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/ 11 April 2005

Everton teen on Rooney route to fame

James Vaughan became the latest teenager to be feted at Goodison Park when his goal in a 4-0 win against struggling Crystal Palace established the 16-year-old as the youngest English Premiership goal-scorer. And his goal also saw him become Everton’s youngest scorer, supplanting Wayne Rooney, now at Manchester United.

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/ 8 April 2005

Grandma in court over cannabis cookies

A British grandmother who baked cannabis-laced cookies as a treat for friends and neighbours in her rural village was spared jail on Friday after a judge said he did not want to make her ”a martyr”. Patricia Tabram prided herself on her cannabis snacks as well as casseroles and soups containing the banned drug, the court had been told.

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/ 7 April 2005

R1m playhouse for Becks’s kids

England captain David Beckham and pop-star wife Victoria have won planning permission to finish a two-storey playhouse for their three children, their local council said Thursday. They were granted the go-ahead for the ‘Wendy House’ on condition that it ”shall not be used for permanent habitable occupation”.

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/ 7 April 2005

New malaria pill could boost global fight

Scientists have developed a new cheap and convenient malaria pill that could boost the success of the fight against the disease, which kills nearly two million people a year in poor countries, experts said on Thursday. Between 350-million and 500-million people get sick with malaria every year, the World Health Organisation estimates.

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/ 7 April 2005

Lampard goals lead Chelsea to win

Chelsea stayed on course to win their first Champions Cup despite the absence of manager Jose Mourinho, and AC Milan moved closer to their seventh European title with victories in the first leg of the Champions League quarterfinals on Wednesday. Frank Lampard scored two goals to help Chelsea beat Bayern Munich 4-2.

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/ 6 April 2005

Emotional victory for Liverpool

Liverpool scored with a pair of early volleys to beat Juventus 2-1 in a Champions League quarterfinal match that commemorated the Heysel Stadium tragedy nearly 20 years ago. Sami Hyypia scored the first goal from the left side in the 10th minute. In another quarterfinal match, PSV Eindhoven came back to draw 1-1 with host Lyon.

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/ 6 April 2005

Britons invited to bet on latest royal wedding mishap

It has already suffered a royal snub, planning gremlins and a last-minute postponement. Now, the British are being asked to bet on the next mishap to hit the wedding of Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles. The cheeky offer from a firm of bookmakers came after the wedding was put back by a day to Saturday to avoid a clash with the funeral of the pope.

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/ 5 April 2005

Blair announces election date for Britain

British Prime Minister Tony Blair, ending weeks of speculation, announced on Tuesday a general election for May 5 that he hopes will give his Labour Party a third straight term in power. ”I’ve just been to Buckingham Palace to ask the queen to dissolve Parliament,” Blair told reporters and TV crews outside his Downing Street residence.

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/ 5 April 2005

BBC asks long-dead Bob Marley for interview

A red-faced BBC apologised on Friday for requesting an interview with Bob Marley, the Jamaican reggae legend who died 24 years ago. BBC Three, one of the public broadcaster’s digital TV channels, sent an e-mail to the Bob Marley Foundation saying it wanted to do a documentary about his hit song "No Woman No Cry".

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/ 4 April 2005

US refuses to issue visa to Mark Thatcher

Mark Thatcher, son of the former British prime minister Margaret Thatcher, said on Sunday he has been denied a visa to rejoin his family in the United States, calling it a result of his guilty plea involving a coup plot in Equatorial Guinea. He said the rejection by US visa authorities means that his family will instead relocate to Europe.

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/ 3 April 2005

Newcastle stars square off

Newcastle United were dragged into the gutter on Saturday when midfield stars Lee Bowyer and Kieron Dyer were sent off for fighting each other in an amazing St James’ Park encounter. Meanwhile, Thierry Henry was banging in a hat-trick to help Arsenal leapfrog Manchester United into second place in the Premiership.

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/ 3 April 2005

Cole will stay at Arsenal, says Wenger

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger is convinced Ashley Cole will stay at the club and extend his contract despite the attempts of London rivals Chelsea to prise the England fullback away from Highbury. Chelsea were alleged to have made an illegal approach for the 24-year-old at a meeting in January.

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/ 31 March 2005

24 counts down for PlayStation2

Fans of hit television drama series <i>24</i> can soon become agent Jack Bauer in a "brand-new day" of the show: a PlayStation2 game developed with the help of the <i>24</i>’s writers, musicians, stars and producers. The countdown has begun to the release of <i>24: The Game</i>.

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/ 31 March 2005

England labour to win over minnows

Steven Gerrard and David Beckham struck as England remained on course to qualify for next summer’s World Cup finals with a 2-0 victory over Azerbaijan at St James’ Park on Wednesday. But the win could not disguise a disappointing night for Sven-Goran Eriksson’s side, who insisted on making heavy work of defeating the group-six minnows.

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/ 30 March 2005

Wayne Rooney: From fan to hero

Wayne Rooney was once a 12-year-old football fan who wanted to be Michael Owen. But, just seven years on, he will be with Michael Owen as the pair look to continue their flourishing England strike partnership in Wednesday’s World Cup qualifier in Newcastle at St James’ Park against minnows Azerbaijan.

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/ 29 March 2005

Owen says he has nothing left to prove

England striker Michael Owen said on Monday that he has nothing left to prove to his Real Madrid teammates. The former Liverpool striker scored one of England’s goals during their 4-0 World Cup qualifying win over Northern Ireland at Old Trafford at the weekend and said he is happy with his contribution this season for the Spanish giants.

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/ 29 March 2005

Underwear, centipedes and other accidents

Forget about natural disasters. In Britain, you’re more likely to get your knickers in a knot. There are other perils, including insidious scorpions, nasty hornets and wicked rats. Your house is no haven either…with people hospitalised from accidents in their beds, mainly caused by cigarettes or faulty electric blankets.

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/ 23 March 2005

Looking back with regret

Five years ago, investors were told there was unlimited money to be made out of the dotcom revolution — and that was true, until the point where there were no longer more buyers than sellers. The market reached that point in March 2000 and, since then, the Nasdaq has lost 60% of its value and millions of small investors have suffered.

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/ 22 March 2005

Giant cat feared on the loose in London

A giant, puma-like cat is feared to be on the loose in one of London’s leafiest suburbs after a man was attacked in his own garden, police said on Tuesday. Police were called to a house in Sydenham Park in the early hours of Tuesday morning after the man saw a cat-like creature about the size of a Labrador dog roaming in his garden.

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/ 21 March 2005

Liverpool defend ‘like lions’

Liverpool beat Everton 2-1 on Sunday to return to fifth place in the English Premier League and move within four points of their fourth-placed cross-town rival. Also on Sunday, Birmingham beat local rival Aston Villa 2-0 with goals from Emile Heskey and Julian Gray, while Southampton moved out of the relegation zone with a 3-1 win at Middlesbrough.

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/ 20 March 2005

Chelsea edge closer to title

Chelsea edged closer to their first title in 50 years with a 4-1 win over Crystal Palace on Saturday, and Manchester United and Arsenal also won in the fight for second place. Newcastle couldn’t continue their European form, drawing 1-1 with Portsmouth. Also, Manchester City lost 2-1 at Tottenham.