Martin Skrtel: Steven Gerrard will be the next Liverpool manager
England boast a new generation of athletic, technical talents who can challenge the very best, according to Martin Skrtel. The former Liverpool centre back was impressed watching England Under-19 become European champions in his Slovakian homeland on Friday. In a wide-ranging interview conducted at England’s base by the Danube in Samorin, Skrtel argued that Raheem Sterling and Jack Grealish, established senior internationals, were England’s game-changers, that Pep Guardiola and Jürgen Klopp were changing the way the English play and that his former team-mate, Steven Gerrard, was the perfect man to succeed Klopp at Liverpool one day. SponsoredSkrtel, 37, also added his belief that such was the success of the under-19 tournament in Slovakia that his country deserves to be awarded the right to host the
Source:The Times
July 05, 2022 01:39 UTC
Mandatory masks on the wards in fight against Covid
The recent surge in Covid cases has exposed disquiet among hospital chiefs over the government’s decision to abolish national guidance on mask-wearingHospitals are reintroducing mandatory masks and social distancing as they deal with the highest number of Covid patients since April. NHS England figures show there were 10,658 patients in hospital with the virus yesterday, up from 3,835 on June 4. SponsoredHealth chiefs have warned it is likely that hospital admissions in the latest wave, driven by the BA.4 and BA.5 Omicron sub-variants, will exceed this year’s previous peak of 16,600 patients in April. Figures from the Office for National Statistics show that 2.3 million people had the coronavirus in the week ending June 24, up 32 per cent from the previous week GETTY IMAGESThere are fears that a high level of staff absence due to the virus could lead to another dangerous collapse in ambulance response times and cause more operations to be cancelled. The recent surge in Covid cases has exposed disquiet among hospital chiefs over the government’s decision to abolish national guidance on
Source:The Times
July 05, 2022 00:50 UTC
Times letters: Gambling sector ‘in need of tougher reform’
Sir, Clare Foges’s article (“Ignore the lobbyists and curb gambling now”, Jul 4) hits the nail on the head. As the minister responsible for gambling policy I will never forget meeting those who had succumbed to a gambling addiction, as well as the families of those whose loved ones had taken their own lives because the peril they faced from gambling was too much for them to bear. Reforms to protect people from the harmful impact of gambling were in our 2019 manifesto so there is nothing “un-Conservative” about them, contrary to what some in the party are saying. The most unforgivable thing will be to have made promises of ambitious reform, only for the government to renege at the last minute. ThoseSponsored
Source:The Times
July 04, 2022 23:23 UTC
The East Warsaw Ensemble: ‘Send us tanks to preserve our musical culture’
The East Warsaw Ensemble, with Joanna Gorska, in red far right, Anna Jakowska, fourth from left, and Taras Shumeyko, third from leftIf you were one of the 161 million who tuned into the Eurovision final this year to watch Ukraine’s entry — Kalush Orchestra — take the trophy, you would have seen their frontman, Oleh Psiuk, dressed in a colourful traditional folk outfit, modernised by a hot-pink bucket hat. Kalush Orchestra specialise in folk rap, a genre combining hip-hop with musical elements taken from their ancestors “to make something beautiful”, as Psiuk told The Times in April. Folk is fundamental to mainstream Ukrainian culture, influencing other musicians such as Alina Pash (who was originally set for Eurovision before she got embroiled in a political controversy) and artists such as Ivan Prymachenko, grandson of the Ukrainian folk artist Maria Prymachenko. The favoured national film is
Source:The Times
July 04, 2022 23:18 UTC
Reasons why people don’t believe summers are getting warmer
Last month was warm, helped by the hot spell in mid-June when temperatures peaked at 32.7C. But many readers have said it did not feel warm where they live, so what happened to climate change? The answer is that June’s warmth was not spread evenly across the UK, as Wales and Northern Ireland were cooler with temperatures closer to their norms. “The January-June period for 2022 has been in the top five warmest for the UK in a series from 1884. This doesn’t mean that cooler months won’t still occur, such is the natural variability of the UK climate, but a warming trend for the UK over a longer period
Source:The Times
July 04, 2022 23:17 UTC
At least six dead in shooting at Chicago suburb’s Fourth of July parade
At least six people are dead and 30 wounded in yet another mass killing in the US after a shooting at a Fourth of July parade in a Chicago suburb. The attack in the affluent town of Highland Park disrupted the annual parade that celebrates American independence just after it began at 10am. Parade-goers fled Highland Park’s Fourth of July parade after shots were fired, leaving behind their belongings as they sought safety. Miles Zaremski, a Highland Park resident, told the Chicago Sun-Times: “I heard 20 to 25 shots, which were in rapid succession. Meanwhile, a local congressman, Brad Schneider, who was at the parade, said: “My campaign team and I were gathering at the start of the parade when the shooting started.
Source:The Guardian
July 04, 2022 22:45 UTC
One dead and two hurt in gas explosion at Bedford block of flats
Fire chiefs said the inferno at a block of flats in Bedford yesterday could have been triggered by someone using a camping stove to save money due to the cost of living crisis. Chris Bigland, deputy chief fire officer for Bedfordshire, said: “Gas wasn’t linked to the building. There may have been gas bottles used for heating or cooking. Sponsored“It could have been a camping stove with the fuel crisis and the rest of it. John Murphy, chief superintendent of Bedfordshire police, said it was possible that more fatalities would be discovered in the coming
Source:The Times
July 04, 2022 22:25 UTC
Cern gears up for more discoveries 10 years after ‘God particle’ find
It’s 10 years to the day since evidence of the Higgs boson – the elusive particle associated with an invisible mass-giving field – was announced. Called the “God particle” and named after physicist Peter Higgs, the Higgs boson is the signature particle of the Higgs field – an invisible energy field that pervades the universe. “The Higgs field explains why atoms exist, why we exist. Since the announcement in 2012 there have been further revelations – including insights into how the Higgs boson is born and decays, and its interactions with heavy particles such as top and bottom quarks. Among other endeavours scientists are hoping to study interactions between the Higgs boson and muons – fundamental, negatively charged subatomic particles – and explore the coupling of the Higgs boson to itself.
