Commuters” biggest gripe is poor hygiene of fellow travellers: UK study

May 20, 2010 By Leave a Comment

London, May 20 (ANI): A new poll in the UK has revealed that body odour is the biggest whinge of commuters, especially Scots.

The poll by video game company PopCap.com found that loud conversations are the second most annoying thing for travellers – and travellers in Leeds and Newcastle are most likely to make or receive calls while on their way to work.

The survey of 1,564 adults also revealed that almost half of commuters eavesdrop on other peoples’ conversations, while more than half read papers, text messages, books and confidential work documents over fellow passengers” shoulders.

The results also revealed that women are lot less tolerant than men when it comes to babies and children travelling in rush hours, reports the Telegraph.

Londoners are the least tolerant of slow-moving crowds at busy times, finding them four times more annoying than travellers in Sheffield do.

Only 7 percent of commuters are willing to chat to fellow travellers, including travellers in Sheffield, Leeds and Liverpool, with those in Cardiff and Bristol the most likely to strike up a conversation. (ANI)

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Downbeat Ancelotti says Chelsea showed stuff of champions

May 3, 2010 By Leave a Comment

A 2-0 win for Chelsea at Anfield did little to instil any discernible joie de vivre in Carlo Ancelotti, but the Italian coach said his side had shown the mettle of champions with the key victory over Liverpool.

Chelsea will clinch the championship if they defeat Wigan at Stamford Bridge next Sunday after goals from Didier Drogba and Frank Lampard got the Londoners over the tricky hurdle at Anfield.

The win put Chelsea four points clear of Manchester United, who were playing Sunderland later on Sunday in their penultimate match.

A defeat for United at the Stadium of Light would mean Chelsea could celebrate the title a week early.

“I am happy because it was a difficult game,” deadpanned Ancelotti, who has now masterminded home and away league wins over Manchester United, Arsenal and Liverpool in his first season in charge at Stamford Bridge.

“We deserved to win. We did a fanastic job because there was a lot of pressure on us in this game, but we controlled our emotions.

“Now the team is fit and in good physical condition, good mentality ahead of next week’s game. I always said the title would be decided at the end of the season.”

Ancelotti admitted that Steven Gerrard’s uncharacteristic error that allowed Drogba to make the all-important breakthrough helped Chelsea grab the momentum.

In a lax moment, Gerrard’s ill-conceived backpass was intercepted by Drogba, who rounded Pepe Reina to give Chelsea the lead.

“The goal changed the game because we had more confidence after that,” added the Italian. “As for Lampard, he has fantastic skills to move into the box at the right time.

(Editing by Miles Evans;

To query or comment on this story emailsportsfeedback@thomsonreuters.com)

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Chelsea have one hand on title after Anfield win

May 3, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Chelsea moved to within one win of the Premier League title after an awful Steven Gerrard blunder set them on their way to a 2-0 victory over Liverpool at Anfield and moved them four points clear of Manchester United.

The Londoners could win their first title since 2006 later on Sunday if United lose at Sunderland while even a draw at the Stadium of Light would effectively hand it to Chelsea.

Their superior goal difference of 10 over United could mean they could afford to lose their final game at home to Wigan Athletic next Sunday.

Didier Drogba’s 33rd-minute opener and a clinching second by Frank Lampard early in the second half took Chelsea to 83 points to United’s 79. Sir Alex Ferguson’s side complete their fixtures at home to Stoke City.

Although Chelsea will look back on the game as an unexpectedly easy victory, Liverpool started like a train and were on top for the first half-hour.

Alberto Aquilani skimmed the bar with a well-struck 25-metre shot and then over-ran a chance when sent through by the lively Maxi Rodriguez.

Chelsea had shown almost nothing in attack but were then gifted a goal, and possibly the title, by Gerrard.

The England midfielder who was on the brink of moving to Chelsea five years ago, chose this, of all days, to deliver a totally unnecessary long-distance back-pass that was easily intercepted by Drogba, who rounded Pepe Reina with ease and rolled the ball into the empty net.

