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France summons US ambassador over anti-Semitism allegations

By in News, World News

According to a spokesperson for the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the US ambassador Charles Kushner was summoned after he allegedly complained to President Emmanuel Macron that Paris had failed to do enough to stop anti-Semitic violence.

Kushner addressed the open letter to The Wall Street Journal on Sunday, focusing on France’s criticism of Israel, which has been accused by prominent human rights organizations of staging a genocide in Gaza, and its plans to grant a Palestinian state.

He wrote that “publications that disparage Israel and encourage extremists, fuel violence, and put a Jewish community in France at risk” Anti-Zionism is anti-Semitism, to put it simply, in today’s world.

The ambassador received a prompt response from Paris.

France “strongly refutes these most recent allegations,” according to a statement from the Foreign Ministry on Sunday. The ambassador’s claims are untrue, the ambassador said.

According to the ministry, France is “fully committed” to combating anti-Semitism.

Kushner’s comments were also made against international law, with particular reference to diplomatic personnel’s obligation to refrain from interfering with state affairs, according to a statement from the Foreign Ministry.

Additionally, they fall short of the trust that should be built between allies as a result of France and the United States’ transatlantic relationship.

The US State Department later responded, saying it supports Kushner’s assertions.

Ambassador Kushner represents the US government in France, according to US State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott in a statement.

Israel has repeatedly displaced Palestinians in Gaza, where it has been systematically destroying the enclave of 2 million people, killing dozens of people each day.

France and other Western countries have made plans to recognize a Palestinian state in recent weeks while preserving their trade, diplomatic, and security ties with Israel.

Israel and its main ally, the US, have been infuriated by the decision, though.

Kushner, who was the father of former adviser Jared Kushner and son-in-law of US President Donald Trump, was pardoned by Trump during his first term after being found guilty of tax evasion and witness tampering in 2005.

The ambassador’s letter comes after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu last week addressed a similar statement to Macron that also linked anti-Semitism to France’s decision to recognize a Palestinian state.

The office of the French president quickly retaliated against Netanyahu, calling his allegations “abject” and “erroneous” and promising that they “will not go unanswered.”

The French presidency stated that “this is a time for seriousness and responsibility, not conflation and manipulation,” adding that France “protects and will always protect its Jewish citizens.”

Shelton & Fritz bid to end 22-year wait for home men’s singles champion

By in News, Sports News
Images courtesy of Getty
Alex Fletcher
journalist for BBC Sport

US Open 2025

Dates: August 24 through September 7 in Flushing Meadows, New York

As they began their most recent bids to end America’s 22-year search for a men’s Grand Slam singles champion, Ben Shelton and Taylor Fritz cruised into the second round.

With his US Open triumph in 2003, Andy Roddick became the last American player to capture a major singles title.

Fritz, who reached the championship match last year in Flushing Meadows, is the first American man to do so in 15 years. He has also been at the forefront of the drought.

Emilio Nava, who is seeded fourth in New York this year, defeated Fritz 7-5, 6-2, 6-3, while Shelton, who is sixth seeded, defeated Grand Slam debutant Ignacio Buse, 6-3, 6-2, 6-4.

Two American men have been seeded in the top eight for the first time since the 2007 US Open.

In terms of American tennis, Fritz said, “We’re in a great position.”

We’re here for the long haul, we say.

Ben Shelton clenches his fist in celebrationImages courtesy of Getty

Shelton won the tournament’s inaugural game against the renowned Arthur Ashe show court, taking just over two hours to complete the victory.

The former semi-finalist is in strong form, having earlier this month won the Canadian Open’s first ATP Masters 1000 title.

Shelton remarked, “The US Open is the pinnacle of tennis for me and what I dreamed about as a child.”

For me, it is starting to feel like home.

Shelton and Fritz could potentially face off in the final four of New York after Shelton defeated Fritz in the semi-finals in Toronto.

Shelton, 22, remained cautious when questioned about his potential success at this year’s tournament.

He said, “For me, it is one day at a time, because once you start looking ahead of yourself you stumble over your own feet.”

“I’m looking forward to it because we’re here for the long haul.”

Fritz has also performed well in recent months, surpassing Jannik Sinner, who was competing for the title last year.

He won grass-court titles at Eastbourne and Stuttgart, which indicate that he can advance to the year’s final Grand Slam, where he reached the semi-finals of Wimbledon and won them both.

Mensik makes an advance on the day of the opening.

Jakub Mensik celebrates victory at the US OpenImages courtesy of Getty

As play began on Sunday, teen sensation Jakub Mensik put forth a 7-6 (7-5) 6-3 6-4 victory over Nicolas Jarry from Chile.

Novak Djokovic defeated Mensik in the Miami Open final to claim his first ATP Tour title in March, and he has twice advanced to New York’s third round.

