Kovalainen nabs top spot in Abu Dhabi P2

Heikki Kovalainen put in a 1m41.3 on his final run of the session to leap ahead of his McLaren team-mate Lewis Hamilton after the Briton held the top spot for most of the session.

Newly-crowned champion Jenson Button also drilled in a series of personal bests to end P2 in third place, ahead of Sebastien Vettel in the Red Bull.

The second practice in Abu Dhabi began under twilight to replicate the conditions drivers will experience in Sunday’s grand prix.

Ten minutes into the session, 19 of the 20 runners had completed timed laps, but it was the both McLarens, Button in the Brawn and Sebastien Buemi in the first of the Toro Rossos who found themselves at the top of the times.

Kubica was the first to record a representative time by matching Hamilton’s 1m43.9 on only his first run of the session, indicating there was far more pace to be found.

Kubica didn’t hold on to the top spot for long as Hamilton produced consistently quick times and was the first to enter the 1m42s with a time a whole second quicker than his fastest in P1.

The 2008 world champion improved again to a 1m42.7, however, a storming lap from Buemi, put him back at the head of the leaderboard and six tenths ahead of Hamilton just 15 minutes into the session.

At this point, Vettel and both Ferraris were at the tail of the timesheets having completed relatively short runs.

Mark Webber in the second Red Bull became the first to try the softer, option tyres and he slotted into seventh place with a 1m43.3, although he quickly improved to fourth on his next attempt.

Times kept improving, although nobody was able to beat Buemi’s time until Hamilton drilled in a time of 1m41.564 to go quickest.

Vettel then tried to beat Hamilton and, despite being up at sector two by two hundredths of a second, the young German lost two tenths in the final sector of the lap and could only manage the second quickest time.

Buemi then recorded a 1m41.6 to move into second ahead of Vettel, but Kovalainen in the second McLaren who was less than a tenth off Hamilton’s fastest lap time soon beat him.

At around half-distance Kubica suffered an engine failure and was no longer able to continue in the session.

The BMW Sauber engine had completed a lot of miles, but because Kubic was on the limit of his yearly engine allocation, he will be handed a grid penalty for Sunday’s race.

Raikkonen was able to put his Ferrari in the top ten, recording the sixth quickest time ahead of Button and directly behind Vettel.

His team-mate Giancarlo Fisichella then managed to get himself off the bottom of the timesheets with the 11th fastest time, however, he was shuffled down the order by quick times from Nico Rosberg, Nick Heidfeld and Kamui Kobayashi.

With half an hour to go in the session drivers were not able to make significant improvements, although the Red Bull pairing took small chunks out of their times, Vettel slotting into second and Webber in fifth.

At this point, with Hamilton in the lead, Kovalainen had been knocked down to third by Vettel and Buemi to fourth and the two Brawns were in sixth and seventh.

But, with less than 20 minutes to go, Hamilton upped the pace again by six hundredths of a second with a 1m41.504.

Shortly after, Kobayashi was able to put his Toyota in third in the times with a 1m41.6, whereas his more experienced team-mate Jarno Trulli was down in 12th and unable to improve.

Button jumped up to fifth fastest on his final run of the session and he continued to put in personal bests to go further up the leaderboard to go second fastest.

Vettel got back into third on his last run of Friday practice, but he was moved down to fourth by a lightening quick lap of 1m41.3 from Kovalainen, putting the Finn at the head of the times ahead of Hamilton.

FTSE 100 drops almost 2 per cent

The FTSE 100 fell 1.81 per cent on Friday closing on 5,044.55.

The London index of the top 100 companies closed down 93.17 points and over the week lost 3.77 per cent.

The drops in London very much followed those in the US.

The Dow Jones was down 2.07 per cent at 12:46 EDT (16:47 GMT) to 9,756.19 - with no stocks reporting rises.

The S&P 500 dropped 2.57 per cent.

The trigger for the drops was a fall in consumer spending and the withdrawal of the 'cash for clunkers' car scrappage scheme.

Mining stocks in London were the main driver of the falls into the weekend as commodity prices dropped.

Kazakhmys was down 8.18 per cent, Fresnillo fell 7.54 per cent, Xstrata lost 6.81 per cent, Lonmin dropped 6.46 per cent and Eurasian Natural Resources slipped 6.24 per cent.

Pharma stock Shire was up 4.69 per cent leading the gains as its third quarter results beat forecasts.

G4S climbed 2.18 per cent and TUI Travel rose 1.35 per cent.

