Friday 15 November 2013

Dunya TV

Dunya TV

Tourists and locals cope as trash piles up in Madrid

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MADRID (Agencies) - If you’re headed to Madrid anytime soon, you might want to pack extra-tough waterproof boots — and maybe a face mask. A garbage collectors’ strike over wages and layoffs has entered its second week, and trash is piling up along the streets of Spain’s capital city. Both tourists and locals are feeling — and smelling — the effects.“I’m on my [way] to Madrid, but theyre on a garbage strike and apparently there’s like 2 feet of garbage on all the streets,” a woman from Ireland tweeted, adding the hashtag goodtiming.Many of the city’s most popular tourist draws, such as the Prado Museum and the Royal Palace, are in the heart of the city, as are many of its most desirable restaurants and nightlife hotspots. Business owners are using brooms and plastic bags in a never-ending attempt to keep trash at bay.Some locals, used to disruptions in a country hard hit by economic recession, are taking the strike in stride. One resident hit the streets to film a tongue-in-cheek music video, posted Thursday on YouTube, called “Madrid, the most beautiful city in the WOOORLD”“Let me tell you a little bit about my beautiful hometown,” Laura Sales Candela says in English, smiling. “It is one of the most comfortable, charming, inviting cities in the world” She goes on to extol the city’s cultural and artistic virtues while posing with or dancing around heaping piles of trash.Shes not the only one using dark humor to deal with the rubbish. Paul Hamilos, Madrid correspondent for the British newspaper The Guardian, tweeted a photo of a bra and a pig’s leg that lay just outside his apartment. Over the next few days, he reported, the leg moved around and then disappeared.After the private trash contractors that take care of the city’s waste announced potential cuts in pay and staffing — more than 1,000 out of the city’s 6,000 trash-collector jobs and a pay cut for remaining workers — the collectors went on strike, joining their supporters in protest marches. Those have spilled over into occasional vandalism and scuffles that have led to 14 arrests, the Spanish newspaper El País reported.City officials, meanwhile, are irritated that trash collection has stopped completely while the strike goes on, despite an agreement with the contractors that says at least 40 percent of trash pickup will continue even during a strike.Ana Botella, Madrid’s mayor, and other officials pledged an increased police presence to deter violence and vandalism. Negotiations between the contractors and employees continue, with the sanitation workers’ union vowing to continue the strike “indefinitely” if the employers don’t revamp their plans.

Karachi: Clashes erupt between rival gang war accused

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KARACHI (Dunya News) – According to details, clashes broke out between rival gang war accused in Lyari on Friday to seize control of specific localities.The warring factions hurled hand grenades at each other and also resorted to firing, forcing the residents of the area to confine to their houses.According to police the situation in Bihar Colony, Koyla Colony and parts of Lyari General is very tense and the rival groups trying to seize control of some specific localities.

Cylinder blast in Karachi injures one

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KARACHI (Dunya News) – According to details, a powerful explosion occurred at an LPG shop near Nasir Jump in Korangi Crossing area on Friday night, critically injuring the owner of the shop.The blast spread panic in the area. Police and rescue teams reached the spot and shifted in injured to a private hospital.According to initial reports, the shopkeeper was filling gas in a cylinder which exploded due to increase of gas pressure.

