seconds

PFL Belfast: Jay-Jay Wilson defeats Donegal’s Darragh Kelly in 37 seconds

Jay-Jay Wilson stunned the Belfast crowd with a devastating first-round knockout of Donegal’s Darragh Kelly, handing the Irishman his first professional defeat in just 37 seconds.

‘The Moville Mauler’ Darragh Kelly saw his unbeaten record ended as he was stopped by seventh-ranked lightweight Jay-Jay Wilson in the main event at PFL Belfast.

Wilson had originally been scheduled to face Derry’s Paul Hughes, but the bout was rearranged after Hughes withdrew due to a knee injury.

The New Zealander, who was returning from defeat to Archie Colgan last October, slipped Kelly’s early jabs before landing a left kick and following up with a powerful left hook that ended the contest almost immediately, silencing the SSE Arena.

“I landed the side kick, set my base and once I saw it connect I sat on the hook, and that was all she wrote,” said Wilson after the victory.

Despite entering as the away fighter, Wilson embraced the occasion and the crowd.

“Ireland, I love you guys… even though you were against me,” he said, before targeting Alfie Davies for a potential June bout in San Diego.

Confident in his preparation, Wilson added: “I know what I’m capable of… I put my confidence in the work I do in the gym.”

The victory marked a significant moment for “The Maori Kid”, who also spoke about representing his background and inspiring others.

“If I can do it, anyone can do it,” he said. “I want to lead the way for troubled youth.”

In the co-main event, Ballymena’s Rhys McKee marked his PFL debut with a hard-fought victory over Lohoré, earning a unanimous 30-27 decision after a competitive three-round contest.

Having been controlled early through grappling, McKee grew into the fight, finding success with his jab and striking in the second round.

The decisive moment came in the third, when McKee dropped Lohoré with a right hand before finishing strongly to secure victory.

“It was unbelievable… what a night in Belfast,” McKee said.

“All I wanted was to be excited about fighting again and PFL answered.”

The 30-year-old, whose bout was only confirmed in March, admitted it was a challenge but never considered turning it down.

“When PFL asks you to fight in your home city, what can you say? You have to do it.”

McKee also reflected on the significance of competing in front of a home crowd.

“That will stay with me for the rest of my life. These nights are rare, you have to take them in.”

Looking ahead, he added: “I’m coming for the PFL rankings… put Rhys McKee up.”

Source link

‘I’ve visited over 80 countries – I know how to find the perfect hotel in 60 seconds’

One man who knows the ins and outs of finding the ideal hotel is travel expert Mark Wolters, who outlined how you can spot top quality accommodation in 60 seconds

A seasoned traveller who has visited more than 80 countries has revealed how you can identify a quality hotel in just 60 seconds. As we’re all aware, a decent hotel can determine whether a holiday succeeds or fails; be it the standards of cleanliness, the facilities, the swimming pool, or any other factor, having a solid place to retreat to after an exhausting day helps you properly relax.

Not every hotel measures up – the web is awash with stories of dreadful experiences, ranging from the merely disappointing to the absolutely horrendous. So, as we begin mapping out our spring and summer escapes, any guidance on securing a good one will surely prove invaluable.

One person who knows the tricks of finding an ideal hotel is Mark Wolters, the instantly familiar face behind the Wolters World YouTube channel, which boasts 1.17 million subscribers.

As an experienced world traveller, Mark has journeyed everywhere from Uruguay to Albania. Now he’s revealing his top hotel tips to help others steer clear of a disastrous booking.

Check the most recent reviews

His first suggestion was examining online reviews of the accommodation. Importantly, you should focus on the latest reviews, since a hotel that enjoyed five-star status a decade ago might have deteriorated – or improved considerably.

Mark explained: “Are they still getting that nine out of 10 or eight out of 10? Or have they fallen to a six or a seven? Because you want to look for that consistency.

“Because if they’re consistently getting nines and tens today and five years ago, that shows that that hotel continuously cares about their guests and their hotel, which means boom, probably going to be a good hotel.”

Actually read the reviews

Mark advised people to scrutinise the reviews and look out for specific keywords and phrases, such as “clean”, “safe”, “comfortable, “, “good location” or “attentive staff”, for example.

He added that you should, for the same reason as above, remember to sort these reviews by date and check whether the hotel has responded to guests online, paying close attention to whether their replies were courteous and professional.

Check that the price makes sense

Mark said: “I know we all want to find that great hotel for a super low price, but a lot of times, (if) they have to have heavy discounts, it’s for a reason.

