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Open thread: The Olympics' opening ceremony: can London do it better?

Fri, 08 Aug 2008 13:00:00 -0500

Open thread: The opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics was pretty spectacular. But London could do better in 2012 – couldn't it?

Can the new rich buy respect? One Ukrainian oligarch is trying

Fri, 08 Aug 2008 12:14:27 -0500

The worldwide boom in commodities has created a growing number of billionaires who are hungry for art, access and, ultimately, acceptance.

RBS posts first-half loss on $11.4 billion in write-downs

Fri, 08 Aug 2008 12:14:27 -0500

The first-half loss of £761 million was the first for the Royal Bank of Scotland since it went public 40 years ago.

China strides onto Olympic stage (AP)

Fri, 08 Aug 2008 12:08:00 -0500

AP - Once-reclusive China commandeered the world stage Friday, celebrating its first-time role as Olympic host with a stunning display of pyrotechnics and pageantry topped by the unworldly sight of a flying gymnast, traversing the heights of the stadium to light the flame and begin the Summer Games.

UK bank posts huge half-year loss

Fri, 08 Aug 2008 11:24:59 -0500

Royal Bank of Scotland posts a pre-tax loss of £691m, the second-biggest loss in UK banking history.

Pietersen century puts England on top in SAfrica Test (AFP)

Fri, 08 Aug 2008 11:08:47 -0500

AFP - Kevin Pietersen hit a century in his first match as captain to put England in a powerful position on the second day of the fourth and final Test against South Africa at the Oval Friday.

Anti-China protests worldwide as Olympics begin (AP)

Fri, 08 Aug 2008 10:12:51 -0500

AP - An anti-China protester set himself on fire outside the Chinese Embassy in the Turkish capital and demonstrators raised the Tibetan flag Friday in defiance in London in protests worldwide timed to coincide with the start of the Beijing Olympics.

OECD sees slower economic growth

Fri, 08 Aug 2008 09:56:53 -0500

Paris-based group the OECD says economic slowdown lies ahead for the seven biggest economies in the world.

10-year-old bullfighter sparks debate in France (AP)

Fri, 08 Aug 2008 09:17:17 -0500

AP - He's a tiny torero, a bullfighter with a baby face.

Czech express train crash kills six (AFP)

Fri, 08 Aug 2008 06:33:22 -0500

AFP - An express train crashed into a collapsed road bridge in the Czech Republic on Friday killing at least six people and injuring 31, rescue services said.

Olympic protests held around the world

Fri, 08 Aug 2008 05:04:08 -0500

Demonstrations take place in cities including London, Hong Kong, Delhi and Kathmandu as opening ceremony begins

Jessica Reed: Empower immigrant women like Faiza Silmi, don't punish them

Fri, 08 Aug 2008 04:00:01 -0500

Jessica Reed: Denying people like Faiza Silmi citizenship isn't the way to keep France's cherished republican values alive

Teenage diver Daley takes Beijing in his stride (AFP)

Fri, 08 Aug 2008 03:23:26 -0500

AFP - Having his picture taken with tennis legend Rafael Nadal, being recognised around Beijing and sending postcards with his face on the stamp is not the usual summer holiday for a 14-year-old.

Britain's housing bust is bringing down the economy

Fri, 08 Aug 2008 02:17:19 -0500

A looming recession in Britain could be worse than in the United States because the Bank of England is constrained by rising inflation from fighting it.

RBS announces major losses for first half of year (AFP)

Fri, 08 Aug 2008 02:05:25 -0500

AFP - The Royal Bank of Scotland announced losses of 802 million pounds (one billion euros, 1.5 billion dollars) for the first half of the year Friday, one of the biggest in British banking history.

Sarkozy says he won't meet Dalai Lama in France

Fri, 08 Aug 2008 00:51:18 -0500

Carla Sarkozy will meet with the exiled Tibetan leader in southern France on Aug. 22. The French president would meet the Dalai Lama before the end of the year.

Suu Kyi's party hails 1988 uprising as 'turning point' in Myanmar (AFP)

Thu, 07 Aug 2008 23:09:36 -0500

AFP - Aung San Suu Kyi's party Friday hailed a 1988 pro-democracy uprising as a "turning point" in Myanmar's history, as activists silently mourned the movement that was violently crushed by the military.

Sarkozy says he won't meet Dalai Lama in France

Thu, 07 Aug 2008 22:48:35 -0500

Carla Sarkozy will meet with the exiled Tibetan leader in southern France on Aug. 22. The French president would meet the Dalai Lama before the end of the year.

