The planned reopening of Afghanistan 's main northern Salang highway as a result of peace talks with an opposition alliance has been put off until Wednesday , official Kabul Radio said on Sunday .

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The embattled Afghan government said last week that the Kabul-Salang highway would be opened on Monday or Tuesday following talks with the Supreme Coordination Council alliance led by Jumbish-i-Milli movement of powerful opposition warlord General Abdul Rashid Dostum .

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The radio said on Sunday the postponement of the opening had been made due to " precautions " .


The Salang highway , Afghanistan 's main route to Central Asia , has been controlled by Dostum since he began fighting President Burhanuddin Rabbani 's government in Kabul in January 1994 in alliance with Hezb-i-Islami party leader Gulbuddin Hekmatyar , then prime minister but rival to the president .

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Hekmatyar rejoined the government as prime minister last June under a peace pact with Rabbani and has since been trying to persuade other opposition factions to follow suit .

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Earlier this month , Jumbish denied a Kabul government statement that the two sides had agreed to a ceasefire in the north .

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Students burn Hasina effigy , battle police .


Students backed by opposition parties battled police and burned an effigy of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina during a strike in the north Bangladeshi town of Bogra on Sunday .

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The strikers barricaded streets , attacked the local office of the ruling Awami League , fought running battles with police and set alight hundreds of copies of the popular " Janakantha " newspaper , alleging it was pro-government .

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Police used batons and teargas to try to disperse students who were throwing stones and home-made bombs , witnesses said .

O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O


The strike , called by the main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party ( BNP ) , to denounce the deaths of four students killed by police over the last few days , coincided with a visit to the area by Hasina .

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Local officials said one policeman was killed by gunshots during clashes with pro-opposition students on Thursday .


Hasina told a cross section of people at the Bogra police headquarters on Sunday that the government had already suspended three police officers and ordered a judicial probe into the violent incidents .

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The prime minister offered financial grants to the families of those killed , ordered the best possible medical care for the injured and urged Bogra residents to call off the strike .

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Opposition legislators walked out of parliament in Dhaka on Sunday denouncing " unprecedented police barbarity " against opposition students and supporters .

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They renewed their call for the resignation of Home ( Interior ) Minister Rafiqul Islam .


Hundreds of police raided the Dhaka university on Sunday , arresting nearly 30 outsiders who had been living in student dormitories and seizing weapons , university officials said .

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Police stormed ten residence halls on the campus , flushed out people at gunpoint and searched their baggage .


They seized revolvers , sawn-off rifles , shotguns and knives .


The students were later allowed to return .


The swoop followed the resignation of the university 's Vice-Chancellor Dr. Emajuddin Ahmed on Saturday over the deteriorating law and order situation on the campus .

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Authorities closed down the 28,000-student university on Wednedsay following gunbattles between students and police .


Police said they fought armed activists from the BNP , headed by former prime minister Begum Khaleda Zia .

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Hasina told police the home ministry had already given a " blanket order " to arrest terrorists and possessors of illegal firearms irrespective of their political identities .

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Nearly 100 students have been injured in the clashes in Dhaka and Bogra , police told reporters .

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16 die as bus crashes in Pakistani Kashmir .


At least 16 people were killed and several injured on Sunday when a bus fell from a mountain road into a ravine on a river bank in Pakistan-ruled Azad ( free ) Kashmir , police said .

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They said 14 out of 45 passengers on the bus died instantly when the vehicle fell from the narrow road while on its way from the state capital Muzaffarabad to the nearby Pakistani town of Garhi Habibullah in the northwest .

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FEATURE - Fertile Ukraine faces drought of cash and rain .


BATKIVSHCHYNA COLLECTIVE FARM , Ukraine 1996-08-26


Four shiny new green-and-yellow John Deere combines parked at this 1,750-hectare ( 4,325-acre ) farm in the grain-growing regions south of Kiev do n't fill its chief agronomist with enthusiasm .

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" They did a good job this year , but they need good diesel and good engine oil , " said Ivan Odnosum . "

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God help us if there is a breakdown , " he said of the machinery , loaned to the farm after the Ukrainian government bought it earlier this year .

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The country 's grain harvest this year is forecast to fall by more than 23 percent to only 28 million tonnes and two harsh factors are to blame .

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A drought scoured the steppes in May and June , stunting the growing wheat .


And the farming sector , making the painful transition from Soviet central planning to a market economy simply has no money .

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Ukraine 's black soil is so fertile that a diplomat described it as " rich enough to grow rubber boots " .

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But recently Ukraine has been losing its reputation as a breadbasket of Europe , earned in the years before brutal forced collectivisation under Soviet dictator Josef Stalin .

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" The wheat will not be of a good quality this year , " said Hryhory Borsuk , a scientist at the Mironivka Wheat Institute , run by the Ukrainian Academy of Agrarian Sciences .

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" The temperature on the ground reached 62 decrees Celsius ( 143.60 Fahrenheit ) this summer .


We 've never seen anything so bad , " he said in an interview in his office , unlit since the government cut off electricity because of unpaid power bills .

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The harvest is gathered in the dry areas , but rainfall in Western Ukraine has delayed harvesting there .

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While Mironivka 's scientists , some unpaid for months , carry on developing new strains of wheat resistant to Ukraine 's extreme continental climate , Borsuk said the lack of cash in Ukraine 's agricultural sector is as bad as the drought .

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Collective farms and Ukraine 's nascent private farming sector have no money for fertiliser , no money for herbicides and pesticides , no money to repair old or buy new machinery , no money for fuel , and none to buy good seed .

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This year 's harvest is down from last year 's 36.5 million tonne harvest , which in turn compares with 50 million tonnes in 1990 , the year before independence .


The decline is all the worse for people who recall wasteful Soviet times , when the Kremlin imported grain but priced bread so cheaply that people bought it to feed their pigs .

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" Agriculture is very expensive , and there are no solutions to our problems on the horizon , " said Odnosum .

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He said his farm , its 260 workers now readying the fields for winter wheat sowing , expected the land to yield 5.2 tonnes per hectare ( 2.5 acres ) but ended up with 3.9 tonnes -- still better than the national average of 2.11 tonnes per hectare this year .

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" We did not have money for fertiliser , we 're in debt for fuel , and we 're borrowing diesel , " Odnosum said .

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A few kilometres ( miles ) down the two-lane road which passes Odnosum 's farm , where the occasional horse-drawn buggy passes by , is the 1,700-hectare ( 4,200-acre ) Shevchenko collective farm , built next to a village still neat and tidy despite post-Soviet decay .

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Chief Accountant Natalya Sypron said the collective is strapped for cash , earlier this year bartering 220 tonnes of grain for diesel to fuel six rickety grain combines and tractors badly in need of repairs and basic maintenance .

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The average family earns 160-200 million karbovanets a year ( $ 800 - $ 1,000 ) -- but many have not been paid in months , Soprun said . "

O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B-PER O O O


People are working out of their own dedication . "


Borsuk said the farm sector has two options : " We can sit down and cry , or we can do something . "

B-PER O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O


He said the government plans to increase the sowing of the winter wheat which will be harvested next year .


Planted in late summer and early autumn , the grain is Ukraine 's largest export item and traditionally grows better than summer wheat in Ukraine 's soil .

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Further plans , he said , called for full provision of resources like fertiliser and herbicides for 25 percent of Ukraine 's arable land next year , for 50 percent in 1998 and 100 percent of the land in 1999 .

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" If we follow this we 'll be able to sell 10 million tonnes of grain by the year 2000 , " Borkus said .

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The government has been trying to phase out huge subsidies to the farm sector , and in a move back to pre-Soviet days has given up to 50 hectares ( 124 acres ) of land to some 36,000 private farmers willing to go it alone .

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Collective farms will last for the next few years , because most private farms now only produce enough to feed themselves with maybe a little extra to sell , said one private farmer : " In the future , maybe , but it 's better not to hurry .

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" Collectivisation brought us a lot of pain .


Privatising too quickly can also have a negative outcome . "


Gencor Ltd on Monday said it had swelled its year attributable profit and streamlined operations to strengthen it for the current financial year despite a variety of divisional setbacks .

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Announcing the group 's results for the year ended June 30 , chairman Brian Gilbertson said : " Happily the strong improvement in financial performance is not an illusion arising from the recent weakness of the rand relative to the dollar . "

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Gencor raised attributable earnings to 1,803 million rand from 1,003 million rand previously - in dollar terms an increase to $ 469 million from $ 279 million - and won despite the group 's Impala Platinum Holdings Ltd posting dismal results .

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We 've had substantial production difficulties at a number of our operations .


The most obvious one with the greatest effect on the corporation was at Impala where we had the furnace failure , " Gilbertson said .

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Implats posted year attributable profit of 176 million rand from 281 million previously .


Not only did the company lock in 3.92 rand per dollar in February / March , but it suffered output losses due to a furnace shutdown last August .

O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O


The rand was last bid at 4.5350 against the dollar .


Nor was Implats the only operation to fail output targets .


Ingwe Coal Corporation Ltd was hit hard by heavy rains .


It forfeited nearly one million tonnes of production to flooding at its mines in Mpumulanga province .


But Gilbertson said the greatest gloom in the year came from the European Commission 's blocking of Implats ' proposed merger with Lonrho Plc 's platinum interests .

