Ten Hag bemoans Man Utd’s lack of killer instinct
London (AFP) – Manchester United must be more ruthless said Erik ten Hag after missing a host of chances in a 0-0 draw at Crystal Palace on Saturday night.
Alejandro Garnacho and Bruno Fernandes hit the bar for the visitors in the first half as United dominated on a ground where they were thrashed 4-0 just four months ago.
But only a stunning double save from Andre Onana after the break denied Palace their first league win of the season.
A point leaves United down in 11th after winning just two of their opening five matches of the new Premier League campaign.
“I’m not content, we should have won,” said Ten Hag. “First half we left them alive, the second half was more balanced.
“We played very good (in the first half), total control of the game, the only thing was in the box and in the box is where the game is decided. We should be more clinical there.”
The humiliation of their last visit to Selhurst Park in May was the nadir of a troubled season for United.
Many wondered whether Ten Hag would even oversee another match but a shock FA Cup final victory over Manchester City handed the Dutchman a second chance.
The Red Devils this time arrived in south London on a high after scoring 10 goals in the past week to dispose of Southampton 3-0 and smash Barnsley 7-0 in the League Cup in midweek.
Marcus Rashford had ended a barren run by scoring three times in those two matches, but he was surprisingly dropped to the bench by Ten Hag.
However, the decision to keep Garnacho on the left was inspired as the Argentine tore Palace to shreds early on without applying the final touch.
Former United goalkeeper Dean Henderson kept the Eagles in the game before half-time.
Garnacho did not get enough on his curling effort to beat Henderson with his first big chance before the England stopper denied Matthijs de Ligt and Lisandro Martinez.
United knew their luck was not in when the visitors then hit the bar twice in the matter of seconds.
Garnacho sprinted onto Diogo Dalot’s incisive pass to curl off the woodwork before Fernandes’ follow-up effort also clipped the bar.
Palace boss Oliver Glasner reacted with a double substitution at half-time which resulted in a far more competitive second half.
“In the first half we needed a great goalkeeper and fortunately we had one today,” said Glasner.
“In that second half it was more like a Crystal Palace team and that is what we need to be competitive against a team like Manchester United.”
Fernandes was inches away once more with an audacious outside of the boot effort that flew wide after a neat one-two with Joshua Zirkzee.
But only a moment of magic from Onana prevented United from slipping to a third defeat in five league games this season.
The former Ajax ‘keeper got down well to parry Eddie Nketiah’s strike from distance before leaping off the ground to prevent Sarr tapping in the rebound.
“It’s not so important (how I made the double save) because we didn’t win,” said Onana. “Unfortunately we didn’t score. It’s pitiful to go back home with the one point when you deserve to win.”
Palace had another huge chance to snatch all three points when Eberechi Eze side-footed wide with the goal gaping from close range.
A draw leaves Palace down in 16th, but it is United who will be more frustrated with the missed opportunity to gain some momentum with three wins in eight days.
Microsoft to reopen meltdown nuclear plant for AI energy needs
SACRAMENTO (XINHUA) – Microsoft and Constellation Energy announced a groundbreaking deal recently to re-open the partially-melted-down Three Mile Island nuclear plant, with the tech giant purchasing all the power for 20 years after restart.
The deal marked the first time a decommissioned United States (US) nuclear plant had been brought back into service and the first time a commercial nuclear power plant’s entire output had been allocated to one customer.
The agreement aimed to feed the growing energy needs of Microsoft’s artificial intelligence (AI) operations while restarting the infamous Pennsylvania facility, the site of the worst nuclear accident in US history.
Constellation Energy, the plant’s owner, planned to restart Three Mile Island Unit 1 by 2028 at a cost of about USD1.6 billion. The unit sits adjacent to the reactor that suffered a partial meltdown in 1979, an event that sent the nation into panic and dealt a severe blow to the nuclear industry.
“The nuclear power plant never should have been allowed to shut down,” said chief executive Joseph Dominguez of Constellation, in a press release. He added that the nuclear plant would produce as much clean energy as all the renewables built in Pennsylvania over the last 30 years.
The restarted facility would provide Microsoft with 835 megawatts of electricity, equivalent to powering about 800,000 homes.
According to the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission, on March 28, 1979, the Unit 2 reactor core at the Three Mile Island plant partially melted down when equipment malfunctions, compounded by human operator errors, caused a water pump failure that resulted in a loss of coolant to the reactor.
The partial meltdown led to the release of radioactive gases and iodine into the environment, though no deaths or injuries were directly linked to the incident.
