World Cup Set To Be Betting Bonanza

June 12, 2010 By Leave a Comment

MILTON KEYNES, UNITED KINGDOM, Jun 11 (MARKET WIRE) –

The 2010 World Cup will be the biggest gambling event in the history of
the world. A report this week by the London based Global Betting and
Gaming Consultants projected that a staggering GBP 3.35 billion would be
waged on the tournament, of which an estimated GBP 1 billion will be in
the UK.

So, as the tournament gets under way, who have the punters been backing
and avoiding?

Two of the most popular nations with backers have been Argentina and the
Netherlands. Under Diego Maradona, no-one previously gave the
Argentineans much of a hope and their qualification for South Africa was
only secured in the final match. However, the club form of the likes of
Diego Milito and Lionel Messi has seen Argentina backed in to just 13/2
from as long as 9/1 some months ago.

Another nation to have received plenty of support from punters over
recent weeks has been Holland. Indeed, striker Robin van Persie has been
the subject of a huge gamble by backers and his odds of winning the World
Cup Golden Shoe have been slashed from 25/1 to just 11/1.

Paddy Power, the leading Irish bookmaker who offer a range of World Cup
odds, said, “Just a few weeks ago you could have backed the Dutch at
14/1 to finally win the World Cup. After the classy performances of Arjen
Robben and Wesley Sneijder in the Champions League, and the return to
fitness of key man Robin van Persie, it’s now just 9/1 that the
Netherlands will lift the trophy in Johannesburg on 11th July.”

Whilst the 1978 finalists might have plenty of support in the markets,
there has been little confidence in the two teams who contested a
thrilling 2006 quarter final in Gelsenkirchen. Portugal reached the
semi-finals in Germany but after a poor qualifying campaign have seen
their odds drift from 18/1 to 25/1 to win the World Cup. Star man
Cristiano Ronaldo hasn’t scored a competitive goal for his country since
2008 and is out to 18/1 to be the leading scorer in South Africa.

England have also seen their odds drift after problems with form and
injuries. The one-time 11/2 third favourites have been gradually drifting
in the betting and are now 8/1 to reclaim the trophy they last won in
1966.

Paddy Power, a leader in World Cup betting, added, “Whilst there has
been some patriotic money on the Three Lions, as the tournament draws
nearer more and more people are looking elsewhere for the eventual
winners. Spain, Brazil, Argentina and Holland are now looking like the
favourites – although that could all change if England get off to a
flying start in South Africa.”

About Paddy Power

Paddy Power is Ireland’s biggest and most successful bookmaker.

Founded in 1988 by the merger of three existing Irish high street
bookmakers, Paddy Power takes an unconventional approach to betting and
gaming believing them to be firmly rooted in the leisure and
entertainment space.

As such its mission is to make ‘risk-based entertainment’ more accessible
and fun. It offers customers an unparalleled betting experience that is
great value; great fun and has the best service.

Through this strategy the company has developed a strong reputation as
“The Punter Friendly Bookmaker” and has become renowned for its
unique “Money Back Specials”.

Contacts:
Paddy Power
Carole Paul
0751-6490734
partners@paddypower.com

Copyright 2010, Market Wire, All rights reserved.

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Relieved Ghana coach reports no further casualties

June 6, 2010 By Leave a Comment

A relieved Milovan Rajevac reported a clean bill of health for his Ghana World Cup squad after concluding preparations in Britain at the weekend.

Ghana beat Latvia 1-0 in Milton Keynes on Saturday in the last of their pre-tournament warm-up games.

“For us the most important thing was that no player got injured,” the coach said. “So after (the) match, everything is OK,” he told the Ghana Football Association website.

The Africans suffered a major setback last week with the withdrawal through injury of Michael Essien who had failed to recover from a knee injury.

Another key midfielder, Sulley Muntari missed the match against Latvia because of a thigh strain but is expected to play in the opening Group D match against Serbia next week.

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Vettel, Webber clear the air following ‘disaster’ Turkish GP crash

June 4, 2010 By Leave a Comment

London, June 4(ANI): Red Bull Formula One racing drivers Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber have had clear-the-air talks following Sunday’s Turkish Grand Prix ‘disaster’ collision.

