List of All Articles with Tag 'pp'

Andrew Tate recalls his father, Emory, throwing away his Nintendo even after writing a two-page apology letter

The United States and Papua New Guinea have signed a new bilateral defense cooperation agreement -- a move that has sparked controversy in the Pacific Island nation and comes as Washington and China jostle for influence in the region.

China is likely to see its Covid-19 wave peaking at about 65 million infections a week toward the

As their soon-to-be former teammates formed a guard of honour on Saturday, there were four presentations in all, two for men in tracksuits, two for those who have distinguished themselves in Liverpool shirts over the last eight years and who wore them at Anfield for a final time. The scorer Roberto Firmino and James Milner, the thirty-somethings who are veterans of over 300 Liverpool appearances apiece, had bowed out as influential substitutes. For the younger duo of Naby Keita and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, a watching brief felt sadly fitting. It is how they have spent much of their Liverpool careers: sometimes watching on from the bench, often from the stands. Neither has reached 150 appearances in all competitions, even including outings as a substitute. Keita has started 49 league games since his £52m move, or 26 per cent of those in his five years at Anfield, Oxlade-Chamberlain 46 in six, which is just 21 per cent. This season, the Englishman has played 335 Premier League minutes – just 10 per cent of Liverpool’s – and the Guinean 294, or 8.9 per cent. They have had spells as ever-presents on injury bulletins. They were both omitted from Liverpool’s Champions League squad in the autumn, even if the medical team’s pessimism about Oxlade-Chamberlain proved excessive, eventually rendering him fit but ineligible. “Four legends,” Jurgen Klopp had said, but it felt a generous description. Firmino qualifies; so, too, Milner, an unglamorous and often uncelebrated figure, belatedly got his own banner in the Kop. “Ribena for my men – we ride at dawn,” it read, a fine salute to a teetotaller defined by his physical power, willing spirit and leadership qualities. Liverpool, Klopp feels, will miss his mentality. “He sets a high, high bar,” said his manager. But there were heartfelt tributes and a sense of what might have been. The departing quartet fall into two categories: a pair who realised their potential and a duo who did not. It is not entirely their fault. Oxlade-Chamberlain’s Anfield career can be divided into two, though certainly not at the half-way point. He was electric for three months before suffering a cruciate ligament injury against Roma in the 2018 Champions League semi-finals, the dynamic, explosive attacking central midfielder he had always wanted to be. Though he had a fine 2019-20 season, he never recaptured that zest. Keita’s terrific debut against West Ham in 2018 proved a false dawn. He was sporadically excellent thereafter – by and large, he had an impressive 2021-22 season – but Klopp’s assessment last year that of his first 100 games, 80 of them were “really good” was not shared by many supporters. For some, Keita’s time on Merseyside was summed up by his shot in last season’s Champions League final: skied, it was a missed opportunity. For others, it may be epitomised by the Twitter thread of the five strangest reasons for his frequent absences, from getting hurt walking, to being injured on a plane, to a military coup. There was a farcical element but Liverpool could count the cost of two moves that went wrong. They have never had the margin for error that the Manchester clubs possess in the transfer market. For years, they got nearly all of their major signings correct, sometimes spectacularly. But Keita and Oxlade-Chamberlain cost a combined £87m and will leave on free transfers. Each is in his twenties and, while it was not stated explicitly, was not offered a new deal. Klopp is a master of eloquent compliments, but Liverpool gave up on both. For years, camouflaged by the excellence of their elders, it mattered less than it might have done until, suddenly, it proved crucial. Six years after Liverpool agreed to sign both – they wanted Keita so much they waited a year for him to actually arrive – they were supposed to be the future of Liverpool’s midfield and the future arrived. Liverpool’s many midfielders this season fell into three categories: the thirty-somethings, the youngsters and the trio at their supposed peak, in their late twenties. But Fabinho has had an awful campaign and Keita and Oxlade-Chamberlain were bit-part players, making a combined total of seven league starts, none before Boxing Day, none after February, none where they played 90 minutes, only two of which Liverpool won. Without them, it has been a season of makeshift midfields, of problems at the heart of the side. With Thiago Alcantara and Jordan Henderson ageing, perhaps the plan was for this to be the season of Naby Keita: instead it ends with him being released. Liverpool lost the generation game; the next group, whether Stefan Bajcetic, Harvey Elliott or Curtis Jones, all had periods that showed their promise but those who were supposed to represent the present either regressed or simply were not available. A consequence is that much of Liverpool’s summer budget will be devoted to midfielders; with a need to split it to get more than one – which may not have been necessary had Keita flourished and earned a new deal – they won’t get Jude Bellingham. Their outlay could stretch into nine figures; in a sense, they will be looking to regenerate, to shape Klopp’s second side. In another respect, they are seeking to replace Keita and Oxlade-Chamberlain, to find players of the quality they were supposed to show more often. But whether their eventual arrivals are Mason Mount and Alexis Mac Allister or Ryan Gravenberch and Conor Gallagher, the first ability they need to demonstrate is one Keita and Oxlade-Chamberlain have lacked too often: availability. And preferably for at least 50 games a season. Read More Liverpool will still attract top talent across ‘exciting’ and ‘intense’ summer, Virgil van Dijk believes Roberto Firmino ends glorious Liverpool career with imperfect goodbye Jurgen Klopp admits Liverpool have not been good enough for top-four finish

