President-elect Donald Trump will return to power next year with a raft of technological tools at his disposal that would help deliver his campaign promise of cracking down on immigration — among them, surveillance and artificial intelligence technology that the Biden administration already uses to help make crucial decisions in tracking, detaining and ultimately deporting immigrants lacking permanent legal status. While immigration officials have used the tech for years, an October letter from the Department of Homeland Security obtained exclusively by The Associated Press details how those tools — some of them powered by AI — help make life-altering decisions for immigrants, including whether they should be detained or surveilled. Javascript is required for you to be able to read premium content. Please enable it in your browser settings. Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup. Error! There was an error processing your request. Get the latest need-to-know information delivered to your inbox as it happens. Our flagship newsletter. Get our front page stories each morning as well as the latest updates each afternoon during the week + more in-depth weekend editions on Saturdays & Sundays.
Article content VICTORIA — The B.C. NDP and federal Liberal governments took victory laps last year after putting up a combined $285 million to secure a high-performance battery plant in Maple Ridge. The project looked to be an impressive one, according to the Nov. 14, 2023 news release. Taiwanese-owned E-One Moli and its investors were putting up the balance of $765 million for the $1.05-billion expansion of the company’s existing plant in Maple Ridge. The commitment would secure 100 existing jobs and add 350 more. Construction to start in the summer of 2024. When the expanded facility was up and running in 2028, it would be “Western Canada’s first high-performance lithium-ion battery cell manufacturing facility, creating a new hub in the global battery component supply chain.” For Premier David Eby, the green light from E-One Moli was proof positive that his government had made the province into “a centre for innovation, investment and cutting-edge technology” and “a leader in building a clean-energy future.” Eby, then heading into an election year, also took a swipe at his critics on the climate action front. “We know that this is what we have to do,” he told reporters. “The people who suggest that we have to accept that (climate change) as the future and stop taking action are simply wrong.” Then-B.C. Jobs Minister Brenda Bailey observed that jurisdictions all over the world were competing for battery plants. But in this case, B.C. was the chosen one. “This investment is a powerful example of a global leader in clean-technology manufacturing choosing to anchor its North American production and operations at home,” said Bailey. “B.C. has shown time and again that our province is stronger when we invest in people and the vision they have for a cleaner future.” B.C. officials said that the province’s supply of clean green power was a factor in attracting the project as well. E-One Moli would be switching some of its power from natural gas to electricity, “as well as participating in the load attraction program aimed at diversifying industries in B.C. wanting to connect to B.C. Hydro.” Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who joined Eby and Bailey for the announcement at the E-One Moli site, went with that Canadian standby, a hockey metaphor. “This is where the puck is going,” Trudeau told reporters. “This is the future we are building every single day. Climate policy is economic policy. “The world is looking to Canada. When we support projects like E-One Moli’s new facility in Maple Ridge, we bolster Canada’s role as a global clean-tech leader, create good jobs, and help keep our air clean.” Trudeau’s commitment also addressed Eby’s concern that B.C. had been sidelined while the federal government committed to backing development of a trio of battery plants in Eastern Canada. The scale of the federal commitment did not warrant close inspection. Senior governments were putting up almost $44 billion to underwrite plants in Ontario and Quebec, according to the parliamentary budget officer. The Maple Ridge project drew a mere fraction of those billions, with Ottawa contributing $205 million and the province $80 million. Still, it was something to celebrate. In the months following the November 2023 announcement, the New Democrats would cite the Maple Ridge plant again and again as evidence that they were putting the province on the “cutting edge” of battery technology. But there were no media releases, nor any cause for victory laps with this week’s news that E-Moli had hit pause on the Maple Ridge plant. “$1 billion lithium-ion battery factory on hold,” read the headline on the front page of The Vancouver Sun on Wednesday. “Over the past year, we have seen a major scale-back in electrification projects globally,” company executive Frank So told Sun reporter Derrick Penner by e-mail. The