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mariacallous · 1 year

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In the early hours of Feb. 24, 2022, Russian tanks and artillery opened fire all over Ukraine. The invasion began the largest armed conflict in Europe since World War II, killing tens of thousands on both sides, reducing whole cities to ash and rubble, and forcing millions to abandon their homes.

One year on, Ukraine still stands defiant in the face of Russian aggression. Its people have suffered waves of indiscriminate missile attacks, torture, kidnap, and mass killings, as well as attempts to break their morale with disinformation campaigns and strikes on energy infrastructure. Yet Ukrainians have largely responded with unity and grit.

Foreign Policy has been there from the beginning, reporting on key developments and some of the country’s most dangerous hot spots to chronicle the horrors of this brutal war. These are the stories of some of those who have lived through it.

Ukrainian police officers rest during their work exhuming bodies at a mass burial site in Izium, Ukraine, on Sept. 16, 2022

Workers carry body bags to refrigerated containers following an exhumation in Izium, Ukraine, on Sept. 19, 2022.

Dmytro Hapchenko, 45, has worked for the Bucha City Council since 2015 and took on the role of manager of affairs in 2021. An early Russian offensive to take the capital, Kyiv, saw nearby Bucha turned into the front line. When Ukraine retook the city, evidence of Russia’s mass killings was unearthed.

The first sign I saw of Russian presence in Bucha was on Feb. 25. A car had been fired at. The driver, his wife, and kids were injured. They said they had tried to leave Bucha, but soldiers in the suburbs started shooting.

Russians moved farther into the city on Feb. 27. They told us that if you mark yourself as a civilian with a white bandage, you will not be killed. It wasn’t true. I have access to CCTV—they were just shooting pedestrians who were crossing the road. The bodies were left lying there; they didn’t allow us to take them. I think it was an order to destroy our people.

I feel a lot of hate, because killing was a game for Russians. My friend died after he looked over his balcony and a sniper shot him. People who lived through this time call me all the time just to talk—those who didn’t experience it can’t understand.

On March 15, me and some other volunteers were waiting for evacuation and supply buses when Russian soldiers came. They took our phones and documents. They tied our hands and put bags on our heads. They accused us of being territorial defense [units]. We waited hours for a captain to interrogate us, but he never came. Soldiers talked among themselves, saying they could take us to the forest. I thought that was my end. I knew people were shot in the forest; many have still not been found.

The funeral of a civilian military volunteer killed in action is held at a church in Lviv, western Ukraine, on April 12, 2022.

The next morning, six of us managed to escape from the basement they kept us in overnight. There were others down there, but I don’t know what happened to them. Some of those who were captured were taken to Kursk (in Russia). We found out later the captain we were waiting for was FSB [Russian Federal Security Service]. He was a Ukrainian traitor from Crimea.

On March 30, I had lunch with a friend. He had to call his wife, so he climbed up to the ninth floor to get a better signal and saw a column of Russian tanks firing. They shot him in the leg [with small arms].

Two days later, there were rumors the enemy troops had left. I got on my bike and did a tour of the city and found only Ukrainian military. We’re still worried they could come back, though, because we always hear there could be an attack from Belarus.

I make more time to see and call my family now. War changed everything. It changed our vision of the world. Bucha was one of the most comfortable places to live in Ukraine. We never wanted massacre fame, and now we’ll do everything possible to make our city known for something else.

A soldier climbs on top of a destroyed Russian tank in the village of Mala Rohan in Kharkiv, Ukraine, on May 6, 2022.

Vladymir Balabanov, 60, is pictured at a homeless shelter in Kharkiv, Ukraine.

Vladymir Balabanov, 60, worked in a homeless shelter in Kharkiv and, before that, in an orphanage. Kharkiv was bombarded with missiles for months, leaving parts of it destroyed, while much of the region was Russian-occupied for more than six months.

Before the war, Kharkiv was full of young people because there were a lot of universities; the polytechnic alone had 20,000 students. The city was growing. There were modern parks and many tourists—it was developing.

We didn’t believe a war could start, even when we woke at 4 a.m. on Feb. 24. My daughter-in-law gave birth early the following day due to stress. At the beginning, the air-raid sirens were nonstop; it was unreal. Most of our staff fled. Only three of us stayed because there were 20 residents who did not want to go.

The homeless began using the shelter supplies to make hot food for the families who were hiding in the underground metro stations because of the constant bombardment. Trains that evacuated people to the west came back with supplies. We, the homeless and the staff, helped unload them and distributed goods around the city. We took food to places under constant shelling.

People wait for an evacuation train at the station in Dnipro, Ukraine, on March 5, 2022.

Ukrainians find shelter in an underground subway station in Kharkiv, Ukraine, on March 10, 2022.

I live on the edge of the city. It’s private houses there, rather than apartment blocks, so there were no basements to hide in. The buildings were shaking all the time as missiles hit. Tanks passed nonstop. Not just Russian, but also Ukrainian. That gave us hope.

The building next to mine was destroyed. It was three floors high. All that was left was two walls. When I evacuated my family, they said, “Maybe we will never come back,” but I was sure that Kharkiv would stay with Ukraine.

There was only one shop open and the line was hours long, while enemy jets flew overhead. My friend and I took food to people who couldn’t queue, but his son and another volunteer got killed doing that.

In May, the shelter started filling up with people who had lost their homes or were fleeing occupied territories. When those areas were liberated in September, the mood in the city completely changed—it brought us an inner calm. We knew there was still a threat, but it was a danger we could overcome.

People who fled are coming back now. We see our country in a new way. We have changed, and we want to change Ukraine for the better. A year of war has left us tired, but with hope.

Ukrainians gather in the main square in Kherson, after the liberation of the city, on Nov. 13, 2022.

Galina Uminets, 69, from Kherson, is a former entrepreneur. In 2014, when protests erupted in Kyiv, she organized her own local versions. She helped evacuate people from Crimea ahead of Russia’s sham referendum the same year. She took humanitarian aid to eastern Ukraine twice a week during the worst of the violence with proxy forces. She was twice captured near Olenivka, Donetsk, and has been awarded a medal of bravery by former President Petro Poroshenko. Kherson, in the south of Ukraine close to Crimea, was occupied by Russian forces from the beginning of March for almost nine months.

Kherson was prosperous, beautiful. There was a lot of green space and happy people, not like you see it today. My husband died young from illness, and my children lived poor in a basement with no light. My dream was to build a house with windows from the ceiling to the floor and a garden, and I did it. Now it has no windows and no flowers. Everywhere in Kherson is the same.

Our city was not prepared for war. There was a bridge across the Dnipro from Kakhovka. It was very easy for Russians to come. Their tanks just swept through the city and kept going to Mykolaiv, but they couldn’t get in, so they came back here and occupied us. We had nothing, no weapons, just Molotov cocktails.

Ukrainians greet liberating soldiers with hugs and kisses in Kherson on Nov. 13, 2022.

I was an organizer at the volunteer center where we made the Molotov cocktails. I hid most of the time, but on May 3 a man put a bag over my head, handcuffed me, and took me to the police station. Russians tortured me for eight days in a row with electric shocks. I was naked, and they beat me. They gave me a bag as a toilet.

They brought Russian TV and made a report about the “neo-Nazis” they had found in Kherson. The day before the invasion, a photographer had visited the city to take pictures of soldiers, volunteers, and schools. I know now he was a scout. He was there and about 200 of his pictures were on the table. Soldiers said, “Tell us who these people are and where they are.” I refused, and they took me back to the prison unconscious.

