Shanghai - Andy Murray rolled into the semi-finals in his debut week at the Masters Cup, defeating Frenchman Gilles Simon 6-4, 6-2 in a Red group showdown on Wednesday.

The Scot polished his record to a perfect 2-0 as he beat the last player to enter the eight-man field. Simon gained a place at the last minute when Rafael Nadal pulled out with a knee injury which will require a month or more to fully heal.

Roger Federer was fighting to stay in the chase later as the Swiss holder faced Radek Stepanek after losing an opening match to a Simon comeback effort on Monday.

Nairobi/Goma - Emergency aid is not reaching many of the tens of thousands of civilians displaced by fighting between rebels and government troops in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, charity Doctors Without Borders (MSF) warned Wednesday.

The World Food Programme (WFP) has provided food to the displaced living in refugee camps around Goma, the capital of North Kivu province, but the poor security situation has prevented the delivery of aid to those stranded behind rebel lines.

Kano, Nigeria - German President Horst Koehler began winding up a six-day visit to Nigeria on Wednesday, travelling to the Muslim north for a colourful reception by the emir of the state of Kano.

Koehler, whose visit was devoted both to German-African affairs and to bilateral ties between Germany and Nigeria, was treated to a durbar, a colourful display of traditional military horsemanship which is normally held only twice a year, for the Muslim festivals of Eid-el Fitr and Eid-el Kabir.

Tel Aviv, Nov. 12 : Israeli leaders Tzipi Livni and Benjamin Netanyahu are competing to cast themselves as Obama-like champions of change, clean government and bipartisanship in their respective bids to win general elections.

London - The British economy is already in recession and will shrink by as much as 2 per cent by early 2009, the Bank of England (BoE) said Wednesday.

The bank's quarterly inflation report, presented by central bank governor Mervyn King Wednesday, said the economic landscape had changed "dramatically" since August.

Interest rates could tumble to record lows next year, and perhaps to 1 per cent by 2010, as policymakers attempted to ward off a severe and prolonged recession, the report said.