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/ 20 November 2007
Jake White, South Africa’s World Cup-winning coach, on Monday played down suggestions he would be replacing Brian Ashton next month as the man in charge of England, although he didn’t rule himself out of the job at some point in the future. White is stepping down when his contract runs out in December.
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/ 19 November 2007
Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh celebrated their diamond wedding anniversary on Monday with a moving thanksgiving service in Westminster Abbey, the church where they married 60 years ago. The pomp and splendour of the traditional ceremony came a day before the anniversary itself.
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/ 19 November 2007
Springbok scrumhalf Fourie du Preez has become the latest player to withdraw from the national squad ahead of Saturday’s one-off Test against Wales in Cardiff. This was confirmed by a Springbok management member on Monday morning. Du Preez will miss the last Test of the year, and the last of Jake White’s tenure as coach, due to the shoulder injury that has troubled him for much of this year.
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/ 19 November 2007
SABMiller, the world’s second-biggest brewer, has agreed to buy Dutch rival Grolsch for €816-million in cash to strengthen its position in the fast-growing premium beer market. London-based SABMiller, which makes Miller Lite, Castle and Peroni beers, said on Monday it was offering €48,25 a share.
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/ 19 November 2007
When gold reached dizzying heights above a troy ounce in recent weeks, it cast a spotlight on a ritual that has taken place in London for the past 88 years. Twice a day, representatives of five banks pick up the phone to trade physical gold and arrive at the London ”fixing” price.
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/ 18 November 2007
Anglican Archbishop Desmond Tutu has slammed the church for being ”obsessed” with homosexuality, in a BBC radio programme to be broadcast
Tuesday. The South African 1984 Nobel Peace Prize winner, 76, said he felt ashamed of his church for its attitude towards gays.
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/ 17 November 2007
Finland’s Kimi Raikkonen has been confirmed the 2007 Formula One world champion after McLaren’s appeal was thrown out by a court of appeal, the sport’s world governing body, the FIA, said on Friday. The last remaining hope of Britain’s Lewis Hamilton to become world champion was crushed by this decision.
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/ 16 November 2007
A police website has tracked down nine of Britain’s 13 most wanted paedophiles in the past year, the specialist crime team in charge said on Friday. The Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre said the men had been missing for a combined 20 years.
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/ 15 November 2007
Troubled soul singer Amy Winehouse kicked off her 17-date British tour with a shambolic performance that saw fuming fans booing and marching out, reports said on Thursday. The concert at the National Indoor Arena in Birmingham, Britain’s second city, was a chance for the 24-year-old to get back to singing and put her woes behind her.
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/ 15 November 2007
How do you persuade people to reuse their hotel towels, recycle more rubbish and protect the countryside when they go for a walk? Rather than relying on dire environmental warnings, one author and academic thinks the answer lies in understanding the subtle social pressures that influence behaviour.
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/ 15 November 2007
South African investing banking and asset-management group Investec said on Thursday that pretax operating profit increased 23,8% to £254,3-million (R3,6-billion) in the six months to September 30. ”Whilst current conditions within the UK credit markets remain, activity levels are likely to be impacted,” said chief executive Stephen Koseff.
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/ 15 November 2007
SABMiller met forecasts with a 22% rise in first-half earnings on Thursday, but said it expected trading conditions to get tougher amid rising costs for energy, grain, glass and aluminium. The world’s second-largest brewer and maker of Miller Lite, Castle and Peroni beers posted adjusted earnings per share of 69,1 US cents
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/ 14 November 2007
An internet-based collective of soccer fans from more than 70 countries agreed in principle on Tuesday to buy a controlling interest in an English soccer club. The deal will give them a vote on everything from team line-up selections to which players should be transferred.
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/ 14 November 2007
Shareholders in ailing British bank Northern Rock could be left with nothing and the Bank of England could still be funding the lender in three years. A briefing memorandum sent to potential buyers of Northern Rock by its advisers showed it could still owe as much as £5,9-billion to the Bank of England in 2010.
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/ 13 November 2007
Slowly but surely, South African midfielder Steven Pienaar is recapturing the form that made him one of the most sought-after players in Europe in his early 20s. Pienaar is now a regular starter for Everton, and impressed in patches during his team’s creditable 1-1 draw at 2005 and 2006 Premier League champions Chelsea on Sunday.
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/ 13 November 2007
The death penalty is a violation of fundamental human rights, and it should be abolished around the world, Archbishop Desmond Tutu wrote in the Guardian on Tuesday, ahead of a vote on a draft resolution at the United Nations General Assembly calling for a moratorium on executions.
