Rotterdam, Netherlands - Dutch cyclist Thomas Dekker is out of this year's Tour de France, which starts Saturday, after testing positive for the blood-booster EPO, his Silence-Lotto team confirmed Wednesday.

Dekker provided the sample at a doping control in December 2007 but the EPO was only discovered using new methods introduced by the World Anti-Doping Agency
(WADA) in May.

Rotterdam - One man was killed and three other people injured when a man opened fire on guests during a talent contest at a restaurant in the Dutch city of Rotterdam, police said Saturday. The 45-year-old gunman was arrested.

Shortly after midnight, the man had stood up in Cafe Laurenshof and pulled out a gun and fired. No one was injured.

He then went out onto the street and fired again, fatally hitting a 46-year-old passerby. Three other men sustained bullet wounds.

Rotterdam, Netherlands  - Andy Murray won his second title of the season as he beat Rafael Nadal in back-to-back matches, taking a 6-4, 4-6, 6-0 victory on Sunday at the ABN-AMRO World Tennis.

The Scot managed to recover his forces after dropping a second serve riddled with seven breaks of serve as he defeated the top seeded Spaniard five months after a semi-final victory in their series at the US Open.

Nadal took treatment on his right thigh after the third game of the second set and was feeling the problem as Murray swept the third for victory.

Rotterdam, Netherlands - Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray will each bid for a first trophy at the ABN-AMRO World Tennis on Sunday after overcoming hampered opponents in semi-final sweeps.

Nadal took advantage with Gael Monfils suffering a stomach complaint, winning the semi-final 6-4, 6-4 but still requiring more than 90 minutes to go through.

Murray dominated Mario Ancic in just over an hour, picking apart the Croatian's game 6-1, 6-2.

Nadal lost his first service game against Monfils but was able to impose on the half-strength Frenchman, who struck ten aces.

Rotterdam, Netherlands  - Andy Murray dominated Mario Ancic in just over an hour, picking apart the Croatian's game 6-1, 6-2 on Saturday for a place in the final of the ABN-AMRO World Tennis.

The Scot second seed has come good at this edition at the Ahoy centre after losing in the first round on his debut a year ago.

The 21-year-old ranked fourth in the world is in line for a possible second title in as many months this season as he waits for the semi-final between top seed Rafael Nadal and Frenchman Gael Monfils.

Rotterdam, Netherlands  - Top seed Rafael Nadal reached his first semi-final at the ABN-AMRO World Tennis on Friday as Jo- Wilfried Tsonga set up match point with a double fault after serving 26 aces.

Nadal, who has gone the distance in all three of his matches, earned a 6-4, 6-7 (5-7), 6-4 victory, taking just under three hours.

"This was definitely my best match of the week," said the Spaniard, who came here after his Australian Open title with just three days off. "Tsonga was extremely tough. This was a very important win for me."

Rotterdam, Netherlands - Andy Murray takes a 1-3 record into his Saturday semi-final with Mario Ancic at the Rotterdam Open after advancing when French opponent Marc Giquel was unable to continue because of injury.

The second-seeded Scot advanced 7-6 (7-2), 4-6, 3-0 when Giquel had to retire with a left thigh problem.

Ancic and Murray will meet in a repeat of the Marseille final exactly a year ago in which the Briton scored his only victory in the series with his Croatian rival before losing two more times in 2008.

Rotterdam, Netherlands - Andy Murray takes a 1-3 record into his Saturday semi-final with Mario Ancic at the Rotterdam Open after advancing when French opponent Marc Giquel was unable to continue because of injury.

The second-seeded Scot advanced 7-6 (7-2), 4-6, 3-0 when Giquel had to retire with a left thigh problem.

Ancic and Murray will meet in a repeat of the Marseille final exactly a year ago in which the Briton scored his only victory in the series with his Croatian rival before losing two more times in 2008.

Rotterdam, Netherlands  - The only Germans in the field at the ABN-AMRO World Tennis crashed out in straight sets on Wednesday with Philipp Kohlschreiber and Rainer Schuettler making first-round exits.

But it was a different story for a French quartet, all of whom advanced with relative ease.

Fourth seed Gilles Simon led the way as he accounted for the 38th-ranked Kohlschreiber 7-5, 7-6 (7-1) two years after the German reached the quarter-finals at the Ahoy centre.

Rotterdam, Netherlands - The only Germans in the field at the ABN-AMRO World Tennis crashed out in straight sets on Wednesday with Philipp Kohlschreiber and Rainer Schuettler making first-round exits.

French fourth seed Gilles Simon accounted for the 38th-ranked Kohlschreiber 7-5, 7-6 (7-1) two years after the German reached the quarter-finals at the Ahoy centre.

Croatian Mario Ancic, losing finalist at the weekend at home in Zagreb, was too much for Schuettler, with the veteran exiting 7-5, 6-2.

Rotterdam, Netherlands  - Andy Murray double-faulted on a match point but didn't let that slight setback stop his progress in a 6-3, 6-2 first-round defeat of Croatian Ivan Ljubicic at the ABN-AMRO World Tennis on Tuesday.

Murray claimed the opening set against the two-time finalist in 40 minutes, then raced off with the second out to 5-0 before his minor slip-up.

Murray's win came with seven aces and four breaks of the Ljubicic serve on an error-filled night for the Croatian who turns 30 next month.

Rotterdam, Netherlands  - Rafael Nadal got back to work on court eight days after his historic Australian Open title, adjusting to indoor conditions during a doubles loss on Monday at the ABN-AMRO World Tennis.

The Spanish world number one teamed with fellow Mallorcan Ignacio Coll-Ruidavets but the wild card pair lost to experienced Frenchman Michael Llodra - last year's singles champion - and compatriot Arnaud Clement 6-3, 6-4.

Amsterdam - The right-wing leader of Holland's Freedom Party, Geert Wilders, on Friday slammed the upcoming appointment of Moroccan Ahmed Aboutaleb as mayor of Rotterdam.

"Appointing a Moroccan as mayor of the second largest Dutch city is just as ridiculous as appointing a Dutchman as mayor of Mecca," he said.

Instead, Wilders said, Aboutaleb "should become mayor of Rabat in Morocco."

"With him as mayor, Rotterdam will be Rabat on the banks of the river Maas. Soon we may even have an imam serving as arch bishop. This is madness."

On Friday the city council of Rotterdam determined Moroccan-born Muslim Ahmed Aboutaleb will be mayor from January 1.

Amsterdam - Rotterdam, the second largest Dutch city, will have a Moroccan-born Muslim mayor from January 1, as Ahmed Aboutaleb was presented Friday as future mayor by the city council.

The government still has to approve 47-year-old Aboutaleb's appointment, but this is considered a formality.

The Labour politician is the first mayor to be born and raised outside the Netherlands. He is also the first Muslim to become a mayor in the Netherlands.

Rotterdam  - Hundreds of energetic dancers opened the world's first eco-friendly nightclub late Thursday in Rotterdam.

Club Watt's moto is apt: "We want your energy."

Each night Club Watt will get about a third of the power it needs for its DJs from a special dance floor. Dancers' vigorous movements make the floor vibrate, and this is transformed into power with the help of mini dynamos.

Dancers can read just how much power is being produced on boards next to the DJs stage.

Everything is environment friendly at Club Watt, from the rain water toilet flushes to the bars with reusable plastic glasses.