dataDp/3575.jpeg

Futbol

Leaky Spurs Leave Postecoglou Facing Date With Destiny

If Ange Postecoglou is on the hunt for leaks at Tottenham Hotspur, his search should start with those running through his midfield and defence that have been left unattended to place his job in jeopardy. Postecoglou revealed on Friday that there was a mole inside his club filtering out classified information into the public domain. But what is no secret is Spurs are a soft touch for opponents with even the slightest hint of threat. It was proved again in a 4-2 defeat by Wolves at Molineux - a masterclass in every reason why Postecoglou's side have lost 17 Premier League games out of 32, more than in any other season, and why they languish down in 15th place. Their afternoon was encapsulated by Djed Spence's farcical own goal, as keeper Guglielmo Vicario palmed the ball against the backtracking full-back and into the net, to give Wolves a two-goal lead in a dispiriting first half. Postecoglou's expression of thunder turned to one of complete disbelief when he went back to the bench to review the moment on a monitor. It was an X-rated horror show. It is a flaw the Australian has simply been unable to cure, undermining all his fine attacking principles that prompted such optimism and hope in the early months of his reign. Since Postecoglou took over before the 2023-24 campaign, only West Ham and Sheffield United (seven each) have scored more Premier League own goals than the six by Spurs. And only the current bottom three clubs – Southampton (26), Leicester (22) and Ipswich (19) – have lost more league games than their 17 this season. It is the most defeats Spurs have suffered in a league campaign since 2003-04 (19) when they finished 14th. There does have to be some context applied to this defeat, though. Postecoglou's priorities, perfectly understandably, lie with the Europa League quarter-final second leg away to Eintracht Frankfurt on Thursday after a 1-1 draw in the first meeting at home. It explained the six changes that saw Son Heung-min, Micky van de Ven, Pedro Porro and Destiny Udogie kept back, while Rodrigo Bentancur came on as substitute. The big bonus was the return of Dejan Kulusevski after injury for a 15-minute run-out. There is also a worrying downside to that context too. If there is any repeat of the carelessness and general incompetence that scarred this display, then Spurs' trophy hopes will be over for another season and so, in all probability, will be Postecoglou's spell in charge. What cannot be explained away is the slapdash manner and lack of basic organisation that allowed rejuvenated Wolves to record a fourth straight top-flight success for the first time since January 1972. It started inside two minutes, when keeper Vicario's tame punch from a corner found Wolves defender Rayan Ait-Nouri unmarked from the set-piece on the edge of the area. He accepted the invitation to score. The second was another calamity, Vicario again culpable when he turned home striker Marshall Munetsi's tame header on to Spence when he could have held on, the ball rebounded back into his own goal. And even when Mathys Tel offered hope just before the hour with his second league goal in successive games, Cristian Romero flouted his status as a World Cup winner with a shocking piece of defending. The Argentina centre-back was robbed and beaten by Ait-Nouri, who crossed for Jorgen Strand Larsen to score with ease, and for a fourth successive game. It went on. Spurs inflicted more of their own wounds after Richarlison thought he had set up a tense finale with five minutes left. Lucas Bergvall, instrumental in Spurs' first goal, then coughed up possession too easily in an instant, leaving Matheus Cunha to race clear and score just a minute later. There has to be a measure of sympathy for Postecoglou, who looked a disconsolate figure as he made his way across towards those Spurs supporters who were left after the final whistle, because some of these errors were the sort for which no manager can legislate. Postecoglou defended his players saying: "The goals weren't lapses or anything, they were individual errors, which is unusual for us to give goals away like that. But that's what happens and we got punished and makes it difficult for us to get an outcome." It was a very generous interpretation from a manager who has taken so much heat himself – but the volume of these mistakes, and the regularity with which they have happened in this dismal season, point to a deeper problem. On the individual errors by Romero and Bergvall, he added: "It's not like they're doing it on purpose. Those two are pretty reliable in those situations. Today was a collection of events that were unusual and that makes it difficult to get anything out of the game." Those who sit in judgement on Postecoglou's future, and in the stands at Molineux, may beg to differ given the number of times Spurs have been similarly exposed this season. And, with his usual honesty, Postecoglou added: "Mistakes are part of football, I'm not going to be holding anyone to account, the only person who gets held to account is me. "I thought we played pretty well but conceded some pretty poor goals. Individual errors cost us. It's disappointing to lose." The backdrop to it all was the sight of thousands of discontented Spurs fans stretched along one side of Molineux. They did not aim their ire in the direction of Postecoglou, but chairman Daniel Levy, with loud chants of "We Want Levy Out" after only eight minutes, while holding up banners emblazoned with the message "Time For Change". The status quo remains for now but it all comes down, as it has for some time, to the Europa League as Postecoglou's final chance to fulfil his promise of winning a trophy in his second season. It may be his final chance. Full stop. There is much to admire about Postecoglou and his purist footballing principles, but in reality it has all come down to events in Frankfurt this Thursday night. It is now or never for Postecoglou and Spurs.