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/ 12 November 2007
For someone who has it all, London store Fortnum & Mason is selling a Christmas hamper for £20 000 (about R279 000). The Tercenturian Hamper, only on sale this year to celebrate the luxury store’s 300th anniversary, will be delivered by horse and cart anywhere within or near the London’s main M25 orbital.
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/ 12 November 2007
A big fire at a warehouse sent out a pall of black smoke over east London on Monday, but there were no reports of casualties and police said there was nothing to suggest it was anything more than a fire. Fifteen fire engines and 75 firefighters rushed to the scene of the blaze at an industrial estate in the Stratford area of east London.
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/ 11 November 2007
Fernando Torres came off the bench to keep Liverpool’s English Premier League title bid on track by inspiring the Reds to a last-gasp win over Fulham on Saturday. Earlier on Saturday, Sunderland’s derby clash with local rivals Newcastle ended in a frustrating 1-1 draw, and West Ham beat Derby 5-0.
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/ 10 November 2007
A man who posed as a clothing researcher to call women and harass them with questions about their underwear was jailed for two-and-a-half years on Friday. Paul Kavanagh (40) admitted to making about 15 000 calls over a 12-year period, beginning with innocuous questions about socks and cardigans.
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/ 10 November 2007
Avram Grant insists he never doubted he would silence the critics who claimed he had no chance at Chelsea. When Grant took charge in the aftermath of Jose Mourinho’s dramatic departure in September, it seemed the Israeli coach would find it hard to last a month if one listened to the cynicism that greeted his appointment.
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/ 10 November 2007
Britain’s main opposition leader, David Cameron, was initially delighted that supermodel Kate Moss asked for his phone number — until he realised she thought he could help her with her drains. The Conservative Party leader said in an interview to be broadcast on Saturday that he met Moss at a charity bash recently.
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/ 10 November 2007
The threat of serious flooding along England’s east coast receded on Friday after officials said the main tidal peak had passed, although storms were still causing problems elsewhere in Europe. High seas still threatened The Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Norway and Sweden.
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/ 8 November 2007
A British man on Thursday failed in his record-breaking attempt to pull a 7,5-tonne red London bus over a distance of 10m, using his ears. Manjit Singh (57), a former police officer who now owns a security services company in Leicester, central England, managed to pull the Routemaster Bus over half the distance, about 5m.
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/ 8 November 2007
Oil recouped early losses to resume its march towards the -milestone on Thursday as resurfacing worries of tight winter supplies and continuing dollar weakness put the brakes on some early profit-taking. By 12.57pm GMT, United States crude for December delivery stood 57 cents up at ,94.
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/ 8 November 2007
BHP Billiton has made a long-awaited bid approach to Rio Tinto in a move aimed at creating a $350-billion-plus mining giant, but Rio rejected the all-share proposal as too low. Rio shares leapt as much as 30% in London to a record high on Thursday after it said BHP had proposed offering three of its shares for every one Rio share.
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/ 8 November 2007
Ending imports of fresh food from Africa under the pretext of combating climate change risks destroying entire communities that have become dependent on the trade, Ghana’s High Commissioner to Britain said on Wednesday. Food miles — the distance food travels from producer to consumer — have become a highly divisive issue.
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/ 8 November 2007
A group of 50-somethings will try to put some anarchy back into rock’n’roll on Thursday as the Sex Pistols launch their brief reunion tour with a gig at Brixton Academy in London. The British foursome are getting back together to celebrate the 30th anniversary of their seminal album Never Mind the Bollocks … Here’s the Sex Pistols.
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/ 6 November 2007
Famous dogs including Lassie and Oscar-winning animated pooch Gromit were inducted into the world’s first canine Walk of Fame in London on Monday, as the four-legged version of the Hollywood pantheon was unveiled. Other top hounds included Fang from the <i>Harry Potter</i> films.
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/ 6 November 2007
Queen Elizabeth II’s speech in the British Parliament on Tuesday may have been routine, but at least nobody was bored to death. That would have been against the law. Dying in Parliament is an offence — and by far the most absurd law in Britain, according to a survey of nearly 4Â 000 people.
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/ 6 November 2007
Oil leapt more than a barrel to a new record high of ,44 on Tuesday, as a weak dollar and tight fuel stocks prompted buying by speculators. Investors, wary of global equity markets where the full impact of the credit crunch has yet to become clear, see oil as a good bet.
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/ 6 November 2007
Three leading international news agencies are set to boycott this week’s first cricket Test match between Australia and Sri Lanka after organisers demanded payment for the right to distribute photographs from the event. The row is the second major rights dispute to hit international sports organisers in two months.