Pound for pound, they are as fierce as their full-size counterparts but their dwindling numbers mean "Highland tigers" are also just as endangered. With only 400 Scottish wildcats thought to be living in the wild, scientists are now preparing a radical new approach to saving the the rare felines.

Harry Ellis, the Leicester and England scrum-half, has been forced to retire at the age of 28 with persistent knee problems. Ellis, who won 27 caps, has followed the advice of his surgeon after he suffered a recurrence of the injury that dogged his career for the last three years.

England and Leicester scrum-half Harry Ellis has spoken of his sadness at having to retire after conceding defeat in his battle with a succession of knee problems.

He is best known for playing Jason Bourne, the fast-fisted scourge of the CIA, in a trilogy of Hollywood films. Now the American actor Matt Damon is in talks over a new role that will see him do battle with lions, tigers and the occasional otter in the true story of an eccentric Englishman who bought a dilapidated zoo.

Microsoft christened its new motion-sensing game system "Kinect" on Sunday, offering a sneak peek of upcoming titles it hopes will help draw a new generation of casual players into the 40 million-strong Xbox game console fold.

Tourists in Rome will soon be able to visit underground sections of the Colosseum, where gladiators once prepared for fights and dangerous animals were caged before entertaining a bloodthirsty public.

Saracens did their best to earn a home match against Northampton in the Guinness Premiership semi-finals, winning 32-23 away to the side guaranteed to finish first, Leicester, only for Saints' victory at London Irish to keep them in third place. The two sides will meet at Franklin's Gardens on Sunday. In the meantime, Brendan Venter's men can take satisfaction from being the first Saracens to win at Welford Road.

Campaigners have called for the phased closure of zoos after a Siberian tiger used for breeding purposes was found drowned in the enclosure of a zoo in Norfolk.

Tens of thousands of runners including a Princess and an assortment of celebrities, cartoon and comic book characters gathered in the pouring rain today for the start of the London Marathon.

Mail deliveries have been stopped to a house after postal workers were attacked by an elderly cat, Royal Mail confirmed today.