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Didier Deschamps stuck with the 4-3-3 system he’s been playing recently, but with a crucial change: Antoine Griezmann in for Ousmane Dembélé. These are obviously two very different types of player, but I suspect Deschamps was thinking less about tactics and more about the fact that Dembélé just hasn’t played well recently. He kept the same structure to the side, with that midfield three of Aurélien Tchouaméni, N’Golo Kanté and Adrien Rabiot. Domenico Tedesco also had decisions to make. Belgium played a kind of 4-4-2 that became a 3-4-3 in possession. The big call was moving Kevin De Bruyne into a deeper double pivot role next to Amadou Onana. It was not great. Attentive readers are currently saying “But Grace! You said to play De Bruyne deeper a few days ago and they did it!” And it’s true, I did say that. But come on, Domenico, this deep? My idea was to make the 4-2-3-1 more of a 4-3-3. Tedesco had him receiving the ball from the centre backs. Look at the passmap from Between the Posts to understand how not to progress the ball. They just couldn’t get it to any of their dangerous players. France, therefore, controlled the territory pretty well. But they didn’t exactly do a lot with that control. I don’t understand the benefits of this 4-3-3 system Deschamps is playing. Playing Tchouaméni, Kanté and Rabiot together is aesthetically awful, yes, but it was totally unnecessary against a flimsy Belgian double pivot. Jérémy Doku was a bigger problem out wide. I would’ve moved Rabiot over to the right flank to help double up on Doku, then had Griezmann get involved in the middle. As it was, France struggled to create through the midfield, and Griezmann looked uncomfortable on the right. Once again, it all had to happen through Kylian Mbappé and the left flank. France took mediocre chance after mediocre chance throughout this game, and one of them finally went in! Randal Kolo Muani struck a pretty speculative shot from wide that took a huge deflection of Jan Vertonghen (who you probably assumed had retired a few years ago) to go in. So it goes. France were certainly the better side here, but that doesn’t mean they were particularly good. Next up they will be facing another side that did not look particularly good today. I can already sense what the narrative is going to be for that one, so let’s talk about the other game.
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The caretaker Dutch government had finalized preparations for the expected transfer of F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine before leaving office, lawmakers have been told.
The Netherlands is part of a group of European countries that have pledged to donate US-made military aircraft from their fleets to Kiev. The first of 24 F-16s promised by the Dutch government will be transferred “soon,” according to a letter sent to the parliament by outgoing Defense Minister Kajsa Ollongren. The correspondence informed lawmakers that all necessary permits for the donation had been issued. MPs will be informed about the progress of the transfer confidentially, Ollongren said in the letter, which was published on Monday. Her tenure as defense minister has now ended, with Prime Minister Dick Schoof and his cabinet assuming power on Tuesday. The new government was formed after months of coalition talks following an election last November. The transition is not expected to significantly affect the Netherlands’ policy on Ukraine, according to national media, since the coalition agreement between four Dutch centrist and right-wing parties includes a pledge for continued support for Kiev. Ukraine claims that it needs F-16s to defend against Russian long-range missile barrages and to challenge Moscow’s air superiority over the front line. Moscow has described the long-expected donations as dragging Western nations further into the Ukraine conflict and raising the risk of direct confrontation with Russia. Ukrainian officials have said F-16 missions will be conducted from airfields inside Ukraine, but reserve aircraft will be kept at bases belonging to Eastern European NATO member states. Moscow has warned that any location from which fighter jets take off to attack Russian targets will be fair game for retaliation. The plan to use US-made aircraft against Russia is undermined by the limited Western capacity to train Ukrainians how to operate them, according to media reports. Kiev was promised as many as 60 jets, but will only have 20 pilots ready to fly them this year, Politico revealed last month. On Tuesday morning, the Russian Defense Ministry released footage showing a missile strike at Ukraine’s Mirgorod airfield in Poltava Region. The Russian military said the attack, which reportedly took place on Monday, destroyed five Ukrainian Su-27s fighter jets and damaged two others. The Blog Tags Widget will appear here on the published site.
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Krungthep Turakij, aka Bangkok Biz News, become fourth Nation group to introduce an AI-generated news reader.
