Wimbledon 2009 gets underway

This year's Wimbledon displays a modern touch. The new roof on the main court will ensure uninterrupted matches. And another piece of history will be made if Roger Federer becomes the champion.


The oldest and most traditional of tennis tournaments has had a facelift. They still use grass courts, players must continue to wear white, and the middle Sunday remains a rest day. But at least Centre Court, where most of the big matches take place, will be sheltered from the worst of the British weather. The organisers have spent millions of dollars building a retractable roof. So no more damp dismal days for fans and players on the main show court.
The innovation has been welcomed by the leading players. Roger Federer will be hoping for an uninterrupted run towards a record breaking 15th Grand Slam title. His task has been made easier by the withdrawal of the man who wrestled the Wimbledon title from him 12 months ago in an epic final. Rafael Nadal's dodgy knees have stopped him from taking part. Britain's obsession with finding a men's champion for the first time in 73 years rests on the shoulders of Andy Murray. He's ranked number three in the world and is considered to have a genuine chance.
The names on top of women's tennis keep changing through retirement, injury or loss of form. The two constants are the Williams sisters. Few people are looking beyond either Venus or Serena to add another trophy to their glittering collection.

Greenland self-rule

Greenland has been marking a step towards independence from Denmark, its ruler for 300 years. Ceremonies have been taking place to mark the start of self-rule, approved by voters in a referendum last year.

http://http-ws.bbc.co.uk.edgesuite.net/mp3/learningenglish/2009/06/words_in_the_news_22_june_2009_au_bb.mp3

http://http-ws.bbc.co.uk.edgesuite.net/mp3/learningenglish/2009/06/words_in_the_news_vocab_22_june_2009_au_bb.mp3

http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/witn/pdfs/090622_witn_greenland.pdf

Canada seal cull dwindles

19 June 2009
Canada's annual seal hunt has ended with only a quarter of the annual quota of seals being caught. Fishermen blame plummeting prices for seal pelts and an impending EU ban on seal products.

http://http-ws.bbc.co.uk.edgesuite.net/mp3/learningenglish/2009/06/words_in_the_news_19_june_2009_au_bb.mp3


http://http-ws.bbc.co.uk.edgesuite.net/mp3/learningenglish/2009/06/words_in_the_news_vocab_19_june_2009_au_bb.mp3

http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/witn/pdfs/090619_witn_canada_seals.pdf

Tall people earn more

http://http-ws.bbc.co.uk.edgesuite.net/mp3/learningenglish/2009/05/words_in_the_news_18_may_2009_au_bb.mp3

http://http-ws.bbc.co.uk.edgesuite.net/mp3/learningenglish/2009/05/words_in_the_news_vocab_18_may_2009_au_bb.mp3

http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/witn/pdfs/090518_witn_tall.pdf

Researchers in Australia have found that tall people earn higher wages than their shorter counterparts. They also found that chubby people earn more than those who are skinny.