World Archives - Hoang Viet

Uncategorized

Dec 2 2024

Former snooker world champion Terry Griffiths dies after lengthy battle with dementia | UK News

Former snooker world champion Terry Griffiths has died aged 77 after a lengthy battle with dementia, his family has said.

Griffiths’ son Wayne wrote on Facebook: “To our friends and snooker followers in general, we are deeply saddened to share the news of our loss.

“Terry Griffiths OBE passed away peacefully on 1st December, after a lengthy battle with dementia. He was surrounded by his family in his beloved home-town in South Wales.

“A proud Welshman, Terry was born in Llanelli, brought pride to Llanelli and now he has found peace in Llanelli. He would not have had it any other way.”

A ‘triple crown’ career

Born in 1947, Griffiths started playing snooker at the age of 13. He also worked as a miner when he was 15, and later had jobs as a bus conductor, a postman, and an insurance agent.

Inspired by fellow Welsh snooker player Ray Reardon – a six-time world champion who died in July – Griffiths turned professional and later won the World Championship in 1979 as a qualifier.

He went on to complete snooker’s illustrious “triple crown” – one of only 11 players to do so – by winning the Masters in 1980 and then the UK Championship in 1982.

Griffiths stayed at the top end of the sport during the 1980s and early 1990s, reaching at least the quarter-finals of the World Championship for nine straight years, and reaching the final again in 1988.

After retiring in 1997, Griffiths became a coach, inspiring the likes of Stephen Hendry, Mark Williams and Mark Allen. He also received an OBE in 2007 for services to snooker.

‘A legend of a man’

Williams – a three-time world champion – was among the first to pay tribute on social media, describing Griffiths as a “mentor, coach, friend, legend”.

Allen also said on social media: “What a legend of a man who helped shape my career and life both on and off the table.

“Absolutely heartbroken. He wasn’t just a coach, he was family.”

Read more from Sky News:
Boys charged after suspected chemical attack
Wallace on ‘middle-class women of certain age’
Prince William pays tribute to Rob Burrow

After winning the UK Championship on Sunday, current world number one Judd Trump said: “It is incredibly sad news. He is a legend of the game.

“Terry was a very witty guy. Whenever I was at the Welsh Open, he would come over and make a joke. I had a good connection with him.

“It is hard to connect with some of the older generation but he was someone I felt I could get along with. It is a sad day for Welsh sport.”

In 2020, when asked about his hairstyle that looked similar to the Welshman’s, Trump said: “I want to be like Terry Griffiths. Hopefully I can play as slow as him one day as well.”

Former world champion Shaun Murphy also said: “Just hearing the news that Terry Griffiths has passed away. My deepest condolences to his family and loved ones.”

The Welsh Billiards and Snooker Association – of which Griffiths was president – added it was “deeply saddened” and sends its “deepest condolences to Terry’s family”.

admin 0 Comments

Uncategorized

Nov 26 2024

World’s oldest man John Tinniswood dies aged 112, Guinness World Records says | UK News

The world’s oldest man has died at the age of 112, the Guinness World Records has announced.

John Tinniswood was born in Liverpool on 26 August 1912, the year the Titanic sank. He was a lifelong Liverpool FC fan, born just 20 years after the club was founded.

He died on Monday at a care home in Southport, Guinness World Records said.

In a statement, his family said: “His last day was surrounded by music and love.

“John always liked to say thank you. So on his behalf, thanks to all those who cared for him over the years, including his carers at the Hollies Care Home, his GPs, district nurses, occupational therapist and other NHS staff.”

In April 2024, aged 111, he became the world’s oldest living man, following the death of 114-year-old Juan Vicente Perez from Venezuela.

Mr Tinniswood’s key advice for staying healthy was to practice moderation. “If you drink too much or you eat too much or you walk too much; if you do too much of anything, you’re going to suffer eventually.”

But when asked the secret to his longevity after turning 112 in August, Mr Tinniswood put it all down to “just luck”.

“I can’t think of any special secrets I have,” he said. “I was quite active as a youngster, I did a lot of walking.

“Whether that had something to do with it, I don’t know. But to me, I’m no different [to anyone]. No different at all.

