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/ 3 November 2007

Arsenal snatch late draw against Man United

The table-topping clash between Arsenal and Manchester United took time to ignite but delivered a dramatic finale on Saturday when home captain William Gallas scored in stoppage-time to secure a 2-2 draw. Chelsea took advantage of the stalemate at Arsenal, a 2-0 victory at Wigan Athletic allowing them to make ground on the top two.

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/ 2 November 2007

Oil prices resume climb

Oil prices resumed their climb on Friday after a decline in the previous session prompted new buying amid expectations that crude futures would continue to test new records because of tight supplies. Light, sweet crude for December delivery rose by 41 cents to ,90 a barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange.

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/ 2 November 2007

World powers discuss Iran sanctions in London

Six world powers meet on Friday to discuss imposing a third round of sanctions on Iran because of its refusal to stop enriching uranium, which they suspect could be used to build nuclear weapons. Talks among top officials from the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council plus Germany were due to start in the morning and last several hours.

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/ 2 November 2007

Inglorious end to career of cocaine-tainted Hingis

The career of Martina Hingis ended in disgrace and tears on Thursday when she retired after testing positive for cocaine, an inglorious finale to a story that captivated world tennis for more than a decade. ”I have tested positive but I have never taken drugs and I feel 100% innocent,” the five-times Grand Slam champion told a news conference.

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/ 2 November 2007

Zep concert delayed after Page breaks finger

Led Zeppelin’s one-off reunion concert, originally scheduled for the end of this month, has been postponed for two weeks after guitarist Jimmy Page broke a finger, the band said on Friday. The gig, at the O2 Arena on the south bank of the River Thames in London, was originally pencilled in for November 26 but will now be held on December 10, the legendary rockers said.

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/ 1 November 2007

Lampard shines for Chelsea, Ramos gets winning start

Frank Lampard’s hat-trick helped League Cup holders Chelsea snatch a dramatic 4-3 win over Leicester on Wednesday. Avram Grant’s side were slipping towards an embarrassing fourth-round defeat against the managerless Championship side — who lost Gary Megson after just six weeks to Premiership strugglers Bolton — until Andriy Shevchenko equalised with three minutes to play.

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/ 31 October 2007

London store opens psychic school for Halloween

A London luxury store is launching something slightly different for Halloween — a psychic school teaching customers how to tap into their spiritual powers. Passers-by can pop into Selfridges on the capital’s busy Oxford Street to attend classes ranging from ”Third Eye and Higher Self” to workshops on how to use crystals.

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/ 31 October 2007

Oil price hits $94 for first time

Oil prices hit fresh record highs on Wednesday, with New York crude at $94 per barrel after news that United States crude inventories had slumped last week, traders said. "The market is clearly reacting to the larger-than-expected drop in crude oil inventories," said Citigroup analyst Tim Evans. Over the course of Wednesday, prices rocketed by as much as $4 to $5.

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/ 31 October 2007

Saudi king gets royal welcome, jeers on UK visit

The British and Saudi monarchs spoke warmly about each other’s countries at a formal banquet in London on Tuesday, but a state visit by Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah drew protests and political controversy in Britain. Protesters calling for the reopening of a corruption inquiry into a multibillion-dollar arms deal jeered at Abdullah as he rode in a gilded carriage.

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/ 31 October 2007

Solar energy boom may help world’s poorest

A surge in investment in solar power is bringing down costs of the alternative energy source, but affordability problems still dog hopes for the 1,6-billion people worldwide without electricity. The sun supplies only a tiny fraction — less than one 10th of 1% — of mankind’s energy needs. But its supporters believe a solar era may be dawning, boosted by Western funding to combat oil ”addiction”.

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/ 30 October 2007

McCanns defend using public fund to pay mortgage

The parents of missing Madeleine McCann repaid two instalments of their mortgage with money from the fund set up to help find her, their spokesperson confirmed on Tuesday. But Kate and Gerry McCann stopped taking money from the £1-million ”Find Madeleine” fund after they were made official suspects, Clarence Mitchell said.

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/ 29 October 2007

Oil hits record high above $93

Oil prices jumped to fresh historic highs on Monday, breaching $93 for the first time on mounting concerns about tight energy supplies worldwide, analysts said. Investors pushed up crude futures to new peaks as more bad news in the shape of Mexican production cutbacks came on top of already serious tensions in the Middle East.

