From 15 April to 1 May, the Crucible Theater in Sheffield will once again host the World Snooker Championship. Defending champion Ronnie O'Sullivan is chasing his 8th world title, the Belgian Luca Brecel also has a shot at the top jay. We follow the most important World Cup news on this page.

2023 World Snooker Championship

Tough assignment for Luca Brecel in the 1st round

In England, the draw for the 1st round of the World Snooker Championship took place on Thursday morning. Our compatriot Luca Brecel will compete against 40-year-old Englishman Ricky Walden, the number 24 in the world.

Walden is an experienced player with 3 ranking titles to his credit. The Englishman fought his way from the qualifications to the main draw. In the decisive preliminary round he settled after an exciting duel with the Thai Thepchaiya Un-Nooh: 10-9.

For Walden and Brecel it will not be their 1st confrontation at the World Cup. In 2018, the two already faced each other in the 1st round. Then Walden won 10-6. Walden's best performance at the World Cup was in 2013, when he reached the semi-finals.

Luca Brecel never got past the 1st round in Sheffield in 5 participations. The last duel between Brecel and Walden dates back to the German Masters in 2022, when Walden won 5-2.

In total, Brecel and Walden have faced each other 9 times in their careers, Brecel won 6 times.

The first quarter of 2023, between January and March, was the deadliest for migrants crossing the Mediterranean since 2017, with 441 lives lost trying to reach Europe, the UN said on Wednesday.

The United Nations International Organization for Migration (IOM) estimated that this figure of 441 deaths between January and March 2023 is below reality. “  With over 20,000  deaths recorded on this route since 2014, I fear these deaths have been normalized  ,” he warned, adding that “  delays and gaps in search and rescue operations by the States cost human lives  ”. “  Over the Easter weekend, 3,000  migrants reached Italy, bringing the total number of arrivals since the start of the year to 31,192  people  ,” IOM said.

Delays in search and rescue (SAR) operations have been a driving factor in at least six incidents so far this year, killing at least 127 of the remaining 441 people, the IOM said . . "  The complete lack of response during a seventh rescue operation claimed the lives of at least 73 migrants  " still included in this same tally, IOM said in a statement, adding that search and rescue efforts rescues from non-governmental organizations have declined markedly in recent months.

Entire boats missing

“  The continuing humanitarian crisis in the central Mediterranean is intolerable  ,” said IOM Chief Antonio Vitorino.  The UN agency's "Missing Migrants" project is also investigating several cases of missing boats, where there are no traces of survivors, debris and where no search and rescue operations have been carried out . . Some 300 people on board these boats are still missing, the organization said.

"  Saving lives at sea is a legal obligation for States  ," said Antonio Vitorino. “  We need proactive coordination from States in search and rescue efforts. Guided by the spirit of responsibility sharing and solidarity, we call on States to work together and strive to reduce the loss of life along the migration routes  ,” he added.

According to our information, the two ships have been rescued or are still on their way to Italy, accompanied by the Italian coast guard. But we do not know if they have already arrived. And we don't know how the people on board are doing either.

The French women's tennis team faces that of Great Britain in the qualifying round of the Billie Jean King Cup 2023 (ex Fed Cup) this weekend in Coventry. Absent from Portel last year during the play-off against the Netherlands, the Northerner Kristina Mladenovic finds the tricolor selection, probably in anticipation of the double.

The teams of France and Great Britain find themselves in the Billie Jean King Cup 42 years later… The last confrontation between the two nations dates back to 1981 (3-0 defeat for France). It was only the third Franco-British meeting after 1975 and 1976.

On the occasion of this qualifying round against Great Britain disputed on April 14 and 15, the French tennis team led by its captain Julien Benneteau, will try in Coventry to win its ticket for the final phase of the Billie Jean King Cup 2023. On the French side, Julien Benneteau has selected Clara Burel , Alizé Cornet, Caroline Garcia and Kristina Mladenovic . The Saint-Poloise returns to the France team. She had not participated last November in the play-off match against the Netherlands played at Portel. Kiki joined the France team on Monday afternoon from Charleston (USA), where she was playing in the doubles final.

