Israeli aid to Gaza was deemed “totally and utterly inadequate,” according to UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer. Since Monday, only five aid trucks have entered Gaza. If Israel doesn’t stop its offensive in Gaza, the UK, France, and Canada have threatened to take “concrete actions” against it.
French Open 2025
Dates: 25 May-8 June Venue: Roland Garros, Paris
Dan Evans beat fellow Briton Billy Harris in the first round of French Open qualifying to move a step closer to the main draw.
The 34-year-old Evans fought back from 5-2 down in the first set to beat Harris 7-5 6-3 in Paris.
Fran Jones also progressed in the women’s competition, but Heather Watson’s hopes of contesting an 11th French Open are over.
Watson lost 7-6 (7-2) 6-2 to Australian Daria Saville, but Jones will face Japan’s Mai Hontama in the second qualifying round after defeating Croatia’s Lea Boskovic 6-2 6-3.
Jan Choinski exited in the opening round of men’s qualifying, losing 6-4 7-6 (7-5) to Italian Giulio Zeppieri.
Players have to come through three qualifying rounds to reach the main draw.
The French Open – the second Grand Slam of the year – begins on Sunday.
Evans, ranked 215th in the world, is targeting a return to the top 100 after slipping down the rankings.
It is less than two years since he reached a career-high of 21 but, now in the twilight of his career, he has predominantly been playing his tennis on the ATP Challenger Tour, which sits below the main tour.
Evans has won just one match in seven main-draw appearances in Paris and the first set against Harris threatened to quickly run away from him.
But, having gone down an early break, Evans held to stay in the match, before turning the set on its head to lead as the unforced errors crept in to Harris’ game.
And it was again Evans who finished the stronger in set two, closing out the match with another double break from 3-3 to complete a straight-set victory.
Momentum swung back and forth in the opening set between Watson and Saville, with the Briton rallying to a 4-2 lead after initially going a break down, only for Saville to level up.
Watson, ranked four places higher than Saville at 130, battled back from 40-0 down on serve to move within one game from the opening set, but failing to take her first set point proved crucial.
A tie-break was confirmed by another exchange of breaks – but not before Watson initially refused to continue the match after being given a second time violation.
She claimed she had been waiting for a ball to be returned to her, rather than deliberately delaying the point. While the chair umpire disagreed, Saville stepped in and asked the umpire to give Watson her first serve back.
The Australian former world number 20 dominated the tie-break and carried that momentum into the second set, quickly establishing a 3-0 lead.
Jones, ranked 113th, produced a dominant display to see off Boskovic – losing serve for the first time when serving for the match before recovering to close it out at the second attempt.
The 24-year-old is aiming to qualify for the second overseas slam of her career, having reached the Australian Open main draw in 2021.
At the Strasburg Open, world number 10 Paula Badosa and former Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina both reached the fourth round.
Spain’s Badosa progressed after opponent Marie Bouzkova retired, while 12th-ranked Kazakh Rybakina defeated Wang Xinyu 6-1 6-3.
The Senate has approved the Proceeds of Crime (Recovery and Management) Bill 2025 for second reading.
The current Proceeds of Crime Act 2022 is amended to improve accountability, transparency, and efficiency in the management of national assets recovered from unlawful activities.
The central agency would be established to take over the management and disposal of recovered assets, a task that currently falls under the purview of 18 government agencies, according to the bill sponsored by Senator Idiat Adebule, representing Lagos West.
Senator Adebule, who was in charge of the debate, claimed that the current arrangement had led to overlaps in responsibilities and inefficiencies, allowing for corruption and mismanagement. The bill attempts to establish an independent body to streamline the process and prevent leakages.
Asset recovery is opaque and unaccountable due to the lack of coordination and standardized procedures among the organizations, according to Adebule.
Also available are Senate Sets Up, 20-Man, and Committee For National Security Summit.
The lawmakers’ initial views on the bill were polarized.
Senator Emmanuel Udende opposed the bill, despite Senator Sani Musa’s partial support for it, calling for stricter oversight and putting a stop to the creation of a new agency.
Udende warned against the proliferation of government bodies by claiming that
Legislators like Senator Isah Jibrin, who argued that “there are leakages by agencies that recover these assets, and we need to block them through an independent agency,” have opposite views.
Manchester United received a fitness boost on the eve of the Europa League final as Joshua Zirkzee, Diogo Dalot, and Leny Yoro all returned to training on Tuesday.
