The All Ceylon Makkal Congress (ACMC) led by Rishad Bathiudeen has extended support to Ranil Wickremesinghe.

A former minor hockey player was convicted of assault for his role in an on ice incident fight in January of 2013.The teenaged player is from Brantford and a judge in Woodstock delivered the verdict. It could be the first of its kind in the province.What we have seen today could be an indicator of the changing face of hockey. Twenty years ago, the thought of an on ice fight resulting in an assault conviction would have been hard to believe, but it has happened.Today’s conviction came from a game involving a team of 16 and 17 year olds from Woodstock vs. a team from Brantford.The young man who was convicted cannot be named because he was a youth at the time, but the victim and his family has been very vocal since the incident.Here is how the incident played out.We see Nick Major, the player for Woodstock flip the puck on net. He follows up and stops suddenly at the net, spraying snow on the goalie. That is important, because this can be taken as an insult and was likely the beginning of this incident.Nick is cross-checked to the ice and hit more than 10 times. He suffered a concussion and a broken nose.Initially both players were suspended for fighting, but only one player did the fighting.At the time, Nicks parents brought the tape to the league and the police. read more

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon (left) addresses a joint press conference with Roch Marc Christian Kaboré, President of Burkina Faso, in Ouagadougou. UN Photo/Evan Schneider Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon visits the Nutrition Rehabilitation Unit for Children at Schipra Hospital, in Ouagadougu, Burkina Faso. UN Photo/Evan Schneider “I just talked with President [Roch Marc Christian] Kaboré. I gave him my admiration for the courage of the people of Burkina Faso, who have gone through very painful moments – from the insurrection of October 2014, the coup of September 2015 and the deadly attacks of 15 January,” said Mr. Ban at a joint press conference with the Burkinabe leader. Assuring the President that the United Nations remained committed to the country, Mr. Ban said the Organization is proud of its partnership with Burkina Faso and will support the National Development Plan the Government would present in a few weeks. “The stakes are high: the country is on the path of prosperity and long-term reforms, including that of the security sector,” he stressed. The UN chief also welcomed the willingness of Burkina Faso to align its national actions with the aims of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and, particularly the landmark Paris Agreement on climate change. “The World Humanitarian Summit, to be held in Istanbul in May, will be another opportunity to promote international solidarity. It will help to mobilize assistance to the most vulnerable populations of this region and the rest of the world, and can allow us to move from the era of aid delivery to that of the late needs,” Mr. Ban explained. He went on to welcome the active role played by Burkina Faso in the Sahel region, particularly in the context of the UN Mission in Mali (MINUSMA). The Secretary-General said he was deeply concerned about the terrorist attacks in the region and noted that the response to terrorism must be comprehensive and conducted in strict compliance with human rights and international humanitarian law. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon visits the Nutrition Rehabilitation Unit for Children at Schipra Hospital, in Ouagadougu, Burkina Faso. UN Photo/Evan Schneider Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon visits the Nutrition Rehabilitation Unit for Children at Schipra Hospital, in Ouagadougu, Burkina Faso. UN Photo/Evan Schneider Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon (left) addresses a joint press conference with Roch Marc Christian Kaboré, President of Burkina Faso, in Ouagadougou. UN Photo/Evan Schneider ‹ › “The President and I both believe that while addressing security issues, the Sahel countries need to focus on the root causes of instability: poverty, unemployment, social exclusion, discrimination and impunity,” Mr. Ban underscored, adding that he would continue to call on the wider international community to keep up its support to the Sahel region. During his trip to Burkina Faso, which began Wednesday, the Secretary General also visited a paediatric unit of nutritional recovery in Shifra Medical Center. He welcomed the efforts of the Burkinabe authorities to reduce malnutrition as part of the ‘Scaling Up Nutrition’ initiative. “The number of children suffering from acute malnutrition which benefit from treatment has tripled [rising] from 40,000 in 2011 to 120,000 last year. Thousands of lives are being saved each year. This avoids the terrible human suffering and ensure the future of this great country,” he noted. read more