Source:The Guardian
July 04, 2022 22:18 UTC
Colourful kite flying festival shows solidarity with Afghanistan
Fly With Me will mark one year since the fall of Afghanistan to the TalibanColourful kites will flutter in skies across Britain and Europe in an aerial act of solidarity with Afghans, marking one year since the fall of Afghanistan to the Taliban. Afghan artists, actors and athletes are taking part in Fly With Me in 15 host cities across the UK on August 20 to celebrate the country’s ancient craft of kite-flying as it experiences one of the most devastating humanitarian crises in the world. SponsoredThe Taliban believe flying kites distracts young men from praying and other religious activities and banned it along with music, theatre and dance during its previous occupation. Elham Ehsas, the London-based actor who starred in the film The Kite Runner, said: “During my lifetime, my country’s colours have been painted, wiped, repainted
Source:The Times
July 04, 2022 21:51 UTC
Schoolgirl gets dream cricket stadium brought to life on Minecraft
Rosie was among ten kids who got their designs brought to life. Rosie was one of 10 winners who had their design ideas brought to virtual life in a super-stadium on Minecraft, the first ever sporting stadium brought to life on the gaming platform through a kids competition. Rosie’s design included epic disco lights around the edge of the stadium that were included in the final build for kids across the world to explore. Released a month before The Hundred kicks off in real life the virtual stadium world is now open for everyone to explore and interact with. “We’ve seen submissions beyond our wildest expectations and the final build truly is a blockbuster cricket stadium.
Source:Express
July 04, 2022 21:21 UTC
Russia-Ukraine war: Ukraine PM calls for confiscated assets from Russian oligarchs to fund recovery – live
“And we will have to free over 2,000 villages and towns in the east and south of Ukraine,” he said. Lingering concerns about widespread corruption in Ukraine mean far-reaching reforms remain in focus and will be a condition for any recovery plan. The cost of the war is estimated at $1tn if it lasts until the end of the year. The International Monetary Fund has estimated Ukraine’s balance of payments gap until June to be roughly €14.3bn ($15bn). Ukraine’s ambassador to Switzerland, Artem Rybchenko, said ahead of the conference that it would help create “the roadmap” to his country’s recovery.
Source:The Guardian
July 04, 2022 20:49 UTC
Trouble in mind: the best film, music, TV, literature and drama for a guilty conscience
His business is buying up the possessions of Jewish Parisians desperate for the means to flee the city. Danny LeighTV(From left) Nadine Velaquez, Jason Lee, Ethan Suplee, Jaime Pressly and Eddie Steeples in My Name is Earl. In My Name Is Earl, Earl Hickey comes to this conclusion when he loses a $100,000 lottery ticket after being hit by a car, only finding it when he atones for past sins. The sitcom sees Earl wrestle with a guilty conscience as he lists those against whom he has transgressed and attempts to make amends. Gradually, however, things begin to warp in a unique theatrical experience that will have many wriggling uncomfortably in their seats.
Source:The Guardian
July 04, 2022 20:32 UTC
Uzbekistan imposes regional state of emergency after deadly unrest
Eighteen people were killed and 243 wounded during unrest in Uzbekistan’s autonomous province of Karakalpakstan over plans to curtail its autonomy, Uzbek authorities said. He also declared a month-long state of emergency in the north-western province. Photographs from Nukus, published on Sunday by the news website Kun.uz, showed street barricades, burnt out trucks and a heavy military presence including armoured personnel carriers. Uzbekistan is a tightly controlled former Soviet republic where the government clamps down hard on any form of dissent. The protests in Uzbekistan were prompted by planned constitutional changes that would have stripped Karakalpakstan of its autonomous status.
Source:The Guardian
July 04, 2022 20:18 UTC
Hacker claims to have obtained data on 1 billion Chinese citizens
A hacker has claimed to have stolen the personal information of 1 billion Chinese citizens from a Shanghai police database, in what would amount to one of the biggest data breaches in history if found to be true. This database contains many TB of data and information on billions of Chinese citizen,” the post said. “Databases contain information on 1 billion Chinese national residents and several billion case records, including: name, address, birthplace, national ID number, mobile number, all crime/case details.”The identity of the hacker is not clear. Last year, China passed laws governing how personal information and data generated within its borders should be handled. The hashtag “Shanghai data leak” was blocked on Weibo by Sunday afternoon, but there are still a few discussions on Chinese social media about this incident.
Source:The Guardian
July 04, 2022 19:55 UTC
‘It felt as though an orgy could erupt at any moment’ – the Pride I’ll never forget
The Gay Pride march in 1982 started much as it had every year at Speaker’s Corner in Hyde Park, with about 10,000 of us ready to walk the route along Park Lane to Piccadilly. ‘Pride in the 80s was a demonstration.’ Photograph: Justin Kase z12z/AlamyNevertheless, we arrived, sodden and somewhat dispirited at our destination, the ULU. Then the party took off. It was a little too public for an orgy, though it felt as though it could erupt at any moment. It’s not often that I have been in such a situation where I have felt the spirit of Gay Pride – that proud sense of self – settle on all of us.
Source:The Guardian
July 04, 2022 19:50 UTC