Messi edges Haaland and Bonmati completes sweep at FIFA awards
Messi pips Haaland after tie-breaker to pick men’s best player, as Guardiola and Wiegman are named best coaches. Lionel Messi was crowned as the best men’s player for 2023, while Aitana Bonmati added to her collection of individual accolades by winning the women’s award at FIFA’s award ceremony in London. Messi retained the award on Monday night by beating Manchester City’s treble-winning Norwegian striker Erling Haaland in a tie-break as France’s Paris Saint-Germain forward Kylian Mbappe finished third. The 36-year-old was a surprise victor ahead of Haaland as the award covered only the period after Messi had led Argentina to World Cup glory in December 2022 to August 2023. During that time the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner had a subdued end to his career at Paris Saint-Germain, despite winning the Ligue 1 title, before joining MLS side Inter Miami in June. While Messi quickly made his mark in the United States as he helped the franchise to their first trophy by winning the Leagues Cup in August, Haaland was the favourite to win after scoring 52 goals in his debut season with City as the English side won a treble of Champions League, Premier League and FA Cup. After receiving the same number of points (48) from a scoring system based on votes from national team captains, coaches, journalists and fans, Messi was crowned victor thanks to more first-choice nominations. However, all three of the men’s finalists did not attend the ceremony leaving Arsenal and France legend Thierry Henry, who was co-hosting the event, to pick up the award in Messi’s absence. #TheBest around. 💫 pic.twitter.com/OfGV3XgNfr — FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) January 15, 2024 Bonmati’s ‘exceptional and unique year’ But World Cup champion Bonmati showed up – and cleaned up. The 25-year-old Spain playmaker added to her Ballon d’Or award last October, which followed a UEFA award in August and the Golden Boot award at the World Cup. It was after she led Spain to World Cup glory and Barcelona to the Champions League title. She was named player of the tournament for both competitions. Bonmati edged out Spain teammate Jenni Hermoso and Colombia star Linda Caicedo. “A couple of weeks ago when 2023 came to an end, I was nostalgic because 2023 was an exceptional and unique year I will remember for the rest of my life,” said Bonmati. “I’m proud of being part of a powerful generation of women who are changing the rules of the game and the world.” Pep Guardiola was named best coach after masterminding City’s first-ever Champions League success. “We’re here because we won a lot and the thousands of people involved in our success,” said Guardiola. “I’m really happy for the season we had because it was an incredible journey. In the end, we did it, but the pleasure of being there was incredible.” Haaland was joined by five of his club teammates – Kyle Walker, John Stones, Ruben Dias, Bernardo Silva and Kevin De Bruyne – in the team of the year. Real Madrid’s Thibaut Courtois, Jude Bellingham and Vinicius Junior, Messi and Mbappe made up the 11. City’s Ederson won men’s goalkeeper of the year, while England and Manchester United stopper Mary Earps picked up the women’s award. England national team boss Sarina Wiegman won the women’s coach of the year after leading the Lionesses to the World Cup final. Seven of England’s women were included in the team of the year: Earps, Lucy Bronze, Alex Greenwood, Keira Walsh, Alessia Russo, Lauren James and Ella Toone. Olga Carmona, who scored the winning goal in the World Cup final, was the only other Spaniard included alongside Bonmati with American star Alex Morgan and Australia’s Sam Kerr also selected. The Brazilian men’s team won the fair play award after they donned an all-black shirt for the first time in a show of support for forward Vinicius, who suffered several incidents of racist abuse while playing for Madrid last year. There was also Brazilian success in the Puskas award for the best goal, scored by Botafogo’s Guilherme Madruga for his spectacular overhead kick. Adblock test (Why?)