US believes Iran deal possible at next talks

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WASHINGTON (AFP) - US officials gearing up for new talks with Iran said Friday a deal could be struck next week in the decade-long bid to rein in its nuclear program, but warned tough issues and Congress could still scupper the negotiations.We are going to work very hard next week. I dont know if well reach an agreement. I think it is quite possible that we can. But theres still tough issues to negotiate, a senior administration official told reporters.The official also renewed pleas to skeptical US lawmakers not to slap more sanctions on Iran in the mistaken belief it would force the Islamic republic to the point of capitulation and the dismantling of all its nuclear activities.I personally dont believe surrender would come any time soon, it is a culture of resistance, said the official, warning that if there were new sanctions Iran would move forward with its nuclear program ... and we would find ourselves with no other option but a military one.Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammed Javad Zarif will join political directors from the six powers negotiating a freeze to Irans suspect nuclear program for a new round of talks in the Swiss city from Wednesday.This years election of new Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, seen as a moderate, has given fresh impetus to the negotiations which had sputtered and stalled in recent years.But many countries, including Israel, have warned that overtures from Iranians are merely a ploy to win sanctions relief, and that they are not really planning to halt uranium enrichment -- a first step towards arming a nuclear weapon.At the end of three-day talks in Geneva the so-called P51 group presented a stronger and improved draft deal to Iran which had greater clarity on a number of issues.The aim is to rein in Irans uranium enrichment program and set up a system of strict verification and monitoring in return for relief from crippling sanctions while all sides negotiate a final deal over the next six months.But the negotiations ended in the early hours last Saturday because I think the parties, particularly Iran, felt they needed to go back and look at this document which was quite tough, consider it and come back to negotiations, the US official said.The official downplayed reports of divisions among the P51, comprised of the five nuclear powers Britain, France, China, Russia and the United States, as well as Germany, saying it was normal that each capital had weighed in with changes to the document.And while officials stuck to an agreement not to reveal any details of the proposal, it is understood it would give Iran access to a very small fraction of its assets frozen in bank accounts around the world.Iran has approximately $100 billion in reserves, the vast majority of which is overseas. They have limited or no access to that reserve, another senior administration official said.Iranian oil exports have fallen to around a million barrels a day, dramatically down from an average of about two and a half million barrels a day in 2011, he said.These declining exports are costing Iran up to $5 billion a month, and have cost Iran along with our other sanctions about $120 billion, he said.So the relief that we are considering as part of the initial phase would be limited, temporary, targeted and reversible, he said, insisting the core structure of sanctions would stay in place.Shooting down reports that the US and world powers were planning a major package of sanctions relief, he said it would come nowhere near helping Iran escaping the hole that weve put them in, adding it was way south of reports that valued it at $15 billion or $30 billion.Since returning from Geneva, officials have been locked in hard discussions with US lawmakers seeking to head off a new sanctions.Further sanctions as this moment, not for all time perhaps because we dont know what Iran will do, but at this moment, further sanctions threaten the good faith of that negotiation, not just with Iran but with our partners, the first administration official said.The P51 believes these are serious negotiations, they have a chance to be successful. For us to slap a new set of sanctions in the middle of it they see as bad faith with them.

Chemical watchdog seals Syria arsenal destruction plan

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THE HAGUE (AFP) - The worlds chemical watchdog on Friday adopted a final roadmap for ridding Syria of its arsenal by mid-2014, reaching agreement hours before a deadline expired.The plan is adopted, Christian Chartier, a spokesman for the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), told AFP after a meeting of its 41-member Executive Council in The Hague.Friday was the deadline for the OPCW to agree destruction milestones for the more than 1,000 tonnes of dangerous chemicals in Syria, according to the terms of a US-Russian deal that headed off US military strikes on President Bashar al-Assads regime.The deal came amid growing momentum towards peace talks after more than two-and-a-half years of Syrias deadly uprising, with the rebels suffering a string of recent setbacks.Five rebel commanders have been killed since Thursday, including two chiefs of rebel battalions who died fighting loyalist forces near the international airport outside second city Aleppo.The army has been pressing a campaign to retake rebel-held areas in Aleppo and jihadist fighters have called for mass mobilisation to counter regime advances.A Syrian media report said that a long-delayed peace conference could be held in Geneva on December 12.The international community has been trying for months to convene a peace conference dubbed Geneva II. But proposed dates have come and gone with no progress.The regime has said it is willing to attend, provided Assads departure is not on the table. The opposition, though, insists on Assads departure and exclusion from the transition process.The talks at OPCW headquarters in The Hague broke off twice before agreement was reached around 2000 GMT, as delegates thrashed out the final draft.Under the deal, Syrias weapons will be taken out of the war-ravaged country, where an estimated 120,000 people have been killed during the uprising, to ensure their destruction in the safest and soonest manner, the OPCW said in a statement.Almost all of Syrias chemicals and precursors, except for isopropanol which can be used to make sarin nerve gas, must be removed from the country by February 5, 2014.Most critical chemicals out of Syria by New Year