The troops used to threaten me that they would cut off my breast and replace it with the face of [Stepan] Bandera [a controversial Ukrainian figure reviled by Russia but revered by some Ukrainian nationalists], but by June 26, I was in such a bad way they thought I was dead and threw me into the park.

When Ukrainians liberated us on Nov. 11, I was still in pain from my broken ribs. People flooded into the main square holding flags and hugging soldiers. A man I rescued in 2014—I found him lying injured in a field of sunflowers—was one of the first to free the city. He just recently got seriously wounded again. When he called from the hospital, I told him that, after we win, we’ll throw the biggest party, wear the prettiest dresses, and celebrate with all our hearts.

It’s painful to see Kherson now. It’s more destroyed than it was under occupation because of the increased shelling. My home was hit in January, and I am staying with one of the volunteers. It has only given me more power to fight. This war has united people, and there is one goal: victory.

Ukrainians leave Mariupol on the first day of the war, Feb. 24, 2022.

Viktorii Voytsekhovskyy (right), her husband, Andriy, and their 5-year-old son, Leon, protest the impending Russian invasion in Mariupol on Feb. 22, 2022.

Viktorii Voytsekhovskyy, 29, is an animation designer from Moscow. She met her husband, Andriy, when she worked at Russia 1, a state-owned TV channel known for its pro-Kremlin stance. He opened her eyes to the reality in Ukraine, and she left her job and moved to Mariupol with him in 2015. They have a 5-year-old son. Viktorii and her son got visas to the Netherlands after fleeing Mariupol but soon came back to be with Andriy in western Ukraine. Mariupol, which is majority Russian-speaking, is the site of the greatest atrocity of the war to date. It is now occupied by Russia.

On the first day of the war, my husband was walking the dog near our home in the city’s east when a Grad [a Russian rocket] crashed past him into the window of a ground-floor apartment about 15 yards away. The next day, we got on a train out of the city.

Many friends and family members were sheltering in our church, which happened to be underground. They decided to leave after the city’s drama theater was hit on March 16. The next day, a bomb was dropped on the church.

My husband’s parents, with his grandmother, sister, and nephew, didn’t make it out of the city, because they got a flat tire from shrapnel that was lying on the road. Russians took them forcefully on buses to filtration camps. There was no phone connection, but the sister managed to send us a message somehow.

Because I’m from Russia, I knew people who live near the border, so I asked them to help. They went and basically kidnapped our family from a huge line of people waiting to register. The Salvation Army got them to Moscow, and from there we got them to Latvia, where friends of friends got them to the airport in Riga. I met them off a flight in Amsterdam. The friends in Russia who helped us, they have had to leave the country now. First to Georgia, then Armenia, and now they’re somewhere in Africa.

Valentyna Konstantinovska, 79, trains before the Russian invasion in Mariupol, Ukraine, on Feb. 13, 2022.

Not everyone we know in Mariupol got out. The other day, I spoke with a young designer who’s there. He said everything is terrible. People are freezing in winter without heating. At his school, they tell students that Ukraine is not a real country.

Neighbors told us our building was hit and our stuff stolen, including my computer and vacuum. I would prefer everything had burned than that someone is using my things. I’m most sorry about our pictures.

My son started to ask me why we speak Russian at home instead of Ukrainian. It’s quite hard for me to respond so we decided to speak Ukrainian instead. Now he refuses to speak Russian, and if we do, he says, “Oh, you’re saying it wrong.” I speak Ukrainian well and people don’t always believe I am from Mariupol. Little do they know.

We miss our city so much. For us, it was the best place on earth. I want to go back to these memories, to our old life, but it can never be like that again. I feel so much shame for what Russia has done.

We try to plan for the future, but tomorrow maybe they will drop a nuclear bomb. Then nothing would matter. I keep a box of iodine and a stack of water bottles just in case. I used to wonder why my grandmother would collect things like tinned food and salt. Now I’m doing the same.

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dailykoreanpop · 2 years

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KARD, Weeekly and more announced in first wave of acts for Jakarta’s KPOP LAND 2022 festival this September

K-pop groups KARD and Weeekly have been announced in the first wave of acts set to play Indonesia’s KPOP LAND 2022 festival this September.

The two acts will perform at Stadium Madya Senayan in Jakarta this September 19 alongside fellow K-pop groups VICTON and ATEEZ. Organisers Boart Indonesia have promised a total of five acts will perform at the festival alongside a special guest star who has yet to be revealed.

Ticketing information for the festival has yet to be announced, though the organisers have said that the information will be coming soon.

KARD recently unveiled their stirring cover of BTS’ 2017 single ‘Spring Day’ in an appearance on South Korean music programme Yoo Heeyeol’s Sketchbook. The quartet released their fifth mini-album ‘Re:’ earlier this June, marking their first group release in two years after their 2020 single album ‘Way With Words’. That three-track mini-album was led by the single ‘Gunshot’, and marked the act’s last release before member J.seph enlisted in the military.

The group will be embarking on a South American tour following the release of ‘Re:’, with shows announced in Mexico, Chile, Brazil, Colombia and Argentina.

Weeekly recently saw the departure of member Shin Ji-yoon on June 1 following a series of hiatuses over the past year due to anxiety. Weeekly will continue on as a six-member group while Shin receives treatment for her mental health.

Shin had first taken a hiatus from the group in August 2021, and later returned to the girl group four months later in December. However, soon after Weeekly made their comeback earlier this year with the single album ‘Play Game: Awake’, Shin went on another hiatus in late-February.

Boyband ATEEZ have recently announced dates for their ‘The Fellowship: Break The Wall’ world tour, which will begin in October and take the eight-member act to North America, Korea and Japan. to North America, Korea and Japan. The group are also readying their ninth mini-album ‘The World Ep.1: Movement’, the first instalment of the group’s new ‘The World’ series. The seven-track record is due out on July 29 at 1pm KST.

Credit: NME

#kard #ateez #victon #weeekly #nme

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dailyrugbytoday · 4 months

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2024 HSBC SVNS CAPE TOWN (Day Official LIVE)

New Post has been published on https://thedailyrugby.com/2024-hsbc-svns-cape-town-day/

The Daily Rugby

https://thedailyrugby.com/2024-hsbc-svns-cape-town-day/

2024 HSBC SVNS CAPE TOWN (Day Official LIVE)

Ahead of the HSBC SVNS CAPE TOWN 2024 second round, Cape Town has extended a warm welcome to the world’s top rugby sevens teams. Prior to the event, the teams have been touring Cape Town. The Mother City is expected to have a lively festival atmosphere and an exciting show both on and off the field.

The competition between the 12 men’s and 12 women’s teams is already very entertaining, but there will be so much more going on all weekend long that Cape Town might well prove to be the largest party in the Sevens.

view for free watch: HSBC SVNS Cape Town Rugby 2024 Live streaming

Indeed, the second leg of the HSBC SVNS Series will include “wall-to-wall” elite players, with the opportunity to witness both the men’s and women’s Springbok teams in action.

The Blitzboks are aiming for back-to-back wins after winning the first leg in Dubai.

But there will be a plenty more to discover. What about the Beach Club which features a swim-up bar a Sun Stage for live music. special spaces for hospitality lively food stalls and energetic DJs to keep the party going?

