Rugby-Consortium acquires controlling stake in Saracens for 32 million pounds
(Reuters) – A consortium of investors has agreed terms to acquire a majority controlling stake in Premiership side Saracens for 32 million pounds ($43 million), the club said on Saturday. Saracens, four times Premiership champions and three times European Cup winners in the last five years, were relegated last season as punishment for multiple salary cap breaches. The club said the consortium comprises club chairman Neil Golding and Dominic Silvester and Paul O’Shea from Enstar Group, a global insurance group. Nigel Wray, who was the club’s owner for more than 25 years, said he would be retaining a “significant minority shareholding”. “We move on from the recent challenges with hard lessons learned and with robust new governance procedures in place,” Golding said in a statement.
Source:MetroXpress
October 02, 2021 10:30 UTC
France’s Le Drian to hold talks with US’ Blinken on Oct 5
PARIS (Reuters) -French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian will hold talks with United States’ Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Oct 5, as the two countries aim to rebuild diplomatic ties in the wake of a row over a lucrative submarine contract which France lost. In retaliation, France briefly withdrew its ambassador to the United States, although the ambassador has since returned to Washington DC. France’s Ambassador to Washington – Philippe Etienne – tweeted on Saturday a photo of him meeting Jake Sullivan, the White House National Security Advisor to U.S. President Joe Biden. Blinken visits Paris from Monday to Wednesday and will chair a meeting of ministers from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). Blinken will be joined by U.S. climate envoy John Kerry, U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai and other U.S. officials in Paris.
Source:MetroXpress
October 02, 2021 10:01 UTC
Stay-home order lifted for residents near La Palma volcano eruption
LA PALMA, Spain (Reuters) -Authorities advised people to limit time outdoors in parts of La Palma on Saturday as the erupting volcano on the Spanish island spewed red-hot lava and thick clouds of black smoke. However emergency services lifted a stay-home order that had been in effect in Los Llanos de Aridane, El Paso and areas of Tazacorte, places near the volcano that had been affected by poor air quality. The Cumbre Vieja volcano began its fiery eruption on Sept. 19 and has destroyed more than 800 buildings. On Friday, lava flowed from a new vent https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/lava-blasts-out-new-vent-la-palma-volcano-2021-10-01 in the volcano, which the Canaries Volcanology Institute described as a new “focus of eruption”. The volcano was experiencing “intense activity”, Miguel Angel Morcuende, director of the Pevolca response committee, told a news conference on Friday.
Source:MetroXpress
October 02, 2021 09:39 UTC
Serbs lift roadblocks in Kosovo as NATO moves to end car plate row
By Fatos BytyciJARINJE, Kosovo -Kosovo’s border crossing with Serbia was reopened on Saturday as Serbs removed trucks and cars and NATO troops moved in under a European Union-mediated deal to end a dispute between the neighbouring countries over car licence plates. The Kosovo government said the licence plate requirement was imposed in retaliation for Serbian measures taken against drivers from Kosovo since 2008, when Kosovo declared independence from Serbia. Serbia, which lost control over Kosovo after NATO bombing in 1999, does not recognise Kosovo’s independence and therefore its right to take actions such as registering cars. Local Serbs chatted on Saturday with Slovenian soldiers, who are part of the NATO force, as they removed barricades while Kosovo police vehicles stood at the border crossing. As Serbia moves towards EU membership it must resolve all outstanding issues with Kosovo.
Source:MetroXpress
October 02, 2021 08:29 UTC
Australia reports 2,357 new COVID-19 cases as vaccination push continues
MELBOURNE/SYDNEY (Reuters) – Australia reported 2,357 new cases of the Delta coronavirus variant on Saturday, as the push to vaccinate the country’s population continues in order to end lockdowns and allow for the reopening of international borders. Fifty-five percent of Australians were fully inoculated as of Friday, but nearly 80% have received at least one shot. Police in Melbourne, the state capital, on Saturday dispersed a small rally against the mandate and made several arrests for breaking public health rules that ban large public gatherings. New South Wales state, battling the country’s biggest Delta outbreak, reported 813 cases and 10 deaths on Saturday. Sydney, the state capital, has been under lockdown since June 26, with some restrictions scheduled to be lifted on Oct. 11 and more later in the month.
