Small Irish town confronts its dark past
A harmful algae bloom off the coast of South Australia, caused by high sea temperatures and runoff from flooding, is poisoning marine life and depleting oxygen in the water. The Australian government has stated that there is little that can be done to reverse the rapid rate of the climate crisis.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
7NEWS
a minute ago
- 7NEWS
Aussie Ben O'Connor celebrates amazing Stage 18 victory in Tour de France: ‘Proud of myself'
Ben O'Connor, who has long considered the Tour de France a relentless and unforgiving challenge, roared back on Thursday with a stunning Stage 18 victory in the Alps to finally bury memories of all the crashes he has suffered in recent years. 'It's a pretty cruel race,' the 29-year-old said after crossing the line alone at the Col de la Loze. 'I've just found myself on the deck in the first two days a few times, but not really for my own fault. Stage one here, it wasn't my fault – I was just taken out,' the Jayco AlUla rider said. 'In Copenhagen (in 2022), same thing, sprint finish, crash in front of me, nowhere to go. And then you had the crash in 2021 (when a fan holding a cardboard sign caused a massive pile up). So yeah, the first couple days really haven't treated me well at all in this race before.' O'Connor, who won a stage to Tignes and finished fourth overall in 2021, has battled to replicate those highs. 'Getting it done today means a lot to me,' he said. 'I'm very proud of myself and very proud of the team.' The win came after a bold attack from the bottom of the valley before the final climb, a plan he hatched with his team's sports director Matthew Hayman. 'He told me you've got nothing to lose,' O'Connor said. 'If you're going to win, you have to go from the bottom of the valley ... and that's what happened. On the Col de la Loze, it was pretty straightforward – you either had it or you didn't.' O'Connor switched from French squad AG2R Citroen to Australian outfit Jayco AlUla this season, a move he said brought a fresh sense of belonging. 'It's about time I finally got a big result on the board being an Aussie rider on an Aussie team,' he said. Asked whether the stage victory mattered more than a top-10 finish in Paris, O'Connor was emphatic. 'Yes, definitely. Getting your hands up in the air is the most enjoyable thing,' he said. 'It's only when you complete a GC and you've done a perfect race yourself and you're proud of every single day that you've tapped it out and you've ticked the boxes, then that gives you a different kind of satisfaction.'
Scotsman
3 minutes ago
- Scotsman
Hearts messages revealed as management make their feelings clear
SPFL Premiership season is just around the corner Sign up to our Hearts newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to Edinburgh News, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Clear and precise communication is central to any successful team regardless of industry. In sport, the aim is to inspire physical performance and generate energy. The new Hearts management team seem to excel in this particular area, driving standards and making their demands easy for players to understand. Australian midfielder Cammy Devlin revealed that the messages coming from head coach Derek McInnes and his assistants Paul Sheerin and Alan Archibald are effective due to their simplicity. The Edinburgh club are preparing for the new Scottish Premiership campaign after four wins from four, and 16 goals scored, in the Premier Sports Cup group phase. Players are responding to McInnes and his staff already, although it must be remembered that opponents were all from lower divisions. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'I think all our performances in these four games have been quite professional and you can make hard work of them if you're not on it,' said Devlin. 'I think you have to be with the amount of players we've got. There is competition for places. The message from the first day of pre-season has just been: 'Right attitude, application and hard work.' The gaffer said everyone will get their chance and I feel like he tried to get everyone as much minutes as he can to show that they want the jersey. I really enjoyed it and I think, because the attitude and application were really good, I think it made it enjoyable.' Devlin's tenacity and application have helped him make an early impact on the new coaches despite seven new signings in Gorgie so far. 'I think you guys know me pretty well now. I'll work as hard as I can every single day. I'd like to think if I do everything right and perform as best I can in the training pitch, then at least if I'm not selected, that's his decision and not anything I could have done better. So I just try and work as hard as I can, put my head down. That will never change. Fingers crossed that I'll be playing as much as I can, but that's the same as I am all the time. 'I've really enjoyed it so far. I think there's a bit of freshness with a lot of new players in the squad as well, it creates that freshness. We've got a lot of boys who have come in and they're eager and they really want to do well. I feel like the core group of boys that have been here for a while now are letting them know what it means to be at a club like Hearts, how amazing and how privileged it is - but also the pressures that come with it. 