‘Bring on Barca’ – Chelsea’s ‘quadruple mentality’ is back

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March 28, 2025

Barcelona next? “Bring it on.”

That was the response from Chelsea captain Millie Bright after her side booked a third successive semi-final meeting with the Spanish giants in the Women’s Champions League.

Belief is rife in the Chelsea squad and it was on show in abundance as they swept aside Manchester City in a ruthless display at Stamford Bridge to overturn a first-leg deficit.

Sonia Bompastor’s side had work to do having come away from Manchester trailing 2-0 in the tie – but one thing this Chelsea side know how to do is win.

“We were never in doubt. We had full confidence in ourselves. We could have had way more than three goals,” said Bright.

“[We have an] unbelievable mentality and desire to come back. It was a true Chelsea performance.

“We are a new team, we are on a new journey, we are in a new era. Bring it on.”

‘The quadruple mentality is back on’

Image caption,Sonia Bompastor is bidding to become the first Chelsea manager to win the Women’s Champions League

Chelsea’s hunt for European glory has been halted by Barcelona in successive seasons – but this year the Blues have an added incentive.

A quadruple is on the cards with Chelsea having already won the Women’s League Cup, while they are eight points clear at the top of the Women’s Super League and into the Women’s FA Cup semi-finals.

“The quadruple mentality is back on,” former Chelsea midfielder Karen Carney said on TNT Sports.

“They are not stopping, they are a train and when they are on it, you can’t stop them. They will be thinking ‘we want that quadruple and we are not going to stop’.”

Bompastor says she is not allowing herself to think about a four-trophy haul, but Chelsea’s ambitions are clear – and the way they dispatched City on Thursday suggests they are up to the challenge.

“We had all the belief coming into this game that we were capable of turning it around,” Bright told BBC Sport.

“We were fully confident and [knew we] just needed to be ruthless. It was a true Chelsea performance. The fans were incredible.

“It’s all about the mentality and belief and everyone stepping up and delivering.”

Chelsea were far superior in every department, with Sandy Baltimore, Nathalie Bjorn and Mayra Ramirez on the scoresheet in an explosive first-half display.

They pressed City intensely and finished clinically to take an aggregate lead, but could have added more to their tally with Bjorn and Erin Cuthbert hitting the woodwork, while Johanna Rytting Kaneryd and Ramirez missed further chances.

“This is the Chelsea we know, this is the Chelsea that just get it done. It was about energy, hunger, desire,” said former Blues striker Eni Aluko.

“The quadruple is important, but the Champions League is the one that has eluded them.

“Even if they don’t do the quadruple, if they win the Champions League, that will be the one the players have tried to do for years.

“The owners brought Bompastor in because she has done it.”

‘In football everything is possible’

Chelsea players celebrate — Image caption,Chelsea have won six of their past seven home games against Man City across all competitions

To finally win the Champions League, Chelsea will have to get past a Barca side who have ended their European dream in three of the past four seasons.

The Catalans won 4-0 in the 2021 final and then knocked Chelsea out in the semi-finals in 2023 and 2024 on the way to lifting the trophy.

Those painful memories, along with Bompastor’s defeats against Barcelona while manager at Lyon, will act as added motivation next month.

But, having added to their squad with the arrivals of USA defender Naomi Girma and former Barcelona midfielder Keira Walsh, is this finally Chelsea’s year?

“We’ll do everything possible to make that happen but, as you know, Barcelona have a lot of experience and talent in the squad,” said Bompastor.

“In football, everything is possible. I will bring all the confidence we need to go into those two games but first of all we want to enjoy this, because it was not easy.”

Chelsea’s victory over City capped off an exhilarating series of four matches in two weeks between the clubs.

Ultimately, Chelsea’s experience and quality in depth shone through and they will hope it carries them all the way to four trophies by the end of May.

South Sudanese-Australian teen Gout can be in the history books- Letsile Tebogo

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John Mutiso

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March 28, 2025

Australian schoolboy sprinter Gout Gout can become one of the top track athletes in history but should be not be rushed into competing with “hungry” senior rivals, Olympic 200 metres champion Letsile Tebogo said on Wednesday.