dataDp/1032.jpeg

Worldnews

Iran Signals Willingness To Hold Nuclear Talks With Europeans

France has indicated that European powers are also ready for dialogue if Tehran shows it is seriously engaged Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi says he is ready to travel to Europe for talks on Tehran’s nuclear programme, and France has indicated that European powers are also ready for dialogue if Tehran shows it is seriously engaged. Iran is looking to build on the momentum of nuclear negotiations with the United States, which will resume in Oman on Saturday, and after talks with Russia and China this week. Its message to the European powers that were party to the 2015 Iran nuclear deal suggests Tehran is keeping its options open. Since September, Tehran and the three European powers known as the E3 – France, Germany and the United Kingdom – have already held several rounds of discussions over their ties and the nuclear issue. The most recent in March was held at the technical level and looked at the parameters of a future deal to secure a rollback of Iran’s nuclear programme in return for lifting sanctions against it. European diplomats had said they were seeking a new meeting with Iran although the momentum towards talks appeared to stall when Tehran began indirect negotiations on its nuclear programme with US President Donald Trump’s administration this month. Trump, who abandoned the landmark 2015 pact between Tehran and world powers in 2018 during his first term, has threatened to attack Iran unless it reaches a new deal swiftly and the agreement prevents it from developing a nuclear weapon. “Iran’s relations with the E3 … have experienced ups and downs in recent history. Like it or not, they are currently down,” Araghchi wrote on X. “I once again propose diplomacy. After my recent consultations in Moscow & Beijing, I am ready to take the first step with visits to Paris, Berlin & London. … The ball is now in the E3’s court.” The European powers have seen their ties with Iran worsen over other issues, including its ballistic missile programme, detention of foreign citizens and support for Russia in its war in Ukraine. When asked about Araghchi’s comments, France’s Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs spokesman Christophe Lemoine said the E3 favoured dialogue but wanted to see how serious Iran was. “The only solution is a diplomatic solution, and Iran must resolutely engage in this path, and it’s a proposal the E3 have put forward many times, so we will continue dialogue with the Iranians,” he said at a news conference. Germany and Britain did not immediately comment on the matter. The US did not tell European countries about the nuclear talks in Oman before Trump announced them, even though they hold a key card on the possible reimposition of UN sanctions on Tehran. However, the US lead technical negotiator, Michael Anton, briefed E3 diplomats in Paris on April 17, according to two European diplomats, suggesting that coordination has improved. Expert-level Iran-US talks will take place on Saturday, Tehran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson said, with a third round of high-level nuclear talks due on the same day in Oman. Anton, who was a spokesman for the White House National Security Council during Trump’s first term from 2017 to 2021, will lead a team of about a dozen US government officials to negotiate. Western countries have long suspected Iran is pursuing nuclear weapons, which it has consistently denied. The threat of renewed sanctions is intended to pressure Tehran into concessions, making detailed discussions on strategy between the Americans and Europeans vital, the Reuters news agency quoted diplomats as saying. Because the US quit the 2015 nuclear accord with Iran, it cannot initiate its mechanism for reimposing sanctions, called snapback, at the United Nations Security Council. That makes the E3, the only other participants in the 2015 deal capable of and interested in pursuing snapback. According to diplomats quoted by Reuters, the E3 diplomats are looking to trigger snapback by August as opposed to an earlier June timeframe if no substantial deal can be found by then. That opportunity expires on October 18 when the 2015 accord ends. Follow Al Jazeera English:...

