The chauffeur of the murdered head of the Roman Catholic Church in Turkey has said he had a divine revelation before cutting the cleric’s throat as he sat in his garden, his lawyer said Friday.

Ian Bell took his average against Bangladesh to nearly 200 as he finished 87 not out on the first day of the second and final Test at Old Trafford here on Friday.
England, when bad light and rain forced an early close, were 275/5 after winning the toss.

Four-time champion Rafael Nadal stormed into his fifth French Open final on Friday to set up a mouth-watering revenge showdown with Robin Soderling, who sent him crashing to a first Paris defeat last year.

South Korea’s World Cup squad has been using a specially built “thin-air” lounge to acclimatise for South Africa while Japan has given each team member an oxygen tank.

Nelson Mandela met with South Africa’s national football team on Thursday, the same day the country’s ruling party said its most famous citizen will attend the World Cup’s opening game and the final.

Tottenham striker Jermain Defoe has revealed he feared his World Cup dream was over after a practical joke by England assistant manager Franco Baldini.
Defoe nervously waited to find out if he would be included in England’s final 23-man squad for the World Cup on Tuesday before finally receiving a call from Baldini on behalf of boss Fabio Capello.

England arrived in South Africa on Thursday morning hoping a favourable first-round draw can be the catalyst for a serious World Cup challenge.
Cool, clear conditions greeted some of the most watched performers in the global televised football arena when they landed at Johannesburg international airport with manager Fabio Capello.

One of the most intriguing elements of Italy’s World Cup defence, in both senses of the word, will be the form and influence of Fabio Cannavaro.
The 36-year-old Juventus defender lifted the trophy four years ago as the Italy captain in a dream season in which he was later named world player of the year and also moved to Real Madrid.

Facebook has a new member — former US President George W. Bush.

Six men from Europe, Russia and China will on Thursday be voluntarily locked away in a module for almost one and a half years to simulate the effects of a mission to Mars.