Best photos of JUNE 01: Mass for the Jubilee of Families in Vatican to Top ten contestants in Miss World Finale
Pope Leo XIV arrives on his pope mobile before celebrating a Mass for the Jubilee of Families in St Peter's Square, at the Vatican. AP Photo
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The National
4 hours ago
- The National
'Freedom Flotilla' sets sail for Gaza with Greta Thunberg on board
Climate activist Greta Thunberg, Game of Thrones actor Liam Cunningham and a French politician barred from entering Israel are setting sail from Italy on Sunday as part of a 'Freedom Flotilla", with the goal of reaching Gaza to deliver humanitarian supplies and protest against the war. The organisation, which has been sending vessels to Gaza for more than a decade, has faced Israeli military retaliation throughout its existence. In April, one of its ships was hit by armed drones, with organisers blaming Israel, although no one has yet claimed the attack. In 2010, Israeli forces killed 10 Turkish activists belonging to the group on the Mavi Marmara after a naval interception near the coast of Gaza. Ten Israeli troops were wounded in the attack. The latest vessel is setting sail from Sicily in a 'small but mighty yacht' called Madleen, named in 2014 after Gaza's only fisherwoman, the organisation's website said. It says the flotilla is "carrying a cargo of hope and humanitarian aid". Speaking on the deck as the vessel prepared to set sail, Ms Thunberg said the mission was 'about the Palestinians who are being systematically starved and ethnically cleansed" by Israel. 'The real news story today is not that we are setting sail towards Gaza. It is the fact that we have to be here,' she added. 'It falls on us to be the adults in the room … we have to keep our promise to the Palestinians to do everything in our power to protest the genocide and to try to open up the humanitarian corridor and break the siege. 'No matter what the odds are against us we have to keep trying, because the moment we stop trying we lose our humanity. No matter how dangerous this mission is it is nowhere near as dangerous as the silence of the entire world.' French politician Rima Hassan said on Friday the latest voyage was to 'condemn the humanitarian blockade and continuing genocide, the impunity granted to the state of Israel and raise international awareness'. Ms Hassan, a member of left-wing party France Unbowed, was due to visit the occupied Palestinian territories in February with a European Parliament delegation, but said she was refused entry to Israel. Aid has begun trickling back into Gaza in recent days, but humanitarian groups warn the war-ravaged enclave is facing mass starvation. The White House said on Thursday that Israel had "signed off" on a new US ceasefire proposal, but Hamas said it could not accept the deal.
The National
4 hours ago
- The National
Germany's former foreign minister elected president of UN General Assembly
Former German foreign minister Annalena Baerbock was elected president of the UN General Assembly on Monday, despite opposition from Russia. Ms Baerbock, 44, won with 167 votes in a secret ballot, with 14 abstentions. Russia had pushed for the secret vote in a last-minute challenge, but her appointment was widely seen as a formality given she was the only candidate. The Green Party politician, who needed only a simple majority, will assume the one-year post on September 9, before the 80th annual high-level gathering of world leaders at the UN. Ms Baerbock will be the fifth woman to preside over the UN General Assembly in its nearly 80-year history, and the first European woman to hold the post. Unlike past presidents, who largely focused on protocol, she vowed to tackle bureaucratic inefficiencies, boost transparency and strengthen the assembly's voice in choosing the next UN secretary general. "My door will always be open for everyone – better together," Ms Baerbock said after her election, emphasising a commitment to "trust-based dialogue" with all member states. She also stressed the importance of including input from all regions and groups in the reform process. 'This organisation requires adequate, reliable funding, and at the same time, we need to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of the entire system,' Ms Baerbock said. The General Assembly presidency is primarily an organisational role, overseeing plenary sessions among the body's 193 member states. Ms Baerbock has faced criticism for her strong pro- Israel stance during the Gaza conflict, with opponents accusing her of echoing Israeli government rhetoric. "Of course, self-defence means not only attacking terrorists, but destroying them," she said last year. "When Hamas terrorists hide behind people, behind schools, we do not cower in the face of it. Then civilian places can also lose their protected status because terrorists abuse it. That is what Germany stands for, and for us that means the security of Israel." Ms Baerbock's term as General Assembly president will test whether she can translate her reformist talk into tangible changes at the UN.
The National
8 hours ago
- The National
Luis Enrique – the mentor who has transformed PSG from luxury into legacy
Luis Enrique paced the touchline in Munich as if walking a familiar path. On a night laden with expectation, he remained composed, arms folded, gaze steely, his Paris Saint-Germain side dismantling Inter Milan with a cruelty only matched by its brilliance. By the end of 90 minutes, the scoreline read 5-0, magnified on the Allianz Arena scoreboard for all to see, engrained in the memory of all those that had witnessed it. It was the kind of score that doesn't just win trophies and ruin careers, but etches names into history. For all the money and ambition that has powered PSG's rise since the 2011 takeover by Qatar Sports Investments, they have often been a gilded idea rather than a galvanised team. Managers have come and gone. Players, too. But in Enrique they have found something rare – a head coach who doesn't just tolerate pressure, but seems to thrive on it. He did not flinch when Kylian Mbappe left last summer for Real Madrid, did not beg PSG's owners to keep Lionel Messi, a player whose own brilliant past is inextricably linked to the Spaniard's, upon his arrival in Paris just under two years ago. He didn't protest when Neymar was jettisoned and the club pivoted from superstar signings to investment in youth. He welcomed it. What he built was not just a team, but an ideal. Vitinha became a midfield maestro. Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, plucked from Napoli, sliced through defences like a winger of a bygone era. And then there was Desire Doue – still a teenager – whose two goals and an assist in the final will remain preserved in football's collective memory. This wasn't just a win. It was a reckoning. And at the centre of it all was a coach who has made a habit of silencing doubters, a serial winner who in his spare time runs ultra-marathons, whose principles are grounded in discipline and the unwavering belief that, above all, the team comes first. 'Since day one, I said I wanted to win important trophies and Paris had never won the Champions League,' Enrique said. 'We did it for the first time. It's a great feeling to make many people happy.' It is tempting to view Enrique purely through the prism of his achievements. The trophies – 16 in all, including three this season – demand admiration. But to understand his work is to understand the depth of his conviction. After stepping away from Spain's national team to care for his daughter Xana – who tragically passed away from cancer age nine – Enrique returned to football not diminished, but even more determined. He does not play to the gallery, does not seek approval or redemption. He only coaches – intensely, with the focus of a man who has already had the worst thing that could happen to him happen to him. In the delirium that followed the final whistle, PSG's ultras unveiled a tifo that said everything words could not. A depiction of Enrique and Xana planting a club flag into the field. The symbolism was impossible to miss – Enrique had done the same thing with his daughter after guiding Barcelona to the 2015 Champions League title on their way to a treble. Emotional in the extreme, it also symbolised the green shoots of optimism that the club can expect more nights like this in years to come. It was a full-circle moment in a career defined by evolution. The firebrand of the Roma years, the calm conductor of Barcelona's golden symphony, the resolute leader who steered Spain through chaos, and now, the mentor who transformed PSG from luxury into legacy. It also cemented Enrique's place in the pantheon of greats, becoming only the second coach, alongside Pep Guardiola, to win trebles at two clubs.
