Steve Clarke: Scotland boss parks Euro 2020 qualification and targets UEFA Nations League promotion | Football News
Celebrations ran well into the early hours of the morning, with videos posted of the team and coaching staff partying at their hotel.But now, Scotland are in Slovakia where they will play their penultimate Nations League match, live on Sky Sports, knowing they are one win away from promotion to the top league. And after that, they head to Israel. 
Former Scotland boss Alex McLeish says they ‘looked the business’ as they defeated Serbia away from home on penalties to secure their place at Euro 2020 Sunday 15th November 1:30pm – Advertisement – Reflecting on the play-off success, Clarke said his players have important work to do which could go towards earning them a place at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.He said: “It’s a fantastic achievement for this group of players. Thankfully it all came together on Thursday. It’s something we’ve been thinking about and working towards for what seems like over a year.“We came together on the night but now we have to park that one, put that in the cabinet and think about it in April because before then we’re going to have other matches that are really important for us.“The celebrations stopped on the night. They enjoyed themselves – it was a good night but it broke up naturally. Scotland manager Steve Clarke has called on his players to “park” their Euro 2020 celebrations and focus on promotion to League A in the UEFA Nations League.The Scots ended their 22 years of hurt on Thursday night with a penalty-shootout win over Serbia in Belgrade to book their place at next year’s tournament.- Advertisement – 8:53 Highlights of the European Championship Qualifying Path C play-off final between Serbia and Scotland 1:21 0:46 1:37 One person who won’t be running about on Sunday is Scotland assistant coach John Carver, who is on crutches after celebrating David Marshall’s penalty save.Clarke said: “Unfortunately for John, his injury is a little more serious – he’s on crutches. But as a member of the coaching staff it’s not so important that John runs down the touchline.“It’s a sore one but I should emphasise he got the injury on the pitch and not when they were doing the conga later on.”The Scotland conga danced and sang ‘David Marshall’ to Whigfield’s ‘Saturday Night’, but it was ‘Yes Sir, I Can Boogie’ that became the song of the qualification party.Having started from a leaked Andy Considine stag do video many years ago, the players were seen jumping around the dressing to the tune by Spanish duo Baccara.Band singer Maria Mendiola revealed she wants to re-record the song with the Scotland team and Clarke said he’ll let someone else decide if it becomes the official Scotland song for the Euros.He added: “I haven’t even thought about it to be honest. We had the celebration and we had a good night after the game and since then I’ve been thinking about team selection for Slovakia.“Something like that can be one for the commercial department. It was a good tune and it was fitting for the boys to use that and we had a good night on the back of two or three good tunes, but I’ll let someone else deal with that.” – Advertisement – 
Kick off 2:00pm While the players may be turning their attention to Slovakia and the Nations League, Clarke understands the fans will still be rejoicing over Thursday night.The squad have seen the images from back home and he hopes the Tartan Army will be able to experience the Euros next summer, even if the format changes from 12 host cities.He said: “From the social media aspect and the fact that media is so readily available now, you get a good feel for how the nation is.“From what I can gather we definitely made them smile, made them happy, which is great. But we’re a long way away from it, which in a way is going to help me get them refocused on the two important games coming up.“Hopefully next summer we are in a better position in terms of controlling the virus and maybe getting on top of it and back to normal life.“But I think wherever it is we can get some spectators in, gets crowds in, get the atmosphere and get a feel of the full occasion that’s the most important thing.“If it’s going to be in one place and supporters can be there then I think that’s a step forward.” Craig Brown, the last person to lead Scotland’s men to a major tournament, thinks the current squad have the experience and quality to get out of the group at Euro 2020 and qualify for consecutive tournaments Scott McTominay cannot wait to face some of his club team-mates when Scotland meet England at next summer’s European Championships “It was a long night and physically and emotionally they were very tired, so they got to sleep. We enjoyed it, we should do after such a long wait.“But we trained this morning – it was a good training session – and we’re ready for the game on Sunday.“We’ve had a great run of results that’s put us in a strong position in the little group that we’re in. The players understand the importance of the next games.“We’re in the Euro 2020 because of the path that Alex McLeish and the players got us to in 2018 – it’s the path that led us to Euro 2020.“As a nation we understand that it’s a very important tournament for us – the Nations League. This next pathway from the Nations League could be to the World Cup in Qatar 2022 and that’s got to be the target as well.”Clarke hopes fans can attend Euro 2020 Scotland will be without the suspended Lyndon Dykes against Slovakia after he picked up a yellow card in their last Nations League game against the Czech Republic.Captain Andy Robertson is an injury doubt and Clarke said to expect a number of changes to his side after a gruelling 120 minutes and penalties on an emotional night in Belgrade.The former Kilmarnock manager said: “I’ve got one or two knocks and niggles. Andy Robertson would be the most doubtful out of the ones that have got a question mark over them for the game. We will give them another 24 hours and see how they are.“Yes, (we will make changes) but the celebrations have nothing to do with it. It was a good celebration, but wasn’t crazy – it wasn’t over the top. It was a physically draining game but emotionally it was a very draining game for the players.“I’ll give them another 24 hours and speak to three or four players who I’ve got a doubt about and hopefully come up with a selection that gets us another three points.“I’m sure there’s a few of them thinking they’ve earned a rest but until I finalise the team selection they’ll not know if they’re getting a rest or not.” 