OSU women’s golf coach Therese Hession congratulates senior women’s golfer Katja Pogacar. Credit: Courtesy of OSU AthleticsOhio State women’s golf coach Therese Hession thought she could never be persuaded to coach anywhere other than her alma mater, Southern Methodist University. But after 11 years on the LPGA tour, she got a call from OSU and decided to give it a shot. Twenty-five seasons later, she’s still coaching the Buckeyes.“The call came, I was at the U.S. Open,” Hession said of when she was offered the job at OSU. “I talked to my pro that was my teacher on the tour and he said, ‘You have everything to gain, nothing to lose.’ So here I am 25 years later.”Hession fell in love with the game at an early age while following her dad around the golf course. She went to the driving range or the course any chance she could get. “I was just my happiest when I was out playing golf,” Hession said.Hession attended SMU where she led the women’s golf team to a national championship in 1979 — her senior season. After graduation, she joined the Women’s Professional Golf Tour and was granted an LPGA tour card just three months later.After 11 years competing in the LPGA, Hession was growing weary of the lifestyle. “I still loved to play but I didn’t like the idea of being away from home probably 32 weeks of the year,” Hession said. “My game was good. I was improving, but I was never at the very highest level of some of the players I was competing against. So I think I was looking for change, but I still really loved the sport.”That’s where the Buckeyes stepped in. At first, Hession admits she was hesitant to accept the position. However, there were a lot of positive things about OSU that Hession couldn’t deny, such as being close to her hometown of Indianapolis. Even though OSU isn’t a typical golf school, Hession saw potential in the program.“That was important to me: to be able to go somewhere where I thought I could do well because I knew I was going to put 100 percent effort into it. And I wanted to make sure I would have the chance to succeed,” Hession said. And succeed she has. In her time in Columbus, Hession has led the Buckeyes to 10 Big Ten championships, including three consecutive titles from 2014 to 2016, made 23 NCAA regional appearances and 15 NCAA championship appearances. She has been named the National Coach of the Year twice and Big Ten Coach of the Year seven times. The most memorable moment of Hession’s coaching career was in 2003 when her team took home fourth place at the NCAA championship, the highest in school history. Hession’s goal is still to win a national championship, but the 2003 season proved that OSU could compete with the best. “I like to prove people wrong and for those people who think the northern schools can’t play, to be able to finish that well was good,” she said. “I was really happy for my players because they worked hard. That was a real special group.”The past three seasons, Hession has led the Buckeyes to back-to-back-to-back Big Ten championships. Last year, the team shot so high in the first round that they started on the back nine the next day. But that’s when OSU decided to turn it on. “I remember on Saturday we were really on fire,” Hession said. “I remember coming up the ninth hole and it was like everywhere I looked everyone was making birdies.”The 2017 Big Ten Championship is coming up on April 21 and the competition is even tougher this year. The Buckeyes are one of the more experienced teams but will have to play at the very top of their game to be in the race. “I would say we could play decent and we could even finish sixth is how good the Big Ten is this year,” Hession said. “So it’s going to be really critical to get off to a good start.”Throughout her 25 seasons, Hession has made an impact on her players on and off the course. Senior Jessica Porvasnik has spent four years under Hession and credits her for making her the player that she is today. “Coach Hession has always had the best interest of every player on her team,” Porvasnik said. “She has spent countless hours helping prepare me for what lies ahead in my career… I believe after college she will continue to play a role in my life.”Hession’s work and dedication don’t end on the golf course but extend into everything she does. In 1989, she was awarded the LPGA Tour Samaritan Award for her work with Habitat for Humanity and Fellowship of Christian Athletes. She has continued her philanthropic work through her coaching to this day.“We’re trying to raise $15,000 as a team,” Hession said of her team’s most recent project. “We’re building a well for a village in Africa that doesn’t have water. Their girls get up in the morning and they walk over an hour to the nearest water source.” The Buckeyes golf team has completed fundraising projects already, but have a few more to go in order to reach the goal. “I think it’s really important that we’ve been given a lot, so we should give back,” Hession said. read more

