Sport

Major media outlets have told an Australian senate committee on environment, communications and the arts that Australians are being denied full coverage of sporting events. They have told the inquiry that major sporting organisations are restricting how photos and text can be used on the internet and other digital media, which is threatening the reporting of sport as news. Sporting organisations have hit back saying that such online content is a big money earner for them. They say that the money earned from those rights gets invested in grass

Thousand of people have met at Liverpool Anfield Football ground to mark the 20th anniversary of the Hillsborough Disaster which claimed the lives of 96 Liverpool FC fans. A minutes silence was held at 15:06 in Liverpool, Nottingham and Sheffield. In the 20 years that have passed but the families of the victims and a large portion of the population in Liverpool feel that there are still unanswered questions over the events and blame still to be apportioned. In addition there are questions regarding, what is seen as, the post event coverup and

With a game-in-hand, champions Manchester United maintained a one-point lead over second-place Liverpool after United defeated Sunderland 2–1 and Liverpool defeated Blackburn Rovers 4–0 in English Premier League action this weekend. Third- and fourth-place Chelsea and Arsenal both earned key victories, with Chelsea only four points out of the top of the table. United's 17-year-old striker Federico Macheda scored the winning goal for the second time in two games with a redirection of a Michael Carrick shot into the corner of the net on Saturday

Nintendo's widely popular game system the Wii was hit by a decrease in sales in Japan. Nintendo hopes to regain its sales by releasing a new version of its Wii Sports game in June. The current CEO of Nintendo said in a press conference they will not be slashing prices of their hardware. "If our products are not much different from competitors', price cuts would generate significant fresh demand. But video games are just not that kind of product." As of December 31, 2008 the Wii leads the generation over the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in worldw

A stadium disaster has claimed well over a dozen lives in the Ivory Coast. A crush, which may have occurred after a wall collapse, took place today at the Félix Houphouët-Boigny Stadium in Abidjan and according to interior minister Desire Tagro killed 22 people and wounded 132 others. Different sources put the dead at 19. "We have 19 dead and many seriously injured," a member of the military told Reuters. The Sports Minister gave this version of events: "Spectators who did not buy tickets were jostling before the match. They smashed one of the

A New Jersey state senator has filed a lawsuit seeking to overturn a federal law banning sports betting in 46 states. State Sen. Raymond Lesniak, a Democrat representing portions of Union County, filed the suit Monday, arguing the 17-year-old law is unconstitutional because it treats four states differently than the other states. Under the law, sports betting is prohibited in all states except Delaware, Oregon, Montana and Nevada, although only the latter two currently allow wagering. "This federal law deprives the State of New Jersey of ove

Australian Football League clubs in Melbourne have threatened to move their matches interstate after a breakdown in negotiations over poor stadium deals at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. Western Bulldogs president David Smorgon, who was acting as the delegate for the league's sixteen clubs, said that Victorian teams would consider moving matches interstate or to Visy Park in Carlton. "It's an idea, nothing threatening," Smorgon said. "But we're not going to sit back and do nothing. We've got other options and they include engaging our fans and

Andry Rajoelina, who ousted Madagascan ex-president President Marc Ravalomanana earlier this week, officially became the leader of the country, after being sworn in on Saturday. National television broadcast the inauguration, which occurred at a soccer field in Antananarivo, the capital of Madagascar. Tens of thousands of people attended the event, although approximately 2,000 supporters of Ravalomanana held protests in the capital's Democracy Square. “We proclaim today the end of the dictatorship,” said the new president, promising to tackle

England beat New Zealand in the final of the 2009 Women's World Cup tournament at North Sydney Oval, North Sydney in Australia to win the title for the third time. The other two matches for the 3rd place play-off between Australia and India ended with India beating Australia by 3 wickets and the West Indies beating Pakistan by 3 wickets as well. In the final New Zealand won the toss and elected to bat first, but were bowled out for 166 in 47.2 overs. Lucy Doolan was the top scorer for New Zealand with 48 and Nicky Shaw finished with the best b

In an appearance on the The Tonight Show with Jay Leno Thursday night, United States President Barack Obama told host, Jay Leno, that he had bowled at the White House bowling alley and scored a 129. "It was like the Special Olympics or something," the President said. The Special Olympics is an international organization that promotes self-confidence and social skills for people with intellectual disabilities. It organizes the Special Olympics World Games which is recognized by the International Olympic Committee and is similar to the Paralymp

England will take on New Zealand in the final of the 2009 Women's World Cup tournament currently being held in Australia. The final line up was confirmed after the final set of the Super-Six matches yesterday when New Zealand defeated Pakistan by 223 runs. The other two matches between Australia and England ended with Australia beating England by 8 wickets and India beating the West Indies by 8 wickets as well. The final will be a repeat of the 1993 world cup final held in England. England beat New Zealand in the 1993 final at Lord's, London b

Triple Olympic champion Usain Bolt of Jamaica will run in a 150 metre street race in Manchester, England on May 17. The race will be conducted as part of the inaugural "Great Manchester 150." Bolt won gold medals in the 100 meters, 200 metres and 4x100 metres relay race in the 2008 Olympic games held in Beijing, China. He set world records in both the 100- and 200-meter races. This will be the first time Bolt will be running in Europe. This will also be the first time he will be running a distance of 150 metres. The race will be held on a spec