“I just take it in my stride like anything else, why I’ve lived that long I have no idea at all.”

Apart from a portion of battered fish and chips every Friday, Mr Tinniswood did not follow any particular diet, and said earlier this year he felt “no different” turning 112.

“I don’t feel that age, I don’t get excited over it. That’s probably why I’ve reached it.

“I just take it in my stride like anything else, why I’ve lived that long I have no idea at all.”

He lived through both world wars and was a Second World War veteran – having worked in an administrative role for the Army Pay Corps.

In addition to accounts and auditing, his work involved logistical tasks such as locating stranded soldiers and organising food supplies. He went on to work as an accountant for Shell and BP before retiring in 1972.

He met his wife, Blodwen, at a dance in Liverpool. They were together for 44 years before Blodwen died in 1986.

Mr Tinniswood is survived by his daughter Susan, four grandchildren and three great-grandchildren, and lived to be the fourth-oldest British man in recorded history.

His family added: “John had many fine qualities. He was intelligent, decisive, brave, calm in any crisis, talented at maths and a great conversationalist.

“John moved to the Hollies rest home just before his 100th birthday and his kindness and enthusiasm for life were an inspiration to the care home staff and his fellow residents.”

The oldest ever man was Jiroemon Kimura from Japan, who lived to the age of 116 years 54 days and died in 2013.

The world’s oldest living woman, and oldest living person, is Japan’s 116-year-old Tomiko Itooka.

admin 0 Comments

Uncategorized

Nov 24 2024

Max Verstappen wins Formula One world title for a fourth straight year | UK News

Red Bull driver Max Verstappen has won the Formula One world title for a fourth straight year.

His victory was confirmed after finishing fifth at the Las Vegas Grand Prix. Mercedes’ George Russell won the race.

The 27-year-old Dutchman becomes just the sixth driver in Formula One history to win four titles or more, after outscoring Lando Norris who took the chequered flag in only sixth.

Verstappen is now guaranteed the world crown with two races still remaining, with his domination cementing his name among Formula One’s greats.

“Oh my God man,” said an emotional Verstappen after securing the world title. “What a season. Four times. It was a little bit more difficult than last year.”

Lewis Hamilton raced back from 10th to second place to complete an impressive one-two finish for Mercedes. While Carlos Sainz finished third for Ferrari, one place ahead of his teammate Charles Leclerc.

Russell’s third victory was the most dominant of his career so far, crossing the finish line 7.3 seconds clear of Hamilton.

Michael Schumacher and Hamilton have each won a record seven world titles, with 1950s Argentine legend Juan-Manuel Fangio on five ahead of Alain Prost, Sebastian Vettel and now Verstappen on four.

Having won every Drivers’ Championship since claiming his first in the controversial end to the 2021 season when he beat Hamilton in deeply contentious circumstances, Verstappen now joins Hamilton, Fangio and Vettel in winning four titles consecutively.

Only Schumacher has achieved a run of five.

Controversy surrounded the team earlier this year, with Red Bull’s team principal, Christian Horner, facing allegations of controlling behaviour by a female staff member. Horner, who denied the accusations, was cleared, and a subsequent appeal was thrown out.

Horner congratulated Verstappen on the radio, telling him: “Max Verstappen you are a four-time world champion. That is a phenomenal, phenomenal achievement. You can be incredibly proud of yourself.”

Red Bull is on course to finish third in the constructors’ championship this year. This century, only Hamilton in 2008 with McLaren, and Verstappen in 2021, have won the drivers’ title when their team did not win the constructors’ championship.

admin 0 Comments

Uncategorized

Nov 23 2024

Absence of defensive shield should ring very loud alarm bells as UK faces Russian threats | World News

Facing the threat of an attack from Russia, Sir Keir Starmer has finally revealed he will “set out the path” to raise defence spending to 2.5% of national income in the spring.

But merely offering a timeframe to reveal an even-further-off-in-the-future date for when expenditure will increase to a level most analysts agree is still woefully short of what is required is hardly the most convincing display of deterrence and overwhelming strength.

What the prime minister should perhaps instead be doing is making very clear to Vladimir Putin – with new NATO-wide military exercises and the immediate hardening of UK defences – that his government is prepared for any Russian strike and the devastating cost to Moscow would be so astronomical as to make even the thought of hitting a UK target utter madness.