The pair met with team bosses at their headquarters in Milton Keynes, and Vettel made the statement that both drivers are happy to continue to work together, The Sun reports.

The crash, a reprise of a collision between the two in Japan three years ago, came on the 40th lap when Vettel attempted to overtake Webber on the inside and then turned right into him.

Vettel spun out of the race, while Webber went on to take third place behind the McLaren pair of Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button.

Red Bull principal Christian Horner said the crash, which robbed them of a one-two finish, was simply an “unnecessary” racing accident, and added that all factions of the team believed both drivers were equally guilty of not giving each other enough room.

“Ultimately we win as a team and we lose as a team and on Sunday we lost as a team, as a result of our two drivers having an incident. Having looked at all the information it”s clear that it was a racing accident that shouldn”t have happened between two team-mates,” Horner said. (ANI)

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Meet Britain”s unluckiest motorist

April 24, 2010 By Leave a Comment

London, April 24 (ANI): A British man has claimed that he is Britain”s unluckiest motorist after going through five car crashes, three hit-and-runs and also being struck by a bus while cycling.

John Child, 45, a mechanical design engineer from Milton Keynes, Bucks, who has even been mowed down on a zebra crossing, is scared to leave his home.

He revealed he has been in ten accidents in the last ten years, and in every case he has had to fight to clear his name after being accused of being at fault.

Child has suffered from whiplash, severe bruising all over his body and even a torn shoulder ligament, and he has also had to fork out for more than 4,500 pounds for repairs to his cars and bike.

“I”ve seen my doctors so many times now after crashes I”ve told them I”m allergic to cars,” the Sun quoted him as saying.

And to add to his woes, the out-of-luck engineer was made redundant from his job at Jaguar in Warwickshire last year.

His catalogue of disasters began on January 24, 1999, when a woman pulled out and drove into the passenger side of his VW Golf as he drove across a roundabout.

“I have been driving since I was 18 for 28 safe years and I have never caused a collision,” he said.

“I used to cycle 25 miles in the evening after work to clear my head, but I”ve given that up now. It”s just not safe to cycle on the roads anymore.

“I still can”t work out why this keeps happening to me,” he said.

Colour-blind Child has managed to clear his name in nine out of the ten disputes but is still fighting a legal battle from an incident in March last year.

His luck may finally be changing though, as he was recently offered his old job back and will return to Jaguar later this year.

“It”s great news getting my job back. I hope this means my luck is turning,” he said.

Adding: “After everything that”s happened to me, I”m lucky to be alive.” (ANI)

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Meet the Brit woman who hasn’t ‘eaten in three years’

June 27, 2009 By Leave a Comment

London, June 25 (ANI): A Brit woman has survived three years without eating a single morsel of food.rudy Sharp, 43, is suffering from digestive problems and the only thing she can consume is three cups of tea every day.

Sharp, a housewife manages to live on a liquid food being fed directly into her system at meal times.It’s not easy watching everyone else eat, while I have to get by on tea. I’d love to sit down to a really romantic three-course meal with all the trimmings and lots of wine,” the Telegraph quoted Sharp as saying.

She added: “But over the years I’ve learnt to make do with a simple cuppa. No one knows tea better than I do!”

Sharp, who is a resident of Milton Keynes, Bucks, first developed intestinal difficulties when her appendix burst as a teenager.

The problem continued all through her adulthood and reached a critical point in 2006 when doctors suggested to go under colectomy – the removal of her large and small bowel.

Ever since she has been diagnosed, she has been forced to eat liquid meals fed via a tube inserted into her neck.

Sharp, who lives with her husband Barry, 44, is also limited to drinking three cups of tea per day. A fourth cup may overload and damage her system.

And now, she is at the top of a transplant waiting list at Churchill Hospital in Oxford.

“Every day I count my blessings that I am still here. But to be honest, a life without eating food is not much of a life. I dream that one day soon a donor will be found and I will be able to lead a normal life at last,” she said. (ANI)

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Ex-India wicketkeeper Engineer to help Cricket Espana catch the spirit

April 24, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Dubai, Apr.23 (ANI): Former India wicketkeeper Farokh Engineer will help Cricket Espana and Madrid Cricket Club catch the spirit during ICC centenary year celebrations from April 25 to 27.

