All posts tagged: reset

Tottenham chief executive Venkatesham says complete reset required

Tottenham chief executive Venkatesham says complete reset required

Published by Sam Flores

LONDON, May 27 : Tottenham Hotspur chief executive Vinai Venkatesham says the club needs a complete reset and a return to prioritising the football part of the business after narrowly escaping relegation from the Premier League on Sunday. Venkatesham was appointed just over a year ago having stepped down from a similar role at Arsenal and said some aspects of the club were ‘significantly worse’ than expected. “It was very clear that this wasn’t some form of turnaround that was required of the club in quite a few areas. It was really a complete reset,” he was quoted as saying by the BBC. Venkatesham was appointed by executive chairman Daniel Levy, who stood down last September after nearly 25 years at the club. Under Levy’s reign Tottenham moved into a new state-of-the-art stadium in the same location as the original one while the club has a world-class training ground often used by England’s national team during international breaks. Levy was blamed by many fans, however, for Tottenham’s decline on the pitch, accusing him of being …

Rubio Arrives in India Ahead of Quad Talks as US Tries to Reset Strained Ties

Rubio Arrives in India Ahead of Quad Talks as US Tries to Reset Strained Ties

Published by Sam Flores

NEW DELHI (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio arrived in India on Saturday ahead of a meeting next week with his counterparts from India, Australia, and Japan, members of the Indo-Pacific strategic alliance known as the Quad. Rubio’s first official trip to India comes as Washington seeks to stabilize relations with New Delhi after ties soured over President Donald Trump’s tariff policies, which raised duties on several Indian exports. Much of Rubio’s four-day visit, however, will focus on a multicity tour, along with a gala reception in New Delhi marking the 250th anniversary of U.S. independence. “There’s a lot to work on with India, they’re a great ally and partner. We do a lot of good work with them so this is an important trip,” Rubio said ahead of his visit to India. Rubio arrived in eastern city of Kolkata early Saturday and was scheduled to visit Mother House, the headquarters of the Missionaries of Charity, founded by Mother Teresa. In coming days, he will also visit northern cities of Agra and Jaipur, …

The House | Brexit Scars And UK Political Instability Temper Brussels Enthusiasm For EU Reset

The House | Brexit Scars And UK Political Instability Temper Brussels Enthusiasm For EU Reset

Published by Sam Flores

(ZEN – Zaneta Razaite/Alamy) 6 min read3 hr The European Commission and national leaders can see the benefits of a rapprochement but Brexit scars, unresolved disputes and uncertainty over who will be in No 10 are tempering Brussels’ enthusiasm, finds Christian Spillmann The reset between the European Union and the United Kingdom was much ado about nothing. Brexit was a tragedy. The ‘reset’ is a farce. ‘Breturn’ is a fantasy. The language of international relations is rarely so blunt, so unvarnished. Instead, pleasantries and embraces conceal a more awkward truth. The divorce negotiations left a bitter aftertaste on the Continent. Yet the return of Donald Trump to the White House has fractured the global order. His disdain for Europeans, and the consequences of his erratic decisions, have made closing ranks imperative. A rapprochement between the UK and its former EU partners is now vital to Europe’s security. Keir Starmer wishes to go further. The British Prime Minister is seeking a reset of relations, though he has drawn three red lines. The reception has …

The House Article | EU Reset: We Still Cannot Escape Brexit’s Core Trade-Off

The House Article | EU Reset: We Still Cannot Escape Brexit’s Core Trade-Off

Published by Sam Flores

(Illustronaut/Alamy) 5 min read3 hr A decade on from the Brexit vote, the UK and EU are still confronted with the same fundamental trade-off between market access and autonomy, write Sam Lowe and Kathryn Watson One of the challenges of writing about Brexit’s lingering impact on the UK economy is that, outside of a Marvel movie, it is still not possible to experience a reality that never came to pass. Every assessment therefore involves comparing the UK’s economy as it exists today with one that might have existed had the UK remained a member of the EU. This is both standard economic modelling practice, and a source of frustration for those who argue that the economic impact of Brexit has been overstated. After all, how can anyone know with certainty what would have happened if the vote had gone the other way? What should be less controversial, however, is that putting new trade barriers between yourself and your largest trading partner comes with economic costs, even if we can debate their scale and …

The House | Labour Cannot Rely On An EU Reset – Or Rejoin Pledge – To Win Over Voters

The House | Labour Cannot Rely On An EU Reset – Or Rejoin Pledge – To Win Over Voters

