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/ 8 August 2005

Chase for Owen hots up

The chase to sign England striker Michael Owen is hotting up after Real Madrid revealed that both Manchester United and Newcastle United have joined the list of clubs expressing an interest. However, Manchester United have denied they are set to sign the former Liverpool star who appears on his way out of Real after just one season.

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/ 8 August 2005

Terror suspect arrives in Britain

Haroon Aswat, a Briton apprehended in Zambia two weeks ago reportedly wanted in connection with last month’s deadly bomb attacks in London, was arrested on his arrival in Britain on Sunday after being deported from Lusaka, Scotland Yard announced. Aswat was deported — and not extradited — to Britain from Zambia.

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/ 7 August 2005

Saudis warned UK of London attacks

Saudi Arabia officially warned Britain of an imminent terrorist attack on London just weeks ahead of the 7 July bombings after calls from one of al-Qaeda’s most wanted operatives were traced to an active cell in the United Kingdom. The Saudi official said: ”It was clear to us that there was a terror group planning an attack in the UK.”

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/ 6 August 2005

Injured Monty doesn’t give up hope

Colin Montgomerie has not given up hope of competing in next week’s United States PGA championships despite sustaining a hand injury that forced him to withdraw from the Johnnie Walker tournament at Gleneagles. The big Scot bruised three fingers in hitting what he called ”one of the worst shots I’ve ever hit”.

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/ 5 August 2005

Zimbabweans allowed to stay in UK (for now)

Failed asylum seekers in the United Kingdom will not be sent back to Zimbabwe until the high court considers new evidence on whether it is ”safe” to resume deportations, a judge ruled on Thursday. The British home office also agreed to consider releasing 30 Zimbabweans in detention awaiting being sent back to Harare.

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/ 4 August 2005

Ethiopian says London police used him as punchbag

A 52-year-old Ethiopian refugee detained for six days in connection with the London bombings claimed in an interview published on Thursday that British police beat and humiliated him as he was arrested. Girma Belay, a Christian who has lived in London for 12 years, was arrested on July 22, a day after the failed bomb attack on the city.

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/ 4 August 2005

How the UK gave Israel the bomb

Britain secretly supplied the 20 tonnes of heavy water to Israel nearly half a century ago which enabled it to make nuclear weapons, according to Whitehall documents which have been discovered at the Public Records Office. According to the files, officials in the Macmillan government deliberately concealed the deal from the United States.

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/ 3 August 2005

Where was Star Trek’s Scotty born?

It is an unusual spat, to say the least: four places in Scotland all vying to be the recognised home of someone not even due to be born for another 200-plus years. Nonetheless, a spat has broken out over boasting rights to fictional <i>Star Trek</i> engineer Montgomery "Scotty" Scott following the death last month of the actor who played him.

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/ 3 August 2005

Tale of suicide bomber captivates British teenagers

A new novel about a mixed-race teenage girl who trains to become a suicide bomber is flying off the shelves in Britain and is well on its way to becoming a best-seller, press reports said on Wednesday. Checkmate, by award-winning children’s book author Malorie Blackman, was published in June, before the July 7 suicide bomb attacks on London’s transport system.

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/ 3 August 2005

How much is too much soccer?

It’s the never-ending season. Summer used to mean a three-month break in European soccer. Now the hiatus is down to a few weeks. League seasons already have resumed in France and Scotland, the German season starts on Friday and the English Premier League begins on August 13.

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/ 3 August 2005

Newcastle join chase for Owen

Newcastle United have joined Manchester United in the chase for Michael Owen after the England striker was officially put up for sale by Real Madrid. The Spanish club want £16-million — double the price they paid Liverpool a year ago — but it is believed they will settle for £12-million.

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/ 2 August 2005

Brief alert over bus incident in London

Police briefly sealed off part of central London on Tuesday after smoke was seen billowing from a double-decker bus, but lifted the alert after nothing alarming was found, a spokesperson said. The incident reflected jitters in the British capital since July 7 bombings that left 56 dead, followed by failed copycat attacks two weeks later.

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/ 2 August 2005

How will Arsenal cope without Vieira?

Arsenal without their talismanic skipper Patrick Vieira are still in the running to win the Premiership title, veteran defender Dennis Bergkamp claimed on Monday. The 36-year-old Dutch international believes the Gunners have sufficient quality with the likes of youngsters Cesc Fabregas and Mathieu Flamini to offset the sale of Vieira.

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/ 2 August 2005

World trade talks move into panic mode

Recently, the World Trade Organisation kicked off yet another attempt to put back on track stalled talks that aim to reform the rules governing world trade in everything from sugar through manufactured goods to services such as insurance. WTO chief Supachai Panitchpakdi recently said he was pressing the panic button because the talks were in danger of failing.

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/ 2 August 2005

Fish supply threatened by health craze

Stocks of a small, herring-like fish that provides omega-3 essential fatty acids for supplements taken by millions of people could be endangered because of the Western world’s obsession with health foods, conservationists warn. At risk is the future of the menhaden fish, which breeds in Chesapeake Bay and lives along the United States’s eastern seaboard.

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/ 1 August 2005

Oil prices climb to above $61 a barrel

World oil prices jumped above per barrel on Monday, mainly on concerns about possible supply shortages during the fourth quarter, as markets shrugged off the death of King Fahd of Saudi Arabia. New York’s main contract, light sweet crude for delivery in September, climbed to ,02 per barrel in electronic dealing.

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/ 1 August 2005

Second arrest after racist axe attack in Britain

Police in the north of England on Sunday arrested a 17-year-old in the Liverpool suburb of Huyton in connection with a racist attack in which a black student was bludgeoned to death with an axe. The 18-year-old student, Anthony Walker, was left with the axe embedded in his skull in the ”vicious and unprovoked” assault near his home in Liverpool.

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/ 1 August 2005

Speculation rife about Owen transfer

England striker Michael Owen, who has dropped further down Real Madrid’s hierarchy after recent signings, will be allowed to leave the Spanish first-division club, a Real source told the Sunday Times. Madrid’s recent purchases of Santos striker Robinho and Sevilla’s Julio Baptista has meant Owen is in fifth spot for a starting place.

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/ 31 July 2005

British police grill bombing suspects

British police on Saturday interrogated at least three suspected bombers wanted for the July 21 London attacks as they tried to crack any wider terrorist network and trace the masterminds behind the operation. A fourth suspect was, meanwhile, fighting an extradition request in Italy, where he was arrested on Friday.

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/ 29 July 2005

Police raids, arrests shake up London

London’s metropolitan police said on Friday they have arrested three men during two raids in the west of the capital, while refusing to confirm that among them were suspected bombers who targeted the city last week. On Friday, armed police launched two raids in west London and shut down one of the city’s main stations.

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/ 29 July 2005

Dramatic police raid launched in London

A massive police hunt for the remaining fugitive London bombers appeared to be paying off on Friday as officers launched a massive raid in the capital, reportedly targeting another of the wanted men. Residents of the White City suburb saw police swiftly seal off streets before a large explosion was heard, followed by a series of smaller blasts.