Gout, 17, has earned comparisons with Usain Bolt after eye-catching runs over the past year, including a wind-assisted 19.98 seconds in the 200 at the Queensland state championships this month.

Gout will run the 200 again at the Maurie Plant meet in Melbourne on Saturday but there will be no showdown with Botswana’s Olympic champion as Tebogo eases into the season with a run in the 400.

Tebogo is nonetheless interested to see how Gout performs in the open category following his dominance in junior events.

“He can be good enough, he can be one of the best, he can be in the history books,” Tebogo told reporters at Lakeside Stadium in Melbourne on Wednesday.

“If he continues the hunger that he has right now, he could go very far.

“His progression so far, I am impressed with how he is going with his age (events) and (now) a little bit of introduction into the senior category.”

Gout, the son of migrants from war-torn South Sudan, holds the fastest 200 time (20.05) in the world this year, albeit at a time when most sprinters are not competing outdoors.

His runs have generated huge excitement in Australia and a healthy crowd is expected at Lakeside Stadium on Saturday to see him compete.

Tebogo, who upset American favourite Noah Lyles in the Olympic 200 final at Paris, said Gout’s handlers needed to be careful not to give him too much senior competition too soon.

“Just introduce him slowly to the seniors,” said the 21-year-old.

“Not every race … against the seniors because with the seniors we are all hungry to get the money, the medals and everything.

“The best advice I was told was that Rome wasn’t built in a day.

“I couldn’t get the concept at first.

“I felt like I didn’t have competition but rather (my coach) knew what he was doing, protecting me against the seniors.”

Turning to his own progression, Tebogo said his 400 run on Saturday would not be the start of a campaign to dominate the one-lap race and that he would focus on the 100 and 200 after the meet.

He said 2025 would be a “recovery season” after his Olympic breakthrough last year but he would still hope for medals at the world championships in Tokyo.

“It’s a tough one, but I believe I’ll make sure that they know they are not comfortable when I’m there,” he said.

“This is the recovery season for us, just to make sure that we are competing against them. Just making sure that we are there on the podium.”

Six dead, 39 rescued after submarine sinks in Red Sea off Egypt

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John Mutiso

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March 28, 2025

Six Russians died on Thursday and 39 foreign tourists were rescued when a viewing submarine sank off the Egyptian Red Sea resort of Hurghada, the local governor’s office said on Facebook, adding that no passengers or crew were still missing.

The Red Sea Governorate said the submarine, named “Sindbad”, had 50 people onboard: 45 tourists of different nationalities from Russia, India, Norway, and Sweden, and five Egyptian crew members.

“Most of those on board were rescued and taken to their hotels and hospitals in Hurghada,” the Russian consulate in Hurghada said.

The submarine was equipped with large portholes to let passengers see the Red Sea’s spectacular corals and marine life, and was able to descend to a depth of 25 metres, according to the company’s website.

The pleasure craft was a far cry from the extreme adventure submersible that imploded thousands of metres below the Atlantic near the sunken Titanic in June 2023.

The Red Sea is a major hub for Egypt’s crucial tourism industry, a pillar of the economy, in which Russian tourists play an increasing part. Egypt also attracts tourists with its great pyramids of Giza and cruises on the Nile in Luxor and Aswan.

Successive Egyptian governments have waged successful crackdowns on Islamist militant groups who hurt the tourism industry with attacks on foreigners in the past.

Egyptian authorities are conducting investigations with crew members to determine the causes of the submarine sinking, the local governorate cited Red Sea Province Governor Amr Hanafy as saying.

The submarine, which is owned by an Egyptian, was licensed and so was the crew captain, he said.

There have been several recent incidents of tourist boats capsizing. Last June, a boat sank after suffering severe damage from high waves, though no casualties were reported.

And in November, a tourist boat capsized while carrying 31 tourists and 13 crew on a multi-day diving trip. Local media reported that at least 11 people had died in the incident, which was also blamed on high waves.

At the time, the governor of the Red Sea province said the boat, the Sea Story, had passed a safety inspection eight months earlier.