Philip Gillett, sales trader at IG Index, said: 'As a key sector on the FTSE, the fortunes of mining firms will, to a certain extent, continue to dictate the level of the UK market.

'Recent doubts over the health of the global economy, and ensuing concerns about demand for raw materials, have therefore put both the sector itself and the index as a whole under some pressure.'

He added; 'It seems that while the US economy may be exiting the recession, investor’s would be wise to take heed of President Obama’s comments yesterday that the US has a 'long way to go' before a full recovery is seen in the market place.'

Former Gunner Bentley to start north London derby

Spurs manager Harry Redknapp has confirmed that David Bentley will play in the north London derby against Arsenal on Saturday lunchtime.

Former Gunners star Bentley, who scored a stunning half volley from 40 yards in the same fixture last season, has endured a difficult time since swapping Blackburn for Tottenham in the summer of 2008.

But Redknapp believes the right-sided midfielder could be working his way back to his best form after turning in a good display against Everton in the Carling Cup in midweek.

'David has so much ability and he was outstanding on Tuesday,' the manager commented.

'He will play tomorrow, David, he will go back there and play.'

Redknapp said Bentley has looked 'bright' in training this week and backed him to take his chance while a number of the other star players at Spurs are sidelined.

'We need a run of performances from him. We've got Aaron Lennon, [Luca] Modric and [Jermain] Defoe to all come back, good players here and we need them all playing well,' he continued.

'He's a quality footballer and we need David Bentley playing well, because when he plays well he's a real asset to the club.

'He's looking forward to the game, going back to Arsenal again and it's a big game for him. He scored a great goal there last season and I'm sure he'd love to score another goal on Saturday.

'He looks in the right frame of mind and very sharp.'

In other team news for fourth-placed Spurs, Ledley King is fit for the short trip to the Emirates Stadium while fellow central defender Jonathan Woodgate is also back in training alongside striker Peter Crouch, who is expected to start with Defoe suspended.

John Rhys-Davies rules out Hobbit return

Actor John Rhys-Davies has stressed he will not be returning to his dwarf costume for the upcoming film adaptations of The Hobbit.

The 65-year-old starred as Gimli the dwarf in Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings films and could potentially return to filming in New Zealand for Guillermo del Toro's adaptation of The Hobbit.

Though the character of Gimli does not appear in The Hobbit, the dwarf's father Gloin features as part of the band of 13 dwarves who accompany Bilbo Baggins on his journey to the Lonely Mountain.

However, Rhys-Davies has ruled out returning to Middle Earth as a dwarf for Del Toro's two films based on JRR Tolkien's The Hobbit.

'I've already been asked and to be honest with you, I wouldn't,' he told Empire. 'I have already completely ruled it out. There's a sentimental part of me that would love to be involved again. Really I am not sure my face can take that sort of punishment any more.'

He also quelled any hopes of a small cameo, saying: 'Why would you want to do it if it was just a couple of shots? When you've been one of one, why would you want to be one of 13?'

Casting details about The Hobbit remain sketchy, with only Sir Ian McKellen and Andy Serkis confirmed to return as Gandalf and Gollum respectively.

Rhys-Davies could, however, surface in another role, he revealed.

'I'd be interested in trying to create a different type of persona within... the thing,' he explained. 'That is challenging as an actor. I'd really prefer to play something quite different. Maybe an Elf.

'They've got a different set of problems with The Hobbit because you've got 13 dwarves, a whole band of them... You're trying to represent a whole race... You're trying to do for dwarves what The Lord of the Rings did for hobbits. '

Reds captain Gerrard missing again

Steven Gerrard continues to be unavailable for Liverpool ahead of this weekend's trip to Fulham because of a groin injury.

The Reds captain has not played since picking up the problem on international duty earlier this month - missing out on games against Sunderland and Manchester United in the Premier League, Lyon in the Champions League and Arsenal in the Carling Cup in midweek.

Gerrard is currently having treatment on the injury, and manager Rafael Benitez remains in the dark about his likely return date.

'Gerrard still has a problem with his groin so he won't be available this weekend,' Benitez told Liverpool's official website.

'At this moment he's working with the physios. He has to keep working and we'll decide next week how he progresses.'

Liverpool are also set to be without right-back Glen Johnson, who has a calf tear and will be out for a week, while midfielder Alberto Aquilani is a major doubt because of a virus after the summer signing made his debut against the Gunners on Wednesday night.

On Aquilani, Benitez added: 'In terms of fitness he's doing well. His ankle is coming on well.

'The problem we have now is that he has a virus, so it will be difficult for him to be available.