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" The big disappointment for the year was the failure of the platinum merger .


From Gencor 's perspective we are taking the position that it is not on , " Gilbertson said .

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Looking ahead to the current financial year , he said that Gencor would boost earnings further .


" Gencor is well placed to take up the challenges of the future .


The group is soundly structured and prudently financed and is blessed with an excellent portfolio of world-class businesses .


I think we can look forward to further growth " .


Citing the disposal of Gencor 's stake in industrial holdings group Malbak Ltd for one billion rand among other smaller disposals , Gilbertson said Gencor had pruned its portfolio to concentrate on core assets .

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" We 've tried to clean up our overall portfolio by disposing of non-core assets .


leaving Gencor clearly structured along commodity lines , " Gilbertson said .


He added that the group still had about 85 million rand after tax invested in various shares , which were market for disposal when required .

O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O


Referring to Gencor 's increased 41.5 percent stake in Ingwe , Gilbertson said the group would wait for coal shares to be cheaper before considering snapping up more .

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" I think we would have liked to have more of Ingwe but it 's the question of adding value .

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at quite a bit lower than the price is now ...


maybe if we just wait another few years for the next downturn in coal . "


Finally , Gilbertson said a growing proportion of Gencor 's income was coming from offshore and unlisted investments .

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Advanced Medical Inc. said Monday it will buy IVAC Medical Systems Inc. , a former Eli Lilly & Co .

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unit , for about $ 400 million in cash , creating one of the world 's largest makers of intravenous infusion therapy products .

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Under the agreement , IVAC and Advanced Medical 's wholly owned subsidiary , IMED Corp. , will merge to form a new company that will develop and manufacture infusion pumps that regulate the amount of intravenous fluid being administered to a patient , as well as proprietary disposable products .

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The combined company will have estimated revenues of $ 353 million .


Advanced Medical , through IMED , is already one of the nation 's largest developers and manufacturers of intravenous infusion pumps and proprietary disposable products .

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San Diego-based IVAC is a major provider of infusion systems and related technologies to the health-care industry .

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It has manufacturing plants in San Diego ; Creedmoor , N.C. ; Hampshire , England ; and Tijuana , Mexico , and distributes its prodcuts in more than 120 countries .

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Eli Lilly sold IVAC on Dec. 31 , 1994 to DLJ Merchant Banking Partners LP , River Medical Inc. and other investors .

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Advanced Medical said it expects to take an unspecified one-time charge to pay for the merger .

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It did not say when the charge would be taken .


" The addition of IVAC is expected to contribute to financial results in the full second quarter of 1997 , " the companies said .

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The merger will add to both companies ' historical leadership in infusion therapy and technology-based drug delivery devices , they said .

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In 1968 , IVAC introduced the world 's first infusion therapy monitoring device .


A year later IVAC improved its system with the addition of an IV pump that regulated the flow of liquids through positive pressure .

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IMED introduced the world 's first volumetric infusion pump in 1974 .


IMED had profits of $ 1.7 million , or 6 cents per fully diluted common share , on $ 53.9 million in revenues in the first half of 1996 .

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Excluding the effect of a one-time restructuring charge of $ 17.4 million , IVAC had net income of $ 4.2 million on net sales of $ 112.8 million for the 1996 first half .

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Advanced Medical reported profits of $ 8.4 million on sales of $ 29.2 million in the quarter ended June 30 .

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William J. Mercer , IVAC president and chief executive officer , will become the president and CEO of Advanced Medical .

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He led the transition of IVAC to a privately held company and was previously senior vice president at Mallinckrodt Group Inc .

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Joseph Kuhn , Advanced Medical and IMED president , will become the new company 's executive vice president and chief financial officer .

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The deal is expected to close by the first quarter of 1997 , subject to regulatory approval .


It has already been approved by both companies ' boards .


Dow rises on Philip Morris , other stocks lower .


The Dow Jones industrial average opened slightly higher on Monday , boosted by Philip Morris , which gained four to 92 .

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Other shares were slightly lower , mirroring bonds .


The Dow was up eight to 5,731 , while the NASDAQ Index was off fractionally to 1,143 and the S&P Index down one to 666 .

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New York Stock Exchange advances lagged declines by 476/698 while NASDAQ advances led declines 837/763 .

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The 30-year U.S. Treasury bond was off 2/32 to yield 6.96 percent .


RUGBY LEAGUE - ST HELENS CLINCH SUPER LEAGUE TITLE .


St Helens completed their first league and Challenge Cup double in 30 years on Monday when they thrashed Warrington 66-14 to clinch the inaugural Super League title .

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St Helens secured the two points they needed in the last game of the season at Knowsley Road to win their first championship since 1975 and their first double since 1966 .

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In rain-soaked conditions , centre Alan Hunte grabbed a hat-trick of tries , while Tommy Martyn , Anthony Sullivan and Paul Newlove each scored two .

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Captain and goalkicker Bobbie Goulding scored 18 points .


St Helens 's triumph marked the end of Wigan 's seven-year reign as British champions .

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St Helens needed to win on Monday to take the title -- a defeat or draw would have allowed Wigan their eighth consecutive championship .

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They were also the toast of London Broncos , who managed to scrape into the top four ahead of Warrington and qualify for the end-of-season play-offs .

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St Helens have now set their sights on taking the treble by winning the end-of-season premiership which begins with next Sunday 's semifinal against London .

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RALLYING - 1,000 LAKES RALLY RESULT / WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS .


1. Tommi Makinen ( Finland ) Mitsubishi Lancer 4 hours 4 minutes

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2. Juha Kankkunen ( Finland ) Toyota Celica 46 seconds behind

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3. Jarmo Kytolehto ( Finland ) Ford Escort 2:37


4. Marcus Gronholm ( Finland ) Toyota Celica 2:42


5. Kenneth Eriksson ( Sweden ) Subaru Impreza 3:22


6. Thomas Radstrom ( Sweden ) Toyota Celica 4.09


7. Sebastian Lindholm ( Finland ) Ford Escort 5:17


8. Lasse Lampi ( Finland ) Mitsubishi Lancer 12:01


9. Rui Madeira ( Portugal ) Toyota Celica 16:34


10. Angelo Medeghini ( Italy ) Subaru Impreza 18:28


RALLYING - MAKINEN STEPS UP TITLE BID WITH LAKES WIN .


Tommi Makinen took a significant step towards becoming world rally champion with a brilliant victory in the 1000 Lakes Rally on Monday .

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Mitsubishi driver Makinen stopped experienced fellow Finn Juha Kankkunen in his tracks on the final day of the 1,452-km rally , doubling his lead on the first two decisive stages .

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" This was the most difficult win - three days at 125 percent effort , " said Makinen , whose success completed his 1,000 Lakes hat-trick .

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Kankkunen was runner-up in his Toyota as Finland 's Jarmo Kytolehto produced a remarkable drive to finish third in his Ford .

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Swede Kenneth Eriksson kept Subaru in the hunt for the manufacturers ' title with fifth place in spite of a gearbox problem that nearly forced him off the road close to the end of the event .

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Maakinen 's and Mitsubishi 's positions were strengthened by the late retirement of Spain 's Carlos Sainz when his Ford gearbox failed .

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Makinen , with 95 points , now leads his nearest championship rival , Sainz , by 32 points .

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RALLYING - MAKINEN WINS 1,000 LAKES RALLY .


Tommi Makinen of Finland , driving a Mitsubishi , on Monday won the 1,000 Lakes Rally , sixth round of the world championship .

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SOCCER - SHARPE HITS WINNER TO EASE PRESSURE ON LEEDS .


Winger Lee Sharpe hit a superb strike from the edge of the penalty area to give Leeds their first win of the season on Monday and leave hapless Wimbledon anchored at the bottom of the England premier league .

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Sharpe repaid a huge slice of the 4.5 million pound ( $ 6.98 million ) fee Leeds handed Manchester United for his services with a top-draw second-half goal to hand Wimbledon their third successive defeat .

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Ian Rush , the Welsh striker signed from Liverpool in the close season , set up the goal , feeding Sharpe as he galloped forward and the former England winger cut inside onto his unfavoured right foot to arc a shot into the right-hand corner of the net .

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The only goal of the match also brought some relief for under-fire Leeds manager Howard Wilkinson following the team 's poor start to the season .

O O O O O O O O O O O O B-ORG O B-PER I-PER O O O O O O O O O O


Home fans frequently booed their own side until Sharpe turned the jeers to cheers .


SOCCER - ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE SUMMARY .


Leeds 1 ( Sharpe 58th minute ) Wimbledon 0 .


SOCCER - ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE RESULT / STANDINGS .


Standings ( tabulated under played , won , drawn , lost , goals


CRICKET - PAKISTAN 'S WASIM AKRAM JOINS 300 CLUB .


for Pakistan in England 's second innings at The Oval on Monday


Wasim becomes the 11th player to join the 300-club of


bowlers and the second Pakistani , after Imran Khan , to achieve


Other cricketers who have taken over 300 Test wickets :


Kapil Dev ( India ) 434 wickets , 131 Tests


Malcolm Marshall ( West Indies ) 376 , 81


CRICKET - ENGLISH COUNTY CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS .


cricket standings after Monday 's matches ( tabulated under


played , won , lost , drawn , batting bonus points , bowling bonus


CRICKET - ENGLISH COUNTY CHAMPIONSHIP RESULTS .


four-day English County Championship cricket matches on Monday :


At Colchester : Essex beat Gloucestershire by an innings and


Gloucestershire 280 and 188 ( J. Russell 57 , M. Lynch 50 ;

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Essex 532-8 declared ( G. Gooch 111 , R. Irani 91 ,

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P. Prichard 88 , D. Robinson 72 ; M. Alleyne 4-80 ) .

