Pamplona San Fermin party begins

PAMPLONA, Spain: Thousands of people packed into Pamplona’s main square Tuesday to spray each other with wine as a firecracker rocket blasted off to start Spain’s San Fermin bull-running festival.

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Pamplona San Fermin party begins

Djokovic: Our team can reach Davis Cup final

SPLIT, Croatia: Ahead of playing Croatia in the Davis Cup quarterfinals this weekend, world No.

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Djokovic: Our team can reach Davis Cup final

S Africa beat Windies in fourth one dayer

DOMINICA: Hashim Amla continued in his rich vein of form, and struck his third One-day International hundred to help South Africa shake off ”dead-rubber syndrome”, and win the fourth ODI against West Indies by seven wickets.

Amla collected nine fours and two sixes in another sublime innings of 129 from 115 balls, as the South Africans, chasing 304 for victory from their allocation of 50 overs, reached their target from the very last ball in a thrilling finish at Windsor Park.

When Amla was dismissed, South Africa needed 80 from 76 balls, and J.P. Duminy joined deVilliers to carry them the rest of the way in an unbroken stand of 80 for the fourth wicket.

In a dramatic finish however, the South Africans needed one run from the last delivery, following a sensational final over from Dwayne Bravo in which he conceded a single to deVilliers off the first ball, a leg bye to Duminy from the next, and then bowled three dot-balls.

DeVilliers however, formalised the result, when he swung the final delivery through mid-wicket, where Darren Sammy fumbled it, and then missed a throw at the bowler”s end, as the batsman scrambled to make his ground.

The victory handed the Proteas a 4-0 lead in the five-match series, after they won the rain-marred opening match by 66 runs, under the Duckworth-Lewis Method, two Saturdays ago at the Vivian Richards Cricket Ground in Antigua, where they also won the second ODI by 17 runs last Monday, and the third ODI by 67 runs last Friday at this venue.

The series concludes this coming Thursday at the Queen”s Park Oval in Trinidad Tobago, where the visitors will be chasing a second successive ODI series sweep in the Caribbean.

Federer advances; Williams and Murray lose at French Open

PARIS: Defending champion Roger Federer moved into the quarterfinals of French Open by beating Stanislas Wawrinka, while second-seeded Venus Williams and No. 4 Andy Murray lost.

Federer beat fellow Swiss Wawrinka 6-3, 7-6 (7-5), 6-2 on a windy and cold Court Philippe Chatrier.

Czech Tomas Berdych knocked Britain’s Murray out of the fourth round, 6-4, 7-5, 6-3 in a rain delayed match.

Venus Williams’ quest for a first French Open title ended in the fourth round against Nadia Petrova of Russia, 6-4, 6-3. Four-time champion Justine Henin won.

Robin Soderling beat Croatia’s Marin Cilic 6-4, 6-4, 6-2. Henin beat former world No. 1 Maria Sharapova 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 in a match delayed by darkness last night.

Olympic gold medalist and fifth seed Elena Dementieva of Russia beat South Africa’s Chanelle Scheepers 6-1, 6-3. No. 17 Francesca Schiavone of Italy defeated Maria Kirilenko 6-4, 6-4. The Russian had ousted defending champion Svetlana Kuznetsova in the previous round.

U.S. Open finalist Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark needed three hours to overcome Italy’s Flavia Pennetta 7-6 (7-5), 6-7 (4-7), 6-2. The world No. 3 moves to her first quarterfinal at Roland Garros, where she’ll meet Schiavone.

Federer, Serena cruise as Murray toils in French Open

PARIS: Top seeds Roger Federer and Serena Williams, with 28 Grand Slam titles between them, enjoyed a French Open cruise on Monday as Andy Murray toiled through a five-set marathon in blistering sunshine.

Defending champion Federer began his campaign for a 17th major with a comfortable 6-4, 6-1, 6-2 win over Australia”s Peter Luczak.

Less than two hours later, with Paris temperatures soaring to 30 degrees, Williams, chasing a 13th Grand Slam crown, also made the second round with a 7-6 (7/2), 6-2 win over Switzerland”s Stefanie Voegele.

Federer, who completed a career Grand Slam by winning his first Roland Garros crown here in 2009, will face Colombia”s Alejandro Falla for a place in the last 32.

Meanwhile, Williams, the 2002 champion, showed no ill-effects from the recent knee problems that sidelined her for three months, as she fired 28 winners and 10 aces past Voegele, the world 76.

The American, who collected her 12th Grand Slam title at the Australian Open in January, next faces Julia Goerges of Germany, but admitted she needs to step up her level.

British fourth seed Andy Murray toiled for over four hours to defeat France”s Richard Gasquet 4-6, 6-7 (5/7), 6-4, 6-2, 6-1.

It was the second time at a Grand Slam that the Scotsman has defeated Gasquet in such dramatic circumstances — in 2008 at Wimbledon, he also had to recover from two sets down to see off the stylish French player, who needed treatment on his left thigh as his challenge wilted.

Murray will now play unseeded Argentine Juan Ignacio Chela.

Third seed Novak Djokovic, recently laid low by an allergy, overcame a second-set blip to beat Kazakhstan”s Evgeny Korolev 6-1, 3-6, 6-1, 6-3.

The 2008 Australian Open champion, and a two-time French Open semi-finalist, will now face Japan”s Kei Nishikori, the world 246, who came back from two sets down to beat Santiago Giraldo of Colombia.

Spanish seeds Tommy Robredo and Feliciano Lopez were both first round losers.

Robredo, the 21st seed and a four-time quarter-finalist, lost to Serbia”s Viktor Troicki 6-4, 6-4, 6-3 in what was the 28-year-old”s worst Paris loss.

Lopez, the 27th seed, was put out by German qualifier Julian Reister, the world 165, in straight sets.

Caroline Wozniacki, leading the chasing pack in pursuit of the Williams sisters, shrugged off ankle injury concerns to sweep into the women”s second round.

The 19-year-old Dane reeled off the first seven games of the match before clinching a 6-0, 6-3 win over Russian world 78 Alla Kudryavtseva, the 69-minute victory proving a crucial confidence-booster for the third seed.

Safely through also is Chinese number one Li Na, the 11th seed, who defeated last year”s junior champion Kristina Mladenovic of France 7-5, 6-3, wile Russian fifth seed Elena Dementieva beat Petra Martic of Croatia 6-1, 6-1.

Ana Ivanovic, the 2008 champion, saw off Taiwan”s Kai-Chen Chang 6-3, 6-3 while fellow Serbian Jelena Jankovic, twice a semi-finalist, also went through 6-0, 6-4 against experienced Australian Alicia Molik.

UK government details spending cuts

LONDON: Britain’s new Treasury chief on Monday outlined more than 6 billion pounds ($8.

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UK government details spending cuts

Special courts set up for World Cup offenders

JOHANNESBURG: South Africa has set up more than 50 special courts to provide fast justice during the World Cup, officials said on Monday.

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Special courts set up for World Cup offenders

Israeli President denies offering SAfrica nukes

JERUSALEM: The Israeli president on Monday categorically denied a report that he offered nuclear warheads to South Africa in 1975, when he was defense minister.

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Israeli President denies offering SAfrica nukes

Dementieva reaches 2nd round at French Open

PARIS: Former runner-up Elena Dementieva of Russia has started her French Open campaign in ruthless fashion with a 6-1, 6-1 win over Croatia’s Petra Martic.

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Dementieva reaches 2nd round at French Open

Strong quake kills 23 in northwest China: state media

BEIJING: A strong earthquake killed 23 people on Wednesday in northwestern China”s remote Qinghai province, state media reported.

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