Sport

Federer faces Nadal in French Open final 

Roger Federer ended Novak Djokovic's 43-match unbeaten run on Friday to set up another French Open final showdown with longtime tennis rival Rafael Nadal.

Second seed Djokovic had been seeking to equal John McEnroe's 1984 record of 42 successive wins at the start of a season, but was denied his first final appearance at Roland Garros by the 16-time grand slam champion.

Federer, the 2009 winner in Paris, triumphed 7-6 (7-5) 6-3 3-6 7-6 (7-5) in three hours and 39 minutes in one of the all-time classic matches to prevent Djokovic taking top spot in the world rankings from Nadal.

The Spaniard, seeking to clinch a record sixth French Open title, booked his place in Sunday's final with a 6-4 7-5 6-4 win over British fourth seed Andy Murray in the opening semi.

Djokovic had been unstoppable this year, winning seven titles as he beat Federer in his first three events of 2011.

But the Swiss third seed has battled through a disappointing year so far by his high standards to give himself a chance of extending his record tally of grand slams.

The 29-year-old won the first set in 70 minutes and the second in just 45 before his Serbian opponent dug deep to reduce the deficit.

The fourth set continued the extraordinarily high level of tennis on show, as Djokovic broke to lead 5-4 beforeFederer immediately returned the favor to level.

A cheeky drop shot gave him the opening point of the tie-break, and Djokovic saved two match-points -- the second with an ace -- to give himself hope at 6-5.

But, with darkness growing at the local time of 9.35 p.m., Federer showed immaculate poise to blast one of his own down the middle to set up his 25th career meeting with Nadal.

"All credit to him. He went for his shots, but there are no regrets for me," Djokovic said after his first match since last Sunday, following the withdrawal of his quarterfinal opponent Fabio Fognini.

"He deserved to win. We were part of a very good match. But I had a great tournament. It's been the best five months of my career and I knew it had to end some time."

The 24-year-old subsequently revealed he would miss the start of the grass-court season as he pulled out of next week's tournament at England's Queen's Club in London due to knee problems, having played with support strapping throughout his Paris campaign.

Nadal leads Federer 16-8 and has won all three of their French Open final encounters plus a semi in 2005.

He earlier celebrated his 25th birthday as he extended his career record at Roland Garros to 44-1 after beating Murray in three hours and 17 minutes.

The Spaniard, beaten by Djokovic in clay finals at Madrid and Barcelona, is now one match away from equaling Bjorn Borg's record of six titles in Paris.

On Sunday he will seek to become just the seventh player to win 10 grand slam titles.

"I have a lot of respect for the great Bjorn, but I am focused on trying to play well," the defending champion told the WTA Tour website. "For me, is much more important [to] win Roland Garros than equal Bjorn."

Murray, who lost to Djokovic in January's Australian Open title match, failed in his bid to become the first British male to reach the final since Henry Austin in 1937.

"I thought I did well. Everyone seems to think it's easy against Rafa to just come into the net or come in or go for big shots, but you do have to be very patient," he said after dropping to 4-11 against Nadal.

"Sometimes I didn't quite get the ball I was looking for, and sometimes when I did I made a few mistakes. But I think it was a close match. I don't think there was too much in it. He just played better than me today.

"Going into the grass (season) I have to take positives from that, but I also need to look at things that I need to work on, not only for the grass-court season but beyond that as well. So I look forward to getting back on the practice court."

Europe

Mladic appears at war crimes tribunal

The 69-year-old is accused of leading a campaign of "ethnic cleansing" against Bosnia's Muslim and Croat populations that included the shelling of Sarajevo and the torture, abuse and rape of civilians.

More than 200,000 Muslims and Croats died in the 1992-95 conflict, including nearly 8,000 Muslim men and boys slaughtered at Srebrenica in 1995. It was Europe's worst massacre since World War II.

His court appearance at The Hague occurred days after he was arrested after more than 15 years in hiding.

During the appearance, he asked for more time to a enter plea, saying he needs more than the 30 days required so he can understand the charges. He was "gravely ill," he said, and had not yet read the documents relating to the charges.

The judge, Alphons Orie, scheduled another appearance on July 4 at the U.N. war crimes tribunal in The Hague. Mladic was asked whether there was any issue relating to his arrest or detention, or any other issue that he wanted to raise.

Mladic -- who repeatedly said he stood up for his country -- said he didn't kill Croats.

