Worldwide waffling

The Government is expected to announce a move to a mixture of level 4 and level 5 restrictions for the entire country as the number of Covid-19 cases continues to rise. Considerable differences of opinion remain around how far the Government should now go after the coalition leaders were briefed by Nphet on the recommendation to move to level 5 restrictions.It comes as 1,283 confirmed cases of Covid-19 were announced on Sunday, while another three people have died with the virus.One Government source said it is now likely that the Cabinet will settle on the introduction of level 4 restrictions nationwide with some additions.

More military personnel could be deployed to fight Covid-19 in hotspots around the country, a Cabinet minister signalled today.Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick offered additional help from the armed forces to civic leaders in Manchester.Ministers are seeking their agreement for the area going into stringent Tier 3 restrictions and offering a multi-million-pound package of support for local councils and businesses."

We also want to see what other things we can do together including through local contact tracing and using the military," Mr Jenrick told BBC Breakfast.He added: "Some parts of the country have asked for use of the military to support them with contact tracing, for example, and with putting in place infrastructure where it's necessary for testing sites.

Melbourne Cup-winning Australian trainer Darren Weir was committed to stand trial on Monday (Oct 19) on animal cruelty and conspiracy to defraud charges stemming from the 2018 spring racing carnival.A magistrate ruled that there was enough evidence for a jury to decide whether Weir, his former assistant Jarrod McLean and stable hand Tyson Kermond conspired to cheat and deceive racing stewards in Victoria state.They are accused of horse torture, including the alleged use of electronic shock devices known as "jiggers" on three thoroughbreds to enhance their performance in the lead-up to the 2018 season.

Montague's girls golf team has "The Mitten" in its possession, as preposterous as that may have sounded even a couple years ago.It's a term that Wildcats football coach Pat Collins is fond of using when it comes to the holy grail of high school sports in this state: The wooden state-championship trophy crafted in the shape of Michigan.Montague has long been known as a football school. Collins quarterbacked the Wildcats to the state finals in 1992 and he coached them to back-to-back state titles in 2008 and 2009. This fall, his 'Cats are unbeaten, top-ranked and have championship visions again.