The Biden administration is reportedly hesitant to supply Ukraine with F-16 fighter jets, and has also refused to authorise Western allies training Ukrainian pilots on the aircraft. The decision is at odds with Europe's stance on the matter, with Rishi Sunak announcing the creation of an international coalition of countries that would aim to provide F-16s, and Belgium saying it would train Ukrainian pilots. Washington is concerned over the cost of the aircraft, along with the potential technology loss. The decision on supplying Ukraine with F-16s is up to the White House, with the UK saying the supply "was not a straightforward thing".
Chinese National Football Team Coach Aleksandar Jankovic has said he believes there may be an opportunity for Chinese players to grow stronger without foreign players in China's domestic football league. Foreign players have been leaving China due to financial difficulties and Covid-19 restrictions on travel. The country hosted the 2022 Asian Cup in June and July. Jankovic hopes this will be an opportunity to develop the country's football credentials. This is part of China’s preparations for a busy six-month period that sees the country host the Asian Games in September and October. It is a tournament in which Jankovic expects the under-23 team to compete for the gold medal.
Britain will announce a ban on Russian diamond sales and block import of “industrially significant metals” later today, alongside specific sanctions on another 86 senior figures and companies in Vladimir Putin's military industrial complex. Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine began last year, countries such as Belgium have opposed plans to ban the country’s diamonds. The UK has previously taken the lead on action against Russian diamonds, sanctioning Alrosa, the state-owned company, and increasing tariffs by an additional 35%. The ban will disrupt an industry worth $4bn in exports in 2021.
Iran and Russia have strengthened their bilateral relationship, particularly on military, foreign policy, and economic issues. The sharing of a political adversary in the US has led to the deepening of ties, which now pose potential problems for Europe, Eurasia, the Middle East, and international stability. Accordingly, the US is recommended to focus on wider-thinking courses of action to undermine both entities' power structures, penalize dangerous cooperation between the two, and focus on their mutual ties. US national interests must be taken into account, with Washington taking measures to counter and roll back the intensifying defensive and military ties between Russia and Iran.
Police in the US have yet to identify any suspects or find the weapon used in the killing of the UK astrophysicist Matthew Willson, who was shot dead in January 2022 in Brookhaven, Georgia while sleeping beside his girlfriend Katherine Shepard. The single bullet that killed him travelled 200 metres from a park next to her apartment, through a 10-centimetre gap in the handrail of a stairwell walkway, piercing her bedroom wall and headboard before striking Willson in the head as he lay in bed beside her. Sixteen months after Willson’s death, no one has been held accountable for his murder despite contributions from his family and Atlanta Crime Stoppers, which is offering rewards to anyone who can provide information about his killers. The 28-year-old astrophysicist, who was described in an academic memorial as “a pioneer and explorer in the realm of imaging young planets”, had been preparing to publish his research on the development of software tools for the European Extremely Large Telescope when he died.
UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has issued a warning to Russian President Vladimir Putin, stating that Western allies, including the UK, are “not going away” and will support Ukraine's resistance against the invasion. Speaking at the G7 summit in Japan, Sunak said that the west was “steadfast” in its support of Ukraine and that Russia would “pay a price” as he announced new areas of sanctions, which include banning Russian diamonds and prohibiting imports of Russian copper, aluminum and nickel. Amid hopes that allies will follow the UK's lead, Sunak also said he is “hopeful and confident” that Britain's partner countries will impose similar sanctions, making them more effective and ensuring that Russia pays a price for its “illegal activity”.
UK chancellor Rishi Sunak has insisted that Brexit is done and that his government has “delivered the result of the referendum”. Speaking in Japan at the G7 summit, Sunak said the debate surrounding the UK’s exit from the EU had been held “multiple times”. The comments come despite concerns that if Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer becomes prime minister he will attempt to renegotiate the Brexit deal.
Labour is calling for lower trade barriers with the EU within 18 months of winning office. However, Sunak has insisted that the trade deal negotiated so far is “incredibly deep”.
