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LONDON: England players will be entitled to two weeks of rest with their clubs following the Autumn Nations Cup, as part of improved welfare initiatives after they signed an elite player squad agreement for the 2020-21 season. A statement on the Rugby Players Association website also confirmed that England players will take a 25 per cent cut to their match fees as part of the agreement with the Rugby Football Union (RFU) to help the governing body deal with the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Welfare measures include a week-long break after the Italy v England Six Nations clash on Oct 31. A New Year camp has also been cancelled while players will get a week off during the 2021 Six Nations to replace a fallow week camp. "I would like to thank the players and the RPA for their strong co-operation and collaboration which has enabled us to reach this new agreement," RFU chief executive Bill Sweeney said in a statement. "This is a special squad of players and their appreciation … [Read more...] about Rugby: England to have defined rest periods as part of new agreement with RFU

The free LPG connection scheme is one structural reform of the Modi government that has been internationally acclaimed for ridding indoor household pollution and improving women's health. And now, the government plans to give one crore more free LPG connections to the needy over the next two years and make it easier to access cooking gas to achieve near 100 per cent penetration of the clean fuel in the country. Oil Secretary Tarun Kapoor said plans are in the works to provide LPG connection with bare-minimum identity documents and without insisting on residence proof of the place of availing the cooking gas. Also, consumers would soon get a choice of getting a refill cylinder from three dealers in his or her neighbourhood instead of being tied to just one distributor, who may not be able to provide LPG on demand due to availability or other reasons. In an interview, Kapoor said a record-breaking 8 crore free LPG connections were provided to poor women households in just … [Read more...] about 1 cr more free LPG connections in 2 yrs, easier access to cooking gas planned: Oil Secretary

Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny has arrived in a penal colony about 100km (60 miles) east of Moscow to begin his sentence. Russia's RIA news agency said the jailed Kremlin critic was transferred from a detention centre in Moscow, citing a public commission that defends the rights of Russian prisoners. The name or exact location of the penal colony was not revealed. Alexander Kalashnikov, of Russia's federal penitentiary service (FSIN), told reporters: "According to the court's decision, he left to where he currently should be. Everything is done within the framework of the law and the current legislation." Mr Kalashnikov added Mr Navalny will be kept in "absolutely normal conditions". Advertisement Alexei Navalny: Vladimir Putin critic loses sentence appeal and is fined in slander case Mr Navalny's ally Leonid Volkov said on social media that his family and lawyers had not been officially informed about his whereabouts. … [Read more...] about Alexei Navalny: Putin critic begins sentence in Russian penal colony

ONLY half of young people in the UK are exclusively attracted to the opposite sex, new research has revealed. A survey by research group Ipsos Mori has revealed that 50 per cent of 18 to 24-year-olds (known as Generation Z) are "only attracted to those of the opposite sex". But the researchers - who quizzed 1,127 Brits - found that the proportion of people who are only attracted to the opposite sex increased with age, The Times reports. It comes as celebrities such as Miley Cyrus , Cara Delevingne , Riverdale's Lili Reinheart and Willow Smith revealed they are attracted to both sexes over the past few years. Psychologists believe the study - which found similar results in the US - shows a generational shift in how young people view sexuality. Karen Blair, an expert in the psychology of sexual orientation at Trent University, told the publication: "The increases at least partially represent an increase in willingness and ability to come out. "Each recent … [Read more...] about Only half of young people are exclusively attracted to opposite sex, new survey reveals

LONDON: The British government re-imposed local COVID-19 restrictions on parts of the Greater Manchester area in northern England on Wednesday (Sep 2), just as they were being lifted, the latest in a series of abrupt reversals. Health Secretary Matt Hancock said social distancing measures would remain in place in the boroughs of Bolton and Trafford, contrary to his announcement on Aug 28 that they would be lifted on Sep 2. "Following a significant change in the level of infection rates over the last few days, a decision has been taken that Bolton and Trafford will now remain under existing restrictions," Hancock said in a statement. The restrictions, which have been in place in Greater Manchester since Jul 30, mean among other things that residents cannot meet people from outside a narrowly defined social bubble in homes, either indoors or in gardens. The planned lifting of the restrictions in Trafford and Bolton while they remained in place elsewhere in the densely populated … [Read more...] about Britain re-imposes COVID-19 restrictions in parts of Manchester