cancellations or postponements included 17 lithium-ion battery manufacturing plants of one kind or another. Company chair Nelson Chang of parent Taiwan Cement Corp. said E-One Moli would hold off building any new plants abroad until it reaches “full efficiency” in its gigafactory in Taiwan. In contrast to the rhetorical flourishes that followed last year’s announcement, the New Democrats downplayed the significance of the latest development regarding the Maple Ridge plant. No more talk of B.C.’s supposed advantages over other jurisdictions in attracting investment. Instead, a statement from the energy ministry attributed the pause entirely to “a global recalibration driven by market conditions.” Not for the first time had B.C. arrived late to the game of attracting investment in the latest fashion in cutting-edge technology. Last year, Eby declared his enthusiasm for Australia-based Fortescue’s proposal to build a $2-billion hydrogen plant on a site near Prince George. “I love this project,” the premier declared, and predicted it could become a hub for hydrogen-based development. This fall, the company walked away after expressing doubts that B.C. could provide the necessary supply of “affordable” electricity and the “favourable” policies to go along with it. The premier just can’t resist these premature victory laps. Next time he touts a billion-dollar project, I suggest waiting until construction is well underway before getting caught up in the celebrations.What are 726 seconds? It may seem like a long time, but actually, we are talking about just 12 minutes, less than a quarter of an hour. If we mortals stop to think about what we have invested in any 12 minutes in our lives to achieve something truly transcendent, we may have a hard time finding an answer. On the other hand, some people, chosen and touched by the hand of the gods, can boast of having put the world at their feet in 12 minutes. One of those privileged ones is Omara Durand (Santiago de Cuba, 1991), who in 726 seconds won 26 races and 11 crowns in the Paralympic Games from London 2012 to Paris 2024. In all this time, which has slipped away almost as quickly as her devilish pace on the track, the indomitable sprinter also collected 10 Paralympic records and four world records. She was simply overwhelming. “There are those who have told us, especially the coaches, that they plan from silver to there. The gold is ours. Rivals see it as something unattainable,” Omara reveals to OnCuba . In her words, one can perceive a certain air of grandeur or superiority, but she quickly qualifies what she says and makes it clear to us that, in addition to her speed, what has most distinguished her career is humility: “I say that, just as I appeared one day, another woman who dominates speed can appear, of course.” For now, that throne of the tracks in the T-12 category (severely visually impaired) has been left vacant after the Paris 2024 Games, which marked her retirement from active sport after almost 25 years of training and sacrifice. 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September 21, 2024 Echoes of Paris 2024: Mijaín López’s 21 consecutive victories September 6, 2024 var jnews_module_314232_0_6750f6b25b455 = {"header_icon":"","first_title":"Related Posts","second_title":"","url":"","header_type":"heading_1","header_background":"","header_secondary_background":"","header_text_color":"","header_line_color":"","header_accent_color":"","header_filter_category":"","header_filter_author":"","header_filter_tag":"","header_filter_text":"All","post_type":"post","content_type":"all","number_post":"4","post_offset":0,"unique_content":"disable","include_post":"","exclude_post":314232,"include_category":"34,13925,13926,13927,565,13928","exclude_category":"","include_author":"","include_tag":"","exclude_tag":"","sort_by":"latest","date_format":"default","date_format_custom":"Y\/m\/d","force_normal_image_load":"","pagination_mode":"nextprev","pagination_nextprev_showtext":"","pagination_number_post":"4","pagination_scroll_limit":0,"boxed":"","boxed_shadow":"","el_id":"","el_class":"","scheme":"","column_width":"auto","title_color":"","accent_color":"","alt_color":"","excerpt_color":"","css":"","paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"jnews_block_21"}; From Santiago to the world “I started in sport when I was 7 years old. I studied at a school for blind and visually impaired children in Santiago de Cuba. I had a physical education teacher called Reynaldo Gaspar del Castillo, and he realized that I could practice athletics. “It was he who encouraged me to get into this world,” Omara recalls in a direct journey to her origins. Her story brings to mind innocent passages from her childhood, the birth of her love for athletics and her journey through the different levels of education, both special and regular, in which she learned essential lessons for life, such as being grateful: “I feel eternal gratitude towards all the people who helped me at school; not everyone does that. “I did not suffer discrimination from the other kids, but in the