Meanwhile, Sunak has set himself a pre-election target of reducing UK net migration to less than 500,000 annually, more than double that which Prime Minister Boris Johnson pledged to reduce it to. Sunak noted that immigration was too high and that he was “committed” to reducing it to the level inherited when he became prime minister. At that point, the net migration figure averaged 500,000 annually, though the figure is expected to exceed 700,000 in new data to be released this week.
Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky is poised to attend the G7 summit in Japan this weekend, according to reports, offering an opportunity to build links with India's Narendra Modi and Brazil's Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who are yet to oppose Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The G7 group was expelling Russia from its members, following the country’s 2014 annexation of Crimea. Discussions between G7 countries will focus on economic and military support within Ukraine as allies seek to show a united front following British-imposed bans on Russian diamonds, copper, aluminium, nickel, and new individual sanctions against 86 people and companies.
Manchester United could be a surprise contender in the race to sign Bayern Munich winger Sadio Mane, according to the Daily Mail. The Bundesliga champions are said to be looking to offload the 31-year-old forward after an unsatisfactory debut season which included an altercation with teammate Leroy Sane. Meanwhile, United have also sent scouts to watch Gent striker Gift Orban, who is being courted by Chelsea, Tottenham and Fulham too, the Evening Standard reports. The Daily Mirror suggests Juventus midfielder Adrien Rabiot and Napoli defender Kim Min-jae are on Man Utd's shortlist.
Melbourne City reached their fourth consecutive A-League Men’s grand final on 21 May with a 5-1 aggregate win over Sydney FC, following a 4-0 triumph in the second leg at AAMI Park. A red card for Sydney midfielder Max Burgess in the 21st minute, following a high tackle on Marco Tilio, scuppered his team’s chances. Melbourne will play the winner of the Adelaide United and Central Coast Mariners game, with the latter holding a 2-1 lead from the first leg ahead of the second leg on 22 May. City, who lost last year’s final, will be aiming for their second league title.
Melbourne City has qualified for a fourth consecutive A-League Men’s grand final after beating Sydney FC 5-1 on aggregate at the AAMI Park stadium on Friday night. A high-footed challenge from Sydney midfielder Max Burgess on man-of-the-match Marco Tilio saw him red-carded in the 21st minute, which all but ended Sydney's hopes of making it to the grand final in Sydney on June 3. City will now play the winner of tonight's Adelaide United and Central Coast Mariners second-leg clash.
The UK plans to ban imports of Russian copper, aluminium, nickel and diamonds following international pressure to increase sanctions on Russia due to its conflict with Ukraine. The US had already announced that they would increase measures against Russia and other Group of Seven economies are also expected to announce sanctions at the G7 summit in Japan this weekend. Last year the UK imported over $34.6m worth of unwrought aluminium and $28m worth of refined nickel. However, no refined copper was imported from Russia last year or this year.
The decline of response rates to statistics in the UK and the US, largely due to the Covid-19 pandemic, is making it harder for data to be "smoothed and gaps must be filled", which could skew results. In the US, the JPMorgan Asset Management note revealed declining response rates to the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ current employment survey and Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS). Response rates for the active sample in JOLTS only improved to 64% from 58% between releases, while in the UK, the percentage of respondents to the Labour Force Survey has been steadily falling since the pandemic. While Eurostat identified issues with under-coverage in almost half the countries it contacted through the European Union Labour Force Survey, the response rate is still unclear. With less data to work with, statisticians are unable to offer broad accuracy, and data released in different formats can lead to large backwards revisions, which poses a risk to the reliability of statistics.
The G7 has endorsed the ‘Hiroshima Vision on Nuclear Disarmament’, a new action plan unveiled by Japanese Prime Minister, Fumio Kishida, which is intended to achieve a world free of nuclear weapons. The G7 leaders have agreed on a series of priorities aimed at reducing global nuclear arsenals, but have not implemented any binding agreement to remove them. They condemned Russia's "dangerous and unacceptable" atomic threats against Ukraine and the acceleration of China's nuclear arsenal. However, International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) claimed the meeting “failed to come up with any concrete proposals” and just produced “a rehash of old non-proliferation measures” that did not address the severity of the current nuclear threat nor the urgency of disarmament. All G7 member countries rely on nuclear weapons for their security and, as result, it is suggested that the countries are limited in their ability to negotiate for disarmament. Despite this, the group has nonetheless suggested practical steps such as increasing the transparency of nuclear capacity and reducing stockpiles, securing nonproliferation, promoting the peaceful use of nuclear agency and continuing not to use atomic weapons.
