Mapping Russia’s Kursk nuclear power plant
IAEA chief visits one of Russia’s nuclear sites after Moscow accused Ukraine of attacking the Kursk power station. The International Atomic Energy Agency’s (IAEA) Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi is visiting the Kursk nuclear power station, following Russian claims of an attack on the site last week. In a post on X on Monday Grossi said, “Given the serious situation, I’m personally leading tomorrow’s @IAEAorg mission to the Kursk Nuclear Power Plant in Russia.” Russia accused Ukraine on Friday of trying to attack the Kursk nuclear power station overnight in what it called an act of “nuclear terrorism”. Ukraine has not responded to the accusations. The nuclear plant is located in the Kursk region of western Russia, where fierce fighting has raged since Ukrainian forces launched a surprise incursion on August 6, hitting back as Russian troops advance in eastern Ukraine. The IAEA said in a statement it had been informed by Russia that the remains of a drone were found within the area of the nuclear power plant, located roughly 100 metres (328 feet) from the plant’s spent fuel nuclear storage facility. Kursk Nuclear Power Station, August 22, 2024 [Planet Labs] Where is fighting taking place? Ukraine estimates it has seized 1,263sq km (488sq miles) of Russian territory so far. On Sunday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said his forces had gained up to three kilometres (1.86 miles) in the Kursk region, taking control of two more settlements there. Amid the intense fighting, concerns have been growing following claims of the drone attack at Kursk Nuclear Power Plant (NPP). This comes just weeks after fighting in Sudzha raised concerns due to the location of the only pumping station for Russian natural gas to reach Europe through Ukraine. Where are Russia’s nuclear sites? Russia operates at least 37 nuclear reactors across 11 nuclear power plants. The Kursk plant, located about 100km (62 miles) from the Ukrainian border, is among the three largest nuclear facilities in the country. Kursk NPP is just 40km (25 miles) away from the recent fighting and has four Soviet RBMK-1000 reactors – the same design as those at the Chernobyl nuclear plant which in 1986 became the scene of the world’s worst civilian nuclear disaster. The two working nuclear reactors -number 3 and 4 – generate 90 percent of the Kursk region’s total power generation capacity. The IAEA has said that during Grossi’s visit, they will assess the site and evaluate the nuclear safety and security conditions at the power plant. “Military activity in the vicinity of a nuclear power plant is a serious risk to nuclear safety and security. My visit to KNPP next week will provide us with timely access to independently assess the situation,” Grossi said on Thursday. Construction of the Kursk-2 power plant is under way, using essentially new reactors of the VVER-510 type, which began in 2018. However, the two reactors are not operational yet. Where are Ukraine’s nuclear sites? Ukraine has 15 nuclear reactors across four NPPs. Zaporizhzhia accounts for nearly half of the total electricity generated by Ukraine’s NPPs and one-fifth (20 percent) of its annual electricity production. Since the start of the Russia-Ukraine war, concerns for Zaporizhzhia NPP, located in the southern Ukrainian steppe on the Dnipro River, 550km (342 miles) southeast of Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv, have continuously been raised after it was captured by Russian forces in March 2022. The IAEA has stated it has staff continuously present at all of Ukraine’s nuclear sites to monitor their safety and security. How reliant are Ukraine and Russia on nuclear power? In 2023, more than half (50.7 percent) of Ukraine’s electricity was produced with nuclear power, followed by coal (20.9 percent), hydropower (12.3 percent) and gas (7.8 percent). In 2023, 45 percent of Russia’s electricity came from gas, while only 18.4 percent of its electricity came from nuclear power. Russia is the second-largest exporter of natural gas. Christoph Halser, an analyst with Oslo-based Rystad Energy, told Al Jazeera the share of Russian gas as part of total European imports has more than halved from 38 percent in 2021 to 15 percent in 2023. Despite the war with Russia, Kyiv has allowed the gas to continue being sent through its Soviet-era gas pipeline unabated. Adblock test (Why?)
Israeli military says rescued captive arrives at hospital
NewsFeed An ambulance believed to be carrying 52-year-old Israeli captive Kaid Farhan al-Qadi arrived at a hospital in Israel after the army said they rescued him in Gaza on Tuesday. Videos shared by Israel’s official X account showed his family reacting to the news. Published On 27 Aug 202427 Aug 2024 Adblock test (Why?)
