Roger Federer will have Björn Borg’s record of five successive Wimbledon titles in his sights when he starts the defence of his All England Club crown in London on Monday. The world number one returns to the grass of centre court where he is the undoubted ruler.
Ethnic rebel guerrillas in military-ruled Burma (Myanmar) have killed 27 people in two attacks on passenger buses in the past week, among the heaviest civilian casualties in decades of unrest, state media reported on Monday. ”Terrorist insurgents are trying to undermine national stability,” the official New Light of Myanmar said.
Laboratory tests in Ghana confirmed that the H5N1 bird-flu virus caused the sudden deaths of 2 000 chickens at a farm near Togo’s capital, Lomé, the World Health Organisation representative in Togo said on Friday. It is the first time the virus has been detected in Togo, the seventh West African nation to have reported an outbreak.
A pig in a tutu, a porker on a bike, a hog on a drip — it was no ordinary parade that snaked its way through the Philippine town of Balayan on Sunday. In Balayan, south of Manila, a centuries-old religious festival is all that’s needed to kill, clothe, parade and consume the neighbourhood pigs.
Young Australian men who drive too fast have had the size of their manhood questioned in the latest drive by anti-speeding campaigners to cut road deaths. The below-the-belt television ads show women noticing a young man roaring past and then turning scornfully to their friends and wiggling their little fingers.
European leaders on Sunday hailed an agreement on the outlines of a new European Union treaty to replace the ill-fated constitution rejected by French and Dutch voters two years ago. Hopes that the EU may emerge from two years of introspection were raised when a deal was finally reached in the early hours of Sunday morning.
The Israeli Cabinet on Sunday agreed to release about -million in Palestinian tax revenues as part of a programme to shore up the rule of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in the West Bank. Israel has withheld the tax revenues since Hamas entered the government last year.
Canadian Anglicans failed by the narrowest of margins on Sunday night to agree to allow their churches to bless the committed relationships of same-sex couples. The incoming primate of the Canadian church, Archbishop-elect Fred Hiltz, who had voted in favour of the move, said: ”We have a very divided church.”
Esperance of Tunisia dropped two precious African Champions League points when held 0-0 by Asec Mimosas of Côte d’Ivoire this weekend. Al-Ahly of Egypt, seeking a record third consecutive title, are favoured to top Group B, leaving Esperance and Asec to fight for the other semifinal slot with Al-Hilal of Sudan.
New Zealand’s players have accused their South African opponents of dirty tactics in Saturday’s Tri-Nations clash in Durban. New Zealand scored two late tries to win the match 26-21, but later claimed the Springboks had tried to unsettle them by foul means.