MRF UNVEILS AERO TYRES

MRF chairman Mr.K.M.Mammen addressing a press conference on Thursday said that we are manufacturing aviation tyre space with the unveiling of aero muscles,a product born out of in house research and perfected over last three years. MRF expected to invest about Rs.125 crore in this project.

The Center for Military Airworthiness certification and the Regional Center for Military Airworthiness had approved the commercial production of 'aero muscles" tyres for onward supply to Hindustan Aeronautics for its Chetak helicopters.

CELL PHONES POWERED BY HYDROGEN FUEL CELL

In the day to day life the usage of mobile phones has increases enormously,many companies are introducing new models of mobiles with good style and technology. In future the upcoming technology in mobile series is hydrogen pack inserted in mobile and a small solar array for charging purpose. It will help for the peoples to easy way of charging the mobiles.

COUNTRY'S FIRST FROZEN EGG BABY BORN IN CHENNAI HOSPITAL

Six months after a city-based hospital announced the successful frozen oocyte (egg) fertilisation in a 29-year-old woman, a team of doctors delivered the country's first baby to be born by this method on Wednesday. The team, headed by obstetrician-gynaecologist Dr Priya Selvaraj, helped deliver a 2.5 kg baby boy. The woman, who had suffered abortions earlier due to chromosomal disorders, was advised egg replacement for a healthy pregnancy. The doctors then used a donor egg that was frozen since July 2007. In January, the egg was thawed, fertilised and the embryos transferred. According to doctors, the woman was hypertensive and had to be wheeled in for surgery in the 36th week of pregnancy as the level of amniotic fluids had come down drastically. "We did not want to take any chances and posted her for an elective caesarean. In most artificial reproductive procedures, we opt for the caesarean section due to various reasons," said Dr Priya. She was assisted by her mother and obstetrician-gynaecologist, Dr Kamala Selvaraj, the first to deliver south India's first test tube baby in August 1990. While the mother is in the post-operative ward, the baby is in the warmer at the nursery. They would both be shifted to the ward on Thursday, where the mother will be allowed to feed the baby.

INDIA WON THE IDEA CUP

This was the huge victory for the Indian team after losing in test series 2-1. The crucial match ,rain stopped the play yesterday,but today with great sun shine match started, after winning the toss India elected to bat first scoring 258 all out in the 50th over and fix the target 259 to sri lanka . The thundering starts of srilanka innings, sanath Jayasuriya smashes the ball and scores his half centuary.Then wicket falls to srilanka ,top order batsman fails to perform.so srilanka all out for 212 forward the victory of India.

AUSTRALIA TO CELEBRATES DON BRADMAN CENTENARY

Australians on Wednesday marked the centenary of their greatest sporting hero, cricketer Don Bradman, by celebrating the fact his unbeaten record is still untouchable 60 years after he quit the sport.

Bradman, who died in 2001 aged 92, played his last match in England in 1948 and retired with a yet-to-be topped Test batting average of 99.94.

Australian media used the occasion to revisit the legend of the 'Boy from Bowral' whose run-scoring feats lifted the hopes of the country during the Depression and inspired generations of sportsmen and women to come.

Newspapers splashed images of the small-statured batsman across their pages while television bulletins re-broadcast rare snippets from interviews with 'The Don', who loathed his celebrity.

In Bradman's boyhood home of Bowral, a small town south of Sydney, scores of children formed a massive 100 on the cricket oval on which he first played, and sang 'Happy Birthday'.

Australian captain Ricky Ponting, who will deliver the Bradman Oration at a dinner to be hosted by Hollywood star Hugh Jackman later on Wednesday, led tributes to the global cricketing hero.

"That Bradman made a century on average every time he batted is remarkable in itself, but to realise his batting average is virtually twice as high as anyone who played Test cricket for any length of time shows why he is one of sport's great stories," Ponting wrote in The Australian.

