Pep Guardiola's Manchester City team convincingly defeated Real Madrid 4-1 in the UEFA Champions League semi-finals. At Manchester City, Guardiola is demonstrating to his last remaining detractors that he is no one-club wonder. Of Guardiola’s century of Champions League victories, 47 have been for City. If Guardiola extends his contract at City beyond 2025, he could yet command a category of greatness all his own. The most daunting test for Guardiola was always to see whether he could conjure his alchemy outside Barcelona.
The heart of national conservatism in the twenty-first century is about defending the cultural particularity of nations. The first British National Conservatism conference this week showcased a new and pathbreaking suite of ideas. Since 2021, the National Conservatism conferences have attempted to explore the connections between these hitherto disaggregated thinkers and their work. The history of postwar conservatism in the West has revolved around the free-market right, but the fall of the Berlin Wall and “Third Way” convergence between parties of right and left rendered economics far less central to conservatism. Conservatives’ concerns are increasingly cultural and social, revolving around what Harvard political scientist Robert Putnam calls the loss of “bridging” and “bonding” social capital. National conservative positions, notably reducing immigration and defending traditions in elite institutions, carry significant support but punch below their weight politically. The task of national conservative reformers is to rectify that imbalance, which underlies much voter alienation and weak Tory support, and to prioritise cultural issues in messaging, policy implementation and candidate selection.
Italian investment bank Mediobanca is to acquire independent financial advisor Arma Partners, which currently works across the software and cloud computing sectors as well as fintech. The purchase will encourage Mediobanca to expand overseas and win more tech clients in Europe and the US. Meanwhile, the move to acquire Arma Partners, which advises clients from around the world, will enhance its wealth management and investment banking capabilities, said the Italian bank. No details have been given on the price of the deal for Arma Partners, which is valued at over twice its €100m annual revenue.
The US PGA Championship has begun at the Oak Hill Country Club in Rochester, New York with the tournament’s first practice sessions taking place. Scheduled for May, the tournament was postponed to August due to the coronavirus pandemic. A winter frost delayed the start of play which is due to begin at midday with the first of the “big-name” groups expected to be teeing off at 1 pm. Major culling of trees as part of a course redevelopment has seen the creation of a new hole. Notable absences from the tournament this year are Tiger Woods, who is recovering from ankle surgery, and fans due to the pandemic.
Beth Mead, the Arsenal and England striker says there needs to be more breaks built into the calendar for women's football. He points to the demands being placed on the world's best players by a crowded schedule. This summer's World Cup is the third major international tournament in as many years, following the Olympics in 2021 and the European Championship in 2022, while the club calendar is packed with European, league and cup competitions. Studies have shown that women can be two to six times more likely to suffer an ACL rupture, but there are no conclusive answers as to why. There are theories, the anatomical differences between the sexes, the impact of the menstrual cycle, social factors, but Mead's own experiences this season have highlighted that there is no singular reason. Wienroither has moved in with Mead and Miedema as she starts the recovery process, and Arsenal's injured contingent have pulled together, creating their own support network. “I’ve been in touch with Leah and Lau has been living with us as she is all alone in a foreign country and we are probably the best people to look after her,” says Mead.
Giorgia Meloni, the Italian Prime Minister and Member of the far-right, has yet to make a decision regarding the nonbinding Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) that Italy signed with China in 2019. The MoU helped start the Belt and Road Initiative, which aims to enhance Chinese influence abroad and better connect intercontinental trade infrastructure. Many Western allies have hardened their stance on China in recent years, causing Meloni to keep her cards a little closer to her chest. Tensions between China and Taiwan have been growing, and Washington is keen to have its close allies follow a strict line on China. Meloni is now faced with a balancing act between Western diplomatic allies and a major trading partner. If the deal isn't renewed, it could be embarrassing for China. However, Fardella sees if the Italian decision will turn into a loss of face for Beijing, retaliation may occur.
Austrian star Helmut Berger has died at 78 years old. Known for his striking looks and captivating on-screen presence, Berger gained recognition for his portrayal of bisexual and narcissistic figures, and is credited for helping to break sexual taboos in European cinema. Berger worked as a film extra in Rome before being discovered by Italian director Luchino Visconti, his collaboration with whom is considered outstanding. Visconti is said to have called Berger "the most beautiful man in the world." Berger achieved world fame for roles including “The Garden of the Finzi-Continis” and “The Godfather Part III.”
The leaders of the G7 industrialised nations have gathered in the Japanese city of Hiroshima for their annual summit. The meeting is expected to focus on the West's relationship with China, as well as Russia's war in Ukraine and the ongoing global economic uncertainties. To avoid possible “economic blackmail”, G7 leaders are expected to diversify their supply chains and markets, but are not aiming to “decouple” from China. In terms of military activity, discussions will include China’s behaviour in the South China Sea and the Taiwan Strait, yet Robert Ward, director of geo-economics and strategy at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, believes that the G7 nations are unlikely to agree on specific measures to counteract China's power in the Indo-Pacific.
South Africa’s foreign policy is in disarray and risks being pulled in different directions as the world order changes, according to analysis in the Financial Times. The paper questions whether officials know whether it has been exporting arms to Russia and argues the inconsistency of the ruling African National Congress stems in part from its nostalgia for the Soviet Union and from links between Russian oligarchs and the ANC. As non-western nations increase their global economic output, South Africa is poised at the intersection of external pressure from larger nations and internal debate over ideals and identity.
