Serie A side Juventus's French midfielder Paul Pogba was banned for four years by Italy's anti-doping court on Thursday. The disciplinary action came after the World Cup winner tested positive for testosterone.
Paul Pogba's positive test was announced in September, stemming from an exam that was carried out after Juventus' game at Udinese on August 20. Pogba opted not to make a plea bargain with Italy's anti-doping agency and so the case was tried before the country's anti-doping court. A person with direct knowledge of the case confirmed the verdict to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the sentence was not made public due to Italy's privacy laws. Pogba could appeal the decision to the Swiss-based Court of Arbitration for Sport. The sentence could end Pogba's career, as the France international turns 31 next month. Four-year bans are standard under the World Anti-Doping Code but can be reduced in cases where an athlete can prove their doping was not intentional, if the positive test was a result of contamination or if they provide substantial assistance to help investigators. Pogba rejoined Juventus from Manchester United in 2022 but struggled with injuries, playing in only six Serie A matches for Juventus last season and two this season. He was ruled out of France's run to the World Cup final that year due to a knee injury. Pogba helped France win the previous World Cup, scoring in the 4-2 win over Croatia in the final. He played in 178 matches for Juventus from 2012-16.
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Italy has no chance of boosting its military spending to 2% of gross domestic product (GDP) in 2024, despite NATO requirements, and won’t likely be able to meet the target within the next five years, Italian Defense Minister Guido Crosetto has told lawmakers in Rome.
Italy’s defense spending this year will equate to 1.46% of the country’s GDP, according to a NATO estimate. The ratio will reportedly drop to 1.38% next year and to 1.26% in 2025, even as defense spending rises. Speaking to members of the defense and foreign affairs committees in both houses of Italy’s parliament on Tuesday, Crosetto said bringing military spending to 2% of GDP will be “impossible” in 2024 and “difficult for 2028 as well.” He went on to add, “We are indeed far from 2%, very far.” “NATO must not set unrealistic financial objectives,” Crosetto said. Italy won’t be able to increase its military spending as much as needed unless the defense budget is excluded from EU fiscal constraints, Crosetto has previously warned. “If we do not resolve the current framework of inconsistency between the responsibility to strengthen security and the public finance [restrictions] imposed by the EU, it will be very difficult to reach the 2% minimum threshold envisaged by NATO within a reasonable timeframe,” he said in June. Members of the Western military bloc agreed at a 2014 summit to target defense spending equivalent to 2% of each country’s GDP by 2024. The bloc agreed in July to make the 2% threshold a minimum requirement, rather than a goal. However, only 11 of the 31 current members are projected to reach the target this year. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni told lawmakers earlier this year that respecting the country’s spending commitments were necessary to protect national sovereignty and credibility. “Freedom has a price, and if you are not able to defend yourself, someone else will do it for you, but will not do it for free,” she said. “They will impose their interests, even if they differ from yours, and I don’t think this was ever good business for anyone.” Santiago Giménez is scoring goals for fun at the moment, and his domestic form carried over into his Champions League debut on Wednesday.
The Feyenoord star scored a brace in a 3-1 win over Lazio, giving the Dutch champions a solid chance to advance out of Group E after starting with two wins from three games. Giménez has scored an incredible 13 goals in just nine Eredivisie games this season, bolstering rumors that he could be set for a big-money move to one of Europe’s giants either this winter or next summer. The Mexico international was suspended for the first two games of Feyenoord’s Champions League campaign, having been sent off in his side’s Europa League quarterfinal defeat to Roma last season. But the 22-year-old did not take long to open his Champions League account on Wednesday, expertly turning his defender in the box before firing home a pinpoint strike in the 31st minute. Giménez completed his double in the 74th minute with an easy finish from a rebound. Lazio would pull a goal back late but Feyenoord would cruise to a 3-1 victory in front of their home fans at De Kuip. WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange will be granted honorary citizenship of Rome, city councilor Antonella Melito said on Tuesday. She added that the process will be completed after all the necessary paperwork has been done.