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D. Fulton 64 , N. Llong 63 , M. Walker 59 ) and second innings

B-PER I-PER O O B-PER I-PER O O B-PER I-PER O O O O O


Glamorgan first innings forfeited and 273-5 ( H. Morris


At Northampton : Northamptonshire beat Sussex by 6 wickets .


At Trent Bridge : Match abandoned as a draw - rain .


Nottinghamshire 446-9 declared and 53-0 .


Worcestershire 205-9 declared ( K. Spiring 52 ; A. Giles


( C. White 181 , R. Blakey 109 not out , M. Moxon 66 , M. Vaughan 57 ) .

O B-PER I-PER O O B-PER I-PER O O O O B-PER I-PER O O B-PER I-PER O O O


Lancashire 323 ( N. Fairbrother 86 , M. Watkinson 64 ; D. Gough 4-53 )

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and 231-7 ( N. Speak 77 , N. Fairbrother 55 ; D. Gough 4-48 ) .

O O O B-PER I-PER O O B-PER I-PER O O B-PER I-PER O O O


CRICKET - PAKISTAN BEAT ENGLAND BY NINE WICKETS IN THIRD TEST .


Pakistan beat England by nine wickets on the fifth day of the third and final test at The Oval on Monday to win the series 2-0 .

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Scores : England 326 and 242 ; Pakistan 521-8 declared and 48-1 .


CRICKET - ENGLAND V PAKISTAN FINAL TEST SCOREBOARD .


third and final test between England and Pakistan at the Oval on


England first innings 326 ( J. Crawley 106 , G. Thorpe 54 ; Waqar

B-LOC O O O O B-PER I-PER O O B-PER I-PER O O B-PER


Pakistan first innings 521-8 declared ( Saeed Anwar 176 ,


Salim Malik 100 not out , Ijaz Ahmed 61 )


England second innings ( overnight 74-0 )


M. Atherton c Inzamam-ul-Haq b Mushtaq Ahmed 43


A. Stewart c Asif Mujtaba b Mushtaq Ahmed 54

B-PER I-PER O B-PER I-PER O B-PER I-PER O


G. Thorpe c Wasim Akram b Mushtaq Ahmed 9


J. Crawley c Aamir Sohail b Wasim Akram 19


Bowling : Wasim Akram 15.4-1-67-3 , Waqar Younis 18-3-55-1 ,


Mushtaq Ahmed 37-10-78-6 , Aamir Sohail 2-1-4-0 , Mohammad Akram

B-PER I-PER O O B-PER I-PER O O B-PER I-PER


First test : Lord 's - Pakistan won by 164 runs


CRICKET - PAKISTAN NEED 48 RUNS TO WIN THIRD AND FINAL TEST .


England were dismissed for 242 in their second innings on the fifth day of the third and final test at The Oval on Monday leaving Pakistan requiring 48 runs to win .

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RUGBY LEAGUE - EUROPEAN SUPER LEAGUE RESULT / FINALS STANDINGS .

B-MISC I-MISC O B-MISC I-MISC I-MISC O O O O O


Final standings ( tabulated under played , won , drawn , lost ,


SOCCER - ENGLISH AND SCOTTISH LEAGUE FIXTURES - AUG 30-SEPT 1 .


English division one - West Bromwich v Sheffield United .

B-MISC O O O B-ORG I-ORG O B-ORG I-ORG O


English division three - Swansea v Lincoln .


English division one - Birmingham v Barnsley , Bradford v


Tranmere , Grimsby v Portsmouth , Huddersfield v Crystal Palace ,

B-ORG O B-ORG O B-ORG O B-ORG O B-ORG I-ORG O


Manchester City v Charlton , Norwich v Wolverhampton , Oldham v

B-ORG I-ORG O B-ORG O B-ORG O B-ORG O B-ORG O


Ipswich , Port Vale v Oxford , Reading v Stoke , Southend v

B-ORG O B-ORG I-ORG O B-ORG O B-ORG O B-ORG O B-ORG O


English division two - Blackpool v Wycombe , Bournemouth v


Peterborough , Bristol Rovers v Stockport , Bury v Bristol City ,

B-ORG O B-ORG I-ORG O B-ORG O B-ORG O B-ORG I-ORG O


Crewe v Watford , Gillingham v Chesterfield , Luton v Rotherham ,

B-ORG O B-ORG O B-ORG O B-ORG O B-ORG O B-ORG O


Millwall v Burnley , Notts County v York , Plymouth v Preston ,

B-ORG O B-ORG O B-ORG I-ORG O B-ORG O B-ORG O B-ORG O


Shrewsbury v Brentford , Walsall v Wrexham .


English division three - Brighton v Scunthorpe , Cambridge v


Cardiff , Colchester v Hereford , Doncaster v Darlington , Fulham v


Carlisle , Hull v Barnet , Leyton Orient v Hartlepool , Mansfield v

B-ORG O B-ORG O B-ORG O B-ORG I-ORG O B-ORG O B-ORG O


Rochdale , Scarborough v Northampton , Torquay v Exeter , Wigan v


Scottish division one - East Fife v Clydebank , Greenock

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Morton v Falkir , Partick v St Mirren , St Johnstone v

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Scottish division two - Ayr v Berwick , Clyde v Queen of the

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South , Dumbarton v Brechin , Livingston v Hamilton , Stenhousemuir

B-ORG O B-ORG O B-ORG O B-ORG O B-ORG O B-ORG


Scottish division three - Albion v Cowdenbeath , Arbroath v


East Stirling , Inverness v Alloa , Montrose v Ross County ,

B-ORG I-ORG O B-ORG O B-ORG O B-ORG O B-ORG I-ORG O


English division one - Queens Park Rangers v Bolton .

B-MISC O O O B-ORG I-ORG I-ORG O B-ORG O


SOCCER - COSTA RICA AND CHILE DRAW 1-1 IN FRIENDLY .


drew 1-1 ( halftime 1-0 ) in a friendly soccer international on


Costa Rica - Ronaldo Gonzalez ( 10th minute , penalty


SOCCER - SEYCHELLES FAIL IN BID FOR HISTORIC VICTORY .


The tiny islands of the Seychelles failed to make soccer history at the weekend when they bowed out of the preliminary rounds of the African Nations Cup .

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Trailing fellow Indian Ocean islanders Mauritius 1-0 from the first leg , they were held to a 1-1 draw at home on Saturday despite playing against 10 men for most of the match .

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The 2-1 aggregate took Mauritius into the group phase of the qualifiers for the 1998 finals , and kept up the Seychelles ' record of never having won an official match in their 10 years of FIFA membership .

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The Seychelles must have thought they were on course for a historic breakthrough when Mauritian midfielder Andre Caboche was sent off for a crude tackle in the 19th minute .

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But the visitors responded to the setback immediately -- veteran striker Ashley Mocude scoring a minute later to give them a two-goal aggregate lead .

O O O O O O O O O O O B-PER I-PER O O O O O O O O O O O O


Although Danny Rose 's 50th-minute equaliser gave the Seychellois renewed hope they could not find the net again and were eliminated .

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Mauritius now play in group seven of the qualifiers against Malawi , Mozambique and favourites Zambia .

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Namibia , who drew 0-0 with Botswana in their first leg , won the second leg in Windhoek 6-0 to stretch their unbeaten run to eight matches and continue their remarkable progress on the African soccer stage .

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They now play in group five with Cameroon , Gabon and Kenya .


German-based striker Bachirou Salou returned home to Togo to score the decisive only goal of their tie against Congo .

O O B-PER I-PER O O O B-LOC O O O O O O O O O O B-LOC O


Salou , who plays for MSV Duisburg in the Bundesliga , scored in the 53rd minute of Sunday 's match in Lome for a 1-0 aggregate win which takes his side into group six , where they will meet Liberia , Tanzania and Zaire .

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Ethiopia needed a penalty shoot-out in Addis Ababa to overcome Uganda after a 2-2 aggregate scoreline .

B-LOC O O O O O B-LOC I-LOC O O B-LOC O O O O O O


Both legs ended 1-1 before Ethiopia won the spot kick decider 4-2 .


Uganda 's elimination follows their humiliating 5-1 aggregate defeat by Angola in June 's World Cup qualifying preliminaries .

B-LOC O O O O O O O O O B-LOC O O O B-MISC I-MISC O O O


The other preliminary round second leg match , between Mauritania and Benin in Nouakchott , was postponed until Friday .

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SOCCER - AFRICAN NATIONS CUP COLLATED RESULTS .


Collated results of African Nations Cup preliminary round , second leg matches played at the weekend :

O O O B-MISC I-MISC I-MISC O O O O O O O O O O O


Central African Republic walkover v Burundi


Winners progress to qualifying groups to start in October .


SOCCER - UKRAINIAN PREMIER DIVISION RESULTS / STANDINGS .


