Latest news with #Qatari
France 24
3 hours ago
- Sport
- France 24
PSG and Inter Milan set for Champions League final showdown
The match, which kicks off at Bayern Munich's 75,000-capacity Allianz Arena at 9:00pm (1900 GMT), pits an experienced Inter against a PSG team appearing in their second final since the transformative Qatari takeover of the club in 2011. Whoever wins will succeed Real Madrid as champions, and excitement is notably at fever pitch back in Paris, where around 40,000 people will watch on giant screens at PSG's Parc des Princes stadium and a huge police presence is planned around the city. The climax to the European season has thrown up a mouthwatering clash of opposing styles and ideas of how to build a team, a contest between one of the continent's old guard and one of the state-owned modern superclubs. Despite enormous spending, PSG have never won the Champions League before, coming closest when they got to the final in 2020. That was during the pandemic, when they lost to Bayern behind closed doors in Lisbon, despite the presence of Kylian Mbappe and Neymar up front. The addition of Lionel Messi a year later did not help them in their quest to claim the trophy, and their brilliant run to Munich has come in the season after Mbappe followed the South American superstar duo out of the exit door. 'Do something historic' "There have been great times, difficult times, but we have a glorious opportunity to do something remarkable and historic for this club," captain Marquinhos said on Friday. Under Spanish coach Luis Enrique, an exciting young Paris side has taken Europe by storm in recent months, with a comeback win in January against 2023 champions Manchester City proving the catalyst. Since then PSG have knocked out three more Premier League sides -- Liverpool, Aston Villa and Arsenal -- en route to the final, and have completed a French league and cup double. Ousmane Dembele has been their star player with 33 goals, ably assisted by fellow forwards Desire Doue, Bradley Barcola and January signing Khvicha Kvaratskhelia. Others like Achraf Hakimi, formerly of Inter, and Italy goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma have also been superb. 'My biggest motivation is to make history for Paris and give the city and club something to celebrate," said Luis Enrique, who is looking to win his second Champions League title, 10 years after leading Barcelona to glory. Victory for PSG would make them just the second French winners of the competition -- Marseille's 1993 triumph also came in Munich, at the old Olympic Stadium, and against Inter's city rivals AC Milan. Italian experience Inter were the last Italian winners, when Jose Mourinho's side defeated Bayern in Madrid in 2010. They also won it twice in successive years in the 1960s. Coach Simone Inzaghi was already in charge when the Nerazzurri got to the final two years ago and lost narrowly to City. As many as eight of the team that started that night in Istanbul could do so again here, and an experienced line-up should feature three players aged 36 or over. Inzaghi's side beat Bayern in the quarter-finals before getting the better of Barcelona in an epic tie in the last four. Captained by star Argentinian forward Lautaro Martinez, they will set up in a 3-5-2 formation that contrasts sharply with the 4-3-3 of PSG. "Last time against Manchester City we produced a top-class performance but didn't win, so this time we hope to be a bit more switched on," said midfielder Nicolo Barella, recalling the 2023 final. "These matches come down to fine margins, but we will try to bring home the trophy, that is the dream for all of us. "After a season like this one I think we deserve to win this final," added Barella, whose side missed out to Napoli for the Serie A title on the last day of the campaign. It is, remarkably, the first ever competitive encounter between the teams. While fans flooded into the German city on Friday, back in Paris fanzones have been set up at three locations beyond PSG's stadium. Police will deploy more than 5,000 officers in the city and its suburbs during the final after violence erupted following PSG's last-four victory against Arsenal. In Milan, meanwhile, tens of thousands will also watch the game at Inter's San Siro stadium.