The man who played 46 Tests for his country between 1961 and 1975 will run three one-hour coaching sessions over the three days. These sessions will coincide with the Madrid Cricket Club hosting its second Solidarity Twenty20 Tournament at La Manga Club, Murcia in southern Spain.

Eight teams from Spain (Madrid Cricket Club, La Manga Cricket Club, Mojacar Cricket Club), the United Kingdom (Bank of England Cricket Club, Belsize Cricket Club, Milton Keynes Cricket Club) and the Netherlands (Amsterdam Cricket Club and The Hague Cricket Club) will be taking part.

Proceeds from the tournament will be donated to the Vicente Ferrer Foundation, a Spanish non-governmental organisation working to improve the lives of the people of Anantapur, India. The foundation also plans to set up a cricket academy for more than 1,200 children with disabilities.

And proceeds from Farokh’s coaching sessions, which start at around 11 a.m. each day and cost €20, will go towards his charity for homeless children in Mumbai and the tournament fund-raising effort.

The Catch the Spirit celebrations are aimed at promoting the ICC’s centenary, the great spirit of cricket and the wide appeal and diversity of the game. While the ICC’s Full Members including Australia, Bangladesh, the West Indies, South Africa, Pakistan and New Zealand have already celebrated their weeks, the spotlight will shine on Spain to showcase the spirit of the game and the collective commitment and values which are central to the sport.

The Catch the Spirit flag, an indicator of the ICC’s centenary year, will also be present at the tournament.

The Catch the Spirit celebrations will continue across the continent during the European summer. The events due to take place shortly include the Italian under-19 Championship from 1 to 3 May, women’s eight-a-side international tournament in Munich, Germany from May 2 to 3, the inaugural under-13 national training camp in Finland from 10 to 14 July, the Limerick World Cup in Ireland from July 12 to 24 and the Maccabiah Games in Israel from July 12 to 24.

Cricket España Chairman Phil Beal said: “I’m really pleased that Cricket España is playing its part in celebrating the ICC’s centenary and demonstrate the spirit of cricket in Spain.” (ANI)

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Ex-India wicketkeeper Engineer to help Cricket Espana catch the spirit

April 23, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Dubai, Apr.23 (ANI): Former India wicketkeeper Farokh Engineer will help Cricket Espana and Madrid Cricket Club catch the spirit during ICC centenary year celebrations from April 25 to 27.

The man who played 46 Tests for his country between 1961 and 1975 will run three one-hour coaching sessions over the three days. These sessions will coincide with the Madrid Cricket Club hosting its second Solidarity Twenty20 Tournament at La Manga Club, Murcia in southern Spain.

Eight teams from Spain (Madrid Cricket Club, La Manga Cricket Club, Mojacar Cricket Club), the United Kingdom (Bank of England Cricket Club, Belsize Cricket Club, Milton Keynes Cricket Club) and the Netherlands (Amsterdam Cricket Club and The Hague Cricket Club) will be taking part.

Proceeds from the tournament will be donated to the Vicente Ferrer Foundation, a Spanish non-governmental organisation working to improve the lives of the people of Anantapur, India. The foundation also plans to set up a cricket academy for more than 1,200 children with disabilities.

And proceeds from Farokh’s coaching sessions, which start at around 11 a.m. each day and cost €20, will go towards his charity for homeless children in Mumbai and the tournament fund-raising effort.

The Catch the Spirit celebrations are aimed at promoting the ICC’s centenary, the great spirit of cricket and the wide appeal and diversity of the game. While the ICC’s Full Members including Australia, Bangladesh, the West Indies, South Africa, Pakistan and New Zealand have already celebrated their weeks, the spotlight will shine on Spain to showcase the spirit of the game and the collective commitment and values which are central to the sport.

The Catch the Spirit flag, an indicator of the ICC’s centenary year, will also be present at the tournament.

