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Saturday, September 12, 2015

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Paes, Hingis win third mixed major with U.S. Open triumph

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NEW YORK (Reuters) -Martina Hingis and Leander Paes once again proved to be a potent partnership as the Swiss-Indo duo captured their third mixed doubles title of the year with victory at the U.S. Open on Friday.The Australian Open and Wimbledon champions came back from 4-1 down in the championship tiebreak to storm to victory with a 6-4 3-6 10-7 win over Americans Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Sam Querrey.Hingis and Paes became the first duo to capture three major mixed titles in the same year since Margaret Court and Marty Riessen achieved the feat in 1969.The triumph earned 42-year-old Paes a ninth mixed doubles trophy and 17th grand slam title while Hingis took her overall grand slam tally to 19 (five singles, 10 womens doubles and four mixed).I just love to play tennis and I am fortunate to have Leander as my partner, Hingis told reporters.Paes added: Martina is a legend on and off the court. Shes my best friend. Shes just fantastic.Hingis could add to her haul over the weekend when she teams up with another Indian, Sania Mirza, in the womens doubles final.

Mayweather promises entertainment in Berto bout

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LAS VEGAS (Reuters) -Undefeated five-division world champion Floyd Mayweather Jr. weighed in one pound heavier than Andre Berto on Friday, and promised to give the fans a great fight in their welterweight title showdown on Saturday.Though the scheduled 12-round bout at the MGM Grand Garden Arena has failed to capture the publics imagination with heavy underdog Berto having lost three of his last six contests, Mayweather said entertainment would be a priority on the night.Im in top condition, we had a great training camp, Mayweather told a cheering crowd of around 6,000 during an on-stage interview after he and Berto had both been on the scales.The main thing tomorrow is going out there, being at my best. Since (Manny) Pacquiao didnt give the fans a good fight, tomorrow is going to be a great fight.Mayweather will be back in the ring for the first time since he beat Filipino southpaw Pacquiao on a unanimous decision in a much hyped Fight of the Century on May 2 that failed to live up to its billing.Against twice former welterweight world champion Berto, Mayweather is widely expected to win what he claims will be the final bout of his career as he bids to match the 49-0 record of former heavyweight great Rocky Marciano.He (Berto) is another tough guy, he has a high knockout ratio, hes a rugged competitor but Ive faced everybody in the sport of boxing, Mayweather said after tipping the scales at 146 pounds to deafening roars from the fans.Ive faced Pacquiao, I have faced (Miguel) Cotto, Ive faced Canelo (Alvarez). Ive already faced the best fighters.Asked whether he was at all concerned that another sporting upset could be on the cards after Serena Williams shocking tennis defeat earlier on Friday at the U.S. Open, Mayweather smiled: I dont overlook any opponent but Ive been here before.I know what it takes to win a fight of this magnitude. Just stay focused, stay on a parallel path and go out there and do what I do best, and thats win. I just cant wait to get out there and give the fans excitement tomorrow.Berto, 30-3 (23 knockouts), tried to inject a bit of needle into proceedings when the two welterweights moved to the front of the stage for the traditional stare-down, crossing his arms in sullen defiance.We are here for a reason, Berto, 32, said when asked to explain his tactics. I dont get caught up in all the rest of it. I already been through a lot and ... on Saturday night were going to go in and do what we do.As for being a 30-1 underdog against Mayweather, 48-0 (26 KOs), Berto was totally unphased.It dont matter. Where I come from, we never had a chance to come out of that, said Berto, who was regarded as a problem child by his parents before being taken to the gym as a 10-year-old by his father to learn discipline.Just the fact that Im here tells you something.

