It's a girl for Salma Hayek and fiance

LOS ANGELES, California (AP) -- Salma Hayek has given birth to a baby girl, Valentina Paloma Pinault, her publicist announced Friday."Mother and child are doing well," publicist Cari Ross said in a statement. No other details were released.The Mexico-born actress, 41, is engaged to businessman Francois-Henri Pinault.Hayek has starred in films such as "Frida," "Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over" and "After

100,000 protest Myanmar junta

YANGON, Myanmar (AP) -- Some 100,000 anti-government protesters led by a phalanx of Buddhist monks marched Monday through Yangon, the largest crowd to demonstrate in Myanmar's biggest city since a 1988 pro-democracy uprising that was brutally crushed by the military.As the march headed toward the Defense Ministry's offices along a straight stretch of road, the back of the crowd could not be seen

2 die in Kosovo shopping mall blast

PRISTINA, Kosovo (AP) -- A powerful blast ripped through Kosovo's capital early Monday, killing two and injuring 10 others, officials said.The explosion happened around 2:30 a.m. in a shopping mall in the center of Pristina. It was not immediately clear what was the target of the attack.Police spokesman Veton Elshani said most of the victims were injured from a concrete block falling after the

Mime legend Marcel Marceau dies

PARIS, France (AP) -- Marcel Marceau, who revived the art of mime and brought poetry to silence, has died, his former assistant said Sunday. He was 84.Marceau died Saturday in Paris, French media reported. Former assistant Emmanuel Vacca announced the death on France-Info radio, but gave no details about the cause.Wearing white face paint, soft shoes and a battered hat topped with a red flower,

Choose your weapon: A new arms race in the Middle East

By Dean Irvine for CNNLONDON, England (CNN) -- Saber-rattling in the Middle East has been growing, with Israeli air strikes over Syria at the beginning of the month and France's Foreign Minister talking of war with Iran, but behind the scenes there are fears of a new arms race in the region.In a deal announced this week, Saudi Arabia has agreed to buy 72 Eurofighter Typhoon jets from Europe's

Iran: 'We are not building A-bomb'

NEW YORK (AP) -- Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Tehran is neither building a nuclear bomb nor headed to war with the United States in a television interview Monday.The public-relations push appears aimed at presenting his views directly to a U.S. audience amid rising strains and talk of war between the two nations.Ahmadinejad is to speak and answer questions at a forum at Columbia

50 Cent postpones European tour

US rapper 50 Cent has "temporarily postponed" his European tour, prompting questions over whether he has retired from making music.The star is currently poised to lose a chart battle with rival Kanye West. He vowed to quit if his album, Curtis, was outsold by West's Graduation.West topped the UK charts on Sunday, and he is expected to win the race to number one in the US later this week.A

Larry Craig toilet 'tourist site'

The Minneapolis airport toilet where US senator Larry Craig was arrested for allegedly soliciting gay sex is now attracting tourists, say airport staff."People are taking pictures," Karen Evans, an information officer at Minneapolis-St Paul international airport, told Associated Press.Mr Craig, a Republican from Idaho, pleaded guilty in August to disorderly conduct over the toilet incident.He now

Mourinho wants official's apology

Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho says he wants referee's assistant Peter Kirkup to apologise after the official disallowed a strike by Salomon Kalou.TV replays suggested the Ivorian was behind the line of the ball when he sidefooted home in the second half of Saturday's 0-0 draw with Blackburn."I can't understand it. If the linesman wants to explain, then maybe it would be a good thing," said Mourinho.

Shevchenko given Desailly backing

By Mandeep SangheraFormer Chelsea defender Marcel Desailly insists the club's misfiring striker Andriy Shevchenko will come good.Desailly says Chelsea must win the Champions League this season - and the France legend believes Shevchenko will be key to that ambition."Shevchenko is a top player and does not need to prove himself," Desailly told BBC Sport."For the moment, he is not performing. Let's

Usmanov ups his stake in Arsenal

Russian billionaire Alisher Usmanov has increased his stake in Arsenal to become the second largest shareholder at the Premier League club.Red and White Holdings Limited, which is co-owned by Usmanov and business partner Farhad Moshiri, now have a 21% of shares.More soon.

