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/ 8 December 2004
Millions of Italians stopped work last Tuesday in protest at the economic policies of their government. The half-day stoppage crippled public transport and shut factories and banks. Alitalia cancelled more than 100 flights. Government departments were shut and medical staff staged an eight-hour strike.
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/ 8 December 2004
Russian oil billionaire Roman Abramovich suffered two rare defeats on the football pitch on Tuesday as reigning champions FC Porto downed his Chelsea side 2-1 to ensure they avoided the ignominy of becoming the first titleholders to exit in the first round. Benni McCarthy’s late goal for Porto also denied the Russian a second interest in the knockout phase.
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/ 8 December 2004
Côte d’Ivoire has demanded an independent international investigation focusing on French reprisals for an Ivorian air strike that destroyed the country’s tiny air force in early November and sparked anti-foreigner riots.
Côte d’Ivoire agrees on peace timetable
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/ 8 December 2004
The key to a lifelong marriage? Avoid boredom, agree over sex, and weather the infidelity years, because there’s a higher chance for lifelong marriage than we might suppose. The testimonies of those who have got there suggest that given the will there’s almost no crisis that cannot be survived together.
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/ 8 December 2004
Some of the most important issues to be addressed in the climate change talks that opened in Buenos Aires is how Brazil, China and India can be persuaded to tackle global warming. Also high on the agenda, is getting the delegates to agree on a comprehensive ”road map” for what happens after the Kyoto Protocol commitment period ends.
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/ 8 December 2004
Winning the Dunlop Phoenix in Japan last month for his first stroke-play title of the year wasn’t the only thing that made Tiger Woods excited about the 2005 season. He finally had an epiphany with his new swing. Woods has spent nearly nine months retooling his golf swing under the direction of Hank Haney, and it all came together on the practice range in California before leaving for Japan.
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/ 8 December 2004
A suburban American school board found itself in court last month after it tried to placate Christian fundamentalist parents by placing a sticker on its science textbooks saying evolution is “a theory, not a fact”. Atlanta’s Cobb County school board, the second-largest board in Georgia, added the sticker two years ago after a 2300-strong petition attacked the presentation of “Darwinism unchallenged”.
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/ 8 December 2004
Malaysian police have arrested a disgruntled former postman, who had been on the run for the past four months, for failing to deliver 21 255 letters, local media said on Wednesday. The 27-year-old postman told investigators he was upset with his meagre salary and believed he was sending a message to the authorities by hoarding the letters, the New Straits Times reported.
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/ 8 December 2004
The Balco scandal could cost Marion Jones her five medals from the Sydney Olympics. International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Jacques Rogge set up a disciplinary commission to look into the claims made by Victor Conte, head of the California-based lab accused of illegally distributing steroids.
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/ 8 December 2004
Robert Pires believes Arsenal’s young guns have proved they are ready to face Chelsea in Sunday’s Premiership showdown at Highbury. A combination of injuries and suspension forced Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger to start Tuesday’s Champions League crunch against Rosenborg with a trio of youngsters.