CaaC (John)

Taison: Shakhtar's Brazil midfielder after sending-off following alleged racist abuse

This will do me, or even Scott McTominay. Solskjaer backs Maguire as long-term Man United captain Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer backed Harry Maguire to be the club's captain in the long-term after wearing the armband in Sunday's 3-1 defeat of Brighton and Hove Albion. United cruised to a comfortable victory at Old Trafford against Brighton, with the visitors arguably lucky to avoid losing by a crushing scoreline. Maguire led the team out as captain and put in a generally commanding display at the back, as he continues to look a solid acquisition following his reported £80million switch from Leicester City. The centre-back was captain in the absence of Ashley Young, though Solskjaer suggested Maguire could potentially get even more familiar with the position in years to come. FULL REPORT

World War II submarine found off the coast of Japan, ending the 75-year mystery Slides 1/3 A team of ocean explorers discovered the likely resting place of 80 U.S. sailors presumed dead when one of the most successful American submarines of World War II sank after leaving Pearl Harbor more than 75 years ago. Private explorers found the USS Grayback about 1,400 feet below the ocean surface, off the coast of Japan, ending a decades-old mystery and bringing closure to relatives of those who went down with the ship. Gloria Hurney, who lost her uncle Raymond Parks, an electrician's mate, first-class, and Kathy Taylor, who lost her uncle and Godfather John Patrick King, an electrician's mate, third class, were among the first to find out about the miraculous discovery. "I committed from the very beginning, from a little girl, that I was gonna find him or follow him or keep his memory alive, whatever I could do," Taylor told ABC News in an interview. "I thought it was probably blown to pieces. That's what I thought. And obviously it's not." The Grayback, credited with sinking 14 enemy ships, was discovered south of Okinawa with much of its body still intact. Its plaque was still affixed to the front, but there was evidence that the sub likely was bombed. Undersea explorers Tim Taylor and his wife Christine Dennison discovered the warship back in June and spent months searching for relatives of its crew who perished. Together, they've set out to find the wrecks of every American submarine lost in the war, an effort they dubbed the Lost 52 Project. So far, they've found five of 52 subs. "We do not tell people that we're looking for these because we don't want to disappoint people, and we don't want to blast it across the internet until it's done properly through the Navy," Taylor told ABC News. "With the technology that we're using, and the ability to cover large swaths of ground, we're looking at the potential to find several more." Researchers recently discovered a flaw in the translation of Japanese war records that misrepresented the spot where the Grayback may have sunk. "The numbers that came out we're wrong, and that's how we found it," Taylor said. "It was mistranslated after post-WWII, and they changed one number -- an 8 to a 6 -- and our Japanese translator re-translated it, found it, put us 100 miles to a different area." Dennison said the most important part of their work is about bringing closure to the families of those who died. "It's very vital that we remember them, and that they feel that they haven't been forgotten, that their sacrifice wasn't in vain," Dennison said. "We are grateful for their sacrifices, and we will never forget our veterans. The most important thing is, they're here, now they can be celebrated again, they can be honoured again, and we know where they are." https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/world/world-war-ii-submarine-found-off-coast-of-japan-ending-75-year-mystery/ar-BBWAhn7?li=AAnZ9Ug

You beat me to it, just saw this and logged back in to post it, what I bloody can't work out is apparently the ref... Taison, 31, made a gesture towards the Dynamo fans and kicked the ball at them before the referee took the players off the pitch in the 77th minute. When they returned five minutes later, Taison was shown a red card. Shakhtar said both Taison and fellow Brazilian Dentinho were targeted and the Dynamo fans were warned twice. https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/50369594 Why the fuck did the ref take the teams off the pitch and when they returned he THEN showed the player the red card, that was playing right into the hands of the racist bastards, it would have been better in giving him a lecture and maybe a yellow for kicking the ball into the stands.