A failure to relay back to the Kremlin a genuinely resilient and tough message, raises the risk that the Russian president will increasingly regard Britain as vulnerable – despite the UK being a nuclear power and a member of the NATO alliance.

It should come as a surprise to no one that Mr Putin has ramped up the rhetoric against Britain and the United States in the wake of both countries allowing Ukraine to fire their missiles inside Russia in the past few days.

In a series of blunt messages, he first lowered the threshold for the use of nuclear weapons, then fired what he has described as a new kind of intermediate-range, “unstoppable” missile and finally warned that he has lots more of them, signalling that British and American military sites could be targets.

The warning clearly means UK military bases and warships, at home and overseas, are at higher risk.

Yet there is little evidence that anything is being done to ramp up protection around them or signal publicly back to Russia in a meaningful way that such a move would not be wise.

Read more from Sky News:
What are storm shadow missiles?
How bionic limps are helping Ukrainian troops

Asked whether any changes have been made to put the UK military on a higher state of alert, a Ministry of Defence spokesperson said: “There has been no recent change to our general security posture across our bases in the UK or overseas.

“We constantly monitor the threats we face and our armed forces remain ready to protect the UK’s interests at home and abroad.”

There is also the inescapable – and well-known – fact that the UK lacks the ability to defend itself from large-scale missile attacks after decades of defence cuts.

It is a problem for all European NATO countries, but as Britain is the one that is being directly threatened by Moscow, then this absence of any kind of defensive shield should really be ringing very loud alarm bells.

The Russian leader has put his country on a war footing in the wake of his full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Defence spending in Russia is set to rise by a quarter next year to 6.3% of GDP – the highest level since the Cold War.

UK military chiefs and the defence minister point to the cost to Russia – in terms of the number of soldiers killed and injured in Ukraine and the burden of the war on the economy – as a sign that the Kremlin is struggling.

But that is surely only regarding the data through a peacetime lens, rather than reflecting on the fact that Russia appears willing and able to absorb the cost and still keep fighting.

Unless the UK and its NATO allies wake up to the need to put their countries on some kind of war footing too, then their ability to counter Russian aggression and deter threats may be lost.

admin 0 Comments

Uncategorized

Oct 22 2024

No one knew how the King’s trip to Australia would go down – and it wasn’t without its challenges | World News

This was a short tour with only a few engagements, but the King’s first visit to one of his realms mattered, and Australia was a real test of the monarchy overseas.

Even the palace admits no one knew how the King would go down, down under.

It wasn’t without its challenges.

Some had questioned whether the King, who is still undergoing regular cancer treatment, would even make the trip.

And the unexpected outburst from senator, Lidia Thorpe, at the King’s set-piece speech certainly wasn’t part of the script.

The palace was rattled by the press reaction.

But overall, the Aussies welcomed their King.

Even the Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, a committed republican, has ditched his plan for a vote to remove the King as head of state.

We were though reminded in Sydney that this trip has been reworked for the King’s health.

He visited a cancer research centre and met two of Australia’s leading cancer doctors.

His own treatment has been put on hold so he could come on the tour. His aides say not coming was never going to be an option.

And they wanted every moment to count.

We’re told 9,000 people made the journey to the iconic Sydney Opera House.

And with very few walkabouts planned, this was always going to be a sell-out moment. A showstopper backdrop to the end of their four-day visit.

More on the royal trip:
Alpaca sneezes on King Charles
King meets indigenous elders
Where is King Charles head of state outside the UK?

After the protestor in Canberra, a visit to an indigenous centre in Sydney was far less confrontational.

With a welcome from elders and a private audience with the King.

The community leaders don’t agree with how Ms Thorpe protested, but they do share some of her concerns.

Conversations here about colonial history are difficult, but important. And indigenous rights are a fractious cultural fault line that continues to divide Australia.

admin 0 Comments

Uncategorized

Oct 9 2024

George Baldock: Former Sheffield United player dies aged 31 | World News

Former Premier League footballer George Baldock has died at the age of 31.