Djokovic dominates after Italian job in New York

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NEW YORK (Reuters) -On high alert after a day of spectacular upsets, world number one Novak Djokovic made sure his name was not added to the list of shocks, crushing defending champion Marin Cilic 6-0 6-1 6-2 to reach the U.S. Open final on Friday.After watching womens world number one Serena Williams and second seed Simona Halep crash out on Arthur Ashe Stadium court, Djokovic came out firing on all cylinders and needed just 85 minutes to bring Cilics title defense to a shuddering halt.But it was the end of another defense that had New York buzzing, as Roberta Vinci delivered one of the biggest upsets in tennis history with her semi-final win over Williams that punctured the Americans calendar Grand Slam quest.Two victories from becoming the fourth woman to win all four majors in one year, a brittle-looking Williams crumbled as unseeded Vinci, playing in her first grand slam singles semi-final, battled to an improbable 2-6 6-4 6-4 win.I dont want to talk about how disappointing it is for me, a grim-faced Williams told reporters. I told you guys I dont feel pressure. I never felt pressure.I never felt that pressure to win here. I said that from the beginning.The day got off to an ominous start when Flavia Pennetta stunned Romanian Halep 6-1 6-3 and the trend continued as an inspired Vinci emulated her Italian compatriot on the Arthur Ashe Stadium court with an even more impressive triumph.Djokovic quickly made it clear he would not be joining them at the exit as he ran his record to 14-0 against the ninth-seeded Croat and moved one win away from adding to his 2015 grand slam triumphs at the Australian Open and Wimbledon.The Serbian world number one will next play the winner of an all-Swiss showdown between five-times U.S. Open winner Roger Federer and French Open champion Stan Wawrinka.KEY BREAKVinci, a 300-1 shot to win the U.S. Open when the tournament began, pulled off one of the most remarkable upsets ever witnessed on a tennis court by ending Williams streak of 33 consecutive match wins in the grand slams.A five-times doubles grand slam winner, the 32-year-old Vinci arrived at Flushing Meadows having never before been beyond the quarter-finals in singles play at 43 majors.In the other corner stood Williams, a 21-times grand slam champion who had only lost two matches all season and never dropped a set against Vinci in their four previous meetings.Forced to wait a day to get on court after rain wiped out Thursdays semi-finals schedule, the weight of expectation appeared to take its toll on a 33-year-old who was chasing the first calendar Grand Slam since Steffi Graf in 1988.Everything was going according to script as Williams easily took the opening set but things began to unravel after a composed Vinci registered a key break in the fifth game of the second that allowed her to even the match.With the contest slipping away, Williams tried to will herself back into the match, screaming and fist-pumping after each point and feeding off the support of the crowd.But with nothing lose, an undaunted Vinci continued to pressure Williams, who could not pull off the great escape like she had so many times before, scowling as she exited a stunned stadium.This is an incredible moment for me, Vinci said after needing time to compose herself for the on-court interview. Its amazing. Its like a dream. Im in the final. I beat Serena.Lost in the drama of the Williams match was a brilliant performance by Pennetta, who needed less than an hour to deal with Halep.Pennetta, 33, entered the contest as a clear underdog but the 26th seed tapped into her vast experience and was not overwhelmed on the big stage, having reached the quarter-finals at Flushing Meadows in six of the last seven years.

Federer routs Wawrinka for 1-2 clash with Djokovic

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NEW YORK (Reuters) - Five-times champion Roger Federer reached his first U.S. Open final in six years as he raced past fellow Swiss Stan Wawrinka 6-4 6-3 6-1 in the semi-finals on Friday.The second-seeded Federer, in remarkably sublime form at the age of 34, has not dropped a set in his formidable Flushing Meadows run and never let up the pressure on fifth-seeded French Open winner Wawrinka in a 92-minute demolition.The trouncing set up a delectable one-two showdown in Sundays final against Australian Open and Wimbledon winner Novak Djokovic.The top-seeded world number one from Serbia was even faster booking a berth in his fourth grand slam final of the year with a 6-0 6-1 6-1 romp over defending champion Marin Cilic of Croatia, who was hampered by an ankle injury.Federer, the all-time grand slam singles king with 17 titles, will be gunning to add to his record slams haul for the first time since his 2012 Wimbledon triumph.Obviously, Im very happy. Its been a great tournament so far, Federer, who won five straight U.S. crowns from 2004 and was runner-up in 2009, told the Arthur Ashe Stadium crowd.Ive tried very hard the last six years to get back in another final.The evergreen Swiss was not broken by Wawrinka as he improved his head-to-head edge to 17-3 while avenging a quarter-finals loss to him this year at Roland Garros.Federer has been serving beautifully, registering 10 aces against Davis Cup team mate Wawrinka, and hoped he had another dominant match in him.Im serving very well, playing positive tennis, going for my shots and it seems to work, he said. Id love it to work just one more time this year.

U.S.-Venezuela rapprochement rocked by Lopez sentence

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CARACAS (Reuters) -Venezuela accused the United States on Friday of jeopardizing a nascent rapprochement between the two ideological foes with insolent criticism of a 14-year jail sentence handed to opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez.Coming on top of the outrage of Lopezs family and supporters following his conviction late on Thursday, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said Washington was deeply troubled as he called the charges illegitimate and urged the release of all jailed government opponents.With its insolent meddling, the United States has kicked the timid steps achieved towards regularizing bilateral relations, Venezuelas foreign minister, Delcy Rodriguez, said via Twitter, accusing Kerry of aggressions and offenses.After more than a decade of acrimonious ties and without respective ambassadors, Washington and Caracas this year began a cautious rapprochement by trying to cooperate on issues from Colombian peace talks to Haitian democracy.But U.S. officials have repeatedly raised the case of Lopez and a handful of other jailed activists who oppose President Nicolas Maduros socialist government.The United States persists in destabilizing legitimate and constitutional governments, using agents and terrorist violence, Rodriguez added, saying she had communicated those views to Kerry in a telephone conversation.CLOSED-DOOR TRIALHardline opposition leader Lopez was convicted of inciting 2014 anti-government protests that led to violence killing 43 people. He was found guilty of provoking arson, violence and damage to public property and condemned to 13 years and nine months in prison.We live under a repressive, anti-democratic regime, said Lilian Tintori, a former champion kite-surfer who has two children with Lopez and has led a well-oiled international campaign to lobby for his release.She called for a protest march on Sept. 19 and read a hand-written letter from her husband defying the Maduro government.This sentence is not only against me but rather it seeks to destroy the morale of all those of us seeking a better country, it said.A U.N. human rights spokesman criticized the harsh sentence and reported trial irregularities, while U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon raised the issue at a meeting with Rodriguez in New York.During the mainly closed-door trial, Judge Susana Barreiros rejected 58 of the 60 defense witnesses, though she allowed the prosecution 108 witnesses, according to Lopezs lawyers, who are appealing.This trial was not objective, said Diana Quintero, 50, a publicist, weeping in the wealthy Caracas district where Lopez was once mayor. Maduro sees Lopez as his strongest rival.Maduro says Lopez is a dangerous criminal and pawn of the elite, intent on subverting the government under the guise of peaceful protests. He points to Lopezs attempts to unseat the late Hugo Chavez during a failed coup in 2002.Theres no way Leopoldo Lopez can participate in killing and be freed, said Carmen Quintero, dressed in a red Socialist party T-shirt with a group of relatives of government supporters killed in 2014.VOTES NOT PROTESTS?Despite opposition fury, streets were calm on Friday.With inflation raging, shortages from cancer medicines to spare parts, and a biting recession, many Venezuelans were simply consumed with day-to-day survival.I didnt follow any of the trial, said beautician apprentice Emily, 19, in a queue outside a supermarket. I only have one roll of toilet paper at home. I arrived here at 3 a.m. This country is a complete disaster.Opposition politicians are seeking to channel such anger into votes in the Dec. 6 election, which polls forecast they stand a strong chance of winning.Some opposition moderates see Lopez as a hot-headed egotist who miscalculated when he called for the demonstrations, which led to several politicians arrests and failed to gain much traction beyond affluent areas.Still, some in the opposition are pessimistic about their odds of victory in the face of a powerful state propaganda apparatus, institutions filled with Chavistas and an electoral playing field seen benefiting the government.Were completely kidnapped on a judicial, political, social and economic front, said human resources manager Angel Rojas. Thirteen years, 9 months, 7 days, and 12 hours? Its a complete disgrace.

