Claims that a killer shark has been spotted off the English coast were dismissed on Tuesday as alarmist, just as holidaymakers head en masse for the seaside. The scare started after a tourist took pictures of a menacing-looking fin jutting from the water last week, 180m from the beach near the popular Cornish resort of St Ives.
Brewing giant SABMiller reported a 13% rise in first-quarter underlying beer volumes on Tuesday, but said revenue growth was partly offset by higher input costs and increased investment. ”The group has made a strong start to the year,” the world’s second-biggest brewer said in a trading update for April to June.
The first new vaccine against tuberculosis (TB) in more than 80 years has entered mid-stage trials in South Africa, where the killer disease is rife, scientists said on Saturday. If the tests are successful, a new shot against M tuberculosis bacteria could be available within eight years.
Robert Mugabe’s former information chief says in an interview published on Saturday that the Zimbabwean president’s inner circle is afraid to get rid of him, despite current economic and political woes. Jonathan Moyo told the Financial Times in London there is little chance of Mugabe being overthrown or replaced.
Billed as the biggest change in the way viewers watch television in 40 years, the BBC launched an online service on Friday that allows people to download many programmes from the last week. BBC director general Mark Thompson says the arrival of the ”on-demand” iPlayer is as important as the first colour broadcasts in the 1960s.
Hundreds of thousands of Britons hit by the worst flooding in 60 years faced further misery on Thursday as forecasters predicted more rain in the areas most badly affected. Two people were found dead in a cellar in the west of England, raising to at least eight the number of people to have died as a result of record rainfall.
Formula One’s governing body could puncture McLaren’s championship bid on Thursday and slam the brakes on Fernando Alonso’s and Lewis Hamilton’s own title aspirations. The ”spy saga” that has gripped the sport for weeks, with leaders McLaren stunned by revelations about their now-suspended chief designer Mike Coughlan and leaked Ferrari data, comes to a head in Paris.
South Africa midfielder Steven Pienaar has completed his move to Everton after being granted a work permit. The 25-year-old moves from Borussia Dortmund on a season-long loan and has already joined up with his new teammates for their pre-season tour in America.
The fate of more English cities, towns and villages hung in the balance on Tuesday as emergency crews built up defences against rising waters during Britain’s worst floods in living memory. The government’s crisis-response committee met late on Monday and again on Tuesday as some rivers topped levels reached during the floods in 1947.
The weather came to India’s rescue as they drew the first Test at Lord’s on Monday with England just a wicket away from going 1-0 up in the three-match series. Bad light, which forced an early tea, with India, at 282-9, still 98 runs shy of their imposing victory target of 380, initially gave the tourists a dramatic reprieve.
Prime Minister Gordon Brown visited the scene of Britain’s worst flooding in 60 years on Monday as thousands of people remained stranded in their villages and towns, many without clean water or electricity. With swathes of central and western England under water and more rain on its way, Brown flew in a helicopter over the water-logged county of Gloucestershire.
Archbishop of York John Sentamu warned Anglican conservatives on Monday that boycotting a church summit next year means they will effectively expel themselves from the worldwide communion. United States liberals, who sparked the row in the first place by ordaining an openly gay bishop, have locked horns with conservatives from Africa and Asia.
United States sales of the seventh and final Harry Potter volume hit an estimated 8,3-million in the first 24 hours, confirming its place in the history books as the fastest-selling book. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows comfortably beat the previous 2005 Potter instalment, which posted US sales of 6,9-million copies in the first 24 hours.
South African striker Benni McCarthy illustrated why he was targeted by Chelsea with one of the goals in Blackburn Rovers’ 2-0 Intertoto Cup win over FK Vetra of Lithuania on Sunday. Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho tried to lure McCarthy to Stamford Bridge last month but Rovers coach Mark Hughes refused to sell.
Kevin Pietersen’s first Test hundred against India set up a strong position for England at stumps on the fourth day at Lord’s on Sunday. The tourists — dismissed for a meagre 201 in their first innings — were 137 for three at the close, needing a further 243 runs to reach their target of 380.
James Anderson took a Test-best five for 42 on his return to the side to give England the advantage over India in their series opener at Lord’s on Saturday. England were 77 for two in their second innings — a lead of 174 — at stumps on the third day after India had collapsed to 201 all out.