The goal clearly unsettled the hosts and Lampard and Nicolas Anelka were both given a sniff of goal soon after as Liverpool’s defensive concentration wavered and they were lucky not to give away a penalty in stoppage time when Lucas tangled with Salomon Kalou as the forward bore down on goal.

It mattered little as within nine minutes of the restart Chelsea did have the second as Anelka crossed low for Lampard to sweep in his remarkable 21st league goal of the season.

That knocked the remaining stuffing out of Liverpool as their extra-time exertions on Thursday against Atletico Madrid in the Europa League semi-final kicked in.

Reina saved well from Florent Malouda and Anelka as Chelsea continued to press but in the end they will be delighted to have overcome what was supposed to have been a dangerous penultimate fence while barely breaking their stride.

It was their first league win at Anfield since 2005 and leaves them firmly on course for the League and Cup Double – they face Portsmouth at Wembley on May 15 in the final.

“This was a huge game for us and we knew if we dropped points it would hand momentum to Man Utd,” Lampard told Sky Sports.

“It would be nice to win it in front of our fans – we were at a bit of a low point a couple of months ago but we dug ourselves out of it and are now in with the chance of the Double.”

Coach Carlo Ancelotti, set to reap silverware in his first season in charge at Chelsea, said he was delighted his side had maintained its focus.

“It was a very important step, we played very well and deserved to win,” he said.

“We are very happy but we have to stay focussed. We always said this league would be decided on the last day and I think it will be so.”

United, who have not lost to Sunderland for 13 years, should take this most exciting of seasons to the final day but their hopes of an unprecedented fourth successive title now appear highly unlikely.

(Editing by Miles Evans;

To comment on this story email sportsfeedback@thomsonreuters.com)

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Sheffield Wednesday relegated as Palace survive showdown

May 3, 2010 By Leave a Comment

A nailbiting final day of the Championship (second division) regular season ended with Sheffield Wednesday relegated after drawing a survival shoot-out 2-2 with Crystal Palace at Hillsborough on Sunday.

Blackpool, who last saw top-flight action in 1971, secured a place in the play-offs alongside Nottingham Forest, Cardiff City and Leicester City.

Wednesday needed to win their final game against Palace to survive – and send the Londoners down.

They were trailing 2-1 before a Darren Purse equaliser after 87 minutes set up an amazing finale.

Wednesday bombarded the Palace penalty box from all angles through five minutes of stoppage time only for the visitors to hold out and stay up.

Third-placed Forest were already assured of a play-off place and will face Blackpool next weekend after the Lancashire side came from behind to draw 1-1 at home with Bristol City.

That would not have been enough if Swansea had beaten Doncaster, but the Welsh side could only draw 0-0.

Cardiff and Leicester will meet in the other playoff semi-final with the final at Wembley on May 22.

West Bromwich Albion and champions Newcastle United had already secured the automatic promotion places and Newcastle signed off with a 1-0 win at Queens Park Rangers which took them to 102 points.

(Reporting by Mitch Phillips, editing by Miles Evans;

To comment on this story email sportsfeedback@thomsonreuters.com)

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New Hamburg coach is an old friend for Fulham captain

April 30, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Ricardo Moniz can expect no favours from an old friend at Fulham when he makes his debut as Hamburg SV’s stand-in coach for Thursday’s Europa League semi-final second leg.

Fulham captain Danny Murphy, who has led the Londoners on a fairytale adventure through Europe, knows the Dutchman from their time together at Tottenham Hotspur where Moniz worked with former manager Martin Jol.

“He was a good coach and someone I worked quite a lot with at Tottenham; the lads liked him a lot,” Murphy said after training on Wednesday.

“It’s different being a manager even if it is only for a short space of time but I’d be very surprised if the players at Hamburg don’t have a good relationship with Ricardo because that’s the type of guy he is.

“As for a tactician and what he might be thinking, I wouldn’t have a clue but I’d be amazed if he wasn’t anything other than attack-minded,” added Murphy.

