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England midfielder David Beckham was involved in another confrontation with a fan during Los Angeles Galaxy's match on Saturday. Beckham, 34, exchanged words with a man in an England shirt during the Galaxy's 1-1 draw with the Kansas City Wizards. Beckham, who was fined following a clash with a fan last week, claimed the spectator insulted his wife Victoria. "He shouldn't actually be wearing that shirt because what he was saying about my wife was a disgrace," he said. The former England captain was fined $1,000 (£600) by Major League Soccer last Friday following a confrontation with fans during a recent friendly against AC Milan. Beckham, who missed part of the Major League Soccer season earlier this year when he joined the Italian giants on loan, was booed by a section of the home crowd during the game. At half-time, he approached one group of fans and appeared to challenge them to meet him on the pitch. Security staff intervened, and police arrested a fan who le

WASHINGTON: Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman said Thursday he would work with the Chinese government to shore up the global economy and to persuade the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) to abandon its nuclear weapons effort if he is confirmed as ambassador to China. 　　 US President Barack Obama chats with Utah Governor Jon Huntsman, whom he nominated as the next US ambassador to China, at the White House in May. [Agencies] Huntsman also promised the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to pursue human rights issues and to encourage China to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. He said he was encouraged by the recent relaxation in tensions between the Chinese mainland and Taiwan. Huntsman indicated he intends to emphasis the opportunities for trade in emissions control and renewable energy technologies in his talks with Chinese officials on global warming. "I know what a market opportunity this is going to be for us," Huntsman said. He noted the US and China together account fo

Related Video Stage 20 recap Stage 20 recap Stage 21 preview More Cycling Videos PARIS (AP)—Alberto Contador won the Tour de France for a second time Wednesday, and Lance Armstrong capped his return to the race with an impressive third-place finish. Mark Cavendish of Britain collected his sixth stage win of this year’s Tour in a sprint after the 101.9-mile course ride from Montereau-Fault-Yonne to the Champs-Elysees. Over nearly 3,500 kilometers and 21 stages of races over three weeks, Contador repelled many challenges in the mountains, excelled in the two time-trials—winning a pivotal race against the clock in the 18th stage—and won the first Alpine stage. Contador, the 2007 champion, also had to battle a rearguard action within his Astana team, where the comeback of Armstrong to the Tour after 3 1/2 years of retirement raised questions about who would be the team leader. Contador began the Tour on July 4 as the pre-race favorite. At only 26 years old, the Spaniard is already one of

A rare whale was discovered wedged on to the bow of a cruise ship when it docked in a Canadian port. The 70ft fin whale, a threatened species in Canada, was found when the Sapphire Princess docked at the Port of Vancouver, the cruise company said. It said it had "strict whale avoidance" measures and it was unclear where, when or how the whale became stuck. Tourists looked on as the dead whale was examined by fisheries department staff. The cruise ship had arrived from Alaska about 0630 local time on Saturday. "We are not aware that any whales were sighted as the ship sailed through the Inside Passage to Vancouver," Princess Cruises said. The whale was on top of the bulbous bow, the part of the bow that goes through the water, Princess Cruises said. Captain unaware Its whale avoidance measures include altering course and reducing speed if whales are spotted nearby. The captain was unaware of the whale's presence until the ship docked, said a spokeswoman from the

Thousands of Chinese steel workers rioted at news of a takeover deal, beating one manager to death, a Hong Kong human rights group has said. About 100 people were hurt in violence in the north-eastern city of Tonghua after workers heard that Jianlong Steel would buy a majority share. They were reportedly frustrated at financial problems during Jianlong Steel's temporary control last year. Jianlong general manager Chen Guojun was beaten to death, the group said. The Information Centre for Human Rights and Democracy said 30,000 steel workers clashed with riot police on Friday in the north-east province of Jilin. The centre reported that Mr Chen was paid about three million yuan ($440,000) last year, while Tonghua's retired workers received as little as 200 yuan a month. The South China Morning Post quoted a police officer as saying the workers would not allow emergency medical staff to enter the building to help Mr Chen. The Tonghua workers also reportedly blocked highways and sm

A radical cleric who brokered a failed peace deal in Pakistan's Swat valley has been arrested, officials say. Sufi Mohammad was held in Peshawar in the north-west after being warned not to hold meetings there, officials said. Provincial information minister Iftikhar Hussein told a news conference Sufi Mohammad had been detained for encouraging terrorism and violence. The cleric negotiated a peace deal in February, widely seen as allowing the Taliban to take control of the valley. Militants were allowed to impose Sharia law in the district in exchange for an end to two years of fighting. However the deal later collapsed when Taliban fighters failed to disarm and moved into neighbouring districts. "Instead of keeping his promises by taking steps for the sake of peace, and speaking out against terrorism, he did not utter a single word against terrorists," Mr Hussein told a news conference on Sunday. He said that the influential cleric's stance "encouraged terrorism.

