1.   When the government finally toppled, Smarth and thousands of others finally allowed themselves to think thoughts of return they had long stifled.

2.   Abdullah was appointed in place of Anwar Ibrahim, whom Mahathir sacked last September and later accused him of trying to topple the government with foreign help.

3.   He did not refer directly to the rebels seeking to topple his government, and it was not clear exactly what groups would be included in his council.

4.   Since then Welfare, furious at being sidelined, has pledged to topple the government and has succeeded several times in paralysing it.

5.   Sharma, however, said since both the Congress and the Front had taken rigid positions and a compromise did not appear likely, the government would topple Friday.