Israeli military says captive rescued from Gaza
Kaid Farhan al-Kadi has been rescued in a ‘complex operation’ in the southern Gaza Strip, says the army. Israel says its special forces have recovered an Israeli captive from a tunnel in the southern Gaza Strip in “a complex rescue operation”, as the war, now in its 11th month, shows no signs of abating. Kaid Farhan al-Kadi, a 52-year-old Bedouin, was abducted by the Palestinian group Hamas during its October 7 attack on Israel, the military said in a statement on Tuesday. The military said al-Kadi is in “a stable medical condition” and has been transferred to a hospital for medical checks. Al-Kadi is a resident of Rahat, a mainly Arab town. On October 7, he had been working as a guard at a warehouse in southern Israel when he was captured by Hamas-backed fighters along with some 250 other people. Israel says more than 1,100 people, mostly civilians, were killed in the attack. Israel’s offensive on Gaza since October 7 has killed more than 40,000 Palestinians and displaced 90 percent of its 2.3 million people from their homes, leaving hundreds of thousands in makeshift shelters. “We are committed to seizing every opportunity to bring the hostages back to their homes,” Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said in a statement on X. Hamas is still holding approximately 110 captives, about a third of whom are believed to be dead. Most of the rest were released in exchange for Palestinians imprisoned by Israel during a ceasefire last November. In June, Israeli forces killed at least 274 Palestinians and wounded nearly 700 others to rescue four captives during an operation at Gaza’s Nuseirat refugee camp. Hamas says several captives have been killed in Israeli air raids and failed retrieval attempts. Israeli soldiers mistakenly killed three Israelis who escaped captivity in December. Meanwhile, Egypt, Qatar and the United States have spent months trying to negotiate an agreement in which the remaining captives would be freed in exchange for a lasting ceasefire. Those talks are continuing in Egypt this week, but there has been no sign of any breakthrough. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has faced intense criticism from families of the captives and much of the Israeli public for not yet reaching a deal with Hamas to bring them home. Hamas hopes to trade the captives for a lasting ceasefire, the withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza and the release of a large number of Palestinian prisoners. Al Jazeera’s Imran Khan said Tuesday’s operation took place in southern Gaza’s Rafah town on the border with Egypt. “Israel wants control of that border crossing, so this is going to give Israel the impetus to say, ‘This is why we need more control over Rafah,’” Khan said, calling it “a sticking point” in the ceasefire negotiations. He added that only seven or eight captives have been rescued in Israeli military operations, while 105 captives were released in November in ceasefire negotiations, “a big number”. “It goes to prove that if you are serious, and if you want these people back, that a negotiated ceasefire is the only way forward,” said Khan. “Yet Netanyahu and [his] coalition is dragging its feet when it comes to negotiations. In fact, they keep upping the ante … They’re now talking within the public sphere about reoccupying Gaza. That’s a real concern to Hamas and the international community.” Adblock test (Why?)
In Chicago’s Little Palestine, locals protest and mourn amid Gaza war
Bridgeview, Illinois – Standing outside his local mosque in suburban Chicago, Robhi Gharallah observed that Israel’s war in Gaza is on everyone’s mind in his neighbourhood. “We’re praying. We’re protesting. We’re raising funds. We’re doing all we can for Gaza,” Gharallah said after Friday prayer. But Gharallah said there is one action he and his neighbours are uncertain about — and that is how to vote in the upcoming presidential election. Gharallah lives in Bridgeview, Illinois, an area informally known as Chicago’s Little Palestine. It sits in Cook County, home to an estimated 22,518 Palestinian Americans — one of the largest Palestinian communities in the United States. Sporting a cap with the colours of the Palestinian flag — red, white, green and black — Gharallah underscored that the Palestinian diaspora is a prominent presence in Chicago’s cultural and business sectors. But he said Palestinian Americans are facing a dilemma in the next election, with both the Republican candidate Donald Trump and his Democratic rival Kamala Harris showing staunch support for Israel. “There is no good in Ammar nor Amira,” Gharallah said, using male and female names in Arabic to represent Trump and Harris. “We are American citizens, and we want to vote, but we don’t know for whom. Whether you vote for this one or this one, it’s the same thing. And if you don’t vote, it’s like you don’t exist [politically].” Bridgeview was in the national spotlight this month, as the Democratic National Convention arrived in Chicago. Just a day before Gharallah spoke to Al Jazeera, Harris appeared on stage at Chicago’s United Center — only 24km (15 miles) away from Bridgeview — to accept the Democratic Party’s nomination for the presidency. In her acceptance speech, she pledged to continue arming Israel. For Chicago-area Palestinians confronting the devastating war in their homeland, the convention served as an opportunity to bring awareness to their cause. But residents and