Latest News
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]
Sections of a major Australian highway have been washed away, as flooding in Queensland worsens.
The torrential rainfall in the state’s north has claimed one life so far and forced thousands to flee their homes, with communities in Townsville, Ingham, and Cardwell among the hardest hit.
“Record” downpours are set to continue, authorities say, with parts of the region already experiencing more than 1.3m (4.2ft) of rain since Saturday, causing dams and rivers to overflow.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese – who was briefed about the response efforts on Monday – said that the disaster had bought out “the best of Australians”.
“I’ve seen Australians helping one another in their time of need,” he wrote on X, adding that the “threat from floodwaters” would persist in affected areas for days.
Efforts to get rescue teams to some of the worst-hit towns and cities have been hampered due to the collapse of parts of the Bruce Highway – a major piece of infrastructure connecting Brisbane to the state’s regional centres which is longer than the road between London and Warsaw.
The Queensland Trucking Association told the ABC that the damage – which caused a bridge to cave in – could add an extra 700km (434 miles) to key driving routes, slowing down the delivery of critical supplies.
Queensland’s Premier David Crisafulli offered his condolences to the “tight-knit” town of Ingham – where a 63-year-old woman died in a rescue attempt after a State Emergency Service (SES) dinghy capsized on Sunday.
“We are deeply sorry for their loss,” he told reporters, adding that he would travel to north Queensland later Monday.
He also urged all residents located in the so-called “black-zone” of the floods – which includes six Townsville suburbs – to not return home, due to the ongoing threat posed by the nearby Ross River.
Australia’s Bureau of Meteorology said the area received six months of rainfall in three days, while the Townsville Local Disaster Management Group warned that 2,000 homes could be inundated, some up to the second floor, as water levels rise.
The persistent deluge – which is gradually easing according to weather reports – has swollen waterways throughout the region. Major flood warnings remain in place for communities along the Hebert, Ross, Bohle, Horton, and Upper Burdekin rivers.
Emergency responders have continued working around the clock, with the SES receiving 480 calls for help overnight Sunday into Monday and performing 11 swift water rescues. Widespread power outages continue to be reported though, making it impossible for some communities to call for assistance.
SES Deputy Commissioner Shane Chelepy urged people to stay vigilant and check on their neighbours wherever possible. He added that some 400 people were now being housed in evacuation centres across Townsville, Ingham, and Cardwell.
Located in the tropics, north Queensland is vulnerable to destructive cyclones, storms, and flooding.
But climate scientists have warned that warmer oceans and a hotter planet are creating the conditions for more intense and frequent extreme rainfall events.
Meteorologists say the current floods could be the worst to hit the region in more than 60 years.
Authorities have also advised against “large gatherings in enclosed spaces” across the island – a popular tourist destination known for its whitewashed buildings and blue domed churches.
Tremors measuring up to 4.6 magnitude have been recorded over the last couple of days – with quakes of 4.3 and 3.9 magnitude reported nearby on Sunday morning.
Santorini is on what is known as the Hellenic Volcanic Arc but the last major eruption was in 1950. Greek authorities have said that the recent movements are not related to volcanic activity and have started to subside.
The tremors recorded by geologists are considered minor or light, but authorities have recommended a number of preventative measures in addition to the school closure including to avoiding the ports of Ammoudi and Fira.
Big cruise ships often anchor near the Old Port of Fira, with passengers being brought to shore on smaller boats.
One of the largest volcanic eruptions in history, around 1600BC, formed the island as it stands today.
(BBC)
A woman has died in Australia and thousands have been forced to flee their homes after torrential rainfall has caused flooding in northern Queensland.
Authorities are warning that flood waters could rise up to second-storey level in a situation they described as dangerous and life-threatening.
More than 700mm (26in) of rain has fallen on parts of the North Queensland in the past 24 hours and there is concern that “record rainfalls” will continue into Monday, according to Queensland State Premier David Crisafulli.
Meteorologists say these could be the worst floods in the region in more than 60 years.
Crisafulli said conditions were unlike anything northern Queensland had experienced “for a long time”.
“It’s not just the intensity, but it’s also the longevity of it,” he told Australian broadcaster ABC.
Thousands of people living in the city of Townsville were told to leave their homes by midday on Sunday while authorities brought in 100,000 sandbags to block floodwater.
Parts of the road between Townsville and the tourist centre of Cairns have been cut off, hampering efforts to get rescue teams and sandbags to the area.
(BBC)
Three persons hacked to death in Mamadala
Major highway partly collapses as Australian floods worsen
Spain’s former football boss on trial over World Cup kiss
-
Features3 days agoA singular modern Lankan mentor – Part I
-
Editorial6 days agoFish or cut bait
-
Opinion6 days ago‘Not even congee now!’
-
Editorial4 days ago
Regime changes and scandals
-
News5 days agoWar crimes: Canada’s Conservative Party leader vows to ‘lead the world’ in seeking prosecutions against Sri Lankans
-
News4 days agoCustoms cleared thousands of ‘marked’ containers sans examination beginning last year
-
Features6 days agoSri Lanka, here I come…again!
-
Features4 days agoButterfly migration fading away