World number two Phil Mickelson, third-ranked Ernie Els and fourth-ranked Adam Scott will lead a strong field in the Scottish Open at Loch Lomond in July. Mickelson and Els, a double winner of the British Open warm-up event, return after finishing second and third respectively last year behind Frenchman Gregory Havret.
Africa is in need of a ”green revolution” to combat a growing food crisis on the continent, former United Nations secretary general Kofi Annan said in a speech in London on Wednesday. The Ghanaian diplomat also said that more needed to be done to deal with the impact climate change would have on food supplies in Africa.
An ancient gold cup mysteriously acquired by a British scrap metal dealer is to be sold at auction with an estimate of nearly -million, after languishing for years in a shoebox under its current owner’s bed. John Webber’s grandfather gave him the 14cm high mug in 1945 and long assumed that it was made from brass.
Former United States president Jimmy Carter has said Israel holds at least 150 nuclear weapons, the first time a US president has publicly acknowledged the state’s atomic arsenal. Asked how a future US president should deal with the Iranian nuclear threat, Carter put the risk in context by listing atomic weapons held globally.
Alex Ferguson will quit as Manchester United manager within three years, he told The Mail on Sunday newspaper. Ferguson, who has been in charge at Old Trafford since 1986, said he would be gone by the time he reaches 70 in December 2011. The Scot reneged on his original plan to retire six years ago.
There are plenty of explanations for what’s happening in the global oil markets. It’s caused by the economic boom in the world’s largest developing countries, particularly China and India. It’s caused by the unwillingness of the oil cartel Opec to pump more crude.
Oil climbed to a life-time high above a barrel on Wednesday, driven higher by a combination of long-term production worries and a near-term focus on tight fuel stocks. A United States government report later on Wednesday was expected to show crude inventories rose for a fifth straight week.
In non-Olympic years, Natalie du Toit spends a lot of time giving motivational talks to schools, companies and churches in South Africa. She talks of her life, how everyone should have a goal and tells her audience they should never give up on their dreams. This year Du Toit has concentrated on fulfilling her childhood dream — swimming at the Olympics.
Oil held above a barrel on Wednesday, within sight of the previous session’s record high, supported by a weak United States dollar and concern about supplies. Attention will shift later to a US government report expected to show that crude inventories rose for a fifth straight time last week while petrol and distillates supplies also increased.
Newcastle United midfielder Joey Barton was jailed on Tuesday for six months after admitting to beating up a teenager during a night out. The sentence was handed down at Liverpool Crown Court, where the 25-year-old admitted charges of affray and assault occasioning actual bodily harm, stemming from an early morning fight in Liverpool in December.
A probe has found no systematic or institutional corruption within tennis but new measures were needed to boost the sport’s anti-corruption drive, stakeholders said on Monday. The ”Environmental Review of integrity in Professional Tennis” was launched in January following months of speculation regarding the extent of gambling in the sport.
New Zealand all-rounder Jacob Oram chose the right occasion and the perfect venue to score his first Test century against England on Monday with a match-saving innings in the first Test at Lord’s. New Zealand held an overall lead of only 78 with four wickets down when wicketkeeper Brendon McCullum retired hurt and was taken to hospital after a blow to his left forearm.
Manchester United has another English title and Cristiano Ronaldo. Chelsea has a huge, talented squad and the wealth of owner Roman Abramovich. There is no underdog in this Champions League final as two English clubs make history by going head to head in Moscow.
Mike Tyson, the self-professed ”baddest man on the planet”, who did not believe he would reach the age of 40, is still alive and says he has been clean from drugs and alcohol for 15 months. He has granted a powerful interview granted just before travelling to the Cannes film festival to promote a documentary about his life.
Space engineers were on Saturday making their last nervous preparations for the landing of their Phoenix probe near the north pole of Mars next Sunday. The spacecraft — designed to look for reservoirs of water and ice in the Martian arctic — has been built using duplicate parts left over from two previous space missions.
David Budzinski was riding in a four-wheel drive across the Kruger National Park in South Africa in September 2004. His group spotted a few lions and a herd of buffalo near a watering hole, but it wasn’t long before the lions charged the herd, singling out a buffalo calf. What followed has become the stuff of internet legend.
Ryan Sidebottom turned in a miserly spell of four wickets for five runs in 10.1 overs on Friday as New Zealand were bowled out for 277 on the second day of the first Test at Lord’s in London. Openers Andrew Strauss and Alastair Cook then built on Sidebottom’s good work and England, at stumps, were 68 without loss.
