Gaza war hurts my whole body, says Guardiola
MANCHESTER, England - 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. REUTERS
Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Straits Times
35 minutes ago
- Straits Times
Finland summons Russian diplomat over second airspace violation in weeks
HELSINKI - Finland's foreign ministry said on Wednesday it had summoned a Russian diplomat over a suspected June 10 violation of Finnish airspace, the second such event in under three weeks. NATO member Finland on Tuesday said it believed a Russian military aircraft entered its airspace off the coast of Porvoo in the southern part of the country, and that the Finnish Border Guard was investigating the incident. "The foreign ministry has invited Russia's acting head of mission to speak on the issue today," the Finnish ministry said in a statement to Reuters. Russia's embassy in Helsinki did not immediately respond to a request for comment when contacted by Reuters. Finland summoned Russia's ambassador on May 26 over an incident in the same area involving two military aircraft. The Baltic Sea region is on high alert after a string of power cable, telecom link and gas pipeline outages since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, with the NATO alliance boosting its presence in the area with frigates, aircraft and naval drones. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
an hour ago
- Straits Times
Russia says it is ready to remove excess nuclear materials from Iran
MOSCOW - Russia said on Wednesday it was ready to remove nuclear materials from Iran and convert them into fuel as a potential way to help narrow differences between the United States and Iran over the Islamic Republic's nuclear programme. Tehran says it has the right to peaceful nuclear power, but its swiftly-advancing uranium enrichment programme has raised fears in the West and across the Gulf that it wants to build a nuclear weapon. The fate of Iran's uranium enrichment is at the heart of the disagreement between Washington and Tehran: U.S. President Donald Trump says that Iran cannot be allowed to develop nuclear weapons, while Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei says Iran cannot abandon enrichment. President Vladimir Putin told Trump in a phone call that he was ready to use Russia's close partnership with Iran to help with negotiations over Iran's nuclear programme, the Kremlin said last week. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov, who oversees arms control and U.S. relations, told Russian media on Wednesday that efforts to reach a solution should be redoubled and that Moscow was willing to help with ideas and in practical ways. "We are ready to provide assistance to both Washington and Tehran, not only politically, not only in the form of ideas that could be of use in the negotiation process, but also practically: for example, through the export of excess nuclear material produced by Iran and its subsequent adaptation to the production of fuel for reactors," Ryabkov said. The United States wants all of Iran's highly enriched uranium (HEU) to be shipped out of the country. Tehran says it should only send out any excess amount above a ceiling that was agreed in a 2015 deal. Russia, the world's biggest nuclear power, does not want to see Iran acquire nuclear weapons, but believes it has every right to develop its own civilian nuclear programme and that any use of military force against it would be illegal and unacceptable. Moscow has bought weapons from Iran for its war in Ukraine and signed a 20-year strategic partnership deal with Tehran earlier this year. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
an hour ago
- Straits Times
Man City sign Dutch midfielder Reijnders ahead of Club World Cup
Manchester City confirmed the signing of midfielder Tijjani Reijnders from AC Milan on a five-year contract on Wednesday and said the Netherlands international will be available for this month's Club World Cup. Financial details were not released but a City team source has put the transfer fee at 55 million euros ($62.85 million). "City are one of the biggest teams in the world, with the best coach, world-class players and outstanding facilities. Under Pep Guardiola, City have won so many titles, and I want to help keep that going with a lot more success in the coming years," Reijnders said in a statement. "It is also a dream come true to play in the Premier League. This league has seen many of the best Dutch players perform through the years and it's an inspiration to follow in their footsteps. " The 26-year-old, who has been capped 23 times, joined Milan in 2023 on a five-year contract before extending it until 2030 in March. He made 104 appearances for the club in all competitions, winning the Italian Super Cup and was named Serie A's best midfielder last season. "He arrives here with extensive top-level experience in Europe both at club level as well as on the international stage with the Netherlands," City's Director of Football Hugo Viana said. Reijnders is City's fourth addition of the transfer window after left back Rayan Ait-Nouri, winger Rayan Cherki and goalkeeper Marcus Bettinelli. The expanded 32-team Club World Cup runs from June 14 to July 13 in the United States with $1 billion in prize money at stake. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