Unit 2 remains sealed, with its highly radioactive core encased in concrete.
The revival of Three Mile Island is part of a broader trend of tech companies seeking reliable, zero-emissions power sources to support their expanding data centers and AI technologies.
However, Microsoft’s plan has faced significant regulatory hurdles and public skepticism. Constellation must clear intensive safety inspections from the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission, which has never before authorized the re-opening of a nuclear plant. The company expects the review process to be completed by 2027.
The deal also raised questions about the use of federal subsidies, as the project relies heavily on tax breaks earmarked for nuclear power in the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act. Critics argued that using public funds to benefit a single private company may be inappropriate.
Social media reactions to the news were mixed.
One Washington Post’s website commenter sarcastically suggested, “Okay, as long as the waste is sent to Microsoft HQ in Redmond, WA.”
Another user on The Verge expressed concerns about the broader implications, “The potential power demand is looking to be so large – it will delay the transition to carbon-free energy (in the US) and not by a little bit… Seems like a law saying all electricity for AI and Crypto farms in the US has to be carbon-free is in order.”
Some community leaders welcomed the potential economic revival, with a study funded by the Pennsylvania Building and Construction Trades Council projecting the creation of 3,400 jobs and USD3 billion in state and federal taxes.
Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro expressed support, saying that the plant will “safely utilize existing infrastructure to sustain and expand nuclear power in the Commonwealth while creating thousands of energy jobs,” said a Constellation press release.
However, nuclear safety advocates have expressed alarm.
Former deputy for nonproliferation policy at the Pentagon Henry Sokolski criticised the use of public subsidies, telling the Washington Post, “Microsoft says it will buy all of the nuclear electricity from Three Mile Island, but it wants rate and taxpayers to pick up the tab to refurbish the plant.”
Nine Indian fishermen feared dead after trawler capsizes
KOLKATA (AFP) – Nine Indian fishermen are feared dead after their trawler capsized in the Bay of Bengal during a storm, an official told AFP on Sunday.
The trawler had left from the Sundarbans in West Bengal on Wednesday with 17 men on board, said Surajit Bag, assistant director of fishing in the state government.
Eight were on the deck while nine others were asleep in the cabin below when the storm struck early Saturday near Bagher Char island he told AFP.
“The trawler was overwhelmed by high waves and it capsized” he said.
Another trawler rescued the eight on deck after they were thrown overboard, he said.
“Despite an extensive search, the remaining nine fishermen who were asleep below the deck could not be found. We fear they are dead.”
An Indian Coast Guard vessel had towed the trawler back to land, where the survivors were in a stable condition, Bag said.
The Sundarbans, a UNESCO world heritage site famed for its mangrove forest, is home to thousands of fishermen who fish throughout the year.
But the onset of the annual monsoon season sets off bad weather and storms in the coastal region, making sea voyages risky.
Sultan arrives in New York for ‘Summit of the Future’
His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu’izzaddin Waddaulah ibni Al-Marhum
Sultan Haji Omar ‘Ali Saifuddien Sa’adul Khairi Waddien, Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of
Brunei Darussalam arrived in New York City, United States, on Sunday for the ‘Summit of the Future’ at the 79th Session of the United Nations General Assembly.
Accompanying His Majesty were His Royal Highness Prince ‘Abdul Wakeel and Her Royal Highness Princess Ameerah Wardatul Bolkiah.
Upon arrival at the John F Kennedy International Airport, His Majesty was greeted
by Minister of Foreign Affairs II Dato Seri Setia Haji Erywan bin Pehin Datu Pekerma Jaya Haji Mohd Yusof, Ambassador of Brunei Darussalam to the United States Dato Paduka Haji Serbini and Acting Permanent Representative of Brunei Darussalam to the United Nations Izzat Hayati binti Haji Zakaria.
Timeline of Malaysian child abuse scandal
BERNAMA – On September 11, the Malaysian police launched ‘Op Global’, a nationwide operation targeting 20 charity homes linked to GlSB Holdings Sdn Bhd (GISBH), suspected of child exploitation and promoting alleged indoctrination.
Following the raid, a total of 402 residents of the charity homes were rescued and 171 individuals between the ages of 17 and 64 were arrested.
Below is the chronology of the case as of Sunday.
August 16
The Malaysian Centre for the Study of Deviant Teachings (PUKAS) revealed on its official Facebook page allegations of deviant teachings within GISBH.
September 6
Perlis Mufti Datuk Dr Mohd Asri Zainul Abidin in a Facebook post called for investigations into violence and cruelty reportedly linked to GISBH, calling for authorities’ intervention.