Ponting said sporting records were made to be broken, with the Beijing Olympics no exception with the breathtaking feats of swimmer Michael Phelps and runner Usain Bolt. But Bradman's was an "unassailable" record, he said.

"Of the 2,519 batsmen who have taken the crease in 131 years of Test cricket, Bradman stands alone and untouched," he said.

"I am no aware of any other sport which has one competitor so far above any other performer."

SACHIN TENDULKAR GALLERY

GEORGE CLOONEY AND BRAD PITT COMES TO VENICE FILM FESTIVAL

Hollywood megastars Brad Pitt and George Clooney kick off this year's Venice film festival on Wednesday with the world premiere of the latest quirky offering from the Oscar-winning Coen brothers.

The festival, running through September 6, is set to bring a bevy of stars to one of the world's top cinema showcases, including Charlize Theron of South Africa and US star Kim Basinger, as well as new offerings by top filmmakers such as Takeshi Kitano and Jonathan Demme.

Kicking off the celebrations but shown out of competition, the Pitt-Clooney crime comedy "Burn After Reading" by 2008 Oscar-winning duo Joel and Ethan Coen also stars John Malkovitch and Tilda Swinton.

LONGEST CONTINOUS UNMANNED FLIGHT

An ultra-lightweight plane built from carbon fiber and powered using paper-thin solar panels has broken the world record for longest-lasting unmanned flight, its manufacturer claimed Sunday.

QinetiQ Group PLC said its propeller-driven "Zephyr" aircraft flew for 83 hours and 37 minutes, more than doubling the official world record set by Northrop Grumman's "Global Hawk" in 2001.

The flight also went longer than a previous excursion by the Zephyr, which Qinetiq claims clocked up 54 hours of continuous flight last year.

However both the Zephyr's reported flight times are likely to remain unofficial because they did not meet criteria laid down by the world's air sports federation, the body responsible for measuring and verifying air and space records, QinetiQ spokesman Douglas Millard said.

"We were concentrating more on the flight than the record," he said.

No one at the Lausanne, Switzerland-based federation could immediately be reached for comment.

The 66 pound- (30 kilogram-) plane was launched by hand on July 28 in the Arizona desert in the United States and flown by autopilot and via satellite to an altitude of more 60,000 feet (18,000 meters), QinetiQ said.

Drawing on the power of the sun during the day, the plane stayed aloft at night using rechargeable lithium-sulphur batteries. Its more than three-day flight began on July 28 and was witnessed by U.S. and British defense officials, the company said.

QinetiQ said the Zephyr, which is funded by a host of U.S. and British military agencies, had potential in the fields of reconnaissance and communications

MADHUMITHA'S BETROTHAL FUNCTION

Actress madhumitha engaged with upcoming hero and also an industrialist siva Balaji and soon enter in to the wed lock.According to the sources they had fallen in love when the movie was made. So the elders of their families accept their love and arranged the grant betrothal function in Hyderabad.Siva Balaji said, 'Presently Madhu is busy with Tamil films. Once she completes all her projects, we will get married. Possibly the marriage would take place either in December or in January. We have not yet decided whether Madhu should continue in films or not

Trisha to pair kamalhaasan in MARMAYOGI

It was first reported that Kamal Haasan who directs the film was quite keen in casting Kajol, but then the actress could not make herself available due to various reasons. Then attention was turned towards Shriya Saran and Padmapriya. It is now confirmed that these actresses have nothing to do with the film. The latest news is that Trisha would be paring Kamal Haasan. However, it has been confirmed that the only actress to have signed on the dotted line is Jayapradha who would be playing quite a prominent role.

We'll have to wait and see if Trisha's involvement with the project holds water or not. Certain sources claim that Trisha has okayed a 100-day call sheet for the 'Marma Yogi' and that she's looking forward to acting with Kamal Haasan

BYE BYE TO BEIJING

It's over to London now. For once even India can look forward to the 30th Olympic Games with hope. One gold and two bronze medals aren't bad all. In fact, that's the best. Beijing has been historic for India.

