Toronto hosts event at BMO Field to showcase 2026 FIFA World Cup branding
CBC
23-05-18 23:44
Toronto has revealed its tournament branding for the 2026 World Cup, in which the city, in Canada, will be a host. The region will share the event with the US and Mexico, while it has been suggested that Canada may host more than planned because FIFA has revamped its format, bringing the total number of contests during the tournament to 104. The event is expected to boost interest in soccer in Canada, while act as a powerful advertisement for the nations involved. The Canadian women’s pro league, to debut in 2025, could also benefit from the global focus on soccer in the run-up to the 2026 event.
The official emblem for the 2026 World Cup and the WeAre26 campaign has been launched by Toronto officials, with the logo featuring the numbers ‘2’ and ‘6’ in thick block numerals, FIFA trophies and a unique colour scheme chosen by the host cities in North America. The campaign aims to celebrate cultural diversity, while infrastructure and aesthetics in the area will be improved to accommodate visitors. The tournament will be held in Canada, the US and Mexico.
Argentina will host the Under-20 World Cup after replacing Indonesia, which was forced to withdraw as a participant and organiser due to protests against hosting the Israel football team. The late switch of venues was a dramatic race to the start line for participants and organisers alike. The competition, involving 24 international teams, started on May 20 in four Argentinean cities. Argentina, which failed to qualify initially, will participate as host. Other contenders are continental champions England, Brazil and Senegal, who had a perfect qualification campaign in Africa. The top two teams of each of the six groups and the four best third-place finishers will advance to the round-of-16. European teams have won the most recent four editions of the Under-20 World Cup, staged for the 23rd time.
Regional leaders from the Middle East are due to attend a summit on Friday, including Syria's Bashar al-Assad. The Syrian leader's presence at the meeting shows a significant triumph for the once-derided president, putting a close to a decade of civil war due to his brutal handling of political unrest. Syria’s return to the Arab League, following an 11 year suspension, highlights a stark gap between the United States and its closest Middle Eastern allies on an issue that had united them. The Biden administration has said it pledges to maintain its policy of isolation and pressure against Assad, whose campaign resulted in the deaths of hundreds of thousands of Syrians and the displacement of half his country’s population. The growing rapprochement underscores a realisation in Middle Eastern countries that the US-led policy of replacing the Syrian leader had failed, whilst at the same set the stage for the rise of ISIS and expansion of Iranian military power on NATO’s borders. Arab leaders have accused the US of neglecting the region in favour of China and Russia, and are now left to readjust US priorities.
President Bashar al-Assad’s Syria is attending an Arab League summit for the first time since its suspension from the regional body 12 years ago. Syria was readmitted this month after states, including summit hosts Saudi Arabia, which had backed the opposition accepted that his grip on power was secure. However, not every country was enthusiastic. Qatar’s foreign minister told a news conference in Doha that it had dropped its opposition only because it did not want to “deviate from the Arab consensus.” The US has said it does "not believe that Syria merits readmission."
The United States must manage its efforts to balance assistance to Ukraine and deterrence against China to ensure both priorities are met, according to a report by The Heritage Foundation. Supporting the self-defense of Ukraine and the defense of Taiwan are both in the interest of the United States. Any form of forced unification of Taiwan by China would entail direct harm to US economic and national security interests, with global consequences. A Russia that emerges from the Ukraine war capable of further territorial aggression could also threaten NATO, non-NATO countries, and international trade routes.
To date, not enough has been done to ensure support for Ukraine does not detract from building a strong deterrence posture against China. The administration and Congress must first acknowledge this and then actively manage US efforts to accomplish both. Effective support for Ukraine will not only weaken the Kremlin’s foreign policy, generally, it will also constrain the resources Moscow has to cement its relationship with China, according to the report. The US should protect its interests in both theaters.
The US government provides defense articles, training, and services to eligible foreign governments through security assistance programs. Since February 24, 2022, the US has provided $36.9bn in security assistance to Ukraine, the report showed. However, policymakers should also understand the tension between the two countries’ foreign military sales (FMS) purchases while working to fix the administrative and capacity problems causing a backlog in FMS deliveries.
