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Explainer-How France aims to discourage buying of Chinese EVs
Explainer-How France aims to discourage buying of Chinese EVs
PARIS France on Wednesday published new eligibility rules for electric car incentives to exclude EVs made in China,
2023-09-21 01:25
For the First Time in 100 years, Charmin is Reinventing the Square for the Perfect Tear
For the First Time in 100 years, Charmin is Reinventing the Square for the Perfect Tear
CINCINNATI--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct 2, 2023--
2023-10-02 22:03
T1 Signs Munchkin to Valorant Roster
T1 Signs Munchkin to Valorant Roster
T1 have continued with their Valorant roster overhaul with the signing of Byeon “Munchkin” Sang-beom.
1970-01-01 08:00
James Maddison: ‘When I go for a roast dinner with my family, I like to be the main man’
James Maddison: ‘When I go for a roast dinner with my family, I like to be the main man’
Gary Maddison was not a Tottenham supporter. Not until the last few weeks, anyway. But there was a time when he paid particular attention to Spurs, and a reason. “My dad’s favourite player when I was growing up was Gazza,” said his son, James, who has inherited the mantle Paul Gascoigne had more than three decades ago, of Tottenham’s resident creator and entertainer, part technical talent, part bubbly character. If some summer signings require time and explanation, Maddison and Tottenham seemed a synergy of player and club, a perfect match. It was the impression the £40m buy forged. “That was one of the reasons I wanted to go to Tottenham, purely because I could just see myself playing for Tottenham. I’m not even 100 percent sure what I mean by that, so don’t ask me. But I could just see myself in that team, in that kit, in that stadium. It just fitted well for me.” Even as Maddison struggled to define what a Tottenham player he is, he nevertheless appears to belong in a tradition. For a club without a league title in 62 years, Spurs have had a disproportionate number of flair players, many of them attack-minded midfielders or wingers. The club of Glenn Hoddle and Chris Waddle, Ossie Ardiles and Ricky Villa, Gascoigne and David Ginola, Gareth Bale and Rafael van der Vaart tended to offer excitement. “And they’ve always had that type of player,” Maddison added. “And that sort of midfielder who wants to be creative and entertain the fans and be a personality. Christian Eriksen in more recent years but since him they probably haven’t had that type of player. I’d put myself in that category, I’m not putting myself on the same level. But I’m that type of player.” As he indicated, it is one they have lacked of late, under a trio of managerial puritans, in Jose Mourinho, Nuno Espirito Santo and Antonio Conte. Maddison, appointed vice-captain before he debuted, can look the face of ‘Angeball’, the more attacking ethos of Ange Postecoglou. It helps that Eriksen was a player he admired during his rise. David Silva and the Liverpool version of Philippe Coutinho were other inspirations. But if his father idolised Gazza, the young Maddison also looked up to Wazza. “I would probably say Wayne Rooney was the big one in my childhood,” he said. “I used to love Wazza. He was a bit more feisty than me – a bit harder into a tackle – but his personality and the way he came through in the way he played. That childhood was videoed by his father, producing YouTube montages of an emerging talent. Maddison jokes that Premier League copyright rules prevent him from carrying on. Perhaps that explains why he has long seemed comfortable on camera, gravitating towards the limelight. “I loved watching players who had a little bit of cheekiness about them; Gazza was a perfect example,” he said, chuckling at the thought of the midfielder sticking his tongue out during the national anthem in the 1990 World Cup. Maddison’s exuberant streak is reflected in his style of play. It is an outgoing attitude, rather than arrogance. “It’s not a conscious effort to try and be the showman,” he said. “That’s just how I play football. That’s just how I am as a person, [when] I go for a roast dinner with my family, I like to be the main man.” That confidence can equip him for the most daunting tasks. Tottenham’s record scorer and, Maddison said, arguably their greatest ever player vacated the No 10 shirt this summer when Harry Kane joined Bayern Munich. He took it. “I wasn’t naive enough to go in there thinking there wasn’t a chance Harry Kane could leave Tottenham,” he said. “The club asked me, then of course I wanted to wear it. It’s my favourite number. I’ve got it tattooed on me, I loved that number growing up as a kid so I was never going to say no.” Thus far, four games in the shirt have brought a Kane-esque return of two goals and two assists, plus a place in the England squad. Once on the outside looking in, he is now becoming a regular choice. “I think I’m probably too intelligent to think that I’m in and cemented,” he nevertheless said. He only has three caps; perhaps the absences of Jack Grealish and Raheem Sterling will afford him the chance to add to that