By Elaine Lies and Yoshifumi Takemoto TOKYO Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is increasingly certain to call a

Access to rare earth minerals and Russia's war against Ukraine topped the agenda on French President Emmanuel Macron’s historic visit to Mongolia

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Ava Zonfrillo, the eldest daughter ofMasterChef Australia judge Jock Zonfrillo, has spoken out for the first time since his unexpected death on 30 April. The celebrity chef died suddenly at the age of 46. His death was confirmed by Network 10 on 1 May, as well as by his family, who shared a statement. Posting a series of photographs and videos of her father, Ava wrote on Instagram: “Still can’t accept that we’ll be remembering you for more time than we had you, but doesn’t mean we’ll love you any less.” The 22-year-old added: “I love you dad, always.” Her poignant post included a photograph of her as a toddler with Zonfrillo, with both wearing comedy glasses with thick black eyebrows and large plastic noses attached. Other more recent photos show her posing with her father at various events. Ava also shared two clips of Zonfrillo, with one of him blowing a kiss at the camera. Friends of the family sent Ava love and well wishes in the comments. Chef Alex Prichard wrote: “We are all here for you! Love you both.” Meanwhile, Australian designer Collette Dinnigan sent “so much love” to Ava and wine expert Samantha Payne said: “Love you dearly and will be giving you the biggest of hugs soon, my darling friend. We’ve got you.” Zonfrillo was laid to rest at a private funeral two weeks ago. The service was attended by his wife, Lauren Fried, and their four children. A select group of family and friends, some who flew to Sydney from other countries, were also in attendance. During the service, Fried said in her eulogy: “We were two halves that found each other at the exact moment in life when we were ready. “We were ready for that big love to live a life of adventure, to become parents together, to imagine extraordinary things and to actually make them happen.” The late chef, who was born in Glasgow, was found at a hotel in Melbourne on Lygon Street the day before the 2023 season of MasterChef was set to be aired. The show was postponed following news of Zonfrillo’s passing. According to Daily Mail Australia, police believe that Zonfrillo died of natural causes and nothing unusual or suspicious was discovered in the hotel room where he was found. As news of his sudden passing broke, many in the food industry paid tribute to Zonfrillo, including Jamie Oliver, Gordon Ramsay and Marco Pierre White. Pierre White praised his former apprentice chef and said: “Very few chefs have an inquisitive mind, an intellectual mind and a creative mind. That’s what makes him special, that’s what makes him rare.” Read More Jamie Oliver and Gordon Ramsay pay tribute to chef Jock Zonfrillo MasterChef Australia to return with ‘full support’ of Jock Zonfrillo’s family following his death Jamie Oliver shared selfie with late MasterChef Australia judge Jock Zonfrillo hours before his death