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Audi is updating the Q4 e-tron partway through the 2024 model year, with the new Q4 55 e-tron model about to replace the Q4 50 e-tron in April. The 55 model now produces 335 horsepower, 40 more than before, via a revised permanently excited synchronous motor on the rear axle. The motor also improves efficiency, allowing the 77.0-kWh battery to propel the Q4 55 e-tron for 258 miles before running out of juice, a 22-mile bump. You won't be able to tell from just looking at it, but the Audi Q4 e-tron luxury electric SUV is undergoing substantial revisions for 2024. During the model year, the Q4 50 e-tron—the more powerful all-wheel-drive variant—will see its name changed to the Q4 55 e-tron as it gains 22 miles of driving range, a tweaked suspension, and a rear electric motor with extra oomph. The updates apply to both the traditional SUV-shaped Q4 e-tron as well as the sloped-roof Sportback. Audi had previously revealed changes to the Q4 e-tron for Europe, but has now confirmed similar updates for the U.S. market. The updated 2024 Q4 55 e-tron now makes 335 horsepower thanks to a beefed-up permanently excited synchronous motor on the rear axle. That's an increase of 40 ponies over the outgoing Q4 50 e-tron, with no changes to the asynchronous front-mounted motor. Audi claims the extra muscle shaves 0.8 second off the time to 60 mph, putting the figure at a claimed 5.0 seconds. Considering we tested the Q4 50 e-tron at 5.6 seconds, the upgraded model may drop into the 4.0-second range once we get our hands on one. The new motor is also more efficient, so while the Q4 55 e-tron's 77.0-kWh battery doesn't change in size, the EPA-estimated range is up by 22 miles to a total of 258 miles. The efficiency benefit comes from improved thermal management, thanks to revised geometry and arrangement of the gear wheels in the transmission as well as a water-cooling jacket on the outside of the motor's stator. Audi has also optimized the cell chemistry, which allows the maximum DC fast-charging capability to rise from 150 kW to 175 kW. Audi says the Q4 55 e-tron can now go from 10 to 80 percent in as little as 28 minutes. The route planner will also prioritize public DC fast-charging stations and will precondition the battery before you arrive, as well as now post-conditioning the battery by cooling it if the temperature exceeds a certain level during driving or charging. The Q4 55 e-tron also gains new suspension tuning and improved steering, which Audi says brings more "harmonious damping, improved steering response, and tighter load control." A new 21-inch wheel is also offered, which comes shod in 235/45 front and 255/40 rear all-season tires. The revised Q4 55 e-tron is due to reach U.S. dealerships by April, and surprisingly the upgraded equipment doesn't bring an increase in price. The Q4 55 e-tron will start at $56, 395 for the standard SUV body and $59,395 for the Sportback model, the same as the outgoing Q4 50 e-tron models. https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a60140129/2024-audi-q4-e-tron-updated/

Anthony Joshua returns calmly to his corner after knocking out Francis N'Gannou in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Photograph: Mark Robinson/Matchroom Boxing/Getty Images The sudden end was as shocking as it was predictable. Francis Ngannou, a very good heavyweight champion in the contrasting world of mixed martial arts, walked slowly and unsteadily towards Anthony Joshua. He had already been knocked down twice before in only his second bout as a professional boxer. Joshua, an Olympic gold medallist and a two-time former heavyweight champion of the world, stepped forward to close the show. He knocked out the reeling novice with a cold and ruthless finish. In the early hours of Saturday morning in Riyadh it was totally expected and yet still strangely alarming. Joshua had so much time he could plant his feet, take aim and unleash a ferocious overhand right that stuck Ngannou so forcefully on his temple that he began slipping into unconsciousness as he slumped to the canvas. Within seconds, he was stretched flat on his back. The referee, waving his left arm frantically to signal the fight was over in the second round, ran to his rescue. Boxing thrives on such graphic violence which means that, even for those of us who somehow still love the courage, resolve and skill of its fighters, it is ultimately a bleak and often distressing business. Joshua, who has also been stopped shockingly by Andy Ruiz Jr and dismantled twice by Oleksandr Usyk, understands these harsh truths. He did not roar or celebrate Ngannou’s demise by climbing the ropes. Instead, Joshua looked away from his stricken opponent and walked quietly across to his new trainer, Ben Davison, who tapped his glove in acknowledgment of a brutal job done well. They were right not to indulge in jubilation. Joshua did his work with clinical efficiency while showing some of the spite that all great heavyweights carry inside. Mike Tyson used to produce these stoical reactions better than any other fighter. After he had obliterated yet another hapless opponent, Tyson would trudge around the ring with a contemptuous lack of surprise. A sombre expression reflected his certainty that the outcome had always been obvious. It was chilling and intimidating and built the myth of Iron Mike. But Tyson was lost in a dark maze. He eventually unravelled outside the ring and between the ropes. Joshua, a student of heavyweight boxing, has immersed himself in these compelling yet quietly tragic