Following Nation TV, Post Today and Thansettakij, another Nation Group media arm, Krungthep Turakij, also known as Bangkok Biz News, has launched an artificial intelligence (AI) reporter named “KATIE” on its platforms. The move strengthens Krungthep Turakij’s position as Thailand’s top economic, business and investment news channel with over 37 years of experience. KATIE, an AI-generated female reporter, joined Krungthep Turakij’s panel of key opinion leaders this week. She will update the latest events in Thailand and around the world in the “Krungthep Turakij News Update” programme, available daily on its website and via social media channels. “2024 is truly the year of AI. Although there has been continuous AI development in the past, its practical applications have only started to become clear this year. We believe that AI will play an increasingly significant role from now on. It is not a fad, but a technology embedded in every dimension of life,” Nation Group vice chairman Somchai Meesen said. "Nation Group is continuously adapting to every technological trend and innovation that enhances the news consumption experience,” he went on. “We are keen to utilise these advancements to deliver more comprehensive, accessible and verifiable news.” Somchai added that Krungthep Turakij’s website recently introduced a feature that reads the news in three languages—Thai, Chinese, and English. This move reflects Nation Group’s belief that the world of news consumption can expand beyond boundaries, allowing foreigners to follow Thailand's latest events directly. “As Thailand's leading economic and investment media, we continuously strive to improve our platforms and embrace new technologies that enhance our news delivery capabilities,” added Krungthep Turakij managing director Wirayut Saengkrachang. “We have closely monitored the advancements in AI technology, aiming to utilise them in our operations. Our news team has already used AI in various aspects," he said. "The launch of 'KATIE' marks another proud milestone for us. While AI may not yet be seamlessly human-like, it is similar to humans in needing constant learning and development. There is much more for us to learn and improve. As long as we do not stop, we will keep getting better every day.” The Blog Tags Widget will appear here on the published site.
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Flare-ups between Chinese and Philippine vessels in the South China Sea have drawn greater regional and even global attention, posing a challenge to Beijing’s preference for a bilateral approach to resolving maritime disputes.
Beijing is deeply concerned about the internationalisation of the South China Sea dispute, according to observers, even as its high-handed approach to asserting its expansive claims to the resource-rich waters spark concern, criticism and even resentment. “The South China Sea issue has long been internationalised, which is definitely not something Beijing would like to see,” a senior researcher from the government-linked Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS) said on condition of anonymity. “But that’s the new reality we have to live with.” High-seas confrontations have intensified as Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr, unlike his Beijing-friendly predecessor Rodrigo Duterte, pursues a “paradigm shift” in policy to counter China’s maritime assertiveness, bolstering Manila’s defence alliance with the US despite repeated warnings from Beijing. Manila has also expanded its network of security partnerships – including with Japan, Australia, India and the European Union – and dialled up protests against what it says is Beijing’s aggressive behaviour in the disputed waters. More worryingly for Beijing, according to the CASS researcher, a growing number of countries in Asia, Europe and beyond have followed Washington’s lead in not only putting forward Indo-Pacific strategies but also sending warships to the South China Sea for patrols and exercises. As a focal point in the intensifying US-China feud, the South China Sea dispute has consistently been brought up at the Group of 7 and Nato summits and various international security gatherings. “We oppose China’s militarisation, and coercive and intimidation activities in the South China Sea,” G7 leaders said in a statement on June 14 following their annual summit. They also expressed “serious concern about [China’s] increasing use of dangerous manoeuvres and water cannons against Philippine vessels”. The CASS researcher said that “from China’s perspective, it is not just a maritime dispute, but more importantly part of the rivalry between a rising power and an established power”. “There is clearly a concerted effort led by the US to internationalise the South China Sea issue, with Manila’s courtship of external powers to push back against Beijing.” With a significant increase in both the frequency and ferocity of maritime incidents, the expert warned of the rising danger of an unintended conflict where the US and its allies could be dragged in. The US State Department on June 18 condemned China’s “escalatory and irresponsible actions” – renewing a warning about being obliged to defend the Philippines under a 1951 treaty – a day after yet another collision between Chinese and Philippine vessels in disputed South China Sea waters. Both sides traded blame over the incident, with Manila saying eight sailors were injured and two rubber boats were damaged when the Chinese coastguard took “aggressive and reckless” action in intercepting a routine resupply mission to a Philippine military outpost in the contested Second Thomas Shoal, known in China as Renai Jiao. Beijing put the responsibility for the confrontation “entirely with the Philippine side”, saying the handling of the incident by the Chinese coastguard was “reasonable, legal and professional”. The Blog Tags Widget will appear here on the published site.
