England coach Clive Woodward has stunned the rugby and football establishment after it was reported he is looking to walk away from rugby to become a football coach. According to the Daily Mail, Woodward is hoping to gain a foothold in the English football scene so that he can one day lead the national team.
Former world number one Serena Williams’s march towards reclaiming her US Open title began in stunning fashion on Monday when she overpowered Sandra Kleinova 6-1, 6-3 in a first-round match. Men’s top seed Roger Federer hammered out a 7-5, 6-2, 6-4 win over Spain’s Albert Costa.
England captain Lawrence Dallaglio has called a news conference on Tuesday amid speculation that he is to retire from international rugby union. The veteran back-row, who has played 73 times for his country and was on the team that won the World Cup last year, took over the captaincy after Martin Johnson retired.
Reports of a family feud and racism in the family of high jumper Hestrie Cloete could have cost her the Olympic gold medal, her trainer Martin Marx said on Tuesday. Speaking on his return from the Olympics where Cloete scooped a silver medal, Marx said: ”She was under a lot of pressure but Hestrie takes pressure fine.”
Click on image for full-size view.
They lived in the same apartment, worked in the same market and — possibly — died within moments of each other on separate airliners that crashed in Russia last week. New details emerged on Monday about the two Chechen women who are the focus of suspicions that the planes were blown up by terrorists. But questions also arose.
After three weeks of bloody conflict in Najaf, fresh fighting in Baghdad’s Sadr City suburb and a death toll creeping into the high hundreds have tarnished the reputation of radical Shi’ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr among many Iraqis, even though anti-United States feelings still run high.
Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon wants all 21 Jewish settlements in the Gaza Strip evacuated at the same time, instead of in three stages, officials said on Monday, reflecting a major shift in position. On Monday, Sharon and Minister of Defence Shaul Mofaz presented the new plan to the Security Cabinet, a forum of senior ministers.
Rare and endangered cycad plants, often referred to as living fossils, are being stolen in South Africa at an alarming rate, with at least two species from Limpopo province having disappeared completely. According to the National Botanical Institute, the country’s botanical gardens are also being targeted by cycad poachers.
An illegal strike in the world’s largest diamond producer, Botswana, entered a second week on Monday with the union saying that miners who have opted to stay on the job are overworked, resulting in two deaths. Thousands of workers in four mines run by Debswana went on strike a week ago.