Tillakeratne Dilshan made an assured 48 from 37 balls and Mahela Jayawardene struck six fours and a six in a fluent 41 from 29 as Sri Lanka posted 158-5.

New Zealand raced to 30-0 in the third over but spinner Ajantha Mendis took 3-9 as the Kiwis lost their final six wickets for just 17 runs in four overs.

Sri Lanka will now play West Indies in Friday’s semi-final at The Oval.

It looked as though the outcome would be very different after an electrifying start to the New Zealand reply, as 20 came from the second over bowled by the slow left-armer Sanath Jayasuriya.

Aaron Redmond slammed three successive fours and completed the over with a six over long-off.

Left-arm seamer Isuru Udana stemmed the flood of runs when Brendon McCullum mis-timed and top-edged, and Lasith Malinga’s slower ball full toss accounted for Redmond, who flipped straight to midwicket.

The magic of Mendis then came to the fore, firstly courtesy of a sharp stumping by Kumar Sangakkara and three balls later knocking back the off pole after bamboozling Scott Styris.

Martin Guptill was one of the few players in the event to combat Malinga, twice thumping him straight down the ground for four in the same over to maintain hope for the Kiwis.

But after Udana totally deceived Jacob Oram and disturbed two of his stumps, the pressure finally told on Guptill who top-edged the venerable Jayasuriya to deep square-leg.

Jayasuriya’s day began about as badly as it could have done with a golden duck from the third ball of the match, a top-edged sweep at spinner Nathan McCullum safely taken at backward square-leg.

Mendis proved a little too mysterious for the New Zealand batsmen

Chamara Silva hit two fours before he too mis-timed one and a leading edge was caught at mid-off, but Sangakkara opened his account with consecutive elegant offside boundaries off Ian Butler.

He shared 52 with Dilshan, who did not have the opportunity to play his scoop shot but drove and cut wristily and is the only player to pass 200 runs for the tournament thus far.

Skipper Daniel Vettori conceded 12 from his opening over but returned to claim the wicket of Dilshan, who was caught low at short cover.

But Jayawardene continued in majestic fashion, combining authentic shots with brilliant innovation.

He hit the only six of the innings in the 14th over with an effortlessly struck straight drive from a free hit off Vettori that sailed into the television gantry.

Jayawardene moved across his stumps to flick one from wide of off-stump over square-leg for four, and even used the back of the bat to execute a reverse sweep.

That type of ingenuity coupled with such a penetrating, varied bowling attack and outstanding fielding surely makes the Sri Lankans a good bet to challenge for the trophy.

They have a wonderful attack and deserved to win Daniel Vettori

Sangakkara was delighted with his team’s progress and said: “It was a great batting performance from Dilshan, he was brilliant.

“We knew that after the first six overs, and the fielding restrictions were lifted, we could pull them back. Now we can build on all of this and see where it takes us.”

He also singled out Mendis and added: “He is very difficult to read and he has an attacking mindset. It’s a great ability to have.”

Vettori, meanwhile, highlighted his side’s batting rather than injury problems as the reason for New Zealand’s exit.

“It was a gettable total but in three major matches our highest score was 120,” he said.

“We got off to a decent start, then capitulated in the middle. But they have a wonderful attack and deserved to win.

“We had a very comfortable draw. We played a couple of minnows and were then in a position to reach the semi-finals, but we didn’t take our opportunities.”

“We’re devastated but injuries were not the reason we lost to Sri Lanka.”

Manchester United’s Anderson, Ryan Giggs and Wayne Rooney celebrate winning the Premier League title

Manchester United will begin the defence of their Premier League title at home to newly promoted Birmingham.

Carlo Ancelotti’s first game in charge at Chelsea will be against Hull at Stamford Bridge as the campaign gets under way on the weekend of August 15.

Liverpool open at Tottenham while Arsenal face Everton at Goodison Park.

Wolves play West Ham at Molineux and Burnley visit Stoke on their return to the top flight before facing Manchester United at Turf Moor 18 August.