'The gaffer and his staff have been unreal. Training has been really intense. Because there are so many players and competition for places, I think everyone's realised that and the levels have raised a little bit, which they definitely needed to. I don't want to talk about last season too much, but everyone knows that it needs to be better. Forget the results and in the games, it's just the feeling within training. Like I say, the attitude and the application that I've seen from all the players has been really good and you can tell everyone's been enjoying it.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad SPFL move as new manager contacts Hearts players McInnes made a point of contacting each Hearts player after leaving Kilmarnock for Edinburgh in May. The aim was to ensure they all knew what he wanted and expected before pre-season training began. 'His message to me and the boys that have been playing in midfield is that he wants you to be really aggressive, which suits me. I like getting told to be aggressive because that's what I like to do. 'It was just to keep it simple, keep the ball ticking over. Everyone knows he likes his wingers and he wants crosses in the box, he wants numbers in the box. So just keep the ball ticking over, get it out wide and support when the ball goes in. When it comes back out, be there to either win it back or put pressure on the defenders - but just keep it simple. 'He is also big on expressing yourself and that's something that you have to do if you want to play for Hearts. It's been really good. I think I can speak on behalf of all the boys and say they've really enjoyed the pre-season. We've only had a couple of pre-season games. These [Premier Sports Cup] games aren't friendlies, they're games you need to win and if your attitude isn't right, you can really make hard work of them. Maybe that's something we would have done in the past. So yeah, it's been really good and his messages are really clear.' The instruction to be aggressive was music to the ears of the dynamic Devlin. 'That is what I like to do,' he acknowledged. 'I think he called most of the boys in the off-season that are going to be here to let them know what his plans are for each player. That was something he said to me: 'I just want you to be yourself - be your aggressive, tenacious self in the midfield.' That's something that if I got told not to do, I'd think I'd struggle quite a bit. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'His message to every player has been really clear. His communication with everyone has been really good. There are so many players it's hard to keep everyone happy, but I think he has spoken to everyone and it's been really good. His messages are clear, training has been really enjoyable and, because we're scoring goals, the games have been enjoyable as well.' The Hearts squad currently totals more than 30 players after seven summer signings, with more to follow. There will be departures but the extra competition is helping fuel excitement around Tynecastle. Optimism is unmissable. 'Yeah, I think there is,' remarked Devlin. 'I think you get this same feeling at the start of every season in terms of new players coming in. Even in the past when we've come third and we've got Europe, you forget the past season no matter what, and you look forward to what's to come. You see the new faces, the fans are excited to see what they can do. For the boys that have been here, I've been here quite a while now and I still get the same feeling. 'You have your time off and then you come in, you see your mates and you get that feeling of going out to do your job and play football in front of fans. It's the best job in the world. I think that optimism is definitely there from our side as well. We're really looking forward to it. Having four competitive games that can be and were really tough games - games that you've got to be quite concentrated on and just on it - really sets you up to hopefully have a positive start to the season.' Hearts transfers settling as new signings adapt in Edinburgh The seven new additions are impressing colleagues as the days and weeks pass by. Norwegian right-back Christian Borchgrevink, Greek winger Alexandros Kyziridis, Portuguese forward Claudio Braga, Irish midfielder Oisin McEntee, Belgian striker Elton Kabangu, Scottish centre-back Stuart Findlay and Albanian winger Sabah Kerjota are all signed. Burkinabe forward Pierre Landry Kabore is set to follow in the coming days, and there will be more thereafter. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'It's all been really positive,' commented Devlin. 'I think especially with Jamestown and the analytics, we're getting a lot of foreign boys coming in that you don't really know much about. With Stu coming in, you've played against him, you know what you're getting from Stu. The first thing I can say about all the boys that have come in is they are all great guys. That's not the most important thing because they need to be good players, but it is so important to just gel into what we've got. 'Because there are a lot of foreign boys, it might be hard for them. I speak English, but even for me when I came from the other side of the world, I found it really hard to just settle into a completely different life. So for them it can be quite tough, but yeah, they're all great guys. I think you can all agree from what we've seen from the majority of them, they're all really promising and really exciting, which gives us all hope to hopefully go and score some goals.' Having done just that, McInnes is now shaping up his team for that opening Premiership fixture against Aberdeen a week on Monday. He declared publicly that a couple of positions are still undecided, so that competitive edge Devlin mentioned may only intensify at training next week. 'Yeah, definitely because we don't know which positions are up for grabs. He doesn't tell us that part,' said the midfielder. 