Another one bites the dust as Samsung revealed it has scrapped the 3.5mm headphone jack from the Galaxy Note, the first of its flagship phone models not to have one. True to the recent leaks, the new Note 10 and Note 10+ phones will not be coming with audio ports and will instead have a single USB-C connection. The two smartphones – along with its respective 5G variant models – were unveiled at the tech giant’s Unpacked event held at the Barclay’s Centre in New York on Wednesday (Aug 7). READ: Samsung Galaxy Note 10, Note 10+ phones available in Singapore on Aug 24 Despite the absence of a headphone jack, the Note 10 phones have mostly been beefed up, including bigger screens, more cameras, larger storage and bigger batteries. Its popular S-Pen stylus has also been given an upgrade with more productivity tools. At the event, Samsung also announced that it will be introducing the S-Pen to the Galaxy Tab S6 and unveiled the Galaxy Book S, a super-thin laptop. The … [Read more...] about Samsung unveils new Galaxy Note 10 and Note 10+ phones; does away with the headphone jack

This is in line with the shift to electrification. In terms of relevance, Jaguar and Land Rover are both making tides with their announcements lately. While the big cat announced that it will purr silently starting 2025, Land Rover goes the other way and introduced the Land Rover Defender V8 , the most powerful for the nameplate. While those things sound exciting for both British brands, Automotive News reports that Jaguar Land Rover is cutting down its manufacturing capacity by 25 percent within five years. The information came from an investor presentation. Gallery: Land Rover Defender 110 V8 44 Photos The downsizing in production came from the previously announced projects that the brands will not complete, moving forward, including the Jaguar XJ replacement . While JLR announced a £2.5 billion ($3.48 billion at the current exchange rates) … [Read more...] about Jaguar Land Rover To Cut Production Capacity By 25 Percent

The automaker will get an exclusive EV architecture. Jaguar is one of the manufacturers that offer the most powerful combustion engines in the world but starting from 2025, there won’t be any new Jags with a tailpipe. The British luxury automaker has just announced its ambitious plans to become an EV-only brand in just five years’ time. As a part of its Reimagine strategy, Jaguar will begin producing only electric vehicles by the middle of the decade as the first step towards a net-zero carbon business by 2039. The brand will develop a “dramatically beautiful new portfolio of emotionally engaging designs and pioneering next-generation technologies” to support its initiative. Unfortunately, the move to zero-emission models means there won’t be a direct replacement of the XJ . In its official press release, Jaguar says a new XJ is not happening “as the brand looks to realize its unique potential.” Apparently, that potential doesn’t include a large combustion-powered … [Read more...] about Jaguar Will Become An EV Brand, But XJ Sedan Is Not Happening

LONDON: Britain will introduce tougher jail sentences for convicted terrorists and will end early release as part of a series of measures to strengthen its response to terrorism, the government said on Tuesday (Jan 21). Prime Minister Boris Johnson pledged to make changes after an attack near London Bridge in November in which Usman Khan , a convicted terrorist who had been released early from prison , killed two people. Khan had been sentenced to a minimum of eight years in prison in 2012 with a requirement that the parole board assess his danger to the public before release. He was set free in December 2018 without such an assessment. READ: Commentary: Why the London Bridge attacker walked free - while serving terrorism offences "The senseless terror attack at Fishmongers' Hall in November confronted us with some hard truths about how we deal with terrorist offenders," Interior Minister Priti Patel said in a statement. "Today we are... giving police and probation … [Read more...] about UK to end early release for convicted terrorists after London Bridge attack

LONDON: Britain's Boris Johnson said Sunday (Dec 2) he had ordered the security services to step up monitoring of convicted terrorists released early from prison, prompting accusations that he was exploiting the London Bridge attack for political gain less than two weeks before elections. The prime minister revealed officials were scrutinising about 74 people with terrorist convictions who had been released early from prison like Usman Khan, who left jail last December and went on to stab two people to death in Friday's rampage. "They are being properly invigilated to make sure there is no threat," Johnson told the BBC. "We've taken a lot of action as you can imagine in the last 48 hours." Under the review of released terror convicts, police in the West Midlands said they had arrested a 34-year-old man "on suspicion of preparation of terrorist acts". READ: Victims of London Bridge attack lauded by their families British media said he was a former associate of the … [Read more...] about Terror checks intensify as London Bridge attack enters election fray