Obama likely to meet Israel's Netanyahu in November, White House says

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WASHINGTON (Reuters) -President Barack Obama will likely hold talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in early November, the White House said on Friday, their first meeting since U.S.-led diplomacy resulted in an Iran nuclear deal that Israel fiercely opposed.Efforts to arrange a White House visit by Netanyahu appear aimed at easing tensions between Washington and its closest Middle East ally now that Obama’s Democrats in the U.S. Senate have blocked a Republican bid to derail the landmark Iran agreement.The dispute over the deal that Iran reached in July with world powers, which calls for curbs on its nuclear program in return for sanctions relief, had driven an already rocky relationship between the Obama and Netanyahu governments to a new low.White House spokesman Josh Earnest said the exact date for the meeting was still being finalized but that it was likely to be in early November.“It’s an indication that despite our well-known differences on even some key issues, the bond between the United States and Israel when it comes to our security relationship is unshakeable,” he told reporters at the daily White House briefing.Earnest said the talks with Netanyahu would include a discussion on deepening U.S.-Israeli security cooperation.Obama refused to see Netanyahu in March when the Israeli leader accepted an invitation from Republican leaders, without consulting the White House, and gave a speech to Congress in which he harshly criticized Obama’s negotiations with Iran, Israel’s regional arch-foe.The two leaders have since spoken by phone but have not seen each other face-to-face since last year.The Senate vote on Thursday, which essentially sealed a major foreign policy victory for Obama, was widely seen as a defeat for Netanyahu and the largest U.S. pro-Israel lobby.Netanyahu has assailed the Iran deal as a security threat to Israel, while Obama has promoted it as the best way to keep Tehran from developing a nuclear weapon, something it denies seeking. Israel is widely assumed to be the Middle Easts only nuclear-armed state.

Greece's Syriza heads pre-election polls, but lead unclear

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ATHENS (Reuters) -Opinion polls on Friday put the leftist Syriza party of former Greek prime minister Alexis Tsipras ahead by margins ranging from wafer-thin to its widest yet as elections draw near.It and conservative rival New Democracy have been hard to separate in the run-up to the Sept. 20 ballot.But Fridays ProRata poll in left-leaning daily newspaper Efimerida ton Syndakton put Syriza 5 percentage points clear on 28.5 percent - the biggest lead for either of the two main parties in surveys since Aug. 28.Other pollsters cautioned that it was too early to draw conclusions from the latest data, and three surveys later in the day pegged Syrizas lead at between just 0.2 and 1.0 points.Tsipras and New Democracy leader Vangelis Meimarakis have spent much of their campaigns trying to protect their vote, trading accusations over Greeces economic crisis, migration and institutionalized corruption.They clashed most recently in a largely inconclusive televised seven-party debate on Wednesday, but pollsters say a second TV head-to-head on Monday between just the two of them may influence a significant bloc of undecided voters.Fridays surveys put undecideds at between 8 and 17.5 percent.There is no clear trend yet in favor of one or the other direction. This ambiguity may end next week or even on the day of the election, said Thomas Gerakis, head of the Marc polling agency.With neither party looking close to winning an outright parliamentary majority, the leaders have also broached the issue of post-election alliances, with Tsipras demurring and Meimarakis sounding more amenable.The New Democracy leader told Reuters in an interview on Thursday that he would try to team up with Syriza if his party placed first, and turn to other pro-European groups if that approach was rejected.Syriza forced the election last month when Tsipras resigned as prime minister, hoping to end a party rebellion over Greeces new bailout deal and trade on his then greater popularity by returning to power with a clear majority.

