News of the World

[kyonides]

Honestly, I don't know how a national team can get smashed into smithereens and then defeat a foe that had faced a large threat to their aspirations like Germany.

Anatomy of a choke: Japan wilful participants in their own downfall against Costa Rica

So others have had it a lot worse than Japan here and all is not yet lost but there are unlikely to be many bigger missed opportunities at this tournament, even if we will not know until Thursday - when Group E concludes - just how costly this latest entry into the World Cup hall of chokes proves to be.

By the end, Japan’s players, true to their customs, lined up in a row and bowed solemnly in front of their supporters, who applauded their apologists with a quiet, dignified decorum when, internally, they must have been wanting to scream, self-combust and a whole lot in between.

After beating Germany 2-1 in their opening match, Japan had put themselves in a fabulous position to all but secure their passage to the Round of 16 with a game to spare. Lying in wait was a Costa Rica side who had been thrashed 7-0 by Spain, during which time they had failed to muster a shot and seen only 18 per cent of the ball. In other words, this was about as inviting an opponent as you could realistically expect to meet at this level but football loves to rip up a script and Japan were wilful participants in their own downfall.

...and sunk Japan who would surely not have made such a hash of this had some of their most creative players not remained marooned on the bench for so long.
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“To a certain degree, we are praying,” Moriyasu said. “The result was a shame and that’s what we need to reflect on but I don’t think it was a total mistake from us.”

By the way, Canada has been eliminated because it seems impossible to qualify for the Round of 16 with a laughable point and no hope to get some extra 3 points in their next match.

The US has tied twice in a row so far, earning 2 points only. Mexico has a single point after tying with Poland.
Costa Rica will face Germany next, while USA will be dealing with their "best friend" in the Middel East, Iran. Mexico will make an attempt to defeat Saudi Arabia, who had previously kicked Argetina quite hard.

Iran want USA banned for ‘offending country’s dignity’ over World Cup flag

USA show Iran flag without emblem of Islamic republic

on Sunday the USA’s match with Iran became even more highly charged after Iran’s football federation demanded their opponents receive a 10-game ban for “offending the dignity” of their country.

The extraordinary request came after the US Soccer Federation displayed Iran’s national flag on social media, in a now-deleted graphic, without the emblem of the Islamic Republic – in support of protesters in Iran before the nations’ Group B match on Tuesday.

The US explained that it had decided to forgo the official flag on social media accounts to show “support for the women in Iran fighting for basic human rights”.

Iran’s football federation responded with a complaint to Fifa’s ethics committee, saying the US had disrespected the national flag of the Islamic Republic of Iran.

The allegation was reported by the semi-official Tasnim news agency, which attributed it as coming from a legal adviser at the Iranian football federation.
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The flag has become a notable point of contention at this World Cup, with Iran fans who oppose the regime in Tehran waving the lion and sun flag, an emblem of its former ruler, the late Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi instead.

However small groups of men supportive of Iran’s government were seen angrily chanting “the Islamic Republic of Iran” at women giving interviews to foreign journalists outside the stadium before their most recent game, against Wales.

Fifa has refused to comment, but a number of well-placed sources have suggested that the prospect of a US ban is highly unlikely.

Biden Admin Authorizes Chevron to Resume Oil Pumping in Venezuela

The Biden administration authorized on Nov. 26 Chevron Corp.’s joint venture to resume oil pumping in Venezuela.

“The Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) issued Venezuela General License (GL) 41, authorizing Chevron Corporation to resume limited natural resource extraction operations in Venezuela,” the Treasury Department said in a statement.

The goal of the authorization is to “alleviate the suffering of the Venezuelan people and support the restoration of democracy,” according to the statement.

The Biden administration’s decision comes after the Nicolás Maduro regime and opposition political alliance Unitary Platform resumed talks in Mexico City.
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The two sides also announced progress including a humanitarian agreement focused on education, health, food security, flood response, and electricity programs that will benefit the Venezuelan people and a commitment to continuing talks on the Venezuela 2024 elections.

The announcements by the two parties are important steps in restoring democracy in Venezuela, the Biden administration stated.

42 Biden Admin Officials Put on Notice by House Republicans

At least 42 Biden administration officials were sent letters by Republicans on the House Judiciary Committee this month as they request testimony from a variety of White House officials.

Those letters primarily dealt with the suspected politicization of the FBI and Department of Justice (DOJ), investigations into U.S. border security, and Hunter Biden.

A recent letter (pdf) led by Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) to White House chief of staff Ron Klain requested testimony from Biden administration staffers relating to alleged “misuse of federal criminal and counterterrorism resources to target concerned parents at school board meetings.” Interviews from four White House officials were requested.

Around the same time, another letter (pdf) from Jordan was sent to the Department of Education requesting testimony from three officials, and another letter to the Department of Homeland Security requests interviews from around a dozen administration officials. That includes embattled Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement chief Tae Johnson.

...They’re seeking testimony from Attorney General Merrick Garland, FBI Director Christopher Wray, Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco, and dozens of other DOJ and FBI officials, according to a Washington Examiner analysis of the GOP-backed letters.

‘Step Down CCP! Step Down Xi Jinping!’
Protests Erupt Across China Over COVID-19 Curbs

Protests erupted in Shanghai and on university campuses across the country over the weekend, with crowds calling for the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and its top leader to step down, in a rare display of public dissent that the country hasn’t seen in decades.

The latest wave of widespread anger, from the capital of Beijing to the southern city of Nanjing, occurred after massive protests broke out in the far west region of Xinjiang, where strict COVID-19 curbs were blamed for 10 deaths and nine injuries in a high-rise apartment fire in Urumqi, the region’s capital city. Local authorities denied the accusation.

In Shanghai, crowds of demonstrators gathered for a vigil at Wulumuqi Middle Road, a street named after Urumqi, late on Nov. 26, according to online videos and attendees.
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She estimated that there were more than 1,000 protesters in the early morning on Nov. 27.

Police began to arrest protesters. Some protesters could be heard shouting: “Don’t use violence!” A man said to the police: “You are people’s police, you should serve the people!”

Rammeloo asked a police officer if he agreed with the protesters.

“He smiled with a very long silence. ‘We can’t do anything about it. Mei banfa,’” Rammeloo wrote on Twitter.

Video footage shows that police shoved protesters into police vehicles. The Epoch Times couldn’t immediately verify the authenticity of the video clips.

Wulumuqi Middle Road has been barricaded, but there are protests along the road, according to Rammeloo.