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/ 23 November 2007
World oil prices fell on Friday after a momentous week that saw record peaks close to $100 as traders worried about tight energy supplies and geopolitical jitters in key producer countries. New York’s main contract, light sweet crude for January delivery, sank 95 cents to $96,34 per barrel. The contract had hit an historic $99,29 on Wednesday.
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/ 23 November 2007
Rescue teams are working to save 154 passengers and crew from a cruiseliner sinking in the Antarctic Ocean, a British coastguard spokesperson said. ”This morning the Argentine and American coastguards are coordinating the rescue of 154 passengers from the Explorer, which is holed and taking water down in the Antarctic near the south Shetland Islands,” said Andy Catrell.
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/ 22 November 2007
Oil steadied above a barrel on Thursday, after falling just shy of the milestone in the previous session, as the dollar tumbled to fresh record lows. United States light crude for January delivery was down one cent at ,28 a barrel by 2.40pm GMT. Oil briefly surged to a lifetime peak of ,29 a barrel on Wednesday.
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/ 22 November 2007
Senior officials knew about a decision to include financial details of millions of Britons on computer discs that then went missing in the mail, British opposition politicians said on Thursday. Citing an internal email, members of the Conservative Party said blame for the scandal went higher than just the junior civil servant so far blamed by the government.
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/ 22 November 2007
Steve McClaren paid the price of England’s failure to qualify for Euro 2008 on Thursday when he was unceremoniously dismissed from his position as head coach. McClaren was sacked less than 12 hours after a 3-2 win for Croatia at Wembley, combined with Russia’s 1-0 win in Andorra, confirmed that England would miss out on the tournament.
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/ 22 November 2007
Britain’s newspapers savaged Steve McClaren on Thursday after the England manager failed to guide his team to the 2008 European Championships. McClaren was expected to be sacked within hours of going to print as the national press put the boot into the Yorkshireman following Wednesday’s 3-2 defeat to Croatia.
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/ 21 November 2007
A 101-year-old British pensioner has posed topless for a nude calendar to raise money for a local football team, a report said on Wednesday. Nora Hardwick will be Miss November in the calendar, aimed at raising money for her children’s team, Ancaster Athletic, in her village in Lincolnshire, eastern England.
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/ 21 November 2007
huge blaze in an empty warehouse on London’s 2012 Olympic Park last week was started when an oxy-acetylene torch ignited insulating material, the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) said on Wednesday. Black smoke billowed across the city last Monday, briefly sparking security fears. The ODA has ruled out any suspicious circumstances.
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/ 21 November 2007
This was a bug that you’d have to look up to and definitely couldn’t step on. British scientists have stumbled across a fossilised claw, part of an ancient sea scorpion, that is of such large proportion it would make the entire creature the biggest bug ever. How big? Bigger than you, about 2,5m long.
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/ 21 November 2007
British Prime Minister Gordon Brown faced angry questions from lawmakers on Wednesday after confidential records containing nearly half the population’s bank details went missing in the post. The disappearance of about 25-million people’s personal data vanished in the biggest-ever loss of personal information by any government.
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/ 20 November 2007
London’s metropolitan police have been forced to spend £15 000 creating ”ethnically diverse” mascots after complaints about a model deemed too white and too male, reports said on Tuesday. Critics said the original mascot risked leaving Asian and women officers ”isolated”.
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/ 19 November 2007
Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh celebrated their diamond wedding anniversary on Monday with a moving thanksgiving service in Westminster Abbey, the church where they married 60 years ago. The pomp and splendour of the traditional ceremony came a day before the anniversary itself.
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/ 19 November 2007
SABMiller, the world’s second-biggest brewer, has agreed to buy Dutch rival Grolsch for €816-million in cash to strengthen its position in the fast-growing premium beer market. London-based SABMiller, which makes Miller Lite, Castle and Peroni beers, said on Monday it was offering €48,25 a share.
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/ 19 November 2007
When gold reached dizzying heights above a troy ounce in recent weeks, it cast a spotlight on a ritual that has taken place in London for the past 88 years. Twice a day, representatives of five banks pick up the phone to trade physical gold and arrive at the London ”fixing” price.
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/ 18 November 2007
Anglican Archbishop Desmond Tutu has slammed the church for being ”obsessed” with homosexuality, in a BBC radio programme to be broadcast
Tuesday. The South African 1984 Nobel Peace Prize winner, 76, said he felt ashamed of his church for its attitude towards gays.
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/ 17 November 2007
Finland’s Kimi Raikkonen has been confirmed the 2007 Formula One world champion after McLaren’s appeal was thrown out by a court of appeal, the sport’s world governing body, the FIA, said on Friday. The last remaining hope of Britain’s Lewis Hamilton to become world champion was crushed by this decision.
