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Spain’s former football boss on trial over World Cup kiss
The former president of Spain’s football federation, Luis Rubiales, goes on trial today [03], accused of sexual assault for kissing the player Jenni Hermoso, in a case which has fed into wider discussions about sexism and consent.
Hermoso is scheduled to appear as a witness on the opening day having travelled from Mexico, where she plays club football. The trial runs until 19 February.
As Spain’s players received their medals after defeating England in Sydney to win the 2023 World Cup, Rubiales grabbed Hermoso by the head and kissed her on the lips. Afterwards, Hermoso said the kiss had not been consensual, while Rubiales insisted it had been.
The incident triggered protests and calls for Rubiales’s resignation, and it also entered the political arena. Prime minister Pedro Sánchez, whose left-wing government has approved reforms seeking to boost gender equality and ensure consent in sexual relations, said that Rubiales’s kiss had shown that “there is still a long way to go when it comes to equality and respect between women and men”.
After initially remaining defiant and denouncing a witch-hunt driven by “fake feminism”, the federation president eventually resigned, before legal charges were brought against him.
Prosecutors are calling for Rubiales to receive a one-year prison sentence for sexual assault for the kiss. They are also calling for him to be given a sentence of a year-and-a-half for coercion, for allegedly trying to pressure Hermoso into saying publicly that the kiss was consensual. Rubiales denies the charges.
Three colleagues of Rubiales are also on trial, accused of colluding in the alleged coercion: Jorge Vilda, coach of the World Cup-winning side, Rubén Rivera, the federation’s former head of marketing, and former sporting director, Albert Luque. They all deny the charges.
Isabel Fuentes has watched the female national team closely ever since she was among the first women to represent Spain at football, from 1971 onwards. She describes the furore caused by the Rubiales kiss as “very sad”, because of how it overshadowed the World Cup victory, which, when mentioned, brings her to the verge of tears.
“It was something we would have liked to experience, but we weren’t allowed to,” she says. “These players won it for us. They have lived out our dreams.”
Fuentes played when the dictatorship of Francisco Franco was still in place and the women’s team were not even allowed to wear the Spanish flag on their shirts.
“The regime said: ‘We don’t want you to play football, but we’ll just ignore you,'” she says. “And the federation put all manner of obstacles in our way.”
Like many fans, she was concerned by how the Rubiales controversy affected the international image of Spanish football and she was also shocked by footage showing the former federation president celebrating the World Cup win by grabbing his crotch as he stood just a few feet away from Spain’s Queen Letizia.
But younger players, like Belén Peralta, prefer to emphasise how far women’s football has come, rather than dwell on the Rubiales case. Playing for third-division side Olimpia Las Rozas, Peralta says that even in the last few years she has noticed a shift in terms of the attention and support that women’s football receives.
“When I was younger, girls playing football was kind of strange, you were told, ‘Oh, that’s for boys,’ or ‘That’s not a girl’s thing,'” she says. “And nowadays, you go to some places and you say, ‘I’m a footballer,’ and that’s so cool and attractive.”
Her teammate, Andrea Rodríguez, agrees. Although she says that occasionally she might hear sexist comments about women’s football, social attitudes are overwhelmingly positive.
“People are more open-minded now,” she says.
[BBC]
Zohran Mamdani has been sworn in as mayor of New York City, becoming the first Muslim and the youngest person in generations to take the oath of office in the United States’ biggest city.
Mamdani, a Democrat, was sworn in at a historic, decommissioned subway station in Manhattan just after midnight on Thursday, placing his hand on a Quran as he took his oath.
(Aljazeera)
Countries around the world are welcoming the New Year as midnight strikes from time zone to time zone.
The island of Kiritimati – an atoll in the remote Pacific nation of Kiribati – became the first place to enter 2026. One tourist there told us he marked it “on a beach with no satellites, no signs of human life, complete darkness and countless crabs”.
Spectators in the UK have enjoyed thousands of fireworks light up London skies, while in Edinburgh, crowds gathered in true Hogmanay fashion despite weather warnings.
Then Australia lit up the sky over the Sydney Opera House and Sydney Harbour Bridge.
In Sydney, celebrations were tempered by sadness as the nation reflected on the Bondi Beach attack on 14 December in which 15 people were killed.
