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Zlatan Ibrahimovic retires from football after AC Milan win

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Zlatan Ibrahimovic retires from football after AC Milan win

Zlatan Ibrahimovic retires from football after AC Milan win

Sweden(ESPN) — AC Milan and Sweden striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic said on Sunday he had decided to end his football career.

The 41-year-old’s Milan contract expires at the end of June and will not be renewed following a season plagued by injuries, prompting him to end a remarkable and successful career.

But Ibrahimovic later revealed in a news conference that no one knew the big announcement he was about to drop.

“Even my family didn’t know, because I wanted that when I announced it everyone heard it at the same time,” he said.

READ MORE :  Novak Djokovic laments fans who ‘boo every single thing’ after lengthy French Open win

Ibrahimovic scored 93 goals in 163 appearances over two spells at Milan. He returned in January 2020 and helped Milan win the Serie A title last year — his second league trophy with the Rossoneri.

The prolific striker, who had 561 goals for club and country over the course of his career, had tears in his eyes on the sidelines as the Milan fans unfurled a giant banner at one end saying “Godbye” and chanted his name. Ibrahimovic cupped his hands in the shape of a heart and blew kisses to the fans.

There was also a special ceremony dedicated to him after the match, with the Milan players and staff giving him a guard of honor as he walked out onto the field.

“I say goodbye to football, but not to you,” he said after being feted by the San Siro crowd following Milan’s 3-1 win over Hellas Verona in their season finale.

When Ibrahimovic start his professional carrier ?

The striker started his professional career at Malmo FF in 1999 and left for Ajax Amsterdam in 2001 before embarking on a career that has included leading European teams including Manchester United, Paris Saint-Germain, Inter Milan and Milan.

Ibrahimovic had struggled with injuries and only made four appearances this season for Milan, after undergoing a knee operation last year.

“I have so many memories and emotions inside this stadium,” he said. “The first time I arrived you gave me happiness, the second time you gave me love.

“I want to thank my family. I want to thank my second family: the players. I want to thank the coach and his staff for the responsibility, I want to thank the directors for the opportunity. Last but not least, from my heart, I want to thank you fans.”

Ibrahimovic, Sweden’s all-time top scorer with 62 goals in 121 matches, quit the national team after Euro 2016 but returned in 2021 for their unsuccessful World Cup qualifying campaign. He scored the most goals in his career with PSG, netting 156 times in 180 matches, while finding the back of the net 53 times in his 55 games played for the LA Galaxy in MLS.

Ibrahimovic ended his speech with a smile and in his typical flamboyant style.

He said: “It’s too difficult, there are so many emotions going through me now. But I will say, ‘I’ll see you around, if you’re lucky.’

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(AP and Reuters)

US defense secretary discusses upgrading ties with India to counter China

Shasi Kumar
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US defense secretary discusses upgrading ties with India to counter China

US defense secretary discusses upgrading ties with India to counter China

NEW DELHI (AP) — U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Monday discussed upgrading partnership with India, a major arms buyer, and set a roadmap for cooperation for the next five years as both countries grapple with China’s economic rise and increased belligerence, officials said.

Austin’s visit comes as India strengthens its domestic defense industry by acquiring new technologies and reducing reliance on imports, particularly from Russia, its largest supplier of military hardware despite the ongoing war in Ukraine.

Austin and his Indian counterpart, Rajnath Singh, explored ways of building resilient supply chains, a statement from India’s Defense Ministry said. They decided “to identify opportunities for the co-development of new technologies and co-production of existing and new systems and facilitate increased collaboration between defense startup ecosystems of the two countries.”

READ MORE : US defence secretary Lloyd Austin arrived in India on two-day visit today

They also discussed regional security issues and committed to strengthening operational collaboration across all military services, with an eye to supporting India’s leading role as a security provider in the Indo-Pacific, the statement said.

The new roadmap for U.S.-India defense industrial cooperation will fast track technology cooperation and co-production in areas such as air combat and land mobility systems, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance, munitions and the undersea domain, said a U.S. Department of Defense press release.

“This initiative aims to change the paradigm for cooperation between U.S. and Indian defense sectors, including a set of specific proposals that could provide India access to cutting-edge technologies and support India’s defense modernization plans,” it said.

The discussions also included cooperation in space, cyberspace, and artificial intelligence. Austin also met with India’s National Security Adviser Ajit Doval.

