Le Journal

After a year of Trump 2.0, China has much to be thankful for. This is not an endorsement of US hegemony but an expression of confidence in China’s increased resilience – and an acknowledgement of the US policies that pushed China there. The Chinese government’s stance towards Trump 2.0 remains the same: to adhere to its own principles, respond rationally and look to turn any crisis into an opportunity. For a start, Trump 2.0’s tariff war on China has backfired. All it did was force China to...

Much like Tuesday, we saw one blowout on Wednesday and two close games: UNC hammered Notre Dame 91-69, Boston College nipped Pitt 65-62 and Virginia Tech snuck past Syracuse on the road, 76-74. UNC led from wire to wire and while the Irish were close at 26-23, that was the end of that: UNC just kept pulling away and this was basically over at halftime. Not surprisingly, Caleb Wilson and Henri Veesaar had big games. Veesar had 15 points and 12 rebounds while Wilson racked up 22 points on 8-11/1-3 and also grabbed 7 rebounds and passed out 5 assists. The Tar Heels hit 13 threes to 8 for Notre Dame. The Irish were led by Sir Mohammed off the bench with 14. Jalen Haralson continues his strong freshman campaign with 13 points and 6 rebounds. Notre Dame has now lost 5 straight: to Cal, Clemson, Miami, Virginia Tech and now UNC. Of those, only Cal was close. Things are not going well for the Fighting Irish. Pitt had an unfortunate first half and then couldn’t quite make it up in the second to pull off a solid comeback. Boden Kapke hit a three with :22 left to break a 62-62 tie. Brandin Cumming missed one three and then Roman Siulepa stole an inbounds pass and got it to Cummings…who missed another. And that was that. It’s a tough loss for Jeff Capel’s Panthers, who now fall to 8-11 and just 1-5 in the ACC. With a new A.D., Capel’s seat may be getting warm, which is really too bad. He’s a good man. In the final game, Syracuse had a 10 point lead near the end of the first half but couldn’t hold on to it. But the Hokies had a 9 point lead fairly late in the game and couldn’t hold that either. Virginia Tech did a decent job of controlling Donnie Freeman who was held to 3-14/2-6 for 10 points. He also had 9 rebounds. Ben Hammond led Virginia Tech with 24. Interestingly, Tobi Lawal, who was out with an injury for several games, continues to come off the bench. He had 16 here and 11 rebounds. With the loss, Syracuse fall to 12 -7. Back to UNC for a minute. The debate over whether to renovate the Dean Dome or build a new barn rages on, but for now, Team Renovate seems to have the upper hand. Ol’ Roy Williams, Tyler Hansbrough and Brice Johnson, among other prominent program figures, have come out in favor of staying in the Smith Center. The students have largely swung behind it and now there is a petition to renovate. On Wednesday, UNC officially launched plans for Carolina North and at least for now, there is no mention of a new basketball facility. This is a really interesting battle because, as this article over at Tar Heel Tribune by Doc Kennedy points out, a lot of people at UNC – and not necessarily the fans – would like to build a flashy new arena to move into “a new era.” If you heard move into the SEC, okay. The Dean Dome has some issues. We saw years ago that the fabric at the top window was falling down. It lacks modern amenities and the boosters have lifetime deals for the best seats. There’s not really a student section per se, certainly not like there is at Duke, Maryland, Michigan State or Kansas. Then there’s the nostalgic desire to remain connected to the Dean Smith era. If fans and boosters succeed in getting rid of Hubert Davis, there’s no one left in the UNC family to keep it going. The last whiff, really, was Wes Miller, and he’s currently despised at Cincinnati, so the brain trust in Chapel Hill certainly can’t go there, and certainly not after the poop show they’ve gotten after hiring Bill Belichick. Not happening. So in a real sense, the fight over Renovate vs. Relocate is really about the post-Smith world, and possibly the post-ACC world. In other words, it’s a big deal no matter what happens. No games until Saturday when the highlight is probably UNC at Virginia, assuming travel is possible with the looming and possibly historic winter storm currently taking aim at the East Coast. Wilson, Veesaar lead way as No. 22 North Carolina rolls past Notre Dame 91-69 in ACC play UNC smacks Notre Dame for…

Mercedes became the latest Formula 1 team to share their look for the new season, unveiling the striking W17 with a series of images released on Thursday. The technical elements are in line with the incoming set of regulations, geared towards making the cars smaller, lighter, and more agile. The front and rear wings are smaller and the car is narrower overall, particularly when compared with previous season. From a livery standpoint, the design is a departure from what we have seen from Mercedes in previous years. A green line — a nod to title partner Petronas — anchors the car from the nose to the rear, drawing attention to a “transition” from silver to black as the eye trails along the W17. The iconic Mercedes three-pointed star dots the engine cover, while the sidepods contain a stunning array of silver lines. Top-down on the Mercedes W17 👁️#F1 @MercedesAMGF1 pic.twitter.com/MCTYSll4K9— Formula 1 (@F1) January 22, 2026 “Formula One will undergo significant change in 2026, and we are prepared for that transition. The new regulations demand innovation and absolute focus across every area of performance. Our work on the new car, and the long-term development of the Power Unit and advanced sustainable fuels with Petronas, reflects that approach,” said Mercedes Team Principal Toto Wolff. “Releasing the first images of the W17 is simply the next step in that process. It represents the collective, sustained effort of our teams in Brixworth and Brackley. We will continue to push hard in the months ahead.” Up next for Mercedes — and the rest of the grid — is next week’s Barcelona Shakedown, where the teams will put their 2026 challengers through a private testing session. Two more testing sessions in Bahrain will follow next month. The Silver Arrows will also officially unveil the W17 at a season launch event on February 2.

Private sector enterprises comprised 40 per cent of the top 100 listed Chinese companies by market value in the second half of last year, led by high-profile technology firms involved in China’s artificial intelligence (AI) boom, according to the Peterson Institute for International Economics. That represented an increase of 2.4 percentage points from the first half of last year, the Washington-based think tank said in a report released on Tuesday that also highlighted a marked rebound from a...

Guess who is back? Jason has returned from Africa with tales of gorilla sightings and tea farming. But for his first episode back, the DBR Podcast doesn’t even mention the word “basketball” because the guys are all about the lawsuit Duke has filed to keep Darian Mensah from fleeing via the transfer portal. Luckily, in a legal matter like this we happen to already have a lawyer on staff in Donald Wine. Listen in as Donald uses his legal expertise to guide you through everything you need to know about Duke Football v. Darian Mensah. Make sure you’re following us! Head to our Linktree to get all our available social media and links to follow and subscribe to the show. That includes our affiliate partnerships, from Homefield Apparel (use the code DBRPODCAST to save 15% off your first order) and Fanatics to the NBA Store, NFL Shop, and even Fubo TV. And…we have some more coming! Save some cash on the latest gear or follow the Blue Devils on the go by hitting those affiliate links and it helps support the show as well. We are now on YouTube! Subscribe there, rate, and review our episodes on there and everywhere you get your podcasts. Also, follow us on Bluesky ⁠@DukeRoundup⁠! Go to the DBR Boards to find Blue Healer Auctions | Drop us a line