Fair Proxy Web

Chelsea close in on leading pair

LONDON, England — Chelsea moved to within three points of the top two sides in the English Premier League by winning 2-0 at Wigan.

While leaders Arsenal and close rivals Manchester United drew 2-2 Chelsea extended their successive run of victories under Avram Grant to seven and their goal tally to 12 in their last three outings

It was their third straight away win in the league without conceding and Frank Lampard followed his midweek hat-trick in the League Cup with an 11th minute opener at Wigan.

Seven minutes later full-back Juliano Belletti scored his first goal since his move from Barcelona.

Liverpool’s erratic form continued in a 0-0 draw at Blackburn.

Rafa Benitez’s side have won only one of their last four league games and have slipped to seventh in the table.

Although Blackburn twice hit the woodwork in the first period they could not stretch their seven-match winning run. In fact only poor finishing by Dirk Kuyt and great goalkeeping by former Liverpool man Brad Friedel denied Liverpool.

New Tottenham manager Juande Ramos saw his side held 1-1 as Middlesbrough fought back at the Riverside Stadium.

Ramos dropped star strikers Robbie Keane and Dimitar Berbatov and the move paid off when Darren Bent gave Spurs a 35th minute lead.

It was Bent’s first league goal since August and only his third since his club record move to White Hart Lane.

Luke Young equalized in the 52nd minute and Spurs remain deep in trouble only one place above the bottom three, level on points with 18th club Wigan.

Portsmouth won 4-1 at Newcastle stunning Sam Allardyce’s side with a three-goal blast in the space of three first-half minutes at St James’ Park.

Noe Pamarot struck in the eighth minute, Zimbabwean striker Benjani Mwaruwari added a second a minute later with his eighth goal of the season and John Utaka was on target after 11 minutes.

Portsmouth’s Sol Campbell put through his own goal five minutes later but Niko Kranjcar’s free-kick, deflected in off Steven Taylor, wrapped up Portsmouth’s fourth consecutive away league win and only their first victory at Newcastle for 58 years..

Everton scored twice in stoppage time to beat Birmingham 3-1.

Yakubu’s 10th minute strike put Everton ahead and Birmingham leveled through Olivier Kapo in the 80th minute goal. Birmingham’s hopes of an away point were dashed when Lee Carsley and James Vaughan scored in the dying minutes.

Aston Villa left struggling Derby rooted to the bottom of the table as second half goals from Martin Laursen and Ashley Young clinched a 2-0 victory.

Derby have won only one of their first 12 matches and already look destined for a quick return to the Championship.

Fulham achieved their first league success in 10 matches by beating Reading 3-1.

West Ham host Bolton on Sunday and Manchester City face Sunderland on Monday E-mail to a friend

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Pakistan under martial law

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (CNN) — Pakistani President Gen. Pervez Musharraf said he declared a state of emergency and martial law Saturday because Pakistan is at a critical and dangerous juncture.

The nation is going through some very rapid changes, Musharraf said in a televised address to the nation after declaring martial law.

Despite immediate condemnation from within and outside his nation, he insisted that his actions are for the good of the country and the move is to stabilize unrest.

Musharraf had earlier in the day issued an order proclaiming the emergency and suspending the nation’s constitution, according to a statement read on state television, and declaring martial law.

The Supreme Court declared the state of emergency illegal, claiming Musharraf had no power to suspend the constitution, Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammed Chaudhry said.

A senior Pakistani official said the emergency declaration will be short-lived, and will be followed by an interim government. Martial law is a way to restore law and order, he said.

Shortly afterward, Chaudhry was expelled as chief justice, his office said. Troops came to Chaudhry’s office to tell him.

The government appointed Justice Abdul Hameed Dogar as the new chief justice, according to state television.

It was the second time Chaudhry was removed from his post. His ousting by Musharraf in May prompted massive protests, and he was later reinstated. See a timeline of upheaval in Pakistan

In Islamabad, troops entered the Supreme Court and were surrounding the judges’ homes, according to CNN’s Syed Mohsin Naqvi.

Supreme Court sources said some judges who were not in Islamabad were not at their homes, and it was not known whether they had been arrested.

Aitzaz Ahsan, a leading Pakistani attorney and president of the Supreme Court Bar Association, was arrested at his home. A former interior minister, Ahsan represented Chaudhry the first time he was forced to leave his post.

The White House called Musharraf’s action disappointing.

President Musharraf needs to stand by his pledges to have free and fair elections in January and step down as chief of army staff before retaking the presidential oath of office, said National Security Council spokesman Gordon Johndroe.

All parties involved should move along the democratic path peacefully and quickly.

U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, who is in Turkey for a conference with Iraq and neighboring nations, told CNN’s Zain Verjee the developments in Pakistan were highly regrettable.