Chances are, however, that India may go to sleep now and wake up just in time for the London Olympics. "We have just won a bronze, let's think about winning more medals," said B.I. Fernandes, India's Cuban boxing coach.

"In Cuba there is no pause between Games. It goes on." Is that possible in India? Will Abhinav Bindra go right back into his personal shooting range and start preparing for London? Can Sushil Kumar and Jitender Kumar hang up their medals get back into the ring for more?

Both Sushil and Jitender got their medals despite the lack of world-class support. Time to end the whining about infrastructure. Time for everyone to put their heads down and get back to work. "We can win," said boxing bronze medallist and flag-bearer at the closing ceremony Vijender Kumar. He added, "At least this will give us hope." That's the lesson for him from Beijing.

With a little bit of luck, India could have won a few more medals. Gagan Narang, Akhil Kumar or young Saina Nehwal could have won one each. But then, there are no guarantees in sport.

But they are going back richer in experience. And confidence. And wisdom. "We have to start preparing for the Olympics from tomorrow," said Narang, a shooter, who failed to make a mark in all his three events

TATA MOTORS: NANO cars roll out in october or close to it

Tata Group chairman Mr.Ratan Tata threatened to move out of singur ,site of Tata motors, a small car project in West Bengal. He told the journalist after the annual meeting "if there is a view that for various political reasons we should not be there or what we are trying to do should be altered,we would necessarily face an issue.we have made a large investment for this project of about Rs.1,500 crore.we will not move then they are wrong,we would protect the our people.The great tension that comes while working is compound walls are broken,materials are stolen,so we could not able to work with police protection.The company was in the position to roll out of NANO in october or close the project.

OLYMPICS:Vijendra kumar won the Bronze medal in Boxing

The dreams of all Indian viewers and also Vijendra kumar in semifinal ends with disappointment,but still India won the Bronze medal. cuba's Emilio correa defeat vijendran in set 2-0,2-2,2-0,3-1. the very thrilling match ends with great disappointment to viewers. Any how India has won the first medal in boxing.heartily wishes to Vijendra kumar

A.R.Murugadoss to direct Rajnikanth?

The latest kollywood rumors that murgadoss after completing his Hindi version of Ghajini with leading star Aamir khan commencing to a new script to direct super star Rajnikanth.Rajinikanth is all geared up to commence 'Robot'. The movie is most likely to have an adequate dose of gizmos and technology featuring in it. Filming is slated to start cery soon.The director is confident that Rajnikanth would finalize the script. However for now, Murugadoss would like to focus on 'Gajini'

IPHONE to hit market tonight

iphone to hit the market in India on thursday night. Vodafone and Airtel are offerinf customers a chance to own the iphone before the others do by placing the deposit of up to Rs.10,000.The cost is expected Rs.31,000 for the 8GB model and Rs.36,000 for the 16GB model.

Phone: iPhone is a new mobile phone that allows you to make a call by simply pointing your finger at a name or number in your address book, a favorites list, or a call log. It also automatically syncs all your contacts from a PC, Mac, or Internet service. And it lets you select and listen to voicemail messages in whatever order you want ... just like email.

Widescreen iPod: iPhone is a widescreen iPod with touch controls that lets you enjoy all your content including music, audiobooks, videos, TV shows, and movies on a 3.5-inch widescreen display. It also lets you sync your content from the iTunes library on your PC or Mac. And then you can access it all with just the touch of a finger.

Internet Device: iPhone features a rich HTML email client and Safari which automatically syncs bookmarks from your PC or Mac. Safari also includes built-in Google and Yahoo! search. iPhone is fully multi-tasking, so you can read a web page while downloading your email in the background over Wi-Fi or EDGE.

Multi-touch: iPhone has an entirely new interface based on a large multi-touch display and new software that lets you control everything using only your fingers. So you can glide through albums with Cover Flow, flip through photos and email them with a touch, or zoom in and out on a section of a web page ? all by simply using iPhone?s multi-touch display.