Prykarpattya Ivano-Frankivsk 0 Zirka-Nibas Kirovohrad 0


Chornomorets Odessa 2 Metalurg Zaporizhya 1


Standings ( tabulated under played , won , drawn , lost , goals


SWIMMING - POPOV IN `SERIOUS CONDITION ' AFTER STABBING .


Russian double Olympic swimming champion Alexander Popov was in a serious condition on Monday after being stabbed on a Moscow street .

B-MISC O B-MISC O O B-PER I-PER O O O O O O O O O O O O B-LOC O O


A doctor said it was too early to say whether Popov , the only man to retain the Olympic 50 and 100 metres freestyle titles , would return to top-level sport .

O O O O O O O O O O B-PER O O O O O O O B-MISC O O O O O O O O O O O O O


" His condition is serious , " said Rimma Maslova , deputy chief doctor of Hospital No 31 in the Russian capital . "

O O O O O O O O B-PER I-PER O O O O O B-LOC I-LOC I-LOC O O B-MISC O O O


But he is conscious and is talking and smiling . "


Maslova told Reuters she was not an expert in sports medicine , but said it was too early to judge Popov 's chances of returning to competitive swimming .

B-PER O B-ORG O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B-PER O O O O O O O O


Popov , who won gold in the 50 and 100 metres freestyle at the recent Atlanta Olympics , was stabbed in the abdomen late on Saturday after an argument with a group of roadside watermelon sellers in south-west Moscow .

B-PER O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B-MISC I-MISC O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B-LOC O


Maslova said the wound had affected a lung and a kidney .


Doctors operated on Popov , 24 , for three hours .


Popov told NTV television on Sunday he was in no danger and promised he would be back in the pool shortly . "

B-PER O B-ORG O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O


We 're going to be walking soon -- and swimming , " he insisted cheerfully from his bed in the intensive care unit .

O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O


Interfax news agency said police had detained one of the attackers .


It said the row started when Popov and a group of his friends were returning from a party .

O O O O O O B-PER O O O O O O O O O O O O


Vitaly Smirnov , president of the Russian National Olympic Committee , said President Boris Yeltsin had given the swimmer Russia 's top award for his Olympic performance . "

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I am not a doctor but I think he is doing all right , " said Smirnov .


Smirnov said the Olympic Committee might ask the government to take measures to protect the country 's best athletes , some of whom have already chosen to live abroad for fear of a surge in crime in post-Soviet Russia .

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SOCCER - SLOVAK FIRST DIVISION RESULTS / STANDINGS .


division soccer matches at the weekend :


Petrimex Prievidza 2 FC Rimavska Sobota 0


Standings ( tabulate under games played , won , drawn , lost ,


SOCCER - HUNGARY FIRST DIVISION RESULTS / STANDINGS .


soccer results and standings from weekend and bank holiday :


Standings ( tabulated under played , won , drawn , lost , goals


*Name of Parmalat / Fehervar FC has been changed to Videoton .

O O B-ORG I-ORG I-ORG I-ORG O O O O B-ORG O


SOCCER - CZECH FIRST DIVISION RESULTS / STANDINGS .


first division soccer matches at the weekend :


Playing Monday : Viktoria Plzen v AC Sparta Praha


SOCCER - MEXICAN CHAMPIONSHIP RESULTS / STANDINGS .


SOCCER - PLAYERS LEAVE MATCH EARLY TO CATCH PLANE .


Two key players left a Brazilian championship match early on Sunday because they had to catch a plane to Russia to play with the national team .

O O O O O B-MISC O O O O O O O O O O O O O B-LOC O O O O O O O


Sao Paulo midfielder Andre and Santos defender Narciso were both substituted during their teams ' game , taken to Sao Paulo airport and flown to Rio de Janeiro in a private jet chartered by the Brazilian Football Confederation ( CBF ) .

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At Rio , they joined up with the national team squad for the journey to Moscow , where Brazil will face Russia in a friendly international on Wednesday .

O B-LOC O O O O O O O O O O O O O B-LOC O O B-LOC O O B-LOC O O O O O O O


The problem arose because the Sao Paulo-Santos clash was selected as the day 's televised live match , forcing it to be put back three hours from the usual kickoff time .

O O O O O B-ORG I-ORG O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O


Santos suffered more from their loss as Narciso 's replacement Jean gave away a penalty from which Sao Paulo scored the decisive goal in a 2-1 win .

B-ORG O O O O O O B-PER O O B-PER O O O O O O B-ORG I-ORG O O O O O O O O O


Sao Paulo lead the first stage of the championship on goal difference from surprise package Juventude , who beat Internacional 2-1 .

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Corinthians , who played in a tournament in Spain last week , also faced a plane marathon as they attempted to keep up with a hectic fixture list .

B-ORG O O O O O O O B-LOC O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O


They were due to leave Spain Monday night , arrive in Sao Paulo on Tuesday morning , catch another plane to the southern city of Curitiba one hour later and then play away to Atletico Paranaense in the Brazilian championship the same evening .

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Botafogo striker Tulio , who was overlooked by Zagalo for the tour which also features a game away to the Netherlands on Sunday , scored his third goal in three games as the defending champions beat Bahia 2-1 away .

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Tulio , who has been top-scorer in the competition for the last two seasons , has been struggling against injury for most of this year .

B-PER O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O


SOCCER - ARGENTINE CHAMPIONSHIP RESULTS .


opening weekend of the Argentine Apertura championship :


Playing Monday : Deportivo Espanol v Colon


Note : the Apertura is the first of two championships played


SOCCER - HONDURAS BEAT CUBA 4-0 IN FRIENDLY .


( halftime 3-0 ) in a friendly soccer international on Sunday .


Scorers : Juan Castro ( 3rd minute ) , Enrique Centeno ( 33rd and

O O B-PER I-PER O O O O O B-PER I-PER O O O


SOCCER - BRAZILIAN CHAMPIONSHIP RESULTS / STANDINGS .


soccer championship matches played at the weekend .


Standings ( tabulated under played , won , drawn , lost , goals


Note : Top eight teams qualify for the quarter-finals .


teams are level on points , positions are determined by the


BASKETBALL - PHILIPPINE PRO-LEAGUE RESULTS .


Results of semi-final round games played on late Sunday in the Philippine Basketball Association second conference , which includes American players :

O O O O O O O O O O O B-ORG I-ORG I-ORG O O O O O B-MISC O O


Formula Shell beat Ginebra San Miguel 89-86 ( 45-46 half-time )

B-ORG I-ORG O B-ORG I-ORG I-ORG O O O O O


SOCCER - RESULTS OF SOUTH KOREAN PRO-SOCCER GAMES .


Standings after games played on Sunday ( tabulate under -


won , drawn , lost , goals for , goals against , points ) :


BASEBALL - RESULTS OF S. KOREAN PRO-BASEBALL GAMES .


Standings after games played on Sunday ( tabulate under won ,


drawn , lost , winning percentage , games behind first place )


SOCCER - MOROCCAN FIRST DIVISION RESULTS .


TENNIS - QUENCH YOUR THIRST - IF YOU CAN AFFORD IT AT U.S. OPEN .


A message on television monitors all around the National Tennis Centre reads : " Due to hot weather please seek shade and drink plenty of fluids " -- sound advice until you check out the price of fluids .

O O O O O O O O B-LOC I-LOC I-LOC O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O


Perhaps the advisory was cut off before concluding : " ...and bring plenty of money . "


A small bottle of a garishly-coloured sports drink at the sun-drenched U.S. Open is going for $ 3.75 , while a litre of basic , life-sustaining water will set you back $ 4.00 -- for water ?

O O O O O O O O O O O B-MISC I-MISC O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O


" At the Olympics water was only a dollar , and that was the Olympics , " said one incredulous fan , noting that the Atlanta Games had been notorious for price gouging .

O O O B-MISC O O O O O O O O O O B-MISC O O O O O O O O O O B-MISC I-MISC O O O O O O O


U.S. Open officials managed to insult most of the male tennis players last week with their controversial handling of the seeding and draw .

B-MISC I-MISC O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O


When the tournament began on Monday it was the fans ' turn to be offended .


" That baked lasagna better be good for $ 8.50 , " said New Yorker Rebecca Weinstein , a U.S. Open regular who was eating a sandwich she had brought from home .

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A trio of hungry fans at the food court who had already forked over the lasagna money pronounced it good , but Carol Perry chimed in , " The water is ridiculous , they want four dollars for the water , you might as well get a glass of wine . "

O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B-PER I-PER O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O


Indeed , a nice glass of chardonnay or white zinfandel was going for $ 4.75 , while an imported beer was just a bit more than the water at $ 4.50 .

O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O


Maybe they want us to be alcoholics , " Perry joked before lifting her glass of wine .


Fans will be shelling out $ 12.50 for a hamburger and a large french fries .


And that little snack is guaranteed to make you thirsty .


Even a sandwich as pedestrian as a ham and swiss cheese is going for a whopping $ 8.00 .


Of course , it is served on a tuscan roll .


It must be the cost of flying those rolls over from Tuscany every day that drives up the price of the sandwich .

O O O O O O O O O O O B-LOC O O O O O O O O O O O


TENNIS - HUBER AND MALEEVA FALL , UP-AND-COMERS ADVANCE AT OPEN .


