Sydney - Politeness might help explain why Britons were 10 per cent more likely to be among the 1,517 who went down with the Titanic than those aboard who held United States passports, an Australian researcher said Wednesday.

"We think that maybe the British engaged in this queuing behaviour, where they stood back and waited their turn (to get into the lifeboats)," said Queensland University of Technology researcher David Savage. "American society is based on individualistic ideas and we think they were maybe better able to take advantage of the opportunities that came up."

The Titanic struck an iceberg and sank on its maiden voyage in 1912 and there were only 1,178 lifeboat places for the 2,223 on board.

Brisbane/Perth, Jan. 28 : Australian all-rounder Andrew Symonds will travel to Melbourne to face Cricket Australia's disciplinary hearing on Thursday in connection with his "lump of shit " radio jibe at New Zealand wicketkeeper Brendon McCullum.

According to The Age, Symonds was originally set to give evidence via a phone hook-up in order to stay and train in Brisbane in preparation for his comeback match for Queensland against Western Australia on Friday.

Melbourne, Jan. 28: Jelena Dokic has revealed she briefly retired from tennis in mid-2007, before being drawn back to the game for what she vowed would be one last attempt to resurrect her fallen career.

"I actually made the decision," she told a small group of journalists today upon returning to Melbourne Park after Tuesday night''s 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 loss to third seed Dinara Safina in the quarter-finals of the Australian Open.

"And about four days later, I changed my mind," the Sydney Morning Herald quoted her, as saying.

Melbourne, Jan. 28: Former Australian Test quick Rodney Hogg has pulled no punches as far as commenting on the performances of the current squad under Ricky Ponting.

He claims that Punter's men are living in a fool''s paradise and insists that they have been "strutting around like peacocks" all summer in the foolish belief they were still the world''s best cricket team.

Melbourne, jan. 28: Serena Williams came back from the brink to defeat Russia''s Svetlana Kuznetsova 7-5, 5-7, 6-1 in the Australian Open quarter-finals, ensuring the women''s semis would not be an all-Russian affair.

The eighth-seeded Kuznetsova served for the match in the 10th game of the second set but was broken by Williams, who is chasing a fourth title at Melbourne Park.

Melbourne - Serena Williams survived a sweltering "out-of-body experience" Wednesday, picking up her game when the roof was closed at the Rod Laver arena and preventing Russian domination of the semi-finals of the Australian Open.

The nine-time Grand Slam winner broke the spell in temperatures of 42 degrees and climbing when, under the heat rule, the roof was closed at the end of the first set, which seemed to give Williams new life.