Venus wins battle of sisters
New York, Sept. 9. Fourth seed Venus Williams successfully defended her title at the U.S. Open tennis championship beating 10th- seeded younger sister Serena Williams in straight sets 6-2 6-4 in Saturday night's final.

67 ticketless travellers on Palace on Wheels
New Delhi, Sept. 9. After winding up the surprise check on the super-luxury tourist train ``Palace on Wheels'', the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) today said 67 passengers, including Government officials and journalists, were found travelling without tickets, causing a loss of nearly Rs. 80 lakhs to the Railways.

Foreigners upset
Jaipur, Sept. 9. Annoyed over the CBI raid on the ``Palace on Wheels'', foreign tourists said this was an attack on their privacy.

6 Armymen killed in Udhampur blast
Srinagar, Sept. 9. Six Army personnel were killed and another injured in yet another devastating landmine blast in the Udhampur district today. A seven-year old girl, five militants and two soldiers were killed in other militancy-related incidents.

Muslim groups denounce diktat
New Delhi, Sept. 9. With just a day left for the deadline for implementation of the `burqa' (veil) diktat of militants in Jammu and Kashmir, Muslim organisations today denounced the use of ``coercive tactics'' to make women wear veils, saying Islam did not permit the use of force to implement even good things.

Muslim League warning
Mumbai, Sept. 9. The youth wing of the Mumbai Regional Muslim League today urged Muslim women to wear veils. The youth wing president, Mohammed Aftab Alam, in a statement, warned Muslim women to follow his party's directive or face ``concrete'' action. However, he did not spell out what it would be.

Thackeray's demand
Mumbai, Sept. 9. The Shiv Sena leader, Mr. Bal Thackeray, today expressed unhappiness over the recent reshuffle in the Union Council of Ministers and demanded that his party's representatives be given better portfolios.

Shabir Shah to meet Pant
New Delhi, SEPT. 9. Separatist Kashmiri leader, Mr. Shabir Shah, will meet the Centre's interlocutor, Mr. K. C. Pant, tomorrow as part of the continuing process of dialogue between the Government and Kashmiri groups.

Fiji PM to be sworn in today
Suva, Sept. 9. The Fijian United Party leader, Mr. Laisenia Qarase, a banker installed by the Army as caretaker Prime Minister following last year's nationalist coup that toppled Fiji's first government led by an ethnic Indian, will be sworn in tomorrow as democratically elected PM, the President's Office announced today.

Iraqi germarms in U.K.?
London, Sept. 9. Iraqi spies are posing as refugees to smuggle germ weapons into Britain, a leading daily said here today.