Spain full-back Jordi Alba says he is targeting more trophies after re-uniting with former Barcelona teammates Lionel Messi and Sergio...

Michael O’Neill has told Shea Charles he must learn from his dismissal after Northern Ireland suffered yet another 1-0 defeat in Euro 2024 qualifying, this time at home to Slovenia. The 19-year-old Charles has been one of the bright spots for Northern Ireland in a hugely frustrating qualifying campaign, among the young players who have grabbed the chance to establish themselves in the side amid an injury nightmare. But his international copybook got its first blemish as he collected two yellow cards to be sent off just before the hour mark at Windsor Park, meaning his run of starting every game so far in this campaign will end when Northern Ireland head to Finland next month. The Southampton midfielder was booked for dissent just a few minutes into the match, protesting against the dubious decision to award Slovenia the free-kick from which Adam Cerin won the game, and then saw red when he caught Andraz Sporar late in the 58th minute. Northern Ireland had been frustrated by several decisions from referee Istvan Kovacs on the night but O’Neill said that was something they had to be able to handle. “This is a learning curve for young players,” he said. “(Slovenia) are a much more experienced international team than we are. You can see that in the way they managed the situation and played the referee a little bit. “The emotion in the stadium obviously transferred to the players a little bit, everyone gets a bit frustrated with some of the decisions…If you’re booked for dissent, that’s poor. You put yourself under pressure so we have to learn from that.” “We’ve probably seen a little combination of inexperience in a number of players and also just the nature of the emotion in the game when you’re chasing the game against a team that are a little bit more experienced and that can spill over a little bit. “But I think that on the night we were pretty disappointed with the performance of the referee.” This was Northern Ireland’s fifth 1-0 defeat of a campaign in which they have faced endless injury problems, with O’Neill forced to use two more fresh faces – Eoin Toal and Brad Lyons – on the night to take the number who have played in the eight qualifiers so far to 31. O’Neill could rightly argue that this performance was a step forward from last month’s 4-2 defeat to Slovenia in Ljubljana considering the way a makeshift defence was able to stifle Benjamin Sesko – who went down easily to win the decisive free-kick off Jamal Lewis – and Sporar. But ultimately it was another defeat, a sixth out of eight with only two wins over minnows San Marino to break up the run. “I think there is always frustration when you lose the game – and a little bit of disappointment as well,” he said. “I think the players deserved more out of it than what they got. We have had a frustrating campaign, a very challenging campaign and tonight’s game was probably a reflection of that once again.” Captain Jonny Evans ended the night limping heavily after taking a late blow to his foot, having already been down in the first half to receive treatment. “He’s obviously hobbling a little bit in there,” O’Neill said of the Manchester United defender. “I think the same foot was stamped on three times so he’s limping pretty badly but I think he’ll be fine. “It will be one of those where when he wakes up in the morning he’ll be pretty sore but there’s no real damage as far as I know.” Read More Steve Clarke says Scotland have ‘lots to improve’ after defeat to France Republic of Ireland heading in the right direction – striker Callum Robinson Scotland come back to earth as France recover from early fright Shea Charles dismissed as Northern Ireland lose at home to Slovenia Jordan Henderson has ‘no regrets’ over Saudi Arabia move despite being booed Rassie Erasmus expects England to have ‘some beef’ with South Africa

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The Prince of Wales said he was “blown away” by futuristic technology on show from Singapore start-ups just hours before his Earthshot Prize awards ceremony. William toured the EcoLabs Centre of Innovation for Energy, at Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University. Hi-tech schemes for green energy included Autsren (ERI@N) which develops autonomous vehicles and long-lasting electric car batteries. He was told how the vehicles are used to collect golf balls and also ferry staff around Singapore Zoo. It reminds me of my chemistry and physics tests. I will have to write this down when I get home Prince of Wales And he was told the biggest challenge facing the autonomous vehicles was being attacked by peacocks and monkeys. The prince laughed and said: “That’s not something you normally think about. They never behave, those monkeys and peacocks.” William also marvelled at a PowerCube that can store solar energy in remote locations that could power 35 small flats for a year. And he was surprised by a start-up called ALIENA which has sent its first plasma thruster into orbit for almost two years, which can be used to measure climate data. He shook his head and looked impressed and said: “You’ve blown my mind.” But the prince, who has a geography degree, admitted he needed to brush up on his science after eco start-up Etavolt described how they were building a circular economy for solar panels via regeneration, recycling and digitisation of performance. William said: “It reminds me of my chemistry and physics tests. I will have to write this down when I get home.” After an intense run-down in technology of degraded solar panels, he added: “Thanks for the brush-up for my chemistry and physics.” The prince was at the labs in Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University which wants to become the most eco-friendly and sustainable in the world. It is one of 22 buildings in Singapore that is totally energy self-sufficient. It has 19,000 solar panels and generates 9.5 megawatts of energy. But the university cannot expand any further otherwise it would produce so much energy it would have to register officially as a power station, under Singapore laws. Read More Return of original Fortnite map causes record traffic on Virgin Media O2 network NatWest creates new AI-powered chatbot capable of ‘human-like’ conversations Succession star Sarah Snook says AI use in film industry needs ‘stringent rules’ Sir Paul McCartney: It was magical to feel like I was reuniting with John Lennon Sexist comments on TikTok ‘more liked’ than non-sexist ones – study ‘Is AI dangerous?’ UK’s most Googled questions about artificial intelligence

