Third seed Venus Williams stepped up her bid for her third U.S. Open title with a convincing 6-4 6-2 win over fellow American Bethanie Mattek-Sands on Wednesday. Williams was on the brink of defeat against her first round opponent Vera Dushevina of Russia, but cut out the unforced errors in her second match at Flushing Meadows. But there was disappointment for former world number one Amelie Mauresmo of France as she bowed out of the hardcourt grand slam. The 17th ...

South Africa's ruling party has denounced a decision by Canada to grant refugee status to a white South African man, calling it "racist."

As times get tough, people look for change. Not just new presidents and prime ministers, but change they can count on -- or, at least, count. And they're willing to turn over couch covers and seat cushions to find it. As the financial crisis thrust billion-dollar figures onto the front pages, it also has cast a spotlight on how we perceive and use the smallest of currencies -- namely, metal coins. In Thailand, the Treasury Department has found that coin ...

World number one Dinara Safina and most of the top women's seeds at the U.S. Open coasted through to the second round, but Ana Ivanovic was knocked out by Ukraine's Kateryna Bondarenko in a playoff thriller that was decided by the last point. Safina, who crashed out of the second round of the Rogers Cup in Canada in late August, survived a scare from Australian teen Olivia Rogowska, winning 6-7 (5-7), 6-2, 6-4. In other women's first round play, number ...

The futuristic South African sci-fi that has taken the U.S box office by storm opened in its home country this weekend. Parallels with the experience of apartheid in "District 9" are likely to resonate particularly with South African audiences. The story begins with an alien space ship breaking down over South Africa's largest metropolis, Johannesburg -- leaving the unfortunate creatures on board stranded. Their human hosts rescue them, but 20 years on they are exploited and segregated ...

Two firefighters died Sunday afternoon as a fast-spreading wildfire in Los Angeles County grew to more than 42,000 acres, a fire official said. "I have some sad news to report," Deputy Fire Chief Michael Bryant told reporters. "Two of our firefighters were in a vehicle and went over the side and both of them suffered ... life-ending injuries." The accident happened near Acton, about 25 miles north of central Los Angeles during "intense fire activity that was occurring near Mount ...

With irresponsible banking practices taking the blame for bringing about the global economic crisis, there has been a surge of interest in Islamic finance. Now, a slew of academic courses are springing up to meet the demand of those wanting to break into an expanding market. According to ratings agency Moody's, the global Islamic finance sector is worth $700 billion and has the potential to be worth $4 trillion. What's more, the ethical principles underpinning Islamic finance are ...

Canadian authorities are searching for a woman in their investigation into the death of a reality TV contestant, who is suspected of killing his wife in Southern California. Authorities have "identified the woman who is now a person of interest in this investigation, but she is not considered a risk to public safety," Sgt. Duncan Pound, spokesman for the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, said Monday. The woman helped rent a room for Ryan Alexander Jenkins, who was found dead at ...

The skeletal remains of two infants were found underneath a rural Texas trailer, police said Monday, in the same area where another set of infant remains was found last year. Authorities were called about 3:30 p.m. Sunday to the trailer south of Kennedale, about 15 miles southeast of Fort Worth, Texas, in rural Tarrant County, said Terry Grisham, spokesman for the Tarrant County Sheriff's Office. There is a group of about five mobile homes there, he said, that are leased ...

The nudity in HBO's "True Blood" might seem risqué to American audiences, but Anna Paquin, who was born in Canada and grew up in New Zealand, doesn't really see what the fuss is about. "I don't think a naked body is particularly shocking or interesting," the 27-year-old "True Blood" star told Nylon for its September issue. "It's not the culture I was raised in," Paquin said. "I was not brought up in the United States. I don't share the ...