Brazil has agreed to triple its payments to Paraguay for energy from a massive hydro-electric dam on their border, ending a long-running dispute. Under the accord, Brazil will pay Paraguay $360m (£220m) a year for energy from the jointly-operated Itaipu plant, one of the biggest in the world. Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva called it a "historic agreement" after talks in Paraguay. The deal is a political victory for Paraguayan President Fernando Lugo. His left-wing government had campaigned on an election promise to gain more revenue from the plant. Bitter dispute Under the deal, Paraguay has also won the right to sell excess energy directly to the Brazilian market, rather than exclusively through the state-owned power utility Eletrobras. The joint project was begun in the 1980s when both countries were under military rule. Paraguay - one of the poorest countries in South America - only uses a 5% share of the electricity produced at the plant and said it was obl

Alistair Darling: 'We did not stabilise the banking system out of some charitable act' The chancellor is to quiz bank bosses over how much they charge small firms for loans, saying he is "extremely concerned" their rates may be too high. Alastair Darling said the cost of loans seemed to have risen, despite the UK's record low base interest rate of 0.5%. He told the BBC that banks had a duty to restore lending levels, saying the government did not rescue the banking sector "out of some charitable act". He has called a meeting with bank executives in Downing St on Monday. 'Do their part' "The public will not understand it if they [the banks] don't seem to be doing their part," he told the BBC's Andrew Marr Show. "I want them to rebuild their balance sheets... but at the same time, because of the particular circumstances we're in now, because of the fact we've got this recession, we also need them to lend money,"

Sweden's Ericsson has won an auction for the wireless assets of bankrupt Canadian telecoms firm Nortel Networks. Ericsson is paying $1.13bn (£688m) for the businesses, which analysts say will enable it to substantially increase its North American presence. The units were put on sale by Nortel after it was forced to apply for bankruptcy protection in January, blaming the impact of global recession. Nortel is now effectively in the process of being broken up. There had previously been hope that it could emerge from bankruptcy protection as a slimmed-down firm. 'Sad story' "An orderly disposal of the assets of Nortel is the best outcome for the stakeholders," said Nortel official Richard Lowe. Telecoms analyst Jeff Kagan said the sale was "a sad story for Nortel, and a happy story for Ericsson". "Rather than competing with Nortel, Ericsson has won," he said. Nortel employed about 30,000 people worldwide at the start of this year.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy has been taken to hospital after becoming ill while jogging, his office said. Mr Sarkozy's chief of staff said the president was "doing well" and talking normally with medics at the military hospital, AFP news agency reported. Earlier, aides told AFP that the 54-year-old president was suffering from a "minor" nerve complaint. He had immediately been seen by his doctor after "feeling faint", his office said. The incident happened at Mr Sarkozy's weekend retreat near Versailles, outside Paris, and he was taken to a military hospital, AFP said. The Elysee Palace had no further official information. AFP reported that Mr Sarkozy had suffered a vagal nerve attack, adding that it could involve a brief loss of consciousness and change in the heart rate. The vagal nerve is a major nerve that runs from the abdomen to the brain and controls many functions. Mr Sarkozy is regularly seen running and is a keen cyclist. The Elysee

The United States has called for Syria's "full co-operation" in trying to achieve a comprehensive Middle East peace settlement. Speaking after talks in Damascus, Barack Obama's envoy George Mitchell said discussions with Syria's president had been "candid and positive". Mr Mitchell said restarting peace talks between Syria and Israel was a "near-term goal". He later arrived in Israel, to try to revive Israeli-Palestinian talks. Mr Mitchell's visit to Damascus was his second since June, amid a renewed US push for peace since President Obama took office earlier this year. The envoy's trip comes ahead of a string of visits to Israel this week by leading Obama administration officials, at a time when US-Israel relations are unusually strained. 'Historic endeavour' Mr Mitchell said he had told Syrian President Bashar Assad that Barack Obama was "determined to facilitate a truly comprehensive Arab-Israeli peace". Naturally,