The Greek defender was found on Wednesday in a swimming pool at his home in the southern Athens suburb of Glyfada, police sources told the Reuters news agency.

His cause of death remains unknown.

Baldock spent seven years at Sheffield United, having arrived from MK Dons in 2017.

He amassed over 200 appearances for the club before joining Greek side Panathinaikos earlier this year.

In a post on X, Sheffield United said the club is “shocked and extremely saddened” to learn of his death.

It said he was “extremely popular with supporters, staff and teammates” during his time at Bramall Lane.

Both Panathinaikos and the Greece national team blackened their profile pictures on social media on Wednesday evening.

The full-back, who was not named in the Greece squad to face England on Thursday, featured in Sunday’s 0-0 draw with Olympiacos.

The Greek Super League said in a post: “The entire Super League football family expresses its deep sorrow for the untimely loss of Panathinaikos and our National Team footballer, George Baldock, and extends its deepest condolences to his family and loved ones.”

England international and former Sheffield United player Harry Maguire posted “RIP” and a heartbreak emoji alongside an image of Baldock on Instagram.

Northampton Town, where Baldock had a loan spell in 2011, said it was “deeply saddened”.

“George made five appearances in 2011 before playing for Oxford United and Sheffield United. Sending our sincerest condolences to George’s family and friends,” the club’s statement read.

Read more from Sky News:
Plane makes emergency landing after pilot dies
Yvette Cooper enjoyed free tickets to Taylor Swift gig
Popular TikTok user ignores Hurricane evacuation order

Born in England, but with Greek ancestry in his family, Baldock was convinced by then-Greece head coach Gus Poyet to play for the national team and went on to earn 12 caps, last playing for his country earlier this year.

He also previously played for Oxford United and Tamworth.

admin 0 Comments

Uncategorized

Oct 1 2024

‘Ecstatic’ cruise ship passengers finally depart Belfast after four months | World News

A US cruise ship has departed on a round-the-world trip after passengers were left stranded in Belfast for four months.

Villa Vie Residences’ Odyssey sailed out of Belfast Harbour just after 11pm on Monday night, after a series of delays and technical problems that forced many guests into an unscheduled stay in Northern Ireland.

The ship had been set to sail on a three-and-a-half year adventure around all seven continents on 30 May, but was instead forced into a series of repairs in Belfast.

Guests – who had purchased cabins for between $99,999 (£75,000) and $899,000 (£670,000) – were allowed to use the ship’s amenities during the day, but were required to sleep in hotels due to the repair work.

Many passengers returned home as the series of delays grew longer, but around 100 are believed to have remained in Northern Ireland for the past four months.

Among them were John and Melody Hennessee from Palm Beach in Florida, who had sold up everything to spend more than one million dollars acquiring three cabins on the Odyssey. They aim to make the ship their permanent home.

“We were ecstatic,” Melody said of the moment the departure was confirmed. “Now we can start partying,” said John.

Barring a couple of trips to Tenerife and Paris, the couple have spent the past few months exploring Ireland.

“We’ve done pretty much every tourist thing you have to offer here in Belfast, so we know Belfast pretty well,” said Melody. “Today we’re playing miniature golf. We’ve frequented every restaurant you have in Belfast, and bars. We now love Guinness, that’s a big thing. We have one every day.”

The Florida couple said they would miss the people most from Northern Ireland.

“The people are amazing, they’re so kind, genuine. So amazing. We don’t have that in the US. We’ve made a lot of new friends, it’s been a lot of fun.”

More from Sky News:
Strictly star ‘vindicated’ over apology
Why Mount Everest is getting taller

“Everybody is just ready to go,” said passenger Andy Garrison. “It got very frustrating,” he said of the delays. “What’s nice is the people are being really resilient about it.”

Originally from Dallas in Texas, he was boarding clutching a model of the Titanic, and wasn’t worried if other passengers thought it was a bad omen. “They may, but that’s their problem, that’s not my problem,” he said, laughing.

Angie Harsanyi from Colorado and Gian Perrroni from Canada fell in love and became engaged during their forced sojourn in Belfast.

They met in May over drinks in a city hotel, and gradually got to know each other walking to and from the moored ship. Do they think their engagement would have happened without the delay in Northern Ireland?