September 11
Police raided 20 charity houses believed to belong to GISBH in Selangor and Negeri Sembilan and arrested 171 individuals to help investigate cases of child and religious exploitation.
Police revealed that a total of 402 individuals, 201 males and 201 females aged between one and 17 years old, were rescued in the operation. Of that, a total of 10 children are persons with disabilities and autism and were handed over to the Social Welfare Department (JKM) after screening.
The remaining 392 underwent a health screening test at the Police Training Centre (Pulapol) Kuala Lumpur.
GISBH issued a statement denying allegations that they exploit children as workers and said that they will not compromise with activities that violate the law, especially involving children.
September 12
The process of documenting rescued children continues at Pulapol Kuala Lumpur.
A 19-year-old teenage girl was charged in the Seremban Sessions Court, Negeri Sembilan with four charges of physical abuse against four children girls between the ages of five and six at a childcare centre in Seremban linked to GISBH. The accused pleaded not guilty.
September 13
Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Razarudin Husain held a second press conference regarding the case and revealed that a total of 41 police reports related to GISBH had been received from 2011 until September this year.
A total of 159 individuals from the 171 detained were remanded while the rest were minors and no need to be investigated.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim stressed the matter of faith, misuse of power and religion and abuse of children are serious matters that need to be dealt with immediately.
September 14
The IGP, in his third press conference, said that the raid on 20 charity homes through Op Global was the result of six months of police intelligence and investigation.
The investigation into the company has, however, been carried out since 2011 and the police met with PUKAS representatives six months ago.
September 15
Police confirmed that 483 individuals had recorded conversations consisting of complainants, witnesses, victims and suspects.
A total of 384 children and teenagers completed a health screening and the results of the screening found that there were elements of neglect and abuse.
September 17
The IGP confirmed that 96 accounts belonging to GISBH have been frozen, as well as four accounts closed involving assets worth more than RM581,000.
All 392 victims rescued through Op Global have completed health screening, physical and emotional criminal elements have been detected. Three investigation papers regarding Op Global were submitted to the Attorney-General’s Chambers
September 18
A businessman and GISBH member, Mohamad Riza Makar, pleaded not guilty at the Putrajaya Magistrate’s Court, near here to the charge of making criminal threats against a woman on September 9.
September 19
Nineteen individuals including top management, wives and several GISBH leaders were remanded for seven days to assist investigations.
Three teaching assistants from a madrasah in Kuala Pilah, who are suspected of having links with GISBH, were charged in the Seremban Sessions Court, Negeri Sembilan with 14 charges of sexually abusing five children in 2022 and 2023. They pleaded not guilty.
September 20
Seven more individuals suspected of having links with GISBH were arrested to assist in the investigation of human trafficking cases. They include the son of former Al-Arqam leader Ashaari Mohammad, a member of GISBH’s ‘Remaja Pembela Ummah’ (RPU) group.
Another teaching assistant at a madrasah in Kuala Pilah was charged in the Sessions Court in Seremban and pleaded not guilty to six charges of sexual assault against four boys, last year.
The Special Meeting of the Perlis State Fatwa Committee decided that the beliefs and teachings in GISBH contain deviant elements, in particular, ‘batiniah’.
September 21
Op Global enters its fourth phase across Peninsular Malaysia, with raids on 82 premises. A total of 186 victims, including 102 men and 84 women, were rescued, while 155 suspects, comprising 78 men and 77 women, were nabbed.
Razarudin said that during the operation, conducted with the involvement of JAKIM, several documents containing elements believed to be contrary to Islamic teachings were seized.
In Penang, four premises, including two childcare centres linked to GISBH, were raided, with six religious books suspected to be linked to the banned Al-Arqam movement, outlawed by the National Fatwa Council in 1994, confiscated.
In Melaka, 285 items related to Al-Arqam, including photos of its founder, Ashaari Muhammad (also known as Abuya), were found during raids on 19 GISBH-linked premises.
In Kelantan, three houses, believed to house the family of GISBH’s CEO, were raided in Kampung Panji, and various GISBH-related books and documents were found buried by the riverbank or partially burnt.
Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Religious Affairs) Datuk Dr Mohd Na’im Mokhtar said that the doctrinal teachings of GISBH would be discussed by the National Council for Islamic Religious Affairs’ Muzakarah Committee during its meeting from Tuesday to Thursday.
The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) is closely monitoring social media content related to GISBH, including viral videos and parodies circulating among the public.