Big-spending Manchester City make the journey to Blackburn on the opening day before hosting Everton at Eastlands on 19 August.

New Wigan boss Roberto Martinez starts his reign at Aston Villa, while Bolton are at home to Steve Bruce’s Sunderland and Portsmouth meet Fulham at Fratton Park.

Paul Fletcher’s blog The issue of sensible travel is a big factor in this year’s list - but what do you make of it? Paul Fletcher

Manchester United have to wait until the end of the month before they play one of the top four clubs as they take on Arsenal at Old Trafford on 29 August, with the return fixture at the Emirates Stadium on 30 January.

Sir Alex Ferguson’s side visit Anfield to play Liverpool on 24 October and last season’s runners-up are at Old Trafford on 20 March. Chelsea are the last of the other top four sides to face United when they play the champions at Stamford Bridge on 7 November, with the return fixture on 3 April.

Last season’s losing Champions League finalists close the season at home to Stoke on 9 May, while Liverpool finish their season at Hull on 9 May.

Liverpool visit Stamford Bridge on October 3, while Chelsea travel to Anfield on 1 May.

Wolves fans will be looking forward to a December 15 trip to Old Trafford to play Manchester United and a home fixture against the champions on March 6, while fellow top-flight newcomers Birmingham play the champions at St Andrews on 9 January.

Full Premier League fixtures English club-by-club fixtures

Aston Villa v Wigan
Blackburn v Manchester City
Bolton v Sunderland
Chelsea v Hull
Everton v Arsenal
Manchester Utd v Birmingham
Portsmouth v Fulham
Stoke v Burnley
Tottenham v Liverpool
Wolves v West Ham

Tuesday, 18 August

Arsenal v Bolton
Birmingham v Portsmouth
Burnley v Manchester United
Fulham v Blackburn
Hull v Tottenham
Sunderland v Chelsea
West Ham v Aston Villa
Wigan v Wolves

Wednesday, 19 August

Liverpool v Stoke
Manchester City OFF Everton - postponed because of Uefa Cup qualifier

• Video highlights of every game in the Football League and SPL next season will be available on the BBC Sport website, for UK users.

• The Football League Show will go out on BBC One on Saturday nights, starting on 8 August at 1110 BST. This programme will be on iPlayer for seven days, and on the red button until midday on Sundays.

• BBC TV will show 10 live Championship games during the season, as well as the Carling Cup final and one leg of each Carling Cup semi-final.

• Johnstone’s Paint Trophy highlights will be on BBC TV and this website for UK users.

The report has concerns about food insecurity and hunger

The global agriculture sector has coped better with the recession than other sectors, but it could suffer if the downturn deepens, a new report says.

Output and consumption will fall less if recovery starts within three years, say the OECD and the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO).

They say average crop prices in the next decade will be 10-20% higher in real terms than between 1997 and 2006.

They warn more hefty price hikes, as happened in 2008, cannot be ruled out.

The report warned that food insecurity and hunger were a growing problem for the world’s poor.

It suggests that governments should target spending on infrastructure, research and development and providing incentives for sustainable use of soil and water to improve access to food.

I expect Congress to work swiftly to get these laws into place

The US government is set to announce a major reform of banking regulation to prevent future financial crises.

President Barack Obama is due to set out plans requiring big banks to put more money aside against future losses and curb excessive risk taking.

The US central bank, the Federal Reserve, will be given the authority to monitor major financial institutions.

And consumers will get a special agency to protect their interests and regulate mortgages and credit cards.

The plan is the biggest shake-up of the US system of financial regulation since the 1930s.

Its aim is to deal with the weaknesses that the sub-prime crisis and the financial meltdown revealed in the fragmented US regulatory system.

“We have tried to identify the set of issues that are most crucial,” Larry Summers, the top economic adviser to Mr Obama, told the Financial Times.

These include dealing with systemic risks that could bring down the whole financial system, raising capital requirements for banks, ensuring that the government can take over failing institutions, and protecting consumers and investors.

