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Scottish Sun
7 days ago
- Sport
- Scottish Sun
Luke Humphries apologises to fans after hilarious nine-darter fail leaves even rival Nathan Aspinall laughing
Click above to watch the video LUKE AWAY Luke Humphries apologises to fans after hilarious nine-darter fail leaves even rival Nathan Aspinall laughing LUKE HUMPHRIES jokingly apologised to fans after failing a nine dart attempt in the Premier League play-off semi-finals. The 30-year-old was three darts away from completing the feat in the fourth leg and needed a 141 to do it. Advertisement 3 Luke Humphries apologised to fans after failing a nine-dart attempt Credit: X/ @OfficialPDC 3 The world No1 held his hand up to the crowd Credit: X/ @OfficialPDC 3 Nathan Aspinall couldn't help but laugh Credit: X/ @OfficialPDC However, on this third trip to the oche in the leg, he completely missed the treble 20 and instead hit one. The crowd sarcastically cheered in response, sparking a hilarious reaction from both Humphries and his oppenent, Nathan Aspinall. World No1 Humphries turned around to the crowd and held his hand up with a smile to apologise. Aspinall couldn't help but laugh before stepping up to the oche for his turn. Advertisement Humphries went on to win the semi-final 10-7 against the Asp. As a result, he set up a final meeting with Luke Littler for the second year running. Littler held off Gerwyn Price to win 10-7 at the 02 Arena in London. After the match, the Nuke said: "When he (Price) hit the double five to go 6-4 up I took myself straight off stage, I needed to get myself up for it. Advertisement CASINO SPECIAL - BEST CASINO BONUSES FROM £10 DEPOSITS "The first five or six legs I was nervous and going into the break 6-4 down was not what I wanted. "I knew, especially after last year, that I love coming on after a break so I relaxed myself and I got the job done."
Metro
29-04-2025
- Science
- Metro
Giant ‘space umbrella' will orbit Earth but it won't stop the rain - here's why
The 'space brolly' is nothing to do with geoengineering A satellite that looks like a giant parasol was launched into orbit today, and will open itself up automatically in space. The 'space brolly' was made by the European Space Agency, and blasted off this morning from South America. While geoengineering projects about 'dimming the sun' have been in the news lately, this has nothing to do with them. It's not going to affect the weather, either by providing us with a cool bit of shade or by keeping the rain off (it's much too high up for that). The Biomass satellite is designed to 'weigh' forests using radar, to tell us more about the state of the world's rainforests and jungles. It will give 'unprecedented insights' into their 'crucial role in Earth's carbon cycle', showing us more about how well they are faring. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Up Next Previous Page Next Page Its 12-metre-wide mesh reflector (the umbrella bit) is supported by a 7.5-metre boom, and was developed by over 50 companies led by Airbus UK. We'd better hope that it's better than our own umbrellas when it comes to getting buffetted by space winds. Why is this mission important? Forests absorb and store large amounts of carbon dioxide: around 8 billion tonnes every year. This makes them important in regulating the planet's temperature, and they are often called the world's 'green lungs'. When they are cut down or degraded, this carbon is released back into the atmosphere, contributing to global heating. We know this is a problem, but so far data is scarce on exactly how bad. How will Biomass help? It is the first satellite to be equipped with a P-band synthetic aperture radar. This is a type of radar which is often used to show us more about space, such as the surface of other planets, like Mars. Are we sure they didn't just repurpose the 02 Arena (Picture: ESA) But now it's being used to create detailed 3D maps of forests and essentially 'weigh' them to see how much biomass there is from trees (the total mass of living organisms in an ecosystem at a specific time). The ESA say this is the first satellite which is 'capable of penetrating forest canopies to measure woody biomass – trunks, branches, and stems – where most forest carbon is stored. 'These measurements act as a proxy for carbon storage, the assessment of which is the mission's primary goal. 