The Catch the Spirit celebrations will continue across the continent during the European summer. The events due to take place shortly include the Italian under-19 Championship from 1 to 3 May, women’s eight-a-side international tournament in Munich, Germany from May 2 to 3, the inaugural under-13 national training camp in Finland from 10 to 14 July, the Limerick World Cup in Ireland from July 12 to 24 and the Maccabiah Games in Israel from July 12 to 24.

Cricket España Chairman Phil Beal said: “I’m really pleased that Cricket España is playing its part in celebrating the ICC’s centenary and demonstrate the spirit of cricket in Spain.” (ANI)

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Most Earthlike planet yet found may have water and life

April 22, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Washington, April 22 (ANI): In a new research, an astronomer has suggested that the most Earthlike planet yet found has conditions right for liquid water, and life as we know it.

According to a report in National Geographic News, the planet, known as Gliese 581d, has a lot more in common with Earth than astronomers first thought.

“New measurements of the planet’s orbit place it firmly in a region where conditions would be right for liquid water, and thus life as we know it,” said astronomer Michel Mayor, from Geneva University in Switzerland.

“It lies in the (life-supporting) habitable zone, and it could have an ocean at its surface,” he added.

First discovered in 2007, Gliese 581d was originally calculated to be too far away from its host star-and therefore too cold-to support an ocean.

But Mayor and colleagues now show that the extrasolar planet, or exoplanet, orbits its host in 66.8 days, putting it just inside the cool star’s habitable zone.

Gliese 581, a red dwarf star in the constellation Libra, lies around 20.5 light-years from Earth.

“In astronomical terms, it is one of our near neighbors, the 87th closest known star system to the sun,” said Carole Haswell, an astronomer at the Open University in Milton Keynes, U.K.

Since planets orbiting Gliese 581 are too far away to be seen directly, Mayor and colleagues originally spotted Gliese 581d by searching for tiny wobbles in the host star’s motion using the European Southern Observatory (ESO) telescope at La Silla in Chile.

Weighing in at around seven Earth masses, Gliese 581d is unlikely to be made of rocks alone, according to the team.

“We can only speculate at this stage, but it may have a rocky core, encased in an icy layer, with a liquid ocean at the surface and an atmosphere,” Mayor said.

“It is very exciting that such a promising candidate for an Earthlike planet has been found so close to us. It means there are likely to be many more when we search further,” said Norton’s colleague Haswell.

And the more Earthlike planets there are, the greater the chance of discovering one that harbors life.

“I think it is only a matter of time,” Norton said. “If life really does exist elsewhere in the universe, then within the next 10 to 15 years I expect we may see the first signs of life, via spectroscopic signals from exoplanets,” he added. (ANI)

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Brit men’s feet are growing bigger by the day

April 10, 2009 By Leave a Comment

London, Apr 10 (ANI): Men in UK are certainly walking ahead and that too with big shoes-new figures have revealed that British men’s feet are getting bigger and the average shoe size has grown by one in the last five years.

According to Debenhams-the UK departmental store-the average man’s shoe size in 2004 was eight, but now it is size nine.

The demand for size 12 shoes has soared, and for the first time gone ahead in requests for size sevens.

According to the figures, Men in Birmingham have the largest feet, followed by Liverpool, Belfast and Cardiff.

Statistics also suggest that the average shoe for women has apparently become broader and longer.

“For the first time, we’re considering stocking size 13 as a standard fitting across all of our ranges, and size 14 is a possibility too. Our largest shoe currently available is a size 12. In the past, these shoe sizes would have been available only on special order,” the Telegraph quoted a Debenhams spokesman as saying.

He added: “We think it is because people are growing taller. The trends tell us that clothing sizes are also getting bigger. Interestingly, women’s shoes are getting broader as well as longer, which would suggest that women are getting bigger in general.”

The top 10 cities by men’s shoe size are:

1. Birmingham. Liverpool. Belfast. Cardiff. London. Manchester. Aberdeen. Cambridge. Bristol0. Milton Keynes (ANI)

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Easter Weekend: Travel Chaos Underway

April 9, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Roads and ports are filling up with holidaymakers as around ten million Brits set off on their Easter breaks. Skip related content
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Major routes have already become congested, particularly on the M25 around Heathrow and on the Birmingham M6 toll road.