Source:MetroXpress
October 02, 2021 07:18 UTC
WATCH: Franklin football beats Mansfield for first time since 2009
WATCH: Franklin football beats Mansfield for first time since 2009For the first time since 2009, the Franklin High football team defeated Hockomock League rival Mansfield on the gridiron.
Source:MetroXpress
October 02, 2021 04:52 UTC
Trump asks U.S. judge to force Twitter to restart his account
(Reuters) -Former U.S. President Donald Trump asked a federal judge in Florida on Friday to ask Twitter to restore his account, which the company removed in January citing a risk of incitement of violence. Twitter and several other social media platforms banned Trump from their services after a mob of his supporters attacked the U.S. Capitol in a deadly riot on Jan. 6. At the time of removing Trump’s account permanently, Twitter said https://bit.ly/3FdtfID his tweets had violated the platform’s policy barring “glorification of violence”. Before he was blocked, Trump had more than 88 million followers on Twitter and used it as his social media megaphone. In July Trump sued https://www.reuters.com/world/us/trump-says-he-is-suing-facebook-twitter-google-claiming-bias-2021-07-07 Twitter, Facebook Inc and Alphabet Inc’s Google, as well as their chief executives, alleging they unlawfully silence conservative viewpoints.
Source:MetroXpress
October 02, 2021 04:20 UTC
Georgia holds crisis local election after former president arrested
Saakashvili had left Georgia in 2013 and was sentenced to prison in absentia in 2018 for abuse of power. The main opposition party boycotted the parliament for months after an election last year. An agreement brokered by the European Union in recent months had called for the government to call a new parliamentary election if Georgian Dream were to win less than 43% of Saturday’s local vote. An exit poll by the pro-government Imedi channel predicted Georgian Dream winning 47.6% of the vote, with the UNM gaining just 27.1%. (This story corrects 7th para to show the main opposition party boycotted the parliament for months after an election last year, not since an election last year.)
Source:MetroXpress
October 02, 2021 03:56 UTC
Assabet football team tops Abby Kelley Foster in first home game in two years
The last time the Assabet football team played a game at home was November 15, 2019. "It's been so long," said Boston following the Aztec's 35-18 win over Abby Kelley Foster Friday night. It's almost like a college program where they play spring football and then they are ready to go when their season starts and we didn't have that." "His dad was a graduate of Assabet, his older brother Jake Nelson graduated from Assabet and played football. Cole was also an Assabet kid and he was a great football player for us.
Source:MetroXpress
October 02, 2021 03:43 UTC
No Time to Die review: A wordy goodbye to Daniel Craig's James Bond
Daniel Craig, in his heralded last go-round as the secret agent, lights up opposite his Knives Out co-star, and the movie misses her once Paloma flies off-screen. Bond starts by saying one last goodbye to the late Vesper Lind, portrayed as the great love of his life across the now-five films of Craig’s tenure, starting with 2006 blockbuster Casino Royale. Accordingly, Blofeld makes a repeat appearance, although this time, he might only be a pawn in another villain’s scheme. However Bond makes his exit, and inevitable return, Craig definitely leaves 007 looking better than when he arrived. Read More:Venom: Let There Be Carnage review – A swift, dumb, action-packed buddy comedyNicolas Party drapes the Hirshhorn in a must-see monumental paintingAlbum review: Star-Crossed by Kacey Musgraves
Source:MetroXpress
October 01, 2021 16:18 UTC
Album review: Star-Crossed by Kacey Musgraves
Early in her new album, Kacey Musgraves delivers one of the most jarring moments of her career — “God help me be a good wife,” she pleads on the second track, marking a sharp departure from the breezy, casually convention-defying tone of most of her work up until this point. Star-Crossed (★★★☆☆) is a testament to what we all find out at some point, that the end of a long relationship is even more emotionally complex and messy than we expect. “Justified” sits in the uncomfortable, uncertain middle ground of a dead relationship whose feelings refuse to die with it. Despite her sober, reflective headspace towards her marriage and its collapse, Musgraves allows herself to indulge in some spite in the album’s second act. While imperfect, Star-Crossed succeeds on its own terms as a record of a relationship that has fallen apart and a meditation on the emotional fallout that follows.
