Two a penny

.French world number 12 Gilles Simon has been confirmed as a starter in the Brisbane International event in January.
Simon, 24, will join compatriot Gael Monfils, former world number one Andy Roddick and American James Blake in the men’s draw.
The Brisbane International will take place at the Queensland Tennis Centre from January 3 to 10.
Simon has won six career titles and was a quarter-finalist at this year’s Australian Open.
Baghdatis, on the comeback trail from injury, pulled out of the Kooyong Classic for the Sydney event because it carries tour points.
Meanwhile, former Australian Open finalist Marcos Baghdatis has joined the field for January’s Sydney International tennis tournament. .
As a result, US Open champion Juan Martin del Potro has been added to the line-up for the Kooyong event in Melbourne from January 13-16.
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.Croatian Ivan Ljubicic ended a title drought stretching back over two years overnight as he claimed the 650,000 euros Lyon ATP trophy beating Frenchman Mickael Llodra 7-6, 6-3.
The third-seeded Ljubicic, who won the first of his nine career titles at this event in 2001, required one break of serve in the first set in the 12th game to edge into the lead having wasted two break points in the sixth game.
However, that was the high point of his match as Ljubicic, ranked 29 in the world, stormed back to take the next five games and ultimately the match to claim his first title since winning on grass at s’Hertogenbosch in the summer of 2007.
Llodra, ranked 107th in the world and who required a wild card invitation to compete here, fought back to break Ljubicic in the first game of the second set and then took a 2-0 lead.
“I felt good on court and I played really good tennis. .
“My level of play was top notch and I will remember the manner in which I played such fantastic tennis this week.
“If I continue to play like this, there will still be good things to come.
“I wasn’t quite as strong physically as I had been and the semi-final against Gilles Simon took its toll on me,” said Llodra, whose previous final this year was in Marseille in February.”
Llodra, principally regarded as a doubles specialist, lamented the fact he had not been able to play as he had done for the rest of the week.
“Here I was not able to get enough first serves in.
“My general play was pretty good except for my serve which had held up alright prior to Sunday.
“My target this year was to finish in the top 100 and I will be definitely well inside that mark,” added Llodra, who has been plagued by shoulder and groin injuries this campaign.”
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.Activists fighting for victims of French nuclear testing in the Pacific are stunned by conditions imposed in a compensation bill by France’s upper house.
There was praise in July when the National Assembly approved a bill for compensating the victims of tests carried out in French Polynesia and Algeria over more than three decades.
Roland Oldham, president of the Mororua e Tatou Association representing French Pacific nuclear test workers, told Radio Australia’s Pacific Beat the actions of the French Senate reflected arrogance in metropolitan France towards its territories.
About 150,000 civilian and military personnel took part and many later developed serious health problems.
“For our Polynesian people it’s going to be hard.
He said the Senate has imposed strict requirements on applicants to prove their case on various grounds.
“A lot of us people don’t keep a document. A lot of our people won’t be part of compensation,” he said. So it’s going to be very difficult for them. We don’t have the same conception of things.
“It’s the same people that have done the nuclear testing in our place, in our island,” Mr Oldham said.”
He said the Senate had further rejected a bid by his organisation to be part of a compensation committee, which will now be made up of only people nominated by the French Ministry of Defence.”
Mr Oldham says the geographic zone from which claims would be considered has been greatly limited.
“They’ve been saying for many years that the tests are clean and today they’re going to decide about compensation on their own.
“And finally, there’s only one person decides if the case is going to be taken into account, [if a victim] is going to have compensation or not – and that’s the Ministry of Defence,” he said.
He says the views of Polynesians have not been taken into account. I mean, to me it’s very restricted.
“And they call that democracy. .”
He says Mororua e Tatou will now think about other strategies, including strong political action and seeking Pacific-wide support, to win their battle

.The French resort of St Tropez hosts the Antipodes Film Festival this week, featuring about 50 movies from Australia and New Zealand.
The 11th edition of the festival opens today with New Zealand film Dean Spanley, directed by Toa Fraser and with a cast including Peter O’Toole and Sam Neill.
Anthony LaPaglia – the Australian actor who stars in the US television series Without A Trace – serves as head of the jury, which will hand out the Grand Prix des Antipodes award to one of the six full length films in competition.
Set in Edwardian England, the story centres on a father and son reconciling.
A dozen documentaries will also be featured at the festival, which runs to October 18. .
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AFP – French soldiers providing protection on board French fishing ships in the Indian Ocean early Saturday fired on pirates to repel an attack, sources said.

Three small launches.. (which were) nearly invisible and that we had on the radar at the last moment, chased us, a member of the crew of the Drennac, one of two fishing French vessels approached by the pirates, told by telephone..