31 dead as Tripoli residents rebel against militias

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TRIPOLI (AFP) - At least 31 people were killed and 285 hurt in Tripoli after a demonstration calling on unruly militias to leave the Libyan capital turned violent on Friday, the health minister said.The militias are holdovers from the 2011 uprising that ousted dictator Moamer Kadhafi and are a powerful force in the increasingly lawless North African country.The government, at a news conference, called for a ceasefire after the demonstration turned into a deadly confrontation between groups of gunmen.We call on all armed factions to cease fire so the government can take the necessary measures to restore calm in the capital, it said in a statement read by Culture Minister Hassan al-Amin.Health Minister Nureddin Doghman told reporters that the clashes had left 13 dead and 114 others wounded.But less than an hour later he told private channel Libya al-Ahrar that the toll had risen to 31 killed and 285 wounded and could still rise, with other officials saying the situation was chaotic.Violence erupted when gunmen fired at hundreds of demonstrators carrying white flags from inside villas in the southern Tripoli district of Gharghour where the Misrata militia has its headquarters.The shooting sparked a violent response in which armed men assaulted the villas and set them on fire.It was not clear how many died in the demonstration or how many were killed in the assault. Its total confusion, a health ministry said.Prime Minister Ali Zeidan said armed demonstrators were involved in the clashes and that the security forces had not intervened so as not to complicate the situation.Zeidan, who was abducted briefly by armed men in October, had warned last week of the possibility of foreign powers intervening in Libya unless chaos ends, and called on Libyans to rebel against militias.The people must take to the streets ... and support the building up of the army and police, he said last Sunday, in an appeal at rallying his campaign against militias.On Friday Sadat al-Badri, president of Tripoli city council, insisted that the demonstrators were unarmed.It was a peaceful protest, he said, and declared three days of mourning in the capital.Badri, whose council had called for the protest, told AFP that shots fired at demonstrators came from inside the militia headquarters.Were going to announce a general strike and launch a civil disobedience campaign until these militias leave, he said.In sermons at midday Muslim prayers, imams backed the call to protest against militias issued by the city council as well as Libyas mufti, the highest religious authority.

Kerry, Clinton: Afghanistan nearing turning point

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WASHINGTON (AP) - Secretary of State John Kerry and his predecessor, Hillary Rodham Clinton, said Friday that Afghanistan is reaching a turning point in maintaining the advances made by women in Afghan society and any future security agreement needs to respect the rights of women.Kerry said Afghan women and girls have made great progress since 2001, enjoying greater access to education, health care and technology. But he said many women in Afghanistan remain concerned that the nations society could revert back to the repressive days under Taliban control.When Afghan women move forward, believe me, they never want to go back, not to the days when the Taliban ruled Afghanistan, Kerry said. He said the achievements of women in Afghanistan is nothing less than remarkable and it would be a tragedy if those gains were threatened.Under Taliban rule, girls were barred from attending school, women were forced to stay indoors and cover their heads and faces with burqas. Kerry,Clinton and former first lady Laura Bush noted during a forum at Georgetown University that Afghan women and girls have made great strides, attending school, serving in their countrys legislature and owning their own businesses.Coalition combat forces are scheduled to leave Afghanistan at the end of 2014 and the U.S. and Afghan government are negotiating a security agreement that will determine whether the U.S. leaves in place a small combat force of between 8,000-12,000 troops after next year to train and advise the Afghans.Kerry expressed optimism that an agreement could be reached in the coming weeks, saying the two nations are closer than ever to completing a security plan that will define a new partnership with Afghanistan.Clinton said security was the paramount issue going forward and expressed hope that U.S. troops would be granted immunity from local arrest and prosecution under any agreement. Clinton noted that an agreement on immunity could not be reached with Iraq before U.S. forces departed and the country has been descending into a cycle of terrible violence.This is a big decision for the Afghan government. If you enter into a bilateral security agreement, it doesnt mean that the United States will be there in great numbers. It means that we will be available to help support the security forces of Afghanistan, Clinton said. If it is not signed, Clinton said the Afghans will be left totally to themselves.Bush said as U.S. forces transition out of the country, it will be important for Americans to maintain a connection to Afghanistan. Im so worried that once our troops leave, nobody will pay attention to Afghanistan, Bush said.

