List of All Articles with Tag 'al'

US applications for unemployment benefits fell last week, suggesting a resilient labor market despite a moderation in job

Even in a time of extortionate inflation in the United Kingdom, it was eye-catching when a Spanish man in north London agreed to pay £105m for Rice and £36m for Timber; Declan Rice and Jurrien Timber, admittedly, and if the midfielder’s price ranks among the highest ever forked out by a Premier League club, the Dutch defender has the potential to look a relative bargain for Arsenal. But each, like Kai Havertz, is a testament to Mikel Arteta’s expensive ambition; to his relentless drive and his permanent restlessness, too. Arsenal’s summer spending will soon top £200m. Their outlay over last season’s two transfer windows came to around £170m, while the summer of 2021 amounted to about £150m in fees alone. None of which even makes Arsenal the biggest spenders in the capital, and if Chelsea still have the air of an anomaly, there is also a cost to competing with the Manchester clubs, Liverpool, Tottenham and now Newcastle. And as Arteta inherited a team in mid-table, he was starting from a low base; there was a greater need for rebuilding. Yet it is notable that Arteta’s reaction to a breakthrough season has been so dramatic. The exponential improvement of both the team – from 69 points in 2021-22 to 84, from 61 goals to 88 – and individuals, whether in Martin Odegaard’s transformation into a scorer, Ben White’s conversion into a right-back, William Saliba’s makeover from serial loanee to defensive mainstay or Bukayo Saka’s new status as one of the best players in the country, could have pointed to a model of continued evolution. Instead, there is more of a revolutionary feel to Arsenal’s summer. If 2021, with an investment in youth, seemed to set in place a plan for years, and 2022, with the purchases of the Manchester City pair of Oleksandr Zinchenko and Gabriel Jesus, looked another phase, the stakes seem raised again in 2023: taking on City for Rice, taking the Champions League final scorer Havertz from Chelsea. But a departure that could free up a place for either has both a footballing and a symbolic significance. Granit Xhaka was the last Arsene Wenger signing to remain pivotal; redemptive a season as the Swiss had, Rice and Havertz look upgrades. If Timber’s arrival ushers Rob Holding towards the exit, another link with the Wenger era will be gone. Should Kieran Tierney go, as is possible, there will be less of Unai Emery’s legacy left: Saliba signed under the current Aston Villa manager, but never played for him, while Gabriel Martinelli’s maiden Premier League start came under the caretaker Freddie Ljungberg, a couple of weeks before Arteta’s appointment. This is Arteta’s Arsenal now. He will not celebrate his fourth anniversary until December but the speed of change is reflected not just in the composition of the squad but in terms of who is actually on the pitch. Of the 14 footballers to play the most Premier League minutes for Arsenal last season, one (Xhaka) was bought by Wenger, two (Saliba and Martinelli) joined under Emery and two (Saka and Eddie Nketiah) were youth-team products who barely featured before Arteta took charge. The other nine – seven of the 11 with the most minutes plus the January recruits Leandro Trossard and Jorginho – were Arteta buys. Tierney ranked 15th, the oft-injured Takehiro Tomiyasu 16th and Holding 17th. So even factoring in the probability that another Hale End Academy graduate, Emile Smith Rowe, will feature more in the forthcoming campaign, along with another January addition, Jakub Kiwior, the division of labour is likely to be shifted still further towards Arteta’s arrivals. Eight of the probable first 11 could be his buys, along with perhaps 13 of the 18 most-used players. That preferred 11 could contain a couple of notable omissions: the speed of change may mean some Arteta flagship buys are sidelined. Thomas Partey looks likely to drop out of the strongest side; in defence, Tomiyasu was demoted last season, despite an encouraging debut year, and Timber’s signing will pose questions if the same fate awaits White, terrific as he was, or if the newcomer proves a back-up. Meanwhile, a comparison is instructive. Three and a half years into his mentor Pep Guardiola’s reign at City, a host of players bought under previous managers – David Silva, Fernandinho, Vincent Kompany, Kevin de Bruyne, Sergio Aguero, Raheem Sterling – were still pivotal. Three and a half seasons into Jurgen Klopp’s time at Liverpool, so were survivors of previous regimes such as Jordan Henderson, James Milner and Roberto Firmino, while others – Dejan Lovren, Joe Gomez, Divock Origi, Adam Lallana – were still involved. But, three and a half years into Arteta’s time at Arsenal, it is very possible everyone who features regularly will either be his signings or those who only made minor contributions under his predecessors. It really will be his team. Read More Defender William Saliba commits to Arsenal with new long-term contract Granit Xhaka departs Arsenal on busy day at the Emirates It’s been a hell of a journey – Reiss Nelson wants to take Arsenal to next level

Virgin Galactic Holdings said on Thursday that the space tourism startup will launch its second commercial flight in

Thai senators appointed by the army blocked pro-democracy candidate Pita Limjaroenrat from becoming prime minister in the first

Remote work risks wiping $800 billion from the value of office buildings in major cities worldwide by 2030 as the post-pandemic trend pushes up office vacancy rates and drives down rents, according to a new report.