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In 2016, Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina praised the integrity of the nation’s elections system, criticizing claims by Donald J. Trump that the vote was “rigged.”“Like most Americans, I have confidence in our democracy and our election system,” Mr. Graham said in a statement on Twitter. “If he loses, it will not be because the system is ‘rigged’ but because he failed as a candidate.”- Advertisement – What a difference four years make.Mr. Graham, who has transformed during that time to become one of Mr. Trump’s most loyal allies, now seems determined to reverse the election’s outcome on the president’s behalf. On Friday, he phoned Brad Raffensperger, the secretary of state of Georgia and a fellow Republican, wondering about the possibility of a slight tinkering with the state’s elections outcome.What if, Mr. Graham suggested on the call, according to Mr. Raffensperger, he had the power to toss out all of the mail-in votes from counties with high rates of questionable signatures on ballots?
The Croatian National Tourist Board has launched a special promotional campaign focused on the promotion of health tourism as one of the key segments of the Croatian tourist offer.The campaign will run until December 6 in six markets: Germany, Austria, Slovenia, the United Kingdom, Italy and Switzerland. The focus is on display and print ads and on special online formats and social networks Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.”Health tourism is the fastest growing part of the tourism industry, growing at a rate of 15 to 20 percent annually, and the user of health tourism services spends 20 to 30 percent more than the average guest. In this segment, Croatia has an extremely strong resource base and rich tradition. It is a product that is not related to the sun and the sea and as such has a strong impact on the extension of the tourist year, both on the coast and on the continent. We are sure of the positive effects and results of this campaign, which will position the Croatian health tourism offer even more strongly on the international market.”, Said CNTB director Kristjan Staničić, adding that according to the TOMAS summer 2017 survey, at the moment 7 percent of tourists visit Croatia motivated by health reasons, while 7,6 percent come for wellness.The current health tourism campaign is market-oriented and identified as promising from the position of compatibility of demand and Croatian supply characteristics in the health tourism segment.TOMAS Health Tourism 2018This year, for the first time, the Croatian National Tourist Board, in cooperation with the Institute for Tourism, is conducting a survey “Attitudes and consumption of users of health tourism services in Croatia – TOMAS Health Tourism 2018.”In addition to comparing the characteristics between three different segments of health tourism demand (wellness, spa and medical), this research will also enable the comparison of health tourism demand characteristics with other segments of tourist demand in Croatia, and the research results will be presented early next year.RELATED NEWS:CNTB PRESENTS PORTAL ON HEALTH TOURISM
Refrigerator trucks parked outside hospital doors, overwhelmed undertakers, and talk about temporary burials in parks: America’s coronavirus epicenter of New York is grappling with how to deal with the dead.As the Big Apple’s death toll from COVID-19 soared to 3,485 Monday, images of bodies covered in sheets being transported on stretchers by health workers in protective suits are a common sight outside hospitals.The trucks are storing bodies that are accumulating too quickly for funeral directors to pick them up directly from hospitals. “If you don’t have the space… you need those trucks,” added Brewster, whose small business has been bombarded with requests for funeral services for COVID-19 patients over the past week. ‘Like 9/11’ Pat Marmo manages five funeral homes across the city.He is finding it difficult to cope with the stress generated by influx of bodies, particularly because he himself just lost a cousin and close friend to the pandemic.”The hospitals are pushing [us]. They want the people picked up [as quickly as possible] and the funeral homes don’t have the