dataDp/1032.jpeg

Worldnews

Deepest Contradictions: Yale Bans Pro-Palestine Group Amid Ben-Gvir Visit

Observers denounce punishment of pro-Palestine protesters and silence on Israeli minister who supports abuses in Gaza. Yale University has become the latest top institution in the United States to ban a pro-Palestine group, this time for protests against a visit by far-right Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir. Ben-Gvir’s stop near the university in New Haven, Connecticut, on Wednesday sparked outrage as protesters criticised the minister’s support for surging attacks on Gaza, and most recently, his calls to bomb “food and aid depots” in the Palestinian territory. Speaking to Al Jazeera, Raed Jarrar, the advocacy director at Democracy for the Arab World Now (DAWN), described the university’s silence about Ben-Gvir, who has “openly called for genocide”, and its subsequent crackdown on protesters “not just a moral contradiction – it’s a moral and legal failure”. The demonstrations began on Tuesday night when protesters gathered on campus and began setting up tents at a short-lived encampment. While lasting just a few hours, the scene was similar to encampment protests that swept across US universities last year, often prompting crackdowns and policy changes from administrators. The next day, Yale said in a statement that the encampment had violated its policies related to the use of outdoor spaces and students who had been warned or punished in previous incidents would face “immediate disciplinary action”. It added that the university was investigating “concerns … about disturbing anti-Semitic conduct at the gathering” without providing any details. The administration also said the student organisation Yalies4Palestine would lose its official status for sending “out calls over social media for others to join the event” and for later taking credit for the event. In a statement to the student newspaper, the Yale Daily News, a group of pro-Palestine protesters denied the event was affiliated with or planned by any group. The protests then continued on Wednesday night when Ben-Gvir arrived for a speech at the Shabtai, a private Jewish society that describes itself as “based at Yale University” although it is not formally affiliated with or located at a property owned by the university. Ben-Gvir briefly taunted the protesters with what his office told CNN was a “victory sign” gesture as he was met with chants of “shame on you”, according to video of the event. His office later said a water bottle had been thrown at him from the crowd, which included students and nonstudents, and he was unharmed. Yale’s latest punishment for pro-Palestine protesters comes during a wider pressure campaign on top universities by the administration of President Donald Trump. While former President Joe Biden was seen as endorsing crackdowns on pro-Palestine protests, which he broadly described in April last year as “anti-Semitic”, the Trump administration has escalated the response. Using claims of “anti-Semitism”, the Trump administration has sought to deport noncitizen pro-Palestine university protesters and has frozen or threatened to freeze federal funding for several top institutions, including Columbia University in New York and Harvard University in Massachusetts, if they do not agree to a series of policy changes. Throughout the protest movement, organisers have repeatedly challenged the notion that such demonstrations are anti-Semitic, noting the regular involvement of Jewish students and disavowing rare instances of anti-Jewish statements made at often publicly open demonstrations. In their statement carried by the student newspaper, pro-Palestine protesters at Yale accused administrators of coming down particularly harshly to avoid recourse from the Trump administration. “Attacking students and alienating community members didn’t save Harvard or Columbia. It won’t save Yale,” they said. Yale did not reply to Al Jazeera’s request for comment on whether concerns about a Trump administration response informed its disciplinary actions or if it had any response to Ben-Gvir’s visit. For her part, Harmeet Dhillon, the assistant attorney general of the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division, responded to a video on X showing protesters refusing to break a human chain to allow a student to pass through their ranks on campus. The post claimed: “Jewish students aren’t allowed to walk through Yale’s campus anymore!” Dhillon wrote that her office is “tracking the concerning activities at Yale, and is in touch with affected students”.   While critics said heavy-handed responses to pro-Palestine protesters have become commonplace in the US, some observers said the dissonance on display at Yale has been particularly striking. Ben-Gvir was convicted in 2008 by an Israeli court of inciting racism and supporting a “terrorist” organisation, the founded Kach group, which supported the annexation and ethnic cleansing of the Palestinian territories. He has called for a no-holds-barred military operation in Gaza, where UN experts already say Israel is committing “genocidal acts”. He has appealed for Israel to commit what would constitute war crimes under international law in Gaza. Most recently, he posted on X that he told “senior Republican officials” at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida that Israel should bomb “food and aid depots”. Eman Abdelhadi, a sociologist at the University of Chicago, said Yale’s silence regarding Ben-Gvir speaking at an organisation that claims to be based at the university “exposes the deepest contradictions in our society and in these institutions that are supposed to be dedicated towards truth seeking and critical thought”. “[Ben-Gvir] faces no red line,” she said. “But the people protesting can face severe consequences.” “This is a moment where universities are fighting for their lives and trying to argue to the American public that they are worth saving in the face of Trump’s onslaught,” she said. “And yet they show no moral courage.” Follow Al Jazeera English:...

