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/ 30 April 2008

Shock gardening troops attack urban eyesores

They work under the cover of night, armed with seed bombs, chemical weapons and pitchforks. Their tactics are anarchistic, their attitude revolutionary. Their aim: to beautify. An army of self-styled Guerrilla Gardeners is growing across the world, fighting to transform urban wastelands into horticultural havens.

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/ 29 April 2008

Torres wants one more Champions League fairy tale

Fernando Torres has been living a dream in the Champions League this season but the Liverpool striker wants one more fairy tale in his side’s semifinal second leg against Chelsea on Wednesday. Torres has made a big impact in his first Champions League campaign and his goals have been instrumental in Liverpool’s march to the brink of a third final in four seasons.

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/ 28 April 2008

Oil sets new record near $120

Oil hit a new record near a barrel on Monday, boosted by a string of bullish factors that include a United Kingdom refinery strike and disruptions to Nigeria’s output that highlight the market’s anxieties over threats to supply. Prices held firm below earlier highs, despite a rally in the US dollar versus the euro and yen.

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/ 28 April 2008

Poor children main victims of climate change

Millions of the world’s poorest children are among the principal victims of climate change caused by the rich developed world, a United Nations report said on Tuesday, calling for urgent action. The Unicef report Our Climate, Our Children, Our Responsibility measured action on targets set in the UN Millennium Development Goals.

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/ 28 April 2008

Man U players blame Chelsea staff for brawl

Manchester United players have claimed that Chelsea ground staff were reponsible for provoking the row that marred the end of the Premier League showdown between the two teams on Saturday by insulting Patrice Evra. Chelsea won a tense encounter at Stamford Bridge 2-1 with a late penalty strike from Michael Ballack and it was minutes after the final whistle blew when the brawl erupted.

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/ 27 April 2008

No sixes please, we’re Harrogate

An English cricket club has banned its players from hitting sixes to avoid complaints from the neighbours, the <i>Sunday Telegraph</i> newspaper reported. Harrogate Cricket Club in Yorkshire, northern England, has told players they will automatically be given out if they loft the ball towards the surrounding houses.

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/ 26 April 2008

Ballack double keeps Chelsea’s dreams alive

Chelsea beat Manchester United 2-1 in a dramatic match at Stamford Bridge on Saturday to pull level at the top of the Premier League and keep alive their hopes of snatching the title from United’s grasp. Michael Ballack was Chelsea’s scoring hero, deciding the game with an 86th-minute penalty after heading the home side ahead at the end of the first half.

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/ 26 April 2008

Winehouse spends night in custody

Singer Amy Winehouse spent the night in custody after being arrested on suspicion of assault, police said on Saturday. The 24-year-old handed herself in at a police station in central London on Friday to face questioning by detectives. It was not clear when she will be questioned.

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/ 25 April 2008

Stuntman hurt on Bond set

A stuntman was seriously injured in an accident on the Italian set of the latest James Bond movie, the production company said. It was the second accident in the last few days near Lake Garda, northern Italy, where scenes from the 22nd installment in the Bond franchise called Quantum of Solace are being shot.

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/ 24 April 2008

Zuma: No arms embargo yet for Zim

African National Congress leader Jacob Zuma said on Thursday it is not yet the time to impose an arms embargo on Zimbabwe in the wake of its undecided presidential election. ”I do not think we have reached the stage of an arms embargo in Zimbabwe,” Zuma told journalists during a visit to London.

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/ 23 April 2008

Ticket, please, Mr Blair …

Former British prime minister Tony Blair was left red-faced when he was caught travelling on a train without a ticket and said he had no cash to pay the fare, a report said on Wednesday. Blair was confronted by a ticket inspector as he travelled to Heathrow airport to catch a flight to the United States on Monday.

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/ 22 April 2008

UN: High food prices unleash silent tsunami

A ”silent tsunami” unleashed by costlier food threatens 100-million people, the United Nations said on Tuesday, but views differed as to how to stop it. The Asian Development Bank said there was enough food to go round, and the key was to help the poor afford it. It said Asian governments that have curbed food exports were overreacting.

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/ 22 April 2008

Oil hits new record above $118 a barrel

Oil rose to a record high above on Tuesday, boosted by a jump in oil demand last month from China, the world’s second biggest energy consumer, and worries about supply from key producers Russia and Nigeria. United States light crude for May delivery was up 26 cents at ,74 a barrel by 10.05am GMT, after an all-time peak of .05.

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/ 21 April 2008

Oil soars to record above $117

Crude oil prices surged above , setting a new record high on Monday because of worries of supply disruptions from major producers and comments by the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (Opec) reiterating there is no need to raise output.

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/ 21 April 2008

Saudi women treated like children, says rights group

Saudi Arabia’s rigid sex segregation, compulsory male guardianship of women and other ”grossly discriminatory” policies are a denial of fundamental rights, a leading human rights watchdog says on Monday. Women are treated like legal minors who have no authority over their lives or their children, finds a new report by Human Rights Watch.

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/ 21 April 2008

Grand plan to harness power of Congo River

Seven African governments and the world’s largest banks and construction firms meet in London on Monday to plan the most powerful dam conceived to date — an -billion hydro power project on the Congo River which, its supporters say, could double the amount of electricity available on the continent.

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/ 20 April 2008

Psychics see big trouble over new laws

Fortune-tellers, mediums and spiritual healers marched on Downing Street on Friday to protest against new laws they fear will lead to them being ”persecuted and prosecuted”. Organisers say that replacing the Fraudulent Mediums Act of 1951 with new consumer-protection rules will remove key legal protection for ”genuine” mediums.

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/ 19 April 2008

Texan offers $100m for England T20 series

Texas billionaire Allen Stanford has offered to put up -million for England to play five Twenty20 games against his West Indies All-Star team. England and Wales Cricket Board chairperson Giles Clarke had said on Thursday the prospect of England taking part in a winner-takes-all -million match in the West Indies was ”very likely”.

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/ 18 April 2008

Johnson excited by England challenge

New England team manager Martin Johnson said on Friday he was looking forward to getting England back to the top of world rugby. ”It’s a tremendously exciting time for English rugby,” the 38-year-old, captain of England’s 2003 World Cup-winning side, said at Twickenham in his first news conference since being named in the job on Wednesday.