HSBC SVNS CAPE TOWN Match schedules

The HSBC SVNS CAPE TOWN action kicks off at 09:00 local time (GMT+2) on Saturday with the pool matches. Day two begins at 09:00 on Sunday with the quarter-finals and culminates with the women’s gold medal final at 18:43, followed by the men’s final at 19:23 local time. HSBC SEVENS CAPE TOWN Tickets are available from R150 at Ticketmaster.

HSBC SVNS CAPE TOWN Schedule Day 1…

2:06 PM* Samoa 7s vs Australia 7s

2:06 PM* New Zealand 7s vs Canada 7s

2:28 PM* Fiji 7s vs France 7s

2:28 PM* Argentina 7s vs Spain 7s

2:50 PM* Ireland 7s vs USA 7s

2:50 PM* South Africa 7s vs Great Britain 7s

4:28 PM* Samoa 7s vs Canada 7s

4:50 PM* New Zealand 7s vs Australia 7s

5:12 PM* Fiji 7s vs Spain 7s

5:34 PM* Argentina 7s vs France 7s

5:56 PM* Ireland 7s vs Great Britain 7s

6:18 PM* South Africa 7s vs USA 7s

9:28 PM* Australia 7s vs Canada 7s

9:50 PM* New Zealand 7s vs Samoa 7s

10:34 PM* France 7s vs Spain 7s

10:56 PM* Argentina 7s vs Fiji 7s

11:18 PM* USA 7s vs Great Britain 7s

11:40 PM* South Africa 7s vs Ireland 7s

World Rugby Sevens Venues and Schedule

Dubai SVNS The 2023 Dubai SVNS will take place in Dubai on the weekend of the 2 and 3 December 2023 at the The Sevens Stadium.

Cape Town SVNS The 2023 Cape Town SVNS will take place in Cape Town at the DHL Stadium on the weekend of the 9 and 10 December 2023.

Perth SVNS The 2024 Perth SVNS will take place in Perth at HBF Park on the weekend of the 26 and 28 January 2024.

Vancouver SVNS The 2024 Vancouver SVNS will take place in Vancouver on the weekend of the 23 and 25 February 2024 at BC Place stadium.

Los Angeles SVNS The 2024 Los Angeles SVNS will take place in Los Angeles on the weekend of the 2 and 3 March 2024 at Dignity Health Sports Park.

Hong Kong SVNS The 2024 Hong Kong SVNS will take place in Hong Kong on the weekend of the 5 and 7 April 2024 at Hong Kong Stadium.

Singapore SVNS The penultimate event of the first series, the 2024 Singapore SVNS, will take place in Singapore on the weekend of the 3 and 5 May 2024 at Singapore National Stadium.

Madrid SVNS The weekend of May 31 and June 2, 2024 at the Civets Metropolitan in Madrid, will see the first Grand Final 2024 Madrid SVNS. To be named the Series champions, the top eight teams will square off. In a relegation play-off, the teams ranked ninth through twelfth will square off against the top four teams from a newly created Challenger Series to determine who will advance to the 2024–2025 season. For the next three seasons, the Grand Final will be held at the renowned location.

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moldytundra · 11 months

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Tinariwen - “Anemouhagh”

Tinariwen, the legendary, Grammy-winning Tuareg collective will release their new album, Amatssou, on May 19th, 2023.

Amatssou by Tinariwen

Later this month, Tinariwen will embark on their first US tour since 2019, beginning on May 27th at Chicago’s Old Town School of Folk Music and including stops in Los Angeles, New York and more. A list of full dates are below and tickets are on sale now. For decades, Tinariwen have remained ambassadors for the Tuareg people, a way of life in tune with the natural world, which is under threat as never before. Throughout Amatssou — the legendary collective’s ninth studio album — Tinariwen set out to explore the shared sensibilities between their trademark desert blues and the vibrant country music of rural America. Recorded in Djanet, an oasis in the desert of southern Algeria located in Tassili N’Ajjer National Park, with additional production on two tracks by Daniel Lanois (Brian Eno, U2, Bob Dylan, Emmylou Harris, Peter Gabriel, Willie Nelson), Amatssou finds Tinariwen’s signature snaking guitar lines and hypnotic grooves seamlessly co-existing alongside banjos, fiddles and pedal steel. Though Tuareg culture is as old as that of ancient Greece or Rome, the songs of Amatssou speak to the current and often tough reality of Tuareg life today. Unsurprisingly, there are impassioned references to Mali’s ongoing political and social turmoil. Full of poetic allegory, the lyrics call for unity and freedom. There are songs of struggle and resistance with oblique references to the recent desperate political upheavals in Mali and the increasing power of the Salafists. Tinariwen’s message has never sounded more urgent and compelling than it does on Amatssou.

Tinariwen Tour Dates Sat. May 27 - Chicago, IL @ Old Town School of Folk Music Tue. May 30 - Portland, OR @ Wonder Ballroom Wed. May 31 - Seattle, WA @ Showbox Fri. June 2 - Berkeley, CA @ UC Theater Sat. June 3 - Los Angeles, CA @ Fonda Theater Mon. June 5 - New York, NY @ Webster Hall Tue. June 6 - Boston, MA @ Sinclair Wed. June 7 - Washington, DC @ Lincoln Theatre Sat. June 10 - Hilvarenbeek, NL @ Best Kept Secret Festival Mon. June 12 - Rubigen, CH @ Muhle Hunziken Wed. June 14 - Florence, IT @Ultravox Thu. June 15 - Milan, IT @ Triennale Garden Fri. June 16 - Turin, IT @ Hiroshima Mon Amour Sun. June 18 - Dublin, IE @ Body & Soul Festival Thu. June 22 - Berlin, DE @ Festsaal Kreuzberg Sat. June 24 - Glastonbury, UK @ Glastonbury Festival Mon. 26 - Lille, FR @ Splendid Wed. June 28 - Paris, FR @ Salle Pleyel Thu. June 29 - Brussels, BE @ Ancienne Belgique Sat. July 1 - Roskilde, DK @ Roskilde Festival Sun. July 2 - Stockholm, SE @ Slaktkyran Tue. July 4 - Oslo, NO @ Rockefeller Fri. July 7 - Bilbao, ES @ BBK Live Festival Tue. July 11 - Arles, FR @ Les Suds Arles Thu. July 13 - London, UK @ Somerset House Sat. July 15 - Bristol, UK @ SWX Mon. July 17 - Glasgow, UK @ St Lukes Wed. July 19 - Bermingham, UK @ Institute 2 Sat. July 22 - Cheshire, UK @ Bluedot Festival Tue. 25 - Vigo, SP @ Terraceo Festival Sat. July 29 - Luxey, FR @ Musicalarue Festival

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#tinariwen #new release #music #tuareg #chicago

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dan6085 · 11 months

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Here are 20 of the greatest wins in golf tournament history, in no particular order:

1. Jack Nicklaus, 1986 Masters: At the age of 46, Nicklaus won his sixth Green Jacket and 18th major championship with a stunning final-round 65 to come from behind and win by one stroke.

2. Tiger Woods, 2008 U.S. Open: Playing on a broken leg, Woods made a clutch birdie on the 72nd hole to force a playoff, which he won the next day to capture his 14th major title.

3. Ben Hogan, 1950 U.S. Open: In one of the greatest comebacks in sports history, Hogan returned from a near-fatal car accident to win the U.S. Open just 16 months later.