Source:MetroXpress
October 01, 2021 15:56 UTC
Venom: Let There Be Carnage review
For a film full of characters who enjoy killing, Venom: Let There Be Carnage (★★☆☆☆) isn’t particularly frightening or suspenseful. Clearly, all these killers are on a collision course, the bloody, bruising showdown fans have been craving since the mid-credits tease of Cletus at the end of Venom. Hardy, credited for coming up with the story with Venom co-writer Kelly Marcel, leans into Eddie’s hangdog, lovable lug quality without adding new colors to the box. Venom: Let There Be Carnage opens in theaters everywhere Friday, October 1. Read More:No Time to Die review: A very wordy goodbye to Daniel Craig’s James BondNicolas Party drapes the Hirshhorn in a must-see monumental paintingAlbum review: Star-Crossed by Kacey Musgraves
Source:MetroXpress
October 01, 2021 15:56 UTC
October highlights at The Birchmere
If it’s October at the Birchmere, it’s time for another Raven’s Night, the wide-ranging annual show produced by Belladonna and Ken Vegas. Yet the extravaganza is not just a magical and mystical cabaret and concert, but also an extra-special 10-Year Anniversary Show. The one-off “Garrison Keillor Tonight,” featuring Four Bitchin’ Babes singer-songwriter Debi Smith, is Oct. 20. Also featured is Loren Allred, the vocalist behind the powerhouse anthem “Never Enough” from the movie musical The Greatest Showman. The Birchmere is at 3701 Mount Vernon Ave., Alexandria.
Source:MetroXpress
October 01, 2021 15:56 UTC
National LGBTQ Task Force to honor Billy Eichner at its Miami Beach gala
The National LGBTQ Task Force will honor activist and entertainment icon Billy Eichner with the 2021 National Leadership Award at the 25th edition of the National LGBTQ Task Force Gala on Saturday, October 23, at the Miami Beach Convention Center. In addition to calling out homophobia within the industry, Eichner is being honored for his efforts to engage voters in the 2018 midterm elections. The National LGBTQ Task Force Gala will be held on Saturday, Oct. 23 at the newly renovated Grand Ballroom at the Miami Beach Convention Center, and will feature food and drinks, a silent auction, live entertainment, an awards ceremony, and an after-party. For more information on the National LGBTQ Task Force Gala, visit www.thetaskforcegala.org. See also:Transgender Vanderbilt employee, Naval vet, claims she was called “it,” a “trans freak” and a “weirdo” at work
Source:MetroXpress
October 01, 2021 15:56 UTC
DeAngelo Jackson blazes a trail from gay adult films into mainstream acting on ‘Collar Confessions’
“It was the most fun I’ve ever had on a set,” confesses porn star DeAngelo Jackson of shooting fight scenes for his mainstream acting debut in Here TV’s steamy new short-form series, Collar Confessions. The couple faces an uphill battle, as Pastor Eddie’s still trying to forgive Quentin for burning down his church in a jealous rage. “Quentin kind of reminds me of myself, in the sense that he loves hard.”Jackson started in adult films while he was in college studying criminal justice. That’s the least I can do.”Collar Confessions the series premieres October 8 on Here TV. Collar Confessions: Sharing the Man of God the novel is available October 1 on Amazon and wherever books are sold.
Source:MetroXpress
October 01, 2021 15:52 UTC