CaaC (John)

Dutch family who lived in a basement for nine years 'waiting for the end of time' is discovered. A family who spent almost a decade "waiting for the end of time" in a basement have been discovered by police in the Netherlands after one of them turned up at a local pub, according to reports. Dutch authorities are trying to piece together the story of the 58-year-old man and the family with young adults aged 18 to 25, who were living on an isolated farm in the province of Drenthe. They were discovered after the eldest of the young adults reportedly ordered a beer at a bar in the nearby village of Ruinerworld. Local news station RTV Drenthe, which first reported the story, said the family "have been living in a basement for years, waiting for the end of time." Bar owner Chris Westerbeek told the broadcaster that he called police after a man "with a confused look in his eyes," with unkempt hair, a long beard and old clothes walked into his bar and ordered five beers for himself. "He said where he came from, that he'd run away and that he needed help urgently," Mr Westerbeek said. Officers visited the remote farmhouse and carried out a search where they discovered a hidden staircase behind a cupboard in the living room that led down to a basement room where the family were housed, the BBC reports. Police said they arrested a 58-year-old man, but it wasn't immediately clear why or what his relationship was to the family. Police said he wasn't the father. Drone images of the farm showed a cluster of buildings with a large vegetable garden on one side. The small property appeared to be ringed by a fence and largely obscured by trees. Local mayor Roger de Groot told reporters that the six-member family is believed to have lived for nine years on the farm, 130 kilometres northeast of Amsterdam. "I've never seen anything like it," he said. In a statement, Mr de Groot said the children's mother is believed to have died "a number of years ago". Police investigating the farm found "a number of improvised rooms where a family lived a withdrawn life," the mayor added. He also said the police investigation is looking into "all possible scenarios," and that the family was now "in a safe place receiving appropriate care and attention." Local police said in a tweet that officers visited the farm after being alerted by somebody "concerned about the living conditions" of its residents. https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/newslondon/dutch-family-who-lived-in-basement-for-nine-years-waiting-for-end-of-time-is-discovered/ar-AAIPcQs?li=BBoPWjQ

Bulgaria v England: Police arrest four following racist abuse at Euro qualifier Four Bulgarian football fans suspected of subjecting black England players to racist abuse have been detained following police raids. England's 6-0 Euro 2020 qualifier win over Bulgaria in Sofia was stopped twice in the first half following racist chanting by home supporters. "Work is still ongoing to identify others," a statement from Bulgaria's Ministry of the Interior said. Bulgaria's football chief Borislav Mikhailov resigned on Tuesday. FULL REPORT

The difference between him and Pogba/Lingard is that little clip at the end of the video was just a small cameo laugh by BT if that was Pogba/Lingard they would be doing 10-minute selfie dances and hitting Twitter/Instagram the lot.

I think you Chelsea boys (and girls) would like to see this if you missed it last night, Callum Hudson-Odoi's 2 goals from last nights U-21's match England 5-1 Austria, the media are screaming one of his goals was a wonder goal.

Inter Milan want to increase the £96m release clause of striker Lautaro Martinez, 22, in a bid to ward off interest from Barcelona. (Tuttosport, via Mail)

What the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World would look like today SLIDES - 1/15

Nearly made a double post then looking at that whisk(e)y photos

This one would do me nicely

Scotland manager Steve Clarke is set to start the process of switching 27-year-old Alanyaspor defender Steven Caulker's eligibility from England as he desperately seeks options at centre-half. (The Scotsman)

What a load of bollock that's like a pack of school kiddies in the playground arguing over a bag of sweets and picking sides.