“I’m returning to India to meet with key leaders for discussions about strengthening our Major Defense Partnership. Together, we’re advancing a shared vision for a free and open Indo-Pacific,” Austin tweeted after his arrival in New Delhi on Sunday.

Austin, who is on his second visit to India, was expected to lay the groundwork for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Washington on June 22, which has fuelled speculation about a possible announcement of defense contracts.

India is looking to buy 18 armed high-altitude long-endurance unmanned aerial vehicles from General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc. for an estimated $1.5 billion to $2 billion, said Rahul Bedi, a defense analyst. The UAVs would likely be deployed along its restive borders with China and Pakistan and in the strategic Indian Ocean region, Bedi said.

Indian media reports said a joint production and manufacture of combat aircraft engines, infantry combat vehicles, howitzers and their precision ordnance were discussed last month in Washington at a meeting of the U.S.-India Defense Policy Group.

Austin arrived in New Delhi from Singapore, where he attended the Shangri-La Dialogue, an annual forum bringing together top defense officials, diplomats and leaders. Austin lobbied for support for Washington’s vision of a “free, open, and secure Indo-Pacific within a world of rules and rights” as the best course to counter increasing Chinese assertiveness in the region.

China’s Defense Minister Gen. Li Shangfu said at the conference that the U.S. has been “deceiving and exploiting” Asia-Pacific nations to advance its own self-interests to preserve “its dominant position.”

Li suggested that Washington has been holding on to alliances that are “remnants of the Cold War” and establishing new pacts, like the AUKUS agreement with Britain and Australia and the Quad grouping with Australia, India and Japan, “to divide the world into ideologically-driven camps and provoke confrontation.”

India is trying a balancing act in its ties with Washington and Moscow, and has been reducing its dependence on Russian arms by also buying from the U.S., France, Germany and other countries.

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Russia says Ukraine is launching major attacks; Kyiv accuses Moscow of misinformation

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Russia says Ukraine is launching major attacks; Kyiv accuses Moscow of misinformation

Russia says Ukraine is launching major attacks; Kyiv accuses Moscow of misinformation

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukrainian forces were making a major effort to punch through Russian defensive lines in southeast Ukraine for a second day, a Moscow-installed official said Monday as Russia’s Defense Ministry declared that it had foiled an assault in an illegally annexed region of the invaded country.

Kyiv authorities suggested the attack reports were a Russian misinformation ruse as the Ukrainian military prepares for a widely anticipated counteroffensive.

Vladimir Rogov, an official in the Russia-backed administration of Ukraine’s partly occupied Zaporizhzhia province, said that fighting resumed on its border with the eastern Donetsk region on Monday after Russian defenses beat back a Ukrainian advance the previous day.

“The enemy threw an even bigger force into the attack than yesterday (Sunday),” and the new attempt to break through the front line was “more large-scale and organized,” Rogov said, adding: “A battle is underway.”

READ MORE : EPC Summit Moldova: Zelenskyy pushes for Ukraine support at European leaders’ summit in Moldova

Rogov interpreted the Ukraine military movements as part of an effort by Kyiv to reach the Sea of Azov coast and cut the land corridor to the Crimean Peninsula, which Moscow annexed in 2014. Analysts have long viewed that strategy as likely because it would cut the Russian forces in two and severely strain supplies to Crimea, which has served as a key Russian military hub in the war that started on Feb. 24, 2022.

Rogov’s comments came after Moscow also claimed to have thwarted large Ukrainian attacks in the eastern Donetsk region, near its border with the Zaporizhzhia region.

Donetsk is another of the four provinces that President Vladimir Putin claimed as Russian territory last fall and which Moscow partially controls.

Russia’s Defense Ministry said that it had pushed back a “large-scale” assault Sunday at five places in Donetsk province. The annoucement couldn’t be independently verified, and Ukrainian officials didn’t confirm any assaults, but the reports fueled speculation that a major Ukrainian ground operation could be underway as part of the anticipated counteroffensive.

A video published by the Ukrainian Defense Ministry showed soldiers putting a finger to their lips in a sign to keep quiet. “Plans love silence,” it said on the screen. “There will be no announcement of the start.”

The Center for Strategic Communications of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said on Telegram that Russian forces were “stepping up their information and psychological operations.”