'Data from Biomass will significantly reduce uncertainties in carbon stock and flux estimates, including those related to land-use change, forest loss, and regrowth.' The agency's Director of Earth Observation Programmes, Simonetta Cheli, said: 'With Biomass, we are poised to gain vital new data on how much carbon is stored in the world's forests, helping to fill key gaps in our knowledge of the carbon cycle and, ultimately, Earth's climate system.' Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ For more stories like this, check our news page. Arrow MORE: Controversial Russian satellite involved in nuclear row is 'spinning out of control' Arrow MORE: Rare 'smiley face' to light up sky when Venus, Saturn and the Moon align Arrow MORE: China plans to build nuclear plant on the moon to power base shared with Russia
Budapest Times
29-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Budapest Times
Good times, bad times but overwhelmingly good
Tim SImons was on Led Zeppelin's crew at City Hall in Salisbury, UK, on December 20, 1971, and he got chatting to drummer John Bonham at the post-concert meal. 'I know it's a bit cheeky but any chance of a lift home?' he wondered. Bonham asked why, and Tim, 17, said, 'Well, you're the only man I know with a white, soft-top Rolls-Royce Corniche. I live on a council estate and I would feel great if you took me home.' So Bonham did. But when Martin Pottinger joined the roadies for Led Zeppelin's month-long, 21-show, eighth North American visit in mid-1972, Bonham took a dislike to him. Pottinger tried to steer clear, finding Bonham to be a nasty drunk, a big guy with big hands looking to whack people. 'I think he thought I was some little twat, which is fine because I thought he was a complete arsehole and not a nice person at all.' Bonham tried to throw Pottinger's suitcase out a window, tossed a bucket of water on his hotel bed and finally got him fired. Encounters differ, then, and these are two poles-apart memories from the band's beginning in 1968 to its demise in 1980, via Scandinavia, Britain, the United States, Japan, Australia and New Zealand, and the reunions at Live Aid in Philadelphia in 1985 and the 02 Arena in London in 2007. Some 750-plus fans contributed to this 400-page oral history of one of rock music's greatest bands, mostly from the audiences, of course, but also the fortunate few who actually met Robert Plant, Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones and John 'Bonzo' Bonham. Naturally, it's the close-up encounters between the fans and their musical gods that are invariably the most readable. Phyllis Fox, 16, and her girlfriends were outside the Convention Hall at Asbury Park in New Jersey, US, on August 16, 1969, waiting for the band's limousine to arrive. One of her friends was 'tall, blonde and gorgeous', and when the car drove in, the rear window rolled down and Jimmy Page reached out. 'She hopped in the limo and about 20 minutes later came over to us and whispered in my ear, 'I just gave Jimmy Page a blowjob.' Then she shouted it out for everyone to hear!' recounts Phyllis. There are a couple of similar tales about the imperious Messrs. Page, Plant, their peckers and compliant girls. Craig Barrows saw the band at the Kinetic Playground in Chicago, Illinois, US, on February 7, 1969, and he was in the men's toilet taking a leak when Plant came in and peed next to him. 'How do we sound tonight?' the singer asked. He also bummed a cigarette. 'My moment next to a hero!' recalls Craig. At the same gig, Bob Hollis and his friend were so close to Page on stage that he was sweating on them. And Stuart Langford reckons he saved Page from very nearly electrocuting himself at De Montfort Hall, Leicester, UK, on March 13, 1969, when, pre-gig, Langford found the guitarist kneeling on stage, hardly able to see in the dark, reaching under the boards, feeling around, trying to wedge the bare ends of his amplifier cable into a 15-amp socket, creating the odd spark, a 'zzzzzzzz' sound and the smell of singeing. Langford literally pulled Page away, saying 'Jimmy, don't do that!' They lent him a plug that he promised to return but didn't. Led Zeppelin uber-fan and chronicler Dave Lewis established the Tight But Loose fanzine in 1978 and in its 40-plus years it reached like-minded enthusiasts in more than 30 countries. Lewis saw the band 15 times and has contributed a foreword to Houghton's book, recounting how the band emerged out of the remnants of the Yardbirds, who split in summer 1968, leaving