community advocates told Al Jazeera that the event was also a bitter reminder that the Palestinian identity continues to be vilified and pushed to the political margins, including by Democrats who claim to value inclusivity. They pointed to the Harris campaign’s refusal to feature a Palestinian American speaker on the main stage of the convention. That exclusion, they said, added insult to injury, given the size of Chicago’s Palestinian community. ‘Not normal’ Jinan Chehade, 26, decried “the moral apathy and dissociation from the reality” she saw as Democrats gathered to celebrate Harris, while US bombs dropped on Palestinian civilians. “That’s why it’s so important for us to bring people together and remind them that this is not normal, that we’re not going to be filtered or drowned out,” Chehade told Al Jazeera, as she sat at a Bridgeview cafe with a mural depicting the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem. In Bridgeview, a town of 17,000 people, Palestinian symbols are almost never out of sight. At the cafe, there were several paintings related to the war, including depictions of Palestinian victims such as Hind Rajab, the six-year-old girl who was stranded in her family’s car and gunned down by Israeli tank fire before rescuers were able to reach her. At the front counter, a map of historic Palestine — drawn with coffee beans — was arranged over the word “Palestine” spelled out in Arabic. A sign reads ‘Free Palestine’ on Harlem Avenue in Bridgeview, Illinois, on August 23 [Ali Harb/Al Jazeera] Chehade, a lawyer and protest organiser, said that, while Chicago-area Palestinians have always had a strong sense of identity, the community has seen a “transformation” over the past 10 months, with pro-Palestinian activism reaching new heights. “The thing about Palestinians, the first thing you’ll know about them is they are Palestinian especially here because everybody is very proud to be representing a Little Palestinian,” she told Al Jazeera. Little Palestine Like much of the suburban US, Bridgeview has broad stretches of urban sprawl: low-rise buildings and rows of shops connected and separated by multi-lane roads. But in Bridgeview’s Little Palestine area, many of the businesses — restaurants, cafes, barbershops, jewellery stores and clothing boutiques — are distinguished by Arabic signs and Palestinian flags in their windows. During the Democratic convention, some storefronts featured posters promoting the protests outside the United Center. “We will not surrender,” read a mural above a store that sells hijabs and abayas, next to a bakery that raised funds for Gaza by selling pins that say “Free Palestine”. An electronic billboard outside a barbecue spot cycled through several slides: one calling for a ceasefire in Gaza and another showing a Palestinian flag in between advertisements for job openings. Motorists especially put their Palestinian identity on display in their vehicles, with flags, keffiyeh-patterned headrest covers, watermelon air fresheners and bumper stickers calling for an end to the occupation of Palestine. For many of the residents who spoke to Al Jazeera, being Palestinian is not just about the keffiyeh and merchandise. They explained that it is an inherently political state of existence, one that requires them to constantly humanise and highlight the plight of Palestinians under occupation and bombardment in the Middle East. A motorist poses next to a truck covered in Palestinian symbols in Bridgeview, Illinois [Ali Harb/Al Jazeera] Sereen Atieh, a 20-year-old Palestinian American immigrant, said while Little Palestine feels like home, she has struggled with a deep sense of sadness since the start of the war on Gaza. So she has turned to activism on her college campus. “All I can think about is my brothers and sisters being killed in Palestine,” Atieh, draped in a Palestinian flag, told Al Jazeera at a protest outside the Democratic convention. “I’ve been trying to do everything I can to help people understand that this is not just a conflict but a genocide, where Israel is trying to remove the Palestinian identity.” ‘They want to live’ In Bridgeview, Mohammad Numan, who works in digital media and advertising, said people in the community are trying to do everything they can
Russia-Ukraine war: List of key events, day 914
As the war enters its 914th day, these are the main developments. Here is the situation on Tuesday, August 27, 2024. Fighting At least seven people were killed and 47 injured, including four children, as Russia targeted Ukraine’s energy infrastructure across 15 regions with waves of drones and missiles, causing severe damage and disrupting supplies. Russia confirmed the attacks, which it said targeted facilities supporting the military-industrial complex. Mykola Oleshchuk, Ukraine’s Air Force commander, said the country’s forces brought down 102 of the 127 missiles and 99 of the 109 drones Russia launched. He called the attack “the most massive” since Russia began its full-scale invasion in February 2022. Poland said that an object, probably a drone, had entered its airspace during the Russian bombardment, and may have come down on Polish territory. United States President Joe Biden condemned what he called an “outrageous attack” and reiterated his country’s “unshakable” support for Kyiv. At least one person was killed and four injured after a Russian missile struck a building in the central Ukraine city of Kryvyi Rih, Oleksandr Vilkul, head of Kryvyi Rih’s