No image available
/ 7 November 2005
The British writer John Fowles, author of The Magus and The French Lieutenant’s Woman, has died at the age of 79, his publisher, Random House, announced on Monday. Fowles died on Saturday at his home in Lyme Regis, in Dorset on England’s south coast, after a long illness.
No image available
/ 7 November 2005
British Prime Minister Tony Blair reluctantly accepted on Monday that he would have to back down on proposed anti-terror laws that would enable police to hold people for up to 90 days without charging them. Blair faced a showdown with rebel lawmakers from his own Labour Party later on Monday.
No image available
/ 7 November 2005
Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson hit back at the club’s critics with an angry tirade after seeing Darren Fletcher’s first-half header seal a 1-0 win that ended Chelsea’s 40-game unbeaten run in the Premiership. Ferguson had endured talk of a club in crisis and rumours about the security of his job following humiliating away defeats at Middlesbrough and Lille.
No image available
/ 3 November 2005
British mobile telephone group Vodafone said on Thursday it is in exclusive negotiations to acquire a further 15% of South African operator Vodacom for up to R16-billion (,4-billion). This would increase Vodafone’s shareholding in Vodacom to 50%.
No image available
/ 3 November 2005
A former South African police officer who moved to Britain for a career change has won the dubious distinction of becoming Britain’s ”most arresting” police officer, The Times reported on Thursday. Police Constable Diederik Coetzee has been acclaimed for making 309 arrests so far this year in the British county of Nottinghamshire.
No image available
/ 3 November 2005
Arsenal advanced to the knockout stage of the Champions League on Wednesday, while Bayern Munich and FC Barcelona will have to wait. Robin van Persie scored twice and Thierry Henry added another to lead Arsenal over visiting Sparta Prague 3-0 for their fourth straight win.
No image available
/ 2 November 2005
David Blunkett, a key political ally of British Prime Minister Tony Blair, abruptly resigned on Wednesday from the Cabinet amid raging controversy over his business affairs, the government announced. Analysts said Blunkett’s downfall is a serious blow to Blair, just six months into the third straight term in power for his Labour Party.
No image available
/ 2 November 2005
Prostitutes preyed on American soldiers stationed in Britain during World War II, causing fears that Nazis would seize on this to portray Britain in a negative light, according to wartime police files released on Tuesday. The files reveal that United States and British officials were so concerned that they held a series of high-level crisis meetings during the war in an attempt to defuse the issue.
No image available
/ 2 November 2005
Real Madrid and Lyon reached the knockout stage of the Champions League with victories on Tuesday. Real Betis pulled off the shock of the night, upsetting English champions Chelsea 1-0. It was Chelsea’s first lost in the competition and only their second in 16 games overall this season.
No image available
/ 1 November 2005
An elegant flat ring of six smooth pieces of stained ebony surrounds a wooden platter in the middle of the floor that invites guests to huddle African-style for a meal or games. The creation by Kossi Assou of Togo is part of a travelling display of African design currently housed in London that reveals the extent to which the continent’s traditional craftsmanship and lifestyle interact with modern form and utility.
No image available
/ 1 November 2005
Bayern Munich and Arsenal can secure places in the second round of the Champions League with wins on Wednesday. That’s where the similarities end. Bayern lead the Bundesliga, while Arsenal languish in seventh place in the English Premier League, 14 points behind leaders Chelsea.
No image available
/ 1 November 2005
A tooth said to have belonged to Napoleon Bonaparte is up for auction in Britain later this month and expected to sell for up to £8 000 (R94 900). It is believed to have been extracted in 1817 during the French general’s exile on the British island of Saint Helena, in the south Atlantic Ocean.
No image available
/ 1 November 2005
George Best’s condition improved further on Monday, with doctors reporting that the ailing British football legend could be out of intensive care this week. Doctors said Best is slowly getting better — but friends warned the ex-Northern Ireland midfielder is in terrible pain.
No image available
/ 31 October 2005
More Britons believe in ghosts than in God, according to an informal survey published on Monday. Of 2 012 people who completed a questionnaire, 68% said they believed in the existence of ghosts and spirits, while 55% said they believed in the existence of a god.
No image available
/ 31 October 2005
London is the most expensive major European city, with the French capital Paris coming in second, according to the results of a new study published on Monday. A standard basket of 250 goods and services bought in London cost 5,3% more than the average throughout the 12 countries which use the common euro currency, according to the Dresdner Kleinwort Wasserstein report.