Yahoo
7 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Bob Menendez Does Not Deserve a Pardon
"People talk about the Trump [Department of Justice] DOJ," Bob Menendez, the disgraced former senator from New Jersey, posted on X Friday, "but it was the Democrats who started weaponizing the Justice Dept." The timing of that message was interesting. Menendez, a Democrat, is scheduled to report to federal prison on June 17, after a jury convicted him of accepting almost $1 million in bribes in exchange for, among other things, favors that benefited foreign governments. The scheme was extensive. Menendez—along with his wife, Nadine—took gold bars, $480,000 in cash, and a $60,000 Mercedes-Benz convertible from three New Jersey businessmen, who, in return, had Menendez leverage the power of his office in a litany of corrupt ways. That included helping secure hundreds of millions of dollars in military aid to Egypt; assisting Egyptian-American entrepreneur Wael Hana in preserving a monopoly granted to him by that same country; attempting to influence multiple criminal investigations in a way that would satisfy two of his bribers; and promoting the interests of Qatar so that New Jersey real estate developer Fred Daibes could lock down a multi-million dollar investment from a fund associated with the Qatari government. This list is not exhaustive. The former senator was convicted last year on all 16 counts, which included bribery, honest services wire fraud, obstruction of justice, public official acting as a foreign agent, among several others. A judge sentenced him to 11 years in prison, which was, in some sense, a break, considering that the federal sentencing guidelines recommended a minimum of 24 years in prison. (His wife was convicted last month on all counts—15 in her case—and is scheduled to be sentenced in June.) Menendez's Friday post coincides not only with his looming prison sentence but also with the spate of pardons recently granted by President Donald Trump. It's understandable why the former senator would want to pull out all the stops here. Prison, to put it mildly, sucks. Trump should still decline to indulge him. Whether or not the president will be moved remains unclear. Among his recent pardons is Paul Walczak, an executive who was convicted of withholding millions of dollars in taxes from his employees' paychecks and then keeping the funds for himself. His pardon came shortly before he was to report to prison for an 18-month sentence—and after his mother attended a Trump fundraiser dinner at Mar-a-Lago, where, according to the invitation, admission cost $1 million. But perhaps more analogous to Menendez's situation is the pardon given to Scott Jenkins, the disgraced former Virginia sheriff who, in exchange for cash payments, gave out auxiliary deputy sheriff badges so recipients could invoke special privileges. It is not exactly a mystery why the pardon power's reputation is in the toilet. The problem is a bipartisan one—former President Joe Biden, for his part, issued preemptive pardons for his family members, Anthony Fauci, and others, which does not exactly instill confidence in the rule of law. Neither does pardoning people who sufficiently endear themselves to the chief executive. Pardon Attorney Ed Martin captured those motivations best on X: "No MAGA left behind," he wrote Monday, as he thanked Trump for pardoning Jenkins. But the pardon power, for all the negative attention it has received in recent months, can be an incredible tool for good. It is effectively the only lever to check overzealous prosecutors and unjust sentences in the federal system. Some of Trump's pardons make the case for this. Most famously there was Alice Marie Johnson, who was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole in the '90s for her role as a drug mule in a cocaine ring; Trump initially commuted her sentence and later pardoned her in 2020. Listed in the latest round of pardons were John Moore and Tanner Mansell, two Florida diving instructors who were convicted of theft after freeing sharks they thought had been caught illegally—which, as Reason's Jacob Sullum notes, was a bizarre misuse of the discretion afforded to prosecutors. That is the sort of thing clemency is for: to give a lifeline to people who may have been railroaded by the government, which sometimes gets creative and fanatical in its attempts to punish people. It is not supposed to be a get-out-of-jail-free card for well-connected, powerful people who can sufficiently flatter the president. After all, Menendez, as a senator, was one of the most powerful people in the country. His case was not an example of politicizing justice, though a pardon would be. The post Bob Menendez Does Not Deserve a Pardon appeared first on
