Alinghi Defends America's Cup

Cup holders accuse American billionaire of sending spy squads to snoop on yacht

(NEWSER) - Skulduggery has once again hit the world's foremost sailing race with charges that a spy for US billionaire Larry Ellison's BMW-Oracle team was nabbed snooping on a rival, the Times of London reports. Spokesmen for Alinghi, the Swiss holders of the America's Cup, say they caught the spy sneaking around their facilities taking photos of their yacht. Authorities detained the man, who says he is a member of Ellison's "recon squad." More»

After 15-year drought, Eliison's BWM Oracle trimaran defeats Swiss Alonghi

(AP) - Larry Ellison's space-age trimaran BMW Oracle won back the America's Cup for the United States by speeding across the Mediterranean and routing two-time defending champ Alinghi of Switzerland in a two-race sweep. The 65-year-old software tycoon was onboard his incredibly fast craft today, after sitting out Race 1 due to a weight limit. His victory over rival Ernesto Bertarelli sends the oldest trophy in international sports to San Francisco's Golden Gate Yacht Club. More»

Defending champions choose UAE site for 'perfect weather'

(NEWSER) - February’s America’s Cup will be held in the United Arab Emirates for the first time, the defending champs, who get to choose, announced yesterday. The decision marks the Middle East’s continued growth as an international sports mecca, the Wall Street Journal notes. Ras al-Khaimah in the southern Persian Gulf “offers perfect weather and great sailing conditions for a match in February,” said an official from team Alinghi's yacht club. More»

It's No. 1 on list, with the US at No. 7

(NEWSER) - International Living crunches the numbers on everything from cost of living to health care to climate to find the nations with the best quality of life. France tops the list, with the US at No. 7. A sampling:

• France (No. 1): "Tiresome bureaucracy and high taxes" can't trump the "world's best health care," the "joy of lingering for hours over dinner and a bottle of red wine in a Parisian brasserie," or "antique streets paved with poetry."

Outraged as Iranian, Swiss leaders meet at UN racism conference

(NEWSER) - Israel has angrily called home its ambassador to Switzerland after that country's president met with Iranian leader Mahmoud Ahmadinejad ahead of a politically charged UN meeting on racism that began today, the Times of London reports. On Israel's Holocaust Memorial Day, Switzerland’s “guest of honor is a racist and a Holocaust-denier who doesn’t conceal his intention to wipe Israel off the face of this earth,” PM Benjamin Netanyahu said. More»