24 bodies found in Mexico mass graves

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MEXICO CITY (AFP) - Authorities in Mexico have unearthed 24 bodies in clandestine graves in regions beset by drug cartel violence, officials said Friday.Six bodies were discovered on Thursday buried in a lime tree orchard on the outskirts of the Pacific resort of Acapulco, in the southwestern state of Guerrero, local officials said.The 18 other were found in eight pits near the town of La Barca, at the border between the western states of Jalisco and Michoacan, an agent from the federal prosecutors office told AFP.The state of Michoacan is a bastion of the Knights Templar drug cartel, which has been involved in turf wars against the Jalisco New Generation gang.Investigators intially found nine bodies near La Barca last weekend and the last two were removed on Friday, the agent said on condition of anonymity. Some of the bodies had been mutilated.One of the victims is a woman while four of the remains were mere bones. Authorities with search and rescue dogs were still combing the rural area for any other corpses on Friday.The grim discovery stems from an investigation into the November 3 disappearance of two federal police officers.Authorities have detained 22 municipal police officers from the Michoacan town of Vista Hermosa in connection with the federal agents disappearance.Some of the suspects confessed to having detained and handed over the two federal officers to members of the Jalisco New Generation cartel.The federal government has deployed thousands of troops to Michoacan to crack down on the Templars, whose reign of terror has prompted several towns to form self-defense vigilante groups.More than 77,000 people have been killed in drug cartel-related violence in Mexico in the past seven years.Vigilantes have also taken up arms in mountain towns in the neighboring state of Guerrero that have endured killings, extortion and kidnappings by criminal groups.On the coast, the once fabled resort of Acapulco has become one of the deadliest cities in Mexico amid bloodshed between local gangs.On Thursday, five men and one woman were found buried in the rural village of El Salto, part of Acapulcos municipality, next to a burning car that contained another body, the state prosecutors office said.A police official who requested anonymity said the victims appeared to have been shot dead days ago.Dumping victims in mass graves is one of the hallmarks of criminal gangs in Mexico.In August, authorities found the bodies of 13 young people near Mexico City, three months after they were kidnapped from a bar in the capital.In one of the most gruesome cases, the bodies of 193 migrants were found buried in a ranch in San Fernando, a town in the northeastern state of Tamaulipas, in 2011.

Serbia, Czech Republic tied 1-1 in Davis Cup

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BELGRADE (AP) - Novak Djokovic and Tomas Berdych both did what was expected of them to leave the Davis Cup final between Serbia and defending champion Czech Republic level at 1-1 after the opening day.Djokovic overcame some early nerves to beat Radek Stepanek 7-5, 6-1, 6-4 in the first singles match and Berdych then swept past rookie Dusan Lajovic 6-3, 6-4, 6-3 on the indoor hard court at Belgrade Arena.With their formidable 13-1 record in Davis Cup doubles, Berdych and Stepanek have a chance to give the Czechs the lead in the best-of-five series Saturday. It was still unclear whether Djokovic would play doubles or rest for Sundays reverse singles.Djokovic earned his 23rd consecutive victory since losing to Rafael Nadal in the U.S. Open final in September but struggled a bit in the first set. He broke Stepanek to go up 4-2 but had to save two break points in the next game and failed to serve out the set at 5-3, when he committed a series of errors. However, he broke again in the 12th game to take the lead.I was a bit nervous in the first set, Djokovic said. It was very important to win that one against high-quality player like Radek.The second-ranked Serb held serve the rest of the match saving seven break points in all, while converting five of six he created.Whenever I would face (break points) I would come up with some big serves, Djokovic said. I think that is what helped me stay confident in those moments.Stepanek said Djokovic was serving tremendously consistently, which prevented him from getting another break.The first set was really high quality, and so was the third, the Czech veteran said. His defense is the best in the world, he proved that with his movement that he showed around the court. He always makes you play an extra shot.Berdych broke once in each of the first two sets, and twice in the third to wrap up the win 2 hours, 54 minutes against Lajovic. The 23-year-old Serb, who has a 5-12 record on the ATP tour, replaced Janko Tipsarevic, who missed the final with a heel injury.It was a tough one, playing the guy I actually saw for the first time on court, Berdych said. He had nothing to lose. These situations are not easy. I am glad I was able to make it happen in straight sets.The Czechs will likely need a win in the doubles, as Berdych faces Djokovic in the reverse singles on Sunday.When you look at Novak and how he is playing its like Playstation. So the best way is to unplug electricity.Im happy how I played, Lajovic said. Im sure that many of the spectators did not even know how I look like.The Czechs are in the final for the third time in five years. Serbia won its only Davis Cup title in Belgrade in 2010, beating France.