Syria’s return to the Arab League, with President Bashar al-Assad attending the summit in Saudi Arabia, represents an important shift in how regional actors view the survival of al-Assad’s government as well as a pragmatic move. Arab states see Syria’s crisis as an Arab problem and need to pursue strategies to mitigate the conflict’s toxic and destabilising impacts on the region, including drug trafficking networks, refugee crises, weakened border security, and Iran’s intensified role in Syria. The Arab consensus is that addressing Syria’s problems requires engaging with Damascus. Although some Arab states, such as Qatar, Kuwait and Morocco, still maintain that al-Assad’s government is illegitimate, Riyadh used its influence on the Arab and Islamic world to persuade them not to obstruct Syria’s re-entry. Experts suggest that without Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) members being able to invest in Syria, Damascus is unlikely to distance itself from Iran.
Arab leaders, including Syrian President Bashar Assad for the first time in more than 10 years, gathered for an annual summit in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, with the crisis in Sudan expected to be a primary focus. The ongoing fighting in the country, which has killed over 600 people and caused tens of thousands to flee their homes and is fueled by conflicting generals who have been backed by Saudi Arabia and other Arab states. Meanwhile, associated pressure from Western states and some Arab holdouts threatens Syria's return to the international community through the Arab League, which Saudi Arabia is lobbying.
Syrian President Bashar Assad has attended an Arab League summit for the first time since Syria was suspended from the organisation in 2011. Assad was invited to the summit in the western Saudi Arabian city of Jeddah by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. The move represented a major symbolic victory for Assad in the wake of Syria's attempts to normalise relations with countries in the region. The country's forces have been accused of using chemical weapons during the civil war a decade ago; it has denied the accusations. Nearly half a million people are thought to have died during the war, with nearly 14 million people displaced. Countries including Saudi Arabia and Qatar have supported anti-Assad insurgent groups. The US and Germany have expressed their opposition to the normalisation of ties with Damascus.
President Bashar al-Assad's appearance at an Arab summit in Saudi Arabia last week, attended by a raft of regional heads of state, is the result of a significant change in attitude among Middle Eastern nations towards the Syrian leader. Saudi Arabia once led the charge against Assad in Syria's decade-long civil war but has now firmed up historic ties with Damascus to counter its tendency to align with Iran. Meanwhile, Qatar has ended its opposition to the readmission of Syria into the Arab League but maintains its stance against normalisation unless a political solution is reached.
Assad, president of Syria, will attend an Arab summit in Saudi Arabia, marking his government's readmission to the bloc after it was ostracised by most Arab states in 2011. The crackdown on protests against his rule and the ensuing civil war are said to have resulted in the death of 350,000 people. Assad's return to the fold opposes the views of the US and other Western powers who have refused recognition and called for sanctions. However, other countries' leaders welcome Assad's return. While Arabia allies have brought Assad in from the cold, they demand that he curbs Syria's flourishing drugs trade and aid the return of war refugees.
Sheik Jassim has made a fourth bid to purchase Manchester United, with reports suggesting chemicals billionaire Sir Jim Ratcliffe is also in the running. Nasser Mohamed, an LGBTQ+ activist and advocate across the Middle East has suggested that the Qatar bid is part of a wider “pattern” by funds linked to the state. Mohamed has criticised Qatar for its human rights stance and says people must be “worried” about surrendering power to the country while it remains authoritarian. It has been suggested by PA that most United fans prefer the Qatar bid over that of Ratcliffe.
Arab leaders, joined by Syria’s Assad and Ukraine’s Zelensky, convene summit in Saudi Arabia
The Globe and Mail
23-05-19 11:56
Sudan will be the focus of this year's annual Arab League summit, taking place in Saudi Arabia. Both of the Sudanese generals who seized power in recent months have been backed by Saudi Arabia and other Arab nations, though they have spent much of their time battling each other in a struggle that has killed over 600 and forced tens of thousands into refugee camps. As well as the conflict in Sudan, the Arab League is expected to express again its support for Palestine. The inclusion of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad at the summit, for the first time in over a decade, will shift some attention onto the ending of the civil war in his country, which had been supported by Saudi Arabia until defeat seemed inevitable. Yesterday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, kicking off a visit to Saudi Arabia, announced that he would address the summit, speaking about the treatment of Muslim Tatars living under Russian occupation in Crimea.
