Shanghai  - Novak Djokovic has become a massive danger to the 2009 fightback dreams of Roger Federer after the resurgent Serb won the Masters Cup title at the weekend.

Through his 6-1, 7-5 defeat of Nikolay Davydenko at the Qi Zhong stadium, world number three Djokovic has now climbed to within a hair-thin 10 points of the Swiss star, who was knocked out in the group stage at a year-end event for the first time in his career as he lost to Andy Murray.

Kabul, Nov 17 : Afghan President Hamid Karzai has said that he would go to “any extent” to protect the fugitive Taliban leader Mullah Mohammad Omar in exchange for peace in the country.

Karzai said he would offer the protection even if it meant defying Afghanistan’s international partners, who could remove him from his job or leave the country in disagreement.

Ossu Rua, East Timor  - Jose da Silva thinks he's 70 years old, though he isn't sure. His hair is white and his eyes are cloudy and his teeth just aren't what they used to be.

He smiles, showing off gaps where teeth are missing and those that remain are wiggly and red from chewing betel nut. He says his teeth have failed him. He tells of a time, not so long ago, when he could still chew on the still-attached testicles of baby goats and sheep, once or twice a year. He did it for decades.

Washington, Nov 17 : The latest James Bond movie, ‘Quantum of Solace’, has topped the weekend box office after raking in 70.4 million dollars.

According to studio estimates, DreamWorks’ ‘Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa’ slipped to second position after raking in 36.1 million dollars, reports E! Online.

‘Role Models’, which earned 11.7 million dollars, came third while ‘High School Musical 3: Senior Year’ stood fourth after pocketing 5.9 million dollars.

London, November 17 : Movies that are rated suitable for children viewing contain a “scandalous” amount of swearing, according to a survey.

Srinagar, India  - Elections to vote in a new legislative assembly began Monday in the northern Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir under tight security in view of a boycott call by separatist political parties and threats by militants.

Thousands of Indian Army troops and police provided security for voters in the 10 constituencies where the first of the seven-phase staggered elections are being held.

People were turning out in the early morning to cast their votes in small numbers, braving chilly weather in the Himalayan region, IANS news agency reported.

Election officials were quoted as saying that they expected the turnout to increase later in the day.