Inter Milan are interested in 32-year-old Belgium forward Dries Mertens, whose contract with Napoli runs out next summer. The San Siro club are also keen on Paris St-Germain's 28-year-old Thomas Meunier, of Belgium, and his fellow defender Layvin Kurzawa, 27, of France. (Calciomercato)

Arsenal won't be panicked into sacking Unai Emery amid plans to review under-fire Gunners boss' position at the club next summer (Daily Mail) Former Spain manager Luis Enrique, who has been linked with replacing Emery at Arsenal, would not consider a return to management at present. (ESPN)

Nothing like a good night in bed, lying back and relaxing and reading a good book

Jack Higgins

Beluga whale seen playing catch in viral video ‘may have escaped Russian military spy programme' A beluga whale that was filmed “playing catch” with a group of South African rugby fans may have escaped from a Russian military spy programme, according to researchers. Experts suggest the whale could be Hvaldimir, a malnourished male beluga who is thought to be a lost “spy” animal trained by the Russian Navy. Hvaldimir was first reported in April 2019, when he was discovered near northern Norway with a harness attached to his body and a label that said “Equipment of Saint Petersburg”. The whale has been known to go up to boats to ask for food and play fetch and appears to be tame, suggesting he is used to interacting with humans. Footage of a whale chasing and returning the rugby ball to a group of men has been viewed more than 19 million times on social media. “This is likely Hvaldimir, a once captive whale who may have escaped a Russian military programme,” Ferris Jabr, a science writer for the New York Times and Scientific American, said of the video. “Alone, malnourished, and injured, [Hvaldimir] roams the seas, seeking food & attention from people.” Quad Finn, a researcher of aquatic mammals, and Darren Naish, a zoologist, both supported the theory. A man in the video can be seen wearing a jacket with the logo of a vessel called “Danah Explorer”, which is currently in Norwegian waters. However, the original source of the video is not known. The Norwegian Institute of Marine Research and the Hvaldimir Foundation, who help care for the whale, have not yet responded to a request to verify the theory. Mr Finn has said he believed the animal in the video was Hvaldimir and that the filmed behaviour was “not natural”. “Hvaldimir was taken from the ocean & trained by humans to do tricks like fetching objects in exchange for food,” he said. “That he's malnourished & still dependent on humans for food are likely reasons for what appears to be ‘playful’ behaviour.” Earlier this year, another viral video showed Hvaldimir helping to retrieve an iPhone that was dropped into the water near him. The whale may have become dependent on humans due to hand-feeding and does not appear to be able to successfully hunt and feed for itself, according to the Hvaldimir Foundation. When he was spotted in early September off the Norwegian coast, the whale also showed signs of injuries from boat propellers. Both the United States and Russia are known to have military training programmes for aquatic mammals, such as dolphins and whales, who are sometimes trained to detect sea mines and recover inert torpedoes. A Russian military spokesperson denied in April that Hvaldimir was connected to a training programme but acknowledged that dolphins are sometimes used for military roles. Morten Vikeby, a former Norwegian consul in Murmansk, has offered an alternative theory that Hvaldimir is a therapy animal from a programme for disabled children near the Russian-Norwegian border. https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/offbeat/beluga-whale-seen-playing-catch-in-viral-video-may-have-escaped-russian-military-spy-programme/ar-BBWxZVt?ocid=chromentp

Lionel Messi equals Cristiano Ronaldo hat-trick record UEFA.COM Messi's hat-tricks by numbers Competition Hat-tricks First hat-trick Most recent hat-trick UEFA Champions League 8 4 April 2010 v Arsenal 18 September 2018 v PSV Spanish Liga 34 10 March 2007 v Real Madrid 9 November 2019 v Celta Vigo Copa del Rey 3 6 January 2009 v Atlético 3 February 2016 v Valencia Spanish Super Cup 1 21 August 2010 v Sevilla 21 August 2010 v Sevilla Argentina 6 29 February 2012 v Switzerland 29 May 2018 v Haiti TOTAL 52 10 March 2007 v Real Madrid 17 March 2019 v Betis Of Messi's eight UEFA Champions League hat-tricks, two have come in the knockout stage: he scored five in a 7-1 win against Bayer Leverkusen in the round of 16-second leg in March 2012 having previously bagged four against Arsenal in the sides' quarter-final second leg in April 2010. The Argentinian hit back-to-back hat-tricks in the 2016/17 group stage, scoring three against both Celtic on matchday one and Manchester City on matchday three having missed matchday two's trip to Borussia Mönchengladbach through injury. Messi's 34 Liga trebles equals Cristiano Ronaldo's record. Valencia, Osasuna, Espanyol and Deportivo have been Messi's favoured opponents in the Liga, the No10 claiming hat-tricks against each of them on three separate occasions (he has a Copa del Rey treble against Valencia too); Messi also has three hat-tricks against Sevilla, including two in the Liga and one in the Spanish Super Cup, and three against Atlético – two Liga and one Copa del Rey. How do those numbers compare to his contemporaries'? Player Clubs and country Career hat-tricks Cristiano Ronaldo Manchester United, Real Madrid, Juventus, Portugal 54 Luis Suárez Ajax, Liverpool, Barcelona, Uruguay 29 Robert Lewandowski Borussia Dortmund, Bayern München, Poland 19 Sergio Agüero Atlético Madrid, Manchester City, Argentina 17 Edinson Cavani Napoli, Paris, Uruguay 15 Of Ronaldo's 54 career hat-tricks, eight have been in the UEFA Champions League (seven for Real Madrid, one for Juventus) – with four of those in the knockout stage.

