Monday 7 September 2015

Dunya TV

Dunya TV

Tennis: Anderson sends Murray crashing out of US Open

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NEW YORK (AFP) - South African 15th seed Kevin Anderson upset British third seed Andy Murray 7-6 (7/5), 6-3, 6-7 (2/7), 7-6 (7/0) Monday at the US Open to reach his first Grand Slam quarter-final.Anderson ended a 0-15 career hoodoo against top-10 opponents and an 0-7 hex in fourth-round Slam matches to book a last-eight date with Swiss fifth seed Stan Wawrinka, the reigning French Open champion.Murray, the 2012 champion, saw his run of 18 consecutive Grand Slam quarter-finals come to an end.The 28-year-old Scotsman last failed to reach a Slam last eight at the 2010 US Open.It was the match of my life, said Anderson.Andy is such a great fighter and amazing player.I just tried to stick with it after that third set tiebreaker. I wish I could play a fourth set tiebreaker like that all the time.This is a great accomplishment for me.

Cameron suffers defeat in Commons vote on EU referendum bill

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LONDON (AFP) - British Prime Minister David Cameron suffered an embarrassing defeat in parliament Monday over how the referendum he has called on leaving the European Union will be conducted.While the defeat in the House of Commons was on a technicality, it highlights the struggle Cameron faces to keep eurosceptic rebels in his own centre-right Conservative party in line before the vote, due by the end of 2017.It was Camerons first defeat in the Commons, where he has a majority of only 16 seats, since he won Britains general election in May.The government had wanted to water down the usual rules on so-called purdah, under which ministers are banned from making any announcements which could affect the result of the vote for the last 28 days of a referendum or election campaign.But the normal rules will now be applied after the governments plans were defeated by 312 to 285 votes. Thirty-seven Conservatives rebelled against Cameron.The prime minister wants Britain to remain part of the EU as long as he can secure reforms on issues such as making it harder for migrants from the bloc to access benefits and dropping the EUs commitment to ever-closer union.Suspicions are growing among some MPs who oppose the EU that he will be content to secure cosmetic changes to Britains relationship with Europe ahead of the vote, rather than the deep-seated changes they want.In Mondays vote, eurosceptics teamed up with MPs from the main opposition Labour party and the Scottish National Party to vote down the move, which they saw as a key test of the governments willingness to address their concerns.Leading eurosceptic Bernard Jenkin summed up the concerns of many by saying: Ministers want to use their private offices to organise their speaking tours, they want to use their special advisers who are paid for by the taxpayer to campaign on the referendum. This is not an acceptable use of public money.Hilary Benn, Labours foreign affairs spokesman, said Cameron had suffered a humiliating defeat.The government should never have rushed through its flawed plans to play fast and loose with the rules on the referendum, he added.Mondays late night sitting was the last day of debate in the Commons on the European Union Referendum Bill, which lays out the rules under which the vote will be conducted.It also emerged during the debate that ministers will now have to give four months notice of the date of the referendum, giving both sides time to campaign, rather than calling a snap vote.The bill now goes to the House of Lords, the upper legislative chamber of parliament, for further debate before it can become law.Eurosceptics received another boost Sunday when, for the first time, an opinion poll suggested that more Britons want to leave the EU than want to stay.Forty-three percent of respondents said they would vote to leave, 40 percent would vote to stay and 17 percent are undecided, according to the poll by Survation for the Mail on Sunday newspaper.Technical talks are under way in Brussels to explore what reforms could be made to Britains relationship with the EU ahead of the vote, which is increasingly expected to be held next year.

Hundreds of migrants march on Hungary motorway

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BUDAPEST (AFP) - Scores of migrants broke through a police line near a refugee centre on Monday and marched against oncoming traffic on a motorway hard shoulder headed for Budapest. The group of around 200 walked some 15 kilometres (nine miles) along the M5 motorway before police negotiators persuaded them to board buses to take them back to a nearby registration camp for asylum-seekers.Police earlier closed a section of the motorway near Roszke in southeast Hungary close to the Serbian border after the group climbed over a barrier and onto the road, which leads to the capital.The migrants were part of a 1,000-strong crowd who had earlier pushed past a police line at a refugee collection point at Roszke -- the first stop before people are brought to the registration camp.There were scuffles throughout Monday as migrants chanting Freedom protested at having to wait for hours in the open for buses to take them for registration.Clashes have broken out between police and migrants, sick of the long delays at the overcrowded refugee collection and registration camp at Roszke, the main crossing point for the thousands of people who have been coming into Hungary every day for the last month.Police fired tear gas at migrants after some threw stones at officials at the registration camp on Friday.Some 300 migrants had escaped from the camp earlier, forcing the authorities to close the main border crossing with Serbia for around an hour, although they were later caught by police.Around 167,000 migrants have entered Hungary illegally so far this year, with most crossing the border around the Roszke area.Last Friday, among a raft of anti-migrant laws approved, Hungarys parliament voted to criminalise illegal border crossing, with the ruling expected to come into force September 15.

