| | 1. FA Cup replays scrapped from first round onwards18:23[-/+]Категория(?) Автор(?) | The FA had already dropped replays from the fifth round onwards and said the move to ditch them from earlier rounds had been agreed "in light of changes to the calendar driven by the expanded UEFA (European) competitions".
From next season the Champions League will feature an extra 64 games, creating increased pressure on the domestic calendar.
World governing body FIFA has announced an expanded 32-team Club World Cup for 2025.
But the English Football League (EFL), which oversees tiers two, three and four, said it would seek compensation over the "frustrating and disappointing" decision to scrap replays, which provided vital income for lower division clubs when they played bigger teams.
The FA said all rounds of the FA Cup would now be played at weekends and there will be no Premier League matches on weekends set aside for the fourth and fifth rounds and the quarter-finals.
Teams from the third and fourth tiers of English football enter the FA Cup in the first round, with Premier League and Championship clubs joining from the third round.
The FA Cup qualifying rounds for clubs outside the top four tiers will still have replays.
EFL chief executive Trevor Birch said: "This represents another lost traditional revenue stream for EFL clubs at a time when the financial gap between the biggest clubs and those further down the pyramid is growing bigger than ever.
"We will now be discussing the implications for EFL clubs and seeking appropriate compensation arrangements."
The changes announced on Thursday, which are part of a six-year agreement, will also mean the removal of the mid-season break from the Premier League calendar.
The English top-flight will start the 2024/25 season in mid-August to give players a consecutive three-week break, taking into account "expert advice from medical and technical departments".
As part of the new deal, the Premier League is "providing up to an additional GBP33 million ($41 million) for grassroots football".
The FA said the agreement would secure up to GBP133 million per season in funding in total from the 2025/26 campaign.
FA chief executive Mark Bullingham said: "This new agreement between The FA and the Premier League strengthens the FA Cup and gives this very special tournament exclusive weekends in an increasingly busy calendar.
"The longer summer period also allows a much-needed player break before the start of the next season."
Premier League chief executive Richard Masters added: "Throughout our discussions both parties have been committed to enhancing the scheduling of the FA Cup, a hugely important domestic competition with a storied history."
The FA Cup semi-finals will be played at Wembley this weekend, with holders Manchester City meeting Chelsea on Saturday and Manchester United facing Coventry on Sunday. Медиа: image / jpeg | ↑ |
2. US Congress to take on TikTok ban bill -- again18:19[-/+]Категория(?) Автор(?) | The measure has been written into a massive $61 billion aid bill for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, which could ease its passage in both chambers of the US Congress.
Under the bill, ByteDance would have to sell the app within a few months or be excluded from Apple and Google's app stores in the United States.
It would also give the US president the authority to designate other applications as a threat to national security if they are controlled by a country deemed hostile.
TikTok slammed the bill, saying it would hurt the US economy and undermine free speech.
"It is unfortunate that the House of Representatives is using the cover of important foreign and humanitarian assistance to once again jam through a ban bill," a company spokesman said.
He added a ban would "trample the free speech rights of 170 million Americans, devastate 7 million businesses, and shutter a platform that contributes $24 billion to the US economy annually."
Western officials have voiced alarm over the popularity of TikTok with young people, alleging that it is subservient to Beijing and a conduit to spread propaganda, claims denied by the company and Beijing.
Joe Biden reiterated his concerns about TikTok during a phone call with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping in early April.
The House of Representatives last month approved a similar bill cracking down on TikTok, but the measure got held up in the Senate. Медиа: image / jpeg | ↑ |
3. Taylor Swift's 'The Tortured Poets Department' set to drop17:59[-/+]Категория(?) Автор(?) | Swift announced the album's release at the Grammys in February, a night that saw the 34-year-old billionaire win a record-breaking fourth Album of the Year prize.
And with the album set to drop in the United States at midnight Eastern time (0400 GMT Friday), the artist could be on track for a fifth.
Since her bombshell announcement, her loyal legion of Swifties have been working around the clock shelling out fan predictions -- dissecting the tracklist, the guest appearances, and the hints.
The working theory is that "The Tortured Poets Department" centers on her ex, British actor Joe Alwyn, who Swift dated starting in 2016 until they broke up about a year ago.
