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Showing posts from August, 2023

Japan's defense ministry requests nearly 12% budget increase to bolster military's strike capability

Japan's defense ministry is requesting a nearly 12% budget increase that includes two warships with advanced radar and long-range cruise missiles TOKYO -- Japan’s defense ministry is request ing a nearly 12% budget increase that includes two warships with advanced radar and long-range cruise missiles as it further fortifies the nation's Military in the face of North Korean threats and Chinese Military advancement. The record 7.7 trillion yen ($52.5 billion) request for the 2024 fiscal year marks the second year of a rapid five-year military buildup under a new security strategy Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s government adopted in December. It focuses on reinforcing strike capability in a break from Japan’s postwar principle of having a military only for self-defense. Under the five-year plan, Japan plans to spend 43 trillion yen ($315 billion) through 2027 to nearly double its annual spending to around 10 trillion yen ($68 billion), making Japan the world's third-bigg

Chelsea's summer signings who have impressed and disappointed so far

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With a week of the summer window remaining, Chelsea have spent more on transfer fees than all of La Liga's clubs combined. Even in a summer that has seen the historic soft-power play from Saudi Arabia take the form of lavish player recruitment for the country's Pro League, Chelsea remain the biggest spenders in the world. The new Premier League season is only three Game s old but that is a lifetime in the world of first impressions. Research from Princeton psychologists Janine Willis and Alexander Todorov suggests that it takes a tenth of a second to form an opinion about a stranger. After slightly more deliberation time, here are the immediate hits and misses from Chelsea's extravagant recruitment drive. Chelsea's most impressive 2023/24 summer signings Axel Disasi scored on his Chelsea debut against Liverpool / Nigel French/Allstar/GettyImages In the 83rd minute of Chelsea's breezy 3-0 victory over Luton Town last Friday night, Stamford Bridge rose in an ovation

Race Your Mouse Around The Icons Day (August 28th)

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Quick facts When is it? Every August 28th Tagged as Hobbies & Activities Silly & Humorous Software What's the hashtag? #RaceYourMouseAroundTheIconsDay Who founded it? Thomas and Ruth Roy Have we missed something? It’s almost irresistible – when a desktop or laptop computer is slow to load, and while sitting there just waiting for something to happen, it can be very difficult to say no to the urge to play with the mouse and the cursor! History of Race Your Mouse Around the Icons Day Whether it’s a matter of procrastinating, just plain boredom or it is actually at the top of a list of favorite sporting activities (if so, you should probably re-evaluate a few things… just saying), then this day is the ideal day to simply go nuts. Race Your Mouse Around The Icons Day embraces this, and encourages people all over the world who are sitting at their computers to go crazy with their cursors and get to celebrating! As with many holidays that are on the ob

Arsenal 2-2 Fulham: Player ratings as Palhinha snatches late point for Cottagers

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Arsenal played out a breathless 2-2 draw at home to Fulham in the Premier League on Saturday afternoon. The Gunners stumbled through large swathes of their opening two Premier League fixtures but managed to beat Nottingham Forest and Crystal Palace. Quick-fire goals from Bukayo Saka and Eddie Nketiah at the Emirates threatened to bail out Arteta's side once again but Joao Palhinha swept in a late equaliser for Fulham from a poorly defended corner. Fulham nervily survived a late flurry of set pieces from Arsenal to emerge with a point. How the game unfolded A mere 57 seconds had elapsed before Fulham took the lead at the Emirates Stadium. Saka began a record-breaking appearance with a wayward back-pass which Andreas Pereira pounced upon. Aaron Ramsdale back-pedalled so furiously he tripped over his own toes while watching Pereira's chip bounce into his net. This was not new territory for Arsenal. Mikel Arteta's side trailed after eight seconds when Bournemouth arrived at th

Man Utd defender exits on loan to all but end Old Trafford career

Manchester United defender Brandon Williams may have played his final game for the club after joining Ipswich Town on loan for the remainder of the season. The 22-year-old hasn't played a first team Game for United in over two years, spending the 2021/22 campaign on loan at Norwich City. Williams returned to Old Trafford last season but wasn't able to force his way into Erik ten Hag's plans, watching on from the sidelines as United lifted the Carabao Cup and sealed a return to the Champions League through a third-place Premier League finish. The versatile full-back, who can play on both sides, has under a year remaining on the four-year contract he penned in 2020, but with his opportunities at Old Trafford continuing to bleak, he will now spend the season with Norwich's bitter rivals Ipswich. He will reunite with former United coach Kieran McKenna, who worked under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer before taking on the top job at Portman Road, and Williams revealed his excitement