Last month, a tourist boat capsized while en route to Hurghada after undergoing maintenance.

The Tourism Ministry and the Chamber of Diving did not respond to Reuters requests for comment.

A United Nations report ranked Egypt first in Africa for tourism revenues in 2024 at $14.1 billion, more than twice its earnings in Suez Canal revenues, highlighting tourism’s vital role in sustaining the hard-pressed economy.

UK advises British nationals in South Sudan to leave

By

John Mutiso

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March 28, 2025

Britain on Thursday advised its citizens in South Sudan to leave the country following rising tensions that have brought the East African nation to the brink of renewed civil war.

“If you are in South Sudan and judge it safe to do so, you should leave now,” Britain’s foreign office said in new travel advice.

Britain continues to advise against all travel to the country due to the risk of armed conflict, it added.

Western countries including the US, Britain and Germany have closed their embassies or reduced operations in South Sudan amid growing tensions in recent weeks between South Sudan’s First Vice-President Riek Machar and his rival, President Salva Kiir.

Machar’s party said earlier on Thursday that his detention under house arrest had effectively collapsed the peace deal that ended the 2013-2018 civil war that left hundreds of thousands of people dead.

“South Sudan’s leaders must make efforts to de-escalate,” British foreign minister David Lammy said in a post on X, echoing calls for restraint from other Western countries and the United Nations.

“A descent into violence and conflict is in no-one’s interests.”

Israel Parliament Passes Law To Aid controversial Netanyahu Bid To Curtail judicial Independence

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Editor

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March 28, 2025

Israel’s parliament has approved a significant component of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s judicial overhaul plan, a move that has sparked strong opposition from critics who see it as an attempt to consolidate power within his far-right government.

The proposed judicial reforms triggered mass protests throughout 2023, deeply dividing the nation. Tensions briefly subsided following Hamas’ October 7 attack and the subsequent war in Gaza, but the recent revival of the overhaul has reignited public outrage. Demonstrators have also voiced anger over Netanyahu’s handling of the Gaza hostage crisis and his actions against high-ranking officials.

The newly passed law grants the government increased influence over judicial appointments. It reallocates two of the nine seats on the Judicial Selection Committee—previously held by the Israeli Bar Association—to lawyers chosen by both the government and the opposition. These political appointees would hold veto power over Supreme Court and lower court nominations.

Supporters argue that the reform strengthens democratic accountability by increasing the role of elected officials. Netanyahu, who is currently facing corruption charges, has long claimed that he is being targeted by an unelected “deep state” consisting of bureaucrats, law enforcement, and critical media.

Opponents warn that the changes would weaken an independent judiciary, which serves as a crucial check on government power. The law will not take effect until the next Knesset, and opposition leaders have pledged to repeal it if they regain control of the government.

Crowds flock to newest Catholic saint in Assisi

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Editor

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March 28, 2025

Pilgrims have been pouring into this medieval hilltop town to venerate not only two of the Catholic Church’s most celebrated saints, Francis and Clare, but its newest — Carlo Acutis, the first millennial saint, who will be canonized on April 27.

“St. Francis, St. Clare, of course, important saints who marked an epoch – but that’s far removed from today’s teens. Carlo is like the kids,” said Maria Rosario Riccio, a mother and educator who was visiting Acutis’ shrine recently with a 50-strong parish youth group from southern Italy. “He’s a near-saint of our time, who can show teens that it’s possible to love Jesus while being a regular youth.”

The group lined up to enter the Santuario della Spogliazione — a somber church, also known as Santa Maria Maggiore, marking the spot where more than 800 years ago St. Francis renounced his family’s wealth. There, they prayed by the monument where Acutis’ body is on view, wearing jeans, a sweatshirt and sneakers.

On that Saturday, hundreds filed past — a priest and his parishioners from the Azores islands, a nun from Colombia and her Passionist sisters, a family with two teens from near Venice. Some clutched rosaries, others took selfies or touched the protective glass in front of the seemingly sleeping young man, who died of leukemia at 15 in 2006 and is generating a devotion that astonishes even Assisi’s bishop.