stories – and lived through the pain of his own defeats. Joshua also knew, as long as he prepared hard and fought with calm intent, he would blow Ngannou away. He has been boxing professionally for 10 years and 10 months, while it is just over four months since Ngannou’s pro debut. Boxing logic had been skewed on that surreal night last October when, in his first fight as a boxer, Ngannou stunned Tyson Fury by dropping him in the third round. Fury got up and shaded a split-decision victory. Ngannou performed admirably and yet Fury had been lethargic and bereft of his usual cascade of trickery. A stunned Francis Ngannou reacts after being knocked down by Anthony Joshua. Photograph: Richard Pelham/Getty Images It turned out to be a mirage as Joshua crushed Ngannou in the desert of Saudi Arabia. His promoter, Eddie Hearn, resorted to the exaggeration that Joshua shunned. “You’re looking at the baddest man on the planet,” Hearn said, stealing one of Tyson’s old nicknames as he pointed to Joshua. “He’s the best heavyweight in the world, and I can’t wait for him to beat Tyson Fury.” Hearn’s statement was almost as absurd as the very idea of these crossover fights. Fury, of all people, spoke with composed good sense as he responded to Hearn’s bombast: “I’m sure Oleksandr Usyk will have something to say about that, considering that he beat [Joshua] twice. It’s me and Usyk who fight for the No 1 and No 2 positions and the undisputed championship of the world [in May]. I had a shit performance against Ngannou. I’ve never said anything different. Joshua knocked him out and that’s what a boxer should’ve done.” Usyk holds the IBF, WBA and WBO world heavyweight titles, while Fury retains his WBC belt. Their compelling bout is the real deal and should confirm boxing’s first undisputed world heavyweight champion of the 21st century. The last man to claim that exalted status, in 1999, was Lennox Lewis, another great fighter who added to the ruin of Tyson. It has been a week in which Joshua restored some order and clarity to boxing – by underlining the dangerous folly of such crossover bouts. They should not be allowed because lasting damage may yet happen. Of course, as this is boxing, a grim announcement was made the day before Joshua faced Ngannou. On 20 July, Jake Paul, the YouTube influencer turned professional boxer, will fight Tyson in “a blockbuster exhibition” at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. It is predicted that the stunt of a bout, to be streamed live on Netflix, will draw a crowd of 80,000 and generate more than $100m. Tyson will have just turned 58. Hearn, who has promoted YouTube scraps before, described the news as “very sad. It’s a big event but that particular fight, for real lovers of the sport, is sad to see.” For all the hard-edged realism Joshua doled out just before 3.30am on Saturday morning, the madhouse of boxing roars on. But, at the dead of night, we were reminded that only real boxers should occupy such perilous terrain. https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2024/mar/09/boxing-anthony-joshua-francis-ngannou-danger-crossover-bouts

Thomasina Miers’ leek, spinach and sheep’s cheese pie with rosemary garlic cream. Photograph: Ola O Smit/The Guardian. Food styling: Sam Dixon. Prop styling: Anna Wilkins. Food styling assistant: Kristine Jakobssen. As my eldest daughter approaches teendom, I am realising the full gamut of motherhood. Among other things, she, as I did before her, approaches her mum’s belongings as if they were her own, and as a result I am increasingly appreciating my own mother’s patience and unconditional love. I think little says love more than a pie, and I am hoping that this simple but delicious one will do the trick. Leek, spinach and sheep’s cheese pie with rosemary garlic cream (pictured top) A good pie manages to feel indulgent, comforting and nourishing all at once. Prep 20 min Cook 45 min Serves 6 2 medium leeks 440g spinach leaves 550g potatoes, peeled and cut into 2½cm dice 40g butter 1 tbsp olive oil ¼ nutmeg, grated 1 small bunch fresh thyme 120g hard sheep or goat’s cheese Juice of 1 lemon 500g puff pastry 1 egg, beaten For the poached garlic cream 250ml milk 1 head garlic, broken into cloves 2 sprigs fresh rosemary, leaves picked 200g double cream Top and tail the leeks, cut them in half lengthways and wash them thoroughly under the cold tap. Wash the spinach, too, then leave it in a colander to drain. Bring a pan of salted water to a boil, add the potatoes, simmer for 10-12 minutes, until tender, then drain. While the potatoes are cooking, make the garlic cream. Put the milk, garlic and rosemary leaves in a small pan and heat until the milk quivers. Leave the garlic to poach gently for 15-20 minutes, until the cloves are tender, then peel (the skins should slip off easily) and set aside to cool in the milk. Once cooled, add the cream, then blitz smooth. Cut the leeks into half-rounds. Melt the butter in a casserole or large wok on a medium-high heat. Add the olive oil, leeks and thyme, and season generously with salt, pepper and nutmeg, and fry gently for 10-12 minutes, until the leeks begin to soften. Stir in the spinach, cook for a further five minutes, until wilted, then stir the drained potatoes into the leek mix. Pour the garlic cream into the pan, add the cheese and lemon juice, then season to taste. Heat the oven to 200C (180C fan)/390F/gas 6, and tip the mixture into a baking dish. Roll out the puff pastry to cover the dish, lay it on top of the filling and crimp around the edges. Brush the beaten egg all over the pastry, then