Three-time Grand Slam champion Lindsay Davenport advanced to her first major final since 2000 on Friday when defeating Amelie Mauresmo in the Wimbledon semi-finals. Her opponent on Saturday will be two-time Wimbledon winner Venus Williams, who advanced on Thursday when she eliminated defending champion Maria Sharapova.
The long-awaited Ashes cricket series hasn’t even begun and already football’s big spenders are starting to dominate the headlines. The big summer sale? Michael Owen, by the look of it. Though the former Liverpool striker has said he wants to stay with Real Madrid, word is that Chelsea is set to attract the him back to the Premiership.
For television, this is the season of repeats. Nowadays the programmers are too canny to flag anything quite so boldly, however. They prefer to tempt the viewer by sticking words such as ”Revisited” or ”Second Helping” on the original title in the hope we’ll spend the whole show saying, ”Have we seen this before?” Sport is much the same.
Wrinkles, receding graying hair and a furrowed brow attest to the difficulties of Tony Blair’s eight years in power. Yet despite a heart operation, back pain and the ever present rumblings of dissent within his governing Labour Party, Blair (52), insists his passion for politics is undiminished.
Lleyton Hewitt aims to shoot down Roger Federer’s reputation as the world’s greatest player in Friday’s Wimbledon semi-final showdown using ammunition supplied by the All England Club. The Australian, the champion in 2002, is furious that he was seeded at three instead of two which would have been in line with his world ranking.
Bob Geldof, the force behind the biggest global music rally to help end poverty in Africa, has been raging against injustice since he burst onto the world stage as a young rock star in the 1970s. Three days ahead of his Live8 concerts, Geldof is one of the world’s most admired advocates for debt cancellation, greater aid and freer trade in Africa.
Maria Sharapova will happily give up the gold by donating a pair of her new tennis shoes flecked with the precious medal to the Wimbledon museum. The teenaged holder, who is defending her title at this edition playing in new clothing — including the shoes — is so well kitted-out that passing along a dress and pair of trainers is absolutely no problem.
Marat Safin’s latest attempt to conquer Wimbledon ended in bitter disappointment and frustration on Friday when he was knocked out in the third round by Spanish serve-and-volleyer Felciano Lopez. The fifth-seeded Russian meekly surrendered the Court One tie to the man who beat him at the Olympics last year.
BBC bosses are facing a talent-juggling act to keep a trio of former champions from verbal volleying in the broadcast booth at the Wimbledon Championships.
The volatile Jimmy Connors, one of the original bad boys of the game three decades ago, will be on hand along with Wimbledon TV regulars John McEnroe and Boris Becker.
Japanese tyre-maker Bridgestone said on Monday it was ”too early” to say whether it would benefit from a severe blow to rival Michelin caused by the French company’s tyres proving unsafe to use at the US Grand Prix. Michelin has rejected any blame for advising seven formula one teams to pull out of Sunday’s race because of fears its tyres might be dangerous.
England captain Michael Vaughan was full of admiration for Kevin Pietersen after the Hampshire batsman added to his growing list of breathtaking one-day innings with a commanding 91 not out in Sunday’s triangular series victory against world champions Australia. England was faltering in their pursuit of 253 but Pietersen saw them home at the County Ground.
Women’s soccer should promote ”lovely looking” players to attract more sponsors, according to Uefa president Lennart Johansson. ”If you see a girl playing on the ground, sweaty, with the rainy weather and coming out of the dressing room, lovely looking, that would sell.”
Margaret Thatcher, who led Britain’s Conservative Party to three election wins via a combination of unshakeable will and iron discipline, has delivered a stark, if brief, message to her old organisation: ”Get on with it”. In a rare foray into contemporary politics, Thatcher issued the call at a celebration of the 30th anniversary of her accession as party leader.
Most single Britons regard a holiday romance as an essential part of a summer vacation, but most will fizzle out within a week of returning to the British drizzle, a survey revealed on Wednesday. Nearly half of those polled said the heady mix of sun, sea and sand made falling in love all the easier.
Roger Federer, having endured another French Open heartbreaker, returns to more friendly Grand Slam surroundings next week, bidding to take another step closer to smashing Pete Sampras’ record of seven Wimbledon titles. Injured Andre Agassi has pulled out of Wimbledon for the second straight year.