The European Union (EU) faces the challenge of how to absorb Ukraine, a country of 35 million inhabitants, into its fold, transforming the bloc and questioning its governance. EU leaders have pledged to expand the group to accommodate Ukraine and Moldova, raising questions of when and how to absorb them, how big the enlargement should be, and how to keep western Balkans and grey zones between Russia and Nato space from being vulnerable. The EU's founding members seek an "ever closer union", but the bloc's dilution into a diverse set of nations raises fears of paralysis among France, Germany, and other member states.
Greenpeace has called for curbs on private jet travel, after research revealed that the 90,256 private flights leaving the UK in 2022, a rise of 75%, created 500,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide, more than in any other European country. Notably, the London-Paris route proved the most popular destination, with 3,357 flights despite the Eurostar service running up to 15 times daily. Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, was urged to act at a London Assembly Q&A, but stopped short of advocating a ban. Half of all European private flights in 2022 were very short-haul, consisting of trips under 500km.
UK's Labour Party leader, Sir Keir Starmer, proposes reducing trade barriers with the European Union within 18 months of entering Downing Street, if it wins power, and make trading of food, medicines and animals seamless between the UK and the EU. The proposal would enable European farmers to sell their products into the UK, just as British farmers would find it easier to export into the bloc. It is expected to be a major talking point of the next general election campaign, as the ruling Conservative Party attempts to hold on to traditional Labour-voting constituencies it acquired in 2019.
Manchester City’s new director of football for the club’s women’s team, Nils Nielsen, believes he can help the team become the best in the country. Aged 51 and hailing from Greenland – where traditional pursuits included hunting seals and polar bears – Nielsen has a strong reputation within women’s football, having coached Denmark and Switzerland’s women’s teams, as well as China’s under-20s. His predecessor, Gavin Makel, has left the club after four years to join the Football Association as head of women’s national football development.
An underground bunker has been constructed beneath Russian President Vladimir Putin's Black Sea palace, according to images posted online by the now-defunct construction firm that built it, Metro Style. The complex, which was built in the early 2010s, when Putin was cultivating warm relations with European powers, spans roughly 6,500 sq ft and features concrete bunkers with their own sewage and fresh water supply, alongside an elevator shaft and two tunnels which have exits visible on the cliff face rising up from the sea to the palace. The purpose of the underground complex is unclear, but speculation suggests it has been developed as a form of protection for Putin in the event of a revolution or war.
The Pentagon overestimated the value of weapons sent to Ukraine by $3bn in a recent accounting error. US officials have said that funds for arming Ukraine with lethal equipment will last until October; the overestimation of aid may yet change this calendar, however. The accounting error arose from its incorrectly using the cost of replacing the weaponry sent from military stockpiles with new equipment, rather than the purchase price plus depreciation. The error may have an impact on the timing of further assistance to Ukraine.
Manchester City has launched legal challenges to fight the 115 charges it faces for breach of rule allegations in the Premier League. City intend to challenge the Premier League’s decision to involve Murray Rosen KC as the person who appoints the chair of the disciplinary commission as he is both a member of the MCC and an Arsenal FC supporter, and is therefore not independent. City is disputing the charges, claiming that they should not apply to investigations into the alleged rule breaches before relevant changes in Premier League rules in 2019.
Canadian B-boy Phil Wizard tops podium at Breaking for Gold World Series in France
CBC
23-05-19 00:01
Canadian B-boy Phil Wizard has secured a gold medal at the WDSF Breaking for Gold World Series stop held in Montpellier, France and gained 1,000 ranking points toward Olympic qualification. The top 14 B-boys and B-girls in the Breaking for Gold rankings will advance to the Olympic Qualifier Series next year, and the event's Olympic debut will be held in Paris in 2024.
Washington state's Lummi tribe is seeking a judicial review of the Canadian government over a major port expansion arguing that a recent supreme court decision means it is owed the same rights of consultation as indigenous groups in Canada. The move could open the door to other US tribes seeking financial compensation from large industrial projects on Canadian soil. "They have to show that they had a historical right at the time of first contact, and that in addition, they’ve been exercising that right continuously since then," said lawyer Doug Rae. The Lummi plan to file an application this week for judicial review of Roberts Bank Terminal 2, a major proposed Vancouver Fraser Port Authority container facility that received federal government approval in late April after a decade-long environmental-review process.
The UK plans to announce a ban on Russian diamonds and imports of metals from Russia, including copper, aluminium and nickel, to support Ukraine, as well as targeting an additional 86 people and companies from Russian President Vladimir Putin's military industrial complex. The announcement comes ahead of the G7 summit, where advanced democracies are poised to sanction Russia and debate the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. On Monday, the UK pledged to give Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy long-range drones, as part of an effort to secure new weapons for the country's counteroffensive against Russia.
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, who was previously the Foreign Minister, spoke about his vision of a world without nuclear weapons seven years ago in Hiroshima and called this his dream. But as he returns to the city to chair the G7 summit, he admits it is a far-off prospect and disarmament remains central to his political career. As well as the threat of nuclear proliferation, Japan could be dragged into approaches to Taiwan if a conflict is sparked between Beijing and Washington, a concern experts say will be a key focus of the summit.