Martin Odegaard sends Takehiro Tomuyasu warning after Crystal Palace red card

Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard has warned teammate Takehiro Tomiyasu and the rest of the squad of the need to "adapt" to the new refereeing guidelines after the Japan international's needless red card against Crystal Palace. Tomiyasu was sent off for two bookable offences during the narrow 1-0 win for the Gunners on Monday evening, with his first yellow card coming due to the full-back taking too much time over a throw-in. The booking was a direct result of the new refereeing directives for the 2023/24 season which are aimed at curtailing time wasting in the Premier League and have led to drastic increases in added time at the end of halves. Speaking to the press after the win, Arsenal captain Odegaard admitted that Tomiyasu and the rest of the squad need to adapt to the new regulations. READ THE LATEST ARSENAL NEWS, TRANSFER RUMOURS & GOSSIP feed "I don’t know if it’s difficult but it’s new rules so we have to adapt," Odegaard said of Tomiyasu's dismi

Zarco joins LCR Honda for 2024 MotoGP season after Ducati departure

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The deal comes after Pramac confirmed Zarco's departure over the Austrian Grand Prix weekend, with Rins' move announced during the British GP. Zarco has been a Ducati rider since 2020, when the Italian marque signed him to a deal to join the Avintia satellite squad. He will move to the Honda team next season , though the Frenchman's team-mate is yet to be confirmed. Speaking after the announcement, team boss Lucio Cecchinello said: "We are very excited to welcome Johann to the team with all the respective details and signatures now in place. "It is a return to the team after we had some brief time together in 2019, where we could already see his potential and work ethic. "There are still a lot of races and work to be done this season, but we are looking forward to the start of this new project in 2024." Zarco's stint at Ducati began after he elected to quit his KTM deal a year early during a difficult 2019 season

Mikel Arteta explains what Arsenal have changed to try win Premier League title

Mikel Arteta has warned his Arsenal players that they must be more versatile and unpredictable this season as the Gunners look to get their hands on the Premier League title. After seeing Arsenal come up agonisingly short to eventual champions Manchester City, Arteta sanctioned the expensive signings of Kai Havertz, Declan Rice and Jurrien Timber this summer, signalling a clear preference for players comfortable in a number of different roles. That is a key part to Arteta's approach to the new season, with the boss admitting he wants to be able to rely on more players in different positions to help him vary Arsenal's style of play. "We are going to need to do that in a different way, for sure," he explained. "It’s a different context that we have this season. One is down to com Pet ition for places but as well the players we have and interactions, positions they can occupy as well. "A lot has change d as well. The Game s are longer now, more minutes to play

Blue Jays vs Reds Prediction - MLB Picks 8/20/23

Cincinnati Reds (64-59) vs Toronto Blue Jays (67-56) Game Info: Sunday, August 20, 2023 at 1:40 pm (Great American Ball Park) Hunter Greene (2-4) (3.93) vs Hyun Jin Ryu (1-1) (2.57) Betting Odds: Cincinnati Reds +103 / Toronto Blue Jays -113 --- Over/Under: 9.5 Click Here for the Latest Odds

Minnesota Vikings Futures Odds 2023, Win Totals & Season Predictions

Last season was a roller coaster for Vikings fans. Minnesota went 0-3 in the preseason and then won 8 of their first 9 regular season games. The Kirk Cousins-Justin Jefferson duo was looking fantastic, and having Dalvin Cook in the backfield didn’t hurt either. However, it was obvious that a victory relied on their offense scoring 30+ points in every game since their secondary was one of the worst units in football. In the end, Minnesota finished 13-4 which earned them their first NFC North title since 2017. Will the Vikings be able to build off their successful 2022 campaign, or will they crumble under the pressure? Let’s take a look at some of the odds and best bets to be made on the Minnesota Vi kings in 2023.  DraftKings Sports book is currently giving new customers $150 in bonus bets when they bet $5. That’s all there is to it! Grab this amazing sign-up offer by clicking this link.   Minnesota Vikings breakdown 2022 record : 13-4 2022 ATS record : 7-9-1 2022 O/U record :

NBA Defensive Player of the Year Odds - Favorites to Win DPOY Race 2023-24

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After Marcus Smart upended the NBA Defensive Player of the Year odds last season, a different story unfolded for 2022-23, with Smart's price to win Defensive Player of the Year completely swallowed up by the big men who typically dominate this award. Sports books clearly sensed a return to order last season, with two defensive bac KBO nes standing head-and-shoulders above the rest. In the end, Grizzlies forward Jaren Jackson Jr.'s dynamic rim protection made too great of an impact to deny , and books are tabbing him as the NBA odds co-favorite to repeat as the 2024 DPOY:   Odds to win 2023-24 NBA Defensive Player of the Year Player Team Jaren Jackson Jr.  Memphis Grizzlies +600 Evan Mobley Cleveland Cavaliers +600 Giannis Antetokounmpo Milwaukee Bucks +750 Bam Adebayo Miami Heat +900 Anthony Davis  Los Angeles Lakers +1,000 Joel Embiid  Philadelphia 76ers +1,300 Rudy Gobert  Minnesota Timberwolves +1,400 Brook Lopez Mil