Last season, Paul assisted on 231 threes, and 98 of those went to Redick, making Paul-to-Redick the most prolific 3-point partnership in the entire league.1The top 3 partnerships: 1) Chris Paul to J.J. Redick for 98 3-pointers; 2) Stephen Curry to Klay Thompson for 88 3-pointers; 3) James Harden to Trevor Ariza for 80 3-pointers.As you can see below, Paul helped set Redick up all over the place, but those triples are clearly the pair’s signature collaboration. Paul has a bit of a reputation for getting mad at his teammates, but according to him, the only time he gets angry with Griffin is when Griffin is too passive with that improved jumper. “I’m probably harder on Blake than anybody about taking his shot,” Paul said. “I told him, the only time you’ll see me get mad if I pass it to someone is when they don’t shoot it.”Griffin’s jumper has come so far so fast that Paul seems more confident in it than Griffin does. “I think it’s going in every time,” Paul said. “And that’s a tribute to all the work he’s put in.”You don’t become the most efficient offense in the NBA without versatility, but the NBA is still a pick-and-roll league. Griffin’s emergence as one of the game’s most versatile bigs has enabled Paul to attack defenses in multiple ways. After all, it’s still Paul at the controls, and it’s his ability as a catalyst that has enabled the team to coalesce into something more than the sum of a bunch of NBA parts.While we all know that Paul is among the best distributors in the world, his ability to generate his own shots remains arguably the most unheralded section of his game. He’s one of the best unassisted scorers in the world. It’s that particular skill that lends the Clippers offense one of its most lethal — and most primitive — options. Not every possession will end with a tidy catch-and-shoot sequence, and when defenses disrupt the Clippers’ pre-orchestrated plans, they still have to deal with Paul, one of the most effective off-the-dribble scorers in the league.It’s no secret that point guards, as the chief ball-handlers of NBA offenses, dribble the ball more than any other position. In turn, they are much more likely to shoot in unassisted off-the-dribble situations, shots that we’re beginning to understand are statistically much more difficult on average. It’s not rocket science, but generally speaking, catch-and-shoot jumpers are much more likely to go in than their unassisted, off-the-dribble counterparts.League-wide, just about half of all field goal attempts qualify as unassisted. Many times, as possessions unravel over time, some offensive player will have to “create his own shot,” and any players who can do that reliably and efficiently present their teams with a huge offensive stopgap. When Paul needs to, he can create a decently efficient scoring chance at-will, meaning that when he is on the floor, the Clippers’ “last resort” is a pretty efficient option.Paul has been one of the league’s top point guards for years now. But he hasn’t been the same player the whole time. Back in his days in New Orleans, he relied more on his speed and less on his smarts. “Once upon a time, I was all downhill, you know, obsessed with getting to the basket — like Dame [Lillard] and stuff like that — but then I realized in New Orleans I need to get this midrange down,” Paul said.There’s that perfectionism again. The way he describes it, you might think he was terrible. As a rookie, Paul already had a reliable elbow jumper and hit that key shot at rates that would make players like Russell Westbrook or John Wall envious. During Paul’s rookie year, just 9 percent of his shots came between 10 and 16 feet; he converted only 33 percent of them. Last year, 23 percent of his shots came from this area, and he sunk an incredible 53 percent of them.Paul is arguably the best midrange shooter on the planet right now. And, yes, that planet also includes Nowitzki and Curry. And while that may seem like hyperbole, the numbers back up the idea that nobody can blend volume and efficiency in the midrange as well as Paul can, especially when you consider that most of his attempts in that area are those unassisted, higher-level-of-difficulty shots.But Paul makes those shots look easy on a regular basis. Not only did he lead the league in unassisted midrange field goals last season, but out of 61 players who attempted at least 200 of those shots, he ranked first in field goal percentage, by a country mile. The following scatterplot leaves little doubt just how extraordinary Paul’s midrange prowess has become: A quick comparison of Paul’s rookie shot chart with last season’s reveals that the biggest upticks in his game have come from downtown. As a rookie, only 19 percent of his shots came from beyond the arc, and he converted a ghastly 28 percent of them. Last season, those numbers ballooned to 30 percent and 40 percent, respectively. That 3-pointer that helped beat Memphis earlier this month provides a great example. Despite the fact that Paul was careening through the paint at breakneck speed among a trio of elite defenders, he still managed to deliver Redick a perfect pass. But Paul self-identifies as a “perfectionist,” and according to Redick, it tears him up on the rare occasions when his dishes are dirty: “It’s just so precise what he does. He throws me perfect, on-time, on-target passes at all times. I joke about this with him all the time, but once every 150th pass or so, it’ll be off-target, and he’ll get so upset with himself. And I’m like, ‘Bubs, I could never get mad at you for that.’”I could never get mad at you for that? The two bitter ACC rivals have morphed into an old married couple … an old married couple that represents one of the most lethal catch-and shoot threats on planet Earth. Still, as marvelous as that is, a quick look at the league’s most dangerous duos from last season reveals that while Paul-to-Redick was the most prolific 3-point pairing in the entire league, it wasn’t even the most prolific point-scoring duo on the Clippers.Most Prolific Assister-Scorer Duos, 2014-15 Regular SeasonChris Paul to Blake Griffin: 527 pointsChris Paul to J.J. Redick: 524 pointsStephen Curry to Klay Thompson: 426 pointsIn a league with dozens of point guards, Paul was the distributor in the two highest-scoring pairings. That’s incredible. And while the Splash Brothers deserve limitless praise for what they accomplished last season, Paul’s abilities as a facilitator remain second to none, and nobody knows that better than Blake Griffin, the Clippers’ top scorer.Last season, Griffin ranked eighth in the league in scoring, averaging 22 points per contest. He was and is the Clippers’ most dangerous scorer. Still, even the league’s best scorers rely on assists on a regular basis, and last season, 67 percent of Griffin’s buckets were assisted, and 45 percent of his field goals came off assists by Paul. In other words, almost half of Griffin’s buckets are directly downstream from Paul’s passes.Griffin has come a long way since entering the NBA as a rookie in 2010; the player we’re seeing now can do a lot more than the phenom who jumped out of the gym five years ago. Griffin had all the athletic ability in the world coming out of college, but it takes more than raw athletic ability to be an NBA superstar these days, especially at the power forward position, which increasingly is becoming one of the most demanding jobs in the game. Players like Dirk Nowitzki, Kevin Garnett, Chris Bosh, Serge Ibaka and Kevin Love have changed the job description by using their reliable jump shots to open up the floor for their playmaking teammates. When Griffin landed in the NBA, he could jump over Kias, but he couldn’t shoot like those players.But Griffin is no fool, and he knew that to become great at his position, and prolong his career, he needed to develop his jumper. Griffin has worked endlessly with Bob Thate, the Clippers’ shooting guru, and all that work has paid off. As a rookie, only 15 percent of Griffin’s shots came from between 16-feet and the 3-point line; he made just 34 percent of them. So far this season, 37 percent of Griffin’s shots are coming in this zone, and he’s converted 48 percent of them. For context, the league as a whole makes 40 percent of its shots from this area. Griffin’s improvement has improved the entire Clippers offense — just ask Paul. “Blake having that shot now makes defenses worry about one more thing,” Paul told me. “You gotta worry about his roll to the basket, his passing, and now that shot. Now it’s like, ‘What can’t he do?’” Earlier this month at Staples Center, the Memphis Grizzlies were leading the Los Angeles Clippers by two points with a minute remaining in the game. The Clippers had the ball and needed a bucket. Chris Paul dribbled quickly past a DeAndre Jordan screen at the top of the arc before he turned the corner and attacked the right side of the paint. As Paul raced toward the rim, he was dogged by Tony Allen and Mike Conley, two terrific defenders creating a situation that would overwhelm most NBA point guards. But Paul isn’t most NBA point guards.As Paul reached the right block, he was met by Marc Gasol, the 2012-13 NBA defensive player of the year. Unfazed, Paul spun in the air and somehow hurled the ball 20 feet backward, all the way back to the top of the arc, which was solely occupied by an unattended J.J. Redick, one of the most reliable catch-and-shoot guys on the planet. The rest was merely a formality.You’re not supposed to get wide-open shots like that against the Grizzlies, especially in such a key late-game situation. Memphis has been one of the best defensive groups in the NBA for years. But sometimes great offense beats great defense, especially when Chris Paul is running an offense; his team almost always gets good looks. He’s led the league in assists two years in a row, and the Clippers were the most efficient offensive team in the league last season. But those simple numerical accolades fail to adequately reveal just how great Paul has been.As NBA analyses evolve, we have new means to understand how great point guards like Paul change the game. Assists are one thing. But they account only for the shots that teammates make, and that’s only part of the playmaking story. Thanks to the league’s player tracking system, we can now analyze the origin of every shot in every game. Upon closer inspection, when Paul is creating shots — either for his teammates or for himself — he blends volume and effectiveness as well as anyone in the NBA.Most NBA fans are aware that Paul is great at sharing the ball, but few know that all those assists led to 24 points per game last season. Anthony Davis tallied that exact number as a scorer — and that made him fourth in the league in scoring. In other words, not only did Paul manage to score 19 points per game himself, but as a distributor, he also created another Davis-sized contribution as well.The chart below shows the shooting efficiencies of Paul’s Clipper teammates last season immediately after they received a pass from him. As you can see, good things happen on the business end of a Chris Paul dime. The NBA is a league increasingly obsessed with creating more threes on offense, which also makes it a league increasingly obsessed with stopping them on defense. And if you’re guarding Redick these days, you know perfectly well that he is perpetually seeking out clean catch-and-shoot looks beyond the arc. You also know that it’s Paul who’s likely to deliver him the ball. But Redick is quick to point out that Paul can outwit almost any defensive approach thrown his way. “Chris is incredibly intelligent,” Redick told me. “So, a lot of times, if a defending point guard knows we’re running catch and shoot, they’ll try to shade one side (especially the left side, because I always come off the left side). But Chris is so good at keeping guys guessing, and if his man cheats, he’ll go to the basket on him. He always makes people pay if they try and cheat.” Practice makes perfect, and in an era defined by a glut of incredible point guards, Paul still stands out as one of the best of the best. His basketball portfolio is incredibly diversified; he’s an incredible passer, a creative genius, one of the game’s best midrange shooters, and he’s one of the most consistently great defenders at his position too. Still, any discussion of Paul in 2015 must address the elephant-sized trophy not in the room: As great as he and his numbers have been, he’s never played in the conference finals, and his last two playoff exits have been brutal. It weighs on him, and he doesn’t want to go down as some “statistically great” point guard who never won. “All that’s good and well, but it doesn’t matter unless it translates to wins,” Paul said.A few weeks into this new season, Paul and the Clippers remain a threat to win it all. With a reloaded roster and one of the most talented teams in the league, they have the potential for greatness. And Paul is hopeful that he and his teammates can turn their recent frustrations into motivation to finally get over the hump. “We got a lot guys with something to prove, a lot of guys that got a chip on their shoulder,” Paul said. “I think with that combination, we can make something special.”That obviously remains to be seen. But Thursday night, the Clippers host their bitter rivals from Oakland, who are led by their own superstar point guard and just happen to be the hottest basketball team on the planet right now. Paul and the new-look Clippers have an early chance to prove something. read more