Scouts clear 250kg of trash from Sungai Liang beach
Some 250 kilogrammes of washed-up rubbish along the Sungai Liang Recreational Park beach was cleared by local scouts during a clean-up campaign on Sunday.
The Brunei Darussalam Scouts Association (PPNBD) came out in force, with 350 scout leaders and members participating in the event organised in conjunction with World Clean-Up Day 2024 and the International Day of Peace.
Kampong Sungai Liang Village Head Mohammad Haszrin bin Bagol said he hoped the initiative will inspire similar campaigns and programmes to be held frequently at other public spaces.
“This is to ensure that everyone can enjoy the pristine beauty found across the nation,” he said. – Daniel Lim
Bottega Veneta goes for ‘ET’ chic as Madonna pops into D&G
MILAN (AFP) – Milan Fashion Week came to a close on Saturday with its share of surprises, not least an unlikely source of inspiration for Bottega Veneta’s much-anticipated evening show.
“For this show, I took as my starting point the scene from Spielberg’s film ET, when the mother opens the closet to reveal a world of stuffed animals…” Bottega Veneta’s artistic director Matthieu Blazy explained backstage.
“The surprise of an imaginary world, the world of childhood, where everything is possible, where everything is a game, a joy, an adventure,” he said.
Blazy sought to recreate children trying on their parents’ clothing, or even the first day of school, “when parents have prepared the perfect outfit for their child, who comes back with everything upside down.”
That resulted in dresses just a bit too big, outfits with one leg in pants, the other in a skirt, superimpositions or creases.
As for the dress embroidered with matches?
“It’s the object of childhood’s forbidden game, intrepid and dangerous,” he said.
Earlier Saturday, no less a superstar than Madonna sat in the front row of the Dolce & Gabbana show — her face barely visible under a black lace veil.
The catwalk became a tribute to the Material Girl, with all models in blond wigs, some in corsets with pointy breasts, others in black men’s tuxedos embellished with trouser braces.
But at Bottega Veneta, not only fashion fans were watching, but investors too.
Founded in 1966 in Vicenza in the northeastern Italian region of Veneto, the label renowned for its woven leather goods and expert craftsmanship became a part of France’s Kering group in 2001.
And with Kering’s flagship brand Gucci currently in a sales dive — down 20 percent in the first half of this year — the company is hoping to make the most of its smaller and less showy Italian brand.
In the first half of 2024, Bottega Veneta posted revenue growth of three percent to 836 million euros (USD933 million), whereas Gucci’s revenue, while down significantly, was 4.1 billion euros – nearly half of Kering’s entire revenue of nine billion euros.
So while Bottega Veneto may be a drop in the the luxury group’s ocean, it is a promising one – and one that goes hand in hand with its distinctive approach to fashion.
A coveted brand that is notably absent from social networks, Bottega Veneta thrives on discreet hyper-exclusivity, led by the Franco-Belgian Blazy, who took over as creative director at the end of 2021.
Tell-tale ‘intrecciato
With sumptuous materials that flirt with trompe-l’oeil and cult pieces such as jeans-like pants in buttery calf leather selling for 5,200 euros, Bottega Veneta has built up considerable cult status in recent years under Blazy.
The brand eschews logos on its products, instead letting its famous “intrecciato”, or signature woven leather, speak for itself, or incorporating a brass “nodo” or knot as an essential design element into shoes and other accessories.
The brand has also strategically snubbed social networks. In 2021, it deleted its Instagram account only for fans to take over an unofficial “newbottega” account so as not to miss any of the latest news.
Passionate about contemporary art and design, Blazy fuels the brand’s projects through collaborations with photographers and creatives.
Some are even revealed during fashion shows themselves, such as last year’s 400 chairs designed by furniture and art designer Gaetano Pesce, who died in April, or the February homage to architect Le Corbusier with a reinterpretation of his Tabouret Cabanon.
The recent opening of Palazzo Van Axel in Venice will now welcome Bottega Veneta’s exclusive clients to discover the world of the brand in a fully restored palace in the heart of the watery city.
There, personalised services include the opportunity to choose from luxurious leathers or unique pieces not available in stores.
The palace will also host exhibitions, special projects and the presentation of Bottega Veneta’s high-end jewellery collection in November.
Sri Lanka frontrunner won’t tear up IMF deal: party
COLOMBO (AFP) – The party of a Marxist leader on track to win Sri Lanka’s presidential vote vowed on Sunday not to scrap the country’s unpopular USD2.9 billion IMF bailout agreement, but instead renegotiate it.
