Outgoing British Prime Minister Tony Blair’s Labour party suffered major losses on Friday in local elections and risked losing control of Scotland, but averted the crushing defeat polls had predicted. Blair, due to make an announcement on his resignation next week, saw his ruling party face a fight to remain the largest party in the Scottish Parliament.
Almost two-thirds of consumers have used one of the growing band of financial price comparison websites, but what kind of service are they receiving? Around 64% of people have logged on to one of these internet supermarkets and a similar proportion are likely to do so in future, according to a survey.
Sevilla and Espanyol will play in an all-Spanish Uefa Cup final. Sevilla, the tournament’s defending champion, advanced on Thursday after beating Osasuna 2-0 in the second leg of the semifinals and 2-1 on aggregate. Espanyol reached the last game by beating Werder Bremen 2-1 and 5-1 on aggregate.
Prime Minister Tony Blair faced the final electoral test of his decade in power on Thursday, a vote that could set Scotland on course for a referendum on independence from Britain. Blair’s Labour Party is expected to suffer heavy losses in the elections to local councils, the Scottish Parliament and Welsh Assembly because of discontent over the Iraq war.
A pair of Cornish fisherman came back with a bigger catch than usual after hooking a live deer, which had apparently fallen into the sea, a report said on Wednesday. Chris Earl and Tony Allsopp were out in their boat to check lobster pots when they spotted the animal, complete with antlers ”and big worried eyes,” swimming through the waves.
Liverpool’s mastery in winning penalty-kick shoot-outs extends to even the guys who weren’t on the team two years ago. First-year Reds striker Dirk Kuyt converted the winner to give Liverpool a 4-1 shoot-out victory over Chelsea on Tuesday, sending Liverpool to the European Champions League final for the second time in three years.
BP chief executive John Browne resigned on Tuesday, hours after a judge lifted a legal injunction preventing a newspaper from publishing details of his private life and allegations that he misused company resources. The board named Tony Hayward, the head of exploration and production, as the new CEO effective immediately.
His name doesn’t appear on any ballots, but when Britain’s voters go to the polls on Thursday, Prime Minister Tony Blair will be facing the electorate for the last time. Many see the local elections as a final popular verdict on Blair’s premiership, which is expected to end in the coming weeks.
When ”Sweetgal”, a 29-year-old British Muslim from central England, began looking for a new husband last year, at first she didn’t know where to turn. The answer, it turned out, was on the internet. Over the past two years there has been a boom in the use of websites that introduce Muslim men and women who seek traditional marriage.
Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho has virtually conceded the English Premier League title. Now his attention turns back to winning the Champions League. Chelsea have a 1-0 lead going into the second leg of the semifinals at Liverpool on Tuesday, thanks to Joe Cole’s goal at Stamford Bridge last Wednesday.
A judge handed down life jail terms on Monday to five men convicted of plotting an al-Qaeda bombing campaign in Britain, including one with links to the ringleader of the 2005 attacks in London. Judge Michael Astill said the men were intent on causing ”indiscriminate death and suffering” as he sentenced them at London’s Central Criminal Court.
Five Britons were found guilty on Monday of plotting to carry out al-Qaeda-inspired bomb attacks across Britain, potentially killing hundreds at targets ranging from nightclubs to trains and a shopping centre. The gang planned to use 600kg of ammonium nitrate fertiliser to make explosives to be used in the bombings.
Several other countries are capable of hosting the 2010 World Cup if South Africa isn’t ready, Fifa president Sepp Blatter says. The United States, England, Japan, Spain, Mexico and Australia would all be ready to step in, Blatter told the BBC’s Inside Sport programme to be broadcast on Monday night.
Pakistan cricket coach Bob Woolmer, who was murdered in Jamaica during the World Cup more than a month ago, was poisoned before being strangled, a BBC documentary was to say on Monday. Woolmer was found dead on March 18, a day after Pakistan were eliminated from the World Cup following a shock defeat by Ireland.
Fulham conceded two goals in four minutes on Sunday to lose 3-1 at Arsenal and stay just one point out of the relegation zone in the Premier League. Julio Baptista put the Gunners ahead in the fourth minute after heading in a cross from Emmanuel Adebayor at the Emirates Stadium.
"Slow motion" marathon runner Greg Billingham finished the London Marathon on Sunday — one week after the event itself started. Billingham (39) decided to "run" the event at an ultra-slow pace of 4,8km every ten hours, to raise money for the charity, Children with Leukaemia, because people who become ill often find their lives slow down.