“In order to demoralize Ukrainians and mislead the community (including their own population), Russian propagandists will spread false information about the counteroffensive, its directions and the losses of the Ukrainian army. Even if there is no counteroffensive,” a statement on Telegram read.

Ukrainian officials have kept Russia guessing about when and where it might launch a counteroffensive, or even whether it had already started. A possible counteroffensive, using advanced weapons supplied by Western allies, could provide a major morale boost for Ukrainians more than 15 months after Russia started its full-scale invasion.

Recent military activity, including drone attacks on Moscow, cross-border raids into Russia and sabotage and drone attacks on infrastructure behind Russian lines, has unnerved Russians. Analysts say those actions may represent the start of the counteroffensive.

The Russian military on Monday said that it repelled the latest Ukrainian incursion into Russia’s Belgorod region, on the border in Ukraine. Russians who purport to be fighting alongside Ukrainian forces said they attacked on Sunday. They were driven back by airstrikes and artillery fire, according to the Russian Defense Ministry.

Driving out the Kremlin’s forces is a daunting challenge for Kyiv’s planners. Russia has built extensive defensive lines, including trenches, minefields and anti-tank obstacles.

Ukraine could launch simultaneous pushes in different areas of the front line that stretches for around 1,100 kilometers (nearly 700 miles), analysts say.

Michael Clark, the former head of the Royal United Services Institute think tank, said that the “increased tempo” of activity in recent weeks probably marked the start of the counteroffensive and that June is likely to see the start of Ukraine’s ground operation.

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Popular Malayalam Actor Kollam Sudhi Dies In Road Accident near Trissur

Roshan Bilung
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Popular Malayalam Actor Kollam Sudhi Dies In Road Accident near Trissur

Popular Malayalam Actor Kollam Sudhi Dies In Road Accident near Trissur

Trissur, India(IANS)- Malayalam actor and mimicry artiste Kollam Sudhi died in a car accident on Monday near Trissur in Kerala.

Sudhi and his team of four were returning from Vatakara after a stage show when their car collided with a pickup truck at Kaipamangalam.

Though he was rushed to a nearby hospital, he passed away.

READ MORE : Former Hong Kong Stock Exchange CEO Zhou Wenyao dies

He had to be taken out of the car by cutting the airbags, said police.

Sudhi, 39, rose in stature from stage shows to a mimicry artiste and finally graduated to the Malayalam films. In his brief film career, he showed his brilliance when doing comedy roles.

Following his success in the films, his popularity in TV shows soared all the more.

Sudhi made his debut in films in 2015 and in a short time was able to make a mark.

Kollam Sudhi’s family

Sudhi and his family were residing at his wife’s house at Njaliyankuzhi in Kottayam for the past one-and-a-half years. Her parents, too, were staying with them. It was from this house that the talented artist left for Vadakara to perform in a programme.

Kollam Sudhi’s father was a revenue inspector in Kochi Corporation. He also has two brothers and one sister. His elder brother had died earlier.

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( Mathrubhumi with IANS )

 

World Environment Day 2023: Solutions to Plastic Pollution, History, Importance

Shasi Kumar
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World Environment Day 2023: Solutions to Plastic Pollution, History, Importance

World Environment Day 2023: Solutions to Plastic Pollution, History

(UN)- World Environment Day 2023 is hosted by Côte d’Ivoire in partnership with the Netherlands. The 2023 campaign #BeatPlasticPollution will focus on solutions to plastic pollution.

It highlights regional and international policies, technologies and innovations that provide real, lasting solutions to this global problem – especially those that promote a just transition to a plastic circular economy.

Solutions to Plastic Pollution

The event will highlight the importance of working together for collective, transformative action to beat plastic pollution. Member States and stakeholders will, in that context, have an opportunity to share what transformative changes their countries are enabling through collective action on plastic pollution.

History 

World Environment Day, held annually on 5 June, brings together millions of people from across the globe, engaging them in the effort to protect and restore the Earth. This year marks the event’s 50th anniversary.

READ MORE : COP27, climate change framed as battle for survival

The UN General Assembly designates 5 June, 1972 as World Environment Day, marking the first day of the Stockholm Conference on the Human Environment. Another resolution, adopted by the General Assembly the same day, leads to the creation of UNEP.

World Environment Day is celebrated for the first time with the slogan “Only One Earth.”

