Japanese political leader Taro Aso calls for peace in the Taiwan Strait as Tokyo expands defense
A senior Japanese politician is advocating for increasing his country’s deterrence ability to ensure peace in the region, and called for that message to be clearly conveyed globally — particularly in China
1970-01-01 08:00
Community Shield proves Mikel Arteta’s transfer gambles will shape Arsenal’s season
Pep Guardiola has emulated Sir Alex Ferguson in several ways. Usually, however, that tends to be something to savour. As Manchester City’s most decorated manager became the first coach to lose three consecutive Community Shields since his Manchester United counterpart, he could have taken solace in the bigger picture. Call it the curse of the Community Shield, perhaps, but then, as now, its winners rarely went on to taste Premier League glory. Only one of the previous 12 victors – albeit City themselves in 2018 – have been able to call themselves champions of England 10 months later. Arsenal won the Community Shield in 2020 and only finished eighth that season. Three years on, they were happy to ignore history. The celebrations suggested it was more than just a pre-season trinket to them. “This is what I visioned when I joined,” said Declan Rice and although Arsenal hope their £105m recruit actually imagined something more glorious, the previous time they made a midfielder the most expensive Englishman of all time, Alan Ball won nothing in their colours. Rice had no trophies to show for the first 244 games of his club career: he has two in two now, even if the Europa Conference League and the Community Shield are not the most prestigious prizes in football. The broader question – and a perennial one at this stage – is whether the Community Shield is a marker for the campaign. Arsenal got a first glimpse of what £200m bought them. Rice was disciplined and diligent in midfield but an unspectacular outing may be a deceptive debut: for the majority of matches, he is likely to be a lone defensive midfielder, rather than dovetailing with Thomas Partey, in a team who seem primed to exchange attacking ambition for more mettle. Meanwhile, Kai Havertz was bought to operate in midfield and instead deputised for the injured Gabriel Jesus in attack. Arteta branded the £65m man “superb” but it felt a microcosm of the Chelsea Havertz: intelligent movement, eager pressing, ineffectual finishing. There is a case for saying that Havertz performed too accurate an impression of Jesus: Arsenal prospered last season by sharing the goals around, with Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli and Martin Odegaard all getting either 14 or 15 in the Premier League. Leandro Trossard provided their Community Shield equaliser, even if it required a huge deflection. Whether Arsenal can afford profligacy in attack, or from Havertz, remains to be seen but the reinvention of the German in midfield may yet be the gamble that shapes Arsenal’s season, one way or another. Jurrien Timber’s bow may have been the most auspicious: quietly assured, the versatile Dutchman slotted in at left-back, though it is perhaps only his third-best position; Kieran Tierney, seemingly on his way out, fared less well when he replaced the Dutchman and Cole Palmer scored. That Arteta bought Timber and is bidding for David Raya is a sign he is willing to create a threat to those who had seemed entrenched in his team. Ben White could be dislodged by Timber, Aaron Ramsdale by Raya. The goalkeeper’s match-winning display showed he had produced the right response and suggested competition could be healthy. Ramsdale’s rhetoric was instructive, too. He argued a mental block against City, forged in three years of defeats, was lifted. That City had returned to training two weeks later than Arsenal and removed Erling Haaland at 0-0 offered the impression that victory meant less to them; the result will nevertheless assume an added importance if it helps shift the balance of power in the Arteta-Guardiola rivalry. A clearer indication may arrive when they meet in October. Perhaps then Arsenal will borrow from their Wembley gameplan, reuniting two defensive midfielders, fielding a back four who – unlike when Oleksandr Zinchenko twice faced City last season – are all specialist defenders, playing deeper to limit space both behind and in front of their rearguard. If last season’s Arsenal was about idealism and excitement, the surprise surge of a youthful team, perhaps this season’s side are charged with showing more physicality, solidity and nous against City, borrowing from a greater strength in depth to alter their style of play. Such wins can feel signs of progress, staging posts on the route to something greater. Arsenal beat Liverpool, Manchester United, Tottenham and Chelsea last season, taking 19 points from a possible 24 against them, but not City. But such occasions can also be a false dawn. After their triumph in the 2020 Community Shield, they won their first two league games, but only two of the next 12. They sank as low as 15th. A repeat feels implausible. But more than most, Arsenal know it is hard to judge precisely what winning the Community Shield signifies. Read More Kevin De Bruyne ‘way ahead’ of schedule on return from hamstring injury Kevin De Bruyne says new approach to added time ‘doesn’t make any sense’ Cole Palmer shows he can replace Riyad Mahrez — and become Man City’s missing piece Aaron Ramsdale makes his case to remain first choice – as Arsenal make their own one for major trophies
1970-01-01 08:00
Fiji World Cup squad named ahead of tough France, England warm-ups
Fiji head coach Simon Raiwalui named his squad Tuesday for next month's Rugby World Cup, but warned his in-form side they would face a big test of their credentials in...
1970-01-01 08:00
Where are George Floyd’s killers now? Ex-cop Tou Thao sentenced to nearly five years in prison for 2020 murder
Tou Thao, who had positioned himself to control the crowd while fellow officers subdued George Floyd, was convicted by a jury of aiding and abetting second-degree manslaughter
1970-01-01 08:00
Joe Rogan reacts to Jake Paul's $1M offer to Bradley Martyn for street brawl against Mike Perry: 'He’ll beat the s**t out'
Joe Rogan had plenty to say after Jake Paul offered $1M to Bradley Martyn for a street fight against Mike Perry
1970-01-01 08:00
Why has Ireland got so much surplus cash?
The Republic of Ireland is predicted to have a €65.2bn (£56.3bn) budget surplus by 2027.