facilities to handle these bodies,” he told AFP.Marmo estimates that his homes are currently dealing with three times more bodies that normal and that burials will last well into next month.”It’s almost like 9/11, going on for days and days and days,” he said, referring to the worst terror strikes on US soil back on Sept. 11, 2001.Undertakers are so overcrowded that a city official raised the possibility Monday of carrying out temporary burials in a public park.”Trenches will be dug for 10 caskets in a line. It will be done in a dignified, orderly and temporary manner. But it will be tough for NYers to take,” tweeted Mark Levine, a Manhattan council representative.The comments caused quite a stir in America’s most populous city, which has already been transformed by the pandemic, including in Central Park where a field hospital is tending to virus patients. Apex of deaths? The mayor’s spokeswoman, Freddi Goldstein, stressed that the city government was not considering using local parks as cemeteries.But she added that Hart Island, where around one million New Yorkers are buried in mass graves, may be used “for temporary burials, if the need grows.”Mayor Bill de Blasio himself spoke of the possibility of temporary burials “to tide us over until the end of the crisis.”We are not at that point,” he told reporters, before refusing to give any more details.Governor Andrew Cuomo announced Monday that the number of deaths across New York state had flattened out since Saturday’s high, below 600 a day.He suggested the state may be at the peak of its pandemic, but extended stay-at-home measures until April 29, saying now was not the time to end social distancing.
Topics : On Monday morning, AFP saw nine bodies loaded into trucks outside Wyckoff Hospital in Brooklyn.Several undertakers interviewed by AFP said they were struggling to deal with New York state’s coronavirus death toll of more than 500 a day. Between Friday and Saturday, a high of 630 deaths were recorded.”The majority of funeral homes do not have refrigeration or [have] limited refrigeration,” said Ken Brewster, owner of Crowe’s Funeral Homes in Queens.
Germany will ban most large events until the end of October to prevent a new wave of coronavirus transmission, Chancellor Angela Merkel said Wednesday.Social distancing rules and masks will continue to be required in shops and public transport, Merkel said after a meeting with premiers of Germany’s 16 states.But schools are expected to return to normal operations after the summer holidays. “As long as there is no vaccine and no medicine available we must maintain basic measures to protect ourselves,” said Merkel.The ban on large events could affect shows such as the Frankfurt book fair, although Bavarian state premier Markus Soeder opened the door to exceptions, saying some states may “show flexibility while others take a stricter interpretation” on the issue.Organizers of the Frankfurt book fair, which draws around 300,000 visitors, had until now said they planned to go ahead.With new infection rates sharply down from highs in March and a death toll significantly lower than those of its neighbors, Germany became the first major EU country to begin easing virus restrictions about six weeks ago. Topics :
The government noted that rules to maintain a minimum distance of 1.5 meters as well as requirements to cover up noses and mouths in closed public spaces have helped in the fight against new transmissions.It is now counting on contact tracing — both through human trackers as well as through a new app — to ensure that any new infections are isolated. The government added that large-scale testing for the virus would be carried out in places with “groups of vulnerable people”.Merkel has repeatedly warned against complacency before a viable vaccine is found.Underlining the volatility of the situation, an outbreak in a slaughterhouse in western Germany’s Rheda-Wiedenbrueck region led 400 workers to test positive for the virus.And in one Berlin neighborhood, 370 families living in high-rise flats have been put under quarantine after 70 infections were detected.Putting “hundreds of families in quarantine is hard work, but it must be done,” said Merkel. “These outbreaks show us that the virus has not gone away,” she warned. 
