Gaza war hurts my whole body, says Guardiola
MANCHESTER City manager Pep Guardiola received an honorary doctorate from the University of Manchester on Monday and used his acceptance speech to address the war in Gaza.
The war erupted after Hamas-led militants took 251 hostages and killed 1,200 people, most of them civilians, in the October 7, 2023 attack. Israel's military campaign has since killed more than 54,000 Palestinians, most of them civilians, according to health authorities in Gaza.
'It's so painful what we see in Gaza. It hurts my whole body,' Guardiola said. 'It's not about ideology. It's not about whether I'm right, or you're wrong. It's just about the love of life, about the care of your neighbour.
'Maybe we think that we see the boys and girls of four years old being killed by the bomb or being killed at the hospital because it's not a hospital anymore. It's not our business.
'But be careful. The next four- or five-year-old kids will be ours. Sorry, but I see my kids, Maria, Marius and Valentina. When I see every morning since the nightmare started the infants in Gaza, and I'm so scared.'
Guardiola was recognised for his contribution to the city, including guiding his team to six Premier League titles in nine years with the club, along with his charitable work through his Guardiola Sala Foundation.
The 54-year-old Spaniard was presented with his honorary degree by the University's Chancellor Nazir Afzal at Whitworth Hall.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Sun
8 hours ago
- The Sun
MOHE mapping varsities' strengths to boost food security agenda
SERDANG: The Higher Education Ministry (MOHE) is in the process of identifying the strengths of each university to be strategically mobilised in advancing the national agenda on agriculture and food security. Deputy Minister Datuk Mustapha Sakmud said the involvement of academicians and institutions of higher learning is crucial to ensure the agenda is achieved in a sustainable manner. 'That is why we strongly encourage networking among universities so we can pool all available expertise to collectively explore how to address food security challenges at reasonable costs,' he said after officiating the closing ceremony of the National Food Security Conference 2025 at Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) here today. The two-day conference, which began yesterday, was organised by UPM in collaboration with MOHE and the Agriculture and Food Security Ministry to discuss the direction of national agricultural and food security policies. The event brought together policymakers, academicians, non-governmental organisations, entrepreneurs, students and industry players in an open forum featuring keynote addresses, plenary sessions, research presentations and panel discussions. Earlier in his speech, Mustapha stressed that a collaborative approach involving various stakeholders, including the government, industry players and farmers, is crucial for the country to address its food security challenges. 'One of the key challenges facing the nation is ensuring our food security. Therefore, the effort to get everyone thinking about this is vital to tackle this issue,' he said. Meanwhile, UPM vice-chancellor Prof Datuk Dr Ahmad Farhan Mohd Sadullah said the UPM-led Food Security Nexus currently involves 20 public universities and seven private universities. 'We've held several workshops and outlined several actions we aim to pursue, with the hope that high-impact research can be utilised by both the government and industry,' he said. He added that UPM plans to broaden cooperation under Nexus to include Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) institutions and polytechnics. 'The use of technology is vital to transform farming communities. High-level technology is typically housed within universities, but when it comes to implementation, we need the involvement of TVET and polytechnic institutions,' he said.
The Sun
8 hours ago
- The Sun
MOHE mobilises universities for food security agenda
SERDANG: The Higher Education Ministry (MOHE) is in the process of identifying the strengths of each university to be strategically mobilised in advancing the national agenda on agriculture and food security. Deputy Minister Datuk Mustapha Sakmud said the involvement of academicians and institutions of higher learning is crucial to ensure the agenda is achieved in a sustainable manner. 'That is why we strongly encourage networking among universities so we can pool all available expertise to collectively explore how to address food security challenges at reasonable costs,' he said after officiating the closing ceremony of the National Food Security Conference 2025 at Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) here today. The two-day conference, which began yesterday, was organised by UPM in collaboration with MOHE and the Agriculture and Food Security Ministry to discuss the direction of national agricultural and food security policies. The event brought together policymakers, academicians, non-governmental organisations, entrepreneurs, students and industry players in an open forum featuring keynote addresses, plenary sessions, research presentations and panel discussions. Earlier in his speech, Mustapha stressed that a collaborative approach involving various stakeholders, including the government, industry players and farmers, is crucial for the country to address its food security challenges. 'One of the key challenges facing the nation is ensuring our food security. Therefore, the effort to get everyone thinking about this is vital to tackle this issue,' he said. Meanwhile, UPM vice-chancellor Prof Datuk Dr Ahmad Farhan Mohd Sadullah said the UPM-led Food Security Nexus currently involves 20 public universities and seven private universities. 'We've held several workshops and outlined several actions we aim to pursue, with the hope that high-impact research can be utilised by both the government and industry,' he said. He added that UPM plans to broaden cooperation under Nexus to include Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) institutions and polytechnics. 'The use of technology is vital to transform farming communities. High-level technology is typically housed within universities, but when it comes to implementation, we need the involvement of TVET and polytechnic institutions,' he said.
The Sun
9 hours ago
- The Sun
French teens on trial in France over rape of Jewish girl
PARIS: Three French boys went on trial Wednesday charged with the gang rape of a 12-year-old Jewish girl in 2024 outside Paris, a crime that shocked the Jewish community at a time of rising anti-Semitic attacks. The trial, which is due to last until Friday, is being held at a juvenile court in Nanterre, a suburb of western Paris. Two boys, aged 13 at the time, are being tried on charges of the gang rape of a minor on religious grounds. The third, then aged 12, is accused of being complicit in the crime. All three boys are charged with sexual assault on a minor as well as recording and sharing sexual images, aggravated by being committed on religious grounds. The girl told police she was approached by the three boys on June 15, 2024, whilst in a park near her home in the northwestern Paris suburb of Courbevoie, close to the La Defense financial district. She was dragged into a shed where the suspects beat her and 'forced' her to have sex 'while uttering death threats and anti-Semitic remarks', one police source had told AFP. The victim told investigators the boys had called her a 'dirty Jew' and asked her questions about 'her Jewish religion' and Israel. The rape was filmed by one boy, and another threatened to kill the girl if she reported the ordeal to authorities, police sources said. The attack had shocked the Jewish community in France and was unanimously condemned by politicians. At the time, President Emmanuel Macron had denounced the 'scourge' of anti-Semitism. Several demonstrations in support of the victim had taken place in Paris and in Courbevoie. Reported anti-Semitic acts in France surged from 436 in 2022 to 1,676 in 2023, before dipping slightly to 1,570 last year, according to the interior ministry. Jewish groups have said that the number of such attacks has surged following the attack by Hamas on Israel on October 7, 2023 which was followed by Israel's bombardment of the Gaza Strip and aid blockade. 'Firstly, our client expects that the aggressors will be punished for what they did and that the punishment in in line with the gravity of their actions,' Muriel Ouaknine-Melki, one of the victim's lawyers, told the court on Wednesday. 'And secondly, she is looking for answers about what happened. Why this outburst of violence?' said Ouaknine-Melki. 'As we all know, there is an explosion of anti-Semitic acts in France,' added Oudy Bloch, another one of the girl's lawyers. 'Our young client suffered a year of anti-Semitic bullying at school before she was attacked, and she wants this rise in anti-Semitism to be taken into account and that the government acts,' he added. Clementine Berthier, the defence lawyer for one of the suspects, said she hoped 'the trial would be serene and peaceful for all parties'.