At 23:00 local time, Sydney Harbour fell silent for a minute, with crowds holding lights to remember the victims of Bondi. A Jewish menorah was projected on to the pylons of the Harbour Bridge.
Elsewhere, there were more fireworks at Marina Bay Waterfront in Singapore.
Fireworks matched the brilliance of skyscraper lights in Makati, Metro Manila, Philippines. [BBC]
Thousands lined the Chao Phraya river in Bangkok as Thailand welcomed the New Year.
In Dubai, people watched fireworks from the world’s tallest building, the Burj Khalifa, following a performance with light displays, music and water jets.
[BBC]
In Hong Kong, spectators enjoyed live performances with fetching headwear.
The Juyongguan Great Wall was lit up in Beijing.
[BBC]
Laser lights dominated the night sky over the Lotte World Tower, South Korea’s tallest building in Seoul.
At the Bosingak pavilion in Seoul, artists performed during the New Year countdown.
A street performer showed off her fiery skills as part of the Procession of Light in Dublin before heading to the Matinee Countdown Concert in Dublin Castle.
In other parts of the world, nations marked the coming New Year with their own traditions.
On a nudist beach in Le Cap d’Agde, southern France, clothed and unclothed revellers took part in a traditional sea dip to mark the New Year’s celebrations.
Swimmers at Islands Brygge Harbour Bath in Copenhagen, Denmark, also braved the cold waters for a traditional splash, known as Nytaarsbad.
In Ommen, the Netherlands, local residents watched the annual carbide shooting – a New Year’s Eve tradition of turning milk cans into cannons.
In Osaka, Japan, young women dressed in traditional kimono took part in a Shinto ritual procession to mark the end of the year at Sumiyoshi Taisha, one of Japan’s oldest Shinto shrines.
Colourful runners braved the December air in Krakow, Poland, for the traditional Krakow New Year’s Run in the Old Town.
Adults and children performed a traditional dance to release the sun of 2025, and to welcome the sun of 2026, in in Denpasar, Bali, Indonesia.
AFP via Getty Images
Highlighting the spirit of global and regional cooperation, the Sri Lanka Navy acknowledged the invaluable support by foreign warships, which had arrived to take part in the International Fleet Review (IFR) 2025, extending much-needed Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) operations, during the recent weather disaster in Sri Lanka.
The IFR 2025 was held off the Galle Face seas, marking the milestone 75th anniversary celebrations of the Sri Lanka Navy.
Representing the Government of Sri Lanka, Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya graced the event and received the traditional naval salute from onboard SLNS Gajabahu, as the participating foreign warships paid their honours.
Eight (08) foreign naval warships arrived in Sri Lanka by 27 November to take part in the IFR under the theme “Sailing Strong – Together”. The participating warships included the Bangladesh Navy’s BNS PROTTOY, the Indian Navy’s aircraft carrier INS VIKRANT and INS UDAYGIRI, Iran Navy’s IRIS NAGHDI, the Maldivian Coast Guard’s CGS HURAVEE, the Royal Malaysian Navy’s KD TERENGGANU, Pakistan Navy’s PNS SAIF and Russian Navy’s GREMYASCHCHY.
Due to the disaster-situation triggered by severe weather conditions across the island, foreign warships that arrived for the event were promptly redirected to support humanitarian efforts. Particularly, helicopters deployed from the Indian Navy’s aircraft carrier INS VIKRANT and Pakistan Navy’s PNS SAIF played a praiseworthy role in search and rescue missions for affected communities.
Accordingly, the warships representing each nation joined the IFR, honouring proud maritime traditions and in acknowledgement of Sri Lanka and its Navy. Their participation also reinforced collective cooperation and partnership needed to address non-traditional maritime threats in the region, as well as natural disasters driven by climate change.
The Prime Minister expressed gratitude to a group of diplomatic officials, present on this occasion, for their support in the disaster relief operations. The officials, who were present on the occasion, represented the High Commissions and Embassies of Bangladesh, India, Iran, Maldives, Malaysia, Pakistan, and Russia in Sri Lanka.
Zohran Mamdani sworn in as New York City mayor
In pictures: New Year welcomed around the world
Foreign warships commended for their assistance during weather disaster in Sri Lanka
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I invite you to step into 2026 with renewed energy, hope, and determination – PM
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