military administration said. Five people were still thought to be trapped in the rubble. The Reuters news agency said its journalist Ivan Lyubysh-Kirdey was in a critical condition in hospital after a missile hit a Kramatorsk hotel where he was staying with a team of six people from Reuters. Safety adviser Ryan Evans was also killed in the attack, while another journalist, Daniel Peleschuk, was treated for his injuries in hospital and discharged. The three others were safe. Russia said it struck Ukrainian forces in at least 12 different places in its Kursk region with air strikes, artillery and infantry. Moscow said it also repelled attacks at seven additional places in Kursk, where Kyiv launched a surprise cross-border assault on August 6. It added that it had also struck Ukrainian forces at 16 other locations in Ukraine’s neighbouring Sumy region. Monday’s wave of Russian attacks on Ukraine covered half the country [Michael Shtekel/AP Photo] The director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Rafael Grossi, said he would personally lead the mission to inspect the Kursk nuclear power plant in Russia during a visit on Tuesday, noting the “serious situation”. Local officials in Russia’s Saratov region said four people were injured in the cities of Saratov and Engels in a Ukrainian drone attack. Engels is the location of a military airfield that Ukraine has targeted before. Politics and diplomacy Biden and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi discussed the war in Ukraine, the White House said in a statement. Modi visited Kyiv last week in the first visit by an Indian leader to Ukraine since the country got its independence in 1991. Modi posted online that he “reiterated India’s full support for early return of peace and stability”. A Russian court said the trial of Laurent Vinatier, a French citizen accused of unlawfully collecting information on military issues, will start on September 3. If convicted, Vinatier faces up to five years in prison. The researcher for the Geneva-based NGO Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue was arrested in June. Russia was the only member of the United Nations Security Council to skip an informal meeting in Switzerland during which the 14 members present reiterated their commitment to international humanitarian law. Russia’s envoy in New York described the meeting as a “waste of time”. Weapons Ukraine says it has developed a new long-range weapon – the Palianytsia – to strike deep into Russia. Minister of Defence Rustem Umerov said it would provide “answers” to a wave of Russian bombings. Adblock test (Why?)
Elon Musk’s X tweaks chatbot after warning over US election misinformation
Social media platform alters Grok after complaint it produced false information about ballot deadlines in US states. The social media platform X has made a change to its AI chatbot after five secretaries of state in the United States warned it was spreading election misinformation. Top election officials from Michigan, Minnesota, New Mexico, Pennsylvania and Washington sent a letter this month to Elon Musk complaining that the platform’s AI chatbot, Grok, produced false information about state ballot deadlines shortly after President Joe Biden dropped out of the 2024 presidential race. The secretaries of state requested that the chatbot instead direct users who ask election-related questions to CanIvote.org, a voting information website run by the National Association of Secretaries of State. Before listing responses to election-related questions, the chatbot now says, “For accurate and up-to-date information about the 2024 U.S. Elections, please visit Vote.gov.” Both websites are “trustworthy resources that can connect voters with their local election officials”, the five state secretaries said in a shared statement. “We appreciate X’s action to improve their platform and hope they continue to make improvements that will ensure their users have access to accurate information from trusted sources in this critical election year,” they said. Grok is available only to subscribers of the premium versions of X. But the secretaries of state who signed the letter said election misinformation from Grok has been shared across multiple social media platforms, reaching millions of people. Grok continued to repeat the false information for 10 days before it was corrected, the secretaries said. The platform did not respond to a request for comment. The change promoting a link to an official voting website does not seem to address Grok’s ability to create misleading AI-generated images related to elections. People have been using the tool to flood the platform with fake images of candidates, including US Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump. Grok debuted last year for X premium and premium plus subscribers and was touted by Musk as a “rebellious” AI chatbot that will answer “spicy questions that are rejected by most other AI systems”. Social media platforms have faced mounting scrutiny for their role in spreading misinformation, including about elections. The letter also warned that inaccuracies are to be expected for AI products, especially chatbots such as Grok which are based on large language models. Since Musk bought Twitter in 2022 and renamed it to X, watchdog groups have raised concerns over a surge in hate speech and misinformation being amplified on the platform, as well as cuts to the staff that had been moderating content. Adblock test (Why?)
