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Squeaky bum time? How Team GB can save Winter Olympics despite slow start | Sean Ingle

The wait for a first medal goes on but the camp believe they have several aces to play, especially in the skeleton

Still the wait goes on. When Britain arrived in Milano Cortina there was heady talk of the country having one of its “most potent ever teams” for a Winter Olympics. So far, though, Team GB is still firing blanks.

It is not for the want of trying. Kirsty Muir missed out on a freeski slopestyle bronze by 0.41 points. Mia Brookes came impossibly close to making the biggest trick in Olympic big air snowboard history. While Britain’s mixed curlers, having coasted regally through the group stages, their mojo went awol when it mattered most.

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‘Wake-up call’ for Greece as air force officer accused of spying for China

Christos Flessas detained in case seen as exposing Beijing’s strategy of infiltrating western military and security services

A Greek air force officer arrested on suspicion of spying for China has been detained pending trial after appearing before a military judge in a case that is seen as exposing Beijing’s determination to infiltrate Europe’s security and intelligence services.

Surrounded by armed escorts, a squadron leader identified as Col Christos Flessas emerged from the court late on Tuesday after giving testimony for more than eight hours.

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‘Holy grail’ footage of David Bowie at his peak to feature in immersive London show

Earl’s Court performance of Heroes in 1978 is among highlights of exhibition exploring singer’s life and work

Rare “holy grail” footage of David Bowie performing Heroes at Earl’s Court in 1978 is to feature in a new immersive show about the singer’s life and creative practice.

Extended footage of the performance has been pieced back together by the team behind the new Lightroom exhibition, who had access to new camera angles found on film reels discovered in the artist’s archives.

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Chelsea v Leeds, Tottenham v Newcastle, Everton v Bournemouth: football – live

⚽️ Latest updates from the Premier League and beyond
⚽️ Live scores | Tables | Follow us on Bluesky | Email Will

I do still write Leroy Rosenior and need to correct myself.

Liam Rosenior looks chipper.

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Rightwing US news outlet hails Trump as ‘liberator’ after being allowed into Venezuela

Newsmax was first foreign outlet let into country after US strike, a marriage of convenience for leadership trying to appease Trump

In the days after Nicolás Maduro was abducted by US special forces, hundreds of journalists from as far away as Japan flocked to Colombia’s border with Venezuela hoping to witness the fallout from one of the most dramatic moments in South America’s recent history. None were granted visas to enter. Those who tried to do so anyway were detained and thrown out.

But last weekend a team of reporters was finally allowed to visit Caracas.

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The Guardian view on Jimmy Lai: what Britain’s caution says about its relationship to Beijing’s power | Editorial

Australia defended a detained journalist despite the risks. Britain’s muted response to a media mogul’s harsh sentence suggests a narrowing view of what confrontation is worth

If the sentence handed to the media mogul Jimmy Lai was meant to surprise, it would have been shorter. Twenty years behind bars is not a burst of rage. It is a sentence designed to make repression routine in Hong Kong. The 78-year-old founder of the shuttered pro-democracy newspaper Apple Daily is now likely to die in prison after being convicted of sedition. The court was telling Hongkongers what kind of place they now live in, and signalling to foreign governments what kind of relationship Beijing expects them to accept.

China’s national security law, imposed on Hong Kong in 2020, was designed to dismantle the former British colony’s pro-democracy movement and to place freedom of expression under permanent political constraint by the Chinese Communist party. From 2020 to 2026, at least 385 individuals have been arrested and 175 convicted under national security-related offences.

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Drive the ‘ice road’, Estonians told – just don’t fasten your seatbelt

Cold spell means cars can cross 20km stretch of frozen sea but drivers must be able to exit quickly in case of a problem

Temperatures in northern Europe have been so low that citizens of Estonia can now drive across a 20km stretch of frozen sea linking the country’s two main islands.

The so-called “ice road” connecting the islands of Saaremaa and Hiiumaa, located in western Estonia between the Baltic Sea and the Gulf of Riga, was officially opened on Sunday with a line of cars waiting to use it that afternoon.

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Wel.nl

Minder lezen, Meer weten.

Alfen gaat bedrijf transformeren en wil naar winstgevende groei

ALMERE (ANP) - Alfen, producent van laadpalen en andere systemen voor het elektriciteitsnet, heeft een transformatie van het bedrijf ingezet die is gericht op "winstgevende groei en geografische expansie". Het bedrijf was vorig jaar opnieuw verlieslatend en zag de omzet met ruim een tiende terugvallen. Alfen ziet desondanks een structurele vraag naar nieuwe energie-infrastructuur en wil van deze kansen profiteren.

Om dit proces te versnellen gaat het bedrijf "de daarbij voor de organisatie benodigde competenties en de beschikbare capaciteiten op elkaar afstemmen", aldus topman Michael Colijn. In bepaalde gebieden komen functies te vervallen. In andere wil Alfen juist groeien, zoals bij digitale oplossingen, projectmanagement en services. Het is nog niet bekend hoeveel banen door de plannen worden geraakt.

De omzet daalde vorig jaar met 10,7 procent naar bijna 436 miljoen euro. Onder de streep bleef een verlies van 0,2 miljoen euro over, tegen een verlies van 27 miljoen euro in 2024.


FBI geeft beelden vrij van persoon met masker bij huis Guthrie

WASHINGTON (ANP) - De Amerikaanse veiligheidsdienst FBI heeft dinsdag beelden vrijgegeven van een gemaskerde en vermoedelijk gewapende persoon bij de voordeur van Nancy Guthrie in Arizona. De 84-jarige moeder van presentatrice Savannah Guthrie werd op 31 januari voor het laatst gezien.

De FBI heeft de zwart-witbeelden gedeeld via sociale media en vraagt iedereen die informatie kan geven over de opnames zich te melden. De autoriteiten vermoeden dat zij tegen haar wil is meegenomen. Er zijn losgeldeisen gedeeld met media. Er is onder meer gevraagd om een miljoenenbedrag in cryptomunt bitcoin, maar het is niet duidelijk of de afzender echt de ontvoerder is van Guthrie.

Voor zover bekend is er geen teken van leven ontvangen van de vrouw. Dochter Savannah deelde maandag op sociale media een video waarin zij zegt dat de familie nog gelooft dat Nancy in leven is. Zij richtte zich in het filmpje zowel tot de mogelijke kidnapper als tot het publiek en vroeg om hulp in deze "wanhopige situatie".


Formula 1 News

Formula 1® - The Official F1® Website

Tsunoda to get back behind wheel of F1 car with Red Bull

Red Bull test and reserve driver Yuki Tsunoda will return to the cockpit of a Formula 1 car later this month when he takes part in a special demonstration event in America.