Startup unveils ambitious plan for European sleeper trains
Berlin -based startup Nox plans to launch a network of overnight trains connecting more than 100 European cities by 2035, starting operations in 2027.
Nox says it aims to provide an affordable alternative to short-haul flights with private rooms on sleeper trains.
Fares will cost from €79 for a single room and €149 for a double room.
The proposed routes include connections to major cities such as Barcelona, Paris, Amsterdam, Copenhagen, Warsaw, and Budapest.
Nox says passengers will board in the evening, sleep in private rooms with 2m long beds, separate seats, and window views, and arrive rested in the morning.
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The Independent
an hour ago
- The Independent
Saturday's briefing: Liverpool agree club-record deal for Florian Wirtz
Liverpool agreed a club-record deal with Bayer Leverkusen for playmaker Florian Wirtz. The much-anticipated move could break the British record, with the Germany star set to join his former team-mate Jeremie Frimpong at Anfield. Elsewhere, Thomas Frank reacted to his move to Tottenham, while Matheus Cunha spoke of his desire to help turn around Manchester United's fortunes. Wirtz capture close Premier League champions Liverpool are set to pay up to £116million to sign Wirtz after Leverkusen finally settled on a fee. The Reds had two bids rejected, the last one of £113m, which would have seen £100m paid up front with performance-related add-ons, but have finally got the deal over the line. Liverpool will still pay an initial £100m – comfortably surpassing their own record outlay – but the performance-related add-ons, if achieved, would make it a potential British record. Liverpool's overall outlay could surpass the £115m Chelsea paid Brighton in 2023 for Moises Caicedo. Striker Darwin Nunez was the Reds' previous record signing in 2022, although they have not paid the full £85m as he has not met all the requirements for certain add-ons to be due. Bournemouth left-back Milos Kerkez is next on Liverpool's list, which could take their summer spending close to £200m. Frank gets to work Tottenham are prepared to rival Manchester United for Brentford attacker Bryan Mbeumo this summer after the appointment of Frank, the PA news agency understands. Spurs announced former Brentford boss Frank as their new head coach on Thursday night on a three-year deal. One of Frank's first moves in charge could be to try and tempt Mbeumo to follow him across London. The Dane declared 'a big piece of my heart' would always remain at Brentford in an emotional message posted on their official website. 'The time has come for me to move on. But, even as I leave, I know I have left a big piece of my heart at Brentford, not just at the football club but with the community and, of course, the incredible and loyal supporters,' said Frank. 'I want to extend my profound gratitude to the club for giving me the chance to pursue my dreams and for everyone involved who made the journey such a memorable one.' Dream move for Cunha Matheus Cunha is delighted to have joined his 'dream' team and determined to help Manchester United bounce back from their worst season in 51 years. The 20-time English champions are in the midst of a rebuild under Ruben Amorim, having limped home 15th in the Premier League and lost the Europa League final to fellow strugglers Tottenham. The Red Devils' issues did not deter Brazil international Cunha, who completed his eagerly-anticipated £62.5million switch from Wolves on Thursday. 'It is the most common phrase that you can say at this moment, but this is the dream come true,' he told MUTV. 'Maybe outside, I think maybe my decision, they don't understand. But when you have always dreamed to play here, it's easier to pick this decision. 'For me, no-one else is like United. Of course, I know it's been a hard season for everyone. I think my decision shows what this club is for me and what I believe this club can be.' Mikey eyes more silverware One player hoping to impress Frank is Spurs youngster Mikey Moore, but the teenager's immediate focus is ending an unforgettable breakthrough campaign with another European trophy. The highly-rated 17-year-old made 19 appearances in all competitions for his boyhood club, with five of those coming in the Europa League. The winger was on the bench for the final in Bilbao and three weeks on has more continental glory in his sights as England kick off their bid for Under-19 European Championship glory. 'It was a top experience – some of the best times of my life on that Wednesday night,' Moore told PA. 'Hopefully going on to win another medal and another trophy with these boys here would be a brilliant feeling and experience for everyone. 'There's some top players. We think we can go on and hopefully win the tournament. It's been a good little build-up but excited to get into the games now.' What's on today? The Club World Cup gets under way on Saturday night at the Hard Rock Stadium, with Inter Miami playing in their home city against Egyptians Al Ahly in Group A. Moore will hope to star when England Under-19s begin their Euro campaign against Norway in Romania.
