Oracle Discoverer 10g Desktop Training Course

First the speeches. Then the Smirnoff Ice at high society wedding

It is more often associated with a teenager’s first curious sips of alcohol or as a sugary lubricant at school discos up and down the country, so Smirnoff Ice’s presence at a high society wedding at the weekend was a curious one.

Whiskey distillery to open in the heart of the Lake District

For William Wordsworth, the Lake District was a “national property” for all to enjoy. But what the poet, a teetotal, would have made of the first whiskey distillery in the area for more than 100 years is hard to tell.

Spiced carrot, beetroot and coconut salad

The raw vegetables and coconut taste so fresh and bright, yet the spices and chilli give it a warmth that you don't usually get from raw salads. Delicious!

Heaton, Butler and Bayne, Floral Street, London

Heaton, Butler and Bayne is named not for the restaurateur behind it – that's Robert Siegler, who also owns the excellent Market Café in Broadway Market, east London, and nearby Le Deuxième – but the manufacturers of stained-glass windows whose factory was here from 1855 onwards.

Wines of the week: Loimer Kamptal Gruner Veltliner 2011; Reserve Combes AOC St Chinian 2011; Minarete Ribera del Duero 2011

Sunday lunch

The experts' guide to summer: From getting fit for the beach to recreating that Olympic buzz

How to surf like a Californian

Don't be shy: Bill Granger's Sri Lankan recipes

One of my closest friends from school was half-English and half-Sri Lankan. His dad was a rock promoter and it was in theirwonderfully bohemian house that I experienced the most amazing Anglo-Sri Lankan dishes. I had to wait quite a few years, though, for my first introduction to true Sri Lankan food.

Daily grind: An expert's guide to making the perfect cup of coffee

If you thought that making a cup of coffee simply involved a teaspoon of instant and a splash of milk, wake up and smell the proverbial! The 14th World Barista Championship takes place this week, and here we provide an expert guide to perking up, courtesy of Ryan Cross of Ristretto Roasters in Portland, Oregon

Foodie alert: Goat has been neglected by chefs in the UK, but the world's favourite ruminant is becoming increasingly common on menus

It is the most popular meat in the world and far healthier than the leanest chicken breast. Yet goat has long failed to butt its way on to British menus. The nearest many will have been to goat is purchasing a curry at the Notting Hill carnival and feeling daringly experimental.

Bidding war for burger chain Byron

The owner of Yo Sushi is battling rival private equity firms to acquire Byron, the upmarket burger chain, for £100m.

Iran's Ahmadinejad says will challenge ally's ban from election

DUBAI (Reuters) - Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said on Wednesday he would take up the ban of his close aide from the June 14 presidential vote with Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iranian media reported on Wednesday. Iran's electoral watchdog on Tuesday disqualified Esfandiar Rahim Mashaie, Ahmadinejad's former chief of staff, from running in the June 14 presidential vote. "In my opinion there will be no problem with the Leader and I will take up this issue until the last moment with him," Ahmadinejad said on Wednesday, according to the ISNA news agency. ...

Militants release seven Egyptians kidnapped in Sinai

CAIRO (Reuters) - Seven members of the Egyptian security forces kidnapped by Islamist militants in the Sinai Peninsula last week were released on Wednesday, the army said. Security sources said they were freed following talks mediated by local Bedouin tribal leaders. The men were handed over to the army in an area south of Rafah, near the border with Israel. The six policemen and one soldier were abducted by gunmen demanding the release of members of an Islamist group convicted of carrying out a series of attacks in 2011 that killed seven people. ...

Iran bars Rafsanjani from standing for president

Iran said Tuesday the moderate ex-president Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani was among those barred from standing in next month's presidential election, provoking a sharp reaction from Washington.

Hezbollah sends new fighters to bloody Syria battle

Hezbollah fighters poured across the border from Lebanon into Syria, a watchdog and others said, bolstering Syrian regime forces battling to retake the key rebel stronghold of Qusayr.

Canada warns of possible Iraq 'civil war'

A spate of deadly violence risks plunging Iraq into a sectarian civil war, Canada's top diplomat warned, adding that a Canadian was among the latest victims.

Dubai seizes 259 smuggled African ivory tusks

A shipment of 259 elephant tusks smuggled out of Africa has been seized in the United Arab Emirates, the International Wildlife Fund for Animal Welfare said.

Afghan Interpreters Can Come To UK In Rethink

Around 600 Afghan interpreters are to be offered the chance to settle in Britain after an apparent coalition rethink.

Afghan interpreters to get British visas

Around 600 Afghan interpreters who served with British forces fighting the Taliban in southern Afghanistan will be allowed to stay in Britain, the government revealed on Wednesday.