classroom, everything went faster for me. I went through the distance lessons and I didn’t even watch TV. There I had to find mechanisms to keep going because you can’t stop. I was lucky to find classmates who supported me, who sat next to me to dictate to me what was written on the board,” says Omara. From that stage, she began to forge an iron personality, always focused on seeking a little more, on pushing the limits: “I have always tried to improve myself and never see a wall in front of me because I have a disability, not see a wall that I cannot cross, feel that I have obstacles in my life. I have also been very optimistic, very positive in dealing with society, with my disability, and feeling good, and fulfilled. My mother says that since I was very young, I set goals for myself, whether in sports or at school, and I still do today. When I face new challenges I breathe better,” says the runner. Queen Omara Durand With that mentality, she came to the global spotlight at just 15 years old during the World Games organized in São Paulo, Brazil by the International Federation of Sports for the Blind, and then she was at the Parapan American Games in Rio de Janeiro in 2007. “Getting to an international competition was something big. Imagine, at just 15 years of age. I remember that I was very nervous, restless, insecure, and inaccurate. But one starts with the first time. Then I gained confidence and over time, after trying and trying, I grew. I gained sporting maturity, I understood that I had to be more disciplined and responsible, and that’s how I became what I am today.” Christchurch-London: the road to fame From 2011 to 2024, Omara Durand only didn’t win two races between the World Championships and the Paralympic Games . Both “defeats” occurred at the 2019 Doha World Championships, when she finished second in her qualifying heat of the 400 meters and third in the 200m qualifying heat. These events did not have major consequences, because she then dominated the finals of both events. If we want to find Omara’s other stumbles in significant events, we have to go back in the calendar to 2008. That season, at the Bird’s Nest in Beijing, she made her debut under the 5 rings and was unable to reach the podium in any of the modalities in which she competed. However, that experience at just 20 years old was the basis for her subsequent triumphs, which took almost a cycle to arrive. “Between the Paralympic Games, there are many competitions, including the Diamond League for people with disabilities, but it has always been difficult to find the funds to participate in these events. That has not changed and after I finished in Beijing I competed very little until the World Championships in Christchurch, New Zealand, where I won my first two gold medals in a top-level championship. That not only made me known but also allowed me to arrive at the London 2012 event with my spirits sky-high,” she explains. But her breakthrough has no mysteries or secrets, only work: “In the end, I spent the whole year training, on equal terms with conventional athletes. I prepared with the same rigor and dedication, from Monday to Monday, sometimes without time for family or to go out like the 20-year-old that I was.” Ericka, the girl who ran in London The London 2012 Games hold a special place in Omara Durand’s memories. At the Olympic Stadium in the British capital, the Santiago native ran three times, set the same number of Paralympic records, and won the 100- and 400-meter titles. But another detail forever marked this event for the Cuban sprinter: she competed while pregnant. “I didn’t know. I was lifting weights, jumping, doing very dangerous things. If I had known, I wouldn’t have taken such a risk, but since I didn’t know, I did what any athlete normally does before a top-level competition,” reveals Omara. “I didn’t feel anything. Maybe the level of adrenaline generated by competition, the stress and concentration that athletes must have, didn’t let the body manifest itself,” reflects the sprinter. Omara found out everything when she returned to Havana: “When I returned to Cuba, they did some tests and it turned out that I was pregnant. I had nothing planned, but when I heard the news, it was welcome a blessing. I had Ericka in 2013 when I was only 21, and it didn’t cause me any problems in my sports career, because three months after giving birth, I gradually returned to work. After becoming a mother, I obtained the best sports results of my life.” Genesis of an explosive couple Although motherhood was not an obstacle for Omara Durand to return to training, her return to top competition was conditioned by reclassification to define in which category she would compete. The Santiago native had been competing in the T-13 (visually impaired), which does not require a guide, but after having her daughter, some things changed. “The classification is defined by ophthalmologists from the International Paralympic Committee. They have a platform of doctors and based on studies they decide in which category we will compete. In my