4. Phil Mickelson, 2004 Masters: Mickelson made a dramatic birdie putt on the final hole to win his first major championship and end a long streak of near-misses in major tournaments.

5. Arnold Palmer, 1960 U.S. Open: Palmer overcame a seven-stroke deficit in the final round to win his only U.S. Open championship.

6. Payne Stewart, 1999 U.S. Open: Stewart won his second U.S. Open title with a 15-foot par putt on the final hole, just four months before his tragic death in a plane crash.

7. Jack Nicklaus, 1975 Masters: Nicklaus won his fifth Green Jacket and 13th major championship with a brilliant back-nine charge that included an eagle and four birdies.

8. Tiger Woods, 2000 U.S. Open: Woods dominated the field at Pebble Beach, winning by a record 15 strokes and setting numerous scoring records along the way.

9. Tom Watson, 1982 U.S. Open: Watson chipped in for birdie on the 17th hole and then made par on the final hole to hold off Jack Nicklaus and win his only U.S. Open championship.

10. Seve Ballesteros, 1984 Open Championship: Ballesteros won his second Open Championship with a dazzling final-round 65, including a birdie on the famous "Postage Stamp" hole at Royal Troon.

11. Byron Nelson, 1945 PGA Championship: Nelson won his fifth consecutive tournament and 11th of the year, a record that still stands today, to capture his second PGA Championship.

12. Gary Player, 1978 Masters: Player won his third Green Jacket and ninth major championship with a birdie on the final hole to hold off Tom Watson and Hubert Green.

13. Tiger Woods, 2005 Masters: Woods won his fourth Green Jacket with a dramatic chip-in on the 16th hole and a birdie on the final hole to beat Chris DiMarco in a playoff.

14. Bobby Jones, 1930 U.S. Open: Jones completed the "Grand Slam" of golf by winning all four major championships in the same year, a feat that has never been repeated.

15. Annika Sorenstam, 2003 Colonial: Sorenstam became the first woman in 58 years to compete in a PGA Tour event, shooting 71-74 to miss the cut but inspiring a generation of female golfers.

16. Tom Kite, 1992 U.S. Open: Kite won his only major championship with a record-setting performance at Pebble Beach, finishing at three under par to win by two strokes.

17. Sam Snead, 1954 Masters: Snead won his third Green Jacket and seventh major championship with a final-round 70 to hold off Ben Hogan and Jack Burke Jr.

18. Payne Stewart, 1991 U.S. Open: Stewart won his first major championship with a 15-foot par putt on the final hole to beat Scott Simpson by one stroke.

19. Jack Nicklaus, 1965 Masters: Nicklaus won his third Green Jacket and ninth major championship with a final-round 69 to hold off Arnold Palmer and Gary Player.

20. Gene Sarazen, 1935 Masters: Sarazen hit "the shot heard 'round the world" with a double eagle on the par-5 15th hole to force a playoff, which he won the next day to capture his second Green Jacket.

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youblogzz · 1 year

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Tennis: Alcaraz beats Tsitsipas to clinch back-to-back Barcelona titles

Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz celebrates with the trophy after winning the Barcelona Open in the final match against Greece’s Stefanos Tsitsipas. (REUTERS) BARCELONA, Spain – World number two Carlos Alcaraz beat Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-3 6-4 to win the Barcelona Open on Sunday and clinch his third ATP Tour title of the year and the ninth overall for the 19-year-old. Alcaraz, who had an injury-plagued…

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aussiesportscorner · 1 year

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It's just not cricket, it's human rights.

It's the Ninth of September 2021. In response to the Taliban taking power in Afghanistan and potentially banning women from taking part in sports, Cricket Australia suggests that they will cancel the men's test between Australia and Afghanistan, already delayed one year due to the covid-19 pandemic.

Flash forward to the Fifth of November 2021, only 22 days out from when the test match was due to be played, and the test was once again postponed indefinitely due to the speculations of women not being allowed to play cricket. Ahmadullah Wasiq, the deputy head of the Taliban's cultural commission suggests it not being seen as necessary for women to play cricket did not help the cause.

"I don't think women will be allowed to play cricket. It is not necessary that women should play."

On the twelve of January 2023, Cricket Australia once again cancelled matches against Afghanistan, this time 3 One Day Games to be hosted in the United Arab Emirates following a recent announcement from the Taliban that women were to be banned from university education.

"This decision follows the recent announcement by the Taliban of further restrictions on women's and girls' education and employment opportunities and their ability to access parks and gyms," The Cricket Australia statement read.

"CA is committed to supporting growing the game for women and men around the world, including in Afghanistan, and will continue to engage with the Afghanistan Cricket Board in anticipation of improved conditions for women and girls in the country."

This has led to anger from the Afghani players, most notably Rashid Khan, who has taken the seventh most wickets and the most by any international player in Australia's domestic T20 competition, The Big Bash League. Khan Tweeted an image of a written note which said:

"I am really disappointed to hear that Australia have pulled out of the series to play us in March,"I take great pride in representing my country, and we have made great progress on the world stage. This decision from CA sets us back in that journey. If playing vs Afghanistan is so uncomfortable for Australia, then I wouldn't want to make anyone uncomfortable with my presence in the BBL. Therefore, I will be strongly considering my future in that competition."

This Statement had come shortly after the Afghanistan Cricket board had called Cricket Australia's statement "pathetic". It was "prioritising political interests over the principles of fair play and sportsmanship", and "undermining the integrity of the game and damaging the relationship between the two nations". However Cricket Australia chief executive Nick Hockley hit back, declaring "basic human rights is not politics"

"It is clearly a very challenging and sad situation. We did not take this decision lightly and consulted widely including with our government," Hockley said. "We were hopeful of playing the series and have been in regular dialogue with the Afghanistan Cricket Board.

"However announcements by the Taliban in late November and late December signalling the deterioration of basic human rights for women in Afghanistan led to our decision to withdraw from these games. Basic human rights is not politics."

Australia are scheduled to play Afghanistan twice more in the coming years. with 3 T20 internationals at a neutral venue in august 2024, and Afghanistan touring Australia in 2026 for 3 more T20 internationals and one Test match

#cricket #australia #afghanistan #rashid khan

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digihindnews · 1 year

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Dirk Nowitzki Net Worth: What is Dirk Nowitzki Net Worth and Salary?

Dirk Nowitzki Net Worth: Because of his extraordinary talents, Dirk Nowitzki is widely regarded as the best European player of all time. Even though Nowitzki officially retired in 2019, he is still very much involved in the industry thanks to his celebrity golf tournament, which raises money for various charities. According to authoritative sources, Dirk Nowitzki will have earned $140,000,000 by the end of 2022.

Who Is Dirk Nowitzki?

Former NBA player and current special advisor to the Dallas Mavericks, Dirk Werner Nowitzki born June 19, 1978, is a German citizen (NBA). At 7 feet tall (2.13 meters), he is considered by many to be the best player in European history and one of the best power forwards of all time. He made the NBA's 75th-anniversary team in 2021.

What is Dirk Nowitzki's Net Worth and Salary?

Retired German basketball star Dirk Nowitzki is worth an estimated $140 million. Nowitzki is widely regarded as the greatest European NBA player of all time and is frequently ranked among the game's all-time best power forwards by sports writers and analysts. He's not only tall for a basketball player (he's 7 feet tall), but he can play a variety of positions. In 2011, the Dallas Mavericks, led by Dirk Nowitzki, won the NBA title. With his assistance, the German national team achieved great success, including a bronze medal at the 2002 FIBA World Championship.

