MONACO- RAFAEL Nadal became the first player to win five straight Monte Carlo Masters titles by beating Novak Djokovic 6-3, 2-6, 6-1 on Sunday.
The top-ranked Spaniard dropped his first set since the 2006 final against Roger Federer as the third-seeded Djokovic rallied to win the second set, pinning Nadal behind the baseline and picking him off at the net.
TEHRAN - IRANIAN President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad called on Sunday for fair treatment of US reporter Roxana Saberi, who was sentenced to eight years in jail as a US spy, the state news agency IRNA reported.
In a rare intervention in judicial proceedings, Mr Ahmadinejad said the Tehran prosecutor should examine the case against both Saberi and Hossein Derakhshan, an Iranian-Canadian blogger who has been behind bars since November, IRNA said.
SHANGHAI - SEBASTIAN Vettel scored Red Bull's first victory on Sunday when he drove a brilliant race to win ahead of teammate Mark Webber in treacherous rain-hit conditions at the Chinese Grand Prix.
Vettel, the 21-year-old German who claimed his maiden win for the Toro Rosso team in similar weather at last year's Italian Grand Prix, dominated from the start, resisting all challenges as he swept home through the spray.
LONDON - BRITISH Treasury chief Alistair Darling is likely to present a bleak annual budget next week with little good news for the average Briton as the economy wallows in recession.
Along with a hefty downgrade to the country's growth forecasts, Mr Darling is expected to unveil deferred tax increases and lower spending to deal with a blowout in public finances caused by the government's recent attempts to stimulate the struggling economy.