'Like any job in the world, when you go to work every day, you just try and do your best. It doesn't matter if it's football or whatever. We don't have any of them but maybe boys can look in the mirror and say, 'oh, if I just worked a bit harder,' but no one does that. We've got everyone fighting 110 per cent every single day and you can really see that and feel that. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'It's healthy competition in my opinion because you don't want to be in a position where it's great to play every week, but you don't have someone right there who is ready and waiting. If you've got that - which I think we do in abundance in most positions now - it just pushes you on. It makes everyone better and makes the squad better and people are going to be unhappy if they are left out. 'I'm fuming when I'm on the bench or whatever but, in my head, I've just got to make sure I'm right that next day at training and trying to just work as hard as I can. It's healthy competition but it does just spur you on. It's only a week and a half away now and you want to be playing in that game. So, fingers crossed.' READ MORE: New Hearts transfer target
Scottish Sun
3 minutes ago
- Scottish Sun
Dundee Utd 1 UNA Strassen 0: Sapsford strike the difference as Jim Goodwin's men get off Scot free in Euro clash
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) THERE was no homegrown player in the starting lineup for the first time in their history - but Dundee United just about kept Scotland's flag flying in Europe. The Arabs went all the way to the 1987 UEFA Cup final with the likes of Paul Hegarty, David Narey and Eamonn Bannon among 13 Scots who featured in the defeat to Gothenburg. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 3 Sapsford's goal the difference at Tannadice Credit: PA 3 Jim Goodwin named a side with no Scots in it Credit: PA 3 Dundee United will take a 1-0 lead to Luxembourg with them Credit: PA But it was a different story last night as boss Jim Goodwin named seven of his 11 multi-national summer signings and saw one of them - Australian Zac Sapsford - hand them a first leg advantage. It was far from easy, though, despite the Arabs bossing possession against a Strassen side that finished second in Luxembourg's top flight last season yet trailed in 18 points behind winners Differdange. They failed to convert their dominance into goals as they struggled to break down a dogged visiting team who were content to suck things up then hit on the counter. It left Goodwin's side hanging on at times in the later stages and leaves the tie uncomfortably in the balance ahead of next week's second leg at the 3,500 capacity Stade Municipal de la Ville de Differdange. United started well, with Kristijan Trapanovski's early turn and shot straight at visiting keeper Koray Ozcan then a great reverse ball from Zac Sapsford sent Vicko Sevelj clear on goal but he was denied by a brilliant stop from the goalie. But by that stage United had also survived a scare when Daryl Myre latched onto a long ball forward. New Arabs No1 Yevhenli Kucherenko raced out of his goal and was relieved to turn and see a looping shot drop just wide. Sevelj's pass then freed Trapanovski but his shot with the outside of his right foot was beaten clear by Ozcan then the Croat drilled a shot just wide. Ozcan was having a busy spell and next he clawed away Krisztian Keresztes' towering header. This was United's first game in Europe since they'd beaten AZ Alkmaar 1-0 in the home leg of a Conference League qualifier three years ago only to crash 7-0 in the return leg in the Netherlands. But they boast a proud record at this level, including that UEFA Cup final and one European Cup semi-final. Legendary Mixu Paatelainen lifts lid on Jim McLean's brutal blast, infamous Walter Smith bust-up and his Hibs job regrets Goodwin had never faced continental opposition as either a player or manager. While United tried to take the game to their visitors, Strassen were content to bide their time. Goodwin wouldn't have been happy with a goalless scoreline at the break but it took less than two minutes after the restart for United to go in front. Ivan Dolcek had been at the club for less than a week but he picked out Sapsford whose drive wrong-footed Ozcan and nestled in the net. For a moment it looked like that would be the catalyst United needed as Trapanovski fired wide moments later then Ozcan pushed Karesztes' header over. Max Watters had come on for Dolcek in the 63rd minute but he was forced off after just eight minutes. Replacement Owen Stirton quickly got into the action as he crashed in a shot which Ozcan tipped onto the post. United sub Panutche Camara thought he was about to hit a second but saw his shot blocked by a sea of bodies after the ball had flashed across the face of goal. But while the score remained 1-0 Strassen continued to pose a threat as they pushed for a late equaliser late on. Kucherenko had to pull off a smart save to keep out Matheus De Souza in injury time as United eventually saw things out. What the manager said: Jim Goodwin 'We'd rather be sitting here with a 3-0 advantage but at 1-0 it's still very much game on. 'The disappointment is more the fact we didn't do ourselves justice in the second half. When we were in possession we just didn't move it quickly enough. 'We were too sloppy and we'll try to improve those things next week. It's still very early days for this group of players but there's a lot to work on going into next week.' Keep up to date with ALL the latest news and transfers at the Scottish Sun football page