bake for 30-35 minutes, until the pie is golden and puffed up, and smells tantalisingly good. Serve hot with a green salad, or with the wild rice and cauliflower salad below. Wild rice and cauliflower salad with turmeric and honey-fried almond dressing Thomasina Miers’ wild rice and cauliflower salad. Prep 15 min Cook 20 min Serves 6 200g wild rice 70g raisins 250g cauliflower, finely chopped 200g carrot, coarsely grated 450g red cabbage, cored, finely sliced and chopped 3 radishes, finely sliced 120g cooked green lentils 1 handful mint leaves, roughly chopped 1 handful coriander leaves, roughly chopped For the almond dressing 60ml sunflower oil 100g blanched almonds 1½ tsp runny honey 1 tsp turmeric Salt and black pepper 1 red onion, peeled and finely chopped Juice and zest of 1 lime 90ml extra-virgin olive oil Cook the rice in salted boiling water, turn off the heat five minutes before the end of the recommended cooking time, cover with a lid and set aside. To make the dressing, put the sunflower oil in a small frying pan on a low heat, add the almonds, half the honey and half the turmeric, season generously and cook, stirring, for seven to eight minutes, until the almonds turn a bewitching, pale gold colour. Lift them out with a slotted spoon, put on a saucer and set aside. Add the raisins to the pan of hot oil, heat gently until they puff up into balls, then transfer with a slotted spoon to a second saucer. Add the onions to the oil, season generously and cook until golden. Once the rice is tender, drain it of any remaining liquid (most of it will have steamed away in the pan) and put in a bowl with all the other salad ingredients except the almonds and onions. Roughly chop the almonds. Tip the onions and their cooking oil into a jug, then whisk in the rest of the honey and turmeric, the olive oil, lime zest and juice. Season generously, then use to dress the salad – the rice and lentils will absorb the dressing. Taste again, adjust the seasoning, decorate the salad with the chopped almonds and serve at once. https://www.theguardian.com/food/2024/mar/09/leek-spinach-sheeps-cheese-pie-cauliflower-side-salad-recipe-thomasina-miers

Messi, who plays assistance dog Snoop in Anatomy of a Fall. Photograph: Amanda Edwards/Getty Images Canine film stars battle it out in doggy Oscars: will Messi the collie get teeth into top Fido award? Anatomy of a Fall’s Snoop sheepdog faces competition from Barbie’s labrador and Napoleon’s pomeranian James Tapper Sat 9 Mar 2024 14.46 GMT Share In the panoply of awards ceremonies set for this weekend, the Fidos may well be the “best in show”. The doggy Oscars, or the showbiz Crufts – take your pick – take place on Sunday evening in a star- and collar-studded event that concludes on the same day as both of its more established rivals. The battle for the coveted Best in World award – an embossed collar – for the greatest on-screen dog performance is expected to be fierce, but the favourite is Messi the border collie who played Snoop in Anatomy of a Fall. He faces competition from Barbie’s incontinent labrador, Josephine’s pomeranian in Napoleon and dogs owned by Tilda Swinton and Sandra Hüller. The Fidos were founded by film journalist Toby Rose in 2007, and in a sign of the growing seriousness with which the world of showbiz takes animal co-stars, the awards are being held for the first time at the British Film Institute. There are even indications that some of the lavish campaigning that has become a hallmark of the Oscars is starting to spill over into the Fidos. In February, Messi’s bid for the top award received a huge boost when he was flown to Los Angeles from his French home to mingle with Hollywood’s glitterati. He had lunch with Bradley Cooper and Billie Eilish, plaudits from Emma Stone and an encounter with Ryan Gosling that went viral online. Messi’s film role, as assistance dog to a visually impaired boy who is the only witness to his father’s death, includes a scene when the dog almost dies. At one point Messi reprised his performance so realistically that Gosling rushed over to help. Vanessa Kirby as Josephine in Napoleon, with her dog Fortuné. Photograph: Alamy Still, the route to Fidos success is no walk in the park – the judges are considering other strong performances, including Lola the mongrel’s central role as Marra in Ken Loach’s The Old Oak and Tilda Swinton’s springer spaniel Louis, who starred with his owner in The Eternal Daughter. Of the other five categories, Historical Hound is one to watch for the dogs playing Honey, Elvis Presley’s own hound dog in Priscilla, and Fortuné, the empress Josephine’s pomeranian in Napoleon. Hüller’s own weimeraner is another nominee, as Dilla in The Zone of Interest. Meanwhile the Comedy Canine collar may well go to Reggie, the border terrier voiced by Will Ferrell in Strays and later adopted by director Josh Greenbaum, although none of the other dogs in the film, about four mutts taking revenge on an abusive owner, managed a nomination. “This year, competition for the Fidos has been the most intense ever,” Rose said. “Who knows why? It’s beyond our ken. And Barbie hasn’t got a clue either.” https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2024/mar/09/dog-film-stars-doggy-oscars-fido-award-anatomy-of-a-fall-barbie-napoleon