Microsoft has made a new proposal to European competition regulators that it hopes will end their row over the firm's Internet Explorer web browser. It proposes that European buyers of its new Windows 7 operating system will be offered a list of potential browsers when they first install the software. The move comes a month after Microsoft said European buyers of Windows 7 would have to download a web browser. Brussels ruled in January that pre-bundling Explorer hurt competition. The Commission welcomes this proposal, and will now investigate its practical effectiveness Commission regulators Microsoft said its proposal meant that users would be able to "easily install competing web browsers, set one of those browsers as a default, and disable Internet Explorer" from a "ballot screen" of alternative browsers. "We believe that if ultimately accepted, this proposal will fully address the European competition law issues relating to the inclusion of Internet Exp

Barcelona striker Samuel Eto'o's has reached an agreement with Inter Milan to join the Italian champions, according to his agent. Barca have had an offer of about £38m plus Eto'o, in exchange for Zlatan Ibrahimovic, accepted while Alexander Hleb will also join Inter on loan. "The deal is sealed, next week he will start working with Inter," said the 28-year-old's agent Josep Maria Mesalles. "When he signs the contract he will be at (coach) Jose Mourinho's disposal." Reports suggest Eto'o has agreed a five-year deal with Inter and will earn about £9.6m a season. It brings an end to his five-year stay at the Nou Camp. "It's done," said Mesalles. "We have reached an agreement with Inter. Samuel talked to Mourinho and is very happy to be wearing the Nerazzurri shirt. All the details have been filed. "It's complete harmony with us and the Nerazzurri club. We are very happy and satisfied. The deal's sealed, next week

Scientists say they have found a new way to mend damage to the heart. When cells turn into fully-formed adult heart muscle they stop dividing, and cannot replace tissue damaged by disease or deformity. But a US team have found a way to coax the cells to start dividing again, raising hopes they could be used to regenerate healthy tissue. The study, carried out on mice and rats by Children's Hospital Boston, appears in the journal Cell. If the same mechanisms identified by the researchers can be shown to work in the human heart, it opens up real possibilities for new and more efficient ways to treat people with heart disease Professor Jeremy PearsonBritish Heart Foundation The researchers say their work could provide an alternative to stem cell therapy, which is still largely untested, and carries a potential risk of side effects. In theory, it could be used to treat heart attack patients, those with heart failure and children with congenital heart defects. The key ingredient is a gr

A helicopter has crashed on to a highway in the US state of Maryland and burst into flames, killing all four people on board, officials say. No vehicles were hit when the commercial aircraft came down on Interstate 70 in western Maryland. Firefighters found the helicopter engulfed in flames when they arrived at the scene on Thursday night. Visibility was said to be limited because of fog, but it was not clear if weather played a part in the crash. Storms had passed through the area earlier in the night, the Associated Press reports. Emergency services received a call about the crash at 2230 local time, Washington County emergency services director Kevin Lewis said. Mr Lewis was among the first on the scene of the crash, west of the Washington County-Federick County line. He said the helicopter was a Robison R44, four-seat commercial aircraft. The highway has been shut in both directions and an investigation is underway.

Michael Jackson's personal doctor has been identified as the target of a manslaughter investigation into the singer's death, US court papers say. Dr Conrad Murray's medical clinic in Houston, Texas, and another site rented by him were searched on Wednesday. Police have said previously that Dr Murray is not a suspect but the search warrant allowed the authorities to seek evidence of manslaughter. The doctor was at Jackson's mansion and tried to revive him before he died. Dr Murray has already been interviewed twice by police, who had asked for medical records in addition to those already provided. He has not been arrested or formally charged. Unwelcome attention According to the warrant, approved by a Houston judge and filed in Harris County District Court, authorities were looking for "items constituting evidence of the offence of manslaughter that tend to show that Dr Conrad Murray committed the said criminal offence". Items seized during the searches include

The US Senate says it will not be able to vote on a US healthcare reform bill by August, in a setback to President Barack Obama's proposed timetable. But Mr Obama said he still wanted to see the bill passed by year's end. He said his intention was not to add to the country's fiscal deficit of over $1 trillion, but to address it by tackling spiralling health costs. But Republicans and leading Democrats have objected to the rush, saying the bill will be taken up after the summer. "I think that it's better to have a product that is one that's based on quality and thoughtfulness rather than trying to jam something through," Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid told reporters. The BBC's Jane O'Brien in Washington says the setback is substantial but not terminal. 'Difficult issues' In a major televised news conference on Wednesday, the president stressed the importance of passing the bills by the end of the first week in August, so he would be in