Heavy traffic has also hit the picturesque A303 through Wiltshire and the A66 in Cumbria.

With forecasters predicting temperatures could reach 19C (66F) in parts of southern England, travellers are keen to make the most of the bank holiday.

The RAC predicts that 33% more people intended to take short trips by road this year than last, and is expecting congestion on the M25, M1 and M6.

The AA said resorts such as Brighton and Bournemouth could be busy as well as historic cities such as Cambridge and Edinburgh.

More than 30 sets of roadworks are in place across the country whilst 51 have been suspended until the end of Easter Monday.

The Highways Agency, which is responsible for England’s motorways and major roads, said it had completed 37 sets of roadworks in time for Easter.

On the railways, passengers on a number of routes face service suspensions while a £55m programme of engineering work goes ahead.

P and O Ferries will carry 132,000 passengers on its Dover-Calais route from Good Friday to Easter Monday – an increase on the 98,000 figure last Easter.

A total of 200,000 passengers will travel with the Channel Tunnel high-speed Eurostar train company in the period from today until Easter Tuesday.

Those travelling by rail will have to contend with the closure of the West Coast Main Line between Milton Keynes in Buckinghamshire and Rugby in the West Midlands from Easter Saturday until 12 noon on Easter Monday.

Services in and out of London’s Liverpool Street and Waterloo stations will also be disrupted by engineering work, although 64,000 train services will run over the holiday period (today to Monday) which is around 5,000 more than last Easter.

The most popular destinations for Brits travelling abroad this Easter include Turkey, Egypt and Tunisia.

British Airways said its top long-haul destinations for the holiday period were New York, Los Angeles and Hong Kong.

Follow our live traffic updates from the Highways Agency and your reports.

Twitter Users: If you see anything on the road, please tweet a message with #eastertravel when you pull over. To follow our live travel updates please follow: skytravelupdate.

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Lost continent of Atlantis may have been found by Google Ocean

February 20, 2009 By Leave a Comment

London, Feb 20 (ANI): If rumors are to be believed, the lost city of Atlantis might have been found 620 miles off the west coast of Africa near the Canary Islands, with the help of Google Ocean, a 3D software.

Atlantis is believed to be an island civilization sunk by an earthquake and floods around 9,700BC – nearly 12,000 years ago.

Now, according to a report in The Sun, Google Ocean has captured an image showing a grid that features a rectangular perimeter of the seabed, a possible location for Atlantis.

This particular region, 620 miles off the west coast of Africa near the Canary Islands, is a location for the legendary continent seemingly suggested by the ancient philosopher Plato.

The “grid” showed up on Google Ocean, a Google Earth extension that uses a combination of satellite images and marine surveys.

Dr Charles Orser, curator of historical archaeology at New York State University – and one of the world’s leading authorities on Atlantis – called it “fascinating”.

“The site is one of the most prominent places for the proposed location of Atlantis, as described by Plato. Even if it turns out to be geographical, this definitely deserves a closer look,” he said.

Situated in an area called the Madeira Abyssal Plane, the grid was spotted by aeronautical engineer Bernie Bamford as he browsed through Google Ocean. ccording to Bernie, “It looks like an aerial map of Milton Keynes. It must be man-made.” (ANI)

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Water near Mars’ surface may be painting dark streaks on it every spring

February 15, 2009 By Leave a Comment

London, February 15 (ANI): Scientists believe that the dark streaks that appear on Mars’ polar dunes every spring may be caused by liquid water near the surface, a fillip for the hunt for life.

The dark streaks of sand a few metres wide slide downslope at about a metre a day.

“They show a branching pattern, so it seems like some liquid material is flowing,” New Scientist magazine quoted Akos Kereszturi, of the Collegium Budapest in Hungary, as saying.

Kereszturi is of the opinion that they appear when molecules in surface water ice are attracted to molecules in the minerals below.

Using computer models, his team has come to the conclusion that this melts an ultrathin layer, which lubricates grains within the dune so they flow downwards.