Who is Telegram founder Pavel Durov? All to know about his arrest in France
Telegram co-founder Pavel Durov was detained at the Paris-Le Bourget airport on Saturday, after arriving by a private plane from Baku, Azerbaijan. He is accused of having failed to moderate criminal activity on the platform. Here is what we know about Durov, Telegram and the case: Who is Durov and why was he detained? Russian-born Durov, 39, co-founded what became one of Russia’s most popular social media networks, VKontakte, in his native St Petersburg, in 2007. He has been compared with Facebook co-founder Mark Zuckerberg. In 2013, he grabbed global headlines by publicly offering a job to whistleblower and former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden. In an interview with US journalist Tucker Carlson earlier this year, Durov claimed that he was under pressure to give Russian authorities access to data from accounts of Ukrainian pro-democracy activists in 2014 — and that he refused to do so. As the Russian government tightened its grip on the internet and President Vladimir Putin’s allies started to take control of VKontakte, Durov sold his stake in the platform in 2014 and fled the country. He then shifted his focus to Telegram, an app he co-founded with his brother Nikolai when he was 28. Durov has been living in Dubai and is a citizen of the United Arab Emirates and France, according to Telegram. It is unclear whether he has given up his Russian citizenship. Business magazine Forbes estimates his wealth at $15.5bn, as of Sunday morning. Co-founder and CEO of Telegram Pavel Durov delivers a keynote speech during the Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona [File: Albert Gea/Reuters] Durov has maintained a hands-off stance on moderation, positioning the app as private and censorship. Nonetheless, some experts have cautioned that this approach has led to Telegram becoming a hotspot for illicit activity and extremism. According to a report by the AFP news agency, he was detained “over offences alleged to have been conducted on Telegram, ranging from fraud, to drug trafficking, cyberbullying and organised crime, including promoting terrorism and fraud.” While the European Union and the United States have fined other social media platforms for violations their rules and regulations, and their lawmakers have hauled up leaders of digital firms for public hearings, they are not known to have arrested major tech leaders. In 2016, a senior Facebook executive was arrested in Brazil after the company didn’t give information from WhatsApp related to a drug trafficking investigation. The parent company of Facebook, which was renamed Meta in 2021, owns WhatsApp. What is Telegram? Launched in August 2013, Telegram is a cloud-based messaging app. The platform allows users to send messages, photos and large files as well as create groups for “up to 200,000 people or channels for broadcasting to unlimited audiences”. These features, coupled with the app’s minimal moderation, made it an ideal venue for individuals and groups banned from other platforms such as Twitter and Facebook. Since its creation, the platform has surged in popularity; it now has nearly one billion active users and has emerged as an important communication tool in conflict zones, including the Russia-Ukraine war. The Telegram development team is currently based in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. ⚖️ Telegram abides by EU laws, including the Digital Services Act — its moderation is within industry standards and constantly improving. ✈️ Telegram’s CEO Pavel Durov has nothing to hide and travels frequently in Europe. 😵💫 It is absurd to claim that a platform or its owner… — Telegram Messenger (@telegram) August 25, 2024 According to a report by Statista, Telegram is the third most downloaded messenger app globally following WhatsApp and Snapchat. In 2023, India, Russia, and the US were the app’s top markets based on download figures. In 2021, it was the most downloaded app worldwide with one billion downloads. Telegram says that Durov “supports Telegram financially and ideologically”. The platform specifically stays away from “politically motivated censorship”, however, it specifies that it does block “terrorist bots and channels”. The platform makes money through revenue from advertising and a premium subscription programme launched two years ago. “We are hoping to become profitable next year, if not this year,” Durov told the Financial Times in March. “The main reason why we started to monetise is because we wanted to remain independent,” he said. “Generally speaking, we see value in [an IPO] as a means to democratise access to Telegram’s value.” The Telegram messaging app is seen on an iPhone screen in Warsaw, Poland, on August 25, 2024 [Jaap Arriens/NurPhoto via Getty Images] How has Russia responded to Durov’s arrest? The