Rafael Nadal made his return to competitive tennis after a two-and-a-half month layoff with a doubles victory at the Rogers Cup in Montreal. Nadal teamed up with fellow Spaniard Francisco Roig to beat the Serbian pairing of Novak Djokovic and Dusan Vemic 7-5 6-4 in a first round match. World number two Nadal has not played since losing in the fourth round of the French Open to Robin Soderling, troubled by tendinitis in both knees which caused him to skip ...

As the U.S. jumps on board the cash-for-clunkers bandwagon, the Obama Administration would do well to pay attention to what is happening in Hamburg's sprawling harbor. The seaport city is one of the busiest ports in the world: nearly every car — new or used — passes through its docks on the way out of Germany. And this week, the police charged with patrolling the harbor released evidence showing that Germany's hugely popular cash-for-clunkers program may have some unintended ...

Sunshine-seeking travelers whose vacations are spoilt by wet weather will be able to claim compensation under a new scheme introduced by Germany airline Lufthansa in a bid to head off the gray clouds settling over the aviation industry. Under the "sunshine insurance" scheme, passengers who book flights to any of 36 destinations on offer will be entitled to €20 ($28.8) per day up to a maximum of €200 ($288) for every day of rain. To take advantage of the offer, ...

Former manager of the England football team, Bobby Robson, has died aged 76 after a long fight with cancer. The coach led the national side of his home nation between 1982 and 1990 , guiding the team to the semifinal of the 1990 World Cup, where his side were defeated by Germany in a penalty shootout. Robson's curriculum vitae as a club coach was long and successful including spells with Fulham, Ipswich and Newcastle United in England, PSV ...

"Let's grab a beer." That was the invitation extended by President Obama, who is seeking to dial down the racial tension surrounding black Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates Jr.'s July 16 arrest by a white police officer. On July 30, Gates and the arresting officer, Sgt. James Crowley, will meet Obama at the White House to have a beer and discuss the maybe-racist-maybe-not incident in which the three men find themselves entangled. Anticipatory news reports of the drinking session ...

Multiple Olympic champion Michael Phelps suffered his first defeat in international competition for four years when Paul Biedermann convincingly beat him in the 200 meters freestyle final at the world swimming championships in Rome. Phelps, who has won 14 Olympic gold medals in his glittering career, last failed to get gold when he was edged out by fellow-American Ian Crocker in the 100m butterfly at the worlds in Montreal. Phelps had not been beaten in the 200m freestyle ...

A 23-year-old man was arrested Sunday in the death of a former "American Idol" contestant, who was struck by a car in New Jersey, authorities said. She wasn't yet three days old when she experienced her first revolution. For young mothers it truly stank -- due to a shortage of diapers in the Hoyerswerda Women's Hospital. In the maternity ward people's anger was bubbling over and it wasn't only the babies who were screaming. It is the end of August, ...

Michael Phelps swam the first leg for the winning U.S. 4 x 100 meters relay squad as the first day of competition in the pool at the world championships in Rome saw six world records tumble. The eight-time gold medal winner from the Beijing Olympics led off for the U.S. and could only hand over third to teammate Ryan Lochte. But an inspired anchor leg by Nathan Adrian gave them an upset win over the world record holders France, who ...

Alberto Contador has been crowned Tour de France champion for the second time in three years, as Mark Cavendish won his sixth stage of this year's race with victory in the 21st and final stage, finishing in the center of Paris. Briton Cavendish again proved he has no equal in the bunch sprints by powering away from his rivals, after being giving a perfect lead-out by Columbia teammate Mark Renshaw, to add the 'blue riband' sprinters stage on the Champs-Elysees ...

After several delays, the trial of Myanmar's pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi entered its final phase Friday as lawyers began delivering closing arguments under tight security at Yangon's Insein Prison. A verdict was not expected Friday. Nyan Wun, Suu Kyi's lawyer, said that by law, the court cannot announce a verdict on the same day as closing arguments. Suu Kyi, 64, was charged with breaching the terms of her house arrest, which she has been under for 14 of ...