guitarist Page with the rights to the name and the task of assembling a new band. Page travelled to the Midlands to see a recommended singer named Robert Plant, and it is the then-unknown Plant who is the subject of the book's first fan contribution, in 1965 no less. Dave Braddock recalls seeing him perform at the Club Lafayette in Wolverhampton, UK, which was primarily a discotheque but occasionally hired local bands. Braddock doesn't remember the name of Plant's band, and says the singer belted out numbers a bit too loudly for a crowd that preferred the Tamla Motown sound. He mainly distinguished himself with yellow trousers with a large red overcheck, thus quickly dubbed as his 'Rupert Bear' pants. Derek Thomas, age 14, also saw 'Bob' Plant in 1965, at St. John's Hall, Stourbridge, in the Midlands. Plant was fronting Black Snake Moan, named after a Blind Lemon Jefferson song, and playing blues and R&B. Derek also saw him at a New Year's Eve gig in Dudley Town Hall, UK, where 'Bob' and Roy Harper serended the attendees with 'Auld Lang Syne'. Another early encounter comes from Peter Smith who saw Plant's band named Listen, at The Woolpack in Wolverhampton in 1966. Listen became Band of Joy with Plant singing and John Bonham on drums, and they played frequently around the Midlands. This was the year that top session guitarist Page joined the Yardbirds, first on bass then guitar after Jeff Beck left. On August 18, 1968, the four members of what would become Led Zeppelin met in a basement below a record shop in Gerrard Street, London, and John Paul Jones, familiar to Page on London's session musician circuit, said: 'We all met up in this little room to see if we could stand each other.' They played their first show, as The New Yardbirds, at the Teen Club, in a school gymnasium, Gladsaxe, Denmark, on September 7, 1968. Their second show, at an unknown venue in Stockholm, Sweden, on September 12, was curtailed when the speakers shut down, and after another show the same night in the Pop Club in Stockholm, a reviewer suggested that 'Robert Planto's (sic) dancing needed work'. The short tour concluded on September 15 at Stjarscenen Club in Gothenburg, Sweden. From October 4-19 The New Yardbirds played in Newcastle, London and Liverpool before debuting as Led Zeppelin at the University of Surrey in Guildford on October 25, 1968. Early UK dates were at the Fishmongers Arms Hall in Wood Green, The Toby Jug in Tolworth, Farx Club at The Northcote Arms in Southall and the Nottingham Boat Club. Unfortunately, but unsurprisingly, there is almost nil record of these early days. But on December 26, the band began its first US tour, and now the fans' comments start to flow. The vast majority are adulatory, telling how the band, both live and on record, changed people's lives, were a religious experience, blew the roof off, et cetera. Some unimpressed malcontents pop up among the euphoria and there were disastrously sloppy shows, but only a tiny minority. So, the fans recall the thrills and spills as Led Zeppelin stormed the rock world. Memories range from short and bland (Plant spotted down the high street in his wellies! Plant patted my dog!) to great detail. Here we have it all (over and over again) – clubs and enormodomes, electric atmospheres, ear-ringing marathon shows with acoustic interludes, rain and risk of electrocution, the odd riot, vibrating balconies, drum solos by stick and by hand, double-neck and triple-neck guitars, violin bows, the theremin and gong, rock 'n' roll medleys, lasers, acid, weed, tight trousers and cock rock, 8-track tapes and ticket queues, and squeezed lemons. Here's one of the best recollections – at City Hall, Salisbury, Wiltshire UK, on December 20, 1971, Susan Hayward and her husband Roger had seats because she was six months pregnant. She had never ever heard anything so loud. 