relationship between Russia and Durov has been fraught with tension. After Durov left the country, Russia began blocking Telegram in 2018 when the app refused to provide state security services with access to users’ encrypted messages. The ban was lifted in 2020, though the app — like other online platforms in Russia — faces censorship and government scrutiny. However, after the entrepreneur’s arrest, Russia was quick to respond, and its embassy in France demanded consular access to Durov and demanded that he have access to his rights. Mikhail Ulyanov, Russia’s permanent representative to the United Nations in Vienna, accused France of acting as a “totalitarian” society — while also calling Durov “naive” for believing in Western claims to defend the freedom of speech. “Some naive persons still don’t understand that if they play more or less visible role in international information space it is not safe for them to visit countries which move towards much more totalitarian societies,” Ulyanov wrote on X. According to Ben Aris, Russia watcher and editor of the agency bne IntelliNews, Durov was flying from Azerbaijan where Putin has been for the last few days. “The talk was that he was there wanting to lobby Putin in order to prevent having Telegram blocked or turned off inside Russia,” Aris told Al Jazeera. Protesters hold a portrait of messaging app Telegram co-founder Pavel Durov designed as an icon, protesting against the blocking of the app in Russia, during a
What happened in Burkina Faso attack on villagers?
NewsFeed The bodies of more than 200 people have been found after an attack by an al Qaeda-linked armed group in Burkina Faso. Al Jazeera’s Nicolas Haque reports on what we know. Published On 26 Aug 202426 Aug 2024 Adblock test (Why?)
Former England football manager Sven-Goran Eriksson dies aged 76
Swedish football manager Sven-Goran Eriksson, who coached England’s team from 2001 to 2006, has died at the age of 76 after a battle with pancreatic cancer. Eriksson became the first foreigner to lead the England national team – and also led Swedish, Portuguese and Italian clubs to major trophies in the 1980s and 1990s before taking on the England job in 2001. The charismatic manager announced in January that he was terminally ill with pancreatic cancer. Eriksson’s longtime agent Bo Gustavsson said Eriksson had lost his battle with cancer early on Monday, surrounded by his family. “We knew it was going to end bad, it all went really fast in the last few weeks,” said Gustavsson. “I have been fascinated by him for a long time. He has always been so positive and has had time for others and never thought of himself, and he was that until the very end,” the agent added. Eriksson led England to the quarterfinals of the 2002 and 2006 World Cups, and to the 2004 European Championship, managing a golden generation of players, including David Beckham, Paul Scholes, Frank Lampard, Wayne Rooney and Steven Gerrard. We are deeply saddened that Sven-Göran Eriksson, who managed the #ThreeLions from 2001 to 2006, has passed away aged 76. Our thoughts are with his family and friends at this time. Rest in peace, Sven. You will be greatly missed ❤️ pic.twitter.com/aLtqWAG8K4 — England (@England) August 26, 2024 ‘Charisma and passion for the game’ In his native Sweden, where he is known simply as “Svennis”, Eriksson was praised as a great sports leader. In January, he told public broadcaster Sveriges Radio that his doctor’s assessment was that he had “at best maybe a year [to live], at worst a little less”. “We have known about this. but it happened very quickly. We were not prepared for it to happen today,” Gustavsson told AFP news agency. Born February 5, 1948 in Sunne in western Sweden, Eriksson found success as a football manager after retiring from a modest career as a defender. In 1977, he became manager of the Swedish club Degerfors IF. After leading the small club to success in lower divisions, he attracted the attention of bigger clubs. He went on to manage Sweden’s IFK Goteborg before finding success internationally, managing Benfica in Portugal, as well as several Italian teams including Roma and Lazio. His most high-profile position was as the first foreigner to manage England’s national squad, which he left in 2006 after five years in charge. Eriksson then went on to manage the teams of Mexico, Ivory Coast and the Philippines, but never his native Sweden’s national squad. England’s Prince William, who is the president of the English Football Association, led the tributes to Eriksson, calling him a “true gentleman”. “Sad to hear about the passing of Sven-Goran Eriksson. I met him several times as England manager and was always struck by his charisma and passion for the game,” he wrote on X. “My thoughts are with his family and friends. A true gentleman of the game.” Sad to hear about the passing of Sven-Göran