1 day agoNews TopicsComments Off on Eight major law and technology changes being brought in for Club World Cup including ref cams and ‘Arteta rule’
NEW Laws and new tech – meaning the Club World Cup will look unlike any football tournament we’ve seen before.
Fifa has decided to bring in all the Law tweaks agreed at the International FA Board meeting in Belfast in February for their new flagship.
AlamyArsenal boss Mikel Arteta’s name is on one change[/caption]
GettyThis impressive trophy will be up for grabs[/caption]
That means the “five second countdown”, with referees raising their hand to tell goalkeepers to release the ball or see a corner awarded to the opposing team.
The latest live trials, in South America’s Copa Libertadores and Copa Sudamericana, saw just TWO incidents where the glovemen exceeded the maximum eight seconds with the ball “under control”.
Fifa will also enforce the “captain’s only” rule for talking to referees, with yellow cards for any players who offend.
The so-called “Arteta rule”, meaning no further punishment other than an indirect free-kick if coaches or substitutes accidentally touch the ball before it goes out of play, will also be invoked for the first time.
As will a new penalty rule, where “double touches” – players unintentionally hitting the ball against their own foot or leg – will bring a retake if the spot kick is converted, rather than being disallowed.
But just as eye-opening will be the technology applied for the first time in competitive play, as Fifa pushes new barriers.
The biggest will be using the latest, AI-aided semi-automated offside technology, where a signal will automatically go to the assist referee when a player breaking the defensive line and more than just four INCHES offside plays the ball.
Rugby fans have become used to “ref cams”, attached to the official’s chest and giving an intimate view of scrums.
GettyWhistlers will get their own bodycams[/caption]
You can watch every CWC game for free if you sign up for DAZN
But Ifab approved football to go down the same path, with the cameras at eye level, attached to the referee’s VAR communication device.
While “live” shots will not be broadcast during play, they will be available to give fans, both at home and in stadiums, the chance to see goals and other incidents from the ref’s perspective.
Conversations between refs and VARs can still only be broadcast after a match has finished but supporters inside the grounds will be able to view the images for pitchside monitor reviews at the same time as the officials themselves.
And there will be no excuses for messed-up substitutions, with coaching teams handed a tablet to input player changes directly, rather than having to hand written notes to the fourth official.
AlamyVAR is one of the ‘older’ uses of technology at the CWC[/caption]
1 day agoNews TopicsComments Off on It’s not just Trump — Biden found major civil-rights problems with Harvard too
Many people assume federal civil-rights scrutiny of antisemitism at Harvard is a recent, partisan development. Headlines shout about President “Trump’s War on Harvard,” “Trump’s Harvard Vendetta” and “His Harvard Hate Campaign.” In fact, such oversight is required by law and has been enforced consistently by both Republican and Democratic administrations, including the last one. The Biden...
ReutersFirefighters hose down the scene after the Air India horror crash[/caption]
EPALanding gear from the plane at the scene[/caption]
AFPThe tail of the plane is seen hanging from the edge of a building after the crash[/caption]
The toll of 67 Brits killed in the 9/11 attacks in 2001 on New York’s World Trade Centre was higher.
The last major UK air disaster saw 47 people killed in January 1989 when a Boeing 737 attempting an emergency landing at East Midlands Airport crashed on an embankment of the M1 near Kegworth, Leics.
In August 1985, a British Airtours Boeing 737 bound for Corfu caught fire on the runway at Manchester Airport, killing 55 on board.
But the deadliest air crash in Britain remains the 1972 Staines Air Disaster, when a BEA flight crashed on take-off from Heathrow. All 118 people on board were killed.
They included pilot error, a bird or drone strike, or a freak change in wind direction causing a deadly double-engine stall.
Concerns over possible pilot error by experienced Captain Sumeet Sabharwal centred on video of the Dreamliner’s plunge.
It appeared to show the twin-engine jet’s wing flaps retracted — possibly too early — moments before the crash.
Pilots and experts said it is vital that the flaps are set to the correct position at take-off to maximise lift.
Wheels and the undercarriage are also supposed to be lifted quickly once the plane is airborne, to reduce drag.