After beating Fabian Marozsan 6-4, 3-6, 7-6 (9-7) 6-2, qualifier Ugo Blanchet will take him on the next match.

related subjects

  • Tennis

Government pledges £1.5m for two new cricket domes

By in News, Sports News
DCMS
Timothy Abraham
journalist for BBC Sport

Although the government has pledged £1.5 million for two brand-new indoor sports domes in Luton and Lancashire, it is still uncertain whether grassroots cricket will receive the anticipated large funding.

Rishi Sunak, the then prime minister, promised to give cricket a $ 35 million gift last year in what was referred to as a “seminal moment” that might cause “generational change” in the sport.

The funding package “turbocharging” would improve the facilities for state school children, according to the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB).

Before 2029, the construction of 16 domes across England would make it possible to play local cricket all year long and in any kind of weather.

One million students from state schools were to be able to get cricket playing for a portion of the original pledge, which was allocated to three charities, ACE, Chance to Shine, and Lord’s Taverners.

These plans were put in serious danger as a result of the spending review’s government cuts, as BBC Sport reported in October.

Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy told the BBC that former tory leader Sunak’s original plan to revive cricket in state schools was unworkable at the announcement of the two new domes at a ceremony held at Leyland Cricket Club in Lancashire.

She described the decision to provide cash for the two domes as a “significant step” in a time when “public finances are very very tight.”

“Unfortunately, the last government’s announcement was a fantasy,” she said. No penny of money was actually put into it, said Labour MP Nandy.

“So the announcement itself sounded like nothing at all.

Because we are aware of how important sport is, we are backing it. It alters people’s lives. There are opportunities that people would not otherwise have had.

It was “vital” to increase cricket participation in schools, according to Shadow Culture Secretary Nigel Huddleston, and to provide local communities with world-class, all-year-round facilities.

They will have a transformative impact on the communities, according to the ECB.

A batter prepares to receive a ball in the indoor cricket dome in Bradford
The government promised to spend $ 400 million on grassroots sports earlier this year in addition to the $ 100 million that is currently being spent on grassroots facilities.

Instead of being a part of this pledge, BBC Sport is aware that the 1.5 million pounds that will be used to build the two new domes are actually part of it.

The ECB and other sports governing bodies are currently discussing how the remaining £400 million will be spent, according to the Department for Culture, Media, and Sport.

Lewsey Park will house the dome, which is expected to open in early 2026, in Luton, where 37% of the population is South Asian.

It will have seven lane facilities that will also house badminton, tennis, and hockey.

Farington, close to Preston, is scheduled to open its fifth-lane dome in Lancashire next summer.

The Lancashire County Cricket Club’s second ground, which will also serve as a hub for their age-group, women’s, and disability teams, is being built on the same site.

These state-of-the-art all-weather cricket domes will transform the communities they serve, opening up cricket to more people year round and providing elite players with top-notch facilities.

They play a significant role in our efforts to eliminate barriers and make cricket the most inclusive team sport.

With ECB funding, Bradford Park Avenue’s pilot dome project opened in the fall of 2023.

The facilities have been used by Yorkshire and Northern Superchargers teams in addition to community use.

related subjects

  • Cricket

Russia-Ukraine war: List of key events, day 1,278

By in News, World News

On Monday, August 25, 2018, this is how things are going.

Fighting

  • One person was killed in Kostiantynivka when Russian forces shelled the Donetsk region of Ukraine 23 times in a day, according to Governor Vadym Filashkin’s post on Telegram on Sunday.
  • One person was killed and two others were injured in the Kherson region of Ukraine, according to Governor Oleksandr Prokudin’s post on Telegram on Sunday.
  • In a post on Telegram, Ukrainian governor Serhiy Lysak reported the death of a 47-year-old woman in the Dubovykivska community in Dnipropetrovsk, Ukraine.
  • According to Pavel Filipchuk, the newly appointed head of the Kakhovka district, a Ukrainian attack on a bridge in a Russian-occupied area of Ukraine’s Kherson region killed a woman and an 11-year-old child.
  • Oleksandr Syrskii, the commander-in-chief of Ukraine’s armed forces, wrote on Facebook that Ukrainian forces had driven Russian troops out of the Donetsk region’s villages Mykhailivka, Zeleny Hay, and Volodymyrivka.
  • Meanwhile, the Dnipropetrovsk region of Ukraine’s Dnipropetrovsk region was reported on Sunday by the Russian Ministry of Defense as evidence of Russian military capture of Filiya.
  • In Russia, officials claimed that Ukraine had ignited the Kursk Nuclear Power Plant (NPP), which is located close to Ukraine’s border, in response to the accusations.
  • After Russia claimed it had reduced the reactor unit’s power “due to auxiliary transformer damage” and put out a fire, with no injuries, the UN nuclear watchdog, IAEA, announced that its monitoring had confirmed “normal radiation levels near Kursk NPP” and that it had detected “normal radiation levels near Kursk NPP.”
  • Overnight, 95 Ukrainian drones were shot down by Russian forces over Russian regions, according to a report released by the country’s state news agency, TASS.

diplomacy and politics

    Following mediation by the United Arab Emirates, the Russian Defense Ministry and the Ukrainian president said 146 prisoners of war were exchanged between Russia and Ukraine on Sunday.