Shanghai braced for Typhoon Wipha

Some 200,000 people are being evacuated from Shanghai as a powerful typhoon barrels towards China's east coast.Residents from the city's exposed areas are being moved to temporary shelters before Typhoon Wipha is expected to make landfall on Tuesday evening.Tropical Storm Risk forecasters said Wipha would hit the mainland as a category four storm, packing gusts of up to 155 mph (250 km/h).On

Title of new 'Indiana Jones' revealed

NEW YORK (AP) -- The title of the new "Indiana Jones" movie, directed by Steven Spielberg and starring Harrison Ford, has been revealed."Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" will be in theaters May 22, 2008.The title of the long-awaited fourth installment of the adventure series was announced by Shia LaBeouf, who co-stars with Ford in the film, at the MTV Video Music Awards in Las

Ingrid fades to depression as damage from Humberto assessed

(CNN) -- Tropical Storm Ingrid faded to a tropical depression Saturday, done in by "hostile winds aloft," according to the National Hurricane Center.At 5 p.m. ET, Ingrid's maximum sustained winds remained at 35 mph (55 kph).The system's center was about 425 miles (685 kilometers) east of the Lesser Antilles, headed west at about 12 mph (19 kph), according to the hurricane center.Forecasters said

Iran anger over French war warning

TEHRAN, Iran (CNN) -- Iran's foreign ministry criticized France on Monday for a blunt warning over the weekend that Europe must prepare for war if Tehran continues to flout international demands to stop producing nuclear fuel."We hope that such statements are superficial and do not reflect France's realistic and strategic points of view," Foreign Ministry spokesman Mohammad-Ali Hosseini said

Bush outlines gradual troop reduction

In speech, president says Iraq still needs ‘enduring relationship’ with U.S.Sept. 13, 2007WASHINGTON - President Bush, defending an unpopular war, ordered gradual reductions in U.S. forces in Iraq on Thursday night and said, “The more successful we are, the more American troops can return home.”Yet, Bush firmly rejected calls to end the war, insisting that Iraq will still need military, economic

White House says Iraq leaders fail to meet goals

Administration plays down the negative side of the latest status reportSept. 15, 2007A day after President George W. Bush cited enough progress in Iraq to justify U.S. troop reductions, the White House told Congress on Friday that Iraqi leaders had failed to meet half of their key goals.The administration's acknowledgment of shortfalls in the Iraqi government's performance underscored the

Denmark scores 2 goals on set plays to shut out New Zealand

By ANITA CHANGAssociated Press SportsSept. 15, 2007WUHAN, China (AP) -Set plays have kept the Danish team in contention at the World Cup.Katrine Pedersen and Cathrine Paaske Sorensen scored off free kicks to lead Denmark to a 2-0 win over New Zealand on Saturday in a match between two teams that were at the bottom half of Group D.The victory improved Denmark's chance of reaching the quarterfinals

Canada strolls past Ghana 4-0 to revive quarterfinal push

By CHRIS LINESAssociated Press SportsSept. 15, 2007HANGZHOU, China (AP) -Canada improved its chances for a quarterfinal berth by eliminating Ghana from the Women's World Cup with a 4-0 win Saturday, and captain Christine Sinclair broke her nation's World Cup scoring record.Sophie Schmidt and Martina Franko also scored for Canada, while veteran Andrea Neil came on as a late substitute to become

Brazil blazes to another World Cup win

Marta’s 2 goals highlight 4-0 victory vs. China country aimed toward semisSept. 15, 2007WUHAN, China - There’s fast. And then there’s Marta.The FIFA player of the year shimmied a loose ball past a diving goalkeeper and whipped another shot behind two defenders to lead Brazil to a 4-0 win over host China on Saturday in the Women’s World Cup.Brazil established itself as the overwhelming favorite to

Babyface isn’t afraid to get personal

Singer talks about his recent divorce, and stays humble about his musicBy Miki TurnerEntertainment writerSept. 13, 2007Kenny "Babyface" Edmonds's new album, "Playlist," features eight cover tunes and two new songs, including an homage to the men and women fighting in Iraq.HOLLYWOOD - The moment Kenny “Babyface” Edmonds steps out of his shiny silver Range Rover and strolls into his new studio in

