Prime Minister Tony Blair has welcomed Libya's decision to rid itself of Weapons of Mass Destruction.

he East End of London used to be a sub-tropical paradise with swaying palm trees, shallow warm waters and exotic marine species.

This is the conclusion drawn by Dr Jackie Skipper, palaeontologist at the UK's  Natural History Museum, from fossils uncovered by digging work on London's Channel Tunnel rail link.

Dr Skipper has found oyster, shark teeth and exotic palm tree fossils which show that Stratford in east London had a climate similar to today's South China seas 55.5 million years ago.

Work on the rail link to the Channel Tunnel has carved out a trench 1.1 kilometres (two-thirds of a mile) long, 40 metres (44 yards) wide and more than four storeys deep.

ast year, I spent four months sailing solo down more than 900 miles of England's inland waterways. It is no exaggeration to say that it was a life-changing experience. The most obvious manifestation of this is my transformation from workaholic to dedicated slacker. I've taken to walking the dog more often, arranging lengthy lunch breaks with friends, and even oddjobbing round the house (unheard of before my trip). I spend even more time drifting off, dreamily remembering my halcyon 15 weeks when days had no more structure to them than pottering at a steady 3mph wherever the canal led and stopping at every excuse for a chat.

But while our canals have been grabbing most of the attention, with as many miles of waterway currently opening as at the height of 18th-century canal mania, it is still the rivers that provide the most sublime and transcendent moments on the inland waterways. And pre-eminent among them is the Thames.

Here is a week's autumnal itinerary for messing about on the royal river for those seeking a real English journey. If you only have a week, my tip is to focus on the river's less visited upper reaches. If you happen to be a complete beginner, you won't even have to do the locks yourself as they're all manned. By now, the Thames will be considerably less busy than a month ago, and it's a perfect time to be travelling.

Although rivers need more care than canals when there have been heavy rains, the non-tidal stretches of the Thames need not be feared by the novice boater (if the river is flooded, red marker boards will be displayed to warn you not to enter and your narrowboat operator will suggest an alternative route up the Oxford canal). On board, you must ensure you have long poles in case you run aground, an easily accessible anchor and a mobile phone. The fore-end and stern ropes need to be longer than on canals in case you can't get fully in to a bank when mooring (a plank for reaching the shore in such cases is also necessary).

Three men begin their attempt to row the length of the River Thames and beat the current record of 38 hours and 44 minutes.

Gezahegne Abera takes the honours in a thrilling men's race at the London Marathon.

Second place is first loser, so goes an old saying, and it definitely works for the annual Oxford and Cambridge boat race. Glory awaits the victors, while the runners-up are first class losers.

About 200,000 spectators turned up to watch the boat race last year. Numbers this year were expected to be higher - despite the clouds. Some spectators come solely for the spectacle, some for the novelty of a day out beside the Thames. Others enjoy the contest's pompous yet spellbinding tradition. But most come for the sport, which was what mattered to us; as second-year Cambridge undergraduates and Boat Race virgins we wanted a win to mark our student days. Knowing several members of the light blue crew also increased the stakes.

Despite waking on Sunday with stinking hangovers and black holes in our memories of the previous day spent in a pub in Camden, we eagerly set off, crammed into a Volvo estate with two in the boot. We reached Barnes Bridge at 11am, before trooping through the riverside streets of south west London, jealously securing our vantage point - five hours before the 4.30pm start.

The Ship in  Mortlake, about 30 yards from the finish of this 149th Varsity Boat Race, is host to what could, at best, be termed a “mixed crowd”.

There is the student, London or Oxbridge, some in college colours, with rucksack optional. The toffs come in a range of ages but all in blazer and tie/scarf, some donning straw boaters and looking slightly awkward without a punnet of strawberries. Lurking in the corner is the “boatie” (as opposed to the rower), who does little more than wear the splash top and voice their expert opinions to all and any. Outside are the families: young kids buggied up and bracing the sunny chill. The award for Most Random Spectator, and there are many to choose from, goes to the pensioner in the red puffer jacket, wheezing his way up the steps towards the barbecue. Think George Bush Senior meets Fresh Prince.