Presidential candidate Anura Kumara Dissanayaka and his People’s Liberation Front will “not tear up” the IMF deal, party politburo member Bimal Ratnayake told AFP. “Our plan is to engage with the IMF and introduce certain amendments,” Ratnayake said.
“We will not tear up the IMF programme. It is a binding document, but there is a provision to renegotiate.”
He said Dissanayaka had pledged to reduce income taxes that were doubled by President Ranil Wickremesinghe and slash sales taxes on food and medicines. “We think we can get those reductions into the programme and continue with the four-year bailout programme.”
Dissanayaka’s rivals had raised fears that his Marxist party would scrap the IMF programme and push the country back into an economic crisis similar to the chaos of 2022. A foreign exchange crisis led to shortages of essentials sparking street protests which eventually forced then leader Gotabaya Rajapaksa to flee and resign.
No pain, no gain: Chinese pro wrestlers fight for recognition
MEIZHOU (AFP) – When Wang Tao ran away from home aged 17 to become a professional wrestler he knew it would be a hard slog to succeed in China’s passionate but underdeveloped scene.
Years later, he has endured family disapproval, countless side gigs and thousands of hours of brutal training to become China’s “Belt and Road Champion” – but the struggle is far from over.
Despite a promising potential domestic market the Chinese pro wrestling community has been battling for recognition and financial stability for decades.
“I have done all kinds of jobs (on the side)… because in the end, it is very difficult to earn enough money to live on just through wrestling,” the 23-year-old Wang told AFP.
“I have never given up my dream, which is to make more and more people know China has wrestling.”
Part sport and part entertainment, it is best known globally as a stereotypically American spectacle, embodied by the juggernaut World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE).
It is a marriage of intense athletic feat and melodramatic, lycra-clad performance.
Hooked from a young age after watching Hollywood film The Wrestler, Wang quit high school and absconded north to train with other like-minded Chinese athletes.
“I tried to explain to my family… but they all disagreed, and did not understand or support me,” Wang said.
These days they have come round – though he said they still hope he will find “a normal job”.
Facebuster
In the southern Chinese wilderness earlier this month, Wang and fellow wrestler Chen Wenbin slammed each other violently against the struts of a makeshift bamboo cage, smashing each other into a mudpit as curious villagers watched.
It’s rudimentary, but far better than previous training conditions, said Wang.
He typically earns about 1,000 yuan for fight nights, and tries to boost that income with livestreaming.
In the nearby town, he and Chen have constructed a wrestling ring in an unfinished factory where they broadcast themselves practising moves with names like Backbreaker and Facebuster.
Though the fighting is a pretence – moves are loosely choreographed and outcomes are predetermined – Wang has been knocked out for real before.
Wearing a “No pain, no gain” vest, Chen recalled when his wages came from performing in places such as bars – “it was just hard ground… easy for us to get hurt”.
Self-described addiction continues to propel Wang and others. “I love this industry so much that it doesn’t matter if I get hurt, I will stick with it,” Wang said.
Huge market
The root of the addiction became clear last weekend.
At the Supercard From Shanghai – a fight night organised by Middle Kingdom Wrestling (MKW), a domestic promoter – Wang strode down a red carpet into the ring, transformed.
Hair slicked back and wearing a snug black-scaled waistcoat, all trace of the mild-mannered, slightly shy Wang vanished as he leapt like a cat onto the top ropes and roared into the crowd.
To howls of delight, Wang defended his “Belt and Road” title in a frenetic four-way fight with another Chinese fighter, a Hungarian and an Emirati.
Accompanied by booming music and a rolling lightshow, the increasingly feral crowd of around 350 made up for in volume what they lacked in numbers.
“Definitely I would say we have more followers, more people are paying attention to us than ever,” said MKW founder Adrian Gomez.
The problem is that audience is still miniscule for China, with momentum lost during pandemic years.
The Supercard had 125,000 livestream viewers, a far cry from the millions targeted.
Nevertheless, many insist there is potential.
WWE China has almost 36 million likes and four million followers on short video app Douyin, and analysts say it too has failed to maximise the country’s possibility.
“It’s a huge market in China, but we haven’t fully opened it yet,” said Chen, whose night ended less victoriously than Wang’s.
His shamanic alter ego ended up tossed onto a table, then a row of chairs, by China’s first-ever pro wrestler, The Slam.
American Knickle Sloane said the show’s “grind of independent wrestling” had transported him back to his childhood.
“I feel there’s a market for (Chinese wrestling) and there’s a lot of people who want to see this happen,” he said.
For now, the dream is that “more people can make a living”, said Gomez.
“I think they deserve to be able to make a living out of what they’re good at.”