IS attack on Libya loyalists kills 3 soldiers: agency

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BENGHAZI (AFP) - Islamic State gunmen on Monday killed three Libyan pro-government soldiers and wounded four others in an attack outside the eastern city of Benghazi, Lana news agency reported.Three soldiers were killed and four wounded in a dawn attack carried out by terrorists linked to the Libyan branch of the Islamic State group, said Lana, citing a military source.IS itself tweeted that its militants seized a tank and two military vehicles in the attack.Libya, which descended into lawlessness after dictator Moamer Kadhafi was overthrown and killed in 2011, has two parliaments and two governments vying for control of the country.Lana, which is linked to the internationally recognised government, cited the source as saying that the gunmen struck an army position about eight kilometres (nearly five miles) south of Benghazi.The area where the attack took place has since Saturday been the scene of fierce clashes between military forces and terrorist groups during which heavy and medium-sized weapons were used, it added.Benghazi, cradle of the 2011 revolution, has been the site of regular fighting between forces loyal to the government and armed groups for more than a year.

Britain kills IS fighters in Syria for first time

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LONDON (AFP) - A Royal Air Force (RAF) drone last month killed a British jihadist in Syria who was planning attacks on Britain, Prime Minister David Cameron said on Monday.He described the operation as a first, as it involved an attack in a country where Britain was not legally at war, but said it was justified because it prevented terrorist bloodshed.Reyaad Khan was killed in a precision air strike carried out on August 21 by an RAF remotely piloted aircraft while he was travelling in a vehicle in the area of Raqqah, Cameron told parliament.Two other Islamic State jihadists, including Briton Ruhul Amin, were also killed but no civilians were harmed, the prime minister said.Cameron said the strike was an act of self-defence since Khan had been planning barbaric attacks in Britain against high-profile commemorations over the summer.He did not give further details.The strike had been entirely lawful and carried out following consultation with the attorney general, he added.There was a terrorist directing murder on our streets and no other means to stop them, he said.Is this the first time in modern times that a British asset has been used to conduct a strike in a country where we are not involved in a war? The answer to that is yes, he added.Britain used drone strikes during the war in Afghanistan, and is also using them against IS militants in Iraq after joining in the US-led intervention launched last year. Khan, a 21-year-old from Cardiff, Wales, went by the nom-de-guerre Abu Dujana Britani. He had written on Twitter how he was being prepared to become a martyr and boasted of executing prisoners.He left for Syria in 2013 with medical student Nasser Muthana, prompting a desperate plea for his return from his mother Rukia.Please come back before it is too late. You are my only one son, she said.Bangladeshi-born Amin, 26, grew up in Aberdeen, Scotland, before moving to Leicester in central England with his family.Posing with Kalashnikovs, Khan and Amin appeared in an Isis recruitment video in 2014 after travelling to Syria.A third Briton, Junaid Hussain, a computer hacker described as a key IS operative, also died in a separate US airstrike, Cameron confirmed.The prime minister stressed that the British strike was a targeted attack against terrorism, but said he also supported Britain extending its anti-IS bombing campaign to Syria as well as Iraq.Camerons government was defeated on taking military action in Syria in 2013 in one of the most damaging foreign policy blows to his previous coalition government.Defence think tank Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) called the strike against Khan a big departure for Cameron.The point is not so much that this man was British, but that he was targeted in an area that the UK does not currently regard, legally, as an operational theatre of war for UK forces, said RUSI director general Michael Clarke.The government was expected to introduce a motion into parliament to authorise the extension of air operations into Syria within a couple of weeks.It now looks as if it has decided to create a momentum to action that might be unstoppable, he added.Jeremy Corbyn, the favourite to win the leadership of the main opposition Labour Party later this week and founder of the Stop the War group, repeated his opposition to air strikes on Monday.My view is that it would create more problems than it would solve, he said.

