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☆ Verstappen fumes at Russell after sprint clash
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-29 | by ( Alan Baldwin | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

April 29 (Reuters) - Max Verstappen swore angrily at Mercedes rival George Russell after a first lap clash in Saturday's Baku sprint race ripped a hole in the Formula One champion's Red Bull. Verstappen and Russell exchanged words after the race, television microphones picking up Verstappen hinting at future revenge and calling Russell a 'dickhead' as the Briton walked away. "I respect all the drivers a lot and its a bit of commonsense as well what you do on the first lap," Verstappen told Sky Sports. "I don't think anything would have been any different had the positions been reversed." Verstappen starts from the front row in Sunday's main grand prix, alongside Ferrari's pole-sitter Charles Leclerc, with Russell lining up 11th.

☆ Verstappen fastest in chaotic Baku practice
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-28 | by ( Alan Baldwin | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

April 28 (Reuters) - Red Bull's Formula One leader Max Verstappen put in the fastest time right at the chequered flag on Friday in a chaotic sole practice for the new format Azerbaijan Grand Prix sprint weekend. The double world champion, last year's winner in Baku, lapped the fast street circuit with a best time of one minute 42.315 seconds with his final effort on the soft tyres. Ferrari's Charles Leclerc, who has never won in Baku but will be chasing his third successive pole in Azerbaijan in later qualifying for Sunday's grand prix, was second on the timesheets. The Monegasque ended up 0.037 seconds slower, after going top in the dying seconds, with Red Bull's Sergio Perez third and Ferrari's Carlos Sainz fourth. Perez has the best record of any driver on the starting grid in Baku with a victory in 2021, second last year and two third places.

April 27 (Reuters) - The rouble steadied on Thursday, with the market looking ahead to Friday's interest rate decision, as favourable month-end tax payments propped the Russian currency up amid a significant drop in oil prices. By 1322 GMT, the rouble was 0.2% stronger against the dollar at 81.44 and had gained 0.6% to trade at 89.76 versus the euro . Month-end tax payments that usually lead exporters to convert foreign currency revenue to meet local liabilities are putting a floor under the rouble. Oil prices dropped almost 4% on Wednesday, extending sharp losses from the previous session, driven by fears of a U.S. recession and an increase in Russian oil exports which dulled the impact of OPEC production cuts. "We still see no reason for the central bank to change the rate and its rhetoric, but inflation risks will continue to concern the central bank more than economic growth," said Dmitry Polevoy, head of investment at Locko-Invest.

☆ Comcast beats estimates despite slowing broadband growth, higher Peacock losses
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( Lillian Rizzo | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Comcast topped analyst expectations with its first quarter earnings report Thursday, despite the cable and media giant's residential broadband business's slowing growth and mounting Peacock losses. Still, it was a sign that Comcast, like its peers, continue to face slowing growth in the broadband business. Cable TV customers continued their exodus from the traditional bundle, with Comcast losing 614,000 subscribers during the quarter. Comcast said Peacock subscribers grew more than 60% year-over-year to 22 million, and revenue was up 45% to $685 million. Peacock had $704 million in losses, up from losses of $456 million in the same period last year.

☆ Sheffield United seal Premier League promotion with 2-0 win over West Brom
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

April 26 (Reuters) - Sheffield United secured automatic promotion to the Premier League with three games to spare after Wednesday's 2-0 home victory over West Bromwich Albion ensured they will finish second in the Championship behind champions Burnley. The Blades will return to the Premier League after two seasons, having been relegated in the 2020-21 campaign in which they finished bottom of the table. "We want to give back to the club and fans, I came here when we were in the Premier League and now we're back where we need to be." The top two in the division are promoted to the Premier League while the teams that finish third to sixth go into the playoffs to fight for the final spot. Promotion can be worth over 300 million pounds ($373.95 million) over five seasons if a club survives their first season in the Premier League - according to last year's Deloitte Annual Review of Football Finance.

☆ Davis vs Garcia: 'Tank' earns knock out with vicious body shot in the 7th round
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-23 | by ( Issy Ronald | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis landed a vicious body shot to knock out Ryan Garcia in the seventh round of their non-title catchweight fight and settle one of boxing’s fiercest rivalries. It was the second time that Davis had forced Garcia to the mat following a left hook in the second round. And again in the sixth round Garcia seemed to make inroads, landing two right-handed blows to Davis’ face, before the decisive moment in the seventh round. “He just caught me with a good shot and I couldn’t recover,” Garcia said, according to PBC. He caught me with a good body shot, snuck under me and caught me good.