Israel hits one of the largest residential towers in Rafah with air raid, displacing hundreds who fled the building. A Palestinian boy sits outside the building residential building, which was hit by an Israeli attack in Rafah, Gaza Strip, early on Saturday [Hatem Ali/AP Photo] Israeli forces have struck one of the largest residential towers in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip, residents said, stepping up pressure on the last area of the enclave it has not yet invaded and where more than a million displaced Palestinians are sheltering. The 12-floor Burj al-Masri building, located some 500 metres (1,640 feet) from the border with Egypt, was damaged in the air raid early on Saturday morning. Dozens of families were made homeless though no casualties were reported, according to residents. The Israeli military did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the incident. One of the tower’s 300 residents told the Reuters news agency that Israel gave them a 30-minute warning to flee the building at night. “People were startled, running down the stairs, some fell, it was chaos. People left their belongings and money,” said Mohammad al-Nabrees, adding that among those who tripped down the stairs during the panicked evacuation was a friend’s pregnant wife. A Rafah-based official with the Fatah party, which dominates the Palestinian Authority that has limited self-rule in the occupied West Bank, said he feared that hitting the Rafah tower was a sign of an imminent Israeli invasion. Five months into Israel’s unrelenting air and ground assault on Gaza, health authorities say nearly 31,000 Palestinians have been killed, more than 72,500 wounded and thousands more are likely under rubble. The offensive has plunged the Palestinian territory, already reeling from a 17-year Israel-led blockade, into a humanitarian catastrophe. Much of it has been reduced to rubble and most of the 2.3 million po[CENSORED]tion have been displaced, with the United Nations warning of disease and starvation. Palestinians return to retrieve some of their belongings after the attack. [Mohammed Salem/Reuters] Dozens of families were made homeless by the attack. [Mohammed Salem/Reuters] Palestinian women look at the damage from inside the building. [Mohammed Salem/Reuters] A view of damage after Israel targeted the Burj al-Masri building in Rafah. [Abed Rahim Khatib/Anadolu Agency] Palestinians walk away with some items salvaged from the rubble. [Said Khatib/AFP] The 12-floor building, located some 500 metres (1,640 feet) from the border with Egypt, was home to about 300 residents. [Hatem Ali/AP Photo] One of the tower's residents told Reuters that Israel gave them a 30-minute warning to evacuate the building. [Mohammed Salem/Reuters] https://www.aljazeera.com/gallery/2024/3/9/israel-hits-landmark-residential-tower-in-rafah-as-gaza-truce-talks-stall

9 Mar 2024 Pakistan Peoples Party’s co-chairperson Asif Ali Zardari has won a second term as Pakistan’s president, supported by the ruling coalition in a vote by parliament and regional assemblies. Zardari secured 411 votes, while his opponent, Mehmood Khan Achakzai, who is backed by the party of imprisoned former Prime Minister Imran Khan, received 181 votes, the Election Commission of Pakistan announced on Saturday after tallying the votes by national MPs, provincial MPs and senators. The widower of Pakistan’s assassinated first female leader, Benazir Bhutto, Zardari was voted into the largely ceremonial post by the PPP, which formed an alliance with the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PMLN) party after Pakistan’s February 8 elections that were marred with rigging claims. Zardari is expected to be sworn in at a ceremony on Sunday. Under the terms of the coalition pact, which also includes a number of smaller parties, PMLN’s Shehbaz Sharif was sworn-in as prime minister earlier this week on Monday. Khan was jailed and prohibited from contesting in the election, with his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party targeted by arrests and censorship, and its members forced to stand as independents. The PTI said a mobile internet blackout on election day and a delay in results were used to cover up nationwide rigging preventing their victory. The elections were also marred with allegations of vote tampering. The PTI won more seats than any other party last month, but fell far short of the majority needed to govern, which cleared the way for the alliance between PMLN and PPP. PTI chairman, barrister Gohar Ali Khan, said that Zardari’s election was “unconstitutional”. The party is now fighting a case for the allocation of seats reserved for women and minorities in the assembly. Zardari, 68, previously took the presidential office post in 2008 after a sympathy vote following the gun and bomb assassination of Benazir Bhutto when she was campaigning for re-election. While president, a role which he held until 2013, he rolled back the powers of the presidency. Pakistan’s presidency was once powerful, but was reduced to that of a figurehead in 2010 after Zardari made a constitutional amendment. During his tenure, he faced challenges ranging from threats from the Taliban, to tense relations with the military after the United States special forces’ operation in Pakistan to kill al-Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden in 2011. Zardari has faced corruption allegations and spent more than 11 years in jail, but has bounced back from his various scandals. Back in 2009, the New York Times said he had a knack for “artful dodging” – “manoeuvring himself out of the tight spots he gets himself into”. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/3/9/asif-ali-zardari-elected-pakistans-president-for-second-time

I Like a person who has patience and ambition, and I do not see you breaking the rules, so I will give you PRO!