Intelligent Keyboard: iPhone's full QWERTY soft keyboard lets you easily send and receive SMS messages in multiple sessions. And the keyboard is predictive, so it prevents and corrects mistakes, making it easier and more efficient to use than the small plastic keyboards on many smartphone

NISHITA SHAH:Next generation billionaries

Nishita Shah, 28, an Indian origin businesswoman from Thailand, golfer Tiger Woods and Elon Musk, co-founder of online payment processor PayPal figure on Forbes' list of next-generation billionaires.

Besides Shah, managing director of Thailand's diversified GP Group, on the list are Hollywood actor Tyler Perry, Kenji Kasahara, creator of Japan's leading portal Mixi, and Michael and Xochi Birch, who started Bebo, a social networking site.

'The world's current crop of billionaires has plenty of money but not much youth,' the US business magazine said, noting the average age of the 1,125 people on Forbes' list of the world's wealthiest is 61.

'The diversity of this group shows you can't predict what industry the next billionaire will come from, but these people also have something in common,' Forbes said. 'Even though they've accumulated more than enough money to retire in luxury, they aren't packing up for the Hamptons.'

Glamorous Nishita Shah is one of the richest people in Thailand because of her stake in her family's sprawling business empire with an estimated net worth at $375 million. When the stunning heiress is not poring over financial reports or gracing the pages of Thai magazines, she's planning her upcoming fashion line, Forbes said.

'My dad said I could study anything I wanted as long as it was business,' Shah who holds a business degree from Boston University was quoted as saying.

Shah is largest individual shareholder and director of Precious Shipping, Thailand's biggest dry-bulk shipper boasting a fleet of 44 ships. Her father Kirit founded the group in 1989 and took it public 1993. The 140-year-old family business is booming. Profits more than doubled in past three years.

The licensed pilot and youngest member on Forbes' Thailand list also has a clothing company called Burn Baby making 'luxury active wear' for 'modern urbanite women.'

Nishita Shah is launching her own fashion label - Nsha - on three continents at the end of this year. The director in over 40 group companies bets her heart on her own luxury fashion label Nsha launched in selected boutiques across the world

OLYMPICS:sushil kumar won the Bronze medal

Sushil Kumar,the great indian freestyle wrestler won the Bronze medal today after defeating Kazakhstan's Leonid Spiridonov in the repechage match. This is the India 2nd medal, first won by Abhinav Bindra , this is second for Sushil.Sushil is only the second Indian wrestler to win the wrestling bronze after Kashabha Jadhav had returned with the medal in 1952 Helsinki Games.Sushil had lost to far superior Ukrainian Andriy Stadnik in his first round bout.

PYRAMID SAIMIRA IS PRODUCING MARMAYOGI-KAMAL HASAAN

There has been lot of web/press coverages regarding the film MARMAYOGI. Almost all of them were based upon unsubstantlated rumours and to set the records straight, Pyramid Saimira Group issues the following clarifications:

1. The film marmayogi is a tri-lingual in Hindi, Tamil and Telugu and plans are there to produce this natively in English as well. This is a high-cost, high-value project. We would not like to specify the exact cost of the project at this point.
   
   
2. The film is based on the detailed story of Mr. Kamal Haasan and Mr. Kamal Haasan is directing the film apart from acing in its lead-role.
   
   
3. The film is produced by M/s Pyramid Saimira International Limited and M/s Rajkamal International Ltd.
   
   
4. A formal agreement has been signed between the parties and a detailed planning for the project is going at frantic phase. The project will be a land-mark project in the technical as well as cinematic qualities and would try to project Indian cinema internationally in the best possible manner.
   
   
5. In a project of this mega-size, the decisions of lead artists, technicians and other key people are always taken jointly and with utmost care and consideration and therefore, questions of confusions on this matter does not arise.
   