case, every 2 years I had to go through that reclassification, and after motherhood, they determined that I had to go down to T-12, in which the guide is not mandatory, but I felt that I needed it to perform better in certain circumstances,” says the sprinter. “In the big events, for example, I almost always had to compete at night, and everything was very difficult for me there. Other times I had to run while it was raining and it also created situations for me with the issue of visual impairment. So, together with Professor Miriam Ferrer, my coach, and the rest of the technical team, we decided to look for a guide,” says Omara, who initially had a strange feeling of uncertainty. At first, she didn’t know how the partnership would work and whether running alongside another person would limit her performance. However, her doubts were quickly dispelled, at least in the competitive arena, because in the first pair test during the 2015 Doha World Championships, they broke all the records: 4 world records and a gold medal in the 100-, 200- and 400-meter dashes. Yuniol Kindelán, the other half Industria, between Habana and Barcelona, just behind the Capitol. Yuniol Kindelán grew up there, and from his childhood, he doesn’t remember doing anything other than wearing out the soles of his shoes and devouring miles of asphalt in the heart of the Cuban capital. “I was always into athletics. I would spend the day running and that’s how I started practicing sports. I then climbed the famous pyramid to the national team, but I didn’t last long,” Yuniol recalls with a certain nostalgia, hiding behind elegant glasses and a very characteristic hairstyle. Omara Durand’s squire, her other half on the track, embraces fame today after a decade of success, but his career was very close to moving away from the spotlight: “In the national athletics team every year they ask you for a record to continue and I didn’t achieve it, so they kicked me out. I was left in limbo.” Was it traumatic? Of course, but that is part of the sport, an almost hidden one because usually successes are always written about, not defeats. I trained, I sacrificed myself, I gave my best, but the record didn’t come out. It was a blank moment, although fortunately brief, because just a few days after leaving the national team Miriam Ferrer spoke to me about the possibility of competing with Omara and we started working. What did you feel at that moment? Honestly, I thought it was going to be very difficult. I had never run with anyone and neither had Omara. Besides, she already had great results and it was a tremendous challenge to maintain them, but we assumed it, although at the beginning it was a disaster. It is not what people are used to seeing, what happens is that we are responsible with the work, very serious, and in the long run, we achieved the necessary rapport and to this day. Did you imagine such a promising future when you were let off? No, never. I never thought I would get so far. Also, sports for the disabled did not get much attention, it was hardly shown on television or talked about in the media, only at the Paralympic Games and that was it. So, I did not know at all what I was facing. At first, I said: “What am I supposed to do here? I don’t understand!” I really couldn’t imagine that after that we would go so far. The change for you was drastic, not only by moving to Paralympic sport but also by facing new distances... Yes, I was always a 400-meter runner, I hadn’t competed as such in speed, so it was a bit complex at the beginning, especially in the 100. Because of starting issues and other technical issues, it was quite difficult for me, but I polished them and improved. Was that the most difficult thing about those beginnings? No, not at all. The most difficult thing was synchronization for the two of us. We knew how to run, but doing it tied with a rope and in short distances with very little margin for error became more complicated. In this type of race, you can’t make a mistake because you lose almost all chance of winning. When we managed to synchronize everything went well. The perfect silhouette With a suitable camera shot, it gives the impression that Omara Durand and Yuniol Kindelán are one body that leaves its trail on the track at the speed of light. Their silhouette is exquisite and barely blurred when the Santiago native steps forward after crossing the finish line. Many runners spend years seeking these levels of perfection and sometimes fail, but the Cuban duo found the key in a matter of a year. Omara and Yuniol began working together before the Parapan American Games in Toronto, but the Havana native was unable to make the trip to that event and their debut together was delayed until the World Championships in Doha, at the end of 2015. Although they claimed all the vacant crowns there, their true test of fire came the following year at the summer event in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. For those Paralympic Games, Cuba was already facing a challenging scenario, as Yunidis Castillo, the queen of