Gallant Li sees lighter side of Australian Open defeat

By Ian Ransom

MELBOURNE (Reuters) - Li Na's bid for a second grand slam title ended tearfully with an injured ankle, a bruised head and a heart-breaking defeat to Victoria Azarenka, but she could still laugh off her "stupid" falls after a gallant failure in the Australian Open final.

Li raised gasps from the Rod Laver Arena crowd as she rolled her left ankle twice in the 4-6 6-4 6-3 loss on Saturday, and banged her head on the blue centre court on the second fall, causing her to black out momentarily.

"It was actually pretty heavy at that time. There was two seconds there where everything was black and I couldn't see a thing," the 30-year-old Chinese told reporters.

"So when the doctor and the physio came out on to the court, I sat up, but it took a long time to fully come around.

"At the time I was really afraid ... I'm scared of bleeding.

"Also I could hear this sound ringing in my ears."

As her husband Jiang Shan bit his fingernails in the crowd, a doctor gave Li a concussion test, asking her to count how many fingers he was holding up.

Under the stern examination, Li could not help but see the lighter side of her position and she broke into a broad grin, raising a roar of approval from the stands.

"They were staring at me very seriously, and I started to think it was funny," said Li, Asia's first grand slam singles champion.

"It was like being at a children's hospital where parents take their kids for checkups."

Sixth seed Li was trailing 3-1 in the second when she first rolled her ankle and bashed her head after having taken a 2-1 lead in the decider.

Although her mobility appeared restricted in certain points, and she declined to chase every baseline bullet fired down the lines, Li said the falls had not really affected her.

"Because I am stupid," she joked when asked how she had fallen. "Without falling down I was feeling pretty good ... It was a very tough match. She's number one, defending champion.

"So, I think today in (the) important games she was playing better than me, so that's why she can win the title."

The loss was former French Open champion Li's second disappointment at Melbourne Park, having been similarly overhauled in the 2011 final when she took the first set against Kim Clijsters.

As Azarenka wept in relief and happiness after closing out the match, Li quietly retired to her chair, where she sat motionlessly and stared as tears welled up in her eyes.

She consoled herself with the knowledge that after losing the 2011 final to Clijsters, she broke her grand slam drought at Roland Garros a few months later.

"After the match was over, there was some sadness. But it was over, it was already a fact. What's the point of crying more?" she said. "Tears don't solve anything."

(Editing by Pritha Sarkar)

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Zabaleta strikes late as Man City edge past Stoke

LONDON (Reuters) - Manchester City booked their place in the fifth round of the FA Cup as Pablo Zabaleta scored a late winner with a neat finish to beat an organised Stoke City 1-0 on Saturday.

City enjoyed the majority of the possession and created the best opportunities but could not find a chink in the home team's armour until the 85th minute when Zabaleta arrived late in the area to poke home at the far post.

City, who beat Stoke by the same scoreline in the 2011 Cup final, had begun brightly with David Silva hitting the crossbar with a curling effort in the first half while Stoke's Ryan Shawcross put the ball in the net but his goal was ruled out for offside.

The hosts were lucky not to be reduced to 10 men when Glenn Whelan jumped in two-footed on Javi Garcia two minutes into the second half, but the midfielder escaped without even a caution.

(Reporting by Toby Davis; editing by Clare Fallon)

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United manager Ferguson calls De Gea critics "idiots"

LONDON (Reuters) - Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson has rounded on critics of goalkeeper David De Gea, calling them "idiots".

The 22-year-old Spaniard was lambasted for failing to deal with a cross that led to an injury-time equaliser for Tottenham Hotspur in Sunday's 1-1 Premier League draw.

"It's been over the top. It is always over the top when it comes to criticism here," Ferguson, whose team face Fulham in the FA Cup on Saturday, was quoted as saying on the BBC. "You have to listen to some idiots in the game.

"I am not interested in discussing it because we know it is unfounded."

Ferguson was asked by the FA to explain comments he made in the wake of the match when he criticised assistant referee Simon Beck for not giving his side a penalty for a foul on striker Wayne Rooney.

"We are high profile and the profile of me is such that the FA naturally panic as soon as the press criticise them," said Ferguson, who will find out on Tuesday if he is going to be charged.