   
6. The Project of this size and nature could not be implemented without a proper exploitation plan and viability study. No company/organized entity would undertake such a huge project with misplaced assumptions and heuristics. Pyramid saimira has made a detailed study on the exploitation of this film and feels that this project will bring adequate profit to all stake holders befitting the risk taken by them.
   
   
7. A press note issued by M/s Rajkamal International is also enclosed

PHOONK: Ram Gopal Varma new fear film

The Great talented Director RAM GOPAL VARMA after his successful film "RAAT AND KAUN" going to again a fear film "PHOONK".Rajeev, a successful Construction Engineer with loving wife, and two children aged 10 and 8, is an atheist to the core. He scoffs at God and even more at people who believed in the dark forces till one day when an evil was let loose in his happy home threatning to destroy his family and shake up the very foundations of his convictions and belief systems.This huge thrilling film is gonna to hit the screen on august 22nd.

AJITH & SURYA WITH THEIR BABIES IN RESTAURANT

Ultimate star Ajith and suriya enjoying the day with their babies in restaurant.Both came to the restaurant incidentally with their family.Diya( surya's daughter) shaking her hands with Ajith's daughter(Anoushka). Both are very cute and charming.

TOYOTA ALTIS: Debut on September 5

The Grant opening of new version of Toyota is gonna to be on September 5th. This version of corolla is new style,advanced engine with good fuel efficiency,smashing interior look.Completely redesigned with care and precision, and infused with a dynamism that comes from innovative design and technology, new sedan exudes elegance, power and style from every line, every surface. Make a statement in style with the All-New Corolla Altis

The first point has to be about the engines. I'm going to cut straight to it here: they are the old engines. Yes, seemingly TMT find no reason to deliver the new Dual VVT-i engines employed in the Japanese and American markets. So, the new Altis has an ageing engine line-up, but apart from that, and the exterior door handles that seem to be taken straight off the Vios, the rest of it looks mostly new. The 1.6 litre 3ZZ-FE and the 1.8 litre 1ZZ-FE units have power output of 109 hp and 132 hp respectively, both achieving this peek at 6,000 RPM. Both units now support E20, although this is not reflected in the pricing the way I'd hoped. For example the base model 1.6 J MT is now THB 709,000 which is THB 4,000 more than the outgoing model at THB 705,000! Considering that Toyota are enjoying a 5% tax reduction from the E20 support, it seems strange that the price needs to go up! But things improve as you move up the range, and the price tops out at THB 969,000 for the range topping 1.8 G

WATCHES BECOMES MORE EXPENSIVE WITH TIME

In India watch market is growing at 25-30 percent every year,the big international names like RADO, OMEGA, LONGINES, ROLEX ,TISSOT, CHRISTIAN DIOR are many more watches attract the peoples especially in India. Indian brands likes TIMEX and TITAN that have been attraction the domestic customers and today the offers made changes. Luxury watches worth Rs.20,000 and above Rs.7.5 billion. RADO's sales head believes that customers have enough money to buy those luxury watches,after careful analysis we are introducing new collections called CERAMICA. The range starts from Rs.125,000 and goes up to Rs.300,000.

MANI RATNAM: His unnoticed world

Mani Ratnam is one of the most respected names in Indian Cinema who shot to the limelight with his inimitable style of narration, unique style of dialogue delivery, lights and shades used to merge with the intensity of the scene and of course his penchant for working with the best of technicians in the industry.

However, there are a few more aspects to this master filmmaker that go unnoticed. Mani Ratnam's fascination with rain goes a long way back to some of his early films. Blossoming love in breathtaking environments with soft breeze and raindrops caressing and kissing the characters involved, have been inevitable sequences in all his films. If not love sequences, violence and racy emotions have been supported with one of the finest expressions of nature….RAIN

Most of his heroines dance in the rain as in 'Idhayathai Thirudathae', Revathy in 'Mouna Raagam', Aishwarya Rai in 'Guru' etc. Rajinikanth's heroic introduction in 'Thalapathi' was in copious rain as he goes about bashing a baddie. 'Alaipayuthe' saw a love-sick Maddy in search of his heart's desire (played by Shalini) amidst breathtaking shots in the song 'Evano Oruvan'. Ever so soft drizzle harassed by howling winds formed the perfect sync to Maddy's emotions as he undertakes his journey. Truly a Mani Ratnam show at his best.

