Perched on the rocky southern ridges of Mount Bjelasnica, the Bosnian village of Umoljani is both new and ancient. Destroyed during the 1992 to 1995 war, its stone-and-wood huts have been rebuilt, as good as old. Its welcoming people, handmade artefacts and organic food are a window into the past and a hit with tourists seeking a different sort of holiday.
A showdown pitting human brains against artificial intelligence goes ahead on Monday evening when two professional poker players take on a computer in the world’s first such man-machine challenge. Phil Laak and Ali Eslami will play Polaris, the most sophisticated poker-playing program yet written.
All rounder Sanath Jayasuriya claimed his 300th one-day wicket to help Sri Lanka bowl out Bangladesh for 137 in the second one-day international on Monday. Jayasuriya claimed four wickets for 31 runs from 9.5 overs to become the ninth player in ODI history to take 300 wickets.
Oil prices fell on Monday, on expectations of higher United States refinery production and after remarks by Opec that it is ready to pump more oil if needed. London Brent crude, currently seen as more representative of the world market, slid 36 cents to ,28 a barrel by 4.44am GMT, after easing three cents on Friday.
Ekurhuleni metro police chief Robert McBride’s R3,6-million lawsuit against daily newspaper the Citizen has been postponed in the Johannesburg High Court until Wednesday. The judge, Justice George Maluleke, was reported to be on leave.
A late goal from experienced defender Yusuf Mohamed saw Sudan’s Al-Hilal snatch a second successive African Champions League Group B win, as they beat Asec Abidjan of Côte d’Ivoire 2-1 in Omdurman. The result kept the Sudanese in second place in the standings and well on course for a semifinal berth.
At least 10 people were killed, including two Iraqi policemen, and 15 wounded in two separate car bombings in different areas of Baghdad’s central Karrada district on Monday, police said. Television pictures showed a line of burning cars in a narrow street as residents and shoppers ran for cover.
Cameroon have advertised for a new national team coach despite sealing a berth at next year’s African Nations Cup with a 100% record in qualifying under caretaker Jules Nyongha. Cameron have won all three matches under Nyongha during his latest spell in charge after he stepped in to replace Dutch coach Arie Haan in March.
The biggest challenge in the global fight against HIV/Aids is no longer money for drug research and treatment but the lack of local health services in nations worst-hit by the disease, the World Bank said on Monday. While about two million people were now receiving treatment for HIV/Aids, the lack of health services in many African and Asian nations was adversely affecting treatment programmes.
World number two Rafael Nadal said he was pleased to win his sixth title of the year on Sunday when he beat unseeded Swiss Stanislas Wawrinka in 6-4, 7-5 in the Stuttgart final. Despite taking the first set with relative ease, Nadal had to dig deep against the plucky Wawrinka who led 4-1 early in the second set and broke his opponent twice.