Daily News Channel
Seven-time grand slam champion Venus Williams crashed out of the French Open on Friday as she was thrashed 6-0 6-4 by Agnes Szavay of Hungary. It was the third straight year that Williams has gone out at the same stage on the clay of Roland Garros, but defeat to 29th seed was still unexpected. Third seed Williams had charted a perilous course to the last 32, saving a match point on Thursday against Lucie Safarova, but her luck ran out against Szavay
British heir to the throne Prince William is to attend tonight’s Champions League final between Manchester United and Barcelona in Rome, in his capacity as President of the English Football Association (FA). The Prince will meet key officials and other dignitaries in private before the match, during half-time and after the match
English Football Association hierarchy promised a "transparent" World Cup bid on Monday when they launched the nation’s attempt to host the 2018 finals. FA chairman Lord Triesman was joined by David Beckham, Wayne Rooney and Prime Minister Gordon Brown at Wembley with officials anxious not to repeat the mistakes that cost England the 2006 tournament. Bid chief executive Andy Anson believes the failed 2006 bid was guilty of “arrogance and complacency” and while Triesman stopped short of repeating the accusation, he feels the FA must learn from their mistakes
Tens of thousands of protesters marched on the streets of Spain’s capital Thursday to demand better protection for workers hit hard by the economic crisis. Dressed in funeral black to mourn the estimated four million jobless in Spain, demonstrators had a simple message for the government: Enough corporate bailouts; it’s time to focus on the workers
The economic downturn has claimed another prestigious event on the European Tour with this year’s British Masters dropped from the schedule. The event had been planned for September 17-20 at The Belfry, but joins the English Open in coming off the “Race to Dubai” – the new name for the European Tour. Sponsorship from Quinn Insurance came to an end after three years and tournament organizers ISM have been unable to find a replacement
Internet giant Google has been stopped from gathering images in Greek cities for its Street View service until it provides further guarantees about privacy. Launched in the U.S. two years ago, Street View provides users with access to 3-D “pedestrian’s-eye” views of urban areas by zooming into the lowest level on its Google Maps and Google Earth applications
World championship leader Jenson Button captured pole position for Sunday’s Spanish Grand Prix after a dramatic climax to qualifying at Barcelona’s Circuit de Catalunya. Briton Button, who has triumphed in three of the four races so far this season, took the No. 1 spot ahead of Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel with Brawn GP team-mate Rubens Barrichello third.
Mexico lowered its swine flu alert one notch Thursday as more than 6 million students returned to classes and thousands of shuttered businesses reopened their doors. The alert went from orange (elevated) to yellow (medium). Mexico has reported 1,112 laboratory-confirmed cases, including 42 deaths, according to the World Health Organization
A Socialist was elected for the first time as Basque regional president on Tuesday, ending decades of pro-independence Basque nationalist rule in northern Spain.
The number of confirmed cases of the H1N1 virus has jumped more than 30 percent with 331 people being diagnosed so far, the World Health Organization said Friday. The virus, commonly known as swine flu, has spread to 11 countries, but the hardest hit areas were in the western hemisphere, the organization said