Moniz was appointed caretaker coach of the German side after Bruno Labbadia was shown the door following Hamburg’s 5-1 defeat by Hoffenheim in the Bundesliga on Sunday.

Murphy said he had not even realised Moniz was at Hamburg until he bumped into him before the goalless first leg in the German port city.

“It was a complete shock. He had a bit of a different haircut and we kind of smiled and had a catch-up. He’s a good guy and I’ve always spoken highly of him,” said the former England midfielder.

BIZARRE PLAN

“The only thing I can be sure of is that their players like him because he’s that kind of guy. I just hope he maybe has some bizarre tactical plan for them on Thursday that goes horribly wrong.”

After savouring success with Liverpool, the club he won the UEFA Cup with in 2001 and who could be Fulham’s final opponents on May 12, Murphy has enjoyed every minute of the London team’s improbable run through Europe under manager Roy Hodgson.

“If you looked in a betting shop at the beginning of the Europa League campaign we’d have been nowhere,” he said.

“If I’m honest I think people within the club thought ‘If we can get through the group stages we’ve done well’. That’s because we’re realists.

“You’re appreciative of it more, for sure,” added the 33-year-old of the sort of run he thought was well behind him.

“At Liverpool you just assume each year’s going to be another final but as you get older you realise that’s not the case and you do have to enjoy these trips.

“Each time we’ve gone away … I’ve tried to enjoy the experience, not knowing if it was going to be your last adventure in Europe,” said Murphy.

(Editing by Tony Jimenez. For any queries on this story email sportsfeedback@thomsonreuters.com)

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New Hamburg coach is an old friend for Fulham captain

April 29, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Ricardo Moniz can expect no favours from an old friend at Fulham when he makes his debut as Hamburg SV’s stand-in coach for Thursday’s Europa League semi-final second leg.

Fulham captain Danny Murphy, who has led the Londoners on a fairytale adventure through Europe, knows the Dutchman from their time together at Tottenham Hotspur where Moniz worked with former manager Martin Jol.

“He was a good coach and someone I worked quite a lot with at Tottenham; the lads liked him a lot,” Murphy said after training on Wednesday.

“It’s different being a manager even if it is only for a short space of time but I’d be very surprised if the players at Hamburg don’t have a good relationship with Ricardo because that’s the type of guy he is.

“As for a tactician and what he might be thinking, I wouldn’t have a clue but I’d be amazed if he wasn’t anything other than attack-minded,” added Murphy.

Moniz was appointed caretaker coach of the German side after Bruno Labbadia was shown the door following Hamburg’s 5-1 defeat by Hoffenheim in the Bundesliga on Sunday.

Murphy said he had not even realised Moniz was at Hamburg until he bumped into him before the goalless first leg in the German port city.

“It was a complete shock. He had a bit of a different haircut and we kind of smiled and had a catch-up. He’s a good guy and I’ve always spoken highly of him,” said the former England midfielder.

BIZARRE PLAN

“The only thing I can be sure of is that their players like him because he’s that kind of guy. I just hope he maybe has some bizarre tactical plan for them on Thursday that goes horribly wrong.”

After savouring success with Liverpool, the club he won the UEFA Cup with in 2001 and who could be Fulham’s final opponents on May 12, Murphy has enjoyed every minute of the London team’s improbable run through Europe under manager Roy Hodgson.

“If you looked in a betting shop at the beginning of the Europa League campaign we’d have been nowhere,” he said.

“If I’m honest I think people within the club thought ‘If we can get through the group stages we’ve done well’. That’s because we’re realists.

“You’re appreciative of it more, for sure,” added the 33-year-old of the sort of run he thought was well behind him.

“At Liverpool you just assume each year’s going to be another final but as you get older you realise that’s not the case and you do have to enjoy these trips.

“Each time we’ve gone away … I’ve tried to enjoy the experience, not knowing if it was going to be your last adventure in Europe,” said Murphy.

