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Wed, 5 January 2022, 12:09 pm

David Warner insists he relishes his Ashes battles with Stuart Broad despite being dismissed by the England bowler for the 13th time in Test cricket.

The Australia batter, who has twice come close to a century amid a dominant series for the hosts, was removed for 30 by the returning Broad on day one of the fourth Test.

Australia, who lead 3-0, closed on 126-3 at the SCG after only 46.5 overs of play were possible due to rain.

Broad had been left out of two of the first three matches and this week expressed his frustration over England’s failure given he has “not really done anything” and missed the chance to play on favourable pitches.

Another veteran England bowler, James Anderson, who missed the first Test earlier in the series, also struck on Wednesday, removing Marcus Harris for 38.

And Warner suggested Australia are glad to be up against two of the world’s top bowlers.

“I really enjoy giving you guys a good story, which is fantastic and it builds up the game,” Warner said of his duels with Broad, who had him caught by Zak Crawley.

“Me and Broady love it when we’re out there. It’s good fun, good funny banter.

“I tried to drive the ball too straight, that was my disappointment, but it’s awesome to see Broady back out there.

“He’s a world-class bowler. Him and Jimmy Anderson bowling at us is great.

“Obviously, they would have been disappointed with some of these Test matches, not playing together, but that’s for their selection panel.

“It’s great to come up against the world’s best from England.”

Mark Wood removed Marnus Labuschagne (28) before the close as Australia struggled to build on a strong start that had seen them reach 111-1.

It means Steve Smith (6 not out) and Usman Khawaja (4no) will be under pressure when they return to the crease on Thursday.

England are looking to avoid a 5-0 whitewash, a fate they have suffered twice in Australia since the turn of the century.

Amid their struggles, former England batsman Rob Key cannot comprehend why Broad has not been a regular.

He told Sky Sports: “You absolutely have bogey bowlers. I had about 18!

“For David Warner, it is Broad – which makes it even more ridiculous that Broad did not play that first Test in Brisbane.

“Warner would have been sat there thinking, ‘I could really do without facing this bloke’.

“All Warner’s preparation would have been about how he was going to combat and defeat Broad and score runs against him – and then England don’t pick him! This just shows how poor a decision that was.

“Now Broad has ended up playing on the two pitches so far with the least amount of movement and missed out on the two pitches that would have done a lot for him.”

Pa Sport StaffFri, 7 January 2022, 11:21 am

Novak Djokovic is making a “big mistake” if he is not getting vaccinated against Covid-19, according to the world number one’s former coach Boris Becker

The Serbian is awaiting the outcome of an appeal against the decision by the Australian Border Force (ABF) to cancel the reigning Australian Open champion’s entry visa and deport him, with an appeal set for Monday.

Djokovic has spoken in the past about his opposition to vaccination, and posted on social media before setting off for the Australian Open to say he had received “exemption permission” to enter the country.

Becker – himself a former world number one and twice Australian Open champion as well as winning three Wimbledon singles titles – enjoyed a successful three-year partnership with Djokovic which included six Grand Slam victories.

The 54-year-old maintains a close relationship with the Serbian, but feels their views on how to best protect against coronavirus are very different.

“On this occasion I think he is making a big mistake in not getting vaccinated. It is one that threatens what remains of his career and his chance to cement himself as the greatest player of all time,” Becker said in a column for the Daily Mail.

“Four times I sat in his box as he won the Australian Open, so I am fully aware of his great strengths as an incredible competitor. I also think he has a great character that can easily be misunderstood.

“Yet these strengths can also be weaknesses. The same incredible determination which I saw win so many close matches can be a vulnerability with his stubbornness.”

Becker feels if Djokovic does maintain his vaccine hesitancy, it could present more hurdles to his playing career.

“He is incredibly strong-willed, with very firm beliefs. If he does not, then in 10 years he will look back on it and realise he made a mistake,” Becker said.

“It is not just about Australia. The fact is that we are living in a different world and he is going to find it very hard to live the life of a professional tennis player travelling around without the vaccination.

