All posts tagged: disarray

Man Utd boost Champions League dreams and leave Chelsea in disarray

Man Utd boost Champions League dreams and leave Chelsea in disarray

Published by Sam Flores

It is sixth versus third at Stamford Bridge as Chelsea host Manchester United, with the race for the Champions League places hotting up. Manchester United won the reverse fixture 2-1 at Old Trafford back in September, with Chelsea spending most of the game down to 10 men after Robert Sanchez’s fifth-minute red card. If Manchester United were to win tonight, they would complete a league double over Chelsea for just the second time after the 2019/20 campaign. Chelsea have lost just one of their last 12 home league meetings with Manchester United. Chelsea lost 3-0 at home against Manchester City last weekend. Chelsea have just one Premier league win in their last seven games and go into tonight’s game four points behind Liverpool, who occupy the final Champions League place in fifth. “That is the great thing about the quality we have in this team,” Liam Rosenior said. “We are capable of a run, but capability is one thing and producing it is another. Time is running out, so we need to be as close …

China’s Xi Jinping issues chilling ‘world order disarray’ warning | World | News

China’s Xi Jinping issues chilling ‘world order disarray’ warning | World | News

Published by Sam Flores

China’s President Xi Jinping has chillingly warned the world order is “crumbling into disarray” as the US war with Iran continues to intensify. Donald Trump is currently stepping up America’s blockade on the Strait of Hormuz in a move seen by many as attempting to pressure Iran into a ceasefire deal. In comments made during a meeting with Spanish Minister Pedro Sanchez in Beijing, Xi warned in “today’s world, chaos abounds, and the international order is crumbling”. His remarks came after the US said it had “fully implemented” a blockade of the strait as it sought to take control of the key waterway. Xi Jinping said closer relations between Spain and China were in the interests of both countries and called for greater communication and mutual trust to “uphold the rule of law, jointly defend genuine multilateralism, and safeguard global peace and development”. The visit by Pedro Sánchez comes as Western governments scramble to keep close ties with Beijing despite mounting security and trade tensions, amid growing alarm over the policies of Donald Trump. Spain …

Feuding French Socialists leave presidential prospects in disarray – POLITICO

Feuding French Socialists leave presidential prospects in disarray – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

“Even though the Socialists didn’t lose the municipal elections, we would be wrong to believe that we won them,” he told Le Parisien. Family feud Faure and Vallaud represent the two dueling visions of the Socialists’ future, and their divergent beliefs on how to choose a candidate for 2027 reflect that. Faure wants to look left. He is gunning for a broad primary, save for France Unbowed, to select a single candidate for the 2027 presidential race among the Socialists, the Greens, the Communists and other left-wing parties. Supporters argue such a primary would maximize the chances of a left-wing candidate reaching the second round. In the French presidential system, only two candidates qualify for the runoff, and many believe National Rally President Jordan Bardella’s strong poll numbers effectively guarantee him a spot in the final, even this early. “There’s an illusion that we’re going to win by bringing people who have voted for Macron twice back into the fold, even though they haven’t supported the left for over a decade,” said a Faure-aligned parliamentarian …

Analysis: Khamenei’s killing leaves Iran’s ‘axis’ in disarray as war widens | Hezbollah

Analysis: Khamenei’s killing leaves Iran’s ‘axis’ in disarray as war widens | Hezbollah

Published by Sam Flores

The killing of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in a United States-Israeli air campaign has sent shockwaves through the Middle East, decapitating the leadership of the “axis of resistance” at its most critical moment. For decades, this network of groups allied with Iran was Tehran’s forward line of defence. But today, with its commander-in-chief dead and its logistical arteries cut, the alliance looks less like a unified war machine and more like a series of isolated islands fighting desperate survival wars. Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of list In an exclusive interview with Al Jazeera Arabic, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi insisted that the Islamic Republic does not need its proxies to fight its battles. “We do not expect anything from anyone,” Araghchi said when asked about the role of allied militia groups. “We can defend ourselves by ourselves. … We do not want any party to help us in our self-defence.” This statement creates a striking paradox: Just as Tehran claims it stands alone, its most powerful proxy, Hezbollah, has officially entered the …

Facing political disarray, French voters turn inward

Facing political disarray, French voters turn inward

Published by Sam Flores

Supporters of the far-right party Rassemblement National during a visit of the party’s president, Jordan Bardella, to Carcassonne, southern France, on February 7, 2026. LEWIS JOLY FOR LE MONDE The French are the champions of pessimism, growing more distrustful, more downbeat and more weary than their British, German and Italian neighbors. After a period marked by political tension, crisis and deadlock since the snap legislative elections in June 2024, the country’s sense of confusion has deepened, according to the 17th wave of the annual political trust barometer led by Sciences Po’s Center for Political Research (CEVIPOF) and conducted by OpinionWay. Annual barometer by Sciences Po, CEVIPOF, and OpinionWay, “En qu[o]i les Français ont-ils confiance aujourd’hui ?” The French portion was conducted from January 12 to 28, 2026, on a representative sample of 3,166 registered voters, aged 18 and over, using the quota method (gender, age, socio-professional category, income, and place of residence). Among French respondents, fewer than one in four (22%) said they trusted politics, far behind their European counterparts. This striking decline could signal …