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.
Sarah palin wikipedia entry gets glowing make-over from mysterious user young trigg
The Wikipedia entry for Sarah Palin was overhauled substantially for the better in the 24 hours before the surprise announcement of her selection as Republican vice-presidential nominee.
Craigslist: a triumph of nerd values
Craig Newmark oversees a classified advertising website that spans the globe and is used by tens of millions of people every day. He drives a scruffy seven-year-old Toyota Prius and he goes to work only a couple of days a week.
Prediction markets: the future of decision-making
What if your boss, rather than dismissing you off hand when you suggested a different way of doing something, let you bet on the fact that your idea was better. And paid you if you were right.
Sony recalls 440,000 laptops over burn risk
Sony has been forced to undertake a massive global recall of 440,000 Vaio laptops because the computers can overheat and have caused a series of burning incidents around the world.
Stunning victory that shows scot is all grown up on big stage
It is a truth that can be verified by statistics: most teenage boys end up being men. Some take their time about it - a decade and more is not unprecedented - but most of them get there in the end, even though there were times when all around them despaired.
Wayne rooney is not the only one to suffer for his hard toil
Having brushed away a question about disciplinary issues, Wayne Rooney’s blue eyes grew ever paler and colder when the matter of his diminishing goalscoring record for England was raised. “I’ve no problem with it,” he said.
Abu dhabi investors outline their city vision
Manchester City’s prospective new owners are studying plans to transform the club’s commercial brand on a global scale. The royal family of Abu Dhabi, the oil-rich Gulf state, are close to completing a £200 million takeover of City and are keen to make the club a household name, with Richard Branson’s Virgin empire an inspiration.
Slaven Bilic is ready to risk the wrath of the Croatia FA by continuing his attempt to become West Ham United’s new manager while preparing the national team for a World Cup qualifying match against England. Bilic is adamant that he will not have a meeting with the London club before the game in Zagreb on Wednesday, but he has let West Ham know through intermediaries that he is interested and may be willing to speak to them on the phone.
Fabio capello in credit, like it or lump it
Barely discernible, there was the hint of a spring in the step of England’s players as they left the Olympic Stadium in Montjuic. You had to look for it. Perhaps you had to be there all those other times when the team departed the arena like men summoned to a distant relative’s funeral.
Rio ferdinand in race to be fit for croatia
Fabio Capello has told Rio Ferdinand that he must pass a fitness test in Barcelona today if he is to play for England in their World Cup qualifying match against Croatia on Wednesday. The Manchester United defender has made a partial recovery from the back problem that forced him to sit out the 2-0 win over Andorra on Saturday evening, but he will not travel to Zagreb tomorrow morning unless he is able to train with his teammates today.
Lewis hamilton must not let the spa stewards get him down
Lewis Hamilton produced one of his most daring performances to win the Belgian Grand Prix yesterday, only to have victory taken away from him by a hugely controversial retrospective punishment by the race stewards.
India given go-ahead on nuclear trade despite proliferation fears
India celebrated its admission to the world’s nuclear club yesterday after a decision by the 45 nations that legally supply atomic fuel and technology to lift a decades-old ban on nuclear trade with the country.
Legendary hollywood actress anita page dies aged 98
Anita Page, the last surviving star of the silent movies, has died at the age of 98 in Los Angeles.
Us attacks on border may hinder chances of help from asif zardari
The biggest test of Asif Zardari, Benazir Bhutto’s widower and Pakistan’s new President, from the American and British point of view, is whether he will take on the Taleban and other Islamic militants. The anger rising in Pakistan at the military action by the United States on its western border may prompt him to be much less helpful than Britain and the US want.
Barack obama switches off personality politics but sarah palin continues to electrify crowds
Barack Obama vowed yesterday to focus his efforts on the gathering economic storm facing ordinary Americans as he began navigating an election landscape transformed by Sarah Palin’s hurricane force over the past ten days.
Fannie mae and freddie mac bailed out by us government
The US Government took control of Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae, the stricken companies that underpin the American mortgage market, yesterday and promised to inject up to £110 billion of taxpayers’ money to keep them afloat.
Case study: biotech bananas offer hope to family farms
A yellow revolution is sweeping through the poverty-riddled farmsteads of the Central Kenyan highlands. Neat rows of coffee bushes that once dominated the landscape are being replaced by 21st-century biotech farming techniques - tissue-culture bananas.