Dirk Nowitzki Net Worth: Early Life

On June 19th, 1978, in Würzburg, West Germany, Dirk Nowitzki was born. His mother played basketball professionally, and his father played handball for the German national team, so he grew up in an athletic household. Dirk Nowitzki was a tall kid from the start. Even when he was young, he was a giant compared to his classmates. Nowitzki's height made him interested in tennis and handball at first, but he eventually switched to basketball. Dirk was discovered by German professional basketball player Holger Geschwindner when he was 15 years old. Geschwindner saw Nowitzki's potential and worked with him three times a week, focusing on his shooting and passing. Nowitzki's development led Geschwindner to pose the question of whether he would rather continue playing basketball in Germany against lesser competition or against the best players in the world. Nowitzki went with the second option, and Geschwindner made training a daily habit. Nowitzki made the German basketball team DJK Würzburg at the tender age of 16.

Dirk Nowitzki Net Worth: Career

Nowitzki's first year at DJK was a bust, but he quickly turned things around and established himself as a first-string player the following year. He became one of Germany's rising stars and averaged over 20 points per game by the end of the season. Nowitzki led DJK to promotion to Germany's first division when he was just 18 years old. After being named the best basketball player in Germany, Nowitzki decided to pursue a career in the National Basketball Association. Nowitzki showed off his skills and dunked on Charles Barkley during his time on Nike's Hoop Heroes Tour and Hoop Summit. After that, every team in the world wanted to sign Nowitzki.

Dirk Nowitzki The Milwaukee Bucks selected Nowitzki ninth overall in the 1998 NBA draught, but they ended up trading him to the Dallas Mavericks. In the same season that I signed with the Mavericks, I met Steve Nash, who quickly became one of my best friends. Initial signs pointed to success for Dirk and the Mavericks, but he began his Mavericks career with the same rookie woes he experienced with DJK. The Mavericks didn't make the playoffs that year, and in 2000, billionaire Mark Cuban purchased the team. Cuban spent his money on the team and bought them a private jet. Nowitzki responded admirably, maintaining high-performance levels all season long and finishing as the NBA's runner-up for Most Improved Player. His average point total for the 2000–2001 season was over 20. Nowitzki signed a six-year, $90 million contract extension prior to the start of the 2001-2002 season, making him the second-highest-paid German athlete in the world (after Michael Schumacher). Nowitzki became the Mavericks' go-to scorer and a crucial cog in their success by the 2002–2003 season. Nowitzki scored 53 points against the Houston Rockets in 2004, setting a new career high. The Mavericks' play improved steadily over the next few seasons, and Dirk Nowitzki came to symbolize their success. Even though his team lost to the Golden State Warriors, he was still named the league's MVP for the 2006–07 season. The Mavericks had a disappointing run of playoff losses prior to the 2010-2011 season, but they were able to redeem themselves by winning the championship. Despite suffering from a fever of 101 degrees Fahrenheit, Nowitzki played a crucial role in the finals, scoring the game-winning basket in game four. When the season was over, he won the MVP award for the second time. As a result of Nowitzki's knee surgery, the Mavericks missed the playoffs in 2012 for the first time since his second year with the team. However, the Mavericks were unable to recapture their championship form over the subsequent years, and Nowitzki dealt with Achilles tendon issues in the 2016–2017 season. He was injured in the 2017–18 season, missing the rest of the season until the very last game was played due to an ankle injury. Once again, the Mavericks fell short of the postseason. Nowitzki finished as the sixth-highest-scoring player in NBA history in his final season, 2018-2019. Dirk Nowitzki finished his NBA career as the all-time leader in points scored by an international player. Additionally, he made fourteen appearances in NBA All-Star games. Also, Dirk Nowitzki is the only NBA player to have spent his entire career with one team. Career Earnings With just his salary, Dirk made $255 million during his 21-year NBA career. As a result, he now has the sixth-highest career salary of any NBA player. Dirk spent his entire professional basketball career with the Dallas Mavericks. Since there is no state income tax in Texas, Dirk was able to save a significant amount of money by relocating there. Dirk would have kept about $33 million more of his paychecks if he had played in a high-tax state like New Jersey, California, or New York. His average salary in the NBA was $12 million per year, so by remaining with the Mavericks for those three years, he effectively got them to pay him. Read More: - JJ Watt Net Worth: What Is His Relationship Status? - Gloria Estefan Net Worth: How is Gloria Estefan So Rich?

Real Estate

Dirk Nowitzki, upon retiring in 2019, spent $5.75 million on a mansion. North Dallas' Preston Hollow is home to the 11,000-square-foot mansion, as well as celebrities like former President George W. Bush and Mavericks owner Mark Cuban. The late Charles Wyly, a billionaire who was investigated by the IRS in 2010 for allegedly concealing $500 million in tax-free accounts in offshore havens, was the previous owner of the property. Please make sure that the people you care about see this post and that you encourage them to check out Digi Hind News so that they can remain up to date on everything that has occurred in the most recent timespan. Read the full article

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paddy-morgan · 1 year

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A successful couple of months for Luke Donald

Captain

Henrik Stenson was appointed Europe Ryder Cup captain for Rome 2023. Stenson snubbed the chance to captain Europe as he joined LIV series in July 2022. My opinion is that he could of waited until after the Ryder Cup to join LIV but could not turn down the money they offered him. The DP World Tour announced in August 2022 that Luke Donald would step in to captain Europe in Rome. Due to LIV the Europe team will change in Rome as Lee Westwood, Ian Poulter, Sergio Garcia and Paul Casey all joined the rebel golf league.

Strong core

The core of Europe’s team for Rome 2023 will be strong which includes current world number one, 2022 FedEx Cup champion and DP World Tour rankings winner Rory McIlroy. 2019 Champion Golfer Of The Year Shane Lowry returned to form in 2022 as he won the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth. Lowry’s performance at Wentworth was remarkable as he had no bogeys for the entire tournament. Jon Rahm was one of the rare heroes at Whistling Straits in 2021 and showed he is still one of the best players in the game as he won both the Spanish Open & DP World Tour Championship in 2022. McIlroy is not the only European in the top ten of world golf rankings with Rahm in fifth and two-time Hero World Challenge winner Viktor Hovland in ninth. My opinion is that Hovland, Rahm, McIlroy and Lowry will be massive if Europe want to win the Ryder Cup in 2023.

English

Tommy Fleetwood was outstanding in the last Ryder Cup to be held in Europe as he won four out of five matches at Paris National. Fleetwood won the Nedbank Golf Challenge in 2019 but held onto the title for nearly three years due to covid-19. The Nedbank returned to the schedule in 2022 were the Englishman won his second title at the Gary Player Country Club in three years. He finished in the top five at 2022 DP World Tour Championship and has finished second in two majors in The Open at Royal Portrush in 2019 & the U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills in 2018. My opinion is that 2023 will be a big year for Fleetwood with been involved at 2023 Ryder Cup in Rome. Fleetwood won’t be the only Englishman on Donald’s team as you also have 2022 U.S. Open champion at Brookline Matt Fitzpatrick and runner-up at 2022 DP World Tour Championship Tyrell Hatton.