Arsenal have held talks with former Spain and Barcelona boss Luis Enrique about the prospect of replacing manager Unai Emery. (El Confidencial, via Metro)

Ide shite a brick with all them crocks around

Stone the crows @Toinho, @Harry, is this place near your neck of the woods?

Lightning strike leaves a gaping hole in a parking lot When severe thunderstorms roll through your neck of the woods one of the biggest concerns is always the risk of a tornado. A swirling vortex of high-speed wind and debris can cause incredible damage, but as residents of Fort Worth, Texas, were recently reminded, lightning can wreak havoc, too. A ridiculously powerful bolt of lightning zapped the parking lot of a Chevron gas station early on Wednesday morning, blowing a 15-foot hole into the thick concrete and sending debris flying. As police quickly found out, the blast, which was caught on a nearby security camera, could have been much, much worse. The lightning struck the ground in one of the worst possible spots. It blew a hole right through the six-inch-thick concrete that covers a massive diesel tank. Pieces of concrete flew as far as 75 feet according to local news reports, but it was the exposed tank that caused the most concern. Officials were quick to respond to the scene and determined that despite the damage, no active leaks had formed. That’s a seriously lucky break, but it’s even more fortunate that the lightning struck the ground above the tank holding diesel fuel instead of the nearby tanks holding gasoline. “Primarily, their diesel tank was affected, which was actually a good thing. Diesel’s less explosive when it comes to that kind of thing. It’s flammable, but the vapers are not quite as explosive as gasoline,” Mike Drivdahl of the Fort Worth Fire Department told NBCDFW. “I think we’re very lucky that nobody was in the parking lot at the time, because there could have been some injuries for sure.” Thankfully there were no injuries, and the tank itself held up against the intensity of the lightning strike. The gaping hole in the gas station’s parking lot will obviously need to be tended to, but that’s a relatively minor inconvenience in the grand scheme of things. https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/offbeat/lightning-strike-leaves-gaping-hole-in-parking-lot/ar-AAJFATG

Centuries-old warships linked to 'Vasa' found in Sweden © STR Pictures released by the Swedish National Maritime and Transport Museums show parts of the wrecks found in the waters outside Stockholm archipelago Swedish maritime archaeologists have discovered two wrecks believed to be 17th-century warships, and at least one is likely the sister ship of the iconic Swedish vessel "Vasa", which sank on its maiden voyage, the Swedish Museum of Wrecks said Friday. "When I came down as the first diver... I saw this wall 5-6 metres high and I came up and there was a massive warship," diver and maritime archaeologist Jim Hansson told AFP, adding that "it was a thrilling feeling." The two wrecks were found in the Swedish archipelago outside the town of Vaxholm in a strait leading into Stockholm. At least one of the ships is believed to be the sister ship Sweden's most famous warship the "Vasa," a 69-metre ship carrying 64 cannons, which sank on its maiden voyage in 1628. Named after one of Sweden's kings, it was originally meant to serve as a symbol of Sweden's military might but instead capsized after sailing just over 1,000 metres. Vasa was salvaged in 1961 and is currently on display at the Vasa Museum in Stockholm, one of Sweden's most popular tourist spots. Three other ships were however ordered from the same shipwright: Applet (the Apple), Kronan (the Crown) and Scepter, and unlike their predecessor, they all served in the Swedish navy and participated in naval battles. "We think that some of them were sunk in the area," Patrik Hoglund, another maritime archaeologist and diver at the newly established Museum of Wrecks. The ships are believed to have been sunk on purpose after they were decommissioned, serving as underwater spike strips for enemy ships. The divers took wood samples of the ships which will be sent to a laboratory for dating. "Then we can even see where the timber has been cut down and then we can go back and look in the archives and I think we have good chances to tell exactly which ship this is," Hansson said. Despite being centuries old, the wrecks -- just like the Vasa -- are in fairly good condition, thanks to the brackish waters of the Baltic Sea. "We don't have saltwater and some organisms that live in other waters don't exist in the Baltic so it is very well preserved generally in our waters," Hoglund said. As the wrecks are better preserved in the sea, there are currently no plans to salvage them. https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/offbeat/centuries-old-warships-linked-to-vasa-found-in-sweden/ar-BBWuRHP

