List of All Articles with Tag 'f'

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‘Of course’ is one of the most versatile ‘yes’ synonyms we have. But what does it actually mean?

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Justin Gaethje and Dustin Poirier paid respect to one another in a wholesome moment at UFC 291 on Saturday, speaking backstage after Gaethje knocked out his fellow American. Gaethje won the main-event bout with a stunning head kick in the second round, avenging a 2018 loss to Poirier and claiming the ‘Baddest Motherf*****’ title. And as Gaethje spoke to TNT Sports backstage after the fight, Poirier came over to congratulate his fellow lightweight. “Congratulations, man,” Poirier told Gaethje, patting him on the shoulder. “Bad motherf*****. I didn’t see it, I didn’t see the kick! Congrats, man. I’m proud of you, you worked hard for this. You took it. Have a great night.” Gaethje, 34, responded: “Thank you, man. We both are [bad motherf*****s], we both [worked hard]. That’s what we do. Let’s hang out, I’m serious.” Poirier, also 34, replied: “I’ll whip you at ping pong,” to which Gaethje laughed: “You might! I’m pretty good, but you might.” TNT Sports presenter McKenzie Pavacich then asked Gaethje what he was feeling after the interaction. “I feel bad,” he said. “I care about people, and I knew that I had to go in there and not care about him. “That hurts in a way, but it’s me or him. I chose this game, I signed up for this, and so I have to go there – luckily only twice a year, usually.” Gaethe, who suffered a TKO loss to Poirier in 2018, is positioned to fight for the UFC lightweight title next. Like Poirier, Gaethje is a former interim champion who has twice failed to become undisputed champion. In October, Islam Makhachev defends the title against Charles Oliveira, in a rematch 12 months in the making. Russian Makhachev submitted Oliveira to win the vacant belt last year, five months after the Brazilian submitted Gaethje. Oliveira, a former champion, previously submitted Poirier in 2021. Click here to subscribe to The Independent’s Sport YouTube channel for all the latest sports videos. Read More Justin Gaethje stuns Dustin Poirier with brutal head-kick knockout at UFC 291 Justin Gaethje reacts to Conor McGregor callout after knocking out Dustin Poirier Jake Paul vs Nate Diaz live stream: How to watch fight online and on TV this weekend

BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) -Argentina's Economy Minister Sergio Massa said on Monday the country will not use "a single dollar" of