'We will see how he feels but he was a little bit sick [on Thursday].

'He wanted to play against Arsenal and was really pleased to go. He wants to go and play against Fulham but we'll have to decide how he feels.'

Despite the injury problems though, there was better news on star striker Fernando Torres who put in a match-winning display against bitter rivals United last weekend.

Torres revealed afterwards that he was not fully fit for the game against the Red Devils, but he still scored the opener in a 2-0 win and Benitez looks set to play the forward up front against the Cottagers on Saturday.

'He is improving,' the manager explained.

'He's been training and working with the physios. We will see if he is a little bit better this weekend.

'It's a difficult situation because if you play games, you often don't have too much time to get fit again.'

Hart dismisses transfer troubles

Paul Hart has claimed Portsmouth's transfer embargo will not affect the club - but admits it could be a 'serious situation' if it is not resolved before the new year.

The Premier League has slapped a ban on any new players being signed on at Fratton Park until the club have settled outstanding debts over the purchases of former players Lassana Diarra and Glen Johnson.

Both stars have since been sold over the summer - Diarra to Real Madrid for £20 million and Johnson to Liverpool for £17 million – but Portsmouth still owe Arsenal and Chelsea portions of the transfer fees they paid for the players.

However, despite Hart admitting the news was 'disappointing' - especially as it stopped him signing midfielder Eugen Bopp earlier this week - the Pompey manager is confident the new owners will settle the issue before too long.

'These problems are here to be overcome, and I think we will overcome them,' he said.

'I found out on Tuesday morning - but I dealt with it. I'm led to believe this will be resolved.

'If the ban is still in place in January then that would be a serious situation but we are in the process of dealing with it,' he added to BBC Sport.

Despite the off-field problems, Hart is enjoying a decent week on the pitch.

His south coast side take on Wigan Athletic at home on Saturday, fresh from a 4-0 thumping of Stoke City in the Carling Cup in midweek.

And Hart believes the experience of winning well will lift his squad as they look to claim their first home league points of the campaign.

'It was a big lift for everyone on Tuesday night and now we've got to carry that form into the Premier League,' he told the club's official website.

'We know what we've got to do and we've been very close to doing it.

'Wigan are a very good side. They're organised and extremely well drilled. They've got a good manager who's employed his beliefs and principles.

'They'll be an extremely difficult side to play against. But we're bottom of the table so every game is the same: must-win.'

Online transformation for internet addresses

The online world is due to undergo a transformation as the internet regulator moves to change non-Latin script web addresses.

The timing of the move is poignant, with yesterday marking 40 years of email. Today's announcement will be the biggest change to the way the internet works since it was first created.

At its annual meeting in Seoul the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers board (Icann) said the first internet addresses containing non-Latin characters from start to finish will soon be online, 'thanks to today's approval of the new Internationalized Domain Name Fast Track Process' by Icann.

Domain names will be allowed in Arabic and Chinese, as well as other scripts, allowing much easier internet use for the more than half of the 1.6 billion people who use the internet but who speak languages with non-Latin script.

Icann said their Fast Track Process launches on November 16th, and will allow nations and territories to apply for internet extensions reflecting their name – and made up of characters from their national language.

If the applications meet criteria that includes government and community support and a stability evaluation, the applicants will be approved to start accepting registrations.

'The coming introduction of non-Latin characters represents the biggest technical change to the internet since it was created four decades ago,' said Icann chairman Peter Dengate Thrush.

'Right now internet address endings are limited to Latin characters – A to Z. But the Fast Track Process is the first step in bringing the 100,000 characters of the languages of the world online for domain names.'

'This is only the first step, but it is an incredibly big one and an historic move toward the internationalization of the internet,' added Rod Beckstrom, Icann's president and CEO.

Off-licence chain goes into administration

The owners of Threshers, Wine Rack, The Local and Haddows have gone into administration.

First Quench Retailing said thousands of jobs could be at risk, but added their administrators KPMG would be looking to 'save as many jobs as possible'.

The off-licences will be operating as normal, with the 6,500 staff members paid as normal next week, KPMG said.

The company's outlets have been hit hard by the recession, as well as the selling of cheap booze at supermarkets.

Richard Fleming, UK head of restructuring at KPMG, said: 'Trading in the off-licence sector has become increasingly competitive in recent years, with the recession proving too much of an additional burden in this case.

'The business has a comprehensive geographic footprint, however, and we believe this presents a compelling opportunity to other retailers who may wish to extend their reach. We will continue to trade the remaining business while we seek a buyer.'