Hungary PM slams migrant 'rebellion', U.N. warns of millions more refugees

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BUDAPEST (Reuters) -Hungarys prime minister angrily accused illegal migrants on Friday of rebelling against the rule of law in his country as security forces across Europe struggled to control record flows of hungry, scared refugees.The United Nations called for the swift creation of large-scale reception centers in frontline states such as Hungary and Greece, and one U.N. agency warned that millions more refugees could arrive in Europe if Syrias civil war continues to rage.Many of the tens of thousands of refugees now trekking from Greece via the Balkans and Hungary towards western Europe are fleeing the Syrian war in search of sanctuary, above all in more welcoming and generous countries such as Germany and Sweden.German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said his country, which expects to take in 800,000 asylum seekers this year alone, had finite resources and urged other European countries to do much more to share the burden.He said Germany expected to receive another 40,000 migrants this weekend. And as politicians from the left and right accused Chancellor Angela Merkels government of losing control of the refugee situation, the defense ministry put 4,000 troops on standby to help with the influx.Citing security concerns, Austria partially shut a highway linking Vienna and Hungary on Friday. Some 8,000 people had crossed the border on Thursday and a further 4,500 arrived overnight, Austrian police said. The rail link to Hungary also remains shut due to massive overburdening by the migrants.Hungary is racing to construct a fence along its border with Serbia by early October to help stem the tide. It also plans to implement much tougher immigration rules from next week.Prime Minister Viktor Orban, a fiery populist who has framed the crisis as a battle to preserve Europes prosperity and Christian identity, angrily criticized the behavior of the mostly Muslim migrants who have been filling up central Budapest and disrupting traffic along roads running westward to Austria.They seized railway stations, rejected giving fingerprints, failed to cooperate and are unwilling to go to places where they would get food, water, accommodation and medical care ... They rebelled against Hungarian legal order, Orban told reporters.More than 170,000 migrants have crossed into Hungary from non-EU Serbia so far this year. Many try to avoid being registered in Hungary for fear of being stranded there or returned to the country later in their journey across Europe.MILLIONS MORE COULD COMEIn Geneva, the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said it was sending pre-fabricated housing units to provide temporary overnight shelter for 300 families in Hungary but also expressed concern over Budapests tough approach, including the possible deployment of troops to tackle the crisis.Obviously we expect authorities to respect rights of refugees whether they are the police or army, said UNHCR spokesman William Spindler.Syrias four-year civil war has so far displaced almost eight million people, said Peter Salama of UNICEF, the U.N. childrens agency, adding: There could be millions and millions more refugees leaving Syria and ultimately (going) to the European Union and beyond.So far this year, a record 433,000 refugees and migrants have crossed the Mediterranean to Europe, more than double the total for all of 2014, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said on Friday.The European Commission, backed by Germany and France, wants EU member states to accept mandatory quotas to share out some 160,000 refugees but the plan faces stiff resistance in some capitals. On Friday the UNHCR said the number of people requiring relocation had now risen to 200,000.Speaking in Prague, Steinmeier said the EU needed a fair mechanism of redistribution of migrants (still coming).This challenge cannot be borne by one country. We have to invoke European solidarity, he told a joint news conference with the foreign ministers of the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary and Poland - countries opposed to the EUs proposal for mandatory quotas.Germany has come under fire from Orban and other east European leaders for opening its door to Syrian asylum seekers, saying such generosity will only encourage many more to come.Denmark, which like Britain has opted out of EU rules on justice and home affairs, said on Friday it would not take part in the Commissions relocation scheme.Earlier this week, Denmark shut off some traffic with Germany to curb refugees trying to reach Sweden, which remains much more welcoming than other Scandinavian countries, but later allowed them to travel through.Finland said it would accept its two percent share of asylum seekers under the Commission plan but said it remained opposed to mandatory quotas and would cut benefits for refugees.EU interior ministers are due to discuss the Commission proposals on Monday. If they fail to reach a deal on tackling the crisis, European Council chief Donald Tusk said on Friday he would call an extraordinary summit of EU leaders this month.

Russia to U.S.: talk to us on Syria or risk 'unintended incidents'