“I don’t,” Angie replied.

“Obviously we were already friends,” said Gian, “but the fact that we had all this time to ourselves, as opposed to being with several hundred other people, definitely sped things up.”

The couple are now looking forward to the ship’s captain marrying them on board in April, somewhere between Panama and Costa Rica.

admin 0 Comments

Uncategorized

Sep 23 2024

Prince Harry calls on governments to work more closely with young people – and thanks award winners for carrying on Diana’s legacy | World News

Prince Harry has called on governments around the world to more actively involve young people in decision-making, as part of an event marking Princess Diana’s legacy.

The Duke of Sussex made the remark during a panel discussion organised by The Diana Award in New York to talk about the mental health crisis facing young people.

Talking to two Diana Award winners on stage with him, Harry said: “Surely, one of the solutions here is for governments to implement or at least offer or find people, young people like yourselves, and bring them into decision making, policy making situations right before the problems exist.

“We’re very, very good at creating problems for ourselves to try and solve. But surely, by bringing young people in at the early stages for those solutions, surely that is where the difference is going to be made”.

His involvement in the discussion was his first public engagement since he turned 40.

He was joined by the award’s chief executive Dr Tessy Ojo, and Diana Award winners 27-year-old Christina Williams – a youth advocate from Jamaica – and 18-year-old Chiara Riyanti Hutapea Zhang from Indonesia.

The event was to launch a youth wellbeing project, encouraging teenagers and those in their 20s to feel empowered to speak up on mental health.

Harry then praised the winners for continuing his mother Diana’s legacy, saying: “I applaud you, at your age, to be on this stage, to have the confidence that you do, and to be able to speak as clearly and as passionately as you do.

“And I know that my mum would be incredibly proud of you guys, not just you, but all of the award winners… the way that you do it, your activism, your compassion.

“Those two things are so true to how my mum led her life and what she believed in, and the way that you do it is incredible.”

Read more on Sky News:
Baby found after car hijacked
Zelenskyy to present ‘victory plan’

Harry is due to attend other events in New York in the coming days including the Clinton Global Initiative annual meeting.

It was also confirmed last week that he will be heading to the UK to attend the WellChild Awards on 30 September, another of his longstanding patronages.

admin 0 Comments

Uncategorized

Sep 21 2024

Anthony Joshua has chance at greatness, but must defeat ‘incredibly dangerous’ Dubois to become three-time world champion | UK News

Back fighting at Wembley for the first time since 2020, Anthony Joshua has the chance tonight to put himself into a small, elite group of heavyweights.

To be a three-time heavyweight champion of the world is a rare thing – only five men have done it.

Publicly Joshua said it is not his priority: “It would be phenomenal, but greatness is in character as well.

“If you’re a good person, you’re a great person, you don’t need a title.”

But his promoter Eddie Hearn said he understands what the win would mean.

“I think this is the first time I’ve heard him allude a little bit to the legacy part because for him it’s all about the performance,” he told Sky News.

“But he knows what’s on the line on Saturday. It’s a very small group – three-times heavyweight champion Muhammad Ali, Lennox Lewis – there aren’t many.

“I think he’d realise the magnitude of what this would mean and how it would position him for a shot at the Fury vs Usyk 2 winner.”

There’s no doubt Joshua wants the win desperately, his fifth in a row since a double loss to Oleksandr Usyk. Lose tonight and he’s back down the pecking order with another rebuild ahead of him at the age of 36.

He said it’s a “must-win fight – I’m going to do my best – what will be will be”.

“I want to win (this) a lot – a lot – I work hard, I work really hard, I kept my head down and what will be will be now and I’ll leave it to the big man upstairs,” Joshua said.

But Hearn describes a possible defeat as a catastrophe – and says it is a “what if” question that has been asked a lot.

“Since the Andy Ruiz loss people have asked that question,” he tells Sky News, “but [Joshua’s] enjoying boxing more than ever in my opinion”.

“He looks better than ever, he’s more of a complete fighter than ever, but of course when you lose it’s catastrophic.

“The difference here between winning and losing is a very wide margin – if you win, you issue yourself as almost king of the sport.

