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Bloemfontein, South Africa  - A second-half header from David Villa helped tournament favourites Spain finally overcame an overly defensive Iraq 1-0 Wednesday to book their place in the semi-finals of the Confederations Cup.

The win was the European champions' 34th match on the trot without defeat, moving Vicente del Bosque's side ever closer to the longest consecutive unbeaten streak in history, a run of 35 games established by Brazil between 1993 and 1996.

Berlin  - German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Wednesday praised China's aid programme in Africa as more effective and quicker than the aid spending of the European Union.

Speaking to officials of her Christian Democratic Union (CDU) in Berlin, she called for EU nations to take a leaf out of China's book and its "very clear development aid policy" and coordinate their aid properly.

Maputo  - Members of Mozambique's main opposition party Renamo allegedly abducted several members of the country's new opposition Democratic Movement of Mozambique (MDM) during campaigning and held them hostage for hours, reports said Wednesday.

Mozambique's daily Noticias newspaper said the MDM members were campaigning for presidential, parliamentary and local elections in October in Buzi district, central Sofala province when they were intercepted by members of Renamo.

Washington - President Barack Obama proposed massive changes Wednesday to how the United States regulates its financial industry, hoping to win new government powers that could prevent the next economic crisis from taking place.

In what has been billed the most significant overhaul since the Great Depression of the 1930s, Obama hopes to vastly expand the authority of the Federal Reserve and create a new "oversight council" of regulators to watch over financial firms.

Sana'a, Yemen  - Yemen on Wednesday identified four more confirmed cases of H1N1 flu in students who have returned from an exchange programme in the United States, the official Saba news agency reported.

The four patients were among 32 students who arrived from the United States on Saturday after attending a student exchange programme, the agency quoted Health Minister Abdul-Kareem Rasea as saying.

Eastbourne, England  - Former finalist Amelie Mauresmo saved three match points before exiting in the second round of the Eastbourne Championships Wednesday to Russian Elena Makarova 7-6 (10-8), 7-6 (15-13).

The slow-moving struggle took more than two hours to complete on the lawns at Devonshire Park, with 2006 runner-up Mauresmo failing to take it into a deciding third set despite having four set points.

Makarova, ranked 46th, had never faced France's former world number one, with both women fighting to prepare for Wimbledon starting Monday.