Italy's unions agreed this week not to stage any strikes during next month's Winter Olympics in Turin. Unions signed a deal with the Italian government to ban strikes from January 31 to March 23, union officials told reporters.
The Winter Games run from February 10 to 26 while the Paralympics run from March 10 to 19.
Alitalia flight attendants had announced they planned a 24-hour strike to coincide with the February 10 opening ceremony and pilots had threatened a four-hour stoppage on February 9. The deal means both strikes will be cancelled.
Alpine skiing's world championships in Italy last year were disrupted when a handful of Italian television workers walked off the job in a dispute over pay and conditions. The strike forced the postponement of the giant slalom, disappointing thousands of fans who had travelled from around Europe to see the race.
Golf - Queen Elizabeth honours Langer
German Bernhard Langer was honoured by Britain's Queen Elizabeth for his contribution to golf.
The 48-year-old was named an honorary Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE), the UK's Foreign and Commonwealth Office said in a statement.
Langer captained the European Ryder Cup team in their crushing 2004 victory over the United States. He also played in 10 Ryder Cups and has won two US Masters titles, as well as 42 European Tour titles.
Rugby - Jones named Queensland coach
Eddie Jones has agreed to coach Australian provincial team Queensland a month after being dumped as Wallabies coach.
Jones agreed to a three-year deal with the Reds yesterday after losing his job in charge of the national team last month following a disastrous season.
Jones will work on player development and recruitment before taking over the coaching role from Jeff Miller at the conclusion of the 2006 Super 14 season.
Jones's future had been the subject of much speculation after his sacking last year, which came after the Wallabies failed to win a single match in the Tri-nations and then lost three of their four matches in Europe.
He was reportedly targeted by several European clubs as well as the Japanese national team but said he wanted to remain in Australia.