"I do not fear any journalist or any people, any nation or ethnicity. I defended my country and people ... now I am defending myself," Mladic said.

"If you want the proceedings to proceed as they should ... I just have to say that I want to live to see that I am a free man. And such as I am, I am defending my country and my people and not Ratko Mladic."

Serge Brammertz, the prosecutor of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY), said on Wednesday that Mladic's arrest "confirms that no one can have impunity for the crimes they've committed."

"I hear many people commenting that his arrest ends an important chapter for international criminal justice. But the process of establishing Ratko Mladic's accountability has only just begun."

Mladic was taken to The Hague on Wednesday, a day earlier after losing his fight against extradition from Serbia. He was charged with genocide, crimes against humanity and violations of the laws of war.

An amended indictment against him was filed on Wednesday to make sure charges "reflect the most recent developments in the tribunal's case law."

Brammertz said the transfer brings the tribunal closer to completing its mandate to capture those responsible for the most serious crimes in the former Yugoslavia.

"As a result of the arrest, today only one of the 161 persons indicted by the tribunal remains at large," Brammertz said, referring to Goran Hadzic, a political leader of the Serbian entity in Croatia during the mid-90s.

His lawyer, Milos Saljic, argues that Mladic would not be able to participate in a trial at The Hague because of his ill health.

Saljic said he wants his client examined by specialists, including a gastroenterologist, a cardiologist, a psychiatrist and a neurologist.

But Serbia's chief prosecutor, Vladimir Vukcevic, said the suspect was "lively and joking," and had asked for Russian classics to read while being held in Belgrade.

The suspect gave himself up without a fight May 26, despite having two handguns, according to Rasim Ljajic, the government minister in charge of searching for fugitive suspected war criminals.

Officials located Mladic in a village north of the Serbian capital after culling information from his former comrades and close family members. It is unclear what source led investigators to the former military commander.

The arrest clears a major hurdle that once stood between Serbia and its long-awaited entrance into the European Union, but the move could also usher in political backlash from the country's electorate, some of whom consider Mladic a hero.

The other fugitive war criminal suspects previously captured are Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic and former Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic, who died in jail in 2006 during his trial at The Hague.

Authorities say it's theoretically possible that the trials of Karadzic and Mladic could be merged.

Lybia

NATO uses attack helicopters in Lybia

NATO used attack helicopters for the first time Saturday as part of its military operation aimed at increasing pressure on Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi's regime.

"The use of attack helicopters provides the NATO operation with additional flexibility to track and engage pro-Gadhafi forces who deliberately target civilians and attempt to hide in populated areas," NATO said in a statement.

Military vehicles and equipment were among the targets struck by the helicopters. NATO did not disclose where the strikes took place.

On Friday, fighting continued in the western town of Yefren, where NATO-allied aircraft destroyed government tanks and personnel carriers, officials said.

Meanwhile, rebels claimed to liberate Yefren and the nearby town of Kikla, both of which are about 25 miles east of their stronghold in Zintan, one rebel fighter said.

Talhat al-Jiwayli, a rebel on the front lines in Zintan, also said that anti-Gadhafi forces were surrounding the town of al-Rayyana, more than 7 miles northeast of Zintan.

Al-Jiwayli added that the situation on the ground was still tense, and the troops of Gadhafi were still firing daily barrages of Grad rockets on Zintan and surrounding villages.

In other measures against Gadhafi's forces Thursday, NATO airstrikes hit four surface-to-air missile launchers near Tripoli; a tank, two armored personnel carriers and an ammunition storage facility near Mizdah; more ammunition storage facilities near Hun and Qaryat; two armored fighting vehicles near Sirte; and a command and control node in Brega and nearby radar, according to NATO.

The latest NATO strikes occurred two days after the alliance announced its decision to extend its mission in Libya by 90 days, continuing a campaign that began in March.

The resolution approved by the U.N. Security Council in March authorized member states "to take all necessary measures to protect civilians under threat of attack in the country, including Benghazi, while excluding a foreign occupation force of any form on any part of Libyan territory.

British Soldier Shot Dead In Afghanistan

A British soldier has died following an insurgent attack in southern Afghanistan, the Ministry of Defence has said.

The serviceman from The Highlanders, 4th Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland (4 Scots), was shot while on a security patrol on Friday.

Officials said he was fatally wounded by insurgents armed with rifles and grenades in the Lashkar Gah district of Helmand Province.

