Amman - Arab stock markets reflected mixed performance this week as investors, obsessed with global recession fears, resorted to speculative trading and hit-and-run tactics to avoid further losses, financial analysts said Friday.

"Speculation and short-term transactions were the prevalent state of affairs this week as investors continued to come under pressure of bad news coming from world markets," an Amman-based portfolio manager told Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa.

Dubai, UAE - Fears that next week's ATP Barclays Championships in Dubai might have been scrapped in a visa dispute for an Israeli player was solved on Thursday, local media reported.

The WAM agency reported that doubles player Andy Ram has been given a visa into the Gulf emirate less than a week after compatriot Shahar Peer's similar request was denied for a women's WTA event.

The controversy which erupted has included calls from American Jewish groups to remove Dubai from the professional tennis calendar.

Dubai, UAE - World number two Dinara Safina has written off her 6-4, 6-2 opening defeat Tuesday at the Barclays Championships as a "bad day" as the Russian failed to recover after losing the Australian Open final.

Victory by Virginie Razzano of France marked the second straight loss for the Russian, who said she was well off her game.

"It was not my day, I just couldn't play my game," said Safina, who had won three of four matches against the number 58 Razzano. "I played worse in this loss than I did in Melbourne."

Dubai, UAE - Dubai organizers of the Barclays Championships on Tuesday cited security concerns and "public sentiment" in the volatile Middle East as likely motives for a ban of Israeli player Shahar Peer from the event.

Three days after the United Arab Emirates government denied the number 45 a visa, the situation threatened to explode into a full-fledged diplomatic incident.

The recent Israeli air attacks on Gaza would not have helped the situation.

Dubai, Feb 17 : Indian tennis sensation Sania Mirza on Tue

Dubai, UAE - Jelena Jankovic got on and off court in efficient style Tuesday, reaching the third round of the Barclays Championships over unconventional Romanian Monica Niculescu 6-3, 6-2.

The Serb third seed, a finalist in 2005, needed a fast adjustment from indoor play in wintery Paris to the mid-20s Celsius of the Gulf.

Niculesco, ranked 48th, strikes the ball double-fisted off both wings in a style similar to that of Frenchman Fabrice Santoro.

Jankovic, who had a bye in the opening round, said her opponent presented problems but nothing that the former number one could not solve.