On Wednesday, First Quench released a statement saying that 'it is no secret that the credit crunch has made a very competitive marketplace even more challenging'.

New Doctor Who is "the best", says chief writer

Matt Smith, the young actor who will take over from David Tennant as Doctor Who next year, is 'the best', according to the show's chief writer.

Speaking at the 2009 Screenwriters' Festival in Cheltenham, Steven Moffat was full of praise for Smith, the youngest ever actor to play the Time Lord.

'He's all the things you'd expect, including ancient,' he explained, adding Smith was 'someone you can't take your eyes off'.

Smith began filming his first scenes as the Time Lord alongside new assistant Karen Gillan in Cardiff in July, with the new series due on UK screens in spring 2010.

Twenty-seven-year-old Smith will take over from Tennant in the latter's final episode, The End of Time, expected to air at the end of this year or in early 2010.

Writer Russell T Davies, who revived Doctor Who in 2005, warned audiences to expect an emotional goodbye to Tennant's Doctor.

'At Christmas... I warn you now get your Kleenex out and your tissues,' he told BBC Breakfast.

'We finished the episode [on Wednesday] and we were crying our eyes out. It's very lovely, powerful stuff, it's David Tennant at his absolute finest.'

Moffat, who also wrote BBC sitcom Coupling, takes over from Davies as the programme's lead writer and executive producer and admitted he recognised the pressure to maintain the series' high standards.

'What if I broke Doctor Who?' he joked. 'That would be a tragedy.'

Lemonade row bubbles over in US

A traditional British lemonade drink has caused controversy after an American pupil had it confiscated at school due to its alcohol content.

Fentimans, who make Victorian lemonade, have argued their 0.5 per cent ABV drink qualifies as a soft drink because the alcohol content is so low.

A high-school in Maine reportedly contacted police over whether the drink could be legally sold to anyone under the age of 21 – the legal drinking age in the US.

Fentimans, based in the north-east, said the school principal confiscated the half empty bottle, contacted the police and set in motion a series of complaints from concerned officials, from the Aroostook substance abuse prevention coalition and the Maine alliance to prevent substance abuse, who argue that Fentimans should not be sold to anyone under the age of 21.

An article in the local paper in Houlton, Maine titled 'Police caution consumers on alcoholic lemonade' was followed by another article in the larger city newspaper, The Bangor Daily News.

But the soft drinks company have said in response to the complaints that a person would have to drink 28 bottles of the lemonade for it to have the same effect as a can of beer.

Tiffany McKirdy, operations director at Fentimans, said: 'For a tiny company, this is quite a furore. However, although it all seems rather Monty Pythonesque with the involvement of the Maine alliance to prevent substance abuse and even the attorney general's office, it has garnered a great response, both from American and Brits, who think it is completely absurd.

'We take the issue of underage drinking seriously, and this has enabled us to clarify the fact that our drinks are legally classed as soft drinks and rather ironically, their uniqueness is partly derived from the fact that they are botanically brewed (with 100 per cent natural ingredients and no additives or preservatives), which includes a seven day fermentation, hence the trace alcohol.'

On the Fentimans website, the lemonade is described as: 'The stimulating combination of smooth botanicals and dry sharpness of the juice of one and half lemons in every bottle makes this an all-natural drink once tasted, never forgotten.

'Runner Up in the BBC Good Food Awards - it is everything you might imagine old-fashioned cloudy lemonade to be.'

Eldon Robson, Fentimans managing director and master brewer, added: 'I think it's quite amusing, really. Maine is of course where our puritanical forefathers went because Britain was not strict enough and it has been said that Puritans are people who are always worried that someone, somewhere might be having fun.

'However, underage drinking is a serious matter and this issue does need to be clarified.'

Graduates hit by drop in public sector jobs

Fewer public sector job opportunities due to reduced government spending is leaving graduates exposed to unemployment, a thinktank has said today.

According to the Centre for Cities over half of all recent UK graduates work in the public sector, but their research shows up to 290,000 of these jobs could be lost by 2014.

The researchers have warned that over the next few years there will be a dwindling number of public sector jobs, and unless highly skilled jobs are created, cities will continue to see graduate unemployment rise.

Dermot Finch, chief executive of the Centre for Cities said: 'In a public spending squeeze UK graduates will continue to find it tough to take their first step on the employment ladder.

'The public sector will not drive graduate jobs growth over the next decade. This means more private sector job opportunities will be needed to bridge the gap.'