“Those are the rules, whether one likes them or not, and you have to accept it. Maybe one day we will get back to a more normal situation, but at 34 he does not have much time left to pursue his goals.

“As someone fond of him, I know he will be suffering. He will be shocked at the treatment he is getting, in a bleak room with his meals shoved under the door.

“It will be all the more disconcerting because he loves playing in Australia and perhaps no stadium more than the Rod Laver Arena.”

Our Foreign StaffThu, 6 January 2022, 4:54 am

Novak Djokovic was denied entry into Australia on Thursday after authorities said he did not meet Covid-19 vaccination requirements.

Soon after the decision, he was taken to the Park Hotel, a quarantine facility in Melbourne, after being held at the city’s airport overnight and was told he would be removed from the country later on Thursday.

The Park Hotel is used by the Australian government to detain refugees and asylum seekers and has been a focal point of anger for protesters against the government’s hostile immigration policies.

The hotel has housed government detainees since December 2020, many of them held for years while seeking visas to remain in Australia. The hotel has held people flown to Australia from Manus Island and Nauru.

The world’s best tennis player will not be alone in the hotel – more than two dozen people are currently held there.

There has been criticism in the Australian media of conditions inside the hotel. In October, there was a Covid outbreak in which more than 20 people tested positive.

Salah Mustafa, who was held at the hotel, told The Guardian: “I sit in the room and I am afraid. We are all afraid.

“Today, I am negative, my son is negative. But tomorrow, the day after tomorrow, what then? Everywhere is infection.

“We are trapped here. We are stuck in our rooms, waiting [for] this virus to come.”

Victoria’s health minister, Martin Foley, admitted to the Guardian that the state government was “quite concerned” about the situation inside the hotel.

Last month, Australia’s SBS News published photographs which it said showed food given to the detainees that contained maggots and mould.

Ian Rintoul, a spokesperson at Refugee Action Coalition, told SBS that he was “horrified” by the photographs.

“[The maggots] were alive in the plastic dish… People refused to eat it and demanded that it be taken away,” he said.

“There was no other food bought to replace it. So they either ate the maggot-infested food, the mouldy bread or went hungry. Most went hungry.”

The Australian Border Force did not respond to questions about the food but a spokesperson said it and the Department of Home Affairs were “committed to the health and welfare of detainees within the Australian immigration detention network”.

Last month, the Daily Mail also reported that two fires broke out and a person was taken to hospital for smoke inhalation. Police also said that a member of staff had been assaulted.

Activists have held protests against the hotel and there are messages in graffiti on the outside walls and on the ground.

Nevertheless, the hotel’s website bills it as a “luxurious 4.5-star hotel set in a prime location”. It has 107 rooms, all air-conditioned. It is also close to centre of Melbourne and is near the University of Melbourne and the Royal Women’s Hospital.

By Thursday afternoon, Djokovic’s supporters, draped in Serbian flags, had congregated outside the hotel that is now at the centre of a diplomatic row.

The number of e-scooter collisions in London shot up dramatically in 2021, with 258 incidents recorded in the first six months alone according to Metropolitan Police figures.

The worrying statistic represents a marked increase in collisions involving e-scooters compared to previous years. Police recorded just nine incidents in 2018 and 38 in 2019, while 266 collisions occurred in 2020.

The issue was brought to light by Labour London Assembly Member Unmesh Desai, who requested the figures from Sadiq Khan.

Mr Desai has said that the use of illegal e-scooters in the capital is “putting Londoners at risk of significant harm” and called for people to stick to TfL’s e-scooter rental trial.

He said: “The use of illegal e-scooters on our roads and pavements is putting Londoners at risk of significant harm- especially the most vulnerable in our communities such as people with limited mobility, visual impairments and hearing loss.

“Whilst it is concerning that these figures are likely to be just the tip of the iceberg, it has been encouraging to see the scale of enforcement action taken by TfL and the Met Police so far.”