The incident took place 195 nautical miles (350 kilometres) north of the Seychelles.

The soldiers at first fired warning shots, then they fired at the target, he added. There were no casualties on the French side. He said that the pirate skiffs that came under fire returned to a mother ship some 30 metres (90 feet) long.

The report was confirmed by a western source in the same area.

It proves that this measure (having soldiers on board) works, the western source said.

It is the first time that the French soldiers, who have been providing protection since July 1 on board about 10 French fishing ships off the Somalian coast, have opened fire on pirates.

A Spanish vessel, the giant tuna hauler the Alakrana, was captured September 2 on the high seas between Somalia and the Seychelles with 36 crew on board.

Spanish fishing vessels operating in the same region have called for the same protection measures but Madrid has so far refused.

The pirates brought the vessel in towards the coast and it is currently anchored off Harardere, a central Somlia port.

The pirates brought the vessel in towards the coast and it is currently anchored off Harardere, a central Somlia port.

Several warships involved in the Atalanta operation headed into that zone following the attempted attack on the cargo vessel.

The latest attack on the Glenan and the Drennec took place some 20 nautical miles (36 kilometres) from the place where pirates last week attacked a cargo vessel.

Five pirates were captured.

On Wednesday Somali pirates operating at night attacked a French military command ship and petrol tanker La Somme after mistaking it for a cargo vessel.

France – piracy – Seychelles

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A missing Indian student’s family say Auckland police diverted resources to search for two-year-old Aisling Symes, leaving them to look for Srikanth Rayadurgam on their own.

Mr Rayadurgam, 23, disappeared on his way to class at the Auckland University of Technology eight days ago. Aisling went missing in West Auckland on Monday evening.

Acting Detective Senior Sergeant Joe Aumua of Avondale police told One News the two cases did not have the same officers working on them.

The Kakanoor family told 3News they have been left to search for Mr Rayadurgam on their own, and questioned whether it was because of the colour of their skin. This inquiry is being dealt with by the Avondale police station and I’m happy with the resources that we have,” he said.

“The inquiry out west is a separate inquiry.

Mr Rayadurgam’s brother-in-law Nageesh Kakanoor found his backpack, mobile phone and his left shoe scattered along the waterfront.

They said when police divers were finally called to search the harbour they were suddenly pulled off the case to join the search for Aisling.

Mr Kakanoor and his wife Padam said Mr Rayadurgam had no enemies and was not suicidal, but police acted far too slowly.

“I honestly don’t know, to tell you.

Mr Kakanoor and his wife questioned why one missing person’s case was more important than another.

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.Two-time grand slam winner Amelie Mauresmo has announced that she will skip her final two tournaments of the season. . I don’t want to rush or force things,” she said on her website.
“I’m giving myself time to think before making a decision on the rest of my career,” she added.
The 30-year-old Frenchwoman will not compete as planned in tournaments in Linz and Luxembourg, and has not made any decisions yet on next season.
The former world number one, winner of the Australian Open and Wimbledon titles, is now ranked 20th in the world.
Mauresmo got off to a good start early in the season, winning the Paris Indoor Open, but struggled to maintain her form.
She was dumped out of the second round of the US Open by Canada’s Aleksandra Wozniak.
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The revelations were made in a 2005 autobiography The Bad Life and have surfaced after Mitterrand passionately defended film-maker Roman Polanski, who faces deportation from Switzerland were he was arrested to the United States for having had sex with a 13-year-old girl in 1977.0pt
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A senior aide to French President Nicolas Sarkozy on Thursday defended Culture Minister Frederic Mitterrand who is facing calls for his resignation for having written about paying boys for sex.

Politicians from all parties have criticised Mitterrand for his attack on the United States.

French political debate sometimes takes on a pathetic form. The far-right National Front party has called for him to step down.

Asked whether Mitterrand should resign, he said: When there is a controversy as pathetic as this, with so much delay, I don&rsquot think there should be such drastic consequences. It excessive and quite undignified, Sarkozy adviser Henri Guaino said on France 2 television.

The experiences in the book are presented as a mixture of straight autobiography and more dreamlike reflection.

Guaino said there were no facts to back up the accusations and Mitterrand had not been subject to any legal complaints.

I got into the habit of paying for boys, Mitterrand wrote, adding that his attraction to young male prostitutes continued even though he knew the sordid details of this traffic.

I got into the habit of paying for boys, Mitterrand wrote, adding that his attraction to young male prostitutes continued even though he knew the sordid details of this traffic…

Mitterrand is the nephew of former Socialist President Francois Mitterrand and was drafted into Sarkozy centre-right cabinet in June. the abundance of very attractive and immediately available young boys put me in a state of desire. Sarkozy was delighted to have brought him on board, but now faces unease within his own UMP party over his choice of minister.