Ronaldo puts Portugal in sight of World Cup finals

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LONDON (AP) - Cristiano Ronaldo upstaged Zlatan Ibrahimovic in the battle of the superstar forwards to give Portugal the edge over Sweden in the World Cup playoffs, while Frances chances of qualifying took a big hit by losing 2-0 in Ukraine.Ronaldo transferred his prolific scoring form for Real Madrid to the international stage, diving to head home an 82nd-minute winner and give Portugal a 1-0 cushion to take to Stockholm for Tuesdays second leg.France faces missing a major tournament for the first time since 1994 after Roman Zozulya and Andriy Yarmolenko scored second-half goals for Ukraine in a feisty match that saw both teams finish with 10 men.Kostas Mitroglous double helped Greece claim a 3-1 win over Romania and tiny Iceland overcame a sending-off early in the second half to hold on for a 0-0 draw with Croatia, keeping alive its hopes of becoming the least populous nation to reach a World Cup.All four return matches take place on Tuesday, when the 13 qualifiers from Europe will be finalized.Italy drew 1-1 with Germany and an experimental England side slumped to a 2-0 home loss to Chile in headline friendly matches as the countdown to next years World Cup begins in earnest.One of the worlds top forwards will be absent in Brazil next summer and it looks more likely to be Ibrahimovic, not Ronaldo.The heavily billed showdown between two of the biggest stars and egos in football looked like falling flat in Lisbon, only for Ronaldo to take center stage like he so often does for Madrid.He dived to glance in a left-wing cross for his 44th goal in 108 international appearances, and almost added another when he headed against the crossbar late on.Ibrahimovic was largely anonymous in Lisbon and, at the age of 32, could be set to miss out on what would likely be his final World Cup campaign.Another star of the world game, Bayern Munich winger Franck Ribery, may also be absent in Brazil after France tumbled to defeat in Kiev on a night that proved to be one to forget for Laurent Koscielny.The Arsenal defender conceded the penalty that Yarmolenko converted for 2-0 in the 83rd minute, and was then sent off in stoppage time.Zozulya opened the scoring in the 61st for Ukraine, who had Oleksandr Kucher dismissed soon after Koscielny had been shown the red card.Iceland, with a population of around 320,000, is seeking a place in a major tournament for the first time but the biggest football match in the Nordic countrys history turned sour when Olafur Skulason was sent off for a professional foul in the 51st.However, goalkeeper Hannes Halldorsson and his packed defense stood firm to repel wave after wave of Croatia attacks in the second half. The 10,000 Iceland fans in the Laugardalsvollur national stadium greeted the final whistle as if their team had won.Romania appears likely to miss out on World Cup qualification for the fourth straight campaign after conceding twice in the opening 20 minutes before Mitroglou scored Greeces third in the 66th to give the 2004 European champions a strong advantage to take to Bucharest.Bogdan Stancu had equalized in the 19th for Romania, which had substitute Costin Lazar sent off for a second yellow card in stoppage time.Italy maintained its proud record of not having lost to Germany since 1995 but needed a 28th-minute equalizer by Ignazio Abate to preserve that run.Germany took the lead in the eighth minute through Mats Hummels and twice hit the goal frame in Milan.In another match between two World Cup qualifiers, Chile ended Englands 10-game unbeaten run thanks to Alexis Sanchezs double at Wembley Stadium.The Barcelona forward scored in the seventh minute and again in second-half injury time to deliver a reality check for England, which gave three players debuts.