Nick movie: Action Movie 2020 Full Movie English - Den of Thieves English Subtitle Time: ExtraToxic Netflix / Amazon / HBO: N/A Duration of the movie: 133 mins. Trailer: https://youtu.be/59cKF--ZAsA

Music title: Jalsat Billboard Arabia with Ahmed Saad | جلسات بيلبورد عربية مع أحمد سعد Signer: Ahmed Saad Release date: 2024/02/25 Official YouTube link:

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Yes! @Bellingham?

Miami-Dade commission serves eviction papers to owners following scathing federal reports into care of marine mammals The Miami Seaquarium in 2019. Photograph: Richard Tribou/Orlando Sentinel via Getty Images One of Florida’s largest aquatic theme parks has been ordered to close by next month following several high-profile animal deaths and a series of scathing federal reports into the care of its marine mammals. The Miami-Dade commission on Thursday served eviction papers on the Dolphin Company, owners of the troubled Miami Seaquarium, demanding it to vacate its county-owned site in Key Biscayne by 21 April. A letter sent to the company on Thursday by Jimmy Morales, the commission’s chief operating officer, cited “numerous and significant violations” of the lease agreement, which he said represented “not just a default, but a complete disregard for the safety of the animals housed on the premises”. “Lessee’s long and troubling history of violations constitute repeated, continuing longstanding violations of lessee’s contractual obligations to keep the property in a good state of repair, maintain animals in accordance with applicable law, and comply with all laws,” he wrote. “The deficient and dangerous conditions that lessee has allowed to persist on the property … in many instances has resulted in injury to the animals and the animals’ ingestion of foreign materials.” The Miami-Dade mayor, Daniella Levine Cava, a longtime critic of the park’s operations, was expected to give further details of the eviction at a press conference later on Thursday. The termination of the Seaquarium’s lease, which the commission first threatened in December, comes less than a year after the death of killer whale Tokitae (also known by her performing name Lolita) after more than half a century of captivity in cramped conditions. A eulogy for Tokitae the killer whale is held outside the Miami Seaquarium on 19 August 2023. Photograph: Miami Herald/TNS At least 120 dolphins and whales have died in captivity at the park, according to the Dolphin Project, including Sundance, a 30-year-old dolphin that died weeks after a November inspection by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) noted “signs of gastric distress”. A succession of other federal inspections revealed deteriorations in both the maintenance of the park and the wellbeing of animals. In October, a dolphin was found with a two-inch nail in its throat; another with a broken metal bolt in its mouth. A sea lion with eye pain was denied surgery and refused to eat, the USDA said. Mold and peeling paint were found in penguin and parrot enclosures; and the underfunded veterinary lab lacked basic diagnostic tools such as ultrasound, radiography, endoscopy or functioning anesthesia. The park was behind at least $180,000 in rent, the county alleged, and in the most recent blow, Seaquarium’s head veterinarian Jessica Comolli resigned last month. “This news raises even more concerns about the conditions and safety of the animals currently under their care,” Levine Cava said in a statement. The Dolphin Company did not immediately respond on Thursday to a request from the Guardian for comment. Previous statements from the company have accused critics, including the mayor, of spreading misinformation about its activities. It is not yet known if the Mexico-based company, which took over the lease for the park in 2022, will challenge the eviction notice, or what will happen to the dozens of animals in its care if it is forced to close. Previously, other marine parks in Florida have accepted Seaquarium’s animals, including ageing manatees Romeo and Juliet, who were relocated in December after animal rights activists campaigned for their freedom. “At long last, authorities are taking action against the persistent animal welfare violations,” Dr Naomi Rose, senior scientist in marine mammal biology for the Animal Welfare Institute’s Marine Life Program, said in a statement. “This run-down facility has been a blight on Miami for too long. We hope the zoo and aquarium community steps up to the plate to ensure all of the animals, the mammals, birds, fish, find acceptable homes in US facilities. “This came too late to help Tokitae, but at least the other dolphins, sea lions, birds and fish have a chance to find decent homes.” Phil Demers, a former marine mammal trainer and founder of the group UrgentSeas, whose advocacy was credited for the relocation of the two manatees, also welcomed the termination notice. “It’s official: the county is ending their lease. The Seaquarium’s nearly 70-year existence is coming to an end. As promised,” he wrote in a message posted to X, formerly Twitter. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/mar/07/miami-seaquarium-evicted-animal-death