Ukraine says shot down two Russian command aircraft in blow to Moscow
The A-50 and IL-22 play a central role in orchestrating Russian battlefield movements in Ukraine. Ukraine has said it shot down an A-50 Russian reconnaissance plane and an Il-22 airborne command post in a potentially significant blow to the Kremlin’s forces. Ukrainian army chief Valerii Zaluzhnyi announced the aircraft had been hit on the Telegram messenger on Monday, posting a video of a tracking map suggesting the planes were struck over the Sea of Azov, which lies to the east of the Russian-occupied Crimean Peninsula. “I am grateful to the air force for the excellently planned and conducted operation in Azov region!” Zaluzhnyi wrote. Hours after Zaluzhnyi’s statement, a Russian military blog posted an image of the shrapnel-riddled tail section of an Il-22 standing on the tarmac and lauded the crew as “real heroes”. Kyiv’s Air Force spokesman Yuriy Ignat reposted the image, saying the plane appeared to have made it to the Russian town of Anapa but that it was beyond repair as it had been on fire. He added that the A-50 had been Kyiv’s priority target. The A-50 is a Russian reconnaissance plane, equivalent to the AWACS (Airborne Warning and Control System) plane, used by NATO. Topped with a large radar, it typically has a crew of 15 and can scan an area of several hundred kilometres for enemy aircraft, ships and missiles. The Russian Air Force is thought to have nine of the planes in its fleet. Natalia Humeniuk, a spokesperson for Ukraine’s southern military command, told a briefing that Russia had used the plane extensively to prepare for and conduct long-range missile strikes on Ukraine. “We expect such a strike [on the A-50] to be fairly painful and, at least, to delay powerful missile strikes,” she said. The Il-22, meanwhile, oversees military operations and sends radio signals to troops on the front line. The Russian Air Force reportedly has a dozen such planes. ‘No information’ Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters he had “no information” on the attacks and that further questions should be directed to the Defence Ministry. Russia has largely maintained air dominance since launching a full-scale invasion of its neighbour nearly two years ago. The A-50 and IL-22 play a central role in orchestrating Russian battlefield movements in Ukraine. Their loss would be a landmark feat for Kyiv as well as a major blow to Moscow with fighting along the front line largely bogged down in trench and artillery warfare. Russian military bloggers with close army links did report an incident over the Azov Sea. “It will be another dark day for the Russian Aerospace Forces and Air Defense,” wrote Rybar, a blogger with nearly 1.2 million subscribers who supports and provides running commentary on Russia’s war in Ukraine. “There are not many A-50s. And the specialists operating them are generally rare. If an aircraft of this type is hit, the crew will not be able to escape.” Telegram channel WarGonzo acknowledged that the A-50 had been destroyed. “Unfortunately war is never without tragedies, and the death of our fighters always hurts. We express our condolences to the families and close ones of the crew,” it said. It too reported that the Il-22 was able to make it back to base. “According to reports, the pilots were able to land the damaged machine,” it said. A February 2023 drone attack at an airfield in Belarus damaged a parked A-50 but Russian and Belarusian officials described the damage as minor. Adblock test (Why?)
North Korea’s Kim shuts agencies working for reunification with South Korea
Kim Jong Un says his country does not want war but does not seek to avoid it. North Korea has scrapped several government bodies tasked with promoting reconciliation and reunification with South Korea as authoritarian leader Kim Jong Un warned that his secretive country does not seek to avoid war. In a speech to North Korea’s rubber-stamp parliament, the Supreme People’s Assembly, Kim said unification with South Korea is no longer possible and called for a constitutional amendment to change the status of South Korea to a separate, “hostile country”, the state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said on Tuesday. “We don’t want war but we have no intention of avoiding it,” Kim was quoted as saying by KCNA. The Supreme People’s Assembly said in a statement that three organisations handling inter-Korean reconciliation – the Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of the Country, the National Economic Cooperation Bureau and the (Mount Kumgang) International Tourism Administration – will shut. “The two most hostile states, which are at war, are now in acute confrontation on the Korean peninsula,” the assembly said, according to KCNA. The decision marks a further deterioration in relations between the Koreas following a series of recent missile tests by Pyongyang. South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol on Tuesday criticised North Korea’s move to define his country as hostile, saying it showed Pyongyang’s “anti-national and ahistorical” nature. On Monday, North Korea said it had tested a new solid-fuel missile fitted with a hypersonic warhead, weeks after carrying out the launch of its Hwasong-18 solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missile. Japan, South Korea and the United States have ramped up joint military exercises that Pyongyang sees as rehearsals for a future invasion in response to the weapons tests. Over the weekend, US Senior Official for the DPRK [The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, North Korea’s official name] Jung H Pak held a joint call with her South Korean and Japanese counterparts to condemn Pyongyang’s latest missile tests, the US State Department said on Monday. In an analysis for the US-based 38 North project last week, former State Department official Robert Carlin and nuclear scientist Siegfried Hecker said it was their belief Kim was genuinely preparing for war. “We do not know when or how Kim plans to pull the trigger, but the danger is already far beyond the routine warnings in Washington, Seoul and Tokyo about Pyongyang’s ‘provocations’,” they wrote. “In other words, we do not see the war preparation themes in North Korean media appearing since the beginning of last year as typical bluster from the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.” Last week, Kim labelled South Korea a “principal enemy” and described efforts to reunify with its rival as a “mistake that we should no longer make”. Adblock test (Why?)