Martina Hingis led a youthful charge and Australian Open finalist Anke Huber and Magdalena Maleeva were fallen seeds on Monday in a hot , sunny opening to the U.S. Open tennis championships .

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The 15-year-old Hingis , seeded 16th , was honoured to play the first match of the season 's last Grand Slam on Stadium Court but happy to hurry off with a straight-sets victory over the 112th-ranked Angeles Montolio of Spain .

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" It was very hot and I did n't want to stay long on the court , " said a cheery Hingis , who had no worries in racing to a 6-1 6-0 victory against the overmatched Spaniard .

O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B-PER O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B-MISC O


Hoping for a longer engagement on the cement at Flushing Meadows were the sixth-seeded Huber of Germany and 12th seed Maleeva of Bulgaria .

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Huber , who lost to Monica Seles in the Australian Open final , fell victim to an unfortunate draw in bowing to dangerous floater Amanda Coetzer of South Africa .

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Coetzer , ranked 17th , avenged her defeat to Huber in the Australian Open semifinals by winning 6-1 2-6 6-2 .

B-PER O O O O O O O O B-PER O O B-MISC I-MISC O O O O O O O


" I looked at it as not a first round match , just a great challenge for me , " said Coetzer , 24 . "

O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B-PER O O O O


I was really concentrating on keeping my own momentum and my own rhythm .


" She is tough to play in that way because she plays very up and down .


She played one great game and than a few errors .


The challenge was just for me to keep playing my own game . "


Huber , who reached the final a week ago at Manhattan Beach , could only mourn her luck of the draw .

B-PER O O O O O O O O O B-LOC I-LOC O O O O O O O O O O


She was the first non- seeded player , " said the 21-year-old German . "


It 's always tough to play somebody like that in the first round in a Grand Slam .

O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B-MISC I-MISC O


" I think I did n't play that bad today .


It was maybe my best first round match in a Grand Slam I ever played . "

O O O O O O O O O O B-MISC I-MISC O O O O O


Monday brought the best out in U.S. Open rookie Aleksandra Olsza of Poland , ranked 110th .

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The 18-year-old Olsza , last year 's Wimbledon junior champion , celebrated her debut in the main draw of the Open by removing Maleeva 6-4 6-2 .

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The curtain-raising victories by Hingis and Olsza provided a ringing endorsement for the newest wave of women 's players coming up from the junior ranks .

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The Swiss teenager , a twice French Open junior champion and a Wimbledon juniors winner , had already proven her main stage mettle by reaching the quarters at this year 's Australian Open .

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" I hope I can get into the last 16 , " said Hingis , seeded to face third seed Arantxa Sanchez Vicario in the fourth round .

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Hingis has been working hard on conditioning and has lost eight pounds ( 3.5 kilos ) in advance of the championships .

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" There will be tough matches but I hope I can get there , " she said . "


Then we 'll see if Arantxa will be there , too . "


The fast-moving Olsza , 18 , was cool in her opening match .


" I was n't scared when I heard that I was playing Maleeva , " said Olsza . "

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I know that if I want to play professional tennis I have to do my best to try to beat her and I ca n't be scared . "

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Olsza is undaunted by the level of competition in the pros .


" In terms of tennis , I think the junior players are really good now .


In a few years , it could change a lot among the top players . "


Two big-serving women 's players made quick work of Japanese opponents .


Brenda Schultz-McCarthy of the Netherlands , the 13th seed , was a 6-1 6-4 winner over Japan 's Nana Miyaga , while Czech veteran Helena Sukova prevailed over Yone Kamio 6-2 6-3 .

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Austrian Barbara Paulus , seeded 14th , also reached the second round with a 6-2 6-1 victory over Yi Jing-Qian of China .

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TENNIS - STICH GLAD HE STAYED AFTER OPEN VICTORY .


Michael Stich nearly pulled out of the U.S. Open in protest over the men 's seeding fiasco but the former Wimbledon champion was glad he stayed after sweating out a four-set win on Monday over qualifier Tommy Haas .

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" I still feel it 's embarrassing what happened and I was about to pull out yesterday and say , ' That 's it , ' " said Stich , one of a host of men who cried foul over seeding procedures that forced an unprecedented remaking of the men 's draw last week .

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" But there are so many reasons to play , especially spectators and the kids who come out here and want to enjoy watching tennis , that I decided to stay . "

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In a break from tradition , the Open did not seed in strict accordance with ATP rankings , instead taking into account other factors that raised objections of favourtism toward U.S. players .

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One prominent player that did not stay for the Open was French Open champion Yvegeny Kafelnikov , who after being dropped three spots from his ATP ranking to a seventh seeding , withdrew and returned home to Russia .

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Kafelnikov had pulled out of last week 's tournament with a rib injury .


At a news conference attended by approximately 50 players on Sunday , U.S. Davis Cup player Todd Martin expressed the players ' outrage at the seedings .

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" The way the U.S. Open has seeded here , tampering with the ranking system , has tarnished the image and reputation of this U.S. Open in the players ' mind , and we think that is damaging to our sport , " Martin said .

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Stich said he felt the players ought to have organised an active protest .


" I feel that we made it a little easy for the USTA .


They did n't really get hurt as much as I think they should have , " said Stich . "

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I feel that we should have maybe just cancelled out the Monday , not show up today and start the tournament tomorrow . "

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But once the 27-year-old Stich got on the court , he focused his energies on trying to win the year 's last Grand Slam .

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He took a positive first step with his 6-3 1-6 6-1 7-5 win over compatriot Haas on a sun-baked Grandstand court .

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Others advancing early on Monday included 11th-seeded American Malivai Washington , the Wimbledon runner-up , Sweden 's Magnus Gustafsson , and two-time former French Open champion Sergi Bruguera of Spain , who will be Stich 's next opponent .

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The suspicion , however , lingers in Stich 's mind that U.S. Open officials did tamper with the seeding process in order to benefit homegrown players .

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" I get the feeling that everything is done here for the American players and they forget about all the other players , " said Stich , who lost the 1994 Open final to Andre Agassi .

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It was Agassi who was at the centre of the controversy that engulfed the tournament since the original draw was completed on Wednesday .

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The flamboyant American star was bumped up two spots from his ATP ranking of eight to a seeding of six .

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" He ( Agassi ) should be seeded the way he is playing tennis right now , " said Stich about the unfairness of moving up Agassi , who made early exits from the French Open and Wimbledon .

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Stich , not seeded here for the first time since 1990 , might have benefitted from some fiddling with the seedings himself after Kafelnikov withdrew .

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Ranked 18th in the world , Stich might have been slipped into that spot ahead of Spain 's Felix Mantilla , who is 16th but had never been played in the Open and had been left out of the seedings originally .

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But Stich did n't want to play that game .


" I think he deserves to be seeded as everybody else who is in the top 16 deserves to be seeded , " Stich said .

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TENNIS - MONDAY 'S RESULTS FROM U.S. OPEN .


Results of first round matches on Monday in the U.S. Open tennis championships at the National Tennis Centre ( prefix denotes seeding ) :

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16 - Martina Hingis ( Switzerland ) beat Angeles Montolio ( Spain ) 6-1 6-0

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Anne-Gaelle Sidot ( France ) beat Janette Husarova ( Slovakia ) 6-4 6-4

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13 - Brenda Schultz-McCarthy ( Netherlands ) beat Nana Miyagi ( Japan ) 6-1 6-4


Aleksandra Olsza ( Poland ) beat 12 - Magdalena Maleeva ( Bulgaria ) 6-4 6-2

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Michael Stich ( Germany ) beat Tommy Haas ( Germany ) 6-3 1-6 6-1 7-5

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Sergi Bruguera ( Spain ) beat Kris Goossens ( Belgium ) 6-2 6-0 7-6 ( 7-1 )

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Frederic Vitoux ( France ) beat Ramon Delgado ( Paraguay ) 6-4 6-4 7-6 ( 7-3 )


Henrietta Nagyova ( Slovakia ) beat Gala Leon Garcia ( Spain ) 6-1 4-6 6-3

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Asa Carlsson ( Sweden ) beat Gloria Pizzichini ( Italy ) 3-6 6-1 7-5

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Barbara Schett ( Austria ) beat Sabine Appelmans ( Belgium ) 1-6 6-4 6-4


Cristina Torrens-Valero ( Spain ) beat Sabine Hack ( Germany ) 2-6 6-4 6-2


Helena Sukova ( Czech Republic ) beat Yone Kamio ( Japan ) 6-2 6-3

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Irina Spirlea ( Romania ) beat Petra Begerow ( Germany ) 6-3 6-2


Maria Jose Gaidano ( Argentina ) beat Melanie Schnell ( Austria ) 6-4 6-0

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Kenneth Carlsen ( Denmark ) beat Patrick Rafter ( Australia ) 7-6 ( 9-7 ) 6-3 7-6 ( 8-6 )

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Magnus Gustafsson ( Sweden ) beat Carlos Costa ( Spain ) 7-5 4-6 7-6 ( 7-4 ) 6-3

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Jeff Tarango ( U.S. ) beat Alex Radulescu ( Romania ) 6-7 ( 5-7 ) 6-4 6-1 retired , heat exhaustion

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Dirk Dier ( Germany ) beat Chuck Adams ( U.S. ) 6-4 2-6 6-4 6-4