"Whether I think it is unfair or not doesn't matter to them really at this point.

"I just think it is more about me than what I have said."

(Reporting by Toby Davis; editing by Pritha Sarkar)

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Emotional Azarenka emerges a champion again

By Simon Cambers

MELBOURNE (Reuters) - Victoria Azarenka took everything the Australian Open could throw at her and emerged a champion.

The Belarussian won her second successive title at Melbourne Park on Saturday with a 4-6 6-4 6-3 victory over China's Li Na, bursting into tears as the emotion and stress of a fortnight came pouring out.

"You have to go through rough patches to achieve great things," Azarenka told Channel 7, the host broadcaster. "It's been tough but I am happy here right now. There were new experiences for me in the last couple of days. I have to say thanks to my team for being so supportive.

It was a victory that ensures she will stay at the top of the world rankings for at least a few more weeks but winning a second grand slam title will be of even more satisfaction.

When Li turned her left ankle early in the second set, the match swung in Azarenka's favour. When the Chinese fell again in the third and banged her head, it was getting surreal.

But the way the top seed dug herself out of a hole to clinch victory showed immense mental strength.

In her semi-final against American teenager Sloane Stephens, Azarenka had incurred the wrath of everyone watching when she took a 10-minute double injury timeout just as Stephens was serving to stay in the match.

Her attempts to explain it fell flat and when she was introduced to the Rod Laver Arena on Saturday, a number of jeers rang out.

"I was expecting way worse, actually," she told reporters. "But what can you do? You just have to go out and play your tennis.

"It was definitely not easy with all the attention, with all the press around. But it was definitely a new experience for me that I think I handled quite well.

"I can only learn from this experience and move forward and try to improve as a player and as a person, as well."

During the match, one fan called out "quiet please Azarenka", in reference to her high-pitched grunting and the crowd was firmly behind Li.

On the court, Azarenka could not cope with the former French Open champion's aggressive returns, at times a little slow to react after her serve.

The first set went to the Chinese but slowly and surely, Azarenka began to work Li around the court, extending the rallies and making her opponent work harder for her points. Azarenka took a 3-1 lead in the second set and then watched as Li fell in pain after turning her left ankle.

Considering the drama of her semi-final, Azarenka must have wondered what was going on but she kept her cool and stuck to her gameplan, levelling the match.

The drama moved up a level when Li slipped and hit her head on the court at 2-1 in the third set and when they resumed, Azarenka saved a break point to square the decider at 2-2. After breaking in the next game, she came through a long service game to stay ahead at 5-3 and then broke Li again to clinch victory.

Her celebrations were subdued but when she sat down in her chair, the tears flowed uncontrollably.

"This one is way more emotional (than last year)," she said. "It's going to be extra special for me, for sure."

(Editing by Pritha Sarkar)

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Bryan twins break record for grand slam doubles titles

By Simon Cambers

MELBOURNE (Reuters) - American twins Bob and Mike Bryan became the most successful men's pair in grand-slam history on Saturday when they won their 13th doubles title together at the Australian Open.

The 34-year-olds beat the Dutch pairing of Robin Haase and Igor Sijsling 6-3 6-4 to break the record of 12 grand slams they had shared with Australians John Newcombe and Tony Roche.

"Obviously it feels really good to have that record and to be a part of history feels really special," Mike Bryan said.

"We weren't thinking much about it on court but once we look back on our careers it will be fun to see what we have done. It's a big record."

The left-handed Bob Bryan served out for victory to seal their sixth Australian Open title together.

It was the brothers' 84th career title and their second consecutive grand-slam triumph, after their win at the U.S. Open in September.

(Editing by Clare Fallon)

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Hackers claim attack on U.S. Justice Department website

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Hackers sympathetic to the late computer prodigy Aaron Swartz claimed on Saturday to have infiltrated the website of the U.S. Justice Department's Sentencing Commission, and said they planned to release government data.

The Sentencing Commission site, www.ussc.gov , was shut down early Saturday.

Identifying themselves as Anonymous, a loosely organized group of unknown provenance associated with a range of recent online actions, the hackers voiced outrage over Swartz' suicide on January 11.