Published by Sam Flores

Illustration by Tracy Worrall 6 min read2 hr Could an EU reset save Keir Starmer – or indeed the Labour Party? Taking a look at the evidence, political strategist and pollster Scarlett Maguire is not convinced It is no secret that Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves are looking for a closer alignment with the EU in a bid to revive the country’s struggling economy and Labour’s dire position in the polls. It is likely that a pledge to rejoin the EU would be part of any Labour leadership contest. So, could a bold reset with Brussels, including potentially promising to take the UK back in altogether, be a silver bullet to Labour’s domestic woes? It may not be as straightforward as that. Voters certainly do not think that Brexit has been a success.  Together with Charlesbye Strategy, Merlin recently carried out polling of 4,000 voters and focus groups of voters of all persuasions across the country. Just 30 per cent of those polled say Brexit has been good for the country, compared to …

UK must drop ‘red lines’ for real EU reset, Brussels warns – POLITICO

UK must drop ‘red lines’ for real EU reset, Brussels warns – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

Moving target The latest round of negotiations, which come almost a decade after the U.K. voted to leave the EU, center around a landmark summit between the two sides set to be held this summer. While July is considered the most likely month, two officials expressed frustration that the date is still unconfirmed and plans have fallen through several times. The European Commission has indicated it is open to making progress on a number of technical issues. “We have a shared interest in a stronger cooperation that delivers for our security, our economies and our citizens,” said a spokesperson. “In view of the next Summit, we are working to conclude the key files of last year’s Common Understanding: an SPS [agricultural standards] agreement, [Emissions Trading System] linkage, and a Youth Experience Scheme, and to advance work on electricity trading,” the Commission spokesperson said. Despite the skepticism, European Parliament President Roberta Metsola told POLITICO that the momentum is genuinely in favor of closer ties. | Nicolas Tucat/AFP via Getty Images A British government spokesperson said future …

A Franco-German reset – POLITICO

A Franco-German reset – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

“It is part of an embassy’s role to talk to all political forces in its host country,” said a spokesperson for the embassy, declining to comment on what was discussed. A press representative for the party said no visit to Germany was in the works as of now, but Bardella’s inner circle has an example in mind for constructive collaboration with the EU’s economic powerhouse: The working relationship between German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Meloni, who has recast herself in office as a more moderate figure after years on the political fringes. Bardella has publicly cited Meloni as an inspiration, and hopes are growing within his party that if he were to become president, he could work with the German and Italian leaders to push the EU in a rightward direction. In an interview with the German newspaper FAZ Tuesday, Bardella hinted at his hope of forming a power triangle with Berlin and Rome, citing migration as an issue on which the three capitals could have a common cause. “France and Germany, with Italy’s support, …

‘It’s a reset moment’: why are so many people celebrating half-birthdays? | Life and style

‘It’s a reset moment’: why are so many people celebrating half-birthdays? | Life and style

Published by Sam Flores

Six months after Lorraine C Ladish turned 59, she began to get emails – from fashion stores, the supermarket, the opticians – offering her a discount. Her half-birthday was coming up, the emails said. She used one of the offers to buy a magenta leather jacket and posted her celebration on TikTok. Ladish is a digital content creator who says she makes “a living out of sharing my age online”. But what really appealed to her about marking the midpoint between birthdays was the chance to “squeeze every second, every month, out of my late 50s”. Ladish is not alone. Half-birthdays are having a moment. Or, at least, a fraction of a moment. On TikTok there are half-cake designs, half-birthday banners, half-birthday cards – sometimes, they are whole ones brutally sheared – and half-candles. One French brand even released a comma candle for cake decorators wishing to celebrate a half-birthday decimally. If you dine at TGI Fridays, Ember Inns or All Bar One, you’ll likely have received half-birthday congratulations (“Here’s 25% off for your half-birthday!”, …

After losing influence in West Africa, France seeks a regional reset at Kenya summit

After losing influence in West Africa, France seeks a regional reset at Kenya summit

Published by Sam Flores

Shorn of influence in its former colonies in West Africa, France will seek to deepen ties elsewhere on the continent next week at an Africa summit in the Kenyan capital Nairobi, its first to be held in an English-speaking country. With a year left in his presidency, French President Emmanuel Macron is hoping ​to showcase a “renewed ‌partnership” with Africa, an aide at the Élysée Palace told reporters. Monday and Tuesday’s summit, which will ⁠be attended by heads of state, business executives and heads of multilateral development banks, follows repeated setbacks for France in former colonies where it has wielded influence for decades. A series of coups in ‌the Sahel region since 2020 have brought to power military officers who have expelled French troops and invited in ⁠Russia-backed mercenaries like the Wagner Group and its successor, Africa Corps, to deal with violence and unrest perpetrated by jihadist militias. Read moreStreet battles and withdrawal of Russian mercenaries: Inside the 48-hour fall of Mali’s Kidal France also handed over control of its last major military facility in …