http://jrnl.ie/3048576 By Órla Ryan Image: Shutterstock/Iness_la_luz Oct 27th 2016, 8:50 AM Short URL The 9 at 9: Thursday Here’s everything you need to know this morning. Thursday 27 Oct 2016, 8:50 AM Tweet thisShare on FacebookEmail this article 10,192 Views 4 Comments EVERY MORNING, TheJournal.ie brings you the stories you need to know as you wake up.1. #STRIKE: Over 500 secondary schools are closed today as ASTI teachers take to the picket lines in industrial action over pay scales for teachers who qualified after 2011.2. #CORK: A 19-year-old man has died in a single-vehicle crash in Charleville, Co Cork.3. #WATER: Close to 40,000 people were affected by boil water notices across Ireland at some stage last year, according to the EPA’s annual drinking water report.4. #PORNOGRAPHY: Taoiseach Enda Kenny has said that some of Ireland’s youth is being “tainted and corrupted” by pornography and that a “national conversation” is needed on the issue.5. #PAY HIKES: Almost three-quarters of Irish companies are planning to award pay rises next year, a new study has found.6. #ITALY: Two strong earthquakes rocked central Italy yesterday evening, toppling buildings and injuring dozens of people, two months after a devastating tremor killed nearly 300 people in the same region.7. #ANNUAL REPORT: The Department of Foreign Affairs helped over 800 Irish people who became caught up in seven major crises in 2015.8. #ELECTRICITY: A damaged undersea power cable between the Aran islands and the mainland was repaired over the weekend, bringing mains electricity back to Inis Meáin and Inis Oírr. Here’s a video of the complicated operation.9. #MEMORY LANE: RTÉ has released special archived footage for the UNESCO World Day for Audiovisual Heritage, including features about horse meat on sale in Phibsboro and a UFO spotted in Tipperary. Image: Shutterstock/Iness_la_luz Share1 Tweet Email read more