(Editing by Tony Jimenez. For any queries on this story email sportsfeedback@thomsonreuters.com)

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iPad, a day before launch, still awaits the rush

April 3, 2010 By Leave a Comment

* Few lines at stores so far, in contrast to iPhone launch

Stocks | Media

* Pre-ordering of Apple’s new tablet device cuts crowds

* IPad sellouts expected this weekend

By Gabriel Madway

WASHINGTON, April 2 (Reuters) – Apple’s (AAPL.O) iPad has generated a flood of hype since its unveiling in January, but a day ahead of its official launch the crowds have yet to arrive, a contrast to the iPhone launch three years ago.

At mid-afternoon Friday, only a smattering of customers had lined up at stores in New York, Washington, Boston, San Francisco and Los Angeles.

In fairness, unlike the iPhone’s debut in 2007, there wasn’t necessarily any reason to stand in line for the iPad ahead of Saturday’s 9 a.m. launch, at least for those who planned ahead.

Apple has been taking pre-orders for the iPad since mid-March, guaranteeing those who ordered online that they would get one of the company’s new tablet devices on Saturday, either for pickup at a store or via home delivery.

IPad sellouts are widely expected this weekend. Pre-orders may have made the iPad launch more efficient for customers, but it may have also succeeded in reducing some of the buzz generated by hordes of people standing in line a day before.

Of course, there are always some folks hearty enough to wait overnight. At Apple’s flagship store on Fifth Avenue in New York, around 10 people were in line Friday afternoon. They came armed with beach chairs, umbrellas, jackets, McDonald’s fast food, camping mats and other first-day-of-sale survival gear.

The iPad is Apple’s most important launch since the iPhone. Wall Street is keen to gauge consumer response to the device, and the crowds at Apple stores this weekend could provide an early indication of its popular appeal.

It was all quiet at the Apple store on upscale Bolyston Street in Boston at midday.

Visiting Londoners Mark and Angela Rebbettes said at the store that they would likely swing back by on Saturday morning and try to get a look at the iPad.

“I think everyone’s interested,” said Mark Rebbettes, a salesman. Ultimately he thought he would buy one, although she didn’t understand the point of the device.

Analysts say the company has already received several hundred thousands pre-orders, with first year sales estimated at anywhere from 4 million to 7 million.[ID:nN29117228]

THE BIG DAY

Apple has staked much of its reputation on the iPad, pitched as a revolutionary new category of device: a lightweight mobile computer that strives to combine the best attributes of a smartphone and a laptop.

The iPad is a sleek 9.7-inch touchscreen tablet that resembles an oversized iPhone and runs on the same operating system. It starts at $499 for a short-range Wi-Fi model and tops out at more than $800 for a high-speed, go-anywhere 3G-enabled version.

It is designed for consuming all sorts of media, from games and video, to electronic books and magazines. Analysts say content deals are key to the iPad’s success. [ID:nN29117228]

The iPad can use most of the roughly 150,000 apps already available for the iPhone, and more than 1,000 new iPad apps are ready to go on launch day.

IPad apps include an offering from Netflix (NFLX.O) to stream movies and one from Walt Disney’s (DIS.N) ABC network that features TV shows.

There is also a slew of games from developers such as Electronic Arts (ERTS.O) and startup ngmoco. Many analysts expect the iPad to provide stiff competition for Nintendo’s (7974.OS) DS and Sony’s (6758.T) PSP handheld gaming devices.

In addition, iPad apps from the New York Times (NYT.N) and News Corp’s (NWSA.O) Wall Street Journal will offer some access to content from the two newspapers.

Apple is also launching its own digital book business that will compete with Amazon.com’s (AMZN.O) Kindle.[ID:nN27203955]

AMERICAN ONLY

The iPhone set a high bar for product launches, with sales passing the 1 million mark within 74 days. Apple sold more than 2 million in the holiday quarter that year.

But IPad expectations keep climbing by the day. On Friday research group iSuppli said it expects first-year shipments to hit 7 million in 2010. Many Wall Street analysts expect Apple to sell 1 million or more iPad’s in the June quarter.