Importance

“We can no longer ignore the alarm bells that ring louder every day,” he said. “The only way forward is to work with nature, not against it.”

Importance of this event, International Peace Corps Association celebrating World environment Day with slogan of Plant trees not Bomb

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Vietnam President Vo Van Thuong receives Australian PM Albanese

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Vietnam President Vo Van Thuong receives Australian PM Albanese

Vietnam President Vo Van Thuong receives Australian PM Albanese

Hanoi (VNA) – President Vo Van Thuong on June 4 received Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who is on a two-day official visit to Vietnam starting June 3.

The state leader appreciated Australia’s provision of stable official development assistance (ODA) for Vietnam and its support in the prevention and control of the COVID-19 epidemic through timely grant of vaccines in large quantities.

For his part, Albanese affirmed that Vietnam has always been Australia’s top priority partner in the region and wished to constantly develop cooperative relations with the Southeast Asian nation.

Vietnam will have a priority position in a Southeast Asia Economic Strategy to 2040 that the Australian Government is developing, he noted.

READ MORE : PM Modi, Australian counterpart Anthony Albanese resolve to work together to combat terrorism

The leaders expressed their delight at the outstanding achievements of the bilateral ties across various fields, especially politics-foreign affairs, security-defence, economy-trade-investment, education-training, culture, tourism, sports, labour, science-technology, and people-to-people and locality-to-locality exchanges.

They agreed to further strengthen political trust, considering it an important basis for the elevation of the bilateral relations to new heights in the time to come.

Albanese informed his host on Australia’s decision to grant 105 million AUD (69.51 million USD) for Vietnam serving cooperation in climate change response and energy transition; the RMIT University’s increase of investment in Vietnam to 250 million AUD; and the Western Sydney University’s granting of scholarships for Vietnamese and regional students.

The Australian PM said he welcomes the opening of more direct routes to major Australian cities by Vietnamese carriers Vietnam Airlines and Vietjet, which he said contributes to promoting economic and tourism cooperation, and exchange activities between the two peoples.

President Thuong, in turn, proposed Australia create favourable conditions for the Vietnamese community in Australia to preserve the language, traditions, and culture of their home country, and for Vietnamese students to complete visa procedures and study.

He also suggested Australia establish more branches of its major universities in Vietnam; and soon implement the revised memorandum of understanding on the Australian Agriculture Visa programme.

Vietnam is ready to provide skilled workers in the industrial, agricultural and service sectors for Australia, and welcomes Australian citizens to participate in the Vietnamese work and holiday programme, he stated.

Discussing regional and international issues, the two sides concurred to continue to support each other and work closely at regional and international forums, especially the UN, APEC, ASEAN and other ASEAN-led mechanisms. Albanese reaffirmed Australia’s stance of respecting the rule of law in the region and settling disputes in the East Sea by peaceful means in conformity with international law, especially the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

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Minister of EA India Jaishankar in Namibia on 3-day visit

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Minister of EA India Jaishankar in Namibia on 3-day visit

Minister of EA India Jaishankar in Namibia on 3-day visit

Windhoek, Namibia(PTI) – External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar arrived here in Namibia’s capital on Sunday on a three-day visit during which he will hold productive discussions to advance the time-tested bilateral ties.

Jaishankar arrived here from Cape Town where he called on South African President Cyril Ramaphosa and met with other ministers of the BRICS bloc.

Jaishankar was warmly received on his arrival in Windhoek by Namibia’s Deputy Minister of International Relations and Cooperation Jenelly Matundu.

“Arrived in Windhoek. Thank Deputy Minister of International Relations and Cooperation of Namibia, Jenelly Matundu for receiving me so warmly,” he tweeted.

 

“Look forward to a productive visit that takes our time-tested ties forward,” he added further.

During the visit, the external affairs minister will call on the top leadership of the country and also meet with other ministers of the government.

READ MORE : EAM Jaishankar discusses Indo-Pacific, Ukraine war with his 8 counterparts in Sweden

Official sources said that Jaishankar will also co-chair the inaugural session of the joint commission meeting with the Namibian deputy prime minister and foreign minister Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah.

He will also interact with the Indian diaspora based in Namibia.

The minister in the first leg of his tour, had visited South Africa from June 1 to 3, where he had attended the BRICS foreign ministers’ meeting.