This year, Cambridge is favourite to win. Its members weigh a stone heavier on average, man for man, than the Oxford crew, and are 13-8 odds on to win. A late change when bow Wayne Pommen has to be replaced, after breaking his wrist in a freak training collision with the harbour master boat on Friday, barely dampens hopes for victory.

The crowd at the river railing is 30-thick as the starting gun fires.

We get a phone call from a father-cum-armchair commentator. “They've only been rowing two minutes and they all look bloody knackered,” he grumbles. Whispers abound that the favourites are lagging, but a friend rings from halfway to tell us Cambridge have now struck out in front.

The race is 15 minutes old and tension is mounting as the two boats move towards our bend. Necks strain, eager to catch that first glimpse of blades, and the cheers start further down the bank as they come into sight. Our rumblings turn to a roar and the atmosphere explodes as the two boats pull round the corner.

Cambridge seems to emerge first, but the distorting angle and their position on the outside of the curve mean they have the harder run-in. My ears are pierced by screams of “Tabs! Come on you tabs!” from a guy who looks like he's never been near a bath, let alone an ivory tower. And just when it couldn't really get much hotter the pressure intensifies, voices raised to shrieking and bodies crushed forward.

As the two crews draw near it becomes apparent that Cambridge are half a length behind. Attention focuses on the ripples that separate the two bows. The charge of the light blue brigade begins and they fight back, but is it too little, too late? A supreme effort draws them level amid the clamour, but no one is sure whether this was just before or just after they passed the finish.

Oxford wins by a foot, someone says, the closest margin in history. We gaze around at the jubilant fans behind us, and then turn back to our own, equally intense, disappointment. It seems such a long way to have come for defeat.

Record books now read only 77 to 71 in Cambridge's favour, and that's how black and white this race is for those who care. Bitter envy stifles any genuine admiration we might have for neutral spectators, for those people, old and young, who can travel home content regardless of the result.

There is another old saying, however, which states that if you can't beat 'em, join 'em. And so off we totter down the river bank, deflated, down-faced and bloody freezing, to meet up with the Hoo-Raa Hugos in the pubs by  Hammersmith Bridge.

It wasn't meant to be this cold, and it wasn't meant to end this way. But sod it, make mine a Pimms.

Paula Radcliffe sets a new women's world record as she successfully defends her London Marathon title.

The sign at the Corney Reach entrance was designed and created by artist Ricky Grimes with the help of students from Chiswick Community School and the project was funded by a £4,900 lottery grant and a smaller grant of £500 from the Chiswick Area Committee.

A spokesperson for the Friends of Dukes Meadows said: “Making the sign this way has produced a highly original and striking sign consisting of two standing sculptures.

“One is bearing a map of the Meadows and the other contains local historic references, such as the Steam Ship Miranda, which was built in the Thornycroft Boat Yard that used to beside Dukes Meadows at Church Wharf and Cherry Blossom Polish Tin Printing & Cardboard Box Factory sited on Dukes Meadows where Staveley Gardens now is”

Matt Smith and David Livingston celebrate Oxford's Boat Race win, but their brothers are inconsolable.

Oxford win the 149th University Boat Race by a margin of one foot from Cambridge.

The University Boat Race's switch from Saturday to Sunday marks a big break with tradition.

All the drinking holes you need to know for a great day out at the 149th Boat Race.

Former world rowing champion, Chris Baillieu, gives BBC Sport a unique insider's view of the course and its history.

All the results since the University Boat Race began in 1829.

In the eyes of the great man, Winston Churchill's grandson recalled yesterday, the Cabinet War Rooms had two major deficiencies: no flush lavatories, and no cellar of decent claret.

“He thought being underground was not a proper place for a prime minister to be,” Nicholas Soames MP said.

As the bombs rained down on London, Churchill's favourite station was the top floor of No 10 Downing Street - to the horror of his staff - from where he could watch the full fury of the blitz.

Cambridge bowman Wayne Pommen is out of the Boat Race after breaking his wrist in a training collision on Friday.