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&cat=19&pid=3860&cache=true " alt="River Cafe’s Rose Gray dies at 71" class="alignleft" />
Rose Gray, co-founder of the River Cafe restaurant, has died at the age of 71 after a long battle with cancer. The chef and cookery writer set up the London restaurant with Ruth Rogers in 1987, earning a Michelin star in 1998. The pair were credited with influencing the likes of Jamie Oliver and Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, who both worked at the River Cafe. Paying tribute, Oliver said: “She really was one of life’s very very special, natural, genius chefs.” Both Mrs Gray and Lady Rogers were appointed MBEs in the most recent New Year Honours for services to the hospitality industry. ‘Funny times’ Italian food restaurant River Cafe is situated on the River Thames at Hammersmith. Mrs Gray and Lady Rogers, whose husband is the architect Lord (Richard) Rogers, followed the River Cafe’s success with cookery books and a spin-off Channel 4 TV series The Italian Kitchen. Oliver worked at the restaurant for three years as a sous chef and while there he was discovered by a BBC documentary team. This led to his own TV series, The Naked Chef, and he has gone on to become one of Britain’s best known chefs. He said he was “so saddened” by the death of Mrs Gray, who he described as a “pioneer”. “It was my honour to have worked with her – a really great boss, a wonderful person who gave me some of my fondest cooking memories and great funny times,” he said. “Without question the world has lost one of the most important chefs of our times, she will be sorely missed.” Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, famous for his River Cottage books and television programmes, spent a brief period as a sous chef at the River Cafe.
February 28, 2010 | Posted in
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&cat=19&pid=3862&cache=true " alt="Karadzic to open defence at trial" class="alignleft" />
Former Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic is due to begin outlining his defence as his genocide trial at The Hague resumes. The trial has been adjourned since November after the tribunal appointed a lawyer to represent Mr Karadzic. He has been conducting his own defence and boycotted the start of the trial in October, claiming he needed more time. He insists he is innocent of all 11 charges from the 1992-95 Bosnian war, but has refused to enter formal pleas. The International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) entered a “not guilty” plea for him, but Mr Karadzic has refused to attend court sessions. On Monday he is expected to begin a two-day opening statement before prosecutors present their first witness on Wednesday. THE CHARGES Eleven counts of genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity and other atrocities Charged over shelling of Sarajevo during the city’s siege, in which some 12,000 civilians died Allegedly organised the massacre of up to 8,000 Bosniak men and youths in Srebrenica Targeted Bosniak and Croat political leaders, intellectuals and professionals Unlawfully deported and transferred civilians because of national or religious identity Destroyed homes, businesses and sacred sites Delays and prevarications at trial Mr Karadzic, 64, faces two charges of genocide – including the killing in Srebrenica of more than 7,000 men and boys – as well as nine other counts including murder, extermination, persecution and forced deportation. Prosecutors say he orchestrated a campaign of “ethnic cleansing” against Muslims and Croats in eastern Bosnia to create an ethnically pure Serbian state. In his opening statement last October, prosecutor Alan Tieger said Mr Karadzic “harnessed the forces of nationalism, hatred and fear to pursue his vision of an ethnically segregated Bosnia”. Mr Karadzic was arrested in Belgrade in 2008 after nearly 13 years on the run. During his time in power, he was president of the self-styled Bosnian Serb republic and commander of its army during the Bosnian conflict which left more than 100,000 people dead.