☆ How to watch Man United vs. Brighton FA Cup live stream for free from anywhere
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-23 | by ( Brendan Griffiths | Senior Commerce Director | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Are you looking to watch a Man United vs. Brighton live stream for free today? Watch Man United vs. Brighton online for free from anywhereA VPN is the best way to get around geo-restrictions and is a viable option for today's game if you want to watch the UK's free FA Cup live stream on BBC. How to watch Man United vs. Brighton with a VPNSign up for a VPN if you don't have one. Where to watch Man United vs. Brighton (UK)Today's FA Cup semi-final is thankfully on free-to-air TV on BBC1 and its online streaming portal rather than locked behind a Sky sports-shaped paywall. If you'd rather watch online, you can tune in to the BBC i-Player service for the FA Cup live stream.

☆ Newcastle vs Tottenham Hotspur: Magpies hammer closest top 4 rival 6-1 with five goals in opening 21 minutes
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-23 | by ( Issy Ronald | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Joelinton scored Newcastle's second goal. Alex Dodd/CameraSport/Getty ImagesEvery attack seemed to yield a corner, an opportunity, a shot on goal and Newcastle continued to press while Tottenham’s defense continued to buckle. And then, barely two minutes after kickoff, there was another for Isak who made it five goals for the Tyneside club in 21 minutes. “It’s very embarrassing,” Lloris told Sky Sports afterwards. We didn’t show a good face and we could not match the performance of the Newcastle players.”

☆ Arsenal wobbling in Premier League title race ahead of probable deciding clash against Manchester City
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-22 | by ( Issy Ronald | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —Arsenal was cruising three weeks ago, one hand on its first Premier League trophy for 19 years, albeit with one eye on an impressive Manchester City, then eight points behind in the title race with a game in hand. It seemed like it might be a blip, simultaneously a dropped two points and salvaged one point, that injected drama into a title race still balanced on a knife-edge between Arsenal and City. Arsenal's three consecutive draws has changed the complexion of the title race. “Whether the point makes that much difference to Arsenal, I’m not quite sure,” former Liverpool player and now pundit Jamie Carragher said on Sky Sports. “They’ve probably got to go to Man City and get three points if they want to go on and win the league.

April 20 (Reuters) - Cybersecurity company Group-IB has finalised its exit from Russia, the group said on Thursday, cutting ties with its original market in an effort to spur its global expansion ambitions. Already harbouring global ambitions, Group-IB moved its headquarters to Singapore in 2019. Volkov has sold his 10% stake in the Russian company, Group-IB said in a statement. The stand-alone Russian business has been sold to local management and will be operating under the new brand F.A.C.C.T. Group-IB said Sachkov had sold his 37.5% stake in the Singapore entity to members of top management there.

☆ Tiger Woods undergoes ‘successful’ surgery following Masters withdrawal
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( Jack Bantock | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Tiger Woods has completed “successful” surgery on his ankle following his withdrawal from The Masters earlier this month, the 47-year-old announced Wednesday. The surgery, performed at HSS Sports Medicine Institute in New York City, was deemed to be “successful” by Dr Martin O’Malley, according to a post from Woods’ Twitter account. “Earlier today, Tiger Woods underwent a subtalar fusion procedure to address post-traumatic arthritis from his previous talus fracture,” the statement said. Woods walks with his caddie Joe LaCava during the first round of The Masters. Andrew Redington/Getty ImagesWoods’ withdrawal at Augusta sparked further questions about his future in game, with Woods himself unsure as to how many Masters appearances he had left in him.

☆ How to watch the Chevron Championship live: Start time, channel and other things to know
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( Jack Bantock | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —Once again, the first women’s golf major of the season tees off with The Chevron Championship. How to watchUS viewers can watch the first and second rounds on the Golf Channel, with coverage running from 10 a.m. CST until 7 p.m. CST. “I think I was in a bit of a panic last year,” Kupcho told reporters Tuesday. But I don’t think that’s going to be my driving force going to any of these events this year.”Ko tees off at the HSBC Women's World Championship in March. “I don’t think I have a weakness in my game at all, and I think that’s partially why I’ve been very consistent,” Hall told reporters.