No image available
/ 31 October 2005
Politics may be a dirty game but it will get even filthier when cleaners at Britain’s Houses of Parliament in London go on a strike announced on Monday by union officials. The 140 cleaners are to down mops on November 9 in their campaign for an increase on their £5,20 ($9,20) per hour pay rate.
No image available
/ 30 October 2005
Chelsea beat Blackburn 4-2 in the Premier League on Saturday to extend their unbeaten streak to 40 matches, while Arsenal rallied to draw 1-1 with north London rival Tottenham. Manchester United fell further off the pace when they crashed to a 4-1 defeat to Middlesbrough.
No image available
/ 30 October 2005
New Zealand clinched their second Tri-Nations win in three matches when they beat Great Britain 42-26 at Loftus Road in London on Saturday. The Kiwis stormed into a 24-8 lead at the interval before the home side launched a thrilling second-half fightback — but it was too little, too late.
No image available
/ 28 October 2005
Thieves have spirited away the "flying" Ford Anglia car used in the Harry Potter films, British police said on Friday. The blue 1960s-style car’s disappearing act took place from under a tarpaulin at South West Film Studios in St Agnes, Cornwall, southwest England.
No image available
/ 28 October 2005
Britain play New Zealand in the Tri-Nations Series this Saturday confident they have the ability to win the tournament despite missing a raft of big-name players. Vice-captain Brian Carney said the loss of the likes of Paul Sculthorpe, Kris Radlinski, Sean Long and last year’s captain Andy Farrell was ”definitely a loss because they are outstanding players and immensely talented”.
No image available
/ 28 October 2005
A British woman faces court over a small-change rail fare mix-up — despite offering time and again to hand over the required coin, newspapers reported Friday. Shocked commuter Jennifer Burton (23) is being hauled before the judge by rail bosses because of a 10 pence mix-up over her ticket.
No image available
/ 27 October 2005
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.
No image available
/ 27 October 2005
I have never been a big fan of photo-sharing websites such as Flickr.com, even when they are given fancy names like ”social networking”. It is bad enough having to fend off friends advancing towards you with fat wads of holiday snaps without having half the bloggers in the world trying to nobble you into watching their smiling faces blot out whatever building is lurking behind.
No image available
/ 27 October 2005
British news and financial information giant Reuters on Thursday posted a modest 1,5% rise in underlying third-quarter revenues. Reuters said recurring revenues rose to £574-million (,025-billion) in the three months to September 30, 2005, compared with the same period last year.
No image available
/ 27 October 2005
League Cup holders Chelsea were knocked out of this season’s competition 5-4 in a penalty shoot-out by Premiership rivals Charlton at Stamford Bridge in London on Wednesday. Manchester United’s youngsters took centre stage as they thrashed league-two strugglers Barnet 4-1 at Old Trafford.
No image available
/ 27 October 2005
Formula one’s team chiefs breathed a collective sigh of relief on Wednesday when the FIA announced next season’s grand-prix calendar will be fixed at 19 races. The sport’s organisers have come under criticism for creating a punishing schedule this year after the calendar was packed with the highest number of races to date run in one season.
No image available
/ 26 October 2005
Cherie Booth, the high-profile wife of British Prime Minister Tony Blair, was at the centre of a new controversy on Wednesday over a lucrative speaking tour of Australia in February. It is not the first time Booth — who uses her maiden name in her professional life as a top lawyer and on personal engagements — has raised a few eyebrows.
No image available
/ 26 October 2005
Liverpool’s season went from bad to worse when the Champions League holders crashed out of the English League Cup with a 2-1 defeat away to Championship side Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park on Tuesday. In the day’s other League Cup matches, West Brom beat Fulham and Wigan beat Watford in extra time.
No image available
/ 26 October 2005
Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson admitted on Wednesday that his side do not have the financial means to compete for the same players as champions Chelsea. Ferguson has seen targets Arjen Robben, Damien Duff and Michael Essien all snub Old Trafford in favour of the Roman Abramovich-backed Londoners.
No image available
/ 26 October 2005
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.
No image available
/ 25 October 2005
Manchester United assistant manager Carlos Queiroz has insisted he has been unaffected by the criticism coming his way following the lacklustre start to the Red Devils’ Premiership season. Adding to the pressure has been the fact that Premier League champions Chelsea are already 10 points clear of United at the top of the table.
No image available
/ 25 October 2005
British telecoms equipment maker Marconi, a victim of the high-tech bubble, agreed on Tuesday to sell most of its assets to Swedish rival Ericsson for about £1,2-billion ($2,12-billion) in cash. Ericsson, the world’s biggest supplier of mobile telecommunication systems, said later that it planned to cut up to a fifth of the 6 500-strong workforce it would inherit.