Rafael nadal pays tribute to andy murray
Rafael Nadal could be forgiven for quietly sloping off home to Spain following his semi-final defeat to Andy Murray in the US Open last night. But far from crying into his coffee, the world No 1, who was aiming to add to his French, Wimbledon and Olympic titles in Flushing Meadows, took the time to congratulate the Scot on his stunning performance.
John mccain overtakes barack obama in opinion polls
John McCain was today basking in strongly improved opinion poll ratings after his running mate Sarah Palin wowed the Republican National Convention last week.
Madonna dedicates like a virgin to pope ... then goes to pray at rome church
Madonna visited a pilgrim church in Rome for more than an hour after provocatively dedicating her hit song Like a Virgin to Pope Benedict XVI during a concert in the Italian capital at the weekend, it was reported today.
Flood clean-up begins but more rain is on the way
Forty-five flood warnings remain in place this morning and more rain is forecast after a weekend of devastating floods in England and Wales that killed eight people.
Millions to gain from tax rebate
MILLIONS of people will get a welcome boost to their pay packets this month following a government u-turn.
Lenders rake in millions in fees
BIG-NAME mortgage lenders have been accused of employing underhand moves to boost their profit margins – raising their loan fees by as much as three times the level they were a year ago.
LATEST: NEWCASTLE assistant Terry McDermott has left the crisis-hit club
Noel gallagher attacked on stage in toronto
See Oasis man pushed by thug
Footballer in court over crash
PROFESSIONAL footballer due in court accused of causing deaths of two boys
ASHLEE Simpson and Pete Wentz are having twins according to a pal of the couple
KEIRA Knightley looks painfully thin in strapless dress at the Toronto Film Festival
Manchester City skipper Richard Dunne admits he has been shocked by the recent events at the club.
England coach Fabio Capello is checking on the fitness of defender Rio Ferdinand.
George Burley has added Steven Fletcher to his squad ahead of the World Cup qualifier with Iceland.
Paul Parry has announced his retirement from international football with immediate effect.
Stuttgart striker Mario Gomez has confirmed the club rejected a bid from Manchester City on deadline day.
Raymond Domenech is refusing to allow the mounting pressure he finds himself under affect his job.
Coventry chairman Ray Ranson has dismissed reports that Michael Mifsud is set to be sent out on loan.
Watford have been dealt an injury blow with the news that Mat Sadler is set to be absent for up to a month.
Hull KR have handed a new contract to Makali Aizue but have released Jon Steel, Kirk Netherton and Luke Menzies.
Lakeside have failed with an audacious attempt to lure Grand Prix star Rune Holta to British speedway.
Tuesday¿s racing at Beverley and Lingfield will go ahead after conditions improved, but Warwick¿ will inspect on Tuesday.
John Gosden will not be able to defend the St Leger victory he won last year as his charge Centennial will not be supplemented.
James Evans will leave Bradford Bulls at the end of the season.
Following their 21-13 win against Worcester, Saints director of rugby Jim Mallinder has called on supporters to be patient.
Richard Hibbard has signed a new four-year contract with the Ospreys, keeping him at the Liberty Stadium until 2012.
Paul Parry has dramatically quit the Wales squad ahead of the team’s World Cup qualifier clash with Russia in Moscow on Wednesday.
Football: newcastle name chris hughton as caretaker boss after terry mcdermott quits
Newcastle assistant boss Terry McDermott and reserve team coach Adam Sadler have followed their friend and former manager Kevin Keegan out of the club.
Celebs news: video: see oasis star noel gallagher attacked onstage in canada last night
Oasis star Noel Gallagher was lucky to be severely injured when he was pushed off stage by a crazed fan in Canada last night.
Nanny to the stars jailed for three years for injuring a 10-month-old baby
A nanny to the stars who injured a baby was jailed for three years today.
Ex-plymouth goalkeeper luke mccormick in court over motorway death charges
Former Plymouth goalkeeper Luke McCormick is to appear in court today accused of causing the deaths of two young Manchester boys by dangerous driving.
China and japan hail u.s. mortgage rescue as doubts linger
TOKYO/LONDON (Reuters) - China and Japan, the biggest buyers of Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae bonds, on Monday praised Washington for rescuing the ailing mortgage giants, but investors said the bailout had not ended global credit market misery.