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( PTI with IANS and Reuters)

US defence secretary Lloyd Austin arrived in India on two-day visit today

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US defence secretary Lloyd Austin arrived in India on two-day visit today

US defence secretary Lloyd Austin arrived in India on two-day visit today

New Delhi (PTI) – US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin arrived pay a two-day visit to India Sunday to discuss ways to further expand bilateral strategic engagement ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s trip to Washington.

People familiar with Austin’s visit said he and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh are set to discuss a number of new defence cooperation projects that are set to be unveiled after Modi’s talks with President Joe Biden in Washington over two weeks later.

The General Electric’s proposal to share technology with India for fighter jet engines and India’s plan to procure 30 MQ-9B armed drones at a cost of over USD 3 billion from US defence major General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc (GA-ASI) are likely to figure in the Singh-Austin talks on Monday.

READ MORE : US defense secretary Lloyd Austin says Washington won’t stand for ‘coercion and bullying’ from China

India has been looking for manufacturing of jet engines in India under the framework of technology transfer to power its fighter aircraft.

China’s aggressive behavior in the Indo-Pacific as well as along the Line of Actual Control and ways to combat the threat of terrorism are also likely to figure in the discussions between Singh and Austin.

“I’m returning to India to meet with key leaders for discussions about strengthening our Major Defense Partnership. Together, we’re advancing a shared vision for a free and open Indo-Pacific,” the US defence secretary tweeted shortly after landing in New Delhi.

Separately, Germany’s Federal Minister of Defence Boris Pistorius will arrive in India on Monday on a four-day visit.

The Pentagon said in a statement this week that Austin will further deepen the US-India ‘Major Defence Partnership’ as ties between the two countries enter a “new and exciting chapter”.

The US Defence Secretary will arrive in India on Sunday from Singapore on a two-day visit, the defence ministry said.

It will be Austin’s second visit to India. His previous trip to India was in March, 2021.

The ministry said the German Federal Minister of Defence is also visiting New Delhi for bilateral talks with Singh that will take place on June 6.

A host of bilateral defence cooperation issues, with focus on industrial cooperation, are likely to be discussed during Singh’s meetings with Austin and Pistorius, it said.

“US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin and German Federal Minister of Defence Boris Pistorius are visiting New Delhi for bilateral talks with Defence Minister Rajnath Singh,” the ministry said in a statement.

READ MORE : Top American, Chinese defense officials vie for influence in Asia-Pacific

“The Defence Minister’s meeting with the US Secretary of Defence will be held on June 5, while talks with the German Federal Minister of Defence will take place on June 6,” it said.

India-US defence and strategic ties have been on an upswing in the last few years.

The two countries have inked key defence and security pacts over the past few years, including the Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement (LEMOA) in 2016 that allows their militaries to use each other’s bases for repair and replenishment of supplies.

The two sides also signed COMCASA (Communications Compatibility and Security Agreement) in 2018 which provides for interoperability between the two militaries and provides for the sale of high-end technology from the US to India.

In October 2020, India and the US sealed the BECA (Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement) agreement to further boost bilateral defence ties.

The pact provides for sharing of high-end military technology, logistics and geospatial maps between the two countries.

The German defence minister will be on a four-day visit to India beginning June 5. He will arrive from Indonesia.

Apart from his meeting with Singh, Pistorius is likely to meet officials of a few defence start-ups during an event to be organized by Innovations for Defence Excellence (iDEX) in New Delhi.

On June 7, he is scheduled to travel to Mumbai where he is likely to visit the headquarters of the Western Naval Command and Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited, the ministry said.

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(HINDUSTANTIMES with PTI and Reuters)

Lionel Messi leaving Paris Saint-Germain

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Lionel Messi leaving Paris Saint-Germain

 Lionel Messi leaving Paris Saint-Germain

PARIS(AFP)- Lionel Messi is leaving Paris Saint-Germain after their final match of the season on Saturday, the Ligue 1 champions said on social media.

“After two seasons in the capital, Leo Messi’s adventure with Paris Saint-Germain will come to a conclusion at the end of the 2022-23 season,” the club said in a widely expected announcement.

The club said the 35-year-old would play some role in the Ligue 1 match against Clermont at the Parc des Princes on Saturday.

The Argentinian was signed two seasons ago from Barcelona to help PSG win an elusive Champions League, but he failed in that aim.

