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Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Murray beats Nadal to reach semis



Rafael Nadal limped out of the Australian Open, his title defence shattered by a recurring knee problem and a devastating display by Andy Murray. Nadal quit when trailing Murray 6-3 7-6 3-0 but the match was as good as over with the Scotsman deservedly on his way to the semi-finals for the first time. "When the big moments came in the match, I thought I dictated what happened on the court," Murray said. "Obviously, I didn't know when he hurt his knee...but from my side, I played really well and deserved to be up when the match was stopped." It has been 74 years since a British man won a Grand Slam title but the wait could soon be over if Murray can maintain his brilliant form for two more matches. The 22-year-old has not dropped a set in Melbourne and will next face Croatia's Marin Cilic, who wore down seventh seed Andy Roddick 7-6 6-3 3-6 2-6 6-3 but is nearing exhaustion after spending more than 18 hours on court to get this far.

Voting ends in Sri Lanka polls




Sri Lankans have voted in the country's first presidential election since the civil war with Tamil separatists in the north was ended. Polls closed at 4pm (10:30GMT) on Tuesday amid claims of voter intimidation and sporadic acts of violence following a bitter campaign. Officials results were expected on Wednesday, with both Mahinda Rajapakse, the incumbent, and Sarath Fonseka, his former army chief, saying that expected to emerge victorous. "We will have a great victory," Rajapakse told reporters after casting his ballot in his southern home constituency of Mulkirigala. "We must be ready to face the challenges of reaching new heights after this vote," the 64-year-old, who called the election only four years into his six-year term to seize on the government's victory over the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) last year, said.

French report calls for veil ban



A French parliamentary panel has called for a ban on Muslim women wearing the full Islamic veil in public institutions, describing the dress as an "unacceptable" challenge to French values. In its report, released on Tuesday, the panel also recommended that authorities refuse residence cards and citizenship to anyone with visible signs of a "radical religious practice". "The wearing of the full veil is a challenge to our republic. This is unacceptable. We must condemn this excess," it said. The commission stopped short of a full ban on the veils, which it deemed unconstitutional, but said they should be banned from schools, hospitals and public transport.

Kabul attack 'linked to Pakistan'



Afghanistan intelligence has said fighters smuggled over the border from Pakistan were responsible for a recent assault on government targets in the Afghan capital. Officials in Kabul released video footage on Tuesday of a man arrested in connection with the attacks who said that the Haqqani network, a group of Afghan fighters based in Pakistan, were behind the offensive. The man, an Afghan identified as Kamal Uddin, said in his alleged confession that there had been seven suicide bombers in the attack, which took place on January 18. "I was in charge of two suicide bombers and took them to a shopping centre near the presidential palace," he said, noting that he had housed the suicide bombers and their co-ordinators ahead of the attacks. Afghan security forces arrested Kamal Uddin just 24 hours after the attack. Intelligence officials said that a Pakistani mobile phone chip, also known as SIM card, had been found at his house.