Sanchez gives Chile 2-0 win against England

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LONDON (AP) - Chile showed its World Cup credentials on Friday as Alexis Sanchezs double ended Englands 10-match unbeaten run with a 2-0 victory in a friendly.The Barcelona forward headed in from Eugenio Menas cross after seven minutes at Wembley Stadium and lifted the ball over goalkeeper Fraser Forster in stoppage time after England was ripped apart.Sanchez has got everything it takes to be a real star of the World Cup tournament, Chile coach Jorge Sampaoli said through a translator. Hes in a really good vein of form and showed his class tonight.By Sanchez taking his international tally to 22 goals in 63 games, Chile was able to replicate its 1998 victory at the old Wembley.Its one of those events that will go down in history when you come to the cathedral of football and win, Sampaoli said. Its great to make the Chilean people happy ... and what is does show is that we can compete against teams on an equal footing.With a vibrant display in chilly London, the visitors delivered a reality check to England as it prepares for the World Cup in Brazil next year, inflicting the hosts first loss of 2013.On a night when three players made their England debuts, Roy Hodgsons side forced goalkeeper Claudio Bravo into making a string of fine saves but lacked fluency.England rounds off the year against Germany on Tuesday when Chile faces Brazil in Toronto.We learned a lot about our squad players and a lot about what it will be like to play against South American opposition, England coach Roy Hodgson said. I think that was the best display of passing from a goalkeeper (Bravo) I have ever seen.This was one of three games England has until Hodgson has to name his World Cup squad, and he used it to experiment.In goal Joe Hart made way for Celtic goalkeeper Fraser Forster, and there were also debuts for Southampton duo Jay Rodriguez and Adam Lallana.It was a bright opening, with Lallana whipping in a free kick after three minutes that Phil Jones got on the end of with a header that Bravo tipped over.But at the back England was shaky and conceded after just seven minutes.Eugenio Menas cross went over Gary Cahill and Sanchez pushed himself ahead of Leighton Baines and headed past Forster.The goalkeeper, who is being tested as Hart was rested, had to be at full stretch to deny Jean Beausejour.At the other end, Bravos athleticism was required to first push over Frank Lampards dipping free kick with a one-handed save and then keep out Jack Wilsheres powerful shot.The first half petered out with Rodriguezs tame shot easily collected by Bravo.In a second half when both teams made a string of substitutions, there was little goal threat until the fourth minute of stoppage time as Chile was gifted a second.Cahill gave the ball away around the halfway line and Jose Fuenzalida played the ball through for Sanchez to chip Forster.And when the whistle blew, Englands players were booed by their own fans.We have got a long way to go, Lampard said. We need to concentrate on what we are doing, we have got another game against top class opposition (Germany) on Tuesday and we need to improve.

Vettel sets pace in 2nd practice at US Grand Prix

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AUSTIN (AP) - Four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel served notice Friday he has every intention of going after a victory that eluded him last year and perhaps set a couple of records are still within reach during his remarkable season.Vettel posted the fastest time in the days two practice sessions at the U.S. Grand Prix, driving the Circuit of the Americas in 1 minute, 37.305 seconds, topping teammate Mark Webber for a 1-2 start for Red Bull on the first day of driving.It was quite a turnaround from the morning for Vettel, who finished a leisurely 18th in the first practice that was delayed by fog, then stopped and ultimately shortened to about half of its scheduled 90 minutes.Vettel led most of the 2012 U.S. Grand Prix only to lose it to Lewis Hamilton with just 14 laps to go. Like Hamilton did last year, the German driver wore the stars and stripes of the American flag on his helmet Friday.Were pretty fired up, Vettel said heading into Saturdays qualifying. It was really close last year. I like this circuit ... I think we can be quite happy.For Webber, Fridays strong performance is yet another reminder of what he can still do and whats eluded him in his final season in Formula One.Webber is leaving the series after this year to join Porsche for the world endurance championship.Webber has started four races either in pole position or No. 2 this season, but has yet to win while Vettel has dominated the field with 11 victories.Vettel has won seven races in a row and another this week would set a single-season record for consecutive victories. Win the last two races of the season and Vettel will tie Michael Schumachers record of 13 in one season.Webber started on the pole in two of the last three races and finished second both times.He destroyed us in the races in Japan and Abu Dhabi, Webber said. It would be nice to get a good result here.Neither Red Bull driver had much to show in the early session that was delayed for 40 minutes by fog, then interrupted for about 15 minutes when race officials pulled the drivers off the track because the medical helicopter hadnt arrived.Ferraris Fernando Alonso had the fastest time of what was left of the morning session with a lap of 1:38.343.It was an impressive drive for Alonso, who has complained of a sore back since he was forced off the track to avoid a crash in Abu Dhabi two weeks ago. Alonso wore support tape on his neck and shoulders that was visible above his collar on Friday.The 2005 and 2006 world champion hasnt won since the Grand Prix of Spain in May, but is virtually assured of a second consecutive second-place finish in the drivers championship behind Vettel.With a maximum of 50 points still available, Alonso is 34 points ahead of Lotuss Kimi Raikkonen, who is not driving the final two races after having back surgery. Alonso has a 42-point lead over Mercedes Lewis Hamilton.The morning interruption caused a problem for McLarens Jenson Button, who was second-fastest in the session but was hit with a three-place penalty in Sundays starting grid because he passed another car when the red flag was out.The penalty was the latest blow in a season of disappointment for the historically powerful McLaren team, which has yet to earn a podium finish this year.It wasnt dangerous. I didnt do it on purpose but the rules are the rules, Button said. We cant change that now. It was my mistake. Its frustrating, because I havent made it easy for myself the last couple of races.The helicopter had been delayed by the fog and Formula One prohibits racing without it. A spokesman for the FIA, the sports governing body, said he didnt know why the session was allowed to start before the helicopter arrived. Because fog could be a problem again Saturday morning, track officials plan to keep the helicopter at the circuit overnight.