One in four workers in the UK's cities are employed by the public sector, and six months after completing their studies 52 per cent of all recent graduates work in public service positions.

Figures from the Centre for Cities show Tyne and Wear, Greater Birmingham and Leeds have seen the largest increases in graduate unemployment of England's major cities this year. Graduate unemployment in Tyne and Wear has nearly doubled over the past 12 months.

Surrey axe falls on Tudor

Former England fast-bowler Alex Tudor has been released from his contract with Surrey CCC.

Tudor, 32, played in 10 Test matches for England between 1998 and 2002, with the highlights being a truly memorable 99 not out as nightwatchman against New Zealand in 1999 and 5-44 against Australia at Trent Bridge in 2001.

But his career has been cruelly plagued by injuries, which has seen him play just 129 first-class matches in 14 years.

He took 220 first-class wickets at 28.41 in his two spells with Surrey, having spent three seasons with Essex in-between. Tudor only rejoined Surrey last season but must now find a new club for 2010.

Also leaving the Brit Oval is West Indian paceman Pedro Collins, 33, who took 106 scalps in 32 Tests at an average of 34.63.

Speaking about the decision to release the duo, Surrey professional cricket manager Chris Adams said:

'Both Alex and Pedro are fine players in their own right but the time had come for them to take on a new challenge.

'I wish them both the best of luck with their future plans and thank them for their contribution to Surrey County Cricket Club.'

The Brown Caps have also announced that eight new contracts have been awarded.

Two-year deals have been handed to batsmen Stewart Walters, Matthew Spriegel, Arun Harinath and Michael Brown; bowlers Stuart Meaker and Simon King and wicket keeper Gary Wilson. There is also a one-year contract for seam bowler Tim Linley.

'All the players that have recently agreed new deals have yet to reach their potential for this club and I look forward to exciting times ahead when they are all consistently performing at the height of their ability,' Adams added.

Rise in children prescribed anti-depressants

The Conservatives have criticised what they claim are the unnecessary prescription of anti-depressants for children.

Figures obtained under the Freedom of Information Act show antidepressant use in children under 16 has risen by six per cent.

More than 113,000 prescriptions of anti-depressants were issued to children under 16 in 2007 and nearly 108,000 to 16 to 18-year-olds.

The Telegraph claims the prescription of pills for attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) also rose by 33 per cent from 2005 to 2007.

The figures show there were 420,000 prescriptions issued for ADHD medication to children under the age of 16 in 2007, equating to 35,000 children being on the drugs in England.

Use of the drugs for older children, between the ages of 16 and 18, has risen even more sharply, by 51 per cent to 40,000 in 2007.

The data also shows more than 86,000 prescriptions were written for anti-psychotics for children under 16.

Commenting on the figures, Anne Milton, Conservative shadow health minister, said: 'We already know that our children suffer the lowest levels of well-being in Europe.

'This data shows that increasingly health professionals are prescribing drugs to treat child mental health problems, when evidence suggests that talking therapies can have an equal, if not better effect.

'These drugs have significant risks when given to children and young people, making this rise extremely concerning.'

The Telegraph quotes a spokesman for the Department of Health as responding with: 'National Institute for health and Clinical Excellence (Nice) guidance is clear that antidepressants should rarely be prescribed to children and young people and only as part of a treatment regime, stressing that other treatment options should be considered first.'

Housing market recovery 'moderating'

The housing market recovery hailed by many property analysts is seen to be 'moderating' over autumn, figures show today.

Nationwide's monthly house price index (HPI) for October showed prices rose at a slower pace over the month at, 0.4 per cent.

However, annual house price inflation has turned positive for the first time since March 2008. The average price of a home, according to the building society, is now £162,038.

Martin Gahbauer, Nationwide's chief economist, said: 'House prices rose for a sixth consecutive month in October, but the strong upward momentum in property values seen over the summer is showing some signs of moderating as we head into the autumn months.'

In September prices rose by 0.9 per cent, and in July and August they rose 1.4 per cent each. This has led Nationwide to believe the rise may be steadying.

Mr Gahbauer added: 'A moderation in the rate of house price inflation was to be expected, as the very strong monthly increases seen over the summer months were unlikely to be sustainable over the long run.

'Slower house price inflation is also consistent with developments in housing market activity, as industry figures have shown that the pick-up in mortgage approvals for house purchases has lost some momentum in recent months.

'Although too early to tell for sure, it may also reflect a more natural level of stock available for sale coming to the market, alleviating some of the extreme shortages of property on the market seen during most of this year.'