Egypt minister arrested after quitting in graft probe

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CAIRO (AFP) - Egypts agriculture minister was arrested Monday after being told to step aside in connection with an investigation into corruption, said sources in the country blighted by graft.Salah Helal resigned on the orders of the president, a statement from the prime ministers office said.He was detained in Cairo after a meeting in the premiers office, a judicial source told AFP, speaking on condition of anonymity. He was arrested as part of an investigation into a major case of corruption in his ministry, the official MENA news agency reported.The prosecution service had last week banned media from publishing any information about the case.Helal, 59, an agronomy graduate, rose through the ranks at the agriculture ministry to become minister in March.Helal and his chief of staff were believed to have requested and received bribes from businessman Ayman al-Gamil -- through an intermediary -- to legalise the purchase of a property bought from the state, the statement said.They were questioned and remanded in custody.Anti-graft watchdog Transparency International ranked Egypt 94th out of 175 nations on its corruption index in 2014.It says that it has been challenging to asses whether the level of corruption has increased or declined due to the rapidly changing context since Egypts 2011 revolution.In July, a court sentenced a former prime minister of ousted president Hosni Mubarak to five years in prison for corruption and fined him millions of dollars.Ahmed Nazif, whom Mubarak sidelined to appease protesters during the revolution that ended his rule, was convicted in his retrial of having used his position to make a fortune of $8.2 million (7.5 million euros).The court also fined him $6.8 million.Nazif had been accused of corrupt property deals and receiving illegal bonuses.Mubarak and many of his former ministers were placed on trial following his overthrow amid popular demands for them to be held accountable for years of corruption.Several former regime figures have been found not guilty in retrials, however.In March, Mubaraks once feared interior minister Habib al-Adly was acquitted of corruption charges.He was cleared of illegally accumulating around 181 million Egyptian pounds, and the court also lifted an asset freeze on him and members of his family.Mubarak himself and his two sons Alaa and Gamal were sentenced to three years in prison earlier this year for corruption.But they had been in detention for much of the past four years, and may be released early when time served is accounted for.Many Egyptians looked upon Alaa and Gamal Mubarak as symbols of corruption during their fathers three-decade rule.All three were arrested in 2011, months after Mubarak was toppled in a popular 18-day uprising.On May 9 this year, they and their father were fined 125 million pounds, the amount they were accused of embezzling from funds meant for the maintenance of presidential palaces.The court also ordered them to pay an extra 21 million pounds.President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, before his election in May last year to succeed Islamist Mohamed Morsi, the man who succeeded Mubarak and whom he deposed while army chief, had pledged to stamp out corruption.The retired field marshal said there would be no return to the corruption and human rights violations of the Mubarak era.

Tear gas, water cannon at mass EU farmer protest in Brussels

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BRUSSELS (AFP) - Belgian police on Monday fired tear gas and water cannon at protesting European farmers as the EU said it would release 500 million euros ($557 million) in emergency funds to help ease the pressure.EU agriculture ministers held crisis talks in Brussels to face the deep crisis hitting Europes farmers triggered by plunging prices for their produce, partly blamed on a Russian embargo.The protest involved what police said was up to 7,000 farmers, who blocked streets in Brussels with hundreds of tractors and massed outside the heavily-guarded European Union headquarters where the talks took place.A combination of factors, including changing dietary habits, slowing Chinese demand and a Russian embargo on Western products in response to sanctions over the Ukraine conflict, has pushed down prices for beef, pork and milk.It is clear that an aid package of 500 million euros is nowhere enough to compensate farmers for the loss of their main export market Russia worth 5.5 billion euros annually, said Pekka Pesonen, Secretary-General for the European Copa-Cogeca farmers union.EU farmers are paying the price for international politics, he said, after the commission said it would release the emergency funds to help farmers.Belgian anti-riot police, who were unusually backed up by reinforcements from the neighbouring Netherlands, briefly fired tear gas to prevent protesters using their tractors to push past steel fences coiled with barbed wire, AFP reporters said.They also fired water cannon to push back protesters and put out burning planks of wood and tyres, which sent thick black smoke wafting over EU buildings. Farmers hurled eggs and bottles at the police and used a machine to throw hay at them.Most of the protesters were from Belgium, France and Germany, but there were others from Britain, Ireland and other EU countries including Italy, Portugal and Lithuania. There have been hundreds of suicides as a result of disastrous agricultural policies, said Remy Hulin, a retired farmer from the Calvados region of northern France carrying an effigy in farmers overalls hanging from a gallows.French Agriculture Minister Stephane Foll said the EU must take action to deal with a deteriorating market situation.The European Commission, the executive of the 28-nation EU, said it was well aware of the difficult situation faced by farmers, as it announced the plan to immediately release 500 million euros in funds for them.This is a robust and decisive response. This demonstrates that the Commission takes its responsibility towards farmers very seriously and is prepared to back it up with the appropriate funds, EU Vice President Jyrki Katainen said.The aid, mainly targeting the dairy sector, will address the cash-flow difficulties farmers are facing and help stabilise markets, he said.In France, the agriculture minister previously estimated that around 10 percent of farms -- approximately 22,000 sites -- are on the brink of bankruptcy with a combined debt of one billion euros.The European Council, which represents member states, said the ministers were discussing the impact on the EU market of the import ban on EU agricultural products imposed by Russia.In July, the EU extended until next year a multi-million euro aid package to help struggling European farmers hit by Russian sanctions over the Ukraine crisis.Police said the protest involved around 7,000 farmers and 1,455 tractors, while the farm associations Copa and Cogeca put the figures at more than 6,000 farmers and 2,000 tractors.The associations say the EU agri-food sector accounts for 40 million jobs and exports more than 120 billion euros worth of produce every year.

