Manchester United paid tribute to Sir Bobby Charlton during their win at Sheffield United on Saturday, with players laying a wreath in the center of the field and taking part in a period of applause in honour of the club great who has died at the age of 86.
A picture of a young Charlton was shown on the screens inside Bramall Lane before kickoff of Man United's 2-1 Premier League win as members of both teams stood in a line to pay their respects to one of the world's most recognizable and respected players.
A message on the wreath laid in front of the Man United players read: "In loving memory of Sir Bobby Charlton, a great player and even greater man. With deepest gratitude for your service, from everyone at Manchester United."
Defender Harry Maguire said hearing about Charlton's death had dampened the mood during the team's game preparations.
"Sir Bobby came into the dressing-room a lot and he lit the place up. He is an absolute legend of the club," the England international said. "We are delighted to win the game but this is more than football and our thoughts are with his family.
"He'd always come in if we won or lost but his presence was really felt in the dressing-room. We will miss him, the world will miss him."
Added Man United manager Erik ten Hag: "We have to say our big goodbye remembering Bobby Charlton because what he did was magnificent. He was outstanding not only on the pitch but also off the pitch. To credit it and reward his big personality, we did it with a win and we did it in a decent way."
Man United fans rose to their feet after Diogo Dalot's late winning goal, chanting "There's only one Bobby Charlton."
"When we came to the game we wanted to contribute a little more. I felt with the win we gave a little bit of joy on a sad day," Dalot told Sky Sports.
"This is the contribution we could have today and give to the family. We are one family at United."
Ten Hag said the news hit the team hard.
"Our thoughts are with his family especially his wife Lady Norma, his children, his grandchildren," the manager said.
"I think with his passing, a legend, a giant passing away, his achievements are so immense and huge, not only in England but global.
"[What] he achieved, it's incredible, all those games, his titles, trophies ... and despite all his trophies and games, he was so humble and a big personality, he was an example for all of us."
Manchester United also laid a wreath at the Trinity Statue at Old Trafford and plan to have a book of condolence open for fans at their stadium on Sunday.
The Associated and Press and Reuters contributed to this report.
LONDON: Bobby Charlton, the Manchester United player who won the World Cup with England and went on to become a much loved and hugely respected ambassador for club and country, died on Saturday (Oct 21), aged 86.
His death was announced by Manchester United in a statement.
Charlton known for his powerful shooting and distinctive hairstyle won three league titles, the European Cup and an FA Cup during a 20-year career with Manchester United. He was also an integral part of the England team that won the 1966 World Cup.
Dignified, unassuming and regarded as United’s greatest ever servant, Charlton appeared 758 times for the club, scoring 249 goals. Both records stood for a long time until Ryan Giggs overtook the former in 2008 and Wayne Rooney the latter nine years later.
"Manchester United are in mourning following the passing of Sir Bobby Charlton, one of the greatest and most beloved players in the history of our club," the club said in a statement.
Born on Oct 11, 1937 in Ashington, Northumberland, Charlton joined United as a schoolboy in 1953 and was a star of the team that won the FA Youth Cup three times in a row between 1954 and 1956.
He made his first-team debut in 1956 days before his 19th birthday and scored twice in a 4-2 victory over Charlton Athletic. By the end of the season he had become a regular member of the team that brought the league trophy to Old Trafford for the fifth time.
But it was a game the next season that shaped Charlton’s life. In February, 1958 Charlton scored twice in a 3-3 draw at Red Star Belgrade in the European Cup quarter-final.
On the way home, United’s plane crashed at a snowy Munich airport, killing 23 people, including eight team mates.
Charlton survived with minor injuries but the tragedy that devastated the team known as the Busby Babes because of their relative youth forced him to mature quickly and he soon became a central figure in the squad rebuilt by coach Matt Busby.
"Having survived the trauma of the Munich Air Disaster when aged just 20, he played as if every game was for his fallen colleagues, recovering from his injuries to reach the pinnacle for both club and country," the United website said.
"LOCKED INTO MY HEART"
A decade later United did just that, becoming the first English team to win the European Cup as Charlton scored twice in a 4-1 victory over Benfica after extra-time in the final at Wembley.
Englishman Charlton, Scotsman Denis Law and Irishman George Best formed a devastating United forward line which was, and remains, one of the most potent ever assembled to torment an opposition defence.
Charlton remained at United until 1973 before moving to Preston North End, where he spent two years as player-manager. He enjoyed brief spells with Waterford in the Irish League and in Australia before retiring to become a director at Wigan Athletic and caretaker manager during the 1982-83 season.
Before that he had written his name in the history books by helping England win the World Cup on home soil in 1966.
Charlton, playing alongside his central defender brother Jack, started all six England games, scoring three times, most crucially in the semi-final when his double gave England a 2-1 victory over Eusebio’s Portugal.