Manchester United moved five points clear in the English Premier League title race by scoring four straight goals to beat Everton 4-2 on Saturday as Chelsea drew 2-2 with Bolton. Other results on Saturday included: Blackburn 4, Charlton 1; Aston Villa 2, Manchester City 0; and Tottenham 3, Middlesbrough 2.
A moderate earthquake rattled parts of south-east England on Saturday morning. There were reports of structural damage but no immediate reports of injuries. Data from the United States Geological Survey said the 4,7-magnitude quake struck at 8.18am local time, about 100km south-east of London.
Sir Alex Ferguson on Friday launched a stinging attack on Jose Mourinho in the wake of the Chelsea manager’s claims that Manchester United are being favoured by referees during the Premiership title run-in. United manager Ferguson has accused Mourinho of pursuing a calculated strategy to increase pressure on match officials.
West Ham’s Premiership survival hopes were given a massive boost on Friday when the east London club escaped a points deduction over the controversial signings of Carlos Tevez and Javier Mascherano. The Hammers were hit with a massive fine of £5,5-million for breaching Premiership regulations governing transfers.
England will take a depleted squad on its tour of South Africa next month after head coach Brian Ashton decided to leave out players involved in European club competitions. Players from Leicester, Wasps and Bath will not be in the squad to play South Africa on May 26 in Bloemfontein and June 2 in Pretoria, Ashton said on Thursday. The 32-man tour squad is named on Tuesday.
British Prime Minister Tony Blair will celebrate 10 years in power next week, a landmark clouded by growing questions over his legacy as he prepares finally to stand down. The Iraq war and a "cash-for-honours" corruption probe over party funding both threaten to tarnish his image and overshadow Britain’s booming economic success of the last decade.
Hugh Grant has been arrested and questioned by police after a photographer accused the British actor of attacking him with a tub of baked beans. Photographer Ian Whittaker told the Daily Star tabloid that he and Grant (46) clashed near the home of the Four Weddings and a Funeral star.
Britain’s military denied newspaper reports on Thursday that it was banning Prince Harry from serving in combat in Iraq, but acknowledged his deployment was under review. Harry, third in line to the throne, is due to head to Iraq with his ”A” Squadron of the Blues and Royals regiment in the coming weeks.
Joe Cole scored the only goal on Wednesday to give Chelsea a 1-0 win over Liverpool in the first leg of the Champions League semifinals. He knocked in a cross from Didier Drogba in the 29th minute. The goal was Chelsea’s first against Liverpool in the Champions League.
British firefighters said on Wednesday they had come to a boy’s rescue after he got a toilet seat stuck on his head, which he couldn’t get off. The toddler, aged two-and-a-half, and his mother walked into a fire station in Braintree, Essex, on Tuesday saying the boy had put his head through a small trainer seat for the toilet and now could not remove it.
Alan Ball, one of England’s 1966 World Cup winners, has died of a heart attack at the age of 61, United Kingdom media reported on Wednesday. The former Everton, Arsenal and Southampton midfielder won 72 caps for his country, scoring eight goals, before moving into management.
A trio of banks led by the Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) has proposed a €72-billion (-billion) bid for ABN Amro, threatening to thwart an agreed takeover of the Dutch bank by Britain’s Barclays. The RBS group, which also includes Spain’s Santander and Dutch-Belgian bank Fortis, said on Wednesday it planned to offer €39 a share for ABN Amro.
Wayne Rooney brilliantly trumped AC Milan’s Brazilian star Kaka to fire Manchester United to an exhilarating 3-2 victory in the first leg of their Champions League semifinal on Tuesday. Just as it seemed that Kaka’s first-half double would be enough to earn Milan a draw, Rooney raced on to a through ball from Ryan Giggs and hammered a low drive into the net.
A British rail operator who asked a group of high-profile musicians to pay more than £100 for a ”seat” for their cellos has apologised for any inconvenience caused, but insisted it cannot carry bulky items for free. ”When the ticket inspector saw the cellos, he got very angry,” said Tobias van der Pals, a student at London’s Royal Academy of Music.
The differences between Roman Abramovich and Jose Mourinho appear to have been patched up for the moment. An impromptu hug at the end of the FA Cup semifinal win over Blackburn hinted that the troubled relationship between Russian owner and Portuguese manager was on the mend.
AC Milan have beaten Manchester United on the three occasions they have met in the European Cup. The Red Devils’ injury crisis means it won’t be easy to reverse that trend on Tuesday. United manager Alex Ferguson is without eight players — including three first-choice defenders — for the first leg of the Champions League semifinals at Old Trafford.