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.
Ross Taylor’s second Test century ensured New Zealand recovered from two run outs in three balls to reach lunch on 322 for six against England on day two of the second Test at Old Trafford on Saturday. Taylor, in his seventh Test and who made his maiden century against England in March, reached 115 from 141 balls at the interval.
Darrell Hair made a low-key return to top-level cricket on Friday, two years after presiding over the first forfeited Test. The umpire, who was reinstated in March after a 16-month ban, officiated as England’s second Test against New Zealand started at Old Trafford.
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.
Britain’s opposition Conservative Party won a mid-term parliamentary seat from the ruling Labour Party on Friday in a new blow to Prime Minister Gordon Brown’s bludgeoned political fortunes. The Conservatives’ win in the northern town of Crewe was the party’s first gain from Labour in a mid-term election since 1978.
Britain’s opposition Conservative Party were poised on Thursday to gain a parliamentary seat in mid-term for the first time in 26 years. The by-election in the northern town of Crewe, triggered by the death of the constituency’s member of Parliament, is being closely watched as an indicator of Prime Minister Gordon Brown’s diminishing appeal.
Ernie Els admits his swing is no better than average as he tries to fine-tune his game with new coach Butch Harmon. Els, who plays in the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth this week, turned to Harmon after opting to replace previous coach David Leadbetter, but the South African is still not completely happy with his revamped swing.
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.
Zimbabwe opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai vowed on Friday to lift his country out of the ”darkness” under President Robert Mugabe and voiced confidence he will win a run-off presidential poll. The comments came shortly after his party said Tsvangirai would go home on Saturday after more than a month away following disputed elections.
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.
Russian champions Zenit St Petersburg won their first European silverware when second-half goals from Igor Denisov and Konstantin Zyrianov secured a 2-0 victory over Rangers in the Uefa Cup final on Wednesday night. Denisov slotted home after 72 minutes and fellow midfielder Zyrianov sealed victory with a close-range effort in stoppage time.
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.
Steven Gerrard admits Liverpool will only challenge for the Premier League title next season if Rafa Benitez spends big money. Gerrard is desperate to make up for another disappointing domestic campaign after Benitez’s side slipped out of the title race by Christmas and finished nine points behind champions Manchester United.
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.
Former All Black captain Anton Oliver is looking forward to playing in England’s rugby union Varsity Match after being offered a place at Oxford University. Oliver (32) will study for an MSc in biodiversity, environment and management at the famous English seat of learning.