In a video posted online, the hackers criticized the government's prosecution of Swartz, who had been facing trial on charges that he used the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's computer networks to steal more than 4 million articles from JSTOR, an online archive and journal distribution service.

Swartz had faced a maximum sentence of 31 years in prison and fines of up to $1 million.

The FBI is investigating the attack, according to Richard McFeely, of the bureau's Criminal, Cyber, Response, and Services Branch.

"We were aware as soon as it happened and are handling it as a criminal investigation," McFeely said in an emailed statement. "We are always concerned when someone illegally accesses another person's or government agency's network."

(Reporting by Deborah Zabarenko; Editing by Vicki Allen)

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Syrian militias target civilians in Homs, opposition says

By Khaled Yacoub Oweis

AMMAN (Reuters) - More than 20 people were killed in the Syrian city of Homs on Saturday, a doctor said, as fighting raged around a road junction on a supply line to government forces in the interior of the country.

The opposition accuses shabbiha militia loyal to President Bashar al-Assad of killing some 200 Sunni Muslim civilians in Homs in massacres over the last two weeks, but a Syrian ban on most independent media makes such reports difficult to verify.

In a video statement from a makeshift hospital in the city, Mohammad Mohammad, a doctor who has been treating the wounded underground for months, displayed the bodies of five people whose remains had been charred to unrecognisable bits.

"They are the Uzam family. The father, mother and three children - the shabbiha burnt them completely, as part of the annihilation the regime is bringing on the area of Jobar-Kfar Aaya," Mohammad said, referring to districts of Homs.

"We are here surrounded. We have more than 20 dead today. They have been documented by name." He said the victims had died in fighting, bombardment and summary executions.

At least 60,000 people have been killed in Syria's civil war. Mostly Sunni Homs, a commercial and agricultural hub 140 km (90 miles) north of Damascus, has been at the heart of the 22-month uprising against Assad.

Syrian authorities have not commented on the latest fighting in the city. In the past, official media have described army operations as designed to 'cleanse' Homs from what they described as terrorists.

'ETHNIC CLEANSING'

Speaking from Istanbul after visiting Homs, Mohammad Mroueh, a member of the Higher Leadership Council of the Syrian Revolution, told Reuters: "The rebels are holding their ground but the shabbiha are getting to the civilians.

"It's hard to describe what's happening in terms other than ethnic cleansing of Sunni districts in the way of Alawite supply lines," said Mroueh, who was in Homs earlier this week.

The Alawites, who follow an offshoot of Shi'ite Islam and comprise about 10 percent of the population, have dominated Syria's power structure and its security apparatus since the 1960s. Assad and most of the ruling elite are Alawites.

A highway that passes near Homs has been used to supply Alawite forces deployed on hilltops in Damascus from bases in the coastal cities of Tartous and Latakia, which have a sizeable Alawite population, according to opposition sources.

Sunnis fear that the city could become part of an Alawite enclave stretching to the coast, where major military bases are located, if Assad was forced to leave Damascus.

"The massacres are increasing and Bashar al-Assad has began to draw borders of this mini-state and associate the Alawites more with blood so that they have no other option but to join him," wrote opposition campaigner Fawaz Tello in an article published on All4Syria news website.

Syria's conflict has grown more sectarian, deepening the Sunni-Shi'ite divide in the Middle East which burst into the open when Shi'ites gained political ascendancy in Iraq following the 2003 U.S. led invasion that deposed Sunni dictator Saddam Hussein.

A statement by an insurgent group, the Syrian Revolution against Bashar al-Assad, said neighbourhoods of southern and western Homs were being hit with battlefield artillery and barrages from rocket launchers.

Activists in Homs said at least 120 civilians and 40 opposition fighters had been killed in the past week and that rebels from the nearby town of Qusair on the border with Lebanon were trying to relieve pressure on the western neighbourhoods.

The armed opposition has been weakened in the city after a drop in ammunition supplies in recent weeks and after Assad's forces tightened a siege on western areas, according to opposition sources.

A counter-offensive by rebels two days ago in the western sector pushed back Assad's forces slightly, but they continued to pound the area with artillery and from the air, the sources said.