Darwin Núñez scores Liverpool’s second goal at Sparta Prague. Photograph: Martin Divíšek/EPA The perfect night in Prague for Liverpool. Almost. Jürgen Klopp’s quadruple-chasing team effectively secured their place in the Europa League quarter-finals with a comprehensive and clinical defeat of Sparta Prague. Darwin Núñez warmed up for Manchester City on Sunday with two superb goals, including the 1,000th of Klopp’s Liverpool reign, and Mohamed Salah made his comeback after over a fortnight out as a late substitute. Only the sight of Ibrahima Konaté hobbling off injured prevented Klopp revelling in the ideal preparation for the top of the table showdown at Anfield. “The result was much better than the performance,” admitted the Liverpool manager. “Sparta played a good game. They took risks and we punished them for that in moments and scored some wonderful goals.” Núñez was to the fore in inflicting a first home defeat of the season on the Czech champions, who were handed a European lesson by a Liverpool side that is firmly on course to win the one trophy they have competed in and have not won under Klopp. “We have shown we can compete against good teams in Europe,” said Sparta coach Brian Priske. “But Liverpool are maybe a couple of levels up on what we have faced before.” A convincing evening’s work began almost immediately. Sparta’s goalkeeper Peter Vindahl played Asger Sørensen into trouble with a risky pass through the Liverpool press on the edge of his area. Alexis Mac Allister pounced instantly, taking the ball off Sørensen’s toes before being sent sprawling by the defender’s careless challenge. Spanish referee José María Sánchez awarded a clear penalty and, with regular taker Salah on the bench, Brighton’s former spot-kick expert calmly sent Vindahl the wrong way from his first Liverpool penalty. Sparta’s determination to play out from the back had presented an earlier chance for Núñez but, despite the obvious dangers, their approach stretched Liverpool and made for a highly entertaining contest. But for inspired goalkeeping from Caoimhin Kelleher and some woeful finishing, the Czech league leaders would have remained in the tie before Núñez put it beyond them. The Liverpool keeper produced an incredible save to keep out Lukas Haraslin’s first-time shot. The ball could still have dropped over the line but for an equally impressive, overhead clearance by Joe Gomez. Konaté blocked two efforts by the lively Ángelo Preciado in quick succession, both with his backside. From a resulting corner Martin Vitik flicked on Preciado’s header only for Kelleher to produce another athletic stop. The difference in finishing determined the outcome and there was no better demonstration of the gulf than the 1,000th goal of Klopp’s 476-game Liverpool reign. There seemed little on when Núñez received Harvey Elliott’s pass out on the left. The Uruguay international had other ideas, however, and curled a stunning shot from outside the left-hand corner of the Sparta penalty area into the top left-hand corner of Vindahl’s goal. The striker celebrated in front of the home fans, as well he might, and several plastic cups were thrown in his direction. Luis Díaz fires home Liverpool’s fourth goal against Sparta Prague in the second half. Photograph: Kieran McManus/Shutterstock Sparta’s adventurous approach and misery in front of goal continued. When Kelleher blocked Jan Kuchta’s low drive the rebound fell perfectly for Veljko Birmancevic arriving unmarked at the back post. Birmancevic somehow managed to kick the ball with his right leg against his left and saw it trickle wide of an open goal. Replays of the miss on the stadium screens prompted gasps from the Sparta fans and heightened his embarrassment. Núñez showed Sparta how to find the back of the net for a second time with the final act of an absorbing first half. Mac Allister, who teed up the striker’s dramatic winner at Nottingham Forest on Saturday, found the roaming Núñez again with a cross-field ball. The centre-forward allowed the pass to bounce before leathering an unstoppable shot across Vindahl and into the far corner. More cups and a plastic bottle were thrown at the scorer as he pointedly celebrated at the corner flag. Klopp said: “He has quality coming out of his ears to be honest. Is he at his absolute peak in general? Not now for us. But can he develop? Yes. Is he a threat all the time? Yes.” A minute after the restart, Birmancevic played a dangerous cross along the face of the Liverpool six yard box. Conor Bradley, a half-time replacement for the rested Gomez, turned the delivery into the top corner of his own net. Luis Díaz restored the visitors’ three-goal cushion with a deflected shot from another Elliott assist. He was later replaced by Salah as Klopp gave his leading goalscorer a much-needed run-out. Salah found the target after just 10 minutes but his effort was disallowed following a VAR review for offside. Liverpool’s thoughts had long turned to Sunday by then, although a fifth goal did arrive when substitute Dominik Szoboszlai waltzed through the Sparta defence and beat Vindahl. The wait to discover the extent of Konaté’s injury was Klopp’s only concern. “Ibou said to me: ‘If I do another sprint then it could be bad,’ so he said it should be fine. We don’t know.” https://www.theguardian.com/football/2024/mar/07/sparta-prague-liverpool-europa-league-last-16-1st-leg-match-report