Hurricane Ike weakened into a Category 2 storm on Monday after roaring ashore in northeastern Cuba, but forecasters say it could regain intensity as it spins toward the U.S. oil hub in the Gulf of Mexico and possibly New Orleans.
Majority in britain want tougher immigration policy
The majority of people living in Britain, from all political and ethnic backgrounds, think too many people are settling in the country and favour tougher immigration policies, a poll showed on Monday.
Flood fears ease after six killed in storms
More rain will sweep across the country early this week, although the risk of flooding is much lower than over the weekend when storms killed at least six people and forced hundreds from their homes, authorities said.
Hurricane Ike weakened into a Category 2 storm on Monday after roaring ashore in northeastern Cuba as a dangerous Category 3 hurricane, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said.
Robert De Niro has walked out of the movie he was due to star in with Mel Gibson.
Drunk russian athlete hits the bar
Russian athlete Ivan Ukhov is for the high jump after taking part in a major meet while boozed up on Red Bull and vodka.
Music review: After the demise of his cult shoegazing outfit Slowdive, Neil Halstead turned his attention to sweet alt-country pop twangs.
Emiliana torrini delivers spooky icelandic pop
Music review: Icelandic chanteuse Emiliana Torrini again teams up with producer Dan Carey for this new collection of dainty, autumnal pop.
Music review: The benchmark for boy bands was defined by New Kids On The Block - but their return after 14 years feels too calculated.
Tm juke and the jack baker trio mess about
DJ/producer/musician TM Juke and Jack Baker (sole member of the Jack Baker Trio) originally planned to make an album of covers, all worked over in a batucada/samba style.
Neil halstead: oh! mighty engine
After the demise of his cult shoegazing outfit Slowdive, Neil Halstead turned his attention to sweet alt-country pop twangs.
Emiliana torrini: me and armini
Icelandic chanteuse Emiliana Torrini again teams up with producer Dan Carey for this new collection of dainty, autumnal pop.
New kids on the block: the block
The benchmark for boy bands was defined by New Kids On The Block - but their return after 14 years feels too calculated.
Tm juke and the jack baker trio: boto and the second liners
DJ/producer/musician TM Juke and Jack Baker (sole member of the Jack Baker Trio) originally planned to make an album of covers, all worked over in a batucada/samba style.
Terraces with a twist for glasvegas
Music review: The depressing notion of terrace indie - ie lowest common denominator singalong guitar rock for the beer-swilling footy fan - is thrillingly destroyed by Glasgow quartet Glasvegas.
Nanny to the stars jailed for three years
A nanny to the stars who injured a baby was jailed for three years today. German-born Jasmin Schmidt, 34, showed no emotion as the judge told her she should be ashamed.
Horoscopes are true, claim scientists
Think reading your stars is a load of rubbish? Not according to boffins who say they are linked to good health.
Britain can do well in new world, says brown
Gordon Brown insisted today that Britain could do "well indeed" out of the present challenges facing the country.
The FTSE 100 was stuck at 5440.2, up 199.5 points, and the FTSE 250 was stuck at 9327, up 360.2 points, at 11.35am this morning – stuck because the London Stock Exchange suspended connections after traders reported problems with its trading platform.
Fair public sector pay rises are affordable, say barber
The leader of the TUC today delivered a blunt message to the Government on public sector wages, saying decent rises for millions of workers could be afforded.
Newcastle assistant boss Terry McDermott and reserve team coach Adam Sadler have left the club.
Share trading frozen by technical glitch
Trading on the London Stock Exchange ground to a halt today after a technical glitch froze the market.
Broadband for every home could cost £30bn
Installing high speed broadband in every home in the UK could cost almost £30bn, an industry report said today.
New £150m strategy to boost manufacturing
The Government today unveiled a new strategy for manufacturing, bringing together £150m of support for companies.
Red kite reintroduced after 200 years and killed within weeks
An endangered bird of prey reintroduced to Northern Ireland after a 200-year absence has been found shot dead, it emerged yesterday.
Nationwide to merge with two smaller societies
Mortgage lender Nationwide today announced mergers with smaller mutuals the Derbyshire and Cheshire building societies.
today in politics: tories dilute green tax pledge
A further sign today that the Conservative Party may water down its commitment to bring in green taxes. I have been banging on about this for a while, but the Tory leadership has always denied that David Cameron is cooling on the idea.