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MOSCOW (Reuters) -Russia called on Friday for military-to-military cooperation with the United States to avert unintended incidents as it stages navy exercises off the coast of Syria, where U.S. officials believe Moscow is building up forces to protect President Bashar al-Assad.The United States is using Syrian air space to lead a campaign of air strikes against Islamic State, and a greater Russian presence raises the prospect of the Cold War superpower foes encountering each other on the battlefield.Both Moscow and Washington say their enemy is Islamic State, whose Islamist fighters control large parts of Syria and Iraq. But Russia supports the government of Assad in Syria, while the United States says his presence makes the situation worse.In recent days, U.S. officials have described what they say is an increase of Russian equipment and manpower.President Barack Obama said this would not change U.S. strategy in countering Islamic State fighters, which includes U.S. planes leading an international coalition in airstrikes in Syria.But we are going to be engaging Russia to let them know that you cant continue to double-down on a strategy that is doomed to failure, he said at an event with military service members during a visit to Maryland.In the latest reports, two Western officials and a Russian source told Reuters Moscow is sending advanced SA-22 anti-aircraft missiles to Syria. The system would be operated by Russian troops, rather than Syrians, the Western officials said.U.S. officials in Washington also said they believed about 200 Russian naval infantry forces were now stationed at an airfield near the Syrian city of Latakia, an Assad stronghold, and that the number had increased in recent days.PREPARING SYRIAN AIRFIELDOne official estimated that the majority of the forces were involved in preparing the airfield for future use.Lebanese sources have told Reuters that at least some Russian troops are now engaged in combat operations in support of Assads forces. Moscow has declined to comment on those reports.Obama said Russia would have to start using diplomacy rather than force to counter the influence of Islamic State militants. He said the group posed more of a threat to Russia than to the United States because of the countrys large Muslim population.At a news conference in Moscow, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Russia was sending equipment to help Assad fight Islamic State. Russian servicemen were in Syria, he said, primarily to help service that equipment and teach Syrian soldiers how to use it.Russian naval exercises in the eastern Mediterranean were long-planned and in accordance with international law, he said.A source close to the Russian navy told Reuters a squadron of five Russian ships equipped with guided missiles had set off to conduct maneuvers in Syrian waters.They will train to repulse an attack from the air and to defend the coast, which means firing artillery and testing short-range air defense systems, the source said, adding that the exercise had been agreed with the Syrian government.Russia has given notice of several rounds of navy drills with rocket firing tests in the sea off Syria from Sept. 8 to Oct. 7, according to Cypriot aviation authorities and international governmental databases of notices for airmen. Some flight paths will be temporarily closed.UNDESIRED, UNINTENDEDLavrov blamed Washington for cutting off direct military-to-military communication between Russia and NATO after the crisis in Ukraine last year. Such contacts were important for the avoidance of undesired, unintended incidents, Lavrov said.We are always in favor of military people talking to each other in a professional way. They understand each other very well, Lavrov said. If, as (U.S. Secretary of State) John Kerry has said many times, the United States wants those channels frozen, then be our guest.U.S. officials say they do not know what Moscows intentions are in Syria. Momentum in Syrias 4-year-old civil war has been shifting against Assads government, which has suffered battlefield setbacks this year at the hands of an array of insurgent groups.Moscow, an ally of Damascus since the Cold War, maintains its only Mediterranean naval base at Tartous on the Syrian coast, and defending it would be a strategic aim.In recent months NATO-member Turkey has also raised the prospect of outside powers playing a greater role in Syria, proposing a safe zone near its border, kept free of both Islamic State and government troops.COMMON ENEMYThe war has killed 250,000 people and driven half of Syrias 23 million people from their homes. Some have traveled to European countries, creating a refugee crisis there.The dispatch of advanced anti-aircraft missiles like the SA-22, which the two Western officials said were on their way but had not yet arrived, would appear to undermine Moscows argument that its sole aim is to help Damascus fight Islamic State: the militants and other insurgents possess no aircraft.This system is the advanced version used by Russia and its meant to be operated by Russians in Syria, said one of the Western sources, a diplomat briefed on intelligence assessments.A Russian source close to the navy said the delivery would not be the first time Moscow had sent the SA-22, known as Pantsir-S1 in Russian, to Syria. The system had been sent in 2013, the source said. There are plans now to send a new set.However, the Western diplomat said the new missiles would be more advanced than those deployed in the past.French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said it was too early to judge what Russias motivations were in Syria, but ‎adding war to war would not help resolve the conflict.If its about defending the base in Tartous why not? But ‎if its to enter the conflict.... he said, without finishing the thought.BARGAINING POWERDiplomats in Moscow say the Kremlin is happy for the West to believe it is building up its military in Syria, calculating that this will give it more bargaining power in any peace talks.Western and Arab countries have backed demands from the Syrian opposition that Assad must leave power under any negotiated settlement. Assad has refused to go, and all diplomatic efforts at a solution so far have collapsed.Assad’s supporters have taken encouragement this week from an apparent shift in tone from some European states.Britain, one of Assad’s staunchest Western opponents, said it could accept him staying in place for a transition period if it helped resolve the conflict.France said on Monday he must leave power “at some point or another”. Smaller countries went further, with Austria saying Assad must be involved in the fight against Islamic State and Spain saying negotiations with him were needed to end the war.The Syrian pro-government newspaper al-Watan saw Britain’s position as “a new sign of the changes in Western positions that started with Madrid and Austria”.

