Mourinho's stance on the issue is a reminder that the principles of fairness and honesty should always prevail in the world of football. As a manager who has faced his fair share of challenges and controversies throughout his career, Mourinho understands the importance of upholding these values and setting a positive example for future generations of players and managers.
Under fire from congressional Republicans about one of the darkest moments of Joe Biden’s presidency, Secretary of State Antony Blinken defended the administration’s handling of the disastrous U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, saying Democrats struggled to make the best of a bad pullout deal struck by Donald Trump. Blinken testified Wednesday before the Republican-led House Foreign Affairs Committee, facing questions and angry criticism from lawmakers for the final time in office. The top U.S. diplomat was expected to leave for the Middle East in the afternoon, but the back-and-forth with members, specifically Republicans who admonished the chaotic withdrawal as his defining legacy, delayed his departure. RELATED STORY | House GOP report blames Biden-Harris for chaotic US withdrawal from Afghanistan Blinken said much of the blame for the sudden collapse of Afghanistan's U.S.-allied government and the chaotic August 2021 evacuation of Americans that followed rested with a withdrawal deal President Trump had reached with the Taliban in 2020 before leaving office. “To the extent President Biden faced a choice, it was between ending the war or escalating it,” Blinken told lawmakers. “Had he not followed through on his predecessor’s commitment, attacks on our forces and allies would have resumed and the Taliban’s assault on the country’s major cities would have commenced.” But McCaul and other Republican lawmakers portrayed Blinken and the Biden administration as ill-prepared and disengaged as the disaster grew, and intent on minimizing mounting evidence that the Taliban would complete a takeover of the country before the last U.S. troops departed. “This catastrophic event was the beginning of a failed foreign policy that lit the world on fire,” McCaul, a Texas Republican, said. He urged Blinken to take “accountability for the disastrous withdrawal.” It was clear “it was going to be a disaster,” said Florida Republican Rep. Brian Mast, who will take over as chairman of the committee in the next Congress. RELATED STORY | Where asylum seekers stand, 2 years after the war in Afghanistan The hearing came at the end of Blinken's diplomatic service under Biden, with six weeks left before Trump takes office, and at the end of McCaul's time leading the Foreign Affairs committee. It served as a capstone to nearly four years of animosity between the two over the end of America's longest war. “For my part, I’ve been determined to learn the lessons from this experience, not only to learn them, but to act on them,” Blinken said. He added, “We’ve made the State Department stronger and better able to respond to crises than it was when we found it, or it was during the Afghan evacuation.” There was little new ground broken on the U.S. withdrawal, after years of blame-trading between Republicans and Democrats. Blinken pointed Wednesday to the planned 2026 release of a government-appointed Afghanistan war commission's review as the best prospect of an independent full report on the disastrous events of the summer of 2021. The 20-year U.S. military occupation of Afghanistan succeeded in routing the al-Qaida militants responsible for the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the United States, whom Afghanistan's fundamentalist Taliban militants had allowed a home. But as the U.S. began its pullout, as set by Trump's deal and carried out by Biden, Taliban fighters routed the U.S.-allied government and military, capturing control of the country within months. An extremist group's bombing at the Kabul airport killed 13 U.S. service members and nearly 200 Afghans as Americans, Afghan allies and others thronged the airport in hopes of seats on the last U.S. military-run flights out. Blinken testified Wednesday that all of the “hundreds” of Americans and dual citizens stranded by the sudden scramble from Afghanistan have now been able to leave, if they have chosen. RELATED STORY | Biden review of chaotic Afghan withdrawal blames Trump He opened his appearance before the committee by turning to families of U.S. forces killed in the withdrawal and expressing condolences. Protesters repeatedly interrupted his comments, crying out “scum” and “genocide,” before security cleared the room of them. Blinken denied Republican charges that he and others ignored warnings from lower-ranking administration officials that the U.S. withdrawal would go badly wrong, and that the U.S. had to move faster on getting out Americans and the Afghans who had worked for and allied with them. “We anticipated that Kabul would remain in the hands of the Afghan government” through the end of the year, Blinken said. “This unfolded more quickly than we anticipated including in the intelligence community.” “Waiting until the last minute is not executing a plan,” McCaul said. Blinken's testimony came months after House Republicans issued a scathing report on their investigation into the withdrawal, blaming the disastrous end on Biden’s administration. They played down Trump's role in the failures even though he had signed the withdrawal deal with the Taliban. Previous investigations and analyses by a government-appointed special investigator for Afghanistan and some private policy groups have pointed to a systemic failure spanning the last four presidential administrations and concluded that Biden and Trump share the heaviest blame.Heavy travel day starts with brief grounding of all American Airlines flightsAmazon, known for its massive e-commerce platform, cloud computing services, and cutting-edge innovation, has long been a leader in the tech industry. By joining forces with Perplexity, a company specializing in natural language processing and machine learning, Amazon is positioning itself to further enhance its AI capabilities and expand its reach into new and exciting territories.