Monday 9 Sep 2019, 6:38 PM APPROXIMATELY 40 PEOPLE, including children, say they are now homeless after the High Court continued orders requiring them to leave their homes over fire safety concerns.Last week the High Court granted Dublin City Council temporary injunctions requiring the residents of premises at 100, 101 and 104 Seville Place, Dublin, which all divided into several flats or bedsits, to immediately vacate the properties.The majority of the residents are foreign nationals.At the High Court, Justice Garrett Simons said that he had “no alternative” and would be negligent in his duty unless he continued the orders previously made by the court.The Judge said he accepted the residents, who are opposed to orders requiring them to leave what has been their homes for some years, were unhappy with his decision, and he sympathised with the position they find themselves.However, the evidence put before the court by a senior fire safety officer for DCC showed that each of the buildings is “potentially a deathtrap,” and must be vacated.DCC’s actions are against the owners of the properties Vincent and Catherine, otherwise known as Kathleen, Donoghue and Stephen Tennant of Grant Thornton who was appointed as receiver over the three properties by AIB Mortgage Banks and AIB in October 2016.‘Nowhere to go’ At the outset of today’s hearing, Donoghue told the court that he has had no control over the properties for almost three years and that he did not like his name being used in the proceedings.The receiver, represented by Joe Jeffers Bl, wants to sell the properties. Counsel said contracts are in place to sell the buildings and added that his client has not got rent from the properties since early 2018.Lawyers for residents in 101 Seville Place asked the court to vary the injunction and allow them to remain in the building for several days.In that time their engineer could assess the property and repairs and alterations to address the fire safety concerns could be carried out.Joe Jackson Bl, instructed by solicitor Herbert Kilcline, for those living in 101 argued that it would be “draconian” and “unreasonable” for the court to continue orders that would render his clients homeless.In a sworn statement one of the residents of 101 Romas Tusla, an electrical technician, said the situation in the building was different from the other two and that the tenants had maintained the property to a high standard.He said he had asked DCC for the fire safety reports, so he and the other tenants can remedy the defects themselves.  Another resident of 101 Ginger Wrobleski, a hotel worker, said she had paid rent to agents of the receiver after she was notified of his appointment in June 2017.She said she was informed not to pay any more rent to the agent, as the agent said it was no longer the management agent for the property and Grant Thornton would be in contact with her.Residents of the other two properties also attended court and said they were looking for a lawyer to represent them. They also told the court they were objecting to orders to vacate the buildings as they had nowhere to go.Serious fire safety concernsJustice Simons in refusing to vary the orders accepted that they had a right to contest DCC’s application.He said that DCC’s claims about its fire safety concerns in the three buildings had not been addressed in the evidence that had been put before him today.He adjourned the case for two weeks, to allow the residents to prepare their cases, but said that the orders to vacate the buildings are to remain in being.DCC, represented by Conleth Bradley SC and Karen Denning Bl, told the court that the Dublin Regional Homeless Executive was aware of the situation, and was doing its best to help the residents.In seeking the order DCC says its fire safety officers had inspected the buildings in recent weeks. Those inspections revealed that the three properties are in very poor repair, and if a fire started in any of the buildings it would spread very quickly.The risk to persons living in the what are four-story buildings is so serious that their continued use for residential purposes should be prohibited until several serious fire safety deficiencies are addressed.The issues identified include that the bedsit doors were not fire doors, that emergency lighting was in disrepair, the internal lining of walls and ceilings were in serious disrepair, and the fire detection systems and alarms were faulty.Fire detectors had been removed from common areas, escape routes had been obstructed, holes in the roof were poorly boarded up with combustible material, there were holes in the floor with wiring exposed, and there are no fire-resisting barriers between the stairway and the bedsits/flats.Bradley said DCC had serious fire safety concerns about the buildings which it inspected in 2017 and in 2018 when a fire safety notice was issued.DCC believed that a maintenance company hired by the receiver had been carrying out necessary works on the buildings.However the situation appeared to have deteriorated after DCC’s Environmental Health Officer inspected the building last July, DCC claims.Comments have been closed as legal proceedings are ongoing  100 and 101 Seville Place, Dublin 1. Image: Sam Boal/Rollingnews.ie Tweet thisShare on FacebookEmail this article 14,394 Views Sep 9th 2019, 6:38 PM Image: Sam Boal/Rollingnews.ie No Comments 100 and 101 Seville Place, Dublin 1. Dozens say they are now homeless after court extends orders to vacate ‘potential fire traps’ Last week the High Court granted Dublin City Council temporary injunctions requiring the residents to immediately vacate the properties. Short URL Share2 Tweet Email1 By Aodhan O’Faolain & Ray Managh https://jrnl.ie/4802329 read more

Grippe H1N1 : huit décès en Grande-BretagneSelon l’Agence de la Santé britannique, huit personnes sont mortes à cause d’une infection au virus grippal H1N1. La grippe H1N1 avait causé une alerte générale fin 2009. Pas seulement en France, mais dans le monde entier. Un an après, voilà que plusieurs cas se sont manifestés en Grande-Bretagne. Au total, dix personnes seraient mortes de la grippe récemment, outre-Manche. Sur ces décès, huit sont directement imputés à la souche H1N1. Les patients concernés étaient des jeunes adultes de moins de 65 ans n’ayant pas reçu de vaccin contre la grippe pandémique.”Il n’est pas surprenant que la souche H1N1 circule de nouveau cet hiver”, estime l’Agence de la Santé britannique, rapportée par l’AFP. Selon elle, “il est fréquent qu’à la suite d’une pandémie, la souche de cette pandémie devienne le virus le plus commun à la saison suivante”.Ouest-France rappelle que cette grippe est bénigne, sauf pour les populations à risque, à savoir les femmes enceintes, personnes âgées, cardiaques, diabétiques et personnes au système immunitaire déprimé.Ces nouveaux cas de décès font craindre un retour en force de la grippe H1N1. La presse britannique indique que 30% des cas grippaux outre-Manche concernent cette pandémie.La grippe H1N1 avait pris officiellement fin le 10 août. L’OMS a ensuite estimé qu’elle s’avérait modérée et moins dévastatrice qu’une simple grippe saisonnière.Le 13 décembre 2010 à 11:07 • Emmanuel Perrin read more

Les 10 découvertes astronomiques de 2010En cette fin d’année, Maxisciences revient sur les faits marquants de l’année en matière d’astronomie. L’année 2010 aura été riche en avancées technologiques dans les domaines de l’astronomie, de l’aéronautique, de la robotique.Mais surtout, ce sont les grands progrès réalisés en imagerie numérique qui permettent de remettre en question notre connaissance de l’Univers. L’imagerie numérique et la haute définition ont ainsi permis de redécouvrir la Lune, les paysages martiens ou encore les planètes éloignées de notre système solaire comme Saturne, Uranus et leurs satellites. Le développement des outils pour les télescopes a aussi donné l’occasion de découvrir des exoplanètes situées aux confins de notre galaxie, ce qui remet aussi en question l’existence de vie extraterrestre. Les étoiles sont aussi étudiées dans des perspectives nouvelles ce qui offre la possibilité d’enrichir la connaissance des scientifiques sur la formation de l’Univers et de ses origines. Quels ont été les faits les plus marquants pour cette année ? Lire notre dossier spécial. Le 28 décembre 2010 à 14:08 • Emmanuel Perrin read more