Other winners

Robert MacIntyre returned to the winner’s circle at the 2022 Italian Open at Marco Simeone Golf Club. This is the same course were the 2023 Ryder Cup will be held. It was an impressive win for the Scotsman as he defeated Fitzpatrick in a play-off. In 2014 Stephen Gallacher played at the Ryder Cup at Gleneagles but there has been no Scottish player on the team since then. MacIntyre has a chance of making the team as either automatically or through a pick for Rome due to winning on the same course.

French Open

Guido Migliozzi finished in the top five at 2021 U.S. Open at Torrey Pines. The Italian has been quiet but returned to the winner’s circle as he won the 2022 French Open. This was a good victory as winning on Paris National is not easy due to the course having plenty of water. If Migliozzi continues to impress in 2023, he might make the team as a wildcard due to been Italian.

Seamus

The Irishman won his second tournament on the PGA Tour at the 2022 Bermuda Championship. He has started the 2022/2023 season in great form as he is leading the FedEx Cup standings. He also has an outside chance of making Donald’s team next year.

Conclusion

Seven certainties in Donald’s team which are McIlroy, Rahm, Hovland, Lowry, Fleetwood, Fitzpatrick and Hatton. The other five places are up for decision and Donald will have all of next year to make up his mind. It’s between Power, MacIntyre, Migliozzi, 2022 Honda Classic winner Sepp Straka, 2022 Irish Open winner Adrian Meronk, Denmark brothers Rasmuis & Nicolai Hoejgaard. Also throw five points winner from Paris National Francesco Molinari and 2013 U.S. Open champion Justin Rose if they both find form again in 2023. Maybe you might see 2018 Ryder Cup player Alex Noren come back into the fold as he finished tied second at the recent 2022 DP World Tour Championship. How can you forget big hitting Belgian Thomas Pieters as he won the 2022 Abu Dhabi Golf Championship and played at 2016 Ryder Cup.

Finally

It will be tough for Europe in 2023 as USA are still extremely strong with beating the Internationals by a score line of 17.5 to 12.5 at 2022 Presidents Cup.

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irvinenewshq · 2 years

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Chinas companies exercise falls for first time since Might

2/2 © Reuters. FILE PHOTO: Staff sporting face masks work at a manufacturing unit of the part maker SMC throughout a authorities organised tour of its facility following the outbreak of the coronavirus illness (COVID-19), in Beijing, China Might 13, 2020. REUTERS/Thomas Peter 2/2 BEIJING (Reuters) – China’s companies exercise in September contracted for the primary time in 4 months, as COVID-19 restrictions dented already fragile demand and dimmed enterprise confidence, a private-sector enterprise survey confirmed on Saturday. The Caixin companies buying managers’ index (PMI) fell to 49.3 from 55.0 in August as COVID containment measures disrupted provide and demand and restricted nationwide journey. An official survey revealed final week additionally confirmed companies exercise slowing, though its studying remained barely above the 50-point mark that separates progress from contraction on a month-to-month foundation. China’s economic system confirmed indicators of enchancment in August with faster-than-expected progress in manufacturing unit output and retail gross sales, however is being held again by protracted COVID curbs and a worsening property stoop. “The present pandemic state of affairs continues to be extreme and complicated, and the damaging influence of COVID controls on the economic system continues to be pronounced,” mentioned Wang Zhe, senior economist at Caixin Perception Group. “Coverage implementation ought to give attention to selling employment, granting subsidies, in addition to boosting demand and market confidence by sending coverage indicators,” mentioned Wang. The Caixin survey confirmed companies firms are grappling with sluggish demand, shrinking manufacturing and rising prices, though overseas orders are recovering. The brand new enterprise sub-index registered the primary drop in 4 months in September, of which new export enterprise expanded for the primary time since December 2021. Enter costs have risen each month since June 2020, the sub-index confirmed, primarily pushed by larger uncooked materials and labour prices. That led companies companies to cut back their payrolls at a sharper charge, with a sub-index for employment at 48.5, in contraction territory for the ninth straight months and down from 48.9 in August. With few indicators COVID containment measures will ease within the close to phrases, the market was a lot much less optimistic. Many Chinese language cities suggested residents to keep away from pointless journeys for the general public holidays, including to COVID insurance policies which have saved tens of hundreds of thousands of individuals beneath lockdown and exacting a rising financial toll. Beijing is ramping up efforts to help the economic system with a relending facility price 200 billion yuan ($28.12 billion) on tools improve and leisure of mortgage charge flooring. Caixin’s September composite PMI, which incorporates each manufacturing and companies exercise, fell to 48.5 from 53.0 the earlier month. Manufacturing facility exercise shrank extra sharply in September, pointing to a faltering restoration. The Caixin PMI is compiled by S&P World (NYSE:) from responses to questions despatched to buying managers in China. ($1 = 7.1135 ) Originally published at Irvine News HQ

#Irvine News HQ

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yourlocalnews · 2 years

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#YourLocal.Me

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the-gazette-archive · 4 years

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Real Sound Interview (2020.03.02)

the GazettEが明かすライブ美学と、バンド活動への信念「“ヴィジュアル系のあり方”を示していきたい」

the GazettE reveals the aesthetics of their live performances and their belief in their band activities: "We want to show what 'Visual-kei' should be.”

The live aesthetic revealed by the GazettE and the belief of their band activities “we want to present the visual-kei how it should be”

The GazettE released their 9th album NINTH on the 13th of June 2019 and will release their DVD on the 4th of March. It will contain all footage of their LIVE TOUR 18-19 THE NINTH, which has been going on for over a year.

This time the DVD contains 61 lives and backstage material of Live Tour18 THE NINTH / PHASE #01-PHENOMENON-, Live Tour18 THE NINTH / PHASE # 02-ENHANCEMENT-, which took place in live houses, as well as LIVE TOUR18-19 THE NINTH PHASE #03 GEKIJŌ HA DŌMŌ which took place in small places for the first time in 12 years like Takadanobaba AREA and Meguro Rockmaykan, WORLD TOUR19 THE NINTH PHASE #4 -99.999-, LIVE TOUR18-19 THE NINTH PHASE #5 KONKETSU at Yokosuka Arts Theater and LIVE TOUR18-19 THE NINTH TOUR FINAL DAIKYŪ at Yokohama Arena.

This time we interviewed Kai (Dr.) and Reita (Ba.) and talked about the aesthetics of the lives and their thoughts of the fans, while reflecting their thoughts on the tour during that time.

Lives at small lives houses became possible through time and the improvement of technology

Interviewer: The LIVE TOUR18-19 THE NINTH which went on for over one year, was a long tour with 61 lives. If you look back on it, what kind of tour was it?

Kai: Usually we always moved from hall tours to live halls, therefore we didn’t include small clubs yet. So, the content was quite rich.

REITA: I think that amount of lives was necessary to completely sublimate NINTH. We wanted to proof that lives of the GazettE are enchanting at all kind of venues and I think we were able to make that clear.

Interviewer: Was the reason to include small capacity live houses for this tour also because NINTH is to discover the history of the GazettE and therefore you also had the intention to follow the path you have walked so far, with halls of smaller capacity?

Kai: That’s correct. As you said, because NINTH is an album that binds together the history of the GazettE, it was a natural flow to also visit several small live houses.

Interviewer: Based on the comments from each member, the Live Tour18 THE NINTH / Phase#01-PHENOMENON- (PHASE#1 hereafter) in halls was a great start. Is that because you created NINTH while thinking about lives?

Kai: Our previous work DOGMA was too special, and we felt like returning to our previous style, but beside that, this time we were able to start exactly as expected. Therefore, we were able to deepen the content from an early stage.

