
CNA938 Rewind - Dive Deep! Discovering 'OCÉAN – Exploring the Unknown'' with Alliance Française SG
In 'Destination Anywhere', Melanie Oliveiro discovers the cycling adventures undertaken by Mark Smedley, Managing Director for Asia-Pacific at Brompton Bicycle, the iconic British folding bike brand. Smedley will recall notable cycling trips which include scenic routes, challenging terrain, or unexpected detours while exploring the UK, Japan and South Korea. Smedley will also share his vision on how cycling can transform cities like Singapore – especially considering the upcoming North-South Corridor (NSC), a multi-modal integrated transport expressway.
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CNA
20 hours ago
- CNA
Man Utd splashing cash on new strikers adds pressure on Amorim to deliver
MANCHESTER, England :After their worst season in 51 years last term, the only way is up for Manchester United. Complete with a new 200 million pound ($269 million) strike force, coach Ruben Amorim has the backing of fans to bring about lasting change. Now he must deliver. From the start, Amorim has always said, given the choice, he would not have taken on the monumental task of awakening English football's most successful club from its slumber when he did, mid-season. The Portuguese coach insisted he was given a "now or never" ultimatum before succeeding Erik ten Hag last November, taking an underperforming side to plentiful lows – worst finish, most defeats, fewest points and fewest goals in their Premier League history. Amorim asked supporters to judge him after he had a full pre-season to instil his ideas properly. Three new forwards gives him greater tools to succeed. Such spending comes as a surprise. New co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe insisted only in March that the club were so low on cash when his company Ineos bought a minority stake in late 2023 they faced going "bust by Christmas". RB Leipzig striker Benjamin Sesko is expected to be confirmed as a United player this weekend and could be flanked for next week's season opener against Arsenal by exciting forwards Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo, who both have something United attackers of late have lacked – Premier League goalscoring pedigree. As United slumped to an unfathomable 15th last term, the concession of 54 goals was their joint-third worst defensive record in Premier League history. It was their inability to score that proved more damaging, however. They mustered a record-low 44 league strikes, five fewer than in any Premier League season. "The hardest part of last season was to go to the games and know that we are not going to be competitive,' Amorim told reporters on the club's pre-season tour of the United States. "Nowadays I'm better, I'm more excited. I also think I learned a lot. We will be a better team. Not just because I truly believe that we can be better, but I truly believe that I will be better at managing this season. "Now we are in a better place, but we are just beginning. We have to perform. And I really like the pressure. If I have the feeling that before the game we are going to be competitive, we'll be OK. I just don't want to return to that feeling that we are thinking it's not a 50-50 game.' MAN UTD PULL STILL THERE Supporters have been buoyed that new signings have not been put off by the fact United will not be competing in any European competition this season for the first time in 11 years. Mbeumo and Sesko especially had plenty of other clubs reportedly interested in them, but the pull of United, despite being without a league title since 2013, remains. "From the start, I wanted to join this massive club," Mbeumo said after signing. "Now I'm here, I'm just really happy. For me, it's the biggest club in the world. The fans are crazy, the stadium is amazing. Every player wants to play here." More new signings are needed across the team for any major improvement this season, however. Skipper Bruno Fernandes labelled the last U.S. tour performance in a 2-2 draw with Everton as "lazy" and called on the club to make more additions before the transfer window shuts at the end of the month. Otherwise, their trip across the Atlantic was unanimously positive. With a starting line-up retaining nine of the team that performed so poorly in their Europa League final loss to Tottenham Hotspur, United looked energised and, at times, entertaining in a 4-1 win over Bournemouth, while also beating West Ham to finish unbeaten in their three-match series. Amorim faces some daunting early fixtures, with Arsenal, Manchester City and Chelsea in their opening five games. Nonetheless, he needs to harness some rare positivity gleaned from scoring some goals over pre-season to at least start setting United back on the right path. ($1 = 0.7438 pounds)