Fortnite down: Entire map completely destroyed by huge asteroid and replaced with a black hole to mark the end of Season 10 Fortnite has been destroyed by a huge asteroid and replaced with a black hole. The in-game event wiped out the entire map and means that its millions of players are now unable to get into the game at all. Instead, they have been encouraged to watch a mysterious live stream of a black hole. The asteroid collision marked the end of Season 10. Developers Epic Games tend to mark the close of the game's "seasons" with major events that can be watched within the game. But it has led to a variety of questions about Season 11. Usually, such updates bring tweaks to the map or other alterations to the game – rather than wiping out the entire world and leaving it impossible to play. Gallery: How to play Fortnite - a guide for absolute beginners (Games Radar) SLIDES - 1/22 It is not clear when or even if the game will return. (It is almost certain that it will, however, since Epic has made billions of dollars through the game.) In the meantime, players have been encouraged to tune in to a wildly popular live stream which just shows the black hole. At some point, that will presumably reveal what is going to happen in Season 11. Fortnite deleted everything else from its Twitter account and gave no more information about what had happened to the game. Fans had expected Season 10 to come to a dramatic close since Epic teased that there would be a major "The End" event over the weekend. It was also marked by a countdown timer which appeared within the game. Players who were in the world when that timer reached its end saw a huge meteor shower fall on the map and seemingly destroy all of it. Those players then fell out of the world and the screen was replaced with the black hole – which continues to be all that is left of the game. https://www.msn.com/en-gb/money/technology/fortnite-down-entire-map-completely-destroyed-by-huge-asteroid-and-replaced-with-black-hole-to-mark-end-of-season-10/ar-AAIKoBW?li=BBoPWjQ

Ancient Egyptian 'industrial zone' uncovered in Luxor's 'Valley of the Monkeys' New archaeological discoveries have been made in Luxor, Egypt, -including an "industrial zone," according to the Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities. Archaeologists found 30 workshops in an area "composed of houses for storage and the cleaning of the funerary furniture with many potteries dated to Dynasty 18," reports Reuters. One finding was in the West Valley, also referred to as the Valley of the Monkeys, reports Ahram Online, and the other was in the East Valley, which is home to the country's famous pharaonic tombs. Well-known Egyptologist Zahi Hawass told Ahram Online that the area contains an oven used for clay products, a water storage tank used by thirsty workers, and hundreds of inlay beads and golden objects that were used to decorate royal coffins. The excavation is reportedly looking for overlooked tombs, and for those of the wives and sons of the kings of the eighteenth dynasty buried in the Valley of the Kings. https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/offbeat/ancient-egyptian-industrial-zone-uncovered-in-luxors-valley-of-the-monkeys/ar-AAIIeKi

It's bloody pissing down outside and they reckon the Scotland v San Marino match might be called off because it's pissing down at Hampden and the pitch is becoming waterlogged, just our luck as we are 3-0 up.

Might as well put this in here seeing it's to do with books. Lost chapter of the world's first novel found in Japanese storeroom © Robana/Rex An illustrated edition of The Tale of Genji, produced between 1640-1680. The oldest written copy of part of the 11th-century Japanese epic The Tale of Genji has been found in the home of a Tokyo family with ancestral ties to a feudal lord. Seen as the world’s first novel, The Tale of Genji was completed around 1010 by a woman of the 11th-century Heian court of Japan, who was later given the name Murasaki Shikibu by scholars. It centres on the fortunes – amorous and political – of Genji, the son of an emperor. The original manuscript of the story no longer exists, with the oldest versions of the story believed to have been transcribed by the poet Teika, who died in 1241. Until now, just four chapters of the 54-chapter story are confirmed to be Teika’s transcriptions, but now a fifth chapter, which depicts Genji’s encounter with the girl who becomes his wife, Murasaki, has also been identified as Teika’s. The manuscript had been kept in an oblong chest in a storeroom at the Tokyo home of Motofuyu Okochi, a descendant of the former feudal lord of the Mikawa-Yoshida Domain in Aichi Prefecture, the Japan Times reported. Experts at Reizeike Shiguretei Bunko, a foundation for the preservation of cultural heritage, have now confirmed its authenticity, with the handwriting of the text, and the cover of the manuscript, identical to other Teika manuscripts. The foundation said although the newly-found manuscript “mostly” matches the common version of the story, there are some grammatical differences. According to the Asahi Shimbun, family records show the manuscript has been in the hands of the Okochi family since 1743 when it was handed down from the Kuroda family of the Fukuoka feudal domain. Kyoto University professor Junko Yamamoto told the paper that previous research on the chapter has relied on manuscripts of The Tale of Genji that were completed about 250 years later. “It is very significant that this discovery of the manuscript edited by Teika will be available for researchers,” she said. https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/offbeat/lost-chapter-of-worlds-first-novel-found-in-japanese-storeroom/ar-AAIFs3p