Iran to take Parchin military site samples with IAEA present - diplomats

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PARIS (Reuters) -United Nations inspectors will be present with Iranian technicians as they take samples from a key military site, two Western diplomats said, undercutting an objection by U.S. Republicans to the nuclear deal between Iran and world powers.The diplomats were familiar with details of a confidential arrangement between Iran and the U.N. nuclear watchdog for inspections at the Parchin site, where some countries suspect nuclear weapons-related tests may have taken place.Iran has denied that allegation, but agreed to accept comprehensive International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspections of its suspect sites as part of the historic July deal in exchange for an easing of international sanctions.An August report by the Associated Press, in its original version, said the agreement on Parchin suggested that IAEA inspectors would be barred from the site and would have to rely on information and environmental samples provided by Iranian technicians. The AP later published what it said was the text of an early draft of the agreement that remains unconfirmed.The report was seized on by Republicans in the U.S. Congress as proof that President Barack Obamas administration gave in to Iran on the sensitive issue of inspections to check on Tehrans suspected ambition to build a nuclear bomb.Iran says its nuclear program is entirely peaceful.IAEA chief Yukiya Amano rejected the report as a misrepresentation, though he declined to provide details of what some Republicans described as a secret side deal between Iran and the IAEA on Parchin. Amano said on Aug. 20 that the arrangements with Iran were technically sound.The signed agreement between Iran and the IAEA has not been disclosed publicly.But the Western diplomats told Reuters that while Iranians would be allowed to take the samples themselves, the agencys inspectors would be physically present and would have full access to their activity.There was a compromise so the Iranians could save face and the IAEA could ensure it carried out its inspections according to their strict requirements, said one of the diplomats. Inspections at the Parchin site, which is about 30 km (19 miles) southeast of Tehran, would by carried out by mixed IAEA and Iranian teams coupled with cameras overlooking and recording the process, the other diplomat said.The IAEA will be present when the Iranians take the samples (at Parchin). This approach to managed access is something thats fairly standard in the IAEA toolbox. Nothing to worry about really, the diplomat said.Unfortunately there have been distortions and inaccuracies in the media that made it look like Iran would simply inspect itself. Thats not how it works, the diplomat added.Neither the IAEA nor Irans U.N. missions in New York or Vienna had an immediate response to queries about the Parchin inspection arrangement. Reza Najafi, Irans envoy to the IAEA, said on Thursday that Iran will not permit leaks of details about its arrangements with the IAEA.DEAL OPPONENTS SEIZED ON REPORTWithout IAEA confirmation that Iran is keeping promises enshrined in the landmark July 14 nuclear accord, Tehran will not be granted much-needed relief from sanctions.Under the deal, most sanctions on Iran will be lifted in exchange for curbs on its nuclear program that will remain in place for at least 10 years. According to data given to the IAEA by some member countries, Iran may have conducted hydrodynamic tests at Parchin in the past to assess how specific materials react under high pressure, such as in a nuclear explosion. The AP story revised its story several times. A corrected, three-paragraph version of the story currently on its web site says that Iran will be allowed to use its own experts to inspect Parchin, with no mention of the IAEAs role.Republicans repeatedly cited the AP report in recent weeks as they tried to muster enough votes kill the nuclear deal in Congress. Their efforts effectively failed on Thursday when Senate Democrats blocked a resolution disapproving of the pact, clearing the way for the deals implementation.Republican Senator Susan Collins, who was one of very few Republicans some observers thought might support the nuclear deal, referred to the report in her Senate speech this week announcing she would vote against it.According to press reports, the Iranians themselves would also be responsible for photographs and environmental sampling of Parchin, a large military installation where nuclear work is suspected to have been conducted and may still be underway,” she said.Republican Senator and presidential candidate Lindsey Graham wrote to Secretary of State John Kerry requesting information on the AP report.Allowing the Iranians to inspect their own nuclear sites, particularly a notorious military site, is like allowing the inmates to run the jail, said Graham.Under a roadmap accord Iran reached with the IAEA alongside the July 14 political agreement, the Islamic Republic is required to give the IAEA enough information about its past nuclear program to allow the Vienna-based watchdog to write a report on the issue by year-end. Iran has long stonewalled an IAEA investigation into the possible military aspects of its past nuclear activities, relating mostly to the period before 2003, saying intelligence spurring the agencys investigation was fabricated. The IAEA has no fears that its requirements will be met, said the first diplomat. Thats not the issue. The real issue is whether Iran satisfies our concerns by year-end. At the moment they seem to be complying.

Tennis: Djokovic hands Cilic record rout to reach US Open final

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NEW YORK (AFP) - Novak Djokovic stormed into his sixth US Open final Friday with a 6-0, 6-1, 6-2 rout of defending champion Marin Cilic in the most one-sided New York semi-final of the modern era.The world number one and 2011 champion now awaits the winner of the second semi-final between five-time champion Roger Federer and Stan Wawrinka, the French Open champion.Fridays romp was the most lopsided semi-final of the Open Era at the tournament, beating Lleyton Hewitts 6-1, 6-2, 6-1 defeat of Yevgeny Kafelnikov in 2001.Djokovic has now reached the finals of all four majors this year, winning the Australian Open and Wimbledon titles and finishing runner-up to Wawrinka in Paris.Sundays final will be his 16th in the last 21 Grand Slams and 18th overall, tying the record of Pete Sampras.It took Djokovic just 85 minutes to see off Cilic, whose hopes were undermined by an ankle injury.The ninth seeded Croatian committed 37 unforced errors and took just 13 points off the Djokovic serve.Marin has had an ankle injury for a few days now so he was very courageous to come out and finish the match, said Djokovic, who will be chasing a 10th Grand Slam title on Sunday.Its never easy knowing that your opponent is not 100 percent but I had to show good intensity and stick to my game plan.Its a great achievement to reach the finals of all four majors in the same year for the first time. Its where you want to do your best.Djokovic went into Fridays semi-final with a 13-0 career stranglehold over Cilic.There was no sign of him loosening his grip in the first set, which he swept in just 24 minutes, allowing the defending champion just three points on his serve.Cilic was broken three times in the opening set and twice more in the second, although he at least got on board in the second game.It didnt derail the world number one, who once again gave up just three points as Cilic fell to pieces in a match which managed to silence the usual raucous New York crowd by its lack of competitiveness.Watched by former James Bond star Sean Connery, the 26-year-old Cilic managed to recover a break at 2-2 in the third set.It took him 71 minutes into the contest to achieve that small morsel which proved to be a brief respite from the assault as Djokovic made him pay and was quickly back in charge at 3-2.He broke on two more occasions before the tie was over when Cilic went long with a forehand.I havent been 100 percent with my ankle and Novak exposed it more than any other player, said Cilic.I thought about not playing but I decided to play as it is a Grand Slam tournament. Anywhere else I would have pulled out so as not to aggravate it.Federer, 34, said he would prepare for his semi-final by sleeping as much as possible.The 34-year-old Swiss believes napping, as well as the routine of practice and gym work, is just as crucial as he enters his 10th New York semi-final and 20th career clash against Swiss compatriot Wawrinka.Sleeping has become quite important, said Federer, the father of two sets of twins.I believe its really the sleep that gives you energy again down the road.If the approach for such a high-stakes clash seems risky, then Federer is showing no signs of nerves as he moves two wins from an 18th major and his first in more than three years.He has reached the semi-finals without dropping a set and has been broken just twice.Furthermore, he has a 16-3 record against Wawrinka.He may have lost their most recent clash in the French Open quarter-finals as Wawrinka swept to the title, but Federers three defeats have all come on clay.Wawrinka will be playing in his second US Open semi-final after also making the last four in 2013.