There would be no value to friendship if we formed it with just anyone, writes advice columnist Eleanor Gordon-Smith, but friendship doesn’t have to mean mutual enmeshment ‘When you do have to move on, that needn’t mean you made a mistake: you tried a friendship, it didn’t work. Arguably better to try too many than too few.’ Painting: Francois Clouet, Le Billet Doux, c. 1570. Photograph: Artexplorer/Alamy How does one really go about moderating and evaluating new friends? I have the opposite problem to most people, in that I attract new friendships very easily. People seem to gravitate towards me and, in some cases, insist they are my friend whether I like it or not! I am a professional woman, single with an international career. This seems to provide intrigue and excitement to new folks in my orbit, and they come on very strong and often try to grip on to me and my life. They mention a jealousy of my freedom and my achievements, and a desire to live out their own dreams through my existence. None of these are romantic interests, but I have ended many of my friendships over the years due to inappropriate boundary crossings and folks trying to control my life and my choices. How can I be more discerning upfront and only let new people in whom I know will behave appropriately in the long term? Eleanor says: When I was a kid and was moving to a new school, a very genial doctor I happened to have an appointment with told me, “don’t befriend anyone who tries to be your friend on the first day. They’re the ones who don’t have any friends.” I was, in a mini kind of way, scandalised. How were you supposed to proceed if the choice was between people who didn’t want your friendship, and people who did and so proved they didn’t deserve it? I disregarded his advice and that’s the story of how I wound up with a lunchtime pal who spent several months trying to convert me to a made-up religion. Sign up for the fun stuff with our rundown of must-reads, pop culture and tips for the weekend, every Saturday morning So I get it. Eventually friendship transcends evaluation of the other, but at the beginning, you want a little evaluation. There would be no value to friendship if we formed it with anyone who came along. But you want to avoid two possible hazards. One is too hastily ruling people out. The risk with any “discernment” policy is that it will select for superficial characteristics, the kind you can see on a first impression. These don’t always track what makes people good friends – things it takes time to reveal or treasure. The other is condescension or hierarchy: thinking, or thinking that other people think, that you’re above them. Could you try to maintain the kind of friendship that isn’t mutually enmeshed? A lot of our cultural vision of friendship depicts a twin-flames thing, but there’s a perfectly lovely form of friendship without much intensity. It can brook a good amount of conversation and shared cake, but it would never expect to be consulted on life decisions, and it finds the possibility of anger far too intimate. Perhaps you could try to keep “provisional” friends hovering there: not reciprocating or escalating intimacy or disclosures, communicating only semi-regularly. That might help with the “overstep” element of what you’re describing, too. It’s no fun becoming an object of projection for others, when you can see an idealised version of yourself shining in their eyes. Sometimes that state leads people to tell you off for failing to live up to a standard that isn’t actually the standard of your relationship. It’s the standard of the relationship they wish you had. “Why didn’t you call?” “Why didn’t you tell me?” If you deliberately resist escalations in intimacy, it’ll be easier to point out that these are unreasonable expectations. You could also try to arm yourself with ways to handle “oversteps” so you don’t feel violated, or like you’ve wasted your time. Perhaps you could pre-write or think through phrases that gently but firmly communicate “that wasn’t something on which I would ever have consulted you”, or, “this isn’t something for which I feel I owe an apology”. It might take some of the heat or violation-feeling out of those moments if you’re already prepared. Even when you do have to move on, that needn’t mean you made a mistake: you tried a friendship, it didn’t work. Arguably better to try too many than too few. Montaigne thought you only get one true friend in your lifetime. You’re allowed to decide a given person isn’t yours. https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2024/mar/08/ive-had-to-end-many-friendships-over-the-years-how-can-i-be-more-discerning-upfront

Palestinians transport bags of flour from a humanitarian aid shipment in Gaza City [AFP] United States President Joe Biden will announce a plan to create a new port in Gaza to increase deliveries of humanitarian aid to the war-ravaged enclave, senior US officials told reporters. The officials said Biden will make the announcement on Thursday night during his State of the Union speech, an annual address delivered to members of the US Congress. KEEP READING list of 3 items list 1 of 3 Israel’s war on Gaza: List of key events, day 153 list 2 of 3 Israel’s blocking of aid creating ‘apocalyptic’ conditions in Gaza list 3 of 3 In Gaza, babies have no more nappies, milk, as Israeli bombing continues end of list Under the plan, the US military would set up the pier off the coast of Gaza, but US troops would not be on the ground, the officials said. They did not provide further logistics of the plan, but one official said the US has “unique capabilities” and can do things from “just offshore”. A United Nations spokesperson, Stephane Dujarric, said his organisation welcomed the announcement in a statement to the press. “Any way to get more aid into Gaza, whether by sea or airdrop, is obviously good,” Dujarric told reporters. “We need more entry points, and we need a larger volume of aid to come in by land.” However, he emphasised that the international community needs to focus on large-scale food deliveries by land, in order to address the humanitarian crisis unfolding in Gaza. An unnamed Israeli official, speaking to the Reuters news agency, likewise said Israel “fully supports” the construction of a “temporary dock” in Gaza. The announcement has come as President Biden continues to face outrage for his administration’s political and material support for