But video footage of the crash jet shows its wheels were still down as it began descending.
A disastrous strike from a flock of birds is also possible, but not obvious from video footage.
Weather may also be a factor, with temperatures at the time of take-off close to 40C (104F). But reports suggested the air was relatively still and there were no signs of freak gusts, either from locals or on the video.
The only other possible cause would be a technical fault in one of the most modern and reliable aircraft flying today.
GettyDecember 1988: 43 Brits died in the Lockerbie terrorist bombing[/caption]
ReutersSeptember 2001: 67 Brits died in jet attack on the Twin Towers[/caption]
June 2025: 52 UK residents missing in today’s crash
Akash Vatsa posted on X that he noticed “unusual things” during its flight from Delhi to Ahmedabad on Thursday morning. In the footage, he can be heard saying: “The AC is not working at all. As usual, your TV screens are also not working, neither is the button to call the cabin crew. Nothing is working. Not even the light is working.”
Mr Vatsa said he originally filmed the clip to make a complaint to Air India, but shared it online following the disaster to highlight issues with the doomed plane.
Since its launch in 2011, the Boeing Dreamliner has had a near- faultless safety record and been involved in no fatal accidents. But teams of Boeing experts were being scrambled in the US last night in a bid to head off safety concerns — which have blighted the company’s image in recent years.
There are more than 1,100 787s in service, with most major international airlines prizing the model’s fuel efficiency and low noise levels.
Officials from India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau were last night scouring the crash scene for the jet’s black boxes, which should provide vital data.
FOUR CRASH THEORIES
WING FLAPS IN WRONG POSITION
VIDEO evidence suggests the flaps were retracted and landing gear down, which would have meant minimal lift and increased drag.
One theory is the landing gear was stuck and pilots retracted the flaps to reduce drag or the flaps were faulty, causing the plane to stall.
A BIRD STRIKE CRIPPLED ENGINES
A BIRD strike could have taken out both of the plane’s General Electric engines.
In 2021, a Dreamliner aborted take-off in Mexico after birds flew into one of its engines. A study in 2018 found Ahmedabad airport had “a high potential of bird-aircraft collision hazards”.
MISTAKE BY ONE OF THE PILOTS
THE 787-8 is highly automated with pilots making key decisions, but human error cannot be ruled out.
There was a mayday from the cockpit. Capt Sumeet Sabharwal, a trained flight instructor, had 8,000 hours’ experience and his co-pilot more than 1,000.
PLANE DIDN’T USE ENOUGH RUNWAY
PLANES get less lift on a hot day due to lower air density, so need to go faster.
Flight AI171 took off in 40C heat in the early afternoon sunshine. It’s suggested the amount of runway used was less than 2,000m when a full plane on a hot day usually needs a run of 2,500m.
They record all actions taken by pilots and audio from the cockpit. Lt Col John R Davidson, a former US Air Force pilot and commercial aviation safety consultant, said: “There are a number of possible scenarios — thrust or engine performance issues, excessive aircraft weight, poor flap configuration — or a more critical failure that affected the aircraft’s ability to climb.
“Weather, wind shear or even bird strike can’t be ruled out.”
Capt Saurabh Bhatnagar, a former senior pilot, said footage showing the plane’s descent “looked like a case of multiple bird hits wherein both the engines have lost power”.
He added: “The take-off was perfect and just, I believe, short of taking the gear up, the aircraft started descending.
“This can happen only in the case the engine loses power or the aircraft stops developing lift.”
India yesterday accepted an offer of assistance from the UK’s specialist air accident investigation team and a unit was en route.
Brit couple Fiongal and Jamie Greenlaw-Meek, who are feared dead, posted this a video from the airport before boarding the doomed flightPAAlso feared dead are British couple Akeel Nanabawa and Hannaa Voraje with their daughter Sara[/caption]
Pilots issued a mayday call in the airXXHuge plumes of black smoke could be seen billowing into the sky[/caption]
Video showing Brit survivor Vishwash Kumar Ramesh walking out of the crashTwitterEPAPeople stand near debris at the site of the plane crash[/caption]
AFPFirefighters work at the site of the plane crash[/caption]
India's dark aviation history
A LONDON-BOUND Air India flight crashed in the western Indian city of Ahmedabad on Thursday.