the Cuban teams in Beijing 2008 and London 2012, did not seem in a position to repeat her feats on the track. In fact, in the Brazilian city, she only managed to get second place in the long jump and came away empty-handed in the races. Omara was then the candidate for Yunidis’ throne and claimed it in a big way, consolidating one of the most spectacular individual dynasties in Paralympic sport. However, her time in Rio 2016 was a major challenge, since for the first time she competed with someone under the 5 rings and she did so alongside a guide with whom she had only worked for a few months. “We were having synchronization problems that we had a hard time solving, until one day, after hearing Miriam’s complaints for a long time, everything went perfectly. It was hard work at the start and the coordination of the arm and leg movements. But we did it and it never failed us again. We got to a point where we could stop training or do it without the rope and when we came back it would work out wonderfully,” explains Omara. Although it may seem like a routine exercise now, the reality is that achieving that rapport and drawing a perfect silhouette on the track is only for the chosen ones: “I think we achieved that based on our sporting level, my ability as an athlete and Yuniol’s as a guide. On the other hand, we have similar physical characteristics, such as height. In some pairs it is not like that, you find very tall guides next to very short girls. I imagine it is difficult, regardless of the talent they have. “Another thing, sometimes the guides also get desperate because they want the athlete to respond in a different way, and then the lack of coordination occurs. And finally, we got along really well. Yuniol doesn’t even have to talk or tell me anything, I just have to perceive the pace of the race, I already know what I have to do,” Omara explains. And speaking of strategies, I am assailed by the doubt of what the process of setting the pace in a race is like. “Does anyone set the pace?” I ask and Yuniol does not hesitate: “Nobody pulls anyone. No. That does not exist,” he says convinced. “Omara is an exceptional athlete and I had to adapt to her because she is the one who set the timer, the one who crossed the finish line first. During training, I imposed a pace, sometimes above her usual levels, with the aim of seeing her response capacity. We were constantly testing ourselves. One day I was a little ahead of her and when she matched that pace, it stuck in her head. So, in the competition, we didn’t get ahead of ourselves, we simply read what we needed and ran like that,” Yuniol says. With this formula, they set the standard for almost a decade, a period in which the unknown of their careers was whether they were going to break records because their supremacy was not a matter of debate. In this regard, Kindelán assures that they never went out to look for records, only to run hard: “Of course, when we arrived at a competition after good periods of training, we knew that the possibilities were greater, but sometimes when we were at our best, they did not happen and other times, without reaching the maximum, we did achieve them. These are things that happen in sport. What we always had clear is that one can hold on to records, because then it is difficult to achieve them.” Tokyo and the obstacle of confinement On August 25, 2020, the Olympic flame was set to light up the sky of Tokyo, but the coronavirus pandemic froze the flame of the summer event. The world had been in chaos since the beginning of the year and sports did not escape the suspension of events, with dire consequences for all the athletes who were already ready to storm the Japanese capital. “There was a moment when we realized that the postponement of the Paralympic Games was inevitable. Everyone was in quarantine, nothing could be done and I don’t think anyone knew how and when we would return to normal,” recalls Omara. So what to do? “We never stopped exercising. We were always working out wherever and however we could. I needed it to maintain my body weight because I tend to gain weight easily, and to not lose muscle tone. That was essential because if you lock yourself at home without training at all, your muscles start to weaken and when you start again it’s hard for you. “Also, we’ve been practicing sports for many years and the heart is adapted to that routine. When you drop your levels too much, so suddenly, you’re at risk of anything happening to you, even sudden death. So, we had to find a balance through exercise,” explains Omara, who spent 5 months without working with Yuniol Kindelán. Omara Durand and Yuniol Kindelán spent 5 months without working together before the Tokyo Paralympic Games. Photo: Otmaro Rodríguez. “He was on his side and I was on mine. There was no other option. In the end, we started training together in September 2020, already thinking about the Tokyo Games, which were scheduled for August of the following year. Let’s say that it was a setback to be apart, but the same thing happened to everyone. Our