The United States doesn’t support any extra-constitutional measures taken by Musharraf, Rice said, urging restraint so violence can be avoided.

In Britain, Foreign Secretary David Miliband said in a statement, We recognize the threat to peace and security faced by the country, but its future rests on harnessing the power of democracy and the rule of law to achieve the goals of stability, development and countering terrorism. I am gravely concerned by the measures adopted today, which will take Pakistan further from these goals.

Meanwhile, former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, who left Pakistan last week to visit her family in Dubai, arrived in Karachi on Saturday.

She returned to Pakistan last month, despite death threats, after several years in exile.

On October 18, upon her return, at least 130 people were killed when a suicide attacker tried to assassinate her. Bhutto was lightly wounded, but escaped largely unharmed.

Bhutto has pledged to help her party succeed in January’s parliamentary elections. She hopes to gain a third term as prime minister, possibly under a power-sharing deal with Musharraf.

The people of Pakistan will not accept it, Bhutto spokesman Farhatullah Babar said of the emergency declaration. We condemn this move.

The declaration prompted a few hundred people to take to the streets in protest, but police and paramilitary groups blocked Islamabad’s main roads and dispersed the crowds.

Earlier, private networks had reported the declaration was imminent as top officials huddled at Musharraf’s residence in Rawalpindi. Shortly after that report, most media channels went off the air in an apparent blackout, although some flickered off and on.

The declaration could delay approaching parliamentary elections, according to CNN’s Nic Robertson. It also could provide Musharraf with a reason to continue serving as the nation’s military chief.

The nation’s political atmosphere has been tense for months, with Pakistani leaders in August considering a state of emergency because of the growing security threats in the country’s lawless tribal regions. But Musharraf, influenced in part by Rice, held off on the move. Watch a report on the volatile situation in Pakistan

Since that time, Musharraf has faced a flurry of criticism from the opposition, who demanded he abandon his military position before becoming eligible to seek a third presidential term. Musharraf garnered a vast majority of votes in presidential elections last month; however, those results have not been certified by the nation’s high court.

For weeks, the country has been coasting in a state of political limbo while the Supreme Court works to tackle legal challenges filed by the opposition that call into question Musharraf’s eligibility to hold office. Some have speculated that the declaration of emergency was tied to rumors the court is planning to rule against Musharraf.

Musharraf, who led the 1999 coup as Pakistan’s army chief, has seen his power erode since the failed effort to oust Chaudhry. His administration is also struggling to contain a surge in Islamic militancy.
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Rossi fractures his hand in crash

VALENCIA, Spain — Valentino Rossi could miss a race for the first time in his career on Sunday after fracturing a hand in three places in a crash during qualifying for the Spanish Grand Prix in Valencia.

Rossi, who needs one point from the race to ensure a second place finish in the championship behind Casey Stoner had not given up hope of competing after being taken to a clinic near the track.

Yamaha said a decision would be taken on Sunday morning.

Rossi said: I lost the back under acceleration in the first corner, 10 minutes before the end of the session.

I tried to correct the bike but it was too late. I knew straight away that I’d fractured my hand. I also hurt my lower back but apparently there’s nothing wrong there.

If Rossi does take part he will start 17th and only needs to move up two places during the race to snatch the point he needs for second place overall. E-mail to a friend

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Noel takes aim at New England

BOSTON, Massachusetts (AP) — High wind and heavy surf hit parts of the East Coast on Saturday as the remnants of Hurricane Noel blustered northeastward across the open Atlantic toward the shores of New England.

The worst of the storm could hit during high tide on Saturday, said National Weather Service meteorologist Bill Simpson.

The timing is not that good, he said.

High wind warnings were in effect for coastal Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Maine, New Jersey and the eastern tip of New York’s Long Island.

Sustained winds were expected to reach 40 to 50 mph along the New England coast, potentially up to 70 mph on the coast of Maine. The worst of the wind was expected on Cape Cod and the islands, where gusts could reach 90 mph, the weather service said.

Although the center of the storm was expected to pass about 175 miles east of the eastern tip of Long Island, wind was already affecting that area Saturday morning, with the Long Island Power Authority reporting more than 300 customers blacked out.

Up to 2 inches of rain could fall on eastern Long Island, with winds gusting to 70 mph, the weather service said.

Noel had been blamed for at least 48 deaths in Haiti and 82 in the Dominican Republic, and thousands were homeless because of catastrophic flooding. One death was linked to the storm in the Bahamas, along with one in Jamaica. Extensive damage was reported in Cuba.

On Saturday, coastal flood warning and flood watches were in effect up and down the New England coast.

Simpson said Cape Cod could see up to 5 inches of rain, with about 3 inches elsewhere on the Massachusetts coast and up to Maine.