TfL’s rental trial, which began last summer, remains the only legal way to ride e-scooters in London, with the use of privately-owned e-scooters outlawed in the UK.

The Metropolitan Police seized more than 3,600 privately-owned e-scooters from London’s streets between January and November 2021. Users caught riding private e-scooters can be fined up to £300 and may face penalty points on their driving license.

Despite the sharp rise in collisions involving e-scooters last year, TfL reported just 13 incidents involving users of its trial scooters out of a total of 520,000 journeys. E-scooter collisions also only accounted for 2.5 per cent of all collisions in London between January and June.

E-scooters, available to hire through the TfL trial, are limited to a maximum speed of 12 miles per hour and are fitted with additional safety features not found on many privately-owned scooters.

Last month, TfL announced that it was banning passengers from taking private e-scooters and e-bikes onto public transport following reports of fires breaking out due to defective batteries.

The London Fire Brigade was called to attend more than 50 fires involving e-scooters and e-bikes in 2021, including a dramatic incident caught on camera and shared on social media that showed a Tube carriage filling up with smoke from an e-scooter fire.

TfL’s e-scooter hire trial is expected to run until at least June 2022.

Ellen ManningFri, 7 January 2022, 10:46 am

A mother killed her two young daughters then took her own life, saying it was ‘in their best interests’ as she thought they’d been ‘brought into a corrupt world’.

Tiffany Stevens, 27, was found dead next to three-year-old Casey-Lea Taylor, 3, and Darcey Stevens, 18 months, in January 2019. 

An inquest at Bolton Coroners Court heard the youngsters had drunk “massive amounts” of methadone, while their mother had a fatal level of morphine in her system and had injected insulin and methadone.

In a suicide note found at the family’s home in Bolton, Lancashire, Stevens had written: “I have chosen to kill us in my children’s best interests.”

The inquest heard that the young mother had become convinced that she had brought her daughters into a corrupt world.

Just six weeks before their deaths, she had made a suicide pact with another woman she had met while she was growing up in care but when they met up at a hotel the other woman pulled out because Stevens had her daughters with her. 

The inquest, which saw the coroner rule that Stevens murdered her two young daughters and then killed herself, heard that relatives became concerned that they had been unable to contact her for a week and so entered the house through a back door.

In a statement, paramedic Kirsty Ogden told how she found Tiffany and Casey-Lea lying on a mattress on the living room floor underneath a duvet. Both were dead. Darcey was found dead in a buggy by the front door.

Home office pathologist Dr Phillip Lumb told the court that the family had probably been dead for about a week.

The inquest heard that toxicology tests showed that Darcey died from an amount of methadone enough to prove fatal to an adult.

Casey-Lea had also been given methadone and had been injected in her abdomen with insulin. Tramadol and morphine were also found in her system. 

As well as morphine, insulin and methadone, Tramadol and Pregabalin were also found in their mother’s system. None of the drugs had been prescribed to her.

Dr Lumb told the court that the drugs she and her daughters had taken would have rendered them unconscious before death, adding: “I don’t think there would be any pain or suffering.”

If you are experiencing feelings of distress and isolation, or are struggling to cope, the Samaritans offers support; you can speak to someone for free over the phone, in confidence, on 116 123 (UK and ROI), email jo@samaritans.org, or visit the Samaritans website to find details of your nearest branch.

If you are based in the USA, and you or someone you know needs mental health assistance right now, call National Suicide Prevention Helpline on 1-800-273-TALK (8255). The Helpline is a free, confidential crisis hotline that is available to everyone 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

If you are in another country, you can go to www.befrienders.org to find a helpline near you.

IT IS BAD ENOUGH THAT SHE KILLED HERSELF BUT TO ALSO KILL HER OWN CHILDREN, IS TOTALLY UNCONCIEVABLE!!! A LOT OF SICK PEOPLE IN THIS WORLD!!!

Alex Green, PA Senior Entertainment ReporterFri, 7 January 2022, 1:05 pm

Born Free star Virginia McKenna has opened an exhibition of life-sized bronze lions aiming to raise awareness of the plight of the animals.

