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UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres pledged help for Syrian reconstruction Saturday during the first visit to Damascus by a serving United Nations chief since 2009, before the start of a civil war that killed hundreds of thousands and displaced millions.Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa received Guterres at the presidential palace in Damascus, state news agency Sana said, without providing further details.”No country emerges from a very severe conflict and rebuilds itself on its own,” Guterres said after the talks with al-Sharaa at a joint press conference with Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani.”We must help Syria in its determination and resolve to do so,” Guterres added.Al-Shaibani reiterated Syria’s request for more support from the international community, especially the European Union.He said Guterres’s talks with al-Sharaa – which al-Shaibani also attended – had focused on increasing UN support for reconstruction and a government plan to close displacement camps.Al-Sharaa, the former head of al Qaeda’s affiliate in Syria, was until November 2025 under terrorism-related sanctions imposed by the UN Security Council.Guterres’s visit is another milestone for Syria since rebels ousted president Bashar al-Assad in late 2024, ending the war that began in 2011 and launching a transitional period steered by an Islamist-led leadership.At the time, Guterres described “the end of the Syrian dictatorship” under Assad as a sign of hope for the region.In a post on X Saturday for what he described as a “visit of solidarity”, Guterres said: “The United Nations stands with Syria at this pivotal moment.”The UN chief will also meet other government officials and representatives of Syrian civil society and is expected to address the country’s parliament Monday, UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said earlier this week.He will underline that the country has an opportunity “not only to recover from conflict, but also to lay the foundations for a future for Syria that will be more stable, more inclusive, and more prosperous for all Syrians”, Dujarric said.Guterres is expected to be in Damascus for several days, but the full schedule of his visit has not been released by his office.He is visiting just weeks after two bombs exploded near a hotel in Damascus where French President Emmanuel Macron spent the night, overshadowing the first visit to Syria by a European Union head of state since Assad was toppled.Al-Sharaa’s government is seeking to rebuild Syria’s international ties and economy after nearly 14 years of war and decades of isolation under Assad family rule.The transition has been marred by two major episodes of sectarian bloodshed that have tested al-Sharaa’s repeated pledges to protect Syria’s religious minorities.Guterres expressed alarm over both bouts of violence and has called for accountability.Al-Sharaa, who broke ties with Al Qaeda in 2016, led an alliance of Islamist rebel factions that ousted Assad in a lightning offensive in December 2024.Since taking power, his government has sought to re-establish Syria’s diplomatic ties to expand beyond Assad’s longtime allies, Russia and Iran.Last year, al-Sharaa became the first Syrian president since 1967 to take part in the UN General Assembly in New York.The United States has lifted most sanctions on Syria and US President Donald Trump informed al-Sharaa earlier this month that he intended to remove Syria from Washington’s list of state sponsors of terrorism.Guterres is also expected during his trip to visit a UN peacekeeping force that has maintained a buffer zone between Israeli and Syrian forces for decades, Dujarric said.Israeli troops have occupied new areas in southern Syria after Assad was ousted.Damascus has demanded they withdraw and return to a 1974 disengagement agreement.Saturday Guterres called for an end to Israeli violations in Syria.”We underscore the importance of fully respecting Syria’s sovereignty, independence, unity, and territorial integrity,” he said at the joint press conference.”Violations of Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity are unacceptable and must cease. What is happening in the region around the Golan Heights is totally unacceptable,” Guterres said, adding: “I’d like to remind the international community that the Golan Heights are Syrian territory.”Israeli officials have said that they intend to keep forces in a “security zone” in southern Syria. Related Story Source link
Britain’s boxer Anthony Joshua celebrates winning against Albania’s boxer Kristian Prenga in their heavyweight fight at the Jeddah…
Bayern Munich players celebrate in Munich Sunday, after winning the Bundesliga for a record-extending 35th time. (AFP) Harry Kane scored his 32nd goal of the campaign as Bayern Munich cruised to a 4-2 home win over Stuttgart to claim a record-extending 35th Bundesliga title. Raphael Guerreiro, Nicolas Jackson and Alphonso Davies joined Kane on the scoresheet, while Chris Fuehrich and Chema Andres scored for the visitors. Borussia Dortmund’s limp 2-1 defeat at Hoffenheim on Saturday, their second in two matches, left the door open for Bayern, who only needed a point at home to secure the title with four games to spare. “It’s been a fantastic season for us,” said Bundesliga leading scorer Kane. “To finish the league off in the way we have with the goals we scored… credit to the lads… we still have a lot to play for… but all the hard work, this makes it all worth it.” Coach Vincent Kompany left regular starters Kane, Michael Olise, Manuel Neuer, Aleksandar Pavlovic, Dayot Upamecano and Jonathan Tah on the bench with Wednesday’s German Cup semi-final at Bayer Leverkusen in mind. Bayern fell behind when Chris Fuehrich scored with 21 minutes gone but roared back, scoring three goals in seven minutes. Jamal Musiala created Guerreiro’s opener before Luis Diaz laid on two goals in four minutes for Jackson and Davies to grab control of the match by the break. Kane grabbed another early in the second-half to ensure another Bundesliga crown was quickly added to his burgeoning team trophy collection. With victory secure, Bayern took their foot off the pedal as an assistant brought bags full with ‘2026 Champions’ t-shirts to the sideline. Andres added a late goal for Stuttgart with two minutes remaining but Bayern were on cruise control with title celebrations in mind. The title victory once again illustrated Bayern’s