The weather service also posted a winter storm watch for northwestern Maine, where rain was expected to change to snow during the night and produce accumulations of up to 7 inches at higher elevations.

Some coastal residents weren’t taking chances. At a Waldbaum’s grocery store in the Long Island community of Long Beach, shoppers loaded up on flashlights, bottled water and snacks — almost like they are having a party, assistant manager Vinny Salamone said.

The deaths in Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Jamaica and the Bahamas made Noel the deadliest storm of the 2007 Atlantic hurricane season.

U.S. Southern Command officials said Friday they would send rescue teams to the Dominican Republic during the weekend. Two helicopters from the U.S. Coast Guard already had been deployed. The United States has contributed more than $1 million in aid.

The United Nations, which has a large peacekeeping force in Haiti, planned to send helicopters to survey flood damage over the country’s southern peninsula, which was hit hard by the storm. E-mail to a friend

Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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Late Gallas strike rescues Arsenal

LONDON, England — William Gallas scored in the second minute of time added on to earn Arsenal a dramatic 2-2 at home to Manchester United — a result that keeps the Gunners top of the Premier League.

Cristiano Ronaldo appeared to have secured a ninth straight league win for United with eight minutes left, but there was still time for Gallas to have the final say when he bundled home from close range to maintain Arsenal’s unbeaten record this season.

The eagerly-awaited clash between English football’s top two teams did not disappoint in front of a packed house at the Emirates Stadium.

Both teams had chances to score early on. Ryan Giggs had an opportunity at the back post from Ronaldo’s cross, but stabbed his effort wide, while Gallas met Cesc Fabregas’ sublime free-kick with a firm downward header, but United goalkeeper Edwin Van der Sar was up to the task.

However, United snatched the lead on the stroke of half-time. Wes Brown looked to have bundled Alexander Hleb off the ball before he slipped in Ronaldo down the right.

His low cross was met by Wayne Rooney at the near post, whose scuffed shot deflected up off the diving Gallas and past Manuel Almunia in the Arsenal goal.

Arsenal’s response was immediate, drawing level just three minutes into the second half.

Emmanuel Eboue floated the ball over from the right into the penalty area, where Emmanuel Adebayor had timed his run perfectly.

Van der Sar was out quickly to block the Togo striker’s volleyed effort. However, the loose ball broke to Bacary Sagna, who squared it back for Fabregas to calmly drill home his 11th goal of the season.

Although Arsenal enjoyed more of the possession, United always looked dangerous on the counter-attack.

A fine interchange between Rooney and Giggs set up the England forward with a free header 12 meters out, but for once he was well off target.

Then, down the other end, Eboue weaved his way into the United penalty area and fed Hleb, who made space before ballooning his effort wide.

United went back in front when substitute Louis Saha fed Patrice Evra, who skipped into the right side of the area, drew Almunia, and cut the ball back for Ronaldo — who could not miss with the goal at his mercy.

Arsenal pressed for an equaliser, which almost came when Evra spooned the ball onto his own crossbar.

Just when it looked like United were going to take a valuable three points back to Old Trafford, and go top of the table in the process, Arsenal forced in a dramatic stoppage goal when Gallas struck at the far post — the ball having been palmed away by van der Sar from behind the line.

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger was keen to emphasize the character of his side, whose play was less fluent than in earlier games this season.

We had our character tested twice and we came back against a very good Manchester United side, Wenger said.

But I think it is easy to have the wrong impression of the match. They looked always like they could take advantage of any mistake we could make but if you look at the number of chances, they didn’t create a lot, so overall I think a draw is a fair result.

I don’t feel that sharpness-wise we were at our best but character-wise to come back again, it is something special. I feel there is a resilience and character there that is hidden by the fact that it is a team that has such easy technique.

United chief Sir Alex Ferguson said he had been convinced his side had done enough to win when Cristiano Ronaldo rounded off a sweeping move to put them 2-1 up with eight minutes left.

Ferguson said: We played some good football. It was a great piece of football between Louis Saha and Patric Evra, and a great pass for Ronaldo.

Arsenal had some good possession, but I think we had the better chances during the game.

We were controlling the game, but one cross took a faint touch across the face, was sent back in from the back post, and it was over the line.

I thought we had done it, but this is football. I can’t believe it. We have thrown it away.

Ferguson was equally disappointed at the way United allowed Cesc Fabregas to score two minutes after half-time, cancelling out the Gallas own goal that had given United the lead just before the interval.

It was a lack of concentration, particularly for their first goal, Ferguson added. We should have cleared it towards the corner flag, but didn’t.

Then in the second, the ball took a faint touch and went across the face of goal, was sent back in at the back post, and then was over the line. We lost our bearings. E-mail to a friend

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