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/ 12 September 2007
Microsoft released four software patches on Tuesday to fix security flaws, including one that could allow hackers to take over computers running the company’s instant messaging programs. Only one of the flaws carried the company’s most severe ”critical” rating, and it only applies to the Windows 2000 operating system.
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/ 12 September 2007
Nasa’s Mars rovers Opportunity and Spirit have resumed their three-year-old mission after surviving giant dust storms that nearly destroyed the twin robots, the United States space agency said. The rovers had been placed in hibernation mode in July to protect them from the Martian dust storms.
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/ 12 September 2007
Former heavyweight boxing champion Mike Tyson is scheduled for a hearing this month in which he could change his plea in a narcotics case. The 41-year-old boxer previously pleaded not guilty to charges of drug possession and driving under the influence of drugs. A spokesperson for Maricopa County Attorney Andrew Thomas wouldn’t comment on any possible plea agreement.
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/ 12 September 2007
Americans stood in silence to remember the nearly 3 000 people killed in the September 11 attacks on Tuesday as Osama bin Laden resurfaced to praise the suicide hijackers who carried them out six years ago to the day. New Yorkers observed silent moments at the very times jets crashed into the World Trade Centre towers and when each tower collapsed.
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/ 11 September 2007
Anti-war Senate Democrats bluntly told Iraq commander General David Petraeus on Tuesday his troop surge strategy was an abject failure in its prime objective — forcing a political settlement. Several senior Senate Republicans also questioned the administration’s approach as the general endured a grilling on a second day of high-stakes testimony to Congress.
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/ 11 September 2007
The United States trade deficit declined slightly in July as record exports of farm goods, autos and other products offset a big jump in foreign oil prices. The deficit with China hit the second-highest level yet, reflecting strong demand for Chinese-made goods despite a string of high-profile recalls.
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/ 11 September 2007
A man awaiting trial on child-sex charges in the southern state of Arkansas in the United States tried to saw off his right leg in an apparent escape bid, police said on Monday. Days before he was due to appear in court on charges of rape and engaging children in sexually explicit conduct, Jerry Scholes sawed down to the bone of his right calf.
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/ 11 September 2007
New Yorkers are doing all they can to preserve the way September 11 is commemorated, and with it falling on a Tuesday for the first time since 2001, the day is another trigger of tragic memories. New York City will mark the event as it has for the past five anniversaries with a ceremony punctuated by the reading of names of the 2 750 innocent people who died at the World Trade Centre.
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/ 10 September 2007
The top United States commander in Iraq on Monday said the number of US troops in Iraq could be cut by next summer to roughly 130 000, its level before this year’s ”surge” of 30 000 forces. General David Petraeus also strongly endorsed US President George Bush’s decision to add forces this year.
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/ 9 September 2007
Roger Federer hoisted aloft the US Open trophy for a fourth straight year on Sunday after victory over Novak Djokovic before swiftly turning his gaze to Pete Sampras and the all-time record for grand slam titles. The victory was worth ,4-million to the Swiss world number one, but the only figure Federer really cared about was moving his grand slam titles haul to 12.
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/ 9 September 2007
Svetlana Kuznetsova said she must work on rising to the big occasion following her 6-1 6-3 defeat by world number one Justine Henin in the US Open final on Saturday. ”I think the match was much closer than the score, for sure,” the 22-year-old Russian, who won the 2004 US Open title, told reporters.
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/ 8 September 2007
The Bush administration defended its economic record on Friday, following a report that showed the economy lost 4 000 jobs in August, the first job loss in four years. The administration said that the tax cuts enacted in Bush’s first term in office were ”helping keep our economy strong, flexible and dynamic”.
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/ 8 September 2007
Venus Williams left the US Open the same way Serena Williams did, undone by all those big shots off the racket of little Justine Henin. Henin became only the second woman to beat both Williams sisters at the same Grand Slam tournament, reaching the final at Flushing Meadows with a 7-6 (2), 6-4 victory over Venus on Friday.
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/ 8 September 2007
More than two-thirds of the world’s polar bears will be killed off by 2050 — the species completely gone from Alaska — because of thinning sea ice from global warming in the Arctic, United States government scientists forecast on Friday.
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/ 8 September 2007
Svetlana Kuznetsova got off to a horrible start in her US Open semifinal on Friday. How horrible? Her opponent, Anna Chakvetadze, won the first set despite hitting only one winner. And then, slowly but surely, 2004 champion Kuznetsova began keeping the ball between the lines, and Chakvetadze began missing shots short, long and wide.
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/ 8 September 2007
Prosecutors did not present sufficient evidence to convict Phil Spector for the murder of B-movie actress Lana Clarkson, defense attorneys for the rock legend said on Friday. ”This case exemplifies reasonable doubt,” attorney Linda Kenney-Baden told the nine-man, three-woman jury, which is expected to begin deliberations on Monday.