Trump cruises to victory in Iowa, cementing frontrunner status in 2024 race
Trump takes step closer to securing third consecutive nomination for the Republican Party after key ballot. Former United States President Donald Trump has decisively won the Iowa caucuses, cementing his Republican frontrunner status as he bids to retake the White House in 2024. Trump beat former US Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis in a widely-expected result on Monday, taking him a step closer to securing a third consecutive nomination for the presidency. Trump won at least 17 of 40 delegates, with Haley and DeSantis taking five each, provisional tallies showed, with US media outlets calling the state-wide contest about 30 minutes after the start of voting. Trump’s commanding victory points to his continuing dominance over the Republican Party, even as he faces mounting legal woes including four criminal indictments. On Tuesday, Trump is expected to appear in court in New York as a jury considers whether he should pay further damages to a writer who won a $5m jury award against him for sexual assault and defamation. Trump’s legal challenges have done little to dampen his support among Republicans, many of whom view the cases against him as politically motivated. Iowa has a mixed record of predicting the eventual Republican nominee – George W Bush was the last GOP presidential candidate to win the state in 2000. But the largely rural Midwestern state is seen as an important springboard for candidates competing for delegates in New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina. Iowans braved dangerously cold weather to gather at more than 1,600 schools, community centres and other sites in the first vote in the 2024 presidential race. Ahead of the Iowa caucuses, Trump’s lock on the Republican grassroots was clear, with polls showing the businessman-turned-politician having a double-digit lead over his rivals. Many Republican voters in Iowa cast Trump as the best candidate to address their concerns about the economy, record levels of refugee and migrant arrivals at the southern border and global instability. “We need something different than what we’re doing now. It’s not working. I was making more money than I ever have, and now I’m broker than I’ve ever been,” David Brunell, a 32-year-old Trump supporter, told Al Jazeera before the caucuses. “That says a lot about where the economy is at.” Adblock test (Why?)
Israeli forces kill three Palestinians in occupied West Bank
Two people killed in Dura near Hebron, and one person killed near Tulkarem, according to Palestinian Health Ministry. At least three Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces in the occupied West Bank, the Palestinian Ministry of Health says. Two Palestinians were shot on Monday during confrontations with the Israeli military in the town of Dura near Hebron in the southern West Bank, the official Palestinian news agency, Wafa, reported. Mohammed Hasan Abu Sabaa, 22, died after he was shot in the heart by Israeli forces, the ministry said. Ahed Mahmoud Mohammed, 23, died after she was shot in the head, the director of Dura Governmental Hospital told Wafa. Ten other people were transported to the hospital with gunshot wounds, the Health Ministry said. The Israeli military said its forces opened fire at a group of about 100 Palestinians taking part in a protest during which bricks and firebombs were thrown at soldiers. The military said the man who was shot had thrown a firebomb, but it did not provide evidence for the allegation. Relatives of Abu Sabaa were given the news of his death at Dura Governmental Hospital after Israeli soldiers shot him during a protest [Mussa Qawasma/Reuters] In a separate incident, Fares Khalifa, 37, was fatally shot by Israeli forces near Tulkarem in the northern West Bank, according to the Health Ministry. Since the war in the besieged Gaza Strip began on October 7, the West Bank has experienced surging violence and attacks by Israeli forces not seen since the second Intifada from 2000 to 2005. According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), Israeli forces have killed 30 Palestinians, including seven children, in the West Bank in the first 15 days of the year. Last year, 507 Palestinians were killed, the highest annual death toll since OCHA started recording casualties in 2005. Students arrested Separately, Israel arrested students at a university in the occupied West Bank during an early morning raid. The students attend An-Najah National University in Nablus, which called for their immediate release, describing the army raid as “blatant Israeli aggression”. The university and the Palestinian Prisoners Club, an advocacy group, said 25 students were arrested in the raid. The Israeli army said security forces arrested “nine wanted persons associated with a Hamas student cell”. Adblock test (Why?)
Why is Namibia furious at Germany’s ICJ intervention supporting Israel?
Namibia criticises Germany for seeking to appear at court against South Africa’s genocide allegations. Namibia has condemned Germany’s backing of Israel against genocide allegations at the International Court of Justice. It says, given Germany’s colonial past, that it should not support Israel. So, what’s behind this diplomatic dispute – and why now? Presenter: Adrian Finighan Guests: Mutjinde Katjiua – Paramount chief of the Ovaherero Traditional Authority Henning Melber – Associate at the Nordic Africa Institute Matthias Goldmann – Senior Research Fellow at the Max Planck Institute Adblock test (Why?)
UN chief calls for ‘immediate’ ceasefire in Gaza
NewsFeed “We need an immediate humanitarian ceasefire.” UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called, once again, for a ceasefire in Gaza as the war with Israel has now surpassed 100 days of fighting. Published On 15 Jan 202415 Jan 2024 Adblock test (Why?)
