I have been to big competitions before and seen many shocks.'He has created the latest, and last night put out the man who won the bronze medal in last year's world 4,000m championship at Stuttgart's indoor arena.The Danish camp said that Petersen had been ill last week with a form of food poisoning.Last year, on the Leicester track, Boardman's pursuit of speed reached world standard when he set a world 5,000m record. 'Copts fear that if the pressure of the extremist Islamic movement continues, they would be even more marginalised in a country which, in their collective memory, was theirs before it was Islamicised. Scarlett, the only woman in sight, comes round with her 'jug', grinning, working hard, the teddy bear under her arm. The common denominator of his works is warmth of human feeling; his generosity of spirit is sadly lacking in some of his critics.'Kitaj's praise for Degas or Cezanne does not mean he feels himself their equal; indeed, he is haunted by a sense of his inadequacy.

(First Edition) MARCO PANTANI, of Italy, scored his second stage win in 24 hours in the Giro d'Italia yesterday and is the new challenger to Russian Evgeny Berzin's race lead. Pantani raced home 2min 52sec ahead of his compatriot and team-mate, Claudio Chiappucci, after a testing day in the mountains from Merano, and closed to within 1min 18sec of Berzin.The slim, balding Italian took on the best again over 195km in which the daunting 2,758m Stelvio mountain followed by the punishing Mortirollo climb blew the race apart.Pantani, dwarfed by the shadowing Miguel Indurain, raced clear of the Giro-treble-seeking Spaniard and Nelson Rodriguez of Colombia on Mortirollo and spent the final 53km in another courageous solo.On Saturday he had raced the last 21km alone to win at Merano, 40sec clear of another Giro ace, Gianni Bugno of Italy.Spanish riders made a clean sweep of the major placings in the Tour of Asturies which ended yesterday.Mapei-Clas team rider Abraham Olano won overall, finishing 59sec ahead of Pedro Delgado, with Felix Garcia Casas third.TVM rider Jesper Skibby, of Denmark, won the sixth and final stage from Cangas del Narcea.Ronan Pensec of France sprinted to victory in the sixth stage of the Dauphine Libere race in Chambery, France, yesterday holding off fellow countryman Richard Virenque and Luc Roosen of Belgium.Following the 203.5km stage, Laurent Dufaux of Switzerland retains the overall lead which he took from Chris Boardman of Britain on Saturday.Pensec is second overall with Lithuanian Arturas Kasputis third.GIRO D'ITALIA 15th stage (195km, Merano to Aprica): 1 F Pantani (It) Carrera 6hr 55min 58sec; 2 C Chiappucci (Ity) Carrera +2min and 52sec; 3 W Belli (It) Lampre +3:27; 4 N Rodriguez (Col) ZG Mobili +3:29; 5 M Indurain (Sp) Banesto +3:30; 6 E Berzin (Rus) Gewiss Ballan +4:06; 7 U Bolts (Ger) Telekom s/t; 8 G Bugno (It) Polti +5:50; 9 V Poulnikov (Ukr) Carrera; 10 P Tonkov (Rus) Lampre all s/t. Was that stuff about his girlfriend just a show for me? It is the lack of trust that upsets me as much as anything. 'An unselfish player who makes his presence felt in all areas of play,' said Sven Goran Eriksson. Refrains from erotic ballads, echoes of Herbert and Corbiere, underpinned the continual presence of spirits Rafferty knew, while old men's ravings at the pub walls heralded ghosts from wars and hunts. Students say that four lessons are enough for beginners to find out if it's their kind of sport and within three months you can start sparring with others. In my view, the Exchange is refusing to accept a very obvious conclusion.'Mr Cohen wants the new Europe-wide market to cater for what he described as 'entrepreneurial growth companies', where the management has a big share stake and at least pounds 1m of shares can be released on to the market.He revealed that he had been talking quietly for the past year with the London office of Nasdaq, the American over- the-counter stock market operator, about running a breakaway market if the Stock Exchange got cold feet.

Jaan Manitski, the Foreign Minister, said that the polls were 'definitely' fair and democratic.Non-Estonians can apply for citizenship but need to prove two years' residence and at least a basic knowledge of Estonian as well as pledge loyalty to the republic.The citizenship controversy has further strained relations between the Russia and Estonia, already complicated by a dispute over where the border should lie. When you are 25, you are ready to work night and day, but maybe not at 40. A heavy police presence in the area thwarted attempts to repeat last year's exodus. That has more to do with attitude than with need, because very few of these big, thirsty machines ever tackle axle-deep mud or the other challenges for which they were designed. They are as much a part of our ordinary physical make-up as eyes, heart or brain. I also gave up my career - but we have a purpose and I am a witness to what is happening in Belarus.