against Ukraine and Scotland. That tally might be higher but for a knee injury that meant he was unavailable for the group games at the World Cup; by the time he was fit again, Bukayo Saka, Phil Foden and Marcus Rashford were all in form. “I think a younger version of myself would have been a bit more sulky, a bit more moody, a bit more moany,” Maddison admitted, but, more mature now, he tried to be supportive and highlighted the empathetic man-management of Gareth Southgate. “Gareth gave me a massive compliment as we were leaving,” he said. “He said he knew it has been tough with the injury and not featuring, but he was really impressed with the way I had carried myself round the group. Him putting his arm around me and saying that as we were leaving stuck with me.” It gives Maddison an extra motivation to play at Euro 2024 but, as he looks for further opportunities with England, he is looking a natural fit for a white shirt at his new club. Read More Bukayo Saka keen to improve after winning England men’s player of the year again Reinvented at new-age Brighton, Lewis Dunk has a second chance with England James Maddison grew up loving Gascoigne ‘cheekiness’ and ‘feisty’ Wayne Rooney James Maddison, Julian Alvarez and 5 players to target for FPL Gameweek 5 Ange Postecoglou expects Brennan Johnson to ‘fit in really well’ at Tottenham
2023-09-08 14:32
Greta Gerwig 'nearly overwhelmed' by seeing Barbie in IMAX
Greta Gerwig 'nearly overwhelmed' by seeing Barbie in IMAX
Greta Gerwig is "nearly overwhelmed" by seeing 'Barbie' in IMAX and explains that the ultra high-definition screening is the best way to watch the summer smash.
2023-09-21 15:00
What the Israel-Hamas war means for US markets
What the Israel-Hamas war means for US markets
Growing unrest in the Middle East has cast a shadow on global financial markets.
2023-10-17 19:13
How Qatar plans to make F1 grand prix their ‘new World Cup’
How Qatar plans to make F1 grand prix their ‘new World Cup’
At the Lusail International Circuit, home to the second iteration this weekend of Formula 1’s Qatar Grand Prix, a reminder of the country’s crowning moment glows bright in the background. The Lusail Iconic Stadium, the 88,000-capacity golden bowl which hosted last year’s World Cup final, is less than 10 miles down the road. But with the planet’s biggest show having come and gone – with its fair share of acclaim and criticism – Qatari executives are determined to move on. A new spectacle is in town. “We are the new World Cup for the next 10 years,” boldly stated Amro Al-Hamad, CEO of the Qatar Motor and Motorcycle Federation, earlier this year. “Everybody [in Qatar] is now very eager to share their [World Cup] experiences with us to make sure that we deliver an even higher calibre event than the World Cup was.” Two years ago, as well as stepping in late in the day to stage the 20th race of the memorable 2021 season, Qatar signed a 10-year contract with F1 to stage a race every year from 2023. Earlier this year, F1 announced a multi-year partnership with Qatar Airways to be the sport’s global airline partner, replacing rival airline Emirates. With F1 having been long present in Bahrain and the UAE via Abu Dhabi, with Saudi Arabia a new entrant too in 2021, Qatar is now making waves at the top of single-seater motorsport, having hosted a race in MotoGP since 2004. Originally, the prospect of a street track in Doha was mooted and while that is not out of the question down the line, a newly refurbished paddock suggests the high-speed Lusail track will be the country’s home of motorsport in the short-term. The refurbs get their first showing this weekend. “The F1 paddock is state of the art,” added Al-Hamad. “We haven’t left any stone unturned. “The pit boxes are not suitable for F1 racing, opposite to the ones that we had for MotoGP [in Qatar since 2004] in the past. We have 50 boxes – I don’t think anybody else within the F1 calendar has that number of pit boxes.” The updates, however, should not overshadow concerns related to the country’s human rights record, with regards to worker conditions and discriminatory laws against women and LGBTQ+ individuals. Lewis Hamilton, who won the 2021 race, received a heap of praise when he wore a rainbow helmet two years ago. At that time, Amnesty International said: “It’s no secret that rich countries in the Middle East see top-level sport as a means to rebrand and sportswash their images, and a grand prix in Qatar would be more of the same.” F1 now hosts four races in the Middle East, including the first and last race of the season, with lucrative commercial contracts. Qatar will have an illustrious penultimate spot on the calendar next year. And despite being a new track to six of the 20 drivers this year, Qatar hosts the fourth sprint race of the season this coming weekend. But beyond any improvements to facilities off-track, the action on it typically makes an event a real hit-or miss. And while the 2023 season has been dominated by one man, Qatar is set to be the stage of his moment of glory. Max Verstappen only needs to finish in the top six in the sprint race on