'I swear you could feel the force of the sound against your face.' Her baby started kicking wildly and did so for the whole show, though there was some relief during 'Stairway to Heaven'. Later that baby, Justin, could impress friends by telling them he had been to a Led Zeppelin concert, albeit in the womb. Repetitive, yes, and even rather juvenile at times, but somehow a very compelling read. Your Budapest Times correspondent Christopher Maddock (aka Osterberg) was leafing through 'Led Zeppelin: Whole Lotta Love, A People's History' and got a shock to find himself turning up on Page 97. His unwitting contribution was a comment that had originally appeared on the Led Zeppelin website a decade or so ago, when he pointed out the irony of the band listing all their concerts alongside the hope that photos, recordings, et cetera of shows would surface, a bit of a forlorn hope considering that 30 years or so earlier they had been actively combatting illicit live recordings, mainly to prevent rip-off bootleggers but also netting fans who simply required a personal souvenir of a concert. Here is his account: I WAS THERE: CHRISTOPHER MADDOCK Born in Cornwall in 1950, I started going to UK rock concerts and festivals in about 1968. One of my first was the Bath Festival of Blues in 1969, followed by the Shepton Mallet three-day event in 1970, the Bath Festival of Blues and Progressive Music. I was a junior reporter on The Kentish Times and I managed to get in the press area in front of the stage. Led Zeppelin followed Flock on stage. Flock were obviously very stoned and their set was cut a bit short, much to their stoned bemusement. This apparently happened on the orders of the Zeppelin team, who wanted Zeppelin on stage at their preferred time of dusk. While Zeppelin played, members of their crew continually jumped into the packed press area and barged through to rip cassettes out of cassette recorders that they had spotted, with no argument permitted. I suppose that was fair enough in a way, with bands' concerns about bootlegs. On Led Zeppelin's website on the page referring to the Shepton Mallet show, manager Peter Grant is quoted as saying: 'Some people were trying to videotape the Bath festival and they'd already been told beforehand they couldn't, so I had no qualms about throwing a bucket of water on to the tape machine which blew the whole lot up. Whoosh! It made a horrible smell and then it melted.' I did not see this incident, metres as I was from the stage. Ah, the wisdom of hindsight. It would be great now, wouldn't it, to have all those destroyed video and casette tapes. (Subsequently, 17 minutes of very good 16mm footage backstage and on stage at Bath 1970 has emerged on YouTube, also two hours and 11 minutes of dodgy audio – editor. )
Forbes
22-03-2025
- Sport
- Forbes
UFC Tonight: What You Need To Know About The UFC London Fight Card
LONDON, ENGLAND - MARCH 21: (L-R) Opponents Leon Edwards of Jamaica and Sean Brady face off during ... More the UFC Fight Night ceremonial weigh-in at The O2 on March 21, 2025 in London, England. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC) The is back at 02 Arena in London, England for today's UFC London fight card. The UFC Fight Night features a main event between Leon Edwards and Sean Brady. Edwards, a former UFC welterweight champion, competes for the first time since losing his belt to Belal Muhammad in July 2024. The rising Brady is coming off back-to-back wins following a 2022 knockout loss to Muhammad. In the UFC London 2025 co-main event, former UFC light heavyweight champion Jan Blachowicz faces the charging Carlos Ulberg. Below is the pertinent information you need to know about tonight's UFC London fight card. LONDON, ENGLAND - MARCH 21: Leon Edwards of Jamaica poses on the scale during the UFC Fight Night ... More ceremonial weigh-in at The O2 on March 21, 2025 in London, England. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC) Leon Edwards (22-4-0-1) joined the UFC in late 2014. He was 8-1 at the time and coming off a successful defense of the BAMMA British welterweight title. Edwards dropped his UFC debut, losing a split decision to Claudio Silva in November 2014. He then scored a knockout win and a 'Performance of the Night' bonus against Seth Baczynski. A decision victory over Pawel Pawlak followed. In December 2015, Edwards faced Kamaru Usman on the early prelims of a UFC on Fox card. Usman won that contest by unanimous decision. That fight, which took place more than eight years ago, was the last time Edwards was on the losing end of a UFC contest. Following his loss to Usman, Edwards picked up wins over Dominic Waters (decision), Albert Tumenov (submission), Vicente Luque (decision), and Bryan Barberena (decision). The victory over Barberena, which came on the main card of a September 2017 UFC Fight Night event in Rotterdam, earned Edwards the No. 15 spot in the welterweight rankings. After that, Edwards went on a four-fight winning streak, picking up three decision wins and one TKO. That stretch of wins put him at No. 3 in the