CNA
a day ago
- CNA
Champions Liverpool armed with new weapons but repeat act will be tough
LONDON :Armed with around 260 million pounds ($348.56 million) worth of new signings, Liverpool have spared no expense in trying to ensure last season's Premier League title marked the dawn of a new age of domination in English football. The post-Juergen Klopp era began with Dutchman Arne Slot's side wrestling control from Manchester City and turning the title race into a procession as their rivals imploded. Winning back-to-back titles for the first time since 1984 is likely to prove a rather more arduous challenge. Premier League clubs have already splurged in excess of two billion pounds with the likes of Arsenal, City and Chelsea all flexing their muscles with statement signings. Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur will surely improve drastically on woeful domestic campaigns last season while the likes of Aston Villa and Newcastle United will again be making themselves heard at the top table. While Liverpool won't care, last season's Premier League campaign was not a vintage edition, with the title sewn up early, the relegation victims all too predictable and the main interest being the jostle for European qualification. Hopes are high that the new season will offer more intrigue. LIVERPOOL READY TO DEFEND CROWN It will be a sombre occasion as Liverpool and Bournemouth kick off a 380-match Premier League slog on Friday with the Anfield faithful remembering Diogo Jota, the club's Portugal forward who died alongside his brother in a car crash in July. While Jota will forever have a place in the hearts of the Kop, new heroes are ready to emerge, none more so than German midfielder Florian Wirtz and French forward Hugo Ekitike. Liverpool smashed their transfer record when they paid Bayer Leverkusen an initial 100 million pounds to sign the 22-year-old Germany international, who scored 57 goals and provided 65 assists in 197 appearances for the Bundesliga club. Allied with the pace and power of 23-year-old Ekitike, signed from Eintracht Frankfurt for an initial 69 million pounds, Liverpool will have more cutting edge this season. They have also upgraded in defence with highly-rated left back Milos Kerkez set to challenge Andy Robertson and Jeremie Frimpong to fill the hole left by the departure of Trent Alexander-Arnold to Real Madrid. "I think there's always room for improvement in every department," Slot said after Liverpool beat Athletic Bilbao 3-2 in a pre-season friendly. "We've added a few extra weapons." The Dutchman was also quick to point out that Liverpool's rivals have not "stood still", especially Arsenal and City. CAN ARSENAL TAKE FINAL STEP, WILL CITY HIT BACK? Under Mikel Arteta, Arsenal have been agonisingly close to a first Premier League title since 2004, twice pushing Manchester City hard and last season emerging as Liverpool's sole rivals before falling away. Fans have long-lamented the lack of a genuine goal poacher but their prayers may have been answered with the signing of Sweden's Viktor Gyokeres from Sporting as part of a near 200 million pounds outlay in the close season. The 27-year-old scored 54 goals in all competitions last season and should he come anywhere near the level of club record scorer Thierry Henry, whose number 14 shirt he will wear, the 63.5 million euros ($73.93 million) fee will seem a bargain. Defensive midfielder Martin Zubimendi arrived from Real Sociedad while Noni Madueke made the short trip across London from Chelsea to offer attacking support to Bukayo Saka. While Arsenal, who visit Manchester United in their opener next Sunday, trailed in 10 points behind Liverpool last term, City were 13 adrift as their stranglehold ended. Pep Guardiola's rebuilding job began last season and with talisman Kevin de Bruyne gone, that has accelerated with the signings of Dutch midfielder Tijjani Reijnders, Wolverhampton Wanderers left back Rayan Ait-Nouri and winger Rayan Cherki. City visit Wolves in the late game next Saturday. Fresh from winning the Club World Cup, Chelsea will also be expected to mount a challenge with striker Joao Pedro their standout signing of another busy transfer