A row of clothes, including a delicate pink silk blouse and a black cocktail dress, hang artfully from a length of rope in the Whistles showroom, like the prettiest of washing lines. It might not be a Paris catwalk, but these pieces are some of the most eagerly awaited of the season. This is the first Whistles collection to be overseen by its new chief executive and stakeholder, Jane Shepherdson, the celebrated former brand director of Topshop.
Dogs with a nose for pirate dvds take the lead in police campaign
Sniffer dogs trained to detect the plastics used in DVDs are spearheading the police’s fight against the flourishing £200 million trade in pirated films.
10 extraordinary stories you may have missed
If, in common with it seems half the population of the UK, you have been if not physically on holiday then at least not giving the news agenda your full attention, then you may have missed some of the remarkable events that took place during the July/August ‘silly season’. Here are ten of our favourites:
Ofqual outlines new diplomas that focus on lessons in life
The history of hairstyles and the importance of personal hygiene will be taught to pupils taking new diplomas, according to guidelines released yesterday.
Thought house prices had crashed here? in sicily they cost one euro
The villas are set in the Sicilian hills, with spectacular views over the Mediterranean. Your future neighbours could be celebrities such as Peter Gabriel, the Genesis singer, and Massimo Moratti, the owner of the Inter Milan football team.
Motorcycle leaves others standing at record sale
London A vintage motorcycle built in the 1930s set a British record when it sold for more than £200,000 at auction this week.
Movie-makers name their classic films of the past 75 years
Read the full list of Visions for the Future
Four-day week for french schools is hard lesson for unions
Ten million French children returned to the classroom yesterday to find their lessons crammed into a four-day week — a revolution that delighted families but drew criticism from experts.
Introducing glamour model katie price – the new face of british equestrianism
It is the moving story of one glamour model’s struggle to be accepted in the equestrian Establishment, leaping all the barriers that the British class system could place in her way.
After new orleans - would you move here?
It was a close shave, but New Orleans just managed to escape Hurricane Gustav’s onslaught on Monday. But the stark truth is that the city’s days are numbered. Its fate was sealed in 1717, when French explorer Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne de Bienville chose a sharp bend in the Mississippi River to found “Nouvelle-Orleans”, in the teeth of opposition from his chief engineer, who warned him of flooding ahead.
Invest with the cream of society
WHAT the wealthy do with their money is a closely guarded secret, but investors can follow in their footsteps by buying into family-owned funds.
Heroin addict elephant big brother goes home after three year detox
A heroin addict elephant who was kept doped up with drug-laced bananas by animal smugglers will return home this weekend after emerging clean from a three-year detox programme.
A sterling pounding but not a bloodbath
Friendless, lonely, unloved. No, not the opening line of my misery memoirs but poor old sterling, which is looking sicklier than an old green pound note.
Need to know: industrial fears ... bbc in talks ... opec summit
Economics
Tough times ahead for the first dame of the lse, clara furse
It was all going so well for Clara Furse, chief executive of the London Stock Exchange. She had seen off four potential bidders, seen the share price of her company touch 2,000p on New Year’s Eve - some 800p above the only formal offer that had been tabled by Nasdaq, a rival American exchange.
Bg group suffers blow as origin strikes new deal
BG Group’s hopes of completing an $11 billion ($£6.2bn) bid for one of Australia’s biggest energy companies has been dealt a severe blow after its target struck a lucrative contract with America’s ConocoPhilips.
It is no time to retire as the gloom deepens
Nearly one in three people are putting off retirement because they cannot afford to stop working amid economic uncertainty, or because they do not want to retire, a CBI survey has found.
Management briefing: samples and scents
We all know that the smell of doughnuts wafting across the supermarket car park is intended to make us want to rush to the bakery section, and those samples that are handed out in the aisles are handy for promoting hard-to-shift products. However, just how effective they are at inducing customers to part with cash has been a subject of debate.
Nationwide confirms cheshire and derbyshire deals
Nationwide today confirmed that it is taking over the Derbyshire and the Cheshire building societies, two smaller rivals which have been forced into loss by the credit crunch.
Sculptures flourish in chatsworth’s gardens
A giant sculpture of a seven-month-old baby, entitled Planet, by the artist Marc Quinn, provides a surreal contrast to the grandeur of Chatsworth House and the Derbyshire countryside.