Yesterday, the Bank of England said the number of approvals for home loans rose to an 18-month high in September.

Council of Mortgage Lenders economist Paul Samter said: 'There is clear evidence of a significant pick up in housing market lending activity from a year ago, even though it remains low on any historic comparison.'

Marlon King jailed for 18 months for assault

Wigan Athletic striker Marlon King has been jailed for 18 months after being found guilty of sexually assaulting a 20-year-old woman on a night out in London.

Southwark crown court heard how the 29-year-old was repeatedly 'cold-shouldered' by women during an evening out in the capital last December celebrating his wife's pregnancy and his scoring of a winning goal.

The prosecution alleged the footballer first groped and then punched a female student, leaving her with a broken nose.

The court heard how King lost his temper and a moment of 'completely gratuitous violence' led to him striking out at the woman.

King, from Waltham Cross, Hertfordshire, had continually claimed he was the victim of 'mistaken identity'.

The jury at the crown court, however, returned a unanimous guilty verdict on the charges of sexual assault and actual bodily harm and he was later sentenced to 18 months behind bars.

The incident occurred at the Soho Revue Bar while King was on loan at Hull City.

Jacqui Smith admits expenses "disgrace"

Former home secretary Jacqui Smith has admitted she should not be given a peerage after being 'disgraced' by the MPs expenses scandal.

Ms Smith was speaking as a panellist on the BBC's Question Time, during which she said that her apology to the Commons earlier this month made it clear she was wrong.

Asked if she had been 'disgraced', she replied: 'Yes I think to a certain extent I have been. I think it's obvious because I have made an apology to parliament that I was wrong.

'That's why I made the apology.'

The former home secretary was told to apologise by the standards commissioner after an investigation into her husband's use of allowances to watch pornographic videos and her designation of a London home belonging to her sister as her primary residence.

Commenting on the incident and whether she should be given a peerage, she said: 'I don't think people who have been disgraced should go to the House of Lords.'

Yesterday another former minister, Tony McNulty, was made to apologise to the House of Commons over his expenses claims and ordered to pay back over £13,000.

Robbie Williams pulls out of MTV Europe awards

Singer Robbie Williams has cancelled his planned appearance at the MTV Europe Music awards (EMAs) due to a 'scheduling conflict'.

The former Take That star, whose recent single Bodies was beaten to the number one spot by X Factor winner Alexandra Burke, will 'no longer be performing at next week's MTV Europe Music Awards', his spokesman confirmed.

However, Williams' other work commitments, including an appearance on Jonathan Ross' television show, will go ahead.

Williams is nominated in the best male category at the EMAs, which are to be hosted by US singer Katy Perry for the second year in a row.

The Hot N Cold star will become the first artist to host two consecutive ceremonies.

'Katy's deep connection to the world of music, her dynamic and compelling personality and her worldwide appeal made her a natural choice,' said MTV's Bruce Gilmer earlier this month.

Green Day, Leona Lewis and Tokio Hotel are all scheduled to perform at the awards show, which takes place at the O2 World in Berlin.

Fabianski out for three weeks

Arsenal goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski has been ruled out for three weeks after suffering a thigh injury in his comeback game against Liverpool in the Carling Cup on Wednesday night.

The 24-year-old Pole sustained the injury in his first game of the season, having missed the beginning of the campaign due to knee surgery over the summer.

And now he has joined the Gunners' injury list ahead of Saturday's north London derby against Tottenham at the Emirates Stadium, which also includes star midfielders Theo Walcott and Tomas Rosicky.

'We lost Lukasz Fabianski with a thigh injury,' Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger revealed to the club's official website.

'He will be out for three weeks. Of course it is big disappointment because he has just come back from injury.

'Also Jack Wilshere (ankle), Theo Walcott (knee), Denilson (back) and Rosicky (knee) will not be back for the game at the weekend.'

Despite the loss of Fabianski, which means Wenger must choose between Manuel Almunia or Vito Mannone to play in goal against rivals Spurs, the manager confirmed he 'didn't lose any other players' from the 2-1 victory over Liverpool.

Hamilton and Button seal Brit one-two in Abu Dhabi P1

Lewis Hamilton set a 1m43.9 to go fastest ahead of his compatriot Jenson Button in the first practice session of the Abu Dhabi grand prix weekend, making it a British one-two.

Sebastien Vettel and Rubens Barrichello went third and fourth and both BMW Saubers showed some pace too, featuring at the top end of the leaderboard throughout the session.