The actress and wildlife campaigner, 90, starred in the 1966 film, which was set in Kenya, alongside her late husband Bill Travers and now runs The Born Free Foundation.

She opened the outdoor display at Waterloo Millennium Green in London alongside her eldest son Will, during the week in which her husband would have celebrated his 100th birthday.

Travers died in 1994 from a coronary thrombosis aged 72.

They were also joined by Born Free patrons, presenter Gaby Roslin, Olympic athlete Sally Gunnell and author Lauren St John.

Created by artists Gillie and Marc Schattner, the exhibition aims to raise awareness and funds for lion conservation, as well as celebrate Elsa the lioness, the charity’s inspiration and symbol.

Its centrepiece features Elsa standing on top of a 4×4 surrounded by lions and cubs.

Orphaned while still a cub, Elsa was raised in the Netherlands and successfully returned to the wild by George and Joy Adamson, where she went on to have cubs of her own.

Also included in the exhibition are sculptures of Christian, a cub purchased from Harrods and returned to the wild, and King, a lion the foundation rescued from the exotic pet trade who now resides at its sanctuary in South Africa.

There is also a sculpture of Cecil, a 13-year-old lion who was killed by a US big game hunter and dentist in Zimbabwe in 2015, while the animal was the subject of a long-term research programme by Oxford University.

Will Travers, executive president and co-founder of the foundation, said: “Lions face many challenges, both in the wild and in captivity.

“We simply cannot ignore the declining numbers for a moment longer.

“This life-size, outdoor, bronze sculpture exhibition, featuring iconic lions, including Elsa on top of a 4×4, tells the true stories behind the issues they face.

“I encourage everyone to visit us in London not only to marvel at the exhibition and learn more about the plight of these emblematic and majestic creatures but help us fundraise and campaign so that there is a forever for lions.”

Gillie and Marc Schattner said: “The bronze cubs symbolise the future generations of lions that can be created with hard work, dedication and a lot of love.

“The lion is a big part of our national identity and personifies the qualities of what it is to be British; strength, courage and pride. If wild lions were to become extinct, we would lose part of ourselves.”

The winners of Fifa’s men’s and women’s player of the year are set to be crowned in the sixth edition of the Fifa Best Awards.

Eleven players have been nominated for each award with three finalists set to be announced ahead of the awards ceremony on Monday 17 January.

Robert Lewandowski is the reigning men’s winner while Lucy Bronze won the women’s award last year. There will also be awards for men’s and women’s coach of the year, goalkeeper of the year, as well as the Puskas award for goal of the year.

The Fifpro men’s and women’s world XIs will also be announced during the awards ceremony. Lionel Messi and Alexia Putellas were the respective winners of the 2021 Ballon D’Or awards, but Fifa’s own awards ceremony has been separate since 2015.

Here’s everything you need to know ahead of the Fifa Best Football Awards 2021.

When are the Fifa Best awards?

The awards ceremony will take place on Monday 17 January in Zurich, Switzerland.

How can I watch it?

It will be streamed live across Fifa’s social media channels.

What awards will be handed out?

• The Best Fifa men’s player
• The Best Fifa women’s player
• The Best Fifa men’s coach
• The Best Fifa women’s coach
• The Best Fifa men’s goalkeeper
• The Best Fifa women’s goalkeeper
• The Best Fifa Puskas award
• The Best Fifa fan award
• Fifa Fifpro men’s world XI
• Fifa Fifpro women’s world XI
• Fifa Fair Play award

Who has been nominated for The Best Fifa men’s player?