Ancient images of gladiators unearthed at the city of Pompeii Archaeologists have uncovered a well-preserved fresco of two fighting gladiators in the ancient Roman city of Pompeii. It depicts two gladiators in action, one wielding a short sword, the other cowering as blood spurts from wounds all over his body. The defeated soldier is lifting his finger to beg for mercy. Dario Franceschini, Italy’s culture minister, said the discovery showed Pompeii was “an inexhaustible mine for research and knowledge for archaeologists”. The city is undergoing a new phase of excavation, the “Great Pompeii” project, funded by the European Union and Italy. It has already unearthed villas decorated with frescoes and mosaics as well as the remains of human skeletons trapped beneath the rubble. The fresco was found in what had been a basement that could have been used as a shop, and there may have been a tavern and brothel above. The painting, which is 1.5 metres wide, suggests the place was frequented by gladiators. It was found at Regio V, a 54-acre site near an archaeological park not yet open to the public. A fresco depicting the mythological hunter Narcissus admiring his own reflection in a pool was discovered in February. “It’s very probable that this place was frequented by gladiators,” said Massimo Osanna, director-general of Pompeii’s archaeological park. “Of particular interest in this fresco is the very realistic representation of wounds on the wrist and chest of the unsuccessful gladiator … we don’t know the outcome of the fight, he could have died or was given grace.” https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/world/ancient-images-of-gladiators-unearthed-at-city-of-pompeii/ar-AAIFSMa#image=2

Rangers boss Steven Gerrard says 37-year-old former England striker Jermain Defoe - on loan at Ibrox from Bournemouth - could be given a player-coach role at the Scottish Premiership club next season. (Daily Record)

Norfolk RSPCA centre saves 50th seal with injuries from rubbish A grey seal rescued on the North Sea coast has become the 50th to be treated by a wildlife centre for injuries caused by discarded man-made rubbish. The animal, a male named Scylla, was found with an infected wound caused by a fishing net embedded around his neck. The RSPCA centre in Norfolk said 2019 could be a record year for seal rescues "for all the wrong reasons". "It's hard to describe how much pain and distress this can cause a seal," said manager Alison Charles. "They are weighed down by this huge mass of netting, which must make it hard for them to swim, and then the net starts to cut and embed into their neck too. "The injuries are horrendous, sometimes inches deep, and all the while the seal is becoming weaker and weaker and cannot feed so their suffering continues and they slowly starve to death. "It is just horrific." FULL REPORT

As the song goes... I belong to Glasgow, dear old Glasgow town...

R.I.P. Alexei Leonov, you will now enter the final frontier and may your spirit live on. Alexei Leonov: First person to walk in space dies aged 85 Soviet cosmonaut Alexei Leonov, who became the first person in history to spacewalk in 1965, has died aged 85. Tethered to a spaceship by a 4.8m (16ft) cable, the Russian floated above Earth for 12 minutes. "You just can't comprehend it. Only out there can you feel the greatness - the huge size of all that surrounds us," Leonov told the BBC in 2014. But the outing nearly ended in disaster as his spacesuit inflated and he struggled to get back in the spaceship. At a time when the US and the USSR were jostling for space supremacy, Leonov's mission was lauded as a triumph at home. But Leonov's ambitions did not stop at his spacewalk. He went on to become the commander of Soyuz-Apollo, the first-ever joint US-Soviet mission in 1975. Alexei Leonov describes his first spacewalk How Russia won the space race Leonov described his sortie into outer space in numerous media interviews. "It was so quiet I could even hear my heartbeat," he told the Observer. "I was surrounded by stars and was floating without much control. I will never forget the moment. I also felt an incredible sense of responsibility. Of course, I did not know that I was about to experience the most difficult moments of my life - getting back into the capsule." In the vacuum of outer space, his spacesuit began to balloon out of shape and its fabric began to stiffen dangerously. His hands slipped out of his gloves, his feet came out of his boots, and Leonov could no longer get through his spaceship's airlock. Even worse, the craft was hurtling towards Earth's shadow. In five minutes, the cosmonaut realised he would be plunged into total darkness. He managed to release some of the oxygen from his spacesuit and was barely able to squeeze himself back into the capsule headfirst. He lost 6kg (13 pounds) in the process. He and his pilot Pavel Belyayev were hailed as heroes on their return, but only after crash-landing in a forest in the Ural mountains and waiting three days to be rescued. A decade later, Leonov was one of two Soviet cosmonauts involved in the first docking of US and Soviet spaceships - the Apollo 18 and Soyuz 19 - during a period of detente between the two countries. He was twice awarded the country's top medal, Hero of the Soviet Union. Art in zero gravity Although Leonov was best-known for his exploits as an astronaut, his artwork also garnered accolades throughout his life. A self-taught artist, Leonov was adept at drawing in zero gravity. It was during the space-walking mission of 1965 that Leonov created the first artwork in space. In the artwork, Leonov depicted a small yet remarkable sunrise from the vantage point of the Voskhod 2 spacecraft. London's Science Museum exhibited Leonov's coloured pencil drawing as part of a major exhibition on cosmonauts in 2015. "You can imagine it being a bit of a nightmare … but he wanted to stop the time and share this moment with other people," curator of the exhibition Natalia Sidlina said. Leonov's artworks drew heavily on his experiences in space. His other notable artworks included a self-portrait of his 1965 spacewalk, sketches of fellow astronauts and landscapes in the former Soviet Union. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-50017409