‘Stamp of quality’ “Every country has national regulatory agencies that approve the use of vaccines or medicines on its territory,” Jasarevic explained.”WHO has in place a process of pre-qualification for vaccines but also for medicines. Manufacturers ask to have the WHO pre-qualification because it is a sort of stamp of quality.”To get this, there is a review and assessment of all required safety and efficacy data that are gathered through the clinical trials. WHO will do this for any candidate vaccine.”The pandemic has seen an unprecedented mobilization of funding and research to rush through a vaccine that can protect billions of people worldwide.”We are encouraged by the speed by which several candidate vaccines have been developing and as we have been always saying, we hope some of these vaccines will prove to be safe and efficient,” said Jasarevic.”Accelerating progress does not mean compromising on safety,” he said. “Pre-qualification of any vaccine includes the rigorous review and assessment of all the required safety and efficacy data.”Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine has been developed by the Gamaleya research institute in coordination with the country’s defense ministry.A total of 165 candidate vaccines are being worked on around the world, according to the latest WHO overview produced on July 31.Of those, 139 are still in pre-clinical evaluation, while the other 26 are in the various phases of being tested on humans, of which six are the furthest ahead, having reached Phase 3 of clinical evaluation. The World Health Organization said any WHO stamp of approval on a COVID-19 vaccine candidate would require a rigorous safety data review, after Russia announced Tuesday it had approved a vaccine.President Vladimir Putin said Russia had become the first country to approve a vaccine offering “sustainable immunity” against the new coronavirus.”We are in close contact with the Russian health authorities and discussions are ongoing with respect to possible WHO pre-qualification of the vaccine,” the United Nations health agency’s spokesman Tarik Jasarevic told reporters in Geneva at an online press briefing. The Gamaleya candidate being produced in Russia, which is among the 26 being tested on humans, is listed as being in Phase 1.Kirill Dmitriev, the head of the Russian Direct Investment Fund which finances the vaccine project, said Phase 3 trials would start on Wednesday, industrial production was expected from September and that 20 countries had pre-ordered more than a billion doses. Topics :
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is looking for an escape route out of Arsenal (Picture: Getty)Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is reportedly threatening to spark an exodus at Arsenal as he actively seeks a move away from the club despite Mikel Arteta’s imminent arrival.The 30-year-old striker has arguably been the Gunners’ standout player across an otherwise miserable campaign for the north London outfit both on and off the field.Interim head coach Freddie Ljungberg has failed to turn results around following Unai Emery’s dismissal and Aubameyang has reached breaking point over the last few months, along with a large number in an increasingly disillusioned Arsenal dressing room.According to The Independent, the Gabon international is now ‘desperate’ for an escape route out of Arsenal as he looks to join a team capable of competing for major honours.AdvertisementAdvertisementADVERTISEMENTThe prospect of another season without Champions League football, with Arsenal languishing down in 10th place in the Premier League, has convinced Aubameyang to strongly consider his options as he approaches the twilight of his playing career. Comment Xhaka and Lacazette are also considering moves away from Arsenal (Picture: Getty)The report states senior figures such as Alexandre Lacazette and Granit Xhaka are also weighing up their futures as well as around half the squad.Though Aubameyang’s brother criticised Arsenal’s move for Arteta earlier this week, it’s claimed the forward himself has no issues with the Spaniard, more the direction and ambition of the club.Aubameyang is tied into a contract at the Emirates until 2021 and, while Arsenal will hope to persuade the attacker to stay, they will want to avoid being held to ransom as they have been by Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez in recent times. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang desperate to leave Arsenal ahead of Mikel Arteta arrival Advertisement