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Russia is seeking China’s help in developing an Arctic sea route that could almost halve the journey time between Europe and Asia, although the heightened geopolitical risk and Moscow’s suspicion about Beijing’s intentions in the region may limit their scope for cooperation. Russia hopes the Northern Sea Route (NSR) will become a year-round shipping lane as global warming makes it possible to send ships through waters that were previously only passable in summer. Some shipping is already using the route, but at the moment it is only passable for around 20 to 30 days a year along a 5,600km stretch between the Kara Sea, off the northwest coast of Siberia, to the Bering Strait, which separates Russia from Alaska. But as more of the Arctic’s ice melts, the route may eventually be extended to Scandinavia and offer easier access to the North Sea than the Baltic. Travelling between Shanghai and St Petersburg along this route would take a cargo ship around 20 days, compared with around 36 days via the Red Sea and Suez Canal, according to Russian media. Cargo carried along the route could reach 270 million tonnes by 2035 - a nearly 10-fold increase on 2022, according to Rosatom, the Russian agency that oversees the sea lane. The impact of Western sanctions following its invasion of Ukraine in 2022 has increased Moscow’s sense of urgency in developing and expanding its use. Although China relies on the sea to transport more than 60 per cent of its trade by volume so the route could help offset the risk from using existing routes, Wang Yue, a doctoral researcher at Tampere University in Finland, said “Russia is significantly more motivated than China” to develop the route. Wang, who specialises in security and geopolitics in the Arctic, said the importance the two countries attached to the route “greatly varied”. “For Russia, the Arctic region is a top strategic and economic priority, and the NSR is crucial for transporting its abundant Arctic resources to the market,” he said. “In contrast, while the Arctic is important to China, it is just one of many emerging strategic areas, and the NSR is merely a valuable alternative to traditional shipping routes.”
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Visual delights wow visitors to Phitsanulok’s Phu Hin Rong Kla as the begonias come into bloom in The Phu Hin Rong Kla National Park in Phitsanulok province.
It is all abloom with the colourful, heart-shaped leaves of Begonia Arenosaxa, a flowering plant in the Begoniaceae family that is often found in rainforests during the rainy season. Visitors to the Lan Hin Pum – Pha Chu Thong natural trail will be treated to a spectacular vista of reddish leaves spread all over the ground, adding more colour to the already verdant rain forest. Situated about 130km from Phitsanulok city centre, the 307 sq km mountainous park extends east into Loei and Phetchabun provinces nearly 40 km from the Laotian border. The park has recorded sightings of rare wild animals in its forest areas including leopards, leopard cats, Asian black bears, Asian golden cats, hog badgers, serow and barking deer, as well as more than 200 bird species. The park is also historically significant as it was the scene of fighting between communist insurgents and the Royal Thai Armed Forces between 1968 and 1972, which resulted in the insurgents surrendering with the help of the Hmong community present in the area. The Blog Tags Widget will appear here on the published site.
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Constructor Standings
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FORMULA 1 QATAR AIRWAYS AUSTRIAN GRAND PRIX 2024 - Top 10 Sprint Qualifying Results
FORMULA 1 QATAR AIRWAYS AUSTRIAN GRAND PRIX 2024 - Sprint Race Results
FORMULA 1 QATAR AIRWAYS AUSTRIAN GRAND PRIX 2024 - Top 10 Qualifying Results
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2024 Formula 1 World Championship Drivers' Standings
2024 FORMULA 1 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP CONSTRUCTOR STANDINGS
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US President Joe Biden confused Italy and France at a campaign event in New York on Saturday, in what appears to be the aging leader’s latest gaffe, adding to mounting concerns over his mental state.
Speaking at a campaign reception in East Hampton, Biden mixed up the European countries when referring to a military cemetery near Paris where more than 2,200 US soldiers who fought in World War I are buried. Biden said that former US President Donald Trump had called America’s war dead “losers” and “suckers” – an allegation Trump denies – when he cancelled a visit to Aisne-Marne American Cemetery in 2018. At the time, Trump’s team blamed the decision to skip the visit on bad weather conditions. Recalling the incident on Saturday, Biden said Trump had refused to visit the soldiers who had “given their lives in a cemetery in Italy.” His remarks were later corrected with strikethroughs and brackets on the official White House transcript. “He had called the veterans who had given their lives in a cemetery in Italy [France] — he wouldn’t go to the cemetery, and — because he said they’re a bunch of “suckers” and “losers,” Biden said. “Well, our son was one of those people — not in Italy [France] but in Iraq — and he died.” The mix-up was even more surprising, given Biden himself visited the same cemetery only last month in an apparent rebuke to Trump. The latest gaffe comes after the US president’s “catastrophic” performance in his televised face-off with Trump last week, during which the 81-year-old appeared frail and confused, struggled to finish his sentences and mixed up words. Biden’s mental health has been a longstanding concern among American voters, according to regent polls, and many believe he is mentally and physically unfit for office. A report released in May, by conservative news website the Daily Caller found that Biden has averaged more than one gaffe (1.3) per day in 2024. The analysis spanned 118 statements, speeches, and press encounters for which White House transcripts were issued and subsequently corrected by staff. Meanwhile, videos of the US president stumbling, looking lost at press conferences, or misspeaking have been dismissed as “cheap fakes” by White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre. The latest poll released by Morning Consult after the US president’s disappointing debate performance suggested that 60% of voters believe Biden should “definitely” or “probably” be replaced as the Democratic presidential nominee. The Blog Tags Widget will appear here on the published site.