Another fascination Mani Ratnam seems to have is his depiction of trains in most of his movies. Shahrukh Khan dances vibrantly atop a train in the film 'Uyire'. The high intensity opening of 'Thalapathi' narrated the story of a young boy driven away by destiny on a 'goods train' with some magnificent tunes from maestro Illayaraja. The birth of a film star was emphatically echoed by a train steaming out of a tunnel in 'Iruvar'.

The sounds of a whistling train meandering its way at a rapid pace is a fascination for scores of people world wide and Mani Ratnam seems to be one of them.

One facet that could throw light on what kind of characteristics Mani Ratnam probably adores in girls can be seen from the attitude and fragrance most of his leading ladies have. It is actually the same girl who features as heroines in all his films (character-wise). For example, Amala who played the character of 'Anjali' in the film 'Agni Natchatram', Revathy in 'Mouna Raagam', the ailing and yet fun-loving girl in 'Idhayathai Thirudathae', Shalini who played 'Sakthi' in 'Alaipayuthae', Trisha in 'Ayutha Ezhuthu' etc., though portrayed in different situations, very clearly have the same 'soul'…. naughty, vibrant, innately good with sparks of sophistication.

Every artiste, be it a poet, painter, writer or filmmaker has traits that make him or her the person that he or she really is.

Mani Ratnam too falls in line and let's hope his fascination with the rain, trains and particular characteristics in the female of the species live on.

RAFEAL NADAL & ROGER FEDERER WIN TWICE AT OLYMPICS

There are two Dons in Tennis, as we all knew about them.They are ROGER FEDERER and RAFEAL NADAL. Now both the fabulous players are in Beijing.They won twice at Olympics.

Rafeal Nadal took the court at 10:30 a.m. and hit his final shot more than 11 hours later. Roger Federer's first day of Olympic tennis was slightly shorter but just as successful.

The two rivals, both bidding to become Olympic medalists for the first time, were winners in singles and doubles in the opening round Monday.

Playing the first match on center court, Nadal overcame numerous missed chances by sweeping the final four games to beat Potito Starace of Italy 6-2, 3-6, 6-2.

The top-seeded Federer made his entrance less than an hour later. He beat Dmitry Tursunov 6-4, 6-2, then received congratulations from one of the spectators, U.S. basketball star LeBron James.

MICHEAL PHELPS: First Athlete won 8 gold medals in Olympic

The Olympics is primarily a team event, however every once in a while there comes along an amazing individual story. Michael Phelps has perhaps the best individual story of this year's event. He has the opportunity to win 8 gold medals at the games in China, and so far it doesn't look like anyone can stop him.

He is seeking to go one better than Mark Spitz's record of seven golds in the Munich games way back in 1972. Michael Phelps has already joined Spitz in a different record, having earned 9 gold medals in his Olympic career overall and likely to surpass this with 5 events still to go. In fact by the time you read this he may already have 10 gold medals in his possession over all his Olympic appearances.

More people seem to be interested in the other record though, can Michael Phelps win 8 gold medals in just one Olympic games? It would be a truly remarkable effort if he does, one that will surely go down in history. Phelps celebrated his latest win in the 200m freestyle with another world record time, in fact all 3 gold medals so far have been in world record time. Mark Spitz set his record of 7 gold medals with 7 world record times as well, and Phelps may indeed be able to do the same.

Many people including Mark Spitz himself have been amazed at the courage of Phelps to go into this games with such a burden on his shoulders, even racing in events where he did not have the best times and did not dominate at the last Olympic games. The 200m freestyle was such an event, with Phelps only coming third at the last Olympic games, and now setting a new world record in that event.