“So, what you want to see is if you’re looking in an area like here in Lille, you’ll see that, oh, similar hotels have similar prices, and does that hotel fit in that same similar price range. That makes sense.

“I mean, they can have a deal every so often, but a good hotel doesn’t have to have a deal because they’re a good hotel.”

Check photos posted by guests

Mark highlighted the importance of not only looking at the photos posted by the hotel, which could be old, but also at those shared by guests online. Check if these line up with the originals.

Cancellation policy

He went on to advise that you should review your hotel’s cancellation policy because good hotels “know that life happens”, and that our plans can change. Mark noted that desirable hotels “don’t punish guests”.

Location, location, location

It’s well worth pinpointing the exact location of the hotel on a map to establish whether it’s within easy reach of local amenities or attractions. Crucially, Mark also highlighted that you can check whether the hotel is situated in a safe neighbourhood.

Check the description

Mark said: “Is it a realistic description of the hotel, of the rooms, or is it something like a ‘tranquil oasis away from the problems of your life in the outskirts of the world?'”

If it’s packed with “marketing jargon”, as Mark puts it, he suggested you should avoid it, adding that good hotels will be “realistic”.

Trust your gut

Finally, Mark said that when you check out hotels online, much of the time, you will get a “gut feeling” and advised people to trust it.

Source link

Pilot humiliates passenger who rushed to front of plane seconds after landing

The woman jumped out of her seat as soon as the plane hit the tarmac and ignored flight crew instructions to return to her seat while the seatbelt sign was still on

A pilot has been praised as a “hero” for ridiculing an entitled woman who rushed down the aisle in an attempt to be the first passenger off the aircraft. A fellow traveller recounted how the woman leapt from her seat the moment the plane touched down and bolted towards the exit.

Despite the seatbelt sign remaining illuminated, she disregarded the cabin crew’s requests to return to her seat until the aircraft had come to a complete stop. Recounting the incident on Reddit, the passenger explained: “The woman in the back unbuckled and darted to the front of the plane to get off first.

“She did not make any eye contact and felt that she was special. I’m talking about going from the very last seat on the plane, down the whole row, and past first class, basically standing at the little kitchen thing in the front.

“The seat belt sign was still on and we were still rolling down the runway. The flight crew had asked her to return to her seat until we reached the gate but she was not even responding.”

The passenger went on to describe how everyone aboard shifted their focus to the woman following the gruelling eight-hour journey. But that’s when the pilot chose to intervene personally.

“Suddenly the captain announced we had a special guest onboard and he would be coming out to greet them after we were settled at the gate,” they continued.

“The woman stood there awkwardly until we did the whole rolling into the gate thing, and whatever planes do when they land, for about 15 to 20 minutes.”

They went on: “Everyone sat there waiting to see what the captain was talking about. Eventually, the captain came out and asked the lady to please move back a little to get to his special guest, then a little more, then a little more.

“He was looking from row to row trying to find a specific person. Everyone is watching and looking around to see who it could be. “

The pilot kept ushering her back one row at a time until she reached the very back of the plane.

Finally, as they approached the rear of the plane he asked her to sit for a second while he grabbed the intercom at the rear of the plane.

The person recalled: “The pilot said: ‘Ladies and gentlemen, I’d like to announce our special guest sitting in seat 42C. Let’s give her a round of applause’. The whole plane went wild with laughter and applause. I loved every moment of that.”

Responding to the pilot’s power move, one user remarked: “That pilot is a hero to the people.”

Another user added: “I was hoping that the special guest was a federal marshal coming onboard to arrest the woman for refusing to follow safety-related commands given by members of the flight crew.”

One passenger said: “Sometimes when a plane is late getting in there are people that have a connecting flight that will be very tight to make. They need to get off the plane quickly to have any chance at their connection.

“The best way to handle that is to inform the stewardess and they can make a general announcement. Of course, sometimes people ignore that announcement and block the aisle for those people anyway.”

Source link

What happened in the seconds before Air Canada plane crashed at LaGuardia

Two pilots were killed and several passengers and crew were injured when an Air Canada plane collided with a fire truck at New York’s LaGuardia airport.

BBC Verify has been using air-traffic-control audio and flight-tracking data to piece together what happened on the runway on 22 March – as Jake Horton explains.

Produced by Aisha Sembhi. Graphics by Mesut Ersoz. Verification by Daniele Palumbo.

Source link