Taekwondo champion Marzieh Hamidi has been driven out of Afghanistan by the Taliban. The 21-year-old, who represented her country before the Taliban took over, has been sex-shamed by militants who believe women cannot be champions. A refugee for a second time, after having been born in exile in Iran in 2002, and now resident in France, Hamidi will compete at the World Taekwondo Championship as part of the refugee team, breaking her heart that Afghanistan will not appear. Hamidi's training is fuelled by the emotions she feels from the loss of her home, family and a cycle of gutting losses caused by the Taliban. The gender politics of the Taliban have left her without a team, forcing her to compete with the boys. Even if the Taliban changed its policy of allowing women to compete, Hamidi says she would never represent them as for her "they are a group of terrorists."
Everton manager Sean Dyche has said his team's final league games are a priority over potential investment discussions surrounding the club. Majority shareholder Farhad Moshiri has been conversing with two US-based investment groups, MSP Sports Capital and 777 Football Group, about infusing cash into the club. MSP Sports Capital is said to be the frontrunner, but 777 has recently firmed up their interest. However, Moshiri has said he is only looking for a minority partner. While investment talks continue, Dyche said his focus lay on the immediate and he would continue to strive to give his team the best chance at winning their final two games.
The US government is set to support Ukraine in providing advanced fighter jets, including US-made F-16s to aid in the country's fight against Russia. The US has also backed training pilots on these planes. President Biden informed G7 leaders of the decision ahead of meetings in Japan. Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelensky requested these fighter jets several months ago, and the decision by the US will allow other nations to export their own F-16s, as the US must legally approve the re-export of equipment purchased by its allies.
US President Joe Biden has given permission for Ukrainian pilots to receive training on American F-16 combat jets. Western countries backing the Ukrainian government have insisted that their pilots are trained to operate equipment first before delivery, as part of an initiative that is already underway with some other NATO members. Biden gave the green light at the G7 summit in Hiroshima, Japan, though a decision on the delivery of the US-made aircraft is yet to come. The coalition will decide who would provide the F-16s, when and how many they will supply, with training due to start shortly and last several months.
Rishi Sunak, the UK Chancellor of the Exchequer, has warned Russia's leader Vladimir Putin at the G7 summit in Japan that western leaders are “not going away”. He also warned Russia that it will “pay a price” over its ongoing invasion of Ukraine. New UK sanctions include a ban on the import of Russian diamonds, copper, aluminium and nickel. Talks between the G7 allies, including the leaders of the US, France and Japan, will centre on military and economic support for Ukraine as they aim to present a united front.
In a diplomatic victory for Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the US will allow allies to supply F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine, with the US Military assisting in training Ukrainian pilots to fly the aircraft. President Biden has said the US will offer support to a joint effort to train Ukrainian pilots, before later equipping them with F-16s, delivering one of the most significant upgrades to Ukraine's military after last year's full-scale Russian invasion. Biden made the announcement to G7 leaders. Kiev has been working to construct a coalition of nations ready to supply F-16s and has now garnered support from the UK, France and the Netherlands.
This move will strengthen Ukraine’s depleted air force and boost air defence capabilities, allowing ground operations that challenge Russia’s tactical air supremacy over the frontline. The Netherlands, which is phasing out F-16s, could be a major supplier to Ukraine. Belgium and Denmark also have F-16s. The training will take place in Ukraine and Europe, and potentially other countries may be involved. The process could take months before jets can fly over Ukraine’s skies. Meanwhile, with the increasing probability of a full-scale conventional war, Russia may soon sign a defense pact with Belarus to boost its security.