Eriksson. I met him several times as England manager and was always struck by his charisma and passion for the game. My thoughts are with his family and friends. A true gentleman of the game. W — The Prince and Princess of Wales (@KensingtonRoyal) August 26, 2024 Although Eriksson was unable to end England’s wait for a first major trophy since the 1966 World Cup, his teams produced several memorable performances, including a 5-1 rout of Germany in a World Cup qualifier in 2001. “This is a very sad day. He gave all England fans such special memories. No one can ever forget the 5-1 victory in Munich against Germany under Sven’s guidance,” FA CEO Mark Bullingham said. Bullingham added: “Sven will be rightly recognised and forever remembered for his significant work with the England team, and for his wider contribution to the game.” After stepping down from the England job in 2006, Eriksson managed Manchester City in the 2007-08 season and the Premier League club joined the tributes to their former boss. “We would like to express our sincere condolences to the family and friends of Sven-Goran Eriksson, who has passed away at the age of 76. Rest in peace, Sven,” a City statement said. We would like to express our sincere condolences to the family and friends of Sven-Goran Eriksson, who has passed away at the age of 76. Rest in peace, Sven. 🩵 — Manchester City (@ManCity) August 26, 2024 Liverpool provided Eriksson with an emotional final football memory in March when they allowed him to fulfil a lifelong dream by managing them in a charity match at Anfield. “Rest in peace, Sven-Goran Eriksson. The thoughts of everyone at the club are with Sven’s family and friends at this extremely sad time,” Liverpool said in a statement. Eriksson was a title winner as the boss of Lazio and Benfica, also lifting the UEFA Cup and European Cup Winners’ Cup and reaching the European Cup final during a memorable career. The Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) said: “On behalf of the European football community, everybody at UEFA is deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Sven-Goran Eriksson.” On behalf of the European football community, everybody at UEFA is deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Sven Göran Eriksson. A beloved figure in the game, Sven was a UEFA Cup winner as coach of IFK Göteborg in 1982 before leading Lazio to the UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup in 1999.… pic.twitter.com/ZlNSFftl97 — UEFA (@UEFA) August 26, 2024 Adblock test (Why?)
Millions of Shia Muslim pilgrims gather in Iraq for Arbaeen
Pilgrims in Karbala hold up Palestinian flags amid the war in Gaza as they mark annual mourning for martyrdom of Imam Hussein. More than 21 million Shia Muslims took part in the Arbaeen pilgrimage in Iraq this year, marking the 40th day of mourning for the martyrdom of Imam Hussein, the grandson of the Prophet Mohammed and a founding figure in Shia Islam. The event peaked on Sunday, with attendees displaying their support for Gaza. Arbaeen, which means 40 in Arabic, is one of the world’s biggest religious gatherings and a major event for Shia Muslims, who are the majority in Iraq and Iran. Shia Muslim devotees gather between the shrines of Imam Abu Al-Fadl Al-Abbas (background) and Imam Hussein (not pictured) in Iraq’s central holy city of Karbala [Mohammed Sawaf/AFP] Karbala, where Hussein and his brother Abbas are buried in two enormous mausoleums facing each other, is the centre of the Shia world during this time. Pilgrims freely express their suffering, weeping and wailing in memory of Hussein, who was killed in 680 during a battle in Karbala with the Umayyad caliph Yazid. This year, the events have included prominent displays of Palestinian flags by pilgrims amid the war in Gaza. “The total number of Arbaeen pilgrims… reached 21,480,525,” the institution that manages the Abbas mausoleum and is responsible for the count said. Among them were about 3.5 million Iranian pilgrims, according to official figures reported in Tehran. Shia Muslims show their support for Gaza as they gather in the holy shrine city for the Arbaeen commemorations [Mohammed Sawaf/AFP] Mohammed al-Tamimi, a 32-year-old pilgrim, told the AFP news agency that the Palestinian flags waving among the pilgrims were “in support of our brothers in Palestine and in response to the Zionists, saying that Muslims stand as one against the Zionist actions and against the crimes taking place in Gaza”. Israel has killed more than 40,000 Palestinians in Gaza since October. An estimated 1,139 people were killed during a Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on October 7. The Arbaeen celebrations, which always take place amid tight security, drew about 22 million pilgrims last year, according to official figures. Iran provided the most foreign visitors, with 4 million. Adblock test (Why?)