Earth’s northern magnetic pole is moving quickly toward Siberia, and this movement has forced scientists to update the World Magnetic Model at an earlier date.On Monday, the National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI), announced the new World Magnetic Model in a press release. The model, which is updated and released every five years, had to be changed before 2020 because Earth’s northern magnetic pole is shifting at a rate of roughly 34 miles per year from the Canadian arctic toward Siberia, CNN reported.#ICYMI NCEI has released an out-of-cycle World Magnetic Model due to changes in Earth’s magnetic field near the North Pole: @CIRESnews pic.twitter.com/H8KvtCqjrl— NOAA NCEI Ocean Geo (@NOAANCEIocngeo) February 5, 2019NCEI said this out-of-cycle update will, “ensure safe navigation for military applications, commercial airlines, search and rescue operations, and others operating around the North Pole.”The World Magnetic Model impacts many operations, including military undersea navigation, space missions, smartphone GPS services, and airport runways. With the World Magnetic Model, different industries can ensure better air traffic management, satellite tracking, land surveying, and location accuracy.Compasses are also impacted by the World Magnetic Model: These devices use declination (the difference between true north and where a compass points) to ensure navigation systems are correct. Due to Earth’s magnetic field evolving between the World Magnetic Model’s five-year release schedule, compass readings might be off.World Magnetic Model 2015 Map (Photo Credit: NOAA NCEI)But, what causes Earth’s northern magnetic pole to constantly shift? Scientists say the Earth’s internal processes might cause these erratic changes, CNN noted. Ciaran Beggan, a geophysicist at the British Geological Survey, told CNN that Earth’s magnetic field, which is created in its liquid outer core, flows and creates an electronic current. This electric current then produces a magnetic field, which flows with the Earth’s hot runny core.Despite concerns, the Earth’s northern magnetic pole shift is considered normal for geological activity. “It is unusual behavior in historical terms, (by) geological scales it is not unusual,” Beggan told CNN. “The magnetic field (changes) continuously, but it is partly because of its natural behavior.”More on Geek.com:Great Balls of Fire: Asteroid Explodes Over Cuba Climate Change Will Affect the Color of Oceans, Study Says42 Stunning Images of Snow and Ice on Earth From Space Stay on target Watch: Dolphin Leaps Feet Away From Unsuspecting SurferNASA Says 2 Asteroids Will Safely Fly By Earth This Weekend read more

Jamie Vardy was criticized during the international break for not having a single touch when England played against Holland and he appeared in the game as a substitute for the last minutes.The French coach insisted that Vardy created free spaces and had a great movement during 22 minutes he was given against Holland and the criticism towards him was unfair because it was mostly because of good defending of the home team.The former Southampton manager spoke about his side’s striker as he said, according to Leicester Mercury:“It’s a good thing for the opponent because when he touches the ball, he scores.”Maguire says United need to build on today’s win George Patchias – September 14, 2019 Harry Maguire wants his United teammates to build on the victory over Leicester City.During the summer, Harry Maguire was referred to as the ultimate…“Jamie can take the space and make good moves and good opportunities like he did in that first game.”“I know he did not touch the ball for example but he was important for the team because he gave good options for his team-mates by making good moves and being available.”“It is important that players make good moves in behind the defenders. It so always difficult to mark him.” read more

Facebook Twitter Google+LinkedInPinterestWhatsApp Facebook Twitter Google+LinkedInPinterestWhatsAppProvidenciales, 16 Jun 2015 – A revised edition of the laws of the Turks and Caicos is ready for purchase now; though they are about three months behind schedule. Attorney General Rhondalee Knowles in January announced that the work on the revision was started and would be done by the first quarter of 2015. It was also said in that speech at the start of the legal year that the revised laws would likely provide more ready access thanks to technology. Not only are the laws prepared in a handsome set of loose leaf volumes, but there is a searchable CD Rom. The AG said the 11 volume set is $1,800, the CD Rom is $1,000. Recommended for you Related Items:Attorney General Rhondalee Knowles, revise, tci laws Deputy AG leaving TCI for job as a judge read more

Members of Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) arrested 11 people from the capital Dhaka, Khulna, and Rajshahi on Friday for their alleged involvement in providing financial assistance to militancy, reports UNB.The arrestees are Al Mamun, 20, Al Amin, 23, Faisal aka Tuhin, 37, Moin Khan, 27, Md Jahedullah aka Jahid, 29, Al Amin, 23, Tony Nath, 40, and Helel Uddin, 27.Briefing newsmen at the RAB Media Centre of Karwan Bazar in the city on Saturday, director (media) of RAB headquarters Mufti Mahmood Khan said the elite force had information that iBacs Ltd, a UK based company, here was involved in terror financing.The company, which was established in 2005, was shutdown in 25 December of 2015 as its then chairman Shiful Hoque Sujan was killed in Syria due to air attack on 10 December in the same year. Then Ibacs Ltd head office of UK was also shutdown for its alleged involvement in terror financing.During a joint drive, comprising members of intelligence and law enforcement agencies, Nahid along with US$ 50,000 was arrested on 4 December in 2015.The money was supposed to be given to slain Neo-JMB leader Tamim Chowdhury.A case was filed accusing seven people, including Nahid, Ataul Hoque Sabuj, his brother Shiful Hoque Sujan and their father Hasnat, who later died under detention in jail, in this connection.After shutdown, iBacs ltd, most of its employees established new company Wahmi Technology in Dhaka, while Ataul established another company named ISYCTEL in Spain.Based on secret information, several teams of RAB-4 carried out drives in Dhaka, Khulna and Rajshahi and arrested the 11 people. The drives were carried out between 5-8pm, said Mufti Mahmood Khan.Among them, Nahid was arrested from Rajshahi, Tajul Islam and Tony from Khulna, and remaining eight people were arrested from the Wahmi Technology office of Pallabi in Dhaka.In the same times, Ataul Hoque Sabuj, owner of ISYCTEL, was also arrested in Spain by members of law enforcement agencies there Friday in connection with militancy, he said.Scrutinising documents of Wahmi it is found that the ISYCTEL has been sending money to Wahmi from Spain regularly. Among the sending funds, around 53 per cent was allegedly spent in militancy. read more