There will be more regulation of hedge funds, securitised debts and over-the-counter derivatives, all of which have been blamed for exacerbating the financial crisis.

It will also aim to give shareholders more power to question executive bonuses.

“We want to make sure we are getting the best possible system in place, so that we are not repeating the mistakes of the past,” President Obama said on Tuesday.

The reforms will also fullfil the commitments made by the US at the G20 summit in London to join in the worldwide effort to toughen financial regulation.

New institutions

Bear Stearns’ problems caused shockwaves in global financial markets

The reforms will enhance the power of the Federal Reserve to supervise and ultimately order the takeover of any financial institution in trouble.

It was the inability of the US government to take over Lehman Brothers that threw the financial markets into turmoil in September last year.

However, the Obama administration has backed away from earlier plans to create a single regulator, with the Fed sharing responsibility with the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, which regulates smaller community banks, and the Treasury.

But one regulator, the Office of Thrift Supervision, will be abolished.

Instead, there will be a new council of regulators, the Financial Services Oversight Council, which will co-ordinate the supervision of the banking system.

And the Fed will lose some of its powers to a new Consumer Financial Protection Agency which will regulate mortgages, credit cards, and savings products.

Fight in Congress

The proposals for regulatory reform could face significant opposition in Congress.

Mr Obama said he expected Congress to “work swiftly to get these laws into place”, but warned that his plans would be a “heavy lift” because they faced opposition from “special interests”.

The US Chambers of Commerce, a business lobbying group, has already said it opposes key parts of the reform.

And many Democrats are sceptical of giving more powers to the Fed, whose unelected chairman, Ben Bernanke, is a Republican appointed by President Bush.

The influential chairman of the Senate Banking Committee, Christopher Dodd, has favoured the creation of a new consolidated bank regulator to replace the Fed and other agencies.

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire is the fourth book in the series

The publisher of the Harry Potter series has denied a claim that author JK Rowling stole the idea for one of her books from another writer.

Lawyers for the estate of late author Adrian Jacobs are suing Bloomsbury Publishing PLC.

They claim Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire reproduces substantial parts of Jacobs’s story The Adventures of Willy the Wizard.

Bloomsbury described the claim as “unfounded and untrue”.

Ms Rowling made no comment.

Film adaptations

A statement on the website of law firm DMH Stallard, which is representing the claimant, confirmed the estate was taking Bloomsbury to court for copyright infringement.

Bloomsbury said the claim was baseless and the book “will be defended vigorously”.

Jacobs died in London in 1997. His book, The Adventures of Willy the Wizard - No 1 Livid Land, was published in 1987, according to the estate representatives, based in Australia.

Bloomsbury said Jacobs’s estate first approached it in 2004 but was “unable to identify any text in the Harry Potter books which was said to copy Willy the Wizard”.

“JK Rowling had never heard of Adrian Jacobs nor seen, read, or heard of his book Willy the Wizard until this claim was first made in 2004,” the statement read.

The Harry Potter series has sold more than 400 million books worldwide in 65 languages and spawned a series of hit films starring Daniel Radcliffe as the boy wizard.

Brown could face a four-year jail term if convicted

Chris Brown’s lawyer has requested a delay in the R&B singer’s assault case to gain access to police records.

A decision has yet to be taken about putting off the preliminary hearing at California’s Supreme Court, which is due to take place on 22 June.

Mark Geragos’s attempt to delay proceedings last week was rejected by the appeals court.

Brown, 19, has pleaded not guilty to assaulting and threatening his singer girlfriend Rihanna in February.

The chart-topping artist, real name Robyn Rihanna Fenty, has been requested to appear as a witness and is thought likely to testify in the case.

Mr Geragos has requested access to police personnel and investigative records, prompting the delay request.

The preliminary hearing will determine if there is enough evidence to proceed with the case.

Brown faces up to four years in prison if convicted of the charges.

A simple blood test may reveal the speed of ageing

Scientists are developing a simple blood test to measure how fast the body’s tissues are ageing at a molecular level.