A life-size chocolate statue of British popstar Elton John was unveiled on Tuesday at London’s famous wax cabinet, Madame Tussauds. The figure, made of 126kgs of Cadbury’s Dairy Milk, won immediate approval from Elton’s long-time partner, David Furnish. ”They’ve captured his features and his spirit,” said Furnish.
A museum dedicated to children’s author Roald Dahl (1916-1990), featuring chocolate-scented doors, a friendly giant and a crocodile bench, has been opened in Britain. The museum and story centre is in Great Missenden, the village in Buckinghamshire (north-west of London), where Dahl wrote many of his classics.
Finance ministers from the Group of Eight (G8) industrialised nations will try to reach agreement on Friday on a British-American proposal to cancel billions of dollars in debt owed by the world’s poorest countries. The deal would cover 18 nations eligible for debt relief under the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries initiative.
Unless Britons are charged for the distance they drive, they could eventually face unmanageable traffic jams on major roads, the nation’s transport secretary said on Thursday. Transport Secretary Alistair Darling said Britain needs to implement the world’s first satellite-based system to charge motorists for every kilometre they drive.
It could perhaps be described as a niche market, but such is the continued fame of United States pop star Madonna that a pair of her black, lacy knickers — guaranteed pre-worn — have sold for £1 000 (R12 400). The underwear was worn by the 46-year-old star in the 1993 film Body of Evidence.
Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchester United are on the prowl for summer signings to help tip the balance in what could be the closest Premiership race for years. Arsenal are in negotiations with Stuttgart about Belarus winger Alexander Hleb as manager Arsene Wenger tries to strengthen the right side of his midfield.
Parts of the European Union Constitution could be introduced without a referendum in the United Kingdom, British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw said on Tuesday, a day after suspending plans for the treaty to be put to a popular vote. Straw, speaking on BBC radio, also tried to appease opponents of the Constitution.
Edwin van der Sar has vowed to become Manchester United’s new Peter Schmeichel and put them back on top of English football. The former Juventus and Ajax goalkeeper has agreed a two-year contract at Old Trafford, who have tried 10 ‘keepers since Schmeichel left in 1999 after the treble-winning season.
Britain announced on Monday that it is shelving plans for a referendum on the European Union Constitution until its fate becomes clearer, driving another stake into the heart of the beleaguered treaty. The move was announced by British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw in a statement to Parliament on Monday.
Scores of international experts began talks on Monday in Edinburgh, Scotland, aimed at helping the Group of Eight (G8) industrial powers tackle disease and poverty in Africa at its July summit in Scotland, officials said. About 80 lawmakers and policymakers opened talks on Monday morning.
Hospital bosses in Britain were meeting on Friday to discuss a controversial move to ban Bibles from patients’ bedsides after they were decreed not only insensitive to other religions but also a health risk. Gideons International, the organisation that distributes Bibles to hospitals, has condemned the mooted move as "outrageous".
A bone found on a British beach has sparked renewed interest in one of the country’s most curious myths — that a monkey washed ashore during the Napoleonic Wars was executed by suspicious locals for being a French spy. The discovery has intrigued locals, given the town’s curious folklore.
Chelsea were fined £300 000 (R3,7-million) and handed a suspended three-point deduction for tapping up Arsenal left-back Ashley Cole, the Premier League announced on Wednesday. Cole himself was fined £100 000 (R1,2-million) and Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho received a fine of £200 000 (R2,5-million).
Arsenal vice-chairperson David Dein may believe that the Premiership runners-up can return to a businesslike relationship with the team who deposed them as champions, Chelsea, but that is certainly not the line coming out of their London rivals. Arsenal and Chelsea must sit down together at the two-day Premiership conference on Thursday.
Irish musician Bob Geldof on Tuesday outlined plans to stage a follow-up spectacular 20 years after the 1985 Live Aid concert, in order to draw world attention to global poverty and debt. The event, called Live 8, will be held in London’s Hyde Park, with other concerts being staged in Philadelphia, Paris, Rome and Berlin.
One of Britain’s least-known yet most dangerous sporting events took place on Monday with a lower-than-usual toll of injuries. Only three people broke bones during the annual cheese-rolling race at Cooper’s Hill in Gloucestershire, central England, where competitors pelt recklessly down a steep slope in pursuit of a large, round cheese.
An adolescent running away after a furious row with his father is nothing unusual. Unfortunately, if you’re a four-year-old colobus monkey, you can’t just telephone for a lift home later once tempers have cooled. The rare black-and-white colobus male is still on the loose after escaping from his enclosure, reports said on Tuesday.