February 28, 2010 | Posted in
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&cat=19&pid=3865&cache=true " alt="Zimbabwe stun Windies in Twenty20" class="alignleft" />
Twenty20 international, Port of Spain: Zimbabwe 105 all out (19.5 overs) bt West Indies 79-7 (20 ovs) by 26 runs Match scorecard Zimbabwe recovered from a disastrous start to pull off a remarkable win over the West Indies in their Twenty20 international in Port of Spain. The visitors could not have made a worst start to their innings as they slumped to 0-3 but Hamilton Masakadza hit 44 to help them to 105 all out. Zimbabwe then bowled 18 overs of stifling spin to leave the home side no hope of getting close to their target. They were left needing 33 off the final over and fell 26 runs short on 79-7. The match was the first ever Twenty20 meeting between the teams, and was important for Zimbabwe as another step on their hoped-for return to Test status – but even they would not have expected quite such a remarkable match. 606: DEBATE ” It appears that the WIndies are very much a spent force & if they don’t start turning the tide soon they will become nothing more than the laughing stock of international cricket ” cbowen1988 The West Indies looked well in control as Zimbabwe got off to a disastrous start and Darren Sammy (5-26) and Sulieman Benn (4-6) produced the third and fourth best bowling figures in Twenty20 history. Benn bowled Vusi Sibanda with the first ball of the match, then claimed Tatenda Taibu lbw and had Stuart Matsikenyeri caught behind in his second over. Brendan Taylor became the fourth duck of the innings before Masakadza and Greg Lamb put on 40 for the fifth wicket. Sammy claimed both their wickets, Lamb for 11 and Masakadza for 44, before removing Chigumbura, Shingirai Masakadza and Prosper Utseya. Ravi Rampaul claimed the one wicket not taken by Sammy or Benn, bowling Graeme Cremer for two. Masakadza saved Zimbabwe’s innings from complete collapse and Elton Chigumbura’s late knock of 34 from 19 balls gave them some hope, but a West Indies’ victory seemed likely as they made a steady if not inspiring start. Openers Adrian Barath and Shivnarine Chanderpaul did not seem troubled as they scored 21 off the opening six overs, but once Barath was out for eight, the rot set in. Cremer (3-11) and Lamb (2-14) did much of the damage, with their spin strangling the West Indies middle order. Chanderpaul did his best to keep the innings going, but once he was out for 20, the writing was on the wall, and not even Dinesh Ramdin’s 23 could save the West Indies from a shock defeat.
February 28, 2010 | Posted in
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&cat=19&pid=3858&cache=true " alt="Dutch gays in communion protest" class="alignleft" />
Hundreds of activists in the Netherlands have walked out of a Sunday Mass in protest at the Roman Catholic policy of denying gay people communion. On this occasion, the church, in Hertogenbosch, had already decided not to serve communion, so the protesters left, shouting and singing. The dispute began earlier this month when a priest in a nearby town refused communion to an openly gay man. The Netherlands was the first country to introduce gay marriage in 2001. Most Dutch people support gay rights, but the Roman Catholic Church teaches that homosexual activity is sinful. This dispute began during Dutch carnival celebrations earlier in February, when the man chosen to be carnival prince in nearby Reusel was refused communion because of his open homosexuality. The refusal offended many in the local community. The Sint-Jan church in the town of Hertogenbosch, also known as Den Bosch, was prepared for the protest and so decided not to give out Holy Communion during Sunday Mass. Several hundred demonstrators, dressed in pink wigs and clothes, left the church in protest. The man at the centre of the row has said he just wants equal treatment – if he is regarded as a sinner, he wants the priest to refuse communion to all other sinners too.
February 28, 2010 | Posted in
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Matthew Pinsent on Vancouver’s highs and lows
February 28, 2010 | Posted in
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&cat=19&pid=3897&cache=true " alt="Trying patience" class="alignleft" />
By Dominic Hughes Europe reporter, BBC News Perhaps not surprisingly Radovan Karadzic has been a reluctant participant in this trial. The former leader of the Bosnian Serbs has appeared just a few times, regularly boycotting the process. But at his most recent appearance last November he complained bitterly about the workload he faced. Conducting his own defence, Mr Karadzic said he had had to deal with more than a million pages of legal documents sent to him by the prosecution. He demanded more time to prepare his case – a request the judges agreed to. But prosecutors believe he is adopting the tactics of his old mentor Slobodan Milosevic, who managed to string his trial out for four years. In the end, of course, Milosevic was found dead in his cell in March 2006. His campaign of delay and postponement frustrated prosecutors and undermined the credibility of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY). Speeding up hearings As well as conducting his own defence and then complaining he has not had the resources to prepare, Mr Karadzic refused to enter a plea to the charges he faced – the court entered a “not guilty” one for him. He has refused to attend sessions. But prosecutors want the court to get tough. They have called on the judges to force Mr Karadzic to attend, even if that means bringing him to the court room in handcuffs. It seems a battle for control of the trial is under way, with Mr Karadzic in one corner, prosecutors in the other. Mr Karadzic faces some of the most serious charges the ICTY has heard – not least genocide, particularly the killing in Srebrenica of more than 7,000 men and boys. Other alleged crimes include his alleged role in the siege of Sarajevo, persecution, deportation, crimes of terror and the taking of hostages. It is a grim charge sheet that includes the deliberate targeting of civilians including women and children, the “ethnic cleansing” of thousands of Bosnian Muslims from areas under the control of Bosnian Serb forces, murder, extermination, rape and torture. Prosecutors have recently narrowed down the range of charges and specific instances in an effort to speed up the process. Frustration Mr Karadzic spent years on the run. He was eventually tracked down in July 2008 – working in Belgrade as an alternative therapist and living under the assumed name of Dragan Dabic. His disguise was no more than a long, flowing white beard and a sort of New Age ponytail topknot. The beard and unkempt hair have gone and he is once again the familiar figure who led the Bosnian Serbs through the long years of war. But just because Mr Karadzic is now on trial at the ICTY, that has not meant an end to the frustration felt by the families of those who died in the Bosnian war. They want to see justice done. Mr Karadzic is meant to begin a two-day defence statement this week. But delays and prevarication, boycotts and legal challenges are the weapons being used by him. He is in no hurry to see this legal process move forward.
