London

Doctors treating soccer star George Best said on Thursday he is stable as he fights for his life. The former Manchester United star, who had a life-saving liver transplant three years ago but went back to hard drinking, has been in a hospital’s intensive-care unit for a month. His condition deteriorated dramatically on Wednesday.

The International Rugby Board (IRB) is to launch a crackdown on spear-tackling with offenders facing the prospect of a six-month ban. Its announcement on Monday came as new video footage was released of the incident that left British and Irish Lions captain Brian O’Driscoll with a dislocated shoulder barely a minute into June’s first Test against New Zealand.

About 10 000 African women are to take part in a major British study into a gel that could help prevent the spread of HIV, scientists said on Tuesday. The women are to participate in the three- to four-year trial of the microbicide to find out its effectiveness at protecting against HIV and other sexually transmitted infections.

England football star Frank Lampard, who saved Chelsea with an equaliser against Everton at the weekend, said winning every match this season was never a realistic goal. Lampard, on current form perhaps the best attacking midfielder in the world, added it is trophies, not statistics, that count.

A man stunned shoppers in a British high street by handing out his savings to "make people happy", a newspaper said on Friday. Chris Aljaradat withdrew £10 000 (about R117 000) from his bank on Wednesday before dishing out the cash to gobsmacked passers-by in Worcester, central England.

Former England and Arsenal star Ian Wright was furious on Monday after being wrongly prosecuted for throwing a paper cup from his Bentley. The 41-year-old and his wife, Deborah, had been due to appear in court this week to deny the charges but both were cleared when a mystery person owned up to littering and was fined £50.

Don’t expect a helping hand in the central English city of Birmingham — residents there are the rudest people in Britain, a survey claimed on Friday. "Brummies", as they are locally known, are the least likely to pass a series of courtesy tests such as holding the door for someone behind them.

The Church of England’s first African archbishop has received letters containing racist abuse since being appointed to the position, he said in an interview broadcast on Friday. Archbishop of York John Sentamu, who is due to be enthroned at York Minster next month, said some of the letters also contained human excrement.

Manchester United winger Cristiano Ronaldo was arrested on Wednesday and questioned on suspicion of rape, reports said. Scotland Yard said two men were questioned in connection with an allegation of a serious sexual assault at a central London hotel, and one was arrested. Media reports said the man arrested was Ronaldo.

Lyon defeated Olympiakos 2-1 on Wednesday, leaving the four-time defending French champions as one of only three teams with perfect records in the Champions League. Inter Milan saw their perfect record blemished with a 2-0 loss at 2004 champions FC Porto. Two other teams won big — Chelsea and Real Madrid.

Thierry Henry insists his record-breaking double strike that helped Arsenal to a 2-0 Champions League win at Sparta Prague has underlined his commitment to the Gunners. But the France star again side-stepped questions over his long-term future.

Bayern Munich edged Juventus 2-1, while Thierry Henry returned after a six-week absence with two goals on Tuesday to push Arsenal closer to the second round of the Champions League with a 2-0 victory at Sparta Prague. Two more leading contenders failed to hit the target, however.

Noam Chomsky, the American linguistics expert and United States foreign policy critic, was named the world’s top public intellectual, according to a new British magazine poll released on Tuesday. Best known for his loud and consistent criticism of US foreign policy over the last 40 years, Chomsky (76) decisively beat novelist and academic Umberto Eco to top the poll.

This year has seen an explosion of new pampering products for man’s furry friends, among the more unusual of which is a fragrance designed to neutralise the sexual scent of female dogs, a study said on Tuesday. The products also include weight loss supplements, sun screen and stress relief sprays, alongside cosmetics like nail polish and hair colour highlights.

Garcon! Clicking one’s fingers to grab the waiter’s attention is by far the worst restaurant etiquette blunder, a British survey revealed on Monday. In a poll of 8 683 people for the British food magazine <i>Olive</i>, 38% thought snapping fingers at a waiter was the most embarrassing gaffe possible while dining out.