Golf: Fowler reels in Stenson to claim Deutsche Bank crown

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NORTON (AFP) - Rickie Fowler came from behind to win a thrilling final-round duel against Swedens Henrik Stenson and claim victory in the $8.25 million Deutsche Bank Championship here Monday. Fowler overturned a three-shot deficit with eight holes to play at TPC Boston to pip Stenson, carding a three-under-par 68 to finish on 15 under, one shot clear of the Swede. Fowlers round contained an eagle, three birdies and two bogeys, but it was an error-free performance on the back nine which enhanced the 26-year-old Californians growing reputation as a nerveless finisher.Stenson meanwhile was left ruing a double-bogey on the 16th which ultimately cost him victory. The Swede, who had started the day one shot clear of Fowler, carded a one-under-par 70 to finish on 14 under. I really just hung in there today, put myself in a position, hit some good shots made a couple of good putts to keep myself in it, Fowler said. Henrik made a couple of mistakes, but its pretty special to fight it out the way I did. Three shots behind Stenson on 11 under was Charley Hoffman, who carded a four-under-par 67, one ahead of a clutch of five players -- Jim Furyk, Patrick Reed, Hunter Mahan, Sean OHair and Matt Jones -- tied for fourth on eight under. Earlier, Fowler got off to a dream start, picking up two shots swiftly with a superb eagle on the par-five second with a monster 33-foot putt. Yet his scintillating start was undone by consecutive bogeys on the third and fourth, before a birdie on the seventh put him back to one under for the day.Stenson meanwhile had kept his nose in front on the front nine, opening with back-to-back birdies on the first two holes.A bogey on the fourth was cancelled out by a further birdie on the fifth to leave Stenson two shots clear of Fowler at the turn. A further birdie at the 10th, with the Swede draining a 14-foot birdie putt left Stenson three clear. But momentum looked to have shifted on the par-three 11th when Stenson bogeyed and then watched as Fowler sank a 13-foot putt for birdie, suddenly putting the American back to within one shot.Yet Stenson hit back on the next hole, the par-four 12th, with his fifth birdie of the day, sinking a 36-footer to restore his two-shot cushion with six to play.Both men made comfortable pars on the 13th but Fowler then produced jaw-dropping 38-foot birdie putt on the 14th to halve Stensons lead. Further pars on 15 left the difference at one shot but drama unfolded on the par-three 16th when Stensons decision to opt for a seven iron off the tee proved costly after Fowler had struck a six iron to within 23 feet.Stensons club selection left him short of the green and his ball bounced back into the water hazard forcing him to take a drop.Fowler duly two-putted for par, and when Stenson missed a 12-foot putt for a bogey four, the American was suddenly in the lead for the first time, up by one shot heading to the 17th. Pars on the penultimate hole left Fowler ahead as they arrived at the 18th. Tension mounted as both men missed the green with their approaches. Stenson recovered but then missed a long birdie putt, leaving Fowler to two-putt from 10 feet to win.