“That liquid water could exist near Mars’s surface at this moment is really interesting, especially for its impact on the search for life,” says Matt Balme of the UK’s Open University in Milton Keynes. (ANI)

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Brit jails to introduce bottom scanners to stop mobile phone smuggling

February 2, 2009 By Leave a Comment

London, Feb 02 (ANI): Brit jails are set to introduce bottom scanners in a bid to tackle a surge in mobile phone smuggling in prison.

The 6,500-pound chairs are being put in 102 jails across Britain in an attempt to stop prisoners smuggling mobile phones into jail.

The chairs, called Body Orifice Security Scanners (Boss), have three sensitive sensors, which can detect metal items as small as a pin.

Resembling an electric chair, they have a metal detector on the seat and audio and visual alarms are activated when metal is carried into the magnetic field.

Prisoners will have to sit on the chairs, which bleep if they have a phone hidden inside them.

They are then scanned in a non-intrusive manner and can also be used to detect drugs and weapons.

The procedure takes a few seconds.

Until now, two of the Boss devices have helped detect 21 mobile phones in just months at Woodhill prison, in Milton Keynes.

“This is a valuable tool towards identifying mobile phones,” the Telegraph quoted Prisons Minister David Hanson, as saying.

“We want to prevent mobile phones coming in, prevent contact with drug runners on the outside, prevent intimidation and prevent individuals running criminal activities from inside,” he added. (ANI)

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Dinosaurs might have died out rapidly

January 20, 2009 By Leave a Comment

London, January 20 (ANI): An analysis of fossils that were recently found in the Arctic suggests that the dinosaurs might have died out quickly, contrasting the idea that the massive reptiles declined slowly.

The study also suggests that the rapid extinction of dinosaurs might have resulted from an event like a massive meteor hitting Earth.

The finding contravenes the idea that dinosaurs were already declining by this time.

While geological evidence indicates that an impact occurred near the Yucatan Peninsula at the end of the Cretaceous 66 million years ago, it has still continued to be a matter of debate whether the event created an all-out apocalypse that wiped out the dinosaurs.

Even though many species died out, many others survived, including mammals and the small-feathered dinosaurs that were the ancestors of present-day birds.

Some palaeontologists are of the opinion that non-avian dinosaurs were in decline before the impact – perhaps as a result of major volcanic events or global cooling.

However, Pascal Godefroit and his colleagues at the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences insist that they have analysed fossils found in northeastern Russia, and found that dinosaurs were not in decline at all.

Reporting their study in Naturwissenschaften, the researchers say that no doubt dinosaur fossils have already been found in the Arctic, but the new find is unique because of its age.

Godefroit’s team have dated the beds at between 68 million and 65 million years old, just before the time of the extinction.

“We found that there is no indication that the biodiversity of dinosaurs decreased just before the (extinction) event,” Nature magazine quoted Godefroit as saying.

The researchers discovered that herbivorous, duck-billed hadrosaurs and velociraptor-like bipedal theropods seemed to be as common as they were in other parts of the planet at the time.

They even say that the presence of dinosaur eggshells found in polar regions also goes to show that the massive reptiles were residents rather than migrants.

However, palaeontologists are still proceeding with caution about the suggestion that the dinosaurs were not declining at the time.

“The presence of these dinosaurs is certainly concordant with the idea of a sudden extinction, but not incontrovertible evidence for it,” says Tom Rich of Museum Victoria in Melbourne, Australia.

Robert Spicer of the Open University’s Earth sciences department in Milton Keynes, UK, suggests that when the dinosaurs died out, the site might have lain along the edge of the Arctic Circle rather than deep within it.

“The weak link here is the palaeoposition of the site. With that said, such diversity even at this latitude suggests that dinosaurs were far more robust than we give them credit for. It makes me ask very serious questions about what could make animals that were resilient enough to live under these conditions suddenly go extinct,” he said.

Bill Clemens of the University of California, Berkeley, believes that attributing the extinction of dinosaurs to any one cause would not be right, for some other stuties have suggested that their decline involved a variety of factors ranging from the introduction of predators to disease and habitat loss.

“Ask what is endangering modern amphibians, the answer varies according to species. I think the same was probably true with the dinosaurs,” he said. (ANI)

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