rivals also had to isolate themselves, avoid contagion at all costs, and work when the conditions were right,” recalls the sprinter. The preparation was challenging, although for them it did not represent a major problem: “As we have already said, we can stop training without the rope for as long as we want and when we run with it again, we do so without difficulty. That is thanks to years of work, experience, and understanding,” says Omara. And indeed, in Tokyo, there were no cracks in the preparation and they dominated from start to finish, even with a world and Paralympic record in the 200-meter finals. Once again they looked in the rearview mirror at all their rivals, surrendered to the reign of the Santiago native. Paris and the final stretch Retirement did not cause Omara Durand any headaches. She accepted the process as something natural, marked the times in the calendar, and decided to stop at the peak of her career, after reaching 11 Paralympic titles in Paris. The French capital saw her rise to the top again in 3 events. In each of the,m she shone, running against time, against the stopwatch, her true opponent: “That is what we train for, to improve our times. We know that we have no rivals, the runners from other countries themselves say so. But that does not mean that it is comfortable, nor does the fact that we have a big advantage mean that it is comfortable. We always go hard, we try our best, it is not for fun that we train so much.” Paris 2024 involved an exercise in self-control for the simple reason of facing 9 races in a period of 6 days, the highest total of her entire summer career: “The calendar forced us to pace ourselves. In some cases we only ran to qualify, without many demands, which allowed us to lower the pace a little, but always very focused, because at the slightest mistake, we would risk disqualification. Everyone was watching Omara and nothing could fail.” Fortunately, there was no slip-up in the City of Light, which saw her say goodbye in tears and shining, only with gold medals on her chest. In her last stretch, she opened the turbines again and put distance between herself and her rivals, without any pressure: “When you are the best in the world, everyone is ready to beat you, but that never weighed on us. We work with our hearts and with great dedication to achieve a goal and we almost always achieve it.” The place of honor in the Cuban Paralympic movement was then vacant, and it was now forced to look for another reference for the next cycles. Yuniol Kindelán was also left alone, without a partner to share the rope with while running on the track. Omara’s goodbye probably also implies his farewell, although there is always an open door. “I have only run with Omara and the idea was always that when she finished I would follow in her footsteps because I have been doing this for a long time. Although I don’t like to be absolute if someone appeared and I could maintain the motivation, maybe I would try for a few more years, after all, sport is what I like.” Farewell letter “Dreams are always there and one goes after them. In sports, the first thing I dreamed of was participating in an international event, and that’s what happened. Then I decided to grow as an athlete and have many results, and that also happened. But the most impressive thing about this whole journey is that there are things that I never imagined and they happened. I attribute that to the daily effort, to the dedication and to the great love that I feel for athletics. “I am still young, but I have been practicing sports for many years, something that can only be defined with one word: sacrifice. Although it requires a lot of concentration, the most difficult thing is not competing, but training. Sections and kilometers covered, weights, jumps; morning and afternoon; with sun or cold. There is no way to explain the exhaustion. I wish we could compete without training.... “And I wish we could also compete without injuries. I have taken good care of myself, although I have gone through bad times. I came out of the 2019 Doha World Cup in tatters and ended up in an operating room. I recovered and competed again, but high-performance sport demands intensity. High-performance sport forces your heart to beat hard because in a competition you go to the maximum, you always give the extra. “That’s why I decided not to run anymore after Paris. From now on I want to grow my family. I hope life gives me the blessing of having another child, I’m going to try. I’m also going to try to have an eye operation, I’d like to see a little more, study, improve myself and, of course, support Cuban sports in whatever is necessary. “Up to this point, I have to give thanks. I don’t feel famous, but I’ve received so many recognitions that I can hardly believe it. I’m so proud of that. The only way I can give back is by being kind to everyone. Sometimes I am exhausted and want to spend time with my family, but I am reciprocal with the people who recognize my work. Therefore, I greet those who greet me, and those who ask me for an interview I gladly give it. It is nice, it is enjoyable. “I am not sure I deserve so much, but I think it is a reward for how perseverant I have been. In some way, as Paralympic athletes, we have become a paradigm.” Tags: best Cuban athletes Cuban athletics Omara Durand Paralympic Games
