Phelps back from suspension, ready to compete

Michael Phelps' three-month suspension from competition is over and he marked the occasion like any other day: He woke up late and headed to the pool.

Phelps said he didn't even realize his suspension ended on Tuesday. Coach Bob Bowman couldn't resist making a joke, saying he planned to enter his star swimmer in a meet later that night.

"I had no idea," Phelps said of his ban, which was doled out by USA Swimming after a picture surfaced in a London tabloid showing him inhaling from a marijuana pipe.

He'll return to competition next week at Charlotte, North Carolina. It will be his first time swimming competitively since winning eight gold medals at the Beijing Olympics.

"I'm happy to be back in the water and be back in semi-shape," said Phelps, who's lost almost 20 pounds (nine kilograms) in the last two months. "I'm sort of getting back into racing shape and getting ready to race my first race since Beijing. We'll see how it goes.

"I'm happy to have some structure back in my life," he added.

Phelps said he considered retiring after the picture surfaced. After all, he'd already broken Mark Spitz's 36-year-old record of seven gold medals in one Games and became the most successful Olympian ever with 14 golds.

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Adam Carroll hands Ireland 1st A1 GP title

Adam Carroll won the final sprint and feature races of the season at Brands Hatch in England. Carroll gave Team Ireland its first series title in the process.

The Irishman dominated the weekend by winning the pole for both races on Saturday, and tried to take charge again in Sunday's sprint race. But Mexico's Salvador Duran took the lead around the outside through the first corner.

Carroll regained the lead after a quick pit stop by the Irish team, and controlled the race until the end, crossing the finish line seven seconds ahead of India's Narain Karthikeyan. Duran settled for third.

Carroll got off the line quickly to lead the feature race, but the China and India cars ended up in the gravel outside the Paddock Hill bend,after a collision with J. R. Hildebrand of the USA.

Carroll kept a comfortable lead on the re-start, while New Zealand's Earl Bamber spun into the gravel on lap 5. The Irishman finished first again, crossing the line 10 seconds ahead of Netherlands' Jeroen Bleekemolen. Neel Jani of Switzerland came in third.

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World govts race to contain swine flu outbreak

Special Report:Tech Max

WASHINGTON – The world's governments raced to avoid both a pandemic and global hysteria Sunday as more possible swine flu cases su***ced from Canada to New Zealand and the United States declared a public health emergency. "It's not a time to panic," the White House said.

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Mexico, the outbreak's epicenter with up to 86 suspected deaths, canceled some church services and closed markets and restaurants. Few people ventured onto the streets, and some wore face masks. Canada became the third country to confirm cases, in six people, including some students who — like some New York City spring-breakers — got mildly ill in Mexico. Countries across Asia promised to quarantine feverish travelers returning from flu-affected areas.

The U.S. declared the health emergency so it could ship roughly 12 million doses of flu-fighting medications from a federal stockpile to states in case they eventually need them — although, with 20 confirmed cases of people recovering easily, they don't appear to for now.

Make no mistake: There is not a global pandemic — at least not yet. It's not clear how many people truly have this particular strain, or why all countries but Mexico are seeing mild disease. Nor is it clear if the new virus spreads easily, one milestone that distinguishes a bad flu from a global crisis. But waiting to take protective steps until after a pandemic is declared would be too late.

"We do think this will continue to spread but we are taking aggressive actions to minimize the impact on people's health," said Dr. Richard Besser, acting chief of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

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Jenson Button wins rain-shortened race

In Formula 1, Brawn GP's Jenson Button continued his dream debut run as he won a chaotic rain-shortened Malaysian Grand Prix, with just 33 laps completed and only half-points awarded. BMW Sauber's Nick Heidfeld was second and Toyota's Timo Glock was third.

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But Button didn't make the best of starts, slipping back a couple of places as Williams' Nico Rosberg surged up from fourth on the grid to take the lead.

Nico Rosberg led the race on lap 14, with Jarno Trulli in second place and Button third.

The weather forecast then indicated heavy rain.

Button then pitted on lap 19 and returned to the track in second, before assuming the lead from teammate Rubens Barrichello.

The serious downpour started on lap 22. And ten laps later, the conditions made it impossible to drive. The race was suspended after 32 of the scheduled 56 laps, with Button leading. Only half points were awarded to Button, who secured just the third win of his career.

Jenson Button, Malaysian GP winner, said, "What a crazy race, it really was. I mean, my start was pretty bad. I had a lot of oversteer in the car, I don't think I got heat into the rear tyres. (I) went back to fourth, got up to third, eventually got back to the front.A very interesting race and, you know, I still haven't seen a chequered flag without a safety car in front."