window. The Blues start their season at home to Crystal Palace next Sunday. FRANK FACES TOTTENHAM CHALLENGE Former Brentford manager Thomas Frank takes charge of a Spurs team that finished 17th but won the Europa League under Ange Postecoglou and are back in the Champions League without talisman Son Heung-min who ended his 10-year stint this week. Quite what the Dane will make of the jigsaw puzzle he has inherited from the sacked Postecoglou is anyone's guess, but fans will expect to see a vast domestic improvement as they get under way at home to promoted Burnley next Saturday. Likewise at Manchester United where Ruben Amorim begins his first full season in charge with the pain of their worst league campaign since 1974 still painfully fresh. PROMOTED CLUBS AIM TO BUCK TREND For Daniel Farke, Scott Parker and Regis Le Bris - managers of promoted trio Leeds United, Burnley and Sunderland - the brief is simple - survival. The omens are not good with the last six teams to gain promotion to the top flight going straight back down. Leeds open their campaign at home to Everton two days after Sunderland welcome West Ham United next Saturday. ($1 = 0.7459 pounds) ($1 = 0.8589 euros)

Straits Times
a day ago
- Straits Times
Argentina-bound All Blacks rookie forced to scramble after dog eats passport
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox – Leroy Carter's dream call-up to New Zealand's Rugby Championship squad nearly turned sour when he discovered his passport had been chewed up by his dog days before leaving for Argentina. Utility back Carter, named among the injury replacements in Scott Robertson's All Blacks squad, found his passport ruined on his bed and had to scramble to arrange a new one. 'I got my passport out to take a photo to send to the (team) manager and I just left it on my bedside table,' the 26-year-old told New Zealand media. 'My partner went to the gym and left my dog home alone and it's gone down the hallway, jumped on the bed and just chewed up the passport and my teeth aligners. 'It was a bit of a shambles yesterday. I was trying to get an emergency one, but I think it's all sussed (sorted) now... no point getting stressed about it, just trying to sort it out.' Most of the All Blacks squad will fly out on Aug 8 for Argentina where they play their Rugby Championship opener against the Pumas in Cordoba on Aug 16. Carter, who represented New Zealand in rugby sevens at the Paris Olympics and won a bronze with the squad at the 2022 Commonwealth Games, earned his first All Blacks call-up after his debut season with the Waikato Chiefs in Super Rugby. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore SAF regular serviceman dies after being found unconscious at Hendon Camp swimming pool: Mindef Singapore Police search operation spotted in forested area near Greenleaf Place in Bukit Timah Asia 2 Malaysian tourists critically injured after being set on fire in Bangkok Asia Train derails in Thailand, multiple injuries reported World Trump says he will meet Putin on Aug 15 in Alaska Singapore He studied architecture to chase childhood dream of designing an NDP stage Life The crypto bros are back: 'The hubris never really left' Asia 'Very nerdy' hobby of doujinshi self-publishing is a growing billion-dollar market in Japan He said he was out for breakfast with his partner and some of his teammates from provincial side Bay of Plenty when Robertson called to confirm his selection on Aug 4. 'I got an unknown-number call. I guess I thought if there was a day to answer those, it was probably (that day) and he just said congratulations,' said Carter. 'I honestly can't really remember what else he said after that. I was pretty emotional and pretty stoked to get a phone call like that. All the boys were pretty pumped, but I was still in a bit of a shock.' In other news, fly-half Richie Mo'unga, 31, will return to New Zealand rugby next season and be eligible to play for the All Blacks from October 2026, as part of an 18-month contract announced on Aug 7. The deal will see the Japan-based playmaker rejoin Canterbury for the 2026 National Provincial Championship and the Crusaders from the 2027 Super Rugby season. Mo'unga, with 56 caps and a winner of seven championship trophies at the Crusaders, has been ineligible to play for New Zealand since leaving for Japan after the 2023 World Cup in France. New Zealand Rugby restricts Test selection to home-based players to try to protect its domestic competitions from talent drain. REUTERS