Ogier takes charge of season-ending Wales Rally GB

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CARDIFF (AP) - Sebastien Ogier is on course to finish his title-winning world rally campaign with another victory after taking a 20.1-second lead after two days of the season-ending Wales Rally GB.The Frenchman won four of Fridays six stages to pull clear of Volkswagen teammate Jari-Matti Latvala. Thierry Neuville, who drives a Ford, is more than a minute off the lead in third place.Former Formula One driver Robert Kubica crashed out of his first WRC event, rolling his Citroen on stage four. Organizers say Kubica and his co-driver, Michele Ferrara, were unharmed in the incident.Ogier clinched his first title in front of his home fans last month.

Oil hovers near $94 for 2nd straight week

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NEW YORK (AP) - The price of oil circled $94 for a second week as the promise of the continuation of the Federal Reserve's economic stimulus was balanced by abundant U.S. supplies.Oil rose 8 cents to close at $93.84 a barrel in New York Friday, one day after incoming Federal Reserve chief Janet Yellen indicated that economic stimulus will remain in place pending further improvement in the U.S. economy. The Fed's low interest-rate policy has supported investment in riskier assets such as oil and stocks.Yellen's remarks helped offset further signs of oversupply. Data from the Energy Department showed the U.S. produced more crude oil than it imported in October for the first time since 1995. It also showed crude oil supplies rising for an 8th straight week, by 2.6 million barrels.Oil has traded between $93 and $96 a barrel over the past two weeks, and is down 77 cents since Nov. 1.Brent crude, the benchmark for an international variety of crude, gained 22 cents to $108.50 a barrel on the ICE Exchange in London.

Dollar dips vs. euro on poor US economic data

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NEW YORK CITY (AFP) - The dollar weakened against the euro Friday after a batch of lackluster US economic data bolstered Federal Reserve chair nominee Janet Yellen's support of easy money.The euro fetched $1.3493 around 2200 GMT, up from $1.3459 at the same time Thursday.The dollar, however, edged higher against the Japanese currency, to 100.12 yen from 100.00 yen, while the euro also gained at 135.16 yen, up from 134.61 yen.Investors had several economic reports to sift through that showed sluggish US growth. The New York Fed's Empire State Manufacturing business conditions index unexpectedly fell in November and, in October, US industrial production dipped and import prices fell.The data came a day after Yellen, the Fed vice chair, told a Senate panel confirmation hearing that she would not consider ending the central bank's $85 billion a month asset-purchase program as long as growth remained soft and unemployment elevated.Today's weaker economic data justifies her dovish bias, said Kathy Lien of BK Asset Management.Lien said she did not expect the Fed Reserve to taper asset purchases at the Federal Open Market Committee's meeting in December, but that FOMC meetings in January and March are both options. We lean towards the latter but if payrolls growth is strong in November and December, the central bank could begin reducing asset purchases shortly after the New Year, she said.The dollar dipped against the Swiss currency to 0.9141 franc from 0.9160 franc late Thursday.The pound continued to profit from the Bank of England's upgrade of British growth forecasts on Wednesday, with buyers pushing it up to $1.6113 from $1.6065.
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