Times
2 hours ago
- Times
Are you in need of a health reset? These spas can help
Sometimes a long weekend full of lazy lie-ins is all you need to feel well rested and rebooted. But, once in a while, treating yourself to a week-long health retreat, preferably with a picturesque backdrop and luxurious facilities, is required to feel truly reset. If you can spare the holiday, here are four that offer impressive results when it comes to sending you home feeling and looking a whole lot healthier. With all the best will in the world, it can be tricky to make big changes to your diet when you're surrounded by temptations at home, so taking yourself for a gut reset at a clinic is a great way to initiate true change. The Original Mayr Medical Resort opened in 1976 and for almost 50 years has treated visitors with the Mayr cure. This is a programme that involves alkaline foods, lots of chewing, lower calories and fasting, alongside medical appointments, treatments and movement. A week in the historic and luxurious Austrian clinic allows your digestive systems — and your brain — to relax, de-stress and reset. Recently it realigned one of its programmes to hone in on gut health. It provides stool, urine and breath testing, allergy testing and ultrasounds (you can add a colonoscopy if your doctor thinks it necessary). Your meals will be 'gut friendly' (with nothing inflammatory or tricky to digest) and treatments will be orientated towards gut issues, including colonic hydrotherapy and abdominal massages to move things along. There will also be a focus on stress (which is proven to slow digestion and disrupt gut bacteria), so wellbeing coaching with the in-house psychotherapist, plus soothing therapies such as shiatsu, are also recommended. A week at the clinic (or two if you're feeling brave) can facilitate an impressive amount of immediate change, and it can also be a useful fact-finding mission. The lead doctor, Dr Ursula Muntean-Rock, is trained in general medicine but also passionate about holistic healing (she spent many years training in traditional Chinese medicine in China). She is well placed to assess all of your results to form a lifestyle plan to keep up the good gut work and, hopefully, keep the bloating and blockages at bay. Original Mayr Medical Resort seven-day Detox and Gut Health programme, from £4043. Includes programme, meals and accommodation in single room. Situated at the northern point of the German island of Sylt (their version of the Hamptons, according to many) and in a building that looks like a Bond villain's lair, Lanserhof Sylt is a clinic synonymous with medical excellence. The medical programme here is not predetermined, but a bespoke itinerary is compiled — after diagnostics, examinations and lots and lots of questions. This makes it a great choice for those without specific ailments but who just want to feel (and look) better. 'People often come here who aren't ill by definition but have things they can't put their finger on,' says the chief marketing officer, Nils Behrens. 'On a scale of one to ten for 'health', most people arrive saying they feel around five to seven. We want them to leave feeling as close to ten as possible.' Inside the 50,000 sq ft medical clinic are ten full-time doctors, with 32 further specialists (from physiotherapists and hypnotherapists to facialists and acupuncturists). There's even a cardiologist and gastrologist, for more serious medical complaints that might come up via testing. The testing itself could include a full-body scan using 96 cameras and AI, a liver fat scan, or a more familiar ECG. Your programme will likely combine medical treatments with natural or alternative practices such as craniosacral therapy. The food is also tailored to your plan and goals. It can be a measly 400 calories per day if called for (which might mean a cup of nut milk and rice cake to start your day) or bulked up with lots of in season fruit, vegetables and meat to create nutritious and filling meals. Walking or cycling around the shores of the island feels like it's doing good things for you too, especially in the spring and early summer, when wild roses grow bountifully in hedgerows, their heady scent mingling with sea salt. It's just one of the many resources you can tap at Lanserhof to work your way to better health, and hopefully have you heading home feeling ten out of ten. Seven to eight nights at Lanserhof Sylt in theLanserhof Cure Classic exclusive accommodation starts from 2,980 EUR, Being such a buzzword in wellness, most clinics will now have a programme dedicated to 'longevity'. But