Travel
Prince Charles pays tribute to ‘my dear papa’ Philip for devoted service
Britain’s Prince Charles paid a personal tribute on Saturday to his “dear papa” Prince Philip, saying the royal family missed him emormously and that the 99-year-old would have been amazed at the touching reaction across the world to his death. Philip, the husband of Britain’s Queen Elizabeth who had been at her side throughout her record-breaking 69-year reign, died at Windsor Castle on Friday. “As you can imagine, my family and I miss my father enormously,” Charles, the couple’s eldest son and heir to the throne, said outside his Highgrove House home in west England. “My dear papa was a very special person who I think above all else would have been amazed by the reaction and the touching things that have been said about him and from that point of view we are, my family, deeply grateful f...
How to choose a down jacket
A beginner’s guide on how to choose a down jacket that will keep you warm and toasty in the great outdoors A high-quality down jacket is no longer the preserve of the outdoorsy. Politicians, pop stars and even princesses have been pictured in a ‘puffa’. Of course, a down jacket truly comes into its own when used and tested in the great outdoors. Understanding what to consider before you choose a down jacket can be confusing. To make the decision easy, we’ve put together a simple guide to choosing the jacket that’s best for you. What is down? Down is the natural insulating layer found on geese and ducks that helps keep their bodies warm in nearly freezing temperatures. It is usually white or grey and looks like small clusters of fluff. These clusters create millions of tiny air ...
Crystal Palace boss impressed by Carlo Ancelotti’s work at Everton
Crystal Palace boss Roy Hodgson expects a tough test against Everton on Monday night. Palace’s squad are preparing to travel to Goodison Park. “Any time you go to Everton, you’re going to face a very very difficult game,” Hodgson said. “They are a good team, well-coached and the players they’ve brought in have made them much stronger. We have to prepare as well as we can and have faith that if we play as well as we know we can do, we can get a good result. “I think it will be a very different team [to the last meeting at Goodison Park]. Carlo [Ancelotti] is working with them and improving them all the time. Almost a year has gone by so that’s another year of working with Carlo. “He’s brought in players that have strengthened the players even more. We know it will be a tough game, but unfor...
Napoli trio test negative for coronavirus
Napoli can breathe a sigh of relief as Giovanni Di Lorenzo, Alex Meret, and Lorenzo Insigne’s swab tests came back negative. Serie A clubs are concerned as four staff members of Italy national team tested positive for COVID, the FIGC announced on Wednesday after the Azzurri’s 2-0 win over Lithuania. However, according to Sky Sport Italia, Napoli’s Italy international Giovanni Di Lorenzo, Alex Meret, and Lorenzo have not contracted the virus as their swab tests came back negative. The trio returned to Naples in the morning and can now join their teammates in Castelvolturno for today’s training session. The Azzurri will face Crotone on Saturday and travel to Turin on Wednesday to play the rescheduled fixture from matchday 3 against Juventus. The Old Lady’s defender Leonardo Bonucci tested po...
Rivers governor speaks against travelling abroad for medical check-up
Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State says he doesn’t have any reason to travel abroad for a medical check-up because the State Government House Clinic is equipped with everything he needs for medical examination. The governor said this on Wednesday, March 31, 2021, when a delegation of the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria paid him a courtesy visit at the Government House, Port Harcourt. Wike’s comment came at a time President Muhammadu Buhari left the country for a medical check-up in London. In a statement signed by his Special Assistant on Media, Kelvin Ebiri. Wike urged the council not to play politics with the approved quota for medical and dental schools in Nigeria. Wike was quoted as saying, “The health care system in Nigeria requires very serious attention. It is unfortunate wh...
Another batch of 255 Nigerians stranded in Saudi Arabia arrive Abuja
Another batch of 255 Nigerians stranded in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, has arrived at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja. This was disclosed by the Nigerians in the Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM) via its official Twitter handle @nidcom_gov, adding that the returnees arrived via Saudi Air Flight SV3405 at about 1.00pm time Monday, 29th March. According to the commission, they will proceed on quarantine at the Federal Capital Territory Hajj Camp for 14 days in line with the reversed COVID-19 protocols by the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19. The Nigerian government has evacuated nearly 2,000 of its nationals from the Kingdom in the last three months even as more returnees are expected in subsequent days. In February, Nigerian government received a batch of 420 returnees from S...