Israel in the war on Gaza. The Biden administration has refused to call for a complete ceasefire and has continued to supply weapons to Israel for its war. Israel’s bombardment and ground operations have killed at least 30,800 Palestinians since October 7, when the Palestinian group Hamas launched an attack on southern Israel that killed at least 1,139 people. However, amid increasing political pressure, the administration has shifted its tone slightly in recent weeks. Last week, Vice President Kamala Harris called for a temporary “ceasefire” for the first time, although she was only referring to a pause in fighting while Hamas and Israel negotiated a hostage exchange. Over the weekend, the US began airdropping aid to Gaza, where Jamie McGoldrick, the UN’s Humanitarian Coordinator for the Occupied Palestinian Territory, told reporters on Wednesday that “children are dying from hunger”. The UN has said that a state of famine in Gaza is “almost inevitable” and could be declared as early as next week. McGoldrick said that, while air drops and naval deliveries help to distribute aid, an increase in reliable ground deliveries is more urgently needed. Aid groups have accused Israeli forces of restricting ground deliveries, both into and within Gaza. But Israel has denied it is impeding relief efforts. ‘Destroying the food system’ In a post on the social media platform X on Thursday, Sarah Leah Whitson, the executive director of the Washington-based Democracy for the Arab World Now (DAWN), called the latest Biden plan one of many “workarounds to Israel’s deliberate [and] persistent blockade of aid to Gaza”. Earlier in the day, Michael Fakhri, the UN special rapporteur on the right to food, also warned that Israel’s actions go beyond short-term impediments, representing a broader assault on Gaza’s stability. “Israel is not only denying and restricting the flow of humanitarian aid into Gaza. Israel is destroying the food system in Gaza,” he said in a speech to the UN Human Rights Council. Fakhri called it a “starvation campaign”. For their part, the senior US officials said the new port “will provide the capacity for hundreds of additional truckloads of assistance each day”. One official added that “significant capability will take a number of weeks to plan and execute”. Transporting supplies will also involve establishing a maritime corridor from Cyprus. The officials said Israel had been informed about the plan, and the two countries were working together on security requirements. They added the US was also coordinating with “partners and allies”, including the UN and aid organisations. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/3/7/biden-to-announce-plan-for-us-military-to-set-up-temporary-gaza-aid-port

A Ukrainian priest leads a memorial service next to a grave of a Ukrainian commander killed a year ago near Bakhmut [Roman Pilipey/AFP] Fighting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has signed a decree authorising the demobilisation of conscripts who joined the army before Russia’s invasion and whose service has come to an end. At least two people were killed in Russian rocket attacks on Ukraine’s northeastern Kharkiv region and another man was killed further west in Chernihiv region, local officials said. Ihor Zhovkva, a top diplomatic adviser for Ukraine, told broadcaster CNN he could not exclude the possibility that a Russian missile had deliberately targeted the delegations of Zelenskyy and the visiting prime minister of Greece when they visited Odesa earlier this week. Dmitry Medvedev, the deputy chairman of Russia’s Security Council and a staunch ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, denied the accusation. Politics and diplomacy Sweden became the 32nd member of NATO, abandoning its long-held neutrality in a process that started as a result of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi said China sees itself as a “force for peace” in the world, but would continue to deepen its ties with Russia. “In the face of complex turmoil in the international environment, China will persist in being a force for peace, a force for stability, and a force for progress in the world,” Wang told reporters. Ukraine named Valerii Zaluzhnyi its new envoy to the United Kingdom a month after he was removed from his position as the country’s military commander-in-chief. Zelenskyy is scheduled to visit Turkey on Friday for a meeting with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The two are likely to discuss the ongoing war, the Black Sea grain deal and bilateral relations. Speaking in Prague, French President Emmanuel Macron called on Ukraine’s allies not to be “cowards”, after being criticised for his proposal to send Western soldiers to fight on the ground in Ukraine. A new poll conducted by the Associated Press showed few Americans want the country to take a more active role in solving the world’s problems, including in Ukraine where the latest round of funding is tied up in Congress. The poll showed only about a quarter think the US should take a more active role. About one-third say its current role is about right. Weapons Olha Stefanishyna, Ukraine’s deputy prime minister for European and Euro-Atlantic integration, said it was critical to US credibility to provide US military aid to Ukraine, and if the US withdrew from its leadership role, it would take time to develop European capacity to fill the gap. The UK said it would provide 10,000 drones to arm Ukraine, the weaponry will include 1,000 one-way attack – or kamikaze – drones and models that target ships. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/3/8/russia-ukraine-war-list-of-key-events-day-744