British police hunted on Saturday for the people behind failed attempts to carry out two car bombings in London’s nightclub district in what experts called Iraq-style attacks. Security officials and ministers in the new government of Prime Minister Gordon Brown, meanwhile, prepared to hold a second meeting to deal with the emergency.
Police defused a car bomb packed with petrol, gas and nails outside a busy nightclub in the heart of London on Friday, foiling an attack that echoed an earlier al-Qaeda plot and could have killed or wounded scores of people. Possible bomb components were found in a second car hours later, police said on Friday evening.
British police defused a car bomb in central London on Friday and said the device, made up of petrol, gas cylinders and nails, could have caused significant loss of life. The bomb was left in a car parked outside a nightclub in the busy heart of London shortly after 1am local time, when ”hundreds” of people were in the vicinity.
Murders of aid workers, pirate attacks, closed borders and growing violence make the distribution of relief in Somalia almost impossible, aid workers say, as conflict and drought boost needs still further. A Somali nurse for a Western aid group and a driver were shot dead late on Wednesday.
British police defused a bomb in a parked car in London’s theatre district on Friday and launched a counter-terrorism investigation. Sky News quoted unidentified sources as saying the bomb was ”potentially massive”. The bomb was found hours after new Prime Minister Gordon Brown named his Cabinet.
Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer, with his 50th straight win on grass, eased into the third round at Wimbledon on Thursday, but there was no such satisfaction for Tim Henman, who bowed out, possibly for the last time. There were comfortable wins for defending champion Amelie Mauresmo, Maria Sharapova and Venus Williams.
British pop group the Spice Girls are to reform for a world tour spreading their ”girl power” message — including a stop in Cape Town — but it will only be a one-off event. The 1990s all-female band will play 11 dates in cities on six continents in December this year and January next year.
New British Prime Minister Gordon Brown named a rising star and reported critic of the Iraq war, David Miliband, as Foreign Minister on Thursday in a wide-ranging government shake-up. The jobs given to other Brown allies underlined the priorities of his policy agenda.
South African Nobel peace prize laureate Desmond Tutu said on Wednesday Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe needed face-saving options for there to be a chance of him stepping aside. Tutu said the replacement of Tony Blair by Gordon Brown as prime minister of Britain, Zimbabwe’s former colonial ruler, could help the situation.
Andy Roddick and Serena Williams led a super-powered United States surge at Wimbledon on Wednesday as American players continued to salvage a reputation so badly damaged at the French Open. American men suffered their worst-ever performance on the Roland Garros clay, making the grass of the All England Club even more of a welcome sight this year.
Gordon Brown replaced Tony Blair as Britain’s Prime Minister on Wednesday and promised changes after a decade of Labour Party rule marred by a lack of trust in the government since the Iraq war. On an emotional day, Blair went to Buckingham Palace to tender his resignation to Queen Elizabeth.
Tony Blair prepared on Wednesday to hand the British premiership to Gordon Brown after 10 years in office, as speculation grew he was to become a Middle East envoy. The formal handover was scheduled to take place at Queen Elizabeth II’s official London residence at Buckingham Palace.
Former world number one Marat Safin defeated South African Rik de Voest in straight sets on Tuesday to book a place in the second round at Wimbledon. The Russian number 26 seed won 7-6 (7/5), 6-4, 7-5 in the first-round match on court 13 to secure a tie against Pakistan’s world number 279 Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi.
Hundreds of people were evacuated from their homes in northern England on Tuesday as officials warned a dam could collapse following severe flooding that has killed three people. A 68-year-old man and a teenager died in Sheffield and another man, in his 20s, was killed in Hull as torrential rain brought chaos to much of England and Wales.
Roger Federer, bidding for a fifth successive Wimbledon title, returned to a much-changed Centre Court left exposed to torrential rain and biting cold to ease into the second round on Monday. But while the top seed was making short work of Russian debutant Teimuraz Gabashvili, his Swiss compatriot, Martina Hingis, was given a huge scare.
Roger Federer, bidding for a fifth successive Wimbledon title, eased into the second round on Monday but Swiss compatriot Martina Hingis was given an almighty fright by a player ranked 233 in the world. Federer returned to a much-changed and uncovered Centre Court, which had been drenched in traditional, heavy Wimbledon rain.