CAMDEN, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov 7, 2023--

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Reusable water bottles are beneficial in so many ways. Helping keep you hydrated, they also cut down on single-use plastic, and save you money every time you refill instead of buying a new bottle of water. Plus, with all the chic stainless steel flasks and glass bottles on the market – not to mention sporty carrying straps – they’ve become something of a fashion accessory. Trying to hit the NHS-recommended eight glasses of water a day for adults is an excellent idea, of course, but did you know there’s one way your refillable bottle could potentially be detrimental to your health? According to a study from waterfilterguru.com, reusable water bottles contain an average of 20.8m colony-forming units (CFUs) of bacteria, which equates to 40,000 times more than the microbes on a toilet seat. So what might be the consequences if you continuously sip and refill without washing your bottle properly between uses? We asked health experts to talk through the risks… Bottling up bacteria “A common misconception when it comes to reusable water bottle hygiene is that as you’re typically filling it with pure water and it’s only coming into contact with your own mouth, there’s little need to clean it often,” says Dr Donald Grant, senior clinician at The Independent Pharmacy. However, every time you drink from the bottle, you’re transferring bacteria from your mouth, which can then multiply in the container. “Anything that is reusable can be prone to accumulating dirt, dust or debris and, as a result, bacteria,” says private GP Dr Suhail Hussain. “This is exacerbated by the fact water bottles are the ideal environment for harbouring bacteria due to being moist.” Hard to reach crevices – for example, inside a screw top or under a flip-up straw – could also develop mould, and then there’s contamination from other sources. “When you store it in a gym bag, for instance, it can pick up bacteria from the interior of the bag or anything else stored in it, while you can also transfer bacteria from your hands to your bottle,” says Grant. “If your bottle has a valve cap, you may need to lift or twist it with your fingers, and this can transfer bacteria you may have picked up from touching other objects or surfaces.” What types of microbes are found in water bottles? “These might be simple commensals such as streptococcus and staphylococcus, which normally live in symbiosis with their host (i.e. us) but can become problematic if they accumulate, or the individual is under the weather,” Hussain says.“Bacteria such as E. coli – a common cause of urine and bowel infections – can often colonise the water bottle following repeated handling, such as taking the cap on and off.” These bacteria can potentially cause a variety of issues. “You may become sick and develop gastric illness, such as diarrhoea or vomiting,” Hussain continues. “Gram negative rods – another common bacterium found in unwashed bottles – can lead to urogenital tract infections and pneumonia.” Grant warns: “If there’s a build-up of mould inside the bottle, this can cause allergy symptoms, such as a runny nose, sneezing, or red and itchy eyes. Symptoms might be more severe for someone with asthma.” How often should you wash your reusable water bottle? “To minimise your risk of getting sick, you should ideally clean your water bottle after each use,” Grant says. “As a minimum, you should aim to wash it thoroughly at least a few times a week.” Hot water and washing up liquid are all you need to banish bacteria on the daily. “Fill the bottle with hot soapy mixture and swill around, or leave to soak in a detergent mixture,” Hussain advises. “Remember to pay special attention to lids/caps and screw top regions – use a clean brush [to scrub them].” If you’ve neglected your bottle for a few days and it needs a deeper clean, Grant suggests: “Soak your bottle overnight in a solution of half vinegar and half water. Rinse the bottle and let it dry fully before using it again.” Storage is also important to help minimise nasty microbes. “Where possible, you should keep your water bottle out of germ-rich environments such as your gym locker or sports bag,” Grant says. “You should also avoid filling your bottle with anything other than water, such as protein shakes, energy drinks, or sugar-rich liquids, as sugar can stimulate the growth of bacteria.” Hussain adds: “Don’t leave water bottle in the sun for long periods of time or siting in the cup holder in the car – the mixture of warmth and moisture is likely to make bacterial overgrowth worse.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Prince George visits Eton with parents Prince William and Kate Middleton King Charles and Queen Camilla ecstatic after getting their first Royal Ascot winner As Elon Musk calls cis ‘a slur’ – what does the term cisgender actually mean?

President Joe Biden has approved a disaster declaration for Hawaii and "ordered federal aid to supplement state and local recovery efforts in the areas affected by wildfires," according to the White House.