Jason Stoltenberg ( Australia ) beat Stefano Pescosolido ( Italy ) 7-5 6-4 6-1


Arnaud Boetsch ( France ) beat Nicolas Pereira ( Venezuela ) 7-6 ( 7-4 ) 6-4 7-5


David Prinosil ( Germany ) beat Peter Tramacchi ( Australia ) 6-3 6-2 3-6 6-7 ( 5-7 ) 6-1

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Amanda Coetzer ( South Africa ) beat 6 - Anke Huber ( Germany ) 6-1 2-6 6-2

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Anna Kournikova ( Russia ) beat Ludmila Richterova ( Czech Republic ) 7-6 ( 7-4 ) 6-3

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Debbie Graham ( U.S. ) beat Stephanie Deville ( Belarus ) 6-4 6-2


Barbara Rittner ( Germany ) beat Katarina Studenikova ( Slovakia ) 7-5 7-5


Kristina Brandi ( U.S. ) beat Andrea Glass ( Germany ) 6-2 6-3


Ines Gorrochategui ( Argentina ) beat Magdalena Grzybowska ( Poland ) 4-6 6-4 6-1


Alberto Berasategui ( Spain ) beat Cecil Mamiit ( U.S. ) 6-1 6-4 6-0


Guillaume Raoux ( France ) beat Filip Dewulf ( Belgium ) 7-6 ( 7-5 ) 3-6 1-6 6-4 7-5


Alex O'Brien ( U.S. ) beat Nicolas Lapentti ( Ecuador ) 6-4 1-6 6-4 6-3


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14 - Barbara Paulus ( Austria ) beat Yi Jing-Qian ( China ) 6-2 6-1

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Wang Shi-Ting ( Taiwan ) beat Corina Morariu ( U.S. ) 6-4 6-7 ( 5-7 ) 6-2


Linda Wild ( U.S. ) beat Sung-Hee Park ( South Korea ) 6-2 6-3

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Sarah Pitkowski ( France ) beat Meghann Shaughnessy ( U.S. ) 6-3 6- 3


Dally Randriantefy ( Madagascar ) beat Elena Makarova ( Russia ) 6- 3 1-6 7-5

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Laurence Courtois ( Belgium ) beat Flora Perfetti ( Italy ) 6-4 3-6 6-2

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Leander Paes ( India ) beat Marcos Ondruska ( South Africa ) 7-6 ( 7-3 ) 6-2 7-5

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Jan Siemerink ( Netherlands ) beat Carl-Uwe Steeb ( Germany ) 4-6 6 - 1 7-6 ( 7-4 ) 6-4


Neville Godwin ( South Africa ) beat Tomas Carbonell ( Spain ) 6-4 6-2 3-6 6-1

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Jim Grabb ( U.S. ) beat Sandon Stolle ( Australia ) 6-3 7-5 7-6 ( 7-4 )

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Alexandra Fusai ( France ) beat Jill Craybas ( U.S. ) 6-1 2-6 7-5

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Naoko Kijimuta ( Japan ) beat Tatyana Jecmenica ( Yugoslavia ) 6-3 6-2

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Nathalie Dechy ( France ) beat Christina Singer ( Germany ) 6-4 6-0


Jane Chi ( U.S. ) beat Maria Antonio Sanchez Lorenzo ( Spain ) 6-4 1-6 6-3

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Els Callens ( Belgium ) beat Nicole Bradtke ( Australia ) 7-6 ( 7-1 ) 7-6 ( 9-7 )


Natalia Baudone ( Italy ) beat Jolene Watanabe ( U.S. ) 6-4 4-6 7-6 ( 8-6 )


Ai Sugiyama ( Japan ) beat Jana Kandarr ( Germany ) 6-2 6-1


BASEBALL - CUBS EDGE BRAVES WITH RUN IN TOP OF NINTH .


Brian McRae singled in Tyler Houston in the top of the ninth inning to snap a tie as the Chicago Cubs avoided a three-game sweep with 3-2 victory over the Atlanta Braves on Sunday .

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The Braves scored four runs in the ninth for a 6-5 victory on Saturday .


Kevin Foster ( 5-2 ) won his second straight start , allowing two runs and six hits with two walks and three strikeouts over eight innings .

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" The biggest thing was my fastball , I was able to rotate it pretty good , " Foster said . "

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Also , I was able to keep my changeup down . "


At Colorado , Vinny Castilla homered twice and drove in four runs and Larry Walker went 3-for-4 with a homer and three RBI as the Colorado Rockies outslugged the Pittsburgh Pirates 13-9 in the rubber game of a three-game series .

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Castilla 's first homer of the game , a solo shot in the seventh off reliever Marc Wilkins ( 3-1 ) extended Colorado 's lead to 9-7 .

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He added a three-run homer in the eighth off John Ericks to make it 13-8 .


At Florida , Edgar Renteria 's two-out single in the bottom of the ninth inning scored Jesus Tavarez with the winning run as the Florida Marlins edged the Cincinnati Reds 6-5 .

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" Right after Edgar made contact , I knew I had to score , " said Tavarez . "

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I knew I would score even if he fielded it cleanly , he could n't throw me out . "


" Edgar is a tremendous player right now , " said Florida manager John Boles . "

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But I ca n't wait to see how good he 'll be when he grows up . "


In San Francisco , Osvaldo Fenandez fired a seven-hitter and Trenidad Hubbard belted a two-run homer as the San Francisco Giants ended a three-game losing streak by defeating the Montreal Expos , 7-2 .

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Fernandez ( 6-13 ) allowed two runs , walked one and struck out eight for his second career complete game , both against Montreal .

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In Los Angeles , Greg Gagne had a run-scoring single and Chad Curtis drew a bases-loaded walk in the bottom of the eighth inning as the Los Angeles Dodgers rallied for a 6-5 victory and a three-game sweep of the New York Mets .

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" It was one of these games where you get three straight pinch-hits and a walk of a pinch-hitter , that 's how you win pennants , " Dodgers manager Bill Russell said . "

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In San Diego , Steve Finley and Jody Reed drove in three runs apiece as the San Diego Padres built a six-run lead after three innings and cruised to an 11-2 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies .

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Ken Caminiti added two RBI for the Padres , who have won six of their last seven games and remained one game ahead of the Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League West .

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In Houston , Jeff Bagwell homered and Donne Wall allowed one run over seven innings as the Houston Astros defeated the St. Louis Cardinals 4-1 .

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Wall ( 8-4 ) allowed three hits , walked two and struck out seven as the Astros moved 1-1/2 games ahead of the Cardinals for the lead in the National League Central .

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He left the game with a knot in his right shoulder .


BASEBALL - MAJOR LEAGUE STANDINGS AFTER SUNDAY 'S GAMES .


standings after games played on Sunday ( tabulate under won ,


lost , winning percentage and games behind ) :


BASEBALL - BONDS ' CONSECUTIVE GAME STREAK ENDS .


San Francisco Giants All-Star left fielder Barry Bonds did not appear in Sunday 's 7-2 victory over the Montreal Expos , ending his consecutive games streak .

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After appearing as a pinch-hitter in the previous two games , Bonds , who has been battling a hamstring injury , did not see any action today , ending his streak at 357 consecutive games .

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It was the second-longest streak by an active player in the the majors behind Baltimore 's Cal Ripken , who appeared in his major-league record 2,282nd straight game today , a 13-0 loss to the California Angels .

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Bonds has been limited to a pinch-hitting role since an MRI Friday showed a mild strain of his left hamstring .

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Bonds came out of Wednesday 's game against New York in the ninth inning after suffering a mild hamstring strain .

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He was back in the starting lineup Thursday night and went 1-for-2 before exiting in the third inning .


The 32-year-old Bonds is hitting .307 with 35 homers and 107 RBI and has been one of the few bright spots for the last-place Giants .

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Chicago Cubs outfielder Sammy Sosa had the third-longest streak at 304 games , but that ended earlier this week when he suffered a broken bone in his right hand .

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Atlanta Braves first baseman Fred McGriff owns the second-longest streak at 295 games .

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SOCCER - JONK RETURNS TO DUTCH SQUAD FOR BRAZIL FRIENDLY .


Dutch coach Guus Hiddink on Monday recalled midfielder Wim Jonk after a 14-month absence for a friendly against World Cup holders Brazil in Amsterdam on Sunday .

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Feyenoord midfielder Jean-Paul van Gastel was also named to make his debut in the 18-man squad .

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Hiddink did not name a replacement captain for Danny Blind , who announced his retirement from international soccer on Sunday .

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Ronald de Boer and Dennis Bergkamp are the likely contenders to lead the team .

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The 35-year-old Blind , who won 42 caps for the Netherlands , said he wanted to concentrate on playing for his Dutch club Ajax Amsterdam .

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AC Milan midfielder Edgar Davids , who was sent home early from the European championship in England after a clash with the coach , was left out of the squad .

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Goalkeepers - Edwin van der Sar ( Ajax ) , Ed de Goey ( Feyenoord ) .

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Defenders - Frank de Boer ( Ajax ) , John Veldman ( Ajax ) , Jaap Stam ( PSV ) , Arthur Numan ( PSV ) , Michael Reiziger ( AC Milan ) , Johan de Kock ( Schalke ' 04 ) .