☆ United up to third after Antony, Dalot goals secure win at Forest
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

United have 59 points from 30 games, three points in front of fourth-placed Newcastle United and six ahead of Tottenham Hotspur, who have played 31 matches. Steve Cooper's struggling Forest side, who are now without a win in 10 consecutive league games, are third from bottom, level on 27 points with 17th-placed Everton. Dalot found the net in the 76th minute, scoring his first Premier League goal in his 100th appearance for United, running onto a pinpoint through ball from Antony. UNITED CALM"Inside the dressing room, I think we were calm," added Dalot. Navas ensured the result was not more emphatic with a string of fantastic saves in a game dominated by United.

April 12 (Reuters) - Sberbank (SBER.MM), Russia's dominant lender and a leading technology company, is finding graphics cards the trickiest hardware item to replace in the absence of Western providers, CEO German Gref said on Wednesday. Sberbank needs the cards for its artificial intelligence services and super computers and Western sanctions over Moscow's actions in Ukraine have curbed Russia's access to some technology imports. "We depend first and foremost on technology called hardware," Gref told lawmakers in the Federation Council, Russia's upper house of parliament. "And probably the most critical position is graphics cards, microelectronics - video cards for high-performance computing." In the absence of Western imports, local companies have enhanced efforts to increase domestic production and cushion the blow.

☆ Sane and Mane clashed in Bayern dressing room -reports
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

April 12 (Reuters) - Bayern Munich's Sadio Mane and Leroy Sane clashed in the dressing room after the German club's Champions league quarter-final first leg defeat to Manchester City, according to reports in Germany on Wednesday. Bild said Senegal international Mane, a two times African footballer of the year, had complained about the way Germany winger Sane spoke to him after the 3-0 defeat at the Etihad Stadium. There was no immediate comment from Bayern Munich. The defeat was Bayern's biggest in the Champions League since a 3-0 loss to Paris St Germain in 2017. Reporting by Alan Baldwin in London, editing by Toby DavisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

By 2027, the IMF expects Russia's economic output to be 7% lower than forecasts made before Moscow sent tens of thousands of troops into Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, had suggested. "An exodus of multinationals, loss in human capital, isolation from global financial markets, and impaired access to advanced technology goods and know-how will hamper the Russian economy," an IMF spokesperson said. "A sharp worsening in the terms of trade could lead to a significant decline in both the current account surplus and in fiscal revenues," the IMF spokesperson said. Russia says its 2023 deficit will not exceed 2% of gross domestic product (GDP), but many analysts think it will surpass that level. The current account surplus shrank by a little over 73% in the first quarter on an annual basis to $18.6 billion, the central bank said on Tuesday, hurt by the sharply lower energy revenues.

☆ Andy Robertson: Assistant referee stood down while Football Association investigates apparent elbow incident
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-10 | by ( Ben Church | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —The assistant referee who appeared to elbow Liverpool’s Andy Robertson during an English Premier League game on Sunday will not be involved in any matches while English football’s governing body investigates the incident, the body responsible for Premier League referees said in a statement. The Football Association (FA) is investigating the incident which happened at the end of the first half match between Liverpool and Arsenal at Anfield. Video replays appeared to show Robertson brushing past Hatzidakis who responded by lifting his elbow, which hit the player. Robertson was visibly furious and had to be pulled away by his teammates after receiving a yellow card for his subsequent reaction. The incident during the break was one of many flashpoints in a chaotic game at Anfield which eventually finished in a 2-2 draw.

☆ Arsenal denied huge win as Liverpool hit back to draw
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

LIVERPOOL, England, April 9 (Reuters) - Arsenal's grip on the Premier League title race was loosened as Liverpool produced a storming comeback to snatch a 2-2 draw in super-charged clash at a raucous Anfield on Sunday. The north Londoners were heading for a first league win at Liverpool since 2012, an eighth successive league win and a massive three points in their quest to win the league as they powered into a 2-0 lead. Arsenal have 73 points from 30 games, while Liverpool are eighth with 44 points. The game was under control but after that we concede a really sloppy goal and the game shifted momentum," Arsenal manager Arteta said. Liverpool took charge after the break and were awarded a penalty in the 58th minute after Rob Holding fouled Jota.

☆ Kompany says he did not expect to lead Burnley to promotion in first season
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

April 8 (Reuters) - Burnley manager Vincent Kompany said he did not expect to lead the Lancashire club to promotion to the Premier League in his first season in charge, but having achieved that return to the top tier he said his side are now aiming for more. Burnley secured automatic promotion to the Premier League with seven games to spare after Friday's 2-1 victory at Middlesbrough ensured Kompany's side will finish in the second-tier Championship's top two. They make their return to the top flight after one season, having been relegated on the final day of the 2021-22 campaign, in which they finished third-bottom. "It's Easter, there are seven games to go and we are already celebrating," Kompany told Sky Sports. Club chairman Alan Pace said the promotion came as a "complete surprise".