The soldier's family has been informed.

Lieutenant Colonel Tim Purbrick, spokesman for Task Force Helmand, said the soldier had been on patrol with the Afghan National Police "to reassure the local population" when his unit came under fire.

The death brings the total number of UK military personnel who have died since operations in Afghanistan began in 2001 to 369.

Pakistan

Al Qaeda's 'military brain' killed in Pakistan drone strike

The man described by counterterrorism officials as al Qaeda's "military brain," Ilyas Kashmiri, was killed in a drone strike Friday night in Pakistan, a spokesman for his group, the jihadist Harakat-ul-Jihad-Islami, said.

Pakistani and U.S. officials, however, said they have not confirmed Kashmiri's death.

Kashmiri was killed, along with some aides, in a strike at 11:15 p.m., spokesman Abu Hanzla Kashar said.

"The oppressor U.S. is our only target and, God willing, we will take revenge on the U.S. soon with full force," he said.

A senior Pakistani military official said that in all, nine were killed by the drone strike. The official reiterated that they had not confirmed Kashmiri's demise.

Kashmiri, who was known to operate in North Waziristan, had moved to South Waziristan and was seen at the site of the attack on Friday, the official said.

If confirmed, his death would be the first major kill or capture since Osama Bin Laden, and the highest profile drone target since Beitullah Mehsud in 2009.

It could also be seen as an embarrassment for Pakistanis, who have twice in just over one month, had a major al Qaeda figure killed on their territory without their participation.

U.S. drones now operate entirely autonomously in Pakistan, a Pakistani intelligence source has told CNN. Whereas before the United States cooperated with Pakistan and used their intelligence, today, the Americans have an intelligence network that allows them to go after terrorists unilaterally.

Kashmiri, a veteran jihadist, is considered one of the most dangerous men in the world by counterterrorism officials on three continents.

He was commander of "Brigade 313" of Harakat-ul-Jihad-Islami, which has formed a close relationship with al Qaeda.

Kashmiri is also said to have ties with David Coleman Headley, the U.S. citizen who confessed to helping scout

targets for the Mumbai attack in November 2008. After his arrest, Headley said he had twice met Kashmiri.

During questioning by India's National Intelligence Agency, which was given access to him in Chicago, Illinois, in June 2010, Headley said he'd been taken to Pakistan's tribal territories to meet Kashmiri early in 2009.

A copy of the interrogation obtained by CNN reveals that Kashmiri sent Headley on another trip to survey targets in India. One place he said he videotaped was a bakery that was later attacked in Pune in February 2010.

Kashmiri in his early years fought the Indians in the disputed territory of Kashmir and the Russians in Afghanistan, where he lost an eye.

He famously escaped from an Indian jail and went to fight with a unit of Pakistan's special forces. Eventually, he fell out with his sponsors in the Pakistani military, and moved his operations to North Waziristan.

At one point, he was arrested in connection with an attempt to assassinate Pakistan's president, Gen. Pervez Musharraf, in 2003. For reasons unknown, Kashmiri was released a short time later

U.S.A.

Iraqi soldier killed two US troops in a combat drill

 

The officials - speaking on condition of anonymity - said the incident happened at al-Ghazlani training camp in the city of Mosul. It was the final drill to showcase US efforts in training Iraqis before next week's visit by US and Iraqi generals.The Iraqi soldier who opened fire was arrested, US military officials said.
Separately, a US soldier was killed in central Iraq.
The US military gave no further details of the circumstances of that incident.
Motive unclear
 
"According to available information, two American soldiers were killed today (Saturday) during a training session inside al-Ghazlani," an Iraqi colonel in Mosul was quoted as saying by Reuters.
Another US soldier was injured in the incident.
This was confirmed by a US military official in the city.
In a statement later on Saturday, the US military said that two US soldiers were killed and one was wounded while conducting operations in northern Iraq, without providing further details.
The US soldiers were from the 4th Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, based at Ft Hood, Texas, according to the Associated Press news agency.
Attacks by Iraqi soldiers or police against US troops in northern Iraq are rare but not unprecedented.
In 2009, two Iraqi police officers opened fire on US soldiers and Iraqi police in Mosul. One US soldier was killed in the attack.
An Iraqi army soldier shot dead two US troops and injured another six in the city.
Washington officially ended combat operations in Iraq last August, leaving fewer than 50,000 US troops in Iraq.
The soldiers' role is to advise and assist Iraq's security forces in fighting insurgents.