Hamas claims two Israeli captives killed in Gaza air strikes
Israeli military spokesman rejects Hamas claim that the two hostages were killed by Israeli bombing. The armed wing of the Palestinian group Hamas has released a video purporting to show the dead bodies of two Israeli captives it claims were killed in Israeli air strikes on Gaza. The video, released by the Qassam Brigades on Monday, shows three Israeli captives speaking to the camera, likely under duress. In the first part of the unverified video, a female captive identified by Israeli media as Noa Argamani, 26, and two male captives urge Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to end the assault on Gaza, according to a translation provided by the armed group. In the second part, Argamani said that the two men captives were killed “because of our own [Israeli] air strikes”. The video ends purporting to show the dead bodies of the two captives. It was not clear when the video was taken. In a statement released with the video, the Qassam Brigades said the two men were killed in “the Zionist army’s bombing”. Israeli military spokesman Daniel Hagari identified hostage Itay Svirsky as one of the men in the latest Hamas video, but did not give the name or other details about the second person as per the family’s request. “Itay was not shot by our forces. That is a Hamas lie. The building in which they were held was not a target and it was not attacked by our forces.” “We don’t attack a place if we know there may be hostages inside,” he said Hamas had previously released another video on Sunday showing the three captives alive. The Palestinian group seized around 240 people as captives when it attacked southern Israel on October 7, killing 1,139 people, according to Israeli authorities. Israel responded to the attack with a devastating bombardment and ground invasion of Gaza in which more than 24,100 people have been killed, according to Palestinian authorities. ‘Nobody will talk to us’ Later on Monday, Israel’s Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said Hamas was attempting to apply “psychological pressure” to the families of the hostages by releasing the videos. The Israeli army was helping the families, he told a news conference, and keeping them up to date with any developments. “Hamas has been hit hard by the [military],” he said. “What’s left for it is to touch a sensitive nerve in Israeli society through acts of psychological abuse against the family members.” Ruling out a ceasefire in Gaza, Gallant reiterated that the only way to get the captives back home is by continuing to apply “military pressure”. Otherwise, he said, “nobody will talk to us” and we “will not succeed in reaching any agreements”. Gideon Levy, a columnist for Haaretz newspaper, told Al Jazeera that the video was “quite shocking”. “I understand the ideological warfare, but there should be some borders,” he said. “To play [a video] yesterday of them alive and today [a video showing] the opposite … there should be some borders that even Hamas should not cross. Nothing good will come out of it.” The Hamas video comes a day after thousands of people demonstrated in Tel Aviv’s Hostage Square to mark 100 days since the captives were seized. Relatives of those still held in Gaza have repeatedly called on the government to prioritise their release and to push for a temporary ceasefire. More than 100 captives were freed during a week-long truce in late November following lengthy negotiations mediated by Qatar and the United States. In exchange, Israel released hundreds of Palestinian prisoners from jails. Adblock test (Why?)
Israeli police investigate ‘terror attack’ near Tel Aviv
NewsFeed One woman has died and at least 17 other people were injured following a car ramming and stabbing attack north of Tel Aviv. Israeli police say two men, who are related and from Hebron, have been arrested in connection to the incident. Published On 15 Jan 202415 Jan 2024 Adblock test (Why?)
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin released from hospital
Pentagon chief received treatment for an infection following surgery for prostate cancer. United States Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has been released from hospital after spending two weeks there to treat complications from surgery for prostate cancer he kept secret from senior administration officials, including President Joe Biden. Austin, 70, was admitted to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on December 22 for prostate cancer surgery, but due to an infection, he was hospitalised again on January 1 and admitted into intensive care. Doctors said he remained in the hospital due to ongoing leg pain from the infection so he could get physical therapy. He was dismissed on Monday and is expected to work from home as he recovers, the Pentagon said in a statement. Biden and senior administration officials were not told about Austin’s hospitalisation until January 4, and Austin kept the cancer diagnosis a secret until January 9. Biden said that while Austin’s decision not to share his hospitalisation was a lapse in judgement, it did not change his confidence in him. However, the lack of transparency about Austin’s hospitalisation triggered administration and Department of Defense reviews on the procedures for notifying the White House if an official needs to transfer decision-making authorities to a deputy. Austin’s secrecy also drew criticism from members of Congress on both sides of the political aisle. Representative Mike Rogers, an Alabama Republican and chairperson of the House of Representatives Armed Services Committee, said he had opened a formal inquiry into the matter. Others have called for Austin to resign, including former President Donald Trump, also a Republican, but the Democrat-run White House has said the secretary’s job is safe. During Austin’s time at Walter Reed, the US launched a series of military strikes on the Houthis in Yemen due to their attacks on commercial vessels in the Red Sea. From his hospital bed, Austin juggled calls with senior military leaders, including General Erik Kurilla, head of US Central Command, and White House meetings to review the order and ultimately watch the strikes unfold over secure video. Adblock test (Why?)