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/ 29 October 2007

Flintoff, the training session … and the bottle

Former England captain Andrew Flintoff turned up to a training session last winter under the influence of alcohol, the then England coach Duncan Fletcher revealed on Monday. The revelation which forced Fletcher to cancel the session comes in his new autobiography, which had widely been expected to lift the lid on the 5-0 Ashes debacle.

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/ 29 October 2007

Hard work starts now, says new Spurs manager

New Tottenham manager Juande Ramos had only a few words to say to his players after he saw Blackburn come from behind to win 2-1 at White Hart Lane on Sunday. He told them: ”The hard work starts tomorrow.” That work involves instilling a belief in a side that is not short on talent but has forgotten how to win.

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/ 29 October 2007

Zimbabwean singer packs protest punch

Viomak’s velvety voice drifts through the air like a lullaby on a gentle breeze. But her protest songs pack a punch which could mean jail for anyone caught listening to them in her native Zimbabwe. The tunes bluntly demand an end to President Robert Mugabe’s rule and belong to Zimbabwe’s tradition of protest music that her fans say give hope and comfort.

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/ 28 October 2007

England coach criticised over Cup

Former England captain Lawrence Dallaglio has criticised Brian Ashton, saying he did not have the managerial skills to be head coach at the World Cup. ”I hope I’m not going to lose a friendship over what I say about Brian, a good coach who I believe was in the wrong role,” Dallaglio says in his autobiography, serialised in the Sunday Times newspaper.

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/ 28 October 2007

UK anti-abortion marchers demand change in law

British Pro-life campaigners rallied outside Parliament on Saturday to demand changes to the law they say has led to 6,7-million abortions since it came into force 40 years ago. About 500 men, women and children stood under a steady drizzle with banners reading ”Protect Life” and ”Women deserve better than abortion”.

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/ 27 October 2007

Strong Bok team for Welsh clash

World champions South Africa will be almost at full strength for next month’s Test match against Wales in Cardiff, the Welsh Rugby Union said on Friday. Springbok captain John Smit will lead South Africa, who won the World Cup last Saturday when they beat England in the final in Paris, in the Test at the Millennium Stadium on November 24.

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/ 26 October 2007

British judge blocks SA ex-cop’s deportation

A judge on Thursday blocked a British decision to deport a South African former police officer who claims he would face violence from gang members if he returned to his homeland. Former sergeant David Andreason, who stopped working as a police officer in 2001 due to stress, fled Durban for Britain after an attempt on his life in 2005.

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/ 26 October 2007

Tottenham sack manager Martin Jol

Tottenham Hotspur have sacked their Dutch manager, Martin Jol, the Premier League club said in a statement on Thursday. ”We can confirm that the board has this evening asked Martin Jol, the club manager, and Chris Hughton, the first team coach, to stand down from their positions with immediate effect,” the statement read.

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/ 25 October 2007

Spending row claims British Auditor General

Britain’s Auditor General, the man charged with stopping government waste, announced he is stepping down on Thursday after criticism of his own lavish spending on foreign travel and top-notch restaurants. Sir John Bourn for 20 years served the British Parliament by making sure public money was not frittered away on frivolous projects.

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/ 25 October 2007

Amnesty: State agents linked to DRC killings

Human rights group Amnesty International accused state security forces in the Democratic Republic of Congo of systematic torture and killings in a report published on Thursday. Amnesty blamed two government security forces — the special services police and the republican guard — for attacks on opponents of President Joseph Kabila.

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/ 24 October 2007

Madeleine’s parents launch new hotline

The parents of a British girl who disappeared while on holiday in Portugual will launch a 24-hour hotline on Wednesday for information to help find their daughter. Kate and Gerry McCann were to go on Spanish television to urge people to call the hotline if they have any information about their four-year-old, Madeleine.

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/ 24 October 2007

Arsenal equals league’s record win

Arsenal and Manchester United moved closer to a place in the next round of the Champions League on Tuesday with big wins that extended the English duo’s perfect starts. Arsenal beat visiting Slavia Prague 7-0 to equal the competition’s biggest win, while English champion United won at Dynamo Kiev 4-2.

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/ 24 October 2007

Whose DNA? Forensic boom stokes ethical fears

In September 1987, Colin Pitchfork, a baker from central England, became the first criminal in the world to be caught by DNA evidence, for the rape and murder of two 15-year-old girls. He was sentenced to life imprisonment the following January. Twenty years on, analysing DNA from blood, hair, saliva or semen at crime scenes is ubiquitous and has helped solve hundreds of thousands of crimes.