Kabul - A group of unknown gunmen abducted a French national in the Afghan capital Kabul on Monday and shot dead an Afghan driver who tried to rescue him, police said.

Washington, Nov 2 : Republican vice-presidential nominee Sarah Palin was “mildly bemused” at knowing from French-Canadian comedian, who while impersonating as French President Nicolas Sarkozy, told her that his wife Carla Bruni was “hot in bed”. In her response, the Alaska Governor chuckled and complimented him for his “beautiful family”.

Washington - Two very persistent Canadian comedians tricked US vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin into thinking she was talking to French President Nicolas Sarkozy on Saturday.

Marc-Antoine Audette and Sebastien Trudel took four days to get Palin on the phone, they told Canadian broadcaster CTV.

"I see you as president one day, too," the Sarkozy impersonator told Palin.

"Maybe in eight years," she responded.

Paris - James Blake said that injures which forced Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer to quit the Paris Masters "couldn't be a clearer signal that the year is too long."

The American, who lost 6-4, 6-3 in Saturday's Bercy semi-final against Jo-Wilfriend Tsonga, will miss a trip to the season-ending masters Cup in Shanghai for the second straight year after playing the 2006 final against Federer.

Federer withdrew prior to a Friday quarter-final with back pain while Nadal quit with knee problems after losing the first set against Nikolay Davydenko the same day.

Moscow - The presidents of France and Russia telephoned Saturday in preparation for the resumption of talks about closer ties between Russia and the European Union, the Interfax news agency reported Saturday.

The EU suspended those talks on a Partnership and Cooperation Agreement after Russia's war with Georgia this summer.

But officials from France, which currently holds the rotating EU presidency, have given signs that the talks are set to resume and that a timetable for further talks could be laid out at a November 14 meeting in Nice.

Paris - Jo-Wilfried Tsonga eliminated James Blake from the race to the year-end championships while insuring a spot for Argentine Juan Del Potro with a Saturday victory into the final of the Paris Masters.

Australian Open finalist Tsonga became the first Frenchman since Sebastien Grosjean, the 2001 winner, to figure in a final at the Bercy arena as he defeated Blake 6-4, 6-3.

The result sends Tsonga into a Sunday title match against Argentine defending champion David Nalbandian, who advanced over Nikolay Davydenko 6-1, 5-7, 6-4 in two hours.