Reviews of the iPad has been largely positive, emphasizing its ample battery life and ease of use.[ID:nN01128173]

Saturday’s iPad launch is only in the United States and only for the Wi-Fi model. It will be available in nine other countries later this month.

Apple’s stock is up around 10 percent this year and has been setting new all-time highs. Analysts say that regardless of how well the launch goes, its shares are likely to slip next week as investors cash in profits. (Reporting by Gabriel Madway; additional reporting by Ros Krasny in Boston, Michelle Nichols in New York, Alexandria Sage in San Francisco and Edwin Chan in Los Angeles; Editing by Steve Orlofsky)

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iPad still awaits the rush

April 3, 2010 By Leave a Comment

(Reuters) – Apple’s iPad has generated a flood of hype since its unveiling in January, but a day ahead of its official launch the crowds have yet to arrive, a contrast to the iPhone launch three years ago.

Technology | Media

At mid-afternoon Friday, only a smattering of customers had lined up at stores in New York, Washington, Boston, San Francisco and Los Angeles.

In fairness, unlike the iPhone’s debut in 2007, there wasn’t necessarily any reason to stand in line for the iPad ahead of Saturday’s 9 a.m. launch, at least for those who planned ahead.

Apple has been taking pre-orders for the iPad since mid-March, guaranteeing those who ordered online that they would get one of the company’s new tablet devices on Saturday, either for pickup at a store or via home delivery.

IPad sellouts are widely expected this weekend. Pre-orders may have made the iPad launch more efficient for customers, but it may have also succeeded in reducing some of the buzz generated by hordes of people standing in line a day before.

Of course, there are always some folks hearty enough to wait overnight. At Apple’s flagship store on Fifth Avenue in New York, around 10 people were in line Friday afternoon. They came armed with beach chairs, umbrellas, jackets, McDonald’s fast food, camping mats and other first-day-of-sale survival gear.

The iPad is Apple’s most important launch since the iPhone. Wall Street is keen to gauge consumer response to the device, and the crowds at Apple stores this weekend could provide an early indication of its popular appeal.

It was all quiet at the Apple store on upscale Bolyston Street in Boston at midday.

Visiting Londoners Mark and Angela Rebbettes said at the store that they would likely swing back by on Saturday morning and try to get a look at the iPad.

“I think everyone’s interested,” said Mark Rebbettes, a salesman. Ultimately he thought he would buy one, although she didn’t understand the point of the device.

Analysts say the company has already received several hundred thousands pre-orders, with first year sales estimated at anywhere from 4 million to 7 million.

THE BIG DAY

Apple has staked much of its reputation on the iPad, pitched as a revolutionary new category of device: a lightweight mobile computer that strives to combine the best attributes of a smartphone and a laptop.

The iPad is a sleek 9.7-inch touchscreen tablet that resembles an oversized iPhone and runs on the same operating system. It starts at $499 for a short-range Wi-Fi model and tops out at more than $800 for a high-speed, go-anywhere 3G-enabled version.

It is designed for consuming all sorts of media, from games and video, to electronic books and magazines. Analysts say content deals are key to the iPad’s success.

The iPad can use most of the roughly 150,000 apps already available for the iPhone, and more than 1,000 new iPad apps are ready to go on launch day.

IPad apps include an offering from Netflix to stream movies and one from Walt Disney’s ABC network that features TV shows.

There is also a slew of games from developers such as Electronic Arts and startup ngmoco. Many analysts expect the iPad to provide stiff competition for Nintendo’s DS and Sony’s PSP handheld gaming devices.

In addition, iPad apps from the New York Times and News Corp’s Wall Street Journal will offer some access to content from the two newspapers.

Apple is also launching its own digital book business that will compete with Amazon.com’s Kindle.

AMERICAN ONLY

The iPhone set a high bar for product launches, with sales passing the 1 million mark within 74 days. Apple sold more than 2 million in the holiday quarter that year.

But IPad expectations keep climbing by the day. On Friday research group iSuppli said it expects first-year shipments to hit 7 million in 2010. Many Wall Street analysts expect Apple to sell 1 million or more iPad’s in the June quarter.