Daniel Radcliffe: A down-to-earth megastar

He took on the role of off-screen big brother to his ‘December Boys’ co-starsBy Miki TurnerEntertainment writerSept. 12, 2007Daniel Radcliffe still has two more "Harry Potter" films to go, but is looking to stretch as an actor in films like his new "December Boys."LOS ANGELES - The elevators at the Four Seasons Hotel can be excruciatingly slow at times, but it’s often well worth the wait because

As career sags, Demi Moore battles ageism

Plus: More controversy on ‘The View’; the unfunny Steve CarellSept. 14, 2007While her 29-year-old husband, Ashton Kutcher, clearly has no problem with Demi Moore’s over-40 status, the same can’t be said of Hollywood. With only handful of film roles since her big 2003 comeback in “Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle,” Demi recently voiced her concerns about her sagging career, and one publication

J.Lo, Beyonce, Gwen Stefani are tops in style

People's dapper men: David Beckham, Terrence Howard, Johnny DeppSept. 12, 2007NEW YORK - Beyonce Knowles, Jennifer Lopez and Gwen Stefani are among the stylish stars on People magazine’s list of best-dressed women of 2007.Katie Holmes, Penelope Cruz, Jessica Biel, Cameron Diaz, Drew Barrymore, Reese Witherspoon and Ali Larter are other sharp dressers singled out in the magazine’s “Best & Worst

Bomb or bum rap for Britney? Readers respond

MSNBCSome are angry at Sarah Silverman, others at media for fat jokesBritney Spears has been roundly criticized for her leadoff performance at the MTV Video Music Awards Sunday night.The Associated Press wrote "She lazily walked through her dance moves with little enthusiasm. It appeared she had forgotten the entire art of lip-synching; and, perhaps most unforgivable given her once taut frame,

We expected Britney to maintain a sad ideal

It was never about the music — Spears’ career built up on sex appealCommentaryBy Mary Beth EllisIn the past 24 hours, I have experienced something I never thought I would: A range of emotions concerning Britney Spears.I passed the bathroom mirror on my way to the shower this morning and noticed that my body shape was waaaaaaaay closer to Spears’ 2007 MTV Video Music Awards Edition than it was

Mindy McCready sentenced to one year in jail

Country singer violated probation by being invovled in a domestic disputeSept. 14, 2007FRANKLIN, Tenn. - Mindy McCready was sentenced Friday to a year in prison on a probation violation after being charged in a domestic dispute in Florida.The 31-year-old country singer has been in jail since July, when she returned to Nashville after being accused of scratching her mother in a scuffle and

Fred Durst pleads no contest in assault case

Limp Bizkit singer accused of deliberately hitting two people with carSept. 14, 2007LOS ANGELES - Fred Durst pleaded no contest to seven misdemeanors, including assault, battery and reckless driving, for deliberately hitting two people with his car.William Fred Durst, 37, entered the pleas Aug. 16 and was handed a suspended 120-day jail sentence, ordered to perform 20 hours of community service

Shakira rests hips to study at UCLA

Colombian pop star takes month-long course on ancient Western historySept. 14, 2007LOS ANGELES - Shakira may get high grades in singing and swiveling her hips, but what about ancient Western history?For the past month, the Colombian pop star has been taking a class at the University of California, Los Angeles, called "Introduction to Western Civilization: Ancient Civilizations from Prehistory to

Emre says sorry for gestures at Turkish press box

By Gordon TynanPublished: 15 September 2007The Newcastle United midfielder Emre has issued a public apology after his furious tirade at the Turkish media. The 27-year-old made hand gestures and shouted towards the press box after his country's first goal in their 3-0 Euro 2008 qualifier victory over Hungary in Istanbul on Wednesday evening.Reports from Turkey suggest he had been angered by

Getting "Brave" with Jodie Foster

By Moira MacdonaldSeattle Times movie criticTORONTO — Jodie Foster, blue eyes wide, is excitedly talking about books.Movie-star interviews can be surreal encounters: a carefully measured 20 minutes alone in the company of someone who seems utterly familiar and yet a stranger. Everyone always asks me what these encounters are like, and their eyes fall when I say that usually, they're like little

Syria linked to 'secret supplies' of nuclear equipment

NICOLE WINFIELD IN ROMESYRIA may have had contacts with "secret suppliers" to obtain nuclear equipment, and officials from North Korea have visited the country, a senior US nuclear official said yesterday.Andrew Semmel, the acting deputy assistant secretary of state for nuclear nonproliferation policy, did not name the suppliers, but said he could not exclude that the network run by disgraced