20 best hiking apps to download in 2021
We take a look at the best hiking apps currently available and which ones best meet your needs be they trip planning, navigation or first aid. Hiking apps never used to feature in my outdoor adventures, but times have changed. Now, every Ordnance Survey map comes with a digital version available to download onto my smartphone or tablet. When planning an adventure in the wild, my preparations still begin with spreading out my paper maps across the floor and marking out possible trailheads, routes and campsites. However, now that I have more consistent access to reliable phone reception and wifi, along with a host of battery packs and solar chargers, I also make use of an array of hiking apps. Best hiking apps Below, I take a look at some of the best apps for hiking available for outdoo...
Naomi Osaka uncomfortable with tight schedule
Naomi Osaka dislikes long and busy stretches away from the comforts of home and so will plan the European portion of her schedule accordingly in the hope of improving her title hopes at the French Open and Wimbledon. Osaka, competing this week at the Miami Open near where she grew up, said that while she chases success relentlessly she is still trying to shape her playing schedule to give herself the best chance of success. “I’m not really sure what a normal schedule is but I’ve never thought of myself to be the type of player that would play week in and week out,” said Osaka. “I personally get homesick quite often and it makes me kind of sad sometimes.” Japan’s four-time Grand Slam champion collected her second U.S. Open title last September and followed that up with a second triumph at t...
MTN donates 300,000 doses of Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccines to Nigeria
The Presidential Task Force (PTF) on COVID-19 said it received 300,000 doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccines from MTN Nigeria. Speaking at the National briefing, the Chairman of the PTF and Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mr Boss Mustapha said: “Yesterday, Sunday, March 21, 2021, the PTF received 300,000 doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccines from MTN Nigeria. “This is acknowledged with thanks as we encourage other partners to contribute towards the fight against COVID-19.” Recall that the Minister of Health, Dr Osagie Ehanire, had said that the first part of the 1.4 million doses promised to be donated to Nigeria would be delivered by end of February, while the remaining balance would be delivered by end of March, 2021. Mustapha also said: “The disclosure that Nigerian...
Cold shoulder: 10 dramatic climbing controversies
From dubious first ascents to tense clashes at high altitude, we chart 10 dramatic climbing controversies – some resolved and others less so There was a time when climbing controversies were sportingly confined to the slopes. The petty trivialities, the robust exchanges and the heated clashes were just part of the cut and thrust of the mountaineering world. As the field grew more lucrative and summiteers were furnished with fame and book deals, these once-discreet disputes began to spill off the slopes. From contested first ascents to violent clashes at high altitude, we review some of history’s most fascinating climbing controversies. Denali: Frederick Cook, 1906 In 1906, explorer Dr Frederick Cook took a photograph that would make him famous: a flag-bearing silhouette standin...
Edinson Cavani: I almost joined Manchester United ahead of Napoli
Edinson Cavani has revealed he almost joined Manchester United 11 years ago. Cavani revealed he almost joined Manchester United in 2010. The Uruguayan was with Palermo at the time but ended up joining Napoli and then Paris Saint-Germain – before signing for United a decade later. Discussing it with Inside United, Cavani said: “Just imagine it! I can’t remember exactly what happened. “I do remember there was talk about one or two different teams, but hey, if I’d had that opportunity [to join United], I would have taken it, of course I would, without giving it a second thought. “I don’t remember definitively if that was the case. “But what I do remember is that I was due to travel to the World Cup in South Africa, and during that tournament, I had a conversation with Napoli, and well, told t...
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has no sympathy with David Moyes for Manchester United failure
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer does not sympathise with former Manchester United manager David Moyes for his short tenure at Old Trafford. Moyes was sacked just 10-months after replacing Sir Alex Ferguson, the legendary Scot who identified him as the club’s next manager. The 57-year-old is now leading West Ham in an impressive charge for the European places, after spells at Real Sociedad and Sunderland. Moyes’s West Ham side travel to Old Trafford on Sunday evening, and would go within three points of Solskjaer’s Reds with victory. Solskjaer praised Moyes for his turnaround in East London but refused to have sympathy for the manner in which he lost a ‘dream job’. “I don’t think you can feel sorry for someone who has managed Manchester United,” he said in his pre-match press conference, as quoted by ...