Reviews of the iPad has been largely positive, emphasizing its ample battery life and ease of use.

Saturday’s iPad launch is only in the United States and only for the Wi-Fi model. It will be available in nine other countries later this month.

Apple’s stock is up around 10 percent this year and has been setting new all-time highs. Analysts say that regardless of how well the launch goes, its shares are likely to slip next week as investors cash in profits.

(Reporting by Gabriel Madway; additional reporting by Ros Krasny in Boston, Michelle Nichols in New York, Alexandria Sage in San Francisco and Edwin Chan in Los Angeles; Editing by Steve Orlofsky)

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Mancini dismisses report about becoming Juventus’ new boss

March 22, 2010 By Leave a Comment

London, Mar 22 (ANI): Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini has dismissed reports that he planning to become Juventus’ new boss.

Mancini, whose future depends on whether City get in the top four, was linked with Juventus after witnessing Fulham’s spectacular 4-1 Europa League win over the Turin giants last Thursday.

After the 2-1 win at Fulham, Mancini said: “I am honoured but I came here on Thursday to see Fulham – there is nothing in it.”

Roque Santa Cruz and Carlos Tevez struck the goals that took the Eastlands outfit to within two points of fourth-placed Spurs.

Mancini’s men have a game in hand on the North Londoners and he is convinced his side will reach the top four.

“It was a very important win for us. It’s difficult to play here. Fulham is a good team with a good manager. But it will be a fight until the end of the season with Liverpool, Villa and Spurs.

“Liverpool is a fantastic team. I think we must fight with the three teams,” The Sun quoted Mancini, as saying.

“It was a very comfortable win. We risked in the last 10 minutes after the penalty but before we played a strong game. We deserved to win.

“Carlos scored a fantastic goal, a key goal because after that we played calmly and had chances to score. It was important to win but we should have scored another goal because football is strange,” Mancini added. (ANI)

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Most Brit men prefer to settle down than be womanising bachelors

September 1, 2009 By Leave a Comment

London, September 1 (ANI): A new survey has found that most British men living in cities have romantic notions of love and choose to settle down and have children than be womanizers.

Match.com, which conducted the poll, found that sixty-two per cent of men in London wish to marry compared with 46 per cent in the West Midlands and 47 per cent in Wales.

Also, 78 per cent of London’s males admit to wanting a family compared with a national average of 55 per cent.

“London men had developed a reputation of being unromantic but this new information seems to dispel this,” the Daily Express quoted Katie Sheppard of Match.com as saying.

She added: “If women are looking for their men to be chivalrous, romantic and committed, they could do far worse than looking for love in the capital.”

But the Londoners may be a little slow in expressing their love, as only 31 per cent could say “I love you” to the women they loved.

The study further revealed that men are more likely to want to have children than women – 59 per cent against 50 per cent.

Even in being romantic, they outdid women with 56 per cent believing that feelings would not fade, while only 49 per cent of women agreeing to it.

And finally, the survey suggested that the British men think a perfect life partner would be a 5ft 6in, 31-year-old teacher. (ANI)

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Cole’s 25 mln pound Chelsea deal makes him world’s highest-paid full-back

August 21, 2009 By Leave a Comment

London, Aug 21(ANI): Chelsea left-back Ashley Cole has signed a new four-year contract with the Blues, which is reportedly worth 25 million pounds- making him the world’s highest-paid full-back.
Cole agreed on a 120,000 pounds-a- week deal as Chelsea fought off Barcelona and Real Madrid, who were keen on signing the star, The Sun reports.

The Blues’ owner Roman Abramovich was desperate not to see his star leave Stamford Bridge and handed him the 25 million pound contract, which will see the England international stay at the west Londoners until 2013.