They have found that as tissue ages, concentrations of a protein called p16INK4a dramatically increases.

Measuring levels of the protein could potentially provide a way to assess how healthy the tissues are, and how they will respond to surgery or drugs.

The University of North Carolina study appears in the journal Aging Cell.

This is a major step toward a practical tool to clinically determine a person’s actual molecular, as opposed to just their chronological age Dr Norman Sharpless University of North Carolina

Scientists are already interested in p16INK4a because it is known to play a role in suppressing the development of cancer.

The protein is present in the T-cells of the immune system, which play a key role in fighting disease, and repairing tissue damage.

Physical inactivity link

Not only did the North Carolina team show that levels were closely related to cellular ageing, they also found a strong link with certain behaviours, such as tobacco use and physical inactivity, which are known to accelerate the ageing process.

They say they have overcome technical hurdles to begin perfecting a simple blood test to detect levels of the protein.

To test its accuracy, they analysed blood samples from 170 people, who also filled out a questionnaire about their health and lifestyle.

Researcher Dr Norman Sharpless said: “This is a major step toward a practical tool to clinically determine a person’s actual molecular, as opposed to just their chronological age.

“Although we don’t know whether this test is a good reflection of cellular age in all types of human tissues, we believe it is a first step toward a better understanding of issues like the suitability of organs for transplantation, how well patients are likely to recover after surgery or the future toxicity of chemotherapy for cancer patients.”

The researchers were surprised to find that levels of the protein were not linked to obesity, even though research has suggested that limiting calorie intake may help to slow down the ageing process.

Dr Sharpless said this raised the possibility that a lack of exercise may have a more profound impact on molecular ageing than being overweight or obese.

Professor Tim Spector, of Kings College London, has carried out much research into how ageing is related to the length of strands of DNA called telomeres which protect our chromosomes from damage.

He said: “p16INK4a clearly has potential for use as a novel marker of biological aging.

“However, much more work in larger numbers needs to be done to see if it is better than the other existing marker - telomere length - or indeed if it is good enough to be useful at an individual level in predicting rates of ageing.”

Chef’s tip: Chop after cooking

The anti-cancer properties of carrots are more potent if the vegetable is not cut up before cooking, research shows.

Scientists found “boiled before cut” carrots contained 25% more of the anti-cancer compound falcarinol than those chopped up first.

Experiments on rats fed falcarinol have shown they develop fewer tumours.

The Newcastle University study will be presented at NutrEvent, a conference on nutrition and health, to be held in France.

Lead researcher Dr Kirsten Brandt, from Newcastle University’s School of Agriculture, Food and Rural Development, said: “Chopping up your carrots increases the surface area so more of the nutrients leach out into the water while they are cooked.

“By keeping them whole and chopping them up afterwards you are locking in nutrients and the taste, so the carrot is better for you all round.”

The Newcastle scientist, along with colleagues at the University of Denmark, discovered the health benefits of falcarinol in carrots four years ago.

Heat effect

Rats fed on a diet containing carrots or falcarinol were found to be one-third less likely to develop full-scale tumours than those in the control group.

Since then the scientists in Newcastle have been studying what happens when carrots are chopped and cooked.

The latest findings show that when carrots are heated, the heat kills the cells, so they lose the ability to hold on to the water inside them, increasing the concentration of falcarinol as the carrots lose water.

However, the heat also softens the cell walls, allowing water-soluble compounds such as sugar and vitamin C to be lost via the surface of the tissue, leading to the leaching out of other compounds such as falcarinol.

If the carrot is cut before being boiled, the surface area becomes much greater - and so the loss of nutrients is increased.

More tasty

Dr Brandt added that in blind taste studies the whole carrots also tasted much better.

Eight of ten people favoured the whole vegetables over those that were pre-chopped.

This is because the naturally occurring sugars which are responsible for giving the carrot its distinctively sweet flavour were also found in higher concentrations in the carrot that had been cooked whole.

