Just a few days before the football World Cup kicked off, I saw a workman hurriedly repainting the final burgundy brushstrokes of the letters "built in Lenin's honor" under the name of a metro station in the center of the city. It was part of the final push to spruce up the capital for the arrival of foreign football fans. In some of Russia's host cities, there were reports of banners being hung and large fences being built to cover crumbling buildings. In Samara, people complained that traditional wooden houses were being given a makeover that left their windows painted shut but the back of their facades untouched. But despite the criticism and now that the World Cup is underway, changes seem to have gone deeper. Many of the tacit rules of conduct in the city are being broken. The smiles of fans seem to be proving infectious in Moscow 1. Say cheese! Since the World Cup began, smiling is no longer frowned upon in Moscow. Usually, a smile is simply not a cultural … [Read more...] about 5 ways the football World Cup has transformed Moscow – for now
World under 19 cricket world cup
Is Moeen Ali’s England Test career over? All-rounder continues self-imposed exile from long-form cricket
Moeen Ali continued his self-imposed exile from Test cricket when he told England he did not want to be considered for the four-match series in South Africa starting on Boxing Day. Joe Root, and selectors Ed Smith and James Taylor, all spoke to Moeen last week but failed to persuade him to change his mind leaving England with Jack Leach and the uncapped Matt Parkinson as the spinners in a 17-man squad. It now looks as if Moeen’s Test career could be over and he will combine being a white-ball specialist for England with playing in franchise leagues around the world where his bowling and attacking batting will attract plenty of offers. England remain hopeful Moeen will change his mind and will continue to stay in touch with him. “He asked to take a break from Test cricket at the end of last summer. At this stage we don’t know when he will return to being available for Test cricket but it is my hope that he does return to being available,” said Smith, the national … [Read more...] about Is Moeen Ali’s England Test career over? All-rounder continues self-imposed exile from long-form cricket
Britain’s junior doctor Miss World hopeful Bhasha Mukherjee diagnoses fracture in her rival’s wrist after other doctors told her it was just a sprain
A junior doctor who won Miss England diagnosed a fracture in a fellow Miss World contestant's wrist during rehearsals after other doctors allegedly told her it was 'just a sprain'. Bhasha Mukherjee, 23, was approached by Miss Luxembourg, Melanie Heynsbroek, 20, during rehearsals for the world famous pageant in London last week because her wrist was painful. The beauty queen examined her fellow contestant's wrist and suggested an X-ray as she believed it was fractured - and when Melanie was rushed to A&E doctors there confirmed the bone was broken. Ms Mukherjee claims Ms Heynsbroek had already been to see a doctor and had an x-ray in Luxembourg after she fell over at an ice rink, but medics missed the fracture. The pair are currently rehearsing for the Miss World pageant, which is due to take place on December 14 at ExCel London. Miss Luxembourg, Melanie Heynsbroek, (left) in her cast after fellow contestant, Bhasha Mukherjee,correctly diagnosed her fractured wrist … [Read more...] about Britain’s junior doctor Miss World hopeful Bhasha Mukherjee diagnoses fracture in her rival’s wrist after other doctors told her it was just a sprain
Marine Le Pen says Trump’s victory marks ‘great movement across world’
Marine Le Pen, the leader of France’s far-right Front National, was jubilant on Wednesday as she took to the stage at her party’s headquarters to congratulate Donald Trump, saying his victory showed nothing was “set in stone” and the “political and media elite” could be put in its place. Smiling, she hailed “a great movement across the world” in which the UK’s vote to leave the European Union, coupled with Trump’s US election victory, heralded the dawn of a new world order. Mainstream politicians in Paris immediately began warning that the next political earthquake could be what had always been seen as impossible: Le Pen winning the French presidential election in six months’ time. Even before Trump’s win was official, Le Pen’s chief strategist, Florian Philippot, had tweeted: “Their world is collapsing, ours is being built.” Marine Le Pen’s estranged father, the former far-right leader, … [Read more...] about Marine Le Pen says Trump’s victory marks ‘great movement across world’
Life and death in Juárez, the world’s murder capital
Ciudad Juarez, 16 September The executioners burst through the gates of the Anexo de Vida (Annexe of Life) drug rehabilitation centre at almost the exact moment that Mexico's president, Felipe Calderón, and mayors across the country, including the one in Juárez, rang bells to proclaim the 199th anniversary of independence from Spain. Next morning the courtyard was still full of the bittersweet stench of fresh blood congealing in pools. The killers threw a grenade into the first room on their right, occupied by a 16-year-old guard. They had soaked up his blood into the soles of their boots and stamped it around in footprints that anyone who cared to might examine. But no one did care to. The carnage divided, along each side of the courtyard. To their left, the killers entered the room of the centre's director, who made it outside, where the pond of his blood putrefied on the cement. Next were the quarters of his deputy, a woman. Her blood was flecked across a floral bedspread … [Read more...] about Life and death in Juárez, the world’s murder capital