Author: News Desk

 Black Ops 6 is out very soon (Activision) The Tuesday letters page asks for recommendations for police-themed video games, as one reader looks forward to Slitterhead. Weird or cheapI was kind of shocked when I realised Call Of Duty: Black Ops 6 is out this week. I haven’t seen any advertising for it and I’m pretty sure there’s been no previews. I thought this one was meant to be good, unlike last year’s? I thought that Microsoft would’ve gone all out if it had turned out well, since their entire bottom line now depends on selling Call Of Duty and…

 Meta Quest 3S – cheap is relative (Meta) The new model of Meta Quest headset is considerably cheaper than the last one but are the compromises it has to make worth it? When we reviewed the Meta Quest 3 last year, we described it as ‘the best value VR headset’ ever. That was true, at the time, but it still costs £480, which is a not insubstantial amount of money. It’s £50 cheaper than PlayStation VR2 though and the Meta Quest 3 has a shopping list of advantages over Sony’s headset, not least the fact that you don’t need to…

Archbishop of Canterbury reveals ancestral links to slavery Justin Welby, the archbishop of Canterbury, has revealed that his ancestor owned enslaved people on a plantation in Jamaica and was compensated by the British government when slavery was abolished. Welby disclosed his ancestral links in a personal statement that reiterated his commitment to addressing the enduring and damaging legacies of transatlantic slavery. Continue reading… https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/oct/22/archbishop-of-canterbury-justin-welby-reveals-ancestral-links-to-slavery

Map shows destinations cracking down on holiday lets after Spanish city joins list Governments are rushing to restrict short-term holiday lets after complaints from locals – and it could change tourism as we know it. Platforms like Airbnb and booking.com were welcomed by tourists when they launched as an affordable way to stay in a city while homeowners could earn extra cash. But now it appears locals have had enough, accusing the websites of causing housing shortages, noise nuisance and even the breakdown of communities. Many city bosses and governments have rolled out restrictions — although no city has outright banned…

NHS in England given go-ahead for AI scans to help detect bone fractures X-ray add-on at an estimated £1 a scan aimed at reducing missed diagnoses in initial assessment. Millions of patients in England with suspected broken bones could have their X-rays checked with a £1 artificial intelligence scan to help NHS doctors avoid missing fractures. Overlooked broken bones are among the most common mistakes made in A&E units and urgent care centres, with as many as 10% of fracture cases either not spotted at all by medical professionals or diagnosed late. Continue reading… https://www.theguardian.com/society/2024/oct/22/nhs-ai-artificial-intelligence-tools-scans-broken-bones-fractures-x-rays

Foreign media access to Gaza or face revolt is what Representative James P. McGovern leads 64 lawmakers in a powerful letter to US president, arguing the Israeli curbs on foreign reporting undermine “the very foundation of press freedom and democratic accountability.” “The restrictions on media reporting have created significant challenges in obtaining accurate, verifiable information from the genocide in Gaza, leading to increased scepticism about the limited reports that do emerge,” the members wrote in a powerful letter. Foreign media access to Gaza or face revolt Foreign media remains largely barred from the blockaded area, with only a handful of…

The magic of the FA Cup is live and kicking as lower league teams get TV air time. Kettering Town’s trip to League One side Northampton Town is one of two FA Cup first-round ties to be shown live on BBC Two in November. There are 82 places separating the two sides, who have faced one another in a competitive fixture just twice before. Seventh-tier Kettering FC make the 17-mile trip to Northampton on 2 November, with kick-off at 17:30 GMT. It is the second of two first-round games to be shown, after Tamworth’s match against third-tier Huddersfield Town at…

Quick View – Contents What the media made of Tuchel’s appointment as England manager  For England fans the expectation for the new England manager is always simple: lead us to a major trophy. For only the third time in their history, England has named a foreign manager.  Thomas Tuchel is a dream manager for many England fans – but not everyone in the media agrees.  He has the experience and skill to bring football home again and lead this immensely talented group of young English players to world cup glory in 2026. 

“The FA’s decision to appoint Thomas Tuchel as the new England manager is so, so sad. … The manager of a national team, any national team, should be from the same country as his players. It should be compulsory, one of the rules of the game, a point that isn’t even up for discussion. … This should be about one country’s best taking on another country’s best. If that best isn’t good enough, then so be it. Do something about the lack of resources at your disposal to ensure you do have the best players and coaches if you want to win something.”

The FA also suffers because the country’s main football competition is not really an English league but a global league that happens to be in England. Its ownership is international and their interest is in commercially growing clubs to international size, which means they just want the best coaches – no matter where they’re from. Hence its managerial make-up is four Spanish, three English, two Dutch, two Portuguese, one Australian, one Austrian, one Danish, one German, one Italian, one Northern Irish, one Scottish and one Welsh.