The French largely favorites

If on paper the Blues will logically be favorites, Julien Benneteau approaches this qualifying round with suspicion: “This meeting will be difficult. We're playing outside and I don't know what kind of atmosphere we're going to have. Great Britain are a strong and cohesive team. But she will be deprived of her best player, Emma Raducanu (68th in the world).

Before leaving for Coventry, Caroline Garçia, Alizé Cornet and Clara Burel trained at the CNE at Roland-Garros. There, they had the surprise visit of the Cucquoise Pauline Parmentier . Their former teammate, now a young mother, presented her baby to her friends. They then flew to Coventry, joined by Kristina Mladenovic .

This match will therefore take place on Friday and Saturday at the Coventry Building Society (CBS) Arena. A room that can accommodate 1,500 spectators. Julien Benneteau will announce the names of the starting players on Thursday during the draw . Caroline Garcia, world number 5, will play the singles for sure. Alizé Cornet (70th) holds the rope for 2nd place.

A crunch not disputed for 42 years

Kristina Mladenovic (143rd in singles, but 14th in doubles) should play the doubles alongside Caroline Garcia, if it takes place. The formula of the ex-Fed Cup indeed provides that the double arrives at the end, after the four singles. However, France seems capable of winning the singles before, which would lead to the cancellation of the last meetings.

But the Northerner could also be aligned in singles, possibly on the 2nd day. Because if she lost places on the WTA circuit, Kiki remains a remarkable team player. She thus has the best quota, 15 victories in 25 meetings in the BJK Cup, among the four French selected. We remember in particular her remarkable performances during the 2019 Fed Cup final. She had indeed brought back the necessary victories against Australia.

The confrontation against the British looks less complicated. UK players are far behind in the WTA world rankings. Harriet Dart is 138th, Katie Boulder 154th and Heather Watson 169th. In the past, the two nations have faced each other three times in the Fed Cup, but that was a long time ago. France had won 2-1 in 1975 in Aix-en-Provence. Great Britain took its revenge the following year (3-0), in Philadelphia. Before winning by the same score in 1981 in Tokyo. But that was really in another era, when Virginia Wade was one of the best players in the world.

Kristina Mladenovic profile

Born on May 14, 1993 (29 years old) in Saint-Pol-sur-Mer (FRA) 1.84 m – Right-handed (two-handed backhand). Trained by Dzenita Mladenovic (her mother).

WTA rankings (Monday April 10, 2023): 143rd in singles; 14th in doubles

Singles record : 1 title (Saint-Petersburg); 7 finals lost

31 titles (including 3 in mixed doubles); 17 finals lost (including 2 in mixed doubles)

Best Grand Slam performance in singles : quarter-finalist at Roland-Garros in 2017; at the US Open in 2015

Best Grand Slam performance in doubles : Winner at the Australian Open in 2018 and 2020 [with Babos HUN)]; at Roland-Garros in 2016 [with Garcia (FRA)], 2019 and 2020 [with Babos (HUN)] and 2022 [with Garcia (FRA)]; in mixed doubles at the Australian Open in 2014 [with Nestor (CAN)] and 2022 [with Dodig (CRO)], and Wimbledon in 2013.

2023 season in singles : First round in Lyon; quarter-finalist at the ITF tournament in Astana

2023 doubles season : Quarter-finalist in Abu Dhabi [with Babos (HUN)]

and Charleston [with Zhang (CHN)]; Second round in Adelaide, the Australian Open and Dubai

BILLIE JEAN KING CUP

Debut in 2012 against Slovakia

35 matches played in 17 matches

Win-loss record: 25-10 (11-8 in singles; 14-2 in doubles)

Winner in 2019; Finalist in 2016

The Great Britain/France program in tennis

Thursday 13 April: draw (2 p.m.)

Friday April 14 (3 p.m.): opening ceremony, followed by the first two singles, played in the best of three legs

Saturday April 15 (1 p.m.): last two singles followed by the double.

All matches will be best of three sets with a tiebreaker in all sets.

