Year: 2023

Lewis Capaldi extends touring break as his health improves: ‘I want to make absolutely sure I’m 100%’ | Lewis Capaldi

Lewis Capaldi extends touring break as his health improves: ‘I want to make absolutely sure I’m 100%’ | Lewis Capaldi

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Lewis Capaldi has said he is “going to continue taking some time to carry on looking after myself” after his six-month hiatus from touring yielded an improvement in his health. The Scottish singer-songwriter announced in June he would be taking a break from touring “for the foreseeable future” after he struggled with his voice during a Glastonbury set, during which the crowd stepped in to sing the lyrics to his final songs. On New Year’s Eve, he updated fans in a lengthy Instagram post to say he is “working with some incredible professionals to help me learn about and cope better with my Tourette’s and anxiety issues”, and said it has been going “great”. Capaldi said: “I’m really happy to say I’ve noticed a marked improvement in both since I decided to take some time off back in June.” The 27-year-old singer of Someone You Loved said he would also release an extended version of his second album Broken By Desire to Be Heavenly Sent featuring five new songs on Monday. “For now I’m going …

Novak Djokovic form ‘as good as it gets’ in United Cup debut | Tennis

Novak Djokovic form ‘as good as it gets’ in United Cup debut | Tennis

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A “rusty” Novak Djokovic says his straight-sets thumping of China’s Zhang Zhizhen was as good as it gets for an opening match of the summer, and he expects to be even better by the time the Australian Open rolls around. Djokovic crushed Zhang 6-3, 6-2 in 72 minutes on Sunday night to give Serbia a 1-0 lead in their United Cup tie against China in Perth. World No 15 Qinwen Zheng levelled the tie at 1-1 with a 6-4, 6-2 win over world No 119 Olga Danilović in the women’s singles. Djokovic teamed with Danilović in the deciding mixed doubles, and they triumphed 6-4, 1-6, 10-6 (match tiebreak) to seal a 2-1 win just minutes before midnight. The result means if Serbia defeat the Czech Republic on Tuesday, they will secure a quarter-final berth. Zhang put up a fight early in Sunday night’s singles match at RAC Arena, with his strong serving keeping Djokovic at bay for a while. But the wheels fell off in the second set for the world No 58 as Djokovic …

Israeli strikes kill dozens as Netanyahu says war will continue for months

Israeli strikes kill dozens as Netanyahu says war will continue for months

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Israeli strikes in central Gaza killed at least 35 people today, hospital officials said, as fighting raged across the tiny enclave a day after Israel’s prime minister said the war would continue for “many more months,” resisting international calls for a ceasefire. The military said Israeli forces were operating in Gaza’s second-largest city, Khan Younis, and residents reported strikes in the central region, the latest focus of the nearly three-month air-and-ground war that has raised fears of a regional conflagration. The US military said today that its forces shot and killed several Iran-backed Houthi rebels when they tried to attack a cargo ship in the Red Sea, an escalation in a maritime conflict linked to the war. Palestinians visit the graves of people killed in the Israeli bombardment of the Gaza Strip and buried inside the Shifa Hospital grounds in Gaza City (AP Photo / Mohammed Hajjar) And an Israeli cabinet minister suggested that Gaza’s population should be encouraged to emigrate, in remarks that could worsen tensions with Egypt and other friendly Arab states. Israel …

Man dies after ‘shark encounter’ in Hawaii

Man dies after ‘shark encounter’ in Hawaii

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A surfer has died after sustaining what authorities called “injuries from a shark encounter” off the coast of Maui in Hawaii. Police responded at 11.19am on Saturday (Sunday AEDT) to a beach area off the Hana Highway in Paia. Officers used a jet ski to bring a 39-year-old man to shore after he was injured in the “shark encounter,” Maui police said in a news release. The beach was closed after the tragic incident left a 39 year old man dead. (County of Maui) The beautiful shoreline of Maui, Hawaii, was the scene of a tragedy. (Getty) After bringing the man to shore, first responders performed “life-saving measures” until paramedics arrived to transport him to the Maui Memorial Medical Centre. The man later died from his injuries, police said. Authorities said they were withholding his identity for 24 hours “to allow his family an opportunity to notify their extended family and friends”. Do you know how to spot a rip at the beach? Take the test Researchers have noticed what appears to be a higher …

Britain ‘considering airstrikes’ on Houthi rebels after Red Sea attacks | Middle East and north Africa

Britain ‘considering airstrikes’ on Houthi rebels after Red Sea attacks | Middle East and north Africa