Interviewer: REITA also said the same on the DVD, correct?

REITA: Everyone was quick to catch the feeling and because the fans understood our intention to “shine at lives” and because they moved their bodies right from the first day, the start position was set high, and therefore you can reach even higher places.

Interviewer: PHASE#1 started as expected, but the documentary shows also detailed briefing sessions of the direction and sound settings, as well as the intervals between songs.

Kai: I remember that the parts between the songs were more difficult during the DOGMA tour. Because regarding the NINTH songs, we had various candidate songs, older songs included, but because it was quite easy to match and handle these songs, the intervals between the songs weren’t difficult. However, it was good that we were able to concentrate our efforts on that early and thanks to that the degree of perfection was high compared to previous tours.

Interviewer: That the previous songs match the NINTH ones, is not only because you unraveled your history, but also because you can feel the essence of your older songs, which leads to a compatibility, right?

Kai: The concept of DOGMA was too strong and there were many restrictions for the candidate songs of the previous tour. You can say, that those disappeared and went back to normal, but as you also mentioned, the NINTH songs feel closer to our older songs.

Interviewer: They also don’t feel out of place if you match the songs with the ones from DOGMA.

Kai: I wonder why, though? (laughs). That’s really strange.

Interviewer: The following Live Tour18 THE NINTH / PHASE #02-ENHANCEMENT- was a live house tour. How was it compared to PHASE#1?

REITA: The image was getting solid during the hall tour, but I think we were able to release that image during the live house tour and we were able to concentrate on the intervals between the songs, the set list and our stage presence rather than on the direction.

Kai: The NINTH songs itself had a great potential, that’s why we investigated the approach of each song. We updated the candidate songs for set list to make the songs of NINTH stand out even further and I think it was a section that enchanted the ideology of the album deeply.

Interviewer: So, the small club tour LIVE TOUR18-19 THE NINTH PHASE #03 GEKIJŌ HA DŌMŌ (hereafter: PHASE#3) attracted public attention. I remember that at the time of the announcement it caused quite a commotion.

REITA: I was looking forward the announcement (laugh). Like: how is that?!

All: (laugh).

Interviewer: I think it’s been nearly 12 years since you had lives at Takadanobaba AREA and Meguro Rockmaykan in 2007.

REITA: Accompanied by the improvement of our technology, we sometimes talked about playing in small clubs, but faced the problem that our equipment probably wouldn’t fit, but with the time we also grew up and could afford more compact equipment, which made it possible to fit on stage.

Interviewer: If the stage is too small, it happens that the equipment does not fit, right?

REITA: Kai finally made his drums more compact. Because so far he had been too stubborn to do so (laughs).

Kai: (laughs). Also, beside the equipment, the old the GazettE thought it wasn’t possible to present an ideology in small clubs. But we didn’t have to worry about that this time, because I think rather than the appearance, it’s thanks to the strength of the NINTH songs that they create an ideology.

Interviewer: So far, you have also talked about doing lives at small clubs, right?

Kai: Of course, I wanted to do it, but because we’re a band, if just one person is against it, then the conversation is over.

Interviewer: Does that mean there was someone who said ‘nah’? (laughs).

Kai: That’s not what I mean (laughs), but it’s the bands atmosphere. We actually also talked about it during DOGMA, but the reason for not doing it, was probably because of said atmosphere in the band.

Interviewer: In that sense, the previous SAITEIGI tour, the 15th anniversary show Dainippon Itan Geisha “GUDON NO SAKURA” and BURST INTO A BLAZE 3 where fans could decide the set list by voting, had the purpose of reflecting your past and that the album NINTH was the result of those lives means that it was necessary at that point, right?

Kai: That’s correct. I think it was a natural flow.

Interviewer: Is there a memorable place?

Kai: It was nostalgic everywhere.

REITA: Of course, Meguro Rockmaykan, where we had our first live and Takadanobaba AREA I think.

Interviewer: At AREA you had your first oneman live where you sold tickets to the fans, right?

REITA: That’s correct. I think there were around 220 people.

Interviewer: That’s half of the live house’s capacity, but the GazettE also had such days, right? Do you remember the latest live at AREA?

Kai: Surprisingly I have the impression that the fans were shyer.

REITA: Especially on the first day.

Kai: I was like: ‚Eh? What are you guys doing?’ (laughs). Maybe they were shy because the distance was too close. That happens, but the first day was really terrible, right?

REITA: It was terrible! They weren’t excited at all!

Interviewer: Personally, I was worried that AREA would be destroyed, but it was indeed an unexpected development.

REITA: It was also very unexpected for us, but just because you challenge them, doesn’t mean that the distance to the fans vanishes, right? It felt as if we met for the first time on a matchmaking party (laugh)!

Kai: Because RUKI addressed that matter directly in the MC the next day, it got better, but the first day had a strange atmosphere (laughs).

REITA: Even when I went to the railing during the live, no one was touching me. Back then they would pull of my electrical jack. Well, I think it’s because everyone grew up, but it was a little different from how I thought it would be.

Interviewer: Even though the live was as imagined, that only was unexpected.

REITA: It was (laughs).

Interviewer: I heard a story that the Rockmaykan staff labeled you as “won’t sell”.

REITA: Not only the Rockmaykan, many people said we “won’t sell”.

Kai: Because of that, we’re standing here now.

REITA: Only our manager told us we would sell (laughs).

Interviewer: But I think that the tour affirmed your past with your current form.

Kai: We certainly stopped caring about the people around us and what they said at one point.

Interviewer: At the MC during the final of PHASE #3 at TSUTAYA O-EAST you mentioned that “the bands philosophy and belief is that they do what they think is right” and I feel that the band’s core is unshaken and consistent, and the unflattering attitude is also typical for the GazettE.

Kai: That’s correct. We started to think that it’s irrelevant that we are like this, because our surroundings were like that.

Interviewer: We heard that during the section of the WORLD TOUR19 THE NINTH PHASE #4 -99.999- (hereafter PHASE#4), the bands belief was also firmly introduced to the foreign fans. I even feel that they watch the GazettE with the same sensibility as the Japanese fans, but is that something you experienced first-hand?

REITA: No matter in which country we played, I do think that we were able to give lives with the same feelings as in Japan. You could say that you don’t care about where you play as soon as the live starts

Interviewer: I have a feeling that this sensation is rare, but was it like that since the previous world tours?

REITA: No, at first I got carried away by how many fans we also have overseas! (laughs)

Interviewer: During SONO KOE HA MOROKU some fans were moved to tears, exactly like Japanese fans

REITA: I think that they maybe translated the lyrics, but I felt that they listened to it seriously.

Kai: Oversea fans are very eager in their studies, right?

Interviewer: On the contrary, I have the impression that the reaction to the handshake event after the performance was special overseas.

REITA: In Japan I don’t know whether they are happy, because they are so embarrassed that they won’t meet our eyes (laughs). In that regard, the oversea fans react honestly, and therefore it feels good for us, too

Interviewer: Furthermore, there are also some that got interested in Japanese culture because of the GazettE.

Kai: Because of us? Is that okay? (laugh)

REITA: I’m worried if they aren’t misunderstanding Japanese culture (laugh).

Interviewer: As a matter of course, there is the image of visual-kei = Japanese culture, right?