rankings. Edwards was initially booked to face former UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley in March 2020, but Edwards, who fights out of England, was forced to withdraw from that event due to COVID-19 restrictions after the card was moved from the UK to the US. The event was eventually scrapped. After the Woodley fight was canceled, Edwards wanted to fight Jorge Masvidal, someone ranked ahead of him or for the UFC welterweight crown. With none of those fights being offered to him, Edwards was inactive. That inactivity resulted in the UFC removing him from the rankings, something he did not take well. One day after the UFC removed Edwards from the rankings, the promotion announced Edwards vs. Khamzat Chimaev for a UFC Fight Night event in December 2020. With that booking, the UFC put Edwards back into the rankings at No. 3. That fight never took place as both fighters tested positive for COVID. Chimaev then pulled out of the rebooked fight because of lingering COVID effects. The UFC tried to book the bout again, but Chimaev was again forced out because he was still dealing with COVID issues. With that, the UFC booked the Edwards vs. Muhammad contest discussed above. A decision win over Nate Diaz at UFC 263 in June 2021 followed for Edwards, which set up Edwards vs. then-champion Usman for the welterweight title in March 2023. Edwards. Behind on all three scorecards as the clock ticked down, Edwards delivered a perfectly placed and timed head kick that dropped Usman to the mat at 4:04 of the final round. With that, Edwards captured UFC gold. Edwards defeated Usman in the March 2023 rematch by majority decision. He then defended the title in December 2023 with a unanimous decision win over Colby Covington. Edwards was unbeaten in 13 fights heading into his UFC 304 fight against Belal Muhammad. Muhammad took the title from Edwards with a unanimous decision (48–47, 48–47, 49–46). Edwards is the No. 1 fighter in the official UFC welterweight rankings. He was initially booked to face Jack Della Maddalena on this card, but Della Maddalena was moved to the main event of UFC 315 opposite Belal Muhammad. LONDON, ENGLAND - MARCH 21: Sean Brady poses on the scale during the UFC Fight Night ceremonial ... More weigh-in at The O2 on March 21, 2025 in London, England. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC) Leon Edwards vs. Sean Brady Jan Blachowicz vs. Carlos Ulberg Gunnar Nelson vs. Kevin Holland Molly McCann vs. Alexia Thainara Jordan Vucenic vs. Chris Duncan Nathaniel Wood vs. Morgan Charrière Jai Herbert vs. Chris Padilla Lone'er Kavanagh vs. Felipe dos Santos Marcin Tybura vs. Mick Parkin Christian Leroy Duncan vs. Andrey Pulyaev Shauna Bannon vs. Puja Tomar Nathan Fletcher vs. Caolán Loughran Guram Kutateladze vs. Kauê Fernandes Saturday, March 22, 2025 02 Arena in London, England Full fight card streams on ESPN+ Prelims: 1:00 p.m. ET Main Card: 4:00 p.m. ET LONDON, ENGLAND - MARCH 21: Jan Blachowicz of Poland poses on the scale during the UFC Fight Night ... More official weigh-in at The Hilton London Canary Wharf on March 21, 2025 in London, England. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC) Blachowicz (29-10-1) has been with the UFC since October 2014. Since that time, the 41-year-old has compiled a 12-7-1 UFC record. Blachowicz won the vacant UFC light heavyweight title in September 2020 with a TKO victory over Dominick Reyes. The Polish competitor defended his crown in March 2021 with a unanimous decision win over then-UFC middleweight titleholder Israel Adesanya. The loss was the first setback of Adesanya's career. Glover Teixeira took the title from Blachowicz in October 2021, winning the UFC 267 contest via second-round submission. Blachowicz has a 1-1-1 record since that defeat. In May 2022 he earned a TKO win over Aleksander Rakic. The ex-champ followed that by fighting Magomed Ankalaev to a draw in December 2022. In his most recent outing, Blachowicz lost a split-decision to Alex Pereira. That contest took place in July 2023. Blachowicz was scheduled to face Rakic in a rematch in January, but that fight fell through because of an injury to Blachowicz's shoulder that required surgery. Blachowicz is the No. 3 fighter in the official UFC light heavyweight rankings. LONDON, ENGLAND - MARCH 21: Carlos Ulberg of New Zealand poses on the scale during the UFC Fight ... More Night official weigh-in at The Hilton London Canary Wharf on March 21, 2025 in London, England. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC) Ulberg (11-1) made his UFC debut in March 2021 after winning a contract on a Dana White's Contender Series card. Ulberg's knockout win on the DWCS moved his record to 5-0. At the time Ulberg was known mostly as a member of the City Kickboxing team out of Auckland, New Zealand. Today, he is Carlos Ulberg, the N0. 6 ranked fighter in the UFC's light heavyweight division. Ulberg's official UFC run began at UFC 259 with a loss. Kennedy Nzechukwu knocked out Ulberg in a Fight of the Night bonus-winning scrap on that night in March 2021. Since that defeat, Ulberg has gone 7-0 with five stoppage victories. The 34-year-old is coming off a November 2024 decision win over former UFC light heavyweight title challenger Volkan Oezdemir. Ulberg opened as a -200 favorite over the +165 Blachowicz. Today, Ulberg is a -300 favorite over Blachowicz, who comes in at +240. Most of the bets (64 percent) are on Blachowicz, while the money is in Ulberg's favor (73 percent). Jan Blachowicz is a former UFC champ, and that carries some weight, but he is 42 years old and 1-2-1 in his past four fights, with that win coming via injury TKO. His last 'real' victory came against Israel Adesanya when the then-UFC middleweight champ moved up to 205 pounds to pursue UFC light heavyweight gold. Had this fight occurred during Blachowicz's run between 2019 and 2021, the pick would be easy. Seeing as it is 2025, the betting pick is more difficult. Ulberg is younger, throws more, lands more, and has incredible power and speed. The timing is right for Ulberg in this fight. However, one most look at Ulberg's most recent win over Volkan Oezdemir, where Ulberg looked more hittable than he had in his first seven UFC bouts. The betting pick is for Ulberg to win via decision, but there could be value in betting Blachowicz to win if the odds keep moving. Stay tuned for more coverage for tonight's UFC Vegas London fight card: Edwards vs. Brady.
Yahoo
08-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
All 20 acts confirmed for Watford Colosseum after reopening
Jools Holland and Simon Reeve are among the latest acts to be added as Watford Colosseum's early line-up takes shape. With the Rickmansworth Road venue, which has been vacant since 2020, set to reopen later this year, 02 Arena managers AEG Presents have been arranging more events to fill out its calendar. At the end of 2024, the list of acts signed on to perform once refurbishment is finished towards the end of this year stood at just nine, but it has since more than doubled to 20. Watford Colosseum. (Image: Watford Borough Council) Thursday, October 2 - Whitney Houston tribute: Saving All My Love for You Saturday, October 4 – Strictly Come Dancing favourites dance show: The Return of the Legends Thursday, October 16 – Live band disco night: Lost in Music Saturday, October 18 – Jazz-funk band: Level 42 Thursday, October 30 – Circus: Cirque, The Greatest Show Reimagined Saturday, November 1 – Tina Turner tribute: What's Love Got To Do With It? Monday, November 3 – Tenor performances: Russell Watson The Evolution Tour Thursday, November 6 – Orchestra: Jools Holland and His Rhythm and Blues Orchestra MORE SEATS RELEASED for Jools Holland's Rhythm & Blues Orchestra (@JoolsBand) on 6 November with Imelda May Tickets are selling quick, so get yours now 🔗 🎺 — Watford Colosseum (@WfordColosseum) February 3, 2025 Tuesday, November 11 – New wave chart topper: Adam Ant Tuesday, November 18 – Tony Blackburn hosted show: Sounds of the 60s Live Friday, November 21 – Elvis Presley tribute: The King's Voice Thursday, December 4 – George Michael tribute: Rob Lamberti Presents Perfectly George Sunday, December 7 – Taylor Swift tribute: Taylormania Thursday, December 11 – ABBA night: ABBA-Merry Xmas Monday, December 22 – Christmas show: Step Into Christmas 🚨Tickets on-sale now🚨 Radio 2's legendary DJ Tony Blackburn OBE is bringing Sounds Of The 60s Live to Watford next November! An evening of 60s classics performed by an All Star Band & Singers. Get your tickets here 🔗 — Watford Colosseum (@WfordColosseum) December 12, 2024Friday, February 13 – Michael Jackson tribute: Man in the Mirror Friday, February 20 – Country classics night: Country Roads Thursday, March 5 – Beatles tribute: The Magic of the Beatles Thursday, March 19 – Motown night: The Magic of Motown Wednesday, May 13 – World travel stories: Simon Reeve, To The Ends of the Earth