Saturday to claim his third championship on the bounce. The Dutchman, 26, will join the likes of Ayrton Senna, Niki Lauda and Jackie Stewart with a hat-trick of championships to his name. “It doesn’t sound too bad, does it?” said Verstappen on Thursday. “It’s something I’d never have imagined to be a part of. I don’t think I’ll fully appreciate it until I stop. We just try to enjoy the moment. “We [Red Bull] are having an incredible season. The records we are breaking as a team is something we never expected to happen. We’re incredibly proud of them. Hopefully we can keep that momentum going.” Read More F1: How can Max Verstappen win 2023 world championship in Qatar? Aston Martin boss urges F1 to stick to 10 teams British F2 star to make F1 debut with Haas How can Max Verstappen win 2023 F1 world championship in Qatar? British F2 star to make F1 debut with Haas ‘Referees make mistakes’: Gasly compares Liverpool VAR farce to Abu Dhabi controversy
2023-10-06 14:12
Mobil 1™ and Steer Join Forces to Transform Automotive Service and Repair Experience
Mobil 1™ and Steer Join Forces to Transform Automotive Service and Repair Experience
SPRING, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct 26, 2023--
2023-10-27 00:29
Twitter walks back some login requirements
Twitter walks back some login requirements
It seems that Twitter is already walking back some of the unpopular decisions it made
2023-07-06 05:16
‘Mermaid mummy’ from Japan found to be a Frankenstein's mix of body parts
‘Mermaid mummy’ from Japan found to be a Frankenstein's mix of body parts
Frankenstein’s monsters aren’t just for Halloween, as a team of US scientists have recently discovered. The experts at Northern Kentucky University (NKU) were tasked with analysing the remains of a supposed mummified “mermaid”, and what they found was pretty gruesome. The mummy was brought to America from Japan more than 100 years ago after being donated it to the Clark County Historical Society in Springfield, Ohio. It arrived at the society in 1906 but documents supplied alongside the strange specimen suggest it dates back to the mid-1800s. This means that for some 170 years, the true identity of the wisened, 29-cm-long creature remained a mystery. However, thanks to modern technology, the team at NKU has finally worked out that the sinister-looking “siren” is, in fact, a ghoulish hybrid of monkey, fish and lizard. Joseph Cress, who led the project, told Live Science that he and his colleagues used X-ray and CT scans to investigate the creepy cadaver. "This allowed us to see [the mummy] in almost every dimension in the hopes to see what was inside it," he explained. They determined that that the “mermaid” consists of the head and torso of a monkey sewed onto the body of a fish, and its “hands” are the clawed legs of a lizard – most likely a Komodo dragon. The scans also revealed a pair of wooden stakes hidden inside the chimeric corpse – one running from head to tail and another across the shoulder blades — which were presumably inserted to keep the monster in one piece. Cress and his colleagues are currently trying to reconstruct a more detailed model of the mermaid and its individual components, according to Live Science. Once these models are complete, they plan to send them to zoos and aquariums to help confirm the different parts on a species level. However, jaw-dropping this specimen may be, it's not the only “mermaid” to be debunked in recent times. In March 2022, researchers analysed a similar example that was found in a hidden box in a Japanese temple. They also expected the creature, which was 30.5 cm long and dated back to the mid-1700s, to be a monkey-fish hybrid. However, tests conducted in February this year revealed that it was, in fact, predominantly made of cloth, paper and cotton. It had been painted with sand and charcoal and held together by metal pins, while various animal parts, including fish skin and mammal hair, had been stuck to it. Experts believe that the two “mermaids” were made to resemble "ningyo" — hideous fish-like creatures with human heads and sharp claws from Japanese mythology. According to legend, a nun named Yaobikuni lived for 800 years and retained the youthful appearance of a young woman, after eating a ningyo. Her immortality made the creatures a symbol of longevity, so it’s likely that fraudsters tried to recreate the mermaids to sell them to wealthy seekers of immortality. Still, at least the owners of these two examples didn’t make the mistake of trying to eat them. Sign up for our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings
2023-11-01 18:58
Gucci's CEO is stepping down as its French parent shakes up leadership
Gucci's CEO is stepping down as its French parent shakes up leadership
The president and CEO of Gucci is stepping down later this year
2023-07-19 19:09
Taylor Swift dazzles in silver Balmain gown at London premiere of Beyonce's 'Renaissance' film
Taylor Swift dazzles in silver Balmain gown at London premiere of Beyonce's 'Renaissance' film
Taylor Swift attended Beyonce's 'Renaissance' premiere in London to her UK fans' delight
2023-12-01 17:55