More Quakes Rock Indonesia; Foreshadow 'The Big One'

By Eric YoungFri, Sep. 14 2007Indonesia has been hit by more than 40 aftershocks since a massive 8.4-magnitude earthquake shook Southeast Asia Wednesday, and seismologists warned that the worst may be yet to come.A local girl pauses at her house destroyed by earthquake in Bengkulu" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5110327059740615282" />A local girl pauses at her house destroyed by earthquake in Bengkulu,

Keane demands winning tribute

By Damian SpellmanPublished: 15 September 2007Roy Keane is backing the spirit of 1973 to help Sunderland turn around their Premier League campaign today.Memories of what was one of the greatest days in the club's history will echo around the Stadium of Light ahead of the visit of Reading and Wearside will rise to pay its respects to its FA Cup final hero, Ian Porterfield.Porterfield, the man

Benitez warns Torres that goals may get harder

By Simon StonePublished: 15 September 2007Rafael Benitez has warned Liverpool's club record signing Fernando Torres that life in the Premier League will not always be as easy as this.Torres has made a flying start to life in England, netting three times in four league games for the Reds so far, including a double in the six-goal hammering of Derby which swept Liverpool to the top of the table

McLaren 'minutes' from being thrown out of Formula One

By David Tremayne, Motor Racing CorrespondentPublished: 15 September 2007The Ferrari "spying" scandal almost led to Lewis Hamilton's dream of winning the world championship in his debut season coming to nothing.As the FIA, motor sport's world governing body, yesterday revealed in a 14-page document how Hamilton's team - McLaren - had come to be fined a staggering £49.2m and stripped of all their

James Lawton: How can the McLaren drivers be totally innocent while their team is so guilty?

Published: 15 September 2007It is not often you see a whole and hugely financed sport turn bad before your eyes, when so many levels of doubt and scepticism recede before the irrefutable, and irretrievable, fact that at its highest level it has become rotten to its core.Is this an extreme view of the crisis of Formula One – and the myth that this nation will have anything of truth and substance

Alonso leads out Hamilton in display of defiance from team

By David TremaynePublished: 15 September 2007After Ferrari headed the practice times for the Belgium Grand Prix yesterday morning, the beleaguered McLaren team turned the tables in the afternoon to set the quickest times of the day. Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton were separated by only 0.111sec, as Ferrari's Felipe Massa and Kimi Raikkonen gave chase.Alonso lapped in 1min 46.654sec, a time

Motorcycling: Rossi roars back to threaten Stoner's early celebrations

By Gary JamesPublished: 15 September 2007Valentino Rossi yesterday gave a warning in practice for the Portuguese round at Estoril that he may yet delay Casey Stoner's ambitions to wrap up the MotoGP world championship.Plagued by a lack of power and inconsistent grip from his Michelin tyres for much of the season, Rossi nevertheless blazed his Fiat Yamaha into third place in practice, only

McLaren punished heavily but Hamilton keeps his title points

By David TremaynePublished: 14 September 2007McLaren have been fined an unprecedented $100m (£49.2m) and stripped of all their points in the 2007 World Championship for constructors, following yesterday's meeting of the FIA World Motor Sport Council in Paris.They will not be eligible to score any further points this season, but the team's drivers, Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso, currently

Takeover may be Rock's only hope

By Sean Farrell, Financial EditorPublished: 15 September 2007Northern Rock, the once-booming mortgage bank, has a choice between stagnating or being taken over – if anyone will buy it just as the housing market slows down.Adam Applegarth, the bank's chief executive, yesterday accepted that Northern Rock's days of rapid growth were over after it was forced to ask the Bank of England for emergency

I'm going to cash my cheque in and put my savings elsewhere

By Mark HaweyPublished: 15 September 2007The sign in the window of Northern Rock in Golders Green, north London, read: "Come in, let's talk". But yesterday customers wanted to do far more than that; they wanted to empty their savings accounts.Across the country queues of worried customers formed outside Northern Rock branches in response to news that the bank, the UK's fifth largest mortgage