Egypt Today
9 hours ago
- Politics
- Egypt Today
French President praise mediators' efforts to reach ceasefire in Gaza
CAIRO – 30 May 2025: French President Emmanuel Macron praised Egypt and Qatar for their efforts to achieve a ceasefire, saying, 'I salute the Egyptian, Qatari, and American efforts to achieve a ceasefire in Gaza. We cannot leave Israel free to do whatever it wants in Gaza.' Hamas said on Friday that it is still consulting with Palestinian forces and factions regarding the US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff ceasefire proposal in Gaza that was received via mediators. In another statement, the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP) called on the Hamas leadership to exert more efforts, in cooperation with Arab mediators, to reach an agreement to halt the aggression in the Gaza Strip, even for 60 days. The statement explained that this period would be sufficient to allow for regional and international initiatives to develop the situation in the favor of the Palestinian people. The official spokesman for DFLP said that given the impasse in the ongoing negotiations with the US administration to halt the aggression on the Gaza Strip, due to Washington's clear bias towards the Israeli position of continuing the war, the Front is fully confident that the Hamas leadership is fully aware of the grave dangers facing our people if a ceasefire is not reached immediately. High hopes are pinned on the US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff ceasefire proposal in Gaza after Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu announced accepting it; while Hamas said in a statement that it has received it via mediators and will 'study it responsibly'. The new suggested proposal is to secure a 60-day ceasefire in Gaza and allow aid to enter the Strip following the two sides' approval. The White House also expressed its optimism with the new proposal from envoy Steve Witkoff according to Axios, saying that this proposal expected to help bridge the remaining gaps between Israel and Hamas and produce a ceasefire and hostage deal in Gaza soon. 'If each side moves just a bit, we could have a deal within days,' Axios quoted a source. In case Hamas announced its approval; the United States President Donald Trump will explain details of the new brokered deal. According to Israeli reports, Witkoff has affirmed repeatedly Trump's commitment to reaching a ceasefire in Gaza. The proposal states that US, Egypt, and Qatar are listed as guarantors for maintaining the ceasefire over the 60-day period and any potential extension.
Memri
10 hours ago
- Politics
- Memri
The Qatar Weekly Update (QWU) – Part Of The Qatar Monitor Project (QMP) – No. 21, May 30, 2025
1. MEMRI Special Dispatch No. 11995, Abdullah Al-Amadi, Journalist For Qatari Government Daily And Former Advisor To Qatari Education Minister, Regularly Publishes Antisemitic Content And Incitement To Violence Against Jews and Israelis, May 28, 2025. 2. MEMRI Inquiry & Analysis Series No. 1840, Qatar-Funded Media And Islamist Groups Renew Their Attacks On Moderate Muslim Scholar Sheikh Hamza Yusuf Over His Peace Advocacy And UAE Ties, Following His Appointment To Advisory Board Of New U.S. Religious Liberty Commission, May 23, 2025. 3. Asked on Fox News if Qatar is supplying fuel to the antisemitic incitement and anti-Israel propaganda on U.S. campuses, as stated by Consul General of Israel in New York Ofir Akunis, Department Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said: "There's validity to what he has said, but I also think that we've got a lot of influences here and we've got a lot of people that have facilitated this that have a different agenda." Fox News, YouTube, May 22, 2025; May 22, 2025. 4. Qatar: Authorities' Religious Discrimination Against Baha'is – Members Unlawfully Detained, Deported Due to Their Faith, Human Rights Watch, May 25, 2025. 5. Qatari lobbying machine finds friends in South Carolina, Washington Examiner, May 27, 2025 6. Qatari Push to Dominate Another Sport, Table Tennis, Draws Scrutiny: A wealthy Qatari businessman's campaign to lead the sport's global body is being investigated; one of his critics was detained and interrogated in Doha, New York Times, May 25, 2025. 7. Trump's Air Force One deal with Qatar not final, despite U.S. claims: The delay reflects lingering concerns about legal liabilities stemming from a White House maneuver to transform what was originally a sale between two countries into a "gift." Washington Post, May 28, 2025. 8. Naftali Bennet: Qatar Is A Kingdom Of Evil, Terror, And Incitement; We Must Act Against It With All Our Might, N12, May 20, 2025. * Yigal Carmon is Founder and President of MEMRI.