The triumph capped an extraordinary season in which he was also named the Football Writers’ Player of the Year as well as European Footballer of the Year.
"That day locked into my heart and my consciousness so strongly that I knew, as it was happening, that it would never dim," he wrote of the 4-2 win over West Germany in the final.
Charlton played 106 times for England, a massive number in a time when internationals were less frequent, and his record of 49 goals stood for 45 years until broken by Rooney, one of his successors at Manchester United.
Prematurely balding and with a comb-over that made him instantly recognisable the world over, Charlton was never less than impeccably dressed and his old-world gentlemanliness was often at odds with the younger and flashier players appearing in a game that changed rapidly as money poured in.
His gravitas, footballing knowledge, and love of the game - and especially Manchester United - never wavered.
Charlton was named a director of United in 1984 and remained a regular presence at Old Trafford for decades, where a stand was named in his honour in 2016. In 1994, he was knighted for his contribution to the game, having previously been awarded an OBE and CBE.
His wife Norma announced her husband was suffering from dementia in 2020.
Rafah is the only route into Gaza that is not controlled by Israel, which agreed to allow aid in from Egypt following a request from its top ally the United States.
Twenty trucks from the Egyptian Red Crescent, which is responsible for delivering aid from various UN agencies, entered the Egyptian terminal, an AFP correspondent said.
An AFP journalist on the Palestinian side of the crossing saw 36 empty trailers entering the terminal and heading towards the Egyptian side, where they were to be loaded with the incoming aid.
Four ambulances, two UN vehicles and two Red Cross vehicles were also seen heading into the terminal.
Cargo planes and trucks have been bringing humanitarian aid to the Egyptian side of Rafah for days, but so far none has been delivered to Gaza.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Friday visited the Egyptian side of the crossing to oversee preparations for the aid delivery.
"These trucks are not just trucks, they are a lifeline," he said. "They are the difference between life and death for so many people in Gaza."
Beijing’s build-up of its nuclear arsenal is well understood to be part of its deterrence against interventions – especially from the United States and Japan – in the event of a war on Taiwan.
“China’s nuclear build-up is aimed to give it credible options to escalate a conflict and thereby deter US intervention in conflicts between China and its neighbours, the most concerning which would be an invasion of Taiwan,” said John Bradford, executive director of the Yokosuka Council on Asia-Pacific Studies.
A Type 094A Jin-class nuclear submarine Long March 10 joins a parade to mark the 70th anniversary of the founding of the PLA Navy in the sea near Qingdao in 2019. Photo: AFP
Zhou Chenming, a researcher with the Beijing-based Yuan Wang military science and technology think tank, said the Pentagon’s estimation of 1,000 operational nuclear warheads by 2030 could be seen as a “normal growth rate” reflecting China’s nuclear development progress.
“China has gradually eliminated those expired nuclear warheads and appropriately increased necessary new ones to enhance its nuclear deterrence capability, which is also meeting the country’s international standing,” Zhou said. He said Beijing would not follow Moscow in building thousands of nuclear warheads to counter US nuclear stockpiles.
The US is estimated to have a stockpile of around 3,708 warheads, but only about 1,770 are operational, and a further 1,938 are held in reserve, according to a report by the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists in January.
Lu Li-shih, a former instructor at the Taiwanese naval academy in Kaohsiung, said the Pentagon report had listed the PLA’s DF-17 hypersonic ballistic missile system as joint capabilities for counter-intervention in the region for the first time.
The DF-17 is a medium-range ballistic missile system that was not supposed to be deployed at the front line in the event of a Taiwan contingency, but the report said the hypersonic weapon “is possibly intended to replace some older SRBM [short-range ballistic missile] units and is intended to strike foreign military bases and fleets in the Western Pacific.
Lu said the PLA’s recent military drills around Taiwan told the Pentagon the mainland had moved almost all its valuable missile assets inland after Washington promised Taipei a new arms sale, including the long-range precision strike High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) and the powerful MQ-9 Reaper drone.
“That means the PLA needs to deploy longer-range missile systems to its anti-access and area-denial operation,” Lu said.
The Pentagon report also suggested the PLA had accelerated its building of sea-based nuclear platforms. Satellite imagery of the southernmost Yalong Bay submarine base in Hainan province indicates it expanded from four piers in July last year to six in May.
While Beijing is in the development phase of the next-generation Type 096 SSBN (nuclear ballistic missile submarine), which are expected to enter service in the late 2020s or early 2030s, the Chinese navy also continued adding new Type 094 Jin-class SSBNs equipped with up to 12 submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBM), such as the JL-3 capable of targeting the continental US from its coastal waters, enhancing its sea-based deterrence.