FTSE 100 tumbles but outlook for share prices remains uncertain

By James DaleyPublished: 15 September 2007UK stock markets predictably nose-dived as news of the emergency bail-out sent jitters across the City. As well as banks' shares falling by as much as 32 per cent, shares in some other financial services institutions took a hammering, as investors contemplated the worst case endgame for the credit crunch.However, although fund managers conceded the

Ronit Zilkha, Cherie's designer of choice, sees her business go bust

By Martin Hickman, Consumer Affairs CorrespondentPublished: 15 September 2007Ronit Zilkha counted Cherie Blair, Cate Blanchett and Julia Roberts among her clients and her boutiques graced some of London's smartest postcodes. But the business that appeared to be booming yesterday fell off the catwalk.Her chain was placed in the hands of the administrators as debts ran into millions of pounds. Ms

Housing-related stocks take a pounding amid correction fears

By Andrew DewsonPublished: 15 September 2007Market panic over the emergency funding for Northern Rock claimed more victims as approximately £5.9bn was wiped off the share value of the UK house building, estate agency and banking sectors, not including the £846m decline in the value of Northern Rock itself.The losses stemming from Northern Rock's woes were magnified by a leaked report from online

Greenspan admits he was slow to pick up on sub-prime dangers

By David Usborne in New YorkPublished: 15 September 2007It is not quite a mea culpa, but Alan Greenspan is now admitting that he was aware that the successive interest cuts under his stewardship of the Federal Reserve were encouraging an explosion in sub-prime lending but that he was slow in realising the dangers that the trend carried for the economy.He makes the confession in an interview with

Credit crisis: Speedy resolution could leave UK unscathed

By James DaleyPublished: 15 September 2007Although Northern Rock's bail-out by the Bank of England has few direct repercussions for the British economy, the event sent out a warning that the credit crunch could last for longer than most had expected.The short-term effects of the credit crisis look to be minimal. However, a prolonged crunch could inflict serious damage on the financial services

King faces accusation that the Old Lady was asleep at the wheel

By Sean O'Grady, Economics EditorPublished: 15 September 2007Was the Bank of England asleep at the wheel?Recently Jon Moulton, the chairman of Alchemy Partners, remarked to reporters that at a recent breakfast meeting with Bank of England officials "none of them knew what a 'CLO' actually was". It's a collateralised loan obligation, in case you were wondering: a debt security – i.e. a financial

The fine distinction between lender of last resort and a bail-out

By David ProsserPublished: 15 September 2007At first sight, the Bank of England's decision to provide emergency funding to Northern Rock directly contradicted its Governor's warning on Wednesday that he would not authorise bail-outs of banks caught up in the sub-prime crisis. Yesterday, the Bank was at pains to explain there had been no change of policy.On Wednesday, the Bank said it would not

US retail sales fall adds to pressure for rates cut

By David Prosser, Deputy Business EditorPublished: 15 September 2007The latest US retail sales data added to the pressure on Federal Reserve chairman, Ben Bernanke, to cut interest rates yesterday, providing further evidence of a slowdown in the American economy.The US Commerce Department said retail sales rose by just 0.3 per cent during August, down from 0.5 per cent in July. The figure was

Barclays rules out disposals to sweeten ABN bid

By Sean Farrell, Financial EditorPublished: 15 September 2007Barclays yesterday ruled out selling parts of ABN Amro to sweeten its offer for the Dutch bank, which lags behind a rival bid by Royal Bank of Scotland.John Varley, Barclays' chief executive, added that the falling value of his bank's share-based bid reflected ABN's true value in turbulent markets, unlike the largely cash offer from the

AB Foods buys 20 per cent stake in Jordans

By Karen AttwoodPublished: 15 September 2007Associated British Foods, which owns the Primark retail chain and food brands from Twinings to Kingsmill, has snapped up a 20 per cent stake in Jordans cereal company for an estimated £15m.The family-owned company has its roots dating back to 1855, when the Jordans were farmers and then later millers in Biggleswade in Bedfordshire. Brothers Bill and

Segro shakes up management team

By Karen AttwoodPublished: 15 September 2007The industrial park developer Segro unveiled a shake-up ofits management structureyesterday.The office parks owner, formerly known as Slough Estates, is to halve the number of its UK units to three. They will consist of its flagship park – the £1.4bn Slough Trading Estate – London and the regions.John Heawood, the current head of UK property, will leave