Dr Brandt said: “The great thing about this is it’s a simple way for people to increase their uptake of a compound we know is good for you.

“All you need is a bigger saucepan.”

Dr Kat Arney, of the charity Cancer Research UK, remained unconvinced that keeping carrots whole would have any impact on cancer risk.

She said: “When it comes to eating, we know that a healthy balanced diet - rich in a range of fruit and vegetables - plays an important part in reducing the risk of many types of cancer, rather than any one specific food.”

A verdict is due this week in “the babes in the freezer” case, in which a French mother is accused of murdering three of her children. BBC Paris correspondent Emma Jane Kirby reports on the mixture of horror and sympathy that the story has aroused.

When 41-year-old Veronique Courjault took the stand last week in the courtroom in Tours, she was described by all the newspapers here as looking “fragile”, “sad” and “pale”.

Veronique Courjault is described as an “exemplary mother” to her two sons

Naturally a heavy-set woman, she appeared to have lost a lot of weight in the three years she has spent in pre-trial detention. Some journalists commented on the desperate look she shot her husband Jean-Louis, who has promised to stand by her.

In almost every report there was a tone of pity - a far cry from the initial reactions of disgust and horror that met the original unveiling of her shocking story in the summer of 2006.

It came to light when Jean-Louis Courjault found the bodies of two babies in the freezer, at the family’s home in the South Korean capital, Seoul. Mrs Courjault was on holiday in France at the time, and refused to go back.

In the run-up to her trial, it seems that every leading pregnancy expert in France has been interviewed by the media - and suddenly people here are no longer talking about premeditated murder, they are talking about an intriguing psychological condition called pregnancy denial.

In the flood of articles on the subject this week, it was a double-page spread in the left-leaning Liberation which really grabbed my attention.

The figures the paper gave were startling - every year in France, between 1,600 and 2,000 women apparently suffer from pregnancy denial, and at least 230 discover or admit they’re pregnant only at the moment they give birth.

Surprisingly, most of the examples cited were not of teenage girls who had never had a baby - they were mainly mothers of at least two children who were all so mentally opposed to the thought of having another child that they didn’t show a single physical symptom of their pregnancy.

Suffocated

Apart from a tiny weight gain of one or two kilos there were no visible changes to their bodies. Many of the women even continued to menstruate - the need to deny the pregnancy was so strong, explained doctors, that the mind controlled the body and suppressed all external manifestations of the pregnancy.

As far as I was concerned they were never children - it was a part of myself that I was killing. Veronique Courjault

Veronique Courjault, who already has two teenage sons, and who is said by her family and colleagues to be “an exemplary mother”, initially denied any connection to the bodies found in her freezer, but after DNA tests proved she and her husband were the natural parents, she admitted suffocating the two infants in Koreas in 2002 and 2003.

She also admitted killing and burning the body of a third baby she bore in France in 1999.

She explained to investigators she and her husband had agreed they did not want any more children and that during her three subsequent pregnancies, she had felt no connection with the babies growing inside her.

Jean-Louis Courjault says his wife needs help, not punishment

She managed to conceal her condition from her husband and all her family, including a sister-in-law who was a medical doctor.

“I could not feel them move inside me,” she told psychiatrists, after admitting she’d given birth in the bath and had suffocated the infants. “As far as I was concerned they were never children. It was a part of myself, an extension of myself that I was killing.”

In previous statements to the police, however, she also claimed: “I decided straight away not to keep the baby I was carrying.”

Psychological stress

Jurors have to now decide whether Veronique Courjault was suffering from a psychological disorder, or whether she is guilty of premeditated murder.

Her own lawyers insist hers is a classic case of pregnancy denial. Her husband, who has regularly and loyally visited his wife in prison - and who has himself been cleared of any involvement in the deaths - also believes she acted out of extreme psychological stress and needs help, not punishment.

Professor Israel Nisand, an obstetrician called to give evidence in her defence, has even suggested that the babies could have died during their birth, due to complications that can occur when a women gives birth alone.

