Smoke billows from SpiceJet plane engine as it lands in Tuticorin, all passengers safe

A SpiceJet plane landed at Tuticorin this morning with smoke pluming from one of its engines. 72 passengers were on board the plane which arrived from Chennai. They are all safe.

Alert fire brigade and other officials spotted the smoke and rallied emergency assistance immediately.

Airport Director C Prabhakar told NDTV, "As the flight came to the bay after landing, we noticed smoke coming from the starboard engine. The fire brigade immediately sprinkled water to first cool it down and then sprayed foam. Without wasting time, all passengers were disembarked."

An official with the airline said the plane had "a minor technical snag".

Rafael Nadal fights back to reach US Open quarterfinals

World number two Rafael Nadal avoided the same fate which befell Roger Federer to reach the US Open quarterfinals on Monday with a 6-7 (4/7), 6-4, 6-3, 6-1 win over German 22nd seed Philipp Kohlschreiber.

Nadal, the 2010 champion in New York, stayed on course for a 13th Grand Slam title and will next face fellow Spaniard Tommy Robredo, who shocked 17-time major winner Federer 7-6 (7/3), 6-3, 6-4.

Second seed Nadal fired 48 winners and took his year record to 57 wins against just three defeats and his perfect hardcourt form to 19 wins.

He also preserved his record this year at the tournament of not having dropped serve, although he had a rocky start to the evening against the big-hitting Kohlschreiber, who finished with 49 winners but 47 unforced errors.

Nadal certainly had the 29-year-old German under the cosh throughout their last-16 tie, carving out 21 break points, converting five.

"It was very tough tonight with the humid conditions, I was sweating too much," said Nadal after three hours and 12 minutes on court.

"I had chances in the first set but couldn't take them. I feel lucky to be through as it was physically tough.

"But as the match went on I felt more comfortable on my serve." Next up for Nadal is Robredo against whom he has a 6-0 record. "He's playing great and he has had similar circumstances like me in coming back from injury," said Nadal.

"He has come back and is having an amazing tournament. He has beaten Federer so he will bring that confidence into the match."

As news of Federer's stunning defeat to Robredo on the neighbouring Louis Armstrong Court spread around the Arthur Ashe Stadium, Kohlschreiber sensed his chance of a shock and took the first set on a tie-breaker.

But Nadal eventually broke through for a 4-3 lead in the second set to level up the encounter.

The 27-year-old Spaniard kept up the barrage at the start of the third with Kohlschreiber fending off eight break points in the opening game before Nadal achieved the break in the third game.

He backed it up with another break in the ninth as he sighted the quarterfinals.

Kohlschreiber, who had only beaten the world number two once in 10 meetings before Monday, was wilting and dumped an easy smash into the net in the first game of the fourth set which would have given him an early break.

Nadal made him pay as he raced away with victory.

Gareth Bale unfazed by pressure of huge price tag

 Gareth Bale insists he will not be overcome by the pressure of his huge price tag after being officially unveiled as a Real Madrid player in front of 20,000 fans on Monday.

Bale's protracted transfer from Tottenham Hotspur was finally completed on Sunday evening, with contrasting reports over whether he had become the most expensive player in the history of the game.

English media reported Bale's transfer had broken the record Real paid for Cristiano Ronaldo four years ago at 101 million euros ($133.5 million, £86 million), while in Spain reports citing Real Madrid sources said the deal was concluded for 91 million euros, three million less than the sum paid for Ronaldo.

Asaram cleared potency test without any drugs

The virility of the controversial 72-year-old godman Asaram Bapu surprised the team of three doctors who conducted a potency test on him after he agreed to be subjected to it. Sources, who had details of the potency test on Sunday, said the man accused of molesting a 16-year-old was established to be potent in the first stage of the examination - physical stimulation.

Asaram Bapu had initially objected to the potency test when a team of three doctors approached him at Rajasthan Armed Constabulary headquarters on Sunday. He, however, changed his mind after a few minutes of persuasion and told them that the body was "nashwar" (mortal), so they could do to it whatever they wanted. It took doctors from Jodhpur's Mathura Das Mathur Hospital about two hours to get the potency test conducted on Asaram.

Stop toll collection on roads that miss work deadline, NHAI says

Faced with massive criticism over its decision allowing highway developers to charge toll on road widening projects even during the construction phase, the National Highways Authority of India wants to suspend toll collection on stretches where work has fallen way behind schedule.