The price of oil rocketed to a record high point of $127,43 per barrel on Friday, as United States President George Bush prepared to urge Saudi Arabia to pump more crude. New York’s main oil futures contract, light sweet crude for June delivery, beat the previous all-time peak of $126,98 set on Tuesday owing to worries about tight supplies.
Portsmouth meet Cardiff City at Wembley on Saturday in a final the FA Cup has been crying out for, even if the absence of familiar names may prove the competition’s lack of appeal for the big clubs. It is the first time since 1991 that none of the current ”big four” have contested the final.
Brendon McCullum led a New Zealand fightback against England with a run-a-ball 97 to help his side to 208-6 when bad light ended the first day’s play of the first Test at Lord’s on Thursday. But three runs short of what would have been the wicket-keeper’s third Test hundred, McCullum was bowled by a quicker delivery from left-arm spinner Monty Panesar.
South African investment banking and asset management group Investec reported a 15% rise in full-year core profit on Thursday, but missed expectations because of United States writedowns. Pre-tax operating profit rose to £537,7-million for the year to March 31, meaning growth was 3% lower than expected according to a Reuters poll.
SABMiller, the world’s biggest brewer, beat forecasts with a 19% rise in annual earnings, but added beer volume growth in its current first-half will be hit by high input costs and high comparative figures. The London-based maker of Miller Lite, Peroni and Pilsner Urquell beers posted adjusted earnings per share on Thursday of 143,1 United States cents for the year to March 31.
Coaching guru Ian McGeechan has promised to restore the traditional spirit of the British and Irish Lions when he takes them on tour to South Africa next year. The 61-year-old, appointed on Wednesday as Lions coach for the fourth time, promised lessons would be learned from the ill-fated 2005 tour, when the Lions were thrashed 3-0 in a Test series by New Zealand.
Ian McGeechan, the man who led the British and Irish Lions to their monumental series victory over South Africa in 1997, has been handed the chance to repeat the achievement against the world champions in 2009. As was widely expected, the vastly experienced coach was unveiled on Wednesday as the head coach for the three-Test, 10-match tour.
New England rugby coach Martin Johnson is facing his first major crisis since taking over at Twickenham, with the country’s leading players considering strike action in a row over pay. The Daily Telegraph has learnt that England’s senior players are involved in a contract dispute with the Rugby Football Union.
It could hardly be more fitting. Fifty years after the Munich air disaster that killed 23 people and rocked a city, Manchester United stand on the brink of a European
triumph, something that means so much to the local people and to the club itself. Eight United players died in the crash in 1958, wiping out many footballers who experts believed could go on to dominate Europe for many years to come.
When Elizabeth Pisani began her career as an HIV epidemiologist, fewer than 1,5-million cases of HIV/Aids had been reported across the world. Within a year, by the end of 1997, 30-million people were estimated to be infected with HIV. As Pisani wrote in her first report for World Aids Day, that meant one in every 100 sexually active adults aged between 15 and 49 worldwide.
Oil retreated below a barrel on Monday in volatile trade that saw it briefly hit an all-time high earlier in the session. United States light crude, down more than at one point, rallied to a new record of ,40 a barrel, but by 4.17pm GMT it was ,04 down at ,92. London Brent crude futures, whose nearby contracts have moved into contango, fell ,78 down to ,62.
Manchester United clinched their 17th English championship on Sunday by beating Wigan 2-0 in a nail-biting finale to the most thrilling Premier League title battle in years. Pushed to the wire by Chelsea, United claimed the 10th title of Sir Alex Ferguson’s reign by two points after their rivals were held to a 1-1 draw by Bolton in their final match.
Avram Grant believes Chelsea and Manchester United should decide the destiny of the Premier League title with a winner-takes-all play-off if both teams finish level on points after Sunday’s dramatic finale. United will pip Chelsea to the title on goal difference if the leaders win at Wigan and Grant’s side beat Bolton at Stamford Bridge.
Two South Africans who overstayed their British visas were jailed for life on Friday for the murders of two men strangled during a series of violent muggings. Gabriel Bhengu (27) and Jabu Mbowane (26) will be deported after serving life sentences. The two had entered Britain legally, but their visas had expired by the time they carried out the killings.
The price of New York crude oil soared above $126 per barrel on Friday, lifted by speculative demand amid concerns about tight global energy supplies, analysts said. New York’s main oil futures contract, light sweet crude for June delivery, spiked as high as $126,20 in London trading hours.