Harry Potter star Daniel Radcliffe is a wizard when it comes to kissing, one of his co-stars revealed on Monday at a press conference in London to publicise the latest movie in the franchise. Speaking before Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix premieres in the city on July 3, Katie Leung, who plays classmate Cho Chang, said some of her friends were jealous.
India have been struck down by illness on the eve of their opening one-day international against South Africa at Stormont on Tuesday and have had to call up reinforcements for their tour of the United Kingdom. India opened their tour with a nine-wicket win in a one-day international against Ireland on Saturday.
Roger Federer will have Björn Borg’s record of five successive Wimbledon titles in his sights when he starts the defence of his All England Club crown in London on Monday. The world number one returns to the grass of centre court where he is the undoubted ruler.
American indie rock kings The Killers rounded off the second day of the Glastonbury festival with a storming one-and-a-half hour set that left the main stage audience cheering for more. ”Glastonbury, we are all yours!” front man Brandon Flowers in gold lamé shouted as the Las Vegas group lit up the art and music festival where heavy rain ensured the traditional mud bath.
Arsenal announced on Saturday they had reached an agreement with Barcelona for the transfer of France striker and club captain Thierry Henry. Barcelona vice-president Ferran Soriano said: ”We’re optimistic we’ll conclude the negotiations on Monday and we’ve told the player that too.”
Zimbabwe’s galloping inflation will force President Robert Mugabe from office before the end of the year, the United States ambassador to Harare said on Friday, predicting the rate could hurdle one million percent within months. In an interview, Christopher Dell said Mugabe’s government was effectively ”committing regime change on itself”.
Muslims angered by Britain’s decision to honour author Salman Rushdie with a knighthood were rallying in London on Friday, warning that anger over the award could match the fierce reaction to publication of cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad in Denmark last year.
Paul Collingwood was named on Friday as England’s new one-day captain and put in charge of a new-look squad for the upcoming series against the West Indies. The Durham all-rounder replaces Michael Vaughan, who has opted to concentrate on his role at the helm of the Test team.
Britain’s Damien Hirst has been crowned the world’s most expensive living artist at auction, lifting a title held for years by America’s Jasper Johns. It was the high point of a frenetic week of London art auctions that saw records tumbling like ninepins and which is likely to get close to -billion when it ends later on Friday.
Blackburn Rovers are the latest English Premiership side to come under the scrutiny of foreign ownership, press reports said on Friday. The Sun reported that South African billionaire Johann Rupert had teamed up with the owner of NFL team Miami Dolphins to piece together a potential bid for the Lancashire side.
Lewis Hamilton may be the hottest property in Formula One, but he was brought back down to earth with a bump on Thursday while taking a go-kart for a spin around a central London square. A video on the BBC News website showed the Briton racing a customised Mercedes-McLaren kart around a tight circuit, only to overcook a right-hand bend.
Some of London’s key landmarks and top hotels are to go dark for an hour on Thursday evening as the British capital does its bit for the fight against global warming and turns off its lights. The Houses of Parliament, luxury hotels like the Ritz, and key businesses will take part in the ”Lights Out” campaign.
Tens of thousands of people flocked to Glastonbury for the world’s biggest green-field arts and music festival on Thursday — and with rain falling and more forecast to come, mud lovers might not be disappointed. The festival is notorious for its torrential rain after three ”washout” years in 1997, 1998 and 2005.
British Prime Minister Tony Blair on Thursday received a standing ovation and ringing praise from his senior ministers as he chaired an emotional last Cabinet meeting before leaving office. Among the tributes paid was one from incoming premier Gordon Brown, who told Blair that his achievements in office had transformed the country.
Venus and Serena Williams are teaming up again. They will play doubles together for the first time since 2003 at Wimbledon, where this year’s play begins on Monday. ”They requested a wild card and they got it,” Venus Williams’s agent, Carlos Fleming, said by telephone on Wednesday.
Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal have been teed up to resume their rivalry in the Wimbledon final after being named as top seeds for this year’s men’s singles. Federer, who will begin his bid for a fifth straight title on centre court at the All England club on Monday, beat Nadal quite comfortably in last year’s final.