The 28-year-old has hit the jackpot since quitting Arsenal in 2006, when he claimed they made a derisory offer for him to stay. He has become one of the Premier League’s most consistent performers. (ANI)

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Duo who stole Prince William, Middleton’s holiday pics branded ‘Dumb and Dumber’

August 21, 2009 By Leave a Comment

London, August 21 (ANI): Two Londoners were branded “Dumb and Dumber” by a lawyer on Thursday, after they stole a digital camera memory card storing holiday snaps of Prince William and his girlfriend Kate Middleton.

Kingston Crown Court, Surrey, later ordered Market trader Charlie Ewins, 26, and electrician Leon Sesay, 25, to do 100 hours unpaid work, and pay 125-pound costs after admitting theft.

The two friends had tried to sell the card for 50,000 pounds, after it was taken from the car of Kate’s sister Pippa, 24.

According to the Daily Express, the pictures showed William wearing a woman’s hat, and Kate doing yoga in a bikini, while on a Caribbean holiday. (ANI)

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Chelsea bid for Bayern Munich’s Franck Ribery

May 28, 2009 By Leave a Comment

London, May 28 (ANI): Chelsea is locked in talks to sign Bayern Munich ace Franck Ribery for 43-million pounds.

According to The Sun, the two clubs are believed to have agreed to the fee and Blues are now thrashing out terms with the 26-year-old French international midfielder.

Ribery is holding out for a bumper 125,000-pound-a-week salary after tax, but Chelsea are reluctant to offer more than 90,000-pounds-a-week.

If the Londoners do close the deal it will be a bitter blow to Premier League rivals Manchester United, who have long wanted the Frenchman as a potential replacement for Cristiano Ronaldo.ullback Patrice Evra revealed in The Sun that he was hoping to persuade Ribery to join United. (ANI)

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Manchester City eyes Chelsea’s bad boy Drogba

May 15, 2009 By Leave a Comment

London, May 15 (ANI): Manchester City is ready to make a 15million pound swoop for Chelsea’s bad boy Didier Drogba.

Boss Mark Hughes made a firm inquiry about the Ivory Coast striker in January and, although he was knocked back, the Londoners admitted a summer move was a possibility.

Now, City wants to push through a three-year deal, worth around 150,000 pound a week, as soon as the window reopens.

Hughes is desperate to recruit a powerful front man after cooling his interest in Blackburn’s Roque Santa Cruz, The Sun reports.

Drogba’s Stamford Bridge future was up in the air even before last week’s foul-mouthed television rant following their Champions League knock out.

There is a split within Chelsea over whether to keep him or not but City’s offer for a 31-year-old, who has been plagued by injury problems, would be hard to ignore.

Meanwhile, Hughes insists he has no fears about his future at City. The Eastlands boss said: “People talking about me and my job is just water off a duck’s back.

“But from within the club I feel I’m getting some credit. I have two years left on my contract at the moment. My view is I’ll be here next year,” he added. (ANI)

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Fergie says Man U wary of Arsenal threat

May 15, 2009 By Leave a Comment

London, May 15 (ANI): Sir Alex Ferguson has warned his Manchester United players not to underestimate Arsenal on Saturday as they attempt to clinch a third successive title with just a point against Arsene Wenger’s men at Old Trafford.

United’s 2-1 victory at Wigan on Wednesday, when second-half goals from Carlos Tevez and Michael Carrick overturned Hugo Rodallega’s first-half opener for the home side, moved the champions to within touching distance of the title.

The Premier League trophy will be presented to United following Saturday’s clash against the Gunners if they claim the required point.

According to The Sun, United have twice beaten Arsenal in the last three weeks having eliminated the Londoners with a 4-1 aggregate Champions League semi-final victory.

