And more to the point, why was Spurs striker Jermain Defoe sitting at home when he is the identikit replacement for Owen, should he pull up short of fitness or need a break?

BBC: SPORT | Football | World Cup 2006 | Teams | England | Eriksson exposed by his Owen goal

No wonder that, in the current antitrust case, the Department of Justice is nervous about a settlement or a remedy that falls short of a break-up (an option that seems increasingly unlikely).

ECONOMIST: Microsoft

The army, which has run Algeria since its independence in 1962 (with a short semi-break between 1989 and 1991), has left the state without a convincing cultural or religious identity.

ECONOMIST: Algeria

Short breaks can involve people with learning disabilities going into respite care for a short period or carers coming into the person's home to allow their family to take a break.

BBC: NEWS | Health | Learning disability support call