.

Presenting a brief run-down of the top batting knocks in the World Cup (against Test playing nations only) ahead of the 2011 edition which starts on Saturday.

Security and strategic analyst K Subrahmanyam died in New Delhi on Wednesday after a brief illness.

Close to where the Obamas will stay in Mumbai is the British-named dock that launched a German-named ship that gave America its most famous song.

France received chilling notice that the road to post-World Cup redemption will be long and hard when they lost 1-0 to Belarus in Paris on Friday, while Portugal threw away two points in a frantic 4-4 draw at home to Cyprus. England and Italy were able to start repairing their reputations with contrasting wins in their first Euro 2012 qualifiers and Spain swatted away Liechtenstein 4-0 with an ease befitting their status as world and European champions.

Roman Pavlyuchenko's late strike gave Tottenham Hotspur a Champions League lifeline on a torrid night against Swiss club Young Boys as they clawed back from a calamitous start to lose their playoff first leg 3-2.

Revenue and profitability are more important to the Idea Cellular boss than the ranking of the company.

France failed to rise to the occasion again on Friday when a lacklustre performance in a tepid 0-0 draw with Uruguay handed the initiative to their lesser-ranked World Cup Group A rivals.