“If you lose, you’ve lost to Daniel Dubois, the younger fighter, it’s a bigger climb back up to the top. We must win on Saturday night.”

Daniel Dubois, his younger opponent by nine years, stands in the way and he has it all to prove.

The holder of the IBF belt, he was awarded that world title in June as a result of winning an eliminator bout against Filip Hrgovic, and because Usyk wasn’t in a position to defend it due to his upcoming rematch with Tyson Fury.

He’s young, he’s hungry, he’s on a roll.

“It’s all meant to be. I’m in the right place at the right time, I just need to stay in my bubble,” he said.

“I need to legitimise it, win and show the world that I’m the man.”

Hearn recognises the danger of Dubois, who famously rocked AJ during a sparring session when he was younger.

“He’s incredibly dangerous,” he said. “People keep asking me if [Dubois will] be able to control his emotions and the madness of 96,000, and I think the answer is no and that makes him more dangerous.

“Because whatever the game plan is, I think he is going to come out like a train, come out wild and that makes him more dangerous – but he can also walk on to something big from Anthony Joshua early in the fight.

“I cannot imagine a world where this fight goes 12 rounds. These are two very fast very big punching heavyweights they’re dangerous every second of this fight.”

Frank Warren, the veteran promoter of Dubois, thinks it’s time for his man to show what he’s made of and it could be a “changing of the guard” in the heavyweight scene.

Read more:
What’s next for Tyson Fury?
Usyk ‘gifts’ IBF title away

“I’ve got a lot of faith in him, he’s on a really good roll at the moment but so is AJ. I feel this could be his moment – he’s a big, big puncher,” Warren said.

“It’s part of the business, this what he has to do – step up and show what he’s all about. It comes with the territory: you’ve either got it or you ain’t got it.

“When he gets in that ring on Saturday, you’ve got blinkers on. Forget about the crowd, forget about everybody and look what’s in front of you.”

For Hearn, the occasion – a packed Wembley, a scenario Joshua has been comfortable with many times – could be the deciding factor. He has no doubts about the way his fighter will handle it.

“The way he carries himself, he’s been here so many times before,” he said.

“When you walk out on Saturday in front of 96,000 to have a fight with another 6ft 5 gentleman in front of the world, you better hold yourself together.

“I know AJ won’t have a problem holding himself together but it’s still a dangerous, dangerous task.”

admin 0 Comments

Uncategorized

Sep 13 2024

David Beckham and Nancy Dell’Olio among guests at Sven-Goran Eriksson’s funeral | World News

David Beckham and Nancy Dell’Olio were among the mourners at Sven-Goran Eriksson’s funeral in Sweden on Friday.

The celebrities greeted Eriksson’s family and friends at Fryksande Church in the Swedish town of Torsby ahead of the morning ceremony.

Italian lawyer Dell’Olio was in a relationship with the former England manager from 1998 to 2007, while Beckham was among the players he managed.

Eriksson died aged 76 last month after being diagnosed with cancer.

His partner Yaniseth Alcides, daughter Lina, and father Sven were also among those pictured arriving.

“After a long illness, SGE died during the morning at home surrounded by family,” a family statement said.

“The closest mourners are daughter Lina; son Johan with wife Amana and granddaughter Sky; father Sven; girlfriend Yanisette with son Alcides; brother Lars-Erik with wife Jumnong.”

The Swede became the first foreign manager of the England men’s football team in 2001, coaching players including Beckham, Steven Gerrard, Wayne Rooney, and Frank Lampard.

Eriksson left the England role after the 2006 World Cup and would later manage Mexico and the Ivory Coast, as well as English clubs Manchester City and Leicester City.

He rose from being a PE teacher in a small Swedish town to the peaks of English football.

Due to his health issues, Eriksson stepped down as sporting director at Swedish club Karlstad in February 2023.

After announcing his cancer diagnosis, Eriksson was granted his lifelong wish when he led out Liverpool Legends, as they played in a charity match against Ajax at Anfield in March.

He described the moment as “absolutely beautiful” and a “huge memory” in his life, with Liverpool winning the game 4-2.

admin 0 Comments

Hoang Viet

Hoang Viet

More on Sven-goran Eriksson