When Keira Walsh got injured, there was a collective groan of sympathy for a world-class player missing the rest of the tournament, but also for the rest of England’s squad. They must now deal with the loss of Walsh, the deep-lying playmaker who knits the team’s approach play together and so brilliantly patrols the space in front of the back four. Walsh is probably Sarina Wiegman’s most important player, certainly in the absence of Leah Williamson and Beth Mead, and England have now lost all three of the players who led them to European Championship glory. I have a lot of empathy for this team. In 2002, Faye White, Katie Chapman and I were all out. White had an ACL injury and my leg was broken. Chapman was pregnant. At the time, we were all integral players for England and were trying to qualify for the World Cup. In the group stages, we finished second to Germany in the group which meant we went into a play-off system. We beat Iceland over two legs and then had to play France to see who would clinch the final spot for the World Cup. We lost both games. I remember thinking that the three of us being out was a driving factor to not qualifying for the 2003 World Cup. It was devastating to watch France progress through the tournament and England not having any involvement. You could see the impact once Walsh went off on the game. England’s left, Lauren James and Rachel Daly, had been surging into the Danish half, pinning them back and generating chances and field tilt; that stopped. Arsenal’s excellent young midfielder Kathrine Møller Kühl had been tasked with stopping Walsh; now she was free to drop off, help Denmark build through the thirds and join in some attacks. Georgia Stanway moved back into the Walsh role, with Laura Coombs coming on as an 8; this meant England generally sat deeper, pressing less high without the security Walsh offers and losing Stanway’s bite higher up the pitch for dangerous turnovers. England have to solve several problems, but the first is probably mental. There are a lot of strong characters and experienced, quality players in that dressing room, but England’s spine in the Euros was Mary Earps, Williamson, Walsh, Fran Kirby and Mead – only Earps is still there. The downside of having world-class players and being able to pick them consistently, as Sarina has done, is that when you lose one or two in a department in short order, the change can be pretty tricky to manage. England need leaders and the pressure on Earps, Millie Bright and Stanway is now greater than ever. The next issue is tactical. Walsh’s most natural replacement, Lucy Staniforth, was only on the standby list and has gone home. England could change formation, perhaps bringing in a third centre-back to help the ball progression from deep or drop Stanway into the pivot role with two 8s ahead of her or, more likely, another defensive midfielder to make a double pivot. Coombs did not look out of place, but there is an argument for Jordan Nobbs’ energy and aggression in that area too, not least because if all that is left to Stanway, you miss out on her going forward as well and it would leave England light in terms of players joining attacks from midfield. England’s current approach means they must be able to build the ball through the thirds and circulating the ball quickly and safely around the back, and breaking the lines by going through or over, are both key. Walsh was instrumental to both, although it’s worth saying that Alex Greenwood was moved to centre-back against Denmark because even Walsh can’t do that alone. The pressure on Greenwood is now very intense; much of England’s ability to progress from deep will now be down to her and this is one reason why Sarina could opt to add another defender to the mix and go to a 3-4-3 system. England could also go for a slightly different approach. Great sides, and England are one, are expected to control the ball and hog possession, but tournaments can often favour a more counter-attacking approach. While England are not as brutally quick and athletic as the USA, for example, James, Daly, Lauren Hemp, Beth England and Chloe Kelly are all very dynamic, quick runners. England could focus on solidity in the middle and longer, more direct passing to a rapid front three or four. However Sarina addresses these issues, it is a huge loss to England and the tournament as a whole that Walsh will be missing, for some or all of it. The World Cup is about showcasing the best our sport has to offer and Walsh has joined the already too long list of star players who are absent. We need to get better at understanding the risks of injuries, why they are happening, and managing loads across the women’s game. More investment, especially in sports science and nutrition, at every level of the sport is required. Until that happens, and the injured list diminishes, our flagship events will be poorer for it. Read More Women’s World Cup TV schedule: How to watch every match today As Sarina Wiegman solves one problem – a bigger one presents itself In Keira Walsh, England lose the one player who is impossible to replace Australia thrash Canada to save Women’s World Cup dream from the jaws of a nightmare Women’s World Cup group permutations: How can each team qualify? Nouhaila Benzina: The hijabi-wearing Moroccan making World Cup history