So you're gathering with relatives whose politics are different. Here are some tips for the holidays
Choose to fight
In conclusion, the EU's investigation into Google's secret advertising collaboration with Meta highlights the growing scrutiny and regulatory pressure faced by big tech companies in the digital age. The outcome of this probe will not only impact Google and Meta but also set a precedent for how antitrust authorities worldwide approach anticompetitive behavior in the online advertising industry. Only time will tell how this investigation will unfold and what consequences it may have for the broader tech landscape.The net is tightening on three people alleged to have displayed terror symbols as anti-semitism in Australia rises. or signup to continue reading Police are confident they're closing in on those responsible for inciting fear in Jewish communities but critics say they have acted too slowly. Australia's special envoy to combat anti-Semitism Jillian Segal said a lack of accountability had set a "tone of permissiveness". There were no serious penalties for people displaying terrorist symbols and committing anti-Semitic acts, she said. Australian Federal Police deputy commissioner Krissy Barrett said prosecuting the display of a prohibited terrorist symbol was more than proving someone had waved a flag. Federal police had been working on evidence that would reach the burden of proof required for a successful prosecution, she said, following investigations into the waving of flags at a pro-Palestinian rally. "We have had a lot of back and forth with the (Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions) about the evidence, we are confident we are close on at least three matters," she told ABC radio. "I know this can be frustrating for the community but I want to make sure that we have the best chance of a successful prosecution because that will be the strongest deterrent." Hate laws needed to be strengthened if they weren't adequate enough to prosecute under, Ms Segal said. The special envoy also called for an end to pro-Palestinian demonstrations taking over cities, saying they could be held elsewhere, and said universities needed to do more to make Jewish students feel safer on campus. Anti-Semitism on campuses will be investigated during parliamentary hearings on Thursday with representatives from a number of major tertiary institutions and departmental officials giving evidence. Ms Segal previously told the inquiry universities were a "cauldron of anti-Semitism". Minister for Youth Anne Aly called for Australians to support the Jewish community that was feeling unsafe as they did when Muslims were fearful in the wake of the Christchurch attack. "When it happened to the Muslim community, it hurt us," she told ABC radio. "Remember how the community came together after Christchurch, remember that there is strength in community, remember there is strength in reaching out to each other." The Australian Human Rights Commission is looking into the impact of racism at universities, with a number of institutions suggesting it was a more appropriate avenue for action given a probe should include all forms of religious intolerance. Anti-Semitism, Islamophia, anti-Palestinian and anti-Arab racism had dramatically increased, Race Discrimination Commissioner Giridharan Sivaraman. "Racism" poured out when there were ruptures in society, he said, adding the way it was tackled was disjointed and ad hoc. "We have a structural problem that is allowing racism to take place and we really need a whole of government, whole of society approach to tackle racism," he said. "We continuously have racism operating in our society and it's embedded in our systems and structures." Lifeline 13 11 14 beyondblue 1300 22 4636 DAILY Today's top stories curated by our news team. WEEKDAYS Grab a quick bite of today's latest news from around the region and the nation. WEEKLY The latest news, results & expert analysis. WEEKDAYS Catch up on the news of the day and unwind with great reading for your evening. WEEKLY Get the editor's insights: what's happening & why it matters. WEEKLY Love footy? We've got all the action covered. WEEKLY Every Saturday and Tuesday, explore destinations deals, tips & travel writing to transport you around the globe. WEEKLY Going out or staying in? Find out what's on. WEEKDAYS Sharp. Close to the ground. Digging deep. Your weekday morning newsletter on national affairs, politics and more. TWICE WEEKLY Your essential national news digest: all the big issues on Wednesday and great reading every Saturday. WEEKLY Get news, reviews and expert insights every Thursday from CarExpert, ACM's exclusive motoring partner. TWICE WEEKLY Get real, Australia! Let the ACM network's editors and journalists bring you news and views from all over. AS IT HAPPENS Be the first to know when news breaks. DAILY Your digital replica of Today's Paper. Ready to read from 5am! DAILY Test your skills with interactive crosswords, sudoku & trivia. Fresh daily! Advertisement Advertisement
But perhaps the most intriguing question surrounding Ronaldo's future is whether he can continue playing at the highest level beyond the age of 45. While age is typically considered a limiting factor in professional sports, Ronaldo has shown time and time again that he is anything but typical. His relentless drive for success, competitive spirit, and insatiable hunger for goals have set him apart from his peers.The investigation into Nvidia's business practices in China is likely to focus on the company's dominant position in the graphics processing unit (GPU) market. Nvidia is known for its high-performance GPUs, which are widely used in gaming, artificial intelligence, and data processing applications. The company's products have gained significant market share in China, raising concerns about potential anti-competitive behavior.
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