Since the Type 094 nuclear submarine is capable of launching the powerful JL-3 SLBMs, Zhou said Beijing so far did not need to develop the next-generation Type 096 nuclear submarines.
The report said China would concurrently operate its six operational Jin-class submarines with the future Type 096 based on the Chinese submarines’ more than 30 years of service life.
The Pentagon estimated that the expanded nuclear force would be deployed at higher readiness levels and “basically complete” the PLA modernisation process by 2035, serving as “an important milestone on the road to Xi’s goal of a ‘world class’ military by 2049”.
“The goal is to acquire the status of ‘the world’s second best’ in terms of military power in line with its economic power [after the US],” said Kang Jun-young, a professor of Chinese Studies at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies in Seoul.
Kang, however, said China’s nuclear build-up could trigger an arms race and escalate tensions in the Asia-Pacific, driving Taiwan, Japan, South Korea and the US to revamp their deterrence capabilities in response to a PLA threat.
Brian Hart, a fellow with the China Power Project at the Washington-based think tank Centre for Strategic and International Studies, echoed the view and said Chinese strategists might also believe that a greater number and diversity of nuclear forces would give Beijing more flexibility in a conventional conflict, such as a war over Taiwan.
“In this sense, Beijing may feel more secure in using conventional force against Taiwan and the United States if it has a more robust nuclear deterrent,” Hart said.
“A key issue for a Taiwan conflict is not just the size of China’s nuclear forces, but any shifts in China’s nuclear posture and doctrine. There are signs that China is shifting toward a more offensive posture, which may mean that Beijing is more comfortable with threatening the use of nuclear weapons in a Taiwan conflict.”
01:19
Chinese navy practises aerial combat as it prepares its newest aircraft carrier for operations
Chinese navy practises aerial combat as it prepares its newest aircraft carrier for operations
Hart added that while conventional armed attack submarines would pose a bigger threat to Taiwanese forces, SSBNs could be used to signal nuclear capabilities and demonstrate nuclear deterrence against the US in the event of a war over Taiwan.
“Advances in the PLA’s SLBM capabilities are an important development in terms of developing the sea-based leg of China’s nuclear deterrent,” Hart said.
“The fielding of the JL-3 SLBM means that China now has capabilities to target the continental United States from near its own shores, rather than having to sail far out into the Pacific Ocean.”
Raymond Kuo, director of the Taiwan Policy Initiative and a senior political scientist at the US-based think tank Rand Corporation, said while a nuclear attack and the use of SSBNs by Beijing would be unlikely in a war over Taiwan, its nuclear capabilities would complicate US efforts to support the island.
“The build-up will complicate US plans to assist Taiwan and its other regional partners and allies. Nuclear weapons could possibly be used against incoming naval forces,” Kuo said.
He added that “greater Chinese ability to strike its adversaries means that Washington has to be more cautious in its military operations and planning”.
SINGAPORE – Twelve suspects – 11 men and one woman aged between 17 and 40 – were arrested in a two-week islandwide operation for their suspected involvement in a series of banking-related malware scams.
The operation, conducted by the Commercial Affairs Department and Police Intelligence Department between Oct 9 and 20, revealed that the suspects had purportedly facilitated the scams by surrendering their bank accounts, Internet banking details and Singpass credentials for monetary gains.
Since the start of 2023, the police have noted a surge in reports of Android mobile devices being compromised by malware, leading to unauthorised transactions from victims’ bank accounts.
The victims, who had not disclosed their Internet banking or Singpass details to anyone, were tricked into downloading malicious Android package kits from unofficial app stores after responding to social media advertisements for services and goods such as cleaning, pet grooming and groceries.
The scammers would then persuade the victims through phone calls or text messages to activate accessibility services on their Android phones, weakening the devices’ security and allowing the scammers to take full control.
This enabled the scammers to log every keystroke, steal stored banking credentials, access victims’ banking apps remotely, raise payment limits, add money mules as payees, and transfer money. They also managed to delete SMS and e-mail notifications of the bank transactions to cover their tracks.
This recent wave of arrests comes in the wake of a spike in the number of malware scam victims in July and August, as reported by The Straits Times. The losses incurred during these two months were almost equivalent to the total losses in the first half of 2023.
The police have warned the public against downloading apps from third-party websites or unknown sources, as these unverified apps may contain malware that can severely compromise the security of mobile devices.
They also advised the public to be wary of requests for Singpass and banking credentials or money transfers, and to reject seemingly attractive money-making opportunities that promise fast and easy payouts for the use of their Singpass or bank accounts.
Investigations are ongoing.
Those who deceive banks into opening bank accounts that were not meant for personal use and relinquishing the accounts’ login details could be fined up to $5,000 or jailed for up to two years, or both. Those guilty of disclosing Singpass credentials are liable for an imprisonment term not exceeding three years, a fine of up to $10,000 or both.