Leicester's Spanish winger Ayoze Perez, 26, says he was close to joining Valencia in the summer before deciding on the Foxes' "ambitious project". (ABC, via Leicester Mercury)

@Stan, @Dan is Rogers having a laugh?

Great minds think alike, she said she does not like vodka but if it's free she will drink it.

Send them on to @nudge, she will polish them off for you in a flash.

This flu jab bit is ok but the only thing is you get slight symptoms of the flu for the first 24hrs, sneezing, headache and coughing plus the left arm has now started to ache where I had the jab.

High winds in this neck of the woods with a few odd showers here and there and heavy rain moving in later on. 16.40 21,00

Dalian Atkinson: Police officer charged with murdering footballer A police officer has been charged with the murder of footballer Dalian Atkinson who died after being Tasered. The ex-Aston Villa striker, 48, was restrained by police officers at his father's house in Telford, Shropshire, on 15 August 2016. A second police officer, also from the West Mercia Police force, has been charged with assault causing actual bodily harm. Both defendants will appear at Birmingham Magistrates' Court later. The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) made the decision to press charges following an investigation by the Independent Office for Police Conduct. The CPS has not named the two police constables as it understands their defence will be applying for them to remain anonymous. FULL REPORT

Boeing aims for the Moon landing in 'fewer steps' Aerospace giant Boeing has unveiled its proposal for a lander that could take humans to the Moon's surface. Under a programme called Artemis, the White House wants to return humans to the Moon by 2024. Its approach, named "Fewest Steps to the Moon", would use the huge Space Launch System (SLS) rocket. The company says its plan reduces the complexity involved in sending several different bits of hardware into space on multiple launches. For most robotic space missions, all the hardware needed for the mission is launched on one rocket. Likewise, the crewed Apollo missions to the Moon in the 1960s and 70s required only one lift-off. However, the Artemis missions are expected to involve several flights to loft all the hardware needed. For example, the lander elements are likely to be launched separately from the Orion capsule carrying crew. Bezos floats 'national team' to build Moon lander To the Moon and Beyond Boeing says it can land astronauts on the Moon with only five "mission-critical events" - such as launch, orbit insertion and others - instead of the 11 or more required by alternative strategies. Nasa previously said its preferred option was a lunar lander split into three stages, but it left the door open to "alternative, innovative approaches". Boeing's proposal uses just two stages - a descent element that gets astronauts down to the surface, and an ascent element to get the crew off the surface and back into lunar orbit at the end of a mission. They are designed to be launched as one unit. The company says its lander can carry itself from lunar orbit to the surface without an additional transfer element, or "tug", as previously specified by Nasa. This, it said, would further reduce the launches needed for a mission and simplify the steps required for a successful landing. The company says its lander would be ready for the 2024 mission, called Artemis-3. But Boeing's plan would depend on a more powerful variant of the SLS rocket called Block 1B. Under current Nasa plans, the Block 1B version of the rocket wouldn't be ready until 2025. However, Nasa's procurement process allows for the use of two separate landers from different companies on the Artemis-3 and Artemis-4 missions (Artemis-4 is due to fly in 2025). "Whether serving in Nasa's 2024 or 2025 mission slot, Boeing's approach maximises return from agency investments in previous and ongoing programs to allow for the simplest and therefore highest probability path back to the lunar surface," the company said in a statement. The lander will use key technologies from Boeing's CST-100 Starliner capsule, designed to carry astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS). The Boeing lander would be able to dock with the Gateway, a planned space station in lunar orbit, but it would not require it. It could instead dock with Nasa's Orion spacecraft directly for a simpler mission profile. Last month, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos announced the formation of a "national team" that would make a separate bid to build the lander for 2024. Bezos' space company Blue Origin has teamed up with aerospace giants Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman and Draper to put together a proposal for a three-stage lander. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-50322402