(Editing by Mark Trevelyan)

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Real's Mourinho keeping his head down as he turns 50

MADRID (Reuters) - Under-fire Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho again chose not to speak to the media as he celebrated his 50th birthday on Saturday but he did receive a ringing endorsement from one of the squad's youngest players, Raphael Varane.

Coverage of the Spanish champions was dominated this week by a report in Marca sports daily that said club captains Iker Casillas and Sergio Ramos had threatened to leave along with several team mates unless Mourinho was dismissed.

Real president Florentino Perez said the newspaper was lying and trying to destabilise the club but Marca have stuck by their story, the latest in a string of reports suggesting all is not well between Mourinho and some of his leading players.

The combative Portuguese has drawn criticism this season with his side 15 points behind La Liga leaders Barcelona and they host their arch rivals on Wednesday in the first leg of their King's Cup semi-final.

Elimination followed by defeat to Manchester United in their Champions League last 16 tie would almost certainly end Real's hopes of silverware this season and increase the pressure on Perez to replace Mourinho, lured at great expense from Inter Milan in 2010.

Varane, Real's 19-year-old French centre back, was sent out instead of Mourinho on Saturday to give the news conference previewing Sunday's La Liga game at home to Getafe and said the coach had the players' full support.

"We are all behind the coach, who is the best in the world," Varane told reporters.

"The media are being tough on him but he is doing a good job and all this is not necessary."

Varane added that the squad had given Mourinho, who has barely spoken to reporters since the turn of the year, a signed photograph taken during the wild celebrations after they sealed the La Liga title by beating Athletic Bilbao last season.

Real have a number of injury problems ahead of the Getafe match and Wednesday's Cup game, with Casillas sidelined for up to three months with a broken hand and Varane's fellow centre back Pepe still recovering from ankle surgery.

"Losing Iker could destabilise the team but I don't think it will change all that much," Varane said.

(Reporting by Iain Rogers, editing by Tom Pilcher)

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Siemens seeks growth in Latin America, to keep investment pace

SANTIAGO (Reuters) - Siemens wants to grow in Latin America and intends to maintain its investment pace in the dynamically-growing region, the CEO for South America, excluding Brazil, told Reuters on Saturday.

The German conglomerate had said on Wednesday it would stick with its focus on cost cuts to catch up with peers such as General Electric as a weak global economy saps demand for factory equipment.

Daniel Fernandez said mining, energy and infrastructure are the most interesting sectors in export-dependent Latin America, which has significant metal wealth, growing power needs and growing cities.

"Latin America is a very interesting market ... today it's more interesting than ever," Fernandez said on the sidelines of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) and European Union (EU) business summit.

"We want to continue growing strongly in Chile and the other Latin American countries. We've already been growing strongly and we're going to maintain this rhythm with which we'll better our local presence."

Fernandez declined to give details of the company's investment plans. He added Siemens is not interested in selling assets in Latin America.

The engineering group makes products ranging from fast trains and gas turbines to hearing aids.

EU leaders took their hunt for economic growth to Latin America this weekend as the bloc tries to emerge from three years of crisis.

(Reporting by Alexadra Ulmer; Editing by Vicki Allen)

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Poll shows 63 pct of French back gay marriage

The number of people who support the legalisation of same-sex marriage in France has risen despite major protests against the government's planned reforms earlier this month, a new poll by Ifop for news website Atlantico.fr showed.

The proportion of those surveyed supporting the change in the law rose to 63 percent from 60 percent in early January and December.

Support for adoption rights for gay couples also rose by 3 percentage points, although the country remains divided on the issue, with 49 percent in favour, according to the international marketing firm.

The French government underlined its determination to press ahead with a reform bill earlier this month even after roughly half a million people marched through Paris on January 13 to show their opposition to the proposal.

"We have observed that the proportion of people in favour of marriage and adoption has risen three points, compared with our previous survey, done before the large demonstration," said Ifop pollster Jerome Fourquet. "Support for the plan is increasing - particularly on the Left."

Thousands marched in the French city of Lyon on Saturday in support of "marriage for all" ahead of a similar demonstration planned in Paris on Sunday.

The latest Ifop poll was based on the views of 1,026 people aged 18 or over and was carried out between January 22 and 24, Ifop said.

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