Tennis: Wawrinka makes US Open last eight

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NEW YORK (AFP) - French Open champion Stan Wawrinka defeated US comeback king Donald Young 6-4, 1-6, 6-3, 6-4 Monday to reach the US Open quarter-finals while Andy Murray and Roger Federer awaited their chances to advance.Swiss fifth seed Wawrinka will next face the winner of a later match between British third seed Murray and South African 15th seed Kevin Anderson.Wawrinka dropped his first set of the tournament but made an eighth quarter-final in his past nine Grand Slams, denying 68th-ranked Young his first trip to a Slam quarter-final.The set was so quick. I wasnt there mentally, Wawrinka said of his second-set letdown. Calmed down a little bit. I began to be more aggressive, started moving my feet better.Young was the first player since Gilles Muller in 2008 to rally twice from two sets down in a US Open, having been 0-17 in such sets before this week, but the lefthander fell to 3-18 against top-10 opponents.He had the crowd. It was a tough match for sure, Wawrinka said. It was a great atmosphere.Wawrinka improved to 2-1 in the rivalry with Young, who upset the Swiss in a fifth-set tie-breaker at the 2011 US Open and Wawrinka beating him six weeks later at Shanghai.Wawrinka, 30, smacked a backhand service return winner to break Young for a 2-1 edge and denied the Americans only break chance of the first set with a forehand winner in the fourth game.Young, 26, had lost the first set in every prior match, too, and he bounced back again as Wawrinka netted forehands to surrender breaks in the fourth and sixth games, smashing his racquet to the cement at one stage in frustration.Sometimes you dont control yourself. You need to put the pressure out, Wawrinka said. I played really well after.Wawrinka raced ahead 5-0 in the third set. Young battled back to 5-3, but Wawrinka then held on a stunning running backhand winner to finally take the set. He broke Young to open the fourth set and held serve to the end, which came after two hours and nine minutes.Swiss second seed Federer, winner of a record 17 Grand Slam titles, was set to face US 13th seed John Isner in the late match at Arthur Ashe Stadium.Federer, trying to become at 34 the oldest US Open champion since Ken Rosewall in 1970, has a 4-1 career edge on Isner and has won 12 consecutive US Open matches over American foes since losing to Andre Agassi in 2001.Isner, 30, has held in 93 consecutive US Open service games since last broken by Germanys Philipp Kohlschreiber in the third round in 2013, including all 54 last year and 39 so far this year. Isner, who has saved 14 break points over the two-year span, seeks his second Slam quarter-final after the 2011 US Open in his 30th major start.Murray, the 2012 US Open and 2013 Wimbledon champion, was to meet Anderson at Louis Armstrong Stadium, where Czech sixth seed Tomas Berdych and French 12th seed Richard Gasquet, both past US Open semi-finalists, were set to follow.Anderson, 0-15 all-time against top-10 foes, is trying to snap an 0-7 mark in fourth-round Grand Slam matches, each loss to a top-10 rival. His most recent last-16 setback came after being two sets ahead of top-ranked Novak Djokovic at Wimbledon two months ago.Anderson, 29, is the first South African in New Yorks last 16 since Wayne Ferreira in 2002. He came in off a third career title at Winston-Salem.Murray seeks his 19th consecutive Slam quarter-final and leads Anderson 5-1 in career meetings. The 28-year-old Scotsman last failed to reach a Slam last eight at the 2010 US Open.Berdych, 29, and Gasquet, 29, are 6-6 in career matches, Berdych taking the past three with the most recent being this year at Madrid. Only one of their meetings was not decided in straight sets.Gasquet was a Wimbledon semi-finalist last July to match his best Slam showing. Berdych was a Wimbledon runner-up in 2010 for his top major result.