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Midfielders - Richard Witschge ( Ajax ) , Philip Cocu ( PSV ) , Wim Jonk ( PSV ) , Aron Winter ( Internazionale ) , Jean-Paul van Gastel ( Feyenoord ) , Clarence Seedorf ( Real Madrid ) .

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Strikers - Ronald de Boer ( Ajax ) , Gaston Taument ( Feyenoord ) , Jordi Cruyff ( Manchester United ) , Dennis Bergkamp ( Arsenal ) .

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SOCCER - BARCELONA BEAT ATLETICO 5-2 IN SUPERCUP .


Barcelona beat Atletico Madrid 5-2 ( halftime 2-1 ) in the Spanish Supercup on Sunday :

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Barcelona - Ronaldo ( 5th and 89th minutes ) , Giovanni ( 31st ) , Pizzi ( 73rd ) , De la Pena ( 75th )

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Atletico Madrid - Esnaider ( 37th ) , Pantic ( 57th , penalty )

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SOCCER - AUSTRIA FIRST DIVISION RESULTS / STANDINGS .


division soccer match played on Sunday :


Standings ( tabulated under played , won , drawn , lost , goals


CRICKET - AUSTRALIA BEAT ZIMBABWE BY 125 RUNS IN ONE-DAY MATCH .


Australia beat Zimbabwe by 125 runs in the first match of the Singer World Series one-day ( 50 overs ) cricket tournament on Monday .

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Scores : Australia 263-7 in 50 overs , Zimbabwe 138 all out in 41 overs .


CRICKET - SCOREBOARD-AUSTRALIA V ZIMBABWE ONE-DAY SCOREBOARD .


Series one-day ( 50 overs ) cricket match between Australia and


Total ( for seven wickets - 50 overs ) 263


Did not bat : P. Reiffel , D. Flemming , G. McGrath

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CRICKET - AUSTRALIA 263-7 IN 50 OVERS V ZIMBABWE .


Australia scored 263-7 in their 50 overs against Zimbabwe in the first day-night limited overs match of the Singer World Series tournament on Monday .

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CRICKET - AUSTRALIA WIN TOSS , OPT TO BAT AGAINST ZIMBABWE .


Australia won the toss and decided to bat against Zimbabwe in the first day-night limited overs match of the Singer World Series tournament on Monday .

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Australia - Mark Waugh , Michael Slater , Ricky Ponting , Steve Waugh , Stuart Law , Michael Bevan , Ian Healy ( captain ) , Brad Hogg , Paul Reiffel , Damein Fleming , Glenn McGrath .

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Zimbabwe - Alistair Campbell ( captain ) , Andy Flower , Grant Flower , Guy Whittall , Craig Evans , Eddo Brandes , Heath Streak , Paul Strang , Craig Wishart , Ali Shah , Mark Dekker .

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This is the leading story in the Mozambican press on Monday .


Reuters has not verified this story and does not vouch for its accuracy .


- At least 20 people were killed when the two trucks in which they were travelling collided at Nhamavila about 160 km north of Maputo on Saturday , the Maputo daily Noticias said .

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Lamonts Apparel files reorganization plan .


Lamonts Apparel Inc , an operator of 42 family apparel stores in six northwestern states , said it has filed a reorganization plan in bankruptcy court in Seattle .

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( Corrects to make clear a reorganization plan has been filed ) .


The reorganization plan calls for all secured claims to be paid in full .


Unsecured claims , including those of company bondholders , will be satisfied by issuing new common stock and warrants .


Unsecured claims are estimated at about $ 90 million .


Lamonts said it plans to issue 9 million shares of new common stock .


Of that amount , 4.05 million and 5.67 million shares will be allocated to the company 's trade creditors .


Between 4.75 and 3.13 million shares will be allocated to bondholders and other unsecured non-trade creditors and 200,000 will be allocated to existing shareholders in exchange for all existing stock of the company .

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Bondholders and other unsecured non-trade creditors will receive warrants four about 2.2 million shares when the company 's market capitalization reaches $ 20 million .

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Bondholders , other unsecured non-trade creditors , and existing shareholders also will receive warrants entitling them to roughly 800,000 shares when the company 's market capitalization reaches $ 25 million .

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Management will receive options to purchase 10 percent of the company 's outstanding common stock with protection against dilution at an option exercise price of $ 1 million .

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Passengers rescued from blazing ferry off France .


More than 100 people were safely evacuated on Monday from a ferry that caught fire soon after leaving Guernsey in Britain 's Channel Islands , police said .

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Police said the 111 passengers and six crew on board the ferry Trident Seven , owned by France 's Emeraud line , were rescued by a variety of private and commercial boats after fire broke out in the engine room soon after it left port .

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An 88-year-old woman was taken to hospital with leg injuries , according to a spokesman for Guernsey police .

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The ferry , which was towed into port , had been bound for Jersey , another in a cluster of small British-ruled islands off north-west France .

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OSCE delays decision on refugee voting .


Bosnia 's election organisers will decide on Tuesday whether or not to postpone municipal elections scheduled as part of nationwide balloting , an OSCE spokeswoman said on Monday .

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Officials from the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe ( OSCE ) are considering the postponement following allegations of serious irregularities in the registration of Serb refugees .

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International observers say the alleged irregularities could affect the outcome of voting for municipal assemblies .


the Provisional Election Commission will consider the possible postponement of municipal elections only ...


the other elections will be held on September 14 , " OSCE spokeswoman Agota Kuperman told reporters in Sarajevo .

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" I think that it would be very difficult to select which municipal elections would have to be cancelled .


I think probably if the decision ( to cancell ) were to be taken it would probably be all municipal elections ..

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Kuperman added that options other than postponement were also on the table , but she refused to specify what they were .

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The Dayton peace agreement gave the OSCE a mandate to organise Bosnian elections .

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The Provisional Election Commission is OSCE 's top rule-making body for the poll .

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More than 600,000 refugees have registered to vote in 55 countries around the world , representing about 20 per cent of Bosnia 's total electorate .

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They are due to begin voting on Wednesday , August 28 , just one day after the PEC is supposed to make its decision .

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Balloting inside Bosnia is scheduled for September 14 , when citizens are slated to elect municipal and cantonal assemblies , separate Moslem-Croat and Serb parliaments , a national House of Representatives and a three-man Presidency .

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A Sarajevo daily newspaper , Dnevi Avaz , which is close to Bosnia 's Moslem nationalist SDA party , on Monday said the OSCE would postpone the municipal-level elections until the Spring of 1997 because of the refugee registration problems .

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SDA has a representative on the Provisional Election Commission .


" I do n't know what the source of the Dnevi Avaz report is , but it is consistent with what I have heard from western diplomats and from inside the OSCE , " said an OSCE staff member in Sarajevo who asked not to be named .

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" The word is that Frowick has decided to postpone municipal elections but that he will wait for one more session of the PEC on Tuesday to take everyone 's temperature on the issue . "

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Ambassador Robert Frowick , an American , heads the OSCE mission in Bosnia .

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OSCE and independent monitors allege that Serb authorities have systematically discouraged refugees from registering to cast a ballot in the places they lived before the war .

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Instead , the refugees were said to have been directed by their authorities to vote from strategic towns which had Moslem majorities before the 43-month Bosnian war , but which are now underpopulated as a result of " ethnic cleansing " .

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Diplomats explain the purpose of this electoral engineering is to secure Serb control over pivotal towns inside the 49 per cent of Bosnia known as the Serb republic , consolidating through the ballot box what was initially taken in war .

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The top U.N. refugee official in the Balkans highlighted the voter registration problem on Monday .


" Results of the registration for September elections herald a dismal future for multi-ethnicity in Bosia-Hercegovina , " warned Soren Jessen-Petersen , Special Envoy for the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees in Former Yugoslavia .

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" In the run-up to elections , nationalistic political leaders are playing the ethnic / sectarian card , drumming up support within their constituencies by playing on bitter memories or fear . "

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After truce , Lebed faces tougher Chechen problem .


Alexander Lebed may finally get to discuss his Chechen peace proposals with Boris Yeltsin on Tuesday after a lost weekend in the region when he was forced to abandon plans to sign a new political treaty with the separatist rebels .

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It could be a sobering experience for the Kremlin security chief who , just two months after being appointed by the president and two heady weeks after taking charge of the Chechen crisis , had promised to wrap up the 20-month war by the weekend .

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Despite a mood of compromise in the region after some of the worst fighting of the war , Lebed may be just finding out that concluding a long-term settlement , somewhere between rebel demands for independence and Moscow 's insistence that Chechnya remain part of Russia , will be no easy matter .

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A chain-smoking former paratroop general with a sharp line in deadpan putdowns and a soldier 's knack for making life sound simple , Lebed managed to arrange an ambitious ceasefire in the region last week , days after the Russian army threatened to bomb its way back into the rebel-held Chechen capital Grozny .

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He returned at the weekend , pledging to conclude a political settlement that would make this truce work where all others have failed .

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But then he apparently thought better of it .


Saying he needed to tidy up legal loose ends on the deal -- and also cover his back against unnamed pro-war schemers in Moscow -- he flew back to the capital empty-handed on Sunday .

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He met Russian Prime Minister Viktor Chernomyrdin on Monday and , according to the press service of Lebed 's Security Council , could meet Yeltsin on Tuesday .