Although he was not a Socialist, his surname still reverberates in France and carries a lot of clout. .

France considers itself to be at the forefront of the fight against sex tourism but Guaino said Mitterrand would not compromise this position.

Although still openly siding with Polanski, Mitterrand has toned down his language, saying his emotions overtook him the day he heard that Switzerland had arrested the film director.

Interior Minister Brice Hortefeux said Mitterrand was respected for his competence in the role of culture minister.

Frédéric Mitterrand – French politics

.Poland’s Robert Kubica will replace Spain’s double Formula One world champion Fernando Alonso at Renault next season, the team said in a statement.
No details were given about the length of the contract, although Renault said it was from 2010 onwards.
The Pole won last year’s Canadian Grand Prix and had been approached by several teams, including Toyota and Williams, once BMW announced they were quitting the sport at the end of the season.
Kubica has driven for the BMW-Sauber team since 2006 while Alonso, one of the 24-year-old’s best friends in the paddock, is moving to Ferrari next year.
“I feel I have a special connection with this team because in 2005 I won the World Series by Renault.
“I am very happy I will be joining Renault in the 2010 season,” Kubica said.
“I share with Renault a strong winning mentality and feel comfortable with their friendly and open attitude.
“This gave me the chance to test with the team in Barcelona, which led to my debut in Formula One.”
Former champions Renault are licking their wounds after a scandal-hit year, with the team handed a suspended permanent ban from the sport for their role in a race-fixing controversy.
“I’m highly motivated and optimistic that together we can be at the front of the grid next year and, hopefully, fighting for the world title.
Kubica, an extremely quick and aggressive driver, has a no-nonsense style that will fit in well with the team’s restructuring.
Flamboyant former team boss Flavio Briatore has been banned for life and engineering head Pat Symonds barred for five years.
Although he had an impressive first test with Renault, he was snapped up by BMW-Sauber from under their noses as a test driver.
The tall Pole has also come up the hard way, with no family wealth to support him and from a country with no previous involvement in Formula One.
“Ever since Robert made his grand prix debut in 2006, he has been on our radar as one of the most naturally talented drivers of his generation,” said Renault’s acting team principal Bob Bell.
He then replaced Canada’s 1997 world champion Jacques Villeneuve as a race driver halfway through 2006.
“Renault has high ambitions and hopes for the future of the team and we feel that Robert can play a big role in fulfilling them.
“He has delivered on that promise so it’s great to have secured him in one of our cars next season. .”
Renault did not mention the second driver, currently French rookie Romain Grosjean

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All Blacks great Jonah Lomu is adding his weight to rugby’s push for inclusion in the Olympics, being enlisted to help with the final push at a crucial meeting in Denmark this week.

Golf and rugby sevens are eyeing the pot of gold at the end of the Olympic rainbow, hoping the International Olympic Committee will admit them to the Games.

Lomu has been enlisted by the IRB to help push their cause.

They have won the nominations to be included on the 2016 Olympics programme in Rio de Janeiro but must be ratified by the 106 IOC delegates meeting in Copenhagen with a decision due on Saturday (NZ time).

Lomu made his name in sevens, winning Commonwealth Games and World Cup title. He will be presenting to the full IOC assembly at a podium on stage with three cameras around the auditorium and three massive screens set up at the back of the stage.

He is due to make another comeback to rugby in the lower ranks of the French club scene as he bravely fights back from a kidney transplant. His success in the abbreviated game launched an All Blacks career that made him arguably the sport’s biggest name with standout try-scoring efforts at the 1995 and 1999 World Cups. .

He will join IRB chairman Bernard Lapasset and Cheryl Soon, captain of Australia’s world champion women’s sevens team, as part of the rugby party that will urge the IOC assembly to rubber stamp their admittance to sport’s biggest stage.

The IOC session, meeting in the Danish capital, will put each of them to a separate vote, with a simple majority enough to see them included in the 2016 Games.

The two candidate sports could return after more than 80 years, with the Olympic status guaranteeing them a solid future and millions of dollars in improved TV deals, sponsorship and state funding.

The IOC wants to renew its sports programme to attract a younger generation as it revises its broadcasting plans to include new digital media.

“It will give both sports a shot in the arm,” Giles Morgan, HSBC Group Head of Sponsorship, told on Tuesday.

“So you will see more interest, more television, and then more sponsors because sponsors follow where the people go,” Morgan said.

Both sports are guaranteed expansion with funding from the IOC, increased broadcast rights deals and in some countries, automatic national funding as an Olympic sport if they are voted in.

. HSBC is a major sponsor of both sports