 

Asia

India

Stampede kills 100 in southern India 

A stampede near a religious temple killed 100 people in southern India, authorities said.


Pilgrims were returning from a Hindu ritual at a temple when a vehicle overturned, prompting the stampede, said Jai Kumar, home secretary of Kerala state. At least 14 people were injured.
Video footage showed authorities loading up bodies in large pickup trucks. Onlookers gathered around, looking at the pile of bodies as some took pictures and sobbed.
The incident occurred about 5 miles from the Sabarimala Temple, Kumar said.
The vehicle struck many of the people in a narrow stretch through a forest, the news agency Press Trust of India reported.
Stampedes at events in India have occurred several times because large crowds gather at narrow, congested areas.

Last March, more than 60 people were killed during a stampede at a temple in the Uttar Pradesh state.

 

 

Europe

Italy

Mount Etna rumbled Wednesday, sending lava down its side. Italian vulcanologists are monitoring the Sicilian volcano, they said Thursday.
Etna began tremors Tuesday night, the Italian Institute of Vulcanology said.
They reached their peak Wednesday morning, and lava flowed down the eastern rim on Wednesday night.


The volcano continued to show "rather weak" activity Thursday morning, the Institute said in a statement.

The volcano may be producing ash, scientists said, but did not offer confirmation.
Etna does not appear to be threatening people at the moment.

One of the most active volcanoes in the world, it towers over the city of Catania on the island of Sicily.

Middle East

U.A.E.

Hotel "7 star" Burj Khalifa, made in China.The Chinese plan to make a copy of Khalifa Al Burj hotel in Beijing

 

 

Chinese authorities plan to build a "seven-star hotel" Burj Khalifa made the model of Dubai hotel - the Maytallest building in the world -, the project will be implemented in collaboration with Saudi Arabia will rise to 1.3 billion dollars. 

The hotel will be built in Beijing, 30 kilometers from the center inform the Beijing Morning Post quoted by AFP.

An official of the metropolis, which has refused to say his name, confirmed the existence of design and value.

According to the newspaper, the design will be completed according to the building belonging to 828 meters high building in Dubai.

Although there is no official classification "seven-star" tourist sector by allowing only a maximum five-star hotels around the world already exists which boasts seven-star Burj Al Arab in Dubai and Pangu 7 Star Hotel in Beijing are also hotels.

 

 

Brazil flooding

The death toll from flooding caused by torrential rains in Brazil's Rio de Janeiro state rose to 549 people Saturday, Brazil's official news agency reported.
Most of the deaths were reported in the cities of Nova Friburgo and Teresopolis, located in a mountainous region northeast of Rio, according to Agencia Brasil.
Rescuers have not been able to reach some hard-hit areas and many more people are feared dead, the agency said Friday.
The rain is predicted to continue for several days in areas already submerged in water or slathered with mud.
Thousands of families are still living on mountain slopes or on riverbanks and face extreme risk of being washed away. One resident described the disaster as a tsunami that fell from the sky.
Chaos reigned in the especially hard-hit city of Teresopolis, where some residents donned masks and helped clean streets or deliver first aid. Others combed the city, searching desperately for missing loved ones. Schools and police stations turned into overflowing morgues, where people waited to identify their family and friends.
Municipal worker Reginald de Oliveira came to see if he could find the body of his uncle, missing in the floods. He was trying to save his family when a wall of water washed him away.

Add caption

Red Cross volunteer Maria Helena de Jesus was helping with first aid.
"You have to almost have a heart of stone," she said. "It was very difficult."
Teresopolis Mayor Jorge Mario Sedlacek declared his city a natural disaster area.
At least 238 people died in Teresopolis, while 252 were killed in the town of Nova Friburgo, Agencia Brasil reported.
President Dilma Rousseff flew over flood-affected areas Thursday and landed in a slushy, trash-littered soccer field in Friburgo, the agency said. The floods are her first test as president.
She trudged through mud in her rain boots to talk to residents in a neighborhood where four of seven firefighters attempting to rescue people had been buried under mud. Three others were pulled out alive.
"We are going to take firm action" to help the devastated areas, said Rousseff, who assumed office at the first of the year.
Brazilian authorities have been criticized for a lack of disaster planning and allowing people to build homes in areas known to become treacherous in the rainy season.
They are under increasing pressure to show a strong response. Brazil is scheduled to host the World Cup in 2014 and the 2016 Olympics.
With more rain forecast, Brazilian authorities have ordered evacuations for at least 5,000 families living in especially perilous areas in Rio de Janeiro state, Agencia Brasil said. Another 3,000 families from a mountainous region were homeless and sheltered in schools and gymnasiums, the news agency said.
"The most important thing right now is to assist the homeless population and reach the most critical points," said Rodrigo Neves, the state secretary of Social Welfare and Human Rights.
State health officials pleaded for people to donate blood that will be sent to the Serrana region, where only 36 units of blood remained for treatment of flood victims.