profile/5683FB_IMG_16533107021641748.jpg

News_Naija

APC LG Aspirant Backs Obasas Son For Agege Council Poll

The Vice Chairman of Agege Local Government and a leading aspirant in the July 12 council election, Mr Oluwagbenga Abiola, has welcomed his party’s decision to field Abdulganiyu Obasa as the APC’s flagbearer in the upcoming local government poll. Abiola is a political protégé of the Speaker, Lagos State House of Assembly and APC leader in Agege, Mr Mudashiru Obasa. Speaking to the News Agency of Nigeria on Wednesday in Lagos, Abiola affirmed his loyalty to the party and to Obasa. NAN recalls that on Monday, Agege stakeholders urged Obasa to allow his son, Abdulganiyu, to contest the council chairmanship. According to them, this would reward the Speaker’s years of humanitarian service and political impact in Agege. Reacting to claims that he faced pressure to withdraw, Abiola said he remained deeply grateful to Obasa for shaping his political journey. He pledged total support for the Speaker’s leadership and said he would never oppose the party’s direction or Obasa’s guidance. Abiola stated: “Let me make it clear — I will never go against my leader, Mudashiru Ajayi Obasa. This is the man who made me. He appointed me Special Assistant on Media when he became Speaker in 2015. In 2016, I was appointed Sole Administrator of Agege LG, thanks to his recommendation to the governor. That appointment made me the youngest council boss in Lagos State at the time. “In 2017, I became Secretary to the Local Government, and in 2021, Vice Chairman — all through the party’s and Speaker’s support. So tell me, why would I oppose a man who built me politically and helped me grow in experience and influence?” He admitted his ambition to become Chairman, but insisted he must submit to the party’s collective decision. “Yes, I aspired. Every Vice Chairman dreams of becoming Chairman. But the party has spoken, and I fully agree. Leaders and stakeholders have united. They’ve asked the Speaker to allow his son to contest. I respect and support that. I stand with Obasa, with APC Agege, and with all decisions taken by the party and stakeholders,” he added. Abiola noted that service to people was his true goal and believed more opportunities would come in the future. “I trust my leader. He knows what’s best and can recommend me for even greater responsibilities when the time is right. I’m still young and full of energy. I’ll work for the party and ensure we achieve victory,” he said. He added that he had instructed members of his Obasa Youth Alliance to fully support the party’s decision. NAN