  • During a visit to Kyiv on Sunday, where he met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Canada’s Prime Minister Mark Carney met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, to express his support for Ukraine’s demands for security guarantees as part of a potential peace agreement with Russia.
  • Carney said at a press conference that the guarantees could include international participation: “In Canada’s opinion, the strength of the Ukrainian Armed Forces… needs to be buttressed and reinforced.
  • The US special envoy for Ukraine, Keith Kellogg, and Carney and Zelenskyyyyi, both attended a ceremony to celebrate Ukrainian independence Day in central Kyiv.
  • Yulia Svyrydenko, the prime minister of Ukraine, and Kellogg met with her, according to Kellogg. They discussed security guarantees as well as the Ukraine-US minerals agreement.
  • Russia has made “significant concessions” toward a negotiated resolution of its conflict with Ukraine, according to US Vice President JD Vance.
  • They have acknowledged that Kyiv will not be able to install a puppet regime. That was, of course, a significant demand at the beginning. Importantly, they have acknowledged that the territorial integrity of Ukraine will be subject to some security guarantees,” Vance said.
  • Sergey Lavrov, the Russian minister of foreign affairs, stated in an interview that UN Security Council members should be the security guards for Ukraine.

Israel has destroyed more than 1,000 buildings in Gaza City: Civil Defence

By in News, World News

Since beginning its occupation of Gaza City on August 6 and burying hundreds of people under the rubble, Israel has completely destroyed more than 1, 000 structures in the Zeitoun and Sabra neighbourhoods, according to the Palestinian Civil Defense.

The organization claimed in a statement on Sunday that numerous rescue and aid operations are being hampered by persistent shelling and restricted access.

Hospitals are overburdened by the number of missing people, the report continued, adding that emergency personnel are unable to respond to numerous reports of missing people.

The Civil Defense expressed grave concerns about Israeli forces continuing to enter Gaza City at a time when field workers are unable to deal with the intensity of Israeli attacks.

“In the Gaza Strip, whether in the north or the south, there is no safe area where shelling continues to target civilians at their homes, shelters, and even in their displacement camps,” he said.

As Israel occupies Gaza City to the fullest, forcing close to 1 million Palestinians there southward, Israeli tanks have been egressing into the Sabra neighborhood.

The claim of the Civil Defense confirms rumors that Israel plans to completely destroy Gaza City, as it did with Rafah, a campaign that rights activists claim could endanger all Palestinians in the area.

According to a source in the emergency and ambulance department of the enclave, at least three people, including a child, were among the latest victims of an attack on a residential apartment in Gaza City.

Over the past few weeks, Israeli bombardment has been relentless in the area where famine has been declared. Residents of the ravaged Jabalia refugee camp reported constant explosions echoing through the neighborhoods, and several buildings were also blown up further north.

According to medical sources, 24 aid seekers and 27 people were killed in Israeli attacks on Gaza on Sunday, according to medical sources.

Eight more people have died from Israeli-induced hunger in Gaza, according to the ministry of health in the region, as hunger spreads, killing 289 people, including 115 children, since the war started.

As they try to secure the meager aid packages at the contentious, Israeli-backed GHF sites, Israeli forces have been regularly opening fire on hungry Palestinians.

It’s “impossible” to remain alive.

The UNRWA director, Philippe Lazzarini, said that famine is the “last calamity” hitting Gaza, where people are experiencing “hell in all shapes.” In response, Lazzarini criticized the humanitarian situation’s worsening.

“Never Again” has purposefully gone back to being “once more.” We will be haunted by this. The most obscene sign of dehumanization is denial, Lazzarini wrote on X.

He added that foreign journalists should be permitted into the enclave and that aid organizations should be permitted by the Israeli government.

Despite heavy bombardment, Gaza’s Ministry of Interior rebuffed Israeli plans to forcibly relocate residents from Gaza City and the northern governorates.

The ministry advised residents to remain in their neighborhoods or relocate to nearby communities only if threatened.

We urge residents of Gaza City to stay in the area’s central and Khan Younis governorates and refrain from responding to the occupation’s threats and terrorism.

The occupation, which falsely claims there is no safe place in any of the governorates of the Gaza Strip, commits the most heinous crimes every day, bombing the tents of displaced people’s camps in areas it falsely claims are safe or humane.

According to Al Jazeera’s reporter from Deir el-Balah, Palestinians are still escaping Gaza City because of frequent Israeli airstrikes and quadcopter attacks.

According to Khoudary, “we met a few of these families, and they said it was [nearly] impossible for them to stay alive because quadcopters were opening fire on whatever was moving in that area.”

Some Palestinians escaped with their lives and were able to flee, but others were confined to those same areas and are now unable to leave, she continued.

Israel is accused of carrying out a genocide in Gaza, according to leading human rights organizations and UN experts.