Ousted President Manuel Zelaya is on his way to the Honduran border in a second attempt to return home after nearly a month in exile, reports say. He left the Honduran embassy in the Nicaraguan capital Managua for the border city of Esteli, from where he will try a land crossing on Saturday. He is being accompanied by Venezuelan Foreign Minister Nicolas Maduro. The interim government has vowed to arrest him if he sets foot in Honduras, as mediation talks failed. Mr Zelaya made an attempt to return home on 5 July, but his plane was prevented from landing when the Honduran military blocked the runway. This time, he said he hoped soldiers at the land border would stand down when they saw him and called on his supporters to meet him. "I think the guns will be lowered when they see their people and their president," Mr Zelaya was quoted as saying by AP news agency shortly before leaving. He said earlier that his wife and children would accompany him and that he would "go back

David Beckham insists he is staying with the LA Galaxy despite a hostile response from some fans to his return. The England midfielder was booed by sections of the crowd at his first home game after a loan spell at AC Milan. But he said: "At the end of the day, I play my game, whether I get booed or not doesn't matter to me." He also denied reports he is planning to put his Beverly Hills home up for sale, saying: "That's not true... it's just another rumour." Beckham, 34, provoked the wrath of some Galaxy supporters by missing the first half of the Major League Soccer season in order to play for AC Milan. He was keen to satisfy England boss Fabio Capello's demand for him to play at the highest level to remain in the running for international selection. Beckham, England's most capped outfield player with 112 appearances, is keen to play on until the 2010 World Cup finals in South Africa. 606: DEBATE I admire Beckham for wanting to be at his best f

The trial of Burmese pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi is reported to have resumed in Rangoon, with lawyers presenting closing statements to court. Ms Suu Kyi is being tried on charges of violating the terms of her house arrest in May, after a US man evaded guards and swam to her lakeside home. If convicted she faces up to five years in jail. The trial has been widely condemned as a ploy to keep the Nobel Peace laureate in custody until after elections. Polls are planned by the military government for some time next year. Ms Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy won the last elections in 1988 but was never allowed to take power. Ms Suu Kyi, 64, has spent nearly 14 of the last 20 years in detention, much of it at her Rangoon home. 'Law on our side' The trial, which had been expected to wrap up in days when it started, has dragged on for more than two months. A Burmese official who did not wish to be identified told the Associated Press news agency that proceedings had

-GRAND-BORNAND, France -- Alberto Contador closed in on victory at the Tour de France on Wednesday after finishing second behind Frank Schleck in the 17th stage as the race left the Alps. triggerAd(1,PaginationPage,11); Lance Armstrong trailed by more than 2 minutes and fell from second to fourth overall in the 105-mile ride from Bourg-Saint-Maurice to Le Grand-Bornand -- seen by many as the toughest stage this year. The stage likely ended any realistic chance Armstrong had of overtaking his Astana teammate Contador, and the seven-time Tour champion will now have to fight for a place on the podium instead. Contador kept the yellow jersey by staying with Schleck and his younger brother Andy in a three-man breakaway at the end of the stage. Andy Schleck finished third and Armstrong fifth, 2:18 back. "I'm very proud of myself -- I'm proud of my brother," Frank Schleck said. The Schleck brothers leapfrogged Armstrong in the overall standings, with Andy 2:26 behind Contado

LONDON (AFP) - The yen fell against the dollar and euro on Thursday as this week's gains on global stock markets reduced the appeal of the safe-haven Japanese currency, analysts said. Full Story » AP – Wed Jul 22, 6:45 pm ET How far the Dow Jones industrial average has fallen or advanced each trading day since Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on Sept. 15. Since Lehman's fall, which touched off a paralysis of the credit markets and deepened the recession, the stock market has gone through an extended period of volatility before kicking into a big rally this spring. The numbers are the closing levels for the Dow: Full Story » SEC plans 'pay-to-play' curbs on investment firms AP – Wed Jul 22, 6:04 pm ET WASHINGTON - Federal regulators on Wednesday proposed new rules to restrain investment firms from making political donations to state or local government officials with an eye toward winning pension plan or other public business. Ful

LONDON - European stock markets fell modestly Thursday despite Asian gains earlier as investors pored over a raft of earnings across the continent and awaited another batch of U.S. results. Full Story »