• Karim Benzema (France/ Real Madrid CF)
• Kevin De Bruyne (Belgium / Manchester City FC)
• Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal / Juventus FC / Manchester United FC)
• Erling Haaland (Norway/ BV. Borussia 09 Dortmund)
• Jorginho (Italy / Chelsea FC)
• N’Golo Kante (France/ Chelsea FC)
• Robert Lewandowski (Poland/ FC Bayern München)
• Kylian Mbappe (France/ Paris Saint-Germain)
• Lionel Messi (Argentina/ FC Barcelona / Paris Saint-Germain)
• Neymar (Brazil/ Paris Saint-Germain)
• Mohamed Salah (Egypt / Liverpool FC)

Who has been nominated for The Best Fifa women’s player?

• Stina Blackstenius (Sweden/ BK Häcken)
• Aitana Bonmatí (Spain/ FC Barcelona)
• Lucy Bronze (England / Manchester City WFC)
• Magdalena Eriksson (Sweden/ Chelsea FC Women)
• Caroline Graham-Hansen (Norway/ FC Barcelona)
• Pernille Harder (Denmark/ Chelsea FC Women)
• Jennifer Hermoso (Spain/ FC Barcelona)
• Ji So-yun (South Korea / Chelsea FC Women)
• Sam Kerr (Australia/ Chelsea FC Women)
• Vivianne Miedema (Netherlands/ Arsenal WFC)
• Alexia Putellas (Spain/ FC Barcelona)
• Christine Sinclair (Canada/ Portland Thorns FC)
• Ellen White (England / Manchester City WFC)

Final nominees for The Best Fifa men’s coach

• Pep Guardiola (Spain / Manchester City FC)
• Roberto Mancini (Italy / Italian national team)
• Thomas Tuchel (Germany / Chelsea FC)

Final nominees for The Best Fifa women’s coach

• Lluís Cortés (Spain / FC Barcelona)
• Emma Hayes (England / Chelsea FC Women)
• Sarina Wiegman (Netherlands / Dutch national team / English national team)

Final nominees for The Best Fifa men’s goalkeeper

• Gianluigi Donnarumma (Italy / AC Milan / Paris Saint-Germain)
• Édouard Mendy (Senegal / Chelsea FC)
• Manuel Neuer (Germany / FC Bayern München)

Final nominees for The Best Fifa women’s goalkeeper

• Ann-Katrin Berger (Germany / Chelsea FC Women)
• Christiane Endler (Chile / Paris Saint-Germain / Olympique Lyonnais)
• Stephanie Lynn Marie Labbé (Canada / FC Rosengård / Paris Saint-Germain)

Final nominees for the Puskas Award

• Erik Lamela (ARG) – Arsenal FC v. Tottenham Hotspur FC [Premier League] (14 March 2021)
• Patrik Schick (CZE) – Czech Republic v. Scotland [UEFA EURO 2020] (14 June 2021)
• Mehdi Taremi (IRN) – Chelsea FC v. FC Porto [UEFA Champions League] (13 April 2021)

Danielle Desouza, PAFri, 7 January 2022, 1:07 pm

David Beckham’s son Romeo has followed in his father’s footsteps by getting a winged cross tattooed on the back of his neck.

The footballer, 19, unveiled the latest addition to his collection on Friday, sharing a black and white photo with his 3.2 million Instagram followers.

He visited tattoo artist Brian Woo, known as Dr Woo, in Los Angeles to get the design – which his father, 46, also has.

He captioned the post: “Insane ! Thank u bro.”

Justin Bieber, who also has a pair of wings inked on the back of his neck, was among those praising the tattoo.

The 27-year-old pop star said: “Love it, it was ur dad that inspired mine too. Looks great.”

Romeo, who recently made his professional debut for Inter Miami’s reserve team, has several other tattoos, including a dove on his hand with the words “lead with love” inked below, and an eagle on his leg.

His father, meanwhile, has around 60.

The pair also share a love of football, with the pair regularly attending matches together.

In December, they watched Manchester United play and, although the final result was “not the result” Romeo wanted, he said he still had an “amazing night” with his father.

David started his professional football career at Manchester United in 1992 at the age of 17.

He left the club in 2003 and went on to play for teams including Real Madrid and LA Galaxy.