Assange, 52, has been incarcerated at the high-security Belmarsh Prison in London since 2019 as he fights extradition to the US, where he could face a life sentence over the 2010 release of highly sensitive US Army intelligence information related to the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. According to Melito, by granting Assange citizenship, Rome intends to send a message of “solidarity and support to all those who are unjustly detained and convicted in violation of their fundamental rights.” The motion to confer honorary citizenship on the Australian activist was presented by a former mayor of Rome, Virginia Raggi. On Wednesday, Raggi posted on social media that “an important step was taken in the protection of Julian Assange, as a person and as a symbol.” She added that the Wikileaks founder’s case shows that “freedom of the press must always be defended.” In June, Assange’s wife Stella visited the Vatican and met with Pope Francis. Later, in an interview with the Catholic Herald magazine, she said that Francis had sent a letter to her husband in March 2021, which was a “significant event” at a particularly low point for him. At the time, a lower court in Britain had ruled that Assange’s treatment in the US “would not be humane,” but decided not to grant him bail. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said in August that he was frustrated by the lack of a diplomatic solution to end Assange’s detention. He said he would continue to press the US to cease its prosecution of the WikiLeaks founder, despite US Secretary of State Antony Blinken rejecting all previous pleas from Canberra to ensure his wellbeing. “This has gone on for too long. Enough is enough,” Albanese told reporters at the time. “We remain very firm in our view and in our representations to the American government and we will continue to do so.”
Italian industry and manufacturing, in particular, have been struggling in the past several months due to a lack of new orders as global demand weakened. The Italian industrial economy appears to be trapped in a deep recession with no clear way out,” said Tariq Kamal Chaudhry, an economist at Hamburg Commercial Bank. “New orders, both domestic and international, are shrinking, and even expectations for future output have fallen well below their long-term average.” Although the PMI survey indicated some increase in factory employment, it mainly pointed to a shortage of skilled workers, while the previous report by S&P said Italian factories had started to lay off staff due to a deeper contraction in industrial production.
Economists forecast that the manufacturing recession, which started in the Eurozone’s third-largest economy in the middle of last year, will continue. Manufacturing accounts for around 16% of Italy’s output but its weakness continues to weigh on the Italian economy, dragging it into further contraction. The latest estimates showed that the country’s economy shrank by 0.4% – ahead of the 0.3% that had been predicted – in the second quarter of the year.
2023 FORMULA 1 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP CONSTRUCTOR STANDINGS
2023 Formula 1 World Championship Drivers' Standings
Max Verstappen writes history on Sunday at the Italian Grand Prix in Monza, Italy. The 25-year-old won his tenth race in a row, breaking the record for most wins in a row in F1 history.
Verstappen started the race a bit sluggish, with Carlos Sainz of Ferrari taking top spot at the start. It took the reigning champion 15 laps to get past the Spaniard. Verstappen had already told his team after six laps that Sainz’s tires were sliding as he bided his time. However, the driver from Hasselt was having his patience tested as he said, “They have a lot of top speed, for f*** sake.” This came after Charles Leclerc had started to get close to Verstappen, with both Ferrari drivers keeping Verstappen on his toes. Once Verstappen took the lead, it was clear to all involved that he would not be caught. He made the gap 5 seconds within just a lap after taking the lead. He did have to retake the lead on one occasion in the race due to Red Bull calling him in for a pitstop. It was not long until Verstappen had retaken the lead of Lewis Hamilton of Mercedes. Verstappen had equaled Sebastian Vettel’s record for most wins in a row last week in Zandvoort. Verstappen’s run of wins started at the US Grand Prix in Miami on May 7th. After that, he won in Monaco, Spain, Canada, Austria, Great Britain, Hungary, Belgium, Netherlands and now Italy. It was another one-two for Red Bull as Sergio Perez finished second, with Carlos Sainz giving the largely Ferrari-supporting crowd some joy by finishing third. Verstappen has 365 points now and is close to his third championship.
FORMULA 1 PIRELLI GRAN PREMIO D’ITALIA 2023 - Race Results
FORMULA 1 PIRELLI GRAN PREMIO D’ITALIA 2023 - Top 10 Qualifying Results
* grid penalty "Goodbye". And down in tears, moved. Zlatan greets Milan without playing and the Curva Sud of Milan pays homage to him with a banner. It says "Godbye", a play on words dedicated to the idol of all time, two-time Italian champion in the Rossoneri shirt and special leader. Milan-Verona opened like this, with Zlatan's moved face next to the bench of the first team, in those sofas from which he never stopped cheering on him during the long months of stop. Ibra, once framed on the big screen, mimicked a heart with his hands, addressed to his fans. Everyone in the stadium is crying, and he laughs at first. Then even his eyes become glossy, red, wet, full of sincere tears, and then even Ibrahimovic the tough guy, Rosengard's boy, the braggart of the ghetto who sings, dances, cries and retires to San Siro. His Rossoneri "The Last Dance" is all in one sentence that cuts through the goodbye and immediately turns into a farewell. Goodbye to the ball. "The time has come to say goodbye to football." And this is how it suddenly appears, after months and months of statements in which Zlatan had proudly shown his chest saying "I want to continue".
