United Kingdom

The ”scandal” of poverty and Aids must be resolved by the international community, British Finance Minister Gordon Brown wrote in a special edition of the Independent, dedicated to World Aids Day, on Friday. Brown said that while the ”potential and promise of developing countries like those of the African continent is enormous … there are many challenges ahead, none more so than the impact of Aids”.

Professor Stephen Hawking, the eminent British scientist and author of A Brief History of Time, has warned that mankind will need to leave planet Earth to ensure the long-term survival of the human race. Hawking (64) was speaking in London on Thursday ahead of the presentation of a major science award, the Royal Society’s Copley Medal.

Britain said on Thursday it was monitoring five planes for radiation and pledged to contact every country they had visited in a widening investigation into the poisoning of a former Russian spy. Home Secretary John Reid told Parliament radioactive traces had been found at 12 of 24 locations being investigated and promised there would be no political barriers to the probe.

Dozens of British schools are using creationist instruction packs that teach intelligent design in science classes, the Guardian reported on Monday. The pack, which includes two DVDs and a manual, were sent to every secondary school in Britain on September 18 by a group called Truth in Science.

The Springbok rugby team’s management and players have strongly condemned the behaviour of some people who displayed the old South African flag during the two clashes against England at Twickenham over the past two weeks. Among the thousands of fans at Twickenham on Sunday, at least four were carrying old South African flags.

Emerging with a shock of white fur, a cat stunned cargo workers in the United Kingdom as it jumped out of a goods container after a 17-day sea voyage from Israel to Britain, a journey of more than 3 200km, an animal charity said on Friday. The cat fled from staff when the container was opened, hiding for more than five hours.

Lewis Hamilton, a 21-year-old Briton, will become Formula One’s first black driver when he joins world champion Fernando Alonso at McLaren next season. Hamilton, regarded as one of the most talented drivers of his generation, joins the British stable after winning this year’s GP2 series.

The pressure on Springbok coach Jake White intensified on Thursday after it was announced he will be making a 48-hour round-the-world trip to attend a meeting of South African Rugby’s president’s council in Cape Town on November 29. He will then rejoin the squad for the final match of their tour of Ireland and England.

Springbok prop Cobus Visagie has been named in both squads for next week’s match between South Africa and a World XV. Visagie, who plays for Saracens in the English Premiership, had been overlooked by South Africa coach Jake White for his team’s European tour, but the coach said he had been added to the squad for the December 3 game against the invitational side in Leicester.

South Africa coach Jake White on Wednesday included uncapped flanker Kabamba Floors in his team to play England at Twickenham on Saturday. The Springboks are seeking to avoid an eighth successive defeat by England after last Saturday’s 23-21 first-Test loss but White’s selection was limited by a number of injuries.

British Prime Minister Tony Blair warned on Wednesday that Sudan will face ”tougher measures” if it fails to act on an agreement calling for a United Nations-African peacekeeping force for war-torn Darfur. ”The only solution is to make sure that the agreement … is implemented,” Blair told the House of Commons during his weekly question-and-answer session.

A former Russian spy fighting for his life in a British hospital may have been given poison laced with a radioactive substance to render it more lethal, the toxicologist treating him said on Tuesday. Russia has dismissed as ”nonsense” claims its agents poisoned former spy Alexander Litvinenko (41), a persistent critic of President Vladimir Putin.

English Premiership club West Ham United announced on Tuesday that it has accepted a takeover bid from an Icelandic group, which values the team at £85-million. WH Holding Limited, controlled by Eggert Magnusson, president of the Football Association of Iceland, and investor Bjorgolfur Gudmundsson, offered 421 pence per share for the east London club.

Fans rushed on Monday to buy the first ”new” Beatles album for a generation — a radical remixing of some of the group’s most famous songs, more than 35 years after the break-up of the iconic band. Love, which has the backing of Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr, comprises 26 of the Fab Four’s hit songs.

Butch James, Jacques Cronje and Pierre Spies will all miss the second of South Africa’s two Tests against England this coming weekend after sustaining knee injuries during the side’s 23-21 defeat by the world champions at Twickenham on Saturday, a team statement said.