Aubameyang wants to be competing for major silverware (Picture: Getty)Tony Cascarino has suggested that Arteta should offload five players – Aubameyang, Lacazette, Ozil, David Luiz and Shkodran Mustafi – when he arrives at Arsenal.‘The biggest challenge he will face is dealing with the senior players,’ the former Chelsea and Republic of Ireland star told The Times.‘I remember when Ron Atkinson came into Aston Villa, he said to me immediately: “I have agreed a fee with Celtic for you.”‘That is how Arteta should approach it, starting with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Alexandre Lacazette, David Luiz, Mesut Ozil and Shkodran Mustafi.’More: FootballRio Ferdinand urges Ole Gunnar Solskjaer to drop Manchester United starChelsea defender Fikayo Tomori reveals why he made U-turn over transfer deadline day moveMikel Arteta rates Thomas Partey’s chances of making his Arsenal debut vs Man CityCascarino has urged Arteta to attempt to persuade Fernandinho to follow him from Manchester City to Arsenal.‘With Fernandinho’s contract due to expire at the end of the season, Arteta could bring him in from City to demonstrate to Arsenal’s players what it takes to be a success,’ he added.‘I don’t even think he needs to give them a reason, he just needs to say, “If I find a buyer, you’re gone.”‘Lacazette has been a decent performer but Arteta will want a player who doesn’t sulk, and he could sell him for a big fee.‘It may seem drastic, but that is what Arsenal need.’MORE: Dimitar Berbatov urges Manchester United to avoid signing Erling Haaland Advertisement Metro Sport ReporterThursday 19 Dec 2019 6:59 pmShare this article via facebookShare this article via twitterShare this article via messengerShare this with Share this article via emailShare this article via flipboardCopy link3.3kShares
This $3.5m beachfront apartment at Palm Beach was one of yourtown’s prize homes in 2019. The Palm Beach apartment was styled by ‘The Block’ judge, Darren Palmer.And the criteria is usually aspirational properties in areas of high real estate demand.“The supporter requirements have changed dramatically with the advent of reno programs,” she said.“People’s expectations are way up there. They want better than they have in their own home. “It’s location, location, location. It’s got to have the wow factor.” This house in Tallebudgera was one of yourtown’s prize homes in 2019. Picture supplied. Brisbane couple Rico and Holly Solo have been renting for the past decade and seriously saving for a home deposit for two years. The view from the deck on one of the apartments on offer in Palm Beach in the RSL Art Union’s Golden Treasure prize draw.Ms Gillinder said yourtown invested heavily in Queensland properties in response to their supporter base. “Every single auction we had last year had a Queensland or northern NSW based offer,” she said. Yourtown has already bought properties for auctions to be held up until the end of the financial year. “We try to look a fair way ahead and to raise the most money, and we need the right type of house,” Ms Gillinder said. “Whichever one isn’t chosen, we put back on the market.” Rico and Holly Solo at the home they are renting. They buy tickets in prize home raffles as an alternative to saving for a house deposit. Picture: Peter Wallis.WANNABE homeowners sick of saving for a deposit are resorting to gambling in a desperate bid to get a foot on the property ladder.Charities have become major players in the Queensland property market — raising funds by buying homes to then raffle off as younger generations look for a shortcut to homeownership.Prize homes accounted for $19 million worth of property transactions for just one charity last year, with an increase in the number of potential first home owners buying tickets to be in the running to win the great Australian dream. This house at the Gold Coast was one of yourtown’s prize homes in 2019. Picture supplied.And while a flashy beachfront residence is what you would traditionally expect from a prize house, charities are buying up different types of homes, including apartments and terraces in inner-city locations, to appeal to a wider demographic.Yourtown head of marketing and fundraising Tracey Gillinder said the charity’s target audience was growing as many young families and young professionals felt the housing market was out of their financial reach.“We’re finding a lot of younger people are finding out about us, and because we don’t have as many tickets, you’re chances of winning are way better compared to Lotto,” Ms Gillinder said. “There’s never been a better time to win a house if you’re a young person starting out.” This luxurious three-level apartment at 29/85 Bourke St, Woolloomooloo, was a prize home offered through the yourtown raffle. Picture supplied.For $15 a ticket, yourtown offers punters the chance to win a dream home valued at millions of dollars in some of the best locations along the east coast of Australia.RSL Art Union has 12 lotteries a year, 10 of which are prize homes, and have a prize pool worth more than $40 million this year.RSL Art Union general manager Tracey Bishop said ticket sales had increased 20 per cent between 2018 and 2019.“We’re definitely seeing a greater number of young people participating in the lottery, but it does vary depending on the prize,” Ms Bishop said.“The more relevant to young people, the more who’ll participate. This property at Lennox Head was part of a yourtown prize home package worth $1.68m.“One of the games we do gives away an apartment in Melbourne, Brisbane and Sydney, and we usually see almost double the number of under 30s participate in that because it gives them the flexibility to live in one, sell one and rent one.