The latest chapter in Liverpool and Chelsea’s seemingly never-ending European saga will be written on Tuesday when hostilities resume in the Champions League for the fourth successive season. Including domestic matches, it will be the 19th time the two clubs have faced each other in the last four seasons.
Crude oil prices surged above , setting a new record high on Monday because of worries of supply disruptions from major producers and comments by the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (Opec) reiterating there is no need to raise output.
Saudi Arabia’s rigid sex segregation, compulsory male guardianship of women and other ”grossly discriminatory” policies are a denial of fundamental rights, a leading human rights watchdog says on Monday. Women are treated like legal minors who have no authority over their lives or their children, finds a new report by Human Rights Watch.
Against the backdrop of the gloomiest outlook for the global economy in many years, the price of oil hit a barrel for the first time last week and the cost of wheat, rice and soya beans soared. The first rule of economics — that prices are determined by demand and supply — appears to have broken down.
Seven African governments and the world’s largest banks and construction firms meet in London on Monday to plan the most powerful dam conceived to date — an -billion hydro power project on the Congo River which, its supporters say, could double the amount of electricity available on the continent.
The resurgent Michael Owen scored both goals as Newcastle United beat bitter rivals Sunderland 2-0 in a keenly fought north-east derby at St James’s Park on Sunday. The England striker headed in his first in the fourth minute and scored his second from the penalty spot in the 45th minute just before half-time.
Aston Villa thrashed local rivals Birmingham City 5-1 on Sunday to take their goal tally to 15 in their last three Premier League games. John Carew and Ashley Young both scored twice for Villa to leave City stuck in the relegation zone with three matches left to save themselves.
Fortune-tellers, mediums and spiritual healers marched on Downing Street on Friday to protest against new laws they fear will lead to them being ”persecuted and prosecuted”. Organisers say that replacing the Fraudulent Mediums Act of 1951 with new consumer-protection rules will remove key legal protection for ”genuine” mediums.
Blackburn Rovers handed Chelsea a shock lifeline in the English Premier League title race by holding leaders Manchester United to a 1-1 draw on Saturday. The champions were heading for defeat but Argentina striker Carlos Tevez rescued a precious point with just two minutes to go.
Texas billionaire Allen Stanford has offered to put up -million for England to play five Twenty20 games against his West Indies All-Star team. England and Wales Cricket Board chairperson Giles Clarke had said on Thursday the prospect of England taking part in a winner-takes-all -million match in the West Indies was ”very likely”.
New England team manager Martin Johnson said on Friday he was looking forward to getting England back to the top of world rugby. ”It’s a tremendously exciting time for English rugby,” the 38-year-old, captain of England’s 2003 World Cup-winning side, said at Twickenham in his first news conference since being named in the job on Wednesday.
Two British men were found guilty on Thursday of harassing a local celebrity dolphin during a booze-fuelled late-night swim in the English Channel. Michael Jukes (27) and Daniel Buck (26) were each ordered to do 120 hours of community service and pay £350 in costs at the Dover Magistrate’s Court on the south-east English coast.
Manchester United will take a giant stride towards retaining their Premier League title if they beat Blackburn Rovers at Ewood Park on Saturday. United’s lead at the top was cut to two points by Chelsea after the Blues won 1-0 away to Everton on Thursday.
Oil set a record above a barrel on Thursday as a drop in United States gasoline inventories raised concern of tighter supply and a weak dollar boosted investor demand for commodities. A US government report on Wednesday showed a surprise drop in crude inventories and a larger-than-expected decline in stocks of petrol.
Thomson Reuters launched on the London stock market on Thursday, creating the world’s biggest provider of financial data to trading floors, overtaking United States rival Bloomberg. Thomson Reuters was formed after Canada’s Thomson Corporation bought British-based media and information group Reuters for £8,7-billion in a deal completed on Thursday.
The price of New York oil on Wednesday struck an historic peak at $114,95 on news that United States energy inventories tumbled last week and as the US currency hit an all-time low against the euro, traders said. Later on Wednesday, New York’s main oil contract, light sweet crude for delivery in May, stood at $114,37 a barrel, up 58 cents on Tuesday’s close.