NHAI has sought in-principle approval for the move from the road transport and highways ministry, citing the example of the Gurgaon-Jaipur stretch of NH-8 where the widening work has missed several deadlines. The authority says it has been receiving a number of representations from the public, questions in Parliament and adverse media attention over the messy state of this road.

Microsoft to acquire Nokia's handset business for $7.2bn

Microsoft Corp on Tuesday said it would buy Nokia's mobile phone business for 5.44 billion euros, and the Finnish firm said its CEO, Stephen Elop, would join Microsoft when the transaction closed.

Finland's Nokia, once the undisputed leader in mobile phones, has been struggling to respond to the challenge from smartphone makers such as Apple and Samsung.

Analysts say Elop's bold bet in 2011 to adopt Microsoft's untested Windows Phone software has yet to pay off.

The deal is expected to close in the first quarter of 2014 and is subject to approval by Nokia's shareholders and regulatory approvals. Nokia partnered in 2011 with Microsoft and uses Microsoft's Windows software to run its mobile phones.

Syria crisis: Obama asks Congress to back military action

US President Barack Obama has formally asked Congress to authorise military action against Syria over alleged chemical weapons attacks.

He said any operation would be limited, ruling out a ground invasion. Congress is to reconvene on 9 September.

This comes after Washington claimed it had evidence that 1,429 people were killed in chemical attacks by the Syrian army on 21 August.

The Syrian government gave no immediate reaction to Mr Obama's announcement.

Damascus had earlier condemned the US allegations and blamed the rebels for the attacks.

As rupee tanks, students abroad work longer, seek more loans

Dozens die in Kenya bus crash

At least 37 people were killed following a bus crash west of Nairobi, Kenya, police said Thursday.
The wreck took place in the predawn hours in Ntulele, when the bus overturned on the Nairobi-Narok highway.
At least 32 others suffered multiple injuries and were evacuated to a district hospital, police said.
Earlier, the Red Cross had reported 41 killed in the mishap, citing police.
Between 3,000 and 13,000 people die in road accidents in Kenya every year, the World Health Organization says.

Li Tianyi, princeling teen son of Chinese 'singing general,' embroiled in gang rape scandal

A gang rape allegedly involving the teenage son of a famous Chinese "singing general" has caused outrage in China, unleashing a tide of public anger over the behavior of so-called "princelings," the children of elite families.
Li Tianyi, 17, stood before Haidian People's Court in a closed hearing in Beijing Wednesday and Thursday, one of five defendants accused of raping a woman in a hotel room in February after drinking with her in a bar. Li, who also goes by the name Li Guanfeng, told the court he was drunk and could remember little of the night in question, but denied beating or having sex with the woman, the state-run Beijing News reported.
While Li's four co-accused issued guilty pleas by the trial's end, Li continued to deny the allegations, state media reported.

N. Korea rescinds invitation to U.S. envoy over American prisoner

(CNN) -- North Korea has rescinded an invitation for a U.S. envoy to visit North Korea and try to secure the release of a detained American.
Ambassador Robert King, President Barack Obama's special envoy for North Korean human rights issues, was expected to fly to the Asian nation on Friday to try to win the freedom of Kenneth Bae, an American citizen imprisoned there for carrying out "serious crimes" against Kim Jong Un's regime.

Venezuelan jailed for shooting US diplomats in Caracas

A Venezuelan man has been sentenced to five and a half years in prison for opening fire on two US diplomats in a Caracas strip club.

The attorney general's office said Carlos Mejias admitted wounding the military attaches after a brawl in May.

"He pulled out a gun and repeatedly fired at the Americans," it said in a statement.

One of the diplomats was shot in the leg, the other in the stomach. But neither had life-threatening injuries.

The incident took place at the Antonella 2012 Club, a pole dancing bar in the Chacao neighbourhood of Caracas, the statement said.

Colombia troops to patrol Bogota after protests

Colombia is deploying troops in the capital, Bogota, following violent protests in support of a strike by small-scale farmers.

Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos said the troops were needed "to assure normality".

Clashes with police broke out after thousands of people took to the streets in support of the farmers. At least two people have died.

Farmers say government policies are driving them into bankruptcy.

"Last night, I ordered the militarisation of Bogota and I will do the same today in any municipality or area that needs the presence of our soldiers," President Santos said in a televised address after an overnight cabinet meeting.