World champion boxer Joe Calzaghe is facing a High Court action from his former promoter Frank Warren after the pair parted company in June.

The claim was lodged via Warren’s company Sports Network three days after Calzaghe announced he was planning to promote his own fights. This ended the super-middleweight and light-heavyweight champion’s 12-year association with Warren. Read the full story

Commercial shipping has been severely disrupted following an oil spill on the Mississippi River, a busy shipping waterway in the United States.

Dozens of cargo ships and tankers are stuck in a stretch of water between the Gulf of Mexico and New Orleans - one of the world’s busiest ports. A barge and tanker collided, spilling more than 400,000 gallons (1.5m litres) of fuel oil into the river. It could take days to reopen the shipping lane, coastguards say. Read the full story

Thousands of people have descended on ticket booths across the Chinese capital, Beijing, to get their hands on the last batch of Olympic tickets.

Police had to call in reinforcements at one sales centre near the main Olympic venues to hold back surging crowds. Tickets for high-profile events were snapped up in a matter of hours. A total of 820,000 tickets went on sale from 0900 local time, but some people had been queuing for days. Buyers have been Read the full story

At least 42 people have died after their boat sank on a remote river in the Democratic Republic of Congo, local officials have said.

More than 100 people are missing after the accident on the Oubangui River. A local official said 22 passengers had been saved. The accident happened on Tuesday night when the boat hit a rock, said Mathieu Bela, an official in North Oubangui. Overcrowded boats frequently sink on DR Congo’s network of rivers and lakes. “There are no signs or signals, which does nothing to help navigation,” said Mr Bela.The boat reportedly sank near Gbongi, in Bosobolo territory, on the border with the Central African Republic. Read the full story

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Thursday that a proposed U.S.-India nuclear energy deal is good for both countries and for global efforts to reduce the spread of atomic technology and greenhouse gas emissions. In her first public comments on the agreement since India’s government won a confidence vote that paves its way forward, Rice said the Bush administration would press U.S. lawmakers to approve Read the full story

No “crazy” attacks, conserve energy, and hope for the best in the time trial: Tour de France leader Carlos Sastre is tipping his strategy as the race creeps toward its finish in Paris on Sunday. The Spanish veteran didn’t see the chance he was looking for to expand his lead against his top rivals in Thursday’s 18th stage out of the Alps, which Germany’s Marcus Burghardt won by heading a two-man breakaway. Read the full story

At least seven explosions have rocked the southern Indian city of Bangalore. Early reports say that at least two people are dead and several injured. The cause of the explosions is not clear. Police have described the blasts as low intensity. All the blasts occurred in crowded areas within a span of 15 minutes. The first blast shook Rajaram Circle at around 1320 hrs IST. The other explosions took place in Madivala, Hosur road, Read the full story

India 159 for 6 (Gambhir 39, Murali 4-38) trail Sri Lanka 600 for 6 dec (Dilshan 127*) by 441 runs

And the run orgy continued. Tillakaratne Dilshan revelled in the SSC fun, scoring his first century in three years and setting up Sri Lanka’s declaration at 600 for 6, leaving India 54 overs to negotiate on the third day. The Indian batsmen started merrily, but after Virender Sehwag’s dismissal they became more circumspect to reach 73 for 1 by tea. Read the full story

The ICC Champions Trophy in Pakistan in September could be hit by a mass boycott because of security concerns.

On Wednesday the ICC confirmed Pakistan would host the tournament but players’ groups in New Zealand, Australia and England have all expressed doubts. “The risks are too great for us to recommend our players go there,” said Paul Marsh of the Australian Cricketers’ Association. “We would expect Cricket Australia to adopt the same position.” Security in Pakistan has been a matter of concern following the assassination of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto in Read the full story

England will warm up for their $20m (£10m) showdown with the Stanford Super Stars later this year by playing the winners of this weekend’s Twenty20 Cup.

The game is one of six matches in an expanded Stanford Super Series event, which is being held in the Caribbean. England and the Twenty20 Cup winners will also face regional Twenty20 champions Trinidad & Tobago as well as the Stanford Super Stars. Essex, Kent, Middlesex and Durham meet in Twenty20 finals day on Saturday. Whichever team comes out on top will face Trinidad & Tobago on 27 October, with the winners of that match pocketing $400,000 (£200,000).The Twenty20 Cup finalists are already scheduled to take part in the planned Champions League, some time in the autumn.