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Britain is reportedly considering airstrikes on Houthi rebels after the US said its navy sank three boats that had been targeting a container ship in the Red Sea. Grant Shapps, the defence secretary, said the government would not hesitate to take “direct action” to prevent further attacks amid reports the UK and US are preparing a joint statement to issue a final warning to the Yemeni group. It comes after the US military said four boats from Houthi-controlled areas in Yemen fired at the Maersk Hangzhou and came within metres of the vessel as US helicopters fired back. Several crews on the armed Houthi boats were killed, the US Central Command (Centcom) said. No one was injured on the ship. Writing in the Telegraph, Shapps said the UK “won’t hesitate to take further action to deter threats to freedom of navigation in the Red Sea”. “The Houthis should be under no misunderstanding: we are committed to holding malign actors accountable for unlawful seizures and attacks,” he said. This month a Royal Navy destroyer joined international …

Man arrested after two women found dead in Staffordshire | Staffordshire

Man arrested after two women found dead in Staffordshire | Staffordshire

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A man has been arrested after two women were found dead at a house in Cheadle, Staffordshire, on New Year’s Eve. The 68-year-old was arrested on suspicion of two counts of murder, Staffordshire police have said. Officers were called to an address in Park Lane at 3pm on 31 December after one woman was found dead, while another was injured. The force said in a statement: “We have arrested a man after the deaths of two women at a house in Cheadle. “We were called to reports a woman’s body had been found and another woman was injured. Both women were pronounced dead at approximately 3.50pm. “A 68-year-old man, from Cheadle, has been arrested on suspicion of two counts of murder.” Staffordshire police urged anyone with information or footage to come forward. A spokesperson added: “Anyone with information, CCTV, smart doorbell or dashcam footage should contact 101 quoting incident number 340 of 31 December, or message us using live chat on our website.” Source link

‘I block criticism out’: Eddie Howe on coping with pressure at Newcastle | Newcastle United

‘I block criticism out’: Eddie Howe on coping with pressure at Newcastle | Newcastle United

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Eddie Howe has two main strategies for coping with the stress of managing Newcastle United during a suddenly bleak midwinter. While his boxer dog, Willis, has been taken for extra long walks in the Northumberland countryside surrounding the Howe family’s new home north of the city, his owner studiously ignores media coverage of the team’s run of six defeats in their last seven games. “The dog’s a useful tool for me,” he said. “He’s always up for exercise, so that’s a good way of switching off. And I purposefully avoid the media and just focus on what I feel is important. The very few supporters I’ve met have been hugely supportive and, I think, understand a lot of what’s happened. “I block criticism out. But I know the narrative. I’m not stupid. I know the questions being asked. It does fuel me. I’m a human being, of course it does. I want to do a good job. I’m fully motivated.” Howe is focused so intensely on his job that he has deliberately adopted a reclusive …

Labour pledges ‘new deal for farmers’ to boost UK agriculture | Labour

Labour pledges ‘new deal for farmers’ to boost UK agriculture | Labour

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Labour has pledged to improve food security and boost the UK’s agriculture sector with a “new deal for farmers”, including a target that at least half of the food used in hospitals, schools and prisons is British. Condemning what the party called an abandonment of farmers under the Conservatives, the plan also includes a reiteration of Labour’s proposal to seek to sign a new veterinary agreement with the EU. If successful, this would hugely cut red tape for British farmers by getting rid of many checks on food and agricultural goods at ports, but reaching agreement would involve long and complex negotiations, and could mean the UK signing up to EU standards on those goods. Labour attacked the “Tory destruction of our rural economy” and said its analysis showed that more than 6,300 firms in the UK agricultural sector had gone out of business since 2017, including nearly 5,000 meat, fruit, vegetable and dairy producers. Over the same period, there has been a 30% fall in the number of jobs in agriculture, forestry and fishing, …

Rohan Dennis charged over death of wife, fellow cyclist Melissa Hoskins

Rohan Dennis charged over death of wife, fellow cyclist Melissa Hoskins

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Photograph: Mark Kolbe/Getty Images” fifu-data-src=”https://i3.wp.com/www.skepticsociety.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/e7e9c6cb8016ec72e881d9f45c0a3ce0.jpeg?ssl=1″ data-src=”https://i3.wp.com/www.skepticsociety.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/e7e9c6cb8016ec72e881d9f45c0a3ce0.jpeg?ssl=1″/> Photograph: Mark Kolbe/Getty Images Two-time Olympian and former world champion cyclist Melissa Hoskins has died after she was struck by a car in Adelaide’s inner north. Hoskins’ husband and fellow Australian Olympic cyclist, Rohan Dennis, has reportedly been charged in relation to her death. Paramedics rushed Hoskins to the Royal Adelaide hospital with serious injuries after she was hit by a ute at Medindie on Saturday night. The 32-year-old mother of two died overnight. South Australia police confirmed a 32-year-woman died after a collision on Saturday. The force said a 33-year-old man, known to Hoskins, from the northern suburb of Medindie had been arrested and charged with causing death by dangerous driving, driving without due care and endangering life. Born in Perth in 1991, Hoskins won gold in the team pursuit at the 2015 world championships and rode in the team pursuit at two Olympic Games and competed on the road from 2012-15 with Australian professional team GreenEDGE. It has been reported that her husband, Dennis, was the man …