Anand loses in fourth round of Bilbao chess

BILBAO (Spain): World Champion Viswanathan Anand was stunned by Veselin Topalov of Bulgaria in the fourth round of the Bilbao Grand Slam final chess tournament. 

On a day that provided all three decisive games in this category 22 event, 17-year old Magnus Carlsen of Norway became the unofficial world number one after beating Teimour Radjabov of Azerbaijan. 

The other game of the day saw Armenian Levon Aronian striking form as he defeated Vassily Ivanchuk of Ukraine in a long drawn affair. 

Former world champion Topalov retained his full point lead over Carlsen in the experimental football-like scoring system that gives three points for a win and one for a draw. 

With six rounds remaining for the fight of Euros 150000 first prize, the Bulgarian has moved to 8 points. Aronian stands third on 5, two points clear of nearest rivals Radjabov, Ivanchuk and Anand, all of whom yet to register a single victory. 

Anand was tamed by Topalov in a Queen's Indian defense game where the Indian played black. Topalov went for a popular set-up involving a pawn sacrifice early in the opening and the Indian's passive play resulted in a huge spatial advantage to white. 

Topalov was a man on a mission after his previous round victory over Carlsen and guided his pieces quite well to launch a dangerous attack. 

The position was already much inferior when Anand found his queen trapped on the first rank and called it a day. Topalov needed just 25 moves to topple the reigning world champion. 

The loss proved costly for Anand as he temporarily lost his numero uno position in the rating list and for the first time ever, Carlsen became the number one. 

However, these figures are unofficial yet as the net calculations will be made only after the tournament completes. [www.timesofindia.com]

Torture museum in Abu Ghraib

BAGHDAD: 
The notorious Abu Ghraib prison is getting a facelift: work to reopen the facility and construct a 
museum documenting Saddam Hussein's crimes but not the abuses committed there by US guards. 

A section of the 280-acre site will be converted into the museum featuring execution chamber exhibits and other displays of torture tools used by Saddam's regime including an iron chain used to tie prisoners together.

No abuse scandal

But Iraq's predominantly Shiite government has no plans to document the US military abuse scandal that erupted in 2004 with the publication of photographs that shocked the world: grinning US soldiers mistreating Iraqi prisoners, some naked, being held on leashes or in painful and sexually humiliating positions.

Iraq' deputy justice minister, Busho Ibrahim, said US butality was nothing compared with the violence and atrocities of Saddam and his Baath party.

Saddam's crimes

"There is evidence of the crimes (Saddam committed) such as the hooks used to dangle prisoners, tools used to beat and torture prisoners and the execution chambers in which 50 or 100 people were killed at once," he said.

The four-decade-old prison is now best known as the setting for one of America's lowest moments of the war. 

The photos from Abu Ghraib brought another serious stain to America's reputation after worldwide protests against the March 2003 invasion. They also discredited Washington's claims that it was trying to build a country based on rule of law and respect for human rights on the wreckage of dictatorship.

US atrocities

In all, 11 US soldiers were convicted of breaking military laws and five others were disciplined.

But for Iraqis, stories of mistreatment at Abu Ghraib were nothing new. It had long been a symbol of horror and despair.

The gray, stonewalled prison was one of the darkest symbols of Saddam's regime a place where people only suspected of plotting against him would disappear, be tortured and executed without trial.

Pak PM escapes assassination attempt

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani escaped an apparent assassination attempt when two shots hit his motorcade onWednesday, just three days before the country's presidential election. 

Officials said Gilani was not in the car at the time, but the brazen daytime attack underscored the political turmoil and violence that have been shadowing the country.

Gilani's spokesman initially said he was in the vehicle but later declined to confirm that, amid the confusion surrounding the shooting in Rawalpindi, the garrison town home to Pakistan military headquarters. 

"Two bullets hit the window glass of the bulletproof car," the spokesman, Zahid Bashir said. "By the grace of Allah, the prime minister is safe." 

Television pictures showed shattered glass in the window of a black Mercedes which forms part of the prime ministerial motorcade. Officials said it was on its way to pick Gilani up at the airport.

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