This has been one of the great Antarctic ventures of recent decades. Radar surveys have indicated the presence of a lake six times the size of Luxemburg, the base of the ice sheet. Its water is kept liquid by the warmth of the rock bed and by the immense pressure of the
overlying
ice. Scientists expect their studies of Lake Vostok to tell them about the past climate of Antarctica, but they are fascinated also by the life forms they may find down there. The water has very probably been cut off from the outside world for millennia, in which case any microorganisms in the lake will almost certainly have evolved into new forms.
The England football manager Fabio Capello has resigned. The Italian has been in dispute with the Football Association after it removed John Terry as England captain without consulting him first. Capello publicly criticised the decision on Terry, who's facing charges of racially abusing another player. Capello had a meeting with the Football Association this afternoon. The former chief executive of the FA, Brian Barwick, said the meeting had ended
amicably
.
"My understanding, and I have spoken to key people at the FA, I understand that Fabio actually resigned, that there was no ill feeling, that he left
on very good terms
, that the whole meeting was played out with proper
decorum
."
Ivory Coast will face Zambia in the final of the Africa Cup of Nations, the continent's biggest sporting tournament. Zambia shocked Ghana, one of the favourites, with a 1-0 win in the first of the semi-finals. Ghana missed a penalty and had a man sent off. And then in the other match, Ivory Coast beat Mali 1-0 also to book their place in the final.