February 28, 2010 | Posted in
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&cat=19&pid=3852&cache=true " alt="Rooney a doubt for Egypt friendly" class="alignleft" />
Carling Cup hero Wayne Rooney is a doubt for England’s friendly against Egypt at Wembley on Wednesday, according to Sir Alex Ferguson. The Manchester United boss said Rooney was suffering from discomfort in his knee after the win over Aston Villa. “He got a whack right away,” Ferguson said. “He has been complaining about that for a few weeks and I thought we might have to take him off. “The doctors are assessing it. I don’t know what England are going to do.” Rooney, 24, came off the substitute’s bench to score his 28th goal of the season in United’s 2-1 victory at Wembley and was allowed to join up with the rest of the England squad on Sunday evening where he will be assessed by a medical team. A decision on whether England manager Fabio Capello will have his talisman striker available for Wednesday’s game against the African Nations Cup winners is expected on Monday or Tuesday. Rooney revealed he knew on Wednesday that he would not start the final but said it was not because of the knee problem. 606: DEBATE ” After all the optimism of a decent World Cup run this year, its looking a bit shaky ” h2k8 “I had a little bit of a stomach bug and the manager was looking for an excuse to leave me out,” the forward said. “When he found out about that it made his mind up. I was still disappointed but it was the correct decision by the manager.” Rooney’s Manchester United team-mate Rio Ferdinand confirmed he would not be heading to the England camp in Watford. Instead, he will have further treatment on his back injury in the hope of being fit for Manchester United’s Premier League trip to Wolves on Saturday.
February 28, 2010 | Posted in
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&cat=19&pid=3854&cache=true " alt="Benitez mocks Blackburn’s style" class="alignleft" />
Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez sarcastically compared Blackburn’s style to Barcelona after his team defeated Rovers 2-1 on Sunday. Benitez saw his team win a physical encounter and then stoked up his feud with Rovers boss Sam Allardyce. “I think it is a model for all the managers around the world, their style of football, his behaviour,” he said of Rovers tactics and their manager. “The style of football, I think, Barcelona are thinking of copying.” Benitez suffered his first defeat in the Premier League in a match against a Bolton side managed by Allardyce in 2004. Former Reds defender Sami Hyppia suffered a broken nose early in that contest and the relationship between the two managers has been fractious ever since. ” We try to do our talking on the pitch ” Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez Allardyce accused Benitez of showing a lack of respect after a gesture during Liverpool’s 4-0 win against Rovers last season. And the Blackburn boss said in the build-up to Sunday’s game that Liverpool had been reduced to a team scrapping for points as the battle to finish fourth in the Premier League hots up. Asked about Allardyce’s comments, Benitez added: “It doesn’t matter – we won. “We try to do our talking on the pitch. If they are pleased with the way they play under this manager it is their decision. “They have a style and they are a team that plays this way under this manager. “Some people have to talk before the press conference or after because it is more difficult for them to do a football job.” Benitez was unhappy with the physical approach of Blackburn on Sunday. Steven Nzonzi was yellow carded after pushing Lucas in the face at Anfield and Benitez clearly thought the Blackburn player should have been sent off. “See the replay of the incident, it was very clear,” added the Reds boss. “We have had four of five players with problems, bleeding, and Maxi with stud (marks) in his abdomen. Interesting – but we won.” ” Unfortunately when we come to places like Anfield they are very good at swaying things their way ” Blackburn boss Sam Allardyce Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres scored as Liverpool won for the first time in three attempts in the Premier League. But it was a match that occasionally threatened to boil over, with Gerrard and El-Hadji Diouf exchanging angry words before half-time and the duo had to be separated as they walked off at the interval. “It is an unfortunate reflection on our performance that we had about 25 fouls and five cards against us,” added Allardyce. “But unfortunately when we come to places like this they are very good at swaying things their way.” And Allardyce mounted a stern defence of his pre-match comments about Liverpool. “It was only because Liverpool have a go at me and because I am entitled to respond when I get criticised by Rafa Benitez,” said the Rovers boss. “If you don’t