Tennis: Serena calendar Slam bid foiled in Vinci shocker

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NEW YORK (AFP) - Serena Williams saw her dream of a calendar year Grand Slam title sweep destroyed in stunning fashion Friday as Italys Roberta Vinci shocked the world number one to reach the US Open final.Vinci battled back for an epic upset of the three-time defending champion 2-6, 6-4, 6-4, ending Williams 33-match Grand Slam win streak.In Saturdays final, world number 43 Vinci will face 26th-seeded compatriot Flavia Pennetta -- who upset Romanias second-ranked Simona Halep 6-1, 6-3 -- in the first all-Italian Grand Slam womens final in the Open Era.I think she played out of her mind. I dont think I played that bad. I think she just played really well, said Williams. She played the best tennis of her career.It was a shocking end to Williams run at not only a sweep of the years four major titles, a feat that hasnt been done since Steffi Grafs 1988 effort, but her bid for a 22nd Grand Slam title to match Grafs Open Era career record and a take a fifth Slam crown in a row.I dont want to talk about how disappointing it is for me, said Williams in a brief post-match news conference. If you have any other questions Im open for that.Williams grew more emotional as the match wore on, urging herself to serve better and battle from behind.I dont feel pressure. I never felt pressure, Williams said. I never felt that pressure to win here. I said that from the beginning.Vinci was overjoyed by her shock win.Its an incredible moment for me, Vinci, 32, said.Its like a dream. Im in the final. I beat Serena. Its an amazing moment. Its incredible.Its I think the best moment of my life.Vinci apologized to the crowd for ending Williams Grand Slam sweep dream.Sorry for the American people, for Serena, for the Grand Slam and everything. Today is my day. Sorry guys.Vinci said she never expected to win after losing four prior matches against Williams without taking a set.No, really, its true, she said. When I wake up, I say, I have a semi final today. I play Serena. Try to enjoy. I didnt expect that I win.Pennetta and Vinci become only the third and fourth Italian women in a Slam final after Francesca Schiavone won the 2010 French Open final and lost in 2011 and Sara Errani lost the 2012 final at Roland Garros.Pennetta, who took just 59 minutes to dispatch Halep, leads Vinci 5-4 in career meetings.Its amazing, Pennetta said. I didnt think to be so far in the tournament. I played really well. I tried to play every match the best I can from the first one, dont worry about the draw and focus on the things I have to do on the court. And here I am.If she hoists the trophy in her 49th Slam appearance, Pennetta would have the most tries of any Grand Slam womens champion, two more than Frances Marion Bartoli when she won at Wimbledon in 2013.Williams, who fell to 53-3 this year, broke Vinci three times in taking the first set after only 31 minutes.Williams fell behind triple break point in the first game of the second set but held. Vinci reached triple break point again in the fifth game and Williams, after her ninth and 10th aces of the match, fired a backhand wide to surrender the break and a 3-2 lead. Vinci held from there to force a third set.After breaking for a 2-0 lead, Williams double faulted away a break to Vinci in the next game. She yelled between points often after falling behind to start the fifth game, in which she held.I was just trying to win points and win the match, Williams said.Vinci broke to 4-3 when Williams swatted a forehand long, then denied Williams had two break points in the eighth game and held for a 5-3 edge. Williams held but could not threaten Vinci in the last game, falling after two hours on the Italians forehand drop volley winner.Pennetta, 33, broke Halep in the fourth game and again in the sixth when the Romanian netted a forehand on the way to taking the first set in 28 minutes. She broke four times in the second set, a forehand winner capping her fourth win in five tries over Halep.