1970-01-01 08:00
Why was Andrew Tate jailed? Top G claims rejecting party offers worth $50M, fans dub him 'role model for all men'
Andrew Tate and his brother Tristan Tate were recently released from house arrest
1970-01-01 08:00
Modi May Give Farm Handouts as Food Export Bans Hit Rural India
Prime Minister Narendra Modi may offer handouts to Indian farmers ahead of the elections as food commodity export
1970-01-01 08:00
Tesla’s ‘Master of Coin’ is stepping down after 13-year stint at EV company
Tesla’s “Master of Coin” has stepped down after working at the Elon Musk-owned electric vehicle company for over 13 years. Zachary Kirkhorn became Tesla’s chief financial officer four and a half years ago in 2019, and was reportedly a potential successor to Mr Musk in running the EV company. The Tesla boss had dubbed him “Master of Coin” in 2021 – a reference to a title in hit TV series Game of Thrones. “During his tenure, Tesla has seen tremendous expansion and growth. Tesla thanks Mr Kirkhorn for his significant contributions,” Tesla noted in an SEC filing. Tesla’s current chief accounting officer, Vaibhav Taneja, will succeed Mr Kirkhorn, the electric automaker said on Monday. “This morning Tesla announced that I’ve stepped down from my role as Chief Financial Officer, succeeded by our Chief Accounting Officer, Vaibhav Taneja,” Mr Kirkhorn posted on his LinkedIn profile. “Being a part of this company is a special experience and I’m extremely proud of the work we’ve done together since I joined over 13 years ago,” he said. Mr Taneja previously worked as Tesla’s chief accounting officer up to March 2019, prior to which he worked as corporate controller from May 2018. It remains unclear what led to Mr Kirkhorn’s surprise decision to quit his role as Tesla’s CFO. Tesla recently announced its second quarter earnings, reporting a 20 per cent increase from the same quarter last year, better than what analysts estimated. Mr Kirkhorn’s departure also comes ahead of Tesla’s much-anticipated launch of its Cybertruck later this year. “As I shift my responsibilities to support this transition, I want to thank the talented, passionate, and hard-working employees at Tesla, who have accomplished things many thought not possible,” he said. Tesla shares dropped by about 3.5 per cent on Monday following the news, and continued to fall as the market opened. Mr Kirkhorn is expected to stay on till the end of 2023 to assist his successor with the transition. “I would like to thank Zach Kirkhorn for his many contributions to Tesla over the course of 13 often difficult years,” Mr Musk tweeted. Read More ‘It’s the factories that won’t be built’: Understanding the Brexit damage to economy Mark Zuckerberg’s wife not happy as he puts UFC octagon in garden ahead of Elon Musk fight Elon Musk ‘stopped Ukraine military using Starlink for military operation’ Zuckerberg says he is ‘ready today’ but ‘not holding breath’ for cage fight with Musk Musk pledges to fund legal bills of X users ‘unfairly treated’ by employers for posts Mark Zuckerberg reveals his 4,000 calorie diet and large McDonald’s order
1970-01-01 08:00
Joe Rogan predicts a Jake Paul versus Nate Diaz MMA rematch: ‘That sets up a fight for sure’
Veteran UFC commentator Joe Rogan made the prediction while commenting during the Jake Paul and Nate Diaz fight
1970-01-01 08:00
'Morning Joe' hosts Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski slam Tommy Tuberville amid Biden's latest move
Alabama Senator Tommy Tuberville mocked by hosts Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski
1970-01-01 08:00
Former Republican official in Georgia subpoenaed over Trump efforts to change election result
A former Republican lieutenant governor of Georgia has received subpoenas to speak before a grand jury in Fulton County this month, according to a new report. Geoff Duncan – a sharp critic of Donald Trump’s efforts to upend Georgia’s election results – was subpoenaed to testify before the grand jury, according to sources familiar with the investigation into the 2020 election interference in Georgia that were cited by CNN. In a recent interview with CNN, Mr Duncan had committed to testifying in front of the grand jury, saying he’ll “be there to answer the facts as I know them and to continue this process of trying to discover what actually happened during that post-election period of time”. “We can never repeat that in this country. Certainly, I never want to see that happen in my home state of Georgia, a lot of good peoples’ lives were uprooted, and a lot of people’s reputations have been soiled,” he said. The former Republican official said he would be “willing to testify and tell the truth in as many settings as I possibly can”, when asked whether he would be willing to testify in any other related trials. Last week, Mr Duncan likened picking Donald Trump to be the 2024 GOP nominee to “peeing in your pants”. The former Republican official attacked the ex-president in an appearance on CNN. “Nominating Donald Trump for the Republican Party is a lot like peeing in your pants, right?” Mr Duncan said. “It’s gonna feel good for a couple of seconds, but then you wake up and realise the realities of what you just did.” “We’re gonna get beat in the general [election] because we picked the wrong candidate. We couldn’t get out of our own way,” he continued. Meanwhile, Mr Duncan chose not to discuss when he might appear before the grand jury. “I don’t want to infringe on any details of the investigation, so I’ll leave that offline and off of this commentary here. But I’m committed to telling the truth – I know a number of people are around this process.” Read More Republicans are talking up the possibility of impeaching Biden. Is it what voters want to hear? Trump posts another attack on judge ahead of first court deadline Jack Smith accuses Trump of aiming to try election case in media after he opposed protective order - latest Trump and Biden tied in hypothetical 2024 rematch: poll Mississippi candidates for statewide offices square off in party primaries Jack Smith accuses Trump of wanting to try Jan 6 case in media in fight over evidence
1970-01-01 08:00
