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.
Britons are ruder than they were a decade ago, according to a survey on Monday that showed almost three-quarters of people think manners should be taught at school. A third believes bad manners are the catalyst for much of the anti-social behaviour in Britain, the ITV poll found.
Gordon Brown said on Tuesday the government needs to send a message that cannabis is ”unacceptable,” increasing speculation he will decide to tighten drug laws. The British prime minister said he was particularly worried about the growing use of skunk cannabis, which he described as ”more lethal”.
Former International Cricket Council (ICC) president Ehsan Mani said on Monday the governing body could lose credibility after the ”disgraceful” treatment of outgoing chief executive Malcolm Speed. Mani became the latest critic of the ICC board, which has come under fire after Speed was placed on paid leave on Friday.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Saturday’s showdown between Chelsea and Manchester United could well decide who wins the English Premiership title. It could also be a rehearsal for the Champions League final. United hold a three-point lead over the Blues in the league title race with two more matches to follow.
Found: drinking companions to join elderly gentleman for a friendly beer at his local pub. Mike Hammond was bombarded with offers after advertising in his village post office for someone to accompany his 88-year-old father, Jack, on visits to a southern England pub from a nursing home.
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.
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.
Ahead of talks in London with British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, African National Congress leader Jacob Zuma on Wednesday refused to condemn Zimbabwe’s President Robert Mugabe over the ongoing failure to publish presidential election results and widespread post-election violence.
Lonmin, the world’s third-biggest platinum producer, posted an 8,3% rise in second-quarter platinum sales on Wednesday, but again cut its full-year sales target following power problems in South Africa. Lonmin said refined platinum sales rose to 143 351 ounces in the three months to end-March from 132 345 ounces in the same period a year earlier.
Computer maker Hewlett-Packard sees Africa as one of its fastest-growing markets, it said on Tuesday, expecting the world’s poorest continent to rival India for IT outsourcing within a decade. Hewlett-Packard Africa MD Rainer Koch said its sales on the continent are rising by 25% year-on-year.
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.
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.
The latest chapter in Liverpool and Chelsea’s seemingly never-ending European saga will be written on Tuesday when hostilities resume in the Champions League for the fourth successive season. Including domestic matches, it will be the 19th time the two clubs have faced each other in the last four seasons.
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.
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.
Against the backdrop of the gloomiest outlook for the global economy in many years, the price of oil hit a barrel for the first time last week and the cost of wheat, rice and soya beans soared. The first rule of economics — that prices are determined by demand and supply — appears to have broken down.
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.
Aston Villa thrashed local rivals Birmingham City 5-1 on Sunday to take their goal tally to 15 in their last three Premier League games. John Carew and Ashley Young both scored twice for Villa to leave City stuck in the relegation zone with three matches left to save themselves.
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.
Blackburn Rovers handed Chelsea a shock lifeline in the English Premier League title race by holding leaders Manchester United to a 1-1 draw on Saturday. The champions were heading for defeat but Argentina striker Carlos Tevez rescued a precious point with just two minutes to go.
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”.
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.
Two British men were found guilty on Thursday of harassing a local celebrity dolphin during a booze-fuelled late-night swim in the English Channel. Michael Jukes (27) and Daniel Buck (26) were each ordered to do 120 hours of community service and pay £350 in costs at the Dover Magistrate’s Court on the south-east English coast.