Ernie Els turned the air blue in frustration as putting woes continued to hamper his attempts to force his way on to the leaderboard at the Open Championship on Friday. The big South African has yet to win this year. But he had come into the tournament with high hopes of challenging after rediscovering his form in the Scottish Open.
South African authorities would adopt a wait-and-see approach before deciding whether or not to seek businessman Billy Rautenbach’s extradition from Zimbabwe. This comes as Rautenbach, best known in South Africa and Botswana for his activities in assembling Hyundai cars, was arrested in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and deported to Zimbabwe.
Former British prime minister Tony Blair welcomed on Friday the announcement that prosecutors will not bring charges over the so-called "cash-for-honours" scandal that clouded his last year in office. But he lamented that those subject to investigation during the 16-month probe had been through a "traumatic" time.
The Open Championship organisers on Friday defended a referee accused of giving Tiger Woods preferential treatment, despite evidence that he had mistakenly offered the world number one an advantageous free drop. Woods was offered the drop by referee Alan Holmes after his ball came to rest beside television cabling in light rough during his first round on Thursday.
India fought back with two wickets late in the final session to leave England 268-4 at stumps on the first day of the first Test at Lord’s on Thursday. England, 247-2 when play resumed after a second bad-light stoppage, lost two wickets for three runs in nine balls as they declined to 255-4.
Sergio Garcia slayed his Carnoustie demons and left Tiger Woods trailing in his wake as he stormed to the top of the leaderboard at the Open Championship on Thursday. The Spaniard, playing immaculate golf on a course that had reduced him to tears when it last hosted the Open in 1999, shot a superb six-under-par 65 to lead by two strokes.
Retief Goosen has blasted Gary Player for claiming that the use of performance-enhancing drugs is rife in golf. Goosen, speaking after opening his British Open campaign with a one-under-par 70, said he did not agree with Player and criticised his fellow South African’s judgement in speaking out about the issue without being willing to provide any evidence.
Tiger Woods got his quest for a hat-trick of Open Championship wins off to a solid start on Thursday, carding a two-under 69 in the first round. The world number one looked comfortable despite the early morning chill and damp that saw him keep a light jacket on for the front nine and pull on thick gloves between shots to keep his hands dry and warm.
The BBC suspended some senior editors on Thursday after the public broadcaster unearthed a string of fake phone-in competitions that tarnished its reputation and torpedoed the trust of viewers. It is the biggest crisis faced by the BBC since it locked horns with the British government over its coverage of Iraq.
The most important haul of Viking treasure unearthed in Britain in more than 150 years was announced on Thursday by the British Museum. Father and son metal-detecting duo David and Andrew Whelan discovered 617 silver coins, a gilt silver vessel and a gold arm-ring near Harrogate in Yorkshire, northern England — former Viking territory.
Even Jane Austen would have trouble finding a publisher today, a struggling author revealed on Thursday. David Lassman sent off to 18 publishers assorted chapters from Austen novels in which he changed just the titles and the names of the characters.
Tour golfers are taking performance-enhancing drugs and escaping sanction because the sport does not have dope testing, Gary Player said on the eve of the 136th Open Championship. ”I know there are golfers doing it [taking drugs], whether it’s HGH [human growth hormone], whether it’s creatine or whether it’s steroids,” Player said.
The World Bank on Wednesday approved grants of -million for Malawi and Mozambique to increase the availability and reliability of low cost, environmentally friendly electricity in Southern Africa. Malawi will get -million and Mozambique -million to connect Malawi to the Southern African Power Pool through Mozambique.
Scotland’s richest man pledged on Wednesday to give away his £1-billion fortune to charity to help alleviate poverty in Africa. Sir Tom Hunter plans to donate the huge amount to good causes in developing countries and in Britain during the rest of his lifetime, in one of the largest charitable donations in modern British history.
Global warming could trigger hurricanes over the Mediterranean sea, threatening one of the world’s most densely populated coastal regions, according to European scientists. A new study shows a rise of three degrees Celsius in average temperatures could set the storms off in the enclosed Mediterranean in future.
Sachin Tendulkar says it is a passion for cricket rather than a desire to keep adding to his already impressive list of records that provides the reason for him to extend his career. Tendulkar has had his motivation called into question recently after a poor World Cup in the Caribbean where India exited at the first-round stage.