Tennis: Halep, Azarenka set-up US quarter-final duel

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NEW YORK (AFP) - Second seed Simona Halep overcame a thigh injury and 30-degree heat on Monday to reach her first US Open quarter-final, where she will take on two-time runner-up Victoria Azarenka.Halep needed 2hr 38 min, as well as a 10-minute heat break, to down German 24th seed Sabine Lisicki 6-7 (6/8), 7-5, 6-2.Halep, 23, is the first Romanian in the last eight in New York since Irina Spirlea went to the 1997 semi-finals.But she did it the hard way, letting two set points slip away in the first set before then requiring a medical timeout to have her left thigh tightly strapped.There were 17 service breaks, nine of them in the second set, while both players committed a total of 105 unforced errors, 72 off the Germans racquet.Its unbelievable to reach my first quarter-final at the US Open. It was a crazy match, said Halep after her fourth successive win over the 2013 Wimbledon runner-up.Im pretty tired but I would have been very unhappy with myself had I lost.Despite the injury, Halep insisted it was Lisicki who was the keener of the two to take advantage of the heat rule, which allows women players to leave the court for 10 minutes after the second set if the temperature goes beyond 30.1 degrees.She took the break so I went out too and cooled down.Azarenka reached her fourth US Open quarter-final with a 6-3, 6-4 win over Varvara Lepchenko of the United States.The former world number one, whose season has been stalled by a left thigh strain, appeared on Arthur Ashe Stadium with both biceps tightly strapped.Its a little embarrassing. I have blisters from my shirts rubbing against my arms so I needed the bandages, said Azarenka, the runner-up to Serena Williams in 2012 and 2013.It looks weird but I did what I have to do.Lepchenko, who was bidding to become the first American woman not called Williams to make the last-eight since 2009, was broken in the third and ninth games of the opening set.She rallied to edge ahead in the first game of the second but handed the break straight back to the 26-year-old Azarenka.The Belarus star, a two-time Australian Open champion, carved another break for 5-3 before faltering when she served for the match.But she secured victory in the next game on her first match point when left-handed Lepchenko went wide.Azarenka holds a 2-0 career lead over Halep, although their last meeting was back in 2012.Czech fifth seed and double Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova, who has dropped just 12 games in three rounds, takes on British qualifier Johanna Konta, the world number 97.Victory would make Kvitova the first Czech in the quarter-finals since Daja Bedanova in 2001.Konta will be Kvitovas third opponent in four matches ranked outside the top 90.The 24-year-old Australian-born Konta hopes to become the first British woman in the last-eight since Jo Durie in 1983.The winner of that tie will face either Australias 22nd seed Samantha Stosur, the 2011 champion, or Italys Flavia Pennetta, the 26th seed.Pennetta has established an iron-grip on the Australian, winning all of their six career meetings.The 33-year-old Italian is looking to reach the quarter-finals for the sixth time.Stosur, 31, boasts the accomplishment of being the last woman to defeat Serena Williams in New York in 2011.Serena features on Tuesday when the quarter-finals get underway, facing sister Venus for the 27th time as she continues her bid to complete the calendar Grand Slam.Frances Kristina Mladenovic tackles fellow unseeded player Roberta Vinci, who reached the last-eight when Eugenie Bouchard pulled out with a concussion suffered in a locker room fall.

Tennis: Serena-Venus sister act has family feud elements

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NEW YORK (AFP) - When Serena and Venus Williams meet Tuesday for a US Open semi-final berth, there will be plenty of sisterly respect but more than a bit of sibling rivalry involved too.World number one Serena, chasing the first calendar Grand Slam since Steffi Graf in 1988 with her seventh US Open title, could also capture her 22nd Grand Slam title to match Grafs Open Era record.Theres always another record, always another person to catch up with or pass, Serena said. I never really thought I would be in this position where I would even be talking about records, talking about passing Steffi Graf or even mentioning Margaret Court. I just grew up trying to be the best that I could. So to even be mentioned in that conversation is great.But Venus, 35, could be the spoiler to the calendar Slam, the seven-time Grand Slam champion having played well to book her last-eight date against a little sister who has been a friend and rival since they were children.Serena, 33, owns all four major titles for now. She leads the Williams rivalry 15-11 in all matches and 8-5 in Grand Slam events.Serena said her biggest annoyance with her older sister, apart from all the matches she won when they were children, was how her own dog runs to Venus when she is around.For Venus, its how the annual family gathering is sorted.We have a family gathering every year and every year I dont get much say, Venus said. She always picks the theme, and so that bothers me. Her team are just haters, to be honest, Serena replied. Theyre jealous. Well just let it slide off our shoulders. We dont take it personal. Thats how she has treated the pressure of chasing history as well.Ive been really rather relaxed, Serena said. I dont really feel like if I win this tournament its going to make or break my career.Serena wont be letting up on Venus, but she might not be as demonstrative with her fist pumps and screams.I just try to be more internally excited, Serena said. I still have a few Come ons, maybe not as many, but Im definitely as intense.Venus knows to expect a powerful game from Serena, as opposed to other rivals who raise their games when across the net from her.I play a lot of opponents who just play out of their head, thats kind of a usual day for me. Theres no easy days, Venus said. At least you expect that from Serena. Shes not playing at a level thats abnormal. Its just her level.While Serena could break her own record as the oldest Grand Slam champion set when she won Wimbledon in July, Venus is looking at life after tennis once the duo team up to defend Olympic gold next year.Theres a big part of me that wants to be able, not to move away from tennis, but to explore other things in life and to transition and to find new challenges, Venus said. Of course I will always be involved with tennis, but its a certain challenge when you try something new. I love that.