Egyptian army blocks Sinai roads in hunt for kidnappers

By Yousri Mohamed SHEIKH ZUWAID, Egypt (Reuters) - Egyptian army and police forces stepped up roadblocks in north Sinai in a hunt for militant Islamists who kidnapped seven security officers last week, a security source said on Tuesday. The militants seized the men on a road between the towns of el-Arish and Rafah near the border with Gaza on Thursday in the latest setback for the Cairo government's efforts to reinstate law and order in the Sinai Peninsula. ...

Egypt troops sweep Sinai before possible rescue op

Egyptian troops and policemen began sweeps of north Sinai on Tuesday ahead of a possible showdown with heavily armed gunmen who abducted seven security personnel, officials said.

Rising stock market still has 'some way to run'

The economy may be struggling, but the stock market is booming. Should we be throwing our hats in the air or worrying about a crash?

Apple CEO Cook defends company's tax strategy

Appearing before US senators, Apple boss Tim Cook rejects accusations that his company is exploiting tax loopholes and says it pays "every single dollar" of the tax it owes.

Crisis at M&S as profits plunge to worst in four years

As Marks & Spencer posts its worst annual profits in four years, we ask: can Chief Executive Marc Bolland's new team turn the company's fortunes around?

Hundreds of new homes from Help to Buy: at what cost?

It's the centrepiece of the government's plans to get the economy going after three years of meagre growth.

Blind Chinese lawyer tells of family's persecution

Blind Chinese lawyer Chen Guangcheng tells Channel 4 News how his family are being persecuted after he campaigned against forced abortion.

Google chief Schmidt at No 10, but not challenged on tax

David Cameron hosts a summit of his business advisory group in Downing Street, but does not raise the issue of tax avoidance with Google executive chairman Eric Schmidt.

Yahoo! buys Tumblr in bid to recapture some cool

It is young, hip and has more than 100 million users around the world. Now Yahoo! has agreed a $1bn dollar deal to buy Tumblr - will it recapture its long lost cool?

Google 'cheats taxpayer out of millions' - whistleblower

A former Google executive turned whistleblower claims the internet giant has cheated UK taxpayers out of hundreds of millions of pounds.

Are Marks & Spencer missing a trick with online shopping?

Why is Marks & Spencer shunning online retail? Business Correspondent Siobhan Kennedy explores the growth of online, and if M&S is missing a trick.

Ocado signs £170m deal with Morrisons

Morrisons supermarket confirms a £170m 25-year tie-up with Ocado, sending the online grocer's shares soaring and potentially enraging its former exclusive partner Waitrose.

Gündoğan determined not to let standards drop

"An extraordinary player" according to Jürgen Klopp, Borussia Dortmund midfielder İlkay Gündoğan promises to work "even harder" to continue his rise to the top.

Classics: Juventus hold nerve to seal real deal

Fabrizio Ravanelli's goal for Juventus 17 years ago today in the UEFA Champions League final against AFC Ajax gives him "goose bumps all over" – it was just the start of the drama.

Kahn recalls Bayern's redemption of 2001

UEFA.com hears from Oliver Kahn – who helped FC Bayern München to their most recent UEFA Champions League triumph in 2001 – ahead of Saturday's Wembley showpiece.

Błaszczykowski's pleasant Dortmund surprise

Borussia Dortmund are in Saturday's final and winger Jakub Błaszczykowski told UEFA.com he is "as surprised as many are" as he reflected on their season ahead of a Wembley debut.

UEFA Champions League final week on UEFA.com

From exclusive interviews, expert analysis, live updates, and vibrant social communities, UEFA.com has all bases covered ahead of this year's UEFA Champions League final.

Cult hero Ricken on Dortmund's 1997 triumph

Much loved at Borussia Dortmund after scoring a memorable goal 20 seconds after coming off the bench in the 1997 UEFA Champions League final, Lars Ricken recalls that momentous night.

Rizzoli to referee UEFA Champions League final

Nicola Rizzoli will referee Saturday's UEFA Champions League final at Wembley between Borussia Dortmund and FC Bayern München, assisted by Renato Faverani and Andrea Stefani.

Bayern's Badstuber set for prolonged absence

FC Bayern München will be without Holger Badstuber for a further six months after the Germany defender ruptured a cruciate knee ligament for the second time this season.

Klopp and Heynckes compared

Ahead of the final, UEFA.com looks at the differences and similarities between FC Bayern München coach Jupp Heynckes and Borussia Dortmund boss Jürgen Klopp.

Beckenbauer on Bayern's Brussels triumph of '74

With FC Bayern München building towards another final, UEFA.com spoke to Franz Beckenbauer, captain when the Bavarians won the first of three straight European Cups.