REITA: We can go overseas and do a live, but we can’t bring our set-up equipment and for this reason I want the oversea fans to see a live of us at a place with 10.000 people and with 100% of our set-up at least once and experience a thoroughly elaborated visual-kei performance.

Our proud fans who won’t be embarrassed no matter where they go.

Interviewer: You returned from the world tour and had the Asia tour final, as well as the Yokosuka Arts theater performance, LIVE TOUR18-19 THE NINTH PHASE #5 KONGETSU, which was like a pre-event to the tour final in Yokohama Arena, right?

Kai: During the long tour,we finished the hall tour section after one year and continued with the small club tour and the tour overseas in a different environment. If we would have done the tour final immediately, we would have done it without remembering sensual things, we would have felt insecure at the final and therefore we decided to add one live to take up on set-up preparations and feelings.

Interviewer: You did it because of those aspects, right?

Kai: Furthermore, if we’re going to do something, we want to add a meaning and therefore added the title KONGETSU (mixed blood), because we mixed the NINTH songs with older songs.

Interviewer: How did you try to “mix-blood” the current NINTH songs with the older songs?

REITA: We thought that they would support each other’s good points or that they would not feel out of place even during the main tour. But we do think it definitely would have felt out of place if we would have added them to PHASE #1.

Interviewer: Because with the process from PHASE#1 to PHASE#4, the songs of NINTH properly sank in.

REITA: That’s correct. I think because of that, we were more flexible with how we expressed the older songs.

Interviewer: And the LIVE TOUR18-19 THE NINTH TOUR FINAL DAIKYŪ was the 61st live of the tour. For the documentary you also recorded the nervous moments before the performance, but are you still nervous, even after so many tours?

Kai: I’m always nervous (laughs). Basically, for finals there are too many things to do, so I don’t have time to get nervous, but compared to previous finals, this time we were well-prepared and because there wasn’t anything left to do, I got nervous.

Interviewer: You were well-prepared especially because you managed to have so many lives, right?

REITA: I’m always anxious about finals, like: can I show a performance like this? But this time, to make sure that doesn’t happen, I prepared myself mentally and moved my body until right before the live. That’s why I was able to face the final calmer compared to previous ones.

Interviewer: Do you remember the feeling when you finished the 61 lives?

REITA: I felt relieved. Also, during tours we have the rule that after the live we decide the set list for the next live, no matter what. But because we don’t have to do that after a final, it’s like taking a bath, eat, going home (laughs). It’s a feeling of freedom. It’s super nice to go home without deciding on the set list, right?

Kai: Indeed (laughs).

Interviewer: Indeed, on the DVD we can also see you deciding the set list for the next live, but you decide it directly after the live, right?

Kai: We do it like that to reflect on the next live, because after we finished the live, the impressions of that live are still fresh. When I remember the tour now, we really finished 61 lives, right? It’s the first time for me to feel like this, but when I had time to immerse the aftertaste of the final, I wanted to do the next one quickly.

Interviewer: In the end, regarding the Yokohama Arena live, I think it was in RUKIS MC before UNFINISHED where he thanked the fans for “protecting the GazettE and this genre”, but is this the collective opinion of all members?

REITA: The fans of the GazettE are really awesome. They have passion and even come overseas. I don’t think there are many bands who are followed around like that. And you can also say that we are able to continue like this for over 10 years with lives around the same capacity, is because our fans are always tagging along.

Interviewer: I consider the GazettE lives to be “the GazettE lives” not only because of the musical performance and show on stage, but also because of the atmosphere created by the fans.

REITA: Same goes for festivals; I want others to see how our fans go wild. That’s also one of the reasons we take part in festivals.

Kai: Our proud fans who won’t be embarrassed no matter where they go.

Interviewer: The fans will be happy to hear that.

Kai: Please print it in bold.

REITA: Are you trying to get something? (laughs)

Interviewer: Reita also points at the fans in UNFINISHED during the part: “you are the light that illuminates the path we’re following” (susumu michi o terasu kimi wa hikari), aren’t you? The fans are the light, correct?

REITA: Ahaha (laughs). Of course. I feel gratitude towards the fans and also towards the members. But recently there are parts in RUKIS MC where he’s trying to move the members to tears now and then. Maybe he’s secretly watching us (laughs).

Interviewer: In MCs during tours RUKI also mentions his trust and gratitude towards the members and there are also scenes on the documentary where you can feel the good relationship here and there, but the relationship between the members is very good, isn’t it?

Kai: Well, it’s not bad, is it?!

REITA: Because we only did oneman lives after our 2nd year as the GazettE, I don’t know the atmosphere within other bands. Well, in general the relationships aren’t very good, though (laughs).

Kai: You smirk a little when you meet the members after two weeks, right?

REITA: You just can’t help wanting to talk about stories from your trip!

Kai: I personally maintain a more excited feeling when I’m together with the members. On the contrary, for example when I’m making songs alone all by yourself, I get extremely sensitive. That’s why tours are super fun. Being able to maintain your excitement is very important and that largely depends on the members.

Interviewer: During your most recent documentary, similar to what we already talked about, you can also clearly understand, the relationship of the members, side by side with the unwillingness to do compromises during the lives from different point of views and your belief of “wanting to do it well”. Why are you that particular about details?

REITA: Because at any rate, if you skip them, it will come back to you, right? In case of material arts, you would be beaten repeatedly. Just like that, it is a measure to keep winning. The more you do it, the more want to be particular about it. With that you also start to notice small details like you stage shoes for example and want to investigate such things further.

Kai: We can’t be careless, because we are honest people and if we’re careless we would also do a careless live. In addition, I think a lot about the fact that you don’t know when bands these days will stop its activities because of something, that’s why not wanting to have any regrets is important, right? If you think you did everything thoroughly, what remains are wonderful memories. If you’re careless, it will end up being a careless thing, and that’s why I can’t allow it.

Interviewer: To be able to see a combination of such close members, a documentary that shows the member’s determination and also the live footage that was born from that determination, highlights the amazing parts of the GazettE even more.

Kai: Thank you.

Interviewer: So,the GazettE will reach their 19th year soon, but what kind of the GazettE do you want to be in the future?

Kai: Because I love the GazettE which also includes the members and fans, I hope I will be able to continue to love the GazettE the way we are from now on too.

Interviewer: You’re your biggest fan.

Kai: That correct. That goes without saying, though.

REITA, Kai: Yaaaay (they bump fists).

All: (laughs).

Kai: It’s quite embarrassing, but it’s important that we can say that we like ourselves, right?

Interviewer: I think it’s important for artists. You notice if you watch the GazettE and I think the fans want you to be like that, too.

REITA: To be honest, when I’m going through magazines and the GazettE appear, I do think “it’s still different”.

Kai: That’s something you’re saying since way back then! (laughs)

REITA: But, from the appearance to the world view, the whole process of self-producing belongs to visual-kei. So far, we have done it this way and we can only do that, so I think we should continue like that.

Interviewer: The strength of self-producing, including the stories about your determination we heard today, is also typical for the GazettE and is very enchanting, right?

REITA: Because we’re visual-kei, we continuously want to demonstrate something like “visual-kei how it should be”. If I need to say that visual kei is something like this or that, then I would like to be in the band with the feeling that “visual kei is just the GazettE”.

Source: https://realsound.jp/2020/03/post-512576.html

Translation: https://wastelandtranslations.wordpress.com/2020/04/25/real-sound-kai-reita-march-2020/

#the GazettE #interview #Real Sound

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