Grandmaster Vidit Santosh Gujrathi came good when it mattered most and defeated Marius Monalache of Romania to emerge as the best performing Indian in the Cappelle La Grande International Chess tournament that concluded in Cappelle La Grande, France.
Romania striker Adrian Mutu called the decision to uphold his order to pay Chelsea 17.17 million euros in damages "profoundly unjust" on Monday and confirmed he may take the case outside the sporting courts.
The Court of Arbitration for Sport C(AS) has rejected Romanian striker Adrian Mutu's appeal against an order to pay 17.17 million euros ($24.2 million) in damages to Chelsea, the court said in a statement on Friday. Mutu, now playing for Fiorentina in Italy, was ordered to pay the sum by FIFA last year after he was fired by the Premier League club in 2004 for testing positive for cocaine.
The recent bailout of Romania by the International Monetary Fund puts the spotlight back on the East European block of countries and what it means for the Western European banking sector. If evidence is anything to go by, things are turning for the worse. In fact, if a block of countries could be termed 'sub-prime', Eastern Europe seems to qualify as the countries seem to have been battered and bruised big time by the ongoing global financial turmoil.
The number of telephone subscribers in India increased from 1,183.15 million at the end of May to 1,186.63 million at the end of June.
Former world champions France will play Ukraine for a place in the World Cup finals in Brazil next year with the advantage of the second leg at home following the draw for the European playoffs.
Romania's Simona Halep kicked off her campaign for a maiden WTA Finals title in emphatic fashion with a thumping 6-0, 6-3 victory over US Open champion Flavia Pennetta in the opening match of the eight-woman season-ending tournament on Sunday.
The second round jinx at Wimbledon continued to haunt Sania Mirza. The Indian ace crashed out of the All England Championships following a 4-6, 4-6 defeat to Romania's Sorana Cirstea on Wednesday.
Sania Mirza tamed world No 51 Anna-Lena Groenefeld 6-2, 2-6, 6-2 to advance to the second round of the ladies singles at Wimbledon on Monday. The Indian ace next faces 28th seed Sorana Cirstea of Romania, who beat countrywoman Edina Gallovits 7-5, 6-1.
Second seed Dinara Safina slumped out of the Dubai Tennis Championships in the second round on Tuesday after losing 6-4 6-2 to Virginie Razzano of France.
IMAGES from the matches played at the Miami Open on Thursday
Mahindra & Mahindra on Friday confirmed its bid to acquire the Romanian government's stake in SC Tractorul UTB SA, Brasov.
Sania Mirza and Francesca Schiavone's were handed a straight-set defeat by Spanirad Arantxa Parra Santonja and Edina Gallovits of Romania at the doubles event of the USD 220,000 Hobart International WTA tournament on Wednesday.
A noticeable presence of protestors outside the venue failed to stop Olympic champion Elena Dementieva from marching into the semi-finals of the Auckland Classic on Thursday.
Nandan Bal is to continue as India's Davis Cup coach as the All India Tennis Association named four-member support staff for the away Davis Cup tie against Romania.
India will have to contend with none other than 14-time Grand Slam winner Rafael Nadal as Spain today named a full strength team for the upcoming Davis Cup World Group Play-off tie. Apart from world number five Nadal, who lost in the fourth round at the US Open, Spain has packed the side with world number 13 David Ferrer, world number 18 Feliciano Lopez and Mark Lopez (world number 19 in doubles).
Serbia's Novak Djokovic is the top seed in the men's draw which includes five-times US Open champion and 17-times Grand Slam winner Roger Federer as seventh seed - his first time the Swiss has been placed outside the top three in a Grand Slam in over ten years.
International Master Tania Sachdev guided India to a creditable draw against top seed Russia while her male compatriots thumped El Salvador to remain in joint lead after the third round of the 32nd Chess Olympiad in Dresden, Germany. The Indian men's resounding 3.5-0.5 win against El Salvador in the open section kept them in joint lead on six match points along with Russia, Armenia, Germany '1', Spain, Ukraine, Norway, England and Romania.