“In our research, young people are realising that prize homes have changed a lot in their profile and can now see that’s a real option for them.”Ms Bishop said about 40 per cent of the properties they raffled off as prize homes were apartments.“We aren’t just looking for a really nice home in the ‘burbs anymore,” she said.“The most important thing is location, so we’re looking for beachfront and views. “The most common things people look for are walk-in robes, view and lifestyle and the configuration of the house.” This house at 16 Corsair Crescent, Sunrise Beach, was one of the RSL Art Union’s prize homes in 2019, valued at $2.7m. Picture supplied.yourtown is also constantly on the lookout for top shelf luxury properties to raffle off in its 10 Luxury Art Union prize home draws each year.The properties range from beach houses in places like Palm Beach to units overlooking Sydney Harbour. “Seven times out of 10 auctions, we buy two properties and give our supporters a choice,” Ms Gillinder said. “We find Queensland supporters love a beach house. More from newsParks and wildlife the new lust-haves post coronavirus10 hours agoNoosa’s best beachfront penthouse is about to hit the market10 hours ago “It’s a tree or sea change they’re looking for.” “Historically, my parents used to buy the tickets, and me and my wife were looking at alternatives to saving for a house so we started looking at the odds of all the different art unions,” Mr Solo said.“I mean, you’ve got to have your money where it can make a difference, and the chances (of securing a home) aren’t the same as saving up a deposit, but it is definitely a viable option.”
NewsHub 11 April 2016Being married might have its downsides, but dying early of cancer isn’t one of them.Scientists have found a strong correlation between staying alive and having a spouse. Death rates for bachelors fighting cancer are 27 percent higher than similarly afflicted married men, while for unmarried women, it’s 19 percent higher.“While other studies have found similar protective effects associated with being married, ours is the first in a large population-based setting to assess the extent to which economic resources explain these protective effects,” says Scarlett Lin Gomez of the Cancer Prevention Institute of California, who led the study.The health records of more than 800,000 patients diagnosed with cancer in the US between 2000 and 2009 were looked at in the study. Other factors — such as whether the patients had health insurance or were living in wealthier neighbourhoods — only had a small impact on their longevity, compared with marital status.“Research is needed to understand the specific reasons behind these associations so that future unmarried patients can receive interventions to increase their chances of survival,” says study co-leader Maria Elena Martinez of the University of California’s San Diego School of Medicine.READ MORE: http://www.newshub.co.nz/nznews/study-married-people-more-resilient-against-cancer-2016041114#axzz45Yk14Ig7
President Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe also attended the summit Leaders of Asian-African nations meeting in Jakarta Indonesia are calling for a new global order that is open to developing countries and leaves the “obsolete ideas” of Bretton Woods institutions in the past.Their calls came at the opening of a meeting of Asian and African nations in Jakarta to mark the 60th anniversary of a conference that made a developing-world stand against colonialism and led to the Cold War era’s non-aligned movement.The 5 day Asian-African Summit is held once in 10 years, and this is the sixth meeting of the group attanded by 34 heads of state from the Asian and African Continent have gathered at the Asia-Africa Conference in Jakarta.Among the leaders attending are Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Chinese President Xi Jinping, who were expected to meet on the sidelines of the conference.African leaders attending the conference are Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe, King Mswati the 3rd of Swaziland, South Africa’s vice president Cyril Ramaphosa among othersIndonesian President Joko Widodo, the conference host, said those who still insisted that global economic problems could only be solved through the World Bank, International Monetary Fund and Asian Development Bank were clinging to ideas of the past.“There needs to be change,” he said. “It’s imperative that we build a new international economic order that is open to new emerging economic powers.”The IMF and World Bank were at the center of the post-World War Two monetary order created by the United States and Europe at the Bretton Woods Conference in New Hampshire in 1944.There are hopes Asian-African officials will meet more often under the NAASP framework. Some see it as a vehicle to exchange views on regional and global challenges such as terrorism and climate change in addition to economic issues.Its members account for 75 per cent of the world’s population and 28 per cent of global GDP, figures that highlight the possibilities of bringing positive change to billions of people.