Latest news with #SamHallam
Times
13 hours ago
- Politics
- Times
Calls to reform compensation over miscarriages of justice
Sam Hallam, Victor Nealon, Brian Buckle, Oliver Campbell and Ahmed Adan have collectively spent more than 50 years in jail for crimes they did not commit — yet none has received a single penny in compensation. That is the result of a change in the law introduced in 2014 under the Cameron premiership, which means victims of miscarriages of justice whose convictions are overturned must prove their innocence beyond all reasonable doubt to receive compensation. Campaigners argue that as a result of the 'brutal' test, which sets an 'impossible standard' for most, 93 per cent of applicants who have been wrongly convicted and imprisoned are denied compensation. Appeal, the charity law firm that represented Andrew Malkinson, who served 17 years in prison for a rape he did not commit, and the law reform group Justice are calling on the lord chancellor, Shabana Mahmood, to scrap the test to ensure victims of miscarriages of justice are fairly compensated for the harm done to them.
Associated Press
14-02-2025
- Sport
- Associated Press
Sweden and Finland renew their long-running, tense hockey rivalry at the 4 Nations Face-Off
MONTREAL (AP) — If Sam Hallam wants to rile up a Finn of a certain age about Swedish hockey, he'll just bring up Anders 'Masken' Carlsson. For a younger generation, it's Mats Sundin. It works the other way around to Swedes if someone mentions Finland's Saku Koivu. And people will keep doing it, too, because the intense rivalry between the two Nordic nations separated by one sea has been passed down by generations at the Olympics, the world championships and now at the 4 Nations Face-Off. 'It's a brotherly kind of love-and-hate relationship going back for a long time,' said Hallam, who's coaching Sweden at the NHL-run tournament. 'You want to beat your brother. That's the way it is. We have tons of respect for the way they play the game, the character they have. That goes for hockey and that goes for life, too. Look at where they are on the map, and they never back down.' Still, they can't even agree on which brothers. 'I think you if ask them, they say they're the big brother, and if you ask us, we're the big brother,' Sweden captain Victor Hedman said. Finland's Erik Haula said this week, 'I think I heard Hedman say that they're the big brother, but I guess we'll find out.' Gustav Nyquist pointed out that the hatred dates to when his country of Sweden and Finland were formed. Their long, shared histories are more complex than those of the United States and Canada — longtime allies away from the sports world. It's peacetime now, except for on the ice when the puck drops for a game pitting Tre Kronor against Suomi. 'It's more personal, I feel, maybe because with the games through the years in the past, as well, against them, there's been multiple tight games,' Finland defenseman Esa Lindell said. 'And obviously I would say because they're the country next to us. That adds up (to) extra tension against them.' There have been plenty of big, tense moments over the years, and never were the stakes higher than at the gold-medal game at the 2006 Olympics. Sweden beat Finland 3-2 in a thriller after Nicklas Lidstrom scored the go-ahead goal early in the third period and Henrik Lundqvist made the most important save of his career on Olli Jokinen with 25 seconds left. 'I remember that game,' Sweden goaltender Samuel Ersson said. 'And it feels like when we play each other, the whole country, they stop and you want to watch those games.' And the players want to take part in them. Hallam thinks the rivalry builds because by age 20, Swedes and Finns have already faced off in some form or fashion 20 to 25 times. Sweden's Elias Lindholm still thinks about losing to Finland in the the 2014 world junior championship final on home ice in Malmo. But he also agrees with rivals from Finland about how the dislike is contained on a sheet of ice between the boards and glass. 'You cross paths with a lot of Finns: Huge respect for them, but there's always something there when we played against each other that had a little extra,' Lindholm said Friday. 'You're going to be competitive out there, and when the game is over, you can all enjoy and you can have a beer or whatever and be friends. But when it's game time, it's no friends.' The 4 Nations Face-Off is a unique event that does not have the history or tradition of the Olympics and is more a celebration of the return of elite competition with the NHL's best players. But with those players' return to the Games on the horizon in Milan, the tournament has value as a show of superiority a year away from that major test. Finland is the defending Olympic champion, and Hedman acknowledged that the Finns' success from 2022 in Beijing and at recent world championships have evened things out against Sweden. 'I don't feel like they've bullied us or anything like that,' Lindell said. 'I feel like lately I think we've played very well against them.' Saturday afternoon is the next chance for Sweden and Finland to add another chapter to their storied rivalry. 'It's history,' Sweden defenseman Rasmus Dahlin said. 'It's something that means a lot to the Swedish nation. It's a must-win.' ___
Yahoo
12-02-2025
- General
- Yahoo
The Mancunian Way: ‘Manky, disgusting, just brown'
Sion Street in Radcliffe is barely 500m in length. It's home to a handful of houses and a few industrial units. It's pretty unremarkable, except for one thing. Running next to it is a stretch of the Irwell that is the 'worst river in England for sewage dumps'. Huge volumes of sewage are being dumped into the river at this spot on a daily basis. According to the 'Top of the Poops' website in 2023 there were 2,188 hours of spills into the river from a nearby overflow. READ MORE: Missing man in Tenerife has been 'found needing medical care' after family flies out to search, says sister READ MORE: Firefighters urge people to shut doors and windows in Stockport blaze That's the equivalent of almost three months of continual dumps. There are only 8,760 hours in a year. Sion Street resident Sam Hallam is not surprised by the location's unhappy position atop the sewage charts. 'It's manky, you only have to look at the colour of it, don't you?' she said. 'When the levels rise it's just…brown. As we've seen a few times when it's been really bad.' As well as being close to people's homes, the Irwell at Sion Street runs next to Outwood Country Park, on the opposite side of the river. Outwood, on the site of a former colliery and railway line, is made up of around 60 hectares of new and ancient clough woodland and, according to its website, is 'one of the most beautiful parks in Manchester that comes with some added history'. 