Sochi Paralympics: GB keen to build on Games ‘breakthrough’
Concerns were raised late last year about the poor ticket sales, but by the end of the Sochi Paralympics in excess of 300,000 had been sold – 80,000 more than at the previous Games in Vancouver, Canada. The Sochi Paralympics also set a television first with US network NBC broadcasting the first ever Paralympic event […]
Lonely Planet attempts Instagram competitor
Lonely Planet The app gathers information about your trip using GPS data Algorithms don’t have good taste. At least not yet. That’s the message Lonely Planet’s chief executive, Daniel Houghton, wants you to hear as his company launches a new app, Trips. Since 1973, his firm has been using a vast human network of travel […]
Why is Wales not testing over 65s as in England?
Reuters The Welsh Government is only testing 14% of the 5,000 it had hoped to achieve by mid-April The staff and residents of care homes in England can now be tested for coronavirus, even if they don’t have any symptoms, while anyone over 65 with symptoms can also be tested. Testing lets people confirm if […]
Three golds for GB paratriathlon team at European Championships
Great Britain’s paratriathlon team won three gold medals at the European Championships in Kitzbuhel. Lauren Steadman won the PT4 category (arm impairments), Chris Goodwin triumphed in the PT5 category (visually impaired) and Karen Darke was first in the PT1 category (wheelchair users). British athletes won 12 medals overall at the event. Steadman finished ahead of […]
Sochi Paralympics: Fourth medal for Etherington and Powell
“Jade coped really well with the terrain and it was a good run. Three seconds is a lot to make up. I never expected us to be that close at the end.” Etherington and Powell had earlier won silvers in the downhill and slalom, plus a bronze in the super-G. Now they have overtaken Denise […]
Maghaberry Prison reports into ‘serious’ incidents published
BBC Two reports into serious adverse incidents at Maghaberry Prison have been published by the Prisoner Ombudsman. The reports concerned incidents where two prisoners had to be treated in hospital for drug overdoses. They were carried out at the request of the Northern Ireland Prison Service, in line with its suicide and self-harm prevention policy. […]
Farming labour shortage could mean price rises, MPs warn
Reuters Chronic labour shortages in the food and farming sector could lead to price rises and the UK becoming more dependent on food imports, MPs warn. The report by the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee said Covid and Brexit had a huge impact on the sector. MPs want ministers to ease English language rules […]
European Wheelchair Basketball: GB women lose in semi-final
Helen Freeman top-scored with 15 for GB but Mareike Adermann fired in 27 points for the six-time defending champions. For the 12th consecutive time, Germany will meet the Netherlands in the final. Meanwhile, Great Britain’s men kept their hopes of defending their European Wheelchair Basketball title alive by overcoming Poland 89-56 to advance to the […]
The new surgical tool inspired by a wasp
Scientists in the Netherlands have mimicked the way parasitoid wasps lay eggs to design a new tool for keyhole surgery. Currently tools used in these procedures are prone to clogging because they use suction. The new device avoids this by using friction. The team, at Delft University of Technology, have a working prototype and hope […]
Children’s long Covid study and Scotland’s vaccine passports
Here are five things you need to know about the coronavirus pandemic this Wednesday evening. We’ll have another update for you on Thursday morning with all the latest. 1. Children’s long Covid risk not as bad as feared The risk of long Covid in children is much lower than many had feared, say leading child-health […]