Tennis: Azarenka sorry for fellow concussion victim Bouchard

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NEW YORK (AFP) - Victoria Azarenka, who once suffered a frightening on-court collapse through concussion, sympathised with Eugenie Bouchard on Monday after the Canadian suffered a tournament-ending head injury at the US Open.Azarenka was forced out of the Australian Open in Melbourne in 2010 when she collapsed during a match.At first, it was thought the incident was caused by the Australian summers notorious searing temperatures.But it emerged the collapse was due to a concussion suffered when she hit her head in the gym earlier in the day.It is unfortunate for her. You dont want to see anybody going through an injury like this, said Azarenka.Bouchard slipped and fell in the Flushing Meadows locker room on Friday night.It is understood that the room was in darkness at the time, unattended and with the floor still wet after being washed.Bouchard had already pulled out of the womens and mixed doubles before finally withdrawing from her scheduled last-16 singles clash with Italys Roberta Vinci on Sunday night on medical advice.The 21-year-old did not speak to reporters at the site, where she had attended a medical conference dressed in a hooded top and wearing dark glasses.Its unfortunate, especially, shes been coming back and playing quite solid. But there is not much you can do, said Azarenka.The former world number one said that when she hit her head in Melbourne, much less was known of concussion and its dangers.When I fell and I got concussion I was racing to the court 15 minutes after, so thats why I collapsed on the court. So that wasnt probably a very smart move, but I didnt know what I had at that moment. But other than that, I actually dont remember. I think I played my next tournament. I obviously took a week off, but I did all the tests in the hospital, all the tests for the eyes, so I was okay after. I hope she will be, too.Azarenka, the 20th seed, reached her fourth US Open quarter-final on Monday with a 6-3, 6-4 win over Varvara Lepchenko of the United States.The 26-year-old, who next faces either Romanian second seed Simona Halep or 24th-seeded German Sabine Lisicki, appeared on Arthur Ashe Stadium with both biceps tightly strapped.She said the tape was a means of protecting her arms from blisters caused by a possible allergic reaction to her clothing.I just had like a blister kind of rubbing against my skin or my material. Its just like burning sensation when I touch it, she explained.So I just put the tape around so it doesnt bother me. I did it yesterday. I saw this group of my fans. They post all the pictures and stuff, and they were freaking, like, What happened to her arms? What is it? What is going on?You know, I had an opportunity to explain this today, and I hope they are not going be too worried, or anybody else.

Football: Germany on verge of Euro 2016 after Scotland win

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GLASGOW (AFP) - World champions Germany kept hold of top spot in Group D and moved to the verge of Euro 2016 qualification with a 3-2 defeat of a spirited Scotland side at Hampden on Monday.Thomas Muller, who grabbed a double in the corresponding fixture in Dortmund last year, opened the scoring in the 18th minute.In full flow the Germans appeared unplayable as Scotland struggled for possession, yet Gordon Strachans side grabbed a 27th minute equaliser as the usually reliable Manuel Neuers attempted clearance of Shaun Maloneys free-kick bounced in off defender Mats Hummels.Muller headed Germany back in front seven minutes later before James McArthur restored parity for a second time with a sensational strike in the 43rd minute.Bayern Munich star Muller then turned provider for Ilkay Gundogan to put Germany ahead for the third time in the 54th minute.Scotland now face a mammoth task to even claim a play-off place as they trail third-placed Ireland, who defeated Georgia 1-0, by four points with two games remaining. Polands 8-1 demolition of Gibraltar kept the Poles two points behind Germany in second.At Hampden, Germanys total dominance of possession paid off when Muller broke the deadlock. The Bayern Munich star burst at pace at a terrified Scottish defence before drilling a low shot that took a deflection off the heels of Russell Martin to leave David Marshall completely wrong-footed as it rolled into the bottom left-hand corner.Scotland surprised the World Cup winners with an unlikely equaliser. After Charlie Mulgrew was fouled by Emre Can on the edge of the box, Maloney whipped in a dangerous free-kick that Neuer failed to deal with as the keepers flapped clearance went in off Hummels.However, Scotland werent level for long as Muller restored Germanys lead. Marshall could only parry Cans shot and Muller was alert enough to nod the rebound over the line despite Scotlands desperate efforts on the line.Things looked ominous when Gotze had the ball in the net for Germany again after collecting a pass on his chest before spinning to send a half-volley past Marshall but the flag was already up for offside.Hampden erupted, however, as McArthurs sensational strike pegged Germany back for the second time. The Crystal Palace midfielder met Maloneys corner at the edge of the box to rifle a volley that Neuer got fingertips to.Germany started the second half in menacing fashion and had the ball in the net again when the unmarked Gotze fired a Bastian Schweinsteiger pass past Marshall but the Bayern Munich forward was flagged for offside.The Germans didnt have to wait long for their next opportunity and Gundogan soon made it 3-2. Muller turned provider as he cut the ball back from the byline perfectly for the Borussia Dortmund defender to slam home his shot in off the base of the post.