John Lewis turns rain into strong first-half results

By Karen AttwoodPublished: 14 September 2007John Lewis, the owner of 26 department stores and the Waitrose supermarket chain, has delivered a stellar half-year performance, bucking the overall trend on the high street, where retailers have been hit by the combination of dismal summer weather and fears of a consumer slowdown.However, its chairman, Charlie Mayfield, added his voice yesterday to a

Greenspan attempts to shore up legacy at Fed, but some blame him for credit crisis

By Stephen Foley in New YorkPublished: 14 September 2007Alan Greenspan is preparing to hit the publicity trail to promote his eagerly awaited memoirs, just as the feted former chairman's tenure at the US Federal Reserve is facing a revisionist onslaught. Economists and commentators blame him for the current turmoil in the credit markets – and for the ominous signs of an economic slowdown to

Northern Rock given emergency bail out by Bank

By Sean O'Grady, Economics EditorPublished: 14 September 2007Northern Rock became the first high profile British victim last night of the crisis that has swept credit markets, after admitting that it has received a financial bail out from the Bank of England.This is believed to be the first such rescue since the secondary banking crisis of the mid-Seventies. It is the largest banking debacle

Sports Direct lifts Umbro stake to 9 per cent

By Karen AttwoodPublished: 15 September 2007Mike Ashley's Sports Direct has built up a 9 per cent stake in Umbro, triggering speculation that the football kit maker could be heading for a takeover bid.Umbro told the Stock Exchange yesterday that Sports Direct, which owns Lillywhites and the Sports World chain, holds 13.2 million shares in the company, after it had built its stake up to 5 per cent

Customers scramble to withdraw savings from stricken bank

By Martin Hickman and Sean FarrellPublished: 15 September 2007Shockwaves were felt throughout the country yesterday as Northern Rock customers queued to withdraw their savings from the stricken bank after news of emergency funding from the Bank of England threatened to cause a crisis of confidence in British banking.There were frantic scenes at some of the bank's 70 branches nationwide as

James Lawton: Dein's devotion pales next to those men who saw value in football beyond price

01 September 2007There is no question David Dein did well for Arsenal, and may do so again in the future. Identifying the talent of Arsène Wenger, then protecting it fiercely while the Frenchman made successful, and beautiful, football was a brilliant contribution indeed.However, he is in danger of pushing beyond the threshold of credibility if he bangs on much longer about his divine mission to

Crystal Palace 0, Charlton Athletic 1: Pardew laments Addicks' fall into relative obscurity

By Conrad LeachPublished: 03 September 2007"You don't come and see me any more, you Premier League snob," said Alan Pardew in a tongue-in-cheek aside to a journalist after his side's win at Selhurst Park. It was meant in a jokey way, and taken as such, but there was truth in what he said.Now Charlton have dropped out of the top flight, they are less in the public eye. Press conferences are more

Watford 2, Ipswich Town 0: Saturday all right for Elton in Boothroyd's no-frills approach

By Evan FanningPublished: 03 September 2007It had been 16 months since Elton John last took in a game at Vicarage Road. The last occasion Watford's honorary life-president was in attendance his side were about to enter the play-offs, which ultimately saw them gain promotion to the Premier League, where they spent the majority of their stay stuck to the bottom of the table. He picked a good period

Stoke City 0, Wolves 0: Eastwood's optimism survives day of scarce opportunity

By Amar AzamPublished: 03 September 2007Asked if these two teams would be vying for a spot in the Premier League come next spring, the Wolves manager, Mick McCarthy, said: "Not if you have to score goals to go there."His comments were born of a desperate afternoon in which his team failed to unlock tough opponents who, like themselves, were in the top four at the start of the day and have

Coventry City 2, Preston North End 1: Dowie finds quality when shopping for bargains

By Khudael AshrafPublished: 03 September 2007After watching Coventry maintain their impressive start to the season with victory over Preston, their manager, Iain Dowie, allowed himself a pat on the back for taking decisive action in the transfer market early this summer.An American consortium was poised to take control of the club throughout the close season and, though Coventry's financial

Book of the week: You'll Win Nothing with Kids: Fathers, Sons and Football, By Jim White