A London-based chef has apologised for what his peers branded a “rude” response towards criticism, after he faced backlash online for revealing the line-up of his kitchen team at his Notting Hill restaurant. Thomas Straker, who opened his namesake restaurant Straker’s in 2022, recently shared a photograph of his “chef team” comprising eight people, including himself. All eight members of the team pictured were white and male, prompting complaints from social media users who believed it did not reflect the diversity of London. Some comments claimed Straker’s team showed how the food industry was a “white boy’s club”, while others urged the restaurateur to provide chefs from minority groups a “safe place to grow as chefs”. Straker, who found fame by sharing his recipes and cooking videos on TikTok, responded to the negative backlash by commenting: “Honestly, people need to calm down. Firstly, there is a shortage of chefs/hospitality workers. Secondly, if you feel so passionately, please go and gather CVs of any chefs you think we’re missing in the team. Solutions not problems. Thank you.” However, his response has also been criticised as “rude”, with a number of chefs and other figures in the food industry weighing in on the online storm. He has since shared an apology via his Instagram Story. “On Friday night, I put up a post of my chef team and many rightly pointed out the lack of diversity in it. I am very sorry for my initial response, where some queried whether I take this issue seriously,” he said. “I am absolutely committed to ensuring diversity in my restaurants, unfortunately we aren’t achieving this in my kitchens currently and this is an area I know I need to improve on, making sure it is seen as a welcoming and approachable environment for all. Tom x.” Becky Paskin, a drinks expert who appears regularly on ITV’S Love Your Weekend, wrote on Straker’s original post: “Too often we say, ‘We only recruit on the basis of the best people for the job’ without any consideration the role bias plays in the selection process. “It’s been proven time and again that diverse teams are more creative, productive and successful. If every member looks the same and has the same background, you’ll find they’ll all think the same as well. Forming diverse teams is not only the right thing to do, it makes business sense too.” US chef Kenji Lopez-Alt, who is known for his book The Food Lab: Better Home Cooking Through Science, added: “Get off the social media for a week or so. Do some reflection. Talk to people who care about you and who you trust. Be better.” However, some people have defended Straker’s choice to hire who he wants in his team, and pointed out the staff shortage affecting the entire restaurant industry. Henry Tilley, restaurant manager at Native in London, wrote: “The industry is on its knees right now. There [aren’t] enough chefs or even [front-of-house staff] to go around as it is. We would love some applications for chef positions in our restaurants from female or non-binary individuals. The reality of the matter is we never get the applications so can’t be as representative as we’d like.” But Ben Mulock, executive chef of Balans in Soho, says the onus is on senior chefs to “solve the problem” of lack of diversity, instead of “asking others to solve it for us”. He told The Independent: “I am a white male executive chef, so it is my responsibility to push for an inclusive workforce, be that sex, age or ethnicity. They are not mutually exclusive – they are all important. “No, it’s not easy and at the moment, it almost seems impossible to recruit, but if we don’t try, we don’t move it forward. We always need to do better for this industry, and if we can’t do it in London, where can we?” While Straker’s post was not intended to stir controversy, the lack of diversity in his team has “shone a light on the broader challenges we face in kitchens these days”, Hannah Norris of Nourish PR said. “This is a classic case of an ill thought-out post,” she told The Independent. “Thomas Straker has issued what he believed was a photo of a group of confident, strong-looking chefs ready for service but didn’t think about the optics of the image and what it represented. “Whilst it was well-meaning I believe, a picture doesn’t lie. For whatever reason, he currently has no women or people of colour in his kitchen, so it all looks a bit ‘pale, male and stale’. Perhaps the reaction to this image will make Thomas think again a bit more carefully about who he wants to employ in the future.” The Independent has contacted Straker for comment. Read More The dish that defines me: Frank Yeung’s prawn wontons Between Brexit and Covid, London’s food scene has become a dog’s dinner – can it be saved? Prince William serves up vegetarian ‘Earthshot burgers’ to shocked diners Restaurant introduces ‘minimum spend’ that sees solo diners pay double to eat alone Restaurant with ‘tips are a privilege’ policy sparks intense backlash on social media How to make the Prince of Wales’s Earthshot burger

