Pontiff says that despite ‘certain narrative that has not been accurate’, he will continue to preach message of peace
Pope Leo XIV said on Saturday that it was “not in my interest at all” to debate the US president, Donald Trump, about the Iran war, but that he would continue preaching the Gospel message of peace.
Leo spoke to reporters aboard the papal plane flying from Cameroon to Angola as part of his 11-day tour of Africa.
Continue reading...Now Guardiola has granted his players freedom to improvise, it’s the Gunners’ manager who is the stickler for blueprint over instinct
At half-time in the Carabao Cup final, Arsenal’s hopes of a quadruple remained strong. They were unbeaten in 14, 11 of them won. They were drawing 0-0 against Manchester City and it wasn’t unreasonable to think that if the second half carried on as the first half had, they would eventually find a winner – quite possibly from a corner.
They had drawn a Championship side in the sixth round of the FA Cup and a Portuguese side in the quarter-finals of the Champions League. They held a nine-point lead in the Premier League. This was shaping up to be the greatest season in Arsenal’s history.
Continue reading...Roberto De Zerbi could only watch in stunned silence. The Italian had been a crucible of emotions as Tottenham tried to hold out against his former club after Xavi Simons scored the goal that looked like ending their long wait for a victory. But football is capable of providing the cruellest twists and Georginio Rutter’s late equaliser must have felt like a dagger to the heart for the Spurs fans.
The draw leaves Tottenham still in the relegation zone having still failed to record a win in 2026 and the prospect of this magnificent stadium hosting Championship football next season is growing by the minute. Having arranged a special team-bonding meal at a swanky Mayfair restaurant this week, De Zerbi promised to take his team out for more expensive dinners if they delivered in his first home match.
Continue reading...Deputy prime minister says it is ‘inexplicable’ top civil servant kept Downing Street in dark
Keir Starmer would have blocked Peter Mandelson from serving as the UK’s ambassador to Washington had he known he failed security vetting, David Lammy has said, as he attempted to shore up the prime minister amid damaging fallout from the row.
In his first public comments on the vetting affair, Lammy said it was “inexplicable” that Oliver Robbins, the former top civil servant who was forced out of the Foreign Office this week, had opted to leave Downing Street in the dark over the outcome.
Continue reading...Iceland 0-1 England
Russo’s first-half goal keeps Lionesses on track for tournament
Snow-capped mountains provided an idyllic backdrop to a less impressive performance, but England’s 1-0 win over Iceland ensured they maintained a three-point gap over Spain in their bid to earn an automatic place in the 2027 World Cup.
Only the four League A teams who top their groups will avoid the playoffs and qualify automatically and with the European and world champions drawn in the same group, one will be left frustrated and with more games required to book their trip to Brazil.
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The Joy of Six: Chelsea v Man Utd
This archive piece, written by the great Scott Murray, is well worth reading.
United were newly crowned champions of Europe – finally – and the world appeared to be their oyster. But of course they wouldn’t pick up another trophy until winning the Second Division championship in 1975. This was the first sign that a mild complacency had set in at Old Trafford. “Chelsea surely will never gain two points so easily again,” reported the Guardian, “and at the same time it is difficult to visualise United being so abysmally poor.”
The visitors employed a power game – Ron Harris, Eddie McCreadie and David Webb crunching in with hard tackles, winning almost every ball, and shipping it forward quickly. Tommy Baldwin put Chelsea in front within 40 seconds. Bobby Tambling snaffled a ridiculous clearance by Tony Dunne to make it 2-0 on 13 minutes. Baldwin made it three seven minutes before half-time. United made a few “desultory raids” which were easily mopped up before Alan Birchenall added a fourth.
Continue reading...In 2026 heeft Bangladesh het grootste leger ter wereld wanneer alle militairen – actief, reserve en paramilitair – worden meegeteld. Het land komt uit op ruim 7 miljoen manschappen, blijkt uit nieuwe cijfers van onder meer data-analisten van Voronoi en militaire statistiekplatformen.
Vietnam volgt met 5,75 miljoen militairen, Oekraïne met 5 miljoen, India met 4,9 miljoen en Zuid-Korea met 3,65 miljoen. Rusland, China en de Verenigde Staten staan wel in de top tien, maar scoren vooral hoog doordat ze grote actieve legers en forse defensiebudgetten combineren.
Bij de actieve troepen alleen voert China de lijst aan, met naar schatting ongeveer 2 miljoen soldaten, gevolgd door India en de VS. De ranglijsten illustreren dat landen onder directe militaire dreiging relatief veel reservisten achter de hand houden, terwijl traditionele grootmachten zwaarder leunen op technologie en materieel.
SergioQ79 - Osanpo Photographer - posted a photo:
Dalla collina, nero e imponente, tiene tutto sotto controllo. Non c’è bisogno di movimento, non c’è bisogno di rumore: la sua presenza basta. Anche nella notte, quando tutto si attenua, lui resta lì, a osservare ciò che accade sotto di lui.
丘の上から、黒く堂々とすべてを見下ろしている。動く必要も、音もいらない。その存在だけで十分だ。夜になり、周囲が静まっても、城はそのまま、下で起こるすべてを見続けている。
From the hill, dark and imposing, it keeps everything under control. No need to move, no need for noise: its presence is enough. Even at night, when everything softens, it remains there, watching what unfolds below.
SergioQ79 - Osanpo Photographer - has added a photo to the pool:
Dalla collina, nero e imponente, tiene tutto sotto controllo. Non c’è bisogno di movimento, non c’è bisogno di rumore: la sua presenza basta. Anche nella notte, quando tutto si attenua, lui resta lì, a osservare ciò che accade sotto di lui.
丘の上から、黒く堂々とすべてを見下ろしている。動く必要も、音もいらない。その存在だけで十分だ。夜になり、周囲が静まっても、城はそのまま、下で起こるすべてを見続けている。
From the hill, dark and imposing, it keeps everything under control. No need to move, no need for noise: its presence is enough. Even at night, when everything softens, it remains there, watching what unfolds below.