The French club were beaten in the Champions League last 16 by Real Madrid last season and suffered the same fate this year at Bayern Munich’s hands.

Messi, who has won the Ballon d’Or seven times, has earned an estimated annual salary of 30 million euros ($32.1 million) after tax at Qatar-backed PSG.

READ MORE : Novak Djokovic laments fans who ‘boo every single thing’ after lengthy French Open win

He led Argentina to victory against France in the World Cup final in Qatar in December.

But having poured his efforts into that long-awaited triumph for his country, his was unable to lead PSG past Bayern in the Champions League.

Messi was even jeered by some supporters at the Parc des Princes despite scoring 32 goals in 74 games for PSG before Saturday’s final match.

His relationship with the club soured further earlier this season when he skipped training for an unauthorized trip to Saudi Arabia to fulfil his commitments as a tourism ambassador for the Gulf state.

A one-week suspension followed, and there was no prospect of Messi signing a new deal in Paris after that.

Barcelona, the club where he has played most of his career, would love him to return but the possibility has appeared to be fading in recent weeks.

Instead, Saudi Arabia might be his next destination.

A source with knowledge of the Saudi negotiations told AFP last month that it was a “done deal” for him to play in the Saudi Arabian league, although Messi’s father Jorge denied then that his son had decided his next destination.

Inter Miami have also reportedly made an offer to take him to Major League Soccer.

– ‘Best player in history’ –

After all he won at Barcelona, and his World Cup triumph with Argentina, the French league may not mean that much to Messi when he looks back on his career.

As journalist Vincent Deluc noted in France’s leading sports daily L’Equipe: “PSG have not been better than they were before because of him… and he seemed to have as much desire to play in Ligue 1 as he did to go to the dentist.”

Nevertheless, Messi has still left his mark on those who have worked with him and come up against him.

He was nominated for this season’s French player of the year prize, even if he missed out on the award to PSG forward Kylian Mbappe.

“I have had the privilege to coach the best player in the history of football,” said PSG boss Christophe Galtier this week.

“This year he has been an important part of the team. I have never thought that the criticism of him was justified at all, when he is 35 and there is a World Cup in the middle of the season and yet I think he has scored or set up more than 40 goals in all competitions.

“It has been a great privilege not to coach him but to accompany him throughout the season.”

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Ecuador president Guillermo Lasso declines to run in snap elections after he disbands National Assembly

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Ecuador president Guillermo Lasso declines to run in snap elections after he disbands National Assembly

Ecuador president Guillermo Lasso declines to run in snap elections after he disbands National Assembly

QUITO, Ecuador (AP) — Ecuador’s President Guillermo Lasso said Friday he will not seek reelection in the early elections prompted by his decision to dissolve the National Assembly two weeks ago.

Lasso, who disbanded the assembly just when it appeared on the verge of ousting him in impeachment proceedings, announced his decision not to run in Aug. 20 balloting at a news conference surrounded by members of his Cabinet and family.

“This has been the greatest honor of my life, but I love democracy way beyond the role of president,” Lasso said. “If my duty as president requires me to give up my position and protect democracy, then I will do so. Without fear and with a clear conscience.”

Lasso, a conservative former banker, was elected in 2021 on a business-friendly platform and clashed from the start with the left-leaning majority coalition in the 137-member National Assembly.

In May, lawmakers launched impeachment proceedings against him on allegations that he failed to intervene to end a faulty contract between the state-owned oil transport company and a private tanker company.

READ MORE : Turkey’s Erdogan takes oath of office, ushering in his third presidential term

Faced with likely removal from office on what he called frivolous charges, Lasso disbanded the National Assembly, calling it “the best possible decision,” giving Ecuadorians “the power to decide their future in the next elections.”

Ecuador’s constitution includes a provision that allows the president to disband the assembly during a political crisis, but then requires new elections for both the assembly and presidency.

Mauricio Alarcón, an analyst with Ecuador’s nongovernment organization Citizenship and Development Foundation, praised Lasso’s decision to step aside, telling The Associated Press that the level of confidence in the president “had hit rock bottom.”

An estimated 13.4 million Ecuadoreans will go to the polls in August to elect president, vice-president and 137 legislators. They will complete the current term of office, which end in May 2025. If no winner is declared in a first round, a second one is scheduled for Oct. 15.

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