On the ground in Gaza, Israeli jets continued a relentless bombing campaign, with the military saying it hit more than 100 Hamas targets overnight.
AFP reporters heard loud explosions and saw plumes of smoke billowing from the northern Gaza Strip, which Israel has demanded Palestinian civilians leave for their own safety.
"LIFE AND DEATH" AID
Some 2.4 million Palestinians live in the densely populated enclave, and almost half have been displaced, according to the UN.
Israel has cut off supplies of water, electricity, fuel and food to the long-blockaded territory.
UN chief Antonio Guterres warned Friday that humanitarian relief stuck in Egypt was "the difference between life and death for so many people in Gaza".
And World Health Organization emergencies director Michael Ryan said Biden's deal for an initial 20 truck-delivery was "a drop in the ocean of need" and that 2,000 trucks were required.
At least 30 per cent of all housing in Gaza has been destroyed or damaged, the UN says, citing local authorities, and thousands have taken refuge in a tent city set up in southern Gaza's Khan Yunis.
Fadwa al-Najjar said she and her seven children walked for 10 hours to reach the camp, at some points breaking into a run as air strikes descended around them.
"We saw bodies and limbs torn off and we just started praying, thinking we were going to die," she told AFP.
"I would have preferred not to leave, to have stayed at home and died there," her daughter Malak added.
Israel's operation will take not "a day, nor a week, nor a month," the country's defence minister Yoav Gallant warned Friday.
After hitting "pockets of resistance", the defence minister foresaw "the end of Israel's responsibilities in the Gaza Strip".
An Israeli foreign ministry source, speaking to AFP on condition of anonymity, said Israel envisaged "handing over the keys" to neighbouring Egypt, which has strongly rejected attempts to place Gaza's residents under its responsibility.
PEACE SUMMIT
"I'm afraid that the current destruction is part of a clear plan for people to have no place left to live," said Omar Ashour, a retired general in Gaza.
"This will cause a second Nakba," he added, referring to the 760,000 Palestinians who were expelled from or fled their homes when Israel was created.
Israel has received strong international backing from allies including the United States, Britain and the European Union.
On Friday, Biden requested US$14 billion in emergency military aid for Israel as part of a massive security spending package that will face a tough battle in the paralysed US Congress.
He argued the money would help secure US interests in the region, where there are fears the Israel-Hamas conflict could touch off a wider conflagration.
The United States has moved two aircraft carriers into the eastern Mediterranean to deter Iran or Lebanon's Hezbollah, both Hamas allies, from getting involved.
French President Emmanuel Macron said Friday Paris has also sent messages to Hezbollah warning them against intervening.
Israel on Friday ordered the 25,000 residents of the northern town of Kiryat Shmona to leave over fears after repeated cross-border exchanges of fire.
The conflict has inflamed tensions across the region, with demonstrations across the Middle East and the leaders of Egypt and Jordan condemning Israel's "collective punishment" of Palestinians.
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi will host a peace summit on Saturday attended by regional and some Western leaders.
Medicine, water purifiers and blankets were being unloaded at El Arish airport near Gaza, an AFP reporter saw, with Ahmed Ali, head of the Egyptian Red Crescent, saying he was getting "two to three planes of aid a day".
But World Health Organization emergencies director Michael Ryan said Biden's 20-truck deal was "a drop in the ocean of need" and that 2,000 trucks were required.
The UN says more than one million of Gaza's 2.4 million people are displaced, with the humanitarian situation "beyond catastrophic" and deteriorating daily.
Refugees from northern Gaza told harrowing tales of bombs, profiteering, and extreme temperatures as whole families trekked on foot to flee the violence.
Mother of seven Fadwa Al-Najjar walked for 10 hours with her family from northern Gaza to reach a UN camp in the southern town of Khan Yunis, saying she saw cars hit by a strike just in front of them.
"We saw bodies and limbs torn off and we just started praying, thinking we were going to die," she said.
"IT'S UNIMAGINABLE"
On the other side of the conflict, the full horror of what Israel suffered on Oct 7 and following days was still emerging, as traumatised residents recounted their stories.
Shachar Butler, a security chief at the Nir Oz kibbutz, where Hamas militants killed or kidnapped a quarter of the 400 residents, recalls more than a dozen gunmen spraying bullets indiscriminately and lobbing grenades at homes.
"It's unimaginable," the 40-year-old told AFP as part of a trip organised by the Israeli military.
"Anytime someone tried to touch my window, I shot him," he said. "The people who came out got kidnapped, killed, executed, slaughtered."
Butler estimated as many as 200 militants attacked the kibbutz, entering from three sides before going house-to-house. Homes there were still charred with burned personal belongings strewn everywhere.
Israel says around 1,500 Hamas fighters were killed in clashes before its army regained control of the areas under attack.