Alwyn ("The Favourite") and fellow actor Paul Mescal ("Normal People") revealed in 2022 that they had a group chat entitled "The Tortured Man Club," which also included Andrew Scott ("Fleabag," "Ripley").
The Swifties think their queen's album title is a likely reference to that text circle, and the Instagram caption she wrote to go along with the initial social media promo of the record indeed implies she's got tea to spill.
"All's fair in love and poetry..." she wrote. "New album THE TORTURED POETS DEPARTMENT."
Prior to their breakup, Alwyn had songwriting credits under a pen name, William Bowery, on several of her most recent albums.
Swift already revealed the tracklist, with titles including "Down Bad," "So Long, London," "I Can Fix Him (No Really I Can)" and "The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived."
Post Malone and Florence + The Machine are among those set to make cameos on the album.
'Shake up the world'
Swift has made an award-winning routine of eviscerating her former lovers in song, including dropping lyrical takedowns of John Mayer and Jake Gyllenhaal.
Her current beau, Super Bowl-winning NFL tight end Travis Kelce, has already praised the new album.
"I have heard some of it, yes, and it's unbelievable," he told reporters in February.
"I can't wait for her to shake up the world when it finally drops."
Swift has already had an earth-shattering past year or so, staging the first billion-dollar tour with her ongoing series of Eras concerts, breaking myriad chart records and becoming the artist with more Album of the Year Grammys than anyone, surpassing Frank Sinatra, Stevie Wonder and Paul Simon.
Topping the charts with Beyonce
Swift -- who was born in Pennsylvania on December 13, 1989 -- began writing songs professionally as a teenager, signing with Nashville's Big Machine Records as a country artist.
After a highly publicized dispute with Big Machine executives regarding ownership of her first six albums -- she'd fully embraced pop by then -- she made the cunning, risky decision to re-record those early albums to own their rights.
It paid off, delighting ardent fans, bringing new Swifties into the fold, and earning her renewed respect within the industry.
With "The Tortured Poets Department," she stands to make waves once more, although she'll face stiff competition from the likes of Beyonce and Billie Eilish next awards season.
Beyonce recently released her honky tonk of an album "Cowboy Carter," an electric, statement-making record that once again cemented her status as an era-defining artist.
But Queen Bey dropped that record March 29, offering a charts cushion -- whether intentional or not -- that would allow both her and Swift to notch wins.
The two reigning stars are often pitted against each other as rivals although they've never implied that themselves, instead taking steps over the years to dismiss the notion.
They will almost certainly be competing for next year's top Grammys, as will Recording Academy darling Billie Eilish, whose third album "Hit Me Hard and Soft" is due out on May 17.
But these wildly wealthy, supremely talented and conversation-commanding artists have all emphasized that at the end of the day, it's all about the music.
Writing her forthcoming album "kind of reminded me of why songwriting is something that actually gets me through my life," Swift told fans at a recent show.
"I've never had an album where I needed songwriting more than I needed it on 'Tortured Poets.'" Медиа: image / jpeg | ↑ |
4. UN chief warns Mideast on brink of 'full-scale regional conflict'17:49[-/+]Категория(?) Автор(?) | Guterres also said Israel's military offensive on Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip, in retaliation for their unprecedented October 7 attack on Israel, had created a "humanitarian hellscape" for civilians trapped in the besieged Palestinian territory.
"The Middle East is on a precipice. Recent days have seen a perilous escalation -- in words and deeds," Guterres told a high-level Security Council meeting, with several foreign ministers present, including from Jordan and Iran.
"One miscalculation, one miscommunication, one mistake, could lead to the unthinkable --- a full-scale regional conflict that would be devastating for all involved," he said, calling on all parties to exercise "maximum restraint."
Iran unleashed a barrage of missiles and drones on Israel over the weekend, after an attack on its consulate in Damascus widely blamed on Israel.
Israeli officials have not said when or where they would retaliate, but the country's military chief has vowed a response.
Guterres condemned both the consulate attack and the flurry of drones, saying that the latter constituted a "serious escalation."
"It is high time to end the bloody cycle of retaliation," he said. "It is high time to stop."
"The international community must work together to prevent any actions that could push the entire Middle East over the edge, with a devastating impact on civilians. Let me be clear: the risks are spiraling on many fronts."
'Humanitarian hellscape'
For Guterres, de-escalation of the situation would begin by ending fighting in Gaza, where at least 33,970 people have been killed, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory.