at SHA it's the reason it exists. The founder, Alfredo Bataller Parietti, opened his first SHA property in rural Spain as a place for guests to experience the integrative medicine and healing nutrition that helped with his own health issues (including a cancer diagnosis). More than 15 years later he — and SHA — are still going strong. Cancun — the Mexican city famous for its vibrant party scene — might not seem the obvious choice for the group's second property, opened in 2024. But just a short drive from the airport down the Riviera Maya you'll find the most zen beachfront, Costa Mujeres, where the impressive SHA Wellness building (designed by local architects, the design is based on the shape of a DNA strand) ripples elegantly along the shoreline, with ocean views on one side and green fields of mangroves on the other. Against the backdrop of rolling waves and tropical birds, longevity takes centre stage via diet and treatments focused on living a healthier, happier life for longer. There are lessons in a more sustainable way of healthy living, with an emphasis on your emotional wellbeing alongside the physical. Leaving SHA you should feel refocused, relaxed and re-energised. Your first few appointments will be focussed on fact-finding: biometric readings of your body composition, blood tests, doctor-led consultations, a cognitive assessment and stress-level measurement, for example. The results of these will be used to personalise your programme. There's a seemingly endless range of ways your time could be filled: body therapies such as targeted massages and detox wraps, personal training sessions, medical treatments, cosmetic appointments such as facials, exercise classes or guided meditation. There are also cooking classes on offer, alternative therapies like shiatsu, reflexology and acupuncture, or just wallowing and reviving in the hydrotherapy area or outdoor pools… The list goes on. However, the people you'll perhaps be most thankful for during your stay are the team of chefs, led by the charming Lixi Lineas from France. The food at SHA is famously delicious, which might come as a surprise if you've ever been to a detox retreat that is more broth-and-potato focused. From baked polenta with mushrooms and tom yum sauce to vegan 'tuna' (made from chickpeas and cleverly deployed seaweed). There's even puddings, some of which include chocolate. Rates at SHA Mexico start from $2,700 for a four-day Recover & Energise programme. For more information, please visit The little sister of the grand Bürgenstock hotel — a glamorous, brutalist showstopper — Waldhotel is, by contrast, quiet, refined and discreet. Part private medical centre, part five-star spa hotel, everything about the building welcomes in the surroundings. These include the structure's larch-latticed exterior and the decks where guests lie, soaking in the mountain scenery and inhaling the scents of rosemary, forests and farmyards. Inside it's all Swiss efficiency and charm. Conceived as Switzerland's leading private medi-spa, where ill or injured patients check in for rehabilitation or recovery, it has a medical facility with 23 specially equipped bedrooms for postoperative recovery and gyms fitted with high-tech rehabilitation and fitness equipment. Above this centre are 137 hotel rooms and suites, an enormous, light-filled stone-and-wood spa, plus a dentist and aesthetics area, should you want a top-up of your injectables while you're there. Though you could check in for a bog-standard health retreat, this is really built for initiating significant improvements. In one day you could have (deep breath…) three blood tests, a consultation with a doctor, an abdominal ultrasound, a session with a nutritionist, a head-to-toe examination and precancerous cell removal by a dermatologist, and a mobility test and PT session. All before lights out at 7.30pm. What really stands out here is high-spec technology. If you have lung or breathing issues, for example, there is a contraption that involves you standing in a glass box, connected to monitors that measure not only the power of your lungs but the concentration of gases you're exhaling. There's an ECG test connected to an exercise bike and a Dexa machine that scans your body for the exact make-up of (healthy) bones, (good) muscle and (excess) fat. Essentially, if there is an ailment hidden somewhere, it's going to have trouble staying hidden here. Treatments will be personalised to help get you back to peak health. They could equally be high-tech or may simply harness the serene surroundings, such as breathing exercises to the backdrop of tinkling cowbells or mindful mountain treks. The team of doctors and therapists will do their best to put you right in the time they have, sending you home more knowledgeable, well rested and healed — or at least on the right track. POA,