Practice one was the first opportunity for teams and drivers to try the new, state-of-the-art Yas Marina circuit, with its innovative pit-exit that runs downhill and through a tunnel and the luxurious hotel that straddles the edge of the track.

As has been usual this season, Toro Rosso rookie Jaime Alguersuari was the first to venture out on track to complete flying laps and he scraped into the 1m49s with just over an hour left in the session.

Sebastien Buemi in the second Toro Rosso joined his team-mate on out on track and the Frenchman became the first to breach the 1m47 barrier with a 1m47.2.

Buemi continued to improve into the 1m46s, however Nico Rosberg in the Williams shuffled him down to second on the timesheets, when he recorded a 1m46.1.

Halfway through the first 90 minute session of the weekend, the times began to really improve and the Red Bull pairing of Mark Webber and Sebastien Vettel were the first of the front-runners to make an impression.

Webber, having completed a few sghter laps previously, was the first of the RBR cars to record a representative time, getting himself into the 1m45s, however, he was soon beaten by Vettel when the young German crossed the line in 1m45.3.

Lewis Hamilton is tipped for the win this weekend, as the Yas Marina circuit, with its long straights into slow corners should play into the hands of the KERS-equipped cars.

The 2008 world champion demonstrated this by setting relatively quick lap times straight out of the box and he eventually went fastest overall with a 1m44.9.

Webber carried on pumping in the fast lap times and he eclipsed Hamilton’s time by one tenth with a 1m44.8 with less than 35 minutes to go in P1.

Robert Kubica also joined Hamilton and Webber in the 1m44s to go third fastest, splitting the McLaren’s of Hamilton and Kovalainen.

Jenson Button pushed hard throughout the session, running wide on a number of occasions and even spinning out between turns 18 and 19, forcing him to abandon many of his flying laps.

But, the newly-crowned world champion managed to pull together three quick sectors to leap to the top of the timesheets above Webber and Hamilton with a 1m44.524.

Nick Hamilton then responded to Button’s lap, lifting the bar by a further three tenths with a 1m44.219 with around 15 minutes left and Nick Heidfeld followed the Briton across the line with the third fastest time, proving that BMW Sauber have the pace.

Button and Hamilton continued to improve on eachother’s times, the Brawn driver crossing the line to record a 1m44.0, only to be beaten seconds later by Hamilton who became the first of the runners to enter the 1m43s.

Rubens Barrichello then slotted in at the top end of the timesheets, going firth quickest behind Heidfeld and then improving his time to go third.

Both Red Bulls then returned to track looking to get themselves back to the top of the leaderboard and Vettel was the first to improve, slotting into fourth.

With the exception of Adrian Sutil in the Force India, who went sixth on his final run of P1, nobody else was able to make significant improvements on their times, opting not to run on new sets of tyres, therefore Hamilton and Button remained at the very top of the timesheets to make it a British one-two in first practice.

Good garden hygiene a must for healthy birds

Good garden hygiene is a must for birds to stay healthy in the winter, a charity has warned today.

The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) has today urged good hygiene around feeders, tables and water baths to help garden birds stay healthy this winter.

The charity warns birds are more susceptible to diseases in the cold weather, and say extra care needs to be taken to help reduce the risk of infection spreading.

The RSPB's Kirsi Peck said: 'As the weather gets colder, and our birds come into our gardens in bigger numbers, it is no surprise they can become vulnerable to diseases.

'It can be very distressing to find sick or dead birds, but there are things you can do to avoid it happening.

'We all think good hygiene is important in our homes and it need be no great effort to do the same in our garden. We'd urge everyone to clean their baths and feeders regularly to help keep garden bird infections to a minimum.'

Wild birds are at risk from certain strains of salmonella in winter, and trichomoniasis in late summer and autumn, the RSPB says. As they come into garden in greater numbers to search for food diseases spread easier and spread especially quickly if droppings are allowed to mix with uneaten food.

Coyote attack kills young folk singer

Two Coyotes have mauled to death a 19-year-old folk singer in Canada.

Taylor Mitchell, from Toronto, died after being attacked by the animals while she was hiking in the Cape Breton Highland National Park in Nova Scotia.

The Royal Canadian Mountain Police (RCMP) said she was hiking along the popular Skyline Trail when the coyotes pounced. Walkers alerted park rangers after they heard her screams.

One of the coyotes has been shot, but rangers are still looking for the other one.

A message on the singer/songwriter's website read: 'We are devastated by the loss of our dear friend Taylor Mitchell'.

Ms Mitchell was nominated for a Canadian Folk Music Award earlier this year in the youth category.

