London

A British teenager had a full English breakfast tattooed on to his head on Friday — including bacon, eggs, sausages, beans and a full set of cutlery. Nineteen-year-old Dayne Gilbey, from Coventry in central England, spent six hours under the needle of tattoo artist Blane Dickinson after answering an add for a willing victim.

British police said on Friday they had arrested a 48-year-old man who claimed to have sent one of a series of letter bombs to hit the country in recent weeks. Anton Setchell, the police national coordinator for domestic extremism, said the man had been detained on Thursday under the Mental Health Act after he called a radio station to claim responsibility for a letter bomb.

British prosecutors charged a man on Friday with seeking to kidnap and kill a member of the armed forces as part of an alleged terrorist plot apparently aimed against Muslims who had served with British troops in Iraq. Parviz Khan (36) was one of five charged with various terrorism-related offences. All were due to appear before magistrates in central London later on Friday.

A letter bomb exploded at Britain’s vehicle-licensing agency on Wednesday, injuring six people, in a spate of attacks targeting motoring-related organisations. Police said seven devices had been sent through the mail in the last three weeks, including three bombs in the last three days.

A woman was injured on Wednesday in an explosion at Britain’s vehicle licensing agency, the third attack in three days on motoring-related agencies or companies. Police refused to confirm the nature of the explosion, but the BBC News reported that a parcel bomb had exploded at the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency in Swansea, Wales.

Umpire Darrell Hair is suing both the International Cricket Council and the Pakistan Cricket board, claiming racial discrimination after he was prevented from appearing at Test matches, the BBC reported on Wednesday. Though Hair’s contract as a top official runs until 2008, he is now only allowed to officiate matches between non-Test nations.

Portugal beat Brazil 2-0 in a friendly on Tuesday, ending Dunga’s unbeaten streak as manager of the South American side. Simao Sabrosa, one of five second-half substitutes for Portugal, and Ricardo Carvalho scored in the last eight minutes to give Dunga his first loss in six games. Both goals came from right-wing crosses.

Britain launched a £5-million fund on Wednesday to fight Muslim extremism at grassroots levels, calling it a "battle for hearts and minds". The need to counter Islamist militants was underlined by last week’s arrest of nine suspects in anti-terror raids in Birmingham, to foil an alleged "Iraq-style" kidnap and beheading plot.

Cultural critics poured scorn on Tuesday on decisions by two major London museums to devote shows to celebrities Kylie Minogue and Kate Moss, charging they were chasing crowds, not quality. The Victoria and Albert Museum’s Kylie: The Exhibition opens on Thursday.

English Premier League soccer club Liverpool have agreed to be taken over by United States sports tycoons George Gillett and Tom Hicks for £174-million. Gillett and Hicks, through their Kop Football vehicle, said on Tuesday they would pay £5 000 per Liverpool share and the total value of the deal, including debt, was £219-million.

Two people were hurt on Tuesday when a suspected letter bomb exploded at a business centre in Berkshire, southern England, police said. ”Emergency services are dealing with a small explosion at a company in Oaklands Business Centre, Wokingham,” they added in a statement.

A British newspaper published transcripts on Tuesday of what it said was a cockpit video recording from a United States warplane at the centre of an inquest into ”friendly fire” in Iraq in which a British soldier was killed. The Sun said the tape revealed the pilots, realising they had hit a British convoy, said ”God dammit” and ”We’re in jail, dude”.

Manchester United kept its six-point lead in the English Premier League by beating Tottenham 4-0 on Sunday despite playing the final minutes without goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar, who broke his nose when hit by a knee. Cristiano Ronaldo scored with a penalty kick, Nemanja Vidic added a goal with a header, Paul Scholes tapped in from close range and Ryan Giggs beat goalkeeper Paul Robinson.

Prime Minister Tony Blair vowed on Friday not to quit before British police finished a political funding investigation, despite growing alarm in his Labour party over the damage the probe is inflicting on the government. Blair, questioned by police for a second time about the case last Friday, voiced hope the investigation would end soon.

British police have questioned Prime Minister Tony Blair for a second time in an investigation into political party funding that has cast a shadow over his final months in office. Blair’s official spokesperson said on Thursday the prime minister had been questioned as a witness last Friday at his Downing Street office. Labour Party politicians said they did not expect the inquiry to force Blair from office sooner than planned.

The latest Harry Potter book will be published around the world on July 21, British author JK Rowling’s publishers announced on Thursday. <i>Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows</i> is the seventh and final instalment of the boy wizard’s adventures and follows his last year at Hogwarts, the school for witches and wizards.

Anti-Semitic attacks reached record levels in Britain last year and peaked during the conflict in Lebanon, a study showed on Thursday. Race-hate incidents — ranging from death threats to physical assault — rose by more than 30% to almost 600. ”These are the worst figures we have had in the 23 years since we have been monitoring it,” said Mark Gardner of the Community Security Trust.

Liverpool increased West Ham’s relegation worries with a 2-0 win in the English Premier League on Tuesday. Dirk Kuyt and Peter Crouch scored at Upton Park to move to 49 points — eight points behind league leaders Manchester United and two points behind Chelsea, who both play on Wednesday.

British police carried out a major nationwide anti-terrorism operation on Wednesday, arresting eight people in a series of dawn raids which media reports said had thwarted a significant planned attack. Detectives said the people were arrested at addresses across the city of Birmingham on ”suspicion of the commission, preparation or instigation of acts of terrorism”.