Shaunagh Brown: England prop wants more resources put into ‘urban areas’
Brown has worked as a gas engineer, a commercial diver and fire-fighter, but says sport has always been the “biggest part” of her life. She competed in the hammer for England in the Commonwealth Games and tried her hand at professional boxing before settling on the “physicality” of rugby. “It just makes me happy inside […]
Profile: Iran’s Revolutionary Guards
AFP The IRGC is estimated to have more than 190,000 active personnel Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) was set up 40 years ago to defend the country’s Islamic system, and to provide a counterweight to the regular armed forces. It has since become a major military, political and economic force in Iran, with close […]
What went wrong with the UK’s contact tracing app?
BBC After months of work, the UK has ditched the way its coronavirus-tracing app works, prompting a blame game between the government and two of the world’s biggest tech firms. So what went wrong? At the end of March, I got a text from a senior figure in the UK’s technology industry. This person said […]
County Championship: Cornwall target historic treble
“So right the way from boy’s under-16s, girl’s under-15s, right the way through, we’ve supported every age grade, every side financially as much as we can because the RFU have pulled out of backing us financially, so this has rested on the shoulders of the CRFU and our reward, hopefully, will be three cups.” Cornwall […]
Probation overhaul cost £500m, and $1m bounty for Bin Laden son
‘Rushed’ probation overhaul ‘cost £500m’ Getty Images A damning report has found that problems with the part-privatisation of the probation service in England and Wales have cost taxpayers almost £500m. Changes introduced in 2014 saw 21 companies awarded contracts to supervise low and medium-risk offenders, while high-risk offenders remained the responsibility of a new state […]
Facebook moves to protect Afghan users’ accounts amid Taliban takeover
EPA There are fears Taliban opponents in Afghanistan could be tracked down via social media platforms Facebook has brought in new safety measures for users worried for their safety in Afghanistan, as the Taliban continue to cement their grip on power. The firm says it “removed the ability to view and search the ‘Friends’ list […]
Twin sisters worth millions thanks to female gamers
Coly Twin sisters in Japan have become multi-millionaires after floating their female-focused mobile games company on the stock market. Anna and Mizuki Nakajima’s combined stake in Coly, the firm they founded, was worth around 15.2bn yen (£101m, $141.5m) when it launched last week. The firm makes anime-based games aimed at women and almost three-quarters of […]
Boris Johnson overhauls cabinet on first day as PM
Boris Johnson’s first speech as UK PM: “Never mind the backstop, the buck stops here” Boris Johnson has given key cabinet roles to leading Brexiteers after becoming the UK’s new prime minister. Dominic Raab and Priti Patel return to government as foreign secretary and home secretary respectively. Sajid Javid has been named as the new […]
Why stricter rules for Glasgow but not for Edinburgh?
Getty Images Most shops, hairdressers, gyms and restaurants in Glasgow are closing for three weeks as it goes into level four lockdown but in Edinburgh residents can continue picking out Christmas gifts and booking lunches. The prevalence of Covid in each area is the reason for different rules but is it possible to explain why […]
Women’s European Championship: Ten years, six landmark moments
The Lionesses may not have produced the perfect, free-flowing performance they were hoping for in their Euro 2022 opener against Austria at Old Trafford, but they could hardly have wished for a better atmosphere at the Theatre of Dreams on 6 July. A crowd of 68,871 – a record attendance for a European Women’s Championship […]