Oil down around 2% on China equity fall

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LONDON (Agencies) - Oil fell around 2% on Monday as Chinese equities weakened, with a firmer dollar and global oversupply also weighing on prices.The US Labour Day holiday helped keep trade thin.China’s main indices closed down on Monday as investors sold shares in the aftermath of a four-day market holiday, during which further restrictions on futures trading were announced.“Oil is only taking its cues from China,” SEB chief commodity analyst Bjarne Schieldrop said.“The price is taking little notice of constructive data like stronger (European) equities, stronger base metals and last Friday’s fall in US rig count,” he said.Brent crude for October was down 90 cents at $48.71 a barrel by 1440 GMT, having reached an intraday low of $48.42. US crude for October was down 75 cents at $45.30, having reached an intraday low of $48.42.Oil has fallen almost 60% since June 2014 on a global supply glut, with prices seesawing in recent weeks as concerns about a slowing Chinese economy caused turmoil in global stock markets.“For commodities, the key demand-side figure to care about is not China’s GDP growing at 7% instead of 9 or 10%, it is the manufacturing price index, which has been falling for more than 40 months in a row,” JBC Energy said.High supply will be swelled further from the North Sea, where crude oil output tracked by Reuters will rise to its highest in just over two years in October, according to loading schedules, adding to ample Altantic Basin crude supplies.The dollar has strengthened since late August and this has also hurt oil prices by making the commodity more expensive for holders of other currencies.The year-long decline in oil prices caused more than 5,000 job losses in Britain’s North Sea oil and gas sector since late last year, the country’s Oil and Gas Authority said on Monday.Investors are awaiting euro zone second-quarter gross domestic product figures on Tuesday, followed by monthly global oil supply and demand data from US and global energy authorities to give oil further direction.

Sangakkara century sends Surrey to Lord's

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LONDON (AFP) - Sri Lanka great Kumar Sangakkaras superb century saw Surrey into the final of English county crickets one-day cup as they saw off Nottinghamshire by four runs in a thrilling clash at The Oval on Monday.The veteran left-hander made 166 in 138 balls, the highest score in this seasons tournament, and Surrey will now face Gloucestershire in the final at Lords on September 19. Nottinghamshire, chasing 301 for victory, recovered after they declined to 16 for three, 17-year-old Sam Curran taking two wickets in two balls in his first over, with the visitors missing batsmen Alex Hales and James Taylor because of England duty.But Greg Smith made an outstanding 124, while Samit Patel and Dan Christian added a fifty each.Tom Curran, Sams brother, held his nerve when Nottinghamshire needed 14 runs off the last over.Earlier, Sangakkaras magnificent innings was a testament to the 37-year-olds physical fitness with 90-yard square boundaries restricting him to 13 fours and one six in just under three hours at the crease.Sangakkara showed plenty of flair, notably in the 49th over when he hit successive ramp shots over wicket-keeper Chris Read off left-arm seamer Harry Gurney and a crunching drive through extra cover for a third successive boundary.He accelerated from 100 to 150 in just 29 deliveries before he failed to clear third man with another ramp shot off the first ball of the final over.It was a wonderful game of cricket and the difference was probably Kumar Sangakkaras innings, said Surrey captain Gareth Batty, with his star batsman having recently retired from Sri Lanka service.I think hes still the best player in the world. Hes not playing international cricket anymore, which is a shame for the world game but great for us.We thought 300 was a decent score but we knew it would be tight because Notts are a very good team and Greg Smith scored a great hundred for them.Nottinghamshire captain Read added: It needed something special for us to get close after Sangakkara played a fantastic innings. We needed a big score but we just ran out of gas at the end.
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