Officials in Canada said Ms Mitchell died of her wounds on Wednesday morning, after be airlifted to a Halifax hospital.

Coyote attacks on humans are very rare. 'Coyotes are normally afraid of humans. This is a very irregular occurrence,' Brigdit Leger, a spokeswoman for the RCMP, told the Reuters news agency.

Brown: Blair would be an excellent president

Gordon Brown has once again publicly backed former prime minister Tony Blair to become the first president of the European Council.

The prime minister was speaking at a press conference in Brussels during a summit of EU leaders on Thursday.

While the talks are expected to involve a range of topics, namely climate change and the economic crisis, speculation over who will fill the new presidential role if the Lisbon Treaty comes into force has continued to dominate the agenda.

The Czech Republic remains the only member state not to ratify the treaty and a number of candidates have already started to campaign for the position.

While Mr Blair has yet to formally thrown his hat into the ring and announce his candidacy, the British government has started to strongly champion his cause.

Speaking in Brussels, Mr Brown said his predecessor would make 'an excellent president', claiming his credentials were well proven.

He said concern and opposition to Mr Blair due to the Iraq war was now a thing of the past and Europe should be looking forward instead of dwelling on the past.

'Iraq was an issue that was very divisive in Europe for many years, but not anymore,' he said.

'People want to look forward and how Europe can shape its own policies.'

While continually stating how good a candidate Mr Blair would make, the prime minister stated any decision on the matter was still a while off and unlikely to be made in the coming days due to the Czech position.

The prime minister told reporters though that he had spoken to Mr Blair already this week and admitted he did so on regular occasions.

At the talks in Brussels, the EU leaders will discuss economic strategies aimed at bringing their collective economies out of recession, as well as new climate change targets ahead of the Copenhagen summit in December.

Ecclestone rules out British grand prix at Donington

Formula one supremo Bernie Ecclestone has ruled out holding the 2010 British grand prix at Donington Park.

The deadline for Donington to organise its financial plans for the construction of the Leicestershire circuit was midday on Monday, however, circuit boss Simon Gillett failed to transfer the money to a bank account that had been allocated by Ecclestone in time.

Shortly after arriving at the new, state-of-the-art Yas Marina circuit, Ecclestone was quotes as saying: 'There's no Donington. They've missed the deadline which we kept extending for them.'

Ecclestone is believed to be in talks with the British grand prix’s traditional home Silverstone, although there is no guarantee of a deal being made.

Anthony Hopkins to play father of Thor

Oscar-winning actor Sir Anthony Hopkins has joined the cast of Thor, Kenneth Branagh's upcoming adaptation of the Marvel comic book.

Hopkins is to play Norse god Odin, father of the title character and king of the mythological realm of Asgard.

Due for release in May 2011, Thor tells of a powerful but headstrong Norse warrior (Chris Hemsworth) who is cast down to Earth as punishment having ignited an ancient war.

He learns his true heroism when the darkest forces of Asgard, including the villainous god Loki (Tom Hiddleston), are sent to invade Earth.

Mark Protosevich scripted the Marvel adaptation with Zack Stentz and Ashley Miller and has said the film will be 'like a superhero origin story, but not one about a human gaining super powers, but of a god realising his true potential'.

'It's the story of an Old Testament god who becomes a New Testament god,' he told the Daily Herald in 2007.

Branagh was revealed as the surprise choice to take on the popular Marvel character last September, after Layer Cake director Matthew Vaughn had originally been attached to the project.

Natalie Portman is to play nurse Jane Foster, the film's 'human lead', while Stellan Skarsgard, Jaimie Alexander and Colm Feore are also believed to be cast members.

Branagh will begin shooting in January 2010 with Paramount Pictures planning a May 20th 2011 release.

Swine flu cases in England continue to rise

The number of new cases of swine flu has risen further, increasing from 53,000 last week, to 78,000 this week.

The 'second peak' of cases comes as the government rolls out a vaccination programme to give 14 million 'at risk' people the swine flu jab.

Today's figures from the Health Protection Agency (HPA) found the largest increase was seen in the one to four-year-olds category.

As many as one in three children are expected to get the swine flu virus at some point, and approximately 12 per cent of the population are predicted to contract the infection over the coming months.

The HPA today reiterated that the disease severity continues to be monitored, but is generally mild in most people, proving severe in a small minority of cases. As of yesterday morning there were 751 patients in hospitals with swine flu in England, and the number of deaths since the outbreak stood at 97.

The HPA estimates a cumulative total number of cases of 521,000 since the pandemic began.