Reviewed by Mike RowbottomPublished: 03 September 2007The sight of three grown men struggling in an upturned five-a-side goal might appear, on the face of it, ludicrous. But this occurrence, which disrupted preparations for a final in which a junior team coached by Jim White were about to play, had its own internal logic.You see, Jeff, whose son J J was a niggling, unsettling presence in the team

Thai court issues further arrest warrant for Thaksin

By Gordon TynanPublished: 04 September 2007The Manchester City owner, Thaksin Shinawatra, yesterday had a second set of arrest warrants issued against him in his native Thailand. The former Thai prime minister and his wife are the subject of a police inquiry into the couple's alleged violation of stock-trading laws.Last month saw the country's Supreme Court issue a first warrant after the pair

Footballers going cheap: Picking up the pieces of broken dreams

At the end of every season hundreds of players are discarded by their clubs to face an uncertain future. Glenn Moore reports on how the rejected cope with spending the summer waiting by the phonePublished: 05 September 2007Andrei Voronin, Mark Viduka, Steve Sidwell, Geovanni. It is amazing what you can pick up for nothing these days. Except, as every manager knows, these free transfers are not

Behind the Republican Revolt

By KAREN TUMULTY, MASSIMO CALABRESIFriday, Jan. 19, 2007Senator Chuck Hagel (R-NE) in the U.S. Capitol, January 16, 2007Jay L. Clendenin / Polaris for TIMEAs George Bush takes the lectern in the House chamber for his State of the Union address, he can finally claim that he is fulfilling the promise of his 2000 presidential campaign to be a uniter and not a divider. With his proposal to increase

Ferguson will never talk to the BBC again

By Nick HarrisPublished: 06 September 2007Sir Alex Ferguson has launched an astonishing attack on the BBC, saying that the national broadcaster is "arrogant beyond belief", has an "inability to apologise", and does not care about being sued "because they are so huge and have insurance." The Manchester United manager has also reiterated his stance that he will never speak to the corporation

Sunderland FA Cup hero Porterfield dies of cancer

By Damian SpellmanPublished: 12 September 2007The man whose goal produced one of the greatest FA Cup final shocks has died at the age of 61. Ian Porterfield, who fired Second Division Sunderland to victory over Leeds at Wembley Stadium in 1973, died at a hospice in Surrey last night.Porterfield was diagnosed with colon cancer earlier this year, but carried on with his duties as manager of

Beresford remains familiar matchday face on Tyneside

By John NisbetPublished: 13 September 2007John Beresford has been on a shopping spree since leaving professional football five years ago.Beresford, who made over 500 appearances with five clubs, now works for BBJ Northern Ltd, a Sheffield-based firm of shopfitters who make sure there is something special in store for customers nationwide."When I came out of football, I didn't really have any firm

Iraqi government has made no progress, US concludes

By Rupert Cornwell in WashingtonPublished: 15 September 2007The White House yesterday issued a new report admitting Baghdad had made almost no new progress in achieving stability and reconciliation between the country's feuding factions, just hours after President Bush argued on national television for a continuing massive US troop presence in Iraq.The report suggests that over the last two

A Bush Speech That Could Backfire

By MASSIMO CALABRESI / WASHINGTONThursday, Sep. 13, 2007U.S. President George W. Bush in the Oval Office following his television address to the nation, Sept. 13, 2007Aude Guerrucci / EPAPresident George W. Bush's decision to give a major speech on Iraq in prime time Thursday night made sense on one level. The news has been relatively positive for a change, what with the stabilization in Anbar

Sugars and Bacterial Growth Kill off Coral Reefs

By Pippa Wysong, Access ExcellenceSAN DIEGO (10/08/06) - Bacterial growth, stimulated by the presence of simple sugars in untreated sewage and agricultural runoff, can now be added to the list of things contributing to the demise of coral reefs.A study by researchers from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI) and San Diego State University

Wembley heroes to celebrate Porterfield

By Damian SpellmanPublished: 13 September 2007Sunderland's 1973 FA Cup heroes will turn out in force to celebrate the memory of their team-mate Ian Porterfield. Flags were flying at half-mast at the Stadium of Light yesterday following Porterfield's death on Tuesday night. The 61-year-old died at a Surrey hospice after a battle against colon cancer.The club has also announced plans to honour the