The militants' October 7 attack resulted in the deaths of 1,170 people in southern Israel, mostly civilians, according to official Israeli figures.
Hamas also took about 250 hostages. Israel estimates 129 of them remain in Gaza, including 34 who are presumed dead.
"I reiterate my calls for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire and the immediate release of all hostages held in Gaza," Guterres said.
"In Gaza, six and a half months of Israeli military operations have created a humanitarian hellscape," he lamented, and while he said Israel had made "limited progress" on allowing more aid into the territory, he called for more to be done.
"Our aid operations are barely functional. They cannot operate in an organized, systematic way; they can only seize opportunities to deliver aid whenever and wherever possible," he said.
"Delivering aid at scale requires Israel's full and active facilitation of humanitarian operations."
Guterres's speech came as the Security Council was poised later in the day to vote on a Palestinian bid for full UN membership -- an initiative that seemed destined for failure in the face of opposition from the veto-wielding United States.
The UN secretary-general also called on Israel to put a stop to settler violence in the occupied West Bank, after the killing of a 14-year-old Israeli boy sparked Israeli attacks in dozens of Palestinian villages.
"I call on Israel, as the occupying power, to protect the Palestinian population of the occupied West Bank against attacks, violence and intimidation," he told the Security Council. Медиа: image / jpeg | ↑ |
5. US, UK unveil sweeping sanctions on Iran's drone program17:07[-/+]Категория(?) Автор(?) | "Today, we are holding Iran accountable -- imposing new sanctions and export controls," US President Joe Biden said in a statement.
Tehran launched its first ever direct military attack on Israel late Saturday in retaliation for an April 1 air strike on the Iranian consulate in Damascus -- widely blamed on Israel -- that killed seven members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, including two generals.
The large-scale attack involved more than 300 drones and missiles, most of which were shot down by Israel and its allies including Washington and London, causing little damage.
Israeli officials have not said when or where they would retaliate, but the country's military chief has vowed a response.
Washington's sanctions target 16 people and two companies involved in Iran's unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) program, as well as components for the drones used in the Saturday attack, according to the Treasury Department.
"As I discussed with my fellow G7 leaders the morning after the attack, we are committed to acting collectively to increase economic pressure on Iran," Biden said.
"Let it be clear to all those who enable or support Iran's attacks: the United States is committed to Israel's security," he continued. "And we will not hesitate to take all necessary action to hold you accountable."
Britain also sanctions Tehran
In coordination with the US Treasury, the UK government announced its own suite of sanctions against Tehran on Thursday, targeting seven individuals and six companies for enabling Iran to continue its "destabilizing regional activity, including its direct attack on Israel."
"The Iranian regime's attack against Israel was a reckless act and a dangerous escalation," British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said, adding that the UK had sanctioned the "ringleaders of the Iranian military and forces responsible for the weekend's attack."
"These sanctions -- announced with the US -- show we unequivocally condemn this behavior, and they will further limit Iran's ability to destabilize the region," he added.
Alongside its sanctions against Iran's UAV program, the US also targeted five companies providing parts for Iran's steel industry, and an automaker involved in providing "material support" to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
"Iran's metals sector generates the equivalent of several billion dollars in revenue annually, with the majority coming from steel exports," the Treasury Department said.
"We're using Treasury's economic tools to degrade and disrupt key aspects of Iran's malign activity, including its UAV program and the revenue the regime generates to support its terrorism," US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said in a statement.
"We will continue to deploy our sanctions authority to counter Iran with further actions in the days and weeks ahead," she added. Медиа: image / jpeg | ↑ |
6. African sprinters primed to dominate track season, says Tebogo17:01[-/+]Категория(?) Автор(?) | The 20-year-old has already made a sparkling start to the season with a world record performance in the men's 300 metres in South Africa in February.
Tebogo is set to compete on Saturday in the 200m at the Kip Keino Classic in Nairobi, part of the World Athletics Continental Tour, the competition a tier below the Diamond League.
"I strongly believe this is an African year because when you look at Ferdy (Omanyala of Kenya) and Akani (Simbine of South Africa) and myself, we are there to leap over," he told reporters.
In Budapest last year, Tebogo became the first African to win a 100m medal at the World Championships and also added the 200m bronze to his collection.
Omanyala only finished seventh in that world 100m final but holds the African record of 9.77sec.