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England are not a good football team. This is not some great secret after four games, but the ways in which they’ve been bad still manage to shock me. They look far too lethargic press in any sort of structure without the ball. They misplace basic passes and get players caught up in the same zones when they have the ball. I’ve written a lot about Gareth Southgate’s England and none of these things were true in 2018, 2021 or 2022. This is a huge backwards step in almost every way a football team can be good. I can nitpick specific choices, but this is such a collective failure that something has clearly gone very wrong at the heart of the whole project. I just don’t know what. Southgate made just one change from the draw against Slovenia: Kobbie Mainoo in for Conor Gallagher. Southgate clearly can’t find a midfield balance he likes. Everyone ridiculed him for saying that the team doesn’t “have a natural replacement for Kalvin Phillips”, but this is what he’s talking about. England lack the balance that a calm passing central midfielder, even a mediocre one like Phillips, would provide. The most under-discussed error he made in the build up to this tournament, for my money, was leaving Curtis Jones at home. England started the game terribly without the ball, totally unable to exert any sort of press. Slovakia get the first goal by catching out both John Stones and Marc Guéhi, which was supposed to be a positive in this side. They both try to win the same ball in the air but lose out, opening up the entire defence for Slovakia to attack. It just stunk.
From there, inevitably, Slovakia were happy with their lead. They took just two more shots in normal time. They had what they came for. England had the game in front of them, and it was rough. It was really rough. We saw the same issues we’ve been seeing for a while. England don’t have a clear idea of how to manipulate space against a low block. Phil Foden moves inside to occupy the same space as Jude Bellingham, leaving the left flank vacant for a marauding Kieran Trippier, while Mainoo does the same thing, meaning no one wants to constructively progress the ball because there’s barely a midfield. England can only attack from transitions, such as the Foden offside goal, but everyone knows that, so they get denied those opportunities. But sometimes you just have too many good players to mess it up. England equalised after 94 minutes from a long throw. It wasn’t even a cool routine. Guéhi just won the aerial duel and it fell for Bellingham to score an overhead kick. Nothing about this system or setup has been designed to get the best out of Bellingham. Nothing at all. But he finally got into a situation where he could provide a moment of quality, and he did it. Into extra time, England got another moment of weird quality, in which Ivan Toney won it in the air and flicked it onto Kane for the second. I can’t really explain any of this. It just sort of happened. I do think there’s a relevant point here. England have scored four goals at this tournament now, and all of them have been very scruffy “English” goals. They scored against Serbia through a scruffy Bukayo Saka cross for Bellingham making a late run and heading it home. Against Denmark, they got ahead by Kyle Walker scuffing a low cross for Kane to be alert in the box. And here, England scored from a long throw and a knock on header between two strikers. They’re not good enough in possession to play intricate football. I think England need to be more direct here. Get it forward quicker, and get it wide. When England went ahead, to the shock of absolutely no one, they retreated into a low block and let Slovakia attack them. I’m not that mad about it, to be honest. England have been terrible at pressing and exerting control over games, and would likely have done it appallingly after playing 90 minutes of football. On the other hand, they’re good at defending in a block. I don’t think they did a terrible job of seeing it out, even if it felt vile. The whole thing felt vile. But it was the kind of vile where you end the game with joy in your heart at the thought of pissing off neutrals. I don’t think England are very good. I don’t think anyone does. They’re facing Switzerland next. Anything could happen. Yeah, I’ve written this whole thing and I still have no idea. The Blog Tags Widget will appear here on the published site.
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The French right-wing National Rally (RN) party and its allies have secured the lead in the first round of snap parliamentary elections, winning over 33% of the vote, according to final results published by the Interior Ministry on Monday.
President Emmanuel Macron called early parliamentary elections after the RN’s strong performance in last month’s vote for the European Parliament. The force formerly led by Marine Le Pen and now by Jordan Bardella won 30 of the 81 French seats in the EU legislature. In the latest poll following the first round of voting in France on Sunday, the newly-created left-wing New Popular Front (NFP) finished second with 28%, while Macron’s centrist Ensemble bloc won 20% of the vote. The RN and NFP have secured 37 and 32 seats respectively in the 577-strong legislature, while Macron’s party has received just two. A candidate needs to receive over half of the vote to win in the first round. If none does, any candidate who reaches the 12.5% threshold enters a run-off which will be held on June 7. Projections by French media predict that the RN will ultimately win between 230 and 280 seats in the National Assembly, compared to the 149 seats it previously had. Turnout at the weekend was notably higher than two years ago, when French voters last selected representatives for the national parliament. The ministry reported a participation rate of 59%, compared to 39% in 2022. The ballot two years ago was also a setback for Macron supporters as his party lost its absolute majority. The president’s move to force an early vote this year has been described as a gamble which has backfired, after often-divided left-wing French political forces mobilized and present a united front. According to Le Figaro sources, Macron is considering whether to dissolve the freshly-elected legislature. The Blog Tags Widget will appear here on the published site.
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