Ruben Amorim’s side are preparing to face Tottenham in an all-English Europa League showpiece in Bilbao on Wednesday.
Zirkzee had been ruled out for the rest of the season after suffering a hamstring injury at Newcastle in April, but the Dutch striker could be available after missing United’s last eight games in all competitions.
Portugal full-back Dalot has been absent for six matches due to a calf problem, while French defender Yoro sat out last Friday’s 1-0 loss at Chelsea with a foot issue.
While that trio were able to train with their team-mates at Carrington on Tuesday, there was still no sign of Dutch centre-back Matthijs de Ligt, who has been sidelined with an undisclosed problem for the last three games.
United face Tottenham at the San Mames stadium, looking to salvage a wretched domestic campaign by winning the first trophy of Amorim’s reign.
Amorim, who replaced the sacked Erik ten Hag in November, has presided over United’s slump to 16th place in the Premier League — just one point above 17th-placed Tottenham.
As well as ending the season with silverware, United would secure a lucrative place in next season’s Champions League if they beat Tottenham.
READ ALSO:  , Failure Means Man City Would Not ‘ Deserve ‘ Champions League- Guardiola
Postecoglou Fights To Avoid Sack
Meanwhile, Ange Postecoglou can end Tottenham’s 17-year trophy drought by winning the Europa League final against Manchester United, but even victory in Bilbao on Wednesday might not be enough to save him from the sack.
Beating United to break the silverware curse and earn a place in next season’s Champions League would be a significant moment in Tottenham’s recent history.
The north London club haven’t won a major trophy since beating Chelsea in the 2008 League Cup final, while their last European silverware came in the 1984 UEFA Cup.
But Postecoglou has presided over such a miserable Premier League campaign that the Tottenham boss heads to the San Mames stadium with his future hanging in the balance regardless of the result.
Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy has not been shy when it comes to managerial changes and has already been linked with Brentford’s Thomas Frank, Crystal Palace’s Oliver Glasner and Fulham’s Marco Silva.
As speculation mounts that Postecoglou will be gone after the final, his brash boast in September that he “always win things” in his second season has come to define the campaign.
Former Nigerian Minister of Education, Obiageli Ezekwesili, has been appointed as an advisor to the Club de Madrid, the world’s largest forum of democratic former presidents and prime ministers.
Club de Madrid, in a post on X, said, “On behalf of all of us, thank you @obyezeks for joining @ClubdeMadrid. Your leadership, vision, and commitment to democratic values are deeply appreciated. We are honoured to count on your voice as we work to advance inclusive democracy worldwide”.
Confirming the appointment of the Spanish group via her official X account, the Ezekwesili stated, “I accepted the invitation to become an advisor to @ClubdeMadrid – Club de Madrid, ‘ the world’s largest forum of democratic former Presidents and Prime Ministers, who leverage their individual and collective leadership experience and global reach to strengthen inclusive democratic practice and improve the well-being of people around the world'”.
The public policy expert and democracy advocate expressed her appreciation for the platform’s continued commitment to solving global challenges.
“As our global context becomes even more complex, the leadership vacuum delays solutions to ‘ global public Bads. ‘ I therefore deeply appreciate how these former leaders of democracies around the world continue to dedicate themselves to helping solve our global challenges and amplify opportunities for cooperation. Delighted to support”, she said.
READ ALSO: My Presence At Pope’s Inauguration Not Political – Obi
On behalf of all of us, thank you @obyezeks for joining @ClubdeMadrid.
Your leadership, vision and commitment to democratic values are deeply appreciated. We are honoured to count on your voice as we work to advance inclusive democracy worldwide. https://t.co/cRhYhMWD2V
Established in 2001 and headquartered in Madrid, Spain, the Club de Madrid comprises over 100 members from more than 70 countries.
All members are former heads of state or government, offering their expertise pro bono to support current leaders, civil society, and institutions across the globe.
The organisation focuses on strengthening democratic institutions, reClub de Madridsolving political conflicts, and promoting good governance.
It also convenes Annual Policy Dialogues and Policy Labs, creating platforms for high-level exchanges on pressing global issues.
In April 2025, its Policy Dialogue addressed the reform of global financial governance to better align with shared democratic values.
A Republican senator said the interruption was a sign of “progress” because it was at least “in English” after a pro-Palestinian protester interrupted a hearing with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio. A protester who spoke Spanish had interrupted Rubio’s hearing in January.