Leaders from Syria and across the Arab world have gathered at the Arab League Summit in Saudi Arabia. This year’s gathering has seen Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's reintroduction to the Arab fold, after being suspended and isolated from many of the region's nations for over a decade. The likes of Saudi Arabia, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates welcomed Syria's return to the League, speaking glowingly of the nation. However, Qatar was notable absent from proceedings: Emir Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani left after leading his country's delegation and did not address the summit.
Demonstrations were held on 10 December across Syria to protest against the country’s return to the Arab League and normalisation of relations with President Bashar al-Assad’s government. In addition to Syrian cities, demonstrations were held in London, Amsterdam, Lyon, Stockholm, Vienna, and Vaile. Protesters adopted the slogan “Criminal al-Assad Never Represents Syria” and insisted that despite the decision to readmit Syria to the Arab League, al-Assad does not represent the country. During the Arab League summit that prompted the protests, Qatar’s emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani led the Qatari delegation but left the summit before al-Assad’s speech.
Saudi Arabia hosted an Arab League summit on Friday in which Syrian President Bashar Assad was welcomed back after a 12-year suspension and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky made a surprise visit to rally support against Russia. Russian airstrikes have left a swath of destruction across both countries, but in Syria they came at Assad’s invitation and helped him cling to power through years of grinding civil war. In recent months, Saudi Arabia has restored diplomatic ties with Iran and led the push for Syria’s return to the 22-member Arab League. The Saudi crown prince welcomed both Assad and Zelensky to the Red Sea city of Jeddah, expressing support for “whatever helps in reducing the crisis between Russia and Ukraine.” A collective statement issued at the conclusion of the summit rejected any “illegitimate foreign presence” in Syria and supported the eventual return of Syrian refugees.
The Arab League recently saw Syrian President Bashar al-Assad return to the fore during its summit in Jeddah. President al-Assad was embraced by the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia. Ten years ago, the Saudis funded anti-Assad militias. However, Saudi Arabia and the UAE need Syria as a key ally in their Middle East operations, and they believe that the Assad regime is now a Middle Eastern reality. Despite this, Syrians who blame the Assad regime for destroying their country view the Arab League's decision with dismay. Lebanese military deportations have recently increased by the army, targeting refugees, with around 1,500 Syrians being deported at gunpoint.
Tottenham’s Ryan Mason has defended forward Richarlison against ridicule by Premier League players Michail Antonio and Callum Wilson on their podcast. The Brazilian striker has managed only three goals in his debut season at Spurs, but Mason said his lack of confidence could be due to fitness issues and called his commitment to the team “his own pride and his own determination”. Mason said he disapproved of mockery between professionals, criticised both players for their behaviour and said he had hope that Richarlison could make an impact on his debut season before pre-season begins.
Fighting continues in Sudan's capital, Khartoum, as artillery fire pounds the outer areas and air attacks strike Omdurman and Khartoum North. The conflict between Sudan’s army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces has led to a collapse in law and order, putting residents at risk. Displaced almost 1.1 million individuals internally and into neighbouring countries, people in the region face a humanitarian crisis. Moreover, a locally brokered peace deal in Nyala, one of Sudan's largest cities, has broken down after two days of fighting killed at least 30 people. Talks sponsored by the United States and Saudi Arabia and multiple ceasefire agreements have not reached a resolution. The US Agency for International Development has earmarked $100m+ for Sudan and countries helping Sudanese refugees.
Manchester United moved closer to a place in the Champions League competition after beating Bournemouth in the Premier League. United’s 1-0 win put it three points ahead of fifth-placed Liverpool. United, which has already won the English League Cup, requires just one point from its last two games against Fulham and Chelsea. As a result of winning a Champions League place, Manchester United could also make the off-season transfer window more fruitful, and increase the value of the club. There have been offers made for the club from Qatari and British sources. The goal that secured United's win came from midfielder Casemiro, who adjusted his body to acrobatically volley in off the post with his back to goal in the ninth minute. United was weakened by the absence of Marcus Rashford through illness and Bournemouth's Kieffer Moore was prevented from equalising by a decisive save from David de Gea.