Winnipeg Free Press
10 hours ago
- Sport
- Winnipeg Free Press
‘The DNA needed changing'
Just over two years ago — my socials are ruthless with 'Then and Now' reminders — I happened to be in Paris when the revolution started. Paris Saint-Germain, then ruled by the Messi-Neymar-Mbappé triumvirate, had lost 3-1 at home to Lorient the previous week, and the mob was on the march. It first turned up at the Camp des Loges training complex, where it unveiled a protest banner, and 24 hours later it converged on the club's administrative offices in Boulogne-Billancourt. The most aggrieved then moved on Neymar's house in Bougival. 'End of an Era,' read the morning's front page of L'Equipe. And so it was. Miguel A. Lopes / THE ASSOCIATED PRESS FILES Marquinhos (right) challenges for the ball in Paris Saint-Germain's last Champions League Final appearance. PSG's captain said he knew it would take time for the team to rebuild after the 2020 loss to Bayern Munich. Within weeks, Messi and Neymar had left the club, and the likes of Marco Verratti, Sergio Ramos, Mauro Icardi and Leandro Paredes didn't last much longer. Mbappé joined Real Madrid the following summer. That was 'Then.' What happened next was unexpected, even brave. PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi and his Qatari ownership group abandoned their superstar-centred strategy for a focus on young French footballers. They joined the revolution. Twenty-year-old striker Bradley Barcola was brought in from Lyon to play alongside Ousmane Dembélé, who'd come from Barcelona two weeks prior. Warren Zaire-Emery, just 17, was promoted to the first-team squad on a permanent basis. Following Mbappé's exit, teenaged winger Désiré Doué was acquired from Rennes. By the time Georgia playmaker Khvicha Kvaratskhelia joined from Napoli to complete the puzzle in January, Les Parisiens were a totally different proposition. This afternoon, they'll contest a Champions League Final (2:00 p.m. CT, CBS & DAZN), the second in their history, and are playing with an exuberance those previous teams never quite managed, with a freedom revolutions tend to bring. 'The DNA needed changing,' PSG captain Marquinhos told Canal+ in the run-up to today's showdown with Inter Milan in Munich. 'A mentality needed to be put in place, and it wasn't going to be done overnight.' No, it took two years — still mightily impressive. Later that May of 2023, I previewed another Champions League Final in these pages. Inter Milan were involved then, too, and their opponents were the treble-chasing English heavyweights Manchester City. They didn't stand a chance. 'The only scenario in which Inter lift the European Cup,' I wrote,' is one that combines the meticulous execution of once-in-a-lifetime performances and, even more significantly, a whole lot of luck.' They played well enough to not embarrass themselves, losing 1-0 in Istanbul. They'd also had their chances — 14 shots, five of which hit the target — but simply couldn't convert them into goals. Still, they were close. And they knew it. 'There are defeats to be proud of, even if they sting,' analyzed Gazzetta dello Sport. 'Like this one.' For Inter, the time between 'Then' and 'Now' was spent doing the opposite of what PSG were up to. No revolutions here. The Nerazzurri got older on purpose, holding onto players who, given the chance, would put learned lessons into practice, and adding veterans to strengthen an already solid squad. After the City defeat, Inter signed then-34-year-old Bayern Munich goalkeeper Yann Sommer and turned 35-year-old Lazio defender Francesco Acerbi's loan into a transfer. Their big splash was a 30 million euro outlay for France centre-back Benjamin Pavard. A year later they won the Scudetto. Last summer they snatched midfielder Piotr Zielinski, 30, from Napoli and striker Mehdi Taremi, 31, from Porto. Of the 11 Inter players who started the 2023 Champions League Final, at least seven will line up to face PSG. They'll have an average age of more than 30, and, according to striker Lautaro Martinez, as close to a perfectly-balanced squad as a club can build. 'Two years ago we played the Final against a strong team. We lost, but also matured a great deal since then,' he mused in his pre-match press conference. 'Now we arrive in a perfect way, in every sense.' 'Then and Now.' As a Facebook memory, Inter Milan's might start with a photo of Martinez, hands on his hips, his expression one of deep disappointment, tears welling at the corners of his eyes. Thursdays Keep up to date on sports with Mike McIntyre's weekly newsletter. PSG's would have a snapshot of balaclava-wearing ultras, crude banners running the width of the club's offices, a smoke bomb going off in an image as loud as it is dramatic. And the second picture? The 'Now' they'll insert next to 'Then'? It hasn't been taken yet. Soon, though. It's what they're playing for today. jerradpeters@ @