X marks the spot for the cheeky singer, who flashes her boob just before music bash
FORMER American football star faces trial over kidnapping and robbery charges
LATEST: WEST HAM face competition to land Michael Laudrup as their new boss
TWO sumo wrestlers have tested positive for dope, Japan Sumo Association says
Nick Faldo believes the four rookies on his European team could end up being his secret weapons at the Ryder Cup.
Ulises De La Cruz could be set to link up again with Alex McLeish, skysports.com understands.
Steve Finnan has admitted he was surprised by his transfer deadline day switch to Espanyol from Liverpool.
Valencia winger David Silva is set for a frustrating spell on the sidelines after suffering an ankle injury.
Opec ministers gather, hurricane drives oil price
VIENNA - OPEC ministers on Monday gathered in Vienna ahead of a meeting to review output policy, but were widely expected to leave formal targets unchanged, especially as a powerful hurricane could lift oil prices.
Russia aims to corner energy market: u.s. official
ROME - Russia aims to extend its control over energy deliveries to the West and it is important that European countries push forward on efforts to diversify routes for oil and gas supplies, a senior U.S. official said on Monday.
Freddie, fannie plan protects taxpayers: paulson
LONDON - Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson said in an interview with U.S. radio broadast on Monday that a plan to take control of Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae had been structured in a way to protect U.S. taxpayers.
Death toll hits 43 in cairo shanty town rockslide
CAIRO - The death toll from a rockfall that sent boulders crashing down on dozens of houses in a crowded Cairo shanty town has risen to 43, with more people still missing, Egyptian security sources said on Monday.
Sarkozy flies to russia to seek new georgia deal
MOSCOW - French President Nicolas Sarkozy flies to Moscow on Monday seeking to thrash out a lasting peace deal for Georgia that will persuade Russia to pull its troops out of positions deep inside the ex-Soviet state.
U.s. drones kill 13 in missile attack in pakistan
MIRANSHAH, Pakistan - Missiles fired by U.S. drones killed 13 people, including 7 foreign militants, on Monday in a Pakistani village where a religious school founded by an old friend of Osama bin Laden is located, intelligence officials and witnesses said.
Mccain and obama say fannie, freddie takeover needed
WASHINGTON - Both presidential candidates Barack Obama and John McCain said on Sunday they see the federal takeover of mortgage finance companies Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac as necessary.
LATEST: KAKA insists he WOULD join Manchester City - if they break into the top four
LATEST: ROBINHO gave Man City fans a taste of things to come as starred for Brazil
Three in court over stab death
THREE teenagers are due in court over the murder of 14-year-old Shaquille Smith
Last orders for five pubs a day
BRITISH pubs have closed at rate of five a day during first half of year, says research
STEWART will give actor a series of blokey tests to see if he is the right man for Kimberly
Shoaib Akhtar will be joining Surrey for the final two games of the season after sorting out his visa problems.
Ambani denies magpies interest
A spokesman for Indian businessman Anil Ambani has denied that he has launched a takeover bid for Newcastle.
Michael Laudrup, a candidate for the West Ham job, has been offered the chance to take charge at Spartak Moscow.
Blackburn Rovers have handed a trial to Dutch winger Kiran Bechan, skysports.com understands.
Brazil eased the pressure on coach Dunga and boosted their World Cup qualifying hopes with a 3-0 win over Chile.
Russia in legal bid to ban "extremist" u.s. cartoon
MOSCOW - Prosecutors in Russia want to ban the award-winning satirical U.S. cartoon South Park, calling the series "extremist" after receiving viewer complaints, a spokeswoman said on Monday.
India to sell nuclear deal to world, soothe critics
NEW DELHI - India will take its civilian nuclear deal with the United States to the world looking to secure fuel supplies and reactor technology, analysts said, while seeking to soothe critics with a strong non-proliferation pitch.
Futures signal wall street jump on fannie, freddie plan
(REUTERS) - Stock index futures pointed to a jump on Wall Street on Monday after the government seized control of major mortgage firms Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac .
Stan collymore: england must drop wayne rooney if they want to qualify for the world cup
ANDORRA 0 ENGLAND 2 WORLD CUP QUALIFIER
Stan collymore: jamie carragher is wrong: playing for england should come first
ANDORRA 0 ENGLAND 2 WORLD CUP QUALIFIER
August ppi output prices post record monthly fall
Manufacturing output prices fell in August at their sharpest monthly rate since records began in 1986 because of lower petrol and scrap metal prices, in a sign that factory gate inflation may have peaked.
Brown defiant as takes cabinet to birmingham
Prime Minster Gordon Brown issued a defiant rebuke to criticism of his leadership on Monday as he held the first full cabinet meeting outside London since the 1920s.
Jade goody admits taking crack cocaine
Jade Goody has admitted taking crack cocaine - to shock her mother out of her own addiction.
Thief breaks in, slaps man with sausage
Man breaks into house, steals money, rubs one man with spices and smacks the other with a sausage. Textbook stuff. Lovely.
British millionaire accused of setting fiancee on fire
A millionaire British property developer accused of trying to set his fiancee alight at their mansion in Spain has given himself up.
Villegas gets first pga victory
Camilo Villegas gave golf fans a real reason to pay attention to him - a trophy. A marketing dream with his model looks and stylish dress, Villegas won for the first time on the PGA Tour when he completed a wire-to-wire victory in the BMW Championship ...Camilo Villegas wins BMW Championship golf title Los Angeles TimesVillegas claims BMW Championship Baltimore SunHartford Courant - Boston Herald - Denver Post - Sports Network
Jimmie Johnson notched his second NASCAR victory in a row at the Chevy Rock and Roll 400. In a race that was delayed by Tropical Storm Hanna, Johnson hit the front with 33 laps to go when racing belatedly got under way at the Richmond International ...Johnson Wins; Chase Field Set New York TimesSporting News NASCAR Wire Service SportingNews.comUSA Today - Motorsport.com - Barre Montpelier Times Argus - Sports Network
Jones sues no country producers
Actor Tommy Lee Jones is to sue the makers of Oscar-winning film No Country for Old Men, claiming they owe him more than $10m (£5.6m) in promised bonuses.Tommy Lee Jones Says No Money From No Country E! OnlinePaycheck Problems New York TimesAceShowbiz - Monsters and Critics.com - TMZ.com - Daily Mail
Jury selection to begin in oj simpson robbery case
LAS VEGAS (AP) - Nearly a year after OJ Simpson walked into a casino hotel room intent on reclaiming some sports memorobilia, lawyers in his robbery-kidnapping trial are finally set to begin picking a jury.Video: First Person: OJ Goes to Trial, Dogged by Past AssociatedPressJury selection to begin in OJ Simpson robbery case WZTVSky News - Los Angeles Times - Telegraph.co.uk - Newsweek
Us attack kills several in pakistan
By JANE PERLEZ and PIR ZUBAIR SHAH ISLAMABAD, Pakistan - Four missiles fired from an American pilotless drone aircraft Monday hit a large compound in North Waziristan belonging to one of Pakistan’s most prominent Taliban leaders, ...Suspected US missile strike kills three in Pakistan: officials AFPUS forces blamed for Pakistan village strike ABC OnlineInternational Herald Tribune - United Press International - Washington Times - Washington Post
Us reopens inquiry into afghanistan attack as new evidence emerges
The US is to reopen its investigation into an air strike in western Afghanistan last month in response to "new evidence" about civilian casualties.US to begin new inquiry into Afghan civilian deaths AFPUS will review Afghanistan death toll investigation Los Angeles TimesBBC News - United Press International - Reuters India - The Associated Press
Indian flood victims to spend 6 months in camps
AP PATNA, India: Hundreds of thousands of Indian flood refugees are likely to spend six months in state-run relief camps while authorities rebuild homes, roads and river embankments in the flood-ravaged north, officials said Monday.India focuses on care for flood victims as rescue winds down AFP50000 villagers in flooded India refuse to leave The Associated PressReuters - Voice of America - Nepalnews.com - CIOL
Hurricane ike pounds caribbean, worries us
Cuban fishermen secure a boat before the arrival of Ike. Government efforts, including massive evacuations, appear to have prevented fatalities in recent storms.Video: Ike Tears Path of Destruction Through Caribbean AssociatedPressIke kills dozens, heads toward Florida, Gulf Coast NewsdaySeattle Times - Chicago Tribune - Bloomberg - guardian.co.uk