"Omanyala is the fastest man in Africa in the 100 and I am the fastest in the 200," Tebogo said.
The Botswana sprinter said he was happy to return to Kenya where he started his career at the Under-20 world championships in 2021, winning the 200m silver medal behind Nigeria's Udodi Onwuzurike.
Tebogo will face American Courtney Lindsey who ran a world-leading 19.88sec in Florida last Friday.
Omanyala will be competing in his first 100m of the year.
"This season I changed my coaches and now I am starting the season with a different mentality. I haven't done the 100m for eight months," said the 28-year-old.
"I don't how this one is going to be but we'll see," said Omanyala, who has reduced his heavily-muscled frame to become a leaner athlete.
'Start 2024 with a bang'
He is set to face American Kenny Bednarek, the Olympic 200m silver medallist in Tokyo, and Kenyan compatriot Mark Otieno, who is returning to international competition after his two-year suspension for doping expired in November.
Namibian Olympic 200m silver medallist Christine Mboma will launch her track comeback when she races over 100m in her first competitive event in 20 months.
"I feel good coming back and running again in Kenya. I have been training and I am preparing for the Olympics and hope to use this event as a preparation," said Mboma, who became Namibia's first female Olympic medallist in Tokyo in 2021.
American world hammer throw silver medallist Janee' Kassanavoid will face Polish three-time Olympic champion Anita Wlodarczyk.
"It is super exciting to be back in Nairobi. The crowd is amazing and I am hoping to start this year 2024 with a bang," said Kassanavoid, who has a personal best of 78.00 metres. Медиа: image / jpeg | ↑ |
7. US House Speaker Johnson at risk as he pushes Ukraine, Israel aid package16:29[-/+]Автор(?) | President Joe Biden said Wednesday he strongly supports a proposal from Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson to provide aid to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, sending crucial bipartisan support to the precarious effort to approve $95 billion in funding for the US allies this week. Before potential weekend voting, Johnson was facing a choice between potentially losing his job and aiding Ukraine, as FRANCE 24’s Charli James explains. Медиа: image / jpeg | ↑ |
10. Slow recovery as Dubai airport, roads still plagued by floods16:07[-/+]Категория(?) Автор(?) | Emirates, Dubai's state-owned flagship airline, and sister carrier flydubai resumed check-ins after telling passengers to stay away on Wednesday, when thousands of stranded passengers clogged the airport.
Some 1,244 flights were cancelled and 41 diverted on Tuesday and Wednesday, after torrential rains flooded the Middle East financial centre including its runways and highways.
Traffic congestion remained severe on Thursday, two days after the storms, with at least one major highway completely blocked by water and multiple other junctions and routes also cut off by flooding.
Dubai airport, which carries more international passengers than any other, has witnessed chaotic scenes with thousands of marooned travellers clamouring for information about their flights.
Dubai Airports warned of a "high volume" of people at Terminal 3, which serves Emirates and flydubai, and urged passengers to stay away unless their departure was confirmed.
"There may still be delays to arriving and departing flights," an Emirates statement said, warning that the "airport remains congested".
"Our teams are working hard to restore our scheduled operations as soon as possible," it added.
Nearly 200 departures were listed as delayed or cancelled on Dubai airport's website on Thursday.
Many passengers, unable to take their flights or leave the airport on the flooded roads, have been forced to sleep at the airport, which has been badly understaffed with workers unable to arrive.
One elderly couple's 14-hour flight from Brisbane took 24 hours on Tuesday after it was diverted, and they were then unable to reach their hotel because of the flooding.
"It's just the start of our holiday and I feel like going home -- and I don't know how to do that either," Julie, 72, told AFP through tears, as she tried to navigate the partly suspended metro system to reach her hotel.
"When they landed the plane on this airfield that was deserted, there was no terminal, there were no other planes and I thought we had been hijacked by terrorists," she added, without giving her surname. Медиа: image / jpeg | ↑ |
11. Ex-spy whose book foreshadowed Hamas attack fears for Israel's future15:53[-/+]Категория(?) Автор(?) | Since the October 7 Hamas attack, one of 72-year-old Ben-David's bestsellers has taken on an eerily prophetic tone.
Published in 2017, "The Shark" describes a deadly conflict that starts with a Hamas militant raid on kibbutzim near the Gaza border and culminates in a devastating Israeli attack on Iran in retaliation.