Harvey Elliott: Liverpool winger suspended for 14 days over Harry Kane video Liverpool's Harvey Elliott has been banned from all domestic club football for 14 days after admitting derogatory language about Harry Kane in a video. The winger joined Liverpool in July having become the Premier League's youngest player in May, appearing for Fulham aged 16 years and 30 days. Elliott's social media video, for which he has since apologised, constituted an "aggravated breach" of FA rules. He must also complete a face-to-face education course and pay a £350 fine. Elliott, 16, posted the offensive video on Snapchat during Tottenham's Champions League final defeat by Liverpool on 1 June. The player stated that the video was filmed at his friend's house, where and seven of his friends, all aged 16 and fans of both Liverpool and Tottenham, were goading each other during the match. He said he was unaware one of the terms he used mocked disabled people. Liverpool sought to assure the Football Association that they take a zero-tolerance approach to any forms of discrimination and said Elliott was spoken to as soon as the video circulated. The meaning of the offensive words, and how they may be viewed by the general public, was explained to him. In addition, club captain Jordan Henderson, Kane's England team-mate Jordan Henderson, spoke to Elliott about his conduct. https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/50018966

Huge new 'shark-toothed' dinosaur found Today, the land near Ban Saphan Hin in central Thailand is dusted with thin reddish soil where local farmers plant corn and tapioca. But more than 113 million years ago, this region hosted ancient floodplains that were terrorized by a fearsome dinosaur with shark-like teeth. Described today in the journal PLOS One, the newfound predator—called Siamraptor suwati—is the most complete dinosaur of its type and age ever found in Southeast Asia. The bones of the 25-foot beast add to a string of major dinosaur finds from the region, and they reveal new insight into how a major group of predatory dinosaurs spread across the ancient world. “It's one of the most important Thai dinosaurs ever found,” Steve Brusatte, a paleontologist at the University of Edinburgh who reviewed the study for publication, says in an email. For instance, a team led by Duangsuda Chokchaloemwong, a researcher at Thailand’s Nakhon Ratchasima Rajabhat University, pored over the bones and found that the skeleton is shot through with air sacs. This would have made the dinosaur’s frame lightweight and perhaps helped it breathe faster, an idea that future scans of the bones could put to the test. “It would have been a fierce, fast, dynamic beast,” Brusatte says. Teeth like a shark's Tens of millions of years before giant tyrannosaurs such as T. rex arrived on the scene, another group of large predatory dinosaurs reigned: the allosauroids. Among these meat-eating heavyweights was a group called the carcharodontosaurs (kar-KA-ro-DON-toe-SORES), which were the top predators for most of the Cretaceous. “It was only with the decline of the carcharodontosaurs that small tyrannosaurs got big and moved into the apex predator role,” Brusatte says. FULL REPORT

I like this, it's unusual and eyecatching. Saudi artist’s unique portrait of Princess Diana goes viral © Provided by Gulf News REG 191003 Saudi artist Diana-1570687383007 Khobar: With her trademark feathered blonde hair and unforgettable smile, the late Princess Diana is literally sparkling in a stunning new portrait that has gone viral. Made entirely of beads, Swarovski crystals and buttons, the unique artwork has been viewed over 100,000 times on Twitter and liked by thousands on Instagram-- but the artist herself is not all too surprised. FULL REPORT