Rain has affected neighboring Sao Paulo as well, killing 24 people there.

Tunisia

Are jackboots already trampling the "Jasmine Revolution"?

It happened with breathtaking speed. Within a matter of weeks, Tunisia went from being a beacon of authoritarian, pro-Western stability to a country in open, nationwide revolt. A largely leaderless, spontaneous popular movement drove the head of state from power.
At the moment it's not clear whether that movement will result in real change, or just a change at the top.
Shortly after Friday's massive demonstrations in Tunis, which reached a crescendo outside the hated Ministry of the Interior on Avenue Mohamed V, President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali fled the country, taking refuge in Saudi Arabia.
The army and security forces are trying to impose order in Tunis. Tanks and armored personnel carriers have been deployed on one of the capital's main thoroughfares, Avenue 7 Novembre (named after the date when Ben Ali assumed presidential powers in 1987). At midday Saturday, I watched as two truckloads of soldiers pulled up on the avenue and began stringing out barbed wire.
A dusk-to-dawn curfew is being ruthlessly enforced -- just how ruthlessly, I saw from my hotel window. At midnight. a plain-clothes policemen beat with batons and kicked a young man to the ground. All the while the man screamed, "Have mercy on me!"
This afternoon, the front desk called to tell me to close my window on orders from the police.
In the Place de l'Independence, I watched municipal workers taking down a large poster of Ben Ali. There was no cheering, no celebration. The few people in the square appeared more concerned with getting home before the curfew began.
The feel is very much that of a military takeover. It's hard to catch a whiff of what is being called the Jasmine Revolution.
Mounting fear of chaos is diluting the unbridled joy inspired by Ben Ali's departure. Fires have broken out in prisons in Muntasir and Al-Mahdia. There are reports of gangs on looting sprees.
Tunisian television has discontinued regular programming, replacing it with a call-in program. The prime concern of callers from around the country is that law and order are breaking down.
On back streets in the center of Tunis, away from the soldiers and plain-clothes police, people are still seething with anger at Ben Ali. They complain of rampant corruption and nepotism by him and his clique, of deteriorating economic conditions, rising prices, high unemployment and a lack of job opportunities for university graduates.
Everything they complain about plagues many other Arab countries. In Egypt, President Hosni Mubarak has been in power since 1981. But he's a relative newcomer compared to Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi, at the helm since 1969. In Yemen, Ali Abdallah Saleh has ruled since 1979.
All of these aging autocrats must be pacing the floors of their palaces worrying that the unrest in Tunisia will spread. Conditions in countries like Egypt are, if anything, far worse than in Tunisia. In Egypt, for example, it's estimated that 40 percent of the population has to get by on less than $2 a day. Unemployment is rampant, high-level corruption a given.
In the spring of 2008, thousands of Egyptians took to the streets to demonstrate against spiraling food prices. In the Nile Delta city of Kafr Al-Shaikh, protesters burned huge posters of Mubarak.
Ever so briefly it appeared his regime was beginning to totter, but then it passed. The government announced wage increases, scrambled to ensure a supply of subsidized bread for the poor, and rounded up the troublemakers one by one.
Middle Eastern rulers are masters at outsmarting their opponents and quashing protest. They're far less skilled when it comes to addressing the problems that plague their people.
Those autocrats are almost certainly rooting for the Tunisian army and intelligence services to re-establish calm and control. In much of the Middle East, the rulers depend upon the support of the army and intelligence services. When the secretive, low-profile generals and spooks decide the leader is more a liability than an asset, they send him packing.
Revolution -- real revolution resulting in an overthrow of the existing order along the lines of 1979 Iran, is far less probable.

The Jasmine Revolution, which inspired so many angry and frustrated people across the Arab world, is already in danger of being trampled by jackboots.