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/ 7 September 2007
Serb shot-maker Novak Djokovic and Spanish grafter David Ferrer on Thursday set up a US semifinal showdown for a possible challenge to top seed and defending champion Roger Federer. Dvkovic, the 20-year-old revelation of the year, showed remarkable composure in defeating Spanish veteran Carlos Moya 6-4, 7-6 (9/7), 6-1.
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/ 7 September 2007
It’s official: Your toddler is smarter than a chimp, at least at some things. A unique study comparing the abilities of human toddlers to chimpanzees and orangutans found that two-year-old children have social learning skills superior to the apes, researchers said on Thursday.
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/ 6 September 2007
Three-times defending champion Roger Federer outslugged Andy Roddick 7-6 7-6 6-2 in a near flawless display of power tennis to reach the US Open semifinals on Wednesday. The first two sets featured sizzling skill from the service line as neither player lost a game on his own delivery and both sets went to tiebreaks.
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/ 5 September 2007
A United States bomber mistakenly flew with nuclear warheads over the US last week, but the air force on Wednesday said the flight was not a threat to public safety. The air force has started an investigation into the incident and a review of all operational procedures.
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/ 5 September 2007
Boeing’s new 787 jetliner will not begin flight testing until mid-November or mid-December, months later than originally planned, because it is taking longer than anticipated to get the first plane ready, the head of the company’s commercial airplanes unit said on Wednesday.
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/ 5 September 2007
Spain’s David Ferrer put in an inspired performance to upset second-seeded compatriot Rafael Nadal 6-7 6-4 7-6 6-2 in a US Open fourth-round encounter that finished well into the early hours of Wednesday morning. Ferrer’s stunning victory over the French Open champion earned him a quarter-final showdown against 20th seed Juan Ignacio Chela of Argentina.
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/ 5 September 2007
A despondent Serena Williams grudgingly faced reporters after her 7-6, 6-1 defeat to top seed Justine Henin in Tuesday’s quarterfinals of the US Open, tears staining her cheeks after the bitter result. Williams was reluctant to give the Belgian any credit despite being mauled in a one-sided, 36-minute second set.
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/ 4 September 2007
Microsoft says it will release a major package of updates and fixes for the Windows Vista operating system in the first half of 2008. The company says a ”beta” test version of Service Pack 1 will be released ”in a few weeks to a moderate-sized audience”. The pack fixes some common problems that cause computers to crash or freeze.
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/ 4 September 2007
Internet search leader Google has begun hosting material produced by the Associated Press and three other news services on its own website instead of only sending readers to other destinations. The change that started last Friday affects hundreds of stories and photographs distributed each day.
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/ 4 September 2007
Justine Henin and Serena Williams will square up in a battle of former champions at the US Open on Tuesday, while Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic headline the action in the men’s event. ”I’m going in feeling like I don’t have anything to lose,” said eighth seed Williams, who won her eighth grand slam title at the Australian Open in January.
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/ 3 September 2007
United States President George Bush hopes to spur momentum for a world trade pact and a global target on climate change at this week’s Asia-Pacific summit but the Iraq debate at home looms as a distraction. Bush will meet in Sydney with the leaders of Australia, China, Japan, Russia and other members of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) forum.
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/ 2 September 2007
Apple is expected to unveil revamped iPods at a special event on Wednesday in San Francisco. The internet is buzzing with speculation sparked by enigmatic Apple event invitations bearing an image of a silhouetted iPod-wearing figure dancing above the words ”The beat goes on”.
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/ 2 September 2007
World number one Roger Federer answered the threat of big-serving United States giant John Isner to join top challengers Andy Roddick, Nikolay Davydenko and James Blake in the US Open fourth round on Saturday. Federer is trying for a 12th grand-slam crown and fourth US Open title in a row.
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/ 1 September 2007
World number one Roger Federer faces a lofty challenge in his bid for a fourth straight US Open title when he takes on wildcard John Isner in the third round on Saturday. Former champion Andy Roddick and women’s title holder Maria Sharapova are also in action but Federer could have the toughest match.
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/ 1 September 2007
Malnutrition is on the rise in Darfur as a surge in violence prevents aid workers from reaching more people in need, a senior United Nations official said. Eighteen spot surveys in three Darfur provinces indicated the emergency threshold of 15% of the population suffering from malnutrition had increased to more than 17% in some areas.
United States stocks rose on Friday amid optimism a White House-proposed mortgage assistance package could ease liquidity conditions. President George Bush set out measures to help homeowners with subprime mortgages refinance into new loans, but warned that the government’s job was not to bail out speculators.