I think everyone, whether they are an American or not, really wants him to crack this 8 Olympic gold record and set the sporting world on fire. The Olympics may be a team event but it is a truly special experience to see one person at the peak of their career who is so dominant and performing so well

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Greg_Morgan

OLYMPICS: Usain Bolt set a new world record

Usain Bolt powered to a new world record as he produced a stunning run in the 100m Olympic final.

Bolt was well clear at 60m and although he eased down and started to celebrate 15 metres from the line he still set a new mark of 9.69 seconds.

Richard Thompson finished second while American Walter Dix came third.

Bolt's Jamaican team-mate Asafa Powell had been tipped as a possible rival but finished in fifth place as Bolt produced a superlative performance.

Second-placed Thompson posted a time of 9.89 seconds while Dix was two-hundredths of a second back in third as six men broke the 10-second barrier, but the race was all about Bolt.

Earlier this year he had set a new world record of 9.72 seconds to take the record away from Powell, and the 21-year-old had looked in imperious form on his way to the final.

Powell had also looked in fine form but from the gun it was clear there was only going to be one winner.

The 6ft 5in Bolt was away as quickly as anyone and when he hit the front with 50m to go it was all over bar the shouting.

The only question was just how fast a time he was going to set.

And despite easing down well short of the line he took three-hundredths of a second off his previous record in a display American legend Michael Johnson described as "the greatest 100m performance in the history of the event"

OLYMPICS: MIchael Phelps equals Spitz's Record

Michael Phelps matched fellow American swimmer Mark Spitz's 1972 record of seven golds in one Games on Saturday, coming from behind for a fingertip victory.

Phelps was behind Serbia's Milorad Cavic on his final stroke in the 100 metres butterfly but lunged his arms towards the finish to touch the electronic pad a hundredth of a second ahead.

Having again underlined his status as the face of the Beijing 2008 Olympics, Phelps punched the air and screamed in joy as a capacity crowd in the Water Cube rose to its feet to hail him.

"I'm happy and at a loss for words," he said.

The 23-year-old phenomenon now has 13 career golds, four more than anyone else in the 112-year history of the modern Games. As well as Olympic glory, Saturday's win brings him a $1 million bonus from sponsors.

An unfamiliar seventh at the turn, Phelps' second length was one of the comebacks of his career. He clocked a final 50.58 seconds to Cavic's 50.59, the finest margin possible in the pool.

Phelps had thought at halfway he would lose. "I was starting to hurt for the last 10 metres, it was my last individual race and I just wanted to finish as strong as I could," he said.

On Sunday, Phelps can go one better than Spitz in Munich with a chance for an eighth Beijing gold in the 100m medley relay.

Later on Saturday in Beijing, the spotlight shifts to the Bird's Nest athletics venue, where the fastest men on earth face off in the 100m sprint in front of more than 90,000 people.

Russia's Valeriy Borchin made a triumphant entry to the stadium in the morning to take gold in the 20km men's walk.

But it was hard to displace Phelps from the headlines.

Watched in every race by his mother and cheered to his first wins by President George W. Bush, Phelps' success is down to a combination of natural brilliance, total focus, and the perfect swimmer's physique of large torso and long-reaching arms.

Inevitably overshadowed by the American's seemingly endless procession to top of the podium, women swimmers were nonetheless determined not to be outdone in the Water Cube on Saturday

Kamalhaasan to join hands with Mohanlal

Major Ravi, a retired defence personnel, had directed Mohanlal for a movie titled 'Keerthy Chakra' which was released in Tamil as 'Aran'. Jeeva played a prominent part in the movie.

After a gap, he joins hands with Mohanlal again. Sources say it is a movie inspired by a fight hijacked from India to Kandhahar a few years ago by terrorists. Ravi had one intense reserach and would commence shooting on the incident which culminated with exchange of terrorists for the passengers hijacked.

Kamal Haasan might be roped in to play a military officer alongside Mohanlal.