Bush rebukes China on rights

Thu, 07 Aug 2008 21:45:13 -0500

US president urges Beijing to grant citizens greater freedom on eve of Olympics opening.

Karlsson shares lead in USPGA

Thu, 07 Aug 2008 20:21:32 -0500

Sweden's Robert Karlsson and India's Jeev Milkha Singh share a one-shot lead after the opening day of the USPGA at Oakland Hills.

Facebook and StudiVZ battle over Germany

Thu, 07 Aug 2008 20:20:51 -0500

Facebook, the American giant in social networking, tried to buy StudiVZ in an effort to crack the German market. After it was rebuffed, it sued, claiming StudiVZ had stolen its look.

Britain's housing bust is bringing down the economy, too

Thu, 07 Aug 2008 20:20:51 -0500

A looming recession in Britain could be worse than in the United States because the Bank of England is constrained by rising inflation from fighting it.

Milan friendly victory can lift Man City spirits (AFP)

Thu, 07 Aug 2008 19:56:36 -0500

AFP - Manchester City boss Mark Hughes will be looking to put speculation about the club's future behind him with a confidence-boosting friendly victory over AC Milan this weekend.

Australia v UK: the squabbles begin

Thu, 07 Aug 2008 18:02:49 -0500

Sports ministers from both nations enter into friendly wager over predictions for the medal tables

Defender Shorey joins Villa from Reading (AFP)

Thu, 07 Aug 2008 17:11:15 -0500

AFP - Nicky Shorey has moved to Aston Villa from Reading on a three-year contract to become Villa's fourth summer signing.

An open letter: Father to father

Thu, 07 Aug 2008 16:15:37 -0500

Dear Hisam, father of Ahmed, may he rest in peace: I learned of the death of your son, Ahmed Musa, through a one-sentence newsflash on the Palestinian news station Ma'an last Tuesday: "Ahmed Musa, a young boy, was killed by a bullet of the occupying forces in Nil'in." I was immediately overcome with shock and grief and bitter tears. And above all, that relentless feeling of powerlessness that I know too well.

Bowlers on target for Pietersen's England (AFP)

Thu, 07 Aug 2008 14:13:34 -0500

AFP - England's bowlers made it a good first day in charge for new captain Kevin Pietersen when South Africa were bowled out for 194 on the first day of the fourth and final Test at the Oval Thursday.

Andrew Wallis: France must answer for its actions in Rwanda

Thu, 07 Aug 2008 13:00:00 -0500

Andrew Wallis A report into its role in the 1994 genocide has been branded 'unacceptable'. Is there one rule for the west, another for the rest?

'Great Escape' veteran Eric Dowling dies at 92 (AP)

Thu, 07 Aug 2008 12:50:46 -0500

AP - Eric Dowling, who helped plan the mass wartime breakout from a German prison camp that inspired the movie "The Great Escape," has died at 92.

Council owns up to destroying part of pa reserve

Thu, 07 Aug 2008 12:00:00 -0500

Whakatane District Council has been fined $7500 after it pleaded guilty to unlawfully destroying part of the Puketapu Pa scenic reserve. But that's cold comfort for the New Zealand Historic Places Trust, which says the council's...

Kidnapping arrests

Thu, 07 Aug 2008 12:00:00 -0500

Two men will appear in the Manukau District Court this morning charged over the aggravated robbery and kidnapping of a 17-year-old Vietnamese student as he stepped off a bus in Mangere about 8pm on Tuesday. Police said an 18-year-old...

Carla, not Nicolas, Sarkozy to meet Dalai Lama

Thu, 07 Aug 2008 11:55:37 -0500

Carla Sarkozy will meet with the exiled Tibetan leader in southern France on Aug. 22. The French president would meet the Dalai Lama before the end of the year.

ECB leaves rates on hold at 4.25%

Thu, 07 Aug 2008 11:03:20 -0500

The Bank of England also left its key rate unchanged at 5 percent, as it seeks to balance keeping inflation under control while mitigating the effects of a sharp slowdown.

New research says 136 died at Berlin Wall (AP)

Thu, 07 Aug 2008 10:16:22 -0500

AP - New research released Thursday before the anniversary of the Berlin Wall's construction start date said 136 people lost their lives at the Cold War barrier that once divided the city a small increase over previous estimates.

Humphries holds forth on art and the legacy of a dear friend

Thu, 07 Aug 2008 09:00:01 -0500

Barry Humphries, razor-sharp and resplendent, has delivered an arch, long-distance rebuke to Prime Minister Kevin Rudd over his role in the artistic fracas over photographer Bill Henson's images.