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It was not clear if the start of Yeltsin 's holiday , announced later , would affect plans to talk .

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Moscow 's as yet undisclosed proposals on Chechnya 's political future have , meanwhile , been sent back to do the rounds of various government departments .

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It is not known what caused the delay in the peace plan .


Speculation mounted last week that Lebed was operating out on a limb in Chechnya as Yeltsin , hardly seen since his reelection last month , kept out of sight and then gave an interview criticising his envoy just as he clinched a truce .

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But Chernomyrdin took pains at the weekend to insist Lebed was playing for a united team and that the proposals he took to rebel chief-of-staff Aslan Maskhadov had been agreed by Yeltsin .

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If that were the case , it was unclear why Lebed suddenly found it necessary to have the deal verified in Moscow .

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Lebed himself said he was concerned that powerful interests in Moscow , who have profited from the war and want it to go on , would seize on any inadequacy in the deal to remove him .

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Maskhadov warned that Lebed risked the same fate as a former Russian army commander in the region who sought a compromise and was blown up last year by -- so the Chechens say -- Russian forces .

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Maskhadov may also have made new demands on Lebed , forcing him to check back with the Kremlin on what he could offer .

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A rebel spokesman said the two military men had come close to agreement on a face-saving formula acceptable to both sides and involving a referendum on independence at some future date .

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Chernomyrdin said voters should decide Chechnya 's future but stressed there was no question of the government letting the region quit the Russian Federation -- something Moscow fears could encourage separatist tendencies in other ethnic regions , particularly in the strategic North Caucasus .

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Lebed may be be finding that closing that political gap between the two sides is more difficult than just ending a war .

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Yeltsin on holiday from Monday - Interfax .


Russian President Boris Yeltsin began a new summer holiday on Monday but would remain in control of affairs of state , Interfax news agency said .

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" The head of state 's holiday has only just begun , " the agency quoted Sergei Yastrzhembsky as saying , adding that the president was currently in a Kremlin residence near Moscow .

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Interfax said Yastrezhembsky did not exclude that Yeltsin could spend some time in other places .

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He would continue working on various documents and might meet " one state offical or another " .


" One must give B. Yeltsin a chance to rest and recover his health after the elections , " Interfax quoted Yastrezhembsky as saying .

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" ( Yeltsin ) controls internal and international policies , daily receives a big packet of documents from Moscow , which demand his intervention ...

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Many of those documents return to the president 's administration the same day , " he said .


Yeltsin went on a two-day trip outside Moscow last week to check out a holiday home .

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Yugo Zastava workers ' protest enters 2nd week .


Thousands of workers of Serbia 's Zastava arms factory entered the second week of protests on Monday over unpaid wages and the lack of a programme to revive the plant 's production .

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" We are stubborn , have strength and time to persist until our demands are met , " said the factory 's trade union secretary Dragutin Stanojlovic .

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" We are united and we are waiting for the government to decide what to do with us . "


Trade unions demanded payment of June and July wages and last year 's holiday pay , and called on government to develop a revival programme for the plant .

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The former Yugoslav national army consumed 90 percent of Zastava 's pre-war output , but like the rest of Yugoslavia 's economy , the new army of Serbia and Montenegro is crippled by lack of funds .

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In Kragujevac where the plant is based , 9,000 to 10,000 people gathered in the central square to express their bitterness at what Stanojlovic called government indifference .

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The ruling Socialist Party last week accused Serbia 's opposition of stirring up social unrest and using workers ' already difficult social position for their own interests .

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" Late wages , no work and ( the lack of a ) production programme are the main reasons for their protests , " a senior member of the local Socialist Party branch told Reuters .

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" But there is a significant influence of opposition parties that are collecting points ahead of coming elections . "


Federal Yugoslav elections are due on November 3 .


The party official said the union 's figure on the number of protesters was exaggerated . "


There were about 1,400 to 1,600 people at the protest today -- much less then last week .


" But there were more observers and passers by , " he said .


Croatian lending rate falls to 8.0 vs 9.1 pct .


The Croatian lending rate fell to 8.0 percent on Monday from last Friday 's 9.1 percent after thin demand for kuna forced bank lenders to trim their rates further .

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Interbank call money was down to 8.0 from 10.0 percent .


Insurers ' five-10 and 10-15 day loans were made at a steady 8.0 percent after last week 's drop from an earlier 15 percent .

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Total Zagreb Money Market settlements shrank to 17.4 million kuna , of which dealers put new borrowing at a meagre 5.5 million .

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Supply stood at a high 180 million kuna .


Overnight trade at the weekend left a surplus of 1.2 billion kuna on the supply side after 40 million were settled .

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Croatia 's central bank again stayed out of the foreign exchange market .


It calculated the kuna midrates for Tuesday 's trade stronger at 5.2420 against the dollar and slightly weaker at 3.5486 against the German mark .

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-- Kolumbina Bencevic , Zagreb Newsroom , 385-1-4557075


SVCD Bulgaria air traffic controllers to strike September 3 .


Bulgarian air traffic controllers will go on strike on September 3 demanding higher pay , the chief of the Bulgarian association of air traffic controllers ( Bulatka ) said on Monday .

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Stefan Raichev told a news conference the strike by more than half of the 1,380 traffic controllers and technicians would paralyse traffic which has increased by 10 percent since last year .

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More than 1,500 planes per day fly over Bulgaria , in a strategic location between Europe and the Middle and the Far East , Raichev said .

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The director general of the air traffic service Valentin Valkov said last Friday that a controllers ' strike would be illegal .

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Valkov said he could not curb the summer charter flights of national carrier Balkan Airlines , which carries thousands of foreign tourists to the Bulgarian Black Sea resorts .

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But Raichev said it would be " discrimination " against the other airlines if only Balkan planes were guided in .

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" Under the law before launching the strike we have to sign an agreement with our employer for a minimal transport servicing of emergency flights , " Raichev said .

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Raichev said a lock-out with military air controllers was impossible as they did not speak English .

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The controllers are demanding the monthly wage be increased to $ 1,000 per month from the current $ 230 , as well as the resignation of the air traffic service 's management .

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They also demand the financial separation of the 350 air controllers from the technical staff .


-- Liliana Semerdjieva , Sofia Newsroom , 359-2-84561


Naina Yeltsin , wife of the Russian president , has undergone " a planned operation " on her left kidney and is in a satisfactory condition , Itar-Tass news agency said on Monday .

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Tass quoted the Kremlin press service as saying the operation took place on Saturday in the Central Clinical Hospital which treats top officials .

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Mrs Yeltsin would be released from hospital in a few days .


Doctor Sergei Mironov told Tass Naina was " in permanent contact " with her husband and two daughters , Yelena and Tatyana .

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The state of health of Boris Yeltsin , who had two heart attacks last year , has been the centre of media and market speculation after he won a second term in office in the July 3 election run-off and all but disappeared from the public eye .

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A presidential spokesman said on Monday Yeltsin was in Moscow but could give no details about his agenda or whether meetings were planned .

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Yeltsin is expected to go on holiday in the near future , but officials have not yet said where he will go or when .

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Mostostal Z shareholders approve bonds .


Shareholders of the Polish construction firm Mostostal Zabrze Holding SA approved a 25- million-zloty , five-year convertible issue with a par value of 100 zlotys each , the company 's spokesman said on Monday .

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Piotr Grabowski told Reuters that a Mostostal extraordinary shareholders meeting on Saturday had decided that the price of the 250,000 bonds would be set as a 10-session average price of Mostostal shares plus a premium .

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" The premium will be no lower than 15 percent and will be set by management before the issue ...


which we expect at the beginning of next year , " Grabowksi said .


Mostostal , based in southern Poland , wants to offer the bonds to large investors in a public offering , paying an annual coupon of no more than 80 percent of the yield of the benchmark 52-week T-bill .

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The firm has signed an agreement with the Polish Development Bank ( PBR ) to manage the issue and plans them to be listed on the Warsaw bourse 's bond market .

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Grabowski also said shareholders approved the issue of 1.6 million shares for which the bonds could be exchanged , a ratio of 6.4 shares per bond .

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He also said shareholders approved the issue of 2.6 million new shares , two million of which are earmarked for large investors and 600,000 for retail domestic investors .

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The price will be determined through book-building .


Mostostal plans to use the proceeds from the issues to add companies to its holding and modernise its plant .

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Unknown group kidnaps Dutch couple in Costa Rica .


Kidnappers have seized a Dutch couple who manage a farm in northern Costa Rica and have demanded a $ 1.5 million ransom , authorities said on Monday .

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Officials said Humberto Hueite Zyrecha and his wife Jetty Kors , both 50 , were kidnapped late on Saturday or early Sunday .

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Misael Valerio , head of border police at the Security Ministry , told reporters surveillance of the northern border with Nicaragua has been stepped up to keep the kidnappers from fleeing Costa Rica .

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Preliminary reports said the couple were kidnapped on the " Altamira " farm , owned by Dutchman Richard Wisinga , at Aguas Zarcas de San Carlos near the Costa Rica-Nicaragua border .

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Unconfirmed news reports said a vehicle belonging to them was found abandoned at Santa Maria de Pocosol , about 12 miles ( 20 km ) north of the site of the abduction .

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