☆ Willock and Wilson score to lift Newcastle above Man United
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

NEWCASTLE, England, April 2 (Reuters) - Joe Willock and Callum Wilson scored to give Newcastle United a well-earned 2-0 victory over Manchester United on Sunday which lifted them into third place in the Premier League standings. Their persistence was rewarded in the 65th minute when Allan Saint-Maximin's headed cross found Willock for a close-range header. Substitute Wilson put the game to bed in the 88th minute, heading in a freekick cross from Kieran Trippier. The victory was some sort of revenge for Newcastle losing 2-0 to Erik ten Hag's Manchester United in the League Cup final in February. United were missing the influence of midfielder Casemiro, who is serving a suspension, and defender Aaron Wan-Bissaka due to illness.

☆ Piastri blames inexperience for qualifying setback
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

MELBOURNE, April 1 (Reuters) - McLaren's Formula One rookie Oscar Piastri blamed inexperience for a disappointing qualifying on Saturday ahead of his home Australian Grand Prix debut. The 21-year-old Melbourne-born driver will start 16th in Sunday's race, with British team mate Lando Norris set to line up 13th. Piastri had already been reprimanded, his first in Formula One, after final practice for a breach of the practice start procedures. "After he slowed down considerably, the team warned him to complete the lap before attempting a practice start and therefore he did not go through the full practice start procedure. "The driver candidly admitted his mistake and recognised that this could have resulted in a dangerous situation on the track."

MOSCOW, March 29 (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday pointed to record low unemployment and marginally higher real wages as evidence of a gradual economic recovery, although data showed that consumer demand and industrial output dropped in February. Data from the Rosstat federal statistics service showed that unemployment dropped to 3.5% in February, a record low, while real wages, which are adjusted for inflation, rose 0.6% in January. Retail sales, a key gauge of consumer demand, fell 7.8% year-on-year in February, while industrial output dropped 1.7%. But that decline, combined with double-digit inflation meant that real disposable incomes fell 1% in 2022, according to Rosstat, with real wages only now starting to pick up again. "The population's wages and real disposable incomes have again started growing in real terms in the country as a whole," Putin said.

☆ Soccer-Qatar's Al Thani submits new $6 billion bid for Manchester United, Sky Sports News reports
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

March 25 (Reuters) - Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani has submitted a new bid to buy Manchester United which is believed to be worth around 5 billion pounds ($6.12 billion), Sky Sports News reported on Saturday. Sheikh Jassim, a son of Qatar’s former prime minister, launched the bid in February. A spokesperson representing Sheikh Jassim said at the time that the bid was completely debt free, via Sheikh Jassim's Nine Two Foundation. Finnish entrepreneur Thomas Zilliacus also placed a bid on Thursday and told Reuters that he was willing to pay a premium for the English soccer club. United are the fourth richest soccer club in the world, according to analysis by Deloitte .

☆ Ratcliffe won't pay 'stupid' price for Man Utd
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

March 21 (Reuters) - British billionaire Jim Ratcliffe has said he does not want to pay a "stupid" price for Manchester United ahead of Wednesday's deadline for second offers for the Premier League club. Ratcliffe, a life-long United fan and founder of chemicals producer INEOS, put in a bid for the club in February. In an interview with the Wall Street Journal, Ratcliffe described the club as a "community asset" rather than a financial one. "What you don't want to do is pay stupid prices for things because then you regret it subsequently." According to a Sky Sports report, United are set to receive more than five bids before Wednesday's deadline for second offers.

☆ Even from 15th, Verstappen remains a big threat
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-18 | by ( Alan Baldwin | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

March 18 (Reuters) - Red Bull's Max Verstappen will start the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix in 15th place but none of his rivals were ruling out the Formula One championship leader fighting for victory on Sunday. Mercedes driver George Russell, who qualified third on a circuit where overtaking is relatively easy, expected to see Verstappen in his mirrors. "We saw what Max did last year from 15th in Spa and he's got a faster race car this year." Ferrari's Charles Leclerc, who will start 12th after qualifying second but with a 10 place grid drop, said Red Bull were on another planet. Red Bull boss Christian Horner preferred to praise Perez's pole lap.

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