Donald TrumpDonald Trump’s campaign has been subpoenaed as part of a defamation suit for documents related to sexual assault allegations that emerged during his run for president, according to a court document.The lawsuit by Summer Zervos, a former contestant on Trump’s reality TV show “The Apprentice,” says he made “numerous false, defamatory statements” in response to her allegations that he tried to kiss and grope her without her consent.The subpoena, which was issued in March but filed September 19, directs the Trump campaign and its affiliates to hand over documents on Zervos and her associates as well as on “any woman alleging that Donald J. Trump touched her inappropriately.”It also seeks documents on “any accusations” made during Trump’s election campaign that he “subjected any woman to unwanted sexual touching and/or sexually inappropriate behavior,” and on the president’s responses to allegations against him.The subpoena, which previously not been made public, was first reported by BuzzFeed News.Zervos said last year that Trump had made unwanted sexual advances toward her when she met him at the Beverly Hills Hotel in Los Angeles in 2007 to discuss career opportunities.Trump moved toward her aggressively during the encounter and touched her on the breast but she rebuffed him, she alleged.Zervos and several other women who made similar allegations came forward after a 2005 videotape of Trump bragging about groping women surfaced in early October.The president-elect claimed his comments on the tape were “locker-room banter,” and denounced the sex assault allegations as lies and fabricated stories.According to Zervos’ suit, “Mr Trump became obsessed with calling Ms Zervos and any other woman who came forward to report his abuse liars with improper motives.”Trump is a “liar and misogynist” who has “debased and denigrated Zervos with false statements about her,” the lawsuit says. read more

Controller Patent Teases SNES Games on SwitchPlay These Nintendo Switch Games Before ‘Pokemon Sword and Shield&… Stay on target If you have a Nintendo Switch, chances are you also have The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. The new Zelda is a massive, phenomenal game that you can and should play for dozens of hours. But eventually, you’re going to want to play something new on your Nintendo console/handheld hybrid. Switch Games That Aren’t Zelda is a new column highlighting cool, smaller Switch games to check out once you’ve saved Hyrule.When famous French video game empire Ubisoft decided to return its limbless one-time mascot Rayman back to his 2D platforming roots, the result was the surprisingly stunning Rayman Origins, a game Michel Ancel actually managed to release in-between talking about Beyond Good & Evil 2. The move also freed up the Rabbids to kick it with an even better mascot in Mario+Rabbids: Kingdom Battle.Rayman Origins soon got an even more gorgeous sequel running on the same UbiArt engine in the form of Rayman Legends. Originally announced as a Wii U exclusive, Rayman Legends eventually came to pretty much every console out there and is launching on Nintendo Switch in a few weeks. If you haven’t played the game you should totally pick up the Switch version to bring with you wherever. But I already finished it years ago and have no plans to double dip.AdChoices广告Or rather, I had no plans to double dip. However, the Rayman Legends: Definitive Edition demo brought back memories of one particular aspect of the game that may draw me back in. The Kung Foot multiplayer mode is a killer app that may make Rayman Legends on Nintendo Switch worth it all by itself.Compared to other 2D platformers, Rayman Legends has a looser, bouncier feel. It pairs well with the game’s lush cartoon art and expressive exaggerated animation. Plus it makes sense for a slap-happy character who shoots his hands out and floats with a propeller on his head.Kung Foot uses those buttery controls for a combination fighting and soccer (or football since it is European) game. Players run around the 2D field as Rayman or the other characters (like Rayman in a Mario outfit). But instead of trying to reach the end of a level they’re trying to smack a ball into their opponent’s goal. Pretty straightforward. It’s like Donkey Kong Country meets Rocket League.And it’s great! Rayman Legends already feels so good to play but it’s extra satisfying when you’re (virtually) whacking your friend in the face instead of the computer. Meanwhile, handling the ball itself strikes a nice balance between control and chaos. The high-flying and fast competitive 2-4 player action built on a platforming base recalls Super Smash Bros.As an arcade sports game essentially, Kung Foot rewards big plays where you hit the ball with your head and limbs so hard it catches on fire like NBA Jam (or Playgrounds). It’s even got its own enthusiastic announcer. But if you don’t know what you’re doing you can easily bounce the ball too much and have it rebound into your own goal.I played so much Kung Foot back in college with friends while it was still tethered to the Wii U. So having it on the go on Switch is a game-changer, especially since it’s easily playable with two Joy-Con. However, while giving Kung Foot away in this demo reminded me of my love of it, it may backfire for Ubisoft.Ignoring review codes for journalists for a second, before I would’ve had to buy Rayman Legends again on Switch to get my precious Kung Foot. But with this demo I now have it indefinitely for free since I don’t plan on buying the full game I already finished. Apparently Kung Foot has been expanded in the Definitive Edition on Switch with new tournament and wireless features, but honestly for now and maybe forever I’m happy with the classic Kung Foot I already now have.Other Switch games like Puyo Puyo Tetris, Snipperclips, Voez, Blaster Master Zero, Dragon Quest Heroes, Monster Hunter XX, and Disgaea 5 have free demos available, but this is a specific and personal case of a demo negating the need for me to buy the full game. It makes you understand why Nintendo does stuff like restrict Pokken Tournament DX demos to 15 fights, despite how annoying it is to players.Still, Rayman Legends is an amazing game and you should absolutely buy the full version on Nintendo Switch when it launches September 12. But if you just want that free demo to get in on some hot Kung Foot multiplayer action, I wouldn’t blame you.Want to learn more? Here’s everything you need to know about the Nintendo Switch.Buy it now!The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the WildNintendo SwitchProtect Your Nintendo Switch With These Awesome CasesLet us know what you like about Geek by taking our survey. read more