The following are details of some other airline accidents in India in recent decades:
AUGUST 2020 At least 18 people died and 16 were severely injured when an Air India Express Boeing 737 plane skidded off the runway in the southern city of Kozhikode during heavy rain, plunged into a valley and crashed nose-first into the ground.
MAY 2010 An Air India Boeing 737 flight from Dubai overshot the runway at the airport in the southern city of Mangaluru and crashed into a ravine, killing 158 people on board.
JULY 2000 More than 50 people were killed when a state-owned Alliance Air flight between Kolkata and the capital, New Delhi, crashed in a residential area of the eastern city of Patna.
1 day agoNews TopicsComments Off on Lewis Hamilton responds to retirement question after Mercedes struggles and ‘worst F1 race he’d ever experienced’
LEWIS HAMILTON has shut down rumours that he is going to quit F1 ahead of the Canadian Grand Prix.
The seven-time world champion was down in the dumps after Barcelona last time out, labelling the race the “worst he had ever experienced”.
Lewis Hamilton has shut down rumours that he will quit F1 anytime soonHamilton was overtaken on the last lap to finish sixth in Barcelona
Ferrari boss Fred Vasseur revealed after the race that both Hamilton and his teammate Charles Leclerc suffered issues on their cars, but would not disclose further details.
The Italian team’s principal has come under fire since Barca with rumours swirling of an exit for the Frenchman.
Hamilton said: “Embedding new people, new personnel, or engineers or who run the organisation takes time to adjust, the impact of that is significant.
“I am here to win with Fred, he has my full support. Also to everyone that’s writing stories of me considering not racing, I’ve literally only just started my first year.
“I’m here for several years and here for the long haul there is no question where my head is at and what I’m working towards achieving with this team.
“So there’s zero doubts. Please stop making up stuff.”
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Ferrari finished the 2024 season with perhaps the fastest car on the grid and came second to McLaren in the Constructors’ title race by a whisker.
Now they trail McLaren by 197 points after the first nine race weekends and the chances of a championship appear all but over.
This has sparked speculation over Vasseur’s future, which Hamilton has hit out as “nonsense”.
He said: “It’s definitely not nice to hear that there are stories like that that are out there. Firstly, I love working with Fred.
“Fred’s the main reason I’m in this team and got the opportunity to be here, which I’m forever grateful for. And we’re in this together. We’re working hard in the background.
“Ultimately, it’s nonsense what people have written. Most people don’t know what’s going on in the background.”
Hamilton talked down rumours about Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur
1 day agoNews TopicsComments Off on Xbox Game Pass Has Put Obsidian Back on the Map With 2 Upcoming Titles
In what seems to be Xbox’s villain arc, their recent June Game Pass Showcase featured titles that many believed were never going to become a reality. Moreover, it was a good time for Obsidian Entertainment than any other studio, after all, they got the chance to showcase their two precious under-development projects to hundreds of […]
This post belongs to FandomWire and first appeared on FandomWire
1 day agoNews TopicsComments Off on Inside 2025’s ‘drink of the year’ — from the NYC bar owner who invented it: ‘Very unique and different’
Here’s something worthy of a toast. The bourbon-based cocktail crowned Food 52’s “drink of the year” is finally getting its moment in the spotlight two decades after its creator mixed it the first time in a Big Apple bar. The pink-hued “Paper Plane,” first crafted at what is now Attaboy on the Lower East Side,...
Королева Матильда та король Філіп / © Getty Images 10 червня король Бельгії Філіп та його дружина королева Матильда відвідали галереї, що нещодавно відкрилися. Вони присвячені декоративному мистецтву XIX століття, бельгійському арнуво та бельгійському ардеко в Королівських музеях мистецтв та історії. Ці приміщення займають площу 1200 квадратних метрів та демонструють виняткові експонати — деякі з них уперше виставляються на загальний огляд. Для такого особливого заходу королева вирішила […]