Times
2 hours ago
- Times
Why the Scottish Football Museum is one of the world's best
May 1976, Scotland v England at Hampden Park. In the 49th minute, with the score 1-1, Joe Jordan rampages down the left wing and crosses to Kenny Dalglish. As a nation holds its breath, Dalglish shimmies past an England defender and fires a shot. To everyone's surprise, the normally reliable Ray Clemence lets the ball slip between his legs and trickle into the net. From Kirkwall to Kirkcudbright, Scots respond with the kind of collective roar usually reserved for the likes of Bannockburn. This seminal moment in sporting history is played endlessly in a video loop at the Scottish Football Museum at Hampden, which Live Football Tickets has just named the third best football museum in Europe. Bettered only by museums in Greece and Serbia, the Hampden museum was streets ahead of the National Football Museum in Manchester, which limped in at ninth. Another historic win for Scotland. For the full Hampden experience, the museum manager, Andy Kerr, leads hour-long tours behind the scenes, through players' and match officials' dressing rooms and into the tunnel leading to the pitch, followed by as long as visitors like in the museum. • Scottish Football Museum honours women's game The original Hampden was built in 1903, and three decades later a world record crowd of 149,415 crammed in to watch Scotland beat England 3-1. It was demolished in the 1990s to make way for a downsized modern stadium. The dressing rooms are smart and functional rather than luxurious, allowing players representing club or country to focus on what they are here for. But they are helped to feel at home with national and club emblems on the walls of their respective rooms. The atmospheric climax is walking through the tunnel towards the Hampden Roar, which must make a few hairs rise. I can only imagine the thrill. Every year two teams emerge hoping to win the oldest association football trophy in the world, the Scottish Cup, which has pride of place in a glass case here at the museum. It is a handsome trophy crafted by silversmiths in 1873 for 56 pounds, 7 shillings and 11 pence, now estimated to be worth an eye-watering £1 million. For this reason it never leaves the stadium. After being presented to the winning team and paraded in a victory lap, it is returned to the museum for safekeeping and the team is given a replica. The stars of the collection are undoubtedly the portraits of dozens of players, managers and personalities. Dalglish is prominent among them, along with Denis Law, 'Slim Jim' Baxter, Graeme Souness and Alex Ferguson. • Five of the best heritage museums in Scotland There are surprising names among lesser-known lights of the game, notably Robert Smyth McColl, who scored a hat-trick in a 4-1 victory over England in 1900. He became known as 'Toffee' Bob a year later when he founded a newsagent with his brother. There was also a licensed-to-kill secret agent by the name of James Bond, aka Sean Connery, who played for Bonnyrigg Rose juniors for a couple of seasons in the 1950s. 'Big Tam' is remembered for a fashionable brown corduroy jacket and an entourage of doe-eyed local girls, though he was offered a trial by the Manchester United manager Matt Busby, which he wisely declined for an acting career. A set of 1903 iron and wood turnstiles leads to a motley collection of historic football strips, medals, posters and clunky leather boots that look as if they were designed for coalminers. Speaking of which, the exhibition From Pit to Pitch: A Story of Coal Seams & Football Dreams, running until the end of the year, investigates the mining communities across central Scotland that incubated great footballers and managers, including Bill Shankly, Jock Stein and Busby. One exhibit brought back fond memories of my early career as a trainee sports reporter, showing a section of the old press box with a phone booth that adorned the roof of the old stadium. I still remember climbing a spiral iron staircase and the smell of an old wooden corridor leading to our eyrie overlooking the field of dreams and much of Glasgow, as far as Ben Lomond. The thunderous roar of the crowd still rings in my ears. Entry to the Scottish Football Museum is £8 for adults and £3 for children; entry plus stadium tour costs £16/£9 (