“I’m seeing here a volcano of grace erupting … I can’t believe my eyes,” said the Rev. Domenico Sorrentino. When he became bishop two decades ago, the church next to his residence just off the main street was “forgotten” by the throngs that visited the monumental Basilica of St. Francis.

Over the last year, more than a million pilgrims paid homage to Acutis, Sorrentino said, drawn by “his smiling way of living our faith.”

The teen’s happy image, usually in a red polo shirt and carrying a backpack, is as popular in souvenir shops across town as Francis in his simple brown habit.

Apartheid-Era Song Criticized by Elon Musk Resurfaces in South Africa’s Headlines

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Editor

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March 28, 2025

An anti-apartheid song, once a rallying cry for Black South Africans resisting oppression, has again sparked controversy.

Elon Musk and others have condemned it as promoting violence against whites, bringing it back into the national spotlight and prompting a ruling from South Africa’s highest court on Thursday.

The song has long been contentious due to lyrics such as “kill the Boer” and “shoot the Boer”—with “Boer” referring to white farmers. It is primarily sung in modern South Africa by leaders of the far-left opposition party, the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), at political gatherings. The party performed it again last Friday, prompting Musk, who was born in South Africa, to post on X (formerly Twitter), claiming the song “actively promotes white genocide.”

The EFF maintains that the song commemorates the anti-apartheid struggle and should not be taken literally. Courts have debated whether it constitutes hate speech or incites violence. While a ruling over a decade ago declared it hate speech, that decision was overturned in 2022, with a judge concluding there was no evidence it led to violence.

On Thursday, South Africa’s Constitutional Court dismissed an appeal by a group representing the country’s white minority, which sought to have the song banned. It was the second failed attempt to appeal the 2022 ruling.

Musk, an influential adviser to former U.S. President Donald Trump, grew up in South Africa but left before apartheid ended in 1994. He has repeatedly criticized the current Black-led government, citing the song as evidence of anti-white sentiment. Last month, Trump issued an executive order cutting all U.S. funding to South Africa, accusing its government of fostering “hateful rhetoric” and enabling “disproportionate violence against racially disfavored landowners.”

South African officials rejected these claims, calling them misinformation. They argue that there is no persecution of white citizens, who make up about 7% of the population but remain significantly wealthier than the Black majority, more than 30 years after apartheid ended.

REF: AP NEWS

Sarkozy’s Trial Reveals France’s Secret Diplomacy with Gadhafi’s Libya

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Editor

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March 28, 2025

gettyimages-1235424259-612x612 — Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy delivers a speech on a sidelines of a ceremony held to award Mayor of Calais as Knight of the Legion of Honour in the city hall in Calais, northern France, on September 22, 2021. (Photo by FRANCOIS LO PRESTI / AFP) (Photo by FRANCOIS LO PRESTI/AFP via Getty Images)

The ongoing trial of former French President Nicolas Sarkozy, accused of illegally financing his 2007 presidential campaign, has brought renewed attention to France’s covert dealings with Libya under Moammar Gadhafi.

Sarkozy, now 70, served as France’s leader from 2007 to 2012 and has denied any wrongdoing. However, prosecutors remain unconvinced, requesting a seven-year prison sentence for him on Thursday. A verdict is expected at a later date.

Key moments in the trial have highlighted secret negotiations between France and Libya in the early 2000s when Gadhafi was eager to reestablish diplomatic ties with Western nations. Prior to that, Libya was considered a pariah state due to its involvement in terrorist attacks.

French families of victims of the 1989 UTA Flight 772 bombing have testified about their feelings of shock and betrayal, as the trial raises questions about whether French officials made secret promises to Gadhafi’s regime as part of an alleged corruption scheme.

On September 19, 1989, UTA Flight 772 exploded over Niger, killing all 170 people on board, including 54 French citizens. The attack was caused by a suitcase bomb. A year earlier, a similar bombing occurred when a device planted aboard Pan Am Flight 103 detonated over Lockerbie, Scotland, killing 270 people, including 190 Americans.

Investigators linked both bombings to Libya, which had a history of hostilities with the U.S. and Western allies.