Last weekend, Iran launched hundreds of missiles and drones at Israel, which now appears to be preparing a response to this unprecedented attack.
The crisis is now "just a few steps" from the apocalyptic events envisioned in his book, Ben-David, the son of a Holocaust survivor, said calmly as he welcomed AFP to his home in the hills around Jerusalem.
Botched assassination bid
The dystopian opening pages of "The Shark" describe Hamas fighters breaking into the Kfar Aza kibbutz in southern Israel.
Seven years after the book's publication, the kibbutz was among the hardest hit in the Palestinian militant group's October 7 attack, with dozens killed.
While researching for the book, the prolific author visited Israeli kibbutzim bordering Gaza, wondering: "Where would be the best place for Hamas to attack?"
"I thought it's not protected for a scenario like this," he said.
Ben-David, who served in Mossad for 12 years, is well placed to know that an army or intelligence agencies can fail.
In 1997, he was involved in Mossad's infamous failed bid to assassinate Hamas's then-political chief Khaled Meshaal in Jordan.
In July that year, a Hamas bombing in Jerusalem's main market had killed 16 people and wounded more than 160.
Poison
At the time, Benjamin Netanyahu was serving his first term as prime minister, and it was decided to target Hamas leaders in response to the bombing.
A series of setbacks derailed the plan and Ben-David -- then head of the intelligence department for Mossad's operational unit -- found himself in the unlikely position of having to save Meshaal's life.
Ben-David said the agents had proposed several ways to kill Meshaal, including putting a bomb in his car, having him shot by a sniper, or firing at him point blank.
But Netanyahu had wanted to "kill him silently" and without a trace, Ben-David said, surrounded by flowers in his garden.
The prime minister had been concerned "it would be clear that we did it and it would severely harm relations with Jordan", Ben-David said.
So the agents settled on poison. They managed to spray it at their victim, but were caught after a sequence of unforeseen events, Ben-David said.
He said he kept the antidote with him in case an agent was accidentally contaminated, but it ended up being given to Meshaal after Jordan negotiated an exchange for the release of the two Israeli agents.
'Not here forever'
Ben-David left Mossad in 1999 after his identity was exposed following the failed attempt on Meshaal's life.
He has written about 20 books in Hebrew that span several genres, and some have been translated into other languages.
Looking back, as Israel tracks Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, the man it says masterminded the October 7 attack, Ben-David has his doubts about how effective assassinations are.
There's always a deputy who can step up, he said.
And with the region in turmoil, his thoughts have turned to his country's future.
"The people of Israel have lived 3,000 years already, maybe more," said the father of three.
"But you look at the Roman Empire, you look at Genghis Khan... they all disappear sooner or later," he said.
"My perspective tells me that Israel will not be here forever." Медиа: image / jpeg | ↑ |
12. India elections: Opinion polls suggest easy victory for Modi's BJP15:50[-/+]Автор(?) | India is set to begin the world's largest general elections on Friday, held in terrain sweeping from the icy Himalayas to humid jungles, with nearly a billion people eligible to choose 543 members of the lower house of parliament. Opinion polls suggest an easy victory for Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party when the results are announced on June 4. FRANCE 24's Delano D'Souza explains. Медиа: image / jpeg | ↑ |
13. Ethiopian migrants speak to FRANCE 24 after surviving Yemeni-Saudi border shooting15:19[-/+]Автор(?) | Last August, Human Rights Watch released a report stating that Saudi border guards had killed hundreds of Ethiopian migrants attempting to cross the border illegally between March 2022 and June 2023. Faced with these documented accusations, Ethiopia announced a joint investigation with Saudi authorities and asserted that they maintained excellent relations with Saudi Arabia. Since then, no results have been made public. 38 survivors had testified. FRANCE 24’s Clothilde Hazard met two of them a few months after their return home. Медиа: image / jpeg | ↑ |
14. In DR Congo, no govt appointed four months after elections15:11[-/+]Автор(?) | DR Congo’s recently appointed Prime Minister Judith Suminwa is consulting with political parties in the president’s coalition, the Union Sacre, with a view to forming a government. Elections were held in December in DRC, bringing President Tshisekedi to a second term in power, but the process of forming a new government has taken an exceptionally long time, as FRANCE 24’s Emmet Livingstone reports. Медиа: image / jpeg | ↑ |
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