Ferguson insists that Wenger’s team are still capable of spoiling the party by upsetting United at Old Trafford. (ANI)

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Average Brit would see only 2pct of country

May 2, 2009 By Leave a Comment

p
London, Apr 27 (ANI): When it comes to travelling their own country, an average Brit would see just 28 of the UK’s towns and cities in their lifetime-which equates to only 2 percent of the country, revealed a survey./pp
However, the survey for carmakers Vauxhall found that the figure differed according to where people were questioned./pp
Cambridge residents were the most adventurous travellers, visiting 40 other cities./pp
On the other hand, people in Birmingham visited the least number of other cities-23./pp
In fact, the survey also suggested there could be more than a million so-called One Town Wonders – adults who have never left their hometown or city, even for a holiday.esides, the survey indicated that one in five people living in Edinburgh had never visited the city’s famous castle./pp
Over a third of North East residents were revealed to have never seen the Angel of the North./pp
According to the survey, only one in five Londoners said they had found more culture and history travelling around the UK than abroad./pp
The research was part of a campaign by Vauxhall to encourage Britons to visit more areas of their country./pp
Britain is a fantastic country steeped in history, culture and weird and wonderful things waiting to be discovered, Sky News quoted Simon Ewart of Vauxhall as saying. (ANI)/p

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You are where you live

April 19, 2009 By Leave a Comment

London, Apr 19 (ANI): You’re where you live, says a new study, which found that regional differences in personality types are becoming amplified.

Researchers at Cambridge University say that people are moving to areas of the UK where they feel most comfortable.

Londoners appear to be changing fastest, displaying sharply elevated levels of creativity, intellect, open-mindedness and extroversion when compared with people living in Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland and the rest of England.

People living in Wales, by contrast, emerge from the Cambridge University study as less extrovert, less conscientious and more anxious than the English, Scots or Northern Irish.

Similar differences appear in the English regions, with people from Devon, Cornwall, Northumberland and Tyneside being the least outgoing and the most neurotic.

Lead researcher Jason Rentfrow said the findings indicated people’s choice of place to live was now as important as choosing a career or spouse.

He found that more intelligent people with extrovert, open personalities would gravitate to cities while the more introverted and relaxed would head for rural areas or small towns.

“Our findings suggest they are happiest where their personalities most closely resemble that of the other people in that area,” Rentfrow told The Sunday Times.

“London is becoming psychologically separate from the rest of the nation. People there tend to be, on average, more analytical, assertive, dominant, efficient and creative. People in Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales are less open-minded and less tolerant of differences,” he added.

The data behind the study was taken from profiles of 11,088 people collected between 2002 and 2006. (ANI)

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Londoners get an eyeful of 999 near naked revelers

March 16, 2009 By Leave a Comment

London, Mar 16 (ANI): Around 999 near naked revellers, wearing nothing but skimpy Shamrock style bikinis, marched along the bank of the River Thames on March 15 to the amusement of sightseers.

The march was carried out to promote an Air Lingus flight sale, and it did have restrictions on the level nudity.
“We had a police visit this morning where we were warned that if any of the participants were completely nude, they would be liable to a fine for ‘indecent exposure’,” the Sun quoted an Air Lingus spokesperson as saying.

“However, once out of sight of the cautious police, many of the participants ignored police warnings and stripped off for the bewildered, but eager, on-looking crowds, who captured the event on their camera phones,” the person added. (ANI)

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Social networking could change the world

March 1, 2009 By Leave a Comment

London, Feb 28 (ANI): The tools of “Web 2.0″ – the community-driven web – can change the world, a meeting heard this week.

Delegates at the Terra future conference in London were told that social networks can really make a difference, and Barack Obama’s election campaign believes the notion.

Last year, tech guru Tim O’Reilly, founder of O’Reilly Media, defied the Web 2.0 community to give something more productive than the ‘useless’ Facebook applications.

Now, at this week’s conference, UK-based social media consultant Chris Thorpe pointed out that just a month after O’Reilly’s call, the Obama election campaign launched the Obama ’08 iPhone application.

The application organised and prioritised contacts in key battleground states, “making it easy [for campaigners] to reach out and make an impact quickly”, reports New Scientist.

Thorpe told the conference about a number of other networking sites that might satisfy O’Reilly’s challenge.

Accesscity, for example, is a social networking site through which a community of Londoners is helping to identify the simplest routes across the city for those with mobility issues – be it pushing a baby buggy to carrying heavy bags. (ANI)

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