Citation: Genetic tests show Central Australian palm trees diverged from Northern trees more recently than thought (2012, March 8) retrieved 18 August 2019 from https://phys.org/news/2012-03-genetic-central-australian-palm-trees.html Explore further (PhysOrg.com) — For years, tourists visiting central Australia’s famous Alice Springs have been told that the palm trees in the area are relics left over from the days millions of years ago when Australia’s interior was a tropical zone. Unfortunately, evidence has shown that the old story just isn’t true. Instead, the red cabbage palm, as it’s known locally, came via seeds somehow carried south nearly 1000 kilometers from palms that grow in the north. Now new evidence from a group of Australian and Japanese researchers shows that the red cabbage palm has been diverging from its northern parents for just 15,000 to 30,000 years. They have published their findings in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B. More information: Not an ancient relic: the endemic Livistona palms of arid central Australia could have been introduced by humans, Proceedings of the Royal Society B. Published online before print March 7, 2012, doi: 10.1098/rspb.2012.0103AbstractLivistona mariae is an endemic palm localized in arid central Australia. This species is separated by about 1000 km from its congener L. rigida, which grows distantly in the Roper River and Nicholson–Gregory River catchments in northern Australia. Such an isolated distribution of L. mariae has been assumed to have resulted from contraction of ancestral populations as Australia aridified from the Mid-Miocene (ca 15 Ma). To test this hypothesis at the population level, we examined the genetic relationships among 14 populations of L. mariae and L. rigida using eight nuclear microsatellite loci. Our population tree and Bayesian clustering revealed that these populations comprised two genetically distinct groups that did not correspond to the current classification at species rank, and L. mariae showed closest affinity with L. rigida from Roper River. Furthermore, coalescent divergence-time estimations suggested that the disjunction between the northern populations (within L. rigida) could have originated by intermittent colonization along an ancient river that has been drowned repeatedly by marine transgression. During that time, L. mariae populations could have been established by opportunistic immigrants from Roper River about 15 000 years ago, concurrently with the settlement of indigenous Australians in central Australia, who are thus plausible vectors. Thus, our results rule out the ancient relic hypothesis for the origin of L. mariae. © 2011 PhysOrg.com Journal information: Proceedings of the Royal Society B Prior research had shown that the palm trees in Australia appeared to have come from some ancient ancestor in Southeast Asia and that the palm trees in Alice Springs were genetically identical to the palm trees that grew farther north. This new research looked at microsatellite markers in both groups of trees, which focuses on the parts of DNA that evolve the most quickly. In so doing, the team was able to pin down which group of palms in the north (the Livistona palm from Mataranka) the palms in the south came from. But more importantly, they were able to see that the divergence had begun as recently as 15,000 to 30,000 years ago.Other research has shown that the ancestors of modern indigenous Australian people arrived some 40 to 45 thousand years ago and had migrated south 20 to 30 thousand years ago, which would have them migrating during the time when the palm seeds were also moving south. Thus, it seems likely that it was those early settlers that carried the seeds to Alice Springs which resulted in the trees that are seen today. As for why they might do so, it has been noted that red cabbage palm tree fronds are one of the few native food sources that would have been available to early travelers.Others are still not convinced it was people that carried the seeds, however, after all, if early humans carried the seeds south why aren’t there more stands of red cabbage palms in other places besides just Alice Springs? Some say they could have just as easily been spread by birds, despite the lack of evidence for that. In any case, the one thing that is certain is that they are not holdovers from the time fifteen million years ago when Australia was covered in tropical vegetation which means the story told to tourists will have to be changed. Palm trees may be not be native to Australia: study Central Australian Cabbage Palm (Livistona mariae), Palm Valley, Finke Gorge National Park, Northern Territory, Australia. Image: Wikipedia. This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only. read more

The parallel runway in Brisbane has been awaiting approval for years, with the project now estimated to total AU$1.3 billion. Brisbane Airport Corporation (BAC) has commissioned the contract for the airport’s new parallel runway, with work expected to commence in the next few weeks. Following construction, Brisbane Airport will possess the same capacity as major international airports, such as Singapore and Hong Kong. The new 3.3 kilometre runway development, expected to be operational by 2020, has been predicted to boost passenger numbers from 19 million to 51 million by 2030. Source = ETB News: P.T. The BAC has awarded the contract for AU$500 million worth of dredging and reclamation works. read more

Source = Taronga Zoo Gallah with $1 Taronga celebrates centenary with $1 birthday entryTaronga celebrates centenary with $1 birthday entryTaronga is inviting everyone to spend their birthday with the animals for just $1, with the help of the Zoo’s Centenary presenting partner ANZ, to celebrate 100 years of bringing people and wildlife together.Taronga Zoo, which officially opened in Mosman on 7 October 1916, is offering a $1 entry ticket to visitors on their birthday throughout its Centenary year.“We want to say thank you to the amazing public that has supported our wildlife conservation work for the past 100 years,” said Taronga’s Chief Executive, Cameron Kerr.“Every ticket to Taronga, even your $1 birthday entry, helps us continue to work towards a shared future for wildlife and people. In the next 100 years we want wildlife to not only survive, but thrive.”From today people can register on Taronga’s website to receive a $1 voucher to use on their birthday.“You’ll also get a special Taronga 100 birthday badge to wear and keep as a great Centenary memento,” said Cameron.The birthday promotion is just one part of an exciting Centenary Program, presented by long-term supporter ANZ, which will celebrate Taronga’s first 100 years and launch a legacy for the future of wildlife conservation.“Taronga Zoo is an iconic Australian attraction and ANZ is very proud to play a part in its Centenary celebrations. We look forward to working with the Zoo in 2016 to bring many fantastic initiatives to the people of NSW and those visiting Sydney,” said Catriona Noble, ANZ Australia Managing Director Retail Distribution.“We’re especially excited that everyone can celebrate their birthday in 2016 by visiting the Zoo for just $1 – what better way to mark the occasion than to share it with one of Sydney’s most treasured attractions.”The Zoo along with ANZ will also be encouraging people to share their favourite Taronga photo memories on social media using the hashtag #IGrewUpWithTaronga.“It’s a chance to reminisce on what we were, what we are now and what we will be in the future,” said Cameron.“A trip to Taronga has always been a memorable experience and we want to see and share as many of those memories as we can in our Centenary year. It might be a photo from your first visit as a child or the first time you brought your own children to the Zoo.”People that upload old and new memories will have the chance to see their photos on a special Taronga 100 website and will also go into the draw to win some amazing prizes, including a Zoo Friends family membership every week of the year. Taronga Zoo $1 Entrydiscover more here read more