'It's absolutely disgusting,' a dog walker, who asked not to be named, said when asked for her thoughts on the state of the river. 'This is a country park, a Facebook group has been set up to try to improve the area and it's counterproductive to that work to just be dumping sewage in the river all the time. 'I wouldn't let my dogs go in there. You don't know what's in it.' United Utilities - along with other water companies across the country - have come under increased pressure recently over sewage spills - which critics have blamed on under-investment in the country's infrastructure. Last year the BBC revealed how United Utilities dumped millions of litres of raw sewage illegally into Lake Windermere in Cumbria over a three-year period. Also last year, it was reported that UU has had more separate convictions for violations of environmental laws than any other water company since privatisation - with 205. Meanwhile, last week the company confirmed that household water bills across Greater Manchester will rise by 32 per cent over the coming five years to help pay for a £13bn investment plan - which includes improvements that aim to reduce sewage spills from storm overflows by 60%. A United Utilities spokesperson told the M.E.N.: 'We care about our waterways and protecting the environment and we are committed to reducing the number of times storm overflows operate. 2023 was one of the wettest years on record in the North West contributing to an increased number of spills compared to previous years. "Whilst the current system is designed to activate during rainfall, we understand and share people's concerns and the need for change. That's why we have announced the largest ever infrastructure investment in a century to tackle the operation of overflows and reduce their activation by 60% over this decade.' Dan Thompson has more here… Keep up to date with all the big stories from across Greater Manchester in the daily Mancunian Way newsletter. You can receive the newsletter direct to your inbox every weekday by signing up right here.
New York Times
11-02-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Team Sweden players on one skill they'd like to steal from a 4 Nations teammate: ‘I'd take his …'
MONTREAL — Team Sweden is not short on skill. The Swedes should be competitive in the 4 Nations Face-Off over the next two weeks in Montreal and Boston, starting with their opener on Wednesday against Team Canada. Their three-zone thoroughness and stinginess in net complement their high-end scorers. Advertisement 'I feel confident,' Sweden coach Sam Hallam said Tuesday. 'The guys, they look at each other and they're really enthusiastic about being on the same team here. We're going to need it. We know what we're up against. We're going to need it. We're fortunate to have them. They just have to be the best they can be.' There remains, however, room for envy along with the confidence. Following two team practices and already knowing each other's games from NHL competition, the Swedes are well aware of the many gifts on their roster. The Athletic decided to have some fun with that Tuesday when 4 Nations teams were made available to the media, asking Swedish players for their insight into their national teammates' skill sets. What's one skill they'd like to steal from across the dressing room? Following are their answers: 'He's got great speed and so agile,' said Pittsburgh Penguins forward Rickard Rakell on his New Jersey Devils rival. 'So shifty. Playing against him, it's really hard to contain him. If I had that … whoo.' According to his teammates, Bratt is a dynamic skater in all directions. It's what makes defending him such a handful. 'Not just forward, but how quick he is,' Los Angeles Kings forward Adrian Kempe said. 'His agility and all that stuff is pretty impressive to watch. I don't play him too much. I only play him twice a year. So I don't get to see it all the time. But you can just tell in practice how quick he is in the corners. If I had that, it would be pretty cool.' 'Just watching him in practice, what he does with his edges and stickhandles,' Boston Bruins center Elias Lindholm said. 'His skating would be nice to have. He's one of those players that, over the last couple years, took his game to the next level. Now he's working really well both ways on the ice. Obviously scoring a lot of goals. But his skating ability, that's something I could use!' Advertisement Nylander doesn't just have the touch to make plays. The Toronto Maple Leafs winger also incorporates strength on the puck with his hands to extend possession. 'His ability to move and keep the puck on his tape every time,' said Edmonton Oilers forward Viktor Arvidsson. 'It's his skating and his puck play.' 'He's shown it over a longer period of time in the NHL,' said Detroit Red Wings forward Lucas Raymond. 'Just the way he handles the puck, finds space and is able to create space for himself. It's impressive to watch.' 'The way he handles the puck and how calm he is, I would love to have that,' said the Florida Panthers' Gustav Forsling, himself a defenseman many NHLers look up to. 'I feel he's on a different level.' 'I feel like he's very offensively dynamic,' Oilers defenseman Mattias Ekholm said of the Buffalo Sabres defenseman. 'He can move the puck. His offensive instincts are through the roof. All three zones. His breakout ability. The way he moves in the offensive zone and the way he reads plays, I think he's one of the best offensive defensemen we have.' When asked what kind of player he'd be with Dahlin's offensive touch, Ekholm had a good laugh. 'That would be great!' Ekholm said. 'I feel like I'm decent on the defensive side of things. That's the way I was thinking.' To Minnesota Wild defenseman Jonas Brodin's eyes, Dahlin is especially dangerous inside the offensive blue line, both during five-on-five time and on the power play. 'Walking the line,' Brodin said. 'His offensive ability, I'd take his. I'm not like that. I'm more of a defensive defenseman. I wish I had that.' 'Elite player,' said Kempe, who has practiced with the Vancouver Canucks center and Nashville Predators winger Filip Forsberg. 'Speed. Skill. He can shoot. He can pass. Everything. Petey's going to be a good complement for both of us. 'He's a solid centerman with high-end skill. He can make plays. Can score goals too.' (Top photos of Elias Pettersson and William Nylander: Harry How and Elsa / Getty Images)