Dark suit, pigtail, shirt with the last button open, the whole family in the stands and seventy thousand Milan fans all for him. His wife Helena, framed several times on the big screen, is crying profusely, as are her children. Zlatan's ceremony begins after the 3-1 win against Verona, with a red carpet rolled out to midfield and the players around him. Ibra receives applause and hugs, the last with Pioli, Maldini, Massara and the president Scaroni, who give him a t-shirt with the number 11 autographed by the whole team. All on the notes of "Now we are free", the soundtrack of the Gladiator. Then he leaves: “At this stage many memories bind me, many emotions. I want to thank all my family and those who have been patient with me. And then I say thanks to my second family, the players and the fans, from the bottom of my heart. You made me feel at home." The last sentence is for the entire Rossoneri world: “I will be a Milan fan for life. Now the time has come to say 'hello' to football, but not to you. See you around, if you're lucky." And then row to take the applause during the greeting field lap. Dancing, singing, moving, this time on the notes of "The best" by Tina Turner. Ibra day is a festival of love and passion. Even giants cry their eyes out. We will miss him, but he will never be far away. Nel cuore. This weekend's Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix in northern Italy has been cancelled because of deadly floods in the region. Formula One said it made the decision for safety reasons and to avoid any extra burden on the emergency services, after consulting with Italian political figures. “It is such a tragedy to see what has happened to Imola and Emilia-Romagna, the town and region that I grew up in and my thoughts and prayers are with the victims of the flooding and the families and communities affected," F1 president and CEO Stefano Domenicali said.
At least five people have died in the flooding and 5,000 more have been evacuated, while electricity supplies and cell phone networks have been severely affected. Thousands of fans were expected at the circuit from Friday for practice sessions ahead of the race, adding more load to an already stretched transport system. “I want to express my gratitude and admiration for the incredible emergency services who are working tirelessly to help those who need help and alleviate the situation – they are heroes and the whole of Italy is proud of them,” Domenicali said. "The decision that has been taken is the right one for everyone in the local communities and the F1 family as we need to ensure safety and not create extra burden for the authorities while they deal with this very awful situation.” Formula One personnel had earlier been told to stay away from the track after floods affected large parts of the Emilia-Romagna region. Some residents of Imola, where the track is located, were warned to move to higher floors of their homes. The Santerno River runs right next to the track.
Along with other EU members, Italy has been caught up in rising tensions between the US and China that have been exacerbated due to Beijing’s close ties with Moscow. “Given the state of relations between the US and China, we cannot remain an ally of the US and at the same time remain in the BRI,” Stefano Stefanini, Italy’s former ambassador to NATO, was cited as saying by the FT. “We have to try to negotiate a peaceful — or [the] least damaging possible — exit with the Chinese.” Bloomberg reported last month that Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni intended to make an announcement on Italy’s participation in the BRI before the G7 summit in May, but was still undecided as to whether the memorandum of understanding should be scrapped or renewed. Reports earlier this week claimed that the Italian premier had previously assured US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy that her government was in favor of an exit. The purported plans have triggered deep concern in Italy’s business community, already reeling from sanctions on Russia, as the post-Covid reopening of the Chinese market is viewed as offering significant prospects. Italian exports to China saw a year-on-year surge of 92.5% in the first quarter of 2023, mostly boosted by a short-term increase in sales of pharmaceuticals.
“A possible withdrawal would lead to a cooling of bilateral relations at a historic moment in which companies and professionals are experiencing a frenzy and a desire to return to the Chinese market,” Mario Boselli, president of the Italy China Council Foundation, told the FT. The Belt and Road Initiative, unveiled by Chinese President Xi Jinping in 2013, envisages linking China with Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Americas through a network of seaports, railways, roads, and industrial parks. It is expected to provide effective connectivity and boost China’s cooperation with more than 80 countries around the world. The main goal of the project is stated as promoting peace through trade and development. Far-right leader Giorgia Meloni has been elected as Italy’s next Prime Minister, making her the nation’s first female prime minister. The head of the nationalist Brothers of Italy party will take over from Prime Minister Mario Draghi.
The 45-year-old Giorgia Meloni is expected to form Italy’s most right-wing government since Benito Mussolini was prime minister during World War II. Meloni’s victory comes after she ran on anti-immigration policies, plans to limit LGBTQ+ rights, and restricted access on abortions. She has also voiced her support for Ukraine amid the ongoing conflict with Russia. Following the vote, Meloni said that the Brothers of Italy party would “govern for everyone”. She said during her victory speech, “If we are called on to govern this nation we will do it for all the Italians, with the aim of uniting the people and focusing on what unites us rather than what divides us.” Who Is Giorgia Meloni?
2022 FORMULA 1 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP CONSTRUCTOR STANDINGS
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