Sam Kerr remained on the bench but thankfully for Australia, they did not need her. In a must-win match, the co-hosts did much more to keep their World Cup alive: thrashing the Olympic champions Canada to reach the knockout stages and restoring belief that looked to have been lost in the shock defeat to Nigeria. With it, Group B was flipped on its head: Ireland’s draw with Nigeria means Australia advance as group winners, avoiding a potential clash with England in the last-16. Kerr could yet return for that, but Australia finally found a way to play without their star striker and captain. It came at the perfect time with the Matildas facing elimination and a World Cup dream that was instead turning into a nightmare. Kerr was back on the bench after missing Australia’s opening two games with a calf injury, but against Canada they were instead lifted by another returning star in Mary Fowler. Ruled out of the defeat to Nigeria, a result that left Australia on the brink, Fowler returned to spark Australia’s attack into life, saving a World Cup that threatened to be over long before it was meant to. The Australia head coach Tony Gustavsson changed his shape and landed on a 4-4-2 that devastated Canada on the counter-attack, with Hayley Raso scoring a decisive brace from the right and Caitlin Foord enjoying her best performance of the tournament on the left. By the end, Australia’s position was so secure that there was no need to rush Kerr back. In her absence, Fowler has emerged as Australia’s next great hope. Badly missed against Nigeria after she was ruled out with concussion, Fowler gave Australia ideas and another option, a willing runner and clever dribbler to pull Canada out of their defensive shape. With Fowler setting Australia’s press alongside Emily van Egmond, her return meant Foord could return to the left wing, creating space for Steph Catley and restoring their key combination. It gave Australia familiarity and, even without Kerr, they had the attacking options to overwhelm Canada down the channels. Catley’s cross set up Raso’s opener inside 10 minutes, with the forward taking a touch before firing a low shot through the legs of Canada defender Ashely Lawrence. Australia were denied a second after a farcical offside, but Canada failed to take the warning with Raso scrambling in her second from a corner. Fowler’s tap-in, finished after Foord was released down the left in the second half, was then added to by Steph Catley’s late penalty. Relief had long since turned into joy, with Australia celebrating their biggest ever World Cup win, but this was meant to be nervy and a potentially disastrous night. Canada represented the worst possible opponents for a must-win decider, a side built for knockout football. In winning the Olympic gold medal, they were the team who simply refused to lose, absorbing pressure in their low-block and edging victories in games where they were second-best in possession and chances. They had cracked the code, always managing to find the breakthrough goal they needed to win close games. But at the World Cup that side did not turn up, and they became the first Olympic champions to exit at the group stage. Perhaps Chrstine Sinclair’s penalty miss in the opening stalemate with Nigeria was the moment that foreshadowed a doomed campaign - what would have been a historic goal for Sinclair, and a record sixth World Cup in which she had scored, turned into a missed opportunity. Throughout their three games, Canada only showed up in the second half against Ireland, where for 45 minutes they were able to solve some of their problems. Defensively, Canada never found a shape or structure that suited them. Kadeisha Buchanan, hooked at half time against Ireland, was overwhelmed again, struggling alongside Vanessa Gilles. Lawrence, another experienced member of their side, was often found out of position, never settling left or right. Behind them, goalkeeper Kailen Sheridan was far from the reassuring presence in goal that Canada desperately required. Bev Priestman’s four changes at half time was an alarming indication of how far Canada’s levels had fallen. It did not rescue them. Instead, Canada fell to their heaviest defeat under Priestman, a team in disarray. Australia now look the opposite: they are likely to face either Denmark or China in the last-16 and even without Kerr, this is a side who will be confident of progressing. Kerr could yet return and her World Cup is not yet over - more importantly, neither is Australia’s. Read More Kelly Smith: England can cope without Keira Walsh — here is how Lionesses can adjust Women’s World Cup group permutations: How can each team qualify? Nouhaila Benzina: The hijabi-wearing Moroccan making World Cup history