Queen enjoys her annual highland fling
The Royal Family were greeted by a crowd of about 16,000 as they watched the Highland Games at the annual Braemar Gathering. The Queen, who is patron of the Aberdeenshire event, was joined by the Duke of Edinburgh and Prince of Wales. She received a posy from Niamh Upton, 11, a member of the Braemar Royal Highland Society’s Highland Dancing Class, before taking her seat for the games, which included caber-tossing, pipes and drums and tug-of-war. In the crowd was Margaret West, 61, of Brisbane, Australia, who said: “The royal presence is the cherry on the cake.”
Once more unto the breach for humpback whale
A humpback whale is caught on camera leaping from the sea, one of the most spectacular sights in the natural world. The picture was taken two miles out from the Isles of Scilly, off the Cornish coast, by Ross Newham, 41, a wildlife enthusiast of Maidstone, Kent. He was on a birdwatching trip when the whale breached.
Minister apologises for intimate text messages
A junior health minister has said that he “apologises unreservedly” after sending dozens of text messages to an assistant in his private office.
High-flyer aims for 150,000ft sky dive record
A Commonwealth Games cyclist has quit his job in the world of finance to break the record set in 1960 for the highest sky dive.
It could get worse on the way to a record, sodden september
After such an abysmal summer it hardly seemed that the weather could get much worse, but the weekend was yet another great washout. The finger of blame points, again, at the jet stream, the high-level winds that whip around the globe at great speed and help to drag depressions across the Atlantic to Britain.
‘my mother’s 89 and has lost everything. the power of the water was unbelievable’
An upturned fridge-freezer, resting alongside a park bench on the roof of a detritus-strewn Volkswagen, told the story of the havoc wreaked by a surge of flood water in a small Northumberland market town.
Made by stradivari, played by 007 sister: the cello set to break hearts and records
A cello made by Antonio Stradivari and once owned by one of Britain’s best musicians is to be sold at an online auction next month – the first time such a rare, valuable instrument has found its way on to the internet.
Hunt begins for missing data on prison officers
A computer company delivering the national identity card scheme was frantically hunting yesterday for a lost computer drive containing 5,000 personnel files, including the private details of prison officers.
Call for curb on ‘work-permit britons’
A proposal to cap the numbers of immigrants settling in Britain after entering on work permits has been called “divisive and wasteful of talent”.
Let pupils abandon spelling rules, says academic
Children are being held back at school because they are forced to memorise irregular spellings and learn how to use the apostrophe, a leading academic will claim this week.
Nationwide building society set to merge with the derbyshire and the cheshire
Nationwide is expected to announce that it is taking over two smaller rivals in a deal that will value the building society at £191 billion.
Help families to cut their bills or else, energy giants warned
Ministers are holding the threat of a windfall tax over energy companies to win guarantees that the costs of new moves to cut household bills will not be passed on to consumers, The Times has learnt.
Dentist to open at supermarket checkout
Supermarket shoppers will soon be able to get their teeth polished, or pay for that all important filling, when out buying their groceries.
Wind of change on farms as cows help to save the earth
Hundreds of cattle in Britain are being fed a new diet to reduce their burping and cut emissions of greenhouse gas.
‘winter of discontent’ looms as a million workers vote on strikes
Strikes involving more than one million workers could throw schools and public services into chaos this winter as unions prepare to take on the Government over public sector pay.
All aboard in 30 seconds, orders thrifty rail company
Rail passengers might be advised to think twice about dawdling the next time they board a carriage, after a move by a train company to close doors more quickly in an effort to save money.
Eight killed as weekend of rain leads to floods across britain
Flooding and severe storms led to the deaths of at least eight people and the evacuation of hundreds of families as relentless rain fell across the country over the weekend.
This time it’s personal as gordon brown takes on doubters
Gordon Brown comes out fighting for his leadership today and declares that his experience of personal adversity has made him the man to lead Britain through troubled economic times.
Make room for the new mobile . . . the free laptop
Mobile phone companies have long offered free handsets to customers to encourage them to sign up for contracts, but now they have a new lure to persuade people to part with their hard-earned money – free laptop computers.
Will bookworms get their teeth into the sony reader?
Outside the British Library the slim volume in my hands could mark the beginning of the end for slim volumes. It is the Sony Reader, the electronic book that hits the British market this week – and the gadget that, if the publicity is to be believed, could kill off the book as we know it.
Stowaway computer virus sent into orbit
Nasa has confirmed that computer viruses have made it into space, after finding that computers on board the International Space Station were harbouring a malicious worm.