© Sergey Ponomarev for The New York Times
© Haiyun Jiang for The New York Times
The Africa Cup of Nations has been a brilliant display for a continent carrying no doubt about quality on the pitch
More than any other continental tournament, there is always a sense with the Africa Cup of Nations that it is a referendum on the continent’s football generally. Perhaps it’s because so many of the players are familiar to those who habitually watch the European leagues or the Champions League, but the question is less about individual quality of players – that is a given – than it is about organisation and structures. Somewhere in the background, perhaps, lurks Pelé’s notorious prediction, made in 1977, that an African team would win the World Cup by the end of the 20th century. Is a World Cup win for Africa any closer than it was half a century ago?
In Morocco at this year’s edition of the tournament, there has been an extra element: the country’s status as World Cup co-hosts with Spain and Portugal in 2030. What are facilities like? Is the infrastructure there? This question is readily answered: in terms of stadiums, pitches and hotels, Morocco is already well on the way to being able to stage the World Cup. All six cities hosting games at this Cup of Nations are candidates for 2030.
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© Composite: Getty Images
© Composite: Getty Images
© Composite: Getty Images
Famously serious Oscar-winner gave rare insight into what might be the real Leo with his commercial break antics
The fact that nobody really knows anything about Leonardo DiCaprio is well-established at this point. Indeed, the best joke of Nikki Glaser’s Golden Globes monologue last night revolved around that fact that DiCaprio gives so little of himself away that the only things she could find to joke about him were his notoriously younger girlfriends and an obscure magazine interview he gave when he was 17, where he announced that his favourite food was “pasta, pasta and more pasta”.
However, DiCaprio then went and instantly gave some of himself away. A camera remained on him during a commercial break, and it caught him giving one of the most flamboyant demonstrations of his personality ever seen.
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© Photograph: Alessandro Galatoli/ZUMA Press Wire/Shutterstock
© Photograph: Alessandro Galatoli/ZUMA Press Wire/Shutterstock
© Photograph: Alessandro Galatoli/ZUMA Press Wire/Shutterstock
Severe weather, driven by two low-pressure systems merging, is expected to bring power outages and hazardous road conditions
Atlantic Canada is under widespread weather warnings for snow, freezing rain and strong winds as a winter storm moves across the region. In Newfoundland, up to 40cm of snow fell on Sunday, along with wind gusts of about 74mph, creating blizzard-like conditions.
The storm began late on Sunday and is forecast to persist until Tuesday morning. Freezing rain warnings are in place across Nova Scotia, including Annapolis and Kings counties, while parts of New Brunswick could get up to 25cm of snow on Monday.
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© Photograph: Canadian Press/Shutterstock
© Photograph: Canadian Press/Shutterstock
© Photograph: Canadian Press/Shutterstock
We would like to hear from Iranians living in Iran or abroad about how the crisis has affected your life and those of your friends and family
Iran foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, has said Iran is “not seeking war, but is fully prepared” for war, as he warned adversaries against any “miscalculation”.
It comes after Donald Trump claimed on Sunday that Iran has reached out and proposed negotiations, as he considers “very strong” military options against the regime over the deadly Iranian crackdown on protestors in the country, which has reportedly killed hundreds.
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© Photograph: KHOSHIRAN/Middle East Images/AFP/Getty Images
© Photograph: KHOSHIRAN/Middle East Images/AFP/Getty Images
© Photograph: KHOSHIRAN/Middle East Images/AFP/Getty Images
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