Five things to watch out for at the French Open on Tuesday.
Third seed Simona Halep made the most of the Centre Court stage gifted to her in a scheduling change, disposing of her Brazilian opponent Teliana Pereira 6-2, 6-2 in a clinical display on Tuesday.
Commonwealth Games bronze medallist RMV Gurusaidutt and young B Sai Praneeth advanced to the main draw of Singapore Open Super Series.
Roger Federer, who will be chasing an 18th Grand Slam title at the Australian Open later this month, breezed through to the Brisbane International men's semi-finals with a 6-1, 6-1 thumping of Australian Marinko Matosevic.
The doubles specialist made the team at the expense of Prakash Amritraj, who was rendered ineligible after the new sports policy that bars foreign passport holders from representing the country. Amritraj holds a United States passport.
Jelena Jankovic avenged last year's defeat and knocked champion Serena Williams out of the Australian Open quarter-finals.
World Cup holders Italy and beaten finalists France will renew hostilities in the toughest group of Euro 2008. Netherlands and Romania, neither to be taken lightly, complete a Group C that will finish with at least one former European champion on the tournament scrapheap.
Spaniard Garbine Muguruza withdraw from the Italian Open semi-finals with a neck injury on Saturday, eight days before she is due to start the defence of her French Open title at Roland Garros.
Third seed Stan Wawrinka was sent packing in the round of 16 at the BNP Paribas Open in California on Wednesday and was very nearly joined by Rafael Nadal, who pulled off a Houdini-like escape to reach the last eight.
Adrian Mutu netted twice to push Fiorentina up to fifth in Serie A with a 3-1 win at Bologna on Monday.
American tennis ace Venus Williams has entered the top ten of latest WTA ranking following her victory in the Zhuhai Masters in China.
Chile, Austria, Croatia, Israel, Romania and the Netherlands secured places in the World Group of the Davis Cup for 2009 after completing playoff victories in the reverse singles on Sunday.
Victor Hanescu mercilessly crushed India's hopes to make the Davis Cup World Group as he knocked out Prakash Amritraj in the first reverse singles to give Romania an unassailable 3-1 lead in the five-match playoff tie in Bucharest on Sunday.
Rafael Nadal survived a spirited early attack from American Sam Querrey on Friday, before beating the Davis Cup debutant 6-7, 6-4, 6-3, 6-4 in the opening semi-final rubber in Madrid.
Romania's CFR Cluj shocked AS Roma 2-1 on their Champions League debut on Tuesday but there were no surprises for Chelsea, Liverpool, Barcelona or Inter Milan who all won their opening group games.
Osaka survives test to reach last 16
Former Davis Cup player S P Mishra, manager of the team in the tie against Japan in April, has been appointed non-playing captain for the World Group play-off match against Romania in September.
Olympic bronze medallist Sakshi Malik crashed out in the first round while compatriot Vinesh Phogat's campaign also ended in a whimper as Indian grapplers continued with dismal show at World Wrestling Championship.
Brazil's Bruno Soares, fuelled by numerous cups of coffee, produced a doubles double on Sunday when he and Russian partner Elena Vesnina won the Australian Open mixed doubles title on Rod Laver Arena.
CFR Cluj will create the upset of the season if they avoid defeat against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday and help stop last season's beaten finalists advancing to the last 16 of the Champions League. Chelsea have already failed to beat Cluj in the competition having drawn 0-0 in their first meeting in Group A in Romania in October.
India's M C Mary Kom (46kg) re-asserted her status as the world's most successful woman boxer, clinching an unprecedented fourth successive gold medal, but India failed to retain the team crown at the fifth AIBA World Championships in Ningbo City, China, on Saturday. In a repeat of the previous World Championship final in New Delhi, the 25-year-old Indian out-punched Romania's Steluta Duta for a 7-1 verdict to grab India's only gold medal at the event.
Former world number one Victoria Azarenka was forced out of the Aegon Classic in Birmingham with a foot injury on Wednesday shortly after defending champion Ana Ivanovic suffered a shock defeat.