Oil struck a new record high above a barrel on Wednesday, buoyed by the weak dollar, inflows of speculative money and long-term constraints on supply. US crude was 53 cents higher at ,32 a barrel by 9.43am GMT, just below a fresh peak of ,41. Wednesday’s price is more than three times the average price of 2002, when oil’s rally began.
Excitement about the potential of Brazil as a massive new source of oil and gas intensified on Tuesday after a senior Energy Ministry official declared that the newly found Carioca field could have 33-billion barrels in place — leading to expressions of surprise and scepticism from industry experts.
British Prime Minister Gordon Brown on Tuesday embraced one of Tony Blair’s most controversial legacies when he cast himself as the leader best placed to bring Europe and the United States together after the bitter divisions over Iraq. As he prepared to fly to the US, Brown lavished praise on US leaders across the spectrum.
Oil set new record highs above a barrel on Tuesday as investors sought to hedge against a battered dollar. United States crude rose by ,80 to ,56 a barrel at 2.05pm GMT, after touching a record high of ,93. London Brent crude was up by ,91 at ,75, after a record high of ,85.
Warren Gatland has promised he will select his strongest possible Wales squad when his Six Nations title-holders travel to world champions South Africa for a two-Test tour in June. Northern hemisphere sides have often been criticised for taking weakened teams on their travels to the Tri-Nations countries at the end of a long European season.
Chelsea boss Avram Grant refused to concede defeat to Manchester United in the English Premier League title race, insisting his players still believed they could win it. He admitted the Blues simply had to win Thursday’s clash at fifth-placed Everton, otherwise United could seal the title.
Asian stocks tumbled on Monday followed by losses across European and United States markets on concern over company earnings and increasing gloom about prospects for the global economy, analysts said. Wall Street stocks opened lower as Wachovia bank, one of America’s largest retail banking groups, announced a net loss of $350-million.
Manager Alex Ferguson wants Manchester United to clinch the Premier League crown at title rivals Chelsea on April 26. United all but ended Arsenal’s hopes by beating Arsene Wenger’s men 2-1 at Old Trafford on Sunday, moving nine points clear of the Gunners with four matches left.
Kenyan Martin Lel retained his London Marathon title in a fantastic men’s race on Sunday when the first three broke the course record and the first six finishers recorded personal bests. In the women’s race, German Irina Mikitenko won her first major marathon title on only her second outing over the distance.
Pretoria-based swim star Suzaan van Biljon collected a gold medal for South Africa in clocking a new Fina World Short-Course Swimming Championships record in the 200m breaststroke final on Sunday. Also, Ryan Lochte claimed his fourth gold medal as world records crashed yet again on the final day of the championships in Manchester.
Owen Hargreaves was Manchester United’s unlikely goal-scoring hero as the English Premier League leaders came from behind to see-off title challengers Arsenal 2-1 at Old Trafford in London on Sunday. Earlier on Sunday, Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard scored in a 3-1 win over Blackburn Rovers at Anfield.
South African swim stars Cameron van der Burgh and Gerhard Zandberg joined Shaun Harris and Lize Mari Retief in a morning of fast times at the Fina World Short-Course Championships in Manchester on Saturday. Meanwhile, Zimbabwe’s Kirsty Coventry broke her third world record of the week.
Britain has offered to host peace talks on the strife-torn Sudanese region of Darfur under proposals put forward by Prime Minister Gordon Brown, his office said on Sunday. Details of the offer were released as activists in 30 countries prepared to hold a global day of action on Sunday to mark the fifth anniversary of the start of the conflict.
Gerhard Zandberg kept South Africa’s fast-lane medal hunt on course with his 50m backstroke heats effort, coupled with fine performances by Melissa Corfe, Suzaan van Biljon and William Diering, at the Fina World Short-Course Swimming Championships in Manchester on Friday.
Croatia’s Duje Draganja edged out home favourite Mark Foster to smash the world 50m freestyle best as records tumbled at the world short-course swimming championships in Manchester on Friday. Zimbabwe’s Kirsty Coventry took the individual honours with her third title of the meet.
World oil demand will rise much less than expected in 2008 because of slower economic growth in the United States and other industrialised countries, the International Energy Agency (IEA) said on Friday. The IEA, adviser to industrialised countries, also pointed to a drop in oil inventories.