All matches will be played unless the score is 3-0 after the third single. In this case, the last singles match may be cancelled.

The category 4 tropical cyclone, formed over the ocean west of Australia, is strengthening and is expected to swing into category 5, according to Australian weather forecasts.

By Thursday morning, Cyclone Ilsa was about 250 kilometers off the coast of Western Australia and the system was categorized as Level 4. Moving at a speed of 16 kilometers per hour (km/h), it was causing gusts of up to at 260 km/h.

It is now expected that Ilsa will reach the mainland in the evening and be even more intense, becoming a category 5 cyclone.

This is awarded when the gusts exceed more than 279 km / h, according to the classification of the Australian meteorological office which then describes a system “extremely dangerous with very extensive destruction”.

Ilsa is described by some as "the most powerful storm of the decade" to make landfall.

About 700 kilometers of coastline are placed on alert south of the tourist town of Broome to the mining community of Port Hedland. Many vulnerable people and tourists in at-risk areas have already been evacuated to Broome.

While a weather station has already recorded winds of 260 km / h west of this city, residents are encouraged to go to evacuation centers set up along the coast.

The main road linking Broome to Port Hedland has been closed to traffic by the authorities for more than 500 kilometers.

The Brussels region has a large number of single-parent families: nearly one in three families. The heads of these households are overwhelmingly women.

Solo mothers came to testify to their experiences in the Brussels parliament this Wednesday, on the initiative of the socialist deputy Delphine Chabbert. The opportunity for these women to talk about their needs and to mention in particular the heavy mental burden that weighs on them.

Too little time for yourself

Sophie raises her 4-year-old daughter alone. A teacher and owner of her home, she does not benefit from aid. It is therefore not easy to make ends meet. But the precariousness is not only financial. It is also relational. Isolation and exhaustion are the daily life of single mothers. “ You have to manage everything on your own. This mental load is really very tiring to live with, especially when you work full time, ” explains the young woman. Renate agrees. Her daughter was born a year ago. She knew that she would take on the difficulties alone: ​​"I thought it would be rather logistics but in fact, the two biggest difficulties are isolation and having little time for yourself and therefore running out of energy after a while to occupy yourself properly of her child ".

Feeling supported and accompanied is therefore essential for single parents. A house is dedicated to them in Forest. Kadija Bouchirab, her coordinator, confirms the need to allow parents to breathe: " We have to rethink things for these families, offer childcare services, solutions for the well-being of single parents. They need these parentheses and taking time for them. This is what is most lacking in single-parent families, " she regrets.

Access to housing even more complicated for single-parent families

Finding accommodation is not easy in Brussels. It's even more complicated for single-parent families who often combine discrimination. The rent allowance is one of the tools of the support plan for these families put in place by the Brussels region in July 2021. " It helps single parents every month to pay their rent. Today there are a little more than 2,500 single-parent families who benefit from it. The amount varies between 120 and 280 euros depending on the composition of the household "explains Nawal Ben Hamou, Secretary of State for Equal Opportunities and Housing.

The voluntary sector also recalls that too many people are unaware of the aid to which they are entitled. To help make them known, there is a website.  Single parents can find information on the aid and services offered to them in the Brussels Region.

For many, Google Maps is an application for daily use to move around the city and reach destinations in the fastest and easiest way. For the benefit of these users, the platform is now working on a new update that aims to improve the user's search experience without getting lost on the map. 

The new tool will indicate the location where the person is at all times , even if they decide to enlarge, shrink or move the map. Below, all the details. 

As can be seen reflected in the image above, the new function of Google Maps is that of a red indicator that shows the current location of the user at all times or the one that he himself has decided to set.

The icon stays at the edge of the screen and allows the driver to scroll across the map without losing sight of the original orientation. 

This tool is convenient since before, when standing on one direction and moving the screen to another , the pin would be lost and the user would be confused. Now, however, the orientation process is easier and faster.

The app will also provide information on the location being pointed at , which is key to recognizing where you want to go. 

It is worth mentioning that these Google Maps tools are in the testing phase , so you will have to be attentive to the next update of the platform to access them.