modern and historical dominance of German football. The Bavarian giants have now won 13 of the past 14 Bundesliga titles. Bayern have 35 league titles, with no other team reaching double figures. Bayern’s wealth and influence outshines all of their domestic rivals and this season has been truly remarkable. Bayern have scored 109 goals, the most in Bundesliga history and eight more than the previous record set back in 1971-72, with four games remaining. Free-scoring Bayern have 79 points and a goal difference of 80. If the season ended today, Bayern would become the first team to have a greater goal difference than points tally in Bundesliga history. With four wins in their remaining four games, Bayern could bring up 91 points, equalling the best mark set by their treble-bound side in 2012-13. Then there are the individual records. Kane, who became the first Englishman since 1930-31 to reach a half-century of goals in a season in all competitions on Wednesday, can still reach Robert Lewandowski’s single-season goals record of 41. The England captain has 32 goals from his 27 games this campaign and is in with an outside chance of catching Lewandowski. Michael Olise has 18 assists, three shy of the all-time mark set by Thomas Mueller in 2019-20. Earlier, Freiburg pushed last-placed Heidenheim closer to the drop with a 2-1 home win. Johan Manzambi put the Europa League semi-finalists ahead after 24 minutes but Heidenheim’s Budu Zivzivadze levelled things up just before the hour mark. Freiburg’s Maximilian Eggestein scored the winner with seven minutes remaining to help his side leapfrog Eintracht Frankfurt into seventh spot. The defeat leaves Heidenheim, who hosted Chelsea in the Europa Conference League last season, seven points behind the relegation play-off spot and 11 from safety with four games to play. …
Robert Downey Jr attends the 12th Breakthrough Prize ceremony gala in Santa Monica, California. (Reuters) Big names from the worlds of film, technology, music and sports gathered on Saturday in Santa Monica, California for the Breakthrough Prizes, popularly known as the “Oscars of Science.” The awards, co-founded by philanthropists and tech entrepreneurs, recognise the research achievements of leading scientists around the world in three broad categories: Life Sciences, Fundamental Physics and Mathematics. “These are some of the most heroic and inspiring people we get in the world,” actor Edward Norton told AFP. According to the American History X star, it was important to turn out and “to highlight what this kind of work contributes to all of us.” “The US has the most anti-science administration in US history,” the actor said. “It’s always important, but if it was ever especially important, the moment is now.” In the last year, the Trump administration has slashed funding for science, halting projects and devastating workforces. Rock climber Alex Honnold agreed with Norton, adding that he hoped the fluctuations “of the political climate… are short-term compared to the long-term effort required to make these kind of gains in human knowledge.” OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said the collaboration between his company’s artificial intelligence technology and some of the award-winning scientists “is moving things faster and faster, and letting them discover new things and bring them to the world faster than they could before.” “Change this fast is really disorienting. So there will be a lot of big questions that we’ll have to sort through as a society,” Altman told AFP. The Breakthrough Foundation was started by Google co-founder Sergey Brin; Mark Zuckerberg and his wife Priscilla Chan; science patrons Julia and Yuri Milner; and Anne Wojcicki, CEO of 23andMe. Six prizes worth $3mn each were presented at the 12th edition of the awards. French mathematician Frank Merle was honoured for his work on nonlinear equations describing the behaviour of waves, fluids and other systems. Merle told AFP the funding is “essential” for science. “Science is one of the foundations of our civilisation,” he said. Hollywood A-listers Ben Affleck, Lily Collins, Robert Downey Jr., Gigi Hadid, Anne Hathaway, Jessica Chastain, Naomi Watts and her husband, Billy Crudup, also attended the event, alongside public figures like Bill Gates and Paris Hilton. Source link
Punjab Kings’ Priyansh Arya bats while Lucknow Super Giants’ Rishabh Pant tries to keep wickets during their IPL…
Prime Minister Mark Carney waiting for Finland’s President Alexander Stubb in Ottawa, Ontario. (Reuters/File Photo) Canada’s close ties to the US were once a strength but have become a weakness, Prime Minister Mark Carney said Sunday, in a video message to his country in which he also praised the heroism of military leaders who fought against US invasion more than two centuries ago. Holding up a small toy soldier depiction of General Isaac Brock, the British military leader who died defending what is now Canada from a US invasion in the War of 1812, Carney said Canada can’t control the disruption coming from its US neighbours, and can’t bet its future on the hope that it will suddenly stop. “The situation today feels unique, but we’ve faced down threats like this before,” Carney said, referencing Brock and several other Canadian historical figures, including Chief Tecumseh who united Indigenous Nations across the Great Lakes to resist US expansion in 1812. Carney, who secured a parliamentary majority for his Liberal government last week, has said his electoral win will help him deal more effectively in the trade war started by US President Donald Trump. US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick slammed Canada as a difficult trading partner last week. Canada, which sends almost 70% of its exports to the US, is this year due to review the trilateral US-Mexico-Canada free trade treaty. US officials have suggested they want major changes to the pact. As well as imposing tariffs on Canadian exports such as steel, aluminium and autos, Trump has repeatedly mused about annexing Canada and turning it into the 51st US state. Carney’s office did not immediately respond to questions about why he had released the video now and why he had praised figures who resisted US expansionism. Carney said he plans to give regular addresses to Canadians in the weeks and months ahead to update them on what his government is doing to grow Canada’s economy and defend its sovereignty. “It’s our country, it’s our future, we are taking back control,” he said. Related Story…