Fasika ZelealemFri, 7 January 2022, 11:00 am·

While countries like China and India aim their focus on the banning or strict regulation of cryptocurrency, major US cities Miami and New York look to further embrace their already warm acceptance of the industry.

The outward admiration of cryptocurrency was no doubt an important aspect of both Miami mayor Francis Suarez and New York mayor Eric Adams re-election and election in Adams’ case.

The crypto industry had only become more popular in recent years with not only the everyday person investing but big players in the financial and entertainment world wanting to collaborate with those in the industry.

Exchanges such as Coinbase, FTX and, Crypto.com, had made massive deals with the likes of Adidas, Formula One and the UFC.

FTX, a crypto derivative company, signed a $135 million 19-year deal naming rights deal officially renaming the home of the Miami Heat, the FTX Arena.

In a recent interview with Forkast.news, Suarez spoke about the influence of firms like FTX and what their business is helping to build in Miami.

“We’re watching established players in the crypto industry like FTX, eToro and blockchain.com lay anchor here, we’re watching start-up activity explode here,” he said.

“It’s all adding up to a resilient, diversified economy that not only delivers high-quality, high-paying jobs for our residents but also one that can withstand the economic shocks of the future.”

Leading the way

Both Suarez and Adams revealed that they would take their paychecks in Bitcoin, with the latter promising to receive Bitcoin in his first three paychecks when he was officially inaugurated as mayor on January 1 2022.

While Suarez said he believes an entire industry is maturing, Adams looks set to create the next wave of the industry by introducing the topic of cryptocurrency into the school curriculum.

“We must open our schools to teach the technology, to teach this new way of thinking,” he said.

Recognising the influence of both mayors, CityCoins – a project that helps generate a revenue stream for local governments and brings emerging technology to citizens – launched both MiamiCoin and NYCCoin in 2021.

• Julia Fox wrote about her relationship with Kanye West in a blog post.
• Fox said she met Ye in Miami and the pair flew to New York City where they had dinner.
• “I’m loving the ride,” she wrote about their romance.

Actor Julia Fox has shared details about her relationship with Ye (the artist formerly known as Kanye West) days after the pair were spotted at a theater production in New York City.

Fox — who is best known for starring in the popular 2019 film “Uncut Gems” — penned a short blog post about her time with Ye for Interview Magazine. The blog post was titled “Date Night.”

“I met Ye in Miami on New Year’s Eve and it was an instant connection,” the blog post began.

Fox continued to write that she and her friends were “laughing, dancing, and smiling all night” with Ye. The post added that Fox and Ye decided to “keep the energy going” and flew to New York City to see “Slave Play” — the Tony award-nominated production by playwright Jeremy O. Harris.

“After the play we chose to do dinner at Carbone which is one of my favorite restaurants. Obviously,” Fox wrote.

“At the restaurant, Ye directed an entire photoshoot for me while people dined! The whole restaurant loved it and cheered us on while it was happening.”

The blog post was accompanied by several intimate photographs of the pair together on their date, including images of Fox and Ye embracing in a hotel suite, which Interview Magazine shared on its Instagram account.

Later in the post, Fox wrote that her relationship with Ye has been “so organic.”

“I don’t know where things are headed but if this is any indication of the future I’m loving the ride,” she concluded the blog post.

Last month, Ye appeared to make several public offers of reconciliation to his estranged wife Kim Kardashian West. During a benefit concert in Los Angeles in December, the 44-year-old rapper and fashion designer changed the lyrics of “Runaway” from his 2010 album “My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy” to make reference to Kardashian West.

“I need you to run right back to me,” West repeated at the end of the song before adding, “More specifically, Kimberly,” the rapper said while performing.

The rapper also made reference to the reality TV star during a speech at a homeless shelter in Los Angeles on Thanksgiving, according to reporting by Page Six.

Kardashian West filed for divorce from Ye in February 2021 after seven years of marriage.

She has most recently been linked with comedian Pete Davidson after the pair were spotted on a string of dates from Los Angeles to Davidson’s native Staten Island.

Read the original article on Insider