Rey Fenix is speaking out. When someone complained on social media about AEW not using Fenix recently, he responded “I will have my chance to speak the truth.” Shortly after, he wrote: “No one stays in a place where they received inhumane treatment.” Fenix’s comments come as his brother Penta El Zero Miedo’s profile page was removed from AEW’s website. Fightful has reported that Penta is now a free agent, and the belief is that he is headed to WWE. However, Fenix remains with AEW after injury time was added to his contract which, according to Dave Meltzer, could keep him there for “nearly but not quite one year.” As a team, the Lucha Brothers have not wrestled in AEW since an episode of Rampage in July, where they defeated Private Party. The brothers also competed in a trios match in CMLL later that month. Fenix hasn’t wrestled since then, though is advertised for a meet & greet for House of Glory on December 20.The Gunners took two points out of Liverpool’s lead at the summit of the Premier League after Jurrien Timber and William Saliba struck in the second half – both from corners – to condemn Amorim to his first defeat as United boss. The hosts’ second-half strikes took their goals-from-corners tally to 22 since the start of last season – a statistic that is unmatched by any other team in the division. Asked if Arsenal are one of the best teams he has come up against on corners, Amorim replied: “If you follow the Premier League for a long time you can see that. “They are also big players and you see every occasion when (Gabriel) Martinelli and (Bukayo) Saka have one-on-ones, a lot of times they go outside and they cross, and they know that if the cross goes well, they can score, and if it is a corner they can score, too, so we have to be better on that. “You have seen in all Arsenal games that every team have had problems with that (corners). And the difference today was the set-pieces. “You see a goal and then the momentum changed, and it is really hard for us to take the full control of the game after that.” Timber leaned into Rasmus Hojlund at the front post before diverting Declan Rice’s set-piece into the back of Andre Onana’s net after 54 minutes to send Arsenal into the lead. Thomas Partey’s header from Saka’s corner then deflected in off Saliba’s shoulder with 17 minutes left. Arteta and the club’s set-piece guru Nicolas Jover embraced on the touchline as Amorim was left with his head in his hands. The Arsenal supporters cheered raucously every time they won a corner – landing 13 in all without reply. However, Arteta moved to play down the significance of Arsenal’s set-piece threat. “We need that, but we want to be very dangerous and very effective from every angle and every phase of play,” said Arteta. “Today we could have scored from open play like we did against West Ham and Sporting. Last year we scored the most goals in the history of this football club. Arsenal have won four consecutive Premier League matches against Man Utd for the first time ever! 💫 pic.twitter.com/biv1kvsJEP — Premier League (@premierleague) December 4, 2024 “Not because of only set-pieces, but because of a lot of things that we have. We want to create individual and magic moments, too.” Arsenal’s win against United – the first time they have recorded four victories in a row against the Red Devils in the league – was their fourth in succession since the international break. They will head to Fulham on Sunday bidding to keep the momentum going. Arteta continued: “The will to win is there. We try our best to do that. We won four in a row, but it doesn’t matter. We have to go to Fulham now, try to be better than them and try win the game. “It’s every three days that we play. It’s a crazy schedule. We’re going to need everybody and to mentally be very strong.”
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DETROIT (AP) — Brandon Noel's 26 points helped Wright State defeat Detroit Mercy 80-72 on Saturday. Noel had seven rebounds for the Raiders (6-5, 1-1 Horizon League). Jack Doumbia scored 21 points while shooting 8 of 16 from the field and 5 for 6 from the line and added 13 rebounds and three blocks. Alex Huibregste shot 5 of 10 from the field, including 2 for 6 from 3-point range, and went 5 for 5 from the line to finish with 17 points, while adding six assists. The Titans (5-6, 1-1) were led in scoring by Orlando Lovejoy, who finished with 14 points, seven rebounds, four assists and two steals. Detroit Mercy also got 12 points from Nate Johnson. Grant Gondrezick II also recorded 11 points and two steals. Wright State's next game is Wednesday against Marshall at home. Detroit Mercy visits Davidson on Saturday. The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar .Banks puts up 22 in UMBC's 84-71 win against Towson