With eco protest group Just Stop Oil disrupting a number of high-profile events including Wimbledon this summer, police and authorities are on high alert. They have already disrupted the Grand National, The Derby at Epsom, the Premiership Rugby final, and the Ashes Test match at Lord’s and in doing so have cemented their status as a pretty controversial bunch. With that in mind, one man became the victim of a brilliant prank when, on his stag do, his friend made him wear a Just Stop Oil T-shirt without explaining its significance. As a result, he was regularly stopped and questioned by police who presumably and understandably thought he was a real member of the group. A picture of one police interaction went viral and people thought it was absolutely brilliant. Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Just Stop Oil themselves reacted to the picture and hinted they are already planning to disrupt next year’s British Grand Prix. They tweeted: “Now taking applications for Silverstone F1 2024.” Pretty hilarious prank to play on your friends if you ask us. 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.

Google’s Bard artificial intelligence chatbot can now also talk and respond to visual prompts.

Delta Air Lines Inc.’s profit is soaring as a rebound in international travel promises to keep planes packed

Manchester United have made initial overtures for Fiorentina and Morocco star Sofyan Amrabat but any move is dependent on sales. Erik ten Hag's main priorities are – in order – a goalkeeper in Internazionale's Andre Onana and a striker, with Atalanta's Rasmus Hojlund currently the most realistic option. United are negotiating with both Italian clubs in order to bring in the two within budget, after which the Dutch coach will seek to bolster his midfield. Many industry sources beyond Old Trafford however say that the market is currently completely blocked due to a range of factors, among them Saudi Pro League money inflating fees and affecting plans, as well as an ongoing stand-off in the highly competitive No 9 market. This has exacerbated United's long-term struggle to sell players, although one issue is much more simple. West Ham United are waiting until the formality of Declan Rice's move to Arsenal is completed, at which point they will step up strong interest in Scott McTominay. There has also been tentative interest in Harry Maguire, potentially on loan, although any such deal currently looks much more unlikely. The feeling within Old Trafford is that McTominay and one other player would have to go to fund Amrabat, who so impressed during Morocco’s stunning run to the World Cup semi-finals last year, especially if the prices for Onana and Hojlund exceed the current budget. United are in negotiations with both Italian clubs but are still £5m off Inter's price on Onana, with many sources stressing the need for significant compromise to get this done. Atalanta are meanwhile sticking to a huge valuation on Hojlund, especially as he represents the main striker target in this market outside the elite options of Harry Kane, Randal Kolo Muani and Victor Osimhen. Hojlund himself almost represents a compromise for United, although Ten Hag is a huge admirer of his abilities. The club have at least been monitoring Kane's situation, especially as it is commonly believed the player's first preference would be to go to Old Trafford. Read More Mason Mount echoes iconic Manchester United No 7 in energetic debut David de Gea, Sir Alex Ferguson’s last player, ends 88 years of Manchester United history Harry Maguire edges closer to Manchester United exit with four players set for moves

The stepson of one of the OceanGate passengers is being slammed online for reportedly complaining he can't "get laid". Brian Szasz, the stepson of British billionaire Hamish Harding who died in the Titanic expedition disaster, took to Twitter to urge people to stop asking him for money. Instead, he came up with a bizarre alternative, writing: "Quit asking me for money unless you’re a beautiful woman, trans women too! An OF model. Or a black dude trying to go to college!" Sign up for our free Indy100 weekly newsletter He went on to respond to followers asking how much money he inherited. "More than you’ll make in a lifetime," he hit back at one person. In a separate since-deleted tweet, he reportedly wrote: "With millions to spare, I still can’t get laid." One person called his tweets "cringe," while another couldn't believe his posts were real and were, in fact, "fake or ChatGPT-generated." Szasz already caused backlash online after attending a Blink-182 concert and messaging OnlyFans models while his stepfather was missing. His activities even struck a chord with Cardi B, who took to social media with a video, saying: "Ay so one of the billionaires that's missing underwater, on the submarine s***... One of the billionaires, their stepson is at a concert, right, a Blink-182 concert. "People was like, 'Uh what is he supposed to do, be sad at the house? Is he supposed to go look for him himself?' Yes. You supposed to be at the house sad. You supposed to be crying for me, you supposed to be right next to the phone waiting to hear any updates about me. 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.

Sports merchandise giant Fanatics Inc. is introducing a new events business in a bid to create a network

The more time we spend staring at screens, whether at the office or at home,