Nigerian President Bola Tinubu, weeks after he suspended the nation’s central bank governor, appointed a special investigator to

It’s a case of 12 down, 10 to go for Formula 1 in 2023. Max Verstappen is cruising to a third-straight world championship for a Red Bull team who look invincible – and could yet go the whole season invincible. Yet there have been other notable performances too, with Aston Martin and more recently McLaren impressing, while behemoths like Ferrari and Mercedes are left wondering how they’ve been left so far behind Red Bull yet again. It’s now time for the usual four-week August break, but not before The Independent takes a look at the highlights and lowlights from the first five months of the 2023 season. Best driver – Max Verstappen Unsurprisingly, the easiest choice of the lot. Eight wins in a row, 10 from 12 in total, Verstappen is has a mammoth 125-point lead to team-mate Sergio Perez with 10 races left. The title is already virtually sewn up. The only question left is – how many records he can set this season? Next in line is Sebastian Vettel’s 2013 record of nine wins in a row, which he can match at his home race in Zandvoort. Thank you, next. Best team – Red Bull To the second easiest choice of the lot. It seemed highly unlikely that Red Bull could improve on their double success last year; surely the chasing pack would reel them in? In fact, it’s gone the other way. Red Bull’s rocketship RB19 is Adrian Newey’s greatest design yet. It has won all 15 races including sprints – 12 from Verstappen, three from Perez – and they’ve had five one-two finishes. Including last season, Christian Horner’s team have won 22 of the last 23 grands prix. George Russell was somewhat ridiculed for suggesting after the first race in Bahrain that Red Bull “could win every race this season.” He doesn’t look so silly now. An unprecedented perfect season could well be the story of the season. Biggest disappointment – Nyck de Vries Already out the door after 10 races, with Daniel Ricciardo replacing him at AlphaTauri, Nyck de Vries’ Formula 1 career is in tatters. With zero points, a best-finish of 12th and Red Bull overlord Helmut Marko criticising him as early as April, the writing was on the wall for De Vries from the outset. Did he deserve quite such an early exit? Probably not. But it was coming. This was not supposed to be the order of play after the Dutchman’s mightily impressive debut at Monza last year for Williams, where he finished ninth filling in for Alex Albon. A return to Formula E appears most likely for the 28-year-old now. Most improved driver/team – Aston Martin Eyebrows were raised last summer when Fernando Alonso switched from Alpine to the struggling Aston Martin, who finished seventh in the Constructors’ Standings. But how that decision has bore fruit. Alonso started the 2023 season with five podiums in six races, with the racing green Aston modelled closely on leader of the pack Red Bull, leapfrogging the likes of Mercedes and Ferrari early on. They’ve had something of a dip recently, but Alonso remains the best of the rest behind Red Bull in the world championship. Their emergence as a frontrunner will be undoubtedly confirmed if they can achieve a race victory in the second-half of the season. Biggest surprise – McLaren’s recent revival Aside from the extent of Red Bull’s dominance, the July renaissance from the McLaren papaya has come completely out the blue. It looked set to be a long season when, in the season-opener in Bahrain, Lando Norris pitted six times amid issues with the MCL60. But, having made personnel changes and altered their floor of the car, Norris secured two second-place finishes in a row in Silverstone and Hungary. Australian rookie Oscar Piastri has also impressed after a cagey start – the highlight a sterling drive to finish second in the Belgian GP sprint race on Saturday. Biggest underachiever – Ferrari This will not be the biggest surprise. After looking so fierce and domineering at the start of 2022, how the Scuderia’s fortunes have reversed in the 18 months since. Ferrari have not won a race since Charles Leclerc in Austria last year – over 12 months now – and despite changing their team principal in the off-season from Mattia Binotto to Fred Vassuer, they continue to be impacted by the same disorderly confusion which characterised last season. Charles Leclerc appears close to breaking point on occasions, with Carlos Sainz not far behind. Ferrari themselves will do well not to be left bereft in the midfield in the remainder of 2023. Biggest shock – Toto Wolff revealing Mercedes will ditch car concept Max Verstappen insisting he could quit F1 if more sprint races are added to the calendar was a shock. But just beating it, it didn’t take long for Mercedes to finally ditch their unique no-sidepod design. Toto Wolff didn’t even wait until the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix; testing, practice and qualifying had told him enough. “I don’t think this package is going to be competitive eventually,” he said. “We got it wrong last year. We thought we could fix it by sticking to the concept of car but it didn’t work out so we just need to switch our focus on to what we believe is the right direction.” Improvement for Lewis Hamilton and George Russell has been slow but steady since. Biggest farce – Esteban Ocon pit-lane incident in Baku Everyone knew it was happening. The pit wall, the broadcasters – but not the FIA seemingly. Esteban Ocon had to pit before the last lap of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix having pursued a bold – albeit ineffective in the end – strategy to drive the whole race on one set of tyres. F1 rules dictate every driver must pit at least once. So the shocking scenes which followed of Ocon almost running over photographers and officials walking in the pit lane was shambolic and extremely unsafe. Best race – Australian Grand Prix In a season lacking classic races thus far, the street track of Albert Park in Melbourne did at least provide drama from start to finish. Three red flags were thrown due to crashes throughout the race, with a late shunt forcing a captivating two-lap shootout to finish, which subsequently resulted in the Alpines crashing into each other and Carlos Sainz penalised for spinning Fernando Alonso. The sort of chaotic carnage which has not been replicated since. Worst race – Hungarian Grand Prix Expectations were high in Budapest after Hamilton claimed his first pole position since December 2021. Could he defend from Max Verstappen from lights out? Could there be a battle between the pair not seen since Abu Dhabi 2021? No, no there couldn’t. Verstappen dived down the inside at turn one and was not seen again. The race descended into nothing short of a bore-fest and had just 16 overtakes – the lowest amount in any grand prix in 2023. For comparison, last year’s race at the Hungaroring had 61 overtakes. Read More Daniel Ricciardo is back - and this time he wants to go out on top Lewis Hamilton makes Austin Powers reference to show Max Verstappen dominance Max Verstappen extends invincible streak with victory at Belgian Grand Prix Lewis Hamilton reveals return of major issue with Mercedes car at Belgian Grand Prix Max Verstappen extends invincible streak with victory at Belgian Grand Prix ‘We should not be deterred’: Lewis Hamilton unhappy with stewards after penalty

CHARLOTTE, N.C.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jul 31, 2023--

VANCOUVER, Wash.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jul 31, 2023--