Tennis: Pennetta defeats Halep to reach US Open final

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NEW YORK (AFP) - Italys 26th-seeded Flavia Pennetta advanced to her first Grand Slam final Friday by defeating Romanian second seed Simona Halep 6-1, 6-3 in the US Open semi-finals.The 26th-ranked Pennetta, who took just 59 minutes to dispatch second-ranked Halep 6-1, 6-3 and reach her first Grand Slam final.Its amazing, Pennetta said. I didnt think to be so far in the tournament. I played really well. I dont know how to handle all the inspiration I have.Really nothing changed. I tried to play every match the best I can from the first one, dont worry about the draw and focus on the things I have to do on the court. And here I am.Pennetta, 33, broke Halep in the fourth game and again in the sixth when the Romanian netted a forehand on the way to taking the first set in 28 minutes.Pennetta and Halep traded breaks to open the second set and again in the fourth and fifth games of the second set. Halep led 3-1 but double faulted to surrender a break and Pennetta held and broke twice more for the victory, a forehand winner capping her fourth win in five tries over Halep.Pennetta becomes only the third Italian woman in a Slam final after Francesca Schiavone won the 2010 French Open final and lost in 2011 and Sara Errani, who lost the 2012 French Open final.If she hoists the trophy in her 49th Slam appearance, Pennetta would have the most tries of any Grand Slam womens champion, two more than Frances Marion Bartoli when she won at Wimbledon in 2013.

Football: UEFA announce expanded drug testing for Euro 2016

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PARIS (AFP) - UEFA will increase drug testing measures ahead of Euro 2016 in France, European footballs governing body said on Friday.In advance of the UEFA EURO 2016 tournament, UEFA will conduct the largest pre-tournament testing programme ever implemented. All players with the potential to be selected for participating teams will be subjected to testing from 1 January 2016 via UEFAs annual programme, UEFA said in a statement.Teams will also be tested at squad meet-ups in advance of the tournament, and following their arrival in France.UEFA will introduce a biological passport similar to those used in cycling and athletics.UEFA will kick off the 2015/16 season with the strongest anti-doping programme ever seen in European football, said the statement.This includes the introduction of the World Anti-Doping Agencys (WADA) steroidal biological passport to improve the identification of steroid use; a strengthening of rules related to team and player whereabouts; long-term sample storage to permit the retrospective identification of prohibited substances; and a continuation of its comprehensive blood and urine in- and out-of-competition testing programme.Michel DHooghe, chairman of UEFAs medical committee, said that while doping was not rife in football, authorities could not rest on their laurels.Recent events in other sports have highlighted the importance of remaining ever vigilant and pushing for progress in all areas of our work, said DHooghe. Although our doping statistics remain low amongst players in UEFA competitions, there can never be room for complacency.

Golf: Lee leads at halfway stage in Evian

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EVIAN (AFP) - South Koreas Lee Mi-Hyang added a 67 to her opening 66 on Friday to take the outright halfway lead on 133, nine under par, at the Evian Championship, the final major of the season. The 22-year-old, who won her first LPGA event at the Mizuno Classic in Japan at the end of last season, led by one from American Morgan Pressel and by two from Denmarks Nicole Broch Larsen, winner of last weeks Helsingborg Open.Winning in Japan was pretty big, said Lee in her ever-improving English. It was in a play-off so that was a big experience. After that tournament there has been a good change in my golf.Lee has also recently called on experience by hiring a new caddie, Mike Carrick. Im a young player and hes pretty old, said the youngster. Hes 69, the oldest on Tour so he has lots of knowledge.Pressel carded the best round of the week, a six-under-par 65, as she set about adding a second major to the Kraft Nabisco Championship she won as an 18-year-old in 2007. Its five years since Pressel won on the LPGA Tour, but she hit form with eight birdies, including a couple from within two feet.I had a really good three days last week with my coach Ron Stockton back home and I just really prepared for these two weeks, said Pressel, who will be in Team USA for the Solheim Cup starting in Germany a week tomorrow. Ive tried to stay positive. This is my tenth year here and I just hope to keep playing the same way over the weekend. Ill try and battle it out over the next two days. American Lexi Thompson, joint leader with Lee after the opening round, could only manage a one-over-par 72 and was five off the lead, alongside World No. 2, Lydia Ko.The 18-year-old is trying to replace Pressel as the youngest-ever winner of a womens major, and she goes into the weekend five off the lead. Wearing tape on her knee and ankle - I turned my ankle walking down the 14th yesterday, but its not sore enough to bother me - Ko dropped a shot at the last for a second successive 69.World No.1 Park In-Bee, who has won two majors this year, also shot 69 but has eight shots to make up to catch Lee.Europes Solheim Cup contenders Caroline Masson, Caroline Hedwall, Azahara Munoz and Melissa Reid all missed the cut that fell on five over par. They were joined on the sidelines by Americans Paula Creamer, Brittany Lang, Angela Stanford and Brittany Lincicome.Creamer, a former Evian winner and a Solheim Cup star since 2005, is going through a really poor patch. She set an LPGA record of never missing a cut in 75 tournaments from August 2010 to May 2014. But, after rounds of 74 and 79, she has now missed four in a row. Defending champion, Kim Hyo-Joo, had a second round 69 to finish on level-par 142.

Posted by IMRAN ALI SOOMRO (DARVESH) at 9/12/2015 07:42:00 AM

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