Now, victims’ families are left questioning whether Sarkozy’s associates struck a deal with Gadhafi’s government—offering to turn a blind eye to the bombings in exchange for lucrative business opportunities and possibly, illicit campaign funds.

Trump’s Unpredictable Tariff Policy Shakes Confidence in Europe’s Market Rally

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Editor

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March 28, 2025

Investor confidence in European stocks and the euro is wavering after a strong first quarter, as concerns grow that expectations for a public spending boost have outpaced the region’s sluggish economic reality.

Adding to the uncertainty, U.S. President Donald Trump is set to announce reciprocal trade tariffs on April 2, further fueling fears of a potential trade war.

Leading asset managers, including Amundi—Europe’s largest—have either scaled back their bets on the euro or trimmed their bullish positions in European equities. Many believe the so-called “Europhoria” trade, which drove German stocks to their best quarter since 2022 and lifted the euro to a five-month high in March, has already priced in most foreseeable economic stimulus gains.

“If the Trump administration escalates trade tensions, it will be bearish for European equities,” said Benjamin Melman, CIO at Edmond de Rothschild Asset Management. He added that he does not anticipate significant further gains for European stocks at this point.

Global markets took a hit on Thursday after Trump announced a 25% tariff on car imports, wiping billions of euros off German automakers’ shares and causing European equities to drop as much as 2%.

Luca Paolini, chief strategist at Pictet Asset Management, warned that additional tariff-related shocks could have a harsher impact on European assets—especially those that had surged on stimulus expectations—compared to U.S. markets, which have already been weighed down by Washington’s erratic trade policies.

Coffee Prices Up By 25pc As Beverage Supply Outstrips Demand

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Editor

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March 28, 2025

If your favorite coffee beans have disappeared from store shelves, don’t panic—they’ll be back soon. However, expect to pay up to 25% more for them.

Major coffee roasters like Lavazza, Illy, Nestlé, and JDE Peet’s, the maker of Douwe Egberts, are negotiating with retailers to pass on the rising costs caused by a near doubling of arabica coffee prices over the past year, according to eight industry sources.

The surge in raw arabica prices stems from four consecutive seasons of supply shortages, as extreme weather conditions make it increasingly difficult to grow enough of these delicate beans to meet demand.

As roasters push for higher prices, supermarkets and grocery stores have resisted, delaying new supply agreements to the extent that some have run out of stock.

A case in point: Dutch supermarket giant Albert Heijn, the country’s largest, temporarily ran out of coffee brands like Douwe Egberts and Senseo. After concluding negotiations with JDE Peet’s, the products returned to shelves on March 20—though at higher prices.

“JDE’s purchase prices have risen significantly. To keep products affordable, we will absorb part of the increase,” an Albert Heijn spokesperson stated.

JDE Peet’s, which has already warned of a profit decline this year due to soaring coffee costs, acknowledged that negotiations in the Netherlands and Germany led to some of its products disappearing from shelves. However, the company has since finalized 90% of its global price agreements.

Arabica prices, which spiked 70% last year, have already climbed another 20% in 2024. Brazil, which produces nearly half the world’s arabica, suffered one of its worst droughts on record, exacerbating the supply crunch.

Raw coffee beans typically make up around 40% of the wholesale cost of a bag of roasted and ground coffee. If last year’s price hikes were fully passed on to consumers, retail prices would need to rise by about 28%, according to Reg Watson, director of equity research at Dutch bank ING.

Watson anticipates price increases of 15%-25%, noting that in some markets, consumers may experience the hike all at once.

‘The quadruple mentality is back on’

‘In football everything is possible’

An anti-apartheid song, once a rallying cry for Black South Africans resisting oppression, has again sparked controversy.

The ongoing trial of former French President Nicolas Sarkozy, accused of illegally financing his 2007 presidential campaign, has brought renewed attention to France’s covert dealings with Libya under Moammar Gadhafi.

Investor confidence in European stocks and the euro is wavering after a strong first quarter, as concerns grow that expectations for a public spending boost have outpaced the region’s sluggish economic reality.

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