But in court on Tuesday, a psychiatrist called as a witness for the prosecution, Dr Fanny Puel-Metivier, was adamant that Veronique Courjault was completely aware of her pregnancies. “It was neither a case of total denial, or even partial denial,” she insisted. “She knew she was pregnant and she told us she did.”

With psychologists and medical experts so divided, the presiding judge, Georges Domergue has extended the trial by 24 hours to give “everyone the chance to express themselves and to put forward their arguments”.

If the jurors decide on Thursday that Veronique Courjault is guilty of murder, she faces life in prison.

More than 100 Romanian people who fled their homes in south Belfast have been moved to a leisure centre.

The group of about 20 families spent Tuesday night in a church hall after a spate of racist attacks on their homes.

Police have said they do not believe paramilitaries were involved in orchestrating the attacks.

The attacks were condemned by Prime Minister Gordon Brown who said he hoped the authorities would take all action necessary to protect the families.

Northern Ireland Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness, who has met with the families, said the attacks were a “totally shameful episode”.

A Romanian woman covers her head as she arrives at a Belfast leisure centre

“We need a collective effort to face down these criminals in society who are quite clearly intent on preying on vulnerable women and children,” he said.

The police have met Belfast City Council and social services to discuss how best to care for those affected by the attacks.

Most of the Romanian families, including one with a five-day-old girl, have been taken to the Ozone Leisure Centre in south Belfast, where they will spend the rest of the day.

They said they did not want to return to their Belfast homes.

Mr McGuinness and Junior Minister Jeffrey Donaldson visited the centre earlier on Wednesday.

Mr Donaldson said it was important people in Northern Ireland stood together.

He said: “I think it is important that the whole community shows a united front against this kind of racism.”

AT THE SCENE Mark Simpson, BBC News Looking at 115 Romanians huddled together on the floor of a Belfast church hall, it was possible to see the worst side of Northern Ireland - and the best - all at once. The speed with which Pastor Malcolm Morgan and his team created a temporary home for 20 families was remarkable. At the same time, the sight of men, women and children looking so helpless and scared was a stain on Northern Ireland’s international reputation. Many of the families came to Belfast believing that the years of prejudice and narrow-mindedness were over. However, it seems that in some parts of the city, racism is the new sectarianism.

Lord Mayor Naomi Long said she did not want to see families “driven from Belfast”.

“They have a right to be in Belfast. They are part of the fabric of this city. I want to see them treated with the respect and dignity that I would demand for any other citizen,” she said.

“This is a small number of people who are engaged in this violence. I understand this is cold comfort to the people affected by it.”

Bernie Kelly, from Belfast Health and Social Care Trust, said it had been a very traumatic experience for the Romanians.

“The whole thing has escalated very quickly,” she said.

“Working with the police and all the agencies together we are going to have to find a resolution.”

There have been suspicions that a loyalist paramilitary group is involved in the violence, but this has been denied, our correspondent added.

One of the women who took shelter in the church, who did not want to be named, said she was very upset and scared.

She said she had feared the attackers had come to kill her and her family, and she now wanted to go back to Romania.

But the help of the church had shown a positive side to the people of Belfast as well, she added.

On Tuesday night, the group of 115 people had tried to take refuge in a single house, but was eventually taken to the church by police minibus.

Unsafe

Anna Lo of the Alliance Party said the families were “very frightened”.

Ms Lo said attacks on Romanian homes - which included bricks being thrown through windows - had been increasing in frequency in recent months.

“They are really very frightened,” she said. “The women, when they were talking to me yesterday, they were really upset, tears in their eyes and said, ‘You know we love it here, we’d like to live here, but we’re too scared.’

“A woman showed me her shoulder which was quite bruised and cut across, she was hit across the shoulder.”

Jolena Flett, Racial Harassment Adviser for the Northern Ireland Council for Ethnic Minorities, said they had been threatened verbally and then three properties were attacked on the same day.

“There has been an issue about the families feeling unsafe in the properties they were attacked in. What we are trying to do is provide them with alternative accommodation,” she said.