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/ 16 November 2007
A police website has tracked down nine of Britain’s 13 most wanted paedophiles in the past year, the specialist crime team in charge said on Friday. The Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre said the men had been missing for a combined 20 years.
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/ 15 November 2007
Troubled soul singer Amy Winehouse kicked off her 17-date British tour with a shambolic performance that saw fuming fans booing and marching out, reports said on Thursday. The concert at the National Indoor Arena in Birmingham, Britain’s second city, was a chance for the 24-year-old to get back to singing and put her woes behind her.
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/ 15 November 2007
How do you persuade people to reuse their hotel towels, recycle more rubbish and protect the countryside when they go for a walk? Rather than relying on dire environmental warnings, one author and academic thinks the answer lies in understanding the subtle social pressures that influence behaviour.
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/ 15 November 2007
South African investing banking and asset-management group Investec said on Thursday that pretax operating profit increased 23,8% to £254,3-million (R3,6-billion) in the six months to September 30. ”Whilst current conditions within the UK credit markets remain, activity levels are likely to be impacted,” said chief executive Stephen Koseff.
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/ 15 November 2007
SABMiller met forecasts with a 22% rise in first-half earnings on Thursday, but said it expected trading conditions to get tougher amid rising costs for energy, grain, glass and aluminium. The world’s second-largest brewer and maker of Miller Lite, Castle and Peroni beers posted adjusted earnings per share of 69,1 US cents
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/ 14 November 2007
An internet-based collective of soccer fans from more than 70 countries agreed in principle on Tuesday to buy a controlling interest in an English soccer club. The deal will give them a vote on everything from team line-up selections to which players should be transferred.
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/ 14 November 2007
Shareholders in ailing British bank Northern Rock could be left with nothing and the Bank of England could still be funding the lender in three years. A briefing memorandum sent to potential buyers of Northern Rock by its advisers showed it could still owe as much as £5,9-billion to the Bank of England in 2010.
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/ 13 November 2007
Slowly but surely, South African midfielder Steven Pienaar is recapturing the form that made him one of the most sought-after players in Europe in his early 20s. Pienaar is now a regular starter for Everton, and impressed in patches during his team’s creditable 1-1 draw at 2005 and 2006 Premier League champions Chelsea on Sunday.
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/ 13 November 2007
The death penalty is a violation of fundamental human rights, and it should be abolished around the world, Archbishop Desmond Tutu wrote in the Guardian on Tuesday, ahead of a vote on a draft resolution at the United Nations General Assembly calling for a moratorium on executions.
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/ 12 November 2007
For someone who has it all, London store Fortnum & Mason is selling a Christmas hamper for £20 000 (about R279 000). The Tercenturian Hamper, only on sale this year to celebrate the luxury store’s 300th anniversary, will be delivered by horse and cart anywhere within or near the London’s main M25 orbital.
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/ 12 November 2007
A big fire at a warehouse sent out a pall of black smoke over east London on Monday, but there were no reports of casualties and police said there was nothing to suggest it was anything more than a fire. Fifteen fire engines and 75 firefighters rushed to the scene of the blaze at an industrial estate in the Stratford area of east London.
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/ 11 November 2007
Fernando Torres came off the bench to keep Liverpool’s English Premier League title bid on track by inspiring the Reds to a last-gasp win over Fulham on Saturday. Earlier on Saturday, Sunderland’s derby clash with local rivals Newcastle ended in a frustrating 1-1 draw, and West Ham beat Derby 5-0.
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/ 10 November 2007
A man who posed as a clothing researcher to call women and harass them with questions about their underwear was jailed for two-and-a-half years on Friday. Paul Kavanagh (40) admitted to making about 15 000 calls over a 12-year period, beginning with innocuous questions about socks and cardigans.
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/ 10 November 2007
Avram Grant insists he never doubted he would silence the critics who claimed he had no chance at Chelsea. When Grant took charge in the aftermath of Jose Mourinho’s dramatic departure in September, it seemed the Israeli coach would find it hard to last a month if one listened to the cynicism that greeted his appointment.
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/ 10 November 2007
Britain’s main opposition leader, David Cameron, was initially delighted that supermodel Kate Moss asked for his phone number — until he realised she thought he could help her with her drains. The Conservative Party leader said in an interview to be broadcast on Saturday that he met Moss at a charity bash recently.
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/ 10 November 2007
The threat of serious flooding along England’s east coast receded on Friday after officials said the main tidal peak had passed, although storms were still causing problems elsewhere in Europe. High seas still threatened The Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Norway and Sweden.