I’m A Celeb fans call episode ‘most emotional ever’ and a ‘hard watch’ as campmates and viewers break down in tearsNone
Pep Guardiola spoke of his relief after Manchester City finally got back to winning ways with a comfortable 3-0 defeat of Nottingham Forest on Wednesday. The champions had descended into crisis after a run of seven games without a win – six of which were defeats and the other an embarrassing 3-3 draw after leading 3-0. Four of those losses had come in the Premier League, heavily damaging their chances of claiming a fifth successive title, but they appeared to turn the corner by sweeping Forest aside at the Etihad Stadium. “We needed it,” said City manager Guardiola. “The club, the players, everyone needed to win. “But it is just one game and in three days we are at Selhurst Park, where it has always been difficult. “We played good. We still conceded some transitions and missed some easy things and lost some passes that you have to avoid, but in general, the most important thing was to break this routine of not winning games and we won it.” Kevin De Bruyne, making his first start since September after overcoming a pelvic injury, made a huge difference to a side that appeared rejuvenated. His powerful header was turned in by Bernardo Silva for the opening goal and the Belgian followed up with a powerful strike to make it 2-0. The 33-year-old is out of contract at the end of the season but it was a strong riposte to recent suggestions of a rift with Guardiola. “I’m so happy for him,” said Guardiola of De Bruyne’s telling contribution. “Last season he was many months injured and this season as well. “I’m so happy he’s back. He fought a lot, he’s worked and he’s back with his physicality. The minutes he played in Anfield were really good and today he played 75 fantastic minutes.” Jeremy Doku wrapped up a pleasing win when he finished a rapid counter-attack just before the hour but there was still a downside for City with injuries to defenders Nathan Ake and Manuel Akanji. Guardiola said: “For Nathan it doesn’t look good and Manu has struggled a lot over the last two months. We will see. “Phil (Foden) has bronchitis but when he doesn’t have fever he will be ready.” Despite City’s dominance, Forest did have some bright moments and manager Nuno Espirito Santo was not downbeat. He said: “When you lose 3-0 and you say it was a good performance maybe people don’t understand, but I will not say that was a bad performance. “There are positive things for us in the game. Of course there are a lot of bad things, mistakes, but we had chances. “We didn’t achieve but I think we come out proud of ourselves because we tried. For sure, this game will allow us to grow.”Greg Norman has confirmed he is to be replaced as LIV Golf CEO, saying he is "fine with it". Amid reports that his successor has been found, Norman was asked in an interview with Indiana news TV station WISH-TV if he had hoped to stay on in the role he's held since the breakaway Saudi-funded circuit's inception. "I've seen it (LIV Golf) come from a business model on paper to giving birth on the golf course to where it is today," Norman said. "Is there going to be a new CEO? Yes. There will be a new CEO. I'm fine with that. "Will I always have a place and be involved with LIV to some capacity? Yes. I'll always have that. "Because the impact that has been created in the game of golf by LIV, I've had a small, small piece of that, which I'm proud of." It has been reported in recent days that LIV Golf is expected to hire former NBA and NHL executive Scott O'Neil to replace Norman, who was sometimes viewed as a divisive figure during the bitter battle with the PGA Tour. But the 69-year-old Australian former world No.1 was adamant all - including the game - have benefited from the arrival of the three-season-old LIV Golf. The PGA Tour, DP World Tour and Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF) have been attempting to negotiate a deal since announcing a surprise "framework agreement" was announced in June 2023. Tiger Woods, a PGA Tour policy board member, expressed his frustration over talks this week, saying: "I think all of us who have been a part of this process would have thought it would have happened quicker than this. "But we wish we would have had something more concrete and further along than we are right now. "I think something will get done. In what form or shape, I don't know yet." Norman said he believed that the golf was already "in a better place" than it was a year ago, pointing to the PGA Tour's funding agreement with a group made up mostly of sports team owners. "Competition was a great thing for them (the PGA Tour), too," Norman said in his WISH-TV interview. "Now they got an injection from SSG (Strategic Sports Group) of $US1.5 billion. Great for the PGA Tour, wonderful. "So everywhere you look - in the first couple years, everybody was lambasting us. And now all of a sudden, everybody's trying to follow us. And I think everybody should take a step back and say, 'Oh my gosh. How good has this been for the game of golf?'" - with PA