understand that over the last few years you must be deluded. “Not this time but many other times I have been criticised personally by the manager – all I said was they got six bookings at Manchester City away so they are digging games out now rather than the flowing football they played last year.” Liverpool goalkeeper Pepe Reina sustained a shoulder injury after the break challenging for the ball but was able to carry on. “We knew it would be a tough game and nothing surprised us,” he said. 606: DEBATE ” An unconvincing Liverpool display that keeps them in touch with Spurs and Man City ” RKW – Bred Pole “They play that way and to be honest I felt a little under-protected, but the most important thing was that we won.” The win lifted Liverpool to within one point of Tottenham as they continue the battle for fourth spot – and saw Torres start a game for the first time since 13 January. “We know it will be tough until the end but we have to keep going,” added Benitez. “But it is always important to have players back and feeling fresh.” Rovers have won once away from home in the Premier League this season – and Allardyce pointed to a lack of composure in front of goal when explaining his team’s failure to take something from Anfield. “Our problem is that we did not have a goalscorer to finish off our good work and chances,” he said. “If we did we would have had a draw at least. “That has been our downfall away from home all season. It was disappointing we did not convert at least one of our openings before Gerrard opened the scoring. “In the second half we again did more than them but our failure in front of goal cost us.”
February 28, 2010 | Posted in
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&cat=19&pid=3917&cache=true " alt="Waterfield wins grand prix silver" class="alignleft" />
Britain’s Peter Waterfield beat Olympic champion Matt Mitcham twice to win silver in the 10m individual at the Fina Grand Prix in Rostock, Germany. Athens Olympic silver medallist Waterfield beat Aussie Mitcham in the semi-final and the final, when he also topped German star Sascha Klein. “I am pleased that after my injuries I am getting back to my best,” said Waterfield, who scored 510.20. Gold went to China’s Liang Huo with 564.50 points and bronze to Aisen Chen. Southampton-based Waterfield has taken time to recover from shoulder surgery, although he finished fourth on the springboard at the World Championships last August. The individual event was one of three in Rostock for Waterfield, who also finished fifth in the 10m synchro, with partner Max Brick and 12th in the 3m synchro with Chris Mears. Team-mate Helen Galashan impressed by finishing in sixth place in the women’s 10m individual.
February 28, 2010 | Posted in
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&cat=19&pid=3844&cache=true " alt="Tory triumph?" class="alignleft" />
By Ross Hawkins BBC political correspondent Conservative activists waited for over half an hour in a long snaking queue for the chance to hear their leader speak at their spring conference. It was little surprise they came away happy. David Cameron spoke without notes, without losing his way, and he sent them from the hall with the words: “Let’s get out there and win it for Britain!” With that, and Bryan Ferry’s “Let’s Stick Together” ringing in their ears, they headed off to their constituencies to prepare for the general election. But the Conservative leader had warned, as well as roused, his supporters. The coming campaign would prove a “real fight”, he said. ” The prospect of ‘another five years’ of Gordon Brown has become a key part of the party’s message ” In the bars and restaurants the chatter centred on the party’s declining lead in the polls. Several showed it had slipped into single figures. One suggested it stood at just two points. Tory strategists were making the most of it. The prospect of “another five years” of Gordon Brown has become a key part of the party’s message, repeated by most of their spokesmen in most of their interviews. Shadow defence secretary Liam Fox even conjured the image of Gordon Brown on the steps of Number 10 preparing for a fresh term. The party thinks that prospect will persuade people to vote Conservative. The tighter the polls, the more realistic it sounds. But they would happily sacrifice that for a chunky double-digit advantage over Labour. For a while no one will know whether David Cameron’s speech gets them any closer to securing a bigger lead. What matters is not the enthusiasm of party members who will endure a long queue for a political speech, but the voters who may see nothing more of it than a brief clip on the evening news. The next round of polls will give an indication of their thoughts. It will take the general election itself to secure a final verdict.
February 28, 2010 | Posted in
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