21.   The International Tennis Federation has decided to give its official backing to the Hopman Cup, an international mixed teams championship held every year in Perth, Australia.

22.   The study was compiled by South African wildlife experts for Arabian Leopard Trust, established in Sharjah last year with official backing.

23.   They even claim to have official backing for this.

24.   Also Thursday, the Bosnian government gave no official backing to evacuation plans for the Zepa population announced by the Bosnian Serbs.

25.   There was some official backing for Ma, however.

26.   UEFA will decide on the same day which one gets their official backing as they are keen for there to be only one European candidate.